not with a whimper, but with a BANG

Hello again, internet friends! I know, it's been forever. I missed you too. HEARTS.

Last weekend, I (almost without realizing it) celebrated my one-year anniversary of living in Chicago. I didn't even recognize the milestone until Sunday night, out drinking with friends, I was asked how long I'd been here, and I answered, "Well, about a year now...*pause* Actually, uh, exactly one year now. Like. As of yesterday."

WELP.

It seems only appropriate to mark this occasion with a Useful List (because I am that kind of person, yes, but we knew this already). Thus, without further ado: Ten Things To Know About Your First Year In Chicago.*

shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Well now, lovey, if I were to do that, I would have to say that you

completely destroy my attention span

[Not pictured: Facebook, NPR, tumblr, gmail, and who knows what else is open in my internet tabs]

{insert something clever here}

Good afternoon and Happy Wednesday, people of the internet!

At one point, I drafted a terribly long and thinky and super-seriously overblown blog post meant to reintroduce myself in this space, but then I lost it in an explosion of visitors and overdue paperwork. In the long run, I'm glad I did, because it was so awful, guys. Suffice to say that I'm back, I've got a whole pile of new and exciting and slightly different things I might be writing about, and I will also include the occasional life update, as it occurs to me, because it's been brought to my attention that certain of you would sure like to know I am still alive. Fair enough!

For now, though...because they are definitely more interesting than me rambling on in the abstract about where my head's been lately...delicious links!

AFP being awesome (as per usual)

If we know each other very well at all, you will already be aware of my mad fangirling feels about Amanda Palmer. This is a link to her blog post thanking all the people who helped with her recent TED Talk (which was lovely and you should watch it if you haven't already!), and I am pretty much in love with how she does music, celebrity, vulnerability, people and life in general. Especially in this instance - it's not usually that sexy to talk in detail about all the little random people who have held you up on your way to rockstar-dom (literally or figuratively), but she makes a point of it, and yes, she makes it sexy. Here's the creative process, she says - no, there's no loner genius here; instead it's a hundred drafts and a thousand cups of tea and a million listening, critiquing, encouraging friends. Read her. Listen to her. Love her. Join the movement. You're welcome.

The Middle.

I've been following this blogger named Jamie The Very Worst Missionary for awhile now, off and on, and aside from being a refreshingly Real person (dude, she talks about poop way too much to be a proper Christian blogger; it's great), she occasionally hosts her awesome friends to talk about important things - in this case, God, Jewish holidays, categories, and living in the tension. I'm not Jewish, but I live on the Christianity spectrum, and the philosophy behind this post feels a lot like the places my God And The Universe-related thoughts have been exploring lately.

Vintage.Black.Glamour.

I think the title says it all, really. I could try to come up with something profound about blackness and beauty and portrayals as they change over time, but I think we're all smart enough to just mentally fill that in...

In other news, the show I'm stage managing closes on Sunday (that went fast!), I've got at least two more projects lined up for after that, and life is goooood, if slightly hectic! Thanks for reading, friends. Be back in a bit.

~L

it's only been...what, two months?

Holy crap.
*awkward cough* Well, I have been away for awhile, now, haven't I? Just walked off for the paper one day and never came back. Awkward.

HI GUYS! (If indeed any of you are still reading here.)

So, updates:

1. I am currently in the middle of experiencing my first Chicago winter. Wheeee! Currently, I believe there is less than a foot of snow outside, so that's not so bad, but I think all my boots and pant-hems are going to be salt-stained forever.

2. Am stage managing a show called Body of Water at Redtwist Theatre. Today, I got my comp tickets - six for previews, two for the run. I am secretly hoping my parents can come for the run, but if anyone wants to come to a preview night of my show, come get it!

3. Job searching again. I'm still employed at the clothing store, and it's lovely, but have reentered the market for something better. Aside from the overall cost of living/paying off my loans, I need to start saving up because...

4. I hope to be moving this summer! Not far; still in Chicago and in all likelihood within walking distance of where I am now. But I plan to be sharing an apartment with an old friend. The specifics are super-secret yet, since nothing is really quite planned/worked out. But. It will be REALLY exciting if we can pull it off, and I will most likely not be able to shut up about it.

5. Also (and you must have known this was coming, surely),
HAPPY THOR'S DAY.

Nice hammer, sweetheart.

6. PS Boston was AWESOME.
...
Anyway, I hope to get back to posting, at least off and on. I realized recently that this blog is pretty much the only way half my folks from home still know I'm alive and not, I dunno, starving to death in an alley somewhere (not yet!).
If you're so inclined, you should leave a comment and tell me what's been new and exciting in your lives while I've been away!

today is an excellent day.

For the following reasons:

1. My Amanda Palmer CD came.

It's just. So. I can't even. ACK.
GORGEOUSNESS.

things are looking up!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

This blog post brought to you by: I GOT A JOB.

Source: mizozo.com via Paige on Pinterest

Starting sometime next week (or whenever Human Resources contacts me about training), my days will be spent selling eco-friendly clothes to hipsters in Lincoln Square. I'm excited to start; my new boss seems like a pretty great person, one of the few that didn't look confused when I said "Yes, and I'm also a stage manager," in the job interview. Plus, the store is about 15 minutes (ten minutes walking, five on the bus) from my apartment, and it is surrounded by: a coffee shop next door, two bookstores across the street, a frozen-yogurt place down the block, and a Payless around the corner. And if you walk down far enough, there is also a movie theater. Across from the Starbucks. Because there's always a Starbucks.

(Sure is a good thing they aren't paying me in cash.)

sending up a quick signal

"Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more."

-Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers

Oh, hi.

Remember me? I blog here. It's true! I may tend to go AWOL when life stops being fun to write about (I mean, I like to think this is an Amusing Blog, and it's hard to find much amusement in the endless job applications, money challenges, self-doubt, and tear-inducing levels of exhaustion that have been filling my life of late), but I do still exist!

I don't have much in particular to say, except that I'm still searching for a day job, Piccolo's official run of Six Dead Queens is officially underway, and it has just started to get cold here. It was pretty sudden, too - one day it was all hot and sticky like usual, then that night, boom  - cold front. Somewhere, there is a trusty scarf that I really need to dig out and start wearing when I go out at night.

and now, the hard part. (or, GAH YETIS ARE EVERYWHERE)

Hello, my lovely readers.
While I have not actually been ambushed and devoured by yetis cleverly disguised as snowdrifts (or rather, it being 86 degrees in Chicago today, city buses), it is certainly beginning to feel like it.

We all know that moving to a new place - and following your dreams, and being a grownup, and blah blah blah all those associated things - is hard. People who have done so tell you this all the time. It is a widely accepted fact in most of the circles I move in, including but not limited to theatre people, middle-class folk, recent college grads, and In-Denial Twelve-Year-Olds Anonymous.
What most of us don't realize until it is much, much too late, is that simply being told this is not doing diddly to prepare us for the reality. We think, "Okay, it's gonna be hard. That's okay! I will be strong! I will believe in myself! I am a Strong, Independent, More-Or-Less-Grown-Up Professional, and I can totally do this!"

Hold up there, tiger. Here are five real for real things that you had better be ready for.
You're welcome.

MORE updates on various endeavors! (now with 25% more endeavors and a 300% increase in funny pictures!)

Right, so I feel that the title of this blog post may require some explanation.

Over the course of my blogging existence, Blogger.com has been keeping tabs on my stats - things like where my site traffic comes from, where my audience is reading from (as of today, I seem to have almost as many readers in Russia as I do in the U.S. - thanks, Russia!), and which posts they view the most.

This last, in particular, is incredibly unpredictable. Today I looked up and saw that my most popular post of all time - all time, mind you, since this little cactus' very beginnings - is this one.

Dear readers. I love you. But I have to admit, you mystify me.
Don't get me wrong; it's great that you find my life-updates so interesting! But...what about the koala bears? The combovers? What about Magic Bracelet man? Has everyone forgotten the Magic Bracelet man???

Source: someecards.com via Lauren on Pinterest

there's no such thing as a weekend anymore.

Good morning, internet friends!

Woke up this morning with this song playing in my head; thought I'd share it with you.



This morning I restarted work on a story that I'm really excited about, but also kind of intimidated by. I also outlined a 5-minute play that I've been commissioned to write by the end of next week. It's been awhile since I devoted real time to fiction writing, so I'm a little rusty, but right now I'm just getting words on the page.

In other news, I have a couple of phone interviews for next week, and at least two potential employers waiting on standby to see whether the money works out. I can't be more specific than that just yet, but I am very hopeful.

Happy weekend, everyone, and thanks for reading. I hope to have happy announcements soon...

on my way, don't know where I'm goin'...

Source: bit.ly via reyna on Pinterest

I have struck a city - a real city - and they call it Chicago ... I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages.

~Rudyard Kipling

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

~Confucius

as the workdays run together...

Good morning, friends!

I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes, trying to think of something interesting to write about, but I have a confession to make: my life does not come with a lot of interesting anecdotes right now. Three (four?) of the summer's productions are in rehearsal so far, and I've met a number of very nice actors and stage managers, and I'm looking forward to working with them all at tech this weekend (which will be the most epic tech I have experienced in my life thus far - I think we have four days in a row of 10/12s). Aside from that...I answer a lot of phones, send a bunch of emails, and run errands. And I watch and listen as much as I can to how the professionals around me are conducting their business.

Oh, and I've started writing a play. It is ridiculous. You can tell I've been spending a good third of my waking hours reading plays; I've gotten sucked right in.

In other news:

something intriguing

something inspiring

and something hilarious.

Happy hump-day. If you've got something interesting going on today, please share in the comments!

Thursday rain

Source: pinterestschunt223.blogspot.com via Anisha on Pinterest

I'm supposed to take my siblings to a school picnic today, but judging from this morning's drizzle, I kind of doubt that's still going to happen.

It makes me miss England, though. Which, in an odd way, makes me miss all the places I want to go, but haven't been yet. Here are a few of them.

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Cinque Terre, Italy

many hats

Source: vixenvintage.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

Although I like to identify as a theatre professional now (does it count as professional if you have yet to be paid?), I still find myself doing a lot of things that have nothing to do with theatre, for the sake of a paycheck.

Now, for example. I'm a composition tutor Monday - Thursday mornings, and I work in catering on the weekends. Neither of these qualifies as a full-time job (the tutoring gig is only for a few weeks), but they bring in reliable money utilizing my non-theatre skills, and so I'm happy to have them.

I suspect I will have these kinds of jobs, off and on, for most of my life.

Monday Monday

For those of you who are off work, sleeping in, barbequing and otherwise celebrating today – Happy Memorial Day! I enjoy a good barbeque is much as the next person (and probably more than some), but it’s always a bit weird to me to try and celebrate this holiday in a thoughtful manner. On the one hand – a day off work (for some people) and time to sleep in! Yay! On the other hand … it is about remembering our dead. (And if you’re one of the many Americans who is still a bit hazy about which dead those are, don’t be ashamed; educate yourself.) And that doesn’t seem like a cause for celebration so much as for a wake. Or maybe a vigil. Still, this is how we do it. We don’t have anyone in my immediate extended family to remember today, but I know a lot of people do, and our thanks can never be enough.

For the rest of the world – Happy Monday. Here's a roundup of some of the cool things I found on the internet this weekend!

5 Things I Learned from Production Managing the New Works Festival

Truth.

slightly largeish news

So. So guys.
The news came last week, but I wasn't sure I was going to officially do it until today, and I thought you all might like to know: I have a production management internship with New York Stage and Film this summer!

tech week: day five

Source: tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

It is GAME DAY tomorrow, boys and girls!

Accordingly, I am blowing/have blown the entire afternoon/evening watching movies with my boo.
Be jealous.

Also, I'm sorry today's post is so late - what with the tests (bleh), the job interview (another place in New York - I think it went well, but I guess we'll see?) and the return of Community (cannot even communicate the magnitude of my glee - it's a pretty awesome show, guys), I've been sort of a busy girl. And now I'm going to drop into a black hole and, more than likely, not have time to post anything else for a week.
Them's the breaks.

Anyway, it's been a fun week guys. We should do this more often. I leave you with a little snippet of what I'm doing right now, and as for show week - wish me luck!

(Only don't. Because that's bad luck in the theater, you know.)
(Not that I'm superstitious or anything. Because I'm not.)
(But seriously. Don't.)



Thanks for reading, friends!

Cirque du Soleil

Source: google.com via Laure on Pinterest

7 things

...that have been awesome about today.

Source: smleggett.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest