Sh*t People Say

  So I made a video straight on the heels of the "_____ People Say" trend. I thought it would be a fun challenge to create, write, and edit a video like this. Here in 2012, I've decided that I want to generate and write more content for myself to showcase my abilities. As an actor/performer in NY it's easy to get down-trodden about not landing the part or auditions. I've learned that sometimes, you just have to create your own work. It keeps you artistically fulfilled and busy. I shot the video around New York with a Flipcam in my neighborhood in Queens and Manhattan. Check it out:

A New Year - Anything Goes

   Sorry it's been a while since postings... It's been a crazy past couple of months. You know... "Holidaze". Lots and little has happened since you last saw me. I've triumphed and failed spectacularly, and I've tried to survive this city as best as I can. Still confused, still fresh, and still optimistic. Still struggling and hustling when I can. Working hard on all things me. Here we are... 2012. Supposedly we have less than a year left if you follow your favorite Mayan calendar. Guess I gotta make some things happen, like now. 2011 was pretty good to me through all of my bitching and moaning.  I got my first major paid gig, shot a CollegeHumor sketch, made a house team at an improv theater in NYC, made more good friends, saw incredible theater, and really grew as an artist and a person. Yes I'm still single... (That's whole other post.) Through it all, I've been very grateful to everyone and anything that has helped move me to this place thus far.
    I did have a good New Year's holiday. Rather then do the Manhattan thing, I visited a friend, watched a movie, shared a bottle of wine, and then attended a house party in Astoria, Queens. We'll just ignore the four drunken hours I spent trying to get home falling asleep and waking up all over the New York City subway transit system... Thank God I had the next day off. I met up with some friends for brunch in Hell's Kitchen and just finally took it easy...

Anything Goes...

   I also saw a show on New Year's Day that got me really inspired. Of all things, it's a remount of a musical classic: "Anything Goes". Yes I saw the one currently on Broadway with Sutton Foster. I could barely afford the ticket, but my friend Colleen was in town. I also have this thing of seeing a show each month. It keeps me grounded, and it makes me feel good as an artist. It's funny because we did the show in college, and I always hated it. It was one of my worst auditions ever. You know the kind where you leave the room and burst into tears? I saw our college production, disliked it save for my friend Eileen, and hated the show forever for cheesy plot and racist undertones. So as I entered the theater for the Broadway production, I had my fingers crossed. I was praying it would be a decent show. After all, you can't go anywhere in New York without hearing the praises for Sutton, and my personal hero Joel Grey was in it. He's a Broadway living legend! As the curtain fell, I left the theater being wowed and falling in love with Sutton Foster. I was also in awe of the terrific cast, dazzling sets and costumes, and furthered steeled myself that I want a career like Joel Grey's... I even ran into Michael Gladis from Mad Men on the way to the bathroom! Seeing the show helped me find my resolve that I deserve to be here. I belong here. My new motto is "Anything goes!"
   All that being said, I still feel like I've got a lot of work to do. It's hard for me to relax and do nothing. I've got to keep pressing on. There are a lot of goals and things to do left on my bucket list. A new year usually brings resolutions made and broken. I try not to make them, and I prefer to shoot for targets. Keeps me focused. So for all of you and myself, a simple list of targets. Here we go:

1. See/do more with this city.
2. Date more.
3. Keep building that acting career.
4. Eat less. Keep being active/healthy.
5. Stay happy. Write more.

   There... Not so hard, right? Granted, these are not resolutions or promises. They are targets. Some are easier to hit, and some are terribly difficult to shoot. I'll just try to attack them as best as I can. I hope you'll hold me to that. It's all I can offer. I'll definitely be writing more... Stay tuned.

A Simple Beginning

Greetings!

     So here it starts... It's 7AM here in New York, and I can feel the city slowly waking up. I just can't sleep as usual. You'd think that I'd be used to being an insomniac, but the shark part of my brain tells me that I need to work on something. My mind races a mile a minute, and I'll probably fall asleep on the train later. At the moment though, I need to do something. New projects are exciting, and they keep one stimulated. As far as this goes, this is a blog, a side project, or maybe just a fleeting idea. As a typical Aries, I am prone to starting new ventures, but never entirely finishing them. Hopefully this will be one that I stick to. I'm hoping that you'll hold me to that. Where does this leave us? As I was thinking of what kind of blog I wanted to do, I kept thinking of my experiences, my life... What will this be about? What's my hook? What do I even call it? There's a line from a Janelle Monae song that goes "I'm an alien from outer space..." It just sticks in my head because it seems that's how I've traveled through life. I had an acting mentor that told me in his office, "Andrew, you're an out-sider, and you'll always be an out-sider looking in." Have you ever had that feeling like you're walking in space? Those that know me don't always know that being a bi-racial kid can be a lonely experience. Add to the fact that you're a boy that likes boys, and it can be kind of isolating. Fortunately, alienfromouterspace.blogspot.com was taken, and so I've realized that I'm just a boy here in the Big Apple. An idea and a dream that took 26 years in the making. At 28, I'm doing what others are afraid to do, have never done, or given up on after some short time. You have to tell yourself that. So here we are. A boy in the Big Apple. Lots to do, lots to see, and great people to meet/laugh with. That's what I love, and that's what I need. Let's see how it goes. It's an adventure right? Let's go. Oh, and good morning, New York.