Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 296

"I broke his nose in a mosh pit."

"I broke his nose in a mosh pit."

"I smoked weed for the first time when I was eleven. By the time...

"I smoked weed for the first time when I was eleven. By the time I was twelve, I was doing coke with my older friends on the weekends. I started taking Vicodin as a teenager when my tonsils were removed. When I ran out, I started buying Oxycontin, then moved onto heroin because it was cheaper. I just snorted it for awhile, because I was scared of needles, but eventually it stopped working and I wanted to feel that rush again. I got up to 30 or 50 bags a day. I was driving a dealer around, so I got it for cheap. After awhile, I wasn’t even doing it to feel good anymore. I just did it so I wouldn’t feel sick. I started stealing from my family, and doing other things that I don’t even want to talk about. If I didn’t have any, I’d just sit in bed all day, too anxious to lay down, but too tired to stand up. I’ve been off it for 15 months now. I stopped when my best friend died. I’m actually going to get my methadone refilled right now.”

"I met Santa at my mom’s office party and I gave him a...

"I met Santa at my mom’s office party and I gave him a piece of candy."

"I was married to a woman when I met him.""Why did you marry a...

"I was married to a woman when I met him."
"Why did you marry a woman?"
"Because I thought being gay was a choice. Until the honeymoon."

"My father’s back in the Dominican Republic, so my...

"My father’s back in the Dominican Republic, so my mother’s had to raise my brother and me on her own. She works as a cleaner. Recently it’s gotten even more difficult for her, because my grandfather passed away, and he had been helping us a little."
"Do you remember the happiest moment of your life?"
"For my fifteenth birthday, she bought me a make-up set and taught me how to use it. She painted my face, and she let me paint her face."

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?""A train."

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"
"A train."

"I got heartcrushed. She told me that she liked another boy...

"I got heartcrushed. She told me that she liked another boy while we were sitting in class, so I told the teacher that I needed to go to the bathroom, but I really just went and splashed water on my face."

“He thought he was being called. I thought he was being...

“He thought he was being called. I thought he was being brainwashed. I thought he was too young to make that decision. When I thought of him as a priest, it was hard for me to think of him as my brother. I didn’t want every conversation to be about God. I didn’t want to constantly feel guilty around him. But he’s been in seminary for a couple years now, and he hasn’t changed much. If anything, he’s even wiser and more mature. Even though he’s fifteen years younger than me, he’s always giving me advice.”

"He tells me random stories every night when we’re falling...

"He tells me random stories every night when we’re falling asleep. Last night’s story was about a chipmunk who felt lonely because he was the only chipmunk who liked flapper music from the 1920’s."

"What’s your favorite thing about your...

"What’s your favorite thing about your husband?"
"He’s very creative. He started a club for all the grandchildren called the Poop In Your Pants Club. They have annual meetings, an executive committee, and t-shirts."