Nothing Gold Can Stay Gold Can Stay

So generally, I hate roller coasters... I literally hate them. I hate that quick, sucking in of air, sinking feeling that happens so rapidly. I found the above picture and said, hey, that's me, a little girl with training wheels plunging into the depths of a shaky wooden coaster putting all of my trust into my helmet and my purple shorts that give me a wedgey. I'm not necessarily a little girl, but gay jokes are always funny... right? ha?... ok. So, basically, in my personal life, I met someone, we dated, it was great, and then it ended a weekish ago. This was a, start at the top of the coaster thing, then went super fast and upside down, and THEN went into a slow upward climb which resulted in a break up, and that is really all I want to say on the matter.

In my improv world, Seriously Bent kicked ass in the regional finals at Improv Asylum, we went to Chicago, made it to the finals, and then lost... picking up on any themes? This went down first week in November, the break up occured in the first week of December... got goosebumps? I do! Mitch, Patty, and I auditioned for Improv Asylum's NXT cast last night, and we were all called back... so-that's fun!

This is us, pre-disappointment. I mean, despite ANOTHER loss, Chicago is amazing, and someday I will live there.

Another sinking feeling came at the same time of my break up, and that was with the death of yet another high school friend. His name is Dom Mallary, and he was a brilliant artist, and a true friend. The news of his death shocked all of us as just a little over a year ago, Katie unexpectedly passed away. Katie and Dom were in the same class, and Dom spoke at her wake. The loss of Dom was surreal and very painful because I couldn't go home to be with my friends, but I tried to keep in touch with them to talk and comfort and grieve.

This is Dom and Katie...


Seize upon that moment long ago
One breath away and there you will be
So young and carefree
Again you will see
That place in time...so gold

Steal away into that way back when
You thought that all would last forever
But like the weather
Nothing can ever...and be in time
Stay gold

But can it be
When we can see
So vividly
A memory
And yes you say
So must the day
Too, fade away
And leave a ray of sun
So gold

Life is but a twinkling of an eye
Yet filled with sorrow and compassion
Though not imagined
All things that happen
Will age too old
Though gold

The Road To Chicago

This coming Saturday, at Improv Asylum, Seriously Bent will compete in our first round of competition before going to the 2nd annual National College Improv Tournament! Now, I'm pretty sure I didn't talk about that experience in this blog, because I started this thingy thing after we went. So, last year we received an automatic slot in the finals, and we did that because we rap?... apparently. Anyway, we didn't really have to do any work in order to make it to Chicago last year besides reform our structure to fit a new competition.

THIS year, however, we don't have it so easy. We must first win a preliminary competition, which is against 3 other groups, and THEN, if we make it past that, we have to compete in a regional finals on the same day...well technically midnight, so Sunday... anyway, we have some work to do.

First, there was the, "oh shit, we can't just go to Chicago this year?" reaction. Which was followed by the, "oh shit, we have to learn musical improv in order to get there??" reaction. That's right, we sing now folks! The last 2 weeks have involved 2 hour workshops learning how to improvise musically. It is SO FUN, even though I'm not really doing it in the show, I'm hosting the structure, but learning it was a blast because we warmed up like a chorus.

So Saturday we face 3 groups in our slot, and then IF we win, we perform again at midnight in the regional finals, and if we win THAT we go to Chicago. Oh and guess who's hosting the entire thing Saturday?... I'll show you:
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Dame Gussy Eskowitz. Julia Gustafson returns to Improv Aslyum from her long sobatical in The Granite State to host a college improv tournament, and of course this tournament includes Seriously Bent, of which Julia used to be a part of... her hosting enthusiasm should be interesting for each group.

So, to wrap up, come see this show, because it's mad important, and will be the debut of Seriously Bent performing musical numbers!

Heres' the info:

DATE: Saturday, October 11.
TIME : 4:00 p.m. (Seriously Bent's time) the entire show begins at 2:00 p.m.
Midnight for the Finals
PLACE: Improv Asylum 216 Hanover Street - Boston's North End

Hello?

Hello? Ok just checking.

I'll be back tomorrow. I promise. I hope you're well.

Talk to you soon.

A Blog To Live By

Once upon a time there was a blog called http://barrettall.blogspot.com, and a TV show called Sex And The City. After reading and watching the combination of the 2 creative mediums, I was inspired to start this blog. Now since then, this very blog which you are reading, has inspired numerous OTHER blogs!

Today I walked into work, and my boss Penny stopped me and told me that she began a blog! I have a link to it if you're interested, and you should be, she's a ray of lemon drops, it's the Penny + Penny blog. She told me that I inspired her to start blogging. Now I don't want this to sound pretentious or arrogant, because I'm not like, hell yeah, I'm an inspiration to do things. Her words just really made me proud, because now I feel like I've helped to spark more creativity and writing and thinking!

This chain blog reaction began with Stefanie, you remember Stefanie right? She's my 23 year old co-worker that I made cry because she's getting braces and I'm a dink? Remember? SHE started blogging about her adventures with getting braces as a grown up. Even though that blog came out of tears which I inflicted, it nonetheless was formed, and is now helping others in a similar metallic situation.
http://bracingmyself.tumblr.com

Next came Derrick. Derrick is also one of my bosses. You remember Derrick, right? He's the one with a ferret and we walked to my place drunk, through the Gardens, and he crashed on my tiny couch? Remember him? Well he started TWO blogs! Count em! TWO! We were talking about blogs, and my blog, and he said he had ideas for blogs, and I said, BLOG, so he did! Even though that blog was started from my command, it nonetheless was formed, and he now, voluntarily, creates new posts. I particularly enjoy the randomness of Derrick's first blog. It's not so much about him and his life. The other blog is equally clever. He reviews things, but only gives positive feedback, even if he dislikes something. He finds at least ONE thing positive, and blogs it.
http://derrickandyou.blogspot.com
http://glasshalffullreviews.blogspot.com

THEN came Derrick's friend Josh. Josh ALSO began 2 blogs after Derrick started his blogs! SO, ipso facto(?)... these blogs would NEVER have been created had I not made Derrick begin his blogs.
http://bowlofgranola.blogspot.com
http://thingsiinvented.blogspot.com

And finally there's Penny's brandy new blog. I have no idea how it's going to go. Seems like she's going to do a lot of venting through her writing in an attempt to cleanse her soul? So how nice is that?!
http://www.pennypluspenny.blogspot.com

Look at all of the writing that I helped to inspire! 6 blogs!

(... and of course indirectly this all spawned from Patty and Sex And The City...)

But YAY me!

Whiskey Talk, With Nick Wilson

21 BUT HE STILL LOVES GOODY'S !

Nick W: Do you swallow?
Me: Depends on the guy.
Nick W: Yeah me too

Nick W: I'll pay you $150 to grow a beard.

Nick W: Kiss me, those Mexicans think we're gay.

Nick W: (squishing his fat around his belly-button) You like my bagel?

Me No Feel Smart?

Do you ever feel like everyone around you knows SO much more than you do? Lately I've encountered that bit of paranoia. It isn't that I don't feel intelligent, but I think I have just come to this realization of things that I know nothing about, particularly when it comes to history. I really know nothing about the Roman Empire, World War I, and honestly, I don't know a great deal about American History. History is just one part of it too, I wish I knew some general knowledge about... EVERYTHING. Little facts about science, and the way things work, engineering, art history, architecture, and I guess even math. Maybe I should try reading?

I think that a big flaw with higher education is, once you move beyond the few core requirements of math and science and history, you focus on your major. If you're a journalism/production major, then learning more about all of those other things falls on your shoulders!... my shoulders!

Luckily I own this book:
If anyone owns this and has read it, let me know if it's just a novelty, or if it is actually worth glancing at.

I own a bunch of history books though, and I want to read them, but anytime I look at them with the intent to read and inwardly digest their knowledge I go, "hmm... reminds me of a text book...school...yuck!" SCHOOL IS LEARNING! I need to embrace the concept of being self-taught, and well-read! It's not like I don't have the time, I mean... a journalism major?... come on. I have time. So, I shall read these non-fiction thingy things, and hopefully soon, I can say things like, "oh well The Republic became enormously rich on the spoils of empire..."


Me fail English? That's unpossible!

Entering: Davis Square

The apartment saga/crisis is OVER! Last weekend, my dear friend and co-worker, Rewan, offered me a room in her 4 bed room apartment in the lovely, Davis Square. When she asked me, I literally squealed with excitement, and for those of you that know me, I RARELY squeal... Anyway, I was shocked, so couldn't give her a final yes until I talked to my financial advisors... parents. The rents said go for it, so I did! I'm so glad that I get to live on a subway line... well not literally, but you know what I mean. I'll be close to almost all of my friends in Central Square, and Rewan is really great! This is Rewan in my current kitchen eating food I cooked!
Rewan and I now work together at a store in the North End, so I will still have reason to return to my all time favorite neighborhood. It's a very girly store, but pays very well, so mock me all you want, but Ima be rollin' in bills y'all!...ehem, excuse me.

The one catch is, I might not get to see the apartment before I move in. There's a chance I can see it tomorrow, but who knows??? Apparently, "it's very cute," according to Rewan, however, I have learned through apartment hunting experience, that 'cute' usually means tiny. Like me... I'm cute and tiny.......

She actually described a very large apartment: 2 floors, moderately large bed rooms, dining room, living room, large kitchen... you know, an apartment. I think I'm most excited for having stairs in my apartment. We're going to turn the dining room into a multi-purpose room/office/photo studio! Oh youth and their art.

I have no idea what Magpie is other than an adorable word, so I just chose the first map with Davis.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Nick Wilson

This is Nick. Nick was my very first friend here, and we met during auditions for Seriously Bent our Freshmen year. For some reason, out of everyone from the audition, he singled me out, and we became very fast friends. I of course thought he was gay, as most do, but he had a girlfriend, and was just looking for a friend in the big city. Nick and I spent a lot of time together our freshmen year... like... A LOT of time. He could often be found sleeping on the couch of my Chester Street apartment after a night of drinking vodka and spooning. I'm sure my roommate was confused, but he was literally my only and best friend, as I was a commuter, didn't have Seriously Bent yet, and didn't spend a lot of time on the Suffolk campus. On Halloween we tried to go to a cigar bar in the North End, but you had to be 21, because they require that you order a drink. So it was a big show, Nick didn't have ANY I.D. so we took a cab back to the dorms, where he got his underage ID, only to then be asked to leave. To this day, I don't understand why that waitress didn't initially deny us when I showed her my ID. Anyway, we bought a couple cigars, and smoked them on Hanover and thought we were on top of the world.

For the last 2 years Nick and I have "shared" an apartment together. I put the quotes on shared because really he lives with his lover, and I have had our apartment to myself until recently. The 2 of us of grown immensely... well maybe more me than him... and not in a physical way. I'm not making sense....um we've matured. Moving on, I'm now on Seriously Bent with him, and actually have more than 1 friend, which is great, because him and I sort of drifted apart. However, there will always be a bond between the two of us that's different from any of my other friends here.

For example, he was the first person that I told I was gay. I had only know him a few months, and I have friends that I've known, basically my entire life, and I shared with him this major detail of my life, that really no one knew. He was the first friend I have ever had that I felt I could confide in, and be completely honest with, without fear of judgment. Of course, over the years he's become more of a d-bag, but...we had one good year!

This is Nick molesting his own girlfriend:

I also love him for his grandparents. Their names are Ed and Jean. They are SPECTACULAR. I have never met such warm, inviting, caring, loving, and funny people. They make me feel as if I'm family, and I actually do think of them as family. We went to dinner at Bricco one night, and it was very expensive, but none of us liked the food. Anyway, while looking at the menu I noticed some steak dish that was $85, so I said, $85? Does a hooker come with that? Ed laughed SO hard, I mean he has an enormous laugh to begin with, but he cracked up, and when Gramma Jean returned to the table she said she could hear him all the way in the back of the restaurant. Ugh, I adore them.

Why am I talking so much about Nick? Well, he turned 21 the other day, FINALLY, and the occasion brought back all the memories that I have with him. Going to the Cape in the winter and trying to smoke cigars on the beach after seeing the Nutcracker with his grandparents... SO GAY. Going to my first show at Improv Asylum. Having Christina brought into my life. Going to my first college party at Julia's and then leaving because a bloody fight broke out, but it was fine, because we had Dan as a body guard. Smoking for the first time!

So many firsts with Nick. He's also the best kiss I've ever had... what? I'm just saying. After the year that I have had with losing a dear friend from home, I have learned to cherish the friends I am closest with, so through all the pompasity that is Nick Wilson, he is, and will always remain, one of my closest friends.

Happy birthday Nick.

Arrivederci North End

I've lived in the North End for 2 years, and in 2 weeks, I will move. This saddens me more than you know, because for the first time, I became really connected with my neighborhood. Freshmen year I lived in Allston, and there's nothing to connect with there except homeless ninjas with no teeth who communicate by grunting. Not my crowd. The North End is just so wonderful, it will always be my favorite neighborhood in the city. Beacon Hill is quaint, but can be a bit pretentious, South End is well manicured and rather gay, but again, a little snobby, the North End just has SO much, and remains comfortable and welcoming. I think I'm also rather partial to the Italian way of life, or at least the American version of the Italian way of life. Although the neighborhood is now mostly Suffolk students and young professionals, you can still hear the natives speaking Italian and enjoying an espresso on the street in their lawn chairs. It's also still a real community of people that know each other. I know Bobby, the owner of Polcari's, we greet each other on a first name basis, and it's wonderful. I buy my coffee and my herbs from him when I make sauce, and yesterday, when I told him I was moving, he was genuinely a bit sad to hear that. He knows that I'm not just another student invading the neighborhood creating tom foolery. I appreciate the neighborhood and its rich history and culture. In fact, I did a documentary on the businesses on Salem street, one of which was Polcari's, and Bobby was SO happy to be a part of it. He started working at that store when he was a kid, and Mr. Polcari told him if he stuck with him, one day the store would be his, and that came true just a month before I shot the documentary. As I paid for my tin of tea, bulbs of garlic, and small bags of dried herbs (which always look like weed) he shook my hand and wished me all the best in my future. I will miss that, and the food, and the festivals, and Modern Pastry, and running around the waterfront, and the narrow one way streets, and the candlelight dinners from my red kitchen.

Thanks North End for a great 2 years, and don't you worry, I will be back!

Live From Studio 73

So last Thursday I hosted a late night style talk show! I loved every F'ing minute of it, mainly because that is my dream job. I want to be Conan. I want the height, the hair, and the flat face. The show was the final production in a 6 week TV production course. During a pre-production meeting we were assigning roles, and when our producer asked who would host, no one volunteered, and I didn't volunteer because I didn't want to be "that guy"... whoever that guy is... um but I WANTED TO HOST SO BAD, so luckily Gustave volunteered me. Of course as the host that didn't mean that I didn't do anything for the production itself. I had to write the show, help design lighting, I had to shoot outside footage for roll-ins, and I had to recruit some extra talent (Wilheim).

I don't mean to be an ass, but I really really like the way I look behind that desk, and I can't explain to you how much fun I had. Every night I watch Late Night with Conan, and in my head I hear, IT'S LATE NIGHT WITH NICK MANDELLA! ...oh dreams...

Wilheim came in as our announcer/field reporter where he talked to random people on the streets of the North End... sound familiar?...including an old woman selling hot dogs smoking an 8 inch cigarette, a young man with bad teeth from Malaysia, and some pubescent hooligans that knew where to buy coke in high school. So that was fun! I felt sort of like a jerk, because the first couple people he talked to were boring and not very funny. So I went up to him and was like, um, so can you be funny? Remember? You used to do this all the time and you were um... funny! He warmed up, and brought the humor, I wasn't worried.

The show turned out to be about 30 minutes long, and that includes the commercials we shot in the class, which bt-dubs, I was in 75% of them, so this was really the Nick Show.... and I'm fine with that. All in all, I think the shoot went very smoothly, aside from some initial technical difficulties. I hope to post the video of the show soon, if I ever get my hands on it, or if it ends up online. Also, I have a fun idea for a podcast, and will hopefully get that up in the next week. That's right... soon you'll see a live blog from yours truly!

Bye Bye Jodie and Bobby!

Tuesday night I organized a going away party for my 2 friends/colleagues, Bobby and Jodie. The venue, The Beehive. Such a great place, such great short rib grilled cheeses, and such odd absinthe cocktails! That's right, I said absinthe, relax I didn't hallucinate, however, it did give me one of the biggest buzzes I've ever had despite it's hideous flavor of black licorice. It was SUCH a successful evening, as practically EVERYONE from the box office showed up, both new and old. When Kathleen arrived, she was waiting in line outside, so I ran out and waved her in, and the bouncer stopped us and allowed two people in before us. He then asked me, rather sarcastically, if I was a manager or owner of the place since I kept letting people in. Look, just because you're black and the width of 2 of me, doesn't mean you can be a jerk to me! Alright, I was a little frightened, but even more so embarrassed. Anyway, we got her in, and by the time EVERYONE showed up, there wasn't enough chairs. So we cramped together, Kat-rina and I were engaged for the evening which involved her sitting with her arm around me. Then people started to trickle out and more room became available.

I love love love going out with these people. Particularly the group that was in attendance. They're very fun people, and how great is it to drink with people that hold hiring/firing power over you?! I was just really glad to give Jodie and Bobby a send off that they deserve. I will miss them tremendously, and with their departure, I am now one of the senior box officers. That of course doesn't mean anything other than I look INCREDIBLY stupid if I make a mistake, so I guess no more drinking on the job! Kidding. Am I? Yes?

At 12:35 Derrick and I decided it would be wise to try to catch the train back to Haymarket. Now, for anyone that is not familiar with the local subway system here, trains stop running at about 12:35. So we got to the station, and of course the last train had already come and gone. Now I have to also explain that this isn't as grand of a dilemma for me, as it was Derrick. Derrick does not live IN the city, as I do, so he couldn't walk home, as I did. So I said, Hey Derrick, let's walk to Haymarket and just see what happens. And he said, "Ok Nick". So we walked past Copley, down Newbury, through the Public Gardens, through a natural tree archway which both Derrick and I decided to have our weddings under, up through Beacon Hill, and finally down towards the North End. It was at this point that Derrick made the decision to crash at my place since he had no way of getting back to his ferret in Everett. RHYMES! This is Derrick and his ferret:


Before we got to my place we had to pick up some diet gingerale for Jeremy who was apparently incapable of walking around the corner to the 7-11 by himself. We got to my place, Derrick was awestruck by the cuteness of my neighborhood, and my apartment, and Jeremy continued to judge my cluttered lifestyle. Meanwhile he was drinking Pimms and gingerale by himself, so how dare he judge my life decisions?! Derrick then curled up into a fetus position in order to fit on my tiny iKia couch, and drifted off to dream of cake, video games, iPhone applications, and pet rodents.

Good night Derrick! I'll return your belt to you eventually!

GAYME Night

So just to start, I want to let everyone know how disturbed I was to see this image on the screen when I logged into my blog. Baby 1 is drunk, baby 2 is getting a prostate exam, and baby 3 is from Rt, 1 Saugus (fake orange tan). I didn't even want to read the reason for this picture, it freaked me out so much. I mean, could they have found newborns in any creepier positions than these?!

Ok, we'll begin the new entry... NOW
Sunday night, after saying "Bye Bye Justin!" I went to a game night hosted by an HTC co-worker. His apartment was lovely, and his friends were amusing and easy to get along with. It was nice to meet new people. We played a new version of the game Cranium, which I LOVE. I was first introduced to the game by Jared when we played at El, Al, and Anne's. This new version allows you to choose the medium in which you give clues to your teammates. I brought cupcakes from Lulu's to Gayme night, and they were a hit. Josh was particularly intrigued by the red velvet cupcakes. When he asked me what the flavor was, all I could say was... they just tasted like red, and Heaven. Derrick has a ferret named Lola, and she loved my plastic bags. I would have been more fond of her if she didn't have an unpleasant odor.

After Cranium we played a questions game, where we each wrote 3 questions that could have many answers, and placed them in a cup. Then each person picks a random question, we all write down our answer, and the answers are read aloud, and the person that asked the question has to guess which answer goes with which person. Confused? So was I, but I figured it out rather quickly... I mean... I go to Suffolk! One of the questions was "What is the title of your favorite porno film"? I answered "Titanic Wang", but apparently my 'A' looked like an 'O' so Noah read it as Titanic Wong, which just isn't funny. Thanks Noah, thanks for killing my porn pun! Honestly, I didn't know names of porn films, because I generally don't pay attention to the titles!

It was good for me to go out to Everett since I'm going to live there next year.

Oh hey Patty, I'm moving in with you!!!

P.S. Thanks for Gayme Night Derrick! I like word play puns!

P.P.S. ...nothing

"You're a Judgemental F@!$"

Hello again! Did you all miss me?? I haven't gone anywhere, I've just been in non-writing mode for a few days. My life has been moderately eventful since I last posted. I'm sure you were all wondering what I had in store for myself last weekend as I had mentioned how excited I was. (That's Justin and I from a dance in high school) WELL, allow me to satisfy your hunger for knowledge of my life:

Friday Day: I was in, quite possibly the greatest mood I have EVER been in at work... and I've worked there for over a year. A lot of it had to do with the knowledge that I was going to spend the weekend with one of my best friends from high school, and we were kicking off our weekend with a Red Sox game! The other part of my good mood had to do with a new bond that really began to take shape with a colleague at work. So that was nice.

Friday Evening: Red Sox game, which bt-dubs, my mom ended up being at, so that was random and fun. The game was intense as it went into extra innings, though Justin and I left after the bottom of the 11th in order to party. So first went to a highlighter party at an Allston apartment, thrown by Justin's roommate from PC. This party consisted of 65 muscley jock like 18-20 year old man-boys. So even though I knew no one, and felt a lot out of place, there was a nice view. Following the dude-guy show, we hiked across Harvard Ave to Brighton to attend Trevor's birthday party. Here I was subject to a gay-off between myself and Clarence. Despite the fact that I was wearing a Red Sox T-shirt, and am, in general, not-fem, I lost, and was proclaimed gayer.

Saturday "Morning": Breakfast at Theo's with Justin

Saturday Afternoon: We walked around aimlessly through Boston. Visited Christina at her paper store where she oogled Justin's new muscles. After leaving the store, Justin called me a judgemental f@!$ as I complained about a woman that came into the store and returned some paper to Christina. He doesn't know the half of my judgeypants. I'll admit that I've grown a bit juegemental and cynical since I've lived here. Deal with it. Then we went back to the North End and ate gelato and watched a big ass thunder and lightning storm and talked to mom and daughter from San Francisco. The gelato apparently contained no butter fat, which meant no heavy cream, or egg yolks, and this confused me. Then Justin and I parted for a few hours while I worked at my new job. He went to a cafe and drank for 4 hours, so when we met back up to go to the Asylum, he was good and drunk.

Saturday Night: Drinks at Cafe Paradiso followed by the Midnight Show followed by Patty's farewell party, as it was her last night working. She wheeled her way around the stage during the midnight show, didn't really get to play like she wanted to, but only because she was physically challenged.

Sunday "Morning": Bye bye Justin!

So Let's Talk About Christmas

Last night I attended a performance of Sondheim's black comedy musical, Assassins. One of my managers, Penny, was in the show, so I was looking forward to seeing her perform, especially since I told her that I strongly disliked musicals. Now, the majority of her theatrical career is dedicated to... that's right, musical theatre. So I basically told her I hate her career... again, I have no filter. It's ok though, because she hasn't let me forget that. When I told her I had planned on seeing this show, she said, "Oh good, you'll like it, because there's guns, and killing, and swears, and it's dark, and not so musically." Anyway, I really did enjoy the show, it was very smart, and Penny was delightful.

Afterwards, Dahlia (my "date") and Penny and I went to Delux for a drink. I LOVE drinking with my co-workers. Penny bought our first round, and we discussed love, life, and Christmas trees. Delux has a year round plastic Christmas tree on their bar, so after we finished discussing the rather dark topic of young death, Penny gave the great non sequitur of, sooo how about Christmas?! It was amusing. I just enjoy going outside of the office with co-workers.

We're listening to Mama Mia right now. Everyone gets this joke except for me!

I'm going to the Red Sox game tonight with Justin!

Dahlia keeps making, your mom was...last night jokes. I like her!

iHeight

I shot this for a commercial for a Studio TV Production class, and thought it stood on its own as a fun little short.

Starring:
Deirdre McAllister
Dan Weidknecht
and Me!

Directed By: Me
Camera: Alicia Farrington

The Epic Wedding

This past weekend, I attended the wedding of 2 complete strangers. That's right, I sort of crashed a wedding. By sort of, I mean I was invited to attend by one of the bride's maids, and by bride's maid, I mean she was the bride's servant/slave/bonded follower. That bride's slave was none other than???... you probably guessed it... Patty. Patty invited me to be her Plus One many weeks ago, and I gladly accepted because hey, free weekend getaway, BBQ, booze, brunch...alliteration! Then of course other things were thrown at me like, Red Sox vs Yankees tickets and North End Italian festivals, BUT, I am an adult, and I had prior commitments. So I made it down to Rhode Island Friday afternoon by way of commuter rail, and I have this common theme of having to take cabs to South Station, because I tend to never leave my apartment on time.

Anyway, Friday was the BBQ consisting of gross cheese burgers, charred weiners, fly swarming fruit, and field day games. There was however, pie and badminton, and those 2 things make all sorrows dissipate. I stuffed my face with weiners and pie, and then schooled Patty in the great game of badminton. Patty was a hot mess at this point. I think she was more stressed by getting lost in the tragedy that is the Rhode Island freeway system, so adding the intensity of my badminton skills didn't help in calming her down.

We checked into the lovely Marriot-Downtown Providence, and then went to dinner in the hotel restaurant. We were then served by the saddest waitress EVER. She greeted our table like she was sedated, and then the Maitre D gave her a little talking to, and then she started to cry. It was very awkward when we had to remind her that we had ordered wine. Anyway, we enjoyed our dinner, and at this point Patty was so exhausted I was basically making conversation with the booth. We retired to our shared king sized bed, and I couldn't sleep so I listened to my new favorite podcast, Savage Love.

Dee dum dee dum Dee dum dee dum. Wedding Day! Saturday found me on my own again as Patty had to meet the other bride slaves at 6:45 AM for nails and hair and other last minute polishings. So I went for a swim, ordered room service, watched The Office on Patty's computer, and then headed out to find the quaint little 18th century home where the ceremony would take place. Here it is:
It's called Linden Place, and I believe it was built in like 1777. Anyway, it was old, and beautiful, and had a nice garden, and I love 18th century New England homes, and according to Patty, the film version of The Great Gatsby was filmed there. SO...yeah

The ceremony was short and sweet, both literally and figuratively as they performed this blending of honey ritual that was really cool, and I was impressed by it until I found out that they just searched wedding traditions, and that popped up. Still though, how original?! And then there was the reception and they served filet mignon and delish champagne and Patty and I danced until we fell on top of each other! Oh, and Norm cut in while Patty and I were slow dancing, and danced with me. It was funny. To quote him, "I've never had the opportunity to dance with a young man." Oh improv. It was fun to just hang out, and have a few drinks with new IA people... well not NEW IA people, I mean IA people that I've never really been around OUTSIDE of the theatre.

I started to think about my own wedding, if I am to ever marry. I just like the idea of a whole day... or in this case weekend... dedicated to me, and my husband to be. When I watched Nael (groom) dance with his elegant French mother, I got a little emotional, knowing that my mom has already chosen the song she wants us to dance to, Fly Me To The Mooon by Frank Sinatra. I want an open bar, because people are more inclined to have fun once they've had a couple drinks, plus I don't want people to think that I'm cheap. And I want a happy medium between formal and casual. I don't want people to be uncomfortable, or feel like they need to act differently because they're at a wedding. I also don't want idiots ruining my wedding... so I just won't invite Mitch. KIDDING MITCH! I think I'll have Mitch get ordained to perform the ceremony, and it will be all be in a rap. Wouldn't he make a great minister at a gay wedding:

I have a very fun weekend coming up! More on that once my shoulder stops cracking as I type.

The Apartment Blues

Take a good look people, because that may very well be me next year. It's July, and I still do not have roommates, or an apartment to live in next year. Well, technically, I have a quaint home in Everett with Patty as my backup, but I just don't understand how I'm in this general situation. Although Patty's place is great and cheap, it is in Everett, and no one will come to visit us because you have to take a train and a bus. SO, I'm trying very hard to somehow find a place in the Davis, Porter, or Central Square area. That way I can remain close to everyone, and I'll only need to use one mode of public transportation. I actually responded to some ADs on Craigslist in the hope that I can find my dream room/apartment/roommates.

I've never felt such panic about my living situation. I mean, this process has literally consumed my entire being. For the last 3 years, I have ALWAYS had a place all set to go by no later than June. This year, all of the people that I had plans to live with, bailed on me. Bailed is a harsh word to use, but, I'm stuck, and they're all set, so, I have a little right to be harsh.

Thankfully, I do have Patty as my backup. So, I won't really be sleeping in a bag on Tremont Street. What would you do if you walked out of Park Street and saw me on the street in a bag... sleeping? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!

Boston, Reign O'er Me

It is raining SO HARD! I'm sitting in my kitchen observing the sky that falls over Old North Church, and then in the distance, downtown Boston. I adore thunderstorms. Lately we've had a lot of little squalls and they've just been wimpy. Today we're getting a good one though. I just counted 6 big streaks of lightning, and the thunder sounds as if someone is bombing the city. I particularly enjoy Sunday thunderstorms, because I generally don't have anything to do on Sunday, so I love to just sit in my apartment during the storm, and read, or blog, or talk to people who are also experiencing the storm, and I like to go, "OH man, did you hear that?! or did you SEE that ?! IT'S REALLY COMING DOWN"

Thunderstorms remind me of my childhood summers. Before my mom built the sun room on the deck, we used to have this unstable screen house, and my favorite thing about it was sitting in it during a big thunderstorm with my parents and brother. You basically were outside in the middle of the storm, but had a canvas roof above your head. The roof used to collect water, so we would take a broom and push the water off, that was my favorite job. Anyway, we would sit out there, eat blueberry buckle, drink tea, play Parchesi. and count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder. I miss home, and my childhood.

I think severe weather in cities is an odd concept, for some reason. I just always associate thunderstorms, and snow storms with my little town. The suburbs. Cities are just supposed to have the same weather... right?... Am I nuts?!

The storm's over, for now. And so is this post.

On the dry and dusty road
The nights we spent apart alone
I need to get back home
To cool cool rain

I can't sleep and I lay and I think
The night is hot and black as ink
Woo Oh God I need a drink
Of cool cool rain

What Happened To My Filter?

This is Stefanie. Stefanie USED to be my "boss". She left her managerial position, and is now back, but only as a lowly part-timer. Last night I worked a late night shift with her and Derrick, and we were having a very pleasant evening. The 2 shows we had to ticket for were both in the small plaza theatre, so walk-up was rather light. Oooo, we did a wait-list, but only the first pair on the list got in, and both Stefanie and Derrick were scared to announce that everyone else couldn't get squat, so I did it, it was fun! I mean, I felt bad that the people waiting didn't get tickets, but I enjoyed that brief amount of authority and power, because generally, the patrons get to treat us like we're not human.

ANYGAY, the evening was coming to a close when Stefanie mentioned the spacers that had recently been placed in between her teeth, hurt when she ate. That's when everything turned sour. I, with all of my infinite wisdom and intuition, respond by saying, "I think one of the funniest looking things EVER, is an adult wearing braces." Stefanie then laughed, and started to cry. I asked if she was crying from laughter, or was for realzies crying. She was for realzies crying. I made her cry. I took a wildly sensitive topic and just ripped it wide open. I felt like a douche. For some reason, I was unable to put 2 and 2 together to realize that she was going to have braces put on. SO, way to go me, I made a 23 year old woman cry. My former boss, and good friend, actually. I wanted to crawl into a hole.

SORRY STEF !

Irish Times

Monday night I went to The Burren in Davis Square for my manager's birthday. The female on my right is not my manager. That's Vawnya and we used to be box office arch nemesises... It was very random, and I felt just a TAD awkward considering I was going out drinking with... all of my managers. That's right, I have like 14 managers. They're all great though!... for the most part. Anyway, what excited me about this event was the location. The Burren is an Irish Pub named after an ancient geological site in... the Galway region of Ireland, which is where my mother's family is from, and it's a place that I have been. Here, I'll show you!

That's the Portal Tomb, located in The Burren. I took that. Don't believe me???... has anyone reading this been to Ireland, no.

Anyway, my cousin Geraldine (Irish cousin), played a gig at The Burren (Somerville) like 10 years ago. My grandparents always ask me if I've been, and I always tell them yes, because I want them to like me!... haha, they're my grandparents, what the hell am I talking about? So when we got there, I told the gang that my cousin came over from Ireland and played a gig there. They weren't impressed. THEN, I saw posters on the walls from Inishbofin, which is the tiny little island that my great-grandmother came from! NUTS... again, they weren't impressed, they had their drinkin' pants on. At about 9 some live Irish music started playing, and I loved it. The Black Rose in Faneuil Hall is also a great Irish Pub with live Irish music every night. No one ever wants to go with me. They're all D-bags... ugh, let's go to Goody's... FUCK GOODY'S!. I'm sorry, but I'm so frigon sick of going to the same bar, where I see the same people spending literally all of their time and money there. It's sad. Not me or my friends, we have outside lives. But there are clients of this bar, that basically do nothing but go to Goody's every frigon night. And they start early. I know I just started 4 sentences with and or but, it's my blog, I do what I want!

Anyway, I love Irish pubs with live Irish music, because I love the sounds, and it reminds me of going to Ireland. And I love drinking with my employers.

Who wants to go to an Irish pub with me?!

VH1 Rock Honors: THE WHO

Ok this is the LAST post about The Who... for a little while. Here are a couple of performances from the concert:

PEARL JAM: "Love Reign O'er Me"

• VH1 TV Shows
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THE WHO: "Who Are You"

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THE WHO: "My Generation"

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Nothing But Endless Wire

Well I had a pleasant weekend. Ok, so that's a bit of an understatement... I had an absolutely, unbelievable, earth-shattering, mind-blowing, weekend! ! ! I attended VH1 Rock Honors: The Who! How on Earth did that happen Nick? I will tell you:

Wednesday night i met up with my high school English teacher for dinner and a pint at The Black Rose, which is now the one and only bar I will go to in Faneuil Hall. He played the first song by The Who I had ever heard, The Kids Are Alright, and from then on I was hooked on the band. Anyway, during dinner he mentioned that he was going to L.A. to attend the concert. I of course, went nuts, because not only was he seeing the show, but he was also attending a pre-show reception where it was rumored that members of the band would be in attendance. So after seeing my excitement he goes, "well what are you doing this weekend. There's a woman on the website selling a ticket, and she's legit,". My reaction was something like, what? shut up, stop it, no, I can't, I'm broke, and so on and so on. After he headed back home, I went to IA and met up with Nick, Dan, and Trev, and we went to our usual place of business, Goody's. After a couple of rounds, I began consulting them on what I should do. They of course all agreed that I would hate myself if I turned down this opportunity. The next day, I texted Pete and said that I would take the ticket if it was still available.

I then spent the rest of the day on cloud 29 until, he called and said he couldn't get in touch with the seller. He said she wasn't responding to his emails, or his calls, and that it appeared as if she had sold the ticket, and that I was out of luck. BLURG!... so I went to Talia's and she had refreshments that helped take my mind off of the suspense. Then at about 11:45 P.M. he calls and says, "Nick, if you still want the ticket, it's yours. Book a flight,". OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I immediately booked my flight to L.A.

This was the first performance of The Who I saw, on television, that hooked me:


This is also a performance with one member gone, Keith Moon, who died in 1978 from an overdose.

Anyway, I was off to L.A. I met Pete at the airport and his cousin picked us up. Tim is tall, wide, loud, Irish, and very funny. He took us to a bar and we had a few rounds, played a couple games of pool, and then stumbled out. I collapsed on an air mattress, and when I woke, Tim's wife was playing The Who on a cassette player! I was surrounded by Who-heads (as Jeremy once called me) and I could not have been happier. That day we spent picking up other members from the website, one of which, nicknamed CrazyHorse, was literally bat-shit crazy. His first topic of conversation, to a group of people he's really never met, was about the hooker he "almost broke" the night before. Very inappropes. We pick up one more Whooligan, and then went to Santa Monica Beach for about 30 seconds.

Next was the pre-show reception. Remember the rumor I told you about? Well, at 5 a guy comes to my table and explains to my group that a special guest was coming at 5:30, and that we were to not take pictures, ask for autographs, or bother this person at all in general. So I start to lose my mind. The admins from the website start giving speeches, and then suddenly they stop, I turn to look at the entrance, and there stands Pete Townshend. Song writer, and lead guitarist of The Who. A.K.A GOD ! This is the man behind blue eyes, creator of Tommy at age 21! AND HE WAS 7 INCHES AWAY FROM ME! Talk about a great way to get someone pumped for a Who concert. Ugh... it was so surreal.

After that enormous bonus, we headed to the Pauley Pavilion where I had a fantastic seat, 10 rows from the stage, on the floor. The concert included performances by Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Incubus, Tenacious D, and Pearl Jam. Foo Fighters covered Young Man Blues and Bargain. Flaming Lips did a great medley from Tommy. Incubus performed I Can See For Miles and I Can't Explain. Tenacious D, a last minute addition to the roster, performed Squeeze Box acoustically. It was Pearl Jam that really blew me away though. They performed Love, Reign O'er Me and The Real Me, from the album Quadrophenia. They had a small string section, and their performance contained so much passion, it was clear that they were the proudest to be at this event honoring the greatest rock band to ever live.

Finally The Who were introduced by Adam Sandler performing a parody of Magic Bus. Pete and Roger were on their game aside from some sound issues with their monitors. They performed Baba O'Riley, The Seeker, Who Are You, Behind Blue Eyes, 2000 Years, You Better You Bet, My Generation, Won't Get Fooled Again, and finally, Tea and Theatre. The Seeker will probably end up cut from the broadcast since Roger missed some lyrics. I could not believe how close I was to the band, and I was a happy little 21 year old Who fan sporting a green Who T-shirt worn under the classic black blazer.

After the euphoria of the concert and sort of meeting Pete Townshend, we went to an after party at The W hotel bar. We got to cut the long line, walk in with our VIP badges, AND drinks were free. So I had a couple $13 cocktails, and just soaked in this amazing, bizarre, spontaneous weekend.

Everyone that I met at the concert had either seen the band perform with Keith Moon, or at least with the late John Entwistle (bass). John died in 2002, and I saw The Who for the first time, live, in 2003. So my appreciation for Keith and John comes only from videos in documentaries. Although The Who only have Pete and Roger left, and they're both in their early 60's, they still rock like teenagers. The power of their music will never be quiet, no matter how old they get. If anything, it will get louder, since they can barely hear it to begin with.

Townshend brought rock and roll to such a higher intellectual level, and the way The Who interpreted his writing was nothing short of an explosive sound. The music has meant so much to me, particularly in my formidable years where I was really figuring out who I was, what I wanted, and what might make me happy. If you ever want some of their music, just ask, because I am always overly excited to recruit. Last night I gave Jeremy a few CDs, and then tried to hand him the documentary, The Kids Are Alright, and he pulled his hand away, and said, alright alright alright, that's enough. HA... anyway

I'll end this blog with a video of Tea and Theatre. A song from their new album Endless Wire. Pete and Roger now perform this song, acoustically, as the finale to their shows. It's their own tribute to 40 years of brilliance. Enjoy!

Come Ova, I'm Makin' Dinnuh

As a partial Italian, I grew up with a grand amount of importance placed on something called, "Sunday Dinner." The picture above, is an old photograph of my family engaging in this loving tradition. We were Asian at one time...

Anyway, for a while I used to get annoyed by this Sunday ritual, particularly when I was a teenager, and hated everything having to do with family. Hey, it's just what every teen goes through. I wanted to go to the mall to hang out!... because that's literally all you do as a high schooler. At least that's all you CAN do as a high schooler, at least in my little town.

Well, once I flew the coop, I began to long for those dinners. I missed being surrounded by people that loved me, and each other-(ish). I missed the comforting home cooked meals, that were always enormous, no matter how few people actually attended. So, I started to make Sunday dinners for my friends. Granted, they weren't ALWAYS on Sundays, but still. Last night I had an impromptu Sunday dinner. I just shot out a text, and people arrived. Kelly came with her "wife" Deirdre, and it was Deirdre's first time! She's a vegetarian, so that would be why I rarely get to invite her, but since I had black bean rice and salad caprese, she had PLENTY to mangia. After dinner we watched an episode of... Anorexia Intervention... or something, on A&E. It was nice and depressing. Thank you Nick Wilson. PAY YOUR RENT!

I love doing that for my friends, because since I've moved, my friends have become my family, I think I've said that before. They are the people that I love and trust, and I love surrounding myself with them, showing them my love, with food and drink. My only hope is that this little tradition can continue after I move out to Everett. I'm sure that since I cook so damn well, they just won't stay away! Oh, and I like to think I keep 'em comin' with my charmin' personality.

I think I'm going away for a little while...

Mega Weekend

I went to New York City this past weekend, and it was, once again, PHENOMENAL! First off, instead of risking my life and taking a China Town bus, I embarked on my adventure on the new Mega Bus (seen below). The Mega Bus is a... fairly? new bus that takes to you to Penn Station, AND it's cheaper than the Fung, AND it's clean and big, AND it's mostly young people. Not middle schoolers on field trips, but like, young professionals. So the bus was great. Here it is! :

MEGA BUS!...Once I got to Penn Station I called Glenn, because he goes the New School, and loves the city, so I thought I'd let him know I was there. This was sort of how the conversation went:

ME:
Glenn
GLENN:
Nick
ME:
Guess where I am right now.
GLENN:
Kelly's Roast Beef
ME:
No you ass clown, I'm in Manhattan, standing next to Madison Square Garden
GLENN:
Ooooooohhhhh no fuckin' way! Man, I love New York City. I'm in Long Island right now.

Then I asked him how to get to the L train so I could meet my friend Evan's roommates in Brooklyn. So, I got on the subway and begin the next leg of my journey into Brooklyn. I had never been to Brooklyn, so I didn't know what to expect. When I got there, I was pretty surprised, then frightened, then observant. I stood outside of the Myrtle-Wykoff station for 45 minutes, and I was literally the only white person I saw in that time span. I won't lie, I was uncomfortable. I stood out like a nun in a brothel. Like a CEO at Building 19. Like a clown in a porn film. I stood out. I walked back into the station to wait, one because it was really hot out, and 2 I was afraid that if I stood out there any longer I'd be beaten with sticks...or a liquor bottle in a brown paper bag. I saw 4 people with those. So, I went back inside to wait for Paul, and I had no idea what Paul looked like, but in this neighborhood, I had a good feeling I'd be able to pick him out. So, I wait, and wait... and wait a bit more, when finally this dynamic duo walks right past me:

Yes, they're white, gay, and proud of it. Chris, on the left, had a very short bathing suit on, so I immediately saw that and said in my mind, "You're missing half of your bathing suit, this must be them!" They walk back into the station and Paul introduced himself and Chris. From there we walked to their apartment through possibly the most frightening neighborhood I have ever been in. I'm sorry if I've sounded racist, but listen, I live in a predominantly white neighborhood, in a predominantly white part of Boston, I go to a predominantly white college, and I grew up in a predominantly white town. How many times did I just use the word predominantly?...4. So-yeah. They're street was cute, and their apartment was HUGE, it was literally a house. They had 2 floors, 2 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, and big bedrooms; great apartment, but shady ass neighborhood.

I dropped my bag off in Paul's room and then he made me eggs with salsa and avocado corn chips. It was odd, but food, so I ate it. Then we proceeded to "pre-game", as the kids call it, which consisted of drinking Pepsi and rum, and then when the Pepsi ran out, rum and Arizona Iced Tea. THEN, we headed out for a big gay night of big gay bars with big gay drinks and big gayness. Keep in mind that the eggs were all I ate that day, so after my first out-of-apartment-drink, I was pretty much in a pretty happy space. Paul of course was not 21, even though he looks like he's 30, NOT, um so he managed to get into the first bar with a Florida fake which he had this whole background story created in case he was interrogated. He was SO giddy and excited to have gotten in. It was adorable. He's adorable. We got along really well, and he was easy to talk to. I didn't have to pull teeth to get conversation out of him, which I find to be the usual case.

Anyway, the night went on, and we had a great time. Although towards the end of the night I began to feel a bit uncomfortable as the group got a little larger. I was new to these guys, and couldn't get a read on what I could say that was funny, and I started to feel like they were gettin' judgey and annoyed by me. I don't know, I was drunk! Finally, Paul and I headed back to Brooklyn, and I plopped onto the mattress on his floor, and fell into a nice drunken coma.

DAY 2: Pill popping moms and former transvestites

Sunday I made pancakes for myself and Evan, of which I could only handle 3 bites of thanks to the night before. Then I headed out to my solo day in the city. My plan was to see Steppenwolf's Tony Award Winning play, August: Osage County.


I had heard of it prior to the acclaim by Jeremy, and then my manager Tyler, and then my wife Patty. SO, I saw it. I loved it. I want to see it again. It's hilarious and gut-wrenching at the same time, and new cast is wonderful. I didn't get to see the former cast, but I loved this one. So that was great.

THEN, following August, came the big finale of the weekend. The actual purpose of my trip. Seeing my all time favorite comedian. Eddie Izzard at Radio City Music Hall!

He was an absolute rock star. I just think it's fascinating for a comedian to get to a place in their career where they can sell out a 6,000 seat venue three nights in a row. This is his first tour NOT in transvestite mode, although the picture featured above is from his tranni days. In this show he wears a blazer with coat tails, and jeans, and red pin stripe button down shirt. He was incredibly silly and fun with the audience. This was also my first time seeing a show at Radio City Music Hall, and our seats were wonderful, and I was ever so happy.

Can this post get any longer?!

YOU BET!

... alright, I'll stop. I really did have a great time, and I can't wait to go back!

PHEW...I'm winded

so-yeah...

Go Away

This is Reeve Aleksandr Pierson. I don't know if that's really how his name is spelled, but it's how he has it on Facebook, so there you go. Reeve is a brat. I sort of work with him at the Huntington, and by sort of, I mean, I don't really. Reeve used to work in the box office, but now he just flitters around the lobby and in the many theatres at the Calderwood Pavilion telling ushers what to do, and selling cheap wine and over priced snacks. Reeve has a superiority complex, or maybe he's just too gay for his own good. I chose this picture because if you look directly into his eyes, it is almost certain that you will turn to stone. Reeve puts on a very cold, snarky, bitchy, judgey facade, however, he's really a... no he is those things.

ACTUALLY, I have had 2 very pleasant and endearing experiences with Reeve. The first took place last summer when Reeve and I were stuck in the tiny basement phone room of the BU Theatre. The very same tiny basement phone room that Bobby Kennedy almost had a nervous breakdown. Anygay (a Reeveism) this day was the day that Reeve just suddenly decided to try to quit smoking. So close quarters + lack of nicotine = weird animal noises? Yes, Reeve proceeded to squawk and squeal and frighten me all day. He kept telling me buy him cigarettes and I refused, because I am a humanitarian, and I wanted to support his 1 day attempt at health.

My next sweet moment with Reeve was in New York City, the Big Apple, the Center of the Universe, the...City That Never Sleeps...I knew I could think of one more. So Reeve just HAPPENED to be there the same weekend that Patty and I were there. So we met up one night for drinks at a posh gay bar called Therapy, and Reeve was already d-r-u-n-k, so Patty and I just talked to Austin. When we left, Reeve decided to take his gin & tonic with him. The next day we met them for a little brunch at a quaint diner style restaurant, where they were both dressed very nicely. Austin, because he had to work, and Reeve, well because Reeve enjoys appearing to be better than everyone. Oh and he's gay. In fact, if Reeve lived on any street in NYC city, he'd live on this one:
So after we dropped Austin off at work Reeve walked around with Patty and I, although he just wanted to go to gay bars, gay bookstores, gay grocery stores, gay pharmacies, gay monuments, and pretty much gay it up to the 9s. Patty and I however were just the average tourists, doing tourist things, and he wanted nothing to do with that. I mean...gayness?...GROSS SIN SODOMITES!...excuse me. It was a very nice time with him though.

Did I mention he was gay?

Alright, I will put a face shot up of him, but DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LOOK INTO HIS LITTLE GAY EYES!

Ready?...

Ok here it is:
It's small enough to avoid his gay stare.