Mmmm.....

I discovered my favorite new holiday drink quite by accident. I'm not a coffee drinker, but enjoy a nice hot Chai Tea in the morning. The other day we were out of milk and I was contemplating drinking it without or breaking into the powdered milk (for baking) stash in the cupboard... when I thought "we have eggnog in the fridge."

I poured a little into my mug... thinking "this is either going to be great, or really gross"

It was great. I'm hooked.

Of course, it was too hot here this morning to drink anything warm, but otherwise I've been having it every morning. It's a yummy way to start the day.

That's silly!

I was standing at the kitchen counter overlooking the living room where The May Queen was getting dressed for school. As I packed her lunch she was talking to me about babies and how they ate. She expressed that babies must be REALLY hungry while they are still in their mommy's tummy. I explained about umbilical cords and belly buttons. She kept getting dressed.

Then it happened.

"How do babies get OUT of their mommy's tummy?"

"With a lot of hard work."

I heard my husband snicker at the table behind me where he was doing his daily Sudoku puzzle. The May Queen's face continued to peer expectantly at me over the back of the couch.

"Well," I began again, "babies are a lot smaller than you are when they are born, and they come out through their mommy's vagina."

A brief pause. Then the May Queen threw her head back and laughed. "That's silly!"

You think that's silly? Just wait until you ask how the baby gets IN to the mommy's tummy.

Mary May Queen

Sunday morning we had our Christmas Pageant at church. I directed it, of course.

Last year The May Queen played a sheep, and wanted desperately to be Mary. So this year I decided a little nepotism was in order, and The May Queen got to play Mary.

Let me tell you, that she simply GLOWED as Mary.

Erm... that's not her.

OK, so she didn't glow. Rather, she was a very devout Mary, with her eyes turned up to heaven.

OK, so that's not her either.

No, rather, she chose to play Mary as being totally enamoured with her gorgeous new baby.

Whoops. That's not it either.

Well, she was definitely a robust Mary.

OK, maybe not.

Actually, as the director of the show i decided to take the role of Mary in a slightly different direction.

While that may be a Madonna, but I didn't take it in that different of a direction.

Rather, the May Queen stood in front of the congregation and did what any lucky child playing Mary would do.....

Wish she were someone else.

Sigh. And no, for those of you who are wondering... The May Queen does not seem to have caught the acting bug from her mama.

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This post is part of Monday Missions. Your mission this week is to use some sort of creative photoshopping within your post. Go wild! Then come back here and put a link to your post in the widget below. Then check out the other Monday Missions.

Upcoming Monday Missions are:
12/17 - Holiday List
12/24 - Family Holiday Letter (year in review...)
12/31 - New Year's Resolutions

Another opening, another show...

Tonight was opening night for our Dickensian Christmas extravaganza. Opening night is stretching it a bit since we've had 5 performances for school groups prior to this, as well as an "actors appreciation" night where we invited other local actors to see the show at a discounted price - but it was our first performance where we sold tickets to the general public. It was a lovely and appreciative crowd who gave us a standing ovation. And not just when Scrooge came out for his bow... they stood up right away, for the gads of other people who are little more than talking scenery for the one man show that is A Christmas Carol. Standing ovations are nice.

The show is, I think, quite good, and has many talented people in the cast. I don't have nearly the same kind of stories about it as I do the opera, since it's in my own language and no director is saying to me "Sex!" It's not as challenging and therefore not as satisfying as the opera was (I can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true) but I am very glad I'm doing it. The director has already said she wants to work with me again, the artistic director is thrilled that I stepped in and am doing so well, I've met several local actors (some of whom also direct) I've wanted to work with for a while, and I'm getting some reading done backstage. There are a lot of really fun people in the show, and I am hoping that this is the start of some good professional and personal relationships.

The theatre community here isn't very big, and even though I've done several shows here already, I feel like this show may be the true "foot in the door," the show that leads to other shows that leads to other shows, etc. I have always been a firm believer that work begets work, and so far it has proven true.

And I got a nice big laugh tonight, just from one little look. Fun.

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don't forget Monday's mission for a fun with photoshop post.

In which I complain about my stress and brag about my husband

I must begin by saying that I don't know how working mothers do it. My hat is off to all of you. Seriously.

This past week I have been gone pretty much all day between my very brief part time job at the preschool and rehearsals and performances for A Christmas Carol. The time I have had at home has been short and limited, and, I confess, stressful.

When I agreed to take on this role just last week I vowed to myself that I wouldn't let things slide as much as I did when I was doing the opera. I vowed that I would be better at keeping up with my commitments both in and out of our home. And so this past week I have not only learned a new role, acclimated to a new cast and crew and OPENED said show... I have also decorated inside and out for Christmas (including shopping for and putting up a real tree), done a considerable amount of shopping and mailing of packages to friends and relatives who live far away, worked on the Christmas pageant I am directing for our Sunday School, written our yearly Christmas letter (yes, I send one of those out. and no, I will not share it with you. And yes, it is a bit braggy about all our world travels this year. sue me), worked on a short drama we'll be performing in worship in a few weeks, practiced with my praise team, spoken to friends and family on the phone, organized getting the materials for my small group bible study, fed my family, done many loads of laundry, etc, etc. I find myself short on patience and energy, and feeling guilty for not enjoying every moment. And then I realize that it is only December 5th and in many ways I am ahead of the holiday game, in comparison to where I usually am at this point in the month. And yet the stress....

I am being too hard on myself, I know. It's OK to let a few things relax. Really... did the tree have to be decorated TODAY? But I had planned to do it during this time, and gosh darn it, I got it done.

My husband, I have to say, has been wonderful. He's been giving up his quiet time in the morning to take The May Queen to school since I have to head to the theatre for our performances for school groups. He is putting her to bed nearly every night, but not before they drive around and look at all the lights (and "conflatable" Santas, et al). He has not complained at all about the frozen pizzas and lack of milk in the refrigerator. I came home today to find the laundry machines running. When I talked to him about doing this show last week he said "You want to do it. We will find a way." When I told him that tomorrow I would be going into the city to do a show in the morning and then driving the hour home to pick up The May Queen from school, and then driving back for a show in the evening he said "I can leave work and get her if you can find something to do down in the city" (um... yes! Hello working on my Christmas cards at the library... and... dare I think it... a movie?!)

That is the way he has always been about my acting. Always. Well... there was that time when I was leaving home at 6am to do children's theatre and then going straight to rehearsals for another show and coming home at 11pm and I would crawl into bed next to him exhausted... one night he DID roll over and eye me suspiciously and say "Who are you and what are you doing in my bed? My wife wouldn't like this. Of course, she's never home, so she won't find out..."

But he really truly has been always supportive of it. And this past week as I've watched him step up to the plate to help out with newly appreciative eyes, it makes me want to make sure I keep up with everything even more. Because he truly is a gem. Even if he does begin snoring 5 minutes into the time we've set aside to watch our taped (final!) episode of Heroes together.

So enough with the complaining, and on to being thankful. The time I do have at home with my family I will cherish. And if the floor doesn't get washed... well... that's OK. The twinkling lights from the Christmas tree make a great distraction from the pile of junk mail on the kitchen counter.

my 30 seconds of national fame

For Slouching Mom, and everyone else who has asked, here is the national commercial I filmed in 2001. It played during flu seasons of 01-02 and 02-03. I think it is missing a few opening seconds of us lying in bed, coughing and miserable.

(do you see why I laughed when people wondered if The Big Guy was concerned about my being in bed with another man for this shoot?)

When I filmed this commercial my husband and I were house hunting in the greater Los Angeles Area. I knew not to count on the money from the commercial until I had it in hand because you only get the big bucks if the ad actually airs, and I had had plenty of friends film commercials that never made it onto the airwaves.

One day The Big Guy and I had looked at a little house we loved... 3 bedrooms, hardwood floors, nice neighborhood.. but just slightly out of our price range.

When we returned home there was a check in our mailbox... the check from this commercial. It made up the difference we needed for the down payment. We called our real estate agent and told him to make an offer.

And thus we bought our first home.

It may not be my most brilliant performance, but it was definitely my most lucrative.

It is frustrating, though, as an artist, to work long and hard on many live performances of which I am very proud, and were only seen by a few hundred (or, when I was lucky, a few thousand) people. And then I did this commercial and everyone I knew saw it, and called, and thought it was so great. So while I'm so glad that I did it, it's a bit sad, because there are many, many things I would rather be known for. And PAID for. (and why I can get paid so much for one day's work hawking a product, but can't get paid enough to buy my gas when I'm doing a play is a rant for another day...)

I don't have many of my shows on video, but I do have a few... and when my new computer is returned to working order I'll see if I can get any of them onto the computer. Live performances don't tend to translate well onto video, though, so be forewarned.

Additional random info... This 30 second spot took all day to film. We spent probably well over an hour shooting a shot where I push opened a door. It took me forever to get it right... they didn't want me to bend my elbow at all, and for some reason this was hard for me. Anyhow... I did finally get it right, and the darn shot never made it into the commercial anyways. We also spent a lot of time filming the very short shot where we turn from looking at each other to looking at the camera. The director wanted our heads to move, and not our eyes. I see that my eyes still move and look before my head does. AND, in one very silly moment, the director stuck a fake gun under my pillow and instructed me to pull it on my husband during a take... just for kicks and giggles. He had no idea it was coming. That would be a fun video to see. Oh. And the food they served us all? Incredible. When I showed up really early in the morning and was in the trailer waiting to start they asked if I was hungry. "Not really" I said. They insisted, they'd get me anything. "Maybe a muffin and some fruit" They asked what kind. "Whatever." They asked again. "Blueberry muffin, or whatever they have." They returned a few minutes later with a banana and FRESHLY made mixed berry muffin. Yum. Lunch, dinner and snacks were all delicious, too. All day long people told me how terrible I looked, as a compliment of course, since I was supposed to look sick. I didn't bother to tell them that I was wearing NO makeup. But apparently the difference between looking sick and looking happy, healthy and ready to sleep? Lip gloss. Now you know. And last but not least... the director of the video was a former member of the band Ratt. And no... he did not still have the big hair.

Soooo (x100,000) tired - Monday Mission

Hey there!

Dude, I am so tired. Soooooo (x100,000) tired. Doing way too much these days. And not nearly enough TV watching. I missed Desperate Housewives last night because of rehearsal. Did you record it? Can I borrow it? Don't tell me what happened - the whole tornado thing looked interesting. Maybe.

What did you do for your assignment in Ms. Painted's class? The 'write a paper like a blog post' one? I had no time to do the research for it - did it late at night when I got in from rehearsal. Totally uninspired. I'm sure it's crap, but whatever. I'm getting a pretty good grade in that class so one bad paper won't hurt too much. I hope. Whatever. How much of our final grade was it worth, anyways? Can't be that much.

But... did you see The Big Guy this morning? Looking extra hot with that new haircut. So I guess I can't complain too much. I am one lucky girl. Of course, if I stay this busy I won't be able to spend any time with him and then he'll dump me for sure and I'll be back in heartbreak city. So must make time for the Big Guy.

Sleep? Who needs it? Besides, I can always sleep in history class.

Crap. Pop Quiz! Gotta run... at lunch you have to tell me all about what happened to YOU this weekend.

C-Ya,

Maypole

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This is my Monday Mission submission. I will tell you that I had BIG plans for this one... plans that involved actual writing on actual notebook paper and scanning it in. Plans that involved fancy folding and intricate doodling.

Plans that were torn asunder when my new computer (you know, the one I bought to replace the one that caught on fire) DIED eight days after we plugged it in. Won't even turn on. (It is being mailed back to be fixed - to the tune of an extra $50 on my credit card). So my scanner? Doesn't work with this old computer. Sigh. So please, cheer me up with YOUR Monday Mission posts. Post some kickin' stuff in the style of a high school note. Be creative. Make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me forget my computer woes. Make me forget this sorry post. Write your post and link it below. Please. Because if you do? I will write things in your yearbook like "Best Friends Forever" and "Keep in touch" and "Don't ever change" and "Call me." And you can't ever have too many BFFs in your yearbook.





Quickie Monday Mission info for newbies:
What are Monday Missions, you ask? Well. Monday Missions are a weekly (every Monday! Imagine that! Although I usually get mine up on Sunday to get the ball rolling...) carnival designed to encourage us to post in a certain style. They are basically a jumping off point for your imagination; encouragement for you to think outside of the the box; a chance to try writing in a different style. You are welcome to play along for any and all, or none at all, as your fancy strikes you.

The Missions for December are:

12/3 - High School note (the kind you would pass in class)

12/10 - Photoshop Extravaganza (you've read posts where others use photoshop to add humor or make a point. Now is your chance to try your hand at this.)

12/17 - Holiday List

12/24 - Family Holiday Letter (year in review...)

12/31 - New Year's Resolutions