just saying hello

hi blog. just checking in to say hello.

our show opens tonight, which is really cool. it's shaping up to be rather grand, and i never quite thought about how wonderful it is to be performing with megan. it's like we've known each other so long and just learned about this whole other language we can speak to each other. i don't know if she feels that way, but i think it's cool. (and she's one of the two people who read this, so i have a feeling i'll find out her feelings pretty soon.)

our new apartment is painted!!! how cool is that?! here's a tale- my mom wrote down all the colors that we picked out but when she went to the paint store she only brought the benjamin moore paint swatch booklet thingies and forgot the paper that she wrote down our colors on. so she had to guess. but i like the colors she guessed at better than the ones we actually picked. they're generally a little bolder.













the pianoforte room, where i will give pianoforte recitals













part of the living room (it wasn't done). most of it is that beige color and there's one accent wall in that brick reddish. very lovely. the bathroom is also the brick reddish. i know megan will be unhappy with me for posting this picture, but... eh. maybe i'll have michael blur out her face.













bedroom.

isn't that grand? i'm really excited to move in and actually live there. it feels so far away. but i suppose it will come faster than i expect (that's what she said).

i suppose i should go "dry clean" (it's in quotes because you do it at home in the dryer) my outfit for tonight and generally ready myself. have a lovely day, blog.

whew!

dayum. what a weekend i've had, blog! i partook in a cabaret workshop from wednesday-sunday of this past week and it was good stuff. aside from having wonderful guest teachers, we got to see some of them perform on saturday night in an INCREDIBLE show at the metropolitan room. it was the best cabaret experience i've ever had. it affirmed my desire to do this and inspired me to continue. it was the best thing.

so on that note, readers, i invite you to come see my and megan's show, opening this friday:

Friday, July 31st at 8:30pm
Sunday, August 2nd at 3:00pm
Wednesday, August 5th at 7:30pm

Don't Tell Mama
343 West 46th Street
New York, NY

$10 cover / 2 drink minimum
CASH ONLY

Reservations Strongly Recommended

Call (212) 757-0788 after 4pm
or visit www.donttellmamanyc.com

Assisted by James K. Mitchell at the piano
With direction by Lennie Watts

hope you can make it. i really do. norm lewis and karen mason both told me they'd try to come, and dear people, trust me- what's good enough for norm lewis and karen mason is good enough for you.

in other news, i'm a little sick. during this cabaret workshop, i slept in our new apartment in lyndhurst (SO EXCITING!!) except all our furniture is still here in princeton, so i slept on a foam mattress from this cot thing that my mother gave me on top of an air mattress. it was the most uncomfortable three nights of sleep i've ever had. my whole body feels funny and my nose is stuffy and i'm just yucky all over. so i'm glad i have nothing to do except give a coaching (yay money!) and sit around and visit with my friend jarrod and pack a little bit for our big move.

that'll be all, blog. have a good one.

i shall leave you with this list of awesome things about this video:

1- the fierce host lady
2- karen's cute yellow dress
3- karen in general

flowers. maybe daisies.

i told you it's not always tea and crumpets being stearns. we're picking colors for the walls in our new apartment, which is SO EXCITING. but how will we buy the paint? we've no jobs, no money, no nothin'. it's a frustrating thing.

i don't want to be a debbie downer, but this whole bohemian thing doesn't suit me. i like to have money to do things. this is why i hate that silly "rent" show. they make it look like so much fun.

but yes, we have our new apartment. we got keys the other day, and went with my mother to plan where everything will go (it's her thing), and i think it's going to shape up pretty well. it's looking like i'm going to have a whole music room for myself, which is very cool with me.

this weekend was megan's birthday, and we stayed up at her parents' house friday and saturday night. this morning (sunday) we had to get up at FIVE-THIRTY so that i could go play the piano at church for $$$. well, make that $. it's not that serious, but hey, every little bit helps. so we got up at the buttcrack of dawn and now i'm SO sleepy.

i leave you with these things...

1.
my brother: "yeah, but they didn't fire me just because of this one thing. i think they were fed up with me and this was just the needle in the haystack."
me: "you mean the straw that broke the camel's back?"
him: "um... yeah?"

2.
michael: "yeah, every time ya fling yer dick, ya hit a gay!" (giggle, giggle, giggle)
me: "what? what do you mean? is that a new figure of speech or something i don't know about?"
michael: "you know, like 'every time you swing a stick'... you know.... nevermind."

text message

Um...gay best friend? I need to have SEX, i need to be held and i want someone to love me. This has been your daily moment of Needy with Erik. Thank you.

you can't tell me that's not the best text ever. names have been changed to prevent embarrassment, of course.

liberry

megan and i went to the performing arts library today. they have this fancy new system where all you have to do is search for a song in their database, write down the number of the book it's in, bring it to the people, and they get you the book. you need a library card for this act, about which i was nervous, but to my surprise they gave me one! i thought that if you didn't live/work in the city you had to pay some inordinate amount of money... so either they changed that rule or the fellow behind the desk didn't feel like bothering me for such a sum. either way, lucky me. i can now run up late fees at another institution...

so i'm standing waiting for my set of books to come out from the back when this chick walks up to the desk, about my age, maybe a year or two older, escorted by a library employee...

employee: "...so you can just tell them what you need and they'll get it for you. behind this desk."

chick: "well, it's the title song. the title song. i just need the title song."

can't wait to see where this is going.

man behind desk: "can i help you?"

chick: "yes, i'm looking for the title song from the musical, 'the phantom of the opera.'"

OKAY.

man behind desk returns with book. chick peruses book.

chick (muttering to herself): "it can't have a high e-flat in it... no way... where's the high e-flat? there's no way it can have a--- oh. so it does have a high e-flat in it. that is a fuckin' hard piece."

i just wanted to tell her to shut her trap, this is a library, learn your ass from your elbow, and get out of my life. i'm aware that this reaction could be seen as slightly irrational. but if you can't tell your blog, who can you tell?

should that be whom can you tell?

things

thing 1:

youtube fan mail:

---
Subject: Great!

You have a very beautiful voice. I believe you have a great future ahead of you. Have you ever sung "with you"or "corner of the sky" from Pippin ? I'd love to hear your take on these great songs.

Enjoying your music! :D

Rhonda
---

thing 2:

i put an ad on craigslist for babysitting, as i am presently unemployed and will do just about anything (try me). i received this reply:

---
Subject: I NEED A BABE SITTER FOR MY LOVELY DAUGTHER

Good day my dear,
it was really nice to get your direct contact from here and i
m sure you are going to take good care of my daughter like your?I saw
your listing on the craigslist, I am rolland johnson .I am an artist
and a structural designer I want to do exhibition of my arts and my
drawing in the states in various hall in state by the 10th of this
month ,i will like to give you a tria, so i am expected there by this
month.I will be lodging in any hotel nearest to the place i will be
doing my contract job. I am coming to the state with my only daugther
cindy who is over (2&half yrs old girl) whom her mother had years
ago , I take her everywhere i go. Because she serves as an inspiration
to me. so i planned to have a person that will care for her when i
will be doing my serious contract job there in usa and
for her in the period i will be staying... I will need your
assitance. Just for you to care for her the time we will be having on
and the time are negotiable.. I
need care for my girl in different categories . these
are the categories that i will need the cares from 10.30am-6.30pm
-8.30 - 11.30 or overnight - And in weekends also. You can take one of
those time to take care of her. As i said the time are negiotiable. I
can see that you are fit for the job for your time and your listed in
craiglist. So i want you to explain better to me the time that you
will like to take care of
her. i want you to tell me may be you will like to take care of her
in my hotel or you will like to take care of her at your own house. .
I promised to pay you any reasonnable price you mentioned,because I
LOVE HER so much. Reply to me as soon as you got my message with all
the addition conditions (i mean your fee, the conditions) if there is
anyting more you will like me to know about tell me okay.
hope to read from you Asap
Rolland


Tel:+447031905692
Middlesex. London .
United Kingdom
---

i was all, "ooh! he'll probably pay me a fortune! he's a rich architect from abroad with poor english!" then i googled the name, just to be sure. it's a scam. it's some dude in nigeria or something trying to get my bank account information so that he can steal my identity. i think he'd be in for a nasty surprise- i know i make it LOOK very easy to be stearns, but it's really not always a walk in the park. just saying.

thing 3:

i have encouraged my best friend to take a lover. it is an adventure and a good thing. she's screwing her courage to the sticking place so that she can stick something in the screwing place. that's all i have to say about that.

thing 4:

i think michael and i have found a new apartment. it's small, but i think it will do. there's a gay couple that lives downstairs and the landlord is a fabulous lesbian with a partner who's expecting a child. it's pretty awesome. it'll be the gay hub of bergen county. la!

thing 5:

i took the train to the city this morning to apprentice in music together classes (i'm getting to be passable at this, which is cool), and i forgot my cell phone at home. well, my blackberry. this means i couldn't call michael to tell him when to pick me up from the train, couldn't check the train schedules, couldn't even call michael to complain about how i left my phone at home. eventually it all worked out and i got my phone back, but it was rather traumatic. this is what i'm talking about when i tell you it's not always tea and crumpets to be stearns.

thing 6:

for those of you wondering how my new shoes worked out for me, they're wonderful. they've become soiled a little too quickly for my liking, but we do what we have to. it's not everyday you meet someone of my social calibre with green and yellow shoes.

it's my bedtime, blog. i'm going to the city AGAIN tomorrow so that i can observe two MT classes, and also get sheet music at the library with megan. good night!