Long overdue for a posting on here Which means I will be catching up on several fun points! Go team! So much to discuss, so I may as well jump into it.
Work - I've been off of work for a week, and am still off for another week and LORD knows I needed the break. I am so grateful to have a job and to have been given the opportunity to come back but LORD some of the people I work with seriously need a gift that somehow incorporates a kick in the teeth. Maybe then they'd be more self-conscious about opening their mouths before they say something negative, self serving, or flat-out stupid. Nonetheless, there are some great people that I work with and appreciate.
Fitness - So I've been keeping up with my new years resolution of running at least 10 miles a week. It's been going well so far. I usually run anywhere from 3-4 miles 3 times/week. If it wasn't for the fact I'm also trying to put on muscle, I'd probably do it more often or run longer distances. Running is very freeing to me. I love it. (update before posting this blog) This last week was an unfortunate lag in my goal of fitness due to a bizarre typically dormant issue I tend to have that I won't get into here. All I'll say is it's hard to focus on fitness when you're in pain.
Modeling - it's something that I've been told I should get into for quite some time. Which, much like being a stripper, I've always shrugged off as something that I couldn't do unless I gained 15-20 lbs in my chest. Not that Modeling and Stripping are the same thing *cough* oops, excuse me. Yes, I've always thought I'd have great potential in the modeling world with my current body type if it wasn't for this pesky Y chromosome of mine. But I digress. I was hit up about possibly being in a PRIDE calender with SNAPI. An organization that puts on the gay pride festival in town. From what I gathered, they take a lot of people, take their pictures, hand them to a committee who votes for 12 guys to be in a calender. All I heard was free professional photo shoot and I was in. I don't expect to be one of the 12 guys, nor do I really want to be. I've never been to a gay pride parade, but my very limited experiences in gay bars makes me think I'm not missing out on too much. I just figure it would be nice to have professional quality pictures to add to my account on ModelMayhem.com
SPEAKING of, I forgot I had an account on Model Mayhem until I received an e-mail from some woman needing male models for the MAGIC expo. I'm not down with slight of hand illusions (which turned out to be ok, because MAGIC is some sort of clothing convention) I ended up registering with the PUSH Models as requested. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that apparently only accepting "5-15% of those who apply" and my having to wait up to a month to hear back from them, i had an email welcoming me into PUSH models the very next day. Needless to say, I felt VERY pretty. I went to the casting call for MAGIC yesterday and without much to say in the "interview" I was giving a schedule that I would work for the convention. The breakdown said $40 for a 3.5 hour training, then a 7, a 10, and a 9 hour day at $25/hour. WHAAAAAATT? Holy crapballs you guys. I'm seriously hoping I hate this, because if I can make cheddar like that just standing around and helping confused people (Why they would hire "models" for that is beyond me), I might go out and try to figure out how to make it a full time thing. I'll basically be making in 3 days at the expo what I make in about 8-9 days at the MGM. Which will significantly help me out for the 2 weeks that the show I work at hasn't been running. Talk about GREAT timing!
Stand-up. So my coworker, Ann, invited my other coworker, Sue, and I to attend this weekend seminar on humor and public speaking (speeches/standup). It was "Humor Boot Camp" or something along the same lines. It was hosted by 2 people. A "world chamion" speech giver and the very funny Judy Carter, Ann's comedy mentor and all around funny gal. The class was unique in having 2 instructors. Especially when it seemed like one of them seemed WAY more with it than the other. Without sounding too mean, Judy was so knowledgeable and quick witted and it was really cool to get to learn from her. The guy, not as much. Bless his heart. The class was unique because I think there were about 4 of us in our 20's, a few in the 30's and then there was like a significant age jump. More than anything else the thing that jumps out of my mind the most is that the people I took the class with were REALLY cool, genuine people,. And for WHATEVER reason on this planet, several of them seemed to think I was the bees knees. I made a bunch of them laugh, so I guess there's hope I could POSSIBLY get my foot in the door with the standup thing. We'll see.
What else is there to throw out. I think that's about it for now. Quick Entertainment review. I don't have the time nor the energy to give reviews on all of these movies I've seen in the last few weeks. So I'm just going to make this short sweet and to the point.
Despicable Me - Really cute movie. I could listen to Steve Carrell do that (God knows what kind of accent that was) all night long. Not too much going on in the film. The yellow helpers carried a lot of humor along with Carrell as did the youngest of the 3 girls that are adopted. Also big props to Jason Segel who played a nerdy villain that I couldn't picture him providing the voice for. Thoroughly impressed. Julie Andrews has a cameo, and that woman will always make me hot for England. Yay.
Willow - FINALLY saw this movie. Good watch. A little slow at times, but Warwick Davis is just too adorable. And a spry Val Kilmer who was not only entertaining, but easy on the eyes in a short pink skirt. The tiny french guys (no taller than a forefinger) were my favorites, for no other reason that they were aggressive and...well, french mainly. Good Times, would watch it agian.
Pan's Labyrinth - haven't figured out how to break this to him, but my roommate rented this (along with a few others) with the idea that we would watch them together. We got through all of the other films he rented, but it was taking too long for us to watch this one together. So I watched it after a horrible day by myself and loved it. Only to have him offer to watch it with me the next day (ain't? life screwy). I'm confused as to why so little of the movie takes place iN the labyrinth. But that's just semantics. That monster with the eyes in his palms = nightmares. The faun was my favorite thing EVER! Tall like a viking, shaped like a goatman, speaks in over-exaggerated spanish and looks asian? What's not to love? Great film.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Watched this one with my friend after she had surgery. Very cute, definitely a chick flick. But a good watch for sure. Francis McDermott plays a frumpy woman consistently fired from nanny work finds herself playing "social secretary" to a very air-headed braggart played by Amy Adams who struggles to juggle her time and uncommitted affection towards 3 men. The story moves rather quickly and was definitely enjoyable.
Alright, I'm too exhausted to proofread ANY of this, so I'm going to bed before I write something even more non-linear. Night Y'all!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Music and Movie reviews
For those of you who haven't read my blog post before this last one. It's my intention to stop being so in the dark with movies and music. So I'm listening to "new" music and trying to watch more movies as well. And because my already horrible memory makes me scared of being a prime candidate for Alzheimer's when I'm older, it seemed like a decent idea to write my thoughts down. Please keep in mind I've spent most of my life listening to Pop music. So this is a learning experience. I'm not well versed on multiple types of music. Nor am I a professional critic of music. So keep that in mind as I review these.
First up. We have "Goodbye Blues" by The Hush Sound.
For those of you who are familiar with the Music Project Group I started on facebook, this is my Album of the Week. A friend gave me this album a while ago and I finally decided to give it a "thorough" listen. I think it's safe to say I went about listening to this album the wrong way. I was in a bit of a cleaning spree when I listened to it about 7-8 times in a row. I think that's probably not the best way to go about it.
The more I think about this music project, the more excited I get. And part of that excitement is because of how much I enjoyed the first album I gave a listen to this year. "Goodbye Blues" is the final album by indie rock band The Hush Sound before their breakup/hiatus which began the same year. Released in 2008, this album is a little bit hard for me to completely put my finger on. When I listened to the album at the beginning of the week, I felt as though many of the songs just ran together and didn't offer much of a variety. No clue why I felt that way, because the lead vocals jump at times from song to song between sole female in the group, Greta Salpeter, and any of the three males in the group (all of which sing.) I tried to figure out who sang on which songs, but couldn't figure that out).
The album starts with an almost haunting minute and a half intro (aptly titled "Intro") that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album. Not exactly foreshadowing to the rest of the album. The band has a swing-like bounce throughout several of it's songs as seen in "Medicine Man" and "Honey" that have been featured in numerous tv show ads. Greta Salpeter who leads the album has a slightly raspy voice that, at times, parallels that of Rachel Yamagata. Salpeter is also a very accomplished pianist. Her abilities are featured in several of the tracks and carry much of the power the album possesses. On the other side, Songs like "As You Cry" led by who I can only assume is Guitarist Robert Morris, are spunky little pop/punk songs that I also enjoyed. They don't have the same hook that draws you in rythmically. Nonetheless they still have their charm.
Favorite tracks on the album include :
"Love You Much Better" for completely selfish reasons. It's a pop-fueled track with the jazzy-swing influence the band utilized throughout most of the album. Lyrically, it's not much to listen to. The chorus is punctuated with a catchy procession of "La la la la las"
"As you Cry" Led by (I believe) Robert Morris is a really cool mix of the a jazzy tune spliced with what's been explained to me as punk.
I recommend this album to someone who enjoys collaboration between genres, which I truly believe this album is. Also for anyone who is a fan of Indie music. There is a pop element to some of the tracks and there isn't much to the lyrics in several of the songs. So if you're a lyrically inclined individual, this album may not be for you. However, rhythmically and melodically this album is enjoyable.
First up. We have "Goodbye Blues" by The Hush Sound.
For those of you who are familiar with the Music Project Group I started on facebook, this is my Album of the Week. A friend gave me this album a while ago and I finally decided to give it a "thorough" listen. I think it's safe to say I went about listening to this album the wrong way. I was in a bit of a cleaning spree when I listened to it about 7-8 times in a row. I think that's probably not the best way to go about it.
The more I think about this music project, the more excited I get. And part of that excitement is because of how much I enjoyed the first album I gave a listen to this year. "Goodbye Blues" is the final album by indie rock band The Hush Sound before their breakup/hiatus which began the same year. Released in 2008, this album is a little bit hard for me to completely put my finger on. When I listened to the album at the beginning of the week, I felt as though many of the songs just ran together and didn't offer much of a variety. No clue why I felt that way, because the lead vocals jump at times from song to song between sole female in the group, Greta Salpeter, and any of the three males in the group (all of which sing.) I tried to figure out who sang on which songs, but couldn't figure that out).
The album starts with an almost haunting minute and a half intro (aptly titled "Intro") that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album. Not exactly foreshadowing to the rest of the album. The band has a swing-like bounce throughout several of it's songs as seen in "Medicine Man" and "Honey" that have been featured in numerous tv show ads. Greta Salpeter who leads the album has a slightly raspy voice that, at times, parallels that of Rachel Yamagata. Salpeter is also a very accomplished pianist. Her abilities are featured in several of the tracks and carry much of the power the album possesses. On the other side, Songs like "As You Cry" led by who I can only assume is Guitarist Robert Morris, are spunky little pop/punk songs that I also enjoyed. They don't have the same hook that draws you in rythmically. Nonetheless they still have their charm.
Favorite tracks on the album include :
"Love You Much Better" for completely selfish reasons. It's a pop-fueled track with the jazzy-swing influence the band utilized throughout most of the album. Lyrically, it's not much to listen to. The chorus is punctuated with a catchy procession of "La la la la las"
"As you Cry" Led by (I believe) Robert Morris is a really cool mix of the a jazzy tune spliced with what's been explained to me as punk.
I recommend this album to someone who enjoys collaboration between genres, which I truly believe this album is. Also for anyone who is a fan of Indie music. There is a pop element to some of the tracks and there isn't much to the lyrics in several of the songs. So if you're a lyrically inclined individual, this album may not be for you. However, rhythmically and melodically this album is enjoyable.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
2011 is here!
Well, here goes round two of typing this out. I had 30 minutes to write my start of the year blog post, and since my internet explorer decided to crash, I'm speeding through this from the safety of my computers "Notepad"
So, 2010 has come and gone. And what a stagnating piece of bleh that year it was. Nothing particularly terrible occurred in 2010, but yeah. I did not do too many things to boast about. However, a few choice experiences stand out as things I can look back at and smile.
1. Big Fun - Here in Vegas there are multiple outlets for individuals who enjoy improv comedy. Whether it's watching or performing, there are chances to experiences this most amazing genre of theatre. One of which is the Improv Jam held at the insurgo theatre every Tuesday Nights at 9 pm. The entire evening is short-form improv that is performed by audience members. I absolutely LOVE the Jam and hate that I currently am not able to go and enjoy it as often as I would like. Anyway, after a particularly good night there, I was contacted by the VERY talented and funny Casper Collins and asked if I would like to join a new improv troupe he was putting together. I was very excited because I had (and still haven't) been a part of an improv troupe. So joined with Casper and 4 other very talented improvisers, Big Fun was born. We are a group that performs on a somewhat rotational basis at S.E.T. on Monday nights at 8 pm. I have learned so much from the members of Big Fun and have thoroughly enjoyed performing with them. Hoping 2011 is a prosperous year for us as a team. Casper has since left the troupe (and the improv community altogether). He is very missed, and I vow to make him proud someday.
2. For those of you who've known me for a while, you know that I was a Ka' Gatekeeper for 3.5 years until I left the job months before I went to live in Argentina. I auditioned to go back to Ka' not long after returning from down south, but was not offered a spot back, which was unfortunate, but I understood. It is a great job and I left it. So it was understandable if the offer to come back didn't come to me quickly. However, back in June, my former co-worker (now head of the department), Chad, called me up and offered me a position. I was pretty ecstatic. I had recently left my part-time job at Starbucks and was working at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum on the strip. The Wax Museum is another great job that treated me VERY well. This being my 2nd time working for the company, I was appreciative of the opportunity to come back and was offered another chance to return should things not work out at Ka'. There are some truly amazing people there at MTLV that I will forever be grateful for what they did for me.
Back at Ka', the first month was PRETTY rough. Thankfully my friend Troy was rehired with me. And although Troy and I weren't the best of friends the first time we worked together, we got along well and were pretty much bonded together coming back in. There were a lot of changes to the department since the last time either one of us had worked at Ka'. Long story short, a LOT of unnecessary negatively and some preliminary bull-honkey (that's right, I went there) made my first month back at Ka' a pretty awkward adjustment. However, after 6 months back, I'm happy to say that I love my job and am grateful that I get paid to do someone that I not only do well, but have a great time doing it.
As for 2011, I'm happy and optimistic that it's going to be a great year. For no other reason than I have goals and (hopefully) the determination to keep myself in check. We'll see.
Among a few things I would like to dabble in again, I have my main goal set and also smaller weekly goals that I think are going to make the year VERY productive.
Main Goal
I WILL get out of debt this year. I'm almost done paying off my credit card. And once that is taken care off I will pay off the money that parents helped me with to help me pay for the house. It means I'm going to have to start buckling down and being more financially responsible. As some of you know (hi mom!) I'm not the best when it comes to keeping on top of stuff like that. And since it's been a year and I have only paid back 350 to my parents, I would like to be debt free come the start of 2012.
Weekly Goals
1. I will run at least 10 miles a week. For my running friends, don't laugh at me. I think 10 miles/week is a very realistic goal. It's roughly a little bit over a 5k 3 times a week. I will obviously do more if time permits, but I'm going to make that happen. I love to run, so shouldn't be too big an issue. In addition, I will go to the gym to lift weights. I was thinking it would be great to put on 15 pounds of muscle. However, considering my metabolism makes that VERY difficult. My goal regarding weightlifting is just to get stronger. If I gain some mass as a result, then cool. Otherwise, I'm not worried.
2. I will make 100 spanish vocabulary flash cards/week. Living in Argentina the time I did gave me the opportunity to learn Castellano (which is roughly spanish with a few differences). I'm not fluent by any stretch of the imagination and I want to improve my skills with the language.
3. I will listen to at least 1 new artist/album a week. I hate that the majority of the music I listen to is Top 40. While there is some good stuff to be found in the genre, I want to expose myself to different styles and improve my musical knowledge. This weeks CD is an album The Hush Sound titled "Goodbye Blues." iTunes categorizes them as Alternative & Punk. A friend let me copy the CD when he brought it over for a day of painting, and I never gave it a listen again. I'm really enjoying it.
4. I will watch a new movie every week. I am NOT a movie goer. I think between 2009 and 2010, I would have seen about 6 movies maybe if it hadn't been for the $1.50 theatre not too far from my house. And even with those, I think I saw maybe 8 more. So despite the fact that the movies there are months old when they arrive, I would like to start watching more movies. Not really sure exactly what my motivation is for such an unusual resolution, but I'm sticking with it. Last weeks pick was "Legend." Umm......Yeah, I'll address that one at a later time. I'm already half an hour over the 20 minutes I gave myself to do this.
5. I will learn to do the splits. This one is a stretch (no pun intended..........no really...) because I've been telling myself FOREVER that I would do lots and lots of yoga and stretching until I could do the splits. I've just never done it because I HATE stretching. It's like a reminder of how crap I've taken care of myself in that regard.
Other than those, I plan to be better with my money. Making sure that I make my payments on time for utilities/credit card/mortgage etc. I also plan to try and be less messy. I've sort of gotten the hand of picking up after myself in the kitchen and living room. But my bedroom still consistently looks like a tornado zone as little as days after I clean it. Rough habit I've had since I was a kid. Also plan on keeping up with my new hobby and resurrect an old one. Roller skating is my new favorite past time and I want to get back into the art of spinning poi. It's been a while since I've done it, so I want to get back in the throws.
As I said, 2011 is bound to be interesting. And i can't wait to get in there and start living it up. I'm optimistic that this will be a great year!
For anyone who might have made it this far to read this. What are your New Years resolutions? I want to know. Not just because it would be cool to know who read this, but also because I want to know what to pester you about the next time I see you. Whether it's to quit smoking, to floss regularly, or to not let any hostages escape this year, I want to know! Talk to you guys later.
So, 2010 has come and gone. And what a stagnating piece of bleh that year it was. Nothing particularly terrible occurred in 2010, but yeah. I did not do too many things to boast about. However, a few choice experiences stand out as things I can look back at and smile.
1. Big Fun - Here in Vegas there are multiple outlets for individuals who enjoy improv comedy. Whether it's watching or performing, there are chances to experiences this most amazing genre of theatre. One of which is the Improv Jam held at the insurgo theatre every Tuesday Nights at 9 pm. The entire evening is short-form improv that is performed by audience members. I absolutely LOVE the Jam and hate that I currently am not able to go and enjoy it as often as I would like. Anyway, after a particularly good night there, I was contacted by the VERY talented and funny Casper Collins and asked if I would like to join a new improv troupe he was putting together. I was very excited because I had (and still haven't) been a part of an improv troupe. So joined with Casper and 4 other very talented improvisers, Big Fun was born. We are a group that performs on a somewhat rotational basis at S.E.T. on Monday nights at 8 pm. I have learned so much from the members of Big Fun and have thoroughly enjoyed performing with them. Hoping 2011 is a prosperous year for us as a team. Casper has since left the troupe (and the improv community altogether). He is very missed, and I vow to make him proud someday.
2. For those of you who've known me for a while, you know that I was a Ka' Gatekeeper for 3.5 years until I left the job months before I went to live in Argentina. I auditioned to go back to Ka' not long after returning from down south, but was not offered a spot back, which was unfortunate, but I understood. It is a great job and I left it. So it was understandable if the offer to come back didn't come to me quickly. However, back in June, my former co-worker (now head of the department), Chad, called me up and offered me a position. I was pretty ecstatic. I had recently left my part-time job at Starbucks and was working at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum on the strip. The Wax Museum is another great job that treated me VERY well. This being my 2nd time working for the company, I was appreciative of the opportunity to come back and was offered another chance to return should things not work out at Ka'. There are some truly amazing people there at MTLV that I will forever be grateful for what they did for me.
Back at Ka', the first month was PRETTY rough. Thankfully my friend Troy was rehired with me. And although Troy and I weren't the best of friends the first time we worked together, we got along well and were pretty much bonded together coming back in. There were a lot of changes to the department since the last time either one of us had worked at Ka'. Long story short, a LOT of unnecessary negatively and some preliminary bull-honkey (that's right, I went there) made my first month back at Ka' a pretty awkward adjustment. However, after 6 months back, I'm happy to say that I love my job and am grateful that I get paid to do someone that I not only do well, but have a great time doing it.
As for 2011, I'm happy and optimistic that it's going to be a great year. For no other reason than I have goals and (hopefully) the determination to keep myself in check. We'll see.
Among a few things I would like to dabble in again, I have my main goal set and also smaller weekly goals that I think are going to make the year VERY productive.
Main Goal
I WILL get out of debt this year. I'm almost done paying off my credit card. And once that is taken care off I will pay off the money that parents helped me with to help me pay for the house. It means I'm going to have to start buckling down and being more financially responsible. As some of you know (hi mom!) I'm not the best when it comes to keeping on top of stuff like that. And since it's been a year and I have only paid back 350 to my parents, I would like to be debt free come the start of 2012.
Weekly Goals
1. I will run at least 10 miles a week. For my running friends, don't laugh at me. I think 10 miles/week is a very realistic goal. It's roughly a little bit over a 5k 3 times a week. I will obviously do more if time permits, but I'm going to make that happen. I love to run, so shouldn't be too big an issue. In addition, I will go to the gym to lift weights. I was thinking it would be great to put on 15 pounds of muscle. However, considering my metabolism makes that VERY difficult. My goal regarding weightlifting is just to get stronger. If I gain some mass as a result, then cool. Otherwise, I'm not worried.
2. I will make 100 spanish vocabulary flash cards/week. Living in Argentina the time I did gave me the opportunity to learn Castellano (which is roughly spanish with a few differences). I'm not fluent by any stretch of the imagination and I want to improve my skills with the language.
3. I will listen to at least 1 new artist/album a week. I hate that the majority of the music I listen to is Top 40. While there is some good stuff to be found in the genre, I want to expose myself to different styles and improve my musical knowledge. This weeks CD is an album The Hush Sound titled "Goodbye Blues." iTunes categorizes them as Alternative & Punk. A friend let me copy the CD when he brought it over for a day of painting, and I never gave it a listen again. I'm really enjoying it.
4. I will watch a new movie every week. I am NOT a movie goer. I think between 2009 and 2010, I would have seen about 6 movies maybe if it hadn't been for the $1.50 theatre not too far from my house. And even with those, I think I saw maybe 8 more. So despite the fact that the movies there are months old when they arrive, I would like to start watching more movies. Not really sure exactly what my motivation is for such an unusual resolution, but I'm sticking with it. Last weeks pick was "Legend." Umm......Yeah, I'll address that one at a later time. I'm already half an hour over the 20 minutes I gave myself to do this.
5. I will learn to do the splits. This one is a stretch (no pun intended..........no really...) because I've been telling myself FOREVER that I would do lots and lots of yoga and stretching until I could do the splits. I've just never done it because I HATE stretching. It's like a reminder of how crap I've taken care of myself in that regard.
Other than those, I plan to be better with my money. Making sure that I make my payments on time for utilities/credit card/mortgage etc. I also plan to try and be less messy. I've sort of gotten the hand of picking up after myself in the kitchen and living room. But my bedroom still consistently looks like a tornado zone as little as days after I clean it. Rough habit I've had since I was a kid. Also plan on keeping up with my new hobby and resurrect an old one. Roller skating is my new favorite past time and I want to get back into the art of spinning poi. It's been a while since I've done it, so I want to get back in the throws.
As I said, 2011 is bound to be interesting. And i can't wait to get in there and start living it up. I'm optimistic that this will be a great year!
For anyone who might have made it this far to read this. What are your New Years resolutions? I want to know. Not just because it would be cool to know who read this, but also because I want to know what to pester you about the next time I see you. Whether it's to quit smoking, to floss regularly, or to not let any hostages escape this year, I want to know! Talk to you guys later.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Where to from Here?
So my new cat, for one reason or another, decided that he did not appreciate the 2nd story of the house and essentially resigned himself to only making his presence known the living room. Determined to be able to enjoy his company anywhere I please, I repeatedly attempted to integrate him into the bedroom. Which in my last attempt, he ran under the bed and has remained for the last half hour. So instead of getting to hang out with him anywhere in the house, I can't hang with him at all. I've got this really bad habit of doing stuff like that. When will I learn to stop wanting more? :)
Naw, but in all seriousness, when I saw on facebook that a cat needed a home, I thought to myself how much I had been wanting a pet. On a whim that had nothing to do with pet-ownership, I visited the person who had the cat. A day later, he came home with me. It's been really cool having another life form in the house. While 4 months living alone in a 4 bedroom house has many perks, it's cool to know I'm not physically alone in here anymore. Odin, has turned out to also be a pretty affectionate cat (when he's not punishing me for trying to get him to hang out upstairs). I sort of have the impulse to change his name, I know some people do that with pets they rescue/adopt/etc. To me, it just feels weird to say to someone "Hey, Chuck. I'm going to call you Sven now." Although it does sound like something that'd be fun to try at work. Also, Odin is a pretty original name. Don't know if I could come up with a better one off the top of my head.
On a similar note, one of my co-workers came by to check out the house. She's actually moving in on Friday. I still kind of in shock or waiting for someone to pop out of one of the closets in my house and say, "Just kidding! You're on candid camera!" But she seems pretty sincere. Julia is a pretty sweet girl. She's an infant (19 years old) and from Colorado. I think a reason this all felt pertinent enough for me to write about is that all I've been thinking about recently is change, and the need for some of it. I've been telling myself recently that some things need to change, and for the first time in a while, not only did was I not afraid of the idea of change, I was excited about it.
I've recently started eating healthy again, I need to start running again, and my homelife is about to get a HUGE overhaul. And I feel great about it. Hopefully I'll stick with writing about this. It's been well over a year since I posted anything in this most intimate setting of blogspot. Maybe because I haven't felt like there was much to write about. Or maybe because I'm lazy. Whatever. Either way, I had the sudden impulse to write something. So here it is. :)
Naw, but in all seriousness, when I saw on facebook that a cat needed a home, I thought to myself how much I had been wanting a pet. On a whim that had nothing to do with pet-ownership, I visited the person who had the cat. A day later, he came home with me. It's been really cool having another life form in the house. While 4 months living alone in a 4 bedroom house has many perks, it's cool to know I'm not physically alone in here anymore. Odin, has turned out to also be a pretty affectionate cat (when he's not punishing me for trying to get him to hang out upstairs). I sort of have the impulse to change his name, I know some people do that with pets they rescue/adopt/etc. To me, it just feels weird to say to someone "Hey, Chuck. I'm going to call you Sven now." Although it does sound like something that'd be fun to try at work. Also, Odin is a pretty original name. Don't know if I could come up with a better one off the top of my head.
On a similar note, one of my co-workers came by to check out the house. She's actually moving in on Friday. I still kind of in shock or waiting for someone to pop out of one of the closets in my house and say, "Just kidding! You're on candid camera!" But she seems pretty sincere. Julia is a pretty sweet girl. She's an infant (19 years old) and from Colorado. I think a reason this all felt pertinent enough for me to write about is that all I've been thinking about recently is change, and the need for some of it. I've been telling myself recently that some things need to change, and for the first time in a while, not only did was I not afraid of the idea of change, I was excited about it.
I've recently started eating healthy again, I need to start running again, and my homelife is about to get a HUGE overhaul. And I feel great about it. Hopefully I'll stick with writing about this. It's been well over a year since I posted anything in this most intimate setting of blogspot. Maybe because I haven't felt like there was much to write about. Or maybe because I'm lazy. Whatever. Either way, I had the sudden impulse to write something. So here it is. :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
New Beginnings Part 1
The Housing Craze
Well. After a long struggle uphill that nearly cost me my sanity a few times, I have finally settled into an apartment. It's been quite the interesting month of March for me. As I stated in my last entry, my friend Kurt rode in on the white horse for me and saved me from a sticky situation of having no where to go. Determined to not be a burden, I found a group living situation after a few days and left Kurt's place. It was not exactly what I would call a travelers paradise. Now, I'm not what most would consider spoiled. However, I think that a locker you can open even when it's locked and a bathtub stained with dirt (or whatever on earth that was) are not at the top of anyone's must have list when it comes to living situations. Nor is an odd columbian who consistently chases you around to introduce him to your female friends. So after a few days, I returned to Kurt's apartment. He and his roommate, Mathias, couldn't have been nicer to me. They let me have my own set of keys to come and go as I wished (which for Mathias, who barely knows me, MUST have been somewhat hard). After a week of not trying to hard, I got back on the hunt for a place to live. To be honest, I could have stayed in Kurt's living room until Christmas and it would not have bothered me. However, I was desperate to get out of there before I overstayed my welcome. I sort of like knowing that if the you-know-what hits the fan again, that I can go back there.
Now one of the unfortunate truths about lodging in Buenos Aires, is that it is much easier to find a place in the nicer areas that I'm familiar with if you have 1) lots of money and/or 2) friends who are also looking that you could share an apartment with. If you are like me and have neither, then I feel your pain. It is not a fun experience. So I finally came across a nice student living situation on craigslist. 5 bedroom apartment near the congress building. Originally I was wanting to rent out the small bedroom for $300 dollars a month. When I went to see it, it had barely been rented out already. So the only other options were the room for $320 and $350, neither of which I was looking to pay. I talked to the Dueña (landlady) about it, and she misinterpreted my desired timeframe to stay in Buenos Aires until xxxxxx (still a secret of when I'm coming home) as my desired timeframe to stay in the apartment. So she offered me a discount to 290 dollars/month. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that I'll still be on a hunt for somewhere else to live.
So, as I said, I went to see the apartment and was shown around by two girls from Quebec, Canada. They were quite nice. I put on "The Alex Show" and tried to make them laugh (you know, that thing I tend to do, Mr. Break-The-Ice) I went back to Kurt's to try and figure out what to do. I had already had 2 failed attempts at living in a hostel, I had already stayed in Kurt's for 3 weeks (off and on) when it was supposed to be a few days, so I decided I would go with the apartment.
So yesterday I make the pilgrimage to the apartment, where I finally meet the Dueña, Eva. She's a German lady who is AAAAAAAALL business. It could have just been the stress, but yeah, this woman never took the section of Learning English we would refer to as tact. For example. When she told me about the discount on the room, it was, "not because I like you, it's because you said you were staying until October." I get what she was trying to say, but it totally came off as "I don't like you," which I found sort of funny. I also found it funny since I never said I was staying in the apartment until October. But I thought, I'm just going to smile and see where the situation takes me in the future. I was too determined to finally have a room to consider my own and get settled. So amidst our talking about rent and all, she kept receiving other people to show the last remaining room to be rented. One of which had a friend of a friend that auditioned for the theatre company that I work for. So this girl, Erica, and I are talking, and Eva comes in asking to use my computer to email people as well as call a potential renter on skype. Now, I'm about as easy going as they come, but is there anything more awkward you could ask someone who has only been living in the apartment for 40 minutes? I let her take the laptop and continue to talk to Erica about what she's doing in BA, where's she's from Etc. We find our linkup to being friends of a friend of each others friends (if that makes any sense at all). Then we happen to see Eva walking past the room, talking on Skype, and giving someone the tour of the apartment on my computer. At this point, I don't know whether to find this funny or just weird.
Later, Erica has left, and Eva and I are getting down to business. I'm renting out the smaller room until the end of March at which point a German girl (who I am praying doesn't possess the same get-to-know-you prowess as our landlady) and I will move into one of the bigger rooms. I actually don't have enough money to put down a deposit because I can't get ahold of my parents to help transfer money from my secret college account (???) into my checking account. Fortunately, she asks for a deposit I can actually give her and I will be able to pay her the rest later (assuming my parents haven't been ubducted by pigmies or something fun like that.) Eva then informs me that I will have to speak in spanish while I am here. Which is fine with me because lord knows I need the practice and my spanish has been starting to slip living with Kurt for so long and working with english speakers. Then Eva informs me that the Quebec girls (the only ones staying after March), specifically asked that she not bring in any "Yankees that don't speak spanish." (Side note: down in South America, any and everyone from the states is a Yankee). So socially, I'm already feeling like a champ!
The apartment itself is actually quite nice. I'm bummed that the cheaper/smaller room was taken from me for April because it's more than enough for what I need. It's modest yet cozy. The only significant downside in my current room that the "desk" is a piece of wood supported by two metal protrusions from the wall that don't go the entire length of the board. Meaning if you put any weight on the end of it, it's coming down. Other than that. I love it. There's a little red couch in here for when I have guests. A cute little armoire closet, a rather tall nightstand, a fan (this doesn't sound like much, but for what I've been working with recently, I'm in hog heaven.) The room I'm going to move into isn't even really much bigger I believe. There's a bigger bed and a less primitive desk, but other than that, nothing too major to report. I have a little bit of fear of it now. Because last night, Alex, the girl who is currently occupying the room, needed help disposing of a "fly" in her room. Now, this thing wasn't really a fly, it was more like a tarantula with wings. Ok, so I exaggerate a little. This thing was what I'm assuming was a housefly, but it was litterally bigger than your average household cockroach. I mean, BIG. So we trapped it between a piece of paper and a cup and let it loose outside. Hopefully that darn thing doesn't know how to get back in because apparently it was just hanging out in Alex's sheets. (*scared face!)
So from what I gather, it's going to be the new German girl, the 2 Quebec gals, an unconfirmed Brazilian, and myself. Sounds like an international Real World waiting to happen. We'll see how it goes. :)
The area that we're in is 1 block away from the congress building, and one block away from the Police Headquarters. So that's pretty darn cool. While I have been told it's not the safest area to be, I felt quite comfortable walking the streets last night to a party. So hopefully it's just heresay. I suppose we'll find out. I need to go on a voyage today and find out where the essentials are. Such as a grocery store, heladeria (for when I get ice-cream hunger pangs), and most importantly, a GYM. I haven't gone running since I got here. That's 6 months months of laziness that NEEDS to stop.
I feel that's enough about the apartment situation. We'll see what happens. Hopefully everything will be fine and we will all get along great.
Well. After a long struggle uphill that nearly cost me my sanity a few times, I have finally settled into an apartment. It's been quite the interesting month of March for me. As I stated in my last entry, my friend Kurt rode in on the white horse for me and saved me from a sticky situation of having no where to go. Determined to not be a burden, I found a group living situation after a few days and left Kurt's place. It was not exactly what I would call a travelers paradise. Now, I'm not what most would consider spoiled. However, I think that a locker you can open even when it's locked and a bathtub stained with dirt (or whatever on earth that was) are not at the top of anyone's must have list when it comes to living situations. Nor is an odd columbian who consistently chases you around to introduce him to your female friends. So after a few days, I returned to Kurt's apartment. He and his roommate, Mathias, couldn't have been nicer to me. They let me have my own set of keys to come and go as I wished (which for Mathias, who barely knows me, MUST have been somewhat hard). After a week of not trying to hard, I got back on the hunt for a place to live. To be honest, I could have stayed in Kurt's living room until Christmas and it would not have bothered me. However, I was desperate to get out of there before I overstayed my welcome. I sort of like knowing that if the you-know-what hits the fan again, that I can go back there.
Now one of the unfortunate truths about lodging in Buenos Aires, is that it is much easier to find a place in the nicer areas that I'm familiar with if you have 1) lots of money and/or 2) friends who are also looking that you could share an apartment with. If you are like me and have neither, then I feel your pain. It is not a fun experience. So I finally came across a nice student living situation on craigslist. 5 bedroom apartment near the congress building. Originally I was wanting to rent out the small bedroom for $300 dollars a month. When I went to see it, it had barely been rented out already. So the only other options were the room for $320 and $350, neither of which I was looking to pay. I talked to the Dueña (landlady) about it, and she misinterpreted my desired timeframe to stay in Buenos Aires until xxxxxx (still a secret of when I'm coming home) as my desired timeframe to stay in the apartment. So she offered me a discount to 290 dollars/month. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that I'll still be on a hunt for somewhere else to live.
So, as I said, I went to see the apartment and was shown around by two girls from Quebec, Canada. They were quite nice. I put on "The Alex Show" and tried to make them laugh (you know, that thing I tend to do, Mr. Break-The-Ice) I went back to Kurt's to try and figure out what to do. I had already had 2 failed attempts at living in a hostel, I had already stayed in Kurt's for 3 weeks (off and on) when it was supposed to be a few days, so I decided I would go with the apartment.
So yesterday I make the pilgrimage to the apartment, where I finally meet the Dueña, Eva. She's a German lady who is AAAAAAAALL business. It could have just been the stress, but yeah, this woman never took the section of Learning English we would refer to as tact. For example. When she told me about the discount on the room, it was, "not because I like you, it's because you said you were staying until October." I get what she was trying to say, but it totally came off as "I don't like you," which I found sort of funny. I also found it funny since I never said I was staying in the apartment until October. But I thought, I'm just going to smile and see where the situation takes me in the future. I was too determined to finally have a room to consider my own and get settled. So amidst our talking about rent and all, she kept receiving other people to show the last remaining room to be rented. One of which had a friend of a friend that auditioned for the theatre company that I work for. So this girl, Erica, and I are talking, and Eva comes in asking to use my computer to email people as well as call a potential renter on skype. Now, I'm about as easy going as they come, but is there anything more awkward you could ask someone who has only been living in the apartment for 40 minutes? I let her take the laptop and continue to talk to Erica about what she's doing in BA, where's she's from Etc. We find our linkup to being friends of a friend of each others friends (if that makes any sense at all). Then we happen to see Eva walking past the room, talking on Skype, and giving someone the tour of the apartment on my computer. At this point, I don't know whether to find this funny or just weird.
Later, Erica has left, and Eva and I are getting down to business. I'm renting out the smaller room until the end of March at which point a German girl (who I am praying doesn't possess the same get-to-know-you prowess as our landlady) and I will move into one of the bigger rooms. I actually don't have enough money to put down a deposit because I can't get ahold of my parents to help transfer money from my secret college account (???) into my checking account. Fortunately, she asks for a deposit I can actually give her and I will be able to pay her the rest later (assuming my parents haven't been ubducted by pigmies or something fun like that.) Eva then informs me that I will have to speak in spanish while I am here. Which is fine with me because lord knows I need the practice and my spanish has been starting to slip living with Kurt for so long and working with english speakers. Then Eva informs me that the Quebec girls (the only ones staying after March), specifically asked that she not bring in any "Yankees that don't speak spanish." (Side note: down in South America, any and everyone from the states is a Yankee). So socially, I'm already feeling like a champ!
The apartment itself is actually quite nice. I'm bummed that the cheaper/smaller room was taken from me for April because it's more than enough for what I need. It's modest yet cozy. The only significant downside in my current room that the "desk" is a piece of wood supported by two metal protrusions from the wall that don't go the entire length of the board. Meaning if you put any weight on the end of it, it's coming down. Other than that. I love it. There's a little red couch in here for when I have guests. A cute little armoire closet, a rather tall nightstand, a fan (this doesn't sound like much, but for what I've been working with recently, I'm in hog heaven.) The room I'm going to move into isn't even really much bigger I believe. There's a bigger bed and a less primitive desk, but other than that, nothing too major to report. I have a little bit of fear of it now. Because last night, Alex, the girl who is currently occupying the room, needed help disposing of a "fly" in her room. Now, this thing wasn't really a fly, it was more like a tarantula with wings. Ok, so I exaggerate a little. This thing was what I'm assuming was a housefly, but it was litterally bigger than your average household cockroach. I mean, BIG. So we trapped it between a piece of paper and a cup and let it loose outside. Hopefully that darn thing doesn't know how to get back in because apparently it was just hanging out in Alex's sheets. (*scared face!)
So from what I gather, it's going to be the new German girl, the 2 Quebec gals, an unconfirmed Brazilian, and myself. Sounds like an international Real World waiting to happen. We'll see how it goes. :)
The area that we're in is 1 block away from the congress building, and one block away from the Police Headquarters. So that's pretty darn cool. While I have been told it's not the safest area to be, I felt quite comfortable walking the streets last night to a party. So hopefully it's just heresay. I suppose we'll find out. I need to go on a voyage today and find out where the essentials are. Such as a grocery store, heladeria (for when I get ice-cream hunger pangs), and most importantly, a GYM. I haven't gone running since I got here. That's 6 months months of laziness that NEEDS to stop.
I feel that's enough about the apartment situation. We'll see what happens. Hopefully everything will be fine and we will all get along great.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Its begining to feel more and more like life...
Soooooooooo...........
Things are definitely slowing down here. Its crazy that 2 days ago was the 5 month mark of me coming to Buenos Aires. As Ive said before, there are days where it feels like it has been 2 months, and days where it feels like 2 years. I am always struggling with the decision of what to do next. What plays to make, what to do next. Its insane trying to live when your resources are so limited. I have so much more respect now for people who do it, and Im still cheating by using money left over from my college fund. Needless to say, its a lesson in humilty and responsibility that Im enduring. I would like to think Im doing ok with it though. This place is starting to feel like home though (The city at least). I have what I do for work, I have my core group of friends (sort of) and I need to come up with a creative way to spend time.
Work is still going ok. I was sort of just mentally working with the fact that I earn less than everyone else as an understudy. I just figured I would pick up another job. Then I was called by the school I studied at to do a photo shoot for their upcoming promotional stuff (students doing classes, hanging out together, high 5ing) and was talking to Arturo (a staff member of the corporate office) and asked him about a job, and he told me he had a full time job as customer service rep available if I was interested. So now I dont really know what to do. I love the theatre job because its what I love to do and the people are great, but the pay isnt phenominal. And I have a lot of free hours because they dont bring me in much. We will see what happens with that.
The living situation was a little crazy for a while. I got out of where I had been staying for two months, stayed with my scottish friend and her boyfriend for a weekend. Then I was caught in a sort of crappy situation thats not even worth taking the time to write about. Luckily my friend Kurt that lives down here completely came to my rescue and let me stay for a few days at his pad. Totally saved my neck. Now Im staying in this thing called a pension. its like 9 people living in 3 rooms. Its not my ideal living situation, but it was seriously the best I could find. The landlord lives here and has friends over often. Including one long haired old man that I thought was dead when I first saw him sitting in his chair. Im sort of worried about my nicer things, which is why I didnt bring my computer. Which may be for the best. I spend too much time on it. But yeah, my locker could easily be broken into, so my nice things arent coming here.
Lol, this all sounds so sad. probably because its sort of rushed.
Anyway, updates to follow. much love to everyone!
xoxo
Alex
Things are definitely slowing down here. Its crazy that 2 days ago was the 5 month mark of me coming to Buenos Aires. As Ive said before, there are days where it feels like it has been 2 months, and days where it feels like 2 years. I am always struggling with the decision of what to do next. What plays to make, what to do next. Its insane trying to live when your resources are so limited. I have so much more respect now for people who do it, and Im still cheating by using money left over from my college fund. Needless to say, its a lesson in humilty and responsibility that Im enduring. I would like to think Im doing ok with it though. This place is starting to feel like home though (The city at least). I have what I do for work, I have my core group of friends (sort of) and I need to come up with a creative way to spend time.
Work is still going ok. I was sort of just mentally working with the fact that I earn less than everyone else as an understudy. I just figured I would pick up another job. Then I was called by the school I studied at to do a photo shoot for their upcoming promotional stuff (students doing classes, hanging out together, high 5ing) and was talking to Arturo (a staff member of the corporate office) and asked him about a job, and he told me he had a full time job as customer service rep available if I was interested. So now I dont really know what to do. I love the theatre job because its what I love to do and the people are great, but the pay isnt phenominal. And I have a lot of free hours because they dont bring me in much. We will see what happens with that.
The living situation was a little crazy for a while. I got out of where I had been staying for two months, stayed with my scottish friend and her boyfriend for a weekend. Then I was caught in a sort of crappy situation thats not even worth taking the time to write about. Luckily my friend Kurt that lives down here completely came to my rescue and let me stay for a few days at his pad. Totally saved my neck. Now Im staying in this thing called a pension. its like 9 people living in 3 rooms. Its not my ideal living situation, but it was seriously the best I could find. The landlord lives here and has friends over often. Including one long haired old man that I thought was dead when I first saw him sitting in his chair. Im sort of worried about my nicer things, which is why I didnt bring my computer. Which may be for the best. I spend too much time on it. But yeah, my locker could easily be broken into, so my nice things arent coming here.
Lol, this all sounds so sad. probably because its sort of rushed.
Anyway, updates to follow. much love to everyone!
xoxo
Alex
Friday, February 27, 2009
Finally have Wifi again!
I wrote this on the 17th. I've been without wifi for FREAKING ever! So now I do, and the complete euphoria I am feeling probably won't go away for a while. But yeah, until it does. Blog updateness!
Well, while the internet is down, I may as well do some updates! A LOT has gone on since I last wrote something, I can't believe how much time I let go by without jotting something down.
The Job
Working with The Performers has been pretty cool. It's definitely interesting working as an understudy. Sort of an ego deflator. But hey, I'm just happy to be working. Coming in as the new guy in a work environment where everyone started together ground up getting ready for plays has been pretty intimidating. My last 3 jobs (Ruehl, Madame T's, and Ka') were either brand new projects or revisions of old projects when I started. So there were a lot of people who didn't know each other. This time, it's just me. The people however are VERY nice. Very different personalities between all of them. But everyone is really cool and laid back, which totally scared the crap out of me when I was (and sort of still am) the only "Zany" one.
Just a quick run through of the people who are there.
Scott - From the states, (forget where) somewhere up North. Got stabbed about a week after I met him. Like really stabbed. Like now shows an x-ray to everyone of the part of the blade that broke of from the rest of the knife and stayed lodged in his arm. He's apparently quite the party guy. If I'm destined to replace anyone, my money is on this guy.
Kat - New Zealander. Reminds me a lot of my friend Sylvia from working at Ka'. Really smart, frank, and exceptionally short. She's the one I've hung out with the most. I really enjoy hanging out with her. She's very laid back and calm which sort of counter balances my craziness.
Agustin (Agus) - From Argentina, but has parents who speak English, so he is fluent. Haven't really gotten to know him on a deep personal level yet. As an actor he's got a really strong command of comedic timing. When I first talked to him, I thought he was from Germany.....*weird*
Carolyna (Caro) - She was born in Argentina, raised in San Diego and moved back here about 2 years ago. She's pretty open about talking about anything. She loves to talk about it and her girlfriend.......yeah, you heard right, she's a very confident lesbian, Which sort of takes some of the pressure of being the token gay off of me.
Raymond - Also from New Zealand. Apparently owned a hair salon and is NOT gay?!? Gotta love people who break stereotypes. He's really fun, oldest in the group by about 10 years (40) but takes good care of himself. but very "Cheeky" as my Scottish friend would say. Likes to poke fun at stuff. Really nice as well.
Heather - Also from the states. She has a Masters in Theatre. Super nice. I like her. The two other actresses that do her part are on tour doing the shows from last year. So she has to be there when both casts are rehearsing. She's like the ultimate trooper. I keep saying the cast should get her a cake, or crack to help keep her going.
Facundo (Facu) - Aside from having the most interesting name in the bunch, Facu reminds me a lot of my brother. Really chill and down to earth with a sometimes off-putting desire to preach life philosophy. Despite having a "wife" and a kid, he's oddly enthused about knowing about Alex's "romantic encounters". To the point where I've actually been uncomfortable once or twice. But seriously, he's nice.
Pablo - aka Bubbles. He's like the super technician. Lights, Sound, Stage. He does it all. Really nice. He seems to bug some of the guys when he tells them to do things, but most the frustration the guys feel towards Pablo, I don't really think is warranted. Again, super nice person. Glad I've met him.
Martin - aka the Boss. He's only 24, but he is WICKED talented in theatre. Like one or two days with him and I seriously feel like I've never acted before a day in my life. He can do it all, change the pace of a scene to comedy and then a split second later flip the switch to be dramatic. He's really good. I really didn't get the vibe that he was a big fan of mine, but I think I might be growing on him. We'll see.
So that's the group. Now as far as the job.
I feel sort of bad. I was given 3 scripts and expected to learn 5 parts. Totally something within my abilities, but I have just NOT had the drive to learn these lines. And the first 2 weeks, I honestly barely did a darn thing. Now it's getting to the point where they're wanting to rehearse with me in scenes and I'm looking like a total jerk by not having my lines memorized. I need to jump out of that habit for sure. Yesterday they tried to teach me the choreographies to the play "Wintertime." Today I did a run through of all them, and some of the people were amazed that I had retained so much. So I felt sort of great about that. The sad thing about the job still lies in the fact that I'm the understudy. I'm not getting paid as much and my main motivation for taking the job (free travel to other countries) is not for certain because of my position. This kind sucks big time for me but I'm trying to make the best of it.
The Living Situation.
I've been living in Marcellas room since the end of December. She gets back a week from Friday. And then I'm out. It's sort of sad thing because I like the apartment, but it will probably be for the best when I leave here (God I hope). Living in San Telmo has been ok. But I seriously feel weird about having fear walking home at night. To the point where the first month I didn't go out if I knew I was going to be out past the time the that Subway near my house closed. It's seriously not THAT bad, but it's known in the city for being not the best neighborhood. Also, there's been a little tension between my roommate and I. For the sake of trying to avoid making this blog entry a novel, We'll say that I'm not the tidiest roommate and it bothered Juan a little. That's the root of the problem. But I've been better , he's still finding things to nitpick me about, but I know I'm trying and not being NEARLY as sloppy as I was before. So that's what matters.
I've been looking into places to stay once I leave here next week. Thankfully, Jojo is getting a place that she said I could stay in until I get paid at my job the first week of march. After that point, I will probably have to live in a hostel or "pension." I've seen 2 of them. The first was ok, but I'd be sharing a room with potentially 3 other people and paying 600 pesos/month, which is CRAZY. The other was MUCH better for my price range and closer to my job and friends down here, but it totally made me think of what a bordello would look like, it was INSANELY hot, and there was no locker space to protect my extreme vaulables. The 2nd would make an ok LAST resort. I'll just have to keep looking. DEFINITELY keep your fingers crossed for me.
Money Situation
I'm so insanely broke it's not even funny anymore. Like I'm pulling out of what's left of my college fund which I'm supposed to be saving to buy a house whenever I come back to the states. I don't want to pull anymore out from it until I know that I'm for sure staying down here to see this theatre thing through. The hard part of all of this is that I don't know to what capacity I will be traveling (or at all) I'm going to have to hope that they'll just send me as an insurance thing or that someone else (or the same person) gets stabbed. Which I feel like a total jack@$$ for even saying. Looks like I'm going to have to try and have to find another job. I'm thinking tour guide or go-go dancer. We'll see what happens.
I think that's enough for now, this is probably a doozy of a long blog post. I'll just end with this fun little story.
Preface: So sometime in what was probably my Junior year in high school, I was at a Cross Country practice. We were all running around the block the school was on, and I thought it would be really funny to get in front of someone's in their running path and then stop suddenly, bend forward to the ground and say "quarter!" as if I had dropped one. It wasn't meant to be something sexual or for me to get aroused, truth be told the first victim of this was a track and cross country hot shot, that I swear only liked me when we were at practice together. After that for a number of years, this was something I did randomly to friends. Only because I never stopped finding it funny.
Story: Well......
Today I left my friends apartment and was walking in what I thought was the direction of the subway. I was counting my "monedas" (coins) when I accidently dropped a 10 cent piece. (Oh yes, you probably already know where this is going) Without even thinking twice about it, I totally bend at the hips and reach for the fhe coin, only to feel someone walk full force into my backside. I look up to see a man who is looking very surprised. So I shoot up from my bent over position like a rocket. A few "perdon"s are exchanged and we both kept walking until he started chatting me up. So I actually was able to have a conversation in spanish and talk to this guy for little until I realized that I was walking in the wrong direction of where I needed to go. I said my goodbyes to the guy, and he asks me if I'd like to exchange numbers and stay in touch. Short end of it, his name is Martin, he's Argentine, but teaches French for a living. Nice guy. (Assuming he's gay) I'm not sure he turns my head as far as looks go, but I definitely think he and I could be friends. And hands down he'll get the Alex Bayless Award for Best First Encounter in 2009.
Lastly, I miss everyone back home! Some of you people really need to dip into your savings and get the crap down here sometime! I would love to show some people around and get some real love from back home! :)
Well, while the internet is down, I may as well do some updates! A LOT has gone on since I last wrote something, I can't believe how much time I let go by without jotting something down.
The Job
Working with The Performers has been pretty cool. It's definitely interesting working as an understudy. Sort of an ego deflator. But hey, I'm just happy to be working. Coming in as the new guy in a work environment where everyone started together ground up getting ready for plays has been pretty intimidating. My last 3 jobs (Ruehl, Madame T's, and Ka') were either brand new projects or revisions of old projects when I started. So there were a lot of people who didn't know each other. This time, it's just me. The people however are VERY nice. Very different personalities between all of them. But everyone is really cool and laid back, which totally scared the crap out of me when I was (and sort of still am) the only "Zany" one.
Just a quick run through of the people who are there.
Scott - From the states, (forget where) somewhere up North. Got stabbed about a week after I met him. Like really stabbed. Like now shows an x-ray to everyone of the part of the blade that broke of from the rest of the knife and stayed lodged in his arm. He's apparently quite the party guy. If I'm destined to replace anyone, my money is on this guy.
Kat - New Zealander. Reminds me a lot of my friend Sylvia from working at Ka'. Really smart, frank, and exceptionally short. She's the one I've hung out with the most. I really enjoy hanging out with her. She's very laid back and calm which sort of counter balances my craziness.
Agustin (Agus) - From Argentina, but has parents who speak English, so he is fluent. Haven't really gotten to know him on a deep personal level yet. As an actor he's got a really strong command of comedic timing. When I first talked to him, I thought he was from Germany.....*weird*
Carolyna (Caro) - She was born in Argentina, raised in San Diego and moved back here about 2 years ago. She's pretty open about talking about anything. She loves to talk about it and her girlfriend.......yeah, you heard right, she's a very confident lesbian, Which sort of takes some of the pressure of being the token gay off of me.
Raymond - Also from New Zealand. Apparently owned a hair salon and is NOT gay?!? Gotta love people who break stereotypes. He's really fun, oldest in the group by about 10 years (40) but takes good care of himself. but very "Cheeky" as my Scottish friend would say. Likes to poke fun at stuff. Really nice as well.
Heather - Also from the states. She has a Masters in Theatre. Super nice. I like her. The two other actresses that do her part are on tour doing the shows from last year. So she has to be there when both casts are rehearsing. She's like the ultimate trooper. I keep saying the cast should get her a cake, or crack to help keep her going.
Facundo (Facu) - Aside from having the most interesting name in the bunch, Facu reminds me a lot of my brother. Really chill and down to earth with a sometimes off-putting desire to preach life philosophy. Despite having a "wife" and a kid, he's oddly enthused about knowing about Alex's "romantic encounters". To the point where I've actually been uncomfortable once or twice. But seriously, he's nice.
Pablo - aka Bubbles. He's like the super technician. Lights, Sound, Stage. He does it all. Really nice. He seems to bug some of the guys when he tells them to do things, but most the frustration the guys feel towards Pablo, I don't really think is warranted. Again, super nice person. Glad I've met him.
Martin - aka the Boss. He's only 24, but he is WICKED talented in theatre. Like one or two days with him and I seriously feel like I've never acted before a day in my life. He can do it all, change the pace of a scene to comedy and then a split second later flip the switch to be dramatic. He's really good. I really didn't get the vibe that he was a big fan of mine, but I think I might be growing on him. We'll see.
So that's the group. Now as far as the job.
I feel sort of bad. I was given 3 scripts and expected to learn 5 parts. Totally something within my abilities, but I have just NOT had the drive to learn these lines. And the first 2 weeks, I honestly barely did a darn thing. Now it's getting to the point where they're wanting to rehearse with me in scenes and I'm looking like a total jerk by not having my lines memorized. I need to jump out of that habit for sure. Yesterday they tried to teach me the choreographies to the play "Wintertime." Today I did a run through of all them, and some of the people were amazed that I had retained so much. So I felt sort of great about that. The sad thing about the job still lies in the fact that I'm the understudy. I'm not getting paid as much and my main motivation for taking the job (free travel to other countries) is not for certain because of my position. This kind sucks big time for me but I'm trying to make the best of it.
The Living Situation.
I've been living in Marcellas room since the end of December. She gets back a week from Friday. And then I'm out. It's sort of sad thing because I like the apartment, but it will probably be for the best when I leave here (God I hope). Living in San Telmo has been ok. But I seriously feel weird about having fear walking home at night. To the point where the first month I didn't go out if I knew I was going to be out past the time the that Subway near my house closed. It's seriously not THAT bad, but it's known in the city for being not the best neighborhood. Also, there's been a little tension between my roommate and I. For the sake of trying to avoid making this blog entry a novel, We'll say that I'm not the tidiest roommate and it bothered Juan a little. That's the root of the problem. But I've been better , he's still finding things to nitpick me about, but I know I'm trying and not being NEARLY as sloppy as I was before. So that's what matters.
I've been looking into places to stay once I leave here next week. Thankfully, Jojo is getting a place that she said I could stay in until I get paid at my job the first week of march. After that point, I will probably have to live in a hostel or "pension." I've seen 2 of them. The first was ok, but I'd be sharing a room with potentially 3 other people and paying 600 pesos/month, which is CRAZY. The other was MUCH better for my price range and closer to my job and friends down here, but it totally made me think of what a bordello would look like, it was INSANELY hot, and there was no locker space to protect my extreme vaulables. The 2nd would make an ok LAST resort. I'll just have to keep looking. DEFINITELY keep your fingers crossed for me.
Money Situation
I'm so insanely broke it's not even funny anymore. Like I'm pulling out of what's left of my college fund which I'm supposed to be saving to buy a house whenever I come back to the states. I don't want to pull anymore out from it until I know that I'm for sure staying down here to see this theatre thing through. The hard part of all of this is that I don't know to what capacity I will be traveling (or at all) I'm going to have to hope that they'll just send me as an insurance thing or that someone else (or the same person) gets stabbed. Which I feel like a total jack@$$ for even saying. Looks like I'm going to have to try and have to find another job. I'm thinking tour guide or go-go dancer. We'll see what happens.
I think that's enough for now, this is probably a doozy of a long blog post. I'll just end with this fun little story.
Preface: So sometime in what was probably my Junior year in high school, I was at a Cross Country practice. We were all running around the block the school was on, and I thought it would be really funny to get in front of someone's in their running path and then stop suddenly, bend forward to the ground and say "quarter!" as if I had dropped one. It wasn't meant to be something sexual or for me to get aroused, truth be told the first victim of this was a track and cross country hot shot, that I swear only liked me when we were at practice together. After that for a number of years, this was something I did randomly to friends. Only because I never stopped finding it funny.
Story: Well......
Today I left my friends apartment and was walking in what I thought was the direction of the subway. I was counting my "monedas" (coins) when I accidently dropped a 10 cent piece. (Oh yes, you probably already know where this is going) Without even thinking twice about it, I totally bend at the hips and reach for the fhe coin, only to feel someone walk full force into my backside. I look up to see a man who is looking very surprised. So I shoot up from my bent over position like a rocket. A few "perdon"s are exchanged and we both kept walking until he started chatting me up. So I actually was able to have a conversation in spanish and talk to this guy for little until I realized that I was walking in the wrong direction of where I needed to go. I said my goodbyes to the guy, and he asks me if I'd like to exchange numbers and stay in touch. Short end of it, his name is Martin, he's Argentine, but teaches French for a living. Nice guy. (Assuming he's gay) I'm not sure he turns my head as far as looks go, but I definitely think he and I could be friends. And hands down he'll get the Alex Bayless Award for Best First Encounter in 2009.
Lastly, I miss everyone back home! Some of you people really need to dip into your savings and get the crap down here sometime! I would love to show some people around and get some real love from back home! :)
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