Winter Wrap-Up

Sat dec. 5th was the first snow of the year. Sally, Nick, Kelly and I all wanted to go ice skating at The Pond in Bryant Park. As we made our way over to 40th, we discovered that snow wasn't really sticking which made the precipitation pretty slushy. Unfortunately, these conditions are unfit for ice skating. The attendant told us we could skate at our own risk and should we fall, it would be like going swimming. We decided to save the ice skating for a nicer day. Instead we wandered around the shops and headed over to Rockefeller since Nick and Sally hadn't seen the tree yet. I was getting quite miserably soaked and cold, and frankly annoyed by how many time I was carelessly smacked with an umbrella! There were so many people, many of whom, could not maneuver through the streets of Manhattan let alone manage the common courtesy of lifting your umbrella when your practically about to decapitate someone with it!
Anyway, we made it home, soaking wet, but in one piece.
That wed. my dad arrived. He made sure to fit in all the sight seeing: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Grand Central Station, etc. But I think the highlight came on sat. night. My friend, Fallon, who works at Saturday Night Live mentioned that if she had an extra pair of tickets to that week's taping she would call me. I hadn't heard from her by 9 pm, so I wrote it off. I was in my PJ's by 10:00. But at 10:30 I got a phone call from her informing me that if I could be at 30 Rock by 11, she had 2 tickets for me. Dad and I hoped in a cab and took what felt like the slowest cab ride in the history of the world. At 10:58 we were a couple blocks away and stuck in traffic. I figured it would be faster to run. I took off, and after asking a couple people where to go, got our tickets just in time at 11:02.
Oh, did I mention that this also happened to be the show that was hosted by TAYLOR LAUTNER??! And musical guest Bon Jovi! The show was awesome! I was so intrigued by how perfectly choreographed all the set changes were. As one skit was going on, another was being set up on the other side of the room. They have room to potentially set up 5 scenes at once. And all the computer images were synced perfectly. The show went seamlessly with out a glitch. It was easy to forget the show was being taped live. The audience wasn't that big and it felt so intimate like the performers were putting on a show exclusively for us.
Anyway, on to my last week at BRS. I'm going to miss them, but I'm ready to focus my energy on my career and auditioning. Mom's coming next week and it might be a little hectic with finding a day job and trying to move, but the new year will be a whole new beginning for me, and I can't wait to find out what it has in store.
Also, on one last note, I would like to mention an aspect that has come full circle in the Fall '09 NYAP. Nick, Amy and I went to see Kevin and Sally's show at EST last night, and come to find out, it was written by an actor who was in Race Music, the first show we saw as a group together. Granted this show was loads better than Race Music (“The nicest thing I can say about the show was that if this is considered Off-Broadway Theatre then I should have no problem finding a job.”) Anyway, regardless of the show's content or quality, I thought it was a funny little button on the end of the semester.

It's Starting to Feel A Lot Like Christmas

I saw this casting notice for an audition for Proof by David Auburn, which is one of my favorite shows, but it was up in the Bronx, so I was kind of leerie about going. Mostly because the Bronx is unexplored territory and it was at 7:30 pm, but I forced myself to suck it up and go. An hour subway ride later, I get off and start heading towards the address I had written down. It's sort of a main street, lots of cars and shops, kind of janky, but there seemed to be lots of families and people going about business as usual so I felt pretty safe. I headed towards the address, and I arrived at a cemetery. There was a little stone building a little ways off the road, and I could see they had an advertisement for Proof. I figured I was in the right place, although it seemed really weird. I had given myself extra time in case I got lost, so I was the only one there. I thought, "Great, not only am I in the Bronx, I'm in a cemetery!! Beginning of a bad horror story??" I didn't want to sit in the dark graveyard and wait, so I took refugee in the Dunkin' Doughnuts across the street. I figured I'd wait until 7 before giving up and heading home. About 20 minutes later four or five other actors showed up so I waited with them. Once the auditions got going, it was fine. It's a legit little community theatre, and they seem like really nice people. Unfortunatly, their venue happens to be in a cemetery...
I also saw A Starry Messenger with Matthew Brodderick, which was very good. I had my doubts but it exceeded my expectations.
Thanksgiving was very festive, Whole Foods catered, so it was very delicious. Black Friday I bought a new camera. Mine died after my trip to Vegas, and although it probably only needed a new battery, what's the fun in that? Besides, it came with a free printer! Anyway, I headed down to the Rockafeller Plaza, Bryant Park and Chelsea Market to test it out. These are the products, enjoy!

The Empire State Building gets different colored lights for different events and holidays. I thought the Thanksgiving colors were especially beautiful

Chelsea Market is home of many gourmet and specialty shops, like this bakery:

The Tree and ice skating rink at Rockafeller Center

My picture doesn't do justice to the 500 pounds Swarovski Crystal star, so, here's a close up
Granted, Fergie isn't the tallest, but the star is still ridiculous

November in a Nut Shell

Oh.my.gosh. Where has Nov. gone? It has been so long since I've written a post. I don't even remember what has happened. Because I love lists, I am going to make lists of things I have done to, 1) jog my memory, and 2) keep this from being 100 pages long.
Lets see, in no particular order, I:
1. Saw Encores! presentation of Girl Crazy with Marc Kudisch,  Ana Gasteyer, and Wayne Knight
2. I had my first NYC audition
3. I had my first NYC callback
4. Saw Twilight and thought it was the funniest movie of the year...though, for reasons not intended by the writer, director, actors, etc.
5. I went to the Bronx zoo
6. Went to the Comedy Cellar where Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance.
7. Went to the Macy's Day Parade
8. Ate until I wanted TA-die
9. Partook in coining two new phrases: "Baby's Neck" and "Unhappy Hipsters"
10. Attempted to ford Macy's on Black Friday
11. Explored the shops in Bryant Park and Chelsea Market
12.Bought a new digital camera (fun pictures to come)
13. Discovered an amazing and cheap sushi place on 28th
14. Got addicted to Bikram "Hot" Yoga
15. Ventured down to Costco in Brooklyn, just to get a slice of cheese pizza

That is all I can think of for now. I'm sorry this entry is such a cop-out, but please, if you care for me to elaborate, just ask!
As for Dec, I'm just going to be looking for a job/apartment! woot!

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Last Friday, I was invited by Chad (the junior agent in the office) to Ragtime, my favorite musical of all time. I graciously obliged with out hesitation (more like hyperventilated from excitement) and didn't realize I had double booked my Friday. The RA's were planning a Halloween party in the house complete with pumpkin carving, costume contest and "Doughnuts on a String." I was sad I would have to miss the festivities, but could you blame me? Front Mezz comp'ed, plus going backstage. I did my part in setting and cleaning up though (I baked 50+ cupcakes!) The show exceeded my expectations. I was afraid that since I loved the PCPA's production so much, that I would be disappointed by this one. But the score is hauntingly beautiful, and paired with a complex, precisely crafted script that it can't help but be great. There were major differences, but also some similarities, and neither were bad. New things stood out for me seeing it this time, and through out the show I would be reminded of happy memories of the last summer I spent in CA. So it was a joyous experience over all. I had goosebumps almost the entire show--and I wasn't cold! There was not one element that I didn't like (but as I said before, I am biased..so I can only hope the critics feel the same.)
After the show, Chad checked his phone and found he had been notified of Brighton Beach Memior's close that Sunday and the cancelation of it's sucessor, Broadway Bound . Chad was immensely disappointed as he had seen the show twice in previews and thought it was one of the best shows he'd ever seen. It just wasn't fair for Neil Simon's finely crafted play to close exactly one week after opening. Ironically, we happened to be sitting next to the casting director of the show, who shared Chad's grief and exclaimed she spent a year trying to cast the role of Eugene. I enjoyed reading the play, and heard good reviews, so I decided to make it a point to see it that weekend.
Saturday night was Halloween. There is a huge annual parade down in Greenwich that anyone could walk in. About 15 of us left the house and headed down. After a subway ride with Bruno, the characters from Mario Kart, a slew of creative costumes we found that just about the entire city of New York was walking in the parade. I wondered who was left to watch it.

Half of our group got recruited as puppeteers, and the rest of us waited in line for 2 hours the parade to start. Just as the parade was about to get going, it started raining. Due to traffic, our group got cut in half again, and I was left with Fallon, Lisa, Matt and Bryce.

After five or six blocks of walking in the pouring rain, we decided this wasn't as fun as intended and ducked out to regroup. And by "regroup" I mean, the boys ditched us. All that was left was Fallon, Lisa and me lost in Greenwich looking like drowned hookers, (because who isn't scantly clad on Halloween?)
By the time we found a subway station, we were already 3/4 of the way home, so we figured we'd just walk. In the meantime, I got a text saying the other half of the non-puppeteering group were meeting at Chelsea Square Restaurant. Fallon and I met them there and had a delicious meal. Every time I go there, I can't decide between dinner and breakfast, but since I had the waffles last time I was there (last visit to CSR) I went with the Veggie Cheeseburger Deluxe. It was amazing. I also had a bite of Kelly's french toast, and it was the best French Toast I'd ever had (and I don't like French Toast) I'm getting it next time! After filling our bellies and feeling quite satisfied, we headed home for some classic Halloween movies; Direct TV was seriously lacking in the department, but I think we were all too tired to care. I had to retire for the night, and was asleep by 11:30 pm...EPIC FAIL!!
Ok, enough about Halloween. On to the good stuff: double show day! Nick and I were getting up at 10am on Sunday to rush Brighton Beach Memoirs which might have sucked, except that it was the day after Day Light Savings Time, so we got an extra hour to sleep in. While we waited in line, we befriended a woman who worked in the costuming industry. She was hemming pants in line since she was going to be late to her show to see the closing performance. While waiting for the box office to open, we sat across the street from the Mary Poppins stage door and saw Laura Michelle Kelly (title role) and the children arrive for their matinee. I really had no interest in seeing the show, until Christian Borle took over the role of Bert, so I decided to catch the evening performance of that as well. But first, Brighton Beach: OHMYGOD! SO GOOD!! It is a witty coming-of-age story intertwined in a drama about a Jewish family struggling to stay together and make ends meet in the 1940's. It was brilliantly directed and beautifully acted and had me sucked in the entire time. Our costuming friend informed us that a play on Broadway needs to make $100,000 a week in ticket sales to survive, and this show just wasn't selling. Which is a crime. It was better than A Steady Rain, or God Of Carnage both of which I loved, but they have big names to sell tickets. Other than Laurie Metcalf (whom I didn't even know was in until she stepped out on stage) the cast was all fresh-faces. Maybe that is something to be said of the marketing department. Regardless, it makes me ashamed of my culture when a show like Finian's Rainbow which has no substance, no plot, a dated score, an obvious lack of dramaturgical research can get rave reviews from the NY Times. But a show in which every relationship between each character is clearly defined; and each character's story line makes you laugh and makes you cry; with a script that is witty, and sweet, and heavy and light all at the same time, takes you on a journey and lets you into the lives of these characters and doesn't let you doubt for one second that this world actually exists, closes after a week not because it was bad, but because of politics and money, makes my blood boil. I hope that everyone involved in this production knows they had a great show. Maybe we just have to chalk it up to bad timing, but I hope regardless of how big a hit they took, they are proud of this show and I thank them for supporting such a beautiful piece of art and I'm thankful I got to see it.
We waited almost an hour at the stage door, but it was well worth it: I met NEIL SIMON (!!!) along with Noah Robbins, Santino Fontana, and Laurie Metcalf. Then I met up with Ricardo and Julie and hoofed it over to Mary Poppins, which was good...I mean, it's Disney: she flew, Bert tap danced on the ceiling, the set was larger than life, and it was fun. Not bad, nor thought provoking, but entertaining nonetheless.


early demise of Neil Simon's chronicle

Mom's Visit

Thursday, my mom arrived. I took her to see The Lion King on Friday. Saturday morning I had a workshop with Kathy Rossiter (which was interesting, but nothing I hadn't learned at PCPA) from which I left early so mom and I could catch a bus to Ithaca, NY to look at real estate. It is very gorgeous there, the city is built on many gorges (a pun that you can find on tee shirts at most gift shops) and waterfalls are almost as common as taxis in the city. We were back in Manhattan by Sunday night so I could start another week at BRS. Monday I took mom to Trader Joe's for an experience like no other. I have been a fan of Trader Joe's since I left home and discovered their abundance of organic, meatless, fresh and relatively inexpensive food. I am not the only one who has discovered the joys of TJ's as the check out line wraps around the entire store! I have learned it is best to tag team; have one person get in line immediately upon entering the store, while the other person gets items from the middle of the store. You can grab you breads, dairy, etc while standing in line. Mom rekindled her love for her car as we hauled our groceries on two subways and up few flights of stairs. Tuesday, I gave mom her birthday present: front row mezzanine tickets to Hair. I did like the show better a second time, plus Gavin Creel's understudy went on, and (I hate to say it) I almost liked him better! Today I had to bid adieu to mom, a week that went entirely too fast (although, I will be happy to have my room back to myself). I have the rest of the week now to prep for Halloween. The RA's are throwing a party in the house on Friday, and I have absolutely no plans for Saturday, nor do I have a costume. But I do have a small issue with procrastinating, so like everything else in my life, I'll pull something out of my ass the night before.

My B!!

After work, on Wed Oct. 21, I met up with Trey, a friend from PCPA and we got standing room tickets for the 2009 best play, God of Carnage. I loved it. It reminded me so much of Life (x) 3 (a show I did at PCPA) by the same playwright, Yazmina Reza. It's a four person show, each of whom where well-diserveingly, nominated for a Tony. It's pretty short, an hour and a half, so it was easy to stand through. Not to mention there wasn't a boring part in the whole show. The last thing I was thinking about where my feet. Especially when Marcia Gay Harden pounced on James Gandolffini! Or when Hope Davis projectile vomited across the stage.

When Trey and I where leaving, we saw Jeff Daniels at the stage door, so we went to get autographs. I handed him my program and he said, “God of Carnage? Well, if I sign this, you have to come to the show. If you don't your teeth will fall out in the middle of the night.” I had no idea what he was talking about since I had just seen the show. Trey then informed me that we were at the Oleanna stage door, and that was actually Bill Pullman.

OOPS!! Wrong stage door! I did think it was strange that he beat us out, I figured he was a master at getting out of costume. I just hope he thinks I'm a tourist with limited English, which might be a good argument since I stared at him like he had three heads. Although, I wonder how the conversation would have gone if I had said, “What?! Your not Jeff Daniels??” I was pretty embarrassed, but hey, it makes for an entertaining story. Those kinds of incidents basically sum up my life.

 But the night doesn't stop there! Trey's roommate works for New World Stages and they just had their (re)opening of Avenue Q. For those of you who have been living in the real world (as opposed to the theatre world) Avenue Q is a musical that ran on Broadway for a few years, snatching a few Tonys on the way. It was set to close, but instead, it moved to Off-Broadway to extend it's run. Anyway, there was a party at the Glass House Tavern and Jana wanted to see if she could get us in. She pulled a few strings and dropped a few names, and voila! We're partying with the cast of Avenue Q and even Tom Kitt, the composer of Next to Normal was there! I had a couple drinks (courtesy New World Stages) and even ran into one of my bosses (who was very surprised/impressed to see me there) and a couple of clients. It was a memorable night, very worth the teasing that ensued the following day: "Not Amanda crashing the Avenue Q party!"

RIP Dig Cam

PS. If anyone's noticed the lack of pictures on my blog, it's due to the fact my camera bit the dust during my 21st in Vegas...maybe it partied a little harder than I did. Anyway, I will try to steal some (mostly from Nick who is the photographing king) to spruce up this blog.

Getting Old Sucks

I have been suffering from minor back pain for about a week now. At first it was nothing to be concerned about. It felt like a sore muscle and I just kept trying to stretch it, and crack my back. But last Tuesday I was in pain. Every step I took sent shooting waves of pain from my lower back to my knee. I couldn't climb stairs or bend down if I dropped something. Sitting was complicated too. I knew I needed a chiropractor or an acupuncture. The program coordinator referred me to her doctor and I set up an appointment to see him Wed morning. By Tuesday night I was in such crippling pain that all I could do was lie paralyzed in the confines of my bed. Every move I made hurt. I had to get up to turn off my light, and it literally took me 20 minutes to lift myself out of bed. I started to think about how awful it would be if I were a cripple and how much extra work every minute task would be. I also started to fear that the doctor would find something incredibly wrong with me and tell me I was going to be paralyzed or had cancer or something. After sleeping for about 12 hours I had enough strength to get out of bed and feebly make my way to Dr. Spendelli's office. He then worked miracles on my body. By the end of the hour, he had reduced my sharp pains to a dull stiffness. That was yesterday, and today, I'd say I'm about 85% better. Certain movements still cause discomfort, but I have faith that by tomorrow I'll be just about back to my old self. I'm looking forward to my follow up with Dr. Spendelli in the morning. Well, I'm going to go down stairs (because I can) and be social...
If you ever injure yourself, go see Dr. Spendelli on 7th and 56th. He's magical.

A Little More Than We Bargained For

Last Monday, Columbus Day, Kellie, Kevin and myself ventured into Union Square. We were having a lovely time bargain hunting at Filene's Basement and Forever 21 until Kevin's stomach started to eat itself. We found a pizza place that seemed satisfying enough. Kevin ordered a calzone hoping to get the most bang for his buck, except that only calzone they had was jammed pack full of cheese; nothing else. Kevin, being lactose-intolerant knew this was going to end badly. My piece of veggie (mostly broccoli--maybe they had a lot of extra that they needed to get rid of) was cold, and most unappetizing, but I managed to eat most of it. I couldn't throw it away, it was $5.50 (!!!!)
Poor Kevin tried to just pick at the bread, considering the cheese was a fucking scary lump of partly solidified goo, that would have caused him even more pain going out than in. Every time he took a bite, of his, cold, pathetic excuse of a calzone, he gagged a little and then wept. We left the shop disheartened and tried to carry on with our day. It ended up not being all bad. Kevin found a very pretty sweater at American Eagle and a killer halloween costume (stay tuned for pictures.) That night, I had a pretty awful stomach ache and a new sense memory that will haunt me the rest of my life.

Ya'll Can Sing Along Too, 'Aint No Thing But A Chicken Wing!

This weekend I saw 3 great shows. The first one, A Boy and His Soul at the Vineyard Theater, was so good. It is a one man show written and stared in by Colman Domingo. It is all about his life and struggles he went through and how music helped him the whole way. He played himself, his mom, dad, brother sister, aunt and others. It was amazing! I laughed, I cried (almost--I never actually cry at shows) and everything in between. His sister, Eve, was my favorite character, though. She is very ghetto-fabulous and in your face. She doesn't care what people think of her: "If my music's too loud, buy some ear plugs or move off the block!" I heard from Edward who is a PA, that a family member asked why he toned her down! Later that night, I hoofed on over to Joe's Pub for The Piven Monologues. Jeremy Piven is a big Hollywood actor from the HBO show Entourage. Last year he stared in Mamet's Speed The Plow but ended up quitting the run early due to alleged mercury poisoning from eating too much sea food. There was some controversy stirred up around it, due to lawsuits and media not knowing how to react. Should we feel sorry for him because he was very ill, or was he just being a wuss and having a diva moment? Of course us die hard Broadway fans thought, "Oh boo-hoo! Suck it up, the show must go on!" Anyway, the Piven Monologues is a collection of internet comments, posted on various blogs on the subject, read aloud. Of course Piven's lawyers had a fit, but since it is nothing more than comments already published for public viewing being read, there really is no claim. It was very funny and cleverly pieced together.
The third show I saw was the Sunday evening performance of The Royal Family. The Sunday matinee was canceled after Tony Roberts made his first entrance and suffered a minor seizure on stage. The curtain came down and he was taken to the hospital. But the evening performance went on as planed. The understudy was great. The show, which was written by Kaufman and Ferber hit home for me because of all the George S. Kaufman shows I had done in High School. He has a distinct writing style and his own comedy. It had so many moments that reminded me of Stage Door, Once In A Lifetime and The Man Who Came To Dinner. The show is based on The Barrymore family (the Royal Family of Broadway.) My only complaint was the third act. Act two ended with a huge monologue from Julie Cavendish played by Jan Maxwell, in which she basically had a breakdown and vowed to quit acting. Of course the joke was that she was late for her curtain and flew out of the room. The act ended on a high note and I felt that would be a sufficient end for the show. The bill said Act 3 takes place three years later, like an epilogue, and just as I suspected, the act seemed to drag on.
Speaking of dragging on...I'm going to end this installment here due to the fact I feel as though I am going to fall asleep at the keys. 'Night!

Three's Company

Also, can I just add that I have now seen each of the three Billy Elliot boys on separate occasions walking down 8th ave. See "Random Sightings List"
I still need to see the show though...

I Got Life, Mother

Guess how many times I've entered the Hair Lottery.....twice! Guess how many times I've won the Hair Lottery.....TWICE!! I saw it for the first time today, though (remember, I gave my previously winning tickets to Nick...) Anyway, the show was awesome! Everyone was amazing. They where all so talented and great singers. The entire show was just fun! I danced in my chair the whole time. Oh, and lets talk about how me and Sally went on stage during the encore! I'm going to consider it my Broadway debut! We were rocking out to "Let The Sun Shine In" with the cast. How cool is that?! Then at the stage door, I reintroduced my self to Will (he's one of our clients at BRS) and he was all, "Amanda, right?" I am amazed at how free and uninhibited he is on stage, yet how soft spoken and contained he is in person. Every time he comes to the office, he comes in, takes care of what he has to, and leaves. Not like some of our clients, *ahem* Billy Magnussun, who makes themselves at home,  cracking jokes, and takes over my desk to eat his lunch (not that I don't love you, Billy! If you ever read this!) Even at the stage door, Will was very reserved and just went down the line signing Playbills. But he dances around naked in a loins cloth and shoves his junk into audience members' faces. Go figure!

Me and Sally got the most awkward picture ever with Gavin Creel.
I almost didn't want to post it, but its worth taking a moment to appreciate his prettiness. Despite that awful wig and his lack of interest in women, I still fawn over him, especially when he opens his mouth to sing. That boy can sing his face off! (Not literally, please though)
Oh, and let me just mention, by the way, I have seen more naked people since I moved to NY than I have in my entire life! First it was the Suspicious Package concert, that happened to be a burlesque show. Basically, the only criteria for performing in the Tits and Skits was that you couldn't wear a shirt. Then at Kellie's Avaunt-Gard-Arama there were a couple naked acts, then tonight at Hair. Let's just say there were a lot of naked hippies. I'm pretty sure I'd never seen anyone get naked on stage before I moved here either. Well, now its off to bed to dream about my real Broadway debut, or maybe naked hippies....

To Shop Or Not To Shop

So I ended up not going to see Jude Law's Hamlet. It was a hard decision as I have vowed to jump at every opportunity to see theatre, but it was $35 and 3 hours of Hamlet. Plus I would have had to get up at 8 am on sat to rush it, and I was up till 4 on Friday...so, yeah.
Instead, me and Lindsay went to Greenwich. We started out at the Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee shop on 8th and 25th, which if you haven't been, you should go. They have really good bagels and like 12 different kinds of cream cheese. I had a poppy seed bagel with strawberry. My fav! OO, I'm getting hungry thinking about it. Anyway, I knew there was some sort of street fair/farmer's market in the West Village, so we went looking for it. We found the coolest shop on Bowery Street (next to the Bowery Poetry Club) that had the funkiest clothes and jewelery. We vowed to go back once we got paid! We then got heckled by a lisping hair stylist who wanted to give us a wash, dry, cut, manicure, massage and wine for $60. Sounds like a great deal, but I was uneasy about shelling out $60 up front. Plus he was making me uncomfortable because he kept asking Lindsay if he could try on her rings and glasses...awkward. After about 15 mins of him trying to convince us (he even cut the price in half) he got the hint that we didn't want his services. He snatched the brochures out of our hands and then huffily shooed us away! Seriously! Lindsay and my feeling's weren't hurt too bad, and forgot all about it when we saw some really awesome vintage jewelery in a booth down the street. I tried to convince Lindsay to get a really cool turquoise owl necklace, but she has more willpower than I do (I need to get some though, because Manhattan is expensive!) Anyway, we then made our way to Washington Square
where a really awesome band was playing. We listened to them for a while, and even got  a free CD. We then decided to catch the subway at Union Square to go to the Manhattan Library. We walked through the Union Square flea market, and I saw some really awesome paintings and tee shirts. (I can't wait till I'm rich enough just to but art!) I need to go back soon to spend a more thorough time there. Anyway, we got to the library, only to find out they close at 6 on the weekends. We got there at 5:45 and they wouldn't let us in. Seriously, what's up with everywhere in Manhattan closing 10 mins early?!
I then got home and went to dinner with Kevin, Sally, Kellie, and Danielle. When I got home, I was all ready to have a quite Sat night, but, Rudy convinced me to go out with a group of 305'ers. We went to a bar and shared some $10 pitchers of beer, and ended up staying up until almost 4 am (AGAIN!) It is seriously so hard to get some sleep in the city that never does! At least I have Monday off, hopefully I can recoup then (I shouldn't get my hopes up, though!)
Sunday, I had a lazy morning, plus it was raining and crappy. I hate when it rains in the city, I feel so gross. It's so muggy and I feel like the rain has washed all the dirt from the high rise buildings down to the streets below. The subways may as well be the sewers! Anyway, that afternoon I went to the Broadway Flea Market. This is a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids (BC/EFA.) Basically all the theaters cleaned out their closets and were selling old playbills, posters, props costumes, lost and found, etc. I should have gone a little earlier because when I got there, there where so many people, the fire marshal wouldn't let people in until others left. It was overwhelming and we didn't stay long, though, Nick had a successful trip. He came home with some loot and pictures of Audra McDonald who had made some baked goods for the event.
Sun afternoon resulted with a trip down the river. Kevin's theater company produces a series of 1 acts and it's called Going To The River I was really impressed, I hadn't heard great things, but I enjoyed most of the scenes a lot. It was the best Off-Broadway show I've seen! (Ie: Race Music, Avaunte Garde-Arama...)
Sally and I then ventured down to the Trader Joe's in SoHo. It was great (I love TJ's) but apparently so does the rest of the city. The check out line wrapped around the entire store (no joke!) I guess the trick is to do Line Shopping. Just get in line when you first get there, and grab things as you stand in line making your way through the store! (Or, I guess, go on a Tuesday....)
So, all in all, it was a very successful weekend despite the lack of Jude. But it's not over yet! I have Monday off,  and Lindsay and I are going to go to the Capezio store in my building and try to make our way over to the Library. Wish us luck!

A Far From Normal Evening

Crazy afternoon! No joke. So, I was going to go to the Met (the grocery store, not the museum) when Nick said, "I'm going to the Library" and I said, 'Oh, my gosh! I want to go! I need a library card!" But first Nick wanted to put his name in the Hair lottery. So I said I would too so he would have a better chance of winning. For those of you who follow Nick's blog (http://newyorkstateofmind09.blogspot.com/) you would know he has lost the lotto 4 times. So, being the 5th time, he didn't have his hopes up, but there weren't that many people there, and long story short: my name got called! I was just excited that I won, I rarely win anything! after purchasing the $25 tickets, we headed over to the library, past the Next to Normal theater. Leaving the theater, were Adam Chanler-Berat and Kyle Dean Massey (see my Random Sightings list for bios). I got really excited, I acted like a 12 year old girl meeting Miley for the first time. I didn't have enough composure to actually approach them with out completely embarrassing myself, so I let them walk past, trying to act cool, but I'm sure I reeked of awkwardness. I turned to Nick and just as I announced that I had more people to add to my Random Sightings list, I looked over and locked eyes with Louis, my roommate from California! I was more shocked to see Louis than the gorgeous Broadway stars and quickly forgot about them. Not that Louis isn't a gorgeous Broadway star... ;)
Anyway, we played a little catch up but then he had to go, since he was seeing the evening performance of N2N.
Now, to top it all off, I'm watching the 2 hours season premier of Gray's Anatomy! (which I forgot was on, so that was another surprise!) Then I have to get ready for my headshots that I'm taking in the morning.
I'm excited for the weekend. We're seeing Jude Law's Hamlet, so I'm sure there will be a lot to report after that!

Random Sightings

I've added a side bar to list all the celebrity sightings. These do not include people I've sought out (ie, going to the stage door, stalking Chase Crawford at the Gossip Girl set, etc.) Most of these happen as I walk down 8th on my way to work.

39 Steps

NYAP with the cast of 39 Steps (the four in the front, right are the cast) Lets just take a moment to appreciate how pretty Sean Mahon is (black jacket)

A Steady Rain

The Wolverine Vs. James Bond! UGH! Today, thanks to Nick (who spent is precious Sat morning sitting in line for tickets) I went to see A Steady Rain. SO GOOD! It was directed by John Crowley who also directed Pillowman so I had high expectations, though, I was a little worried about Australian and British actors doing Chicago accents. But they pulled the whole thing off seamlessly. There were moments I almost would have cried, if I were capable of crying at a show. The minor line flubs were excusable considering they were in previews. The set was simple yet creative and beguiling. I loved it. And despite the fact we were in the back row, I could still see the definition in Hugh's abs and chest through his shirt! Honestly, it didn't really matter what else he was doing! He could have been reading the phone book and I would have still been enthralled!

During the second encore, we raced out to the stage door in hopes of prime viewing. Only to find at least 100 people already lined up. These were people off the streets or patrons from God Of Carnage who had wandered over to see Hugh and Daniel, which was very annoying for those of us who actually saw the show and hoped for the chance to complement the actors. Fortunately, I'm an expert at squeezing my way to the front of the line, so I managed to get about 2 people away from the barricade, and I didn't care if I had to stick someone's head in my armpit to get my playbill in front of the actors. It was quite annoying to listen to the lady who had snaked her way in from GoC complain about "people pushing" her. No one was actually pushing her, yet her 5'2" frame got the brunt of people leaning forward to get their playbills signed. In her obnoxious Jersey accent she kept squealing, "OW! YOUR HURTING ME! QUIT PUSHING ME! I'VE JUST RECOVERED FROM 3 WEEKS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY!" Well, you know what I say? "GOOD!" That's what happens when you try to go to the stage door to see Wolverine and James Bond! You deserve it for taking up space from an actual paying patron! Also annoying was the woman who sketched Hugh and Daniel's face (not that well I must add) on a massive canvas board and then knocked people in the head as she tried to get them to sign it. Hugh was very charming, though. He signed a girl's shirt that said, "I heart Hugh" and posed for pictures. And look at that ass!

Where Are My Keys? I Lost My Phone.

First week of work was pretty good. I basically do bitch work and I feel like Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada but Mark Redanty is the sweetest person ever, and the best boss I've ever had. So no major complaints. Plus on Friday I met Will Swenson and read with Marc Kudisch for an audition they put him on tape for. So I'm doing what I came here to do: network. That weekend I went to Vegas and it was a little bit of a debauchery. It all started Friday night. We went to see Race Music, which gave me a boost of confidence; if that's considered Off-Broadway theatre, then I should have no problem finding a job. That's the nicest thing I can say about it. A group of us then went to the Chelsea Square Restaurant where I got my waffle craving satisfied. Since I had to leave the house at 6am and it was already midnight and I hadn't packed, I figured the logical thing to do would be to pull an all-nighter. Which was fun until about 5 am. Thank god for a one hour subway ride followed by a 6 hour plane ride. Except that the E train, which is the one that's supposed to go from Penn to JFK, was closed for construction so I had to catch a bus at Port Authority. That's where I had a minor panic attack due to the fact I thought I was going to miss my flight. My poor dad got the brunt of my frustration as I frantically texted him using a string of curse words, even though it was 2am on the west coast. Anyway, I made it with just a few minutes to spare. That was when I realized I hadn't eaten since my waffle and I wasn't going to eat until I landed in NV. Luckily I slept through my hunger pains. After eating and taking a nap (in the 900 square foot suite, with a hot tub and his and hers bathroom, I got upgraded to), my family and I went to Margaritaville. Then to a $1 margarita bar and 4 margaritas later I was having a grand ol' time! Anyway, after a really crappy pirate show at Treasure Island; bad sushi; and my dad loosing my sister, and then my sister loosing her husband, it was time for bed. Except remember, those $1 frozen strawberry margaritas? Yeah, well my dad was afraid that "free upgrade" was going to cost him $10,000 to replace the carpet. Luckily the cleaning lady got the red dye out for free. Woo! That's what you get for waking up in Vegas! Huh, Katie?

I know A Great Mexican Restaurant. They have the Best Margaritas!

Sept 7th: Labor Day, our first house meeting and my 21st bday! I had made plans with my friends who already live in the City to get together and invited who ever wanted to go from the house. We showed up at a little mexican restraunt in Chelsea and asked for a table of 25. I felt bad, but no one else was there, so the staff was happy for some business. They where really friendly, and one of the servers got lucky when Caitlin thanked him with a kiss. I had a great time. I was so excited that 18 of my new roommates came out to celebrate, plus I got to see Natasha, Caitlin, Scott, Anna, Tony and Samara, all of whom I hadn't seen since Santa Fe. Tony brought me roses and when I got home I couldn't find a vase, so I put them in the blender! I then proceeded to leave a note which in my inebriated state said, "Amanda's. Plz don't blend :)" which made Sober Manda giggle in the morning.

It sure beat my 20th bday which I spent sitting the the Las Vegas airport. It was definitely one of the nicest bdays I've had in a long time. I'll take that as a sign that my move to NYC will improve my life drastically.

A Sight To See

Kevin and I had a few days to ourselves in the city. We made a trip up to Central Park and I wanted to see the John Lennon Memorial. We walked towards Strawberry Fields and spent over an hour walking in circles and still never found the famous "IMAGINE" mosaic, though I'm sure we passed it seven times. That night we decided to go dancing. We had to find an 18+ club since I still had a few days till my 21st. We decided upon a gay, Latino club. After standing around watching awkward go-go dancers (that's a story I wont be posting on the internet) Kevin and I made our way on to the dance floor where we pretended we could Salsa/Cha Cha/Rumba. It involved a lot of flailing body limbs. The DJ finally played a 45 second montage of "Just Dance" and "Circus" in which we rushed the stage while everyone else took water/bathroom breaks (could we be any whiter?) We called it a night early because I had walked all over Central Park in boots and was now wearing FMP's so my feet were screaming in pain. Seriously! I don't know how those New Yorkers do it! I am in desperate need of shoes that are comfortable yet cute enough to wear with skirts. That was basically the height of excitement for the week. I just had RA training and waited for residents to trickle in so I could check them in.

From Coast to Coast

I'm hopping on this Blog Bandwagon a little late, but I'm here nonetheless. Ok, so catchup. Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...(sorry). Anyway, for reals, flying from Santa Barbara to Newark was what Kevin would call “A Shitstorm”. It was mostly due to the fact that I had two massive roller board suitcases that weighed over 80lbs ($150 to check) not to mention the 40lb carry-on and my “personal item” (which, lets face it, was a stretch considering it was a 30lb duffle bag.) After picking all my luggage up at the baggage claim, I began my trek to Manhattan. I was carrying almost 1.5 times my weight in clothes, shoes and scores. At one point, I had to take a down escalator. I imagined my death as 230 lbs of luggage pushed me forward towards the sharp, jagged stairs that gleamed at me like teeth. (EW? Did I just write that?! I'm working on my blogging skills!) I finally made my way to the airtrain that would connect me to the Jersey Transit. The JT was the worst. It was packed, and I kinda had to plop all my crap down, blocking the isle. A few people tried to get around me, but I didn't have the strength, nor the room to move. A poor, unknowing girl offered me the seat next to her. I took it to get out of the way, but felt very awkward as my suitcase barricaded us into the compartment. We finally got to Pennsylvania Station where, Kevin (bless his heart) was meeting me to help me carry all my crap the 4 blocks to the 305. I poured out of the train and tried to make my way up to the ground level. After twenty minutes of getting lost and feeling like my arms where going to fall off, a man in a business suit remarked, “Wow, you sure do have your hands full!” Since I was too exhausted to come up with a witty response, I just said, “Yeah. I just moved here from California and I didn't know what to bring, so I brought it all!” He then pointed me in the right direction to 7^th ave. where Kevin was waiting for me. I finally found Kevin and he helped me get home and then up the four flights of stairs to my 20 square foot room. I wanted to buy Kevin dinner for his troubles, but in the flurry to get out of the house and explore Manhattan, I forgot my wallet. He had to foot the bill. I'm a jackass.