Thinking back on Sunday got me through the last two days at work. It's crazy weather. One minute it's 49 degrees and now it's 19! I'm so underdressed.  Even at work I forgot my over coat while on the runway.  While I was chatting with one of my friends I got an inbox  inviting me to do Brooklyn X Factor tonight!  How could I say no to that?  I wasn't supposed to do it till the end of the month but oh well!
UPDATE
Google got me a little turned around but I made it in! I'm so starving!  I just got my food. Chicken and Waffles!  Yummmm!
This place is cool. Black owned and beautiful!  It's being held at Milk River on Atlantic Ave.  The hosts of the show are background vocalist for many artists and are married to eachother.  I'm loving it.
Last Update
  Although the food looked good the taste wasn't impressive. It was expensive too. There is a 2 item minimum to sit down so next time I'll get two waters. The talent on that stage was ridiculous!  Some of the people singing were ones that didn't make it to the semi finals coming up soon. This will be a tough one for me. Looking forward to it! I'm not a whimsical singer. I don't do crazy riffs  which I see a lot of them doing. and well. I envy those that do but I stay in my lane. I sung Listen for my audition/open mic performance.  While singing I notice a few snarling faces.  I figure these are the other singers.  I was feeling a little competitive so I sung directly to them.  While many were on the stage earlier with closed eyes standing still because of the the bright lights,  I was not. I pointed and swayed. I rocked and leaned. I performed! I made sure I gave them something to sneer at!  LOL I received a decent applause by most afterwards.  The hosts asked if I should be advanced to the next round and I got nervous.  Lol I thought the shade would overtake me. I got in! I will be performing in Brooklyn's X Factor in the coming weeks!

So I missed going to Sugar Bar last night because I was exhausted and had a 06:30 call time this morning.  I regret not going.  Tony Terry was there and the guy who plays "Jamal "Jussie Smollett too!  Going to work wasn't worth it! We got sent home early because of the snow. Construction was put on hold for the day.  I only got 4 hours of work! It's making me think bout possibly going back to the shelter just so I don't have to work and I can just focus only on making moves. This day job is getting in my way. It's has been snowing since noon!
  It started in flurries and now it's fat flakes. Instead of staying mad I forced myself to find a way to be ok with it. I'm wearing black gloves so I can see the flakes really well.  We've all seen flakes on TV but have you managed to see them yourself?  It's beauty calmed me. It's delicate fragile state made me cherish it. Even typing this hours later, my anger erased a bit at typing about it. Like the life of a snow flake, I must make mine count for something.

I slept like the pillow held my face captive! Sometimes I awoke for a phone call but went back to sleep. I officially woke up around 4pm eager to go to dinner.  Carolyn had invited me to a going away dinner for Chaz because he was headed to LA to shoot a pilot. I was the first one there. Go figure.  I got there a 8:10pm.  The Carolyn told me they were running late and to have a drink. (I did not) Apparently this is her's and Peter's spot. The bar tender and manager knew them very well.  As I was told to wait because the table was not yet ready, I was told to stand with the rest of the party. I didn't know the people there it appeared to be two white couples. I spoke but did not introduce myself yet.  I wanted to wait. after we were seated I introduced myself to the lady closest to me and then the rest of the table. it turns out that their parents were visiting from Marietta Georgia. we SAT and talked and laughed for maybe 20 minutes before I got suspicious. I was asked if I was meeting someone there that night. I said don't you know Peter and Carol and they replied no! that sent the whole table laughing. while we were talking they called over a waitress and told him of the mix up. they are really nice people. I told him why I was in New York and gave them my card. they suggested a church for me to visit. I think the father was a pastor in Atlanta. not long after that my party arrived.
I told him of the mix up that happened previously and we all had a good laugh. Carolyn instructed us on what to eat and order because she knew the whole menu. She even had a special drink which I did not partake of. only because it was said to be spicy. I ordered a mojito mango. it was so good it had a sugar Kane in it! while we were waiting for the drinks a friend of the guest of honor shows up. he was one of the lead actors in psych the TV show. it still blows me away that I come here to this city shunned by the people I know I like to end up in a much better crowd of people by actions and positions. I love it! We talked about shows we loved and both of them with new shows. after dinner we left to go to the village underground which was down the street.
As soon as we come into the place we are seated with the host Kim Davis and her guests Peter Guns. It was a right In front of me stage!  I asked if I could squeeze in on the list and was told yes. there were some amazing singers there!  as the night rolled on it became apparent to me that I would not get to sing. but as I look at the table across from I see Derek Luke from Empire! he was sitting with his wife and family and I couldn't wait for him to get up so I could get a picture. I was a little salty about not being able to sing but seeing him made it alright.

I awoke to the very loud sound of my phone to hear the excited voice of Gerald from Florida. (my guide of NYC )  He had seen the video of me singing at the Apollo this past Wednesday and was like "How did you come in third"? LOL. His enthusiasm kept me from hanging up and going back to sleep. He told me of how he shared the video with his friend in Atlanta and how she wanted to share it. Normally I would be like, HELL YEAH! But I want to create a YouTube link so I can track the views first. It's already been shared on Facebook by a lot of my friends and people I knew from School and such.  My issue with it going further is, the person that originally posted it misspelled my name AND used my government name in the tag. I don't want to ruin the name I've built for myself and risk confusion.  Anyone calling me anything but Burgandy that isn't my family makes my skin crawl. He understood and told her to wait for the official link. I am however attaching the links to both of the Apollo's clips to this blog.  All this competing has gotten me ready for my first gig!
Tonight I will be singing at the Black Pearl in Harlem on 4637 White Plains Rd! I am uber excited as I will be doing some new songs! I will be singing also with another guy so both of us will be leading!  I'm not excited about not having a single rehearsal but I am preparing myself mentally for anything. 
Click here for Apollo 2

click for Apollo 1
UPDATE

I'm on the train headed to the Bronx all late and shit. SMH.  The good part is that I'm not alone so I don't feel bad. It's raining here so everyone moving slowly.  I was so panicked that I wanted to get off and take a cab which would have given me an extra 5 minutes but there were none when I left a station so I had to run back in to get on the right train. I was on the wrong one. Yes,  don't be surprised!  It's what I do. My nerves have my bladder working overtime.  TMI I know. Lol
UPDATE

OK SO I just finished the first set with the band. The other lead has yet to show up. If they want me to do his half I expect to get paid his half.  I ended up doing more songs than I expected and had to use my phone in my hand for lyrics.  The other lead was supposed to bring a stand for our tablets. So... yeah.  That happened.  Let's see what happens after the comedians are done.
UPDATE
HE GAVE ME AN EXTRA $20! Fucker had the nerve to get mad at me! Talking bout "I ain't no thief. I been doing this over 20 years." He's a thief and I would not deal with Calvin if his ass was a golden fountain!  I may just call this entertainment lawyer I just met at Sugar Bar.

I was happy all day knowing I was going to Sugar Bar last night. I also had the added bonus of Jacob, my roommate coming with me! He has fallen in love with the place too! He says so me "your a rockstar here"! LOL The people here do have a way of making you feel like you're home with family.  I'm gonna get all the hang time I can with Jacob because he may be moving to Jersey if he gets this new job. The thought bums me a little bit.  He is the sunny spot in the house.
  Jacob arrived shortly after I did and we were both all smiles. I wish his girlfriend could have joined us but she  had to work. Let the drinks begin!  At least I thought so but he had already had 3 beers before he touched down. Lol So much fun! I introduced him to more people and Terell (bar tender)  alert had his beer ready. It wasn't anything unusual going on. There were amazing singers and air got to thank Sugar Bar for supporting me. I missed the introduction but they had already announced my win and were happy for me. More people eager to see me win! I did forget to plug my blog though.  Smh I need more views! After we left to go home Jacob was toasty drunk and all I could do was laugh.  We met the five time Rubix Cube champion. I forgot his name but he was an older Asian guy.  And another dude tried to "talk to me " he said I looked "delicious ". I looked at him and said "really dude?  You really think that's a compliment"? Needless to say, I'm not interested. 

My frustration is starting.  I somehow lost entire blog I just typed! I lost my weekly metro card Monday and had to get another one Tuesday ($30), then I left it at home on the way to the Apollo today! I also lost a ($30) charger I bought for my phone while at work Sunday.  Smh I can't take another loss this week.
The evil old roommate created so much noise this morning that I had no choice but to get up. He slammed every door he could, gargled with the door open and ran out ALL the hot water before he left.  Good thing I needed to do laundry so I needed to get up early. The walk gave me the fresh warm air I needed, plus time to rehearse.  I did do a bit of binge eating of cheese and vanilla wafers. Smh I am sitting here now in the green room of the Apollo.  Once again waiting to do sound check.  I hope it goes as good as it did while I was in the bathroom.  No sinus infection like I had the last time I sung "Listen " from Dream Girls.  Wish me luck!
UPDATE
The line up for tonight is like WHOA! One lady brought tears to my eyes and this other dudes falsetto is killing me softly!  Tonight will be BANANAS!
UPDATE
I JUST WENT ON STAGE!  I got boo'd. I think the people that is with this teen dance team was behind it. BUT I still prevailed!  I kept singing and the rest of the crowd drowned out the booers!  It's now intermission.  4 more acts till then end.

Last update
All of the contestants were so nice to eachother.  I helped coach the Lauren who beat me for 1st place last week. She was super gittery because she ruined her voice cheering for her sister the days before. She wasn't hitting her notes right so I told her about breathing through her nose and singing with support.  I took her into a side room and helped her practice my method which she got right after trying to convince me it wouldn't work. Smh.  She was so greatful for my help she gave me a long hug. Sweet girl. Almost sobbed.  I told her to "get it together girl and get ready". She was the first act and I was the 5th. Another lady  Maryland, offered me her earrings to switch between us. She was right before me. We all kept complimenting each other and encouraging the Littles ones. It was a very bonded event backstage.  But on the stage is where all that ended.
  Everyone brought their A game! Then by person #3 there was the first Boo. At the turn of Kimberly's song (something Whitney) the song kind of stalled and it took a noticeable time for her to recover and then they boo'd her. We all felt bad for her backstage.  She came off the stage like a trooper though.  I was the last person before intermission.  Into the second line of my singing I started to hear noise from my right side. Some people were starting to Boo me! There was no way I was gonna give up so easily.  I dug in and sung my butt off. At one point I had kicked off my shoes! The crowed really rallied behind me and shut the hecklers down! That had me a bit nervous about the voting.  Luckily I placed. I came in 3rd place! As soon as I see my friends that came I will have the full video to post.  YAAAAAAAY! NEXT SHOW WILL BE JUNE 3RD! SEE YOU AT THE APOLLO!

I had a long day but at least I was warm. I was lucky enough to work inside today. The downside is,  I had no cell coverage.  The good side is, I got to work on the music in my phone! The bad side is I got missed out on getting my free metro card because I missed the office hours of the job placement place.  I would have had to go from the airport to Grand Central Station.  I would have made it but I was asked to give someone a break and she never came back. The good part is,  I got an extra hour of work! I try to roll with the punches.
What I can't get with is the old guy that lives here harassing me. He always wants to complain about me or say something to me. As I'm sitting in the kitchen with my almost empty Pizza box and talking on the phone with Nicole,  he comes in. He's using the fake nice voice so I know it's some bullshit coming.  He says he "the walls are paper thin and I can hear your conversation ". I said "and I can here yours too but you do not see me bothering you".He goes on about how I'm loud and I interrupted him. I told him " I'm sick of you bothering me about everything I do! You complain about hearing me in my room, the bathroom,  the kitchen! Yet you never say anything to the men in this house and they do the same things I do, which is live here"! He then had the nerve to tell me I don't need to have an attitude!  Then he tries to clean it up by saying "I'm just saying,  if you do Mr want your conversation heard you should whisper ".  I'm like WTF! "I do not need your permission on how to talk on the phone and I don't want you talking to  me PERIOD "! He then called me a bitch and walked back to his room. I could barely get out all the choice "fat, nasty, loud old mother fuckers out my mouth fast enough!  I sat at the kitchen table for about an hour after that while still on the phone.    My hands were shaking and I could feel my blood boiling.  Thank goodness I have friends to talk me down. I mostly couldn't move because I was trying hard not to let this anxiety attack happen.  Another friend of mine called me and the both of them kept me distraced enough that it all eventually went away. Once I could walk back to my room I called the police.  I have had enough of this guy. He has been like a predator to me. He came into my bedroom and brought out an item to give me. saying it was in the hall. He beat down the bathroom door while I was in there getting ready to leave! He beat on it so hard the entire bathroom shook! From then on I keep a knife in my pocket. #stakeknife (cut myself a lot).  I was In the kitchen eating once and he kept banging and slamming stuff around me to the point where I had to move to the window with my back against the wall and just watch him. If it goes down, I won't hesitate.
Update
The police have come and gone.  Nothing else happened. I just needed to record the incident so I can file a restraint tomorrow before I go to work.    I refuse to let some old punk be the reason I go back on mess for my nerves.

High from it! That's how I am right now! Two good things happened last night at the Apollo.  At first I tied for first place! There had to be another vote by the crowd between me and this beautifully alto chic. She got me by 5 points!  We get to come back next week!  Now what the crap am I going to wear then? I dare not ask Andre for his help again. (didn't ask the first time but really appreciated the gift).  BTW DIDN'T HE MAKE ME LOOK FABULOUS?!  Second, halfway through the night I got a call to come in to work at 07:30 for Thursday.  I didn't get home till 11pm, and I had to buy a cab ride to get in that early!  So, I'm back up at 04:40!
I'm sure there will be a disruption in today's work performance.  Ugh I hate to drink it but coffee is calling my name else it will be an epic crash and burn later. Today is Thursday!  It's Sugar Bar Day! I was so pleased to see my SB family in the crowd last night! I can't wait to thank them tonight!  (Gemini moment)  Why the hell is it snowing right now? It rained all yesterday!  Now I have to work in snow?! I work outside! This is some bullshit.
Apollo video


Apollo page

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Last update!
After I got off of work I was all set in my head to travel through the snow to go to my favorite place, Sugar Bar. Two hours into my ride home I get a call to be at work in the morning.  I had to make a real world decision and decided not to go out.  I would have gotten home around midnight and been back up at 5 am. I can't. Im exhausted.  I let some people down by not coming but I have to take care of this body! It took two cups of cappuccino to stay awake and I can't do that two days in a row. My poor heart can't take it. Smh

Good morning!  I'm up way too early. I'm thankful that I have such amazing people in my corner to take the edge of nerves off and make me laugh. I just spent the last hour on the phone with Nicole while she made her way to work.  I wish I could have afforded that pedicure because the job I did on my own hands and feet is pitiful. LOL!  I had my foot in the chair while leaning from my bed and almost toppled over trying to paint left foot. Smh I'm not flexible on my left side?  #Weird.   Good thing no one will be that close to me.  So,  I have to be there at 3am for sound check and I have to meet Andre to get the clothes from him. Guess I'll take a nap before I pack to leave.
Update
I was too wound up to nap so I cooked breakfast instead and played uno. I'm packed and as soon as I shower and touch this head, I'm out! #nervousashell

Update
I'm at Sound Check! Talking to this guy here who's name I can't spell has calmed me down. He was more on edge than me!  Now I think we are both more grounded.
Update
I Just finished sounds check. I messed up a lot. We had to restart the song 3 times because I couldn't remember my edits.  Smh I went across the street and ate some very over priced,  over salted and under tasty "Soul Food". Now I'm a bit off feeling.  Time to drink water and flush this out.
LAST UPDATE SEE THE LINK!
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