Reconsider.

I got home from my second hip hop class today and just wanted a cocktail. I had plans to hot tub with Sarah, but when I called her she had made other plans. So I poured myself a glass of wine and worked on the program order for tomorrow's hip hop showings. My classes are doing well, but it feels like we are a little stressed to get ready for an audience. I think I may drop that component next session.

I heard from a few students today that DRA44a should be 4 units, not 2. I made a conscious effort to limit the work outside of class this year. I didn't show any videos or films and gave them more time in class for their projects. Unfortunately the pair that made the comments did not use their time wisely. I'm curious if the more prepared groups would say the same.

The exciting thing is the students have a super tight bond and are really appreciative of my time and energy. However, I think I could have done a better job on improving their dance skills. I mean it is a dance class...

Ah, live and learn. And yes, I am still learning.

I need to put my clean laundry away and tackle the pile of dishes in the sink, but I will probably do that tomorrow. I really want chocolate or fro-yo, but I ate a brownie bite and a sliver of cheesecake at my second classes' potluck. I really don't need to put anything else in my pie hole.

Oh, and boy am I grateful. Um, think fast, think fast...
1. Wine. Gotta love the stuff
2. Friends who let me vent. In this case my buddy Jon. We have plans to gather tomorrow night. Hopefully it will be to celebrate the amazing success rather than cry in my beer!
3. My friend (and future roomie) Tony for calling potential apartments in preparation for our visit to Oakland on Saturday
4. My friend Chris for hosting my Dada website. I found out that the T/D department removed it from their server without telling me earlier this week. sigh.
5. Dedicated students. Gosh, they try so hard and mean well.

Lots of changes!

This week is a crazy one. The last week of the first summer session that ends in a big, scary showing for my students. I then start rehearsals this weekend for On the Town at DTC in Walnut Creek and the second summer session starts on Monday. Another 60 students! All this while apartment hunting and the beginning of the shape up to ship out. Tony comes over tonight for us to look at places online and to set up appointments. Then we drive back into Oakland on Saturday. I guess I will not be able to go to the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Fest this weekend.

No rest for the weary.

Actually I have not been too weary. I do have the passion papers to read and laundry to do, but for the most part I am right on schedule. So then why do I fail to get all of my rituals done? Daily neti pot, flossing and the big new one, my daily gratitudes.

Last night I got home late from Into the Woods at Music Circus. Yes, it's a long show, but since it's technically a rehearsal they did stop a few times to go back and fix the sound. The best is that the actor playing Jack could not find the hen prop so he missed his entrance. The SM stopped and called on him and eventually he came out of the curtain with hen in hand. Apparently he had his mic on. I didn't hear it, but my friend Rachel told the world on Facebook that she heard him say, "Where's my friggin' hen?"

Priceless.

The show was decent. I'm sure the sound and light problems will be fixed, let's just hope the actors take the air out of it. The first act felt ungodly long. And then the realization set in that there was a second act. There was no suspense, no flow. I'm going to blame a soft monitor - but many of the actors were (as the American Idol judges say) "pitchy." At least I think they still say that. I didn't watch all last season.

So, I'm behind so here they are:
1. Passionate and (mostly) responsible students
2. The ability to let things go (sometimes not easily, but eventually)
3. Living in a safe area
4. Fresh baked goods - I ate a bagel and part of a macaroon from the Nugget yesterday
5. Purring kitties

Sunday night, night!

It's been a crazy few days. Lots of traveling to the Bay and driving. I didn't get much done for class so tomorrow's gonna be a doozy.

1. Good friends
2. A comfortable car with air conditioning
3. A supportive father
4. Sushi & ice cream - um, not together
5. Time

Oy! Missed one.

Well, with the excitement of my Dad coming to town and the delay of his flight, I completely forgot to post last night. I have been going to bed at 12:30 lately, but I could have easily have gone to bed at 10 last night.

Today was a good day. A quick jaunt into Oakland and Berkeley to check out the areas and then a ride over the Bay Bridge to Fisherman's Wharf. I thought we would head back to Davis for sushi, but my Dad thought dungeness crabs at Fisherman's Wharf would be "interesting." So we were westward ho. We did get caught in horrible traffic on the way back, but all was made well with a little nap, cheap sushi at Oshio and then a killer gig at Fox & Goose.

Things I'm thankful for:
1. a Dad who everyone thinks is "cool"
2 supportive friends
3. reliable transportation
4. loving cats
5. being currently employed
6. Wireless internet in my home
7. An espresso maker

Um, yeah.

Night!

Thankful.

I thought for sure I would be in bed early tonight. No go. After cooking dinner with Sarah we watched So You Think You Can Dance and then some Food Network shows. I was not excited to bike home, but it was a good ride. Uh oh, now for a little gratitude.

1. My friend Sarah who likes to eat as much as I do
2. My students who are super excited to be in class - but will not keep quiet
3. The nice weather - not too hot
4. Understanding people. More specifically Sara Zimmerman who is going through the same craziness in the department as I am
5. Huy Tran, the IT guy in the Theatre & Dance department who guided me through the printing process on the copier. Magical stuff.

Tired after a date, dinner and trivia

Um, gratitude...

1. my friend Jennifer, she's awesome.
2. cheap food - in this case Sunrise Vietnamese on G in Davis
3. My friend Mick for his Word Twist ways. I am so addicted
4. My dad who is cool enough to come and visit this weekend. It may be because he is worried about me moving to the Bay, but who cares.
5. My friend Chad who promoted the band and our Friday gig on Facebook.

Over and out.

The Good, the Bad and the Sake!

Today was the first day of Week 5 of 6 for my hip hop class. We are a little behind on the combos, so today was my day to catch up big time. It took me a little bit to get out of the house after my usual egg breakfast. But I eventually went to the department to grab some studio space. I stopped first in the office and much to my chagrin there are a whole bunch of people who I don't know in it. Most of the T&D people are elsewhere, so I had to get some random woman to open my office door. Can I just say that I am so glad I don't have to be in that department next year. I then went down to Lab B to figure out what the heck I would be teaching in class today.

I whipped through the combination I prepped for Lily Allen's Knock Em Out. I don't know if my students know what hit them. This is the week I usually show videos, but I don't think there's time. We will be catching up on the combinations and then I will be giving them time to work on their final projects. The consensus was pretty strong that no one liked Combo 3. I will play with that a bit tomorrow in the studio and see if I can get something to work.

I am just coming down from the travesty that was Guys & Dolls at Music Circus tonight. The cast was weak, the costumes were odd the staging and choreography was not appropriate for theatre in the round nor was it exciting. Really it was just bad. All around. Something I am certainly NOT grateful for. Speaking of which, here's where my gratitude lies.

1. My friends Angela and Chris for their love, support and website creation
2. My creativity and sense of imagery and storytelling - teaching choreography today was a sight to behold
3. Good food - in this case sushi and sake!
4. My friend Mick for his continuous Word Twist challenges
5. YouTube - I have been stealing a whole bunch of songs and movement for class.

Medium Infultration

I always find it odd that I take on the tone of the movie I'm watching. I guess I could say the same for a book, but unfortunately I don't read very often. I went to see Public Enemies with Sarah and Jamie after a nice lunch at Crepeville. We went in knowing the movie was subpar, but I liked it. I forgot the details of his death so the particulars were a surprise for me. However, as I biked home I did feel like I was being watched and my awareness peaked with I saw a cop car driving down C Street. Nevertheless, I felt very strong. I had a confidence boost and know that I have the skills I need to take hold of my future. I can be whatever I want to be. An educator, a performer and producer.

I am not sure what it was but I started relating to Marion Cotillard's character when I got home. The jilted lover. I started talking in my thick New York dialect for a few minutes. I made up silly dialogue that sounded like it was out of The Sopranos until I grabbed my keys and went to pick up cat food and toilet paper in the outside world. Now I'm just sad. When I gave my phone number to the cashier at Petco so he could credit my shopper card he asked where the area code was from. "Atlanta," I said. "Your far away from home, " he responded. He asked me if I missed it and in my melancholy state, I did. Maybe it's the heat or maybe I am taking on the life of the story. I cannot be sure. I certainly felt like fighting evil upon leaving the theatre after Harry Potter, but this is lasting longer than usual. I don't like it. I really just want to be by myself.

While I'm here I guess I can get my gratitudes out of the way, but honestly my sadness is going to make this hard.

1. air conditioning
2. reliable transportation
3. living by myself so I cannot be judged for my lack of tidiness
4. my cats for their love and attention
5. power buttons - on my laptop and my cell phone. So, I can shut out the world if I want to.

Hijacked Saturday

So today I thought I was going to get a lot done. Say, organizing my shit and perhaps updating my class grades. After a pretty lazy morning I decided to grab lunch with Tony. We biked to Symposium on L & 8th, but they were closed. I mentioned to Tony on the way that Melanie and I met up with Randy yesterday at Chevy's in Emeryville.

"Chevy's," Tony says, "I was thinking about having margarita's."

So, with our first plan out of the way, we decided to head to Dixon. Tony wanted to take a cab there, but since I really didn't want to drink too much, we decided to drive Tony's truck and take a deck of cards.

Over a pitcher and one more for each of us, we played gin rummy for 3 hours! He also reminded me how to play both Hearts and Spades. So, that was pretty much my day. We stopped at Pedrick's on the way home and then Safeway and after a dip in the pool with Sarah, we made some bruchetta and linguini with clam sauce. Neither really did it for me. The bruchetta was just too oily and the linguini needed more clams and garlic. It was just kinda bland.

Gosh, do I have a busy day tomorrow catching up on everything I was *supposed to* do today.

Things I am grateful for:

1. Jack making me giggle

2. Tony and his carefree ways

3. Time to play hooky

4. A working bicycle

5. Sarah and access to her pool

Before midnight. Crazy!

Cooling down

Today it was so hot that I decided to head to the movies at around noon and then upon my return, drive in the bay. The difference in temps were staggering. Except I didn't see it in a gradual way. I just saw it at 105 leaving Winters and then 80 when we got off in Emeryville to meet Randy for drinks and grub at Chevy's. The same thing happened on the way back. 57 when we got in the car at Fort Mason after the show and then 80 in Winters and 72 here in Davis.

I am tired and am not really very inspired. I am struggling as I think about my gratitudes.

1. a good sense of direction

2. a safe and comfortable car

3. my friendship with Melanie. She is a fellow adventurer and likes to laugh just as much as I do.

4. not doing Winters Shakespeare again this year.

5. being free to do what I want. like heading to a matinee movie on a whim.

More drinks, more gratitude

This evening was all about the pool side grilling. And after the wine was tapped, then the margaritas were flowing. I took a nap by the hot tub. On the ground. Yes, I got splashed by those jumping into the pool, but for some reason mama was tired. It's so late, but it's so hot. Both cats are up and at 'em. Let's see what I'm grateful for...

1. Friends who enjoy both talking about and eating good food

2. Cool evening temps

3. A good challenge - or a dare - say, switching cupcakes in the package at the Nugget with Jamie

4. Favors, or friends who owe favors. Thanks to Amy for taking my measurements for On the Town.

5. A four day work week. I am now off until Monday. But I do have choreographing and grading to do.

*sigh*

Vodka induced gratitude

Chillin' at 21-7. A coupla of vodka drinks and an Irish car bomb. Almost forgot...

1. comfortable evening temperatures

2. good friends

3. a job where I get to brag about my students

4. clean sheets and a newly made bed

5. caring parents

Night!

And on the second day - there was more gratitude

Man, it's hot. Just after midnight and it's still 85 degrees. I biked home from the Woody Guthrie tribute night at The Spirits House and was thankful for the breeze. My skirt flew up a few times, and while I may have played flasher, it felt good. It was a lovely little turn out at the show and while Wyatt and I were both nervous, we didn't suck. In fact, people were very complimentary. We sang Hard Travelin', Do-Re-Mi and Slipknot Blues. It makes me feel a bit grateful. So, here's another list.

1. the fan in my bedroom. and the person who left it by the side of the road about a year ago.

2. meeting wyatt and the musical adventures that began, also about a year ago.

3. students who show their passion. my second class performed their poems today and it was quite moving. i was one satisfied instructor.

4. my new bicycle. or at least new to me. it was an easier than usual ride home.

5. people who can recognize and tell a good story. this was two-fold today. first in my hip hop class and then later at the Woody Guthrie celebration.

Nighty night!

Gratitude 1

I am not gonna lie. I thought this grad school thing would answer a few more questions than it did. I guess I was expecting a miracle. While the sadness or loneliness set in from time to time, my life definitely does not suck. I know I have a little problem keeping up with regular flossing and making sure all of the dishes in the sink get washed before I got to bed, but I decided to try and keep up with listing 5 things I'm grateful for every night.

1. loving and supportive parents

2. the ability to inspire my students

3. being employed

4. a bike with working breaks and gears!

5. the freedom to pursue my creativity

Um, one down. Let's see how I do.

Recupe!

On Thursday night Miss Lonely Hearts had a gig outside in Winters, CA. It was a strange crowd because it was the first time we performed in a park in the daylight. It was an older crowd than we usually get and there were a bunch of children. So, we had to watch our mouths and do some quick editing of some lyrics. There were a few bobbles here and there and I believe that Wyatt called the nice people of Winters "rednecks," but he's from there so it's okay, right?

Afterwards, Melanie Julian and I dropped into a local watering hole and proceeded to drink ourselves silly. I mean it was top shelf drinks for $3.50 so mama needed a few Bombay Sapphires! We then made our way back to the house where Mel is house sitting and opened a bottle of champagne and I somehow made a truly tasty chicken quesadilla.

It was nice to wake up on a comfortable futon without a cat swatting my head at 6AM. Actually I slept until 10:30! Mel made me her yummy tortilla egg breakfast with some strong coffee and we sat around for a while just catching up.

I drove home around noon and I honestly still felt affected by the alcohol. I have been a lazy bum since. Lots of moving from the bed to the couch. Catching up on bad TV and playing games on Facebook. I know my body needs the rest, but I feel a little guilty somehow that I am not more productive.

I did start a massive clean of my apartment yesterday and hope to continue today.

That is if I get myself off the couch.

Tired, but pushing through

I said I was tired and should hit the hay at 10PM right after So You Think You Can Dance finished. Now that I hooked up my converter box two days ago I am starting to watch a little TV. Not good. I guess I need to get used to the TV being on when I live with Tony.

But here we are at 11:41PM and I am still playing away. I have been practicing some of the songs that we hope to play at tomorrow night's gig, but mostly, I have been playing on Facebook. I wonder if I will continue to be that much of a FB whore once I move to the Bay. I'm guessing not, since I just my rehearsal schedule tonight for On the Town and it's going to be a doozy. I also got the script in the mail yesterday and read it this evening and I could start learning my lines if'n I so choose.

Hmmm. Probably not.

Okay, just to clarify, I read MY lines, not the whole script. Highlighted in blue. The play is so much different than the movie. It seems like a more cohesive story. I should be in good shape for it, but need to practice simultaneous singing and dancing for I Can Cook, Too.

Oh, I also looked at some decent apartments on craigslist this evening, too. Looking mostly in the Temescal, Berkeley and Lake Merritt areas. I guess tonight was not totally unproductive.

Okay, bed!!

A Mexican Surprise

This one surprised me a bit. Mexican food is not my favorite of cuisines, but I do wind up eating little egg tacos most mornings. Though these days I have been trying to change it up and have yogurt or cereal.

This Blogthings quiz leaves me wondering. I am not sure if it's quite accurate.

You Are a Burrito

You live large, and you're happiest when you're the center of attention. You are popular and appealing. You are charming and naturally flirtatious. You are a trendsetter. You're always trying something new, and you never get stuck in a rut. You are open minded and adventurous. You love to mix seemingly random elements together.

What Mexican Food Are You?

All Dressed and Ready to Go...Perhaps.

I meant to post a few days ago because I had something good and inspiring to say. I am currently bored and in bad spirits, so this may not be the best time to write. however, I am done with all of my facebook games and i have not posted since tuesday, so now is as good a time as any.

I could be cleaning my apartment or putting my clean dishes away or hooking up my converter box on my TV, but no. I'm in bed with my back door open dressed and ready to go. In fact, I am not sure I am going anywhere. That's kinda been my problem today.

I called Lynn at STC this morning to see if they had crayons and found out that due to the 3 day weekend, the school where camp is was locked and all of the campers were outside. They did have crayons, and I didn't hear anything differently, so I ate a breakfast of yogurt with fresh strawberries and figs and then got in my car headed to SAC. When I arrived at the school all of the gates were locked and I see many of the kids and some of the parents outside. I was starting to get angry since it seemed like the kids were headed home. Why didn't anyone call? But I saw Lynn through the wrought iron gate and she said that everything was being unlocked as we spoke and to come on around and inside.

The kids were outside for AN HOUR and no one led any exercises or activities. Um, why? So, we were now behind schedule and the kids were complete unfocused. So all the kids went into the dance room to do yoga and my classes got pushed back. Not only that, but the director of the show kept pulling kids out of my class to work on scenes. So, I couldn't work with everyone and people kept coming and going. All in all it worked out well but I ran out of time to really work with all of the kids on their characters.

After camp I picked Jon up and we went to PF Changs for tea and their banana spring roll. Not my fav dessert, but quite yummy. After a nice walk in midtown and the discovery of these memorials in Capitol Park. I had no idea it was 98 degrees. It really wasn't too bad. We talked about seeing the Sacramento Shakespeare's Opening Night of Much Ado About Nothing, but I had to head back to Davis for a band rehearsal. Miss Lonely Hearts has a bunch of gigs in the next few weeks and I cannot remember the last time we rehearsed.

As of 7PM, I still hadn't heard from Wyatt, so I texted him telling him that I was making other plans. However, Jon must have made other plans since he didn't answer when I called. Jamie, Sarah, Adam and Jake were heading to see The Hangover. I really didn't need to see it again, so here I am all dressed and ready to go.

Perhaps I'll meet the group for drinks after the flick, perhaps I'll hit the hay early in preparation for some unknown July 4th festivities.