Astoria Life: New York Minutes

Musings from the Queen of Queens, or My 6 years of living in Queens and greater NYC, where I moved to work for the water department and ended up, among other things, traveling the world and appearing on a billboard on Times Square.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Microsoft audition

Well, it never rains but pours (and quite literally this week, too.)

I got a call from a place where I submitted my photo and contact info -- they are looking to cast for a Microsoft commercial print ad, and they wanted to see me (and several hundred others) in person.

So I went to the address, which is in midtown in a regular office building, where they took all of our information and then individual photos of each of us, in the poses they would want for the ad.

I should know by next week, one way or the other.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Voiceover

I went to my first and only voiceover audition today. I found it on craigslist and there is no $$ involved so I thought it was some independent film by some students in a manky apartment.

Turns out is was at a professional studio at Channel Thirteen. Being public access TV, they can not offer money yet.

The film in question is a documentary called "Kabul Girls Club", about real girls in Afghanistan who play on a soccer team on a military base for protection. It looks really good, and sad at the same time. The film is going to be submitted to the Sundance Film Festival.

I tried out for the English translation of one of the girls' mothers. I will know in a month if I get it.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

supporting the arts with a bathtub

I answered an ad on craigslist from a photographer looking for an old-fashioned clawfoot tub. Voila! My scary-assed ancient bathroom now serves a purpose!

The photog had a concept of dressing the model up like an angel, with punk hair and makeup, and colored feathers strewn everywhere in the bathroom. They took about 40 photos, to get 2-3 good ones. I got $20 and a copy of the photo will be sent to me later.

Both the photog and model were exceedingly cool. Here is the photog's website, which she said was Ok to put on my blog:

www.ellakiernan.com

Monday, August 21, 2006

re-education

I attended something called the Landmark Forum, which is part of Landmark Education (www.landmarkeducation.com) from Friday, August 18 through Tuesday, August 22. I really liked it.

They taught you how to look at your life in a whole new way, be more accepting of things, and figure out what your rackets and issues in the past are. They make you face it and recognize you are still going to have issues galore when you leave, but are in a better position to handle them.

I highly recommend it!!!

Saturday, August 12, 2006

a daring rescue

I was walking on 3rd avenue in the evening when I saw a large crowd gathered.

They were watching a guy on a ladder rescue an orange-and-white cat that had somehow climbed onto the neon-letter sign of a Duane Reade drug store at E 83rd Street and 3rd Avenue.

Everyone applauded when he got the cat.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Just waiting for the train

I was waiting for the 6 train at 59th Street Station around 6 a.m., when I saw a black kitten come down the stairs, crawl under the turnstile, and wait on the platform for the train.

When the actual train came, she got scared and ran back upstairs to the street.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

so British!

I was walking through Central Park South today and I saw a man sitting on a park bench, with a pigeon perched on his arm as he fed it bread crumbs.

They used to do this in Trafalgar Square in London up till about 2000, when they figured out all the pigeons' crap was wrecking everything.