Letter To:

Hey there,

Funnily enough, at 21, without going to school, and just working day-to-day in NYC, I am searching for what will make my existence justified as well.

I moved here and got a job relatively quickly at this sandwich place off Wall Street. It was a good start but hardly paid for my rent. In the midst of me trying to find a job while I was still employed at the shop, they told us they were closing their doors. I was happy to have been semi-prepared and already started my search. After all, I couldn't stay at a place paying this little. It was merely a starting point. So on the day I was leaving, we had another meeting and they told us that they had made a mistake in judgement and they weren't actually closing. I left on Friday anyways.

On the next Monday I got on Craigslist and found a job at this organic restaurant as a sandwich maker (my resume has a lot of sandwich/deli experience...) It's a really weird place. The kitchen has legitimate chefs but the front of the house (outside of the kitchen, dealing with customers) where I am is full of an ecclectic mix of people from all backgrounds who do not want to be there. But the head chef, Greg, took a liking to me and told he wants me to run his second kitchen when he opens it there. What I don't think he understands is how crazy, weird, and unhappy the front of the house is. In contrast to the back of the house, where it is all trained chefs making incredible organic meals and hot dishes.

So even though Greg, the head chef, really, really sees something in me to where he wants me around the restaurant that is the last place I want to stay. I am going to seek as much guidance and advice as possible as he could possibly give me some good tips on the chef world.

I am still looking for jobs. My girlfriend's artist she interns for is putting in a good word for me at this really cool southern restaurant called Pie's N' Thighs in Williamsburg. I feel like I could contribute to the place just by being from Harvest, Alabama. I also just like biscuits and Monday through Friday shifts.

I haven't been riding hardly at all here in New York City. In Chicago all I did was manage a bike habit and ride for my work and commute. Here I've been spending more time focusing on drawing, making photographs, and skateboarding around rather than just riding my bike. I still want to put my Record 10 on my Waterford P. I just haven't had the money or tools to do it.

That leads me to ask a bike repair question. My chain slips when I put 100% in the peddles out of the saddle. I've replaced my Record cassette and chain and it still slips. I also have slippage on my Shimano 600 but I just swear that it's not because of the cassette.. I feel like they are built to last. But the Record is more important so... if the Record is still slipping after the proper repairs, what could it be?

Hope to hear from you soon. Erin's bike still looks great. Even better with her honey brooks.