Single What? Female...

Fall? Already? What?

Yes, the days are already getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping (after already having a cool summer) and football has begun - though someone needs to tell Tom Brady that after their pathetic showing against the Jets (and while they beat Buffalo, there was still quite a bit of sloppy play).

At least the Red Sox seem on track for the Wild Card and are only five games behind the Yanks.

My in-laws are not sports folk - unless you are talking golf, which I still have trouble seeing a sport (SORRY!) - but my brother-in-law and his family are Angels fans. Their oldest, Christopher, apparently can give you names and stats and all the rules, but I don't think he is quite old enough for me to talk baseball trash with him. I so wanted to though after the Sox took 2 out of three from the Angels and are now only five games behind the Yanks and pretty much right on track for the Wild Card. (This despite Manny Del Carmen and the rest of the 'pen blowing the game last night)

IN THE MEANTIME...It is Climate Week NYC and the streets around the UN are blocked and crowded by visiting dignitaries. And according to a guy I know who works at the UN, the cafeteria is no longer - at least during this week - offering plastic plates, but asking people to grab a real plate for their lunches which they can bring back to the kitchen for washing. As this appears to be a new policy, I'm guessing the UN suddenly has new low pressure sinks and toilets and all sorts of new green stuff that they forgot about until setting up a Green conference.
Now while you may not be able to get in on the various speeches inside, you can check out this panel during which my friend Marisa will be debuting a selection from her documentary Glass Houses. Besides watching our plastics and our carbon "footprint", you gotta also think about how we might shrink our "foodprint" as more often than not industrial farms are more a hazard to our environment than a help.

And, unless you've been watching Fox news, you have missed out on the fact that Obama will be seated "a few feet away" from Mohmar Qaddafi during a session tomorrow. Which, of course, proves to Fox that Obama is indeed a fanatical Muslim looking to get some helpful fascism hints from Libya's leader. (see "UN Seating chart")

Speaking of Black/Mixed people, I highly recommend checking out the work of this group of which I am a member. Over the summer, they held an event called SwirlCamp during which a small group of folks sat down and seriously discussed issues of race, multiracialism; what issues we've had and still have and what we can do about them. There are no easy answers, but the ideas were flowing and posted here. I recommend the read...

And now for shameless plugging and deep thoughts...

The second show I ever directed was as part of the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source. I had an excellent experience and did it again the following year. I missed it the next year and last year, but this year, I am back at it. One reason I applied to be a director again earlier this year was to give myself something to creative to do that wouldn't involved too much talking or singing as I continue to deal with my inconsistent voice, but I'll tell ya, I am already getting so much more out of it...and talking much more than planned :p.

As part of Week 3, The Dueling Princess is one of 5 excellent shows being done. Written by Lisa Zadok of Allston, MA, it is about a feisty Princess who has to marry, but is not going down the aisle without a fight. And because while we may be feminists and fighters, there is still something about being a princess, more women auditioned for this show than any other in the week. I had an embarrassment of riches to choose from, and am so glad I have the fab cast I have. We had a great rehearsal last night and I gotta say, there is nothing like working with good people to bring out the funny to remind you that while things might be frustrating, we can still guide laughter into the world.

Other good things? Two weeks ago, I did some back ground recording for my friend's boyfriend...and came home with ProTools on my laptop, a microphone and an MBox. Last week, I was trying to record stuff and found out that my laptop could not hold the power of ProTools. That was Monday, and I had a deadline for Wednesday. I also had a decision to make: do I head up to Greenwich, give everything back to the boyfriend and go up every few weeks spending up to half of what I might make recording on train fare? Or do I make an investment in a new computer, keep all the equipment and take advantage of the fact that essentially I would have a recording studio - however rough - in my apartment; have the ability to make my own demos, make podcasts, be a Manhattan recording branch for the boyfriend, master ProTools, etc etc.
I made the investment.
I had some initial technical difficulties and as I worked out the quirks of the program and all, and no doubt there will be more. But somehow, after recording pop vocals all morning last Thursday, making sure I was not pushing myself, watching my vocal technique, I somehow surivived four days of immense stress and sleep deprevation and came out with the voice I know I am supposed to have.

And then I did Big Night Out and nearly lost it at the end of the night :p BUT I know more and more what it is supposed to be like.

It has been a very frustrating year - okay YEARS since this all began with the loud jobs many moons ago - avoiding auditions because I couldn't be sure what the voice might sound like, and still not getting work when it was good; really wanting to market myself; get out there on Twitter and FB and work on my brand with The Savvy Actor and my show with all the characters voices I need to work on...It often has left me jealous and bitter and cranky and led to sulking over bad TV and snack food.

But according to my vocal therapist, I've hit a turning point.

And if that is indeed the case, then it is a point of lift off. It may still take a good long time for me to be fully consistent vocally, but I am determined to turn at this point and never go back down the previous path again. If I don't shout over the crowd at ya at a bar, miss a late night because I'd like to healthy for my church gig/audition/recording session/rehearsal the next morning or avoid a chat during a Motorhead show, I do hope you'll understand, it's not you. It really is me...and I'll sing ya somethin' pretty for your patience.

KEEP PAYING ATTENTION!

Peace --Alex

posted by funkweee @ 9:21 AM