Apparently It's a Thoughtful Sunday

Apparently, I have a lot to say today.  While these thoughts are present, I'm just going to run with them.


Ways to Win My Heart

- Listen.  I have come to realize how few people there are who actually care about what others have to say.  I don’t open up too easily, so if I feel like you care about what I have to say and give me time to form my unorganized thoughts, you're in.

- Make me laugh, but also be able to make yourself laugh.

- Physical affection.  I love simple displays of love; holding hands, holding the small of my back, gentle touches to the face, loving gazes.

- Don’t put me on a pedestal.  Joke with me, make fun of me; remember I love to laugh and that includes laughing at myself.  I don’t like the feeling of trying to live up to other peoples’ expectations of myself.  I want to feel comfortable around you.

- Teach me something new.  Make me think in a new way.

- Be patient.  There is no need to get angry over unnecessary things.

-  Have goals in life.  Dream for the impossible.

I guess overall I like to be with people who are up for anything and like trying new things such as long walks (yep, I said it), cooking, random question games, working out, traveling to cities, hiking, visiting art museums, people watching, etc.

Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'

I would like to express my gratitude for the extreme blessing of sharing Pinkberry with a great friend while listening to hits of the 1940's on a cool summer evening.

Life is pretty fantastic right now.  What could make it even better?  How about the fact that I'll be flying to Barcelona on Wednesday.  (*le sigh*)

I pray that you are all blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

Make it a good one, beauties.

-Joey

Short and Sweet

Short and Sweet

I have made it to Los Angeles and rehearsal is underway!  Things are going very well thus far.  I, along with the other three men of “Cantare”, have finished our music rehearsals and moved onto learning our choreography and blocking.  The show “Cantare” is essentially a men’s quartet modeled after “Il Divo.”  Yes, complete with Italian vocals.  Prego!  It is such an honor to make beautiful music with such talented and generous men.  I am feeling blessed, y’all!

Sidenote:  I learned some very interesting trivia from one of our vocal directors that I would like to share with you.  The lyrics for “Unchained Melody” where taken from a letter that was found in the pocket of a fallen soldier in WWII.  It was addressed to his girlfriend back in the states and he was urging her to wait for him.  I thought that was beautiful, tragic, and share-worthy.

It is just the four of us for the next couple of days.  The four female dancers and leading lady of our cast arrive next, followed by the two male dancers and female singer/dancer.  I am greatly looking forward to meeting everyone and having our entire family here!

That is all I have to report for now.  I hope that you are feeling blessed and supported in whatever you may be going through.  I am sending lots of love to each and every one of you.  I realize that there may only be two of you reading this, so consider yourselves incredibly loved.

Until next time,

Joey

Gettin' out of town

Does anyone actually look at this blog?  Does anyone read the posts?  Hmm.

In other news, I leave for Los Angeles tomorrow morning, bright and EARLY.  Who doesn't enjoy a 6am flight?  I am eternally grateful that I was not flown out of Newark or JFK.  I should get over it as I am sure that I will survive, and in the empowering words of Kelly Clarkson (or whomever said it before her):  "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  Meh.

I will do my best to keep you (if there is a "you") updated as rehearsal progresses over the next seven weeks.  Until we meet again, take care and be kind to yourselves.

Blessings.

The Invitation

I want to experience all the things that are stated in this piece... One day I will.

“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.”
-Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Shakespeare I Am Not

In digging through the huge piles of letters, pictures, and notebooks that I hoarded during my childhood, I stumbled upon some poetry that I had written.  These range from 1994-1999 when I was 10-15.  I have no recollection of the inspiration for any of them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dinner"

a hot mist floats around the serving table
my heart lies open.  dig in.
take a shot, rip it out if you're able.
i've nothing left to lose.  let it begin.

fear bites at my ankles.
i've run as far as i can.
have i lost the thing that is me
do i try.  am i a man.

'i love you' said enough.
live it up.  take a ride.
you tell me it's tough
but there's nowhere to hide.


"A Grand Affair"

softly you speak
a gentle wind fills the space
too many have gone before
never to speak again.

once so tall, now something small
A Grand Affair, now not one will care.
you built it so strong, now it's all gone.


"Bring Me In"

she entered the room and i heard it sing.
a hole in this life now filled?
drink it up.  down now.
spit it out.  she's still there.

i pushed.  i tried.
i fell.  i lied.

searching for grace.
falling on my face.

hold me up, hold me close.
Bring Me In.

let it begin.

Fiddledee Dee!

Greetings from South Carolina! Myrtle Beach, to be exact. The sun is shining and the temperature is fifty-four degrees. It is only the 6th of March, so I suppose I can wait for the temp to rise to a more comfortable degree. To all of you in places still covered with snow, I do apologize for my apparent lack of gratitude in fair weather.

I am currently under contract with a theater and performing in two shows. We have up to ten shows each week. Let me clarify our "week" for you. The theater is only open five days a week, so we do a minimum of ten shows in five days. It is fun, but it is quite a test in fighting off exhaustion and injury. I have failed in the injury department and found myself with a damaged knee. It is not continuing to feel worse, so I believe that is a good sign. I am being very attentive and careful with what I do, so as to not create a larger issue. However, I am a perfectionist and am growing increasingly frustrated that I am not in the full show. At the end of the day, I need to remember that this is not the end of the world and that I only have 18 more show days. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" Thanks, Kelly.

I have some very exciting news. I have accepted another contract with Stiletto Entertainment (Holland America Cruise Line) and will be performing on the ms Nieuw Amsterdam. (http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/NieuwAmsterdam) It is the newest ship to the Holland America fleet and it is absolutely gorgeous. The theme of the entire ship is New York City since Nieuw Amsterdam was the original name for The Big Apple. Check out the link above for pictures and video tours of this incredible ship.

The cast for this particular ship is quite different from any other ship I have worked on. There are four male singers, (one legit/operatic, one lead, two dancer/singer) two female singers, (one lead and one singer/dancer) four female dancers, and two male dancer. I have been cast as one of the dancer/singers.

The shows on this ship look incredible and I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my music, so that I can dive in and start learning. The rehearsal process goes quite quickly, so I find it best to be as close to "off-book" as I can by the time I begin rehearsing.

The ship will be sailing in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean while I am on board and will visit places including, but not limited to: Venice (Italy), Athens (Greece), Mykonos (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), Naples (Italy), Rome (Italy), Croatia, Barcelona (Spain), Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Honduras, and Puerto Rico. I will begin rehearsal on May 22nd and will board the ship on July 6th in Barcelona, Spain. Dream!

This is a highly coveted contract on a stellar ship and I feel incredibly honored for the opportunity. So, I do not know if the South will rise again, but it sure does look like I am about to.

What is new and good for all of you?

Have a blessed week! Love, love, and more love, beauties.


-Photographs courtesy of Holland America Line and Adam Roberts (via Facebook).