Almost Famous

A few weeks ago we did a photo shoot for the CORE fitness class I took all last quarter. I was told that the photos would be on Chris' website. He emailed me a view of of the pictures and either emailed or told me about an ad in The Sacramento News & Review. Since I am an actress and there is big money in print ads and commercial work, I was less than happy that he designed and ran the ad without my permission -- and of course, provided no compensation. I think he was floored that I was not ecstatic that I was "chosen" to be in his ad. Anyway.

After seeing the first of a few double features this week, I treated myself to a Chinese dinner at Silver Dragon. I grabbed a paper to read while I dined and opened the paper to page 27 and started laughing.

Some of you know that I recorded a CD with my aunt a few months ago in NY. It was a great learning experience and while my Aunt's singing is not what I call great, I am pretty happy with what I did. Listening now, I certainly would have done something differently and persuaded them to let me take a complete take on Desperado rather than piecing things together. The album finally appeared on all of the internet outlets but of course my name is not mentioned anywhere. In fact my aunt is credited for all songs, including mine. Feel free to listen, but know that I Wanna Be Loved by You and Desperado are in fact sung by ME.

By gum.

Life in Still

Hello and Welcome to the Messy Museum. I am the curator and your guide through this tiny exhibit. This is an interactive museum, so feel free to throw trash away, pet the kitty and have a little snack along the way.

In this photo we see the image of the Messy Living Room from the front door.  The table is in its usual disarray, but we have some points of interest.


First, the holiday cards all from the east coast.  From Left to Right they go, The May Family (which included an extraordinary DVD), my parents (which included a nice check), Angela & Chris, my brother & Keri, The Wiley's (and a fun Christmas letter), The Denning-Brown's (that came with a yummy batch of sugar cookies!), Anne Stainback and The Blair's (another lovely Christmas letter)

In the center of the table sits the Small Metal Shopping Cart with part of a box of California Clementines from the grocery store.  However with the delivery of the box from Nevermore yesterday, my basket runeth over.


On the wall behind the table is a framed print received as a gift from working on the production of Mad Forest in 1995 with Theater Emory. It's a line in front of a market in the former Czechoslovakia.


Finally we have one serious looking cat.  Maximillian.  He takes a little break from watching the squirrels run on the fence behind the house.

Fresh from the Farm

Just moments ago Deborah from Nevermore Farm dropped off my first CSA veggie box. It's got grapefruit, clementines, lemons, persimmon, lavender, white rice, a turnip with greens and some bags of unknown greens. I emailed over there to find out what the greens are so I know how to cook things (or not to cook them at all!) as well as get suggestions for what to do with the lavender.

Wait, am I turning into a hippie yet?

2:17PM -- Here's part of the email I got from Ken that's sent to all subscribers.  It includes the "real" list of what's in the box.  I must say that I love this!

-Oro Blanco Grapefruit
-Bearss Lime
-Satsuma tangerine/mandarin (still can't tell the difference)
-Forellenschuss lettuce--some of the heads are really big, with lots of red tinting on the edges. The discoloration is from frost. There should be plenty of more evenly colored leaves underneath. We ate one of these last night and I gave up cleaning it when I wasn't halfway through but the bowl for salad was overflowing.
-New Zealand Spinach--for new subscribers, this is one of our more unique offerings. It needs to be cooked, there is enough for a single serving. (the darker green, triangular leaves) for more information
-Elysee Escarole/Curly Endive mix--sharp and bold, and screaming for candied walnuts and bleu cheese dressing, a single serving...
-Turnip, Purple Globe or baby Shogun. Don't forget the greens are very nutrutious. As most will notice, we have turnip issues. They are split or otherwise look like aliens. I'm working on it.....don't know what to do with those greens? I made this the other night and if it can get mustard greens to be exciting, I'm pretty sure it can do turnip greens......
-Lavender or Sun-Dried Roma tomatoes--packaged treasure from the summertime. Don't forget that you can make syrups with lavendar and otherwise cook with it. Or you can breathe it in deeply and feel remarkably less aggravated......
-Fuyu persimmon
-Kokuho Rose (oblong, sushi-type) or other local, rice

The Making of a Tart

I slept over Christine's house on Christmas eve so we had a leg up on the drive to Donner Ranch the following morning. We planned a day of skiing, which scared the living shit out of me, since I had not been in over 20 years.  On Christmas Day I came downstairs at 7AM and joined Christine on the couch.  We had coffee and tarts and were still there at 11AM.  I guess skiing will happen another time. :)

We spent the day drinking Carolans, playing Scrabble (on the board!!), cleaning Christine's room (Merry Christmas) and watching Napolean Dynamite. We did get out and walk in search of a chinese restaurant for dinner, but after almost 5 miles of walking we were back at home unsuccessful.

Maybe the mince tarts were a factor...

We used the Pillsbury pie shells that you unroll for our mini-tarts.  I did help cut out the circles, but I quickly moved into the role of photographer.

I re-rolled the left over dough with Christine's mack-daddy rolling pin and she used the dough to make pretty lattice tops.

I love that I just watched the magic happen -- taking pictures.  I did force (okay, well encourage) Christine to do a proper lattice on the mini-tarts.  And look at the finished masterpiece!

Who let the tarts out?  Woof-woof!

You must watch this

I abstain from my right to update you all on my crazy antics in effort to share a short entertaining video.

have fun!

Got one

So the dreaming thing is totally happening and I have images swirling in my head from last night, but not enough to report. However, 2 mornings ago I stayed with my eyes closed and reviewed a dream before awakening.

I was with Denise Arribas and she was looking for a new place to live. So we went to this apartment complex, but the apartment in question was way on the other side. So she decided to slip into a closer unit and lo and behold the door to said unit was open. When we got inside the room was dark. There was one guy asleep on the couch and I believe another one asleep in an arm chair. Maybe there was a third one in the bedroom. I was not comfortable with the situation because we were basically breaking into these guys place. I cannot remember if it was Denise or me, but when the guy on the couch started to stir, one of us said to the that we would only be there a minute. We then left pretty quickly.

Once in the long hallway, the lights went out and I see the shadow of a man in a wide brimmed hat and a young child on his left. I called out and the boy answered back. Since the man did not I figured that what would come next would not be good. So I did what I usually do in these situations.

I woke up.

Lazy Saturday...

I installed the new belt in my vacuum, but it still makes a horrible noise. I called Bissell this morning and did a series of removing hoses and checking filters, but the noise remains.  Since I am no longer under warranty, I am on my own.  Instead of driving back to Kelly's Sew & Vac, I sat on the couch and played Scrabulous.  I also caught up with Angela & Chris on their way home for Christmas and started a plan to help begin their new website template idea for restaurants and artists.  Next I signed up for a local CSA and ate some soup made from the raw Latke Fest fixin's.

Nothing better on this overcast day than a little more avoidance of my to-do list than going to the movies! Charlie Wilson's War, here I come!!

Takes a lickin', still no tickin'

It's already 6pm and I just consulted my list of things to-do and I got nothin'. I did work a bit on my fellowship application today and looked up dentists in the area, but no can do in the tickin' off the list department.

I did clean much of my apartment today (including the overflowing sink of dishes) and turned my vacuum over to pull the fuzz out of the brushes. I don't know what got me thinking about pulling the cover off, but when I did the belt came off in my hands. Oh, I guess that's what's been making that horrible noise.

So before taking a little time out to see Sweeney Todd, I biked to Kelly's Sew and Vac, which is now called Party & Vac. Yes, I agree that's bizarre. I went down the aisle of Hawaiian stuff and graduation decorations to the back and picked up a #7 for my Bissell. Now I just need to figure out how the heck to install it.

On my little biking adventure I considered all of the possible status updates for my facebook profile. I think I decided on "Hope Mirlis audibly pants while biking in the wind." It wasn't until I left with the new belt that I felt my bike's tires and they were both just about our of air. After the movie I stopped by one of the million bike shops in town and filled up my tires. It was amazingly easy to ride home. I believe my new profile status will read, "Hope Mirlis feels like a dumbass."

Me, Me, Me

I don't really have any trouble taking care of me, but I do think I lost of little bit of the artist in me the last few years.  This MFA journey is a way back.  I did find out this morning that I got all As this quarter.  So, go me!  I also took a ride into Berkeley last night with Randy to see Argonautika and will be going with Chad to see Underneath the Lintel at B Street tonight.

However, I sat on the couch on Tuesday night and watched the finale of The Biggest Loser.  Yes, I sat my rump down and watched ALL TWO HOURS.  It was clear to see that these people had stopped caring about themselves and let themselves go.

While my apartment is usually a disaster, I do try and keep myself organized.  Or at least lead people to believe that.  So yesterday I got my monthly mani/pedi and today is my first facial in quite a few months.  I need to schedule a massage and I contemplate getting my haircut and eyebrows done.  It's doubtful that we will have another Core Fitness class this year and since it does not fit into my schedule in Winter, I bought a 10 class pass at Bo Tree Yoga this morning before the Gentle Flow class.

With so many people gone for the holiday break, I got quite a few surprised looks from people when I said I would be staying in Davis.  It's time to not only take care of me, but also take care of all of things I have been putting off.  And maybe if I see a movie or two, all will be well.

The current list:

-- write UC Davis fellowship application

-- go to the dentist

-- fight parking ticket

-- update banking

-- do research on actor/medical school collaboration

-- work with Chris & Angela on getting a business plan together for their new venture

-- take an Interplay class in Oakland

-- get CA drivers license

-- read short stack of plays

-- read short stack of books

-- go on at least one date

-- do my "homework" for the first Fate & Spinoza rehearsal

Um, what am I waiting for?

Sunday, Sunday

It's Sunday night, just before bed and there's not a ton to report. I still cannot remember my dreams, but I know that I'm dreaming.

I had a great day of hiking in the snow on Mt. Lemmon and hanging with Sarah's peeps. I have a feeling when I crash in a few moments my brain will detox with my tired body.

Good news is that grades are posted for 2 of my 4 classes and I have A's in both. Fingers crossed that the other two come through.

I will post pics from all my adventures and catching up on past events as the week goes on.

Nighty night!

Dream a little dream

Now that I'm on winter break, I took a jaunt to visit my good friend Sarah in Tucson. Last night I slept on her comfortable pull out couch in her cute as a button a adobe cottage. I began and ended my sleeping experience curled up next to Scout, her supa sweeet bit bull. I am still in my jammies and am full from steel cut oats and nice strong coffee.

Anyway, enough exposition for the time being.

So I awakened this morning to the vision of vivid dreams. Of course, I cannot recall them now, but I bet I will get some flashes of images throughout the day. Or maybe one of Sarah's crazy Phd friends will trigger something with a witticism or two.

I don't remember dreaming most of the quarter. The last two nights my dreams have been all over the place and very colorful. Why is that? Does stress or a busy schedule affect the ability to dream or remember your dreams? I have not done a little edu-me-cation section in a while, so here we go.

Happy relaxing!

The old phrase ‘healthy body healthy mind’ is very true, the state of our health does affect our dreams; if we are unhealthy and run down our dreams may be bleak and full of foreboding, these types of dreams we may simply forget for our own protection and to stop us from feeling too down.

The definition of health is a sense of well-being; which is another way of saying we feel happy with ourselves, when you are happy you are more relaxed and your dreams will reflect this feeling and begin a cycle of happiness and well-being. But all too often we become trapped in a cycle of stress and strain that leaves us functioning below our best and feeling worn out, anxious and unhappy.

For long-term stress relief and a feeling of well-being you need periods of physical relaxation and mental quietude throughout the day.

Relaxing is made up of a few easily learned skills that will help you combat the effects of stress and restore the balance between body and mind.

Though modern life does give us wider scope for our dreams and new horizons to reach for; it also puts enormous pressure on the mind and body.

Some stress is a normal part of life, a protection from danger, and not necessarily a bad thing, positive stress helps us achieve some of those goals on the horizon. But when stress is long-term, causing recurring dreams that leave you feeling un-rested, it can affect you physical, emotionally and spiritually, grinding away at your well-being.

Cause There is a huge spectrum of stressors, from something insignificant like the telephone ringing to something overwhelming like a car crash. Major life events such as moving home, marriage, death; factors in the environment such as flashing light, repetitive noises, overcrowding and pollution; lifestyle, including improper sleep, poor diet and little exercise.

Your own constitution and past experiences can moderate the effects of stress up to a point, but the more stressors there are it becomes less likely that you are able to cope with them all.

Dr. Hans Selye was the pioneer in research into stress in the thirties. He defines stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demands made upon it. Each demand made on the body is unique in that there is a definite response: when we are cold, we shiver; when we are hot we perspire; a great muscular effort increases the demands upon the heart and vascular system. Stress has definite physical effects but it can take you years to notice them. Dr. Selye identified three stages of adaptation in our response to long-term stress.

1. Alarm response –
Exposure to stressors prompts an immediate biochemical reaction known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. Hormones are released into the blood causing the following:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Raised blood-sugar and cholesterol levels
Faster breathing and perspiration
Increased muscle tension
Disruption of digestive processes
Suppression of the immune system
Emotional tension

2. Adaptation –
If the cause of the stress it dealt with or removed, normal functions will return, but if the situation continues the body will cope by adapting to it. You may feel as though everything has returned to normal but your body will still be using up the extra resources needed to cope with the stressful situation, over time your ability to function properly will be affected, resulting in fatigue, irritability and lethargy.

3. Exhaustion –
Long-term stress changed your hormonal balance and leads to exhaustion. A suppressed immune system, slower metabolism and inefficient cell repair result in rapid aging, weight gain and a greater risk of degenerative diseases. Your body becomes worn out, you become ill more often and you feel psychologically burnt out. You can become seriously ill and suffer from a breakdown.

Although stress can cause all these disorders, it is not in itself an illness. It is the product of habitual responses to difficult situation and unhealthy living. It is a habit that can be broken, if you are prepared to look carefully at your life and take control.

Useful Reading:
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis, Matthew McKay, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman

Holiday spirited

Today I spent most of the day in my pajamas on the couch grading papers from DRA 10 and getting those grades into the system. I took a break to do this elf thing and also to do the dishes from Tuesday night's Latke Fest and run to the laundromat and library before I head out of town.

I am proud to say that I am officially done. Fingers crossed that none of my students contest their grades and that I do come in with solid As.

If you want a good laugh watch the dancing elves and then create one for yourself!

Look what I found in the trash!

Look out Hollywood, mama's a filmmaker! Now if only we can figure out what the heck we were cooking last April...

Dear Students of DRA 10,

Thank you so much for your kind words and appreciation.  I know that many of you hated all things "sun salutation" but grew to love my aerobic warm-ups and crazy vocal exercises.  I also know that many of you are more confident and comfortable speaking in public now. Others of you have a better understanding of what an actor does. I bow my head humbly at the commendation of my "guidance, critiques, and a very positive attitude."

I truly didn't know that I make such a difference. Honestly and simply. Now, since I'm in the process of calculating your grades, I certainly hope these final journal assignments are truthful and not just a final game of "Suck Up." So while I've got your attention and the love is flowing, let me remind you of a few things.

Life is hard, classes are hard. There is a reason assignments have a due date and you must be present and on-time to class. Are you late for work? Probably not. Is money or the risk of being fired more important than learning or grades -- or respect for the ensemble comprised of your classmates?

You must READ THE DIRECTIONS! If you are in a chemistry class, one wrong ingredient into the test tube may cause not only you but also your lab partner to LOSE AN EYE! A critique on Noises Off is NOT enough. You needed to observe ONE character fully, do your take-home quiz on the play from which YOUR final scene is taken and actually look in the Lab Book to see how to properly start scene analysis.

Lastly, you must fully understand your power of communicating -- through words or your actions or your lack of action. Read your papers out loud, write your argument and SUPPORT it and lastly, do a freakin' spell check before turning in all papers. Don't waste or squander that power communication -- ever.

Peace out.

  

Where in the world is...YOU?

So now that classes are over and I can see the end of my assignment list, I started reading the NYT online again this morning. Yes, there's still war and legal action over torture, lies and secrets, but the Broadway strike is over. And there's an interesting opinion piece about the open practice of religion in this country.

I will be hanging in Davis for most of break, so I anticipate blogging a little every day. I need to go back and report on some of the latest happening, but let's go forward for a moment, shall we?

Now that I moved my life across the country, I feel a little lighter -- from responsibility and just, stuff. So the possibility of travel is further up on the brain. Where do you plan to go in 2008?

The NYT Travel dude has these suggestions.

Anybody up for some adventure?

Rebel without a post

So it's been about a week and I have not been inspired to write. Maybe it's because my journaling has been focused elsewhere -- like those projects that I actually receive GRADES! Anyway, as the quarter comes to an end, I spent my day multi-tasking -- working on multiple projects at once. When I got bored, I did a back-up to my external hard drive (thanks Chris!) and did the dishes.

The weather is a little chilly, I mean not snowy chilly like NY, but both my cats are curled up next to me on the couch. That's exactly what I would be doing if I hadn't been performing the Procrastination Mambo.

So my to-do list includes:
1. Finalizing my Arthur Lessac presentation for voice class (Tuesday)
2. Writing a corresponding Research paper on the same subject
3. Memorizing lines from Chekhov's The Celebration for my acting class (presentation Wednesday)
4. Catching up on my journal for movement class (due next Wednesday)
5. Continuing to work on an observation assignment for movement where we classify in Laban terms what we see in one of our classmates (also due Wednesday)
6. learning the lyrics for a song I will sing for Rinde Eckert at auditions for Fate and Spinoza (also on Wednesday)
7. Creating a devised work for CORE with an eye towards documentation. I decided to document the entire quarter of work through survey responses of my classmates. This will inspire a performance to be presented on Thursday

Okay, enough of this jabbering -- I now have a stomach ache and anxiety is building. Gosh, I really did think I was so on top of everything...

Yikes!

Happy Birthday, Suehyla!

Suehyla is another year older today. As a friend who now lives outside of Atlanta, I was among those who were challenged with sending photos to Suehyla of ourselves doing something we LOVE, RIGHT NOW.

After a disappointing Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), I was nervous that I would not complete my assignment.

However, with 2 hours to spare (Pacific time) I offer you all a little photo essay I call "The Things I Love to Do, Right Now"

As we view, please lift a Makers on the rocks and let's all toast Ms. El-Attar on a great year and an even better one yet to come.




Every Wednesday and Saturday in Central Park, Davis, there is a Farmer's Market. It was one of the first things that made me smile about living here. I live only about 3 blocks away and I love heading over there at least once a week to see what's fresh and to sample some of the best fruit around.


These photos were shot the day before Thanksgiving. The market was a bit quiet, but there were tons of baked goods for sale. Too bad I was traveling across the country.

Dude is that bok choy AND a scarecrow? How festive!


And how can we skip the kettle corn guy?


I took the red-eye on Thanksgiving day to spend the holiday with my family in New York. Many thanks to Randy for watching my little nuggets while I was gone. I usually make the journey from Long Island into the City (Manhattan, that is) to see friends or theatre each visit. The photo above is from the drive in to have some fun with my mom and sister-in-law. I believe were were going through Queens.


Right before heading to the airport (JFK) last night, my parents and I went to a great local family-style Italian joint. My parents and I dined on stuffed artichokes, angel hair with white clam sauce and chicken parmesan. We ended the meal with a delish fresh cannoli. Um, yummy!




Due to the fact that one of my classmates commented on the fact that my pants were too small, I signed up for a CORE fitness class during my lunch break. I usually drag my bum there each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This is my teacher, Chris and me doing one of my favorite exercises at the end of class today.

yeah, thank you very much

As I sit here in my parent's house after eating left overs of eggplant parmesan, garlic broccoli and green bean casserole (with those yummy crunchy onions) I am trying yet again to gain perspective. Yesterday was not one of the most memorable Thanksgivings -- both my sister-in-law's brother and mother were sick, my parents had a silent freak-out in the kitchen because the turkey was still raw and the sweet potatoes were hard at serving time and football was the only thing showing on the television despite the fact that only 3 people (of 12) actually cared about the game.

Did I have high expectations of the day? You bet. I flew on the red-eye across the country and put on a sweater and velvet pants when most everyone wore jeans.

I love Thanksgiving and I love spending it with my family, but my new digital camera never left it's case. I was not drawn to remove it, because there were no Kodak moments. Well, there were tons of my brother and sister-in-law's nephew, Sam, but he's really not MY family. So I don't take any family pictures for Suehyla's birthday photo request. I have until Monday to photograph something I love doing right now. Maybe I won't make it.

I am also in the process of examining my last CORE devised piece. You know the one about anatomy with Zac and Sylvie? What I constantly return to is the fact that I am disappointed in how things go and how I want to take control. I write a section of the evaluation for my journal, listen to the dissatisfied tone and hit delete. Am I too picky? Do I need to lower my expections? Do I need to try harder to get things the way I want?

At the end of the evening last night, I sat with my grandmother at the dining room table. The rest of the family sat in the great room watching TV. I drank a cup of coffee and my grandmother sipped her 4th cup of tea. She also ate 2 little cupcakes and commented that she couldn't beleive she ate so much. She had no recollection of eating 2 earlier in the day with her first cup of tea. In fact she doesn't remember much. We spend lots of time repeating. However the questions change slightly. Lately she asks how work is and I mention that I'm back in school. I teach for work but I take 4 classes. When I tell her what my classes entail, she always follows up by saying, "no math?" "No grandma, no math. I did that in undergraduate. I don't have the same requirements getting my graduate degree." She told me that she asks her caregiver Herminia what day it is at least 4 times in the morning alone.

So over coffee and tea and little cupcakes I asked her about her most vivid memory. She tells me a very interesting tale that I had not heard before -- of her Aunt Becky. The gist of the story is that Aunt Becky lived with her husband and daughter and the husband started fooling around with the next door neighbor. He eventually left. My grandmother loved her Aunt Becky very much and was very appreciative of her when my grandfather was away during WWII. When I try and change subjects when it seems like this one is exhausted, I ask about her favorite vacation. She does not move on, but continues to talk about the running theme of disappointment with the women in the family. This story is occasionally broken by her dislike of her current mop, as she watches the woman my mother hired to help serve dinner mop the entry way.

Maybe my dissapointment is hereditary? Or maybe I need to stop whining and be thankful for the amazing things in my life...

* a great set of friends both new and old
* a family that loves me for me
* being healthy despite being "middle aged" as labeled by one of the health center doctors
* a great educational opportunity
* a place to share my thoughts and photos without judgement (or at least a place to comment!)

Why gospel why?

My buddy Tony gave me a copy of the music from the film Across the Universe. I have not seen it, but I believe it's a trippy (in the best possible way) piece using Beatles music. I am sitting in the library and Let it Be comes on over my ear buds and I start crying. Yes, the sound is heartfelt and all, but the water doesn't start until the gospel choir lets loose.

I tend to get teary at all things gospel.

Why is that?

The anatomy of a sidetrack

For my 4th devised piece in our CORE class I am working with Sylvie, one of the PhD students and Zac, the set designer I worked with in week one. I tried to work on a duet with Sylvie, but the rest of the class revolted and sent Zac out to find the two of us slipping away in the hallway.

This week I wanted to create a visual piece (as opposed to a performance piece) based on whatever Sylvie wanted to do. It seemed to me that she has been unhappy in every collaboration thus far, so I am letting her have her way. Sort of. Zac is not feeling well and is on pain meds therefore he is just going with the flow. Sylvie set me straight by saying that she is in fact not unhappy (catch those double negatives) with the process, but would like do a piece on anatomy. Cool, that sounds fun. And she wants audience participation. Double fun!

So I am currently researching elements of anatomy -- the anatomy of dreams and the brain. Kinesthesiology and illustration. And of course, I stumbled upon an vulva puppet on my way to the anatomy of nonsense -- which of course opens up that whole dada door.

Sylvie mentioned a goddess named Anatomie, that I am trying like hell to find any reference to her whatsoever. As I googled "anatomy and myth", I was forced to stop on this. There's nothing like the drama of Grey's Anatomy for a little distraction.

More shout outs!

Hey there, it's November and I have been shout-out-less for about two months now. With that in mind today I have two -- or technically 3 today.

In my pre-Davis life I worked at Souper Jenny, a cute soup cafe in a pretty ritzy area of Atlanta. One of my gifts to my super generous boss was to help her write a cookbook. I got photographer Joel Silverman on board and he recruited Tami Hardeman to do the food styling. Food styling's an ART folks. Hence the first shout out. Tami is a foodie extraordinaire. I like to consider myself a foodie, but have since stopped because NOW I know what a true foodie is. Check out her blog and her facebook group, and prepare to salivate. Not only that, but don't she take a purty picture?

While the cookbook is at a complete halt -- I have since stopped sending messages to Souper Jenny asking for recipes and text -- the website (number 2 project I spearheaded) launched today. I passed off this project about a month ago, but got tired of seeing the placeholder image on the test website. I stepped back in 2 days ago without letting Jenny or Marcie know and gave my final bits of feedback. Check it out. As you can see, the site looks great and is easy to use. This is due to the skills, expertise and creative eyes of my second hoorays -- Chris Aquino and Angela Mitchell. There is so much they each do that completely goes over my head. And that's fine with me, because I would trust them each with my life. These pictures are not the best, but are from when Chris taught me to make sushi. See talent, folks! Angela also got commended at her job this week which came with a title change and a nice raise.

Yay them!

Friday, the day of the domestic

Today was my day to catch up on all of the domestic things I have not done in a while. Laundry (um, 4 loads!) grocery shopping, eyebrow wax. I did manage to get to my CORE fitness class to balance things out.


I started my day however at one of the laundromats in town. When my parents were here they insisted that we take my rugs and blankets to Suds to have them wash and fold for me. That gave us time to tool around Sacramento and drink great sangria at Tapa the World -- get it top of the world...tapas...

Anyway, when we picked up the 2 rugs and 3 blankets (which came to a whopping total of $38!!) my lovely white bathmat was GREEN. See, they washed it with my green kitchen mat. Can we say dumb ass?

So, the next day we went into complain and were met with a lovely man who apologized for the mistake, took the mat and our ticket and said someone would call. Five days later and no call, I marched back in there, pointed at my mat on the shelf, wrote my number down AGAIN and was promised a phone call from the owner. Since I had yet to receive a call I went in today with a receipt for a new mat and just asked to be reimbursed. No problem, right?

The girl on duty was the same as last time. She could not believe that the owner had failed to call me. She rang him, but he didn't pick up so she left a message. There was no way that I was leaving there without a resolution.

My side: I have been back here three times and no one had the courtesy to call me. I had to not only buy a new mat, but matching towels and accessories since I no longer had a matching set. I only asked them to pay for my new mat which was $20.

Her side: I don't have the authorization to give you money.

So after asking repeatedly what I should do, because I knew if I left no one was going to call me -- she caved and gave me $20 out of her own pocket. I left my receipt so she could get the money from her slacker of a boss.

As I walked out, I thought I heard her cry.

Am I going to hell?

Shhhhhhh

I am in the library reading one of the THIRDeYE plays and doing research for my vocal pedagogy presentation. I smuggled in my coffee and a pizza bagel.

Mum's the word.

Revelations and introspections

I am finally settling in this crazy new life and due to all of the journaling and exercises have come to notice some things. I also think a little parental visit can shake things up.

My folks, as some of you know are some of the most critical people around me. Okay, they are the MOST critical. Which can be good and not so good. As we discussed my program over their weekend visit, they kept repeating how weak my program is. I tend to agree with them on some level. But the last time I was in school I was an undergrad. As an MFA candidate, there is much more flexibility as I move from student to collegue with my professors.

I think this is a little harder to grasp since as a mid-career collaborative artist I always thought of the peer system. That the people around me were equals and there was a good bit of give and take. The academic environment primarily puts emphasis on wrong and right, black and white. Education always flows from teacher to student and that teachers have all the answers.

I see that mostly with the class I teach. I did the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Critical Response Process with their open scenes today it was amazing for them to give feedback to each other. They looked at me for guidance for a while until they finally got the hang of how it worked and communicated as a group -- lessening the emphasis on what I said.

I love that.

In movement we went through the 5 Rhythms -- Flow, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness. The exercise did not work for me. We were guided by music and instruction on the recording. How to move and quality of movement, but I could not hear the spoken instruction. So instead of letting my body guide my brain, I immediately resorted to questioning my "rightness." So, when we discussed the exercise afterwards, my undergrad and graduate brain were in conflict. I wound up just being frustrated with the idea that I thought too much about being correct in what I was doing.

After class, in my nausteated/low blood sugar state I walked towards the Silo and my CORE fitness class. I stopped midway and took a detour to the library. I decided to do what was best for my body and mind -- take a time-out and regroup in the library courtyard.

Ahhhh.

the progression of the kitchen

in preparation of the arrival of my digital camera, I present a pictoral adventure. how my kitchen came to be. enjoy.

Day 1 in Davis, CA. My mother and I had a day to clean since my relocube had not been delivered -- yet. Look at the those shelves! Bursting with possibility. Me, on the other hand -- I'm just tired and smelly.

Either day 1 or 2. We took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target in Natomas and got shelf liners.


The unpacking begins and Maxie finds a comfortable spot. By this time his eyes were finally back to normal from the sedation.


Still unpacking and Maxie gets a little more bold. See him behind the wine glasses? Crazy. He was super careful. We did find some broken glass -- but very little and Maxie was certainly not responsible.


Just about complete. And yes, the handy dandy step ladder is uber useful and needed.


My kitchen today. Pretty clean after hosting my first gathering. A brunch for some of my classmates and friends.

an evening of journaling

as a grad student in the department of theatre and dance i really don't have many tests. actually I only had one -- and that was for my voice class. we had to be able to discuss the different areas that make sound and the different modes of making them.

i explained to angela the day of the test that, for example, an S sound is an alveolar approximate. you use your tongue and the alveolar ridge (the area right behind your upper teeth) in a way that they ALMOST (or approximately) touch. for contrast, we make our Ps and Bs using bilabial plosive. blowing air out of our 2 lips (bilabial) in an exploding fashion -- with a burst of air. the difference being that the Ps are unvoiced and the Bs are voiced.

You tried this, out loud, right?

anyway, after having to explain 5 such examples and having to make the sounds for our professor one by one, that's pretty much all there is in terms of a true test. the rest of my assignments are projects. devised pieces in my CORE class, a vocal pedagogy lecture in my voice/speech class and chekhov scenes in acting. for our CORE class and our movement class, however, we also have to do journals. the instructors want us to concentrate on how we are learning and processing information and how we respond to it throughout the quarter.

we are in the middle of our 2nd devised work for CORE, but one of the two professors thinks its a good idea to also check in on the progress of our journals. she suggested that we bring them in to share in class tomorrow. my friend christine suggested that we do this next week -- to allow us time to work over the weekend -- but since we perform our devised pieces on tuesday, she vetoed that one.

therefore, all of us are cramming tonight to get these suckers started. i have to say that i did do one entry and have purchased all of my supplies. different colored and textured papers, fun pens and pencils. i plan to bind all of the pages together to make a booklet in the end. but i have a huge problem with sharing my journal with my classmates. since the last devised piece was a little challenging, i feel that i have to censor what i say because i don't want everyone to read my vents and frustrations. my guess is that i'm going to have to make it personal -- all about my experience and not touch upon the others.

i planned to go to the 3rd THIRDeYE rehearsal tonight but i decided to pass on it. i went to the first 2 last night and during one of the rehearsals worked on an entry for my movement class journal. for that one i have a small spiral bound notebook where i plan to write text mostly. since we primarily MOVE in class, i think it's important to be able to WRITE about what i am doing and how it affects me.

the journal for CORE is different. we have designers, actors and a director. we read academic texts and watch performances. we create. therefore, we have more play in how we analyze. i see the costume designer sketching as we watch a robert lepage video, so i try sketching, too. i play with color and texture and jot down images and words. see, different.

tonight, i came home after my TA meeting, checked my email, peeked at facebook, took a nice hot shower and got in my jammies. tonight i focus on CORE -- or the core of CORE.

i am about to put my creativity hat on and dive in.

A little dip

Since THIRDeYE rehearsals have not ramped up yet, I took the opportunity to get out of dodge with Christine and the kids. Christine has been having major computer issues and an old friend had an extra computer from work. So we took the 3 hour drive to Santa Cruz and camped out last night before meeting with her friends this morning for brunch.

After a late start and a stop at Jack in the Box for lunch we rolled into Santa Cruz around 3:30PM. Of course, there were signs up at the Sunshine State Beach that announced they were full, but luckily after waiting for a moment and traipsing through the cabbage and corn, we got the last spot. We set up camp, took a quick trip to the KOA for some milk, tea bags and water and came back to eat some dinner.

We then did something fantastic. We took our tea and Oreos and walked to the beach. Yes, it was cold, yes, I was wearing a number of layers, but yes, it was so needed. I took off my shoesies and curled my feet up in the sand and took a stroll.

Christine's kids, Daniel and Emma, got completely soaked which I really don't understand -- um, water's CHILLY, folks! -- but it didn't matter to me as I watched the birds look for food and the big ball of the sun dip down below the horizon. Absolutely beauttiful. The haul back up (and the subsequent trip this morning) left me breathing heavy and caused me to pull my calf muscles in both legs.

I say that the view and the s'mores that followed the sunset made it worth it.

I wonder if the pain of getting out of bed tomorrow morning will chanage my mind.

Almost perfect

Last week I listened to my CORE presentation group members complain about how busy their schedules are. I smiled and nodded, offered my sympathy, but felt that I had yet to feel stress or be overwhelmed. I was still able to sit many nights and watch Grey's Anatomy or piddle around before a scoop of ice cream and a jump into bed with a magazine.

Well, folks those times have changed. I was silly enough to add a fitness class in my break on Monday/Wednesday. In fact I tried on a suit that we used in our CORE project and Lynne, the costume designer of the bunch said that the pants were indeed a little snug around the bottom. Yeah, I have a healthy bedonkadonk for my size and I needed to do something about it.

However, now that THIRDeYE is starting up and our readings are getting lengthy and did I mention that students KEEP DROPPING AND ADDING MY CLASS? -- it's starting to take a toll on my psyche.

To counteract the list that made me smile, here are some things that drive me fuckin' crazy...

1. THIRDeYE directors who are unprepared and who give the STUPIDEST direction (um, can you do that scene like you're underwater?) during callbacks
2. Jade, the Artistic Director of the Festival to my Assistant Artistic Director leaving call backs early TO GO TO A PARTY
3. Knowing that said party was for GRAD STUDENTS
4. Maxie having some bowel issues and the impending "joy" of bringing him to the vet
5. The fact that one CORE group member was finishing his side of things DURING our final rehearsal -- an hour before we presented it
6. None of my neighbors assisting with the trash this week
7. Not being able to keep my place clean
8. Did I mention that students are STILL dropping and adding my DRA 10 class? Two weeks in??
9. Parking in downtown Davis

As part of the reading for my Adv. Movement for Actors class we learned about a focusing exercise to help lead you to answer some troubling questions. You ask, "what is stopping my life from being absolutely perfect?" and make a list. I encourage you to try it.

Mine is above.

Choose your own adventure blog...

Oh, if only I could make that happen.

I was thinking wouldn't it be great if you got to this page and got to CHOOSE which plot line or story to follow? I don't know why that hit me today. In essence you do get that. When you come to a blog site you DO get to pick and choose. Unfortunately, that decision is based on the blog titles -- and what happens if I have a bad title day? Is that entry passed over because you thought the contents may be -- let's say -- boring.

In a sense, I am currently living my own choose your own adventure. I am being given another chance, in a way. Leave my pretty good, steady life in Atlanta and move all the way across the country to go back to SCHOOL. Am I on crack? Um, not literally, but perhaps figuratively.

Two exchanges made me think so this week.

1. Angela deemed me BRAVE for changing my life completely.
I have actually heard that a lot. However, I think the bravery is less of a factor over the reality that I was just unhappy. I just couldn't stay in a static place any longer. If that sense of being stuck on a plateau caused me to jump (or fall?) great distances even though it scared the living shit out of me, then so be it. I mean, hell, I jumped out of an airplane for my 36th birthday. So, look bucko, don't mess with me.

2. Sarah was floored when she found out that I fall DEAD CENTER on the Introvert/Extrovert scale.
Go Meyers-Briggs! Yes, folks I am not "all that" in the extrovert department. Similarly to Sarah, I am much more comfortable in smaller groups. In those smaller groups I can be gregarious, but prefer a good bit of down time or one-on-one conversation. Does that make it difficult to meet people in a college town of 40,000 where most of the grad students are directly out of undergrad? You bet your bippy. The only thing I miss from Atlanta (other than ability to get grits easily) is a circle of friends. Albeit a small group, but it look me 16 years to compile that circle and while technology is certainly on my side, there's nothing like proximity where friendship is concerned.

Hope comes out of her shell to make some friends -- page 12
Hope is frustrated with the loneliness and becomes a party girl -- page 18
Hope is swallowed whole by the world of academia -- page 23
Hope becomes undeniably happy -- page 24

The wide world of Gurning

Yesterday in my speech and voice class, we stared at ourselves in the mirror as we made interesting faces and listened to the sounds created. Melanie Julian, our instructor mentioned gurning. Yes folks, there are competitions for people making funny faces. She said that most of the people who win are missing quite a number of teeth.

Needless to say, nothing we did was quite as funny as this.

Is that applause I hear?

When I moved in my apartment I asked about the protocol of a bunch of things. Who gets to park in the spots right in front of the apartments? Who is in charge of replacing the light bulbs on the outside of the building? And what is the deal with trash pick-up?

I have been a research geek for the last few months on "all things Davis." On top of learning from a neighbor that our trash day is Monday and they come SUPER early, I also surfed the website of the city to find out the proper recycling procedures. It matters to me how the outside of the building looks. Because I rent, I have very little say about a lot. However, I can certainly keep my area clean. I had lots of boxes moving in and due to the fact that I had to flatten the boxes over the course of 2 weeks, I kind of took on the job of doing all of the trash duties. Sorting recycling, bringing all of the trash cans down to the curb on Sunday night, and hauling them back up when I return home on Monday.

In my passive-aggressiveness, I wrote a note (Alexis, don't shake your head!) and posted it by the mailboxes for all of my neighbors to see. It basically let everyone know when trash day is, and what our responsibilites are. However, I wimped at the end and said something about needing "assistance" to do this, rather than asking everyone to do their part. Last night, before sitting down for my usual Desperate Housewives/Brothers & Sisters evening, I made my way with my recycling to sort into the bins, and while I was down there rolled all of the bins down to the curb. I swore that no matter what, this was the last time I was going to take this on solo.

Much to my surprise, when I WENT to teach my first class this morning at 7:40AM, two of the three bins were already back in the corral and the third was there when I returned from my last class this evening. I did a silent cheer for my neighbors.

On a similar note, my DRA 10 - Intro to Acting class did not suck and I am on my way to inspiring the future actor/scientists or theatre-goer/donors. For that, I humbly curtsey at your feet.

No one can replace Tami!

About a week ago I was at the Davis Post Office sending off a belated birthday present for Ethan Wiley, the son of Kate & Chris. I saw a woman whose hair was curly in a style similar to mine. Or at least what mine USED to be. So I got up the nerve to ask her where she got her haircut. "Salon de Arcelia, right next to my consignment shop," she said. She gave me her card and put Arcelia's number on the back. Downtown Sac???!!! Hmmm, I have to get in the car!?

It's been a few weeks since someone complimented me on my hair. Usually when those are clumped together, you can bet that it will be time for a cut within 2 weeks.

With the LACK of humidity in these parts, I am trying to get used to what my hair does and what products from my arsenal work best. Lately, there's nothing that I can do to keep it looking presentable all day long. It's been about 10 weeks since my tearful goodbye with Tami at VanMichael's in VA-HI. Holy cow, 10 weeks???!! I met Tami at the Van Michael's in Buckhead when they raised money for the tsunami victims by giving reduced priced haircuts and donating the proceeds. While I resisted the higher price and tried bartering with her for a while, I just had to suck it up since her haircuts were so stinkin' great.

So yesterday, after watching a bit of Tadashi Suzuki's King Lear and ARTs bobrauschenbergamerica on video for my CORE class, I reverted to my old ways and went to see if anyone at David's Haircutting could do their thing. I found this particular place on the local wiki site. All of the stylists were recommended and they were not charging an arm and a leg.

Of course when I arrived, only one stylist was there and she was booked up for the remainder of the day. I decided to treat myself to lunch -- drown out the disappointment with food -- instead. My meal at the Davis Noodle Shop was okay. Huge portions, but my Spicy Chicken was deep fried. Not my favorite. I brought it with me to Christine's, so we will "doctor" it up for dinner tonight.

Once I got home from lunch, I called Salon de Arcelia and left a message. If she didn't call back, I planned to head over to Lil Bit Sassy to see if there was someone available. As I walked to Dutton Hall to pick up some unknown financial aid check, she called me back with an appointment for 11AM today. I decided to make it a Sacramento Day -- complete with a Slumber party at Christine's to end the day.

I have been in Sac a few times with Chad, but for the most part I really didn't know where I was going. I got to the corner of J and 24th, but I didn't see the Salon or the consignment store. And then I completely doubted myself with the number. Was it 2100 or 2400? Um, help.

I drove around the block with a slightly larger circumference and when I passed 24th again I pulled over to re-group. I looked up to my left and there they were. Arcelia is super cool and has expanded her "practice" to include massage, reflexology and facelift facials. She and her husband are hugely spiritual and she is a true artist. My hair was her canvas and she gave me a great cut. I am never happy with how anyone else styles my hair, so I cannot wait to play with it myself. But she did give me these cute-as-a-button kiss clips!

It's FINALLY here!

After so many questions about school and my opinions of it, I can finally say that I will be able to tell you tomorrow. I'm officially orientated and many times welcomed -- heck, I even went to convocation, (but that was more about the marching band playing at it's conclusion) -- so I guess "they" feel I'm ready to go.

Wish me luck!

Some educ-me-cation, please John...

I was pulled over today by a bicycle cop.

Isn't that funny?

After a full day of sitting on my hiney at orientation I decided to take a bike trip to the post office to pick up my mail. See, my ditzy landlord ordered that some mailbox locks be changed and she gave the locksmith the WRONG address. So for some "unknown" reason I could not open my mailbox all last week. She came by and sprayed some WD-40 thinking the lock was stuck. So, I put a hold on my mail.

Last Friday, I got a knock at the door and some nice locksmith guy explained the whole situation and gave me a new key. Oddly, enough I got a phone call TODAY from my landlady asking what ever happened with the lock.

Davis is like the biking capital of the world. Okay, maybe not the world but the city's logo is a bicycle. Everyone's got one, and bike lanes are prevalent. Did I mention the terrain is FLAT! Too bad most people do not wear helmets and I have seen WAY too many people talking on their cell phones while peddling away.

I am not that adept in the bicycle riding department, so I am the proud owner of a super cool red helmet and go very slow. But give me a few months and I will have KILLER quads!

So, on my way to the post office today, I failed to make a complete stop at the corner of 3rd and C. The officer made a U-ey and eased over in my direction. No flashing lights, no hoopla. There was even a moment where I thought "is this guy stopping for me?"

I was informed by John, the former radiology professor, and part-time policeman that bicycles must follow the same rules as cars and the $140 fine for rolling through a stop sign is the same for both. Yikes! Since there was a chance that he was going to ticket me, I turned on the charm and asked "while I've got you here" if there's anything else I need to know. You know I am all about the education, right now. He gave me some strange radiologist fact, as a joke, and then praised me for wearing a helmet.

According to my new buddy John, he makes $30/hr. to be outside in the sun and keep everyone safe. He added that his grandkids have quite a college fund. He asked me what I did and I told him that I was a grad student in the department of Theatre and Dance -- studying acting. He asked me if I was acting "right then."

I immediately thought of the book Sanford Meisner On Acting. It's a fascinating book about Meisner leading a group of students through his approach. Early in the book he asks his class if they were listening to his instructions as an "actor" or as a "character."

With this additional knowledge, I giggled and smiled at the nice police officer and said, "no acting officer, this is me."

A ride to the coast or SHOUT OUT #3

With departmental orientation starting tomorrow I decided to replace my day of laundry, grocery shopping & syllabus planning and take the 90 minute drive to Marin County today.

The terrain goes from flat, flat, FLAT to mountainous and for lack of a better word -- interesting. 80W to 37W to 101S -- a drive I highly recommend and much shorter in feel than it's 75 miles.

For most of the trip out there I was on the phone with Melanie, the teacher of record of DRA 10, the class I teach this fall quarter. I have been freaking out about my lack of teaching experience and after our conversation I feel that I'm much further along than I thought. I mean I have a theme and everything. I also have TONS of support, I just have to ask.

I was on the phone with my father as I drove into Sonoma County and got excited about the thought of being surrounded by some great vineyards. Unfortunately you cannot see any of them from the freeway, so with constant changing of the radio, eventually landing on Garrison Keillor, I stumbled into Marin.

My destination was Mill Valley and the Marin Theatre Company -- the new artistic home for Jasson Minadakis. I wanted to see the first show of the new season, Love Song by John Kolvenbach. It was a truly lovely bittersweet comedy. I was amazed that I have not been to a theatre or seen a show since The Servant of Two Masters in the beginning of July.

I emailed Andrea and Jasson on Friday, but due to Yom Kippur I did not finalize plans with them until this morning. After a brief phone call with Andrea at 9:38, we realized if I wanted to meet her and Alexis Weiss at noon, I had to be on the road in 20 MINUTES!!

I took a quick shower and jumped in the car with my bottle of water, DRA 10 file folder, cosmetic bag and hands-free cell phone attachment.

I made great time and had a yummy brunch at TOAST with Andrea and Alexis. It was so refreshing to see familiar, friendly faces. We each moved our lives across the country and are starting new adventures. We each certainly had good rental housing stories to share. It was during this conversation that I learned a bit of news that warrants a shout out.

My third official shout out goes to Andrea and Jasson Minadakis for quitting smoking and becoming yoga enthusiasts (read: obsessed!) They had both tried to quit for a while, but as you may know the crazy West Coast hippies are not a fan of cigarettes. I am not sure what the "last straw" was, but it certainly could have been when someone in Mill Valley SPIT at Jasson as he walked down the street puffing away. Close your mouth, hush that gasp and remember that one, class.

So, let's raise a glass of very well-priced California wine to my favorite non-smokers.

Namaste!

Reasons to smile

1. Starting the day with a nice walk, a hot cup of coffee and a fresh bagel
2. TONS of books at my disposal in the library
3. My snuggling kitties
4. My super cool red helmet from the Bike Barn
5. Said helmet only costing me $10.75
6. Keeping up with all of the experienced people in my first Core Fitness class
7. The songs on my ipod Shuffle
8. My clean apartment
9. A good WIFI connection today
10. The weather -- a sunny 65

Things that make you go, hmmm...

Today was the first day in my academic career that I was addressed as a "scholar."

Be very afraid, folks.

It was to a large group of us during the orientation seminar about how to work efficiently with your mentor or major professor -- but still.

Today was also the first day we saw a stitch of rain. And I'm talking about the cold and yucky kind, not the warm and refreshing.

Coincidence or is it a sign from a higher power? Don't forget that we are in the middle of the Days of Awe.

Oooh, is that the marching band??!! Gotta go!

Isn't technology interesting?

I am still "borrowing" free wifi from a neighbor. I love that I get a little pissy when this does not work -- as if I am entitled to be able to get on the internet whenever I damn well please.

The joys of using a shared server also allow me to view any itunes libraries that are on the same server. Isn't that wild?

So today I am listening to the eclectic library of "musaq" who has a bit of reggae, hip hop, The Beatles and Thelonius Monk.

I scanned the list quickly and believe the only song we both share is Johnny Cash's Desperado.

Which is a horrible verion, by the by.

Is that dirt under my fresh manicure?

My fellow first year MFA actress buddy, Christine recently celebrated a birthday. I missed her birthday during the week, so I planned to take her out to dinner this weekend.

Think bigger, you say? Well okay.

Classes haven't started yet and she had a weekend without the kids, therefore we decided to make more of the weekend and drove to Lake Tahoe to hike and camp. Really, it just came out of suggestion of drinking hot chocolate and brandy in front of the fire.

Jen and Lachlan would be proud.

My last camping experience was around Cherokee, NC and ended in a rainstorm with me in a tent surrounded by water. Lachlan tried to awaken me, but since the rain was so loud (and I was a tad intoxicated), I almost slept through he and Jen trying to escape to dry ground. Thanks to Bill Murphey who opened his Unto These Hills cabin and allowed us to take over his living room.

The drive is about 2 1/2 hours from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe. As usual I got a tad carsick and was very happy to back into a nice spot at the campground and get out of the car.

We set up camp and decided to head back into the more touristy part of town. And just because we could, we crossed the border into Nevada and drove past the casinos. All this while munching on a splurge of KFC popcorn chicken and cole slaw.

Christine is an experienced camper and I spend the last day or so trying to pull my own weight. The views on the hikes were just breathtaking. Thank god I had the good excuse to stop and oohh and ahh, just so I could catch my breath.

My clothes all smell like campfire and yes, my mani doesn't look so good -- but aren't you all jealous?

Turn that frown...

So last night while eating chips and salsa and drinking a gin and tonic, before Christine came over to join me in eating more chips and salsa and more cocktails! -- I got a voice mail from Jade, my advisor. She mentioned something about a TA position for fall. Um, I am already a TA for Drama 10 this fall, what could she possibly mean?

So today she informed me that since Jesse, a fellow MFA actor (and blog reader!) is taking the quarter off to teach, there is a slot open to work on The Third Eye Festival -- an undergraduate play festival where they handle all things, but need a little guidance.

So I am now the official Assistant Artistic Director of the festival and get an additional 25% TA ship for Fall and Winter quarters. The position is technically a 50% TA ship, but since I can only take on 75% (with a petition from the department) I have more responsibility and get DOUBLE the amount of money split over 2 quarters.

I will read the three plays over the next few days and then get ready for meetings, auditions and a bevy of rehearsals in the weeks to come. The plays are not performed until January, so I'm sure you will hear the frustrations and excitments until then.

I am very excited about this project. Hopefully the additional time commitment will not kill me.

Not so charming

I got an email today from Della that said that she and Ed really thought I brought some interesting things to the table, but they really need a man. You know, Claude Levi-Strauss and all.

I totally agree and think that the process would have driven me crazy, but it's still a rejection. And rejection sucks.

That on top of this Rosh Hashana time of reflection and being lonely. I'm sad.

I'm having a sad day.

Not being familiar with different tunes to known prayers at synagogue this morning, walking to and from with sandals that hurt my feet kinda started the day off badly.

I don't think watching The Royal Tenenbaums has lifted my spirits nor has observing tashlich by throwing a small piece of sourdough into the stagnant, algae green water at the Arboretum.

So, on my way home I stopped at the department to pick up The Shape of Things from my mailbox. It's the one of the plays I am using in my DRA 10 class and I sat by the Egghead sculpture called "Stargazer" on campus to read a scene or two.

Things are looking up.

The joys of fighting

When I found this cute cottage apartment listed on craigslist right in downtown Davis, I fought to get it. I kept emailing the woman who manages the property, called her numerous times and heard her say over and over again that I don't want to live in her property.

Needless to say, that made me fight more and eventually I signed a year lease. Upon arrival from the airport I found a hot, tiny, dirty apartment -- which with a little TLC has become quite charming.

But Hope, um, we know all this already. We read your blogs. Heck, we are newly subscribed.

Yes, dear ones, I know. This just a precursor to say I may have done it again. Ready yourselves for a bunch of links.

One of the main reasons I chose UC Davis is the collaborative nature of the program and the fact that there is a physical theatre IN RESIDENCE on campus. The first show of the season, Collapse, is a co-production between that physical theatre, Sideshow, and the new hoity, toity arts center, The Mondavi Center. (Yes, the wine dude donated a chunk of change to build it and in fact, a new wine institute is under construction right next door.)

Anyway, I contacted the choreographer a few weeks back and asked to meet with her to express my interest in working with her and Collapse especially. At our meeting at Cafe Bernardo, she said that she really would like to work with me, but does not think there is a role for me in this project. Well, poops.

However, yesterday, out of the blue, I got an email from her saying that there MAY be a role and asking me to come to a rehearsal/audition at 6:30pm on Tuesday. Yippeee! My "fight" on this one was more internal. I had a secret hope and in fact my parents already have their tickets to come opening weekend.

I asked Della if I need to do any prep and she reminded me that the project is based on a book of the same title by Jared Diamond. Well, the full title is Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. I know, how are these crazies going to make a dance piece about this?

So, I reserved the book at the public library and did whatever research I could online. Easter Island, Rwanda, Montana, yada, yada, yada. I also watched part of a lecture the author gave earlier this year at Columbia. I did fall asleep during the middle section, but I do intend to go back and watch that tomorrow. *grin*

This evening, I walked to the dance studio and upon arrival Della introduced me to the stage manager and ASM. She showed me the set model and we waited for the other performers to arrive -- Sara, a second year MFA actor and Dave, a grad student in sociology who is doing his dissertation on theatre and performance. They are playing the roles of "A" and "B" respectively. We warmed up on our own and prepared to do a read-through. I asked Kristin, the SM for a script and looked at the role of "C" who apparently "enters later."

The script is certainly not linear and I have to be honest and say that I am not quite sure what the arguments are. My character is referred to as "he" and the end of the script as it stands right now is a long, glib monologue C gives about the hutus and the tutsis.

After the reading, we ask lots of questions and start a discussion when in blows Ed, the writer with his DOG! Unfortunately, he spends much of the time explaining how the characters are feeling and what we should be doing. Um, how 'bout WRITING that??!! In the SCRIPT?!

We work on the big monologue and as I find out in the only other scene I have right now, my character is based on Claude Levi-Strauss. And please remember, that I just received the script not an hour earlier and I am still not sure if I am cast in this crazy thing. Incorporating the direction, "you just had 3 Pernod and are smoking galoise, speaking indifferently to your ever adoring grad students" is basically impossible because I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING!

We end around 9:45pm and there is a brief discussion of scheduling, but Della still does not mention my continued involvement. She just says that things "went well" and that she will email me the specifics. Um, am I cast? Do you prefer a man to play this role? When the heck are rehearsals?

Well, folks all these questions have yet to be answered, but let's hope that something charming is the result.