They’ve mostly been no-fee apartments so far. They tend to fit into 2 categories: a) way overpriced, tiny, with unnecessary stainless steel appliances (seriously, $2500 a month for a 1-bedroom that can barely fit a full size mattress and a 10×10 combined kitchen/living room?), or b) slightly more affordable, slightly larger rundown walk ups in sketchy areas.

We’ve started checking out broker’s fee apartments and they’re not much better. The problem is that we’re only looking on the west side to accommodate both our commutes and that’s an expensive area.

This whole process is very stressful and Jeff & I have been handling that stress in very different ways. Jeff vibrates with so much nervous energy I think he’s going to break free of earth’s gravity and I pretend I’m not worried and then can’t get a single night’s sleep.

We have until the middle of May to find a place, so I think we still have enough time to reconcile to the fact that whatever we pick is going to have serious drawbacks that we’ll just have to live with.

I’m an uncle! My baby brother, Andrew, now has a baby of his own.

I’m not quite sure how they came up with the name, but they plan on calling him by his middle name “Cail” (sounds like Kale). Maybe Andew & his wife have been doing too much texting?

Unlike the winner-takes-all-delegates Republican state primaries, a Democrat can miss out on winning the popular vote but still get a sizable chunk of delegates. And there’s a hell of a lot of delegates up for grabs today (1,688 delegates from 22 states).

* I’m really not interested in getting into any “why I’m voting for Obama” discussions / arguments.

So imagine my surprise when the show turned out to be some of the most fun I’ve ever had at the theatre, and went on to open to the best reviews of any recent film-to-stage adaptation on Broadway. Douglas Carter Beane and his collaborators managed to leverage the camp value inherent in the piece along with the hit score to create a show that’s entertaining on its own terms (and not just “children’s theatre for 40-year-old gay men” as one of the oft-quoted lines contends).

Several months later, a cast recording has finally arrived in stores. I looked forward mainly to hearing Cheyenne Jackson’s take on the lead role of struggling artist Sonny Malone, as he was a last-minute replacement for the injured James Carpinello. Jackson has a silky baritone and easily negotiates the pop score (and, from the look of the promotional photos, fills out his tank top and short shorts rather nicely).

But the real draw of this recording is the adorably perky Kerry Butler, who channels Olivia Newton-John as Clio, the Greek Muse, with the right balance of parody and reverence. Butler has turned up on countless demo recordings and in smaller parts, and it’s great to see her break out in a role she so obviously has so much fun playing.

Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman, who chewed the scenery as Clio’s evil sisters on stage, manage to keep from going too over-the-top on the recording, showcasing their sass in one of the stage musical’s interpolated hits, “Evil Woman.” Woody Allen-favorite Tony Roberts may pale in comparison to the film’s Gene Kelly, but has a gruff charm all his own.

Providing music direction is the unlikely Eric Stern, mostly known for his work on arty Nonesuch recordings with singers like Audra McDonald and Dawn Upshaw. Stern, however, manages to create a pretty full sound with only 4 players and a few pit singers (including journeyman Annie Golden).

But is this recording going to replace your well-worn copy of the Xanadu soundtrack? Surprisingly, after re-listening to Olivia Newton-John et al, the original Broadway cast compares favorably, teeming with infectious energy.

Wow. Who knew she could dance like that?

Moving sucks. Especially in the rain. The new apartment smells like wet boxes. More to follow…

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to focus on the parts of working in college housing that interest and challenge me, but I’m going to miss having my own RA staff and residents (and all the great people I work with at the New School).

One result of the job change is that Jeff and I will be moving out of our apartment (which came with my job at the New School). We’ve got a temporary location to live in while we search, but we need to find a new apartment (something I’ve never done in my life, since I went straight from undergrad to grad school to working as a dorm director). Jeff commutes out to Newark, so we’d like find something on the West Side between Barnard/Columbia and the PATH train.