Thursday, March 22, 2012

Holy Updates, Batman!

The Show

Compatibility now has a Kickstarter page! Everyone head on over and take a look! We're about halfway to our goal, and every little bit helps! Click here to donate as little as $1 to the cause. And by "the cause," I do of course mean the ultimate geek takeover of the world.

And speaking of geeks taking over, apparently I need some kind of costume for the "convention" scene. Thoughts? Suggestions? Cruel jokes that will nevertheless be taken into consideration?

The Work

Disneyworld is continuing to treat me fabulously. I've just applied to extend my program, which means I'll be here until August (if they approve me.) I love my job, and I feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of the magic every day. This is only slightly marred by the fact that my work life and personal life collided rather painfully the other day (the universe has a very cruel sense of humor sometimes) but I'm shaking it off. Picking up the pieces of the wreckage and moving on. All will be well again. I hope ...

The Family

Chemotherapy sucks, but it appears to be working! Every other Tuesday, Mom spends about six hours at the cancer center. Book recommendations for the long hours are always appreciated, by the way. During her first session we had a bit of a hiccup ... she ended up in the hospital two days later, too nauseated to keep anything down. She had to be nourished and hydrated through an IV overnight. But they seem to have ironed out that little kink, and she's doing much better after this second round. It's still a difficult road, but she's a fighter. And she's got a great support group. Thanks to all of you who are taking care of my family. Love you all!

The Friends

Some days, I honestly don't know how I got so lucky. I can't begin to thank all of the wonderful people I've met here and who have become such an amazing part of my life. So for now, I'm not going to try. I love all of you, and you know who you are. Thank you for being there for me, each in your own way.

The Life

It's hard, being dropped into an entirely new set of circumstances. Life throws you curve-balls every other day, it seems, but I'm hanging in there. Here's to new challenges. Here's to adventure. Here's to music and magic and pixie dust.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

"I can't. I have rehearsal."

Two weeks ago I took a leap. I jumped back into the theatre, auditioning for the first time in eight years for a director who doesn't already know me.

And guess what?

I got the lead :) I'm playing it cool now, but when I first found out, you'd better believe there was all kinds of jumping and screaming and celebrating!

It's called "Compatibility." It's a new musical (written by our director) that is perfect for the geek in all of us. And yes, I get far too many of the references, thank you very much.

I am now practically living out of my car. Twice I have had to change clothes in the middle of the parking lot. I eat dinner as I drive from work straight to rehearsal every night. I am only home to go to sleep, and I memorize lines during my lunch hour.

And I'm loving every minute of it. Things are turning around, and there is something to look forward to besides work. My days are filled with magic, and my nights are filled with music.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Burnt Cheese and Blank Canvas

There comes a point every week where my groceries are more than a little sparse. It's during times like this that I start eating tater tots for two meals a day and finding a way to turn every scrap of leftover anything into a meal. And it is not at all uncommon during these times to find me sitting on my bedroom floor eating chips and salsa for dinner.

So tonight was much like any other night. Except that, through an unfortunate set of circumstances which I am sure Lady Karma set on me herself, just to spite my eating habits, I instead ended up with a bowl of stale chips and burnt cheese. Which I suffered through for all of four bites before throwing it out and digging into a brand new sleeve of Thin Mints. A much better choice, trust me.

It was during the Thin Mint course of my lovely dinner that a friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that he had "a couple of canvases that are begging to be painted." And something about that phrase just grabbed me, and wouldn't let go. A blank canvas. It always seems so symbolic and fresh. A blank canvas is full of possibilities. And I have always wished that I could paint, just so that I could throw myself into those possibilities.

I envy painters. One of my roommates (the lovely Stephanie) can throw herself into her drawings. Which are amazing, by the way. She can paint and draw and sketch, and I have trouble with stick figures. I've watched her focusing on her art, and you can just see that she's not even in our world anymore.

Then there's my dad, who paints some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. And I've watched him take his paintings from start to finish. Sanding his own boards, making his own paint ... it is a labor of love in every way.

Musicians who can express themselves through their own songs. Dancers, who can take all of their emotions and fling them to the farthest reaches of the universe with movement. Even great chefs and bakers, who are suddenly seized with the urge to create something new and come out of the kitchen covered in flour and streaks of chocolate.

I want to come out covered in flour. Or with paint on my clothes, or bruises from choreography. I want my appearance to say, "I am a creator."

I don't mean all of the time. I'm not talking about buying into the "Hello, I'm a starving artist and therefore MUST dress a certain way" stereotype. But when a painter finishes in the studio, you can tell. There's charcoal on their hands and a far-off look in their eyes that says a part of them is still with their work.

Writing. Acting. Those are my areas. That is where I create. And unless you see the show, or read the book, you may never know how much I pour my heart and soul into my creations. I don't come out of my writing sessions with inkstains (or, in this day and age, keyboard prints) all over my fingers. But it doesn't mean I don't create. It just means you can't see it as easily.

My point? I did have one, back when I started this post ... a blank canvas can be anything. A stage. A scrap of paper. An empty space of floor where you try a new step.

Every day, find a new blank canvas. And splash yourself all over it.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Smiling on the Outside

It sucks when something completely insignificant can make me drop all attempts to think positively. When I got up this morning, I was going to have a good day. It was decided. I got up early, had a good well-rounded breakfast, and I was feeling wonderful! Everything was going to be OK ...

And then something happened. What it was isn't important. In fact, there is no reason something so trivial should have set me off this way. But the fact of the matter is, it did. And, quite suddenly, all of my carefully harnessed positive attitude vanished in a hailstorm of emotional mess.

Everything is not OK. And I don't want to talk about things, because it makes me feel weak and like I'm begging for sympathy. But, at the same time, I just want to stop smiling for once.

I don't, of course ... no one at work had the slightest inkling ... they never do. I just keep smiling on the outside.