Upstate, She's A-Comin!

We leave tomorrow for Olean, NY. I'm gone for six weeks solid, most everyone else for about two. I've done a pretty good job of packing light - I could've done it with one bag if I weren't also bringing my computer. Anyway, I've not had a moment to breathe for this entire week, but it's been delightful! We did our first stumble through of the whole play yesterday, and will go straight into the space on Tuesday. I also start Boeing-Boeing rehearsals as soon as I'm there, so if I thought I was busy now...

I have a full dancecard today. A full day of writing with the Sunday Playtime kids (we've now started calling ourselves The Crickety Crew - long story. Basically, everyone I know is hilarious), then home to finish packing, do copious amounts of laundry, and clean my apt before hanging out with Aaron and Mikey. Yay! I just wanted to check in, and express my excitement at how well everything is going!

A quick note on Aaron - his improv team Sandino got all of the anchor slots for July, which basically means that they are AMAZING! I dragged a bunch of my friends with me to Harold Night on Tuesday, and they were all highly amused and impressed. :) Ridiculousness is rewarded at UCB!

Dark Summer Days

I am a brunette till September for the shows I'm in this summer. Had it dyed from the platinum yesterday, and though I really like it, I'm definitely going back to blonde in the fall. My manager at the restaurant said, "You look like your own evil twin," which I thought was brilliant, and describes the effect rather well. I must say, catching sight of myself in the mirror is still a little disconcerting. I've always wanted an excuse to go dark brown, though, so haHA!

I'm taking pictures with my friend RL on Sunday, so I'll post something soon after that. I figure, hey, while it's brown, get something I can put on my website. It's easier for people to imagine me with different hair colors if I can...you know, SHOW them. Aldonza does not, in all likelihood, rock platinum tresses.

Rehearsals for AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN are going SO well. Having such fun. Onward!

Vote for Matt!

While I would love to sit here and dissect the Tonys, or rather, while I would be moderately interested in sharing a few of my opinions regarding last night's broadcast, I haven't time. Gotta run to class, and only have a moment to pimp my friend Matthew. Some of you may know that Oprah has some contest going on to become a talk show host. Matt sent out a fb SOS to people to vote for him, and I'm here to spread the word. His video is funny, but he's even funnier in real life. So quick, funny, and ridiculous. He graduated the year above me at BoCo, and we took several classes together, most notably jazz. I had some back troubles that had me sidelined for awhile in jazz, and Matt would always dance the warmup at me, which is to say he tried to crack me up the entire time with his facial expressions and overzealous pivoting. Watch his video and vote for him a lot! He'd be a hysterical and very refreshing talk show host.

Click here to see Matthew's audition video!

Things I Like

I was going to update yesterday, as I spent most of it on a BOLT bus going to Boston and back, but wasn't feeling well for most of it. I watched seven episodes of MAD MEN instead, which I've been trying to do for AGES! I just have the last two episodes of Season 3 left, and I'm all caught up! This is one of the trials of having what is known as a "flexible schedule," as getting addicted to a particular TV show requires DVR, planning ahead, and, you know, actually knowing what night and what channel something airs on. I'm a DVD junkie myself.

Anyway, as I'm still not feeling in tip-top shape, and I have about half an hour before a student comes over for a coaching (Bronx dialect, in this case), I thought I'd do a rather silly little list of Things I Like. I like lists, for one, so here goes:

List O' Things I Like (in no particular order):
Bite-sized Shredded Wheat
Flip-flops in fall
The color blue
Janis Joplin
The Chrysler Building
The kid in my building who is always wearing his Thomas the Tank Engine boots
David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
Asparagus
Headscarves
Winning, especially games like Scrabble, because then I feel victorious as well as wildly intelligent
Halloween
New York City
Picnics
Francois, the drunken Frenchman who lives in the Village
Michael's cooking
Sitting in the balcony of the Brattle Movie Theatre in Harvard Square
Karaoke
Cappuccinos
Jeff Buckley
Dumplings
Walking through SoHo or the LES on a Saturday or Sunday morning when there's nobody around
Absurd costumes & wigs, especially when I get to wear them
Family holidays
The Winter's Tale
Traveling alone
Zinnias
Chagall
McNally Jackson Bookstore
Scooby Doo Cartoons
The National Theatre in London
Gigantic earrings
Yoga
Godard's A WOMAN IS A WOMAN
Skype
My friend Jill's website, especially these webisodes
Berlin
Freckles
Coffee
Places I can wander around without shoes on
Rehearsal
My chiropractor
Rain
Grapes
Ella Fitzgerald
TX-style BBQ
Absurd fb profile photos
Cafe Reggio on MacDougal St.
Alfred Hitchcock
Girl Scout cookies from the freezer
Strangers with Candy
Regina Spektor
The Lord of the Rings books and films
How nerdy that last item was
Being exceptionally nerdy in multiple ways
How long this list has gotten

Happy Birthday to Me!

Oh, la la, it was my birthday today! I had my first rehearsal for The Baker's Wife in INTO THE WOODS this morning (ironically, Joanna Gleason, who won the Tony for this role, shares a birthday with lil' ol' ME), then hung out with my brother and Michael for the rest of the day! I went down to their restaurant near the Seaport, and we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and back again! Believe it or not, it was my first time walking across said bridge! Immediately after that, we hopped on the Z train - another first for me. Five years in New York, and nary a Z train have I taken! This is a woman who has taken the G train multiple times! Anywhoo, we went to Babycakes so that I could have something delicious and yet free of refined sugar (which I choose not to eat, for the most part), and took some delightful photos while on the Lower East Side. We then came back to my apartment, had tasty dinner (compliments of Mikey), and watched NOTES ON A SCANDAL - my first foray into that film as well! Huzzah! What a splendid birthday! Below, please see some silly photos:







I'm so behind. My birthday party this weekend - Crocus Pocus: the magic of Spring - was a delight! As ever, a marvelous group of marvelous people. Hoorah for a Lady Jo soiree! In addition to mere frivolity, I did two readings last week that I'm simply dying to discuss (short version - one took place on the second floor of the Random House bldg, which is GORGEOUS, and akin to stepping into heaven for those of us that have problems with buying way too many books. The second one was at The Flea - a new play by AR Gurney, who was there working on it with Jim and all of us Bats the entire day), but it's LATE, and I must to bed! Gotta put on the commentary to NOTES ON A SCANDAL (I am a sucker for a commentary track) and drift off into sweet slumber.

By the way, I'm not being coy, I just didn't think to mention it - I am now twenty-seven!