The kids in one group holding up their work and basking in Michael's approval.

Michael touching up an American bald eagle.

The kids holding up THEIR American bald eagles.

One student discovers the library's copies of Michael's books.

Our apartment. This view is from the front door, as seen once you step inside and close the door behind you. A collection of photos grace the wall on the left. Straight ahead are two beautiful gifts, The Golden Rule (every world religion has a version) - given to me by Laura Palermo and just above that, a framed Cuban quotation, "If your enemy turns to flee, build him a bridge." Given to me by Carmen Agra Deedy. That's our refrigerator to the right.

From the living room back into the kitchen and the front door area.

Our dinning area. This picture was taken from the door way of Elizabeth's bed room. Just past the TV (on the left) is the door way leading to the kitchen and front door.

The living room. Looking into Elizabeth's room. The beautiful rug was a gift from my dear friends Kevin & Brian at my Going Away Party.

MoMA

Inside MoMa 6/9 - Thurs
Today I had an interview with Theater Circle. Before I lived here this was a story I went into every time I was in NYC on vacation.

There are three small gift/theater bookstore, and Theater Circle seems like a perfect match for me…mixing two things I know well – books and theater. The Theater Circle store has an old bookstore feeling to it…wood floors, one of those sliding rail latters to reach the high shelves, etc. One Shubert Alley is located in Shubert Alley beside the Shubert Theater (home to SPAMalot).

The interview went very well and I will start on Monday. I will be working a lot of hours in the BROADWAY, NY store. That store is located right off Times Square and does the most tourist business, so most of their stuff reflects New York and the big sight-seeing things like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, etc.

This afternoon Elizabeth and I took in MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Well, we began to take it in. Like New York City itself…you can visit a place again and again and never exhaust the discoveries.

One of the side perks of my stint at Roundabout Theatre Co. was meeting a fellow co-worker, Adam. We started on the same day (and he left the Monday after I quit). Before his time at the Roundabout he worked at the MoMA. He gave me some extra tickets and said Elizabeth and I should check it out some time. So, today we did. The MoMa is the most expensive museum in New York (they gotta pay for that huge multi-million dollar renovated space somehow) and gorgeous from top to bottom.

I haven’t been to a lot of museums and I wasn’t honestly sure of how interested I would be once I got there…BUT…the tickets were free. What could it hurt?

We were both blown away by it. I had no idea what to expect. We turned one corner and then another and suddenly I was looking at original works by Salvador Dali. I couldn’t believe it. Pieces I’ve only seen in books, prints, postcards, etc. were hanging in front of me.

Moving into another room I discovered “Starry, Starry Night” by Van Gogh. I was completely speechless. There, right in front of me, was a world famous masterpiece. Walking from one gallery into the next I found the works of Picasso, Pollack, Warhol, Monet and Surat many, many more.
You could take pictures but you couldn’t use your flash…so, I snapped a few to share here. They aren’t super clear because I wasn’t using the flash but you’ll get the idea. Visit: www.moma.org

Starry, Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

A huge painting by Pollack

Salvador Dali

Surat's style is famous for his use of layers of colored dots. This is a close-up.

A painting by Surat

Marilyn's close-up

Andy Warhol's famous painting of Marilyn Monroe.

Roundabout Run Ends & We Hit the TARGET

My run at the Roundabout Theater ended Sunday night. For a lot of varying reasons it just wasn’t meant to be. I still hold the highest respect for the shows they produce and the talent that they attract – but we weren’t a match (ethically or professionally.). The decision was mine.

So…back to looking for a job.

Speaking of which…a couple of the developments coming up…I had a wonderful meeting with Peachtree’s Canadian distributor, Fitzhenry & Whiteside. It looks like I will be working part-time for them AND for Peachtree from here in Manhattan. I will be seeking to strengthen relationships with bookstores, gift stores, etc. while developing new relationships.

Today, Elizabeth and I ventured to Target – which is a REALLY big deal. We don’t have a Target here on the island, but we were able to find the one all New Yorkers shop at. We are surrounded by stores of all shapes and sizes but there’s something nice about making a concise list and getting all the stuff you need at one time. If we get on an express train (the 4 or 5) we can stay on it all the way down the line into Brooklyn. We get off at the 3rd stop and walk a block.

Riding back from Target the train was pretty crowded – which is common on the express trains – Elizabeth got a “sleeper.” After a couple of stops, a big guy sitting beside her, fell asleep and started leaning on her. She looked helplessly at me and all either of us could do was laugh. She did use her cell/camera phone to take a picture of him dozing off.

Things are heating up here in NYC. Native New Yorkers have declared that Summer skipped over Spring altogether. So, it’s time to get the A/C going. Elizabeth and I spent most of the afternoon trying to get the security gate out of the living room windows (all windows in NYC apartments have guards), so we could install it. Last night it was so hot that we put the unit in one of my windows (I have a window that’s guard-free because it leads out to the fire escape). So, the A/C is up as high as it will go and we have fans directing the cool air into the other rooms of the apartment.

Tomorrow, we’ll try again – it’s too hot not to try again and again until we get it in.

Also, this afternoon I got all the pictures hung. The place has come a long way. I’m going to take some before and after pictures and post them in the next couple of days. Elizabeth’s mom and boyfriend are visiting this weekend – so this is the perfect time to snap pictures.

We also went grocery shopping. I had been putting it off…it’s more of a production here. You shop more because every trek means that you have to carry whatever you get back with you on the subway or in a cab. You learn how to do more with a lot less. You learn how to think and plan ahead.

Life lessons.

The show's PLAYBILL cover.

The view of Shubert Alley outside the Shubert Theater. Shubert Alley is a breeze way that was created and dedicated to actor's so they could could through the theater district without having to deal with the craziness of Times Square.

POST-Tony Awards

The marquee outside the Shubert Theatre, home of the TONY winning BEST MUSICAL, SPAMALOT.

BEA is OVER and TONY Awards are ON

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL..on my way home.

BEA wrapped up today…with some exciting future developments for me right around the corner. Stay tuned...

Tonight is my first time being in New York during the TONY awards. Just having the nominations announced a few weeks ago but a energectic buzz in the air. I took the long way home tonight to go by Radio City Music Hall where Hugh Jackman is hosting the 59th annual TONY Awards.

Very cool.

The TONY awards are the ultimate award within the theatre community. It is my dream to one day have my work just considered for their consideration.

One day…

Visit: www.tonyawards.com
So, another short entry…but I want to watch every second of the show.

ALL SHOOK UP Again...

Virginia Ann Woodruff and Me outside the stage door at the Palace Theater on Broadway.

Had a very busy day at BEA today…lots of attention surrounding our books, which is always nice to see and hear.

It is nice working along side Barbara once again. The twins of Peachtree, Kenyette and Kenya, are also here. They're helping out here and there (letting me take pee-pee breaks and opportunities to grab something to eat.). I haven't seen them since I left the office at the end of April.

After the show we got $20 tickets to All Shook Up. We were at the Palace theater just before 8pm to snap some pictures in the heart of Times Square and then we were on our way up, up, up to the balcony for the show. I've never sat in the balcony of the Palace theater before. I was sure what to expect...but I thought, for $20 it couldn't be that bad.
We were high up in the theater but our seats were great. I enjoyed the show just as much the second time. It was a lot of fun experiencing the show with more people. The girls LOVED it. I was so happy to introduce them to the show.

Afterwards we met the cast and I was thrilled to snap a picture with Virginia Ann Woodruff. She was in the ensemble of The Color Purple and gets to belt out a couple times in All Shook Up.

The twins headed to get dinner…at 11pm, but Elizabeth and I headed home. I have another long day tomorrow.

I gotta get to bed. More later…

In the MIDDLE of it ALL!

Elizabeth & I in the heart of NYC...Times Square.

Over Dessert

Sherrie and Jason and Me

Seeing Julie and Sherrie and Jason

It was a long day.

I was at Book Expo all day and then the Roundabout all night.
The highlight of BEA was that I got to see and visit briefly with Julie Anne Peters. I went to the tail end of her signing to say hello. The person ahead of me in line moved away and Julie saw me and jumped up from behind the table to hug me. We spoke for a few minutes and then I needed to get back to my booth. I have a copy of her latest YA novel and I’m really looking forward to reading it.

Old friends from Florida are in town this weekend. Sherrie and Jason Adams are in town this weekend celebrating Jason’s birthday. Jason is big Alan Alda fan and Mr. Alda is currently starring in the Broadway play, Glengary Glenross. I met up with them for a quick dessert and to catch up. We were all really tired but we enjoyed sitting around, laughing, talking and catching up.

It’s late now and I have another long day tomorrow.
So, this entry shall remain short and sweet.

Luna Pays a Visit

I had an interview with the GAP this morning. Retail is a great way to freshen up one’s wardrobe while making some money. So we'll see what happends.

Also, yesterday’s “brush-up” at the Temp agency must’ve worked. They called this afternoon about placing me somewhere.

Today it was back over to the Javit’s for round table sales presentation of our book Little Rabbit Runaway. I met up with Barbara and we set up. I rolled posters and Barbara reviewed her notes.

The session began and I was absolutely THRILLED to discover that the keynote was none other than Julie Anne Peters. I had the privilege of reading her book Luna last year and then met her a year ago at the American Library Association’s annual conference. Meeting her was an unexpected delight. I had just finished reading an advance copy of Luna before flying to the trades show in Orlando.

She captured the voice, spirit and journey of Luna beautifully. I’ve read lots of Young Adult books for teenagers and there was something so strong about her book. It was like hearing a foreign language for the first time, a language I almost understood. I knew the heart of the language, even if I couln't speak words. She was telling the story that hadn’t been told. Incredible.

I fell so in love with the story and the characters that when I first spoke with Julie I wanted her to tell me that there would be a sequel. The characters in the pages of Luna had become a part of my life…I had wanted to hear so badly that the story would continue. She smiled at me and said that she was delighted that I loved the book but that Luna’s story ended there – on the page – but she hoped that in the minds of her readers they would envision Luna healthy and happy.

Visit: www.julieannepeters.com

Julie Anne Peters has a new book, Far from Xanadu, and she was speaking about her trusted relationship with her editor and the process of finding the voice of her characters. When she finished speaking Barbara and I had to get ready and Julie was surrounded by booksellers, so I didn’t get to speak to her – but hopefully I will tomorrow.

Barbara and I sat at our first table and we were rotated to different tables every 12 minutes. At each table we started from scratch…talking up the book and summarizing the story. The book, Little Rabbit Runaway, is one of our most highly anticipated books this season. The author, Harry Horse, is quickly becoming one of Peachtree’s best-selling authors. His first two books: Little Rabbit Lost and Little Rabbit Goes to School continue selling very well. Both were gloriously reviewed in trade magazines and the momentum behind his new was is really great.

After moving through four rounds, I was back out on the street and walking toward Roundabout’s office on 46th. I stopped by the EarthCam once again, while talking on the phone. I got home tonight and got an email from my friend Arleta – she’d caught me on the cam and was happy that I looked well. I’m making it a point to stop by there on my way to work. I’m usually reading or talking on the phone.

Visit: http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/

I met Arleta almost a year ago in line for Bill Clinton’s signing of his autobiography, My Life. We were in line for a while so we got to talk a lot. I had just begun rehearsing for my Embrace the Journey show and she said she’d really like to come. And she did. She was there, Opening Night I believe, cheering me on.

When I left Atlanta she came and spent an afternoon with me. She packed up my kitchen and bathroom, which freed me up to pack up my sheets, towels and pictures. She’s been so wonderful and supportive of me.

Tomorrow is a full day at Book Expo America…so, I’m off to bed.

BOOK EXPO

It was great waking up to see my books looking down on me. Each on is up on a shelf, it will take me a little time to get them grouped together how I want them...but at least they're off the floor.

Elizabeth and I were up early and heading to the Temp agency - Elizabeth to apply and me to brush up on one of my placement tests.

Elizabeth stayed and I headed over to the Javit’s (NYC’s convention center). I passed a GAP off Times Square and decided to pick up applications for both of us.

I got the Javit’s and started setting up Peachtree’s booth. Never the most glamorous part of the job but I was glad to, once again, be surrounded by the familiar.

Visit: http://www.javitscenter.com/ and http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/

I got things set up and the inventory completed by the time Barbara arrived from airport. I delivered some more books to different parts of the convention center and then we headed over to Grand Central. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and she headed to her family’s while I headed back to my apartment to change clothes before heading into my other work.

Tomorrow it starts.