God put the rythym in me, he put it, in me...

Yeah, you are probably wondering! The image is the giveaway... I went and saw a Broadway play tonight called Altar Boyz. I had been invited to see it with some people back home but couldn't make it for whatever reason and after the most hillarious 90 mins of my trip so far, I'm glad I made up for it by seeing it here.

The official wrap is "Altar Boyz is the smash-hit musical-comedy spoof about a heavenly guy-group on the rise to stardom. The show takes place on the last leg of their national tour as they belt out hilarious songs like “Girl, You Make Me Wanna Wait” and “Jesus Called Me On My Cell Phone” and tell their unbelievably funny story (including how a nice Jewish boy ended up in the group- his mother for one would like to know). With an extraordinary mix of spectacular music, sinfully sensational dancing, uncontrollable laughs, and lighthearted fun, this award-winning and totally original new musical is 90 minutes of pure delight that’s suitable for all ages."

There are a couple of reasons why I really loved this play - first, I am a not-so-closeted Backstreet Boys fan (If you didn't know, gasp now and get over it) so any kind of vocal harmony will win me over. It will especially win if it parodies religion or anything else that we all seem to get too up tight about from time to time. I'm also a big fan of light hearted musicals, and I am well aware that I need a prescription for lightening up so this was just what the doctor ordered.

That was the highlight of my day, a chance to have a laugh without my friends. I've had a few random thoughts come to me today that I am trying to remember because I wanted to make a point of writing them down - if not for your entertainment, for my own record.

First was the issue of me sleeping most of today, after what wasnt exactly the biggest of nights last night. I had seen another comedy show across the road at Ha! Comedy Club and had a good few drinks but I don't think that was it. I woke up, got ready to head out for some breakfast and had another quick lie down. At 4pm when I woke I suddenly realised that maybe I really did need a break more than I thought. Here I was thinking I had jetlag for the first day or so but it turns out it is lifelag. It's a shame that I have had to travel 16,000 kms and spend a lot of money to really realise I needed to slow down, but I think that has helped. Being in one of the worlds biggest, busiest cities suddenly seems to add some perspective to everything else.

As much as I think I am pretty good at staying on top of things, I do know that I tend to get lost in the rush of it all and fail to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, from time to time. I think that has come raining home for me in the last couple of days. We are all important, and have important roles to play in the world, whether they be leading and creating change in organisations, dancing on a stage on Broadway or driving the train that gets people to work. Maybe its simpler than that - some of us are actually here to do things that are less definable as roles, either way, they are just roles. We have other roles, like being a good friend, role model or mentor, or being the funny guy who brings a laugh to the room. In all of this, somewhere along the line, we have to realise (read I have to realise) that occassionally we have to step out of role and just be.

If being alone in New York and has made me slow down long enough to think clearly about that, then that alone is a good enough reason to have been here.

Now, before I drive you to drink with my somber ramblings, I did have a couple of other thoughts as I wandered the streets today;
1 - How bloody lucky are we that we are Australian, or at least living in Australia. It's really not a bad place! Everyone is mourning the financial crisis over here, as at some level we are back home, but it's really hurting here. Even people with nothing to lose are worried about what they will lose...

2 - Nothing is good for you here. Yes, broom, sweeping generalisation without any scientific research! Take one of the things I thought was a familiar comfort a day or so ago - Maccas. I went there for breakfast yesterday and once I worked out what the hell a sandwich, biscuit and griddle were when all I wanted was a McSausage and McEgg McBloody McMuffin I accidentally made a bad, bad choice. Thinking it looked the most like a muffin I chose a McGriddle with egg and sausage. I learned that meant a muffin looking pancake (thick) soaked in maple syrup, with a big old chemical egg and fatty awful piece of McMeat topped with another sweet, syruppy, pancakey thing. I was ravenous but could only eat about 3/4 of this thing before I thought my heart was going to fail. 750 calories in one tiny little muffin meal thing. I nearly threw up when I read that!

We won't even go into what my dinner at Planet Hollywood was like tonight, although it was on the experiences I must tick off list. It's a cool place, the staff were very friendly and very tolerant of me having to count out the payment note by note so I could actually work out which similar sized white and green piece of currency I had in my hands!

Worry not, the cool stuff is to come. One of the Red Cross guys is taking me to ground zero on Monday, it will be good to see it with someone who was in NYC when it all happened, I think it will be a much richer view. Tomorrow I start my mission to get to as many of the 40 attractions my New York Pass gets my into, which means tomorrow I brave the New York Subway for the first time. My feeling is that it will be a fraction busier than our pals at Connex.

Anyway, I miss you all, but I'm still loving being over here so much. I still can't reconcile how awesome this place is.