summer musings

hey all..it's been a while. here's the latest video that keeps me entertained:

Fatboy Slim- Weapon of Choice

you seriously do not get any better than that.

anyway, what have i been up to lately....been taking a lot of class. and by a lot, i mean a grand total of 7 intense classes last week. every part of my body is sore. but i LOVE IT! i took my second spin class ever this am (zonehampton on the ues) with a bunch of my lulu's and it was awesome. my butt hurts like whoa though. i need to get cushions or something. but it's only tuesday and i've already hit up 3 classes this week, so here's to beating last week's record!

you know how there are certain items that you should never be without, but you always end up leaving them at home? for instance, i feel like every woman should always have the following with her when leaving the house: sunscreen, chapstick, a light jacket, an umbrella, bandaids, safety pins, gum/mints, a toothbrush/floss, camera, sunglasses, cash, pens, lotion, tissues, a mirror, etc. but yet...who wants to carry all that crap around with you every day? therefore, one is always left to the regrettable task of asking a friend, "do you have any gum?" and running home in the rain without one of the five or so cheap umbrellas you have at home stashed away in a closet somewhere. it's a vicious cycle.

how much do i love whole foods? i'll let you answer that one. it's seriously one of my most favorite places on earth. it has everything i need. ever. and i don't mind that i'm spending all my money on health foods and various other accoutrements because whole foods makes me feel fancy and grown-up and healthy goddammit! oh well. on the same note of "things i love"...i can't get enough of SABON. brianna bought me this amber-scented loofah soap that is SO divine. seriously. visit a store and ask for a hand wash/treatment. you'll never be the same again. no really, go. right now.

watched america's sweethearts the other day and forgot what a fun, great movie it is. i love it. it's right up there with some of my other favorites...that thing you do!, the family stone, my best friend's wedding. yessssss.

i'd love to be that kind of person who just sits around and knits all the time and derives immense pleasure from it. it's super-cool to boot. but i just don't think i'm cut out to be a knit-savvy kinda girl. for one, i don't have the patience. and also, i think i'd tire of it very quickly. so there goes my shot at being the next top knitting star.

working at lulu tempts my shopping habits so badly. is there a lulu lemon athletica addicts anonymous group? because i need to join. mark my words, within the next year my entire wardrobe will faze out and you will only see me in head to toe lulu from that point on. so enjoy my shabby array of t-shirts while you can, they're soon going to become pajamas....not like i don't use them for that already...err, i mean...

i was looking through high school friends' college graduation pictures and realized...holy shit. it's been four years. it didn't faze me so much when i graduated myself a month ago, but somehow seeing my friends' (most of whom i haven't seen in years) photos it just hit me. and it's hard to think back and make sense of what i've been doing these past four years. i know exactly what it is--life just happens--but it somehow feels like more should've happened since then. and in reality, so much has happened. it just doesn't feel like it when you're just living day to day. it's like when someone gets their braces off or cuts their hair...and you see them constantly...and after a while, you've forgotten what they looked like before then. does that make any sense?

on a side note, i'm amazed at how awesome my body feels and how i feel in general when i eat loads of fresh fruits and veggies and tons of water...so much energy, so clean and healthy. i love it. that, combined with intense exercise (and lots of it) has left me feeling so incredible lately. i'm really digging this. and i've always been a health/exercise freak, but amping it up even more lately has made SUCH a difference. i feel like i've kind of reached a plateau as of late, but now i'm pushing through it. FINALLY!

i guess that's it for now. here's another video for fun.

(Video: Leslie Uggams)

peace, brooke

a great day!

(Photo: Aerospace)
AEROSPACE AEROSPACE AEROSPACE! took my first class at this amazing studio today...the aeroimpact class...

60 minute class...i thought "no biggie, i can handle that"....it kicked my ass hardcore. and i will totally be going back.

such an awesome studio with awesome people...really, really a premiere facility...totally fancyfancy. LOVE IT! i've really made up my mind to take advantage of going to classes while working at lulu. it's such an amazing opportunity and i know that it's come along at this time for a particular reason for me...so i need to drag my butt out of the house and hit up as many classes/week as possible! (grand tally of 4 classes so far this week...aiming for 7!!) health and fitness needs to be a no.1 priority in my life from here on out...it's key for my personal well-being and my career. so i'm resolved to become a healthier, more active brooke!

ok, next up. of course, since i took bikram this morning and the aeroimpact class in the evening i was definitely deserving a nice, big meal. so i stopped at 'snice in the west village, just down a couple blocks from the studio.

(Photo: 'Snice is nice!)

i had this yummy (and HUGE) bbq seitan sandwich with thai slaw...it was sooooo good. and i scarfed it down. then stopped at whole foods and got this delicious vegan peanut butter smore...the PERFECT sweet treat for me. decadent and chocolatey and yum.

this is gonna be somewhat of a scattered, random entry. but there's a lot that popped up on my mind today. first of all, when oh when is flight of the conchords coming back to hbo?! i can't wait. it's been way too long.

also, this is my future car. just fyi. one step closer to an eco-friendlier world.

(Photo: Toyota Prius)

i've realized there are a few material things in life that i cannot live without. in other words, if i were sent off to a deserted island and allowed only a few possessions, etc. here's what i'd need to survive:

*sunscreen/chapstick with spf (preferably kiss my face in strawberry) *my crocs flip-flops *my ipod with plenty of broadway, jazz, funk, soul, folkrock *lots of water *vegan-friendly foods, lots of fresh fruits & veggies, sushi *and maybe nacho libre & singin in the rain *and if i'm allowed an indulgence...chocolate and popcorn

was listening to some music today and i realized just how much i appreciate jane monheit. she's such a wonderful musician...she just has such an inherently unique musicality and i love her! same with david archuleta. there are very few popular singers today who are on par with them in terms of genuine musical talent. they have such great ears and i feel like they just hear music and phrases in a very different way.

while i was walking home tonite, i was looking up at the ny skyline and thought to myself, "this really is the greatest city in the world!"....which may not resonate with everyone, but it definitely does with me. i just fit here and i've always known it's the place where i want to create my future. i may be obsessed with paris, native to so.cal and loyal to hawai'i, but i know ny will be my very own home for the rest of my life!

one final thing for tonite...for lulu, we were asked to set personal goals. here's some of it..."in my ideal life"...

career: accomplished professional actor (stage, screen, etc.), spokesperson, ambassador, etc.
income: millions!
net worth: billions!
geography: homes in nyc, ca, paris and hawai'i
home(s); own a penthouse in ny (uws or downtown), green living, hybrid cars, 2 twin chowchows and a kittycat
lifestyle: modest luxury! see theatre/shows/concerts regularly, dine/travel extensively, shop at finest stores/markets, donate charitably
health: most ideal body possible, pesce-veganism, eat organic, dance/yoga/etc. all the time
family: husband and 3 kids (maybe), sisters live in the city/visit every month, parents have residences in ny
relationship: married/engaged around 26, have kids around 30 (after i win my tony award!)
education: ambassador/spokesperson for the arts, green awareness, world peace/hunger, animal welfare

that's all folks!

(Video: Flight of the Conchords)

yessssss

(Photo: Robert Downey Jr.)just saw iron man tonite with jessica....robert downey jr. is HOTTTTT. and the movie was really great, go see it.

had a great day today...hit up chio's jazz funk class at bdc this morning and then hit up a jazz class at new dance group afterward....and stopped at green symphony for a really awesome pineapple/lemon juice/barley grass/apple juice smoothie and sprout/avocado sandwich. jessica and i were SPENT. three hours of intense INTENSE, non-stop dancing left me exhausted. but i feel so great, like i did the most amazing thing for my body today! YAY! looking forward to going to bikram and aerospace thursday...gonna take an aerobox or aeroimpact class---it's gonna be amazing. go to the website and see:

http://www.aerospacenyc.com/groupclasses.html

and hopefully can catch hamlet in the park this weekend and also do the times square solstice yoga on saturday. ooh, ooh! and catch dana moore's class with stephanie next week (FOSSEFOSSEFOSSE). well, that's it for now. byeeeeeee.

the tony's..and oh so much more...

(Photo: Sutton and Roger)

i love these two. they're probably hands-down my favorite broadway role models and performers. love them love them love them.

ok, onto the good stuff. i'm gonna go on a tony awards rant now...i was so uber excited when the show began, then...slowly but surely...my enthusiasm started to wane...and i realized that this year in particular (not to say it hasn't been so in years past) the show is a complete sell-out. nearly every presenter was a big-name tv/film actor and i just feel like the american theatre wing/the powers that be were trying to appeal to a mainstream audience that doesn't even watch the show! i just feel like the integrity of the show is compromised when you're not honoring/celebrating what it's all about...the theatre community and the work that's been done in the theatre for the past year. whatever, i'm a snob. i'm just a little perturbed (i mean, c'mon. why have brooke shields present just because she was a replacement in wonderful town and chicago and grease? or have megan mullally represent young frankenstein when andrea martin or chris fitzgerald or my two aforementioned favorites could've performed?) oy, i'll stop now.

and i guess i gripe because i care and i love it so much. now onto more positive things...

how AWESOME for lin-manuel and in the heights...good for them (kick ass speech, by the way...) i have so much respect for him. what a well-deserved, heartwarming win!! need to see it immediately, along with south pacific, boeing-boeing (what a great cast...i love the camaraderie of the group. they feel like the kind of cast you want to be a part of. real, salt of the earth theatre folks!!), xanadu (which is totally this year's spamalot. and i ADORED spamalot) and the 39 steps.

and how much do i LOVE danny burstein. he is probably the best comedic musical theatre actor working today. the ultimate actor's actor in musical theatre. i adore him. and could cheyenne be any more hot and talented? no. he's terrif. (who am i? liza? who, by the way, looked scarily great. is she on the drugs?)

speaking of overblown divas...what's the deal with patti lupone. that's not a question, but more like an aggravated statement. she's such a caricature of herself now. does she ever enunciate in-between phrases? i swear "everything's coming up roses" sounded like so...

honey, everythi- comi- up roses an- daffodi-
everythi- comi- up sunshi- an- santa clau-

she just leaves her mouth open to make loud vowel sounds. it's like she's that big "wahwah" charlie brown character. i've had enough of patti.

by the way, can i just mention that today's been such a jam-packed, nonstop "broadway" day. i swear i've been listening to musicals ALL DAY. ewww, i'm so gross.

and how about sunday in the park. yes, it's british. very british. it felt a little technical and...sterile. and i'm not sure why one would re-vamp the production unless it was wonderfully innovative and different or better than the original. that's just my opinion though. it just feels a little boring to me (however, it's not to say that the entire creative team isn't talented and great. they are.)

was disappointed with rent's segment. thought the original cast should've actually PERFORMED. and eden looked odd, almost like she didn't fit in. the segment with little mermaid/faith prince/megan mullally wasn't very good either. it just felt kinda shabby. oh yea, and whoopi was god awful. sorry whoops. ps. have a new nickname for patrick stewart. p-stew. which sounds funny once you say it aloud. say it.

also, on a side note. i didn't appreciate a remark of tracy letts' upon accepting the award for august-osage county. he said something to the effect of "thank goodness some of us are doing a show in new york on broadway with actual theatre actors"....ok ok, yes it bugs me more than i can stand when any other tv/fake-celebrity gets to headline a broadway show just for the sake of their name value (ahem...katie holmes...ahem...mario lopez...i could go on...), but he inadvertently insulted everyone who is doing respected, honest work right now. not very well put, tracy letts. i get it, steppenwolf is awesome and you're the little show from chicago that could, but that wasn't very humble of you to say in a huge auditorium filled with your theatrical contemporaries...way to make everyone think you're an ungrateful asshole.

you know what i'm really missing these past few years? a good, old-fashioned show like thoroughly modern millie that's just fun and fulfilling! or like city of angels...a show that brings you back to an exciting, cool time period. maybe next season...

also...how about patti and laura and boyd? i guess it makes sense that all three would win, but it was really unexpected (while also being entirely predictable...strange huh?)

and how much do i love doing full-fledged book musicals? oh, the days of high school. i wish i could do grease (which was pretty awful on the telecast...let's just be honest) and the wiz and a chorus line again. hello again was the first musical i'd done since high school, but it wasn't a song and dance show, which i miss TERRIBLY (someone, please cast me in a show i can sing and dance in! please!)

i guess that's it for now. can't wait for the follow-up coverage tomorrow. and on a completely different note...stephanie for top chef???? poor richard.

and lastly...whenever certain songs come up on my ipod i ALWAYS listen to them...without shuffling or skipping through them (which i do 90% of the time because i have music a.d.d.)...i ALWAYS listen to "i turned the corner" from millie and anything norbert sings in last five years...and some songs from see what i wanna see...and that's probably it...weird right? oh well.

(Video: Xanadu)

i should be sleeping

in honor of the tony awards on sunday, here is one of my most favorite photographs of all time...

(Photo: Tony Awards 2007)

i went as tony's fancy date last year and we had an AWESOME,
AWESOME time...i can't even begin to tell you. i even got onto the red carpet and was "thisclose" to vanessa williams and idina menzel and sutton foster and john turturro (i could go on and on) and took a picture with the john's from spring awakening. i'm such a broadway freak.

ok, enough with that. i went home to so. cal this week and had an awesome time. saw kung fu panda (it was wonderful), had an amazing dinner at paperfish (our own top chef episode...more to come), had the prerequisite sprinkles cupcakes run, spent some quality time with the family (our miracle cat foster has finished his first round of chemotherapy...GO FOSTER! please send him positive, healing thoughts!!!), visited icm/william morris/apa with dad and the sisters and overall had a great trip home.

not to mention, i managed to miss the entire period of 90+ degree weather in new york while i was home...no kidding, i left on the day it decided to rise to 90 and came back on the day it decided to climb down to the 80s...i'm eternally grateful.

other than that, i'm back at work at lulu (come visit me! i love lulu!) and eagerly anticipating my favorite event of the year on sunday...well, that's a bit of an overstatement but i do love the tony awards.

i also read nora ephron's "i feel bad about my neck" which was a delicious read! i've stolen a line from her...i now can properly label myself as a "mouse potato": someone who sits at their computer as much as a couch potato would at a television. so there you go.

i'll leave you with my latest fascination. cubby bernstein, tony award campaign manager...please watch all of his episodes...they're terrific.

ps...thanks to brittany, i am slowly but surely becoming a lakers fan.

millie flashback

gavin creel is absolutely wonderful.

"SO MUCH BETTER!!"

(Photos: Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower)

i had to title my blog as such after watching the legally blonde "search for elle woods" show. awful, just awful. but i couldn't stop watching it.

on another note, i'm going in for "my scary girl" at barrington tomorrow. wish me luck!! i'm super excited and i'm totally bananas over the prospect of this show. keep you posted.

what else is going on...been taking more yoga classes than i can keep track of lately...it's great. before lulu, i wasn't a yoga aficionado or anything so i'm relatively new to the yoga world (and the ny yoga community especially). and although i may be reluctant to get myself to class some days nothing beats that feeling of leaving class, feeling energized and strong and healthy! i LOVE it!! looking forward to hitting up my first bryant park yoga this week.

celebrated another happy sunshine show at the zipper on saturday, i'm really proud of us. we're such a tight group of dedicated, awesome people. i love them. next show's on july 26. come out and support y'all. we also got accepted into the skitskatlive! sketch competition, so more info on that to come.

saw the sex and the city movie...was really disappointed. it was actually...pretty bad. i love the characters and the show and the fashion and fun...but i feel like it didn't translate very well from tv to film...and it was a little awkward and cheesy and...pretty bad. but it was fun nonetheless because i love the show.

going home this sunday for a few days to see the family (and foster the fighter!), it's gonna be great. i can't wait. also going upstate to sara's house for her family's huge graduation party. yessssss. also, i'm totally getting excited for the tony's next week...and i'm also addicted to fruit smoothies lately.

i guess that's it for now. i'll leave you with a bunch of happy sunshine stuff. ps the photos are all by the wonderful peter zielinski who does our broadwayworld coverage for us!!

(Photos: Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower)

(Video: Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower SushiOs)