L&O:SVU

So, last Friday I got the exiting opportunity to do some background work on "Law & Order: SVU."

I got the call from the casting agent on Thursday, who asked if I was free on Friday... and I said, "Well, I sure am!" (Cue me scrambling to clear my Friday schedule...). So, she said great, you'll be playing an "upscale restaurant go-er," call so-and-so number after 10:30 tonight to get all of the info, and bring two upscale dress/costume options (cue me tearing through my closet trying to find two suitable outfits).... I may of may not have made a trip to Gap that night....

So, I call the hotline number and got the info:

Call time: 9:30am

Location: A swanky steakhouse in the meatpacking district

Costume: Fall upscale attire with outer wear and all of the accessories

Cool. So, the next morning, here I am, ready to roll:

I arrived down to the restaurant, and was placed in the "holding room" with the other background-ers (some were to play NY police officers, detectives, the "victim" (how cool would that be?), the perp and fellow diners like myself). Said "holding room" was actually the upstairs bar of the restaurant. So.... I took a seat.... here:

Fun, huh? Sadly, no free mimosas or bloody marys... but the craft services table had a great breakfast for us all ( pancakes, eggs, yogurt, bagels, POPTARTS(!) and other 'grown up' breakfast specialities...)

The wardrobe director then came around to each of us to decide which outfit she wanted us to wear... Of course, she liked the outfit I didn't put on... so to the changing room I went......

Fast forward to the "restaurant go-ers" being seated at our tables. I was seated at a table of four. My "date" and I were out dining with another couple. We had our "wine" (Welch's Grape for the ladies and Welch's White Grape for the guys...) and menus. We were to be in the "hmmm... honey, what do you think you're going to order/well, I can't decide between the grilled salmon or the filet mignon" portion of the evening.  I was a bit bummed, because when I knew I was playing a patron in a restaurant, I thought I'd actually get some food. My former boss even told me I was a perfect fit for this role, as I'm such a good eater. Yes, I love food. But sadly, no food for me. Other people had cake, half-eaten salads and bread on their plates. Oh well.

So, once all of the cameras are in place, it's time to start rolling. Mariska Hargitay and Stephanie March were seated at the table right next to mine. Then, in walked some red-headed guy with orange Crocs and a chef's apron on who was to be talking to them at the table - turns out to be Mario Batali, the celebrity chef. Pretty cool.

They ran the same scene about 12 times, all the while my "friends" and I drank our "wine," chatted with the server and decided on our entrees.

Then we were sent back to the bar (err.. holding room) for about an hour and a half.

(Waiting to be called back downstairs.... about one minute before I decided I'd visit the craft services table for a donut and coffee.....)

My table was finally called back downstairs for the "end of dinner" scene, and guess what?!? I had actual, half-eaten food on my plate! It looked like half a Caesar Salad accompanied by a mashed up piece of meatball(?), with a side of hard artichoke dip. My "date" had a beet on his plate.... random.

Anyways... they did a couple more takes and called it a day! Those playing police officers then went on over to the Law & Order set, which was just a few blocks away at Chelsea Piers. 

I had my timecard signed, and my new friend Rose and I (Rose was the other girl at my table) headed for the subway.

All in all it was a great experience. The casting company I'm registered with also casts for "Gossip Girl," "Blue Bloods" and a couple other shows/movies filmed in the city, so I'll be submitted for those when a right role comes up, too. 

I have no idea if I'll be visible in this Law & Order episode, but if you want to tune in, it airs January 11th.... Look for me in the blue sleeveless dress and gold necklace ;)

Until next time ~

B. 

Belated Thanks

I'm still detoxing from a wonderful Thanksgiving week spent in Florida. 

I got to hang out with the fam, including my adorable one-year-old nephew, make the annual "pilgrimage" to South Beach for a mojito and first-rate meal at Joe's Stone Crabs (where, if I didn't eat enough on Thanksgiving, I surely did here), and of course, reflect on all that I'm thankful for. 

And this year, my list was substantially longer than ever before... and I wondered why.

Is it because that as we grow up we become thankful for even the most seemingly trivial things?

For instance, I'm thankful for the big things: family, friends, my health, people who support me on this crazy and sometimes (very) difficult journey, this entire opportunity as a whole, and countless others.

I'm also thankful for the smaller things, like, having a friend who will sing show tunes with me for HOURS, liking Cliff Bars enough to eat them for dinner during weeks when I need to save some $$,  for having my Grandma in my life for as long as I did or even for knowing I can head down to Rockefeller Plaza tomorrow night to see the tree lighting.

Sometimes we're thankful for the small things. Sometimes we're thankful for the big things. And sometimes, we remember how thankful we are for EVERYthing. 

Lastly... I'm thankful for all of you, who read my rants and provide some free therapy ;)

~B.

Fall-ies

I'm super close to Central Park, so today I tore myself away from the "Untold Stories of the E.R" marathon on the Discovery Channel and went for a walk around the Reservoir.  It was a gorgeous day out, and I found the Reservoir walking/running path so pretty, it now has me contemplating taking up running.....

... but then I remember winter is (sadly) fast approaching. 

Enjoy this lengthy fall weather we've been having!

~ B.

Uptown Girl

I'm officially a resident of the Upper West Side. Yay.

It took four loooong days of moving suitcases, small appliances, groceries and every other household essential you can think of up four flights of stairs. 

And, it was equally hard work watching the guy from IKEA haul my bed, dresser, futon and mattress up the stairs all by himself. He's destined for sainthood. 

So, after long waits at IKEA,

Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target (thanks to the NY Marathon we had to wait 1.5 hours for a darn cab....)

 and B & H Photo (ok, I lie. This wait was not long. The store has based it's operating system off of Santa's Workshop's model. I've never seen an electronics store like it!), I present to you, my new apartment: 

I think it's pretty cute.

If you knew me in high school, you might understand the significance of these three seemingly-random "decorations" (yes, that's an oil can on the right):

And, although I'm pretty well settled, I still have a few things to hang on the walls....

.... but have decided to wait for a professional -- or my dad -- to help me hang them without completely ruining the walls. 

And, another perk? Garrison Keillor lives in the (MUCH more luxurious) building at the end of my block. This street seems to attract us Minnesotans....

So, what's next? A couple more classes (I'm in a prime-time TV class that starts next month), auditions, auditions, auditions and obtaining a part-time job. Shall be a good time. 

And, I promise to be a more on-the-ball blogger :)

xo,

~B

We're makin' progress!

GOOD NEWS. I have a home... and a bed.... and the Internet... and all of those other necessities. I'm waiting on one more piece of the puzzle, and then I'll post some photos!

Check back in the next day or two :)

In the meantime...

I'm still "homeless," but get to move into my new apartment in 11 days. Color me mucho excited. I can't wait to update you all on the new place, and the moving stories I'm bound to acquire. My mother and her friend Susan are moving me in again - you'll recall they moved me into my first apartment, too. So, hilarity is sure to ensue in some form or another.

In the meantime, take a listen to this. I found it pretty awesome, although I don't know that if I were singing a duet with Tony Bennett I'd opt for the Cotton Candy Blue. I'd go the route of the Marilyn Platinum Blonde. But then again, I'm no GaGa. Enjoy!!

xo,

B

Currently a couch-surfer....

I apologize for my absence..... ever since I found my PERFECT apartment in the Upper West Side (thanks in no small part to my kick-ass pitbull of a  realtor Judith), I've fallen off the blog-o-sphere.

I get to move into the 4th floor of a beautiful brownstone in November.... until then, I'll be sleeping in five different "beds" during the month of October. One, being my bed in Cannon Falls, MN :)

In the meantime, I'm playing the role of "transient." Since I can't start my part-time job until I have a permanent address (oh, how laws can be annoying), I'm spending my days seeing the city as a tourist again. I even went to a movie by myself today for the first time EVER (I saw "50/50." Totally recommend it unless you're the type to get embarrassed if you start sobbing in the theater........)

So, check back in a week or so for my random "stories of the city."

Oh, and thoughts and prayers go out tonight to Steve Jobs and his family. 

As I type this blog on my MacBook, I can't help but admire his tenacity and reverence for "the dream." 

Bravo, sir.

~~~~~

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way that I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." - Steve Jobs

~~~

Dream big, friends.

xoxo,

B.