Surviving a Hurricane and More...

Taken in the East Village

This post is dedicated to Amy, because I'm going to write EVERYTHING in as much detail as I can handle because I know she'll read it.

And for you too Daddy!  Love you guys!

Out with my best friends!

September 15-22

Six Flags!

All that mattered this weekend was our trip to Six Flags.  I got up nice and early and cooked Amy and myself breakfast (set the table even) and it was a great start to the day.  We got dressed in our amusement park couture and headed out the door.  I wish I could perfectly describe the excitement that we had at 7am skipping through the streets of Brooklyn to get to the train, but nothing can capture that feeling.  We made it on the bus (the first time Amy has ridden in the front seat since her BUS CRASH) and were amazed when the ride only took an hour, because it was supposed to take two.  After waiting an hour for the first ride we caved and bought the line reservation pass to skip waits and felt like royalty getting onto every other ride.  Needless to say, it was an amazing day.  We just went from coaster to coaster, met sexy guys (picture above), I got an airbrushed unicorn hat, and we ate terrible, disgusting, delicious food.  Our half off freezer "El Toro" mugs will forever be the best souvenir I've ever purchased.  100% worth the money and going with Amy was the best decision I've ever made because we basically think exactly the same.

Later that week I headed out with Jordan and Dylan and their Living Social work team.  The group of young people at Living Social is always doing cool stuff and I'm one of the outside friends that always tags along with them.  They have happy hour a few times a month and this night we went to Brooklyn Whiskey and had some whiskey (yurck) and played shuffleboard (way fun).  We wandered into Manhattan and ended up drinking with the entire Oakland A's team, who were wearing wrestling singlets.  I don't know why, it was weird, but they did it.  And the next morning I had to work at 4pm so I slept the whole day in Dylan's apartment (ugh hangovers).  Thank goodness he lives a few blocks from my work!

And on Saturday I volunteered again with the Granny Squares group where we knit and crochet scarves and blankets to donate, while also keeping the residents of the center company.  Then later that night I met up with my Chi Omega NYC alum Big, Jenna.  We went to a great bar that had a ton of different beers and had fun trying some and just chatting about life.  We got hit on by an extremely drunk man who kept repeating the same phrases over and over, but eventually bought us some pumpkin ale.  Chi Omega is such a great resource and I'm so happy that I joined such an amazing sisterhood because it is still such a big part of my life even after college!

September 23-30

Daddy mailed me some birthday cake... better late and squished than never!

This week was simultaneously the saddest and most amazing one I've had in New York City, for two specific reasons.

First, Amy moved back home.  It was the worst moment of my young life, when she left me here to fend in the city by myself without my other half.  I am still crying in the shower and writing sad poetry because of it.  I still believe she will come back. PLEASE COME BACK.  Until then I have to satisfy myself with texting/emailing/facebooking her constantly.

But luckily I had the most amazing thing happen to me... LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!  Seriously, on Tuesday I was on the train and looked over and there he was, standing there, smiling at me.  We got off the train together and we have been going strong ever since.  He took me out two days later for our first date and kissed me before we even got dessert.  It was the best first date I've ever been on.  It is safe to say I'm totally gaga and that he was sent to me to replace the hole left by Amy.  (But seriously, he's the best guy ever and I'm so excited that I met him.)

His name is Neil, he's a psychologist, and he lives one block down the street from me.  Our first date I walked up to meet him and our outfits matched (black shirt, dark jeans).  We went to a Croatian place here in Queens and had a great meal.  We ate outside on a cute patio under the stars and were serenaded all night by the live music they have on Thursdays, three old men in zoot suits, one playing the guitar, one on the drums and one singing classic love songs.  It was incredibly romantic.  He walked me home and kissed me goodnight and I went upstairs swooning.

And then on the 28th New York City and I celebrated our one year anniversary.  What a crazy amount of ups and downs I have had here... and yet here I am still, onto the next year, may this one be bigger and better!

That weekend I also started my new job at Times Scare a year round haunted house here in the city.

Scary!

View from the dressing room, overlooking Times Square 8th Avenue

I do my own makeup!

I'm getting paid to act!

And on Sunday Neil took me to brunch before I had to work.  We went to the park and walked down along the river, enjoying the last bit of indian summer...

October 1-7

This week started out with another night with Neil (three dates in less than a week!) because that man is crazy about me :) and also my new schedule working two jobs.

On Wednesday we had our annual Chi Omega meeting, just like the ones we had in college (which you do miss ladies!) and it was really fun.  There was wine, food, and tons of Chi Omega love.

Chi Omega!

My Big and Me

The rest of the week consisted of a staff meeting and working, and little time with Neil.

October 8-14

This week consisted of a few double shifts.  I also went to Chi Omega book club where we discussed The Great Gatsby and had yummy nibbly food.  Book club is a great event because it makes me read a (hopefully great) book and discuss.  I actually hadn't read The Great Gatsby in high school so I was excited to dive into a 'classic.'

Chi Omega book club October 2012

That weekend I worked a TON and was supposed to go to Comic Con but I felt terrible so I stayed at home instead.  Neil knew I didn't feel well and came over with homemade minestrone and then looked in my freezer and found lamp chops which he grilled for us and cooked some potatoes as well.  Needless to say, I was more smitten than ever.  We watched the game (go Tigers!) and enjoyed a relaxing Sunday afternoon together.

Homemade yumz.

The Rest of October...

As you can see I have been working a LOT.  I'm getting my finances back on track and I'm proud to say that I've been saving AND that I have paid off one of my student loans and should have another paid off by the end of December.  I haven't been able to spend any money on anything other than the essentials but I just tell myself that in a few years when I'm totally out of debt I'm taking myself on a long, totally paid for, vacation.

The Chi Omega social group came to Times Scare after happy hour and I got to go through with some of my sisters.  It was a ton of fun to go through the haunted house from the other side even though I know most of the scares!  I was jumping right along with the rest of the girls and having a great time.

Going into Times Scare!

Terrifying!

That weekend everyone celebrated Halloween.  The haunted house was packed, and after I left the streets were full of people dressed up.  I wore my skeleton makeup and met up with Jordan and Dylan for karaoke and drinks.

We also met some drunk turtles.

Luckily, I celebrated when I did because the next day the weather really messed us up!

October 28-November 4 aka HURRICANE SANDY

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who checked up on me before, during, and after the storm.  On Sunday I had the day off and I spent most of it sleeping in.  I watched the news and got a little prepared for the storm with some candles and a jug of water, but I must confess I didn't go too crazy.  Until 8am on Monday I was being told that we were still expected to be at work!  When I found out that work was cancelled I spent the rest of the morning sleeping and basically Monday I did NOTHING.  It was actually much needed for me, I have been working 50-60 hour weeks and being able to just sit around felt great.  I was very lucky and wasn't affected very much by the storm so instead of being sad that I was holed up in my apartment I took the time to have some fun.

Dinosaur Pancakes

I made a lot of food, watched a lot of TV, and cleaned my apartment.  Neil had to go to work during the whole storm (because he's a doctor!) but luckily he was safe and got to come back home and we had a great evening listening and watching the storm and talking.  It was actually incredibly romantic, so thanks for that Sandy.

By Tuesday the storm had passed mostly and my neighborhood was fairly fine.  There were some trees and branches down but we still had power and no flooding.  As you know, many people weren't that lucky, including a lot of my friends who live in downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Jersey.  The restaurant lost power so I didn't have to work the whole week.  Luckily, I had been saving and budgeting so I could enjoy the time off instead of worrying how I am going to pay my bills.  The haunted house opened up again Tuesday night and on Tuesday and Wednesday they paid for us to go to and from work in cabs.  The ride was still an hour to an hour and a half trying to get into the city.

A walk sign about 20 blocks from me.

On Friday we had a meeting at the restaurant in the dark at work and talked about the direction the owner wants to go in.  It took me an hour and 45 minutes to get down by train and bus.  As I was leaving the power came back on after five days and people were cheering in the streets.  My life has gone back to normal mostly, other than taking more time to get to work, but there are still signs all over the city of what happened.

Army trucks full of bottled water, East Village, Sunday November 4

But New York will bounce back!  It is amazing to see all the help offered by the amazing people I work with and all the residents of the Tri-State area.  I am very blessed to have survived my first hurricane with no damage to myself, other than a pileup of dirty laundry.  I wanna say thanks again to everyone for their concern!

The next few weeks are going to be exciting, I'm going out with Neil, the election is happening, and my roommate is moving out on Thanksgiving and one of my close friends and collegiate sorority sisters is moving in.  I can't wait!  Hopefully I will have some time to sit down and tell you all about it.

Thanks for reading!

My New Job is Awesome!

So after I posted last I started working at my new job.  I'm waiting tables down in the East Village and I really love it.  The staff and management is great, I work less hours and I make way more money.  And even though it isn't curing cancer, I at least feel like I'm helping make memories for people with delicious food in NYC.

Recently, I've been feeling that acting isn't fun anymore.  I decided to take a break and enjoy the city, especially since my bestest friend in the whole city is MOVING away at the end of the month, leaving me heartbroken.

Amy and I took a day and went to the Met, enjoying the rooftop and the sculptures and the paintings.  We walked around central park and went to the movies and ate 16 handles frozen yogurt.  We attempted to buy pet fish and then thought better of it (but would definitely like to get a bird).  We went to Union Square and got cat-called by some guys who ended up being awesome and we have hung out with them multiple times now.

On top of the Met

The next weekend we went to an off Broadway show and decided to wander around Times Square.  We ended up at the Stardust Diner where the servers sing Broadway songs to you.  We LOVED it, especially since it was clear we were the only New Yorkers in the place and it didn't seem like the tourists were that into it.  We drank a lot of beer, sang along, I got sat on by a server, and we shut the place down.  At the end of the night I sang a duet with our waiter.  Then we went shopping at Forever 21, drunk, at midnight... because you can do that when you live in New York City!

Getting Serenaded

Then we got up in the morning and went to church.  After church we sat in Central Park again and watched people walk by.

Victor brought me to a show written by a friend of ours, it was okay, the story sagged in the middle a bit but the acting was pretty great.

That weekend Amy and I went to the Trash Bar in Brooklyn and sang karaoke on Friday night and stayed up way too late.  We slept in and the had a Brooklyn adventure, going to brunch and watching the hipsters (amazing people watching in Brooklyn) then taking the train all the way into East New York (very... "urban" area) and buying sketchbooks for $3 and then taking a shuttle cause the train was down as we tried to reach the botanical gardens.  I had to go to the bathroom and we got off the train into an orthodox Jewish neighborhood, so nothing was open because it was Saturday, and by the time we reached the gardens (finally!) there was only an hour left of them being open.  So we decided to leave and got turned around and ended up walking right into the gardens for free.  They were beautiful.  Then our long journey home included dinner and shopping, and we were out for the night!

Sunday night we went to church, had some brunch with our church friends, sat in the park, and went to a free comedy show with the guys mentioned above.

I had a few auditions that week and then we get to the best day of the year, my birthday!  I went to work and they cut me early for a bday present.  I met up with Jordan, Dylan and Amy at an Italian restaurant called Po in the West Village. Dinner was delicious and the best part was when the servers dimmed the lights in the restaurant and brought out a dessert with a candle and shouted out my name so the whole entire place sang me happy birthday!  We went to a bar and met up with a whole bunch of other friends and spent the rest of the night drinking and having fun.

My best friends!  Love these guys.

Friday Amy and I slept the entire day, ate some bacon, and went down to South Street Seaport for some fun.  We wandered around, saw the sights, had some delicious dinner, and then walked the Brooklyn Bridge.  There is nothing like seeing the blue moon over the city at night from the Brooklyn Bridge to remind you why you came in the first place.

Pier 17 at South Street Seaport

The next weekend my great friend Ashley Greer came to visit and I hung out with her and her boyfriend most of the weekend, going to dinner, seeing the sights (the highline was awesome) and having a BBQ for Labor Day weekend.

The rest of the time here I've been working!  Making money!  Last weekend I volunteered at a senior center on the upper east side and then I helped Jordan organize her closet and in return she gave me all the clothes she didn't want (so many!).  We went to the Standard Hotels Beirgarten and had some German beer while the storm rolled in.  And last night I wasn't feeling well so my awesome friends came and surprised me which made my headache feel a lot better.

Overall, enjoying life, trying to just take everything in and not be so focused on the future.  While I'm in the city I want to enjoy it and I'm hoping the rest just falls into place. :)

Ready for More...

A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and I promised myself I wouldn't get so behind on this because I know all [4] of you are dying to know what I've been doing!

The week that I got back I worked at my office job.  I helped Victor run lines.  I had an interview that I didn't get.  But then I had an amazing Friday.

First I had an interview with a restaurant that my manager from the restaurant I first worked at in NYC had moved too.  Walked in, loved the energy, rocked the interview.  And that night they called me saying I got a "trail" which means you follow around a server and see if everyone likes you and you like them.
Afterward, I met up with one of my great friends Hillary (high school who would've figured) and Jay.
[[That's a cool story... my best friend Sarah let me sleep in her apartment, and her roommate was friends with a guy named Jay.  And Jay happened to be really good friends with Hillary, who I knew from high school.  What a weird, small world, right?]]
I ended up meeting them at the same bar we went to our New Years Eve party at, Revival.  Which again, is weird.  Amy met up with us and we went out for dinner.  We ended up at a sushi restaurant because they had half off beers with $10 purchase of food.  And when we opened the beer menu we saw they were $5.  So at $2.50 a beer we had a great time, played catch up and just enjoyed some dinner.

Then we walked downtown to go to the Flea Theater and see Serials.  We stopped at a CVS to charge our phones, bought our tickets and went to the bar where we watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and the bartender thought we were awesome so he gave us free shots of tequila.
Needless to say we enjoyed our time at the show.  And then Amy came over and we passed out on my couch.  And then I had to go to work (rough).  That night I studied the menu for the restaurant and watched the Olympics (which are amazing.)

On Sunday I had my trail and although I was nervous it did go very well.  I enjoyed the restaurant, I believe that I can handle it even though it is a bit different than my previous serving job and the people were great.
Afterward I went out to Brooklyn for a rooftop party with my amaze friends Amy, DGR, and the rest of our old prom committee.  We sat on the roof and drank some beers and randomly someone started shooting off fireworks!  I love fireworks!  It was awesome.  Had some pasta and played a game called "cards against humanity" which is basically apples to apples but dirty and politically incorrect.  And on the way home (two hours, ew why do my best friends live in Brooklyn) we saw the most beautiful hipster man, and bonded with some other people on the train that were impressed with his beard, hair, tattoos, and muscles.

Monday at work I got a call... saying I got the job.  I immediately put my two weeks notice in YAY!  I was so excited.  That night I went to Bryant Park because they play movies on a big screen on the yard there every Monday.  I met up with Lauren (friend from Allsouls) ate popcorn, played Skipbo (Mom!), and laughed a lot.  Also got free fake Raybans so life was good.  Victor came right before the movie started and we all watched "Rebel Without a Cause" some good ol' James Dean.  Afterward we drank wine out of a solo cup while we shopped in Times Square at 11pm, which only happens in NYC.

Empire State Building over Bryant Park

Bottle of wine, free sunglasses, American flags
and James Dean

Tuesday at work I got an email looking for actors for a screenplay reading, from a woman who had seen me audition and thought I was great so she kept my headshot for further projects.  That was a great reassurance to know that I'm on a good path here, and bonus!  The script was awesome... and I was reading the lead role, who was literally in every scene.  It was nice to finally do something with acting again because I've been so off track lately.

Also, I've been watching the Olympics, loving the Fab Five, and having some nights in just trying to get ready for a new routine.  I had a rough night last Friday but let me say this: I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS.  Amy D. is literally the best friend I could have and when I was facing a very rough circumstance she came to my rescue, laughed it off with me, and supported me.  Love her.
And we went to the bar Sunday night because we were all tired from the weekend and had beers and even though the guy at the first place was a DOUCHE and the next place was silent, the third bar had giant beers and cute boys and life is good.

My best friends and I drankin' big beers

So now I'm feeling good.  I love working nights, because I'm so much more likely to get things done in the daytime.  Today I ran and updated both my blogs, going to practice my monologues and get ready for auditions.  I'm READY FOR MORE!  This summer has been an eye opening experience (I almost went on an interview that would have taken me right out of NYC) but then I figured out I wasn't ready.  I want to act, I want to try, and I'm ready.  Now I'm going to have a great day :) Hope you do too! Thanks for reading!

Clouds over my apartment on a night home!

You Never Know...

25 Celebrities You Never Knew Were in Classic Movies

Acting is hard work!  You may think someone is an overnight sensation but most of the time this isn't the case... they've been working their way up the ladder for many, many years!

Summer Time!

It has been WAY too long since I posted.

If you read all of this you are a beast.

Last time I left you I was just starting my new position, just met a new guy, and was very grateful.

Still very grateful, but I haven't been trying as hard and it shows!

Work has been crazy.  I enjoy the people I work with and I'm good at what I do, but because I work with time sensitive things like payroll and invoicing Mondays and Tuesdays are totally nuts.  Luckily, I seem to be doing well and my bosses seem impressed and I am getting a handle on everything.

A few weeks ago I read at a church event called "Stories with Soul."  Basically, you pick a short story and read it aloud.  Our Young Adults group was doing an inter-generational month and I volunteered cause I thought it would be fun, and it was!  My story was a thriller/horror and while the audience had different opinions on the story they all agreed on one thing, that my reading was awesome.  Feels good!  Must be all that acting and projecting I've been doing... my whole life.

That Friday we had our All Souls Prom!  I had helped plan it and that day I hung out with my great friend DGR and we got a ton of booze and a ton of balloons, two of my favorite things!  I made a drink called "Pink Panty Droppers" which is a lot of beer, tequila, vodka, and lemonade concentrate.  Sounds gross, but I promise it is delicious and strong and every time I make it, it is a big drunken hit!

Prom was so fun, everyone had a great time and we actually ended up making some money for our charity.  We really just wanted to drink and dance but we thought doing a fundraiser would make it more legit.

Balloons!!!

Vintage Prom Dress!

Then it was Memorial Day weekend and I horribly got sick and had to go to the doctor and get a bunch of meds.  Luckily, they kicked and and I got to go to Washington D.C. for the night and see one of my old friends Amber (same as New Years Eve) and her boy Taylor.  It is so crazy that we have been friends this long and this is the closest we've been in years!  Just a quick bus ride and I get to see them.  The weekend was great, we just chilled, ate dinner, had some wine on the porch, and went to the zoo the next day.  It was so nice seeing an old friend.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful.  Then my beautiful friend and sister Ashley Greer came to visit!  It was so great having her here and we had a great time.  The best part of the weekend was when we got to go to the show "Sleep No More."  It is so hard to describe the awesomeness, but basically its an adaptation of Macbeth that is interactive and you walk through the show while it happens around you in different rooms.  You wear masks and no one talks.  It was SO cool, and we got in with some of my connections and had free drinks and a table reserved for us as well.  I felt like a boss!

Me and my beautiful friends at "Sleep No More"

We took an illegal picture!  Scary!

On the walk home it was pretty late and we saw Andrew Garfield riding his skateboard through the streets!  Way cool, especially when I started screaming SPIDEY!  SPIDEY!  And he waved at us.

Later that week I went and saw Victor at the Flea Theatre in "These Seven Sicknesses" which is 7 Sophocles plays put together as shorts into one big show.  It. Was. AWESOME.  The acting, the set, the costumes, the effects and obviously Victor... everything was so great.  Even though the show was somewhat long I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Victor and me laughing at something after the show

On Friday I went to dinner with Tyler Ulreich and his sister Katrina and their family.  They bought me dinner which was awesome and it was nice to have family time even if it wasn't my family!  I traded numbers with Katrina so she would know someone in NYC.

Wow this is hard to catch up on when I haven't written in so long.  I'm just going to skim over the basic things that happened to me all month.

Went on a date with a guy I met through a friend, watched one of the NBA finals games while eating sushi, had a great time.

Met up with a bunch of friends from Allsouls in Central Park, had a picnic, drank wine, talked about life.  Afterwards went to a bar with two of them and met up with another 'date' I had... the dude was kinda creepy so I needed friends to balance it out.  I was right, he was weird and then he was annoyed because I had brought  people along.  Dude... you look like a pirate.  Relax.  Definitely not seeing him again.

Had a trial day with a set design company.  Hated it.  It was 100 degrees out, there was no air, and I wasn't helping with anything design related... I was doing manual labor.  Said 'fuck it' and quit after one day.  Have a better internship opportunity opening up this week.

Went to Long Beach with my love Amy.  Had the most amazing time. Swam in the ocean for the first time.  It was cool but LAKE MICHIGAN IS A MILLION TIMES BETTER!!!!!  So true.  No salt, no critters.  Went to a sweet bar that played 90's music, got a bunch of free drinks, went to the ocean and swam while the sun came up.  The next day slept on the beach all day and then went home.

Went to a Chi Omega Alum group appreciation event on a rooftop.  Had delicious food and cookies and drinks and caught  up with my amazing big Jenna.  Made some new friends.  Love my sorority even more!

Went out with the girls at work for our bosses birthday.  His driver picked us up and drove us to the party, it was awesome, we made him blast "Call Me Maybe" while we drove.  Had a few drinks, then met up with Jose and went out with him and Jordan and Dylan.  Had a fun night, stayed up way too late, slept the rest of the day.

Fourth of July went to New Jersey with Amy and watched the fireworks over the Hudson River!  Amazing.  Her friend had a balcony that we grilled on and a rooftop pool.  Ate, drank, and swam all day.  It was a great time.

Took Victor to see Sleep No More, also brought a friend from Grand Rapids who was visiting, Tom.  Victor wasn't impressed, he thought it was much more like a  ballet than theater.  I got a one-on-one upstairs with a nurse who showed me a cool landscape hanging from the ceiling.  Really enjoyed the blues player in the bar after the show was done.  Then we got kicked out of a pizza place cause they wouldn't give us free water... oh man.

The next day hung out with Amy.  Took a FEAST into the movies.  Packed two grilled cheeses, cut up apples, warmed up mac n cheese in a tupperware, a gallon size bag of air-pop popcorn and two water bottles in our bags.  Saw Magic Mike IT WAS AMAZING.  Then when it was done snuck into Ted and it was also amazing.  Had a great night, double feature with my bestie.

Last week I came home for Sarah's wedding (my roommate from college) it was a great time even though it was hot.  Great party, awesome to see all my old friends.  Then spent the week with the family and Andy and Aunt Maren up north in Ludington.

Now I'm back in NYC, have some things on the horizon, hoping to be able to audition a bit more and get back out there!

YOU'RE AWESOME!

100 Days of Gratitude

For those of you who don't know, I've been practicing gratitude for about 100 days now.  Every day I try to practice an hour of giving thanks, giving love, and feeling good.  Granted, I don't do a full hour every day, but I've found that it is a lot easier for me to elevate my feelings now, especially when I notice that I'm not feeling very good.
And through this positive thinking and self awareness, New York City has opened up to me more than you can ever imagine.  Now, a lot of what I post on this blog is the "good" stuff.  I don't normally tell you the struggles, self doubt, and disappointment I have faced.  And now I am proud to say that those moments are becoming fewer and less strong.  I have definitely gone through some low points here in the city but I've noticed that the more I practice the more good I see and the more comes to me.  It really is all how you look at it.

Last Wed. I had an audition.  I had looked up the show beforehand and I was positive it was something I was perfect for.  And when I got there, they loved me, and I was hired!  It is called "Never Sleep Alone" a raunchy variety show and cabaret one woman show.  She plays a "sex therapist" helping all the single New Yorkers get laid!  Hilarious.  Then I went home and worked out, worked on monologues, and literally couldn't sleep because I was so excited for the rest of the week.  Sometimes I try to sleep but I start practicing monologues in my head and then I get distracted.

Thursday I worked with my organizing client.  We got to a project I really enjoy-cleaning her closet.  She has two closets, one is a walk in, and she also has a whole rack against her main wall for her clothes.  I spent 9.5 hours going through it and folding, color coding, and figuring out how to make it all fit.  For those of you who aren't anal/designers/organize freaks this may sound terrible, but I LOVED it.  The whole day flew by and the only reason that I left was because I had somewhere to go.  I love loving what I do.
I headed to Brooklyn to meet with the All Souls Young Adults PROM COMMITTEE.  Our group is throwing a prom as a fund raiser and I'm super excited.  First of all, the six people on prom committee are so fun and I'm pretty sure I have never laughed as hard as I did Thursday night (there were fake tattoos involved... and red wine) and being able to go to "prom" again with my friends and lots of booze will definitely be a great time.  And it is for charity.

On Friday I went to April's again, then I had an audition.  I went home and crashed for a few hours before I headed out to Little Italy to have dinner with Tyler (a friend from college) and his family.  His sister is just moving into the city and I got to meet her and have some yummy dinner.  It is fun to have 'family time' even when it isn't your family!  (And Mom and Dad pay.. lol) They were really great and I'm excited to have another friend in the city.
Afterward, I met up with Hillary and we went to see Never Sleep Alone.  I had gotten tickets to see it before I work on it... and of course who is there?  My BOSS.  Luckily, he is awesome and it is totally cool that we're both at this strange raunchy show the same night.  We have some drinks, enjoy the show, and I head out to the after party with the girls from my table and end up meeting some interesting people... including a very attractive NYC actor.  Mr. Actorman gets my number and when I'm at work the next day I get a call from him and he invites me to see a show.
He is part of an acting company at the Flea Theatre called The Bats which is not easy to get into and a great place for a non union actor to be.  We saw the Serials which is five episodic shows, the audience votes and the top three get to come back the next week with a new episode and the bottom two are replaced with new shows the next week.  A very cool concept and awesome shows.  Afterward we went to the bar with all the actors and writers and I got to meet a bunch of people and network yay!

Sunday was Mother's Day and my FINALLY I GET A BREAK day.  Things had been so totally crazy and I was exhausted.  I laid around all day and then cleaned up my apartment and got groceries for everyone who was coming over on Monday.

On Monday I found out the girl who works above me put in her two weeks notice.  Very sad to see her go cause I love her, but then Tuesday morning I got a call saying they don't want to hire from the outside and I got promoted... woo!

Monday night prom committee came over and I cooked a huge batch of stir fry and we made homemade margaritas and put together the invitations for prom which look awesome if I do say so myself!  It was an amazing time!  The friendships I've made through All Souls are hands down the best I have here, with the exception of Jordan & Co.

Tuesday I got promoted (wee!) then I went to Japanese with Jordan for her birthday.  It was also another of her work friends bday so 10 of us had a bunch of sake bombs and tons of food and had a great time.  The waitress was wearing a shirt that said "you only live once" and was not amused when all ten of us shouted YOLO!!!!!!!!! every time she walked by.  After dinner we headed back to Dylan's and chilled, the party was over fairly early because it was a Tuesday and because... well, sake bombs.  Luckily, I had held back a little, but it wasn't my birthday.

Wednesday I came to work and had my first day of training (agh!) and afterward I went up to the Upper West Side and had a voice lesson with the woman I met at church.  It was so fun, her place is beautiful, and it was great to have someone helping me sing.  And I sing well apparently so that was a nice confidence boost.  After I headed to a meeting with some people about my acting career... without saying anything to get anyone too excited, I may have a very big opportunity opening up for me soon and I'm pretty excited about it.  More on that as it comes.

Thursday I officially started training for a half marathon.  I figured since I'm getting up there in mileage I might as well get a training program together and run a race.  Now I just need to pick one, in mid-July.  13.1 miles!  Crazy.  After a day of rest, cleaning, and thinking I headed to the Access Theatre with Mr. Actorman and saw a show called Woyzeck.  I liked the acting and the directing choices but the story was a bit hard to follow.  When it was done we decided to go to see this weeks Serials and they were even better than last week!  Hilarious.

Today I was on my way to go running when I got called into work... I'm not mad, I can use a few extra dollars and I actually do enjoy being in the office.  Tonight I'm going to see another show, yay!

So things are going really well.  So much acting, so many shows, great friends and opportunities and good things at work :) all it took was 100 days of gratitude.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next 100 days!

Massacre: Sing to Your Children

I am very jacked right now.
I just ran 6 miles and I feel AWESOME and full of energy.  I got a lot of stuff done tonight.

What have I been doing...
I picked up some checks for work and met one of our clients, the owner of one of the huge nightclubs here in NYC.  We chatted for a bit and traded cards, hopefully that is a great connection for me!  It is all about who you know, you know!

OMG.  This is so exciting... On Thursday one of my friends flew in from Michigan and brought with him two tickets to 30 ROCK LIVE!  He had an extra one and brought me with him.  I was in the studio where the shoot SNL!  There were pictures on the wall of everyone who has participated over the years.  We watched the episode filmed live, saw all the celebrities and actors, Paul McCartney was a special guest and it was AWESOME.  And very inspiring.  Nothing like a live show to remind you why you moved to NYC to begin with... I just can't explain how awesome it was, the energy of the crowd, excitement of everyone who was there.  And if you watch the east coast show you can hear me laughing at one point.  Awesome.

Marcus and me with our tickets to 30 Rock Live!

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful.  I saw Titanic in 3D by myself and cried like a baby... it was awesome.
Last Wednesday I met up with one of my friends from the show I worked on because he had free tickets to see a show at the Rattlestick Theater.  I had no idea what we were seeing but boy was I surprised when I got my program and it had a picture of a bloody knife on it and the show was titled "MASSACRE: Sing to your children"

...

The set was a slaughterhouse.

The show opened with BOOMING music and flashing lights and a bunch of bloody people in masks bursting through various doors.  It was scary!!!  But the show ended up being AMAZING (the writer was nominated for an Oscar) and the acting was fabulous, great concept and the SET.  Wow.  They had a working bathtub and shower.  It was really cool, I loved the show and I'm so happy I got to go.

On Friday I had a meeting with a real estate broker about getting my name out there to help stage houses and organize for people.  We met for drinks and even had a visit from some girls I went to college with who were visiting the city!  It was awesome seeing some familiar faces.

Adrian Alums in the big city

After the girls left Ben and I decided to have dinner cause we were hungry and kinda drunk and he was paying because... well he's real estate broker in NYC so you figure that out.  I had escargot!  It tasted good but was definitely a little chewy.  Overall, it was a great night, I have a great contact and had a delicious expensive dinner.  And that was the night the moon was CRAZY!  So beautiful.

The weekend was awesome.  After work on Saturday I spent the night in, working.  I applied for a ton of auditions and have a few this week.  Sunday I went to see the Avengers.  It. Was. Amazing.  Just... so amazing.  Movies like that are why I want to be in movies.  The show was sold out and the whole crowd cheered and clapped at all the big moments.  It was awesome!!!  What an experience.  I wish I had super powers!  I guess I'll have to keep auditioning and someday I can play a superhero.  That would be a dream come true.

This week I've been working a lot, getting a lot done, feeling very grateful for all I have, and getting excited about the future.  I am super happy and can't wait for all that is coming my way!!!  (Endorphins are great)
Hope everyone out there is feeling great as well :)
<3