Don't Touch Your Nails. I Repeat, Do Not Touch Your Nails.

The main purpose of tonight's post is really to keep me busy while I put a new coat of nail polish on so I don't rush it like I did last night, resulting in a simply utterly terrible manicure. Not my best, to say the least! So, hello to all who have wound up on this page! I think I'm going to include a few photos along with this as well because, well, I've got them and because I don't have much more to write about than to give an account of what happened today! (It was a good day though, I have to say!)


Firstly: Base coat...Check. Hang on...Gotta put on the first coat of color. (I'm feeling like maybe a nice mint green is going to be the winner tonight?)


Also super quick fun fact about me: I can't type lengthy things that require real thought when I have music playing from my iTunes library in my computer. I just had to switch to my iPod because for some reason I get so distracted when it's coming from the same place into which I'm supposed to be pouring my thoughts. Don't know...C'est la vie! 


Okay, good deal. Feeling good about this nail painting go-around already. Now do NOT touch your nails, Michaela. Type until you think they're dry and then keep typing for two more minutes. 


Sheesh. What a process.


ANYWAY, today was a big ballet day for me. Two of my very favorite ballet teachers were teaching today and I had two work-study classes left to use (ever...for the time being, at least) at Broadway Dance Center so I figured what better way to put them to use? (Please see Figure A below for a look at what the thought of $18 dance classes as opposed to $5 ones did to my face though. It wasn't pretty...)

Ballet class #1 with Jack Herzog was fantastic as usual. No matter how I'm dancing on any particular day I always leave his class feeling accomplished and happy. He's such a sweet man and gives a wonderful and challenging class, yet it's still an enjoyable 90 minutes. And today it was also a HOT 90 minutes. HOLY COW. Usually in ballet I can make it to about ronde-de-jambes at the barre before I really start sweating, but starting your daily sweat upon leaving your apartment in the morning really doesn't help your case, so you know you're going to be sweating buckets by the time the first side of pliés is finished. Five minutes into class. It ALSO didn't help that I had a nice, lengthy walk along Riverside Park before class, but the sun was out and the water was calling my name once again! I had no choice! But yes, class was really good actually...pirouettes were pretty much happening, so that's always a good thing! Grande allegro at the end of class was a fun one as well...It moved a lot and for once I wasn't lagging behind the music, which I know I tend to do during grande allegro, so class was seen through to the end as a success, I believe! And then I changed my shorts so I could go outside the studio for a bit and this was what happened when I took off the previously monochromatic grey bloomers:

Be right back...time for coat two!


Oh yes, this is a much better attempt than last night's. No comparison!


After ballet #1 I cooled down and enjoyed the afternoon jolt of caffeine at a Starbucks around the corner and did some reading. Pleasure reading! How nice is it to have that as a thing in life again?! My current book choice is "The Cranes Dance" by Meg Howrey. I highly recommend it to all who like ballet. If you don't you may not like it, but it's fiction and it's got a lot of humor and a lot of drama, so I still highly recommend it. Take it or leave it! Here's the thing about Starbucks though, especially in the city...Like, I totally understand that space is tight and there are far more people than square footage for retailers, but it's close to impossible to find seating. But I guess that's how you make friends! (Sharing tables and whatnot.) It's not the end of the world...It's just really tricky to find seating sometimes so it's always easy to complain about! Then back to BDC I went for ballet #2, but mostly I went back earlier than necessary because I had to charge my phone and the only outlet I could see was by the seat over there that was taken very quickly by that guy when those two people finally left, after about 5 fake-out departures. But again, not the end of the world. I had to start warming up again anyway. 


Class #2, taught by the amazing Matthew Powell, was good as well, though it was definitely different; within the hour before class started I went to fill up my water bottle and on my way back down the hallway my left ankle starting having shooting pains every time I put pressure on it. This happens frequently so don't freak out or anything...Something was just out of place enough so that my body decided it needed let me know to take it a little easier. And I really had no choice because every time I went to plié or relevé I could feel it so I'd have to modify some things. I'm really only saying this because it's a prime example of how real it is that every time you step into the studio it's is a brand new experience. Three hours earlier I had not one kink in my body. This time around it took almost all of class to get that ankle cooperating with me again. Ahhh, but that's what keeps you aware and present and thinking! (But if it's an injury? Yeah, you may not want to think through that one so much as maybe thinking about getting on the RICE routine or whatever you need to do to get yourself better!) 


Wait, let me check the nails...Yep, top coat ready. Hold one, please!


Well daggonit, I'd say we've done it! NOW...The Final Test. Can she make it until the top coat dries or will she lose it right at the end? We shall see! (Though I'm feeling good about it tonight, seeing as last night I think I had a fingerprint or two on a few of them by about halfway through painting the second coat of color. What can I say? Beauty's tough! ;))


And that was my day! Lots of ballet, lots of feeling good about the ballet that was done, and lots of sweat that really tuckered me out. I think that's why there are a few less smilies in this post. (As in I don't think I've used one yet? Weird! But honestly I think if I used more than one or two I'd be giving you reason to make inaccurate emotional inferences, because my heart is happy but my face is sleeeeeeepy. I think I've typed half of this with my eyes closed. Haha!) And friends, this nail painting/blogging tag-team thing is great! And I believe is really working out well! It's still too soon to tell and I will NOT give in and touch those minty nails yet, but methinks we've made it! 


Well, I guess that means one thing. Nope, maybe three things.


1. It's the weekend! Happy, happy weekend to all! :)
2. I have painted nails sans chips and fingerprints! 
3. I didn't do these earlier and now I have painted nails sans chips and fingerprints, so I guess now I'm waiting until tomorrow? ;)

(I know, I KNOWWWW...So gross. FIRST THING TOMORROW.)


By George, we've done it! Mission complete and crisis averted! Friends, we make a great team! My nails and I thank you sincerely! :)

Happiness. Say No More!

I have so much in my head but no sense of how to put it all together into written words. Whatever's bouncing around in there though has my heart overflowing with gratefulness, excitement, humbleness, awe...And I can't pin down one dang thing! I've been sitting here trying to think of some way to even begin a paragraph that would do justice to all this emotion but I can't so I won't! It's this city, mostly. This city and its summer energy mixed with the love from the amazing people I get to know mixed with dance mixed with dresses mixed with good summer reading books mixed with laughter mixed with...(I think you get the point). Every day is similar enough, yet brand spankin' new with every sunrise; every day when I wake up I never really know what's coming my way...the day will be beautiful in its uniqueness, all facets of life included. (This morning I woke up laughing. Laughing! I've always known to be a strange sleeper, but that one's a new one to me and started the whole day off on such a fun note!) 


Something's in me and it's got me glad :) 


Like, in my mind, this is how walks to the dance studio, the grocery store, Forever 21, the subway, Starbucks, the dentist (well, not so much the dentist maybe...) should be every day:

Alright NYC...Let's dance! :)

When In Doubt, Talk About the Weather

Well New York, that was a weather-crazy Monday, huh?! I mean, thunderstorms at 8 in the morning?! With full on thunder and lightning and some seriously good-sized raindrops coming down with a purpose, that's for sure! But I can't lie...I really liked it. I mostly loved it for the wonderful cool air we were left with as each storm passed after these last few days of sticky heat and humidity, but I find summer rains to be quite relaxing, whether they be storms, sun showers (of which we had a GREAT one tonight!), or plain ol' rain (though that's my least favorite of the three), I find it to be so relaxing! And this isn't quite the norm for me...Usually I'm the kind of person who really only likes rain on lazy weekend afternoons off when nothing is required of me other than couch sitting, pajama wearing, movie watching and sleeping. But during the summer it's different I think because during the summer, like on days like today, the sun doesn't fully go away and even if the rain is coming down hard like it did this afternoon when I got out of class it somehow seems more forgiving. It's less of a menacing weather condition that's out to make our lives miserable, but more of a welcoming refresher amidst the rising temperatures and humidity index. I don't know...A day of summer rain like this makes me happy, even when I don't have an umbrella. Or rain boots. (Don't own either of them. It'll go on my priority list one of these days...!)


Am I sounding crazy? I feel like I might be sounding a little crazy. Well, long story short, I liked the weather today. Okay! So...good talk!


Kidding. Though I really don't have too much to say tonight. I took a walk after dinner though for the first time in awhile. I do a lot of walking here in the city. I love it. I love that there are always new things to see, no matter how many times I take a certain route. Though I really like to switch up my routes and see different sights...Keeps things more interesting! Anyway, I took a walk after dinner tonight because I ate dinner early for some reason, the sun was coming in from behind some recent rain clouds all golden and prettily and I was getting antsy in my apartment. So out I went! The East River is close to my apartment so I called Dad and moseyed (WEIRD spelling...whoa) on over to the water. I am very glad I did. It was a stunning evening!


Guys, I love this city. But I love the water. Like, I LOVE being by the water. No place is more relaxing to me. Oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds...Whatever I can get I take because there's only so much unforgiving concrete and angularity a person can take before they need to take in some different, calmer vibes for a minute. Not that I don't love this city for all that it is; I've lived here for three years now and I'm still awestruck at the sheer magnitude of this place. It's truly incredible and I'm thankful for it and humbled by it every single day. But when I need a change of pace, being by the water is where I'm able to fully, fully find quiet. That's why I'm grateful that the people who planned out this city did such a great job with taking into account that nature is kind of an important part of life! Between Central Park and the two waterfront parks that I've explored, I've found several spots that are my automatic go-to's that never fail me and allow me to feel a little bit removed from the craziness of the city streets. 


So tonight I walked over to the East River after dinner, chatting with Dad, and totally drank in the beauty of the waterfront. It's the most scenic stretch of the river, but with the Queensboro Bridge right to the left (I thiiiiink it's that one), boats coming going, and the reflection of the sun setting in the post-storm pink and periwinkle clouds, yup, that's all I needed! Pair with all of that with a cool, salty breeze and I could have been on vacation! (Except not at all, but for the moment it's good enough!)


As I was walking back I was TOTALLY amazed at how incredibly amazing tonight's sunset was, and was TOTALLY bummed that I was, like, 13 avenues away from the opposite side of the island. It was all I could do to turn left at 1st Ave and get myself back to my apartment...I've been known to run down the street--yes, run--to catch the full sunset. Like one time I was taking one of my favorite theater jazz classes at Broadway Dance Center. It was from 4-6 PM and we were maybe 40 minutes into the class and we were on the floor stretching facing the back of the room. It was a crowded class and I was close to the door...I looked through the little window of the door out the bigger window outside the studio and foresaw a gorgeous sunset just by how the colors were already starting to distribute across the sky. Instantly I decided I had no choice but to see it before I went back downtown. Class was great, and then right when it was over I grabbed my bag, threw on my clothes, left the building as fast as I could and took off down the street toward the Hudson. Full on run, which is a little difficult with a huge dance bouncing off your shoulder. But run I did because I did not want to be missing this sight, being so close that evening. Out the door of BDC I kept going right down 45th street only to find that my view was going to be blocked by piers and docks and things I totally didn't account for. So down the Hudson I ran until I finally found a stretch with a clearing. I was really not looking cute at all during this fast-paced commute, I passed a few police officers along the way who probably thought I was some kind of crazy, and was no match for the runners and the cyclists making their evening exercise rounds beside me on the path, but once I got there, all out of breath and red in the face, it was worth it. I stood there for maaaaaybe 7 minutes. Ish. Give or take a few. I wasn't there long, as it was already starting to get dark and I was ready to get home--I then realized that I was going to have to walk a ways to a subway line, as NOTHING runs over to 12th avenue...so dumb. But it was worth it. Those quick moments of beauty can't be passed up and sunsets are my favorite ones. I could sit and watch them until the the last ray of light vanishes below the horizon, which is saying something as patience is absolutely not a virtue I have naturally. But sunsets, like the water, make me calm and happy. They don't last forever and every single one is different, so when I'm able to witness a truly stunning one (like what I saw of tonight's...holy cow, too incredible!) I do what I can to hold on to that minute or two and fully take in everything about it that I can. What the color scheme is. How the colors feed into and around the clouds. The shapes of the clouds. What my favorite part about the overall composition in front of me is. (Geez, that is such the artist in me talking. Haha!) 


But I'm really going to have to live on the west side at some point or another so that I don't have to guess about what the big picture looks like from the little bit I see from the far east end of 20th Street and can more easily have access to it. I don't think island-wide sprints can really turn into a regular thing ;)


I think I just rambled your eyes off about the weather. The epitome of small-talk conversation topics. (I told you I had nothing to say!) Weather. Water. Sunsets. You've gotta love it all in the summertime :) Stay cool and keep smiling, friends! Here's to a great rest of the week!

A Visit to the Kid on Memory Lane

I consider myself to be a really nostalgic person. I like this and I don't-so-like this, but I mostly like it. As a year goes by my big nostalgia comes and goes in phases, the first of which being around prom season in May with summer right around the corner and schools winding down...Everyone remembers that season of the high school calendar when the sun is shining, the pools are open, the reminders that clothing has to cover everything are given over the morning announcements every other day, and the last thing anyone wants to do is spend seven hours sitting in desks listening to people talk but the excited summertime energy makes it okay and bearable. The summer goes on and I hit the pre-school year phase when the back-to-school preps are in full swing: supply shopping (my FAVORITE), first day of school outfit shopping and getting in all the hours of kickball and bike riding in the cul-de-sac as possible before the outside world becomes an unknown place among the hours of homework and extracurriculars once again. Then fall comes and from the beginning of the season right through to the end of the Christmas holiday season and I basically relocate myself to Memory Lane for an extended stay. Between school dances and holiday traditions and The Nutcracker and beautiful, crisp Sunday evenings watching TV with the family because I didn't have any homework or finished it all nice and early like a good student (hah), September-December is full of happiness for me...Lots of happy memories that bring me great joy to recall.

But now it's summer! As of yesterday, actually! So happy summer, friends! Summertime as a kid was the other best three months of the year to me. (And, I know, to most kids out there who could finally sleep in until noon and experience life on a whim for a bit...That is, if Mom or Dad would drive!) I've been going through one of my particularly nostalgic bouts recently, I think partly because of the fact that life's currently in such an up-in-the-air place so I've been going back and digging up some bits of familiarity, but also just because it's nice to touch base with some of the old times, remembering what they were, with whom they were spent, and how those times and those people have factored in to where I'm at today. So for today, here are a few of my particular favorites:

1. I think we all know that it's hot outside. I stepped out to go grab my iced coffee this morning and was immediately thrown back to Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston, VA. Every summer between the ages of 6 and 13, Nana signed me up for their Junior Golf Program, which was a weekly thing that allowed for kids to get out on the course and learn the game. I LOVED IT and the longer I go without playing (it's been a really long time at this point) the more I miss it. Tuesday morning golf meant a lot of great things for a kid of that age, including:

 -A Monday night sleepover at Nana and Pop-pop's house every week, which meant: my    personal dinner requests (they still take them when I visit and head to their house for a visit...Nana's always been great about making sure that she's prepared for when her kids come over!), Super Mario Bros on the SuperNintendo in the basement (which still works, BAM), ice cream and old musicals like Meet Me in St. Louis and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Oklahoma! after dinner, among other things!

-Tuesday morning breakfasts from Nana (the works) 

-A fun couple of hours on the golf course with Nana and the other kids and their parents and grandparents...I was a 9-holer so it never took too terribly long to get through the round, though because we had to walk we had a tendency to slow down as the course went on with our little legs and our big golf bags. We had some great laughs, Nana was a fantastic cheerleader (especially when I got that first birdie on 15...One shot to the green, one putt into the hole...hollaaaa), and because golf mornings are what I now associate the scent of bug spray with, I don't have a huge problem with it! Haha! 

-A trip to the snack bar when we were finished, sometime the pool when I remembered my bathing suit, and then an afternoon back at Nana and Pop-pop's before having to get ready for ballet class in the evening!

Golf summers were great. There were weekly competitions within the program, like lowest number of putts and things like that to keep us engaged. (Or to keep kids without senses of humor, like me, nervous with really clammy hands the entire morning.) We had Pro-Am and Parent-Kid tournaments throughout the summer. One time, Dad and I were playing--it was an alternating shot kind of deal...He'd go, I'd go--and we hit into the trees where the cart path was. He aimed the ball back for the fairway, it bounced off a tree right back to us. I did the same thing. He did the same thing. I think it took us four or five shots to get out of that spot...Needless to say, that round probably wasn't our best, but the laughs we had after the fact were totally worth it. 

Yes. Those were good days. Plus, I really miss the khaki skorts I wore with my P.E. tennis shoes and socks halfway up my shins...(Sorry for the sarcasm...I really do miss the golf, I don't miss my fashion-less days...)

2. The summer beach trip. Nags Head, NC was the yearly destination. (Or one of the surrounding beaches...Southern Shores, Duck...It's all the same to me.) I'm reminded of this one a lot here in the city, actually, because on my way to NYLA, a rehearsal studio I've spent a lot of time at over the last six months, I discovered a spot on the sidewalk on W. 19th Street that smells JUST like Newmann's Shell Shop. The first time I walked by it I freaked out and texted my parents. (What did it smell like, you ask? Well, the building that I walk by is Bed, Bath and Beyond so I'm pretty sure it's just the scent of their potpourri coming out of the vent. But it's Newmann's!!) Newmann's, unfortunately, closed down several years ago...It was one of our annual to-dos during our beach week and they always had the same shells and toys, a few t-shirts, and lamps and things made out of beach glass. I would get a little souvenir sandcastle to add to my collection and it was from Newmann's that I got my first, and only, hermit crab. (A much better idea than reality.) It was a small, family owned one-room building right on Beach Road, and I'm still a little bummed that it had to close. Trust me, it smelled great. 

I'm pretty sure what takes the cake for summer beach week, though, is the pirate saga. Growing up, we always went to the beach with close family friends, and what became of the pirate adventures over the course of all those years I will never forget and I was ALWAYS love and look back on happily. First of all, Dad and Richard used to tell us stories about their days on the high seas, giving us accounts of their run-ins with Captain Blackbeard (the bad guy) and the bravery of Captain Bluebeard (the good guy)...I mean, I knew my Mom and Dad had a boat when I was really little, AND Dad knew how to run it, so I knew there was truth to it all! Richie and I used to sit on the deck with our binoculars and scan the ocean's horizon for pirate ships. Whenever we saw a fishing boat or a whatever boat or a figment of an imagination boat sitting out there, we'd automatically start discussing who we thought it was--Blackbeard or Bluebeard--and what they were doing here. As we got older, the pirates started leaving us things back in the house throughout the day. We'd come in for lunch after being on the beach all morning and go back into the bedroom to find doubloons on our pillows. There would be a pile of precious stones on the kitchen table. There would be a note on the deck. (Things were happening, y'all.) The week would go on and we'd hide away our findings, fearing that Blackbeard would sneak in when we went back to the beach after lunch and steal our treasures. But don't worry...we were very careful and nothing was ever touched. As the years went by, I think the unseen pirates (we decided it was Bluebeard's doing) began to really trust us, as we'd start finding treasure maps on the last morning. By the time the pirates made their last hoorah, we woke up to find a glass bottle with a singed map inside. On the map was a diagram of our house's property (!!!), instructions for us to follow--paces, directions (!!!), and a big ol' X (!!!). Picture it...I can't even remember what exact ages we were, but we were probably about 12, 11 and 7, at the oldest. So you can assume that there was an excited bunch of kids in that house. Excited, but SERIOUS. We had treasure to find, y'all! So out we went to the back deck and we followed our map to a T. Guess what we found?! The X. Guess what was buried there?! A BIG, OL' TREASURE CHEST. Filled with doubloons, gold, goblets and jewels. The chest was burned and had etchings of initials and crossbones and a few bullets had been wedged into the sides! Something had gone down out there on the open ocean, but this treasure had made it and was now safe with us. With the help of our moms, the treasure was divvied and stashed in our closet for safekeeping and we went about the rest of our last beach day.

Guys, the treasure chest and map came home with us, it lived in my bedroom, and I showed it off to people. For, like, years. If you ever came over to my house to play, I'm pretty sure you probably saw it. 

Seriously though...happenings like this went on summer after summer. What is not to love about real live treasure hunts? I'll tell you...nothing. Just make sure that if you ever find some, lock it up in your closet right away so Captain Blackbeard doesn't come steal it away ;)

Dwelling in the past is an unproductive way to go about spending time. But thinking about it and being thankful for it and taking a minute to relive the joy that those times brought you isn't, I don't think. I think it's a good thing actually...These days, whenever I think about summertime as a kid, I'm reminded at how awesome my family is. I'm reminded of all the great things that life brought up until this point, and all of that makes me excited to see what's going to come after it. I'm able to refresh the lessons that I've learned along the way, like don't take yourself too seriously and always have good manners. (Thanks to Dad I learned from an early time--"What do good manners make little girls?" "Pretty." "What do good manners make little boys?" "Handsome." My face would always turn red when I had to answer the "handsome" part. It probably still would. But this is a lesson I'll never forget and still holds true!) I'm also reminded to enjoy these moments. We enjoy those moments we have as kids because we don't really know to do anything else. The older we get, the more "stuff" life brings with it and it's easy to forget about the fun part. Now, vacations have to be timed a little better to fit in between this and that, and a day at the beach isn't complete without emails and work calls. A visit home is shadowed by what needs to be done before getting back to the city and not getting completely out of shape before that audition next week. But take all of that extra stuff away and what's left? The same things we always knew: the family, the time, the season...Other things may be calling our attention elsewhere, but take time every so often to hone in on the simplicity of the moment beneath all the extra chaos. 

Be a kid and find that joy every once in awhile :)

Smiling, Sweating, and Singin' in Ballet Class.

Well! It's HOT! (Thus the red text color, obviously!) I, for one, wasn't expecting temperatures to go up so high until later in the afternoon so you'd better believe I was some kind of thankful when I walked out my door at 9 A.M. headed to rehearsal in comfy dance clothes instead of the skinny jeans I was contemplating putting on up until I decided I didn't feel like hauling a ton of clothes around all day. Wow!! But it's summertime, so I'm not going to complain about it! (Nah, yes I will. Just ignore me when I do or tell me to cut it out! Haha! :) But I will say this...Thanks to all this nasty sweating--I mean, nasty heat sweat--I. smell. terrible. Yiiiikes!)


Today has been a right wonderful day of dance, and it's not over yet! This morning started off creatively at DANY studios with Calen and Kathy, and it felt really great to be back in the studio for the purposes of the creative process. As you may know by now, I love taking dance classes. If it was an option to be a professional dance class taker, I may opt to be just that. But besides a really great dance class, there's nothing I love more than being in a studio creating, whether it be starting a new work from the very first conceptual idea or learning choreography and staging that's been previously known to the world. This morning was Calen's, who is a finalist for the 2012 Capezio A.C.E. awards (!!!!!), first rehearsal to start getting out movement and ideas for his new piece that will be showcased in July. Ahhhh, how refreshing it was to be in the studio dancing and thinking and sweating and moving! But mostly thinking, and thinking with such incredible artists (who I'm also grateful to have as teachers, mentors and friends as well). Rehearsal began on a good note and ended on a good note. There was really great energy, there were great dance moves happening, and a true joy for this day and that time and all things that would follow those couple of hours was very, very present. And THAT, my friends, is how to start off a Wednesday morning!


Rehearsal was followed by ballet class, a personal necessity for me both physically and emotionally. Ballet class is where the technique comes from, so for someone like me, it's not something that I can let slip by the wayside. Nor do I want to! Jack Hertzog's ballet class at Broadway Dance Center is my very favorite. (1:30-3 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and he teaches a few nights at City Center as well!) He's a wonderful person, very sweet and happy with a calmness about him that I really appreciate when I'm trying to accomplish his doozie of a pirouette combination, and his class is challenging, yet I never leave defeated. Some days, like yesterday for instance, I left class saying to myself, "Huh! He pulled out all the tricks today!" It was like just a string of difficulties! It was one of those classes that I knew would be at least a little off from the very beginning of class. (To some of you this will make sense, to some of you it may not, but here's the dancer-talk coming out for a minute.) I have a tendency to sit really far back--shoulders and scapula sitting so far behind my centerline I can practically see it halfway across the room. This makes for some tricky times and I have to keep a constant awareness and keep physically stacking the bones of my spine so I don't fall backwards, and it's basically just a battle that I could definitely do without but I guess it is what it is! So yesterday I knew very early on that my center was off. Barre went on and it didn't improve and then center came and I was falling all over the place because I just couldn't hold myself vertical in one piece! Discombobulation at its finest, folks! Turning is usually something I really enjoy, but yesterday I was trying too hard, working too non-vertically, and not one turn really worked in my favor. Jack, who is so great about getting to know students even in such a big drop-in studio such as BDC, recognized that I was off, he knew that I knew that I was off, and he had to make the correction because he's the teacher and that's his job, but because he knew that I was well aware, he smiled at me after my group finished one go of it and simply said, "You're throwing yourself a little off...Sitting a little far back..." to which one could only reply, "Yes! All day!!" And with that, he laughed a little, I went off to the side to keep trying to get myself on my blasted leg (with no success, unfortunately) and that was that! (But keep in mind, none of the center combinations were easy yesterday...Lots of surprises, as he seemed to be in a particularly showy mood for our class!) That's what I love about him and his class--he gives great exercises that require accurate technique, a presence of mind, and a love for movement because, yes, you're going to be moving a ton! He gives great corrections but never in a judgmental or condescending way and works with you if something isn't sitting right. Never once have I left a Jack Hertzog ballet class feeling discouraged, even if the class was THE worst thing I've ever taken in my life. And for that reason I am there as much as I possibly can be! 


Here's another thing I discovered about myself today. (Please forgive me, as I'm copying and pasting the following sentences from my Facebook status. It's just too relevant!) I realized today that while I absolutely love ballet and get so much enjoyment out of taking ballet classes for the dance aspect, the fact that we get to share space and energy with such incredible musicians during our class time is what allows me to love it the most. Nothing beats taking class to live music. It's amazing and quite an honor to be able to be in such collaboration with such incredible, skilled professionals all the time who love their own art equally as much as you do. Seriously though, there's nothing like taking ballet class and being able to feed off of the dynamics of the music that the pianist is providing us. Sometimes if the pianist and the teacher are well-acquainted or it's a regular class where we all know each other well (like at Tisch, for example), fun things happen and it's almost just like a bunch of friends getting together and hanging out with a little music and a little dancing...Suddenly the set list for class becomes mixes of the classical staples with Top 40 hits with old Broadway scores with Disney songs...I've heard it all, and no matter what is coming from the hands of the pianist over in the front corner of the room, the fact that they're sharing it with us to be used as a tool to further our own artistic development is a gift.


And that's the more "profound" (<--not even) reason as to why live music can't be matched.
The other reason? Because the second you recognize that you're doing grand battements to "Dancing Queen" or the dreaded adagio combination to something from "The Sound of Music," all of a sudden class gets even more fun :)


And then bring on the task of the ballet barre-karaoke duo, though I have been known to take on the challenge MANY a time ;) 


Basically, all I've got today is this: I love dance. I love this city. I love dancing in this city. And no matter how fantastic or how insanely hard those hours are that are spent working in the studio, time was spent working in the studio. That is what makes my heart so dang happy :)

Calm Down, Chill Out, Eat a Sandwich

I'm anticipating that several trains are about to pull out of Thought Central (...get it? Like, trains of thought? Oh dear...What time is it again?! ;)) but today--Saturday--has been a pretty weird day.  If you talked to me this morning at 9:30 I was in a happy sleepy mood, talk to me at 3 in the afternoon and I was feeling excited, talk to me at 8:15 this evening and I was totally ticked off after oversleeping by 4 HOURS and missing a performance I was stoked about (at 3pm today, haha!), and then talk to me now and I'm pretty much happy sleepy again. Whew, talk about full circle! 


Tomorrow is the big dance recital day at Broadway Dance Center. It's so crazy to know that this dance season for those kids is coming to a close! With weekly classes going on since September, that's a lot of months of a lot of hard work put in by a lot of kids...I hope they all go out there tomorrow and have a total blast with the whole day! And then Monday comes and we hit the ground running full force yet again! My week off has come to and end it's time to get working! 


I'm still considering "today" to be Saturday, June 16th because I haven't gone to sleep yet, so bear with me and don't jump ahead to Sunday yet every time I refer to "today," okay? Okay, good deal :)


As of today, I've been a college graduate for one month. Four weeks. Not very long, right? Right, so someone tell my brain that, please. It seems to think I've been out for ages and is starting to more frequently pose questions to me along the lines of, "Okay, what are you doing?" and "When are you going to be working?" and "How are you going to support yourself financially?" and "There are no auditions this week...Bummer. This whole dance thing is hard, huh?" Rude, right?! Someone tell my brain to knock it off and chill out for a sec because Lord knows I'm struggling a little with that at the moment! Hahaha! One month is not a very long time and as I've said before, it's been a productive month as of yet. Lots of dancing, lots of networking, lots of options being laid out on the table, so now is the time to start piecing it all together and moving forward from there. As I've also said, this process is one that I thoroughly enjoy so stressing out about the "what ifs" only takes away from fully throwing myself into the moments I've got right now. (And these are the moments that will solidify the "what ifs" down the road, so if I need answers right now, that in itself should be it, right?)


I get to thinking too much like this when I have too much idle time on my hands--I've had more thinking time over the last six days than I've really had consecutively in a few months-- and I guess for now I'm going to be more prone to this cluttered thinking having both feet firmly planted in transition time Limbo Land. (Geez, it's SUCH a weird place to be in! Haha! It's also super late at night right now so that's not helping much emotionally either ;)) I wrote out my loose game plan for the coming week though and am feeling good about it...Lots of dancing hours to get refocused and in the zone (regular ballet class is the thing that keeps my dance self sane and centered, physically and mentally), some rehearsing, room for auditioning, and a list of business things to take care of. Lots going on and thankful for it! 


I apologize if it seems like I'm kind of just reiterating and rewording the same thoughts over and over, because I definitely feel like I am! As you may be able to gather, my general mood has shifted over to the nervous end of the happiness spectrum--I still love these days, but there's definitely a little more going on than just smiles and laughter and pirouettes-- so bear with me, as I think I've got to just get it all out so my brain can breathe and rest a little easier as I figure out how to keep the stress and the excitement (two intense emotional places) of it all on a somewhat balanced level and figure out how to maintain the excitement but in a calm fashion, and acknowledge the stressful aspects but not get sucked down by them. 


STEP NUMBER ONE: Don't think too much. So I'm done thinking...NOW!


Quick list of Fa-Vor-Ite Things:
(Again, I hope you sung that to yourself...)


1. Lillies. New favorite flower.
2. Cocktail dresses. More specifically, champagne colored ones with draped backs. Like, this one actually, to be exact: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/pisarro-nights-drape-back-sequin-dress/3191297?origin=category&resultback=6012
3. The soundtrack to Rent. Jonathan Larson was a genius. 
4. Taking time to do something to my hair. This is a rather new thing, as I used to hate everything about it, but now it's less of a chore and has become another nice little "personal time" thing. 
5. Snapchat. In a nutshell, it's a great iPhone app where you take a photo of yourself (if you're my sister or myself, they're awfully unattractive photos...clearly the best kind) and you send it to a friend for a certain number of seconds. Once they open it they can only see it for that specified time frame and then it vanishes forever into the universe, never to be seen again. It always cracks me up!
6. Sandwiches. 


I'm going to say this again, and it won't be the last time you hear it because it seems to be doing the trick through this piece of the adventure: 


No matter what, I choose happiness. 
(Short, simple, easy to remember in the middle of tourist-filled midtown or on a crowded train that just missed your stop. Gotta love conciseness!) 


I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend! And to all of you reading this right now, GET TO SLEEP! ;) Goodbye and goodnight!!

Aaaaand...Back We Go!

Happy Friday to all! Alright, I'm somewhere in Maryland posted up on a BoltBus at the moment heading back to the city after THE fastest five and a half days at home I think I've experienced to date, so I'm going to do my best to get this out in one sitting, unlike my last try on the way down last weekend! Fingers crossed that our WiFi cooperates this time! 

I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to have a beautiful place such as Virginia to come home. This past week was one-hundred percent needed physically and mentally and, like I said before, really came at a great time in this post-grad journey so far.  Again, after three weeks of go-go-go dancing/performing/auditioning, it was nice to step back for a few days and take that first real exhale. Everyone needs a few days of family and friends and full-sized beds and green trees out their window in the morning and hot meals and burger night at Nana and Pop-pop's, and...(I think you get it). As always, I came home to sleep but stayed up until 2 AM with my sister more often than not and said I'd work out the every day starting Sunday morning and ended up doing, like, 20 minutes' worth of ab-work and pushups the entire time.  I watched The Bachelorette Monday night in real time thanks to cable instead of waiting for my Tuesday evening viewing online, both of which are perfectly fine with me, it's just nice sometimes to be able to know what the Twitter updates are referring to all night after already seeing it all happen instead of using the feed as a nice, detailed foreshadowing, if you will. Ahh, yes, the small things about home. You've got to love it all! 

Here's what happened a little unexpectedly this week, though.  Along with that first post-grad exhale came my first real pang of anxiousness about the reality of where I am right now.  I had my first, "Okay, so I'm going back to the city Friday and I'm done with school, I don't yet have a job, I'm getting on the tail end of my lease, and I really want and need to hear back from the auditions I did last week. But I'm going back to the city Friday. So, like....Now what?"  I didn't so much enjoy having that in my brain this week, I must say.  It's almost more of a nuisance to have in there than it is real anxiety because when I stop to think through it for a minute I'm reminded that things are on the table and will come together as they're supposed to, but for a girl who really loves her day-planner and her lists, it can be a more intimidating thought than I'd anticipated.  I guess I knew the worry was on its way, seeing as I probably would have known it a month ago if I had the days following graduation weren't chock-full of to-dos and things and stuff and places to be.  My timetable's just a little delayed I suppose! 

It's tricky being in limbo like this and it's definitely not my favorite place to be.  I think I made that fact known to myself this week when the time to acknowledge it was available to me. Yet as much as I could have done without these days of downtime shadowed with the "what ifs" that are waiting at the other end of this bus trip, I don't think my excitement for this whole "real life thing" has lessened any.  (It's just over yonder while this anxiousness takes a quick turn for a minute. But just for a minute!) I know that the second I get back into my city and into my groove and back in ballet classes and hit the ground running again I'm going to be loving it all again.  (So, basically, at about 4pm today! Haha!) 

In the midst of all the unsure things that are hanging out up in the air right now, I'm still going to choose happiness and joy and be grateful that all of these unknowns are even in my life. My face may show a furrowed brow from time to time, but in my heart I'm going to keep breathing and know that life is good because the reason for every one of these unknowns is the art and the process that I so love. And I just have to keep reminding myself that I do love the process, which is essentially the primary gift above all.  The unknowns--the jobs, the answers, the solutions, etc--those are the interim milestones and checkpoints and further foundations and places to "rest" for a second before continuing on; they will come and go with each day. The work that I love though will remain constant no matter what milestone I'm at.  So while I wait and while I start to think through and plan some of these bigger tasks that will start happening in the coming weeks of summer, I'm going to remain glad in the knowledge that no matter what, all the behind-the-scenes, "daily life" pieces is where I actually find so much fulfillment, from my morning music jams, to the sun shining beautifully, to feeling prepared and excited for that early morning audition, to walking away from that audition no matter what having new information and tools than I did when I walked in...

A whole is nonexistent without its parts, so here we go. Back to the city. Excited to see a few destinations coming up in the (hopefully near) future, but more excited to really start to figure out how to put all the pieces together (and why) in order to most efficiently reach those destination points. Now's the time! Bring it, life! :)

(P.S. We made it! Werq, WiFi!)

(P.P.S. All those run-ons? Terrible. Sorry! :))

Time for a Taste of Home.

I started writing this post Saturday evening on southbound I-95 as I was en route to this wonderful week at home but alas, the wifi on the bus what coming and going and I was being totally unsuccessful. So here I am, coming at you live from my living room couch, very much enjoying this quiet Tuesday evening!

Really quick though, before I get going I have to share with you what my bus riding environment was looking like as I was trying get some thoughts onto my very frozen computer screen.  A few photos to give you an idea of what was outside my window (yes, filters were added here, but the sight was absolutely stunning nonetheless):

Now, do me a favor and pair these gorgeous sceneries with the genius acoustic musical stylings of Andy McKee for a minute (or four) and you may get a better idea as to how even a 4.5 hour bus ride down the New Jersey Turnpike can be beautiful and relaxing. I mean, I'd much rather have been able to enjoy these skies and those tunes on, maybe, a porch or deck or a waterfront seat with a cool drink and some friends, but that's just a little summer daydreaming sneaking into the mix ;) Contentment is a wonderful thing, so I will say that I was perfectly content sitting on that bus with two out of the three pieces of the dream!

So here I am, spending a few days in Virginia and loving every single moment of it.  Don't get me wrong...New York City is my place and I could not have more love for it, but these Virginia trips are always the best and are so perfectly timed; by the time I head to Penn Station to catch the bus, it is time to head to Penn Station to catch a DC-bound bus.  This time was no different, especially since it's the first visit home since graduating college and really the first time I've been able to step back for a minute and evaluate all these pieces of "real life" from a bit of a removed standpoint and acknowledge where I am now and how to tackle the coming summer months.  

I have to say, my first three weeks out of school have been an absolute blast! Busy but very productive and I'm so loving feeling fully in charge of what happens from day to day.  The first week out of school I did a weeklong intensive workshop with Keigwin + Co. and it was THE perfect lead-in to this summer. I left every single day refreshed and inspired and motivated. (And to be able to leave a studio day in and day out feeling so newly in love with the art that I get to practice is something that I pray that I never take for granted.) The second week out of school was the last week of rehearsing for "Behind Painted Lines," the benefit performance for the Wounded Warrior Project that I was honored to be a part of.  Long story short, it was an INCREDIBLE evening and I can't tell you how amazing it felt to be dancing on that stage that night...The energy reached a place it hadn't known up until that night and I really hope that we will be able to perform the show again in the future.

(Photo by Stephen de las Heras)

The third week out of school was a big audition week, and a successful one at that! I wrote last week about the Disney audition that I attended, and then Friday I had an audition for "Fire & Grace," a Celtic-inspired dance project that is currently a show based out west.  The choreographer and director made her mark as a dancer in Riverdance and has created a show that takes ballet and contemporary technique and pairs it with Irish and Celtic music.  That was a quicker audition process--much smaller--but regardless I was thankful and glad to have made it through to the end.  So now the best part (actually, not at all)...The waiting game.  (The feeling I get about this part of the process isn't unlike that of when an adult says to a young kid, "I have a game to play! Let's play the quiet game!" Like, you know that sinking feeling you get because you were really hopeful at the beginning of the suggestion? But as much as you'd rather play Tag or Hide-And-Seek or just be able to watch that extra half hour of TV before bed, you know you have to now play and win the proposed quiet game because, well,  you've just got to? It's a tricky time! Haha!) 

So now's a really great time to decompress and regroup at home.  After three full weeks and a pretty loose plan about what's happening next in this new whirlwind, a week here I think is exactly what the doctor ordered.  Some cable, some sleep, some visits with friends, some planning, less working out than I should be doing (tomorrow's a new day! Haha!), and some tentative game plan-making so that when I head back to the city Friday I can hit the ground running once again! And I have to say, I'm still excited about it all! I'm thankful for these slower moments of rest, as they really are so necessary, but I know that come Friday I'm going to be feeling pretty ready to take this newfound revitalization and carry it on back into the city and back into the routine and get working!

As for now? I'm feeling like another episode or two of Friends is in order :) 

Wow, What a Wednesday! (#yesalliteration)

Alright, folks. This post has the potential to turn into a bit of a ramble so I'm going to apologize in advance and do my best to keep things as concise as possible.  (No promises though!)

I've had two main things knocking around my little brain today because more has happened in the past 14 hours than I'd anticipated.  I mean, I knew today was going to be a nutty day, and it was but in the best way possible.  Here's why:

So remember that photo contest I was a finalist for for HerHattan NYC?  Well here's what happened: WE WON! The photo itself might has been of me, but I did not one thing to make that win happen.  From the very beginning, all I did was send an email to submit the picture.  (I saw that they were doing this contest, I had the photo, and I had already applied to be considered to be a blogger on their upcoming site so I actually figured maybe resubmitting for this contest would help that along a little bit.  That was really the primary reason why I did it in the first place!)  But my fantastic sister Morgan actually took the photo, the HerHattan team chose the photo, and then you INCREDIBLE friends and family made some serious moves happen in the "liking" and the sharing department! (And my beautiful friend Christina was the one who introduced me to the site from the get-go several months ago.) Like, guys, I'm humbled beyond words by all the support that came about by this little contest and have been absolutely floored by all the positivity and the heartfelt excitement that was shared throughout the process over last two and a half days. 

I find myself in this place again of feeling like no matter how many times I say "thank you," the phrase won't do justice to the magnitude to which I feel it.  To me, every thumbs-up and every share became about something greater than the contest really quickly.  Yes, it was definitely fun and I'm glad we all got to do it together, but even more importantly I was reminded yet again just how incredibly powerful a loving support system is.  I was shocked at the response the whole thing received and I hope every person reading this post--especially those of you who passed on the HerHattan love and made some winning moves happen--knows just how much I appreciate your activity in my life, whether it be local or distant, frequent or infrequent.  Simply being able to know the people I know brings me peace because I know that through it all, I have people to which to turn and ask for help, guidance or a laugh at any time.  And I pray every single day that I'm able to give back even just a fraction of the love that I feel so enveloped by.  Life is a journey that's not meant to unfold completely alone.  I know what I have to do routine-wise, training-wise, business-wise to make my goals realities, but none of that would be possible in the least without the encouragement and faith of the beautiful people that so regularly share their hearts with me. Each and every day I'm given reminders by these stunning people, whether they know it or not, why I keep working as hard as I can and they consistently give me the motivation to keep on moving forward. So to everyone reading this, thank you. Seriously, thank you. And I'm telling you, even if you don't think you're doing anything, to me you're doing everything by simply allowing me to be part of your life. 

Here's the other thing that happened today: for the first time I made it from the beginning to the end of an open cattle-call dance audition.  Over four hours and five rounds of cuts, the numbers when from 250+ to about 50 and the next thing I knew I was filling out my contact info and hearing a "Thank you all, we'll be in touch in the next few weeks after reviewing all our materials if we think you will be a good fit for this." So I didn't leave with a job today, but I'm in the final pool of New York dancers and you'd better believe I was feeling accomplished upon leaving the 12th floor of Pearl Studios today! The audition was for the Christmas shows (they're currently casting two) in DisneyWorld in Orlando, and when I left my house this morning, this is what I told myself: "Okay Michaela...Just get past the first cut.  Get your headshot into that first stack of keepers and no matter what else happens, it's going to be a great day!"  

Here's how an open call goes (I'm using today as an example and they will vary depending on the show, but they're pretty similar in format): The call was scheduled to begin at 10 A.M., sign-in was scheduled for 9 A.M., so I tried to aim to leave my apartment by just after 8.  I ended up getting out a little later than I wanted to which put me uptown later than I wanted to be there, but I got to the studio at about 8:45 A.M. and was still only #89.  Not bad.  Third group.  They started calling people in early (about 9:15) and took us next door in groups of 30 (guys and girls were all together for today's audition) and told us we'd be doing ballet first.  We did about a 32-count ballet combination in groups of four.  Cut.  Wait. Went back in for ballet round two.  They added on another 16 counts and we did the whole thing.  Cut. Wait. Switch to jazz shoes for the jazz section.  Really fun, classic and theater-y. Wait. Hip hop. Wait. Then a few lifts and specialty things like pointe work, tumbling passes, etc. Basically, it's a lot of waiting. But like I've said before, it's actually a process I very much enjoy, and it's really something to keep hearing your name called after each section when you're usually finished 10 minutes after stepping into the dance studio first thing in the morning.

This brings me to point number two for today: Success.  I'm writing about this today because over the course of the last few years, having been given the chance to learn and grow and see things outside the walls of high school and my family's home and my local dance studio, what my standards of personal success are now are SIGNIFICANTLY different from what they used to be.  Four years ago, saying that I wanted to be a professional dancer basically was me saying that I wanted to dance on Broadway, only on Broadway and I wasn't going to stop dancing until I got there. This is still true in the big picture, but I'm learning that success doesn't and can't happen in one fell swoop.  No, I take that back.  The ultimate dream doesn't happen in one fell swoop. Success happens every day, and every "small" success is just another building block upon which those ultimate dreams will rest eventually.  For me today, my goal upon leaving my apartment was to make it past the first cut at an open dance call. The second I did, my goal had been met, and everything that followed were awesome extras.  Whether or not I land the job--though I've got my fingers crossed that I do, of course!--the outcome of this morning's adventure is, in my mind, a success.  And honestly in this crazy game, I couldn't have asked more than that on this beautiful Wednesday at this point at the starting line of this career that I'm really looking forward to :)

So my little pearls of life lessons for today: give thanks ALWAYS for the graciousness of those who so selflessly build you up for exactly who you are, and take a minute to see how you gauge your success.  There's no such thing as a small success, as everything is valid and full of much worth in the big picture. 

There's my ramble. I hope you were able to decipher it okay.  Maybe I should include a code of some sort next time...! :)

Happy Wednesday, friends! 

These Are a Few of My Fa-vor-ite Things (Pt. 1)

First off, I hope you sang that title to yourself.  (But I mean, if you didn't it's totally cool too!)


I'm a list maker.  I'm a write-things-down-er.  Give me a computer with a Google calendar on it and I'll turn the screen back to you and ask if you can please pass me the orange Moleskine day planner I don't leave my house without.  As much as I enjoy blogging--I really do and it's great to be back at it more regularly--I can never give up my own personal journaling.  I fill them up like you've never seen!  I don't know what it is about the act of putting pen to paper to clear my head of its thoughts but I definitely get much more enjoyment out of that than typing my life into technological memory cards.  (Are memory cards even what's used in these things anymore?  Clearly, the most I can say is that I'm a Mac, not a PC, and I love my iPhone.  Beyond that, I have no idea what I'm talking about!)


But like I said, I'm a list maker.  I think lists are great because they provide an organized visual so it's a little easier to process all that happens and all that needs to happen during these crazy and busy days.  The practical lists like the to-do's and the grocery lists and the assignments due are always great to have on hand and most of us, whether we know it or not, keep tabs on those daily necessities mentally.  (Sometimes we don't even know what we're thinking when life starts to get crazy, but subconsciously our brain is actually trying to keep us in line and figured out!)  I'm definitely a fan of these daily lists, because without them I know that I would personally be a little bit of a frazzled mess.  


Along with these things, and perhaps even more importantly, I've gotten into the practice recently of jotting down the things that make me happy.  If I'm out and about and don't have access to the tools to do so at any given time I take a mental note and try to remember to do it later.  I do a lot of walking around this city and every time I step onto the street is another chance to breathe for a second and think, and waiting for late trains, for example, are the perfect times to acknowledge the things that have made my day uniquely awesome instead of dwelling on how frustrated I am because of how late I now am to wherever it is I've got to be.


Here's a short excerpt of what I've come up with most recently:


1. I love being a morning person. 
I never thought I'd see the day!  If there's one thing in life that I'm most grateful to have learned while at school it's how to enjoy being up in the morning and getting the day started on the early end of the clock. 


2. I love my morning music jam sesh.
Any day that starts off with some catchy Top 40 hits is bound to be a good one!


3.I love my morning coffee.
Again, I never thought I'd see the day! But I've seen it, I'm loving it, and I ain't never         going back! :)  And look! This morning I got another misspelled name (which I actually  secretly also like because it's always a great laugh!), but I got a star along with it! :)

4. I love ballet class.
When ballet is in my regular dance routine, that's when I feel most at ease. I've found it to be so therapeutic. (But it will kick your butt EVERY time, I promise you that!)


5. I love wearing "real people" clothes.
It may sound silly, and I didn't realize this fully until recently, but when you leave your house in jeans and a real top instead of a leotard and sweats you will truly feel differently--and present yourself differently--than if you're in sweats and a cut t-shirt.  (Though it's another wardrobe option that, of course, I am totally for!) But yes Michaela, you can look like a real person and just change into dance clothes when you need to! AND you don't have to walk around in sweaty clothes all day after! HUH! Fancy that! ;)
     
6.I don't leave home these days without all my jewelry on. 
I've always been a jewelry person--I'm definitely a sterling silver kind of gal--and for some reason these days even if it is a sweatpants and cut t-shirt with no makeup kind of a day, I still have to make sure all my earring are in, my rings are on, my watch is on my wrist, and I have a necklace or two, that may or may not actually match what I'm actually wearing, but that part doesn't matter all that much!


7. I love doing pushups.
All day every day. Can't get enough.


8. I will never not be a chocoholic.
It's a fact of life I've just had to accept ;) Dark chocolate with either orange or sea salt is really hitting the spot at the moment.


So I don't know if this post really has much meaning at all, but if anything maybe take this from it: It doesn't matter how small the small things are.  If they make you happy, let yourself smile :)


Also, unrelated, but if you want to, check out my updated dance reel here!