5K = 3.1 miles

I mentioned previously that I was a running participant in The Jared Coones Memorial Pumpkin 5K on October 9th.

This is my 4th year (I think) being involved in this particular run. I did roughly one minute better than last year! Sarcastic enthusiasm. 

I have yet to get anyone to run with me. My Mom came with me to cheer me on and she's thinking of walking the course next year. We recently walked to a trail from her house, around the trail and back to the house which ended up being nearly 8 miles and she did great. She didn't really get kind of tired until well past the half way point, but I think her feet really hurt the next few days.

Don't know what was up with all the thumbs up photos

Look at how sweaty my mp3 player got. I don't have an arm band and unless clip it inside my shorts, it's been known to come apart from the clip while running and hit the ground. This is pretty gross though. 

The balloon release just before count down. Red in honor of Jared, his favorite color and pink in honor of his mother, Jayne, who died of breast cancer a few years back. 

I can't wait to get out in this weather and run again now that my back is healing up from my fall on the shows set stairs. 

Oh, today is also my Mom's Birthday! 

Thick Thursday

I'm feeling bad about my body this week because I haven't been running or to the gym at all since my 5K Saturday (which I'll write about later once my Mom uploads pics). Sunday kicked in a cold and I was busy with work and play rehearsal. Monday cold was worse then by noon I had a fever and left work by 2pm to go home and sleep a little before dress rehearsal. Tuesday cold/cough syrup made me loopy and cold was still severe. Wednesday I was exhausted, still with cold and then at rehearsal I fell down the stairs on set. My feet went out from under me somehow and I landed on my back on the stairs. It knocked the wind out of me, but I was in the middle of a scene so with the help of all the actors that swarmed around me I got to my feet and finished the scene. I ended up with a few minor cuts and a bump on my arm, but my back suffered the real damage.
The edge of one stair hit me in the middle of my back across my shoulder blades. I must have landed a little to the left because I also hit to the left of my spine on my lower back where there is now a bruise. My shoulder blade area has a burning feeling today. I took PM pain killers last night. My plan was to go to the gym over lunch, run a mile and then lift. Didn't happen. I'm hoping this pain will diminish soon. It constantly hurts, but especially when leaning back in chairs (driving), leaning down and reaching up. So yeah, no lifting for me.
So I'm feeling bad about myself now. I'm also concerned since I've missed so many days running that I'm reducing some of the stamina that I've built up. Perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to hit the gym over lunch. I have my doubts though.
With a photo shoot, runway show, various plays and holidays coming up I want to do everything I can to look and feel good.

Happy 'Parenthood' Day!

I very rarely sit down and watch television. I don't even have cable at my place. Any shows I do follow, it's only because of the internet which allows me to watch shows online after they're aired on tv. There is a new show that my mom and I have fallen in love with that I go out of my way to watch with her on tuesday nights. It's NBC's Parenthood.

When I was still living at home my mom and I started watching Gilmore Girls  together. Even after I left home to go to college 40 minutes away we continued to record and watch episodes together. Then when I moved to Los Angeles we would talk on the phone after watching the new episode. Even though she was in the midwest she got to see the show before me in LA. We were so sad to see it go.

When we discovered Parenthood part way into its first season and saw that 'Lorelai', aka Lauren Graham, was a cast member we started catching up on episodes on demand. Now we're hooked! Graham wasn't even originally part of the cast. Maura Tierney was initially cast as Sarah Braverman, but due to her treatment schedule in 2009 for her breast cancer she had to be replaced. On a happy note it is stated that Tierney has finished her treatment and she is going back to work, on the stage.
The show is based off of the 1989 film by the same name.

The show does loosely parallel the film characters lives.
Film patriarch and matriarch - Frank and Marilyn Buckman
Show patriarch and matriarch - Zeek and Camille Braverman
Film oldest child - Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and his wife Karen (Mary Steenburgen) have a son with emotional issues who needs therapy, which leads Gil to question his abilities as a father.
Show oldest child - Adam Braverman and his wife Kristina have a son, Max, who has asperger syndrome that Adam struggles to understand and accept. Karen in the film and Kristina in the show are both concerned with the well being of their marriage and trying to keep things fresh between them and their husbands.
Film next oldest - Helen Buckman who has 2 teen children Julie and Garry and is divorced from the father who isn't involved with their children.
Show next oldest - Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham) who has 2 teen children Amber and Drew and is divorced from the father who isn't involved with their children.
In the film the last two children are Susan first, who is married to Nathan who is very devoted to their gifted daughters learning. Also Susan wants more children, but Nathan's not so sure. Then there's the youngest, Larry, who has a bi-racial son (Cool), from a brief affair with a Vegas show girl.
In the show Crosby is second to youngest and also discovers he has a bi-racial son (Jabbar), from his former lover Jasmine who is a dancer.
Then there is Julie, the youngest in the show, who is married to Joel who is a stay-at-home father to their advanced daughter, Sydney. As in the film, Julie wants to have another child and Joel is hesitant at first, but eventually decides he would like to have another child too.
So far it appears that there is no Grandma, to the Braverman siblings, in the show like there is in the film.

There are small similarities that pop up now and then, but overall the show is solid, standing on its own.

Speaking of the film Parenthood, which stars Martha Plimpton as Julie, Helen's eldest, Plimpton is also now starring in a new series on Fox, Raising Hope. I've seen a few episodes online and while is not completely unappealing, I'm not sure the 30 minute sitcom will last.

No update on My Generation as I have not watched anymore episodes past the pilot.

I have caught up on Better With You online (ABC Wednesdays). I can relate to Maddie and her relationship in this show and I just love Debra Jo Rupp previously of That 70's Show, which I had no problems watching the occasional rerun of, but I never watched the show in its time slot. I didn't care for any episodes after Eric left the show either.

Anyway, have a Happy Parenthood Tuesday!

Happiness Sold Separately

Last night I unexpectedly came to end of Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston. I say "unexpectedly" as there were several more pages, which turned out to be book club questions, Q&A of Winston and Acknowledgments.

I still am not even sure if I liked this book or not. I mean I finished it so that has to say something, I suppose, but I can only think of one book that I have failed to finish and that was The Pelican Brief by John Grisham. Even then I think that was only because I was like 14 at the time and having a hard time getting into anything aside from the relationship between Darby Shaw and her professor, Thomas Callahan. I did watch the film years later and I think I recall I enjoyed it somewhat, but that it was rather lengthy. It did, however, star one of my favorite actress (as a guilty pleasure, yet she has proven to be able to break her typical barrier somewhat) Julia Roberts.

In fact, when searching for the photo for Happiness, I came across a blog dated Dec 13 2006 which stated that Julia had signed on to produce and possibly star in the film version of Winstons' second novel.  I intend to research that further.

The subject of this book is certainly conversation provoking. Infidelity is never taken lightly and the notion that forgiveness can be sought after such a hurtful act is definitely something to brainstorm on. It also gets you to thinking about the different kinds of love. I've always related a difference between loving someone and being "in love".

I find it interesting how in this read and in life I get so angry with men who commit adultery, but somehow not as furious with women who commit the same act. Why is that? I should explore this further. I've never been cheated on, that I know of, but I have always had that fear. That fear has lead me to be irrational in my relationships. I don't want to be jealous. Jealousy is not attractive. Confidence is attractive. I lack confidence.

Anyway, back to book. I like Elinor (not her name mind you, although I do like the nickname El). It almost makes me angry how not upset she gets in regards to her husbands actions. I think she's feeling just as out of "in love" as Ted is.

It is interesting to read through each of the characters point of views. I'm not sure if it makes me sympathize with some of the characters any more so though. I suppose it does make me understand the situation more. Gina's son, Toby, pisses me off toward the end. He does have balls though or maybe his behavior simply comes from his lack of a stable family environment.

It's not a bad read. I'm curious to see if a film is made and if in fact Julia is in it.

Now off to the library over lunch to get my next book. I'm thinking something thrilling/suspenseful in light of it nearing Halloween.

Another Wall Covered

I got this for the wall at the mid-point landing of my stairs up to my master bedroom.

Now I just need to frame and hang it. Ideally before the Simply Tasteful party that is to be held at my place the first week of November.

Theatre Life

In the next couple weeks I will be performing in one show, learning blocking for another and reading through my lines for yet another show because I am a professional and someday someone is going to see that and theatre will be all I will be doing. No more full time office job. No more part time job. Just theatre. Paid theatre! Not that that is what is important. I've done plenty of unpaid performances and I will continue too. I do because I love it!

Next weekend my current show, A Flea in Her Ear goes into performance. It will run for two weekends the latter of which, that week I will start blocking for my following show, Woman in Black. It performs the weekend after the closing weekend of A Flea in Her Ear, which is Halloween weekend. Fitting, as Woman in Black is a ghost story. We'll have a Thursday night show, two Friday night shows (one at 7 pm and one at midnight) and a Saturday night show. Then I will go right into rehearsals for The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of A Christmas Carol. That...is a mouth full, to say the least. That show will perform the first weekend in December. 
Before that though, I will be a model for two different designers walking the runway at an event the weekend after WIB.

So, that break that I said I was going to take after these first two shows...noooot going to happen.
The director for A Christmas Carol came to me though, e mailing me about how she had heard about my wonderful performance in Steel Magnolias as Shelby this past spring and said she wanted to cast me. I let her know about my November conflicts with the runway show, the Simply Tasteful party my mom and I got suckered into throwing (at my place), the tickets I have to see the Rep's production of but what else, A Christmas Carol and I let her know that I did not yet know about Thanksgiving, but that in the past I have traveled out of town. I assured her I am quick to memorize however. (Not sure you're supposed to end a sentence with "however". Oh well.) Oh lest I forget, I also work my part time job Wednesday evenings. I must work as many wednesdays as I can until tech week since I have been not working them over the course of this current show.

She informed me that the show was not terribly line heavy, that it was more involved blocking/movement wise. Last night the director of WIB came to my theatre where I was rehearsing A Flea in Her Ear to have a fitting for my turn of the century ghost costume for her show. Also she recorded my voice for a few of my lines in the show. The costume is incredible by the way! She also brought me the Carol script. I'm not sure what this director considers "line heavy", but I'm not even through Act One yet and I'm seeing that I'm going to be doing quite a bit of highlighting. Not a problem though. I will simply start working on my memorization that much sooner.
I'm actually extremely excited! I haven't really done a Christmas show since Jed's Holiday Wish in 6th grade in which I played a Genie granting one wish to a young boy on the eve of Christmas. So much for Santa.

So the plan is to then have the rest of December off and come January audition for Sealed for Freshness. That will get me half way into February and by then I'm sure I'll know of another upcoming audition. In fact it will be about time to head to Minneapolis again. Better luck this second time, I hope!