BWW Blog: Jesse Swimm of Goodspeed's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF - The Day Off
By: Guest Blogger: Jesse Swimm Jul. 22, 2014
The Day Off...
Boy have I been looking forward to this one all week long, lol. This was an especially tough week for a lot of us as we not only had our normal 8 show week, we also had some understudy rehearsal on Thursday and Friday to be ready if the chance arose when we would have to go on. Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate being able to work on the material in a different way and it is always a treat when you get to hear different interpretations of the story. However, with all that said and done I was still extremely exhausted at the amount of work we had been doing. So the prospect of two days off was a spectacular one. It started out rather a bit intense and not necessarily what one would think would be a relaxing morning. However getting to the gym is something important and actually was the perfect way for us to gear up for our epic day off. Since I have started this job, and a bit before, I have been trying to keep up with a regular routine of gym as well as eating a much more strict diet. So far it has been going well, but there are definitely those times where I would love a large pizza and some beer, ha!!!
With our first objective complete we decided the best way to reward ourselves was with some Sushi. We had found this place a couple weeks ago called Samurai Sushi and promised we would back and with more people. And we did just that. Last time it was just Max Chucker, Charles South, and myself. This time we brought along reinforcement by way of Tim Hassler, Will Burton, and Matthew Amira to enjoy in the delights. I have to say this place is delicious and affordable. I mean why wouldn't we want to go there each week. Four rolls, plus soup, and a bento box (yes I know I eat a lot, hey I am a growing boy) is only $25. It's a total bargain.
After we completed stuffing ourselves it was decided we would go shoot some hoops in the park. We had a lot to accomplish on our day off and we were only partly done with our first day off. Now don't get me wrong I love being outside and getting exercise but shooting hoops is not my forte. I mean, I do my best but nobody is going to be calling me from the NBA to play next season, lol. Let's just say you know you have skill when someone who is watching that isn't with us asks, "Are you dancers? Cause you definitely aren't professional basketball players." But this didn't deter us one bit and we managed to get in a couple games before I had to get home and take care of my dog before we headed out for the main event: Mohegan Sun!!!
So, we had decided the day before that we had wanted to make our way up to the Casino for a little adult fun. I mean why not? What did we have to lose...oh yeah, that's right. I am not much of a gambler and I have had my fair share of visits to Las Vegas, but I am, much like most of the acting community or rather much like the rest of the US. If I have money, I like to keep it. I generally give myself a limit; usually $100 and I try not to go over. There have been times that I have gone over that limit but for the most part I stick to it. It's especially great when I not only stay within in that limit but also win on top of it. This was not really one of those times, ha. But hey I gave myself a limit so that is ok. I have to say the Mohegan Sun is beautiful and it's actually a lot of fun. We started with a bit of video Black Jack where I managed to win $3, woo-hoo (I can just picture the room they were going to comp for us, lol). Once we had our fill we made our way to the one place that I truly think everyone needs to eat at in a casino...the buffet. This one went above and beyond. Where else can you get pizza, a raw bar, and prime rib for one price? Exactly, that's why you go. And you eat a lot of it. So I went for three plates worth. Hey one of them was dessert, can you blame me? Once we completed this joyful ritual I managed to take my food comatose-self out to hit the tables and just enjoy some good male bonding. I am not much for most of the tables but I do enjoy a bit of Poker and Black Jack. This time we opted for Black Jack and the high roller table of a $5 minimum. Like I said they were comping things for us left and right. This is where my luck and most of our luck changed, and not for the better. I think I managed to go up and down about 10 bucks and finally won $30 so I didn't feel too bad. I actually ended up breaking even and all I really paid for was the buffet that night. But hey, I was with friends and we were having a great time, and besides payday is a few days away so this doesn't really count. As the night wore on we managed to pull ourselves away while still keeping our shirts. All in all we didn't do too badly and in the end I got to hang with some of my new closest friends for a much-needed day off. Thankfully I get one more day to recoup from this day off, lol. Till next time...
Oh I forgot the best part about the night. The Casino has a Brookstones and I got a 20-minute chair massage in those really fancy massage chairs so overall I did come out on top.
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