The first snow

I woke up to the foriegn sound of a snow plow this morning.  My friend Stef sent me a text message telling me to look out my window. Snow! Snow? Snow……

About a half foot of white fluff. So lovely looking, decorating the branches of the trees along the bluff. Piled upon the street lamps. Rooftops blanketed with pure and pristine snow.

I pulled on my new boots. Topped my curly mop with my new rabbit fur Russian hat.

I was tentative as kitten as I descended the first few steps…as you can see by the puzzled look on my face in the photo above. I had conflicting desires to romp about in it…or to scuttle back inside defeated.

I played in snow as a kid…..way up in the California coastal mountains….but this is midwest snow. Earnest snow. Snow that’s gonna stick around….maybe for as long as 145 days (that happened last year, it snowed on Dec. 1st, and didn’t go away for months).

I have to admit that there is something quite festive about the chill in the air and the snow on the ground. I used to have a low tolerance for ‘Christmasness’ when it came on too strong and too soon. But I’m surprised that I’m actually already in the holiday mood. Granted, I am performing ‘The Christmas Carol’ seven times a week….but I’ve actually been listening to the soundtrack of ‘Charlie Brown’s Christmas’ on my own….and a bunch of us are getting together tonight to watch ‘Elf’. Next week is the annual cookie decorating party at the Cottage House. Christmas has come way way way early….and I don’t really mind.

 

More snow on the forecast.

Elphie and Nugget come along to Wisconsin!

Stef’s girls came along on the trip to Madison. Nugget didn’t much care for the car ride, but now they are happily sunning themselves at Dell & Kay’s house.  

No coat. Yet.

Drat. My coat arrived, but alas, it is much too large. I’m in Madison Wisconsin with friends for the Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully, I will find and fall in love with the toastiest coat on State Street. Wish me winter luck. 

xoxo

Sub-zero hero.

Should arrive tomorrow! Not a day too soon. (Nine degrees this morning?!)

Product Description
An essential piece of gear for cold weather backcountry expeditions, the Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Parka for women is insulated with 650-fill goose down toasty warmth. Lightweight, packable and wind resistant, this Polyester Z-Rip shell provides a host of additional shelter warmth with it’s detachable down hood, non-chaffing micro-chamois lined collar and chin guard comfort. Drawcords close in body heat at the hood, hem and back, while articulated sleeves allow for a critical move when it’s really needed.

Today’s ABCs

A. I drank entirely too much coffee today. I know this because my eyelids have been uncontrollably twitching for several hours now. Caffeine doesn’t negate exhaustion, it simply overrides it. 

B. Its down to 15 degrees right now. I have to admit that the cold is almost refreshing now that I have an über-insulated pair of winter boots. Warm appendages can change one’s entire outlook on outside temperature.  Now I’m just waiting on the the sub-zero parka I bought online from Mountain Hardwear. I might just be a snow bunny yet. 

C. Three cheeses and a bottle of wine betwixt friends is mighty fine after a long day of admin/artist work. Add an astute sociopolitical conversation and what you have is a very relaxing post-rehearsal activity.

Tech. rehearsal woes

Christmas has come very early for me this year. I’m already singing christmas carols and speaking in a British accent and cheerily saluting the season. For 10 hours straight. I.E. Christmas Carol tech. In tights and petticoats and aprons and fingerless gloves, I quickly forget that it is barely 20 degrees outside, because I’m boiling under the lights on the in-the-round stage. 

I spent all day inside the black theatre…..the sun had set by the time dinner break rolled around…. and with total light deprivation all day, I had to really convince myself to get to the gym to get my blood pumping and get the cobwebs out of my head. I felt much better once I did. I felt even better after 30 minutes in front of my personal full-spectrum desk light. Its appropriately called a ‘Happy Light’ because its proven to stimulate the production of serotonin in you brain…making you happy! 

Hooray for light therapy. I think it will truly serve me well throughout the oncoming winter weather.

Daily Om: Ignorance is Bliss

DailyOm is one of my new favorite websites.

I’m trying to stop worrying so much, let go of some of my anxiety, to live in the now, blah blah blah . This website promises daily emails that will alleviate and elevate my consciousness. Hmmm. 

I learned last week that one of my top five strengths is INPUT. Meaning, I like to amass information and always be ‘in-the-know’, often to an unnecessary degree and sometimes to my own psychological detriment. Even if I don’t like the information, if its hurtful or rude etc,   I STILL want to know.

Know know know know know!

Why? Because if I know it, then perhaps I can have the upper hand? Be one step ahead? No on is going to pull the wool over my eyes? Remain triumphant with pride intact?

Today’s DailyOm scolded me a bit. In a good way. 

 

November 13, 2008
Knowing Too Much
Ignorance Can Be BlissThese days, we can know too much. And while it sometimes can be a great benefit to know the tiniest details of events, both bitter and sweet, there are also times when knowing less about the future, our situations, and the world can be beneficial. Being blissfully ignorant does not mean ignoring vital information or shutting out the world’s tragedies. Rather, it is a way to step away from knowledge that may only needlessly have a negative impact on your life experience. It’s not always necessary to expose yourself to information that will overwhelm you, hold you back, or cause you pain. Sometimes, ignorance can be truly blissful. 

While having all the information you need can help you make an informed decision, sometimes knowing all the information can be excess. Especially when you are trying to pursue a goal, the knowledge of all the ways in which you might fail can keep you from even trying. Blissful ignorance can sometimes propel you forward because you never even knew that the possibility of failure existed. Ignorance can also be bliss when you are facing hardships. If circumstances force you to take on a job you dislike, you may enter your new situation with unpleasant and preconceived notions that can likely create the very scenarios you are dreading. Experiencing a situation with no expectations and no advanced notions can allow you to experience it as new, because your blissful ignorance prevented you from having any preset ideas. 

There is nothing wrong with avoiding “too much information,” particularly when the knowledge isn’t going to serve you. When information is emotionally draining, impedes your progress, causes distress, or isn’t necessary to your experience, consider letting it pass you by. Remember the bliss of ignorance can sometimes be a gift.

Imagine. Tiny. For Tara.

Yesterday, on my one day off from performances and rehearsals and grant-writing, I went for an all day drive with a good friend. We had elk burgers, onion rings, and bloody mary’s (complete with a beer back, a midwest thing?) in a little town called Minneiska. The tavern overlooked the Canada-Atlantic Train line and the Mississippi River. The large dining room was moderately filled with old-timers in neon hunting caps playing Eurche, waiting out the wet weather.

After lunch, we hit our desired destination. Kellogg, MN. Small towns abound in Minnesota. Populations of 100 to 700, historical hamlets with similar quaint appeal. Kellogg is one of such….but it boasts an extraordinary attraction: Lark Toys ! The biggest independent toy store in the country. I wandered around the dozens of rooms, my mouth agape and my fingers itching. The book room stopped me dead in my tracks for almost an hour. The Lost Mitten! Bread and Jam for Francis! Tiki-tiki-tembo! Where the Sidewalk Ends! A Light in the Attic! A Monster at the End of This Book! The Shy Little Kitten! 

I wanted to buy every book. Nostalgia is a very powerful and at times, a ridiculously manipulative feeling. 

I did not buy a book, but I did indulge in a treasure. Two actually, because I couldn’t decide between them and I usually buy two of something I when I can’t decide between colors, or in this case, tunes. Buying both quells my anxiety about forsaking an equitable favorite. 

Music boxes. Tiny tiny music makers. With a little crank and little itty bitty nubs that dictate tone and timing. Oooooh. I am in love with them. I brought them both to work and played them at various times throughout my day and I couldn’t help but turn up my eyebrows to the diminutively dulcet tones. 

I stayed really late at work tonight. Everyone had gone. Writing away, editing a grant upstairs all by myself. I took a little break from the keyboard and made some itsy bitsy music.  This music box reminds me of my friend Tara in Texas who also adores all things pint-sized and impish.  Also,  she loves John Lennon and she wrote a recent entry on her blog in honor of his birthday.

I might send it to her, hope she doesn’t mind that I played with it! I bet she’ll tear up when she watches this video. She’s a feeler. 

 

 

I’ll post a second music box video later this week. Maybe I’ll take to an very unlikely location and make itty bitty music again.

Another great review!

A reputable Minnesota theatre blog has given Ice Maidens a delightfully encouraging review. Spread the word and come see the play! 

Click HERE for the review.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! ICE MAIDENS!

Ice Maidens has opened to tremendous acclaim! The November issue of AMERICAN THEATRE MAGAZINE has hit the presses and I was thrilled to see my name and photo (albiet its a small one in which I’m making a rather peculiar scrunched up face) on page 24 of the prestigious theatre publication. As I wrote in a previous post, the photo is a rehearsal shot of the pivotal scene of the play, when Lisa (me) is pulled from the ice by her father (played by Hal Cropp, the Artistic Director of the company). Scott, the director crouches behind, ‘directing’ us.

The write-up focuses mostly on Stan Peal, the playwright, as well it should. He has created a beautiful piece of theatre and our audiences have been singings its praises every night at the talkbacks. Just before we opened on Saturday, Stan made this ‘trailer’ for the play and encouraged us to send it to all who might be able to see our production.

Its rare for a reviewer to come to an opening weekend performance, and even rarer for it to be published the next day….but Ice Maidens made quite the impression on the journalist from the Rochester Post Bulletin. We really appreciate the great review, especially because the run is so brief. With only 8 more performances to go, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the houses continue to be just as large and just as responsive as they were for our very successful opening weekend. I got a little bit dizzy when I read that I was ‘excellent’ as one of the leads. Especially, because Lisa, a hard drinking, scarred up, pierced up, tattooed up, punk chick with major major guilt issues, is pretty far from any character I’ve ever played before.

Lastly, here are some of the awesome productions shots taken by our resident jack-of-all trades/lighting designer, Jason Underferth. He designed all of the lights for the show and really captured the icy atmosphere and  frigid tones of the family drama.

All in all, I’m really proud of this production and I’m so very grateful to the Commonweal for all of the support and opportunities they have afforded me. 

*If you want to by a copy of the November issue of ATM, most larger sized bookstores carry them (BarnesNoble, Borders, etc). OR, in December you can order a back issue of the November edition via the TCG website. CLICK HERE.