Radio City Christmas Spectacle

Last night my boyfriend and I got to go see the final dress rehearsal of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. One of the perks I get from one of my jobs is I get free tickets to the shows I'm promoting, and we happen to be promoting this show. I was really excited because I had seen the Rockettes on tour in Denver many years ago, but I'd never been to Radio City in the 5 years I've lived here. The lobby had beautiful crystal Christmas tree chandeliers and the art deco style of the architecture has been well preserved in the building. We had decent seats in the orchestra section, and when the curtain went up, I got all excited like I was a little kid again, but it was to be bittersweet excitement since the clusterfuck of an audience ruined the magic a little bit.

I know it was only a dress rehearsal, and so the people who paid for their tickets probably got some serious discounts, but many of the seemed to not understand that we were not watching a movie that if you talked through it, the people on stage could hear you, and it's not like at home where if you miss something, you can pause and rewind it. This is a live event. Why is this concept so difficult for some people?!?!

Here are just some of the issues I had with my fellow audience members:

-Loud talkers

-Babies crying, and not being comforted, only ignored by their "parents"

-The child having a tantrum sitting behind me who was kicking and/or punching the back of my seat while his "parents" did nothing

-People in front of me taking pictures during the show...of THEMSELVES (thus the flash would blind me for a while, thus I missed bits of the show

W. T. F?!

I think my boyfriend put it best when he said: "That audience was what I imagine it would have been like to see Shakespeare in his time, with all the groundlings peeing, farting, yelling during the performance."

Now, the show itself was quite enjoyable. I'd seen it int he past, so I remembered a lot of the classic Rockette numbers and was pleased with the new ones they added this year. The costumes were lovely and it's always amazing to see the Rockettes do what they do.

Something new that was added this year were several 3-D elements to appeal to the little kids. They were well-executed, but I would have been fine without them. So, if anyone does see the show, I hope your audience is better-behaved than mine was, and I hope you enjoy the show! (Check your cynicism at the door though, it's a family show)

-Currently Lost My Appetite

Times Square

One of my part-time "survival jobs" I have while I look for creative work/projects/outlets is promoting Broadway shows in Times Square on the weekends to supplement my income. I do this on top of working full time 5 days a week in an office. Why do I sometimes work 7 days a week, you ask? Because no one can live comfortably on less than 30K a year in this city. Plus, the holidays are coming up very quickly, and I need some dough to buy my loved ones gifts that don't come from the Dollar Mart.

If you've never been to Times Square before, you know that it's one of the most iconic places in NYC, there are lights and people and billboards everywhere. It's quite overwhelming at first, but it's almost magical, especially at night.

If you have been to Times Square or are a New Yorker, you know that Times Square is like the 2nd circle of Hell. There are stupid tourists everywhere getting in your way, it's loud, it's dirty, it's smelly, and those damn comedy show guys are up in everybody's faces all the time.

As much as I truly hate Times Square sometimes, other times, I do have to admit, it has some charm. Like when you see crazy random shit that gives you stories to tell your friends for years to come, those are the best times.

I feel like I've "seen it all" most of the time, I've seen everything from celebrities, to crazy homeless guys, to bomb scares, to elderly couples in domestic disputes that turn violent. And nearly every time I'm in TS, I see something new that makes me say, "whoa."

-Not Currently Starving, but Looking Forward to Christmas Goodies

(To be continued...)

The City

There are days when I exit the train and walk up 6th ave to my office where I work and just breathe in the city. There are mornings like today when the air is crisp and the flow of the city just washes over me and I fall in love with New York all over again. The energy of the hustle and bustle pumps me up to face the day. On mornings like this one, I think, "Why would I want to leave this place?"


Then reality sets in. I go to my job; my job that wastes my talents and sucks out my soul ever-so-slowly, day-by-day. I put in my 8 hours, then get on the crowded subway full of cranky selfish people. I go home to my crappy apartment with the bills, the roach infestation, my broken couch, minimal cell phone reception, and the asshole landlord.


I try to look on the bright side: I'm employed, I have health insurance, I have a roof over my head, I have food in my kitchen, and I have people who love me in my life.

While I love NY, and I know that it's where I'm supposed to be right now, so I can't really see myself living anywhere else. However, the fantasies of living in a cabin in the woods for a couple of months or living near the beach for a while seem to pop into my head more frequently than they used to. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for a change...

-Not Currently Starving, But Wondering When Lunch is