February Update: Sparking Joy

It's Saturday, it's rainy, and I'm giving myself permission to have a lazy Saturday. I slept in a bit, which was lovely -- and highly necessary, since I came back from a concert in Berkeley around 2am. I made my first acai bowl, which was delicious but soupy. Next time I'll put in way less liquid.

A photo posted by Katherine Goldman (@onehappykat_) on Mar 5, 2016 at 10:39am PST

February was my month for tidying, and I think it turned out really well! Having 4 entire days to devote to tidying was perfect. I got a lot done, and though I didn't finish tidying the house the way I wanted to, it was the perfect headstart. Tackling my clothes, books, and papers really got me on the right track! I'll tackle the miscellaneous stuff at another time, once I actually have the time.

Before:

A photo posted by Katherine Goldman (@onehappykat_) on Feb 16, 2016 at 12:23pm PST

Bottom: all the clothes I own. Definitely didn't realize just how much clothing I had!

The Closet

A photo posted by Katherine Goldman (@onehappykat_) on Feb 17, 2016 at 10:11am PST

I love my closet now. I forgot that I have many nicer blouses that I enjoy wearing, because they were squished in the middle of the closet. I had lots of dresses but didn't wear many of them, but now I've downsized to my favorites and am trying to wear them more often. (Hard to do when you are choreographing kids every day, but I'm trying when I can.) I put all my clothes on one side of the closet, nearest to my dresser, so I have a dedicated clothes corner in my room. The other side holds my bags and shoes, and I love the way it turned out. I can see everything and get to everything easily, since I have a lot of bags (and love them all).

The Other Clothes

A photo posted by Katherine Goldman (@onehappykat_) on Feb 16, 2016 at 6:38pm PST

Aren't the little clothes bundles adorable? :)

Donations...

A photo posted by Katherine Goldman (@onehappykat_) on Feb 16, 2016 at 4:29pm PST

Thirteen bags of donations!! And that's just in clothes, shoes, and bags!

Books

Part two of #Konmari week: #books! I'm a total #bookworm (pic #1: all the books I own). But I'd just gone through my books and purged a few I didn't want (pic #2). Turns out I didn't want way more than I realized... (Second set of book donations: pic #3). But now they all fit beautifully on 3 shelves, instead of needing 2 bookcases! #sparkjoy #konmarimethod #anyonewantbooks

A photo posted by Katherine Goldman (@onehappykat_) on Feb 18, 2016 at 3:38pm PST

This was funny. Top left: all the books I own. Middle left: I'd gone through a book purge before doing the Konmari week so I figured I wouldn't be getting rid of many more. I had just one box to donate. Bottom left: I was wrong... the books that didn't spark joy, and are going to the book buy-back store. Right: My bookshelf, looking so clean and lovely!

I didn't post Instagram photos of sorting through my paper: it wasn't super exciting, but it does feel good to have my papers all organized and in one place. I consolidated my files into one drawer of my file cabinet, instead of two, and my teaching paperwork is all organized and labeled in binders. 'm choosing to keep way more paperwork than Marie Kondo recommends -- but it's a system that works for me, and it felt good to organize it and get rid of duplicates!

I have more photos that I didn't put on Instagram, but maybe I'll get another post up with more details and photos. If that interests you, let me know!

Next time: an update on my March mission and some big, exciting news!

Month 1 Update

Today hasn't exactly been the best day ever. I woke up late and had a stressful morning, and a day full of tough classes. Lessons I've taught many times before weren't working and I couldn't find the energy to be creative and find solutions in the moment. You know. #teacherproblems

Tonight's the first night in about three weeks that I didn't have rehearsal, a show, or other obligations to attend, so I decided to hit up a Pilates class in San Jose. I've been trying out some Yoga/Pilates videos and classes recently -- I love how centered and calm after finishing a workout. Feeling truly present. I've tried a couple different YouTube videos, but I always feel like I get a better workout when I'm at a class in-person.

And WOOF! If I weren't in-person for this class, I wouldn't have made it through! The instructor was amazing: super upbeat and energetic, without being annoyingly peppy. The class was packed, and I can see why. We moved super fast and it was crazy hard, but I made it out alive! I'll definitely be sore tomorrow. Apologies in advance to anyone I interact with tomorrow, because my muscles MOVED.

Anyway. Moving on.

January Results:

My food-related goals for January were:

1. Meal plan every week: Did it! I definitely didn't follow the meal plan all the time, because when I cook I tend to make extras and keep them as leftovers, which I didn't account for in the meal plan. 
2. Spend less money on food each week: Not sure yet. But I'm getting better at buying off my grocery list and avoiding impulse buys. 
3. Cook more: Definitely did that. Not sure if I'm much better at it yet, but I did manage to make a couple of stir-frys without looking at a cookbook. I'm not an intuitive chef by any means, so that's an accomplishment.
4. Only go out to buy food when I'm with other people: I may have caved and bought myself a snack a couple of times, but for the most part I focused on packing myself meals & snacks every day. So I'll count it as a success!

My unofficial goals for January were:

1. Workout 3-4x a week: The first 3 weeks were successful. One I did 4 YouTube yoga/pilates videos, which ranged from 15-40 minutes. Another week I made it to the gym 4x for group fitness classes. Another week I did a bit of both. The last week was tech.... I focused on sleeping that week.
2. Try more yoga/pilates: I like how I feel after doing those types of workouts and focusing so much on the breath and being present. I used to HATE pilates, but I can feel my body getting stronger, and that's a pretty cool feeling! :)
3. Get a reasonable amount of sleep each night: HAH. That's funny.
4. Give myself plenty of time to prep for my classes/directing & choreo projects: I was doing really well at this! ....before I went into tech. Now I'm just trying to catch up and stay on top of the work. 

So overall, I feel pretty good about January. I find it easier to get more veggies & proteins when I prepare my food at home or plan ahead what I'm going to eat, which got me through tech week hell, and I feel calmer overall. So, now onto February! Another month, another focus:

February: the month of tidying

I'll be spending some time over the President's Week break tidying, eliminating, and clearing space in my home. I'm bizarrely excited to go through all my possessions and surround myself with things that spark joy. Though I definitely won't be following her strategy 100% -- there are some books that aren't going anywhere, nosiree. I also want to read her new book this month. 

My bonus focus for February is the Life With Intention Online class that Jess Lively of The Lively Show podcast is hosting this month. I LOVE her podcast and highly recommend it to anyone who wants some cheerful inspiration in their lives, and her class has been great so far. Lots of things to ponder about how I want to live my life and how to live my life with intention. Or, essentially, how to live my life in the present. It's less than a week in but I've already gotten some great takeaways, and am super excited to continue the course!

In other news, I've been delving into social media like Pinterest and Instagram, and still journaling away in my Passion Planner. Also still brainstorming ideas for March's monthly focus. Probably something either fitness or creativity focused.... Maybe a month of blog posts, or 30 days of exercise? Though I'll be in tech again for A Little Night Music.... Luckily, I have time to ponder.

Happy February!

2016: A Gift of a Year

Hello Internet.
(Actually, let's be realistic: hi Mom.)

I haven't blogged in almost a year. I certainly haven't blogged at all this year! (Har-dee-har.) But I'm feeling really excited about 2016, and the my potential for growth in the next 12 months. 

Every year, I pick a theme word to guide my choices. 2015 was "joy." 2014 was "balance." I don't remember what 2013 was, but it was something in the same vein: a broad word that can incorporate lots of different things. 

This year, I'm going for something a little more specific. I've noticed that oftentimes I feel like my mind is wandering. I'm not living in the moment. That's not exactly a recipe for happiness! As they say in the beautiful musical Daddy Long Legs,

The secret of happiness is living in the now

Living in the time it takes to blink, I think is how we're meant to be living.

So good. So true! My focus is going to be working on living in the moment to become a centered, present person. See, I love the way I feel after a yoga class:  I'm at peace with the world, little quibbles aren't life shattering, standing taller and feeling a little less stressed. I want that feeling to be how I live every day, not just the three times a year I make it to yoga. Ommmm......

So the real question is, how? New Years Resolutions usually don't work (I definitely forgot my Word of the Year in 2014 and 2015). I'm someone who loves the idea of starting a big project, but rarely follows through. If you're a Gretchin Rubin "Better Than Before" reader, I'm definitely an Obliger.  So I needed to find someone (or something) to kick my butt into gear and help me work on being present.

And I found it: a beautiful little black book full of motivation, passion, and pretty colors: 

The Passion Planner
I'm kind of obsessed. It's a planner, but also a journal, a goal-tracker, a scratch pad.... pretty much anything you could want. I used one in 2015 to schedule appointments, but this year is different. I'm writing down what I want to focus on each day and working on making my days manageable, realistic, productive and accomplished. Plus, I bought fun pens and some colorful washi paper to keep track of my appointments. They're so pretty! :)

Here's how the planner works. It begins with a Passion Roadmap: a "step by step guide to mapping out your goals."  Then it helps your break it down into smaller, manageable steps over time. Each month ends with a few pages of reflection, so you can process what worked and figure out ways to change what didn't work as well. As I filled out the Passion Roadmap, I realized that I wanted to make a change in how I'm living. 2015 was a stressful year, and it shouldn't have been! I want to be another version of myself, and I wasn't going to change that without some fundamental shifts in my lifestyle. 

Even though I want to make all those shifts at once, I know from experience that it won't stick. I can't multitask: I'm better if I focus on one thing at a time. In order to set myself up for success, I'm breaking things down into smaller, monthly chunks. Again, any Gretchin Rubin fans will recognize the month-by-month approach. But instead of a happiness project, it's a presence project. Each month I'm working on something different. I've already got the first two months, and I'm brainstorming ideas for the following ten. Here's what I got so far:

January: Food

Let's be real for a second. I don't exactly cook. I hate opening a hot oven for fear of getting burned, and I tend to over-cook any kind of meat I make. But in November, I bought the Simple Green Smoothies cookbook, and I'm obsessed. I've been making a green smoothie for breakfast almost every day. I love how easily I get some greens into my diet (especially since I kind of hate most veggies), and they're delicious! It's super easy too, which I love. I make 3 smoothies at a time, then store the extra 2 smoothies in adorable purple Mason jars, and it's an automatic breakfast that I don't have to think about! Easy!

So that got me thinking about my diet. How I don't cook much, and often end up eating snacks for dinner. In December I had many nights where I couldn't think of a proper meal to eat, so I just cobbled things together and hoped it was nutritious. It's not a sustainable lifestyle long-term, I know that much. So it's time to start making changes.

Part of the problem is I don't think in terms of meals. I think of individual things I like, then hope I can put things together in a nutritious way. But that doesn't work. I love automatic choices, versus on-the-spot decisions. I prefer it if the choice is already made so I don't have to waste energy thinking about options and worrying which is right. Routines, habits... I love 'em!

So I'm working on building routines with my food. I've made weekly meal plans and grocery shopped specifically to the list I needed. So when I went to the grocery store, I didn't worry about buying any extra snacks or frozen meals: I just shopped from the list. Easy! Routine! 

Confession.... I did buy extra stuff on today's grocery shopping list. It wasn't food though. It was soap, conditioner, and other little things that I forgot to write down but know I'm running low on.... -end confession-

Last week it went really great. I didn't always stick to the plan, but it was because I forgot that leftovers are a thing.... And they're even easier than making a chicken wrap. But I didn't buy any extra food all week, and managed to incorporate more protein and veggies into the week. This week is going well too, and I've set aside time Wednesday for an evening of cooking. I'm a slow cook: if it says it'll take 30 minutes to make a recipe, I'll probably take twice as long. Hopefully in time that will change!

As I go, I keep looking up recipes on Pinterest and working on my cooking skills. I love planning and organizing, so making the meal plan (while oddly stressful) is kind of fun.  The true test will be tech week: the week of late nights, long hours, and very little time to cook. But if I plan ahead and make some meals to freeze & go ahead of time, I could be okay. I just have to set aside time to do that. And then I'll also plan to eat some meals out, and budget that into the weekly plan. 

With January's focus, I'm going from the inside-out. I can't be present if I'm putting junk into my body. It's like running a car on a half-empty tank of goopy gas: it just won't work properly. I know from experience that I don't naturally think of how to eat healthily on my own. It takes a lot of work on my part, so I'm spending the month building up tools to help me eat smart over the next 12 months.

February: Organization

My mom (hi Mom!) has been pushing me to read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up for a while now, but I never got around to it: too busy! Other things had the priority! But the other night I started reading it, and got really excited to start a journey of tidying my home. I'm only two parts into the book but I'm already thinking about what stuff I can say good-bye and thank you for being part of my life to. The problem is that she highly suggests (and that's putting it super-mildly!!) that you start by discarding first, tidying second - all in one fells swoop.

Um.... Who has time to clean out their whole home at once?

Then I looked at my calendar. February 15-18th is President's Day Week, and is taken as a Winter Break here in the Bay Area. I've got rehearsal that week so I can't get away, but I'll have no work and a lot of time on my hands. So it's the perfect time to get discard and tidy! It sounds bizarre, but I'm actually super excited. Mostly because it's a month away, and I don't actually have to do it yet. But when I picture future-me, I see a Katherine living in a cute home that has space to breathe. I don't like having excess, yet I have a hard time getting rid of stuff. It's time to clear out some space on the outside, so I have space to focus on the inside.

AKA: working from the outside-in.

In the meantime...

I'm not just focusing on cooking and eating. I've had time to go to the gym and take a variety of classes (so far this year I've done BodyPump/CoreX 2x, Pilates, PiYo, and have BollyX, Yoga, and Pilates scheduled for the week). I'm prepping for my various directorial/choreography projects (because I do my best work when I give myself time to prepare). I'm spending time with my family & my boyfriend and working on connecting with faraway friends. I've been sampling a variety of inspiring podcasts (maybe the theme of another blog post!) and Pinterest. (I was never a Pinner before, but I've been loving it this year.) And of course, I'm brainstorming other monthly themes. I've got loads of ideas:

• exercise (maybe some kind of month-long challenge?)
• connection
• artistry
• finding my voice
• ....and many others

It's too soon to decide what my monthly-focus will be beyond February. I figure the right thing will come to me as I'm ready. But I'm not worrying about it -- that's two whole months away!

I want to live in the moment.

I'm ready to be present.

February Musings

1) How is it already February? It was January, like, yesterday.
2) Holy moley, we open Sunday in the Park with George in just over a week.
3) Holy moley, we tech this weekend. So. Many. Hours.
4) People are starting to talk about their next projects, which makes me kind of sad. We haven't even opened our show yet, and for once I'd love to stay in the moment of this show, just focus on this show. Granted, I also am overlapping projects a bit. But the intensity of the Lord of the Rings choir is much lighter than a traditional show, so I don't feel bad about overlapping. Regardless, I'd love to focus on what we have right here, right now. Worry about future projects later.
5) But on the other hand, I'm super excited to get back to auditioning again. There's a lot of cool projects happening in the area this next season, and I've got at least three auditions already scheduled. Good stuff is coming. I feel pretty good about it.
6) But for now, I'm working on memorizing my monologues and prepping audition material, getting prepared for the dance and drama classes that I'm teaching, and then spending some time getting actual relaxation time in. With books. And television. Because I watched 4 half-hour episodes of TV today, which I haven't done in forever, so it was pretty awesome.

When Worlds Collide....

There are some shows you go to see because your best friend is the lead, or because you know half the cast and would be throttled if you missed it. You know, it's (theatre) familial obligation.

There's other shows you see because they're good shows done by good companies, and you'd be a fool not to see it.

It's kind of weird (and kind of cool) when the two shows collide.

Goodbye '13, hello '14

Happy New Year everybody!

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to be done with 2013. Last year was a pretty crazy year - started off kind of rough, and it never let up. Let me take a few minutes to go over all the craziness that was 2013...

• Started with the 2-month adventure that was the Miss Nelson production/tour. It started off with almost a month straight of tour. It was fun to be away from home and to see so many parts of the West Coast, but the traveling time went way too long. And it was a stressful tour, with some challenging interpersonal dynamics, plus some personal drama that I didn't want to deal with.


• But absolute highlights were performing in Vegas, having an amazing day off in Portland, getting to see some friends who'd moved to the cities we toured to, and getting my first piece of fanmail! 

They love me! They really love me!

• After Miss Nelson, I had two more shows left on the contract: Charlotte's Web (playing my favorite role at CTC, the G-G-Goose) and Rumpelstiltskin (another long run and stressful tour). While maneuvering through these shows, I also had a big, fatty life choice: whether to stick to the full-time theater job, which had pretty much taken over my life, or to leave the security and begin a life as a freelance theater artist.

I played Fern & the Goose in this one. I've never had so much fun shaking my tail feathers!

 

• In May, I began my life as a freelance theater artist. I also went to Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the first time, which was beautiful and amazing. And I want to go back!
• I taught eleven straight weeks of summer camp, mostly entirely by myself. I choreographed a lot, worked with over two hundred kids, and definitely gained a lot of confidence as a teaching artist.
• I started rehearsals for Les Miserables, playing Cosette, a production that almost 300 people auditioned for. It was a wonderful reminder that I could play characters who are older than eight.
• Once the fall started, I got back on the joyful job train. I thought I got a job, then I didn't get a job, then I did get a job with the same company. I got another job at another company, teaching lots of different classes.
• I learned that preschoolers and glue sticks don't mix.
• I learned that Katherine doesn't mix well with tiny children with tiny arts supplies.
• I learned that I can teach little ones, and it can be fun, but I enjoy elementary school kids more.
• Les Miserables opened and closed. It was, without a doubt, the most significant theatrical experience I've had.

My name's Cosette. I think deep thoughts and sing high notes.

• The Monday after Les Miserables opened, I started rehearsals for Mame. It was a little too much, a little too fast. (And by a little... I mean a lot.) Sadly, I didn't get to enjoy the show as much because I was overwhelmed. The show was a success, and I got to play a real ditz - that was fun! Nothing like playing a dumb blonde -- err, bubble-head brunette.

The costume designer had fun with this mother-daughter combo!

•  And throughout the entire year, I was taking online classes through the local community college in Early Childhood Education. I did well in all of them, but I didn't love knowing that every week I had homework again...

Even though all year, I was doing the kinds of things that I enjoy, I was out of whack. Out of balance. I took on many things because I felt like I "was supposed" to, or "ought to." And while I think they were all worthwhile investments, it was just too much overall. I didn't enjoy myself as much as I wish I had.

And now I'm here, at the beginning of 2014, and I'm looking forward to making some changes. I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions, and they all always end up being broken anyhow, but I do have some goals in mind. Changes I want to make:

I want more balance in my life. This year it was all about shows and work. By the end of the year, I felt like I had 3 jobs, and essentially was working 14 hours a day - but only being paid for 6 of those hours. This year, I'm actually taking on more work, but I've taken out the work that I'm not excited about and adding jobs that genuinely excite me. *

1. I'm looking forward to having time to do things like work out, cook, and enjoy relaxing activities like watching TV or reading. There was not enough of any of that in 2013. By the end of it, there was hardly any cooking at all. (Thank goodness for leftovers and frozen meals!)
2. I'm taking shows that genuinely excite me. That might mean a few less shows, but that's alright. I'd rather be excited by the work than overwhelmed. Besides, 10 shows in 2 years is a lot. I'm ready for a breather.
3. I love my friends and I want to spend more time with them. 
4. I'd like to do things like write more, crochet more, practice my horrific piano skills... but if I don't do them, then that's OK too.
5. And now, for my favorite one: I want to wear tiny hats more often! Every time I do, I feel happy that I'm wearing a tiny hat. They're cute and silly and fun, and I like them. So I shall try to find excuses to wear tiny hats! Tiny hats for tiny people?

I'm also embarking on a year-long challenge, a la The Happiness Project or 31-Day Yoga challenges. I'm calling it

The 2014 Monologue Project

Monologues scare me, and I don't have enough available to use at auditions. I have bazillions of songs! But monologues? Not so much. So my goal is to learn one new monologue a month: 12 new pieces by the end of 2014. Classical, contemporary, comedic, dramatic, child-like, mature.... you name it, I want it. **

Hopefully I'll update this blog more often with progress on that project. But no promises... I'm sporadic enough with the updates already.

Overall, I'm looking forward to 2014. I think it's going to be a good one. Best wishes to you and for a wonderful new year.

 

* This does mean that at some point I'll be technically working for five companies simultaneously... But hush. That's an an anomaly. 

** Hopefully it goes without saying that if you have any recommendations for pieces I should look into, please go ahead and throw them out there!

Radio is Dumb

Apparently it's been almost a year since my last blog spot. Oops... Well, I hope the following story is worth the wait! (Spoiler alert: it's not.)

When driving to the theater for work this morning, I was turning onto Manet Drive and the song "Thrift Shop" started on the radio. Not my favorite song, but I was almost at work so I left it. Got to the theater, did 2 shows, drove home for lunch. Driving back to the theater, I was listening to the same radio station, and just as I was turning onto Manet Drive, guess which song popped up again.

It also started playing as I was driving on Manet Drive as I was heading home after this afternoon's rehearsal.

And then, when driving to meet a friend for dinner, I turned on the radio and guess what song was playing....

If you're about to guess "Thrift Shop," you're wrong. It was "Good Time." Another poppy song, which I like a teeny bit more than "Thrift Shop." I'm not crazy about it, but I gave it a listen anyway, and only changed the station after it went to commercial.

Very next station was ending some random, inconsequential song... and immediately went into "Good Time."

Moral of the story: next time, just listen to my iPod!

Play a little game with me....

Do you enjoy playing games? Then I have a game for you! But be warned - it's not a whole lot of fun, and you always lose. It's called...


The Comparison Game

I was having tea recently with a dear friend of mine, and we were both lamenting on how much we both hate the Comparison Game. The ironic thing is, we're both doing pretty darn well! She's got a full-time job ahead of her and lots of shows booked, and I have a full-time acting/teaching job beginning soon that'll keep me busy for the next 12 months. But we both admitted to playing The Comparison Game from time to time.

You can play The Comparison Game with anyone! I play it with my fellow recent USC grads, current students who seem to be taking way more interesting classes than I ever did, peers who've moved back to the Bay Area with me and are attacking the local theater scene with gusto... Anyone is eligible. All they need is to be doing something and talking about it. Or doing something and having other people talk about it. You know what they say... the theater is a small place. People talk. 


I think Facebook is partially to blame. Because although it's made it much easier for me to keep in touch with friends (half my social life is planned, thanks to the book of faces), it also makes it easy to "keep track" of other peers. I probably wasted at least an hour yesterday playing The Comparison Game. And I truly do mean wasted. Because I gained nothing out of it, except jealousy and slightly lower self-esteem. And Facebook is killer, because the people I play The Comparison Game to only post the good stuff - show photos, social outings, upcoming events... I'm guilty, I do it too! And it's great when you post the good stuff to celebrate it. When you post the good stuff to brag and show how much you're winning The Comparison Game, it's just annoying.


That's why I have to remind myself how lucky I am, to have the opportunities I've got and to have such a wonderful support system of family and friends who want the best for me. In fact, I was at Hairspray* the other day and talking to one of the cast members. I was telling him how fantastic he is (and he is, the whole show is great!!), and he insisted that it wasn't him... He was just blessed. And while I like to use different terminology, I definitely had to agree. All us actor-folk are lucky, with every opportunity we get. We have the chance to do something that brings so much joy and fulfillment... So few people get to do that, or even know how to do that. 


So today, while lamenting our shared playing of The Comparison Game, I had to remind myself how lucky I am... and that all people take different paths. In the theater world, it's not just about talent or work ethic. Some factors, like how your voice sounds or how long you've been auditioning or simply the fact that you look like you're twelve, are important. But so is dumb luck. 

Well, maybe not dumb luck... I think you have to make your own luck. That's been my goal as of late - making sure I do the right things that will open up doors later. But ultimately, our abilities to create luck (and work hard and be talented and look appropriate, etc) are what'll get us where we want to be. We all have our own paths - you hear that phrase so much when you graduate college that it gets seriously cliched, but it's true! This year alone I've met so many people doing so many things, and every person's gotten there in a different way. At Cal Shakes, people came from so many different backgrounds. My fellow actors in All Shook Up all had very different journeys, but were acting from a deep love of the theater. My friend from lunch today had gotten some auditions, didn't get others, but ultimately is extremely excited about where she's headed. 


And me? I'm stunned at how well things seem to be going. Not even a year ago, I was absolutely petrified about life post-graduation. I didn't know where I wanted to live, what I wanted to do, or how I was going to do it. But I forcefully dumb-lucked myself into a fantastic internship at Cal Shakes, where I learned a ton. From there I dumb-lucked myself into another (paid!) learning opportunity at another major theater company. And in the meantime I kept myself in the loop of local theater/educationy things, so that I eventually dumb-lucked myself into the job I'm beginning next month. And lots of auditions, which lead to a number of shows/readings/gigs. 

If I were trying to be schmaltzy and give a moral to this blog post, it would be this: you just gotta go with the flow and see where life takes you... But make sure to keep active, meeting people and working hard, so maybe you'll dumb-luck yourself into your next adventure.


But I'm not. So instead, I say this: don't play The Comparison Game. Even when you're winning (I feel like a winner in my own book!!), you'll still lose. Just focus on yourself and making things happen for you. And have fun! And be nice. And work hard. And maybe you'll dumb-luck yourself into something amazing, so that you'll be the winner in someone else's Comparison Game.**




*This is not me being braggy... But if you don't know, I'm working as a pit singer for Broadway By the Bay's Hairspray. Another fun opportunity that I dumb-lucked into!
**.... darn.... I ended up being schmaltzy after all.

Theater Community is Small

Today I had a lunch date with one of my favorite people after her rehearsal :). I was driving over to meet her when she texted me, letting me know that some of her castmates were going to join us. No problemo, except that I was slightly nervous about grabbing lunch with my one friend and a whole bunch of people I don't know.

I mean, getting to know new people! Yay! (I guess.)

Except I get there and see the five people there. My friend, obviously. A friend who I did theater with in high school. A girl who I've seen on auditions. And two others, both who turned out to be wonderful people!

Moral of the story: theater community is small. (No duh Katherine.)

2011 In Review

I don't tend to be terribly superstitious, but there are some things that I always do. I always say Break a Leg. Never say MacB's full name in a show. And I have this thing about odd-numbered years vs. even-numbered years. For some reason - maybe it's fate or maybe it's just by chance - odd-numbered years tend to go fairly well, while things go less well in even-numbered years. For example, in past even-numbered years, I've had family members pass away or major breakups, which, in a word, just sucked. By contrast, in many odd-numbered years I've gone on amazing trips or had great learning experiences.

2011 was an odd-numbered year, so for the most part it was pretty awesome. Here's a few highlights of the year...

• Graduated from college. Some might say this is good, others say it's not-so-good, but I say it was pretty exciting.
• Left college and went straight into an amazing internship at Cal Shakes, where I learned a lot. I felt like a major part of the theater company, was involved in making some amazing educational work happen, and met a lot of great people. I also started to learn what it means to be an adult - not just in responsibility, since I'd say I'm a fairly responsible, hard-working person in general - but in my relationships with other adults. Since I'm no longer merely a student, I shouldn't feel inferior to others based solely on age. Does that make sense? Basically, I'm learning it's OK to have friends who are adults. It's kind of a new concept for me.
• Went on an epic family trip to Europe. Spent a lot of time with the family, saw some beautiful cities, ate some delicious food, and had a wonderful time.
• Started auditioning a lot, and was fairly successful fairly quickly! I did a cabaret of new musical theater in San Francisco, which was a definite learning experience (not as hectic as Spider Baby was, but still a crazy adventure). I had to learn material quickly and on my own, but it was fun to be back onstage again. I auditioned a bunch for local musicals and actually got to turn some projects down. That was definitely a new experience for me, especially coming from USC, where I was frustrated at the lack of stage-time I was getting. But of the first 6 auditions, I was cast/called back/creating a new, good relationship for 5 of them. I think that's a pretty good place to be, 5 months out of college.
• Got a leading role at a local theater company, whose work I really respect! We have yet to start rehearsals, but come January, I'll be back in full-time rehearsal mode, which I miss. I haven't been in a show that rehearses regularly (as in, more than twice a week) for probably three years. Plus, my part's an awesome one: I'll be playing Natalie/Ed in Foothill Music Theatre's production of All Shook Up. It's a character! With motivations! And some really fun music!
• Laughed a lot. Fell back in love with reading. Started a significant workout routine and started working on general health and fitness.

 Here's hoping that 2012 breaks the curse of the crummy even-numbered years. It's going to get off on a good foot: got All Shook Up, teaching some classes with PYT, and will be taking a Voice/Speech class at ACT in San Francisco that I'm absolutely thrilled about.

Here's what else I hope will come my way in 2012:

• Find a day job that I enjoy and that doesn't murder me in the process
• Strengthen ties with my friends, and develop a greater social circle in the area
• Continue to work as an actor and musician
• Complete my goals for my health and fitness - maybe move on to some new goals, and curtail that never-ending sweet tooth in the process!
• Stay close with the people I love

To all you bloggy readers out there, I hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays, and hope that the curse of the even-numbered years passes you by! Here's to a fantastic 2012!

An Itty-Bitty Update

It's been a while since I've updated this thing... Oops. But there's lots of news to report, so let's get crackin'!

1) I've been cast in a show! It's a cabaret in San Francisco with the theater company Not Quite Opera, which focuses on developing and producing new musical theater. Round One is an evening of songs from new musicals, all composed by local Bay Area composers. There's music for all tastes: some songs are folksy and laid back, others are almost choral in their intricate harmonies and stunning textures. Others are almost Sondheim-esque in the words and thoughts. It's been challenging to learn all this new material, especially since we were cast about a month before the show itself, but I'm really enjoying it. The cast is top-notch and the music is so much fun to sing. It's a real pleasure to be able to make my Bay Area debut in this production!

Obviously this whole paragraph is also an advertisement, so if you're intrigued by this idea of seeing the show, tickets are available here. October 13th and 20th, 8pm, in San Francisco. Half-priced tickets are also available at Goldstar.com

2) I'm approaching my final two weeks at Cal Shakes, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I've been working here since the day I've graduated college - almost literally! (I graduated May 13th, drove from USC to Northern California the 14th, and had orientation on the 15th.) At this point most of my internship assignments are dealing with the student matinees that we produce. We've had one already, and four more are coming up the next two weeks. The show this past week was fun and ran smoothly, so hopefully the following shows will be so as well. *Knock on wood*

3) When I'm not interning (which is fairly often, considering I'm only interning 3 days a week nowadays), I'm working in Cal Shakes box office 5 days a week. It's another side of the theater that I've never done before, but I enjoy it a lot! I like the customer service, even despite the occasional cranky person. But it's satisfying to make someone's afternoon by getting them great tickets to the show, or have someone tell them that I was a pleasure to work with. And then I'm at the theater all the time, so I have a better idea of the goings-on, making new friends, and just feeling more in-tune with the Cal Shakes world. It's a good time.

Hard to believe it's almost over...

4) If you're at all local to the Bay Area, you need to see Cal Shakes' Taming of the Shrew. Seriously. It's amazing. Super modern, a surprising and thought-provoking interpretation, talented cast and incredibly accessible to even the Shakespeare-loathers (I know you're out there!). There's some Lady Gaga and Madonna and Kiss Me, Kate music in there too, which makes me happy. And dancing. And intense chemistry. And hilarious costumes. Hilarity in general.

Go ahead. Watch the trailer. You know you want to!



If my raving of the show has convinced you, then tickets can be bought here. And if you buy them and leave them at will-call, there's a chance I'll be there to say hello and give your your tickets! Probably not the main selling point of the show, but it's a fun little perk ;)

I realize now that this whole blog post is pretty much a giant advertisement... but at least they're for projects that are AWESOME and SERIOUSLY WORTH CHECKING OUT. I hate obnoxious spamming, so if I blog it here, it's because I deem it worthy. And I can be a tough critic, so trust me here. ;)

Okeydokey, that's all I got for now! Expect another blog post soon! (Though I will admit, my definition of "soon" may differ from your definition. Some might define "soon" as "within the next week." For me, it's more like "whenever I get some time to decompress and unwind from life's crazy adventures." Let's hope these definitions can merge into one relatively, well, SOON!)

Review: Top 5 Podcasts

If you know me, you might already know of my fondness—and possibly slight obsession—with podcasts. It all started when I was younger: during long car rides my sister and I pass the time creating our own radio station, Radio KATH, station 99.9. We’d take turns singing songs and having conversations, a la Ryan Seacrest, but with less celebrities. Sometimes I’d have my own special segments in which I was the only host-—no sister to butt in with her juvenile comments. We even had our own Radio KATH theme song. I still remember our fake-radio jingles.

So it’s no wonder that I enjoy podcasts so much these days. They’re FREE portable radio programs, minus the music—but considering most radio stations play the same 40 songs over and over again, missing the music doesn’t mean much. 95% of my driving time is spent listening to podcasts from my iPod. When I’m stuck in the car alone, driving to work or commuting from home, I listen to a podcast or two and it fills the time perfectly. I get engaged in the conversation, and suddenly I realize that it’s been 30 minutes and I’m already home. Being an auditory learner, I also find listening to these podcasts as a handy way to learn something new. I can retain the content I hear easier than with reading articles or books.

I’m currently subscribed to 20 podcasts feeds through iTunes, and have sample episodes from at least 10 other shows. I have 4 days worth of podcasts on my iPod. Yet I find that I tend to return to the same few podcasts over and over. Their content varies: some are news-based, others are about the arts, and many are based in pop culture or technology. But regardless of their stories, my favorite podcasts have the same few qualities: lively hosts with great chemistry, professional sound quality, and moderately clean content. (I say moderate, because some of these podcasts definitely have some R-rated content. But when there is strong language, it’s said with a laugh or in the heat of the moment. It’s not cussing for the sake of cussing nor is there anything sexually overt. Any explicit content is said with a laugh and with passion for the content. But for the most part, I like my audio to be clean and family friendly.)

Now that you know what I look for in a podcast, let’s take a gander at my Top 5 Favorite Podcasts. The shows I look forward to listening to, that I’m always excited to download new episodes, that I might even go back and re-listen to old episodes or archives. The best of the best.

1) The TV Talk Podcast with GMMR and Ducky
First things first: this podcast is HYSTERICAL. (All caps, that’s how seriously funny this show is!) Dan and Kath provide commentary on all things TV and pop culture, with a seriously funny bent. They watch tons of TV shows, everything from So You Think You Can Dance to True Blood to The Good Wife to Raising Hope. I don’t even watch half the shows they talk about, but they discuss the shows in such a way that you don’t need to know the show to enjoy the discussion. Sometimes their conversations are intelligent, and I’ve uncovered a lot about TV editing and directing from listening to this podcast. Sometimes they’re completely unintelligible, but it’s so hysterically funny that it doesn’t matter. This is my #1 favorite podcast, no doubt about it.

Unfortunately they don’t have a regular airing schedule, so new episodes may not come out for weeks at a time. But luckily they tend to run long (2+ hours isn’t uncommon for this podcast), so when you get an episode, there’s plenty to enjoy. But be warned—they definitely can have some mature content (nothing scandalous, more like hilariously accidentally raunchy), so this isn’t something for the whole family to listen to. Unless your family is older than 16 and ready to laugh at some outrageous content. A must listen! (Average runtime: really really long.)

2) Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
Wait Wait is a downloadable version of the popular NPR news quiz show. Every week Carl Castle and Peter Segal, along with a cast of rotating guest hosts, discuss the week’s news through clever quizzes and limericks. Half the fun is learning what’s going on in the world—I’m not super up-to-date in the world’s news, so Wait Wait is an easy-to-digest form of news in fun packaging. The other half is in the commentary and the hosts. Most of the hosts are comedians, so I constantly find myself laughing aloud at their comments on the week’s news. They’re always making fun of our government, so if you lean right, this podcast may not be the best choice. Otherwise, take a gander and laugh along with Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (Average runtime: 45 minutes.)

3) Mouth Off
Mouth Off is my go-to podcast for all things a cappella. Dave Brown and Christopher Diaz get together every week to discuss a cappella news, uncover great new a cappella tracks, and review albums. The sound quality on this podcast can be uneven, especially when they get super-enthusiastic and start screaming (which happens a lot), but their hilarious yet totally serious discussions about the art of vocal singing make it worth listening through the screeching microphones. It’s a great podcast for those currently immersed in the a cappella world, but it’s also great for those who aren’t currently singing. They’ve always got tons of clips to play and intelligent insight on the art form. The other downside is that this podcast gets expensive—not that you have to pay to download, no no no. Instead, you hear a bunch of great clips and suddenly go and spend way too much money on amazing a cappella tracks. It’s an addiction, I tell you! (Average runtime: 50 minutes.)

4) Miss Molly Bell’s Creative Habit
This podcast is a new one (only five episodes as of yet), but it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. Local Bay Area celebrity Molly Bell and her creative partner Daya Curley spend half an hour every other week discussing how to bring creativity to day-to-day life. At least, that’s what their show description says. They tend to go off on tangents (they spent two episodes discussing pretty much nothing but Zappos), but it’s always with intelligence and good intent. They’re a little bit snarky and sarcastic, which I find absolutely hilarious! And even though I’m not sure that they’re always talking about creative habits, I always finish up the podcast with something new to think about and explore.

One minor downside is that sometimes they talk a lot about their projects without giving context—for example, Molly mentions creative jobs with Netflix but doesn’t tell us what she does. This was a problem with the first few episodes, but it’s definitely getting better as they learn the art of podcasting. With this series it helps to know their projects and their work, but it isn’t necessary. Not to mention the insanely catchy theme song. I highly recommend the podcast and hope to hear many more episodes in the future! (Average runtime: 30 minutes.)

5) Mugglecast
If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, then you’ve probably visited Mugglenet.com at least once in your life. This podcast is an extension of the site, with bi-weekly (or so) episodes featuring Harry Potter news, book discussions, and occasional interviews and Harry Potter-themed games. I enjoy Harry Potter, but I don’t visit the fansites often or reread the books every year, so I find Mugglecast to be an easy way to stay updated in the Harry Potter community. The podcast has been around for years (currently on episode #238!), so they have the craft of podcasting down with perfection! The hosts vary week to week, but they’re always intelligent and clever. When I listen to Mugglecast, I feel like I’m listening to a bunch of friends talking and laughing over my generation’s biggest phenomenon. And that is exactly what Mugglecast is. (Average runtime: 1-1.5 hours.)


So what do you think of my favorite podcasts? Are you a podcast fan? What do you listen to? Are you inspired to listen to any of these now that I’ve professed my podcast geekdom? I’d love to hear what you think!


Podcast Links (iTunes):
The TV Talk Podcast with GMMR and Ducky
NPR's Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Mouth Off
Miss Molly Bell's Creative Habit
Mugglecast

Look Ma! I Have a Website!

The title of this post is actually a little bit ironic, because I actually did go "Hey Mom, I'm making a website. Check it out!"

That isn't a direct quotation, but it's pretty darn close.

Then she looked at it. And liked it! And you should do the same. =)

Click here.

More updates coming soon! I haven't blogged much recently, but I will. Things are starting to pile up and hopefully I'll have some exciting new posts soon!

Book Review: Commencement

Commencement, by J. Courtney Sullivan.
From Publisher's Weekly: It isn't quite love at first sight when Celia, Sally, Bree and April meet as first-year hall mates at Smith College in the late 1990s. Sally, whose mother has just died, is too steeped in grief to think about making new friends, and April's radical politics rub against Celia and Bree's more conventional leanings. But as the girls try out their first days of independence together, the group forms an intense bond that grows stronger throughout their college years and is put to the test after graduation. Even as the young women try to support each other through the trials of their early twenties, various milestones—Sally's engagement, Bree's anomalous girlfriend, April's activist career—only seem to breed disagreement. Things come to a head the night before Sally's wedding, when an argument leaves the friends seething and silent; but before long, the women begin to suspect that life without one another might be harder than they thought. Sullivan's novel quickly endears the reader to her cast, though the book never achieves the heft Sullivan seems to be striving for.

Confession time: I tend to be pretty picky with my chick flicks/chick lit selections, because oftentimes I find them too wimpy. If I'm going to invest time in a movie/novel, I don't want to feel my intelligence insulted. I want to go on adventures with characters that are strong and interesting. And while I enjoy goofy girly-adventures, I don't want to laugh at their expense: I want to be laughing with them, not at them.

When I first heard about Commencement, I heard it was a grown-up beach read. A mature chick-lit novel. A mature, good chick-lit novel. I was intrigued, especially since it covers the stories of women who are in college (like me! Well, not anymore... One Happy Kat's officially One-Excited/Terrified-Trojan-Alumna-Kat, lol!), but didn't get around to reading it until I found it for sale on the Amazon Kindle store ($3.99! Yay sales!!), enjoyed the sample, and bought the book. Let me tell you--it was a $3.99 well spent.

The women in Commencement are strong and independent. It's the story of a sisterhood. In a way, it kind of reminded me of a grown-up version of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants story, but with more mature drama. (Side note: after reading this, I want to read Sisterhood Everlasting--the finale of the Traveling Pants series). The four women are all distinct, with unique stories and points of view. They fight, they laugh, they change. The book's set partially at Smith College, and it was amusing to re-live some of the college experience through the book. Not that USC's anything like Smith, but it was still a hoot! For the most part, there isn't one central plot that the book centers around. Instead it tells stories of all four women, and how their stories intersect. Sometimes that format is distracting, but the structure of Commencement was really well done.

I'm not doing a good job of explaining how much I enjoyed this book, but let's put it this way: I finished it in 3 busy days, refusing to read anything else. The book was well-written and completely engrossing. The characters were interesting and honest. They weren't perfect, but I understood why they made the choices they did. I felt like I was part of this circle of friends and I cared about all four of them, even when they did things that drove me crazy!

My only quibble is the third-person voice used to write the book. Sometimes I got confused as to which character was talking. She covers all four women in rotating POVs, always in a third-voice tone, and the characters sometimes got muddled. If I think about it, I remember exactly what makes Bree, Sally, and Celia distinct. But their distinctions weren't always apparent in the writing of the chapters. April was the exception, being the iconic liberal of the book. She was always distinct. The other women--sometimes, not so much. But this minor quibble really didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book! Like I said, I really enjoyed it!

Also, one last confession: one of the twists? I kind of called it. Or rather, I thought it might happen, then didn't, then might...? Not going to tell you what the twist was or when it was, because I don't want to spoil it for you, but talk to me if you read it and I'll tell you which one I figured out.

Final grade: A-

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday. (Well, technically it was yesterday. It ended 50 short minutes ago.) For the longest time, I believed that birthdays were supposed to be the best day of the year. A holiday that's all about YOU. Everything's supposed to go perfectly, you get everything you want, and you fall asleep feeling older, smarter, and happier.

Clearly, over the last 22(!) years, I've learned some things. Mainly, not to have such insanely high expectations. I figured it'd be essentially a normal day, with some fun stuff thrown in (seeing Billy Elliot in San Francisco! And bringing some ice cream in for lunch :D). I hoped a few people might see me in the hall and wish me a happy birthday, but didn't expect a cake or anything like that. It's not that I had low expectations--that implies that I assumed the worst. Instead, I tried to have no expectations at all.

As a result, I ended up having a really pleasant day! Not fantastic, but not terrible either. Work was good, as normal, and I got to leave early because we ran out of things to do. I was pleasantly surprised to get oodles of Happy Birthdays on Facebook--80 people! It's a silly thing, Facebook-Happy-Birthdays, but it made me happy nonetheless. Had a surprisingly delicious dinner with the family: pad see ew from a food court Thai place! If you're going to eat a cheap, quick meal, head downstairs in the San Francisco Westfield Shopping Center. Lots of interesting, non-traditional options. Even had some yummy chocolate chip cookies from Mrs. Fields, which might be one of my favorite cookie-shops ever. And then Billy Elliot in San Francisco, which was a lot of fun. Darker than I expected--not as happy and joyful as my favorite Broadway musicals, but enjoyable all the same. And a few presents too: lots of pretty new clothes to wear! Which is good, because I've got to do some laundry soon.

But now, I give a few online presents to YOU, dear e-readers. First, a blog post that I wrote for my internship at Cal Shakes. I'm interning in their Professional Immersion Program--it's an awesome, intensive internship, far more engrossing than ones I've done before. I'm there everyday and get to experience many of the different aspects of running theatre. I'm working as an Education Management intern, so I'm focused on the educational programs in particular. But enough of that here, go read the actual blog post online:

Dancing Doors and Gossiping Trees at Two Week Summer Shakespeare Conservatory

Next, a few videos to enjoy. They're from my final performances in my musical theatre workshop class. It was the end of my 4th semester with the professor, and the seniors were instructed to create an "audition showcase." It was comprised of 4 songs, each about a minute long, perfected for upcoming auditions. I've yet to use any of these in auditions, but I imagine I will soon. The first video is the full showcase, the second is an extended version of one of the numbers.






Enjoy.

Beginning of the End

I suppose technically, the beginning of the end was the beginning of this semester, but for the sake of having a fun title of the blog post, we'll keep it. Anyway, this has been an amazing week. I graduate in 10 days (!!!) so my goal is to fit in as much fun and friends before I leave Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. So here's a mini-break down of the last few days.

Thursday:
Last day of real classes. They went well, weren't anything special--mostly just finishing up the material before it's too late. The evening was going to be laid-back and boring, but I ended up hanging up with a bunch of KP members for a few hours which was a blast. I don't see them enough anymore!!

Friday:
Last actual day of class! My Theatre for Youth class went into a 7th grade classroom and practiced teaching theatre games to them. It was seriously challenging to get them to engage, and it was fascinating to see a LAUSD classroom, notoriously low-performing, in person. I think I did alright with my activity--it seemed to wake them up a bit. After the classroom visit I came back home and took a long nap: three or four hours!! I was super tired, so I needed it! Then I went to Culver City and met with a friend that I met at CAP21. We went out for dinner at Rush Street. I got steak, which I never order, and it was delicious! Then we went to a wine bar and I finally found a wine I like! I've been 21 for almost a year (woah... that's weird) and finally found one I'm happy to drink. It doesn't taste like wine--tastes like soda. That's why I like it! ;) It was great to catch up with her and I had a blast.

Saturday:
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was at USC this year, so I walked over to the gigantic book fair and wandered for few hours. I got a t-shirt that says "Write On" with the USC Fight On hand, and a "translation" of Romeo and Juliet geared to middle-school students. That evening was the TSA Awards (TSA=Theatre Students Association), an awards ceremony for all the shows done this year. I wore a pretty dress =) After I got dessert with a friend and we hung out a few hours, which was great. So good to catch up with my favorite friends!

Sunday:
DISNEYLAND DASH!! Basically, it was a massive scavenger hunt (Amazing Race-style), put on by a couple of USC students. My team didn't do very well but it was so much fun!! Definitely was experiencing Disneyland in a whole new way. And it was great to meet a couple of new people. SO much fun! I'd explain it in further detail, but it deserves its own post. So ask me about it if you're curious! After the dash itself, a few of us grabbed dinner at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney, which was quite yummy. Got back around 11pm. I'd originally planned on going to Drom (Drama-Prom), the biggest theatre party of the semester, but I was beyond exhausted so I just went to bed.

Monday:
Errands day. Not quite as fun, but productive at least. Got a bunch of errands done. Then I went to see a bunch of USC students in a Diversity Showcase. A showcase is a presentation of scenes and monologues performed for agents, managers, casting directors, and other industry professionals to showcase the actors' talent. I went to see their dress rehearsal, a Friends and Family performance. It was interesting to see what my friends could do outside of class or individual shows. Their actual showcase performance was tonight and I'm hoping things pan out for them! After the showcase I came home and watched TV. I watched The Voice on NBC, and I really liked it!! I love the coaches and appreciated the fact that they're showcasing singers, not just individual drama. I'm hoping it'll continue to be good.

Tuesday:
Got up and saw the Dalai Lama speak at USC! It was hard to hear because of terrible acoustics, which was frustrating, but it was really cool to see him in person and watch him talk. Plus, he was wearing a USC baseball cap (which matched his robes perfectly), which made it just that much better. There were a few things I could hear him say that I remember, which I really appreciated:

Kindness is my religion.
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad.

After hearing him speak, I went to another of my friend's apartment and had yummy lunch with him and a few of his friends. Watched a lot of TV and vegged out. It's been insanely warm these last few days, and I just didn't have the energy to do much more. In fact, when I got back home I ended up taking a two hour nap. After that I got up, ate some dinner and went to visit a couple of my Spider Baby ladies. I wanted to make sure I saw them before moving out, and it was really nice to just hang out and chat. I got back an hour ago. Now it's midnight. I could either go to bed, like a normal human being would, watch tonight's episode of The Voice or Glee, or read a while. I'm pretty tired, but I'm also really bad at just forcing myself to go to bed, so it's equally likely for any of those three to happen.

Tomorrow I have to actually start studying. I keep forgetting that I'm not actually done with school--I still need to pass my finals!! I have one on Thursday that I'm feeling pretty decent about, but I still need to review before I take that final. I also should start packing, see if I need more boxes or space. And I still want to fit in more meeting-up with friends and fun stuff like that. I need to fit in a good number of good-byes. I hate saying good-bye... So I say "bye for now."

And now I say it to you: bye for now, bloggiereader!

Amazing Weekend

This'll be a short post, because I still have things to do tonight before sleeping, but I just wanted to write about the awesome-ness that has been my weekend.

Yesterday: slept in, yummy home-made meals, delightful reading in the perfect weather at Griffith Park. You know that already. But then last night, I spent from 7pm until midnight working on a digital album from a trip I took to Europe in 2006. Yes, it took me 5 years to finish it, but it's DONE! It feels so good to have everything typed up (I typed up my journal from the trip, and sometimes I get really wordy!) and all the pictures in place. LOL I forgot where some of those pictures were taken, or I didn't have copies of the places anymore, so for some of the pictures I found images from the internet and just put them in. They're sights I remember seeing, so it's only cheating a little! But it feels SO GOOD to be done with it! Then some chatting with the roomies and a little more reading before sleep.

Today, I slept in again =) and then had lunch/finished watching Avatar: The Last Airbender with a few of my friends. We started watching it a week before spring break but didn't get through to the finale until just today. But it was satisfying and an excellent way to see the whole series. Lots of fun! Then I came home, ordered myself a copy of my beautiful Europe photo album, and then went over for a Passover sedar with the Los Angeles contingent of my family. It was also a lot of fun to see them all again--I don't give myself enough time to spend with my family. Lots of good laughs and happy times. And yummy food, much of which came home with me! =)

So the weekend was the perfect combination of alone time and social time, family and friends, fun and productivity. Technically speaking this weekend was nothing special... but that's why I liked it.

Simple Things

It's so easy to get caught up in the insanity that is life. In my case, it's the craziness that is classes, trying to figure out opportunities post-graduation (less than a month away!!!), various class activities and rehearsals, making time to hang with friends... It's a lot, and I don't mind it, but it's just too easy to get caught up in it all.

So today I didn't let myself. I didn't set an alarm clock and woke up at noon feeling seriously refreshed. Read for a couple hours, then made some lunch. I went grocery shopping yesterday so I actually have food to eat! Hooray!! Watched a little TV, then drove to Griffith Park with juice/Pringles in one hand and a big stack of books in the other. And it was just beautiful.

The sun was shining and it was late enough in the day that it wasn't incredibly hot, but just warm enough, especially when coupled with a gentle breeze in the shady tree. I found a hill to sit on and used my book bag as a pillow, with just the right angle for reading. I finished one book that my roommate lent me (wasn't crazy about it, but I was determined to finish it!), read a little bit of the library book I borrowed yesterday (it's all in emails, which I love. The epistolary novels are always favorites of mine), and continued reading on a Kindle book. Unfortunately with that one, somehow the e-reader had gotten to the end of the book. So it looked like I was almost done with it, while in fact I wasn't even half-way through it. It took me a couple of chapters of reading to notice what had happened. Oops! But I went back and found my old spot. Sometimes technology likes to mess with me. =)

And now I'm home again. Going to continue my relaxing day with some dinner, maybe a Netflix movie or more TV, and probably continue to read. A nice, quiet break from the craziness that life has been lately.

Stage Managing

It's been a while since I've been in the rehearsal hall. For Spider Baby, sure, but once we opened mid-October we stopped rehearsing. And I've had rehearsals for choirs and for class scenes, but those don't feel the same as rehearsal for a musical or a play.

So I decided to offer to stage manage Take Back the Night at USC. TBTN is an organization dedicated to bring awareness to and hopefully end sexual violence, and the play I'm stage managing is a series of short scenes examining these sorts of situations. It's not a happy topic, but it's an important one, so I'm glad to be there working on the show.

It's definitely an interesting experience, being on the other side of the table. I've done it before--ASM'd and assistant directed various shows and I've been at a ton of auditions for a cappella--but this one's a little different. I don't have a ton of things to do because we aren't in an actual theatre--more like a classroom. So for the performances, I run the lights, which are a little wonky because we don't have the ability to just light up the stage. So the audience will be lit all throughout the show. That's OK, they can read their programs and see all the little names... I guess. I find it annoying, but there are limits to what we're able to do and we don't have the time/resources to make other drastic choices.

During the runthrough today, since we weren't even in the actual space, I led warm-ups (I think they thought I was crazy because I was having them do random dance moves... but that's OK. I am crazy!) and then yelled out "blackout" or "lights up" in-between the scenes. I also ran half of the fight call, which is fine and dandy except for the fact that I have no experience in stage combat. Other than the Spider Baby fighting, which took forever to learn. So for the rest of rehearsal I worked on cover letters and resumes. I actually got a lot done, which is good. I'm just ready to be done with it all.

Too bad that probably won't happen anytime soon, unless I miraculously get a dream job out of nowhere. Or even just a job out of nowhere. On the plus side, the show ends this weekend and I'll have a little more free time to relax. Not that I want the show to be over--I'm enjoying being in the creative space, even if I'm not being so creative myself--but I've been super busy these last few weeks and it's a little overwhelming. Honestly, once I get through this weekend I should be OK. It's just getting through to the weekend that's the hard part. Wish me luck!

Friday, Friday...

How is it Friday already? This week has just flown by. You'd think the week after spring break would drag endlessly, but I just got back in the crazy swing of things and BOOM already am at the end of the week, with a ton of work to do and a very full weekend ahead of me.

Just for kicks, here's a schedule of the week I've had:

Monday:
-1st Recital Choir rehearsal
-Catching up on sleep!! Hello jet lag!

Tuesday:
-4 classes
-Lots of networking and making plans

Wednesday:
-One class
-Met with an acting professor to discuss life post-graduation
-Voice lesson
-Saw Beauty and the Beast at the Pantages!
-Took TWO HOURS to drive from USC to the Pantages... LA drivers just can't handle rain.

Thursday:
-Interviewed someone for HerCampus
-Four classes
-One midterm
-Rehearsal for class
-Rehearsal for a show I'm working on

Friday:
-Class/rehearsal
-JEP teaching
-2nd recital choir rehearsal
-Recording music for film I'm working on
-Seeing Much Ado About Nothing at USC

Saturday:
-JEP Training
-Building props and stuff for my Theatre for Youth class/show

Sunday:
-Filming
-An audition

Ok, so listed out, that doesn't sound too terrible. But if I were to list out the timetables and the hours I spent at each various thing... It'd just be a completely different story.