What This Is All About

This is my latest project. It was meant to begin about 2 or 3 weeks ago (too late for a New Year's Resolution, really, but some kind of hybrid was intended), but as is usual for me, has gotten off to a late start. I'm not fussing over the delay, however. Here's how the project was conceived:

Upon returning to NYC from my winter holiday, I was kind of regressing into FeelingSorryForMyself Mode ... the whole NotHavingAnyMoney thing really sucks when you are a broke grad student living in one of the world's coolest cities. I was getting kind of crusty about living in this amazing city while I am not working, with a disposable income. Sometimes I feel like I'm not able to take in the city in the same way, y'know?

And then, my Time Out NY mag arrived (I apparently am not broke enough to not have a $20 subscription). Bored and on the couch, I started flipping through and scanning the pages ... and on one page in particular -- I can't remember which one -- I realized that half the events listed were free. And I thought, "Why don't I go to these?"

My immediate answer to myself -- yes, I do engage in self-talk -- was, "Well, I have no idea what half of them are about, and I have no one to go with." The arrogant optimistic self retorted, "But what if I just went anyway and saw and experienced NYC that way? What if I made myself go?"

Negative Self replied, "Hmmm, well maybe. I'm gonna need something to make me go, a motivator of some kind."

And Arrogant Optimistic Self thus birthed: http://www.nycfree4me.com

So, my Selves have agreed to work together, and I am going to make both of them do something free at least once per week. That is the goal, anyway. If I can't find something remotely interesting that is free, I will find something for less than $5.

Actually, on that note, I am going to make up some rules -- that will be the next post. But, let's be clear: I am NOT going to sit in my tiny Manhattan apartment all effing year and watch the world go by just because I'm broke, dammit.

Let the freebies begin.