"happy new year!" or "the ramblings of an uninspired blogger"

well, hello there my friends!

i hope your holidays were merry and bright. i hope you are about to embark upon this impending new year with hope and happiness.

i have enjoyed my holidaytimes and continuing in my own new year's tradition, i will make no plans for the ol' new year's eve.

i find that any plans made for this holiday end in disappointment. you could plan the night of your life and still end up feeling empty. i like to leave new year's plans to the last minute, allowing spontaneous whim to rule the night. i might end up at a party, i might end up babysitting...i just don't know. what i do know is that each time i get my hopes up, new year's is there to dash them against the rocks of reality. another year, another year, another year...

oh god...did i already blog about this?

o, the sweet loss of memory that comes with the combination of time and life experience!

i find it mildly startling that just a couple of months ago, i was closing the door to our little storage space and noticed a huge package of paper towels.

i asked b, "did you buy those paper towels?"

"no," he replied, "you did."

"right, right...i bought them. at target. i remember."

scary.

it's strange and unsettling how fast the years go as you get older. i now know what all parents everywhere mean when they say the time flies...

alas! 2006! bravo. you were a good year. a solid year. 2006, you were fun and silly and serious and a source of constant discovery and i hope we can do it all over again...next year.

avery.

canada.

last week i visited canada. i performed in a large-scale spectacle created to celebrate the opening of a casino ballroom. for my small part in this event, i walked on stilts inside an iron skirt/cage holding various hors d'oeuvres while the high rollers of the casino imbibed to their heart's content.

you know...the usual.

i got to spend the majority of my visit with two friends and we made quite a mini-vacation out of it. we had some hotel pool/sauna/steam room time, drank canadian beer (see digi-pic), and relaxed. it was a fine getaway.

i also learned a few things about canada.

a list!

what i learned in canada:
-the people are really nice.
-molson canadian is a pretty good beer.
-trucks will try to run you down/no pedestrian is truly safe.
-the money is much prettier.
-canada's favorite city is chicago.

had i been there for more that three days, i would've learned much more...alas...so is the life of a stilt-walking, beer-drinking wanderer of the world.

28 1/2

as of today, i am officially 28.5 years old.

bravo.

sometimes, i think my friends are famous. i'm in awe and awe and awe of what they can do. i am lucky to know a lot of great people that create art in various capacities and i'm constantly amazed by their guts and guile.

we went to a friend's poetry performance yesterday evening and i was blown away by how utterly spectacular she was.

i should've known.

after seeing lots and lots of theatre over the past few months (some really good, some downright...not good), her performance was the simplest, most honest and fullest-of-heart that i've seen in a long while. when i see a great show, i have the feeling that i want to be in it, a part of it somehow. watching mary last night, i knew that only she could be doing what she was doing. and how!

i'm so very glad that i know her. i'm so glad i know all of you. you are all wonderful.

hi.

how are you?

i hope all is well in your collective worlds. lauren-land has been busy with thanksgiving travels, teaching the children, seeing plays, watching movies, and rehearsing for a new show ("blithe spirit" at the gift!).

its been as cold as hell in our fair city of chicago. actually today was the first day that it's been over 25ish degrees. it was a whopping 34 degrees! hurrah! and the snow that fell over a week or so ago is still frozen, all cracked and glass-like on the ground. on some sidewalks, you can kind of ice skate. i suppose those people must feel ok with the idea of an elderly person slipping and breaking all kinds of hips on their icy deathwalks. when i start to feel like i can't believe that it is ONLY DECEMBER and REAL winter hasn't even started yet, i think of this:










luckily our little apartment is nice and cozy, radiators radiating and cats curled up on couches. b is about to cut a friend's hair. we have a barbershop in our kitchen. tonight we will see our dear friend's show and have a little party time.

stay warm.

a belated happy thanksgiving to you.

cuteoverload.com, eat your heart out.

remember this little dude?























well, here he is now. my friend ren. nice work, angie and ed. :)

otisgiving!

otis's annual thanksgiving celebration, otisgiving, took place last night. we gathered together for the fifth year in a row to give thanks the only way an improv team knows how: by eating a veritable truckload of delicious food and drinking a bunch of beers. we also dress in costume on otisgiving. a couple of our past costume themes have been "sheeps & robots" and "pilgrims & native americans." this year's theme was "children of the future or something you can buy at the grocery." i chose the future, of course...i shined myself up with gold powder and employed the all-purpose, diy costume accessory: saran wrap. however, costumes were not the high point of otisgiving. we got a wonderful surprise visit from shelly who relocated to las vegas earlier this year. it was an otisgiving miracle.

i was so happy.













...and thankful.

updates!

there's my cat mitch in a pile o' laundry. classic.


just so you know, friends, i've added a little section on my blog titled "personal best." here you will find some of my favorite posts all in one handy lil' spot. i'll try to keep it updated with new ones when i see fit. i encourage you to check it out!

you might also notice a few new myspace pages and such...feel free to browse those as well!

also, there are just two more weeks for sketchcore's "deep inside your box." it's a fun show, please come!

red velvet thursday night

hello.

yesterday i got a flu shot and a tuberculosis test. both in the same arm; the left one. today it's a bit sore. it was a bit of a wonky day...however, last night, i completed season one of project runway. i am officially addicted. i can only home disc 1 of season two is on its way...asap. this past tuesday otis took some new pix. as you can see, we like to play. with toys. wearing smocks.




i'm feeling the need to tidy up my house. i'm not feeling the motivation. right now, i'd rather keep watching dvds and drinking my peach green tea from julius meinl. mmmmmmm...

lake michigan

...a foggy day here in chicago...after work, i drove over to the beach near our house and took a stroll.



the air was so quiet...it felt like i could be kidnapped at any moment.

my wednesday evening.

i am currently beginning project runway, season 1, episode 1 (hey. we don't have cable, folks).

i am eating take-out korean food.

i am happy.

i lied.

ok...remember when i said i'd stewed the last of the tomatoes? well, i was lying. i went down to the garden yesterday (since it was nearly 70 degrees out) and harvested the remaining green ones. afterwards, i uprooted the withering plants and found a home in the basement for the cages.

looks like they'll be more stewin' to do.

i might fry some green ones up, though...yum.

sometimes my cat thinks she's a model.

the fate of the tomatoes.

before:



after:




so earlier-than-usual fall temperatures ( along with a later planting) conspired to thwart our tomatoes this year, so a delayed harvest forced me to bring a bunch of green tomatoes inside to ripen on our radiator (see "before" pic). and ripen they did, amazingly, and i stewed the lot of them today ("after"). they are heading for the freezer packed tightly in gladware. all is right with the world.

in other news, my dearie has left for a long tripventure and i hope to use this solo time as an opportunity to catch up on some meaningful blogging (which doesn't usually get done when i'm busy spending time with my favorite person in the world).

right now, however, i am tired. i drove b to the airport at 7am and have been stewing and such since then...i'm gonna nap.

otis = family

here is a sweet video that joe has been working on for a long while...enjoy it!

have you seen this man?

hi.

i'm in another show and we open tomorrow night!

please come and see!

is this your car?

it IS?!?!?














are you ok?

really.

are you?







please contact me if you need to...ummm...get a cup of coffee...chat...anything.

anything at all.

come see!

omg, dudes...i am forever apologizing on my blog! is there anything sadder?

don't answer that.

instead, think about all that wasted time i used to spend surfing the net! now that i'm away from my daily dose of computer, i have fallen almost completely out of touch with online gossip, news items and youtube shenanigans...mon dieu!

in lieu of those things, i've been busy teaching toddlers how to transition. free play to art project, art project to the gym, the gym to snack time, snack time to story time, story time to circle time...it's been a great couple of weeks getting settled into a new groove, it's sort of different everyday and i'm liking that a bunch.

right now, i'm watching "the lake house." i'm watching this movie because i'm in it. well, not me moving around or anything, but a picture of me is in it...throwing man-made snowballs around with sandy bullock. ha! (p.s. she was nice.)

also, "roustabout: the great circus train wreck!" has been extended for a couple of weeks and if you've not seen it, i encourage you to do so...i love doing it and i think it shows.

and after that, come see sketchcore do another radical show. we're calling it "deep inside your box" and we'll be performing at the apollo studio theater starting october 21st (saturdays at 10:30). please come. i guarantee you another great time.















an addendum:

here is a pic of the tv which is playing the movie that i'm in a picture in. can you find me?

there are no words...so don't ask.

...just be one with the youtube video.

(thank you jay...wherever you are.)

chicago farmer's market...last wednesday

the lake: 9.18.06

soon!

omg, dudes. really, i will blog about life real soon...i've started teaching and i no longer spend 5.5 hours in front of the computer, so my blogging frequency might decrease a bit...until then...

a reminder!

ROUSTABOUT:
THE GREAT CIRCUS TRAIN WRECK is running for just 3 more weeks! that means you have 9 more chances to see this wonderful show...that's 9 more chances to see my friend penny here. she is really proud of the show and really wants you to come see it...in fact, she was asking for you just last week! she was all, "how's _____ ? it's been ages since we spoke!" and i was like, "penny, you know that _____ is ultra-busy and has a lot going on right now." she came back with, "well, doesn't s/he want to see a show that's a critic's choice in the chicago reader? a show the chicago sun-times called 'exceptionally moving?' " and i was like, "dude. i certainly hope so."

yum.

well, the verdict is in: our first tomato is the best tomato i think i've ever tasted. simply the best. we could not believe the incredible flavor that burst forth from this lovely red fruit. hooray for home-grown tomatoes!

it is a chilly day in chicago. it's getting darker quicker these days...as i type, the sun has been long gone for about a half-hour...i'm starting to appreciate the feel of a hooded sweatshirt on my formerly summery skin. it won't be long now until the leaves start a-fallin' and the imminent winter starts to cast its tall shadow on the rest of the seasons...let's hope the weather holds out so that we can harvest the many tomatoes that are currently on the vines.

ahhhh...this week i start teaching. i'm scared and excited.

change is scary...and good for you.

the first tomato.

an now for something completely different.

if you are interested in another fantastic production, do go see the gift's "a long day's journey into night." i know that i'm kinda partial to one of the leading men, but i'm not the only one that thinks they're doing a great job.

train wrecks and tomato plants.

this past weekend, we opened our show...it seemed to transform quickly from a lot of work into a ton of fun within just a few days. we had nice audiences for previews and saturday night was just as satisfying. some very nice reviews came out this week which never hurts anything.

it's been a rainfest in chicago this week and i don't mind. it seems like each time this weather occurs, i feel calm and at ease...i think it's because it reminds me of seattle (former place of residence). i don't mind because it makes everything so ding dang green which is just fine by me. i went out into the backyard yesterday to check on the tomatoes and they have gone absolutely crazy! i will get a pic when the rain lets up and show you how wild they've gotten. there are lil' toms everywhere! and the big ones are just getting bigger. we've learned one main thing with this our first vegetable garden: don't plant 12 tomato plants in a small, 5 x 10 plot. they will overtake it.

cats in a tub.

it's been such a busy week(s) i have neglected to keep up with my typical house-cleaning regimen. normally, i make it a point to tidy at least once a week. i vacuum (because the evil of cat hair is ever-present), i dust, i move stacks of paper around (occasionally throwing some into the recycling bin), do the litterbox, clean the bathroom...the cleaning is usually the first thing to go when life gets crazy. b and i are both in previews for our shows and i am ready for them both to open so we can get into the groove (so to speak).

in the midst of the chaos, i took a moment to clean the bathroom yesterday. it was much needed. after a thorough tub-scrubbing, i found both cats taking naps inside it. cats. they do the darndest things!

mmm...

i made cookies.

enjoy.

the sore throat is strep throat. sucksville.

heading into tech week for the show, so you might not hear from me much...until next time, please enjoy this video on meiosis (made with love by my friend joe and his science class).



wait a minute...watch this too.



i feel better now.

I'VE GOT A SORE THROAT!
(this makes me angry.)


in happier news, here's some more info

"ROUSTABOUT:

the great circus train wreck!"

for your wednesday.

regroup

so, it's been a busy couple of weeks and i am sorry that i've not been able to post more...i'm rehearsing a bunch for "roustabout" and learning how to teach classes (which i'll be doing in the fall, a big ol' job switch), so there's been a lot of learning going around for me.

chicago is truly perfect outside today, 80-some degrees and sunny and breezy and so much better than 104.

right now i'm taking a moment to regroup from the seemingly constant phone ringing. it's literally ringing off the hook today.

a soundscape of office noise at 12:01pm:

me buzzing the front door
phone ringing
me buzzing the second door
my co-worker trying to make life plans with her boyfriend over the phone
children screaming
children "talking"
a teacher, "are there any sales at the gap?"
my bosses chatting in low tones, a bit further away
my keyboard tip-tapping as i type
more buzzing

i consider this to be a quiet moment.

haircut today.

then i gotta go buy a hula hoop.

veggie update!

remember these?


















well, take a look at 'em now! that's some progress, people!

ahoy!

on wednesday we went to visit the tall ships. there were a bunch of very tall ships visiting the chicago river and we went aboard each one of them. it made us want to travel on a tall ship for a few months...

good weekend.

it was a weekend chock-full of rehearsals for the next show i'm doing...it's called "roustabout: the great circus trainwreck" and it will be up and running later this month at the neo-futurarium. yippee!

after my rehearsal, i popped in to visit dean who was holding auditons for the show he'll be directing this fall (you can read about it in the above link). i got to witness, among other things, my first "reverse transvestite striptease." as much as i want to reveal more to you, i cannot...you might just have to wait for the show.

later that evening, some friends and i attended a lovely dance/performance piece (pictured above) that my friend kasey created. nice work, my dear!

and speaking of good work...this past saturday, our friends amy and jim had a baby. well, i'll give amy most of the credit for doing the actual having as she did the having naturally. wowser. if you so desire, you can find out more about their new arrival by visiting amy's blog. a big, warm congratulations to the beck family!

ahhhh...

sweet mama! i have just felt something that i've not felt in more than a week. a sweet, sweet cool breeze! rejoice! there is rain pouring from the sky, shattering this mass of heat that's been hanging in the air since i don't know how long. my tomatos will be pleased.

pitchfork 06

so this past weekend, we braved the blistering heat to attend both days of the pitchfork music festival at union park in our fair city of chicago. we listened to a lot of great music, ate surprisingly good festival food, and spent a lot of time drinking water in order to not pass out. i have included some digipic-highlights below...enjoy!





b contemplates the many, many bands appearing at the festival and wonders which one might tickle his fancy...as he wears a tiny sombrero.










nora and i attempt to keep cool as the heat index heads into the triple digits...









one of the most engaging performances of day one was given by art brut. they were awesome, swaggering and sweaty...










later that evening, the silver jews worked their magic on the crowd of adoring fans...







day two was not nearly as toasty and it was kept buoyant by a too-short set by jens lekman. fun times. aesop rock and mr. lif also presented us with some very fresh rhymes and beats. i have no pic of that...i was too busy throwing my hands up in the air like i just didn't care.








as the sun went down, everything seemed to get a lot better...we had a real nice time.