That's A Wrap!

"That's a wrap!", Seth Jarrett, director of Celebrity Ghost Stories yelled some time after 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning. With those final words, filming for another episode of CSG, Season 2.5, was wrapped.  At 1:00 p.m., nearly 12 hours later, I yelled those same words as I closed the apartment door to 312 West 90th.

Before going on to my final post for this episode of our journey, I would like to thank Seth for allowing me to be on set while Bo shot his scenes.  It allowed me to see Bo put to use everything he has learned so far. The work was intense, and Bo was the ultimate team player.  I was incredibly proud of him, and to my untrained eye, I thought he did an awesome job.  :-)

The cast and crew of CSG consisted of some of the nicest people I've ever come across.  It was a pleasure to be part of this set; though my main job, consisted of just sitting there watching what was going on, while munching on snacks from the craft table. :-)

Everyone from the PA's to the actors to Seth himself worked incredibly hard to put forth the best episode possible, and I am confident that when it airs, the quality of this particular cast and crew will be highly evident......and I'm not just saying that because my son will be in it.  :-)   This episode should air some time in October and once I get a date, I will let everyone know. 

Now on to my final wrap.....

They say that life is a journey, and not a destination.  If that is true, then I don't think I could ever express in words just how wonderful this particular adventure on my journey through life has been for me.  I was extremely lucky to have this opportunity to spend this time with my son. Somewhere down the road, I hope my son comes to view this experience in the same way that I do.  It will happen, but not for a few years yet. 

Yes, he will tell anyone who will listen just how great a trip this was.  He will go into detail about the Broadway shows he went to, the classes he took, the people he met, as well as how cool it was for him to live in a different city for a month. He will tell those same people about all that HE did, rather than all that WE did.  I wouldn't expect anything else from him  After all, at the age of 16, he is still in the prime of his narcissistic, self-absorbed years and views the world through a designer pair of rose colored glasses.

On the other hand, at the age of 50, my rose colored glasses have been replaced with progressive lenses, and the haze of my own life experiences now overshadow my view of the world.  It is this dynamic that will play a role in how we will both come to replay the moments of this trip over and over again in our minds in the months and years ahead.  In the end, he will tell one story, while I will tell another.

My story will include moments like watching him out of the corner of my eye as he experienced his first Broadway musical. Or as I watched his eyes fill with tears at the very same moment mine did during a poignant scene from another. Or when I realized that a very strange dichotomy had occurred; he became more protective of me, as I became less protective of him.  Or, when we stayed up late talking about his hopes and dreams for the future. Or when he opened his eyes and started singing a song from Promises, Promises when I woke him one morning.  He has a beautiful voice.  Who knew?  Or when he came home all excited that he actually "stood up for the little people" when he argued with the store manager about a product being rung up one price when the price on the shelf said another.  He was so proud of himself!  Or when he told me how much he missed seeing his father. When does one ever hear that from a teenager? Or when his brain gave way to his heart and he put his spare change in the homeless man's cup and told the man to "hang in there".  Or when he started crying real tears at a restaurant when the waiter made the mistake of bringing him the wrong drink. He learned how to cry on cue from a very early age and would use that skill strictly for his own amusement; usually in restaurants or stores, and most often to draw questioning stares of the people around us. "Oh that poor child, what have his parents done to him?". This time the waiter was the target and I have to admit to laughing hysterically. Or when my quiet solitude was interrupted by my phone buzzing with his comical observations from his numerous cab rides.  Or when he would walk through the door at the end of the day and say "you are not going to believe what I lost now? and instead of getting angry or upset, I just stared at him and smiled. Or when he told me that although I wasn't the greatest, most perfect Mom who lived, I was right up there.  "Ya gotta agree with me Mom, no one's perfect right?", he asked me one night in all seriousness.  Looking at him standing there in all of his 16 year old, narcissistic, self-absorbed glory, I couldn't help but reply just as seriously, although if he looked hard enough, he would have seen a slight smirk on my face.  "Yes, Bo. You are absolutely correct.  NO ONE is perfect sweetie.   ;-)

The journey my son is on is far from over.  In that regard, there should be many more episodes of his journey to be told, and with that I say................

                                                                        To be 
                                                                        continued.........

Life Lessons!

"For Good" from the musical "Wicked"

"I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return"

I have always believed that people come in and out of our lives for a reason; that they are there to teach us what it is we need to know at that moment in time.

As adults, it is our belief that it is up to us to do all of the teaching, and our children to do all of the learning. After all, we are older and wiser, and have far more to share. What could a child, new to this world, possibly teach us? I can honestly say I've never subscribed to that philosophy because I believe that everyone who walks through my life, young or old, is there for a purpose, whether they are there to teach me something concrete or abstract, they are still there to teach me something. I look at the experiences I have encountered throughout my life, in very much the same way; all opportunities for learning. This adventure proved to be no exception.  The lessons I learned from my child were invaluable and very much needed at this moment of my life.

Without a doubt, my son and I are both taking away from this trip far more than what we brought in to it. My greatest lesson learned was that I saw my son in a totally different light. I saw him focused and dedicated to learning all the he could about his craft, while displaying a level of independence, maturity and self-confidence that I had never seen before. His happiness at being able to do what he loved, was palpable. It reinforced my commitment to make sure that my son chooses to do in life what makes him happy, and not base his choices on what others might expect of him.

I hope my son is taking away from this trip, a lesson equally as important; that his mother actually knows how to "chill out". By seeing me in a laid back setting, blissfully ignorant of the daily stresses of a life 200 miles away and eager to live life in the moment, he saw a very different me. So often our days are filled with one "to do list" after another, that finding time to just sit with our children and smell the flowers is near impossible. Oftentimes the sounds of daily life can be deafening and don't allow us to actually hear what it is our children are trying to tell us. No wonder they don't like us! But on this trip I was able to see and hear everything. It was such a gift and one I will treasure forever.

On another note, we decided to forgo the Shakespeare in the Park tickets. It is Bo's last day of class, and he wanted to spend the evening in the company of his new found friends, before they all scatter back to their respective homes. I don't blame him. Tomorrow is the shoot for Celebrity Ghost Stories. It sounds like it is going to be a tremendous learning experience for him. :-)

Tuesday's Tweets and Twitters!

It's Tuesday and we are down to our last four days. I am getting very melancholy. I feel like I just started to settle into a routine, and now it's time to leave. I will miss my two room apartment, Tal the bagel guy, Jose the manager of the Food Emporium, the many doormen who line West End Ave that I would greet on my morning walk each day, and the Merry Mexicans that would jump on the subway, play a few bars, collect some money, exit the train, board another, and repeat. Only in New York, right? Yes, this was definitely a summer I will remember for a long while to come.

Some things learned:

I have mastered the art of using a manual can opener. :-)

My son and I are both allergic to down. I had to replace the comforters in the apartment with good old cheap cotton/polyester ones.

You really don't have to stand in line for hours at the TKTS ticket booth before it opens. You can still get there after it opens and get discounted tickets to the show you want. The major shows like Wicked, Jersey Boys and the Addams Family are never sold there.

Conways on 35th and 7th Avenue is way better than the Conways beside Macys. They both carry the same discounted clothes, but one is jam packed and difficult to maneuver, while the other is a bit more spacious and far less claustrophobic.

The upper west side of the city is desperately in need of some good take out Chinese restaurants.

Ordering take out in the city is so easy, any one can do it. All you need is a computer. Grubhub.com is the best thing since sliced bread! If they had one of these in my town, I would never have to cook again! (okay, if you've been reading to date, you know I don't cook but STILL!)

Celebrity spotting in NYC is difficult at best. There are just too many people and everyone starts looking the same after a while. :-)

Don't be afraid to go to Harlem. Only the name is scary. :-)

My son is a very talented actor and this trip was beneficial to him in many ways. He made some "like minded" friends and even more importantly, some great business contacts. Two strategies he needs to work on: how to hold on to his personal belongings and remember to ask for business cards and/or write down the name of every person he comes in contact with!

NYC bakeries are responsible for the obesity in this country.

One last observation. You can leave your apartment in the morning all spic and span, shiny and clean. By the time you walk through the door at the end of the day, you can literally feel the grime on your body. It's not just dirt, but DIRT, like little sand pebbles. It's very strange.

Okay, enough tweeting for today!

Monday's Musings and Mutterings!

Bo had to go to the drama bookstore before class today so I went with him.  I browsed around 7th Avenue and 35th Street.  I found this pretty cool discounted clothing store called Conways.  Everything is priced really cheap but yet the clothes are name brands and relatively good quality. They asked Bo to bring a pair of black slacks to the shoot on Friday so I needed to pick those up.  I was able to get them for $7.99.  Such a deal!  :-)

There are a lot of differences between New York City and Boston but the most obvious one is the ambiance of the two cities.  Boston has an old world feel while New York has a "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" kind of feeling.  At any time I expect nurses to appear on the street corners with medicine trays in hand. Note:  This only applies to the Times Square and south area. The upper west side is more like Boston.  It has a nice laid back attitude and if I could afford it, I'd live here permanently.

We are seeing Wicked on Wednesday night.  I cannot wait and neither can Bo.  He has been dying to see this as it is coming highly recommended.  :-)

Thursday is the day I'm going to try and score the Shakespeare in the Park Tickets. Getting up bright and early and staking out my spot at the park. By 1:00 p.m. Thursday I should be the proud owner of two tickets to see Al Pacino in the Merchant of Venice.

The upper west side has the cutest dogs I've ever seen in my entire life.  The most prevalent breed I've seen is the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. As an owner of this breed I can understand why they seem to be everywhere.  They are hypo-allergenic, a reasonable size, do not shed and have a wonderful personality. We owned one for 15 years and he was a great dog.  I can't same the say, however, for the one we own now.  If she was human, she'd be on anti-psychotic medication. But she is who she is and we love her just the same. But if any one wants her, we'd be happy to work something out.  :-)

Bo is still scheduled to shoot Celebrity Ghost Stories on Friday.  This will probably be a very interesting shoot to say the least. 

Saturday, my husband is driving to New York to take his family back home.  My son is absolutely dying to get back home.  He wants to spend the rest of the summer doing nothing excepting chilling out with his friends.I can't blame him. He has worked really hard the past four weeks. I, myself, am looking forward to doing a beach day or two.  My luck though, Fall will make an early appearance since it's been summer around these parts since April. Good luck trying to find any one to go with me if that happens!

If anyone's keeping count, we're now up to one phone, one wallet, and one metro card with $22.00 still remaining on it.  According to Bo, "everything just keeps falling out of my pockets".  Seriously, I have never seen someone lose so many things in my entire life. I bought him a new wallet today.  I hope it at least makes it back to Boston with him.  :-)

Live! From New York, It's Saturday Night!

One week left, and I sit here by myself on my son's 16th birthday staring at the four walls around me.  He, on the other hand, is out seeing a movie and having dinner with a young lady he met in acting class.  I'm happy for them. Better her than me is the way I see it.  It's 96 degrees here, and when I went out earlier in the day, I quickly realized that this heat was going to play havoc with my breathing so I hurried back in to the AC, which is also playing havoc with my breathing.  The AC, however, is the lesser of the two evils in my opinion.

This was a relatively quiet week for me, but very busy for Bo.  In addition to his classes, he had a few auditions for various projects.  He booked "Celebrity Ghost Stories" which was pretty exciting.  It will film late next week in Queens.  For those who don't know, CGS is on the Biography Channel and is in its second season.  Celebrities come on the show and discuss their encounters with ghosts.  The story is re-enacted through flashbacks.  Bo will be playing a young Maksim from Dancing with the Stars.  Funny, since Bo neither speaks Russian or knows how to ball room dance.  He apparently wowed them with his "faux" Russian accent at the audition and because of that, they were willing to overlook the fact that he can't dance.  :-)  This particular episode will air sometime in October.  I will post an update once filming has been completed. 

Oh oh. This just in.  Unfortunately, the date is about to be cut short, as I just received a text from my son telling me he lost his wallet with his remaining money inside. So far, we're up to a phone and a wallet.  Thankfully I never gave him the only set of apartment keys we have.  Hhhhm.....I wonder how many sets of car keys I should have made up for him when he starts to drive.  :-)

Thank you to all of his cousins for sending the video message to him.  He really loved seeing all of you singing Happy Birthday to him!  Hope you all are having an awesome time at the Bon Jovi concert....while your aunt ....is sitting here...alone...staring at four walls.    :-)

Hope everyone's Saturday night is proving to be more fun than mine!


Happy 16th Birthday Bug!