Tis the season

Everything happens for a reason...

My flight home for Christmas was cancelled... but, after being told I wouldn't get another flight out until Monday or Tuesday, I was able to book a flight for the following day.  One less day made a short trip home seem significantly shorter but, fortunately, constraints have a way of creating quality, and I ended up having a really nice, full, fun visit with my family and old friends.

Early on Christmas eve, my brother took me out for coffee at this brewery/cafe housed in an old school building.  It sounded reminiscent of a place I'd heard about in Portland, and a little research confirmed that it was inspired by the McMenamins' business model of repurposing abandoned spaces.  A very cool place with some really great coffee.

On our way into the school/brewery/cafe we walked by some kids sliding down the wide concrete railings alongside the stairs.  The concrete had been worn down enough to be a little slick, so the unsupervised kids were having a blast climbing up and sliding down again and again.  On our way out we decided to try the slide railing ourselves -- it was super fun.  :)

(Is it just me, or are the lights in the photo literally sparkling...?  This is a serious question, I have no idea how that's happening.)

Three things

Scan the world for the positive.

Smart is simple.

Strive for authenticity (watch again). 

so much!

I've been busy and slacking on blogging... so much going on with too much to say and no time to say it.

I'm feeling very distracted right now, but I wanted to get some things down.  Like: 

Fight workshop at the SF Opera (I got my own dressing room!)

Lots and lots of double dates

Her - Skywalker Ranch

Blue Bottle cupping (I had no idea "cupping" was a thing!)

The Hip Hop Dance Fest

Baby Gramps (bad ass)

Red Virgin

White Christmas on stage

Tristan and Yseult 

Awesome Orchestra

...and, so much more... ! 

8 (take six)

November 8th.

My goals for this show:

1. To bring back the magic.
2. To honor my performers.
3. To produce the show at Main Street, where it began.
4. To step it up as a host. 

As I've mentioned before, show 6 was the last one I committed myself to -- the final bow -- the moment to consider what I've learned from the process of producing, to re-evaluate what I'm doing, and to decide if I'll move forward or move on.  I wanted this show to be perfect.

I pulled together a solid lineup:

Sean Sanford
Joan Howard
Audrey Spinazola
David Studebaker
Tom O'Donnell and Matt Waters
Nikolas Strubbe
Traci Bartlow
Trisha Mao

...and, then considered the emotional journey I wanted to create, the tech needs of the different pieces, and what would serve all of those things while maintaining a good flow.

This was the strongest show I've produced.

First, working with the space was a piece of cake.  It was easy to book, communication was good, and Joan was was an amazing partner to me.  The warehouse was ready when we walked in and it looked amazing.

Everyone was either on time for tech, or had communicated clearly when they would arrive.  Tech went off without a hitch, and we were able to open the doors at 7:30, on the dot.

I had Aatman holding things down at the door, and Rob on the sound board, as always -- my two other amazing show partners.

And, then, the show was fantastic.

:)

Napa

My brother and his wife came to visit!

Our adventures included:  Dew tours, Sinaloa, Wii games, Outerlands and Ocean Beach, North Beach and Goorin, Pier 39, House of Prime Rib, Google, Stanford, Mijori, Autumn Lights Festival, Awaken Cafe, Kensington Inn, Muir Woods, LuLu w/ free desserts!, Coppola and bocce, and Truitt and Hearst.  

Aatman and I sent them on our Pescadero cheese, wine, yummy bread, and lighthouse adventure, and then they headed to Big Sur / Monterey / Carmel on their own. 

The visit ended with us all in Napa enjoying the wine, weather, and company...  

Personal brand

"I am a creative problem solver that uses energy + inspiration to move
people to action, creating community and facilitating new
experiences."

That's the rough draft of my personal branding statement. A product
of the Admin Summit.

Butterflies

Aatman and I painted these butterflies at a graffiti battle in Oakland
where we (he) learned to Lindy hop from a woman I didn't realize I had
met 12 years ago at the Jahva house. I asked her, the Lindy hop woman
(whose name was so familiar), to perform in my next show, got her card,
looked her up, and realized that she was the reason I met Alice
Walker, and her work as a photographer had inspired me back when my
mind was freshly being blown by the Bay Area art and culture scene,
and that she is permanently woven into the fabric of my love for
photography and spoken word and fortunate encounters and this deep,
strange beauty that seems to find its way back to me again and again
when I least expect it....

So Cal

I spent 2 weekends in So Cal seeing shows and friends, riding bikes on beaches, meeting new people, and enjoying the heat... The first weekend was a last minute getaway.  The second weekend was for a wedding celebration.

I love the magic that can be found in a weekend (or two) away.

Now, I'm back and busy with work and friends and soccer and shows, and I just started booking the next 8.

"Show 6" is the last one I committed to when I decided to give myself the challenge of producing a series of shows-- though, I will likely fulfill everyone's expectations and complete the run of 8.

I love my job

Yup, it's true.

[I know I've said some of this before, but] I am surrounded by smart, interesting, nice, inspiring people who are creating and defining the future; there's free food, gyms, dance classes, fitness groups, bikes; there's a slide, foosball, ping pong, massages, sleep pods...and, I get to sit on this couch with this droid whenever I want.

They kept saying, "Don't worry, you'll find something great." They were right.

From the book I Wrote This For You

I like this one because I think it speaks to the idea that sometimes you have to show all of your colors in a big way in front of everyone with no fear. You have to let go and dance...and it's such a display of what's inside you and whether it's great or embarrassing, it's still actually really great. It's the bravest thing you can ever do.

Thursday

It's Thursday... and I'm ready for the weekend.  

This week has been incredibly long.  I think it's because I've done so much!  I rode the Google slide, watched a Burning Man film, played soccer, had dinner w/ a recruiter's daughter to talk about theatre, rode some Google bikes, had a great dinner w/ great friends, had lunch in new g/cafes with new friends... 

I've been working hard and playing hard, and it's so tiring but it's so good.  :) 

This time...

I'm three weeks into my new job, and am both loving it and struggling with it.

It's hard wanting to be completely up to speed when that's impossible after only 3 weeks. Patience has never been my strong point...  I've been told I'm learning things very fast, but I'm anxious to be truly settled in.

I do love it, though. I'm inspired and spoiled every day. I'm grateful to be there, working in the future, with such smart, generous, and socially fascinating people. I think I've found my wonderland. :)

I remember being three weeks into my last job; feeling horribly awkward, and having a bird poop on me at lunchtime one day making for some very weird ice breaking conversations. Ah, the days...

This time...this time feels good. :)

The 4th

The 4th was a day to celebrate!  America!  A new job!  And, the one year anniversary for me and Aatman (we met at a bbq last 4th of July)!  :)

We didn't make it to Boston like we'd hoped, but we did make it to a couple of bbqs, a nice dinner, and to see the fireworks on the most beautiful night I think I've ever experienced in San Francisco.  It was a nice day reminiscing about our first day.  :) 

Then, the 6th was Aatman's birthday!  We had a really fun time running all over the city.  We saw the Mime Troupe perform in the park, hit the jazz festival and Japantown, grabbed a delectable dinner at Nihon, and then headed to Raven for some dancing.  So fun!!

This last week, I've been doing my best to prepare to start working again.  The promise of income is endlessly comforting, so I've loosened up the reigns on my budget and done my best to enjoy it.  

July 3rd

"I have a rockabilly waitress, Smashing Pumpkins is trickling through the PA, the woman across from me is picking her afro using the front camera on her iPhone as a mirror, and I'm pretty sure this coffee will make me unstoppable."

-- I posted that on facebook on July 3rd and, immediately after, got a call from Google offering me a new job!!

Yay!!!


So, just to recap...

I was laid off a little over 3 months ago and was officially unemployed for a little over 2 months.

Here's a quick breakdown of what I did during my "time off":

I applied to 38 jobs.
Booked 28 interview appointments and actually spoke to 52 individuals.
Had 9 networking meetings.
5 auditions.
2 modeling shoots.
And, a lot of time sitting in my apartment, reading, and eating PB&J.

The most interesting conversation I had while unemployed was with a guy named... Mike? with whom I spoke about an event modeling job that seemed to pay surprisingly well. It turned out that the job was to work "sexy events"-- so, I'd have to be okay with wearing heels, miniskirts, being friendly, talking to people, flirting, sitting on laps, and allowing some touching. Mike said, if I met a guy at an event who really liked me and wanted me to be his "girlfriend" I could make a lot more money than the initial offer. (...yeah, right?!) I thanked Mike for calling and told him that I wasn't interested in that kind of work. He was really nice and said he understood, and then told me that, as another option, I could recommend people who might be interested...and, as long as they were working, I would get a percentage of everything they made. I said I'd keep that in mind. ...I guess if you don't want to be a prostitute, you can always be a pimp.


I start work at Google a week from today. :) I'm so excited!