The New Occupation of Wall Street

About a month and a half ago, I visited Zucotti Park. It was kind of a mess. I had a pair of German reporters pull me over and ask me why I was protesting. I told them I had been in the park roughly five minutes and would be leaving to get to my next appointment soon, and that honestly I was there to ask other people the same question. I didn't know what they were really doing down there. But they had some great signs.

Several weeks later, I visited again. The place had transformed. Maybe evolved is the better word. There was a formal nurses' station for all medical needs. There was a kitchen. There was a power station, where people biked on generators to charge all lights, equipment, and whoever's cell phones needed charging. There were cleanup crews and equipment, posted rules about noises and a complaints hotline for the park's neighbors sponsored by a community liaison. There was a shelter full of books with a large sign that said "Library." The signs had been replaced by posters explaining the movement, some of their ideals, and facts they wanted to bring to light.

They also had some oddballs. I had my ear talked off by a man trying to promote the letter ə in popular use as a way to change the world. Another had posted signs about 9/11 conspiracies and his campaign for president. But these were a lot more rare than the New York Post and other city tabloids would have you believe.

And the "people's microphone" is a lot of fun to watch in action. Heck, if they can bring a campaign speech by Michelle Bachmann to a halt, then they're obviously onto something.

So now that the occupation has moved away from Zuccotti Park, it's going to be showing up in some other interesting ways, including these:

 ...scattered Occupy events continue to take place in New York City. Protesters gathered near Mayor Bloomberg's home Sunday, there will be an Occupy Wall Street benefit show Monday night featuring Ted Leo, the So So Glos and Titus Andronicus. A group in Duarte Park has developed the idea of "Tenting," in which protesters, as Gothamist explains, "will set up tents in public spaces around town and decorate them with messages... then leave them behind. The tents will be uninhabited on the inside, but bursting with ideas on the outside."

Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/21/occupy-wall-street-after-zuccotti_n_1105973.html

So I signed up for some mobile alerts from the New York general assembly tonight. Even if I'm going to be in Seattle for the next few days, I don't want to miss what happens next.

First foray into TVland

I'm back from Chicago! Just was out for the weekend to spend time with friends and family, something I don't get to do nearly often enough.

So, back in New York, after doing a lot of other things, I met yesterday with a producer looking to pitch new TV shows. I haven't been keeping it a secret that I might want to try my hand at hosting a travel show some day. I've got the degree in international studies, the experience filming travel, and 65+ countries under my belt, so I'm all kinds of qualified. So I teamed up with my buddy who's got travel chops and a lot more organizational skills than I have, and we're trying to make something happen. But we've been searching for an angle.

My immediate idea was to try to film something aimed at the 18-39 year old demographic, a younger crowd that is more interested in trying to backpack to lots of different countries rather than stay in a resort in one spot. Word is though, that we need more character driven stuff and that instructional shows are definitely out right now as far as the networks are thinking. So we need something with a little excitement to it. Some suspense. Something leaving people wondering 'what if.' And unlike Anthony Bourdain, neither I nor anyone I'm working with has a bestselling book out to justify someone just wanting to follow us around the world with a camera.

I've got some ideas, we'll release them as they develop.

It's kind of funny jumping into TV stuff on one end of production while I'm only just now starting to dip a toe into the other end almost everybody else tries on: enjoying. I don't have a TV, but I might be shopping for one soon. With last month's paycheck, I think I can finally afford one, so I'm waiting for the holiday price drop after thanksgiving. There are perks to living just a few blocks from Costco, Best Buy, and Target.

But in the meantime, I have a novel to write, and 8.5 hours of tutoring to do today. Also some web design if I can hear back from tech support on why my boss's server isn't letting me log in. Back to the grind!

I'm visiting Chicago and Seattle this month

I'm coming back to both Chicago and Seattle this month. I even made Facebook events for it because clearly I have more spare time than I'm admitting. So if you're in Chicago or Seattle these days and want to hang out... lemme know.

By the way, in case you were wondering, this is a picture of me, 18 years old, exhausted, on top of most of my worldly possessions after flying from Seattle to Chicago. It was a one-way flight, leaving my hometown to attend my first quarter of college. Some things change more than others.

Bad Actor. No Biscuit.

I'm in two performances this month. And I haven't done a single thing to publicize either of them. Oops.

They're both gonna be great! So if you wanna see them:

1)SWEET! Actors Reading Writers November will take place this Thursday at the the Three of Cups, 83 1st ave (5th st) at 7:30 pm. Please come, it's free, and I'll be reading a really funny personal essay by author Stefan Merrill Block.

2) Shakespeare Forum is having a showcase night two Thursdays after that (11/17) at Space on White, 81 White St at 8pm. I'll need to double check but I believe that is also free (though they will likely have a suggested donation of some sort). I'll be in a big scene from Winters Tale as Camillo, and then do really super angsty monologue as Posthumus from Cymbeline. If you like the Bard, you'll enjoy this.

Right. Now back to writing a novel. Because I've somehow talked myself into doing that in a month. Yes.