Keeping the Faith in Billy

Today Billy Joel did teach me a lesson. The lesson was about missed opportunities; how in this city time wasted is equivalent to lost opportunities. And boy was he harsh when teaching it: Billy's got a new girl friend.

The day after I had made up my mind to move to New York City, the news was announced the Billy Joel would be divorcing his then wife. I took it as a sign from God Billy Joel (people tell me their separate entities, though I’m not convinced) was the right thing to do. God Billy thought that me moving to the city was so right that he was willing to divorce his twenty-something wife to make room in his heart for me.

Well I missed the chance. He’s found himself another girl his daughter’s age to love. And, why? Because I missed my chance: maybe I missed the Craigslist advertisement that would have gotten me an apartment sooner, or the job listing for Billy Joel personal assistant, or maybe I was too busy buying a cookie from Subway and missed my chance to meet him on the street corner. I’ll probably never know why; Billy works in mysterious ways.

I do know that Billy is trying to teach me a lesson though. As I get settled in my job and my apartment I have to change focus and really dedicate myself to actually becoming an actress. If I allow myself to get distracted and start wasting time with the wonders that are New York City, I might just loose my opportunity for my big break. I’ve already lost my chance at Billy heart (even if it is only for a year or two before he gets divorced again), now I can’t afford to lose another opportunity.

I’m putting my faith in Billy’s teachings, and getting my ass in gear. Today I updated my resume, researched acting classes, contacted old teachers and prepared myself, because first thing I’m doing tomorrow is buying a printer, envelopes, and stamps. By tomorrow evening I hope to have my resume and headshot being carried every which direction the mail truck goes. I’m trusting in Billy to help me through.

Scenes from and Italian Restaurant

What Billy Joel never told me about New York? That everybody lies on their resumes.

Well I’m sure that’s not completely true, but as I dedicated my life completely and utterly to getting a job from Sunday through Thursday that seemed to be the advice I was getting. In New York, you see, to get a job as a hostess (not waitress) you have to have at least “two years New York experience” to work at the most casual of Manhattan's restaurant. How does every applicant going out for the jobs here have such experience on their resume and hasn’t moved on to become a waitress, or move on to better restaurants or, you know, get a real job? Well according to at least 5 different sources “oh just lie about it.” It seems like every person I know here has a different story about either lying themselves to get a job or somebody they know lying; whether it’s the restaurant industry or retail, they’re doing some “resume padding.”

Though Iafter 40 job applications I was tempted, it is my great pleasure to tell you that I did not stoop so low. I officially landed a job at an Italian restaurant in Soho, and I didn’t lie in any way shape or form. How did I get it? Well, simply put, I’m attractive and English is my first language. I got the job by showing up for the interview, where my manager, told me they were (in heavy Italian accent) “to be honest looking for experience, but, eh, if you want to show up in an hour we’ll try you out. No guarantees, but maybe.” Needless to say, I canceled my dinner date with a friend and did show up in half an hour and started my training.

About the job: I’m working for a bunch of Italians who fit every Italian stereotype they can. They’re overly friendly-the owner/chef kissed me on both cheeks my second day of training. They love wine-said chef starts drinking near the end of his shift, while on the job, and they practically force a glass of wine in my hand at the end of my own shift (I’m not sure if they know that I’m underage, but even if they did, I’m not sure they’d care enough to remember). The manager, owner, and chef all obviously talked about me in Italian the first day and whether they wanted to keep me; the only reason I knew the answer was yes was because the next minute the manager was asking me if I wanted a glass of wine and telling me I had to show up at 8 the next day.

Everything in this city happens at the speed of light. I went to bed Wednesday night thinking that I could never get a job here, and I ended up going home at 11:30 Thursday night with the guarantee that if I didn’t mess up Friday I had the job. Tonight I am going to bed with a job, but with no acting prospects in sight, but who knows what tomorrow may bring.

Why the State of Mind

I guess I should begin with explaining the title of this blog. Wednesday, Thursday, and all of Friday night I put Billy Joel's "New York State Of Mind" on repeat on my I-Tunes. I officially listened to the song 42 times. It was an obsession. Never in the history of my relationship with Billy Joel, have I thought that he was speaking personally to me. I was like that schizpohrenic in a bad cop show who was convinced television was talking directly to me telling me to do bad things. Except Billy would never steer me to murder or steal, but instead to move to NYC. The connection to the lyrics I was getting:

"I'm taking a grey hound..." I took a bus up here.
"It was so easy living day by day..." I found living in Baltimore to be easy
"Out of touch with the Rthym and the Blues" I was never in touch with R&B
"But now I need a little give and take, the New York Times, the Daily News" I'm not sure where Bill was going with this, but I feel it applies to me.
"I don't care if it's Chinatown..." I'M MOVING TO CHINATOWN!

"I don't have any reasons, I left them all behind, I'm in a New York state of mind" Well, I was sold.

Anyway, I suppose the fact of the matter is Billy doesn't really tell you anything about New York in his music. Yeah, sure we learn the he's Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway and that he's in that State of Mind, but how can I apply that to my everyday life as a new New Yorker? I guess it's up to me to fill in the gaps and write about how I learned about living in New York as an unemployed 19 year old actress, by throwing myself into it, with or without Billy's advice and knowledge.