Theatrical indulgence :)

So Meredith (my good friend from theatre) left New York a week or two ago, and I haven't been doing many fun things on the weekend since. It's just hard going to shows or nice restaurants by yourself. Not that I don't have lovely people from the program to go out with, but they aren't really interested in play or theatre-type things. So yesterday, I decided to bite the bullet, pull myself together, and go see a show.

Immediately following work, I hurried across the street and huddled in front of the new TKTS booth (half price on day-of tickets) and finally decided to see The Seagull by Chekov. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Chekov-- I found The Cherry Orchard a bit dry. However, I decided to take a chance and see it anyway. I'm so glad I did, because it was fantastic! As it turned out, Mackenzie Crook (Gareth from the BBC Office and the wooden-eyed pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean) played the lead (Konstantin) and Kristin Scott Thomas played his mother (Arkadina). Crook was pretty good, but Thomas was amazing! Such a wonderful performance!

The play was 3 hours long, and afterward I stood in front of the theatre pondering whether to stand by the stage door or not. 3 or 4 other brave souls were baring the cold, so I went over and joined them for a bit. Mackenzie Crook was one of the first ones out and was about to leave but looked over at us. I gave a big smile and said "hello" so he came on over and signed all our playbills and encouraged us to go get warm somewhere. He was very nice and even more thin than I thought he'd be! A few more cast members came out and signed and then Kristin Scott Thomas who also told us to go and get a warm drink somewhere. I took her advice and left as I was freezing! However, I now have an awesome playbill:


This morning, one of my friend knocked on my door and informed me the post had just arrived, and she'd seen a package for me. I ran downstairs and lo and behold:


I dressed and donned my new shoes before heading to the outdoor market. I picked up pumpernickel raisin bread and chocolate-covered almonds to bring to Thanksgiving as well as a few more odds and ends.


Now it's time to hit the books and write another paper. Major senioritis is beginning to hit...I really just want to go ice skating...

Subway

Today I was running errands around town for my boss. I dashed onto the 1 train for one short stop and sat down in a nearly-empty car. Across from me, a small old man was pouring over a charcoal drawing he was creating of a girl sitting a few seats down from me. The man looked like he might have been either homeless or very poor, as his clothes were patched and he only had a stump of charcoal pencil and a few random sheets of paper. He had such a quiet dignity while delicately shading in the girl's face. I've gotten New York-ish in that I usually don't talk to strangers while travelling, but I couldn't help exclaiming how fantastic his sketching was. The girl just smiled and said he started it 2 or 3 stops ago after asking her permission. Once we reached my stop (and the girl's too) he carefully folded another sheet of precious paper on top of it (I think he got it from an office, as there were graphs on the back) so it wouldn't smudge. I hope I see him again. I want to take him some more paper.

It's the Final Countdown

So yesterday marked one month until I leave NYC to head home to Texas. I think it's time to make a list of things I still need to do/see! Here's what I have so far, please feel free to comment **coughcough** with more suggestions. :)

Spend an afternoon ice skating in either Central Park, Bryant Park, or Rockefeller Center.

Take the boat ride out to Statue of Liberty.

Visit McGee's (the bar from How I Met Your Mother).

Go up to the Bronx, just so I can say I've been there.

Go to Staten Island...because who visits Staten Island?

Play the keyboard from Big at that huge toy store I can't remember the name of.

Ride the Roosevelt Island tram.

See the Seinfeld restaurant.

Enjoy at least one more non-Disney Broadway show! :)

Converse, I salute you

"Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend. You have been the one for me..."

As aptly quoted by Michael Scott, I must now say goodbye to you my low-top, size 8, black-and-white converse. You have been good to me. Withstanding numerous nights out with friends, crew calls, evenings backstage during theatre performances, and campus walks, you have provided my feet with ample support and nostalgic style. For this I thank you, but now must humbly order another pair to succeed you. Even as I say goodbye, I am yet certain your scent will linger in my shoe drawer for weeks to come.

R. I. P. 11/15/2008

Official New Yorker

"NEW YORK - A highly contagious stomach flu is circulating through New York City.

The Health Department has issued a statement reporting that visits to the city's hospital emergency rooms have increased by 19 percent over the past two weeks, to about 400 a day.

The stomach flu is caused by a norovirus infection that is prevalent in late fall and winter. Health officials say the good news is that norovirus infections are usually not serious and most people recover within a few days. "



Well, dear readers, this makes me an official New Yorker! I came home an hour early from work yesterday and was the sickest I've been since elementary school :P Fortunately, I have lovely friends- Artie brought me soda and Lauren brought me crackers and medicine. I'm feeling a lot perkier this morning but am planning on staying in and napping or reading. At least I'm getting it now and not right before Thanksgiving though!

Plugging along

Okay, I need to stop thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas because it's making me more and more homesick! I've already started buying Christmas presents, simply because it makes it feel closer :) Work doesn't help either, because we have 3 new clients- one is going to Texas next week, the other is from Dallas, and the third has actually been to Baylor. Wow.

2 weeks and 2 papers to get through before I'm in Boston...

By the way, here's a pic of me and my roommate Lauren. I realized we haven't taken a picture together, so we quickly solved that problem:

Do the Monster Mash

Halloween was an experience! I didn't want to go out and buy anything, because a) everything here is overpriced and b) by the time I thought about a costume, there were lines outside of all the costume shops. Oy. Anyway, I ended up just using what I had here (which isn't a whole lot) and went as a gothic zombie thing. Basically, I wore my black "leather" boots, black tights, a dark dress, and contoured my face to hollow it out (yay theatre makeup experience!). I set out to the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade by myself and was immediately overwhelmed by the sea of funky people when I got out of the subway. It wasn't until that moment, that I realized how many people lived in New York City, because half of them were right there. Consequently, it was hard to see the parade because of all the people! I saw a few cool things like giant skeleton marionettes with the wearers manipulating the arms and heads. My favorite was a group of 5 or 6 people who made 15 foot wings made of different shiny materials. They were doing a synchronized dance while they went down the street which was awesome! You can kinda see it in this picture:


I quickly got tired of wading through the crowds and met up with Artie and Navine at a club by Union Square. A handful of other people from the group met up with us a little later and we had a nice time dancing and having a few drinks. By midnight, I was dead tired and completely done with large groups of people. Artie and I went back to Brooklyn and that was my Halloween!

Artie and I making our "I'm a monster!" face:


Today was perfect. I woke up late and went to brunch at Clark's cafe across the street with my roommate Lauren, Erica, Janelle, and Roberta. We all got huge breakfasts of waffles, bacon, ham, and eggs and it was delicious! Afterward, I set off on my own to go to the Trader Joe's. We have a brand new one a 10 minute walk away and it's the coolest place! The ceilings must be 30 feet tall with huge windows and a chandelier (it looks kinda like a small Grand Central station actually). Anyway, a lot of the foods are organic (which I don't care that much about). However, all of it is tasted by the company first, and they only sell the products they actually like. Consequently, everything I've bought there is delicious! For instance, today I got dark chocolate almonds. The chocolate is some of the best I've had and the almonds are ginormous! Afterward, I just walked around the area for an hours or so and took a few pictures. There is mostly pedestrian traffic in the historic downtown area, and the streets had that quiet clearness caused by the fall weather. I got back, put away my groceries, turned the AC on high, and curled up beneath my fleece blanket for a nap :) Tomorrow I must do homework, but today was well worth it!
The Brooklyn Courthouse:


View all the way to one of the bridges:


Starting to get some lovely fall foliage:


Here's what I'm really looking forward to:
Thanksgiving with Nate, Lauren, Noah, Mama, Papa, and maybe Andrew(?)
Christmas Eve: Putting together puzzles, playing Carcassan or Settlers of Catan, watching A Christmas Story and White Christmas, stuffing stockings, and most importantly seeing all my siblings at once :)