I'm going to seriously have to switch it up to song titles here sooner or later. I'm resorting to Britney Spears' movie titles, and I'm not really at a crossroads, but we'll pick up where the blog "License to Drive" left off. Should've called it "License to Drive 2," but what's done is done. OK, let's dive into it. Tavern on the Green offered me a job, and I accepted. I didn't put 2 weeks at my other place, and I don't think they want me working at both places, all though Tavern is cool with it, but they're not to down with it at the Foo. Oh, and Tavern asked me to cut my hair, which I'm not down with (not all of it, a trim, which my hair isn't down my back or anything, but I'm totally rocking a Jesus-style mane, and I like it). I'll clean it up a bit for them, since they told me I was "perfect" in my interview today. It's also seasonal and I'd be low man on the totem pole (seasonal meaning I'd work from May to October and I'd probably work the least desireable shifts, but I'd still probably be doing better than I was at Foo's...not that I was doing bad, but....Tavern on the Freaking Green....C'mon). I stopped by the Foo today to tell them about it, because I wanted to see if I can balance both along with the acting. And after I wrote that sentence, I have my answer. Actually, I need to thank my friend Bella in Vegas, because I gave her a great simile that I'll use right now (feel free to use it in your life).
When you set a goal (as I've been very forthright with...it's why I moved to NY), you need to make sure everything you do brings you closer to said goal. When moving to one of the big 2 (NY or LA) to pursue "the dream," it's important to A) like where you live and B) like where you work. Foo's is a'ight, I'm not a fan of the GM, and that's being incredibly PC. So I have my pad which I love, and an OK job where I'm making some money. I've now been offered a job where I'll be in the same flexible industry (service industry) in which I'll be making more money. My people pleaser nature wants to balance both jobs along with my acting/improv. I know I'm on a tangent, but here comes our simile (it's not a metaphor because I'll be using "like" or "as").
It's like being at a 24 hour buffett. There's all kinds of good food in front of you. You pick up a few slices of pizza, move down the line, get some macaroni and cheese, oh look, they have those canned peaches in that thick, syrupy peach juice you love so much. Dude, and fruit is totally healthy, get some of those bad boys!! Oh, sweet, Prime Rib, I have room for that too. You get back to your table and start eating, but you can't finish. So you end up throwing everything away and feeling fat and bloated and worse than before. A person's goals are the aforementioned buffet (OK, there's the metaphor, since I said the goals "were" the buffet. Thus concludes today's grammar lesson). It's totally OK to step back from the buffet and look at EVERYTHING. Take that Prime Rib first, and maybe get a few green beans. If you're still hungry, go back for more. If you pile too much on at first, you'll have....."too much on your plate." Make sense? I'll use PowerPoint next time.
I also started my New York Improv journey today, and I really picked the right place to study. Ari is a great instructor, and he took some familiar ideas and really highlighted them niceley. I'm really excited to be in his class. I even saw a few folks from class at the show tonight (we're required to see 2 shows at the theatre before we move on to 201). I'll fill you all in on how Thursday goes. I need to get some rest because I've got to be up in the AM to workout. I miss and love you all!!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
License to Drive
Greetings once again all. First thing, I FINALLY got my license updated at the New York DMV. What a freaking pain. Anyway, it's done, and when I went to pay for it, the lady didn't care too much for my picture. I'll show y'all whenever I see you (if you visit or I visit), but essentially, I'm not looking at the camera, more or less just looking off in the distance, and my hair is...well everywhere. I look like Jesus taking a picture for Olan Mills. Tomorrow is a big day (not only is it my dad's birthday, so if you read this, send my dad a birthday wish), but it's also my first day with the Upright Citizens Brigade. I'm pumped. It'll be nice to get the improv rust off and get rockin' and rollin' again. I also want to send a big THANK YOU to Dave and Wendy down in Atlanta. I was heading to work on Saturday morning, and I saw there was a nice care package waiting in front of my door. I was floored. I really can't thank you enough (all of you really) for your support, your prayers, and being the just wonderful people to know. I'm truly blessed.
Speaking of blessed, I received a phone call today from Tavern on the Green. For those new to the blog, I applied there when I first moved to New York, and they had me there for an hour and a half (obviously a good sign), but I never heard from them. If you didn't know, Tavern is the most profitable restaurant on the planet (somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 million in profit last year), and I've got an interview there tomorrow. Kind of cool, even though I have a job right now, and it's super flexible (perfect for an actor...that's why we work at such BS jobs in ther first place), however more money is always good and that would definitely be the case at Tavern. Plus, the GM where I work is....well, I'm not really sure how to put this, but he's a total douche. He offers no help, and he micromanages (which doesn't sit well with me, but it's money, it's flexible, so we'll see). Otherwise, I'm doing great and loving the city. Sorry I haven't been able to come up with any cool allegorys or analogies yet, but I'm sure one will strike me this week. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!!
Speaking of blessed, I received a phone call today from Tavern on the Green. For those new to the blog, I applied there when I first moved to New York, and they had me there for an hour and a half (obviously a good sign), but I never heard from them. If you didn't know, Tavern is the most profitable restaurant on the planet (somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 million in profit last year), and I've got an interview there tomorrow. Kind of cool, even though I have a job right now, and it's super flexible (perfect for an actor...that's why we work at such BS jobs in ther first place), however more money is always good and that would definitely be the case at Tavern. Plus, the GM where I work is....well, I'm not really sure how to put this, but he's a total douche. He offers no help, and he micromanages (which doesn't sit well with me, but it's money, it's flexible, so we'll see). Otherwise, I'm doing great and loving the city. Sorry I haven't been able to come up with any cool allegorys or analogies yet, but I'm sure one will strike me this week. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Semi-Pro
What is up Briantologists!!! The biggest news for me over the last few days is that I've officially joined the Upright Citizens Brigade. Ironically, my buddy Pack starts the day before I do (April 21). I'll be going twice a week to knock out the introductory course so I can start moving up the ranks. For those of you who don't know, UCB was one of the reasons I came to New York. It's one of the premier improv training grounds in the country, and I'm really stoked to be studying there. I talked to my buddy and personal improv Obi-Wan, Brian Chapman, about how they start everyone off in introductory, and his response was just classic. "OK, so go in and dominate." Can do. I know Pack and I will represent PIT well on the coasts. Along with signing up for UCB, I've been perusing acting classes as well. Obviously to keep the instrument in tune, but more or less because that is where you make your contacts to move to the next level. When I started at the Pro Actors Studio 4 years ago, I didn't know anyone and had a handful of theatre credits to my name. Flash forward about a year and a half, I was repped by one of the best agencies (if not the best) in Atlanta or the southeast, Houghton Talent, I was continually working, and I was building a nice reel for myself (mainly by being recommended by friends). This business is seriously who you know, and if I have to play the political game to get where I want, so be it. The class I'm looking at was recommended by my friend Ashley, and it's the William Esper studio. Great Alumni and it's basically grounded in Meisner Technique, which is what I'm all about (i.e. Meisner is basically listening and reacting, or living truthfully under imagineary circumstances....sounds easy, right? Yeah, it's not). I also signed up for a New York parks membership. Basically, for $75 per year, or $37.50 for 6 months, you get unlimited park access, which includes indoor pools, workout facilities, and a rock climbing wall. I worked out today, and I'm good and sore. In the words of Ron Burgundy, "it's the deep burn!!!" So, if you've been wondering how I've been up here and what I've been up to recently, you are now caught up. Oh, that and I hate tax day, but I don't want to get on my soapbox about that (and you don't want it either...trust me, once I get upon that thing, there's no getting me down). Final thought....TBS is playing "Wild Wild West" now. No Stack, it's not a good movie, but you're still my boy. Terrible movie, no wonder the Fresh Prince started checking out Scientology...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Pride of the Yankees
OK, so Adam and Matt and Brooke were in town this past weekend. Let's travel back to this Saturday when Adam showed up. For those of you who don't know, Adam is my buddy from my Einstein's days. We talk sports quite a bit (college football, the SEC, why the DH is a terrible idea, etc.), and he has family who live on the upper west side. So he got into town Saturday and met us at Trailer Park down in Chelsea. Him and I ended up closing the bar down with a few other folks, and as we were making our way out the door, this cute girl starts talking to me and informs me that it's her birthday and she wanted a shot. Typically, I don't fall for this line (seeing as it's her 21st birthday and all, I actually called BS to her, but I was a bit more eloquent). I finally relented and asked what she wanted a shot of, and she said "jaeger." Wow. Heavy hitter at 21. This is Stackhouses kind of woman, as he's a big time jaeger guy. So I buy her a shot, but I can't just pay for the shot on my card, it's a $20 minimum. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished. So I buy Adam and I shots as well. She gets her equally cute friend Holly to come over, and wanted me to buy her a shot as well. Yeah, nice try. I offered an alternative. Let's find another bar to go grab drinks, which they were receptive. Awesome. To add to the awesomeness, they had a dude with them who was Holly's brother. OK, so three dude's and two girls, pretty good odds. We start walking and birthday shot girl (Kristen) and I begin discussing our love of the Office. Adam and Holly are getting along great too, while the other guy is kind of following behind. We find this other bar, and Holly picks up the first round. I'll cut to the chase. Turns out that Kristen is dating the other dude. Basically, I told her it's too bad she's got a boyfriend, because I'd have asked for her number, which surprised her (ladies, guys know you like to flirt for free drinks, so it's not a big deal). We got home later that night and crashed.
The next day was Matt and Brooke's last in town. I ended up meeting Adam at the Museum of Natural History. The cool thing was they were closing in 30 minutes, and they don't check your ticket, so I snuck in through the gift shop. Pretty sweet. We ended up checking out a bunch of dinosaur fossils, a mummified wolly mammoth, and other mammals from the early Cenozoic (I'll explain the Cenozoic in another blog for those that don't understand). Matt and Brooke left that early the next morning, and I miss 'em already.
Monday night, Adam and I took in a game at Yankee Stadium. We got a couple of $30 tickets, and had decent seats. Good view of the field and all the action, so no complaints here. Brian note: I grew up a Yankees fan until I was about 12 or 13. When asked who's my favorite baseball team now, I have to say the Atlanta Braves. Never thought they'd pass the Yankees for me, but things change. I saw my first baseball game at Yankee Stadium when I was 9 years old. It really is quite a sight. For those of you who haven't heard, both Yankee and Shea Stadium (home of the Mets) are being torn down and replaced by new stadiums. Now Shea is a pile of crap, reminiscent of such architectural wonders and Veterans Stadium (former home of the Phillies) and Fulton County Stadium (former home of the Braves). Their new pad is going to be sort of a cross between the old Polo Grounds (where the New York Giants played before moving to San Fransisco) and Ebbets Field (former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers). The Yankees are going to play in New Yankee Stadium which is literally next door. I never thought I'd say this, but it's a good thing Yankee Stadium is being replaced. You read that correctly. Yankee Stadium back in the 30's and 40's was great (from what I heard and read), and that's what they're going for next door. Don't get me wrong, Yankee Stadium is a landmark, but as far as watching a ball game, there's no way in hell it holds up to the modern day fan friendly stadiums like Camden Yards in Baltimore, AT&T Park in San Fransisco, and Turner Field in Atlanta. It was like walking through a cellar, and the field looked terrible. It looked like something that a rec league would play on. I think part of it has to do with the extensive renovations done to the stadium in the 70's that took away most of its charm. It's not like that anymore. If people are going to fork over their hard-earned money to go to games, it's all about the experience, and the retro ballparks provide that. At AT&T park, there's a spot you can walk by and watch a game for free. At Turner Field, you can purchase tickets and stand in center field and watch the game, or drink a beer in the Chop House and watch the action. I hope New Yankee Stadium offers some of these amenities.
Again, sorry for being a slacker, I'll try to post more!!
The next day was Matt and Brooke's last in town. I ended up meeting Adam at the Museum of Natural History. The cool thing was they were closing in 30 minutes, and they don't check your ticket, so I snuck in through the gift shop. Pretty sweet. We ended up checking out a bunch of dinosaur fossils, a mummified wolly mammoth, and other mammals from the early Cenozoic (I'll explain the Cenozoic in another blog for those that don't understand). Matt and Brooke left that early the next morning, and I miss 'em already.
Monday night, Adam and I took in a game at Yankee Stadium. We got a couple of $30 tickets, and had decent seats. Good view of the field and all the action, so no complaints here. Brian note: I grew up a Yankees fan until I was about 12 or 13. When asked who's my favorite baseball team now, I have to say the Atlanta Braves. Never thought they'd pass the Yankees for me, but things change. I saw my first baseball game at Yankee Stadium when I was 9 years old. It really is quite a sight. For those of you who haven't heard, both Yankee and Shea Stadium (home of the Mets) are being torn down and replaced by new stadiums. Now Shea is a pile of crap, reminiscent of such architectural wonders and Veterans Stadium (former home of the Phillies) and Fulton County Stadium (former home of the Braves). Their new pad is going to be sort of a cross between the old Polo Grounds (where the New York Giants played before moving to San Fransisco) and Ebbets Field (former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers). The Yankees are going to play in New Yankee Stadium which is literally next door. I never thought I'd say this, but it's a good thing Yankee Stadium is being replaced. You read that correctly. Yankee Stadium back in the 30's and 40's was great (from what I heard and read), and that's what they're going for next door. Don't get me wrong, Yankee Stadium is a landmark, but as far as watching a ball game, there's no way in hell it holds up to the modern day fan friendly stadiums like Camden Yards in Baltimore, AT&T Park in San Fransisco, and Turner Field in Atlanta. It was like walking through a cellar, and the field looked terrible. It looked like something that a rec league would play on. I think part of it has to do with the extensive renovations done to the stadium in the 70's that took away most of its charm. It's not like that anymore. If people are going to fork over their hard-earned money to go to games, it's all about the experience, and the retro ballparks provide that. At AT&T park, there's a spot you can walk by and watch a game for free. At Turner Field, you can purchase tickets and stand in center field and watch the game, or drink a beer in the Chop House and watch the action. I hope New Yankee Stadium offers some of these amenities.
Again, sorry for being a slacker, I'll try to post more!!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Road Trip
OK, since I've been a slack-ass, y'all are in for a treat. I'll be posting TWO blogs today. Apparently, I've been a bit long-winded in my blogs (I know, who'd of thought me being long-winded). Anyway, let's waste time...
I've been super-busy at my job, which is good, because I'll be making money. Last Saturday, I ran into a friend's sister at the restaurant (I didn't recognize her at first, just mentioned I knew some guys who used to play football for Georgia Tech. Small world). Meeting a fellow Parkview grad in Times Square of all places, let alone a fellow Atlantan.
I was counting down the days for this past Wednesday. Some of you know why, but if you don't, I'll share. My buddy Matt and his girlfriend Brooke flew into town. I got off work, went home and changed, and went to meet them in Times Square. Man, it was great seeing some familiar faces. For those of you who don't know (though I'd imagine most of you do), Matt and I go back a few years from theater in Atlanta. I'd say him and Stackhouse are my two closest friends. We're also Playing in Traffic Improv guys (for more information, go to www.pitimprov.com because this troupe is the jam). We're pretty much cut from the same mold. So I meet them, and we head to Park Slope in Brookly where they'll be staying. We kept putting Brooke in charge of where we were going, which Matt and I found fun, but Brooke wasn't a fan of. After we dropped their stuff off, we got some burgers and beer at this place that I can't remember the name of. Abell met us down there, and we all had a good time. We then went home and prepared for the next days shennanigans: Atlantic City.
We met up at the Port Authority on 42nd St. and bought our tickets to Atlantic City via the bus. Here's how it works with going to Atlantic City from New York. It's $33 roundtrip, and buses run 24 hours a day, and your ticket is good for 4 days. It's between 2.5 and 3 hours to get there. When you get off the bus, they give you a voucher that you can cash in for $21, so total out of pocket cost for a round trip ticket to Atlantic City is $12. Not to shabby. What's even less shabby is Matt was able to score us a FREE room in Caesar's palace. Yes, I'm going to post pictures as soon as my email receives them from my phone. Chillax folks. So we drop our stuff off and decide to hit a Ruby Tuesday for dinner, then it's time to gamble. Now if you've never been to a casino, one of the perks is that drinks (i.e. "big kid drinks") are free, if it looks like you're gambling (we were actually gambling, so we weren't those people). I'm pretty good at knowing my limits when I gamble since I pretty much suck at it. We started off playing some video poker. If you're a slot machine fan, I suggest video poker, because you can play this game for a while (you're basically trying to get Jacks or better). My brother was telling me about craps, and Matt and I looked up the rules on his iPhone on the way down. Why am I taking a standard B-God tangent? Kevin (my brother) told me him and a few buddies played craps one night in Vegas, and read up on it beforehand. When they played the game with some people at the table, one guy was wanting the table to "stay poppin'," and he needed the table "more salty." Neither of us know what the aforementioned means, but it sounded good, so basically when things were going well for any of us, we kept calling it salty. We also added other terms, like "graham crackers, oreos, and ham sandwiches." After a few drinks, Matt and I headed downstairs to play some blackjack. We sit down at a table and start playing. Immediately after we sit down, I notice an odd smell, and by odd I mean rank and horrible. Worse than a chicken coop. I couldn't imagine it was the dealer, and it wasn't Matt or myself, seeing as how neither of us had been stinky the entire day. The guy next to Matt gets up to leave, and once he leaves, Matt says to me "dude, that guy next to me smells terrible." The dealer heard him, and agreed, and apologized that he couldn't do anything. In the meantime, I lost my cash on the table, so I decide to take out more money at one of the reasonably priced ATM's (at $5 mind you). I get back to the table, and Matt had slid down to my seat, leaving an open one between him and Stinky McGee. I step next to the chair and my nostrils are treated with both barrels of this guy's odor. Let me paint a more vivid picture as to how much this guy stunk. Imagine someone not showering for 5 days and then going for a swim. Not just any old swim, but a swim through, oh, I don't know, let's say a swamp. So, no shower for a few days followed by some a nice dip in the Everglades, now imagine if said person decided to get with a dead buffalo in a chicken coop after washing his clothes in a mixture of manure, burnt hair, and Indian food. That all would smell better than this guy (Matt can back me up on this). He finally left, and I took his seat and lost my money that I just took out. OK, God's way of saying not to gamble tonight. I'll just get my money's worth in drinks. I end up exploring the hotel a bit, and run into Stinky in the lobby, who asks me if I had a quarter to borrow. OK, that explains his hygene. He's probably homeless, so I polietely told him no, and moved on. I end up crashing in the room at God knows what time thanks to Brooke. We also got 2 free breakfast buffett coupons since there was construction at the hotel, and whomever won the most money would have to pay for their own breakfast (Brooke and I ended up getting the coupons, and Matt had enough points for a free breakfast). After breakfast, Matt and Brooke went and gambled, and I decided to treat myself to a massage. Man, I needed one of those. I also smelled great afterwards. You're probably wondering why this blog is so dedicated to the olefactory glands, and I honestly couldn't tell you why, other than the dude we met was the smelliest guy ever, and I smelled awesome after my massage, my morning shower (before my massage of course), another shower, a steam, a sauna, another shower (conditioned the hair 3 times), and a shave. We left around 5 that night, and got back to the city around 8. Matt and Brooke took in a really cool show which I've already forgotten the name of.
Saturday we did a bit of tourist stuff (checked out the Apple store on 59th along with FAO Schwartz. That night, we took in a show at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. It's an improv theater in New York, one of the best to see long form improv (also where I plan on studying starting this month). The show was great. Mostly Harlod-type long form stuff in their first set, then they did another set where they used iPods and CD's from the audience to inspire scenes. The group was called Mother, and they were really good. Later that night, we had beers at this red neck style bar in Chelsea called Trailer Park. Pretty good. My other buddy Adam flew in that night from Atlanta and joined us. We went out after everyone left (those shennanigans will be covered in the next blog). Sunday was Matt and Brooke's last day in New York before heading back to Atlanta, and of course I miss them already, but it was great seeing them. Since it's late, I'll start blogging and adding pictures tomorrow morning.
I've been super-busy at my job, which is good, because I'll be making money. Last Saturday, I ran into a friend's sister at the restaurant (I didn't recognize her at first, just mentioned I knew some guys who used to play football for Georgia Tech. Small world). Meeting a fellow Parkview grad in Times Square of all places, let alone a fellow Atlantan.
I was counting down the days for this past Wednesday. Some of you know why, but if you don't, I'll share. My buddy Matt and his girlfriend Brooke flew into town. I got off work, went home and changed, and went to meet them in Times Square. Man, it was great seeing some familiar faces. For those of you who don't know (though I'd imagine most of you do), Matt and I go back a few years from theater in Atlanta. I'd say him and Stackhouse are my two closest friends. We're also Playing in Traffic Improv guys (for more information, go to www.pitimprov.com because this troupe is the jam). We're pretty much cut from the same mold. So I meet them, and we head to Park Slope in Brookly where they'll be staying. We kept putting Brooke in charge of where we were going, which Matt and I found fun, but Brooke wasn't a fan of. After we dropped their stuff off, we got some burgers and beer at this place that I can't remember the name of. Abell met us down there, and we all had a good time. We then went home and prepared for the next days shennanigans: Atlantic City.
We met up at the Port Authority on 42nd St. and bought our tickets to Atlantic City via the bus. Here's how it works with going to Atlantic City from New York. It's $33 roundtrip, and buses run 24 hours a day, and your ticket is good for 4 days. It's between 2.5 and 3 hours to get there. When you get off the bus, they give you a voucher that you can cash in for $21, so total out of pocket cost for a round trip ticket to Atlantic City is $12. Not to shabby. What's even less shabby is Matt was able to score us a FREE room in Caesar's palace. Yes, I'm going to post pictures as soon as my email receives them from my phone. Chillax folks. So we drop our stuff off and decide to hit a Ruby Tuesday for dinner, then it's time to gamble. Now if you've never been to a casino, one of the perks is that drinks (i.e. "big kid drinks") are free, if it looks like you're gambling (we were actually gambling, so we weren't those people). I'm pretty good at knowing my limits when I gamble since I pretty much suck at it. We started off playing some video poker. If you're a slot machine fan, I suggest video poker, because you can play this game for a while (you're basically trying to get Jacks or better). My brother was telling me about craps, and Matt and I looked up the rules on his iPhone on the way down. Why am I taking a standard B-God tangent? Kevin (my brother) told me him and a few buddies played craps one night in Vegas, and read up on it beforehand. When they played the game with some people at the table, one guy was wanting the table to "stay poppin'," and he needed the table "more salty." Neither of us know what the aforementioned means, but it sounded good, so basically when things were going well for any of us, we kept calling it salty. We also added other terms, like "graham crackers, oreos, and ham sandwiches." After a few drinks, Matt and I headed downstairs to play some blackjack. We sit down at a table and start playing. Immediately after we sit down, I notice an odd smell, and by odd I mean rank and horrible. Worse than a chicken coop. I couldn't imagine it was the dealer, and it wasn't Matt or myself, seeing as how neither of us had been stinky the entire day. The guy next to Matt gets up to leave, and once he leaves, Matt says to me "dude, that guy next to me smells terrible." The dealer heard him, and agreed, and apologized that he couldn't do anything. In the meantime, I lost my cash on the table, so I decide to take out more money at one of the reasonably priced ATM's (at $5 mind you). I get back to the table, and Matt had slid down to my seat, leaving an open one between him and Stinky McGee. I step next to the chair and my nostrils are treated with both barrels of this guy's odor. Let me paint a more vivid picture as to how much this guy stunk. Imagine someone not showering for 5 days and then going for a swim. Not just any old swim, but a swim through, oh, I don't know, let's say a swamp. So, no shower for a few days followed by some a nice dip in the Everglades, now imagine if said person decided to get with a dead buffalo in a chicken coop after washing his clothes in a mixture of manure, burnt hair, and Indian food. That all would smell better than this guy (Matt can back me up on this). He finally left, and I took his seat and lost my money that I just took out. OK, God's way of saying not to gamble tonight. I'll just get my money's worth in drinks. I end up exploring the hotel a bit, and run into Stinky in the lobby, who asks me if I had a quarter to borrow. OK, that explains his hygene. He's probably homeless, so I polietely told him no, and moved on. I end up crashing in the room at God knows what time thanks to Brooke. We also got 2 free breakfast buffett coupons since there was construction at the hotel, and whomever won the most money would have to pay for their own breakfast (Brooke and I ended up getting the coupons, and Matt had enough points for a free breakfast). After breakfast, Matt and Brooke went and gambled, and I decided to treat myself to a massage. Man, I needed one of those. I also smelled great afterwards. You're probably wondering why this blog is so dedicated to the olefactory glands, and I honestly couldn't tell you why, other than the dude we met was the smelliest guy ever, and I smelled awesome after my massage, my morning shower (before my massage of course), another shower, a steam, a sauna, another shower (conditioned the hair 3 times), and a shave. We left around 5 that night, and got back to the city around 8. Matt and Brooke took in a really cool show which I've already forgotten the name of.
Saturday we did a bit of tourist stuff (checked out the Apple store on 59th along with FAO Schwartz. That night, we took in a show at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. It's an improv theater in New York, one of the best to see long form improv (also where I plan on studying starting this month). The show was great. Mostly Harlod-type long form stuff in their first set, then they did another set where they used iPods and CD's from the audience to inspire scenes. The group was called Mother, and they were really good. Later that night, we had beers at this red neck style bar in Chelsea called Trailer Park. Pretty good. My other buddy Adam flew in that night from Atlanta and joined us. We went out after everyone left (those shennanigans will be covered in the next blog). Sunday was Matt and Brooke's last day in New York before heading back to Atlanta, and of course I miss them already, but it was great seeing them. Since it's late, I'll start blogging and adding pictures tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Problem Child
I'll have more pictures posted later, but I wanted to dedicate this blog to the New York City DMV. I kind of ranted and raved about them eariler (regarding the fact that they didn't believe that I was born). I went in today with my proof of birth (my birth certificate, not the fact that I was standing there), my Social Security card, and my license which is only 8 months old and valid (since I don't drive). You would think that would be plenty of proof of my existence to the state of New York. I took the eye test and passed, got my photo taken, got my ticket to wait and had my number called in a matter of minutes. Awesome, I'm walking into the DMV 10 minutes before it closes, and I'm going to knock this thing out. I bring everything over to the woman behind the counter, and I was told it wasn't enough "points." Let me explain the point system quickly. You get so many points for each piece of identification. If I had a passport (which I plan on getting very soon for Cruise part 4, we won't get into that), that's worth 6 points. Various other forms of ID make up points (pay stub, EBT card, Union card, etc.). If you move in from out of state, you need your valide license, your Social Security card, and your birth certificate (everything I had), and I go over to turn in my paperwork. The delightful government worker informed me that I didn't have enought ID. So I asked her what else I needed (I still have my UGA ID....don't judge me, we used to get student discounts in Atlanta). I ended up using my debit card and my college ID, and it still wasn't enough (I needed a transcript with it). Her exact words to me when I started asking her what each point value was went as followed: "Are you testing me?!" Unbe-freaking-lievable. Oh, she also told me that my birth certificate was worth a point value of "a big fat zero" (guess she's heard that description a few times in her life). This woman was cut out to work at the DMV. Or the Post Office. Or airport security. I really think the only question they ask when someone applies for a job at the DMV is "Do you have a smug sense of entitlement to go along with an IQ of 75?" I'm so determined to get this thing done, it's ridiculous. I vented to my buddy Brent about it, and then headed back to the ranch. Lena (my 60 year old roommate) made me chicken soup and rice, so that was pretty good. Man, I'm spoiled :)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Picture Perfect
OK, my bad for being away for a bit. Starting a new job and training can be quite a bit. Good news is that I got a camera phone this week (welcome to 2003 Brian) and I also changed my plan on my cell phone to unlimited outgoing minutes and unlimited texting (like I really needed either). So, onto photos of some of the hijink I've been up to! 
The image above is the front door of my building. I like it quite a bit, it's really clean and just great. I'm liking it here. Next up is my room. Withouth further ado, here it is:
The above image is Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It's kind of a landmark. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I live in Washington Heights. I'll get some more pictures posted soon. If my parents or my brother is reading this post, the best way to describe the area around where I live is compareable to Sommerville, NJ. It reminds me of that area quite a bit (a neighboring town when we were living in Bridgewater, NJ). If you're one of my California friends, I'd compare it to West LA (think about the UCLA campus, and that's kind of what my neighborhood looks like...well, for a 3 block radius). Atlanta folks, think a more urbanized area of Dunwoody. Where I live is a real up and coming area, so I'm glad I got such a good deal.
The above photo is the subway station I go to everyday. You can sort of see three dots on the sign (2 blue and 1 red). These dots indicate which trains come to this station. The 2 blue dots are the A and the C (the A runs express during the week, and the C runs Local on the A line, which means it hits every stop). The 1 runs along a parallel track and makes a few different stops. I'm not a fan of the 1 line, as it takes forever to get anywhere, and you have to take an elevator to get to the tracks. It's kind of a pain. The next picture is an approaching C train. I don't ride that one too much, but I thought it'd be cool to have a shot of that.
That's a picture of me riding the aforementioned 1 train that I didn't like. I wanted to check out the Statue of Liberty, and from my neck of the woods, I need to take the 1 to the South Ferry Station. I won't bore you with the short cut I took (yes, it involved an express train and a transfer). I sent this picture to my friend Kelly Coker because she got a new phone and wanted a picture of me. She didn't have my picture of me from Times Square, and my hair is pretty rocking in the one. An iPod is a must in Manhattan by the way. You're probably wondering what that picture is next to me. That's a Scientology auditing going on. Let me further explain. That's a picture of a "Free" Scientology auditing taking place in a subway station. I know when I'm looking for purpose and meaning in life, the first place I look is a local subway staion.
That's Clinton Castle. When you take a ferry to Ellis Island, you have to purchase your tickets here. It was also built as a fort in during the War of 1812. Staying very touristy, that's Times Square next. It's not where New Yorkers go to party. Well, it is if by New Yorker, you mean tourist, then yes, that's where all the New Yorkers go.
The image above is the front door of my building. I like it quite a bit, it's really clean and just great. I'm liking it here. Next up is my room. Withouth further ado, here it is:
It's in the photo below. Notice the bed not made. I'm not ashamed of that seeing as I'm not out to impress anyone, and I'll just sleep in it again. I kid of course...just wanted to show you where I've been staying.
The above image is Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It's kind of a landmark. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I live in Washington Heights. I'll get some more pictures posted soon. If my parents or my brother is reading this post, the best way to describe the area around where I live is compareable to Sommerville, NJ. It reminds me of that area quite a bit (a neighboring town when we were living in Bridgewater, NJ). If you're one of my California friends, I'd compare it to West LA (think about the UCLA campus, and that's kind of what my neighborhood looks like...well, for a 3 block radius). Atlanta folks, think a more urbanized area of Dunwoody. Where I live is a real up and coming area, so I'm glad I got such a good deal.
The above photo is the subway station I go to everyday. You can sort of see three dots on the sign (2 blue and 1 red). These dots indicate which trains come to this station. The 2 blue dots are the A and the C (the A runs express during the week, and the C runs Local on the A line, which means it hits every stop). The 1 runs along a parallel track and makes a few different stops. I'm not a fan of the 1 line, as it takes forever to get anywhere, and you have to take an elevator to get to the tracks. It's kind of a pain. The next picture is an approaching C train. I don't ride that one too much, but I thought it'd be cool to have a shot of that.
That's a picture of me riding the aforementioned 1 train that I didn't like. I wanted to check out the Statue of Liberty, and from my neck of the woods, I need to take the 1 to the South Ferry Station. I won't bore you with the short cut I took (yes, it involved an express train and a transfer). I sent this picture to my friend Kelly Coker because she got a new phone and wanted a picture of me. She didn't have my picture of me from Times Square, and my hair is pretty rocking in the one. An iPod is a must in Manhattan by the way. You're probably wondering what that picture is next to me. That's a Scientology auditing going on. Let me further explain. That's a picture of a "Free" Scientology auditing taking place in a subway station. I know when I'm looking for purpose and meaning in life, the first place I look is a local subway staion.
"Oh man, I'm running late for that appointment, what am I going to do?"
"Excuse me sir, are you under stress?"
"Why yes, yes I am! How did you know?! That's amazing, it's like you've known me my whole life!"
You have no idea how bad I wanted to go over there and get audited. I'm not into making fun of people for their beliefs, but in this case it's OK because...well, come on. I wanted to look at the guy and give him the horns and say "Hail Xenu!" Moral of the story, you'll see just about anything in a subway station. That and homeless people expect you to give you money; they don't really ask, they either hold out their hand or rudely shake thier change cup at you. I've already covered giving them money, so let's move on.
That's Clinton Castle. When you take a ferry to Ellis Island, you have to purchase your tickets here. It was also built as a fort in during the War of 1812. Staying very touristy, that's Times Square next. It's not where New Yorkers go to party. Well, it is if by New Yorker, you mean tourist, then yes, that's where all the New Yorkers go.
The above image is Battery Park. We don't have a lot of greenery in Manhattan, but the parks we do have are pretty cool. The next photo is Trump International Tower. It's by 59th as well. Thought it'd be cool to include that.
That funky looking thing there? Oh, that's the statue of Christopher Columbus, or "Christobel Colon" if you are a fan of "1492." It's a landmark known as Columbus Circle (it's a 59th St.), and it marks the southwest corner of the park. There's a traffic circle right there, and it looks like something in Paris (as far as traffic goes). Now next to Columbus Circle, that's a shot of Central Park (from across 59th). It was getting kind of dark (as it does rather quickly here), so I got the best shot I could. It's a camera phone, not the best quality, but you can kind of get the idea of where I am.
All over the place here. This is a really cool building I saw downtown. It's right down by the South Ferry station (where you'd get off to go see the Statue of Liberty).
That's someone dressed as the Statue of Liberty. I'm starting to see a theme here. That was in Times Square. You'll see just about anything in Times Square (even saw the Naked Cowboy the
other day).
I shouldn't have to explain the above, but the Late Show is around 55th St. I had some spaghetti at Angelo's next store tonight. Not bad. The photo to the right of Late Show is just down the street where I'll be earning a buck while I'm working my way into the New York acting scene. It's a Pan-Asian restaurant called Ruby Foo's, and it's pretty good. It's right at50th and Broadway, so they stay pretty busy.
I'll keep adding more photos. And I'll try to update a bit more regularly. Later!
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