To begin, I got fired for the first time, EVER. It was a very unfortunate situation, and it has been resolved...my primary objective was to end things on a good note with my supervisor, which I achieved. So there is no use in wasting anymore space on this post about it. Point is, I was horrified and felt terrible and now I feel better and have overcome!
I spent one very much needed week at home. I reached the end of my threshold with the cold weather, and spent the last week of April in the warmth and green of Raleigh, N.C. That, too was an eventful week....phew! But I won't get into that now.
When I came back, even though I was in need of a job, one just plopped into my lap. A regular at the bar at Brother Jimmy's approached me about meeting and discussing employment opportunities...he needed an assistant to maintain connections and communication with his contact list. I can totally do that.
My first assignment? Sort through literally about 2,000 business cards to a) see which ones were still valid and b) tell people about new services being offered...etc. As I began to make these calls, I realized that what I was doing was making a SALES call. It was really interested to hear the variety of responses, some people were totally mean and some people were very nice. I learned how to handle certain scenarios over the phone, and I've ended up with about 100 people who I can actually email. I also think it was important to touch base in person before just straight up sending an email out.
ANYWAYS. So I'm sitting at Think Coffee with Dayna and a bag of cards....I'm on like, card number 150 for the day, and I pull out a cream colored card that says nothing but the name "Gerard Basquiat", a SoHo address and a phone number.
"Oh, that's funny," I thought, "I just did 'Basquiat, the Musical'....tee hee hee...what a coincidence!" I wrote a quippy post on Paul Stancato and Red Blisset's wall about it.
I called the number on the card. I had a very nice conversation with an older sounding man with an accent. I gave him my sales schpeel, and asked if I could send him an email, to which, he replied, "I don't have email, but you are welcome to send me a fax." I thanked him and hung up.
The more I started to think about it, the more I realized that Basquiat isn't exactly a common name. And WHO in the world DOESN'T have email these days? I Googled the guy, Gerard Basquiat, and it turns out that he is Jean-Michel Basquiat's FATHER. HIS FATHER. The project I JUST WORKED ON ABOUT BASQUIAT.....Here was his DAD. I had just spoken to his dad ON THE PHONE.
I freaked out and contacted the guy I'm working for, enthusiastically asking him how in the HELL did he know Gerard Basquiat and how did he obtain his card?! "Oh, I grew up in SoHo and was friends with his son, Jean-Michel. He died several years ago."
.....
I had the golden ticket. THE GOLDEN TICKET. I've written Paul and Red about it, and got the response I hoped for, which was, "I'd love to meet with the guy you're working for to pick his brain." And BEFORE I coordinate these meetings, I am going to make damn well sure that I can be present and a part of this process. Being involved is a key in order to moving forward with the project!!!!!
I just can't believe HOW INSANE this was?!? Of ALL the business cards of ALL the people in New York, I pulled out THIS GUY'S CARD. This connection to something that I am working on RIGHT NOW! Just made me realize how incredibly small this world can be sometimes. And....that there is some greater force out there in the universe. Some greater force that pulled all of these cards together and put them on my table.
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