New Toy

My show sold out all three nights running. We had to turn people away. Easy to do when you've only got about fifty seats in the house. But still, now I've acted to sold out crowds in New York City. My life is full of nothing if not bragging rights. Even if some of them-- really a lot of them-- make me feel like I'm cheating.

In the meantime though, I've got myself a new toy. I started piano lessons when I was 12. After a year I quit. Something about having improvised and written my own jazz licks on my own time, and then being told by my piano teacher to keep practicing a version of something called "The Little Red Jar." Trust me, it was just as inane as it sounds. After another year or so, I started plunking away on my own again. I've never been a gifted pianist, but I've certainly enjoyed it, especially composing my own music. But ever since I moved to New York, I haven't had access to any keys. Until now.

Thanks to a great little app that alerts me when something shows up on Craigslist with the right keywords and price, I acquired an 88-key piano keyboard this week. It came with pedal, stand, piano seat, and MIDI-USB cables-- all for not much more than the stand probably coast by itself when new. Best part? The keys are weighted; it actually feels like a piano.

Once again, I'm not a great pianist. But man, does it feel good to be playing again! I don't know why exactly, but it makes my apartment feel more like home. Not how it looks, just that it's there. It's something for me to use to relax and take my mind off of things for a bit. If and when I have time.

I've got big plans for this thing. I've had some tunes knocking around my head for a long time. If I can get some halfway decent lyrics on paper, I may be able to get some recordings out there. Nothing fancy, just what you can do with a microphone, a piano, and Kaossilator beat synth.

Now if only I needed, oh, two or three hours of sleep a night, I could get that done, edit my query and submit it to more literary agents, submit my headshots etc for more auditions, and practice for my next voiceover lesson, and... and...

...sleep.