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!! 

Thanksgiving and things

This year, I spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with my family for the first time in 15 years...

I don't usually go home for Thanksgiving because my family likes to spend Christmas together -- but, this year, my brother and his wife will spend Christmas with her Dad's side of the family in Georgia so, in order for our whole family to be together during the holiday season, Thanksgiving was our chance.  

It was strange to go back to a traditional American Thanksgiving after the mismatch of diners, road trips, Friendsgivings, Asian Thanksgivings, and Portuguese Thanksgivings that have made up my California smörgåsbord of Thanksgiving experiences.  Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, family, snow, football... it was all just the same as I remembered it.  Pretty boring with a lot of food I don't really care for... :) 

But, I have to say, the rest of the weekend with my family was quite nice.  :)  

As far as the "and things" goes, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder was one of the best shows I've seen in a very long time and I think the best comedy I've ever seen.  It was delightful, creative, innovative, and brilliantly performed.  !!  I absolutely loved it!! 

All of the shows

At some point, I stopped writing about all of the shows.  I think it was around a time when I had hoped to write with more substance vs. reporting where I'd been -- but, I've missed logging some amazing things I've seen as a result so, in the last year, here are the shows I've found significant, and a few words about each:

JD McPherson (Pure energy and fun)

Faulted (Strange and wonderful)

Kinky Boots (Important, incredible, touching, beautifully performed)

Mike Birbiglia (Hilarious [and, I got to meet him!])

Kurios (Magical, creative, full of fantastic surprises)

Mittens & Mistletoe: A Winter Circus Cabaret (Impressive and fun)

Upright Citizen's Brigade (SketchFest - Amazing show)

Edinburgh Fringe w/ Janeane Garofalo (SketchFest - Best. Comedy. Showcase. Evar.)

Let There Be Love (Absolutely lovely and touching)

A Little Night Music (Delightful! Sexy, silly, beautifully performed)

Wicked (Denver - Visceral, beautiful, energetic, relevant...and, impactful)

One Man, Two Guvnors (Physically impressive, completely entertaining)

Plastic Persons (Matt and Tom - Perfectly nostalgic)

Jake Shimabukuro (Transcendent)

Amelie (FANTASTIC. Sweet, charming, touching, good silliness, beautiful set, great performances)

The Unheard of World (Dark, sweet, physical)

Fourth Messenger concert (Inspirational, moving, powerful)

Glen Hansard (Pure emotion)

Clybourne Park (Challenging, wonderfully humorous, topical)

SF Hip Hop Dance Fest (Energizing and inspiring)

Dogtown

Dogtown used to be written in spray paint.  

Now it's typography.

Main Street Theatre farewell

I stood there, snapped this photo, and thought briefly about all of the important memories I created while sitting on those stairs.... 

My birthday party, back when the space was new -- when I had to rent chairs and we piled people on old couches and let them dangle their feet from the balcony.  The stage lights were tin flood lights hung high from the pillars.  Rob brought in his sound system and a spot light for the trapeze act, and I invited everyone I knew and made them all wear mustaches.  It was one of the most magical nights of my life.  

Then, the first two 8s -- the weirdly successful stumble throughs.  

The last few 8s -- where I solidified the process, reconnected with the magic, and managed to make it my life.  

The shows I attended full of silliness and inspiration.  Sitting on the stairs with the residents of Main Street, feeling like it was exactly where I belonged.... 

And then, of course, there were the late night talks, circus bootcamp, the wild west fight night that no one attended... :) the delightful Sunday afternoon when Natty's boyfriend played the trumpet in front of the brick wall facade, the night Nik and Joan and I watched Scott Pilgrim vs the World on a tiny tube tv, the fight rehearsals, the laughter, the ability to create, the freedom to play....

Sweet Main Street, we will miss you.  ...and, we'll never forget you.  

Super moon

I was invited (kidnapped? is what they called it :) ) to join a group of friends who were going on a night hike to see the super moon -- we didn't actually see the super moon, but we did see this gorgeous moon the night before...  :)   

On the night of the actual super moon, I had gotten comps to a show at ACT.  The only time I would be able to see the super moon was during the show's intermission.  

As soon as the lights went up, Kat and I ran out of the theatre and looked into the sky.  We knew we'd have to get to the top of a hill or to an open space and we'd only have about 15 minutes, so we ran a couple of blocks to Union Square.  

As we crossed into the square, we could see the moon rising between the buildings to the East.  The eclipse gave it so much dimension.  It looked more like something out of a science fiction novel than like the moon to me.  Kind of other worldly, like a new orb in the sky vs something I guess I've come to think of as the night's shiny, shadowy source of light.  For some reason, the effect made me very aware of the space between us and, since I was viewing it from Union Square, how far from nature so many of us live our lives.  I found myself feeling very small and thinking that we must seem strange to the moon... as we stood there on the concrete, drowning in the lights from Macy's, with people in fancy jackets -- chattering and smoking cigarettes as they walked by.... we pointed, took pictures, ooo and aww'd, and went back to our seats in the theatre... leaving the red moon to linger in the sky.  

The waterfront

Baltimore was hot and emotional -- filled with beautiful old brick buildings alongside rundown boarded up neighborhoods. The city had tension and diversity, this gorgeous waterfront walkway, and some really incredible seafood...

Places of note:
Woodberry Kitchen
Shoyou Sushi
National Aquarium
Fells Point
Thames Street Oyster House

Lockdown

My blog is on lockdown because ... well, because it has to be for now.  But, maybe it's better this way.  I mean, maybe I'll be more honest and less stalked.  Maybe I'll reveal secrets and give you a deeper look into my opinions, reviews of shows, and thoughts on politics.... or, maybe I'll just continue to collect stories and share things I've learned.  :) 

In the meantime, I'm sad that my most read post will no longer be available to save the cats.  If you know a cat that needs saving, please, like, copy and paste the post or the information and let the distressed cat owner know that it's worth it to not do surgery if their cat doesn't seem like they're in trouble.  Basically, don't spend money on cutting a cat open if it doesn't seem like an emergency.  Always. 

Goodbyes

Goodbyes are so complex.  

There are the regular goodbyes, like when you're done at work for the day, or you're leaving your friends to go to your car after the fun -- and, then there are the more permanent goodbyes, like the ones at the end of a relationship, or when someone passes away...

...and, of course, there are a million variations in between.  

Anna and Ashley independently decided to move away on the exact same day, one day after Aatman left for a month long trip that will be promptly followed by 2 more months out of town.  That's a lot of names that start with an "A" and a lot of goodbyes for one weekend.  It was like the universe coordinated so I couldn't be too sad about any one of them leaving because I was always slightly distracted that the other two were leaving, and in a general state of sad anticipation about all three.  

The upside:  

Anna and Ashley tend to be extremely busy with very full lives, so I can easily go months without seeing them anyway.  Anna's moving to New York, but she will be back and forth and I'll see her soon.  Ashley is moving to L.A., so I'm thinking she'll be back and forth as well.  Aatman's goodbye is temporary -- I'm going to visit him in 3 weeks, he'll be back in 4, then he'll be gone again, but then back again -- and, even though it sucks, we've gone through this a number of times and seem to manage it pretty well at this point.  

The downside: 

I miss all of them already.  

LA

Aatman had to take an exam in LA, so he invited me to join him after for a mini vacation/quest to meet Manny Pacquaio.  (Aatman is a huge boxing fan. :) )

We discovered before the trip that Manny was likely in the Philippines, but we knew that Freddie Roach might be around so we went to his gym anyway.  Freddie was there!  We got to meet him and he was so nice!!  We both got pictures with him, and Aatman got him to sign the Wildcard Gym sweatshirt I had gotten him a few months back.  Yay! :) 

In the meantime, Aatman found a fantastic Korean BBQ place in K-town called Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong (delish!), we hit up the Upright Citizen's Brigade for a late night show ($5/ea!), rode a tandem bike on the beach, wandered through the madness of Venice, and had a great sushi bowl lunch at little restaurant called Murakami. 

The less exciting parts of the trip included a mediocre dinner at some place called Grand something or another in Studio City, and a visit to another boxing gym, only to find that the boxers weren't there.  Oh well.  We still got to meet Freddie Roach, and Aatman took this incredible photo!  I love the sky!

Eight! and 8, and...

Jessica asked for a source for details on past shows because she wanted to write something about 8 on 8/8.  I decided to follow suit and have posted here all of the links to my posts about the shows: 

8:1

8:2

8:3

8:4

8:5

8:6

8:7

8:8

and, the fb page.

Happy 8/8! 

(I have to admit, I maaaaay've adjusted the date and time just a bit on this one)  ;) 

Dreaming is free

I went to Boston for the 4th of July to spend some time with Aatman, and to celebrate our anniversary and his birthday.  (He's in Boston, on a very demanding month long medical rotation.)  We knew the trip might find us right across the street from each other with no real contact, but we made a couple of hopeful dinner reservations anyway.   

Because I wasn't sure we would see each other much, I had planned a walking tour, solo brunch, a visit to a museum and to the library... but, then, Aatman was let out of work early on the 4th and we were able to have the most magical anniversary celebration together!  We had an amazing brunch at the Tip Tap room, went to Faneuil Hall to see the street performers, and wandered around the water front district, ending up at the aquarium for a few hours which included seeing a great IMAX film about sharks.  Our anniversary dinner was at one of Aatman's favorite sushi restaurants, and then we got back to my hotel to find the best private view of the fireworks we could've possibly asked for.  

Aatman's birthday is on the 6th, but we planned to celebrate it on the 5th because we knew he'd have to work on the 6th (and, my return flight was scheduled on that day).  He was let out of work a bit early on the 5th as well (!), so we wandered around Charles Street, hung out at the bar at the Liberty Hotel (which used to be a prison and is now a luxury hotel), and then we went to a really nice Italian dinner at Grotto.  :)  

I also ended up with some solo time, so I did the walking tour, saw the library, checked out the esplanade and wandered the charming streets of Boston a bit on my own.     

It was a short trip, but it was perfect.  :)

Panic attacks and foreboding joy

Things are great things are great things are great, and then -- BAM!! ...you start getting panic attacks -- which make you feel like you're dying.  And, I mean, like, for real dying.  Like, I should call someone, write a will, and check myself into the hospital kind of dying.  Like, if I keep thinking about this vs doing something it might be too late and then I will be dead kind of dying.  

Apparently, that last one (thinking about it vs doing something) is key to differentiating between panic attacks and actual dying.  If you're actually dying, supposedly there wouldn't be a debate going on in your head, you would know something's really wrong and would either go to the hospital, or die.  (Disclaimer: This blog and my hypochondria should NOT to be used for medical diagnosis.)  

But, as I mentioned, things are great.  

There's this thing called "foreboding joy".  It's the feeling, or fear, that when things are going really great something bad might happen. 

Along with the panic attacks, I've been having a lot of foreboding joy lately because things have been great.  Which is ridiculous because, when I really start looking at my life, I know there are many things that aren't great.  My relationship has some obstacles to overcome, my mom had a pretty big surgery today, the theatre where I've produced most of my shows is about to be torn down, a couple of my closest friends are moving away, and I started having panic attacks because of some serious unnecessary drama at work.  

The "problem" is, the drama at work has since subsided along with the panic attacks, my relationship has grown a ton recently and feels wonderful regardless of the obstacles, I have amazing and inspiring friends and I know that having some of them move on will be the best thing for them, my mom's surgery has the potential to really improve her quality of life, and I'm still alive because I was only having panic attacks.  

I think the lessons here are:  Panic attacks are terrifying (but you'll be just fine), and sometimes when things are great it leads to foreboding joy.  :P