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Sat, September 30
An Intimate Look at Jessica Delfino
To Jessica Delfino fans: If you loved seeing this song live at Inner Monologues, then you'll LOVE the video. But don't watch it at work!!! I warned you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqzKzOd7cnQ
You can also see Jessica at her solo show at Cinema Classics / Rififi
332 11th St. every Tuesday night at 10 PM in November.
Posted by lexzog at Sat, September 30 | Comments (0)
Wed, September 27
Inventory
Just came back from another night out and another night of not cooking. On Monday, J and I attended a benefit for Opening Act, an organization that aims to bring theatre to inner city schools. We watched a play directed by Anderew McCarthy and it brought back '80's memories.
Last night, Tuesday, was THE BIG NIGHT i.e. another Inner Monologues Show! We had a fabulous turnout and even more fabulous stories. The performers were superb. I love sitting in the wings, listening to all the work that each writer has put into perfecting his or her story. I love seeing them nail their lines and get lots of laughs. And then when I'm on stage, I love looking out into the audience and seeing all my supportive friends. It is such a fulfilling experience.
After the show I went with J and some friends to Flea Market. I had the moules frites.
Tonight J and I attended his dad and stepmom's renewal of their vows. The rabbi was late and we were all freaking out. Finally, he came, in shorts and a T-shirt. J's dad tried to get his attention but he completely ignored us and went into his office with his eyes to the floor, saying, "Just a moment please." A few minutes later, he emerged, wearing his talis and suit and finally, a smile. The vows were beautiful. J was a big part of the cermony which was very special. J's dad surprised everyone (especially his wife) with an enormous diamond ring. Twenty five years! What a lovely night.
The celebratory dinner was held at Arabelle, at the Plaza Athenee. Super fancy shmancy. I had the best dirty martini at the hotel bar. The key is to get it salty enough that the liquor is easy to swallow. For dinner I had a spicy ceviche with jalapenos, and a halibut wrapped in bacon with heirloom tomatoes. Luckily it was a fun crowd, so we all shared bites of our meals. There were a million toasts all to love, and being a couple, and good fortune. The wedding cake was huge and full of flowers. On top of that, believe it or not, we each had dessert. Mine was a chocolate terrine infused with Earl Gray. (I would not have ordered anything if I'd known there was also wedding cake involved).
Man oh man am I exhausted. Way too much eating. Which brings me to the point of this entry: J and I are surprised each time we open our fridge and see the sad situation that explains how little we cook even though we promised we would once we moved in together.
The following are the contents of our fridge:
-A container of olives
-A box of dates
-A six pack of beer
-Two bottles of champagne
-Carrots
-A couple of cans of foie gras
-Peanut butter
Something's gotta change!
Oh, and what post would be complete without a quote from my mom. At dinner over the weekend, the waiter commented on how we had all changed plates with one another. Mom said, "Well you know, the grass is always greener...and its always MOWED." Then the waiter said something about chocolate and how all chocolate is good chocolate. Mom asked him if he's ever eaten a "Chunky" bar. He looked a bit puzzled, then grabbed his stomach and said, "No, but I guess it looks like I have since I'm a bit chunky." Mom then rubs the waiters stomach and says, "You are NOT chunky. You look good."
Oh shoot me.
Posted by lexzog at Wed, September 27 | Comments (0)
Sat, September 23
The Show On Tuesday!
Posted by lexzog at Sat, September 23 | Comments (0)
Fri, September 15
Lex in the Press!
A new on line magazine about arts and culture in New York has just written up an article about me and Inner Monologues: "Getting Personal With Inner Monologues"
Cut and paste this url or,
http://www.bvmagazine.com/Archived%20Pages/Issue%204/Theater%20and%20Film%20%20-%20Inner%20Monologues.htm
Go to this link and scroll down to the article!
Posted by lexzog at Fri, September 15 | Comments (0)
Tue, September 12
Living Together
Week #1
So J and I finally are living in a real apartment of our very own. While it was nice to pretend that we lived in a luxurious two bedroom at Sutton Place, it feels good to no longer be sleeping on someone else’s pull out couch in their TV room.
It has been one week, and now that the two of us are surrounded by all our own stuff (ahem, a LOT of stuff) in a space we plan to settle in for some time, the wonders of living and sharing a small space with another human being whom you love dearly have come to light. Things you never knew could possibly irk someone suddenly emerge.
Example #1: Blue toilet bowl cleaner tablets.
I had never known the level of disgust I could elicit from J until I came home from Duane Reade with blue toilet bowl cleaner tablets. In a very serious tone, as if say, I’d done something really horrible like turned our bathroom into a ladies boudoir complete with those fuzzy covers on the toilet seat, he said, “Babe? I really HATE the toilet bowl cleaner you bought. Ok. I DETEST the blue toilet bowl cleaners. In fact, it reminds me of an old lady’s apartment.”
“Well, I countered, we ARE living in an old lady’s apartment.” There are plenty of reminders around us—since J’s dad still owns this place, we’ve been forced to keep all of his grandma’s furniture. Every day I find some remnant of this woman’s life (she died over a year ago): A Sally Hansen hair curler, a heating pad, books about vegetable diets.
Though I’d proven my point, J was not finished. “It’s just that…I would really PREFER that you not buy the blue toilet bowl cleaner tablets.” Ok. I got it. So I returned them to Duane Reade two days later. I still haven’t heard the end of it with regards to that one purchase.
Example #2: The makeup brush on the bathroom sink.
Though J is perfectly content to live in an utter and complete mess—all of his junk is in piles that I’ve placed along the periphery of the apartment so I have a place to walk—J had a bone to pick with me about the makeup brush I’d cleaned Sunday night and left to dry on the bathroom counter Monday morning.
“Lex, you know, the bathroom is the only neat place in this apartment” (um, whose fault is that? MY stuff is all put away neatly in drawers and closets). “And your makeup brush was out on the sink this morning, and I’m assuming you wanted it to stay there forever right? Well, I’d prefer if you’d find another home for it.”
First I pointed out that if he’d inspected the bathroom since he’d come home from work Monday, that I’d removed it the moment I walked in the door. The makeup brush, I explained, was not intended to live on the counter, but rather to dry. I am a clean person and I have hygienic routines, one of which is a weekly cleaning of my makeup brushes. I found it funny that the only item of mine that was not in its proper place was that makeup brush—and it was merely left out of place overnight.
Example #3: To clean after or before dinner?
I’ve always cleaned up from making a meal AFTER I’ve eaten it. I am usually so hungry it takes everything within my power to NOT eat the entire meal before I’ve even finished cooking, so for me to add in clean up to my wait is pretty much out of the question. But the other night I made tomato salad with our dinner. I was about to carry my wine to the table, when J pointed a finger at the cutting board with the tomato carcass on it, and said, “Hello? Clean after yourself please.” I told him that I was planning on eating first. “Oh, so you’re allowed to have your “things” but I’m not?” Ok. He won that argument.
Example #4: What does “dirty” really mean?
I admit that my concept of dirty is a little less lenient than most. But I do think that using a towel for more than two weeks is unsanitary. Its wet, it sits in a moist place, and gets jiggy with the most intimate parts of your body. A week tops is my personal limit. I am pretty sure J lied to me about the towels that were still hanging in the bathroom from before a month ago when he had to leave the apartment until the co op approved us, being clean. Ditto for the bed sheets, which because of dust mites and such, require the two-week rule of dirty as well. Hopefully we’ll come to some middle ground. This middle ground will probably be ME washing our bed sheets and making the bed with clean ones since I’m the one who has an issue with it.
I do have a complaint about myself. I know I am not without faults:
I have become my mother.
There, I said it. I felt the metamorphosis setting in from the moment I first left the house for college. It started with obsessively vacuuming with one of those little hand held vacuums, my “Welcome Mat” in front of my dormroom—the only rug type item I owned at the time. When I moved into a carpet free apartment in the east village, I obsessed over Swiffering the floors. Now, with wall-to-wall carpeting, the monster vacuum that was left by the old lady is my new best friend. I can’t help but vacuum every day since I’ve moved in. Poor J, he works so hard for a moment’s peace at the end of the day and I’m literally chasing him off the carpet with my vacuuming. Now I understand how my mom built such nice arm muscles without ever living a barbell.
All in all, I find these quirks incredibly funny. People always say you think you know someone until you live with them. I don’t’ think that one’s preference for white or blue toilet cleaner tablets really illuminates new things about your significant other’s’ personality. What it does do is give you each an opportunity to learn about yourself and how you react to your significant’s suggestions, disagreements, and comments. Even more importantly, it provides lots of opportunities for laughter…
Posted by lexzog at Tue, September 12 | Comments (0)