Audition thoughts

Got back from the audition a little while ago. I found the studio with a little help from people around the building. There was a lounge where I could wait so I sat and read my book for a while. A nicely-dressed woman who looked to be about ten years older than I came in to audition. The woman who put out the casting call, Megan, turned up shortly after that. She is VERY young. I'm always surprised how young college students are and how many years separate us. It seems like just yesterday I was a college student myself. I never felt as unsure as these kids, though. I shook the girl's hand and she gave me a very weak handshake. So young.

She gave us (myself, the nicely dressed woman, and a third woman who had come in) copies of the script. It was short, only 9 pages long. It is basically a monologue with a woman preparing for an interview. From the script I could tell that I am probably too "fresh" to do this role; this woman probably needs to look like she's been knocked around by life a bit. But it's not up to me, and I don't know exactly what they're looking for, of course.


I was the second to read. I walked into the studio and was surprised to find they didn't have a camera. Introduced myself to one of the two men, Ethan, and got another weak handshake. I sat on a stool and read from the script. They had me do a bit at the end and then a piece in the middle. Much of it depended on facial expressions and I think I gave them something. I handed them my headshot and resume and I think they were surprised when I said the shot was for them. They didn't seem very professional. I'm not sure why there was no camera; maybe they were too late in reserving it for the night. Again, such kids. They said they would let me know tomorrow.

Because I'm working in the afternoon, I'm getting together with Remya at 10:30. I plan to get up around 9. I'm thinking I'll go to bed early.

Hanging up now...

Just got back last night from Thanksgiving with the folks. We had a good time. I got there Wednesday and we saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1. It impressed me. I'm not a big HP fan but I think this story is better than the others. I love Ron and he has a lot of great moments in this one. As I said to Mom, Harry is the soul, Hermione is the brains, but Ron is the heart. I've loved him ever since he looked up at the huge chessboard in no. 1 and said, "I'll be a knight."

Thursday Mom got up early and got the turkey ready before she went to work. Dad woke me up at 9 to watch the Macy's parade. I saw most of it; I got tired of watching the whole thing. It is a nice way to start Thanksgiving Day, though. Mom got back from work at 2 and we threw the rest of the meal together. I had a good meal just like I wanted to, and no second helpings. We then watched the Lions game (Lions didn't get stomped too badly) and then the Saints game. Saints won!

Friday we went to Smith Lake. Such a beautiful place. It is lovely year round. Dad and I have gone there when the snow is on the ground, and it is great in the heat of summer. When we went this trip, it was cold but clear. We had turkey melts and took a walk.

I left Saturday after lunch with Mom. Got back in time to work out on the Arc Trainer. I've been devouring Deathly Hallows so I know the end before part 2 comes out. I'm about halfway through. If I keep going at this rate, I should be done by next week.

Adam and I saw Puss in Boots today. Found out that Mike S. is directing Merchant of Venice next summer. I want Portia so bad!!! I've been Beatrice and Lady Macbeth, so this would complete the triumvirate of strongest women Shakespeare parts, in my opinion.

Tomorrow is my audition for the student film! I'm looking forward to it. It's in the Communication Arts Building. I know where that is but I don't know how to get to Studio E, where the auditions are taking place. I've emailed the director; if she doesn't respond, I have another FB friend who would know. I will arrive at 7:30 for an 8:00 audition, so I will have plenty of time to find it.

Since Adam and I hung out today, I didn't make it to Fellowship. Seems like I keep putting it off. It will happen when it's supposed to. I don't feel like I'm being bad or anything. I'm free from guilt. It's been so long since I wrestled with myself over my faith. I'm just content in the love of others and a sense that everything will be well. I don't even know if I can say I believe in God anymore. I just have faith. Is it possible to have faith even if there's not one figure to fix your faith on?

Hanging up now...

Workin'!

Things really seem to be looking up for me. Aside from my new job, I have other good news to report. Riverwalk periodically sends out audition notices for film and commercials. Usually there isn't anything for me, but this last time there were two roles I could fill--one for a paid, non-speaking commercial, and one for a lead in a student film. The commercial talent is being handled by Janus Talent Agency. This agency is run by Jeff, the guy who directed my staged reading! So I already know him and he's seen my work. I sent him my new headshot (pictured in my profile here) and my resume, and he wrote today to say he had sent these on to the client. As far as the student film, I also sent the director my info and she responded that auditions are next Monday and if I was still interested she would give me the time and place. I said YEAH I was interested! (Well, I said it more professionally than that.) I am really excited about both of these. It would be fun to get some on-camera experience! I want to do film and commercials and this would be a great way to start.

Worked out with Stephanie today. I'm up in weight again but that could be due to a lot of things. The really exciting thing is that I'm down 1 1/2 % body fat, from 36.5 to 35. 35 is the top of the normal range for women. I have a goal of getting it down to 34.5 next week. Ideally, I'd like it to be 30 %. The workout was hard, but that's what I'm paying her for. And we have a good time.

I decided to see Adam's show yesterday. SaDonna and I went down together. We got stuck in traffic with all the construction and didn't make the first act. We saw the second act, though, and I think that's when a lot of the action happened. Adam acted very naturally and created an interesting character. Jan, the lead, had lots of energy and good delivery. The set was lovely and I loved the theater--it's in the round, and Jeff blocked it so everyone in the audience got a good view. There's so much you can do with theater in the round, and it's too often neglected. I like Riverwalk's thrust stage, but some directors treat it like a regular proscenium stage. It's hard to be conscious of all sides, but it makes the staging much more interesting if you are.

I didn't make it to Fellowship. Got back into town at 6. I've been thinking a lot about Hairspray, and I've decided not to audition. Rehearsals are Sunday-Thursday, which gives people weekends off, but if I did a show with a Sunday night rehearsal I would have to be late or miss Fellowship. I want to put God first for a while. So I will go to Fellowship next Sunday and see if it's for me. If not, I still don't think I will audition. So many people will be trying out and I just don't want to get hurt again so soon. I'm excited about these other jobs and I think I might have better luck booking them. We'll see.

I have a goal of losing another pound by next Monday. I will be really careful for Thanksgiving. One helping only. White meat turkey, no gravy. One small scoop each of stuffing, yams, and green bean casserole. One crescent roll. One or two bowls of salad. And yes, one SMALL piece of pumpkin pie. I bet out of all the pies you could eat, pumpkin is one of the better ones. Pecan is probably the worst.

Tomorrow I'll burn on the bike again. I'm alternating Arc Trainer and bike--not doing elliptical or walking on the treadmill any more. I don't think they're hard enough. Still enjoying going to the Parkwood Y. Didn't go to Interval today b/c I worked with Stephanie instead. But I like the cardio equipment and the weights at Parkwood.

Well, I think that's enough for tonight. Excited about the coming week, especially that audition on Monday. Wish me luck!

Hanging up now...

Glad to be alive

I almost got run over in the Meijer parking lot last night. I was walking into the building when a woman in a truck whipped around the corner coming right towards me. I slammed my hands against her bumper and jumped away. She drove past me and out of the lot. It was so scary. I immediately went into Meijer and sat down on the floor. A woman came in and asked if I was all right. She had seen what happened and gave me her name and number in case I needed a witness.

It all happened so fast I didn't know what to do. I looked at the woman as she drove by me, and she looked at me, but instead of yelling at her or something I continued on into Meijer. I've never been almost run down before; how would I know how to react? I was just very shaken up and glad to be alive. I should have gotten her plate number or something, but I didn't really know what to do. I can't believe she didn't stop.

When I woke up this morning I just had a terrible feeling of dread. Post-traumatic stress? I don't know. It felt good to be alive, though. It makes me want to be even more careful with the way I drive, especially in parking lots.

I'm kind of melancholy tonight because I would like to be at Adam's show. It's in Canton, though, and tickets are $15. I really can't afford the gas or the ticket. It's the last chance I would get to see the show; tomorrow I'm going to Fellowship for Today. I'm looking forward to that. Wait a minute...I might be able to go! The show is probably around 2 hours, which would take us to 4. SaDonna says it takes about an hour to an hour and a half to get there. That would put me back right around 5:30. Maybe I could slip in to the church a little late.

Just texted Adam about the play. Hopefully I will hear back from him soon.

My workout was too easy today. I walked on an inclined treadmill at 3.8 mph. I didn't sweat and my heart rate didn't get too high. I was going to do the Arc Trainer but I decided not to. Didn't feel like pushing myself, I guess. Maybe because of the experience last night?

Last night was also Silver Bells in the City. It heralds the beginning of the Christmas season. There's a parade, the tree lighting, and fireworks. I stood and watched the parade for a while but couldn't see much. There was a lot of bad Scroogy behaviour all around me! People pushing and shoving, telling others to get out of the way so they could see. After a while, I decided I had seen (or not seen) enough, so I turned around to leave. The crowd was so thick behind me I almost couldn't get out! There was just nowhere to go. It took me about five or ten minutes to make my way through the mass of people. After I got out, I headed back towards Riverwalk. The Knight Cap was serving food and hot drinks on a patio outside the restaurant so I stopped for some hot cider and lobster bisque. I've heard fantastic things about the bisque and I'm here to say the rumors are true.

After I ate I went back out to the street to watch the tree lighting and fireworks. Now THAT was worth seeing. Next year, if I come, I will just watch that. After the fireworks, I headed down to Riverwalk. I was too late for the Irish Dancers (I still have never seen them) but I did get to see the teaser for Puss in Boots. Anna was magnificent. She has inherited my mantle of funny, ugly, and scary. I'm really excited to see the whole thing.

Went to Gateway yesterday and talked to Jen, the teacher I will be working with. This job is going to be so amazing! It's basically art therapy for at-risk kids. She was happy to find out I had a background in theater, since they are doing some PSA-type videos on bullying and stuff like that. They also work with masks and make collages. We can use stuff from the plethora of magazines Mom returns every week. We do the projects right along with the kids, so I'm getting to be creative on the job. It's going to be great!

Just heard from SaDonna and she said the play is 2 hrs long. I should be able to do both. I really want to go and support Adam. He comes to all of my shows, so I should do the same for him. And I'd like to see the play--it sounds interesting. It's a "problem play"--not typical, Sunshine Boys Simon.

I have decided I'm going tomorrow and I've picked out what to wear. I tried on the blazer that goes with the skirt and it fits PERFECTLY! I've never worn the blazer before--I got too big after I bought it. I'm going right to Fellowship afterwards so this will work for that as well. Dress is probably pretty casual, but I dress this way for me. I love to dress up. Guess it's the actress in me.

Okay, hot cocoa is drunk, kitchen is cleaned, cat is dozing...and I'm off to play on Facebook. See ya!

Hanging up now...

Endings, beginnings

I'm pretty sure I didn't get into AM. It's 11 PM on Tuesday night. Joe has probably called everybody. But I don't feel too bad. There's always another show. Hairspray auditions are coming up and I have changed my song. I really wanted to do that Jack and the Beanstalk song, but I haven't found sheet music, and I don't want to do it a capella. So I have decided to do "What Happened to my Part?" from Spamalot. I will get the CD and download the sheet music. I will have to work on my own but I think I can do it myself. I joked with Kelly that we should get Skype and she could help me out that way. She has Skype but I don't. Oh, well. I'll just have to see what I can do without help.

So I'm left again with the question: Am I any good? There was a LOT of competition this time and I didn't get in. Of course,a bunch of talented people didn't get in. So I am one of many. I've heard good things from people about my work. I have to tell myself again, there's always another show. Riverwalk has such a good season, I'll just keep trying out until I get something. Someone will see me and decide I am perfect for a certain role. It just depends on the director and the part. Ann had a lot of faith in me when she cast me as Hilda, and I like to think I came through. I was happy with my work when I watched the DVD; I actually became someone else. And I had a great role in Uncommon Good. I've had my good roles. There will be more.

Personal life trumps professional life. I saw someone I like tonight and I think the feeling is mutual. There are complications, and I don't want to go into it here because I want to protect the people involved. And I don't want to jinx it. Suffice it to say that I am happy and whatever comes of it, it served as a diversion tonight.

Okay, so tomorrow I am meeting with Stephanie and I will get weighed again! Here's hoping I'm 149. Time for bed, so once again I'll say--

Hanging up now...

Almost...?

Okay, so there were more than FIFTY people there tonight!!! I read three times in total, twice last night and once tonight. That's actually pretty good--everyone got to read twice last night. Tonight most of the people who came back from last night didn't even get to read. However, Joe called me up on stage to do the very last scene of the night. I felt I took it in an interesting direction. It's between a woman and a man who asked her to marry him years ago. She doesn't recognize him but she has come back to say yes. She finds out it is him at the very end of the scene, but I played it as if I was realizing it was him during the scene. The actor I read with seemed to go with this and so we gave what I thought was a very interesting and unique reading. Even if this isn't how Joe wants to go with it, I hope he sees that I can commit to objectives and meet them.

Made it to Interval today! I was so glad I did. Kathy ran the class, and boy was she hard on us. We didn't do as much weights as I wanted to but I used heavier weights so I got quality, if not quantity. We worked on the Step and I felt much better about doing it. There were two girls who had never done Step before so they were a little lost. One woman tried to show them how to do the steps as we were doing them, and Kathy said the important thing was to keep moving. They did all right, and when I talked to them later they said they would do it again. We all had red and happy faces.

I may have gone down a little bit more in weight; the scale showed between 149 and 150. I'd love to weigh 149.5 or even 149 Wednesday. I've been eating pretty well. I start my day with oatmeal and egg whites or a protein shake. I usually have leftovers or a small sandwich for lunch. I have an afternoon snack and a moderate dinner. The hard part for me, as I've said before, is at night. I was really hungry when I got home from auditions tonight so I had an egg, turkey, and cheese. That was a lot. I really needed protein, though. Tomorrow I'll do the oatmeal again with a protein shake.

I've finally heard from the teacher I will be working with. We're going to meet either Thursday or Friday morning. So I will in all likelihood be starting next week.

Well, it's very late and I should go to bed.

Hanging up now...

I feel good, I didn't know how much I would...

Is there anything better than getting squeaky clean after a good sweaty workout? That thought crossed my mind in the Parkwood Y locker room tonight after a hot shower. The workout on the Arc Trainer felt fantastic. At first I didn't think it was intense enough but once I got going I started sweating and breathing hard. I burned 300 calories in 30 minutes, and I got my heart rate into the 140s. That's a good cardio range.

Looked at myself naked in the mirror today and I have to say I like my body. Although it would be nice to weigh less, I am happy with the way I look now. I'm not "lumpy" like I used to be. I used to not even be able to look at myself naked but now I think I look fine, especially for forty. I look a lot better than I did at 30, when I weighed 180!

My friend John made a play on my name in his last email, saying I should picture myself as a hawk flying high and slim. I then got a sign today...I saw a bird fly up in front at me when I was at the drive-thru and I thought it was a mourning dove (it was about that size). When I pulled out to Jolly, I saw a bird sitting on the sign for Okemos Road and instantly recognized it as a small hawk, probably a kestrel. It definitely had that hawk profile. I feel it affirmed my friend's comment. A sign for me to continue down my road towards the body I know I can have.

The book continues to be good. Right now in the 1941 story Hong Kong has fallen to the Japanese. People are trying to carry on with some kind of life in the ruins. I find people's ability to carry on in terrible situations a wonderful part of being human. We always strive to have some sort of a life, whatever the circumstances. I think this is one reason I like war books so much--people's resilience shows through. Life is hard, and our ability to hang together and find beauty in small things is overwhelming to me. For all our problems, humans can make something out of nothing. We continually fight against despair.

Hanging up now...

Crashing

I'm extremely tired right now, not sure why. I got home from a big grocery shopping trip and I was hungry, so I ate some hummus and carrots. I haven't been on FB all day so I checked in. Not much happening there. I've been trying to stay off the computer and read more. The book continues to be good and I like the switches between periods. The author tells the 1941 story in the third person present, an odd and intriguing choice. She tells Claire's story in the more conventional third person past. I find it interesting that she chooses the present tense to write about 1941, since it's actually farther in the past than 1952. Not sure why she uses the different tenses. I think it's to separate the two stories--when I first started reading the second story it jarred me out of the flow due to the change in tense.

I'm going to dinner tonight with SaDonna. Her treat! We are going to Los Tres Amigos. I've only been there once so I'm looking forward to it. I don't have a lot of money right now so I'm glad she is treating.

Still waiting to hear from the teacher on when to start the Gateway job. Tatanisha says she will ask her tomorrow when she sees her. The teacher is very busy and needs someone to help--I'm here to help!

The Oak Park Y wellness center (where the weight machines and cardio machines are) is closed for renovations, so I went to the Parkwood Y last night. It is so much nicer! The machines are a lot more spread out and they have an Arc Trainer. I first worked on that machine at Court One, but they didn't have one at Oak Park. Now I know I can go to Parkwood and get on one. I'm going to do it tomorrow.

Auditions for Almost, Maine are Sunday. I'm interested in seeing who will come out. I wonder how many people from Farnsworth will be there. I will face the question of whether or not I am actually good or am I just getting a part because there's not much competition. I'd like to see a combination of competition and availability of parts. The director said he can cast more people or less based on who comes out.

Speaking of acting, I watched Bremen Town and parts of Uncommon Good yesterday. Bremen Town was a lot of fun. I think I really created a character that was different and one the audience loved to hate. Uncommon Good was another story. I couldn't watch all of it. It was like I had PTSD. I remembered how hard it was to remember lines and how much trouble we all had. There were several slips and awkward moments. But the worst of it came when I tried to watch the Nelson section. I couldn't watch it. See, I found out that Derek (Nelson) has been sent to prison for 12 years for having sex with a minor under 13 years of age. !!! I couldn't believe it when I heard it. So I guess I will not be seeing much of him again. Thinking about working with him, sharing an intimate time on stage, disgusts me. I can't even think of working with him again. Don't think that'll be a problem:; I doubt he'll be in the mood to do theater when he gets out.

I have started looking around for playwrighting contests to submit Checking Out to. I haven't had any luck so far. The contests I saw called for plays with no more than seven characters. CO has 12. I am going to submit it to LCP for possible performance. I'm waiting on Tony to send me the submission form, then I will send it off.

Well, I'm going to get ready for dinner, so once again I'll say--

Hanging up now...

Around the writer's block

I have started looking around for playwrighting contests. I did a Google search and found a list of them. Out of the whole list, I found two. Then I looked closer at those and realized they both called for no more than 7 characters. Checking Out has twelve. So those contests are out. It's frustrating. My playwrighting professor at Michigan mentioned that theaters don't want to do plays with a lot of characters for costs' sake. However, I am going to submit it to LCP and see what comes of that. And I'm going to keep looking online. There must be SOME contests that don't have the same strict guidelines.

Weighed in at the gym at plain ol' 150 today, just as I wanted. Next week I hope to get it to 149 or 149.5 at the most. I also went down 1/2 % in body fat. Remya mentioned yesterday that she could see a difference in my face. That's not where I want to lose it though! Why can't I decide where I want to lose it? ;)

I seem to have been oblivious to the newsletters and the posters about the renovations to the Y. I know they have been working on it but I went last night to find the cardio room closed. The classes will still be going on but the main gym will be closed for six weeks. The pictures of how it will look when it is done are really cool. I'm going to go to the Parkwood Y until the renovations are done. Evan goes to Parkwood so I told him we should have a gym date.

Eating has been going well, mostly because I'm broke. SaDonna is taking me out for my birthday dinner Friday, and we're going to Los Tres Amigos (her favorite, but I picked it). I have to be careful and not get something smothered in cheese or anything. Tonight I'm having pasta and vegetables tossed with olive oil, and later I'm having a turkey-avocado wrap at Leo's (what did I say about being broke? Well, I guess I have a little money. I've depleted my dress fund money, but I'll start building it up again next week.)

I finished Girl Who Played with Fire and am reading a new book. It's really good. It's called The Piano Teacher. It takes place in pre- and post- war Hong Kong. The piano teacher in question is a young Englishwoman who comes with her husband to Hong Kong in 1952. A well-to-do Chinese family, the Chens, hire her to teach their daughter, Locket. One day a porcelain rabbit falls off the piano into Claire's purse and she keeps it. She starts stealing from the family, everything from napkins and scarves to makeup and perfume. The family fires the amah thinking she has been stealing. The parallel story takes place in 1941. It concerns an Englishman, Will, and his Chinese girlfriend, the socialite Trudy. I couldn't figure out the link until Claire meets Will in 1952; he is the Chen's chauffeur. Claire and Will start up an affair, and that's as far as I've read up to so far. I hope it won't be too predictable; so far I predicted the amah would get fired and that Will and Claire would have an affair. The language is good, though. I think it will be an interesting read.

It's time for dinner...I had a little lunch and a small snack. So for now I'll say--

Hanging up now...

Good times

Well, the reading went great. We had a good sized audience and they asked good questions/had good suggestions afterwards. I was really happy with the actors' interpretations of the characters. Jeff obviously did a lot of work with them on "hitting the points" as he calls it. I'd like to be IN a show of his to see more of his process.

Halloween Bash V was a rousing success as well. Now I can say what I was: I went as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I wore a T-shirt that said "Vampires Suck" and carried a garden stake I had gotten for 89 cents at Ace Hardware. I remembered that when she stakes them they just go "poof" in a cloud of dust so I didn't end up doing the blood. There were lots of pictures taken and I actually like the way I look in them. The weight loss really shows. I got a great compliment from Evan P. who said I looked really good. It's nice to hear that sort of thing, especially from friends who have seen the change over time.

The weight loss has slowed/stopped but I'm hoping to change that. I'm doing a lot more protein shakes, which I was doing when I first started losing. I've heard that the more protein you take in, the more weight you will lose. I asked Stephanie about it and she said taking in more protein would keep you from eating too much, so I guess it helps in that way too.

Haven't heard anything from the teacher on when I start my job. It looks like they're a little disorganized. I told them I could start ASAP. I really want to help. It seems like such a good thing for me and them; I'm excited about it but I want to start SOON. Tomorrow I'm going to email Tatanisha again and ask her what's up.

Not sure now if I'm going to Fellowship next Sunday. Auditions for Almost, Maine are Sunday at 7. If the service is an hour long, I would have to book across town in half an hour, and who knows if they're longer. And I want to stay and talk to people and I can't do that if I leave right away. So I will probably put it off one more week.

Getting sleepy, and I want to be gentle with myself these next couple days. So for now I'll say--

Hanging up now...

My life is a musical

Right now I'm singing "I don't have to get up tomorrow...for any reason...But I'll go to the gym...and burn on the bike!" I sing a lot. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy. I was "rehearsing" a Bremen Town song in the bathroom last year and when I got done, I heard clapping and cheering from upstairs. So I guess they like my singing at least.

I'm a little concerned about the reading. So far we only have ten coming, and three of those are people who have to be there: Jeff and two of our actors. I'm afraid there won't be a lot of people there. Plus the weather might be bad. We were supposed to get snow today; we didn't but that's no guarantee we won't get any Sunday. It would be a shame if we had a tiny audience. Mom and Dad will be there but they're my folks. Although their support is appreciated, I need more than that. It's kind of lame to think your mommy and daddy are coming and they might be the only ones to ask questions! They know my work, but others don't and I need them to see it.

I'm hoping to start my new job soon, but the teacher I will be working with hasn't contacted me yet. She's just gotten back into town so she may not be caught up yet. I said I was able to start ASAP, though. So hopefully she will contact me soon.

Went to Strength and Stretch today and had a great time. Leslie, the woman who usually does it, was out of town so we had another woman, Kathy. I used 15 #, 8 #, and 5# weights. The workout was more intense than usual; I'm sure part of this was because I was using heavier weights. I liked the exercises she had us do. The yoga part was good too. Relaxing and focusing, as usual.

Tomorrow is the big Halloween Bash. I will probably rest up tomorrow for that. I've texted Adam asking him if he wants to go together like we did last year. It made parking easier; there's not a lot of parking at the Firehouse. If he doesn't want to go together, I can park in the church parking lot across the street. That's what I did for most of the Uncommon Good performances.

Eating has been pretty good. I had Chinese takeout tonight, though. I didn't get anything really bad: tofu with garlic sauce, sauteed string beans, and salad with ginger dressing. I didn't gorge myself by eating it all. I have a little more than half for lunch tomorrow.

Fellowship for Today looks good. They are not about one particular god, but the power of the divine Spirit. They recognize disciplines like Buddhism and Hinduism. I gave them my email address and wrote them a note saying I was looking for a new church. I'm going to go to a service not this Sunday, but next Sunday.

A woman from OCC wrote to me on FB wondering where I was. I responded to her in a message telling her I had left the church and was looking elsewhere. She wrote back saying she understood and she wouldn't tell anyone.

Well, I want to take a bath and read and then go to bed. So as usual I'll say--

Hanging up now...

Last night's readthrough was FANTASTIC!!! We have a stellar cast. Jeff got Steve to do the lead. He's about fifteen years older than the character but he is using a young voice and has a good handle on the script. Adam is in it as well, and the other actors are fantastic too. I'm really excited but also really nervous. Opening night of Marriage was a killer. I felt about 100 times more nervous than when I am acting in a show. The play is my baby and it's about to be judged by a faceless audience. I do hope we get a good crowd, though. I want good feedback.

After the readthrough, some of us went to Leo's for karaoke. The guy who is playing the country bumpkin (Robin) asked me about my writing a bit. He asked me how many plays I had written. I've written six straight plays and attempted to write three musicals. I told him there were three I was really proud of: Drag, Marriage, and Checking Out. I'm lucky enough to have seen both Marriage and Drag produced. I described Marriage to him and he really liked the idea.

And more good news: I got the job at Gateway! I start next week. I'm looking forward to working with teenagers. I wanted to work with troubled kids when I decided to be a teacher; it was one of the main reasons I wanted to teach. Now I realize that's not necessarily the best reasons to teach. But here I will get to work with kids who have major problems and help them with their writing. I will be able to do two things I love: show others how to write and work with troubled teens.

I don't want to talk about the election. It didn't go the way I wanted it to and I'm discouraged. But we will wait and see how the country likes the Tea Party in a year or so. People may change their ideas.

I may have found a church. A group called Fellowship for Today had an ad in the Farnsworth program. They meet Sundays at 5:30 and have a website I can check them out on. Their ad says they honor "all spiritual paths" and "[recognize] the divine in everyone". Sounds good, huh? I'm going to check on them and report back. But until then--

Hanging up now....

The reading Sunday night got called off because Jeff hadn't found anyone to play one of the leads yet. I was a bit anxious about it but we are going forward tonight so I assume he has everyone now. I am excited and nervous. It's been a long time since I've heard other people give voice to my words. It's coming together into something real and not just in my head. We have less than a week and while I look forward to the reading, I'm not looking forward to the talk-back. I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle everybody's questions. I guess I'll just be myself and do the best I can.

As you can see, I have a new profile picture. It's my new headshot. We couldn't have asked for better lighting and my hair looks just right. The wind came along at just the right time. Perfect. I also really like the way my skin glows. I think this shot may get me some work.

However, my hair is different AGAIN. I wanted it darker so my hairdresser colored it REALLY dark. It's almost black. I think it would look good chocolate-colored and instead it's espresso-colored. I'm afraid it's going to make my grays more visible. It will fade, though. It's pretty red in the picture and I hope this doesn't make a difference to any potential casting agents/directors.

I'm going to start looking around for professional work. That's why I got the shots done. I will be getting some hard copies and I will have the shots online to send to directors. Unfortunately Boarshead closed but I think some other theaters have sprung up that are professional or pseudo-professional. And Riverwalk often gets postings for film jobs. One just got posted today but it was for a 50-60 yr old man, not exactly something I would fit. I'd be looking at 30-40 yr old women's parts. I have been told that I could play 25, but I think that's stretching it a bit.

Steve had a double feature over at his house of the original Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein. I came to watch the original. Very interesting. Things that I'm sure were very scary then are sort of funny now. It was still an amazing movie. It sets a lot of standards for horror movies. One thing I noticed was the total absence of music. Often music sets the mood in any movie, especially a horror movie. Things can seem a lot scarier with music. Think of the da-duh da-duh everyone knows from Jaws, or the reet-reet-reet from Psycho. A horror movie seems a lot less scary without music.

The official "Halloween" Bash blowout is this Saturday, and I've go my costume together. I like it because I can wear it on occasions other than Halloween. The T-shirt will be especially funny given recent trends (that's as far into it as I'm willing to go).

Well, that's it for now. I have some loose ends to tie up before the reading tonight, so for now I'll say--

Hanging up now...