Warning: A Wizard has been seen roaming Central Park during daylight hours.

Yesterday afternoon I had an encounter that could only be described as “magical.”  For the 2ND time since living here,  I came across a wizard smack dab in the middle of New York City.

Over the last few months I’ve become quite the Central Park patron. My canine companion, Schubert, and I have our own spot in one of the dog-friendly areas. Our routine goes something like this- I lay out a blanket, detach the leash from Schubert’s collar, and let him around like the wild dog he was born to be. At this point I usually open a book and do some half-ass reading. Yesterday’s trip was no different until dusk came around and we made moves to exit our little nature-escape.While walking down a gravel path something purple caught my eye…there, in Sheep’s Meadow, was none other than the wizard I had seen strolling through that same area a few months before.

Here you can see the wizard walking through the populated meadow as if it were his natural environment.

Now, what got me about this wizard sighting was not his nonchalant attitude to practicing magic during the day. It was the other park-goers and their indifference to his presence that rubbed me the wrong way. Not a single person was taking a picture or looking at all confused. As you can see, I snapped a shot of this mystical moment during my first sighting (due to my little monster’s aggressive leash habits a decent photo was not captured yesterday).

Do New Yorkers really see so many different people, personalities, outfits, and oddities that not even a wizard walking around in front of them summons a reaction!? I felt like one of the tourists in Times Square, but instead of being amazed by giant LCD screens and advertisements, I was taken aback by a purple clad sorcerer. This difference between myself and the other park rats brought me to a solid conclusion- I will not live in NYC long enough that a wizard walking around Central Park doesn’t surprise me.

Post Summary: Seeing a wizard in public should always make you ask “what is going on?”

How did I get Here?

Blogging is not my first experiment with the unknown. In 2011 I tested my stash-theory and was correct- it is a clever disguise.

Preface:  The following article is written in “Dear Diary” format. Much of the below history will be referenced and/or added to in upcoming posts. I know there are a lot of ignorant F*cks out there who assume if a person is from the southern region of the continental US, then they are both uncultured and dumb. Allow me clarify- I am not dumb and I am, in fact, more cultured than you ( I have no idea who you are or how to measure the level of culture an anonymous reader has absorbed ).

Just in case someone who isn’t my mom actually reads this, I thought it only fair that I explain myself. My name is Liz  and I’m a 25-year-old currently going through a self-diagnosed quarter life crisis (QLC) while living a New York City cliché.

To elaborate I was born and raised in a small town in Arkansas, went to school at a small, Liberal Arts school in Missouri, landed a fantastic first post-college job in Little Rock (AR), then became painfully bored and decided to move to The Big Apple and make my dreams come true. Now I’m living in a small apartment  in Harlem with 2 roommates and my dog. I worked my ass off as a marketing intern for a Devil-esk woman for the first 4 months I lived here, then landed every girl’s dream job….an unemployed NYC resident.

At first, this was an amazing position because my internship did not allow for me to see this great city during daytime hours, minus the occasional sprint across town for errands. So, I took on multiple projects like visiting museums, exploring Central Park,  and dating an awesome guy whose awkwardness somehow surpassed mine. [Note- I highly recommend CT gentlemen if  you want to dabble in dating New England boys, but the “typical” east coast “brah” scares you]. To make things even more enjoyable, the before mentioned young man became the ideal weekend adventure partner. So, many a weekend was spent hiking, beaching, and visiting various, nearby regions. During this time I was also researching jobs, submitting resumes, and interviewing.  It was a fantastic way to spend my first summer in the city.

Sadly, this lifestyle has not stood the test of time and the call of society demanding me to contribute has become a constant siren in my ear. This never-ending alarm, mixed with high levels of internal energy, and shaken with the growing anxiety fed by months applying, interviewing, and waiting caused state of panic which turned into a QLC. If this is not remedied soon, a monster will appear where a young woman once did.

{unsure exactly when the light call became a tornado…excuse me…hurricane siren but I’m going to say Labor Day Weekend is an appropriate place to draw the line of when I realized I was in full-blown QLC mode}

 Anyways, that brings me to today. Two days after Labor Day, summer has ended, and I’m trying to accept that my perfect life as an infatuated, city exploring bum is coming to an end. I’m experimenting with this blog as a way to keep my creativity sharp and as a QLC treatment option.

This is my neutral face and a big part of my perceived awkwardness. Assuming I’m upset, people approach defensively OR overly cheerful. Caught off guard, I react with delay or confusion.

Being a super awkward, white girl living in the colorful streets of Harlem has been a constant entertainment and learning experience. Fully knowing the city is impossible for anyone because it’s in constant motion so it’s nice to have a neighborhood. [Note- People really should be better informed on NYC’s distinct personality and really sick sense of humor].  Aside from personifying the concrete jungle, I plan for my posts to be organized passages chronicling my humorous, ungraceful, and interesting day-to-day life. In other words, there will be a lot of rambling about encounters, thoughts, pictures, current events, discoveries, anything else that can be tied back to my awkwardly fabulous life.

Post Summary: I’m tired of group texting/emailing friends about my entertaining situations so this blog will take that inconvenience off my list.