In Need of Sylvia

My imaginary maid is never around when I need her! If she doesn't watch it, she's gonna get fired!

I have a bad cold which started last night. I noticed during my auditions that I was sneezing much more than usual but thought it was just extra pollen in the air or something. But by midnight, I was already at the stage where you are so congested, you are forced to sleep breathing through your mouth. Oh, it's the worst!!! You keep waking up and your mouth is like cotton! And now I can't go 3 minutes without reaching for a tissue. Sure enough, I get a job in a pre-school and now I'm sick. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

It's 5:20, I wish someone would bring me a nice hot cup of tea, since Sylvia is MIA yet again!

Oh, and a quick correction...The play I auditioned for yesterday was not called Cheeseheads, but rather, Chedderheads. (It's about a family in Wisconsin.) So that sounds at least a little less ridiculous.

The couch is calling, and so are the tissues...

Happy birthday, Sporto-

-Listening to I'm Not That Girl, from the Wicked soundtrack

Unofficial June 28 entry

I had a bit of an interesting day. My car decided to play dead with me as I was about to leave for work and take Cory to the train. So, I ended up having to train it up to Evanston and then cabbing it to work. Not fun. Not fun at all. Did I mention it was raining and its a 10 minute walk to the train? Yeah...But I made it and had a fun day with the kids. (I just hate being late to work especially when its a brand new job and you have to call in with the "My car won't start" excuse which ALWAYS sounds lame, even if it is true.)

When I got home, it was time to tackle the dreaded monologue again in preparation for my auditions. I was super nervous for some reason and felt like throwing in the towel and going out for Martinson! But, I called my friend B and she gave me a good pep talk and off to the auditions I went. And sure enough, they both went great: no tragic blanking out in the middle of my performance leaving me to suddenly end it with a little soft shoe routine.

Our neighbor Chris, the miracle worker, came over later on that night and got our car started. And then I ate way too many turkey brats. Mmmmmmmmmm, sweet turkey brats. It's like having a little bit of heaven in a bun. Well, maybe that's being a bit dramatic....No, no I think I'll stick with it. Heaven in a bun.

And I'll leave you with that thought...

Happy birthday sweet Willie~

Audition News

Can I just say that monologues- be it trying to find them, memorizing them or performing them- are right up there with losing an arm to maggots or having the flu for 2 months straight. Why can't auditions simply consist of cold readings? But noooo, instead I have to somehow find a 60 second section of a play that suits my type and that shows my whole entire range as an actress and then try to comfortably perform it out of context in a teeny tiny room about 4 feet away from 5 people staring you down. Why don't they just have me bring in the Holy Grail, for Pete's sake!

I have 2 auditions tomorrow night, which is why I'm on this tangent. My first one is for Tin Fish Productions, for their show called Cheeseheads. Yeah, I know, sounded a bit odd to me too, but my goal is to get into a show here, even if the show has a ridiculous name.

My second audition is about an hour later for the Timeline Theater Company. I'm more excited about this one. It's a reputable company in town and I'll be auditioning for their general season.

I also got called by the Emerald City Theatre Company a few days ago to audition for their upcoming season of children's theatre productions. That should be cool as well. Hopefully one of these gigs will come through and I can crack open that bottle of wine that's been waiting for me in my frige and celebrate!

But until then, it's back to memorizing this monologue for tomorrow night. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...

-listening to Just Like Heaven by The Cure

TGIF

Well, I think the pre-school and I are a perfect match! My first 2 days there have been great. It's like going to a job where all you do is get hugged all day by cute 4-year-olds. I'm not complaining.

I also did another focus group last night. I know! Am I raking in the cash or what?? It's very out of the ordinary to do two that close together. I definitely lucked out! This one was on different websites like I-Tunes and E-music, but let's get right down to it here, they had a great selection of cookies for us. Now is that service or is that service?

I'm so glad the weekend is here! Happy birthday baby b!!!!!!!! I miss you!!!

-listening to Wicked Game by Chris Isaac

On the job front...and other fronts

I got the job at the nursery! So get ready you glue-eating, snotty-nosed, 2-year-olds! Miss Katy's in da house!

I am very, very happy because I have been very, very broke.

I also did a focus group today, the topic being Blistex lip care. I sat around with six women and we talked for 2 hours about what we thought of the upcoming Blistex advertisements. A bit boring, but there were sandwiches and cookies and after it was all said and done, I happily left with a Ben Franklin in my purse. So, no complaints from this peanut gallery. Except maybe for the girl who sat across from me that had her small breasts quite exposed during the whole session. What was funny, was that I don't think she was aware at all...her shirt covered enough, but anytime she leaned forward or wasn't sitting straight (which was MOST of the time) the gals on my side of the table had quite a little show! It kept things interesting, I guess.

And now I am off to help my dear pal, Wendy, move some stuff.

Happy Wednesday-

Listening to Electrical Storm by U2

By Starlight

It's amazing what odd and crazy emotions songs from our past can stir up...

You can be driving down the road having a perfectly lovely day when suddenly, "Never Say Goodbye" by Bon Jovi comes on the radio and WHAM! You are back in the 5th grade, lovesick over Robbie Chisolm. Well, maybe just I become lovesick over Robbie Chisolm, but you get the idea. Granted, it's been awhile since I was in the 5th grade, so the lovesickness has worn a bit thin, but I'll admit, there's still a little pinch that gets me every time Bon Jovi goes into the chorus.

I have quite a few songs, in fact, that are on my "Please God, don't let these come on the radio when I'm least expecting it" list. Or worse, you are somewhere like in the dentist's chair or at a restaurant with friends when one of these dreaded songs comes on and you can't leave! Horrible! If I'm going to be tortured by music, its going to be of my own doing.

Which brings me to those times when, for some odd and stupid reason, we want to journey back into the what might have been, or reacquaint ourselves with the memories of our long lost loves. So we slip in that Skid Row, Slave to the Grind tape, (I'm sure that's what most people slip in) and we sit back with our melancholy selves, singing softly along with sweet Sebastian Bach.

Oh, Sebastian, you're such a heartbreaker!

-Listening to By Starlight by the Smashing Pumpkins

It's 7 a.m. but I've been up since 5:30. I couldn't sleep, so why not get up and start the day, although 5:30 was waaaaaaay too early to be up. I have a job interview at 8:30 for a pre-school in Evanston. After that I'm filling in for one of the dog walkers at the company I used to work with. Maybe...maybe there will be a pug on my walk. Maybe!

I'd really just like to sit back on the couch, conjure up some rain, and finish my book. (Still reading Cold Mountain.) I did finish the Zippy book though. Not really worth mentioning so no need to rush out and buy a copy, unless you're a glutton for punishment, then...by all means.

Yeah, so me, my book, the couch, some nice rain, maybe a big thunderstorm...Sylvia (my imaginary maid) could whip up some hot cocoa for me, maybe some homemade biscuits and gravy...mmmmmmm, now we're talking.

Musings...

I was thinking about the time my dad took me to my first professional soccer game when i was about 7. Dusk was settling in as we were driving to the stadium and all of a sudden I had this horrible thought: What if this isn't really my dad? What if somehow, someone who looked JUST like my dad was the one in the driver's seat...and instead of taking me to a soccer game, he was really kidnapping me and taking me far away from my real dad.

But within minutes, I saw the stadium lights off in the distance and my panic level dropped tremendously. I decided I would still keep an eye on "dad" just to make sure. Maybe the plan was to kidnap me AFTER the game, when I really wasn't expecting it.

The game was great. Granted, I don't remember much, like if our team won or lost, or even what the name of our team was, it was just great having a night with just me and my dad. As we were leaving, he bought me a red and white soccer shirt of my very own. I was thrilled until I thought, What if this is just the fake dad trying to distract me with a present while he finishes off his big kidnapping plot? Hesitantly, I got in the car with him but to my relief, we made it safely back to the apartment he lived in with my step-mom. It was my weekend with him.

As he was tucking me into bed, he said, "Oh no! You forgot Fideli! Wait here, I'll be right back!" Fideli was the name of my beloved, could-not-be-parted-from angel pillow that I had slept with every night for the past 5 years. Forgetting Fideli was a huge ordeal, to put it mildly. But before I had a chance to hyperventilate, the thought hit me: of course this is my real dad! How else would he have known about Fideli??? I was elated. My fears were finally put to rest.

A few minutes later, my dad came back in the room holding something behind his back. "Now, I know you miss Fideli, but I found a new friend who's a bit lonely and really needs someone to sleep with tonight. I thought maybe you could help out, just for the night." He then pulled out a pillow which he had put my new soccer shirt on. It was no Fideli, but it did the trick, and I fell asleep a very happy girl.

Soccer Surprises

Soccer is so fun to watch. I hail from a soccer family and it is truly my favorite sport. Granted, Soldier Field failed in the cotton candy department, but other than that, the night was grand!

During half time, they selected a person at random based on people who sent in a text message on their phone during the 1st 1/2 of the game. They called out the selected phone number and the person attached to it would get a chance to kick a ball into the goal for free tickets or something of the like. We were in line waiting for nachos when we saw who the chosen person was: a 4-year-old kid! We were all saying things like, "What kid has a cell phone?" or "Who would send their 4-year-old kid out there to shoot a soccer ball! This is so ridiculous!"

The kid got three kicks. His first two were pretty lousy. By the third, a mascot came and "held the goalie back" so the kid would get the ball in the net- which he did. We had been watching the kid on the field, when we realized we could get a better view on a big TV nearby. As we looked up, we saw a close-up of the kid and to our utter, utter astonishment, we saw that it was not a kid at all, but a 3 foot tall woman.

I've never laughed so hard. I really had thought it was a kid. We ALL did. But sure enough, it was a dwarf lady- and to boot, the smallest dwarf lady I have ever seen!

The game ended in a tie and on our way back to the car I saw a shooting star! I couldn't believe it! So, I made a wish, of course, though it was one of those "It will never happen in a million years" types of wishes. But hey, why not dream big, right?!

Ben Folds...Amazing as always!

Well, Mr. Ben Folds put on QUITE a show! I must say! He is truly a brilliant musician- and he's so funny too! I'm ashamed to say that my friend and I left at intermission and did not see Rufus play. We caught the metra back, which is such a cool train to ride, and came back to my place and ordered in chicken kabobs. Oh yeah, and I also somehow found myself buying a doughnut while we were attempting to hail a cab. I just couldn't resist the glowing Dunkin Doughnuts sign. (Hey! Give me a break, I hadn't had any dinner yet.)

In a few minutes, I'll be heading to Soldier Field for the first time to see a soccer game. Granted, it won't be like watching my brother, Mikey, play soccer, but I'm sure I'll still have a good time. Hopefully they will have some cotton candy. Keep your fingers crossed!!!!!

Ben Folds or Bust!

I'm going to see Ben Folds tonight at the Ravinia. I am very excited! I'll be taking the Metra train up there and I found out last night that you can drink during your ride...as in crack open a 6-pack of your favorite beer. Very, very nice. I'm not even sure that I'll take advantage of it, but the idea alone is quite entertaining. Oh, who am I kidding! Of course I'm gonna crack open a beer on the train. Why? Because I can! Because I'm going to see Mr. Ben Folds for the 2nd time in concert! I saw him a few years ago when I lived in NYC. An excellent concert, I might add.

And now it is time to start my day. But first, Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my baby sis.

I wish it would rain

Tales from the Ghetto-Mat

Last Thursday I had to do some last minute laundry before my trip to SPFD, and by last minute I mean I was staring at my clothes in the dryer mumbling under my breath, Come ooooon, dry fasterrrrr! I had about 15 more minutes of fun staring time when a girl around my age asked, complete with a Minnesota accent, if I knew where Trader Joe's was. Turns out her name is Amanda and she and her husband just moved here 3 weeks ago from...you guessed it, Minnesota! We chatted and just hit it off like peas and carrots! Who would have thought I would have such luck at the Ghetto-Mat? I might have left with damp clothes to pack, but I now have a new pal. We're meeting this week to partake in Cheesecake...and we all know what I mean by partake.

Happy b-day, Mr. Hinsey, wherever you are-

man thongs

Well, we made it back to Chicago in one piece. Springfield was great. I played poker with old friends, attended a wedding, and even had time to squeeze in a dragshow at Martha's Vineyard- viewing not performing.

We also saw the family in Marshfield, where our 2 year old niece, Emily, happily wished Cory a "Happy Booby!" Funny, up until that point, I hadn't even known boobies could be happy!

I also learned this weekend, while at the Midsomerfest up here in Andersonville, that gay men like to wear thong underwear AND have them peeking out of their pants. (I assume these were all gay men, since Andersonville is a predominantly gay area and I don't know of a single straight guy who would ever wear a thong, much less have it showing.) What was funny about it though, was that instead of the typical dental floss style thong, I saw this: an inch and a half of tighty whitey band, but instead of tighty whiteys being attached, there'd be one little strip going down. Oh, it makes me chuckle just thinking about it. Well, chuckle and shiver.

But to compensate for seeing scary thong men at the fest, I did get to partake in a funnel cake! (I say partake as if I just had a few polite bites when really I wolfed down the whole thing in about 2 minutes. No one is ashamed here.)

And now it is back to Monday morning. Happy Monday morning everybody and Happy B-Day to Isabella and Linz.

Road trippin'

We drove to Springfield last night- rolled in about 12:30 am. (Don't even get me started on the obnoxious Chicago traffic.) We were so excited when we hit St. Louis and saw the arch and the, You are now in Missouri sign. But just as we finished breathing in the honey suckle air and saying how good it felt to be "back home," I noticed this big billboard advertising Hardee's. It said, "Skinny burgers are for Cubs fans."

Excuse me? Skinny burgers are for whom? Nice, Missouri, real nice. And it was right past the MO/IL border. Gutsy! I guess since the Cardinals can't kick any butt, Hardee's has to do it for them.

I'm shakin' in my boots.

Oh, Sweet Cotton Candy!

I forgot how much I love cotton candy! What a treat! It was like being at the circus again! (Typical girl behavior to attend a sporting event and mention the food first.) The game was awesome though. The Cubbies put the Cardinals to shame and made my first time at Wrigley Field quite memorable. Cory's boss, Jace, was kind enough to invite us along with his girlfriend, Liz, and it was the perfect way to celebrate Cory's birthday. And I found out this morning that we were on TV! Not too shabby for my first game.

I of course had a hot dog, and some peanuts, and lots of beer. (Did I mention I also had some nachos? Yeah...I'm sure I put on a few pounds in honor of the Cubs.) The cotton candy man was playing hard to get though, and finally Liz had to go chase him down to get the goods.

We left the game right before it ended to avoid the mass crowds, and headed over to the Hop Leaf to continue the celebration.

So the night was a success, even though it was a million degrees outside-

It's the little things

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaa, I finally got a bank account! When I tried to get one back in February, I wasn't able to due to the fact that my new IL drivers license, besides being host to an atrocious picture of me, wasn't 90 days old. So they sent me home! Thanks, bank. But the 90 days have finally passed. Seriously though, it was absolutely ridiculous! -Which reminds me of an even more ridiculous occurrence back in college when my dearest friend Wendy and I went through the McDonald's drive through to get some fries...and they were out. Out! And all they said was, Sorry, we're out of fries...like this was a common and normal thing. Ridiculous I tell you! You know something is very wrong in the world when Micky D's is out of fries.

Well, more imaginary ass is waiting to be kicked, but before I go, Happy Birthday to my one and only bebe and Happy Birthday to my best friend, Ratti in Rolla.

P.P.S (The birthdays begin)

Happy birthday Emily and Elizabeth!!!

P.S.

Forgot to mention that last Friday night I saw Lucinda Williams and her father Miller Williams perform at The Poetry Center (at the Chicago Art Institute.) I wasn't really familiar with either of them, but thought it would be a good show to check out. Miller would read a poem and then Lucinda would sing a song that fit with it. I must say, it was quite a show. Miller was just exceptional on every level! So if you are looking to check out a new poet, he's the one! I realize now that I'm not a big fan of Lucinda's voice, per say, but her songs were pretty darn good. And they were just so cute together in their respective daughter/father roles.

In other news, guess who's going to her first Cubs game on Tuesday???? And they are playing the cardinals! What's a girl to do?? (Cheer for the Cubs, that's what she's gonna do!)

BFJ on Michigan Ave

Here I am on the beach near Michigan Avenue. The weather was unbelievable today. Actually A LOT of things were unbelievable today...Maybe 20 minutes after this picture was taken, Cory and I headed back to Michigan Ave to hit Virgin Records. It was a typical Saturday afternoon in Chi-town with the sidewalks packed and the familiar street performers out: the graduate student disco dancing for dollars, the guy painted entirely in silver who only moves if you give him a tip, and so on. And then...there was a new guy whom I hadn't seen before.

*The story is now continuing in slow-motion* I remember Cory saying in a confused tone of voice, Check out that guy! I turn...and see a tall black man in an old suit coat and top hat, who is maybe 3 feet away from me and facing the same direction I am. He's looking at the wall in front of him and I think, Oh, it's another street performer who's "frozen." Then I made the grave mistake of looking down, only to realize that this "street performer" is...is...peeing? What kind of a performance is--and then it happened...the unbelievable...not only did I witness a homeless man 3 FEET AWAY FROM ME, pee all over the side of a building, but as I was turning my head away in confused horror, I realized JUST what exactly I had seen- Yep, his big...nasty...schlong. You heard me. His schlong- just out in the wide, wide open for all the world to see!!! I'm still in shock over it. It was way too much for my innocent eyes to be seeing some black family jewels on Michigan Ave.

I did pull myself together enough to continue on to the Virgin store, and after that we went to see Harry Potter. It was a little bit on the disappointing side, to be quite honest. The first two movies were great but this last one just didn't quite cut it.

Overall, another typical day in the life of me.

rambling...

It's 11:57 on Thursday night. I'm really tired but...I'm not sleepy- a common problem I have. So I thought I'd add another entry...let everyone know I made it in and out of the ghetto laundro-mat safely with no weird incidents. Actually, my day was pretty hum-drum, but I DID kick some serious, imaginary butt in my living room this morning, thank you very much...a little Tao Bo with Billy Blanks to keep me in shape. I'm sure the McNuggets and fries I had for dinner cancelled out all the calories I burned, but mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, it was worth every delicious bite!!! Every bite, I tell you!

I should go do something productive, like put my laundry away or read. I'm in the middle of two books right now, COLD MOUNTAIN and...shoot! I can't think of the other title! Funny, since I was just reading it at the ghetto-mat a few hours ago. (Okay, I just went and looked because it was starting to drive me crazy)- it's called A GIRL NAMED ZIPPY. Neither book is doing a good job at keeping my interest but I am determined to finish them...in this lifetime...preferably this month.

Anyone have any excellent books they'd like to recommend?? I'm always in search of a good book...and a good piece of cheesecake...and the answer to, Why does EVERYONE I know have a birthday in June! You're killing me here...and not just friends, best friends, family, LOTS of family. So just as a little precaution...Happy birthday June babies!!! We'll see if I remember them all, so don't remind me. I'll make sure everyone gets there own special happy b-day shout out on my blog here- all 26 of you. For now, though, I bid you good night. Good night.

Dog Walking Days

Yesterday was my last day as a dog walker. This is a good thing because the job was literally driving me crazy. My first day (which was just a few weeks ago) went great! When Ashley was training me and "passing on the torch" of walking the dogs on her route, I felt like the job was pretty okay. But the next day when I was on my own, I realized Ashley must have been smoking crack-cocaine and had the luck of the Gods on her side because I never again had an easy, stress-free day.

For example, if it was supposed to rain, and I DRESSED for rain, there was never a drop- of course. If I didn't dress for rain, I would get soaked. It got to the point that if anyone ever asked me if it was supposed to rain, I would say, It depends on what I decide to wear! Let me get dressed and I'll let you know! But that, my friends, is just the tip of the ever-large dogwalking iceberg. I'll just share one little story with you.

Two weeks ago, I had Bailey added to my route. On my first day with her, I unlocked the front door to the apartment and heard this soft, continual beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...I immediately realized it was an alarm, or the warning beep to tell you that a very loud obnoxious alarm is about to go off. That's funny, I thought, because my boss sure didn't mention that there was an alarm here. Even funnier is that I don't know the code to turn it off. (forced laugh)

So, as I was calmly taking 15-week-old Bailey out of her little crate, I was deafened by the most atrocious sound ever known to man. It's all quite funny now. My boss gave me an "Oooops! Sorry about that!" Yeah, OOOOOPS!!! The cops came, oh yes! It was quite a lovely way to start my day. And most days had episodes like that, where I would think, I am WAY too old to put up with this. Way too old.

But there were a few moments that were indeed precious, and which make me miss my dogs today. Well, some of my dogs. And now with my first day off, I have an exciting morning ahead of me to do laundry at the ghetto laundro-mat!! Ah, the perks of living in the big city!

Memorial Day at the Church of Buckner

Last night I spent my hours in what must have been an old church way back in the day. It is now a venue for bands next to Schuba's on Belmont Street. Richard Buckner was the guest of honor. For those of you who don't know that name, he's an amazing folk-type singer who actually put a good chunk of Spoon River Anthology into songs! (For my Spoon River folk, you all should check this out.)

It was quite a spiritual evening, as far as spiritual evenings go. I almost didn't even go, but due to all the rain and being homesick for family bar-b-q's back home in Springpatch, we decided to venture out, and it was well worth it! (p.s. Schuba's has the best mac-n-cheese, I highly recommend it if you are a lover of the cheesy macaroni.)