Cakes and Ale

Hola everyone! Things are going swell here on the east coast. As we approach Christmas, the collective focus of our class seems to diminish, but fear not, Gio and I are keeping up the good fight. Much in the same way as back in highschool, instructors seem to find some sick pleasure in cramming a bunch of tests right before Christmas break: Theatre History Midterm; Dance Performance; Vocal Performance. But we're ready.

On a more culinary note, I would like to inform any of you who think they have had an enjoyable burger in their life that you must quickly make a trip here. I have been touched by the holy god of Hamburger in Madison Square Park, and it was amazing. So if any of you want to eat the best burger on earth before you die, I know the place.

Now because I'm down with a semi-flu, and I've been studying most studiously for my mid-term tomorrow, I'm going to take an easy way out. While reading this list (which defines a college experience) I began to copy+paste those which I felt applied to Gio and I. Please Enjoy.


5. You know many different ways to cook ramen noodles or macaroni and cheese.

11. Your underwear/sock supply dictates your laundry schedule.

12. You check Facebook more than once a day.

18. Your primary news sources are the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

21. Your trash is overflowing and your bank account isn’t.

23. You wear the same jeans for 13 days without washing them.

33. You see people you know you’ve met but can never remember their names or how you know them.

50. You have no idea where your tuition money is going… technology fees? I think not.

62. Care packages rank right up there with birthdays.

64. You meet the type of people you thought only existed in movies.

65. Printers break down only when you desperately need them.

78. Your teachers swear in class and no one cares.

80. You take condiment packets and napkins from fast food restaurants - hey, they’re free

83. You know what people carrying suspiciously heavy backpacks after dark are doing…

84. The elevators take forever but you’ll wait 10 minutes just so you don’t have to climb stairs.

95. There’s always a “question kid” in at least one of your classes, and you really wish someone would just tell him/her to shut the hell up.

98. You no longer find it uncool to take naps. In fact, you quite enjoy them.

107. You admire people’s alcohol bottle shrines. (There's a story here)

If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them on the blog, or otherwise contact me. I am not ashamed of what I've done.

Now You Can Watch!

As per some requests! Now you can watch us on the YouTube!















Enjoy!

"Never Gonna Give you Up..."

I am pleased to announce that I have experienced my first American Thanksgiving, and it was a very good time. Gio and I started off our day by waking up bright and early and trudging our way through police barricades and crowds of crazed tourists toward the world famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Security was super tight thanks to a bomb threat on the Long Island Railroad and an attack on high volume tourist centers in India. The national guard were out in full force in and around the subway, but they were very fly-on-the-wall unless you had a large bag.

Post parade, we trekked a couple of blocks to a friends place at the New Yorker hotel where we wound down and let the crowd disperse. After a quick nap, a shower, and some dolling up G and I were treated to a very nice Thanksgiving dinner by the school. The dinner included a tasty appy, some great turkey, and a dessert. Our table, through the combined charm of one Brit, one southern gentleman, two Viennese, and two Canadians, also scored two massive plates of mac n' cheese. After a quick grace lead by the aforementioned southern gentile, we tucked in to our taste bud's delight.

The weekend of course was just beginning: a night of some friendly American beer drinking preceding a trip on the Staten Island ferry at night was a high point. The New York skyline is absolutely breathtaking. I was debating taking some pictures, but then what incentive would you have to come and visit?

The last two days of our weekend have been spent Christmas shopping, and let me tell you this much: MACY'S IS INSANE THIS TIME OF YEAR. As we descended the wooden escalator onto ground floor after a successful nab of a few gifts, we gasped in horror as we watched the grotesque mass of panic ridden shoppers trying to hold onto that last fifty percent off Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater.


Our final event of the weekend involved doughnutplantnyc -- probably my favourite calorie loaded sweet shop in the city. I have been trying to get a hold of the fabled Peanut butter and jelly doughnut for some time now, and this trip proved fruitful. It was incredible. It actually had my heart racing, which could also have been the fact that it was my second doughnut...
Well, Christmas is less than a month away now, so I hope I'll get to see you.


No reservations,
Garry

"What's your favourite curse word?"

Wow.

That's all I could possibly mutter after watching A FOUR hour spectacle of James Lipton and Josh Brolin on Inside the Actors Studio. It's definitely an experience for anyone who has ever had any sort of interest in the craft. If you don't watch the interviews when they make their way on the air, I really suggest that you do. If not for the intense interview questions regarding the craft of acting, or the spontaneous moments of hilarity, I suggest you watch this program at least for the famous 'favourite curse word' question. Let me tell you, having only witnessed one taping (though G and I will be going again on Monday to watch Mr. Lipton interview Conan O'Brien), it is definitely better to witness the uncensored version if at all possible. Watching Josh Brolin (of The Goonies, No Country for Old Men, and 'W') tell us that "fuckingshit" is much better when whispered, was a high point in my life.
Another high point, of course, was watching the alpaca pictured beside Giordana fight off a ewe, two goats, and some pigs in order to eat the fifty cents worth of feed in her hand.

We went to the Central park Zoo.

And I met Gus the Polar Bear.

My. Life. Rocks.

Photo Update!

Greetings from Times Square in New York City! Gio and I have been bouncing around the city a little more than usual lately. We've been finding more and more that with our weekday mornings occupied by school, any second with which we can explore our new home is to be cherished. This Thursday we met up with a classmate and went to our second Broadway show of our endeavor. Going on a recommendation by another classmate, we purchased two front row student rush seats for twenty-seven dollars each, to Gypsy. Now you may be confused as to why such "prime" seats were so cheap, as was I, until I realized I could not see anything but a floating head when an actor moved more than two metres upstage, but hey, when Patti LuPone drifted downstage to address the audience and I could see the blood vessels in her eyes, I was a happy boy. The show itself was quite good (personally I found the first act somewhat shallow and boring, but the second act more than made up for it) and Miss LuPone's performance was incredible -- more than worth our meager fee.

Our first weekend after a full week of school was super lazy. Saturday was a 'sleep in till two forty five' day, as well as laundry day and bathroom scrub day. Sunday was a little more action packed: It included a trip to the Metropolitan Museum followed by a stroll through an autumn clad Central Park. I just had to explore the "Arms and Armour" wing of the maze-like museum and hooooooo daddy, did I ever feel badass.



There were rifles and swords and crossbows and samurai swords and Shields and spurs and armour and halberds and pikes and spears and bows and arrows and horse armour and old timey pistols and and and....

I was a kid in a candy store. What I would have given to don some of that armour and waltz around the museum while challenging the occasional black knight to a joust...




Afterward, a hot dog was bought from a vendor on our walk to the great lawn. Central Park is shedding its skin this time of year, and the weather was pleasantly brisk. Beyond the foliage, there was much to watch in the park. Father and son football passing seemed to be the theme of the day -- I could not help but understand the quintessential American dream.

BATMAN!

School has kicked it into high gear.

Finally.

Movement has become a disco dancing ordeal: we're learning the hustle and all sorts of funky moves in what Robert Tunstall (our larger than life instructor who is very well liked...even loved) calls the "across the floor exercise". It's so amazing to watch a group of people with such mismatched talent just give in to the groovy music -- at one point it devolved from an exercise to an all-out class dance party. This, by the way, is well deserved after "ab time". Oh and "push up club"! That is our new little method of torture, in which we count out forty push ups in varying silly voices. We're also starting to put together our "All That Jazz" Chicago routine, which is getting progressively more difficult. It is also getting progressively more sassy.

Acting is starting to get interesting, to say the least. Our instructor is very grounded in the method style of acting. This is to say that she is very into the moment, and on stage honesty. This creates some interesting exercises. Today we were asked to bring toys to class -- I, of course, purchased a Batman figurine and spent the entire two hour long acting class reliving my childhood. I even told the "Paper Bag Princess" to the class. Now, I know you may be thinking I just blew a large sum of tuition money on a school that sounds an awful lot like preschool, but I promise it did have a point. It was very interesting to watch the class gradually shift from pretending to be five, to actually being five. By the end of the class, we were playing hide and go seek, singing "I'm a little tea pot" and pushing around hot wheels without feeling dumb or judged. I can only recommend it to everyone: if you're ever feeling stressed, or fake, or what have you, go out and buy a toy that your five year old self would have loved and play with it.

George and I are both learning to ween out our Canadian accent in favor of a neutral North American one. To set an example: say Orange. Now say Aw-range. That second one is how we are supposed to pronounce it. It may feel weird, and it sure as hell sounds it, but hey.... all in the name of theatre?

OK, now that I've bored you all with details about class, I can move on to the fun bits about the city! More importantly, the BEST and I mean the undisputed top dog Pizza in New York city. And it's not what you would have expected.

It's just a little place in the East Village with a hell of a lot of tastiness. Nothing but Italian ingredients including fresh buffalo mozzarella (the only real mozzarella), tomatoes from Napoli and ample basil and garlic. All fired in a wood burning brick oven in under two minutes. If anyone decides to drop by, this is where we are going for dinner.

And then we'll go get cupcakes.

G&G

What Time is it? AB TIME

Today was the first day of classes for both Giordana and I. In fact, we both scored the same section (or class unit)! Because of our good fortune we have the same schedule, so we can help each other out with assignments, choreography, etc.

Speaking of choreo, we had "movement" class first thing this morning, which included stretching and twisting our bodies into painful and irresponsible shapes. It also involved "ab time" and while I can't speak for Gio, I have never been in more pain. Our instructor has done his fair share of shows, including "A Chorus Line", and while he is incredibly funny and nice, It is very clear to me that this man means business. It was the first class and already we're working on choreography for Chicago. It is with a little shame that I can say it was the most fun I have had in awhile.

Following movement, we proceeded down to the fourth floor, and began working our voices. Voice and Speech seems to be the most intense of the subjects at the school. We're being taught two different speech methods while at the school: General American (an untraceable North American accent) and Good Speech (which is kind of a blend of British and American dialect). Of course, finding the textbook (written by Edith Skinner -- I kid you not) was an act in itself: G and I had to go all the way to Juilliard.

As I write this, I am tired as hell...but never have I been so excited.

Squirrels & PB&J

It's the female half of the blog here (for once)! First, I have to say that we got the best care package ever the other day, from my mom and sister. It had balsamic and travel mugs and candles and saffron and awesomeness, in it. So good, that I put the box on my head, apparently.

Things are starting to come together as far as school goes -- we have giant folders full of school rules and pamphlets on crime prevention and sexual harassment and such. We did our 'registration' which was just signing a form or two, and our big orientation is on Monday, which is when we find out which time block we'll be in! Aah! Tonight, we had a chance to meet a bunch of classmates at a sort of dinner party at one of their apartments on the East Side. We had chicken marinated in orange soda. Yes, like C+.

I have to tell you about Garry's near-death by squirrel. In Madison Square Park, the squirrels are very domesticated, and they are also apparently really hungry (but you're not supposed to feed them because it attracts rats, the sign says. Whatever). You can call them by clicking your tongue, and they jump out of trees and hop over the fence and get right at your feet, standing up tall and being all cute. Well, I guess one was pissed because we didn't give him food (or our wallets?) and so he scurried away, turned around and RAN FULL FORCE into Garry's leg. Then it left. So I guess it wasn't a near-death but it was really funny.

Check out the PB&J(ack-o-lantern) sandwich I made for Gar:

Pretty sweet. I get into the holiday spirit. Any holiday spirit.

The world went crazy on a summer's day in Central Park

It's finally cold in the City. It took long enough. After spending October in twenty plus degree heat (I'm still stuck in Celsius, by the way. Fahrenheit confuses me.) the ability to finally wear anything other than a t-shirt and shorts is a welcome event. Seeing as ninety percent of the clothes I packed were packed with my first trip to New York in mind...

We've both managed to get through our auditions successfully, and registration is tomorrow for me. G's (who is smiling in the photo to the left) is the day after, and following a few days later is our first day of school. It's all pretty exciting! We're getting kind of antsy to start learning. You can only kick around the city with no money for so long until you get bored. That and I am craving improv like a pregnant woman craving chocolate dipped deep fried pickles suspended in jello.

If I have learned one thing this month, it is that excel budget spreadsheet is god. Without having a firm outline and history of our moolah I probably would have blown it all on cupcakes and hotdogs by now. It also helps when you watch everyone on wall street sobbing on the side of the street.

Today I had to turn down another Obama pollster. So far in our experience we have found New York city to be grotesquely Democratic. To the extent that if Palin were walking down the street, she would be in severe danger of having a collision with an airborn tomato. The pollsters we love. We get to be one of the 36 percent of Americans who say "No, we will not be voting for Obama" however we do quickly follow up with "we would if we could though!" I don't exactly think I can get rotten fruit out of clothing yet.

Da nuh nah naaah nuh!

Oh yes -- that is right ladies and gentiles! I have stared into the eyes of the messiah and my heart a burst into flames.

And he "KEEPS A FUCKIN' KNIFE UNDER HIS DESK!"

Pardon my expletive, but I am quoting the great Stephan Colbert himself, after pulling a knife on the audience and letting us know that if we rushed his desk, he would stab us. Watch for us tonight at 11:30 on Comedy Central!

The last few days have involved many brushes with fame. From being fed a KFC Snackwrap directly from the hands of Colbert (after shaking his hand and high-fiving him twice) to watching Katie Holmes, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, and Patrick Wilson (watch for him in The Watchmen) autograph Giordana's playbill after a great performance of Aurthur Miller's All My Sons.

One final note: I find more and more I am turning into a New Yorker in that if one more goddamned tourist stops in my path to look at one more goddamned fake gucci bag, or takes a picture of their partner doing some stupid-ass pose in front of the MTV building in Times Square, I will push them onto the street. Take your goddamned picture there. Giordana is narrowing her eyes at me for being so bitter.

Post Scriptum: check out our apartment at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pE2KM57eIE&feature=related

G&G

Edgar was a good rodent...

Today, I took a life. While cooking a few days ago I noticed a little gray blur dart across our floor. After following his tracks like the trained tracker I am (haha), I followed him to our coat closet. He then proceeded to evade my advances, and take cover underneath our stove. What it came down to was me buying some mouse traps this morning. Now, after carousing the selections at our local uptown Brooklyn hardware store I decided to buy three of the classics and two MOUSEDESTROYER5000's. Imagine them as the Bentley of ethical mouse exterminating devices. I'm pretty sure these things would be suited for Mickey Mouse's coffin. Their price tag did lead Giordana to heckle me a bit, but I stood by my decision.

Lo and behold, at ten o'clock at night, I heard the muffled snap of my beloved black box, and our poor mouse (nicknamed Edgar) had been sent to a better place.

Of course, I did use Nutella as bait, so I can't blame him.

The picture posted above is of the former World Trade Center site. I was amazed to see the bustle of construction as opposed to its opposite. It seems that the city is ready to rebuild, and I could not be happier for them. You can check out the new plans at http://www.wtc.com/media/ which has outlines, etc. We went to the memorial museum, and it was a little hard to handle. It's really hard to keep emotions down when you're faced with an entire wall covered in photographs and items of importance all from loved ones to those they had lost. I almost lost it when I saw a bottle of woman's perfume. Yeah, it was a little much.

Reunion!

Today we dropped by our school again, this time to calculate how much time it would take to make it. The consensus was a good hour, and on our way we passed Madison park, which I might add is one of my new favorite places. The squirrels were so domesticated we had to move away from the trees to avoid having them jump us. I blame those damned tourists who feed them. My audition is scheduled for a couple days from now, so my nerves are a little raw. Which is probably what the scientologists we came across in Times Square were picking up on. I was much too busy, however, to stop and have my Thetan level tested. Instead a stop into the flagship Hershey's store and a multi-level McDonald's calmed my nerves and satiated my stomach.


I'm running out of ideas for meals. I always loved to cook, and its not as if I'm limited with my ingredients (we're finding more and more that Costco is a foodie enabler: I can buy so much for so little...) -- it's that I only really have so many tricks up my sleeve. I'm afraid we can only handle so much tuna fish spaghetti...

G and I walked over the Brooklyn bridge today, which was mind blowing for me as it was the return to a spot I visited four years earlier with a totally different crowd. Nostalgia inspired by a bridge and Brooklyn heights. Does it get much more dramatic than that?

Quick Update!

Giordana is a genius.

Time for you to live your NY dreams vicariously through us.

Call it a contest of sorts: you comment on the blog (either here or on facebook [and for records sake, please make sure the post is either here or on the facebook note]) and tell us what you've always wanted to do in NY. Whether it be run through Central Park, or Break Dance in GCS, just keep it legal and possible and Giordana or myself will do it. With photographic evidence of course!

So please send us your ideas! We're overwhelmed with possibilites here and we need some direction!

G&G

Hello Chairman

Another day, another adventure. This time George and I waltzed our way to the Met and ended up fully saturating ourselves with culture before we could even make it off the first floor. Intelligently (in our opinion), we've become associates of the museum so we have an unlimited free reign there. Considering how large it is (and ever changing) we both thought it would be a good investment.
Outside the museum, Georgie talked me into a hot dog (twist my rubber arm, I know). It was the first of the trip and most excellent.


I can't speak for my partner-in-crime, but I think I'm starting to understand the Subway system here. The lines are easy enough -- that's not what I mean. What I'm referring to are the constant performers who will hop into your car at one stop, whip out a tune, and drop their hat. A good trick is to keep your headphones on, but turn off your MP3 player. This way you can enjoy their noise, but avoid awkwardly avoiding them when they walk by with your hat, and you have no change. It's also quite tricky to figure out where you are, when you not only can't understand a damned word the conductor is saying over the loudspeaker, but you also can't see through the wall of people in order to read what stop you're at. Every ride is a transitorial "Hail Mary."

Home sickness still comes in waves, but it's a less common assault. I'm not sure if the video calls on Skype with the folks help, or just make the pain worse. Soon though, we'll be able to call New York our home.

Until then, please send care packages. We really need dishcloths.

Oh, and Balsamic Vinegar. Plain old spinach and olive oil kind of suck.

G&G

We're here!

Well, it's about time we posted I guess. For the lot of you who have been pressuring us to make the announcement, I should remind you that it is difficult to find time to make a blog post when you're running around trying to put yourself together after moving to the entire opposite side of North America.

I should begin with the flight over. It was long, and while the flight from Calgary was first class, it did little to mask the fact that we were both leaving home for quite a while. The wine helped, I guess...

After arriving, our separation anxiety kicked into high gear. The rock hard mattress, cheap polyester sheets, and that one goddamn car alarm, all amounted to very very little sleep for us. The first day, however, saw a great discovery: Costco! Thanks to Google maps, we discovered one down the street and have since lugged at least a couple hundred pounds of memory foam mattress topper, down comforter, 25 lb. rice bags, and over a dozen boxes of pasta home. We're starting to think about bringing our luggage bags into the store to carry all our spoils back.

All in all, everything is great. Our landlady and fellow tenants are all Spanish. In fact, since we have arrived we have seen only two white people walk down our street. What this translates into is: the passionate shouting of fighting lovers at four in the morning, smashed T.V.'s on the street and ex-boyfriends moving out, screaming children, and coming home to a man playing Spanish guitar and singing on the doorstep.

The apartment is smaller than we thought, but we're making it ours. New post up soon, with some pictures of us around NY.

Holyshitholyshitholyshit

With less than thirty days until departure, my anxiety is in full swing. And by anxiety I mean excitement and vice versa. I first wish to welcome any of those on councils which have helped me fund my "big apple endeavor." Secondly, I wish to convey to you the excitement that only a young man can feel, as he walks into a store of suits, and piece by piece builds what will surely be the clothing he wears when he eventually has the pleasure of working a period piece. Oh, and character shoes. It may be an acting thing, but when you walk around in some fancy ass Italian leather shoes, you feel like you could make the stage your bitch. That, and you can't wait to wear them at your first fancy party. But I digress from my original point: Our departure date is very, very close.

It is strange to know that this is my last month in my bed, and my last month of simple fun. I should also note that I am done working, after cooking for months at the local eatery. I was finally able to ditch the joint and am currently lounging around with my friends and family for my final month. You can almost be sure I will be at Giordana's place of work drinking coffee and surfing the internet, so if you do wish to find me you can do so there.

On another note, the boys will be happy to know I have found an Ultimate Frisbee drop in league in central park. So if anyone's up for a game to dust off the old cobwebs, I am more than ready.

Goodies in the mail!

So it's official!

In the beginning, everyone was a little bit suspicious. Roger Carr doubted the sincerity of the whole New York Experience, my parents doubted my ability to commit to such a lofty goal and often doubted the security of acting as a profession (what they didn't count on was my understanding of such a sad sad truth). In moments of self doubt I questioned my abilities as a young lad taking out a massive line of credit to pursue some hair-brained scheme.

Now, after months and months of planning, preparation, auditions and money earning the only person I need to convince is the big bad scary border guard. All my papers are in and accepted. My final payments (of $19,500) are due, and all I need to do now is pack, alert my landlord of my immediate arrival, and fly away. Packing is going to be the fun part: Giordana and I are toying with the idea of packing our entire lives into airplane luggage. Or at least enough of our lives to allow us to survive for a couple weeks before our folks can DHL the rest of our stuff to us.

At this point in the game, reality is biting me right in the ass. It kind of clicked recently that I may very well never be living at home with my parents again. And that, family and friends, is a scary thought.

Ow!

It's the female half of the B.A.E (Big! Apple! Endeavour! I made an acronym!) here, just giving a small and insignificant update on our steady progress.

A week or so ago, we went to the main health clinic to get some forms filled out by a health practitioner, stating that we'd had immunization against mumps and measles and rubella. It turns out we'd only had a shot for mumps once, so unfortunately for the one with the intense needle phobia (that would be me), we were directed into a little room where wham bam thank you nursey health practitioner ma'am, we had our second shots for that. This whole moving-to-NY thing is turning out to be a lot bigger of a pain in the ass than I thought. You're not only taking my money, you're giving me shots? Seriously?

Anyway, I'm glad we're almost done. I've been out of commission for four or five days because of a very slow and painful (did I mention painful? PAINFUL.) recovery from getting my four wisdom teeth removed. Needless to say, Garry was there with me in the operating room pre and post surgery, and is still by my side feeding me yogurt and making me whipped cream for putting on my pudding.

It's getting to summer now (as you can tell by the ... rain ... and freezing weather ...) so we're basically on the last leg! Good luck to us!

Holy smokes things have been happening quickly!

Financially, in about a week I'm going in to get approved for my student loan; I've already received my USD Visa card, and my American Dollar cheque book. George and I have also recently discovered that the forms we have to fill out are brutally extensive. Medical and financial proofs, etc etc. With graduation right around the corner and all sorts of other poop hitting the fan things are a little more than hectic. However, we will prevail!

It's all coming together.

So the lease is signed! Flights are booked! I have probably already told you this, but it can be said again. A more recent development is the financial one:

TD Canada trust saved our butts.

We were both unaware that by saving USD in our local credit union, we were actually being counter productive. In order to access it in America we would have had to transfer it back to Canadian, then back to American. How dumb is that? Anywho, long story short: I'm getting an American Dollar Visa from TD Canada trust and coupled with their awesome "Borderless US Savings account" (shameless plug) we can pay our USD Visa bill with USD. No exchange rates. Thank god for that. I also get a checkbook! Awesome eh? All that's left now is to apply for a massive student loan, and we're good to go. Then these posts will be less erratic as we will be living in a city with non-stop action and excitement.

Get ready for us, Brooklyn.

Congratulations to us! Not only has every single one of our flights been booked (including the flight back home for Christmas, that we all knew would happen), another small detail has also been taken care of:

WE HAVE AN APARTMENT!

This happened through a wonderful New Yorker acquaintance of my parents (mad connections through the wine industry, yo) that none of us have ever actually met in person. She got us in touch with a broker who quickly and efficiently sent us the heaps of paperwork that we needed to sign in order to access the pretty furnished apartment we'd seen online and wanted so badly. Well, I probably wanted it the most. The bedroom is painted yellow. I love yellow. ANYWAY, yesterday our broker (how grown up does that sound?!) confirmed that the landlord had approved our request for rental, and that it will be ours to live in for a glorious 8 months 17 days (the exact time we requested -- no longer, no shorter -- YAY).

So, as of October 1st 2008, we will be residents of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Garry is a happy boy, probably because we have a gas range and proper oven, and I am too, because of the aforementioned yellow room and the (drumroll please) bathtub! Bathtub = bubble baths, bubble baths = nirvana, the answer to all problems, and most likely world peace.

Anyway, now we're off to the bank to discuss opening up an American account. If I missed anything, I'm sure Blog Hog Garry will let you know!

:)

"Yes, I would like some bubbly"

Flights are booked! Man! Things are very tangible now. We have our flights to NY, and back for Christmas Holiday. Booking our flights back to NY after the break, and then back home for summer break will be occurring later in the year, but for now we're leaving at eight in the morning on the thirtieth of September, connecting in Calgary (where we will be flying FIRST CLASS! BAM!) and then to NY NY.

As far as apartments go, we have an inside woman named Melissa, she runs a winery down in New York State, and she's given us the link to this awesome website that lets us set our dates for staying and it matches the criteria with the available houses etc. etc. We almost booked a place today, but some guy swept it out from our noses an hour before we contacted the landlords.

Yeah. Damn.

Well, as my friend River's always said: "Keep Fishin'"

Hunting for Housing

So we've had a couple leads on the housing crisis in New York. Thus far we have been contacted through Giordana's parents by a nice woman who lives near the city who is currently hunting for housing herself. We also have a potential place at the international house in NY, of course they only normally accept students who are twenty one or older, but I believe with constant harassment they might give us a room just to shut us up. Finally my mom recalls my grandfather knowing someone who is a landlord in the City, but not to quote her on it. Sorry mom.

Now none of these are solid, so if you, any of you have any leads, any glimmer of hope, please give us a hand! We need your help!

Dear Student:

I received a big white envelope in the mail today. My heart raced as I tore into the thin white paper. Of course it being large I already reached the conclusion of the only possible content of the letter.

Acceptance.

Pardon my French but:

Fuc*ing EH!

This is one of those times when obscenity is necessary. My whole life just got kicked into gear, and now it's going to be moving painfully fast. I have to apply for my loan, fill in the final documents for the school, book flights and find a place to live (if anyone knows anyone; I'm serious here, who could possibly rent us a place, PLEASE LET ME KNOW). All while continuing high school, work, girlfriend, big move, two plays, and a band. Things are exciting!

I wanna wake up in a city that never sleeps!

This is Giordana, the other half of the big apple endeavour. Gar has pretty much explained the situation -- we're about to rocket forward into a life of severe debt and ramen for dinner every night, totally clueless but also completely in love. Which we are. We're in a lot of it. I mean, to rival Garry's eloquence, I'll just say that he's perfect, blah blah blah, best boyfriend ever, blah blah blah.

I thought I'd never get around to writing this, seeing as in the seemingly few hours that I am not working, I'm basically comatose, and unable to form sentences. I tend to faceplant into my pillow and not get up from that position for a very, very long time. Anyway, I work a lot for a good reason, and that is to make it to New York with less debt that I may have had if I hadn't taken a year off from school. That's what I'm doing, by the way. It's convenient seeing as Garry is one year my junior and still finishing up high school. I work two jobs (previously, three) as a barista -- the patience I thought I had crumbles in the chubby squinty-eyed faces of rude customers. Sometimes I love what I do, and other times, it pains me. I work six to seven days per week, and though my bank account grows with every paycheque, it's not going to grow enough to save me from a student loan. I know this because I meticulously calculate hours and dollars and taxes and budgets -- I double, triple, and quadruple check my figures every day. I like certainty -- something I recognize I am about the throw to the ravenous dog that is showbiz.

I love performing, obviously, and being accepted to the acting academy of my dreams was a good step in the right direction. The first and only time I went to New York was with my mother almost exactly one year ago. We saw broadway show after broadway show, and it cemented my longing to be up on stage. Every time Elpheba or Belle or Tracy Turnblad would belt a note out, I would be screaming inside, "I can do that too!!!". It may not ever matter, but I can. Just so you know. ;)

To sum things up, a certain dashing crooner once sang, "if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere!"

And I agree.

Hits the Ground Running

I'm an aspiring actor.

A tragic, if not cliche opening statement but one which I feel is important. That's what high school can do, give you those pesky dreams and even a little hope. I crave the stage, and when anyone wishes to pursue a career in any given field training is usually a solid idea, if not a necessity. So I pointed my eyes towards an amazing little school in New York, which is what this little, free, and simple blog is for: keeping the friends and family of myself and my girlfriend updated at all our goings on in a great city while (hopefully) attending a great school.

Now I should, I guess, catch you up to speed with the situation. In 2006 I spent one week, alongside fellow students from my high school who where also quasi-interested in the dramatic arts, hopping from theater to theater and from landmark to landmark. I instantaneously fell in love. Several dirty water hotdogs and broadway shows later, I was forced against my will to return home. I began then to shift from cooking (which I thought I would pursue as a post secondary study area, and eventually profession) to acting, all in hopes of attending school in the City I love at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I met Giordana. Now, I won't bore you with trivialities, but she's perfect, blah blah blah, best girlfriend ever, blah blah blah. Long story short (and to keep it short so that I may not infringe on her own posts) she is accepted to the school at which I aspired to enroll. So now the pressure is on to myself be accepted. I have auditioned, and should find out in a matter of days now. Upon my acceptance, or refusal, we will kick into gear a series of cogs we have allready oiled and primed. Student Loans; Housing which is brutal in New York where houses are snapped off the market the day they become available; and booking our flights.

At this point I'm keeping the blog active to create a back story for the bulk of the blog: our actual stay in New York, ands the relationships we develop, experiences we have, and debt we compound, all whilst staying there. For now it will be updated when new events occur, but I imagine will eventually become more regular.

Hopefully this blog will keep all our friends and family in the loop while we party it up in NY