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...

Another week down, another move down

Hello everyone!

Time is seriously flying by. It's getting difficult to wrap my head around the fact that this place that I've only known as a getaway and land of greatness is where I live now. Even more difficult is knowing I won't be back in Ohio for at least a few months. But things are becoming increasingly more comfortable, I must say. The subway system has always been a place I have understood how to navigate, but now I know how it all works without really thinking about it. If someone stops me on the street and asks how to get from point A to point B, I'm actually pretty good as articulating the best routes to take and maybe even give them a few landmarks to ensure they're on the right path. I guess I'm really becoming a New Yorker.

Oddly enough, New Yorkers are actually not mean. This terrible misconception is consistently proven wrong. Yes, they are a gruff people with heavy accents and big chips on their shoulder. But if a tourist asks a New Yorker directions, you bet your ass that New Yorker is going to give the tourist the best directions in order to get the tourists OUT OF THE WAY! Thankfully, the NYC government got really keen on this tidbit about tourists and have shut down car traffic on certain areas in Times Square. These strips of Broadway are now pedestrian walk areas with lots of seating for tourists to stop and enjoy the view while staying out of the way of New Yorkers on their hurried way to wherever they're going. BRILLIANT! It's also just a nice place to sit between shifts, grab a drink, and enjoy the fact that this is where you live.

Nothing all that interesting has happened over the last week other than my move to the new apartment that I will call home through next August. I have lots of thanks to send out to Katie's parents and two brothers for making this quite possibly the easiest move of my life. Seriously, all I did was bag up my bed, box up my crap, then Mark and Thomas just came in and got it all into the van or walked it over to my new place. No joke, it's that close. (Side note: I've been meaning to take some pictures around here, but I need new batteries and I keep on forgetting. My plan is to take said pictures over the next week and make next weeks post a "Picture Post".) As a "thank you" I took everyone out for pizza after the move...or at least tried to. Katie's dad snuck up to the counter and paid without my knowing. I still owe you all a dinner, at least as an apology for being in the way during the move.

Anway, the new place is great! Very spacious overall, even though my room is quite little, but manageable. In order to fit all my stuff in the room, I have once again taken the doors off my closet and put my dresser in there just to free up some other space. Lord knows I don't have enough clothes to take up an entire closet, so why not make use of that space, right? So now I have my bed, piano, and a folding table (serving as my desk) in my room.

The weather is actually been pretty nice over the last few days. As you may recall from earlier posts, it was nothing but hot and sticky when my brother moved me in at the beginning of August. This past Saturday it rained a little bit which cooled everything off and made the move surprisingly comfortable. The temperature dropped a little bit last night and I slept fairly well and didn't wake up drenched in sweat. (All together now: "Ewww...")

Yes, I did just write a paragraph about the weather. Sorry.

You'll notice on the right hand side of my blog there is a new feature: the Poll. I haven't officially decided how often this will occur, but right now you can vote on what my first Adventure will be. I've taken some suggestions from those of you that commented on last week's post and narrowed it down to a few I think are completely manageable. Sorry, Kristina, I haven't seen the Naked Cowboy out yet, so I figured that wouldn't be a smart option to put up. Fear not, I'll save that idea a later date. This adventure will take place on Friday, most likely. Don't worry about whether or not the one you want me to do doesn't get the most votes; I will eventually do all of these. Keep in mind also, this will probably be an adventure spent alone as everyone else will be working on Friday... But please check out the Bar Hop suggested by the lovely ksneyer in the comment section of last weeks post. That is something that will definitely happen at some point in time. Additionally, feel free to send me more suggestions. You can e-mail at NickOlas1225@gmail.com, send me a message on facebook (if we're friends), or call me (if we're REALLY good friends).

Whatever I end up doing on Friday will happen during the day and will be topped off with dinner and the theatre with the lovely KTD. Our show for the night: Dolly Parton's 9 to 5! The show is closing after only 24 previews and 148 performances. This is one of those very strange situations where I just do not understand how this show did not do better. You can dissect this by starting with the composer: Dolly Parton. Who doesn't like Dolly Parton? She's pretty much the closest thing we have to a real life Barbie doll. She's an American institute of music and has a heart of gold, well, probably cheap, fake gold, but gold nonetheless. Then there's the cast: Allison Janney (three-time Emmy winner for The West Wing), Stephanie J. Block (Elphaba in numerous productions of Wicked), Megan Hilty (the world's best Glinda in Wicked), and Marc Kudisch (three-time Tony Award nominee). Sorry, that's pretty damn impressive. It started out in Los Angeles and made the transfer to Broadway in the fall. Here's where it gets a little less fantastic a dream: it opened to mixed reviews. Once award nominations came out, it nabbed 15 Drama Desk Award nominations (the record for the DDA), but only 4 Tony Award noms. Everyone I know that has seen the show thinks it's awesome. But it's attendance hasn't been all that stellar. I don't think it has ever played to capacity. Maybe it should have opened in a smaller theatre? It's playing at the Marquis Theater which seats more than 1,600. Whereas Next to Normal, a show about a family dealing with a mother diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, plays at the Booth Theatre which seats half that. N2N has been playing to anywhere from 85-95% capacity since it opened and doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

This whole situation begs the question: how can you properly plan out the course for a show based on so many factors? I'll explore that at a later date. I feel like I'm getting a little too long-winded for one post.

I hope you're all doing well. Don't forget to do your part as a NAiNY reader and VOTE! Check in next week to find out what Adventure I go on...

YOU Decide Nick's Adventures!

Alright. So here's the deal: my life isn't really all that interesting, but I'm so stoked that so many of you are actually reading and can't wait to see what I'll do next. So, I figured that this blog really isn't just for myself and there are many of you that say you are living vicariously through me. (Side note: "vicarious living" is one of the best terms ever--I don't know why I think this...) Anywho, this is my idea: there are so many things to do in NYC, I just don't know what I should do. This is where you all come in. If you there is something you've always wanted to do in NYC but have never gotten the chance, tell me what it is, I'll go do it, take pictures, then make that experience my next blog post!

This has all kind of spawn because I saw Julie & Julia a few weeks ago and loved the fact that this woman in Queens was writing a blog that people were reading and loving. After the first few weeks of moving here, I don't really foresee a whole lot of incredibly fun things happening as all I'm going to be doing is working and hoping to have a really good audition that ends with me getting cast in the show. In the meantime, there's so many other things I could be doing. And this way I know what I'm going to be doing on my days off and I don't just lay in bed all day thinking about all the things I could be doing.

Obviously, there has to be some kind of ground rules, such as no stalking celebrities (I do that all the time, why else would I work in Times Square? Ooo, P.S. I saw John Stamos the other day as he was doing promo stuff for the revival of Bye, Bye Birdie he's starring in at the new Henry Miller's Theatre), no working the corner (selling rats on a stick, or otherwise...), and nothing that'll cost too much money. However, if you'd like me to go see a Broadway show and tell you all about it here, I'm sure we could work something out, but Nicky ain't gots no monies fo dat rot now... Sorry about that.

So let me know what YOU want me to do in NYC!

In other news: I had the most random night out last night. The last few days I've been working pretty much non-stop and racked up a long list of hours this past week. Suffice to say I was pretty tired after I got off work last night and decided to partake in the glories of working at a Brewery restaurant. So I had my shift drink at the bar, enjoying myself while making a few phone calls that I had put off too long.

During my shift, I met this trio of delightful Canadians that were visiting NYC for the first time ever! Naturally, I was all pumped to be the non-tourist in the city and was letting them know the ins-and-outs of what's cool to do in NYC. It was during this time that I realized I don't really know what's all that great to do here other than going to see shows. But that was cool with them, they were actually interested in maybe seeing something while they're here. So I ended up showing them where the tkts booth is, where a few theatres were with shows I suggested to them and how to find cheap tickets for great shows. They were overjoyed with how kind I was and insisted that we stop somewhere for another beer. "F*CK YEAH!" I exclaimed.

We decided Times Square was too busy, so we just walked to 8th Avenue and started exploring around there. Since they were staying at a hotel around Madison Square Garden, we proceeded south on 8th and came across Emmett's, a pretty neat place in the theatre district. There weren't more than four other people there, so we decided this was a good spot to stop. First off, our bartender was from Scotland (immediately, I wanted to call him William Wallace, instead of his name Ryan). Second, the guy a few seats down from us was from Dublin, Ireland. So I'm surrounded by accents right about now with Scottish behind the bar, Irish on my left, and a trifecta of Canadian "ehs" on my right. THIS IS NEW YORK. The Canadians proceeded to buy me a Blue Moon, which was just delectable. A little later on, one of the Canadians got lost on his way back from the bathroom. He made a wrong turn and just sat in a corner in the basement waiting to be discovered (isn't everyone). Luckily, I started exploring the caverns of this bar and found him far off the beaten path. Extra luckily, he was very thankful that I took the time to find him and he bought me another beer. YEAH! There were also two rounds of Petron somewhere in there, not sure when... By the way, these Canadians were all in their 30's but looked like they just graduated high school--what the hell is in their water up there? After they left, the Irishman had the bartender pour me a Guinness. Ahh, Guinness. After a little conversation, I decided it was time to make my way home--at 2:30 in the morning. (Did I mention that I had gotten off work around 9 PM?) To say the least, my travels home were fairly easy, but a bit wobbly.

Not exactly how I figured my Sunday night would go.

The next post will probably come next Monday. I like Mondays as my Blog Days, so plan on checking back then for more. I'm hopefully going to take some pictures of the Manhattan skyline from the roof of my current apartment and post them here before it's too late and I don't have roof access anymore. This coming weekend, I'll be moving to the other side of the block to a four-bedroom townhouse. So, that means this is probably my last post from my first apartment in NYC. Oh, the memories...

I'll "see" you all next time. Start thinking of where/what you want me to go/do!

Has it really been two and a half weeks?

Seriously, I can't believe it's already August 20th--17 days since I moved here!

In the last week, I've:

1) Started working. It's a great job and I'm doing very well. So far, it hasn't been too terribly busy, which is probably good for me since I'm just learning and getting the feel for hosting. However, there's a popular Broadway show opening up across the street from our restaurant in a few weeks, so we're DEFINITELY going to be getting busier. I've also become "friends" with members of the cast that have come over for lunch a few days--they're pretty cool. The people I work with are awesome and I feel very fortunate to have found a place that feels very much like home already. Honestly, after leaving Max & Erma's, I wasn't sure if I would found a group of people I would enjoy working with so much. It's not exactly the same, but they are a great group of people. Naturally, being New York, I work with a lot of people trying to break into the biz. As such, they are very much "my people". We haven't broken out in song yet, but it's only a matter of time. Fear not. More on this later...

2) Looked into other jobs. While I love my job at the restaurant, it doesn't really pay enough to support my living out here. As such, I am still on the search for other gainful employment, at least until I start serving and can pull in more than $250/week... I've talked to other restaurants and have applied for a number of jobs within the theatre community simply because that's the industry I want to be a part of. Nothing has really materialized yet, but I just need to be more patient.

3) Found more auditions. I've found audition calls for the City Center Encores! series, Wicked, On the Town (at Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ), La Cage aux Folles, and Billy Elliot. At the same time, I think I'm gonna have to give the auditions a rest until I have enough money to take the time off to go to auditions. In this scenario, I won't be auditioning for anything until mid-September, which leaves on the Billy Elliot auditions from the above list. However, I think that's the only show I actually have a shot at getting in as there are a number of burly miners in the show. We'll see where this all goes...

4) Have found myself thinking less of moving back to Ohio. I don't think I covered that last part in my last post. It's true. But I've also found it's very common to feel this way. My situation isn't all that extraordinary compared to everyone else that has made this move to NYC. However, I'm trying to come to grips with the fact that this was my decision and I have to deal with all the difficult things like an adult and make my own way. It feels incredibly liberating to say that, but incredibly terrifying at the same time.

In other news, I've lost a noticeable amount of weight! I suspect the numbers around 10-12 lbs. since I moved, which is pretty awesome. Just wait till you all see me at Christmas.

Speaking of "you all", is anybody really reading this? Am I maybe I only doing this for myself? Holler back if you're out there.