Gray area

Day one of a multi-week employment hiatus between summer jobs and fall.  This is both the pro and con of being associated with the field of education/kids.  My biggest problem right now is finding balance.  I haven't had a day off or an actual vacation in.... I don't even know.  When I took a day off during the year it was most likely to do something else for another job!  I'm currently trying to balance being responsible/getting my house in order, four brand new pieces of choreography, producing a festival, trying to take a moment to relax, searching for a new stimulating day job, catching up on work for the multiple orgs I am committed to, and so much more.

This sounds complain-y, but it's not, exactly.  I love most of the things I am currently doing, I just don't exactly love that I have zero free time.  There are a lot of gray areas, since sometimes I consider working on choreography or a new project using free time, buttttt it's also work to an extent.

So.  Before I really start rambling, the goal is to get boring work done, get the exciting work done, and carve out a tiny chunk of time just for me over the next couple of weeks.  Additional sleep would probably be good, but we are heading into 24-Hr ChoreoFest so...

Jumble

And also, I'm on a huge old-Star Wars kick.  Really I'm a huge dork and this is pure nostalgia on moody rainy days.  Pretty sure sometime after Julie Andrews (in real life not just roles) but long before Christina Hendricks (as Joan, not in real life), Carrie Fisher was one of my first girl crushes.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all do whatever we wanted all the time?  Maybe, maybe not.

I think I'm getting 'old', since now, more often than not my friends do not care to make mischief. Debauchery, getting crazy lost on foot in the city at night for kicks, lighting things on fire and doing miscellaneous experiments, making awful decisions...  Either I've got a case of Benjamin Button that's stalled at 22, or every one else is getting more mature.

I think it was a mistake for Blogger to make themselves an iPhone app, cause now I can post things like this on a whim.  Enjoy?

KICKSTARTER!

Hey any random person that might actually read my blog.  Luminarium is doing it's yearly Kickstarter.  This year it's especially important to me!  Two of my dear friends (that are over-the-top supportive of what I do) wish to sustain Luminarium by making a generous donation to the company.  Their challenge was to raise matching funds.  Boom.  Done.  I didn't even have to beg or plead or whine that you help.  Now that we have 14 entire days to go, I ask that you perhaps give the video a watch or share it on your own site or through social media.  2012 Presidential candidates (and local candidates too) can raise millions and millions just to advertise themselves, so let's raise some money for an organization that actual does some good in and for its community.  Watch the video, I did some voice recording just for you.  I will love you forever.

I wrote this when I was 25, I swear...

I've been thinking about animals a lot this week.  Partly because when you co-habitate with someone, you apparently have to compromise on pet intake.  Suckage.

At one point in my childhood we had 2 dogs, 2 rabbits (that had lots of babies), 2 hamsters (that also had lots of babies), 2 guinea pigs (that had just a couple of babies), hermit crabs, anoles, a parakeet (dumb pet), 2 turtles, and a 50 gallon aquarium.  It was awesome.  At one point I also had a squirrel, it died pretty soon after I rescued it from a cat, and we had a couple of very sociable rats later on.  We also babysat my gramma's 160 pound Newfoundland.  

I don't mean for this to sound at all negative towards Twyla.  Seriously, I have the best dog in the world (in my eyes anyways).  Who would have guessed 15lbs of sassy longhaired Dachshund could be so fabulous? This is, however, a minor complaint at adulthood.  Two problems, one being I can't beg and plead with the adult of the house to get a new pet and win because I am the adult of the house, and my vote is canceled out by the other adult of the house.  This vote is also canceled by aforementioned dog that likes to be the spoiled only child.  The other problem is being an adult means any non-portable pet needs serious consideration when embarking on a trip or working long hours which I do at my various jobs. 

In any case, here is a fantasy list of pets I want:

-Octopus - No justification needed. Have you seen Octopussy (the Bond movie, pervs)? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2251544.stm

-Gordon Setter - A big version of Twyla!!  Matching dogs!

-House rabbit - Used to have a bunny named Domino until we got Twy.  It was litter box trained, had free access to hop about the house, amazing.  

-Iguana - A green sassy scale-y pal.  Have a tendency to whip their tails, and you can walk one on a leash.

late night rambling pt 2

On a different theme, I am sitting in the dark in my office looking out my window, solidly 85% satisfied with my overall life state.  Perhaps that missing percent is attributed to a sore hip and not being able to fall asleep, combined with some unsettling creaks in a dark house and construction dust.  It is nice to glance to my left, however, and take in an unusually quiet Boston night.  The sky is purple with no stars, but more like a nice blanket instead of a hazy foggy star-smothering mask.  Everyone's house lights are out, and I can see straight through the lots and backyards of the three blocks to the North.  If we were at the top of our street, I would have a perfect view of the nearby downtown skyline, but its okay because I can visualize it.

Nights like these and being home (NH) for the past two weekends make me remember all of the dark drives I've been fortunate to partake in.  Cold crisp New Hampshire nights, dotted with stars...  sitting in the car somewhere street lights wouldn't illuminate waiting out those last few minutes before it was required to return home.  When it began getting warm in Western MA during college I always looked forward to sleepless nights because it was the perfect excuse for hopping into the Geo Tracker at 2am and getting completely lost on farm roads, back roads, swampy roads... always with the windows down for the benefit of sounds and smells.  I don't get a lot of time like that anymore, mostly because I have so little time for myself.  Or, when I do but am in the mood for company, no one wants to go adventure.  Or (part 3) because I live in the city, and there is a significant lack of ways to get lost (safely!).  I've found it fun to traipse through Brookline and surrounding towns... hills,  reservoirs, sneaky secret paths and the like, all pretty close to home.  Unfortunately I feel the need for something brand new in my life, a new adventure to add on/explore.  Things have been fairly stagnant for awhile in the realm of adventure, thrill and surprise... maybe that's where that 15% went.