So for this lazy Sunday post, I am going to write about everything that's on this blog. Why did I start certain things, and then explain certain ways that I write my blogs. I wanted to write this blog because this blog turns two months old today, and I wanted to explain certain things that compromise this blog. Also I want to talk a little bit about the future of the blog. (Don't worry it's all good stuff!)
1. The Name - The name of the blog, "The Boy From New York City", is from the Manhattan Transfer Song of the same name. It was a solo that I had in my sophomore year in chorus, and it made me famous throughout the entire school. It became almost like my theme song, and I have loved it ever since. I choose this as the name because of that reason. The way the color scheme was set up was that I made it look, in a way, like a street sign. Now, I am not from New York City, rather, I am from the middle of Long Island, (I know, false advertising!) The other rejected ideas for the name of the blog was "Enter Sandman", "The Kid from Long Island", "Views from the 50", and "
2. The About Page - The banner at the top, is a stock photo of the Twin Towers. I chose that because my family has a deep connection with those tragic days, and that is my tribute to all those lost. The motto before my little bio, "Welcome to My World, Won't You Come On In?", is from one of my favorite Dean Martin songs, "Welcome to My World". He used to sing it as he sat down on a couch, on every single episode of his Variety Show. The two photos that I have on that page is from me singing in my last chorus concert, and the last one is a family photo, taken of us after my father became the 2nd Assistant Chief of the Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department. Now yes, the bio is pretty short, but you aren't here to read the about page, you're here to read the blog!
3. The Contact Me Page - The banner at the top here, is of Midtown Manhattan. I chose this because I wanted a picture of the Empire State Building The only other thing that is special on this page, is a photo of almost my entire family on both sides, after my high school graduation.
4. The Main Blog Page - There is not much here to get all excited about. On here is a much smaller bio of me. There is the schedule and times of the blog posts going up, and what days correspond to what type of blog. There is the archives of the past three months. There are the categories that I have included in the blog, going over all main categories. Then finally there is my three links to my Facebook Page, my Twitter Page, and my Instagram Page. Follow me and stuff! (I know, shameless plug right there!)
5. The Blog Schedule - I take pride in my blogging schedule. I like to take pride in me posting a blog almost every day for the past two months, at the same exact time. It used to be 2:15 P.M., but now I am a lot happier with 12:00 P.M. I feel like more people can get to read them, and it allows the post to be online for longer for that day. I do try my hardest to write good posts for you all to read, but some days I just write for me. I love alliteration, so that's why each day has a title like it does. I will stick to this schedule for a while, as I have all the topics picked out Monday-Friday until April 1st! (I know, I have no life, but that's all good!)
5. Memory Mondays - I made this one of my first blog ideas ever, because I wanted to make this personal, and show you all not to be afraid of your past and embrace your memories. I have covered things from my high school graduation, to my chorus solo, to pep rallies, to a few other things. I have many planned ahead, so stay tuned!
6. Tune Tuesdays - This is my favorite post to write about every week. I chose a song that I love, write the lyrics, share why I like it, and link it below to have you guys listen to it, to hopefully share in it as well. Again, the personal aspect is very important to me. I have covered artists from Frank Sinatra, to Dean Martin, to Paul McCartney. I have many more songs by these artists ready to go in the upcoming months!
7. Wisdom Wednesdays - I got this idea from something that I saw on twitter. This one guy every Sunday gave a piece of advice for that upcoming week, and I wanted to do that. I felt that I had a few good pieces of advice, to make people better, and to try to make this blog a happy place. I hope that I have been able to achieve that, and I have many more to come!
8. Turnstile NYC Thursdays - I love this one so much, and it makes me really think when I do these. I pick a place in this great city, and I explain why I like it, and why others should go and visit them. I hope that people read these, and want to go and visit these places. I saw a lot of my friends go to Bryant Park shortly after I wrote that blog post, and I hope that they read my blog, and if they went because of me, then that's fantastic, and if they didn't, then thats okay too! I have many more places that I will write about in this city!
9. Film Fridays - This one was started later than the rest of these. The other four were started in the same first week of the blog, and this one was started on the first week of December. I want to choose a lot of comedy's, but every now and then I will choose a dramatic film. I love this one as well, and I love putting clips of the movie down below.
10. Seasonal Saturdays - I made this one during Christmas time, as an 'excuse' to show off more Christmas songs. I will keep doing these Seasonal Saturdays around certain holidays like Easter, and maybe around the Summer (I know the summer isn't a holiday!)
11. Other Posts - I like to, on the weekends, post about anything else that I find relevant. I have made a small series about what my friends think of me. I have made posts about my reflection on 2015, look forward into 2016, and a few other things. I like to not have a schedule on Saturday and Sunday, to allow me two days to do whatever I want. That is why I never made a Song or Sports Saturday or Sunday. Those were in consideration when I made Film Fridays, but they eventually didn't make the cut. If I am ever going to miss a day or two, this would be the two that would be affected.
12. The In-Parenthesis Words - When I'm writing a blog, and even in this one, you might seen italicized words inside of parenthesis. That is me talking to myself inside of the blog. Like it will be like the blog is a very proper thing, and then those parenthesis will be the actual me coming through and making fun of myself in the same blog. It is a little cool thing to do, to make the blog more real, in my mind.
13. The Questions - In every single post, I will ask two to three questions after the main body, and before any types of media. These questions are a type of reflection on the post. Nothing really special here. They are put there, that if this gets big enough, and people comment on the post, then those would be where the questions could be directed towards.
14. The Signature - "Peace and Love", is Ringo Starr's mantra. He says that at the end of every single tweet, and at every concert about fifty times. It is how he greets everyone, and it is a really cool motto to pick up and to use. 'DGS' is my initials, Dylan Graham Sandas. The rejected signature endings were, D.G. Sandas, Digs (That's what people called me in high school, and college, because if you add an 'I' in my initials it spells out Digs), D.G.S., Dylan Graham, and just Dylan. I am very happy in what I have chosen, and it is not changing.
15. The Quotes of the Day - At the very end of every post, I include two to three quotes. I usually like to make the quotes relate back to whatever topic I am talking about that day. Sometimes this cannot happen, so I look up some good quotes, or some that I can remember off of the top of my head.
So that is the insight on the inside-out things that compromise my blog. I am so happy with the growth that it has seen since I started it, two months ago today. I thank you all so very much for all of your love and support, and I hope that I may have answered any questions that you have, concerning certain parts of the blog!
Have you enjoyed this blog so far? Is there anything that you would change / get rid of, in my blog? Is there anything that you would keep?
Peace and Love,
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters." - Audrey Hepburn
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha