Thursday, July 14, 2011

Emergency Room Chronicles

So as of 8pm last night there is a hole in my foot and a hole in my arm :( Not looking for sympathy just wanted to let you know what's going on.

So here goes: I'm in rehearsal for the MCC Theater this entire week for a showcase that we're doing on Saturday (yeah...we just started rehearsing on Monday) anywho...so I thought I had rehearsal last night at 6 so I'm headed there and I don't really have it (they weren't working on my scenes) which was cool! Why? Because I'd gotten free tickets to a party cruise with my agency for that night anyway!

So I jump off the train, head back to my house and throw on a party dress and some heels in my bag (I can do makeup on the train) The cruise leaves the dock at 7pm. I'm making great time, I get on the subway at like 5:45. Perfect.

I get off the train at Canal St and start walking to the pier. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going and call my friend to see if she's coming and trip over a stupid rusty broken pole that's sticking up from the ground. UGH!

Not gonna lie, first thing I thought was, crap I broke my shoe. INSTEAD...I've completely gashed open the bottom of my foot. Right on the ball of my foot. I look around to see what I can do for a band-aid and notice a group of people walking into a building. So I ask the nice looking man if he has a band-aid I can borrow cuz I just cut my foot. He, seeing this tall, attractive black girl, wearing her favorite party dress, says of course, come on in.

I walk into his showroom (yeah, we'll get to that in a minute) and he calls me back to the bathroom to clean my cut. By the time I walk from the front door to the bathroom I have left bloody footprints and completely filled my sandal with blood. (sorry that's so graphic-I won't show you a picture of it, now that's REALLY disgusting) So this nice older gentleman proceeds to completely clean my wound and his friend comes and bandages me up and makes me promise her that I'll go to the emergency room because she fears that I'll need stitches and a tetanus shot. At which point I begin to feel the tears well up behind my eyes (yep, I'm Superwoman but my emotions ooze out of my eyeballs sometimes) they try and calm me down by asking who I am, how old I am and what I moved to NY for.

Of course I tell them I'm here to act, even through my tears I'm no fool. At which point, nice older gentleman says, "Do you know what I do? I design Broadway shows!" (really is this my life :)

His friend: Yeah he has like 7 Tony's
Him: No, I don't, I only have 5.
His friend: Well, it should have been 7.

I can't help but sit there and smile. This is really my life.

So, nice older gentleman calls me a cab to take me back to Brooklyn, and even pays for the entire ride TO BROOKLYN. I know many of you aren't from or live in the city...but most people are afraid to take a cab from the city to Brooklyn, afraid of what the total will be :)

But I am truly grateful for their generosity and their hospitality. I would've been lost without them. I held it together for the most part, I only lost it when I called my mom from the cab and started bawling, lol...in my defense I was scared, alone and in shock. Whatever don't judge me :)

I'm reminded of this quote when I think of how kind those people were to me.

"Friends are the angels that lift us up when our wings have forgotten how to fly."





The hospital staff was very kind to me and moved me pretty quickly through my process. I was home pretty quickly. WITHOUT STITCHES!! I have to stay off my foot for awhile and keep this bandage thing on it for 5 days and take antibiotics but other than that I expect a full recovery. The doctor and nurse said they even expect to see me on tv and will tell everyone that they knew me when :) it was no where near as nice as Grey's Anatomy but it wasn't too bad there was plenty drama there. I kept reminding myself it could be soooo much worse! Or maybe that's just the pain talking.

So I leave the hospital last night with a hole in my foot and in my arm (I did have to get that blasted tetanus shot-ouch) but also with an overwhelming sense that I'm really not alone here. There are people that I can call, people that will come if I need them and that really love me.

SN: Dear Jesus...if I ever have to be reminded of that again PUH_LEASE don't send me to the emergency room, a simple note from a friend will suffice :)

PIX (special shout-out to my beloved older sister that told me my blog was boring and she couldn't read all of it. She needed pictures and videos to keep her attention, so I've been trying to do just that)

RUNAMUCK

A few months ago, I had the craziest idea to run in a race that I saw online. It's a 5k and you run an obstacle course thru...MUD. Yup. Dirt. That smells pretty badly might I add.

So, special shout-outs to Bryson, cuz he was such a trooper to go along with my crazy idea.

We got up early and had breakfast prepared by our favorite coach and headed upstate NY.



Our Coach/Mentor



Well, let's just say it was an interesting experience as I'm sure you can see from the pictures. Needless to say, there weren't many others that looked like Team Purple Tigers (yep...that was our name) but we had a great time anyway.







I honestly can't remember our time, but we didn't come in last and we beat a number of other costumed couples. Taking into consideration that one member (me, of course) decided that it would be a great idea to run cross-country in Air Force Ones! Yes, that's correct. They were black and went with the theme of my costume. And YES, I tripped over a rock or tree branch or whatever other thing was in the woods that made me slip and fall. Flat on my behind, twisting my left ankle in the process.

But Lenore, hadn't you already twisted the right ankle 800 meters into the race?

Don't judge me! Of course I did!

But I tell you this. I completed every hill, every bridge, every nasty water crawling obstacle that they threw at me! I may not have had a smile on my face. But I did. And it was fun.





Will I do it again? Uhhhh...jury still out on that one!




MIAMI-ABFF



So I told you guys that I was going to the American Black Film Festival right? Just say yes, I"m sure I did. Anywho, IT WAS AWESOME! And in Miami. I got back on Monday. I learned A LOT and met A LOT of great and creative people. No one is able to give you a manuscript on how to be successful in this business but the people that I met and the classes that I took kept echoing the same thing...MAKE YOUR OWN PROJECTS.

Bill Duke said it. Yep, I took his acting class. Which was sooo much fun and so much information crammed in. He taught us about the business side of acting which so many of us creative people tend to hide from.


Robert Townsend said it. Yep, I took his pitching class. Which was very entertaining and inspiring to watch. I'm a visual learner and learn from example and that's exactly what he did. Showed us, by letting my classmates pitch, how to make a successful pitch for a project. Which is awesome cuz I intend to do that very soon.

Can't tell you much, but I've recently started writing. And I think it's awesome....hope to make you guys proud. I'm still auditioning and rehearsing but I'm also inspired to 'get my own yard' as Bill Duke would say.

Sure I can go and play in someone else's yard as long as they want me to, but there may come a time when they'll tell me to leave. But no one can tell me to get off my own yard. (Hope that metaphor made sense to you because it spoke VOLUMES to me) I want my own...be in charge of my own content. I mean, I'm kind of a control freak anyway so might as well :)

Yep...partied with the legend John Singleton, really nice guy :) Can't wait to go back to ABFF when one of my films screens there! #dreamchaser






But I'm working on a series...(cuz I want to be on tv) and I'll let you know how this process goes. When it finally gets on tv you guys can say you remember when...

I wish the weather was a little better for the time I spent there but I'm a positive person and can have fun and be happy almost through anything :)





Special shout-out to Tina Lee Jones and her #goaldigger shirts that I was reppin on South Beach. CLICK HERE to order one. They're super cute. She's all about...you guessed it...going for your dreams. And not depending on others to get it for you (didn't I just say that's what everyone was saying at ABFF) so you know I'll rock with her! I'm not a golddigger but a GOALDIGGER! Do your thing ma! All love!




OHHH and I saw an amazing film while I was down there, wish I'd seen more (no time- didn't we talk about judging) it's called Dysfunctional Friends by Corey Grant. A really fun, feel good (but of course I cried) film. It's written extremely well and Christian Keyes I think was the best actor in the film. First, he was hilarious but he also had some really nice dramatic moments. Kudos to the whole crew. Even T.O. who made his first acting debut in this film.





LGGY

AND!! Remember the show I did Love's Gonna Get Ya at the DC Black Theater Festival? WELL...it's headed to the National Black Theater Festival in NC in a few weeks, how nice is that!? I'm really feeling the momentum that they're on and it goes back to the whole 'create your own' content that I'm inspired to do. So keep it up guys! I'll see you there cuz I need some southern folks in my life and will be headed there soon!

Beyonce
Her new album is UH_MAZING!!! And I don't know why I do this...but I have a picture of me holding her album each time I get the new one. Thanks BR :)


All for now, I know that was a lot and I have some other things to share..but I'll get to that soon. Keep chasing your dreams...today you might actually catch one!!

MUAH!