Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Hanging on by the toenails.

I love my life. Everyday is a glorious surprise so full of delightful people and events...children who say beautiful things, new jobs, new experiences, finally the rich deep sun...I love my life.

But isn't it funny how somedays loving is such a given. You can't help but break into a giddy smile as you approach the airport...going just right AT the speed limit...there's no point in getting a ticket and further delaying your reunion...

And somedays it feels like every bone and muscle in you has given up on loving...is incapable. Just the basic exercise of remembering to smile at strangers, and keep that lilt in your voice while you talk to patrons - sending out all the love that you have into the universe, hoping against hope that by sending it out there, you might feel a little of it returned to you - refilling your coffers.

My coffers need refilling today. Bad.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Wishing I'd paid more attention in college...

This weekend, my beloved is in STL, visiting his darling daughter - and staying (also meeting) my soul sister and best college bud. What a wonderful opportunity for these amazing people to meet and get to know one another without all the pressure of "meeting the boyfriend/best friend" Especially after 2 years of buildup. They're hitting it off marvelously! In fact, she told me today that she even forgot he was my boyfriend and was just thinking how great it is to have this new friend and be hanging out with him. I couldn't have asked for more :) And yet...it's never easy for me to be told that I'd been forgotten. Is is so hard for me to remember myself? Ridiculous, isn't it?

I spent the day taking an inspiring and intoxicating workshop with members of the SITI company. Suzuki kicked my ass when I was 20... 8 years later, it hadn't gotten any kinder. But I understood the Viewpoints today - and it informed some work. I felt what was going on and saw the benefit of this work - and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I wish I could go back to undergrad - where the SITI company and Anne Bogart herself came into my classroom to teach us workshops - where the company performed on our stage, where I had access to professors and artists whose JOB it was to tell me what they knew.

At the time, I didn't understand it. My heart, my body, and my mind weren't open to it. I was so afraid of not being good, or failing, or probably, working too hard - I wasted college. (Don't tell my dad!) I'd like to go back and do it over again, I'd pay more attention - I'd read all the plays I was supposed to (and save myself playing catch up with the cannon), I'd listen to every word that every professor said instead of crawling back up inside my shell and crying, "she just doesn't like me!" and I'd really learn.

Funny to me - I'm such an academic in some many ways. School is (more or less) easy for me. With the exception of chemistry, it always has been. I can write a paper quickly. I can discuss a book or a play or a theory. I was good at school.

But it took a really long time (and it was well after my matriculation) that I finally grasped what it was to learn.

WOW.

Friday, April 4, 2008

I need a drink.

Or a Xanex...or something to still my world...

It's all so wonderful - the BEST things have been happening lately and I can't even stand it, it's all so heady and amazing. This blog is going to hardly be my literary best, but if I don't get some of these things out I just might burst.

So let's see...as you've heard - I'm wildly in love with the greatest man I've ever known. My best girl rocks and has some awesome news! :) I get to see 5 plays in one week. They are:
Gee's Bend - saw it, review to come soon
Frog & Toad - saw it, review to come soon
Dinner with Friends
Oleanna
The Merry Wives of Windsor
THEN...in the coming weeks we've also go tickets to Harvey...and we're going to see The Birthday Party...and Doubt. It's a good time for theatre.

So that's all great - but old news, right? Then, on top of that - I start teaching again tomorrow and I can't wait to be back with the little ones. I've added two new classes this session, so things promise to be challenging and exhilarating...

I've actually started making friends in Denver. ...and not just the kind where they're really B's friends, but it works out well that we all enjoy each others company either... some friends to have coffee or a drink with. Some friends to talk girl talk with.

TONIGHT - at midnight, I'm going to lose my Goonies virginity and see it on a big screen with a whole bunch of people who think it's cool to go see the Goonies at midnight on a Friday night. My kind of people indeed!

B. gave me roller skates for my birthday and they're AWESOME. I'm going skating soon - and I can't wait. I don't remember the last time I roller skated, but it was surely too long ago.

"SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, TOAD!"

AND...the biggest and the most exciting news of all...we bought our tickets to Ireland today! B's performing in THE ZOO STORY in a tiny coastal town of Ireland with some other lovely Denver friends - and as of today, come hell or high water - we're going. Tickets are bought. We're going to Ireland in August! AWESOME.

In not so awesome news...my Uncle Danny suffered a pretty bad fall and is, as we say in MS, "tore up." They expect him to be unable to move really for about 10 weeks or so...so keep him, A.C. and the kiddos in your thoughts and prayers. They're pretty tough, and we're all so lucky that it wasn't worse - but they could certainly use some grace right about now.

Thanks for paying attention...play reviews and possibly some book reviews coming soon. Look out!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I think I'm gonna like it here...

So my life is so full of networking right now - which is great, don't get me wrong! And Denver is a place teeming with brilliant, talented, passionate artists who I'm enjoying more and more everyday. The problem I'm having is, the more I network, the more amazing people I meet...who I have no time to actually hang out with and get to know, because I'm too busy networking! HA! It's not such a bad problem really - great people, great minds, great parties, great plays...life is sort of extraordinary!

When I got to Denver, I think I was already planning my escape route - Grad School in 2009, MFA here I come...but the longer I spend here, the less I'm ready to leave again in a year. I've spent most of my 20's leaving places just as I get to know them, and I have a feeling about Denver, I have a feeling that there's a lot I can do here.

Which leads me to the play update for April. What a lot of theatre there is to see!!!
Tonight - Gee's Bend at the Denver Center. And at the Denver Center, in the next 2 weeks, we'll also be checking out Doubt and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The only production I've heard anything about is Merry Wives and that was "Fun Play!' so I'm anxious to see what all there is to see there! I like going to shows at the Denver Center - rarely am I stunned and blown away by their productions, but it's guaranteed to be strong and well produced and certainly worth seeing! PLUS, since we both teach there - tickets are free! YAY! What's better than that?
On Friday at noon, Frog and Toad at Arvada Center. I saw this at the Goodman while I was in Chicago and it was arguably the best children's theatre I've ever seen, so I'm psyched for this!Then, on Monday - Oleanna at the Avenue Theatre with new friend Elgin in it - great reviews from the post and I've loved everything I've seen her in (which admittedly is all children's theatre, so this should be quite a departure!). Then, I've got to find a date to see The Birthday Party at Germinal and Dinner with Friends at Vintage...

THEN...there's an awesome SITI company workshop on 4/20 which I cannot wait for! It's 6 hours of Suzuki and Viewpoints work which promises to wear me out and do some soul and creative rejuvenation that I am in desparate need of! AND...I'm directing one of the Curious New Voices science plays...it's a brilliant little script about government birth control called The 10 Billionth Baby and I'm thrilled for that. It's going to perform at an eco conference in Fort Collins. I'm all over the place :)

Seriously though - life is great. I have a feeling 28 is going to be the best year yet, hands down! B. and I are going with 3 other friends to Ireland to produce The Zoo Story at an outdoor ampitheatre in August...AWESOME!

Speaking of B., I think I may not have really dedicated enough space on this blog to discuss how deeply I am in love with him, and thoroughly amazing it is to get to live with your best friend - to share successes and excitement as well as disappointments and sadness. To get to play together all the time - I have never laughed so much in my life as I have these past almost 9 months...to count on one another when we need help, and to bring joy to one another in all those little ways that you can do in a day - and to realize that while I have only been lucky enough to know this incredible man for just over 2 years...i have never in my life been known and loved by another person in this way...and I can't wait to experience all the rest of my life with him.

I am indeed, a lucky ducky. And I have ALOT to do in the next 48 hours...2 lesson plans, play research...LIFE IS GOOD!