Renaissance Girl

Things I love this week:

* Writing Meetings with Friends -- specifically, the Emilys; we met up at Chocolati this week and spent three hours drinking chocolate, talking through story stuff, commiserating about being stuck, giving each other prods to write and working through stoppages, and writing or planning or notecarding (or in my case drawing diagrams of houses; shaddap, it's necessary to my planning for this novel). I have planned a handful of write-ins for NaNo and am getting really stoked for it all; part of what I love about doing NaNo as opposed to just trying to churn out novels on my own is the camaraderie and shared panic excitement. 

* Clothing Swaps! Means getting rid of clothes I don't want anymore (win), getting some new clothes that I really like for free (win), seeing lovely women (win) & re-meeting a woman who I knew & looked up to from the Bathhouse when I was fifteen (win!).  Clothing swaps are my absolute favorite way to get and get rid of clothes.

* &tc: making delicious new soups; stealing dinnertime with the gentleman; exquisite corpse art projects; sold-out shows all weekend at the theater & kickass front of house staff making it work smoothly even with no internet, server, or ability to actually sell tickets (yes really, we rock); fleece-lined tights (!!); chai tea lattes; quiet moments home alone with my own projects; clarifying my editing business and talking to potential clients; hilarious lip-dub filming in the dressing rooms at the theater to silly songs.

what do you love?

Things I love this week:

* NaNoWriMo -- a story came to me last week, and now I am being slowly inundated with ideas and plans and plot moments (although not an actual plot, never that, I don't plan....). I have characters and am collecting more. I am super excited about my cadre of strong, fabulous, snarky women in this family (so far a grandmother, mother, young great aunt & her wife, and a daughter), and my problem character is fascinating although he isn't telling me a damn thing about what he's done (I know he's done something to get all these supernatural forces chasing him, but I still don't know what). I have been carrying around a folder full of paper and writing ideas on notecards and am so looking forward to starting to write all this!

* Shakespeare! Last night I took a (free!) masterclass on Shakespeare taught by LAMDA's Randy Cottier, who is experienced, extremely knowledgeable, a fabulous teacher, and is also freaking hilarious. (Perhaps my favorite was him consistently calling Elizabeth I "Queen Gingerwig," which I am stealing.) It was a great class-- we delved into the first scene of Lear, and bits from lots of other plays, going over sections, looking at the text, comparing various versions to the folio, talking about rhythm and meter and vowels. I got to be the King of France. And also get on my feet and be Anne in the famous seduction scene with Dicky 3, to play with speed and motivation and verse. lkasdjkbkb SHAKESPEARE I LOVE YOU. I want to take classes like this constantly. It felt so effing good.

* Autumn. I'm just going to make this its own category, because otherwise half the things I list would be snippets related to this. So: pumpkin bread from Trader Joe's mixes, & everything else pumpkin flavored from TJ's; gorgeously colored leaves covering my entire street and my car and my walk to work; waking up to frost and being able to see my breath; fluid weather between bright sunny mornings and foggy cloudy rainy afternoons; warm tea; the smell in the air. It really does smell autumnal. 

* The Princess & the Pea. & the kids. Oh my god, they are hilarious. They yell and scream and get totally invested in the show and sometimes are on Daniel's side and sometimes rat him out completely, and say the best things at random moments (Daniel: "I'm going to stay awake all night-" Kid: "Are you KIDDING me?"), and then are so adorable after the show. Some of them want to come right up to us (usually me-- the perils of playing the princess), and some of them are really shy and some of them run over to give me hugs and kisses and the parents just love everything that's going on. It's a pretty big ego boost, won't deny it. And also super fun. 

*&etc: the Ramayana opens tonight--I cannot wait to see it!; good, positive, lively discussions in meetings; all of the amazing plants at Molbak's (I cannot stop taking photos of them); new unlikely dresses to wear; comfy jeans and sweaters, fall's wardrobe; notecards and colorful pens for idea organization; feeling on top of things at work, as much as one ever is; Superior Donuts at SPT, which is selling out and getting the kind of press and audiences that it utterly deserves; swanky galas and dressing up like a flight attendant.

What do you love?

Things I love this week:

* Scarves and coats-- it's finally actually cold, not just chilly, and it's supposed to rain all weekend! (Only a Seattleite would get so excited about that, geez...) Gonna wear my boots! * Greek mythology: hilarious breakdowns of the Odyssey, gorgeous poetry about Greek ladies, pondering myths. I have a lot of Persephone feels that came to the forefront yesterday. * Crock pot! I bought one for myself the other day and I am SO EXCITED to start making delicious food in it, it's ridiculous. I even found a tikka masala recipe, akjdbkjab. Satisfying my inherent craving for Indian food while not even having to be at home to cook it? Massive win. * Cocktails on the patio, in Cath's gorgeous new apartment building, chatting Halloween with old friends & watching the sunset from the roof with dessert * Princess & the Pea tech week -- seriously, this is the easiest tech week I have ever done, and that probably includes tech weeks from middle school when I didn't even know tech was stressful. We canceled Tuesday's rehearsal because we weren't going to have sound notes done, and no one else needed it. The show is quick and funny and easy. We're likely not rehearsing tomorrow either. It's great. (Also, carpooling with Daniel & Bix is hilarious.) * Finishing old projects at work (really, from months and months ago, and of course they're never as bad as I think they'll be so I feel silly for taking so long to actually get it done, but hey, it's done now and that feels great! Time to organize my desk again.) *Instagram... now that the gentleman helped fix my phone and I can have apps again, I have become re-obsessed with Instagram. It's true. I won't deny it. I'm kind of in love... (are you on it? what's your user name?) * Freaking out about NaNoWriMo. Okay, I'll be honest, the actual panicky freaking out is something I don't love. But I do love NaNo, and I know I'll love it once I start and/or find something to get me going. So sooooon!

What do you love?

Hello lovelies! This Thursday is a good Thursday-- it started with a chiropractic appointment, and I'm spending much of it cleaning, organizing, and cooking lots of food to prepare for the coming weeks. So, in no particular order:

* Exquisite Corpse (is a round-robin art project; we're on week two, and I'm really enjoying it! I am excited to pass along my piece to my friend and then get something new and make something from that--it's a good exercise for my creative crafting muscles that don't have as much of an excuse to work out)

* Fall Weather (the light, the colors, the leaves all over the ground, (finally) the crisp snap in the air, the hint of frost early in the morning, the smell of the air, the wind picking up, snuggling under my comforter at night, wearing scarves and sweaters, I love love love)

* Melinda is back! (my trusty honda, after visiting the car hospital and costing my family far too much money, but she's back and we're getting used to each other again, the poor beastie)

* Catch-up & Prep Days (cleaning house, cleaning out the entire fridge kjbaksdaksufg finally, making food for the week, doing laundry, organizing papers, feeling on top of things for once)

* Tea (with milk and sugar, best way to wake up)

* NPR pledge drives (yes, really, part of me weirdly loves them...)

* Calls with friends (who bring good news! like engagements! & also for just talking & catching up)

* Fighting my phone & winning (thanks to the gentleman, and google, and lots of android forum posts)

What do you love?

Things I Love today:

* Business Meetings -- I am allowed to call it that, right? When in reality I'm meeting S. at a coffeeshop and spending an hour and a half planning a curriculum for co-teaching an improv workshop at my former workplace tomorrow morning? That's a business meeting, right? I am really excited about this workshop now, though! S. is an awesome improviser and teacher, and I am getting all revved-up and thrilled about writing and editing and the WC again, and this is a lovely conjunction of everything. Improv is still scary (in a good way mostly), but I can see doing some of these workshops every once in a while, especially co-teaching, which I really enjoy. 

* Wedding Weekend! It was so glorious, holy cats. The wedding was on a bluff overlooking the sound that everyone had to walk (or wheel) up to, and it was beautifully written and encapsulated so much about them, and then T's father forgot the rings becuase he'd taken them out of his pocket to polish them that morning, which was actually a really perfect unscripted moment in the ceremony, and there was an incredible parade back down the hillside, and awesome Jewish dancing on the patio, and tear-jerking toasts and loud dancing and silliness and friends and quiet hotel time with the gent and a jacuzzi tub and lovely Port Townsend. Yes please. 

* Fall, Autumn, Seasons Turning -- I feel like I love every single season the most when it starts, but fall, fall I think has my heart. (Just wait, I'll be saying that about winter the first time it snows this year.) I love the leaves' colors and the way they look fallen and falling, I love wearing sweaters and scarves, I love warm drinks and I love fall flavors, pumpkin and squashes and pie spices like cinnamon and ginger and allspice and everything else sweet with a kick. I love curling up with tea, I love the cool breezes that cut through air that's still warm from unraining summer, I love leaving my windows open and waking just a little bit more chilly than yesterday, I love baking and cooking large dishes of comfort food, I love legwarmers and knitted wrist mittens for extra warmth, I love the brightest sky blue that happens right before it goes gray for months on end, 

* &etc: unexpected morning texts from friends; starting new rehearsals with excellent people; chai lattes and pumpkin bread mix from TJ's; granny smith hard cider; watching Dr. Who with the gent (oh god I am so not ready to say goodbye to the Ponds, not ready at all, this weekend is going to be far too emotional for my own good); making art projects for Exquisite Corpse, a round-robin of art that I am so happy to be a part of; clean apartment and vacuumed floors; dinner with an old friend, catching up, eating steak, being nerdy together; making burlesque plans with new friends; colorful nail polishes in yellows and oranges and greens; this love letter to a stranger project I just discovered and joined.

What do you love?

Things I Love (actually written on a) Thursday! Am still dealing with car accident/insurance/injury fallout stuff, but I think it's being dealt with all right and omg am I glad we had car insurance. Ack. Things I love:

*Trips & Weddings & Weekends! Tomorrow morning the gentleman & I are heading up to Port Townsend for the weekend for T&J's wedding. It's going to be glorious & full of friendly awesome people, and a fantastic celebration & dinner on the beach another night & seeing lots of people I don't get to see enough & dancing and a fancy party, and I'm super excited for pretty much every aspect of this weekend. I love mini-vacations and I love weddings and I love so many people that I get to see this weekend, so = ultimate win!

*&etc: this song by Mumford & Sons (& this one, and also this one), agh that band I love them; kale and beans and lemon for dinner; our new bigger and improved Council of Elders (new members are awesome); introducing a friend to the ridiculous fun that is Say Yes to the Dress; big library hauls; pretty dresses; the cool, crisp, foggy air this morning--fall is coming!

what do you lov

Holy cats, so much has happened. I got in a car accident on Monday (not my fault), wherein I tore my right deltoid, which I didn't find out til Thursday when I finally got to the chiropractor. Which incidentally is the same day my mother had surgery for a broken wrist. And the same day I got a tetanus shot that is still (still) having a terrible reaction on my arm. And the same day I had a job interview for a job I really really want! So... this week, I uh, I don't know how to feel?

This weekend, however, was wicked awesome. 

* Bachlorette parties! I use the plural, because it deserves it. The ladies who organized T's party were amazing. It went from one apartment with ladies getting all dolled up and drinking champagne, to another's condo building, where one of the innumerable fabulous women involved had cooked delicious dinner for everyone. Which we ate on the rooftop, overlooking the skyline and mountains and Puget Sound, with music and drinks and a photographer there taking pictures of everyone being glamorous, and watching the sunset and the night fall. And if you ask us, we officially have no idea why there happened to be fireworks set off right by the building...

And after that, we trooped to another house, where our friend E and his latin jazz trio played us live music to dance to for at least a full hour. And then back to the first apartment, for presents and more amazing times and just, agh... so much love and generosity and joy went into the evening, and it was filled with so many amazing people. I love that.

* Celebrate Seattle! which I went to tonight with my dad. Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra playing live music + images and video of NASA programs and other cosmic amazing stuff, hubble imagery, moon walks, etc + ballet dancers + Nichelle Nicols (Lt. Uhura) singing the Star Trek theme with the live orchestra, + Mohawk Guy Bobek Fedowsi introducing the video of the Mars Curiosity landing which had live music accompaniment again, plus so so so much more. kjbaskdbkasbvsf. It was AMAZING. And probably the geekiest thing McCaw Hall has ever seen, and so so awesome. Ahhh SCIENCE AND ART!!

* &etc: manicures with Anneka; blackberry picking in the sun; planning trips; watching Dr. Who with the gent (don't count this week's, he's caught up otherwise), ginger beer, getting at least six hours of billable editing work from one client (a repeat client no less), peanut butter, driving my parents' zippy little red car, Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby, trading bad romance novels with Dani; late night hangouts; chiropractic appointments; when insurance companies do their job and have your back; upstart crow's all-female production of Titus Andronicus (omg amazing); hot tea in the morning, cool drinks in the afternoon.

What do you love?

Things I Love... Sunday night! Holy cats, what a weekend. Oh my god. 14/48 is intense enough, but to do 14/48 while also performing in a show both nights is a little absurd. I don't regret it in the least, but I probably will not ever do it again? I put the question mark because I make no promises. So, things I love this week:

*14/48: the world's quickest theater festival! I got to be a Veteran designer this time around, which is quite exciting and meant I got to make Virgins get me beer on Thursday night. Ha. Also, it was a killer design team; so much fun to work with all of these amazing people. And it was a really solid slate of plays both days (with a couple of my favorite 14/48 plays ever, I think). I spent most of Friday creating an electronic sonic organ bag (playwright says: "like a bagpipe...with wires"), and yesterday was even more ridiculous. I love the intensity and the rushing about and the creativity on the spot that happens because it has to happen, and the friendships that occur without thinking about because you work together without negotiating anything but the necessary work to do, and the genius amazing stuff that all comes together at the end of the day. Such good times. (Next time I wanna be in the band!)

*The Last Leper's last weekend. We closed! And it was a good good show. My cast was lovely and the show was great and I'm really quite proud of it, and so glad it got on its feet at last. This afternoon we sat around and ate delicious tacos and drank and just relaxed, which was fantastic. Congrats all round, Leper-people.

*&etc: seeing Elliott and Gabe at the store when I went to buy cider today; seeing so many lovely friends who came to see Leper or 14/48 this weekend; helping with a wedding parade; breakfast meetings; this excellent open letter to Emmett "Jerkface Asshole" Burns, Jr.; chocolate chip cookies; my quilt; the windy weather that's suddenly kicked up and the fact that I had to wear a sweater today; seeing acting club friends at auditions; dinosaurs; "I'm easily worth two men. ...you can help too, if you like"; working on projects with the gentleman; looking forward to amazing trips coming up!

What do you love?

So I found out this morning that my mom broke her wrist in a bike accident last night, and this afternoon I had to take one of the cats I'm housesitting with to the vet for limping, so, uh, I really need this TiLT, and also people and animals please stop getting hurt.

Both mother and cat are doing fine under the circumstances though, so nothing drastic or life-threatening thank goodness; just worry. So. Things:

* Birthdays! Celebrating the gentleman's birthday yesterday... any birthday of the &@ boys is bizarrely celebrated, and lots of fun. He made popcorn steak (om nom delicious), and there were presents wrapped in balloons popped by flaming candles (don't worry, we had a fire extinguisher), and presents wrapped in a person-shaped dummy on a chair, and StarWars Uncut, and tasty beer. Happy birthday!

*Pond Life, which is really amping up my excitement for Season Seven (which starts on Saturday bnakbkdfbdsf oh my god), as is the S5 soundtrack which I'm currently listening to. I am going to miss the Ponds something fierce. I am trying real hard not to think about it.

* Game Night! At the schmancy house; there was some Apples to Apples, and three rounds of excellent mafia games, and lovely wonderful people and good food. Social event success! Win!

* Burlesque: I get to see Whedonesque Burlesque tonight! SO excited, can't even deal. Plus I've got to hang out with Elsa several times this week, and that's fantastic, and the burlesque tonight is going to be stupendous. Elsa & I are making mad plans for future burlesque. I will drop three words as a hint: maid, letter, deception. Ahaha! Cookies for you if you guess what act I'll be debuting some time in the next two years...

* &etc: excellent reviews & write ups for Leper! (I'm so proud); big baguette sandwiches; getting to dress up fancy; snuggling with cats; midnight tarot readings; pedicures; "I am the Doctor" (why is this the best soundtrack song ever); nutella cheesecake pudding; Leper Leper Leper.

My brain is pretty much consumed with my show, given that I ended up being the PR person and most of the props design team along with acting in it, which I don't really mind, per se, but some notice would have been helpful. 

Also my hands are still stained with blood. So:

* LEPER LEPER LEPER. We open tomorrow, holy cats. If you're a Seattle person, come see my show! I am honestly really excited to give this thing an audience and would love to hear what you think of it, really. Follow the FB page for discounts if you need a little wallet help!
* Relatedly, this video of the awesome cast being silly. Yes. 
*Fluffy cats & cool houses! I get to housesit starting tonight at the fancy Ravenna house with three lovely cats. I'm so excited to snuggle their faces. Well, one of them. The other two will probably hide tonight. 

*&etc: Doctor Who-watching with the gentleman; getting invited to design for 14/48 again; ELSA's in town!; badass grungy blues music; how bloody my costume is getting after just two dress rehearsals; I have a lot of socialization coming up that isn't being in rehearsals; goldfish crackers. 

what do you love?