Is that all there is?

I survived an earthquake and hurricane....

Luckily both were not too bad for NYC!

Going back a bit it has been a pretty eventful few weeks in the city.

I landed my first official NYC Film gig working as a volunteer for the New York International Latino Film Festival.

I worked mainly with the corporate sponsors and such. Got to work the red carpet as well as make some great NYC contacts. Attended some fun parties and have some leads on some work as well as internships.

In the days that followed natural disasters threatened this town.

The Earthquake happened while I was watching Top Model and when I awoke from my nap I was bombarded by texts and calls from back home.

As for the Tornado. I stocked up on groceries mostly munchies. Couldn't resist the smore fixings in case the power went out.

The power did not go out. In face the rain was not that bad in the city. I walked through worst storms before.

I am glad both natural disasters spared the city. What is next? A Volcano?

I was surprised by how many people commented on my red carpet photo. I have not weighed myself officially or been dieting but have been making healthy choices and doing Pilates time to time.

I love this fall weather. Cant wait to start jogging!!!

Tomorrow will be my last night in the heights for a while. I will be moving to my new apt in Astoria tomorrow. I hear the neighborhood is nice. Cant wait to check it out. It is month to month so if the heights comes a calling or other neighborhoods I am free to move on.

Cant wait to go shopping for my winter coats!

With 3 hours left until my alarm goes off time to wrap this up.

Goodbye August!

Change of a Dress

More like change of Address.

I decided to title my blogs with the title of Sex and the City episodes and this one suites my mood and the events in my life at the moment.

It seems just like yesterday I moved into my first NYC sublet in Washington Heights off of 160 and Broadway. The lease ends on September 1st and I went to go pick up the keys to my new place in Astoria.

I am already going to miss Washington Heights. The San Antonio artist transplants who live in SA and the friends I have made in the city live in the heights with me. I literally have friends on 146, 159, 161,163, 170, 175, etc. Luckily this lease is only month to month so if a nice place in the heights catches my eye I can be back here before you can say borough.

Astoria has alot of great qualities. It has more of a neighborhood feel and has alot more shops and cafes etc. While waiting for my future roommate near the subway today I noticed alot of students coming back from summer break. I am sure I will be seeing more of that in the weeks to come. Did I mention my new place has a cleaning lady? I shared a good laugh when I told my mom I came to nyc to be a starving artist and I get a maid!

I just came off of a very nice three day weekend. Tomorrow is my regular shift, but Wednesday on I will be working Tuesday-Saturday mornings as early as 4am. Its alright I still have my day and night Saturday, Sunday, and Mondays off. I will also be done with my work day before noon. So all in all it is a fair trade off.

This weekend it was nice to keep up my Pilates workouts. Today I did core suspension pilates. It was a great workout and cant wait to do that again. I love this. It brings back alot of dance muscles and is helping regain balance and helps you be aware of your muscles throughout the day etc. I promised not to weight myself for a while. Hopefully two months or so. My jeans are loose and I am looking forward to buying some new clothes later this month. I am also not dieting just making healthy choices. Heck gotta have some treats and eats sometime right? I love what Cindy Crawford says " I eat what I want, just not as much as I would like to." My saying is that you set yourself up to fail when you diet cause you can spell "Diet without DIE".

It was nice to feel plugged into my Texas actors by helping cast for a movie and for a commercial spot. I love the casting side. Although I would never want to take away work from casting directors whose lively hood depend on it. I love being a good back up for those who do not have the time to cast or are learning the craft of it.

My networking has officially begun in NYC. I went to the Act outside the Box First Thursday industry mixer and I was invited as an industry guest which meant unlike the actors who wore a blue name tag I got a red industry name tag. I did not send a bio, but the organizers sent out a bio based on my internet movie database credits and what was on Google. I was surprised when people asked how it was like to produce a zombie feature film? Or what it was like to represent actors in Texas? I must have met 125 good folks and brought four friends and colleagues with me. One even won a door prize. So it does pay to network! I cant wait to continue to go. This makes me remember I need to plan the Actors Network SA Summer mixer. They will not die just because I am in NYC!!!

So with all this life happening around me I did not give myself time to mourn the passing of Thomas Ensley. I met him through my good friend Sarah Bading. He was a unqiue individual. A culinary master, bongo king, free thinker from the bayou. We often sat together at the celebration circle as we would hear Sarah sing and bring us closer to our spiritual beliefs. Although we were not terribly close I feel for those who were close to him and loved him deeply, including Sarah. I finally had a good cry for Tommy. He was a beautiful human and touched many peoples lives!

Last but not least I got the invite many people dread... The 10 year reunion invitation. Not exactly but in the social networking age do we really need reunions? I know who has kids, and got married, and divorced, and married again, cant keep a girlfriend, who still goes to cowboys like they did when they were 18, who is balding, who moved away, who came back and is still living at home, etc. That being said with Facebook, the element of surprise will be a far cry from generations past. I am not against this per say, however I am against people show boating and trying to take all the glory for putting on together, and or spending time a select few whom to this day I never understood why they despised me, but I am at a point in my life where I would rather not spend time with those individuals. Now those 90% that I would like to see I would simply just ask to see them casually. I say all of this as if I do not want to go, but in reality I probably will go. I will just have a great after party and invite only those I really care to hang out with there. : P and I wont have to invent post its!

Hot Child in the City

I am here....wow!

It has been quite a while since I did a update on my blog and I intend, just like my twitter account, to make updates more frequently. This can also let my friends and family know the in depth details of my adventures in the big apple.

First is first. I have been here for a little over two and a half months now and time seems to go by way faster here than it ever did in San Antonio.

I arrived on May 11th, which is my fathers birthday. It turned out to be a cheaper flight and I made sure to leave a gift behind for him. The nights before were filled with going away parties, goodbyes to near and dear friends, and a cross country trip to LA.

Going back a bit. I have been to LA several times before, but when my friend and colleague, Evan, mentioned he wanted to pick up some things I suggested driving him so I could get out of SA for a few days and mentally prepare myself for my move. In retrospect I should have used that week to tie up more loose ends, however a trip is never wasted. The best part of the trip for me was not the destination but the journey. The open desert road and music and chatting. All went well except for in Arizona where my brown skin will get you pulled over in a heart beat. The whole time in LA i stayed with my friend James. I did absolutely nothing. I was a hermit in his apartment and spent most of my days lounging around by the pool and seeing a friend or two and not the many I know out there.

Coming back home I had one day to go to a Film Festival for NESA and present them with the $500.00 check I had raised and go home and hang out with some friend really quick before heading to the airport. My brother pulled up to my apt to take my to Austin, which is where I was flying out of when it dawned on me that I had not thrown my clothes into a suit case. This would later come to bite me in the booty when I realized in my haste to rid one of my suitcases to save on the extra fees that I forgot my towels and pants.

At JFK Joseph greeted me and took me to a Peruvian restaurant and I made my little space in him and Melissa's nice apt. I later helped them move out three days later. I was left to myself those two weeks as I finalized what sublet I would take. I learned how quick and fierce real estate agents are in NYC. There must have been three or so visits a day and I looked like a hobo squatting with an air mattress in the middle of the living room.

Those two weeks went by fast. During that time I finalized my transfer to my job at Starbucks and started working the next week at 36 and madison.

This job is alot more fast paced than my other Starbucks but it is a steady paycheck and i like all my co workers, and i get 40 hours a week. That is a big plus.

I ended up choosing a sublet in Washington Heights off of 160 and Broadway. It is a four bedroom and my room is HUGE of nyc standards. I live with three opera singers and all are nice guys. Although only one is ever home. I like the area. Other SA Artists live here and are very close to me.

In the following weeks my adventures included having my first house guest from SA. In addition to seeing my first broadway show, technically it was in reviews, but it was Spiderman: Turn off the Dark. I agree with a critic that says it looks like an expensive amusement park show. Be it a good show!!! I was entertained and am not a theater snob at this point.

Speaking of theater, in my first month I was asked to perform in a Cabaret show!

I performed one song for a fundraiser for a local theater company. Granted singing has never been my strong suit the accompanist was super nice and the staff were great people to know. It was most fun to perform right by all the big running broadway shows.It was also fun to perform in a show where I did not have to audition after not getting much recently in the SA theater scene. I know I am a tough cookie to cast and performing isnt my #1 right now but its nice to say I performed in a NYC Stage.

Producing is what I am here for and I took a step towards that by enrolling and completing the Hollywood Film Institutes Producers Academy. This is taught by Dov Simens who will spend the first half of the class bashing four year film schools but in the end no matter that your take or background is in filmmaking will give you some honest and real answers for producing independent films. He answered alot of questions I get on a daily basis such as :" Where do you get the money to make a film?" "How do i sell a script?" and so on.

I also recently started putting my resume out there for production work. There is still alot more I need to do. One step at a time and I think if I do what I did in SA. Volunteer, network, be available something will come up. Persistence I think is half the battle.

I have also begun to write my first feature film script and am talking to other directors to see what I can do to be apart of there productions.

The nightlife in another story here. I try not to go out as much. Would much rather stay home with netflix but even that is getting old. Yes it is cheaper but going out you can meet people too. As for my social life I am keeping that really on the back burner. There are alot more choices here as far as men are concerned and I like the REAL men here versus the superficial side you get in LA and or the lack of choices in SA.

I have only been out a handful of times to a few bars and lounges. I did clear the dance floor at one of them. For some reason I have no problem getting attention if I am feeling "on" which is usually when I am dancing and or working. I guess it would be great if I could channel that energy when I am working a room. : )

I did not come here for romance but I will explore dates and getting to know people etc.

I have started to expand my friend circle but its a slow and steady process.

I plan to finish my script and in a week will be working the early morning shifts at Starbucks which will let me be done with my day by 10:30am which would allow plenty of time for interviews and or internships.

I am going to drop off some letters/resumes in person at some casting offices and talent agencies. After all that is how I got my start to begin with but my goal is to work at a production office on a film and or tv show.

I am playing around with the idea of submitting to agencies for acting work. Even if its extra work I could use that to my advantage.

I am continuing to work on my body as well. The walking has helped slim me down but havnt changed my eating habits too much. I started doing Pilates and want to do NIA and Bikram Yoga here and start jogging as well.

I move to Astoria in September and its month to month. It, like this one, is furnished and all bills paid.

That is that for now!!!