#Adventures in Adventuring: For the first time ever, I actually got scared for my safety
I'm not scared of much in life. This doesn't make me special, only awesome, and the product of a lot of gnarly life experience as a kid.
I've been a people magnet for very literally my entire life. People have always always always felt "drawn" to me for lack of a better word, and when I was in a negative state of consciousness it made me a magnet for some very scary scenarios.
Even as young as 4, my softball coach took a "very special" eye to me, and so ended my career as an athlete. When I was 8, and in Boston, my grandfather went to the bathroom for a moment leaving me outside and this guy OUT OF THE BLUE came up to me knowing my name (which was weird because my grandfather only ever called me Missy), and tried to lure me into his car. When I was 12, my parental units swapped out their insurance providers, picked a new pediatritian and he then performed an exam on me that should never be done until a chica is at LEAST 18. When I was 16 I was stalked by 4 of my best friends in high school, and during that ordeal when I tried escaping to my parent's condo in Maine that VERY FIRST DAY I was there two dudes tried breaking into it. When I lived in NYC when I was 17 I was followed home once, and another time grabbed on the street. And when I lived in the valley here in LA, this mofo tried car jacking me at like 9am outside a pharmacy on Ventura blvd. (This is honestly all just off the top of my head, but also another reason why at 22 I had an absolute nervous breakdown, and why I'm so hardcore and so matter of fact now.)
All very very very random and weird experiences, but I have since learned how to throw a punch, take a punch, fire a gun, and assault someone with a knife. I stay FREAKISHLY calm in situations because frankly, I've already been there and done that and trusted myself and my intelligence to get me the fuck out of it!
Nothing scares me ... ever. I'm good at reading people and reading situations, and even in my journey for the last 2 years, NOT ONCE did I feel unsafe.
Dudes, I slept down by the Venice Family Clinic center by lincoln in Venice, CA. Have you seen that area?? Wasn't scared ... at all.
I'm a people magnet. But now I've made a conscious decision to focus on myself, and what makes me happy that I've changed my energy and now only attract the awesome! Everyone has something fucked up happen to them, SO WHAT!!! You can choose to be the victim and further perpetuate more fucked-upery, or you can be the victor and say fuck that shizzy shiznat - I. am. awesome!
It was a journey, FOOORRRRRR SURRRRREEEEE, but also a very tangible reason why no one fucks with me; I'm just doing my own thang!
That being said, Monday night I got scared - big time.
Here's a song that I was listening to on Spotify right after all of this shit was going down ... haha will now always remind me of this experience ...
So, I flew back east for my date with Vh1's Steve Ward. OMG OMG OMG!! What a rad dude, read about how he schooled me in my own game over yonder, and how he then invited me on his radio show over here.
Crashed with a friend of the site, not a single problem there - Ashley was AWESOME!! (read the breakdown of the weekend here)
Because I had vouchers through Southwest to fly back east, I didn't have the same option as most in regards to booking the ticket causing me to wind up having to fly out of La Guardia to get back to LA on Tuesday morning.
I popped on MegaBus.com and for $7 was able to take a Megabus from Philly to NYC and then planned on taking a subway and bus to the airport. (All in all costing me less than $12.)
Great! NYC for a few hours, catch my flight at 6am out of La Guardia! No prob, I can sleep in the airport.
The timing of my trip, however, was less than stellar. Tuesday was also the deadline for season 3 of VidBlogger Nation. I had shot everything in Boston a few weeks prior, but still had editing to do, and still had to do my intros and outros. (I have a channel on Comcast On-Demand called VidBlogger Nation. I rep New England, and they're short and sweet videos that require an intro "Hi guys! So excited for today's ... adventure" then the actual adventure ... followed by an outro summing everything up.) Shooting the adventures aren't a problem, but because of all of the projects I am involved with anyway - I never end up getting to shoot the intros and outros until the very last minute. Not a problem when I'm in my apartment, but definitely a problem when I'm on a cross country flight.
UMMM don't think the peeps trying to sleep would be happy with that.
My bus got me into the city around 11:30pm, and my flight wasn't until 6am. Alrite, so all I have to do is film my intros and outros somewhere between 12 and 3 (stopping then would also give me time to get to the airport). Not a problem, but where is there enough light and quiet enough for me to film at that hour?
I then remembered that the Megabus dropped me off near Penn Station.
YES!! I thought, Penn station - brilliant. It will still be open, and I'm sure I can find a shady enough spot to kick it.
I then got on the bus, arranged to meet up with an old TNTML buddy, @Rishegee and after arriving in the city around midnight and consuming 3 cups of coffee, I was ready to begin filming.
Rishe had asked if she could watch, and I was game - but just explained to her that I had no idea if we were going to get yelled at, arrested, or god only knows what.
If anyone asks what we are doing just say it is an art project, I said. It is open ended enough that it's not technically a lie (a TV show could be an art project ... a big one ... but one nonetheless), and because of my hoodie, basketball shorts, big backpack, and vans - people will just assume that I mean art school project.
I'm in! She said - and so the adventure began.
When I travel I very very very much go below the radar. At any given moment I am traveling with my macbook pro, Canon GL1 camera, iPad, iPod, smartphone, headphones - all totaling an actual retail price of somewhere in the 5-10K range. My camera alone is super fancy pants and super expensive.
You'd never know it by looking at me, which is GREAT, but also very very very intentional.
So we left the diner where we grabbed the coffee and headed over to Penn Station. I then went into the bathroom and "put on my face."
Flying below the radar also means that I never travel wearing make up. When I get all dolled up and fancy pants I can look like this ...
When I travel, I look like this ...
BIGG DIFF!!
No make up, hair off my face in some weird hair thingie majiggie, topped off with a hoodie and basketball shorts.
Mind you, I didn't change my clothes - but was wearing make up, and took my hair down - so I instantly looked like a glamazon.
Being a glamazon at 1am inside Penn Station was not the brightest idea.
Rishe and I then went up to two officers and inquired about a shady spot we could film.
Hello officers (they were super cute, btw so that didn't hurt), I'm wondering if there is any place we could film these little intros for an art project I am doing. I just need a plain wall for the backdrop, and a floor to sit on. Won't take more than 20 minutes.
Sure, not a problem, smiled one of the gorgeous officers. Come over to our area though so we can keep an eye on you guys. It's a bit of a rough crowd at night.
Great!
We then started walking with the officers. I thanked them profusely explaining that I had to get on a plane in a few hours and needed to edit while on the plane to be able to deliver the project on time.
Totally understand, they said as they pointed to a corner where we could cop a squat. (no pun intended)
Don't sit down!! They said! Whatever you do, you don't want to sit on the floors here.
It's okay, Rishe and I said, we're pretty hardcore girls we don't mind.
Your call, said the officers, as they walked out of eye sight.
I then took out my Canon GL1, tripod, macbook pro and set up shop.
See, I had to be able to refer back to the already shot footage to know what I was intro-ing in the first place. I then coped a squat on the floor and began watching the unedited shots.
Rishe took pics with her iPhone ...
This is really cool seeing how it all goes together, she said.
I sort of heard her, sort of half responded - dudes, when I am innnn thee zoonnnnneee I can't talk to you. Especially when it comes to a project I am producing - I can't even speak, I'm breaking down what shots I want and where I want the stories to go in my head. Hence why I wear keys around my neck, and have to leave reminders to myself sometimes to even put on shoes when I'm shooting. I have very literally been in the zone so much so that I have forgotten to wear shoes as I was walking out the door. Weird, absolutely - but just how focused I get.
I started shooting and not 2.5 seconds later, we attracted a crowd. A pretty big one at that ...
See, the homeless crash in Penn Station since it is where they can seek solace from outside. So it wasn't, oh wow! Let me be on TV - (although facing out, there were a LOT of people watching me film just out of general curiosity), those people were thinking LOOK! Someone is sitting down!! We can sit down too and not get yelled at!!
I can't describe it, but something in the pit of my stomach told me to get out of there ... NOW!!
I'm used to filming and attracting crowds in broad daylight - whatever, I will OWN That shit, but this is different. People can clear as day see how much equipment I am traveling with, and being robbed, raped, or potentially even killed for what I have on me is not on my list of "things to do" today.
People like that have nothing to lose, and those are the people you should always fear the most in life. They've been in and out of jail, and aren't afraid of authority.
Let's go, I said to Rishe. I got what I needed for now, I can do the rest when I get back to LA - if it's late, that's fine ... but I can't handle this right now. Something feels off.
She agreed, and then the officers coincidentally happened to approach.
Let's go everyone! They screamed clapping their hands.
The people sleeping on the floor started yelling back at the officers while I kept packing up my things.
Do.
Not.
Want.
To.
Be.
Here.
I thought.
I'm crazy, and will do anything when it comes to calculated risks, but this is just fucking bat shit. After packing up my things I thanked the officers for letting me film.
I really appreciate it, I said. I have a question for you though, what are the majority of these people on?
On? said the officer - nothing. These people are mentally ill. He points over to a Duane Reade, there is an outreach project over there. Every day they approach these people and offer help, and every day they turn them down. Sometimes we can hold them for 72 hours, but then they get released and put back into the general population.
They are mostly harmless although sometimes they will get a little rowdy and attack us. Then we can put them behind bars, but they get released shortly after.
There is help for these people, but they don't want it.
The ones that you have to be careful of though, said the other officer, are the murderers. We get a lot of those down here - we just can't keep them all locked up forever. Also too, a lot of the people here have lice - you have to be very careful.
My eyes dart to Rishe - oh fuck, I thought. No bueno.
Well thank you, I appreciate the honesty, and the help with my project.
Not a problem they said as we darted out to the subway.
I then said goodbye to Rishe, and after google mapping my route to the airport I popped on the N to head to Astoria Blvd to catch the bus.
I sat on the subway, and again based on the fact that I was wearing make up and traveling alone at 3am on the NYC - I started to attract attention.
How you doin, ma? cried one traveler.
Fuck me in the fucking goat ass. Never traveling wearing make up again.
I put on my sunglasses to hide my appearance ...
Sunglasses are a GREAT way to hide when you're traveling on public transportation late at night. See, people who wear sunglasses at 3 am are usually on drugs. No one wants to fuck with you if they think you're on drugs - you get left alone, WHIIICHHH is what I want in the first place.
Totally works like a charm.
People then stopped bothering me, and filtering off at their given stops.
Whew, I thought.
Then I looked up and saw this super attractive couple make out.
They stared at me as they passionately kissed each other and let's just say that the chica was riding something other than the subway car.
Can you adopt me for the night? I thought.
Wait, plane to catch ... focus Friel .. focus.
15 hormone calming moments later I got off at my stop, and walked down to the bus stop where I waited for the M60 to La Guardia.
I sat down in the bus shelter feeling very ... exposed.
I'm used to NYC, I lived there when I was 17, but somehow sitting on the side of the road in the bus shelter exposed at that hour directly AFTER that entire experience was just too much for me.
I grabbed my tripod from my backpack and sat at the stop holding it.
K7's Come Baby Come rang through my head. If anyone fucks with me all I gotta do is swing batta batta batta batta SWINNNGGGGGG ...
I waited for about 20 minutes before the bus finally arrived, not a single person approached me, nor said anything to me (although plenty had walked by).
YES!! Safe!!!
I got on the bus and about 30 bladder filled with coffee minutes later, I arrived at the airport.
Oh good god I thought getting off the bus. I have done a LOT of dumb shit in my life ... but this? No way. Never again. No more filming late at night in public areas.
Lesson learned. The hard way? For sure - but lesson learned none the less.
Note to nerds: When traveling keep your gear on the DL and for chicas keep the makeup off your face. You do NOT want to attract that kind of attention late at night, EVER!
#thatisall
Oh and if you guys watch the episode "Amateur Hour" on VidBlogger, you can hear a duderino snoring in the background of my intro. That is how close they got to us, and it was too hilarious to not keep in the episode - HAHAHAHAHA!! YAY LIFE!!
