Wednesday, March 31, 2010

A Blogger's Plea and some budgeting frankness.

Greetings readers (ye brave, ye few)!
As you may know, if you've been keeping up, I'm currently a cast member in an original musical production -



Now, that said, I need your help! If you're in the area and would like to see the show, please contact me via e-mail! I'd love to meet you there. However, I will admit, I have an ulterior motive.
When I arrived at the auditions, I learned that there is an $85 fee charged to every actor in the show. This is unusual (in my experience) for a community theater, however it was soon made clear that no one is getting rich off these productions.
This particular theater group doesn't have a "home". They perform at all different venues, all over North County area. Usually they choose high capacity, popular venues to assist in selling out. It also helps them put a professional spit and polish on the shows as well (which is always great).
However, when you're constantly renting space, it gets expensive.
So that said, there is also a caveat obligating each actor to sell (paid for and all) 12 tickets. They announced today that the money for that is due 4/6/10. I have already agreed to cover a few people who will pay me back on performance day, so I'm prepared for that. However, I wasn't prepared for a "due date" prior to the actual performance dates. So that's a new wrench in my financial works.
I've requested an exention, but the sooner I can recoup my costs, the better! Unforunately, due to the substantial financial commitment this particularly wonderfully talented group is forced to require of it's actors, I won't be able to participate in their future productions. However, I am fully committed to following this one through. (Though, it's so much easier to memorize songs and lines when you aren't sweating where the $301 total actor's obligation is going to come from. As a single gal living alone, I certainly don't have that amount of cash laying around. My budget is pretty tight.)
This is where you all come in. If you're local and want to see the show, let me know and I'll give you the address to send your check directly to the group so you can get your tickets (and I can recoup the ticket portion of the production fee).
So leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail if you want to see a funny, NEW, saucy musical about the Mad Monk's life.
Thanks!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I have a new Cousin!

If you haven't been following the blog very long, I'll do a quick recap of my rather extended family:

1) I am adopted. So I have my family that I grew up with. That consists of Mom, Dad, and Big Brother.

2) I have located my biological family and have a close relationship with my BioFather's side. By them, I have a Little Sister . And many other family members.

One of them has just been welcomed into the would so I'd like to wish a very warm welcome to...BabyCuz!

Born 3/29/10, he's just happy and healthy and everyone is doing fine. They are all the way back in Nashville, so I apologize to the family in advance for stealing my BioUncle's photos from Facebook for this post.

Isn't he adorable?



I couldn't be more happy for them. This is boy #2.



All that said, it's been an interesting week of late when it comes to the family expansion thoughts.

In the last few days, different, unassociated people have reminded me that they believe I'd make a good mother. I am honored by the compliment. But I find it interesting that those around me seem intent on kick starting my tick-less biological clock, despite there being no prospective fathers in the picture currently.

Ironically enough, some physical hurtles I'm dealing with lately, which may further drive the nail in the fertility-coffin for me. Now, this isn't entirely unexpected. I've been a PCOS patient since I was 19 years old. I've been on some form of BCP pretty much solidly since then (off and on a few times, but for no more than 1 year during celebacy and 6 months during married life). It's not recommended for PCOS patients to attempt pregnancy after 30 years of age. Not that it's impossible. In vitro has proven quite successful in many cases. However, I see no reason to spend that amount of money just to have someone who looks like me. I'd rather offer my love, home, life, and heart to a child in need already. Being adopted myself, I think I have an intimate understanding of the myriad of issues that are specific to adoptees, which might just give me a parenting edge. (Besides, I'm RARELY surrounded by people who look like me, so having children that don't look like me, doesn't bother me at all.)

And something today reminded of the little Taiwanese girl that almost became part of my family many years ago. I think she turned 10 this month. While I am well aware that all things work together for good - every once in a while I wonder who she is growing into. And I thank God that He knows what he's doing - and find comfort in the thought that she's safe and raised by an intact family.

We'll see what time brings me, but for now, I am quieting the longing for a family of my own and focusing on how cool it's going to be to accompany my cousins and little sister to Disneyland someday when they are all ready.

Monday, March 29, 2010

The New Digs!

Clydas and I are now comfortably settled into probably the closest thing I get to a routine in the new place.

And it feels good! Now, I'm not interior designer, or professional photographer, but here are some photos of the place.

My great roommate search continues, but I have a couple of promising nibbles. I'm hoping to get someone in here next month because paying the whole sh-bang by myself really cuts into the budget something fierce.

So, without further ado, here is a glimpse at the condo.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

When is hard work working too hard?

Quote of the Blog: “Hard work spotlights the character of people:  some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.”  ~Sam Ewing

 

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a Superwoman (as GamerGuy calls me). I’m always busy during something and more then once I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Take this week as a great example.

I was somehow planning on finishing some housework on Monday night and working on my article so I could fine tune it on Tuesday and get it into Celebrations Magazine (the Disney Fan magazine I write for-  I’m the Disneyland expert/contributor) by the deadline. Then I was going to work on memorizing my lines and songs for the musical I’m in (Rasputin, a very very dark musical comedy playing April 30-May 2nd at the Lyceum theater in San Diego) so I’d be ready for the run through rehearsal on Tuesday night.

And somewhere in between I was going to finish about 300 pages in the book I’m reading for book club (which was last night). Oh yeah, and I am working full time plus some twice a week at my bread-and-butter day job. (No wonder I haven’t had time to blog, right? Thanks for understanding!)

Well, none of that ended up panning out the way I had anticipated. Oy…

Monday I did finish the housework and the rough of the article. But my fact confirmation turned into a nightmare on Tuesday, so that ment working late to finish the article. Which ment missing rehearsal. And, of course, only about 5 of the pages from the book were read before sleep overtook me.

Wednesday came along and I found out that a friend in a long time relationship had to call it quits. She’d had some bad luck lately, so we needed to reconnect. Instead of going to book club (of the book I’m only 50 pages into), I spent the evening talking our troubles out. It may have lead to some clarity on my own views on relationships. It proved to be a refreshing experience, but I know I let the folks at book club down a bit by not being able to make it.

So here it is, Thursday. Another rehearsal tonight. This one I’m going to make it to come hell or high water.

Friday night, I’d love to be up in LA seeing Waking Sleeping Beauty, but alas, due to financial and time constraints, that’s just not going to happen right now. (Sigh)

Oh well! Things all work out as they are supposed to in the end. Yes, I think I bit off more than I could chew earlier this week – and it’s evidenced itself in having to back out of commitments (like rehearsal), being late on others (like the magazine article), being unprepared for others (book club), and yet I was able to be there for a friend, and (eventually) complete the projects I signed up for. I still plan on finishing the book club book and all that jazz.

Moral of the story? Give all you have in all you do, and everything will turn out in the end.

In the mean time, I thought I’d leave you all with a little trailer from a film Clydas and I worked on several years back with TheManInBlack. He’s a gore make-up guru, so every time you see a bruise, a cut, a splatter, or a wound that’s us! Well… him. Clydas and I were just the help! (No, Clydas didn’t make it into the movie.) I believe, sadly, the film may have run out of money and was never finished, but these hard working guys and gals (who often just work for food) deserve to have their work seen none-the-less!

Synopsis: Young Joshua holds a family secret passed down for generations. A secret so important, that it could change the fate of the very world that he lives on. He is pursued by a dark and mysterious organization bent on using the secret for their own personal gain. Something that Joshua must keep from happening at all costs but does Joshua have what it takes to fulfill his destiny and keep the secret safe for the future generations to come?


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Power of Believing...

Quote of the lifetime: “Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in.” – Hub, Secondhand Lions

I’ll admit. When I first went to go see this film with my parents many years ago, I had no interest in it. After seeing it though, I’m so glad my love for them made me give it a chance. I never would have guessed I would have been able to pull some scraps of wisdom from that flick. Not to mention its on my list of favorite family friendly movies now.

I find this particular quote fitting lately, as I realized that life, time, and experience has changed the things I believe in.
For example, when I was younger, I believed that “True love was worth dying for,” and all of those other wonderful things they tell you in romantic, heroic adventure films. You know, “love conquers all” and all that jazz. But now that I’m older, I understand that you can continue to breath, eat, drink, sleep, work, etc without having someone to come home to. (Afterall, that has been my everyday reality for the past 4 years now. I'm living proof that you can find contentment in 'flying solo' sometimes.) Now that I'm far from my childhood, I understand that sometimes, love just isn’t enough. If there is no motivation to grow and work together, than just saying , “I love you” seems hollow and meaningless. Love, to me, is a verb. Love does things, changes things, and motivates us. Love that doesn't do those things seems pointless and meaningless.

But while some of my beliefes have changed - some of them haven't.


I still talk to the stars sometimes just like I did when I was a kid (only now the monolouge is much more serious - and quiet).


I still believe that what is ment to be will be (and that man can’t screw something up so bad that God can’t fix it, if it’s ment to be).


I still believe that the role of “husband” and “wife” is one of the last remnants of honor left in this world – and should be treated as such by those involved in it. (Currently, I'm not sure if I believe I'll ever be a part of that sort of relationship again, but I know that things change and it may just be a phase I'm going through.)


I still believe that imagination is more important than knowledge (thank you, Einstein).


I still believe that falling asleep in the arms of someone who treasures you can make the world spin the right way, no matter what is going on beyond those arms.

I still believe that each day is a new day to make a new start.

And I still believe that as long as I keep waking up on this side of dirt - there is hope to be found.



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Movin' on up!

So I've officially been moved into my new place for a little over a week now, and things are going great. It's so nice to be warm and dry during the cold, rainy weather that has dominated the Calfornia skies lately. If you haven't already, check out my Wellness blog for some of the stair counts and information about the property. I'm taking the bus now daily, and it's helping me with punctuality (something I've struggled w/ at times) and destressing. It's amazing how nice it is not having to deal with traffic in the mornings and at night - and just curling up on a seat with a good book. No one has bothered me, so I guess I have a decent way of blending in, or a visible "GO AWAY" tattood across my forehead.


I've also been cast in another original musical, "Rasputin the musical, a very very very dark comedy". I'm basically the comic reliefe (which is actually a bit ironic because I've never considered myself funny). It's a brand new show that I'm very happy to be involved with. Originating a show is great. I love being able to discover new things. I wish we had a longer run (1 weekend just isn't long enough;by the time the reviews come out, the show is closed), but it's going to be really funny, with some great talent in the leads.

All that said - that's just a quick update. I'm working on a longer, thought out and insightful blog, but that's waiting as I'm waiting for the cable guy to come get my network set up next week.

Pictures/montage of the new place to come soon!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

A shock to the system...

So I JUST moved out the Lake House. In fact, I have a few more things to move over to store at my new place...

And then I was informed of this:

The body of local missing teenager, Chelsea King (missing since last Thursday), was found in the Lake...

I'm heartbroken for the family and a little shell shocked to see this hit so close to home. Yes, it's on another shore of the lake, but still...

I'll blog more as soon as my home computer is up and running to catch you up on the move, my latest audition and all that, but tonight doesn't seem appropriate...