Guess Who's Back...? Cancer - you have no place here.

The title of this blog was simply to announce my return to the blogiverse, however as I went on to write this entry, I realized it had a double meaning so I added the last half.

I've been having an urge to write again and haven't really embraced it in long form. I've become a TWITTER beast and essentially, I COULD probably blog every day if I strung my tweets together, but they probably wouldn't make much sense. Then again, who knows if my blogs would either...
I started REALLY blogging back in 2008 on MYSPACE - WOW...MYSPACE! I had just been cast in the Aladdin Musical and wanted to share the experience of the audition and then decided I'd continue writing as the process went on...a journal of sorts.

I actually ended up enjoying it quite a bit and looking back (as I cringe at some of the nonsense, drama and silliness I wrote about), I'm thankful to be able to read and re-live those days. If my memory suddenly went, I feel like I'd at least have something to look back on and fuel some sort of spark of what once was...

I thought about deleting the entries that were here, but figured I'd just leave it. As much as some of the Aladdin entries are like looking at an old picture and wondering, "what the hell was I thinking?!" I decided I'd keep them here too. Again...if my memory was zapped by the Men in Back, I'd at least have this...right?

I love taking pictures and I'm known for always busting out a camera to record, so having something to read as well is only fitting. I've always been a sort of a documentarian in a small fashion...more on that later.

As I said, I've been having a strong urge to revisit this blogging world after taking a pretty decent absence. I've started writing articles and prediction pieces as an MMA Correspondent for http://www.mmasavvy.com and really have enjoyed it and have had a great response to it.

There is a lot going on in my life lately. I remember when I was blogging and jotting shit down regularly, I often felt relieved, like it was a solid release and it helped me move on from or deal with experiences, while finding humor in certain realities and it's no surprise that during one of the most important times of my life, I find myself back behind the keyboard.

My Dad has Cancer. He was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer late 2010. This was less than a year after my Uncle passed from Colon Cancer. Growing up, my uncle was the closest male influence I had aside from my Dad. Many of the things I love to do in life were things I picked up from these two great men. Playing Sports, Fishing, Music, Finding the hidden bunnies on the Playboy Magazine Covers, Professional Wrestling, Singing, love for my family...just a small fraction of their influence on me.

My Dad has always been my hero. Always will be.

It's been both a blessing and a curse to be living across the country in California while my family has been IMMEDIATELY dealing with the seriousness of the illness my father has been facing here in NJ. It's scary. I was told at times that they didn't want me to worry or be bothered by it, but of course I did. My parents would take on the world before letting me worry just so I could focus on small things. Sometimes I would embrace that. I never felt like I was in denial of anything, but not being there probably made it easer for me...then. I have no doubt it is something that will make it that much more difficult now.

I sit here in a hospital room typing on a cramped couch. Machines hum and snoring comes in waves from my roomies for the night. My sister on a makeshift reclining chair deeply sleeps, my Dad in his hospital bed. He wants nothing more than to go home and he's growing restless. We are too. I pray for patience for us all. I pray for strength and hope. His Doctors have not done much to give us answers, which is why I'm camping out here as we decided enough is enough and it was time for a chat. We didn't want to take a chance that we'd miss them Friday morning when they popped in for the meeting WE requested. A meeting my dad is entitled to and pays for, yet we were told we were out of line to ask for.

It is believed that my fathers cancer has returned to his Esophagus, but in addition, his lungs and liver are strongly believed to be under attack as well. There's not much doubt to that. We are just waiting...and WAITING...for an idea of what's to come, so that we can create and move forward with our plan of attack on this disease. It's been over a week and we have no actual results. Why? The Doctor's are quick to offer chemo treatments without much explanation, and my Dad has been told that he may be released Friday. How are they going to send him home, without giving him the breakdown of what he/we are looking at? My Dad is told he has an appointment on the 12th of July for results. That's not going to cut it folks.

My mother...my mother is probably stirring restlessly at home as I type this, before she heads back to the hospital to be here with us. She's had a rough couple of years and I worry for her. She's a strong woman, it amazes me what she is able to do through this all. She IS human though and for at least 4 years Cancer has been a part of her immediate life as she helped to care for my Uncle since he was diagnosed and now for my Dad. My sister...I can't imagine how it must be for her either. She is now entering her Senior year in high school after a difficult year, the most important of her pre-college years.

My Dad. The man I've idolized since I was a kid. Since I was a kid, my father has worked in a steel plant of some sort. This is probably a LARGE reason he has his Cancer. I recently worked on a film where we shot all overnights, like vampires, for a month. Mid-Way through when I was getting tired physically and mentally, I thought of my dad. He worked over night shifts for most of my life. Adding to that, he had to rotate from overnights to normal hours every other week or so. It took me a week to get my body in sync after filming for a month that way, my Dad did this for YEARS on and off, on and off...this was how he provided for us. I never appreciated it fully till this past April.

He was a star athlete in high school and was recruited to play baseball at some top colleges, but it never fully worked out. My dad could have been pro. Should have been. He wasn't. I would always run into coaches on teams I was playing against or people who knew my dad and they always marveled at how skilled he was. It never once pressured me to live up to it, like I said, he is my hero. It just made me that much more proud.

Since I was a kid, he coached me in various sports and drilled the importance of practice. He never overstepped those boundaries though and just pushed hard enough for me to learn, but left it up to me to really take it on. My dad once went to school for massage therapy and he loved it. He sadly, never really got into it professionally in the way he had hoped to, but I could tell he had a passion for it. I also knew since I was a kid, that aside from being a professional athlete, my dad wanted to be a gym teacher. I actually felt like that was probably what he had wanted most.

When I said I didn't really appreciate my dad's crazy schedule as a kid, I still did take something away from it. It was not a job he loved. My dad is the man most responsible for me wanting to go after my chosen career path. I made the decision at a VERY young age that I would never get stuck doing a job I didn't like for the rest of my life. It was simple. I began to see how I was surrounded by people in those types of jobs. I remember once asking my dad, "Why don't you just become a gym teacher like you want to?" I can't remember the answer exactly, but I understood that he felt it was too late. That stuck with me...

At a very young age I knew I wanted to be famous. A movie star. I was a class clown through and through and always found myself on some sort of stage. I never really stepped foot onto a real one until college, but sports always provided me with that outlet I think. I was an electrician graduating high school and almost went into the military. That was the closest I probably ever was to not doing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but it was my parents who knew I wanted to one day act and brought it up as an alternative. After I got their support, I realized my path to happiness was never going to be compromised again- there was no looking back. I've always had a strong will to see it all through and never doubted I would. I had the support from my family and friends and I had the promise to myself to keep. A promise to, HAVE FUN and do something I LOVE. Another part of that promise is that I would one day be able to tell my parents that they no longer had to work because I could care for them in the way they cared for my sister and I...and that I did it ALL with a smile on my face because I loved my job. I've cried recently at the thought of what may come from our current situation. So many things have run through my head and I'm not one to judge my success or put a time limit on anything because I know there's no schedule needed for fate...I find myself recently being challenged with that.

In times like this you find yourself thinking of every possible scenario. Sometimes it's morbid. Is it protection? Is it being prepared? Is it fear? I don't know...but my mind races. Within the scary thoughts lie all of the the insecurities as well. Will Dad see my kids or my sisters kids? Will he join me on the red carpet or attend an award show? Why didn't I push myself more at times? Could I have been there already? Dad loves to sing, will I ever get to do that song with him? Will I be able to ever challenge him again on the court, he's the best lefty I've played against. Will I be able to take him on his dream vacation or buy him his dream home or car?...He has always wanted an old school Hummer, or better yet, his favorite car he owned, an old school yellow beetle. Will he ever be able to just...enjoy his life? I cry. I know I'm somewhat foolish. Dad's no victim and hasn't complained in that way.

One day at a time. Today, let's get him answers and get him home. It's never too late to work on that Gym Teacher thing, Dad.

Proudly,

Adolph Marrero II

Still in Agrabah, Gran Torino and Mickey Rourke!

So, I had a few people ask me about updates concerning Aladdin in my last blog and didn't realize that I had been updating facebook, but not myspace.

So, when I last wrote I was a little unsure of what my future would be at Disney due to the cutback. I had so many people telling me that I would be fine, but it was still a little tense until I received the official word from the mouse. We came in together as the two new Aladdin's and we have grown really close throughout this whole process, so it sucks to have him take off so early, but he'll be happier on the other coast! He's a very talented kid and it's only the beginning for you dude!

Wednesday, word started to trickle in from various cast members about what they were being offered or NOT offered for the new contract and everyone was still pretty clueless as to what was going on. There was no indication of who was getting called first, or what they were looking to move forward with and I was getting a little nervous. One of our Aladdin's was offered full time as well, but he would only have one day as Aladdin, which was going to be a cut from the last month we've been running.

I did have an audition that morning and the girl who was playing my wife, ended up knowing some of the same people I work with at the fruit stand LOL The audition was pretty straight forward and I took some liberties towards the end to improv a little, but it worked and I felt like I was on my way to booking my first commercial of 2009. I actually got a call late Friday from my agent telling me that I had a callback for Monday, which I had to do some shifting around to make, since I am scheduled to perform at Disney on Monday.

Later that day, I got a call and had another audition lined up for the next day, this time a PARK RANGER WTF!?

Thursday, I woke up and ran to ROSS to buy some green dockers a short sleeved beige button up and a hat for my Park Ranger outfit. So reading the script for my commercial, there were clearly two other roles, that I was MUCH better suited for, but so it goes, my agent thought otherwise lol I decided I would just buy the shit and return it once I was done but I had to buy the hat at Ursulas and all sales are final there. Well, I get to the audition with my outfit in my bag and I see all of the other guys in just plain dress pants and I'll admit, I was a little embarrassed to go change, but I thought back to the Aladdin audition and said, F it...I came out in my gear (minus the hat) and people looked my way...I had to bite my lip not to laugh. I got called in and asked if they wanted me to slate with or without the hat, which eased the tension a bit as they laughed...they then joked and asked where their hats were and said they wanted to remind me that this wasn't the stripper park ranger. After I said, that they weren't paying me enough for that, we went on our way and did the scene LOL I have a feeling that I might be a LITTLE wrong for the gig...but we'll see...

I went home after and cleaned a bit and still hadn't received any calls about Aladdin and it was about 4pm. I went out into the living room to grab my phone and realized it was still on silent from the audition and I had in fact missed two calls from Disney! AGH! Moment of truth. I called them back and I was informed pretty early on that I not only was I still in the show LOL, but I had ALL of my days and I had actually been given a better day. I was contracted initially to work Sunday and Monday and now I would be performing both Saturday and Sunday, which of course are busy days for the park. I was definitely excited to hear this along with them telling me they were really pleased with my work thus far and how they are wanting to keep giving me more opportunities as they come.

I felt pretty good about the news, but knew others hadn't been so lucky. I got news from a friend of mine and co-noob to the cast that he was not being offered any days with the new contract unfortunately, which was sad to hear. I wasn't surprised entirely, but it is still sad to hear. A few other friends were dropped down in their amount of days or were dropped to call ins. Tough times people...even @ the Happiest Place on Earth.

Friday I got up and went for a swim with Erin in Culver City. She is preparing for another triathlon and I thought it would be fun to join her. UGH! So tough...I did about 3 laps and my shoulders were shot...I had to do the next two laps with the little float to give my arms a rest while I jusy paddled with my feet, which was also a bitch! I then did another lap and then sprinted all the way back....f'n tough...there were 70 year old's passing me in the f'ng water! LOL

Later that night I joined Ekan and his friend Wylie and they introduced me to the dish Pho, which was simple, but a great dish! We went back to his friend's place and hung out and played with our iPhones LMAO!

Saturday I worked at apple for most of the day and then went to Barnaby's 25th Birthday Bash at Busby's which was great fun. Got to see a lot of friends and witness Barnaby completely trashed! LOL Erin and I then cruised over to David's party and thanks to our new Salsa moves, we tore up the floor for a bit, which had to be the highlight of my night!

Ran into a friend and we talked some business about a movie of his I was supposed to be in. Never worked out but other things are in the works!

Today was back at Aladdin where I was sneaking in to catch updates on my Giant's game - BOO! Oh well, I can't complain too much, Philly is on a similar road that we were on last year. Congrats E-kan, I'll be pulling for Arizona next week and I'm glad to see my second team the Steelers are still in the hunt! Let's get a wide receiver who is not a headcase now!

The first show was egh...LOL We had to run one of our contingencies and continued the streak of something going south each week we've been open. I thought nothing could top the walk of shame, boy was I wrong! It's kind of complicated to type out and explain so if you care for more details I can provide them in person...let's just say something malfunctioned and Janelle and I had to do a mad dash up a few flights of stairs, barely making it onstage in time and then we had to "sing" the rest of WHOLE NEW WORLD...I felt about 2 inches tall...

The second show was GREAT! The crowd was into it and although my arm looked terrible from a collision in the first show, I managed to not hurt my left thumb- only my right thumb...exact same injury, just not as sever...fuck! My arm also looks like I feel off a motorcycle lol...not that bad where blood is pouring and my bones are showing, but bad enough. I was asked after the show if I had friends in the audience again, because there were a bunch of girls flipping their shit in the audience...but no such luck...LOL

I was off the third show and the last show I did my other role and it was also great fun as usual and then it was a mad dash home to catch the golden globes!

Let me just say that I am so happy for a few people-
fellow Jersey Boy, Bruce Springstein for writing the song for the Wrestler and WINNING!
Colin Farrell for a truly incredible performance in one of my top three favorite movies of the year, IN BRUGES. I have always liked his movies, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way...maybe it was because a few years ago people said I looked like him and I was jealous/competitive lol but this movie was great and his range in it was impressive. I hope he continues to have great success during the next few years!
LASTLY- Mickey Rourke! I wrote about him a few blogs ago and I yelled so loud when they announced him as the winner tonight! I hope he takes the other big cheese as well! GO SEE IT! A lot of people who have seen Batman have commented that you don't see Heath at all, you just see the Joker...While that is one of my favorite performances...the Wrestler supports Mickey Rourke doing the same thing!

I'm looking forward to watching Slumdog, Ben Button and Milk as I finish watching Gran Torino.

I could blog about that movie by itself, but not right now...I'm getting tired. I will just say that I am blown away at how unreal this movie is to me. I'm not saying that people like that don't exist in this world, don't get me wrong. I just feel that in this movie, no one acknowledges how WRONG Clint's character is in this movie. It is supposed to be funny in some way because of the way some of the jokes play out, but it is just plain ridiculous. I just don't believe ANYTHING in the movie ASIDE from the Hmong cast members and the gang bangers...it's really ridiculous IMO. I don't want to hear SHIT from here on out about Christian Bale's voice in Batman without you watching Clint in this. I am laughing so hard at all the inappropriate stuff this guy says and does and it is just silly.

Bad Movie - GREAT ENTERTAINMENT FOR ME.

Happy New Year! Or is it? Aladdin is in danger...really!

First off Happy New Year!

I hope everyone reading is doing well and had a blast welcoming it in.

I ended up keeping it pretty low key. Erin and I ended up going to Lisa and Alex's place and hung out with them and another couple. We watched (I fell asleep) Wanted after the ball dropped. The highlight was drinking Absinthe for the first time. At first, I was like, "This isn't bad." Then after a few very small sips, I had a hard time finishing the stuff. Not a big fan of licorice or anything that tastes like it. I did not see any green monsters and by the end of the night, I couldn't tell if I was buzzed from that or the many glasses of Champagne.

Actually come to think of it, the Absinthe wasn't the highlight, the best moment had to be our short walk back to our apartment and me a little buzzed spotting a white form in the distance. I had a feeling it was a couch and I made Erin come with me to check it out. We got close and I saw it was a nice love seat leather couch that was in GREAT shape and would go great in our place. Erin was not in the mood to carry it back and I had to work hard to get her to change her clothes and come back with me to grab it at 3am LOL It was freezing and the couch was a little wet from the moisture in the air, but we got it all the way up and now it sits nicely in our place!

Thursday, I was able to pick up a shift at Apple and I totally forgot about time and a half which will be nice!

Friday, I ended up getting called in to work which was definitely needed. I also hung out with Hilary Swank at Apple.

Saturday, I worked and then took Erin to some Salsa Lessons over at Monsoons. It was such a great time. I really was picking up fast and loving it. We are brushing up on our moves for our trip to either Barcelona or Buenos Aires...obviously we'll have to modify some moves depending on where we end up. But it will fit in nicely with my Spanish Lessons...who knows maybe this year I'll end up on one of those Spanish Soaps my Grandma watches lol

I couldn't be more excited to head back to Disney on Sunday and had the last two shows as Aladdin. It was so nice to see everyone and it felt like I had been gone a while! I had great shows and a couple of fun spots during that made for some laughs.

Monday I was back at Disney for the day and then it was off to visit our puppy at our trainers house. I haven't seen him in like two weeks and I was so excited. I felt bad because Erin couldn't join me, but took some pictures to hold her off. It was bittersweet. I was so happy to see him and to see that he remembered and was excited to see me, but I hated leaving him again. Hope he is well. Only another week or so.

Today ended up being QUITE a day! It started off with me needing to get some stuff settled with my security deposit refund. My old apartment complex took too long to get me my check and I'm going to need to fight to get my full refund now because of the 21 day law in California. I also needed to call up Jury Duty Service number to figure out if my registration was complete due to getting cut off by shitty cell service...I got no where with either but was distracted a bit by some unsettling news on the Disney - Aladdin front.

At About 11:15am I received a text from a friend notifying me that there was a company meeting after the last show of the day - also there was a rumor floating around that the show would go from 5 days a week to 3! This would suck for me, because I was figuring that if that were to happen that the remaining days would be Fri, Sat and Sun and I would lose my Monday shift. I called up the Union Rep to ask what would happen if this little rumor turned out to be true and he said that I would have get my guaranteed hours, but that a clause in my contract could give them the ability to release me! SHIT!

At about 2:30pm I heard from my friend that there was a new rumor circulating that the park may be closing Mondays and Tuesdays which would still affect me the same way listed above. The last contract, the show was dark on Mondays and Tuesdays so I was wondering if they would go back to that schedule.

At about 4:30pm I heard that the show was going to go down to 4 days a week, it was pretty much confirmed, but they still were waiting to have the meeting.

At about 6:00pm I received a call from the casting department, officially notifying me that the show was indeed going down to 4 days and before I could ask about my guaranteed hours, it was communicated that there would be a new contract set up and it would begin in two weeks with those who were going to be offered their roles in the show...........

now, it's a complicated, shitty situation for everyone involved. There are many possibilities that I could think of concerning my position with this company, but after a while...I just had to force myself to let it go. My ego started to get the better of me and my insecurities started to creep in and feed my imagination, but when it comes down to it - life will happen and I'll be fine.

I started this blog when my journey began with Aladdin and I always wrote about the great times I had and how I have been busting my ass. It has taught me a lot about life and more importantly about myself. About 4 weeks ago I thought back to my callback and how I decided to dress in a vest and my baggy linen pants and I said to hell with what people would think. I laugh at it now, but at the time, I was going for broke because I figured that my callback could have been the last time I got to sing those songs for an audience...it worked out for me though. Well, hearing about how certain things were closing at the park, I thought back to my callback and told myself that I was going to treat every time on stage as if it were going to be my last, because I wasn't sure what the next day would bring. I gave it my all during the auditions all the way through rehearsals and I kept that fire going through my performances. I blogged about my experience with the show when I was sick and while I could have possibly called out, I fought through because I knew I could. I wanted that challenge and while I paid in full after, I conquered and wouldn't throw in the towel. I won't now. I take comfort in knowing I gave everything...everything for the moment that is...I grow everyday and look forward to finding new ways to change, challenge myself, challenge others and be creative with the show and grow within it and hopefully have it grow as a result. I hope I have the chance to continue on and I want to be a part of this show that is no doubt changing my life each day I take the stage. I want to continue to have a place at the Happiest Place on Earth. I want to come in each week and see the smiling faces and crazy people that I have grown close to. I hate the thought of having that taken away from me so soon, especially when I haven't had the chance to prank everyone (in fact they have gotten me a couple of times). I am pissed that I may not have a chance to have my family and friends see me in something that I am REALLY proud of...a living dream...

At least I can say:
I didn't phone anything in and tell myself that I would just fix it next time - If it wasn't working at the time, I changed it in the moment. I didn't hold back and fall into the trap of being a performer ONLY under lights, I worked hard every step of the way and challenged myself, accepted challenges from others and worked hard towards taking it to new levels. I know that no matter what I hear in my phone call tomorrow, I will be excited and looking forward to my next new challenge! I have calmed down to the point where I am happy and can go to sleep knowing that because I gave it my all - I will have no regrets of an adventure short lived.

One day at a time...

Shortly after hearing all of this today, I got called in for a great audition in the morning...

TiLL NeXt TiMe...

Ace

Theatre mishaps, Holidays and love

Here is the second go around with this blog.

I was nearly done with it a few days ago and then my browser shut down unexpectedly and all was lost...

It has been a while since my last blog and I will do my best to recap as much as possible.

So after I came down with the terrible 24hr bug on the Opening Day of Aladdin, I was able to rest all of Saturday on my day off. I felt loads better, but was still nervous about coming in on Sunday.

I woke up feeling much better and took extra time to hydrate and warm up in the morning. My throat was feeling a little rough, but I felt confident that I could go at about 90% physically. I got to the theatre and saw that I was going to be doing the last two shows of the day as Aladdin and the first two as my other role which was both good and bad. It was going to be nice to have the first two shows to really let my body get warmed up and since I tend to feel the sickest early in the morning and later at night, I figured I'd be in good shape to perform my shows. The downside was that when I do the last two shows, I have a hard time eating lunch on our break between shows 2/3 because I don't like coming back on a full stomach to go full out in the show. I was a bit concerned with NOT eating, because I still physically felt pretty weak. I ended up pulling through and ate just the right amount for lunch and closed my eyes to rest a bit. Next thing I knew, I was told that we had 25 minutes left till show and I was nowhere near ready, not to mention I had just come out of a deep sleep! I ran up and down the stairs a few times and did some sit-ups and pushups while warming up vocally and headed to the dressing room to throw on the costume. Because of my cold, I was freezing so I kept moving to stay warm until we received the, "Places!" call. I ran upstairs and then ran up the second set of stairs o my starting place and felt pretty good, the sleep had done had done wonders. I felt great for the show and popped some emergen-c and dayquil before the next show and felt even better for the last show. Before the first show, I will admit I started to get nervous because I was hoping that I would not get sick during the show like I did two days earlier. Once we started and the first number was done, I knew I'd be fine.

Monday was a fun day at the theatre. I had Katie, Laura and Kevin coming to see the show but found out that I was not going to be doing Aladdin that day so they were going to see me do all of the stunts, which they were fine with...who are you kidding, they got park-hoppers for free, of course they were fine! In the past the show did not perform on Mondays and this would be the first time it was not dark. The first show was on it's way and as my first stunt was in motion, I realized something was off. I could just tell the timing was off with where I was positioned and where the music normally is at that point. Sure enough, the time came when I was to fly across the stage and nothing happened. I instantly thought of the contingency- but quickly realized I had not been briefed on this situation! How could that slip through the cracks, they are sooooo thorough?!?! I had the common sense to stay put because I was still harnessed and attached to cables and could not just cover and run off stage. I figured that they would just be stopping the show and I would be experiencing my first--and then I was OFF! All of a sudden I was being flung across the stage, thankfully I wasn't hit by one of the swords that are usually slicing through the spot where I am not standing in. Right away, the techs and assistant stage manager are asking if I am OK after I land and I was alive, so I said yes. I was waiting for someone to tell me that I had jumped or anticipated the cue but no one said anything. As the rush calmed down, I started to feel a little pain in my lower back, no doubt coming from my sudden departure from stage. Turned out that the cue was running slightly behind and due to all of the cues in the show and each number, they couldn't bring it to current time without stopping the show since some of the cues are timed to the music...I survived and had a great rush to start my day, what more could I ask for?

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are kind of fuzzy right now. I know it was a mixture of work at Apple, unpacking, cleaning and decorating the apartment and nursing the poor dog who was recovering from his surgery. I think I also fit in some Christmas shopping too.

Friday, I was headed to Disney for some shopping and to give a good show cheer to Emily who was going to finally be going in as Jasmine in the show. She was booked to do the first three shows of the day, which was I'm sure exciting for her. I stopped in and said hello and then took off for the day. Shortly after leaving, I got a text from Carl saying that they had to stop the first show....TWICE...AND they almost had Dylan, one of our Genies, fall down a trap! Mind you, our show is only 40 minutes long and when they stop a show, they have to clear everyone in attendance from the 2,000+ theatre...so they did this once, then shortly after had to do it again. The second show of the day also was cancelled to fix whatever was the issue from the first show. The third show finally was fine and Emily was able to get through her show. Poor girl.

Saturday was work again at apple and I rocked my great elf ears, which everyone loved. We also watched The Wrestler that night, which was AMAZING. I grew up a wrestling fan and know that shit inside and out and it was all fresh for me. I felt like I was watching a documentary and even Erin and Casey enjoyed it, who are not quite into the world of Sports Entertainment. I've been a fan of Mickey Rourke ever since reading a touching article about him while I was in College. They mentioned his meteoric career and his quick downfall that left him shunned from the business and how he was working on his comeback. He went on to do, "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", "Spun" and, "Sin City" which begun to create a buzz around the man once hailed as the, "New Brando". I couldn't have been more in awe of a performance. It was edgy, raw, specific and unlike ANYTHING you have ever seen! Regardless of his past problems and troubles in the entertainment business, I can't see them denying him a nomination for an Oscar and although I haven't seen, "Milk" yet, I'm thinking he will take the crown.

Sunday was back at Aladdin and I was doing the last two shows again but we were told right away that we would have to use some of the contingencies due to some of the effects being out of order. LOL It doesn't make for the best show, but we have to move forward and that's the way it goes, better than no show I guess. That wasn't enough, the theatre gods were not through poking fun and when I get shackled near the end, the shackle broke right off, which was a bit awkward considering it is my main obstacle in the scene! But wait, the second show they said it was fixed and when they get put on me I usually move my wrists and thrash them to break out and this time it worked! I broke open the shackle so now one was just dangling there and thank god Monte who was playing one of the guards, saw and just grabbed me which lead Marc to do the same. Regardless of that, people enjoyed the show and apparently, I was proposed to during my first show when I was riding through the audience on the Elephant. I didn't hear it at the time, but I think they might have come back to the last show, because this set of girls kept screaming at me like I was a Backstreet boy. They had competition though and might have lost the cheering battle to Erin and Katie who came to the last show too. I must have been asked, "Do you know the two blondes in the front row?" at least 7 times from different cast members. They sat dead center and were screaming and laughing the whole time like giddy school girls LOL I waved to them during the curtain call and they lost it, probably because I can look pretty silly up there at the end dancing to the choreography LOL After the show we three went out to eat at Downtown Disney and had the BEST tram ride back to the car...and when I say BEST I mean ABSOLUTE worst LOL It was FREEZING and the conductor was singing every christmas tune under the sun, but replaced all the words to fit a disney theme! LOL Katie loved it!

Monday was a treat with Casey and her boyfriend coming in to see the show. I had told them beforehand that I was probably not going to be performing as Aladdin that day, but they still braved the weather and came out as it poured down in Anaheim. Good thing they did, because they ended up having me do the first two shows of the day as Aladdin so they were able to catch the first show...boy what a first show it was! Everything was going great until the quick change leading into the Prince Ali number. For some reason, I didn't make it. Everything felt like it was going smoothly and right on time and then all of a sudden I hear, "The Elephant is cut, he is going to have to walk!" I wasn't ready in time to get into position so it was time for the dreaded...WALK OF SHAME. If you've been anywhere on this planet, you've probably seen Aladdin at least once and know can probably remember the big number when he comes in on an elephant in a parade to propose to Jasmine. If you don't remember, we have a nice sound cue of an elephant loud as shit to remind you, so imagine the surprise when the music hits and out comes...the dancers and Aladdin walking through the crowd..OH! without the big Prince ALi turban, just his nappy, sweaty hair LOL Welcome to the walk of shame. So I hammed it up and shook hands, kissed babies, stopped for pictures and did everything I could to draw the focus and not get lost in the shuffle. It actually wouldn't have been that bad, had I had my turban. That was what I was most embarrassed about. Fast forward about 15 minutes towards the end of the show and we are back to the famous shackle part of the show...well this time once I got the shackles on and was thrown to the floor, I nearly broke my thumb. In fact, I was sure I did because of the excruciating pain I was in right away. I landed flat on my thumb and it bent all the way back. Thank god by that point I am huffing and puffing and sweat is pouring down my face, because I was able to just blend it all in together, but I thought I was done for! I just reached down and gave a little yank and felt something pop and waited it out. I of course had a meet and greet following and wanted to see my friends so I went down for a little, but by that point I knew it wasn't broken because I was able to move it a lot and the pain had gone down significantly. I finished, went down to the athletic trainer where he confirmed that it was not broken and then he wrapped it beautifully for the next show, but I was not able to move it the same which I was a little nervous about especially considering I did not make my quick change fast enough the last show. However, it worked out and actually ended up being my best performance to date!

I had some gifts to pick up after and shopped before coming back to pack, clean and exchange gifts with Erin. I got everything done that I needed to and thank god, because at one point I was dead tired and wanted to just wake up an hour earlier to finish and I'm glad I fought through it because I over slept a little and nearly missed the cut off time at the airport to check my bags!

So Tuesday was the flight back to the family in NJ which I was really excited about. I realized that I hadn't been back since the same time last year which was kind of sad and scary considering how fast I felt the year went by. It was great to see them and it was freezing back east! We ate pizza from the famous Scorntino's and rested at home...in sweaters and sweat pants...and a hat and scarf lol I was a little sad at night talking to Erin because that morning she also dropped off Wolfy to the trainer's house and he would be there for the next 3 weeks :(

Wednesday I picked up a few things from Walmart and then the rest of the family was coming to my house to hang out. It was great to see everyone and we ended up bugging out with Karaoke till like 1:30am lol everyone was all horse from singing, but we had a blast. Of course they wanted me to sing Whole New World, which I'm not going to lie, I did want to sing it too but it was the Peabo version which is a little whack and way to high for me. It was a true Karaoke moment LOL but was fun because I sang it with Alexis (my little sister). SPeaking of....she is sooo TALL! and smart! I also talked to the trainer earlier that day and she helped put my mind at ease when she told me how good Wolfy was and how he was getting along fine. I can understand how my parents probably felt at times.

Christmas Day we opened gifts and I was still waiting for a package to arrive that had one last gift for my parents, sister and Peter. We then went to eat at my grandma's and then hit up my aunts house for the remainder of the night. I was able to see all my aunt's and uncle this trip which isn't always the case, so it was great for me!

The day after Christmas I went to Peter's house to stay for the night and we pure bugged out. I brought my Red Pajama One Piece and my elf hat and before we sat down to play Rockband, we decided to hit up the liquor store. I decided I would go in full costume and Peter was beyond embarrassed but still allowed us to talk him into filming the whole thing. We pulled up and I was walking to the store and could see about 8 or 9 people standing near the door and I walked in and shouted, "Merry Christmas!" Mind you, we were at a place not far from a shady part of Trenton but I obviously didn't care...I left that to Peter who was saying that I was probably going to get shot by some Bloods or something. I told him that they would clearly see and understand that I was celebrating and bringing Christmas to everyone. We got some good footage and there were some people that were staring and it was priceless. Later that night, I was showing Peter how to import his video into iMovie and I quickly cut something together and added a song within 30 seconds to give him an example and it ended up being a happy accident because we were dying! We then added another little piece...and then another and then two hours later, we had a little short of our adventure and more that we uploaded on youtube. Of course a lot of people did not get the video, but everyone in it and involved loved it. Plus, if you know me well, you'd understand ;)



Saturday, I came back home and watched Valkerie with my family and Phil, my sisters bud. I enjoyed the film although I did doze off a few times in the middle. No disrespect to the movie, it's normal for me unfortunately. I think I'm constantly on the go, so when I sit down in a dark place in a comfortable chair, my body goes into sleep mode. Not always! But often enough. Everyone always jokes about it with me and says that I'll do it at my own premieres. I then picked up some groceries for the meal I was planning to cook for my family. They loved it and I ended up feeding 7 when Peter and Brooke came by. It felt nice to cook at home! Then it was off to see the UFC fight, which I could honestly dedicate a whole blog to. I won't and I'll just say that I'm happy for Frank Mir, worried for Wanderlei and indifferent towards Rashad and Forrest. I wanted Forrest to win, because I like his attitude and I wanted to see him defend, but wasn't disappointed with Rashad beating him. In fact for a while I was always defending Rashad because I thought he had great potential, but recently, I've grown to dislike his antics a bit.

Sunday was football and I sat down with my Dad to watch the Giant game and Peter came by too. It wasn't a game that mattered for us, but of course you always want to win. We were not looking so hot, and then came back and were winning the game. They obviously were not concerned and took out some of the starters to rest them and although the secondaries kept it up, a missed field goal ultimately ended up costing us the game. No matter, we did not need the win and there were other teams like the Patriots, who got screwed LOL I probably would have gotten yelled at by most NJ folks if they heard the way I was laughing and cheering for the Dolphins in the end, but oh well...I then went through boxes that my parents had stored away to make room for them. When I came home from college I never finished unpacking some boxes because of lack of space so my Dad had 5 big boxes sitting in his shed still. He also had 5 big boxes waiting to be shipped out to LA, but again I had no space originally. I decided to go through them because I obviously didn't need them for the past two years. I was able to get it down to 4 small boxes and one big box. They'll be joining me in LA soon :( LOL

Today I ran some errands and packed before it was time to head out to the airport. I had a great stay and loved seeing my parents. I found out that they are hoping to visit in March, which will be nice! I'm excited for them to visit LA and can't wait for them to meet my dog and see me in Aladdin. I am actually writing this while I am on the plane and will be touching down in nice weather in about 2 1/2 hours. I'm so excited to see Erin and be back, but I'm also missing the dog as is she from what I hear.

I'm glad I finished this thing. I was close to letting it go, since I didn't want to type it all over again, but here it is.

Now it is time to think out a resolution for what will no doubt be my best year yet!

TiLL NeXt TiMe!

Ace

Great Opening Day, Offical Cast Member and Sick Beyond Belief

So yesterday was the big day! It was the day that I was going to be put into the show as Aladdin and it happened to be the Opening Day after a few months of being dark.

I woke up and felt some dryness in my throat, but didn't think much of it because it has been this way the past week or so and I figured it was just the new heat system in the apartment. Erin felt under the weather and I was encouraging her not to accept being sick and she would be fine...LOL

Well I dropped Wolfy off to the Vet for his surgery, no kids for the Wolfster. It was sad watching him walk back into the room, but I knew it was for the better and he would be healthier pup because of it.

I came back to the apartment and was waiting for E-kan and Tyler to find parking so we could head off to Disney. They were going to be joining Erin at the show and of course taking advantage of the Park Hopper Passes for the day.

We got there and I felt pretty good, I did my usual Vocal Warmups on the Drive and felt ready for the big day. After signing them in, I headed to the theatre and got ready to watch the first show of the day with the rest of the Audience. I was actually sitting there really tense and nervous for the performers on stage and that I started to get restless knowing that I would be going in next...I just wanted to get up there already! But the 1st show went great and it was awesome to see it with 1,800 other people. It brought back that feeling of watching a show on Broadway. The show ended and I headed backstage to get ready.

I got dressed had my wig put on and then ran around and up and down some stairs in my shoes to warm up in preparation. I heard the, "Places" call and headed to my position and just could not believe how many people were in the theatre. This by far, is the largest show I have been in and aside from the quick Fear Factor show at Universal, I have never been in front of this many people. The vibe was crazy and a few nerves crept up. However, once the show started and I made my mad dash down the stairs to hell for my entrance, everything went out of the window and it was game time. The show went great and it was so nice to have an audience out there. I made some adjustments and was really surprised at how different it was to be out there on the Elephant with everyone watching and waving at me as I made my way around the audience. Kids were so cute waving and people with their cameras were really into it. It was tricky, because I was wanting to wave to everyone but of course that wasn't possible. I also managed to cut myself in the show and was bleeding towards the end, but it wasn't anything severe and it stopped after a few minutes. Blood, Sweat and Tears for this role of the Street rat. All in all, it was an awesome welcome to the show!

I met up with Erin, E-kan, Tyler and Nina after, and they had really nice things to say about the whole show and it was a great moment for me. They also took some great pictures and I will be posting them soon, so keep your eyes open. As I was talking to them a chill came over me and I was starting to feel some soreness in my throat. I couldn't shake the chill so instead of eating I took a hot shower to see if it would bring my body temp back up. Mind you, I ate a little bowl of oatmeal earlier in the day and then some almonds between the show, but I didn't want to eat lunch because of how fast paced this show is and I didn't' want to cramp up or feel lethargic. After the shower, I felt a little better, but still was cold and my throat was a little better after gargling salt water and drinking a bunch of water during the break. I was starting to get a little worried because I couldn't feel warm and my body felt a little weak. I did a couple of jogs up and down he stairs and then some push ups and prayed that my body would hold up. The show started and I was off and my adrenaline kicked in and I had a blast again. Everything felt fine and the audience was really into the show so of course that energy was feeding me. I got to do it with some different people from the first run which is always fun, because it keeps it different and fresh. Toward the very end of the show, I was on the ground and stood up and I felt a bit Lightheaded, but I knew I only had a few minutes left and it was probably my body telling me I had to eat. Well the show finished and I headed downstairs and was greeted by our Director Marya, who told me I was officially approved to play Aladdin LOL and then I took a shower. After that I headed into the greenroom and grabbed a krispy kreme and then ate some cottage cheese and my chills just hit hardcore, not only that, but my throat was on fire. I think the buzz from being in show mode wore off and I was just a mess. I knew I had to go watch the last show and wanted to support the last cast, so I made my way out but as I sat there in a resting position, my body just began to shut down little by little and I officially felt like crap and was also REALLY Achy! I knew I wanted to take part in the tradition we were going to be having later on in the night which was a bowling championship to see who would take the crown for the Hyperion Theatre Bowling Award (or something like that) but I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. After meeting up with E-kan later who was stoked at the idea of meeting the cast, I pulled it together and decided to head over but I was not feeling good. I stopped along the way and bought some fresh OJ and a couple packs of Emergen-C and it definitely helped, I wasn't feeling as weak as I was earlier, but I knew it was time to eat. We headed to Johnny Rockets after being notified from the cast at the bowling alley that they had been waiting over an hour for food. I ordered food, ate two fries and I was not feeling well. I felt like I was going to throw up if I ate anymore. After that we headed back down to the bowling alley and everyone was leaving because of the terrible service (I mean it IS a bowling alley) so the championship is being postponed, which I am fine with! It was time to head home.

I got a text from Erin on the way home saying that Wolfy was in pain and looked really weak after his surgery and I knew she felt bad. I got home and she was really upset and felt like he was mad at her and she was feeling like she did the wrong thing, but after a little talk she was fine...not me. My body was just ready for bed so I listened after popping the last emergen-c, some Tylenol and Tussin (Yes the fake stuff).

Thankfully I woke up today and my throat was feeling much better, which was my biggest concern considering I have shows tomorrow and Monday. I knew I would be able to rest today and the worst that I am dealing with, is extreme soreness all over. My head feels a little tight with pressure and my nose is a little clogged, but I feel much better. Erin made a run for me and picked up some gatorade, throat coat, dayquil to accompany the chicken soup she made for me and Wolfy and I are just resting as I watched Aladdin. I'm glad I did too, because it reminded me of a few things and has given me some ideas for the show now.

I had a great day all in all yesterday and had a lot of the veteran cast members coming up to me and saying some great things and I am just so glad to be a part of this show. I'm thankful for everyone's generosity in the show too, there was never a shortage of advice or answering of questions from the previous cast members, in fact some of best help was offered from the other Aladdin's. I look forward to rest of this run and I'm getting to know some great people. I hope a lot of my friends can come out to see the show as well!

Hopefully, I'll be in good shape for tomorrow. I will have to make sure I eat properly and am well fueled, because I'll be doing 4 shows tomorrow, splitting Aladdin of course with Sam. I'm looking forward to a nice hot bath in a few and then maybe unpacking a few boxes before settling down for the night and watching the Ultimate Fighter Finale on Spike! Poor Wolfy is hanging in there and also looks to be feeling better, but still is just not moving much and I have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't continue to lick the sutures.

TiLL NeXt TiMe!

Removed from the show, Eviction plus a Farewell and Congrats!

It's about time I post a new blog. It's been a crazy week with the show opening tomorrow. We've been having tons of runs and I've been so tired after each rehearsal that I just want to crash when I get home.

So during last week I was informed that we were going to have to pay to have our rugs replaced due to some stains, which I feel is BS anyways, because every apartment I looked at had new rugs and it seemed like most of the places replaced their rugs after two years. We've been there 1 year and 9 months about and it pisses me off knowing, that our apartment complex was probably going to replace it anyways...not to mention that the shitty place uses nothing but the cheapest materials in their apartments, so the rugs were crap to begin with...but, so it goes...along with our deposit. Better things to look forward to though right?

So Saturday was the official move day into the new apartment. My original plan was to have moved most of the stuff out and over throughout the week so that I had very little come Saturday. I actually moved a LOT of stuff during the week, but still had so much to go. It always seems like it is going to be much less than what it actually is. Let's just say that the original plan was to rent a truck and have my friend E-kan help me move some basic items. It actually ended up being, E-kan, Tyler, Erin, Javed, Nina, Erin and I and we barely got done in time! LOL THANK GOD for friends and I'm so lucky that everyone came through. Javed and Nina were nice enough to drive all the way from Cosa Mesa and I wasn't even expecting them to come, but after some miss communication, they called and said they were close and I was so happy to hear we were getting more help. Then Tyler called and asked if we still needed help, which we did. I honestly, don't know what I would have done, if I didn't have each and every one of them there. Erin and I are so thankful. I cleaned out the old place, said my goodbye and left the hood.

Sunday was supposed to be my day to relax and just watch football. NY had a tough weekend, not that I really care about those dudes in Green, but it must have just been in the air. My G-men, played like crap and lost a game that they shouldn't have. E-kan and I are tied 1-1 and I have a feeling we will meet again. It's not like the Giants really need to win, they can rest their players, but who want's to have a losing momentum going into the end of the season, especially with Division Games coming up. After watching the loss, I started to unpack a bit as the Steelers Game came on, thank god they pulled it through! Then it was off to finish clearing out and cleaning Erin's old place.

Monday was the first official day in our apartment and it was back to what would be the first of many busy days at Disney. We started working in costumes which was fun, but I was still pretty nervous about not having my shoes yet. I was the only person not to have my shoes and I was starting to worry because of the confusion in the past. I am normally a size 10 1/2 or 11 depending on the shoe. In the beginning they came in and had me put on a size 10 1/2 which was too small. The shoes we wear have been named Air-Aladdin's and they need to be custom made for each performer so when they came back to me a few weeks later, the shoe was a 10 1/2 again. They swore they made them a size bigger, but I know that I would have remembered if they originally bought me a size that I don't even wear...but whatever. There is a lot to be done and I could have easily thought wrong... Anyways, I asked if there were any shoes from an old performer in a size 11 to see if they fit, before having them make a whole new set, but they said no. We ran the shows, and I did them in my sneakers but it went great.

Tuesday, no shoes- good shows, but no shoes still. At this point, the choreographer, director and some of the stage managers were asking where my shoes were and were beginning to get worried. So was I, because it was made clear that if the shoes were not going to be around for me to rehearse in, then I was probably going to be held from performing, until I had time to work in them :( I was also told that there was a size 11 pair of boots in their possession from an old performer, which I was originally told that they didn't have. They fit! So they took them in and had the Air-Aladdin's made to match the boot size. Hopefully I would get them by Thursday.
I also received a call from my land Lady and she was saying that the guy downstairs was complaining about my dog barking. She pretty much told me that he needed to stop, or we needed to find a new place to live. I was not happy. This guy downstairs works from home and I'm not saying my dog doesn't bark, he has separation anxiety, but he is a puppy in training at the same time. Barking is not something that is going to stop overnight, so It just bothered me and felt like I as backed into a tough spot. I called a few dog trainers on the way home and Erin and I decided that we were going to need to get serious and get Wolfy fixed and get him into some legit training.

Wednesday, I was a little out of it in the beginning of the day due to the worry of a barking puppy and a sensitive guy who works from home LOL I called my landlady to explain what was going on and it was a great talk, she understood that it would take time to get the dog to stop barking. I had the pair of stretched Air-Aladdin's delivered to me and I used them in the first run of the day which made me feel like I was a half a step behind because they felt so heavy. Thank god, I had another show and another full day to work in them. The second show went well and I was getting really excited for Friday and an Audience.

Today I was kind of hoping to have an easy day at rehearsal. I've been really tired physically and vocally and I just wanted to have a day to rest before Friday. I came in and sure enough, I only was in the first of three shows and it was as the chorus role, SAVED! They also were going to be recording the 2/3 shows and they had most of the veteran cast scheduled to perform in it. So, we are stretching and warming up and Tracy the choreographer came up to me and told me that I was being added to do the last show as Aladdin. So much for rest! But I was actually happy, I always like to perform the day before the opening, even though it seems like those shows can sometimes be a bit off...this was no different lol There were a lot of good things in the show, but a few technical things were off that haven't been before, but I also had a few new discoveries and I was able to make a couple of new choices that felt pretty good...all in all, I just am ready for an audience. It was kind of sad towards the end, because the 19 of us who came in to learn the show 7 weeks ago are scheduled for different days or are call ins and it would be the last day that we would all be together. I sat in the audience after I showered as we received notes and after getting a few notes from Todd, our Vocal Consultant I sat back in my chair and had to take a couple of deep breaths as I began to tear up a bit. He had some nice things to say and said that he hopes I am enjoying it and I couldn't help but smile. I think that was the thing that made me tear up a bit. Our stage manager said, "After today there is no new cast or veteran cast...it is now the ALADDIN CAST!" It didn't help my case, it just made me think about how badly I have wanted to play this part and be in this show and in less than 24 hours, it would be happening. All those times of singing the songs in my room as I jump around and act a fool, all the times someone said that I looked like Aladdin and it made me smile, all those dreams from my childhood of wanting to play this part in a movie and I was going to get the next best thing, if not THE best because of it being a live performance. As cheesy as it may seem, I feel like I am in a Disney commercial talking about the magic of the park LOL But I don't care, I'm going to enjoy every minute of this and be spoiled while I can and just play. I have felt happier these past few months and I've learned a lot. I've brought a lot of that joy I have been experiencing with this show to other places in my life and I know I want nothing less than that from now on. I hope to see and stay in touch with everyone from my group and I'm sad to not be seeing you all regularly. I'll be missing not being able to joke or prank you all, but you better watch out, because when I do see you, it will be on. I can't wait for my friends to see the show and I look forward to the day that my parents and sister come out to LA and see one of the performances of a show that has meant a lot to me for many years.

I also am a little sad at the thought of this blog ending. I started it as a way to keep people informed of my experience and to also keep the thoughts fresh for myself. I started to take different life as I began to journal a little bit. I just don't know how it will be without having rehearsal everyday to write about. Life goes on and new experiences will be had no doubt, so maybe I will continue to write. When it comes down to it, I've enjoyed writing these little things. Not sure if I'm ready to let go just yet ;)

Tomorrow I'll be performing the two middle shows- one at 1:55pm and the other at 4:20pm. Wish me good shows and send me luck at the cast party as I do my best to dethrone the current Hyperion Bowling Champ at the 300 Bowling alley!

Later!

Thank you for reading

FREE TIX to DISNEY, No Internet & Falling Onstage

So, this is my first blog since last Sunday.

As I mentioned, I am in the process of moving and had no internet at my old place, so it was just basic email on my phone for the most part. We got the keys for our new place on Monday and of course we decided to stay the night since our bed was already there. We had water, electricity and we THOUGHT heat, but we found out later that the pilot had been turned out when the place was painted. We brought over sheets and A blanket. LOL It was cold! We froze that night, but it was still nice to wake up in a nice new place on a nice new bed. Back to basics. Wolfy seems to love this place, maybe because it gives him a lot of room to run around and cause trouble. At this point, the heat, cable and internet are on, and I moved most of my clothes and everything from my kitchen/bathroom. All that is left is my room shite that I will be moving Saturday morning with the help of E-kan and Javed from my Aladdin Cast. I've had a rough week with rehearsals every day only to come home and pack and move boxes to the new place. I wanted to move a little bit every day, but I paid for it with a sore back and tired days at rehearsal. I think it will be easy tomorrow, but who knows, it always looks like so much less work than it actually is! Either way you slice it, I have to be done with the truck by 1pm and I'm hoping to have all of my shit done by then.

I get really anal with wanting to have my stuff unpacked right away and settled in so I can finally feel like I have completely moved ya know? However, I already told myself, that I am just going to get it here and then wait until after rehearsals end before I really attack unpacking.

I'm excited to have people over for parties, or FINALLY host a UFC Fight on Pay Per View or have people over for football

GO GIANTS - 11-1 BABY! Big game this weekend. One of our rivals who we beat just a few short weeks ago, E-kan and I will be at it again LOL

So in the Aladdin world, things are going great! This was our last full week of rehearsals as we open next FRIDAY!!! I'm so excited! I've had a really great time with this show, which I'm sure I say a lot, but it really has been an amazing experience. I will definitely miss the cast that I came in with. There are 19 of us and some are scheduled for different days, while others are on an on call basis. We've had a great time, and it's the first show in a while that I got close to everyone and we all got along LOL for the most part ;)

I wasn't supposed to be in on Monday because of my St. Louis trip, but since we came back early, I called ahead and they told me to come in, which I was excited about because I really was itching to get back. I really am spoiled with this show. I missed two days and it felt like forever LOL I know how Carl felt now when he was hurt. But I heard they did runs, which I was upset I missed but we started in and finished working certain scenes in the space. You'd be surprised at how long a 3 minute song takes to stage, but when you have people learning multiple roles in a show, you have to keep going back to switch everything around so everyone learns their stuff. I'm really impressed with the talent in this show and their ability to handle all their different roles. I get confused with mine by itself LOL

I really can't remember too much from the week of rehearsal, most of my thoughts were involving moving and thinking about preparations for that. It was spirit week and there were themes for every day.

Monday was Camouflage day, which I wore my full desert fatigues and was only outdone by Ray who had the black boots. I had the same pair, but didn't take it all the way.

Tuesday was sports day and everyone was coming up to me asking if I was going to dress like a UFC fighter LOL I figured I'd wear my Giants gear in support instead.

Wednesday was Pajama day which I am bummed about till this day because I totally missed out and forgot to wear my famed one piece red pajama outfit with buttons in front AND back. I just forgot about it with the confusion of being at the new place. I did find time together to play a prank on one of the cast members that night. They were all headed to a bar to sing and I texted Kumi saying that I had been watching her from across the room. She didn't respond till 3 hours later when I was in bed...

Thursday was Superhero day and I was wiped this day and just threw on my Superman T-shirt which worked well for the scene in the show when I float into Jasmine's window on the carpet. I didn't even think about it, but some people said it looked really cool. That was the day also that I first ran the WHOLE NEW WORLD number with all the effects and when you see the show, you'll know what I mean. It looks really cool, but it is a little scary up there because of all the smoke they use in the scene. We also started decorating our Ornaments for the Christmas Tree in the green room. Let's just say that some people went overboard and couldn't stop making these things, not going to mention any names or anything but let's just say that there are two roommates who could not stop. On my ride to work though, the girl I texted the night before, got the Ace treatment and I texted her back on my drive and she couldn't figure out if it was a joke or not. It went on for a while, but hidden in one of the messages was a cryptic code saying that it was me...too bad she didn't catch it. I went on to say that my name was HANK, which some of you have met LOL During our warmups, she sat in the audience texting and watching to see who reached for the phone, but I was ONE JUMP AHEAD ;) and snuck them in fast. Finally she asked who was from JErsey and it didn't leave very many options, I was discovered. But I had her going good and she has vowed to seek revenge...we shall see. She said that when people mentioned it was probably me, she couldn't believe it as she didn't think I was capable of it, but she obviously didn't know me well.

Today was just costume day and I busted out the Pirate costume and I wasn't alone. Javed wore a full out Jack Sparrow Costume and Ray was SUPPOSED to be Capt. Morgan but couldn't get it together. We also continued with the ornaments and the two roommates continued. One of them, who I actually performed with as Jasmine, was getting really into it and was throwing everything into these ornaments. They were colorful and busy, lets just say that. We did 3 runs of the show all the way through with full effects and I did was scheduled to do the first one. I felt great and warmed up and then all of a sudden, I was just feeling BLAH...I don't know what came over me, but I just felt lethargic and out of it. We then went up onstage to practice a flip I have to do with the Alexa who was playing the carpet and we kept messing it up. It was alittle frustrating and one of those things you didn't want to be worried about in a show because that is when mistakes happen. I shook it off and had about 15 mintues to get back into my groove and started to do some push ups and anything physical to see if it would help, but only a little. It was time for places and I figured that I would make a couple of mad dashes down the stairs to hell I call it which helped get the blood flowing when I saw Mark 'Poison' Oka in his position for top of show. I said hello and we chatted a little and he had some real kind things to say about my work and before I knew it, they had called places and I ready to rock and I felt ready to kick ass. I like compliments as much as the next person, but it wasn't so much that...I just really respect Mark a lot and I remember he was the first person I talked to at Orientation. He has worked everywhere and has done some huge Broadway shows and I just was always inspired thinking about how he carried himself and how you could tell how much he loves what he does. I remember in Orientation we were supposed to share an interesting fact and he shared that he is still a dancer at age 50. It was simple, but it really hit home for me. He's a great guy and I really admire him a lot. I feel like he is one of the reasons that I've really pushed MYSELF hard in this and I've learned a new level of commitment that I don't think I could have achieved without being around such DEDICATED, TALENTED and CARING people that really go all out in their work. It's part of the reason I love working with Dancers, because in my opinion, they bust their ass and deal with pain and work at such intense levels and they just keep moving forward. I just wish I can perform with all these people all the time.

Anyways, our show went great and I felt the same about my run in it. I tripped in the FRIEND LIKE ME number over my BAGGY ASS ALADDIN Pants, but didn't fall thank god...I actually saved that part for after the show when I was running off stage with Jasmine and I got caught again and totally went down HARD! Thank god I had on knee pads...i'm a little sore though from it LOL.

We finished the day in the house with the Director and Choreographer and she gave us details about our specific performances. Now I already knew I was performing Sundays and Mondays, I just didn't know what I was performing for what shows...well I was informed that I was actually being brought in for the OPENING DAY next FRIDAY! We all get put in days which are basically the days they put us into the show and then give us final approval to do the parts. Yes, we already have the part, but it is some weird thing they do that none of us really understood to be honest. We all just got tense when they announced it because it felt like an audition again. Granted we have been doing this show for 6 weeks and I'm pretty certain that they have a good idea of what we are capable of, but who knows lol Regardless, everyone has to go through it and I'm not really worried about it at all. I'm just excited that I will be there to perform as Aladdin on the opening day!!! So if you are free, I think I will be doing the last two shows. I can get you into the parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) for free, if you come to the show of course! Let me know!

Anyways, it's time to wrap up. Gotta see if I can stay awake long enough to get through last weeks Dexter and 2 Ultimate Fighter Eps..

TiLL NeXt TiME

Hippies, Aloha, Christmas Music & St. Louis Trip!

Thursday was Hippie Day at rehearsal. I was personally getting a little burned out over the themes and just slapped a peace sign on a plain white t-shirt and wrote FREE HUGS above it LOL I think everyone is starting to get a little tired with all the themes and stuff. It is great for spirit...just might need a break. Especially considering that the production crew has set up a spirit week involving games, themes and more...lol We ran the big show stopper FRIEND LIKE ME which was fun. We worked through the part where I go into the Cave of Wonders and then all of the scene leading into the big number. It's a monster...not so much for me, I just sit and watch most of it literally but for the dancers...uhg! There are some steps they have to climb fast that are steep as shit! I was told that if one person falls or trips towards the top, it will be a large domino effect.

Friday more of the same with FRIEND LIKE ME. The thing is that there are several cast members learning multiple roles so we have to keep doing it over and over to let them work into their spots. I got to do some more harness work which is difficult as shite for the beginning of this scene. It hurts, I'm high up and I dangle for a bit...It looks so much easier than it is, believe me. Aloha Friday was a good hit considering how many Hawaiians we have in the cast. One of the Aladdin's, Eddie forgot totally but was just able to claim his spirit because of his last name, which to be honest, I don't think I can say correctly, let alone attempt to spell.

We finished and went into our half weekend. We knew we had rehearsal on Sunday because of the days off for thanksgiving, so there were mixed feelings about heading into the weekend.

I actually picked up a shift earlier in the week at the Apple Store and by the time Friday night rolled around, I was regretting it. I woke up and went in to work and it was weird considering that I haven't been in there in like 3 weeks and there are always new people in the store. I also managed to attract every weird or complicated customer in the store. Of course, I felt a little rusty because of my time away, but not only that, I had people asking me every question about everything that was either new, or I didn't know the answer to...Other than that, it was nice to be back in there and it reminded me how lucky I was to have the show to go back to the next day. Don't get me wrong, I actually like working for Apple a lot, it's just not what I am here for. I also was reminded that I was going to have to attend a meeting Sunday night after my rehearsal for Aladdin.

That night, I was supposed to head to Ray's for a little shindig, but I realized that I wouldn't have any other time to do my laundry and clean before heading to STL so I made the ultimate sacrifice and stood in and did laundry on Saturday night.

Needless to say, I was a little upset at the thought of not being to watch my football games today, but at least I had a fun day ahead of me. Wolfy looked up at me confused this morning, he had a look on his face that said, "Where are you going, it is your day off...my day for the dog park!" We finished filling in the gaps with the Genie number and I got to work with a few of the other Blue Men...crazy! LOL It is going to be a blast doing a show and working with all these different people. I drank about 4 cups of hot chocolate today and i'm feeling it now... :( We ended up getting released early around 4:30 which was nice. I thought I'd get home with about 3 1/2 hours to spare before my meeting at Apple, but of course traffic had different plans for me...

I still had enough time to play with the Wolfster, clean my room and get some clothes ready for my trip to STL! I'm getting excited to visit the Stegemans and see Queenie's two little dogs. I'm also excited to cook. The deal is that we all have to cook something. I've got an interesting surprise brewing...edible of course :)

To my right, I can hear Wolfy tearing apart the bone I bought him today LOL he's got little burgundy stains on his little white paws from the bone, but he is loving it. Gotta give him a bath before we take off. He'll be staying with Alex and Stanley, a huge golden retriever that Wolfy knows from back in the day ;)

It's nice to listen to some Christmas music although the weather won't commit and let me feel like it is cold enough to be listening to it.

QUESTION FOR YOU ALL IN LOS ANGELES! Do you ever listen to the Coast radio station on 103.5?? They play some good Holiday music, but their DJ's are funny as hell when they talk on the air. They tell these funny stories in this weird deep, jazzy, smooth voice and it is ridiculous. Please, do me a favor and check it out! You'll die!

Giants are 10-1! Our former QB looked good though against them today. Kurt Warner is still kicking man. I tell you what, you can't take anything away from what Favre has done, but if he wasn't around all the talk would be around Kurt Warner in my opinion. There will be a movie about him one day, I guarantee you. I may even write it ;) "From Grocery Stock Boy, to Superbowl MVP!" I'm excited for the next few weeks of football! All the division and rival games are coming up!

My body is lagging today, usually this is my rest day...I'll have to settle for the plane Tuesday morn!

TiLL NeXt TiMe!

Ninja’s, Lunch Rendezvous and Hazing

So the tech's at Aladdin were starting to get jealous because they couldn't participate in our color or theme days. So we decided to make it black day in honor of them. Actually...it was already announced last week that today would be Ninja Day, but we just combined the two...don't tell.

So I'm dressed in all black today and find the perfect way to turn a t-shirt into a ninja mask and decided I wanted to try it out before stepping out of the house. Erin was passed out in my bed and her dog Wolfy was licking her every few seconds. I stepped into the kitchen and put on the mask and then came back into the room in true stealth, ninja fashion. Wolfy looked at me and I just stared at him for like 20 seconds and then started to slowly creep in. He backed up and then...he started to bark and jump back and forth on the bed, waking Erin. She looked up at me in my full Ninja garb not impressed and insisted I stopped, while I kept on egging the dog on lol. Her main problem with it was that he wasn't going to know when to bark at the real danger...real NINJAS? LOL She wasn't fully awake and had just been taling in her sleep for like 5 minutes on and off. I decided, my outfit was complete.

I showed up and before going into the green room, I put my mask on and got into Ninja mode as I crept around the room. Everyone was looking, trying to figure out who it was and then there was a, "that has to be Ace. Of course it is!" LOL I then proceeded to find a small table next to the piano and got Juan to lure people over, who I then scared at random intervals until we were called into the theatre. There were quite a few people who were dressed in black, but not really celebrating full Ninja spirit. Apparently, people are still not getting the memo's so we will need to find a more effective way of announcing our color/theme for the day.

We went into the theatre and I was crawling and rolling around as I made my way to the front to hear our speech for the day. After we got our assignments, I ducked out of my Ninja clothes and became a civilian to rehearse...not for long...at one point I was being harnessed in for the effect where I fly across the stage and of course, it was time to bust out the ninja mask. Sure enough I put it on and I was surprised that the techs were cool with it. I thought I'd at least get yelled at after my jump, but no. One person asked me if I could see well and of course I could and he was fine and off I went. I threw imaginary smoke bombs at the people on stage below me as I flew across and looked like something out of a Jackie Chan movie. Kudos to Sam for giving me the idea though. A few minutes earlier he soared over in a pose from Crouching Tiger.

It was then time for lunch and for the safety of a few other ninjas and of course my own, I can't openly say what 3 of us did. Let's just say there were some screams, maybe some scares, perhaps a drop or two, and of course...Ninjas...all under 10 minutes. We were back before anyone could telll we were missing, but what else do you expect from three deadly Ninjas?! Let's just say that there were people after us that were not as lucky and they did not make it back...happy.

Back to rehearsal and after eating two portions of lunch I had a nice little Ninja bulge as I readied for a full on run of One Jump. Fast forward a bit and we are on a 15 and after showing some signs of jealousy over Sam's braided locks, Helen offered to give me an, "Updo". Not that I knew what it was, but oh well...why not. So she proceeded to work on my hair and let's just say that 4 different people said I looked like the little girl from Monsters Inc. LOL Oh! If that wasn't enough, Oscar offered her some of his makeup(??) to use on me and after some of the other vets mentioned this would be my right of passage, I figured to give in...lol not really, I would have done it anyways, who cares?

Pics to follow at some point this week. I'm sure I am already tagged in some on facebook.



Jason D- Hang in there! We all want accomplices'! LOL

Hope you are having a great week and I'm looking forward to my trip to St. Louis next week!

Ace

Week 4 begins in the THEATRE~ Carpet Training, Flying in a harness & an Elephant

So Monday was our first day moving into the Theatre. Holy shit, I have never performed in anything that big. I think the stage at Middlesex was close, but the wing space in this theatre is huge as well. It was really exciting to walk into the house and look up at the balcony. It's going to be great to see that house full!

First up was going to be the introduction to the harness that we would be putting on for our effects in the show. So I don't spoil the show for all of you who will no doubt come to see it, let's just say that Aladdin does some flying across the stage that will be a pretty cool part to watch. I was a little nervous at first, because this thing is flinging me across the stage at probably 20ft in the air, but after getting down the technical things, I was just having fun doing it over and over. One part will suck because I have to sit hoisted like 50ft in the air for a few minutes by the lights and I'm sitting in this uncomfortable harness that squashes anything in it's way if ya catch my drift ;)

After that, we headed up to learn the, "Gantry" and fly the carpet through the house above the audience. This by far was one of my fav's of the day, because this was like a freaking ride at the park. It was a bit scary at parts for SURE! First of all it dips down and it looks like you are going to fall, but then it levels out and runs its course dipping and diving, flipping and jiving. It's just like the movie, we do flips and duck under trees and what not LOL...just kidding, but you'll see, it is really fun. There was one part that one of the veteran Aladdin's named Eddie wanted to warn us about and the tech guy was just wanting to discover it on our own LOL It's called the surge, and it is a point through the carpets flight pattern that it shoots up really fast and you feel like you are going to fall off. The first time I was ready for it and it still made me cringe. We ran it again and I was challenging myself to not hold on to anything to see what it would be like during the show and I was chatting with the Jasmin who was up there with me and I almost died. I had forgotten about the surge and it started to climb and it was too late to posture up, I mean we are strapped to the carpet, but I don't care to find out what it would feel like if I were to fall off. I f'n grabbed on to the closest thing and held on for dear life. Well worth price of admission ;) I'm also glad to see that the tech's in the show have a sense of humor to scare us poor newbies. It's also weird for me to call them techs, I'm used to crew.

After lunch it was time to learn how to ride the elephant. Now, in case you forgot or haven't seen the movie, Aladdin rides up to the Princess in an elephant right? Well, this is Disney kids and we are doing it in style here. It was pretty cool to sit in this thing and, it is quite large. His name is Babar. Just kidding, I don't know if it his a name. But he's really nice and he drops me off right at the foot of the stage. Wait till you see it.

Today (Tuesday) we met some more vets and we began to block One Jump on the stage which is a new experience with moving set pieces and scenery. I also have to run down two flights of stairs and sprint right into the beginning of the number, which we staged today. Mark, one of the other Al's showed Carl, Marc Oka and I his method, which was basically grabbing the railings and jumping as we slide down on our hands (if that makes sense.) I've done this a lot before, so it wasn't a big deal, but the other two guys were not having it LOL The last flight, I pretty much have to run down and just hit every third or 4th step. I also managed to scare, "Poison Oka" twice by gabbing his foot as he was looking out of one of the high windows and then another time, by joining in with his singing by staring at him from the window right next to him. One Jump is a blast with everything and I did it 4 times. 2 back to back with a break and then the next two. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good after each. I think I'm starting get used to it. I actually was not breathing hard at all, the sweat was still there, but even that was better.

Earlier in the day all of the Al's and Jas' were called to work on Whole New World with the Vocal Consultant, Todd. This was the first time that all of the Aladdin's were together. We are all so different. It's surprising.

I got to fly in my harness a couple of times today, which was also a lot of fun. A group of us were having a backstage chat and I almost missed my cue for my entrance...ok I did miss it and was like 2 steps behind, but I recovered ;)

We also took our spirit days to a new level and introduced our first theme. Today was 80's rehearsal. Last night I got home and passed out around 9:30 and woke up without my alarm at 7:30 which gave me a half an hour to get everything ready. I was panicking because I didn't know what to wear. After a quick search on google, I came across a suggestion that mimicked Miami Vice. So I grabbed my white blazer, put on a light green tshirt, some khakis, shoes and sunglasses and I was ready. As I looked in the cabinet for the hair dryer to style my hair, I noticed a can of gold spray hair color. I thought of Don Johnson and sprayed that shit on...granted I looked like I had a grey hair and some people thought I was taylor hicks, but on some level, people guessed right away. One of our cast members Matt came up to me and said he had a hard time figuring out my costume but then he finally got it. He then went on to reveal that he thought I was just dressing like an 80 year old and that it was a joke, get it? Like I was supposed to be in my eighties! LOL

At lunch, there were a few hairs Juan's cup of water and we started to joke around to dare someone to drink it and then, I pulled a gross one. I started pour a little bit of everyone's lunch, most of which was left over into the cup of water/hair. I told them I would drink it for some dough. Some of the stuff I poured in: Sour Cream, Honey Butter, Baked Beans, Left over tortilla wrap with something in it, chicken gravy with chunks of chicken and who knows what else, pepper...i forget what else. By this point, some people were beyond grossed out, Juan was telling me that I had to chug the whole thing for his 5 bucks and Will was grossed out and just kept repeating how much of a bad idea this was. LOL He kept reminding me that I was going to be running around all afternoon in One Jump, which I was nervous about, but by this point, there was no turning back. The deal was that I would have to take a big swig, pause to show it to the camera and then swallow. I brought the cup to my mouth to prepare and I heard someone dry heave, I looked over and it was David and this probably grossed me out more. After I saw he was laughing I went back to the cup and as I tilted my head back, I could hear the groans and yells. I paused as the nastiness reached my toungue and opened the mouth to offer another gross moment to everyone and the did the deed. People were standing up and walking away, some of the veteran cast members, who I only knew for 3 hours at this point were just in shock and some random guy on his phone was trying to figure out what everyone was grossed out by. The fear factor concoction I drank at Universal definitely was worse, but this one looked pretty bad. Not sure what I gained from it, I didn't even get my 5 bucks because I didn't drink the whole thing. But oh well..

A fun day once again.

Other random goodness. The cafeteria that we have to eat at now that we are at the Theatre, sucks. We were spoiled before. It's also a bit of a walk it seems. However, there is a food truck that comes by while we are in the middle of rehearsal, but I was lucky to catch it today and it looks to be food truck quality. Parking is easier (knock on wood) so far though. It is always cold in EVERY building in Disneyland! WHY?! We have a nice little green room that has plenty of games, two pianos, free coffee and hot choc, a massage chair and comfortable couches. Don't spray gold/white hair stuff in before sweating in rehearsal...

TiLL NeXt TiMe!

New Apartment - Getting rid of anything?

So we headed over to our new apartment today to take a look at some stuff that Jay and Laura might be getting rid of. It was awesome to be in there and just vision living in a better environment with a great new roommate ;) It's bigger, brighter, a better area AND CHEAPER! It looks like the four roommates our going to have a great time in the new space. More so than anything I'm looking forward to enjoying my time with Erin and arguing over how the place will be decorated LOL I think she already is winning this battle. It will be great to finally have people over for parties, fights, sports games or just to plain hang out in our new place. So many plans, so many things to spruce up and so much fun to be had. It can't come soon enough. The time will fly though because after this week, we are off to St. Louis for the Holiday and then once we return, it will be time to call a new place home.

We may need some assistance from someone with a pickup truck to move our stuff. It won't be so much for Erin's stuff, because she literally lives across the street from the new place. It will be more for me. I need to get my futon and bookshelf over and possibly a small computer desk. I don't think it will take long at all. Most of the stuff can be taken over in my car.

We've also already begun checking out craigslist for free stuff for the place. Of course we may even spend a few bucks too if it's nice ;) LOL

We're in the market for a few couches, chairs for a dining room table, computer desk, book shelf...and I'm sure some other random shite.

Week 3 Wrap Up~ Run Throughs, NEW APARTMENT, Run Throughs

What a week. I think I mentioned in my last blog, that Carl (the actor from NY who is also learning Aladdin) hurt his back during rehearsal on Wednesday. When you see the show, you'll see that Aladdin moves quite a bit in the show. Carl especially has a lot on his plate, because he is also learning an additional chorus role and has to learn some of the dance numbers as well. Well, somehow something in his back was not having it and he ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, it seems to just be strained bad and he will hopefully be back within a weeks time. We're pulling for you dude!

Beginning Thursday, we sang through the show from beginning to end, which was a little nerve wracking for me. We had to stand in front of the new cast members and the veterans and sing to them! LOL I felt a little behind on my first number and Whole New World went better...probably because the focus wasn't entirely on me.

We then started to actually run the show all the way through. Immediately, I felt in the zone since I was moving. I'm just the kind of person that needs to be physical with my work. However, right after the big number in the beginning, I was drenched and breathing hard from running around at full force and about 5 seconds after the song ended, they stopped us and had us start again from the beginning of the number! LOL I had about 30 seconds to catch my breath and we were off again! It ended up going well the second time through and we moved on through the show. I'm going to be in crazy shape from this show. Now, those that know me well, know I can eat. A couple people from the cast laugh at me because of how much I eat. I usually bring my full lunch from home and then end up buying some additional food to eat as well. Even still, I realized that I've lost about 10 lbs. I have not been this weight for at least 10 years LOL. Anyways, we ran the show again before the day was through, but it was going great!

Between our first and second run-through I received a phone call from my friend Jay about an apartment that was going to be available. I've had my eye on this place for a long time and I was stoked to hear that it was going to be opening up. It's in Brentwood, which is only 5 minutes from where I live, but is close to all the major highways and still less than a 8 minute drive to the beach. It's also a very expensive area to live in for Los Angeles, but this apartment was a steal. We ended up getting a great 2br apartment in a great area and I couldn't be happier. Erin and I will no doubt he having some parties and it's great knowing I will have triple the space for so much cheaper than what I'm currently paying! We looked at a lot of places, but kept true to our promise of not settling and making sure we found a place that we really liked...little did we know, it would find us! The age old saying proves to be true once again, "Good things come to those who WAIT!"

Friday came and they actually had one of the verteran Aladdin's run the first two run-throughs. They also used one of the veteran Jasmine's too and it was interesting to see the different performances from everyone. Usually, it is weird to watch other people do your role. Sometimes, you can over think and question what you do, but this was different. Maybe it's because all along, I've been rehearsing with another person learning the same role. But even aside from that, the production team has been great about communicating that there are a few of us and we are all going to be different, in fact they encourage it and we definitely are different!

After lunch, it was time for me to step in and run the show. We ended up running it twice and it was a blast! I actually ended up running it with some of the older cast members, which was obviously different, but fun all the same. I love when things are different and this was an awesome experience that kept me on my toes! The returning cast members are really talented and very supportive in the room. It is a great environment and I am looking forward to working with more of them. Everyone is working so hard and this is becoming a great show, not to mention it is SO fun to do. I feel so lucky to be in this position. I would easily do this for free so it's a pretty sweet deal. I had a few cast members come up and give me some great feedback, which meant a lot considering the high level of talent in the show. I also had some great feedback from the Director, Choreographer and Vocal "Consultant" which really made my day. I can honestly say I am giving it 100 percent and it feels good. I'm also very lucky to be surrounded by some great performers in the show and they are all great people. We have a great time together and they really help to make it the good time that it is. As I mentioned in my last blog, Carl, Emily and I started to get everyone to wear a chosen color for the day and it is catching on quick. Within a week we went from 3 people to about 25 people dressed in similar colors LOL We are actually kicking it up a notch and we are starting themes as well. Tuesday is 80's, which will totally be fun, but I have no clue what to wear. It looks like the rest of this coming week is already set with colors/themes for the day.

We ended the day with the learning of the, "carpet toss". At one point in the show, I have to help flip the carpet and I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous. We eventually got it down and it will be a cool little move, once it is set.

After our long rehearsal 8 of us headed into the park for some fun in DCA and then we came back to Disney to hit up Pirates, Indy Jones and watch Fantasmic. It was great to hang with everyone and drain what little energy I had left. But it was all worth it because after all, the next morning I was not going to have to get up and look for apartments!!! We went on Tower of Terror which was a hilarious experience. Ray was screaming the whole time and his picture looked funny as hell. I was actually ghetto and took a picture of the picture on my camera and will post it later LOL

Monday we will be moving into theatre finally and we will be flying on some carpets and jumping across the stage in a harness that will no doubt give me a huge wedgy! Pix to follow ;)

Also, I want to extend an invite to anyone who wants to come enjoy the park. I have a hookup and if you are interested in taking advantage before the new year, let me know! If it is during the week, I can join you after I am done rehearsing.

Other than that, I'm ready for football. Time to watch my Giants notch another W on the board. By the way, I know the Giants are the Superbowl Champs, so there are no doubt a boat load of fans who have jumped on the bandwagon. Just like people were quick to do it with the B.S. Yankees. It is funny how NY teams attract so many temporary fans. But you should at least know that they actually play in New Jersey. Just like the Jets...which come to think about it, that's probably why they are actually doing decent this year...throw in Farve and some luck left behind in the stadium they share with the champs and who would have thought they'd be decent? Let's see if it lasts.