The older I get, the more I love Morrissey...

If I was a prepostnewwavepunkrock crooner, this is how I would sing (like an unapologetic diva). And what I would want for my videos (bored musician boys and puppy dogs). Wonderfuls.

Did I expect to grow up and become a Morrissey-loving fool? No. The better question may be why did it take so long.

It's been a lovely couple days of beers with friends. Yea, beers with friends!

a) Namaste Cafe's food is brilliant. However, if you order bread/roti, you don't get much. Word to the wise.

b) Friend Jen says many many many smart things about many many many different subjects. I am lucky to have friend Jen.

c) Went out last night, and had a wonderful time. 'Had a very 'Minneapolis' evening, as dinner was at the Red Dragon and movie was at St. Anthony Main. Happy. :)

c.2) St. Anthony Main is probably my favorite movie theater, as it still feels like a movie theater to me. There are no cupholders, the seats do not recline, the screen is small, and we were 2 of 3 people in the room. No one farted popcorn farts on me. It's quiet, and I love it.

d) Shrimp toast, actually very tasty, not very shrimpy.

e) Grand Torino!! oh goodness. I can see where people could pick this movie apart (the supporting actors are either working American character actors - - yea! - - or complete unknowns - - also yea! And, with the exception of one guy I couldn't quite get into, they're fine, good, yes.), but - - Eastwood is so damned terribly smart. It's a very simple story in some ways, but a terribly complicated one to make actually work, I think. And he did. He made this the way he wanted to make this, and he plays his character the way he wants to play it. Not always that subtly. And it's actually great. Plus, one of his character choices is a growl. I love it.

f) It makes you ache, pine, wish, whatever that this movie was made in St. Paul. We know this story, we know these characters - - arrghhh!

g) I spent the last eighth of the movie tearing up. This made me look very tired. I am not a pretty, one tear down the face crier. I am a red eyed, snotty nosed, watery-eyed mess, generally.

h) There is nothing better than someone plugging your meter.. in a non-euphemistic way.

Really wonderful happy evening, after a semi-stressful up-in-the-air sort of day.

Yesterday, I also performed for the first time using the live snakes. The snakes were incredibly chill, and stole the show.

I love the little corn snake called Bubba. (Secretly wondering if Bubba may need a home after the Goosebumps exhibit is done. I don't need another animal, I'd have to find a way to place the cage in un-kitty-cat-able regions, and it would mean microwaving little dead baby mice for him biweekly, but.. he's the bees knees, as far as legless reptiles go.)

Onward.

Another reason why the Muff Monday girls rock...

I've been telling everyone about the sketch/gameshow of "Guess What My Ex-Boyfriend's Penis Size Is" (which consisted of semi-naked picture of boyfriend, HORRIBLE story of what said ex did, then giving choices of his penis size - - my favorite being "Acockalypse Now".. because if his penis touched you, it'd be the end of the world.

They snuck a thrift store saucer into my bag (I had no clue), along with these directions:

"Mosaics Therapy"
1. Say fuck it and smash the plate.

2. Pick up the pieces.

3. Make something beautiful with whats left over.

Muff Mondays

Onward.

What I learned..

- Phoenix is bizarro Minneapolis. They come out in the winter, we come out in the summer. We dress in a lot of clothes, they are more comfortable dressing in none..ish.

- Improv ='s funny. Storytelling/standup ='s funny. An unprepared half way in between attempt ='s not so funny. Glad I tried, but feel bad that I sucked. So so generous of the Muffs!!

Alys picked me up, after hapy hour with my sister and three art openings on campus! (one of the openings was a Ball Pit!! A grown up size, 4 feet of plastic balls, ball pit. This was f-ing delightful. Period. Yea, Art!!! Photos to follow...)

- Yeaaaaaa, Alys!!! The beautiful Alys picked me up and drove me around and chatted and hugged and oh, for happy!!!! :)

- Yeaaaaa, Jose!!! Got to see and hugs and chat with Jose!!!! Jose gives off love like the sun gives off rainbows. Yeaaaa!!!!

- Met amazing lovely new ladies, including the lovely funny ladies of Muff Mondays at the Ruby Room. Smart & funny & dirty & cute -- Jose bought me a $4 muffdiver, and I laughed and laughed.

- Well-done burlesque still makes me do happy dances.

- Back to Tempe, for disturbed sleep on my sister loveseat. A friend of my sister's drove me to the airport. Again, very generous.

Back to Minneapolis...I have no idea how I feel about this except that it's fine. Mom was right: it's the hangin' out that's fun. Whether with old friends, new friends, friend friends or family - it's an important part of life, and should be done often. (so.. Um... looking forward to happy hour tonight.)

Happy Hour accomplished. It was an amazing group of people. Bittersweet and strange and wonderful. Josh said it felt like an Irish funeral, and having only pretended to be at one before, it was better than pretend. It felt right. Thank you all for a lovely night. :)

Onward.

Welcome to Scottsdale... (and Tempe, thank god)

- Hi Scottsdale. Gucci bags! Prada bags! I'm starting to loathe the sight of a designer bag. A PINK outfit with a sparkly earth and silkscreened 'recycling' symbology on it, worn with a Chanel something, done hair, and painted toes. Boobs. So much boobs. So many 50 somethings in Beemers, so many penis-related cars. Conspicuous consumption... Really really shiny & coiffed conspicuous consumption.

- As far as I'm concerned, the AllStar game can kiss my a$$. From people waking up my mom after AllStar partying, from AllStar drama at the airport, I hold the NBA in the same regard as.. I dunno. As a super rich strip club owner. One that is mean to his employees and has a greasy belly. Smokes a cigar. Looks like Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Possibly Jabba the Hutt. Relishes in other's misfortune. Sweats when he thinks. Ewwww.

- Welcome to Tempe! Tempe is full of urban hipsters and skateboards, tattews and 80s sunglasses. Tempe felt like a breath of fresh air. It's still conspicuous consumption, but it's stuff I can relate to. And I don't think hipster eat babies, or dress said babies in scratchy diamonds.

- Watched a hummingbird! Saw a tortoise! Plus a hipster on a trampoline, pulling up her skinny jeans and holding onto her hipster hat.

- Now on a light rail train, to visit a building dedicated to science. It is the future (which looks like it was built by jawas.)

- Who will tell Nick & Clarence that I did not spend the $11 to see the Star Trek exhibit?

Onward.

What I think what happened..

I think a Party Promoter/Producer rented out a block of rooms at this hotel, and filled them with Party People, to make sure the NBA Players were not bored by Phoenix's possible lack of hoochie. Or loud dudes.

We've seen all variation of necklines and vagina-skimming skirts.

I've tried to remember everytime I was the shitty yelling hotel guest.

I've tried to remember everytime I was chatting from 1 a.m. - 6 a.m..

I know I've been that. But I also know that I haven't.

Scottsdale Hilton: awesome beds, no pop machine, no continental breakfast for mom. And one weekend this year, full of loud hoochies.

Onward.

Welcome to AZ, where sales go to die...

Welcome to AZ!

- Kay and I spend Friday wandering about her campus, getting coffee (after a lovely Frenchified breakfast), and watching her work work work. She's busy.

- Welcome to AZ, Mom! We got a priceline deal on a Hilton (wha?) in Scottsdale. It appears that we are sharing the hotel with entourages -- possibly of basketball players, possibly of their girlfriends. They shop at Louis Vitton and get fussy when the concierge won't switch their rooms to poolside. They also wear really really really tight pants.. perhaps leggings... pants. Fancy, and Hoochie!

- We eat pizza, and then dessert at the Sugar Bowl! Holy crap, the Sugar Bowl!! The Sugar Bowl is owned by relations of the guy who drew Family Circle. Delicious ice cream, plus you can order "Jello, Potato Chips & Tea Sandwiches" as an entree (alas, we just had ice cream) Pictures to follow!

- To an outdoor mall, complete with fires, couches, and cover bands.

- Saturday involved Frenchified breakfast, wandering around campus, and taking a packed light rail to the Phoenix Art Museum. Mom did great. The Museum was friendly, open, inviting and Quality! Just loved their collections, neat-o.

- Packed Light Rail, it's the NBA All Star Game in downtown Phoenix. These are some of the happiest, most pleasant public transit riders ever. Gracious.

- Frank & Lupe's for dinner (awesome texmex), drop mom off at hotel, go get beers with sister. Very happy Valentine's day, honestly.

- Harlowe's Diner for breakfast, Kay to campus for work, and Mom and I explore. We drive by Taliesin West, we drive by a mountain, we get In-N-Out burger!!! Mom-approved!

- We go looking at antique stores, which was overwhelming. Phoenix means Sun City, Sun City means senior citizens, senior citizens mean that sometimes they pass away and their families don't know what to do with their stuff. Sad, a little macabre, but also astonishing. So..much..stuff. We buy $5 worth of stuff.

- We drive by an indoor outlet store, where the majority of the population of the Phoenix area seems to be hiding.

It's been lovely. Today's the first grey day, but still warm. Tempe is filled with midwesterners. Phoenix is filled with toddlers (A LOT of young families). We've eaten super well. AZ is like southern California, but without that pesky (beautiful) ocean.

Mom goes back tomorrow (argh). Kay and I have had only one blow out (what my mom refers to as a pissing match.. We're dumb.) I get one more day, but my last night here in a super comfy bed. Tha's okay... just very lucky to be here.

Onward.

Welcome to AZ...

I'm sitting in my sister's studio (or, at least, the place she works on campus), typing on her computer while grad student buzzy like bees and discuss things that seem REALLY IMPORTANT TO THEM! Alas, I'm blogging right now about THINGS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. (Or, at least, important enough to blather on a blog about.) Glass houses..

A print professor just let me peruse a bunch of expensive pop up books! I just had a coffee! This is idyllic!

Welcome to Tempe!

- Tempe has not only palm trees and olive trees and pomegranate trees, but many many citrus trees which drop many many oranges. It looks like everyone's grocery bags keep coming undone.

- If you put an orange tree to close to another citrus tree, it will have little mixed citrus babies. Fascinating!

- It's sunny and 70. I'm spoiled silly right now, I realize. This is ridiculous.

- While AZ fills you with sun-issued Vitamin D, it secretly takes all the water from you. sllluuurrrrp! Because of this, my sister's bathroom is filled with moisturizer.

- I spent the day cleaning her kitchen. If I'm related to you, and you leave the house, chances are that I'll clean your kitchen. (I have kitchen issues. Every thing must be contained! Every surface must be wiped! Arrrghhh! It may stem from a fear of finding little bugs in grains, but mostly, it just probably me exerting control through sanitizing spray.)

- Restaurants are bistro sized here. We went out for thai (at Thai Basil, although I hear there's a Thai Elephant, which sounds ever more exciting..) :)

- AZ is the land of the one beer drunk. I was three quarters through my beer, and my sister goes "Can you feel it?". And yes! AZ leaves you dehydrated, and makes you a very cheap date.

- I go to pick my mom up at the airport pretty soon.

We have no real plans.. just hanging around, looking at stuff, and fussing in general. Wish us luck! :)

Onward.

Ohhh.. it one of THOSE mornings..

Man, as much as I like mornings, I forget to like mornings. And so, I wake up tired and, for whatever reason, disgruntled and angry. Is there any rational explanation for this? No. Mornings are lovely. Time to start reminding oneself of that. Instead of thinking thoughts like "mrmrmmmmmrmm" or "I have no nostalgia".

I am growing into a crank. Plain and simple.

Tuesday involved Six Ringing, and D'amico's with Beth. yeaa!! Hello, sanity - - it's nice to see you. It also involved a trip to the Happy Gnome with Josh and Sue and Mary! YEAAA! Josh wanted coffee & beer, so we sampled our way through every stout which mentioned coffee on the menu. (nom nom nom)

Wednesday involved some serious Science Museum-ing, followed by packing and class. Wonderful class. Thank you, class! And then to the Mill with Nels, to do some brain picking and chat. All wonderful stuff, and no reason to become Lady Angry.

Lesson 1: Chill the f out.

Lesson 16: Don't try to live in your head. It's messy. Try living outside of your head. Remind yourself this whenever you set up shop in your brain.

Today, involves bussing! Which is always a little stressful. It doesn't have to be, but sometimes, that's just what my brain says. Part of that bussing is taking it from the Museum and hopping upon a plane. Sister visit away! It's funny that the whole reason for a visit (family) can also be one of the reasons for feeling apprehensive (family). Ah well.

Onward.

Take it...

Yesterday was a grand day for stuff, as it was warm enough to be wet outside. (It felt vaguely Portland-esque, except for a lot less green)

- Home Depot. I did it! I bought some flooring. Mr. NiceGuyTouchyPants helped me. I have never been manhandled more at a Home Depot. He was a close-stander, touch ya on the shoulder, grab your arm to stop you from loading stuff. He also wasn't from Minnesota. I think he was well meaning and unaware that I jumped at least twice, or that these un-Midwestern actions could be conceived of as possibly creepy. Human contact, especially from a 60 year old in an orange apron, and a southern accent.. I think he was harmless, but I was still jumpy and watching my a$$.

- I unloaded said flooring onto porch. Shit. It was heavy. Thanks for loading, touchytouchyLeonard!

- I put drywall up! Home Depot sells cute 2x2 sections of drywall!! Workable by me! Yeaa!!

- I hope I did not put a drywall screw through an electrical wire. This remains to be seen.

- Yoga took my already shaky self, and twisted and turned me. Awesome. ARRR!!

- Went to replace released toxins with bread and cheese from Trader Joe's. Got carded by younger guy who said "I always check when I know someone's younger than me." It was probably the wavy gravy yoga vibe or perhaps I need to dress more grown-upper, but.. oh. You made my day, cute Trader Joe's boy.

- Got to play music with jazz buddies. Our drummer is in the hospital, and it makes everyone slow down a little (and rightfully worry..). But two guitars and a bass was wonderful. As was the company and generosity after.

- 12 year old scotch, floor pillows, funny stories, and a fire. I am in wonderment of these folks. Generosity is nothing to them - - they share as easily as they breathe. Smart and funny and I've got 12 years to become like them. :)

- Dreamt about people I'm learning to live without. Dammit. Ah well.

Today equals work, dinner with Beth, and Six Ring workshop. :)
Wednesday equals work and teaching.
Thursday equals work and Arizona!! And sister! And mom! And sister's cats! And palmetto bugs. um. And.. stuff to blather about.

Onward.

Destroyed by beef.

Otherwise known as, You're killin' me, Smalls...

A fairly lax Sunday. Yea for fun!

- Walked on Lake of the Isles, just like everyone else in Kenwood. (I don't live in Kenwood, but I can pretend)

- Youth rehearsal! W00t!

- Extra Six Ring rehearsal! W00t again!

- Three members of my team wanted to go to Matt's (they'd never been! excitement!). And so, four jucy lucy's and three premiums were ordered. We watched the Grammy's and made smarta$$ comments. It was absolutely lovely.

My tummy is still trying to figure out what to do with this large mound of beef, dairy and starch I have stuffed into it. Combine that with watching a Bonnie Tyler video on the youtube and starting Fables: my dreams were dark last night.

Lesson 329: Be careful what you mix.

Onward.

P.S. God, the 80s were weird. I listened to an interview with James Bobin of Flight of the Conchords, and he mentioned how he and the boys were watching terrible wonderful videos. Hence the Bonnie Tyler research. What else...

"Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora - One of my favorite songs of the decade. And the video is this. I had no idea.

"Head Over Heels", the Go Gos - Dear lord, they were adorable. I love the drummers outfit. (This explains a great deal of how I am dressed for certain school pictures.)

What next? Tears for Fears? Men Without Hats? What completely unnecessary things might be posted? I need some sort of 2009 chaser.

Dear Matt and Kim, thank you for being adorable.



Truly onward.

A reminder of what to do..

What to do:
- When part of your Game Show set falls onto two small children. You lunge towards it, and then call security. Thank god, these children have an awesome mom who took it all much better than I did. Thank god, the six year old was like "eh" and the four year old was like "I'm hungry". My hand has the tiniest, owiest bit of Wheel of Nano burn (but looks kind of bad ass).

- When you don't think and just do. You can end up running around a lake between Saturday works. W00t!

- When you get to see someone you haven't for the longest time. Get up, smile and hug like crazy. And compare notes. Yea!

- When friends offer to meet you for drinks. No matter how beat you are, do it.

- When guys at the next table start playing with you. If they're funny and nice, play back. They were!

- When you wonder if you should have hung around, after your friends left, to play some more. Count on future serendipity and grudgingly acknowledge the wiseness of home and bed. Thank you for a lovely night!

It's beautiful out! I'm trying to figure out what to do before heading to Sunday work..

I'm working on my big trashed room upstairs. (I could go to Home Depot and purchase the flooring I've been eying. The price is awesome. It's just.. wuf. Work and money. :( But necessary. And good!) What I hope this big room will have when finished:

- Lots of light.

- Lots of plants (which somehow, magically, I will keep alive)
















- Floors.

















- A work station for my never-used sewing machine and over-used laptop...

- A place for guests to sleep, complete with my futon couch. My first piece of furniture, purchased for $200 almost 10 years ago. You go with your bad self, futon couch.

Moving the futon couch upstairs will enable me to purchase a beautiful midcentury couch for downstairs. (Which will magically waiting for me, and be affordable. right?)




















Perhaps I will get all of this done before TCIF. That way more improvisers from around the nation can experience Minneapolis' north side. Hrm.

And I will paint the kitchen green.














And cover it's tiny walls in vintage-y plates.
















There. All of this will magically happen. And my refrigerator will be stainless steel, and my gutters will be fixed, and my exterior trim will be repainted and my multiple landscaped yet scrappy gardens will be weeded constantly. I will know exactly what seeds to plant for Zone 4. And I will add that cement patio. And my garage will be repainted. My dog will be well behaved and my cat's poo will smell like lavender. ALL THE TIME. RIGHT? Right.

It'll be okay. Time for some sunshine.

But you know what's awesome? These. (I need to finish and paint my stairs too)


















(psst.. I will also have red hair cut into a cute boy cut, all the while graying gracefully. I will draw often and hang out with skater boys, and wear just enough make up when I feel like it, and will own an awesome bike, and graduate to Yoga 2. And I will also know how to change a tire too.)

Onward.

Sloppy makes me mad..

I have two of the neediest animals in existence. I think they plan ahead, deciding which should be the needy one that morning. Sneaky.

Last night, 'was lucky enough to hang out with five amazing ladies I've never, really hung out with before. It sounds dumb, but it was akin to a revelation (and truly, the only reason it sounds dumb is because it shouldn't be a revelation. It should be obvious that five urban, professional, unwed, killer-smart ladies in their 30s might share similar experiences. But.. every once in a while, I'd slip from the conversation, and my insides would do a happy dance.)

Themes of the night:
- Men. (the original plan was to go to "He's Just Not That Into You".. heh. But we were sidetracked by chatting and pizza) Menmenbreakupsengagementsonlinedatingmen..

- Baby want. (it's not only okay to want babies, but.. um. It's definitely okay to want babies. Cool. There's always a caveat or a joke in my mind about the subject, like I'm not grown up enough or it's immature or maybe uterus jokes are just too much damn fun to make.)

- Death.

- STUPID IGNORANT A$$HOLES.. (a couple of the ladies teach for local colleges)

- Families. Dads. Moms.

Looking at a friend's wedding pictures via one of their iPhones. The friend is getting married in Algeria (most of these ladies' are either from, or still have family back in, far away places. Where weddings look very very different. But there's still comparisons of the groom, admiring how beautiful the bride looks, which traditions were followed...) In other words, Girl's Night!

Which, in looking back, is half-support group, half-advice swap, and 3/4s mutual admiration society. Good stuff. :)

Then, 'was late to Mixed Tape. And was not happy with how I performed. Should have warmed myself up more. Should have gotten head into the game. I was sloppy and dumb. And that makes me mad (at self. The boys were awesome.). I love this stuff, I love who I'm playing with - - there is no reason to get slop-stink all over this. Errgh.

I know it's only transitory. That one improv set is a tiny little drop in a big improv set bucket. But... still. I want to do my best.

I think one gets used to feeling bad. (It happens after life changes, like break ups or job crap. It happened after my dad died.) That we get used to feeling a way, a certain baseline. And if that baseline is sad, we get used to it, and will fill in the bad-blank with whatever we can. Sometimes creating unnecessary drama, just to make sure that bad-blank has something to suck on. And I definitely come from a long line of worriers. It's genetic.

Goal 342: Figure out when that is happening.

Goal 321: Do what you said you would do (i.e. stop creating unnecessary drama to worry about.)

What's today? Museum, Mystery Cafe, hopefully seeing good people, hopefully more sleep.

Onward.

A nervous tic motion...

I have a Tiger Beat crush on Andrew Bird. *sigh* Whistle...whistle...

Yesterday was chock full of nuts. Looking back, it's funny to me that some of my favorite memories are make 'em ups, and, in some ways, didn't exist at all.

- Teaching! Teaching! It was nice to have Tuesday off, as Mon/Wed/Thurs have been spent telling people to do stuff.

- Museum ... We now all crave snake time. We want to hang out and pick up with Bubba and Sweetie. They are smooth and calming, and, when handling them, you have to take on some snake-induced chill.

- Sweetie got pissed after so much handling yesterday. Fussy large corn snake.

- Ka-Baam!! was so much fun... Aghhh!! Thank you all who came!!

- I may not have a smart maltipoo, but he is a wise maltipoo. The look he gave me at 7 am this morning spoke what we both knew to be true. That waking up before 8 am is b+!!s#!t.

- 2 outreach shows, followed by 3 museum shows today? Arrrgh? (yea! It's actually just two museum shows today. Cool! That's plenty.)

- But tonight!!! Fun with Girls (which is not the name of a show, but should be.. make that, will be.), followed by Mixed Tape at ComedySportz!! 10:30 pm!! Come and watch!!

- Tomorrow, I'm gonna try to sleep in. And maybe eat an egg. This sounds awesome. Tomorrow also involves more museum and more show stuff, so this "sleeping in" possibility holds great appeal. Hoping it's possible.

Onward.

Something stinky, state of Denmark...

Well.. that's ridiculous. And.. ADORABLE. (I love the end so much)

And this is inspirational

Anything I post here, I've probably already posted to Facebook or whatnot, as my life is small and boring. And driven by certain social networking sites.

Had a beautiful time last night with dear friend, who listened to my current situation, and thought about it, and said how it sounded to him, in honest and clear ways that felt right. *sigh* Thank you, dear friend!!! Granted, everything's still the same, but very very lucky for good friends who'll put up with my whining.

Something's amiss. Something's stinky. Something's not right.. It's probably just me just trying to assign the world with my own kerfuffle.

Things I'm looking into:
- Flooring. Isn't that exciting?
- Teach for America. Let's have the government assign me a purpose!
- Hey, did you know that you can get to Ireland and back for under $500 in March via Aer Lingus. Do I have $500? No. Does this make me want to continue to charge crap on my card? Of course. $500 for twice across the Atlantic is staggering. Dangit.

Things I'm looking forward to:
- Ka-Baam!!! TOMORROW!! 10 p.m., BLB!
- Mixed Tape!!! Friday!! 10:30 p.m., ComedySportz!
- Weathermen sexily whispering temperatures in.. the 30s!
- Meeting my mom in AZ to go see my sister in AZ.

Time to go do um... a puppet show about infectuous diseases. Yep.

Onward.

The scratchiest dog in existence...

Welcome to boring blog #345: It's Monday and sunny.

How to dope a puppy dog's ears:
a) Don't call him to you before you do it, if you ever want your dog to come to you again! Dog's remember that s#!t. Keep the sound of your voice happily calling their name equated to happy thoughts.

b) Make sure he's under 12 pounds, so you can pick him up when he realizes what's going on. If he over 12 pounds, you may have to take to simply laying on him when attempting to dope his ears. Poor doggie.

c) Give him a delicious treat afterwards.

d) Give the cat a kitty treat, just for being chill.

Sunday was lovely. I feel much much better, thank you.
a) Attempted a walk/run around Lake of the Isles. Watched all of the Loppet-ers, loppet-ing.

b) Made my way to BNI youth, and found that my natural emotional pH had suddenly skyrocketed. Whoa! Thank you exercise, thank you massive intake of Vitamin D & sunshine.

c) I watched the Superbowl. I don't usually do this.

c.1) HALF TIME WAS AWESOME!! Bruce Springsteen was goofy and awesome (as was his crotch.. de-friggin'-lightful.) As the Boss told me, I stepped back from the guacamole dip, and I put those chicken fingers down. *sigh* The whole thing was terribly satisfactory.

c.2) Puppybowl was also satisfactory. (Please see above beagle) Despite the ref. And the tired-sounding color commentary. Did not the directors nor the actors realize how much fun they could be having? Alas..

c.3) It was a crazy end to the game. (err... Superbowl. Not Puppybowl) I have no emotional ties to either of the teams, but was kind of rooting for the Cardinals. (I agree with Jill - - didn't they used to be a baseball team??) If only 'cuz the Steelers started doing .. um.. mean things.. like punch another player. Seriously, Harrison. I don't care how amazing of a play you made. Your other behavior was gross. Should have been booted from the game. J-a$$.

c.4) And THAT is how a girl (with limited football watching experience) watches the Superbowl. (mean equals bad!)

c.3) Any Star Trek trailer without Simon Pegg (Scottie!), Karl Urban (McCoy!), or John Cho (Sulu!) may be of no worth to me.

Today, I run some errands, buy some milk, and start working on the big room. That's my plan for February. Work on the big room.

Onward.

Little dog, big scratchies...

The newly groomed animal is sitting on me, scratching his newly groomed ears. *sigh*

Yesterday was a bust. A damned stupid bust. I was sick as a dog for the whole stupid day for pretty stupid reasons. Dammit. However, four shows at the Science Museum and a (really good) Mystery Cafe were completed.

And around 10 p.m., I ate a piece of toast and some oatmeal. Yea!!!

However, pre-suffering, I got to sit and chat with a speaker originally from the Moline/Davenport area. 30-something, fit, young, travels like mad, gets paid good money to travel like mad and talk. Talk talk talk.

a) Where'd you go to School? East Moline Community College. Did speech in high school, and continued doing it in college because he was good at it, and knew he could get a good grade.

b) Say that again? I own a tug boat. Dude owns a tug boat! Loves the river. Had an artist paint said tug boat. Goes from Canada to NOLA in the summer, docks it somewhere in Kentucky where the river doesn't freeze. Cool!

c) You know where's "hip as shit"? Louisville, KY. "They've got shit figured out" He says Louisville, I go look into Louisville. The weather is temperate (cold is in the 30s, really warm is 87), there's mountains and bike trails, it's the "confluence of Southern and Midwestern attitudes and cultures", and instead of "real" sports, they race things like steamboats and hot air balloons. What?! Delightful!! (oh.. I guess they really like college basketball too. Cool.)

Hrm. It sounds like another Austin or Minneapolis, where the rest of the state is nothing like this sweet spot of a city. Go, Louisville!!! :)

Very well. I have looked into another fine place. It is Sunday and it's sunny and almost vaguely temperate! yeaa!! I might try and run today, which might end up being a bit of a bust. Happy superbowl, I guess.

Onward.

Big bag of Random.. the week.

Things to make things better:

- Sweetened condensed milk! It sounds almost creepy, but truly, my coffee and (now) my oatmeal are the better for it. My procrastination of buying regular milk has created a flavor sensation!

- Starting yoga again, via Mpls Community Ed. My body says hurrah!!

- Tuesday had an amazingly fun Mystery Cafe, where I finally met Mr. Larche (who was stunning. And sweet. And you just sit back and go.. wow. It was fun. :) Who told me about the time that Mr. Larche met Mr. Knudson? IT ALL MAKES SENSE.) Then ran like a bunny to Six Ring, where I got to be with Nels as he said wonderful things and got all proud and stuff of my team. Yea!

- Museum adorableness: A little girl pronouncing, as I wheel out the "Riddles of Disease" set at the museum, "Oh! It's a Jesus show!"

- Museum adorableness 2: Another little girl, when asked "What's another use for water?", announces "Tea parties!!!"

- Ka-Baam!!!!!! Whewwwww... And the unexpected friends there (Thank you!!) Went out afterwards, both Herkimer fun, followed by crashing Michael Ritchie's birthday party at Figlio's. Yea!!

- My mom and I get to go visit my sister in February. That's nice, isn't it? (Also, Mom admitted to wanting to go on a cruise, and needing to get her passport. Mom's daughters rejoice!)

Things I didn't need:
- That dream last night, that had so many wonderful moments in it (hey look, turtles! hey look, drinkin' at work! hey look, Ahna!! yeaa!!) and then decided to f my brain with images of large planes dropping on or sliding into large groups of people. My brain decided to fart out details that I (Jen) didn't need to see, topping it off with circa-1880s black and white film/pictures of the survivors taking their pictures next to the piles of dead. In that circa-1880s-taking-pictures-of-dead-people-to-commemorate-the-occasion sort of say. Blurgh. Thanks, brain.

And the neutral...
- Another weird thing my cat will eat: unflavored firm tofu. Really, animal? I support this, along with the avocados, oatmeal and peanut butter he continues to enjoy.

- Heyyyy, I need to memorize a sketch. Hi, sketch. hrmmmm...

- Heyyyy, I gotta take the dog to the dog groomer. Like right now. Literally. After that, it's to the museum to don raindrop helmets. (We've only made one child cry so far)

Onward.

Neil Gaiman won a Newbery!!! And the talktalktalk continues..

Really. I couldn't be happier, in this one little moment.

a) I like Neil Gaiman. The man makes me do happy dances, and has for over 15 years.

b) I have childhood love of the Newbery Medal. You get a Newbery; your book is damned good. (Julie of the Wolves. Bridge to Terabithia. The Hero and the Crown. Holy CRAP, these books were good! A Wrinkle in Time. The King of the Wind. The Island of the Blue Dolphins. More!!)

c) I used to read a lot more as a kid. Argh.

Anywhoo, I am pleased that someone I loved as a teen and continue to love as a grown up, has won something that I loved as a kid.

I am counting blessings and thinking about things that make me happy. These things aren't necessary, but they will probably continue to keep February bearable: crackers, coffee, and gallons of red wine. The red wine is, in a slightly emo-y way, for my heart. And for my cholesterol!

Recent events have brought a continuing theme back to the forefront, and the awesome Nels brought it up again yesterday. Moving sucks, and it's not the answer to everything (I will remain basically the same person anywhere I go, my flaws will be the same, my inability to caulk a tub will be the same).

But I also don't have to stay here. And this is the time of year when Minneapolis and I love and diss on each other. Just like all the other transplants, honestly. I ignore her, she passive-agressively tries to break my car. I become white and blubby, she becomes grey and mean. Where else could a person go (possibly with a small animal or two?)

I don't have a "good" reason to move. Except for that stupid theme that keeps popping up.

My dad told me that problems will be the same anywhere you go, weather or location don't really matter. *sigh* But it's fun to dream..

- Chicago! yes, my Vaudeville is already there. What do I like? I like improv. Chicago, I would be another tiny swimmy fish in a gigantimous ocean of improv. But, I would learn lots lots. It would be hard and cold, but I would probably meet people to hang out with. hrm.

- Portland! Goddamn, Portland is the prettiest of pretty. Right now, it's mired in public official sex scandals. Could a person find a life in Portland? My friends Steph and Dave moved out there about a year ago, and if Facebook picts are any barometer of how happy people are.. I think I could afford Portland.

- People keep bringing up Seattle. Holy crap, I could afford Seattle! And Seattle seems to be an unknown underdognick according to a.. website! It must be true. Huh. According to another website, it rains a REALLY REALLY REALLY lot in Seattle. Again, must be true. But there's coffee and beer to stave off the suicide.

- NYC. Ohhhh, this is Nels'. If I lived in maybe Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx, I could maybe afford NYC. I get speechless when thinking about NYC. It's what you don't know that you don't know.

- L.A. It's warm there. I have a tiny number of connections there. I could find a job and get to know my air conditioner and swim suit. But.. I like southern California. I honestly do.

- Somewhere as of yet unknown!! wwooooOOOOOooooooo

- Minneapolis. Stay here, quit my bitchin', and figure shit out.

I wish I had a trade. Right now, my trade is the ability to talk to strangers in character. And teach 1-2 hour workshops. And who knows what might change. But, again, it's nice to blather.

I'm gonna get off my computer and do stuff. ha! Take that, stuff!

Onward.

I erm back-ish...

No, I really really back. However, I'm experiencing Morning Crappiness, something that hasn't been popping up too much of late.. *sigh*

The traveling was beautiful. Amazing. Astounding. Very much unexpected and ka-pow. Back to the rest of life, get on with it.

While a'traveling, I've been working on "The Black Swan" by Nassim Nicolas Taleb. Even if, yes, some of the reviews say that he's redundant, I say nay. He just approaches the subject from a couple of different views to wallop you with the point. Plus, he's beautifully cranky. A joy to read. Crank crank crank.

Basically, he says that:
a) bell curves are crap
b) people who make predictions are liars
c) you CANNOT predict, but you can generally prepare
d) go to parties. Serendipity happens when you engage with people. If you can't go to parties or don't want to, send a representative that does.
e) live in big cities. This increases you serendipity-through-people quotient.

Neat. Plus, he's super cranky.

Ka-Baamm!! has been a hoot! Yeaa!!! Only two more to go! (b00000!!) Here's hoping for more superhero-y fun. :)

Things are sort of on-hold at the Museum, and in general, for a lot of other things. I'm grumpy today, but it's the morning and I'm still a little jetlagged and a little sad. Things to be focused on for happy:

a) Spring. Only two more months of possible crap. That's not bad. (My sister just says to just "move someplace warm". My sister is very wise.)
b) Cinnamon rolls. I am an emotional eater. Cinnamon rolls and pastries and tea sound wonderful right now.
c) I hope Adorable gets into CIF. It's cool if we don't. But it'd be exciting if we did.
d) Finishing stuff on my house and being excited about it.
e) Figuring what comes next.

I'm achin' to get out of here. But, there's things to be taken care of first. Like a house and kitty cats and dogs and the like. Not that I'm goin' anywhere soon. But it's very satisfying and rash-feeling to be all "f this s#!t". But again, we'll see.

I really want to be somewhere, where it rains. Remember rain? Remember a dew point? I know I'm solar powered, and this sun is nice, but man... moisture sounds awesome. And maybe a tiny little deck off of a brownstone.

Two jobs today, but brunch tomorrow!

Onward.

Good things...

A (poorly written) treatise -

- Martini's with Butch. I always thought it would be Guinness with Butch, but nope! Martini's with Butch is just as good, if not better.

- Mixed Tape! Indeed! These magical audience keep appearing. Justin Pierre of MCST asked the crowd, "Who here was born before 1980?" and maybe 4 people out of 80 raised their hands. Needless to say: a) I am technically fully a person who is technically fully an adult in the eyes of everyone, b) the kids are alright. Thank you, awesome mysterious teens & early 20s who have come to Mixed Tape! :)

- Mystery Cafe cast is the best in the world. Straight on.

- The MC stage manager added some of his own mix to the soundtrack, and not only do we now hear Fleetwood Mac circa 1987 BUT Bruce Springsteen circa 1987. Seriously. "Tunnel of Love" is one of my favorite Springsteen songs. (And "Learning to Fly" one of my favorite Pink Floyd's. It's wrong, yes. But so GOOD!!!) He also played "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. (from Out of Time, an album of much perfection in tiny-me's eyes), which made me laugh as we were in the middle of a big, loud, audience-interactive murder mystery. Can I deeply express how I feel about sexual identity issues while solving pretend crime with sleuth sheets and cheesecake? I say, resoundingly, yes.

- I'm honing my age guessing skills. I've got kids down to about 80% accuracy. People my age - - doin' pretty well. For better or worse, human live about 10 decades, so I have only 10 or so decades to get a handle on, which seems doable. And kind of sad and strange and sweet too. (or.. um, creepy)

- Podcasts. That took long enough. I am a podcast downloading fool.

- I'll be traveling the next couple of days. I am very lucky: it should be amazing, but also bittersweet. It's still not real to me.. at all. But I'm packed, for this very unreal place. More to come! I feel a tad crazy, packing for what I do not know. (it's like creating my own personal bomb shelter, but in carry-on luggage.)

Bisous!

And onward.

These are good ones...

(those aren't my hands, but that does look like Bubba)

Stolen from a stranger...

20. What is the best piece of advice you've ever heard?

You cannot change someone, it is how you react to that person that matters.

21. what is your favorite quote and why?

"nothing can bring you peace but yourself." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Those are pretty good ones..

- We're in "Animal Training" here at the Museum. There nothing that calms you (YOU MUST BE CALM), puts you-in-the-moment or forces you to focus than having a corn snake wrap itself around your fingers and forearms.

- Corn snakes like warmth and dark. Hence, corn snakes like pockets and arm pits.

- I have leftovers! Leftovers galore!

- Life is forcing changes which is sad in ways, but important in others. :(

- Some of these changes will be preceded by unexpected travel! Goodness! More to come!!

Onward.

Pants check! Yes, they're there.

Whoawwwww... It's been a roller coaster of a week, and it's not stopping anytime soon. Thrilling and bumpy and one must check their pants, just to make sure that they're still there. *whimper* I'm just kind of ..tiiiired...

- Twin Cities Live came and videotaped the Everyday Improv I class I'm teaching. John Haynes was there and did AWESOME. And the peeps in the class itself. AWESOME.

- I've taken a break from "Smilla's Sense of Snow", as I fear the way it's possibly messing with my dreams. Maybe it's not the book, just the roller coaster week, but again, my dreams were super vivid last night. Like "here is all you want plus a Hardee's Ham & Cheese" vivid.

- There's a sex act on page 193 (or so, depending on your edition) in "Smilla's Sense of Snow" that I've so far checked with THREE people to see if that's possible. Honestly. Have I not been 'in the know'? Is this act part of what everyone does during, um, stuff? As Steph said, "it sounds like a bladder infection for both people". I agree. But seriously. I will continue asking people and get back to you. Plus, there's no better conversation starter... Or ender.

- Watch "Matchpoint" on Saturday. We thought it was going to be a comedy - - Woody Allen, you know. We guessed wrong. Lovely casting, lovely dialogue - - and much like Smilla's Sense of Snow, you know that after investing in these lovely chatty people, that HORRIBLE THINGS WILL HAPPEN. YEEEARRRGH. Did I like it? I don't know. (Hey look! Brian Cox! Being not scary!) Does Scarlett Johnannsen have really sensual lips? Um. Yes. Woody Allen might really really like Miss Scarlett's lips.

- "Mixed Tape" at ComedySportz on Friday was a hoot! YEAA! Jill & I went to Mortimer's afterwards. I haven't been to Mortimer's in.. um.. years. But we were served possibly the nicest cocktail waittress in Uptown. We visited a friend who was having a birthday, and who was, subsequently, taken town by a train of shots around 1:00 a.m.. NOOOOOOOOOoooo!! (I'm so sorry to have added to the shottrain, and hope that he's okay.)

- Four hours of teaching improv on Sunday was actually great. What a great class. I am stunned. (Four hours of anything usually has me running for the hills.)

- Adorable was up for Improv a Go Go, and I'm still in blurry tears from it. We were super lucky, and had super fun. Thank you all!

Um. Umumum. There's some people I gotta call. And face back up to reality. Not "crazy hot ham & cheese hiding from actual reality" reality. Just gettin' stuff done reality. And the roller coaster of anticipation DOES NOT END. IT WILL NOT END FOR OVER A WEEK. More stuff to come.

Onward.

Aeehhhhhhh!!!

Happy Friday. I guess, Happy Belated Thursday too.

- I'm reading "Smilla's Sense of Snow". My literary selection have at least a decade lag time. It's fabulous. It feels like it should be written in italics, as the writing is always pulling towards the future. It's also playing with my dreams. Yeeearrghh!

- Don't watch the review for the movie. It's shockingly poopy.

- Missed Ka-Baam!!'s opening night. mer. :( However, I did get a natty picture drawn of me, as a superhero! w00t!

- Had a Mystery Cafe show instead, which was nice. But a table of (very cute very cool) kids 12 and under put a damper on our adult-style fun. Once we reached the end of the show however... *whew* Happy relaxed people. Yea!

- I just found that my inner dialogue has a b/p switcheroo problem (is that a stop? the two sounds are made in the same place... I loved my linguistic anthropology class! Why can't I remember what that place is called?!) I'm typing b's when I mean to type p's... *sigh*

- Mystery Cafe folks rock. And they let me horde leftover catered food like a homeless squirrel. I will eat like a king!!!... for at least three days.

- If things can be swung, unthought of things might be possible. These unthought of things could be stunning and very cool.

- Feel very unsettled. Unhinged. Strapped. Stressed. All of temporary, but.. can I repeat mer? It's been kind of an unhappy couple of days. But things are okay. But.. repeat above bullet point. Breathe. Everything's gonna be okay. Right? Right.

Onward.

I will post now!! And then meet the auditor..

Just a quick post, as the world is whispering that it's time to go..

A very full, very lovely weekend! yea!!

Friday - PG wanted to relax, so I bundled myself up and hauled my butt to the BNW's Xmas Show, assuming that all the world would be done with holiday shows. Alas, no. It was sold out, and runs through the end of January. Tricky!

The show was friggin' delightful. Nice work all! They were nice enough to let me play set with them afterwards. Thank you! :)

Miss Crystal was in town!! For this, Lauren then created a caravan to the Front. Ahh, the Front. You make me giggle. It was a good night for dancing, I met two new friends, and DJ Dirty Duke limited his Jackson Five output - - the man believes that, whatever party you're creating, all you need is some Jackson Five. This is a lie, Mr. Duke, despite what you and many many people seem to think. My love for the Jackson Five is tarnished due to over-playing. Yes. Little kids should dance to Jackson Five and be adorable. Embittered drunken 30somethings however... I guess should dance to J5 also... *sigh*

Saturday: Museum was again filled with nice people (yea!), and then PG and I watched.. Dirty Dancing. Oh my god.

- It's been 20 years. Literally.

- Every line in that movie ends with an exclamation point.

- It's SO dramatic!!!

- It actually kept my attention. That Swayze fellow can dance. ...And so can his mullet.

- Why didn't this become a musical? Did it become a musical? Probably. Was it horrible??? Possibly.

- Dirty Dancing is basically grinding and making "sex" faces at each other. And sometimes you wiggle. Got it.

- It was also fun to see 1980s fashion takes on 1960s styles. High waisted jeans, as far as the eye can see.

Sunday - We went cross-country skiing! Oh my goodness! I've been downhill skiing, but the last time was about a decade ago.

- It was fun!

- Another example of how man has strapped himself to simple machines (wheels, elephants) for fun and mobility.

- Lean forward, bend at the knees. Something us humans generally aren't too good at. World peace might be possible, if we all could lean forward and bend at the knees.

- Much like hiking in the Grand Canyon, it's an activity done in beautiful setting, but you have to continually stare at your feet. At least, I do. Arghh!

- I fell down, a lot. I kind of enjoy falling down in moments (i.e. non-cement) like this.

KA-BAAM!! previewed at Improv A Go Go last night!! OHHHHH!!! Huzzah! Good times, true believers.. We open at the Bryant Lake Bowl this Thursday, and run through February 5th! Please come see!

Okay. Time to go, lest my auditor is early.

Onward.

Roman Holiday...

...IS a lovely movie.



Just lovely. Gregory Peck.. *sigh* And a young Eddie Albert with a beard..! I'm gonna say it! Whatta looker!

Before watching Roman Holiday, there was much feasting and laughing at Taste of India. Oh, lovely fun. *grin* We shut that lunch buffet down!! (actually, we did. We were asked to leave.) 10 people, one completely unexpected (happy!), and tons and tons of yummy food.

Before that, there was much lazing about. Delightful lazing about.

Before that, well.. (this blog is a lame version of Momento, ain't it?)

Friend of PG's opened up his house for NYE Celebrations. Huzzah! However, we went totally expecting to be not only wined, but dined. Foolish us. There was pita bread. And lovely dips. Beggars cannot be choosers. We have learned our lesson. Eat before going to the party. Duh.

We also played the game Dictionary, which is secretly the low-rent version of Balderdash (much easier.. all you need is a dictionary, pens and papers.)

And that was the end of 2008. Hoping your NYE's was not only safe, but very very very fun. Here is 2009. So far, pretty lovely.

My goodness, it gets a little busy this weekend. (but not bad, truly)

Onward.

Unnecessary Multiple Post NYE!

The cat & I just got done playing Psycho -- he agreed to play Janet Leigh, as long I played Anthony Perkins.

Pickles didn't play with us, but is waiting for when we play Annie Hall. (I might try to talk him into Citizen Kane instead).

No kittehs were harmed in the making of this classic movie recreation.

Onward.

I declare the new world hotspot.

Buenos Aires is the new black, I tell you.

Are you a fresh, young bilingual hipster? You MIGHT live in B.A..

Onward.

Goals for ot-9 (acht-9? aut 9? urgh..)

Happy New Year's Eve!! *twweeeet!* It's been a lovely morning so far. I did dishes. I made coffee. I am hammering away on a certain laptop. Onward!

Watched Godard for the first time. I'm not much of a filmie (film buff sounds.. creepy. *grin* Like someone who whacks off in movie theaters.) (I just typed whacks off), but I like 'em. Going to most American Cinema stuff makes me cranky, but feeling all artsy and watching a snippet of how Paris might have been around 1965 appeases the wanna-be-hipster inside of me.

We watched "Masculin, féminin", and the intertitle of "The children of Marx and Coca-Cola" probably would have been a better title (you were right, Mr. Godard).

Mr. Godard (according to the great god Wiki) said things like "I mix images and sounds like a scientist, I hope. The mystery of the scientific is the same as the mystery of the artist. So is the misery." and "A tracking shot is a moral act." This gives you an idea of what the film was like.

- oooh! 21 year old boys are dumb! Even if you live in Paris, and try to pick up girls by asking them about Socialism! Dumb!

- oooh! 21 year old girls are dumb! Even if you are a cute pop star, and have 21 year old depressives following you. Dumb! Stop hanging out with him!

- oooh! That was the best eating-an-apple scene ever.

- Note: if you live in Paris in the 60s and are a girl, chances are that you're really really cute. Like adorable cute. Like a badass Amelie.

I have started the great Goal collecting of 09. Good for me.

- Work on my house. Finish bits, then have a party. Kitchen ceiling, last bits of the bathroom, and THE BIG ROOM. I've come to realize that my house is almost 100 years old! (It was born in 1917) Nice job, house! Let's treat it like it should be treated and get the stuff done that needs to get done.

I have bloggy co-conspirators (here! and here). I am pretending that we are BFFs. GenXers with messed up old houses unite! And then blog about it!

- Kick some credit card debt butt. Granted, I spent goodly chunks of 2008 creating that credit card debt. Let us attempt to pay for that.

- Kick my physical butt. I feel pretty good about what I've done, and I'll continue because I'm a vain bastard and I like the way I feel, but.. let's do something scary. Like take a dance class.

- Actually, let's make 2009 be the "Do Something Scary" year. Not stoopid, just scary. Do things I've never thought were part of my.. um.. milieu. (Surf! Go to Oktoberfest someplace far away! Take a dance class! Learn how to wire a lamp! This sounds both incredibly lame.. and kinda awesome.)

- Also, go on more auditions. Audition for that big blue box, just to see what happens.

Fell asleep after watching black and white cinema, and then reading "The Power of Now" (I will get all enlightened! Just like Oprah.) Dreamt of the world and the moon colliding (My friend Ruth and I could see it happen in the sky), the stars falling from the sky (which was rather beautiful), and basically the world was ending. It was really pretty, but also terrifying. I'm glad that Ruth was there, because she would be a good person to see the end of the world with.. and possibly put it into perspective.

(I was also going to live in Beth's basement - - but Beth now lived in a huge, 1960s style ranch house, with lots of faux stuff and green light).

Please have an awesome and safe New Year's Eve!! It's 2009!! (almost) Who thought that would happen?

Onward.

Orange door!!

I am relatively pleased. (and reeling from fumes and cheapie vino).

Onto caulk scraping!

Onward.

Monday Yea

Yesterday, I found the most OCD of all home repairs.. Scraping off old caulk with a razor blade. Scrape. Scrape. Instant gross gratification.

PG is back! Yea!! Went to Lunds to purchase a celebratory dinner...

- Lunds is where the 42 year former-graphic-designer-now-teacher goes to shop. Such expensive hip coats! And glasses! And cars!

- I was swayed by the cheese man. I am easily swayed by the cheese man. He took super good care of me.

Now I am home, after attempting to purchase coffee at Matchbox Coffee in NE.

- It is aptly named.

- The two people in the shop just stared at me when I walked in. Much like many bars in Nordeast. But I can't justify that staring when you're 27 and drinking coffee.

- The homeless kids in Berlin circa '96 seem to have set the look for the last 12 years. I'm sorry, coffeeshop girl, the homeless kids in Berlin did it first and did it for reals. I'm sorry I interrupted whatever you were doing. I'm a little sorry I tipped you a dollar. But you made eye-contact: step one of human-being-ness. Good for you.

- I attempt to put cream in my coffee to find that the cream has curdled. There are squishy yogurty icebergs floating in my coffee.

- Coffeeshop girl has disappeared to the back. Do I yell for coffeeshop girl and ask for new coffee? Did I use the wrong creamer? Do I wrangle past the gentleman at the bar? *sigh* Do I say fuck it, dump out my coffee in front of their shop, and then passive-agressively blog about it later?

I paid $3 for the learning: a) save yer money & make yer own damn coffee, b) I wouldn't recommend Matchbox Coffee, even if the art on the walls are by a 3 year old and for sale. If the cream's so old that it's curdled, they're probably not getting many customers, and there might be a reason for that. Which makes me sad.

I could have fought for my coffee or my $3, but.. It was $3 I shouldn't have spent in the first place. Make yer own damn coffee. Lesson taken.

That old familiar feeling of perceived instant judgement, of not being the cool one in the room. Hah! It's one I really don't have time for, one that doesn't do well in Minneapolis (even if we're all guilty of it. We live in Minnesota, not Amsterdam.. We're cool, but not that cool.), and tend to avoid (I do improv theater and work in informal science education. Serioisly not cool.) I wasn't prepared for it in getting my coffee. Maybe back when coffeeshops were 'alternative' (say, the 90's), I would expect to prove myself to get my coffee, somehow mentally prepare. But, it's 2008. Obama's going to be president. Baby boomers are retiring. Skinny Puppy's disbanded. Dear god, I'm 33, and... truly appreciate a Starbux. (health care, you can use a debit card, and free samples! I am old.)

Last of the xmas online purchases have arrived: I purchased a headband for my sister off of etsy. l purchased one for myself too. I love it. My hair and head are super happy. Thank you, patient British lady, for knitting what I could not.

To vaccuum!! To dust!! To..um...

Onward.

Welcome back to the fray...

The picture is of my brother in law and the family, driving to Yankton SD. My BIL is funny. Period. :)

- Drove to Grandpa Rauch's and his girlfriend Pam's place for lunch on Friday. Homemade pickles! Sweet slaw! Pot roast! Apple pie! Um. Grandma-aged South Dakotan ladies can cook.

- Grandpa is sharp as a tack. His hands shake, and he uses a walker.. But he's also 92.

- Likes to tell us how much he lost on the stockmarket. Perhaps to drive my mom slowly nuts.

- Pam sent us home with frozen homemade pies. Grandpa sent us home with apple butter and dehydrated apple slices. My grandpa can do things with apples that blow my mind. Yum.

- My sister turned 30. We played Cranium. She's still processing this triple decade thing. I would laugh, but I turn 40 before she does. Hrmph.

- Woke up at 5:30 a.m. yesterday to make it to work by noon-ish.. I did it!

- Museum was full of adorableness! Oh my goodness! Holidays tend to bring out the families, and some of these families have some pretty awesome four year old's.

- Hung with with my friends' Ahna & Rick's kids after that. They were super super super good! No one cried, no one fought, no one attempted to fall asleep in a toybox. They shared like crazy, and we had fun.

- When playing boat, Scooter is a good nickname. So is Light Plant.

- "Garfield and Friends" - still funny!

- Little kids who swap the k or hard c sound for a t sound rock. Twistmas? Yes please. Also, if they smile with their eyes. Like a kittycat does.

- Grandma showed up and had the much more challenging task of getting them to bed.

- Grandma also gave me some homemade jam and cookies! I do not deserve these... Thank you!

- Drank red wine and slept and slept and slept.

- It's Sunday!! And tomorrow's Monday!! (both official Jen Day Offs... usually...) Awesome!! ...where did the vacation and family time go? Ah well... Going to the airport today to do some picking up, and 'am very excited. :)

Onward.

MERRY STUFF!!! Christmas and such!! :)

Happy Holidays!! Hoping yours is treating you beautifully, whatever you are up to..

Pickles and I made the Great Trek South and West - - the weather was lovely and Pickles is a fab traveling companion. We both explored an alleyway in the classy Windom, MN. We listened to talk radio. We shared a cheeseburger. Good stuff.

- It's snowy here. Big kerfluffing piles of icy snow.

- Operation Recognize Anyone still not successful - - which is just fine.

- Braved the JC Penny's side of the mall, and then braved Target twice... It wasn't bad..

- Brother in Law Ben and sister Kay are here... yea!

- Kay and I took our obligatory drive-around-Sioux-City. It takes a fair amount of time to drive around Sux. We got through our MUSTYELLATEACHOTHERTOSHARETHISMOMENT, which is also good.

- Mom made stew last night (awwwesome). We watched Cars and Flight of the Conchords. There was wine and wine. I took a walk over unshoveled sidewalks and then dyed my hair.

Now presents have been shared (we are a small family, and there are just not that many presents to share - - which is also fine), mom made pear muffins (yum), the turkey's in the oven (thanks, mom). I'm gonna get cleaned up and try working on the house a little.

It's just a funny thing. What do we do? Um.. Now? There's so many things that should be done. The house is full of stuff, my mom is tired, my sister is continually my sister (both incredibly sensitive and yet fond of making broad-over-generalizing-aggravating statements), and my brother in law is very sweet for being here. But really - - despite all that - - we're just pretty stinkin' happy to be together. The edges are all at the surface, but underneath the edges is a big bath of love. If only we knew what to do with each other at times.. (the Scott family has no activities beside eating and random chatting... Kay and I bought Cramium.. I mentioned to Mom regarding doing a 'vacation Christmas' next year.. this may be possible! And possibly fun! Activities!)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE!!! :) Be safe, have fun, enjoy...

Onward.

Jam!! JAMMM! Jammm!!!!

Making my way through Muppet Show season 1 disc 2. The Electric Mayhem just, well, jammed. Animal was screaming JAM!!!! the entire time. This is the only way jams should be done.

Two show day on Saturday.. Lovely shows, honestly (barring the man in pink and his very loud wife during the second show... They would not shut up, and were frustrating the rest of their company... I don't think they noticed...)

Got out to my car to find that it was a little frozen icicle and would not turn over. The amazing Mr. Winner gave me a ride home, and Partner In Crime drove me back to Minnetonka on Sunday. After 10 minutes of coaxing and some pushing, it started!!! Yea!!!! Many thanks for so much help..

Whew. This cold bullshit is exactly that. It is staved off, however, with improv rehearsal, cinnamon rolls (they came out great!), getting the drive shoveled (go me), catered leftovers, cleaning around the house, Muppet show, and the knowledge that I have 6 hours of work tomorrow and then nothin' for three whole days. Take that! Thanks, baby jesus and you crazy Gregorian calendar makers.

Crazy New York dreams last night.. Staying at a fancy NYC hotel with college friend Kelly. (we were on, like the 6th floor. The fifth floor was like a cruise ship--restaurants and spas and pool, all white and rickety) Ended up at a friend's room (Mpls friends!), drinking and laughing. Lovely!! And it almost turned into a sexy dream (yes, with you.. And you. I know!), but then I had to go back to our room, and ended up going to dinner, warning socialites about the dangers of Pillsbury Baked goods. (except I had forgot my script, and had to improvise it.. And rhyme, for some reason. It wasn't coming easily.. I may have been dream-drunk.)

Anywhoo, it was a mix of going to a Museum conference (nice hotel, drinking), Mpls peeps, and I'm usually warning people about the dangers of Nanoparticles, not 'duck cakes' (one of the socialites mentioned this.) All of this pleasantness was interrupted by a 9 a.m. call from a teen, seeing if I would be a reference for them. All teens --especially those in the arts -- need to learn that calling, unless emergency, should be done after 10 am. College will teach this. But I may say something also. (9 a.m. on a Monday is, truly, not early.. But sleep is sometimes rare and nice.)

Stay warm! It's stupid out.

Onward.

Y'know what's pleasant?

Watching movie trailers on the superfancy Museum internet connection.. It's Saturday, it's a snow day, the museum is very quiet, I have things I will be doing very soon.. but first.. just a few cookie sized movie bites please..

- "Inkheart" - Hey, Brendan Fraser is actually a really funny guy. Hey, look, Helen Mirren! Hey look, Andy Serkis making "my precious" faces! Hey look, lots of British accents! And a ferret! This looks pretty!

- "Star Trek" - Man, I love trailers. I totally drank the kool aid. I adore the supporting cast.. *sigh*

- "The Spirit" - I'm a little torn. I truly enjoy what Frank Miller does with movies (horrible and beautiful and graphic and amazing), but I also adore the original Spirit comic. Will Eisner was amazing, and I have no idea if Miller will keep at all to the original spirit of the.. er.. Spirit. He doesn't have to, but.. you know. Boyhowdy, I like Scarlett Johannsen. I have no idea why, except for.. uh... she's hot. Yep. That about sums that up, I guess. Go with your hotness, Miss Scarlett.

- oh look.. more!!!

Last night was a party! It was a hoot.

- Rope light is a $1.39 at the Salvation Army on Dale & University!! I curled it in a fireplace. It looked super cool. I felt super cool and design-y.

- Dance dance dance.. I think I broke my dance muscle. Can I feel cool dancing to Kanye? SHOULD I feel cool dancing to Kanye? mrrr..

- Friend Jess (who works at Gasthof's) brought her cute work dress and spring-loaded snuff cannon. I know it's gross, but... ooooh!

- We were surrounded by an amazing number of Springsteen fans. Honestly. Some of party had met each other through their mutual love of the Boss. I dig some Springsteen, yes, but.. wow.

- I have a new fuzzy $6 coat. It makes me either feel like a bond girl or a bear. Or perhaps a bear that just happens to be a bond girl. It held up well against the snow snow snow that continues to fall. Nice job, $6 coat!!

- Muppets in the morning rocks. Thanks, Netflix.

Two shows tonight, if I can keep the energy train going. More coffee, more solid food, more exercise tomorrow (I might try this running in the snow thing again.. if I can keep my tummy warm.)

Onward.

I have a little notch in my thumb nail...

It's developed after tapping away at my Palm Centro's "control oval". Yes, I could just file it away, but.. It works really well. Creepy. I feel bionic, but bionic from a lab that had no money.

Holiday countdown is officially underway. I put cinnamon and raisins in my oatmeal to celebrate. I work straight into the new year and beyond, but looking forward to 'forced vacation (super short week next week!)

'Went to PIC's house last night, and his new roommate was giving away clothes. Clean, new, possibly this or last season Target/Ishtak clothes. In my size. Holy crap! I have a New Year's dress! I have very useful sweaters! Thanks, 23 year old stranger.

The lovely Amanda Palmer's (who's now being inundated with blogs who say her name) blog continues to make me happy, as she tends to write like I do, but instead of rolly unrelated sentences about monkey puppet show & commuting, she writes about good people and rockness and touring and f'ing record companies. I like her. And today she wrote: "...thinking about how everything, everything, everything, is used to further the goal of not simply not being alone, but not FEELING alone". And I think this is true. And it leaves me with cabbage-sized things to ponder.

Love and good things to you and your's.

Onward.

Super short..

- Commute from St. Paul to Uptown took over 2 hrs. I contemplated which beach to live on, and thought about the west coast.

- I ate too much today.

- However, the fried chicken/mac n' cheese dinner might have been necessary.

- Had super fun at Six Ring... Whew. You's people are funny.

- Got to play a little too. That was super nice.

- Now in bed. I am in (possible) PMS-dramticus mode. Feeling lonely (unnecessarily so!), schizo (how does one spell that?) & okay.

And sleepy. I get to sleep past 8 a.m. tomorrow. W00t!

Onward.

I'll be that idiot.. just give me time...

Yes. For the sake of full-on avoidance, I'm ignoring certain parts of last week. And I probably owe you an apology, for those parts of last week. I'm no longer apologizing to myself, because Instant Karma got me, and got me hard. Just re-reminding myself that there is a price to pay for being an idiot. But to you.. I'm sorry. :(

For now, we're going to focus on the nice stuff, of which there was a lot.

- Shopping trip success! PG not only has underwear, but also very cool green jeans. Karen at Macy's not only made our day, but while making our day, also gave us chocolates. Oh. :)

- REI was also full of loveliness. The boy got me the coolest jacket. Very very lucky. I love it. It protects me from wind and snow and will be awesome to sled in.

- We wake up and go jogging... Remember when it was, like, 36 degrees? And rainy. And warm. Remember Saturday? It was.. lovely.

- Mystery Cafe show. This time for a battery company. We did it!

- Talked with my sister, who fills me with love and worry all at the same time.

- Sunday involved some hard core short form with the Youth, who had all taken squirrel-crack. Don't give your teens squirrel-crack. Dug out the piano. Sean dug out his tuba. We traded off underscoring scenes, me with my "this sounds like Jen doing I-IV-V again" accompaniment, and him with his rhythmic tuba farts. Good stuff. :)

- Onto St. Paul, in the beginnings of the Great Sky Crap of December 2008. More playing good music with cool people!! We played some Brubeck. I practice counting to five over and over. So much fun. :)

- Good people then offered veggie anchovy soup. Veggie anchovy soup makes me do little Dave Brubeck dances.

- Good morning, Monday... WHOLLY CRAP WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WORLD!? Wake up with a face full of Minnesota. Icey bitter. Everyone questions their choice of location.

- Have a plumber over to fix my tub. Ben the Plumber is awesome!! He says it's not the pipes, but the (moldy gross) seal between the tub and the tile. I can fix that!!! He charges me $49. I wish I carried cash, as this plumber deserved a tip, and I had none to give. Thank you, Ben!! :)

- Got to take PG to the airport.. Arghh.. But it's lovely in France, and he gets back in 12 days. :)

- Hang out with friend Sue for a couple of hours. Friend Sue is awesome. :) We trade gifts that we purchased in thrift stores or antique malls. Very lucky. Sue has put up her tree full of antique and aged ornaments -- it suddenly feels, unexpectedly, a lot like Christmas.

- I complete a St. Paul/Mpls Green Mill tour, and grab a beer with Fotis... yeaa!! Winnings!!!

It really was the loveliest of weekends, despite it becoming amazingly artic-like. This is Minnesota, yes. And many many grateful thanks to the awesome boy who not only pulls over the car, but takes care of you when you're suffering through your instant karma.. almost 24 hours later.

Onward.

Sleepies...

Yep. Sleepies. I bounced around way too early this morning and am soon to bounce around some more this afternoon, after bouncing around last night. Bounce bounce bounce.

Pleased with my call back last night. This means I probably don't have the part. (per what I've heard from very wise people. If you like what you did, you didn't get it. If you felt you did horribly, you'll not only be called back but probably offered the presidency. See?)

What was even nicer than having a nice call back-which-you-will-not-get? Having dinner with Jim! Jim and I went to Perkins, and it felt weird not to say "Non-smoking" when ushered in by the hostess. I don't think I've gone to Perkins a great deal since high school. Remember the smoking section? Remember requesting non-smoking? Ah.

The internet and I are about done with Xmas. This is exciting. All that remains is some wine shopping, picture printing and a trip to Target. Go me. Also, the burning of many many Jen's Xmas Mix 2008!!! It's coming!! (And there's an unintentional crossover with the Beukemix 2008. Our first!)

I may imbibe in a holiday beverage tonight. Why, that sounds lovely! We'll see.

Onward.

swimming through today...

In a dumb'd down, semi-consious fog. Either I got enough sleep last night, or not enough, or my body's fighting off a cold, or maybe I've just vanquished one. Anywhoo, I'm not on my toes today. I'm on my lizard-brain heels. Jen like coffee. Jen like sugar. Jen talks for more people. merrrrrr...

The Science Museum's lobby was empty this morning. It was beeeauuuutiful.

A very relaxing Sunday morning got complimented by Youth (good youth! good performance! Awesome!) and going over to a somewhat-new-ish friend's house to play music. It's been a long time since I've dabbled away on the upright bass, a long time since I've played charts (look! A Real Book! Or, more appropriately, a Fake book), and a long time since I've bumbled over chords with like-minded musicians. It felt good! And it also felt natural -- no pressure. Very familiar. Like stepping into your dad's old pick up. Good stuff. (Plus, they're awesome musicians and good guys. Fun!)

After the jam session, 'got treated to the loveliest spinach lasagna, wine and conversation. Yes, these are the people I want to be in 10 or so years. Gosh. Very lucky to be able to play with them right now.

Monday was Get-Ready-For-Your-Next-Audition day. I've done three auditions in the last week, which is more than I've done in probably the last six months.

First one: so happy! I did a real monologue and sang 16 bars acappella. I'm a big girl. They liked it!

Second one: happily surprised! w00t! I did a "classical" piece. 0oof! They complimented my choice! I am happy!

Third one: good god, I'm a smelly human being with no business being on stage, much less pretending to talk as someone else. I am a sorry waste of your time, and since I'm feeling defensive, I must bash in my head every bit...

After the third one, I went to Menards and purchased potting soil and a growing lamp. That actually made me feel a bit better.

(Growing lamps are great! The light is beautiful and sun-like. I believe most winter-bearing people might need a growing lamp... and it doesn't look like I'm growing pot in my house either. Second score!)

In the realm of Chill-the-f-out lessons (I am currently taking self-imposed Chill-the-f-out lessons), I got called back for the third one. That's very generous of them. I hope I do good. (Jim Robinson might be there! I better do good!!!)

It's Six Ring tonight, and then hopefully relax into loveliness..

Onward.

10 years...

It's officially official. I have passed my ten year mark of living in the Twin Cities. I never expected to live here for that long, but also, I never had a clear push to pull up stakes and leave*. Which is to say, if you don't make plans to leave, much less follow those non-existent plans, you will stay in one place.

This also means I'm 33, which is both young and old -- I get to hear 25 year olds remark at how old they are, but I also remember being that 25 year old. Strange stuff.

This has been a heckuva week, all professionally rollercoaster between "that was AWESOME!" or " this sucks, and it's not going to stop sucking until it's done."

Things this week involved:

- Yelling! A christ-ton of yelling.

- Nice lawyers.

- S#!++y microphones.

- Awesomely talented people.

- Awesomely talented people in good situations.

- Awesomely talented people hung out to dry.

- Barking at kids, in good ways and settle-yer-ass down ways.

- Memorizing.

- Eggs on toast.

- Amazing food!

- Early mornings.

- Two weekend mornings of staying in bed until at least 11.

Today will involve more barking at kids and some hopefully "That was awesome!" Tomorrow involves more recitation of memorized stuff and driving through crappy-yet-pretty snow.

And the radio plays The Hold Steady, and everything's okay.

Onward.

* Upon refelection, this is a lie. Last winter had me screaming for the door (you know, the big "This way to exit Minnesota" door). I can still feel it's after effects...we'll see how this winter goes, I guess.. We don't have to live in weather that might kill us, but boy, there's some good stuff here too. (Onward.)

You should all experience too

You can all experience this too. This is probably my favorite Kimya song. And, finally, it has an official video.

Last class at the Museum was awesome. All is redeemed. Nice work, 6th graders. :)

Onward.

Here's to...

- Here's to the kid who can't control his body or his brain or his mouth, and really just wants your attention -- dearly...

- Here's to the kids who kept with the class despite it

- Here's to the kid who was g'd GOOD at this stuff

- Here's to the chaperone who didn't do s#!t, but then complained about behavioral issues afterwards, to someone else

- Here's to the cold thay dries out my hands and hunches my back and makes me dread the next four months (why do we live here?)

- Here's to a car that starts, and a house that's warm and to pretty St. Paul

- Here's to an audition that went well and left me energized ("Why haven't you auditioned here before?")

- Here's to feeling jealous when hearing about other people's auditions (what's with that? I am petty and human and stupid..)

- Here's to damned good music

- Here's to figuring out social and relational things..

- Here's to hopefully being smarter than you were in your 20's

- Here's trying to stay alive and un-jaded and un-cynical

- Here's to the guy who said, "I'm just happy to be here."

You're right. I'm just happy (and lucky) to be here. This should be fun. It will be. And if not, there's time for more fun so so soon.

More.

Onward.

Stuff Done, Stuff....

Ooohhhhh!!! Even Pickles misses mom!!!

You know what's good on triscuits with peanut butter? Raisins. Raisins may not be the caviar of the dried fruit (that might be apricots), but they're definitely the roe. Pile more of that roe, please...

Operation Take Mom to Favorite TC Food Joints has been a success!! Red Stag, Cecils, Maria's Cafe, Cosetta's - - spoiled just silly. There may not be gobs and gobs to do in the Twin Cities, but crap, can we eat. Everything was a success, barring the last meal at Manny's Tortas, which had "too many jalapenos" on it. Curses! But still.. delicious.

Also got to run away and spend a bit of time alone, which is also nice, if not guilt inducing. 'Made it with PIC to Butch & Katherine's, who's house & generosity (they let us stand in all of their showers!) & peanutbutterscotchfudge fountain were amazing. Yea for fun!!

Now, after getting mom off to the airport, and watching her disappear through security (as one would watch their kid almost) -- I miss my mom. .. And Christmas is coming.

Tomorrow involves work, and Wednesday involves more work, and slowly, I'll catch up with the rest of the world, promise.

So.. uh.. Wha's happenin?

Onward.