Saturday, March 05, 2011
Monday, November 22, 2010
Stand Up Comedy
If you haven't already figured this out, I am a person who likes to challenge myself with new things and put myself in strange situations that normal people would avoid at all costs. I also like to laugh and, more importantly, make other people laugh.
So after seeing a couple of friends perform at amateur stand up comedy shows, I thought I should give it a try. I mean, why not? I have plenty of material to work from (ie - my day to day life) and at the very least, this would give me future material to write about.
I figured it could be a 2011 project, something new to try in the new year. So I announced it on Facebook at Twitter, you know, to make my friends hold me to it. And within 24 hours my friend Clinton (whose show a week ago inspired this insanity) had emailed me with information about the school he went to.
But rather than starting in the new year, it started tonight. Well I figured there's no time like the present, right? Why wait until 2011 to pursue some form of insanity and self-abuse that you can start right now? So I signed up. Did it as an early birthday present for myself.
On Friday night I received an email welcoming me to the class and telling me to prepare two minutes of material. TWO MINUTES?!?! Even I, someone who is used to speaking in public and generally making a fool of myself, knows this is a long time. And what to write about? Sure, I have lots of stories to tell, but that's not the same as getting up and telling jokes.
So I went with what I know. And what I know is funny. My husband. And you know what? It went pretty well. I was one of the first ones up - I like to volunteer early to get things over with and also to avoid any possibility of following someone amazing - and while it was certainly nerve-wracking, it was also a heck of a lot of fun. People laughed, and I got some tips on how to make them laugh more next time. The people in the class are all ages, from all over the place, and all hilarious in their own way. And I found myself immediately thinking of new jokes, new angles, new stuff to try. What can I say. I'm hooked.
Anyway, how is it possible NOT to get hooked when you're taking classes in a building filled with studios of people dancing, singing, rehearsing, and writing, all just off the Great White Way and around the corner from the Letterman Show. File this one under "yet another reason I love New York."
So after seeing a couple of friends perform at amateur stand up comedy shows, I thought I should give it a try. I mean, why not? I have plenty of material to work from (ie - my day to day life) and at the very least, this would give me future material to write about.
I figured it could be a 2011 project, something new to try in the new year. So I announced it on Facebook at Twitter, you know, to make my friends hold me to it. And within 24 hours my friend Clinton (whose show a week ago inspired this insanity) had emailed me with information about the school he went to.
But rather than starting in the new year, it started tonight. Well I figured there's no time like the present, right? Why wait until 2011 to pursue some form of insanity and self-abuse that you can start right now? So I signed up. Did it as an early birthday present for myself.
On Friday night I received an email welcoming me to the class and telling me to prepare two minutes of material. TWO MINUTES?!?! Even I, someone who is used to speaking in public and generally making a fool of myself, knows this is a long time. And what to write about? Sure, I have lots of stories to tell, but that's not the same as getting up and telling jokes.
So I went with what I know. And what I know is funny. My husband. And you know what? It went pretty well. I was one of the first ones up - I like to volunteer early to get things over with and also to avoid any possibility of following someone amazing - and while it was certainly nerve-wracking, it was also a heck of a lot of fun. People laughed, and I got some tips on how to make them laugh more next time. The people in the class are all ages, from all over the place, and all hilarious in their own way. And I found myself immediately thinking of new jokes, new angles, new stuff to try. What can I say. I'm hooked.
Anyway, how is it possible NOT to get hooked when you're taking classes in a building filled with studios of people dancing, singing, rehearsing, and writing, all just off the Great White Way and around the corner from the Letterman Show. File this one under "yet another reason I love New York."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Shred Violin, or Why I Love New York
On Saturday night I somehow tore myself away from Call of Duty: Black Ops to join a handful of my fellow IESE classmates for a killer dinner at BonChon Chicken near Koreatown. If you haven't tried it and you like fried chicken, I highly recommend it - just don't get the spicy version if you don't want to have chapped lips for the next three days.
As we were getting out of the subway at 34th Street to meet our friends, I heard the most astounding noise, which I then realized was a dude with an electric violin. And as we got closer, it became apparent that not only was he totally shredding, he was playing Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. AND MOONWALKING.
Once I snapped out of my openmouthed stupor, I managed to capture the end of his performance on my iPod. A little YouTube search revealed that Michael Shulman, Shred Violinist, is quite prolific. Here he is, for example, shredding some Depeche Mode and Guns N Roses.
As we were getting out of the subway at 34th Street to meet our friends, I heard the most astounding noise, which I then realized was a dude with an electric violin. And as we got closer, it became apparent that not only was he totally shredding, he was playing Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. AND MOONWALKING.
Once I snapped out of my openmouthed stupor, I managed to capture the end of his performance on my iPod. A little YouTube search revealed that Michael Shulman, Shred Violinist, is quite prolific. Here he is, for example, shredding some Depeche Mode and Guns N Roses.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Earth to Noelle....
Apologies for the extended blogging delay. When I started this blog, it was all about my experience at IESE Business School and living in Barcelona. Then I finished school and it was still about living in Barcelona and a bit about IESE since Frenchy was still studying there. Then we moved to France and it was about being an American in France, but I had less and less to say because more and more of my time was consumed by work, and work is one of the areas I just won't write about.
Then we moved back to New York, my old stomping grounds, and sure I have loads of funny stories to tell about day-to-day life here married to a crazy Frenchman... but still, most of what I share online these days is about videos or photos I come across that are worth sharing, or about our pup Ellie, or about weird conversations I have with Quentin.
I haven't even written properly about our wedding. Or the process of buying our first home. Or our trips to Turkey, Venezuela, and Tahoe. There just hasn't been enough time.
But truth be told, I miss it. And even more importantly, I still do it. So that's what this post is all about. To tell you where to find me even when I'm not regularly updating the blog. Exciting, isn't it? So here we go:
You can follow my random 140-character musings on Twitter. And check out my photos on Flickr. You can check out my microblog on Tumblr. And if you want to work with me (and really, who wouldn't?), you might want to first look me up on LinkedIn. Need a simpler place to see everything at once? Hop over to my Flavors.me page, where it's all in a tidy package.
And don't be a stranger! Drop me a line.
Then we moved back to New York, my old stomping grounds, and sure I have loads of funny stories to tell about day-to-day life here married to a crazy Frenchman... but still, most of what I share online these days is about videos or photos I come across that are worth sharing, or about our pup Ellie, or about weird conversations I have with Quentin.
I haven't even written properly about our wedding. Or the process of buying our first home. Or our trips to Turkey, Venezuela, and Tahoe. There just hasn't been enough time.
But truth be told, I miss it. And even more importantly, I still do it. So that's what this post is all about. To tell you where to find me even when I'm not regularly updating the blog. Exciting, isn't it? So here we go:
You can follow my random 140-character musings on Twitter. And check out my photos on Flickr. You can check out my microblog on Tumblr. And if you want to work with me (and really, who wouldn't?), you might want to first look me up on LinkedIn. Need a simpler place to see everything at once? Hop over to my Flavors.me page, where it's all in a tidy package.
And don't be a stranger! Drop me a line.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Mini NYC!
Absolutely gorgeous tilt-shift timelapse videography. I would love to see a collection of these from various cities!
The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow Day!
Working from home today as a major blizzard hits NYC, and after 7 hours sitting at my laptop in my underpants at the kitchen table, I decided it was time to get some fresh, snowy air. Not in my underpants...
Sunday, February 07, 2010
This. Is. Awesome.
My friend Lauren showed me this yesterday, and I think I've now watched it six or seven times. Can't jam with your friends because they're all in different countries? No problem. Some webcams can do the trick.
I need to remember this when Frenchy and I are sad about our band being spread all over the globe.
I need to remember this when Frenchy and I are sad about our band being spread all over the globe.
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