Smoke or be cool. I mean, not hot. Yeah. I'm in D.C. Cool is better. (One can smoke outside restaurants here.) My gosh! It is so hot here! I am not used to the humidity and my hair is so curly!
I got in to D.C. very late Sunday night. I'm a stage manager, so I had to then unpack and set up my household. I was sitting outside at 5am and saw a bird panting, with a worm in its beak. I thought...what are you doing? It is so early! And then, for the first time realized I was watching the "early bird catching the worm."
D.C. is a wondrous place so far. Walking distance to the offices is a street of old world charm. Walking a very short distance takes me to my rehearsal room. (One melts if one tries to walk much further..)
My apartment is charming. I have a washer and dryer in the unit! Yay!
I started work in earnest today. Still moving a little slowly. I've clearly forgotten what jet lag and humidity can do to one. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to turn dangerously hot. Great!
But oh, I love Shakespeare. And he's dead so he won't be offering any contrary notes to the director!
Yay for new things.
How cool to be in the Capitol when all the world is looking.
I'm gonna try to see my congressman while I'm here. What the heck! He is Republican but he is still entrusted to represent me. I want to talk to him! (I write him all the time. His name is Buck McKeon.)
Maybe I'm just enchanted to be in charge of a company again. I love actors.
One (actor) just walked my way. He is walking his little fluffy dog named Fang. We chatted for a few. He leaves on Monday. His show closes Sunday. Ah, well... perhaps we'll work together one day.
I found out today my cast is 40! Yikes! They told me 34, forgetting to count the extras. Should be quite interesting and exciting.
More soon... with pictures!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Leaving. I Am A Gypsy.
On my way to D.C. this week. I've packed two boxes, clothes and stage manger stuff. Off they go tomorrow.
I don't want to leave. I want the work but I don't want to leave my home. I don't understand why I can get really good paying work on the other coast but can't get work here. It makes no sense. There are a gazillion stage managers on the East Coast. (And yet they hire me.) There are a million out here on the West Coast. The local theatres bring in East Coast stage managers. We keep trading places. How is that efficient or cost-effective?
Theatre has become too weird. I've finally started hearing from colleagues something I've witnessed for a long time. We are losing work due to age discrimination.
Accept it! It is true. I can get my students jobs nearly everywhere. The theatres want applicants trained by me, but they won't hire me.
I'm doing JULIUS CAESAR. I love this! Can't wait. But, I have to travel across the country! Why can't I do this here? Do you see what I am saying?
I don't want to leave. I want the work but I don't want to leave my home. I don't understand why I can get really good paying work on the other coast but can't get work here. It makes no sense. There are a gazillion stage managers on the East Coast. (And yet they hire me.) There are a million out here on the West Coast. The local theatres bring in East Coast stage managers. We keep trading places. How is that efficient or cost-effective?
Theatre has become too weird. I've finally started hearing from colleagues something I've witnessed for a long time. We are losing work due to age discrimination.
Accept it! It is true. I can get my students jobs nearly everywhere. The theatres want applicants trained by me, but they won't hire me.
I'm doing JULIUS CAESAR. I love this! Can't wait. But, I have to travel across the country! Why can't I do this here? Do you see what I am saying?
 |
| The Dead and The Living. |
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Flight Of Fancy.
So,
I'm watching streaming Netflix... Star Trek Voyager to be precise, and as I watch all the talent and know-how the crew exhibits in the face of constant disaster I start wondering what I would be able to contribute. I'm a very bright individual but all I really know, after all these years, is how to put on a show.
What if we're stuck circling a singularity? Hmm. This crew person says, "Oh, I'll adjust the dilitheum crystals in the engines and we might be able to reverse the polarity of the tachyon waves." Another crew member says, "That would only work if I reprogram the computer to determine the exact moment of event horizon." A third says, "What if I go out in the shuttle craft and send a beacon into the center looking for intelligence?"
What if the Borg want a war? OOOH! Battle Stations! What would my battle station be?
Hmm.
I could say, "Well, I could put on a show! Maybe CORIOLANUS! Yes. That would show those Borg about right and civil liberties and Republicans! "How about HAMLET? Always inspiring. The Borg and Klingons might like that one.""Maybe QED in light of the singularity problem. At least it about science." "How about MAN OF LA MANCHA or CYRANO to lighten the mood?"
Well. I'd be just about useless. I do know how to type and to create documents and use excel. But I only know how to use excel to make charts of theatrical moves. I can upload pictures. Is that helpful?
I'd have to go to the galley and make food. My pork ribs turned out dry today, but the vegetables and macaroni salad were perfect. I could feed the crew! I can make beds and clean floors, though I'm having a bit of trouble getting up from the floor these days. I can negotiate better working conditions. Really useful in a battle. I can hug and do a limited amount of first aid. But... What I really know is THE THEATRE! Really. Come to the holo-deck and See a Show! (Begs the question.. Are there Actors on a Star Ship?)
Looking for one's real value in the face of high tech or other.. catastrophe!
I know. We will always need theatre if only to examine the choices we've made in each and every emergency. Theatre keeps us human. It does not guarantee survival. Theatre comes later or first but not during.
I should take a look at our earthquake kit.
I'm watching streaming Netflix... Star Trek Voyager to be precise, and as I watch all the talent and know-how the crew exhibits in the face of constant disaster I start wondering what I would be able to contribute. I'm a very bright individual but all I really know, after all these years, is how to put on a show.
What if we're stuck circling a singularity? Hmm. This crew person says, "Oh, I'll adjust the dilitheum crystals in the engines and we might be able to reverse the polarity of the tachyon waves." Another crew member says, "That would only work if I reprogram the computer to determine the exact moment of event horizon." A third says, "What if I go out in the shuttle craft and send a beacon into the center looking for intelligence?"
What if the Borg want a war? OOOH! Battle Stations! What would my battle station be?
Hmm.
I could say, "Well, I could put on a show! Maybe CORIOLANUS! Yes. That would show those Borg about right and civil liberties and Republicans! "How about HAMLET? Always inspiring. The Borg and Klingons might like that one.""Maybe QED in light of the singularity problem. At least it about science." "How about MAN OF LA MANCHA or CYRANO to lighten the mood?"
Well. I'd be just about useless. I do know how to type and to create documents and use excel. But I only know how to use excel to make charts of theatrical moves. I can upload pictures. Is that helpful?
I'd have to go to the galley and make food. My pork ribs turned out dry today, but the vegetables and macaroni salad were perfect. I could feed the crew! I can make beds and clean floors, though I'm having a bit of trouble getting up from the floor these days. I can negotiate better working conditions. Really useful in a battle. I can hug and do a limited amount of first aid. But... What I really know is THE THEATRE! Really. Come to the holo-deck and See a Show! (Begs the question.. Are there Actors on a Star Ship?)
Looking for one's real value in the face of high tech or other.. catastrophe!
I know. We will always need theatre if only to examine the choices we've made in each and every emergency. Theatre keeps us human. It does not guarantee survival. Theatre comes later or first but not during.
I should take a look at our earthquake kit.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
This I Know.
I took my walk in the early evening yesterday. New for me. I saw a lot of couples, about my age walking. I saw children and single adults walking dogs. I walked and walked. I have to say, it was SO much cooler. It was so nice to see so many people out for a stroll.
This was so cool I almost missed it. (In my world this is part of reality.) I did a double take and turned back. Cool. No, WAY Cool.
I've been watching a lot of documentaries lately. Netflix is fantastic. After a lot of reticence on my part I watched Food Inc. Whoa. I'd seen much of the pictures before of animal mistreatment, the cows mostly. But what was eye opening was the farmers' plea to buy "what is good" and "we will grow it for you". We vote with every purchase we make. I like that. I find "Eggland Farms" eggs actually taste better, cook better, and make a better meal. They cost a dollar more. hmm. I'll spend the dollar.
My family on my father's side were all ranchers. I watched Food Inc. seeing an industrial side I never witnessed. I spent every summer at my uncles helping (there is no free ride on a ranch) move cattle from one pasture to another. Those cows were never fed corn. They were never fed. They ate the grass. We got on horses and I watched my cousins and uncles make sure the cattle were eating in the best pasture. It was the way of life. I never saw a cow or chicken or pig treated the way I saw in the film. I've always assumed my family's was the way it was done because that is the way my family did it. The animal was respected in some small way. The cow or pig still ended up at the slaughter house, but the process was not quite so horrific.
I know there are still family ranches like my long dead uncles and cousins in California. If one wants to eat meat, perhaps one should seek out those family ranches.
I learned how to ride barebacked on horses. I learned how to (LITERALLY) hold a bull by his horns. I will never turn my back on ranchers or farmers.
Farmers. Hmm. Some of my family went into growing almonds. They have done very well for themselves. They've had huge plantations but agribusiness takes such a toll.
You know, I really think California should just take care of itself. I've thought this for a long time. We have agriculture. We can feed ourselves. We have wind power. We have oil (off Santa Barbara, so sad)
we have more land than we can populate, agreed it is desert, we have Yosemite and half of Tahoe. We have the only living Redwoods. We have the best Mexican Food in the Country!
This I know.
 |
| I found an Ent. |
This was so cool I almost missed it. (In my world this is part of reality.) I did a double take and turned back. Cool. No, WAY Cool.
I've been watching a lot of documentaries lately. Netflix is fantastic. After a lot of reticence on my part I watched Food Inc. Whoa. I'd seen much of the pictures before of animal mistreatment, the cows mostly. But what was eye opening was the farmers' plea to buy "what is good" and "we will grow it for you". We vote with every purchase we make. I like that. I find "Eggland Farms" eggs actually taste better, cook better, and make a better meal. They cost a dollar more. hmm. I'll spend the dollar.
My family on my father's side were all ranchers. I watched Food Inc. seeing an industrial side I never witnessed. I spent every summer at my uncles helping (there is no free ride on a ranch) move cattle from one pasture to another. Those cows were never fed corn. They were never fed. They ate the grass. We got on horses and I watched my cousins and uncles make sure the cattle were eating in the best pasture. It was the way of life. I never saw a cow or chicken or pig treated the way I saw in the film. I've always assumed my family's was the way it was done because that is the way my family did it. The animal was respected in some small way. The cow or pig still ended up at the slaughter house, but the process was not quite so horrific.
I know there are still family ranches like my long dead uncles and cousins in California. If one wants to eat meat, perhaps one should seek out those family ranches.
I learned how to ride barebacked on horses. I learned how to (LITERALLY) hold a bull by his horns. I will never turn my back on ranchers or farmers.
Farmers. Hmm. Some of my family went into growing almonds. They have done very well for themselves. They've had huge plantations but agribusiness takes such a toll.
You know, I really think California should just take care of itself. I've thought this for a long time. We have agriculture. We can feed ourselves. We have wind power. We have oil (off Santa Barbara, so sad)
we have more land than we can populate, agreed it is desert, we have Yosemite and half of Tahoe. We have the only living Redwoods. We have the best Mexican Food in the Country!
This I know.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Solstice.
Smokin' cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo, now, don't tell me, I've nothin' to do.
Today is the longest day of the year and from my perspective it is the crickets' time to chirp. They are loud and insisting and wandering, into my house. Looking for love in all the wrong places.
The mockingbirds do this bizarre little dance. They flap and jump and then fly off to attack the ravens. The ravens actually look a little sad. They clearly feel antagonized. (Of course, they are trying to steal eggs. They are culpable.)
The longest day of the year. Summer Solstice. Midsummer. And, a Midsummer Night's Dream.
Maybe it is about the madness of the longest day, but maybe it is also about change. Maybe it is about who should be with who... but maybe it is about movement... moving forward.
I don't want to preach or proselytize.
I like watching the ravens and all the other birds battling with them. They are all the predators and are all just protecting their families.
There is a wider war waging.
We need to just calm the fuck down.
Really.
What, are we ravens? Are we mockingbirds? We should be smarter than all of nature, but are we?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
I Talk To The Squirrels But They Don't Talk To Me.
"I'm winding down." Yeah, whatever.
"I need some time to myself." So, STOP talking to me!
"I just need to find myself." Um. You are right there. No, really, you are right there. I see you. Hey, look! I found you!
"No matter where I go, there I am." Ah, wise and insightful!
We spend too much time looking for ourselves. What is that about, really? People say I should learn how to meditate. I meditate just fine thank-you... I was raised Catholic. I know how to meditate. I take walks lasting up to 3 hours. I do not listen to music. I listen to the music of my soul. Okay, that was dorky. I listen to my own thoughts. Sometimes my own thoughts are.. "Oh, a dog barked. Wonder if I know that dog?"
For all that we seem to live in a time of poverty, and I include poverty of the soul, we still manage to be the strangest on the planet. We can't come up with one unifying theory of who we are. Who are we? Republican, Libertarian, Democrat or other... Who the fuck are we? We don't even seem to know. I dream of living in France, but the taxes there are so much higher.
I talk to the dogs. The ones I know bark until I call them by name. Some have seen me so many times they are just bored that I'm walking by. Makes me laugh. They bark at every one else. There is a little beagle that reminds me of a friend of mine, Bonnie. She is a beagle too and used to run around my rehearsal like a mad woman. This beagle up the street runs back and forth, back and forth, barking once and again, looking for my attention. She makes me miss my friend.
I talk to the squirrels too, but they don't listen.
The ravens talk to me. I think they know me. Sometimes they are just too busy fending off the mocking birds taking care of their nests. Quite the battle going on, over my head.
So much is going on. So much life.
So much life.
"I need some time to myself." So, STOP talking to me!
"I just need to find myself." Um. You are right there. No, really, you are right there. I see you. Hey, look! I found you!
"No matter where I go, there I am." Ah, wise and insightful!
We spend too much time looking for ourselves. What is that about, really? People say I should learn how to meditate. I meditate just fine thank-you... I was raised Catholic. I know how to meditate. I take walks lasting up to 3 hours. I do not listen to music. I listen to the music of my soul. Okay, that was dorky. I listen to my own thoughts. Sometimes my own thoughts are.. "Oh, a dog barked. Wonder if I know that dog?"
For all that we seem to live in a time of poverty, and I include poverty of the soul, we still manage to be the strangest on the planet. We can't come up with one unifying theory of who we are. Who are we? Republican, Libertarian, Democrat or other... Who the fuck are we? We don't even seem to know. I dream of living in France, but the taxes there are so much higher.
I talk to the dogs. The ones I know bark until I call them by name. Some have seen me so many times they are just bored that I'm walking by. Makes me laugh. They bark at every one else. There is a little beagle that reminds me of a friend of mine, Bonnie. She is a beagle too and used to run around my rehearsal like a mad woman. This beagle up the street runs back and forth, back and forth, barking once and again, looking for my attention. She makes me miss my friend.
I talk to the squirrels too, but they don't listen.
The ravens talk to me. I think they know me. Sometimes they are just too busy fending off the mocking birds taking care of their nests. Quite the battle going on, over my head.
So much is going on. So much life.
So much life.
Monday, June 13, 2011
My Struggle. (And A Bit About The Tonys.)
I've been talking to a friend of mine lately about nutrition. It can be a complicated subject with doctors and nutritionists and people who've explored the world of food all with differing opinions. I'd like to write about my own experience and my own battle with weight.
I've been overweight most of my life. In high school I weighed 120 pounds and my friends told me, "You'd be so cute if you lost weight." I WAS 120 POUNDS. I wasn't that overweight. Okay, I was 5'2" at the time and could have lost maybe 5 pounds.. but please!
I went to college and discovered my first real boyfriend. Okay, the first one I slept with. He was so obsessed with me that he didn't want me to be desirable to anyone else. He wanted me fat. He took me to hamburger joints at midnight all over Los Angeles. Yeah.. I got up to 150 pounds. I gained 20 pounds my first year in college. (Grass didn't help.)
He and I separated after a couple of years. I didn't have any money and ate only spinach and hamburger for many months. (All I could afford.) I weighed 118 when I met my husband and 113 as I spent more time avoiding men than I did trying to flirt.
I got comfortable. I got busy. I worked a lot. I got fat. Slowly, over many years I made my way (weigh) up to around 206. Yikes. Hard to admit, but I have photos.
I finally got a job that made me happy. (I didn't even realize how unhappy I'd been.) I lost over 60 pounds. I was down to 152. Not perfect, but not too bad. The job required me to walk a lot. I discovered it took less time to walk to work than to drive and look for a place to park. The job required me to walk a lot back and forth from the office to the rehearsal studio. I loved it. I started walking for pleasure. Walking. Really, strolling. I wore flip-flops. I didn't have much time to eat and I tended to eat vegetarian. (I'm allergic to fish, this will come into play later.)
The job ended after four years and I was at a loss. I was looking for work, found something really hard, but kept walking, even out of town. My doctor saw my blood work and asked, "Are you a vegetarian?" I'm not, but I'd been eating like one. Again. I can't eat fish. I was deficient in B12 and folic acid. Fowl doesn't help this. I had to eat red meat now and again. (Or lots of beans.) Pretty girl.
That last job ended and all I could do was sit on the couch and eat. And eat. I gained half of the weight back.
And then I remembered to take my own advice to friends who are depressed. "Shut up and just do something." I started a little weight training. I have two 3 pound weights. I use them. Five minutes a day is all I gave myself. I started with a very few weight lifting exercises. I did ten reps at first, and now I'm up to 30. Some reps are easy.. 10 became 50. My five minute routine is now 15-20 minutes. I like it. But I started small. And I walk. Sometimes it is just up to the main road. Only about a mile. Sometimes I like the way it all feels and I walk five miles. I've decided it just doesn't matter. No pressure.
But, I feel better.
It took me two full weeks to lose a pound. Perseverance is everything. So hard to not be discouraged. I had to train myself to look at the scale only once a week. I've lost 4 pounds since I've had the courage to look at a scale. (I never look at the scale on the way up and I only look at the scale when my clothes are looser!)
It is all okay.
I made potatoes tonight with a little olive oil, rosemary and garlic. So good and no butter. I made turkey burgers with onions and red and yellow bell peppers cut up and inside. No bread. (Okay, I had a tortilla and Phil had pita.) I made a salad. Yes, I used iceburg lettuce, but I augmented it with spinach leaves, tomatoes and basil. All very satisfying and all very tasty!
I can lose weight. I don't even have to sacrifice. I just have to remember to avoid food when I am not hungry and to recognize that when I am hungry, my body is supplying me. I enjoy the feeling of hunger. I enjoy not being overly full. I like walking. I like lifting weights. I like how it all clears my head.
I will be lean.
Then, I'll quit smoking.
lol.
There is an end point here. I've discovered, for myself, that starting small works. A little bit a bit at a time makes all the difference in the world.
love and health to you!
mkk
PS: A random comment. I thought the Tonys were wonderful this year. I appreciate the need to sell ourselves and I think we did a really good job! Excellent! (My heart soared and broke when they finally recognized the brilliant stage manager Beverly Randolph in the memoriam. First time I've ever seen one of us included. I'm proud to have met her. She welcomed me into the Broadway community. She was so kind to me when I was new to Broadway. Thank you for recognizing her contribution!)
I've been overweight most of my life. In high school I weighed 120 pounds and my friends told me, "You'd be so cute if you lost weight." I WAS 120 POUNDS. I wasn't that overweight. Okay, I was 5'2" at the time and could have lost maybe 5 pounds.. but please!
I went to college and discovered my first real boyfriend. Okay, the first one I slept with. He was so obsessed with me that he didn't want me to be desirable to anyone else. He wanted me fat. He took me to hamburger joints at midnight all over Los Angeles. Yeah.. I got up to 150 pounds. I gained 20 pounds my first year in college. (Grass didn't help.)
He and I separated after a couple of years. I didn't have any money and ate only spinach and hamburger for many months. (All I could afford.) I weighed 118 when I met my husband and 113 as I spent more time avoiding men than I did trying to flirt.
I got comfortable. I got busy. I worked a lot. I got fat. Slowly, over many years I made my way (weigh) up to around 206. Yikes. Hard to admit, but I have photos.
I finally got a job that made me happy. (I didn't even realize how unhappy I'd been.) I lost over 60 pounds. I was down to 152. Not perfect, but not too bad. The job required me to walk a lot. I discovered it took less time to walk to work than to drive and look for a place to park. The job required me to walk a lot back and forth from the office to the rehearsal studio. I loved it. I started walking for pleasure. Walking. Really, strolling. I wore flip-flops. I didn't have much time to eat and I tended to eat vegetarian. (I'm allergic to fish, this will come into play later.)
The job ended after four years and I was at a loss. I was looking for work, found something really hard, but kept walking, even out of town. My doctor saw my blood work and asked, "Are you a vegetarian?" I'm not, but I'd been eating like one. Again. I can't eat fish. I was deficient in B12 and folic acid. Fowl doesn't help this. I had to eat red meat now and again. (Or lots of beans.) Pretty girl.
That last job ended and all I could do was sit on the couch and eat. And eat. I gained half of the weight back.
And then I remembered to take my own advice to friends who are depressed. "Shut up and just do something." I started a little weight training. I have two 3 pound weights. I use them. Five minutes a day is all I gave myself. I started with a very few weight lifting exercises. I did ten reps at first, and now I'm up to 30. Some reps are easy.. 10 became 50. My five minute routine is now 15-20 minutes. I like it. But I started small. And I walk. Sometimes it is just up to the main road. Only about a mile. Sometimes I like the way it all feels and I walk five miles. I've decided it just doesn't matter. No pressure.
But, I feel better.
It took me two full weeks to lose a pound. Perseverance is everything. So hard to not be discouraged. I had to train myself to look at the scale only once a week. I've lost 4 pounds since I've had the courage to look at a scale. (I never look at the scale on the way up and I only look at the scale when my clothes are looser!)
It is all okay.
I made potatoes tonight with a little olive oil, rosemary and garlic. So good and no butter. I made turkey burgers with onions and red and yellow bell peppers cut up and inside. No bread. (Okay, I had a tortilla and Phil had pita.) I made a salad. Yes, I used iceburg lettuce, but I augmented it with spinach leaves, tomatoes and basil. All very satisfying and all very tasty!
I can lose weight. I don't even have to sacrifice. I just have to remember to avoid food when I am not hungry and to recognize that when I am hungry, my body is supplying me. I enjoy the feeling of hunger. I enjoy not being overly full. I like walking. I like lifting weights. I like how it all clears my head.
I will be lean.
Then, I'll quit smoking.
lol.
There is an end point here. I've discovered, for myself, that starting small works. A little bit a bit at a time makes all the difference in the world.
love and health to you!
mkk
PS: A random comment. I thought the Tonys were wonderful this year. I appreciate the need to sell ourselves and I think we did a really good job! Excellent! (My heart soared and broke when they finally recognized the brilliant stage manager Beverly Randolph in the memoriam. First time I've ever seen one of us included. I'm proud to have met her. She welcomed me into the Broadway community. She was so kind to me when I was new to Broadway. Thank you for recognizing her contribution!)
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