Autumnal Equinox

Fall is coming. My calendar says so.

I'll miss the warmth of summer but am looking forward to wearing cozy sweaters again.

Internet

Yesterday the internet went out at our office. And stayed out. All day. It's still out.

Working without internet in this era is pretty near impossible. There are some tasks that can be dealt with, but 95% of all communication takes place over the internet. Not to mention research and reference. It's pretty scary actually. There will likely come a time when some evil genius decides to crash the internet just because she can. WOW. Crash-bang-hiss-piffle-sigh. Our world will come to a standstill.

Maybe this is a reminder to put my hands on things. To make more phone calls and send fewer emails. To "socially network" with people physically and not just virtually. To remember what it was like when I started college and had to work a little in order to communicate with friends. To go to the library instead of Wikipedia.

Or maybe it's just time to switch service providers.

How to Cook Your Life

I'm going to harvest my final pepper of the summer today. I plan to save its seeds so that I can grow more peppers next spring/summer. Sustainability in action, right? The pepper has seeds for just this purpose - nature is a such perfect thing!

Last night I watched a movie called "How to Cook Your Life." It was a gentle reminder to be aware of our actions in all parts of our lives, including cooking and eating. It made me think about how much food I waste when I cook a meal. I'll use 3/4 of an onion and throw the other 1/4 away, I'll buy cilantro and only use a quarter of the bunch before the rest goes bad. It's time to open my awareness to include not only the nature of the food I buy, but also the usefulness of the entire item. It is so easy in our affluent society to utilize a part and then throw away the rest. This is unheard of in poorer societies. This was unheard of in America 75 years ago! We must be more aware, less wasteful, more in tune.

Our actions affect the entire universe. Everything is connected. I must change my ways not for myself, but for future generations.

Berkshires

Today Geoff and I will drive to the Berkshires for a friend's wedding. I love the Berkshires. I don't think I've been anywhere in the Berkshires that hasn't inspired me. This is a very short trip, but I still hope to return with some inspiration. Trips up there mostly inspire me to plant a tree or grow my own vegetables. Sometimes I'm inspired to move out of the city and get a job on a farm or in a gift shop, where work is work and life is outside of work. Where coming home means lounging in the hammock before cooking up a pot of chili and some cornbread. Where after dinner relaxing includes churning some homemade ice cream on the front porch and watching the fireflies chase each other through the sky. Where the hum of crickets is my white noise machine and the sun is my alarm clock.

There are people who live like this. Trips to the Berkshires remind me of that and inspire me to be one of those people.

Used

I am feeling used and neglected. People I thought were my close friends are hiding things from me, it seems purposely deceiving me. How do you deal with this in a grown up world? As a kid you could yell, you could disown a friend, you could accuse them of being mean. But when you are one in a group of under 10, when you must see these people daily, what do you do? Pretend? Or confront? Or ignore? I've been ignoring since January. It's becoming too hard.

I feel sick about it. I want to cry in a corner. I want to hide from them. I want to tell them that they hurt me, but I don't want to give them the satisfaction. I want to quit. I want to punch a pillow. I want to abandon the troops. I want to run away. Mostly I want to run away.

When you feel used by people you thought were your closest friends what do you do?

Big Smile

Geoff and I are heading to a wedding in Massachusetts on Friday. I wish we could stay for a couple of days, but unfortunately my work schedule does not allow for that. I am glad to get away from the city though, even for only 24 hours. I'll take pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I think I'll post one that makes me smile. No particular reason, no connection to this post, just a picture that makes me smile.

South Street Seaport

I saw a show at Spiegel World last night. One of the actor's from Equus is in the process of creating a one-man show about growing up in the circus. Which he did. His parents founded/ owned the Pickle Family Circus. And he became part of the act. What a personal history! I was entertained from Moment One throughout.

I've only been down to South Street Seaport once before. It's quite an amazing place. I think maybe I'll need to visit more often. There are cobblestone streets and outdoor booths selling everything from socks for children to wooden combs to windchimes. There are food court stands every way you turn and amazing views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn itself.

Definitely worth another trip, when I have no scheduled event. An exploration trip.

Tech

Man oh man. Tech week makes it hard to write. Makes it hard to even turn on the computer in anyway that isn't directly related to the process of making a play happen.

I'm exhausted and excited and cannot wait until tonight when we have our first paying audience. A sold out house to start the run...how lucky are we?? I sincerely hope people walk away from this play truly affected and with a desire to see really good theatre all over again.

Quick Words

Quick words
Top of my head words
How many words
Two words
First words

LIVE HARD

Interesting. That's a fun game. I'll maybe try again later.

Hair

Good morning star shine. The world says hello.

HAIR. A well timed piece of programming by the Public. And thoroughly enjoyable. It keeps coming back to me at unexpected moments.

Theatre in the park, free for any who will stand in line. It's a beautiful thing.

More of the Same

We are in tech. I have missed a couple of days of writing. The two are linked.

A hurricane is coming to New Orleans. Again. The same administration is in office as was when Katrina hit. This storm is named after a man - maybe they'll actually pay attention to it.

It was a cowardly choice made by John McCain and his campaign to choose Gov. Palin as his running mate. It was done as a tactic, and is more proof that, as experienced as he is, McCain is not ready to lead a country. I do not believe that he really thinks Gov. Palin was the best choice for his VP. He thought she could help him win. To me, a sad reason to choose a running mate.

More of the same.