Hustle & Grind, Weekend Edition

Weekends are working days around here, but a slightly later start time means coffee meditation in the (hanging) garden.

Today, I have a rehearsal and a film shoot with the Void Theater Company, a yoga class (if I hurry) and then a performance of The Harper's Play at Jack NY. Cue- big breakfast!

Power plate, activate- turkey bacon, whole wheat tortilla, egg and greens.

It just began snowing outside my window, which means I'll bundle up like I'm hitting the Iditarod and trundle to the subway, wondering how on earth anyone can manage to look even remotely stylish in this weather? I cease caring at approximately 30 degrees.

I'm excited to feature a workout tomorrow with a very special guest contributor. Keep your eyes peeled. 

Do you have a working weekend? What's your favorite Saturday AM ritual? And do you try to look fly in the cold, or does comfort reign?

A few quick updates!

The wild world of Keelie is as exciting and busy as ever. My life is currently jam-packed, but with some very terrific things!

I work with Jack's Stir Brew- the city's BEST coffee company- doing social media and general coffee-shop fun. 

Our vegan, organic, Kosher pastry kitchen, run by chef Camillo Sabella, is one of the best in the city and it's been a real treat photographing Camillo's creations. 

I've begun working for Mealku- a NYC-based online community that delivers meals personally prepared by our network of home cooks. Think Seamless or Grubhub, but with a lot more love. I'm doing Mealku's food photography- pretty close to a dream job for me. Additionally, I'll be taking over some of their social media outlets. 

Some of my favorite images so far. ANNND I get to taste it all. Life is good. 

Steve's Mac & Cheese with Pancetta and Peas

Guillermo's Woked Chicken and Baby Bok Choy

Gina's Spaghetti Squash with Pepitas, Pomegranate Seeds and Pecorino Cheese

 Anna's Allspice Biscotti

Mariantonia's Venezuelan-style Shredded Chicken

I was recently able to spend a day volunteering with some Mealku pals at The Bowery Mission. We were able to prepare and serve lunch for 300 hungry New Yorkers. 

Nothing like helping others to remind yourself how terrific your life is, regardless of what the world throws at you.

And in non-food-related items, I'm in a really terrific show! The Downtown Loop at 3LD has gotten a lot of critical love. Check us out in the NY Times! We perform Tues-Sat at 8p and have a Sat matinee at 3p. Running until November 16th! Come check us out!

So I'm busy. Super busy. But incredibly aware of how tremendously lucky I am. Life is good, indeed. 

Rainy Days Off

Yesterday AM I wanted warm and sweet. HellOOOO chocolate banana oat cake with PB!  :)

It was raining like a bojammie when I left my house. My boots were SOAKED by the time I met up with my classmate Sarah. She lent me a dry pair of socks and we headed to Cafe Madeline to grab some lunch and hit the books! 

The simple, fresh, rustic decor provided the perfect ambiance to enjoy some delicious eats!

Brain food and belly food. Hooray!

 Sarah ATTACKED her gorgonzola peach sandwich. I don't blame her. It was epic. 

 And I made sweet, sweet tastebud love to this roasted eggplant sandwich. 

 This baguette (from Pain D'Avignon Bakery) nearly brought happy tears to my eyes...

 You KNOW I had to get a large iced coffee as well...

 We supplemented our lunch with the happy study snacks- a peanut butter cookie with coconut and a chocolate chip cookie with sea salt. Ay caramba. 

After studying for a bit, I headed into Manhattan to meet another classmate, Aaron.

 We grabbed a quick dinner at Cosi- I got the chicken tinga sandwich. SO. GOOD. 

And then we headed to the Japan Society to see Satoshi Miyagi's Medea, which I was reviewing for NYTheatre.com. You can read my full review on my theatre blog when it's been written, but I will say that I absolutely adored this production. After the show, Aaron and I headed down to Max Brenner's for dessert (no pictures- too dark!) and I finally rolled home around 1a, which is insanely late for me!

When I awoke this AM, I set to work fixing myself an egg in a basket. 

Cut a hole in a slice of bread, place in a sprayed skillet, crack an egg into the hole, cook, flip, cook, love. 

I also poured myself a few incredibly neglected supplements (I don't even want to admit how long it's been since I've taken these...)

Meet the regular cast- flax oil, calcium, D3 and Wellness Formula. What do you take regularly? 

To complete my Omega boost, I sucked down this DrinkChia Strawberry Citrus bevvie. Mmmmm....

And now, to clean my house, go for a run and do some homework! Happy Saturday!

P.S. Tomorrow is the inaugural NYC BLOGGER PLAYDATE! I. CAN'T. WAIT.

Theatre in the Park!

McCarren Park, that is! Last night, I schlepped across Brooklyn (quite the arduous task, as my regular train wasn't running- I DEFINITELY got my workout in for the day) to see the Glass Bandits Theatre Company's production of The Little Mermaid (Hans Christian Andersen style, NOT Michael Eisner style). They set up a bare-bones stage in the middle of the park- I brought a blanket and arrived early for a front-row seat!

I was joined by my MFA Acting classmate Jeremy and his beautiful wife, Laura!

And two other classmates- Aaron and Patrick (as seen in my latest beach excursion). 

From L to R- myself, Aaron, Patrick and Jeremy- evidently we can't get enough of each other, as we spend all day, every day, together in class and STILL socialize on the weekends... :)

The Little Mermaid was absolutely breathtaking. A solid ensemble cast provided gorgeous and haunting a capella vocals, mesmerizing puppet work and a heartfelt and honest portrayal of a story that is often watered down to make it less tragic. The choreography was perfection. The lighting (something you wouldn't think you'd notice in a park) was perfection. The direction was... perfection. I adored EVERY detail of this well thought out production, as did all of my cohorts. Bravo! 

And now... I'm off to callbacks from yesterday's auditions for Brooklyn College's production of Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice. They're seeing myself and a few other females to fill in some small parts that weren't cast last fall, but a few of my classmates are up for the male lead! Send good vibes! :)