the subway is a rollercoaster that takes you to work.

the nice lady at Sarkis dot com had this to say:

So here are a few questions for Sarah. If you could be offered your dream job, what would it be? How did you meet Mike? Have you found anything close to the deliciousness that is a Buffalo wing in your current city?

Nice to meet you!

Dream job-I think I would have to have something to do with performance, either on stage or on tv or in movies or something. Nothing feels as good as rehearsing for a show, getting it ready, putting it up, getting laughs. I do like writing, but it doesn't do the things to me that joking around in front of people does. I'd also like to be a mom, but, you know. We'll see.

I met Mike at Canisius College. Or as my dad called it "Ca-sneezy-us". My boyfriend at the time was all up in the theater department and I never liked hanging out at my school, so i infiltrated the little theater circle of fun and now they can't get rid of me.

Just this past week I had wings twice, weirdly. Once at the place called Bonnie's in Brooklyn, and they were pretty excellent. The sauce was perfect. Then I had them at a restaurant called Houndstooth when I was out with my students. They were really crispy, and hot! So yeah, pretty good. I mean, I'll never have a La Nova barbeque wing anywhere but La Nova. That's pretty true, as far as true things go.

Good questions! yay!

twin elms press

Today we are talking about the blog below us on the Royal Toybox blogroll, and we ask that blogger a question.
Unfortunately, I am in NYC full time and I tend to miss out on meeting the people in ya lives, so I am not certain who Twin Elms is. My guess, based on clues I got skimming the blog, are that it might be Garvey's friend Nick Hoffmann? Maybe?
Other things, from scanning the blog-
He is witty! He likes the fall-thumbs way up there, my friend. This is a funny entry! Hope we can meet one day!

Ok, so here is my question, twin elms press:
Please tell me 3-5 simple things you truly enjoy, that maybe other people don't.

That's more of a demand. Enjoy!

Today I was internet chatting with a guy I might have met on a dating website or not, who remembers? And my profile that I might have or not was like "i really enjoy escalators" because I do and he was like, "we should go ride escalators sometime." and I was like, "Yeah! I'd like to find a big one and go up and down."

Sarah Nowak, New York City, single.

Are 2 days happening at a time and I don't know it? I feel like every time I post there are two more topics waiting to be posted.

anyway, who would play me in a movie? erm, me? if that were not allowed, robot-me.
Who would play Garvey in a movie? Three words: Dame, Judy, and Dench.

My first home away from home was this 5 bedroom house in Riverside with some guys from school. I moved in with them having barely known them at all, and that was a bad idea. It was the reason I dropped out of school, lost my two best friends from high school, lost 40 pounds (that doesn't sound bad, but it's generally a symptom of a bad living environment if you aren't actually trying) and moved back in with my parents. It was pretty bad, and I should have thought it over before diving in. My apartments have been up and down since then, with every other place getting better, then worse. I am currently in a good place, having learned my lesson about taking your time and living with someone you know and not just a bunch of horny guys from the theater department.

day 5

today I am supposed to do one of those picture things where you upload a pic and they tell you who you resemle in the world of popular culture, but I don't feel like finding a pic of myself and downloading and then uploading, so just pretend there is a little graphic here with a picture of me, Rosie O'Donnell and Janet Reno.

Last night I did karaoke, and it was fun. I did Brian Wilson, which no one in the group knew, which was sad. I still love that song. I also did Don't Fear the Reaper, which is the worst karaoke song ever, but the best Rock Band song ever, so. Anyway.

Random observation-I watched a little of that Love Doctor show on VH1 where the guy tells the girls why no one loves them and how they should act to catch a man, and he made them walk in front of his friends and then his friends "evaluated them" in the shallowest terms possible, like: "totally slutty" "She looked tore up and divorced" "She was like shamu". Yeah, that's awesome, what can I fundamentally change about myself to impress those guys, host-of-show? I want in. I want to have babies with your shallow misogyny.

day three-(i missed somehow) How to talk to someone Awkward

ok, so i guess i missed a whole day. crazy.

day 3 is about teaching you guys something I know. I will do my best.

So, the past few weeks, months, and years I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of new people, some of those people have been socially awkward, but I have still wanted to include them in the party/pub crawl/karaoke event/ waiting for a show to start conversation. I find that people who aren't necessarily the life of the party and "on" all the time are some of the best, most interesting friends I've made.
That said, there are a thousand people I know who could write books on this, but I will tell you what I know. Here are some ways to make new friends/increase your circle of convo/make things less awkward:

1-use your shoulder
a lot of times, if you are having fun taking to your close friends, someone interesting may approach your circle but be too uncomfortable to just but in to the conversation. I say try to notice these people, and then just slide your shoulder back to let them in to the conversation. Body language is important! DON'T call attention to them right away. Just let them in and let them listen for a few minutes, so that they can get a gauge of what you are talking about and how they can contribute.

2-use eye contact
when you are talking, you can include people in the conversation just by looking at them in the eye, it's not prompting them to respond if they aren't ready, but it does give them an in to respond if they are ready to say something.

3-nod, use your eyes when they talk at you
be positive! reinforce it! Don't be afraid to dog them, with love. People feel way more "in" if you make a gentle jab. Avoiding hurting someone's feelings sometimes makes them feel like more of an outsider.

4. ask questions
have a follow up or two when they talk, ask them about themselves. try to figure ut what they are into, ask them about that. People like to talk about their passions, and their favorites. It's good business, whenever a convo gets beat, to just poll people about their favorite crap. I have a tendency to make everything about me, and I am aware of it (jeeeeeez guys) so I make sure I make it as much about the other person as I can before my ego takes the wheel and I'm all "blah blah".

5. alcohol is a social lubricant
start slow, don't go crazy.

6. be ok with calling it out
from time to time the conversation will get weird, sometimes when you are talking to a group including one or more socially awkward persons, or when things get oddly sexual, or the topic is a little beat, let it be ok to just say "Oh, hey , I've got a new topic, so we don't have to talk about that anymore." no need to point fingers at who made things weird, but if it's obvious, just say "Well, it was Desiree's turn to make things weird tonight." (see above, re: gentle jab) Because come on, we've ALL been there, multiple times, so help a muthertrucker out.

Always: use your better judgment. If you feel like someone is going to edge into your convo to ask for money, or it's someone who puts the hairs on the back of your neck up, listen to that and freeze em out. Taking control of the conversation back from a crazy person is for another post, but yeah, always know that you don't have to be THAT nice, if someone is just crazy, super drunk, weird, or has some kind of agenda, you can be rude to that person. Life is too short.

put me on your team

I think today on bufblopofo we are supposed to talk about something we are good at/proud of, right?

argh.

ok, so all of my false starts at this were bad back-handed compliments to myself (captain Incapable of Losing Weight! Master of finding low objects with my shins!)
but I realize one of my most proud moments isn't that embarrassing, so I'll share.

I am super-good at being in haunted houses. I don't mean houses that are super really haunted, I mean like, a fake crazy haunted house. One of my few experiences with them, I was on Clifton Hill with my boyfriend at the time and several small strangers, and as we went though it was . . . . kind of a freak fest. It was like, ACTUALLY scary, but I got CRAZY protective, and I got everyone behind me and walked through, and I didn't let anything bother me. Seeing other people being scared made me strong, and I just sort of pushed through, rather than letting it effect me at all. I am proud of that. A few years ago I was in Scotland and my friends let me force them to go on a ghost walk, which was the goofiest gooftown (think aboot it!!!) but at the end there was a jump-scare, and instead of pissing myself, I pushed my friends behind me and got REALLY aggressive. I am just proud of my visceral reactions to frightening things, I guess, is my point. I'll take the hit for you.

bufblopofo

ok, so for those of you NYers who don't know why I am posting all of the sudden, once a year a circle of friends from buffalo (buf) do a daily blog (blo) post (po) for one fortnight (fo) and then you get bufblopofo. Sort of like nanowrimo, but instead of just making you feel inadequate for not completing a near impossible task, your google reader fills up with delicious gifts.

ok, on to day two's topic-

best meal, and who it with?

best meal-mrrook.

appetizers would be stuffed banana peppers, and some sort of brie and bread combo.
entrees would be . .geez louise. this is hard! i think i have to go with a perfect filet mignon with bleu cheese, side of bacon whipped potatoes, and yucca. yes, yucca. (though, that beef on weck haunts me. HAUNTS ME.)
dessert-grilled pineapple
to drink-an ice cold lindemann's framboise. Several of them. Or, Grotten beer, if we're really talking perfect world.
also, this meal would take place in Edinburgh Scotland. the guest list is secret! haha!

bufblopofo

ok, so i am 2, 3 days behind? of course. My computer died and my new (used) lovely is having trouble adjusting to my internet for some reason. growing pains. anyway, as i tap this off before i head off to other less interesting things, i will complete my blogpost for today, and then later if i have more time and more bars up in the left hand corner of the screen, i will catch up.

what three important things are going on with you?

1. jobless!
my family of four children is 75% laid off, which is at times awesome, as this is the kind of life a person like me is meant to lead, and at other times really scary, since maybe when my unemployment runs out i will not find another job and fall into chaos and squalor. its all very exciting.

2. careery stuff
i am helping write a script, i'm in a music improv group, a regular and increasingly awesome improv group, and we are remounting the rock show i did before, which is so much more fun this time around, and it was fun last time too.

3. cooking/eating
i've been cooking at home a lot more and eating much healthier. i am trying to keep my calories in a healthy, weightlossy range. its not super easy but i am sticking to it. Except for this weekend. i was homesick and my friend pete took me to Bonnies in brooklyn for wings and a beef on weck, which tasted like heaven and HAUNTS ME. I am also working out 5x a week, but that isn't showing up anywhere but in my soreness. whatevs. we press on.

battery dying. more later!

40% of the time your radio is on a classical station it just sounds like it's off. Am I wrong?

gearing up for boplobomomoflo*

*the blogging fortnight.

Ok, sorry, so, I haven't written anything here.
Basically, its like, my life is like: I wake up late, eff around, eat an egg sandwich, watch dvr, work out, shower and by then the sun has gone down and I have to go do some kind of rehearsal/class/show combo. I've been having a little too much fun, and I think I need to detox or at least manage this lifestyle a little better. I am actually a little tired of TV. Though, there is no way, even at this pace, that I will ever feel "well-rested". Well-rested is not a thing that exists, you guys. I've tried.

Interesting things-I saw Christmas on Mars Friday night. That movie was kind of oddly amazing. It was like a wonderful terrible student film with cardboard sets and pretentious writing and bad acting and I loved it. If the props didn't look like they came from the dollar store I wouldn't have liked it as much. I can't recommend it, but I will say I really enjoyed it, and if it plays where you live, you could do worse things than go see it. Also, before we went to the movie we hung out at a bar that was playing old OLD Gamera movies in the back and I realized that I really REALLY like old Gamera movies. Destroy All Planets! Wonderful. I have horrible taste.

Also! On Thursday, a guy I "met" over the internet about 6 years ago (because I liked his band and he liked my website so we became friends) came in to NY for a few nights and we actually had a few beers together. It was super nice. I spent all of 2003 listening to his album Robots from the Graveyard. It was fun and not at all creepy like the way I always imagine meeting people from the internet might.