Well, folks, it had to happen SOMETIME

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. This weekend, I experienced the darker side of my weekly SNL agenda that is far more realistic and far more upsetting than previous weeks. I spent 14 hours on the street Friday night. I braved the wind and freezing temperatures. I cleared all my plans for Saturday night, got dressed up, and took the subway up to Rockefeller Center to wait in line to be let in the studio. Number 12! That's a great, low number, right?! Not low enough, my friends, not low enough. I didn't get into the show. They let FIVE people into the live show. Five. I was turned away. It was a sad, sad night for Emily. I actually handled it quite well...I mean, I had a great streak (that was already broken when I went out of town), and it's not like I'll never see the show again. I'll be back next live episode, this didn't ruin it all for me. I WAS sad. But I'm okay now. I stuck around and hung out in a Starbucks until the end of the show so I could say hi to the cast. I almost like that more than seeing the actual show live, anyway.

Other than that...the weekend went by quickly and I am not looking forward to this week. I have my Tisch portfolio due by Thursday, and I'm only starting to stress about that NOW...oops. I have GOT to make myself do it! I'm just really stressed and nervous that what I write won't be good enough and I'll feel like a huge failure. But by not doing it at all...I become less of a failure?! NO. I also have to just remember to put everything I've got on the line, but know that it's not the END of the world if I don't get into that program. It would be extremely perfect in every way, though.

Can it please stop snowing?! I can't handle walking to class with this accumulating snow. It's a blizzard right now. Gross.

I am going to write some sketches and hope that I can deem them worthy enough for the portfolio. And I really, really want to go to bed. :)

Looong weekends = short weeks :)

My weeks are so short. I absolutely love it. Especially this week, when I didn't have classes on Monday, only two classes today, only one class on Thursday...and, as usual, no class on Friday. It's fantastic. Yay for presidents and their nationally-recognized day!

I spent the first part of my long weekend in Saratoga Springs, NY (specifically Skidmore College) participating in the National College Comedy Festival. It was one ridiculous weekend. There were about 15 college groups there, improv and sketch, and a few profesisonal groups. All in all, it was a good weekend, despite the unnecessary college parties...it just made me realize how much I love NYU. I don't have to go to some random house and be crazy because there's nothing else to do...I go to shows, I experience the city. I love it. I love the non-traditional community of NYU. Not to undermine my experience at Skidmore...it was a change, and I had fun seeing the other groups and performing. We didn't have the best set in the world, but it was still better than most of the other groups, so that felt good. We got good feedback from the professional groups...there were three there, 2 of which are composed entirely of NYU grads...and the other was NYC's Upright Citizens Brigade. New York was really representing, it was cool.

I got back to New York EXHAUSTED on Sunday, in time to take a shower and pick up my friend Alex at the port authorty. She goes to BU, and came into the city for some catching up and ASSSSCAT indulging. I loved seeing her again :). Thankfully, despite the God-awful cold, ASSSSCAT was amazing; Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, John Lutz, Jack McBrayer...MIRIAM TOLAN AND BRIAN STACK! I adore improv couples. I was very excited, and the show was fabulous. Is it ever not?

I think I'm going to try to go to Conan on Thursday. Might as well, right? I need to go eventually, and I think Jimmy Fallon's on the show on Thursday, and I only have one class...I'll probably be going alone, but I'm still hopeful and excited.

This weekend, I'll actually get to just relax in the city, which will be nice. I liked Dirty South and Skidmore, but that's a lot of traveling to do. Some of my troupe is going to a Harvard comedy festival this weekend, but I think it's okay that I'm going to take it easy and not go. Two out of three weekends is a lot.

I have a History of the Universe (gah!!!) exam tomorrow...too bad I never listen to the lectures because I HATE it and find the information generally irrelevent...oh well. That's college for ya! ;)

Valentine's Day!

Ahh, the day of love...and, more importantly, chocolate. I woke up not necessarily in the best mood, seeing as I was up very late finishing a paper (the ironic motif of animals in "King Lear" that increases as Lear comes closer to discovering/defining himself as a man rather than a king). Not only was I absolutely exhausted, but I experienced firsthand the downside to having a wonderfully old building...the windows can be shut, but that really means nothing, seeing as the numerous cracks allow for cold wind to seep in. Not pleasant. So, I decide to brave the day and get up to shower...only to find that, for like the sixth time this year, we do not have ANY hot water. So...for like the sixth time this year, I brave an ice cold shower, crying the whole time, cursing the residence hall employees...even though they have nothing to do with it...I suppose I have to blame someone. I step outside to make the four block trek to my 9:30 class...and...SNOW. LEGITIMATE SNOW. I guess it's nice to experience something of a real winter, but this would've been appreciated back when I romantized the idea of a city winter...in DECEMBER. The precipitaton from the sky was something like freezing ice pellets that were PAINFUL. But, I lived. I did my afternoon pick-up-girls-at-school-and-take-to-gymnastics-and-home. THEY loved the idea of snow. A LOT. A.k.a. they were picking up chunks of snow and eating it. That hardcore grossed me out. I told them, "If it were raining, would you drink the puddles in the street? Because eating that snow is the same thing..." but they didn't seem to understand. Not really my issue, I guess.

Day three of my diet. Yeah, I slipped a little bit. But that's because it's VALENTINE'S DAY, and I could've been a lot worse...I avoided the dorm when my roommates made vanilla frosting sandwiches. Instead, I went to the gym. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Emily is working out! Three days in a row! Thirty minutes a day! Three miles on the elliptical! I'm very proud of myself, it definitely feels good. Besides, NYU has really nice gym facilities, and I get to use them for free...so I might as well!

I spent last weekend in the wonderful town of Carrboro (and Chapel Hill, I guess), North Carolina for the Dirty South Improv Festival. I drove down Friday morning with part of my improv troupe, performed, did some workshops, and then drove back on Sunday. That's a total of 20 hours in a car in one weekend. That's a lot. It was a positive experience, though...our show went well and we got some good feedback. Plus, we got to see some of the absolute worst improv groups I've ever seen. Yep, worse than the Christian improv at the Minnesota State Fair...which I NEVER thought I'd say. Haha. This weekend? I'm heading four hours north to the Skidmore campus near Saratoga Springs, NY for the National College Comedy Fest. I'm only staying until Sunday morning, because my friend Alex is coming down from Boston University to spend some quality time in NYC. No school on Monday! Yay presidents!

I need to stop avoiding an essay. It's time to write it. :)

Brr...

It. Is. Cold. It's the kind of cold where your nose runs and you don't notice. I spilled scalding hot coffee on my hand and didn't even feel it. This kind of cold in New York makes me laugh because people are still trying to look stylish. Skinny, skinny women with next to no body fat wrap themselves in hip scarves and tuck their leggings into riding boots. Their gaunt faces reveal looks of sheer pain as they struggle to walk on avenues that have become wind tunnels. While my situation is not as pathetic as their's, I must say that I have never missed my car more. Transportation without any walking is glorious.

I had a pretty good weekend; Dangerbox show (it was a weird one) followed by sleeping cozily (ha) on the sidewalk on Friday night, Tiny Spectacular (Jason Mantzoukas, Rachel Hamilton, Miriam Tolan and others) at the Magnet Theatre for $5 and SNL (Drew Barrymore/Lily Allen...very good show) on Saturday. ASSSSCAT on Sunday, in the freezing cold. They actualy cancelled the 9:30 show, and everyone in the line got to go to the 7:30 show for free...but we ended up with really bad seats as a result...and I had already been waiting 2 1/2 hours to ensure our regular seats up front. Oh well, what can ya do. It was still hilarious (Jack McBrayer, Jason Mantzoukas, Rachel Hamilton, Miriam Tolan and Amy Poehler). And I got to get home before midnight! Always a plus when I'm taking the L train, which almost always sits on the track for 20 minutes, full of people, not moving, with no explanation.

So..I'm leaving for North Carolina at 5:30am on Friday morning. Woohoo! 10 hour road trip through states I've never been to! I'm going with some Dangerbox members to the Dirty South Improv Festival, and I'm very excited about this, because I've never been to this festival and it's a pretty big one. It's very cool that we're performing...it should be a fun weekend.

I need to take a nap before babysitting. I'm exhausted and I don't feel well. :/