A Photo Love Letter To (and About) My Siblings.

I recently got to spend two wondrous weeks traipsing about Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania with some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Also known as: my family. I could go on and on about how fantastic my entire family is, but I'm really feeling the sibling love tonight (and missing them like hell), so this photographic love letter is all for them...I chose photos that are indicative of both the laughter and the bond that we all share. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoy their company.












Wishing you and your own siblings the utmost peace, passion, and love.

Something Different This Thursday: A Call to Action

I have spent the past week with my amazing family, eating wonderful food, working on passion projects, playing with puppies, and answering calls, texts, and IM's from the truest of friends. I have a lot to be grateful for, more than I could ever put into a single post. So I'm not going to try.

The life I have, the things I love, I've cultivated myself. Including my little but lovely blog following. So this Thursday, I beg my readers to do me a favor: turn your life into one of gratitude.

How do you live graciously and joyously, and still get things done?

Easy.

Look at the people in your life. Look at your daily activities. Look at your to-do list, in your refrigerator, in your storage closet, in your living room.

Do the bulk of things/people/activities that you see challenge you? Do they inspire you? Do they make you feel good about yourself?

If you said no, you know what I'm going to say. PURGE, PURGE, PURGE. Once and for all. Do not half heartedly read this and think "Oh, gee, I should really follow her advice one day." That day is here. The time is now. Obviously, some things can not be avoided. It's a bad time to quit a dead end job, and yes, you probably really do need to scrub your toilets once a month. Still, I firmly believe that you control more of your life than you don't and there are tons of things you are doing, people you are hanging out with, and stuff you own that is just dead weight.

You should only be in a dead end job if you are actively looking for a better one, saving for a trip to Europe, or doing something else on the side. Scrubbing your toilets DOES come with a proud sense of "I just cleaned MY place. MINE.I'm a grown up!" But there's more, plenty more, and baby? Less is the new more. Get rid of the dead weight. Right. Now.

But that's not all. Purging doesn't automatically provide you a life of joy and gratitude or of peace, passion, and love. Now it's time to take stock. Regularly, and in depth. What's left? A closeknit posse who would come visit you in the hospital? Your complete works of your favorite writer (which can now be seen without digging through the piles of bad pop fiction)? Reduced time in bars that bore you which lead to more time to write/watch foreign film/just sit with your favorite person? Good. Realize how lucky you are to be left with so much that is worthwhile and fulfilling. Be grateful, and enjoy it...

And take it into the world. Inspire peace. Evoke passion. Just. Plain. Love.

Let Freedom Ring!

Hello All,

I am hoping you guys had a spectacular 4th of July! I had a splendid weekend in the woods in Pennsylvania, picnic-ing and setting off fireworks with family. It was very restful and peaceful, but still with lots of laughs. I may or may not have spent my actual fourth of July drinking wine and watching the neighbors on my Dad's cul-de-sac shooting off fireworks illegally (looks around guiltily). I've also been keeping up with my usual 5,000 blogs, and there was a lot floating around about what freedom means to you. I actually feel quite blessed, as I think my life affords me quite a bit of freedom. There's always room for improvement; financial freedom would afford me even more freedom of course...but compared to much of the world, and even a lot of people I know, I really can't complain. So what DOES freedom mean to me?

Freedom means the ability to set my own pace, speak my mind, and take time for myself when I need to. It means respecting the opinions of those who love me, but making my own decisions. It means pursuing only the paths I think are worth pursuing, creating my own vocation, and taking at least some time every day to live as if I'm on vacation. I feel so blessed to be living this vision every day and in closing want to encourage you to pinpoint what 'freedom' means to you, and to take concrete steps to obtain it.

Peace, passion, and love.

Things I Love Thursday: A Travel Edition

Dear Beautiful Blog Readers,

On this Thursday I feel even more gratitude than usual as I lounge in Columbus, OH visiting my family. So without further ado, here is my Things I'm Thankful for This Thursday:

Things That Inspired Peace
Straight Flights
Prowling around the suburbs in Ohio, finding great deals
Sweet TSA agents at the airport
Giving long overdue gifts to the family

Things That Evoked Passion
Being greeted at the Columbus airport by my dad and the cutest tween siblings this side of the Mississippi
My amazing cast for The Good Body! (Not travel related, but this show is going to be phenom).
Having three solid hours to read quality lesbian lit on the plane

Things I Just Plain Loved
Indulging in cable television. I don't keep it at my apartment for a variety of reasons, but indulging while on vacation is always a treat.
Learning to play Fluxx with the siblings.
Sam seeing me off by saying "Good luck flying...flap really hard"


So there you go! Short and sweet tonight. Love you all!

Thursday Thanks

I was a total slacker this week with the blog, and am quite sorry. I have been writing grants for Gadfly, putting together a fundraiser, applying for a second job, solidifying a season, and fulfilling some pretty awesome tarot gigs. I also had a really crazy busy but FUN week, which you'll see reflected in the Thursday Thanks! I have started some rough drafts of blogs, so here's what you have to look forward to in upcoming weeks:

*Going Into Business With Your Best Friend, and How to Keep the Personal and Business Separate (This will be a blog that also goes up on Jacks and Jills)
*Self-Evolution, or Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid of Change
*Missed Opportunity: What You're Costing Yourself by Holding Back

So, while I work on those, go ahead and peruse the rundown of everything I'm grateful for this week:

Things That Inspired Peace:
{Voting in new board members that I know are going to do a GREAT job!}
{Evenings of Manny doing my hair and make-up as we watch Will & Grace}
{Getting P-A-I-D for excellent tarot work}
{Spotting and purchasing early/late holiday gifts for loved ones at a bargain price}
{Music by The Pierces (seriously, look them up. Beautiful.) and Tom Petty's "Mojo" album}
{Rainfall and thunderstorms as I drift off to sleep}
{Using my Facebook status to ask "What's something that made you happy today?" and getting some amazing, touching, and often hilarious responses.}

Things That Evoked Passion:
{Quality flicks like Beginners and Burn After Reading (both viewed this week)}
{Spontaneous days in bookstores and at street festivals with amazing friends}
{Stocking up on plays and theatre related literature for cheap (although the reason it was so cheap is a little depressing)}
{Fundraisers for arts organizations that involve drag queens and liquor}
{Getting fees waived for the upcoming Gadfly season (HELLZ yeah)}
{Seeing my friends at the GonzoGroup Theatre's wonderful and experimental production of The Maids. Seriously, Twin Cities folks, GO SEE IT.}
{The UN FINALLY calling for a civil rights investigation on how GLBT persons are being treated in each country.}

Things I Just Plain Loved:
{Seeing the new Wilde Roast Cafe! It is...perfect}
{Finding a new bag, fully sustainable, for only 9 bucks}
{Spontaneous BFF shopping trips}
{Spotting some adorable mushroom patches while out on a walk}
{Open mic night at Acme Comedy Club}
{Getting hired on to direct a show (details coming)}
{Coupons; because parts of me are fifty years old}
{Discovering new cafes with amazing chai and cold press that comes complete with maple syrup!}


How about your own lists? Hmmm?

Peace, passion, and love.

Things I'm Thankful for Thursday!

Hello Blogfans! Once again I present you with "Things I Am Thankful for This Thursday", but first?! Some shameless self-promotion! In my never ending quest to inspire peace, passion, and love in myself and others, I ask that you please consider hiring me for all of your divinatory (IE: tarot card readings), photographic, or theatre/film/video/etc. needs this summer. My hours are very slim in the summer, and I could definitely use the work. Additionally, this is all work I genuinely adore doing and know brings peace, passion, and love to others. So help me keep the flame going; if you're not in need of a tarot card reader/photographer/theatre artist who dabbles in film, please pass the word along. Rates vary, and I am always willing to work with you. I'm also taking random odd jobs until the other things fill out a little more. Just ask if you're not sure I'll be into it.

NOW, on to the things already moving in my life to inspire peace, passion and love.

Peace:
My roommate's discount at work. Why yes, I WOULD like endless cold press with shots of almond flavor for four bucks, thanks for asking!

Evenings spent reading about Greek philosophy with the soundtrack of thunderstorms.

Clean laundry.

Movie theaters with balconies.

The sculpture garden at the Walker art center.

Evenings spent grilling and reminiscing with friends.

Passion
Disagreeing with friends about movies; the fiery conversations always bring out thoughts that go way deeper than film theory.

Hearing that I'm making a difference.

This quote from the film Before Sunset: "You can't replace people because everyone is made up of such beautiful, specific details"

Meeting other arts entrepreneurs.

Writing grants, which, if nothing else, gives me the opportunity to talk about why I do what I do and should get to continue doing it.

Love
Long talks

Brisk walks

Creating blackout poetry

Red curry

Scoring really flattering dresses for $3.00

The season premiere of Pretty Little Liars! (Don't judge. We all love what we love).

Talk to you soon lovelies. I adore you all. Peace, passion, and love.

Self-Love 101: Deciding Which Friends Are Worth It

If you're having trouble deciding if your friends are worth keeping or not, try writing a hypothetical, not-to-be-published classified ad as if you were seeking all new friends. What would you be looking for? What traits would you specify not wanting? Don't get ridiculously, no-one-would-fit-this-bill specific, the goal is to make sure you have quality, compatible people in your life...not isolate yourself completely. This exercise also helps you figure out what you bring to the table in terms of quality and compatibility; arguably this is even more important. SO mine would go something like this:

Vegan bibliophiliac lesbian with a passion for anything European or vintage seeks interesting, kind GLBT-loving friends for spontaneous adventures, long talks about nothing, and lots of laughter. I am loyal, intelligent, and incredibly loving; the kind of friend you can tell anything too, the kind of person who helps old ladies cross the road and brakes for animals. That being said, I am still full of laughter and adventure and am seeking friends of the same ilk; kind but kooky, smart but silly, compassionately passionate. I will bake you cookies if you front dinner, and I will always let you look through things I need rid of before I sell them. E-mail me back using your favorite band as the subject line; even if I hate them, I just make make you art/postcards/etc. with their lyrics embedded. Who knows?

The ad opens with what I put out into the atmosphere as being interested in. The second part states what is the most important to me to in other people and what I actually bring to the table. The final parts break the ice further and act as a blueprint for how the friendship would ideally play out. It leaves a lot open to interpretation, but the most important things would be there. Now...go back and look over it. This is the hard part. Are your friends accepting of the things you like (notice it's not mandatory that they like them, only that they partially make up who you are)? Are they the kind of friend and person you want to be around? Are you putting the things into the relationships that you claim? Are they reciprocating? If you answered no to very many of these questions...it may be time to shop for new friends.

Wishing you each people in your lives that bring you peace, passion, and love.

P.S. Feel free to leave your own ad in the comment section!
P.P.S. Special shout outs to my friends who I know for a fact read my blog and fit this bill You know who you are.

Newly Afraid of Your Make-Up?

A few weeks ago, I, like many other newsreaders and blogfans woke up to some shocking articles and info about how terrible American market make-up and toiletries are. Among the top offenders? Deodorant, shampoo, and anything that goes near your eyes. Accompanying these long lists of all of the terrible ways trying to look good may have the total opposite effect in the long run (not to mention hike up our internal toxicity levels), are long and often expensive lists of how to purify.

Let's get real. Most of us aren't millionaires. Importing actually organic shampoo from Australia is just not an option. Additionally, a lot of them are really time consuming and make the presumption that we spend very little time actually interacting with people who care how we look. Now, I am a huge advocate for self-love, not giving a crap what other people think, etc. I also know how unrealistic it is to tell you not to shampoo for a week while you're job hunting. So here are my natural beauty tips for real women, with real lives, on real budgets.

1) Drink lots of water. Toxins taken in in any way will be pumped out if you are genuinely hydrated.
2) Aluminum-free deodorant. I like Lush's Sandalwood and Lemon. It's more expensive than your speed-stick, and comes in a weird brick that you just rub on yourself but it's worth it. It works, and the sandalwood is more calming than baby-powder or whatever you buy in the drug store.
3)Sea Salt water spray as a multi-purpose (skin, hair, etc.) moisturizer. Stores will seriously try to sell you expensive, fancy bottles of it...but all you really need to do is grind up some sea salt in water, and put in a BPA-free spray bottle.
4) Read the ingredients. I went through my medicine cabinet, and a lot of stuff was already chemical-free enough that I felt fine using it. Just like food, know what you're putting on your pores.
5) Use less. Conditioner and mascara should be for the ends of your hair and lashes only. If they never touch your skin or eyes...the aren't doing very much harm. Shampoo (even with long hair)is best with a nickel-sized and then lather it up as much as humanly possible. RINSE THOROUGHLY.
6) If you use a lot of make-up, wash your face every single night...but your face wash is maybe where you should splurge on something chemical free. I have a friend who gave me a scent-free exfoliating all-natural soap...so I use it...and I only use a little bit...and my face looks better than it ever has.
7) Eat right. Your don't need stuff to make your hair or fingernails shiny if you're getting enough Vitamin E. You don't need a ton of make-up if you're getting enough water. Etc. Etc. (There are exceptions, but for the most part these things are true).
8) Use a washcloth/loofah/etc. that's going to slough away dead skin (which is where a lot of the toxins end up).

SO there you go...pretty simple, and actually cheaper than your current beauty regime. Let me know your best tips for keeping your epidermis toxin-free!

Peace, passion, and love.

The Triumphant Return of My Weekly Dose of Gratitude

Between being sick, busy, and/or a total emo brat, I haven't posted my normal "Thursday Thankfulness" column in far too long, and you know what? I um...kind of missed it. I think in those emo-brat days I needed this blog the most and didn't realize it. I am back though...and ready to share with you those things that evoked peace, passion, and love within me this week.

Thinks That Inspired Peace:

*My roommate finally ponying up my (quite) belated birthday present; a DVD of Meet the Robinsons. Such a great movie, but believe it or not the gift has a story behind it and it was actually quite a thoughtful gift.
*Closing an entire season. Yes, it's been a teensy bit rough for this half of the season, and yes, I still have a ton of work to do. But I did it. I made a season. And however it ended, now it's on to season two, and there is definitely a sense of calm about that.
*I season two that I know I will be continually inspired by.
*Visits from two of my favorite people in the entire world...and visits we had a complete blast during.
*Walks along the Stone-Arch-Bridge. (Check out the rockin' photo from the bridge that I took last year at the top of this entry)
*The cast of our final show of this season. They gave hilarious and touching performances, and it was a wonderful run.

Things that Evoked Passion:

*The Northern Spark festival; a festival of light, art, and my aforementioned out of town friends getting really silly. We "made friends" with other groups by snapping photos with them unwittingly. We climbed into tiny houses. We ate junk food, drank beer, and took spontaneous trips all over the Twin Cities.OH, and somewhere along the way I ate the best vegan cupcake of my life.
*Poetry by Maya Angelou and William Butler Yeats.
*Seeing different out of town guests expand their traditional Southern horizons by agreeing to see art they normally wouldn't, reading about other cultures, and eating at restaurants that normally "aren't their thing".
*Realizing that even while my heart is breaking, I would still rather be downtrodden but know that I am capable of love than to be completely cynical and unfeeling.
*Owning up to my guilty pleasure obsession with lomography.

Things I Just Plain Loved:

*Cheating on my diet TWICE in one week. Definitely not going to make a habit out of it...but it just felt right with the roomie's fam in town.
*Discovering this band while on a seemingly ordinary walk at Father Hennepin Park.
*Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris; I wasn't expecting him to indulge in a fairy tale...but am so glad that he did!
*My first trip to the Mall of America since living in Minnesota. I took the roommate's family and we really did it up! Amusement park, the aquarium (with the Jellyfish exhibit, which I adored), and getting almost all the way through all four floors.
*Playing Cranium...and this hilarious moment where my Cranium partner drew the Creative Cat during a Cloodle, instead of the actual hint.
*Scattergories. Always.

Something that's been all over the blogosphere lately bears mentioning too, as it has in turn inspired peace, passion, and love in lots of places: the idea of true, genuine compliments. Real compliments. Compliments about the souls of those you love, and not their shoes. Compliments about their personality, their business savvy, their aura. I challenged my Facebook friends to deeply, passionately, selflessly compliment someone that they never have or haven't in awhile and I did the same. Some really great things came out of it and so I want to continue the challenge indefinitely to everyone on my blog. You love that people that you love for a reason, and it's not because their purse is your favorite color. Tell them why it is. You'll be glad you did (and so will they).

Wishing you each peace, passion, and love on this lovely, breezy Thursday.

Major Gadfly Announcements!

Thanks for Helping to Make Our First Season a Success!


Thanks to supporters like you, Gadfly feels confident to charge ahead with
our plans for a second season! This season we've chosen to streamline some
things, and delve deeper into others. You'll see smaller cast sizes but more
opportunity for involvement. You'll see the cozy spaces you know and love,
but with fewer set pieces in them (for the most part). You will see more
work you've never heard of and edgier work that you may have heard of. We've
done all of this in part for fiscal reasons, but in part so we can focus on
the things most important to us; hiring quality artists and technicians,
becoming better Gadflies for the GLBT community, for women, and for art in
general. So what exactly is next?!


First up we are looking for performers, silent auction donations, and
participants for our 2011 fundraiser. Exact date, time, and location are
TBD, but go ahead and sign up/volunteer now! No act is too bizarre or too
ordinary (it may be too large depending on the venue, but we'll help you
scale it down if it is). We want poets, comedians, bands (must be small and
maybe even acoustic), scenes from shows, etc. This is a GREAT opportunity to
strut your stuff for a receptive audience. As this is a benefit, performers
will not be paid, but they will be allowed to bring a guest to the event for
free. The event will be in late July so you've got plenty of time to
prepare. We are also in need of goods, services, and whatever else you've
got for our silent auction! So what is this fundraiser funding?


Well, Our Second Season of Course! This Season We Are Bringing You:

The Good Body by Eve Ensler:
Late September/Early October. Stay tuned for exact info.

Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam
Late November
Lowry Lab Theater
St. Paul MN.
(Exact Dates are determined but not announced quite yet)


Hidden: A Gender by Kate Bornstein
March 8th-18th
The People's Center in Minneapolis


Pomp and Circumstance by Immanuel Elliott and Laurie Beth Fitz
June, 2012.
Location TBD.


Auditions and More!


Auditions for Ensler's The Good Body and Stephen Karam's Speech and Debate will both take place between 6 and 9 P.M. on June 26th and 27th. Please just e-mail us at gadflytheatre@gmail.com sign up! For The Good Body, we need 3 females of varying ethnicities and body types. We feel very strongly about this, all women are encouraged to audition.

For Speech and Debate we need two actors and one plus-sized actress who can play between ages 15 and 18 and one actress who can play in her early thirties. One of the actors needs to be able to play a gay character who is unable (nor does he want) to cover up his sexuality. If you aren't sure you fit into these categories, please help us spread the word!

Payment is TBD and partially based on cut of the house.
All roles are paid a stipend, we just can't promise an amount yet. Again, just
e-mail us to sign up for an audition or inquire about opportunities for
technicians! As always, GLBT artists are especially encouraged to apply.


Stay tuned for an announcement in the next day or two about an opportunity to be
added to our rockin' Board of Directors!

Peace, passion, and love.

Rare Marilyn Monroe Photos

I have, and have always had a giant, ridiculous crush for Marilyn Monroe. In addition to being beautiful, I adore her comedic acting and how honest she was, always. She was also incredibly tenacious and has one of the best rags-to-riches stories that there is. For any fellow fangirls, here is a spread from Life's website of her before she hit it big. They're really cute for actors to look at because a lot of it is her training to become THE Marilyn.

So enjoy!

Peace, love, and passion.

Taking Time for Yourself 101

I write a lot about taking time for yourself, something I've had to train myself to do. One of the best ways to get used to "you time" is making sure that you have a morning and an evening health and hygiene routine, regardless of what's going on in your life that day. I am not a morning person at all, so my nighttime routine is even more important as I tend to skimp on hectic mornings. Once I know I'm settled for the night there's a set of things I do. I condition my hair, I wash my face, I drink green tea and then brush my teeth. I take any vitamin supplements that I feel I need for the day (it changes based on what I ate. I only use the Omega 3 supplement if I don't feel I had enough healthy fat, only take the multi-vitamin if I barely had food, etc.)Do what you need to do to feel beautiful and (more importantly) healthy the next morning. Some evening yoga/stretching/meditation never hurts either. Sometimes I stay up for hours afterwards, sometimes it's the last thing I do. It changes...I recently added moisturizer every other night, sometimes I snack. Sometimes I exfoliate all over.

The important thing when working on your evening regime is that you shouldn't be multi-tasking while you do it (unless 'multi-tasking' means reading for pleasure, or catching up with your favorite show, or noshing on healthy but yummy snacks with your roommate), it should be every night, and the basis of it should be on what makes YOU feel good, healthy, peaceful...in the moment and the next day.

Wishing you each peace, passion, and love.

Suburban Redux Photo Diary

In light of Suburban Redux opening TOMORROW, I am posting some of my favorite shots from the rehearsal and marketing process! Now, note that these are not all meant to be artistic gems...but if they make you laugh or develop a curiosity about the show...well then I am one happy executive director :) Enjoy, and don't forget to check us out at The Lowry Lab in St. Paul starting tomorrow, May 26th at 7:30 P.M. Wishing you each peace, passion, and love.

Opening On Thursday!

So here's the skinny: Gadfly means the world to me. When I think about my future, it is queer art, it is feminist art, it is making a comfortable living doing what I love and it is running Gadfly more or less as we are now-only with a far cushier budget.

Our latest production, Suburban Redux by Andrew Biss, opens on Thursday. It is really important to me, as per usual, that this show succeeds. We have a great cast of local talent that, in true Gadfly fashion, comes from all walks of life and experience levels. We have a director who has been working incredibly hard...and a script that is one of the wittiest works I've read in recent history. The only thing missing...is you!

But all of that has the opportunity change on Thursday, May 26th. We open the production then at the Lowry Lab in St. Paul. (350 St. Peter St. to be exact) at 7:30 P.M. Tickets are only $15 a head (and less yet if you come in a group of ten or more, possess a valid student ID, are a senior citizen, or have a Fringe button from 2010), making us one of the cheapest tickets in town for quality work.

This production runs from the 26th through the 5th, Thursday through Sunday. All performances are at 7:30 P.M. except for Sundays; those are 3:00 P.M. matinées.

If $15 is still too much for you then never fear! We feature TWO Pay-What-You-Can Nights! One is on Saturday, May 28th. Yes, you heard right. A SATURDAY PWYC. Pretty thrilling stuff, eh? We also offer a Pay-What-You-Can Opportunity on Thursday, June 2nd.

So other than a killer price tag and strong affection for me why should you come? Primarily because the show itself is truly original and great! Mrs. Pennington-South is bored with her suburban life, so she raises her son Cuthbert under the impression that he's a homosexual. He...um, turns out not to be and the results are intriguing, hilarious, and ultimately touching. The script pays respect to the homosexual coming-out experience while spinning it on it's head.

But don't take my word for it! Come see for yourself...

What's My Age Again?

Ah, the midtwenties. It's a strange place we find ourselves in. I really don't feel like a "grown-up" most of the time in spite of being teased for my occasional old lady tendencies. Then I started thinking; maybe being in my midtwenties makes total sense when you consider that nearly all of my quirks and actions are either that of a fifty-five year old or that of a seven year old. That probably roughly evens out to midtwenties. Here are some examples:

Ways I Am Clearly a Grown-Up
(Or 'Common Sense Things I Am Far Too Proud of Myself for Figuring Out')
*My rent, electric bill, phone bill, and internet bill have never once been late.
*I run a company.
*I use coupons and reusable bags at the grocery store.
*My sister is about to have a baby.
*I complain about arthritis and use Bengay.
*I have very, VERY few television shows that I will watch.
*I am an excellent cook, hostess, and pet owner.
*Need. Coffee. Always.
*I have finally learned to take time out for myself when I get sick/overly stressed/it's been awhile.
*Coffee and water rings make me see red.
*I'm jealous of people who can knit.
*I refuse to give in to many technologies. (What is this 'Kindle' you speak of? Is it like a blanket?)
*I really do not like making fun or speaking ill of others, and think it's a sign that you have very little else to talk about.

Ways I Am Clearly Not A Grown-Up
(Or 'Don't Blame Me, It's My Whole Generation')
*I call my mom crying from coffee shops, sometimes for no reason at all.
*I still call my dad for financial advice.
*I sit on Facebook and Twitter for waaaay too long.
*I am never dressed weather appropriately.
*I call my cat things like "pumpkin face" and "muffin butt" more than I use his actual name.
*I am the weird girl on the bus laughing at nothing.
*You don't want to know how infrequently I do laundry.
*My roommate can always make me laugh by talking like a Muppet. I kid you not.
*My friend Sam and I must test the quality of beds by jumping on them every time we're together near an untested mattress.
*Somebody says 'I'm having a party' and I still think 'Oooh, what's the theme? I need a costume!'

Where Do THESE Things Put Me?!
*I buy very thoughtful cards and gifts for people all the time...then forget to/run out of money to send them off.
*My favorite food is juice....sugary and flavorful suggests a child like innocence. Odd pulp and green tint suggests foods are in there that only health freaks would eat.
*Half of my book collection is YA fiction...but the other half boasts Anais Nin and Tolstoy.
*I have a morning and a night time health and hygiene routine. Both of which include 'just in case' time for impromptu dancing.
*I can talk for hours about politics, economics, entrepreneurship, art, culture, history...and Harry Potter, comic books, and the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars.
*I can quote Shakespeare eloquently and accurately. I also do a mean Ron Burgundy impression.


So there you guys. Woman-child in a state of grace. Running a company but not a washing machine. Where do you guys think you stand? A nice even midtwenties? Older? Younger?

As My Friend Andrew Once Said...

"Women can be funny too"

*Disclaimer, this blog is a factual story that happened to me. It is also my first attempt at a humor blog. If it is not funny...well, whoops. All names have been changed on account of me not knowing them*

Tonight at the bus stop, I'm chatting up a very attractive girl that I was getting a vibe from. We're laughing and flirting, she tells me about her ex-fiance who she broke up with because she realized she might like girls, and how now she just wants him to die(it was around here that I started realizing I have a "type", and that "type", is batshit crazy). Still, I've already started flirting and it's hard to just turn it off. So there we are, at Warehouse and Hennepin, me and Crazy McHottie flirting up a storm. Seemingly out of nowhere (possibly the light rail) three middle-aged women came up to us. Maybe middle-aged is generous, but this is Minnesota, and I'm fairly sure that "Minnesota Nice" requires me to refer to all women past age forty-five as "middle-aged", regardless of the number of varicose veins they are proudly rocking.

One of the women softly but firmly interrupts our playful banter to inform us that she felt the calling to speak to us about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As Crazy and I stand there stammering, Veins begins to pull something out of her purse (Bibles? Pamphlets? Knitting supplies?). I never did find out what she was pulling out, because then REALLY out of nowhere, a belligerent, fairly smelly drunk man runs up to them yelling "Are you supposed to be here? Leave them alone!" over and over again. The middle-aged Jesus Warriors scampered off as quick as their walkers would allow them. So now it's me, Crazy, and Drunk Man standing there, I say "thank you" and he says "Naw, girls, you just keep doing what you do" and completely leaves us alone.

Now, obviously, the moment was gone. Whatever spark I shared with this formerly engaged cutie pie who stole my heart using words like "proselytize" fizzled out. Still, I owe my unsaved soul to Drunk Man, and I'd like to thank him for that.

Blogger's Block...

I've had really bad blogger's block lately! Help! What do you want to hear about? Leave it in the comments. In the meantime, here's a picture I took of St. Paul that looks really weird when Blogger compresses it:



Peace, passion, and love.

Belated Thankful Thursday Post

Good evening kiddos! My life has been a whirlwind of clogged sinus cavities and arthritic whining lately, so I apologize for my tardiness. Now, here I am, bringing you things that (thankfully) brought me some peace, passion, and love this week.


Things That Inspired Peace:

This article from MinnPost.com, chronicling citizen response to the upcoming vote in November 2012 hoping to ban gay marriage (via Constitution Amendment).

This song from Cat Stevens. It's so melancholy, but it just makes me feel calm.

Getting to donate things to a silent auction for a theatre I adore and respect the hell out of.

"Minneapolis Hiking" with Sam through the stairwells and 'beaches' of the Mississippi River, because we could.

Getting my latest article posted on Jacks and Jills! (And the content of the article itself).

Things That Evoked Passion:
Actually getting o-u-t (to Lush, specifically) and seeing humans do more than work.

Well-written books! As per usual. This week I finished Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri which was evocative, a little melancholy, and consistently beautiful. I followed it up with Augusten Burrough's Magical Thinking which was hilarious.

Facebook updates from my sister on gay rights issues.

Getting some professional feedback on my Etsy shop.


Things I Just Plain Loved
The movie Easy A. I really didn't know how I'd feel about this movie as an artist or a feminist but I thought it was really freakin' funny. Oscar-fodder, no. But that's more than okay sometimes.

People who announce "You are really, really cute" within seconds of meeting me.

Chillaxin' riverside.

$1 beer. What can I say?

My boss bringing her dog to the box office!

Feeling better!

Actually making it to Suburban Redux rehearsal. I love Gadfly so hard.



How about you guys? What made or broke your week this week? Well, signing off now. Boca burgers are calling. Wishing you each peace, passion, and love. I leave you with some photos chronicling the past couple of weeks:

Under the Weather

Ah yes, Spring. The sun starts shining, the beautiful birds start chirping happily, my cat spends even more time lazing about in front of the window. OH, and my sinus cavities completely fill up and refuse to function normally. Hence the lack of blogging whilst I attempt to cure myself with anti-histamines, aloe vera incense, green tea, and tons of water and (healthy but) spicy food. Back to the blog shortly. Adore you all.

Peace, passion, and love.

(Photo courtesy and copyright of yours truly)

April In Review

Month: April 2011
Home Base: NE Minneapolis
What I Did:
Obtained rights for the an amazing, amazing second Gadfly season, set up my Etsy shop and even sold some photos, saw Jacks and Jills go live, got a little too amped up on Suburban Redux marketing/scaled back for a few weeks/learned a balance, more or less memorized my new tarot deck (give or take a few cards), organized an Alternative Easter fest, sold a lot of Avenue Q tickets, rearranged my apartment, obtained a new bed, was invited to an exclusive tasting party at Noodles and Company (greatest lunch hour at work ever).

Honestly, this was kind of a slow month for me for fun and productivity but I’m (luckily) getting so many hours at Mixed Blood that I haven’t had a ton of time.

Where I went:
Except for a very fun but all too brief trip out to see my friend LB’s farm in Independence, this month wasn’t good at all for travel

Key Hangouts Around Home Base:
SO MANY, new and old. Wilde Roast and Namaste as usual, Lake Calhoun is back on the list now that it’s getting warmer, Pizza Luce, Town Hall Brewery, Spyhouse Coffee Shop, Noodles and Company, The Muddy Pig, Jewel of India.

What I Listened too :
Old school Dresden Dolls, George Harrison’s solo work, New Britney, {title of show} album, Mika, Lykke Li
The T.V. I watched:
Archer, 30 Rock, Scrubs, Weeds, Modern Family. I suppose I should say something about the ending of RuPaul’s Drag Race here since everyone knows how much I love the show, but the ending was anti-climactic and predictable. Yawn.
The Movies I Loved The Most This Month:
I <3 Huckabees, Breakfast on Pluto, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Stranger than Fiction (again)…and to answer someone’s question from last time-these can be movies that I’ve seen before and just rewatched with vigor this month (often more than once, I get on kicks). Many times they are first views though.
The Theatre I Saw:
[title of show] by Urban Samurai was really the only great thing I got too. I did see a really cute viewing of one of Mixed Blood’s touring show, Minnecanos. I also got my laugh on at Huge Theater, finally.
The Best Thing I Fed Myself:
This iced coffee from Spyhouse made with honey and white chocolate, Vegan Easter treats from my mom, French bread/hummus/strawberry feast on Easter, giant salad I made featuring chickpeas and edamame, anything from Pizza Luce on my cheat days.
Best Books I Read:
Huntress by Malinda Lo! Judith Ortiz Cofer’s Love Story Beginning in Spanish, and I am unashamed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed wrapping my childhood up with Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later (even if I hate how small the parts of some of my favorite characters were)

Best Websites:
The blogs of the geniuses behind A Softer World, Huffington Post (lots o’ crazy news wandering around), Postsecret, The Vegetarian who Hates Tofu, Gala Darling (ESPECIALLY for her ‘Carousel’ and 'Things I Love Thursday' link roundups)
Favorite New Unnecessary Material Items I acquired:
Oh wow. Um, I got some great new shirts from my friend Jodie, and some books and DVD’s. I think that was about it!


Biggest Challenge of the Month (and how I overcame it):
This was a really trying month were almost anything career related was concerned; I ventured into new territory with my Etsy shop, I had some Gadfly setbacks, and am still barely making ends meet. Literally all I do to overcome these challenges is keep working hard. I am realizing that it’s crucial not to punish yourself by working unrealistically hard or sacrificing self-care (IE HEALTHY food, lots o’ water, and catching some Zzzz’s), but I also don’t let myself backslide and get lazy. I certainly never let myself give up unless a project is clearly not for me.

Best Thing I Did for Myself:
Set up the Etsy store, called in sick to work (yes I was actually sick, but I never do this, and my god I needed too) and slept.

Breakthrough Thoughts:
I’m going to be more honest about my personal life than usual right now. I went through a major self-analysis and realized that I run my romantic relationships like a business. Notice I said A business, and not MY business, because I do run my business with passion, love, and everything that that implies-but still with business sense and common sense. This is great!

What’s less great is that the more romantic aspects of this are missing from my romantic life. I tend to run them like cut and dry business transactions, as if I were a stock broker and not an artist. “I made her lunch and she didn’t call me when I was sick. Strike one.” Alternately, I am also really hard on myself for the same reason. “She bought me dinner AND brought me a coffee to work without asking, I am a worse girlfriend than her.” It’s a tricky line to let real emotions take over without getting walked on or walking on anyone else. Still, I see the wonderful relationships around me and know it can be done. Late April 2011 is when I realized this-we’ll see what I do with it from this point on.

Couldn’t Be Without:
My roommate, my newly arranged apartment, those two sick days that I took. The day or two I actually had off. My sweet, snuggly cat.

Quotes of the Month:
“I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing”
{title of show}

Eric: Why are these people all walking?
Manny: Apparently some people do that for exercise.
Eric: Huh.

“Being good is towing the line, being behaved, being quiet, being passive, fitting in, being liked, and being GREAT is being messy, having a belly, speaking your mind, standing up for what you believe in, fighting for another paradigm, not letting people talk you out of what you know to be true.”
~Eve Ensler

“I need to talk to someone kind and non-judgmental. You used to be good at that, and I’m just going to assume that not much has changed.”
~Anonymous friend from Junior High

My Biggest (Photographic) Hit!

I love this photo that I took at Warrior's Path Park in Kingsport, TN. I barely had to toy with the coloring (although it is cropped a little for better framing), I was elated when it came out so vivid. I put this bad boy up on my Etsy shop and it was gone the next day. I had a request for more, so I put two more prints of it up for sale, gone the next day. How awesome is that? I'm not ready to stop if you guys aren't! I am always willing to sell reprints of my work if someone wants them.

Speaking of my Etsy shop.., check it out if you haven't, shop up! Support local art!

Anywho, the reason I love this photo so much is because to me it represents everything I stand for: peace, passion, and love. The colors and atmosphere are soothing and peaceful. I worked really hard to get the perfect shot of this little area, so it evoked my artistic passion. Finally, I took it on a day when I was surrounded by people I loved. I think this really comes through in the photo; that I was in a peaceful but passionate and very loving place when I shot it. I try to make these things evident in all of my work...evidently something went right this time (see what I did there? Chuckle, chuckle).

I think when you approach your career/hobby/relationships in a way that encompasses everything you stand for it shines through and the results are going to be prosperous. Maybe not financially, but in other ways that matter just as much (or maybe even more). I would love this photo even if it hadn't sold a damn print, but I think my love of it guaranteed the rewards it's reaped: I was in a good place to create, I created happily, and success was manifested.

So think about this as you go about your lives. Whether you wish to create art, business success, cultivated and healthy relationships, or all of the above, approach this creation in a way that will satisfy you first.

Wishing each of you the peace, passion, and love required to create things you will adore! MUAH!

Thursday Thankfulness, yo.

I need this so much right now! What a trying week, but luckily, it's Things I'm Thankful for Thursday!

Here are things in my life this week that:

Inspired Peace
Organizations like the Make it Better and Aliveness Project who make tangible steps to make various aspects of others' lives better.

Watching my boss work some customer service. Her bubbliness and kindness has inspired the duration of my customer service career

A best friend who can give it to me straight without hurting my feelings.

Actually having a WHOLE DAY to lounge around on the beach, give tarot readings, and eat strawberries

Realizing I spent too much money on iced chai this month...and then promptly realizing I'm okay with that.

Evoked Passion
Lots of street art. I watched Exit Through the Gift Shop and was hella inspired by some of the other (IE NOT Thierry's) art in the movie.

Swinging by Play by Play Bookstore and talking with Ms. Kelly Schaub

Knowing what the Gadfly season is! (Shhh! Still a secret for now)

Doing some research for marketing for next year's Mixed Blood Season

Selling my photos on Etsy!

Things I Just Plain Loved
Evenings spent watching too much Scrubs.

Making new friends! Always a plus.

Making Gadfly fliers.

My vegan friendly Easter basket from my mom!

Waking up to my cat inexplicably licking my hand. It just made me laugh, a lot.

Listening to old school Dresden Dolls

Scattergories!

AND THE THING I LOVE THE MOST:

That all of my favorite Southerners have survived the terrible, heartbreaking storms. I love them all and was VERY worried when I woke up this morning and heard what happened.

To each of you: peace, passion, and love.

Alternative Easter on the Beach

Hello Loves!

In a break from my pedalstool of self-love and shameless self-promotion, I wanted to share my fun Easter tales with you. I decided this year, since I unexpectedly had the day off from everything that I do, that I wanted to have a fun Easter adventure on Lake Calhoun. I invited all of my chums and we woke up to what was luckily a dazzlingly cheerful morning. I was especially excited because while I was prepared to host if the weather was...well, Minnesotan, I was pumped for beach time. We did end up surprised and blessed by a perfect lakefront day.



I call upon a diverse set of religious beliefs, but I don't want that to be evident in the festivities. A lot of non-Christians (or people who use Christianity as a base, but have beliefs beyond that) use Easter as a day to celebrate rebirth, renewal, personal triumphs, etc. I still felt like for what I wanted that was a little isolating, so I saddled up my picnic baskets, and set out for a all-inclusive celebration of friends, food, and...well, sunshine.


We (my friend who helped me get it together and I) did bill the festivities as Pagan-influenced, but for our event that mostly meant sharing our skills of divination, being truly appreciative of the water, sand, wind, sun, and connections with each other, as well as open, free discussions. Some hilarious conversation actually came about in the process. Everything from my roommate joking with a friend about directing a production of King Lear where we fly Lear in and he just hovers over the whole play...which by the way, takes place in the Metrodome (pre-blizzard collapse), to another friend wondering why everyone was walking...apparently not understanding the point of exercise as leisure while we sat around munching our strawberries and cupcakes.



We did end up getting to some (spot-on, I must say) tarot readings and an astrological discussion where we probed the darker side of our respective signs' natures. Eventually my roommate and I headed back to our apartment where we indulged in chardonnay and watched Exit Through the Gift Shop. While initially I was disappointed by the turn out, it ended up being the most (let's be honest, probably only) truly relaxing day I've had in a really long time...and I can't wait to do it again, for a holiday or no reason at all.

Hope your Easters (or just your weekends) were full of peace, passion, and love!

Free Your Mind...

...and the rest will follow.

Awesome 90's song lyric, or advice for your future? The answer to that question...is yes.

My roommate and I play this fun game when we're trying to make trivial decisions. We learned it from an episode of Friends, and basically what happens is you take a second to clear your mind, and your friend/spouse/sparring partner asks you a series of questions that you're supposed to answer rapid-fire. It goes a little something like this:

A: What's cuter, cats or dogs?
B:Dogs
A: Would you rather be able to breathe underwater or fly?
B:Breathe underwater

And so forth, until you get to the question you want to know the answer too.

A: What are we eating for lunch, burritos or pasta?
B: Burritos

TA-DA! Lunch date = made. We play this game mostly in jest, but lately I've been playing it in my own head to try to figure out bigger problems. I firmly believe that your own intuition can give you all of the answers that you need to answer any questions that might be puzzling you. For some people relying on self-awareness is difficult, so you I encourage you to clear out your mind. Take a deep breathe...or seven, whatever it takes. Then ask a series of silly questions, until it feels right to hit your problem area. If it's too hard for you to do alone, ask someone else to lead the questioning; just tell them what to end on. Remember, you can be both person A and B as outlined below.

A: Who's funnier, Blanche or Sophia?
B: Sophia
A: Which Beatles song is your favorite?
B: Eleanor Rigby
A: What's funnier, 30 Rock or Modern Family
B: Modern Family
A: Do you want curry or marinara?
B: Curry
A: Why are you unhappy?
B: (Insert valid, often surprising reason here)

So give it a go, for sport or for real.

Wishing you peace, passion, and love.

Just In Case You Were Wondering

You are not:
one wrong action
what other people think of you
a number on a scale
someone else
your parents
part of some other person
less than
better than
a victim of circumstance
a statistic
the sum of your failures
the number your bank account shows
going to succeed at being anyone but you

You are:
powerful beyond measure
more beautiful than can be summed up by words
wicked smart
hella strong
full of love
deserving of love
capable of being happy
how you treat others on a day-to-day basis
the sum of the things & people & experiences that you put your love and energy into
you, and that is all you need to be.

Chamomile, Etsy, and Harry Potter

I'm just going to jump right in and start, you guys know the format by now.

Things That Inspired Peace This Week:
[Perusing through used bookstores and finding hard to find books by my favorite authors for three bucks.]
[iPods on shuffle that play just the right songs at just the right moments]
[My friend Sarah, who I ended up venting too a lot this week]
[The Pagan and divination books I read this week that quite literally, push you towards peace and clarification]
[Lots of chamomile tea and honey on my super-sore throat]

Things That Ignited My Passion:
[Getting to see Mixed Blood's touring production of Minnecanos before it hit the road]
[Urban Samurai's inspiring and flawlessly simple production of [title of show] ]
[Switching journals. After I end one, life always seems even more full of possibilities than it did before]
[Loaning friends books; I know it's weird to be thankful for something I do for them, but it feels like I'm sharing a piece of me, introducing them to something new that I'm passionate about]
[Making sales on my Etsy store]

Things I Just Plain Loved:
[Sleeping in my big new bed]
[Coffee with honey and white chocolate but no milk/cream/etc]
[Evenings "wasted" watching Scrubs]
[The fact that my cheat days, two weeks in a row, have involved artichoke dip]
[Roommates who surprise me by buying the newest Harry Potter DVD while I'm at work]
[Malinda Lo's Huntress. I not only LOVED it, but think it's amazing that there's mainstream fantasy fiction aimed at girls that center around lesbians.]

So there you guy m'loves! Enjoy, and as always feel free to share your own! (Or link to your own blogs in the comments). MUAH.

Peace, passion, and love.

Die Vampire Die

Hello Bloggers,

I have several playlists that I listen too when I get down or pessimistic and need some inspiration. Sometimes it's classic rock with fight-the-man and free-love messages. Sometimes it's girl power that can be anything from Sheryl Crow to Britney. AND...sometimes my strongest self-love inspiration comes from musicals. What can I say, I'm a theatre geek through and through and I'll be damned if Sondheim can't soothe my ailing heart.

My new favorite musical is [title of show]. [title of show] was written as the writers went along, and it chronicles them putting a musical together. It's adorably clever but it packs a lot of punch when you need a reminder to believe in yourself. Things have been a little tricky around these parts lately; I've encountered some road blocks and self-doubt started creeping back in for the first time in a long time. "Other companies have more community support" I told myself. "Other freelancers don't need day jobs" I said. I said these things repeatedly, and told myself a lot of other very horrible things that I won't bore you with. I couldn't even pinpoint what exactly was wrong with me, I just felt really down and worse yet, down on myself. Then in the car, with the iPod on shuffle, some [title of show] lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks and I was choking back tears. First is a song called "Die, Vampire Die", and here is the basic gist of the song (edited to make sense if you haven't seen the show):

There are some people in the world who say that writing stories,
or composing music or dancing sparkly dances is easy for them.
Nothing interferes with their ability to create.
While I celebrate their creative freedom,
a little part of me just wants to punch those motherfuckers in the teeth.
This song, I sing this song for you guys and for all the rest of us.

You have a story to tell, a novel you keep in a drawer.
You have a painting to paint, but you lazy like an old French whore
You have a movie to make, Shrinky Dinks you can bake
but you best grab a stake, cause,
in sweep the vampires, in creep the vampires, knee deep in vampires,
Filling you with doubt and insecurity, ‘bout what you art should be
in sweep the vampires

And when they come run like hell, see those bats in your belfry, then call on Van Helsing.
In swoosh the vampires
in a whoosh ooh, the vampires,
ooh, all the vampires
Filling you with thoughts of
Self consciousness
Feelings of
Worthlessness
They’ll make you
Second guess
Die vampire!

There are so many vampires, inside, outside, and nationwide,
it helps to recognize them with this vampire hunting guide!
Listen closely,

A vampire is any person or thought or feeling
that stands between you and your creative self expression,
but they can assume many seductive forms.
Here’s a few of them!

First up are you pygmy vampires.
They’ll swarm around your head like gnats and say things like:
Your teeth need whitening
You went to state school?
You sound weird.
Shakespeare, Sondheim, Sedaris
Did it before you and better than you,
or they might say that you cannot
sing good enough to be in a musical, or they might say:
Ooh, your song’s derivative.

To keep that song from you! Just tell them:
Die vampire, die!

The last vampire is the mother of all vampires and that is the vampire of despair.
It’ll wake you up at 4am to say things like:
Who do you think you’re kidding?
You look like a fool.
No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be good enough.
Why is it that if some dude walked up to me on the subway platform
and said these things, I’d think he was a mentally ill asshole
but if the vampire inside my head says it
It’s the voice of reason.

You have a story to tell, pull your novel out of that sock drawer!
You have a painting to paint, you best paint it and then paint some more!

In fly the vampires, oh my the vampires, then die the vampires,
filling you with life, creativity, all that you heart should be, out go the vampires
Die vampire, die vampire, die vampire, die!

______________________________
Immediately another song from [title of show] came on entitled "Nine People's Favorite Things" that I really needed to hear. It was more of a career-focused self-love boost then a general one, but listening to it back to back with vampires left me uplifted on the whole. Again, these are edited a bit for space and to make sense:

We can either follow our instinct
Or take advice from every joker
We can either be distinct
Or wind up merely mediocre
But not me
Not me

When we set out to write this musical
We said we’d write a show that we wanna see
We knew we’d never please everyone
Remember that day
You said to me

I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
Nine peoples favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing

And when Bock and Harnick were writing “Tenderloin”
They were taking a risk to write a show about whores
When Kander and Ebb were working on the Rink
I’d like to think at some point; John looked at Fred and said

I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
time for the annual church bazaar
There’s a cake-baking contest
I am going to be the big star
But I don’t want to make a German chocolate
And a seven-layer I’ll never complete
So I show up with pride this morning
With a tray of rice-crispie treats

And they try to push them aside
Say that they are too strange to compete
And sure, most of the judges award the red velvet
But one picks the rice-crispie treats.
Let our show be the rice-crispie treat.

I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred peoples ninth favorite thing

Nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing

Those nine people will tell nine people
Then we’ll have eighteen people loving the show
Then eighteen people could grow into
Five-hundred and twenty-five-thousand, six-hundred people
Loving our show

Nine peoples favorite thing
Than a hundred peoples ninth favorite thing
Nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing

So the decision’s made
And we’re on our way
And we may lose or maybe we might
Be nine people’s favorite thing.
_______________________________
So there you go, a little dose of self-love and determination, musical theatre style. Click on the links below to:
Hear Die, Vampire Die.
Hear Nine People's Favorite Thing.
Learn more about [title of show]

I'd love to hear some of your own self-love inspiration, as well as music in general that inspires peace, passion, and love in your life!

My Newest Muse

“Good is towing the line, being behaved, being quiet, being passive, fitting in, being liked, and great is being messy, having a belly, speaking your mind, standing up for what you believe in, fighting for another paradigm, not letting people talk you out of what you know to be true.” ~Eve Ensler


My next photo challenge is someone who inspires me. Now, there are a lot of strong women, GLBT, or just plain smart people that I look up too. Recently though, I've become newly aware not only of the brilliance of Eve Ensler's plays, but her activist work. Her primary focus is violence against women; a worthy cause in and of itself. She's also not afraid to tackle GLBT or basic women's rights either. This is all in addition to being a brilliant and admirable playwright, director, and actor. If I achieve half of what she has artistically or as an activist, I will consider myself a success. I won't stop there though...because that's now what Eve would do.

So cheers to a woman who works her ass off aspiring to peace, evoking passion, and showing the kind of love that all humanity is capable of.

Jacks and Jills, Inc.

Good Afternoon Readers!

One of the projects that I've undertaken in 2011 is writing a "Behind the Curtain" style look at Gadfly Theatre Productions and life in queer art and queer entrepreneurship as a whole for a super-fun new social networking site aimed specifically at gay men and the women who love them. Jacks and Jills, Inc. has been incredibly kind to me-and all of their writers...plus it's a crazy-fun site to hang out, procrastinating for an afternoon. There are lots of articles by quality bloggers from around the blogosphere, lots o' queertastic networking opportunities,and (arguably) most importantly: tons of opportunity for giggles and smiles. You can connect with real-life friends, find a brand spankin' new Jack or Jill to connect with, or independently gobble up queer culture articles by the dozen.

I'm having a great time so far-how can you not love a website whose taglines include "Because Faghag is so 2010" or "The path to friendship isn't always straight." You should all sign up if for no other reason than to read my dazzingly charming articles and connect with me...but try to check out some other stuff while you're there!

Peace, passion, and love.

New Etsy Shop!

Hello Bloggers and Friends,

In an attempt to be able to support my love of photography, I am selling some of my photos on Etsy! Everything has been really fun so far. So hop on, buy some prints, and tell your peeps. I am adding new stuff all the time, so check it out ...frequently!

Peace, love, and passion.

Newly Formatted Things I'm Thankful for Thursday!

In keeping with this blog, I have decided to break down my Thursday Thanks into three sections: Things that Bring Peace, Things that Evoke Passion, and Things I Just Plain Love. It's still things I had contact/have been mulling over/have infiltrated my week just broken down a little more so as to why I love them. SO without further ado...

Things that Bring Peace:
*Animals in the workplace. Distracting, but important for employee mental health*
*Tarot readings in cafes*
*Rearranging my living room. The exact Feng Shui 'science' is admittedly not for anyone, but exposing yourself to more natural light, creating more room, and bringing in proper storage facilities just seems like common sense*
*Lazy lunches on outdoor patios*
*Time spent on farms. I'm a city girl at heart, I've accepted this. I do love the outdoors though, and getting quality time with fresh air, good company, and animal friends is just wonderful*
*Brown sugar & cinnamon toast, just like Grandma makes*

Things that Evoke Passion:
*Studying other queer theatres and their work*
*Well-written novels, like A.S. Byatt's*
*Late night discussions about art, life, and love with the BFF*
*Listening to Sheryl Crow and Aqualung in a row*
*Talking to my sister about the baby ducks! (This makes sense to us, don't worry)*
*Quality films like "I <3 Huckabees*
*Gadfly's wonderful Suburban Redux cast.

Things I Just Plain Love:
*Getting like, seven bags of groceries for just over $100-and it's all organic!*
*Joshua Allen Harry's 'Inflatable Art'*
*The [title of show] soundtrack! Local company, Urban Samurai opens it this weekend and I can't wait to see the whole show!*
*Yara Sofia. She was my favorite on this season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and I'm sad to see her go*
*Sandwiches with guacamole AND hummus*


(Cast of Suburban Redux, photo courtesy of yours truly!)

How about you guys? What brought you peace, passion, and love this week?

Spring Upgrading: Because You're Too Fab to Spend Your Life Cleaning

This spring, without even realizing it I realized I'd shifted away from a 'cleaning' phase and ended up focusing on improving my living and sacred spaces. Yes, to some extent this involves 'cleaning' and purging lots and lots of extra things. We're really frickin' spoiled here. I realized one day that I don't need two couches. Yup. Two. Couches. Stupid. So I'm ditching one. I'm also ditching clothes I've shrunk out of, books I didn't love, and all of the things that generally no longer appeal/are useful/are in usable shape. Yet the focus this spring hasn't been on the purging. It's been on an apartment wide streamline and upgrade. I'm getting a bigger bed, more bookshelves, and everything I'm getting rid of is intended to improve, and not just cleanse my life. As much as I love purging (I've written entire blog entries about it), upgrading feels even better in away. You're not depriving yourself of anything as overpurging can do, you are making substantial improvements in your home.

While the things I've been thinking about and talking about are tangible material things, I think that this train of thought could apply elsewhere. As I ALWAYS tell you and firmly believe, if you are unhappy with your group of friends/job/book club/significant other/etc. then you should ditch them and move on. Instead of just ditching them though, I think you're ultimate goal should not only be to rid yourself of the dead weight but to find something that's...well, an upgrade. A more fulfilling job. A significant other who's going to love you as much as you love yourself. Friends who interest you and are there for you. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Spring cleaning is a very important process and one I have always enjoyed. I just think it can be limiting or leave a feeling of 'what's next?' if you've cleaned and cleaned and have nothing left to clean. Instead of feeling relieved you might feel empty. It happens to the best of us, and if you've reached this point, it's time to upgrade to things that bring peace, evoke passion, and that you love.


P.S. Here's a picture that I want to get a tattoo based on. It represents the next photo challenge "Something You Want to Do In Your Life." I choose: get this tattoo, which is really personal to me...and still cute.

24 More Hours!

Blog World Call to Action Alert:

Gadfly Theatre Productions needs your help! We are having a teensy bit of trouble covering up-front costs for Suburban Redux, and you can help. We are not asking for donations (but by all means, are not turning them away) but instead asking you to shop. My friend Chelsey Gaddy has very generously agreed to donate half of her Etsy proceeds from this weekend to us! I mentioned it on my Thursday thanks, but that was a heady post-so don't feel bad if you missed it. Just go to her Etsy shop now and SHOP UP before midnight EST tomorrow night.

Thanks a bajillion for the support! Help me and my business partner see this show through; bringing peace, passion, and love into our lives.

Wish the same to you. Now ready...set...SHOP.

Sisters, Improv, and ...Jeff Daniels?

Hello Blog-World,

I have really been terrible at keeping up with this lately. I promise all 30 Days of Photo-Fun will happen, it just might be a little sporadic. I have been hella busy lately. Gadfly is at a really amazing turning point. We've streamlined our mission and vision (which streamlines the types of script submissions we'll accept), and are simultaneously putting on a show under the original scope while resculpting and preparing for next season. It's big, but I don't feel intimidated at all, just busy. I've been planning and e-mailing and taking workshops and reading and a million other things. It's going to be a really special, amazing final show and a really special, amazing second season. So get ready!

Additionally things are going crazy-good for Mixed Blood and Avenue Q. The box office phone is ringing off the hook and web orders are pouring in. AND I started a brand-new temp job with The National Theatre for Children. The link has more info on the company, whose work I've seen (at a much younger age of course) and am excited to be a part of. Basically I call Elementary Schools and get them to sign up for a show that's completely free to them. It's easy, but a substantial contribution to the company.

All of my jobs end in early summer, so I'm also trying to line up crazy amounts of photo, tarot, and other various arts gigs for the summer. I would love to Direct, Assistant Direct, or Act in one or many Fringe shows, so if you know anyone looking, send them my way yo! Obviously if you want photos, a tarot reading, etc. for this summer fly my way too. Word.

So, that's what I've been up to in my blog absence. It is indeed Thursday, so I will once again try to knock out two birds with one stone by incorporating a Photo-Adventure into my Thursday Thanks!

~The next photo entry I need to do is 'Someone You Couldn't Imagine Your Life Without'. I choose my beautiful baby sister (well, she's the second oldest of our brood but still younger than me). I am very thankful for her, always, so it's completely legitimate to put this in today's article. You can see a super cute baby picture of us the bottom of this entry. Not only can I not imagine my life without her, but I don't WANT to imagine my life without her. That chick's a rock star, and I love her.

~Social Media! I, like the rest of the world have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, Twitter, and yes, even my blog. However, they are invaluable tools for artists and businesspersons. Even more importantly, it allows you to stay in touch or get in touch once again with people who once meant the world to you. This latter reason has been hella present in my life lately, and I am so grateful to live in a time where this is possible.

~Movie nights with friends (even if it is Dumb and Dumber).

~The movie Breakfast With Pluto. Everyone should see this movie. It is touching in parts, hilarious in parts, and definitely worth your time. Cillian Murphy is surprisingly uncreepy and touching.

~Late nights spend reading Sweet Valley Confidential in one sitting. Jessica Wakefield, you harlot you.

~How well things are going for Avenue Q!

~How well rehearsals are going for Suburban Redux.

~Having lots of things to do! Monotony and routine bum me out deeply. I love everything I'm doing, and I love that (at the moment at least), I'm doing fairly well and getting to do it by incorporating variety into my life.

~SPRINGTIME. SUNSHINE. GRASS. OUTDOOR PATIOS. I have spent two of the most wonderful afternoons this week eating on outdoor patios. It has been Heavenly.

~Cheap Improv Theaters! There's a new one in Minneapolis, called Huge Theater. I saw a show for very cheap there that some friends were in on Sunday. It was wonderful.

~Gadfly's fiscal sponsor, Springboard for the Arts. This week they set up a free Marketing and Communications website with Kathy Graves and it was spectacular. I figured I'd leave with some things to think about, some new ideas, etc. Instead I left completely fired up with lots of tangible things to do. It's an amazing feeling, and I owe it all to them and Kathy Graves herself.

~Lowertown St. Paul. I don't know if it's the nearness of the river, the artistic community, or the comfort of old timeless buildings but I have concluded that it is impossible to feel rushed or stressed in Lowertown.

~AND to conclude...the Namaste Cafe. Probably my favorite restaurant in the entire Twin Cities. It's Nepalese food, and I spent my afternoon lounging in a colorful outdoor patio sipping soy chai (that they did NOT charge extra for!)and eating the most wonderful Nepalese food. One day I'm going to write a book called The Hipsters Aren't Always Wrong about the Twin Cities hangouts labeled hipster joints that people should still go too. Number One? The Namaste.

Before I go, I want to encourage/beg you to head over to my friend Chelsey's Etsy Shop. This weekend half of her proceeds go to Gadfly! Your contribution will help us break even for Suburban Redux, and you will get some wonderful goodies for yourself or a loved one in the process. So shop up!

Stay tuned, great things are happening! I wish you and yours the most peace, passion, and love possible.

The Beatles!

Today's photo challenge wants me to name my favorite band. I have a lot of favorite bands that change with my mood, and contrary to popular belief, I'm not exactly stuck in the past musically. However, I do have a weakness for rock, soul, and folk music from before my time. As I mentioned, my tastes change with the wind. The reason my Beatles obsession is so significant is because not only has it lasted twenty-six years, it is the only music I love regardless of my mood or what I'm doing.

I love this picture, and found it on Deviantart. I want to make sure I credit the artist, so check out the rest of his stuff.

The Beatles definitely inspired peace, passion, and love everywhere they went and still do it through their timeless music, speeches, and substantial activist work. It's one of the things I love most about them. They make me feel centered, remind me of what I want to be personally and artistically.

As always, I sign off by wishing you peace, passion, and love.