Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 182

“We met in our early twenties on a boat called the SS United...

“We met in our early twenties on a boat called the SS United States. We were sailing to France for study abroad programs. We met in the third class bar. I kept getting seasick and hadn’t slept. He had hair like Che Guevara. Curly lumps of it. I wish I had a picture. And he was wearing one of those little scarfs. He had to look more French than the French.”

“I’m working on my second doctorate and doing clinical research...

“I’m working on my second doctorate and doing clinical research in HIV. I’ve always wanted to be a tenure track professor, but I’ve been questioning that lately. I imagined that one day I’d get to a place where I can do the research that I want to do. But I’m seeing now that it’s more about doing the research that will get funded. I’m noticing a lot of disenchantment among my senior mentors. They don’t get to be as innovative as they’d like. Their primary task seems to be sustaining the institution. It’s not about doing the research that they think will make the most impact. It’s about going for the most likely money. It’s publish or perish. Fund or get fired. And education suffers as well. I love to teach, and I’ve always thought that teaching would be a big part of the process. But it’s not emphasized. Because teaching is paid for by tuition. It’s ‘money in, money out.’ But research funding comes from outside the school. It’s new money.”

“I was miserable being a widow. But I knew it was going to be...

“I was miserable being a widow. But I knew it was going to be hard to meet someone new. There is so much space junk out there. And a lot of older men are looking for a younger woman. But I had great hopes. I did my visualizations. I pictured a nice, younger, good-looking man. Every morning I wrote down just what I wanted. Then I found him on one of those dating sites. I was a little worried at first because his profile said: ‘I’m back, ladies.’ I thought that maybe he was a womanizer. But he also quoted a psalm in his profile, and it was a good psalm, so I sent him a smile emoji. We started chatting and decided to meet at the Metropolitan Museum. I walked up the stairs and there he was! Suit! Tie! Overcoat! So much better than his picture! We spent six hours at the wine bar. They had to kick us out. We started seeing each other regularly. I felt like I was sixteen. Nothing could bother me for months. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. Everything worked out just like I imagined. It will have been eight years together, this July.”

“I never really felt like ‘one of the guys’ when I was growing...

“I never really felt like ‘one of the guys’ when I was growing up. I felt a lack of acceptance. I wasn’t the guy who was playing on the team, or going to IHOP after prom, or getting invited to birthday bashes. I’m not saying that I was a complete loner. I was relatable—just never enough to be included. I tried out for the football team in high school. I put everything into it. I got a trainer and everything. I was going to play, start, and become that person. But it never quite happened. And in a way, I still feel like I’m trying to get there. I just got into the grad school of my dreams. I interned at the White House last summer. I’m joining Teach For America. Part of me still feels that if I can elevate my image to a certain level, then people will be attracted to me. And I’m trying to get beyond that. I’ve been listening to this sermon lately called ‘Getting To The Core.’ And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do. I want to wake up knowing that it will be OK, no matter what I accomplish.“

“I emigrated from Liberia at the age of eighteen, and a lovely...

“I emigrated from Liberia at the age of eighteen, and a lovely Jewish family took me in and helped fund my education. Their names were Anne and William Rothenberg. They had never even met me before. But they allowed me to live with them and introduced me to everyone as their daughter. They would never explain beyond that—it was always just ‘our daughter.’ It was so fun to see the confusion on people’s faces. They’ve both passed away. But a few years ago I started a scholarship fund for Liberian children, and I named it after them.”

Today in microfashion…

Today in microfashion…

“We go to the races all the time. We don’t care about the...

“We go to the races all the time. We don’t care about the horses. But it’s the only place where you can get dressed up and drink champagne before noon.”

“We met while he was renovating a house for me and my...

“We met while he was renovating a house for me and my ex-husband. My ex-husband wasn’t interested in helping. He kept saying: ‘Go with Howard to pick out the windows.’ And: ‘Go with Howard to pick out the doors.’ Well, Howard and I were getting along so well, my ex-husband eventually said: ‘Just go with Howard.’"

Today in microfashion…

Today in microfashion…

“I was a bit of a loner before I had her. I wasn’t a social...

“I was a bit of a loner before I had her. I wasn’t a social person. I stayed away from people because I thought that everybody had a plot or a scheme. But she’s taught me how innocent people are when they start out. I mean, sometimes she’ll butter me up because she wants candy or a cookie. But then other times she’ll just hug me for no reason.”