The Many Adventures of a Thede

My annual Christmas post is a little late, but better late than never, right? Anyway, it is late with good reason because I had a very fun but very hectic week with my family in New York! I moved into the Harlem House where I got to house/cat sit for the week last Sunday night. I spent the next several days moving presents, laundry, food, my cat, etc over to the house in small trips. Oh, I should mention I worked a 40 hour week last week too, so it wasn't like I had vacation time to get things done! Anyway, I got the house in good shape and fully stocked with gifts and Christmas food by Wednesday (Christmas Eve) when my parents and brother arrived. They were supposed to get into Newark Airport at around 12:30pm and meet me at work. Then I had arranged tickets for them to see The Marvelous Wonderettes (one of the shows playing where I work) at 3pm. Well, that didn't go according to plan as their flight was delayed a couple hours and they ended up getting into Newark at 2:40pm. So, they didn't make the show. But it was no big deal because I just pushed the tickets to another day.

I ended up getting off work early (Merry Christmas to me!) and met up with my family at Penn Station around 4:30pm. We made our way up to the house, dropped off the luggage, and then headed back to midtown for our dinner reservation. We had a nice meal and then walked over to Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree. Then we headed up 5th Ave to look at the shop windows and decorations. Then we went to Soldier McGee where Eduardo was working and he met my family for the first time. We had a drink and relaxed while Eduardo popped over every now and then to chat. We stayed a while, then went back to Harlem and wrapped gifts until about 2am! Eduardo came over when he got off work and we all stayed the night there.

Christmas morning was great. We started with a nice breakfast and then opened stockings and presents. Here's my annual list of what I got!

From Mom and Dad:

• Matching scarf, hat and gloves
• A fun T-shirt
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for Wii
• A new colorful watch
• Lost: Season 1 on DVD
• Other clothes including a shirt, tank top, some sweats, and a sports bra
  

• Mario Party 8 for Wii
  

• Assorted Victoria's Secret lotions
• Prince Caspian on DVD

• A new digital camera (my old one is broken)
• A nice sweater

• Underwear
• Candy
• Carmex
• Hairbands
• iTunes gift card
• Vanilla Bean Noel shower gel from Bath and Body Works

• A Wii and accesories!

Dad and Adam Christmas morning (just after I'd gotten my new camera!)


Eduardo holding his nephew Victor


Mom and Adam at the South Street Seaport


Marylin and I skating in Central Park

Here's a little tip for you single ladies. The best way to attract attention at a bar is not to dance on tables. It is not doing body shots. It is not talking and laughing loudly with your friends. It is sitting by yourself reading. I have discovered this because I do this frequently at the bar where my boyfriend works. Often times when I am coming home from a day out, I stop by the bar where my boyfriend works for a while just to hang out. I don't usually drink on these occasions...sometimes I might have a little something to eat. But often I am just killing time and talking to Eduardo when he has a chance. So, I bring a book. I don't know if it's that guys like brainy chicks or just that a girl reading at the bar is clearly there by herself (little do they know that I know all the staff, so I'm never really ALONE), but I have had more guys start up conversations with me, some innocent and friendly...some clearly looking for some action...some downright creepy...just because I have my nose in a book. The irony is that I would think someone sitting by themselves reading is clearly enjoying some quality time alone and does not want to be bothered. I guess this is not as clear as I might have hoped. But, I'm letting you all know because even though I do not benefit from the attention, I'm sure there are some people who would love it. The next time you want to meet a guy, just bring a book!

I really like my new job! Maybe it's just because the first flush of HAVING a job hasn't worn off yet, but I think I do actually like this job. The hours are good for me. I work at 11am at the earliest, but many days I come in as late as 3pm. I leave by 9pm at the latest, but I'm usually out by 8:30pm. Not only is this schedule great because I'm a night person. It's also great because I can actually spend time with my boyfriend who works in a bar from about 4pm-1am every day. If I had to get up early, we would see much less of each other.

The actual work part of my job is not bad either. A year of box office experience has helped me catch on pretty quickly. That being said, there are a LOT of little details to learn and keep track of. I'm getting there with those. Sometimes the office is busy, but when it isn't we are free to watch movies, surf the internet (there is a firewall, however), or leave to run errands. Tonight I reached a mile stone as I was left on my own to run a curtain for the first time. Everything went well, and I didn't screw anything up (I hope), so I'd call that successful.

Another great thing about my job is that I get free lunch any day I'm there before 2pm. This is usually the part that makes people jealous. I would be too. There's a restaurant around the corner from the theatre called West Bank Cafe that delivers us whatever we want from the lunch menu each day (and on weekends the BRUNCH menu...even better) in exchange for us recommending the restaurant to people. Box offices do get asked about places to eat fairly often, so it works out well for all.

Last week we had an opening night for the newest show at the theatre (there are two). This new show is called Dust. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure I will soon. On the evening of the opening, many of the company members who are not actually IN the show had to come to the box office to pick up their tickets. Early in the evening a young, pretty girl approached my window. I had seen her before, but hadn't really looked at her very closely. As she walked up, I thought she looked very much like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. I actually had to look at her closely to make sure it wasn't one of them (you never know in New York). She asked for her ticket by last name. "Olsen?" she requested. At this, I had a "get out of my head!" moment, but reached to get her ticket. I saw as I handed it to her that her first name was Elizabeth. "Could you let me though the stage door?" she asked. I let her through, but then quickly returned to my chair to do some serious googling. It could not be a coincidence that I thought she looked like the Olsens and then her last name WAS Olsen. I found that she actually is their younger sister, that she is an understudy for the show and a student at NYU. I spent the rest of the evening wondering what percentage she gets of her sisters' clothing line that is named after her. I later found out that I was the first person on the production to figure out who she was. She hadn't told anyone. Just call me Sherlock.

It's the day before Thanksgiving, which means the holiday season is fully upon us. Come Friday, we can no longer deny the signs of Christmas popping up all around us. I'm very excited to enter this holiday season, but it is definitely going to be different from any other year.

First of all, I'm going to be spending Thanksgiving with friends this year, not family. Ever since I moved to New York, I've spent Thanksgiving in New Jersey with my aunt and cousins there. But this year, most of my cousins have made alternative plans (in-laws, etc), so I had to make other plans too! I'm going to be traveling over the OTHER river to my friends Anu and Abel's home in Astoria, Queens. I'm bringing along my favorite sweet potato recipe. Eduardo is going to make it too, which is great because until yesterday we thought he had to work. This will also be my first ever paid holiday. I'm getting paid to eat Turkey! Rock on.

The major change in my holiday plans, though, is that I will NOT be leaving New York for Christmas. In case you missed the giant font on my blog a few weeks ago, I got a job I just started last week at the Westside Theatre (hence, the paid holiday). Shortly after I was hired, I received my schedule though the end of January. Thus, I found out I have to work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. I had a moment of disappointment about this, but I was prepared for this kind of news. I was very desperate for a job by the time I interviewed for this position, and I told them I didn't have any upcoming conflicts or plans for the holidays. And I'm so happy to actually have a job, I won't complain about having to work so close to Christmas. Everyone at my job has to work holidays sometimes, so it's not that I'm being subjected to anything overly cruel as the new employee.

Anyway, since I found this out so early on, I was able to convince my family to come visit ME this year. I'm really looking forward to it. I will miss seeing my home decorated for Christmas, my friends, and my extended family in Illinois. However, I mentioned to my mom last year that I hoped she could come to New York around the holidays sometime. I think it is the most amazing place in the world at this time of year. I gushed about it last year, and I'll do it again. New York is at its most fabulous for Christmas!

This is the time of year I usually provide a link to my wish list. Peruse at will :-)

This past Sunday I finally made it to see Equus, a play currently running on Broadway about a teenage boy who is sent to a mental institution because of a very disturbing act of violence he committed. No, not a cheery subject, but it was beautifully acted and designed and very much worth the trip to the theatre. It's a little bit funny that I have seen most of the stars of this play in person before. I saw Richard Griffiths (of Harry Potter fame) in History Boys on Broadway a couple years ago. Kate Mulgrew (of Star Trek: Voyager) came to my college and spoke about her favorite actress, Kate Mulgrew. And another supporting actor, T. Ryder Smith, was in the play Lebensraum that I worked on two years ago (and which won a Drama Desk Award).

But I wasn't really there to see them. I was there to see Harry Potter himself, Dan Radcliffe. He was excellent. There was, of course, quite a bit of expectation on him as there is on any big "movie star" who tries to transition to the stage. Not all have been successful. Claire Danes got luke-warm reviews for her stint in Pygmalion. Julia Roberts got pretty much panned for her stage debut two years ago in Three Days of Rain. But Dan was a natural on stage. He's gotten great reviews both in London, where the play originated, and here on Broadway. I'm pretty sure he's very strategically planning to become the Harrison Ford of the Harry Potter franchise, not the Mark Hamill. What I mean by that is he's working hard to be able to leave Harry Potter behind when it's finished and transition into diverse roles that will continue to carry him as a super star. He's doing a great job so far.

After the show, I got to the stage door as quickly as I could to wait for an autograph. Dan came out very quickly after the show and graciously signed for as many people as he could, including me!



I was happy to find out that what I've heard about him is true. He was extremely nice to everyone, didn't act like he was bothered by having to stand outside signing until his hand cramped, and actually made friendly conversation with people in a way that seemed like he was totally unaware that he was famous or intimidating in any way. He even turned to one girl and said incredulously, "Have you been here before? I know I've seen you here!" He seemed very puzzled that anyone would wait for his autograph twice. The girl only giggled. Dan looked at her as if he wasn't sure why she couldn't give him a straight answer. All I can say is, his parents have done a good job.

I went to the gym today for the first time in my life! Well, pretty much. I've been in a couple workout rooms in my life, and I definitely ran on a treadmill at least once during college, but I have never really been excited about working out. But within the last year or so I have started considering that it might be a good idea to get on a regular workout program. I've done pilates in my apartment pretty regularly, and while that's better than nothing, I'd like to add a little more variety to my workout.

So, I had this lovely wish to join a gym in New York. The problem with that is most gyms in New York are freakin' expensive. Most monthly rates are between $100-200 not including the start-up fee which can be close to $1,000 in some cases if you don't catch a special. I did some research on cheap gyms in the city a while back and found that there are some parks and recs buildings that have workout rooms and you can pay just $50 a year! It sounded quite promising. But Eduardo and I went to check out the closest location and it was pretty much a dump with only a few machines. I guess you get what you pay for. We couldn't motivate ourselves to join.

At some point during my job search I filled out an application at Equinox, a popular gym chain here. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I figured the free membership perk would be nice. But I never heard anything and eventually got a different job (at Westside Theatre! I start Monday!) But a couple weeks ago I got a call from a woman named Lillian at Equinox wondering if I was still interested in a job. At first I told her no because I had found a job already (inside I was still thinking about that nice free membership, but figured health insurance is also important, so I'd stick with what I got). But Lillian pressed on saying this job would only be four hours a week. All I'd have to do is pass out flyers promoting the gym. And if I did it, I could get a FREE MEMBERSHIP! Yeah, I was in. And I got Eduardo in too.

So, today, we tried out that free membership for the first time, and let me tell you, it is a NICE gym. I think I might actually look forward to working out if I can go there all the time! There's two entire floors of cardio and weight equipment, personal TVs mounted on the equipment, locker rooms so clean you can eat off the floor, free stuff like shampoo, razors, hair dryers, etc, a huge class schedule, a healthy food and juice bar, an in house spa...yeah, I actually said to Eduardo, "We could live at the gym!" I'd be happy to just go there to drink juice and shower, but I guess I really should work out too. Yeah, I'm gonna do it.

Recently, Eduardo and I made it to Six Flags one last time this season, and in the flurry that was the last several weeks, I haven't mentioned it on the blog yet. It was a great day, the highlight being when I was able to drag him onto Kingda Ka, the scariest roller coaster I've ever experienced. Even though I went on it last summer, I was still scared out of my mind as I sat strapped into my seat, starring at the 456 foot coaster (the tallest in the world) looming before me. The wait was made even more scary by the fact that I was anticipating the "launch" in which I would be rocketed to a speed of 128 mph in 3.5 seconds (the fastest in the world).

I can't adequately describe the experience, but perhaps this video will help:


And if you still don't understand how incredible this ride is, I think this picture says it all:
In case you can't tell by looking, those are 100% genuine reactions on our faces!

As promised, here's a couple pictures from the Starving Artists Halloween Ball that took place on October 30:

View of the party from the VIP area

Ariel acrobatics performance by New York Circus Arts

Eduardo in his Zorro costume along with my friend Anu

Sorry I don't have any pictures of myself, but I didn't take any! I was a bit too busy to pose for many photos, but I may be getting a couple from friends. Anyway, the night was a huge success! But it was SO much work. Oh, well. Everyone had fun and the party was off the hook.

Something major has happened that I MUST comment on. Barack Obama is the next president of the United States! I had to take a picture of the TV to mark the historic moment:


This election night was completely different than the one I experienced four years ago. Four years ago I was watching the results alone in my Beavercreek, OH apartment and feeling very tense and nervous...and not in a good way. This year I watched with friends in an East Village apartment full of hopeful anticipation. Every blue state was a touchdown. The Ohio and Pennsylvania announcements brought some close to tears. And by the end of the night, nearly everyone was crying from joy, relief, pride in our country, and hope for the future. I haven't been this happy about politics...ever. And as we left the gathering that night, we found ourselves on a street full of roudy supporters. Chants of "OBAMA!" and "Yes we can!" filled the streets of New York. I later found out that 88% of Manhattan voted for Obama. That would explain the island-wide celebration.

I have not had time to eat, sleep, or think for the past week because of the Starving Artists Halloween Ball that I've been planning since June and took place on Thursday. But I'll get back to the Ball. Right now I want to tell you my very exciting and relieving news:

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!

Let me back up a moment and give you a little background so you can fully appreciate this news. I worked at Ticket Central box office for all of 2007. It was good job. Really easy. Decent pay. Excellent perks (I could see hundreds of shows for free!) I made my own schedule. The only down side was that I sometimes couldn't get enough hours in the week. But the flexibility was worth it for me. Anyway, in December '07, if you'll remember, I left New York on a children's theatre tour, and thus, had to leave Ticket Central in hopes that I could return when the tour concluded in June. Well, the tour ended and, try as I might, I was not able to return to Ticket Central. I delayed looking for a job for the summer because I took 2 theatre jobs: one as stage manager for a summer show and one as company manager for Studio 42 (the Halloween Ball throwers). Neither of these jobs paid anything, but I was holding out hope that I would get to return to Ticket Central at some point, and in the meantime I was busy. Well, fall rolled around, and I still had no job and the door to Ticket Central was pretty much closed.

I started looking for jobs more seriously, but it was harder than I thought. Dr. Phil always says that if you don't have a job, looking for a job is your job. You should spend every day trying your best to get one. And I took that to heart. But every day I didn't get an email or a call back...every interview I went on and heard nothing...I felt more and more discouraged. At this point I've been unemployed for 5 months, and I've been starting to wonder if I would ever find a job! I thought I might have to give up my New York dream and move back to Ohio if nothing came up soon. BUT here's the good news. My perseverence has paid off. I finally have a job that I think will be perfect.

I'm going to be working at Westside Theatre in the box office. Westside is a commercial Off-Broadway Theatre that currently has two shows running. The position is full time with benefits, which is what I wanted, but I was starting to think I would have to settle for less. I'm very excited because this position means I will have freedom to be involved with Studio 42 without the worry for money and health insurance. I start on November 17! Can't wait to get that paycheck!

I have always prided myself on being a person who does not do weird things in my sleep. I don't talk. I don't make weird noises. I don't walk around. Sometimes I might kick, steal the covers, or snore lightly if I have a cold. But that's about it. But the other night I did something totally weird. I was over at Eduardo's place in Queens and it was late and we were watching TV. He suddenly announced that he was hungry and wanted to go get something to eat. I wasn't hungry and it was cold outside, so I told him to just go and I'd stay at the apartment. So, he left for the taco stand across the street and I, of course, fell asleep. I'm sure I was only out for 15 min tops, but I definitely was totally asleep. So, Eduardo returned with his food, which woke me up, but I was so groggy that I said, "Did you buy the place?" What the hell was I talking about!? I have no idea! So, when Eduardo replied, "What?" I said what I meant to say the first time which was, "What did you get to eat?" Seriously! That's what I wanted to say! That was the sentence that was somewhat formed, but apparently not formed enough, in my head when I said, "Did you buy the place?" It's like my mouth just spit something out before my brain had a chance to catch up. It was really weird. For those of you who have all kinds of night time shenanigans, this is probably nothing. But, like I said, that was a first for me and it was a totally weird feeling!

I've recently gotten a glimpse of several happening around me that make me appreciate where I live. This is mostly because lately I've been running all over Manhattan doing the bidding of Studio 42 (see previous post for what Studio 42 is), but rather than begrudge them for it (and I really can't because I love my non-paying job), I take these opportunities to enjoy the living city around me.

So, the other day I was walking near Times Square and saw some big trailers parked on the street, which means some movie or TV show is probably shooting near by. It isn't an odd sight in New York. I started to walk more slowly to see if I could figure out what was filming, and I saw this on the trailer...

...and that made me smile.

Yesterday I was riding the bus, sitting towards the back, reading the Total Money Makeover, and I heard someone's cell phone ring. I looked up and realized the ring tone was the theme to the original Superman movies. And here's where the story gets good. The man with the cell phone raised both of his hands over his head, fists clenched, in his best Superman pose. I looked at him in amazement, but I didn't feel bad about staring since I would guess that's what he was going for. He held his pose until I can only guess that he knew the phone was about to go to voice mail, and then lowered his arms and answered the phone casually. And that made me smile.

A few days ago I was running some errands in the theatre district and walked by the big bad Scientology building located on 46th Street here in Manhattan. Usually I see a few dianetics pamphlets scattered on the street near the building. But this time I noticed a group of people across the street from the building, with signs and pamphlets yelling "Scientology is a lie!"

And that made me smile.

And just one more thing that makes me smile. I'm not sure if the IO cable commercials play in other states, but in New York, they are super popular. Here's the latest and I laugh pretty much every time it comes on!



I like it even better in Spanish, but unfortunately couldn't find that on YouTube.

For those who don't know, I work for a company called Studio 42. It is a great little start-up theatre/arts company that I have been the company manager for since June. I don't currently get paid for my work with them (no one does), but I hope that will change soon! Anyway, I'm currently VERY occupied with the planning of the greatest Halloween party on earth, The Starving Artists Halloween Ball. Here's the intivation, to give you an idea:

I am SO impressed with this company! This party is going to be ridiculous and you would never know that this company actually just consists of 12 people, most of whom have other full time jobs. If you are in New York, or want to make the trip for Halloween because it's worth it, please come to the ball! I'd love to see you there! For my blog readers, use the code SAAD for $30 tickets (the full price is $50 and up). Purchase tickets here!

Ok, that's enough plugging my events for now. I'm experiencing writers' block at the moment and don't really have anything else interesting to say, so I'll hopefully update more just as soon as I think of something worth writing!

I woke up today and it was fall. It just blew in over night. Even though I believe I am a hot weather person because I was born in the south in July, I really love the fall/winter holidays and the cold is a sign of them coming. However, once Christmas is over I am really over the cold weather. As far as I'm concerned we can skip January, February, and March. Anyway, I realize I need to update my blog, and since I can't decide on a topic, I'll just give a you a little of everything that is going through my head today.

First of all, watch this video. The voter registration deadline is just days away in some states, so it you're not registered yet, do it now!




Yesterday I got a check with my name on it from E! Television, and I have to admit, it was a little exciting.

If you don't know (and if you read this blog, I don't know how you couldn't) I worked an event called Fashion Rocks for E! about a month ago, and it was super fun. Getting the check was great because it was, like, official. I didn't just volunteer...I was employed by E! for a day. Maybe I'll get to be employed by them for another day...or two...sometime.

Yesterday my neighbor and best friend in New York, Marylin, knocked on my door and said, "Guess what. Dorian broke up with me." Dorian is a guy Marylin has been dating for a little over a month. She was set up with him by a mutual friend. I only met him one time and he seemed like a nice guy. And certainly he is entitled to break up with her if he doesn't think the relationship is going anywhere. But here's the problem. Why do guys say things like, "I want to be with you," and, "I can see myself with you for a long time," and "I think I'm falling for you," and even, "I love you," so early in relationships? Don't they know what that does to a girl? If they say those kinds of things, and then break up with someone within a few weeks, obviously their words don't mean much. So here is my plea to the men who might be reading this blog: do not say this crap within the first couple weeks or months of a relationship! Just don't do it! Even if you think that's how you feel, just don't say it. That's not love you're feeling. That's first flush. That's the honeymoon phase. There is no rush to say these kinds of things to girls! If it's not true, we don't want to hear it! Take your time and figure out what you want and if that includes the girl you are currently dating. It will mean more if you wait until you really know each other and know that you'd like stay together for a long time. Ok, that's my PSA for the day (well, it's my second one, actually).

I would like to give the best idea ever award to the inventor of the Treats Truck. The other day my day was brightened when I saw the big silver truck parked in my neighborhood. The treats truck is a relatively new staple in New York. There is only one truck (named Sugar) and it travels to different locations around New York City every day...sometimes it moves several times a day. It brings back the idea of the ice cream truck from childhood. In the summer, when I was little, the ice cream truck drove by my house occasionally, but I never knew when it was coming and there was a good chance of missing it. That's what made catching it such a rare and wonderful treat, even if we had ice cream right in the freezer at home. Such is the Treats Truck. You never know when or where you might see it, but when you happen to catch it, it's quite satisfying. The Treats Truck doesn't sell ice cream though. It sells home baked treats like peanut butter sandwich cookies, home made oreos, giant gooey rice krispy treats, and raspberry chocolate brownies. No wonder sometimes the line runs all the way down the block!

I've been spending some time with my boyfriend in his neighborhood in Queens lately. Just to give you some background on him, since I haven't really said much about him on this blog, here's the quick facts:

Name: Luis Eduardo Gutierrez Jimenez (he goes by Eduardo)
Age: 21
Country of Origin: Mexico
Years in U.S.: 2.5
Favorite Food: Chilies Rellenos
Occupation: Bar Back/Cook at Soldier McGee

So, given the facts about Eduardo, it might make sense to you that he lives in an area of Queens that is basically Mexico. When I go there to visit him, I feel like I'm in another country. No one speaks English. No one. Or if they do speak some English, they certainly don't lead with it. The juke boxes play Mexican music. The TVs all play Telemundo. The restaurants serve traditional Mexican food. We're not talking about Don Pablos here. Even the products they sell in stores come from Mexico from drinks to snacks to household cleaners. Here are a few visuals for you:


Finding out that there is a neighborhood in New York that is just like Mexico makes me wonder how many other hidden countries there are in this vast city. Perhaps I might find India in the far reaches of Brooklyn or Romania in the heights of The Bronx. Sometimes I forget, or maybe I take for granted, that I live in the most diverse city in the world.

In the past couple weeks, I have learned a lot about Sarah Palin. She's a mom, her son is going off to war, her teen daughter is about to give birth, she has a baby with down syndrome, she's attractive, only 2 years ago she was a small town mayor in Alaska. She seems like a pretty good mom, a nice woman, someone most women in this country would probably like to be friends with. They might think, "She's just like me!" But I personally don't anyone "just like me," or just like anyone else I am acquainted with for than matter, to run this country. The Vice President should be smarter than me, more informed than me, tougher than me, more compassionate than me. Is Sarah Palin really these things?

This weekend I saw the hilarious season opener to Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey, back just for this sketch, was spot on as always:



While this sketch was really funny, the reality it was based on really isn't:

Fashion Rocks...well...rocked! I had so much fun! All day was pretty easy. I just helped supervise crews setting up a small platform for interviews. The platform was right at the end of the red carpet. So, when the event began, the celebrities ended their walks by hopping up onto this platform to be interviewed for the Style Network by Jay Manuel of America's Next Top Model, who by the way was very nice and pretty fun to work with. They were also asked to sign a guitar for charity. While all this was going on I had a prime spot for photos: right on the red carpet and right next to the interview platform. I'd like to remind you while looking at these photos that my iPhone does not have a zoom lens. I was really this close!

Jay Manuel with another host for E! named Debbie. I'm not really familiar with her, but she was nice.

People across the street hoping to see some celebs.

Paula Abdoul signs an autograph.

Brandy (AKA Moesha) turns to sign the charity guitar

Tyra Banks strikes a pose

Mylie Cyrus stops for an autograph

Vera Wang goes rocker

Those are just a few of my best shots! I also got to see many, many more stars including Ciera, Chris Brown, John Legend, Dennis Leary, Rihanna, Vanessa Carlton, Hayden Panetierre, Leona Lewis, Hillary Swank, Vivica A. Fox, LL Cool J, Charlize Theron, Fergie, Hillary Swank, and Natasha Beddingfield. Sadly, no Nicole Kidman. Oh, well. I'm not complaining! If you want to see more photos, head over to my Facebook. I've also uploaded the photos on Flickr, but they are totally disorganized and not captioned, so I wouldn't recommend looking there at the moment.

Man, this summer is totally flying by, probably because the high activity level I mentioned in the previous entry has continued the past couple weeks. I took my semi-annual trip to Ohio to see family and friends. While home I didn't get to see everyone I would have liked to, but I did get to see Carolyn and Justin's new house and help them put together an Ikea sleeper sofa. I also got to give Sarah Cooney a tour of my old home town since she just moved to my neighborhood in Cincinnati for a job in my school district! I got to meet some of Adam's friends while singing karaoke, and I also got to see his office and new apartment for the first time. I went to Indiana for a reunion with the extended Thede family, which hasn't happened for I don't know how many years...a lot. And I caped off the trip with a visit to "best friend" Emily Cikra in Cleveland. I love visiting everyone in the summer and I wish I could have a month to spend quality time with all my old friends and family. But I was also happy to return to New York. People here miss me too!

I returned very late to the Newark Airport and as soon as daylight broke I was up again and on my way to spend 16 hours in tech for my first major event with Studio 42, the "Unproducible" one-night-only fund raiser event. The year's selection for this event was a ridiculous play called The Most Lamentable and Tragical Historie of the Barber-Surgeons. I wasn't the stage manager for this one. Leading up to the show, I filled my role as company manager by doing some administrative, behind-the-scenes work. On the weekend of the show, I was just present to do anything that anyone needed from building the set to folding programs. And during the show I ran the light board. Here are a few backstage photos:

The show was a huge success. We sold out both the 8:30 and 11:00pm shows and turned away huge waiting lists. We also got a good amount of donations. And everyone who came really loved the show! I'm really proud to be working with this company.

Well, it's been a little while. I've been getting caught up on life the past couple days because my brain has been on vacation the last couple weeks. It's summer. I don't have a job (to speak of), and sometimes when you don't have anything to do...you don't do anything! Well, the truth is, I've been going on a lot of "day-cations" with my friend Eduardo, who is a boy...(boyfriend? not sure yet). We went on the row boats in Central Park, the pool, the Bronx Zoo, I spent a couple days at the beach last weekend. I'm just enjoying my city that I was away from for so long on tour! Ah, it's so nice to be back.

The other day I got to hold a tiny baby! Who doesn't love that? Eduardo's first nephew was born and we went to see him. Oh, he is so cute and tiny!

Continuing with the theme of vacations, I got to house sit recently at my friends' AMAZING house in Harlem. It was SO nice. I just had to feed the kitties and water the plants, and all weekend I just lounged around, watched TV, did my laundry, and pondered things like "Shall I go to the second floor or the third floor?" "Shall I peruse the library or sit in the gardens?" "Shall I watch premium cable or take a long nap in the air conditioning?" Oh, it was a tough job, but someone had to do it...

I had a very busy birthday weekend. On Friday afternoon I went to see The Dark Knight and thought it was very good but also quite disturbing. But, please, go see it because Heath Ledger is amazing.

Friday night I had a couple hours of rehearsal for Happy Hour, and then it was time to celebrate my birthday! I spent the evening with a few friends at Soldier McGee and at midnight, we rang in my birthday with a few too many shots of Jack Daniels.

Saturday, the actual day of my birthday, was a very long day of tech for Happy Hour. But we were done at about 6pm and then I met up with Marylin. We watched the first episode of the new Project Runway season! I loved the first challenge: make a garment out of items at the grocery store. This was my favorite:

Materials: Table cloth, kale, cherry tomatoes

But this was the winner, which I also liked:

Materials: Vacuum bags, coffee filters, bleach, paint

Anyway, after Project Runway, we went to Gabriela's Mexican Restaurant for my birthday dinner where I got the best enchiladas con queso I've had in my life. And the watermelon margarita wasn't bad either. That evening I opened my gifts from Marylin, which included a book about the making of Prince Caspian, A book of card games, a philosophy gift set, and a Family Guy bookmark. I also got flowers from my friend Nikki, a nice camosol from Mom, the iPhone Missing Manual from Dad, a movie gift card from my friend Erik, another gift card from my grandparents, and a stuffed puppy dog from Eduardo (who works at Soldier McGee and is a little in love me...but who wouldn't be?). I got a lot more gifts this year than I normally do, but I have a lot more close friends in New York! And that's really the gift that means to most to me :-)

Sunday was another long day of rehearsal followed by opening night of Happy Hour! The show went great. Afterwards we all went out to the bar at the New Yorker hotel, right around the corner from the theatre, for the opening night party.

So, needless to say, I'm still recuperating. Not only was it a busy weekend for work, it was a weekend to party hard, and it was the biggest heat wave we've had this summer. So, I think I'm just going to lay in front of my fan for a while, relax, and try to keep cool!

Wow, I have had a very busy couple weeks. Not only are things picking up with Happy Hour and Studio42, but then there's also all those crazy summer activities. Yes, it's been busy, but fun.

This July 4th was one of the best in recent years. Marylin and I decided to go out to Coney Island and spend the day like the real New Yorkers do (well, Marylin IS a real New Yorker...so...). We just missed the Hot Dog Eating Contest (oh, darn), but we did go to Astroland (see above photo), the beach, and the New York Aquarium. And we made it back to Manhattan in time for the Macy's Fireworks! Yes, a very full, very exhausting day.

AND! Yesterday I finally made it to Six Flags. I've been wanting to go all season, but the tour and things have been preventing it. But yesterday I had the whole day off, and I finally found someone who's not afraid of roller coasters to go with me, my friend Tucker. We had a really good time in spite of the fact that it rained toward the end of the day, and Tucker lost his phone on that roller coaster we're standing in front of. But we did get frozen lemonade, and that's really all it takes to keep me happy.

Photos of my latest adventures can be found on my flickr page.

Lately I've been trying to improve my living space. This is difficult when you have no money, but I'm trying to make it work. The other day I mentioned to my neighbor Marylin that I wanted to rearrange my room, but I didn't know how because I just don't have enough space to work with. But Marylin was determined to make it work, so we spent the entire afternoon moving things around and cleaning. We made the following improvements:

We moved my fridge out of this corner. It used to be where that little stove is. This freed up a lot of floor space. I also put down those lovely mats. I have a wood floor, but it is pretty ugly, splintery, and paint spattered. So, I found these mats at Duane Reade a couple weeks ago for $3. I think you're supposed to take them to the beach. But I use them to cover my ugly floor.

Please excuse my dirty dishes. I'm gonna take care of those right after I write this post! Anyway, this is the new home of my fridge and microwave. It's kinda nice having it there. It makes a little counter space next to the sink. Also, the fan is new. I found it on the street and it's in perfect condition! (I also snagged a paper shreder and a beach chair. People throw away great stuff!) Anyway, it is currently cooling my room as I have no air conditioner.

I actually hung the memo board a few weeks ago. The shelf has been there since I moved in, but it used to have some of my lesser used food products on it. Now it has become a decorative shelf and looks much nicer! (I bet some my blog readers can find themselves in this picture).

This is my "pantry" if you will. I have kept food on this shelf for quite a while, but Marylin gave me the spice rack. The stuff in there is mostly stuff that used to be on that now-decorative shelf in the previous picture. It makes way more sense to have it in this little spice rack!

Ok, so there you have it. My affordable little room improvements. I'm still hoping to find some kind of little love seat or futon to squeeze in here somewhere. But I'll settle for this for now.

On an unrelated note, my birthday is coming up on July 19! I'm excited because I'm actually going to try to have a party this year. We're getting together at Soldier McGee's on Friday, July 18. I can't have the party on the night of my birthday because of rehearsal, but I'm just as happy to have it on the 18th. We'll be able to ring in the later half of my 20's at midnight! If you happen to be in New York, please come by!

I'm back from California! What a great trip! What's weird is I still can't believe I actually went. It's like a dream. My decision to go was so last minute, I didn't even have time to anticipate and plan. I just...went. But it couldn't have gone better even if I did have more time before the trip.

My trip started with a six hour direct flight from JFK to LAX. I've never flown coast to coast directly before. I felt just like P Diddy. Anyway, after my very long flight (in flight movie: Horton Hears a Who. Review: 2 complimentary pretzel bags up), I took my first shared ride airport shuttle to my friends' house is Placentia, California (near Disneyland). It wasn't quite as bad as this:



A guy did give me his number on the shuttle. He was a pretty nice guy, but I didn't call him. Oh, well. I guess I'll never know how that would have worked out.

So, I arrived to my friends' house where I met up with my friend Jona from Albania! I hadn't seen her in about 4 years, so it was a happy reunion. We spent that first evening talking and catching up. The next day we ran some errands with our host, and then we were able to go for coffee just the two of us, so that was nice. That evening we went with Stephanie (a girl Jona knew but I had never met) to Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping, which was pretty fun. Then the next day, Thursday, we actually went to Disneyland! Going to Disneyland with someone from Albania is like going with a 3-year-old child in that to her, everything was amazing and magical. She had never seen anything like it. So, for someone who has been to Disneyland more times than I can count, it was like a whole new experience. Friday was my last day with Jona. We got breakfast and pedicures in the morning, and spent the rest of the afternoon getting her ready to go. Adam and his girlfriend Katie arrived late afternoon to pick me up. It was a tearful good-bye, and of course, now I want to go visit Albania as soon as I can! Maybe next summer...

So Friday evening Adam, Katie, and I went to Laguna Beach. It wasn't exactly like this:



I mean, the beach is gorgeous, but we just weren't surrounded by beautiful angsty teenagers. Anyway, Adam and I have vacationed on Laguna Beach before...back when we lived in Vegas, long before MTV made a TV show about it! We were really excited to go back. It was a lot of fun and just as great as we remembered it. We did some boogie boarding, had dinner at Pomodoro and then called it a night. On Saturday, we went to Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier, where we did a little shopping, eating, and walking along the beach. Then, Adam and Katie drove me to LAX and I was on the long flight back to New York.

What a great trip it was! You can look at photos on my flickr page! Click the badge on the right.

I'm being spontaneous...just a few days ago I decided to take a trip to California! I was on Facebook and one of my friends from Albania, Rudina, who I met on my trip to Kosovo a few years ago instant messaged me using the fabulous new chat feature (I love Facebook...just FYI). Anyway, we were catching up a little bit, and Rudina asked me if I knew that my BEST friend from Albania, Jona, was in the United States! I did NOT know that. Apparently she hasn't had internet access for a while and couldn't get in touch with me. But I was thrilled to find out. I immediately got in touch with Jona and found out that she was in Chicago, but would be traveling to California for the last part of her trip. After some very quick planning, I booked a flight with my frequent flyer miles and I'm leaving tomorrow! It's perfect timing since today was officially was last day of work for Junie B. Jones. It's a great time to take a little vacation to decompress before my summer gets too hectic. Oh! And coincidentally, Adam will be in California at the same time! So, I'll get to see him too. Hopefully I'll be able to update during the week to let you know what a great time I'm having on the west coast.

And now, an update about my activities for the rest of my summer. When I get back from California, I'll be starting rehearsals for a play called Happy Hour. It's just a showcase production (meaning low pay and no benefits), but I usually don't get good work in the summer, so I figured I'd rather do this than nothing. It sounds like it will be a fun project.

Also, I just took a job as the company manager for Studio 42. It's not going to be too glamorous to start, but I have a lot of faith in this company and I think it will be worth getting in with them at the ground level. I really think they're going places, so this could open up a lot of opportunities for me.

I'm rushing through this update so I can get to bed...I have to leave for the airport early tomorrow!

I'm behind with my updates! Not for lack of things to say, but lack of brain power to put my thoughts into coherent sentences. The tour is ALMOST over. Just nine performances left. I'm really, really happy to be done and moving on. I'll get the part of my life back that has been replaced by early morning call times and long hours in a van and nights in sub-par hotel rooms. Yes, I'll be happy when I get my life back.

One of the best things I was able to do the in the last couple weeks was attend the Posh Sale. My downstairs neighbor told me about it and now I'm going to go every year! It's a charity sale that raises money for a charity that helps the blind. Celebrities, socialites, and designers donate new or gently used DESIGNER clothes and then they sell everything for ridiculously low prices. There were several areas of the sale, but the best part was a room full of racks and boxes of clothes, and you could fill a large shopping bag with as much as you could stuff in it for $30! You heard me right. $30. I got dresses, skirts, bathing suits, pants, shorts, t-shirts...too much to even itemize here! It was awesome.

Another highlight of the last few weeks was Memorial Day weekend. One of the reasons it was so great was because I had four days off from the tour. But it was also great because I got to see a lot of friends I hadn't seen since before the tour started. The day started at Central Park when my neighbor Marylin and I met up with some friends including Bo (the ex). We laid on the grass in Sheep's Meadow for a few hours watching more athletic people throw balls and frisbees. At around 5pm we headed over to the Boat Basin, a seasonal outdoor restaurant right on the Hudson River. There we met up with even more friends, and even though we had to wait over an hour for a table, we passed the time drinking a lot of electric lemonade.

Here's a pretty pointless video of my friends and I at the Boat Basin:


After we finally got to sit down and eat, we decided to head to a less crowded location to finish the night, so we went to Soldier McGee! My new favorite bar! It was a merging of my old and new lives. The old life being the months I was together with Bo and hung out with his group of friends all the time...the new life being the time I've spent in the last couple months hanging out with my neighbor Marylin a lot, going to Soldier McGee, and the guy I'm sort of dating now, who happens to be a bar tender there and was working that night (and in case you were wondering, the evening was not awkward with both Bo and the new guy there. I didn't tell either of them about the other, so they were blissfully ignorant).

Now, I'm just looking forward to June 14! My first day of freedom! Bye, bye, Junie B. It's time to graduate.

This week we got to visit one of the most famous cities in the world. Yes, we've been to St. Louis, Chicago, and Boston, but these cities have nothing on SCRANTON, PA! Yes, that's right. Home of Jim, Pam, Michael, and Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. The setting of The Office. We had the privilege of performing right down the street from the famous Penn Paper tower (which is actually an abandoned warehouse) featured on the opening credits. Scranton is exactly the kind of town you would expect from the show. It's small, there isn't very much to do, it's very industrial, and in the entire downtown area I did not see a single restaurant or deli...or even convenience store.


The town is proud of its most famous business...even though it doesn't actually exist.



Look familiar? If you watch The Office, you see this shot of the street in the opening credits of every episode. Only there's snow. It wasn't a perfect day weather-wise in Scranton, but at least there was no snow.

Take a look at the video below to see the opening credits. And also the very funny opening of the season finale that was on last week.

I had an eventful evening the other night. I was home in New York Friday night and my friend Marylin and I decided to go out for the evening. We went to dinner at French Roast and then decided to go bar hopping on Amsterdam Ave. As we were walking from The Gin Mill to Soldier McGee, Marylin said to me, "Hey! Isn't that guy from Project Runway?" And she was right! It was Kevin, from the most recent season of Project Runway, standing on the street, having a cigarette. We went over to say hi. He was really cool and talked to us a while about the show. We asked him what he was doing in the neighborhood, and he told us he was bar tending at this bar Fred's. He told us he was there every Friday. So, we headed on to Soldier McGee's, but a little later went over to Fred's and had a great time. Kevin was a really cool guy and chatted with us a bit more from behind the bar. I was also sitting next to a fellow LOST fan, so we geeked out a little bit, talking about theories, etc. When we told Kevin we were ready to go, he said we should do a shot together before we left, so he poured three shots of Jack Daniels, and we drank to Project Runway!

Oh...only in New York.

Yesterday we arrived in Boston, and we only had one night to take in the city. I wish we could have stayed longer. It was my first time in Boston. But we had a pretty good time. And by we I mean Genny and me. Everyone else decided to be lame and stay in. We drove down to Newbury St (pictured above), which is a really great area for shopping and eating. We also took a walk around the Boston Commons, which was really beautiful. It used to be the site of public hangings, but it was still really pretty. Today we performed at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, which was just a block away from Newbury St. So, I guess our little time in Boston was nice, but I'd love to go back and spend more time there. Luckily it's pretty easy to get to from New York. There are direct buses for only $15. Maybe this summer...

The tour is almost over! I'm pretty excited to leave Junie behind for a while. We have three days off in a row coming up and I feel like taking a vacation...but that would mean spending all the money I make for the week, so I guess I'll just stay in New York. Maybe I'll take a walk over to Central Park and pretend like I'm in the country. I hardly ever go to Central Park since Riverside park in right outside my front door. So, I guess Central Park would be a vacation of sorts.

P.S. Today I bought the most delicious snack mix ever. Nuts About Raspberries and Chocolate Trek Mix from Trader Joe's. Peanuts, almonds, dried raspberries and chocolate chips. What could be better?

I feel like I lived in taxis this past Saturday. I had to drop off the dry cleaning for the show in the morning, so I took a cab. Then I took a cab back home. Then I had to go pick up the dry cleaning, then I had to take it up to our vans in Harlem, then I had to get some props that we need for a rehearsal tomorrow out of the vans and take them to my apartment. I could have taken them all the way down to Chelsea where our rehearsal is tomorrow, but that just would have been too much cab riding for one day. So, I took a total of 5 rides in one day. I'm sure other people take that many cabs every day, but it was a record for me. Anyway, it's on the company dollar, otherwise I would have spent about $50 on transportation.

I'm in a state of dissatisfaction lately. Not in a terrible way. Just in a slightly unsettled way. I'm working on getting over my last relationship, and feeling closer and closer to being completely over it. But I don't think I'm quite there yet. I'm dating again, which has been good. But I always thought it would take a new relationship to get over Bo. It turns out, a new relationship is almost causing me to backslide. Maybe because I miss being totally secure in a relationship, rather than all the guesswork and games that are involved in the beginning stages. I'm also feeling dissatisfied with my job. I'm so happy to be employed in theatre and actually getting money and health benefits. But I'm also under a lot of stress because of this job. Sometimes it just seems too hard to be worth it. I know everyone feels like this sometimes. Everyone wonders if they picked the right path in life. And right now, I'm wondering. But that's just today. Maybe tomorrow the sun will come out and I'll feel differently.

Could I BE more excited about this movie?



I am of the opinion that God and science can coexist, and I am so happy that someone as sardonic and intelligent as Ben Stein has taken on this issue. I'm looking forward to hearing about this age-old debate from a very different perspective.

Moving on to a less controversial topic, I just got back from Hershey, PA, chocolate capitol of the world! It's the first cool place we've been on tour for a while, and we tried to make the most of our 24 hours there. Last night the girls and I went outlet shopping, America's past time. We hit up Bath and Body Works, PacSun, and Aeropostale, where I got some great summer tops:





After the shopping extravaganza, we went to a restaurant I hadn't heard of before called Houlihans, and I think I'm in love. They had liter pitchers of flavored Long Island ice teas for $5.50. Now that's getting your money's worth.

Today after our show we went to Hershey's Chocolate World for lunch, which was pretty fun. We didn't have time to take any tours or anything, but I did get a really big chocolate cupcake for dessert.

Spring is here for real! Finally! I love spring!

Ok, enough exuberance over the weather.

I had a fun event this past week. I went to the east coast premiere screening of the film We Are Wizards at the New York Underground Film Festival. It's a documentary that I was filmed and interviewed for on a couple occasions about the subculture surrounding the Harry Potter phenomenon. It was a really interesting subject for a documentary because it had nothing to do with J.K. Rowling, the books, the movies, the actors...anything mainstream. It had to do with the things that have sprung off as a result of all that stuff. That was a vague sentence. Perhaps you should just watch the trailer (parental warning, there is strong language in this trailer):



I am just off screen in a couple of these trailer shots. But in the actual film I have a whole second of real screen time! Yes!

At the screening I actually got to meet a girl I've had an exclusively online relationship with up until now, Cheryl Klein. She is an editor for Scholastic and a member of the "Harry Potter Brain Trust," meaning that she is one of only a few people on the planet who got to read and work on the book before it came out. She actually got to fly to London just to pick up a rough manuscript of one book and then carry it on a plane back to New York. Um...coolest job ever. Anyway, it was fun to meet her in person after emailing and reading each others' blogs for a few years.

On a totally unrelated note, last night was the annual Idol Gives Back charity concert. I downloaded this song the moment I heard it. So good! Please give it a listen below.

Annie Lennox - Many Rivers To Cross