Sunday Evening.

I made a meat loaf while Branden was here. It was my first time. I thought it was kind of funny and very conventional of myself. It was fun and interesting to make and turned out to be EXCELLENT!

What an eventful week, first off. I began classes at Studio 5 again on Monday, had my last day at Macy's on Friday, and began training for my new lifeguarding job yesterday. whew. Busy, busy, but it's totally ok.

I'll start off with class. This week we focused a lot on just getting re-familiar with your own body. It's important to be free and at ease (as you know from previous entries) in order to fulfill the character. Anyway, we did some mask work to re-iterate the thinking, feeling, and will centers. Each character/human being in general leads from one of those centers. I, personally, have a feeling center. These masks help an actor to get in touch with one of these different centers and awaken it and strengthen it for character work. After that, we did character work. Envisioning a character, stepping into it, walking as the character. One night, we made up two more characters after that and the next task was to transition from one character to the next and so on. The most important part wasn't necessarily being the character, but focusing on the transition between characters. By focusing on the transition, I was more aware of the journey that this character may have taken in life. For example, it helped to explain why one character limped, one stood up straight, and one was skipping. It was really beneficial. This week really made me feel good about all my training, as well. I was finally at a point where I have strived to be. To be able to step into a character, and BE the character. I've always had trouble with that. I thought I was doing it correctly, but I never fully allowed the characters to exist. I was really happy and proud of myself. It showed that my instincts to go to wayne state, moscow, and here, have, once again, steered me in the right direction. I'm excited to see where it takes me when I apply dialogue, emotions, etc. But, so far, so good. :) This will be a great semester.

Last week, before I went out one day, I decided to check for jobs online. There was a lifeguard one. I literally spent all of 5 minutes copying and pasting my cover letter and resume and sending, and being on my way. I didn't think about it again...until they called me that is. I had an interview. They liked me and wanted to take me on board. Finally! All of these months of praying and applying have finally paid off. I went along and filled out the paperwork for the background check, took the drug test, and started my training yesterday. I will be a lifeguard at a senior residence home in Battery Park right off the Hudson, at the tip of Manhattan. it's a Monday through Friday job 7:45am-3pm. This works perfectly with my class schedule at Studio 5 which is from 6:30pm-10pm. It should be kind of slow, only like 4 swimmers a day, so when no one's in the pool, I can read or whatever, which is cool. What I'm most excited about is that I will be able to pay my bills! Whoo!

I had my final day at Macy's on Friday. I was obviously really excited about that, however, I was also a little sad because the friends I've made in Lacoste are so great. They were my first friends here in New York and I loved being able to see them everyday. We'll obviously still stay in touch, it's just always hard to say goodbye to people. Sort of on that same note, I sent a note into the GPW pool letting them I know I wouldn't be working there this summer. THAT was so hard to do, believe it or not! That was my first job, I pretty much grew up there and with some of the people I still work with there. Knowing I wouldn't be spending my summer there really hit me that I'm growing up, moving on. It's not a bad thing by any means, just bittersweet when you actually sit and think about it. I'll definitely miss it.

I wanted wine while I was at the grocery store today and all they had was this $3.19 bottle of berry flavored wine. That's what I picked up and am currently drinking a glass of. It tastes like juice. haha.

I FINALLY cleaned my room today. I was so productive today it was kind of sickening. I woke up really early and ventured out to do my laundry. Got done with that, and headed over to Target to pick up a shelving unit for some of my clothes because they don't all fit in my closet. I got a 6 cube thingy and one cloth drawer for my underwear that fits into it. I need to get one more drawer when I get the chance...next weekend. Anyway, when I got home, I MASSIVELY cleaned my room and changed it around. It literally took me all day...I finished at 5pm. I dusted, swept, threw stuff away, re-organized. It was ridiculous, but long overdue. I just havent had the time lately to go through everything and super clean. Hopefully it'll stay like this for a long while. I'm not a messy person and it was getting way too out of hand. Below are pictures of my new room. I also FINALLY put up posters and pictures. The room actually looks like someone lives in it now intead of someone renting it out for a few weeks. :) It reminds me very much of a dorm room or a college apartment room. oh well. It's a lot better. Also, I've made a makeshift chair until I buy one. I'm sitting on one of my crates with a blanket over it. It's working perfectly and is helping me with my posture. haha.

That's my new 6 shelved storage unit.

I moved my computer near the window and shifted my bookshelf and tv across the room. And of course, added the beach posters.

The bed is on the opposite side of the room and the computer is by the window. That crate (with a blanket on top) is my perfect little computer chair. :)

The crates again and my two beach posters.

Exciting moment of the weekend: I went to a speakeasy last night! haha. What up 1920's prohibition blast from past. My friend Julie heard about some still in New York, so she found one and we went. I had the address. I arrive and the address is for something else, I walk a littler further and the numbers are going up. I realize in between the two buildings there is a little staircase leading down with a man standing by it. I ask him if this is The Backroom, he confirms and asks for my id and soon lets me down the stairs. I'm now in a narrow hallway dimly lit that kind of made me think of a clean sewer...It then opened up into an enclosed alley. Firescapes are strewn about scaling the buildings. I walk up to the door that the music is coming from and am taken back in time. Inside, the walls were covered with velvet red wallpapers with a simple design, with wood paneling finishing off the wall halfway. Paintings from the 1920's and earlier are hanging on the walls. Two small crystal chandeliers dimly lit the main area which let up a four stair wooden staircase to a balcony lounge level with little lamps on the tables and sconses on the walls. Beverages were served in teacups and bottled beers were served in brown paper bags. It was quite an event. It was such a different experience and so cool to be a part of. This is one of those places that tourists would never know about; you would need to know someone in the city. I love hidden treasures like this place because it has that finesse that is uniqe and one of it's own.

I saw Billy Elliot The Musical on Broadway on the 5th. Honestly, one of the best shows currently on Broadway. I had never seen the movie so I didn't really know what to expect or what the show was even about for that matter. I fell in love with it though. The choreography alone was enough to kill me it was so amazing. The sets, scene changes - amazing. The lighting was phenomenal. The main kid's talent - sick. He was so ridiculously talented. He was brilliant. One of the songs that the grandma sings has the company of guys doing a movement dance on the side of the stage that was BRILLIANT. I was freaking out in my seat hitting Julie because that is exactly the type of theatre I love. Movement theatre. Portraying a story through movements. It was such a beautiful moment, so fluid, so full of ease. I recommend this show to anyone for sure.

Well, I think might wrap this up and head to bed soon. Tomorrow is my first day of work at the new job. Have a good night.