Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 467

"Are you an artist?"“Divorce lawyer.”

"Are you an artist?"

“Divorce lawyer.”

He started off by telling me about his love of theater, and how...

He started off by telling me about his love of theater, and how he’d once won an award for his role in a musical. All of this was said in a very sing-songy, theatrical voice. There seemed to be a piece of him that was always performing. At some point, I abruptly changed the topic, and asked: “Is there a particular memory that comes to mind when you think of your youth?”

“Running outside without a watch,” he answered.

“I like that!” I said. He sensed that he’d captured the interest of his audience, and lapsed back into full theater mode.

“With nothing to tell the time but the sun!” he said, looking up at the sky. “And nothing to call you home but the moon!”

"I want to be a nurse."

"I want to be a nurse."

"My parents had me late in life, so my dad is 78 now. Kinda hard...

"My parents had me late in life, so my dad is 78 now. Kinda hard to be this young and watch them go that way already."

Also, moment of appreciation for the girl who didn’t give a shit about being photographed in the Erotica section.

"What was the saddest moment of your life?"“Probably when...

"What was the saddest moment of your life?"

“Probably when I got arrested after a bar fight in Vegas.”

“What was the fight about?”

“I don’t even remember.”

“Do you remember the most frightened you’ve ever been?”

“Probably when I had a gun pulled on me in Canada.”

“What happened?”

“I think it started with us trying to pull a tree out of the ground, and ended in us chanting “USA! USA! Then somebody pulled out a gun.”

“I’m noticing a pattern.”

“Yeah, same group of guys.”

So out of all the amazing things that have happened, and there...

So out of all the amazing things that have happened, and there have been a lot, one of the coolest had to be seeing my photos spread across the front page of The Arts section in today’s Times. Was quite charmed by the article. Very well written, and I think it really captured the spirit of HONY:

http://nyti.ms/Hyf2I2

Plus I got a sweet quote for the cover of the book:

"Passable photography skills."—The New York Times

"I played Double A ball for the Yankees back in the Dominican...

"I played Double A ball for the Yankees back in the Dominican Republic."

“Did you think you’d make the majors?”

“Oh yeah. I had the best bat, best legs, and best glove on the team. But I got in a motorcycle accident when I was 21. It destroyed my leg. My brother was driving and I was riding on the back of the bike. And we hit a truck. One mistake by my brother, and look at me now. But at least I’m alive. And I coach a little league team now. We’ve got some real aces on that team. Manny Rivera has nothing on some of these kids. This year we won a big tournament in Massachusetts.”

"My dog always seemed to be staring at something, so I wrote a...

"My dog always seemed to be staring at something, so I wrote a book about him and his imaginary friend."

Dear Brandon,My HONY book arrived in Pakistan today. Though it...

Dear Brandon,

My HONY book arrived in Pakistan today. Though it was five months late, it was my favorite birthday present of the year.

In a country where people fight for survival everyday, I’m one of the fortunate few whose biggest worry right now is getting through medical school. In my part of the world, people like me, no matter how much we try to deny it, live in a bubble. And our problems are called “first world problems.” Maybe it will surprise people to see a “Pakistani” so in touch with the Western World. To see something other than the hatred that the world seems to notice radiating from here. But in my little bubble here in Pakistan, I find inspiration in the stories shared on Humans of New York, because they depict more than what the common man perceives. Yes, Pakistan as a nation suffers more than the rest, we do have a billion and one problems, but HONY reminds me that above everything else we are individuals. That just how every Pakistani is not the same, neither is every American. It reminds me to love and respect everybody— something many people here tend to have forgotten. The pictures and stories on HONY almost always make me feel like anything is possible.

Thank you,

Sakina

"My greatest struggle is trying to support my mom and sisters...

"My greatest struggle is trying to support my mom and sisters back in Jamaica. I try to send money back every month, but sometimes I just can’t do it after I’ve paid my bills. They really depend on the money, because my stepfather is a farmer and a lot of times the crops aren’t good. A lot of people back home think that money comes easy in America. They don’t know how hard it is."