DevinRitchie.com

Its 2012?!?!!?!? what the hell? ok ok ok, updates. I havent been blogging cause I am literally never on a computer. This is a good thing. I now have an iphone to take care of all my internet needs but its not like im gonna blog on it. So what have I been up to lately?

Well, I went back to California for a few days. It was good. And weird. It’s odd to allow myself breaks. We had thanksgiving while I was there, caught up with some friends, relaxed. Got back to New York and had the crazy “glad to be home” feeling for the first time. Coming home to New York. Odd.

Real Thanksgiving happened, I cooked the turkey, and had a lovely dinner here with the room mates. Then I worked. I do that a lot, at least 4 days a week. Thats good as well. Some days are better than others, and sure I have complaints; its a job, but I make good money and I actually like what I do and where I do it. The only thing is someday I wont be able to work these late hours or as often. I could never be in a show with the schedule I have . But I need a job. And I have a good one, so why let it go. This is a problem for future Devin.

I started improv 401 at UCB with Doug Moe. Its getting more difficult. I play improv in my head a lot and have the issue of “slow playing”. Like it takes me too long to get to the thing I want to do. And I like never edit others peoples scenes. But I am working on it. And I still feel very confident that I am one of the better ones in class and am one of the few who takes this shit real seriously. I see 3 improv shows a week yo! This is something I need to invest even more time in though. And dont even get me started on acting. Cause I need to get acting too. Speaking of which I just got headshots done. I shot for 6 hours with 9 different looks with a real professional photographer and I am real real happy with them. I am in the process of choosing which ones I want now. Dont worry, ill post em and yall can see em.

Christmas came, my sister visited. which was great. A little tast of home and family right when I needed it most. We saw a few shows and hung out and did touristy stuff.

cutting this short cause this laptop battery is dying and it is fucking laaaate…. more later! Sorry about not updating lately, but everything is going fine, class, work, friends. And Im going to colorado next month! WTF? Stay tuned!

TL;DR: Everything is great.

peace

AND IM BACK. Just for a visit to clarify. Flew into Sacramento Sunday evening, a day full of running errands, worrying I would miss my flight, and nearly freaking the fuck out when my driver drove past laguardia airport and I yelled at him then he just claims thats the faster way to go (wtf?). But I was crazy worried I wouldn’t be able to board without my real ID, but luckily my expired passport worked perfectly and the flight was amazing. Open seat next to me AND a friends marathon ending with the finale. I weirdly got emotional watching it partly because I was leaving New York and partly because Ross went to the wrong airport and so had I… anyways….

I got to Sacto and had to wait for 45 minutes for my mom. Appropriate lol. My mom and I drank some port and had some snacks and caught up. This whole coming back experience has given me a lot of anxiety, everything is the same but different. Its like no time has passed at all and I can see myself falling right back into the lifestyle I had. I’m not used to people missing me, or worse, being proud of me. It’s insane.

I went to the DMV and ordered my new ID no problem. Thank you California for having a thumbprint scanner and being chill. I went to the eye doctor and ordered new contacts and glasses. Got all my adult shit done and now I can hang out with and get drunk with all my friends. My mom and grandma took me out to dinner last night and I finally got to be the guy who slips the waitress my credit card before other people notice. It was so cool! I’ve never been able to do that. felt all grown up and gentlemanly. Then I went to Kilt Pub where Matt and Ty Ty host trivia night. Long hugs with long lost friends were the theme of the evening. My trivia team of Pam, Clay, Carla, Mary, Marc, and I came in second place (damn you pam!) and it was a super fun night. We talked about our new romantic endeavors, the plays I missed, the people who passed on, the drama and the gossip and the usual. It did my heart good to see everyone. Johnny Farns, James, Hope, and Nord were all there too. And John and I capped off the night drinking vodka crans at my house talking until late. This is all I wanted to do here. Tonight I will see a different slew of friends and go downtown to the bars. and amazing news, I convinced ruthie to take a train in tonight to hang out!

Right now I am nursing a hangover at home with grandma and watching a Sex and the City marathon in my old room like old times. (oh now its the SATC finale, of course, why am I seeing so many leaving New York finales???…)

I already know this trip will be criminally short, but I think it has to be.

and were having thanksgiving on thursday!

Hey guys! Another month or so down in New York. I had my birthday, finished another class at UCB and worked a bunch, and then I realized something… I have been here for 6 months! WTF?! and I have been at my job for 5 months. How did this happen?

I have really been settling in to my life here, I am no longer “new” and have no excuses. This is kinda scary. I have real regular customers at work and I have some real friends and I have a daily routine and a regular commute everyday.

Everything isn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, I did lose my wallet, which had all my identification in it. and it has been a BITCH to get back. Apparently owning devinritchie.com and having an expired passport isn’t proof enough. So this all sucks and it just takes time to gets all the ducks in a row to finally get an ID. but it is being resolved.

I think this, and the cold weather, was sort of a catalyst for what felt like I was unraveling for a couple weeks. I was depressed. I was messing up simple tasks at work and not acting like myself. I was getting wasted after work and pretty continuously on my days off. This town started getting to me. 6 months of hustling. Buying/building furniture, finding a job/ working/ taking classes/ seeing shows/ studying/ trying to see new york/ trying to make friends/ remembering to eat/ paying bills/ trying to keep myself sane/ and then calling friends and family to tell them these things. Spending my days off at the social security office to no avail just does something to a person. There was one day I really thought I was going to get fired and I was like “did I just lose my wallet, my job, and get dumped in the span of a few weeks?!?”. Luckily I didn’t get fired. more of a wake up call to my unraveling. and I didn’t actually lose any money in my wallet, and I already have a new credit card, its just this ID thing now. It can be fixed.

I think I just needed a break. Not that I have had it. But I feel like I am out of the woods and back to sanity. Its times like this I’m reminded that I am just the emotionally stunted 13 year old I have always been. Now I just have a job and bank account.

Heres the good news, I’m visiting home this Sunday- Thursday! I was scared and hesitant to come back. Even for a little trip. I feel like I built a house of cards here and I cant leave it for even a second. And part of me doesn’t think I have accomplished enough to come home yet, like I’m not done yet. But I do miss people real hard. I miss California. Do you guys know how cold it is here already?!? It fucking SNOWED on Halloween. I dont even have proper shoes for that! And its gonna get wayyy colder im told. I want to be in California wearing a t shirt and shorts. I want to drive real bad.

Anyways, I wil be in Sacramento those days mostly with the family but I want to see you! yes all of you!

this blog got weird and personal. oops.

Oh yeah, and me and maggie were dolly parton and kenny rodgers for halloween. Islands in the stream. my tits had speakers in them and played the song. (It played nine to five while I was at work… yes I went to work like that… dont bartend in heels.)

I write so many blogs. I write so many blogs and delete them. Sometimes I get writers block. Sometimes I sound stupid. Sometimes I pointlessly complain. Sometimes I brag, and I hate that. Sometimes I am too self conscience of whats on here. Sometimes I remember that anyone can read this, and I have no business writing about anyone else but me. I haven’t ever gotten in trouble for this but have just been thinking about the permanence of the internet and how I have a tendency to write about the people in my life, and this shit is PUBLIC and maybe thats not cool. I have been coming up with a privacy policy, I will not be using full names at all, and pictures will all be approved. Now that we have some business out of the way… what the fuck is going on with Devin Ritchie and how is New York City treating him?

It’s been nearly 2 months since I checked in with yall and it has been crazy. Been working a lot, been to some theatre, went to a couple concerts, hurricanes, hung out with friends, earthquakes, created drama, started dated someone, had some extended family visit, continued with my improv classes, drank, made new friends, stopped dating someone, built ikea furniture, watched a lot of breaking bad, and generally have been keeping on keeping on.

Mostly my time is spent working and sleeping. Which is great. I do like my job. Hours are long, but it is worth it, and it keeps me out of trouble and my bank account afloat. I have recently been toying with the idea of taking a sommelier class to actually get some real wine education. I hate not being able to answer questions that I should know. I even started training people at work, crazy right!?

Lately I have been missing people. I have some good friends here but only a couple good ones, not to offend anyone, but it takes time to really build the relationships and the closeness I have with people speckled throughout California. I guess I am bit homesick, natural I suppose, I did spend my whole life there. I gotta find a few days when I can get back to visit, I just dont know if I feel ready. Like I am not established enough here to leave for any time. I have just been having some anxiety set in about everything recently. Even though things are still great in New York; I make good money, have friends, and have a great place to live, but I’m still adjusting. This was the plan, and it was never supposed to be easy, and if this is the hardest part… I suppose I’m fine.

I was dating someone for awhile, a 27 yr old who was a customer. It was going great for a little bit multiple dates, some sleepovers, some meet the friends and family, then as per usual once I finally got invested we ended things. So I’ve already had my first (of many) failed relationships in the city. Only a couple years until I have to leave this town too I chalk this entirely up to New York dating experience.

Fall is beginning and everyone tells me this is the most beautiful time to be in New York, and I love fall anyways so I am excited. But the glean and the newness of this adventure is wearing off and the real life is beginning. I have already done a fucking ton in New York in 4 months and I need to keep at it and do more and more.

And it’s my birthday next Monday october 3rd and I havent planned anything. Its weird having my birthday here. I really just dont know what to do at all.

I’ll give you guys more details soon on everything. I really just needed to post something to break the dam of my writers block. feels good to be back yall.

hey yall. 3 day weekend right now! trying to catch up on my life (clean, do laundry, etc…), get money shit in order, and try to relax.

Everything has been going great, I have been working 5 or 6 days a week at Grape and Grain, aside from a few procedural fuck ups I make (I am terrible at counting apparently.), its going super good. Starting to have regular customers and I am getting more and more familiar with the menu. I even started working some private parties. I had three this weekend. Including a gay wedding rehearsal dinner! Then they invited me to come the reception the next day. Which I did and it was awesome.

Home sickness is setting in. I just want to be at the river at paradise beach in Sacramento with a 4loko right now. I am missing my friends plays. I am missing families birthdays. Perhaps worst of all, I am missing friends weddings. Trina and Victoria got married last week and I wish I cold have been there. My friends were all there and then drunkenly called me from the bar after while I was walking home from an extremely hot and long shift, and I had a moment of “why the fuck am I not there with all my friends in my bar celebrating my friends wedding?” The feeling comes and goes, but generally miss everyone. and this will only get worse. Especially when its snowy in winter. ugh. Not looking forward to that. at all. And I am going to have to miss at least one major holiday. That is going to be terrible.

My life has been so busy lately. Mostly I just work and sleep, which is fine for now, just trying to  work my ass off and get myself comfortable here. Oh speaking of which I just bought a bed! Well just the mattress. My roommate had an old IKEA frame that I seem to be missing a part for. So I’m just put my mattress on the floor now. Makes a big difference in my quality of life. I want to get my room set up. get like a desk and shelves and shit. it kinda just looks a bit like hobo squat right now. The empty coors light tallboys dont help.

I am making a good amount of money, but I have so many bills and much debt. Rent. Electricity. Phone. Paying my mom back. more classes. And I need new head shots. oh yeah, and I eat and drink. its like? where the fuck did all my money go? Welcome to being an adult not living at your moms house Devin.

I finished the 2 week intensive at UCB. I signed up for the next 301 class starting in late August. I’m ready. I think a couple week break will be good. I’m meeting a few of the girls from my 101 class for dinner tonight.

New York has been amazing to me so far. I got a great room right away. A great job. And a great group of friends. its only been a couple months. I dont want this to sound like bragging. I am thankful and amazed and blessed. I am a big advocate of appreciating the good times when they are here. and this is it. I dont know what tragedy or shitstorm will hit me next, and I’m sure I will complain, but for the time being everything is beautiful and I just want to appreciate that. I am a fortunate person I just want to thank the universe for that somehow. I am counting my blessings right now. I am just terrrrrible at counting.

and I’m seeing Sufjan Stevens at Prospect Park on wednesday. oh AND I have a date with a customer on tuesday lol.

Love yall,

peace