ex-clue-sif vol. 2: Thank You NYC for redefining me

As some of you might know, i went to new york city this past weekend for Laborious day and i just wanted to take this week to reflect on what that city taught me and what it needs to teach the rest of "closed" america. I got there around friday afternoon and my first encounter with culture shock happened about 20 minutes on the cab ride to my brother's apartment. It was the whole "we're not in Kansas any more" feeling as you drive around and see big building after big building around you. As i got into my brothers closet of an apartment that costs more then my mortgage for my 3 bd 3 bath house, all i could see was a city through the window while leaning on his radiator...at tha time i challenged myself to really take this weekend all in no matter what happened. Thanks to my flight schedule, i didnt eat anything from the french toast sticks i threw down that morning to about 6 pm. Being a classic TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles..that is, for all you who need to be schooled) i wanted to try NYC pizza...so my bro and i decided to go down the street to a pizza place, straight up new york thats all i gotta say. This joint was run by some of the nicest IRANIAN peeps and the food was good too. I asked for some gah-lic bread rolls and a slice of pepperoni and canadian bacon..dee-lish. After that i wanted to go to manhattan pub to wash it down with some beer...another good moment for me. You know how when you go out in omaha or lincoln, even the bar tender dresses up like a cross between its my first day of high school and how many wrist bands i can wear (i.e. brothers, iguanas, shag, etc) this guy and girl was bout like 25-30 years old, in a tshirt anc jeans...yanks hats ofcourse ready to talk with you about anything and everything. After a house brew of the bravest (the name of the beer, so good) and a brooklyn lager, i get ready for then night on the town...awesome..just awesome. We go to the east village to a bar called BOA's, a smaller bar but with a really attractive Punk rocker kind of girl who was just cool as heck and this dude that was originally from dallas but wanted to try out NYC for a year...so he opened a bar. After the girl, myself, my bro and the dude kept talking about school, aspirations, the taste of captain morgan as opposed to paint thinner...a random gal gets friendly with us and we proceed to go out on the night with her. Saturday, amidst the rain we went to McFaddens bar, a sports bar right by my bro's apt. I am decked out in husker red..becase thats right...i dont deviate my team. The bartender notices it and he throws on the game for us right away...that was awesome..only to find out that they were hanging notre dame shiz all over the walls as well. Oh well, we had a good talk and rant while NU won. We go out a bit later to this strip right by my bros in manhattan to a few places while my bro's friends meet up with us...the night gets going from there only for a few more cool females come up and talk with me (this never happens in NE). We hang out all night there and another place, they tell us to come back to there condo and we all hang out there and we leave around 4. Then Sunday was the US Open...and anyone who is anyone who loves sports should go without question. I have seen NBA games, baseballs games, and football...but the Open is amazing. With music entertainment all across the board, 1000's upon 1000's running around and just so lively there...its easily the best sports experience i have ever seen.

That was my account for what i did, but i want to now tell you about what i saw through my eyes and through NYC's essence. the most profound thing that i heard all weekend was when we were walking about the city, and i had passed by this indian dude hold this oriental girl's hand, black women holding white guys hands, hispanics with asians, middle easter with white.....i turn to my bro and i say "man, its so cool there are so many interracial relationships here....and he turns back and says "let me tell you something man, they aren't interracial relationships here...they are just relationships." That is going to stick with me forever amidst the coolness of the break dancers, the subway performers, or the like....its the widespread cultural and racial differences and the way people are together all the time there. It really opened me up to know that girls and guys in NE just dont get it...its not enough to be good looking or be at the cool parties or the cool bars and to get bombed on the weekend any more or to hang out with such and such any more...God created us equal and unique..and we owe to Him and to each other to learn from each other and to quit worrying about what click you are in or how its ok to be closed to the world. My previous judgements also of races came to the test when i saw how educated that City was....how Black people there don't overcompensate on there "nelly-ville life", how indians and hispanics don't just stick with themselves. It was refreshing to me that all walks of life on a subway were talking about the world, the news, Iran's uranium research, GWB's lack of common sense, as well as knowing all things of sport, art, life...in NE, sometimes i think there is husker football, there is ourselves and our own lifes, and then there is this little thing called planet earth we care not to be apart of because we think it will never reach us here. I vowed in my head that i was going to be more against the NE grain then ever before and i plan to hold true that...