the new year

I hope your 2012 was great. I hope, regardless, your 2013 is even better and that every year after is better than the last. What a big dream that is!

So, I obviously haven't written in a long time (I realized many moons ago that I really blog/journal the most when I am sad or angry... which I'm not) but I am going to try to write a little more this coming year so that I have a record of what I am doing and why. I guess I'm going to have to get really mad really soon!

After joining equity, it may seem like I have done a whole lot of nothing with my equity card. Which is partially true. However, I have spent the latter part of the year changing the non-performance aspects of my life to be able to accommodate what I ACTUALLY want to be doing in NYC. I got a new job where I will be able to work less, but make the same amount of money as before, so that I am not so tired all the time and will have the freedom and flexibility to go to auditions. That was the #1 Big Move of 2012. It was scary and I kept questioning the decision, but it is going to be sooooooooo much better, it already IS soooo much better, and it was the right choice, hands down. Plus, not that I have made any friends yet, but I have a lot more in common with the people I work with now, and I can learn things that are actually useful and some that could even help me in marketing myself better.

I did a showcase via Seth Bisen-Hersh that I am extremely proud of. You can view the video on the Media page of my website. I wanted/needed performance video for my website and I couldn't have asked for a better one. I was in the middle of the worst cold I had all year, I sounded like Ke$ha the entire week before and the next day I lost my voice, but somehow the clouds parted for 5 hours during one day, and gave me the ability to sing. Thank you, body, for coming through for me on 10/23.

Chris and I recorded a couple tracks for an incomplete EP of Christmas cover songs. Those are also available on the Media page to listen to. We'll probably finish it by next Christmas. And maybe we'll put some non-Christmas songs on there, too, so that we don't sound so She and Him-y. I would rather sound like HEART!

This year Chris and I went to a lot of concerts and actually saw a lot of theatre, also (compared to other years, at least). We saw Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, Wilco, The Avett Brothers, and The Monkees. As for theatre, Chris was in a production of Hamlet and we also saw Ghost the musical, Uncle Vanya (at Soho Rep), Slow Girl (at Lincoln Center), Twelfth Night (ASC on tour) and Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Lion in Winter and King John (ASC in Staunton). At the Monkees concert, which was our last concert of the year, I told Chris that the only reason we were able to go to so many shows this year is because we didn't perform in as many shows ourselves. For example, I have wanted to see Radiohead since I was 16 years old. Literally every single time they toured anywhere near me, I couldn't go because I was in a show and had a performance that night. Clearly, if given the choice, I would always rather be performing (and, just to put it into the universe, I would also like to be the weird, female back-up singer for Radiohead) but it was really nice to see so many acts that I've wanted to see for a very long time.

The best movies we saw together in 2012 were Wreck it Ralph and Bernie (we have not seen Lincoln or the Hobbit, yet) and the best TV shows on right now are Parks and Rec, New Girl and Cougar Town, in that order. They have made me laugh, cry and inspired me to be funnier all year long.

In 2013 I am going to start taking classes at UCB (I start on January 2nd!), I have more Rock-a-Baby classes than ever before, my choir, Chameleonic, will be performing its spring concert in April, I will be getting new headshots taken, I will start planning our 5th anniversary trip to Disney World (which won't be until 2014, but when it comes to Disney World, the planning is almost exciting as the trip itself) and we MIGHT be moving (that might depend on the Fiscal Cliff) to a new apartment. I am also going to finally get an iphone, and hopefully an ipad and desktop computer (because, obviously, I plan on being a secret millionaire in 2013). I would also like new glasses. This blog is my Christmas List.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, though, I want/need to start going to auditions, again. I want to take more classes (maybe more at UCB or perhaps a commercial/TV class) and I want to rid myself of irrational fears and learn to be good at auditioning so that I actually know what I'm doing the night before. I have taken steps in 2012 to start this process. 2013 should be about following through.

So, this year should be nerve wracking, busy and hopefully fun. Happy New Year!!