Faster than a Speeding Bullet...?

And now, I am in Tampa.  It is 10:53pm PST so it is VERY LATE here. Rough start to the morning averted by a kind and observant friend who reminded me to BREATHE.  Very timely and gave a sharp u-turn to the rest of the day (if you are reading, THANK YOU AGAIN).

I have a few adventures with planes, but that is best saved for tomorrow when I will have more time and more sleep.

Happy Eighth Birthday!

Moving Day, Two

Some of today was good. Some of today was not-so-good. Some was easy. Some was hard. I'm exhausted, but I can't get to sleep.  And people constantly surprise me - in good and bad ways. I guess that's the spice of life, right?

It's Official

I hate change.

That is all.

Media Blackout

I only saw 4 minutes of the news tonight and I realized that I can't look anymore. I had to turn it off. It has taken 22 minutes for my blood pressure to go down...some days it doesn't bother me - their tendency to make everything catastrophic and ridiculous.

I'm taking a couple of busy days as an excuse for a media blackout. I'm sure if I need to know something important, someone will tell me.

Convergence

All events, projects, jobs, special trips, one-time deals and annual work have all converged into the tiny space of a week and a half.

Next year, I want all of October off, please.

Light Bulb

I have been struggling with confidence in my interpreting for the last year or so and trying to figure out what I could/would/needed to do about it.  I have several plans that I am working through.  I have also been frustrated about my input here in the blog. I should recognize that when I am having a hard time finding things to write about it is because I have allowed my world to constrict.  I am working on expansion.

Here are some of the things I am working on/thinking about:
1.  Arranging fundraiser for community event(s)
2. Creating a professional book group for professional studies credits, but also for contact with other interpreters in a more social venue
3. Creating a peer mentoring group where interpreters can come and do the work and get some constructive feedback, mentoring, set goals, etc.
4. Plan and implement some kind of monthly interpreter gathering during daytime hours - not in a bar. I enjoy the IPAHH (Interpreting Professionals at Happy Hour) when I can go, but Friday night just isn't a night I want to go out after work.

I may or may not succeed with these things, but I wanted to put them out there so that I can hold myself accountable to at least investigate the feasibility of doing some of this.  It feels good to be thinking creatively.

No Day But Today

I love love love this. Beautiful. I need this song in my life...I need to hear it every day.

Day of Nothing

I am having a "Die Hard" marathon today. I'm tired and overwhelmed and stressed out.  I watched "Live Free or Die Hard" and slept through "Die Hard with a Vengeance".

Sleep was good. Just what the doctor ordered.

Silly Rabbit, It's October, Remember?

Wow! I'm so stressed out!

I have it under control but just because I have wrangled it within an inch of my life. A lot is going on and I'm definitely feeling it. Today, I got frustrated with myself and then I remembered - it's October.

Then, I went to the Pumpkin Patch for an event. Sadly, I was there alone (not literally - just no one there that I knew), but the people watching (and dog watching) was good.  I knew that as soon as I took the steps towards my car, someone would show up. Sure enough, when I got to my car, there was a message from one of the people with my group. As I had been there for a little over an hour and had not seen a soul, I left anyway, but I felt a twinge of guilt that I didn't go back into the fray - I just couldn't.

I wish I had remembered to bring my camera with me...oh well. Best laid plans and all. Anyway, it's all good.  Standing in the air, breathing, was a good thing.

Next on the list...

I got this on Tumblr, but I didn't get the credit. If you know it, or see it, please let me know. I'd like to make sure the photographer is credited.

A friend of mine recommended the book "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene
Brown. It's on the immediate list...

Break in the Routine

I went to see/support my team at Blue Man Group today. It was fun. I love the neon colors and the humorous take on life.  I also love how visual and accessible it is.

Things are pretty hairy right now, but I'm hoping to do some art journaling sometime this weekend. May not happen, but I'm going to try.

Stay Calm and What?

I snapped a tiny snap today. Just a wee crying jag on the phone with my boss when the doorbell was ringing to deliver MORE chairs and the changes in the office and the schedule and the trip and the lost debit card and the recruiting and the thing and the other thing and the many things just got to be too much stuff.

I'm a cryer. I used to get migraines because I held it all in until my head exploded and then I had to get it out in terrible ways. Then I had hives for a year solid. For a while, I had bad nightmares and then there was the sleepwalking phase. Eventually, I settled on crying as my stress outlet. Sometimes, if I can catch it and watch a sad movie (one of the ones you practically have to turn off because you are crying so hard), I can produce the same release.  I didn't catch this one. I knew it was coming, but there was nothing that could stop it once it was on the way.

I feel a little better now.

The Path Not Taken

So I spent the day off my work site today - part of it interpreting, part of it presenting.

As I was on campus before my presentation, it just made me wonder about the path I didn't choose.  For a long time, I really believed I wanted to teach interpreters and focus on that. I love teaching and presenting, but I didn't feel like I had the education for it and I knew that I wanted to finish my degree. I guess I got caught up in just working and thinking about "someday".  If I had just taken a class every term, I would have a doctorate degree by now!

I keep putting off taking courses, but I think I really just need to talk to my advisor at WOU and figure out what I need to do to finish my degree. If I could do some online and some at another college (preferably closer than WOU), I could finish before too long. I don't think I'm going to change my career path or anything - it is tying up a loose end and also opening a window, just in case.

Today, in my presentation, one of the things I said was, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."  I've never really said that outloud, but I have always believed that philosophy.  Even now, full-time, gainfully employed, I have kept some escape hatches open. It makes me feel safer and the air gets circulated, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, it was a good, if hectic day.

Working on a Presentation

I am working on a presentation to interpreting students tonight, so this is short and sweet.

I love presenting - I love sharing ideas and stories and seeing people get excited about interpreting and doing the work. I miss interpreting so much sometimes and yet, I know I couldn't go back to being a full time interpreter just in terms of benefits and all the business aspects.

Anyway, I'm presenting on VRS and Performance Interpreting - a lot of ground to cover in a short time.

Sunday Down Day

Glee Jukebox, some Variety Puzzles, "Rent" on Broadway, some art journal stuff. It was a nice, quiet day with little online interaction. Not the beach, but it's a start.

Day Online

Today was a day of updating and online work. I updated the Yahoogroup I run for interpreted theatre, I updated SignPlay.com to go with the calendar in the Yahoogroup. I updated Facebook's SignPlay.com version.  Then I looked at fun stuff on Pinterest. Now my hands hurt, so I have a feeling tomorrow will NOT be an online day.

 Sometimes, I just like to look at the eclectic images - I surprise myself sometimes...

Future Shock

We are the architects of our own destruction.

This video scares the crap out of me. I read some of the comments and then I realized that my gut reaction is how I feel and I'm not going to be swayed by name-calling or shaming or mockery.

Flashback Post - Thwarted

I went back to the first year of the blog to try to post a Flashback post from today, but I was on VACATION on October 13, 2008. That just kind of depresses me because I would LOVE to be on vacation right now and I can't really see it happening for a while. I just need to get to the coast. There is a body/soul reset that happens when you hear the crash of the surf and feel the wind and smell the salt water. It changes my body rhythms in just the right way. I just have to plot it out. :)

5 Moments

From NaBloPoMo prompt: If your life flashed before your eyes, what are 5 moments you know would be included?

1. Seeing Roby the day he found out he had HIV.
2. The moment Roby died.
3. The moment my father died.
4. The first moments of seeing "Les Miserables" in the Broadway theatre in NYC in 1988.
5.  Visiting Switzerland when I was a kid - the cowbells, the green, lush pastures and the Alps all around us. Or the first time I went to a Saturday work party to interview the drama people.  I'm pretty sure that Kevin was one of the first people we talked to since we knew him from the journalism (J1) class.

"Phantom" Fathom Event

I went to the 25th Anniversary performance of "Phantom of the Opera" at the movie theatre.  I like to support these kinds of theatrical special events so that someone will continue to think they are worthwhile endeavors. It was not the same as "Les Miserables" for me - there is a different kind of affection for each show and a different emotional level in each show.

"Phantom" has never been my favorite show, but it has special meanings for me because it was popular when Roby was still vibrant and healthy and we used to sing it together on the way to the beach or just driving around.


The movie version was the actual show - the play was filmed.  It was rather spectacular in digital high definition. The woman who played Christine was the original Ariel in the Broadway version of "The Little Mermaid". There were other standouts. The gentleman who played the Phantom was pretty good but a little harsh for me until the end. Honestly, the whole reason to watch the show is the last couple of scenes when Christine finally understands Phantom's pain and can get through to him.

In the movie version, they called Andrew Lloyd Weber to the stage at the end, which was fine. He was fairly emotional - understandably.  They had various actors who had played Phantom come and sing and the remaining Original Cast members came out. They had Sarah Brightman sing a song with the 4 chosen Phantoms and then they rushed Michael Crawford onstage briefly.  He looked very emotional - they said he had hurried over from another performance elsewhere.  I think every person in the audience live and every person watching it in the movie theater was really expecting, hoping, wishing he would sing. He did not. All I could think was that I hoped it was his choice not to sing - rushed and emotional and with something that was over for him so long ago.  Either way, it was a little bit anti-climactic. I'm glad I went, but it was no "Les Miz".

30 Day Song Challenge Adapted - Days 26-30

This is the last day of the song challenge. Some of the categories were odd, but it was kind of fun. My brain just needed a break from trying to figure out what I'm going to write about. 

day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument - ummm..."Hot Cross Buns"?  I used to be able to play "Both Sides Now" on the organ, but not anymore.
 

day 27 - a song that you wish you could play - anything - I am the opposite of musical.

day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty - I don't think there is any song that makes me feel guilty...

day 29 - a song from your childhood - "Something’s Burning" – Kenny Rogers and the First Edition

day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

        Defying Gravity - Wicked

30 Day Song Challenge Adapted - Days 21-25

We're in the home stretch of this challenge...only one more day after this.

day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy - anything I can sing to...
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad - most music makes me cry when I'm feeling a little sad, so I'm not choosy. I don't seek out sad music when I'm already down, though.
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding - umm, not gonna happen, but I would probably pick something sappy from "West Side Story" or something.
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral - "Breaths" from Sweet Honey in the Rock, "Another Day" from Rent.
 day 25 - a song that makes you laugh - "Dead Skunk In the Middle of the Road" from the late 60s, early 70s. I remember that song from my childhood before we moved to Germany.

30 Day Song Challenge Adapted - Days 16 - 20

I listened to a bunch of old music tonight - inspired by this challenge. It was good and very relaxing. I haven't bought much new stuff in a long time - I think Carrie Underwood is the last new music I purchased besides the Glee CDs.

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate - Nothing comes to mind. I usually just have songs that I'm not in the mood to listen to...I used to make CDs and mixed tapes and there was always a song that didn't belong with the mix. 
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio - I don't listen to music on the radio often, so this one doesn't really work for me.
 
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio - Again, I don't listen to the radio for music, so this one is a challenge for me.

day 19 - a song from your favorite album - one of my favorite albums is "Yentl". Any song from that album is good. Or "Paradise Theatre" from Styx - any song from that album is good, especially "The Best of Times".  Or "Castle Walls" or "Foolish Young Man" from the Styx Grand Illusion album. I used to LOVE that album.

day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry  - anything by Alanis Morrisette or Pink. 

30 Day Song Challenge Adapted - Days 11-15

Some of these questions require a lot more thought than others...I hope you guys enjoy some of the songs I list. I thought adding video was more fun, especially for some of the songs...

day 11 - a song from your favorite band - favorite band is the hard part. My favorite song done by a band is U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name". I had a live version a long time ago (it disappeared off my computer - boo) that was STUNNING. It made me cry every time. Oooh, and Everything but the Girl...I love them, too. "Apron Strings"



day 12 - a song from a band you hate - I don't hate bands, generally. There are just kinds of music I don't listen to...I picked Blue Oyster Cult "Burning for You".  I thought they were scary and devilish when my sister was into them. I was about 12 years old, so you can see why...

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure  - Rick Springfield music..."Jessie's Girl". "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by Wham. "Erotic City" by Prince, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "With You I'm Born Again"
I'm sure there are more. I tend to like goofy people/groups that are a little off the beaten track. 

day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love  - "Erotic City" by Prince.  "Dive" by Steven Curtis Chapman





day 15 - a song that describes you - "One Sweet Day" - Boys II Men and Mariah Carey.
"Fast Car" - Tracy Chapman. "I Don't Wanna Talk About It" - Everything But the Girl and/or Indigo Girls. "Bleed" - Pope, "If I Had Only Known" - Reba McIntire...they don't exactly describe ME but maybe more my internal, emotional side...this was a hard one... 
 

30 Day Song Challenge Adaptation - Days 6-10

I love music...just doing this makes me want to put my headphones on and just listen to a bunch of old music and play solitaire for a while.

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere - "Wreck of the Edmonfitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot. This song was popular when I lived in Wiesbaden. I remember sitting next to the speakers of our stereo with a manual tape recorder listening to "America's Top 40" on Armed Forces radio waiting to tape our favorites.  My sister hated this song and when we had limited tape space, we would argue over which songs we should tape.

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

Don’t Cry - Seal

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to - man, the list for this is too hard. I know the whole "Purple Rain" album, most of Madonna's albums, most of Journey's popular songs, John Denver, Peter Paul and Mary, Sweet Honey in the Rock...really, my brain is MOSTLY full of song lyrics. Some songs that I know all the words to I don't even like that much...

day 09 - a song that you can dance to - IF I were going to dance, I would dance to "Gonna Make You Sweat" by C + C Music Factory or "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep  - "Storms in Africa" - Enya

Enjoy a little dance music:

30 Day Song Challenge Adaptation - Days 1-5

I saw this challenge on Facebook but I didn't want to do it there for some reason. Since I have been struggling for topics on the blog, I'm going to do a week's worth in one post - that at least feels like something worth writing about. I don't know if people enjoy reading these things, but I always like remembering stuff that I haven't thought about in a long time. I'm also NOT including Broadway shows here (makes it more challenging...). So, there you go.

day 01 - your favorite song - These are always so hard, so I like to go with something current instead of "of all time".  For today, I'm enjoying the Glee version of "Raise Your Glass", "Firework" and "Empire State of Mind"

day 02 - your least favorite song - anything with Aaron Neville singing.

day 03 - a song that makes you happy - "One Less Bell To Answer/Home" with Kristin Chenowith (also Glee...)

  

day 04 - a song that makes you sad - Years by Beth Nielson Chapman, Goodbye to You - Michelle Branch, Wildfire - Micheal Murphy

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

Missing – Everything but the Girl, Holiday - Madonna

Toto, I don't Believe We're in Kansas Anymore...

Lately, I sometimes feel like I just dropped in from another planet.  Every television commercial is a phone or some weird thing that I don't need. We are bombarded with weird people, scary events, strange behavior and we don't really have the tools to deal with it all, in my opinion. At least I don't. Even driving is scarier than it was. My brain just can't seem to sort it all out...too much input.

I wonder what our maximum capacity is?  I see the opposite behaviors pretty regularly, though in less quantity. People reaching out to each other, people making time for each other, people doing kind things, trying to make a difference.  There is a lot of goodness out there, we just don't celebrate it as much as a culture - scandals and titillation seem to sell more ad time.

I just wonder how much we can take before we just drop to the ground...some days, that moment feels closer than others.

Monday Thought

Sunday Session - Art Journal

I did some more on my art journals.  I collaged the back of the composition book, thickened some more pages. I built a new J.O.Y. journal and decorated the cover with scraps from building the journal. I had painted pages a couple of months ago (on Labor Day, I think) and hadn't used them, so I used them to make the cover. It is different than what I normally do, so I like it a lot - just something new...

This is the back of the Composition Journal - the front says, "Never Hide" but the cover isn't done yet.

Made from painted strips of scrap from making the journal iteself.

I liked the phrase that was on the cardstock I was using for the cover of this journal, so I decided to keep it and play around a little bit to see what I would get.

The First Step

I started gluing pages together for my composition book journal - I had painted the front a long time ago and then I never did anything with it.  I think it will be a halloween-ish journal.  I also started making my DIY deco tape and added a little wordage to the cover. Nothing exciting, just the painting. It's a first step. From nothing to a lot of activity for my journal, this is definitely the right way to go.

DIY Deco tape with acrylic paint and masking tape. No designs yet.

Paint was from a while ago - it didn't cover as well as I was hoping, so I decided to do something else.