daCoda

FYI...daCoda is coming soon to a theatre near you. We are in the process of working on a demo and putting ourselves out there. "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait...."

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

Shawn and I enjoyed yet another concert at Avery Fisher Hall with the NY Phil. Amazing! I think this is the 3rd week in a row. It's a hard habit to break! :-)

Happiness.....

At Lake Champlain (Burlington VT on 9/17)

September 25 (Age 33)

"There is still no cure for the common birthday."

John Glenn

THANK YOU to those of you who emailed, texted or called me on my birthday(from San Diego to London)...wow, I feel VERY special. I'm happy to say I didn't celebrate alone. I had a small gathering at Pam's Real Thai in midtown Manhattan where I was surrounded by loving/supportive friends and a loving boyfriend who surpasses all expectations. Here's hoping that 33 is a good year with many more adventures ahead.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln

NY Phil, La Boheme, Kerry/Greg's Wedding

Last Weeks Events......I tried to upload photos but Blogspot is having issues

9/18: I had rehearsal for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus from 7:30-10:30. I finally had my voice back. :-)

9/19: Shawn and I attended the New York Philharmonic concert featuring Itzak Perlman. We especially enjoyed the Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.

9/20: I had a date with Toffifay (Translation: Best Friend Brooke Ferris silly time) to make (and indulge in) guacamole, to sing, to be silly, to improv and/or whatever else made the moment. It was well needed bonding experience.

9/21: Drinks with my friend Thomas (from Forest Hills) for happy hour and then La Boheme (New York City Opera) @ the New York State Theatre @ Lincoln Center. Can I just say I had 6th row center seats in the orchestra compliments of the State Theatre. Awesome seats!! Amazing production. I cried!

9/22: After work, I headed to Moda furniture in Hackensack where Shawn and I usually meet if I'm coming out for the weekend, however I ended up meeting him at Main & Anderson instead. Leaving out the crap that happened earlier in my day (Airline Trauma), Shawn and I headed to his sister Kerry's wedding rehearsal dinner. I don't remember the name of the restaurant sadly, but it was in the Westwood NJ area. The entire Day clan were present as well as the Caruso clan (Greg's side). Large amounts of food was consumed and plenty of drinks were served so we were happy and content. We ended up back in New Milford assisting Heather (Shawn/Kerry's sister) with her Maid of honor speech. Lots of wine, lots of laughs, the cops came and told us to shut up and we all laughed some more!!

9/23: Marriage is love personified. Today is Kerry & Greg's wedding! You can imagine the Day household as pure caous with everyone getting ready (make-up, bridesmaids, flowers, etc.). Somehow, everything came together after a few mimosas. :-) The church was located in New Milford, NJ and the wedding was scheduled at 3:30. If I do say so myself, everything was perfect...from the flowers at the church, to the bridesmaids dresses to Kerry's hair and make-up, everything fell right into place. The wedding itself was short, sweet and to the point with a slight religious touch. After the wedding we headed to the Morristown area for the reception at the Park Savoy Mansion in Florham Park, checking in at the Marriott hotel in Hanover beforehand. The mansion was gorgeous as expected, the array of food was enticing, and the preparation of the events surrounding the Bride/Groom, dinner, dancing, etc. was superb. Kerry looked so beautiful, Greg looked dashing and Shawn dapper as always. I believe good times were had by everyone. Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.~ Aristotle

9/24: After brunch with the family, we headed back to the Day household, cleaned and headed to Forest Hills where we ordered take out and watched Final Destination. :-) It was nice to relax and do nothing. :-)

Burlington, Vermont (9/15-9/17)

I tried to Upload photos of Vermont but Blogspot is having issues..sorry!

I'm back!! :-) Yes, it's true. It's the day after my 33rd birthday and couldn't be happier. Sadly, the inspiration to write has fell short because of all my endeavors....However, I'm here now! Here's is an update on the past 2 weeks......I'll try and keep it as short as possible.

9/14: Keith's Birthday celebration (Shawn's youngest brother). The Day family celebrated by spontaneously having dinner in the Union Square area @ Olives. Directly following dinner, we walked across the street to the Union Square Theatre to see the Off-Broadway sensation, Slava's Snow Show. Out of this world! Unexpectedly amazing. Pure Imagination! It's nothing like you've ever seen. And the finale.....I'm still smiling thinking about that moment. Make your reservation today. :-)

9/15:
Destination: Burlington, Vermont
Duration: roughly a 5.5 hour drive (depending on traffic & how fast Shawn Drives)
Accommodations: Wyndam Hotel looking over Lake Champlain (Dreamy sunset views)
Reason for Travel: My pre-birthday celebration

Once we settled into the hotel, Shawn & I explored Downtown Burlington where we spontaneously decided to fulfill our taste buds with Miguels Mexican restaurant that I wanted to eat at since we were in Stowe VT. Side note: Dinner was sensational, however the guacamole was slightly disappointing...It's the guacamole expert in me..hehe. Shawn explained to me we should probably turn in relatively early since we had to get up at the butt crack of dawn for a surprise he had planned. Let me say I LOVE surprises, but because I was feeling slightly under the weather and 5am was ridiculously early my potential mood and cranky morning ass wasn't uplifted. HOWEVER, knowing Shawn orchestrated this entire event made the idea of waking to the sunrise a beautiful thing. Wow....5am was looking pretty damn good. :-)

9/16: First Thoughts: My eyes are closed as the shower water brushed against my tired skin and my achy body. Shawn's noble attempt to make coffee in the room (being a non coffee drinker) was ambitious and heart felt, however it sadly was a cup of ass. Teehee. With that said, we stopped somewhere in Essex, Vermont where they served Green Mountain Coffee. Oh yes, life began to surface again. As we waited in the somewhat foggy scenery in front of the Vermont Culinary Institute What could the surprise be, I kept thinking. It's on your wish list, I believe he said with a smile in front of the life sized checker board in front of the Essex House. Once he gave me the subtle hint (after a few moments) I knew what he was planning....A Hot Air Balloon Ride? Confirmation complete! :-) I was shocked! A dream is a wish your heart makes.... A boyfriend who listens....that's crazy talk. :-) I can't believe he's granting one of them. The balloon company arrived and took us to a remote area for take off. We watched the preparation/set up before floating off into the Vermont sky. WOW!! It's a process. Once we were aboard the wicker basket, the first few moments after lift off I was petrified. I couldn't move..I was weak in the knees and held on for dear life. Shawn laughed but I knew he was a touch nervous as well. What a surreal feeling being knowing you're 2300 feet above ground and floating. Invigorating!!! And the view...wow, priceless. It's one of those rare moments you can take with you forever. Once we landed and the balloon was broken down champagne was offered with crackers and Cabot cheese as well as pumpkin fudge. this was to celebrate our successful flight. I will treasure this memory forever.

We headed back to the hotel where we napped for 3 hours (not deliberately). We both expected to nap for an hour, however our bodies craved more. Once we collected ourselves, Shawn said, We have dinner reservations at a French restaurant called Leunigs. Umm, there's more? I thought. We enjoyed some of Vermonts local beers at Splash (The boathouse) right on the lake and then following another pub on Church Street across from the French restaurant. Side note: We spent most of the time holding hands and enjoying each other as we explored the city of Burlington. Sickening I know, but truth be told. At Leunigs, we seriously indulged out taste buds with a bottle of Sterling wine, Duck Confit as an appetizer, & Filet Mignon & a full rack of lamb for dinner. UN-believable, yes it was, however the company was the best part. I just love spending time with Shawn....he's such a hopeless romantic...I love it. It was perfection!

9/17: On our last day, we checked out of the Wyndam then headed toward Lake Champlain for my final surprise. I know, another one...can you stand it? He reserved a motor boat for 2 hours on Lake Champlain. Holy shit, I practically fell over with excitement because it's exactly what I wanted to do. Breathtaking, liberating, intoxicating, uplifting were some of the emotions I was feeling as we explored the lake. We both took turns driving and explored as much as we could in the short time that we had. Sadly, when it was the ride was over we knew we had a long drive ahead of us. Shawn knew there was one more stop to make...my sweet boyfriend made a stop at supermarket in Essex where we picked up Cabot butter, sour cream & Stowe Salsa...a dream come true. We also bought ice so they would be protected for the ride back. The weekend was the perfect birthday present I could have asked for.

Jerry Springer's Opera

A Clip directly from the show.....I saw it live in London a couple years ago. AMAZING!!!

Dance

The music is from Jerry Springer's Opera and the the video is a compilation of clips from mvoies and musicals. It's awesome!!! Press Play!!

Goodbye Uptown

Uptown Express performing on 9/9/06 at the Carnegie Fair for the Big Apple Performing Arts

Uptown Express (the singing octet) has been a wonderful experience. From Carnegie Hall & The Skirball Center (NYU) with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, to the prestigious cabaret club Birdland, to singing at venues with Blondie & The Alter Boyz (Avalon: former Limelight), Mario Cantone, Karen Mason & David Friedman (Symphony Space), Dar Williams, Tyler Ferguson, Judy Blazer, & Craig Chester @ Broadway's American Airlines Theatre (Out on Stage), Fire Island summer cabaret (Cherry Grove Theatre), and The Duplex with KT Sullivan & Jacqueline Jonee......GREAT Memories!! Now it's time to focus on the smaller performance group daCoda and to maybe work on finally getting my cabaret up and running. I'm excited for the future. Let me extend my gratitude to those of you who supported my endeavors these past few years. You're amazing! But don't get too comfortable, Zippy will return soon to a theater near you.

UPTOWN EXPRESS, 2006

Montreal, Softball, The Flu, UPEX & Atlantic City

Slacker I am not.....my defense for "taking a blog break" for the last 2 weeks is based on my schedule and my health. Labor Day weekend Shawn & I ventured to the beautiful city of Montreal in Quebec (2nd time around). It wasn't exacly a romantic getaway by any means. We focused on Shawn's sports addiction (I mean his priorities). LOL! His softball tournament was at Jarry Park in Montreal where I stood beside him for moral support (along with his good friend Matt from Boston). At night we explored the bar scene, where we ended up at Club Date. Happily, I serenaded Shawn on stage with my rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" while he nursed his pitcher of beer...so classy. Despite the rain on Saturday (the tournament was cancelled), the experience was a good one (loved Old City). Shawn's teammates were a right...expecially Anthony, Eddie & Brian. We stayed right off of St Catherine Rue (The Gay Village) so we were definitely in the heart of gayville. Sadly, traveling back on Monday was a mistake. We ended up in a 3 hours traffic delay at the border. We still have n idea why. :-( 10 house later....we were back in The Hills.

Last week I was sick with the flu. I despise being sick, but I was provided with excellent care. I had to take a sick day during the Bocelli hell at work because I would have been no use to anyone. It was awful. :-( By Friday, I was feeling better but I developed a case of laryngitis. That really sucked for Saturday because I had to sing at the Carnegie Hall street fair in my last performance with Uptown Express. I'm happy (&surpirsed) to report that the gods were on my side and I was able to sing all the material (including solos) without any issues. Farewell UPEX. I will miss you.

My energy level wasn't at strong later that day at my friend Sean's party in NJ. I kept my spirits high but it was difficult to speak. A little Toro Loco wine from Montreal and ships/salsa was all I needed to smile. :-) We stuck around for about 2.5 house and then rushed off to Atlantic City for Shawn's future brother in law's bachelor party @ the Trump Marina Hotel. All I can say is wow.....inquire within.

YES I KNOW...I need to get some rest...story of my life. :-)

Today is the first rehearsal for the NYCGMC, which I've decided to sing with for the Carnegie Concert in December. I think I will be observing more than using my voice. Oh glorious day...help me find the strength to get through the day.

A Day To Remember

Let us take a moment to reflect upon the day. Let us remember the lives that were lost and the people who were/are affected by this terrible war. Always remember, never forget, open your eyes, move on and focus on tomorrow. The sun will shine yet again and we can take the memory of yesterday to make us stronger. United we Stand.....

Phil Zipkin