Or.. There's more...

What I learned:

- Don't eat pulled pork by the quarter pound, no matter how delicious...

- Wine and lava cake rocks.

- Enjoy stuff when you have the chance to. Then be happy, and be happy you got the chance to. :)

Hope to clean the house and make it presentable. And then onto class and all other stuff.

Hi.

Onward.

Ain't Portland Pretty?

And friendly. And not as grey as one might think. And I LIKE it. Very comfortable, very Jen (I think), in some ways. Granted, I spent a great deal of it queasy, but... damn. Good stuff.

'Saw Steph and David (!!!!). Totally dropped my guard, had friendly, cordial encounters with strangers, got rained on, walked around, ate a cupcake, drank beer, saw Fritz (!!!), 'had my ass handed to me, sang some harmony, went to detention, and slept in a hotel room with a balcony. Very privileged way to take on a city. What I learned:

- Be careful where you choose to go outside your comfort limits, and don't use someone else's. Sometimes you can trust you own damn sense, and sometimes you can't.

- I love dinos.

- Cool signage tickles me.

- Walk around and take some space for yourself. I hope I'm getting better at this, or, it could just be this place.

Flight back was fine, and I practiced my knitting. A little wump to be back in the house and driving around this sprawling dirty metropolis of waste and brown and grey, but realized I like what I do a great deal.

There's more stuff, but also glad to be back. I'll work on posting more when I'm not distracted by thoughts of exercise and 'what else should I be doing'.

I liked me, in general, some Portland. It excites me as much as New York does, and that's a huge compliment - - Portland's got a more European vibe than New York (NYC is all America to me), but I was never for want of the newness that NYC keeps offering. I hold NYC in the highest of regards (it's London), and hold Portland just as high, but in a different ventricle of my heart (It's Budapest)... I might be better equipped for Budapest - - who knows. Or, could be just fine here in Mpls.. which is many many good things too.

Onward.

Lies that Oregonians tell to keep us away...

Decided to go to a Starbucks in downtown Portland - - the belly of the beast! (They serve warm breakfast sandwiches! Delish!) However, everyone's unbelievably friendly and easy to talk to. Portlandians are not scared of people. That.. is awesome.

- "It rains all the time" - As far as this girl can tell, it's grey in the morning and then mixed sunny/cloudy the rest of the day. Tim-from-Boston says that it does rain all the time, but... seriously. Sunny.

- "This is our town - - Don't move here" - I guess they only mean Californians.

- "There are no jobs" - um... recently moved friend Steph starts a temp job on Friday. okay.

- "EXPENSIVE!" - the food the same or a tad cheaper, the rent's about the same.

See, how they lie?

Okay, back to nano-business...

Whoa!

I'm not sayin' it's the greatest song, or that you should look out for this artist, but this video surprised me. A little bit of labyrinth goin' on.

Stupid is as stupid does... I'm amazingly stupid.

Welcome to Portland! Trash yourself beyond recognition, make a couple of questionable choices, and then spend a full day in a classroom, trying not to puke in the corner. Nice job, Jen!

So... yes. Portland's beautiful. The people are nice. There's a theater scene. The architecture's lovely. The only people they don't like here are the Californians.

First successful day at OMSI was celebrated at the Bridgeport Brewery, over delicious beer and some group sing-a-longs (which were wonderful!). Onto the Doug Fir, where I met some baby locals (21? 22 years old - - lovely to chat with) and then some other locals. Steph and I follow other locals to another bar, and then to a convenience store, and then, continued to stay up into the hinter hours. Stupid. Questionable... I am not a fan, and not a fan of myself. Not cool.

Miss the bus over, race to OMSI, sweated and suffered through a day, threw up (three times). Stupid. However, past 6 p.m. and some semi-napping, things have been lovely. Walked through downtown Portland, bought toothpaste and cupcakes, walked through the Pearl, walked into Northwest. Saw Steph and David!!!!! :) Ate at a McMenimans (sp?). Caught up with Steph and Tim. Went out for one. Tonight - - I am a fan of you. Last night, I acted like an idiot and then paid for it - - stupid girl. Tonight - - you have given me hope.

Tomorrow should be lovely. I'm going to avoid asinine behavior like the plague. I hear it's nice in Minnesota, and that's a nice thought. However, it's really nice here. Grass is green, the food is amazingly good, the people are nice, and I hope to enjoy it and not act like an idiot. Wish me luck.

Onward!

The air

It smells like spring, and it literally makes my mouth water (creepy, but true).

If spring was a place...

..it'd be Portland. Trees, growing things, a MOTH landed on me and it made me so excited (living things! Life!). I'm sleeping with the balcony door open. Lovely place. G'night.

Airplanes

I forgot how much I both like airplanes and can be bothered the experience. There's a russian couple behind me with grandma and poor fussy baby (I smell diaper)... I'm sitting too close to two lovely women, I'm sure (one of them likes to hum, which is kind of lovely). It's like New York but with less smells. I love it and it's democratic and there's the off chance it might just kill me. In 3 hours, I hope to be on the ground in Portland.

yeeeowch. It's morning...

It's been a while since I've felt this effected by day light savings. *Blink* One beer and lack of sleep have me typing like a small blogging sea lion (just flippers, no fingers). Speaking of sea lions...

- Lovely night! Ran pre-travel errands, bought house-sitter food (thanks, Tim! :) ), exercised, and then off to a Bingo cast party. Michelle totally spoiled us, and it was full of conversation about houses and kids and life, but the houses and kids and lives of some amazingly funny people. It was great.

- Rick and Ahna were there! Wonderful! (Ahna reads my blog! This makes me so happy. ...Ahna.. I have found your's. It's wonderful. Yea!.. and yes. California sounds fabulous. I'm totally in... :) )

- Sober and full of good food and company, I headed to the Workshop for the heck of it. They were awesome enough to let me play set - - thanks, guys! It was super fun. (and sea lions are funny. :)) More favorite people seen.

- To the Mill!

- To drop Harry off! (yea Harry!)

- To suddenly find it's after 3 a.m.!? What?! No! .. I should have known.

I woke up with "HOW do I fly to Portland?" in my mind (i.e. travel being not quite real yet.) First, I pack. Then, I go eat lunch with good people. Then, I have youth rehearsal. Then, I have rehearsal. Then, you ask Steph really really nicely if she can pick you up in Uptown. Then, you go to the Airport. And suddenly, you're in Portland. Supposedly, it's just that easy. Magically, you end up at the Airport, take off your shoes, and some great poobah transports you to another world (i.e. Oregon). I hope I sleep tonight, cuz I can feel the lack of sleep hiding behind my eyelids.

I'm trying to figure out how to deal with a state of 32-year old emo-ness: to not just shove this emo-ness away, but actually deal with it. Dealing with it sucks (right now, it just means letting myself be "in that space" of emo-ness. bllleeeeaaaghhhhh..) For this week, my life philosophy has been to try and treat myself as a boy. It's a horribly horribly un-feminist way to think - - but it's helping me through for some reason. If I think of myself as a boy (as in, what would a boy do in this situation? What would a boy do to get what he wants?), somehow that cuts down on the pining and being-lonely that my brain and heart are doing. It's backwards and, again, incredibly un-feminist (and my one women's studies class is in the back of brain, chanting that the patriarchy has won... well.. yes... duh, women's studies class. At least for now.), but it's actually giving me some space for perspective. Yeeargh. Stupid boys and your perceived perspective.... Im n ur brain, steeln ur paytreearrkey. okthxbai!

Wish me luck, wish us luck, and luck back to you too.

Onward.

Bald Eagles and Knocked Up...

The Mississippi river is steaming. It looks amazing, but we know it's happening because it's ass-cold out today. Mer.

There are also bald eagles over the Mississippi right now. I saw one yesterday. Although I didn't see the behavior, I guess they're doing they're "mating tumbles" and the like. Very very cool. Saw a brief presentation featuring taxidermied eagles at this morning's meeting.

-20 windchill, -5 morning. Thank god the sun was out. Maybe, collectively, we've forgotten about spring, and therefore spring will never exist for us (you know, group mind and what not... this could suck)

Said all-staff meeting was charming and fine and much too early. I'm glad the staff was peppy. It helped.

Watching "Knocked Up" last night (the extend-y way too long 'director's cut'). Some of it was funny and charming (good cast) - - I went between "I believe that! That's a fabulous example of how shit works" and "No way no how. Seriously?" - - actually, for a hollywood movie, that's not a bad ratio. As nice as it was that he did, my practical embittered side (i.e. the part of my mind that my mom inhabits) wouldn't believe that a guy would clean up his act that much, and that quickly. Sorry, romanticish comedy. But.. I laughed. I watched the whole thing. I can't wait till I get me some more BSG.

Seth Rogen is a.. mystery to me. His voice frrreaks me out. It's the voice of your dad. It's the voice of your uncle. It's Fred Flintstone and Jackie Gleason. And then, that voice talks about weed and boobies or tries to be sincere and humble and my mind flips just a bit. I can't tell if he should do animation (which I know he is - - "Horton Hears A Who"), or if his voice is just too big for an animated character.

I can start counting down stuff. Work at the SMM, and then a Mystery Cafe gig. Run an errand, work at the SMM, and then a Bingo get together (which should be lovely). Lunch with Jim, teach with youth, rehearsal and then POW! Hi Portland. I hope the transformative power of Portland will magically effect Mpls, and it'll be warm and glowy. (or perhaps, warm, wet, grey and rainy - - i'd go for that too.)

I guess I have my marching orders.

pssst... where should I go live?

Onward.

Look at me.. I’m posting on blogger but first on myspace..

Isn't this exciting...?

Brrr... I was so excited coming home to find a warm house... but it was a kinda lie. House is warm with a coat on.. I've just moved the space heater closer. ....What's up??

- Moving headlong into a working weekend.

- Head to Portland OR on Sunday for some nanoscale science related adventure. Many thanks to Joe for being a director of excellence, and for keeping us on track. W00t!!!

- A sizable chunk of my food for the last three days has been almonds. I love me some flavored almonds.

- My living room is lookin' lovelier. Yea for super sales on curtains at Target.

- I may watch "Knocked Up" for the first time tonight. Yes, my media consumption is about 2 years too late.

- I checked through my blog to see if anything exciting.. oh! I got cast in Joe Scrimshaw's upcoming "Stitch n' Bitch n' Die", a murder mystery set in a Stich n' Bitch group (April at the BLB). Huzzah! We did our first reading last night, and it is lovely and funny. I am a crafting voyeur in real life, so I'm excited to be basically forced to do crafts onstage (I might actually finish something!) The character I play has a drinking problem and tends to goes through men on a weekly to biweekly basis. As Joe said, "Be yourself" and "It's nice to write with actors in mind" ...mer. umm... This character's life is already more exciting than mine, and she owns a yarn shop.

- My sister has been keeping me sane. Thanks, sis!

- Time for exercise, dinner and I guess some Seth Rogen.

There I have offically posted on myspace. You can probably see this exact same blog over on my myspace page... But you knew that. Happy Friday to be everyone...

Onward.

Madness, indeed.

This morning, my throat crapped out something that looked like a piece of gum. Ewww. Not because I was sick, but because I had spent Monday cleaning and sanding and painting and black molding... but yea me!

- My living room is almost officially painted. I still need to paint the ceiling, and a 6'x1' area on a wall, but three walls are painted! W00t!

- My basement is getting better. Really really better. Awesome.

- Taking stuff to an consignment store was a lousy experience, all because of the woman who "helped" me. Jesus. Avoid the Highland Park "Turnstyle" like the plague.

- My house has a carload-less of stuff, which went to ARC. Thanks, ARC!

- Puppet rehearsal was tasty this morning. And the kids in my class did good. And I'm proud of my Six Ring team. Nice work, team!!

- Sunshine and a tad warmer temperatures make a hell of a difference. However, the fact that they won't last makes me... sad. Grumpy. poo.

- I'll be in Portland in five days. huh. How's that work?

- I received two fine pieces of media by mail today.

Do some stuff. Eat some delicious flavored almonds.

Onward..!

I break things...

It's been a couple days of 'things not working' - - none of these things are the end of the world, but as Chris Campo says, "you've hit some bumps"

- The laptop is a blessed thing when it works, and hopeless-causing when it doesn't. Right now it does, and wifi is coming from somewhere. Thanks, world!... I need a new laptop. This one forgets where it left its operating system on a semi-regular basis.

- I locked my keys in my car (actually, in my glove compartment) last night. It was a suddenly lonely feeling -- no one else has copies of these keys but me. No one can rush over by winged pegasus and save my hide. Luckily, Harlan the locksmith saved my butt for $50 and a $10 tip (cuz he was nice, and let me off without my insurance matching my car's ID)

- My phone has stopped connecting to the internet. Really, phone?

- I need new tires.

- There's more that I've probably blocked from my brain. On a strange note, I've started selling things on the internet. I hope I don't break eBay. Hopefully, this will work, and objects will disappear out of my house, and money will magically appear in my bank account. Right? Right.

Improv A Go Go left me in tears last night. I only caught the first half, but I have love me some Fingergun. And Police Detective Cop P.I. is just lovely. Seriously - - nice job, gentlemen. (I do want to ask Caleb what all he put in that smoothie. Whatever it was tickled the hell out of him and that was awesome.) :)

I might have a roommate! W00t! Awesome! I am currently emptying crap out of my basement - - there's more hope. And tonight, after yoga, I'm gonna paint like a mad mad woman. But first to places that will hopefully give me $$ for goods. Nice goods.

Onward.

Done!

hewww...

* Did a gig for a private "Shack Nasty" party, a private party that's going on its 6th year. We were officially paparazzi.. chilly chilly paparazzi. But the peeps we were playing with were awesome, and we had fun. Favorite things: screaming "Hey, Crispin Glover!!!" at the 5 people dressed as John Travolta from Pulp Fiction, and Leigha yelling "It could be...ANYBODY..!!" at every limo. Good stuff.

* Being cold makes one tiiiired.

* uh... I was recently loaned the "She-Ra: Princess of Power" DVD collection. Wheww. Little Jen (who would have been Jenny) was huge fan of the toys, but never saw much of the cartoon as a kid. (although I saw every He Man episode in existence). Etheria is the awkward, gayer equivalent of Eternia, complete with awkwarder, gayer dialogue and questionable voice talent. jeez. ...However, there's a dark part of me that thinks it could work as theatre (aghh! The unicorn just talked! Why did that surprise me?). Anywhoo, there's a commentary track on the DVD that is tempting like a twinkie -- can you enjoy it for the 'irony' or at the end are you just stuck with the fact that you ate a twinkie?

* Busy day, but hopefully a fine day. I think I might have tomorrow off, and that makes me super excited.

* Onward...!

Aren't we all hip and hot stuff sometimes?

Sometimes...

Made it to Neutrino after picking up my BFF/partner in crime.. Again, it seems I owe Pat S. $$..(geez...thank you, Pat S.!) We ate some tasty food, and then said "we're going to miss you" to David and Stephanie. No one tays gone forever, I hope. They're gonna rock Portland, and I can't wait to see them. :)

Neutrino was excellent, as were all the peeps - full of cool people indeed. (I won a pint glass! Thx, Katie!) I drank enough cider to make my nose red (thx, genetics) and then we zipped to the Front to boogie just a little, where C. Sorenson was trying to get elected to state senate. (thx, democracy -- Merrill wearin' democracy)

I went to the Salvation Army for some cheapie costuming for a 'who knows what will happen' sort of gig tonight, and had a stupidly weak moment. More money I can't afford to spend now looks like a lamp. And a pair of jeans I may try to resell. If these jeans do get resold, I hope that $$ looks like tires/a new laptop/home repair/everything else I forgot about in the face of a bargain. Dammit. Seriously..

Hoping for some relaxation after the gig. I work the weekend, but its pretty good stuff, I hope. What can you do..?

Take care of yourself.

Onward.

Success!! ... and the politics of aging (not about politics)

I am in a bar, rife with plug ins and wifi -- thanks, Psycho Suzi's!!

There are parts I kinda like about being an "adult". I like the fact that I can go into a bar by myself and not feel like a complete farty pants (that took about 11 years of being legal.) I like that when I complete important-ish things, I can pride myself in my grown-up-ness. I like that I will have to be reincarnated to experience puberty/my 20s again. However, there is a price for all this adultness. And it's called 'aging'.

I'm finding that, for me, it's happening incrementally. Yesterday, I pulled back my hair line to find two little red dots on my scalp. Old lady dots. eww. I also now have something that might be considered a 'laugh line', but is truly a 'laugh dent'. This laugh dent did not exist six months ago. Hellooooo, aging.

I don't like it, necessarily, but it's weirdly fascinating. And obsessive. And yet easy to forget about until you look in the mirror and you're carrying a walker. It's like puberty, but weird-and-not-as-exciting puberty.

When does it stop being novel and new? When are you surprised at the parts of yourself that are still young-ish instead "whoa, another grey hair" or "jezus. Why would god force aging humans to develop hair there???" Is there a turning point, or a cliff one might fall off?

So.. yes. Body's doing things it's never done before... secret small old lady things. Like desiring to wear rosewater. And collect aprons, cats, and small yippy dogs. Don't make me too old just yet, please.

Okay. Onward onto the end of the day and the beginning of the night. I drove home in sunshine! yeaaa!!! I'm gonna finish my work, my beer, go exercise, and then go watch some funny. Yea!!!

...onward.

P.S. I am unimpressed by your ability to burp. Sorry. Sad but true, bike messenger girl. And I like bike messenger girls, they kick ass... merr. Pls. see above post about getting old. gack.

Tuckered... Tuckered.

Thursday!!

Final (?) Bingo show for me, but at the Rivercenter for an Insurance co. Whew. They were actually quite nice, and as Anne said, "That could have been much worse."

Then up to Anoka, where I divulged my myspace for better or worse. (they asked, I told)

Then to the BLB for our last "Our Vanya, Ourselves" performance. Funnnn!!! And yea for Jim and Dennis coming to see it!

Then to Leaning Tower for lovely toothy talk and cheesy bread.

Then to Red Dragon to meet with people near (but soon to be far) and dear.

Looking at Mpls thru the perspective lens has been good, if only to help to appreciate the good stuff. I.e. did I think I wld of ever met you? And you rock, so -- thanks Mpls! This is sanding down the edges of my hating-self a bit. Also, it took this long for me to resign myself to this winter. Here's a piece of my soul, winter, I give up. I hope this means you actually might end soon.

I think I get to view me some Neutrino tonight, and hopefully also gab with some lovely people. First, off to the Museum and seeing if I can make my mortgage payment.

Onward...!

Oh duh.. And here's picts!

Ignore.. Photos to come soon.

Thank you, table runner!

I'm stinkin' up the house with jen-ness. I wish to have a party so people can say 'how... innteresting' and be glad they don't live here. Well... You know. Hanging up things you bought is chancey. Some parts of the house now feel empty. Others are either 'cozy' or cluttered... We'll see how this goes...

Woke up with my now-regular morning attitude of emo. I emo'd all over the museum. I wrote some poetry. I played a poor woman trapped by the nazi party. All this emo-ing was happily interrupted by joe, steph and learning a puppet dance.

Then to the Old Log (i like me some Old Log folks), to Target for milk and said table runner, and finally to home, where I DID stuff.

Grump grump. Don't listen to NPR if you want good news, grump grump. Gotta figure out a way to be the person making $$ when recession things hit, instead of being the onr under the 'recession's' big toe.

Onward.

I will never take windows for granted again...

Errr... Not the operating system, although someday i'm sure I'll be eating those words and missing windows xp too....

*** I like the way New Zealanders say "yes".... Yeys.

*** Car window got fixed at 7 am this morning. I ate granola at a near by coffee shop, through a series of coffee shop-related misadventures (cards won't work! spoiled half and half! oh... A sitcom's worth of a morning)

*** Science Museum was fun, and that was nice.

*** Visited my old job -- they're doin' good, and that's nice too.

*** Ate half a pastrami sandwich for lunch. It made me fall asleep.

*** Yoga class... (which was good. Roaming the halls Fred Beukema used to roam..) :)

*** Had a lovely dinner! Lovely! Yeys. :)

*** Morning's are hard. It's just the way of mornings...although in the moment of mornings, it doesn't feel that nonchalant.

*** Now covered in as many covers and pajamas as I can muster.

*** Blog full of not much at all...

..onward.

I'm just so thrilled...

To be on a wifi internet connection in front of my laptop... mrrrr... welcome home. (which is silly, ridiculous and true)

- Had breakfast at Herkimer's. It was tasty and fine and food-full.

- I'm also shopping at the iTunes shop right now... AGHHH... so happy....

- I've been purging around the house. Getting rid of stuff and organizing. There is hope for the basement, and, for that, I'm so excited.

- My sad little car has a plastic bag attached to it's window. It gets it's braces/retainer/plastic bag off tomorrow at the Car Window Doctor tomorrow.

- I told someone that my car got broken into in Uptown, and yet the look of "how can you live there" came when I told them I lived in North Minneapolis. jesus.

- My sister asked me "do you want to live in a cold Detroit!?" which makes me laugh. No, I know Mpls is not a 'cold Detroit', but I'm a bit of a hater.

- The BNW's cafe is open!! This is AWESOME!!! I am indulging and sitting with my laptop in an empty room with good people puttering a wall's worth of distance away and listening to the Current being piped in from the next room. This is where life is good.

- Despite my drama, the party was so nice last night. Everyone looked so nice. Everyone was so happy and look how grown up we are (!?! it's true!) Lovely stuff. :)

- The teens arrive in the next 10 minutes or so. I am glad of that. They are good. I hope they kick my a$$ back into reality, in a very good and positive way. Not that they have to have that responsibility, but a little escapism might be nice. :)

- Onward.

the world is full of a$$holes...

And then you realize that you're one of them.

*** Weird day. Never seemed quite real.

*** "We Gotta Bingo" officially closes Mar. 1st -- so soon. But not unexpected. Such a great group of people... Did a later show, played the punk girl, it went just fine

*** Stopped by the Workshop to say hi (such good people!) I am filled with delight, which includes some good news... Am filled with 'oh noooooo' for poor Harry. Pls see above 'people are a$$holes'

*** My car got broken into, while at the Workshop, on 26th and Hennepin. As Mike said, which made me (fellow Northsider) smile, "your car got broken into HERE?!" Despite the a$$iness of the situation, there were so many blessings of what did happen instead of what could have, it's not even funny (i wish they hadn't taken my jeans though.. :( ). And it did make me realize the ginormous chip I've been carrying around on my shoulder. Seeing this happen almost felt like justification for the way I've been feeling lately. And having that justified almost felt good. And that's a pretty shitty way to be, looking for the crap in life to confirm your own drama. So I need to knock that off. I almost feel like I brought this down on myself (i know I didn't)...so. Yes. People are a$$holes, but I should stop expecting them to be. And Mpls is only as crappy as you feel that day, just like every other place on earth.

***f&#kers didn't get my wallet. That's so lucky and pretty awesome.

***I'm finally not hungry. I haven't stopped eating all day. This kind of shook it put of me.

*** i'll need to figure out tomorrow tomorrow.

*** onward.

You crazy Mt. Doom...

Indeed! It's a bit odd doing a twenty-five minute show, waiting two weeks, and doing it again. But we did it! It was so much fun to watch these awesome ladies and a gent whoop up on the funny. And interesting to play for an audience who knew their Chekhov, where I as one of the performers do not. But couldn't ask for a better laughing audience... So lucky..

*** The extended LOTR are so much better than the movie cuts. This is what is on inbetween what Netflix sends... Ridiculous, but very good... Oh you crazy dwarf...(why must everyone sing?... Still, I'm a sucker..)

*** Movement is afoot and what keeps me from getting.. well.. emo. If I can keep perspective just in general, that'd be lovely and fine...

*** I don't have to work until12noon tomorrow.. How awesome is that..?

***...onward.

It's that time....

Oh man...it's that time of half a century... People I love are writing tributes to this place. Which puts one in a sentimental mood... Hello, indulgence...

***I've been working for this particular locale since Jan. 1999, hired by Robyn Hart to work the box office at Kieren's/Flanagan's Wake. Because of that job, I took my first improv class (under the dreamy Matt Craig). Pls know...it's a place that will break your heart if you let it. But... also.....

*** almost every important relationship since the age of 22 that I've been lucky enough to be a part of has directly/indirectly come from being involved with this place. Strange to say but true!

*** It gave me mentors (Jenni being the first example, followed by many more)

*** it took a chance, & let me teach

*** it introduced me to being a performer

*** it taught me to be myself & be ok with that.

***it taught me some bravery, and made me laugh til I cried over & over again....

*** I am who I am and do what I do because of this place. And that's something. It'll break your heart... But it's worth it, for those you'll meet & what you'll do. Crazy, indeed.

*** ... And this place I'm talking about is-- the Green Mill. (nononononono) See you guys at the party!! :)

*** I'm at the BLB tomorrow night spoofing Russian Lit and 80's sitcoms at 7pm. Also, cottage cheese is insanely delicious.

*** onward.

a wednesday... (plus a moon!)

Added to my 'interests': Ben and Jerry's Smores Ice Cream. It was so nice of them to create my own personal crack in a can.

*** Had brush up rehearsal for the Ministry of Cultural Warfare (the Golden Girls/Chekhov piece...This Friday and next Thurs at the BLB). We have officially tickled each other.

*** Had a good talk today. I needed it.

*** I painted some roomage. And watched some LOTR. The geeky life of those sans cable.

*** Tomorrow is busy but good (cross fingers). *** Onward...!

well... what do YOU want to do with your life?

These were around the realm of thoughts I woke up with this morning. jesus. I'm ready to move....

*** i'm doing another spring nazi play. When I worked for the Old Gem, every spring we got to do a 'nazi' play (anne frank... number the stars, etc), as that's what sold to 4-6th graders. The Science Museum is providing me with a chance revisit this time period. Luckily, with some really amazing people, which helps to handle the stupid horrible nazis. This time I get to play one of those stupid and horrible nazis.

*** My friend Sue and I spent an obnoxious amount of time in a Valu Thrift Store. Hours of strange delightful entertainment, literally...

*** Got a copy of the first volume of 'Persepolis' at the thrift store -- you are welcome to borrow/have it. It is welldone, sad and fine.

*** Got food and drink with a very generous friend Harry. I happily owe the man a meal, conversation and time.... :)

*** um. so. What do you want to do with your life? It feels like time to figure that out again... I'm almost these thoughts never stop, but just get put on hold for little bits.

*** Time to exercise and do laundry. I BOUGHT PAINT TODAY! whoop!

*** .... onward (in new thrift store-y duds)

let's see what happens...

Having trouble posting.... Bah. This weekend has actually been chockablock.

*** saw a guy get waterboarded. :( I will post the whole thing later, but...it's scary. It sucks.

*** saw my sister and brother in law. This was all sorts of awesome. We ate breakfast at the Red Stag, Kay flatironed my hair, good stuff...

*** Davey and I performed twice! Once with our mortal frenemies, Rampleseed. Delightful!....we said the word dick alot....

*** 6th-8th graders performed twice. They were awesome and dang appropriate.

*** I took a dog cat filled nap.

*** karaoke!!! Was amazed at friends' feats of impressive singing. I sang b52s -- it was aerobic.

***so looking forward to soon. Soon being June or sooner...

*** maybe this will post... Onward!

ah, 6th graders.. I hardly knew ye..

ohhhh...hewwww.... 6th grade. if your kid can grow up and somehow miss 6th grade, i'd probably recommend it. However, they'd miss one of the most unfair and yet most equalizing moments of of our western life.....

* Rod likes Carrie. You know this, 'cause when Carrie walks in the room, Rod declares "you can braid Carrie's leg hair!"... Carrie's cool enough to ignore this. You know it's real, however, when Rod declares "you can braid MY leg hair!" during warm ups.

* I want to tell the boys that girls will respond to conversation and listening, not to tackling. I also want to tell the girl's NEVER GIVE UP or something vague and inspirational, cuz high school is coming, and that cld be dangerous.

* Playing the short game "dear diary" with 6th graders, we've gotten suggestions such as Harriet Tubman and Anne Frank....sigh. Funny. Horrible, but funny.

* I kinda have a voice now... I hope it hangs around. I have yoga and wish I didn't drink that fruit smoothie thingie. onward!

life via tiny screen

let's see... i've been writing these tiny blogs on a tiny keyboard... and my friend Rick sez it makes my blog's type really! tiny... really? this sort of makes me giggle.

* day was usurped by a friend's call to watch her youngest, while she takes her oldest to the hospital... said youngest kid was a delight, despite her ability to produce and disseminate fecal matter at an alarming scale. geeeeez.

* I am almost fully voiced. i'm so excited!

* I need printer cartridges and a little bit of time

* yea for improv a go go's, trying new things and bein' dark without really meanin' to.

* yea for bni teen rehearsal.

* yea for being sleepy enough for bed and home -- all at the same time.

* onward.

recovering baby...

So many interesting things coming out of my head orifices... blech. I'm feeling a bit crispy... I think I'm almost done with being sick! (pls pls pls)

* show opened! I'm in the Ministry of Cultural Warfare's production of "Our Vanya, Ourselves" at the BLB. It's a Chekhov/Golden Girls crossover. It's a blast. I love me some Ministry peeps, and food afterwards was excellent! (my voice was almost there... I was the toadiest of southern belles..eech.)

* I tried to give pickles a haircut.. I did pretty good! however, there's a swath along his backside of rastafarian puppy..i.e. he looks even more the freak/half-shorn sheep... i'm sorry, puppy! it's like a puppy mullet -- business in the front, party in the back

* turning up the temperature on my hot water heater was possibly the best thing ever.

*hoping to do things that seemed way too hard earlier this week. onward...!

let's see if I can do this....

... so far, so good....

* I am sick like a puppy. I have a voice like wounded gravel. My legs are cooking under an electric blanket literally set to 11.

* I relit my water heater's pilot light today! Home ownership!!

* I am lucky to have the world's best pets watching over me

* Going to try and make 2008 full of adventure... adventure dammit! Watch out! First, however, there's some poo I need to take care of... But there will be -- adventure!

* ...onward. Hopefully to health.

and then it ate my post....

Typing on an incredibly tiny keyboard sucks goats. anywhoo..blog rewritten..

* I'm on the floor of the science museum.. it oddly offers more privacy than at my cubicle

* I got to pretend that I was a documentary producer this morning..or at least a PA. That was fun. :)

* I tripped today. It was a full face plant of awesome (I am a little impressed, and glad that it was just for me.)

* I know everyone deals with it, but I've got the post-really-happy-blues. Things are good and fine here, but this last weekend was soo good to me and spoiled me silly, and so-- I'm missing every little bit of it. So, I'm lucky and things are good here, but I'd rather be elsewheres with elsethings and elsepeople.

* I may not be cut out for homeschoolers. This sort of sucks. Apologies, all.

* I'm broke. But that's ok.

* Ilm in a show in the Chekhov festival called "Our Vanya, Ourselves". If you like the Golden Girls, you will like this show.

* Soon, my house will have a blue room in it. This is exciting! As soon as I can afford paint.

* my dog needs a haircut (which sounds like a creepy euphemism but isn't) and I think I'll get my tarot read cuz friend Chris offered.

Onward!

computer went boom.. :(

Blogging is now done on a tiiiny keyboard..

* I get to watch ratatouille! life is good!

* tonight was one of those questionable 'interactive' theater moments. our souls turned to hamburger, for just a little bit.

* i'm still too old for the red dragon...owwwwww. but it was fun.

* uhm. brain gone, happy to be home, should clean house. mah.

onward!

airports reward the casual drinker..

Back in denver, attempting to blog...

* airports/airplanes seem to work well when a chunky part of the general populace are lubed..namely, traveling herds of business men.. waits are happily forgotten, they may tip better..

* I just got called sweetheart by a waittress about 4 years younger than me..

* colorado seems to have a lot of empty space. and then some MOUNTAINS!

* things seemed a lot more real and lovely about 3 hours..

* there's a lot more to blog about, but I am still full of migas...and wishing to be back in aus.

Change can be exhausting..

Today was good and blurry. There are emails I need to write. There are words I need to memorize.

First step towards the blurry:
a) There were worms (later told, not worms, actually larvae) crawling out of the sink drains of the middle school I was at today. CREEPY!! CREEEEPY!! The kids handled it amazingly non-chalantly, but still acknowledged it's grossness. (these were larvae with places to go - - super crawly) Also, said larvae were crawling out of the water fountain's drain pipe also, and the middle schoolers were good sports in finding an unpossessed bubbler.

b) Most scenes by middle schoolers tend to end in destruction. Destruction! Also, they like suggest that their teammates be "lovers" or cheating on each other or in the midst of a horrible divorce or giving birth to quintuplets. It's Jerry Springer 24-7 at a middle school.

c) I have plastic wrap strapped to my arm. I'm a little proud and a little *whoa* and a little shell shocked and a little happy. I haven't looked at the plastic wrap since it got strapped to my arm.. I'm taking things slow. There is now a drawing on me.

d) The reason for getting the plastic wrap strapped to my arm hurt - - but not horrible bad, and not as bad as some trips to a girl doctor. So. yeah. Again, a little proud. (A gentleman named Charlie rocks.)

e) I'm 32, and appearing to rebel.

f) I made a friend (who got her first drawing too and subsequently had it plastic wrapped), and sold Improv A Go Go twice while getting defaced.

g) I demolished a pan full of mushroom fried rice. Itchy clingy dull pain makes one hungry.

h) Yesterday, I made tomato soup with dumplings. Today, I realized that this was secretly homemade spaghettios. Delicious!

i) I'm tired. Damn. Why am I tired? .. there's a number of reasons, but... still.

I'm off to go enjoy some loveliness and yea! and a tasty beverage or two. W00t! What's tomorrow? Tomorrow's thursday. There's some stuff goin' on tomorrow that I haven't done yet - - new situations. Possibly some super goodness. Even if not super good, hopefully lovely. huh. Wish us luck!

Onward!

Fun is fun.

Yesterday was chock a block of runnin' about. The last thing I got to was the one that got messed up on, as I was late. However, it was the thing I enjoyed the most! (My only regret is not taking off my shirt. It's a funny regret, and one that would probably be the other way if I had. Ah well... it was still fun.) Anywhoo, yea for improv and yea!!! for people who make me gigglecry. We're very lucky, and thank you to those who worked their a$$es off - - thank you. :)

Back to work, home, give blod, and Six Ring... and maybe seeing dear friend Jen.

It's somewhat disappointing to me that "going to work" has to involve "getting ready". I... just really don't want to. Lame. Someday, it's gonna be warm again, and we're all gonna be full of energy and a french phrase meaning "Joy of Life!" (joy d' viv? no. bah.) and take on each day like we're eating a really good granola bar. But until then, I enjoy oatmeal.... (It's almost trying to be sunny out. This might help a little)

Oh! Theater-sorts! Dreamland Arts in St. Paul is adorable!! Adorable I tell you!

Also, my dining room is secretly coverered in painted wood paneling! New discovery!

I have nothing else except for a fine cup of coffee and a little black dog on a big pillow. Onward!

A blog both unnecessary and possibly annoying

Science Museum - - of course. (I wanted to write "natch", as in "naturally" - - this is what years of reading Marvel comics during my adolesence has given me. A proclivity *good word* to things like "natch", or possibly "bub", or getting used to Reed Richards calling Sue "lover" *creepy!*. Snappy one liners and words no one ever says. However, these same comics also gave me the phrase "Oh boy my favorite!", which is possibly one of the best things to exclaim ever. It's also one of the saddest phrases in this particular comicy universe*.)

Last night went successfully by, I think/hope. Performed for a company that has members from all over the globe, all together getting drunk at Pracna,... and they would not tell us what they do. Maybe it's secretly wayyy too complicated, but they were being, as a group, amazingly coy. I asked them if they were part of a secret society, which they fessed up to. The evening suddenly made much more sense.

Then to the Chatterbox, where I got a bowl of potato soup for the price of a cup! w00t! My depression-era grandfather would be proud! Also, met new people and got to hang out with/see with some of my favorite people in world. Yeaaa!!!

Every time Pickles barks, it echoes in the ductwork. Weird! (...and a doggy angel gets its wings.)

I'll be at Dreamland Arts this morning, struggling over an accordion. Then, it's back to you know where, stuffing lines and puppets into my brain. Have a good weekend!

Onward!




*It's sad, cuz when 4.5 year old Franklin Richards (son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four) visited his friends, the Power Pack (bwahahaha!), who are a group of super hero brothers and sisters (I know.), Franklin Richards was written realistically enough as a kid who's parents were busy doing other things/wrapped up in their own crap and, he probably never sat down to dinner with them, etc. (and if he did, they were probably always wearing their stretchy pajamas) So, when he's visisted the Powers (teee), who were written as a typical loving dysfunctional household sitting down to dinner, and asked if he likes this side dish, or this side dish - - for every dish, he exclaims "Oh boy my favorite". See, sad and adorable.

** This is the last time I will bring up something comicy for a while, I promise, as a) I'm incredibly behind and broke, b) I'm a big poser of the stuff right now, and c) I just don't have the attention span. See... I'm a dick, truly.

Full of fish and cow...

Everything was a'whirl... a'whorl sounds so much better.

I got to work on time! Huzzah!!! This has been increasingly hard for me to do. Which sucks. Being late sucks.

I attended two and a half meetings. I've been told to give input. I hope this does not make me sound like a jackass, 'cuz giving input is secretly fun.

(I'm still knee deep in nanoscale technology. BTW, if I was actually knee deep in nanoscale bits, there would be sixteen bajesusbillion little nanoparticles surrounding me.. In these meetings about nanoscale stuff, I am like a water skiier. Keep your eyes up and just try to stay upright. Still, it's kinda neat. A trip to Portland, the Anthony Micheal Hall .. or possibly, the Mike Doughty... of City crushes, to discuss said nano-things may be in the works, which should be lovely. Fingers crossed.)

I got a hug from a kid today. That was rockin'. The kid called me "Jen" (he remembered my name), and laughed when he saw my badge, and I told him I looked like I was trying to sneeze and sleep at the same time. Thank you, friend. :)

Did a murder mystery thingie tonight at 3M's Tartan park. This is, at least, the second time I've been to Tartan Park. There is a certain joy to murder mysteries, a certain indulgent joy, if you are the victim.
a) Come in dressed like a peach Mary Poppins
b) Introduce self. Say murdery mystery things.
c) Leave
d) Get killed (a death scene!). Get carried out on a tapestry. (I felt like some strange nomadic bride, being kidnapped away. Seriously. It was a tapestry. There were five men carrying me. Teeeee.)
e) Eat like a king! Dear lord! I had a dinner that consisted fully of a large piece of walleye, a small piece of steak (yes... a 3M surf-n-turf), a couple of red potatoes, a salad, a roll, and an apple crisp. And two glasses of wine. I was swimming in amazement. I hung around with the stage manager/owner, chatting, eating slowly. Wow! (the rest of the actors were being awesome, doing the rest of the show. I will make up for this karma soon.)
f) Go home. Pet dog. Something smells like poo... *whimper*

So yes. Very lucky. It is time to stuff more lines into my brain, and see if I can still get an audition time tomorrow, as my day was usurped by meetings.

Listened to Fresh Air on the way home. Terry Gross was interviewing Susan Sonntag's son. I love me some Susan Sonntag (one of the best classes I took in college followed her book "On Photography" bit by mindblowing bit.. thank you, Susan Sonntag and Iowa State professor with the strange accent. You are and were both very very smart), even if I'm probably not spelling her name right. It was heart-felt and sad. And then, abruptly followed that up with an interview about a cookbook. I wasn't quite ready for the shift.

Tomorrow involves work and work - - I doubt I will eat as kingly, but I can think back to the fine meal and feel very lucky.

Hey look - - it's almost Friday...!
Onward!

Why haven’t I updated? Cuz there ain’t much to say..

Seriously - - all those times I blabbed about nothin' at all, I probably had more to say than I do this week... waiting waiting...

Some stuff did go down, I swear...
Monday - work. Rehearsal (around Carrie J's dining room table. Me biting my tongue as the new girl, as the gentleman who has been doing this particular brand of theatre for umpteen years tells me something I don't need to know, in a tone that has grated on me since I was 5. It's my own deal - - I should probably listen more.)

Tuesday - work. Six Ring. Yeaa for Six Ring! Geeez....... And then drinks with dear friend Jen. Dear friend Jen is rockin'. We freeze a little at a fancy place in Nordeast, declaring our intentions to the world (and also to the window where all the cold air was leaking in). I drink a martini that tasted a little bit like orange bile, but in a strangely good way.

Wednesday - work. Work. In an attempt to save $$, I have purchased a fancy phone. This fancy phone, according to theory, will allow me to cut one of my bills. Excellent! In another attempt to save $$, I have talked to HR at the Science Museum, and was told I can't save money this certain way... alright.

Also, I stop by the Goodwill in Roseville.. because it's there. This Goodwill was unbelievably hoppin'. Plus, they allow returns at this Goodwill. Strange.

Thursday involves work, and then work. Friday involves a similar schedule. Saturday involves just work, however. Tonight will involve exercise, dinner, moving crap around, and memorizing all those things I should have memorized. Good luck, brain!

Soon, I'll blog about interesting things, I swear...

Onward!

The animals are adorable.. I’m lucky to have them here..

Sunday was sweet. I'm lucky.

- Dear Friend and I went out to breakfast. We ate our weight in cheesy potatoes and over easy eggs. We talked and talked and replaced our blood with coffee. We walked over to the 35W crash site (i.e. "The Gaping Hole") and tried to figure out what was going on. She found an awesome feather and gave it to me. Gooood. Lucky and good.
- Went home. Puttered
- Adorable rehearsal. Dark dark dark and fun. Yeaaa! I like rehearsal. Didn't mean to be loud walking up out of the basement. Sorry.
- Possible reason to go to St. Paul thwarted!! Visited Target for organizing things, and then came home and... organized. Ate sodium and tofu. Watched an embarassingly large amount of "L.A. Ink", which is appropriately horrible, yet weirdly fascinating. The voice of the "narrator" (i.e. Kat D Von...) inbetween the "scenes", is written like she's talking to her 11 year old BFF. In fact, each episode seems to have a theme and a moral, as I imagine an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club having.

Not ready for Monday. By tomorrow, I should be (as I have no choice) but... yes. Could use another Sunday, so I could have actually caught IAGG. So I could have committed to sleeping in. Doesn't matter - - have a good night, please. :) Onward!!

A hard workin’ night...

Actually, today's the day of constant work (10 a.m. - 10 p.m., bizzitches) (All I talk about is work. However, lately, about all I do is work.. sorry.) But last night - - it was hard workin' fun. Things I learned:

a) There's not much right nowthat makes me as jazzed as two person Guitar Hero. At this moment, it's almost up there with eating Indian food. I was whiny until it got played. Viva la plastic guitars and making silly faces and jumping up and down and rocking out with friends to a computer screeen! Truly silly.

b) Green Mill makes la pizza delish.

c) The Fiscally Responsible boys have an awesome thing goin'. Vaudeville with a Pig perfomed at "Causal Fridays" at the Bedlam Theater last night (10:30 p.m. show, $2 admission, 2-4-1 tall boys). Fun. Amazingly chill and great crowd. My god. I feel good about what we did, laughed hard at the boys and the amazing Mr. Fotis (I really liked it, Mike. So good.), and played in a delicious improv jam with everyone. Sometimes, jam tastes like poo. This jam tasted like funny. Yeaaa!!! Thank you, Fiscally Responsible!!!

Saturday is merely a gateway to Sunday, and Sunday will be awesome. (or... Sunday, I will take a shower in my bathtub for the first time in months... eeeeeee. I will eat breakfast with a friend. eeeeeee. I will NOT go to the Science Museum, but I might think about it just a little. ... again, awesome.)

There was something seemingly important I was supposed to blather about, but it's, of course, slipped away. See you on the other side of today - - please have a good one. Onward!

Anywhoo...

Re: yesterday's Mirror of Latin, amazing friend Dale trolled a bit deeper in the internet, and found out that there's actually a blessing on the mirror, not a curse. Thank you, Dale! The mirror needs a wash and a proper place to go in the house, but otherwise - - yea! Thanks for putting up with my I'm-now-living-in-a-pulp-horror-story assumptions. Cuz you know what assuming does.

Last night involved amazingly lovely people and laughter. Good solid I'm tearing up just a little laughter. Thank you to the awesome hosts, and thank you to Josh for the awesome gift. I'm stoked. Yesterday also involved a couple of four year olds that rock my, and everyone else's, socks. I'm not sure if my heart or my uterus exploded, but either way - - they rule.

I need to put on clothes. I feel a little meh about this idea.

Onward!

Score and scary score?

Huzzah! Today was almost vacation worthy! Three hours of museum-ness, and then finding out that I didn't have to teach this afternoon - - hot diggity dog. I bought secret santa gifts, took my boots to the boot doctor, dropped off a prescription, changed some lightbulbs, and leisurely made my way over to the University-Dale Salvation Army - - where I scored one of the biggest scores of my salvation armying life. My xmas shopping is done. (kinda)

While at this Salvation Army, I also picked up a couple of wall things, for I generally love their wall thing selection. Why look - - a 12 inch by 7 inch framed fancy wall mirror. I purchase it for $2.95, and happy drive it home in my Kia.

10 minutes ago, I turned over the mirror to find four lines of latin written on the framed mirror's back. Luckily, we have the internet...

AOR Barachiel
Benedictus manus exhominibus
AOR Barachiel quadrissino angelico trono
AOR Barachiel altanatos (? some spelling overwriting there) Peristratos

hrm. This is what the University of Notre Dame latin translator tells me... (or at least hints at what the roots of the words are..)

barathrum : pit, abyss / the underworld.

beneficium : benefit, favor, service, privilege, right.
mandatum : order, decree, mandate, instruction.
exhorresco : to be horrified, to shake, shudder / dread, tremble at.

barathrum : pit, abyss / the underworld.
quadrigae : four-horse team.

Angelico - v *o 1-5 1s pr act ind I see, I do see, I am seeing.
Tron - v *o 1-5 1s pr act ind I see, I do see, I am seeing.
barathrum : pit, abyss / the underworld.
altan-something: the X sees, he does see, she is seeing
Peristratos didn't get anything except for possibly being a noun.

Oh well, Jesus Christ!!! ... I don't feel weird or creeped out by said mirror, but I fully acknowledge that I have the making ...something horrible. Agh! Help! Jesus. Luckily, I have a small dog and large cat to defend me.. but c'mon... The cat doesn't seem spooked, and Pickles is technically dressed like a priest, so I should probably be okay. Hur. This is the first latin I've found on any of my Salvation Army purchases. Is this the karmic balance of such a greedy bevy of Salvation Army scores? I hope not. I let you know if more Latin comes around. ;)

Happy new year's! Onward!!

Questionable photos probably to follow...

NYE's was finefine. Worked at the Science Museum, and Butch and Katherine and Aiden and Owen came to the Museum, proving a number of things:

a) There's nothing better than people you love visiting you at work
b) The kids are over the top adorable. And smart. And socially awesome.
c) Little kid jokes rock. ... even if you don't quite get the cultural reference
d) Seriously. Dead Kennedys. ....ooooh. Good kid. :)

It was fun to see them, and I hope they had non-dramatic fun time too. Then, onto home where the house took a step to getting a part repaired, and then onto a Bingo show. Damn. Good people. Fun stuff. Happy New Year's is happy to scream at strangers. (I stepped in an interactive theater nono that one should always avoid - - I try to avoid this like the plague, which is why it shocked me when I sucked it up. There were two ladies sitting happily next to each other. The older one was a little drunk and giving me a hard time. The younger one, through some conversation, said "I went to private school." And I looked at the older one and said "You sent her to public school!?" ..ahem. Were they mother and daughter? Of course not. Did I suddenly look like a blowfish and did I then scream a little? Yes. ...and then started laughing. The older lady took it better than she should have. I then ran away.)

And then NYE at Pat's. My partner in crime realized that we had been attending this NYE for the third year. And that us, and the rest of the crowd, were... getting old. Or at least on our way to possibly hiring a babysitter/renting a nursery for the partygoers would-be children. I wore a dress from the salvation army (which I love) and a blonde wig - - the theme of the party was "The Love Boat", and I thought I looked appropriately... trashy? Anywhoo. The wig looked good in the darken dance floor part (I got told I look like Laura Dern!.. um. weird!), but in the light of day and camera flashes, I just looked pretty stupid. I finally took it off and found that dancing was much more doable and more fun was had by... hehhhsayit!!!... just being myself. Bwaha! Am I self-obsessed enough to make this a metaphor!? Goddamn right I am! Hells, we can even make it a metaphor for the changing over to the new year. It just gets worse. Thanks, liberal arts and science major! (It's even sunny today, somehow the sun burning away the clouds and blonde wiggy overcast skies of the past. More! More!!!) Anywhoo, xoxos to Topher and all there. It was truly a great time. :)

The animals let me sleep for a while (dreams were crazy though), and now it's time for Science Museum. I'm glad I feel good (better than expected), and I hope everyone else is surviving New Year's Day too.

Onward!

P.S. Native chicago-type friends - - I made my first deep dish/cheese on the pizza! You would be proud (I think!).. excepting that half way through the process, I realized that I had no mozzerella in the house, and instead used cheddar and pepper jack. But.. still. It came out delicious. You have inspired me to baking breadydoughytomatoey things. Thankyou.

Happy New Year’s!

It's the start of it all! Happy new year's! Hoping your's will be awesome and kick butt, full of health, love, warmth and happy people. 2007 kinda did a number on a number of dear and good friends, and kinda did a number on me. There're parts of it that were amazingly and blindingly wonderful, that I would never give up for the world. There were also parts of it hurt alot, and are now part of our history forevermore amen. The nice part is that the good moments are part of our history too. Right? Right. It's just sometimes easier to focus on the bad... so... resolution number 1!

News and radios and website are doing their year-endly best of/worst of lists of 2007. I get to possibly see Butch and his amazing family at the Museum today (if only for a brief time, I'm excited). I should figure out what I'm wearing tonight. And the cat is doing strange things in the kitchen. I hope the cat is making a quiche for me, but he's probably just trying to get into the oatmeal. (He still loves oatmeal. Weirdo.)

So - - have a blast tonight. I hope to see you today, and if not, (I'm gonna say it) see you next year! (bwahahah! cuz... get it? tomorrow is next.. yes.)

Onward!

Weepy and laughing at the Lagoon

More Science Museum. However, the crowds have been monstrous, which is both awesome and kinda exhausting. It's strange to guesstimate your audience to around 350 people for a 15 minute show.

Non-dinner afterwards, onto Bar Abilene (which was delicious, although probably illadvised, looking back), and then onto Juno at the Lagoon. Yes - - basically all you've heard is true. How the movie moves, the music (KIMYA DAWSON!!! I jumped up and down. I had no idea. This makes me happy, as Kimya as a 16 month old named Panda and a French boyfriend and I want Panda to be able to go to college, and maybe I'm a bit stalky, but you can read her blog too if you really want to... Thank you, internet, for letting me stalk strangers I hold in high regard), and the acting is choice. I'm gonna use the word choice. Everyone's amazing. Ellen Page is incredible. My eyes are still tired from being weepy at the end. whewwww...

Then to Barbette for vino and quiche. (wh00p!)

Uh... so it's back to the Science Museum in about 45 minutes. Soon, I will blog about other things, as there's some crap I've gotta do. Part of this crap is cleaning out the storage room and converting it into a bedroom.. er, my bedroom. It's gonna be tiny, but I'm gonna make it cute and hopefully comfortable. I've decided that it's gonna be a nutty shade of blue - - part of the fun of doing horribly stressful home projects is hopefully rewarding yourself with paint colors. Right? Right.

Go watch Juno. Go relax a little too. Onward!

Back = back

Back = back. I have found mysef in a snow emergency. You crazy Minneapolis - - no one told me!

Xmas was fine. My mom and sis and I were kinda himming and hawing around the whole holiday thing, not saying outright that it's sad, but just sorta... my sister got all her presents, which is awesome. Everyone else, on the other hand, will be receiving their's via the us postal service hopefully this week. I need to call my grandpa scott. I need to mail my holiday cards. You know. It was nice to sit around the dining room table and eat smoked salmon and crackers vs. a huge holiday dinner (that was awesome!). It was also nice to see adopted Aunt Heather and Uncle Craig (awesome!). And it was awesome to go to our friends, the Dorns, xmas night (as the family has done for the last five? years) and eat Papa Murphy's. My sister and I fit ourselves into what my dad would do in these occassions (eat their pizza, drink their beer, and dominate the conversation) and the Dorns were nice enough to let us. They are wonderful.

'Visited Grandpa Rauch and his girlfriend Pam in Yankton, where we ate at the Fryin' Pan. Grandpa Rauch may have to walk with a walker and a cane, but at 92, he's (to quote) sharp as a tack. And he likes to talk about money. He's honery, and Pam will say surreal things every once in a while (she's sharp as a tack too, but... things work differently in Yankton, SD), - - we did good!

Now, I'm back (after yelling at a friend in the car next to me on hwy 169 north of Mankato - - funny!). It's off to work and off to errands and my god, it's technically Thursday, and oh c'mon now. Hoping to see the last half of the BNW mainstage show (pssssttt... dear mainstage friends. You're funny. teeeee) and do laundry, and I should buy some groceries, and so much for puttin' out the recycling (oh well), and my phrase for the week is "Sense of Urgency". Cause right now I really don't have one. But if I construct one, I might get things done, right? Right. Happy Holidays! Hey look, New Year's.. (agh!)

Onward!!

P.S. Stuff I find over the top beautiful. Geeking out. Again, awesome!

It might be the 24th..

It might. I kinda doubt it, but people tell me.

On Saturday, whoopidy times were had, with a trip to Matt's for Jucy Lucy's (delish), a trip to the Red Dragon (good god I know better. Hell, I wrote a song about this particular experience six years ago. DAMN YOU RED DRAGON! I'm getting too damn old. However, it turns out their wonton soup is delicious), and then into a stranger's neato pad in Northeast for a "Solstice Party". I think this means that they have fancy cheese and a talking drum. Beautiful apartment-housy thingie, with windows overlooking the Mississippi. Even better than a dog named Ursa and dreadlocks? Why, a path to the Mississippi annnnddd a huge bonfire which made us feel very primal. Awesome! My orange coat stinks like burning pallets (I mean that in a good way), and I got to walk on the Mississippi. Cool. Sometimes, frozen embittered Minnesota gifts you some neat stuff. And nice conversation with nice people (or, by the bonfire, grunting conversation and treating your body like a rotisserie chicken... always turning).

I then paid for this neat stuff for the majority of Sunday. Got drafted by Davey to work at the Workshop, which was chock a block of the best people in the world. I was coatcheck girl. I hope I did not f up, as someone else got to handle the returning of 100 or so coats. Then a Bingo show (nice people), and watching Vikings football at Kincaids. This was more entertaining than expected. Um, I would hate it if a billion or so people cried out in pain everytime I made a mistake in improv, but I guess these guys are getting paid alot of money to be really good. I mean, they're doing the best they can, right? (John Haynes, this is how I watch football) ;) I understand the concept of downs, so watching the teams run back and forth along the field was entertaining. The conversation held by my compatriots went mostly over my head, but I did learn the name Tarvaris. (which, to me, is only a couple degrees away from Turd Ferguson... I'm just sayin'.)

I think I'm gonna drive to Iowa, and try on some xmas spirit. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, everyone!!! :) Please take care of yourself, and tell the people you love that you love them. They probably know it, but it's always nice to hear. Onward!

just not that interesting...

Indeedy do, no. Very little to report. Back at the Science Museum today, BUT no shows tonight! Whoop! Could use the $$, but nice to have a Saturday night off.

- Had some of those fine Schindler Nachoes at Eli's last night. Seriously - - if you like nachoes, take yourself to Eli's on Hennepin and get thee some of these finest of Nach-es. (single form of Nachoes - - the nach)
- Sweetest crowd at the show last night. Very lucky. Even the butt-touching dad was generally ooookay and just trying to show off for his kids, causing his kids to be a little bit mortified. Ahh, xmas stories for years to come. People are silly, truly. :)
- Met a sweet and awesome couple named Ginger and Dick. I have no clue why I find this funny, except that I may be a 15 year old boy.
- Work - - go back to work.
- Meeting other lovely, vaguely grinchy people. All that xmas push (the xmas surge?) has kind of pushed me aside this year - - not dissing on xmas, but... my sister and I have already cleared with each other that we can't afford much and it's not a big deal, and mom will understand. .. yeah. It'll just be good to be home. Someday, I'll be buying vacations for everyone, but until then...
- I really don't call it xmas. I'm just a lazy typer.
- LRM had her baby!!! That baby's name is Lydia!!! This is incredible and so awesome. Congratulations!!! (I can't wait to get me some toe tickling!! :) )

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Onward!!
EDIT: well.. hells bells, I just saw the Dark Knight trailer and I'm actually excited. I'm all muh about Christian Bale, but the trailer actually shows him smiling! (I have an issue with Christian Bale and all the $i!!head characters he seems to play. I ain't sayin' he's bad. I'm just sayin, I tend not to enjoy his performance as much as I should, cuz he's obviously talented... bah. - - muh.) But I love me some Gary Oldman, boy howdy, do I love me some Heath Ledger! I was fine with Batman Begins (it was fine...), but.. this. This looks vaguely kickass. I hope they didn't show all the good parts in the trailer....

2nd EDIT: Creepy and awesome and lovely!! Like the book!

My lymph nodes have attitude...

I am a whiny brat of a sick person. I'm on the mend (huzzah), but... seriously. I threw a mini-tantrum infront of Davey and Harry. I didn't mean to. I'm just a whiny brat of sickiness.

I went to the doctor that checks to see if you are still a girl, and I am. Success! I also had a disappointment at the Salvation Army. This is no reason to get poopy, but in the moment, I said "shoot" and walked away. Mer.

You know what, everyone? It's almost Friday. Which means it's almost xmas break. That -- is nice. I'm looking forward to not working. To dying my hair. To giving myself permission to get a hair cut. To... Getting onto January. I don't know much about January (like how it's going to work $$-wise or any of the rest of it), but I'm still looking forward to it. Thanks, January. December 2007 - - we'll talk later.

Things I currently like - -
- Going to sleep early.
- My cat.
- My dog.
- Not teaching anything for a couple of days. (I'm lucky and blessed and I love teaching, in whatever form it comes in. But.. however.. right now... this is kinda awesome. I don't have to tell anyone anything in an authoritative tone, or stop them from talking, or force others to do my bidding. Whoop.)
- When my CD burner accepts a new shiny CD as "Blank"

Things I'm tired of - -
- Phlegm (yuck but true)
- Feeling tired around my eyes
- Feeling a little beat up

Things I might do - -
- Buy xmas cards
- Write xmas cards
- Send xmas cards

If this gets accomplished, that shall be pretty sweet. Well see. ONWARD!

Things I Like (a general list)

Good morning, Tuesday. I DEED it. I did the weekend. The weekend, in return, gave me a soar throat that won't go away. bah.

Things I like:
- I like that they're releasing a new fancy re-release of Bladerunner, cuz it was all of the things that people said it was, and also, I like seeing young, nervous, vunerable Harrison Ford greet me when I open my myspace page (as opposed to old, jaded, mean Harrison Ford who did films like... oh... that one with Josh Hartnett. Or the one where he played the president. Such an angry man.)
- I like shopping online for late xmas gifts. Thank you, magic void of the internet!
- I like auditions where you don't have to prepare a monologue. You just do an open read. Those are fun. I also like seeing someone for the first time, and being absolutely delighted with them. (Jason, from those Three Sticks people, is a crazily funny man.)
- I like dinners with old friends. I don't like when I have to cut it short, and all the conversation wasn't used up yet.
- I currently like planning small things, and that's weird (what shall I eat for lunch..? hmmm... What color should my hair be? hmmmm... much brain space devoted to trivial little things)

Those are things I like. I don't feel like listing things I don't like, cuz it might take a bit. 'Went to a friend's Xmas party last night, and everyone looked lovely and festive. We actually sang xmas carols as a group, which is a little singing the National Anthem, except easier and not as inclusive to other cultures. Also, everyone, whatever your American-based background, seems to know at least the first verse. People (especially grown ups doing it by choice) singing together is pretty rockin', as far as universal human experiences go. Almost as good as little kids singing in a group, which is just over the top. (I give much credit to Pink Floyd for taking full advantage of this. Well played!)

Today is the last Six Ring Circus of 2007. Nutty!! Also, today holds another Science Outreach, except it's about Race (bwaha!). Wish us luck. Onward!

(Oh! Oh! I also like MIA's Paper Planes.)

Make that, make it Monday

Trip to McGregor MN was full of adorable children waiting to go see Santa, and a room full of people who didn't know what to do with us. Did the Circus Minimus show with friends Chris and Shari (Chris plays a chef, Shari plays a lobster, I poorly play accordion). They were AWESOME! However, about half of McGregor was ready for a show about a rebellious lobster. The other half were ready for their free natural-casing hotdogs (which were very tasty). Mystery Cafe show in Bloomington went well after that. Attempts to see DanceBand were foiled by DanceBand's success at selling out the Varsity. Landed at the Otter Stop Inn, where a team of cute women (dressed in ugly christmas sweaters) were prepping to reek their revenge on the Block E Jimmy John's. One of them had imitation crab and silly string in her purse. These women were not f'ing around.

Fun night. Back to work. Don't give up. Sunday isn't done yet.

Onward!

Edit for no apparent reason:
- I think I broke up a fight last night. (i.e. there was the possibility of a fight happening. I don't know if it would have had I not stepped in, but... I'm vaguely proud)
- My diet yesterday blew. An egg on toast, coffee, a cream-filled bismark, coffee, a hot dog (natural casing!), a cup of minnestrone (a plus), a latte, and ending in White Castle (with jalapenos!) that smelled like old boiling water.

March for fun march for fun! or If I make it through Sunday, I’ll have done OK!

That's the plan. Sunday. Sunday is the last big day of stuff. Things quiet to a buzz vs. a roar after Sunday. And suddenly, a week after Sunday, it's xmas. dang. I've sort of given up this MUSTGETXMASPRESENTSIN ONTIME, which sucks. Maybe, after Sunday, I will be a present-sending fiend. It remains to be seen.

'Did a my first Mystery Cafe show last night, and I think it went well and I feel pretty good and boy was it alot of yelling. And that was fine. :) Nice people, and an adorable older man named Larry who referred to his wife of 35 years as his bride. My dad did the same thing. You get big points for that. :)

Sleeping for 8 hours seems to help outlooks a great deal. Today involves white elephant gifts / potluck / accordion practice / work / driving down to Rochester for a show. Today is two days from Sunday. Doing okay, wish me luck, and luck back at you.

Onward!

What I originally wanted to say...

So, I originally wanted to title this "Taking one up the a$$ for science" but deemed it not appropriate, but... I still wanted to share.

I've realized that I communicate, in general, like this:
GRANDIOSE STATEMENT
But...... / although.... /

Hrm. This doesn't please me, although I like the rhythm of it (see?).

Tuesday was ass kickin', and the butt in question was mine. I was almost late for an early workshop, and then onto the Science Museum, and then onto a Science Outreach thingie (which actually went pretty well. But, I'm still having flashbacks... more on that later) and then onto Six Ring, and then onto the Green Mill, where everything is fine and Milly.

Dear Middle Schoolers of the World,
I'm sorry I'm getting old and jaded and impatient. I may have to stop teaching your age group, cuz I'm starting to hate you. That's not quite right - - I find you all lovely and smart and talented in person. However, in groups, you become a reflection of your age. And that age can be rough.

We were all you once, and I recognize this. Still, I'm going to snap at you in an adult tone of voice while saying something about "respect" (even if this is totally inappropriate and not my place and I've never been to this school before and good god did I just snap at a kid that I have no background with) and asking you to leave the room and saying things like "I'm done." Cuz chances are, I am done. I am now a collection of my middle school teachers - - quirky awesome 50 year old women and insane embittered ex-marines. Again, I'm sorry.

Love,
Jen

P.S. We'll have fun on Wednesday.

Dear Fourth Graders of the world,
You rock my socks. Please stay in the 4th grade, or just move from 4th grade to college so we can have tea. Thanks!
Love,
Jen

Christmas break may be good for me.

I need to put on work clothes and feign adulthood now. Onward!!!!

I’m baaccck!

Flights from Boston to Milwaukee to Minneapolis went just fine. Very lucky. Midwest Airlines is like flying a chocolate sundae (big fake leathery seats? yes please! TWO warm cookies? Well, why not!). Happy travelers are those on Midwest.

Made it to Bingo on time. (yea!) Two beat-you-up-drunky-audience-but-happy-audience shows, followed by some exhaustion.

This week looks to be a wee bit nutty. How are you?

A little sad, a little fine, a little unknown...

Maybe it's just the season, but I'm all of those things...

Boston has been fine. Good to see good people, yet again. 'Worked our tucuses off, trying to make programs about nanoscale science accessible to all audiences. It's been good, but exhausting, and the merry group of informal educators were, by tonight, just tired.

Last night was nutty fun. Before we all got exhausted and worked through...
a) A day in the Museum of Science, hiding in classrooms
b) Happy hour at our swanky hotel. Free wine tasting, and a magician who does card tricks, whom the hotel actually hires to keep conversation at said wine tasting lively. He was lovely.
c) Subway! I do like the smell of a subway. This is not a pleasant smell per se, but it tells me I am someplace different, and yet reminds me of places I've been. I like that.
d) McCormick and Schmidt's. Oysters for the first time ("They taste like the sea, but if the sea tasted good" - Karen). They do. A sensory experience. Delightful.
d.5) Going outside before dinner arrives, and a group of college-y Boston boys offer to strip for us 30+ year old women. This is surreal and just odd and funny. They make $5.
e) New England bay scallops. Lots of chitter chatter. Many bottles of wine. We're partying like Informal Science Educators.
d) Following our leader Tim, over cobblestone and around strange corners, to a bar called "The Bell in Hand". The Bell in Hand has a live hip hop band. DANCING! This... is brilliant.
e) I don't remember paying for anything. I owe.
f) Sometime during the night (I think at Mc Cormick and Schmidt's), I bang my thigh on some table. I have a large purple goose egg on my right thigh.
g) Dancing!!!! Dancingdancingdancing.. wha?
h) Brad and Elizabeth get my sorry butt to a train station. Crash at swanky hotel.
i) Back to hiding in classrooms.
j) Complete long day of talk and performance. I watch some Cartoon Network in the "Fitness Room" of said swanky hotel.
k) Walk to Thai restaurant with HUGE menu. I order something called "Two Buddys One Pot". Gigantimous prawns and small black crabs. I have no idea how to eat this meal.
k.5) Walk through mall to get back to hotel. It's crowded and christmas-y. We had kinda forgot about the rest of the world.
l) Back in bed, leaving on airplane almost as soon as I get up.

Business travel runs one through the paces. We're lucky to be doing it with such nice, fun, smart smart people. I didn't see much of Boston or Cambridge. I didn't see much of the Museum of Science. :( But... We did what we came to do, and that's nice.

Now, just tired, and okay and a little sad and everything under the sun. Very lucky. Can't complain. Just seeped in the unknowning of it all.

See you later, alligators. Onward!

Pahking cahs by cah-nahs

Helloooo, Boston. I don't have much to report. Got in around 11 p.m. last night and took a taxi to my hotel. All I could see of Boston was its tunnels. So many tiled tunnels. Like a continual array of bathrooms to the hotel.

Today was spent in the museum, in small little classrooms, learning about accessibility in museum programming. I haven't seen anything of the Museum of Science itself, excepting perhaps the lobby (and a rooster! Live animals! There's a rooster!)

I'm beginning to learn that animal print is hotel-speak for swank. My room is decorated in brown, reds, and golds - separated into stripes, nautical-themed furniture pieces, a gigantimous mirror, Declaration of Independence curtains (wha?), and leopard print carpet. All mixed together, I think, means SWANK!

Tonight we eat. Tomorrow we go hide in classrooms again.

I think I like Boston, the little iddy biddy bit I've seen (look! a train! look! nannies! look! a rooster!) More to report later.

Hoping things are well.

Onward!!!

I find that black eyed peas make me feel old (the legume, not the band)

It's Minnesota! I may be snow-obsessing. I got stuck trying to billy goat into my alleyway last night, and was helped out by awesome neighbors. I owe so many people so many snow pushes and shovelings, it's ridiculous. (I swear - - I'm a really good snow driver! I just tend to drive small foreign 4-cylinder vehicles, and live in neighborhoods that take a little bit to plow out. And drive highways at scary times. Mer.)

Nothing much too terrible to report. Adorable went up at the Beat last Monday (yea!) and I think we were Adorable. (We started strong and kinda coffee-crashed, but it was still damned fun.) My friend Sam totally blew my mind, as he a) looks way different in a comb over, b) didn't break character the entire time he was there, c) I'm still telling people of his horrible horrible jokes. Funny. :) I, also, may need to start wearing glasses.

The next weeks have things spaced out in calm, four hour intervals, which is fine. I fly to Boston today - - I haven't been to Boston since 1998 (and I was too dumb to know what to do then. Thank goodness for adorable traveling buddies). Traveling for business, I'm learning, you're never sure how much free time you'll actually have (ranging from NONE!goodluck! to LosAngelesWhyAren'tYouDrinkingMore?). But... I think our evenings are relatively free. We're staying at a swanky hotel in Cambridge. I'm on the search for chowder and a quoahog. I'm only going to eat clam-based foods while in Massachusettes. (Also, I'm going to order a coffee, and it's gonna come pre-creamed and sugared - - thrilling!)

Being in an active state of either wanting or making things change. Right? RIGHT! It's sad stressful sucky but also exciting good and unknowning. :( <--- but I'll still put a little frowny face after it.

Everyone go see the Neutrino Project this Thursday (after improv at Jitters)! The Brave New Workshop mainstage show Friday! Fat Man Crying and It's a Meaningless Life Saturday! Good stuff, maynard.

Hrm. I wanna hold a piano bar party. Or maybe just go to Nye's. Hrm. ONWARD!!!

"When going through hell, just keep going"

I have heard Winston Churchill be attributed to a quote such as that or something. This was the quote that I was repeating to myself for most of the day.

I'm not sure how I feel about "snow". Yes, it is pretty, and I like how queer and strange it makes downtown Minneapolis. I like the sound snow makes, and I like how it sucks sound up. I also like catching snowflakes on my tongue. However, snow can also suck my ass. Bengal tigers are pretty, but they can also eat you. I am sure that quicksand ponds are also pretty in some way.

The last 48 have been chock a block full of poor decisions. Like ignoring "Winter Storm Warnings". Like pickling myself in Iowa City. (It was absolutely wonderful to see my sister, and great Iowa City fun was had. In fact, so much fun was had that I don't remember parts of it, and that is not good. That... is just embarassing.)

I left Iowa City at 9:30 a.m. this morning - - the ice storm had started and continued. My Kia look like it had been slimed, and then the slimed hardened. It took me 30 minutes to drive 3 miles. Iowa roads were messy and full of cars and semis in ditches. Iowa ended up being nothing compared to the stretch just north of Albert Lea. I did two full 360s and landed in the ditch. All in all, I'm suuuper lucky. No semi came by and smucked me. Four people stopped to check on me. It took two hours for AAA to come get me, but after two hours, they did. And then, after ice pellets and black ice and ice making my wipers worthless and being hunched over just to be able to see the road, there's snow in Minneapolis. I would be at a comedy show right now, if not for the fact that parking my car on the street (and then coming back to shovel it out) literally makes me want to cry. I feel like I handled alot today, even if on the grand scale of things, it's fairly small. But if I can take a break from handling more, that would be a fine thing.

And, truly on positive notes, the things that matter are aokay - - I made it to the show I was supposed to be at late for call, but on time for performance! (And the client fed us! Unexpected and lovely!) I am safe and my car is hopefully not too fucked up. Just... tiring...

So - - if you like snow, go out there and enjoy it! It's lovely. I, however, cannot give snow all of my love. Snow is a bitchy mistress, and my car and life and livelihood are threatened by it. Plus, it makes birdies cold.

Hoping your Sunday is safe (the fact that the weather can actively make things possibly life threatening is sucky. I know it's been that way for.. um. .. a long time, but... it's still sucky.)

Onward!

[edit: I can't be crabby anymore. One of the most amazing people in the world just had a baby boy. Snow, you're totally forgiven.] :)

Well.. it’s like this...

It's the slow part of the avanlanche. Things are just about to go blewy, and I keep watching my calendar like a hawk. December approaches. So does a mortgage payment (dammit). December will be full of goodness (I think and hope), and it will be full of stuff to get done. All at a pace.

I'm spending time with middle school students, lately. 7th and 8th graders have officially restored my faith that awkward a$$ age. Gack. 6th grade seems to be the trial-by-fire of the junior high world. If you can survive that, you can survive anything. So, my time with the 7th and 8th graders was like having coffee (knock on wood for next time). My time with the 6th graders has been like climbing Mt. Everest blind. Every once in a while, I tell Mt. Everest to sit down or kick Mt. Everest out of the classroom. The truth is, Mt. Everest is a nice mountain, just like all the other mountains. Mt. Everest is just more challenging. Mt. Everest is helping me build a) character, b) a mean teacher voice, c) a fine drinking tolerance.

(I told Butch and Josh about Mt. Everest, and the both had this smiling moment of recognition. "That was totally me", paraphrased Josh. "I would have left you crying in a corner, and then high fived my friends because of it", said Butch. Butch and Josh rock my socks. *grin* I know what I'm up against. I may still kick Mt. Everest's a$$ out of the program though. Depending on how Sherpa-ish I feel.)

Tomorrow, I am off to Iowa City to visit my sister and brother in law. This hopefully will smack of awesomeness. Next week, I get to talk about Nanoscale Science education in Boston. W00000!... I hope w000000. I'm gonna go w0000 anyway. w000000!

Onward!... yes. onward.

Hangnails take the fun out of touching stuff

We did it! I headed down for Sioux City for my family's first "winter" holiday without my dad. We, honestly, were just so happy to be together, there wasn't much room for melancholic sadness. It's still there, sneaking it's head around the corner, but my sister and mom and I were just happy to be in the same room, and chitterchat. Brother in law Ben has aces and gold stars waiting for him in heaven, as he survived all three of us, two cats, and a manic schnauzer. Thank you, Ben!

While in SUX, saw awesome friend Harrison, and we went to a local live production of "The Wizard of Oz". It was insanely Sioux City... endearing but weird and a little wrong and sometimes brilliant!

a) Wrong but also brilliant: 10 year old boys in HUGE fake mustaches, talking in funny voices
b) Wrong but also brilliant: Everyone copying the voices of the actors in the movies
c) Wrong but also brilliant: An adult man in a full zip up lion outfit and full face make up
d) I could go either way: Scarecrow was super GGGggAY! I've never thought of the scarecrow like this, and I kept thinking about Micheal Jackson in "The Wiz" and... I think it works!
e) I could go either way: Saying your line, having a flash pot go off, and then turning around and then awkwardly leaving stage. (also, when you're melting, pushing your witch's hat back up onto the platform when it starts to fall down the hole after you)
f) Simply brilliant: Fake noses of the winkies (the Wicked Witch's guard) 12 people in identical fake noses moving in unison
g) Simply brilliant: the level of non-ironic commitment everyone had to dressing up in these head to toe costumes
h) Simply brilliant: the four feet the poor kid in front of me jumped when the WWW appeared.

So... Commitment! That's what I learned about in SUX. Bless 'em.

Last night, I had my 3rd experience with Guitar Hero II. Joe - - I think I can play it now. Can I come over and be part of your band? Love, Jen

Bah. Bah bah bah. But I can tell you this other stuff...

Thank you all to sent hugs and listened and such. I'll blather about that stuff later, cuz I don't feel like blathering about it now.

It's been a Monday. At least that's what my calendar says. I dunno. Yesterday didn't feel like a Sunday (at all), despite having BNI Youth (aWWWesome!!) and IAGG... Yea for IAGG and yea for having a set. We were okay, and felt pretty good about it. Overall - super fun night. :)

Today involved getting up at 7 a.m. to be at the Science Museum by 8 am., to be in Blaine by 9 a.m..We did an outreach-thinger that:
a) Involved a high school, IN A MALL
b) I kept wanting to tell them.. do you realize that your high school is in a mall?
c) This mall not only had a Karmelkorn, but also a Waldenbooks, a Claire's, and a Vanity (Jesus! A Vanity!) This mall was the bizzaro Southern Hills Mall of Sioux City, IA.
d) It also had a Steve and Barry's. I'll admit it. I throughly enjoyed Steve and Barry's. I also enjoyed SJP's (Sarah Jessica Parker, cuz those are her initials) Bitten line.
e) I DID NOT enjoy the looping Sarah Jessica talking in unclear sentences about the under-priviledged women of the world, and that fashion wasn't a priviledge, but a right.
f) That being said, I think her line of clothes is very smart, usable and cheap. (damn you, SJP!)
g) I ate at Taco John's.
h) There was no monkey.

The outreach actually went pretty well (YEAA!! Thank you!!!), and then off to another suburb to go spent some time with some 6-8 graders. We went over some rules to the class, which included me shouting "No Swearing!!", which was then answered by a very short, very funny 6th with "But I'm Irish!!"... Touche'.

I'm now a little tired, but 'will purchase coffee. 2/3's of Adorable will be at the Beat Coffee House, 7:30 p.m. show TONIGHT, $2!. Josh - - please get well! We love you super big. :)

And then I said the wrong thing...

Welcome back. I only went maybe two places yesterday, but the last place was of some note...

The Sciece Museum was fine - - I finished painting DNA! Whoop! And got trapped on one of the most awkward elevator rides ever. YEAAA!!

Then, Steph and I went to an East St. Paul bar called Governors. Governor's:
a) 'had $1.50 Pigs Eye on tap (there's so much wrong about that entire sentence)
b) 'had waittresses that were small, petite, and teeth-less
c) 'had a older gentleman come up to me with a yellow sheet of paper, with names of vegetables and fruits followed by prices, some crossed out. (for example, the Roasted Peanuts, which are neither a fruit or a vegatable, were crossed out). He said, "take a look at this, tell me what you'd like, we're out of the roasted peanuts" and walked outside... I said okay, and realized that this bar was not only a bar, but was also some sort of psychic grocery store. How did he know that I needed baking potatoes?

He came back and said "We're out of the roasted peanuts.", "Could I get the baking potatoes?", "We might be out of those.. we're out of alot.. you want some onions? I've got some nice onions. Where are the roasted peanuts? Yeah, we're out of those"

And so I purchased onions and potatoes and shared them with Steph.

d) 'had my friend from the Saints!!! I haven't done Saints baseball games for over three years, but he remembered me!! Scott is awesome, and would buy the ushertainers little gifts. He is made of hearts and gold.

And then I realized that Steph and I had more beers than was necessary on a Wednesday, took Steph home, wrote awkward emails, and fell asleep at 9:30 p.m.. Classy!

Thursday holds doing shows and hopefully getting stuff done. Hopefully. Not much else to say, but, love and onward!!!

It’s strange to be back... re-calibration.

Yea for Mondays. I work for about the rest of the week, so it was nice to have a Monday-day full of internetting. I think I did other things, but it's questionable. There was a 4:30 p.m. which was good, and teaching at 7:30 p.m (last class of level 3! Full of joy and people being large screaming birds - gold star!), dinner at Common Roots before class, where I had not gone before. (Bagels and Lox are delish.. and they serve Surley beer.) After class, Davey and I met with up with the awesome Harrison, where he would tell us about something wonderful and positive in his life, and we would completely and totally interrupt him and blather about last weekend. ... I swear we can actually have a simple, MN-based conversation, but probably not for a little bit.... thank you, Harry. You rock for putting up with us.

Back to the Science Museum and Six Ring rehearsal today. I am a little beside myself and a little sad, but also a lot happy. I'm trying to figure out what to do next. While that is going on, I'm going to start walking for "fitness"... doesn't that sound exciting? Again, it means I'm 62 years old.

December is getting g'damned busy! Thanksgiving is not this weekend, but next. Jezus! Onward!

Thank you to all!

Thank you to all!

Yes yes! Thank you to all who put up with us and supported us and supported people you don't even know in NOLA. You are amazing. Thank you so much!!

I am so glad we had that set. It felt (in a tired and shakey way) necessary. I was all full of stuff that I wanted to say, and it wanted to come bursting out and I don't know if it was good, but... it felt good.

(and Davey was a total badass. I wanna hug him like nuts. He had that look after the set. The exhilarated look of saying exactly the right thing in exactly the right way and getting the exactly right results, but no clue as to how that happened or what monster/spirit possessed him, when, truly, it was all him.)

Davey and Jill were the best traveling partners ever.

I think I will begin the listing of stuff we did soon, but... there's alot. Some highlights:
- I saw my first street lizard. (here, we have street chipmunks. There, they have street lizards.)
- I know I mentioned it before, but if you have a pet in NOLA, it seems you found it on the street, dying. Or you purchased it from guy on a bike for $10. Animals who need you, find you, in NOLA.
- My shins hurt. We walked alot.
- The sidewalks in NOLA are like rollercoasters. I don't know how the money with money and shoes walk on Magazine street. Tree roots grow under these sidewalks, and then push up.
- French Quarter was funny. It was best at night, walking away from it, to bars on the side. Checkpoint Charlie's had THE BEST music. Our Bar made me feel like a rock star.
- I met a bartender named Remy. There was a little girl named Adele. We met someone named Duke, and someone named Cubis. (I think). We also let a leather-clad lesbian who walked up and down the street and into bars in the baddest-assest way possible, screaming "I'M RICK JAMES, BITCH!!!" This was awesome and hilarious. Unfortunately, when asked about it, she gave up the bit. Sadness.
- I think I may start talking like I'm supposed to now. I'm supposed to talk like I'm from the upper Midwest. It's coming back.

More later, I promise. I haven't checked my email or paid bills for four days. This fills me with a little bit of dread... You know. Onward! :)

We demand more porn!!

Sunday ended up just fine. Stayed at home and raked leaves, made curried tofu (put block of curry stuff in pot, add tofu), and went to BNI Youth. BNI Youth were awesome, and then, from there, Davey was awesome enough to come to the 331 Club with me, to check out the Sunday Night Lit 6 Story Stage (whew!). Things I learned:

a) Alot of the Lit 6 peeps are Hamline grads (interesting!)
b) Experienced writers use themes. And call backs. Yes, it is a LITTLE like improv.
c) Not many people truly wanted to write about porn. Alot of what we heard was "I can't write about porn". Heh. If they weren't as good of writers as they were, this would have been cause for rebellion. However, for the most part, they were all lovely! ...And funny.
d) I don't know what to say after someone does a reading. I tried "Nice job!", but that seemed to go over in a lame albatross sort of fashion. "Good set!"? "I like art!"? Mer.
e) I wish I had read my stuff, just so everyone could say "Whatta hack", and then when I read again, think about how I had improved. This is how it would have been in my mind.
f) Kurt Weil does out best on a slightly out of tune piano.

Brian Beatty was fantabulous. Awesome. Funny. 'Got to chat and dish after the readings too, which was great. :) Much fun. Nice group of people. Good food (Reubens!.. like the producer) and drink. Davey and I drank our $2.50 tall boys and wandered away. Yeaa!! Success!!

Clairol has a little web machine that you have to give your life away to access (but maybe they'll send me free stuff), but it's just like your own realty make-over show, but trashier.

See?!!?

.. ..

[ermm... it seems myspace won't let me self-reference my own photos. Oh well...]
Now, go! Go trash yourself out! Feel mildly disgusted and share it with your friends! Excellent!
Onwardandlove.

I’m still crapped up...

Last Wednesday was brilliant! Last Wednesday, I felt about 90%! I said 'watch out world! I am healthy!' - - and the world laughed. Basically, I'm golden in the morning and crap as soon as dusk hits.

Yesterday was the 12 hour day -- a fine day, not too pressed up for time, but lovely coffee meeting at 9 a.m. (all meetings should be happily held over coffee), teaching with Haynes at 10 a.m. (which was great), work at the Science Museum at 12noon (hi Levi!), and then off to a Whodunnit Murder Mystery thingie at the College of St. Catherine's. It was fun. This was the first Whodunnit show I've ever done, and I have absolutely no idea of how I did, or if I helped this whole 'murder mystery' thingie along. But I had fun, which is nice. I met some new people, and colleged-aged girls who go to all-girl's colleges in St. Paul Minnesota are friendly and fun, and generally are willing to talk to people in strange strange "1950's" costumes.

And then - - kapow! 12 hours of work kicked my a$$. Dammit. snifflesniffle prone on the couch.

Pluses!:
a) I finished Phillip Pullman's "The Subtle Knife" in about four hours... OMGWTF!?!?!? AGHHHH!!!! This whole world is falling apart!!! AGHH! I can't believe I'm reading a novel and things are happening at a comic-book rate - - aghhh!!! Fingers are falling off!! JESUS!!! IT'S SO GOOD!!!!
b) I... ate lunch.
c) There are kleenexes in the house. This is unbelieveably positive.

So - - Improv Partner Davey and I leave for New Orleans in about four days. (Bwahaha... uh. Oh shit.) Wish us luck.

Loveandonward.