When I was a senior in High School...

I took a creative writing class.

Our teacher would pique our imaginations by asking us things like:  Which is louder, a cough or a sneeze?  What kind of animal do your parents think you are?  Where do you think you will be, with whom, and doing what in 10 years?

And, then one day he told us a story about how James Dean predicted his own death.  "James Dean would tell interviewers that he thought he'd live fast and die young", the teacher said -- "and, then he died at 24 in a violent car crash... Have you ever thought about how you might die?"

I thought about it.  Would I live to be really old and die in my bed?  Would I catch a disease?  I lived in Colorado at the time (land of the terrifying drivers) and couldn't imagine ever living anywhere else, so I predicted that I would die in a car crash when I was 40.  I would be married, with 2 kids, a dog, and a minivan -- and, I would die driving.  I always pictured the kids and dog with me, but I also always seemed to think I would leave them behind with the mystery husband I never had a clear picture of in my head.  The kids were young.  The dog - fluffy.  The minivan - gray.

Midnight on January 22, 2016, I turned 41 and managed to survive (if you've been following along) my third death prediction.  Well, actually, I guess I don't know what time I was born on the 22nd, so maybe I was still in danger most of the day (sorry people who were with me on that day!), but it's now the 27th and I'm still alive, so I made it to 41.  :)

Whew!

....and many more....  ;)

Extras

There's a new movie coming out called Birth of the Dragon.  It's about Bruce Lee's last fight, which apparently took place in Oakland (wut?!).  Did you know that Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco's Chinatown??

I was booked as an extra getting off of the boat from China with the guy who came over to fight Bruce Lee.

I've only done extras work once before because I didn't really enjoy my first experience with it.  It was a lot of sitting or standing around, and a lot of waiting, walking from here to there, and resetting again and again....  Extras work doesn't pay well, it's a lot of time, and your chances of making it on screen are pretty slim.

This time was more fun, however, and I think I did get on screen.  It was still a lot of walking from here to there and resetting, but there was a lot less waiting around and a lot more random fun.  The group of extras they had that day were great, and the production team was astounding -- we got costumes, make up, hair, and props without a hitch, and the team on the ground kept things really fun and moving all day long.

It was cool to see the production from the talent side again, and I loved having the crew buzzing all around us.  It made me think about what will be next... ;) 

Quiet holidays

My parents and I had planned to meet in Illinois to spend Christmas with my extended family this year but, a couple of days before my parents were supposed to travel, my Mom got sick.  

When my Mom gets sick it tends to land her in the hospital for a few days due to some intestinal issues she has, so I rerouted my flight to spend Christmas in Colorado.  My brother was in Atlanta with his wife's side of the family, so my Dad and I prepared ourselves to spend Christmas with just the two of us, along with visits to the hospital to see my Mom. 

I told my Dad I could make spaghetti and a nice salad for Christmas dinner.  He told me he would get some steak or a turkey and make roasted vegetables for us, and that I could still make a salad if I wanted.  :)  haha

On our way home from the airport we went to visit my Mom at the hospital, and found that she was doing much better than we expected!  Things were looking up and it seemed like there was a good chance she would be released the next morning.  She was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve, so we were able to have her home for the holiday!  Yay!  Since she was still recovering, we had a quiet holiday together, but it was a really nice time for reconnection.  :) 

I headed back to the Bay for New Years thinking I would probably join a party with some friends for the night, when my handsome boyfriend told me he was heading to the Bay to spend New Years with me!  :) We ditched the parties, went to a nice dinner, and then spent the rest of the night on my couch -- talking, laughing, reading to each other, cuddling....  We eventually watched the ball drop on TV, and then faded into the night to the sounds of Drunk History...  :) 

Here's to 2016!!