August 1, 2006 - Here's to New York and Rednecks!

Last night, my parents and I toasted to my new life in New York. We drank Sam's Club wine out of Super 8 cups (complete with Super 8 logo). See Exhibits A and B:


This juxtaposition of trendy, fashion-forward New York and skeezy Super 8 naturally got me thinking. I am the Super 8 of New York. I'm a little out of place here, much like our hotel, but that's ok with me. I've done a lot of thinking since I got here and I've realized that I have virtually no desire to "fit in" in New York. I mean, I want to experience all that the city has to offer, and I have no problem with embracing the excitement of it all. But I just can't see myself changing to the point that I fit in with the hoighty-toighty fashionistas I rub shoulders with every day.

Someone once told me that I am a northern redneck. I think he said it after seeing these pictures:



To which I obviously replied, "What, everyone doesn't go on 'rides' with 25 four-wheelers in caravan, spend 'vacations' in a cabin with no running water and an outhouse, and play euchre into the wee hours of the night?" Well, if being a redneck is wrong, I don't want to be right. I absolutely love and adore where I came from, and I have no shame in being a redneck of the north. The friends and family who tricked me into thinking I was normal all these years will forever remain close to me heart, and I will have no problem slipping into my northern accent and un-hygienic practices each time I return to my first life... I want to be the girl who says "pop" and shows where I..'m rom on my hand. I never want to forget how to fish with a worm or shift a dirt bike... I will never be too good to put on a helmet or jump in a lake. That..'s just me.

So, what can I do to fit in here, at least a little bit? After much thinking and strategizing,
I have decided that I will be rocking the "friendly chic" approach to life in the City. I see this as both an attitude and a personal style. It may not be "cool" to be friendly here, but I want to be. And I never want the way I look to make me un-approachable. So look for me in TJ Maxx, Kohl's, and Forever 21, not Macy's, Lord and Taylor, or $500-a-shirt boutiques. You'll find me at Subway and random hole-in-the-wall restaurants, not Asia de Cuba and Tavern on the Green. Because I am here, practically in a different world; but the way I see it, I am faced with two options: I can be like all other twelve million people in New York merging their hearts, souls, and lifestyles into big city life. Or I can be Carissa Lucyk, the young professional who is bringing the small town to the City.