cruisin' for a bruisin'

after day 3, i am even more sore and even more bruised. just like yesterday, i had a a good bit of excitement and an equal amount of awkward disappointment. amy and i could not find parking so we arrived at the workshop 30 minutes late. luckily the day started late and we didn't miss much. actually we got the explanation of the first exercise AFTER it was over. and i was excited to know that we would be playing with the digestive system. it was a chapter i skipped while teaching dra 141 and unfortunately much of we did today was too advanced or a little scary for a group of body conscious undergrads.

the first exercise was just feeling the small shifts of weight as the body rolled. then there was a bit of lecture that would have been good to share. just like the breathing dance we did in the 141 class, it would have been good to do one with the digestive system. especially since the pathway of the intestines are pretty stinkin' cool. we then paired up and did rolls up and down our partners bodies and then we did a bit of surfing. after we switched, we went into a dance that was successful. that's where my major bruising happened. a few elbows on the floor and a bit of little shmooshing as manuel rolled over me. gosh, this sound much more sexual than it actually is.

we then played with elements of touch. i partnered with ian and we had to give different touch movements to our partner and then they did a little dance based on the touches. it was really cool. i have played with sculptures and small movement with a partners, but not with a prolonged touching session that becomes a score for the dancer. after lunch scott took over and we moved into contact. we did lifts in trio that eventually became a rolling lifting orgy. this was the biggest frustration of the day. the group i was in had a hard time doing the lifts. these were like those airplane lifts that we did as kids, but with assistance and coming from a RUN. So there were 2 people on either side of the runner who approached the base for the lift up. The 2 spotters then had to guide the jumper down by giving compression. So the ride down would be slow and easy. My 2 spotters guided down, but without compression so i was not comfortable at all. Scott then encouraged us to keep going or wander around the room and find bases with their legs up for us to fly. I turned around and my ENTIRE group was gone. I did wander for a while and then got frustrated and stopped and watched.

here's to a better tomorrow.

reintroduction

i am currently in san francisco doing a contact improv and body mind centering workshop for 9 days. the awareness i have for my body has tripled since i started grad school and most of that occurred in the last 3 months. i completed day 2 of 9 today and my body feels equally tired and energized. i wonder why i haven't done this work sooner and really think this is why i came to grad school. to do this work.

after our partner work this afternoon, we moved from assisted head/tail work to solos. during the solo work i found myself moving in ways that were new. i created new pathways and had a hard time just experiencing the movement without thinking about it while i did it. i found length in my limbs and a really great connection between the top and base of my spine. when i chatted with my partner brad after our dance together he asked if my eyes were open or closed during my solo. for the most part they were closed, but i did peek occasionally to see where i was so i didn't hit anyone. he commented that i was doing a duet with a woman close by. we apparently were in close proximity and doing a duet of sorts. i had no idea. during our lunch break amy said that the dance was particular lovely. needless to say, i was quite pleased.

after lunch, we jumped into CI with scott. i had a little harder time with the partner work and became completely self-conscious. the dancers in this workshop are really good. not only with contact improv, but with all forms. i feel a little out of practice. so much so that i sat out of the score at the end of the evening. i had not played that way in nita's class so it was fascinating to see how the performance element happens. what scott did was create a series of rules. start with a solo dance and bring in a partner with eye contact. you can then enter with a leap in. it was interesting to watch and i am a little overwhelmed by the talent in the room. i tried not to pay attention, but it seemed like many people were shying away from working with me when we did our ensemble jumps to each other. it was a hard exercise for me to "catch" my partner and my paranoia got the better of me.

as i let my body incorporate the new information of the day, i will add in a little more love to hopefully overcome my insecurities. ah, sleep.

Disappointment

I'm back to having some sad days and haven't really wanted to write. I have had a series of successes with friends and social happenings, and I did some fine scenework in acting class the other day. However, on Thursday I was really disappointed in my work in voice class. After the vulnerable work I did in acting on Wednesday, I threw my mask back on and gave a very guarded performance. In fact, what I was hoping for the entire quarter finally came through. I cried during most of the vocal warm-up. I finally allowed myself to open up, but unfortunately to hold myself together for the remainder of class I wound up closing down. Lisa did a pretty brilliant thing by asking us to share the following before launching into our monologues.

1. What I would like you to know about me is ____________
2. What I do not want you to know about me is ____________
3. This is my (name of body part).

So, in essence she got us to completely open emotionally and then grounded us into our body before we began our pieces. I thought about what I wanted to say during the warm-up, but really didn't want to share that much. I was toying with elements of fear about being alone and my attack -- to my injuries all on my left side, however I wound up keeping everything a bit more safe. What I said was that I would like you to know that all quarter I have been working on releasing my body and that yesterday (Wednesday) I finally released my face. I believe I also added in a "Go Me!" in there, as the class laughed. What I did not want to admit was that I still have a hard time freeing my throat and in fact, my throat was a little sore after the warm up. However, I then turned around and grabbed my butt and said "This is my relaxed ass."

My monologues were just okay. I got some laughs along the way, but I knew something was wrong. Lisa's first written comment was that I needed to trust the class. Um, duh, not in my current state! And then she praised my voice, but questioned my reason for speaking. She asked me about the action. And I agree 100%. I was not thinking about WHY I told these stories. I was worried too much about keeping my shit together and making sure my breath was connected. Of course, who gave a damn what I was talking about.

I also decided to meet with Bella yesterday and get feedback from her. This was my first meeting with the new acting hire and I have heard nothing but praises about her. She took a long pause before giving me any feedback. I cannot remember when she mentioned how alike we are but she was very complimentary of my work in Jade's class on Wednesday. In fact, Jade was quite curt in her critique of my work on Monday. She made comments about me moving my face too much and that it was distracting to all of the BEC work we had been doing. So, on Wednesday I make a conscious effort to relax my face. However, Bella was confused by what she saw on Thursday and offered this anecdote. While studying in Russia at the end of a term they had to get one-on-one feedback from their professor. Each student left and spoke of glowing reviews so when she went in she expected the same. In fact, the teacher told her that he didn't know what to do with her and suggested she consider leaving the program. He felt that she was too concerned with perfection and getting it right that it didn't leave her much room to let the work flow. After Bella told me this story, she just looked at me.

Pause, pause.

It was clear that she felt the same about my work. She did follow it up by saying that she knows I am capable of vulnerability since she saw it clearly on Wednesday. So, now I have my work cut out for me.

The conversation continued with a discussion about the star sign that we share - Taurus. And the fact that our problem lies in our throat. Or that Taurus is the sign that rules the throat. Since the throat BEC or chakra is linked to communication, it makes sense that honest giving and taking of information is difficult for me. She also mentioned that the throat is the link between the heart and the mind. So, unless I open the throat, I will never be able to verbally share what's in my heart, but will just keep it in my mind.

thankful

i was not going to write this post, but sitting around my family playing blokus makes me thankful. thankful that i have a fun family that drinks and cusses. that enjoys each other and plays all in good fun. i am thankful to have a good group of friends and the ability to travel.

i am thankful to have the opportunities to do just about anything i want. that really empowers me. i am so worried about what i am doing when i graduate that i need to realize what i want and then just do it.

gosh, that's amazing.

and lastly, thanks for reading and taking this journey with me.

a little wander

it's hard to be believe, but i was actually productive today. i got up early after a late night of partying with some of the theatre geeks and watched nita little give her mock presentation for the faculty and search committee of the Ohio State dance department. when i got home i hit the computer and worked on my voice take-home exam, a bit of memorization for acting and movement, choreography of the trojan women for movement and a little word twist on facebook.

last night i had some of the gang over for dinner before angry red drum, the first department show of the year and my apartment is pretty clean. it's amazing how much more efficient i am when my place is clean and tidy.

i took an afternoon break and rode to tony's place to borrow his wok since brett made dinner tonight at my place and then anne, brett, tim and amy's boy friend shawn dined here before seeing the show tonight. they just left and the quiet is nice. i am full and swilled a bit of gin and wine, plus a swig of espresso with a little carolans.

we will be going out after the show, so i have about an hour and a half to re-tidy and get dressed.

tomorrow i must compete my work and do laundry. actually i am not even sure what i'm wearing tonight. it will be interesting.

Another Round

in the effort of protection, I am just checking to see who's out there reading. If you want to continue reading along at home, please let me know. If I don't hear from you by a week from today - November 25, I will remove access.

Collaboration!

For those that know me, I am a sucker for collaboration. Even my solo exploration for my thesis I found a way to work with a live musician. And today, Nita suggested that she create a laugh score for me to do. For our movement pieces this quarter I have been spending a little time with Brett. After our first Laban project, Brett asked me if I would work with him. I was flattered and more than happy to share my expertise with him. However, once we got in the studio, I found him really challenging me and forcing me to raise the stakes.

My movement piece that explored the Laban qualities of Sustained, Abrupt, Pendular and Vibratory became a road trip where I get a flat tire to an intern at a hospital who has to drive from Davis to San Francisco with a donor heart. Yes, there is a car accident and I am forced to attempt to change the tire, but I went from a ho-hum road trip to a drive with a mission. In class, we each show our pieces and I was commended for something and thanked Brett. I got over the fact that he didn't do the same for me, but was a little reluctant to meet with him again today to work for the third time -- on our next assignment.

"Using the concepts of space, time and force, create a dramatic piece which explores and illuminates four stages of development: toddler, adolescent, adult and elder. Try to capture the essence of each stage."

My idea was to do sleep rituals with a person through the stages. When got to Hickey Gym, Brett was meditating so I started working on my own. When he was done I asked if he would like to play for a while and then talk or just discuss our pieces first. We decided to play for a while, but it seemed early on that Brett was stuck. I told him my idea and then his idea was not to portray these characters in different stages, but to be the caregiver of someone in each of those stages. The conversation quickly switched to Brett being the caregiver for all of my characters. We then choreographed the entire piece together. We did that twice and then each showed our part to the other.

-- A father/daughter playing tag with the Dad missing catching the child into story time and sleep
-- A daughter with minimal interaction with Dad, who after IMing with her boyfriend decides to sneak out of the house
-- A husband and wife getting ready for bed. Bathroom rituals that become flirtatious and seductive that leads to undressing and the start of sex before the baby cries
-- The wife and the soothing of the crying baby
-- An elderly woman praying before bed, as her caregiver prepares her evening pills. He administers the pills and tucks her in. He leaves the room to consider his own aging

It's a beautiful little piece. Well, actually it's not so little. It's just under 10 minutes long. We will each show them separately and are curious if we will be asked to show them together. I'm guessing that by the adults the class will totally know it's from the same piece.

I'm excited to see what happens.

Full on a Friday

Since I just gorged on sushi from Davis Sushi on 2nd Street, there's not much else that's in my brain. I have lots to do, but now I just want to take a nap. I actually said aloud "I think I need an assistant" today. I don't think that's accurate, but it certainly would be good to get my life organized so I can be more efficient. I wonder how much it would cost to fly Erin up here to help me organize. Hmmm. Be right back.

Okay, I did a little looking and I realized that I really have to get off my fat ass and do a bit of cleaning and organizing myself. I know that Christine offered a while back, but she's got her hands full. I just called her to hear about her update, but left a message. Sitting down on the floor drew both my kitties and about a 10 minute petting session.

See, I can't even get the blog written!

Things are coming along, however. I am getting my assignments done, but not really looking ahead. I really need to memorize the scene from August: Osage County for Jade's acting class and read the rest of Freeing the Natural Voice for Lisa's voice class. I also need to read The Trojan Women for Mary Beth's movement class and play with lighting ideas for Romeo & Juliet based on Candice's concepts. I really hate the disorganization in that class. On Monday, I presented my lighting concept for Romeo & Juliet and started going into set ideas. Then it was thrown on me that Candice would be "directing" the paper project and I would be lighting her concept with Josh doing scenic and Sarah costumes. At the end of her concept about individual vs. society she writes, "Lighting, although less critical, can only help to emphasis the concept by providing contrasting looks through angle and color. " I was slightly offended. So this exchange followed.

Me:
thanks for this candice. in terms of the proposal, it's certainly do-able and meaty. however, I would avoid phrases like "although less critical" as used in the last sentence. that really puts down the importance of what I'm doing and the role of a lighting designer.

Candice:
Oh ok. I did not mean that at all. I will revise : ( I was trying to make it not as concrete in order to make you not do all your work over again it came out wrong. Sorry sorry!

This quarter I feel like there is more social time. There are more MFAs living in Davis so more opportunity for getting together and letting our hair down. It really balances out the stressful class time. And I have to say I think I may be playing a little harder than I'm working. This will all shift next quarter when I add a production into the mix. Also with the band, there's other adventures. I'm curious to know what will happen with it. I went to Wyatt's on Wednesday and learned 3 new songs. As far as I know we don't have another gig scheduled, but Wyatt is working on it. With so much going out and drinking I do have to be careful about spending and caloric intake. I mean I don't want to be a poor fatty.

So, it's almost 4 - so, 3 hours before the Art Walk with Josh and Sarah. Plenty of time to read for 90 minutes and clean for 70. And then switch to personal clean-up before a night out on the town.

Later!

A little hooky

So today after a really bad MFA thesis presentation meeting I decided to have lunch with my classmate Tim and that lunch became lunch and a beer which became lunch, beer, skipping glass and going wine tasting. I know, a crazy transition. But since I have never missed a class since I started grad school I thought was a owed an afternoon.

I am currently at Tim's and a few of our MFA posse will be over in an hour or so and we'll eat dinner and watch a movie or two and take a dip in the hot tub.

What a life I lead, huh?

I cannot believe I've reached the end of another week. And after our fucked up meeting today that makes me just want to work harder on my thesis. Tomorrow I get a well deserved massage and then meet with a small team of people in one of the computer labs so I can figure out how to grade my class online. We switched to a new system this quarter and I need to figure out how to communicate with my students and grade them in the same system. Over the summer I used two different systems and I am just lazy this quarter or perhaps I just want to be more efficient.

I'll post pictures soon to keep you updated on the craziness of the quarter. I think I need a nap, but that's not gonna happen.

Poops!

Halloween Shenanigans!

I have to say that I LOVE the first years.  They are making the experience here much more social and fun. Especially since my 2 closest friends - Christine and Tony are in relationship and I never see them a home body I am not. It's also great to have so many MFAs in Davis. With the lack of trust exercises in the classroom, we are making up for it outside of class.

Last night was Josh Steadman's Halloween Party in Sacramento. Brett lost track of time so instead of leaving Davis at 8:30, Amy Cole and I waited for him in his driveway and a hurried and out of breath Brett jumped in the car at 9. Josh called us as we were getting on the entrance to 80 saying he was bored. The party was popping, but he didn't know anyone. He needed a little saving. The rain on the road caused me to miss our exit, so we called Josh and found our way. His apartment was cute and they had fun decorating. After looking around there were very few people that I wanted to talk to. The only guys in my age category were gay. Apparently one of them was Maria Shriver's Chief of Staff. I really should have started a conversation. Amy and I were prepped to pull out an old poll that Amy Barratt and I did at a Dad's Garage party year ago. Walk around and ask people their preferred word for male or female genitalia. I know, I know a little immature, but I'm sure it would perpetuate some good conversations.

Instead of making the rounds and getting to know new people, Brett, Josh, Tim, Amy, Anne, John Iacovelli and I left to shake our groove thing at the gay bar, Faces. I really have no idea what time it was. I only had one strong vodka drink, but I was really tipsy. We danced for a while and watched the scantily clad men dance up on the pillars. After a few hours of bumping and grinding we took a breather by the pool. It was cold and rainy and man, I was tired. The lights came on in the bar. It was 4AM and we headed back to our cars.

My feet hurt and I was exhausted. I slept until 11:30AM this morning and due to the rain, I swear I could stay in bed all day. Too bad I have to clean up for Lynne and Bill's return curtain adventure and start doing work for Voice and Movement. Miss Lonely Hearts plays tonight at a party at a farm. I wonder if the rain will keep us away.

When do I get that nap?

You Are a Vampire

You are charming, sensual, and even a bit manipulative. You can't help but get people to do what you want. You have sharp senses and a strong predatory instinct. You go after what you want, without mercy. While you have the heart of a killer, many people are drawn to you. You are elegant, timeless, and mysterious. You are the ultimate fantasy object.

Are You a Vampire or a Werewolf?

Friday Mornin' Blues

Okay, the title is not truly accurate since I am not really blue RIGHT NOW, but it has been a rather blue week. We have been doing chakra work in acting and tons of release work in Voice and Contact Improv. Needless to say, as I begin to release, something's gotta give. The molecules are realigning and there is some growth pangs. I know it's exciting and I really feel changes in my body, but the emotions that come along are not all that fun.

I did go to the dentist this morning for a check-up on my gum issue and luckily I'm stabilized. But the hygienist flossed me like a sado-masochist and my teeth hurt like a motherfucker. The woman who waxed my eyebrows right afterwards was not gentle either, but at least my brows don't hurt, too.

I guess I'm in a funky place with new classes and new teachers and new expectations. I am back to feeling that I am just not good enough and with the job market looming out there, I just know that no one will hire me. I feel like a fetus in this nice warm womb and I really don't want to come out quite yet. Call me crazy but this financial stability and ability to play all day is really kinda nice. I should probably start my job search from that place.

And then there's that crazy notion that I'll be alone for the rest of my life, but I really don't want to go there.

This weekend - and next (for that matter) is filled with parties. A big costume keg party tonight and Miss Lonely Hearts is playing at a big house party tomorrow. There's a dance concert on Sunday. Next week there's another Halloween party and the band plays again.

Best yet, is that I am finally getting my monthly massage tomorrow. I missed September and gosh, October is just about over. I scheduled a 90 minute deep tissue with a new woman that my old woman recommended. I sure hope she's good. Either way, there will be more release.

Too Much Socializing Makes for Filling Up at the Buffet

This weekend I did some good bonding with my classmates and enjoyed California to it's fullest. A trip to SF to see Trolley Dances in the afternoon and Idomeneo at the San Francisco Opera on Saturday night and Bogle Vineyards and hot tubbing on Sunday.

I really do not have time to even blog as I make sure I'm memorized for Voice tomorrow and I must read a ton for Contact.

Whew.

Here's a little video that started it all. Jamie Kumpf, one of the first year MFA scenic designers having breakfast with me at the Black Oak Restaurant before a stop to buy Opera wear at Kohl's on our drive into the city.

Full Plate Update

We are just finishing Week 3 of Fall Quarter and my study in time management is fair. I still use iCal with the hot sync to my palm pilot for my calendar, but started adding tasks each day so I can keep up with my assignments. That seems to work reasonably well. I should probably put alarms on them all, just in case, but the tasks with higher priority are getting done.

Due this week is a paper on Touch and being In-Touch for Contact Improv, 2 monologues - one for Voice, one for Acting and presenting the second Laban piece for Movement. I also have costume design work for my Monday night class. The initial steps of Sleeping Beauty. I am setting the ballet in modern day Italy, so I am learning a ton about high fashion. The most exciting thing is that this afternoon, I showed some of the stuff I have been working on for my thesis to Lynette and got fantastic feedback. We spoke about the reasons I am doing the this piece and there not was not one bit of laughter from Lynette for anything that I did. My timing was off and there was an intensity that didn't allow for laughter. I completely felt it. So, I will work on updating all that I showed today and I'm sure I will have some more to share in two weeks. Not only that but she is also assisting with Dada funding. When I explained when I was doing, Lynette offered to speak to the folks at the Davis Humanities Institute. There's a chance I will get an additional $500 to $1500 - ah, doing much more than Jade ever will.

On the social side, we also had a really great MFA gathering last night at Little Prague. Luckily it was not the drunken fest that it was last year. It was the nice small group of MFAs who I know and like - minus my two closest, Christine and Tony.

Another update is that I finally have internet in my apartment, which is the main reason I have not posted in a while. It was just too much of a hassle to write on campus or run to the hotel around the corner. It makes such a difference to be able to research and watch my abc shows online whenever the hell I want.

Lastly, I went on The Chronicle website and found a job posting for the University of Maryland. It's an acting/movement position. There was something so right while I read it. I need to get my statements together and apply.

Tonight I will get some work done to allow me to go to the city tomorrow and see Trolley Dances in the afternoon and the Opera in the evening. Sunday I will be going wine tasting with Tony and Tim, and possibly Rebecca. A full plate yes, but it's got all food groups - academic, social, entertainment and rejuvenation. Ah, balance.

Saturday on a Full Plate

I looked at my schedule for the weekend and it was wide open. There was a small voice that said to get the heck out of dodge and maybe take a little trip or run into the city, but with all of the assignments currently pending, I am playing a little Time Management tango today and tomorrow.

Wanna know my schedule? Of course you do.

Monday & Wednesday:10-12 Take Advanced Stage Movement 2-5 Take Acting Class around acting from the chakras, 6-10 Take Graduate Design Class (Monday only)

Tuesday & Thursday: 10-12 Take Graduate Voice class, 2-4 Take Undergraduate Contact Improv class

I also have 2 Independent Studies - one with Jade so I can get guidance and units for my Dada project and one with Lynette so I can get guidance and units for my thesis. However, Lynette also teaches this class on Methods and Material in Theatre Research. I wanted to take it, but it conflicts with the acting that I have to take, so I am doing the work in the class on my own. The final project for this class is doing a 30 minute presentation on a paper for a conference. Lynette feels very strongly that if nothing else I should do that project. It scares the living shit out of me, so we'll see how we do thoughtout the quarter.

I've been waiting for the library to open for the past 45 minutes and the doors just opened wide. Let's go make a little room on my plate.

Happy New Year!

This year Rosh Hashana falls during the school year. So my time of reflection and bonding with other Jews in synagogue was minimal to non-existent. I hoped to attend a little bit of the service this morning before my 10AM voice class, but I needed to hit the book store and buy the Linklater book, read a 30 pages and formulate a question instead. Unfortunately, when I got to the bookstore Freeing the Natural Voice was sold-out so I biked to the department in the hopes of catching one of my classmates. Luckily, Christine was on break so I ran in and grabbed Brett's book. In the green room I read a bit and was the model for Chris Gee who was apparently working on his figure sketching.

During lunch today, there was an Arts Luncheon, so I grabbed some pizza and salad and headed solo to the Arboretum. I sat for a few minutes and collected my thoughts, but since I am trying to fight a cold so after failing to get on-line I set my cellphone alarm and took a nap.

I woke up sweaty and hot and headed to the UClub for my 2:10PM Contact Improv class. Brendan Ward was on his way so we walked though the Arboretum together. I opened the door and hung outside in the shade. I wanted a little peace to check my email and perhaps play a round of Word Twist on Facebook, but a few of the chatty undergrads just happened to sit around me. There are a few that just like to hear their own voices, and it makes me thankful for grad classes. Contact Improv is my only Undergrad class and it's amazing to see the difference in maturity and learning. In today's class we worked a bit with letting go of control. Nita called me to join her in the center of the circle to demonstrate an exercise. Similar to the hand slapping game, we had to hold our hands palms up in the hands of our partner. At any time they can let our hands fall. We then need to scoop under and grab their hands and support them. It's not surprising that I had a hard time letting go. The class laughed as Nita verbally persuaded me to release the energy in my arms. However, when the class moved into doing the exercise in pairs, many in the class had the same problem that I had.

As I reflect on my time here, I continue to release and let go.

Not really, but a girl can have a mantra for the new year, right.

Hit the Ground Running!

So we started the Fall quarter yesterday with a bang, but for the time being I'm back on the stairs of the Best Western around the corner from my apartment using the free internet. I am working with my neighbors on getting internet together but the guy from Comcast is less than helpful or responsive. Since I am sharing costs I don't want to give up the ability to check my email and buy crap online from my bed whenever the hell I choose.

So, yet again my butt hurts as I sit on the stone steps behind the hotel. And it's hot out here. Did I mention that.

On the flip side, this is going to be one heck of a year. My first 2 classes - Voice and Contact Improvisation are quite stellar and I cannot wait to take Movement and the Design class on Monday. I am not looking forward to acting with Jade on Monday afternoon, but I made a pact with Tim that if either of us pulls on our ear lobe we will run to each other and be scene or exercise partners.

I also started my Dada project and am getting started on my thesis in a practical way.

I decided not to audition for #5 The Angry Red Drum last night. It would be fun to work on a new play, but the script really did not speak to me and I truly have a full plate. And then there's potential band activity and that crazy thing called looking for a job.

Not doing a show also allows me to have my evenings free to do my lesson plans and homework, and weekends to do fun things like go into San Fransisco to see Spring Awakening. That's what I'm doing tomorrow, along with seeing my friend Julia who's visiting from NY.

On your mark, get set, GO!!

The Second Year Begins!

Today was Orientation for the Theatre & Dance Department. The second year MFAs joined the first years at the UClub at 11AM and then we all walked over to the Grad Student Luncheon in the Arena at noon.

The incoming class is super fun and I'm guessing super talented. They have a great energy. With my crazy schedule I hope to work with some of them.

I feel that since there are more second years that we are able to truly assist the first years. Last year with Jesse gone in Fall quarter we only had Randy as director, Sara and Victor as actors and Carrie as a designer. A big 4! There are 10 in my class and 8 of us at orientation today. A huge difference. I am doing what I can to make sure that our jaded nature does not impede on them. It started a bit today with Rebecca and Lynne. I hope that the First Years take it with a grain of salt. It's important for them to create their own journey and dare I say it - make mistakes.

At the luncheon I got to chat with Nita Little and she will allow me to join her Contact Improv class. I also met Keith Hennessy and hope that he plays with my Dada project. I am very excited about both of them.

With these newbies coming in I have a feeling that I will stay in the area after school. I have not heard back from Rachel Fink at Berkeley Rep so I'm thinking the Mentorship program will not happen. With the resources around me and the strong minds and creative artists at my disposal, I have a hunch that I'll do just fine!

Argh!

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here's this...

You Are 35% Pirate

Ahoy matey! Ye can think o' yerself as a swashbuckler in trainin'. If ye study hard an 'do what the captain tells ye, ye may be gettin' part o' the booty. Get to work on yer pillagin', swordfightin', an' drinkin'. Ye dasn't want to end up in Davy Jones' locker, so make sure ye pipe down when the captain be around.

Would You Make a Good Pirate?

Oh, and I am posting this from the back stairs of the Best Western around the corner from my apartment. I really need to get internet in my house.

Packin' up!

I got back to Suehyla's place after a great lunch at Taqueria del Sol with Chris and Angela and one last trip to the gas station. I was tired of running around and wanted plenty of time to pack, clean and nap. Margaret will be by in about 45 minutes and we'll head to dinner at Parish. Jen Denning will meet us there after her Interplay class.

This trip has been quite lovely. I was dreading it in a way since there's always this disconnect with moving from a place. For many I was out of sight, out of mind but for those closer to me it was great to have one-on-one face time over a cup of coffee or on a nice walk through the woods. And best yet, I now have lovely pictures for my website-to-be courtesy of one Stacey Bode.

It does not seem that the arts community is any more vibrant than I left it, so I doubt there will be a reason for me to move back here for work. However Kate informed me that Chris turns 40 next year, so I may have to make my way back for another visit.

Ah, a year from now, I wonder where I'll be...

Fender Benders and Allergies

I much prefer the Cake song Stick Shifts and Safety Belts, but I have been stuck with these unfortunates during my stay in Atlanta. On my way home from the Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter at Synchronicity Saturday night show a car full of young kids hit me as they were making a left turn into my path. This would have been stinky no matter what, but I am driving Suehyla's car. I got the drivers information as she burst into tears and with a strained neck I came back to Suehyla's basement apartment to figure out what was best to do and eventually called the other drivers car insurance agent, as well as iced my neck.

I just got off the phone with Suehyla after a 30 minute conversation. She avoided my first 3 calls and was curt when she called me last night. Of course, I thought she was about to disown me. She was preoccupied with craziness on her end.

I have gotten used to the humidity and was thankful for the mild weather today. However, my nose still runs a bit and the inside of my mouth is a little itchy. This actually started in California and I started taking meds. I didn't even think about bringing any with me. Yeah, I know, stupid. My allergies have returned!

On the more positive side I took a lovely hike today with Jennifer and Elise and got my haircut by my old stylist. Since I had no plans tonight I decided to head to Taqueria del Sol to have a margarita and a few tacos. Alas they were closed. So I drove around Decatur without inspiration towards the Emory area. I wound up turning around to head back to Thai One On and had an epiphany..THE FARMERS MARKET Luckly I had a jacket in the car and got excited as I thought oh my old favorites...soba noodles, curried lentils, mustard greens, tortellini. As I type, I realize that I forgot the samosa. I did take my ginger beer and walk around a little, but nothing jumped out. Of course now I'm hungry again and want something sweet. I don't know if hunger or laziness will prevail.

Dirty South

In between Summer Session 2 and Fall Quarter I decided to take a little jaunt back to my previous home. According to California and the University I attend, my home is California, but there is certainly a bond with a location where I spent 16 years. I didn't only live here, I grew up here. Okay, okay, I spent my youth in New York, but as we all know you do most of your true growing up in your 20s. And I did that here, in Atlanta.

I am very lucky to receive a great welcome and I am able to stay at Suehyla's while she's in Alaska. I am taking care of her two feline babies and have access to her car. Atlanta is just an automotive city that I would not be able to get around as efficiently without one. I did take her car to my old self car wash and it was gratifying to really vacuum that sucker out. I also missed the cheaper gas prices since today they jumped to $4.00 a gallon.

I do have to say it's very weird being back here. As I told Angela last night and Jen Denning this morning, I feel as if it's August 2, 2007. The day after I left to move to Davis. There is just a familiarity here, as if I never left. In the year since I moved away, there is tons more housing on DeKalb Ave. and a few restaurants that changed. The weather is hot and sticky, and my hair has gone from nice bounce to plain frizzy.

I arrived yesterday afternoon and took MARTA to the Decatur Station. Angela picked me up and drove me to Suehyla's house. I took a quick nap and met Stacey Bode in Little 5 Points for my photo session. I am looking at getting a website together as I begin the pimping process for work. Stacey and I had a swell time and I cannot wait to share the images. We took the photos around 7 Stages with was a little surreal. Since it's Synchronicity's home I felt comfortable, but when the staff started to arrive for opening night festivities it was a little awkward. We were done around 8PM - just as the show was starting - and since I borrowed a basket for my clothes and shoes I had to return it before heading to dinner. So, in the lobby I saw Daniel May, Kristi Casey and Mimi Epstein. Kathy Janich was there and is also on staff now.

Since I didn't eat since breakfast, I called Angela and Chris and I drove to them and we walked to Six Feet Under. Fried Calamari at the bar and then a Steamer Plate and beers at the table. We were too full for Oyster Shooters or Cheesecake at Carroll Street.

Today I met Jennifer & Lachlan for a little yoga, Apres Diem and the Botanical Gardens. It was good to hang with them and catch up a bit. Afterwards I met Michele, Matthew and Zoe at Agnes & Muriel's. I was not hungry but got a little sweet tea and gazpacho. Three forks did come with the chocolate cream pie that Matthew ordered for dessert. And thankfully I had room this time.

Taking the Plunge

My internet connection that I have been stealing from neighbors is finally unreliable so I have not been able to get online anytime I want to. This makes the job search, my obsession with Facebook and blogging a little difficult. I think I will finally have to take the plunge and get local internet service. I am really bummed by this.

As I sit outside on campus in between classes, I am just tired. I am trying to research ISPs, as well as plan out the way we will perform our combinations for the Hip Hop Showing on Thursday, and all I want to do is lay down on the bench just outside the music building and take a snooze.

I dropped my parents at the airport bright and early this morning. It was nice to see them, but gosh, they take a lot of energy. They spoke down about my nose ring and my bohemian lifestyle and were not so happy that I really didn't care what they thought. I go back and forth with sticking up for what I want and having them get angry at me for buying something (rather than letting them pay for it) when we are together.

I forgot my notebook at home, so hopefully the little bike ride back to my house and then to the UClub will get my brain and body moving.

A Day Free of Labor

Today is supposed to be all about taking a break from work. However, since I played down in Santa Cruz with Rachel Fowler this weekend, I don’t think I really need a day off. This summer session has been much lighter than the first. Without the Winters Shakespeare Workshop in the evening and being able to teach similar choreography, my days have been manageable. I have not worked on my thesis or on Dada as much as I’d hoped, but I have made good progress. And as I waited for the Groundling seating to open up on Saturday night at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, I did complete a list of things to play with in rehearsal for my thesis.

I certainly won’t be able to perform them all, but I will be able to play with each and see what works best and where the exploration takes me.

Right now the list includes:

 the humours
 clowning
 the timing of a joke → through movement
 creating/performing a comedic song or tune for theory/rhetoric
 elements of being human
 doctors who prescribe laughter
 dirty/raunchy jokes
 child character on a trampoline
 stand-up jokes
 French & Saunders “All That Jazz,” Jerry Lewis typewriter, Lucille Ball eating chocolate/stomping grapes
 Telling personal stories

Since I feel that I have not been productive I have decided to back away from a light fall quarter and make the rest of my masters year jam packed. Along with voice, movement and acting, I decided to add the grad design class and am wait listed for Contact Improv. I also have 2 Independent studies – one with Jade for Dada and the other with Lynette for my thesis.

So, as I sit here on the couch with a glass of wine, blogging, I get excited for the work that’s ahead. And I look at the dishes newly in the sink from making a corn and potato soup, as well as my clean laundry bags by the door.

For that I can take break.

A Fork in the Road

The new quarter is quickly approaching and I really need to get all my ducks in a row. I am gradually loading up my plate and I am wonder if I am taking on too much. I have a light course load in the fall which will allow me to teach a new class (DRA 141: Fundamentals of Movement) and work on both my thesis and my Dada Cabaret. And speaking of which, I have decided to have a dedicated Dada blog to allow everyone to keep up and chronicle this exciting project. Feel free to check it out and once we have our first meeting at the end of September there will be additional bloggers sharing their experiences and views of the journey.

So, now how can I keep moving on my passion for Arts Education and finding a job.

Oooh, one step at a time.

Deep breath.

Group Dynamics

Over the past few days I have been in quite a few gatherings of people. It's pretty amazing how differently groups interact and how I as an individual react in a group.

On Friday I went with Christine to this social group in Sac. It was called the Red Balloon Club and Christine saw it on - you guessed it - craigslist. Okay, maybe you shouldn't have guessed it, but if you knew her, you may know about her obsession of reading the craigslist personals. Anyway, within the personals was an ad for this group. Apparently, there was quite a criteria list to join - including being physically active and liberal, but it's not necessarily a singles thing, but it allows like minded people to get together and have some conversation.

This is something that I would NEVER do by myself. And I mean never. In fact when we arrived at the Cafe Bernardo at Capitol and 28th, I saw the red balloons in the patio and looked at Christine as if to say, "um, we are not really going to join those people, right?" But alas, she is much more adventurous than I and she just approached the 5 people at the table and said, "hey, I'm Christine." I don't think the organizer guy, Dar was happy that she brought a friend, because apparently that ruins the group dynamic. But for the most part we did converse as a group. At the start I had a dialogue with the weird chick next to me about musical theatre and Christine spoke to Dar about how he puts these gatherings together. There seemed to be an interesting conversation about Italy going on across the table, but I didn't want to rude and end my conversation quite yet. Since Christine and I were new our conversation became who we were and where we were from. Dar was not happy with that, so he jumped in and steered us to talk about religion and philosophy. In fact, I noticed that he was unhappy and anxious most of the evening. Around 10, Christine and I finally headed back to her place. One of the cooler girls whispered if we would return as we were saying our goodbyes. It's certainly out of the ordinary, but I certainly would have done it.

The night before, on Thursday, I got together with a Six Degree group of friends at a beautiful bar/restaurant in Sac. I worked with Rachel last year at the State Fair and she invited Gina, a teacher she works with in Davis. I just happened to meet Gina at Christine's house. Then Rachel invited her friends Graham and Mario. And since Tim knows these guys, too he joined us this time around. And Christine called me as I was in the causeway, so I invited her too. The alcohol was flowing that night and I spent more money than usual out. Since I subbed for Kerry Mehling's classes and she paid me what she makes rather than what I make, I got a big fat check for $600 that afternoon. So, buying the first round was not a big deal. We got loud and crazy and I saw Christine sitting there unamused. It just made me think about how groups operate. It may have been just the booze talking, but I certainly felt more comfortable around people I know and this group in particular I can let my hair down and be completely silly.

This also makes me think about my 2 hip hop classes and how different they are. The first is much more reserved in their movements, but more outspoken with there opinions and suggestions. The second is just the opposite. In fact, I have a few really great dancers in that second class and they push the others to be better. It certainly makes my job a lot easier.

And now that I switched from being an Introvert to being Extrovert in one of the Meyers-Briggs type tests on Facebook, I have to get out of my little apartment and out into the group.

A Little Rockstar

So last night I partied like a rock star in Sacramento. I met Rachel, Graham, Tim, Mario, Gina and Christine at Mason's and we had overpriced cocktails and food and horrendous service. We then moved to the bar at The Residence in across the street since they were having drink specials. We then got hungry and headed to Chicago Fire, but alas they were closed, so we went to Level Up the little bar upstairs of Thai Basil. After drinking a Lemon Drop martini, 2 Shock Tops, a Cosmo and a Kamikaze, I sang happy birthday with this group of gay guys at the next table and then I asked our server to get us pieces of cake from that same table. I do remember dancing on a chair and having this drunk guy say he would kiss my ass right before he was apprehended my the police. The final straw was ordering a Long Island Iced Tea for the table that we passed around as we finished our pieces of delicious ice cream cake. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard and so long.

I would like to say that I celebrated the end of a difficult week and the fact that I got over my insecurities in teaching, Yesterday in my hip hop classes, I gave the midterm and started my students on their poetry assignments. Everyone was done with the exam in 30 minutes, but my first class when asked said the test was easy (Nancy said "Scarily easy"), but my second class came back a chorus of "hard"s. Brandon, who was the last to finish said something about it being unreasonably hard. I was floored.

I did love that in both classes there was conversation flowing about the who, what and where of hip hop before I gave the exam. It was like a series of scholars. I am sure it was just the cramming talking, but hopefully they will remember some of this stuff later on.

So, I open it to you. Here's the exam minus the matching dance terminology section. Have fun!

(4 Points each)

1. Which of the following is NOT a basic hip hop technique? ______
A. sharp isolations
B. getting low in the body
C. strong movement
D. tight rib cage

2. Which of the following is NOT true of “popping?” _______
A. It is a sharp, quick, staccato movement.
B. It is usually an isolation.
C. It is a slow and mellow movement.
D. Muscles tense to abruptly stop the movement.


3. Locking is by nature an improvisational dance, but also consists of a set of signature moves. (T/F) ______

4. Hip Hop dance should never show off your personal style. (T/F) ______

5. What is the difference between and a demi and grand plié?


History and Origins (4 pts. each) 60 POINTS TOTAL:

1. Hip-hop culture grew out of gang-dominated street culture. (T/F) ________

2. The Emcee/M.C. can be traced back to the African griots. (T/F) ________

3. Afrika Bambaata founded the Fabulous Five. (T/F) ________

4. Don Campbell created Def Jam Records. (T/F) ________

5. Isaac Hayes is the most “sampled” artist in hip hop music. (T/F) ________

6. Who created needle dropping? _______
A. Grand Wizard Theodore
B. Sha-Rock
C. Reggie Reg
D. DJ Baron


7. Which of the following is NOT a hip-hop forefather? ______
A. Jim Jazzy
B. DJ Kool Herc
C. Afrika Bambaata
D. Grandmaster Flash

8. The Hip Hop Theatre Festival was created by? ______
A. Queen Latifah
B. Russell Simmons
C. Danny Hoch
D. Lauryn Hill


9. DJ Kool Herc was responsible for all of these things EXCEPT _____
A. the “Merry Go Round”
B. coining the term “b-boy”
C. founding the Rock Steady Crew
D. introducing “the break” in the music


10. James Brown influenced hip hop with all EXCEPT: ______
A. his funky dance style
B. his percussive lyrics
C. his graffiti artistry
D. his rhythmic music

11. Which DJ created scratching? _______
A. Pistol
B. Grandmaster Flash
C. Fabel
D. Whipper Whip


(8 points each)

12. What are four similarities between capoeira and hip hop?


13. What are the four components of Hip Hop culture?

The Fear of Grades

So, I do chalk up this week to mediocre choreography and uninspiring music. I played the song from Qs class to this weeks combo and my first class just stood there and stared at me. Then Brandy said "do you have Get It, Shawty?" "Um, the Lloyd song? Sure." I put it on and commented that it would be too fast. But I was wrong. It worked well and they had more energy. This combo is a little tricky and has one spot that is just a little awkward. I tried to fix it and some of the stronger dancers have made it work, but most have not. In fact, I sometimes stumble there. But I decided to leave it alone and have them work through it.

In my second class, I was ready to put on Outkast's Rosa Parks since we used it yesterday, but first asked the class if it worked for them. There was an immediate shaking of heads "no." So, I threw on Get It Shawty and they liked it, too. I told them we have Brandy and Chanice in my first class to thank, however they still danced without any enthusiasm. So, I did the Christine Chen trick to having them pair up and dance for each other in 2 groups and give feedback, but I think that trick has lost it's value. It does get the class talking to each other, but the dancing was just blah. So FINALLY I gave them a little pep talk and said they MUST dance with some energy and if they want me to wave grades in front of their faces, I will FAIL anyone that doesn't look like their having fun. I put the music on and they started to GROOVE! I even said, I don't care if you are having a good time or not, but you'd better look like it. Andrew yelled "We ARE having a good time." So I yelled back, "then show me!!"

And they did.

The dance works, they were just being lazy. So, the pushing starts now.

And this petite white girl is TOTALLY ready! Tow, Tow, Bitches.

Wha, what?!

You are going to be surprised to hear this, but I did indeed get my butt off the couch last night, got dressed and went to watch Qs Intermediate Hp Hop class. Heck, I was even surprised. But I kicked myself the last time I had an opportunity to check in with him and I am at my stuck week. If you remember I went through the same woes at this time last session. I just have to get through it.

Watching his class last night, I realized that I am totally on track. He has class once a week and there were only 6 students in the class. Soooooo much more reasonable than my 2 classes FOUR days a week for 1:40 instead of an hour. His style is very clean and he really kept pushing them over and over again to the same piece of music. The choreography was created for Timbaland's Boardmeeting, and that's what got me thinking about using a specific piece of music more. I realized that I haven't done this with hip hop even though I always do it with theatre. Strange, huh?

After Qs class, I said hello to Baote who was in my first class last session and spoke with Q for about 20 minutes. He is trying to schedule a workshop this weekend and I offered to help him find space at UCD. It seems possible once I spoke to Robert in the department office this morning - and even more so since I am not heading up to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival so I could be there to open the doors. But when I got home from Wyatt's this evening there was no message on my phone. Oh well. It would have been nice to just dance and watch the four instructors teaching skills.

Rehearsal with Wyatt was good this evening. We worked out new material, but it was just the two of us. He wimped out and did not talk to Stephanie. So, about 5 minutes into our practice, she walks through the door - right after I asked what the scoop was. So, he put his guitar down and went inside from the backyard and apparently she was busy. She went into her room pretty quickly and stayed there. I felt hugely uncomfortable, but we worked out 3 more songs, I had 2 Buds and tried the Cinnabread Pizza from Woodstock's. Apparently we have a drummer and are on the search for a bassist.

After my lovely bike ride home, I FINALLY graded the history presentations for both classes and posted them online. I was very lenient and gave everyone in the 90-100 range. And of course, that leaves me back on the couch watching gymnastics.

What a day!

Need a Little Umpf!

I should probably have put two or three exclamation points at the end of the title. There's no other way to say it, but I need a little inspiration. I showed RIZE, the David LaChappelle film in both my classes today and talked about passion in the second class. It may be that my playlist in class is lackluster or perhaps the choreography is a little boring. But when I split the class in half and have both groups dance for the other, I ask the group watching to give the dancing half "a little love." The claps and woo-hoos are something to be desired.

The problem is I am not sure when I will have time to either find more music or pep up the choreography. Tomorrow and Wednesday are hell days. I sub Kerry's jazz class at 10, have my first hip hop at 12, sub Kerry's Intro to Contemporary Dance at 2 and then finish up with my second hip hop at 4. Kooky, huh? Luckily, I am showing videos in both of Kerry's classes for the entire class and this just happens to be video week for me, too. I usually dance for half and show the video for the other half. So, it's not so bad. Except I heard from Wyatt today and we are most likely rehearsing tomorrow and Wednesday, as well.

Today, I just subbed for Kerry's 2:10PM class and we watched documentaries on Isadora Duncan and Denishawn (Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn). I am sad to say that I was as intrigued to watch as I hope the students were. I truly lack a good background of dance history. As I cued up the second video, I surprised myself, however in leading a brief discussion on the differences between ballet and early modern. I really thought to myself "listen to how smart and well-spoken I am," as I saw some of the students nodding their heads to some of my responses. I then tried to get them out of the seats at the UClub and on to the floor to at least stretch out while we watched the second film. They just looked at me with blank looks. So I said "or not" and hit play on the VHS player.

I will try again tomorrow and will brainstorm about how to get the excitement back. Hmmm. It's 8:49...Q's class just started. Maybe I'll get off the couch and get dressed and ask him for some advice at the end of his class.

Or not.

Arm Chair Olympian

I have spent much time in the last week lying on the couch watching the Olympics. The games are exciting and it gives me something worthwhile to do in the evenings. Needless to say, I have not been cleaning. I have not been able to keep dishes in the sink because if I do I have ants.

And I'm not talking about a few. I'm talking swarm. Once I do the dishes they all but disappear. I will run by the Ace tomorrow and get some Tero gel, but it's forcing me at least clean the kitchen. In fact, due to my diminished underwear supply I also did laundry today. Wyatt, Barbara, Stephanie and her sister hosted a party today and their place is right down the street from The Wash Mill. It's a little more expensive than the place with that creepy Jon guy, but it allowed me to grab food and drink between wash and dry cycles.

Towards the end of my time at the party, we finally brought up the band. Wyatt's friend, Michael (?) said that his band was playing at Sophia's in October. And Wyatt said nothing. I thought it may be because he wanted to be respectful of Stephanie's feelings, however 10 minutes later, Wyatt said the we were working on a band together and mentioned Stephanie, as well. She was inside, but I kept quiet. When she came out Michael asked what each of us did in the band and she said she plays violin in another band and just sings in this one. Hmmm. I wonder if Wyatt will talk to her. He's just getting over strep throat, so he may speak to her or he may not.

And lastly, yesterday I voyaged solo into the city. I took Amtrak to Richmond again and transferred to BART and got off at Powell, just as I did with Tony a few weeks ago. This time I met up with Tony's family for dim sum at Hang Ah on Sacramento and had a lovely time. His mom and sister, plus his sisters skinny boyfriend were in from LA. I left them around 1:45PM and walked to Fort Mason to meet up with Suehyla and walk the Golden Gate Bridge. As I told her on our bus ride back to Fisherman's Wharf, I was going to be totally nonchalant about seeing her, but I did get all giddy. It was so nice to hang out with her. At first we could not find the entrance to the bridge, but after a long walk past Crissy Fields, we wound our way up the hill and onto the bridge. It was super cold and misty, so I added a sweater layer at the half-way point before we walked back on the bridge.

After a super rich cupcake in Ghiradelli Square, we hiked up Polk and crossed over to Larkin to meet Alexis at Olive for happy hour. I started to get a little worried about my journey home since I really didn't research so much, mostly because I didn't know where I'd wind up. But we left the bar after a couple of drinks, some calamari and artichoke pizza. Suehyla, Alexis and her friend Michael walked me to the Civic Center BART and in my tipsiness I got on the train going the WRONG way. I tried not to get nervous, but waited the 7 minutes for the correct train at the next stop. I made the transfer at MacArthur and there was a Richmond train ready and waiting. We pulled into Richmond at 8:30, in plenty of time to make the 8:42 Amtrak back to Davis. In fact, the train was late, so I grooved again on the platform to the random music I have on my ipod and waited with those around me.

Another great summer day.

And then there were 9

I decided to get up early this morning and haul my dancing ass to Kerry's 10AM Jazz class. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I am not teaching it. She is such an accomplished dancer that I don't think I would give it justice. It just makes me want to dance more and I think I can finally let go of the title of "dancer." I'm not. I just move very well.

Needless to say I was ready to drop when I got home just after 6 from my second hip hop class. And speaking of dropping...I lost THREE students today. I have 27 in each class now and totally wimped and allowed one student to add today and one of my favorite students in my first class to audit. I tripped twice in that second class and I am back in my ankle brace. Hopefully it will heal soon.

So, as I arrived home, I did a little gaming on Facebook, made myself a gin & tonic and a salmon salad and found my place on the couch. Wyatt was not feeling well today so we postponed rehearsal until Thursday.

I'm doing a little work and watching swimming and mourning the loss of my long nail. I am headed to the bathroom to cut them all down. As you can see in the photo I have traded my boobs for some extra chins. Ah, gravity.

The Healing Power of Hip Hop

I woke up this morning with the usual desire to stay in bed for a while. I am not sure the last time I jumped out of bed ready for the day. Maybe it's because my day starts so much later during the summer than during the school year. I had some breakfast and just didn't feel right. Actually I felt bad. My body flipped between cold and hot and I started to get a little dizzy. I thought about canceling my classes today, but since I planned to show a video for part of class, I thought it would be okay to just try and teach. If there was a problem, I would give them the rest of the time to work with their partners on their history presentations.

I got to the UClub at 11AM since I really didn't know exactly what I would be doing in class today. I wanted to change up the combo from last session. I will probably continue to change it a little more since it's still a little too drill team-y for my taste. Apparently I don't have the key to the storage closet, so I was not able to show a bit of Hip Hop: Behind the Rhythm and Rhymes in class today. Instead I was able to evaluate them 3 at a time on last weeks combination so I have a better idea of their improvement as we get further along in the session.

I have an hour and a half before my next class and even thought I'm relaxing on the couch, I do indeed feel better. I am trying to drink more water, but my nalgene is ALL THE WAY on the dining table and I really don't want to walk the 4 feet to get it.

I got an email from Wyatt this morning trying to schedule a rehearsal. He woke up in the middle of the night and got a little nervous about our show on the 18th of September. I wanted to make sure that Stephanie would be in attendance since it does not make a huge amount of sense for me to rehearse without her. I got this message in response.

I am having some second thoughts about Stephanie, we sound great together, and her voice makes me want to smash my face through a two pane window. Should be fun living with her after that though
Wyatt

I have to say that I'm a bit relieved. I was not a fan of her musicality or lack thereof. Oh, on that note, I warmed up my class today with a little Isaac Hayes. A little memorial. Now that's one man with a little musicality and a LOT of soul.

Laying Low

It's hot in Davis, CA. The online temp says it's just 92, but my cats are wilting and I had to turn the air conditioner on. I got home from Christine's this morning, did a bit of cleaning and ate some lunch. From there I pretty much moved to the couch to watch the Olympics, download songs and prepared a new playlist and the big last one NAP! I am not sure if my sore throat was caused from singing in the car incorrectly the other night or from sitting in a cold stadium watching an uneventful baseball game. Or perhaps my body is reacting to my new piercing.

Hmmmm. I don't know. Yesterday I had a good massage with Dean Woo, so there's a chance that there are some toxins trying to get out of my body.

I wish I could blame our weak performance at Crepeville in Sacramento on my sore throat, but I really chalk it up to unpreparedness. Wyatt introduced us at Meet The Tender Misers, since Miss Lonelyhearts was taken by other local bands. I wonder what our name will be for our gig at Sophia's on 9/18. If Wyatt tries to bring back Gummy Mouth, I will have to nix that one again.

Throwing Caution to the Wind

Last night I went to my first game at AT&T Park to watch the Giants v Dodgers game last night. As many of you know I am not a huge sports fan, but I do love the game. I really could not care who wins, but just like the excitement of good playing and a pretty park. The AT&T stadium is right on the bay and was so lovely. Cold and windy, but lovely nonetheless. Tony, his buddy Sola and I got down to the park around 5PM and found parking on the street and then went to The 21st Amendment on 2nd and had glasses of Watermelon Ale to celebrate. We stopped back at the car to grab my leftover pizza from the Haight's Escape from New York and for me to put on another layer of clothing.

Every time I'm in San Francisco I really do think that I will run into someone I know. Needless to say that does not happen, but it doesn't stop me from looking around. I did the same as we ate our roasted garlic and red potato pizza, and a second slice of chicken, spinach and pesto. I don't know what I was thinking as I ordered TWO slices, since there was no way I could eat that much. It must have been the adrenaline after getting my nose pierced next door at Cold Steel.

I wimped the last time I went to the city with Tony, so this time we drove into the city and parked on Haight. I have not been to Haight Ashbury in many years - since my family made our West Coast trip driving from San Diego to San Francisco when I was in middle school. It was such a hippy paradise. KInda like Greenwich Village but one long stretch. We decided to eat first, but since I had to go to the bathroom and there was no restroom in the pizzeria, I decided that we check out Cold Steel first. Checking it became signing my life away and picking out a little stud. We waited for a room and my nerves let the stupid jokes go. Tony waited outside in the hallway and Mic, the piercer asked if he was coming in the room with us. I say no, but then looked around the corner and asked if he wanted to join. He did without much reluctance, but then said that he didn't do well with needles. The whole ordeal was over in less than 5 minutes. Mic cleaned the area on my left and placed a dot for me to approve. I asked him to move it slightly back and he yelled at me for touching the area with my super long pinky nail. Upon approval of the placement, he inserted a metal tube in my nose asked me to take a deep breath in and then the rest was magic. I am not sure if he inserted a needle or used the jewelry to pierce my nose. But it was quick and there was a little readjustment of the jewelry and then I was good to go. I whispered Tony if I had to tip him, but by the time I rummaged through my purse Mic was gone and welcoming a friend. So, we just left and went next door to get pizza. After we stuffed our faces we stopped at The Goodwill so Tony could get some pants. It was a little chilly in the city so I bought a sweater and then splurged and got 2 pairs of sunglasses and a pair of sneakers with retractable wheels. Of course, I am going to try and incorporate them into my thesis.

During the game last night, they occasionally showed footage of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing on the big screen. Seeing some short clips and videos on youtube today and now watching some of the volleyball and cycling, I really wish I saw them last night. Apparently it was the best opening ceremonies ever. I drove Tony back to Oakland and Sola to the local BART station before I got lost on my way back to Davis. Once on 80 East I put on the CD that Wyatt made for me in preparation of our gig tonight.

We planned to get together last Thursday and then Wyatt wanted to put a rain check on it. He called back and the message was that the gig was on and we should indeed rehearse. By the time I got to his house, I found Stephanie on her way out to her other band practice and Wyatt and Barbara eating. I was leaning to not performing because we are totally not ready. There was no time for the whole group to get together and I have not mastered the harmonies yet. Wyatt was ready to throw caution to the wind and Stephanie was okay either way. Apparently she does not like performing. The reason she likes being in bands is because the like the practices. Um, WHAT???!! For me, I like to be prepared. So, when Wyatt was leaning towards just doing the gig anyway, I said okay. I never do anything like this and it's a chance to be crazy and spontaneous.

So, this evening I will be wearing dark clothing and singing some folky tunes on the corner in midtown Sacramento. No need to wish me luck. I will be riding high on nerves and adrenaline and perhaps a shot of tequila - all with a glint of rhinestone in my nose.

As I sit here on my couch typing away, I hear the clickity-clack of the longest nails I have had in many years on the keyboard. I tried to write on the chalkboard on the first day of class with this itty bitty piece and my nails got in the way. I feel super girly and even though they make typing a little difficult, I really don't want to get rid of them. In fact, I wonder when the first one will break. From my years of catering and working at Souper Jenny, my hands were always in water and I was super active with my hands. So, I have to say this change is exciting. And these nails are doing well WiTHOUT polish. I put on some Sally Hansen's Strong as Nails 2 weeks ago, but have misplaced the bottle (again!) so the strength and protection of my nails are just riding on luck.

The two new hip hop classes are going well. I certainly feel more prepared going into session two. I'm using the same combination with a few changes and I'm able to give better instruction based on the feedback received from my first session classes. I have quite a good number of movers in both classes and I'm excited to see them grow. I have fallen a little short on the music playlists, however. Last session, I feel like I spent hours getting ready from the music side. But yesterday I went into class and hadn't played at all. When I got to class I put out the sign-in sheet, opened my live webcam and quickly pulled some music from my hip hop playlist into the one for Week 1. Both classes have a desire to change music often so I go through it more than I thought I would. When I ask if we should continue to dance to Rihanna's Please Don't Stop the Music or try something new the answer almost always comes back to dance to a new song.

On Monday I got up early and went to Starbucks and did some journaling. I have not been so productive the rest of the week. In fact on Tuesday, I actually TOOK A NAP between classes. I was just that tired.

Tickets go on sale for Jason Mraz at 10 and I am contemplating heading out for tickets. You can only buy one for every ID and since I forgot to mention it to anyone else, I would just be by myself. Between classes today i will be having lunch with Victoria at Ciocolat. After class I may be heading over to Wyatt's for a little rehearsal. I'm a tad frustrated with the lack of communication here. If I don't hear from him, I will join Tony & Tim for a drink -- or perhaps a few. I mean I need to celebrate the end of the first week of Summer Session II, don't I?

Back in the Saddle

Today starts Summer Session 2 and I am excited about tackling another round of Hip Hop Classes. The activity on Facebook with my first class from Summer Session 1 is quite lovely to see. The students writing on each others walls, posting pictures and attending events. I know it was their demeanor going into the class, but I hope to recreate that ensemble quality with BOTH classes this time around.

I also had a bit of a wake up call with the realization of time. Now that the summer is half done, I really need to get working on my thesis and Dada. I have not written in my thesis comedy journal in quite a few days and I don't remember when I read or even thought about Dada last. For the latter project I feel I really need to get my personnel on board and that's not going to happen until the school year begins. However, I would like to get some more research done.

Since my teaching schedule now starts at 12 instead of 2, I'm trying to get myself up earlier and on a more regular schedule. I also have 2 hours BETWEEN classes now that I could read or write or go to the library. I will check about space availability in the office today so I will be able to start playing with things physically, as well.

In terms of Miss Lonely Hearts, that may start to ramp up as well, since we may have a gig THIS Saturday at Crepeville and we are on the books at Sopha's on September 18 -- the day I get back from my Atlanta trip. Just to update, Wyatt and I are in disagreement as to the origin of the band name. All of the research says that the book in question was by Nathanael West not Terry Southern. That being said I did a search of MySpace yesterday and found TWO other bands (one in CA, the other in Canada) with the same name. So, it looks like Wyatt will be looking for a new name.

We had a good rehearsal on Saturday and I'm very proud of myself for finding some great rhythms and harmonies. In the garage band recordings, I have to say that I don't sound half bad. However, the collaborative elements are not as strong as I'd hoped. I really do think it's due to the fact that Wyatt is just so young and doesn't know how best to lead the group. Besides being a back up singer, I feel that I am also an advisor and creative consultant. That may be my biggest asset to the group. Wyatt was supposed to meet with a lap steel player yesterday and is in talks with a percussionist. I'm curious to see where this all will go.

And lastly, I finally did some job searching yesterday. I looked for university positions, as well as education directors in the non-profit world. I'm going to have to keep this search up in earnest because jobs will be posted in a few months for the time I graduate.

This makes me want to hide under the covers, but I will in fact get out of bed and head to Starbucks to use one of my gift cards and get some journalling done.

Now, I just have to find my glasses...

As If We Didn't Already Know

You Are a Chocolate Flavored Popsicle

You are hedonistic. For you, summer is all about indulging your five senses. Some people may call you spoiled, but your simply the type of person who knows what they want. You have sophisticated tastes. You like sweet things as much as the next person, but you don't like cheap treats. You're much more drawn to the dramatic in all aspects of life - including dramatic desserts.

What Flavor Popsicle Are You?

Shed a Little Tear, again

So on this my year anniversary in Davis I cried twice. These past two years have been quite emotional and on an anniversary such as this you cannot help but reflect. As I typed the title of this blog I had a feeling that I used it before. Surprisingly enough it's only from the beginning of June.

At band practice last night, I got a text from Tony suggesting I come into SF today because he had the day off. I just didn't feel like spending the money on a train ticket and really wanted to lay low in Davis. So this morning, I got out of bed and after a few unsuccessful tries to get online, I took a shower and walked to campus. I sat outside of Dutton Hall and finally got a connection. A group of what seemed to be high school students perhaps at a UCD sponsored camp or maybe orientation walked by. They each had a name tag on and matching t-shirts and they asked me if I was a professor.

"No, I'm a grad student, sorry."

As they walked away with their maps I had the wherewithal to ask if they were on a scavenger hunt. And indeed they were. I then said that I am a grad student, but I am teaching 2 classes this summer. Sounded like a professor to them! They were elated, ran back to me, took my photo and asked for my name and department to add to their list. They then asked where some art galleries might be and I pointed them along.

When I got back home I called Tony and it sounded like he had a plan for his day. I was able to connect again to the internet from my apartment and decided to finish up my grading and submit final grades. Of my 60 students there were mostly As, two B+s and 2 C+s.

Ever since I created the Facebook event page for the Hip Hop showings I started to get requests from the students to add me as a friend. I do not feel comfortable doing that while they are current students, so as of this morning, I went ahead and added all 9 requests. They were all from my first class. This did not surprise me since my first class was so much more of an ensemble than my second. The second class had more people late or with absences. They also were not as quick to thank me after the showing yesterday nor did anyone ask me to be in photos with them. This afternoon, I did get two friend requests from my second class, but one was only because he wanted to message me and ask what happened to his lost ipod.

On Facebook I made today's status "Hope celebrates one year in Davis" to which I got this message on my wall from Lynn in my first class.

Gratz on ur one year in Davis! We welcome u with big Hugs! o(^.^)o Ur hip Hop class was the most exciting thing in my life.

Reading that just made me weep. It's an amazing feeling to make that much of an impact on someone's life. After the second showing, one of the girls from my first class came up to me and said that my class was the best she's ever taken at UCD. Chau is a shy little thing and always asked me questions over email or sent someone else to ask me on her behalf. But this time she used her own words and gave me a huge hug.

Powerful stuff.

To celebrate, I found the second Zia's gift certificate and my Regal Free Movie certificate and had a freebie afternoon. A yummy Roma sandwich and lemon Pellegrino as I watched Mamma Mia. In the darkness as I viewed the beautiful Grecian landscape on the big screen, I reflected on the past and a disastrous flight from Atlanta to Sacramento a year ago today -- and just cried.

The Day of the Show(ing) y'all!

So yesterday we performed the Live Music Videos and today we put it all together and show our combinations and some poetry to a live audience. Right now according to the Facebook event invite, the first class has 68 people confirmed to join us and another 61 maybes. Our second class has 31 yesses and another 20 maybes. Either way, I'm expecting a good crowd of supportive people.

The show will be less than professional and after seeing some of the performances yesterday, I am a little worried about a few of the large group numbers. But we will have a fun time.

For your viewing pleasure, here's a down and dirty video of one of the best dances from my second class.

Enjoy!

The Birth of Miss Lonely Hearts

So last night after class I biked over to Wyatt's for a little band practice. When I got there he and Barbara were still eating dinner so I joined them outside for conversation and a can of Bud. I am not usually a fan of canned beer but I have to say it was quite refreshing.

Soon later Barbara was replaced by the knitting Stephanie and we started working through the songs. Stephanie, as a violin player has a great musical ear and can play with harmonies well. I'm super jealous since it takes me a while to lock in. Luckily I worked on some of the music during the day yesterday so I was able to duplicate the harmonies from the down and dirty recording that Wyatt did.

When we got to From the Big Oak Tree, I was finally able to ask about altering lyrics. The song is supposed to be a creepy stalker song, but I don't think it's quite icky yet. He was a little hesitant at first, but Stephanie came up with some great changes. Like instead the narrator of the song "seeing" the woman he loves with another man, he "spies" on them. And after he stabs her the final line of the song was changed from "No man will have my love again." to "No man will ever have her heart again." So much creepier.

I also opened the conversation about just what our roles are. Are Stephanie and I back-up singers for Wyatt's leads? Or will we be more collaborative? Luckily, Wyatt was more in the collaborative camp. He said that eventually he would like to write songs for each of us. That sounds good to me, however I mentioned that there's one song of his that I would like to sing. It's told from a man's perspective but it's about a man who is about to kill another man and is obsessed with guns. Wyatt was a little shaken with that comment, I think, so I'm going to let it go for now. Out of all the songs, it's the only one I really connected with. I think it's the theatricality of the song and (of course) not the subject matter.

I did a quick recording last night in Garage Band just so I will remember the harmonies I sang, but it was a good way to hear where we need work. I sat closest to the laptop so my voice was much louder than everyone else's. it also allowed us the start the conversation about what we all want. For example, I did a pure "oo" in our back-up stuff and Stephanie had a less defined "oh." I asked Wyatt which one he wanted since I thought mine sounded a little too much. But we will continue to play and mold our styles together. Wyatt is building a My Space page, so as soon as that's up and running I will post the link so you can hear.

And in terms of the name Miss Lonelyhearts is the title of a book by Terry Southern. Wyatt really liked the homage to the perversion in the book and then the ring of the title itself. It sounds good to me. And hopefully our music will, too!

Half Way There (and general update)

Well, almost. This is the sixth and final week of Summer Session 1 and I start SS2 on Monday. I did wind up giving my Jazz class to Kerry Mehling who teaches Ballet this session and who teaches Jazz and Modern during the school year. My body continues to feel the strain of dance 4 days a week, but luckily it's gradually less and less.

The students are doing well, but I see the stress of their final project. It looks as if I needed to give them more time throughout the session. I may abandon the movies and other videos and give them more time for poetry and their final music video. I wonder if I needed to show them examples.

Our final showing is on Thursday and I created Facebook events for each class. Only my first class has sent invites out to their friends. The second class has not done it at all. This surprised me because my second class was so excited about the idea of a public showing and my first class was not.

What else is new?

On Sunday I took the train in to San Francisco with Tony to do some exploring. He was in town for Randy's birthday and since I hadn't done the train thing, I thought it would be less scary to do it with a friend. There's not a train that goes directly into the city, so you have to transfer from Amtrak to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). When we left Davis it was a bright and sunny 75 degrees. When we got into Richmond to make the transfer it was a windy 55. I was not happy. We ate dim sum in Chinatown, then walked through North Beach to the Wharf and got a little sample of Ghiradelli. From there we walked back to the other side of town -- I honestly don't know where we were -- and climbed one of the steepest hills ever. After a burger in the Civic Center area, we hopped on BART and then went our separate ways. As I arrived at the Richmond Station, I saw the Amtrak leave the station. That meant that I had to wait over an hour for another train. And the area is not the best. There was NO ONE around and I was finally accosted by a few pan handlers. I gave up my burger left overs and wrote in my comedy journal until I got too freaked out to be cool. Gradually the platform started to fill so I put on my ipod and grooved around.
I finally got home to Davis at 8:30PM. I was hungry and tired and needed a hot shower.

Last night I went to the quad to see one of the free music events the Mondavi presents. Del Castillo out of Austin, TX. I went by myself since Chad had something come up at work. I stayed for about 50 minutes and when it got chilly and I got lonely I went home.

Tonight I will be getting together with Wyatt to go over music for the band. I need to listen to the music again and feel some of these harmonies. His music reminds me of The Goodies. Remember them?

Help from the Spirits

For most of you that know me, I have been very much into psychics and spiritual advisors. My mother had a woman who helped find missing children for the police department come to our house when I was 17 and we had a little psychic party. One by one we went into the kitchen and she gave us a reading. Mine was considerably shorter than everyone else's. When I asked why, she said, "well, you're only 17. There's not much past yet." The reading was scarily accurate that I have searched for similar experiences since and have always been disappointed. The last one I spoke to was over the phone and there were a few things she said that touched buttons, but for the most part her reading left way too many questions. Or just puzzled expressions. For example, she said there was a deceased male relative who was watching down over me. He wore demin overalls and liked hard candy. I asked my parents about it and they could not assist.

I have not thought about going to one again, but it would be nice for someone to tell me what the heck I am going to do when I graduate, since I don't have a clue. The last psychic said that I would start another theatre company. Gosh, I hope not. Even though when I drove with Tony on the way home from dim sum in Sac last weekend, he said the same thing. Sigh.

This still does not stop me from adding my horoscope to my google homepage or adding my chinese horoscope to my facebook page. A few days ago my google one said that it was a good time to go back to school. And today I got this one.

Perhaps you cannot just walk away from your responsibilities today, but it may be fine to just do the bare minimum and then take the rest of the day off. You really have nothing to prove. You'll gain more by treating yourself to a bit of rest and relaxation than by pushing yourself. You can always finish up your work tomorrow.

As if I needed a reason to avoid cleaning my apartment...