July 14th-July 24th - Tree Sound Studios & The Dark Knight Rises!

Saturday night I worked and Ashlee Simpson and her boyfriend Vincent Piazza came in for a late dinner. She looked a little different than I remember because her hair was really short and blonde and she was very thin.

The next night Mike was flying into the city so that we could go to Atlanta together and I planned to make a big dinner for us. Unfortunately his flight was delayed six hours so he got in really late but we wound up eating the dinner that I made then anyway. We had edamame, salad, vegetarian french onion soup, sun-dried tomato penne pasta, and berries and yogurt!

Monday we headed to the airport and flew to Atlanta, Georgia because Mike and Tony were going there to work on music at Tree Sound Studios and to meet some people in the industry. Tony picked us up from the airport and drove us to Norcross where we all went to Panera to eat lunch. We checked into our hotel down the road from the studio and walked around.
Later we ate at Applebee's and then randomly decided to go to the arcade nearby! We ran around playing different games and collecting our tickets. Right before they closed Mike and Tony played an intense game of air hockey!

Tuesday we got Dunkin' Donuts before heading to Tree Sound Studios. When we walked in there were plaques all over the walls of artists who have recorded there including Beyonce, Justin Bieber, T.I., Outkast, Sevendust, Nappy Roots, Elton John, Usher, Fergie, and the list goes on.

We were brought to one of the studio rooms that Mike and Tony were going to be working in and the whole place was really cool. They had been there before but this was my first time so they showed me around a little bit. Our studio assistant Jeremy helped them set up and then Mike and Tony worked on music all day. Their manager Jon landed and met us at the studio and afterwards we brought him to his hotel and then we stopped at Guitar Center to pick up drum sticks so that they could record drums the next day.

Afterwards we went to our hotel and the three of us worked out in the gym and then we picked up Jon and all went to Olive Garden for dinner, yum! Then since we had so much fun the night before at the arcade we decided to go back again! We found a basketball game that was an actual set-up but still counts how many baskets you make versus your opponent in a certain amount of time. We kept playing over and over, so much so that it wound up being another workout! When we got back to the hotel we hung out in the car and talked about music and listened to Tony's playlist.

The next day we went back to the studio to work and the guys got a lot done! I mostly hung out, listened and enjoyed their work while doing things I wanted to do on the computer. Later in the day we met J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League producers who work there a lot and have made songs for artists such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Mary J. Blige, Rick Ross, Nas and Tech N9ne.



Throughout the day Mike and Tony's music started to spread through the studio and at night the GM, Mali Hunter, came into the studio and listened to their songs. Mali was so nice and hearing her ideas plus how she prepares artists for the industry was really cool. That night we all hung out in the lobby and her and the guys drank some Avion Tequila while I had lemonade 0:-)


After we left the studio Mike, Tony, Jon and I randomly decided to go to Waffle House at 3:30am! My waffle was really good but what was even better was how hilarious our server was! First of all I loved how she had some spunk to her and her and Tony were going back and forth just for fun. It was awesome though when she started showing us some crazy dance moves! She did some I have never seen like "A Raving Penguin" and it was too funny! We thanked her and left and when we were driving away she ran outside and gave us an encore of her performance in the parking lot! You had to be there to understand how funny she was haha

The next day while the guys were working in the studio Jon came in and said that Groove Chambers wanted them to go upstairs to meet with him. That was pretty exciting because Groove is a well-known producer and is very  connected in the industry. We went into this room that was almost hidden and when we walked in I was shocked. The room set up was awesome and had a ton of equipement. We all hung out and the meeting went really well, there is some cool stuff in the works!

While we were hanging out we heard someone say that they got the tickets for everyone and we found out that they got tickets for a bunch of the people at the studio, including us, to go to the opening of Batman that night! We were excited to see it but until then the guys worked on more music and we went and ate at Ruby Tuesday.

When we got back to the studio Mike showed me another recording room and it was huge! The live room was also really pretty with wood floors and a piano in the middle that you could see through big windows in the control room.

Afterwards they set set up their video game system that they play on a 16' screen and we watched Tony play a boxing game. Later at night we all headed to the theatre and they had so many showings of it we wound up having a theatre almost to ourselves which was about fifteen of us. Finally the much anticipated release of "The Dark Knight Rises" was here and it was pretty epic! I thought that the cast was really good and overall it was pretty intense!

I was so saddened to hear about the tragedy that occurred in Colorado at the premiere of the movie that night. It is completely shocking to think that someone could commit such an act. I know that the control of guns is important but it is crucial that people who seem to be having difficulties mentally are helped and monitored to try to prevent these horrific incidences. Myself as well as millions of people all over the world are praying and thinking about the victims and their families, God Bless you.

The next morning one of the interns at Tree Sound Studios drove me to the airport which was really nice of him. I flew back to the city to work the next day and Major League Baseball player Andre Ethier from the Los Angeles Dodgers joined us. I worked the next couple of days until I had off on Tuesday.

Since Sarah and I both had the day off we made a reservation at Lavo for lunch. They were participating in Restaurant Week so we each got an appetizer, entree, and dessert! I started out with a delicious margherita pizza, then enjoyed penne a la vodka, and finished with oreo zeppole with a vanilla malt shake which was incredible! I also really liked Sarah's fruit plate with sorbet but these fried oreos with vanilla were scrumptious!

We were so full when we left but we were right near Central Park so we decided to walk around. I cannot remember if I have ever walked in Central Park before, I know that I have walked around it but it was really pretty exploring inside. We also discovered a little theme park/carnival and a zoo in the park that I do not think I knew about! Afterwards we went to Saks Fifth Avenue to look for a pair of Alice & Olivia shoes that were on sale that Sarah wanted. She found them and bought them and then we headed back to the apartment.

Our roommate Dennise got back from a trip to Arizona and Utah that day and she got us gifts which was so sweet. She gave us each a cute holder that you can put something in which are also decorative because they have carvings in them and a colorful flower embedded on top made of stones. Also, we each got a bracelet that is made of special beads that fight off evil spirits and can prevent nightmares which is on one of my bed posts :) Lastly, she gave us cactus candy which is made from a juice they get from cacti which is neat, and I'm sure it is mixed with a lot of sugar because it tasted sweet like normal candy!

It was nice to have her back and for us roommates to be together again <3

June 29-July 13 - Fun Times With My Roommates & Intense Story About Finding My Stolen iPhone!

July 29th I flew back to the city and worked that night and the next day. After work Saturday night Sarah said that her and some friends were on a boat at a place called Frying Pan. I went and met them and it was a really neat concept. We hung out on the water, enjoyed the view and Sarah and I ordered a chocolate dessert with strawberries!

On Sunday my roommates and I planned to go to brunch together! Dennise had been to a Brazilian & South American Bistro and we wanted to try it out. The bright colors and big open windows made it really feel tropical which was nice.

After eating we decided to look at a place right across the road and when doing so we saw a small path surrounded by trees with a sign that said something about a cultural park. We decided to walk through the trees and follow the little path that lead to a big opening where someone was sitting in a lawn chair in the gravel and there were huge steps made out of rock.

Straight ahead we saw more trees and a gazebo. When we got near the gazebo we saw a cute area with chairs and a picnic table. Even more past that there was another little path and it felt like we were in someplace tropical. There were beautiful plants and a little pond of fish and turtles. It was so peaceful there I would love to go back to meditate.

After the park we decided to get frozen yogurt and we walked through a huge park I never knew was nearby that had a festival going on and also a ping pong table which was cool. We went to 16 Handles which is supposed to be healthier than ice cream but I conflicted that by topping it with chocolate with caramel inside haha

Wednesday was Independence Day!

Sarah had to work but Dennise and her friend planned on hanging out at 230 Fifth during the day and later to watch the fireworks from the roof and she invited me to come too. I was very festive with my white tank top, blue scarf and red shorts with festive necklaces around my hips like a belt! We got there and hung out for a little while and enjoyed the view then Dennise and I went to get wraps from a vegetarian place down the road called Terri. I had a hummus and avocado wrap that was really good!

We headed back to meet up with Raquel and watch the sun set then counted down until the fireworks began! 

(taken with my temporary phone so it does not do it justice lol)

The fireworks were being lit on the West Side and we were in the middle of Manhattan but the view was still really nice! It was a lot of fun and at one point the crowd was cheering USA USA! which was awesome.

Thursday Sarah wanted to buy her brother birthday gifts so we went to Soho and Chinatown and I bought a pair of shoes and a necklace. We also got bubble "tea" (strawberry smoothies) together which I love.

The next day I called Abrams Artists Agency and told them that Sara referred me to them. They told me to e-mail them some photos and so I did right away! 

Over the next couple of days I worked and one of our interesting guests was Don Lee who used to be a pitcher in Major League Baseball. 

Monday I had the day off and Sarah and I decided to have a picnic together! I grilled veggie burgers on the stove and Sarah made a pasta salad with Italian dressing. I carried the food on paper plates with plastic silverware and Sarah took Ernie and Shea (the dog we are taking care of) and we headed to the water! Right near our apartment is the East River and we sat at a table by the water and enjoyed the nice day!

The next day my roommates and I went to a new Sushi restaurant for lunch where they serve unique vegetarian sushi! The rolls look and taste different from ordinary roles and we had fun trying different kinds including one with mango!

On the 11th Abrams Artists Agency e-mailed me and asked me to call them to set up an appointment for me to go to the agency and meet the casting director for commercial print and on-camera beauty! We set a date for the end of July and I was so excited! For the rest of the day I went shopping at Trader Joe's, cleaned the apartment and watched Walker Texas Ranger that I used to watch all the time!

(insert Chuck Norris joke here...lol jk)

The next day at work one of the guests who joined us was Scott Rudin the American film and theatrical producer who is the first producer to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award! John Janick also dined with us and he is the creator of the record label Fueled By Ramen who has artists such as Cobra Starship, Fun., Gym Class Heroes and Paramore!

That night I got home from work and I was just relaxing on the couch, blogging and watching tv when I decided to check my e-mail and I immediately JUMPED up to the sight of "Find My Phone: Candace's iPhone has been found"!!

Right away I signed onto iCloud and it showed where my iPhone was located on the map! I called my parents and Mike and I was freaking out, very excited but trying to figure out my plan of action to get my phone back! Everyone was telling me how I was right about the thief waiting to turn my phone on until they thought that I cancelled my service and got a new phone, but since I thought that was the thief's plan I kept my service going and paid for a pre-paid phone. Now three weeks later I was looking at the location of my phone at a house deep into Queens!

(not showing the zoomed-in detail of the houses here
as to respect the privacy of the person who stole my phone)

I called the police and they told me that I had to go to the location and then call the police from there and that they would come meet me and help me. Sarah just walked into the apartment and she accepted to be my partner in justice haha! We got in a cab and $55 later we arrived at the street and we had called the police on the way so that they would hopefully meet us there soon! Surprisingly two officers in a police car on the corner of the street arrived at the same time we did.

Mike was at home looking at the map on the computer and told us which house my phone was located in. We told the police and they knocked on two doors that the house had since two families lived there. Sarah and I were hiding behind a tree but I could see that each family shook their heads no to having my phone.

One family stayed out on the porch to see if they could help while the other family went inside, shut the door and turned the lights out. I thought that was pretty suspicious of the other family to try to hide and make us leave and I told the police I had a feeling it was them and I would not give up!

Then the GPS that Mike was looking at was showing the dot of the phone moving a little bit and right then there was a guy walking by down the street listening to music from a phone so the police stopped him and looked at the phone and patted him down but he did not have my phone. I felt bad causing a scene but I knew my phone was close!

Mike was refreshing the GPS and it said that the phone was showing up on the right side of the house (which was the side of the suspicious family). I asked the police to search the family's car and so they told the neighbors to knock on their door and it took a while for the family to finally answer their door.

Just the man of the house came outside and the police looked in the car as Mike was pressing the alarm but my phone could not be heard. The police asked him what his occupation is and he said a cab driver. They asked me if I recognized him but I could not remember! All of a sudden Mike said that the phone went from being at the house to the neighbor's backyard!

One of the officers ran to the neighbors back yard and heard the beeping that Mike was making the phone do. He walked down the driveway to me with his arm behind his back. As he brought his arm forward with my phone in his hand he informed me that someone smashed my phone!

At that point it was difficult to tell who had taken my phone and I was teary-eyed with a mix of emotions. I thanked the one family that helped us and looked in shock at the other families because I could not believe someone could be heartless to steal my phone and then ruin it.

Then we thanked the police over and over and they were about to leave but Sarah and I did not want to be stranded without a taxi in the middle of Queens near the person who took my phone! We expressed our concern to the officers and they were so gracious to drive us to a taxi stand! It felt funny getting into a cop car and Sarah told the officers that this was our first time in one and an officer laughed and responded "hopefully your last!"

They dropped us off, we shook hands and thanked them again. $75 later we were back home but Sarah and I were celebrating our success all the way back and calling everyone to update them! I was very upset that my phone was ruined but if I was able to get my pictures back I was happy! I plugged in my phone and it was taking a long time to connect but I kept praying....finally my pictures started slowly popping up and I quickly saved them all!

YAY! YAY! YAY!

The next day I did hours of research on who stole my phone. Mike had saved the receipt from our cab ride the day I lost my phone three weeks prior. I made many phone calls and finally found a company to connect me to the cab driver's voicemail. I left a message just saying to call my number and he did. When I answered I asked if the police had been at his house last night and he said yes. WOW! The cab driver was the one who took my phone (the man who was being suspicious and who the police looked in his car)!! One of his family members probably put it in the neighbors yard when they realized that I was not giving up. It felt so good to figure out the mystery!