they did the monster mouse, the *monstermouse*
I am in costume at work today. It’s not really my halloween costume, which some of you saw. It’s not really my costume for my show, which some of you saw. It’s basically just a lot of black. Lots of it. It’s like a slightly dressier version (if by dressy you mean long skirt vs. short skirt) of my costume for 7 Strangers. Sort of. Plus, my trusty pal Raoul has gotten into the act. Today is his day to shine, friends. We all dressed up for the kiddies today - they were shockingly well behaved and even stayed in their single file line on their way into the theatre. I think maybe they were afraid of me. We were far more terrifying than the Biggest, Friendliest Giant could ever be.
In other news, Nate is a pirate. Also, he’s in town. I had lost his number, but now I am trying to find him. Nate! Nate! Where are you?
We had rehearsal in a bar the other night. It was pretty amazing - we all drank and played pool and dealt with strangers while in character. It was exhausting and by the end of the night our faces all hurt from being in someone else’s body for so long … but it was so useful. Working on this show has been a weird little exercise in actor psychology - we know each other better as our characters than we do as ourselves, since the cast really didn’t know each other before we started. We have a great group dynamic, really excellent rapport - and it’s all fake. It’s a dynamic we’ve created, based on characters we’ve created, based on a situation we’ve created. It’s pretty astounding, if you think about it. Aah, the wonders of the human psyche.
Plus, it was an excuse to be out on the town drinking scotch and chain-smoking until Eleven something on a school night. I can always use more of those.
girls, girls, you’re both pretty
The Halcyon Halloween bash was a huge success… and the costumes were seriously out of control. Some people went high concept, some people had no concept, there was liquid latex and two pink wigs and a couple sets of matching couple-costumes and pieces of AOL cd’s and spanking and cake and the first fire ever in our fireplace and I could hardly believe how gorgeous everyone was. Even my dog got into the act! (Patti and Heather and Jaye played pet dress-up. It was pretty stinking cute.) I took almost two full rolls of film, and maybe someday I’ll get them scanned in here. I love you, friends! You’re all pretty!
In other news, Mike is officially the coolest friend ever! I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and I went over to watch the Buffy I missed from last week (he Tivo’d it.) His house was full of yummy snacks and drinks (yay, Diet Dr. Pepper!) and he even let me borrow his extra laptop for the month to write my novel. (M1K3, j00 r0X0r!)
I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. Between teaching and working and rehearsing I’m having a hard time remembering to take time for things like breathing, not to mention blogging. You may notice that I haven’t mailed out the retreat minutes yet - that would be why. They’re coming, I promise. Just not tonight…
oh boy oh boy oh boy
The email’s been sent out - it’s official.
Here we go…
7 STRANGERS
picked to perform in a house
with an audience watching what happens
when people stop being polite
and start getting real.
********************************
Performances Thursday thru Saturday
November 14 thru 23
at 8pm
Beer will be served!
tickets: $10
beer: $5 for a cup, free refills (with valid ID)
Location information: 3637 23rd Avenue West
Directions:
from Denny heading west (toward water)
follow it as it veers to the right and becomes western ave w
western ave w becomes elliot ave w
elliot ave w becomes 15th ave w
At the West Dravus exit make a left onto W. Dravus
Turn Right at 23rd Ave W
Go Three blocks…Its near the end of the third block.
There will be a sign indicating which house.
For Reservations: Call 206/851-6730
{Editor’s note: Can you wait? I can’t!}
overheard this morning
“So, essentially, your fat is like a disgusting uprising of the working class.”
-Grant
retreat! retreat!
Well, my fairy-loving-loves, I’m off to the good old Annex retreat. And blatantly ripping off Sonya, here is my don’t-forget-this-list…
Two 3-packs Miso Soup mix
One bag assorted rice crackers
One bag Soy Crisps
One box Chai teabags
One large bottle of Fruit Punch Gatorade
Two boxes Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix
One can black beans
One can diced tomatoes with green peppers, onions, and celery
One tub red pepper hummus
One tub roasted garlic hummus
One bag pita bread
One glass measuring cup
One can opener
One camera with half-used roll of film
One new roll of film
Two half-empty packs of cigarettes
One book matches
One crack lighter
One set of cold pajamas
One set of warm pajamas
Several sets socks and underwear
Two pairs blue jeans
One sweater with bear on it
One new hat with tassel
One pair new gloves
One recently-unearthed winter coat
One new overnight-bag-kit, including
bottle full of lotion
bar of soap
toothbrush in holder
toothpaste
various makeup (powder, lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara)
deodorant
special foldy travel brush
little case filled with bobby pins
2 long-sleeved shirts to wear under bear sweater
TOWEL, which I always forget
Pillow
Sheets
Quilt that my roomie made me junior year
Mr. Fuzzy Bunny, the rabbit lothario
Waterproof Journal
Space Pen
Retreat Earrings (concept created by Miss Heather Shannon)
Watch, rings
Glasses/glasses case
I am NOT bringing the sexy palm pilot I am still in the process of buying from Tony. I am not bringing anything vaguely smacking of work. I may bring the book I’m reading … but I might just decide to leave anything reminiscent of work or my normal life behind and just run and frolic in the fields like the fairy I rode in on. If you couldn’t tell, I am very excited about retreat. And I get to leave work in 75 minutes…
Thanks for the call, Yuki - and under normal circumstances I would just lurve to hang out with you this weekend. But, as you can see, I am called by a higher purpose. See you next weekend!
trying to use my inside voice
Okay. I am going to bust out in an uncharacteristic way here for just a moment. Please forgive/ignore as you see fit.
I am really fucking sick of having people I care about tell me how I should be feeling about politics. Don’t get me wrong - most of them do it unintentionally. Some of their intentions are good. Some people forward me long-winded, heavy-handed, unfuckingbearably self-righteous email diatribes that essentially say “Look at me. I’m a better person than you are because I believe what’s going on in the world is wrong. If you want to be a good person like me, you’ll forward this to everyone you know. Feel free to feel guilty. Feel free to feel inferior. Maybe if you forward this to enough people, some of these guilt feelings will go away.”
I don’t want to marshmallow anyone’s hash brownies, but here’s how I feel about the current political situation - are you ready? are you listening? you might not like me anymore! - I don’t give a shit. Did you hear me, everyone? I do NOT GIVE A SHIT. No forward you send me is going to change that. No scathing glance when I don’t immediately agree with your particular brand of soap box is going to help that. I am simply very, very tired of people getting all self-important just because they have more deeply-held or adamantly-stated political views than I do. I am incredibly jaded about our current president. I am incredibly jaded about our current leaders. I am incredibly jaded about our current economy, our current military occupation, our current set of laws and rules and regulations and that whole (let me quote S. McC here for a moment) “baileywick”. I think Dubya is a fucko, and I am sad that people have to die.
BUT.
Maybe something should be done. Maybe we do need to go to war. Maybe some element of the fuckuppage that is currently going on in Washington is necessary. Maybe their actions aren’t all completely justified or correct - but maybe some of their motives are. I’m not advocating an all-out bloodbath, and I’m not saying I agree with the scale or the aim of what’s happening. But a part of me certainly appreciates the sentiment behind it, and I’m fucking tired of people I love making me feel like I’m a lesser person because I don’t agree. I think we live in a city where it’s very trendy to be a liberal, and it’s very chic to have a radical opinion, and you become exponentially cooler as your voice on this issue gets louder. Because of this - and I know it’s often wrong - some of the anti-war noise I hear is starting to sound hollow. For the most part, god knows that my beliefs and my morals are pretty damn liberal. But … honestly, answer me one question. Isn’t there ANY part of you guys that feels like maybe it would be good to go over there and take out some of the troublemakers so this won’t happen again? Isn’t there a single bone in your body that doesn’t want people to pay for what’s happened? I think a lot of people sublimate that desire because it doesn’t fit in with the socially acceptable politically correct worldview du jour, and that frustrates me. I want it to be okay that I feel this way. I don’t want to be regarded as a lesser person because I don’t have any desire to attend peace rallies and because I like driving my car to work every day. I want the way I live and the way I see the world to be just as fucking acceptable as those of the lady who was hanging the huge muslin anti-war banner over the Aurora overpass last week. I want to be seen as someone whose intellectual autonomy is respected, not as someone who needs to be converted. I want to be a person. I do not want to be someone’s project. I think I deserve that.
Okay. Enough of the uncharacteristic anger and back to being the normal Alicia who really doesn’t want to piss everyone off. Listen. I am not yelling at anyone in particular. I’ve just been getting this from all (and I mean all) sides in tiny doses for so long that I was starting to feel claustrophobic and I had to get it off my chest before something burst inside my head. If I used an example that extends to something you’ve said or done, it’s really nothing personal. Honestly. I want everyone to keep doing what they feel like they need to do … I want you to keep blogging about politics, because you’re incredibly articulate and your spin on things is unique and your views are valid. I want you to keep posting newspaper articles that touch you and to keep posting contact information for our representatives, because what’s happening in history right now is important and your views are valid. I want you to keep writing letters that say “Hello, I oppose. Please think of me when you vote.” because those people need to know how you feel and your views are valid. I don’t intend to direct this fire at you all - you are the people I love. You are the reason that I want our country to be safe. You are the reason I give a shit about anything at all. I just want to wake up one day (here in this city of egg-shell inducing political correctness) and feel like my views are valid too.
{Editor’s note: I’ll probably think better of this and tame it down or delete it at some point. I am not good at being coherent about nebulous concepts which are pissing me off. What I am good at, though, is holding back how I feel about something for so long that it bursts out in an illogical manner. Behold.}
i just can’t get enough
You are a muse.
What legend are you?. Take the Legendary Being Quiz by Paradox
another addict, yo
Look who’s got a blog now! I knew it would happen eventually. Welcome to our incestuous little blog-family, big C … and stop crashing your motorcycle!
More quizzes. Take and share, please…
Congratulations, you’re Las Vegas, Sin City.
What US city are you? Take the quiz by Girlwithagun.
Stage Door closed last weekend. The last show and the strike following it were really emotional for me, for some reason. I’d only had a couple of beers by the end of it, but having that show finish really felt like a rite of passage, even though my personal involvement with it was pretty minimal.
At the Dubliner afterwards, I looked around - and realized that I’ve really come full circle. Gillian was the one who invited Bill and me to that first Salon Salon, Heather was the one who called me and asked if I’d like to ASM Sizemore, Imogen was in the first show I ever saw when I moved to Seattle - and it was at the Empty Space, etc etc. Sitting there surrounded by these people who are now my friends, I was struck by just how far I’ve really come in the last two years.
Jeff made us a highlights video, so now I can watch Pupule whenever I want. Also, I had a damn fine time getting to hang around with Jeff and Jason and Tristam and Sarah R. and Brandon and Josh and Barbi and Frannie and all those other crazies that I don’t get to hang out with regularly at company meetings or whatever. The world seemed like a very good and warm place to live that night as I drove home, and I kind of wanted to hang onto that. Of course, by the time I woke up (late, and with no clean underwear to be found) on Monday morning, the world was no longer so friendly. So, anyway. Nice show, kittens. It’s been swell.
Last chance to see Burning Cage is this weekend … I want to go Thursday. Anybody want to come with me?
ready for my close-up, mr demille
So, here’s the preliminary run-down of the crazies who will be living in the “house”:
(me) The Bisexual chain-smoking pothead Goth bitch
(Heather) The standardless slut
(Jason) The dumb stuck-up jock
(Mark) The dorky white guy who thinks he’s black
(Eli) The Hasidic Jewish Stand-Up Comedian
(Tyler) The naive prejudiced Christian boy
(Ray) The recently-op’d Transsexual Lesbian
If you had to create a Real World character for yourself, who would you be? Why?
I almost forgot
favorite moment of “off-hand context” of the week:
“I don’t want wrinkles. The cake crumbs have nothing to do with me.”
shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to
I’m sure you all have been having more than enough adventures this week. Just a quick update and then I’m off to do … something or other. (It’s not very exciting, I promise.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
We’re having a birthday party for Jaye the weekend after retreat! Just because I didn’t know about it doesn’t mean I’m not glad it’s happening. Jaye rules. We’re going to carve pumpkins, so bring lots of ‘em! (Halcyon House - Taste it again for the first time.)
Retreat is coming. Soon, soon, soon. I am so burned out right now, if I don’t get a break from my life pretty much NOW I am going to blow a serious gasket. I don’t know that I’ve ever been as excited about a day off work as I am about retreat. Plus, I’m driving up with Gillian, which will make everything better.
I got cast in the new EXITheatre show, “7 Strangers” - which totally makes up for the fact that I once sent in an audition video for the REAL Real World and they rejected me. I may be playing the bitchy goth girl, a character who has never appeared on the TV version, but which the director and I both agree should have happened long ago. Essentially, you take seven actors, you give them all characters, you set up a few scenarios, and you let them loose to improv in a giant house. The audience gets to follow whichever actors they want. I’m pretty excited to see what sort of insanity this project ends up being - and, of course, to give Mike yet another chance to gather some blackmail material. He was never around for my goth phase, so I’m going to have to recreate it for him posthumously.
Last weekend of Stage Door, kiddies. Get your reservations now - even if you’re coming Thursday or Sunday. Seriously. We want to sell out, but we want you to be there. Don’t wait too long …
Tonight is my only night off all week. We have a gas leak in our house, a faucet that’s coming off the sink, a leaking water pipe in the basement, and a washing machine that needs replacing. Bye-bye, night off. Hello, Jerry and his Sewer Service. AGAIN.
If you need me, I’ll be at home, crying into my HUGE PILLOW.
(By the way, J.C., you are a sock-knocking, cake-sniffing, pumpkin-smelling moonbeam. What will I ever do without you?)