Shower the People You Love With Love

I have this friend, Becky, and she has this way of living, by narrating events in real time or cherishing the moment while still in the moment. And I make a lot of fun of her for it, I mean A LOT. Well Becky visited me a few weeks ago and we did a bunch of mental picture taking, timeouts to make memories and cherishing moments. And I’d smile and play along.

Becky is long gone, and with her went all memory making while making the memory, or so I thought..

The other day, my oh-so-Jerz-Yankee loving-Giants rooting friend Dan and I decided to take an Upper West Side stroll and see what we could get into. A walk along an art fair on Central Park West lead to John Lennon’s Imagine Circle and finally to my favorite pond in The Park.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a barefoot man with a mic, an amp and a guitar serenading a hill of passerby’s and a small crowd that formed in the grass. He was playing Simon & Garfunkel, The Grateful Dead and Eric Clapton or, as I like to call it, the ‘Soundtrack to My Childhood’ playlist on my iPod.

As I channeled my inner acoustic hippy, as only a girl with an Uncle Dave can do, a wedding party walked across the sidewalk that separated the crowd from entertainer. Not even rare for a Saturday in Central Park. But he stopped mid Peter, Paul & Mary to talk to the newlyweds.

Barefoot singer: Congratulations! How long have you two been married?

Bride: About 30 minutes.

Barefoot singer: Wow, so pictures here then reception later?

Groom: Yep, that’s the plan.

Barefoot singer: Well, I sure would love it if you had your first dance as man and wife right here, can I sing you a song?

He then ponders out loud if he should sing an Elvis or a James Taylor song, and some lunatic (me) yells out, “James Taylor!” So he starts to sing ‘Shower the People’ and the now-married couple begins to dance.

Then the wedding party joined in the dance. Then little girls began to dance with their dads. Then couples began spontaneously standing up from their blankets and dancing on the hill. Then the rowboats on the pond rowed nearer.

That’s when I crossed over. I was clearly cherishing the moment while still in the moment. Taking mental pictures. Being thankful that I blurted out ‘James Taylor’ because this wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful to me if it were an Elvis song. Deep breaths. Smiling with my eyes closed. It was magical. As you can see, I also took a real picture.

(Me to Dan: Hey, you're at a better angle, can you take a picture? And try not to get the American bandanna in there.) Clearly a picture FAIL. Way to go Danno.

Sidenote: Try not to get used to ‘sensitive Jenna.’ In fact, I would recommend you really enjoy this now, maybe take a mental picture and remember how warm it feels. Cause this is about as rare as ‘serious Jenna.’ Holla!

NY Mag’s Patented Questionnaire

On my pseudo-one year anniversary in New York City I thought the best way to pay homage to this day was to answer New York Magazine’s Patented Questionnaire.

What did you say? How very New Yorker of me? I know. Enjoy!

Name: Jenna Marie Michele Galloway
Age: 25
Neighborhood: East Village
Occupation: PR Account Exec

Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional? Ashley Lynn Barrett – Real and alive.

What's the best meal you've eaten in New York? The first time I went to Black Iron Burger. The mushroom, bleu cheese and sautéed onion burger was to D-I-E for.

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job? Advertising masked as journalism.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary? No.

What's the last thing you saw on Broadway? Britney Spears? Just kidding, The Little Mermaid.

Do you give money to panhandlers? Rarely. If they’re on the street, they have no rent. I need all the money I can get.

What's your drink? Magners on ice, Black & Tan and Vodka soda but I’d give them all up for a ‘lil Patron.

How often do you prepare your own meals? Once a week, on a good week.

What's your favorite medication? Laughter and 800 milligrams of ibuprofen.

What's hanging above your sofa? I much prefer the word couch to sofa, but whatever. African art hung by my South African roommate.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut? $200. But something you look at every day is not something to skimp on.

When's bedtime? Long after most of my West Coast friends are deep in their REM cycle.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square? I only know the new. So I prefer the old, because I really hate the new, naturally.

What do you think of Donald Trump? I don’t.

What do you hate most about living in New York? The fresh air or lack thereof and that my family isn’t here.

Who is your mortal enemy? Models.

When's the last time you drove a car? August in California.

How has the Wall Street crash affected you? Lowered NYC rents so I can actually afford to live here without rats and roaches as my roommates.

Times, Post, or Daily News? The Post. Don’t judge. You know you like the weekly Meet Market.

Where do you go to be alone? I answer your question with a question: Who comes to New York to be alone?

What makes someone a New Yorker? Knowing how to get from point A to point B via public transit from anywhere in the city off the top of their head. They’ve participated in some sort of Zog Sport. They’ve dated someone from Jersey and it didn’t work out (long distance relationships never do).