this week I love :: One Enchanted Evening

I know it’s cheesy but you’ll just have to forgive me for today’s title pun. It’s impossible to see South Pacific without singing “Some Enchanted Evening” for hours afterward! And that’s just what I did last night as my family attended the preview performance of Kiwi’s stage debut with her college theatre group. Although she is a true performer and has dreams of an acting career, Kiwi never intended to jump in right away. She especially never considered doing so at the county college where she finds herself. But one letter from a high school instructor earned her a scholarship into the drama program. With the first production being a classic musical, Kiwi also learned that she has a bit of vocal talent in addition to her gifts of dance and dramatic expression. She saw all those pieces fall into place this past month and threw herself into musical theatre as she embraced her new world.

Last night we were able to support our girl as she embodied a Navy nurse living it up in the South Pacific during World War II. Though her role was often used to transition scenes and carry attention across the stage, she truly lit up every scene she was in. With her broad expressions and gorgeous fluttering eyes, not to mention a fantastic Victory Roll hairstyle, Kiwi drew attention whenever she entered a scene. (I’m biased, but I think many others would agree!) She also led the chorus in dance numbers and debuted her singing voice in two short segments that did not require all eyes on her. Judging by her bright smile during the curtain call, I think she loved every minute of it!

The production itself was well-done and quite enjoyable. It was beautifully lit, conveying emotion through color and shadow even when the actors said very little, and I was particularly impressed with the set design and the transitions between scenes. The lead actor, Blake Rice, was also practically perfect with his rich singing voice elevating the entire musical. Though his leading lady was not his equal in song, she often captivated with her dramatic performance. The remainder of the cast provided laughs and lightness as a cohesive unit so that the action moved well. I expect the next two weekends will see the cast excel and the production tighten. Last night’s first performance was full of promise, and the team’s hard work was evident. I’m excited to return at the end of the run to see how much they’ve grown!

One last note: My favorite behind-the-scenes tidbit of the night came courtesy of a prop. The dog tags worn by the cast were actually “rejects” obtained by the drama department because of the crazy wording imprinted on them. One of Kiwi’s read: “A Positive Jewish.” Best ever!
 

Kiwi’s boyfriend is a fellow member of the theatre group and played a Seabee in the musical. Adorable, aren’t they? [Note to self: remember to change camera settings when the curtain goes down and the lights come up. Hours of Photoshopping can only do so much. ::sigh::]

 

Kiwi, a positive Jewish.

 

this summer’s story

So, yeah, it’s almost November, and the weather has turned brisk and windy and rainy… tonight, at least. And I had planned to post this back on the final day of summer. But right at the end of summer I got swamped with several work projects all at once. Which is hilarious since I’m, technically, still mostly unemployed. Yet, during the final summer weeks my minimally-paid part-time job blew up, as I was responsible for two student contests that required (a) coding an online photo gallery of nearly 300 entries and (b) an essay contest for a scholarship prize. On top of that were my usual web content management duties for the company, plus a series of updates to existing forms and documents. But that wasn’t the big project. Out of nowhere I was tasked with creating 12 large-format posters built around photos that were not print-ready nor high-resolution. I had to pull out every Photoshop trick I knew (and learn a few new tricks I’d never heard before!), and the project seemed to go on and on and on. In addition to that, I also took on a few, shall we say, pro bono projects creating flyers and brochures and website elements and even a DVD cover. But the really remarkable thing about it all was that I loved every minute. Yes, I was busy every moment of every day except when I forced myself to step away and get out of the flat, but I was happy as could be working in Photoshop and using my creativity and (ever-growing) design skills. God has been faithful to cover all of my expenses and carry me through these times when I’m receiving no responses on full-time job applications, and I have been happy to offer my skills to friends and ministries because I know that I will find reward in the end. If nothing else, my reward has been the pure joy of the work and the development of my skills. Still, I’m happy that these projects are completed and I have downtime again.

I had a somewhat busy summer before the work avalanche arrived, and I was really good about capturing the days in photos. My parents have stayed in our area since the spring, so my family all made a lot of effort to get together more frequently. That was made a lot easier by the fact that my folks were housed lakeside for months at a time! We had an impromptu lake party in June, and I visited on my own for another week in July, then we all made various arrangements throughout the summer to spend time in small and large groups for one event or another. There was the last boy’s 9th birthday party, a movie outing with the first boy’s family, plus a sleepover at my place to watch MLB All-Star festivities and even an 80s hair band concert that Kiwi attended with her other aunt (my sister). Sprinkled in the midst of those were simple days of swimming – my first time in a pool in at least 20 years! – and watching movies and just hanging out together (with both family and my friend Mere). And that is the greatest blessing of not being employed full-time: there has been plenty of time for fun and family and friends.

I’m still in the midst of completing my physical scrapbook for the Summer Story, but you can click here to view the photos online. Just take a little walk through the summer with me. And don’t go far. There are a few more stories to tell.

      

a weekend (and a do-over) in this girl’s life

I finished up my Week in the Life project yesterday, adding an extra day to my week because I seriously needed a do-over from Sunday. The weekend started off great, and I had the most productive Saturday I’ve had in months without even planning to be productive, but then I didn’t feel well on Sunday and ended up missing church, my Sunday job, and my niece’s birthday party, as well. The whole day was a total bust. All I felt like doing was lying around and, eventually, lying around while watching TV. When I finally woke from that stupor on Monday afternoon I wanted nothing more than to document a few more things in my life that I’d not managed to capture during the previous week. Now I feel like my project is complete… for this year, anyway. Here’s hoping there’s much more to show for my life next year.

Saturday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Sunday, with the company of Christopher Gorham, Rufus Sewell and Tom Hanks (in the late night)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Monday, featuring a free movie rental, some old friends, and my beloved Max Martini

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

another Friday in this girl’s life

This week has been so interesting for me with regard to my sleep issues. The thing is… there’ve been no issues! Can I get an amen? For months I’ve struggled with topsy-turvy schedules, late nights and all-nighters, and total insomnia for 40 hours at a time, and suddenly, this week, I’m sleeping and waking like normal people. Even when my nights ran long (there were a few 3am bedtimes), I still woke in six-to-eight hours and felt fully refreshed. Unless you’ve experienced this, you simply cannot know how glorious it feels when things seem to settle down. This week has felt glorious. No doubt!

After waking much earlier than my alarm this morning I decided to go ahead and watch the CreativeLIVE workshop about street photography, even though I’d pretty much talked myself out of it the night before. [I couldn't bear sitting in a chair at the computer for 7 straight hours again today.] When I woke I wasn’t really planning to tune into the workshop but I also wasn’t excited about anything else, so I just put the workshop on anyway and let it run in the background while I started checking email. An hour later I got a phone call from K2 asking if he and the last boy could come over for another swim day. My first reaction was not excitement, but very quickly I decided that sitting out in the sun was exactly what my body needed. Not to mention how refreshing it would be to have the change of scenery. In half an hour I was poolside, waiting for the boys to arrive.

Now, I haven’t swum in years. I don’t even remember the last time I owned a swimsuit. But lately I’ve been wishing I had one, and on one recent pool visit I realized it was time to just get over myself. There was a woman at the pool that day who was near my size and shape and was wearing a bikini with absolutely no inhibitions. I was at once shocked and impressed. She was completely comfortable with her mushy, curvy body rolls, and it got me to thinking how my own body issues have been holding me back from doing some things I once enjoyed. I decided that day to start investigating swimsuits so I could join the boys on future swimming adventures. I’ve no interest in exposing that much of my body to an unsuspecting public, of course, but I do believe I can find a suit with decent coverage that would also allow me to feel comfortable enough in public. Until then, I’m content to sit poolside in shorts and a tank top (also a huge step for me, as my arms are one of my worst features) and soak up some sun on my pale and freckled skin. Just getting to hang out with the boys and dangle my feet in the pool is actually pretty cool. For now.

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday in this girl’s life

There’s really nothing worse (or worse for a personal project) than feeling crummy. I still felt pretty green around the gills when I first woke around 9:00am on Thursday, so I just turned over and went right back to sleep. When the alarm went off at noon (yes, noon!) I was still lethargic and completely uninterested in being productive during the day. I lazed around right there under the sheet, checking into Twitter and reading through some of the other Week in the Life postings, until finally I felt decent enough to change rooms and try to salvage some portion of the day. I didn’t have any work deadlines, so I figured I’d just take advantage of the no-pressure atmosphere and do as little as possible all day. Maybe just read blogs and brainstorm for next week’s scrapbook pages. I wasn’t even planning to shower. It just seemed like the perfect day to do nothing at all and avoid responsibilities.

But then I started moving around. And I felt like I should take a shower, especially since I hadn’t done so the day before. [Just... ick.] And then, though I didn’t feel all that much better when clean, I went one step further and checked into work email. Which led to tabulating votes for our student photo contest, which led to a phone conversation with a former co-worker, which led to taking on a design project for her ministry, which excited me and made me feel so much better. Little by little the day turned around. I didn’t take many photos but I did find my joy in the midst of all the little annoyances. And that’s all I can ever ask.

Yes, I woke at 12:16 P.M. It was a rough night.

 

my 'morning' Twitter check-in

 

Decided to shower even though I wasn't feeling it. I still look a fright.
And my (barely there) eyebrows are completely invisible. LOL

 

Today's soft clothes. That shirt is 11 years old and will soon fall apart, but oh how I love it!
My one memento from the Chicago Blues Festival, 2000.