Saturday, December 31, 2005
What you are asking for
It has definitely been a very long time since I did that. Wow.
Ed and Laura's engagement party was tonight, and afterwards, some of us went out to Denny's. Just for old times' sake. See, when I was in high school, we (the youth group) used to go to Coffee Cravings--a coffee shop across the parking lot from the church--on Sunday nights after church. When it closed, we moved 50 feet further down the strip mall to the Dairy Queen, and that, for all intents and purposes, is where we hung out for the rest of high school. Sometime during my first year of college, when we started getting vehicles and not being restricted to the mall, we decided to go down the road about 10 minutes to the Denny's, and that's where we hung out for most of my college years, and beyond. The group has grown; different people have been privy to the Denny's Experience at different times over the past 5 years, but there are still a few of us who were there from the beginning. The very beginning.
These days, it usually makes me feel incredibly old to go to Denny's. Actually, it makes me feel incredibly old to hang out with that group in general. I love them to pieces, but it always makes me a little bit nostalgic and reminiscent of my less-mature days. Heh.
On another, slightly related, note, I've realized that I'm the absentee bridesmaid. This is the third of four weddings that I've been in over the past few years where I will just show up a day or two before the wedding, and not be there for any of the planning. I was here for all of Kat's planning, but for Jen's, Lynsae's, and now Laura's, I'm not. I just swoop in on my... white airplane?... to save the day. Or something to that effect. It has mixed blessings, but one of the advantages to not being there until the big day itself is that I'm much more aware of the privilege that it is to be there and to be a part of it.
Anyways, it's late. Besides, a day of gelato, pretend husbands, and really adorable nephews can wear anyone out. And then, you add the Denny's on top of that, and... well, there's just no hope, is there?
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Throwing my thoughts to the wind
I have many cute pictures to post, but this whole "not being on my own computer" thing makes it difficult. One of these days, when I actually have a wireless connection or somtehing, I'll do just a Christmas picture entry.
Things I'd missed, that just feel like it's home to experience: A late-night (slash very early-morning) theology debate with Aaron. Kat sitting between us, shaking her head during said debate. Movies with Kim. Walking into people's houses without knocking. Being Auntie (I especially missed that part). Driving. Mom's hall-light paranoia. Choosing Aaron-appropriate movies for those movie nights. Coffee (okay, I can't really say that I actually missed that). Coffee with friends that I haven't seen. Better?
One week left. Coffee slash meal slash movie slash hangout times with at least five more people. So glad I'm not actually working or anything. It's good to have the time without anything scheduled at all, just so that I can spend it with people, rather than trying to fit them around my schedule.
I'm excited to go back, but I'm realizing that, in many ways, looking after Lourenzo is so peripheral to the real reasons I went to New York. It's the bread and butter of why I'm there, but the heart and soul of it is found in the church, in my classes, in the opportunities for internships and jobs and education. What I'm most looking forward to isn't going back to life with a 5-year-old; it's going back to the amazing opportunities that have all been placed in front of me.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
One kid in a chop shop, one on Broadway
Merry day after Boxing Day... did everyone survive the malls? Kat and I braved Market Mall for a few hours this afternoon, but for all that, we didn't actually buy anything. It's been a relaxing day--hanging out in Kat's living room, watching Jakob run around, taking cute pictures. Post later.Yesterday was family Christmas, at Lucille and Kinne's house. Fun, especially attempting to lick Becky's nose (for some reason, that freaked her out just a little bit), but I'm just about family-ed out for a few days. I need a vacation from my vacation! I love my family, but after a few days of constant togetherness, it's time for a break.
Fortunately, I got my break this morning when I went out for coffee with Scott and Heather. Man, I missed those guys. It was so good to catch up, talk about the Christmas show, discuss what's going on in New York, and plan for the someday future. Plus, who better to dissect the Narnia books and movies with (Scott) or look for cute holiday stuff on clearance with (Heather)?
Sunday, December 25, 2005
*insert any "Charlie Brown Christmas" music here*
Merry Christmas!Despite the futility of lists, it's been a good day.
And best yet, I got to go to church last night and hang around during all three services and see many people that I haven't seen in months. It all feels a bit time-warp-ish, like I haven't really been gone for four months, like all the conversations that I had before I left were just 2 weeks ago.
Things change, and I see that most vividly when I look at Jakob--four months is a long time when you're only 18 months old. Things stay the same, too, though, and I'm reminded of that every time I pick up a conversation as though I just left it yesterday.
I really am tired, though. I think my body is just in overdrive trying to catch up from being up at 6 in the morning. It's amazing how fast I revert to my default internal clock. Bed at 2, up at 10. Something along those lines. If I had my way, that's how I'd schedule my day most of the time, but unfortunately, I have to conform to the NYC Public School schedule, which includes leaving the house at 7:30.
For the next week and a half, though, I can stay up late and sleep in to my heart's content. Watch movies, hang out with friends until the wee hours, go out for coffee late... and I can sleep in as late as I want! Fantastic.
And Merry Christmas. I hope it's been a good day. A good weekend. And the fun continues tomorrow...
Saturday, December 24, 2005
One thing leads to another
Wanna know something cool? In the movie The Interpreter, the part where the bus blows up was filmed less than a block from my house.The first time I watched this movie, before I moved, I (of course) didn't realize this, and would have no clue what the significance of "the corner of Nostrand and Park" or "Nostrand and Bergen" or "Park and Franklin" (all of which are mentioned in the movie) was. Last night, though, Kim, Aaron, Edwin, Kat, and I watched it, and I made them pause the movie several times so that I could exclaim loudly and point out where I was.
"If you walk four blocks out of the screen towards me, that's where I go to take the subway. If you walk four houses off the screen towards where Edwin is sitting, that's where I live."
I'm so cool.
Friday, December 23, 2005
All the things we're dreaming of
Hee. I'm sitting in Kim's living room, listening to "Love Lift Us Up" (which, by the way, will forever remind me of Laura), getting ready to go rent movies for a movie night with Kat and Aaron.I don't think I caused any heart attacks over the past few days, but I can always hope, can't I?! ;o) In any case... I showed up on Kim's doorstep on Wednesday, while I was talking to her on the phone, and she screamed very loudly. I was sitting on Kat's couch when she got home from work, and I don't think her mouth could have dropped any further open. I dropped by Laurel's church office, but (dumb securit camera), she saw me.
Still, no one had a clue. Yay for everyone keeping the surprise!
Now... I spent today at home, doing less than nothing. I don't think I've been that lazy and unproductive since I was sick around Halloween. Tomorrow. Christmas Eve.
It doesn't even feel like Christmas. For the first time in I don't know how long, I didn't have a show. I'm still getting used to this whole "no exams at Christmas" mindset, even after two years out of school, and then to add a "no shows" to that... My brain just doesn't get that it's December 23.
I didn't go to any concerts; I didn't have dress rehearsals; I'm not getting something ready to go up on Christmas Eve; I didn't have even one (let alone two or three) shows going. It's just too weird.
I have a little shopping to do tomorrow, but I haven't wrapped anything, and my cards aren't finished, let alone mailed. I was planning to have the cards ready to go before I left New York, but that didn't happen. Neither did mailing any US presents and cards. I did manage to finish the cards that were delivered in person, and I bought most of my presents before I left, but that's about as far as I got.
Anyways... we're going to have a movie night, and I'm so excited about that. It's been far too long, and Aaron was jealous of Kat's and my girls' night last night, so it's time to spend some time with the neglected best-friend's-husband.
Yes, my life is strange.
Guessing game begins again
Well. Would you look at that. Apparently, I can't read a map as well as I claim to.Calgary, Chicago--what's the difference, right?
Yes, I'm in Calgary, not Chicago, and if I've had to blatantly lie through my teeth to you about that any time in the past few months, I'm terribly sorry. Not really, actually. It was worth it to see the reactions yesterday and today when I showed up on people's doorsteps.
I have an entry about all this already written, but it's on my computer. I'm at my parents house, and have no way to connect my computer to the internet. And so... I have to start from scratch.
Anyways... my flight was scheduled to leave New York on Tuesday at 5:35, so due to the strike, I called a car for the airport at about 1. Got to the airport in plenty of time, was checked in and ready to go way before my flight was scheduled to leave, and then discovered that my flight was delayed, thanks to the strike, because the crew couldn't get to the airport on time. We ended up not taking of until almost 7:30, which got me into Minneapolis about 3 minutes after my flight to Calgary was scheduled to take off, so needless to say, I missed that one.
It was actually not that bad, though. The airline put me up in a hotel, and I got a nice little relaxing evening and a bit of sleep-in. No luggage to check in the morning, so it was an easy trip through security, and that was that.
Then, I spent yesterday and today shocking as many people as possible, and surprisingly, despite my sister's notoriously big mouth when it comes to keeping secrets, and despite my dad's and Jen's last-minute attempts to spoil the surprise via my blog comments, we managed to keep it a surprise for nearly 2 months! No one had a clue, which was, obviously, kind of the point.
Now... I've got 2 weeks off. Nothing scheduled (although my daytimer is beginning to fill up), no work, no assignments... nothing. Just hanging out and spending time with people on their schedules and timetables.
So that means... if you're in town, and you want to get together for coffee, I'd love to! Email me or call me (although you'll have to call either at my parents' or call my New York cell, because I don't have a Calgary cell at the moment), and we'll hook up. I'd love it! :o)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Steee-rike!
Yup. Strike. And my car is coming in 1/2 an hour to pick me up and take me to the airport. At least it's not affecting me too much! :o)More later... after a very long day of travel and, most likely, a good sleep.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Elvis takes 'em
Seriously. The title line for this entry? Best line, bar none, in Walk the Line. Really good movie, and not intended to be funny, but Naomi and I just about fell out of our chairs laughing at that line. If you happen to see the movie... let me just say, best peer pressure line. Ever. But peer pressure is bad. Remember that, kids.And my feet hurt. Remind me to think about my day before I set out in the morning in heels. Stillettos with pointy toes, no less. Just church, fine. Church and shopping? Not so fine. I don't know how the women who wear them day in and day out do it.
Almost finished shopping, though. I think I've got all the major ones, and not a minute to spare. Tomorrow, I'm at work all day, and then Tuesday, I've got a chiropractor's appointment in the morning, but that (and an eyebrow threading) is about all I've got time for.
No strike--yet. The deadline was extended, so the strike will happen either Tuesday or Wednesday, if they don't reach an agreement. Call me selfish, but since that won't affect me (much, if it's Tuesday; at all, if it's Wednesday), I'm not nearly as concerned about it as I was a few days ago.
Hmmm. What else? I'm going to lead a small group after Christmas on Walking on Water, by Madeleine L'Engle--one of my most formative books as an artist. I'm co-leading it with Allison, the lead pastor's wife, so that'll be really fun. She's fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know her a bit better with this whole thing. Plus, since she's a musician, it'll be good to have a different perspective--something other than a theatre-centric mindset. It'll be interesting to see who signs up for a group like that. We're quite close to the School of Visual Arts, so we may have few performing artists at all, and mostly visual artists... we'll just have to see, I guess.
And tomorrow night, it's time to pack and do laundry. Not in that order. I haven't even gotten my suitcase down from the attic yet--should probably do that, hey? Ah well... it's only 2 weeks. It's not like I'm trying to pack up a house, or packing to leave home for a year or anything like that, right? This is the easy stuff!
And on that note, I'm going to bed. Late night last night, late night (for me, sadly) tonight, and an early morning (last one!!!) tomorrow. Can I just tell you how much I'm looking forward to sleeping in on my first day of vacation? Oh, you have no idea. Not being out the door at 7:30? My idea of heaven right now.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Quoth the raven, nevermore
The windows at Bloomingdales--the theme is "Imagine," and the windows on Lex are all in a fairy tale theme. This one's Cinderella. They're all pretty cool.
Hey. Wow. It's been a while. For some reason, last night, I couldn't get online--our linksys was down, so I just hung out and watched TV. Nothing too major.
So. The city is on the verge of a transit strike. And, seriously, this will immobilize the city. You have no idea. Public schools will start 2 hours later. My work will open 2 hours later and close 3 hours earlier. Most people won't bother going to work. It's too cold to walk, and it'll be insane to drive, if you even have a car. Hopefully they'll come to an agreement, but if not by midnight... they go tomorrow. *sigh* Well, I guess this is my large-scale NY crisis. Everyone's got to have one, right?
What else? Down to 2 shifts at BN--barring a strike, that is. If they strike, I'm probably done now. I won't really have a way to get to work--it's a 45-minute train ride; I can't even imagine getting there from here any other way. Including driving, at this point. I can't begin to imagine how congested the roads will be. It would probably take 3 hours to drive.
It should be a good weekend, again, barring a strike. It's all dependent on that. Heh. I need to finish shopping, theoretically on Saturday night, since early Saturday evening and all of Sunday are now full.
I realized this week that I'm starting to actually say goodbye to people here for the first time. I mean, I'll miss people when I leave for Christmas. It's just that, up until now, I've had to say goodbye to people to come to New York; now I'm actually saying goodbye to people in New York. It takes it to a different level.
Monday, December 12, 2005
From now on, whenever we discuss this, she's not my sister
That's better. Many more Christmas presents were purchased today. Unfortunately, that takes me nearly to the end of my "I know what I'm getting them" list. From here on out, I've got to be *gasp* creative. Or, more specifically, spontaneously creative. Because I only have a week to finish shopping, and Tuesday through Friday are mostly write-offs. Saturday night and Sunday afternoon it is.And this was going to be longer, but I got distracted, and now I have to go pick Lourenzo up from school. More tonight, hopefully. With pictures!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
The geese are getting fat
8:00 Sunday night, and I'm finished. I finished filming last night at around 12:30, and then today was a back-and-forth of watching Lourenzo and actually filming. Today's scene was actually the shortest one I had, but I still didn't finish until 4. Then, Lourenzo, and now he's in bed, so I'm finished.It was fun, but it definitely reminds me why I like theatre. Film is a cool process, and maybe I'd find it more interesting if I was more involved, but the thing I like about theatre is that the preparation is all done in advance, and when you start acting, you just go. The momentum of the show carries itself, and it flies by in a blur. There's not the hours and hours of setup in between shots, and waiting around to change the lighting, and doing the same shot seven or eight times.
Like I said, if I was more involved, I'd probably be more into it, and it's definitely been fun, but I still stick to my theatre purism. Heh.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
All dressed up and nowhere to go
Here's a visual. You don't quite get the full effect of the dress, but trust me, it's as bad as it looks.
Alas and alack
Boo. I should know better than to think that if I'm supposed to be finished shooting at 3, I should be able to plan something for 6. We're not finished my second scene for today, so I won't be able to make it to Messiah tonight. Unfortunately. My scene is next, but "next" isn't for another hour, at least (and that's just starting the scene), and I need to leave in 20 minutes.Maybe, if I'm lucky, though, I'll be finished in time to head out and catch a late showing of Narnia. Hmm. We'll see.
And, happy birthday, Carl! Man, can anyone believe that he's 17? Too weird.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Icy in the city
Thoughts? I'm not usually a fan of white-on-black designs, but I liked this one, and it's kind of wintery and icy looking. It's London, not New York, but that's okay.I think the font is still big enough to read easily, even though the colors might be a little harder on people's eyes... Again, thoughts?
In the lane
I wish I had my camera. It's snowing--huge, fat flakes--and it's gorgeous. Especially from the inside of a coffee shop with twinkle lights in the windows. I was going to say that I feel like I'm in Luke's, but then I realized that there's no way I'd have a hazelnut mocha at Luke's, so I'll say that I feel like I'm in Weston's instead. Heh.On the sidewalk, there's a Christmas tree stand, and there's a stretch of about 50 feet where the space between the trees is just barely wide enough for two people to pass. It's like a little enchanged forest in the middle of the city.
Yes, I know that's what Central Park is for, but that's a big enchanted forest in the middle of thie city. This is just like a little enchanted path leading to who-knows-where.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and I forgot mine at home. Silly, silly me.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Say you'll be mine
Five shifts to go.Now that that's out of the way, what else is new? Alexandra's shooting her final film project this weekend, and I've got a very tiny part in it, so I'm in and around for that... I'm in 3 small scenes, one being shot each day of the weekend. It'll mean that I have some free time around the house, though. Lourenzo is going to a friend's for the weekend (can you imagine a 5-year-old on a film set?!), so basically, Friday and Saturday, when I'm not shooting, I'm just hanging out. Since my scenes are so small, it'll be a lot of sit-around time, which will be nice for reading a book, being online, etc, etc.
I'm a little worried, just because Alexandra isn't exactly the most organized person in the world, but she only has the equipment for the three days. Still, sticking to a schedule isn't her strongest point (there's a reason that I take Lourenzo to school in the morning. The days that she takes him, he's never there on time). It's not really any skin off my nose, though.
Put it this way--we're supposed to be doing a dress rehearsal right now, and no one is doing anything remotely close to rehearsing. Now, I know better than anyone how rehearsals can be postponed because of set-up and so on, but it seems like a lot could have been thought of beforehand.
That's just me, I guess. It'll be fine, and it's kind of nice to not have to worry about it. I mean, I just show up, get in costume, and do my three little scenes (literally, I have four lines in the whole thing), and that's it. Nothing else to worry about, and it'll be fun to just do it.
Other than that... what else is new? Not too much. Hopefully, I'll get a good chunk of Christmas shopping done this weekend. I want to have it finished before I leave on the 20th, so that just leaves me with a little over a week, and I'm working for a good part of next week. Really, tomorrow and Saturday are my best shots to get as much done as possible.
I've bought my ticket for Messiah on Saturday night. I'm really, really looking forward to that--not only am I looking forward to the music itself, but it's at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which I've really wanted to see, and haven't been to yet. The Cathedral actually features prominently in some of Madeleine L'Engle's books, and we all know how much I love those... she has wonderful behind-the-scenes scenes from the Cathedral, and I know it won't be anything like that, but it's still always nice to actually be in places that you read about. You know?
Anyways... back to "hurry up and wait." That's what film is all about.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Let them flow in ceaseless praise
Ahhhhh... Six, potentially, seven more Barnes and Noble shifts, and that's it. The countdown is on.And then, on January 9, I start as an intern at Vital Theatre Company, working alongside the Artistic Director and Managing Director. Overworked, underpaid, and (hopefully) loving every minute of it.
It's been an interesting few weeks to get here, but these are the journeys that make it all come together. The realization that, at this point, having the "responsible" job is actually he irresponsible thing to do. That just biding my time at a mindless job is poor stewardship of not only the talents that God has given me, but also the time that I've got this year.
There are opportunities right now that I'll never have again. In the big-picture sense of being able to move to New York, but also in the specific details of where I work, how I spend my days, and what I invest my time into.
And, as important as coffee is, it's not worth investing that much time and energy into. It's just not that eternal. This, though--the dream, the vision, the gifts--this is. It's something with significance, and that makes it a leap of faith and a step of trust, and completely, utterly worth it.
I will miss that deep discount on my coffee, though.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Lazy, hazy, crazy days
Significant things that happened today?We started singing Christmas carols at church. O Come Let Us Adore Him, I believe. I wasn't actually in the service at that point, because I was greeting, so I was late getting in.
Naomi had to cancel our plans for tomorrow--she has to deal with some insurance and landlord junk with her roommates because... a car drove into their living room. Yes. It only happens on TV, right? No, apparently it happens to people I know.
I woke up to snow. And, since my bedroom is on the back of the house, my first glimpse of snow for this winter was pristine. No footprints, no tire tracks... beautiful snow-covered branches and bushes. Then I walked out the front door and into New York snow. But the first glimpse was beautiful.
I met Kim. See, everyone at church has been telling me for several weeks that I need to meet Kim, who, apparently, is working in a theatre company (actually, she works in 3 theatres with 5 companies). We kept missing each other by minutes, and Ryan, Faith, and several other people kept telling both of us that we just needed to actually meet each other! Last night, the topic came up again, and so this morning, Rosa dragged Kim by the arm to come find me. And... it was fantastic, and we'll go for coffee, and she's someone that I really hope can be a sounding board and Christian theatre friend while I'm here. And beyond, of course. She actually told me that she's been praying for several months that God would bring her a friend in theatre who could empathize with what it's like to be a Christian and an artist.
And those, my friends, were the most interesting elements of my weekend. Besides the ice skating, Mexican food, homemade guacamole (yummmm), finishing a paper, having a working laptop, rehearsing for next weekend's film shoot, and dragging Elegie up from the dusty back rooms of my mind. Surprisingly, it's not too rusty. Not polished by any means, but not as rusty as it could be. Who woulda thunk?
Saturday, December 03, 2005
This town is like one big outpatient mental institution
The Christmas tree at Lincoln Center. Mid-day, so unfortunately, un-lit. Installment #1 of my NYC Christmas pics. The intention is to have something new for every post in December--we'll see what I can get. :o)
Well. My computer is working again. Yay! This is incredibly exciting. It was strangely possessed, but now it seems to have been exorcised.
Of course, it's a few days late to finish NaNo on time, but at least it's fixed in time for Christmas break. And I'll see about hitting 50,000 by the end of December. NaNoFiMo, Janna! I've only got 20,000 to go! ;o) After I finish my paper, that is. It's due Monday, though, so after tomorrow, I won't have to worry about it anymore. It's not that difficult, anyways. It's only a 5-pager; my biggest effort is getting the documentation and case studies to back myself up. The proposal itself flows pretty well. And, theoretically, it'll at least be a rough draft for something I can use eventually.
Anyways. Girls' night out. Skating and hanging out in Bryant Park with girls from church. Although right now, I'm really tired. I think it's just because it's really warm in here. Once I get moving and off my butt, I'll wake up. That's the theory, at least. I'm off to try and wake up now.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
To being an "us"--for once--instead of a "them"
Happy December!And there go my plans for the evening. Well, some of them. Among other things, I was planning to take a bath--the bathroom is finally finished, and our tub is amazing. A huge jacuzzi. So, I was going to take a nice, long bath with a good book. But... I got home and discovered that something is leaking, so using that bathroom will result in a flood. Which means that we have no working shower in the house right now. It had better be fixed tomorrow; that's all I can say!
At least we've got a carpenter now who's actually getting things done. There's progress! And, when we're all gone for Christmas, hopefully a lot will be finished. Which, by the way, is only a few weeks away. Time flies. It's amazing.
This city at Christmas is phenomenal. I'll post pictures. Definitely. The store windows--Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Saks, Barney's, Bergdorf--are all unbelievable. I mean, they have great windows all year, but they really outdo themselves at Christmastime. It's pretty cool just to walk around and look at it all. Especially since the weather has been so amazing. Still no snow. I think we're supposed to get some over the weekend, but we'll see.
Ah yes. The other news. On Tuesday, I'm giving my 2 weeks' notice at Barnes and Noble (in case you didn't already know), and I'm looking for something that's more in line with what I want to do and what I need to learn. I didn't come to New York to do a job that I could do at home, and I'm becoming increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with it. It's not what I'm here for, so I'm not going to do it anymore. I'll finish out the last few weeks before I leave for Christmas, but then, I'm finished.
That's Tuesday. On Monday, I have an interview for an internship with this theatre company, and we'll see how that goes! I've applied for internships and/or part-time jobs with about 8 different companies, so we'll see if I hear back from any others this week. With Vital, I've applied for either an Artistic or General Management internship, so on Monday, I guess I'll find out some more specifics on what both positions entail, and hopefully I'll be a perfect fit for one or the other (and it'll be a perfect fit for me!).