The not so Real World

I enter the gym to find two cast members of MTV's new Real World season (Brooklyn) working out on my favorite machines. Cameras are hovering around the dudes and a big fluffy boom mic is swaying over their heads. I make sure I get on the rowing machine between these two Real World punks. I'm gonna be in this fucking shot.

In 1992 when the very first Real World season started in NYC, the cast was actually cool. It was a GOOD show. Granted, I was 17 years old and trapped in high school. After watching five seconds of that show I knew I was destined to live in New York city. And that's exactly what happened. Ha!

Hence, it was kind of weird to meet these new Real World people... they must have been 3 or 4 years old when the REAL real world aired. These kids don't know what it's all about. I miss Eric, Julie, Norm, Heather, Becky, Kevin and the guy who played in the grunge band.

Saturday morning

I get off at Morgan Avenue on the L-line, a pretty rough neighborhood I would say. I think it's Bushwick, maybe East Williamsburg. I can see the huge Marcy housing projects from where I stand, which is in Bed-Stuy (a friend of mine told me that many high profile rappers are from the Marcy projects. Oh well).

I walk past warehouses, factories, junkyards with old cars and with rottweilers, and I see.... a bunch of young, white, hipster kids having a smoke outside an organic coffee shop. Huh? How did they end up here? And where do they live? I see no apartment buildings except for the projects, and I know they don't live there. And why does the coffee place have to be organic?

I decide to follow one of them as she stands up to leave, but around the corner she gets on a bicycle, she rides off and flips the bird to a car that drives too close to her.

Is this the "new" Williamsburg? There's always a new Williamsburg somewhere. Anywho, the reason I was in Bushwick was to take my EMS physical agility test... I passed it!!

Wohooo!

When the California polls closed and the projection was - Obama! we heard a roar of cheers and cars honking from outside. We put our shoes on and ran out to join the party. A huge crowd had gathered up the street in the intersection. There was dancing, drumming, climbing up on lamp posts, drinking, toasting, cheering, screaming and jumping. Police cars arrived with lights and sirens from all directions. But, to our great relief, they did nothing to stop the party. The cops just directed traffic around the crowds (thanks NYPD!). A beautiful night.

Praying

I'm nervous about the election. Obama MUST win, must, must, must. Brooklyn, as well as the rest of NYC (maybe not Staten Island though), are heavy into Barack, no surprise there, and the polling booths are packed. Beautiful! I hope the swing states won't do anything stupid. I hope Florida won't screw up. Please, please, please.

To be continued.