Need a Summer Job?

The campus newspaper has a notice in it today for "Sheep Shearer's." Sure, I know people need to sheer the woolies so they don't run around in their "woolens" all year round, but I never thought I'd see a Want Ad for it.

That's almost definitely something you wouldn't see in L.A.!

The awesome part of it is the difference in what you get paid for a Ewe, a Lamb, or a Ram! Is that for crankiness of the animal involved? Size? Nooks and crannies?

The very idea just makes me giggle with glee. I've been showing it to people all morning, but nobody thinks it's as funny as I do.

Am I just weird?

Don't answer that.

Happy Halloween, my Cherubs!

I Vo-ted!

I went to vote today (yes, early, thank you very much)! I took great delight in doing my meager part. I touched that screen with joy and hope in my optimistic little heart.

This is the great part of living in a democracy! Even living in a red state, as I do, I still get to have my say. It may not do anything, but nothing ever changed from people saying, "One person doesn't matter." As President Bartlet says, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world." And as Will Bailey responds, "It's the only thing that ever has."

So, go vote somewhere between now and Tuesday and let's see if we can change the world.

I Love the Smell of Creosote in the Morning

***UPDATED: Now with pictures!

In between writing papers and moping about missing Burbank, I've been working with my sweet grandfather. The man is a force of nature in more ways than one.


Recently, we've been working on replacing a set of stairs made of railroad ties. Quoi, you say? Well railroad ties are the giant wooden... logs that go under the railroad tracks. They're soaked in creosote to prevent rotting, so they last really well.


This set of stairs was originally built 50 years ago when GF first built their house. We've been slowly removing the old ones, leveling out the surface we need (by hacking through some serious roots), cutting the new railroad ties (which I'll get back to), and putting them in their new place.


This sounds like a fairly simple process. Well, it's not! It's a gigantic pain in my pale Irish butt! Railroad ties are HEAVY! Trying to cut them in two is a whole process that leaves you sweaty, somewhat cranky, and stinking of creosote. For instance, this morning it took us two and a half hours to cut ONE! Granted, it was on an angle, so the cut was about 30 inches long, but still. It involved a rotary saw, a skill saw, a hand saw, a broken can of WD-40, three chisels, a clamp, enough saw dust to really piss off Grandmother, enough stinky creosote smoke to make the house reek, and enough expletives to make the two of us sound like sailors (or actors, who have horrendous potty mouths).


Grandfather asked me if I have any classes that require story writing. I said, not really, but that it sounded perfect for a blog post.

Now that I've been home for a few hours, I don't stink anymore, but my knuckles are still bleeding. I'll be so proud when the damn thing's done!

The Big Bang, Just a Theory

Aside from my standing weekly date with Mark Harmon (watching NCIS every Tuesday), and since Doctor Who is gone until Christmas, I find not much enticing on TV lately. I'm only slightly mourning the loss of cable (I love you, Jon Stewart!).

My mom has sucked me into a new show, though. The Big Bang Theory on Monday nights. It's super smart and really freakin' funny! I can't drink anything during that show, because I'm bound to either do a spit take or squirt it out my nose. Red wine's not comfy when it comes through the nostrils.

The premise is this. Four physicists work and play together. They're young and genius's. One can never talk to girls unless he's drunk, another says he's too evolved to learn how to drive a car so he needs someone to drive him to Pottery Barn so he can return his Star Wars sheets. (Darth Vader's looking at him funny.) And across the hall lives the pretty, blonde girl who works at The Cheescake Factory and dropped out of community college.

While trying to drive a simulator on Monday, they asked Sheldon what color he wanted his simulated car to be and he said, "You know the light blue color of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber? Before it was digitally remastered." Being the geek that I am, I love this stuff!

And when someone asks why I have to leave my african dance class RIGHT on time on Monday nights? Well, I have a date with a physicist.

Grades, Pinot, and Hell Week

Many apologies for the lack of substantive posts lately. I could use midterms as an excuse, but they were pretty easy. I got an A on my Odyssey paper and an A- on my collaborative report for my technical writing class (on governmental cloning regulations, no less). Hooray for me.

We had a very lovely wine tasting this weekend and sampled four different bottles of Pinot Noir. Who knew that when I moved back to Utah (The Insane Liquor Law State) that I would become part of a group that has a monthly wine tasting. I'm learning more about what wines I like and dislike than I ever did living in Hedonistic L.A. (The What Liquor Laws? State)

And yet, at more than one moment during the sulfite-infused evening, I found my thoughts wandering to the work call that had taken place at The Banshee that day and the tech day that happened yesterday. I kept wondering how my auntie and uncle were coping with the insanity of getting the lights and sound incorporated into the show.

They say it went well, but that stage managing is not either's cup of tea. Lucky for me, yes?

I'll be thinking of them a lot this week. Tonight for the first dress rehearsal. Thursday for the first preview. And most of all on Saturday for the first opening night in almost six years that I won't be there for. I hope it goes as smoothly as it can and that all the nit-picky advice that I've passed on over the last couple of months will make it as easy as possible for them.

I mailed my opening night cards to the theatre today. Kick some ass for me, my cherubs! And break a leg!

Next time: Why is it good luck to say "Merde" to someone? Anybody?

Fall Has Fallen

So remember that it snowed like hell here last weekend? Well, here's the exact same photos sans the snow, taken yesterday afternoon.

The snow is all gone, but now you can see the leaves changing color.

The geraniums are gone off the back porch, taken to somewhere they won't freeze this winter, and the swamp cooler has been put to bed as well. No more A/C will be needed until the spring. Fall is here in full swing.

White Halloween?!

The first snow of the year has come to Northern Utah. Yes, you read that rightly. Snow!

And we're not talking a few flakes coming out of the air. It snowed ALL DAY on Saturday. It didn't stick to the roads or the sidewalks, which was nice, but still we got got many inches of goose feathers.

I have to say, I am NOT used to this! I'm used to being able to put the top down on my car on New Year's Eve! I do enjoy a White Christmas, though.

This picture of my backyard was earlier in the day, before it had really started to come down. The first picture was the front yard later on in the day. My cat sat in front of the windows looking outside at the funny white stuff. She acted like she wanted to go outside at one point, but I convinced her that it wouldn't be a very good time.

October 11! What kind of freakish universe is this? And they keep talking about global warming!

Random Vegetable-Oriented Thoughts

Why are certain things tasty when we're little and then become nasty as we age? Or vice versa?

I used to hate tomatoes more than any other food and now I love them. And my mom tells me that I used to steal the pickled beets off her salads, but I only remember detesting them and their purpleness. Movng to L.A. helped me a lot. I discovered heirloom tomoatoes, fresh asparagus, tasty hummus, and the joys of pate. All things I used to spit at the cat.

Is it a change in body chemistry, or what?

I'm just wondering.

I'm off to find a salad for lunch. Extra tomatoes, hold the beets, thanks.

Friday Quote

"Bartlet: Why are you doing this? You are a player. You are bigger in the party than I am. Hoynes would probably make you national chairman. Leo, tell me this isn't one of the twelve steps.
Leo: That's what it is. Right after admitting that we are powerless over alcohol and a higher power can restore us to sanity. That's where you come in.
Bartlet: Leo....
Leo: Because I am tired of it. Year, after year, after year. Of having to choose between the lesser of Who Cares. Of trying to get myself excited over a candidate who can speak in complete sentences. Of setting the bar so low I can hardly look at it. They say a good man can't get elected president. I don't believe that. Do you?
Bartlet: And you think I'm that man?
Leo: Yes.
Bartlet: Doesn't it matter that I'm not as sure?
Leo: Nah. 'Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you.' Put another way: 'Fake it until you make it.'"

-The West Wing, "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part 1"

My Boys!

So, my super cool friends Dan, Dan, John, Matt, and Josh (aka the band Slugger O'Toole) have a brand new CD! Mine came in the mail today and I'm struck all over again by how great these guys are.

For those who don't know the story, they came together two years ago (they were The Dedications then) for Theatre Banshee's first fundraiser in our new theatre. They played the two songs they knew and we thought no more of it. Two years later, they're consistently playing gigs and blowing away their audiences and the critics.

They've been compared to being "punched in the face by s fistful of shamrocks." We figure that's a good thing.

You'll find their MySpace page in my links section. A few of the songs from the CD are on their website. Check them out. As president ameritas of the Slugger O'Toole fanclub, I've got a certain reputation to maintain. And they rock!

Read Anything Good Lately?

I haven't done a meme in a while and since I'm such a bibliophile, it's only fitting that I do one that's centered around books. Here goes...

1. First book to leave a lasting impression?
That would have to be The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, since I'm stil reading it and loving it all these years later.

2. Which author would you most like to be?
J.K. Rowling! She created a super cool world that the entire universe knows about and she has more money than God. What's not to like?

3. Name the book that has most made you want to visit a place?
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara made me want to visit Gettysburg with a vengeance.

4. Which contemporary author will still be read in 100 years time?
I'm going with J.K. Rowling again. I don't think Harry Potter's going to fade over the next 100 years.

5. Which book would you recommend to a teenager reluctant to try ‘literature’?
Can I use Harry Potter again? Everyone I know has enjoyed them.

6. Name your best recent literary discovery?
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. Thanks to my dear friend Andrew. A cross between Alice in Wonderland and Terry Pratchett. Weird, wonderful, and charming.

7. Which author’s fictional world would you most like to live in?
Hmmm... I might say the world of the Blue Sword, but that's mostly desert and I don't do well with heat. I think I have to go with Harry Potter yet again! But, as a wizard, not a muggle.

8. Name your favourite poet?
Tennyson. Specifically, "The Lady of Shalott."

9. What’s the best non-fiction title you’ve read this year?
I don't think I've read any non-fiction this year... Is that bad?

Friday Quote

"Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tir'd;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body's work's expir'd:
For then my thoughts (from far where I abide)
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul's imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new.
Lo, thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind
For thee, and for myself, no quiet find."
-Sonnet XXVII, William Shakespeare

I'm no David Tennant, but...

I have super cool Doctor Who shoes!

I've had them for a few weeks now and I just can't help smiling at them.

Now, if we want to be technical, they're not Converse and they're not hightops, and they're not maroon. Whatever. He wears black ones when he's wearing a tux. (A moment of silence to contemplate David Tennant in a tux... Sigh.)

The fact that I have to wait until Christmas for a new episode of Doctor Who sucks! But, the possibility of a movie is SWEET! Fingers and toes crossed.

The label for this post is "Rare Attempts at High Fashion," but these are more Mid-Fashion, I think.

Am I strange? Oh, yes.

Friday Quote

“Nights like those are never forgotten.... Nights that leave a mark.”
-The Year of the Hiker by John B. Keane

Why is it?

Why is it that we use the French word "merde" ("shit"), when we want to wish someone luck for a performance?

Anybody know?

A Begrudging, and Yet Lovely, Walk

This past Saturday, my parents and I enjoyed Utah's lovely nature by hiking Wheeler Canyon. It's up the road to Snow Basin, pretty close to home, a fairly leisurely stroll, and pretty damn gorgeous. I didn't have my camera with me, but hey, in this day and age, a cell phone is the next best thing.

There was a red leaf in the background of this one that Mum wanted me to catch with the purple berries, but it doesn't really come through in the photo. (Yes, the leaves are already turning color here. They don't turn in L.A. until January.)




This was much nicer to find in the trail than the huge piles of steaming horse poo we found before.



Tiggers may not like thistles to eat, but they're still rather lovely to look at.

And, yes, as we were walking and trading stories of our first encounters with hard liquor (Hey! That's my next post!), Mum told me of these miraculous walking sticks that exist out there that have flasks in the handles. Sweet, yes?

She's says if I decide to stick around, she'll buy me some. Now that's a mother's love.

In Absentia

So...

Tonight Theatre Banshee starts rehearsals for it's new show The Year of the Hiker....

I'm not there.

Yes, my aunt and her hubby are SMing in my place. Yes, this makes me feel slightly better. Yes, I've agreed to do the sound design from two states away.

Would I rather be there for the next six weeks, missing on sleep, nagging people to learn their lines, setting props, learning cues, recording blocking, and otherwise working my ass off?

Bet your ass.

At 8pm (Utah time) tonight, I'll think of them all gathering, handing out scripts, introducing the newbies, shaking off the dust since the last show. That perfect little black box, waiting for the magical transformation that will occur over the next month and a half.

Damn.

On a lighter note, my mom has offered to buy me a set of walking sticks with a flask in the handle of one, if I decide to stay in Utah. More on that next time.

Friday Quote

The Doctor: [gets out a small machine] "I tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes ding when there's stuff. Also it can boil an egg at thirty paces." [Makes a face] "Whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens; it's not pretty when they blow...."
-Doctor Who, "Blink"

Dancin' Fool

Last Saturday, my mom and I went to the Eccles Community Art Center to take an African dance class. It was weird to actually take a class there, instead of teaching one. (We taught two through six year olds how to skip for ten years.) The teaching master was named Ibou Ngom and he's from Senegal.

Since he couldn't remember anybody's name, he just made up names for us. He called me Jessica and Jennifer. I figured, "Whatever. He's adorable." There was a blonde woman who got a little irked when he called her Britney Spears. Full points for her.

The dance style was called Sabar and was a lot of fun. Ibou kept nagging us to keep smiling. It's hard to smile when you can't catch your breath.

After an hour and a half, we "knew" all the steps for a celebration/welcome dance. It was, quite literally, a kick in the pants.

After we had gone home and showered off the copious amounts of sweat, we went to a dinner party at the home of the woman who had organized Ibou's visit. (She also teaches a regular African dance class.) He cooked chicken with peanut sauce for us that was tastiest food I've had in quite a while. There was also homemade hummus, brownies with applesauce, a bulgar wheat salad with cucumbers and feta, and many bottles of wine.

Apparently we crapped out of the party before the real fun began, but we had a great time anyway.

An excellent way to pass a Saturday. And tomorrow? A trip to the Fine Arts Museum in Salt Lake City for a day of Monet, Rodin, and Gainsborough.

And to think of all those people in Los Angeles who thought I'd have no exposure to culture in Utah. I'll show them, won't I?

PBS Has Never Frightened Me Before

While channel-surfing sans sound the other night, we came across some scary dudes in suits singing on a stage. This was on KBYU, the local public television station sponsored by, you guessed it, BYU. I figured it was going to be some highly amusing "Joseph Smith"-singing thing that would make me pee my pants with laughter. I said, "Turn it up," with more than a little glee in my voice.

Within the first five seconds, I recognized it as one of the last choruses of "Into the Fire."

My favorite song from The Scarlet Pimpernel, the musical that changed my life, that should only EVER be sung by Douglas Sills, and here's this lame-ass dude in a faky white wig belting it out.

I gasped. And I hate gasping.

Mum figured it out almost as fast as I did and said, "Oh no..."

Even my dad figured it out, after a minute.

After the horror died down, we laughed really hard.

You probably had to be there.