Yesterday marked my three month anniversary of working at Starbucks. Yikes. Has it really been that long that I have been struggling to uphold my personal composure while chasing Starbucks' proverbial mermaid tail? Well there is no denying that its true. Four months in New York, three months at Starbucks, and one day (today) at The Broadway League -- which I will get to after some catching up.
So, I realize that it has been a while since my last post, and those who have read my Oxford blog knew to expect that. However, I will update you all on my life in a brief but witty blog post because I know you don't want to read pages about my life, and I don't want to write them.
With that being said, I spent the month of June working for The Culture Project on Twin Spirits which featured Sting (who I did get to meet). It was fun, I did a lot of work for very little pay but I gained a bunch of experience (both good and bad). After June ended, I started at Starbucks, thanks to my roommate Sean for getting me the job.
And I hated it. At first.
Starbucks, to me, represented everything that corporate coffee had done wrong. And there was a good deal of corporate bullshit. But it pays the bills. And it gave me something to do during the rest of the summer.
And I did spend the rest of the summer working at Starbucks to try to get my feet planted more firmly on the ground and hanging out with my roommates. We had adventures every now and then, namely having too much tequila one night, and Anne coming to visit. I got to see a number of shows (mostly at the benevolence of Geoffrey and the nice people who comped him tickets at the Broadway League), among them A Life in the Theater (with Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight - both very nice), American Idiot (with a Billie Joe Armstrong talkback), and tonight I am seeing La Bete (with David Hyde Pierce - supposedly very good).
And while this life seems very glamorous -- and at times it is -- I also spend much of my time in an almost thankless job where I become invisible under my Starbucks baseball cap. Not to mention the crude and surprising things that men across the city (on the streets and elsewhere, even in the workplace) say to me. Among my favorites: "Oh Baby, I would wait for you" or "I will give you a check for a million dollars to spend the weekend with me" or "I want to bottle your voice so I can listen to it all the time" or when the bus driver (THE BUS DRIVER!!!! of a full bus) honked at me as I crossed the street in front of him. Most of the time I just smile and shrug it off. It comes with the territory of being a pretty girl in a big city. But sometimes it wears on me, particularly when I feel like there are no gentlemen around. This certainly isn't the Midwest.
I had a few weeks where I really missed my friends. Where I missed being able to go to Bagel Boy and run into someone to have lunch with. Or being able to call up Tracie to eat ice cream, watch a J.Lo movie, and drink red wine when I am having a bad day. Don't get me wrong, living with Sean and Geoff is great almost all the time, but I miss that certain understanding that longtime friendship builds (and that we are starting to develop). I have to remember that they too had all this history and friendships that they left behind, that we all had lives before we had each other and before we had New York.
And what a city we do have. New York is full of endless possibilities and each day that I step into the city, I never know what exactly will happen. For example:
The other day I was leaving Starbucks to go and meet Anne Hamilton (who I will introduce later) and took the bus from 55th to 42nd Street along Fifth Ave. stopping right in front of the grandeur New York Public Library. True to form, there were people outside on the sidewalk supporting and trying to gain supporters for something. The first guy I saw had this epic mustache talking to a group of tweens. His shirt read International Children support. I kept walking. The next guy, a little ways down the street caught my eye. As he showed me his pearly whites, he also rolled up his short sleeves to show me his impressive muscles. He shouted at me, "You better not ignore me, don't walk past me." At this point I was next to him and said, "Alright, well, I am in a hurry so can you walk with me?" And he turned and took my hand and we walked hand-in-hand down the block. He introduced himself as Jamie and I introduced myself and answered his question that I was headed to the theater. No, not as an actress, though. He told me he was out there to save babies in Africa. I told him that was nice but I had to go. So I turned away to go down the street. Moments later, I hear him shout "I LOVE YOU!" after me. I, and several others around me, turn to see him blow me a kiss and shout it again. I couldn't help but smile and blow him a kiss back. After all, he was very good looking.
Sometimes, you never know what is going to happen. In New York, that is all the time.
And what I didn't see coming with a Communications Internship at The Broadway League (you know, those people who put on the Tonys and essentially run Broadway) and being part of two reading for plays that Anne Hamilton wrote. Anne, was introduced to me by Sean, and she told me all about Dramaturgy (which I am interested in getting started in) and invited me to be part of these readings.
I went from not having so much to do, to having a lot. Which just proves that anything can change in a New York Minute.
And now, as I sit here and munch on my delicious New York Roast Beef Sandwich, I can only imagine what the next few months will bring. All I know is that I am headed to DC to see the Stewart-Colbert rally and have a crazy Halloween and then share some turkey with NY friends and save up to buy a plane ticket home for Christmas.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Love Letter to Gotham
I am quickly approaching the end of my third week in the city and it already seems like I have been here far longer. As I stroll the streets in the Village or catch a train at Queensboro (or for those of you across the pond: Queensbourogh) Plaza, I feel like I have belonged here my whole life. The culture and uniquities (that's right, I made up that word) of the city seep into every part of my life here. Yesterday, as I ate lunch with my colleagues at the Culture Project, we talked about where we went to high school. One went to a French High School on the Upper East Side of NY (I didn't even know such places existed), one was a block away from the beach and went surfing for PE class, and I told them of my roots back in SD and they were shocked and awed that such stereotypical high schools existed.. at least those outside the realm of Gossip Girl. This conversation sparked a comparison of my complex, yet simple roots, and now this tangled and beautiful web of a city I now call home.
New York City is one part Gotham, one part romantic comedy, and a pinch of crazy. Okay, maybe more than one pinch of crazy. But that just adds to the charm of it. New York holds an eclectic collection of foods, cultures, and languages. I heard a group of college boys talking in a standard American dialect the other day and it caught me a little off guard because I had become so used to hearing all kinds of languages. But its not just the diversity that gives NYC its charm, but a feeling in the city. Its like we are all in this together, that we all fight for our daily bread, generally try to help our brothers, and enjoy (or avoid) the quirks of the city. This seems like a good thing.
Well, on a less philosophical level, I have been busy! The whole first week I was here, my mom was with me. Which was great. It was really good to have my mom see the city and start to understand the fibers that draw me here. I think she really enjoyed what she saw, and especially the food we ate. For me it was good to spend the extra week with my mom, away from friends at home and friends here. (And I am not just saying that because my mom will read this... hi mom!) It was also this strange feeling of being on vacation. That whole week I didn't really feel like I lived there, but that I was visiting. With moms help, I unpacked and feel right back into the rhythm of the city. Though the rhythm has changed and picked up pace with the changes of the season. While I really did nothing but be a tourist with mom the first week, I did email the Culture Project and Brette Goldstien to say that I was now in the city and ready for action!
Culture Project wanted me that following Monday to help as a Production Assistant on their Blueprint for Accountability series which I helped work on in January. So I agreed to be a volunteer for the whole day. On Monday I arrive to a semi-frantic team, but soon help get waters from the Deli and post signs. Not the most exciting work, but it was fine. I then helped edit the run of show cues and then was assigned to help backstage during the performance. This was awesome! I loved being backstage. They had me backstage left calling entrance cues for the actors (Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay, James Spader, Liev Schreiber, and Matt Dillon... they were all very nice and did a wonderful job!) The show had some hiccups, but it was directed by Fisher Stevens (of The Cove) and it was truly great to feel like I was doing important theatre (not that I haven't before, Kim) with some really well established people (those on the discussion board included, because Blueprint is like a roundtable discussion, with some documentary, and then some acting pieces). It was also awesome to meet these people and find that they are just as nervous and appreciate a thumbs up as they walk off stage as much as we do.
And so Monday passed and last week carried on. I spent some days tooling around Manhattan (and in particular the Village and Housing Works) and slept. A lot. I was so exhausted from the end of school, and graduation, and partying, and moving, that I simply had to sleep. I am mildly regretting my long hours asleep this week, as I feel the weight of my eight a.m. alarm clock that much heavier. However, last week we also had some visitors at the mansion. Oh yes, I live in a mansion, in the basement, in Astoria, Queens. But the first visitor was Michelle, long lost sister of the the Ward family, and indeed one of Karly's very good friends, and conveniently also know Geoffrey and Sean. We had a lovely night of Scrabble. The rest of the week I played roommate with Geoff and Sean's friend Craig who goes to George Mason in D.C. for his PhD in psychology, I believe. We had a marvelous time together and it was nice to adventure around the city with a new friend.
I also applied to Starbucks last week because the store that Sean works in was looking to hire, and I had heard nothing further from the Culture Project, so sent in my application and got a call right away for an interview this last Monday. I figured this job would be awesome: working with Sean, making coffee, and benefits such as only Starbucks offers for part-time employees. So, on Monday I went in for my interview and as I approached the building, I got a call and email from the Culture Project. They said that they want to hire me on for the next two and a half weeks to work as a backup and production assistant for their up coming show Twin Spirits. Twin Spirits is Sting and his wife Trudie singing Schumann songs with world famous musicians for Schumann's 200th birthday. Not to mention the champagne toast and dinner at Sting's to follow. So, I accepted and went to my Starbucks interview.
The interview went fine, and I was offered a job. I told her about the Culture Project so she wants to me to call next week and then I can start when this production is over. So, I am spending my days working at the Culture Project. Yesterday I sent letters to the likes of Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Renee Zellweger, and so forth. Friends of Sting's. And today, I am much less busy booking flights. However, today we made sure to tell the newly Tony-winning Scarlett Jo that she can bring her hunky hubby Ryan Reynolds to the event too.
Speaking of the Tonys, I of course watched them (while Geoff got to go to them.. looking awfully snazzy in the tux I helped him pick out!) I thought they were fun, but kind of a mess. Not only was the filming and direction of the telecast crazy but I was surprised by some of the wins (See Kim Bartling's Facebook for more information). I think that Kristin Chenoweth stole the show.
Last night I went to the Players Club, which has quite the history, and saw a reading that Sean stage managed and was written by Bill Persky and Tom Leopold of much television fame. Outside they were filming some new Kate Hudson movie (based on the novel Something Borrowed, I think) and it was a really interesting experience to see how things shut down (like Grammacy Park) and people come out of the woodwork for filming. However, I was there to see the play, which was good and quite funny. Full of Jewish jokes and an open bar... so I was a happy camper.
So, I am settling quite well into the city and city life. I am trying to get my life together to get a plane ticket to Karly's wedding, yearning for a MacBook that I don't have the means to buy, and still trying to figure most things out. But at the end of the day, I think that it is perfectly okay to have actually no idea what I am doing.
New York City is one part Gotham, one part romantic comedy, and a pinch of crazy. Okay, maybe more than one pinch of crazy. But that just adds to the charm of it. New York holds an eclectic collection of foods, cultures, and languages. I heard a group of college boys talking in a standard American dialect the other day and it caught me a little off guard because I had become so used to hearing all kinds of languages. But its not just the diversity that gives NYC its charm, but a feeling in the city. Its like we are all in this together, that we all fight for our daily bread, generally try to help our brothers, and enjoy (or avoid) the quirks of the city. This seems like a good thing.
Well, on a less philosophical level, I have been busy! The whole first week I was here, my mom was with me. Which was great. It was really good to have my mom see the city and start to understand the fibers that draw me here. I think she really enjoyed what she saw, and especially the food we ate. For me it was good to spend the extra week with my mom, away from friends at home and friends here. (And I am not just saying that because my mom will read this... hi mom!) It was also this strange feeling of being on vacation. That whole week I didn't really feel like I lived there, but that I was visiting. With moms help, I unpacked and feel right back into the rhythm of the city. Though the rhythm has changed and picked up pace with the changes of the season. While I really did nothing but be a tourist with mom the first week, I did email the Culture Project and Brette Goldstien to say that I was now in the city and ready for action!
Culture Project wanted me that following Monday to help as a Production Assistant on their Blueprint for Accountability series which I helped work on in January. So I agreed to be a volunteer for the whole day. On Monday I arrive to a semi-frantic team, but soon help get waters from the Deli and post signs. Not the most exciting work, but it was fine. I then helped edit the run of show cues and then was assigned to help backstage during the performance. This was awesome! I loved being backstage. They had me backstage left calling entrance cues for the actors (Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay, James Spader, Liev Schreiber, and Matt Dillon... they were all very nice and did a wonderful job!) The show had some hiccups, but it was directed by Fisher Stevens (of The Cove) and it was truly great to feel like I was doing important theatre (not that I haven't before, Kim) with some really well established people (those on the discussion board included, because Blueprint is like a roundtable discussion, with some documentary, and then some acting pieces). It was also awesome to meet these people and find that they are just as nervous and appreciate a thumbs up as they walk off stage as much as we do.
And so Monday passed and last week carried on. I spent some days tooling around Manhattan (and in particular the Village and Housing Works) and slept. A lot. I was so exhausted from the end of school, and graduation, and partying, and moving, that I simply had to sleep. I am mildly regretting my long hours asleep this week, as I feel the weight of my eight a.m. alarm clock that much heavier. However, last week we also had some visitors at the mansion. Oh yes, I live in a mansion, in the basement, in Astoria, Queens. But the first visitor was Michelle, long lost sister of the the Ward family, and indeed one of Karly's very good friends, and conveniently also know Geoffrey and Sean. We had a lovely night of Scrabble. The rest of the week I played roommate with Geoff and Sean's friend Craig who goes to George Mason in D.C. for his PhD in psychology, I believe. We had a marvelous time together and it was nice to adventure around the city with a new friend.
I also applied to Starbucks last week because the store that Sean works in was looking to hire, and I had heard nothing further from the Culture Project, so sent in my application and got a call right away for an interview this last Monday. I figured this job would be awesome: working with Sean, making coffee, and benefits such as only Starbucks offers for part-time employees. So, on Monday I went in for my interview and as I approached the building, I got a call and email from the Culture Project. They said that they want to hire me on for the next two and a half weeks to work as a backup and production assistant for their up coming show Twin Spirits. Twin Spirits is Sting and his wife Trudie singing Schumann songs with world famous musicians for Schumann's 200th birthday. Not to mention the champagne toast and dinner at Sting's to follow. So, I accepted and went to my Starbucks interview.
The interview went fine, and I was offered a job. I told her about the Culture Project so she wants to me to call next week and then I can start when this production is over. So, I am spending my days working at the Culture Project. Yesterday I sent letters to the likes of Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Renee Zellweger, and so forth. Friends of Sting's. And today, I am much less busy booking flights. However, today we made sure to tell the newly Tony-winning Scarlett Jo that she can bring her hunky hubby Ryan Reynolds to the event too.
Speaking of the Tonys, I of course watched them (while Geoff got to go to them.. looking awfully snazzy in the tux I helped him pick out!) I thought they were fun, but kind of a mess. Not only was the filming and direction of the telecast crazy but I was surprised by some of the wins (See Kim Bartling's Facebook for more information). I think that Kristin Chenoweth stole the show.
Last night I went to the Players Club, which has quite the history, and saw a reading that Sean stage managed and was written by Bill Persky and Tom Leopold of much television fame. Outside they were filming some new Kate Hudson movie (based on the novel Something Borrowed, I think) and it was a really interesting experience to see how things shut down (like Grammacy Park) and people come out of the woodwork for filming. However, I was there to see the play, which was good and quite funny. Full of Jewish jokes and an open bar... so I was a happy camper.
So, I am settling quite well into the city and city life. I am trying to get my life together to get a plane ticket to Karly's wedding, yearning for a MacBook that I don't have the means to buy, and still trying to figure most things out. But at the end of the day, I think that it is perfectly okay to have actually no idea what I am doing.
A Love Letter to Gotham
I am quickly approaching the end of my third week in the city and it already seems like I have been here far longer. As I stroll the streets in the Village or catch a train at Queensboro (or for those of you across the pond: Queensbourogh) Plaza, I feel like I have belonged here my whole life. The culture and uniquities (that's right, I made up that word) of the city seep into every part of my life here. Yesterday, as I ate lunch with my colleagues at the Culture Project, we talked about where we went to high school. One went to a French High School on the Upper East Side of NY (I didn't even know such places existed), one was a block away from the beach and went surfing for PE class, and I told them of my roots back in SD and they were shocked and awed that such stereotypical high schools existed.. at least those outside the realm of Gossip Girl. This conversation sparked a comparison of my complex, yet simple roots, and now this tangled and beautiful web of a city I now call home.
New York City is one part Gotham, one part romantic comedy, and a pinch of crazy. Okay, maybe more than one pinch of crazy. But that just adds to the charm of it. New York holds an eclectic collection of foods, cultures, and languages. I heard a group of college boys talking in a standard American dialect the other day and it caught me a little off guard because I had become so used to hearing all kinds of languages. But its not just the diversity that gives NYC its charm, but a feeling in the city. Its like we are all in this together, that we all fight for our daily bread, generally try to help our brothers, and enjoy (or avoid) the quirks of the city. This seems like a good thing.
Well, on a less philosophical level, I have been busy! The whole first week I was here, my mom was with me. Which was great. It was really good to have my mom see the city and start to understand the fibers that draw me here. I think she really enjoyed what she saw, and especially the food we ate. For me it was good to spend the extra week with my mom, away from friends at home and friends here. (And I am not just saying that because my mom will read this... hi mom!) It was also this strange feeling of being on vacation. That whole week I didn't really feel like I lived there, but that I was visiting. With moms help, I unpacked and feel right back into the rhythm of the city. Though the rhythm has changed and picked up pace with the changes of the season. While I really did nothing but be a tourist with mom the first week, I did email the Culture Project and Brette Goldstien to say that I was now in the city and ready for action!
Culture Project wanted me that following Monday to help as a Production Assistant on their Blueprint for Accountability series which I helped work on in January. So I agreed to be a volunteer for the whole day. On Monday I arrive to a semi-frantic team, but soon help get waters from the Deli and post signs. Not the most exciting work, but it was fine. I then helped edit the run of show cues and then was assigned to help backstage during the performance. This was awesome! I loved being backstage. They had me backstage left calling entrance cues for the actors (Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay, James Spader, Liev Schreiber, and Matt Dillon... they were all very nice and did a wonderful job!) The show had some hiccups, but it was directed by Fisher Stevens (of The Cove) and it was truly great to feel like I was doing important theatre (not that I haven't before, Kim) with some really well established people (those on the discussion board included, because Blueprint is like a roundtable discussion, with some documentary, and then some acting pieces). It was also awesome to meet these people and find that they are just as nervous and appreciate a thumbs up as they walk off stage as much as we do.
And so Monday passed and last week carried on. I spent some days tooling around Manhattan (and in particular the Village and Housing Works) and slept. A lot. I was so exhausted from the end of school, and graduation, and partying, and moving, that I simply had to sleep. I am mildly regretting my long hours asleep this week, as I feel the weight of my eight a.m. alarm clock that much heavier. However, last week we also had some visitors at the mansion. Oh yes, I live in a mansion, in the basement, in Astoria, Queens. But the first visitor was Michelle, long lost sister of the the Ward family, and indeed one of Karly's very good friends, and conveniently also know Geoffrey and Sean. We had a lovely night of Scrabble. The rest of the week I played roommate with Geoff and Sean's friend Craig who goes to George Mason in D.C. for his PhD in psychology, I believe. We had a marvelous time together and it was nice to adventure around the city with a new friend.
I also applied to Starbucks last week because the store that Sean works in was looking to hire, and I had heard nothing further from the Culture Project, so sent in my application and got a call right away for an interview this last Monday. I figured this job would be awesome: working with Sean, making coffee, and benefits such as only Starbucks offers for part-time employees. So, on Monday I went in for my interview and as I approached the building, I got a call and email from the Culture Project. They said that they want to hire me on for the next two and a half weeks to work as a backup and production assistant for their up coming show Twin Spirits. Twin Spirits is Sting and his wife Trudie singing Schumann songs with world famous musicians for Schumann's 200th birthday. Not to mention the champagne toast and dinner at Sting's to follow. So, I accepted and went to my Starbucks interview.
The interview went fine, and I was offered a job. I told her about the Culture Project so she wants to me to call next week and then I can start when this production is over. So, I am spending my days working at the Culture Project. Yesterday I sent letters to the likes of Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Renee Zellweger, and so forth. Friends of Sting's. And today, I am much less busy booking flights. However, today we made sure to tell the newly Tony-winning Scarlett Jo that she can bring her hunky hubby Ryan Reynolds to the event too.
Speaking of the Tonys, I of course watched them (while Geoff got to go to them.. looking awfully snazzy in the tux I helped him pick out!) I thought they were fun, but kind of a mess. Not only was the filming and direction of the telecast crazy but I was surprised by some of the wins (See Kim Bartling's Facebook for more information). I think that Kristin Chenoweth stole the show.
Last night I went to the Players Club, which has quite the history, and saw a reading that Sean stage managed and was written by Bill Persky and Tom Leopold of much television fame. Outside they were filming some new Kate Hudson movie (based on the novel Something Borrowed, I think) and it was a really interesting experience to see how things shut down (like Grammacy Park) and people come out of the woodwork for filming. However, I was there to see the play, which was good and quite funny. Full of Jewish jokes and an open bar... so I was a happy camper.
So, I am settling quite well into the city and city life. I am trying to get my life together to get a plane ticket to Karly's wedding, yearning for a MacBook that I don't have the means to buy, and still trying to figure most things out. But at the end of the day, I think that it is perfectly okay to have actually no idea what I am doing.
New York City is one part Gotham, one part romantic comedy, and a pinch of crazy. Okay, maybe more than one pinch of crazy. But that just adds to the charm of it. New York holds an eclectic collection of foods, cultures, and languages. I heard a group of college boys talking in a standard American dialect the other day and it caught me a little off guard because I had become so used to hearing all kinds of languages. But its not just the diversity that gives NYC its charm, but a feeling in the city. Its like we are all in this together, that we all fight for our daily bread, generally try to help our brothers, and enjoy (or avoid) the quirks of the city. This seems like a good thing.
Well, on a less philosophical level, I have been busy! The whole first week I was here, my mom was with me. Which was great. It was really good to have my mom see the city and start to understand the fibers that draw me here. I think she really enjoyed what she saw, and especially the food we ate. For me it was good to spend the extra week with my mom, away from friends at home and friends here. (And I am not just saying that because my mom will read this... hi mom!) It was also this strange feeling of being on vacation. That whole week I didn't really feel like I lived there, but that I was visiting. With moms help, I unpacked and feel right back into the rhythm of the city. Though the rhythm has changed and picked up pace with the changes of the season. While I really did nothing but be a tourist with mom the first week, I did email the Culture Project and Brette Goldstien to say that I was now in the city and ready for action!
Culture Project wanted me that following Monday to help as a Production Assistant on their Blueprint for Accountability series which I helped work on in January. So I agreed to be a volunteer for the whole day. On Monday I arrive to a semi-frantic team, but soon help get waters from the Deli and post signs. Not the most exciting work, but it was fine. I then helped edit the run of show cues and then was assigned to help backstage during the performance. This was awesome! I loved being backstage. They had me backstage left calling entrance cues for the actors (Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay, James Spader, Liev Schreiber, and Matt Dillon... they were all very nice and did a wonderful job!) The show had some hiccups, but it was directed by Fisher Stevens (of The Cove) and it was truly great to feel like I was doing important theatre (not that I haven't before, Kim) with some really well established people (those on the discussion board included, because Blueprint is like a roundtable discussion, with some documentary, and then some acting pieces). It was also awesome to meet these people and find that they are just as nervous and appreciate a thumbs up as they walk off stage as much as we do.
And so Monday passed and last week carried on. I spent some days tooling around Manhattan (and in particular the Village and Housing Works) and slept. A lot. I was so exhausted from the end of school, and graduation, and partying, and moving, that I simply had to sleep. I am mildly regretting my long hours asleep this week, as I feel the weight of my eight a.m. alarm clock that much heavier. However, last week we also had some visitors at the mansion. Oh yes, I live in a mansion, in the basement, in Astoria, Queens. But the first visitor was Michelle, long lost sister of the the Ward family, and indeed one of Karly's very good friends, and conveniently also know Geoffrey and Sean. We had a lovely night of Scrabble. The rest of the week I played roommate with Geoff and Sean's friend Craig who goes to George Mason in D.C. for his PhD in psychology, I believe. We had a marvelous time together and it was nice to adventure around the city with a new friend.
I also applied to Starbucks last week because the store that Sean works in was looking to hire, and I had heard nothing further from the Culture Project, so sent in my application and got a call right away for an interview this last Monday. I figured this job would be awesome: working with Sean, making coffee, and benefits such as only Starbucks offers for part-time employees. So, on Monday I went in for my interview and as I approached the building, I got a call and email from the Culture Project. They said that they want to hire me on for the next two and a half weeks to work as a backup and production assistant for their up coming show Twin Spirits. Twin Spirits is Sting and his wife Trudie singing Schumann songs with world famous musicians for Schumann's 200th birthday. Not to mention the champagne toast and dinner at Sting's to follow. So, I accepted and went to my Starbucks interview.
The interview went fine, and I was offered a job. I told her about the Culture Project so she wants to me to call next week and then I can start when this production is over. So, I am spending my days working at the Culture Project. Yesterday I sent letters to the likes of Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Renee Zellweger, and so forth. Friends of Sting's. And today, I am much less busy booking flights. However, today we made sure to tell the newly Tony-winning Scarlett Jo that she can bring her hunky hubby Ryan Reynolds to the event too.
Speaking of the Tonys, I of course watched them (while Geoff got to go to them.. looking awfully snazzy in the tux I helped him pick out!) I thought they were fun, but kind of a mess. Not only was the filming and direction of the telecast crazy but I was surprised by some of the wins (See Kim Bartling's Facebook for more information). I think that Kristin Chenoweth stole the show.
Last night I went to the Players Club, which has quite the history, and saw a reading that Sean stage managed and was written by Bill Persky and Tom Leopold of much television fame. Outside they were filming some new Kate Hudson movie (based on the novel Something Borrowed, I think) and it was a really interesting experience to see how things shut down (like Grammacy Park) and people come out of the woodwork for filming. However, I was there to see the play, which was good and quite funny. Full of Jewish jokes and an open bar... so I was a happy camper.
So, I am settling quite well into the city and city life. I am trying to get my life together to get a plane ticket to Karly's wedding, yearning for a MacBook that I don't have the means to buy, and still trying to figure most things out. But at the end of the day, I think that it is perfectly okay to have actually no idea what I am doing.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Goodbye, Farewell, and Good Riddance
Oh shit. Forget all those papers, presentations, and deadlines. This is the hard part. Graduation is upon us and the dreaded goodbyes are lurking nearby. As I pack my bags for New York, turn in final essays, and say good riddance to Biology, I am thinking about how I am going to say goodbye to all of this. Not only have I spent four years (well, three and a half, including my semester at Oxford) at USF, but I have lived in Sioux Falls for the last 21 years. This city is as much a part of me as my skin.
It was here that I took my first steps as a toddler, sauntered across the arena to receive my high school diploma, and will walk across the Washington Pavilion’s Great Hall stage to be granted my diploma from college. Sioux Falls has been the solid path beneath my sometimes unsteady feet.
While there are some things that I won’t miss about Sioux Falls -- namely the lovely John Morrell smell -- I am beginning to realize those things that I will miss that I have always taken for granted. One of those things is walking into Java City, Bracco, or really anywhere in Sioux Falls and running into unexpected friends. This city has become my Cheers, and it seems that everyone knows my name. I am days away from moving to a place where I can count the people I know on my fingers, and while I am excited about knitting myself a new community, I know that I am leaving a very big, loving one behind.
I will also miss things like driving with my windows down, lunch at Bagel Boy, and hula-hooping at the Falls, but it really is the people who make the place. And I have been incredibly blessed by good friends and family my whole life. Sioux Falls and USF continue to be the Mecca of these friendships.
Since I started at USF freshman year, I have met some of the most wonderful, talented, and influential people in my life. From professors to fellow students, USF’s community has filled my world with love, faith, and understanding. Even today as I stroll through the quad (even if it is missing trees), I may meet someone who adds another beautiful dimension to life at USF.
Growing up in Sioux Falls, I also have been lucky enough to have many of my High School friends come home on holidays and summers. I have been able to sew together all my friendships and to build new ones. Not to mention the perk of having my mom (and her washing machine) minutes from my dorm.
And this all sounds nice and dandy. And for the most part it was. But it was during the most trying of times that these people have stood beside me and helped me become the person that I am; without them I would not be where I am today.
So, the question is: How do I say goodbye to all of this?
I will start with the fact that this is not goodbye forever. I will return to Sioux Falls for major holidays because my family is here (blood and otherwise included). So, I can say “Farewell” and “See you when I see you” to my friends and loved ones. We can remind each other of the magic of technology: telephones, texting, facebook, twitter, skype… etc. and because of this we don’t ever have to be out of contact. I will offer up my floor in New York to any visitors, shed a few (or a river of) tears when I give final hugs, and keep Sioux Falls and USF in my heart. However, the door to my heart won’t shut after it because who knows what this wide world holds for me? And there is room enough in there for everything.
It was here that I took my first steps as a toddler, sauntered across the arena to receive my high school diploma, and will walk across the Washington Pavilion’s Great Hall stage to be granted my diploma from college. Sioux Falls has been the solid path beneath my sometimes unsteady feet.
While there are some things that I won’t miss about Sioux Falls -- namely the lovely John Morrell smell -- I am beginning to realize those things that I will miss that I have always taken for granted. One of those things is walking into Java City, Bracco, or really anywhere in Sioux Falls and running into unexpected friends. This city has become my Cheers, and it seems that everyone knows my name. I am days away from moving to a place where I can count the people I know on my fingers, and while I am excited about knitting myself a new community, I know that I am leaving a very big, loving one behind.
I will also miss things like driving with my windows down, lunch at Bagel Boy, and hula-hooping at the Falls, but it really is the people who make the place. And I have been incredibly blessed by good friends and family my whole life. Sioux Falls and USF continue to be the Mecca of these friendships.
Since I started at USF freshman year, I have met some of the most wonderful, talented, and influential people in my life. From professors to fellow students, USF’s community has filled my world with love, faith, and understanding. Even today as I stroll through the quad (even if it is missing trees), I may meet someone who adds another beautiful dimension to life at USF.
Growing up in Sioux Falls, I also have been lucky enough to have many of my High School friends come home on holidays and summers. I have been able to sew together all my friendships and to build new ones. Not to mention the perk of having my mom (and her washing machine) minutes from my dorm.
And this all sounds nice and dandy. And for the most part it was. But it was during the most trying of times that these people have stood beside me and helped me become the person that I am; without them I would not be where I am today.
So, the question is: How do I say goodbye to all of this?
I will start with the fact that this is not goodbye forever. I will return to Sioux Falls for major holidays because my family is here (blood and otherwise included). So, I can say “Farewell” and “See you when I see you” to my friends and loved ones. We can remind each other of the magic of technology: telephones, texting, facebook, twitter, skype… etc. and because of this we don’t ever have to be out of contact. I will offer up my floor in New York to any visitors, shed a few (or a river of) tears when I give final hugs, and keep Sioux Falls and USF in my heart. However, the door to my heart won’t shut after it because who knows what this wide world holds for me? And there is room enough in there for everything.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Nothing Like the Sun
Well. Its Easter. I am here at work attempting to configure my life for the next 59 days until I move.
Thats right. I have set a date, as most of you know, to move to New York June 1st. I thought that it would have been a hard decision to make, and in some ways it was, but it was so simple and felt so right, that I am happy and excited as ever to move into the big apple.
Just coming back from Colorado, where I visited my lovely sister and my future brother-in-law Will, and spending this week with my best friend Sarah (back from KC on spring break), I have not exactly been productive this week. Time to get a move on! (no pun intended.)
But before then, I have a lot to do. This week I open up my senior show at USF, titled Nothing Like the Sun. (it runs Wed, Thurs, Fri... if you are interested).
Thats right. I have set a date, as most of you know, to move to New York June 1st. I thought that it would have been a hard decision to make, and in some ways it was, but it was so simple and felt so right, that I am happy and excited as ever to move into the big apple.
Just coming back from Colorado, where I visited my lovely sister and my future brother-in-law Will, and spending this week with my best friend Sarah (back from KC on spring break), I have not exactly been productive this week. Time to get a move on! (no pun intended.)
But before then, I have a lot to do. This week I open up my senior show at USF, titled Nothing Like the Sun. (it runs Wed, Thurs, Fri... if you are interested).
It has been going well, and I am totally blessed by Jayna, who is my director, and has brought countless wisdom and humor to the show. This week was a little rough because we were on spring break/easter break and I scheduled tech day for yesterday (generally as the saturday before the show opens) and none of my crew showed up. It was a bummer, and nothing really worked for me. I did get the playbill done, but everything else was a bust. Alas, I shall prevail (I have to) and the show opens in three days.
After which I have Cinderella closely approaching. I am behind on memorization, but really have been focusing on my show which opens before Cinderella. Also, we haven't actually read through the whole script yet, which is fustrating, but I am really not too worried that everything will fall into place. It just worries me that I won't be at rehearsal this week because I have my show. The theatre gods are on my side though... I hope.
All of the sudden then, April will be over. Then May, then graduation, and then eight days and a plane ride to NYC.
It feels like I am leaving a lot behind. And I am. People, love, books. But, I hope that what New York has to offer me is so much more. It feels that way. And though no one can replace or even come close to the most amazing people I have in my life in Sioux Falls, and have befriended over the last 21 years, Oh baby its a wild world.. and I intend to find that out.
I don't have a job yet, but I do have wonderful people to live with and a hell of a lot of ambition.
Life is crazy right now. But good. Really good. And I am so blessed. And on this Easter Sunday, I want to celebrate being alive and loving every minute of it.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
A View from the Bridge
As I stood there looking over the Financial district of New York, breathless on the Brooklyn bridge, I could not help but to realize that at this particular moment, my dreams were coming true. A wave of emotion flooded me, and tears were the only way I knew how to tell the world that this was happening. That life was happening. As I stood there looking over it all, I knew that this was where I belonged.
Now, clearly I already had some notion of this. I was in New York already. I had planned to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge with Geoff and I had known that something very real was about to happen. But when things all of the sudden become that clear, everything suddenly becomes simple. I had to move here.
It is now a month later. I am back in Sioux Falls, back in school, and back to wishing I was still in New York. In this time I have been enjoying my time with friends and my classes, but also with a constant itch to figure out the next step of my life. When and how am I going to move to New York?
This is not as simple of a question as I want it to be. There is money to be saved, budgets to be made, jobs to be found, correspondance and hoping that I will have a place to live when I get there. I know that none of this is going to go as smoothly as I want, but I can still hope. I find myself telling co-workers and friends about my plans and the more I think about it all, the more excited I become and the sooner I want it.
Sure, I could stay in Sioux Falls for the summer. Continue to do what I have been doing for the last 21 years. But, what are the benifits? What are the cons? Could I stand to wait just three more months?
As of now, I don't know. I could pack my bags and leave next week, but I better graduate first. And I will (don't worry mom). And then... well, June 1st is only a week after I walk. I think I could do that.
I want things to work out the way that I think they will. But regardless of when I actually move to New York, or how everything actually goes down, I know that the feeling that overwhelmed me on the Brooklyn Bridge will be back. I will be there.
Next step now: sell all my books.
Now, clearly I already had some notion of this. I was in New York already. I had planned to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge with Geoff and I had known that something very real was about to happen. But when things all of the sudden become that clear, everything suddenly becomes simple. I had to move here.
It is now a month later. I am back in Sioux Falls, back in school, and back to wishing I was still in New York. In this time I have been enjoying my time with friends and my classes, but also with a constant itch to figure out the next step of my life. When and how am I going to move to New York?
This is not as simple of a question as I want it to be. There is money to be saved, budgets to be made, jobs to be found, correspondance and hoping that I will have a place to live when I get there. I know that none of this is going to go as smoothly as I want, but I can still hope. I find myself telling co-workers and friends about my plans and the more I think about it all, the more excited I become and the sooner I want it.
Sure, I could stay in Sioux Falls for the summer. Continue to do what I have been doing for the last 21 years. But, what are the benifits? What are the cons? Could I stand to wait just three more months?
As of now, I don't know. I could pack my bags and leave next week, but I better graduate first. And I will (don't worry mom). And then... well, June 1st is only a week after I walk. I think I could do that.
I want things to work out the way that I think they will. But regardless of when I actually move to New York, or how everything actually goes down, I know that the feeling that overwhelmed me on the Brooklyn Bridge will be back. I will be there.
Next step now: sell all my books.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I Promise, I Didn't Forget About You
It has been a long time since I blogged. In fact, since I returned from my last big journey. I can only hope this month is something (anything) like what Oxford and Europe were for me. In the meantime, I have been busy with school. I felt like a zombie this whole semester: class at 8am and night rehearsals, plus two jobs. I was a zombie (and had several dreams about zombies...) However, I have returned to my self after a crazy semester (and a crazy year).
Now, dear cyberspace, I could tell you about everything that has happened to me in that time I have not blogged (Producers, Summer, Shakespeare, New (and old) friends, Vegas, Colloquium...) but I will spare you the details for now and fill you in as I deem important.
So. Here I am. My wings have brought me to the big apple: New York City. I was lucky enough to come here over fall break this year and spent a crazy week with Geoff and Sean (two interesting boys who I did Shakespeare this summer with, and then they moved to NYC) which was fantastic and I got to see the city. But now I am here to feel the city and become part of the thriving metropolis that NYC is.
I want this trip (that I have been planning since about July) to be a stepping stone for a potential move here after I graduate. I say potential only because we never know what the future may bring. I think that it is important to me to feel the city, and understand the city before I move here. So I am doing an internship with the Women's Project and with the Culture Project, as well as hanging with (and living with) the other USF students and trying to see as much as I can: of theatre and otherwise.
Things so far are going very well. Everyday I find something new that makes me fall in love with NYC more deeply. The people and the cultures here are so amazing and interesting, one can never become bored with what they find on the street. I also am enjoying having the pleasure of experiencing these other students' first times too. There is something so magical about the first time one is in New York.
Today we went to Ragtime on Broadway and afterwords went backstage with Mike McGowen who was in the cast and a USF grad. It was simply marvelous. It brought me to tears. And when we got to go backstage, and I stood on a Broadway stage for the first time I was simply speechless. My heart skipped a beat and I was torn between busting into song and dance and just simply standing there taking it all in. (Eventually I chose the later, probably for the best). All together it was a fabulous experience and worth the running around this morning.
I also feel really lucky to have friends in the city. Not only do they give me great perspective on what it is like to move here and live here, but they are also super entertaining. Its not that I don't want to spend all my time with the USF students, but to have the option of both sort of home-bases is nice. I couldn't have asked for a better situation (just maybe some more organization).
Well, cyberspace, I should finish this blog, take a look at the night, and let the wind carry me (and boy, is it cold wind!). All I know, is that I wish our stove worked in our apt (or that there was a microwave) cause I could really go for a cup of tea (thanks, England).
So I will leave with the thought that, I shall continue to fly on my own wings.
Love,
Haley
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