Thursday, December 30, 2010

Let's FIGHT!!!!

I'm a little over half way through a week long Dueling Arts International stage combat workshop, and I'm getting my ass kicked -- but it's so much fun!!  We fight all day everyday. 

We're focusing on rapier and dagger, broadsword, small sword, and unarmed combat... and we've touched on tai chi, filipino stick fighting, knife fighting, akido, rapier and buckler, rapier and cloak, and groin shots (yes, because they're funny!).

Everyone at the worshop is terrific.  It's been a great way to finish out the year.  ...and, I'm almost (almost) recovered from my cold!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

And, we're off!

I probably shouldn't have raised a beer mug of decaf coffee to health when I did because, as it turns out, I'm still fighting a lingering sinus infection and a phlegmy cough.  Yuck. ...but, it's not enough to stop me now. I flew in from Colorado this morning, and am on my way back out to L.A. as I write this...

Wish me luck!

December hasn't killed me yet...

Monday, December 20, 2010

To your health

I asked for a decaf coffee, and this is what they gave me...  it actually IS a decaf coffee. in. a. beer mug. 

?

:) 

Having your health return is an amazing feeling.  It's like coming out of a cave you've been in for too long and seeing the sun again....


Friday, December 17, 2010

Gravity

I guess I should've anticipated a fall after the high I've been on...  :)

I'm sick.  I've been sick for four days...  it's torture.  Wait, last year's hives was torture... this is more kind of miserable and inconvenient.  And, maybe necessary, actually.  I ran myself ragged - what did I think was going to happen...? 

A friend of mine pointed out that keeping busy might be a coping mechanism for me.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sea of rooftops

New York 2010 - take two.

I'm on a flight back to the Bay with the longest sunset hanging on the horizon...

This time around, my days were filled with work in the New York office, introductions to our brilliant East Coast counter parts, and lunches with some of my former SF favorites. 

My nights were filled with:

Kenichi and Patrick
Des in Brooklyn, Holly in Manhattan
The Creditor's with Patrick (Simón's show), drinks with Simón
The Red Shoes in Brooklyn
NY office Christmas party, Brooklyn artist party
Looking at Christmas with Des (Holly's show), The Pelican with Simón

A self proclaimed ex-runway model at the artist party said that I had a great presence and he could see a future for me as a comedian... ?  In L.A.  ?  And, I think I made a date to see theater with the driver who came to take my boss to the airport...I thought we were just making small talk while we were waiting, but he said he'd meet me at the show the next day.  ?? 

The sun sets... until next time NYC...

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Brooklyn

I love it when plans change exactly how you want them to. At the last minute I got to go to the theater in Brooklyn last night.

The Red Shoes was a production full of devices beautifully orchestrated to unlock imagination. Movement and moments made with light and frames and music and dance and smoke and stars... it was like a fable, and a bit of a clown show, and a puppet show, and...I sort want to compare it a little to the Rocky Horror Picture Show... hm. ...but, with less sex and more shoes and churches and old ladies and people in underwear (wait, both seemed to have a lot of underwear). Maybe that's a bad comparison. I only saw it once. (Well, I only saw both of them once.) Anyway...

The end of the show surprised me. I thought we were going to find ourselves arriving at an obvious kind of a moral lesson -- but instead we found ourselves arriving at...humanity. Exquisite.

---------

I haven't slept since... I can't really remember when...? Sometime before Carmel. ...the Bay Area feels like a distant memory of incredible food and chilly rain...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Nighttime in New York

Looking out the picture window of my over priced New York City hotel room... (unfortunately, you can't really see anything in this photo.)

I'm hoping to sleep tonight.

I'm jet lagged, booked solid, and feel great.  What is it about this city that I love so much...? 

Monday, December 6, 2010

Carmel

After the quake in 1906, a group of artists moved to Carmel from San Francisco.  According to monterey.com, today, Carmel has more art galleries per capita than Manhattan.

What a beautiful location for a film... we didn't catch any shooting this weekend due to the rain, but we scouted locations, saw raw footage, played a solid game of poker, and got to hang out with our brilliant movie producing friend and his fantastic his crew.  :)

Friday, December 3, 2010

Repost

(I didn't like my last post, so I deleted it -- but I liked the picture... :))

In stage combat terms (or, maybe it's deuling swordfighting terms, which is actually all kind of the same thing... :) or how about we just say, according to Dave, the instructor I've worked with over the last few years), to riposte means to answer. It's a swordfighting technique that can be used to quickly change the direction of a fight.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for...

My friend Michael who invited me to his family's house for Thanksgiving.

Newborn babies.

The lady at the laundromat who yelled at a guy when he told her she took his seat, and then later apologized for getting so angry.

Clown shows.  Clowns.

Theater.

Old friends.  ...and, new friends.  Family.

Cats.  :)

My job.

Glasses/contacts.  Seeing.  Sight.  Senses.

Blankets.  Sunshine.  Dreams.  Sleep.  Platform shoes...  Laughter.  Tears.  Waterfalls.  Stories.  Silliness, and endless nights....

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Behind the scenes

I had the opportunity to work behind the scenes at the SF HipHop Dance Fest last week and over the weekend. I was there to shadow this wonderful lighting designer I met, but ended up working as the assistant stage manager for the show all weekend. What an exhausting and amazing experience...!! I ran my ass off, missed a couple meals, met some great people, and watched some truly incredible dance performances. I might need to start taking hip hop dance again, and I definitely need to continue to explore all that's waiting for me in the behind the scenes world of a stage production... who knew I'd ever want to be backstage?

The show was completely awe-inspiring. Here are some links to my favorite companies/dancers (which was like half the program...but, the entire program was fantastic. www.sfhiphopdancefest.com/performers.php).

I'm listing them how I remembered them in my head when I needed to go find them - :)

The Colorado kids - www.motionundergrounddance.com
Kenichi - www.ebinaperformingarts.com
LA girls - www.dancetrackmagazine.com/?p=2170
French guys - www.juste-debout.com/fr_FR/in/pro-phenomen
Super hero kids - www.soulforcedance.com
Guy-who-maybe-hit-on-me-but-it-was-confusing-so-I-didn't-know-how-to-respond's crew - www.myspace.com/academyofvillians
New York girls - decadancetheatre.wordpress.com

<3

Friday, November 19, 2010

"I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing..."

Headphones on. Volume up.

If I can just keep myself distracted and busy enough...

This week I finished an intermediate acting class at ACT. The rest of the week I have been volunteering at the SF Hip Hop Dance Festival after work and will continue throughout the weekend... Next week is Thanksgiving, the week after I'll be in Carmel on a film set with my brother and our film producer friend... and then I head to NY for a week for work. I'll get back and have a week here, head to Colorado for Christmas, and then straight to LA for a week long stage combat workshop. ...and then it's 2011.

...I think my best friend has breast cancer... she hasn't explicitly said it, but she's had some tests and said the results weren't good and she'll have to go into surgery next week or the week after....

If I can just keep myself distracted and busy enough...

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Coffee break

I found this drawn on my coffee cup when I got back to the office. I think it's a penguin... ?

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Made in Korea

I was born in Korea, abandoned, taken to an orphanage, put in a foster home, adopted at 6 months old - and then thrown into a white middle class world I would never visibly fit into...

The eyes seem to give me away.

Have you ever seen the movie The Jerk? Where Navin (Steve Martin) is raised by a black family, and doesn't realize he's not black until he comes across "white" music on the radio one night and, for the first time in his life, can move to the rhythm...?

When I was in college, I hung out with a bunch of Hawaii kids. A few of them were really racist against white people and would make comments about them in front of me. I would find myself angrily defending my family, my friends, and...myself - the white kid in the Asian disguise... At the time, I had a boyfriend who was half black and half white. We used to talk about how it felt isolating to not really fit into either culture...but how, simultaneously, it seemed to allow us to fit in everywhere...

It's strange when you perceive yourself one way while the world sees you as something else... and fascinating how much that perception can make a difference.

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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Respect


I've been thinking a lot about relationships lately. Not just romantic relationships, but all relationships. I've found that mutual respect is key in making a relationship work, and feeds into many aspects. Respect means, (taken from dictionary.com) esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability. It means, favor or partiality. To show regard or consideration for, to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with, to relate or have reference to.

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Thursday, November 4, 2010

Fall

Let's see...amazing shows I've seen that I've neglected to review include: Circus Oz, The Brothers Size, Mike Birbiglia, and an impromptu trumpet performance in front of a brick wall facade in a warehouse by a friend's roommate's boyfriend. *grin* There have been more shows - but these were especially unique and completely wonderful. They deserve my sincere compliments and praise for the inspiration, authenticity, skill ...but, I'm not sure my words would do them justice...

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Saturday, October 30, 2010

East vs West, Right vs Left

At a bar on Folsom where I'm meeting some friends, there's a bun truck outside, so I order from it. I'm waiting to receive my food and this man starts to talk to me. He's older, from New York, and is visiting his friend in San Francisco. I tell him I've been toying with the idea of moving to New York and he says to me, "Don't move to New York - just visit. Move into San Francisco instead - it's so much nicer here. Don't move to New York".

Every time I set foot in New York, I feel like I have to move there...and every time I come back to the Bay I fall in love with it again.

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Friday, October 29, 2010

Perfect

Today was perfect in exactly the ways a day should be perfect...

I woke up late and guilt free. Got some stuff done this morning that I'd been putting off. Found out my favorite Patrick will be in town next week. Had an impromptu lunch with John, whom I love. Went to a delightful tasting with the delightful Shannon to assist in holiday party planning. Went to see Cameron's art installation which left me completely impressed and inspired. Watched the end of game 2 of the Giants winning - while practicing juggling. :) Then met up with Ikenna to watch The Social Network...which I had personally banned, but had to see after all the good reviews, and it was great! And Ikenna is great. :)

The weather was perfect today, which always makes a difference, and now, I'm up too late, as usual.

:)

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Broken hearts leave jagged edges...

Here's an update on random guys who've hit on me recently because I know some of you find this entertaining...

I'm in an alley photographing graffiti. This guy says, "They're beautiful, aren't they?" ...and asks what I'm doing in the alley. I tell him I'm going to a show. He asks if he can come with me and pretend he's my date, says we should smoke pot and discuss our story... I watch him disappear into a nearby warehouse....

On a street in New York, this guy passing out cards tells me that I'm beautiful and asks me my name. I tell him and, as I walk away, he calls out to me. He asks if he can take me to coffee, gives me his number, kisses me on the cheek...

The Safeway guy. We almost collide, and then he follows me around the store. He asks me out from the aisle behind the checkout line I'm standing in. A group of people in line look back and forth between us for each response. He gives me his number with hopes that I'll call...

A fire alarm goes off during a tech rehearsal I've been invited to. Outside, the musician in the show approaches me. His music is haunting and beautiful. I find him online later and ask to be put on his list. He asks if I'd like to have drinks after one of his shows...





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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Hi rain

Speeding down the freeway with the window down and music blaring, I inhale as deeply as I can...

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Today

Today, the weather was perfect. I pulled into the garage and Arnel's smile had returned. I went upstairs, and Penny said, "Let's bring it back for Billy!" and she started to do the robot with me. :)

We had a service for Billy yesterday in the courtyard of our building, and it was so wonderful how many people were there and how many smiles he still brings to everyone's faces - even as we miss him.

I felt great today.

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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Find your light


You can't have darkness without light...

It's been a rough run this year. I feel like my heart's been broken again and again... and then, in the meantime, I've found these wonderful moments of love and friends and light. ...like the universe is doing its best to counter balance the pain...

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Thursday, October 7, 2010

"For you cannot see the tears in the falling... "

Today, Billy, the parking guy who would greet me every morning with a hug and good wishes, suffered a heart attack in the garage, and died...

...just like that.

When I went to get my car tonight, Ali, one of the other parking guys, gave me a hug. I began to sob. He wiped my tears away and, fighting his own, said, "Now, none of that...we need you to be strong for us. We need your smile...".

I am broken...

:'(

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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Perspective

In reference to what she's observed about the way I fall in love, my friend Gabriella said something like, "When you love someone, you love all of them... the good, the bad - and the stuff where you're like, whaaaaa...?????". Haha - I'm not completely sure what that last part meant exactly... but, she's right. I fall in love with all of the beautiful details of someone. I get lost in them... to the point where I sometimes forget to take a step back...

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"i.just.don't.know."

I'm standing on the street corner with a friend of mine and this random guy in a convertible pulls up and says to him, "You're a very lucky man." and then drives away. My friend looks at me, smiles and says, "He must think you're my wife."

What...?! ...and, what??!

I was never the pretty girl growing up. I was more the cute sidekick, or the token Asian girl who was cool to have around.

Somehow, it seems I have guys coming out of my ears right now... but, what do I do with them when I only want one.... who's ... unavailable? ...but, keeps moving all of the pieces around and, in the meantime, manages to make me feel wonderful....

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Monday, September 20, 2010

I went to the final dress rehearsal for Scapin the other night - a show with incredible physical comedy that had me laughing throughout the performance... but, I left the theater feeling unsatisfied. I wanted to come away feeling affected. Moved. Changed. I wanted to experience something... more than laughter, I guess...?

The characters were wonderful, but I didn't have much invested in them. I never saw them risk anything. There was dancing, silly walks, elastic body movement... but no real growth or vulnerability.

I guess this brings me back to the question(s) I have about art and judgment. It's all about empathy... no?

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Disneyland!

I had the pleasure of meeting my wonderful friends, Stacey and Todd, at Disneyland this weekend!! You couldn't ask for better company at the happiest place on earth. :)
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Sunday, September 12, 2010

September 11th

"Peace Fountain celebrates the triumph of Good over Evil, and sets before us the world's opposing forces - violence and harmony, light and darkness, life and death - which God reconciles in his peace."

I remember taking BART in for work and finding the city strangely quiet. My building was closed and I was told to go home...
I laid on the couch watching the twin towers fall again and again with tears in my eyes and my stomach in knots.

With great respect and hope...my heart goes out today.

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I heart NY

I've just adjusted to this timezone - and back to Cali I go...

A quick breakdown:

Beowulf
My Artichoke Heart
The Highline
Katz's deli
Spanish wine place with the crazy drinking apparatus thingy
Dancing
Brooklyn bridge
Sleeping in the grass
UCB
Columbia campus and the Cathedrals
Matsuri
John, Tom, Des, Holly, Jen... and of course, Simón... :)

*sigh*

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Friday, September 3, 2010

Drunk - 5 stars

I love everyone and I am wasted... wine needed to be drunk... cause I'm leaving tomorrow and it will go bad and it takes like 1 drink for me to be drunk....

I have some amazing people in my life right now. Amazing. Love.

Yeah...

I remember how I shouldn't drink and blog, but I'm trying to not be wasteful. I got new contacts today and I'm not sure that I like them... And, then, today was my bosses last day...which was kind of a surprise cause she was supposed to be here through like two wednesdays from now...

and, now....

And, what the....

I was basically bribed, off the record, to stay at my job through January. It just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? And after NY, I'm going to Disneyland. Seriously, I am.

Okay, pouring this glass down the drain...

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Thursday, September 2, 2010

Moments

Someone once told me that when you have ringing in your ear it means you're about to lose the ability to hear that frequency...so, I guess as the frequency dies...it cries out... and then it's gone...
I have no idea if that is true, it's just something I was told once...

I feel like in my effort to stop reporting and do more thinking and writing, I've missed some moments that I should've captured... incredible clown shows, a perfect trip to Santa Cruz, a Ramadan dinner and a poker night, the Duck boat and other birthday parties for my beautiful friends... nights on the town, a bit of romance... auditions, the theater festival, mom's visit... Beach Blanket Babylon, Total B.S., IN THE WOUND... and friends friends friends... I'm exhausted and blessed.

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Monday, August 30, 2010

In the last couple months, this has become my daily routine...

I park in the garage below my building at work. Upon arrival, Billy (one of the parking guys) says, "My princess is here!", gives me a hug, and wishes me a good day...and then I say hi to the rest of the parking guys on my way to the stairs.

When I get to the lobby, I say hi to Penny (our daytime security guard), do the robot with her, we laugh and she thanks me for the robot, and I head into my office where I greet the girls at the front desk.

When I leave for the day, I do a high pitched screechy greeting/farewell with Moses (the night security guard) which was created by him and I think is in reference to me being small, and then I head down the stairs to the garage where I yell, "Helloooo?", and Sam and Arnell (the night parking guys) yell, "Kristen!", and come running to give me my keys. We have random happy exchanges where they try to guess where I'm going, and then I leave.

All of this happens, with slight variation, everyday.

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Sunday, August 29, 2010

HA!

It's sort of like the moment when you discover your fly is down and you wonder how long it's been that way...

Wait, maybe not.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Marina

I love to admire the city from a distance... by daylight as a faded silhouette...by night as a dense constellation...

When I got to the marina, the car next to mine had a man in the driver's seat reading. The weather was perfect today, so both of our windows were down and his car had been backed in so our windows met as I pulled in. I was singing along to a Sam Cooke song, and must've smiled at him as I parked.

"You have a beautiful smile." He said as I opened my door. "Thank you so much..." I replied. He mentioned something else about how much he liked my smile and then wished me a good day. I wished him one as well and made my way to the rocks by the water.

It felt so good to sit and listen to the bay... the water lapping gently against the rocks... the seagulls... the boats coming in for the night... people's voices sounding relaxed and happy as they strolled along the way...

After about an hour, I decided I was ready to go.

As I approached my car, the man in the car next to mine started to tell me from his window about how another man had come up to my car while I was away. The other man stood for a while behind my car trying to get into my trunk, until he realized he was at the wrong car. He and the man in the car chuckled about it for a bit, talked about the beautiful weather, and then the other man went to his car and left.

The man in the car next to mine thanked me for parking next to him and told me I had made his day... I wished him a good night, smiled, and drove away.

:)

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from "the book" (face)....

So, last night, I can't get this sad song out of my head that starts with the lyrics "once upon a time...", so I post that as my status update... and this is what ensued.

``````````````````````````````````

once upon a time...

o
in the land of enchanted hills.

o
I bought a sandwich and it was good

o
so I bought another and brought it to the King

o
And the king gave me a horse and rode through the town

o
telling everyone how much he LOVED the sandwich! he told the town's people that anyone who brings him a good sandwich... will also get a horse. ... until they run out of horses...

o
In the mean time, the horses got together and decided that their safety, health and overall well being were not to be tempered with in such a reckless manner. So instead they...

o
made amazing sandwiches for the King. Upon presenting them the King granted them their freedom from humans and gave them each a large tract of land for their own.

o
Until the land ran out and the King began giving away his daughters to those that brought him a sandwich. He had 7 daughters in total....

o
And I gave the king 7 sandwichs. Then the king gave me all 7 daughters. But as I looked at them I quickly realized that they were gigantic. And so I took my horse and rode away very very fast...

o
....the ride was terrible and my thirst great. I took a drink from the tanned deer's bladder that one of the giant daughter's gave me. It was full of her tears; she claimed her tears were more hydrating than coconut milk. As I rode I got ......woozy. The next thing I remember is coming to in a dark, dank room; my head was pounding. I wasn't able to move my body and my clothes felt soggy. A man with a taut brow in a black robe appeared in my field of vision. He stared at me then asked, "Tell me, why are you so soggy?"

o
i replied, "i've been drinking the tears of a giant woman... "

o
Is that like drinking from a firehose?

o
said the man in the black robe...

o
there was a stable boy who hated cheese puffs.

o
Because...they always turned his fingers orange...

o
He considered his fingers to be for either horse manure, pleasure or both. Orange would not do. Orange was a fever dream.

o
the man in the black robe said aloud... "but that's probably the enchanted hills talking...ha!" still, it brought him to the conclusion that i must be soggy because i was drinking from a firehose of tears! he and i spoke of my adventures for a while until he finally said, "how can i help you, soggy man, who's been riding on a horse that owns land, with 7 giant daughters full of tears chasing you?"....i still couldn't move and didn't know how to respond. my robed friend furrowed his brow...thought for a minute...

...and then made me a perfect sandwich...

the end.

:) love you all.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Bay Area nights...

I used to frequent the local underground music scene - it had been a while...

I miss the dark tiny venues, warehouses covered in stickers and graffiti, the toxic beach.... Hoodies and dickies accessorized in metal, converse, tattoos...angst. All I ever needed was my camera and someone to bum me a smoke....

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

"You gotta keep on your toes...you never know what might be coming at ya..."

One night when I was a waitress, I was swinging my tray around and I accidentally launched it at a couple at a nearby table. The tray flew and hit the side of their table pretty hard. I ran up right after it and, in the middle of their shock, grabbed the tray and said, "You gotta keep on your toes...you never know what might be coming at ya! Haha :) ". They seemed entertained - and as I walked away I tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Last night, I was at a progressive birthday party with a Pirate theme, which included a stop at a Pirate themed bar. One of the girls at the party was only 20 years old, so early in the night we knew we'd have to come up with a plan to get her into the bar. When we arrived (at the bar), me, the 20 year old, and her 21 year old friend were standing on the street devising a plan while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive. While we were standing there, a guy turns from a group of girls and says to us, "You can come to my party too!"...which we soon realized was inside the bar. Me and the 21 year old were on the same page... she said, "Maybe you can help us... see, my friend is only 20 years old... can you get her in?" I stepped in and said, "Here's what we need you to do... just put your arm around her, and just walk her in..." Simple. He said his name was Mohammed. He started toward the door, so we tucked the 20 year old under his arm and followed them. As he entered the door, the door man was eyeballing our young friend, so I quickly put my ID in his face as a distraction. It worked like a charm and soon we were all crashing Mohammed's party in the basement of the bar.

Sometimes things just work out perfectly when you least expect it.... :)

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Twenty Six

I'm 35 this year, and have been told by so many people in the last 5 months they thought I was 26... People at work, guys at the club, friends who didn't know my age, strangers just guessing or carding me... That's such a specific age. 26. And it's been so consistent. No, 25 or 27...only 26.

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Monday, August 16, 2010

It's a sign

I went to the Sand by the Ton party a few weeks ago, and these signs were everywhere...with people smoking right next to them.

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Shrew

I'm am sooo tired.

I somehow managed to get a callback for an audition of Taming of the Shrew after, from what I perceived, I bombed the audition... I guess you never really know. So, I'm sitting here, waiting to read, and blogging cause it feels like this is taking forever.

The part I'm going to read for eventually is the Widow. It's a very small role from what I gather...which makes me wonder if it would be offensive for the director to offer it to a more experienced actor. Maybe that's why I'm here?

I tried to go to bed early last night, but was woken by a drunken phone call at 3:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. I probably slept about 4 hours last night, and then had to get up to perform in the SF Theater Fest today in a sleepy haze... Afterwards, I went home, cleaned a bit, packed for a minivaca (that is awaiting me as soon as I get out of here), and took a nap. And now, I wait...to read like 11 lines in a 5 page scene. I've been here for an hour and 30 minutes. I want to leave.

------------

.... I read for Bianca briefly, was stopped midscene, and told them I had to leave...

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Friday, August 6, 2010

"The resolve to accomplish your goals is what counts. If you earnestly put your mind to something, your brain, your body, your environment - everything - will start working toward achieving that end.". -unknown

I've been having a lot of conversations about this, and I've just been seeing it happen all around me lately.
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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Frasier

I can't seem to find Comedy Central in the mixed up world of digital cable (since I refuse to pay for the box)... so, when I'm actually home and want to watch something, I've discovered that they play countless re-runs of Frasier. I love Frasier!

Last night, there was an episode about Niles' marriage, and Frasier said something that really struck me. He said that a good marriage is built on friendship and mutual respect.

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Banksy

Will Banksy change the world one wall at a time?

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Sunday, August 1, 2010

Relative...s

My cousin was the first of the grandchildren to get married. My grandparents mentioned that they were very excited about this a week before the wedding. The conversation that followed was something like, "...but, we still have a week...you never know what Kristen is going to do!". I was told this when I arrived a couple days before the wedding and it made me realize...that my family thinks I'm crazy...

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Saturday, July 31, 2010

310

The 17 year old pothead guys in 310 moved out. Well, I think they were forced out due to their disruptive behavior... Skinny dipping in the pool, rapping on their crappy PA system, parties almost every night for a while there, drunk/high friends always coming and going and loudly wandering the halls at all hours of the night... They definitely gave this place a dorm-like feel...but they never bothered me. They were always nice when I ran into them, and I could only really hear them when I was in the hallway...or they were.

Now the hall is silent. Actually, the building seems silent...and I miss them.

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Friday, July 23, 2010

Art...?

A friend of mine told me that he once took an art class but was kicked out because the teacher didn't think he was taking the class seriously. She thought he was trying to make fun of art with the work he was doing... but, he was actually just trying to create art...

This story made me want to laugh and cry simultaneously. The absurdity that someone's real art could provoke this kind of response - is pretty funny...but, a true attempt at expressing yourself and being judged so harshly - is sort of painful at the same time...

Should art be judged?

Art will always be judged, but should it be? What makes art ...art? Is it mass acceptance? Provocation of thought? An authentic attempt at expressing yourself in whatever form that manifests... ?? Whether good or bad, should the process always be respected? But regardless of respect...should it be judged...? Again, it always will be...

I watched Exit Through the Gift Shop - a Banksy film shot as a documentary about a documentary (you'll just have to watch it) about a man who seems to thoughtlessly regurgitate other people's creations with slight manipulation...grasping onto a success that already exists, while not fully understanding how or why it was important to begin with. He's wildly accepted by the public in the context of the film... and harshly judged by the artists in the context of the film... His art doesn't seem authentic, but he is portrayed as being a bit mentally slow... so, it may feel authentic to him. To add another layer to all of this, the film might be entirely fabricated...which makes Banksy's social commentary go way beyond where this blog post will... ;)

A little bit to chew on.

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Monday, July 19, 2010

"children of an idle brain..."

I find myself incessantly quoting Romeo and Juilet in my head. ...have you noticed? ...because, apparently, I also quote it often in my blog... and in other random places.

Today, I woke up with his name on my lips... and I wondered if I ever cross his mind.

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Gong show!

For the price of a cup of tea, I got to enjoy an SF Gong Show in the Tenderloin with my good friend Katie. Does it get any better than that?? I mean, the underground clown show last night was pretty freaking fabulous, but it did lack boys in animal costumes, a giant drag queen, and the absurdity that just exists on the streets of the loin...

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the tattoo...

I posted this a while ago. I'm moving it in my blog to detach it from Jason's full name which I used in the original post, but I wanted to keep the story...

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I used to know a guy named Jason who was a tattoo artist. He had tattoos all down his left arm, starting at the shoulder and wrapping down to his wrist, of dragons and Asian women, black swirls, and other designs webbed together to make the beginnings of a tattoo sleeve. He was about 17 or 18 and had moved from California. I was 17 or 18 and had grown up there, in Colorado. I used to talk to him in the cafeteria about his tattoos.

Jason asked me for a picture of myself one day. I didn't have one to give him, but told him that I'd try to find one.

I went out for pizza at Fargo's, a pizza place fully equipped with a player piano, an arcade, and a photo booth. The photo booth was an old booth that produced a strip of 4 wallet sized black and white photos. I jumped in to take some pictures for Jason. I took one with me smiling and one with me not. Then my friend Lance stuck his head into the booth making funny faces for the last two. I kept the pictures with Lance and me, and presented Jason with the other two photos the next day at school. Jason said they were perfect, thanked me, and ran off to class.

The next Monday, I saw Jason and went over to say hello. He was happy to see me and showed me his new tattoo. It was on the back of his left arm just below the elbow - the next open space. It was of me. It was a tattoo of my face, looking just like I did in the photo booth picture stylized to fit into the intricacies of his design, but it looked just like me. I didn't know what to say. As I sat there staring at it, my friend Javy came up to us. When Jason showed Javy the tattoo, Javy looked at it for a minute, perplexed. Then he looked at me and, in kind of a bewildered amazement, pointed at me and said, "that's you..."

It's strange to have your face permanently drawn on the back of someone's arm. It's sort of flattering and offensive all at the same time. I wanted to take a picture of the tattoo - to recapture the image recaptured, the compliment, and the absurdity - but, before I could, Jason moved back to California. Gone.

I have always wondered what happened to Jason and my photo booth image etched into his arm.



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roses

I was asked if I'd sold my soul to the devil... "You haven't aged a bit." He said.

I hadn't seen him in 9 years, and swore if I never saw him again it would be too soon...

"What's your secret?".

I replied, "I don't know...I laugh a lot...?".

He was the director of a show I worked on when I first moved to California. I was a first time (and last time) stage manager. I remember sitting in the theater with my stomach in knots trying to figure out how the hell I had gotten there.

Journal entry from April 21, 2001 -
"Deep breath...and now... Can I call this peace? But a peace of what...with life ...screaming at me.
So, I sit in the dark...let the candles flicker... and the wine...drip...slowly...into every inch that I can't reach.".

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

"And then they dream of...love."

Just because something seeeeems like a good idea...

Bacon. A tasty, heart stopping, greasy slice of meat that you can add to anything for one dollar.

Act 1, scene 4

On Friday, I was sent a song. It was perfect and romantic in the moment it was sent - full of beauty and promises that filled my heart up until I thought it would burst right out of my chest.

...And now, I can't stop humming it...

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Thursday, July 8, 2010

Summertime

My head is spinning...

An intoxicating man made me the most perfect dinner.

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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Radio Flyer

Once upon a time...

I used to believe in love...fiercely...completely. I knew it was out there for me and that it was pure and beautiful and perfect. I knew it would find me one day and sweep me off my feet and that I would love passionately and wholly forever.

I used to be a tomboy. ...er, I used to try to be a tomboy... I would follow the boys into the bluffs and climb over rocks and through trees until I would get stuck, and one of the boys would have to save me...

I used to think that mud guppies lived in every muddy puddle... and, that if I squinted my eyes really narrow that I could spy on people without them seeing me.

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