My First Treasury!

There's a thing on Etsy called treasuries. There's a limited number of them but if your timing's right, any Etsian can make one. They're little galleries of 12 items usually with a theme. Someone used one of my bags to include in their treasury! Here's the link, take a look! At leaset that explains why it's been viewed over 250 times. Now all I need is someone to buy it!

Work Update

I've been holding off on posting on all this because 1) I wanted to tell a dear friend before she just read it here but alas we haven't been able to end the game of phone tag & 2)I knew it'd be long & would take a while to type it all out. Now I've got you all excited about what it is, I'm sorry that it's not life changing news. Just news.

Here goes:
During my last 2 days at SCR my manager got a call from 2 costume shops that were looking for over-hire help. That's me! She gave them both my info since I was about to be fired there & would be available. The first was for Center Theatre Group (CTG). They're the shop for the Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum & The Kirk Douglas. The second call was from Opera Pacific (who I worked for years & years ago as over-hire). I've been really wanting to get my foot in at CTG so I called them first. She didn't call back so I figured she wasn't interested. I took a week's worth of work at the opera. They're in Santa Ana (literally 1 1/2 blocks from my childhood house) so it's nice that they're close. The day before I started at the opera, CTG called & wanted me. Since I had already accepted the opera job I had to turn it down. Bummer. Longer gig, bigger shop. Oh well. I'm a woman of my word.

The week at the opera went great. No stress as I was just stitching & not making any decisions. Nice. At the end of the week the shop manager/designer asked if I had any experience cutting womens' wear or just mens'. I said that I almost exclusively do women's wear at SCR. She offered me the job of being the women's cutter for this opera (Barber of Seville). It's a really small show for women & she didn't want to hire a year-long contract just for this show. I said that I'm booked at SCR in the fall but if it was already cast & she had the measurements I could do it during the summer. She was so excited. I start that gig on July 7th (and I'll make more $ than I do at the office!). Super glad I got the Janet Arnold books as a SUPER generous gift, huh?!

After that I had 2 days at home & got a call from CTG. They had a last minute casting change & needed help. I've been up there for 1 1/2 weeks & have been invited back for their huge season coming up. My foot's in! The commute is a killer but I've been able to carpool with 2 other gals that I know from SCR. Still a long day. At 8am I ride my bike 4 1/4 miles to jump in the 1st car. We drive 1/2 hour up the freeway to pick up the next gal. Another hour on the freeway & we're there. Repeat in reverse for the way home except Kaisara picks me up at 7:30pm where I've parked my bike. As I said, I'm pretty booked at SCR in the fall but I told CTG I'd keep them posted.

While at CTG I bumped into another gal I've worked with & for in the past. She mentioned Laguna Playhouse might be swamped with work. I dropped an email (I worked briefly with them in the spring). I start there this Tuesday for 4 days of work. Awesome.

Three months of being unemployed has so for turned out to 2 days. I've only been to the office for 4 days. That reminds me, I need to call her & let her know it's gonna be a while 'til I'm back there.

I'm spoiled rotten I tell you. Spoiled rotten. Not taking a moment for granted.

Was Something Supposed To Happen?

I was brave. I was taking one for the team. The team wanted to see The Happening. I was willing (last time that resulted in a freaked out, motion-sick Cate after Cloverfield). I was scared, but willing. As you all know, me no likey suspense/scary. However, I did like Sixth Sense & Signs albeit at home with ALL of the lights on & laundry to deal with when i needed a break. But I was strong & went to see M. Night Shyamalan's latest. I knew that something was wrong for sure when half way through I realize I wasn't scared. I hadn't been scared the whole time. I wasn't even all balled-up inside wondering if it all was gonna turn out okay. What's wrong with me? Oh wait. It's not me. It's the lame movie. I'm all for an action movie. I'm all for a movie that is, as my sis' in law says, "too much story". But this one didn't have either. Nothing really ever happened. No action. No suspense. No scary. No story. No acting. Sigh.... No acting. Oh well. Guess I'll get my Kung Fu Panda on next weekend.

We Were Awesome

Kaisara & I took back-to-back dance classes tonight. 1st was the Charleston Swing (which we'd done a couple times before months ag0). 2nd was your standard Charleston. Rather hard to switch gears after rocking at the swingin' style for an hour. We did soooo good. In the first class it was us, another chick & 2 other guys. Nice & small. The teacher (& new owner of the studio) said the whole class needs to move up to intermediate Charleston Swing next time 'round. Oh yeah!

We were a little squeaky with the standard Charleston but since it was our 1st time out I'd say that's allowed.

The studio got bought a couple weeks ago & this was our first time back since the switch. The changes they've made to the classes & the space itself I very much like.

Don't you worry boys, Kaisara said he's having fun too. Getting him there is the tough part. Once he's there he has fun (he's good too). But that's how it is with anything that's not going out to eat, a movie or paintballing. We're awesome. Can't wait to go back!

Every Time, Really?

It frustrates me to no end that EVERY time (I don't even think I'm exaggerating much here) that there's a religious figure in a movie, play, or other work of fiction, it turns out that they're villainous, corrupt and/or sick & twisted. I'm not here to say that everyone in the church is without fault. (Oh please, don't get me started on that one! I'd be on the top of the list). I'd just like religious figures in fiction to not be the go-to when looking for something seedy. Priest does NOT equal child molester. Southern Baptist Minister does NOT equal wife beater. Rabbi doe NOT be sneaky. Heck! For that matter, a televangelist does NOT equal money grubber.

I know leaders in the church have caused pain. Hasn't everyone? I know that it's a relatively new thing for it to be socially accepted to even write fiction with such a statement. But please. Every time I watch a movie & there's a churchy type of someone in it, they're what's causing the drama. It bores me. It frustrates me. Frankly, it offends me.

To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

What to do now?

I'm fired again. I was fired from the usual place a week ago & worked last week at the opera. So this week I'm fired-fired. I know this is a luxury not many people ever get to experience but here's the trouble: I've got so many things I want to do, need to do, and/or should do I don't know what to do now. I think I go through this every time I'm fired. I spend my time being fired, walking in circles figuring out what to do and never get anything done. Weird.

I've got this office job starting tomorrow but that's not a 9-to-5 thing for me so there's still time for me to get all my stuff done. If only I could figure out what, how and when, I'd be stylin'!

Don't you yell at me! I know I'm a lucky girl to have such a "problem".

A Wish I Had A Raspberry Beret

Yesterday Kaisara, Katie & I went to see a show at Cat's school. It was Hamlet. Sort of. Ya' see it was Hamlet laced with Prince songs. It's called Hamlet (The Artist Formerly Known As) the Prince of Denmark. It was rad. I'm really only familar with Prince's radio hits but the show had others too! The one we kept singing on the way home was a Chaka Khan song, "I Feel For You". The words were changed for the man rapping in the intro of the song. Instead of "Chaka Khan, I wanna rock you, Chaka Khan" it was, "Hamlet's mom, I wanna rock you, Hamlet's mom". Just one of the times we all were crackin' up.

The kids did great (some greater than others, as is the case with any show, student or professional). Cat had done a great job with the costumes (ya' gotta love Aardvarks!). Not only did Cat put together this show but they're also running the original Hamlet in rep with this one so of course, she had to do them both at the same time. In case you don't know, that's HUGE!!!!

Ladies & gentlemen...I give you...The Amaaaaaaaaaazingggggggggg Caaaaaaat! Well done, my friend. Thanks for a great show!