Let it be known that on this joyous first day of returning my sneaker to my foot, I braved the stairs at West Fourth Street in the rain to babysit for my two favorite fifth-graders in lower Manhattan.
That's all.
Monday, April 26, 2010
NINJA RETURNS!
April 26, 2010
LE BOOT IS OFF!!! After six long and productive weeks, that stinking, stabilizing, surly-looking excuse for footwear has been banished to the corner with le crutches. They can all expect to return to the doctor on a less precipitous day.
But let’s return to celebration, shall we? Because I can return to the dance, slowly but surely, and I should be full-out, no-marking in two weeks. Woohoo!! I began celebrating immediately following my doctor’s appointment with an hour-long, 16-mile, bicycle marathon at Crunch. You know, my new place of employ. Oh, did I not mention I am now a dotFIT-certified Crunch personal trainer? Because I am. All last week, I learned various skills to take people from fat to fit, apathetic to athletic. I imagine these skills will be most beneficial to myself and my immediate circle. Thus far, my sister has been the luckiest one, reaping the most benefits from my newfound knowledge (she claims not to read this blog, but now I will know for sure!).
My week of training at Crunch was also a wonderful opportunity to try out my newly working foot and do some - drumroll, please - TWO-FOOTED ninja workouts! Sort of. For instance, they were teaching us how to do jumping squats. Leftie was not yet given the permission for such, so I increased the difficulty and did one-legged jumping squats! It’s true that subtracting a leg from many exercises makes them even harder. But I also did some leg presses, extensions, hamstring curls, all the necessary ranges of motion to prepare Leftie for this very exciting day.
I have an appointment for an audition in a few weeks where I will get to tap!! Fear not, it will be perfectly safe for Leftie at that time. I am also going in for physical therapy for the next several weeks. And rumor has it that broken and fractured bones heal stronger than they were before. I feel certain that Leftie will soon be unstoppable.
I’ve been continuing my guitar studies, they’re coming quite well. I picked up American Pie and Sweet Child of Mine this weekend while playing around with my younger brother’s electric guitar and rock collection. And I’m been reading a book called “Drood,” which has given me some insight for my upcoming production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” So, yes, it is research.
As you may have guessed, I am entirely caught up on Lost and I don’t know how people bear the week-long suspense. It’s dreadful.
I would like to give a shout-out to my friend Danielle and my puppy Jacques for accompanying me on a day-long stroll about the city on Saturday. Mimosas, shopping acquisitions and good company aside, I believe it was highly instrumental in Leftie’s great progress. (A mere shout to Jacques for his lesser behavior. He knows what he did.)
I cannot wait for the rain to cease so I can clean up my bike and take the city by storm!
LE BOOT IS OFF!!! After six long and productive weeks, that stinking, stabilizing, surly-looking excuse for footwear has been banished to the corner with le crutches. They can all expect to return to the doctor on a less precipitous day.
But let’s return to celebration, shall we? Because I can return to the dance, slowly but surely, and I should be full-out, no-marking in two weeks. Woohoo!! I began celebrating immediately following my doctor’s appointment with an hour-long, 16-mile, bicycle marathon at Crunch. You know, my new place of employ. Oh, did I not mention I am now a dotFIT-certified Crunch personal trainer? Because I am. All last week, I learned various skills to take people from fat to fit, apathetic to athletic. I imagine these skills will be most beneficial to myself and my immediate circle. Thus far, my sister has been the luckiest one, reaping the most benefits from my newfound knowledge (she claims not to read this blog, but now I will know for sure!).
My week of training at Crunch was also a wonderful opportunity to try out my newly working foot and do some - drumroll, please - TWO-FOOTED ninja workouts! Sort of. For instance, they were teaching us how to do jumping squats. Leftie was not yet given the permission for such, so I increased the difficulty and did one-legged jumping squats! It’s true that subtracting a leg from many exercises makes them even harder. But I also did some leg presses, extensions, hamstring curls, all the necessary ranges of motion to prepare Leftie for this very exciting day.
I have an appointment for an audition in a few weeks where I will get to tap!! Fear not, it will be perfectly safe for Leftie at that time. I am also going in for physical therapy for the next several weeks. And rumor has it that broken and fractured bones heal stronger than they were before. I feel certain that Leftie will soon be unstoppable.
I’ve been continuing my guitar studies, they’re coming quite well. I picked up American Pie and Sweet Child of Mine this weekend while playing around with my younger brother’s electric guitar and rock collection. And I’m been reading a book called “Drood,” which has given me some insight for my upcoming production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” So, yes, it is research.
As you may have guessed, I am entirely caught up on Lost and I don’t know how people bear the week-long suspense. It’s dreadful.
I would like to give a shout-out to my friend Danielle and my puppy Jacques for accompanying me on a day-long stroll about the city on Saturday. Mimosas, shopping acquisitions and good company aside, I believe it was highly instrumental in Leftie’s great progress. (A mere shout to Jacques for his lesser behavior. He knows what he did.)
I cannot wait for the rain to cease so I can clean up my bike and take the city by storm!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ninja Walks
April 18, 2010
What’s been keeping me from updating the blog, you ask? One word - WALKING! That’s right, after four weeks of hobbling, hopping, cabbing and busing, I am now able to employ two feet on my daily excursions. My left one is still clad in this horrid boot cast, but it has been toeing an awful lot of ground nonetheless. The doctor gave me the okay on Monday, and it should only be another two weeks before I return to...the dance.
Where have I walked, you ask? First and foremost, to retrieve my long-lost pink-tailed puppy from his beautifying stay in the West Village. This morning, it was all along 26th Street waiting in line for the Spring Awakening National Tour audition. My newly earth-trodding foot stood its ground for eight hours before I got the chance to perform my first two-footed audition since the tumble. And, all across the East Village this weekend for drinks, brunches, dinners and a walking tour of the neighborhood for a potential subletter who wants mi casa while I am away in...
JAPAN! Yes, that wonderful boyfriend of which I speak, and I have planned an exotic getaway in June to Tokyo where we will be staying with my uncle, the artiste. You may be thinking this is fortuitous as I am surely quite advanced in my Japanese studies by now. But alas, the love of my life and I decided to enter the country of Japan with only our love to get us by. So, no Rosetta Stone, no Japanese for Dummies, there’s going to be a lot of pointing and gesturing on our twelve day excursion. I should probably learn the Japanese word for “vegetarian” (if such a word exists), as I am not sure how I would gesture my ethical objections to eating meat.
I’d like to give a shout-out to my friends for making my first weekend back on foot so much fun, and also the wonderful bartender at Croxley Ale’s for designing the Key Lime Pie Martini to have actual graham cracker on the rim of the glass. Brilliant!
Singing and guitar are also coming along quite well in spite of my newfound mobility. I have a new R&H song that’s kicking butt (just ask Jacques), and I’m also working on some 80’s material for an audition coming up. And my acoustic version of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen is pretty sweet. Again, Jacques can attest to this. He and I have been having a lovely reunion of walks, tricks and treats this weekend. And even a little rough tug with his rope toy.
I start training at Crunch tomorrow (it seems redundant, training to be a trainer) - hopefully the first week won’t require any serious jumping or hopping. Leftie might not be ready for such exertion just yet. Although toe curling is coming along quite well!
Oh! Another bright spot of my weekend for you - a new hat! Surely the Facebook pictures will be coming soon and you can see my new acquisition. I figured nothing like a fantastic accessory up top to detract attention from an ungainly shoe down below.
Off to bed as an early day of training for training awaits. Adieu!
What’s been keeping me from updating the blog, you ask? One word - WALKING! That’s right, after four weeks of hobbling, hopping, cabbing and busing, I am now able to employ two feet on my daily excursions. My left one is still clad in this horrid boot cast, but it has been toeing an awful lot of ground nonetheless. The doctor gave me the okay on Monday, and it should only be another two weeks before I return to...the dance.
Where have I walked, you ask? First and foremost, to retrieve my long-lost pink-tailed puppy from his beautifying stay in the West Village. This morning, it was all along 26th Street waiting in line for the Spring Awakening National Tour audition. My newly earth-trodding foot stood its ground for eight hours before I got the chance to perform my first two-footed audition since the tumble. And, all across the East Village this weekend for drinks, brunches, dinners and a walking tour of the neighborhood for a potential subletter who wants mi casa while I am away in...
JAPAN! Yes, that wonderful boyfriend of which I speak, and I have planned an exotic getaway in June to Tokyo where we will be staying with my uncle, the artiste. You may be thinking this is fortuitous as I am surely quite advanced in my Japanese studies by now. But alas, the love of my life and I decided to enter the country of Japan with only our love to get us by. So, no Rosetta Stone, no Japanese for Dummies, there’s going to be a lot of pointing and gesturing on our twelve day excursion. I should probably learn the Japanese word for “vegetarian” (if such a word exists), as I am not sure how I would gesture my ethical objections to eating meat.
I’d like to give a shout-out to my friends for making my first weekend back on foot so much fun, and also the wonderful bartender at Croxley Ale’s for designing the Key Lime Pie Martini to have actual graham cracker on the rim of the glass. Brilliant!
Singing and guitar are also coming along quite well in spite of my newfound mobility. I have a new R&H song that’s kicking butt (just ask Jacques), and I’m also working on some 80’s material for an audition coming up. And my acoustic version of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen is pretty sweet. Again, Jacques can attest to this. He and I have been having a lovely reunion of walks, tricks and treats this weekend. And even a little rough tug with his rope toy.
I start training at Crunch tomorrow (it seems redundant, training to be a trainer) - hopefully the first week won’t require any serious jumping or hopping. Leftie might not be ready for such exertion just yet. Although toe curling is coming along quite well!
Oh! Another bright spot of my weekend for you - a new hat! Surely the Facebook pictures will be coming soon and you can see my new acquisition. I figured nothing like a fantastic accessory up top to detract attention from an ungainly shoe down below.
Off to bed as an early day of training for training awaits. Adieu!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Ninja Checkpoint
April 10, 2010
Well, it’s been one month since I had my little slip down those pesky stairs at West 4th Street.
Has it been the most productive month of my life? Let’s see. In the past four weeks I:
- Learned two new monologues
- Learned two new songs
- Learned five songs on guitar
- Cooked a dozen new meals (several of the matzoh variety)
- Did about fifty one-legged ninja workouts
- Took pictures of blossoming trees and sketchy East Villagers
- Watched three seasons of Lost (shameful, I know)
- Ventured out for one-footed drinking on several an occasion
- Made zero progress on the Japanese front as my mother reminds me
- Avoided any knitting or domestic-related activities
...and booked two shows for the summer at Papermill Theatre in New Hampshire with the love of my life!!
That’s right, I will be playing Marcy in “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and Helena in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” My man will be serving as the vice-principal in “Spelling Bee” which should fulfill my long-time fantasy of having a student-faculty academic affair! (TMI?)
So, the monkey thing didn’t work out, but I now get to play an awesome over-achieving middle schooler and perform in a choose your own ending murder mystery musical!!
And, P.S. I’ve overcome my fear of the underground and have ridden the subway the past few days with no great injury to myself or others. I made my way up to the Lincoln Center Library this morning to acquire some new music for my Rodgers and Hammerstein collection and spent the evening listening and singing.
I also have a few more proposals my two-footed neighbors have shared with me, that I would like to share with you:
“How ‘bout you let me put your feet in my mouth while I rub your ankles?”
(uttered while I was carrying groceries back to my apartment)
“I hope your leg gets better soon, ‘cause I know when you walk, you gonna set the street on fire!”
(coming back from my “Tommy” audition in my yellow ingenue dress)
Only two more weeks of crutches. Who knows where they will lead? Stay tuned.
Well, it’s been one month since I had my little slip down those pesky stairs at West 4th Street.
Has it been the most productive month of my life? Let’s see. In the past four weeks I:
- Learned two new monologues
- Learned two new songs
- Learned five songs on guitar
- Cooked a dozen new meals (several of the matzoh variety)
- Did about fifty one-legged ninja workouts
- Took pictures of blossoming trees and sketchy East Villagers
- Watched three seasons of Lost (shameful, I know)
- Ventured out for one-footed drinking on several an occasion
- Made zero progress on the Japanese front as my mother reminds me
- Avoided any knitting or domestic-related activities
...and booked two shows for the summer at Papermill Theatre in New Hampshire with the love of my life!!
That’s right, I will be playing Marcy in “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and Helena in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” My man will be serving as the vice-principal in “Spelling Bee” which should fulfill my long-time fantasy of having a student-faculty academic affair! (TMI?)
So, the monkey thing didn’t work out, but I now get to play an awesome over-achieving middle schooler and perform in a choose your own ending murder mystery musical!!
And, P.S. I’ve overcome my fear of the underground and have ridden the subway the past few days with no great injury to myself or others. I made my way up to the Lincoln Center Library this morning to acquire some new music for my Rodgers and Hammerstein collection and spent the evening listening and singing.
I also have a few more proposals my two-footed neighbors have shared with me, that I would like to share with you:
“How ‘bout you let me put your feet in my mouth while I rub your ankles?”
(uttered while I was carrying groceries back to my apartment)
“I hope your leg gets better soon, ‘cause I know when you walk, you gonna set the street on fire!”
(coming back from my “Tommy” audition in my yellow ingenue dress)
Only two more weeks of crutches. Who knows where they will lead? Stay tuned.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Ninja Scout at Large
April 5, 2010
What a delightful Passover (and Easter) weekend. Plenty more variations on the matzoh-caprese theme, including a wonderful omelette this morning, and a well-received matzoh brei at my friend’s Easter Brunch yesterday. I must say, however, the non-Passover brunch items were a bit tastier, the chocolates and brightly colored peeps, in particular. And guess who scored two eggs in the Sheridan Square Easter Egg Hunt? That would be the wiliest one-footed scout below 14th Street - yours truly. A shout-out to the strong gentlemen who carried me up and down the four flights of stairs for the egg-finding mission. An apology to those behind us for the delay.
After Easter brunch, I took my newly pink-tailed pup on a walk around the West Village where his festive tail was met with nary a long glance from the holiday revelers.
Today I discovered a way to go grocery shopping without the assistance of Fresh Direct. Three words: Canvas shoulder bag. I have always thought them to be a bit on the pretentious side, but at last I have a concrete use for one. Cumbersome cereal boxes and heavy canned items are no longer a match for me!
I threw my ankle and wrist weights into today’s ninja workout and was most satisfied. At the suggestion of the one I love, I did a horizontal faux running exercise, which was a surprisingly effective cardio workout. I targeted my obliques by putting on wrist weights and doing side bends with my arms extended. And I increased my quad workout by putting an ankle weight on for one-legged barre. Grande success!
I sang a bunch, some boring music theory exercises and then the song I’m planning to sing for an audition for “Beehive” next week. I’ve also got my callback for “Tommy” coming up, so I worked on that, as well.
Chinese with my friend Kira and then some marathon-style Lost watching this evening. Don’t judge.
What a delightful Passover (and Easter) weekend. Plenty more variations on the matzoh-caprese theme, including a wonderful omelette this morning, and a well-received matzoh brei at my friend’s Easter Brunch yesterday. I must say, however, the non-Passover brunch items were a bit tastier, the chocolates and brightly colored peeps, in particular. And guess who scored two eggs in the Sheridan Square Easter Egg Hunt? That would be the wiliest one-footed scout below 14th Street - yours truly. A shout-out to the strong gentlemen who carried me up and down the four flights of stairs for the egg-finding mission. An apology to those behind us for the delay.
After Easter brunch, I took my newly pink-tailed pup on a walk around the West Village where his festive tail was met with nary a long glance from the holiday revelers.
Today I discovered a way to go grocery shopping without the assistance of Fresh Direct. Three words: Canvas shoulder bag. I have always thought them to be a bit on the pretentious side, but at last I have a concrete use for one. Cumbersome cereal boxes and heavy canned items are no longer a match for me!
I threw my ankle and wrist weights into today’s ninja workout and was most satisfied. At the suggestion of the one I love, I did a horizontal faux running exercise, which was a surprisingly effective cardio workout. I targeted my obliques by putting on wrist weights and doing side bends with my arms extended. And I increased my quad workout by putting an ankle weight on for one-legged barre. Grande success!
I sang a bunch, some boring music theory exercises and then the song I’m planning to sing for an audition for “Beehive” next week. I’ve also got my callback for “Tommy” coming up, so I worked on that, as well.
Chinese with my friend Kira and then some marathon-style Lost watching this evening. Don’t judge.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Civic Ninja
April 2, 2010
Not only did I do my taxes today (an ideal activity for a very muscularly sore cripple), I also signed a petition to help a restaurant owner acquire a liquor license. That’s right, I am out and about taking full advantage of my right to pay taxes and drink in a public place. God bless America!
On a more musical note, I plugged in my old Casio keyboard this morning, dusted it off and went through some exercises from my tortured days in music theory class at NYU. They’re not half as bad as I remember them, and I think the practice is worthy of incorporating into my daily routine. I also sang through some of my songs and tried not to move my jaw. It’s considered bad form, believe it or not, to move your mouth too much while you’re singing. Let’s face it, I’ve got another few weeks stuck in my apartment, I might as well tackle the nitty gritty.
I succumbed to “Lost” for a large part of the afternoon, I will not disclose specifics.
I hobbled to Tompkins Square park around 3:30 to remind myself that I am not lost on an island, but in fact residing in (arguably) the best city in the world and, in the words of Avenue Q, “there is life outside your apartment.” I brought along my camera and have posted my findings for your viewing pleasure. I’ve become quite fond of that little device, and I’m starting to foray into editing my raw masterpieces on iPhoto. See if you can spot which ones have been edited...
Since most of my friends are either celebrating Good Friday or too cool to hang with their crippled pal, I spent my Friday night organizing the apartment. It had to be done. I also wrote to my uncle in Japan (he’s a famous artist there and a mentor to me), and I uploaded the pictures from my camera which you see before you. Tragically, I have yet to learn any of my uncle's photography skills, so try not to be too critical of my collection.
I practiced guitar and decided to print out the online tabs which I’ve been using, as playing with my computer between my legs has grown rather tiresome.
More “matzoh caprese” -like food items interspersed throughout the day. The combination of flavors has lost all appeal. Tomorrow night I’m going out for Indian food, a surprisingly Passover-friendly cuisine (if you’re cool with eating rice, that is, and I totally am).
Losing the energy to write -- matzoh lacks the power to sustain...
Lost Ninja
April 1, 2010
Good news on this sunny April Fool’s Day! The one-footed triple threat of the New York musical theatre scene is going in for a callback for “Tommy” next week. I spent some time tonight watching clips from the 90’s Broadway production, and I’m going to try and hit the library tomorrow to watch the whole thing.
I had a killer two-hour upper body workout at the gym this morning, followed by a two mile walk home on my crutches. It’s too nice out for cabs, though, as my sister said, I could just roll down the windows. Needless to say, my arms and the rest of me were largely incapacitated for the remainder of the day.
I made an awesome matzoh caprese salad, with matzoh (duh), green tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, avocado and chopped basil. I called it a “Jewish Italian tapas.” I also made a strawberry milkshake with my new egg beaters. Apparently, my apartment lacks a blender. Which is funny, because, that’s always been the primary kitchen appliance in my previous apartments. However, the egg beaters were sufficient and the milkshake was quite tasty.
Okay, okay, I have a confession to make. Yesterday I started watching “Lost.” And...it’s freaking awesome. I’m already halfway through the first season. Should I be ashamed of this? Can I call it acting research? See, it’s just that all the smart people I hang around are always talking about it, and I can only stand being a cultural alien for so long. I’ve always stood on my high horse and said I didn’t have time in my life to watch tv, but now I kind of do. Besides, reading a book (about fifteen bucks a pop) is a far more expensive hobby than watching Netflix (a delightful luxury subsidized in whole by my delightful boyfriend!). So, don’t try to stop me. I’m watching “Lost,” but I’m not giving up on any of my other more, well, productive activities.
I started playing “Lean on Me” today on guitar. I thought it would make a nice dedication to my trusty crutches. And, I bought a tuner (long overdue) and an adaptor for my keyboard, so I can start working on some ear training and pitch exercises. That’s right. I’m not some laze-about, tv-watching, crowd-following “Lost” junkie. What “Lost” and I have is strictly casual. And I’m about to go engage in some more. (And no, sadly, this is not some April Fool’s joke. I really have been sucked in. Goodnight.)
Good news on this sunny April Fool’s Day! The one-footed triple threat of the New York musical theatre scene is going in for a callback for “Tommy” next week. I spent some time tonight watching clips from the 90’s Broadway production, and I’m going to try and hit the library tomorrow to watch the whole thing.
I had a killer two-hour upper body workout at the gym this morning, followed by a two mile walk home on my crutches. It’s too nice out for cabs, though, as my sister said, I could just roll down the windows. Needless to say, my arms and the rest of me were largely incapacitated for the remainder of the day.
I made an awesome matzoh caprese salad, with matzoh (duh), green tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, avocado and chopped basil. I called it a “Jewish Italian tapas.” I also made a strawberry milkshake with my new egg beaters. Apparently, my apartment lacks a blender. Which is funny, because, that’s always been the primary kitchen appliance in my previous apartments. However, the egg beaters were sufficient and the milkshake was quite tasty.
Okay, okay, I have a confession to make. Yesterday I started watching “Lost.” And...it’s freaking awesome. I’m already halfway through the first season. Should I be ashamed of this? Can I call it acting research? See, it’s just that all the smart people I hang around are always talking about it, and I can only stand being a cultural alien for so long. I’ve always stood on my high horse and said I didn’t have time in my life to watch tv, but now I kind of do. Besides, reading a book (about fifteen bucks a pop) is a far more expensive hobby than watching Netflix (a delightful luxury subsidized in whole by my delightful boyfriend!). So, don’t try to stop me. I’m watching “Lost,” but I’m not giving up on any of my other more, well, productive activities.
I started playing “Lean on Me” today on guitar. I thought it would make a nice dedication to my trusty crutches. And, I bought a tuner (long overdue) and an adaptor for my keyboard, so I can start working on some ear training and pitch exercises. That’s right. I’m not some laze-about, tv-watching, crowd-following “Lost” junkie. What “Lost” and I have is strictly casual. And I’m about to go engage in some more. (And no, sadly, this is not some April Fool’s joke. I really have been sucked in. Goodnight.)
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