The Balancing Act

Hi everyone!

I just finished a breakfast of pancakes and oatmeal, my roommate's cat is sitting on my lap, and I have the "Wicked" soundtrack playing in the background.  Good morning?  I'd say so!

I'm also pleased to report that this coming week is going to be a calm one.  I don't have too much scheduled yet, which makes me very happy.  Granted, I do like to be busy most of them, and I do tend to thrive when I have a lot to do.  But I'm also not a machine.  Having some time this week to relax and recharge is more than fine with me.  I think it's just what I need.

Yesterday, however, was a bit packed.  I ended up having a longer day than I anticipated.  I got up at 6:30am to get ready for a 9am standby.  I know that sounds crazy, but when you live in a city where your commute to work is almost an hour, and you still need time to shower and eat breakfast, getting up early is vital.  I'm not one of those people who can just roll out of bed and jump right into their day.  I much prefer to take my time in morning, even if it means getting up a few hours earlier than normal.

I'm not sure if I've ever taken the time to properly explain what a standby is.  A standby is a modeling appointment where you're called to wait and see if any instructors need a model for a class.  Three hour time blocks are set aside for standbys, and you're required to wait for an hour.  During that time, one of two things can happen.  If an instructor requests a model, you go to the class, do your thing, and then that's it.  If no one asks for a model, you're released after an hour and free for the rest of your time.

As much as I love to work, I have to admit that I was glad no one called me in for this standby. I was released after an hour, and ended up having some free time.  I decided to go to the library for a bit and signed out two new books to read.  I also had time to go to Staples and print out the materials I needed for my next audition.  I spent some time reviewing it, and that was that.  I had nothing else to do...that is, until my next booking started.

My session went fine.  It was with an instructor I had worked with before, so that was nice.  Shorter poses leading up to longer poses, standing positions to seated positions.  All of the standard things I've written about in previous blog posts.  I've started to notice, however, that my internal clock is getting more in sync to the actual timer I use when I'm posing.  I've gotten good at figuring out how long I've been holding a pose, especially when they're no longer than seven minutes.  I've also noticed that my body has gotten stronger since I started modeling.  Poses that used to make me fatigued quickly, especially standing postures, don't cause me that strain.  Of course, I still get sore.  But it's much better than it used to be, and I think it gets better each time I model.

My session ended at 3pm, but my day wasn't over yet.  As soon I left the school, I headed to Grand Central Station to eat a quick dinner and catch the next train to New Rochelle.  I've mentioned to a lot of my readers in person that I'm in play now, but I don't think I've mentioned it on this blog yet.  With that said...hey, I'm in a play in New Rochelle!  Yay!!!  It's called "The Victory Garden Plays," and it's about different people living in New Rochelle during World War Two.  I'm playing a character named Alice, who's husband, Richard, has been deployed in the trenches in France.  I get to do this beautiful monologue about her feelings towards it, and I can already tell it's going to be a great show.  The rest of the cast is very talented, so if you're reading this and can make it to the New Rochelle Public Library on October 28th at 3pm, please come see it!  (And that's what we call a shameless plug!)

So, that was my day.  It was a balancing act, for sure.  I don't doubt I'll have more days like it in the future.  But like I've said many times before, I don't mind.  Having a completely packed day yesterday and a pretty relaxed today is a nice juxtaposition.  I intend to make the most of it.  With that said, it's off to do some errands.  That's what all adults do on their days off, right?  ;)

See you soon!