Bushwick House - Brooklyn, NY

This morning I opened my eyes and WHOA, there's Fatty Jack the Tub Cat right in my face like, "Sup. Pet me." So I did. We had a moment and it was good. When he realized I would not be getting up to feed him he finally ditched me. Men.



So, it's my birthday. I went out with a few friends to Zen Palate the other night to celebrate a little early. Slokes had a mild panic attack when we discovered that they don't serve alcohol, even though he had gone out for cocktails beforehand. Love me some Slokes. It was basically the perfect birthday dinner. Much fun was had and no meat was eaten, because I don't want people eating dead animals in order to celebrate my birthday. Gross.

Penn Station - New York, NY

What a trip. I'm so tired I can't focus on my free trashy newspaper. There's no internet in Penn Station, which makes me sad. I haven't had much internet the past few days, so these posts are going up later than when they were written. Oh well.

My train doesn't leave for two hours, but I had to come into Manhattan early to load our rental lights onto a truck to be returned and no one else could really make it without a huge hassle. I guess it's better that I didn't end up going back last night. All the the train ticket prices have gone up so I can't transfer to an earlier train without paying extra money, thus I wait. I haven't spent any money here besides the $7 I spent on a Metrocard.

Last night we were finishing up strike at 8pm, and it looked like we'd be leaving pretty soon. Strike had gone well and we got things done pretty quickly. I called Ceora to tell her I would be staying another night and that I'd probably be leaving in a half hour. Then we all went up to storage to put all of the Keen crap away and realized there wasn't really any room. It ended up taking an hour to get everything away and organized in there. I got on the train at 9pm and I was exhausted. When I got off the train, my feet were killing me and I kept telling myself that I would be there very soon, at which point I would take off my shoes, make dinner and sit on my ass for at least an hour. However, when I got there, no one was home and I couldn't get in. I called Ceora and she said they were in the pita place right next to the train station. It's only 4 blocks to the train, but I swear I almost cried. I didn't want to lug myself and my stuff back where I just came from and I didn't want to buy any food, but I was wicked-hungry.

I left some of my stuff just inside the entryway and went over tot he pita place. Part of me wanted to call her back and tell her I was just going to sit on the front steps and wait, but I knew that I was just being a whiner. When I got there Marcy ended up giving me the rest of her food because she had ordered something massive. So I felt a little better once I was sitting for a few minutes and munching on falafel. Yay for Marcy always ordering more food than she can eat! Then The Logger called, which I had also been pouting about. I had not been able to get through to Teleion all evening and it had gotten too late to try calling again. Turns out the phone was off the hook, so he called me from Oliver's cell.

The theatre was full of pompous musical theatre people this morning, complaining about not being able to get into the theatre before 9:30. I admit that I also got there early, but that was because I wanted to take the train in with Iggy, I didn't expect that they would let me in early. So I hung out and used their free internet for half an hour (yeah didn't fel like getting on blogger, whatever). Keith kind of got a little upset and over-reacted about my being there so early, but I told him that I was happy to wait and that my train had taken less time than I expected. But these freaking musical theatre people were going on about their reading and their Tony Award Winner (apparently he has no name), who would have to come through the back doors. Then the truck driver arrived and didn't know he was supposed to be picking up my lights. And also he's a little high-strung and started ranting about the musical theatre people. But he helped me get everything onto the truck quickly and without hassle, so rant away Hayden truck driver, chances are I agree with you anyway, I'm just not in the talking mood this morning.

So now I'm finally going back to Vermont after the longest one-day trip ever. I love my job, but coming here for a single day just to work and go back is a shock to my system. I have to switch gears so quickly I feel like I've been hit in the head with a book. When I have a few days here I just get into NY mode and I don't feel so sulky. Also, I did not go to Dumpling Man on this trip. Boo.

Amtrak train - Somewhere between Albany and NYC

I'm doing this ridiculous one day trip to NYC to strike Heroes (if you didn't see it, you totally blew it because that show was awesome). I'm hoping that strike ends soon enough for me to leave tomorrow night, because I am, yet again, being a big baby about leaving Vermont. It's funny because I used to be this way about New York. It was always home to me, even when I wasn't living there. Whenever I left I felt really sad about and going back was the best thing ever. Now it just seems like a hassle. I hope my feeling for Vermont don't change like they did for New York.

I talked to my friend Jess on the phone today. She works in Dorset over the summer as well and said she couldn't wait to get back because the city starts to make her feel claustrophobic. I told her that the big difference for me is that in NY I am thinking and worrying about myself all the time; How will I get there? Who is going to harass me? Is that guy gonna try and steal my bag if I fall asleep? Will the train be late? Is that pee that I just stepped in while wearing flip-flops? In Vermont, I don't worry about myself. I'm fine, I'm healthy even when I'm sick, I'm never stuck in traffic and if I step in poop I've planned for it. It's one very huge stress that I no longer have: myself. Even if I don't know what I'm doing with my life after Dorset, I do know that I'll be safe and healthy. I won't be stuck in a terrible situation involving bed bugs and an opera singer, or staying in an apartment long after roommate relations have gone sour because I can't afford to find another place. If I disagree with the people I live with here, it's nothing serious and I don't think we let it carry over to the next day, or even the next hour. With so much space, it's easy to step away from the tension. I think that makes living with anyone easier.


Wonderful Link for today:
Really great and easy tips for healthy eating (no, really, I think you should check this out)

The Logger's Sister's Apartment- Upper East Side, New York, NY

I can't deal with how well my job is going. Normally the tech is hell and I'm there 9:30am to 11pm everyday. Today I was back at the apartment at 6:30pm. I'm not even convinced this is a real play anymore. Why aren't there more problems? Well, I shouldn't talk about this, it'll bring bad luck. I'm not superstitious in any way, shape, or form, except when it comes to theatre. It's just the nature of the beast.

Anyway I took the Logger up to the SoBro house on Thursday night. It was amazing, as expected. He actually had a good time, which I knew he would. My friends might be a little crazy, but they are wonderful people and they never fail to have a good time. We played this fun card game called Van Huesen. I'm not convinced it's actually a well known card game; I suspect the person who taught it to me made it up. Anyway it's a difficult game to explain, but it's not really a regular card game. There are no winners or losers, no score, no real structure. The cards are simply a way to get random numbers. It's a really great ice-breaker, and it's also fun to play with people you know really well. So anyway after a few rounds of watching us The Logger started to catch on and decided he wanted to take a turn. I couldn't believe it. Especially because one of the stipulations to him going up there was that I would not make him play any games. Anyway he really liked it and told me so on the way home, and then again the next day. If only it was a game that was actually fun to play with two people. But the point is, he liked my friends, they liked him, and he did not have the terrible time he thought he would have. As usual.

Tomorrow is a run-through in the morning and afternoon, then I get out early enough to watch the Oscars, which I probably won't do. Instead I think I'm going to buy a bunch of veggies and make stir fry in a pot (because we have no pans). Somehow this sounds about a thousand times more exciting to me than watching the Oscars. I have not been keeping up with the no gluten thing, though I wish I were. The problem is that I buy many of my meals when I'm at work, and not having gluten is hard when you're on a tight budget and eating out all the time. I've managed to keep the dairy restricted only to pizza though. The funny thing about dairy is that I enjoy it when I have it, but I never miss it when I'm not eating it. I hate being thought of as a picky eater, because I know I am not. Generally my rule is: if it doesn't have an animal product in it, I'll eat it. I'll even put up with a little green chile every now and again if I have to.

Being in New York has felt like a tropical vacation compared to Vermont. The temperature has rarely dropped below freezing and I can honestly say there were even times when I was uncomfortable because my feet were too hot. Serves me right for bringing Vermont winter socks to New York. That being said, I'm ready to get back to clean air and quiet. It's hard to get completely silent moments in New York, but they happen so often in Vermont, I guess I take advantage of them. I also miss my short commute to work in Vermont (going downstairs). However, I'm not at all sorry I came. I love working on top of a ladder; I find I'm most comfortable working perched on a Little Giant(as a side note, that 21' ladder I'm so fond of is $840), focusing Source Fours for Bradford.

The Logger's Sister's Apartment- Upper East Side, New York, NY

This trip has been pretty great so far. I'm so glad that The Logger is here with me because I was so frustrated by not having him around the last time I came here. This time everything is 100% better. The guy who hired my crew for this show got me actual experienced electricians and got himself some real carpenters. This time around we were able to get the whole light plot hung in a day, partly because I had four experienced people in the air(plus the Logger working from the ground) and partly because I didn't need to share my crew with the scenic department. I also didn't need to run around and babysit everyone, I could give them a project and trust that it would get done. This worked for the most part and there were only a few minor things that needed to get fixed on Tuesday. We got out of there at 8pm! This is unheard of! Normally my work days in NY start at 9:30am and I don't leave until about 10:30 or 11pm all week. I also had one electrician come in on Tuesday to help me out with all the little things that needed to get done and we left at 6pm. Today was focus and I had another set of four experienced electricians. We had the whole plot focused in five hours and I was out of there before 4pm. This is crazy! I have now resolved to never have another half-assed crew. I love to teach people about lighting and I'm patient enough to help anyone who has questions, but I don't like slowing down the whole process and then having to stay in the theatre until 11pm fixing things myself because it's the only way I know they'll get done properly. It feels so nice to really love my job this time around. This has been the most successful and well-run hang that I've ever had and I finally found a way to love being the master electrician, instead of being the one on the ladder (although I still miss that).

It was also great to have The Logger there. I asked him if he'd be interested in getting a day or two of work and he never really made up his mind. So I called around and figured out what his pay rate would be and when he would be needed and what he could do and he still didn't make up his mind, so I just booked him. He did not want to get out of bed to come in, but after an unsure hour he settled in and was extremely helpful. If I'm going to have someone there who doesn't know lights, I at least like to have someone I can trust. We always need one or two people on the ground to help the people hanging lights in the air, normally the people we get are not usually the manual labor types, but The Logger obviously is a manual labor type, so I was relieved to have him. Plus it was nice that he got to see what I do, so that he has a picture in his mind when I blab about it. However, I couldn't convince him to come in for another day of work because he didn't want to get up early and he couldn't come in later because he won't get on the train my himself. I offered to give him good walking directions, but he didn't seem very interested in that either. Oh well, at least I know he's not lost in the subway somewhere.

Because I got out so early today I went all the way down to 8th St and 1st Ave to get Dumpling Man and bring it back up for dinner. I have been going on about Dumpling Man since The Logger first told me he would come to NY. I couldn't wait to have dumplings with him. He did not understand why anyone would go so far out of the way just for dumplings. Anyone who has ever had the Dumpling Man dumplings would understand. We had an amazing dinner and The Logger has been successfully assimilated into a Dumpling Man lover. He has looked up suddenly several times tonight to say "mmm, dumplings..." and then rub his belly. Yes.

Tech doesn't start until Friday and I have very little left to do, which means I can go in and work for a few hours tomorrow morning and then I have the rest of the day to get The Logger out of the apartment and out to see the nicer parts of New York. He hates this city, but I think it's because he's gotten into so much trouble here in the past. There are nice, calm, beautiful places in New York, the trick is to not compare it to Vermont, but to appreciate it for what it is. And then later on I'm taking him up to the SoBro house. That should be mildly entertaining: a house full of theatre people, plus one logger.

Teleion Holon - Manchester, VT

Oh to be back in the VT. I feel like I never left, except that my sleeping pattern is all screwed up now. I knew I would miss it here, but I don't think I'd realized just how much. Some of my friends and co-workers commented on how grumpy I was and they were right. I didn't even enjoy my job as much as I usually do, and I love my job. Bradford even made fun of me for not wanting to climb the extension ladder. It's true that they freak me out, even though I love climbing ladders, but it's not like me to say no. Normally I just tell myself to suck it up and get on the rickety thing, reminding myself that I have never fallen off one, nor have I even seen anyone fall off of one. This time I told him I'd rather not. So he did it. Lame Krysta.

It didn't help that my normal "whatever" attitude clashed sharply with the "hurry up and freak out" attitude of one of my co-workers. I'm a bit spoiled by working with Bradford all the time because he trusts me enough to just let me do my job and know that it will all get done right. He also knows that if I have a problem, I'll ask for help. This other person did not know me. I guess I don't blame him for freaking out a little. He's very serious about his job and I like to goof around. It would be a little worrisome to walk into a theatre and see that your Master Electrician is 5 feet tall and looks like a kid. And she also sends silly emails and takes huge chunks of time out of hang and focus to teach interns and unskilled labor how to do the jobs they were hired for. But, it's low-budget. Not everyone knows how to focus every light and some people are trying to get over a fear of heights. I know everything will get done on time and I would never decline to answer a question just because we could potentially be done 3 hours early. If given a choice between working with people who know what they are doing but are annoying, and working with my friends who don't know everything but want to learn, I'll work with my friends every time. That's why I work for Keen company. I enjoy their work ethic of "If it's not fun, it's not worth doing." I like to keep my job fun. But not everyone find joy in the same things that I do. Some people don't care much for the process and only get something from the finished piece. I am not that person, but I think my co-worker was. At least Bradford got a laugh out of all of our bickering.

After everything though, the lights were done and I think the show looks great. And a shameless plug happens here: Go see Beasley's Christmas Party at Theatre Row if you happen to be in the NYC area. The designer folks did not even have to come in on Monday. I had hopes of leaving the theatre by noon on Monday, but I ended up having a ton of extra work. I left NY at 7:30, even though I had planned to leave at 5. Who knew that you needed a real credit card to pick up a rental car, instead of a debit card. Well too bad I had left it in the Bronx and I had to go all the way up there to get it and then head back to 43rd. Ah well. It was a nice night drive, but I was so tired by the end. I got in at 11:30. The cute freaking logger of mine had waited up.

So now it's back to Vermont farm work. I love it. I feel so relaxed again and I am catching up on all that sleep I lost in NY. I love living where I work. The subway is great, but not having an hour commute in the morning is quite wonderful. Not to mention the fact that I can not eat the lights at my other job, but I can eat the spinach I planted today. And I did. Tasty.

Theatre Row - New York, NY

Yesterday I had hoped to avoid the whole turkey situation, but I was not planning to meet my friends Daniel and Ceora for vegan dinner until later. The SoBro kids made a pretty big deal about the turkey and at one point asked me to admit that it was a good looking turkey. I avoided the question. I did not, however, miss my turn to give my thanks, which I would love to relate here.

This Thanksgiving I have more to be thankful for than I have for a long time. I am thankful for all for the changes I have made in my life to get where I am today. I am thankful for my new friends and my new lifestyle. I am thankful for my old friends who have supported me through all of these changes as well, even changing dinner plans so that I could be with them for this holiday. I am thankful for my family who has also supported and put up with all my craziness. I am overly thankful that even though the economy is in terrible shape and people can't find jobs, I am still able to work for Keen Company (another set of people I am thankful to know), so that I can continue to work without pay on the farm. More than anything, I am thankful for John, my wonderful new friend who loves to wear purple crocs while he cuts down trees. I feel so lucky to know someone so wonderful.


I am also thankful that my best friend Joe is not answering his phone or even turning it on anymore because I don't want to talk to his stupid-face anyway.

SoBro House - Bronx, New York

I'm so tired! Why am I even posting? You know how when you get so tired you can't even function enough to get yourself to sleep? That's what I'm doing now.

Today was one of those stupidly long days. I was so proud of myself for having gotten all the lights up and working at the time I said I would have it all done, but then focus took forever. Higgs and I ended up staying and working while everyone else went to dinner and got more work done in that hour than they had gotten done in four hours. It wasn't really their fault, there were too many people there and the wrong people were up on ladders. This should have been a much easier focus than it was.

At some point between last night and this morning one of our rented I-Cues got broken. I feel very certain that it wasn't our crew that did it, but was one of the people who have been passing through the building for the film shoot that's going on. First of all, I'm mad because these film people barge in here and we have to move all of our stuff out of the space we rented. They have infinitely more money and people than we do, yet we have to cut into our time to clear a path for them. Then somehow one of our really fancy expensive instruments gets broken. Luckily the rental guy was cool about it and is bringing a new one in the morning. I don't know who' paying for it and how much it will be though.

I have been doing nothing other than working. I miss VT so much. I miss the logger. This trip would have been 100% better if he were here. My friends are great, I just have so much trouble keeping up with everything because I have no desire to. I need someone else who agreed that faced-paced is not always the best thing ever. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE PEOPLE!!

OK, enough of this. I'm off to bed.

SoBro House - Bronx, New York

I'm going to bed three hours later than usual and setting my alarm for the same time as always. Ugh. I hate not living where I work. Do I really need to get up 2 hours before it's time to be at work? /Whine.

Trip was fine. Nothing exciting to report. I've missed my friends and I was crazy-happy to see them, especially when Slokes started singing Aladin to me for some unknown reason. However, I miss Vermont like crazy already. I feel a little sad and worn out. I think I just need sleep. On the walk to the train tonight I couldn't help but kick myself for ever considering giving up my Vermont farm dreams to live in the South Bronx. It was never really much of an option, but it maybe could have been if I had pushed for it. I'm so glad I stuck with my original plan and went off to live in a greener place. No one can seem to wrap their heads around my not needing a car or tons of money out there. Maybe if they understood this amazing WWOOFer lifestyle of mine they'd all be running to farms too.

SoBro House - Bronx, New York

Today was my first trip ever to Coney Island. I'm not sure how it is possible that I grew up in NY and I never came here, but I think it has something to do with my parents not loving me enough. Wow. I love it!! I'm so sad that they are ripping it all down! People talk about how run down and gross it is, but it's not really. It's just not updated like the rest of this city. But why would anyone want to update a place like this? I feel like it's classic. There are old arcade games, old rides, old boardwalks, old people... wait, no actually, it was mostly young people.

I guess I'm a little obsessed with the way things used to be in NY before a bunch of mayors came in and insisted on making everything so commercial. I like the older stuff. I would not have minded walking into Times Square and seeing a smut theatre where Mary Poppins now stands. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to put my values in theatre below smut, but as far as theatre goes, Mary Poppins is not it, and I'm not sure that Disney should even own any Broadway houses.

The wonderful thing about Coney Island is that it's a bunch of independent people who have set up shop there and run their own things. It's not just one big Astroland, it's a bunch of little parks with a handful of rides, and Astroland is one of them. Then there are a bunch of carnival games and arcades. One of those games is Shoot the Freak. Oh my god! How genius is a guy in padding running around while being shot by idiots with a paint ball gun and a $20 bill? Sadly, no one was playing while I was there, so I didn't get to see the action.

I did however, throw 25 cents into a fortune telling machine and got my fortune for the month of November. I'm pretty sure these things would be 50 cents anywhere else, so how could I pass up that kind of deal? The fortune was of course complete crap, but who buys those things for anything other than novelty?

Sadly The Cyclone was closed and I was not able to go on it. But it's a registered historical mark, so it won't be torn down with the rest of Coney Island. I hope it keeps running so I can eventually go on it. I love coasters, how have I never been on the world's most famous one, which was so close to my childhood home? You better believe I'm going to call my parents and accuse them of nothing short of child abuse by never taking me here.

Bushwick House - Brooklyn, NY

Are you aware that the Guggenheim has pay-what-you-wish Friday Nights? I was not! How awesome is that? I went down there with Ceora to see the exhibit: Louise Bourgeois. I had never heard of this woman, but her work is amazing. She's been producing art for almost a century and the Guggenheim had her work set out in chronological order around the spiral.

Ceora and I started from the top, the most recent, because the place was so crowded at the bottom. I would also rather start from the most current and work backwards when it comes to art because it seems so much more logical to me. You can get a sense of how the artist expresses herself now and then see what lead up to it. It just works out better in my head.

Well this woman is amazing. I you happen to be in NY, you should probably make a point of checking her out. It's sculptural, and sexual, and textural and you can tell she has an amazing sense of humor. The whole I was there I was picturing her making these pieces and chuckling to herself. They're incredibly powerful. I couldn't get over how heavy and grounded each piece looked, but they all also had a feeling of being so delicate and quiet.

Anyway, if you can check it out, you should. It's worth your time.

Bushwick House - Brooklyn, NY

I went back to the Metropolitan to see the Goya paintings. Love them, love them, love them! They have more now than they had last time and they took that silly bowl of fruit painting out of the room, which was not a Goya and really didn't go with what was in there. Now it's only Goya in that gallery. I only wish I could see his black paintings and the Third of May again. Someday.

While I was in there, staring, drooling, beside myself, some guy walked up and took a picture of these cats that are in the bottom corner of one of Goya's portraits. Odd. No idea what that was all about, but the guard in that room and I had a silent giggle exchange. After about a million years in the room, I finally left. Don't worry Goya, I'll be back again!

Last night I got into a conversation with someone about how I had never been to Wall St, or seen that damn stock market bull sculpture. She told me that I really needed to get on that, because how could I say I was a native New Yorker, if I had never taken the time to see my own city? Well it's true, but I've never had the time. I do now that I'm not working at the moment. So off to Wall Street with me, with a trip to Battery Park, because I love that park. The southern tip on Manhattan has always been a favorite spot of mine. I love how much history is down there.

Of course the Wall St. area was full of news vans. That area is hurting right now and the media is all over it. I didn't actually see anyone reporting, and other than hoards of people walking around, the area was uneventful. I do love the historic buildings and streets though. I wandered around for a while because I didn't know exactly where the bull was. Finally found it. It's bigger than I thought. And there were tourists taking pictures grabbing its balls. Hm. Figures.

After that I saw a few more memorials in Battery Park and went over to the world trade center. Not much to say. I have a hard time with the juxtaposition of tower wreckage and all the people rushing about like nothing happened. But what could I expect? People still have jobs, they still need to get from point A to point B and that's the nature of NY. It's been 7 years. No one has forgotten, but people get back into the swing of things. I guess if I was down there everyday I would too. But I'm not, so it's still a bit tricky for me.

SoBro House - Bronx, New York

I spent five hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. Wow. I didn't even get to see everything I wanted to see, so I need to pop back in tomorrow for a bit. I've never been able to see a great deal of what's in there because I never get to go alone and see it all at my own pace. I've been there many, many times, but always with other people, most whom don't want to spend an hour in the arms and armor section. Clearly these people do not know what is good for them.

The day started in true Krysta style. I had a bag of plantain chips in my bag as a snack for later, and a glass Snapple bottle that I use for water. The security guards at the front doors told me that I would have to finish my food outside and I could not bring glass into the museum. Not even if I planned to dump my bag into the bag check. I didn't want to eat my food then, or throw away my water bottle, so I put the food in the front pocket, which no one ever checks (a good thing, considering I usually have my knife in there), and then tried my luck with another security guard. Some people are just hard asses, and I was not about to throw away my food just because one security guard told me to. I picked one that was right in front of the bag check and he let me in without any problems, but told me to check my bag. Logic? What?

In my five hours there I began to have a dilemma. First of all, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to keep works of art all crammed together in a museum. Its hard to appreciate each work as unique when it's right next to another amazing and equally distracting piece of art. I also don't think it reaches as many people of different backgrounds as it should. How many blue collar New Yorkers ever go to the Met? Does a political painting mean the same thing when taken out of its home country? I think maybe part of seeing the work is seeing the place it was painted in and for. Art in context, what a crazy idea!

Don't get me wrong, I love being able to see so many of my favorite pieces of art in one place. I just wonder if the work would have a different affect on me if i was to see it elsewhere. I love seeing Calder and Koons sculptures as I walk around the city. They were made to be put there, so it works somehow. It's an amazing thing to turn a corner and discover a work of art you did not know was there. I think art has changed since museums became such a big deal. I wonder if pop art would have been the same without museums.

My other major issue with museums is the display of burial art. I am quite certain that the people in ancient cultures who spent their lives preparing for death never wanted their urn, sarcophagus, mummy, commissioned art whatever on display in a New York museum. I'm not really comfortable with the idea of someone's remains being made into art without their permission. I struggle with this though, because I understand the need for preservation. If everything was kept buried, some ass would eventually dig it up and exploit it in some way. I also think it's creepy how much value people put into a dead body. The idea that Alexander the Great may have actually had his body entombed in honey to preserve it, is just crazy to me. Nevertheless, I think it is important to honor the wishes of the dead, and I don't think the art world is super concerned with that.

All of the above being said, I had a wonderful and dizzying day of art. I got kicked out of the museum for closing right as I was walking into the Goya room. Curses! Save the best for last, and end up staying past closing time. Goya, I would go to Spain for you, so I guess I can just come back tomorrow. Save Spain for another day. Not sure I'd be able to hitchhike over the ocean anyway.