Night at the Theatre with Ann Richards and Gloria Steinem

My step-mom is a huge fan of Ann Richards, democrat governor of Texas. Holland Taylor recently wrote a play about her and actually plays her in the one woman show Ann at Lincoln Center. Holland never met Ann, but was inspired by her after Ann passed away in the mid 2000's.

The play was amazing and to our surprise there was a talk back with Gloria Steinem, the woman who is a key leader in the feminist movement, who knew Ann. Holland came out before the talk back started, and said that this play is "about a woman who believed in living all the way," and that it is not meant to be political even though it evokes politics.

Holland Taylor dressed up as Ann Richards (in white), Gloria Steinem and
one of the producers of the play. Michelle and I sat in the second row.

Holland explained that of course women are inspired by her. She made women feel like they have ground to stand on, solid ground. Men already have the privilege to have ground to stand on, but young men who were around her felt like they could fly. Everyone was effected by her and that's why she wrote the play.

Gloria went on to say that alcohol, divorce and ambition never stopped letting her be a valuable woman. The talk back went on to discuss modern feminism, the Defense of Marriage Act as well as Senator Wendy Davis who is right now trying to continue filibustering an act in Texas that would close many abortion clinics.

One thing that Gloria and Ann hit me hard - that anyone and everyone should try to participate in politics, that we need people to represent us.

I don't see myself as being a politician, but I think the best way to serve my country is by making sure our government is transparent and reporting on their actions to inform the public.

And then, Gloria went on to say that women know that we can do what men do, but men don't know that they can do what women do. We, as a society, "don't expect men to be real parents" and they miss out because of it.

I always think about this: What am I going to do when I have children? Am I going to stay home? More and more I think to myself that I don't want to give up a full time job because I love working, then coming home to my family and telling them the amazing things I do. I know over time things may change over time, but right now I'm very happy working and wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Monday!

After dodging tourists and NYC bus tours salesmen, a grin pops on my face. Every morning before I go to FAIR, just as I walk to the subway I see a newspaper man. 

I swear, he is probably the happiness man in the city and I started getting the paper from him last week.

He always has a huge smile, laughing and always talking to someone. 

He stands at the top of the stairs, handing out newspapers and wishes me a good day at work. 

"Happy Monday! Happy, happy Monday! Have a good day at work, young lady!" 

Just one nice person can really brighten your day. 

No One Deserves Hate: Discrimination on the Subway

I walked down the stairs to the subway on Friday. I was on my way to see my friend Annie for lunch in Union Square, when I saw a woman yelling.

Her hair was tousled and unkempt, her clothes and backpack dirty. She was yelling. At first I thought she was just yelling in general, about the subway or something, but then I noticed that she was following a family as they went up the stairs.

I don't know how it started, but everyone on the platform was watching, and I was still on the stairs, creeping my way down slowly. The husband walked slowly and spoke back to the woman - distracting her as his wife held their child's hand and headed up the stairs.

The family quickly left and the woman followed them - yelling - and spat in their direction. At that point I was on the platform. Everyone still watching.

You can already tell that she was targeting them, trying to make her presence and feelings known. Just think, you and your family are traveling and someone comes and is very aggressive to you? What do you think would cause such a thing? In this case, it was clear discrimination.

What I didn't tell you, is that the family was Muslim. At least, that's what the angry woman thought. The wife was wearing a light blue hijab and the woman aggressively commented on it. The woman also said something along the lines of "people like you shouldn't be in this country."

Recently at FAIR, I have been looking at how Islam is portrayed in the media. I am not a specialist on religious studies or media, but in a class last semester I learned how the media over time has picked specific groups to, in lack of a better words, "call the bad guys" or consider "the other," meaning that they are not accepted. Media does this by portraying a group as unfavorable which prolongs discrimination. This happened with newspapers in the 1800's - 1900's that promoted lynchings and slavery. People fought against discrimination by creating their own newspapers, like The Liberator, in order to have an alternative voice.

We, the media, have such a great power; we shape society's ideas and ideologies, we inform and educate, and overall send a strong message.

Right now, commentators say intolerant things about practitioners of this religion, and all the while push ignorance and fear onto the public. "Our" message, is a message of hate.

On Friday, though, I saw this hate embody itself in a woman confronting a family on the subway.

I keep playing this scene in my head, and I wanted to jump into action on the platform.

One idea I had went like this: I would confront the angry woman and explain everything to her. The media is lying to you! This family didn't cause 9/11, it was extremists that many believe do not honor Allah. I would tell her that she is perpetuating hate that we are trying to overcome. We live in America and this country belongs to this family as much as it belongs to you and me. 

Probably not the best idea. It is very difficult to try to convince someone that what they are doing is wrong in a peaceful manner. One way to stop this hate is through education, but I am not particularly good at this. It's difficult for me to articulate ideas when under pressure.

I also hate to say this, but Michelle pointed it out last night when I told her about this situation. When traveling alone in NYC, my main priority should be to keep myself safe. Confronting this woman, who was very aggressive, would question my safety.

The second way I could have handled this is more realistic. I imagined myself going onto the side of the stairs that the family was on, and block the wife and child from the woman yelling at them. At the top of the stairs, ask them if they were alright and see if they needed anything. Then, I would head down, and the angry woman would probably recognize me and start yelling. I would tell her, "No one deserves hate, no one deserves to be discriminated against." Yes. That sounds very heroic - like a movie or advertisement, but I believe that statement is true.

But, no. I didn't do a thing. No one did anything, they just watched, shocked at what was happening and then everything just ended. People quietly discussed how weird that was and started talking about the musician sitting on the platform, as if nothing happened.

I saw them at the top of the stairs and watched. They were alright. Upset, but alright. And then they just walked away.

All I could think about was that family; what I should have done. Regret lingered with me all weekend. I knew that it only takes one person to get a group of bystanders to act, but I didn't have the courage at that moment. Now, I think the only way I can change this type of hate is by making sure my work does not promote it.

Weekend Sightseeing (Part Two): Sunday Funday

I know what you're thinking: No, Clement and I did not go bar hopping on Sunday. Instead we did a bunch of other cool things.

The Intrepid! 

I have visited the USS Intrepid about three or four times since I was little, but it was great to go on a warm day with Clement. The Intrepid is this beautiful aircraft carrier that is now a museum.

Usually, my parents drag me out of bed early so we beat the lines, but Clement and I didn't do that. Sunday is my one day off, so I wanted to sleep in! We showed up at the museum an hour after it opened and only waited a few minutes to buy tickets. I think it is usually pretty busy on the weekends, but it's best to go before lunch to avoid large crowds. We also purchased student tickets, which are slightly discounted ($20). They're still a bit pricey but -- hey -- you're going on an aircraft carrier. It's worth it on a college budget.

The Growler submarine.

If there aren't a lot of people ahead of you, you should go on the submarine. I've never been on it because, well, I'm not sure how to put this lightly but my Dad is a giant. So, no submarines until now. I couldn't believe how many people fit in the Growler submarine -- there were so many tightly packed beds. The crew must have been huge!

Then, we went to the hanger (inside the ship) and talked to a volunteer about some of the historical morale badges and patches the men wore. It turns out, there was actually a basketball league on the ship. The teams were broken up according to different jobs and they would play in the hanger. Most of the men were 19-24 years old and playing a sport brought up morale. 

Here are some of the morale badges. 

When we were in the hanger, we saw a bunch of tours going on. Next time I go, I will probably take a tour because there is so much information that I've missed over the years - like the morale patches. It will cost more, but if I went with a big group of people it might be worth it.

Clement and I played some of the games in the hanger (turns out, I'm really bad at keeping a ship afloat) and then we went to the best part of the ship -- THE FLIGHT DECK. There are so many cool helicopters and fighter planes at the museum. (The Enterprise space shuttle is also there, but the exhibit reopens in a few weeks).  The deck also has a great view of the city. 

After visiting the flight deck, Clement and I left the museum. We were hungry and wanted to eat on the water, and we spotted this little restaurant next the the ship. The host sat us, telling us that only cash is accepted. We started looking at the menu... it was $10-12 dollars for a burger without fries... it's not like I could have cocktails but they were the same price... Then we saw something shocking --- paying for water. Clement and I looked at each other. "Want to leave?" "Yes. I am not paying for water."

Good thing we left, because we went to the BBQ Block Party! One of the reporters at FOX 5 did a story on this even the day before, how could I forget about this?! Clement and I ran to the subway and went to Madison Square Park, just a short walk from Union Square. Once again, if I was with my parents they would take me to this event first thing in the morning but Clement and I went half way through the day. I wish we went earlier because there were SO MANY LINES. The park was hopping, and honestly this was probably the highlight of our weekend.

These are Baker's Ribs. They were cooked
Louisiana style. I don't know what that means
but it was great!

There were so many tents set up with beautiful BBQ, and the pitmasters were from all over the country. Each plate was $9, which is a really good price for a dump of food in NYC. We meandered around, trying to find short lines, and we found a side street with two tents with shorter lines that were moving fast. Clement and I got into the lines. I went to HillCountry, which is a restaurant in NYC, for beef brisket and pickles, and Clement went to Baker's ribs from Texas, for ribs and coleslaw. We sat on the curb and started to devour the meat. It was amazing.

The BBQ disappeared so fast that I didn't take a picture. The ribs were perfect competition ribs. I watch a lot of BBQ shows on Food Network and supposedly competition ribs should not just "fall off the bone," you should slightly tug them and then they easily come off. With a good rub and some sauce. I have been dreaming about ribs like this for years - just don't tell my Dad because I love his ribs too. (He cooks BBQ ribs a lot but these were a completely different experience). The coleslaw was also great because it was vinegary and crisp. The brisket was great too, good bark and the pickles were very tasty.

After eating, Clement and I sat in the park for a little and just relaxed. Then we went to a cool store Michelle likes called Fishes Eddy which has corky and vintage dinnerware. The store has city skyline pattern dinnerware with famous buildings. I love it!

We went to Union Square afterwards and then took the subway back to the apartment. For dinner, we went to a restaurant near the apartment, which was a nice way to end our weekend. I have to figure out what we'll do next because we covered in one weekend. Luckily, there are endless possibilities in NYC.

Citi Bike: NYC bike share program

Citibike stations map of the city.
www.treehugger.com

There are 6,000 bikes and 300 stations in NYC. They're a part of a Citi Bike, NYC's bike share program, that I believe is sponsored by Citibank. People can rent out a bike for a couple of hours and return it to a station.

The program started Memorial Day weekend, which is when I first came to the city. I few things popped through my mind when I first saw them. I was worried, originally, because there are so many cars in the city and a ton of traffic. In my opinion, bikers are prone to injuries, especially in heavily populated areas.  

On the other hand, this could be a good thing. Cities like Portland, Oregon, have successfully implemented bike share programs and increased the number of bike routs throughout the city. This is environmentally friendly.

And I'm not sure how to say this in a non-granola crunchy way, but I go to Ithaca College, you excepted this. There is always the hope that maybe NYC will help "Mother Earth." I can dream, right?

Well, The New York Times published an article today about some technical problems with the bike share. The bike stations sometimes will not process payments or will not allow people to return the bikes. The customer service line, according to the article, has been very busy over the past two weeks and will leave people on hold for 45 minutes. The best thing to report though, is that no one has been injured while riding these bikes.

I haven't used the bikes yet, but everyday I pass empty stations. We'll see if I get tired of the subway.

Citi Bike station. www.treehugger.com

Weekend Sightseeing (Part 1): Little Italy

Little Italy at night, Mulberry Street.

My boyfriend, Clement, came to NYC to visit me this weekend. We did a lot of sight seeing. Clement is from the a small town outside of Ithaca and has only been to the city a few times - so I have a lot of places that I want to take him.

The logo of the smartphone
 application HopStop.

The problem is, is that I'm not exactly the best person when navigating through the subway. I've taken the subway for years but I only know the lines that I take constantly. So, my friend Annie told me about the app for the smartphone, HopStop, which will give you directions including subway stops. Clement and I found our way to Little Italy, now really Little Italy because it's only one block in Chinatown.

Clement really likes ravioli, to the extent that anytime it's on a menu when we go out - he'll order it. He happened to order pumpkin ravioli when he first met my Dad, Tom, who is the biggest carnivore next to a T-Rex or Jaws. Only four pieces of ravioli were on Clement's plate, so my Dad made him order something else. Since then, he's a little weary of ordering his favorite little pasta dish.

Clement's ravioli, in a tomato cream
sauce. He wanted me to take a
picture with just four of them...

As much as I make fun of him for loving ravioli, I can't blame him. A week ago, I was checking out restaurants in Little Italy and found one with lobster ravioli - Lunella Ristorante. So, we had to go there. Like I said before, we used HopStop to get to this bubble of restaurants and bakeries.

We were able to sit outside, which was wonderful since it was just becoming dusk - cooling down the hot humid cement of the city. Our dinner was delicious, of course. I ordered veal francese, one of my favorite Italian dishes. The sauce is buttery, lemony, and probably has a hint of white wine. It's beautiful with pasta, but there was one problem. 

Clement had more food than I did, and he ordered ravioli.

The portions were a lot smaller than I thought they would be. As Clement said, "They're actually a single portion size," which is way to small for me. At least this meal was. I had two very thin but tender pieces of veal, both pieces smaller than my hands (and I have very small hands, abnormally small), one piece of broccoli and one very small roasted potato. I shouldn't really be complaining because the sauce was honestly the best francese sauce I have ever had, but I would have loved to smother more veal with it.

La Bella Ferrara's sign. We sat right
under it, outside on a small patio.

Lunella's was really good, worth the money, and I will probably go back but we decided to get dessert somewhere else. Sometime in my childhood, I remember eating in a bakery Little Italy with my Dad. He has been to Little Italy many times, and actually the only other time I've ever been to Little Italy was with him. I messaged him before dinner to ask the name of a good dessert place on the block, and he told me to go to Ferrara, which is where I went when I was little. I just realized that we went to the wrong place - we went to La Bella Ferrara which is a smaller bakery. Still, it was really good.

My beautiful box of Ferrara pastries.
(left to right) Two lobster tails, two cannolis,
italian cheese cake and fruit tart.

You walk into the bakery and there are glass boxes lined with endless amounts of pastries, big ones and small ones - cannolis and fruit tars. To me, it's like going into a jewelry store - you're just in awe of the presence of these beautiful pastries. It was just magical.

Clement and I both ordered individual desserts, probably $5 each, and split a decaf cappuccino. This totaled for around $15 dollars.

I don't really spend a lot of money anymore, so I decided to splurge and take some pastries home. I bought 6 miniature desserts, which cost the same and as our dessert! Next time, I'm not going to bother ordering the big desserts (except that tiramisu, it was to die for) and I'm just going to order the miniature ones - you get more for the same amount of money! Either way, the desserts were delicious.

Clement and I made our way back to the apartment, with various desserts in hand and continued our adventure in the city the next day.

Weekend Sight Seeing:Part 2 --- Coming soon!

Going in the Field: What I Realized About Myself

While shooting FOX 5 reporter Dan Bowen's stand up,  I took pictures
for Twitter. The photo was published on my Twitter account on June 1. 

This photo (taken from my iPhone) describes Saturday, June 1. I went to FOX 5 thinking okay. I have one shift left. Then, I can just run to the train, hang out with my friends and chill. When I got there, it was completely empty. Only a few people were there. I was confused. When I arrive for my usual shifts, it is mayhem. 

2pm - 5pm on weekdays in a newsroom are extremely busy because reporters and everyone possible calls into the assignment desk and all of the writers and producers are working fast to get the shows together since there are three every day (5pm, 6pm and 10pm) --- it is terrifying and overwhelming. You get used to it but it is the polar opposite of FAIR, which is like being in the quietest section of the library. 

Well, the weekend is completely different. It's quiet, not a lot of people are there. Also, there are only two shows instead of three. I was able to do something really cool, which I can't do on weekdays. 

30 minutes into the day, the first reporter, Dan Bowens, was about to go out on his assignment, and he asked me, "Hey, do you want to come?" Who in their right mind would ever turn this down? The assignment editor said, "Yeah Sara, you can go." "Cool, yeah sure! Thanks!" and I grabbed my purse and went off. 

It was exciting. We went to Staten Island with a really cool cameraman. Both Bowens and the cameraman gave me a lot of advice. Going to the shoot was really exciting because people kept asking me questions, like "When is the show going to be on? What station are you with? Are you with the reporter?" I felt so professional! People at the event were also really happy that someone was covering this event. You see, there's been a string of violence the past few weeks against the LGBT community. FOX 5 has been covering the attacks closely, and being at the parade meant a lot to everyone that saw us. I think we were the only mainstream news outlet at the event, at least we were the only television crew.

When we got back to the studio, I was able to observe the editing process. It sounds dorky, but I really like editing and I am really familiar with using nonlinear editing software. After watching everything, I felt confident because what I learned in school and with on campus media is actually what happens in the real world! I guess that means my school is on top of everything!

Something really big happened that day. I've been in the field many times, but I never became fully aware of this before. I realized the other day that I actually want and need to be a reporter. Usually, I tell people "I'm happy with anything. I would like to learn how to produce, I love to edit and write, I would like to go on camera, but I just want a job after college --- I'll take ANYTHING."

Now, all I can think about is when I'm going in the field again.

First Piece Published!

It's official: A piece I wrote for FAIR Blog that was published today. I worked on it most of this week, and here is a preview of it! (the first two paragraphs)

While media are  paying scant attention to the Bradley Manning trial this week, another court-martial this week deserves more coverage as well.

In a courtroom base near Tacoma, Washington, Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales will plead guilty today to killing 16 civilians–most of them women and children–in an Afghan village on March 11, 2012. Bales will give his first account of the attack under oath as part of the hearing, in order to avoid the death penalty (New York Times, 6/05/13). The incident remains one of the most shocking slaughters of civilians in the Afghan War.  The massacre received some media attention at the time, though much of that discussion was about the problems it would pose for the U.S. war there.  

Want to read the rest? Of course you do. Here's link to the complete blog post on the FAIR Blog.

Beauteous [easy] Meals

The tupperware's lid is slightly elevated
so it has more space for larger sandwiches.  

Living in New York City can be really expensive. Eating lunch at a restaurant every day will burn a hole in your wallet, which is why I try to bring lunch everyday. It is cost effective and gives me an excuse to eat healthier.

Last year, my roommate found this cool sandwich tupperware which I use constantly now. The tupperware is really secure, the top part hasn't opened even though I put it in a huge backpack and a clunky purse. (If its made it through committing, it will make it through anything...) I got some of my ideas for sandwiches from Pinterest; here are some meals that I've made over the past week!

This lunch [to the left] was left over chicken salad (same recipe as my May 27 post) on top of lettuce and some asparagus. There are carrots and black berries in the smaller part of the tupperware. The smaller part is good to put fruit in. 

My lunch today was left over rice from Chinese take out, grilled chicken and asparagus. I put slices of cheddar cheese on top of the chicken so it would melt after being microwaved for a minute. Then I mixed up the chicken cheesy goodness with the rice! 

Meal before microwave.

Meal after microwave.

Below an avocado, cheddar cheese and onion sandwich. I made this as a quick snack after work, so I didn't get to use the tupperware. Just throw the sandwich into a pan and let it warm up and toast like a grilled cheese. You'll also need a little salt and pepper for the avocado. 

Avocado and cheesy goodness... 

Here is my final meal. It was my lunch last week when I wasn't at work. I cooked up asparagus, cut some cheddar which just goes well with everything - including warm vegetables, and made a parfait of sorts. There is vanilla yogurt, mango cut into cubes, black berries and almonds. 

Beautiful meal next my city view.

Looking FOXie!

I don't usually do posts about outfits, but I think that it is important to mention (especially for young working people). It drives me nuts to think this way, but it's been on my mind. Some companies address appropriate business attire in manuals, or just casually mention it if you ask. So, I think it's important to address now since I completed my first week of work. [I will probably write about this a few times because dressing well in the summer is difficult because of the weather, which is a whole other post]

First day at FOX 5 outfit.

Anyway, last winter my step-mom took me shopping to find and teach me what are appropriate outfits for a business work environment. Why is this important? Well, you are judged by your appearance. I'm not saying people judge you at work because of "how pretty you are," which does happen, but honestly employers and co-workers look at how you dress.

What does this mean? Well, ask yourself: do your clothes fit you appropriately, meaning they aren't to tight or loose? Are they ironed? Are you showing to much skin and are undergarments showing?

These don't just apply to women, these ideas are important for men too. Getting wardrobe pieces hemmed or adjusted in some way make a huge difference in how they look on your body.

Also, a few weeks ago I realized that tailoring clothes makes a huge difference, don't be afraid to do that! I had to get my skirts taken in so they were smaller in the hips, and it completely changed out the skirts fit on my body.

So, on the right is a picture of my first day at FOX 5 outfit which was a silk white shirt, black slacks, black and silver belt with a cool clasp, and black sandal heels (1.5 inches because I have trouble walking in heels). I bought most of this outfit with Michelle, my step-mom, in the winter.

A business wardrobe should be practical. I purchased multiple suit pieces that are black and all work together. When you buy a few pieces that are the same color, you can mix and match with other colors - meaning you have a ton of options.

Some business clothes can be really expensive, but department stores have big sales and coupons, lots of coupons. In order to justify these purchases, Michelle explained to me that buying these clothes is an investment because they will last you for a long time. A good example would be those black slacks, I've had them for four years now. I would say they still look good!

Overall, my first day at FOX 5 was successful. I can talk more about my work there later. I have to go iron my outfit for tomorrow!

"You have some explaining to do!"

Hey everyone, I've been very busy. Updates about my internships are coming now!