It would be weird if I didn’t love New York City since I’ve been living here for nine years.  But I listen to people who are recently contemplating moving out of the city, it’s tiring, they feel swallowed, they are just surviving.  It seems to be the theme of this week.  Almost everyday I talk to someone that I know, some quite well, some new friends, who are telling me they are leaving New York City within the year.  It surprises me, but than I am surprised that I am surprised.  I love New York City.  I can’t imagine it not in my life, but then again I am a rare human being.

I could leave for a short amount of time, and in fact feel that I need to leave for short periods of time, but when I return I’m just like Dorothory and there is “No Place Like Home.”  Someone called me a lifer this week, and yes I think I am.

No doubt, New York is a hard place to live.  Sometimes you can feel like you are just surviving and not thriving but luckily I’ve always felt that I thrive here.  I have a community of friends, a nice apartment that I call my own, and am lucky in many ways but-the thing I like best about this city happened last night.

Since Everyday is Like Sunday part two is happening (although it looks like I might be really close on a job offer today) I like to take advantage of my random schedule.  As a member of the Dramatist Guild I am also a Theatre Development Fun member.  I noticed on the TDF boards that FOLLIES starring great Broadway Divas like Bernadette Peters and Elaine Page had discounted tickets.   I was going to go by myself but thought perhaps my retired parents may enjoy the adventure.  They sure did, and three tickets were bought.  I went about my day and landed in Times Square to see a show with some powerhouses, and the folks who gave birth to me.

I couldn’t do this in a small town, or I guess there would be a theatre option, but not something as magical and grand as listening to woman of the stage belt notes I didn’t even know exsisted.  So yes, New York, looks like I am a lifer.  That doesn’t mean to say if I get into the University of Texas I wouldn’t leave for a bit and come back.  No I would, but you have my heart New York, and truth be told, you always have.

Thanks for reading!

Amye

I’ve discovered that interviewing can be a fun exploration of self.  I’m exploring what I really want, being open and honest with potential employers about my schedule, and really hoping for the best.  I have two interviews tomorrow.  I’m sure I will discover some other fun self discovery game.  

This weekend was a nice weekend full of detox, birthday parties (where I enjoyed watching those around me go from sober sensible people to nonsensical drunks), and I wrote my first play of the New Year!  It’s a short piece that I submitted to ESPA for their Detention series.  I feel like it’s an accomplishment to have finished my first new play on only the 8th of January.  I have also started my novel.  The one that has been inside of me, but needs to come out.  I think I’m at the place where it’s ready to be born.  

2012 is starting to feel glorious.  And to think the Mayans had me dreading this year.  After reading 2012 for dummies about three years ago I have come to the conclusion that this year is a rebirth for us all.  I’m looking forward to seeing what will unfold.

As always, thanks for reading!

Amye!

I babysat a six-year-old boy right before New Years.  He was a special kid who was full of spunk but also very high energy.  To prevent him from bouncing off the walls I came up with a brilliant idea that was initially to help him, but ended up helping me instead.  I told him to draw 365 boxes to represent each day of 2011.  That task took almost an hour itself.  He wanted them to be perfect, as you can see from the photo above I was less concerned with perfection,  and the two of us sat silently in an Upper West Side  apartment thinking back on our year.  Each line we drew, each square created, was an empty possibility of one moment in the past year that helped us grow.  There were no rules.  Just fill in the boxes.

I started to fill in my boxes and was overwhelmed with how much I accomplished in 2011.  I don’t even think I took a second in 2011 to sit back and really celebrate all that I accomplished in one year until that moment.  I didn’t finish all 365 boxes before his parents came home and found us both quiet and focused on our year report.  They were impressed and kindly took the time to read my chart.  His mother asked me “Was this your best year yet?”  It took me by surprise when I confidently said, “Yes!”  So much happened in 2011.  Right down to the very last day.

Below are just a few highlights of 2011.  I’m in the middle of my annual New Years cleanse and feel very content with where I am at my life.  I know that 2012 will bring yet another amazing year full of growth, creativity, travel, friendship, family, and love.  As always, thanks for reading!  Amye

Amye’s Top 10 Highlights of 2011

1. G.I. Joe Jared, Based on One Really Bad Date – Published in Plays and Playwrights 2011, Performed at 59E59 and at The Edinburg Fringe Festival!  Received a Four Star Review!

2. Create Me Pegasus – Finalist at The Strawberry One Act Festival AND The Samuel French OOB Festival. Production of The Short Film in collaboration with Philadelphia Philms

3.  Group: The WebSeries - Formed a strong collaboration with Shawn and Emily to create SeaDog Productions.  Our first project – Group – a twelve episode web series about nine characters in group therapy will debut this Spring!

4. ESPA & HB Studios.  Took two wonderful writing classes that helped my confidence as a writer.

5. GREECE – Travelled to Greece as a last-minute decision when my trip to Egypt was postponed due to riots in Cairo.  Rented my own ATV – explored Santorini, Athens, and went to a Greek Wedding.  Amazing vacation!

6. FLora and Fauna – Got back up in front of the  stage with my dear friend Mary K. to perform my original one-act piece Flora and Fauna Directed by Jesse Baxter it was one of four plays performed at aWe Creative Group’s March Madness Festival.

7.  Falling – Wrote my first full length play since 2008!  Falling has had two readings in 2011 and was my submission to graduate schools!  So excited about the future of this piece.

8.  36 Hours – Had a reading of 36 Hours a new play exploring the connection we have to strangers.  Hoping to perform it this Spring!

9.  SCOTLAND!  The Edinburgh Fringe was a main highlight-but so was exploring Scotland.  Went up to the Isle of Skye for four days before jumping into the Festival Madness.

10.  PlayFUN! – Had a very successful PlayFUN! that brought to life my new play .. My June!

Through all the good we have to weather the bad.  2011 also brought the death of my very dear friend, Brant Cunningham in a unfortunate accident in Africa.  Through his death I have embraced Brant’s motto of living life to the fullest.  He will always be missed, but I know he’s looking down and proud of all my accomplishments.  Miss you, B!

Here’s to a wonderful 2012!  Can’t wait to see what it brings.  Enjoy your day!  Laugh a little harder and love a little more.  That is my 2012 motto!  Amye

It’s a New Year and with that comes resolutions that we all make…or the few of us that resolve to make no resolutions it brings more of the same.  I have a few resolutions this year, but one is to write Everyday.  I usually do..but I fall off track and ignore my blog.  Which is something I have enjoyed writing for the past couple of years.  I promise to get back on track with my blog, and keep climbing the ladder of success in my writing.  Today my body has cried out and is taking advantage of having nothing to do.  I have an awesome head cold, and will spend the day inside my apartment.  I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire day inside my apartment relaxing.

Thanks for reading!  Tomorrow I will share my 365 days of reflection–an art project I created for myself this week.  It’s almost done, and boy was 2011 a productive year.  I’m super excited to see what 2012 brings.

Have a great day!

Amye

When I was young I thought that at a certain age you knew certain things.  You felt different.  You saw things differently.  You were older and therefor knew things that your younger self never understood.  But what I’ve realized in the thirty-two years I’ve been on this planet is…as you get older you lose that certain sense of play.  You loose your imagination.  You sometimes forget to enjoy little moments, forget to breath in the air from the bakery on the corner, forget that in a city where people are moving too fast there are things of beauty all around you.  When I was young I thought that things would be figured out when you’re older, you would know the secrets you couldn’t figure out when you were young.  I find it all still a mystery, but one thing is for sure, I am still the same person I was when I was dancing around my house talking to imaginary friends.

I still dance, poorly, around my apartment.  I still have imaginary friends from the characters I have created in the plays that I write, and the stories that are constantly flowing on paper.  Last weekend I went down to my parents house to help them clear their garage.  Nine years ago my parents were moving out of my childhood house at the same time I was moving to my first adult apartment in New York City.  I couldn’t be bothered going through my childhood things with diligence and care like my older brothers, I had more important things to do…like proove to my older brothers that I was finally grown-up.  So for nine years my belongings have been cluttering my parents house, and finally I made a committment to go through my things.

As I sat in their den surrounded by boxes and dust flowing in the air…I realized that I am on the path I’ve always been on.  I looked through awards from the TV station I worked at in High School, Plays I wrote at the Papermill Playhouse, Newspaper articles of events I was involved in, I was the photography editor of the newspaper, student director of the musical, I won the Blood Sweat and Tears award Senior year from the TV station.  I also saw my varsity letter from tennis, and an article in the newspaper mentioning how I was benched my junior year due to mono.  I was exhausted just looking through all the papers, activities, things I kept because I felt they were important.  Flash forward thirty-two years and I’m still exhausted thinking about all the things that I balance on a daily basis.

My current life is just as hectic, and filled with the same activities, minus the tennis.  I miss sports.  I was never amazing at sports, but I was decent, and it sure helped me stay in shape.  I bought a Groupon for the YMCA near my apartment and have made a vow to start playing sports again.  The real word in the sentence being “playing.”  That’s why I did it when I was younger.  I loved playing.  I think I now associate working out with “working” which is not what is supposed to be. 

I thought about a lot of my friends who have families, 9-5s, simpler lives, and I just can’t ever imagine my living being identified as simple.  I just enjoy too much, I like to do too much, and I don’t know how to sit still.  It was nice seeing that the things I enjoyed when developing into an adult have still crossed over in my world today.  Now if only I could find the time to go on a few dates.  But reading a valentine note from my date to the Homecoming dance-it seems like not much has changed in that area either.  He wrote “You weren’t a bad Homecoming date, although you were busy off dancing with others, but here is more money wasted on you.  Just Kidding.  Happy Valentines Day!”  It made me chuckle.  Today I’m off to a good friends wedding, and I’m looking forward to taking the time out of my busy life, and dancing until my dogs start barking.  Have a great Friday!

Thanks for reading!

Amye

1) The woman at Dunkin Donuts on my street that remembered that I like one splenda in my iced decaf when I forgot to mention it.  

2) The short-haired - big earring lady- that is always standing next to me on the Platform waiting for the N train.  I always admire her earrings silently, and marvel about how the two of us end up on the same train 80% of the time.

3) The AM newspaper man who gets me every time when I get off the subway.  I don’t want the free newspaper, except I do read the horoscope, but his friendly “Good Morning” always makes me feel like it might actually be a Good Morning.

4) The Fruit Man.  He’s disgruntled and bitter about his life.  On cold days he’s missing from my day, but on this random warm November day – he chuckled as he weighed my grapes.  A constant.

5)  The Coffee Cart duo on the corner where I work.  I haven’t been getting my coffee from them now that I’ve switched to decaf but I always give them a friendly wave and smile.  I can’t figure out if they are related or not.  But they seem to have a good time greeting people in the morning.

6) The News Agent next to work-who I will also try my luck at the lottery every once in a while.  He asks me if I”m feeling lucky, and the answer usually is no.  He’s a friendly face in my daily commute.

7) Roberto the security guard at my office.  I don’t understand how he is protecting our door, and what he is protecting it from.  But there he is every morning when I enter, and we exchange a smile or wave.

8) The receptionist at work who does a two-hour commute each way to open the office at 8am.  I don’t really know much about her life except she is a friendly face in the morning.

9)  My friend at work who is also living a dual life.  We acknowledge each other in times of exhaustion and bewilderment for how we ended up with two drastic careers, and keep the faith that one day both of us will move on to bigger and better things.

10) My favorite part of the daily grind, seeing Mr. Lee at the end of the day.  Mr. Lee asks me if I like to drink a lot, I think I made a joke about it once, he gives me a high-five on the way out, and without a doubt always ends my working day with a smile. 

The Ten Reasons I Love My Daily Grind.  I can get down about work, having to come to this desk, but there are the little things surrounding my everyday that make it worth it.  I will have to remember to give each of these people, whose names are foreign to me, some cookies during Christmas time.

Thanks for reading!

At the moment I am working on two major projects that leave me with rare moments of breathing room.  My short play Create Me Pegasus is currently in post-production to be created into a short film.  aWe Creative Group is working with Philadelphia Philms on this project-which has proven to be a nice collaboration.  The filmmaker/editor, JCJ, has put a lot of care, thought, and work into this project.  We filmed down in South Jersey for the first two weekends in October.  We found an amazing space right near my parents house, and were able to get a solid job done in sixteen hours.  It was exhausting, fun, frustrating, and a master class in the right and wrong way of putting a play into film format.  We are meeting tomorrow with all of the producers to have a pow wow about music, and watch the first rough cut.  It’s all very exciting!

My role these days has taken me away from acting, which was once a passion of mine. I acted briefly in March, but really want to sink my teeth into another project.  I just now find myself on the other side of the stage or lens for that matter.  I’ve become more of a producer, director, leader, and less of an actor.  I miss that part of me, and I hope that once my schedule lightens up a bit I can focus on acting in the upcoming year.  It would be wonderful to get back on the stage again.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m in love with the two projects I’m working on right now, and I’m working with new people who really have taught me a lot in the past couple of months.  Besides the short-film project, I’m in the middle of shooting TWELVE EPISODES of the Web Series, “GROUP”.  Group was created by me and two other writers that I met in 2010 in a TV Writing Class.  To be honest I was frustrated with the class.  Trying to figure out what I was getting out of it, and if I was learning anything, well a year later I have gotten my money’s worth.  I have really enjoyed the opportunity to work with Shawn, Emily, Jeb, and have created the production company Sea Dog Productions.

As a playwright I have spent many solitary hours alone writing, and rewriting, and working on ideas that swirl in my head.  GROUP has given me a chance to really collaborate with other writers, and see how it could be possible for me to work in a Writers Room on a television show.  We have been very ambitious not only creating, writing, and shooting the pilot – we’ve decided to film the entire FIRST SEASON!  I guess at first I didn’t realize how much work it would be, but now I eat, drink, sleep with this project because I think it’s amazing.  I love working with actors, I love creating something from scratch, and I’m learning more and more everyday.

This past weekend we filmed two episodes in my entire apartment.  It was a bit chaotic, but lots of fun.  I really live a wonderful interesting life, and I’m so thankful for everyone in it.  I also think my health was a bit out of whack since coming back from Scotland.  I’m starting to really pay more attention to what my body needs, and believe it or not need a little hometown time.  I’ve been travelling a lot in the past year, and as much as it is my number one passion, I think I need to spend a little time in one place.  I’m going to focus on my MFA applications and really get the ball rolling.

I have a bright future ahead, which I’m very excited about.  I think I need to start blogging again on a daily basis.  I’ll start off daily and aim for at least twice a week. Thanks for sticking with my blog.  I promise to keep updating it more.

Have a great day!

Amye

I have been watching the news reports, listening to the last moments of people who knew they were living their last moments.  It’s unimaginable and yet for some reason with all of the media and availability to sound bites the public can imagine it as best as possible, but no one will ever know how it really felt in those final moment.  My heart goes out to the innocent victims on that September Day.  I remember exactly what I was wearing at that moment in time.  A green sweater with fringe that I had bought in camden market and a jean skirt complete with black flats.  I still have that sweater although I haven’t worn it much since.

London was an amazing place to be at this time for the sheer support of others.  My best friend Jenn, who now lives safely across the street from me in New York city, and I didn’t know what to do.  We felt so disconnected from the city we grew up near, the city we loved, and the people we loved.  We were taking a gap year between college and getting a job and there we were in London while our city, our country was under attack.  We decided on September 14th, 2001 to go to the public memorial at St. Pauls cathedral.  It’s an experience I haven’t been able to write in words and I’m happy I have a friend to share it with.  We got to the service a bit later than we had planned and didn’t know they had filled up the church from the back to the front, we were let in and and ended up sitting behind Prime Minister Tony Blair.  To our right was Prince Charles and The Queen.  Since we had run out of our flat I had to pee and was escorted down to the bathrooms by two Royal Guards.  It was all a very surreal experience.  The service was something we needed to feel connected with the pain, and we did.  Jenn and I sang our national Anthem with The Queen of England and The Queen Mum.  I was proud to be an American.  We didn’t realize what was waiting for us at the end of the service.  As we walked out of the church one by one outside the doors were hundreds and hundreds of people waving American Flags.  Standing in solidarity to their sister country.  It was an indescribable moment.  Although I wanted to come home I stayed in London until Christmas and it was the best decision to keep moving forward.

Last night I babysat for a six-year-old boy.  He wasn’t alive in 2001 and I wondered what he thought, what he was taught, how was it presented in school?  Instead we played twister, ate Sushi, battled with Storm Trooper helmets on running around his house.  When he was getting ready for bed he asked if I could sit and talk to him for a moment.  This six-year-old was a special kid.  Very energetic, but very smart at the same time.  I mean he begged me to order Sushi.  As he was getting reading to go to bed he just looked at me and said.  ”We are flying flags tomorrow in our building for 911.”  I wasn’t sure what to say.  I didn’t want to be the person to explain to him exactly what happened when I don’t understand how to explain it in a rationale way myself.  So I just said, “that’s nice.”  This six-year-old wasn’t stupid.  He said, “I know what happened.  I had a right to know, so my dad told me.”  OH.  OK.  I wasn’t sure where this was going but he said it simply.  ”Bad men flew planes into the buildings and killed a lot of people for no reason.  But I’m thinking of all those people who were killed for no reason because they were heroes really.”  A six-year-old who never knew what those buildings looked like up close said it simply, and said it best.

“Bad men flew planes into the buildings and killed a lot of people for no reason.  But I’m thinking of all those people who were killed for no reason because they were heroes really.”

Sometimes kids say it best.  Ten years, it’s not really as long as you think.

In memory of all who lost their lives.

Thanks for reading!

Amye

Leaving The City Behind - On the way to Sandy Hook

I think the word Staycation is a bit awkward, and in fact I’m not one person to have a “Staycation” because the way I live my life when I’m at home I’m exploring the city.  I’m always looking for new things to do, and see, but on holiday weekends I always get anxious if I’m in the city when the rest of the population has left town.  Since I just spent close to three weeks in Scotland I wasn’t really able to get up and leave this labor day weekend, but I wanted to improve on my tan base.  Also being in Scotland made this the whitest August in my life, but I think I’ve made up for lost time.

I was given Friday off of work and wanted to take the opportunity to go to the beach but I wasn’t sure which one.  I wanted a clean beach, one far away from waffle fries, margarita drinking, and trash floating around in the sky.  In a small word I wanted to get away from Coney Island, didn’t want to go to Long Beach, and already went to Montauk once.  I remembered hearing something about a ferry to Sandy Hook Beach in Jersey.  I have a very clear memory of going to Sandy Hook as a girl scout, and our troop leader had led us astray to the nude beach.  I was ten, and I sat watching in awe of a team of naked old men playing volleyball.  That was my memory of Sandy Hook, but I wanted to give it a second chance.

I google information on Sandy Hook and saw that you could take a ferry from Pier 11 and in a half hour, after breathtaking views of the Verrazano bridge you were dropped off at Fort Hancock to explore the land of Sandy Hook.  To say I was hooked would be an inappropriate attempt at a joke, but I was, and I was determined to go on Friday.  To my happy surprise I was able to find a coupon for the boat trip.  Round trip fare (including entrance to the beach) is normally $43 round trip, and extra five dollars will allow you to bring your bike on board, but with the coupon I payed only $30!  Amazing really.  I was siked.  I got down to Pier eleven with seven minutes to spare.  Everything I had read said you must buy your ticket from the agent at Pier 11.  So I got there with my backpack and silly morning grin and asked for a round trip to Sandy Hook.  The woman behind the counter must have been having a bad day she said in a mono tone voice, “Must Buy Your Ticket on the boat.”  ”Do they take cards?”  ”No.”  I had five minutes to spare and she told me that the closest cash machine was two blocks away.  I had woken up early for this trip, earlier than I do on most days for work, and I was not going to miss the boat.  I ran.  I ran to Duane Reade and even let it go that I would have to pay a fee to use the cash machine.  First attempt, failed.  I had about two minutes.  I took a deep breath and tried again.  Cash in hand I ran to the boat as they were boarding the last two people.  The man was happily surprised to see my coupon saying I was the only one to use one in a month.  Super exciting.  The problem with the ferry on the weekdays is there are two ferrys to the island, at 9am and 1130am but only one ferry back at 4:15pm.  I didn’t think it would be worth getting on the island at noon only to have to turn around four hours later, so I was very happy when I made the 9am ferry.

View From The Ferry

The ride over was very peaceful.  I felt almost like how I felt when I took the ferry from Sydney to Manly in Australia.  I was excited, and watched the city disappear before my eyes. We went past Governors Island, Brooklyn, Staten.  There were small enchanted lighthouses bobbing in the water, the sky was blue and crisp.  September air had arrived being a bit chilly in the morning and heating up mid-afternoon.  Once we made it to the island a school bus was waiting to take us to the public beach areas.  The nude beach was closed due to the hurricane, so I would not be reliving my Girl Scout memories.

This is Where The Ferry Drops You Off. Seems a bit dodgy at first.

I got off at Section E with about ten other people, and decided to rent a chair.  I had some work to do, I always combine work with pleasure since I don’t really understand how to relax, and moved down the beach a bit.  For the first two hours the beach was desolate.  Calm, clean, and the air blue with the sun beating down. It was the perfect day.  Sometime around 1230pm the beach started to fill up so I decided to take a long walk down the beach.   A truck driver named Al started talking to me as I walked.  The one thing I can’t stand is when I’m in my own zone and someone comes in to pop that bubble.  I didn’t want to be rude because he was just trying to be nice, but the Columbian truck driver would not stop talking.  His main topic of conversation was how sad he was that Garrison Beach (The Nude Beach) was closed due to weather conditions.  Apparently he was a regular at this beach and was determined to walk there.  After a bit of small talk, and the offer for dinner in Jersey City, I was finally able to shake Al the innocent, yet doesn’t get a hint, truck driver, I turned around and made my way back to Section E.

This is Where the School Bus Takes You. Beautiful!

The Ocean was friendly, the waves a bit strong, I swam for a minute, and the best part was I felt so far removed from the city.  For only $30 I was able to have a cruise, stay on a beach, and have a full day removed from the city.  I’m not sure why in the eight years I’ve lived here I have never taken this Ferry out to Sandy Hook.  It’s open until September 30th so I think I might have to venture out again.  On the way back we went past all the bridges and the ferry dropped us off at 34th street.  I just had a short fifteen minute walk to the seven train and was back in Sunnyside by dinner.

What a magical day.  I now understand what a Staycation means, because I really felt like I was on vacation.  I didn’t want the feeling to end, and knowing that today I have five-hour Webisode Meeting in Brooklyn (You’re doing work on a holiday weekend?  - That was said to me by a shocked co-worker.)  I decided that I needed to continue to work on my tan.   In Long Island City there is a park called Gantry Plaza state park.  I discovered it right about the time I started writing this blog.  On Monday I had walked down there just to check it out and it has expanded to include a little Snack Shack, Hammocks, Seats beneath weeping willow trees, and peach and quite.  I decided to continue this Staycation yesterday, and walked down to Gantry Plaza with my bathing suit on, and I scored a hammock.  For the first two hours I just layed in that hammock listening to Neil Diamond and forgetting I was only a forty minute walk from my apartment.  I moved from hammock to lounge chair, getting some work done, but also just realizing how much I do love this city.

I went for a walk along the board walk and made the decision to stay until the sunset.  I ate ice cream, stopped at a cafe for two hours, and went back out to Gantry to watch the sunset over the city.  It’s been a magical two days, and now I have to drag myself to a work meeting.  I would rather continue my adventures and go to the beach today with my friends, but I know that great things are happening in my career so I need to keep moving forward.  Below are some pictures from my Staycation.  I hope wherever you are reading this you’re enjoying your Labor Day weekend.  I also think you should keep the feeling of this weekend throughout the year.  We often immediately snap back into serious work mode come the first week after Labor Day.  But why be serious when every weekend can be a Staycation.  Enjoy the second half of this Labor Day. Thanks for reading!  Amye!!