SYTYCD in Boston!

On Monday, I called Neal and asked him if he had plans for Thursday. He said he had to work. I said I knew that, but what about Thursday night, do you have to go to the gym or do you have homework? He said he did need to work on a project. Why I was asking?

Well, I had Thursday night and Friday off. I suggested that I come to Boston to watch So You Think You Can Dance with him. Actually, I asked if he would be willing to not watch Wednesday night so that we could watch the 2 hour performance and 1 hour results shows together.

He agreed that that sounded like a plan. I sat down at my computer and purchased the tickets. Nothing like a 4 hour bus ride to watch a little tv with a friend. I mean, why not?

I made a fantastic summer salad with pasta, cucumber, orange bell pepper, purple onion, corn and feta cheese, tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, along with a fruit salad of mango, strawberries and blueberries. Healthy and so good. Neal didn't eat any of it. He's having a throat issue and is being very particular about what he eats. Neither of us had an issue with the homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies though! Nobody's passing that up.

For those of you who read the Amagansett blog, I can drink wine again. I bought a bottle of Malbec Rose. I thought Neal and I should try something new.

We had such a good time watching SYTYCD. We paused and rewound and discussed a lot. Completely what I thought it would be and completely worth the trip.

The weather on Friday was amazing. No humidity. Big, fluffy white clouds. I had to go to the beach. Having missed out on that part of my trip to the Hamptons, it was necessary. The beach near Neal's is one of my favorite places to go to when I visit Boston. It's so lovely. The water has a calming affect on me. I took off my sandals and walked in the sand. I walked to the dock that I enjoy and stood there just breathing it in. The smell of the water and the air.I decided to take photos. I started all the way to my left and 22 shots later I was all the way to the right. A panoramic view of what I was seeing.

Friday evening, I met Neal at his office and we went to see SALT. I was a little hesitant to spend 90 minutes of my short trip sitting in a movie theater, but Neal wanted to see it, and I thought it might be fun to see that movie with him. Boy was that ever the right choice. It was a roller coaster that I'm totally glad I strapped myself in for. It was thrilling and exciting and everything that a summer escape movie should be.

Post movie we went to Clarke's in South Station and had a beer and a great, honest, personal conversation. I do love that Neal and I share the history of questioning our sexuality, at the same time, in college. It's just so refreshing to talk to someone who knows me. I mean really knows me. Pre coming out and all these years post.

It's always worth the trip.

White Elephants

On Monday, a dream that I've had for more than a year was finally realized. I went to Newport, Rhode Island. My desire in going had always been to see the mansions. The beauty of the day and friendship that came with it was bonus.

With the car picked up by 7am, Michael, Tynan, and I were on the road by 7:15am trying to acquire the GPS signal that would provide us with the directions to take us to one of America's most famed cities. During the Gilded Age (1865-1901) many of America's wealthiest families built summer "cottages" in Newport. The word cottage is almost laughable. I think of a cottage as a little house with maybe two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living area, and a bathroom. They thought of a summer cottage as a grand excuse for marble, gold leaf, chandeliers, and finery. Each trying to outdo the other in excess and size. The idea is simple, the wealthy Vanderbilts, Astors, among others, would come to Newport for the summer and entertain other families of their wealth and position. Each wanted to provide the most lavish setting for the entertaining.

The Breakers, built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, was/is the grandest of them all. Knowing anything about the Vanderbilts, it's easy to imagine the family not wanting to be outdone by anyone. Wanting the best and biggest. And why not. If you have the money and can afford it...go for it!!

Let me get back to my trip to the wealthy little piece of land with my two friends. Roughly 30 minutes outside of the City, we hit Greenwich CT. It seemed the perfect time to stop for breakfast. When traveling, it is okay to forget one's good eating habits and just have a good time. That said, we stopped at McDonald's. Actually the one in Greenwich was the newly-minted, high-end cousin of McDonald's called McCafe. Whatever, still the same egg mcmuffin and bacon, egg, & cheese. Throw in the hash browns and you've got our breakfast. Champions we were. No judgement allowed.

Back on the road, we were looking for a place to stop and purchase an adapter for my ipod. We asked Lolly, our rental agent, if the car had an ipod port. We had chosen to upgrade to a Lincoln and that being said, she assumed it did for, as she put it, the car was "luxury, luxury." It took us the better part of an hour to actually find that port hidden in the second, deeper compartment of the console. There was no adapter though. So we kept our eyes peeled for a Walmart, Target, or Radio Shack. Eventually, we found a Target and even though it was merely 9am, it was open. A few minutes later with $14.99 less in my pocket, we headed out of the store and back to the car. Tynan, who was looking for a hat, left without the hot pink floppy she would've rocked all day. But I digress. The adapter worked, and the play list I had prepared was no longer stuck on my ipod, but a thumping, dancing, jamming reality. We resumed our drive to Newport. Michael was tired, having not slept well the night before and asked if one of us would drive. Tynan look the wheel while Michael took to the backseat to take a nap. I sat shotgun and gaged the volume of the ipod and sang along. I do enjoy a road trip on occasion. It truly depends on the people I'm with. These two were the right choice.

As we got closer to our destination, we were told by our GPS, Minny, to turn off the interstate. We found ourselves on two lane roads that can lead to anywhere. Lucky for us, ours led to the Claiborne Pell Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in New England. We rolled the windows down and turned the music up. It was amazing. So high above the water looking down at the boats as they lazily sailed or sped by to our right and left. My excitement was thumping in my chest. I couldn't wait to just be there, breathing the air and existing.

Minny led us right into the heart of the downtown area. Of course this is where all the tourist were, but I guess we had to acknowledge the we, ourselves, were tourist for the day. It didn't take much giving in. We found a place to park the car and got out and began to walk. It had been about three hours since that breakfast stop in Greenwich, so we were hungry. There were many choices from the sidewalk on which we found ourselves. Restaurants between art shops, and clothing stores, and the not surprising, but out-of-place Starbucks. We chose the Gas Lamp Grille. We were the first customers. Michael actually asked if they were open before we proceeded inside. With our pick of tables, we were seated in an open door opened onto the sidewalk. We were able to feel the breeze and watch the people all the while enjoying our meal.

With hunger assuaged, we headed to the Museum of Newport History. We didn't actually walk through the museum, we went into the gift shop looking for a map. Even though our GPS could get to the mansions, we wanted to walk and a map would help us identify where we were in connection to what we wanted to see. It's just like an amusement park. Map in hand, we headed back to our car. We walked up an alley called Brick Alley. It was at that point that my old soul nostalgia came out. I was giddy with the thought of the people who once walked on those bricks. An Astor or a Vanderbilt. Someone who summered there during the Gilded Age when Newport was a grand, social destination.

Back in the Lincoln with Minny hooked into the lighter, she took us closer to our destination: 44 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport RI 02840 - The Breakers. We didn't actually drive to The Breakers, we chose instead to park the car on Narragansett Avenue and walk to Cliff Walk which was located at the dead end in front of us. That was the best choice we could have made. Cliff Walk is a 3.5 mile walkway that borders the shore line. It runs behind many of the mansions so even if you're not paying to tour them, you can see their magnificence. Imagine waking up in the morning and the view out your window being the vast ocean at the bottom of the cliff at the end of your backyard. Breathtaking! There was a stairway called The 40 Steps which led down to the rocks and water. We went down those steps and climbed down onto the rocks. It was amazing. The water flowing in between the rocks, pounding the rocks. The breeze coming off the water. I couldn't stop smiling. And why should I? I was loving every second of it. I'm sure the water was freezing, but that didn't stop a group of people from swimming in it.


Back up The 40 Steps, we started our Cliff Walk journey. With bushes at the top of the cliff to our left and the water below on the same side and wild roses growing in places on the right, it was a beautiful walk. It was all about the ocean at that point of my journey. I would say our journey, but I'm not sure what Michael and Tynan were feeling at that moment. I was anticipating The Breakers and soaking up the sound of the water below.

A mansion came into view. I'm, again, giddy. I'm thinking it's The Breakers. I pull out my Blackberry and start taking pictures. I've got an image of the mansion in my head, but I think the image was a little cloudy. Maybe it was sepia toned and the sepia was beginning to fade. I'm not sure. It took walking up to the mansion and looking inside to realize that there was no way this could be The Breakers. I felt like such a fool for being so positive it was when it wasn't. I hate making a fool of myself. We found out later that this particular mansion was called Ochre Court and is now used by Salve Regina University. Turns out the university converted several of the mansions into academic building back in the 30's when the owners could no longer afford the taxes. So, slightly embarrassed, we headed back to Cliff Walk, and in search of The Breakers.


And without warning, there it was. Just beyond the wild roses growing along the fence - The Breakers. Grand and glorious. It was right there in front of me. The physical manifestation of the pictures I had stared out for so long. The large backyard to my right and the water to my left. The house looming just out-of-reach. Of course the out-of-reach part didn't last very long. We made our way onto that yard. Can you imagine the lawn parties held on the gorgeous lawn? I can. We made our way to the front of the mansion, paid the $19 admission, went inside, received our headsets and started our self-guided audio tour.

Our tour began in an area where guests were received. A large, ostentatious room with a red carpeted grand staircase. There was a fountain at the base in the back of the staircase. There was marble everywhere. Marble walls and columns. Gleaming crystal chandeliers. Gold leaf. The music room contained a Steinway piano and platinum leafing on the wall. Everything was ornate. Looking down at the receiving room from the second level I could almost hear the violins playing for the party guests. The bedrooms were decorated more simply compared to the rest of the house. The bathrooms were large. Mr. Vanderbilt's bathtub was made of marble and had to be filled with hot water and drained multiple times before the marble was warm enough for use. His tub also had four knobs. Living on the ocean, two of the knobs ran with hot and cold salt water. It was the utmost in luxury. Lolly would probably say "luxury,luxury." What a place to spend the summer. Those of you who read this blog know that I've posted a couple of entries concerning characters I've created from a piece called "Glass Houses." Well, one of the reasons I wanted to see The Breakers so badly was because it was exactly the image I had in my mind for the mansion of one of my families in that piece. As soon as I stumbled upon a photo of it on the internet, I had the image in front of me of what I had only been imagining. It was complete joy to actually see it in person.


Moving on, we left The Breakers and went back to Narragansett Avenue to rest our tired legs and drive to 548 Bellevue Avenue, Newport RI 02840 - Rosecliff. Rosecliff was built by a Nevada silver heiress named Theresa Fair Oelrichs. I was not nearly as impressed with Rosecliff as I was with The Breakers. Honestly, there is no comparison, but I was hoping in its own way it would be outstanding. What I adored was the ballroom. This mansion had the largest ballroom in Newport. It was stunning with two gorgeous chandeliers, a gold grand piano, and fabulous ornate moldings. It was truly a beautiful room. Both sides had french doors that ran the length of the ballroom. The front side opened into the garden while the back side open onto the terrace with a view of the ocean. While in that room we were told the story of Mrs. Oelrichs' most famous ball. It was called Bal Blanc. She wanted everything to be white and silver. She asked that the ladies even wear powdered wigs. The flowers were white. White swans were in the fountain. As the date of the party neared, lore has it that her butler asked if she was happy with how things were proceeding. To that question she replied that she needed white boats to be moored in the ocean so that when people looked toward the water they would be visible and continue the theme of her party. The butler was said to have commented that it was impossible to which she replied that she had commissioned them and they would be ready in time for the party. And Newport history shows that on the occassion of the party, white boats with twinkle lights were moored in the ocean. There are details and then there are details. She had a vision and had the money to see it realized.

Another beautiful element to Rosecliff was the heart-shaped opening on the landing of the staircase. Red carpeted stairs led up through the opening, then split into two sets of stairs which took you up to the second level.

Out the back of the ballroom, across the terrace and down the stairs that led to the backyard was a fountain. This fountain was prominently featured in "The Great Gatsby" starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Another reason I wanted to see Rosecliff.

The final reason I wanted to see Rosecliff is because there was a display of gowns from the Gilded Age. Actual gowns from the era. Along with the gowns was information about haute couture and how the women would go to Paris and order from the couturiers. That was right up my alley. I loved it.

As for the mansion as a whole, I think my disappoint lied in the fact that none of the furniture or paintings were original to the house. The descendants of the original owner, having little interest in the mansion, sold everything at auction. It just didn't have the rich history in front of my eyes like The Breakers.

With the two mansions we wanted to see nothing but swirling images and memories in our heads, we headed back to the car. We just wanted to drive around and look at the other mansions. We drove down Bellevue Avenue. It must have, at one time, been the wealthiest street in Newport, if not America. As we drove down the street we found no where to park the car so that we could walk by the mansions we weren't paying to tour and at least take a photo from the sidewalk. While looking for a place to turn around, we saw the roof and chimneys of what looked to be a very large home just above the trees. We decided to drive down that road and see what it was. The road dead ended at another area where one could walk onto the large rocks at the ocean's edge. I found myself fearless as I jumped and climbed from rock to rock. I made my way to a large rock a small distance from Michael and Tynan. I stood facing the breeze as it blew against me. Hearing the waves break on the rocks and feeling the breeze, all I could do was lift my arms into the air with my face toward the sky. I felt as though my soul was being cleansed. That's the only way I can describe it. The energy of the water is so different that the energy of the City. I just let it all wash over me.

We drove back through Newport proper in search of a restaurant for a nice meal that would complete our perfect day. We went to The Spiced Pear at The Chanler at Cliff Walk. According to the hostess, The Chanler was the first mansion built on what is now called Cliff Walk. We had no reservation, but they were able to seat us at a table with a beautiful view of the ocean. We were indulgent. I ordered lobster poached in butter. Michael ordered steak and I believe it was sea bass for Tynan. I had a glass of Pinot Noir, Michael a Malbec and Tynan a Cabernet Savignon. It was lovely. Reminicing about the day and enjoying each other with good wine and food. It only got better when our cinnamon souffle's with amaretto and apple compote arrived. Indulgent to the max and worth every penny.

In 1907, author Henry James described the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island as being "white elephants" and "witless dreams" because they were summer homes for the wealthy and were unoccupied for most of the year. Well, Mr. James, there is something to be loved even in a white elephant. I was reminded of a lyric from the song "All This Beauty" by The Weepies.

All this beauty;
You might have to close your eyes
And slowly open wide
All this beauty;
We traveled all night
We drank the ocean dry
And watched the sun rise...

I can't help but wonder how pleased the Vanderbilts would be knowing that the home they built for summer entertaining in the late 1800's is still drawing crowds that marvel at its grandiosity over 100 years later.

There's also a little thing about dreams. If you can dream it you can do it. One day Paris and California, but for now, at least there was Newport.

Newport photo album

There's Never Been A Musical Like Her

Carrie a novel by Stephen King 1974

Carrie was the first novel I read twice. I wasn't a big reader as a child. Actually, my love of books started in 1997 after my move to the City. Flashback to 1993 or 4 and I read Carrie twice in one summer. I identify with her. I went to private school from 1st - 8th grade and started public school as a freshman. Not only is it difficult moving from Jr. High to High School, it's difficult making that move as a new student. I had always lived in the county where both the private and public schools were located, but I hadn't gone to school with any of those people since kindergarten. There were a few people I knew from the community, but that made for very few friends in my class. I was an easy target: new student, effeminate, liked the company of girls more than boys. That's, of course, because I was gay, but afraid to be true to myself. I grew up in a religious household. Nothing like the one provided to Carrie by her mother, but religious nonetheless. I was called queer, faggot, sissy. I was picked on for my clothes, my shoes. I was picked on because I was a singer. There were signs taped to my back saying things like, "I like boys." Once in the locker room after gym class, for no reason, other than I was there changing into my regular clothes, a fellow classmate threw a basketball straight at my face and hit me. I could always completely understand Carrie's desire for revenge on the people who constantly picked on and mistreated her.


CARRIE the musical: music by Matthew Gore; lyrics by Dean Pitchford; book by Lawrence D. Cohen 1988.

Sixteen previews, five regular performances, $8 million completely lost. By the time CARRIE started previews on April 28, 1988, at the Virginia Theater, it was the first musical of the 1988-89 season. It had missed the cut off for the 1988 Tony Awards.

It took seven years from idea to full production for CARRIE to arrive on Broadway. There was a workshop of the musical in 1984 with a full production announced for the 1986 Broadway season. That production fell through as the money could not be raised. Then West German producers became involved and the production was back on track albeit in Stratford not New York. The musical became a production of the Royal Shakespeare Company and booked a three week engagement on the company's mainstage at Stratford upon Avon. Barbara Cook was hired to play Margaret White and Linzi Hateley was hired to play the title role. Speculation arose that this three week engagement was a Broadway tryout. Due to near decapitation on opening night, Barbara Cook dropped out of the production after the Stratford run. She was replaced for the Broadway production by Betty Buckley. Making her Broadway debut, seventeen year old Linzi Hateley remained Carrie.

Legend and lore surrounding this piece of musical theater has it that audiences alternately boo'd and cheered at each performance. Ken Mandelbaum writes in his book Not Since Carrie: 40 Years of Broadway Musical Flops,"Throughout Broadway previews, CARRIE was greeted with one of the most varied reactions ever, with derisive laughter and some boos mixing with cheers and wild applause." I have read every review I could find of the musical. They are scathing, blood drinched pieces of paper that I keep, to this day, in a red three ring binder. The red seemed appropriate. Clive Barnes in the Post gave the only positive review.

Mandelbaum writes, "As for the material itself, CARRIE's stunning mother-daughter scenes constitute the most geniuinely operatic material to be found in any pop opera and feature often gorgeous music. There were a couple of decent pop tunes plus a number of perfectly awful songs, but the Gore-Pitchford score is salvageable." He goes on to say, "What makes CARRIE so unique in flop musical history is its combination of soaring, often breathtaking sequences and some of the most appalling and ridiculous scenes ever seen in a musical. It alternately scaled the heights and hit rock-bottom." I wish I could have seen it.

After opening on Thursday and closing on that Sunday, rumor has it that never have so many people wished they had seen a musical. Bootlegs are said to have quickly begun to circulate. After a troubled preview period gave way to an opening night, the show became legend. It was the most expensive flop of it's time. The ads never seemed more accurate. "There's never been a musical like her." CARRIE was said to be fascinating, thrilling, horrible, and unbelievable. There would probably never be anything like it again.

The Reading: NYC 2009

It was announced several weeks ago that Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum would be presenting an industry reading of CARRIE. The article said that Jeffrey had convinced the writers to revisit the piece. My jaw dropped to the floor. I had to figure out a way to get into this reading. The first thing I did was ask Jen, the company manager of ALTAR BOYZ if she could do anything as she used to work at The Producing Office - Jeffrey and Kevin's company. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I had met Dean Pitchford when he picked up his ticket for THE TOXIC AVENGER MUSICAL at my window. My brain was working overtime. I called the general management office for THE TOXIC AVENGER MUSICAL hoping to get an email address for Dean. I was willing to be very forward and ask him if I could attend. Turns out his request was put in through Diana DeGarmo through her agent. That was not going to be my way in. Then Ryan, company manager of AVENUE Q, realized the director of ALTAR BOYZ was the director of the reading. He made the request on my behalf to Stafford Arima. Stafford gave him the name of the person to email and two days later I was confirmed for one place at the 4pm reading of CARRIE the musical. I was so excited that I didn't talk about it for a while. I didn't want to jinx it. Then I slowly began to share with people that I was going to attend.

When I arrived at 42nd Street studios, my name was not on the list downstairs. I was not deterred. I had all my texts from Ryan confirming my name on the list and the gentleman downstairs said it probably wouldn't be a problem and sent me upstairs to talk to Caitlyn. I quickly found Caitlyn and as soon as I started my story she knew who I was and assured me it wasn't a problem.

I stood in the lobby upstairs in front of rehearsal space 3A and watched as more and more faces I recognized from on stage and back stage and theater management filed out of the elevators and filled the waiting area. The anticipation for me was so heightened that my heart was pounding a bit faster than normal and I had to take slow, deep breaths.

Something that I've wanted for so long was just beyond the door I was staring at. Amazing!!

When we were allowed into the space it was nothing more than rows of plastic chairs facing music stands and other plastic chairs. There was a very large door that separated the two rooms opened to reveal the cast. Conversations were taking place, vocal warm ups were happening, a picture of cast, crew, and producers was snapped for posterity. Finally the cast filed into our room and took their seats. There they were: Marin Mazzie as Margaret White, Sutton Foster as Miss Gardner, Jennifer Damiano as Sue, Diana DeGarmo as Chris, Matt Doyle as Tommy and Molly Ranson as Carrie White. There were familiar and new faces rounding out the ensemble. Was this really happening? Was I actually here and getting ready to hear CARRIE performed? Jeffrey, Kevin, and Stafford took center stage before the reading started. Kevin held a chalk slate for Jeffrey. It had the original artwork, as well as, other writing on it. Jeffrey erased it all and wiped the slate clean. This was a new CARRIE. I was euphoric as the first words of the show were spoken and the first chords were struck on the piano. I have been familiar with the score for many years. As a card carrying Equity member, I am against bootlegs. Here is the but. I was given a bootleg of CARRIE on cd for my birthday several years ago and it is one of my most prized possessions. All these years later and those bootlegs are still circulating. I sat in that space and listened to "In," "Carrie," "Evening Prayers," the soaring "And Eve Was Weak," "Unsuspecting Hearts," "Do Me A Favor," the heartbreaking/terrifying "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance," as well as new songs written during the course of revisiting the material. At intermission the lady next to me asked what I thought. I told her I loved it. She said she also loved it. She said that Marin was bringing her to tears. Act two brought more new songs and I got to hear the heartbreaking "When There's No One" which made me cry. There was also the destruction number full of previously sung lines in the show. A mash up of thoughts running through Carrie's head. Then the "Carrie" reprise, sung as a lullaby by Margaret to Carrie, before the devastating ending. Not only were there new songs, the book had been retooled to more closely follow the film with subtle nods to the novel. There is a clear, clarified story.

When the reading was over and the applause had died away I had the opportunity to talk to people. I was able to express my gratitude for the invitation to Jeffrey and Stafford. I was able to tell Dean what an amazing experience I felt a part of. I was able to thank Marin and Sutton for their performances and talk about how fascinating the piece is. As for Marin, she blew my mind. And Sutton was amazing as a new teacher, believing that she can make a difference. The role is not Millie or Fiona. Later, at New World Stages, I was able to talk to Diana about the reading. It seems that all involved feel the piece if worth a second look. I agree.

Anyone who has heard me talk about CARRIE the musical knows that I've always believed the piece could work. I've always believed if it was grounded in reality it would work. The characters have to be real people. Today I sat in the audience and witnessed my thoughts on the show realized in front of me.

"There's never been a musical like her" and we just may get the opportunity to see her rise again.

Coney Is

Okay, here's how it begins. Around 11am today I'm doing dishes and I get a call from my friend Michael. Our company planned an outing to Coney Island today and he called to ask if I was going. I said I was going and he asked if I wanted to ride with him in the zip car that he rented today. Turns out he needed to go to a reading of a new show in New Jersey and needed the car to get there. The car was a convertible Mini Cooper. It took me half a second to say, "I'll be the person in the passenger seat of the Mini Cooper."

It was a compact, cute, maroon Mini Cooper. I ended up in the back seat because I didn't want to be the direction person so Katrin took the passenger seat. That was fine by me. I sat in the back and let the wind blow through my hair without a care in the world as to what I would look like when we arrived. There were so many things to look at while driving from Queens to Brooklyn. A sight that never gets old is the skyline of the city. I love it. As we neared our exit to Coney Island we had nothing but water on the right. I felt like we weren't even in New York anymore. Looking at the Verrazano Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island, I felt like we were in California. It was amazing. The sun, the wind, the water, the car, the radio, the laughter - all things that just made any stress melt away.

When we saw the exit sign for Coney Island it read Coney Is. I yelled, "Coney Is" and Michael yelled back, "right lane."

We got to the boardwalk and everyone was thirsty so beer seemed in order. It was such a beautiful day to be on the boardwalk and the beach. We three met up with our coworkers who already had a spot on the beach. I took off the shoes and socks and rolled up the jeans and put my feet in the sand. What is it about sand and bare feet? It feels so good! I wanted to go to the water's edge and let the surf wash over my feet. I love the way the sand erodes as the water retreats. How perfect to be standing in the water with a cold Corona having a great conversation with friends from work. Kudos to our company for doing this for us.

Enough with the water. It was lovely and all, but we all wanted to ride the Wonder Wheel. It was time to hit Astroland. I've lived here 12 years and this was only my second time to visit Coney Island. Both of which happened this year. However, the park was closed in April when I took my mom to Coney Island so this was the first time to ride any of the rides. We started with the Wonder Wheel. It's completely different than the ferris wheel I used to ride at the Carlisle County Fair back home. For starters, it's bigger. For seconds, some of the cars actually swing. We chose a swinging car. When it first started to swing as we moved I couldn't believe I had gotten myself into this. By the second time we started to swing I was better. I asked why there was nothing for me to hold on to in the back seat. Michael said, "Because it's a kiddie ride." By the second rotation of the wheel I was more relaxed and having a great time. The view was breathtaking. I just wanted to stare at the water. There's just something about the ocean. It's soothing and comforting. From the top of the Wonder Wheel there was even a view of downtown Manhattan. Again, gorgeous. The bumper cars and the spook-o-rama were the next two rides that had me laughing harder than I've laughed in weeks. It reminded me of Noble Park in Paducah, KY. We used to go there when I was a teenager. It was old and nostalgic much like Coney Island. If the opportunity arises for you to drive around and hit people in bumper cars, I say do it!

Then came the final ride. The one not everyone would ride. The rickety, wooden, looks-like-it's-gonna-fall Cyclone. Four of us chose to ride the roller coaster. We were in the middle of the cars. As we started up that first hill, that incline that will plummet us down once we've reached the top, I began to prepare myself for the plunge. And what a plunge it was. I swear it's almost straight down. I came out of my seat every time we went down hill. It reminded me of The Screaming Eagle at Six Flags or The Beast at King's Island. One of those old wooden coasters that goes 90 mph and throws you all over the place. We were thrown around like rag dolls. Well, rag dolls that had a safety bar in their laps. I laughed and screamed and said "Oh my Lord" so much that Michael made fun of me for the rest of the evening. When we reached the starting point again, the attendant asked if we wanted to ride again. Michael and I were totally game and headed to the front car this time. Let's just say it was a crazy good time.

The main event of the company outing was the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game. How many of you that know me think of me and baseball in the same sentence? I bought the requisite hot dog with mustard and relish and a Miller Lite. I wanted a Corona, but that wasn't even an option. We sat there and cheered and clapped and talked and laughed. There were at least 20 of us total. So it wasn't Yankee Stadium. It was Keyspan Park and my first baseball game in New York. It was fantastic!

Piling back into the Mini Cooper we headed toward the lights of the city we call home. I'm tired and my neck hurts a little, but I wouldn't trade this day for the world. It was the perfect day to be at Coney Island and this bunch of people and the things we did went together like the ingredients in a blended cocktail worth savoring.

Julie & Julia

Today was a day for hanging out with an old friend. A friend who just informed me has been my friend for 7 years. I just moved across town to Midtown East 2 weeks ago today and she wanted to see my apartment and my new 'hood.

We had some lunch and a little Pinkberry, my first experience there I might add, then headed up to the movie theatre on 64th and 2nd. We went to see Julie & Julia. It was one of the best movie going experiences ever in NYC as it was full of older people who couldn't be bothered to text or talk on their cell phones during the film.

As for the film, it was wonderful and inspiring. It's the whole reason for this blog. Julie Powell decided to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook in a year. She was committed and reached her goal. She blogged about it and people actually read it and cared. Deciding to do something and them having the focus and drive to see it through is something that I want.

Right now so many emotions have been brought to the surface because of the move. It's stressful and traumatic and made me question my existence in New York City. I wanted to run away from everything. I even thought of leaving the City. Then I woke up yesterday and decided to make this new apartment my home.

I do want to be in NYC and that means I need to take advantage of what this fantastic city has to offer. Julie Powell decided to cook and write about it and I've decided to actually live, instead of just exist, in NYC. I'm gonna write about it.

Here we go!!