letter_to_a_stranger jane hi there.. i suppose first you'll want to know everything about me....? i just moved to new york from california to go to nyu i don't have a major because i didn't want to have to decide i don't miss home but i miss familiarity i've been partying more than i should & i'm probably drinking more than i should & smoking more than i should [because that's the natural progression after drinking] i like all music. if it's good. lately i've been listening to a lot of radiohead & atmosphere. but i was raised on good old classic rock. stop me if this is disgusting you. i just got off. that was a lie. i would call myself an artist but i think lack of the title makes you more of an artist. ooh i'm different. hahah oh i forgot to tell you to take everything i say with a grain of salt. or sugar. or not. i'm in a strange mood. good to hear from you. sorry if i'm not what you expected. actually i'm not because it would be your fault for having expectations. ciao, jane 030914 ... jane its nice to hear someone passionate about what they do for a living. i wish i could find a job, or maybe a job will find me or something! you're right, i am young, but so are you, and you seem to have things on the right track. sometimes i feel like time doesn't go fast enough, like everything is waiting for the next thing to happen. i am always thinking, maybe life is waiting. and it becomes more apparent when you're waiting for the subway, or on a layover for three hours, or even on the plane for six to eight hours. but even then, you get to where you're going, and you're already talking about the next few things you're going to do. every moment lives for the next, right? so on that note, i am thinking about my future. its hard to afford nyu, and my family might not be able to do it, and i might have to go home and to go san_francisco or something. who knows? i am really enjoying myself here. it was hard at first because i was so culture shocked but now i love living in the moment, appreciating the little things like the way people graffitti on the advertisements in the subway or the way the sun is shining but you can still see your breath in the chilly air. even the way snow falls on the cube at astor place. or icicles on a bench. i suppose all of those are weather-related but those are the things i have been noticing lately. so, what do i want to do with myself? i want to do something artistic. well wait, in an ideal world i would sing jazz in a smoky nightclub. unfortunately, i dont have that kind of talent. so i think the most logical thing would be to become an art therapist: it has teh financial security and i get to take a bunch of art and psych classes. sometimes i think about going to law school or becoming an editor or something. sometimes i think about becoming a subway conductor. i think about every job i encounter. what is this waitress' life like? i'm not specifically brilliant at one thing - i'm pretty good at a lot of different things. i learn quickly. i just want to be happy. you want to know how to hang out with me? hah - i suppose just keep talking to me the way you have been, i can give you my phone number if you want , we can talk on the phone, i dont know. sound good to you? let me know.. i know, i wrote a novel. oh yeah i didn't answer your question about writing. i write all the damn time. lately i haven't been able to think of anything i wanted to write about; this letter is the closest i came. so i guess thanks for the inspiration. -lauren 040130 what's it to you? who go blather from