Sigh

Ok...we are finally in our apartment! YAY!
Mandy went on Saturday afternoon and got in....I had massive rehearsals all weekend since we open this weekend....but it's amazing....new...clean...nice....and a breath of fresh air. More later...

My night was almost ruined though by a nasty cab ride....
It was FREEZING in the city on Saturday and I decided to take a cab from east midtown to Astoria....typically this is only about a 15 minute ride....the concierge at the hotel my friend was staying at and where I was staying with him for a few days found me a cab. I specifically told him that I wanted a cab that took credit card because I did not want to get cash because my bank was not in the area (and I was NOT about to withdraw and get charged a fee)....because even though there was a strike about the whole thing you still can't tell which cabs take credit and which ones don't unless you actually get into the damn cab. So he finds me a cab that he says will take me there and takes credit card...the guy kind of gives him attitude about making the trip-but whatever. I get in and alas he does take credit card. So I'm enjoying the quiet ride in the warm back to my new home. We get to the corner by my apartment and I swipe my debit card and the driver starts losing his shit on me, asking me if I had cash. I told him that I didn't and that I told the guy at the hotel that I needed a car that took credit card. I put the tip on there and he decides to not stop going off angrily in his broken English about how awful it is that now he will have to go and cash this and he'll only get this much money and blah blah....pushing me to the brink of going off right back....as I hop out and grab my things I look him square in the eye and I say...."if you don't like this then don't drive a Goddamn cab in New York City....don't bitch at me about your expenses and having to cash things...bitch at the cab company this isn't my problem--and on top of that just so you know you should feel lucky to at least have a job....so kiss my ass and if you don't like it go back to your own damn country or do something else." Probably not the best thing to say...but I was livid. I was shocked that someone would go off on me like that. I felt bad about the latter part of my comment because being here has made me really realize just how much of a melting pot our country is---tolerance is a MUST and acceptance is a MUST...but something snapped in me that caused me to freak out on this guy who could barely speak English in MY country serving ME and WORKING here. Why is it that our country is looked so down upon when we require everyone to speak English...or when we say "ENGLISH" is the primary language? You go to Italy, France, Germany, etc many will NOT go out of their way to speak English to you--and in France especially they will hate you for not speaking their language. I can only imagine other countries...so why are we so different? I'm amazed and irritated by this at all times-it's as if we have no balls...we want everyone to just kind of get along and we are SO afraid of offending anyone. Even myself at the commet I made I was repulsed and then I later thought about it....no...I think in some ways I was right. The point is...this is New York...I'm learning that something like that can just happen and then 5 minutes later you just have to brush it off and move on. With as many positive things as there are here...there are just as many negative things.
Ok...enough bitching. The next two nights are off from rehearsal and then we go into tech. I was whipped last night from a weekend full of 7 hour rehearsals. Yesterday we had Johnny Rockets in the East. Village and it was amazing!!! I need to o laundry and some small shopping....
Justin