My sentiments exactly

Our little tea party in the park

All of you who read my blog regularly (or pretty much at all) will know of my affinity for afternoons in Bryant Park, since aspects of it come up here pretty much every couple of weeks. It's such a cool place...an urban oasis, of sorts. It's this few square blocks of intense greenery European-style right smack dab in the middle of the busiest city blocks in the world. In my opinion, the contrast is what makes it so cool.

Dan and I decided to host our engagement party in Bryant Park because of our love for it and the proximity to our apartment. It was relatively easy to obtain a special events permit, for those of you who are curious. Many people asked me about that. Just go onto the city parks website and fill out the online form and give them $25. Then we found a caterer who only does tea parties (www.modernteanyc.com).

The rainy pseudo-hurricane off the coast threatened to ruin the day, but the weather pretty much held out and we were able to corral about a dozen of those huge Bryant Park umbrellas (thank you, tax dollars) to keep the whole thing rain-free.

It ended up being a lot of fun for us and hopefully our guests enjoyed themselves, too. It was truly a lovely gathering in a very memorable setting. Although the stress of the possible bad weather has convinced me completely that an outdoor wedding is a poor life choice. Some pictures, if you're interested:

Bar hopping in the afternoon

Just wanted to give you a little peek at what I was up to today. I played a lead in a Digital Film Academy student film that was shot at a funky little bar on Ditmars in Astoria called "Crescent and Vine."

I made some cool new actor friends and got some more time working on-camera, which was awesome.

There was a makeup artist on this set and she actually did a really great job . A lot of times, I hate how they do my makeup, but this came out very chic for a nighttime look. I got some strange looks on the subway home at 3 PM wearing smoky eyes, though :)

My abs aren't ready for this kind of competition

I had an audition today for my first big-time commercial. And not only that, but I had to go wearing a sports bra. At least I got to put the name of my agent in the agent box for the first time!

But man alive, I'm moderately sure that every attractive woman in Manhattan was at that audition today. I like to think of myself as being in pretty good shape and having a nice body, but I was one of the chubbiest girls in the room.

And on that note, I'm off to go try to find the cheapest NYC gym membership I can get my hands on.

The acting world in a snapshot

I've been rehearsing almost every day at your friendly neighborhood actor's studio, Ripley-Grier. I've been there so much lately that the nighttime security guard and I have become friendly. His name's Abdul, by the way.

Last night was the first time, though, that I've ever had to use the bathroom there and when I walked in, I had to stop and laugh. 

How many places can you go where you walk into a public bathroom and inbetween the stalls is placed a full-length mirror? I just stopped and giggled for a few moments because this was such a perfect symbol of the acting world.

On an unrelated note, Dan saw McCain's motorcade pass by today and saw him waving out the window. How come I keep missing all these sightings? 

Forget Fashion Week

My stepdad saw "What Not to Wear" filming on seventh ave today. He saw Stacy and Clinton and I WASN'T THERE!

I'm so jealous.

Sobering Sightseeing

Today I took my family downtown to see the World Trade Center site because my mom wanted to see it before they built it up again.

They've already started building the Freedom Tower and it looks a lot different than the last time I was there (circa 2004), when it was still just a big hole with a pile of debris in it.

It's hard to imagine how people who were there felt that day, how positively terrifying it must have been for them. My mom mentioned that it would have been really easy to fake your own death that day and start a whole new life if you were looking for a way out, and that thought is kind've creepy, too.

I was pretty young when it happened, but I know life would be very different today if it weren't for that fateful morning. 

I'm like a fish back in the water

Finally, I'll be in the city for a few weeks in a row. I'm still recovering from my travels, so nothing much pops out at me yet, but expect me to get my butt back in gear and renew the quest to keep you educated on and entertained by the magnificence that is New York City.

Dollars and Sense

First off, let me apologize for the long lag in updating. I've been out of town at a wedding and an anti-wedding for almost two weeks and I have to leave again this evening for wedding #2.

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite depressing Midtown sights, for just a moment, though.

This is the National Debt Counter, located on 6th avenue at 44th street, right across from the Belasco Theatre (where "Passing Strange" is currently playing).

As I stood there to take a picture, our national debt increased by about $200,000. I remember running into this clock back when I was in high school and having it read somewhere in the $70,000-per-family range, so I was stunned to see how high it had risen in just a few years.

What's most ironic about it is that someone spent money (and probably a good chunk of it) to put up a sign to tell us all that we don't have enough money. This serves only to depress me.

And on that happy note, I'm off to be in a wedding!

Success, at last!

I just wanted to give you all a quick heads-up that I've been cast in and started rehearsing two small theatre productions. One is called, "Documentary: A Suicide Narrative" and the other is "Jekyll & Hyde." 

I'm so pleased to be involved with both of them and will definitely let you all know more details about them as the performances approach. 

I'm just out there trying to live the dream.