kitties and turkeys

I haven't updated in a long time and now it's almost December. UGH! Time always go so fast.

Well, we did get a kitty on the 9th and it was the best decision ever! We adopted her from the NYC ACC and she's perfect. We named her Jessie and she's all black with orange eyes. We saw 2 kitties that day and I was so sure we were going to go with the first one we saw (before we met Jessie). I kind of said, "Oh suuuuuure. We'll see the other cat!" just to, like, humor them. Of course we loved them both. We picked Jessie because she was smaller and I liked her eyes. She's so sweet. I mean, yeah, she's insane and wants to be fed all the time, but she will just sit on your lap and go to sleep all day. I love her. Meow.

Christmas time has arrived! You know... sort of. Chris and I ordered food from Whole Foods for Thanksgiving. It was delicious. It was even MORE delicious since I didn't have to try and cook a turkey myself. Black Friday was not the retail death I thought it was going to be. What's been worse is the fact that our heat is broken yet we keep the door open at work. It is SO COLD! All the employees just stand around shivering.

I keep getting really, really tired really easily all the time. I just took a little sip of 5 hour energy because I'm so tired I feel like the last 2 hours of work are going to suck but I don't want FIVE HOURS of energy. That's way too much. I want to go to bed. These 5 hour energy people just walked into the store on Black Friday to give us some. I totally took it. It was like being in college again when the Red Bull truck would just drive up to you and you'd get free stuff.

We went to the South Street Seaport Christmas Tree lighting on Friday night! It was great! I thought we were a little late, but we got there at the perfect time: to see the tree actually go on and then to see Darlene Love perform! I love her. She sings on David Letterman every year. I couldn't believe how not crowded it was. Rockefeller Center it isn't, but still. It was the first Tree Lighting of the season, you'd think there'd be more people.

The Nostalgia train is running again and I can't WAIT to ride it. Hopefully next Sunday I'll be able to if even for a little while. Chris and I won't be able to ride it together until the 26th when we get back from Ohio but maybe I'll have a little time before then, too. I'm a busy lady.

I have lost my desire to keep writing so I'll try to post sooner next time.

time travel day

Hello! It's been a while again. I get busy, folks... I get busy.

So, my birthday came and went (that's the first time I've ever been that non-chalant about my birthday ever) and it was good. I had some friends from the ASC who live here over, including my Best Birthday Buddy, Greg, who doesn't get AS into Halloween as I do. I forced them all to play games and laughed a lot. I laughed the MOST when they played the eat-the-donut-on-a-string-without-using-your-hands game and the donut kept smacking Greg in the face. I laughed until my abs hurt. I could barely START the game.

I got a couple gift cards for my birthday... I might be using one of them this week in case we GET A KITTY!!!! I don't want to jinx it.... but I am also excited. We're going to meet a few kitties on Tuesday, I think. It's all I wanted for my birthday. I really want to get TWO kitties... we'll see, though. MEOW!

Christmas started at 12:01am on November 1st and it was actually awesome. Listen. I might hate NYC a lot of the time, but I LOVE Christmas in New York. It's the best place in the world. It is literally like living in Disney World in the good way. Yes, there are too many people in New York and not enough stuff for there to be sales on the things that *I* want, and it's so SCARY to go shopping because it's so crowded... but other than that it is AMAZING!!!!!!! There's ice skating, pop up shops, everything is decorated (everything. Streets, stores, trees, everything), everything is on sale, Santa Claus is there, those giant gingersnap cookies in Central Park, Starbucks holiday flavors, the Rockettes, Christmas music playing from speakers IN LAMP POSTS.... it's incredible. I bet Disney World is actually just like this at Christmas.

Speaking of Disney, the new, gigantic store is opening in Times Square on TUESDAY! Yay. I am so excited. The one on 5th ave closed at the end of last year and I was devastated. I used to go there after particularly bad days at work.... which was all the time at that place.... and it was the only thing that would make me feel better. Then it closed and I was so sad.... but now the new one is opening and it's going to be amazing. I work on 5th ave and I feel like every day after work in December I am going to walk out of my way to see either the Rockefeller Center tree or the Bryant Park Tree and go to the Disney store once a week. It will be the best time ever!!

Today was the NYC Marathon! I knew a couple of people who were running. It seemed like everyone was late coming in today because of it. That, or the MTA's craptacular Sunday Subway Service. I know on Sundays, if I work at 8am, I will either be 20 minutes early for work or 10 minutes late. There is absolutely no way to be RIGHT on time or even a little early or late. NOPE. Just ridiculous extremes. I hate Sundays so much. I also hate that Hale and Hearty soup is not open on Sundays. WHY??? People need soup on Sunday! I don't think the Daily Soup is open on the weekend at all! I had to go to the Food Emporium for soup.... and it was only ok. Maybe they'll be open on Sunday as it gets closer to winter. Yes, the cold has suddenly come upon us, but apparently the SOUP places refuse to acknowledge it. Jerks.

So, the marathon ended at 66th and Central Park West and I work (my OTHER job) at 67th and Broadway. That's 2/10s of a mile away so I keep seeing people wrapped in their marathon heat blankets. I don't think I could run a marathon. I think I could PHYSICALLY run it... but I think, somewhere around the 20th mile, I would be so bored and frustrated that there was STILL more to run that I would start crying.... and I think that would affect my time.

thoughts on harry potter

As I'm sure you know, I have spent the last 2.5 months re-reading the Harry Potter series. It took a while to get started... things kept getting in the way like ordering the first book on amazon and having it never arrive.... going to SEVERAL bookstores before I actually was able to find a copy for some reason... but I started around the time we moved into our current apartment and I've been reading a couple chapters a night.

This was my first re-reading of the series. I think I had read parts of Half-Blood Prince before the 7th book came out, but I am pretty sure I only read the entire book once. Most of these books I hadn't read since 2005, the last I hadn't read since 2007. It was definitely the right time. I had forgotten enough to be surprised and appreciate the humor while KNOWING enough to look for clues in the earlier books.

The first 2 were, you know, fine. I have suddenly found myself surrounded by people my age or slightly younger who have not read these books at all (SERIOUSLY??? How is it POSSIBLE??) and when I am telling them to get started I say, "Read the first 2 as fast as you can. The third book is where it picks up. The fourth is one of the best books ever." I definitely appreciate PoA (the 3rd book) a lot more now than I did. I always thought it was GOOD but now I'm kind of thinking it's amazing.

In regards to Goblet of Fire (or book 4), the first time I read that book, when Cedric died in the graveyard and Harry's parents (etc, all) came out of Voldemort's wand, I literally threw the book across the room. I was late for work that day because I could not stop reading. I did not THROW the book this time. I did cry.

The fifth book is pretty much the same for me as it was before.... long and hard to get through. I despise Umbridge SO MUCH that it's actually torturous. The first time I read this book it was nearly impossible for me to accept Sirius's death. I didn't realize the killing curse, though never actually WRITTEN in the book, was implied, so I didn't know what happened to him to make him die, and I thought, like Harry, that he'd be back any moment. I loved Sirius so much. He was one of my favorite characters. His death is one of the hardest to take in the series.

I definitely had a minor emotional break down when Snape killed Dumbledore in the 6th book, which I read surprisingly fast. The last 3 books are so effing long, but they're so well done that I would spend all my free alone time just reading on the couch until Chris got home. That's what I did tonight to finish the 7th book.

Now, again, I had not read this book since 2007 and what you have to understand is that I read it SO FAST and like, in the middle of the NIGHT when I was already exhausted from being in rehearsal all the time, that I did not take in everything that happened. It was practically like I was reading it for the first time, just knowing that several people would die and that Harry was a Horcrux. I kept saying that summer that I needed to go back and reread parts... that, obviously, never happened.

Let me tell you.... I had completely, 100%, forgotten about the Deathly Hallows. THAT IS THE TITLE OF THE BOOK. Not remembering ANYTHING about them, I was, at times, talking to the book. Telling Harry moot instructions that I literally was guessing at because I couldn't remember! I looked back at my old blog and read that I didn't really understand them in my haste to get through it... I don't know why. Not only did they make sense, but they are AMAZING!!!! The thing she does that I love the MOST is when she makes the Wizarding world seem possible in OUR world. Like taking everyday things like saying an old shoe on the side of the road is actually a portkey or a children's story having it's history based on fact (like the deathly hallows).... I just love that crap. Her imagination in amazing.

I did not beat the ground with my fists when Tonks and Lupin died this time. I knew it was coming and, actually, I remembered it being more climactic than it is. However, I totally forgot that Lupin almost ran out on Tonks and that they asked Harry to be the godfather. I had forgotten that Dobby died. DOBBY. I moaned, "Dobby, nooooooooooooo" as I closed the book and cried. I had forgotten about Moody's death. I had forgotten about that creepy scene where Nagini is actually that old lady, Bathilda Bagshot or whatever. I had forgotten the extent to which Snape loved Lily.

When Snape's dying words to Harry are, "Look... at...me....." so he can see HER eyes again.

How he begged Voldemort to save her.... how she was his Patronus.... it's hard to bear. It's hard to imagine that poor man's life of unrequited love and helping Harry because she was his mother's child.

But, again, the most poignant moment to me is still when Harry asks Dumbledore if the purgatory world is real or if it's just in his head and Dumbledore replies, "Of course is is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

A second reading of this line brought back memories of Narnia. Of so much spirituality. Of having my own crazy imagination that, at times, feels muffled.

So, despite the fact that I love it when Mrs. Weasley calls Bellatrix a bitch right before killing her, the previous line resonated with me more.

When I finished the book and wiped away the tears, I stood up and practically hugged it saying, "I'll miss you, Harry Potter." I just can't wait to share it with more people.

spooooky times are approaching

Well, it's been a month. I thought about writing but then I never would. Typical.

We just got back from Virginia and Ginna's wedding on Monday. I had been looking forward to this wedding for so long it was almost unbelievable that it was actually there. It was perfect. Ginna looked AMAZING and everything was very fun and original. She asked us to sing Maria Taylor's Cartoons and Forever Plans and that went well, too. I was so happy to be involved. I had never been involved in a wedding besides my own before this one! I think that's CRAZY for a singer who is almost 28!

Jenny made Ginna's dress, too, and it was literally a piece of art. People ACTUALLY screamed as she entered the room. Jenny has made 3 dresses in the past year and has at least 2 more coming up that I know about. Here is a sample of what she's done.

That's obviously me in the first picture, our friend Denice from the ASC in the second and Ginna and her dad in the last picture. All completely different, yet completely beautiful. Ginna's dress was also a CONVERTIBLE dress! The bottom part of the skirt came off for her party time. People literally screamed. It was amazing. It has actually taken this long for the full weight of the dress to sink in for me. I told Jenny every time I see a picture I faint a little bit. It's kind of true. I am really looking forward to seeing the professional pictures.

So, clearly, I had a great time at the wedding. The day after we got home we got a save the date for another wedding in Staunton (Johnston and Lindsey... who have been engaged since 2008! Also, let me just say... their engagement was the best day of MY life. It was right after ours and I lost it in the middle of the street when they told me. I had also PREDICTED it in the shower that morning, which was weird, because they had only been dating like 6 months when it happened) and I'm pretty sure Tyler and Sybille are also getting married in Staunton, so we'll be back before you know it. I need to start a wedding trip fund. For real.

I would also like to say that Ginna's family is so amazing. Her parents are some of the nicest people I have ever met and her sister Kelly is just a doll. What a lucky, lucky lady to have such wonderful people in her life.

So! Other news. Well, I found out 2 of my friends are dating and have been for SIX MONTHS, and I had no idea. This isn't like an "I found out on facebook after having not seen either of them in years" thing, either. This is a "I literally see them several times a week, had seen them TOGETHER, and still had no idea" thing. I was thinking about asking my friend Lyndsay if she was seeing anyone that day, because we had never really talked about it, and then I found out that night, in the surprise of the century. Then, of course, I had so many questions... only one of which I actually asked. I am really happy about it, though. They're both so nice and it's always great when nice people get together.

My birthday is coming up really soon. It is actually only 2.5 weeks away!!! BOOOOOOOOOO!!! I am still only half decorated. I got busy. Too busy to write and too busy to decorate. Of course, I STARTED decorating on September 30th at like 10:30pm..... I just haven't done much since then. I am planning on going to a couple of Halloween stores tonight after my rockababy classes. I can't buy anything, but I am planning on dragging Chris around them for a very spooky adventure. In a store. I am so broke until I get paid tomorrow it isn't even funny. Seriously, it's not at all funny. Don't laugh at the fact that I have only $10 left. I had a lot to buy at the end of the month, like train tickets to Staunton. Luckily, I get paid tomorrow and Friday so at least I'll have money for cereal again. Sadly, I foresee lots of being broke in my future with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.

The price of the metro cards is going up FIFTEEN DOLLARS on January 1st and that makes me want to cry. I won't really cry, but it is depressing. You know WHY I ride the subway? To get to work. Now I have to work MORE just to make up for the fact that my transportation TO WORK is more expensive. Grumble. This is why every place of employment in NYC should offer their employees a debit card where half the amount of the card is taken out of each paycheck pre-tax, so they can buy the card. Chris's job does that. Every single job should. I have been saving my metro card receipts all year so that I can write them off on my taxes. Stupid metro card. BLAH.

it's all happenin' at the zoo

Today is my last Wednesday totally off for a while. Chris started his rock-a-baby classes this morning and I have my first session for fall next week. I am excited but of course I will miss my day off. Having a day off is so great! Today I finally was able to use a groupon I got last month for the Astor Bake Shop near our apartment in Astoria and it was so effing adorable I wanted to hug it. First of all, I love our neighborhood so much and especially THIS part as opposed to the part we used to live. 30th ave is nice if you like... I don't know.... to be annoyed... but Ditmars is great if you love things that are adorable, which I definitely do. This cafe isn't really near Ditmars, but it's close enough to consider it not 30th ave. Anyway, the food was so good and they played the Beatles the whole time we were in there. The only problem was that they were playing a recording of Revolver in stereo and the playback was in mono... so we heard only half the vocals to most songs and almost no vocals on Yellow Submarine (which, of course, isn't the worst thing in the world for that song. We just enjoyed the ocean sounds).

Last Wednesday we went to the Bronx Zoo and had the BEST TIME!!!!! It was donation day, so we got in cheap but it was so great I'm planning on getting a membership for next year. The membership gives you entrance for 2 into all the NYC zoos and the Aquarium (including all the extras that cost more) plus 10% off food and gift shop and it's only $94. Considering the Aquarium costs $25 for one person by itself, this is a serious deal. The last time I went to a zoo (not including Animal Kingdom) was the San Diego Zoo which actually scared me off zoos because it made me feel so bad for the animals. They were all in such small cages and I remember seeing one of the big cats pacing back and forth continuously and it made me so upset because I felt like that cat had gone insane from being cooped up. This zoo was totally different and more like Animal Kingdom where it's a simulated reality for the animals. I loved it so much and the weather was basically perfect. The food was also surprisingly good. I got this big cup with lions on it that cost $9 but was refillable. We were exhausted at the end of the day but had such a great time.

I am so happy the weather has been more reasonable the last couple of days. We did have a few hot days last week, but it wasn't too bad. Of course, the weather also made me sick. It's nearing the end, but I've had a cold since Friday. Sunday was the worst. We went to this diner nearby because we had no food to cook and I couldn't taste my soup at all except when I blew my nose. It was annoying. I'm now in the backed up phlegm phase where I'm constantly clearing my throat and having to spit. Like a lady.

Tonight we are going to a haunted house for FREE! I haven't been to one since 2006 so I'm excited. It's going to be boo-riffic. And probably scary. I do really well at haunted houses (as opposed to scary movies where I just can't watch them at all) but I have a feeling that a New York haunted house is going to be REALLY scary. My sister is working at Cedar Point's Halloweekends again this year and she asked me what the scariest thing I've ever seen was. I told her it was the zombie ghost of a vampire werewolf dressed as a mummy. I can't wait for my birthday. :)

you can ride backwards on the lirr

I think Conan O'Brien might secretly write for groupon. Take a look at what the "groupon says" cat had to say about a groupon in Cleveland:

"Here are some fire safety tips to keep you out of harm's way:

1. First, make sure it's really a fire you're dealing with and not a still photo of a fire or a fraternity brother dressed as a fire.
2. Fires are allergic to knives.
3. Shouting at fires will not make them go away, but it will lower their temperatures enough to punch them.
4. Fire only burns those who believe in it."

I laughed out loud for real.

Yesterday I went to the beach! Oh man. I was so happy. We went to Jones Beach, which is known as one of the best beaches in New York (state). It's a state park, so there's not much around and no hotels nearby, so making it a weekend trip would be hard, but I loved it. I loved every minute of the hour and a half we were there. I honestly couldn't stay any longer because it was literally the first time all summer I had been out in the sun on purpose. I had sunscreen all over my body, and I mostly used spf 50, and I reapplied it like... every 20 minutes... but I was still scared. And rightly so. The sun is DANGEROUS. But, luckily, I didn't get burned and I also no longer look like a vampire which was exactly what I wanted. The trip there wasn't too bad, either despite the next sentence: N to 30th, walk to Steinway, R to Roosevelt, E to Sutphin, LIRR to Freeport, N88 to Jones Beach. It was a lot of transfers but the LIRR was so fun (and only $21 for two roundtrip tickets!!!) and I was smiling like I was on a roller coaster the entire time.

After we got home yesterday I was EXHAUSTED and starving. I ate 3 pieces of pizza, 3 cheesey garlic things and 2 cinna-pizza things (we ordered from papa johns). I then laid on the couch, half asleep, watching PBS until 9:30pm when I nearly died because I could not take the heat in the living room any more. It was unbearable. We went to bed, but really I read the end of my Harry Potter 3 book for an hour and then half an issue of Glamour magazine. Listen, though. Harry Potter is AMAZING! If you're a fan and haven't read them since the 7th book came out in 2007, it's time to reread them. I had forgotten so much. I forgot that Scabbers was Pettigrew! The 3rd book is so excellent. I mean, what an amazing, original, exciting plot. That JK Rowling. She's good. I am excited to start the 4th book tonight, which is my favorite despite the fact that it's also the first one I cried during and also the one I threw across the room (when Cedric died). I suppose throwing it across the room is no beating the floor with my fists during hysterical crying (like I did during the 7th book... perhaps a couple of times) but it's still pretty dramatic. I love Harry Potter.

I really like having these days off on Wednesdays. It's been so great. I feel like I'm trying to fit the entire summer into 4 days off. Next week we're thinking about going to a baseball game. Even though it would be the Yankees, it'd still be fun. I like to get souvenir cups.

There's a hurricane a-coming! Sort of. The hurricane was half the reason I insisted on going to the beach yesterday. Labor Day and the hurricane will bring summer to a nice end. And this time, it BETTER END. I am tired of being too hot to sit on the couch. The weather gave us a reminder of fall last week (or the week before? I can't remember) and it was great. Not that I want winter to come, because I DO NOT want that. I think I could deal with an abnormally long spring and fall every year, though.

mysterious fall

Blargh. I am so busy at work today that I might not have time to actually write this. Now THAT is busy. For here. Apparently it rained a little bit and it's cutting off our phone service and making the computers run hella slow. Yesterday the phones were down the entire day, today they just keep cutting in and out. Obviously this makes us useless when it happens.

It has suddenly become Fall and I love it! Everyone looks better when they're not sweating. It also gives me the great opportunity to wear more clothes, which means... more layers. YAY! Fall will end and go back to hot again in a couple days, but we are loving it right now. It will come back for real eventually.

So, Chris and I moved our stuff from Ohio last week. The trip was pretty smooth but man were we tired. I only got to see my parents for about 4 hours before I went to sleep (since I had to wake up at 5am... again) and my sister for, like, 2.5 hours. We went to Rocknees in Kent and she showed us her brand new (for her) "big girl" apartment. Strangely enough, Chris used to live in the same apartment complex, back in 1992. It was HIS first apartment, too.

Anyway, we didn't even run into that much traffic until we were trying to get on to the George Washington Bridge, which took about 45 minutes to get through since we didn't have EZPass. The actual unloading of the truck was relatively okay, too.... we had some issues getting OUR couch through the door, but it happened. Chris did have to take off the door, though. His friend Manny and his girlfriend helped us. We repaid them with pizza.

Unpacking has been great. We had so much stuff that I totally forgot about (like a measuring cup). The other day, just because I found our big pot and frying pan, I made corn on the cob and tacos. I love our little apartment right now. I'll love it more when we're totally done unpacking, but I still love it a lot.

Tomorrow is MY FIRST DAY OFF IN 2 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooo excited. I am going to get a haircut and we are going to Ikea (to get a bookshelf). Maybe I should get a pedicure, too. Oh man. That's crazy talk. This haircut is pretty necessary, though. I haven't gotten a REAL haircut since February (just my bangs trimmed) so the ends of my hair are looking stupid. I have a groupon for a lunch bakery in Astoria so maybe I can convince Chris that we should go THERE, too. Tomorrow is also Ribs Night at the Brooklyn Ikea. I won't be having any but I am SURE Chris will. I originally wanted to go to the beach or something on my glorious day off, but it's gonna be too cold. It looks like I am going to have a day off next Wednesday, too, so maybe if Chris also has off, we could go then. After summer returns.

mailing machine fail

I just used this mailer thing that seals and stamps envelopes for you for the first time and I swear the administrative assistant sitting across the hall from the room must think I'm a moron, now. So many things went wrong: it jammed like 15 times, I sent a big stack through in the wrong direction, the finished stack got too high and the mail went flying all over the place.... it was like an episode of I Love Lucy. Apparently I should become a secretary just for the hilarity.

We are going to Ohio! For 24 hours. I will be happy to see my family but I wish we got to stay longer than we are staying. It's going to be a rough 2 days. We're flying into Pittsburgh to pick up the truck, driving to Kent and then Huron, loading the truck and then leaving early to get back to NYC relatively early. Then we have to unload the truck. BLAH! At least we'll finally have our stuff. I am SO looking forward to having my real nightstand back instead of the clothes hamper I've been using. PLUS, our dining room table, couch and ottoman, rug, half our clothes, books, instruments, kitchen EVERYTHING and, of course, Halloween and Christmas decorations. We have FOUR closets in our new apartment. FOUR! It's pretty awesome.

When we moved in there were already these butterfly foot grip things on the bathtub floor. I have this butterfly picture that I have traditionally always hung in the bathroom, also, so I decided to make butterflies the theme of the bathroom. I went to anthropologie searching out butterfly doorknobs. I was sure they would have them, and in typical anthropologie fashion, they, of course, did. Anthropologie is always there to make my ridiculous dreams come true. They are perfect. I had no idea WHAT they would look like, but I was sure they would have them. Plus, they were on sale for $3 each. THREE. DOLLARS. Now I've started thinking it would be a great idea for me to give a ridiculous theme to every room. I could do owls and birds in the kitchen, butterflies in the bathroom and trees everywhere else. PERFECT! If only we had a garage.

I have a big bruise on the back of my calf and I don't know where it came from. The fact that it hurts makes it even more mysterious than it already is.

Man. I am so excited for fall. I just want to be able to wear more clothes. I have perfected the art of layers. Even 1 layer seems like it's too much half the time this summer. Well, today is the exception. Today's weather is perfect after yesterday's humidity festival. And, obviously, today is the day I work both jobs and have a 10 hour day. Someday I would like to have 1 job (and rockababy). I miss the free time. I switched someone at work yesterday so I could have a morning shift and hang out with Chris and it was the best decision ever. Well, one of them. I definitely cooked dinner. I also definitely sat on the couch watching a show about NY's parks.

On Saturday night Chris and I ate 5 Guys and then travelled out to Flushing to play miniature golf. It was fun! I totally got a hole in one on the last hole. I was still like 15 over par, but who cares. We both only hit the ball into the water once. When we were leaving a gentleman with no neck asked us for money! Well, actually, he didn't ASK, he just tapped Chris on the shoulder and held out his hand. Maybe he couldn't speak because of his lack of neck. He was actually pretty terrifying. He creeped over to us so slowly and silently that I was afraid he was going to push me onto the tracks. If I ever make a horror movie, he will be in it.

My first day off in 2 months day off is slowly but surely approaching. I will find out for SURE if it's a day off when I get my schedule (which should be today, but who REALLY knows), but I don't know why it wouldn't be. I never get scheduled on Wednesday unless I can't work another day and next week is the first week in a month where I don't have any conflicts. So, it would be awful and probably ironic if I DID get scheduled. I hope I don't. I want to, like, do something amazing. Or at least something that is not work.

feelin' hot, hot, hot!

Whew! Wow. I can't believe that it's been a week since I wrote that short post, because it feels like it just happened. I am insane. I have no idea why I thought it would be a good idea to move on Thursday. I mean, it was fine, but listen to my last week:

8/3: Work 2 jobs--10 hours
8/4: Rockababy, work 1 job
8/5: Work 5 hours, move into new apartment for 6 hours
8/6: Callback, work 1 job, rehearsal at night
8/7: Rehearsal from 12-9pm
8/8: 8am Work meeting, rehearsal at 10am-3pm, performance that evening
8/9: Work 8am-1pm, 2pm performance, 8pm performance
8/10: Work 2 jobs--10 hours

AHHHHHH!!! I've been going insane. We don't have internet in the new apartment yet but it hasn't been so bad since I've hardly been there for something other than sleeping. At least we got our new TV. I did get to watch 2 episodes of "Friends" on DVD.... one of those days. I needed my Friends... and they were, like always, there for me.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun doing the staged reading and although the woman from Ave Q didn't end up being in it (she booked a movie. a MOVIE!), the woman who replaced her was wonderful, talented and very, very nice. There were other Broadway people, though... so... there. I decided I would sing alto in the ensemble which I haven't done in YEARS. I haven't sung alto since, like, 1998. I'm usually not actually good at alto.... I'm better at a 2nd soprano or a soprano harmony that's above an alto melody, but this was fun. Anyway, the audience was full every performance and I got to spend time with Adam, who I hadn't seen in about 5 years, and Alana, and I made other new friends, so it was great.

My callback on Friday was ok, although it could have been better. Actually, for the first time ever, it would have been better if I would have sang LESS. They told us to bring in 2 songs, 32 bars EACH. That is SO MUCH music for an audition. They wanted belt and soprano from me, so I sang the song I auditioned with and decided on a whim to sing "Think of Me" from POTO for the soprano. This, too, was something I haven't done since 1998. I would never, ever normally sing that song at an audition, but I decided to look at the lyrics in a different way... a way where Christine was being very passive aggressive about how angry she really was. And, textually, you could argue that point. But in 32 bars, there is only so much passive aggressiveness you can play before it gets old. And it got old to ME so I can't imagine what it was like for them. My other song was good, though. It didn't get old. Oh well. In all honesty, had i actually gotten cast in this show it would have been amazing and annoying at the same time. The last 2 performances surround Ginna's wedding on October 10th, which is something I would NOT miss (especially since I'm singing in it). I would have had to rush to Staunton and back and it would not have been fun.... it would have been do-able... but very stressful... and now, all not getting cast means is that I can take a fun train trip with my husband. Yay. :)

In other news, I like our new apartment! I haven't been able to unpack... and I won't REALLY be able to until we get our stuff from Ohio... but it actually feels like my HOME. The neighborhood is so nice. They have brick sidewalks and cars actually YIELD to you when you're crossing the street! I didn't know what to do the first time this happened. I was thinking, "WHERE AM I????" The annoying families of 20 apparently all live at my old subway stop so I haven't had to deal with them and being at the end of the line is AMAZING! You always get a seat on the train, you don't have to wait in the heat, if the train goes express you totally WIN and underneath the station is a restaurant called, "The End of the Line Cafe." How adorable. The only problem with our apartment right now is that the wiring in the house must be very, very old because the neighbor's air conditioner, which must be like, 50 million BTUs, sometimes makes our lights dim. And the microwave or fan do the equivalent of "dimming." My dad is worried about what this would do to our TV or computers and I don't blame him. We're going to have to call the landlord. We're also going to have to call him because the old tenants left a couch and dining room table. Right NOW it's awesome, because our couch and dining room table are in Ohio, but it won't be awesome in a week when we have our stuff there. Maybe we could sell them. I wonder. Money for nothing is the best kind of money!

it took too long to find the q18

Last Thursday we signed the lease for our apartment! Hooray! I think we're actually getting the keys tomorrow, too. The old tenants moved out on Saturday and the landlord just had to go in and make sure things were a-okay before we moved in. Of course, I have to work the entire day tomorrow, and most of Wednesday but we're still planning on moving in on the 5th, even though I have my callback, work and then rehearsal on the 6th. Well, and I have to work on the 5th, too. And so does Chris. So, it's gonna be crazy. But we have to make it happen!!

Today we went all over the place and what we ended up with was a new TV (for when we get TV!), a rolling cart (a good one, too) and some foot pain from walking almost all the way from Woodside to Astoria. We were going to get a microwave, too, but we wouldn't have been able to carry it back. I'm too weak.

Right now I have a migraine which makes me sad. It also makes it hard to think about continuing this post, so I think I will leave it at that for now.

it rained and the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 20 minutes

I don't have to work until 5pm today which makes me feel like I'm working in the theatre, but... I'm not. Theatre of Accessories. It's a topic we must have missed in Theatre History.

Apparently it's really nice out. I don't know for real because I haven't been outside yet, having only woken up at 12:30pm. I'm kind of busy this week: I have two jobs Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, so I figured I better sleep while I can. Also, I just didn't wake up. I will definitely be happy for the extra 10 hours of pay on my next paycheck. Since there's only limited performances at the concert hall in the summer, I've been down to only 3 jobs and my box office job hours are only 10 a week. It's enough to get by, but not by much. I'd really like a real FULL TIME job and to work Rockababy and Fossil part time. Or something. That'd be great.

This past week I went to the open call auditions for NYMF only because Michael Cassara and the people in his casting office are very, very nice and decided to let non-equity actors have an online sign up for appointments. APPOINTMENTS FOR NON-EQUITY ACTORS. Had they not had the appointments, people would have probably gotten there at 5am and waited all damn day and had the worst audition ever...... this was better. I wouldn't have even been ABLE to go without this appointment because I worked the whole day: 11am-9pm. But, I had an appointment for 10am, sang a Queen song, and got called back for a show that I would really love to be in. IT ALL WORKED OUT! For now. The hard part (and the part I have no control over) is still to come.

Next week I am doing a staged reading of The Water Dream which actually will have some people who've worked on Broadway (including Ann Harada, the original Christmas Eve in Avenue Q) performing in it, too. That's exciting. It's something, you know? I mean, for me. For them, it's a GIGANTIC deal and for me, it's a logical first step. You have to start somewhere in New York and the logical first step isn't Broadway, it's something small, like a staged reading or showcase. You do that for a while and then, maybe, you get an Off-Broadway show. After years of THAT, you move on to the "real deal".... unless you've grown too old for the characters you'll be playing, in which case, you stop acting and start teaching. *I*, on the other hand, can NEVER be too old for the characters I'm meant to play because *I* am meant to play Ouiser in Steel Magnolias.

So, apparently we got the apartment we wanted. I say apparently because we have not signed a lease yet, but the broker told us "rest assured the apartment is for you and Chris." Everyone gives me the same look when I tell them that. Anyway, we haven't heard from him in a week so we wrote him today asking for a few more specifics. He better respond, otherwise Chris is going to go down there and make him respond, in person (for real... but not in a mean way). We've got stuff to do, you know? Let us sign a lease so we KNOW the stuff is worth doing. It's actually going to be really hard to find the time to move. We're probably going to have to do it at night.... which, considering the weather, might not be the worst thing in the world. Plus, THEN we have to get to Ohio to move our real stuff... which will be a 2 day trip only, sadly. And then... THEN.... we can have a normal life. Normal.... for us. We won't have to live in a box, at least.

Oh yeah, so Chris and I had our four year anniversary (of when we started dating) the other day. I actually forgot the day OF (I remembered the day before and the day after). This is now, officially, the longest relationship either one of us has ever had! Hahaha. I guess we knew when we got married that it was a big deal... but now it's OFFICIALLY a big deal. :)

i'm trying to replace coffee with green tea. it hurts my head.

I did buy that groupon. It was awesome. We haven't been out in a WHILE and because of the groupon we got 2 entrees, my iced tea and his PBR in a can and a dessert. A DESSERT! And the food was awesome. It was this sports bar/southernish style restaurant called Duke's, nearish to grand central. I loved it. It reminded me of Ohio. Maybe I just loved the fact that we were able to go out... it was loud in there (we were there during the All-Star Game).... but the food really was good. Good and horrible for you.

Earlier that evening we went to see 2 more apartments. The apartment we put down the deposit for fell through because the landlord wanted people to move in before August 1st. So, we saw 2 more, one being the biggest apartment we've seen yet (in the same building as the last one) and another that was halfway between the Ditmars stop and Astoria Park, which is pretty much exactly where I wanted to live in the first place. It's in a more residential area, in a house rather than building, and although it was the 3rd smallest of the 4 apartments we saw with this guy, it'd still be big enough for US. As long as I can fit a chair in the bedroom, I'll be happy. Plus there was a dining room, which was nice. I haven't seen one of those in a NYC apartment yet. So, we told him we'd like to apply for THAT one. The people are moving out at the end of the month so I suppose as long as that STILL HAPPENS, we should get it. God, I hope so. In the broker world, we have TONS of time left.... but in MY world we're seriously pushing it to the limit with finding a place. I think about it constantly.

On the weekends the train service is cut (even less on Sundays, as if people don't ride) and the last couple of weekends it has taken me an hour to get home because of this. This is basically what will happen: the 7 train will arrive no problem and I'll get to queensboro plaza to transfer to an N train. I will wait 20 minutes for an N and then one will show up SO CROWDED that you know the train is going to go express, bypassing my stop, which it does, so I have to wait for the next train. Which, yesterday, took ANOTHER 15 minutes to arrive. On a weekday it takes me about 25 minutes (walking from the station to work included), sometimes if I am very lucky, it takes FIFTEEN MINUTES of train time. I was honestly afraid there was going to be a riot last night. People were so angry that the train went express. I was afraid they were going to push and shove to get the hundreds of people waiting on the platform onto the train when it finally arrived. Luckily that didn't happen. It was still bad, though.

I have surmised that we got enough people signed up for our Rockababy class in the summer for the class to continue, which is a RELIEF! It's always very tense for me at the beginning of a session because NO ONE signs up at first, they're all just drop-ins. We have to be AMAZING the first class to get them to want to sign up. And it's not like it's CHEAP. Well, maybe it is... to people with money.... but you know. *I* couldn't afford it. Anyway, I love doing the classes so much that if we had to stop for a session I would be DEPRESSED. I don't want that.

I had 2 auditions in 2 hours last Wednesday. It was kind of nice. It was hot, though... and the first was in CHINATOWN, which was just... kind of creeeeepy. I'm not a big fan of Chinatown, alone, in a dress, when I don't know where I'm going. I was going to sing "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen but the pianist wasn't very good, so luckily I had a back up plan. Even though the audition went well, I did not get cast. Story of my life. It was a company, though... and it was a company that was started by GIRLS, so they might have already cast all the female roles. That's what I'll assume, anyway. Plus, girls my height, size and voice type are a dime a dozen. The only thing I have going for me to stand out is that I'm MORE AWESOME, and it's hard to really show that in 1 minute.

We have some really beautiful bags coming to the store for the fall. I literally almost cried when I saw one of them online last night. It was so beautiful. Oh, also, I went to Anthropologie for the first time on Saturday. I spent about an hour there. I, of course, didn't buy anything, but now I don't want to buy anything from anywhere else. I text my friend Mitzy the message, "This is like disney world for MY KIND." You better believe when we have our own apartment, I am going to replace every single doorknob and handle with new ones from anthropologie. There are gonna be birds and butterflies on everything I own.

groupon rules

So, apparently LeBron didn't read my letter. Oh well. My dad said, "He wanted to have a party instead." I think that was the most surprising thing. I didn't think he was that kind of person. The Super Team thing will never work... they NEVER DO... so he really is just going to have a big party. I suppose he's 25, never went to college and has had a lot of responsibility placed on him to be something special, so I assume his desire to have a party is pretty high... I just guess no one expected it to affect his decision.

What I do think is FUNNY, though, is how NYC and Chicago are all acting like THEY are the ones who have been so scorned by LeBron James. My dad also pointed out that they did make sure their teams totally sucked for the last couple of years so that they could afford him, which I didn't know (I knew they sucked but I didn't know they sucked for a REASON), but still. Most people in the world who cared wanted him to stay with Cleveland, even most New Yorkers I talked to. And now NYC, Chicago and Cleveland totally hate him and no one in Miami even cares because they're too busy being high and sitting on the beach. This is like the state champ winning high school football star passing up a full ride scholarship to the great school nearby to pay tons of money to go to the party school on the beach. Actually, it's exactly like that. This IS that. I just hope he doesn't abandon his girlfriend, too.

So, in other news, we put a deposit down on one of the apartments we saw the other night and we're just waiting to hear from the broker. I think Chris forgot to charge his phone so we might be waiting until much later today when he actually gets a chance to turn it on. I hope we get it. If we don't, I hope we get something even better. Today I thought our apartment was on fire but it was just some guy grilling in the alley between the buildings. I'm 98% sure the smoke detector in this apartment is not working so since I ALSO heard a fire truck at the same time I smelled smoke, I freaked out a little. I'm really glad the building wasn't on fire. Besides the lack of smoke detector, there's also no fire escape!

I babysat Spencer, Megan and Joe's son, the other night. Chris was there too, but since he didn't change his diaper, I don't really consider his contribution part of the babysitting. He was so funny! Spencer is going to be 2 in October. He doesn't have a very big vocabulary but he did manage to communicate with us pretty well. He seemed to understand a lot more than what he could actually say. I was winking at him and he thought it was hilarious and then tried to wink back. This was unsuccessful but awesome. He even pulled his one eyelid down with his finger at one point. He went to sleep REALLY easily; I literally put him in his PJs , put him in the crib and he immediately was sleeping... but then he woke up an hour later, cried for 45 minutes (there was nothing I could do for him, he wanted his parents) and then was too tired to cry anymore, so he fell asleep again. Then we watched LOST until they got back.

I've been very scared because of this article. It's too much for me to handle.

I'm currently trying to decide whether or not to buy a groupon for $20 worth of food for $10. I think, with iced tea at $3 each, we'd still spend about $10 more for drinks and tip which is really just $20 TOTAL, which is not bad anywhere. That's two burritos and 2 drinks from Chipotle. It's probably worth it, right? Plus, we'd get to go somewhere we've never been before and have food that we didn't get from the deli at the grocery store. Live a little. While we still can!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!

I actually can't wait to go to work tonight because we got a bunch of new stuff from the early-fall/late-summer line and I LOVE IT when we get new stuff. I'm always "Ooooooooooh"-ing and "Ahhhhhhh"-ing for like 10 minutes after I walk in the door. It's great. What is also great is my effing self control. I have my $50 that I won to use at the store just sitting in a drawer... waiting for the right bag to come along someday.... the perfect storm.

a letter to LeBron

Hey LeBron,

Thanks for coming here, today. I really appreciate it. Just doing my part, you know. I mean, frankly, I haven't been this anxious about something in a long time.

You and I are not so dissimilar. I'm only a few years older than you and we're both from Akron. I mean, who knows, maybe we passed each other in the mall one day. Or perhaps we were on the same car of the Magnun at Cedar Point. Remember 1997? What a horrible year. I had just become a baseball fan. For some reason the strike prompted me to start liking baseball. I had gone to a few games that year. I've never witnessed an Indians defeat in person... but I sure have over the TV. I don't need to remind you of what happened that year... and even though you grew up liking teams that actually WON, too (like the Yankees), I'm sure you were indescribably disappointed.

Because you're from Ohio. And we don't have much.

And the worst thing is that lately, the only thing we HAVE had is you.

That's a lot to put on one person's shoulders, I know. But look at you! You're the biggest star in the world right now. No one cares about anyone else in basketball besides you. Some might say no one cares about anyone else in sports. And to some, they might not care about anyone else in the entire world. When you think about it that way, being the only thing holding the city of Cleveland together is hardly a hindrance at all.

You've been discouraged the last couple of seasons. I can see that. You tried really hard while the rest of the team apparently forgot how to play basketball. You had all the pieces together and for whatever reason, it just didn't work. Surely a situation like that couldn't happen in Miami. Take a look at the film America's Sweethearts. It was a all-star, totally lovable cast. And it sucked. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.

Chicago? Please. No matter what, you'd always be in Michael Jordan's shadow because he has the biggest ego EVER. Even if you won every single game for 5 years, you'd still be compared to him. You don't want comparisons.... you want to be the top.

I can tell you from experience that New York isn't all it's cracked up to be. People smoke pot in the middle of the sidewalk. It's hot as BALLS here (not basketballs). There are so many tourists all over the place. Plus, they're acting as if you don't already have major deals with Nike and any other company in the world that you make millions from. You'd make billions of dollars no matter where you are. You're just that good and just that marketable. But in New York, you're one of MANY "just THAT good" players... whether it be baseball, basketball or football. You'd get lost in the crowd.... literally and figuratively.

I don't even feel like New Jersey needs to be talked about. You're a man, you can pump your own gas if you want to, right?? Not in New Jersey. They don't give you a CHOICE.

And a choice is exactly what you're making. You can choose to be compared to Jordan or the myriad of great sports players in NYC. You can choose to form a Super Team in Miami where everyone is so high on coke that they can't POSSIBLY succeed. You can choose to destroy your home town. To say to the unemployed fans who have followed you since you were in high school, "thanks, but even though I'd make more money here and bring in about $20 million annually to Cleveland, and if I leave, the massive unemployment will become even worse and you'll literally have no economy left in the state, I'm gonna bounce. (Get it?)"

Here's the thing, LeBron. If you stay in Cleveland, you're a hero. We don't have ANYONE to compare you to. We have literally nothing else going for us except you. You are everything to Cleveland. There is NOWHERE ELSE YOU CAN GO where that is true.

And you're having an hour-long tv special to tell us your news. Don't even try to tell me that you don't want to be the god of sports.

If you want to win, you can win. We've seen it happen. You just have to want it bad enough. Cleveland isn't cursed unless we lose you. No one will ever love you more than Cleveland.

But remember: Hell hath no fury like a Clevelander scorned.

See ya at Swensons,

Alisa

puddle of sweat on the pulaski bridge

Right now it is 101 degrees, feels like 104 (according to weather.com). It is apparently the hottest day in NYC since 2001! Yowza. I'm sitting inside right now, but Chris and I are venturing out to look at an apartment after work which we will arrive at completely sweaty. We will look impressive.

The apartment I saw the other day that was perfect fell through.The day we were going to meet with the broker to give a deposit and fill out the application the landlord contacted her and told her it was off the market. We don't know what happened. The people already living there might have wanted to stay or maybe they had relatives who wanted it.... who knows. We saw an apartment yesterday which would be OKAY.... my biggest problem was that the bedroom would literally only be able to fit a bed. There were several closets, one in the living room that was big enough to fit a dresser, but it seems weird to have your clothes in the living room. Anyway, pending the apartment today, we'll probably apply. It's the same Avenue that we're on now, and about the same distance from the train, just in the opposite direction. The apartment we're looking at today is in.... BROOKLYN. Although barely. In fact, it's so barely in Brooklyn that I would walk across the bridge back into Queens to get on the subway (which is only half a mile). That's actually closer to the subway than the apartment that was perfect. So, we'll see.

I can't believe it's already the 6th of July. We had a pretty great 4th of July. I had to work until 3pm but then we went to KFC (it's a tradition, now) and to the Intrepid to watch the fireworks.

There were probably... god...I dunno... several hundred thousand people on 12th avenue. It was craaaaaazy! Since we were allowed on the ship's property, we didn't have to worry about all the crap until we were trying to get home that night. It took a long time. We walked a mile and a half to the subway station which took forever because we had to wind through so many people. Plus, it was hot. We had to wait in the station for half an hour and then the train was totally packed, even in the last car. But, it was a GREAT show and we had a perfect view and the long walk let us walk off the chicken.

I can't imagine eating anything other than cereal, turkey sandwiches and iced things, now. It's too hot.

I started this post at about 3pm at work and now I'm finishing it at 9:30pm. We went to that apartment. The walk wasn't too bad on the way there but the apartment was a BIG let down. Apparently in Brooklyn "1 bedroom" doesn't actually MEAN 1 bedroom. Perhaps it was the disappointment, but the walk back seemed longer... and WAY HOTTER. When we got back to the train we were literally dripping with sweat. It was ridiculous. However, we took cold showers to cool off and then, after looking online briefly, we went out to 2 more apartments, this time using our HEADS and staying in Astoria. They were both nice and within our price range, plus we liked the broker. One was literally right next to the train.... but we didn't really hear it when it passed. I'm sure that could change... but that's what my constant white noise is for!

I just can't wait until we have our own apartment. It will be so wonderful to have a real life again.

crazy good

It's crazy hot today. I was going to go to the beach because--surprise!!!!--Chris and I both had off on the SAME DAY, but last night he came down with a fever somehow and obviously sitting out in the 95 degree temperature, in direct sunlight, on the dirty beach would have been a bad idea. I have no idea what happened to him! I met him after rockababy for dinner (at McDonald's because we are all class) and he was GREAT! In the middle of his 2nd show he started getting chills and when he got home he was a mess. The fever broke this morning and he started to sweat it off once I gave him some Tylenol. He was kind of delirious last night... he was talking to himself... it was crazy. I hate to say it but Sick Chris is the WORST. He'll moan the entire night and thrash all over. It's hard. But, anyway, it was better of us to say in the air conditioning all day than go to the beach. Maybe another time.

As Rene said, it's getting to the time of the year when it's too hot to eat. This always happens to me. I just can't imagine eating anything because it's too darn hot. Today I had cereal, a bagel sandwich and more cereal. For dinner. Of course, not wanting to eat creates other challenges... like the challenge of being able to walk down the street without getting dizzy. I don't want to be one of those people who passes out in the subway (the platforms are ALWAYS killer hot). Today I had to stop in to the Duane Reade for 15 minutes just to cool down. I bought some water and all was well. Dehydration + no food + 90 degrees = Alisa falling face first onto the sidewalk.

So, today I went to view another apartment and it was AMAZING. It was only $50 more than the first one but it was soooo much bigger and it has TONS of light and a window facing Manhattan where you can see the whole damn city! WHHHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTT?? It's a 1 bedroom. I hope so much that we get it. Oh my God. I would lose my mind. They are renovating the kitchen during July and we'd move in on August 1st. It's a 5th floor walk up but that just means it comes with it's own workout. Well, that also means that it'd be a BITCH to get our stuff into and anyone who would help us move would hate us... but I helped Broadway John move out of his at LEAST 5th floor apartment and it was just me and him and it was fine and only took like an hour. And it may not have been August that day, but it was still hot.

Please help us move. Even if we live in a 5th floor walk up. I promise you won't regret it. Somehow.

Yesterday I was trying to figure out the name of a song and my friend Len said it could be this guy Mika.... and it wasn't, but I was listening to this album and suddenly I just screamed "Who IS this guy!?!?!?!?!?!?" How insanely talented can one person be??? It's mind boggling and it's making me insane. He's like a Freddy Mercury-Adam Lambert-Michael Jackson mix.... and then some of his songs sound remarkably like the Beatles. I lost it for a while. Crazy good.

Speaking of crazy good, Radiohead will hopefully (probably?) be putting out their next album this year. So much hoooooorrrraaaaayyyy.

My PJ romper arrived from the Gap yesterday. I got 30% off the already low $12 sale price. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. Do not expect me to wear anything else until winter. And even then I'll wear it if the heat is up too high.

Of all my Pandora playlists, my favorites are the Stevie Wonder and "Play That Funky Music" playlists. The Duran Duran list is also excellent.... but once in a while I can't handle whatever Depeche Mode throws my way. Stevie's never disappoints.

On Monday at work I dubbed it, "Monday FUNDAY." My great attitude lasted for a couple of hours until I realized I was not going to make my sales goal... and then I was sad. The next day I dubbed "Monday FUNDAY... part TUESday" (get it???). Monday Funday part Tuesday WAS a great day... especially because I won a drawing for $50. YAY!

i feel like a dog in boots

I forget how old I am sometimes. I know that seems like a REALLY old person thing to do but whenever I think of my age I'm like, "Wait. Am I 27 or am I 28?" This started happening last year. I remember telling someone during Oliver rehearsals that I was 27 when I was 26. It took me like 5 minutes to realize I was wrong and then I couldn't BELIEVE I would age myself. I should start telling people I'm 25... and maybe then just not correcting myself.

I don't know what happened to all the people who are my age. They're all missing and I can't find them. Are they all in grad school? Did they get "real people" jobs? Roussos is the only person I see at auditions and I don't even go to that many auditions. Everyone I work with is either older or younger than me. WHERE ARE ALL THE 27 YEAR OLDS????

During winter I used to see this cocker spaniel mix whose owner put him in boots because there was so much snow. It was always adorable and hilarious to watch him walk because it was SO awkward. I am breaking in sandals for the first time today and I felt just like that dog. I felt like I was learning how to walk for the first time. They FEEL like flip flops but since they're not, and they have a strap in the back, it was too much for me to handle. They're very flat. I have a pair that are the same shape except a different color and a small heel and I didn't need to relearn how to walk to wear those. They also don't feeeeel like flip flops. This is weird. They're cute, though.

Listen. I really love Regina Spektor. She is so talented. I want to make a Neko Case/Regina Spektor/Ingrid Michaelson/the Police cover band.

Oh! So, that apartment. It was cute! It was an okay size but for 2 people in a studio.... I just don't know if it's worth paying $1150 a month (I know that sounds crazy anywhere else in the world, too). I know we can find studios for cheaper than that and 1 bedrooms for $1200 or less, so I THINK we're going to keep looking. If it was just me, and I made enough money to pay $1150 and live alone, it'd be great. For BOTH of us... I just don't know. The tipping point was when I was trying to think of the layout, and I had it worked out and then I thought, "WHAT ABOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE!?!?!??!" We might be able to do it, though. I think Chris is going to see it tonight. We'll see what he thinks.

Speaking of Chris, this morning I nicknamed him "Ant Farm." It sounds like a newspaper comic character from the early 1960s, doesn't it? After I called him Ant Farm a couple of times I said, "I think I'm still asleep!"

There are two parts to me right now. The part that is disappointed in herself for switching her schedule so she could go to an audition this morning and yet... she didn't go, and then there's the part that worked almost 36 hours in the last 3 days on her feet and was so tired and in such foot and lower back pain that she's GLAD she got to sleep.

I hate that. I guess, in reality, if I had gone, it would have been too much trouble anyway if I would have booked it... I wouldn't be able to break even with the money I am making now (which is NOT a lot), which means I couldn't afford my rent while gone and then I'd have to find new jobs and it probably wouldn't be worth it for 2 months.... sigh. I hate the theatre. It's such a stupid, stupid career.

Ugh. Anyway, yes, I worked almost 36 hours from Saturday- Monday. It wasn't AS bad as it sounds, but it was pretty bad. I was really tired all of the time. And my back hurts a lot and the balls of my feet hurt from wearing these sandals all weekend. I knew yesterday, when I woke up at 7-something am, that it was going to be next to impossible for me to get up today. I still prepared last night, though. I was basically ready... but when my alarm went off at 5:30am all my damn mind could think about was how it wasn't worth it. I just imagined myself getting there at 7:30am, waiting in a stupid line forever, finally getting called in to sing and then they'd say "Thanks for coming in, Alyssa" and I'd leave. Yes, there's a possibility that it WOULDN'T happen like that, but most likely it would and apparently I did not want this particular job enough to deal with the regret I'd feel for getting up in the first place if it did.

The vampires have gotten to me!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris is sick. I was sick 2 weeks ago or something so I guess he didn't catch it from me.... or it sat dormant in his system for a while. He's been working all the time, too. He likes his job at the Intrepid museum a lot which is good. He's also got a part time job which he doesn't really love and Othello until the end of the month so at least we're not home together. We got off work at about the same time last night so we met up on the subway platform at 42nd st just to spend a little more time together. I wish we could do real things together, too.

I laughed the entire time I was ushering last night. It was a lot of fun. I took tickets just so I could hang out with Lyndsey and Scott during this 3 hour long piano recital and it was totally the best decision of the night. We made a vocal mariachi band, we watched Judi Dench sing "Send in the Clowns" on my blackberry, I told them about the time I spoke gibberish in Guys and Dolls, Scott did an impression of an imaginary angry patron filling out the wine comment card.... I realize none of this is funny to anyone else, but maybe when I reread my blog again in a couple of years I'll remember it and laugh.

Tonight I am going to view an apartment! I am excited. I hope I love it and we get approved and are able to move in right away on August first because I am living in a DREAM WORLD. Most likely I'll hate it. Or we won't get approved. Or we will and someone else will just get the apartment. Oh my God, I just looked on google maps and it is literally right next to the gigantic amtrak line. Unless the apartment is on the other side of the building it'd be really dark. I guess I'll find out tonight!

I don't understand how a percolator works. Does anyone know? (Someone must. A scientist.)

i live in my bed

Has anyone else ever had their shower pouf completely unravel on them in the shower? I felt like I was washing my body with seaweed. It still worked, though.

So, on Sunday I literally worked the entire day (8am-1pm at one place, 1:30-10pm with a one hour lunch in the middle) and I was SO TIRED. I found out the 1 train wasn't running so I took the bus from 5th Ave. to the UWS. It was surprisingly quick.... and I was mainly just glad I KNEW the 1 train was suspended and hadn't been waiting for it forever. When I got to the concert hall there was a street fair happening right outside and it made me so angry. I was like "I hope it starts to HAIL because it's not FAIR to have a street fair outside if you can't go to it. It's a street UNfair!!" Then, when it didn't rain, and we went on our lunch break I was all, "That street fair BETTER STILL BE GOING ON!! I need some grilled corn!" It was still going on... just finishing up, but still there... and I did, indeed, get my corn. I also got 1 deep fried oreo because I really wanted to try it. It was fine. Other than that, as I've said before, if you've been to one street fair, you've been to all of them, but when you've got a 14 hour day, it's a little hard to deal with it right outside.

Yesterday I worked all day, too, but today I don't work until 6:30. I stayed in bed for hours. I wasn't sleeping, I was just snuggling up under the covers. I wish we had a TV. Soon enough, hopefully. I mean, when we get our own apartment. I kind of wish I did work both jobs today mainly because I feel like I can't leave the house without spending money. I KNOW that it's not true... there's lots to see and do for free... but I'm tired of hanging out ALONE. When I have less than 2 hours between jobs I don't go back home so that's when I usually tend to walk around by myself. It's getting old. I need some friends with nothing to do.

"Roxanne" started playing at work yesterday (it's not on the normal rotation) and I got so excited that I sang and danced to the entire thing. Ah, 5th Ave. There wasn't anyone at the store at the time so it was even better. Anytime the Police play anywhere I tend to go a little nuts. I just love Sting so much.

I watched "Beetlejuice" the other day on Netflix and today I read that Michael Keaton AND Geena Davis have both said they would do a sequel. Michael Keaton said it was the ONE THING he'd like to relive. That would be so awesome. The whole time I was watching it all I could think about was how good that movie still is and how good the ENTIRE CAST is. Michael Keaton is one of the best actors EVER, I'd say.

THIS is my new favorite thing:

relaxi taxi

I just dropped my popsicle and it rolled down my shirt and onto my keyboard. I guess I never mentioned this (obviously, since I didn't blog from October - April) but around Thanksgiving sometime my tiny computer just... died. I think it had a power surge, actually. I has been watching an episode on SNL, I put the computer down and then it made this weird noise and shut off. It never worked properly again and I was SO SAD. Luckily, I went to the Geek Squad at Best Buy (I mean, it was only a couple of months old) and they just REPLACED IT. FOR FREE. It was the best thing that ever happened to me when something bad also happened. They didn't have my old model so I got a new one, which is slightly bigger, but thinner and awesomer. I don't have a cool sticker for it yet, though....

A couple weeks ago Elizabeth and the Catapult played at the concert hall I work at. A couple days before I had been convinced by their publicity photo to investigate their music and they were so good I downloaded their album. And then I got to see them for free. It was great. Normally the hall I work at has classical music performances but once in a very great while they'll have something contemporary (that is NOT crap) and that's what this was.

For the last week I've only had 1 job a day (and TWO DAYS OFF!!! HOLLAAA!) and it has been so wonderful. I really hate to see it go... but tomorrow I'm back to 2 jobs a day. Forever. I guess it's good. We need to save money for our own apartment.... but I will really miss these days. I spent a lot of time just.... relaxing. Because I could. There will be no time for relaxing on Sunday at ALL!

Last night I went to see the preview of Othello that Chris is in. It was good! It was at Theatre Row which is REALLY nice. He's playing Desdemona's dad. Speaking of Desdemona, isn't she like.... 17 years old? I think *I* am too old to play Desdemona. You know who I love, though? Emilia. I think she's one of the best characters in Shakespeare. I think I'll probably be seeing this play again this year (maybe twice more, if I see Chris's show again) so it will be interesting to see the ASC's version. (Hopefully I will--- we're planning on going to Ginna's wedding and I'm assuming if we have time, we'll try to see the shows.)

I found sprouts at the grocery store and I was SO excited. I've been wanting them forever. I've taken to eating energy bars a lot. Well, Kashi and Luna bars. I figure they're better than a McChicken during my post-lunch blues. I actually like them a lot. The fact that they have some nutritional value is nice, too.

I miss so many people all the time! People who live near me, people who don't live near me... I even miss CHRIS a lot since we're both so busy! I am living so much of my life inside my brain these days that it's a relief to talk to people. I wish I got to see more people.