I couldn't have said it better myself...

Ever since I started this online journal, that I make such a conscious effort to ensure is ultimately positive, life-affirming and optimistic, I've been thinking about writing a post that explains just how low I was in the months immediately preceeding the creation of this blog. Something along the lines of "You know, I'm not always this happy" in the hopes of legitimizing all of my current joy, hope and determination.

So yes, I pretty much spent the month of January crying often in the basement part of my apartment, attending weekly therapy sessions, writing in my journal a lot, and trying to enforce my self-imposed rule of having to leave my apartment at least once a day by going for walks through the nearby Trinity Bellwoods Park and feeling quite certain that if everyone's life wasn't way better than mine, we are all living in hell. This, of course, was after I had a mortifying mental/emotional breakdown at my former place of employment because the entry code had been changed over the Christmas holidays and no one had told me, so I was locked out on my first day back to work in January. I still haven't been back there. What can I say? Sometimes the universe has very unique ways of preparing you for your next journey.

So anyhow, I feel quite certain that there is no way that I would be where I am right now - geographically, emotionally, professionally, etc. - if I had not had the courage and blind faith to go where I went then. But the thing is, these kinds of "lessons" are not the kind that you can teach others... one really has to figure these things out on their own. So, although I'm always willing to tell the truth about the good, the bad and the ugly of my life experiences, I know that there is nothing that I can do to really change other people's perspectives. Imagine then, how gratifying it was for me to receive this email the other day, from my lovely friend, Jaya K:

"meghan... i wanted to let u know i have been thinking of what u said about really low points (crying in the basement for many weeks you said?) and needing them sometimes (you said this at the gathering at your home). i wanted to tell u i was in montreal last weekend and went to this place where they make u finish yr appetizer before you have your main meal, finish that before dessert...but it's all "waste not want not." our reservation was for 6pm, which is WAY early by montreal standards - the french, they sleep in ;) - so we had the place to ourselves and the (*crazy*) owner/cook/waiter all-in-one decided to give us a sermon on hinduism and the yogi/bogie conflict. all about detachment and suffering and the only way to free yourself from this hell that is life etc, etc.

and he was sort of on my case because i was laughing and joyous and he was saying that laughter = hell. that when you laugh you are suppressing so much suffering. and that the only way to heaven/paradise is to cry, to mourn, to be in touch with sorrowfulness. and although i continued laughing, and it was a wonderful night, we had wine and everything, i have thought a lot about what he said. and i have had some real sadness in the last while, and i am truly grateful for it.

mourning and sorrow are so real, and if we can accept them for what they are, i think we have a much better understanding of the world and of ourselves. i think if happiness is all you're seeking, you cannot accept the range of experience in the world, and you will look away from suffering, and deny it.

there's a lot of propaganda in the self-help world (from scientology to "the secret") that says you can't be around bad things, bad people. that you should surround yourself with success and symbols of success. but i think that's such an intense denial. love comes from all places--the good, the bad and the ugly! and love doesn't always look rosey. sometimes it grips and drowns. i want it all!

so this is my message to you, sweet meghan - thank you for your wisdom and i hope i haven't distorted it. Love to you, and strength for its many manifestations!"

Far from distorting my "wisdom", I feel that Jaya has really articulated what I truly believe. I couldn't have said it better myself.

*NAMASTE*

A Glorified Check-List Disguised as a Post

It's 9:34am on Saturday morning in Halifax. I made the decision on Tuesday night to extend my stay based on the premise of having more time to spend with my friends here, but also having my days to myself to get some work done. So far, not much work has gotten done. And I've spent the first 45 minutes or so of my day today on myspace.com, doing really healthy things like exploring every possible corner of my ex-boyfriends' myspace pages. Good stuff Meghan, good stuff. And now I'm writing on my blog. Grrrrrrrrreat.

Okay, so let me tell you what I should be doing now, get over it, finish writing this post, and then get to it! According to the list I made in my work-notebook, complete with little blank squares waiting to be checked, I should be writing and sending reply emails to certain heart-felt, lovely, personal email messages sent from various friends over the past week, or month... There are at least 5 of these, if I'm being gentle with myself and only listing the truly pressing ones. I should also be writing and sending emails related to the further coordination of the next Burning Bush show - at the Toronto FRINGE Festival Fundraiser on April 16 (come one, come all!)- there are at least 3 of these, not counting the one, mass, promotional message that I have been meaning to send to everyone I know in Toronto for the last two weeks. There are also about 3-5 more emails that are sort of a cross between business and pleasure that I really ought to get around to writing and sending today.

Then there is the correspondence with my summer employers in the UK and France, as well as further research/planning/scheduling for my travels and work in the UK and France. I also need to go pick up a CD with photos from our show in Halifax from my friend Brendan, re-pack my suitcase yet again (since tomorrow, I actually must get on a plane to Toronto) and get my butt downtown (a windy, hilly, 20-minute walk) to meet dear Devon for lunch during her break from rehearsal today at 1pm. Nevermind all the writing that I've been planning on doing since before I went to Vancouver! That new show doesn't need to get written, or even thought about, until like, 2009, right? WRONG. And as far as researching American work visas and possible ways for me to move to NYC in 2008... I don't need to be doing that kind of research now, do I? Naw, it'll probably be super-simple to move to the USA - they're really open, right?

Umm, ya know what? Now that I've gotten all of that out of my swirling thoughts and down in writing (yes, for the second time - my list w/check-boxes was the first)... I think I am feeling compelled to actually go get some of it DONE... Sorry for the lame-ass blog post. I signed in hoping to sort out through writing some major thoughts I've been having lately about Love, and the kind of lost that you feel when your 'real life' is spread out around the globe, and my vast, un-predictable future... But I guess that'll all have to wait until another post.

I'm gonna go get some items CHECKED OFF MY LIST!!!

Woo Hoo!

Glimpses of Hali

Below are two pictures that TES sent me from our uproariously fantastic show night in Halifax. Below is a pic taken in the lobby, post-performance... And I have already mentioned, more than a few times, that our show here at the Chutzpah Halifax Festival was one of our best EVER, right?

Above, L to R: Devon is exhausted from working 24/7 on her Directing application to NTS; Tracey with her post-show glow on; I'm loving Chutzpah Halifax (but apparently not as much as BRAD is!) and Brad's friend Krista is just warming up for the night...

A few hours (and drinks) later at the Economy Shoe Shop - no, we didn't go shopping, this is a Halifax bar/restaurant... Me,TES & Brad are still glowing...

And now, after all this "world touring", I'm on vacation!

Will be back in T.O. this Sunday - briefly, before I take off for my road-trip to Vermont!

XO,

Points of Clarification...

It's Wednesday morning and I'm still in Halifax.

Oops, I guess I forgot to leave!

Actually, we changed my flight last night, so I won't be flying "home" to Toronto until Sunday. Extending my stay in El Falifax is very typical Meghan.

Also, I feel bad about my vague dis of the Chutzpah Halifax Festival "staff & organisers" in yesterday's blog entry that pretty much just came out of my own stresses and issues... The festival continues to be GREAT, and I am still so thankful to Brad & his boss for bringing me and Tracey and The Burning Bush show to Halifax!

Alright, now that we're clear on that, I am going to go take about 7,000 Advil because... Surprise, surprise... we drank tonnes of wine last night...

"Hooray"

Better Than T.V.

It's Day Four for me here in El Falifax, and I leave tomorrow. It's been short, but incredibly sweet. Tracey flew back to Toronto this morning actually, but I'm glad I was able to swing one extra day here. I am going to make dinner for my friends here tonight. Brad has graciously offered up his place for this get-together, which I guess means Brad & I will be making dinner for my friends tonight. It shall be a lovely and perfect conclusion to a lovely and practically perfect trip.

I say "practically perfect" because I'm not gonna lie. Although our show last night was INCREDIBLE (and I mean that, it was probably the best show we've ever had!), and it made the stresses of the day totally worth it, my day yesterday was... stressful. I am well aware of how tacky it would be for me to elaborate and go into detail about this, so I absolutely will not. But suffice it to say that perhaps I was spoiled post-New York and had unfair expectations of what performance festival organisers and staff should be like... That being said, I shall never look a gift-horse in the mouth and act ungrateful for all the heaps of eleventh-hour hard work and hospitality that my friend Brad & his colleagues put in to making The Burning Bush show at the Chutzpah! Halifax Festival a smashing success! Mad props all around!!!

So, although the experience of our tech rehearsal earlier in the day left something to be desired, sheer determination on the part of all involved prevailed and the experience of the actual show was truly spectacular. Phenomenal. Exceptional. Inspirational. In short, TES and I loved every minute of it, and so did the audience. We also found out that our audiences in NYC loved us a lot as well. Today we got the news that The Burning Bush won the audience choice award for it's venue at the FRIGID Festival in NYC! Woo Hoo!

And as far as the rest of my life goes, that's been pretty great too. Though I'm starting to find myself thinking "yeah, what else is new?" everytime I make that statement! Yes, I am a lucky girl. And as I packed my suitcase yet again this morning, while watching some of my favorite episodes of Sex & The City on DVD, I was reminded of my oft-made statement that "My Real Life is Way Better Than T.V." And I truly believe that it is.

As I walked home from the bar last night, down the silent Monday night streets of Halifax's North End, I found myself once again "bargaining" with The Universe, and it went something like this...

I promise to keep giving...
to keep giving all that I have to give...
to people, to the world... whatever...
I promise to keep giving as much as I can...
If what I get in return, is this kind of greatness...

My life is pretty kind of great these days,
Pretty Kind of Great.

El Falifax

If I am allowed to give New York City the title of "City that I want to Move To" then I can easily declare that Halifax is my Favorite Place To Visit! I love it here - and I always have. Ever since my first visit here, back in a cold and snowy February, in the year 2001 (I think), I have always enjoyed myself immensely in Halifax. Part of that is probably because I have always come here to visit one, if not more, of my best friends who live here...

Presently, Halifax is home to my friend Brad (the only original Nova Scotian of the bunch), who is pretty much the reason I am here now. Although Brad is mainly a film producer, he happens to be working for a man who is helping to finance Halifax's first ever Chutzpah! Jewish Cultural Festival (yes, apparently there are Jews in Halifax. Aproximately 13, if you count Brad who is lying). Thus, another free trip for Tracey and I to go on "saving souls, one lap dance at a time," with The Burning Bush show. Yipee! (I'm serious. It is truly fantastic to be here)

So anyways, Brad and I have been friends for a long time. One of our favorite, redundant, things to talk about is the fact that we are pretty much each others' oldest friend... Well, the oldest friend that either of us still has in their life on a regular basis (Brad comes to Toronto a lot too, so I get to see him quite a bit). And people often ask us if we are brother and sister, which I used to find totally unbelievable and a little creepy, but now I embrace it. And I can sort of see it too. And he is pretty much like a brother to me. I love him dearly, but he can also frustrate the hell out of me sometimes... You can really only be truly frustrated by those you truly love... At least he's quite good looking, so I'm flattered that people see a resemblance.

Anyhow, so thanks to Brad I'm here. And thanks to my lovely friend Devon and her girlfriend Pam, I have my very own bedroom in their stylish and roomy apartment in the North End. Also, I have had two of the best showers of my life here over the past two days. Devon and Pam have so much cool sh*t! I swear, I must have spent like 25 minutes in the shower just browsing... Looking at all of their unique and nice smelling body scrubs, shower gels, shampoos and conditioners... We also had a really nice night just chatting last night, after we got home from having dinner with Tracey and her friend Mike, at a very tasty organic restaurant downtown called The Wooden Monkey. But I guess that's what Best Friends are good for... late-night chatting over a bottle of red wine when you don't feel like doing anything else. Devon was my director (aka Godsend) for my one-woman show that I did at the Toronto Fringe Festival this past summer, and I actually hadn't seen her since she lived with me for that month back in June/July 2006!

And the last of my nearest and dearest who is here in El Falifax (as her two-year old niece called it when she first moved here), is my friend Tiina, whom I will be meeting later today for Brunch. Alas, not my favorite meal as I don't eat eggs (I'm a much bigger fan of Dunch), but at least it's better than straight up breakfast, which is almost always egg-centric. (Ha, funny term!) Tiina is special. We have matching tattoos. 'Nuf said.

So yeah, Halifax. I love it. It's small enough for me to know it well. Just big enough to have some cool spots to hang out, and party, and some cool events happening now and then. The people are pretty much as friendly as you would expect. And three of my best friends live here. I have always had a great time in Halifax, and I'm sure this short but sweet trip will be no different. It looks like the sun is shining out there again (yesterday was a lovely Spring day!) and if you ask me, you just can't beat a city where you can almost always see the ocean...

*sigh*

Time to go enjoy the day...

Apparently, Canada Wants Me Back

I guess Canada was worried that I wouldn't come back?
(So they sent an ambassador to meet me at LaGuardia Airport the other day)
PS - For any of my New York, or elsewhere-based non-Canadian readers, the above photo is of Tracey, Me, JEAN CHRETIEN(!!!) and Tracey's mom Jodi. Jean Chretien is a former Prime Minister of Canada, and my personal favorite of all those who have been Prime Minister in my lifetime, FYI.

Being Here Now

So, I've been back "home" in Toronto for just over 24 hours now, but I find myself feeling kind of like I'm not even in my own body... It's not that I'm sad to be here - on the contrary! I'm so thankful to be back home in my beautiful apartment, that is in the house belonging to my lovely friend Guntar, and to be making plans to get together with many of the lovely other great friends that I have here. They are what makes my life in Toronto so wonderful.

No, more likely than anything else, I am simply tired. A little overwhelmed, probably. I find myself wanting so desperately to simply be able to just Be Here - if even simply in my own flesh and bones and space - and yet the reality of my life right now is that my brief time here in Toronto must be spent making plans and working towards my future travels. Tracey and I leave again this Saturday morning for the whirlwind Halifax leg of our "World Tour". Before the week is up I must also get it together and set the wheels in motion for my French and UK work visas, which require the relinquishing of my passport temporarily. I will be needing said passport in less than 2 weeks for my road-trip to Vermont (Thank you American Government for that new law!). And then there are those pesky school applications to follow-up on... I don't even think I want to go back to school next year anymore!

In any case, it's hard to Be Here when my thoughts and actions must be focused on other places and other times. Nevermind the fact that I barely even have the time to miss New York. Though I do, quite a bit.

To comfort myself, I have been stealing moments here and there (damnit, smoking a cigarrette every now and then... Bad, Bad, BAD!) and listening to my ipod... I put on the playlist that I listened to most when I was wandering the streets of NY, and I lose myself in the cheesy, yet lovely lyrics of Whitney Houston's "My Love is Your Love"... And I comfort myself with thoughts of all the beautiful people I know and have known and the times we've shared and what wonderful things are still to come...

And I listen to Beth Orton's "Central Reservation Line" and am reminded that "Today is whatever I want it to mean..." And I remind myself that wherever I am, it's best to simply Be There. And I even find myself doing my own version of "praying", to the universe - promising that I will continue to give all that I can with this life of mine, if things continue to be so beautiful and so full, all around me. And so...

If tomorrow was judgement day,
and I'm standing on the frontline,
and the lord asked me what I did with my life,
I will say, I spent it with You...

Peace Everyone.

PRE-Post-Partum?

This time tomorrow morning I will be in LaGuardia Airport, likely waiting in a lineup to check my bags or go through airport security or something. And by tomorrow afternoon, I will be back "home" in Toronto.

I wasn't feeling too excited about that fact, until my friend Mark called me - just now - and we chatted for a bit about plans to meet up while he's travelling in Europe this Spring and I am working in South-Central France. And we also talked about my hopes and plans for moving to New York next year, and the busyness of my next few weeks before I go to France, when I will be doing one more leg of The Burning Bush's World Tour in Halifax (this weekend!!!) and taking a road-trip to Vermont with my high school friend Sarah... Oh, the future is so exciting!!

But most of all, I think I am feeling better after talking to Mark because even just hearing his voice, and talking for a few minutes, helped me to remember the fabulousness of my life in Toronto that awaits me, and most of all the people there that I love! I'm looking forward to a whirlwind few days of "home" before Halifax this weekend.

And speaking of whirlwind - these last few days sure have been! Agressive New York snowstorms arriving hot on the heels of springtime-like sunshine and morning walks through Central Park; Days of living with laughter and love, peppered with watching theatre and doing theatre and meeting theatre people and talking about theatre and raising our glasses to the theatre...

And New York City. The land of the Jews and the Irish, and realising that I might actually be a little bit of both - so of course I heart NY and loved stage managing the show about the stripping Rabbi on St Patrick's Day!

And solidifying fond new friendships, and falling in love, and always, working to the bone, and still loving...
Every Single Moment...

I get creative and installation-artsy on the snowy day of shabat


The loveable character of "Christy" - the opening act for The Burning Bush, with the most generous man in New York City and my new friend Joe "De la Heyman" (Uncle to my favorite NYC sketch comedy troupe, the super smart and funny 'Drop Six')


Tracey with Erez - Director of the NY FRIGID Festival, and one of my new best friends in New York City. He and his wife Laura are SO gonna be my peeps when I move here. Yeah!


Audiences wait in the crowded warmth of the lobby on a frigid St Patrick's Day... I think this is what success looks like, no?


Tracey, er, I mean Christy & Megs steal one last backstage moment together before the final NY FRIGID Fest performance of The Burning Bush. In case you're wondering, this is what Jewish bling looks like (Big Sis & Lil Sis versions, respectively)

And so we beat on, boats against the current... or something like that.

NAMASTE

The City Was My Boyfriend

Dear Toronto,

Oh, where to begin? You know, these letters are never easy. But I feel that I really need to share some things with you.

First and foremost, you need to know that you Changed My Life. You helped make me who I am today, and for that I will be forever indebted to you! When we met, just over six years ago now, I was in a crazy place - emotionally, mentally… Hell, I was 18 and about to move in with my first real boyfriend – what?! Anyhow, you took me in right away. And I fell in love with you quickly and easily.

You need to believe me when I tell you that it was so easy for me to love you – you were everything I’d always wanted, and all that I could handle at that point in my life. You were busy and bustling, full of flagship stores and “Centre of the Universe” energy. You were new and exciting and full of the potential of my own future. You were the new home of most of my best friends, and best of all, you were not at all the place where I grew up. Theoretically, I could understand what some native Torontonians had to bitch about when they complained of your frigid weather and your lack of natural beauty, but in my heart I loved you unconditionally.

I made you My Home. You were the first home I ever made for myself. And that ain’t nothin’. How comforting it was, each time that I had to leave you – for funeral after funeral in BC, followed eventually by some experimental trips “just for… fun?” – to have that reassuring, heart-felt feeling in the centre of my being each time that my plane touched down at Pearson Airport, that I had once again arrived at Home. And how impressed I have come to be with myself for having had the ability to make such a home of you and your sprawling yet densely populated self!

I can proudly say that I have come to know you very well. And not just your popular side! I am quite confident that in a mere six and a half years, I was able to get to know you inside and out, far and wide… And from your Harbourfront that reminded me of my childhood home (in a nice way) to your imposing Bay Street; From my 6 year Annex home-base to my ongoing love affair with spending time in the east end (yes, even The Beaches); From the UofT Scarborough campus to the community centres of Brampton, Oakville & Missisauga (to name but a few); I enjoyed brief flirtations with the consumerism of Yonge & Eglinton, the sometimes nauseatingly hip Queen West West, Kensington Market and even various surburban pockets of life sprinkled throughout the entire GTA, where I taught every now and then… No, I will never say that you gave me nothing. You gave me so, so, sooo much.

Most importantly, you gave me a place where the people I needed around me, could each simply Live and Be, each in his or her own unique way. Certainly the greatest gift of the last 6 years of my life with you has been the sharing of it with the people who became My Family. And the greatest thing about Family, is that no matter where you go, your Family will always be your Family. So perhaps along those lines, Toronto will always be my Home… in a way.

But the thing is, though I can’t speak for you, and I can only speak for myself, I think we need to seperate in order to keep growing… And let me tell you, it breaks my heart to have to tell you this, but… I’m breaking up with you. You may not want to hear about this now, and it hurts me like hell to have to let go of this deep love affair we’ve been having. But I suddenly understand the truth behind every cheesy break-up cliché: It’s not you, and it is me! And in order to keep growing, to keep moving towards my bright and beautiful future, I need to move on from you. I need more space. I need a city that will challenge me further. It may sound vain, but I need a city that’s bigger, older, wiser, louder, faster, brighter, stronger… and yes, even sexier.

Alright, I guess I’ve said my peace now. I’m sorry if my truth hurts you, but to quote a dear friend of mine “spiritual growth hurts, Rabbi” (Barbara Baumawitz, aka The Burning Bush). I’ll need some time to sort myself out before I move to New York City, which is why I am planning this move for January 2008. And between now and then I will work on slowly weaning myself away from your nurturing breast by traveling quite a bit throughout the rest of this year. First I will be off to Halifax for a few short days with The Burning Bush again, and then on a road-trip to Vermont with a little blast from my past, followed by 4 months this summer in South-Central France, and possibly a jaunt over to Israel with The Burning Bush again in the fall. Hopefully this will ease the shock of my departure for both of us a little.

Oh Toronto, it is so important to me that you know how much you’ve meant to me. We had our good times, and our bad times, but always we were there for each other. I was so in love…

And now, instead of goodbye, I am going to quote another lady whose singing voice I am quite a fan of, and simply sign off by saying that:
“I-eeeeeeeee, Will ALWAYS, Love Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

XOXO

Like A Proud Mama

From now on, if ever you run into me and I am with my good friend Thea, I am going to turn into one of those impossible-to-curb, over-the-top enthusiasts. I will introduce you to her and say "This is my friend Thea. You know, my friend who wrote and published the novel." But it won't stop there. I will likely make her show you the tattoo on the back of her neck that matches the one on my forearm (that I designed specifically for me and her and our friend Tiina to get) and I will tell you about how we are BFF's and how proud I am of her; How hard she works, how smart and sensitive she is, what an incredible and inspiring person she is; How proud I am of her, and... How Proud I Am Of Her! And you might be tempted to say, "I know all this already Meghan, I read your blog" But it still won't stop me...

So, check it:
Thea's Book Launch @ Women's Bookstore in Toronto
Friday, April 13, 2007
(If you're COOL, you'll be there)

MEANWHILE, IN PRESENT-DAY NYC...

This morning I had the absolute pleasure of meeting up with my friend (and interestingly enough, Thea's ex-boyfriend) Kurt for breakfast followed by a stroll through Central Park. Oh my goodness, I actually just wrote about my stroll through Central Park - I love it here so much!!!

When Kurt and I parted ways midday today, I made a quick pit-stop at the Apple Store (a very cool space - maybe you can find pics of it online if you google "Apple Store in NYC") because I forgot my ipod charger in Toronto, then I subway-ed myself back downtown, where I got off the train a few stops out of my usual way (an exploration tip from a new NYC friend of mine) and walked home through the West Village.

THE best thing that happened to me all day was when some 10 or 11 year-old kid shoved a flyer into my hand on the Avenue of Americas. In photocopied, yet authentic handwritten child-writing it read:

BUY FAIR-TRADE
COFFEE Buying Fair Trade
-----------------------------------------
Products will help farmers have
better lives with a living
wage. What is Fair Trade? Fair
Trade Coffee is coffee grown
by farmers and bought by
us at a fair price. Just asking
for a cup of fair trade coffee
could be helping lots of farmers
have better lives, and it tastes
no different. Fair trade coffee is
actually in most cases more
organic. Just something to think
about as you're drinking your
triple mocha latte-chino. Nah,
just joking. Help farmers, buy
Fair Trade.

Okay I am seriously going to give up my Starbucks habit. I promise kid, I promise.

What a 'Good Day' Looks Like:

Post-show on Tuesday night, at the Yaffa Cafe again - what?!?!

The Sights and Sounds of an East Village Morning

It is just after 8am and I am out walking. Beth Orton’s “Central Reservation Line” song is in my ear, via my ipod, reminding me that “today is whatever I want it to mean.” The morning air is fresh, and I know that the sun is shining because I can see patches of sunlight splashed across the sides of the tall buildings that surround me. For now, I live in a place called “Stuyvesant Town” – the scope of which I was somewhat oblivious to, until Tracey stopped us in our tracks yesterday and pointed to the stretch of brown-brick highrise apartment buildings, that seem to go on for blocks, and blocks, that make up “Stuyvesant Town.”

I’ve been educated by actual New Yorkers (as in, people who were born here) about the history of this odd, downtown, miniature suburbia. These buildings (with incredibly generous sized apartments!) were built by the U.S. government towards the end of the 1940’s, so that those returning home from the war would have a place to live. Can you imagine? I can. And in my imagination it is summer, sometime in the 1950’s, and there are children playing with skipping ropes and jax... It must be a Saturday because there are adults standing around talking to one another too. The air is thick and hazy with the heat of summer in downtown Manhattan. This imaginary scene is a beautiful paradox.

Meanwhile, fifty-some-odd years later, a 25 year-old Canadian girl is out for a morning walk. The moment is post-yoga, and the day is post-hangover. My new T-shirt, from De La Vega’s “Become Your Dream” store reads: “BE MINDFUL, EVEN IF YOUR MIND IS FULL.” This is my mantra for today. Our show this evening will be stellar, and flawless. (Ah, the zen of stage management... what?)

I savour the experience of joining my neighbours in their respective morning commutes to work and school. I keep place closely with a black man, professionally-yet-stylishly dressed in an outfit toped off with a funky newsboy hat, as he leads his beautiful daughter (my educated guess: aged 9) towards her school. I pass them just as they pause, oh-so-momentarily at the steps of her school, he pecks her softly on the cheek and they part ways. She disappears into the front doors of her downtown eastside school and however oblivious to me, he catches up with me at the corner. He turns and crosses in a different direction than I am headed, and my last image of him makes me smile: He gently and casually high-fives another man, who is walking with his wife and small son, as they pass on the street, like ships passing in the night. It is a simple and beautiful moment.

A few blocks later, I find myself in Union Square. I opt against the 20 person-long line-up at Starbucks and instead duck into a very modern and sparsely decorated French café called TISSERIE. I relax over a café latte and the tastiest whole wheat 7 grain muffin I’ve ever had (the French really do know how to make sh*t taste good!), and I watch a different kind of New York morning scene unfold. The clientele here are pretty much the kind of people one might expect to find in a modern French café on a Tuesday morning in downtown Manhattan; The stylish business people order coffees and lattes to go with the calm and ease of those who have enough money and confidence to not need to rush to their workplaces. Similarly, well-dressed 30-somethings conduct friendly morning meetings over organic teas and decadent pastries. I stand out a little in my jeans and T-shirt, but find myself thinking “How do they know I’m not totally rich and almost famous?” ‘Cause I am.

My last stop of the morning is my favorite spot to grocery shop – Manhattan’s only “Trader Joe’s”. Apparently, the rest of Manhattan shares my affinity for this place. And I can’t blame ‘em. This apparently well-known American chain store sells the tastiest, healthiest (often organic) food for the most insanely affordable prices – and they have a plethora of ready-to-serve options! A little piece of grocery store heaven, just around the corner from my abode.

So, am I lucky? Yup. But I’ll say this too: I’m not just lucky, I’m happy. I’m working my ass off, but I’m also loving every moment of being here. And thus, the laws of attraction (like attracts like) seem to be working quite nicely for me…

NAMASTE

What an 'Open Bar' leads to...

I'm only posting this photo because:
a) it's the only one Tracey emailed to me (the others are actually much more flattering of me, but she's making goofy faces...)
and
b) I'm not afraid to admit to you that I can make an ass of myself, and be able to laugh about it afterwards

So this is me and my new friend Brent. Brent is from Winnipeg and actually knows my friend Anthony (how well, I'm not sure...). He's a nice guy who maybe got about half as drunk as I did. Thank goodness for that because we really needed him on "Team Search For Meghan's Purse" - a team that consisted of the FRIGID Festival General Manager Akia, the Festival Director's wife Laura, and Brent. I had these three running around all three floors of the building, searching for my misplaced purse and jacket. Twice. Each time these items were found, they were in really covert places such as hanging on the back of a chair in the middle of the main party room. I'm also not even sure why I was looking for them so often...

And just to help you picture the evening a little more vividly, other highlights include:

• Running up to the Managing Director of the Festival, Erez, while he is holding a bunch of FRIGID Festival T-shirts and asking for one only to realise that I did the same thing just a few hours earlier (picture me pawing through the pile of T-shirts in his arms like a drunk puppy in response to his question: "what size would you like?" Oh My.)
• Dancing Crazy to Knarls Barkley's "Crazy" song with 2 dancers from The Flamenco Show, only to be told by Erez that the building is too old for us to be dancing like that. Really. So then we danced crazy without moving our feet. Even I can't imagine what that looked like.
• Me talking to Erez's lovely wife Laura. And talking. And talking. And... You know, I have this vivid picture in my mind's eye of her sweet, caring face as she listened to me talk. But I am hard-pressed to remember many moments when I shut own mouth and listened to her. Oh My.

And at the end of the night, as I stood outside smoking cigarettes (bad, BAD girl...) with 3 of the 4 festival organisers, Morgan (the Press Rep) insisted that I enter her cell phone number into my phone, just in case I got lost on the way home (a mere 10 blocks away). As I stumbled down the street just after 2am, I'm pretty sure I heard someone remark in awe: "Canadians sure know how to party!"

Eh!

The Morning After

Is it a bad thing when you wake up and before you even open your eyes, all you can think to do is exclaim "Oh no, oh no..." ?

In my own defense, I think I did it more for the laughs... 'Did what?' you may be asking. Well, I've had that thought myself, a few times this morning. I actually mean the waking up and yelling "Oh no" over and over again. I think I did it so that Tracey would be intrigued to hear more about how much fun I had after she went home last night.

So, last night was the FRIGID Festival party, complete with open bar and a Canadian girl who accidentally forgot to eat dinner... You can imagine what it was like.

Tracey has some photos on her camera that she is going to send me so that you can get a little glimpse of how much I love New York... But she's not sure yet which one she trusts me to have, for fear of what might end up on the internet, I think...

Are you intrigued yet?
Good.

PS - if I sound peppy and together, it's a total act.
I am remembering why I don't drink much anymore.
Hangovers suck.
(And to top it off, I'm meeting Jackie Mason today - for real!)

My Secret

Wanna know a dirty little secret? Okay, well... One of my favorite things to do, when I have a few moments to myself, and am in an American city, is watch TV. It helps me to really feel like am a part of the culture here. I very rarely get to watch TV otherwise.

So, right now I am watching the Forbes Celebrity 100 TV Special "Who Made Bank" and learning all about which celebrities are ridiculoulsy rich and how they throw their money around recklessly. It's an interesting contrast to the Suze Orman special "Women & Money" that I just watched on PBS. God, I love this country and it's broad variety of perspectives...

Now, I have to say, I was very inspired by Suze Orman. And I was reminded that I actually already own one of her books - very thoughtfully given to me by my friend Thea, years ago - as well as another book about women & financial independence called "Prince Charming Isn't Coming". It felt very serendipitous to be watching this show, and remembering those books sitting on my bookshelf at home in Toronto, and realising that it's really time for me to grow up and take responsibility for, and control of, my financial life. (It's interesting to note that these days I seem to often be finding myself coming "full circle" and/or returning to some interest I had earlier in my life... hmm, wonder what that means?)

Alright, so the big message about Women And Money that Suze Orman had for me (and now you) is this: It's not about how much money you have or don't have, or how much debt you have, it is about how you feel... First and foremost about yourself, and by extension, your financial state. This is all very "The Secret" to me, which I am totally into because if you ask me, it ain't really a secret - my friend Anthony and I swear we knew this sh*t all along! Anyhow, with regards to the money thing, I am ready to admit (and here, on the internet of all places!) that I have not always been very good with money. And by that I mean I have pretty much always been bad with money. But all that is changing, and now. Because I say so.

I vow, here and now, to take full and complete responsibility for my financial status from here on in. I have the power, the intelligence and the commitment to be financially responsible, and eventually even wealthy! Yup, 'cause I say so. I can, and will, own a lovely home one day. I choose to make my living doing things that I love, and I will find ways to make these things lucrative. (And as long as I"m predicting the future here, I will get to meet Oprah one day and will someday make my home in New York City too - why not?!) If I really want it, I'm sure I could make my way onto the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in a few years, but that thought just doesn't make my heart flutter like some others do... So be it.

The final interesting piece of gospel that Suze Orman had for us gals is this: OWN YOUR NAME. She talked about how when she asks women to say their name, they often ask her "Which one? My married name, my divorced name or my maiden name?" And even if you're single, or still happily married, there are the options of Mrs, Ms and Miss. Suze points out that men do not have this problem. There is never a question about who they are. She reminds us that our names are our identities - so decide what yours is, and own it.

And on that note,
I'm Meghan (but you can call me Triple, Meg, Megs or Boss)
and I love New York City!!!

Friday Night Blogging, Part II - the pics

This is me, from aproximately 2:30 - 4:30pm this afternoon, acting like I'm totally in charge and able to make decisions about lighting cues, etc. (A.k.a, our Tech Rehearsal)


And now, several hours later (note the glossy-eyed expression), post-totally-sensational opening night show... Here I am, at some bar, with the lovely friends of Tracey's friends... Ah, "six degrees"... I think I'm going to call this picture "I'm not a lesbian, but I wish I was..."

Friday Night Gratitude

I don't even know what to say right now...

Okay, I'm a little drunk. Embarassingly so, because it's only 11:47pm, I'm in New York City, I've only had about 3 or 4 drinks and I'm at home blogging for christ's sake! Those of you who know me can attest to the fact that I'm not typically such a cheap drunk. But in my own defense, let me tell you that I am also functioning on aproximately 3 hours of sleep, minimal food, maximum caffeine and adrenaline, and I also managed to sucessfully (very successfully, if I do say so myself) run our tech rehearsal this afternoon and stage manage our opening night show tonight - woo hoo! So maybe my body is slightly more vulnerable at the moment. Maybe...

Okay, anyhow. Yes, we had our opening night performance tonight. We rocked the house. Or rather, Tracey did. I just struggled to stay focused, and not be distracted by her great performance, and run the technical cues with as few gliches as possible. Okay, maybe I am being overly modest. Though T.E.S. is certainly The Star, I know I done good too. (Just goes to show, it's easy to be good at something that you care about, right?)

Alright, is anyone at all curious about why I only got 3 hours of sleep last night? Well, it's not because I stayed up all night to do laundry, though I did do that too. No, I was up until about 3am last night finishing my application to York University's Concurrent Bachelor's of Education program. And when I say 'finishing', I really mean starting, and then finishing. And then emailing it to my dear friend, and current saviour and hero, Guntar, so that he could print it and hand deliver it for me before the 4:30pm deadline today. Oh my. This will be a great story if I actually get in to teacher's college and become a teacher... "I started and finished my application to teachers college in less than 12 hours, while I was in New York City production managing a play..."

Yep, that's me for ya.

So, since it is late-ish (don't you even think about trying to make me feel bad about the fact that I am essentially at home on a friday night in new york city - I have been working hard!), I am going to wrap this blog entry up with gratitude, large gratitude...

I am thankful to be in New York City, working a job that I care deeply about, with someone whom I admire, and have much to learn from, and I have fun with... I am thankful that I am in a position to "network" with so many new yorkers, who work in and around the theatre world, and that I am letting my personality shine through every interaction that I undertake, and that I am making the most of the opportunities that surround me...

I am thankful for the time I got to spend in Vancouver as a result of this "job" with Tracey, in particular, I am thankful for the time I got to spend with my brother in Vancouver and for the fact that I was able to attend the celebration of my friend MLE's life...

I am thankful for all of my recent and upcoming travels & adventures... Las Vegas in Dec 2006, Thirteen Moons Retreat Centre in Peterborough County in Jan 2007, Vancouver in Feb 2007, NYC in Mar 2007, and up next: Halifax at the end of Mar 2007, followed by a road-trip to (and BFF Reunion in) Burlington, Vermont in April 2007 and then a departure from Canada at the end of April 2007 so that I can spend the Spring/Summer working in the South of France...

The Burning Bush World Miracle Tour is also hoping to perform at the Acco Festival in Israel in the Fall, followed by Hawaii or Las Vegas, whichever I can work out quicker... lol ;)
After which, we will likely have to make our way to Chicago since Oprah will be dying to meet us before our Off-Broadway run begins in 2008! (Maybe I will just be too busy travelling to go back to school and teacher's college)...

I am also thankful that the FRIGID Festival that we are a part of here in NYC is being run by such cool, down-to-earth, talented, hard-working and interesting individuals... And that we got Justin (one of these four awesome above-mentioned individuals, as well as the Tech Director for the festival) as our technician...

I am thankful that I have a dear friend (who also happens to be my upstairs neighbour and landlord in Toronto) who will do things like print my application to teachers college and drive up to York University to hand deliver it for me with less than 24 hours notice...

I am also thankful that when it is time to pry myself away from the adventure of travel, that I will have a beautiful, clean, cozy and familiar home to return to. And that there are many people that I am looking forward to seeing and re-connecting with, including my friends: Mark, Alison, Cheryl, Kathy, Devon, Zoja, Guntar, Thea, Karen, Cathy and... lots and lots of others...

F*@#, I am a lucky girl.
(And I am grateful too)

*NAMASTE*

I just figured out how to put pics on here!

Hello Tokyo! I mean, HELLO NEW YORK!!! (Sorry, we travelled for so long I was SURE we had reached another timezone)



She leans over precarious ledges... She punctures herself with thumb-tacks... She gets tangled in double-sided tape... She is THE MASTER of Bush Marketing and Promotions and she has conquered the staple gun!














A likely sight: T.E.S & Meg conduct a business meeting over Dunch at Cafe MSG, er, I mean the Yaffa Cafe...


Just because I think it's so damn hot, check out my favorite publicity image for The Burning Bush:



















And now, A Vancouver Retrospective:

T.E.S & I with the Chutzpah Festival Poster at the Vancouver JCC


Me, my brother & Tracey at the Joshua Nelson & the Kosher Gospel Singers' concert at The Chan Center at UBC


My bro, getting Joshua Nelson to sign his CD after the concert...yeeeah!

















And, who knows, really?

How do I entertain you at 7:16am?

So, for the last 3 days, I've been waking up every morning at 6am. I've done my morning yoga/pilates routine (which pretty much consists of 2 Tori Amos songs worth of sun salutations and Eminem's "Lose Yourself"'s worth of pilates exercises), hopped in the shower, dressed quickly and then parked myself at my computer. By 8 or 9 am T.E.S. is usually up and we have a "morning meeting". Then I either get back on my computer, or we head out into the work of NYC...

On Monday we went out to pick up posters from the printer, buy some other random supplies from Staples (ooh, this was an exciting stop because TES and I swear we saw stuff at that Staples that you can't find at Staples in Canada, as we walked out of the store I whispered in her ear, "I can't believe I'm saying this but I kind of love America!") and buy a stand-alone, three-paneled screen that is an integral set piece for The Burning Bush show. On Tuesday morning, post-morning meeting, we schlepped ourselves to the upper west side (I think) to drop off some posters and flyers to the Manhattan JCC, and then back down again to the east village for a FRIGID Festival Orientation meeting. Throughout this time I was text messaging with my friend Brad in Halifax, whom I had just learned that morning via email is producing Halifax's first ever Chutzpah! Jewish Cultural Festival! (He hadn't been reading my blog so he had no idea that I was currently the World Tour Manager - oh yes, I've been promoted! - of the hottest jewish-canadian show about a stripping Rabbi EVER!) In any case, throughout the course of a day that had me on the subway, in several FRIGID Festival meetings and walking around the east village postering for The Burning Bush, I also somehow managed (mostly via text messaging) to work out a deal with my friend Brad, on Tracey's behalf, to bring The Burning Bush to Chutzpah! Halifax at the end of this month! (I think that may be the reason my 'production manager' title got promoted to World Tour Manager!)

Alright, so yesterday, Wednesday, I forced myself to spend the first few hours of the day (you know, 7-9am) dealing with some of my own pressing issues, like emails to schools and work on my applications to York's Concurrent B.Ed. program and my applications to theatre school (at York and Studio 58). This, of course, was followed by a morning meeting with TES, followed by some more work from our "home office", then another field-trip out into the (cold and snowy) NYC world, to pick up some more postcards from the printer this time. We interrupted our hectic day with a lovely DUNCH (see definition in last post) at the most incredible place in SoHO... It's a completely Parisien cafe called Balthazar, and it was really and truly like a little trip to Paris just being in there! As we walked out, I said to Tracey: "Wow. That was lovely. Who knew you needed a vacation when you were already on one!?"

Speaking of which. I'm tired. I mean, I don't know if what I'm doing sounds like much to you, my dear readers, but this isn't even the half of it. We literally do not stop - ever. We pack every "spare moment" with talk about the show, calls and emails to promote the show, plans for how we will promote the show, etc. TES had a realisation two nights ago that we are not even taking 5 minute breaks, so we are trying to self-impose them every now and then. When we do this, I get to pick a song from Tracey's ipod (she has those portable speaker-thingys) and then we put it on and dance a little. Some recent picks include: Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines", Great Big Sea's "When I'm Up (I can't get down)" and Shakira & Wyclef's "My hips don't lie".

So this morning, instead of waking of half and hour earlier than usual at 5:30am, like I had planned, I ended up sleeping in an hour until 7am. But trust me, I needed it. I also decided to allow myself the luxury of writing on this 'ere blog before I even checked my emails. And you know, it's felt good. I've managed to wake up a little, and now TES is up too (she seems to still be feeling pretty sick - yikes!) and I should probably re-focus and get on with our work day...

So, sorry if this blog entry has been a little dry, it is still before 8am! (And I didn't even tell you about how I went last night, by myself, to the opening night performances of the festival, and saw my friend Emily Morwen perform her very good show, Spotless, and gave out Burning Bush flyers to everyone and anyone, and brought flowers to the FRIGID Fest organisers on behalf of Tracey and I, and... and... and... okay, I'll stop now)

Headin' back to work now (with lots o'gratitude, excitement, and energy for the day!)

xoxo, Triple M in NYC

Da Bush is ON FIRE!!!

Aiight, so I guess it's Day Two of 'The Burning Bush Crew' being in NYC - and man, have we made it a good day! First off, let me just say that anyone who knows anybody in New York City should tell them to check out: http://frigidfest.com/shows/BurningBush.html and book their tickets to see one of only six performances of the sure-to-be-sold-out run of Tracey Erin Smith's "The Burning Bush"! Do it now!

So, back to today. T.E.S. woke up this morning with a little laryngitis, which I told her was probably a sign from her body that she needed to slow down and tune in to her own body, as opposed to barrelling forward at 1,000 miles an hour until her opening night this friday. Have you ever noticed how your body often becomes sick or injured only at the times when either you really need it, or you have the time or care around you to handle it? Well, I think this is true, and as I (yes, slightly direction-deficient ME) led Tracey and myself downtown on the NY subway system this morning, I reassured her that she was in good hands. One of my favorite things about Tracey is that when I offer unsolicited observations like the one above, she listens very earnestly and often seems to agree with me. Yeah, I like that in a friend.

Okay, so this morning was a triumph of picking up our posters from the printers (they accidentally printed 250 for us when we only ordered 75, so we got 250 for the price of 75!), finding the last of our remaining set pieces and supplies that we needed, and stopping by both the FRIGID Festival office and our performance space and posting our posters and flyers (you can look forward to some great pics of me tentatively using a staple gun, and boldly hanging over a ledge to put up our posters - anything for bums in seats)! Then we had "Dunch" - my new favorite meal, a hearty mid-afternoon meal that is later than lunch and not quite dinner - at what has come to be our favorite cafe: Yaffa Cafe. Unfortunately, post-meal we deduced that the very crazy, intense, searing, shooting-pain headaches that I've been having for the last day and a half are likely a result of the MSG in the tasty food (stir fry broccoli, vegetable curry, etc) at Cafe Yaffa. So, although it is totally irresistable with it's kitschy eclectic decor and free wireless internet access, TES and I have decided to forgo such frequent dining at "Cafe MSG", er, I mean the Yaffa Cafe.

(As a sidebar note, the last time I remember eating MSG was YEARS ago, at a Chinese restaurant with Tiina, Thea, Kyle and Joseph, I think. It was the summer before Tiina and Brendan left Toronto for Halifax and I can vividly remember the searing headache and the entire lower half of my face going numb! Yikes!)

So, perhaps still a little messed up on MSG, TES and I returned home to our fabulous (and HUGE) NYC apartment in the East Village (we're on 1st Ave at 16th Street). We had a power meeting to further strategise what I have named "Operation Bums in Seats for Opening Night" and then TES made some phone calls. Some very good phone calls.

First, she called Joshua Nelson and seemed to reach him on his cell phone somewhere on the road to a gig. Now, I must tell you that Joshua Nelson is a mind-blowingly amazing Black Jewish Gospel singer whose sold-out concert Tracey and I took my brother to see when we were in Vancouver for the Chutzpah Festival last month. Now, I'm not Jewish, nor have I ever really listened to much gospel music, and I was really sick the night of the concert, but I had an amazing time. After the show, I went to get some air and Tracey and my brother managed to buy a CD each from the 20 remaining CD's he had to sell at the end of his tour, AND they managed to meet Josh Nelson, get him to autograph their CD's and take a photo with them. That was when he told Tracey he would be into seeing her show in New York (he lives in New Jersey).

So Tracey calls Josh Nelson this afternoon. She talks to him, sings to him a little (she has an amazing voice herself) and then I hear her say "Yes... the show opens this friday... Sure, I'll put some comps aside for you and your friends" - oh my!!! This is very cool.

So after that victory, I convince her to call this Rabbi here in New York that I call Rabbi Gonzo, because he wrote a book that Tracey is currently reading called "Gonzo Judaism". She eventually gets his home office number, and leaves a great voicemail message for him too. And she also calls and leaves a message for Jackie Mason. Jackie Mason is a pretty famous former-Rabbi-turned-comedian, whom Tracey has met a few times, and has loved for a long time, and who is sort of a central character in her show. Tomorrow we will drop a press package off to his wife/manager and I will make a follow up call. Mark my words, we will be on Oprah before you know it!!!

After all this excitement, I left TES with her computer to do some more emailing and I walked a few blocks over to the grocery store to pick up some dinner supplies and sustenance for the week. Little did I know, I was not entering just any grocery store, I was walking into the first and only "Trader Joe's" in New York City. From what I can tell, "Trader Joe's" is a large-ish american chain grocery store that sells mostly healthy, gourmet, organic food and lots of ready-to-eat stuff, and for very, very good prices. It's quite an amazement! No wonder half the city was shopping there after work on a Monday evening!

I swear I am not exagerrating even a little when I tell you that I stood in a line-up that wrapped around the perimeter of the entire store for about 45 minutes to pay for my groceries. Standing in line consisted of about half the time that I was gone, I managed to shop and walk to and from the store in to the other 45 minutes! But you know, I've never been so happy standing in a line-up in my entire life. Maybe I was still a little high on the MSG, or maybe this really is my city, but I have just been so darn happy from the moment we arrived here! I think that I am destined to live here, for at least a little while, at some point, someday...

Until then, I'm here now and I'm livin' it and lovin' it!

I heart NY!

X's and O's to all, with joy from Triple M

Zen and the Art of Waiting at the Airport

We're here, we're finally here! In New York City!!! This is exciting because although NYC is only about an hour-long flight from Toronto, and thus relatively accessible, it took Tracey and I about 8-9 hours to journey here yesterday. Unfortunately, most of these hours were spent at the Toronto airport - first in a 2 hour long lineup where we discovered that we had been bumped from our 9am flight to a 7pm flight, which we thankfully got re-booked yet again to a 1pm flight. Then we had to schlepp (yes, I've been spending A LOT of time with Jewish people lately!) ourselves and our rather massive luggage from the chaotic Terminal 1 to the more familiar Terminal 3, since not only had our flight times changed about 5 times, so had our airline. We smoothly checked in for our new 1pm American Airlines flight, only to end up spending another few hours in the wierd limbo, timeless, place-less sort of space that is the departures waiting area. Of course, our flight was about an hour late to depart.

Finally we boarded the plane. Oh yes, the plane. A cozy little 50 person vessel... oh my! I'm pretty sure it was the smallest plane I've ever been on, and thus, also probably the bumpiest ride... But we made it, finally. After waking at about 5am in the morning, arriving at the Toronto airport around 7am, I finally stepped off the plane (I got to use STAIRS that take you right down on to the tarmac, like you sometimes see in movies!!) in New York City around 4pm. By 6pm-ish I was sitting on the floor outside of the room at the Upper West Side YMCA that Tracey and I had rented for just our first night, because Tracey had to run back downstairs because our keys weren't working yet! Oh my.

Well, I have never, ever said that I'm not a fan of adventure. And adventure it certainly was. Although, it was kind of more an adventure in finding humour, hope and calm in the face of confusion, frustration and exhaustion, but hey, everything in life is a lesson, right?

So we finally arrived in our tiny little room at the YMCA (today we will move to the apartment in the lower east side that we are sub-letting for the rest of our time here) only to have to quickly dash back out again. As I am yet again travelling with the lovely (and Jewish) T.E.S., we had tickets to some event geared towards "young, hip jews in their 20's and 30's" that celebrated "Purim" - which everyone just keeps explaining to me as "the jewish halloween".

Now, I realise that I was crazy exhausted, and as a result of our ridiculously long travel day felt more like we had made a journey to Tokyo as opposed to just across the border to NYC, but I did find the Purim event a little bizarre. Now, I will be the first to admit that when you don't know anything about something, it is a lot easier to judge it. So I won't do that. I will just say that we were tired, and it started with a reading in hebrew that I didn't understand (though that did include some fun boo-ing and noise makers every time they said the name of the bad guy in the story!), followed by a somewhat entertaining "theatrical" presentation that used both video and live performance, and Stepen Colbert(!), and spoofs of popular TV shows like American Idol and Project Runway to tell a comedic version of the Jewish story of Purim. It wasn't terrible at all, but we were tired, so instead of partying it up with all the other wild young jews, we schlepped ourselves down the street a few blocks to our home at the Y for the night.

This morning, TES and I woke up to a bright, sunny, New York day on the upper west side, took a little walk past Central Park to a diner recommended by the helpful woman at the YMCA security desk - "it's good" she said, "you can eat decent food and sit by the window and watch the traffic go by". Which we did. Blissfully. And now it's time to close up those massive suitcases one more time before we plant ourselves semi-permanently in our east village apartment for the next two weeks. We are going to stop in at the theatre this afternoon for a 4 hour rehearsal, then head over to our new, NYC home for the next two weeks!

I'm lovin' it.