Wanderinwillow's Blog

New Day

Wanderin Willow — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 06:26:27 +0000

Dear Blog,

It’s Wanderin Willow- remember me? Remember when we journeyed across Europe together and moved to New York. Man, that was fun. We had such a wonderful time, and you have turned into one of my most prized processions to hold my memories close. I apologize for being M.I.A. the past few months, but I come bearing great news…The Wanderin Willow is officially back and in full force. A little bit of a makeover but same old wit and sarcasm is here for your entertainment when Facebook doesn’t seem to make the cut. I mean how many times do you need to see that no one has messaged you or liked your status. Its ok, that’s why I am here in an age of modern voyeurism. In order to use my Bachelors in English and keep from getting too dumb, I am ready to hit the scene again and hope you will come along for a journey of useless stories and information as well as laughs and lessons. Hooray!

~Wanderin Willow

Adventures in Woodside

Wanderin Willow — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:50:52 +0000

It was just a normal stormy night here in New York City. The television quietly played and the dishwasher hummed in the next room over. Sounds like the beginning of a romance novel…I get up to go make some dinner. I turn the corner to enter the kitchen and scream “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!” I am laughing hysterically. My roommate comes running to see what all the commotion is about. She is screaming and laughing as well. Bubbles and water cover our kitchen floor. After finding our composure and taking silly pictures, we were determined to figure out the mystery of the dishwasher gone mad. We had never treated Dave the Dishwasher badly; only filling him up time to time, and he seemed obliged to clean our dishes. What did we do to make him rebel tonight? Hannah, you locked it right? Yes! He was on normal wash right? Yes! You used dishwasher soap right? Yeeaa uhh wait I used the purple stuff. Purple stuff? You mean the Dawn?? Well you want to know what happens when you feed the dishwasher Dawn soap? It turns into a big bubble bath in your kitchen haha. It is no wonder Dave threw up all over; I would too if I was fed Dawn. Sorry Dave, we promise to only feed you dishwasher liquid in the future but thanks for cleaning our kitchen floor…

Come One, Come All

Wanderin Willow — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:41:21 +0000

I have my first visitors coming to visit next weekend ahhhhh! I cannot wait to see familiar faces and to show them where I live, eat, dance, shop, sleep, and do laundry. One of them surprised me with an email a few days ago, and I could not believe my eyes. A week from today we will get to play and have some fun! It shall be splendid. Cheerio…on that note, anyone who wants to visit is more than welcome to come…

Bon Appetite

Wanderin Willow — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:40:39 +0000

It is interesting the combinations of food when you have nothing. Last night, my late snack= mushrooms dipped in salsa? I think its time to go to the store…

That that don’t kill me, can only make me stronger…

Wanderin Willow — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:39:47 +0000

Umm nope that’s not a typo, but for my more mature reader, it is lyrics to a song and a very true statement. This city continues to challenge me, but I feel that I am growing and learning new things about myself. Sometimes I feel like I am living the movie “Fame” so I go around singing “I really need this job. Please God I need this job.” Today was one of those days. After class, I anxiously prepared for an audition downtown. It was the most vague add for the audition that read, “Looking for about 20 female dancers who have technical background in ballet, jazz, and contemporary. Performance on Saturday night with major artist.” Hmmm well its worth a shot I though to myself. So I did my hair and make up and put on my best clothes and lucky underwear…okay maybe not. Anyways, I get down there, and all the dancers are just sitting around wondering what and who we are auditioning for. It was a lot of just sitting and waiting. Finally, we sign in and head into the room to find out details. Oh and I forgot to mention, but in the waiting room, I was sitting next to one of the star dancers in “Come Fly Away”. I was freaking out; she is amazing! Okay back to the story; we enter the room and who is sitting at the table- Beyonce’s lead dancer from the “Single Ladies” video. Are you really curious right now? Because I was. The choreography nonchalantly explains this is an audition for Kayne West….WHAT?? All of us looked at each other like no way! Then he casually mentions that he will be here in a few minutes to judge…WHAT?? We learn 4 counts of 8 of balletish choreography, and they inform us that they will be type casting as well. We were going to come back in to stand and dancer in groups of 10. All the while, we stretch and Kayne just walks by and says “Hey” and we say “Oh hey Kayne”- like we are best friends. I am the second to last group; we walk in and first thing they do is type cast. For those who are not familiar with this system, basically you are chosen off how you look. Then we proceed to do the choreography and improve showing off our best technique. Of course, I threw in a big leg kick ha. But I could not believe it when they called my number! Oozing with excitement I went back outside to wait.

We got back into the room to learn more choreography and continue to do it in groups. Then we are divided by African Americans, Caucasian burnet, Asians, red heads, blonds, and Latinos. I am still in there…ohhhhh yea!! We do it in groups again. Then they ask us to do solos showcasing our ballet technique. I do my solo, and I am feeling good about it. They take all the white burnets to the corner to tell who booked the job. My heart is pounding…please, please, please!! “I REALLY need this job, please God I need this job”. Unfortunately, they don’t call me name, but I was excited to at least make it to the final round! I left with no regrets but a good experience. And there was the plus of meeting Kayne! What a day…bring on the next audition…

Keep it coming

Wanderin Willow — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:23:33 +0000

Here is my letter of appreciation to all you faithful readers. I love getting comments from you all and being your source for education and entertainment. A blog would be very lame with no followers so I appreciate your dedication. Feel free to ask questions, suggest fun blog topics, or just say hi. I love you all and thanks for traveling with me. Check out some pics http://whereintheworldisalyn.shutterfly.com/…

Who knew

Wanderin Willow — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:22:27 +0000

Getting a library card was such a demanding and challenging task. Seems like the state would be encouraging people to read. Wandering on a morning walk one day, I came across a beautiful thing…the Queen’s Library. Eager to explore and read all the books I could get my hands on, I walked in a grabbed a stack of some wonderful classics. I asked the librarian, “How I apply for a library card?” Grumpy and bored in her mundane job, she hands me the application and says, “You will also need proof of residency.” In the words of Scooby Doo “rut ro”; I have no proof of my New Yorkness ah! No bills, no bank statements, no documentation with my NY residency. What to do? Hmmm so on the refrigerator hung an old utility bill, and it was time to get creative. So I took one of my resumes, cut off my name and address, and glued it to the bill hoping she wouldn’t notice. I walk in and am anticipating my fresh brand new library card. As I hand her the application at 5:50om, she unpleasantly states, “Well now I cant do it; you will have to come back in the morning.” Geesh after all that…to-to-tomorrow! Tear, I wanted a good read tonight! Morning comes and I am back; it’s a new lady so I am hoping for better luck. She looks at the application, all is good. Then she looks at the ConEdision bill picking at the taped address. Her words were, “I am sorry I cant accept this proof residency because it has not been printed on”. Dang it!! I must admit it was pretty creative and a good try. So still no library card and all those pretty books are still waiting to be read. Maybe I look like irresponsible kid that wont return a book; I had no idea it was such an in depth process to take out a book. Jane Austen, I promise we will meet again soon…

Workin It Out

Wanderin Willow — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:19:51 +0000

Here is a snip from Derek Mitchell’s street jazz class. In the whole class clip, look for a tall girl with curly hair, flannel, and sweats on the right in the back!

…

Dancing with the Stars

Wanderin Willow — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:16:16 +0000

I took a Latin Jazz/Salsa class this morning heels and all. It felt very “Dancing with the Stars”ish except that I felt like the celebrity trying to learn how to do the footwork, hips, arms, and still look somewhat attractive while doing. Yikes! First of all, the heels. Ladies, dancing in heels is a skill. You don’t want to look Bambi walking on ice. The footwork is quick so precision is your best friend. I am white- my hips seem somewhat stiff. My long, thin, and gawky arms could use some work. So my best bet was working my hair…hair-ography! Then we did some partner work, and being that I am a beast, I played the male role. Spinning and leading my partner was no simple task, and mistake in footwork would result in smashed toes or colliding heads. Thankfully we did not have this problem. I know I didn’t look like Cheryl Burke but sure had a lot of fun doing it…

Only in New York

Wanderin Willow — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:14:28 +0000

-Do you pass a man in pink spandex on a unicycle.

-See a woman with a fully-grown mustache.

-Pass a man in a Belle yellow ball gown on 40^th Street.

-Can you get caught in thunder and lightening rainstorm on your way to Kinkos at 9:30pm.

-Get stuck in train traffic. I thought it was funny; I am no train expert, but perhaps, the solution is fewer trains on the track. Just saying so we are not delayed an our and running to our destinations.

-See the same homeless lady everyday sitting by the subway.

-Do the crazy religious people yell you are going to hell and try giving flyers. Is that really an effective method? Apparently they know more than we do; there was a lady that new when the Rapture was going to be…interesting.

-You are sweating the second you walk outside.

-Is a bagel a normal part of your diet.

This list continues as I continue to explore this big, wonderful city…