- Published on
January began in Richmond
We went to the Festival of Lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
Saw Rodin at the VMFA
Danced at Rachel and Russel’s wedding
We saw the Harlem Gospel Choir
I went to BroadwayCon with Veronica
In February I worked full-time
I saw Allegiance, The Woodsman, Disaster!
Went to the opening night of Smart People
Spoke at a Cycle for Survival event
In March
I saw Daddy Long Legs, An American in Paris, Undrown’d, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and Dear Evan Hansen (twice)
Started my vaccinations
(re)Started singing lessons
Went to the Easter Parade on Fifth Ave
In April
I re-connected with Dinny and went back to the circus
Yaui came to visit
I saw Young Benjamin Banneker, Sleeping Beauty and the Beast, Shows for Days and
Met Patti LuPone and thanked her for her note.
I tried to start running again
Passover at the Fleisher’s
Started work on the Filmed Live Musicals project
Plagued by anxiety and depression and low energy
May was depression. Shows. Work.
The Robber Bridegroom, Fiddler on the Roof, Cassandra, American Psycho
I spoke at a CancerCare fundraiser
Fell in love with Maine and entertained serious fantasies about moving to a remote island and living in a lighthouse to write.
Fernando and Janine, and Keith visited New York
In June
We watched the Tonys with Annie and Marc
I saw Waitress, The Color Purple and the closing night of Daddy Long Legs
Had a panic attack during an MRI
Discovered I do not have neuropathy (still unclear why I get tingling in my legs and feet, or why my legs and feet cramp at irregular intervals)
Sent off my green card renewal application
Headed to camp
July
Floated down a river on a giant plastic tube
Taught voice lessons galore
Worked on Assassins and fell in love with Sondheim all over again
Delighted at Ghostbusters
Re-sent green card renewal application
August
Went to Falconridge Folk Festival
Went camping in the woods, saw a bear
Conducted my first musical - Urinetown
Visited FoCo and remembered how much I loved living there.
Cycled again for the first time in two years, and remembered how much I love cycling.
September
Back to full-time work
Fingerprints and eye scan for green card renewal application
Turned 32 on a sugar high, powered by an overdose on fairy bread, chocolate crackles, and a wide assortment of Australian chocolates including tim tams and aero bars, and surrounded by wonderful friends
I saw Waitress (again), and Chicago
Started singing with the Cecilia Chorus of New York
Ella’s Atlas Obscura book launch with Miren
October
Full-time work that I didn't love
Teaching voice, taking voice and piano
Absolute Beginner tap class at Broadway Dance Center
Started working with a personal trainer
Performed with the Queer Urban Orchestra singing Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus
Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and ate pizza in Dumbo with Deb
Watched Tom perform in the finale of the 30th Anniversary performance of Phantom of the Opera in the West End livestream
Saw Sunday in the Park with George
Quit my full-time job
Got a job house managing a new kids show
Passed the test to be a fire guard in a theatre
November
Finally saw Hamilton, on election night
Got mad at Trump for taking away from my enjoyment of Hamilton
Worked a 70 hour week without overtime
Got fired.
Job interviews and applications galore
My birthday bike arrived
Cycled through Prospect Park and fell in love with fall
Cycled down the boardwalk at Coney Island with Paul and Naomi
Signed up with Central Casting and landed background work on Law and Order: SVU, Orange is the New Black, and Power
Spent Thanksgiving with Jesse and Brenda in Ocean City. Moana, amazing food, and excellent company. Running along the beach.
Saw In Transit
December
I got to have a head shot session in the park with Kurt
EN&T appointment - seeing my own vocal cords for the first time
I saw the cinema screenings of Allegiance and She Loves Me and watched the livestream of Bright Star in Concert
I saw The Hard Nut and Paramour
Started auditioning again
Performed at Carnegie Hall with the Cecilia Chorus
Finally got a job in a Broadway house, working as an usher
In between, we shopped at the farmers market and cooked at home. We watched The Good Wife, Jane the Virgin, Cleverman, West World, Bojack Horseman, Mozart in the Jungle, and Last Week Tonight. We worked sporadically on the puzzle.
I researched filmed live musicals and worked on the movie musical project (49 posts, I finally finished 1929!).
I tried to keep running.
I kept journalling. I wrote morning pages and meditated.
I read twenty novels written by women from all over the world.
I started reading a play a day.
I played piano, and kept working on my singing. I played a little flute. A little ukulele.
I was increcibly lucky. Despite the depressing politics, and the immensely tragic awful happenings around the globe, in my own little corner, I was loved and held and supported. Through depression and job loss and on-going cancer recovery, I had a wonderful human by my side. I felt enveloped in love by my family. I have incredible friends. I got to work and play in my dream city.
On the last day of the year, I finally feel like myself again. I am myself for the first time.
Onwards.
We went to the Festival of Lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
Saw Rodin at the VMFA
Danced at Rachel and Russel’s wedding
We saw the Harlem Gospel Choir
I went to BroadwayCon with Veronica
In February I worked full-time
I saw Allegiance, The Woodsman, Disaster!
Went to the opening night of Smart People
Spoke at a Cycle for Survival event
In March
I saw Daddy Long Legs, An American in Paris, Undrown’d, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and Dear Evan Hansen (twice)
Started my vaccinations
(re)Started singing lessons
Went to the Easter Parade on Fifth Ave
In April
I re-connected with Dinny and went back to the circus
Yaui came to visit
I saw Young Benjamin Banneker, Sleeping Beauty and the Beast, Shows for Days and
Met Patti LuPone and thanked her for her note.
I tried to start running again
Passover at the Fleisher’s
Started work on the Filmed Live Musicals project
Plagued by anxiety and depression and low energy
May was depression. Shows. Work.
The Robber Bridegroom, Fiddler on the Roof, Cassandra, American Psycho
I spoke at a CancerCare fundraiser
Fell in love with Maine and entertained serious fantasies about moving to a remote island and living in a lighthouse to write.
Fernando and Janine, and Keith visited New York
In June
We watched the Tonys with Annie and Marc
I saw Waitress, The Color Purple and the closing night of Daddy Long Legs
Had a panic attack during an MRI
Discovered I do not have neuropathy (still unclear why I get tingling in my legs and feet, or why my legs and feet cramp at irregular intervals)
Sent off my green card renewal application
Headed to camp
July
Floated down a river on a giant plastic tube
Taught voice lessons galore
Worked on Assassins and fell in love with Sondheim all over again
Delighted at Ghostbusters
Re-sent green card renewal application
August
Went to Falconridge Folk Festival
Went camping in the woods, saw a bear
Conducted my first musical - Urinetown
Visited FoCo and remembered how much I loved living there.
Cycled again for the first time in two years, and remembered how much I love cycling.
September
Back to full-time work
Fingerprints and eye scan for green card renewal application
Turned 32 on a sugar high, powered by an overdose on fairy bread, chocolate crackles, and a wide assortment of Australian chocolates including tim tams and aero bars, and surrounded by wonderful friends
I saw Waitress (again), and Chicago
Started singing with the Cecilia Chorus of New York
Ella’s Atlas Obscura book launch with Miren
October
Full-time work that I didn't love
Teaching voice, taking voice and piano
Absolute Beginner tap class at Broadway Dance Center
Started working with a personal trainer
Performed with the Queer Urban Orchestra singing Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus
Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and ate pizza in Dumbo with Deb
Watched Tom perform in the finale of the 30th Anniversary performance of Phantom of the Opera in the West End livestream
Saw Sunday in the Park with George
Quit my full-time job
Got a job house managing a new kids show
Passed the test to be a fire guard in a theatre
November
Finally saw Hamilton, on election night
Got mad at Trump for taking away from my enjoyment of Hamilton
Worked a 70 hour week without overtime
Got fired.
Job interviews and applications galore
My birthday bike arrived
Cycled through Prospect Park and fell in love with fall
Cycled down the boardwalk at Coney Island with Paul and Naomi
Signed up with Central Casting and landed background work on Law and Order: SVU, Orange is the New Black, and Power
Spent Thanksgiving with Jesse and Brenda in Ocean City. Moana, amazing food, and excellent company. Running along the beach.
Saw In Transit
December
I got to have a head shot session in the park with Kurt
EN&T appointment - seeing my own vocal cords for the first time
I saw the cinema screenings of Allegiance and She Loves Me and watched the livestream of Bright Star in Concert
I saw The Hard Nut and Paramour
Started auditioning again
Performed at Carnegie Hall with the Cecilia Chorus
Finally got a job in a Broadway house, working as an usher
In between, we shopped at the farmers market and cooked at home. We watched The Good Wife, Jane the Virgin, Cleverman, West World, Bojack Horseman, Mozart in the Jungle, and Last Week Tonight. We worked sporadically on the puzzle.
I researched filmed live musicals and worked on the movie musical project (49 posts, I finally finished 1929!).
I tried to keep running.
I kept journalling. I wrote morning pages and meditated.
I read twenty novels written by women from all over the world.
I started reading a play a day.
I played piano, and kept working on my singing. I played a little flute. A little ukulele.
I was increcibly lucky. Despite the depressing politics, and the immensely tragic awful happenings around the globe, in my own little corner, I was loved and held and supported. Through depression and job loss and on-going cancer recovery, I had a wonderful human by my side. I felt enveloped in love by my family. I have incredible friends. I got to work and play in my dream city.
On the last day of the year, I finally feel like myself again. I am myself for the first time.
Onwards.
- Published on
Work-wise
I’ve had some hiccups over the past year
Getting back into work has been harder than I expected
Post-cancer
My attitude to work has changed
I’m less willing to put up with bullshit
When a work situation has less-than-ideal, but changeable
I have said something
Life is too short for shit...
It has not always gone well
After a series of winding roads
A couple of accidental wrong turns
And much sighing and wondering why getting a decently paid job doing what you love is so damn hard
I’m finally doing what I want to be doing
Being a performer in New York City
I’m auditioning again
And singing
And learning piano
And teaching voice
I signed up as an extra with Central Casting
Law and Order SVU (I can finally call myself a New York actress!)
Orange is the New Black
Power
It’s fun being on set
Seeing how it all works
Hanging out with the other extras in holding
Discussing the pro’s and con’s of “being union”
Sharing our lives from the outside world
It’s not glamorous
Sitting for hours in an audition waiting room
Or standing outside in early December pretending that it’s summer
(Those little pocket hand-warmer things are a godsend)
The instability of the work
The terrible pay
The constant striving to be better
But after such a long wait, it’s wonderful to be
Back in the game and
Playing.
I’ve had some hiccups over the past year
Getting back into work has been harder than I expected
Post-cancer
My attitude to work has changed
I’m less willing to put up with bullshit
When a work situation has less-than-ideal, but changeable
I have said something
Life is too short for shit...
It has not always gone well
After a series of winding roads
A couple of accidental wrong turns
And much sighing and wondering why getting a decently paid job doing what you love is so damn hard
I’m finally doing what I want to be doing
Being a performer in New York City
I’m auditioning again
And singing
And learning piano
And teaching voice
I signed up as an extra with Central Casting
Law and Order SVU (I can finally call myself a New York actress!)
Orange is the New Black
Power
It’s fun being on set
Seeing how it all works
Hanging out with the other extras in holding
Discussing the pro’s and con’s of “being union”
Sharing our lives from the outside world
It’s not glamorous
Sitting for hours in an audition waiting room
Or standing outside in early December pretending that it’s summer
(Those little pocket hand-warmer things are a godsend)
The instability of the work
The terrible pay
The constant striving to be better
But after such a long wait, it’s wonderful to be
Back in the game and
Playing.