A day off

At this point in my... "career", I accrue four weeks of vacation a year...which is awesome if you can take a vacation.  :)  If you can't, the days pile up until you have to start taking days in order to keep accruing.  This results in a lot of daydreams of hopeful vacations, and random days off. 

My daydream vacations include: 

Europe.  I want to visit my friend Stephanie in France, but I also want to just travel around Europe and soak up as much as possible...

Hawaii.  My best friend, Stacey, lives in Hawaii and I really want to spend some time with her -- and, I just love Hawaii.  

Colorado.  I need to go home to see my wonderful family.  (I'm headed there tomorrow, actually, but I can't seem to get myself to pack.)

New York.  I love New York.  Love it.  Seriously consider moving there about every 3 months...and then I find myself unable to imagine leaving the Bay Area... it's a constant battle.  

Asia.  I feel like I need to go to Korea at some point... you know, just to put myself through "returning to my homeland" and experience whatever comes up for me as a result.  I also think about visiting Taiwan before Josh leaves... but I'm not sure if I can make that happen. 

Rapture

Nothing like intimidating waves and an earthquake to make you reconsider the prediction of the Rapture. 

Today, I was on the beach with Sky and her friends celebrating her birthday. The wind was crazy and the waves were violent against the shore. A ranger told us he hadn't seen waves that big since the tsunami!

I fought all morning (broadsword), so after the beach I was beat... I had planned to hang out at the campsite where the group was staying, but decided to head home to relax and recover instead. I passed out on the couch when I got home, only to be woken up a few minutes later by my shaking apartment and, in my dozing delirium, thoughts that this was really it. !

I read somewhere that the group who predicted the Rapture was prepared to offer post rapture counseling... I guess they didn't all expect to make the cut. ;)

I wonder if they were also prepared to offer we-are-idiots-because-we-are-all-still-here counseling.

Clown bootcamp 'n stuff

This is one of my favorite clowns....  :)

This month I've been doing clown bootcamp AND level 2 broadsword.  Yeowsers!  ...I'm getting buff.  :) 

Raised vs Revenge

In the last week, I attended Born and Raised and The Lily's Revenge - two productions by local Bay Area artists exploring the themes of love, marriage, and gay rights.

Born and Raised was a powerful and important production - while still managing to be magically entertaining. I thought it got to the core of what people don't seem to understand about gay couples, and exposed some of the cruel realities of what discrimination and misunderstanding can do. The performances were heartfelt and lovely, the costumes simple - and the writing and direction delivered through hard moments with charming segues keeping the audience and performers connected from beginning to end. I left the theatre feeling deeply moved by this intelligent and entertaining show.

The Lily's Revenge was an interactive and invigorating experience. Its message felt a bit scattered to me, and the story didn't seem to fully deliver what I felt it promised in the beginning... but, the performers were commanding and captivating throughout the show - and the intermissions! I loved the first and second acts, and the flowers fighting back in the 5th act - and the costumes and make up in this show were absolutely gorgeous. After the wild ride, the show ended with a question... which felt strangely in place of the fairytale-with-a-twist-surprising-yet-powerful-ending I was hoping for but, regardless, Revenge broke the boundaries of how we experience theatre and provided a night that will be remembered.

Little gifts

Despite my nasty cold - this week was full of little gifts.

David gave me some of the best cold medicine ever.
Michelle told me my feelings of frustration about a situation at work
were justified, but to let them go... because they weren't worth
hanging on to.
I got to take a day off to rest and take care of my cold.
TBA gave me tickets to see Hugh Jackman, and Michael was able to go with me.
Pam stopped by my desk to tell me a story about her giving old oil
paints to a homeless man.
Mel gave me a little pink ninja she found because I was the first
person she thought of when she saw it.
Angela signed up and started taking improv classes after a
conversation we had about being in the moment.
Lili sent me cute cat pictures when I happened to be in the middle of
a travel crisis at work.
Devin completely indulged me in a moment of paranoid insecurity.
Sean helped me prepare a lunch for Susana and team with the most
generous spirit.
Kasmira told me stories about her charming clumsy moments.
I had a happy hour evening with a bunch of new friends.
Rob fixed the computer connection to my phone, and then told me he had
no idea how he did it, which was just so honest that it made me smile.
Liz told me that she was going to sneeze, and then I sneezed, and then
she sneezed - and then we giggled uncontrollably disrupting everyone
around us.
Gabriella sent me email hugs all week.
I got to attend Amber's CD release party.
Isabel invited me to watch a movie with her and her friend, and it was
the most fun I think I've ever had watching a depressing movie.
Dave let me lead Broadsword class in a completely ridiculous salute.

My heart is smiling.

Hugh Jackman

I managed to score tickets to opening night of Hugh Jackman's show at the Curran Theatre tonight.  DELIGHTFUL!!!  My friend Michael joined me and it was so much fun!!  

I'm not sure if my favorite part was watching Hugh change his pants on stage after he split them doing weird karate kicks in one of his opening songs, his dialog with the 7 year old girl in the front row, watching him shake his ass with the older gentleman who said he was a Broadway fan, or the revival of his first audition piece... his singing, dancing, stories, full orchestra (!), silly mishaps... the whole show was amazing!!!  Richard Marx joined him on stage at the end of the night and they sang a duet to Right Here Waiting... *sigh* 

As we drove across the Bay, Michael and I agreed that part of Hugh's allure is his ability to be campy... but, after giving it more thought, I think it's more of a true authenticity that brings out his charm.  He sang the Lion King song with just as much heart and enthusiasm as when he sang As Time Goes By, and then he danced around the stage in a beaded shirt tied at the waist! 

Wow, what a handsome and enchanting man...

May day

The table to my left is talking about Trump running for president - the one to my right about Osama's death. 

I'm sitting with my favorite pasta dish after a beautiful weekend - looking across the estuary thinking of nuclear war, the celebration of death, the joke of politics... 

Linguine con funghi - exactly what I wanted.  The bread with oil and vinegar, shredded garlic and parmesan, truly couldn't be more tasty. The view here is one of my favorites... 

"Ya know, Circus o'ley is Canadian. (!)"  A woman from the left says. The conversation continues accompanied by the hallow sound of a trumpet trickling through the PA. 

I feel like I could cry...