GUEST BLOGGER: Jackie Lamptey!

Hi, Friends!

Jackie Lamptey here. That's right folks, your very own Violet Beauregard! I'm not sure if you guys know this, but... I'm kind of a big deal. I am very pleased to be offering you a dosage of the blog that we have all come to know and love so well. Big ups to A. Gloop for somehow managing to bring the wit and the funny every day! Wow- I'm so nervous... So many expectations for a blog-worthy journal. In my mind, I am currently imagining settling for a mediocre blog passage for tonight and then later hearing on CNN the civil riots that soon erupted in obscure locations of Idaho, Washington DC, Japan, West Virginia, Australia, and the Philippines- an angry backlash in response to one very poor gogloop blog entry on February 22nd, 2006. No! It is my obligation-nay-, my DUTY to deliver you an entry among all entries. First I will conquer this, then... THE WORLD!

So, today Mama (my pet name from the cast) started her day bright and early at 6:00AM(!) sharp to make my way into the city from New Haven, Connecticut- our current location- for an audition. I'm not sure if this is common knowledge to all of you blog-supporters, but Mama likes her sleep. I probably win the title for the sleepiest person in the cast. Anytime, anywhere, any place I can totally conk out. The doctor said something about "hypersomnia", whatever that means.. No, not narcolepsy, silly! I just love to nap it up. In fact, it is so much part of my lifestyle that I list "Competitive Napping" as a hobby on my resume. Ah, but I digress... right- um, the point was that it was 100% painful for me to get up crazy early today.
Today was quite the triumph for me. One of my biggest fears is getting lost. I don't particularly enjoy traveling by myself because I get freaked out easily when I don't know where I am or how to get to where I'm going. But today, TODAY , was a sweet day of success for my navigational "incapabilities". Not only did I get on the Metro North transit-or what I so fondly like to call "a big girl train"- going the correct direction into the city, but I got onto the subway and to my audition ON TIME all by myself!!! Ok- so Matt helped me a little with the directions last night- but I was totally all by myself making tough adult life choices like "credit or debit?" and "peak or off peak fares?" and everybody's favorite: "are the street numbers going up or down?". Oh, Happy Day!

Needless to say, I was very proud of my courage and dignity in the face of adversity. In fact, I took it upon myself to commend myself several times throughout the course of the day (I mean, who else is going to do it?... I was all alone, remember?). I secured a time slot for 3:30
and decided to conquer the city on foot! My acute SALE! nasal glands soon brought me to the door of the gloriously inexpensive H & M on Sixth Avenue. Let me just express this to you, folks: it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Two and half hours and $115.37 later, I somehow felt wholly fulfilled, born anew, a newly-instilled confidence brimming deep within me. Was it the new blue and white babydoll vintage print dress I purchased that accentuated all my best features, you ask? Perhaps. But, today, I am a new woman.

Later, I met Sweet Tara -your very own Season 1 Veruca Salt-for lunch at a lovely little place called The Playwright Pub. We then headed to the AEA building so I could get ready to rock my audition. Within walking in the doors, I ran into two of my old college buddies from VCU that I hadn't seen in years! It was craziness! We happily chatted and quickly caught up much to the chagrin of the AEA auditors who have recently garnered the reputation of being Noise Nazis ("Actor's Equity Association is a place of business, treat it as such!" warn the signs menacingly). Both are doing well: Jake having had a recent feature on "Law and Order: SVU" (my favorite one) as a jaded frat guy whose questionable behavior during a frat party that got out of hand landed him in Ice-T's interrogation office; and Pete, currently working at the Metropolitan Opera as a fight choreographer as well as teaching TV/Film Acting to kids at a prominent acting school.

I rocked the audition, chatted briefly with fellow castmate Jen, and then hung around to see whether I might get squeezed in for another audition, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.They cut off the alternate list early. Ah, the life of an actor. Wearily, I hopped on the train to head back to the sweet, sweet embrace of the New Haven Fairfield Inn Marriott pillow top bed awaiting me, taunting me even, in my hotel room.

So, that was my day. I hoped it lived up to all you knew it could be. I'd love to chat it up some more, but I gots to go because I have got some more auditions to hit and quit tomorrow, and, more importantly, there is decadent sleep to be had. Have a super week.

Hugs and kisses,

-V. Beauregard