Goldie Moldie

"You look just like Goldie hawn!" A woman at the cafe exclaimed to me. "Yeah, I get that all the time. Kate Hudson too, but I think its more Goldie at age 23."  The woman nodded in agreement and left with her latte.

It certainly is a compliment when someone says I look like a celebrity. I think Goldie Hawn is gorgeous, even in her later years. Yet, I wonder if she had had some surgery done. Anyway, my point with all of this is that, this is how people give compliments now it seems. It is not, "Oh, I like your eyes or your hair is just beautiful." People express these compliments by comparing you to a celebrity. I have received this compliment so many times that I ended up buying her autobiography, A Lotus Grows In The Mud. It is very good! She includes her journey as an actress in Hollywood and her road to stardom. Pictures from her childhood up to current Hollywood photos are also included. After reading this book, I took the initiative to write to her. Yes, I wrote a fan letter. However, what I included in this fan letter was not just the typical "Oh, I love your work!" No, I included that, "Goldie, I look like you!" Needless to say, I never heard back. 

Why do we compare ourselves to these icons? Does it make us feel important in some way? Sometimes I do get the feeling that when someone says, "Goldie" that I will float off to Hollywood and be in a film. What? I feel connected in some way to this woman simply by this comment. The reality is that we know everything about these people, yet we will never meet them. They do not know we exist, and they could care less if we look like them or not. I was shocked and appalled when I heard that Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are supposedly separating. They probably are. Why do I care? Is it society that makes me care? Magazines, tv, newspapers, and internet throw it in our faces everyday. If you somehow avoid these mediums, then you will run into it in conversation, "Did you hear..." Well, here is a suggestion: What if we choose to just walk away if it comes up in conversation, or if you see a magazine with celebrities on it just close your eyes and start singing. Better yet, if you see someone reading one of those trashy magazines, such as US weekly or Celebrity News, (I made that up) just take the magazine from them and STOMP on it. Yea, just stomp on it and then rip it up into tiny shreds and say, "This is what your brain looks like while reading this garbage!"

Ok, I feel better. Oh by the way, my mom is the older version of Goldie Hawn.

Spring time in New York

It is Spring in New York! The weather is sending us signs of summer and New Yorkers are venturing out of hibernation (this actually means they are a bit nicer). I took a walk on my break today along 5th avenue on the UES to soak in some sun.  My walk began on 86th and Madison Ave. As I strolled over to Central Park I passed the pent houses and town homes owned by people with more money than they know what to do with. Some of the windows of their homes were open to bring in the spring air and street noises of cabs honking by. Out of curiosity, I peered in through many of these town homes to view the life of the wealthy. High ceilings, expensive statues, and colossal chandeliers occupied the rooms of these palaces. The park was bustling with runners, mothers and strollers, old women with loads of makeup slapped on their faces, and tourists grasping onto their maps, pointing their cameras in various directions. One couple snapped a picture of two pigeons waddling on the sidewalk. My ipod was on shuffle and every song was the theme for each moment before me. As a garbage truck reversed its direction, an urgent beeping cleared everyone out of the way. I think it was Laurn Hill singing in my hear when this occurred and the beeping became a nice melodic rhythm for the song. I smiled at this beautiful moment and kept walking. For some reason, warm weather heightens smells in the air. Whiffs of cigarette smoke, women's perfume, old garbage, roasted nuts, fresh flowers, and greasy hotdogs filled my nostrils. I was brought back to an eclectic mix of memories. I was brought to a world where theme parks meet porch swing at my grandparents house. 

A beautiful day in New York City, encompasses all of the reasons why one moves to this city. There is no need to go to the theater when free entertainment is all around you.