One Last Blogthing Quiz for 2009

So, this year I have posted less than either of the previous two blogging years. There's no way that I will be able to make it up, but here's an extra post for today!

You Are a Guru

Spiritual and thoughtful, you tend to take a step back from the world. You're very sensitive to what's going on around you, yet you remain calm. Although you are brilliant, it may take you a while to find your niche. Your creativity is supreme, but it sometimes makes it hard for you to get things done. Your strength: Your inner peace Your weakness: You get stuck in the clouds Your power color: Emerald Your power symbol: Leaf Your power month: November

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

Changing of the Guard

I am contemplating what I want to do tonight. December 31, 2009. New Year's Eve. I am torn. I would love to get out of the house, but I am super content staying in. Muni (including the cable cars) is free tonight and there is a fireworks show overlooking the Bay Bridge. My new favorite - the Embarcadero. I also saw a potluck and mediation event in Oakland.

There are two options with others on the table, but honestly I am not excited about either. I know this night is supposed to be special, but I think it's time to knock the wind out of the sails and keep it modest. Jamie announced on Facebook that she would be staying in tonight. I offered that she come down here and we could stay in together, but no go.

I think I will leave the sleeping kitties and take a bike ride up to Shattuck. That will give my body and brain a little push. My guess is that it will be a push back onto the couch, but I'm not making any predictions right now.

The Power Vested in Me

So today I drove up to Sausalito and Christine and I went to San Rafael to the Civic Center so I could be given the title of Deputy Commissioner for the day. Some of you may know the building from such films as THX 1138 (1969) and Gattaca (1997) which were shot on location in the Marin Center. In addition, the buildings (especially those in the fairgrounds) served as a direct inspiration to those of the planet Naboo in Star Wars. An hour later we had the paperwork and I was legally qualified to officiate a wedding. Yee-haw!

Christine really wanted to get married at the beach and Genia just wanted her to be happy. I took on the minimal role of spiritual advisor and made sure there was proper communication between the couple and with their kids. TIt turned out to be a bigger role than I thought, but an hour later we were on the road to Rodeo Beach. A beautiful ride with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge. And then a walk down to the beach.


After some vowing, ring exchanges, tokens of clementines, kisses and the throwing of sunflower seeds, another couple entered wedded bliss.

So after catering 2 weddings, serving as a wedding planner for one and being a bridesmaid in 6 ceremonies (all still married!!) I got a promotion today.

Deputy Commissioner-for-a-Day over and out.

Staying Warm!

I am sitting on my zafu pillow right in front of the gas fireplace. I just cannot get warm. I was sitting at the dining table and I had enough. And yes, I'm wearing my wool sweater, jeans, socks and slippers. This is the second or third time I turned on the heat since I've been living here. At night I have been sleeping with a hot water bottle and lately, Maxie has been scooching up behind my knees to curl up and slumber.

I applied for one more administrative job today that Randy recommended, after getting the faculty aps in the mail, having coffee with Chris Parnell, making a bank deposit and doing some laundry. But for the most part my day was about wedding prep. I walked to the library and checked out some books. They turned out to be not very helpful so I did better online searches and put together a lovely wedding ceremony for Genia and Christine. They asked me to officiate their wedding last week and after lots of over few days decided to do it. Get a daily permit and try something new. And I have to say I am pretty excited. They will be getting married on the beach, so I will again have to dress warmly.

My stomach has been a funky for the last few days. I am going to try and ignore it and go to dance class tonight anyway. I have wanted to take Sarah's class at The Beat and fingers crossed that others show up for it. My body is hurting from the dance and yoga over the weekend. I hope for a good warm up tonight and a nice stretch of my hamstrings before I bust a move.

Oh, and here are a few things I'm grateful for:
1. fireplaces and hot water bottles
2. cookie searches
3. friends who send job postings my way
4. a washing machine and dryer in my apartment
5. coffee!

Productivity!

So I asked through my Facebook status if I needed to be productive today. Actually I wrote:

"mmmm...coffee. does that mean I have to be productive today?"

Nobody responded, but that didn't mean I could sit on the couch. Actually, come to think of it. I haven't sat on the couch all day! Go coffee!! I did sleep late. I got up and made a yummy egg breakfast and then went to town on my cover letters. First I biked to Office Depot and picked up some nice paper and manilla envelopes and sitting next to me I have 3 - count 'em THREE - completed packets ready to be mailed.

Boo yeah!

I do feel good about them and I am super curious to see if anything will come of the (as of tomorrow) FIVE faculty positions I applied for.

Yesterday evening I took that Yoga for Stress Relief class at 7th Heaven taught by Shy - the instructor of the yoga certification program. The class was packed and I really appreciated his tone and attention to intention. "Why are you here?," he kept asking. It really got me out of my head and into my body. I think tomorrow I will actually sign up for the program.

Unfortunately, no word or online materials from the belly dance woman. And while I got a lovely response from the caterer, it does not look like there will be any work any time soon.

On Wednesday I start work with Gravity and will of course continue to look for other work. On my bike ride through the 4th Street area I saw that they were hiring and Restoration Hardware.

*sigh*

This thing called Risk.

So it's hard to get away from gentle pushes towards risk. In fact I got this fortune at the Chinese restaurant the other evening.

"Now is the time to try something new."

Okay, okay, I get it. I guess my problem is that I don't know what that is. I am certainly trying to keep my mind more open, but there is little I'm saying no to. Well, I guess if you include rejecting some crazy guys on okcupid, that could be it. However, I am keeping myself more open in that department. No details to share yet, but we'll see.

In terms of new I am looking to get my yoga certification in the new year. I am taking class this evening with the teacher of the training. I know it's not a good judgement on how he teaches teachers, but I hope to get a good vibe. Secondly, yesterday I trained with one of the owners of a belly dance studio in Oakland. There is no guarantee that I'll teach, but I will be given all of the materials for my "audition." I would teach a fitness class that's a mix between hip hop and low impact aerobics with a handful of belly dance thrown in for good measure. To be honest, it's a lot of work. I need to choreograph 5 songs and be prepared to co-teach. My guess is that it will take at least a month of work and then I may not get the job. I feel confident that I could do it, but I was getting mixed signals from the trainer. I loved the pro-woman vibe in there. The hip hop choreography is certainly much different than what I taught in Davis. They truly encourage the use of hips. I mean it's belly dancing - why should I be surprised. I do think it would be good for me - and what I am doing anyway? However I do need some income.

I will start the production manager job for Jess Curtis/Gravity this week and hopefully there will also be work with Epiphany. It would be great if there was one more small job that I could take on. Actually, it would be great if there were more catering. I sent a message to the company I worked for a few weeks ago, but I'm sure things are quiet.

I need to finish my cover letters today. And then I'll probably scour Craigslist one more time.

Gratitudes:
1. my cats
2. a warm blanket on the couch
3. sunny weather
4. teachers who challenge - in this case Chauncey and his lyrical jazz class
5. cheese - it's the bomb!

Typing on the Couch (again)

So, I am currently in the couch part of my ritual. I woke up around 10AM and then cooked a little breakfast and moved to the couch to eat, check my email and play on Facebook. When of course I realized that I had not blogged in a while. In the past few days I have seen a ton of movies, went up to Davis for a visit and been relatively celebratory. I need to pull out my cover letters yet again and send those puppies out on Monday.

As today is Saturday, let's have a recap. Tuesday was the first of the movies day. Fantastic Mr. Fox and Up in the Air. I hoped to return and take back to back dance classes, but I got all crampy and irritable so I wound up on the couch under a blanket for the rest of the day. I didn't sleep well so there went the yoga class I planned to take Wednesday morning. I did get up and head up to Davis and do some University business - pick up my diploma, a few transcripts and the Grad Studies brochure I'm in. Then I met Jamie at Regency so I could finally transfer my thesis DV onto the computer. Yeah, no go. I could not for the life of me figure out how to do it. I may have to head back once school is in session and go with Jamie or Jennifer to Meyer Hall to get it done there. Since Jamie locked her keys in the office and I wasn't successful in my plan, we left and went into Sacramento to finally eat at Michael Tuohy's Grange. The restaurant was beautiful. Big open space with high, high ceilings. The service was okay, and the food did not wow me. It was great to see Michael and eat in a beautiful environment. Since I have been watching the budget, it's been a while that I've taken myself to a nice place. What a treat!

That evening Jamie and I went to see Avatar in 3D in Davis. Gosh, what a ride. A beautiful film. The story was good, and the special effects were great. The dialogue was ridiculous at times, but the imagination in creating the world of Pandora was stunning. Yea for creativity.

The following morning Jamie and I had breakfast at Cafe Bernardo and then I was back on the road - heading back to the Bay. I met one of the online guys for tea and then home to relax before picking Randy up and heading to Kati's family's house for dinner. Lots of wine and lots of laughs and I probably should not have driven when I did. However all is well and I know better.

Yesterday I did what most Jews do. Go to the movies and then out for Chinese food. I saw Nine and Sherlock Holmes in the afternoon. The movies were packed since there were a number of films that opened yesterday. I was a little disappointed with the movies yesterday. Nine was just a slow mess. The actors did not do the songs any justice. In fact the review that I read basically said that the songs sucked. And that made me very angry. It has nothing to do with the song, but how they were performed. Sad. They also expanded the story and added all of this background that you just didn't need.

Sherlock Holmes was a big adventure. I loved the use of slow motion to give insight and then show the movement in real-time. It was done with a fight sequence and then again talking about how Holmes figured out certain facts based on the items in the room. Super clever. But there was not a huge amount of substance and the women were just no match for the men. They were scarily weak. But again not as characters, but how they were portrayed.

Anyway, today I will be a bit more active. Chauncey's jazz class at 12:30PM and then a little training with Samar at Hip Line. I hope to be teaching within 3 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Gratitudes:
1. loving kitties
2. successful dates - more on this later
3. hulu - in particular the ability to catch up on Glee
4. dessert
5. time

Ritual!

So as a person who enjoys ritual, I think I have found one. It's not the best for my person or wallet, but it's regular nonetheless. Lately it's been going to bed around 1AM, getting up to feed the cats around 7AM and then going back to bed. I usually force myself to get up at 10AM and have breakfast since no one should be in bed after 10. Really. I usually wind up heading to the couch and grabbing a blanket and checking my email.

Don't judge the bed to couch thing. I know you are jealous! I mean do you have nails this long from the lack of regular work?

Yeah, I thought not!

Anyway, so as I look for work and welcome a routine that actually gets me out of the house, I have to say this ritual works. I mean, heck, it's a ritual. I love those. And while my bank account is not super happy with the current situation, I think I'll miss this ritual.

*sigh*

I do feel change on the horizon, however. As I clean the house today and hopefully finish my pending cover letters for various faculty positions, I think all of the resumes electronically sent around the city will pan out. Fingers crossed that these jobs are actually in my field. But that's another story.

Okay, these nails while impressive and stylish make it difficult to type. So after a little gratitude, I think they will get a little trim.

THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR:
1. good friends - namely Randy and Christine
2. living close to the water
3. leftovers - still got 'em
4. Jon Stewart - he's got a funny show
5. natural light - not the beer, folks - i mean who needs to go outside in the rain?

The Dogs are Barkin'!

Yesterday afternoon and evening I worked my first catering gig with Hugh Groman. He runs a really great business and I felt more at home than I have in a while. There was a number of times in the evening that I said to myself - "wow, these are my type of people." Unfortunately, we are reaching the end of the season and there's not much more work to be had. The lead server last night was complaining about the lack of work. And I thought - now, lady don't even get me started!

I wore my black Dr. Maartens and thought I was clever when I stopped in at Walgreens to get some Dr. Schol's inserts before I got a sesame ball at Yank Sang and walked down to Pier 1. I put them in my shoes - the inserts, not the sesame ball - while sitting on the pier looking over the bay and was feeling pretty good. I know that I was on my feet for over 7 hours, but it was around hour 5 that I started hobbling. I am now bruised on the right foot where part of the shoe was rubbing. But all in all I just hurt. I need to grab my little roller and got to town.

The food was amazing and the guests were all friendly. By the end of the evening they were all drunk as skunks, but I left with a mess of food and I hope I do not have to cook or shop until next Wednesday. Best yet was the view, right on the pier with a breathtaking sight of the Bay Bridge. I think I need to hang out by the Embarcadero more.

This morning my cell rang quickly followed by the sound of 2 texts. No, I did not get out of bed. That is a rare thing since my phone is pretty quiet lately and the sound of correspondence has a scarily strong hold over me. But I cannot remember the last time my phone rang off the hook.

I had an interesting phone conversation with Christine this morning as she drove to pick up her kids in Carmichael. She mentioned that she has no friends. She wanted to go shopping the other day, but didn't have anyone to go with. That may be true locally, but honestly, I don't think she looks for friends. I have been going out of my way to meet people and not having any luck either. I realized that it's been many years since I had a best friend. Like 10 years. It may be because of the moving around or perhaps that my expectations are too high. It seems like people my age also move from friends onto lovers and the dating thing is not working out all that well. But heck, at least I'm trying.

Hold on a second!

I expected this post to be a lot more positive than it actually is. What happened? The phone call from this morning was one of the women from Hip Line - a belly dance fitness club in Berkeley. They are looking for teachers and I will be taking a class to see how it's done on Sunday. The class is called Shimmy Pop and it's a mix of hip hop and belly dance. I have to say, I am pretty excited about it.

I also need to try out the yoga class taught by the teacher training guy at 7th Heaven. If all goes well, I will also start that training in January and be certified to teach in May.

Gratitudes:
1. a forum to vent and think out loud
2. TV on demand
3. leftovers!!
4. living close to the water
5. small jobs and job possibilities

Okay, time to start cleaning!

Missing photos

I just opened the blog and smiled large when I saw the photo from Donkey Loves Tortoise. I miss seeing photos in the entries. I used to add them every day. I guess I lost interest in finding photos to match. My computer has little memory and hard drive space so I have removed all pictures - or most pictures -- in order to have music for class.

In effort to reinvigorate the image, here's one I just took of my newly lit Menorah in the kitchen.

I was supposed to have a latke party tonight, but no one could come, so I cancelled it last night. Actually most people did not respond to the Facebook invite. I tried not to let that bother me, but I would be lying to say that it didn't. I did hear from a few others today, but there were no definites, and I really didn't not want to make a Hanukkah meal just for me.

Instead I went to Grocery Outlet and bought a bunch of stuff. I spent close to $40, which is not good, because I don't think I really organized the food very well. I mean, I don't know if I have many complete meals. I have components, but don't know how much I can make with just what I have. I made some brown rice in the oven and whipped up an African Stew with Chicken and Peanut Butter. The rice was fantastic. The first time I cooked it in the oven. It took a little longer, but there was no sticking. As Alton Brown said on his show Good Eats, rice needs to cook evenly which you cannot get on the stove top where heat comes from the bottom. On the other hand the stew was just okay. I had most of the ingredients, but not all. And then the recipe was flawed. I think I fixed it with some spicy salsa, but I will find out tomorrow when I have the leftovers.

On my way home from Caitlin's this afternoon, I thought about doing a food blog. However, there are so many people doing them and there are so many good ones. I think the market has reached saturation. I would have started with the breakfast that Caitlin made this morning. Scrambled eggs with sour cream with some baked pizza dough from Trader Joe's. The eggs were super creamy and the bread was like a foccacia or ciabatta. With just a little butter, the breakfast was complete. We had some yummy coffee right when I arrived, so I completed my meal with the last sip of cold cafe americano.

As I type, I notice, that my tone is more positive than usual and that all of my i's are CAPITAL.

I wonder what that means.

Oh and then there is that whole gratitude thing:
1. friends like Caitlin who offer me work
2. supportive parents
3. consistent wifi at home
4. strong coffee
5. leftover hanukkah candles
6. the picking up of faculty job postings
7. my own sensitivity

A little bitta etsy

Today I worked for my friend Caitlin. She's Doug's wife from Miss Lonely Hearts and started an etsy shop on a whim. She sells mini terrariums and air plants, plus a number of other magnets and printed cards. She had a backlog of orders and needed some clarity and extra hands.

First off this is the first time I've been to their little cottage in Alameda and it's like a little etsy shop of it's own with a smidgen of Ikea thrown in for a good measure. There's a ton of natural light and just a good feeling in there. Like you want to get your creative juices a-flowin'.

When I sat myself at the kitchen table to get the terrariums ready for shipment, I was writing some little cards to go in the boxes. I had about 30 cards, but was unsure the number to complete. So, I asked how many orders she had. 20? 50?

Um no, she looked on the website and she had 5 PAGES of 30 orders. 5 PAGES!! For those non-math whizzes out there, that's 150 ORDERS!!

So, I was like a little machine and after my 5 hours there we processed about 30 orders. Doug dropped the packages at the post office and tomorrow we will start bright and early on more.

On the Verge

After getting permission to jump around on my ankle I danced with Kim Epiphano on Thursday and then took Chauncey's Jazz class at The Beat on Saturday. I feel good. There is still a little bit of throbbing in the area where the bone was chipped, but in general I'm back in business.

The dance class on Saturday was a blast from the past. A true Jazz class. Jazz music from the late 70s and true jazz technique. My lines were pretty good, but I felt out of practice. I cannot remember the last time I took a dance class. No, really I cannot remember. Melvina's hip hop class in Atlanta?

Yeah, I think so.

The great thing about that class is that I was youngest member. It's been a long time since that happened. There was less pressure and we were all at a similar level. There was also no competition. That's a nice thing.

Even though I still don't have regular work, I need to get off the couch and be active. This week I am doing a bit of work for Doug's wife, Caitlin's etsy business and then on Thursday I'm working for a local catering company in the city.

I do have a few things in the works with some dance companies and keep applying for hospitality and administrative jobs. I'm considering taking a class at Berkeley Rep and I'm still thinking about getting my certification in yoga. And there are 3 more faculty positions I'm applying for.

This hermit thing is super comfortable. However that means that I'm not following my risk plans.

Let's get Risky!

Friday Night Lights!

Happy Chanukah!

I actually lit my menorah on the first night for the first time in a long time. I just moved it to the kitchen so I could put it in the window. So pretty.

I was thinking about having a latke party, but I have yet to organize. Maybe next week.

Good news is that I was given the go ahead to return to full activity on my ankle. After seeing the orthopedist and physical therapist yesterday morning, I went into the city to play with Kim and two of her dancer friends. She has a project in development. It was nice to just play. I didn't freak out too much. I finally came to terms with my fear of contact improv and truly tried to let go. Ah, the joys of improvisation. We did this great solo exercise with a white sheet. Some really lovely stuff. It made me realize that I need to schedule some studio time for myself. I have to get moving on Funny Bone.

And then there is that looking for a job thing.

We are leaving in less than an hour to head up to Sacramento for a Miss Lonely Hearts gig tonight. We are going to have a great time. Fingers crossed that the band will play a good set and impress some other people which will lead to a recording.

PT update!

So the office called a few hours ago and offered me an appointment on Thursday. So, I will see the orthopedist at 9 and the physical therapist at 10:30PM.

At 1PM, I'll meet Kim Epiphano and do a bit of dancing with her at ODC.

I am applying for more faculty jobs, but the riskiest thing I'm doing is drinking mimosas with Tony.

I'll keep working on it.

Jump start the RISK!

So, I am still sitting on the couch and continue to write passive posts. I made a grave error this morning and missed my last physical therapy appointment. Since my PT only works on Tuesday and Thursdays I cannot get in there for THREE WEEKS.

Yes, incredible.

I called the orthopedist and he still wants to see me on Thursday, so hopefully the x-rays will be clean and I will get the go ahead to return to running and jumping.

But then there's that risk thing again. I think with no money coming in, I am more afraid to take risks than ever. It's much easier - and cost effective - to stay at home watch TV. However, it's a little difficult to meet people if you never leave the house.

I am meeting some people with the online dating thing and I may just need to use my credit card and end this self pity once and for all. I need to start dancing and teaching. Hopefully I will be able to take Chauncey's jazz class at The Beat on Saturday. And fingers crossed that my Boxcar callback goes well tonight.

I had a great meeting with CalShakes yesterday about teaching, but they need to see me teach before I'm put on the roster. Ah, the catch 22.

I feel the potential energy building, but I do need a jump start. And unfortunately, it's not happening on it's own.

The Waiting Game

Okay, it's not really a game, just a whole bunch of waiting.

Well, maybe it is a game. Not a fun one, kinda like chicken. You know when you look someone or something in the eye and see who is going to fold first.

So, still unemployed and now official denied unemployment. Kinda sucks. I am not really sure what to do here since I need something temporary. Most employers don't want to hire someone knowing that the are just going to quit when something better comes along. So, here's where the game may be...

Yeah, still sucks and still not fun.

Great news is that finally applied for my first faculty position. I had a good deal of help from people with my cover letter and my fingers are crossed that I get to the next level. There are parts of me that would hate to leave SF because I really do think I could make it work here. It just takes time.

There are quite a few potential things in the works. Lots of teaching at different theatres, some auditioning at small and mid-sized companies and the possibility of doing some solo work. Again, it just takes time.

I went into the city today and took myself on a date. Bank of America does free museum days all around the city each month and I took advantage of their offer at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. I then ticked two of 7X7 magazines foods you must try in SF off my list and then met up with Randy for a show at Climate Theatre. In the down times I read Free Play, one of the books we were supposed to read for Della's CORE class. I never read it since it looked like we would never discuss it. Which we didn't.

The book is on Improvisation. In life. It comes from the point of view from a musician, but talks about all media. But the author, Stephen Nachmanovitch talks about the issue of time. Time as a medium. He writes, "As stone is to a sculptor, so time is to a musician...he draws, perhaps, a violin bow, which is a device for carving or shaping time..."

I really dug the imagery here. I thought of using it in some way with When You Hit Your Funny Bone. Since I started the piece with what looks like a classical concert. Playing with ideas of music - and now time.

I ponder.

I wait.

And I'm grateful.

1. passionate theatre

2. being so close to culture

3. credit cards

4. a warm jacket and cash in my pocket

5. strong coffee

A little pensive

Not really sure why, but I am just in a quiet place. Maybe because I'm tired or maybe because I'm lonely. Anyway, there are lots of things to be grateful for.

1. a great physical therapy appointment today

2. living close to the water - and the great view of SF from Sausalito

3. good friends - today love goes out to my friends Jenny and Christine

4. breakfast - it's the bomb

5. a hot water bottle keeping me warm

Small Challenges

So, I am yet again sitting on the couch pondering about my life. I think there is a HUGE indentation under my bottom from all of the sitting I have been doing. I went to the physical therapist this morning and to be honest I have not been working at home on the drills she gives me in my session. I don't know why, it's just the general laziness, I guess. However, I certainly have time and it will only get me healed faster.

Dawn asked me today if I have been challenging myself. And the answer is mostly no. I have been doing a little yoga, but usually I go once a week and pull my hamstrings and then complain - and sit on the couch. Due to financial constraints I have really been a hermit, however, I really don't have to be.

Walks and bike rides are FREE. Did you hear that? I do not have to spend any money to go outside and enjoy the scenery. And I get a little exercise.

I know, crazy!

I am currently reading my Barteneiff book written by Peggy Hackney and last night was the chapter on breath. She wrote about the healing properties of breath and I have certainly missed that point.

I have swept and mopped half the apartment and I am ready to do the other half. Afterward, I will either bike or walk down to the water - challenge myself and BREATHE.