Meet the Cast Mondays-- MARK

So I've decided I think it'd be great for whoever is reading this to get a taste of exactly who I'll be living and working with for the next few months. So every Monday, I'm going to do a "Meet the Cast Monday", which will feature a little bio about whomever is up for the week, and then finish it off with James Lipton's questions from Inside the Actors Studio. 

First on our list.....

MARK ADAMSON

I gave Mark's Facebook page a solid stalk and figured this was the best photo to introduce him, because he looks most like a leprechaun. 

Mark hails from Northern Ireland. His brogue is badass, and he sounds like a more drunk version of the Lucky Charms leprechaun. He's the other male singer on the boat, and his range is ridiculous. Seriously, during warm-ups I just kind of look at him and laugh--he pretty much sings a full octave lower than me, but then also wails on Frankie Valli and would crush Jesus Christ Superstar. He's a rocking Irish tenor with a 'dad' sense of humor to boot. And he's also my roommate! I'll have my own room on the ship, but while in rehearsals he's my roomie. Every morning we start the day by singing "Good morning star shine" to one another. Another interesting fact: Mark has "tried" watching The Hobbit since the day I met him, yet he somehow hasn't found the time to do so. So if you see Mark anytime soon, be sure to ask him how much he enjoyed this film. 

This is from the very first night I arrived.... I convinced him to come out for "one drink" instead of watching The Hobbit... needless to say, mayhem ensued. 

"Out of everyone in the cast, I feel sorry for Mark the most--he's got a lot to deal with." --Mark's suggestion on how I begin this post. 

The Questions

What is your favorite word?

Kerfuffle... I don't know, I'm just thinking of words. I quite like the word insinuate.

What is your least favorite word?

No.

What turns you on?

Maltesers. 

What turns you off?

Smoking. 

What sound or noise do you love?

I guess I love the sound of cooking?... I love the sound of a frying pan, but when I'm sitting in my living room and my parents are in the kitchen and I know I'm getting fed. 

What sound or noise do you hate?

EHHHHHHHH!!!!! (I really have no other description of what just came out of his mouth but this.)

What is your favorite curse word?

Fuck-a-duck.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Maybe something like repping or maybe advertising? Someone who creates ideas for adverts or commercials. 

What profession would you not like to do?

I'd hate to be a cleaner. 

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates?

"You smashed it."

So that's a little something about Mark--my partner in crime and mayhem-seeker. And Happy "Meet the Cast" Monday!

A Post About Piss

Piss.

Piss?

Piss.

Don't run. This is not going to be a post dedicated to urine.

OK maybe a little bit. My friends and I peed in viles getting our medicals, what do you expect?! (Side note, mine is the clearest because I"m the most hydrated)

Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, THERE'S MORE. I am fascinated by how many uses the word "piss" has in this country. So here's a list of "piss" being used in a sentence (with an American translation by yours truly).

piss--noun. urine. "Look at my piss in a vile."

piss--verb. to urinate. "I had to piss terribly, and it didn't help that Bex hit every pothole between Leeds and Seamer."

pissed--adjective. drunk. "She was so pissed she doesn't remember falling off his bed." 

pissed--adjective. angry. "I was pissed when my visa took six years to get processed."

And sometimes it's fun to combine uses in one sentence. 

"I was was pissed that he got so pissed that he pissed on a tree." #English

And then with one phrase, everything gets WILD.

TAKING THE PISS

"taking the piss"--are you kidding me? What the hell does that even mean? Am I surrounded by urine-robbers?

Apparently I wasn't the only one intrigued by this phrase--it has its own Wikipedia Page

In a nutshell, there are a few ways to use it. It can mean everything from "Are you kidding me?" to gentle teasing, to fully laughing at someone. One can be taking the piss. Another can be taking the piss out of someone. For use in a sentence:

"She was taking the piss"

"He took the piss out of me!"

"Are you taking the piss?"

Say piss again. Piss. 

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!

In conclusion, this country loves piss. And I love them for it. And just because I can, here's me waiting to get my medical exam holding my piss and riding a horse.

Proper Fish and Chips

Looks like I haven't written anything for a while! It's really busy over here... Lots of music and choreography to be learned and memorized, as well as exploring all things English and spending time to get to know the town and people; that all said, it's been a blast and I couldn't be happier.

If there was one thing that could come close to the love I have for my family, friends, or puppy, it would be (surprise!) FOOD. If you know me at all, we've probably dined together (and there's probably been nothing on the plate at the end of the meal). I eat anything and everything (minus olives and veal), and I'm definitely an adventurous eater; I will try anything edible. So as part of my travels, I'm extremely excited to embark on new cuisine. I figured I'd start with one of the most traditional, tasty English dishes around--fish and chips.

I was in search for the most authentic, fresh fish and chips around... And it just so happens that it's right next to our cast's house! This is a hole-in-the-wall spot with a line coming out the door. It's take-away only, and seemed to be THE PLACE for Friday night dinner. Here are the women who make it all possible and whip up some delicious treats.




They offered a few other options too, like deep fried sausage, coleslaw, and some other British bites; but I asked my friends for the most authentic British option:

Fish, chips, and mushy peas!

Deep fried heaven

I had no idea what mushy peas were. They look a bit like vomit, but they're quite nice. They're exactly what you think they are, so I'm not even going to elaborate. The portions were HUGE, and served traditionally wrapped in paper; they also provided funny little wooden forks. 

Fish and chips wrapped in paper. Please take note of the swag denim jacket (haters back off)

The chips are served with "scraps" on top, which is essentially the leftover fried stuff that doesn't have any fish in it. HEALTHY!!!! When the woman serving me asked how I wanted them, I responded "the most traditional way... if you couldn't tell, I'm not from around here." She threw some salt and malt vinegar on them, and that was it! It was astonishing. 

It's not a commonly known fact, but if you enjoy it the calories don't count.

This will come as a shock to some.... I wasn't able to finish. THAT. MUCH. FOOD. And I just ordered a regular (I leave the large option to competitive eaters only). I enjoyed every morsel until I thought the big fried fishy was gonna swim back upstream, and I called it quits. Needless to say, it was amazing. Food adventure number 1 was a major success.. We'll see what other treats England has up her sleeve for me. And since this post really only had photos of fried fish in it, here's a photo of some of us that went out later that evening; because if there's anything my parents don't understand, it's photos without people ("why would you take a picture of something without a person in it? You can just get a postcard").

Paul (England), Emma (England), Ashley (England), Me (USA WADDUP), Perdro (Spain), and Masha (Belgium)

Keep it real y'all. Eat well this week!!

Joseph

Home Sweet Home (for now)

So now that I've been here for a bit over a week, I think I should share exactly it is that I'm living. My cottage is in the village of Scalby, which is a village on the north edge of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England (thanks Wikipedia). When first driving through North Yorkshire making my way to Scalby, I was in awe--I think I saw more sheep on that one drive than I ever have in my entire life. Scarborough (which is the biggest town near Scalby and where we rehearse) lies right on the ocean and has lots of cool stuff going on--great scenery, shops, restaurants, pubs, and more. It used to be a massive vacation spot for people in the UK because it lies directly on the North Sea, but it actually became less expensive to get to Spain than to get to Scarborough and get a room (and the weather typically works out more nicely for Spain). So now tourism is actually largely made up by the casinos nearby. This is where it all falls on a map. 

Again, thanks to Wikipedia for making this incredibly easy. And that ocean we live next to is the North Sea! So maybe I can pretend I'm on LBI as well? Double win. 

Our little street looks like something out of a movie. We live at an old post office which has been converted into a beautiful cottage. It's aptly named "The Old Post Office" and has a cool little red post box in front of it.

This is Scalby's High Street, where our cottage lies.

Home sweet home!

Here's a little virtual tour. Thank God for all that apartment-hunting before I left the country (Hi Coll and Tar!); now I know all the right angles to show you of The Old Post Office.

We start with a stroll through the mudroom. Nice decor, and a huge mirror not pictured but perfect for selfies before leaving the house for a night of debauchery in Scarborough. 

Walk in and look to your left, and we have our first of two living rooms:

Each TV has all the channels you could want with DVD players, and all the electric fireplaces work as well!

Across the hall from this living room is our second living area and open concept kitchen:

Emma surely watching some trashy British television. Or maybe that's Star Wars? But plenty of room to sit and hang, as well as a kitchen table for our family dinners.

Look at these stunners! They're standing behind our island and stove. But this has everything, including a DISHWASHER!!!!! Praise Jesus. Most importantly, please note Emma's pointed foot. Even on her day off, she's on; believe it or not, she's a dancer. Next to her are Hayley (a beautiful dancer as well) and Mark (the other male vocalist/ my partner in crime).

What a beautiful day! Perhaps I'll have lunch outside in...

Our garden and patio!

Let's head upstairs now. I won't show you the ladies' rooms because I'm not a pervert, but this is Mark and my room!

My bed is made, Mom!!! Mark's usually is too.. maybe this was after a rough night? Please note Little Teddy sitting with my pillows... That little guy comes everywhere with me.

Lots of storage space, and a TV...

And the view from our bedroom!

Next on our tour, we have our bathroom...

Which is not to be mistaken with the toilet, or loo!

Two separate rooms. Still haven't decided if this is brilliant or terrible. 

We will actually be moving in a little over a week to a different cottage (it's above a pub... DANGER! DANGER!). But that's all for today--off to practice some stuff from rehearsals. Cheerio! 

Sunday Roast

Happy Sunday!!!

One of the best days of the week! Church bells are ringing, sun is shining, and I've been introduced to a new British tradition--The Sunday Roast.

The only thing I can compare Sunday Roast to is Thanksgiving (once a week; watch out waistline). It's such an awesome weekly time for families to gather round--in this case, our big, dancing, incestual boat family. Our fantastic chefs Masha and Victoria spearheaded an epic meal of roasted chicken, green cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower in a tasty cheese sauce, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, stuffing balls (they're exactly what you think they are), and roasted parsnips. Being that we're in North Yorkshire, it felt perfect that I had my first encounter with Yorkshire pudding. SURPRISE--this is actually a pastry. The flavor is similar to an American pancake baked into what I can only describe as an inside-out muffin. But hey, a photo is worth a thousand words. 

Definitely not pudding. But they sure are tasty!

I really lucked out with this cast! I'm surrounded by devilishly attractive chefs who all like to keep a clean home--God bless the UK. 

Tonight's dinner was hosted at the Palladium, which is another Qdos cottage housing some of our amazing dancers (more on my cottage coming soon). One said dancer, Paul, proceeded to make one of the craziest, most delicious brownies I've ever had. This brownie was made from fresh cocoa and sprinkled with crushed Oreos on top. I probably now have diabetes, but I think it was worth it.

Paul's brownies and dance moves are equally sweet.

LOVING Sunday Roast. It's a time for family to get together. Anyone across the pond reading this--adopt it!!! You don't need a massive feast, but I implore you to just take one night a week to put down your phones and cook some food with the people you love. And hey--maybe even try a new dish that you never would have (seriously though, Yorkshire pudding rocks). 

Tele--that means TV in British

Television has not played a huge role in my life for the past five years. I never had one during college in the Heiken Deiken--we were more fond of board games and binge eating. In fact, I think the only TV watching I've done in the past five years would be binge marathons of Law and Order: SVU and Modern Family. Yet before rehearsal over a cup of tea or after whilst eating excessive amounts of hummus, the tele always seems to be on. I've been surprised to find programs like Friends (everyone in my house hopes to go to Central Perk when we dock in NYC), but I've also started to learn British television.

There is one show called Made in Chelsea which seems to have a cult following--think Laguna Beach with British accents and no beach. But I think I'll leave another blog post altogether for Chelsea. Tonight is dedicated to an annual television/ musical event:

#EUROVISION.

I only included the hashtag because that is the OFFICIAL hashtag of #Eurovision. Can someone make a hashtag "official"? Is that a thing? I've strayed. Eurovision is kind of like the Olympics, but once a year. And there's music. And no sports. Poor comparison? Essentially every country in Europe has a musical artist or group, and there is this HUGE concert/ competition that takes place in the previous winner's country. This year, the event takes place in Copenhagen. This is where we sort of get into the kicker of Eurovision--because it is an epic, lavish concert and every year, it gets pretty expensive (we're talking millions of pounds/ dollars/ euro every year). Because of this, no one really wants to host Eurovision. So you've got a bunch of acts that are all almost good, but all working to not be good enough to actually win. Bravo, Europe, for creating a continent-wide competition where the real winners lie in the plain between "extremely mediocre" and "almost good".

This is one of the contestants of Eurovision representing Austria. Just like the Von Trapps.

The program is also aired in each country, with different commentators per country. The winners of Eurovision are decided by audience votes--but you can't vote for your own country. As you may have guessed, it can get a bit political.  It's a pretty fascinating idea. 

In conclusion, Eurovision is essentially what would happen if American Idol had a gay baby with The Hunger Games.

Here's a photo of some of my pretty house-mates: Mark, Emma, and Hayley! We ordered lots of Chinese food to celebrate a hard work week.

Cheers!

A Yank at Sea in a Sea of Brits

Hi friends!

As I was preparing to fly across the pond, a lot of friends and family would say "keep us updated!" So I was thinking about it, and figured this was probably the coolest way to do it! The plan here is to show you all the exciting adventures I'll be on, where I'm living, who I hang with, and life in general here over here in the UK! So stay tuned--I'll be sure to bring you some great stories, pictures, videos, and fun. The next few months is sure to be filled with growth, new friends, and general debauchery, and I'm intent on sharing everything that's safe for the internet and my mother to see. 

Cheers! (I'm British already)

Joseph