Time To Make The Donuts

I feel like a kid going to his first day of school. I prepared my bag last night, making sure it had all the proper materials- vitamin C's, water bottle, my script, a pencil, my ipod recorder, etc... I picked out my cute outfit. I combed my hair a gazillion times till it was to my liking, and then opted for a hat. I woke up super early as not to be late. And then the random thoughts start to enter my mind. Will the new kids like me? Will the old kids still accept me? Will they discover this year that they made a mistake and demote me back to New York? The year comes with so much promise, but more opportunity for failure. Will I seize the moment? It's funny that we start this journey at a college since it feels so much like the first day of school. I'm off to rehearsal!

Stop the war!

Last night I went to see Lennon the musical. Lennon opened last week to mixed to negative reviews. But yesterday I left the theatre feeling moved and invigorated. I even teared up a bit at the end as the cast sang Imagine. I think the biggest reason I was so touched by the show was because of it's anti-war/pro peace and love message. Regardless of how you feel about Yoko Ono, she truly was and still is in love with John Lennon as proven by John's music and by observing her last night. She was in attendance last night and I found it fascinating to watch her as she watched her and John's lives unfold before her eyes- laughing and smiling at the happy times and tearing up at those tragic moments. Their message was simple- Peace and Love. I go back into rehearsals tomorrow for Miss Saigon. Many people have asked me how can I do another production of Miss Saigon (my third) and don't I ever get sick of doing the same show over and over again. There are many reasons I will always be happy and willing to do a production of Miss Saigon, which I'm sure I'll get into down the line, but for now, a big motivation for me to do the show is as a service to small town america. This show is finally being performed in rather rural towns- where ignorance is bliss. If even one person sees this show and has a change of heart about the war, then it will have made it all worth it. "All we are saying is give Peace a chance."

Happy Birthday Thom and Madonna

Today is my older brother's 33rd birthday... as well as Madonna's 47th. To celebrate, I think I'll prance around my apartment to old school Madonna and have a lovely Tex-Mex meal somewhere- maybe start with some Empanadas from Empanada Mamma and then walk across the street for a chimi at Arriba, Arriba's. Jeez, these birthday celebrations are wrecking my workout routine! Anyway, happy birthday older brother. Have a great day and I'll chat with you soon.

Happy Birthday Fluffhead!

Today is my younger brother's 30th Birthday. I think I'll celebrate by having some kick ass cupcakes( perhaps I'll try the new cupcake place next to Gray's Papaya on 72nd ) and attempt to do a complete facial at a Sephora. Happy birthday little brother. Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you before I leave.

Buddha, Barrage, and Billiards

As always, I had a WONDERFUL birthday. This was the first year in several that I didn't plan a formal get together. This was for a couple of reasons. One, my roommates and I are throwing a cocktail party in a few days and that has taken a lot of planning and organizing of it's own. Two, I wanted my day to be a little more spontaneous and a little more "random". So, with no real agenda set, I looked forward to what the day would bring. First off, I started my birthday at midnight with a piece of Chocolate Blackout cake that I purchased at a fairly new dessert place called Fluff between 50th and 51st on 9th Ave. Quite yummy and the perfect midnight snack before bed. When I awoke sometime in the afternoon, I went through all the well wishes sent via e-mail, text, and voicemail. Greatly appreciated. I leisurely got ready for the day and decided to try lunch at TAO, one of the hottest pan Asian restaurants in New York City. Not disappointed in the least! Started off with the duck spring rolls in a hoisen sauce. My second course was a generous portion of wok seared New York sirloin. This was all topped off with chocolate and raspberry wontons with vanilla ice cream. Not at a bad deal at $20.05, My company at lunch was Daniel, my roommate from Gateway's Saigon, who just happened to call before I left for the restaurant. We were in awe of the decor and ambiance created in this MASSIVE restaurant. Not to mention the towering Buddha that watched over us while we ate this luscious meal. Next up were happy hour drinks with some ex-coworkers from GSBO at Barrage. Thanks to Natalie, Brian, and Jill for the toasts, the free beverages, and the company. And last but not least, in a search to find something out of the ordinary to do and really random, Jill and I visited a palm reader who charged $10 to read my face. She told me a whole bunch of vague bull**** that she deducted from the little that I had actually told her. But that's not the random part. More spontaneous. What was really random and spontaneous was that we took the ferry over to New Jersey, Hoboken to be exact, in search of a bar to play some pool at. We found it, played some pool, and on the way back into the city, I ran into Josh, a friend of mine from college that I hadn't seen in ages. That was random. So in a nutshell, that was my random and spontaneous birthday. You should all try it sometime! You might be surprised to find out what happens!

My Favorite Day

My birthday has always been my favorite day. Because actors are very self centered and today is all about ME!!! Hahaha- just kidding. I like it because it means I've learned a little bit more, met a few more extraordinary people, accomplished more goals, experienced more first's, seen a few more plays, read a few more books, danced to some new songs, sang a little higher, cried a little more, laughed a lot more, been to new places, took a few more risks, ate more fine meals, took more steps to getting closer, been inspired, provided inspiration, dealt with more obstacles... and lived to blog about it! Here's to another year of all of the above and to all of those special people that were a part of it.

Leo, My Leo

Thought I would post a picture since it's been ages. This is a photo I took during my first trip this summer to Las Vegas. I was staying at the MGM Grand and this is one of their majestic lions in their lion habitat. There was this very cute Asian child petting this lion through the plexy glass. Obviously he thought he was Simba. He does look soft and gentle, doesn't he? Of course a minute later he was demolishing a bone to eat the marrow inside.

Hotly Anticipated

A phone call regarding a future job.

The start of tour.

My birthday.

My party.

The Rent move.

Romance.

My niece or nephew.

Madonna's new album.

The Unexpected.