I love living in New York. I really do. It isn't easy and I don't want to mislead anyone in thinking that I'm living a grand life up here. But it really doesn't suck.
Lots has happened since I last posted. November 2013 was a blur. I worked on a TV show pilot called Mozart in the Jungle that is now airing on Amazon.com. Go check it out! I worked as a Wardrobe Supervisor to a new play called The Cottage in Queens. And then I went back to Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as a shopper right before it started previews on Broadway.
It was so exciting, but then no work for all of December. Not to worry, I networked as I could and enjoyed getting to go back to North Carolina for Christmas. When I came back to New York I brought some friends with me, and I had a job waiting.
My best friend since I was 4, KK and two of the girls I lived with in college, Amanda and Dorothy, all roadtripped with me from NC to VA to NY for New Years in New York City... except we decided to bail on celebrating in Times Square (we're not that crazy). We grabbed another friend that happened to be in the city for the holiday, Kelly, and went to Long Island to meet up with two more friends from college, Emily and Kate, to celebrate New Year's together. Definitely one of my most memorable celebrations of the holiday. Waywards* + KK know how to have fun and we most certainly did.
The job waiting for me was that of assistant to the Costume Designer to a production of Les Miserables. Don't get too excited! -it not the production of Les Mis that's about to open on Broadway. No, this production is in California. The designer gave me all of his renderings and told me to go find the fabrics he wanted. It was so much fun! Literally everyday I would go out to the fabric district and go shopping for fabrics. Not everyone would think this is fun, but for me it is- even if it's the polar vortex outside and it's snowed for days on end.
I picked up work as a stitcher for two days on an show called Queen of the Night. It's experimental, immersive theatre. Looks like a fascinating show- and super expensive. And then Beautiful called again. I've been working as a shopper for them since they opened on Broadway as well as shopper for a production of The Sound of Music in Chicago.
Oh and did you hear? Beautiful opened on Broadway and has gotten fantastic reviews! I got to go to the opening party. Talk about a star-studded affair! I met William Ivey Long, famed Broadway Costume Designer who has the most Tony Awards than anyone (6!). Nathan Lane almost photobombed a picture I was taking. And I got to meet Sara Bareillis! A dream come true.
I've seen lots of shows in the last few months: Beautiful, Matilda, After Midnight, Wicked, Pippin, Cinderella; and have had lots of visits with friends. Amina and Kate being in town from their respective ships was another Wayward reunion. Kate has been in town every weekend as her ship docks in the city, but Amina I haven't seen since 2012! Gosh it was fun being with them. Midday Margaritas with Regina was a surprise delight! And visiting with Terri and her girls when they came up for the weekend was an especially awesome treat. It was like having family come to visit which made it even better. I love living in a city that people want to visit, but its even more exciting and special when they want to include me in their fun.
I've always been a person who doesn't know how to stay in one place for longer than 4 weeks, and having not left New York since Christmas, I've been getting a little anxious. So, I bought a ticket and I'm going to Pittsburg to see my college roommate Mary and her husband Ashwin the first weekend of March. We called ourselves Lucy and Ethel in college so it will be a fun visit. I'm especially excited to get to visit Carnegie Mellon as I've been considering it for grad school. Mary has been a great friend since I moved to New York, always checking on me to make sure I'm safe (she's a cop - it's her nature). I'm glad to get some time away with her.
This coming week I don't have any work, so I'll be networking again and being on the search for the next opportunity. I've been very lucky with work thus far in 2014, so I'm a little nervous not to have anything on the horizon for a bit. Valentine's Day was especially crappy this year, but I was reminded that I have truly awesome friends, and great parents too - even if for the first time in their life they forgot to send me a Valentine!
One thing that I am quite over in this city is the cold. As Sydney constantly struggles with as she prepares for her dates (her love life is more active than mine these days), HOW DO YOU DRESS CUTE WHEN IT'S SO COLD?! The snow is pretty and all, but after a few inches, it's rather annoying. And this Southern girl is used to staying inside when it snows and all things shutting down. But New York never quits, and lately it seems that the snow doesn't either. Looking forward to March as I always am. Not only does it bring Spring, and flowers and colors and warmth, but it also brings my birthday. And I love a good birthday in the city :)
-A
*Waywards is what a group of my friends from college like to call ourselves. In Greenville, NC there is a house that Amanda has lived in for several years, with various female roommates moving in and out. We call the house The Home for Wayward Women and we call ourselves Waywards for short as we have all at some point lived in the house. Since I moved to New York, I have housed 5 Waywards as they have come to visit. Amanda recently declared my apartment the Stainback Home for Wayward Women - I cannot tell you how honored I felt to have this name bestowed on my apartment. We are ridiculous women, but we do have fun together.
