laundry time

Not literally, but the past few weeks have been the kind that just go by in a blur, and all I can do to record this short but eventful time of my life is list it all out, laundry style. Ready, set, go!

Boston: Took a day trip to Boston with Miguel, Lotus, and Ray. We walked a lot, shopped a little, and ate quite a bit. I reintroduced myself to clam chowder, which I liked more than the last time I remember having it. But, for the record, I attribute this to the fact that whenever I'm with Miguel, I tend to try and like foods I never would have without him.

Boston Commons

We're boiling up in here!

AMDA Orientation: I worked the Spring 2009 orientation, welcoming incoming students, selling textbooks, playing the piano and leading vocal warm ups, setting up and breaking down tables, and having a good times overall. It didn't hurt that I made some extra spending cash.

AMDA 3rd Semester: I started my third, and second-to-last, semester at AMDA this past Monday. We had tap dance placements first thing Monday morning and ballet dance placements first thing Friday morning, and to my surprise, I was moved up to the intermediate levels in both classes. Turns out my rehearsal and hard work last semester did pay off. Still a beginning level jazz dancer, but that's fine by me. The rest of my classes are getting along fine. During the week, I've managed to get a tiny step ahead in my homework, which doesn't seem like much at the moment, but I know that once classes really start rolling, every little bit will help.

Yelp ROTD: I've been Yelping recently, contributing to the online community forum by writing reviews for local businesses. I have used Yelp for a little while now, getting recommendations for restaurants, shops, entertainment experiences, and the like. I decided to start writing reviews because I wanted to contribute to the pool of local expertise as well as gain more practice on my writing skills. Today, I received the Review of the Day (ROTD) recognition, and my review for a neighborhood restaurant was featured on the homepage of Yelp NYC. I'm aspiring to be a part of Yelp's Elite Squad, and hopefully, this will bring me one step closer to that fun little goal of mine.

My Review of the Day (bottom right)

Weekend Plans: I'm ushering for Second Stage's Off-Broadway production of Becky Shaw, a comedy about blind dates and bad dates and how people deal with them. I'm looking forward to it because I've heard great things and, since I'm ushering, I get to see it for free. This is the third show I'll be seeing as an usher for Second Stage, and I must say, I'm a fan. I hope to see more shows in the next few months; I haven't seen one in a while, mostly because I've been so busy with school, but I want to make it more of a priority because I will be auditioning for professional acting jobs in the very near future. I want to see what I should be working towards and scope out my potential competition. Also, going to see shows is a real treat for me, especially living here, right smack dab in the middle of New York City, so I should take advantage of my student status and get all the rush tickets I can afford. A few on my list include August: Osage County, Little Mermaid, and, if I can score tickets, the Kristin Chenoweth Gala at New York City Centers.

California, Here We Come: Plans are in the works for my trip home this summer. Cathy's graduating from college, and Danielle and I coming up with ideas for Michelle's bachelorette party. Michelle's getting married the same day of Cathy's graduation, but it will be a small private ceremony, so I won't be attending. But being that the three of us have been good friends since high school, Danielle and I are refusing to send her off into this new part of her life without getting into a little trouble with a bachelorette party. Oh, it will be legendary.

And that's all she wrote! More to come as the semester unfolds, along with all the unavoidable drama.