1. Bryant Park

June 5

Auditions go smoothly, and I convince my friend and the stage manager of the show to accompany me to Bryant Park, the site of my first lock. I am thrilled.

We arrive and oddly, no one is there. I am not, however, complaining, and following the instructions in the book, proceed to the appropriate lamp post with a lockbox at the base. A lockbox I have the key to.

I use my key, and open the box.

I'd describe this more artistically, but really, the box housed a switch (a light switch - it's a lamp) that I flipped and after a bit of warming up, the light turned on. People with no clue about the project are watching me and the light I'm causing with awe and fascination. I feel amazing. And like I have 23 locks left to reach. And like I need to prove that I was there. I have my friend take a picture of first Anubis, the puppet I brought with me (I wanted to distinguish my pictures from other folks', just in case a bunch of people hopped on the "reach all the locks" bandwagon at the promise of a prize; he also works to protect my digital camera from scratches in my bag) and then with me and Anubis. And then I'm compelled to leave my mark while not committing vandalism, so after a brief detour to a Japanese bookstore across the street, with makeshift business cards and a blue moon stamp in tow, I write out a card to leave in the box.

I have no clue what to write, and somehow settle on the following.

1 6/5/10 6:37pm

Why is it so hot?! Bright ideas :)

It was very hot (although it's June, I guess that happens). And I'm a sucker for blatantly cheesy puns. I leave the card in the box, where there are maybe three others (a far cry from what it would contain when I return with Holland a few days later). I leave Bryant Park with my friends, happy to have left my mark, thrilled that I am now entrenched in this, and ready to take on the next one.