Dear New York:

Hi. It's Michael. You don't know me yet, nor do I think you'll ever get to know me, but I'm writing you nonetheless. So I'm living with you now. Yeah, it's no big deal, I know. I mean, you've already got, like, millions of people crawling all over you as it is, what's the big deal with one more person, eh? And, contrary to popular belief, I'm really chill once you get to know my style... so don't feel guilty about recognizing me in a crowd. I blend in pretty well.

So I'm trying to do this whole acting thing, because, like, you're pretty well known for that sorta thing. Legitimate is the word we like to throw around in our industry. I'm not quite sure what that means exactly, but I'm still learning, so, you know, my understanding will change in a couple of months. Anyway, I've met with some people that you may know. They're supposed to help me move along in my career. And despite preconceived notions, expectations, fears, whatever you want to call them, these people have been really nice, if not a little unstable, and I'm discovering that I can really make a niche for myself if I keep my head on straight and stay prepared, just like the people at school told me to do. By the way, it's really nice when you spend a lot of money to learn something, and find out that what you learned is actually true.

People say that you are really hard to live with, that you like to chew people up and spit them out. Oh, I've heard the horror stories, and I've seen the results of your work. Scary. I've only been here for, like, 72 hours, yet it feels like a month. If that's how time works here, then I need to be really careful. But you know, in the short time that I've been here, I'm discovering you're actually quite harmless. With the right approach, and the right budget, you can be managed. You can provide a wealth of opportunity without ripping the soul out of me. It requires discipline, diligence, and sadly, perhaps, life without a partner, but I think I'm willing to take that on for awhile. I hope you don't mind. You won't even know I'm here, I promise.

So, thanks for letting me hang here. I think we can have a lot of fun together. Let me know if you think otherwise. Believe me, I'll JetBlue my ass outta here before you can blink.

See you around,
M