Joyce Yarrow a Bronx native, escaped to Manhattan as a teenager and now lives in Seattle with her husband and son. Along the way to becoming a full-time author, Joyce has worked as a screenwriter, singer-songwriter, multimedia performance artist and most recently, a member of the world music vocal ensemble, Abráce.  Joyce is a Pushcart nominee, whose stories and poems have been widely published. Her work can be found through Istoria Books.  Funsherpa chats with Joyce to discover more about writing, travel and Seattle.

Joyce, you have written a few mystery books that involve international experiences and complex plots. Can you talk a bit about your process for coming up with the storyline and plots? How do you start and how does the storyline evolve?

Story ideas can strike at any time; the thing is to be present when they do. I was visiting my mom in the Kings Highway section of Brooklyn, when some loud but enchanting music floated into her apartment.

“Oh that’s coming from the Russian couple downstairs ,” she told me. “They hold house concerts on the weekends.”

Before I knew it I was spending time with Isaac and Reina, hearing their life stories over delicious cakes and being treated to recitals by opera singers newly arrived from Moscow. The next day, while shopping at the fruit and vegetable stand alongside elegantly dressed Russian women, a question dawned on me: What if a Russian immigrant named Nikolai had married the mother of private investigator Jo Epstein (the protagonist of my mystery series) and settled in Brooklyn? What if Nikolai’s nemesis from the mother country framed him for a murder that took place in Brooklyn and sent him blackmail notes  stuffed into the sections of a Matryoshka (nesting) doll ? What if Nikolai fled to Russia and Jo Epstein had to follow in order to prove his innocence? A year later I was on a plane to Moscow to find settings and textures for the second half of CODE OF THIEVES.

Travel to interesting destinations appears to be a part of your books. How do you select these locations and what are your favorite things about these cities?

Yes, I have been accused of writing books as an excuse to travel. Sometimes the journey is to newly discovered area of a city I thought I already knew, such as New York. For The Ring of Truth, a newly completed work of fiction, I explored Washington Heights, a haunt of my youth, and discovered a whole new population and vibrant Dominican culture! Some new characters appeared in the book as a result.

One of my favorite things about Moscow is the Metro. The underground stations are more like museums than transit points – long marble-floored corridors lit with golden light from chandeliers and decorated with works of art. What writer would not be impressed by the sheer existence of a Mayakovskaya Station, complete with a magnificent statue of the poet?

I was advised by a Russian friend to carry a plastic shopping bag in the street instead of a tourist backpack. This proved to be a great icebreaker, since I was frequently mistaken for a local. When someone stopped to ask directions or just say hello, I would respond by saying, “Ya Amerikanka!” This prompted much laughter, followed by some wonderful “getting to know you” moments. If I said I was a writer, a long conversation would ensue. Russians love writers, pure and simple. Not for the number of books we sell, or critical acclaim we receive. It’s our lineage – our membership in a club that has the courage to speak out and let the consequences be damned. It took tremendous courage to write in Russia during the Soviet period, and even under Putin it is dangerous to speak truth, even in fiction.

My research took me to towns in the Golden Ring around Moscow, such as Vladimir, Suzdal and Sergiev Posad. My son and I were the first Americans to set foot in Vladimir Central Prison (as visitors – U2 pilot Gary Francis Powers was imprisoned there during the Cold War). We also toured a Matryoshka (nesting doll) factory. Many of these places are featured prominently in CODE OF THIEVES. One car chase scene ends with Jo and Nikolai taking refuge in a hayloft in a tourist village we visited. Hope this isn’t a spoiler!

You were recently in India for your upcoming book. What were the best and worst things about your trip?

Let’s get the worst over with. Beyond a doubt it was the bathroom on the train from Allahabad to Mathura.  No more need be said, if you are familiar with the design of the traditional Indian toilet, which when put on wheels turns into even more of a nightmare. I know for a fact this ‘facility’ has made grown Indian men cry, not just western women like myself.

The best aspect of the trip was meeting my ‘virtual’ friends for the first time. All of them proved to be immensely intelligent, generous, and without exception, good-humored. It’s difficult to describe the fathomless depth of Indian hospitality and the value placed on friendship.  When a musician who stays up most of the night practicing, rises at 5am to fetch you for a dawn boat-ride on the Ganges… well you get the idea.

In Jaipur, I stayed with Santosh and Lalit. Their level of banter and pranks made me feel I’d wandered onto the set of I Love Lucy. We did take a break from laughter long enough for me to interview them about their marriage as background for the new book. Since they are likely to read this interview, I will refrain from discussing the matter of the hat, which is still unresolved and continues to keep me in stitches six months later.

Speaking of your new thriller, we understand you are co-authoring the piece, you are co-authoring it with Arindam Roy. Can you talk about the co-authoring process? How exactly does one write a novel with another writer?
I may never know the complete answer to this question, since the writing process is ultimately mysterious. Arindam and I do have our moments of enlightenment, but there are times when we stumble around in the dark, hoping for a meeting of minds. When you put together two passionate writers from vastly different cultures and literary traditions, who speak British vs. American English, and live 12.5 hours apart, you get a stew requiring cupfuls of patience, spoonfuls of daring, and a dash of telepathy.

We started with Arindam outlining the main events of the book and creating many of the characters. He is a journalist by trade and gifted at scaffolding stories, so that’s his job. My strength is in the actual writing of dialog and creation of scenes, so we stay out of each other’s way, and that’s good. We do brainstorm on the phone and have even written scenes on Skype. Each of us is responsible for certain chapters and main characters in the book, which gives us more quality time with them than a solo author might have. However, this can also result in creative tension, when one author ends up writing scenes and dialog for a character who is ‘owned’ by the other.

Fortunately for us, the themes in our book are universal; it is only the textures and cultural backdrops that vary.

Do any elements of your stories come from your own experiences? What inspires your stories?

When I was 14, my brother Rick, who is 10 years older than me, graduated from Criminology school. The night he was assigned his first surveillance, I begged him to take me with him. We still laugh about this. Over the years he has told me many stories about his experiences as a detective, and when I decided to write a mystery novel it seemed only natural to integrate some of Rick’s qualities and some of mine in Jo Epstein – poet and private investigator. The neighborhood in the Bronx where Jo tracks down Sonny Rodriguez is the one where Rick and I grew up. Although Jo is tougher and more street savvy than I will ever be, I was able to use this gritty setting to lend verisimilitude to her exploits. One reviewer said that the city itself was a character in Ask the Dead. This encouraged me to continue to look for stories in other, less familiar places, with confidence that I would find them and make them convincing.

Like most stories, mine stem from a conflict of some kind.

You mention in your blog that “Pictures can also help a writer keep track of themes or intentions within a book” – what favorite photos of yours have appeared in your own writing space?

One of the pictures I hung in my writing space while writing CODE OF THIEVES served to remind me of Jo Epstein’s mission to prove her stepfather’s innocence. I took it while riding the subway in New York:

I also posted pictures taken in Russia, such as this one in front of the telegraph office in Moscow a favorite ‘meeting’ place in Moscow.

And of course, pictures from Vladimir Central Prison, where the story of CODE OF THIEVES began. This picture shows contraband confiscated from prisoners:

Any tips for people who get stuck with the ‘writers block’?

My tip for writers who feel blocked is to take it one sentence at a time…like much in life, if we lower our expectations, it’s amazing how much we can accomplish!

Finally, as a Seattle resident, can you share some of your favorite places, activities, and eats in Seattle?

Ah Seattle…so rich in culture and beauty I hardly know where to begin. Richard Hugo House is a terrific resource for writers, and offers classes (I teach there occasionally) along with readings and innovative theatre events. Within the city there are acres and acres of parklands, thanks to Frederick Olmstead, who also designed Central Park in New York. In Discovery Park and Seward Park you’ll find Seattleites (including me) watching Blue Herons and Eagles, launching kayaks, hiking, and picnicking along the beaches. Pike Place Market is a Mecca for both tourists and locals alike, offering a real taste of Old Seattle and amazing views of Puget Sound.

My favorite neighborhood is Columbia City – located in zip code 98118 – the most diverse in the nation! Columbia City hosts a monthly ‘Beat Walk’ that fills the streets with music and food lovers. Did I mention the Seattle Film Festival?…one of my favorite yearly events. And last but not least is the legendary Elliott Bay Books in Capital Hill, which is thriving in spite of all the obstacles faced by independent bookstores.

Funsherpa sits down with Cocoa and Clementine blogger Erleene Quebral to discover the contrasts between NYC and Seattle, her dogs Baxter and Clementine, and top eats around the country. Her bucket list contains some awesome travel destinations, but living in opposite coasts has definitely showered her with sweet experiences that make us want to jump on the next plane out of Chicago.
As a blogger, can you talk about how you decide what content to include/write about?

I don’t feel that my blog has any particular theme. I’m not bound by any one topic (i.e food, fashion, travel) so my posts tend to be mostly about what I am up to, products I love, interiors I admire, food and recipes I try out and other randomness. I try to stay away from more of the personal stuff, but it creeps in from time to time. I also stay away from commenting on big topic stuff like politics and religion and I don’t like to inject my somewhat sarcastic and vulgar sense of humor into my posts. Not because I’m afraid of offending readers but it’s very difficult to sense tone in written format and I hate to explain myself or apologize if someone happens to not understand. I want to write a blog that’s lighthearted, perhaps inspirational and fun. I aim to post at least 3 times a week but never feel obliged to or feel bad if I don’t. I get confused when bloggers apologize for lack of posts or taking time away. I never understood that. Unless your blog generates an income and you work on it fulltime I don’t think you should apologize for not posting on a schedule. That’s when it starts to feel like a chore.
Having lived in NYC and Seattle, can you compare and contrast the 2 cities for us? NYC is always buzzing. Seattle shuts down at 8pm. NYC is very fashion forward. Seattle is all about comfort. Food is excellent and options are abundant in both cities although I think Seattle edges out NYC in sushi and gyros. There always seems to be a sense of urgency in NYC whereas there is a slower pace and a sense of patience in Seattle. Summers are ridiculously hot, sticky and humid in NYC but gorgeous and vibrant in Seattle. I loved living in New York. I was young, broke and adventurous but it was definitely a struggle financially. The subways and taxis were super convenient. The sense of community in my brownstone was lovely and I miss sitting on my stoop and reading magazines or walking through central park on a crisp fall evening. But since moving back to Seattle I realized that I missed driving, going to big grocery stores and letting my dogs walk around without a leash. I think everyone should definitely visit if not live in NYC at some point in their lives. And then when they are ready to settle down, have babies and relax move to Seattle (if they can stand the rain!)
You have some cool instragram photos. What are your favorites? Can you tell us more about them?

Any pictures I take of my dogs are my favorites! I just got a French bulldog and named her Clementine. I’ve had Baxter, my English bulldog, for almost 3 years . PS they have an instagram account as well @bax_and_clem. I recently took a trip to Japan and I just loved the big red shisa dog. It’s very massive! The shot from the top of Mt Haleakala from my birthday

trip to Maui last fall is special to me. Even though there were hundreds of people up there and we had to get up at 3am to catch the sunrise, it was one of the most incredible things I’ve experienced. The whole thing was somewhat spiritual. I’m a big fan of graffiti and street art. These pieces were at my bus stop for about a week before they got painted over

I love how these rather simple photos I took of some Seattle landmarks with my iPhone look so vivid after editing them in instagram (more photos can be found in her blog).
Top 5 restaurants you’ve been to – what do you remember about them and why are they your favorite ones?
• Nobu (NYC) I mean it’s Nobu. What more can I say. Max Soha (NYC) It’s a small cozy Italian place in my old neighborhood in NYC. Each and every time I dined there I fell in love more and more. The mascarpone cheesecake is unreal and the spaghetti carbonara is ridiculous. Taco Surf (San Diego) Potato tacos anyone? Best tacos I’ve ever had (other than the ones I make) Umi (Seattle) The atmosphere, the ambiance, the menu and the service makes this place my favorite sushi place forever. Corner Shop Café (NYC) Great little spot in Noho. The vibe and menu are really comfy and welcoming. I always stopped in if I happened to be in the area.
What are some of your favorite activities in Seattle? How do the seasons affect your routines?
If you ask anyone who is native to Seattle they will say summer activities include anything on the water since we are surrounded by it and skiing or snowboarding in the winter since there are so many nearby mountains. Seeing as how I spend most of my time on the slopes on my ass and have the tendency to get horrible seasickness I participate in none of those activities. I’m a foodie so I like to go out to restaurants. I love to hike and I try to take advantage of the plethora of trails around my area on sunny days. Wine and beer tasting at the many local vineyards and breweries are at the top of my things to do list. Music is a big one for me too so I try to go to live shows as often as I can. Luckily the activities I enjoy most aren’t limited to the seasons really.

Let’s talk about your bucket list. What’s in it and what have you completed?

Top of my list would be travel. I need to see the world. I wish I could afford to take a year or 2 off just to travel. Rome, Madrid, Istanbul, Tibet, Buenos Aires, Madagascar…I want to see it all. Learn how to sail (and not get sea sick!). Ride a race car at its top speed. See a live volcano. Hang glide. Eat or drink something extremely expensive and over indulgent. Pay off my student loans. See Eminem live. As cheesy as it is, I would love to swim with dolphins. I’ve been too busy just getting by on a day-to-day basis so checking things off my imaginary bucket list has been low priority. Ask me again in 30 years!

Funsherpa explores the globe in search for the ultimate nomads.  Today we catch up with Jason Demant and Sharon Duckworth of LifeAfterCubes.com. These ex-Silicon Valley cubicle workers, have switched over to living a life of excitement as world travelers. They left their cubes last October and have been traveling throughout Asia ever since. While on the road, they also started a new do-it-yourself travel itinerary site, UnAnchor.com. Travelers can purchase itineraries and discover what to do and how to get around in a new destination as well as write their own travel itineraries for sale in order to make a few bucks. We caught up with them in West Sumatra, Indonesia. 

F: What was the ‘aha-moment’ or trigger that made you buy your flight tickets out of the US? 

Jason:  We always knew we wanted to travel and we had a well-thought out plan of how we were going to achieve it. I was going to finish my MBA, work a few more months and then October 2010, we’d be off. Then the economy exploded. 

My company was paying most of the tuition for the private school I was attending. When the economy hit a rough patch, they cut our salaries and our tuition reimbursement benefit. I remember I was looking at a $10,000 bill for taking a few classes in the summer. And I thought, how long could we live in Thailand with that money? Sharon and I discussed what we were going to do. I quit school, saved the money for our trip instead, and a week later we bought our tickets to Hong Kong. After that, we spent the next 5 months in “ultimate saving mode”. 

F: Do you miss anything about working in a cube? 

Sharon: I miss having a constant internet connection!  When you’re on the road or even when you’re in a country where internet is pretty much only found at Internet Cafés, you come to view WiFi as a rare commodity. To be honest, other than that, nothing really. 

F: A lot of people seem to apply a common generalization across all of Asia.  How would you differentiate all the countries you’ve been to? 

Sharon: As a tourist, the most important cultural trait that I notice is the way people from a certain country treat us as foreigners.  In general, I can say that every Asian country that we have visited so far has been the same; the people are curious and extremely happy that we are in their country.  However, the main thing that differentiates cultures from one another, in this sense, is who smiles first; you or the local. 

For instance, in China I thought that the locals despised us because it was our first encounter with hardcore staring and spitting.  We soon realized, however, that once we threw them a friendly smile, almost all of them would return the gesture with another genuine smile.  Similarly, in Korea, people stared much less than in China but were still very curious about us and said “hello” quite a bit.  In Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia, Jason and I could not walk five feet in public without hearing children and adults alike shouting “HELLO!!!  How are you?  Where are you from?”.  I have come to my own conclusion that while you can generalize that Asian countries are all interested in foreigners, each country approaches them a bit differently. 

F: What are some cool phrases or words that you’ve learned along your trip? What do they mean? 

Jason: You’d be surprised how much English is spoken and understood everywhere (at least, I’ve been surprised). So, we didn’t pick up as much language as I would have initially expected. With that, I’ll give you the 3 of the more memorable phrases we’ve learned along the way. 

1. “Tai Gui La” – China. (Too expensive!). We met a couple in Sanya, China within the first week of us traveling through mainland China (who ended up becoming our good friends). The girl, McKenna is tall with blonde hair, so to say she sticks out in China is an understatement. She taught us how to bargain in Chinese by using this phrase. The key, she taught us, is to give the most shocked face you can when you say it, as if you’ve been absolutely offended by the price they’ve just told you. It was quite a sight watching her negotiate with the much shorter Chinese men. We enjoyed practicing this ourselves during the rest of our travels through China. 

2. “Mot, Hai, Ba, Yoooooo” – Vietnam (Cheers!). Mot, hai, ba literally means 1, 2, 3. But this is how you cheers in Vietnam. Each number is said progressing louder and then you’re supposed to practically yell “yooo” before chugging your drink. Locals absolutely loved drinking with us, and we did this cheers more times than we could count. It brings back mostly good, but also some bad memories as well . 

3. “Sawadee kaaaa. You want a massaaaage?” – Thailand. The last part isn’t Thai obviously. “Sawadee ka” means hello (if you’re female) in Thai. What makes this memorable is how nasally and “sing-songy” the women sound as they say this to every foreigner passing them by. Whenever Sharon and I want to make each other laugh, we just say this to one another in our best Thai impression. 

F: What are some of the major surprises you’ve encountered along your trip (culture, food, etc)? 

Sharon: I am a Korean, born and raised in California and speak only English.  Before visiting Korea (for the first time in my life) I was told by multiple people that Koreans would not be friendly towards me because I do not speak Korean.  To be honest, I was terrified that my experience in my parents’ home country would be a bad one because of this.  To my pleasant surprise, the opposite was true.  Like every other country we have been to on this trip, the locals were not only happy to meet me but never once did they treat me differently for my lack of Korean skills.  If anything, when they found out I was Korean, they were happier and more interested in me than before.  Thankfully, my experience living in Korea for over 5 months was amazing. 

F: Being a mobile nomad seems to require being ‘light’.  What ‘things’ do you own and take around with you? 

Sharon: Back in America, it took me about 10 tries to get my backpack to a decent size.  I am a major overpacker by nature, and backpacking has taught me many lessons.  The most difficult part is having appropriate clothing for all of the climates you travel through.  For instance, I recently ditched one of two pairs of jeans, so now I travel with one pair as we pass through the hot and humid countries of SE Asia.  I always have a good amount of tank tops and t-shirts because you sweat through them quickly here (maybe around 8 total) and also keep one trusty North Face pullover.  In addition, we travel with little Netbook laptops, airplane pillows, a blindfold, and earplugs at ALL TIMES.  A true traveler should always have earplugs. 

F: If you could measure your happiness on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being highest, how would your happiness measure for your entire journey?  How does it compare to working in a cube? 

Sharon: Compared to working in a cube, my happiness would be a 11.  Working in a cube is not for everyone.  That being said, I also do not consider myself very suited for long-term travel.  While I have come to love being abroad and experiencing new things, I love our hometown back in California too, and I live for being around friends and family, so I quickly get homesick.  While traveling, I’ve enjoyed “settling” in a city for a few months at a time, rather than constantly being on the go.   

F: What are some of the most fun activities you’ve done in these different countries? 

Sharon: In Vietnam we actually attended 2 different weddings, which included a country wedding and a city wedding.  Needless to say, we had a great time at both although the locals at the country wedding were a bit too enthusiastic having us there, causing a little too much rice wine to be partaken. 

Also in Vietnam (I guess we really enjoyed it here), we had a crazy New Year’s Eve celebration which started out with a group of locals befriending us.  Somehow, the night ended with Jason and I dancing on top of chairs with other locals while crowds gathered around us to cheer us on and watch. 

F: What’s in store for you both for the rest of the year? 

J and S: We will stay in Indonesia for the next few weeks, then a quick few days in Singapore before we begin our journey through the United States to get back to the Bay Area. In September we head to Guam, which is technically a part of the U.S. but we will still feel like we’re traveling.  Then we’ll head to Seattle for Sharon’s cousin’s wedding. After the wedding, we’ll do some traveling down the west coast for a couple weeks before heading back to the Bay Area in mid to late October. We actually have three weddings to attend within 6 weeks of our arrival. In December we’re also planning a 2-week east coast trip to see some of Jason’s family. It’ll be a busy “vacation” back home.

With Restaurant Week currently in full swing, Funsherpa is now gathering intel on the vibrant New York food scene. We start our series, by chatting with New York’s quintessential food bloggers, Blondie and Brownie, whose online posts reveal their adventures in the New York food scene. In this feature, we discover their favorite eats, chefs, and neighborhoods!

F: What inspired you to start a food blog? And how’d you gals come up with the name?
B&B: We worked together and bonded over food. We decided to start the blog because everyone would ask us where and what to eat so we decided to put it up on the Internet. Blondie & Brownie has a few meanings for us, but the main one is a simple play on our hair.

F: What neighborhoods do you guys live in?
B&B: We both live in Brooklyn, Blondie in Greenpoint and Brownie in the greater Park Slope area. Blondie’s favorite places are Paulie Gee’s Pizza, Papacitos, Peter Pan Bakery, and in Williamsburg, Egg. Brownie loves Terrace Bagel, Song, Almondine, Grab Specialty Foods, and Cafe Grumpy.

F: If you were to choose a neighborhood in NY to live based solely on food alone, where would it be?
Blondie: Probably the East Village, there’s some really great food at decent prices and a nice variety of restaurants.
Brownie: Ditto. I lived in the Eat(s) Village in college and it was awesome to have access to such a great variety of food and because of the big NYU student population there are a lot of budget friendly options. In the close to 7 years since I left the village, the terrific dining options have only increased.

F: What’s your typical day like?
B&B: We live pretty normal lives, both of us have day jobs in Midtown. Our lunches are usually used doing recon for Midtown Lunch. When an evening doesn’t involve an event, it’s going out to dinner or doing the mundane tasks of life. Brownie recently had a baby, so her life’s pretty full with being a mom. But we both almost always end up online at some point, to put up a post, download pictures, or answer emails.

F: What are the highlights of the food you had growing up?
Blondie: My mom actually worked and went to school while I was growing up, so she wasn’t in the kitchen a whole lot, but when she would bake, it was always a treat. As any good mom does, she would always let me help out and lick the spatula and spoons afterward. It was usually traditional American-pies, cakes, cookies, but every now and then she’d make a traditional Czech dessert and those were always amazing.

Brownie: My great grandparents were Italian immigrants who settled in New Haven, CT. I grew up eating a lot of Southern Italian food and New Haven pizza (Sally’s or Modern, please!). I make a mean red sauce and clams oreganata. The other side of my family has been in New England for close to four hundred years, and I’m a New Englander through and through. I have much love for lobster, clam chowder, boiled dinner, baked bean suppers and hasty pudding.

F: What’s is your favorite restaurant in the city?
Blondie: Blondie’s favorite restaurant is probably now Shopsin’s. Everything I have there is great, I don’t mind any of their orneriness, and one of the few places I think about on a frequent basis.

Brownie: Ditto, again. I swear, we’re not the same person.

F: What’s your favorite summer al fresco restaurant in the city?
Blondie: Blondie’s favorite is Back Forty. I absolutely love their back porch, it has good lightening, good food, and you can forget you’re in the middle of NYC.

Brownie: Brownie’s favorite is the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. There’s nothing like pulling up a table in the park on a warm summer afternoon or evening and tucking into a burger or custard from the Shake Shack.

F: Who is your favorite NYC celebrity chef?
Blondie: My favorite ‘celebrity’ chef is Danny Meyer. From the restaurants he oversees to how he treats his employees, he seems like a pretty great guy. And of course, he created Shake Shack. I’m torn on the up and coming chefs because there are so many, but if I had to choose it’s be Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar. She’s willing to take chances and do something different.

Brownie: I’ll reveal my sweet tooth by saying Jacques Torres. As someone who loves to bake and appreciates the pastry arts, Mr. Torres is a legend. He’s also really nice and charming and unlike a lot of other “celebrity” chefs, I’ve actually seen him in his stores. Last summer we spied him up on a ladder stringing lights and setting up his ice cream cart in his Tribeca shop. Corwin Kave of Fatty Crab and Fatty ‘Cue is a really talented up and coming chef. I’d never pass up a meal if he is cooking.

F: It’s that time for NYC summer restaurant week again. what are your quintessential restaurant suggestions for lunch, and for dinner? Any suggestions/tips for restaurant week?
Blondie & Brownie: The best lunch I’ve had so far was at Convivio. I’m still hoping to get back there one day for a proper meal. The dinner at 10 Downing was pretty nice too. My main tip is to look at the menu if it’s been posted, treat the meal as more of a sample of a restaurant, and if your server isn’t treating you well because you’ve picked the RW menu, never patronize that place again.

Del Posto for lunch was a fantastic experience. I didn’t for one minute feel that they were treating us as lesser customers because we were there for the RW menu rather than a more expensive lunch. They brought us little cocktail samples to try at the beginning of our meal and sent us home with chocolates. One restaurant week suggestion that I always make is to check out the menu and what’s being offered, some of the restaurants offer similar pre-fixe lunch deals on a regular basis that you can try anytime, so try to choose a place where you’re really getting a special twice a year kind of offer. Delmonico’s Steak House is a quintessential and historic New York restaurant–it was one of the first restaurants in the nation and they have a terrific menu for lunch and dinner.

With the economy shafted and seemingly stuck in a rut and coupon sites popping out like rabbits, Funsherpa sits down with the expert in living cheaply. Stuart Schuffman, the brains behind Broke Ass Stuart, shares his thoughts on cheap travel, cheap New York, and more importantly cheap dates. So stop splurging around and start living the Broke Ass lifestyle!

F: How did you end up starting your broke-ass living cheaply guides? Have you always been looking for the best bang for your buck since you were a kid?
S: I started off by selling zines, which are little pamphlet thingies that you can make from photocopying and stapling at a copy store. The zine was Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco and I distributed with my backpack, the bus and my two feet. At the peak I was in probably 25 or 30 stores. I did a couple versions of it, then ended up doing some writing for Lonely Planet, and eventually found my book deal on craigslist. Yeah, I know how ridiculous that sounds. For a long time I told people I always seem to come through the back back door and then I realized why all those conversations ended so awkwardly.

As for looking for the best bang for my buck, I’ve just never been into fancy shit. I appreciate real interactions with real people, not ones who are trying to make you think they’ve got more money than they actually do. So I think I’ve always been attracted to places like diners and dive bars. My whole thing is that, I’m not necessarily cheap, I’m just broke. So I’ve structured my life to make it as fucking awesome as possible while spending the least amount of money. It seems to be working out so far.

F: It’s that time of the year for fresh college grads wondering how they’re going to survive now that they’re in the real world? What’s one important broke-ass tip that you can share with them?
S: If it burns when you pee, go see a doctor…that’s not the kind of tip you’re looking for is it? Um, I think if I was to give college grads one serious bit of advice it would be this: do what you love and work your fucking ass off doing it. If you do that you’ll figure out a way to pay your bills somehow. If that doesn’t work, you can always just try extorting someone.

F: Say someone is traveling to New York on a real tight food budget, like $10 for food a day? What places would you recommend hitting up?
S: That’s a tough one because there are just so many places to eat for cheap in NYC. One awesome one is Fried Dumpling (106 Mosco St. btw Mulberry & Mott Sts.) in Chinatown. You can get 5 dumplings for a dollar there. But actually there are a bunch of places that do deals like that in Chinatown. I think your best bet though is to go to either The Alligator Lounge (Williamsburg), The Crocodile Lounge (East Village), or The Charleston (Williamsburg). They give you a free personal pizza with every drink you buy. Yeah really. So that way you can kill two birds with one stone. Those fuckers are geniuses they deserve Nobel Peace Prizes.

F: What suggestions do you have on a cheap date, without fear of being called ‘cheap’?
S: Cheap dates are easy. Motherfuckers just want you to seem interesting and thoughtful. Have a little picnic with some cheap wine, then stroll over to one of the museums on one of their “pay what you want” days. Or you can do what I always do: go to some shitty Brooklyn dive bar and drink until you want to have sex with each other. Or better yet, combine the two for super awesome date time!

F: Lately, there seems to be a trend for all these ‘daily deal’ sites, What are your thoughts about it? Any favorite sites?
S: Those deal sites are a brilliant idea. I don’t really have any favorites because they are all pretty much doing the same thing. All I know is that I wish I’d thought of that shit first, then maybe I wouldn’t still be broke.

F: Can you suggest some broke-ass budget friendly countries to travel to?
S: Budget friendly countries? Generally any country you associate with hating America is gonna be budget friendly. I think they hate us because they’re afraid wankers like me are gonna go over there, buy up a whole province for $35 and start running shit like a tyrannical medieval lord. You better watch out Krygyzstan your ass is mine!

Really though, if you’re traveling on the dollar, stay out of the US and Northern & Western Europe and you’ll be fine. Go to Thailand, Vietnam, or Cambodia and you’ll think you died and woke up as Jay-Z.

F: On what things are you or do you suggest not being frugal or cheap on?
S: I buy $50 Levi’s jeans because I wear the shit out of them, like 6 months straight. So If I know something is gonna last me awhile I don’t mind paying extra for them. Same goes with something that has a lifetime guarantee. I really wanna buy this pair of $150 Doc Marten’s because they have one of those guarantees. Plus, I really wanna join a Riot Grrrl band.

Also, I imagine cheap tattoos are not a good thing either. Those shits are permanent; you don’t want some weird cross-eyed junkie fucking up.

F: You’ve been pretty successful with your broke-ass living cheaply guides for San Francisco and New York, and the ‘goddamn’ website, any other upcoming projects that you’re thinking about? A new city? A TV show perhaps?
S: Why yes, yes I do. I’m currently working on a new book that’s gonna be like a “General Guide to Living as a Broke-Ass”. The problem is that my SF book is only for sale in the Bay and my NYC book is only for sale out there. This way I can spread my anti-consumerist propaganda throughout the entire United States. As for a TV show, that is certainly something I’m aiming for. I have poor decision making skills, a plethora of skeletons in my closet, and at least three pending paternity tests. I was made for the spotlight…or at least politics.

But for real. I wanna make some TV dammit. If Sarah Palin can do it, I sure as hell can. I’ve had diarrhea smarter than her.

Funsherpa chats with Dana Lynn Formby to discover the world of a blue-collar playwright.  Dana shares her interest in giving a voice to the working class and uncovers the secret three E’s of theater.  Her play, Inherit the Whole, will be starting a run at the Mortar Theater this Friday.

F: You’re often described as a ‘blue-collar’ playwright.  How did that come about and why make the distinction from other playwrights?
D: I call my self a blue-collar playwright because my father is a pipe-fitter and my mother was a hairdresser.  They loved and supported me and struggled with money their entire lives.  They rightfully told me I could be anything I wanted… I was an American.  Through the struggle of growing up, I learned, what the media told me I wanted was different from the reality staring me in the face.  I’m interested in taking off the rose-colored glasses I perched on the end of my nose as a kid.  I carefully assembled my glasses out of clippings of American dreams found anywhere from Glamour to Fortune 500. I write plays that question this rose-colored-cutout-pasted-collage, in hopes of preventing certainties that arise when blue-collar economics beg you to stop at your gender.  I do this to look past what the 2D American dream promises, and aim for the impossible.  Through my art, I strive to dismantle the barriers put up by economic classes.

F: We saw another online feature of you that mentions your fondness of listening to Cake to get into the writing mood.  Do you still listen to Cake to get yourself into the writing mood?  Or has your musical taste evolved since then?
D: Cake!  Absolutely!  There is something about how raw and dirty the sound is, that puts me in a nice bit of anger at the world.  This helps me see the obstacles my characters need to face.  Also, I love me some Chris Isaac.

F: As a playwright instructor with the Chicago Dramatists, how would you describe your teaching style?
D: I am a cheerleader.  I wish to empower my students to allow themselves the right to write.  I encourage them to ask questions.  I also ask them to teach each other what I have taught.  I believe the true path to learning is to teach what you know.  When you are forced to do this you realize you didn’t know it half as much as you thought.  And when you have to explain what it is your teaching, you yourself gain a deeper understanding for it.

F: How do you deal with hopeless students?
D: Hopeless is a strange word.  If you mean they don’t do the work there is not much I can do.  If it means they feel they can’t write, than it is my job to empower them.   As a writer there is always this critic sitting on your shoulder yelling at you, “You can’t do this!  You have no right to do this.  This is stupid.”  I encourage them to tell that critic to go eat a bag of chips because work needs to get done.  The critic can come back after you finish a draft.

F: Can you talk to us about your play at the Mortar, called Inherit the Whole?  Why talk about Vietnam now?
D: My father is a Vietnam Vet.  There is no me without Vietnam.  I honestly believe that half of him is still over there.  War causes a separation between all of the survivors of the war.  The country is at war again.  There are daughters and sons who will grow up with this same disconnect with their parent if they have served in battle.  Theatre has the ability to connect strangers through catharsis– through witnessing the journey of a character on stage.  It is my hope that writing about the past– Vietnam, we can quell the taboo’s of war for our soldiers coming home.  I hope lessen the gap between soldier and citizen. This gap will always exist but I believe through art, we may be able to reach over that gap.

F: Why did you bring in the element of the trunk of gold?
D: Honestly?  When my Granddaddy died, his brother’s came to his house looking for a big old bag of silver that my cousin Danny went with him to pick up at the train station back in the seventies.  We never found it.

F: Who did you create the play for?
D:  This is a rough question.  It’s something that an artist must ask themselves but is difficult to answer honestly.  This play came out of the chaos of living paycheck to paycheck.  I wish to give a voice to the working class.  I hope with “Inherit the Whole” Mortar Theatre is able to bring together people from different social economic backgrounds so that we can see our similarities are more in common than we think.  It is through our commonalities that humans find connection.

F: Who do you think will enjoy ‘Inherit the Whole’ the most?
D: People with a good since of humor who can laugh and get angry at the absurdity of life.

F: The story almost seems quite ‘melancholic’.  Is that an accurate description or is there more to what is presented in the play’s synopsis?
D: It is actually quite funny and quickly paced. I mean, men digging a hole in a living room!  Funny.  Dennis Zacek, the Artistic Director of Victory Gardens, keenly taught me the three E’s of Theatre.  First: a play must entertain, the next step is to enlighten, and finally, if we are lucky, the play will take us to a level of Ecstasy.  I believe all three are touched on in this play.  I also believe that I will learn so much about the play by witnessing how the audience reacts to the play.  I believe a production of a play is the playwright’s actual first draft.  The reason I say this is because the play behaves differently when it is on its feet moving around in three dimensional space.  Theatre is a collaborative sport and I am so thankful to have a place to play ball in front of a crowd so that I may grow past what I learned in graduate school.

F: How did you decide to share your play with the Mortar Theatre?  What was it like working with them?
D: I am an Ensemble Member here and I feel we are a great fit for each other.

F: What’s in store for your future plays?
D: Right now I am working a play called The Eve Maneuver.  The play is about a girl named Veronica,18, who wants to uphold the proud Semperfi tradition of her father, a Desert Storm Vet.  Determined to march in his footsteps, she unearths what it means to do or die, leaving her finger on a trigger as she decides between her patriotism towards her father and the heart she found as a child going to Sunday school.

F: Anything vastly different from the plays you’ve created?
D: Looking at what I just wrote above this question it would appear that I tackle the subject of war quite a lot.  I cannot deny that I am moved and feel a need to write about this subject.  But other plays I have written, do not touch on war.  I write very much from my heart.  It is hard for me to see the trees for the forest on this one.  I feel my plays are all very connected. Gender is something I choose to tackle as a writer. Some would say I have masculine plays and feminine plays.  I guess I have to say without one, the other cannot exist.  It is through my definition of masculine that I understand feminine and vice versa.  It is my goal to stretch myself as an artist while maintaining the honesty of my experience in the world around me.

Funsherpa is on a mission to discover what Chicagoans love.  We are going beyond the tour books and yelp reviews and are asking YOU, Chicago.  Funsherpa kicked off our series of surveys in honor of the Chicago Craft Brewery Convention with our beer survey.  The contenders were Allagash, Dogfish Head, Goose Island, Half Acre, Metropolitan, SKA Brewing, Three Floyds, and Two Brothers.  We are excited to announce that Three Floyds Brewery took the prize as Chicago’s favorite craft beer, with Chicago’s own Goose Island Brewing in a close second.

Who Are The Three Floyds

Brothers Nick and Simon and father Mike Floyd founded Three Floyds Brewing Company in 1996 in a small warehouse in Hammond, Indiana.  To give you an idea of their humble beginnings, their first brewery housed a used 5 barrel kettle, attached to a wok burner, with swiss cheese tanks turned into beer fermentation vessels.  But this simple brew house was all the Floyd’s boys needed to turn their dream into a reality.  They set out to brew beer that distinguished itself from other craft brews, with a motto of “it’s not normal”.  Three Floyds grew in popularity and eventually moved to Munster, Indiana which today is still the home of the brewery and their brew pub.

It’s Not Normal

With names like Alpha King, Gumball Head and Apocalypse Cow, and bottles featuring labels with trippy artwork, you can tell that Three Floyds Brewing is not your average brewery.  But it’s more than their unique branding that has given Three Floyds their cult-following – it’s their absolutely amazing tasting beer.  One of the Funsherpa team’s favorite brews is Gumball Head, named after a little known comic book cat.  Gumball Head was created to be a summer time wheat ale, but due to the great demand, it is now available all year round.  This wheat beer has a refreshing hoppy aroma, with hints of grapefruit, lemon, marmalade, and peach.  Three Floyds says “these flavors combined with low bitterness make Gumball Head a refreshing American Wheat Beer that doesn’t suck”.  Now if that doesn’t sell you, we don’t know what does.

I’ve Got a Golden Ticket

While Three Floyds doesn’t have a chocolate river or freaky little Oompa Loompas, their golden ticket is equally coveted.  Three Floyds Dark Lord Day is an annual

“Fantasy Beer Drinking Event” that happens on the last Saturday of April.  Selling out every year, Dark Lord Day gives beer enthusiasts from around the world a chance to sample craft beers, including Three Floyds own Dark Lord.  The Dark Lord Russian Style Imperial Stout is brewed with Chicago’s own Intelligentsia coffee, mixed with Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar.  These intense flavors and the 13% alcohol content make Dark Lord Chicago’s most sought after beer.  To get your chance to try the Dark Lord you must buy a golden ticket, usually open for sale in early March, which entitles you to buy four bottles of the brew.  But don’t drink up just yet, the Dark Lord gets better with age, and most beer enthusiasts just now opened their 2009 bottle.

What You Crave

While we at Funsherpa definitely recommend taking a trip over to Munster for a brewery tour or a bite at the Brew Pub, you can find Three Floyds right here in Chicago too.  Try the Map Room or Sheffield’s Beer Garden.

Don’t forget to give Mom a huge hug this weekend as Mother’s Day is on Sunday!  Before you scrounge around for some last minute gifts for Mom, check out our final feature in our Mother’s Day series.  Funsherpa sits down with Stacey Hoffer Weckstein, the Chief Mom Officer of the Mom Renewal Project to share some of her fun spots in Chicago and her secrets in balancing a hectic Mom life.  Stacey has built an amazing community to recharge the body, mind, & spirit – so you can live your best life as a woman, mom & partner, so when you have a chance, check out The Mom Renewal Project.

F: What are some of the things you’ve learned from other Mom bloggers?  What have you taught other Mom bloggers?

S: Mom bloggers have taught me the power of a virtual community and beauty of blog karma. Women all across the globe are creating lasting bonds via blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. Knowing I have an online community that supports me and will listen to me when I need to share my voice is a gift that the mom blogging community has given to me.

What have I taught other Mom Bloggers? I hope I have encouraged them to take more ME time more often. I hope my social media influence gives mom bloggers (and all moms) permission to reconnect with their authentic selves so they can live their best lives as women, moms, and partners.

F: How do you balance being a mom, writing a blog, living your life, and enjoying what you do?

S: How do I balance it all? In one word, it would be passion. My passion drives me and fuels me. I have passion for being my children’s mom, for blogging, for offering life coaching programs and services, for being a social media strategist, and for spending time outdoors. I focus on my passions and all of the other things fall into place. My house is not spotless, my mail sometimes piles up, and sometimes it takes over 24 hours before I can respond to email messages. This is not because I’m lazy – it’s because I’m prioritizing my life and practicing the art of life balance.

F: You also started a coaching business while being a mom.  What were some of the challenges involved with that and how did you deal with it?

S: I think the number one challenge in starting a business is time. Life is busy. I work full-time, have two young boys, and have to take care of regular home routines. As a “mompreneur”, life coach, and social media strategist, I find my time early in the morning and once my boys are asleep. Once a week I have a mom’s night off and sometimes I also use that time to move my business forward.

Another challenge is the lack of quiet time. As a social media mom, my life is rather noisy. It is filled with some wonderful noise like children laughing and meaning conversations online, but my day-to-day routine is pretty over-stimulating. To be able to focus on my coaching business and on my natural inner wisdom, I take at least 5-10 minutes of quite time each day to help me recharge. This daily stillness gives me the opportunity to listen to my personal wisdom – without this time in my life, I don’t think I would have discovered so many different aspects of my business.

F: What do your kids think about you writing a blog?  Do they play any editorial roles?

S: My children are too young to understand what the words blog means, but they do know I love my computer. My six year old son’s definition of passion is “something you love”. So he thinks my passion is blogging just like his passion is playing Wii. As my favorite author SARK says, when my boys are older, I hope they understand the value of “gifting the world with your words and stories and creating the time and energy to actually do it”.

F: Can you share some Chicago activities that you enjoy doing with your kids?

S: My family loves Chicago, especially all of the natural spaces around the city. If it is above 40 degrees, you can find my family outside at the beach, the Chicago Botanic Garden, walking around Grant Park and Millennium Park’s gardens, biking along Lake Michigan at Northwestern University, or bird watching at Montrose Point. My three year old son’s favorite place in Chicago is the Butterfly Haven at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum where we can hang out in a greenhouse with over 1000 butterflies.

F: Any special message you’d like to share with other Moms this upcoming Mother’s Day?

S: Chicagoland Moms – On this Mother’s Day, I send you the gift of reclaiming, rejuvenating, and re-balancing your life. I give you permission to reconnect with your authentic self, to practice self-care, and to remember who you are above and beyond your role as a mom.

I want to remind you that moms who are physically tired, emotionally drained, mentally unfulfilled, and spiritually disconnected to their natural inner wisdom cannot fully be present in their own lives or in their children lives. So, I invite you to recharge – body, mind, and spirit – so you can live your best life as a woman, mom, and partner. I invite you to put yourself back onto your priority list because you and your children deserve it!