Strange Morning.....

I Love New York. Have you ever had one of those days, I mean the kind where you're afraid of what's going to happen next. Today I awoke to Shawn (a little uneasy) because he "thought"he parked in a zone off of Queens Blvd where he needed to move his car. I ran outside hoping he misread the signs....and sadly there was a parking ticket on his windshield. Afterwards, as I was headed to the subway I saw an older woman by the Continental stop in Forest Hills laying on the pavement as though she was having an attack. Medical assistance was present. On the subway there were signal problems on the E/F line at Northern Blvd, which caused major delays. And then there was a homeless woman who completely broke my heart, the heartache in this woman's eyes, so desperate for support. I felt her pain and gave her a few bucks. Life in this city, if for nothing else, continues to keep me on my toes.

Celebrate The Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: ALICIA

I met Alicia in LA in high school. We have retained a friendship for over almost 20 years. I love her and I'm glad to have her in my life.

KEEP ON SMILING, KEEP ON COOKING AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED. ENJOY YOUR SPECIAL DAY SURROUNDED BY LOVING, WONDERFUL PEOPLE. :-)

Zippy on South Park

This is my South Park creation...I designed it. I love it! :-)

http://images.southparkstudios.com/games/create/

New England Weekend

I'm a very spontaneous person. This weekend was no exception to the rules, seeing the sites of Boston, The White Mountains of New Hampshire & attending a Memorial Day barbecue in Providence/Cranston, Rhode Island.

Friday: Shawn and I left the city around 6pm, starting from the George Washington Bridge. With "The Da Vinci Code" book in hand, I was eager to finish the remaining 80 pages. I managed to finished all but 20 pages due to the distracting showtunes blaring from Shawn's Ipod...I'm kidding (to an extent..hehe). We arrived in Boston around 10ish. I felt a sense of comfort as we passed West Campus @ Boston University (my old dormitory @ Claflin Hall) where I spent my freshman year of college. I was only a mere lad living the life as a devout Mormon convert, struggling to find my identity....it's a long story. :-)

We stayed with Shawn's good friend (and now mutual friend) Matt who lives in the South End. We enjoyed a casual evening drinking wine, listening to music, and catching up on the events that took place in the past few days.

Saturday: Today was all about exploring Boston....South End, Beacon Hill, The Boston Commons, The Boston Public Gardens, Faneuil Hall, The Fens, SOWA (South of Washington), The Government Center, & Cambridge (Harvard Square). As for the nightlife, we saw the production of Cleopatra performed by The Gold Dust Orphans which was soooooooooo gay (loved the Jewish slave girl), accompanied by an elaborate drag show at a place called Jacques Cabaret featuring Mizery, Chris Knevil, Norell Gardner, & Tina Turner's Sister...LOL! No words can describe Saturday night's events except that it was REALLY gay and fun. :-) I laughed all night.

After being turned away from 28 Degrees because I was wearing a hat (seriously) we made our final stop at Shawn's favorite hang out, Franklin Cafe. A glass of wine and a little calamari was a nice ending to a VERY colorful evening.

Sunday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!!! We left around 8am for the White Montains in New Hampshire. Our original plan was to hike all the way to the top of one of the trails and take the Cog Railway down, but sadly upon our arrival the tickets were sold out. That's ok, we ended up hiking the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail up Mt. Washington which was spectacular. OMG....it was breathtaking. Lots of pics! :-) We arrived back in Boston around 8:30pm and had dinner at the Columbus Cafe with Matt/Shawn's friends Bill & James.

Monday: We happily slept in after an exhausting Sunday and left the Boston area around noon, thanking Matt profusely for his generous hospitality. We headed directly to Shawn's friend Marilyn's place in Cranston R.I. It was a beautiful day to have a barbecue. We met Marilyn's BF along with other family & friends while hovering over the mango salsa and the tender chicken breast. Wow!! I didn't want to leave. After 3 hours of driving (Finally finishing The Da Vinci Code) we made out way back to Forest Hills where Shawn & I watched the final 4 episodes of Grays Anatomy. I'm now hooked to that show.

In short (being the sap that I am), I'm sooooo lucky to have found such an amazing connection with such a beautiful person inside & out. The last 4.5 months have been nothing but smiles and laughter. Love is definitely in the air & Shawn has made it easy to breathe

"I'd Rather Be Sailing"

I'm soooooo excited to report that last night's cabaret went off like a bang. The band, the guest artist, the lighting/sound, and of course the men of Uptown Express we're well received by our sold out audience. Mario Cantone shined, giving a brilliant stand up performance, referencing American Idol & VP Dick Cheney. He also had the audience roaring as he impersonated Judy Garland...HIL-arious!! Karen Mason rocked the house with "All That Jazz" which clearly displayed why she's a Broadway star. And David Friedman's talents were featured with the new song from Bambi II (He's a musical genius). I was actually a bit nervous having the first feature solo in the show but thankfully it was smooth sailing..hehe(Sail Away/I'd Rather Be Sailing from Sail Away & A New Brain was my feature number). I just wanted to "express" how fulfilling it was to be under the spotlight singing my heart out and to be involved with such an elite singing group. This was definitely a highlight in my performance career.

Life Is A Cabaret

May 24, 2006 Symphony Space @ The Thalia Theatre

Uptown Express with Guest Stars

Last night, Uptown Express rehearsed with the band for tonight's cabaret show. Today, we have a tech run @ the Thalia Theatre on the Upper West Side from 2-5 with our guest stars. The good news is tonight's event is sold out. The bad news is I have an extra ticket I'm trying to sell because one of my peeps has a conflict. If for whatever reason you find yourself reading my blog, live in New York City and wish to be entertained please let me know if you're interested in attending. It's a long stretch, but it's an open line of communication.

Living Beyond Belief

Shawn and I attended the inspiring event, "Living Beyond Belief" last night at Slate in Chelsea. Living Beyond Belief's mission is to saves lives by fostering HIV/AIDS prevention education, raising HIV/AIDS awareness among youth and motivating NYC public high school students to be HIV/AIDS peer educators, activists and advocates by providing them with college grants and recognition for their life-saving work. Members from America's Next Top Model (Kim Stolz), & Project Runway (Zulema Griffin, Emmett McCarthy) as well as Daphne Rubin Vega, Kim Cea, Jack E. Jett, John Starks, Frank Decaro & Scott Nevins were present. Sandra Bernhard was amongst the celebrities to present an award, but sadly due to a conflict she made a special video congratulatory speech toward the award recipients. Plus, you gotta love a little drag by New York's Miss Understood. :-) The night was very well organized by my friend (event coordinator) Tricia Wang. The unlimited wine and finger foods, along with winning a trip for 2 to Burlington VT (with 2 open ended plane tickets anywhere essentially) in the silent auction was unbelievable. Look out, I think Shawn and I will be feautred in various magazines, considering we were continuously photographed by media related photographers. :-) I couldn't have asked for a better evening.

Three Penny Opera, Virgils & The Bronx Zoo

Here's a recap of this past weekend's events:

Friday: Somehow I managed to get tickets to see the Broadway production of "Three Penny Opera" with Cyndi Lauper, Alan Cummings, Jim Dale, Ana Gasteyer, & Nellie McKay, but sadly the show was underwhelming. So sad....I wanted more! :-) I definitely went in with high expectations because of the cast, but truthfully, it wasn't the talent, it was the script and score. Shawn & I needed the assistance of a couple glasses of wine to help us through the experience. The only good news is the theatre (Studio 54) was awesome!

Saturday: I spent the day working on a few surprises for Shawn, laundry, and spending time with Diego. Later in the evening, we attended Brooke's BBQ Birthday gathering at Virgils. OMG...love the ribs!! Represented, there were 8 of us, and most of the evening we spent laughing. I love that! Between the Cadbury Egg around the world story, Cassie's "Prudish" story & The Logo wrist band mailed on Booke's birthday to San Antonio the night was so much fun. With anticipation, we contemplated going out for a drink after dinner, but sadly mostly everyone was exhausted so we called it a night.

Sunday: It finally happened...I experienced the Bronx Zoo which could easily be compared with The San Diego Zoo. Shawn and I got a fresh start and started out adventure mid morning. It was awesome. Despite Mother Nature's fickle mood we spent 5.5 hours exploring the park. :-) Loved the Monkeys & Gorillas. Later that evening we headed to Brooklyn to my friend Alicia's pad for what was expected to be an amazing dining experience. She delivered!! :-) Alicia (obviously), Brooke, Dan, Shawn and I enjoyed a fun & casual evening with wine & delicious food. After wrapping up, we headed out and realized halfway home that I left my jacket & keys @ Alicia's...CRAP!!! I apologized to Shawn profusely but he continued to tell me it's no big deal as we headed back to Brookyn. He's so good to me. :-) It was then that I was blessed with 3 simple words from him....and for the rest of the night I continued smiling.

Art

Love this picture....

Shawn is an amazing photographer

Providence

If I sound like a broken record I apologize, but (once again) I had a wonderful weekend. Although I was feeling a little under the weather, I spent the weekend in Providence/Warwick/Cranston, Rhode Island with Shawn. It was definitely a weekend full of new faces, smiles and memories. Not only did I meet Shawn's Intern friends from Vet school, but also his friend/ex boyfriend & mutual friends. Shawn's friend Deb's wedding brought us to town, which was held @ St. Dominic Chapel in Providence College and the reception was held at the Aldrich Mansion in Warwick. The evening was remarkable, filled with several glasses of wine, a beautiful mansion & view despite the rain, meeting the new bride and groom, Hanging out with Shawn's Intern friends and signigicant others, and just having Shawn right next to me. I feel very lucky to have met such an extraordinary group of people. We drove home Sunday afternoon, wished Shawn's Mom a Happy Mother's Day (I called my Mom and Grandma as well) and quickly headed to Shawn's football game (he was in the playoffs). Sadly, the team lost but afterwards we happily headed to Forest Hills where we were greeted by a very excited kitty cat. It was nice to be home. :-)

Another Year

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: RYAN (5/13)

I met Ryan about 2 years ago at my friends 40th birthday (hosted by Alex & Daniel). Within a short period of time he became one of my closest friends in the city. This is a man who defines the word friendship...Caring, geniune, charismatic, funny and sweet as they come. Such an amazing guy.

I'm sorry I wont be in Florida to celebrate your birthday but let's recreate the moment upon your return to NYC. Have a wonderful birthday filled with showtunes, smiles and wine. Isn't that what it's all about? Miss you buddy!!! :-)

Wildflower

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: MEGHAN

Meghan was one of my last roommates @ 300 West 49th Street and became such an important part of my New York experience. I'm VERY proud to call her a friend. We have shared many memories in Apt 605.....I KNOW....I NEED to get your video in the mail...My bad!!! I know you still love me!!

I LOVE YOU MEGHAN!!! Have a wonderful, crazy day. I hope LA is treating you well. I hope you're happy and doing well. I hope to visit you in October so look out for me. :-)

LATE

Have you ever woke up feeling well rested, then after glancing at the alarm clock you realize you're late for work.....OY VEY! This morning the goal was to be up at 7:30am, but my tired eyes opened at 9:40am. I panicked, rinsed off in the shower and headed to work within 10 minutes. Can you imagine the horror of knowing there's nothing you can do? That's how my wonderful Thursday began. :-(

Interview

The NYC Gay Men's Chorus is featured in a 5 minute news report you can watch online, if you missed it when it was broadcast on TV. Here is a quote form the report:

“The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus has been acclaimed by leading critics for outstanding musical accomplishment and has established itself as a cornerstone of musical livelihood in New York City.”

I'm actually on in the report so lookout for me. I'm not sure if residents outside of NYC (Manhattan) will be able to view this. :-)

http://www.underthepinkcarpet.tv/streaming/GayMensChorus/

The Mormon Thirties

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: JACE (5/9/06)

I'm sad I won't be around to celebrate @ your birthday extravaganza, but I will definitely be there in spirit. It's been a pleasure singing with you, hanging out with you, and getting to know you this past year. I've said it before & I'll say it again...you are genuinely a great guy and I hope your thirties bring much happiness to you. Keep on smiling & don't forget to sip your cocktails. You don't want to be drunk at your own party! LOL!!!

Out On Stage

Last night Uptown Express performed at a benefit called Out On Stage for the NYCGMC @ The American Airlines Theatre where The Pajama Game is playing. We had the privilege of performing along side Dar Williams, Malcolm Gets, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, & Judy Blazer. The event was spectacular, and I believe they made a lot of money for the organization. My highlight was meeting Dar Williams, taking a photo right beside her, and hanging out with her alongside John Depalma (from Uptown) for about 25 minutes. Wow...sooooo awesome. And I did the unthinkable. Because I knew Shawn was one of her biggest fans I was persistent about getting an autograph addressed to him...awww, that's love. :-)

Directly following, we ended up singing at a very well known, prestigious jazz club called Birdland, entertaining strangers, plugging our cabaret show at The Symphony Space.

I'm standing next to Dar Williams. :-)

One Year More

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

This was meant to be published on May 6th, but sadly I wasn't in a place where I could. I'm glad you had a wonderful day....you always make the best of everything. I hope your celebration is Vegas is evenn better than your actual day. :-)

When Your Birthday Rolls Around
Because you mean so much to me,

I celebrate your birth.

Sharing time and space with you,

Rings my bell for all it’s worth.
Whenever your birthday rolls around,

I contemplate once more,

How happy I am that you were born;

The thought makes my heart soar.
I wish your birthdays happened more,

So I could let you know,

How very much you mean to me,

And so I could let it show!

I love you Dad!

First Weekend In May :-)

Although I'm exhausted from last weekend, coffee has sustained my energy level. I'm excited to report the events that transpired....another amazing weekend. :-) Can it get any better?

Friday, 5/5: After working on a monotonous, detail oriented database project (no comment), I bolted through the stage door, meeting Shawn right outside Lincoln Center. Awww, I was instantaneously happy having him by my side. Our mission was to get to NJ by 7:30 for the JDRF benefit. We ended up picking up his cousin Matt @ Columbus Circle on Cinco De Mayo (Crazy traffic). It took us roughly over an hour to get to The Clinton Inn in Tenafly, NJ. We arrived right in time for the open bar and the Mexican themed meal..Oh Yeah, Carne Asada! In all seriousness ,the event benefited the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) which definitely hit a nerve with me. Growing up with a friend who dealt with Diabetes since the age of 7, as well as my Aunt who developed the disease later on in life, helped me recognize/understand how important an organization like JDRF can benefit children internationally and can educate the public. I was not only proud to be apart of such a significant event, but also happy to be surrounded by Shawn's family. On a side note, we happily participated in the big raffle & ended up walking out with the centerpiece from our table. HILARIOUS! We're so lucky! :-) Knowing over 100 prizes were given out and that we stole...I mean walked away with our centerpiece was amusing. No, I'm kidding, the centerpieces were donated and given to the guest seated at the tables. The good news is Kerry(Shawn's sister) walked out with a bucket of beer and Shawn's parents won the 50/50 raffle. :-) ! Everyone left with a smile on their faces....also it was open bar...maybe that had something to do with it as well. :-) When we arrived back in New Milford we quickly ran upstairs & feel asleep content from the evening....

Saturday, 5/6: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I was fully aware that Shawn had to work on Saturday however I hadn't anticipated staying in NJ. Soooooo I happily spent the morning/early afternoon with his family. It was such a beautiful, relaxing day. They have a quaint little pond filled with goldfish toward the front of the house and a rock waterfall on the other side. I love it. I spent most of my day drinking coffee, catching a few rays & happily talking with the Day family. At first, I was a little nervous when I realized I would be spending time with my boyfriend's parents minus Shawn, but they all made me feel right at home. I also feel in love with Lola, the household Chihuahua....SOOOO CUTE!!!! I now have a new best friend! :-) What a wonderful environment to be in. :-) Shawn returned around 3pm and worked on his presentation for the Pet Fair on Sunday. He was feeling anxious because he "believes" he's not a great public speaker. I beg to differ. :-) We headed to Pier 40 in Chelsea around 5:30 for Shawn's last football game before the play-offs. It was a great place to have the game, with an awesome view of the Statue of Liberty. With great sadness, they lost to the other team, but will still be eligible for the play-offs. That's the good news I suppose.

Immediately following the game, we rushed to Shawn's car, headed back to Forest Hills, ordered 3 large pizzas, watched the Mel Brooks film Robin Hood: Men In Tights & called it a night.

Sunday, 5/7: We woke up relatively early so Shawn could add a few finishing touches to his research for the Pet Fair @ The Watchung Reservation in Mountainside NJ. We arrived about an hour early, waltzed around the premises and then I took a bunch of pictures. I patiently waited for Shawn's presentation, sitting on the bleachers in front of the stage. In my most humble opinion he was an impeccable speaker. Good intonation, very natural, well versed & interacted with the audience. I felt instant gratification watching him in the spotlight, in his element. I already knew he was brilliant, but this was the icing on the cake. After Shawn felt the relief of finishing we hung out for while and then spontaneously ended going to Six Flags with friends. Afterwards, Shawn and I headed back to Forest Hills, watched the movie High Anxiety and then exhausted, fell fast asleep in each other's arms. Perfection......

Broadway Flops

flHave you ever wished you could travel back in time to experience something you missed? Somehow the discussion of Broadway flops came into play so I thought I'd compile a list of productions (or what I would call rare gems) I wish I had the opportunity to see.

1) Carrie: The Musical (based on the Stephen King book/movie)
2) Frankenstein
3) Moose Murders: A BRAND OF WHODUNIT
4) Dance of the Vampires
5) Drat the Cat
6) Where's Daddy
7) Legs Diamond (Peter Allen)
8) Good Vibrations
9) Bobbi Boland (starring Farrah Facett: never opened)
10) Bounce (Stephen Sondheim)
11) Lennon
12) Jane Eyre: The Musical
13) Metropolis
14) Civil War
15) Parade
16) Wild Party
17) Side Show
18) Taboo
19) The Blonde In The Thunderbird (so sad)
20) Wildcat (Lucille Ball)
21) His Monkey Wife

Anti War

This sign that was posted in downtown San Antonio.....gotta love Texas!

Just Jack

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: MARK SCHALL

I met Mark at Nuts & Bolts Lounge (NYC) where I worked as a cocktail waiter/karaoke host for about 3 years in my early twenties during my thespian years. Mark would come visit me every Monday after rehearsing with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus (which ironically I became apart of). Mark and I became fast friends and then after 6 or so months his friend asked me out for him because Mark was scared. Long story short we only went on 1 date and could never really define what we were. So I'm proud to have Mark in my life and as a friend here in the city. :-)

Hey funny man, I hope you had a wonderful birthday (I believe it was on 4/28). I did think of you when I was in San Antonio. I hope I get to see you one of these days. I miss you. I wish you all the happiness in the world because you deserve it.

Texas

Monday...."Back to Life, Back to reality." OY!!! I was getting used to the idea of a permanent vacation....dreamy, isn't it? However, it's good to be back in New York. Here's a recap of my trip to Austin/San Antonio.....

4/25: Brooke and I met at the airport around 7pm for our flight on JetBlue, headed direct to Austin. I suppose Tuesday doesn't really count as a day in Texas seeing we arrived at 11:30/pm, but after spending the night at the Holiday Inn Reject, you would remember the horror....I don't want to talk about it. :-) Brooke and I definitely had a good laugh about it.

4/26: Rushing out of the hotel, we stopped at Taco Cabano for breakfast, which Brooke explained is a step up from fast food, but a must have in Texas. Ummm, if my breakfast experience includes a salsa bar, you know I'm one happy camper. It took us over an hour to get to Brooke's parents house in San Antonio. We were greeted with hugs/kisses from Brooks mom and immediately became reunited with Beanie & Sylvester (Our cats from NY which have been in San Antonio for the past 7 years...long story). Beanie is now a little fatty, plump as can be & Sylvester lost weight from the last time I saw him. With that said, they're as cute as ever. :) I received the tour of the house (which was very nice) and the well taken care of garden....beautiful. We then went to lunch at a restaurant called Saritas (A must for Brooke). OMG...the chips & salsa was amazing along with the Jalepenio enchiladas (YUM!!). With a very full stomach we went back to the house, chilled by the pool, waited for Brooke's Dad to return and then went to dinner at China Palace (right next to a shop called "Christ the King") Remember, this is the bible belt...Oy!!! Overall we had a relatively relaxing day. I went to bed reading 2 chapters of the 1st Harry Potter book. :-)

4/27: Brooke and I woke up early, had a little breakfast and headed toward the Fredericksburg area to hike Enchanted Rock. This is one of Brooke's favorite places in the world, which quickly became a place of peace for me. We thought we'd be hiking alone since it was midweek, but it turned out we were not alone...to our surprise, there were 8 school buses carrying over 200 teenagers...what a way to kill the silence! We avoided them by hiking blindly without the use of the mapped trails, Brooke leading the way. I enjoyed the challenge. Thank God it was cloudy, otherwise I guarantee the sun would've burned our very flesh. After the hike, we walked around The Fredericksburg area. It was there I found extreme happiness....a store with over 200 dips (mainly salsa) which all could be sampled...I was feeling hungry before and afterwards I was content. We headed back to San Antonio and ate at one of Brooke's favorite places to get salsa (The Alamo Cafe). I personally LOVED their tortillas...and the tortilla soup....AMAZING!!! After that we took a nap, recuperated, and went to dinner @ La Fogata. WOW!!!!!! YES, if you havent figured out this vacation was all about the food....mainly salsa. :-) After a few margaritas and many smiles we headed back home and went to bed by 10pm.

4/28: Brooke and I ventured downtown to the infamous San Antonio Riverwalk during Fiesta week. I'm not sure if you're aware that Fiesta is a huge event with large parades and lots of good eatin' (Oh Yeah....we had a HUGE turkey leg). Brooke purchased a rainbow flower-like hat and I purchased a CD of some of the local music in the area. We took a Riverwalk boat tour and ate at The Naked Iguana/Rio Rio Cantina for lunch. And I couldn't leave San Antonio without seeing The Alamo...which was very disappointing. No disrespect, but I though it looked like the biggest Taco Bell I'd ever seen...LOL! We had a great time.....we finished off the day at an amazing BBQ restaurant called County Line where brooke ordered the Big Daddy Plate with A Smity Beer...OMG...it was HUGE!!!

4/29: Early to rise, we headed to the King William Fair where (once again) we enjoyed another Fiesta spectacle, another elaborate parade and my favorite, fair food. Brooke referred to it as the ghetto parade...definitely a great day for people watching. I found Texas folk are little more carefree about their eating habits. In other words, the majority of the people are overweight. I found that the people of San Antonio depend more on their cars than walking from place to place. Here in NYC, New Yorkers are on the go all the time, walking, running, etc. It's just a different world. After the parade we spent the rest of the day enjoying the sun, reading by the pool and took in what relaxation we had left. We ended the night with Brooke's parents, having a home cooked meal (T-bone steaks and left over ribs).

4/30: All I have to say is we were up at 3AM, drove to Austin, returned the car at the airport and boarded around 6:30am. Enohg said...

We arrived in NYC around 11am and before I was unpacked, I was off to meet Shawn. I was invited to attend his Mother's birthday in Westwood, NJ @ The Melting Pot. OMG....this place was AMAZING. I have a new appreciation for Fondue. I spent time with Shawn's family, enjoyed them VERY much and before I knew it we were headed into the city because Shawn was playing football. I headed home to straighten up & surprise him with a romantic setting. The place was surrounded with scented candles with David Brickman playing in the backround. Happily Shawn scored two touchdowns and won the game. His team went to Posh to celebrate their victory...makes sense! Sadly...he was delayed and I waited for him in anticiaption...a little anxious because I had planned to surprise him. He arrived around 11:30pm and yes, he was surprised, happy and held me in his arms....The night ended beautifully.

More Later....