Back on track!

Happy Monday!!!

I'm fortunate enough to not have to go into work until 4, so I have some time to write today.

No real adventures recently, but a pretty relaxing weekend. I did work all day Friday and then again Saturday night, but had all day yesterday off. Sadly, I was not scheduled for work because I joined a kickball league and yesterday was supposed to be our first game of the season, but all games were cancelled due to "inclement weather". Whatever. It all turned out fine, actually. My friend Eric was in town for a quick weekend to visit some of us city-dwellers and we all went out to brunch yesterday--which was just plain delicious!

I have to admit: since moving here, I don't eat as much as I use to do, basically out of lack of time to eat, or real desire. However, it has occurred to me that when I do eat, I appreciate it all the more. (I never thought I'd be writing about my appreciation for food in my blog, by the way...) Our brunch spot for the day was Freemans on the Lower East Side. It's a quaint place that looks like a hole in the way from far away but has a great atmosphere and stretches for God knows how long. We were sat in the wine room at a long table with another party of 4 at the other end, which made it feel pretty homey. What really sets this place apart is that it is a hidden treasure. It's address in "the end of Freeman Alley", literally. You turn down this alley and at the end is this neat little restaurant. If you come to visit, we'll have to brunch here...

I'm glad that some of you have weighed in on my poll about Thanksgiving. It seems you are all as indecisive as I am with the results teetering right around 50/50 at all times. I think "No" is ahead by one vote right now.

This Friday night I will make my New York cabaret debut with my friend Emily (my tour guide through Central Park a few weeks ago). We will be singing "A Stud and a Babe" from I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. This song is so me, it's not even funny. The whole song describes how these two are not exactly the picturesque dream-guy or -girl of anyone's dreams, but they discover a mutual bond found in pointing out their own foibles--which is what I do on a regular basis. It's funny as hell and I can't wait to work with her on it since Emily's been away for the last week and a half. I'm hoping someone will tape it and I can maybe get a video of it on here next Monday. We'll see what happens. Check back then.

That's all for now. Simple is life.

Happy Adventures!

Slacking, again...

It's Thursday night and I'm just now "getting around" to writing this. There are quotes because I've been thinking about writing all week, just haven't actually put fingertips to keys...

Life has been pretty nice to me in the last week or so. My Billy Elliot audition went pretty well, not my best but most definitely better than the Shrek audition. I sang the reprise of "Where's the Girl" from The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of my all-time favorite musicals. It's the perfect audition song because it's a perfect 32-bar song that has clear points of entry for a tight 16-bar cut, or even the dreaded 8-bar cut. I got a late start that day because I was just feeling kind of lazy even though I was incredibly excited to go to this audition. According to everything I read, the audition was supposed to start at 10 AM for men, so I arrived promptly at 10 AM--even though I usually like to arrive early. Upon arrival, I discovered the audition time had been moved to 2 PM. So, I marched in and signed the Non-Equity list and quickly made my way to the Times Square area.

Since I had a whole morning ahead of me, I decided to make the most of it. Thankfully I brought a book with me: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. My friend Christina gave me this book to read last fall, yet I never got around to it--pretty common theme in my life, huh? But on that particular day, I dove in head first. The story is really great with characters that are interesting, but not too "dark and twisty", and a plot that moves at a great pace. The basic idea is that this old guy named Jacob is realizing he's getting really old and when a new addition to his table in the cafeteria at his nursing home announces that he use to carry water for the elephants in a circus, Jacob calls him a liar. The rest of the novel unfolds with Jacob recounting the events leading up to his stumbling upon a circus and becoming its veterinarian. I was surprised how detailed some very illicit scenes were written, but it made sense since the narrator of the story was also the main character. Overall, I highly recommend this book. Next on my list is Ian McEwan's Atonement which was released as a movie a couple years ago. Loved the movie, I'll probably love the book more.

Anyway, after I had sat for a few hours reading, I made my way back down to Chelsea for my audition. When I got there, about 120 other guys had arrived and were waiting for the proceedings to start. After all the Equity actors had been given there spots in line and their audition cards, we all just sat and waited for a couple hours. Around 4, the monitor told us there was only one more group to be taken in, then he would ask about the possibility for Non-Equity to be seen. Luckily, these casting directors were feeling gracious and let us all sing! After I sang, one of the directors asked where Pickerington was. I told him, and he responded by telling me he was from Mount Vernon, so we had a little Ohio moment. YEAH! Still haven't heard anything from that audition... I'm not counting my chickens and neither should you.

That night, I made my way over to the Palace Theatre and tried my hand at getting front row lottery tickets to see the current revival of West Side Story. Apparently, that Thursday was not my night. However, last night was! I sat front row center and saw Karen Olivo perform as Anita. She is without a doubt the biggest highlight of this show which actually has a lot of very good performers. Josefina Scaglione (Maria) does a fantastic job and plays Maria a little more grown-up than I've seen in other performers and it made her more human, I think. I've always felt that Maria's big moment at the end of the story comes out of nowhere: all of the sudden she's a woman on the edge, when all around her before is hatred and violence. Ms. Scaglione gives us a hint of intelligence about her Maria and I found the character to actually be appealing and interesting. Her counterpart as Tony, Matt Cavenaugh, has a very lovely lyric voice, but it's very small. In most scenes, I spaced out when he sang because there wasn't much oomph behind it. Most annoyingly, he made this Fosse-esque posed during his highest note in "Maria" that almost made me burst out in laughing. Luckily for him (and the audience), I was too bored to actually react... The dancing was fantastic and I really enjoyed it. It's always nice to see a classic redone in some fashion, but this didn't stray too far from what is expected.

Tuesday night I saw an advance screening of Flashforward, the new "sprawling" drama on ABC. It's actually pretty good. The premise is great: everyone in the world loses conciousness for two minutes and 17 seconds at the same time. When they all come to, they found out what happens when we all stop functioning. During those moments, they also see a flash of their future six months from now. So people like what they see, others are haunted by their imminent destiny. The acting needs some improvement: I expected more from you Joseph Fiennes. The script isn't terrible, but it could use some wising up. What really got me was how the director was apparently TRYING to make this show as dramatic as possible, particular during the sequences when they're showing the devastation from everyone passing out. Overall, I really think you should all watch it. It's on ABC, Thursdays at 8. If you missed it tonight, there is an encore presentation of it tomorrow night at 8--set your DVR. I miss DVR...

As of today, I've officially lived longer at my current residence than I did at the sublet in August. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Before I know it, I'll be packing up to fly home for Christmas--maybe Thanksgiving. I can't decide if I want to be back home for Thanksgiving, or spend my first Thanksgiving as a New Yorker in New York. Help me decide. I've posted a new poll on the right-hand side of the page. Here's what I'm thinking: I am going home for Christmas, being there for Thanksgiving will be so soon, so why not just wait another month? I've already proven to myself that a month in NYC flies by. Additionally, I just thinking my first time being home should be Christmas. Maybe I'm just wanting my arrival back home to be more dramatic--that sounds more like me, right?

Anyway, let me know what you think. I've heard that some of you are having trouble commenting on here. I don't really know what you tell you about that. For all I know you just click comment and then type what you want to say. Maybe you need to have a gmail account or something. Not sure. I'll look into it more. I would like to hear from more of you, though. I've caught up with a couple people, but there's still a lot of you out there that I haven't heard from at all since I moved out here (cough*Sean*cough).

In other news, I'd like to give a big shout out to my dad. He's currently on the road as he recently started a new job as a trucker! The little I've gotten to talk to him he sounds so happy, which makes me happy. Best of luck, Dad! Hope you're having the time of your life! (Aww, Patrick Swayze...RIP)

Happy Adventures!

Slacking...

So, yes, I was unable to post yesterday and I apologize (Christina...). Sadly, our internet at the apartment is less than reliable, thus I'm forced to post when I can anymore.

Furthermore sadly, there hasn't been a new adventure in the last week since the Central Park Adventure. I've been working pretty non-stop. The only thing I've done outside of work since the park was seeing "Altar Boyz" off-Broadway. And HOLY CRAP! I could not believe how hard I laughed for a solid 90 minutes. The show is making fun of Catholicism from the word "go" and since I spent nine years in Catholic school, I found it funnier than most people in the audience. I really hope it stays open long enough for my mom's visit--whenever that'll be.

Life is pretty much full of work these days and not much while actually there. The revival of Bye, Bye Birdie began previews last Thursday and our business has not shot through the roof like we had anticipated. Our managers like to be prepared, so they scheduled more servers than normal to work and it turns out we just don't need the extra help. As a result, we're not making all that much money and we're wasting people's time by having them come in for one or two hours and they get maybe two tables. And I forgot to mention, that was my Saturday night at work...

The biggest reason I have to post this week is to ask for some very strong prayers. This Thursday is the Chorus Call for Billy Elliot. It's not very typical for a non-Equity actor to be seen at an Equity Chorus Call, but I'm praying that someone sees me waiting and says, "Hey! You look like a big, burly miner. Let's hear you." In that case, I'll know this is my one shot at this and luckily I've had some good advice on how to pick my song and I've chosen the reprise of "Where's the Girl?" from The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's the perfect 32-bar song that showcases everything my voice is able to do, minus the soprano-high falsetto. My sources say it's a good song and it sits very well in my voice.

Along those same lines, I've begun putting together my audition book. Essentially, this is a collection of songs that span every genre and allow me to showcase my vocal abilities and personality. There's a lot of work that goes into breaking into this industry, but I'm glad to be surrounded by people that have been doing this for a few years and are more than willing to help a guy out.

That's really all for now. I gotta get this in before I lose my internet connection.

If you think about it, I could really use some prayers being sent up above on Thursday. The audition starts at 10 AM and will probably only go for a few hours, but we'll see what happens. Check back next week.

Happy Adventures!

MY FIRST ADVENTURE!

Happy Monday everyone! (Unless it's not Monday. In that case: Happy Whatever-Day-It-Is!)

So here we are: just over one month into my tenure in NYC and I am proud to bring you my first adventure (hereafter referred to as "MFA")!

When: Friday, September 4, 2009

Where: Central Park

Who: Nick and Emily, with special guest appearances by KTD, Audrey, and Steve

The last few months have been littered with moments that make me stop and think, "Everything happens for a reason!" If you'll peruse the new sub-heading of my blog, you will find that very saying. I don't know if anyone had noted it before, but it previously read: "I live out my dreams. You read about it." While that is true, you already knew that. Henceforth, I decided to make a statement that I have believed in for many years now. More on that at a later date...

However, on this particular day, that saying stands up and shouts itself from the rooftops! After coming home from work on Thursday night, I checked up on the status of the poll and found that 57% of you that voted chose for MFA to be "Exploring Central Park, with the possibility of bursting out in song". Initially, I was totally stoked because I was secretly hoping for this myself. "Why?" you may ask. Well, I had been wanting to spend a day in the park ever since I moved and had never done it. There was one day a few weeks ago when I had the opportunity, but the hangover fairy had visited me the night before and so that day was not shaping up to be a good day to walk through the park. So when I received a text from my friend Emily about how beautiful a day it was outside and what a perfect day to go for a walk in the park, I knew everything was happening exactly as it was intended. "But, Nick, why?" you may ask. Well, because I've been to NYC and walked through Central Park, but never did I actually pay attention to anything and know of all the great things Central Park has to offer. Emily, on the other hand, has been a New Yorker for four years now and knows the park like the back of her hand. So, naturally, I could not have asked for a better companion for MFA in Central Park.

Here's how it went down: Emily and I met up in Astoria around 1, I think. I had a few errands to run in Midtown Manhattan before we could head up to the park, so we stopped there and then walked from Times Square (the 42nd St. area) to Central Park South and Columbus Circle which is roughly 18 blocks or so (that's nearly a mile). On the way, we discussed music, which is great because I've missed having conversations about the world I so love and of which can't wait to be a part. Upon making it to the park, we called my cousins Steve and Audrey that were also spending time in the park that day. We met up with them right around the carousel. Emily swears that the carousel is the place to go whenever you're having a bad day because there is no way you cannot be happy while riding the carousel. Furthermore, you cannot experience joy and sadness at the same time; they are polar opposites and therefore cannot co-exist. Nothing has ever made as much sense to me.

After departing from the carousel, we made out way to the Mall. Everyone has seen the Mall, but may not know that this is its proper name. This is the stretch of pathway that is commonly seen in a series of pictures depicting the seasons. I think my favorite scene at the Mall is in "Definitely, Maybe". If you haven't seen this movie, go rent it and enjoy! In this particular scene, Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin are sitting on a bench along the Mall. She decides she's figured out who her mother is in the story he's telling her. The setting looks to be about mid-fall with leaves turning colors and falling, people wearing sweaters and looking cozy: that's what I look forward to each year, no matter where I am. Anyway, I just love how this stretch of walk way in the park seems so pristine and welcoming. It's great to just take a stroll and see all the different people that inhabit this city. On this particular Friday, we saw a young boy and girl doing juggling acts and things of that sort. They weren't terribly popular with the passersby, but I found it endearing to see two kids so young performing for all to see.

At the end of this stretch on the Mall, we came across a stone stage with a half-dome ceiling--which became the sight of my NYC performance debut. Don't worry, Mom, you didn't miss much. I jumped up on the stage a sang a few high notes to myself in a very dramatic stance while Emily took a few snapshots... One day, it'll be for thousands. This is something that particularly amazes me about this city and this park. In the middle of this huge metropolis of an island, there's a structure built in a Greek/Roman-style in a park that stretches nearly 3 miles and is surrounded by modern skyscrapers. Amidst all the hysteria of our world, something so simple and brilliant stands just to be seen. I am unaware if there are ever any formal performances on this stage, but the acoustics are pretty fantastic for a performer. I highly recommend this stage for anyone that sings for the pleasure that is derived from the act.

After my "performance", we walked to the end of the path where we came upon Bethesda Fountain. Many of you will recognize this sight from the HBO mini-series Angels in America based on the stageplay of the same name by Tony Kushner. However, I'm sure even more of you will recognize it from the scene in Enchanted where Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) sings "That's How You Know" along with hundreds of people spending a day in the park. For some reason, this was one of the places I most wanted to see. The first time I came to New York in high school, I know we spent time exploring the park and I know we came across the fountain. However, I knew really got to spend anytime here. The picture here was taken from the balcony of the fountain area. Just beyond the fountain, you'll see some row boats. To the right, outside of the picture, is the Central Park Boathouse, both an actual boathouse and a restaurant.

Another place for fun happenings, we also stumbled upon some tap-dancers by the fountain. I have no idea how long they were planning on staying there, but I do know that they must practice for insane amounts of time to synchronize everything they do. My favorite part of one of their dances was when they started making some familiar rhythms and then started breaking out into Beyonce's "Single Ladies", which I thought was hilarious--Steve was less enthused due to the fact that he HATES that song. Oh, well. If you two stumble across my blog, I was so impressed and just want to say GREAT JOB!

After the fountain, Steve and Audrey had to cut out of the park and head home. So, Emily and I made our way to another beautiful water area of the park where we found small sail boats. This is the sort of place where I would like to spend a quiet afternoon on a blanket, with a good book, maybe a small picnic, and just soaking up the fact that something this beautiful can exist in a world that simply can't appreciate the simple things that make our world so wonderful. While in college, I was constantly surround by this idea because the campus is incredibly beautiful and sometimes just taking a minute to sit and enjoy the view made those days that seemed to bog me down just kind of go away. I'm really glad Emily showed me this spot, because I think I've been searching for an Oxford-alternative ever since I graduated. Methinks mefoundit.

After discovering peace and serenity, we met up with KTD and her new kids that she nannies: Nala and Maya, the two most adorable tri-lingual kids you'll ever meet. Yes, I typed "tri-lingual". They only speak Mandarin with their mother, only French with their father, and English with everyone else. I'm sure there will be other posts that include the funny things these two say...and I'm sure KTD will show a time or two, as well.

Our last stops in the park included the Great Lawn, Belvedere Castle, the Delacorte Theatre, and the Resevoir; all great movie locales. First, the Great Lawn is where you'd go if you want to throw around a frisby, even if there's a softball game going on with 50 yards of you--some people are just that dumb... Additionally, in a city where you are constantly surrounded by tall buildings and can never see very far with your view being obstructed in some way, it's great to know there is grass field that goes on for quite a while and you're not going to get run over by a taxi.

Belvedere Castle is just a great place to get a great view of the park. From the top tower, you can see across the entire Great Lawn and into the Delacorte Theatre (pictured below). If you follow theatre, you may have heard about the Delacorte Theatre on several occasions. The current revival of HAIR began here as a production of the Public Theatre last summer starting Jonathan Groff as Claude, the role Gavin Creel played to the tune of a Tony-nomination. Earlier this summer, my future wife Anne Hathaway made her NY stage debut with Audra McDonald and Raul Esparza in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I didn't get to see this show, but Anne Hathaway is hot even as a guy! Anne Hathaway, if you're reading this, call me. If you know Anne Hathway, tell her to read this and then to call me. Thanks!

The Resevoir is THE place for New Yorkers to go for a run. If you're a Sex and the City fan, this is where you've seen both Miranda and Charlotte go for runs during the course of the series and--in Charlotte's case--in the movie. I loved the picture I got from the Resevoir so much, that I put it at the end of this post as a farewell, so check it out!

There were several other things that I saw in the park that I wanted to share. Throughout the park, you'll find numerous bridges that are either pedestrian bridges or several as cross-town streets. However, for some reason I find these bridges to be so neat. Maybe because you'll find them throughout a lot of movies like Home Alone 2: Lost in New York or Elf. I particularly enjoy the scene in which Will Ferrell fends out a clan of bullies in the park during a snowball fight. Maybe one of my wintertime adventures will include a snowball fight in the park...

Anyway, here's a series of pictures of a couple of those arches that I was particular fond of.

I really only found this to be a funny name...

In other news, I start serving this week! Business should pick up a lot over the next few weeks because the revival of Bye, Bye Birdie will start performances this Thursday. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to John Stamos' bodyguard and he mentioned that ticket sales were going really well, which definitely translates to big business for us since we'll be the first thing patrons see as they exit the theatre. So, hopefully I will finally feel financially stable pretty soon. Here's hoping!

I hope you're all well and enjoying your lives. Please, come visit!

Happy Adventures!

P.S. If any of you are tech-savvy with blogging, let me know how to better navigate the layout, especially with pictures...