Summer 2008 Days Thirty One thru Thirty Three: Pretty much nothing

No, really. Nothing. Blah dee blah and no life. Yay. One of those evenings I DID manage to go to sleep nice and early which was lovely. Actually...for the most part...the most exciting part of these days was the fact that our door started acting up and, once again, I got to write a nice little email to our management company, thanks to our super proving unavailable yet again. Joy to the world. It got fixed though, thank GOODness. ugh.

Summer 2008 Day Thirty: Otto's & Hill Country

So...the plan was this: Thom and I get off from work at 1, we each go home and do our thing. Dylan finishes at work around 4:30, I'll meet him after work. Dylan and I would then find a bar near Hill Country at which to partake in Happy Hour, and wait for Thom to join us. The rest of the kids coming to dinner were going to get off from work at 8. So the first part works out. Up until the finding a bar part. Dylan and I canvassed a good portion of Chelsea trying to find a bar where a) we could get cheap drinks, b) we could be close to the restaurant, c) we'd all be comfortable with the surroundings. This proved difficult when the bar closest to the joint looked more like a seafood restaurant, and the only other close by bar had IRONS for door handles. Seriously. Irons.

So we decided to head down to Otto's Shrunken Head which is, apparently, the only good Tiki bar left in this fair city. I have to say...it IS pretty darn awesome. The saga continues: Thom is still in Queens...he'd gone home to paint and had, by the time we actually reached him, managed to dump a bucket of primer onto his older sister's head. Yep. And he was still waiting for her to get out of the shower when he reached him. So Dylan and I spent a few hours at Otto's sans Thom, but we did meet a friend which is always nice.

At about 7:30 we decided to head back uptown to Hill Country where we met everyone else (including the now-freshly-showered Thom). We were 6 altogether, which made for a fun group for BBQ. My suspicions of Hill Country being a great Texas BBQ place were confirmed when Dylan (...Texan) declared that it was so. We attempted to keep the party going by inviting everyone back to Otto's, but it seems everyone else was too tired.

So Dylan and I headed BACK to Otto's where, at this point, there was now a band playing, and a LOT more people. We had to give up the idea of sitting at the bar and opt for a booth right by the pinball machine, which was great WHILE Dylan was playing pinball. Once we both sat down and there was someone else playing, the pinball machine got annoying. Or, rather, the ass of the guy PLAYING pinball got annoying. Ick. Altogether, the evening was great. Hill Country was just as amazing as last time. But, we DID bookend the Hill Country trip with Otto's, making Otto's the highlight of the evening for sure. Especially when someone dropped their $10 Tiki glass. Boo on you.

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Nine: My Fair Lady

Yes, the musical. Yes, the film. Yes, I netflixed it. I totally had it LOWER on the list than the Goonies and it STILL arrived first. BULLSHIIIIIT.

Um. Anyway. Love My Fair Lady. Mostly for Rex Harrison. Who is kind of the bomb. And Marni Nixon. Because I met her and she's way cooler than Audrey Hepburn.

The End.

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Eight: A day in the city with Molly, Mom & Dee

My friend, Molly, and her mom (whom I call...Mom) are in town this week, and today was my day to spend the earlier hours with them. We'd gone to Chevy's for dinner yesterday, and now was the time for us to do....SHOPPING. Now...I'm not really a big shopper. I'll shop when I have money...and I'll shop when I need something. But when I don't really have much money and there's not much I need, you'll rarely find me shopping. I guess today was the exception. We headed to Build-A-Bear which is really more my sister's thing than mine, but we went....and I fell in love with a Panda. I wanted that Panda. I also wanted the assless motorcycle chaps that they sell for the bears...but that'll be another purchase for another day. I bought the Panda...his name is Henri Athos Cartelli. Because I'm a crazy dork like that. I know, it's not a Chinese name, but I've decided he's from French Indo-China. So there. heehee. We also went to the store next door...I don't remember what it's called but some of the dolls look like cheap cabbage patch knock-offs, and if I wanted one of THOSE I'd go to Toys R' Us where they still almost look like Cabbage Patch dolls.

After that little jaunt we headed uptown to the Disney store. Here's what you have to understand about me: I don't love Disney. In fact, at the tender age of 10 or 11 I learned what it meant to hate someone, and that someone was Michael Eisner. He made me disappointed in Disney's inability to catch up with the world's progression toward hotel-hospitals for terminal children. That's right. Age 10. Woohoo. Anyway, growing up in Orlando made me recognize how ridiculous it is to love a place for its tourist traps. I worked at Universal: I know. But, now, living back in New York for 5 years and being here year round for the past 3 years has made me...you know....realize that Disney is novel. It's a novelty. It's...a treat...on occasion. I can't really hate it anymore, so much as I can recognize its trap and avoid it but still have fun. Getting back to the point, Disney Store. Yay. Bought a few shirts on sale for 50% off. Bought some other little impulse buys. It was nice. We had fun and that's what matters.

Then we cabbed it down to Times Square and went to Sbarro's for lunch followed by some Carvel. I never eat Carvel. I don't really do ice cream. BUT it's summer and it was hot and it was delicious. Molly & Mom headed to the Richard Rodgers to see In the Heights, and I wandered down to the office to wait for Dee's lunch to start. Once she finally got on lunch we headed over to Bryant park and laid in the sun for a good 20 minutes before she had to start heading back. It's all for the best, though, because there was not a cloud in the sky and it was HOT in the park. I think I re-ignited the tan in my face. I would have taken pictures to share here, but I spent my money on a panda.

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Seven: Get Smart

I have to say, I had a really fantastic time of seeing this film. No, it's not an exact replica of the TV show, and no it's certainly not Oscar-winning material. But Steve Carell made me forget that he was Steve Carell and that's really all I can ask for. I was actually somewhat impressed by the talent in this film--I fucking love Alan Arkin so anything where he gets to fly a plane is OK by me.

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Six: Spice on the East Side

So after a pretty wretched day at work, followed by an afternoon of sheer napping wonderfulness, I headed down/across town to meet up with some friends. We made our way up to 73rd and 2nd, to this little restaurant called Spice Thai Hot & Cool. I'm not really one to go for Thai food, but I was among friends and, as usual, willing to try something as long as there was liquid encouragement.

Olivia and I ordered the Siamese Fried Rice (delicious, but whoa filling and WHOA portions), and Dylan ordered the pork chop which certainly seemed to be delicious from across the table. Again, portions! I left half of my rice (after claiming it for Spain and trees, declaring it an island with forks on the reef, and letting it set sail) and Olivia left with the other half of hers. Damn good, just a LOT. I have to agree with most of the reviews online: fantastic food, very slow service.

The drinks were, from what I could tell, quite nice, and you do get your bang for your buck. Dylan and I both had Pomegranate Sake Margaritas. You definitely have to like pomegranate to like it, but it was muy delicioso. And it's a nice little place...the help is VERY nice, it's just....slowish. Fortunately, it's also cheap. The three of us had very filling dinners AND a drink a piece, and it came to about $46. So....YAY!

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Five: Dude, where's my wallet?

One might wonder about the title. Well, it's pretty appropriate. I'd pretty much resigned myself to cleaning my room for the evening when, at about 9:45, I get a text from one, Adam (friend from college) who is alone in the city and could use a drink. I say, okay...let's go to DJ's...see you there, etc. Now, it's a Sunday night. I'm expecting Liam to be there and I'm expecting to do a little drinking (though, not much since you know, work tomorrow AM and stuff...plus Adam tends to spend more time making fun of my drinking than actually drinking with me so...why spoil it?)

Well...fate had it in for me...get to DJs and there's a different bartender...I don't know this guy...he's young...he...well...he wants to see ID. Okay. Adam, Mr a lot younger than me, get out your ID...oh...Mr. Bartender, you're carding me? I don't GET carded! EVer! Never ever! *Look for ID* Oh. Wallet is home. of course the wallet is home. Who knew I was gonna get fucking carded. This is almost, but not really, as good as that time they carded Dylan for cigarettes at Duane Reade. Okay, not nearly as good as then, but similar in that I NEVER get carded. Especially sitting next to Adam, I mean come ON.

Needless to say...I spent the rest of the evening drinking a LOT of diet coke. With limes. When the tab was rung up he tried to charge me for a Miller...I was like HELLO? No ID! If you're gonna charge me for a fucking Miller, you'd better be GETTING me a freaking Miller. Ugh. I mean, Adam and I had fun...but...seriously? Ugh.

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Four: Spaghetti & Matzo Balls Round 3

Last August, I was recommended, by a fellow stage manager, to Rena Strober....a vibrant, talented, special young woman working on her one-woman show, titled Spaghetti & Matzo Balls. The title is somewhat deceiving. She's all Jewish. Two sets of dishes, and all. It's just that much of her coming of age and rediscovering of herself happened under the auspices of an Italian performance background. It's funny the way life works out, and all of those twists and turns that you THINK your life has: Rena's got 'em. I think my favorite story that represents this is from this past December--we'd just finished up the run of the show and Rena had been contacted by a man named Mort Berkowitz. Mort runs the San Gennaro festival. I swear. I'm not making this up. Check the contacts page for the San Gennaro Festival. A nice Jewish man runs the festival. ANYway. Calls Rena up. Says Rena...I saw the show, you're brilliant!. Listen, I'm producing the very first annual Italian-Chinese Christmas Parade this year, and we want you to have a float. A nice Jewish girl singing "Time to Say Goodbye"....on a float...at the Italian-Chinese Christmas Parade. This is what I mean by twists and turns. Amazing.

Anyway. Back in August. Recommended. Alix couldn't do the show, so she suggested me, among others. Rena emailed me, I was on board. I wasn't doing anything else at the moment although I had my prospects (and then disappointments...though it defiinitely worked out for the best!) The show ran at the Triad theatre from October 6 or 7 through I think November 11th. It was a great run-mostly pretty full houses...we had our moments....there were some tense moments among the small group of us...but we worked them out and had a really fantastic time! At that time, the show consisted of Rena, Bill (Musical Director on piano and claves), Joe (on violin, mandolin, guitar and banjo), Mark (on Bass), myself on video projections, and then the house TD on lights and sound. The latter could not make it to the final show which left us scrambling a bit and there were some delays, some reworking of scripts, some...mess....but it was a really really great final show and FINALLY I got to call the show which was fantastic because that's what I love most about what I do. Stage Managing...in general is a pain in the ass. The rehearsals, the coordination of persons, the working with directors, the issues with dancer schedules....it's a pain. But calling a show....calling a show is the closest that I will ever get to conducting, since my musical talent (especially when it comes to reading music) can fit inside a miniature dollhouse-version-size tuna can. Calling a show is like a mantra. It brings peace. I love it.

After the run in November, we scheduled a gig at the National Arts Club which is somewhere south of Gramercy Park and hoity toity and, for the most part, anti-Semitic. Which is pretty interesting considering it's a show about and starring a young Jewish woman exploring her roots. I mean, literally, there were people in the audience PASSING NOTES about how disgusting Jews are and why the fuck would she be performing at the NAC. Not gonna lie, the people who ran the place were nice enough to us. They gave us everything we needed, they fed us well (wow, the French Onion soup was delicious), and the reception was okay. But this place had ugly carpeting, ugly paintings on the walls, and downstairs (down the marble hallway where the restrooms were), there was posterboard up, advertising an upcoming seminar (remember I don't make this shit up) titled: "Trophy Wives: A Career Choice, A Tribute To Women Working Just As Hard As Working Women."
Photographic Proof:


It was just...not the nicest place to be, you can imagine. But there WAS free alcohol afterwards, and they didn't kick us RIGHT out, so...hey. Can't complain. After the NAC, which was just myself (on the soundboard), Bill (on piano/claves), Rena, and Dean (our director/Rena's brother) on projections, we took a break, but knew that we'd have another gig shortly.

The third gig came tonight, at the Brae Burn Country Club, a members-only club in Purchase, NY that brought the show up to perform for their cabaret evening. Again, the reception was very nice--they fed us well, they took care of us, the guy who was taking care of us KNEW how things WORKED. THAT was pretty awesome. AND He speaks Spanish so he can communicate with the staff under him and is very impressive. I really liked that guy. This time around, Rena was already in Westchester with Daniel, so Mark drove up with his bass, Bill and I took the train to White Plains where Rena & Daniel met us, and then our new strings player also drove up.



I say new strings player because, this time, we decided to go with a really rad guy named Stephen Benson who played Italian Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, and Electric Guitar...and he's awesome...we uh...dropped Joe. Joe....was the source of some issues back in November, some of which concerned the way that he and I communicated. Even in these little productions, there's a level of professionalism that HAS to exist in order to keep a show functioning. Joe just doesn't have it. He confirmed the date for this gig (June 21) back in February. Now, only a few weeks before the gig, he tells us that he's too busy. Well fuck you. Stephen worked on the CD that Rena and Bill just cut, they pulled him in, he learned the music, he adapted incredibly well to our pace, and the show was awesome. The response during the show was not the most enthusiastic but it was certainly not the worst we've had. And what was really nice, for me at least, was that while I wasn't CALLING the show, I was still running sound from my laptop and from their soundboard....and it allowed me a semblance of stage-managerial-peace. Sweet.



But the place was nice--really nice--the staff was great, as I said, they had a swimming pool (but I don't think they let Gentiles swim there :( ) and Daniel was able to sneak us awesome snackies from the appetizer bar once everyone moved to the Dining Room. AND the room we were in (the card room) was stocked with a bowl of candy (probably for the diabetics) so we had a crazy pre-show sugar buzz going. My favorite moment, I think, was when I decided that I wasn't going to change my pants, instead I threw my black pants on OVER my jeans...and looked AWESOME. We finished the show, packed up...Mark lives on the upper west side, so he offered to drive me home which was sweet because we didn't get lost, it's a fairly short ride to the city, and I only had to take the train from 96th street straight home instead of waiting and waiting for the Manhattan-bound Metro North train, getting off at 125th, hoofing it to Lenox and then limping up to the apartment. Car=way better. Although, we did see a potential drug dealer with his purple headlights pulling out of a non-street onto the exit from the West Side Highway....PURPLE. HEADLIGHTS. Not a cop. guys. Not a cop.

Summer 2008 Day Twenty Three: Stephen Lynch at Summerstage

We didn't actually get to see Stephen Lynch but we did get to hear him. Originally, Dee and I planned to go do Rooftop Films. But between impending doomy rain and her being sick, it didn't sound like a good idea. We opted for Stephen Lynch at Summerstage but, again, impending doomy rain. So we sat at the fountain at Lincoln Center trying to check movie times on my phone and trying to figure out what the best course of action would be. The sky seemed to be starting to clear so we headed down to Whole Foods to get some snackies and then took the escalator back up to ground level...and the sky was blue. No clouds. Holla! So we figured we wouldn't get to the concert by 8 at this point (it's 7:40...and we're not exactly sure where we're going) so we wandered along some paths in Central Park, attempting to stay north and east. Eventually we hit the mall which meant we were in the right place. Fantastic. And it's not even 8. Unfortunately, the arena is PACKED. So after some brief deliberations we decide to park it on some grass just sound west of the arena so we can hear, and not sit in a cemetary (apparently there is one...right behind the arena.....with a big rock...and possibly a small mausoleum. Kind of weird.) We had a great time--the two guys leading up to Stephen Lynch were not spectacular, but that's because Stephen sings so....he's funnier. But Dee was loopy on cold meds and we had a good time anyway. There were a LOT of fireflies which was awesome, and a lot of loud people from Jersey. I should have thrown my bottle at them. But I didn't. Very fortunately, it did not rain until I was on the bus going home. Then it downpoured. I stepped off of the bus at 129th street, opened my umbrella, took my flip flops off, and ran home. Amazing.

Summer 2008 Days Twenty thru Twenty-two: The Edison Cafe, TV, nothing

This is a lackluster entry, sorry. Actually most of this week is pretty empty. So...lumping together Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Tuesday I had dinner with Rena at the Edison Cafe. We talked about the show, talked about life, etc. We've got a gig this Saturday in White Plains so we just met to chat. It was lovely and not nearly as entertaining as Indiana Jones. What can I say? I just can't fit a giant crystal alien skull around, even in my Whole Foods bag. Wednesday and Thursday I worked for Jessica in subs until 8pm which pretty much tied up my evenings. Wednesday Ben and I watched some Simpsons episodes. Thursday I did get to go to PetCo after work so I could finally get a fish. I named him Murky. He was very happy grey gold fish. Unfortunately by the time I got home from work on Friday, he had died. I'm not sure why...whether it was PetCo's fault or my fault (this, I doubt)...I really don't know...but I was very sad...and now I have an empty fishbowl....gotta find some non-petco fish I guess....

Summer 2008 Day Nineteen: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I don't get it. I really don't. I do not understand why producers who make millions on a certain franchise decide, 20 to 30 years later, to expand that franchise with really crappy additions to said franchise. The first example would be, of course, Star Wars. I love Star Wars. But I love Episodes IV, V and VI. Episodes I, II and III should, in my opinion, have never been made. The technology was not as revolutionary, the plot was dug up from the bottom of cracker jack boxes, and the acting was minimal, if present at all outside of Liam Neeson, who is pretty hot. Oh and cool, Yoda is.
The most recent example is Lucasfilm and Spielberg's attempt to expand on the Indiana Jones franchise. I'm not gonna lie. I had a good time. Ali and I sat there with a jumbo-size bowl of popcorn and laughed our asses off. But it was just not...good. I'll hand it to Shia LaBeouf. He's managed to become a better actor every time I see him. And that's wonderful for him. Fantastic for him. Harrison Ford thinks he's still got it, but he doesn't. All of the other little side characters...the Marcus replacement, the Dean...both of them were...eh. And poor Karen Allen--looks like she must have been hungry and sold her talent for a cheeseburger or two. That's kind of mean, but she's just not a good actress anymore. It's depressing. Cate Blanchett was also...fairly disappointing. The whole film just felt contrived and was upsetting from the viewpoint of someone who wanted to be surprised...nope! no surprises! it's about aliens. Yep. Whoopdeedoo.
What bothered me the most, I think, was that the previous installments all focused on some kind of religious iconography based in humanism, but focused on the unknown (or known) supreme being. Great. Fantastic. You wanna talk about The holy grail and the Arc of the Covenant...these are all man made things. The reason Temple of Doom was not as good, was that it tried to focus on something that had been "bestowed" upon man (those rocks with the diamonds in them). Now, in this new installment, we're focusing on no man made objects at all, but on an alien skull that just happens to be crystalline and therefore worth an archeologists' time. I don't get it. I don't get how this fits into the Indy theme. I get that the peoples they focus on (Mayans? Peruvians? They don't really clarify...) saw their faith in the alien beings as a religious faith. But...I mean....OKAY. I get WHY 20 years later, aliens would be the topic of conversation. I get why it was interesting at that point in time as compared to the whole christian artifact search for the Nazis....great. But it seems like such a cop-out to drag a bunch of Russians through the Peruvian jungle to check out some alien stuff. It's just WEIRD.

The ending was weird too. Expected, but weird. But still okay. I liked the whole last 5 minutes more than I liked the rest of the film. The rest of the film was....amusing.

Summer 2008 Day Eighteen: Tony Night

The day started off fairly low-key. Shower. Put on dress. Go to work. Put on fancy shoes at work...
it was the evening that made today special. When work was over, Kayrose, Jess, Hannah and I headed up to Toys R' Us (after an absolutely necessary stop at the bank) to ride the Ferris wheel. We'd kind of planned this last week...why? I'm not sure. But it was worth it. We had a grand time. We got to ride in the red and yellow car...you know...with the roof....everyone who was a child between 1983 and 1990 had one, i'm pretty sure.



After the ferris wheel, we wandered over to candyland...you know, like the game? but....in a store...special, I know.




Tony night was, in general, a bust for Roundabout. Sure, we had a great party at Planet Hollywood, and sure we had 20 nominations, but we got 3 awards. George got none. How, I'm not sure, but it happened. BUT we had a great time at the party. It's kind of hard to explain. I think the pictures'll do it :)

Summer 2008 Day Seventeen: The Roosevelt Hotel; Connolly's

I stayed out far far too late Friday evening after watching my film. I got a text at 9:30 that led to my leaving my apartment and heading back to D.J.'s down on 57th. Brilliance. So Saturday I finally took advantage of my comp day from work and stayed home until about 2:30pm. I hopped on the M7 and took it down to midtown to meet Ali and Jay. When we got to 55th street, it started pouring. When I say pouring, I mean there were flash floods on 42nd street. I had to get off the bus at 42nd, swim to the M42, take that across to Madison and then Swim up to The Roosevelt Hotel which is a very very swanky little hotel tucked into the corner of 45th and Madison. Ali and Jay were staying there--so I met Ali in the bar/lounge and we helped ourselves to a lovely frozen strawberry margarita and a free lemon something. They literally plopped this lemon drop drink onto our table...so we drank it.

Jay joined us about 45 minutes later and we headed over to Connolly's on 45th between 6th and 7th (if I'd have known it was there, I'd have drank more before Pels shows in the past...note to self, find day to see Bette & Boo. So we head to Connolly's...I got a quesadilla (go figure...at an Irish pub). Ali and I tried to order some frozen strawberry margaritas, figuring if they've got quesadillas in this joint, they must have frozen strawberry margaritas! The waitress took the order and walked away. Then she comes back 2 minutes later and says they have no strawberry margaritas...so we say okay, give us regular frozen ones. Great. She goes away. 3 minutes later she's back...they don't have frozen margaritas....at this point I'm wondering how long this girl has worked here...? SO I order a Stella and have done with it. Too much stress for a fucking beverage. The food was great, though. The onion rings were superb. That's right. Quesadillas and Onion Rings. I'm awesome.

Summer 2008 Day Sixteen: I Was a Male War Bride

Like Cary Grant? Check.
Like Ann Sheridan? Check.
Like random war movies about romance and cross-dressing? Double check.



If you've never seen this film, just do it. Give in to your cravings for Cary Grant in a horse wig and skirt, and see this film. Granted, Grant isn't exactly convincing as a French officer (Captain Henri Rochard) and, yes, the plot is a bit....silly....but it's totally worth it. A comedic gem, really.

Summer 2008 Day Fifteen: The Framer (BWTC)

The Framer
by Edward Allan Baker
directed by Kevin Confoy

Playing now through Sunday, June 22nd at the Michael Weller Theatre
Buy Tickets

I'm going to tell you a story. About 2 years ago, I became acquainted with an actor named Drew Sarich (you can look him up) who had been in Lestat earlier in 2006, and was, almost about this time, going into Jacques Brel Off-Broadway. Through Drew, a few months later, I met a friend of his from college (also Drew, Drew DeCorleto) who was (and is, still) the Artistic Director and co-founder of a small-but-vibrant theatre company called Broken Watch Theatre Company. Broken Watch resides at the Michael Weller Theatre at 311 West 43rd Street, a building with many many many theatre companies and rehearsal rooms and theatre-friendly spaces.

Over the course of many months, I visited Broken Watch from time to time, chatting with Drew and his wife, Teresa Goding, helping out with set up for an event, and I also got to see a few performances there. It's a great space and a fantastic company with a lot of energy and love going for them. But now, the trend being to squeeze off-off-Broadway theatres out of midtown, the Michael Weller is being forced to close its Doors. It's both a tragedy, and a travesty. The company has no intention of going down with the theatre, though, and is hoping to continue its wonderful work elsewhere. If you can, donate. Donate donate donate. I'm very proud, with my measly funds, to be a donor to this company, and you should as well. See how you can help at www.brokenwatch.org

Currently, Broken Watch is producing its final production at the Michael Weller, titled The Framer. It runs about 2 hours, and the 50-seat theatre is just comfortable enough that you can really envelop yourself in Edward Allan Baker's world of death, familial mayhem, corrupted officials and people who abuse children sexually. Yes. Just what you were looking for. The show only runs through June 22nd so, if you have $20 (regular ticket) or $30 (donor ticket) and a free afternoon or evening, go see this delicious cast fight it out onstage amid scarily familiar frozen faces on the walls. AND there's a good chance you'll get to see little Tripp (Teresa & Drew's infant) who is just the cutest little thing that ever chewed on my necklace...and glasses....

Summer 2008 Day Fourteen: Otis Clay & Ryan Shaw

There's something absolutely beautiful about reclining on a bench, staring into the sunset, facing Jersey, listening to Ryan Shaw singing Bob Marley's Redemption Song. Oh and his bassist is pretty awesome too :) But only AS a bassist. They've also got him on backup vocals...and his mic is too high...so...........it's kind of stupid gross. But his playing is brilliant.
Ryan went on first, I guess because Otis is the bigger name. Between the two I really enjoyed Ryan more. He's got a sweet, smooth voice and was really working the crowd--interacting, actually using anecdotes to transition between songs... Otis Clay on the other hand was like *shouts title* SONG *shouts next title* SONG...etc. etc. The music was great, I just....wanted more interaction.

The concert was in Rockefeller Park which is, I think, the northernmost of the Battery Park segments. Just take a train to Chambers and walk west on Chambers til you hit the water. You'll find it. It's beautiful. I'm in love.

Summer 2008 Day Thirteen: Category 3 Hurricane

It was very much in my plans to just kick back tonight. Relax. Watch the Netflix movie that's been sitting here for over a week...but no. Instead, we get a heat-wave-breaking-category-3-hurricane-like-madness outside. It didn't last nearly long enough, but it caused me to turn off my computer, put up my window fan in a storm-facing window, and pass out. It was the best sleep I've had in a week. Amazing.

Summer 2008 Day Twelve: Too hot to do the things we do

Seriously, the heat wave destroyed all hope of doing anything interesting. I had to walk across town with my dad and sister (instead of enjoying the comfort of an AC'd bus) and then sit in my gramma's NON-AC apartment....I don't mind family time, I mind the heat. We started watching Bend it Like Beckham, which is a movie that I enjoy a great deal, but I had to go home and try to sleep...which isn't easy in this heat anyway, but...yeah. Too darn hot.

Summer 2008 Day Eleven: Too hot to do anything cool

Seriously though. Worked 10-6. Even people who don't work on Sunday came in today.
I DID get to go to D.J. Reynolds tonight, though. D.J. Reynolds is the bar where I took care of my college drinking, for the most part. School's out so, for a Sunday night, it was mad quiet. But if there'd been more people there, it would have made being inside even more disgusting than it was outside so....small blessings, I guess.

Summer 2008 Day Ten: Surprise Party!

My mother had plan for my father's 50th birthday (tomorrow). Send my father and sister to a Yankees game today, order up a lotta family, and surprise dad when he got back to my uncle's house. It actually worked. I won't bore you with familial details, nor the insanity that is my grandmother after a little heat, a little fun, and a whiff of alcohol. I love her, she's just hilarious.
But I WILL share pictures :)

PARTY!!


Awaiting birthday-boy's arrival


Happiness


My aunt Carol


My dad's cousin, Donna's, little daughter Casey (who looks just like my dad) and my cousin Jess


Proof of fun


Gramma Ronnie...with stars on her head...


The cake that Carol outdid herself on. Essentially, I may have contracted diabetes from eating it. It's like a giant Funny Bone (you know, the food? yeah)...chocolate, peanut butter, amazingness. UGh. Death. Couldn't even finish my little piece.


Stacey must have been peeved about something, but mostly it just makes an amusing picture. My aunt Stacey with my cousin Gabriella.


This picture is my favorite. There are 4 branches of my family in it, side by side. To the left (on the floor), my cousin Harry (the son of my mother's brother's fiancé); on the couch in blue, my cousin, Jessica (the daughter of my dad's brother); in red on the couch, Gabriella (the daughter of my mother's sister); standing, my sister Rory. Insanity.

Summer 2008 Day Nine: Girls' Night Out

Tonight, Kayrose and Jessica and I had plans. Our plans consisted of taking in a good deal of BBQ at Hill Country (located on 26th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenues), and then crashing the PR Day Banquet. Unfortunately, said banquet was invite only this year, and they're being scrupulous about who they let in. So, Kayrose MAYBE could have squeezed in, but the italian-complected Pollack and the Scottish red-head were NOT going to do so. So, instead, the three of us (along with Kayrose's aunt) headed down to Hill Country (which, by the way is incredible) and then concluded Girls' Night Out at the Pig n' Whistle.

Now, Hill Country is....for lack of a better word, Splendidious (it's an obsolete word, but "splendid" was not gonna do it). You walk into this place and immediately forget that New York is outside. It's a Texas-style honky-tonk den of amazing. The critic for New York Magazine only gave it one star. I disagree like WHOA. I never say "like whoa" but here, I do. If you like market-style BBQ, Big Red soda, moist brisket, and all the sides you could ever imagine, I recommend saving up about $35 and treating yourself to a fantastic dinner.

After HC, we headed uptown to the Pig n' Whistle on 3rd. We took some ridiculous pictures, downed a beer each, and had a fantastic time. The crowd was a little noisy and I was, actually, in danger of having a huge speaker dropped on my head as we sat in our booth, but all around a good place.

Summer 2008 Day Eight: Sunday in the Park with George

Sunday in the Park with George is running at Studio 54 through June 29th. If you haven't gotten to go see it, do so. There are tickets available, you can get them pretty dirt cheap at this point with the ride codes, and um...it's amazing. This was actually my 4th time seeing it, the first was with the beautiful Ms. Ali Honeybear Goldsmith who provided ample company in the wake of SJP and Cynthia Nixon sitting in front of us. Of course, the only reason we sat there was that our seating was General Admission and Sam Mendes & Kate Winslet didn't show. Fantastic. Second time was Opening Night, when I sat with the amazing Tammy. Third time, I saw it with Rory, and this time I managed comps for Rory and I (right in the nick of time, too), and I purchased tickets for my parents as their mothers' and fathers' day gifts.

I'm happy to say that everyone loved it -- it's rough when it's a musical that my mother doesn't know. I expect she COULD fall asleep. And everyone was tired, anyway, so I almost anticipated it, but they all stayed awake through the whole thing. Once again, it was brilliant.

Summer 2008 Day Seven: It's a Boy!

I had a Doctor's appointment today because of my foot. I've been trying to get in to see this guy, but he's been on vacation. Finally went to see him this afternoon. They X-rayed my foot (in case you missed it, I feel like I dislocated part of my foot) and then sat me down to wait. Dr. Lashley comes in with the X-rays and an assistant. He's a pretty cool guy. Wears a bright green shirt that says Dr. Lashley, and matching socks. He was amused by the fact that I worked at RTC and wanted to know if I'd been the one calling his house over and over. I was like noooo wrong department... ANYWAY we take a look at the Xrays and he feels my feet and does all kinds of weird...podiatric...things. Podiatrists are weird, I'll just put that out there. The last time I went to a podiatrist was about 6 years ago when I managed to get a needle broken off in my left foot...I'm amazing, obviously.

ANYWAY he tells me that what I've got is not actually a dislocation or anything, but some kind of a spur on one of the cuneiforms. Essentially, I have really high arches (my arches are beautiful) and the steady pressure on the heel and the ball of my right foot has caused the bone at the mid point of my foot to naturally grow a bump (for lack of a better word). It would appear (though we didn't x-ray the left foot) that I have this on both of my feet, but the right foot is the one that hurts. Now, I can pull a few instances of my....klutz...ness....out of my past that could have caused more trauma to this foot, but nothing EXTREMELY recent. I mean, I rolled my ankle about a month and a half ago and Dr. L says that it's possible that it caused a redistribution of the lateral nerve in my foot, causing me to feel pain in the right foot, but not the left. This is possible, but if I was gonna redistribute nerves, I'd think it would have happened in November when I stepped off of a set of stairs without realizing I was 2 feet off the ground....But I guess not.

Dr. L also did an ultrasound on my foot, which was kind of awesome. I got to see the tendons and the joint and the swelling. I even got to keep one of the ultrasound print outs. I've decided it's a boy. If it was less painful it'd be a girl, but no. I stopped by at work after the appointment to show off my bundle of joy. I'm still looking for the father, though. If anyone knows who could have knocked my foot up, let me know okay? The baby spur does have a name. Apparently. And, though I don't wholly approve of the name, I suppose Dylan's right--it's not like he has to go to school with this name. Fonzarelli Aloysius Cartelli. yeah. I know. amazing.

Summer 2008 Day Six: Museum Mile Festival

I don't know that I would actually CALL the MMF a "Festival." It's kind of on the dull end of the Festival spectrum...alongside "Lecture Series" and "Book Club" but it was a cute way to spend the evening. What's actually fantastic about it is that admission to the museums along Museum Mile becomes free at 6PM. The Met, the Guggenheim, et al...Free. I had no plans whatsoever to visit any museum other than the Met, but it was nice to know I could have.

The reason for my visit to the Met was an exhibit I'd heard about a few weeks ago and was actually really excited about it. It's called Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy. I was hoping that this, too, would live up to the hype. Unfortunately....not really. It was definitely interesting, but an exhibit without Shalom Man is simply...lacking! It was actually fairly dull on its own, but very pretty to look at. This isn't MY video but it pretty much captures the experience though, perhaps, a little faster than I went.



So, yes, it was over before I knew it, and I headed out through another gallery. The Met seems much harder to navigate than AMNH. Perhaps because one wing of modern art has the potential to look just like the next and, if you're not paying attention, Greek and Roman sculpture can look identical.

Once I finally made it out of the Met, I headed uptown along 5th Avenue which had been so wonderfully cut off from traffic. There were kids playing in the streets, drawing on the street with chalk, people dancing, clowns, etc. etc. It was kind of fantastic, but not as fantastic as your everyday street fair. All in all, it was not a complete failure, but once I got to 97th I hopped on the crosstown so I could catch the 2 lest I be stranded along Lexington waiting for a rogue 5 train.

Summer 2008 Day Five: Artist Editions T-Shirt Exhibition

Probably the most boring out of the whole week, this was an exhibit in Bryant Park presented by Gap...mostly set up as a huge advertisement for their limited edition collection, soon to be sold at select Gap stores, online, and at a handful of Art museums. Yeah, have fun with that. I won't bore you with boring details, but it made for some OK pictures. None of the preceding information has been in a complete sentence. I'm amazing like that.