Adventures of an Introvert... Part 1!

Come follow along on the rare occurrences I decide to leave the house. These outings will start to decline because summer is basically here, and I hate it. 🙃 

4/9: Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase @ Industry City

In conjunction with St. Mark’s Comics, BICS was holding a small local event to allow talented artists from the NY metro area to showcase and sell their art. Industry City is basically in Danny’s backyard, so it was exciting when he was able to secure a table for the Successfully Failing brand. Visiting Industry City for the first time back in October, I immediately fell in love with the aesthetic and vibe of the place. In viewing IC from the outside, you’d have no idea that there was a central hub along the waters of Sunset Park for creative events, art, music, movies, food, leisure and shopping. That’s what I absolutely adore about walking into IC, it’s like you’ve enter the secret of Wonderland. 

 
Danny was very successful at his first Showcase, and I was happy I could be there with him. Excluding the random two-minute HAIL STORM that rained upon us during our initial set up that morning, the day went rather smoothly. Danny and his brother Chris were able to sell stickers and make some new connections. I admire the way Danny can communicate his visions so eloquently when it comes to talking about his art to others. I’m almost envious of him. It’s very brave and vulnerable to put yourself out there to the world, and have people view something that is very much a part of you and your inner workings. He really excels at networking. It’s funny too because I’ve seen Danny make various connections with people that started over their mutual love for professional wrestling. The wrestling community really be out here bringing people together. Overall, it was an enlightening experience. So many friends and family came by to show their support, and I even got to meet Danny’s very special Dino buddy. I hope this isn’t the last appearance of the Showcase, and that it will become a staple event at Industry City every year.   

4/15: House of Glory - Tribulations

This was my first time at an indie wrestling show EVER. House of Glory is a professional wrestling school and promotion, founded by Amazing Red and currently owned by Master P. The promotion is conveniently a two-minute walk from the LIRR station in Jamaica, Queens. I was surprised to see many well-known tag teams have wrestled as HOG Tag Team Champions when I did my research… The Young Bucks, The Hardys, Private Party, Santana & Ortiz, and The Lucha Bros. It’s exciting to see a wrestling promotion succeeding in NYC. 

 
Overall, I had a great time and I love that I’ve been to more wrestling shows than ever before since dating Danny. I’m glad he’s not a WWE elitist because I’ve always wanted to experience other wrestling promotions out there like New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor. You don’t get an authentic experience with WWE since they like to drink the Kool-Aid and advertise “sports entertainment” rather than actual pro-wrestling. Danny really gave me the means to start investing time into AEW since I never watch live television at home, and I’m thankful for another outlet for wresting because WWE really makes me sick nowadays. 🙃 

4/23: Tulip Festival at Waterdrinker

One of the many things I love about spring are the colorful blooms of tulip fields meant to replicate those you would find in The Netherlands (on a much smaller scale, of course). The fields at Waterdrinker Family Farm on Long Island have grown exponentially over the years. The farm has caught on to the notion that people will pay anything to frolic among a rainbow of tulips. 

I love observing the different types of people that come out to visit the flower fields. There are the vain IG hoes like Chinh and myself, who are looking to add more flower photos to our ever-growing grids. The childless millennials there to snap shots of themselves with their beloved fur babies. The girlfriend dragging her boyfriend to the Tulip Festival on a Saturday morning to take couple pics in the vibrant fields. Lastly, the parents desperately trying to take cute photos of their young ones, who have absolutely no interest in photos nor flowers. The kids only want to be in the playground area LOL. 

 
Unfortunately, I walked out the door without an ounce of sunscreen on me. With an UV Index above 3 and an open field with no shade, it spelled eminent disaster for me. I don’t know why I did this to myself. I should know by now that my delicate paper white skin can’t be put in the sun unprotected. Now that I’m freaked out by the further damage I’ve caused to my skin, I’ve been searching for sunscreen with safer ingredients for both my face and body. I also now have to use my arsenal of skincare to combat the skin discoloration from the tan I may or may not have. I will continue to hide from the sun as much as possible to repent for my skincare sins. 

5/1 - Cherry Blossoms & Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Manhattan

Before Cherry Blossoms were whisked away for another spring season, I hastily made plans to visit the Brooklyn Botanical Garden when I saw that both the Cherry Esplanade and Cherry Walk were in peak bloom that weekend. I’m so happy I jumped at the chance because once I made my way through the the garden to the Cherry trees, it was a pink explosion of flourishing flowers all around me. The cotton candy wave of fluffy pink cherries was truly magical. It was so beautiful in person that I didn’t even care how crowded the garden was that morning. Sadly, I keep missing the bloom at Daffodil Hill in BBG. One of these years, I’ll eventually venture to the New York Botanical Garden for their Daffodil fields.

Later that day, we made our way into Lower Manhattan to eat Shake Shack and watch Hatching at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the Alamo so much so that I never want to go to another theater again to watch movies. I love that the theater in Lower Manhattan is so inconspicuous. You walk into what looks like a corporate office building, and take a set of escalators down three very sterile, empty floors until you get to the national treasure that is Alamo Drafthouse. The central lobby and hallways have TONS of vintage King Kong and Godzilla posters all around. They even have a giant display of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters! I LOVE IT. 

Once we entered the theater, we found our assigned seats and a friendly movie attendant came over to ask us what we wanted for food and drink. Turns out, they have a whole menu of beverages and meals you can order throughout your movie. We kept it simple by ordering popcorn, soda and some beer. The seats were super comfy with an electric recliner and a tray for your eats. I don’t know why, but I was fascinated when the popcorn came in a fancy metal bowl. I also loved that they played vintage horror film clips and trailers while we waited for our movie to start. It was like we were dining at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Hollywood Studios. Even more, it seemed the trailers for upcoming films were more tailored to a horror audience, showing us clips for Firestarter, Men and Nope. 

…To be continued!