One Singular Sensation

Last night on the Great Lawn in Central Park, Shawn and I experienced "Broadway Under The Stars" which featured Broadway talents such as Elaine Stritch, Sutton Foster, Rebecca Luker, Michael Cerveris & Liza Minelli to name a few. It was a performance to honor the infamous Hal Prince and all his achievements made in the Broadway community. After being serenaded with the feautred song selections, we were graced with fireworks in the heart of NYC. But nothing could be more pleasing than toasting to the night with a glass of wine under the stars with the one you love while snacking on chips & guacamole, compliments of the doctor. It was a little touch of heaven. :-)

Color & Laughter

HAPPY PRIDE: NYC (6/25/06)

Project Kerry's bridal shower (Shawn's younger sister) was in play. Friday was all about the preparation (& Big Jims Pizza), fixing up the house to make it perfect. Saturday while the women celebrated Kerry's future wedding the men headed to Paramus Park mall to entertain Shawn's nieces and nephew. Shawn was saving lives so it was me with Shawn's dad and his brothers. Good times! Afterwards, we headed back to the house to wish Kerry best wishes, etc.

Saturday evening, Shawn and I headed to Scranton, PA (I know what your thinking, ghettolicious) to see the infamous Kathy Griffin perform. AMAZING!!! The opening act before her appearence however (yawn) was....ummmm....something? There's definitely a good reason why this man (his name has elluded me for the moment) is performing in Scranton and not NYC. . It was terrible. LOL!!!

Sunday (the last in June) was Gay pride. Shawn and I danced on the Gym Bar float (representing the football league). We essentially danced for 3 hours (so much fun), enjoying each other as well as the enormous crowd in attendance. The finale: we watched the fireworks @ Hal's place on his rooftop in Chelsea. Drinks, food, friends and the fireworks.....loved it! This was clearly my favorite pride event.

Reflection

I can see my reflection in the mirror

A likeness that appears to be me
I'm curious; bewildered
Yet confident & strong

Remembering my adolescence

A boy transformed
Into a man of wisdom
Innocent; unpretentious

A representation from the past

My reflection captures indefinable beauty
Characteristics that have changed over time

A face once softer than spring

A smile sweeter than syrup

Has become a reproduction rough around the edges

a profile of distinction

An image of today

Although the years continue to pass

My reflection continues to change

A presence similar to what I remember

People will see me differently

I can see things differently

A novel prospective; a metamorphosis

I can look, I can reflect

And commemorate an impression of the past

I will remember....

I decided to embrace my creative side today and write.

Freedom of expression no matter what you're channeling is amazing.

Happiness is......

Muppet Madness

The Sesame Street Mob maybe?

Cat's Away Party & Bowling

When the NY Philharmonic Orchestra travels internationally on tour, the administration plans a huge themed party based on the country they're traveling in. Amo l'Italia (I love Italy)! Sorprendente (Incredible)!!! Peroni beer (happiness) and Italian food. Good Times...

Directly following work (after 4 beers), I had daCoda rehearsal at Shelter Studios. Wonderful & productive as usual. Shawn picked me up around 8pm in Midtown (I, handing off a the rose to Shawn receiving a kiss in return) & then we ventured to Elmhurst, Queens stopping at an establishment called PLAY. I love our adventures. We decided to be spontaneous and give bowling & billiards a shot (accompanied by festive drinks). The space (from the outside) appeared to be sketchy, but from the inside it was upscale & hip. You can't judge a book by it's cover. :-)

Needless to say I suck at bowling. We played 2 games, so for a complete amateur I did well (4 strikes in the last game). Shawn was amazing, as I expected. :-) I'm not a sore loser...hehe. Pool is more of my forte. :-)

The night was a novel experience....one I hope to repeat in another venue. :-)

You're Already There

Shawn

Thank you for making my dream a reality. :-)

Lying asleep
Alone in my bed
Thoughts of the future
go around in my head
How will I find
A love of my own
A love of a kind
That I've never known

Don't know where I'm going
Don't know what to do
Cause I take comfort knowing
That right here and now
Your out in the world
Searching for me too

You're Already There
waiting for me
Wondering where in the world you can
You go through the day
Dreaming your dream
Afraid that it might not come true
While I'm lying here dreaming of you.

You're far, far away
Or just down the street
But surely someday we are destined to meet
I know in my heart
Your coming to me
I don't know when and where
I'll just turn and one day you'll be there

And maybe we'll just know
At the first glance
At the first word
Or maybe we'll go slow
Start off as friends
But in the end
A love that last a lifetime will grow

And that will be our story
I can't wait to live our story

So now go to sleep
And I'll do the same
I look to my heart
But I don't know your name
I trust in a plan
Much higher than this
To bring us together in time
So till you appear
I'll picture you here
Remove all the doubt and let go of the fear
And know that the future is fine

You're already there
Waiting for me....
But in a funny way
You're already....mine

Montauk, Long Island

Montauk is a little touch of paradise. Thanks to Brooke's amazing, generous boss, we stayed footsteps from the beach with a private entrance, surrounded by loving friends and an amazing assortment of food (Including homemade salsa & Maine lobster). The picture below defines our connection, our friendship as a unit, and a wonderful reminder of the weekend.

Neighborly Love

Ummmm.....Yeah. This speaks for itself. :-)

Westport, Bronxville and Nyack

Rehearsals, birthdays, and performing all weekend would be a good reason why this past week has been a whirlwind of adventures. :-)

Friday: Thankfully, I had a 1/2 day @ "The Phil" then rushed off to rehearsal at DF's apartment overlooking Lincoln Center. After having a very productive session, Kenneth, Shawn and I headed up to Norwalk CT for the weekend arriving just in time for Gay Bingo, hosted by Sybil Bruncheon, the drag queen hostess (dressed like Aunt Jeminma) and Fabio Gorgissimo, her sexy brainless sidekick. Bingo being held in a church basement made this experience even more hilarious than it already was. Kenneth won $10.00 & Shawn and I won the gift of laughter. Oy! After eating fried chicken and cupcakes (how Klassy..yes with a K) we headed down to the train station to pick up Jace and John R (members of Uptown Exp.), then headed to Cedar Brook Cafe in Westport(The oldest gay bar in the US). Ummm....scary! :-) It was definitely a site I would okay with never seeing again. Kenneth was unfortunately sloppy drunk and all over the map (throwing water all over me at the diner was enough). After the water sporting event, we headed back to the house.

Saturday: We began the afternoon IHOP (stuffed french toast..YUM). Shawn left for a wedding in NJ and Kenneth, Jace, John & I headed to the Rosebud Party for our performance in Bronxville. Open bar, unlimited food, and sharing the event with the NYCGMC. What more could you ask for? It was so much fun. Once I was done eating the ships and salsa/guacamole we headed back to Westport around 8ish and decided to make it an early night.

Sunday: At the break of dawn, my eyes opened and nature's beauty was overwhelming. The house (which was gorgeous) had these amazing windows that overlooked a quaint little waterfall and these enormous trees. So beautiful, so memorable, so peaceful. We left for Nyack (Rockland County Pride) around 11am to meet Shawn for lunch in the area. We stumbled upon Vertigo and enjoyed cocktails with brunch. Yay! The community was receptive to the performance of Uptown Express, which is always a good thing. Shawn was soooooo supportive being Uptown's photographer and continued to show his enthusiasm for pride by holding my hand, stealing a kiss from time to time and just being amazing as he always is. We decided to explore the Nyack area and parked around Nyack State Park. What a beautiful day for a walk. After about an hour of exploring, we headed to Mike/Aldrin's party in Manhattan to watch the 60th annual Tony Awards. Go Jersey Boys! :-)

A Jersey Weekend

This weekend began with Friday's downpour of rain, serious subway delays and finding my way to Little Korea for a Korean barbecue. Shawn and long time friend Jody had just seen Mission Impossible 3 and the plan was to meet at Won Ha @ 32nd/5th Ave @ 6pm. By the time we were settled and ready there were 10 of us anxious to order. Wow! I had no idea it would be such a big gathering. What a cool experience.....you should try it. :-) After all was said and done, we dropped Jody off at her apartment and headed to New Milford. We were greeted by Judy (Shawn's mother) and Heather (Shawn's sister visiting from Delaware). Within 5 minutes we were drinking wine and gabbing. After an hour (and a bottle later), Kerry (Shawn's other sister) and Fiance' Gregg joined us. Somehow, we polished off 2 bottles of wine between us (and 3 if you include Judy in the equation). It was a fun evening.

Saturday, Shawn headed to work relatively early. After showering and raiding Shawn's closet for something to wear, I wnet downstairs and was greeted by Steve (Shawn's father) who asked if I wanted scrambled eggs, bacon and wheat toast. Naturally I couldn't refuse a healthy breakfast. :-) And coffee....oh yes! Delicious! After hanging out with the family for a bit, I joined Heather on a mission to find a pair of shoes for her sister's bridal fitting. It was a challenge, but she eventually found a pair that I believe she'll be returning so you can find the ones that will be perfect. The rest of the day was spent playing with Haley & Jackie (Heather's daughters). Since I haven't spent time with children under the age of 18 (LOL) I wasn't sure if I would meet their entertainment needs, but miraculously I think I did well. We played classroom, We danced (a lot) , watched a movie which involved spinning, danced, sang & played the piano, & played arts and crafts, which was soooooo much fun. Needless to say I was exhausted once Nanny McPhee started. :-) Shawn joined us around 4ish and by 9pm we headed out to see The Da Vinci Code. (Great movie, but Tom Hanks was miscast).

Sunday was spent helping out Shawn's parents with lawn work in front of the house. We tranported some of the shrubs/bushes to another part of the yard. The nature boy in me (hehe) helped with chopping down a tree. (Keith: Shawn's youngest brother used the chainsaw while Steve, Shawn & I pulled the tree down to avoid hitting the power line. We then compiled all the branches and such into a pile so it would be easy to haul away. Good times. :-) It was a new experience for me.

Our final adventure for the weekend was to attend Shawn's end of the year football party which was held at Splash later that night. Don't ask me how it happened (or how many drinks it took to convince me to do this), but somehow I became apart of Gym's skit for their team which involved Shawn and I showering together on the stage of Splash. DON"T WORRY....it was very PG-17. LOL! It definitely something to remember. Some people dream of making it in the shower at Splash, so I guess now we have lived. :-)

In Good Company

A picture of David Friedman (Composer), Me (Phil Zipkin),

Mario Cantone (Sex & The City, Laugh Whore) & Karen Mason (Mamma Mia)

Uptown Express: Symphony Space @ The Thalia Theatre 5/24/06

Subway Diaries

This afternoon, I felt compelled to start an informal diary highlighting the daily subway entertainment and/or events that deserve recognition. I'm not planning on writing everyday, just certain "stand out" situations that I find especially colorful. For example, today I encountered a man formerly a strung out crack addict who found Jesus who needed to spread his message of truth to the subway car I was on for almost the entirety of my commute. This man was very articulate, projecting his volume as he expressed his excitement about his recovery. I am empathetic regarding his former situation, but dude, I felt like saying peace be with you and move to the next car. By the end of his subway sermon asking for money did not earn my respect, although I understand why he did it. I felt trapped in a cage without the use of my voice. And you all know I have one. :-) When the subway stopped at 7th Ave (my transfer to the B or D line) I thought to myself, Thank God for small miracles.