Connectedness and Emotion

My second interpreted performance of "Wicked" was today. I had friends in the audience and it was a matinee. I don't love matinee performances as it is not the time of day I feel most energized and alert, but I tried to set myself up for success. I had rehearsed the heck out of it since the last performance, knowing where my trouble spots were.  I decided to take as much of the positive energy from my tribe as I could and channel it into the performance.

I had a few rough spots and a couple of silly mistakes, but overall, I think it went very well. My hands were shaking before the show, which is unusual. I had eaten, so I'm pretty sure it was nerves and emotion.  This was cemented when I almost started crying like 3 times during the show. Luckily, the tears came at appropriate moments - during, "I'm Not That Girl", "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed".

I felt really connected to the character of Elphaba this time - in a way I haven't before. I was thinking about it on the way home today and I realized that she is like Mark in "RENT" - a little alone, an observer, somewhat misunderstood.  Their lives are not conventional in some ways and I sometimes feel that way - like my life's purpose is not on the traditional trajectory - marry, kids, happily ever after. I am a recorder, a watcher, I have other things I'm supposed to do.  I think I'm okay with that, but sometimes, it is just the realization that other people experience that, see that happen to people.  I don't know if that was all it was - it was good to have people from my tribe there - I felt like something was really complete in the day for me.

Anyway, it was a good day. I'm exhausted but happy.

My Bliss List

Liv Lane is the inspiration and leader of the weekly "My Little Bliss List" - an opportunity to highlight the goodness in life.  I love having the opportunity to participate. Thanks, Liv!

This week, my list is short but powerful:

1.  I finished two books in the space of a couple of days!!  Reading IS BLISS!  I'm so happy!
2.  I'm working on a show I love - WICKED.  I love doing it, but I'm excited to have some time to myself.
3. VerbTribe starts on April 1 with Patti Digh and I'm SO EXCITED!!!  I know that this will be a life-changing experience.  I can't wait to get started.

Thank you to all who come and rumpus here!  I love having you and I appreciate you so much. You are always on my Bliss List!!

Toughing it Out

I can't stop thinking about how much I want to read the third book in "The Hunger Games" trilogy.

I didn't know anything about this series until Bookfest 2010 or 11 (I'm not sure which year it was - I think 2010...).  My friend Kevin bought "Mockingjay" because he had read a review. I had seen the book and had heard it was good but I didn't know that it was part of a trilogy (Kevin may have mentioned it at BookFest, but I was high on BOOKS!!).  I didn't really think much about it - sounded interesting, but I wasn't sure if I would ever read it.

Later, a friend of mine was talking about the trilogy (pre-movie hype) and I decided to look it up on Amazon. When I saw the cover of "Mockingjay", I remembered Kevin's purchase at BookFest and I was sold.  KGV - you are definitely my book Guru. :)

So, I will wait.  I'm totally stoked to finish the trilogy AND I'm developing a list of books I want to read while I'm on this happy roll.

Book 2 - I'm on a Roll

I completed the second book in "The Hunger Games" trilogy last night. I realized that I was thinking about it all day long and I knew that I was going to be distracted until I completed it. I read and read and finally finished it quite late, by the light of a Kindle-compatible book light. It was REALLY good. I'm chomping at the bit for the third one - it is my reward for getting through the show on Saturday, so I'm not even starting it yet. It awaits me when I'm done with my work.

Rewards are good.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read when I'm done with this...Maybe "Game of Thrones"? I heard that was good. Any thoughts or recommendations?

Don't Judge...

This made me tear up...reminded me of Susan Boyle's appearance on Britain's Got Talent.

Strange Conversations

I had the strangest conversation today...a person came and asked me a question and I answered it. Then the person said something to the affect of, "Right. I hear you, but here's what I want. I want you to do it differently because your answer doesn't fit into my plans." When I explained again, the person said, "I understand what you are saying but I don't understand why you can't do what I'm asking you to do because what you are saying doesn't work for me."

The irony was that the answer I gave wasn't a "this is the way it is and there's no way to change it" answer. It was an "in order to get what you want, here's what you would need to do. It may not work, but I'm happy to help you try." The person just got exasperated with me and turned on their heel and left.

I'm glad I gave up trying to make other people happy because I suspect I would be miserable right about now if I hadn't. I try to be respectful and kind and patient. Sometimes, that's all I can do for you.

Baby Steps - One Down

I finished reading "The Hunger Games" today! Finally, I finished a book! I have been starting and stopping for so long now, I actually wondered if I would ever finish another book...Seriously. Now, I'm dying to read the rest of the trilogy, but I also have a show to rehearse.

So, in case you are wondering, I spend much of the day today going through "Wicked". I went through the whole show one time, page by page, song by song. I rehearsed all the "in unison" songs several times before I started the whole show run-through and then I did them again when I was done. I plan to do them at least 3-4 times in the morning and evening and I am working on a couple of my solo songs - just some tweaks to be sure the story is clearly conveyed. Yesterday, I did the whole CD and did the "in unison" songs 3 times each.

All in all, a fairly productive weekend, if I do say so myself.

Hoot Hoot - A Birthday

Some fun and games at a birthday party tonight. We played games, laughed so hard and ate this delicious cake from Pastrygirl:

This was peanut butter cake, salted caramel filling, chocolate frosting (not too sweet).

It was a great time!

TGIFand My Bliss List

It is FRIDAY and I am so happy that it is. It has been a strange week for me - no particular reason, just felt a little off all week.

I look forward to Fridays so that I can think about the week and the things I'm grateful for and that brought a little joy into my life. Thanks to Liv Lane for being the inspiration and coordinator of the Bliss List links.

So, here's my Little Bliss List for this week.

1. Even though I didn't get a photo of any of it, I loved seeing the snow covered trees, yards, roofs. It was so odd to hear a radio report of the "Heat Wave" across the U.S. as I drove up the hill towards the freeway entrance looking at two inches of snow in March here in the Northwest. Strange, but beautiful.

2. I went back to reading "The Hunger Games" this week and it has reignited my reading gene. I have been struggling for so long now - wanting to read but not finding anything that could pull me in. I wondered if I had lost the inclination. I am proud to say, I have not lost it. And I don't even think that it is because of this book - I think my brain was just ready to read. It feels so good - all I want to do is cuddle up with my book but I have to get ready for the show.

3. I watched the television show "Touch" this week and I was really moved by the whole episode. I think this show could be something really special. If you haven't watched it, I would recommend the episode that was on this week...I think it was Episode 2 of the series. Something about it just touched me deeply.

4. I am a big "American Idol" fan, but sometimes, I just need to hear the original songs. Last week was that week for me, so I downloaded Jennifer Rush's ORIGINAL version of "The Power of Love" and Mariah Carey and Boys II Men's version of "One Sweet Day". I just couldn't let the versions from the show be the ones in my head. And I listened to them while I played a game or two of solitaire this week. So beautiful they brought me to tears, as music often does. Sometimes it is really nice to be able to just go online and buy a single song - just to get the right stuff in your brain.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend. Go get some Bliss!

Interview with Alan Champion and Candace Broecker-Penn

Spring? Snow? Huh?

I knew it was cold today...every time I washed my hands today, I just wanted to stand there with the warm water flowing over my hands, warming them. Then, as I was driving home, I couldn't figure out why there was such a backup going through the tunnel. When I got through, I knew why - the snow was coming down heavily! I thought it would stop as I drove down the other side of the hill but it didn't. It snowed all the way home and for about an hour after I got home. I haven't checked in a while, but I can surely say that a delayed start wouldn't go amiss. I'm sure that won't happen, but I'm just saying...I wouldn't be sad about it if it did happen.

And I didn't take a single photo. This new camera isn't as comfortable for me. I think I need to go back to my old one for a while.

Blurring Days

I realize how lucky and maybe spoiled I am that I have had the opportunity to work so many places and have such diversity in my days. And how lucky and maybe spoiled I am to be here, now, and feel like the days are all blurring together because I'm not having such diversity in my days. Is it Tuesday? Friday? Wednesday? It's hard to keep track.

Not that there isn't diversity. There is micro-diversity now when I used to have macro-diversity. (Yes, I am making up my own language.) Micro-diversity is having lots of different tasks and lots of different things I have to do on a daily basis, but in the same place with mostly the same people and a certain kind of repetition that is cyclical in a not-so-predictable way. The macro-diversity of my former lives involved going to a new location (or four) every day, working with different people but basically being responsible for the same task each day, at each job, even though they all ended up being distinctly different.

I never forgot what day it was in macro-diversity. I never lose my car in micro-diversity.

One isn't better than the other. Just different.

Planning and Plotting

I am hoping that this week I will see my way clear to do some artful stuff in addition to working on the show. I need to keep reading my book, "Quiet" for my book group. I'm also reading "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown. I think of all the books I have laying around, I definitely need this one. Finding a way to really come to grips with accepting imperfection and relaxing into myself seems super important.

I am also hoping to do some planning to complete my blog class that I sort of put on hold. I got busy and then busier and never got back to it. I think I felt pressure to do it fast and what I really need is to just take my time and go through each step in a way that I feel good about doing it.

Wish me luck.

Lovely Sunday

Oh, blissful sleep! I had to get up and check on some work stuff this morning, but then I was able to go back to sleep and really got some good rest. I decided that I could have the day to myself, do nothing productive and not feel guilty.

It was really nice and I totally needed it. Now, I just have to focus on refining the stuff that I needed to work on for the second interpreted performance. I have a couple of weeks, so I think I will be able to do what I want to get it honed to where I feel satisfied. (that really never happens, but I can get closer...)

This was a good Sunday.

Missing Art

I haven't been doing any art (physical art, anyway) and I am missing it. I suspect I won't be doing any tomorrow as I am exhausted from the week. Maybe I will bound out of bed with a bunch of energy, but I'm kind of doubting it. I've had a lot of adrenaline in my system for the last couple of days and that usually takes a lot out of me at least for a day or two.

I'm itching to use the liquid watercolors I bought for my LetterLove 101 class (which I still haven't finished).

**Also!! Apparently, I haven't been paying attention because in October, Art Media, my local art supply store closed and became a Dick Blick Art Supply store. I was shocked and hovering between excitement for the Blick store and sadness that our local company went away.

One Down

The performance of "Wicked" went pretty well last night. One of our translations was just way too complicated and we didn't pull it off, but the song that is almost all in-unison signing went very well, so I was happy.

We have a couple of weekends to refine and work and make the second performance spectacular. :)

I'm happily exhausted today. I am co-sponsoring a workshop tomorrow, so I have to stay upright until that is done.

My Mentors on the News

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in the TDF/TAP's "Interpreting for the Theatre" Intensive in 1999 and again in 2005. The three interpreters in this news story are three of the instructors in the program. The male interpreter is Alan Champion who passed away nearly a year ago.



I thought it was fun to see a little clip of the type of thing I am doing tonight, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Hope you enjoy the clip. I'll be writing again when this performance is done. Just needed to focus on this show.

Wicked, Wicked, Wicked

And for a change of tone, "Seasons of Love" from "RENT" - a version I hadn't heard before. :)

Broadway Babes

I'm working on "Wicked" right now.  Love this show. :)

Starting "Quiet"

I started reading "Quiet" by Susan Cain for my 37Days Book Group.  I'm really excited to read this book. I'm anxious to learn about the people who are between the Quiet ones and the ones who kind of rule the world (the extroverts).  I think there is something called an omnivert - a person who is somewhere between. I am a talker (auditory processor) but it takes emotional energy for me to be around others for long periods of time. I definitely need some down time and time to breathe and be alone.  I think this will be a fascinating journey.

AND, I'm excited to be reading more.  (Also reading "The Hunger Games" when not rehearsing the show.)

I will try to keep you updated.