2010 Lists

Books/Plays:

The Frog Princess
-play script-The Children's Hour
-play script-Doctor Faustus
-play script-The Glass Menagerie


Productions (seen, not acted in) & (titles in bold are those the girls saw with us):

Noteworthy Winter Concert
Student SLAM-Theatre Arts Conservatory
April Ann-Hale Center Theater, Orem
Urinetown-UVU Department of Theatrical Arts
The Importance of Being Earnest-Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley


Movies:

District 9
Penelope
The Princess & the Frog
Sons of Provo
Imagine That
Night at the Museum-Battle of the Smithsonian
Grey Gardens
(500) Days of Summer

A Decade

then

So, here we are in a new decade. I've read a lot of complaints/criticisms of the first decade of this century. Everyone's ready to leave it behind for something better. I understand that. There were certainly a lot of things in the "cons" column. But, as I look back on where we were, as a family, in January of 2000, what I see, mainly, is an awful lot of things that changed. Almost everything. And mostly for the better. Happily, one thing that did not change is that I'm still married to the same incredible man and that aspect of my life becomes more wonderful every year.

Here's what life was like for us in January 2000:

We lived in Pennsylvania--3000 miles away from all family on both sides and 99.9% of our friends. Our home was a rental.

We had a 3-month old baby who was on an apnea monitor and was only just beginning to figure out how to breastfeed efficiently.

I was 3 months postpartum, living under the cloud of undiagnosed postpartum depression and probably PTSD as well. And I was obese.

mr. was working a job that required him to go in to an office.

I was a full-time SAHM.

We both thought we would never return to working in the theatre.

I had never heard of Al-Qaeda.

Yes. Life is better now. It was our first decade of parenting, and a decade devoted almost exclusively to parenting. Which was challenging, to say the least. But I/we learned a lot. About myself. About our children. About life. And the challenges of parenting have informed everything I do now. They informed the manner in which I returned to acting and how I understand the work I do there. They informed the manner in which I returned to working and how I approach my worklife.

I'm glad for this past decade. I wouldn't change much about it. And I'm happy for the changes it made in me.

now

2009 by the #'s

Resolutions fulfilled: 5 out of 7. The 6th (my perpetual resolution) was harder than I thought it would be because I continued to be plagued by health problems which my doctors attempted to treat by means that actually made the situation worse. I'm past it now (thank god) and have a plan that I'm already implementing and starting to feel better/healthier. The 7th (keeping up with mr.'s blog) also turned out to be pretty difficult. I made it up through Oedipus Rex, am still reading Doctor Faustus, and read Laramie Project earlier than he did--which still puts me 16 plays short. Although:

Plays read: 42. There were some I read (for auditions, etc.) that weren't part of mr.'s blog, so that's still a pretty good number. My favorite: Love Song.

Books read: 28. My favorite: The Graveyard Book.

Productions attended: 33. For the record, the girls saw 12 of those with us. My favorite production: Go, Dog. Go! at Salt Lake Acting Company. My favorite performance: Anne Decker in Master Class at Salt Lake Acting Company.

Productions performed in: 2 (plus 3 one-night stands)

Movies seen: 38. I saw 9 of those in an actual cinema. My favorite: Julie & Julia.

Dogs adopted: 1. This has sort of been the overarching theme of our year (since the beginning of June).

Near-miss hysterectomies: 2. I'm happy to say I will go into 2010 with all my parts still intact.

Houses sold: 1.

Jobs acquired: 1.

Those last two, in this economic climate, are things I'm unbelievably pleased about.

Overall, 2009 was a good year. Some ups and some downs. But we accomplished some things we had been working on for quite a long time. And here, at the end of the year, we're in a good place. Emotionally, financially, physically.

Full lists can be seen here.


On to 2010!

1. More baking and blogging.
2. I want to catch up on some nonfiction reading I've meant to do for a long time. It takes me longer to read nonfiction books than fiction, so I'm shooting for 6.
   
3. I'd like to get cast in at least one show. Some of the things I'll be auditioning for won't go into production until 2011, so I don't know whether I'll be acting in any full productions in 2010.
   
4. I plan to file for 501c3 status for the theatre company mr. and I are starting. We haven't yet decided on a date (or, frankly, a venue) for our inaugural production. You'll probably be inundated with information about it from us when it comes close.
5. I want to get down to my pre-Seconda pregnancy weight. And more importantly, I want to be more fit. I have a diet and exercise plan that is realistic and that makes me feel good. I WILL stick to it.
6. I have a plan to pay down 75% of our debt by the end of 2010. mr. needs to do something different with his life, something more fulfilling. I hope to put us in a financial position for that change to be realistic.
   

Conversations with Prima AND Seconda 2

Are you under the impression that my children are refined little princesses? I am about to disabuse you of that notion.

While reading a book on Space with Seconda:

*farting noise from Seconda*

Me: The planet Seconda is made up mostly of gas.

Seconda: If Mommy was a planet she would be the sun because she's a hot ball of gas. Who gets mad at us all the time.

Trading insults is a high art in our home.

This morning on the way to school:

Prima: Me and my friends have a theatre group. Our motto is "silly plays for silly people". The characters we use the most often are 124-year old people. This month was going to be "Grannies vs. Turkeys" but it backfired because it wasn't funny. Next month will be "Grannies vs. Santa Claus". January will be "Grannies vs. Evil Snowmen". February will be "Grannies vs. Cupids".

...and so on. You get the idea. Frankly, I think those plays sound 100% more awesome than probably half the plays I've seen this year.


P.S. I dare you to convince me that Seconda DOESN'T look like Gollum in that picture. Go ahead and try.

Conversations with Seconda 2

Me: What did you do at recess that was fun?

Seconda: I swang on the swings.

Me: By yourself, or with somebody?

Seconda: Some people tried to push me but I told them I didn't need a push.

Me: So you can get yourself up in the air without help?

Seconda: Yeah. And when I start to feel funny I make myself go lower.


I like a girl who knows her limits.

September I'll Remember

Autumn is in the air. And on the ground. And on the trees and bushes and vines.


These grow on a tree in our backyard. Crabapples? I have no idea.


I'm confident they'll all end up like this:


I'll get several good workouts raking up leaves and tiny apples this year.

Our neighbors to the West grow these. They drape over their fence into our yard and we eat them. Happily.


Our neighbors to the North grow these.


And these. They also drape over into our yard and beautifully cover our entire North fence. Again, no idea. Two different colored berries that seem to be on the same vine. Currants?


All the brilliant autumn colors can never compete with this fiery red:


And this golden brown:

A Weekend

I sleep the sleep of the dead on the plane. Probably something to do with my schedule of late and (could it be?) low iron in my blood. Considering how much of it I lose every day, it wouldn't surprise me. The man sitting next to me notices that I have a sweater in my lap and asks if I came from someplace colder. I tell him no, the Bay Area is notoriously cold at night, so I've come prepared. I think my possession of this information makes him think that I'm a local. Maybe I still am.

Later, when we're about to land, it's dark. I've never noticed before how much baseball fields and football fields and tennis courts stand out when you see a city from above in the dark--I guess because they're so well-lit. The man next to me asks if the weather is the same year round. I say, yes, pretty much. It's a little colder in the winter. He says he's only been here once before, when his cousin got married in 1998. Trying to relate, I say, that's funny, I was married here in 1998 as well. He says that he's back now because that same cousin is very sick with cancer. She is 46 and has two young children. That's not okay. For women who got married (like I did) in 1998 in the Bay Area and who have two young children (like I do) and who are in their 40's (like I am) to be so sick with cancer that cousins come from across the country to sadly pay a visit.

I'm picked up by dear friends and taken to a home that somehow feels like I grew up there. Weird. I guess I did some of my growing up there. I certainly feel comfortable. With the people who live, have lived, and frequent there. He (RIP) still looms large in the books, and wall-hangings, and other miscellaneous things around the house. And that's okay. We drink champagne and laugh. My stomach muscles actually hurt from the laughing.

I don't sleep too well that first night. A party in the apartment next door. Rain. Thunder. But eventually sleep comes and stays for a while.

I spend Saturday with good friends. Friends who, even though I don't see them or talk to them much, are dear to me. People who I consider family because they've been in my life (along with her) for 25 years now. Most of them seem well and happy. One of them seems sad. Which makes me a little sad. In general, we laugh a lot. We talk about a lot of different things. Some reminiscing. Some talk about how things are now. Some talk about the future. Mostly we just enjoy being around each other. It's rare anymore. We eat amazing food. And drink amazing drinks. And celebrate her--our friend/sister/niece/daughter/wife/mother. A truly incredible woman. The boy is king of the castle. Beloved. As he should be. I think he is a perfect combination of both of them. Nothing could make me miss having children that age, but I do wish my children were here. So I wouldn't have to tell people how beautiful and smart and funny they are--they could see for themselves.

That night I sleep well. I'm surprised when I wake up at how soundly I slept.

Sunday morning I walk to the BART station. I could have taken the city bus, but frankly, I would rather walk a thousand miles in bare feet than ride a city bus for 10 minutes. In any city. I don't know either. But it also happens to be a beautiful morning in Berkeley. Perfect temperature. People of all types out in the streets walking dogs and drinking coffee and going from one place to another. Most of them aren't dragging a suitcase behind like I am, but that's okay. I walk past Barney's (the best burgers on planet earth) and Zachary's (the best pizza on planet earth) and the day makes me homesick. It is still my home. I am still a local. If I could come back, I probably would.

I take a not-too-long BART ride and get to see his family. New beautiful baby who looks like both her sisters combined. The first one runs out to hug me. Sometimes being an auntie is awesome. Everyone looks well and seems happy. They seem to have a better sense of humor about the newborn thing than we ever did. Delicious lunch. Then back to the airport.

I sleep only a little on the plane this time. Or maybe it was a lot. I honestly don't know.

When I walk to the car parked at the curb, when I'm still too far away to see anything more than silhouettes, I see the silhouettes of small hands waving at me. I get in and kiss him.

Home will always be where they are.