Royal

Reading my book in the cafe. Dim lighting illuminating my page. The sounds of dishes clattering in the back. The steam my tea emits whisking in my peripheral. The oldies music lowly playing, filling the air with subtle energy.
As I take a sip of my hot drink I smile to myself. This is Brooklyn living.

This is NY.

Kindness goes a long way

I was at my gym today talking with a gym representative. I was asking him for a guest pass for a friend of mine. He said they only offer 3 day passes now. I asked if there was anything longer and he said no. He went on to explain why they discontinued the 2 week pass. How their new registrations weren't increasing enough to justify giving a pass that allows more wear and tear on the gym equipment. I told him I understood and I am grateful for whatever he can offer. As he's filling out the pass I remembered the last time I saw him he had much less muscle mass. I pointed out the transformation. He thanked me and then started telling me how his sudden muscle gain had set off a muscle spasm in his upper back. He told me how uncomfortable it was and that he can't sleep at night because of the pain. I suggested a massage parlor that I've heard good things about from some friends. When all was said and done I thanked him for his time and told him that I hope he feels better soon. As I'm about to walk away he says "Hey man, I'll give you a 7 day pass"

Kindness is ever the begetter of kindness.
Sophocles

You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force.
Publilius Syrus

Read Bart Read!

I was at work today waiting until 2:00pm to leave for a casting that I could go anywhere between 1:30-3:30. It was for a Presentation for Porsche Design. I received the details of the casting via email last night from my agency.
So about 10 minutes before I was going to head out I get a call from my booker asking me where I was at, that I'm 20 minutes late to my job. 2 seconds past and then it hit me. It was a job! Not a casting... -_-
So I rushed out of work. Luckily the job was only a couple blocks away from work so I ended up being 30 minute late.
To make a long story short, everything worked out and the client was pleased with my Zoolander skills :P
Important lesson learned: Read my charts thoroughly.
Now I just have to make it up to my booker!
Here's a pic of me in action, or inaction

Indestructible

I was skating down 5th Avenue last week. I had just left my Porsche Presentation and was heading to J.Crew to replace my busted iPad case. I usually skate on the "Bus Only" lanes so that I don't have to be weaving around people on the sidewalk.
As I'm skating I here a bus behind me so I steer towards the sidewalk. As I stop, my board hits the sidewalk and bounces backwards. It bounced so fast that I couldn't stop it. It rolls toward the bus and as I watch in despair it rolls right under the the bus tire.
The bus runs over it.
But my board had too much life left to live. It bent under the tire and then shot out right back to me.
It rides perfectly fine!

Health, Fitness, and Nutrition Blog

So I've been meaning to do a health centered blog where I share my exercise regime, my diet, and tips on how to live healthier and the awesome side effects that come with it; higher energy levels, weight loss, clear skin, and best of all, more confidence.

Your body is a vessel, a tool, that allows you to interact with the physical world. Without it, you're a goner. So instead of just taking care of your body, I challenge you take it to a higher level, upgrade it, customize it.

Think of your body as a car. It gets you from one place to another. Now, you can use it, abuse it, neglect it, or you can treat it with care, put better fuel in it, clean the insides so it runs smoother and more efficient, customize the exterior so it looks more sleek or more muscly, take it out on the test track to improve performance, pimp it out!

It's your very own self-healing machine. If you put just a little extra care into it, it'll respond like a bone-fire when a cup of gasoline is thrown on it. BOOM!!!! (Hopefully you get the picture).

I welcome you to not just learn from this new blog, but apply what you can to your life so we can all take this ride in life together.

Passion Dance

Was at a Japanese mixology bar last night with a friend. We got seated in the corner of the bar where there were three small tables. We sat in the middle table. The table to my right was a couple grabbing their check. To my left were two fellows. It was Paul Giamatti and his good friend Andrew Pang having drinks. All I could think of was Paul Giamatti's incredible performance in the 2005 film Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe, one of my all time favorite films. As we sat next to him I could hear his voice and it sounds exactly like him in his films. The night turned into having drinks and sharing conversation with Paul, his friend, and two young ladies to my right. What a blast. Talking, laughing, sharing stories, and cracking jokes. I had an awesome time sharing our night with such a talented actor. To make it even better, he was a down to earth, humble, funny guy. It amazes me that a person with such influence and recognition in our culture can be as personable and friendly as Paul Giamatti.
We spoke briefly about our professions and to sum things up, I am truly inspired.
What a delight to spend an evening with great people and share a slice of life with one another.
Thank you Paul for the conversation and drinks!

Brooklyn moment

On my way to a meeting I stop by a shop that had mirrored doors. As I was adjusting my dress shirt collar I see out the corner of my eye a little girl in a Karate suit sitting in a kiddie quarter ride watching me. I finish grooming, look at her, put a thumbs up as if to ask if she approves, and she nods. She gets it

Comfort Zones

I'm staying at a friend's place right now. In the transition of moving into another place. I was washing dishes last week and noticed a dirty coffee mug in the sink. On the mug there was a quote I've never read before. A quote from Neale Donald Walsch, an author of several New York Time's Best Sellers. The quote read, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone".
I have never read a quote that spoke so deeply to me, that related to me so personally. "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone".
WOW! Powerful.
The last 5 years of my life I have had to adapt to new environments. Both physical and social. When I moved out of my parents house it wasn't the most ideal of situations. Today my parents and I are very close and have a strong relationship. But back then that wasn't the case, so I house hopped from one place to another. From one family to another. In the beginning it was a bit difficult and well...uncomfortable. But as I had to continue to change scenes, it became less of a struggle. Eventually it didn't effect me either way, whether I was staying in one place or moving to another. As I got older, and started modeling I continued moving around. I began living in model houses months at a time. With my house mates constantly rotating in and out, and new people moving in, there was never a month that was like the last. I learned to love it though.
With moving around all the time from one city to another or even one area to another, I was constantly looking for extra work aside from modeling. Consequently I've been to a crazy amount of interviews, met so many different kinds of people, and worked in a Heinz57 list of jobs. Honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. I enjoy learning new things and expanding my horizons. I feel as though if I'm not out of my comfort zone then I'm not growing. If I'm not in any way feeling pressure or stress, then I get antsy and look for something to challenge me. In college I did a research paper on stress and the effects it has on us. Though there are negative effects, surprisingly there are more positive ones, depending on how you perceive and respond to stress.
Stress is what pushes us past our limits. However, if we work with stress, then we are able to adapt to the new line it pushes us to, and maintain that line, thus making new limits.
When you realize Life Is Stress, you begin to see all around you opportunities to grow and expand yourself to limits you never thought was possible. You begin to live in a state of constant stimulation, where you feel like a sponge soaking up life's splashes of experiences. Almost like Jim Carrey's 2008 film "Yes Man", minus the mayhem and destruction.
That awkward silence in a crowded elevator turns into an opportunity for a joke you've been waiting for the perfect moment to deliver, when you have undivided attention. When you would avoid at all costs awkward situations, now you smile to yourself as you carelessly laugh and watch others squirm. When before you would dread going to social events that you didn't know many people, now you look forward to it. The rush of walking into a room of strangers and spontaneously starting a conversation.
Making new friends every day tends to make every day a good day.
So try it. Whenever you feel like avoiding something, turn it around, smile to yourself, and think, "this could be interesting :)"

It would be totally cool if you guys shared what you've recently done to step outside your comfort zone in the comment box below this post. Anything from trying a new sport or hobby, to jumping into awkward situations and doing what I like to call "riding the awkward wave" ;)

Rebooting

Wow it's been over a year since my last post. I've been keeping up with FaceBook, and recently Twitter, but this blog has really been neglected. But I say no more! Though my Laptop situation hasn't changed, I literally just found this Blogger app on my iPhone and I now have 24 hour posting capabilities whenever wherever. Love me some new technology!
So, a whole lot has happened since my last post. Eventually I'll backtrack and fill you in. For now I will move forward and update you with the latest and greatest.
I am living in New York City. I am still signed with Major Model Management. I have a few part time jobs around the city to keep me busy when I'm not going to castings and shooting. I recently bought a Penny Board(small ass skate board that zips around) and have been getting around effortlessly throughout the city.
On the modeling side I am currently getting re-developed. Previously I was being pushed for a lot of edgy fashion type work. Though my look can do that, I naturally lean towards the Classic look. Polo, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Diesel..that kind of look. My face has also matured in the last year so it favors the classic even more. My agents and I decided to focus on my strengths, instead of promoting my versatility. So we've done a couple test shoots with the classic look being our focus and Diggety! it looks good!
I attached a few of them to this post.
Also, I am working with CLICK in Boston. I'm actually in Boston now. I'm sitting in the Boston Public Library on Boylston St, happily tapping away as I write this post. I saw a couple clients this morning and then met up with the bookers in CLICK for the first time..Good people!
I'm traveling back to NY tonight on a bus. About a 4 hour 15 min ride, not bad at all. Just gotta say, Boston is BEAUTIFUL!!! I'm in love. Excited to come back when I start getting booked our here. And to make it better, I have an aunt and uncle and cousin who live right by Boston. So I get to see them too :)
Well this post is probably my longest one yet...(just had an internal t.w.s.s. moment lol) so I'll leave it at that.
Until next time...and sooner than last time ;)





*just re-read it for proof reading and it really didn't seem long at all. Hmm

All the pictures below are from Daniel D' Ottavio.

To see his work check out his site at http://danieldottavio.com/