a tavola

a tavola

we went there

for a date

that was mostly a thank you

because i threw up all saturday night

and aaron made sure i didn't drown or wash in my own bile.

"it's proof i love you," he says.

"i could have just let you lie there and die."

so apparently not letting me die = incomparable love

now you know.

ANyway, i was beyond grateful.

and beyond grateful means something nice.

i took him out.

and for MONTHS aaron has been trying to go to a tavola

which for some reason or another,

has never worked out.

well, it was a wednesday.

tonight was the night.

and we never go out, never.

so i showered

and curled my hair

and put on what little bit of my Good Make-Up I actually have left (that shiz is expensive!)

and wore heels

and met aaron for dinner.

here's what i have to say about a tavola, and i wish it wasn't so persnickety:

the tables are too big.

seriously.

i sat a grand canyon across from my boyfriend.

that's not fun!

look, a lady that's pretty and out on a date and wanting a little TLC

wants to be able to sidle up next to a date, right?

she wants yon date to look in her eyes and tell her she's gorgeous and for their feet to touch comfortably while they bask in the glory of oven baked pizza.

which, by the way, is AMAZINGLY GOOD.

yeah, their pizza is pretty darn tasty.

we had the artichoke, bacon on half (aaron's half,)

and a follow-up of salted caramel ice cream.

hello! that's the way to do it right! 

and it was ttttttaaaasssstttttty

and fresh

and a little bit grilled in the good way

that makes you think of your mom making pancakes in a cast-iron skillet

very yum.

so that was all good.

and the decor is cool.

sleek, sophisticated, modern.

our table was beautiful, i kept wanting to touch it and love it and feel how smooth it was

but aaron was soo far away from me

that the very long table just didn't contribute to a cozy time.

i would have had to work very hard to lean across the table to connect with him

and jesus christ i'd look like an idiot doing that.

easily, i could have moved my chair to the side, caddy-cornering with aaron

but sheesh, i was all self-conscious and didn't.

i should have.

maybe i will next time.

all in all, a tavola is tasty tasty, but not my favorite restaurant of all time in cincinnati.

i'm really in love with taste of belgium

but i've only been for lunch

and you all know i love lunch more than i love my birthday

weeeeeellll, maybe not that much.

but a lot.

A LOT.

have you ever seen two bloggers at lunch?

so my new real-life friend, lara,

of Newlyweds

and I both had an audition today.

and surprise surprise!

if we hadn't scheduled it for the same day before we ever knew that we'd be friends.

and as luck would have it, our auditions were one auditioner apart.

and as even more luck would have it,

lara,

loves groupon

and bought a groupon to tom + chee

which

i just blogged about

and she was gracious enough to share.

WE DID LUNCH, PEOPLE.

and man oh man, if we didn't do it well.

first can i say this:

two bloggers, at lunch, is very easy to spot, and very funny to see.

we take pictures of our food.

we talk about colors.

we talk about stories and as we're living the moment, living the lunch date,

we're both probably writing our respective recollections of the event for our blogs.

lara's blog is more grand-scheme than mine;

she writes full reports of her day, her life

and i blip in and out about mine

but here we were!

together!

dying in heaven!

i went pretty conventional: three cheese grilled cheese + chunky tomato basil soup

totally onolicious.

basically, whatever is good about a grilled cheese is made even better at tom + chee

they have no magic ingredients, no ridiculous bread

they're just effing normal and good

and that is tasty as hell to me.

PLUS

the bread practically melted away into my chunky tomato soup

and whether or not this should or should not alarm you

it pleased me to no end. it was so yummy!

lara got REAL crazy and ordered the grilled cheese donut,

which, as a new pansy,

i decided not to in case it upset my stomach and ruined the rest of what was being a perfect day.

she contemplated putting brie, pesto, and hummus on it,

and lord knows, i've not yet heard whether or not it has made her vomit.

but she ate it, god willing,

and i applaud her.


***ALSO***
lara blogs it over here.
hers is better.
go read it.

pouring out my heart: cover letters

i sent this letter in months ago to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and TODAY, it landed me an impromptu, additional audition with CSC on FRIDAY:

Candidate Submission
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company “Exciting Juncture!”
Allyson West
10.27.2011

ATTN: ------ -----Artistic Associate
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
719 Race Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-4304

Dear Mr. ------,

Children are masters of their own universe. A child knows no limits, no boundaries, is easy and quick to supply a world of fancy and possibility to support any impromptu suggestion. Working with children and young adults imbues one with unlimited power; herein a space is created to suggest and discuss, guide, and enlighten. To entertain, to rejoice, to celebrate. 

I have long believed Shakespeare’s stories to be epitomized in the eyes of children. Years ago, acting upon this belief, I created and performed sock puppet versions of Shakespeare’s works for my youngest siblings. Again, creating and running an outreach theatre camp in Honolulu, Hawaii, I took my distilled versions of Shakespeare’s works and enlarged them to suit a cast of disabled teenagers. Both were joyously free and hilarious successes.

In the wake of such inspiring freedom, Shakespeare’s characters become large and full, present, organically, as they are intended to be. Viewing Shakespeare through a lens of pure joy and possibility, his dramas, his comedies, his sonnets - all text ripens and blooms. Imbuing Shakespeare with such passion brings to life its action, delivering the text on course to Acting, and then, continuing, creating Theatre.

This is the work I am capable and fiercely proud of developing.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company stands rooted in its history in a way that appeals to me; I find here an unparalleled system of mentoring. By bringing my education, my inspirations, my talents, and my working qualities to the table, I will be met and recognized as a contributor to a whole composed of years and experiences far beyond my own. Additionally, four years of seeing shows (as long as I have lived in this city,) at CSC has endowed upon me enormous respect and awe for such talented and hard-working individuals. The performances are exceptional because the work-ethic is exceptional, a standard to which I honor and deliver.

Classical text itself has a tendency to largesse and expression unfamiliar to modern ages. As a performer, the comprehension is inevitable with the right heart. I LOVE CLASSIC literature because the heart often knows little boundaries; words and deeds are spoken and acted out of necessity. The honesty is unmatched.

With each passing year, Classical work becomes more impactful. Years, age, and time put a buoy between a story and its audience. With Classical work, the buoy results in Style, a hugely effective way to really deliver the poignancy and relativity of stories and works that have remained powerful through the ages.

With all this in mind, it is with true excitement that I submit my candidacy to be considered for both CSC’s Mainstage Guest spots and the Independent Touring Company. As a young woman living in Cincinnati, I strive to max out my greatest potential, searching entirely for ways to enrich and continue my personal growth. Onstage with CSC is a dream for any recent BFA Acting Grad. Touring with CSC, is a dream for this particular one; finding fulfillment and enrichment in the service for others.

I look forward to ongoing decisions being made in regards to the new juncture CSC has grown towards. I bring with me an unparalleled work ethic and an effervescent energy, both, undeniably remarkable qualities to bring into any communal environment.

Thank you, and all my best,

Allyson West

cheese.

perhaps it's the fact that i'm savoring a veggie-full diet

perhaps it's the fact that my office is located underneath a cafe 

that specializes in fried food.

nonetheless, grilled cheese is on my mind.

i'm not gonna lie--i'm a cheese lover.

jarlsberg is where the good stuff is, 

and it's delightfully cheaper than all those other fancy pants

cheeses you can buy from a cheese deli.

and now that i live above a gourmet cheese and wine shop, 

life is looking pretty delightful, 

amiright?

and so here we are today

me, dreaming of cheese;

you, probably dreaming of cheese, too;

the both of us benefitting from my research.

turns out, there's a lauded grilled-cheese cookbook,

as if cooking grilled-cheese really requires a recipe.

perhaps it's more of a grilled-cheese inspiration book

in which you'll find LOADS AND LOADS AND LOADS 

of grilled cheese ideas.

you better believe i'm checking this one out from the library soon.

in fact, i've been flying right through books on vegetarianism and veggie cook books.

this one would certainly make a pleasant addition, don't ya think?

cincy, itself, has a few grilled cheese specialities, i do believe.

i've lost my mind over my favorite cafe, lavomatic, in which i've only been once in my whole life and probably should go again right now,

where i ordered, with a friend, both the grilled cheese and the mac n cheese, for lunch.

cheesy, delightful heaven.

speaking of that, you guys know my love of all things fancylunch,

Lavomatic Cafe happened to be one of the best lunches evar.

if you're new to cindy

or your name is lara rhyner

and you like to do cincy-flavored things,

this one better top your list.

also. cincy's big hooplah,

tom and chee

WHERE I HAVE NEVER BEEN

and thus, shame on me for not having eaten here before.

srsly, tho, you google "best grilled cheese in cincinnati"

and you get three pages of people going nutso over this place 

and their grilled cheese donut.

i obvs want to try.

duh.

and the, finally,

my haven of cheese 

is arthur's fried cheese appetizer in hyde park

which i had over a year ago

and still often have dreams and taste-attacks over.

oh whoop te doo, i'm living less that 200 yards from Arthur's heavenly fried cheese?

go ahead, TELL ME that wasn't an accident.

so.

you guys feeling cheesy today? :)

bum dum ch!

ALSO

i tried to get lots of oozy goozy grilled cheese pics for you from interest

but the damn thing had a hernia and died

right as i needed it.

go google it yourself.

you'll love it.

yuuuuuummmm

Unbelievably Tasty Brunch: The Comet

hey internet.

how's it going?

oh me? just fine, totally fine.

just stopping by to say hey,

ya know,

and mention the most amazing, unbelievably tasty brunch i've ever had.

i'm not gonna lie;

i've pretty high standards for breakfast/brunch.

my parents make pretty excellent breakfast

and made it my entire life

at home

from scratch.

hooooommmmmeeeemmmaaaddde.

and so i love breakfast!

i try it everywhere!

but i never

died and went to heaven

until i had brunch at The Comet.

now, i use commonly,

what i like to call "exceptionally pleased language."

meaning, i'm fairly liberal with my "amazings," and "totally unbelievables," and "ohmygod this is freaking incredibles!"

which, although i do actually select such language for an appropriate combination of my commentary on reality and my experience of reality,

it does sometimes leave me at a loss.

like now, when i want to tell you about how incredible this breakfast is.

i almost can't.

but, of course, i can.

and the "can" of it becomes impossibly simple.

The Comet's brunch (where i've had a frittata, pumpkin french toast {which is actually a freaking custard delight, and aaron and i both wished we had gotten an extra one for the night,} and aaron has twice had a "hot mess" and probably eight thousand other things since he's been there so often,)....

The Comet's brunch is satisfying.

Very simply, satisfying, to the highest extent of the word.

During and after I've had my breakfast at The Comet, I want for nothing. My life is peaceful, content, and full of possibilities.

I know you could use this experience; I'm certain nobody could ever have too much of this calm.

So please, if you know what's good for you

and by "what's good for you,"

i actually mean, "think it's fun to take my advice."

go eat brunch on sundays at The Comet.

You are not going to regret it.

and you will forever think fondly of your time spent there.

i promise. <3

Cincinnati's American Sign Museum

i became "Said Date" on Saturday,

for the second time,

taking aaron on a date;

the first time being a magical night of dancing and bayou tunes

 in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky.

but i kind of cheated,

taking him some place that i've been wanting to go for over a year.

but  what can i say!

things are better when you're sharing!

so, it counts. as a date.

a fun one. :)

ANyway, the American Sign Museum is very cool!

an old guy named Tod,

who's been in the Sign Magazine Industry for years,

up and started a museum six or seven years ago.

and now,

he roams the country

paying big bucks for big vintage signs.

and then sometimes giving tours in cincinnati on the weekends.

the tour is GREAT.

Tod, our tour guide, proved a hilarious compendium of knowledge,

sprinkling all the historical, factual information

with personal opinions, antidotes, and very heartfelt facts

("that was the original artist for our studio...yep, died in the shower of a heart attack one day,

a big man, just up and keeled over.")

amidst all the wonderful personality, he proves an HAVEN of information

answering all my pesky questions, like,

"what do they use to make different colored neon?"

and

"what are the prices on neon letters/inflation rates/how much does this cost?"

and

further illuminating (get it? "illuminating") everyone on the very fascinating, very interesting

history, production, journey, blips, tricks, and essence of Neon Signs and signage, in general.

it was quite amazing.

 i absolutely recommend that you go.

ten bucks a person for a weekend tour, given three times on saturday at
10:00, 12:00, and 2:00 pm.

we spent the time after
enjoying a FREAKING DELICIOUS LUNCH
at Allyn's Cafe,

and the afternoon, picking up aaron's trials bike, and

i lost my mind playing with a five year old who likes to be kissed.
woohoo! kisses!

Evening spent at The Blind Lemon

aka "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BAR I'VE BEEN IN YET IN CINCINNATI"

(ummm, srsly. i totally posted on this yesterday, spur o' the moment)

where friends of aaron's
and happy acquaintances of mine
were celebrating an hours' old engagement!

Congratulations, Liz + Fiance'!

it was quite a blissful weekend,
 quite the happy days and evenings.

YOU GUYS

EVERYONE.

I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING.

i'm a total knock-out fan of

The Blind Lemon

in Cincinnati, Ohio.

in fact, i'm gonna use a common word for my life, lately:

SMITTEN

i'm entirely smitten with

The Blind Lemon

in Cincinnati, Ohio

;)

and more importantly,

their delicious cold-weather drinks

of which aaron has bought me two of in the past three days.

(milkyway milkyway we both have had nothing but drinks called "the milkyway")

pssst, mischief managed: Queen City Walking Tours

that person i like

my "Said Date,"

on previous occasions, referendum in blogging

took me on a date last friday.

a cool one!

which is common, but man! it was cool!

we did the

Queen City is Haunted! walking tour

through Downtown Cincy

(a sometimes terrifying place in its own right.) ;P

let me just say that it was literally a FREAKY awesome time.

our three hour tour

complete with three silly tour guides

dressed in reminescent period clothing

filled us in on all the happenings in a three block area for the past hundred + years, or so.

the tours began when the city of cincy requested the touring company to expand their ventures and provide recreational experiences for citizens across the tri-state.

and the premise is exceptional.

based in fact, the tours come to fruition

from cross-referenced stories.

stories told from multiple perspectives, having basis in actuality

with witness accounts

newspaper reports

significant life events and changes to back them up.

and then they bring in a psychic.

and they take her on the tour, without telling her any of their learned research

and she has all these freaky moments that back up all the research they've uncovered

and then, like very freaky magic,

the tour is born.

and then you bring in the poor saps

like the two above

who pay money to freak themselves out.

which, by the way, was super fun.

we walked the tour for three hours

visiting the streets of cincy

memorial hall, music hall, and 1313 vine st.

the two halls were UNBELIEVABLE.

like all performance spaces,

they totally, absolutely carry an aura with them

in a way that could easily and most usually

be counted as haunted.

i flipped out over those two places.

gorgeous. amazing. beautiful architecture. history

we even snuck up onstage at memorial hall

and snapped a picture

(mainly because we both knew that any normal house manager of that space would FREAK OUT

if they knew that we were actually up there and

subsequently encouraging the rest of the tour to be so emboldened.)

and in 1313 Vine, I again, flipped out

but mostly because the SPACE WAS TERRIFYING.

it used to be an old goth-freak-dominatrix club called "The Warehouse,"

in which WHO KNOWS WHAT happened.

we walked into the main room, and i immediately freaked out.

squeezed my eyes shut.

wrapped around aaron.

and whimpered?

perhaps i did, i'm a grown woman, so what! :)

and did i mention i grew up with ghosts?

very true. in my parents' home in texas.

ANyway, we made it out alive

and when the tour guides started leading the tour to suspecting

"activity and haunts are verrry common here! just look at our blinking EMF"

i stopped freaking out and realized again that it was all just play.

play, indeed.

very fun play.

i was so happy!

"is it bad that i just want to hit things?"

me: is it bad that i just want to hit things?

my trainer laughs. he smiles. he's eight million feet higher than me and probably two and a half times as big. he's got a mohawk. and tattoos on his face. he's got a big, happy smile and loves this happy, little girl bouncing and jumping around his studio.

warchild: not at all.

the thing i really love

the one thing i'm losing my mind over

getting chills and shivers and knocking knees

amped up emotions, anxiety attacks

is boxing.

right now, it's boxing.

(and of course some other plans I have going on.)

I'm training with Concrete Combat on Main Street now,

a small two-manned studio that packs a lot of punch.

You may recall the day I waltzed into the studio,

not having boxed before,

and now, four days in,

still kicking butt and taking names.

That is, as long as I keep myself smart and diligent.

I may or may not have worn out my body this past week.

And I may or may not have used my body in the ways I needed to.

But i persist!!

Let's talk about this studio!

CC gets major props for keeping its doors open. 

Seriously. Giant doors are thrown open to Main Street, thrown open to all those around them.

CC is lady-friendly. And by "lady-friendly," I mean, I don't feel like I'm getting shafted because I'm a woman. These trainers are intensely invested in working me to my highest potential, aiding and helping me discover strengths and weaknesses, and VERY committed to personalizing work-outs patiently to whoever shows up for a class. This rocks.

The teaching style at CC is the best. As mentioned, they understand that not everyone is a massive body-builder who has been MMA fighting for years OR has prison time as a pre-requ to boxing, (thank God.) They're gonna customize your workouts. They're gonna put you with people who will challenge you. And they're gonna let you set the limits for what you accomplish.

Concrete Combat is giving me a place to breathe. I'm able to work for myself, work on me, play around a lot, and always strengthen. My favorite days are the ones I walk in in the midst of a work-out. Jump in! Learn! Get stronger!

I love 'em. <3

Currently, the things I keep messing up that I should not be messing up are:

-- throwing punches from my hips, turning my hips as I work (i should be doing this every time.)

-- footwork

-- hooks (which are definitely getting better.)

The Things I have Achieved are:

-- kicks

-- being active about my learning

-- being invested in my education

The Things I will Work on Next Time are:

-- rhythm

-- timing

-- not getting anxiety attacks every time I train with John Platt (he kills me - his eyes are closed windows reminding me how intimidating he is. ACTUALLY - can we just talk about this a minute? This guy has me train by PUNCHING HIM IN THE FOREHEAD. Seriously. He LETS me. Do you know how disconcerting it is to PUNCH SOMEONE IN THE FOREHEAD to have them not even bat an eyelash? THAT is intensity, my friends, INTENSITY.)