Day 3 in NYC

Well today was FULL of all kinds of excitement for a Wednesday!

Actually, I don't know why Wednesdays can't be exciting, my apologies.

But anyway - today was FULL of excitement. Like, really full. The day started easy enough, I got to work a bit early today so I just parked it on a bench outside the studio where we rehearse to wait for Elizabeth so we could start setting up. - We've been working on retyping Act II, as we needed the script to be in a larger font, and this way we also had a copy that could be changed easily if necessary. The program Mikey uses (FinalDraft) will not let us export to an editing software like Word, so this was a large undertaking for a seemingly easy fix, especially since Act II is about 80 pages long as it's written now, with a lot of overlapping dialogue. If this assignment wasn't a case for Word to fix their columns options, I don't know what is, but I digress. - When Elizabeth arrived we set up the room for design presentations and the first read through with the entire cast and production staff in the room! It was a very exciting morning and the cast brought a great energy with them to the read, but more about that later. As they began designer presenations, I quickly ran to print the newly typed script...little did I know that the printer I was using was the SLOWEST. PRINTER. EVER. This thing paused after literally every page - EVERY PAGE!! 198 pages later (larger font, remember?) I was done.

My reward for being patient with the printer was the read through. By this I mean it was one of the coolest things I've ever been apart of. The eight cast members, all reading the play in its entirety for the first time, were so excited to be there. You could just feel it when you entered the room! Also, I think one of my favorite things in the world is watching Mikey Perlman respond to his work being read out loud. He's so enthusiastic about every second of rehearsal its so fun to watch. The chemistry of the cast is also unbelievable. I knew going into the process that almost everyone had worked together before, but I don't think I was prepared for how awesome it would be to watch them interact as characters. As most of the play quite literally takes place "at the table", we got to get a really great idea of how the actors would interact with each other. After the read, we spent a few hours talking through a few of the re-writes Mikey did last night, and discussed a lot of potential ideas for future changes. Watching the play grow over the past two days ALONE has been a wonderful experience. I can't wait to see it on its feet!

Something kind of crazy happened while we were in rehearsal today (hence, excitement). As I was in the office printing off the newly typed draft of Act II, I heard a strange sound coming from the hallway. When I opened the door, I realized there was an announcement being read over the emergency intercom system (similar to that if there was a fire drill in the building). We were told to stay inside until further notice. Anyone who needed to leave the building and did not need to return was able to use the freight elevator with access to 36th street. Our building sits in the middle of 8th Avenue between 36th and 37th just down the street from the New York Times and Madison Square Garden, with the main entrance facing a Dunkin Donuts, a White Castle (yuck), and several other retail businesses. Everyone who enters the building must have their photos taken, and then tell the guard what floor you will be working on for the day (a common security procedure in NYC), hence not being able to come back in if you exited through the freight elevator. I chalked the incident up to a "typical New York thing" (though I'm not sure what that is) and thought nothing of it. Minutes later (of course), my mom texted me to ask if I was alright since there was a shooting in Midtown Manhattan. On our next break, I soon learned that the police received a tip that a man who has allegedly been going around Manhattan hitting people repeatedly with hammers and chased him through the streets before aprehending him at 37th and 8th, the same block our building sits on. Upon being surrounded, the man was attempting to attack several members of the NYPD with the hammer before he was shot by police. I remember talking to Elizabeth about it on a break and she responded with: "Welcome to New York". I told her the only time Buffalo ever makes national news is when we have a lot of snow and I wasn't used to these kinds of things. We all discussed on break the shock of having someone come at you with a hammer, and the even larger shock of watching someone raising a hammer to hit someone else! It was my first jarring New York experience and I'm grateful for the NYPD for their service.

On my way home today I decided not to walk over 45 blocks to get home after sight seeing (WHY DID I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA?). While my feet certainly regretted it, I did not. I stopped at KMart to grab some essentials for my apartment (a knife, some handtowels, etc.) and had the bright idea to do some grocery shopping while hungry! Idiot. Hahaha no but really, I bought a lot of things I probably don't need, but when all you have is a microwave and a minifridge, I guess its okay to have a variety of options that you actually have the ability to eat. I then had the pleasant (definitely not) experience of riding the subway with all of these groceries that I just HAD to have. I actually couldn't help myself and ripped into a package of Hostess' Mini Muffins...LOL JK, they're really just muffin-shaped brownies. This got a few strange looks, but I didn't worry about it too much considering some funny things I've seen on the subway in only a handful of trips to and from work. I am having no trouble sleeping here. I have a bigger bed in my room here than I have ever had in any room of mine elsewhere, and I'm still exhausted by city living every day. I've only been here for three, but it feels like I've always been here. In the BEST way.

Today's "home made" meal was pretty creative if I do say so myself. I had some fresh avocado on toast (courtesy of the AMAZING Italian market down the street) with mixed greens on top. Then I had a sandwich with avocado, garlic hummus, salami, cheddar, and mixed greens. While it sounds weird..it was delicious. Oh and I also inhaled two of my grandma's muffins (thanks, Grandma, even though you don't know how to use the internet, I am sure my mom will show this to you anyways, so hi!). Hehe. Until tomorrow, internet.

Quote of the day: "And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. For love that seeks aught but disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught. And let your best be for your friend. If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know the flood also." - Kahlil Gibran

PS - While I'm keeping my eyes peeled, I sadly don't have any celebrity sighting so report. But it is one of my goals while in New York to see a famous person, so fingers crossed!