A Beautifully Artistic Day in the Throws of Winter

The feeling of warmth no longer comes from the sun, so during these months its important to find other ways of feeling all warm and cozy. Therefore a day spent practicing one's craft, then reading literature for further understanding, then collaborating with talented peers on new work, then sharing a meal with an adopted family, then entering a world created on stage as the conclusion of one's night... a winter in NYC isn't all that bad, right?

My day began playing in a cold-reading class with one of New York's finest audition teachers, Karen Kohlhaas, who has actually written books on auditions. Actors tend to get a little heady and overly dramatic, so its really refreshing to walk into a class not having to prepare anything. I walk in and just work on instinct, which is very freeing! Makes me want to take improv classes again! Also, highlight of a very bright day, I exchanged pleasantries with Keifer Sutherland on our break during class because he and Chris Noth (whom I chatted with by the elevators last week) are rehearsing a play, "That Championship Season", at the Atlantic Theatre Company.

The ATC is located in Chelsea, which happens to be blocks away from one of my favorite coffee shops in Manhattan, so I popped over there and read a wonderful book about Lee Strasberg and The Actors Studio, until I needed to catch a train to Brooklyn. Myself and two friends had a arranged to start working together on a project... any project! Two incredibly funny women, who I laugh hysterically with, and we want to create work together. This is what makes New York the best place for ambitious, collaborative people. We laughed, we threw around ideas, we did impersonations of each other doing impersonations of each other doing impersonations of other people. Good times! After a quick dinner at a delicious spot, Grey Dog's, back in Chelsea I took myself to the theatre!

A week ago I read a review by Ben Brantley (NY Times theatre critic) on the Fiasco Company's performance of Shakespeare's "Cymbeline". Just read the review and you'll want to fly up here and see it before it closes Sunday! The play was so well done and so simply done. Only 6 actors to fill 15 roles! The first three acts appear to set up a tragedy, but never did I feel an ounce of heaviness from the show. Instead, it had an incredibly light-hearted tone that made even the most desperate moments just that... moments, and then shortly after return to a fun, albeit complicated, story! I've never laughed so much in a Shakespeare play as I did in Act V, where all loose ends are tied up, everything is resolved, everyone leaves friends, family or lovers. But all 6 actors are on stage jumping in and out of different characters that they've portrayed throughout the play, as they all come to a head at the end! So well timed and joyously played out that the audience just loved them for it! Six young actors putting on a brilliant show is incredibly inspiring for this young actor to witness!

One of my favorite days, certainly of this winter! If we get one more blizzard...

Its the Little Things...

Yesterday, on my way to an audition, I made a friend! A older woman named Gwynn needed a hand with her bag and she looked at me as I walked past at a NY pace and asked me if I'd help her! If you turn down a sweet old woman, you're just asking to get hit by a taxi! It'll come back around to ya! So she and I had a lovely stroll around the corner to the Baptist Church, where senior citizens get lunch for $1.50! Now I don't know what they serve in there, but Gwynn and I both agreed that I was too young, but I told her that the price was right so maybe next time she could sneak me in!

Also, on this freezing NY winter night, I've just returned from a wonderful salon next to my restaurant of employment down in TriBeCa. The owner is a regular and she was in need of a hair model! Luckily I have hair and lots of it and a willingness to let her play with it, so I got a free haircut at a salon well out of my price range! We're going to spend the next few weeks playing around with different looks for the spring! Who doesn't like having their hair played with? Maybe one of my favorite things ever!

All that to say, I love this City I live in, but opportunities like this can appear anywhere. I think the key is to stay present and open to wherever you are and whoever you're in contact with at the moment! So many gifts can be found in each other, we're just self-centered people! That's my two-cents on the matter! Stay warm wherever you are and send warm cozy thoughts to us here! Its painfully cold!

The Way New Yorkers Watch TV

In light of the new year, or maybe the half marathon I've decided to run in April, I have temporarily joined a gym. This tends to be the case for this Southern gal, because I am not one of these crazy Yankees that can just put on some under armor and gloves and run along the Hudson... madness!
The best part about joining my new gym (New York Sports Club, if you care) is I finally get to watch some television! These are the lengths I will go to watch TV! Anyone that knows me, knows I do not even have a couch in my apartment, much less a television, so what do I do when I wanted to watch the BCS National Championship Monday night? Plan my gym time for the start of the game!
Now my dad cannot call me lazy for watching TV anymore! I've found a loophole!

2011

Does 2011 sound like a made up number to anyone else? Every time I say the year it feels a little surreal! Maybe it's because I recently watched "Back to the Future- Part 2" and he travels to the year 2015, and that seemed ridiculous at the time. Plus, there were flying cars, instant dry clothes, "Jaws 19" was being released and of course, hover boards, none of which seem to be on the horizon. For a reason unknown to me, I just can't get on board with this decade, yet.

My main resolution is to hydrate more, which I will say I'm doing pretty good. I didn't bother with "no sweets" or "no caffeine" or "gym every day" b/c those are just silly. I serve coffee and pastries for my living and I'm a realist. So I will raise a water bottle to you and whatever resolution you've made to start this new decade and wish you blessings from unexpected places.