Hello everyone!
17 days is a long time for me to not write, but there hasn't been anything too eventful to write about, let alone much time. And even as I write that, I know it's kind of a lie. For some reason I feel like I'm more bogged down than ever even though I'm not working nearly as much as I was back during the holidays. True, it's NYC and I work in Times Square so there must be business. However, even Times Square has slow times of the year.
So to fill any empty time, I've spent a great deal of time reading. Recently, I finished Stephen King's "Under the Dome". I had never read anything by him before and so I thought I'd pick up his most recent read clocking in at a whopping 1074 pages! Let me tell you: it took me a month and a half to finish this book and it was totally worth it, up until about page 1070. The explanation of what this dome that incapsulates this small Maine town seemed kind of cheap after the series of events that develops throughout the narrative. However, I would totally recommend it because it is one of the best books I've ever read--just not one of the best endings. A couple friends of mine at work also read it recently and absolutely loved it, including the ending.
After conquering the Dome, I have begun some lighter fair: "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. Again, I have never read anything by Sedaris before, but I've heard great things about him and have seen his books in prominent positions at bookstores (where I frequently spend afternoons off). So, as I was walking out the door on Monday morning to go to work, I stopped by my roommates' bookshelf and saw "Me Talk Pretty" and decided to give it a shot. I'm nearly finished reading it and find myself getting lost in Sedaris' essays about his life. The first half of the book deals with his childhood and family, including his sister Amy that appears on "Strangers with Candy" on Comedy Central. The second half deals with his extensive time spent in France, learning the language, the culture, and coming to realizations about American culture. At one point he discusses the fact that we, as Americans, are forced to cater to many people's stupidity in this country. This is a fact I've consisted found throughout my life. Everything from the warning on McDonald's coffee that "Contents might be HOT" to how careful professionals must be to avoid getting slapped with a lawsuit from some angry customer that thinks they have been treated unfairly. In my observation, it seems our nation really is the land of opportunity--opportunity to take advantage of others. Without any reservation, I'm sickened by how our country fights over some of the most ridiculous arguments and think that stating "It's a free country" frees you from taking responsibility for your own rudeness or inability to think of anyone but yourself. (End of rant)
Last Saturday, I began taking an acting class. As I discussed in a previous post I won a raffle at the reading series wrap party for a free 8-week screenwriting class. I decided I didn't have a screenplay in me to write, so the teacher suggested I take the Acting for Writer's class. The interesting thing about this class is that it is centered around character-creation and -development. It is also a very physical class in which we make use of every inch of the space. I left class last week sweating and having to go straight to work for a busy Saturday night. Only seven more weeks to go with it. I think it's going to be a great experience.
Further in the realm of my career, I've seen a few improv shows at People's Improv Theatre where my friend Josh is a student. Josh wrote the screenplay Coming Attraction in which I played 15 characters. A lot of his improv friends came to the reading and noticed me after the shows and have been asking when I'm going to start taking classes. My response so far has been, "As soon as I have the money." This is definitely something I want to start soon because I can see myself doing this stuff with all the characters in my head. I feel so much more comfortable being someone other than myself in front of an audience sometimes, which I guess is why I enjoy being a character actor so much. I'll let you know when something actually happens.
My friends Amanda, Sean, and I have begun a new tradition! Every Tuesday night we cook an amazing dinner and watch LOST! It started as us just deciding to watch the premiere at Sean's after Amanda and I worked the lunch shift at work so we needed dinner and the suggestion was made to cook pizza before the show. I think the second week was sushi, I'm not sure. Maybe I'm trying to forget that whole night because that was the episode entitled "What Kate Does" and I found it to be pretty forgettable. Last week, Sean and I made fried chicken thighs, risotto, broccoli, and peanut-butter swirled brownies. This week was a very special treat as I had my first EVER lobster! Sean and I made a trip down to Chinatown and found a small seafood shop where we picked up a bunch of lobsters and a few pounds of king crab legs. Amanda bought some finish touch ingredients for cheddar biscuits that turned out pretty good, we need to tweak the recipe. For dessert, I made grilled pineapple topped with vanilla ice cream and brown sugar-rum sauce. This has turned into something I find myself looking forward to each week because it features my favorite things: food, friends, and LOST!
On the topic of LOST, I feel like this season is really starting to put itself in high-gear getting some things answered and asking questions that are quickly answered. The last two weeks have been simply awesome. If you don't watch LOST, I am so sorry for your life. DO IT!
Happy Adventures!
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