Get the picture?

Tonight I saw a production of Charles Mee's "Big Love." This is a play that is assigned in my American Theatre class but I haven't read it yet. I think I would rather see a production of a show before reading it - to create some mental picture or frame of reference. I guess that's why I read the book version of Back to the Future III over ten times when I was in the sixth grade. And that's just another reason I'm a super nerd.


PS - the play was very good.

Tuesday people...

I'm normally a Tuesday person. It's a great day for lunches. But today didn't really feel like a Tuesday, so it's okay that I didn't feel super accomplished today.

The long weekend was spent out at Camp Namanu at Family Camp. Despite the never ending rain - it really was a great time. I lead a card making class and took all my stamps. The ladies loved the stamps. Two hours flew by and then I was on to running the camp store and then skit night. OOOHHHGGG SKITS...uh...yeah. The next morning I was the driver up to our high ropes course and had a great time coaching (and having no real clue what I was talking about) couples on our High V element. Harnesses are involved. It's a pretty good time - even in the rain. More camp store - and then our closing council fire. I sure love fire. Burning things is great. On Monday we began cleaning up - and then paused for some races on the duck pond. The adult in the boat was blindfolded and the child in the boat was to shout directions. Several families did really well. Some did not. And then the sun finally came out. Just in time to mop the dining hall floor. Which was actually fun. No kidding! OH...and did I mention the BINGO!?!? Remind me to tell you about it if I talk to you. BINGO...oh yes.

Today was early, as I was picking Mom up at the airport at 7:30a.m. and then to meetings and classes. But now I'm in my pajamas - and I'm sleepy. Feeling good - but feeling that there are many miles to go before I can really relax. MUCHO.

Overdue...

I haven't blogged in quite a while - but I guess that's because I haven't had too much that's new going on. Still working with the Camp Fire kids and I went out and taught some camp songs a few weeks ago. That was really fun - much better than sitting in an office!

Schools is really fun this quarter. I'm loving my American Drama class. I wish it were a full year long series. I'm also a director in our New Play Workshop. This means that I was directing staged readings of two short plays. I was also a director for a short play written by a young lady that was 14 years old. Our class is the "performance arm" of the Afield Playwrighting Project. The Afield plays are written by troubled young people and then the scripts come to our class and we performed them. All ten plays from this year's group were performed last week during our class on Thursday and on Friday evening. Oh my, were these plays full of great lines! Such as:

"I'd say you could come and visit me in space, but there isn't enough space in space!"

"But! I was planning to have a plan with you!"

"If you don't help me, I"m gonna suicide. I'm gonna suicide right here."

"I need your money so that I can have a place of my own and be free to be a vegetarian"

"Look, dude. You know how we've been friends and stuff."

I fully believe that all the actors should get medals for getting up and seriously saying the words these young playwrights wrote. And the playwrights did get to come and take a bow at the end of their play. It seemed like this was the first time anything these kids have done has gotten any kind of applause.

One of my other "classes" is an internship with the Every 15 minutes film shoot in Pasadena, California. My Aunt is the producer and with a few pieces of paperwork, I'm getting credit for being here in balmy SoCal. Right now it's a quiet morning and I'm watching the squirrels try to bust into the bird feeder. The new stream/pond that my aunts had installed is amazing. It's so relaxing and beautiful. I'm really excited for them.

The film shoot is tomorrow morning, and then Friday morning I am back in Portland with just enough time to change clothes and drive out to Camp Namanu for an overnight with 200 kids from our after school program. I'm the nurse for the weekend...

If you have to ask...

So, the Entertainment Weekly website has a headline which reads: "Lost": Does it suck or does it rock? And I don't watch "Lost" so I can't answer the question. But I do know this: If you have to ask the question, the answer is usually the latter. Because in the world, rare are the times that you don't realize if something is awesome. Now, we might not know just HOW awesome it is, but we have a sure understanding that it certainly doesn't suck.

One thing I know that doesn't suck is birthdays, and today was my Aunt Karen's birthday. I sure hope she had a good one!

Too good to be NOT true...

There is a contestant on the Price is Right today and her name is Cletus. She's from Texas. Of course she is. In the future I think we will be chart the decline of humanity by watching the Price is Right contestants and how trashy they have become. Plus...how would I know the price of a carousel crib? It's so ugly.

May I recommend...?

So I got my new flipflops for the summer - and I love them. Do get yourself a pair of Croc Athens shoes. The memory foam is so comfy - and there are no pressure points to cause blisters. Get some...get some now.

Sunny morning!

I am sure enjoying the morning. So sunny and bright. It's quite a busy week coming up with dinners with friends and school and work and laundry and cleaning and...blah...it means I'll be busy and getting things done. Spring might be here for reals.

Little Peter Cottontail, Coming down the bunny trail...

Today was Easter Sunday. So nice to have a day where the only thing to do is go to church. I have missed just being at home and puttering. Grandma needed a simple weekend - and she got it.

The Tax Man Cometh...

So - I've had "Do Taxes" on my perpetual "To-Do List" for three months now...but I only got around to doing them this morning. Thank heaven for online filing - and having ZERO income outside of my special little part time job with CampFire. Oh...butcept that I had to stick to my Grandma roots and print the forms and mail them in. I'm not sure why I did that, but at least H&R Block did all the really hard work and all I had to do was print. And sign. And put a stamp on an envelope. I'm EXHAUSTED!

Such a dense time!

I'm amazed that it's only been 10 days since being sick and driving home from the Mountain West. Our family has moved and we're still getting settled in. It may still be a few days before it really feels like we live there.

But my new favorite thing is my rounded shower curtain rod. I love it. It's so great. If you have the means (and the need) I highly reccomend picking one up.

I killed you ten minutes ago...

So I'm home again and for the first time in over 48 hours I'm not feeling nauseous. A sad ending to a very great trip to visit the Malley's with Seth, Reyna, and I getting food poisoning. We're blaming the srimps. So sad. But quite frankly, I have a new found respect for the Malleys as they still hosted a delightful birthday party for their son, Bennett - even after barfing all morning. I am still impressed.

Our bodies sure are amazing...if something isn't supposed to be in it...it sure makes sure that the toxin is removed by any means or hatch it has.

But it was a great time other than that...and my aunt and uncle let me stay at their house while they were away. It was so nice to be able to rest in a quiet bed and sip Sprite. I drove home today from Boise without stopping once. I'm not sure if I'm proud of that or worried. Jury is still out.

Silver Lining

Yesterday was the funeral for my paternal grandfather, Logan. Those of you following along will remember that his wife, Carmen passed away just two months ago. Now they are together again.

With the last funeral, I was unable to attend. My parents came down to California and was able to celebrate Grandma's life. With this latest death my folks were unable to attend and so I flew down to be with my aunts and help in any way I could to get the funeral ready.

This was my first time attending and participating in an Episcopal service. My uncle Nathan is an amazing concert organist and so he played the voluntary and recessional - which was a very moving experience. The whole service is scripted and the audience can read along and has parts, too. The Reverend Zelda did a really lovely job and is a very classy lady.

The best part of the bad situation was that I got to be with members of my family that I don't get to see very often.

Realized

I have finally come to grips with the fact that I like Anime. Always have. This past week I watched Howl's Moving Castle which I really enjoyed. The story was great and creative and the animation was beautiful. And, seriously, a real piece of crack smoking genius. Prior to this I'd enjoyed Spirited Away...who doesn't love a radish spirit? But this love of Anime goes way back. To the very early days of Nickelodeon. When they showed The Little Prince and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. I never minded the fact that the mouths moved and no words were coming out. I always loved the emotion conveyed by Anime characters. When they were mad - boy howdy, were they MAD.

But mostly I loved that when someone in a dress ran or twirled, their skirt looked just perfect. Flowing and billowing just like it should.

Having lived to tell the tale...

Two more papers to write and one final exam. And then it's Spring Break BABY! But of course that means I've got an ear infection. What else could it mean? Good news is I've started my meds and should be fully recovered by next week. I've been watching Harry Potter 4 nonstop for the last week. I think I have an addiction.

Time to get ready for the last day of class - YEE-HAW!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to Ken Craig! And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cramping hands

So - it's the last week of the quarter, which means I've got write all those papers and responses I've been putting off. My list of twelve papers to write is now down to just six and will be down to four by the end of the night. I still have four plays to read as well. But I'm sure sick of typing. I may need to take a Thin Mint Cookie Ice Cream break.

Snow Day

So, yeah. Spring is allegedly 10 days away and yet, yes...we have three inches of snow here in Portland. It snowed through the night and pretty hard all morning. I was supposed to have a meeting on campus at 10am but the traffic was crap - and a snow day must be honored - so I cancelled the meeting, sent my assignment to my professor and begged out of class this afternoon. Thursday is my normal "day off" from CampFire, so I've been getting a lot done. And in my pajamas no less! HOO-RAY!

Sitting in the back...

So, apparently I'm one of the kids who sits in the back of class. I kind of like it - as I can still surf the internet and check e-mail while still looking like I'm interested and taking notes, when really..I'm playing mahjohnng.

School continues to go well - but on a Friday morning it is hard to be focused. Especially since I'm starting to think about all the other things I need to do or could be doing outside of sitting in class.

It's very hard to believe that it's been a week since so much of our extended family was here with us. Time, she sure do fly.

Luxury

The Dosha Spa is my new favorite place on Earth. Yesterday I got a massage with my Spa Buddy. But this wasn't just a "get on the table, get rubbed, get out" kind of deal. We walked in - the door was opened for us by a staff member - and checked in. We then were offered tea or water and were then escorted upstairs. The Spa Host welcomed us and walked us around, helping us orient ourselves to the glorious surroundings.

We each got a lovely changing room, with a fluffy robe and spa shoes to wear during our stay. In the changing room is also a shower with lovely Aveda products to enjoy (as well as hair products and tools, but I'm getting ahead of myself). Once in our robes we sat and visited for a few minutes - very soothing and relaxing. Then we met our massage therapists - Stephanie was lovely. Nice soothing voice and amazing power in her hands. After selecting a scent for the face rest (jasmine) we were into the rubbing. I had no idea I hurt so bad. YIKES. I'm going to need to visit Stephanie much more often. Pity.

After the massage was over, I enjoyed the shower and hair products and an amazing hair dryer. I also enjoyed the fact that I could turn up the soothing music in my dressing room so that I could hear it whilst I showered. I need that feature in more aspects of my life.

Once redressed and relaxed, the Spa Host got us more water and took us back downstairs. I have to say I was very sad to leave. Good thing my Spa Buddy and I will be back in six weeks. It's always nice to have something to look forward to.

I could have danced all night...

This past Saturday I hosted a 30th wedding anniversary party for my parents. I rented a hall from the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation department called the River House and we decorated in white, sage green, and light pink. Flowers on every table as well as many pictures of the honored couple on display. Geoffrey created a CD of the special songs of Mom and Dad as a party favor.
The day actually went very smoothly - with only the picking up of flowers and cakes as final duties (hee, hee...duties). Oh, and coming up with some sort of guest book, as Mom let me know the night before the party that she wanted some sort of book or way to log attendance. So we had all the guests sign the mat of a picture of Mom and Dad. I think it turned out wonderfully!
We had over eighty guests arrive and wish well and eat and enjoy. I had a great time mixing and mingling. This did cut into my focused chatting time, but what can you do as a hostess?
We had cards of trivia about the couple and as a group shouted out answers and had Mom and Dad give the real answers - it was kind of like the Match Game, but with out Boobs or Mother-in-Law as any of the answers.
I was so relieved to reach 10:00 p.m. and have everything done and the whole party having gone off without a hitch. I got so many compliments on the decorations, food, punch, cake, music, the hall...it was so gratifying to know that all that work was SO worth it!

Rocket Boosters to POWER

A long weekend lay ahead...well, not really as I have to go to class on Monday morning - but then I'm free for the rest of the day.

I'm in final preparations for my parents wedding anniversary party and to have family visiting from out of town. So far the list is pretty long of things to do and accomplish this weekend but there are five categories in which all the tasks are designated. What I'm sayin is: there's TONS to be done this weekend. And I think I can do it. Me and this guy...