New Beginnings

(I started this one on Saturday morning, but am just now finishing it). Last night, we began rehearsal for "If This Ain't It (or Disaster on Parade)," a musical revue by Don Arrington. Our motley crew assembled in the basement of the Theatre for the New City in a hallway/rehearsal space that also stores many props and set pieces (there were even some fake rats and giant feet with faces). Our company of about ten, sat around the piano as Don sang the songs to us in his bluesy/Broadway/smoker's voice, more vim and fire than text or emotion, and read the parts he assigned us for the evening (he is still seeking a transgender, Bessie Smith-esque Lady Liberty if anyone is interested - Edris?). For now, I will be appearing in two numbers, one as an incarcerated child (the Good Little Boy) and one as a dancing Mexican woman ("Starving But Dancing"). What a range. My string of characters and funny voices continues, though, I guess I will have to hold out for that romantic lead next time . . . The show looks like it will be a lot of fun, and I will definitely have a lot of fun stories to tell. Right now, most of it lies in Don's mind, let's hope it makes it to the stage by January. Spent after our 2 hour+ readthrough and disgusted by the ever-present rain, I snuck into Whole Foods for some comfort food relief (creamed spinach and homemade stuffing) for my subway ride home. Dry-ish and in Queens, a few hard ciders found my tired and ready for bed. Thursday was an exceptionally slow night at the restaurant that mostly saw us stand around and find our favorite selections from the Locale iPod. Though we certainly did not make bank during that shift (thank God for a guarantee), it was one of the first shifts that I have been totally relaxed and was not stressed out about anything (except for how I am going to pay my energy bill this month . . . ha . . ha . . I should probably unplug this kilowatt sucking laptop . . .). It also found me drinking copious amounts of coffee, tea, and soda to pass the time and the cold, which made for a long night Thursday for no reason at all (luckily I found vintage X-Men episodes on Youtube, my new guilty pleasure). On the book front, I have finished The Sun Also Rises and am looking to move on to my next assignment (perhaps I will continue my early 20th century theme with a little Carson McCullers or Fitzgerald, or a surprise book I picked up at the library by Alan Cumming). When the day comes, I will be most ready for the literary/arts section of CashCab/Jeopardy/Millionaire. Today, I am looking forward to a very special visit this weekend from my mother and her friend Wendy. Who knows what excitement awaits us in the city . . . much walking is guaranteed.