Gurlz Day (And Some Other Stuff, Too)

Pictures from my hike with Will yesterday to Dinosaur Spine!

Isn't it beautiful?!?! Yes. Yes it is.

On a different note, I saw "Captain America" yesterday and loved it. I also loved Thor. Am I crazy? Is it just a soft spot for the Avengers? Does everyone like these movies or is my taste level just going downhill? Don't answer that. I don't want to know...

My mum and I had a GURLZ DAY today! Oh em gee! We went shopping and then got mani-pedis. John, my cute little manicurist, laughed and scolded me for my atrociously short nails. Here is an exchange we had -

John (after buffing my stubs while laughing): You have boyfriend?

Me: Yeah.

John: THEN WHY YOU BITE YOUR NAILS!?!?!

Me: ...I don't know...

John (after a few minutes of silence): When you gonna get married?

Me: WHAT?! Awhile, I think!

Mum (from a table away): NEVER! I mean, she's only 21...

I promised John that when I come home for fall break my nails will be beautiful. I must follow through.

My mum, dad and I just got home from Food Fight (a food fair in Oakland). We sampled a bunch of different foods from a bunch of different restaurants, but had to wait in a lot of lines. It also seemed as crowded as the damn Piccadilly tube line on the weekend! SO CROWDED. 

I had a small flat taco, a bite sized cinnamon bun, two different jambalayas, different moles, and my dad educated me while I sipped a couple different wines and beers. Here is what I learned: wine and beer are still gross. However, if presented with a Syrah and a Pinot Noir, Syrah is the lesser of the two evils. Damnit, I just want to be classy and enjoy a glass of wine! 

Though it was terribly crowded inside, outside on the docks, it was a beautiful cool evening.

Tomorrow, we're all going down to see Santa Cruz Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors! I'm so excited, but I need to read up on the play because...I don't know anything about it. 

Except that it's a comedy. That much I've worked out.

The Summer I Discovered Myself?

My brother and I went on a beautiful hike yesterday in the open space near our house. It  was a scorching day with a hot, hot breeze and the golden hills seemed more beautiful than ever. This summer  I've lived in Utah, London and California. While they are all amazing places in their own ways, I have recently noticed this pull that keeps bringing me home to California. 

This summer, I've been gardening, going to the beach and hiking and I feel ten times more connected to the earth that is my home. Maybe it's cheesy, maybe I sound like a huge hippie but, no matter where I live, California will always be in my bones.

It's just something I've noticed...

On a different note: toothpaste makes the best overnight zit cream. 

On a different note from the different note (what?): This has been an amazing summer of theatre and learning. Watching so much theatre in London and here in the Bay Area has taught me so much about what I need to work on this year: confidence on stage, trust in simplicity, and really using the words and their sounds. Easier said than done, that's for sure. But, I can't wait to implement all these things into my work as Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream! I've become so excited, rather than scared, to start my life as an actor!

Here's what I've learned from the shows seen since I've been home:

Geezer: There is such thing as being a seemingly over-the-top character role and still be poignant. But, you really have to sink and relax into the role. Into their posture. Into their voice.

Anna Deveare-Smith's Let Me Down Easy: The importance of playing with vocal pitch and rhythm. Paying special attention to the countenance of a character, perhaps against your own. The subtleties in a different walk.

Metamorphosis: Trust in the story that you are telling. 

I can't wait to learn from Santa Cruz Shakes' production of Comedy of Errors this weekend!

Testing 1, 2, 3...

This is an experiment. I can never seem to stay on top of a journal, as seen in my last blog brisk and giddy-paced times. I often forget that I even own a diary, let alone remember to write in it. And...I spend an awfully long time taking advantage of the many mind numbing things that the internet has to offer.


So! 


That being said, I think I will start a blog and see what becomes of it. Maybe I'll follow through or maybe, when the time comes to use this as a mode of procrastination, I'll decide to do homework. Who knows. But, let's give it a shot, eh?


Oh no, now I have to find a place to start. 


This always feels so awkward. How to begin...


Well, I've been doing some stuff since returning from England.

Like, going to Jenner Beach in Sonoma County with my parents! Nothing quite brings back more memories of England than being under dressed for cold weather. And it was a cold day at the beach...

I planted the cutest little garden in the front yard! Lobelias, verbena, yarrow, lantana, abelia, oh!  I must admit, three of the lobelias have turned into very sad little plants. I think I loved on them too hard.

I've been trying to uphold the afternoon tea tradition. And it's a great tradition to uphold when it means you get a pre-dessert cookie fix. 

And we hosted a British themed family get together in honor of the British Open! Complete with Aspall cider (not quite as good as Aspall on tap at the Queen's Arms Pub in South Kensingtion, but, with Ribena, it'll do), bangers, and chips. 

Hm. It would appear that I'm missing London more than I thought.