We had a reunion.

We had a reunion.

I assume that not everyone is obsessively looking up their former classmates on these 'social networking' sites, but I certainly have been.

So here is a post - about a year after my last post... (as I spend more time on Facebook playing faux Scrabble).

At the reunion I came to grips with saying, "I have no idea what your name is".
I saw a lot of people who I probably will not see again for 10 years.
I fulfilled my curious bones.
I saw how much we don't change.
I answered and asked "where do you live/what do you do/are you married/do you have kids".
I found out there are people other than me working in the biz that is show. That was surprising.

I went with Popsicle Chief (an avowed high school reunion enthusiast). He was good company - always knowing when to pull me out of an awkward silence or refer back to a graduation speech moment. He looked younger than many of my classmates. That is a testament to his amazing genetics.

Okay. So the answer:
I live in Chicago. In a condo. We bought a condo because my acting career + Arbonne career are going well. No, I'm not in movies. I'm in plays/musicals and in a few commercials here and there. I AM married. We don't have kids. My husband is awesome - we got married quick because we knew it was 'it' and hell, now we get tax benefits. He wore a t-shirt to the reunion that said "it's okay Pluto, I'm not a planet either". I wore all black. Typical.

you?

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Sun.

It's warm and sunny in Chicago and I am a different and happier person. The same frustrating shit doesn't destroy my days as it had a few weeks ago when it was dark and gray and cold and awful.

Thank goodness for warm weather.

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a survey i didn't mind

40 Things Rarely Asked

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? no.

2. Do you have any weird sleeping habits? I always squeeze up next to Popsicle Chief like he's going out of style. He'll look over to the rest of the queen sized mattress and note, "wow, look at all that real estate"... but I'm not interested. I also speak in Hebrew in my sleep. I've been known to have full blown conversations.

3. When's the last time you've been swimming in a lake? I sometimes wade in knee-deep - like this summer, with Rick, in Evanston.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Popsicle Chief is my favorite sleeping mate... and when I can't have him, i take Permanent Companion and his one sad eye along.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Fortunately & Unfortunately.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? yes.

8. Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears? the one who didn't just shave her head (yes, the New York Times thought this was news fit to print).

9. Do you stay friends with your exes? yes.

10. Do you know how to play poker? yes. but I don't. unless it's with a computer (that cheats!)

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? no.

12. What's your favorite commercial? Apple. Love them. I must admit this: I go on the Apple website to catch up on the ones I've missed (since I hardly watch television)

13. What type of food do you eat the most? almond butter sandwiches.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights? not usually, but I think about it all the time - even during the day.

15. Have you ever had a Choco Taco? no.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Chicago Cubs. Non-Negotiable.

no number 17 - how odd.

18. How often do you remember your dreams? every night.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? last week. Popsicle Chief was quoting Princess Bride - I laughed, I cried. Anybody want a peanut?

20. Can you name 5 songs by N SYNC? no. can you?

21. What's the one thing on your mind right now? time and the lack-thereof.

22. Do you believe in love at first sight? yes.

23. Do you put salt on a turkey dinner? I don't eat Turkey or Turks.

24. Do you always wear your seat belt? no. are you mad?

25. What cell service do you use? T-Mobile.

26. Do you like bananas? yes. with almond butter especially. when they are green especially.

27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? yes. write me if you want to know more. or just pretend like it never happened.

28. What do you wear to bed? in Janesville, a onesie. in Practical Cooperation, nothing.

29. Been caught stealing? no.

30. Do you pee in the pool? yes. and in the ocean. I am the bringer of all good and warm things to the water - like the ecoli virus.

31. Do you truly hate anyone? hitler.

32. Bluegrass or Rap? bluegrass.

33. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? I would snuggle with Benjy the dog.

34. Skim, 1%, 2%, or whole? I don't like it. I take supplements. so... uh, Arbonne.

35. What food do you find disgusting? curry. just the smell of it makes me nauseated for days.

36. Windows or Macintosh? Apple a day makes a happy girl.

37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"? yes. metaphorically AND literally.

38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? yes, but in good spirits.

39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? yes, I'm a sucker.

40. Have you ever sung in front of the mirror? sung, done monologues, had conversations with myself, made faces. Yup. I'm an asshole.

9:40 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

sports = boring

It's strange - I love sports. I enjoy watching soccer, football, the olympics, baseball, spelling bees. I like surprising people (espeically boys) when i can talk about the bears' pathetic QB Rex GROSS-Man! and their impressive defense - or my favorite QB's Brett, Payton, Brady... or telling them about how all I wanted to do when I was in Junior High was get on a freakin' sports team (I didn't even get on the 'practice' ones, not to mention varsity or JV).

But here I am, at the Winter Baseball Meeting's Trade Show and honestly, if anyone else mentions sports-related information to me, I may vomit everywhere. What's sadder still is that I would only be able to vomit a banana-nut muffin everywhere since that's all I've eaten.

I have sat on a park bench for 3 days straight and smiled at people and answered questions. I have eaten mediocre meals and spent time nodding appreciatingly at men who honestly believe that I would care about the intricacies of running a single-A baseball team.

I have watched as my amazing business-man brother schmoozed the hell out of everyone and have realized that I cannot help it, but I am genetically pre-disposed to the same level of schmooze and sales skill.

I am done staring at the fake tits that the woman in the booth across the aisle from us has.
I am done looking at people running around with big plastic bags picking up freebies and samples from the booths as if these things are anything more than "shit that gathers in someone's basement forever after their 6 year old son is done looking at it and being excited that their parent brought them something back for free from the baseball conference".

I am ready to go back to frigid Chicago and be an artist again.

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

...made from scratch - team effort - team Popsicle Chief, Prima Clementina and Perpetually Charming made molten cakes, had vanilla ice cream and watched the new double DVD edition of The Little Mermaid. Didn't make it all the way through though - still, I watched enough to remember all the good feelings and vibrations I used to get when watching it.
I did notice something new though - Ariel is a bobblehead - she is an anorexic mermaid. She has the physical structure of Nicole Richie. It's very upsetting - but I guess, that's what you get when you live on algae (since King Triton refers to humans as fish-eaters, I am assuming that mer-folk don't eat fish).
Also - she looks like a total naked woman when Eric views her after she saves him from drowning - very erotic for a 16 year old mermaid.
Ah Disney - and you reject gay-folk.
Now Penis Catcher is here and we are going over rabbinical school application essays. I love her.

11:40 PM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Yom Kippur

Today is Yom Kippur. Technically I should not be posting... just another thing to atone for.

So - I'm checking in with myself - figuring out how the soul is feeling as we kick 5767 into high gear.

I have 5 year goals now - it's strange, but they are here. They have to do with being a thriving (not starving) artist, ridding of debt, owning property, adding to the population of Practical Cooperation, becoming an NVP with Arbonne - it fuels me to think of these kinds of things.

You see, I heard this woman ask a question (just in time for Yom Kippur) that gave me pause:
If you kept doing what you're doing right now - where would you be in 5 years?

Where would you be? send me a message, tell me, I really want to know.

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book foreplay

Do you ever feel like when you meet someone new you make emotional foreplay by talking about books?

it's like testing the waters -- oh! I see you like Tom Robbins... yeah, me too - it feels like I'm reading an old friend's brain... or... wow - you really have a thing for the Bronte sisters, I guess we'll never be friends.

I guess for some people it's music - that whole indie-music hipster thing that I fail at. Or movies - I'm not so good with those either.

I'm reading Jasper Fforde these days - and the news - which is super literary because who knows how much of it is drivel... Jasper Fforde writes books for people who like books and are pretentious - people like me.

9:29 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I was born.

It's been a yin and yang summer. In late June, my brother in law passed away. He drowned while saving his son's life on Father's Day. He is a hero to me.

In Mid-August I got married to Popsicle Chief - it was a day of perfect weather, a delightful outdoor ceremony and good dancing. I think our friends and family enjoyed it - it was Israeli style. I couldn't be more happy.

Then Practical Cooperation went to Petit St. Vincent in the Grenadines for our honeymoon, which was extraordinary. It's a little private island with only 22 cottages on it - no way to communicate other than by flags. Perfect.

and this week... I got a Jeff nomination (ridiculous!) and I celebrate the beginning of my 26th year on the planet.

I don't even know how to begin digesting it all, but I'm full!

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I took Rick to Paris for his birthday

Rick turned a big round number on May 7th. His present - a surprise trip to Paris. We left on Monday, May 8th.

Listed below are some of our observations on our trip. They may seem like a checklist of events, but let me assure you - it was really romantic all along and there are many schmoopy things that were said and done- every moment was full (much like the air was full with the aroma of blooming flowers).

But first, a quick less than 10 words summary: it was amazing and romantic and wonderful.

Monday, May 8th:

we leave Chicago.
we speak to No One (truly had no conversation with anyone other than each other between the time we were dropped off at O'Hare to when we got off the train in Paris). So much for security.

Tuesday, May 9th:

arrive in Paris.
Check into the Novotel near the Forum Les Halles.
Nap vigorously - aggressive napping - we needed a few hours of it.
Walk down Rue Pont Neuf and across the bridge that the street is so aptly named after.
Pass the Conciergerie & St. Chappelle on our way to Notre Dame. She is a magnificent beauty. We eat across from her - looking at her profile and
during this first meal in Paris - Rick finds a hair in the middle of his salad - a thick dark curly hair that did not come from either of our heads. Our somewhat aloof but manually dextrous waiter shrugs and brings him a new salad.
We leave Ile de Cite and walk to the other island where we see a beautiful old hotel and hold hands.
We walk to the Bastille memorial and our eyes are accosted by the hideous 'new' opera building menacing behind it.
To continue our day of walking, we wander through Marais and its Jewish quarter, passing through Vosges de Place (the oldest square in Paris).
Did I mention it was raining the whole time and we were snuggled under our umbrellas while the Eiffel winked at us through the clouds from afar? Did I mention that as we wandered, people got off of work and rode their bicycles home while carrying baguettes in their hands?
We have our first obscene crepe (nutella et banane s'il vous plait) - we share it - my digestive system would certainly not be able to handle it alone.
Our hotel is at the Chatelet Les Halles and l'Eglise St. Eustache - we explore our surroundings - they are truly beautiful.
We eat delicious paninis on the street and fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

Wednesday, May 10th:

Wake up early and walk to the Louvre - the courtyard is delightful - every angle a picture.
Go inside and and rush through the relative emptiness - Winged Victory stands aloof - Mona Lisa smiles in her secret loneliness. It is surprisingly crowd-free for some moments and we look at her and her at us - she is remarkable.
We search for food - for breakfast - unsuccessfully - we settle for pastries.
and now... the Louvre: code of Hammurabi, Mesopotamia, Old Iran, Egypt, Greek Statues (hello Venus), Italian Statues (why Michaelangelo, how pleasant to see you again), so many fascinating things in between.
Then onto the Jardin de Tuileries - lovely beautiful gardens facing Place du Concorde, Champs d'Elysees and the Louvre behind us (not to mention peeks at Eiffel). There was an octagonal (I had to learn how to pronounce this word correctly, without a Hebrew accent) pool that we plopped next to in our attempt to digest all that we had seen (not to mention rest our weary feet). The trees are blooming. The Trees!
There is an obelisk at the end of the garden. Neat. We even find the little metal placard from the guidebook covered in rain water.
Champs d'Elysees - this is a street with a Las Vegas distance - the Arc, it is so big it makes us feel we can walk to it in mere minutes. We are wrong. But we make it to the Arc de Triumph (lest we forget Napoleon's triumphs). We eat delicious 'French fast food' on the way - this area feels like n. Michigan Ave. with its commercial rows of stores - there are prettier trees here (oh, and a big beautiful arch at the end of the street). The Arc du Triumph is huge to us - lest we forget of course - many stairs to reach its top - but it is worth the view. There is a row of 4 little girls with matching galoshes that giggles at us. We love them.
Onto the Metro - off to wander back to the hotel - I cannot keep my eyes open. We buy a delicious baguette and I aggressively nap (while Rick starts his stats homework that's due on Friday).
Now we're off to Montmarte & Sacre Coeur. We walk around - we see Au Lapin Agile, Place du Terte and Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur is filled with tourists - obscenely so - maybe we caught it at a bad time - sunset over Paris from the top of Montmarte... we walk away from them and end up in front of the Moulin Rouge - bit of a disappointment - it compares not too favorably with the Market Street Cinema of San Francisco.
We buy cheese and bread and eat it in the garden of the beautifully lit Tour d'Eiffel... It is late - we Metro it back to notre hotel. We sleep.

Thursday, May 11th:

Wake up late and meander to the Picasso Museum. We eat day-old bread in the courtyard and enter the Dora/Guernica-study exhibits. It is moving and lovely.
Find the elusive St. Chappelle - the most beautiful stained glass we have ever seen. It takes us a while, but we figure out how to decipher and read these walls and walls of stained glass - Bible stories from genesis to the apocalypse - all told in magnificent glass.
Hit up the Museum of Middle Ages - man, there was a time when people sure loved Jesus, wait, I guess that time is still with us. Highlight - Lady & Unicorn tapestries - takes our breath away.
Walk in the warm sun to the Pantheon & its Crypts - bonjour Mr. Hugo, Mr. Voltaire, and Madame Curie... oh yes, and Foucault's pendulum (how wonderful to be arm in arm with a physicist for this treasure).
We pay to pee (Urinetown shout-out) at the Luxembourg Gardens and make our plans for the rest of the day. Our main plan - wipe ourselves out completely.
We grocerize (en francais, I'll have you know) somewhere in the midst of St. German (wine, salami, bread, cheese, salmon, tiramisu), visit our lady Notre Dam at sunset and fill our memory cards with photos, and then off to the tower. We take so many pictures from our little picnic on a bench and drink too much wine. We line up for the elevator and make it to the top.
Favorite moment - finding a quiet corner and kissing at the top of the Eiffel.
and now - a long long metro ride back to the hotel.

Friday, May 12th:
Rick rises early and turns in the stats assignment (thank you internet - we really think it'll catch on). Roni rises late (seriously, it was 11:30am)
We eat in the room and metro over to Rodin's Museum. Oh it is so amazing there - lifelike in bronze or marble... and the hands! Hands are the windows to man. Every face so filled with emotion I could cry. The weather is perfect for a long garden exploration - all is tranquil and filled with peace.
We walk from here to Les Invalides and find a Brasserie with an old gruff waiter with a smile in the corner of his mouth - we like him (we hope the feeling is mutual). No hair in the food this time.
Les Invalides - it is incredible - the guidebook says 1 hour and Rick scoffs. We spend an hour and a half! It is beautiful and massive and the audio-tour is severely detailed in the best ways. We find the pyramid with the eye in the middle of it in a drawing over our heads. The structure, the art of the dome is impressive - the relief sculptures around Napoleon's tomb are fascinating and gorgeous. Ah, the Napoleanic code as a statue - marvelous- thank goodness for Napoleon. His tomb... stately and huge - lest we forget the triumphs of Napoleon. There is a a room here - with blue stained glass - a WWI memorial. The altar is a room filled with yellow light - an altar much like St. Peter's Basilica all aglow from the orange/gold stained glass. The sun king's face peers at us from every corner.
We metro to the Old Opera Building (Garnier) and there are cows on parade everywhere. Silly cows on parade! They follow us everywhere.
This building is amazing - intimidating - astounding - so grand. We are awed by the muses, the musicians' busts, the masks, the detail- it is so powerful. Too bad they don't let us past the lobby - we know what awaits inside but there is a dance recital in preparation and we are not invited... so we go to the supermarche and grocerize.
One more stop: Pompidou: the modern art museum with the insides on the outside - it features a neat exhibit that is very well thought out - film and art and their impressions on one another. More impressive are the views of sunset over the rooftops of Paris.
Did we mention that the weather was perfect?

Saturday, May 13:
We wake up hungry and walk along to discover Boulangerie de Papa - delicious artisan bread! Rick has 2 different kinds of eclairs (coffee and chocolate) - he prefers the chocolate. Roni has 2 different kinds of croissants (plain and chocolate) - she prefers the plain. And now... the climb to the top of Notre Dame - this is not as painful as we think it will be - and more beautiful than we could have imagined. The stryga and gargoyles blow us away - when we come down Roni thinks the earth is shaking, but it's just her legs.. We go to the crypts below the lady and though very interesting we are mostly killing time and slowing down.
we are waiting because there is another surprise: Lunch at Benoit with Jim (Rick's Ph.D advisor) - Rick is blown away and delighted. There are waiters here and maitre'ds and someone to pour the wine, someone to pour the water, someone to serve the food, someone to make sure it tastes okay... what can we say, every Parisian mayor has eaten here since 1915 - it's just that kind of place. The menu:
biscuits
pate
cassoulet maison (with duck, bacon, sausage, white beans)
white fish with mushroom
one glass rose wine, two glasses red wine
chocolate truffles, chocolate cake, coffee ice-cream, Madeleines
and best of all -
great company.

then comes insanity - we get on a train and go to Versailles (the original plan being to go to D'Orsay -- this is merely a slight deviation from the plan).

Thoughts on Versailles: no wonder the people rioted. xtreme gilding. Much of it is under renovations - we must come back (we only see half of the hall of mirrors - but it alone is worth the trip). There is outrageous tourism here - real, pure, unadulterated tourism on saturday afternoon with guides and matching hats and flags and groups and pushing...
The gardens are amazing - we love Apollo's fountain, the canopy trees and play kiss tag.
We leave and walk through this suburban town - we find a fromagerie (for Rick's tres forte blue cheese and my mild brie), a boulangerie (big artisan loaf by the kilo), and buy wine.
On our return to Paris we watch the sunset over Notre Dame on one side and the Seine on the other and as it get darker we head back to have ourselves a little hotel feast.

Sunday, May 14:
We wake up early and take one last long walk - to D'Orsay - the line is outrageous - we leave and walk through a protest and onto the little gift shops where we finally buy some knickknacks for the family,

The flight back is uneventful and we jump back into life as if this week was just a dream.

8:15 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Urinetown to close on May 7th

Get your tickets now - you only have 9 more chances to see my 'pitch perfect' performance as Little Sally at Urinetown. Go to www.StageChannel.com for all the information. I'm super sad it's closing - but I truly cannot complain - I am so proud of the work that we have accomplished.

Bittersweet - my favorite taste.

Alas - in the midst of all of this I am also planning my beau's birthday extravaganza - I hope he is pleased with his gifts and small party... he's my favorite.

Also in the midst of this is wedding planning - I just realized it is 107 days away. That's just over 3 months. Work must be done. It simply must. No more lulls. Let's go get that suit!

and yes - still Arbonnizing. I love it. It self adjusts to my skin and my ph. It makes me happy.

Thinking about May plans since I won't be in a show... any ideas?

12:06 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment