We (the BS) own www.beatniksyndicate.com...
Granted there's nothing on it yet - but, WE OWN IT!
Woo!
Granted there's nothing on it yet - but, WE OWN IT!
Woo!
TROUPE THAT! (The birth of The Beatnik Syndicate)
- Thread starter BEATNIKSF
- Start date
Thank God For Friday!
Carrot cake is a perfectly legitimate breakfast when one is working from home in their pjs.
I just got done reading a huge study on PG&E's "self-generation incentive program..." Let me tell you - it was facinating! (Not.)
So now I'm taking a break to dork around on the internet. Fun, fun.
Theoretically, I should be doing some PR/Media stuff for the SFIC & beatnik today... I don't know if I'll actually get to much of it beyond writing Feb. press releases... but, that's some progress.
My friend Lauren gets back from India next week... I'm super-psyched to see her... and, she said she's bringing me presents... So, that's something exciting -- she's been there a month -- originally, when she was planning this trip, she wanted me to come along... but, it just wasn't possible. Next year at this time, though, I'm hoping to have socked enough cash away on my new, improved budget that I can take a trip to Thailand with her... that's the plan, anyhow.
My Mommaship & the Sparkster are going to be in SF on March 14 & 15th... right after AE's b-day & the bs show... they will be on their way to Hawaii for some conference. I'm so excited that they will be here to see where I live! Yay, Mommaship & Sparkster!
***
I've started to notice odd, adolescent things about my body recently... like, suddenly I've got acne and dandruff... what the fuck is up with that? Is it the body Karma Police looking down and saying "Ah, Kate Kotler, as a teenager she was so dorky and neurotic that we thought it would be cruel to lay these plagues of acne and dandruff on her... now, she seems to have it together and be pretty happy - let's lay it on her!"
Fuckers.
The acne may be hormonal - it's not such a regular thing. And, I will just continue to wash my face, drink a lot of water, etc... fine.
BUT DANDRUFF?
What the fuck!!!
I have to go buy some Head & Shoulders.
Bah.
***
It's all sunny here in SF - but, it's deceptive... as it's fucking freezing outside. I was so cold all night long - it was insane... !
I had a dream that I got into a fist-fight with the box office manager of the Eureka Theater last night. How strange. I don't think I even *know* the box office manager of the Eureka Theater.
And, Dane Cook (Canadian/Boston bad boy... yummy-ness!) was in this dream -- as he gave me bad directions to get to the Staples Center (which had been relocated to SF) where the Naked Babies show had been moved to... then he showed up outside my apartment later that evening... and, we made out.
Well, that last part didn't happen. But, it would have been a much better dream if it had.
JD says that Dane Cook is from Boston. I say he's from Toronto... he may have lived in Boston for a while - but, dude is Canadian... Sparkster being a Canuck - I can tell.
I bet if I asked Dane Cook if he likes Ketchup Chips he'd say "Why, yeah - yoo know Katsup Chips, eh?"
Mmmm... Dane Cook.
***
I think I'm going to go for a run today. Even though it's cold - it's best, actually, to go for a run in the cold... I feel like it gets my heart rate up even further. I don't know if I'll be insane enough to run up Cathedral Hill again... but, a nice run through N. Beach down to the Wharf... along there to the Embarcadero -- go to Wallgreens to procure some shit I need -- walk back to the apartment as the cool down. Doesn't that sound nice?
I think that's what I'm going to do.
***
Tonight I'm going to do something social for the first time in a week... this makes me happy. I just hope that J isn't Mr. Tired-Cranky-Pants... as, I'm hoping that I can lure him into going to get a drink after the show tonight... I don't know who else is going to be there... but, apparently both NB shows are sold out.
Of course, as with every other time I've ever dealt with Ticketweb, there has been an issue with my tickets to this show -- which I ordered two weeks or so ago... as in: They never took payment. Never even submitted payment to my CC... what the hell?
Anyhow - after much struggle, etc... I finally got some tix... Granted - they may be crappy tix... but, I'm not picky. The dude at the SF Sketch Fest said that he'll release better seats at 10:15 & if I run down there around 6:30 when the box office opens that I can put myself on a wait-list to have the better seats in question... so, actually, I may end up getting good seats for a cheaper price... now, why would I want to fight with that box office manager? (Well, actually, the fight was with the BO manager of the Eureka... so I think there is a difference.)
Ah, well...
Off to run.
***
EDIT:
I read the Canadian accent stuff to my Dad about five minutes ago when I got back from my run... he corrected my spelling of "yes" (to "yeah"), "you" (to "yoo") and "Ketchup" (to "Katsup")... he also reminded me that there are a couple of other ways to tell if someone is a Canuck:
1. Start singing "O! Canada!" in French and if they sing along...
2. Serve them a plate of scrambled eggs w/"Katsup" on it & if they eat it w/out making a face... (what is it with Canadians and Ketchup, anyhow?)
3. Ask them what temprature it is outside... (apparently they'll answer in C as opposed to F...)
4. When it's 40 degrees outside ask them if they're enjoying the heat-wave...
5. Try to step between them and the television when hockey is on - if they tackle you or perform some other evasive manuver so as not to break eye-contact...
6. Ask them who played "Moose" on YCDTOT...
7. Offer them an American beer & if they refuse to take it...
8. Ask them if they can tell you specific directions & milage to the nearest Tim Horton's...
9. Ask them for change for a $2 bill... (if they don't look at you like you're crazy...)
10. Just ask them.
That's my Spark's list of how to tell if someone's Canadian.
Not very funny - but, I promised him I'd add it. (I also promised I'd stop saying "fuck" so much on this journal. Fuck! What the hell am I supposed to say now?)
And, I find now that he's one of the 21.65 people who read my journal... apparently I left it up on his computer at home over Christmas... welcome Spark. I hope what you read here doesn't make your hair turn more grey than it already is... HAH!
Love,
Katie-Potatie, Esmerelda-Petunia Von-Lichtenstein
Carrot cake is a perfectly legitimate breakfast when one is working from home in their pjs.
I just got done reading a huge study on PG&E's "self-generation incentive program..." Let me tell you - it was facinating! (Not.)
So now I'm taking a break to dork around on the internet. Fun, fun.
Theoretically, I should be doing some PR/Media stuff for the SFIC & beatnik today... I don't know if I'll actually get to much of it beyond writing Feb. press releases... but, that's some progress.
My friend Lauren gets back from India next week... I'm super-psyched to see her... and, she said she's bringing me presents... So, that's something exciting -- she's been there a month -- originally, when she was planning this trip, she wanted me to come along... but, it just wasn't possible. Next year at this time, though, I'm hoping to have socked enough cash away on my new, improved budget that I can take a trip to Thailand with her... that's the plan, anyhow.
My Mommaship & the Sparkster are going to be in SF on March 14 & 15th... right after AE's b-day & the bs show... they will be on their way to Hawaii for some conference. I'm so excited that they will be here to see where I live! Yay, Mommaship & Sparkster!
***
I've started to notice odd, adolescent things about my body recently... like, suddenly I've got acne and dandruff... what the fuck is up with that? Is it the body Karma Police looking down and saying "Ah, Kate Kotler, as a teenager she was so dorky and neurotic that we thought it would be cruel to lay these plagues of acne and dandruff on her... now, she seems to have it together and be pretty happy - let's lay it on her!"
Fuckers.
The acne may be hormonal - it's not such a regular thing. And, I will just continue to wash my face, drink a lot of water, etc... fine.
BUT DANDRUFF?
What the fuck!!!
I have to go buy some Head & Shoulders.
Bah.
***
It's all sunny here in SF - but, it's deceptive... as it's fucking freezing outside. I was so cold all night long - it was insane... !
I had a dream that I got into a fist-fight with the box office manager of the Eureka Theater last night. How strange. I don't think I even *know* the box office manager of the Eureka Theater.
And, Dane Cook (Canadian/Boston bad boy... yummy-ness!) was in this dream -- as he gave me bad directions to get to the Staples Center (which had been relocated to SF) where the Naked Babies show had been moved to... then he showed up outside my apartment later that evening... and, we made out.
Well, that last part didn't happen. But, it would have been a much better dream if it had.
JD says that Dane Cook is from Boston. I say he's from Toronto... he may have lived in Boston for a while - but, dude is Canadian... Sparkster being a Canuck - I can tell.
I bet if I asked Dane Cook if he likes Ketchup Chips he'd say "Why, yeah - yoo know Katsup Chips, eh?"
Mmmm... Dane Cook.
***
I think I'm going to go for a run today. Even though it's cold - it's best, actually, to go for a run in the cold... I feel like it gets my heart rate up even further. I don't know if I'll be insane enough to run up Cathedral Hill again... but, a nice run through N. Beach down to the Wharf... along there to the Embarcadero -- go to Wallgreens to procure some shit I need -- walk back to the apartment as the cool down. Doesn't that sound nice?
I think that's what I'm going to do.
***
Tonight I'm going to do something social for the first time in a week... this makes me happy. I just hope that J isn't Mr. Tired-Cranky-Pants... as, I'm hoping that I can lure him into going to get a drink after the show tonight... I don't know who else is going to be there... but, apparently both NB shows are sold out.
Of course, as with every other time I've ever dealt with Ticketweb, there has been an issue with my tickets to this show -- which I ordered two weeks or so ago... as in: They never took payment. Never even submitted payment to my CC... what the hell?
Anyhow - after much struggle, etc... I finally got some tix... Granted - they may be crappy tix... but, I'm not picky. The dude at the SF Sketch Fest said that he'll release better seats at 10:15 & if I run down there around 6:30 when the box office opens that I can put myself on a wait-list to have the better seats in question... so, actually, I may end up getting good seats for a cheaper price... now, why would I want to fight with that box office manager? (Well, actually, the fight was with the BO manager of the Eureka... so I think there is a difference.)
Ah, well...
Off to run.
***
EDIT:
I read the Canadian accent stuff to my Dad about five minutes ago when I got back from my run... he corrected my spelling of "yes" (to "yeah"), "you" (to "yoo") and "Ketchup" (to "Katsup")... he also reminded me that there are a couple of other ways to tell if someone is a Canuck:
1. Start singing "O! Canada!" in French and if they sing along...
2. Serve them a plate of scrambled eggs w/"Katsup" on it & if they eat it w/out making a face... (what is it with Canadians and Ketchup, anyhow?)
3. Ask them what temprature it is outside... (apparently they'll answer in C as opposed to F...)
4. When it's 40 degrees outside ask them if they're enjoying the heat-wave...
5. Try to step between them and the television when hockey is on - if they tackle you or perform some other evasive manuver so as not to break eye-contact...
6. Ask them who played "Moose" on YCDTOT...
7. Offer them an American beer & if they refuse to take it...
8. Ask them if they can tell you specific directions & milage to the nearest Tim Horton's...
9. Ask them for change for a $2 bill... (if they don't look at you like you're crazy...)
10. Just ask them.
That's my Spark's list of how to tell if someone's Canadian.
Not very funny - but, I promised him I'd add it. (I also promised I'd stop saying "fuck" so much on this journal. Fuck! What the hell am I supposed to say now?)
And, I find now that he's one of the 21.65 people who read my journal... apparently I left it up on his computer at home over Christmas... welcome Spark. I hope what you read here doesn't make your hair turn more grey than it already is... HAH!
Love,
Katie-Potatie, Esmerelda-Petunia Von-Lichtenstein
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*O! Canada!
In Francais, si vous plait!
O Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
In English:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
*I should note here for the record that the first song I was ever taught to sing as a child was "I Am Woman!" by Helen Reddy... the second? "O! Canada!" in both English and French... I could sing the Canadian national anthem in two languages before I ever learned the "Star Spangled Banner..." A fact which annoyed the hell out of my very conservative, Irish born-American naturalized-world war fighting Grandfather... who didn't like my hippy Sparkster that much, anyhow.
In Francais, si vous plait!
O Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
In English:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
*I should note here for the record that the first song I was ever taught to sing as a child was "I Am Woman!" by Helen Reddy... the second? "O! Canada!" in both English and French... I could sing the Canadian national anthem in two languages before I ever learned the "Star Spangled Banner..." A fact which annoyed the hell out of my very conservative, Irish born-American naturalized-world war fighting Grandfather... who didn't like my hippy Sparkster that much, anyhow.
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Cranky-pants No More, Sean Penn, Showgirls, Naked Babies, So Wrong/so Right...
J was not Mr. Tired Cranky-Pants... in fact he laughed and was in good humors quite a bit... which made me a little on the giddy side... as I know he has had a frustrating couple of weeks at work & the past two times we've hung out he's been exhausted, zoned and not very fun.
After I dealt with the Sketch Fest BO debacle we walked up into North Beach and stopped in Tosca for drinks... at which time J told me a story about how Phillip Seymour Hoffman nearly ran him down last night coming out of the Virgin Mega Store... which caused us to launch into celeb./psuedo-celeb sighting stories... which lead to discussions of Michigan for some reason and how much he dislikes Lansing.
Dunno.
For those of you not in the know with SF geography - now might be a good time to point out that the bar Tosca is katty-corner from Zoetrope Studios on Columbus Ave... Zoetrope, of course, being Coppola's joint. There are often a multitude of celebs who work on projects there...
As we are talking I notice that J is looking over my shoulder - he points in this low key way & says "Don't look, but, Sean Penn is at the bar."
So.
OF COURSE I LOOK.
Which makes him (J) nearly snort his martini out his nose... and, indeed - there is Sean Penn at the bar having an intense conversation with the bartender. Which concludes and he walks quickly & with purpose back out of Tosca.
Random moments. Very, very random.
***
Just for the record - SHOWGIRLS: The Best Movie Ever Made. Ever. is fantastically funny. So funny that I wheezed from laughing so hard. Jackie Clarke is brilliant.
Seth Morris played a hysterical Joe Ezterhaus... it was great.
J & I both enjoyed ourselves so much that it was worth the BO debacle and having to wait until everyone else on the planet had picked up tix before we were issued ours.
Naked Babies was wonderful, too... it's really great to see improv when you know one of the people playing... esp. when that person has been your teacher... and, to watch them employing all the brilliant tricks, etc that the person whom you know and has been your teacher has taught you...
And, more stuff.
I :love: their group scenes... I wish to hell that the group scenes which I participated in were more like that - a finely orchestrated symphony...
Great stuff. Hard to believe that they haven't played together for a while.
Chatted w/Mr. Morris briefly after the show... unfortunately it would seem he's not going to be around LA when the SFIC heads down there in Feb... going to the Telluride for the US Comedy Festival (a fact which made me whine to J on the way out of the theater "I wanna go to the Telluride for the US Comedy Festival... all the cool kids go to the Telluride for the US Comedy Festival..." Which made him laugh so hard at me that he started coughing...) But, I told him I was sending him a DVD of beatnik... which he seemed in favor of.
Nice guy, Seth Morris. Sporting a snazzy 'stach, too... very trucker.
***
You know what I love more than anything in sketch comedy and improv? When you see performers who will go to the absolute most wrong (as in "that's so WRONG" laugh, laugh) place w/no fear what-so-ever. It is brave and funny and cool and something which every improviser/sketch comedian aspires to do.
Go to the wrong place. It's so fun. For you and for the audience.
Wrong is so right.
What a good Friday night that turned out to be.
J was not Mr. Tired Cranky-Pants... in fact he laughed and was in good humors quite a bit... which made me a little on the giddy side... as I know he has had a frustrating couple of weeks at work & the past two times we've hung out he's been exhausted, zoned and not very fun.
After I dealt with the Sketch Fest BO debacle we walked up into North Beach and stopped in Tosca for drinks... at which time J told me a story about how Phillip Seymour Hoffman nearly ran him down last night coming out of the Virgin Mega Store... which caused us to launch into celeb./psuedo-celeb sighting stories... which lead to discussions of Michigan for some reason and how much he dislikes Lansing.
Dunno.
For those of you not in the know with SF geography - now might be a good time to point out that the bar Tosca is katty-corner from Zoetrope Studios on Columbus Ave... Zoetrope, of course, being Coppola's joint. There are often a multitude of celebs who work on projects there...
As we are talking I notice that J is looking over my shoulder - he points in this low key way & says "Don't look, but, Sean Penn is at the bar."
So.
OF COURSE I LOOK.
Which makes him (J) nearly snort his martini out his nose... and, indeed - there is Sean Penn at the bar having an intense conversation with the bartender. Which concludes and he walks quickly & with purpose back out of Tosca.
Random moments. Very, very random.
***
Just for the record - SHOWGIRLS: The Best Movie Ever Made. Ever. is fantastically funny. So funny that I wheezed from laughing so hard. Jackie Clarke is brilliant.
Seth Morris played a hysterical Joe Ezterhaus... it was great.
J & I both enjoyed ourselves so much that it was worth the BO debacle and having to wait until everyone else on the planet had picked up tix before we were issued ours.
Naked Babies was wonderful, too... it's really great to see improv when you know one of the people playing... esp. when that person has been your teacher... and, to watch them employing all the brilliant tricks, etc that the person whom you know and has been your teacher has taught you...
And, more stuff.
I :love: their group scenes... I wish to hell that the group scenes which I participated in were more like that - a finely orchestrated symphony...
Great stuff. Hard to believe that they haven't played together for a while.
Chatted w/Mr. Morris briefly after the show... unfortunately it would seem he's not going to be around LA when the SFIC heads down there in Feb... going to the Telluride for the US Comedy Festival (a fact which made me whine to J on the way out of the theater "I wanna go to the Telluride for the US Comedy Festival... all the cool kids go to the Telluride for the US Comedy Festival..." Which made him laugh so hard at me that he started coughing...) But, I told him I was sending him a DVD of beatnik... which he seemed in favor of.
Nice guy, Seth Morris. Sporting a snazzy 'stach, too... very trucker.
***
You know what I love more than anything in sketch comedy and improv? When you see performers who will go to the absolute most wrong (as in "that's so WRONG" laugh, laugh) place w/no fear what-so-ever. It is brave and funny and cool and something which every improviser/sketch comedian aspires to do.
Go to the wrong place. It's so fun. For you and for the audience.
Wrong is so right.
What a good Friday night that turned out to be.
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Very Good Rehearsal/so Tired
The Hook is an exhausting format to rehearse... fun, but, tiring...
It was a good rehearsal today - I'm looking forward to our preview this coming weekend.
I'm sure I'll have more to say when I'm not so tired that my eyes are crossed.
Sleep... at six something on a Sunday? Slightly obscene. But, that's what's about to happen.
Sleep.
The Hook is an exhausting format to rehearse... fun, but, tiring...
It was a good rehearsal today - I'm looking forward to our preview this coming weekend.
I'm sure I'll have more to say when I'm not so tired that my eyes are crossed.
Sleep... at six something on a Sunday? Slightly obscene. But, that's what's about to happen.
Sleep.
On Being The Only Girl...
(This post has nothing to do w/improv - though, it could.)
I am exhausted.
Let me start this post by saying that I am the oldest of 21 cousins. And, after my cousin Jon (who is 7 years younger than I am) there is a break of 10 years in age before the next cousin came along...
Meaning... I'm *coughthirtysomethingcough* and my youngest cousin is four.
On my Mom's side the kids come in pretty packages of three & four... except my cousin Annie - who is an only child. Five kids having three or four kids each... that accounts for the majority of the cousinage in my family.
On my Spark's side - only one of his siblings has kids. My aunt Marlene. And, she has three great kids... really great kids. Smart, funny, well behaved and pretty. Jenny, Kevin & Scott.
I love my cousins. All of them. However I feel a particular closeness with my cousins Annie & Jenny. Annie is the daughter of my Mom's only sister... she's an only child... is 12 years old & is really, really close to my immediate family.
This is most likely because when we were growing up (myself, Mike & Matthew) my Aunt B was like our older sister... she spent holidays, vacations, free time w/us... I used to go visit her in NYC & Washington, D.C. on holidays & breaks... and, I'm positive that at least part of the reason I lead my life the way I do is because I emulated her behavior. (She's also the reason I love big cities, sushi and the Beatles.)
I see Annie a lot.
A lot.
Four times in the past year... and, when I was living in Wisconsin I used to see her every weekend. Annie is like the little sister I never had (or, wanted.)
Jenny is a different story. Much like me - she's the only girl-child in a family full of "mens men." She's out there all alone & drifting. Jen is now 15 and starting to have a hard time w/being the only girl-child in her immediate family... she has no one to identify with.
I regret the fact that I hardly ever see my Dad's family. I do adore them - but, they are on the NY/Canada border... and, they never seem to come down to visit when I'm home... where-as my Chicago family I see every holiday because we either go there or they come to Ohio.
So - I'm not as close to Marlene's kids as I am to my Uncles & Aunts kiddos... in fact - the last time I saw Jen, Kev & "Tot" was at my brother's graduation from The Ohio State University in 2003.
It's been a while.
This summer I got to spend some time w/Jen - as they came down to the lake while I was home re-cooping. She's a great kid -- very smart... almost too smart. A little on the introverted side. A little in awe of me - apparently - as when they arrived at my parent's house in NY she threw her arms around me and asked me for an autograph.
(I should mention that my ENTIRE family thinks I'm a movie star or something based on the background/stand-in, five & under and voice over work I've done over the years...)
Wacky kid.
At my brother's wedding this October I spent a bunch of time w/her... my other girl-cousins (Sara & Kate - yes, Kate was named for me) are sisters & have each other to hang onto in weird situations... whereas, Annie & Jen are kind of floating. You know?
So, I took them to do stuff... mall, movie... did their hair for the wedding... etc.
And, at the reception when my little cousin "Tot" (Scott) fell asleep on the floor and my Aunt Mar wanted to take all the kids home - Jen had a little meltdown... saying that she "hardly even gets to know Katie - I want to stay so I can spend time with Katie...!"
Very sweet. Somewhat adolescent... but, very, very sweet.
But, I convinced her that she needed to go w/her Mom... and, that I would see her again really soon.
After this I suggested to my Mom that we invite just Jenny down to the lake this summer when I'm home for some cousin bonding... maybe Jen & Annie... together.
ALL THAT BACKSTORY ASIDE:
Somewhere in the course of time I gave Jenny my cell-phone number and told her to call me if she ever wanted to.
She's called me a couple of times... just to chat. I always feel like I'm doing a good thing talking with her - as I know from experience how hard it is to be a teenage girl in a family full of "manly men."
Last night - I was wiped out from my week, rehearsal, etc... so, I went to bed at nine-thirty.
I was out like a light by ten - I'm positive...
At one in the fucking morning my cell phone rang.
I blearly looked at the caller id & it said "Aunt Mar."
Which made me sit up with panic - why the hell would my Aunt Mar be calling me at one in the morning my time -- three in the morning her time.
I was positive someone (like my parents) was dead.
It was not my Aunt Mar - it was Jenny. Calling me at three in the morning her time... in hysterics... to tell me she was going to run away... and, to ask if she could come live with me in California.
WTF?
Lordy. I didn't know I opened that can of worms with her when I started spending time w/her...
Of course - my initial instinct was to laugh at her and tell her to go to bed & she'd feel better in the morning.
Thankfully, my better sense kicked in -- and, I remembered calling my Aunt B at all hours threatening to either kill myself or run away... because, I could no longer live under the oppression which was the house of my Mother... bullshit teenage crap like that. And, I remembered how seriously I took it & how offended I would have been if she had laughed at me...
So, I spent three hours on the phone w/her - talking her down... telling her that it would all pass, etc...
Three hours. Until four in the fucking morning.
Four in the fucking morning.
I'm going to start turning my cell phone off at night.
And, of course I had to get up early this morning - not just for work - but, extra early so that I could call my Aunt Mar and let her know that something is up with her kid...
Apparently Jen wants to go on some school trip to NYC & my Aunt Mar/Uncle Jim are skeptical about letting her go... (they're a little over protective...) and, Jen had a fit about it last night.
Dur. Of course that's what happened.
It would have been more than enough to set me off when I was 15... god, my Mom even looking at me funny was enough to set me off when I was 15... !
It sucks being the oldest (like she is, too) and the only girl.
It sucks even more being the confidant of that girl-child... middle of the night phone calls.
Good lord - it's only going to get worse - Annie turns 13 this year.
Bah.
I'm SUCH a good role model.
(This post has nothing to do w/improv - though, it could.)
I am exhausted.
Let me start this post by saying that I am the oldest of 21 cousins. And, after my cousin Jon (who is 7 years younger than I am) there is a break of 10 years in age before the next cousin came along...
Meaning... I'm *coughthirtysomethingcough* and my youngest cousin is four.
On my Mom's side the kids come in pretty packages of three & four... except my cousin Annie - who is an only child. Five kids having three or four kids each... that accounts for the majority of the cousinage in my family.
On my Spark's side - only one of his siblings has kids. My aunt Marlene. And, she has three great kids... really great kids. Smart, funny, well behaved and pretty. Jenny, Kevin & Scott.
I love my cousins. All of them. However I feel a particular closeness with my cousins Annie & Jenny. Annie is the daughter of my Mom's only sister... she's an only child... is 12 years old & is really, really close to my immediate family.
This is most likely because when we were growing up (myself, Mike & Matthew) my Aunt B was like our older sister... she spent holidays, vacations, free time w/us... I used to go visit her in NYC & Washington, D.C. on holidays & breaks... and, I'm positive that at least part of the reason I lead my life the way I do is because I emulated her behavior. (She's also the reason I love big cities, sushi and the Beatles.)
I see Annie a lot.
A lot.
Four times in the past year... and, when I was living in Wisconsin I used to see her every weekend. Annie is like the little sister I never had (or, wanted.)
Jenny is a different story. Much like me - she's the only girl-child in a family full of "mens men." She's out there all alone & drifting. Jen is now 15 and starting to have a hard time w/being the only girl-child in her immediate family... she has no one to identify with.
I regret the fact that I hardly ever see my Dad's family. I do adore them - but, they are on the NY/Canada border... and, they never seem to come down to visit when I'm home... where-as my Chicago family I see every holiday because we either go there or they come to Ohio.
So - I'm not as close to Marlene's kids as I am to my Uncles & Aunts kiddos... in fact - the last time I saw Jen, Kev & "Tot" was at my brother's graduation from The Ohio State University in 2003.
It's been a while.
This summer I got to spend some time w/Jen - as they came down to the lake while I was home re-cooping. She's a great kid -- very smart... almost too smart. A little on the introverted side. A little in awe of me - apparently - as when they arrived at my parent's house in NY she threw her arms around me and asked me for an autograph.
(I should mention that my ENTIRE family thinks I'm a movie star or something based on the background/stand-in, five & under and voice over work I've done over the years...)
Wacky kid.
At my brother's wedding this October I spent a bunch of time w/her... my other girl-cousins (Sara & Kate - yes, Kate was named for me) are sisters & have each other to hang onto in weird situations... whereas, Annie & Jen are kind of floating. You know?
So, I took them to do stuff... mall, movie... did their hair for the wedding... etc.
And, at the reception when my little cousin "Tot" (Scott) fell asleep on the floor and my Aunt Mar wanted to take all the kids home - Jen had a little meltdown... saying that she "hardly even gets to know Katie - I want to stay so I can spend time with Katie...!"
Very sweet. Somewhat adolescent... but, very, very sweet.
But, I convinced her that she needed to go w/her Mom... and, that I would see her again really soon.
After this I suggested to my Mom that we invite just Jenny down to the lake this summer when I'm home for some cousin bonding... maybe Jen & Annie... together.
ALL THAT BACKSTORY ASIDE:
Somewhere in the course of time I gave Jenny my cell-phone number and told her to call me if she ever wanted to.
She's called me a couple of times... just to chat. I always feel like I'm doing a good thing talking with her - as I know from experience how hard it is to be a teenage girl in a family full of "manly men."
Last night - I was wiped out from my week, rehearsal, etc... so, I went to bed at nine-thirty.
I was out like a light by ten - I'm positive...
At one in the fucking morning my cell phone rang.
I blearly looked at the caller id & it said "Aunt Mar."
Which made me sit up with panic - why the hell would my Aunt Mar be calling me at one in the morning my time -- three in the morning her time.
I was positive someone (like my parents) was dead.
It was not my Aunt Mar - it was Jenny. Calling me at three in the morning her time... in hysterics... to tell me she was going to run away... and, to ask if she could come live with me in California.
WTF?
Lordy. I didn't know I opened that can of worms with her when I started spending time w/her...
Of course - my initial instinct was to laugh at her and tell her to go to bed & she'd feel better in the morning.
Thankfully, my better sense kicked in -- and, I remembered calling my Aunt B at all hours threatening to either kill myself or run away... because, I could no longer live under the oppression which was the house of my Mother... bullshit teenage crap like that. And, I remembered how seriously I took it & how offended I would have been if she had laughed at me...
So, I spent three hours on the phone w/her - talking her down... telling her that it would all pass, etc...
Three hours. Until four in the fucking morning.
Four in the fucking morning.
I'm going to start turning my cell phone off at night.
And, of course I had to get up early this morning - not just for work - but, extra early so that I could call my Aunt Mar and let her know that something is up with her kid...
Apparently Jen wants to go on some school trip to NYC & my Aunt Mar/Uncle Jim are skeptical about letting her go... (they're a little over protective...) and, Jen had a fit about it last night.
Dur. Of course that's what happened.
It would have been more than enough to set me off when I was 15... god, my Mom even looking at me funny was enough to set me off when I was 15... !
It sucks being the oldest (like she is, too) and the only girl.
It sucks even more being the confidant of that girl-child... middle of the night phone calls.
Good lord - it's only going to get worse - Annie turns 13 this year.
Bah.
I'm SUCH a good role model.
Jd Gets A Kick To The Head, Workin' In The P.j.s Day, Strange Dreams, Shows, Etc...
The next time I see JD I'm going to kick him in the head.
Here is why:
On Friday he called me to tell me that he couldn't meet up with me & J at the Naked Babies/Showgirls shows because he either had a.) the stomach flu or, b.) food poisoning.
I, of course, am very sympathetic. I "oh, poor baby" him and tell him to let me know if he's going to miss rehearsal.
He is fine by rehearsal - says so, at least.
Yesterday? For me? Not.So.Good.
At first, the crappiness I was feeling was attributed to me being tired. But, then somewhere around lunch my stomach went all haywire, and...
Well, the rest is too disgusting to post on a blog.
JD gets kicked in the head - as he's the only person I *know* who has had anything approaching the stomach flu in months - for coming to rehearsal, drinking out of my water bottle (before I could stop him) and getting me sick.
My stomach feels like a raw, open wound which someone has poured battery acid over.
Motherfucker.
uke:
***
I get to work from home today - not just because I am somewhat sick (I stopped puking and pooing sometime in the middle of the night) but, because I have to wait on the US Post Office to deliver two MONSTER boxes to me that my Mom shipped two weeks ago... they have 28 of the 30 books I got for Xmas, lps, clothes, assorted stuff in them that I couldn't carry on the plane back from Ohio.
When I called to arrange a delivery on Saturday they gave me the window of "8am to 5pm."
WTF?
Like people don't have anything else to do with their lives other than sit around and wait for their slow asses?
Good lord.
If I had a car, I'd just have driven over to the postal center on Harrison (which is too far to walk w/two monster boxes of crap) and picked them up... as this is RE-DICK-O-LOUS!
But, at least I get to stay home in my PJ's and work here... lots of technical PG&E crap to read.
Yah. Fun.
***
So I had a dream last night that Super Dave, SS and I were in the Climate Theater... I'm not sure what we were doing there - but, there were all kinds of lights on and a big mirror covering the window... and, Super Dave had chocolate chip cookie dough... which he offered to me... after saying: "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - which tastes kind of chicken-y."
And, I ate some of the cookie dough - and, it did taste like Chicken n'a Biscuit crackers... it was SO fucking odd.
It was also May. I don't know why I knew that - but, I did.
Strange dream.
Very, very strange.
***
We have a show this weekend.
At the Off Market Gallery.
9:30 pm
Tix are ten bucks - but, we're offering 241's...
If any of you fools are in SF and want to check us out... we're doing the Hook for our second set.
Yo.
J's coming... I'm excited and nervous about this.
Dunno why.
Maybe because most of the people I care about in SF will be there... SS, AE (I'm hoping,) the beatniks, Thomas, Martin, Liz... none of whom (except Martin) have met J.
I don't know if that means J and I are officially dating or what -- when he meets the majority of the people whom you consider friends...
Is that a milestone?
Or, maybe it's that I'm concerned that we won't be as good as I want us to be (which is always a concern) in front of this hot, awesome guy whom I'm sort of-not sure if I'm-kind of-unclearly-dating.... ??
Who knows?
But, it ain't the flu making the woobly feeling in my tummy about this one.
Or, maybe it is?
We'll see.
BEATNIK SHOW - SATURDAY - WILL ROCK!
(Because, we do.)
The next time I see JD I'm going to kick him in the head.
Here is why:
On Friday he called me to tell me that he couldn't meet up with me & J at the Naked Babies/Showgirls shows because he either had a.) the stomach flu or, b.) food poisoning.
I, of course, am very sympathetic. I "oh, poor baby" him and tell him to let me know if he's going to miss rehearsal.
He is fine by rehearsal - says so, at least.
Yesterday? For me? Not.So.Good.
At first, the crappiness I was feeling was attributed to me being tired. But, then somewhere around lunch my stomach went all haywire, and...
Well, the rest is too disgusting to post on a blog.
JD gets kicked in the head - as he's the only person I *know* who has had anything approaching the stomach flu in months - for coming to rehearsal, drinking out of my water bottle (before I could stop him) and getting me sick.
My stomach feels like a raw, open wound which someone has poured battery acid over.
Motherfucker.
uke: ***
I get to work from home today - not just because I am somewhat sick (I stopped puking and pooing sometime in the middle of the night) but, because I have to wait on the US Post Office to deliver two MONSTER boxes to me that my Mom shipped two weeks ago... they have 28 of the 30 books I got for Xmas, lps, clothes, assorted stuff in them that I couldn't carry on the plane back from Ohio.
When I called to arrange a delivery on Saturday they gave me the window of "8am to 5pm."
WTF?
Like people don't have anything else to do with their lives other than sit around and wait for their slow asses?
Good lord.
If I had a car, I'd just have driven over to the postal center on Harrison (which is too far to walk w/two monster boxes of crap) and picked them up... as this is RE-DICK-O-LOUS!
But, at least I get to stay home in my PJ's and work here... lots of technical PG&E crap to read.
Yah. Fun.
***
So I had a dream last night that Super Dave, SS and I were in the Climate Theater... I'm not sure what we were doing there - but, there were all kinds of lights on and a big mirror covering the window... and, Super Dave had chocolate chip cookie dough... which he offered to me... after saying: "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - which tastes kind of chicken-y."
And, I ate some of the cookie dough - and, it did taste like Chicken n'a Biscuit crackers... it was SO fucking odd.
It was also May. I don't know why I knew that - but, I did.
Strange dream.
Very, very strange.
***
We have a show this weekend.
At the Off Market Gallery.
9:30 pm
Tix are ten bucks - but, we're offering 241's...
If any of you fools are in SF and want to check us out... we're doing the Hook for our second set.
Yo.
J's coming... I'm excited and nervous about this.
Dunno why.
Maybe because most of the people I care about in SF will be there... SS, AE (I'm hoping,) the beatniks, Thomas, Martin, Liz... none of whom (except Martin) have met J.
I don't know if that means J and I are officially dating or what -- when he meets the majority of the people whom you consider friends...
Is that a milestone?
Or, maybe it's that I'm concerned that we won't be as good as I want us to be (which is always a concern) in front of this hot, awesome guy whom I'm sort of-not sure if I'm-kind of-unclearly-dating.... ??
Who knows?
But, it ain't the flu making the woobly feeling in my tummy about this one.
Or, maybe it is?
We'll see.
BEATNIK SHOW - SATURDAY - WILL ROCK!
(Because, we do.)
Da Mommaship & Da Sparkster!
YAY!
My Mom & Dad will be visiting me in SF on March 15th & March 16th... !!
I'm so excited - I can hardly wait.
(I'm such a sappy-pap when it comes to my 'Rents... I :love: them!)
Anyone who wants to know exactly how I turned out to be the warped individual I am should come meet them - it will be obvious after five minutes in a room w/my Sparkster!
Woo - parents!
:banana:
YAY!
My Mom & Dad will be visiting me in SF on March 15th & March 16th... !!
I'm so excited - I can hardly wait.
(I'm such a sappy-pap when it comes to my 'Rents... I :love: them!)
Anyone who wants to know exactly how I turned out to be the warped individual I am should come meet them - it will be obvious after five minutes in a room w/my Sparkster!
Woo - parents!
:banana:
Young Man...
I went to post something earlier about how much I hate the U.S. Post Office... but, the IRC ate my post.
I don't have the energy to post it again.
So in it's place I will post this:
I think that the cute little bank-teller whom I always see on Thursday mornings when I deposit my paycheck was hitting on me today.
Hrm.
He cannot be older than 25...
I should not think these thoughts about someone nearly 10 yrs my junior. If I will not deign to go out with someone who is 29 on the basis that they are younger than I am (among other things) than I will not have secret dirty thoughts about my bank teller...
Even though he is adorkable.
The only younger man I am allowed to conceptualize in this fashion is Jake Gyllenhaal. Mmm... Bubble Boy.
Better get to work.
I went to post something earlier about how much I hate the U.S. Post Office... but, the IRC ate my post.
I don't have the energy to post it again.
So in it's place I will post this:
I think that the cute little bank-teller whom I always see on Thursday mornings when I deposit my paycheck was hitting on me today.
Hrm.
He cannot be older than 25...
I should not think these thoughts about someone nearly 10 yrs my junior. If I will not deign to go out with someone who is 29 on the basis that they are younger than I am (among other things) than I will not have secret dirty thoughts about my bank teller...
Even though he is adorkable.
The only younger man I am allowed to conceptualize in this fashion is Jake Gyllenhaal. Mmm... Bubble Boy.
Better get to work.
For The Record:
I love (in a purely platonic way) Michael Danzansky.
He is so wrong he's right.
Thank you, MD for cheering me right the fuck-up this morning... I now have to go mop up the coffee I snorted out my nose & all over my desk after reading this:
"Perhaps you should get a part-time job waiting tables and give up the stripper gig. Might free up some time."
(It's an inside joke.)
:love: to you!!
I love (in a purely platonic way) Michael Danzansky.
He is so wrong he's right.
Thank you, MD for cheering me right the fuck-up this morning... I now have to go mop up the coffee I snorted out my nose & all over my desk after reading this:
"Perhaps you should get a part-time job waiting tables and give up the stripper gig. Might free up some time."
(It's an inside joke.)
:love: to you!!
Check Me Out In 'stupid Cupid'
http://www.stupidcupidmovie.com/
Premier April 4th at the Parkview Theater in Oakland...
http://www.stupidcupidmovie.com/
Premier April 4th at the Parkview Theater in Oakland...
Feel The Improv Love
Last night was amazing... heartbreaking... glorious... fun... scary... strange... intoxicating... wonderful.
I was *all kinds of nervous* about the show last night -- which played out in many different formats for me... mostly with me not being able to tolerate JDs pre-show ADD very well.
The scene work could have been better... but, the crowd was on our side. Liz rocked the house hardcore... and, the Hook came together so well for our first time playing it.
We were packed... SRO... seriously - I could not believe it. It really made me so very happy... but, of course added into my jitters.
The huge suprise of the night came after - when I was standing there talking to J... and, I hear SS say behind me "Hey, Jesse, good to see you!"
JESSE.FUCKING.PARENT!!
Shaun Landry & Jesse finagled the biggest suprise I've had in about a tra-zillion years... snuck that sneaky bastard (and, his beautiful wife) into SF... into my show... w/out me knowing (and, this is like the smallest venue on the face of the planet - as I was walking to the stage I could have tripped over him...) to suprise me.
This suprise, at alternate times of the evening, made me squeak with delight (not in that way, get your mind out of the gutter!) and made me tear up.
It was the coolest thing - ever.
Jesse sent me a PM a couple of days ago to tell me to break a leg last night... and, my reply to him was: "Thanks, I really wish you were here to whip us into shape..."
Little did I know that he and Ms. Landry had been planning for two months to suprise me... that he was coming in from Utah to see our show.
Awww... guys. Really - you have no idea how much that delighted me. So, so much.
J gave me a huge compliment - compared the bs show favorably to another show we'd seen together... He seemed to have enjoyed himself. Went home after the show - as he said he was "fried." Don't know what's up with that. There was a strange moment... but, my ___________ with J is filled with strange moments. I don't know if I freaked him out or what. Not sure if I was rejected, or what... ? But, I spent some time last night feeling a little shitty about it.
Of course this feeling was quickly altered with alcohol. Got *very* drunk... all kinds of improv love flowing at the Chieftain last night.
JP had her last Leila show (along with another crew of great improvisers) so they were all there hanging out... she was delighted to see Jesse, too.
CDJ was there - came to the show - made my night. Haven't seen him since he got married in December. MDP & MD were there... there was booze, compliments, funny bits, shop talk and all kinds of peaceable interaction in the Chieftain last night. Yay!
Went to an impromptu party following bar close -- don't think I drank more -- but, may have smoked a cigarette (which actually, in true form, made me sick to my stomach this morning when I got up...) Hung out. Didn't get home until 5-ish in the morning. Slept until an hour or so ago... well, I did get up at 10:30 because I was sick from the cigarette...
But, okay - you do stupid things like smoke after you haven't smoked in six months following a night of drinking - you have to pay the price. Oh well. I'm fine now.
It truly was an amazing... heartbreaking... glorious... fun... scary... strange... intoxicating... wonderful night.
Oh yes, it was.
:love:
Last night was amazing... heartbreaking... glorious... fun... scary... strange... intoxicating... wonderful.
I was *all kinds of nervous* about the show last night -- which played out in many different formats for me... mostly with me not being able to tolerate JDs pre-show ADD very well.
The scene work could have been better... but, the crowd was on our side. Liz rocked the house hardcore... and, the Hook came together so well for our first time playing it.
We were packed... SRO... seriously - I could not believe it. It really made me so very happy... but, of course added into my jitters.
The huge suprise of the night came after - when I was standing there talking to J... and, I hear SS say behind me "Hey, Jesse, good to see you!"
JESSE.FUCKING.PARENT!!
Shaun Landry & Jesse finagled the biggest suprise I've had in about a tra-zillion years... snuck that sneaky bastard (and, his beautiful wife) into SF... into my show... w/out me knowing (and, this is like the smallest venue on the face of the planet - as I was walking to the stage I could have tripped over him...) to suprise me.
This suprise, at alternate times of the evening, made me squeak with delight (not in that way, get your mind out of the gutter!) and made me tear up.
It was the coolest thing - ever.
Jesse sent me a PM a couple of days ago to tell me to break a leg last night... and, my reply to him was: "Thanks, I really wish you were here to whip us into shape..."
Little did I know that he and Ms. Landry had been planning for two months to suprise me... that he was coming in from Utah to see our show.
Awww... guys. Really - you have no idea how much that delighted me. So, so much.
J gave me a huge compliment - compared the bs show favorably to another show we'd seen together... He seemed to have enjoyed himself. Went home after the show - as he said he was "fried." Don't know what's up with that. There was a strange moment... but, my ___________ with J is filled with strange moments. I don't know if I freaked him out or what. Not sure if I was rejected, or what... ? But, I spent some time last night feeling a little shitty about it.
Of course this feeling was quickly altered with alcohol. Got *very* drunk... all kinds of improv love flowing at the Chieftain last night.
JP had her last Leila show (along with another crew of great improvisers) so they were all there hanging out... she was delighted to see Jesse, too.
CDJ was there - came to the show - made my night. Haven't seen him since he got married in December. MDP & MD were there... there was booze, compliments, funny bits, shop talk and all kinds of peaceable interaction in the Chieftain last night. Yay!
Went to an impromptu party following bar close -- don't think I drank more -- but, may have smoked a cigarette (which actually, in true form, made me sick to my stomach this morning when I got up...) Hung out. Didn't get home until 5-ish in the morning. Slept until an hour or so ago... well, I did get up at 10:30 because I was sick from the cigarette...
But, okay - you do stupid things like smoke after you haven't smoked in six months following a night of drinking - you have to pay the price. Oh well. I'm fine now.
It truly was an amazing... heartbreaking... glorious... fun... scary... strange... intoxicating... wonderful night.
Oh yes, it was.
:love:
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Bah!
Working from home is not working from home if you are called into the office mid-afternoon to re-create a PowerPoint presentation which an inept idiot deleted...
How can you be 40 years old, in marketing (for Christ's sake) and not have the computer skills necessary to either create or edit a PowerPoint presentation?
Seriously. How is that possiable?
A trained monkey could operate this program.
***
I met these two guys at the SF SketchFest who gave me a DVD of their sketch group (Jerk Store Films)... I watched it on Saturday. It's really, really good. (And, I'm a discerning viewer of all things sketch.)
Visit their website:
www.jerkstorefilms.com
You can watch some of their sketches on Quicktime... they aren't as good as the ones on the DVD - but, still funny stuff.
***
I think there is something in my apartment I'm seriously allergic to. My eyes are all puffy, itchy and my nose is runny. Plus, I've had a lingering headache for the past several days... which seems to abate when I leave my apartment.
Dunno.
If it continues I may have to take advantage of my new medical insurance and go to a fucking doctor.
Back to fixing the PowerPoint snafu of my idiot co-worker.
Later, IRC
Working from home is not working from home if you are called into the office mid-afternoon to re-create a PowerPoint presentation which an inept idiot deleted...
How can you be 40 years old, in marketing (for Christ's sake) and not have the computer skills necessary to either create or edit a PowerPoint presentation?
Seriously. How is that possiable?
A trained monkey could operate this program.
***
I met these two guys at the SF SketchFest who gave me a DVD of their sketch group (Jerk Store Films)... I watched it on Saturday. It's really, really good. (And, I'm a discerning viewer of all things sketch.)
Visit their website:
www.jerkstorefilms.com
You can watch some of their sketches on Quicktime... they aren't as good as the ones on the DVD - but, still funny stuff.
***
I think there is something in my apartment I'm seriously allergic to. My eyes are all puffy, itchy and my nose is runny. Plus, I've had a lingering headache for the past several days... which seems to abate when I leave my apartment.
Dunno.
If it continues I may have to take advantage of my new medical insurance and go to a fucking doctor.
Back to fixing the PowerPoint snafu of my idiot co-worker.
Later, IRC
Contemplating Mortality While Shivering W/the Windows Open
The thing in my apartment making me all snotty, eyes itchy, headache-ish and nauseous?
Carbon Monoxide.
From burn-off of a major gas leak in the apartment next door.
PG&E on their way to fix the situation.
I almost could have died from that, yo.
God.
:nervous:
The thing in my apartment making me all snotty, eyes itchy, headache-ish and nauseous?
Carbon Monoxide.
From burn-off of a major gas leak in the apartment next door.
PG&E on their way to fix the situation.
I almost could have died from that, yo.
God.
:nervous:
Run, Katie, Run!
One of my New Years resolutions was to start running again... which I have been doing - bit by bit - when I've been sitting around w/nothing to do I put on my red running shorts & New Balance... head out the door & run until I induce an asthma attack (which isn't far, sometimes)...
I used to run all the time. In New Orleans I used to get up really, really early (like 9am - which is equal to 5am anywhere else - you just could never call NOLA a 'city which never sleeps' - because, it seems to only sleep at times...) and, run my little ass down Jefferson Parish Parkway to the canal - then run along the canal until I got to City Park... run down Esplanade back into the Quarter... I would stop at this little coffee shop right at the corner of Esplanade & Burgundy (pronounced Burh-gund-ee) to get a coffee and the paper... usually, I'd run into my ex-Uncle (In-Law... that's right, suckahs, I was married once) and his partner (affectionately referred to "Ankle" John) having coffee & breakfast... NOLA being the lazy-ass town it is they never seemed to have anywhere to be before 11:30 am... then I'd walk back to my apartment (stinkin' like a homeless person) and climb back into bed w/Thomas (my ex-bf, not ex-hubby - ex-hubby lives in Ohio) who would still be sleeping... as he never had anywhere to be before mid-afternoon.
I loved that run. It was pretty, quiet - I hardly ran into people who were in my way... at 9 am it usually wasn't hot enough yet to really make it a horrid experience -- but, it was hot enough that it made you feel like you were melting off fat, etc.
It was about 3 miles, round-trip. Not very hilly (which is important)... a good workout. Did it about three times a week.
When I lived in LA I ran at the gym every morning before going into the set and every evening before going home - on an elliptical trainer. I would just plug in my little headphones and listen to the news... or, put my disc-man on and let my stress get worked out with some punk-rock running... or, put a monologue on the little stand on the elliptical trainer (they have a book stand on most of them) and work on that... no one even looked at me weird when I did that... it was LA-LA, after all.
I would run for about 45 minutes each time... coming out to about 5 miles a session... meaning I was running about 10 miles/day.
No wonder I was in such great shape when I lived in LA.
Running on the elliptical trainer is much different than running on the pavement -- it's nicer. It's like getting all the benefits of running (stronger legs, smaller ass, smaller tummy, improved cardiovascular system, less asthma issues, etc...) without the pain. It's like running on clouds.
When I lived in Boston I used to run at the gym, too -- mostly because my parents had bought me a gym membership for my birthday or some other assorted occasion & it seemed stupid to waste it. Besides, there was a Ballys in Porter Square which was open 24hrs... so I could go whenever I wanted to - which has a sort of appeal to the busy individual, you know?
Running in SF is an entirely different experience. The first thing you have to contend with is the weather -- most often when I want to go running (early in the morning or very late in the evening) it's foggy, cold or raining... Sometimes I see people out running in the rain & I think they're fucking insane. I hate rain in all forms & even if I lived in a tropical climate I wouldn't choose to go out and run in the rain.
Then there are the hills. The neighborhood I live in (Chinatown/North Beach) is one of the hilliest in SF... I live a mere 12 blocks (three down, six over) from Lombard Street - the hilliest street in the SF... or, is that crookedest? DK, DC (don't know, don't care)...
I have a bad knee. Two bad knees, as a matter of fact. The right is worse than the left, though... The right one - when I was 13 I shattered my patella... and, now I have a Teflon plate in that knee instead of a knee cap. You want to know why you're loath to ever find me in shorts? That knee. I had some reconstructive surgery on it about 10 years ago - so it looks better than it did for a long, long while... but, some scars run very deep.
I have to wear a brace when I run on the right knee. I should wear one on the left knee, too (damage from a chipped patella, some soft tissue damage & chronic tendinitis from years of stage combat & movement training)... but, I don't.
Suffice it to say that running on flat surfaces can be very painful.
Running on hills? Not just painful - damaging.
If I'm going to run on pavement I should really be running on flat, even paths.
I could go over to GG Park & run there... but, that would require me to take Muni over to the park - which is unappealing. Sometimes I run through the Embarcadero - but, during the day it's so crowded over there it's like trying to run through pudding.
Right now in Chinatown it's terrible to try to run... it being Chinese New Year & all the place is even more jam-packed with stupid-gawking tourists than it normally is.
Sometimes late at night I like to run up Grant Street to Broadway and then back down the other side of Grant to the Chinatown gate... it's maybe a mile.
My normal route, though is to leave my apartment & run up Clay Street to Sproule (which is at the top of Cathedral Hill - Cathedral Hill being a very steep incline - one of the worst hills in SF)... then to cut over on Sproule to California & run back down the same hellatious hill all the way through Chinatown to Montgomery... and, cut over on Montgomery back to Clay - where there is a Starbucks... where I get myself a triple-grande Vanilla Latte and walk my exhausted ass back up the hill on Clay to my apartment.
This run is HIDEOUS. Hard, hurtful... I could go on but I've run out of 'h' words to adequately describe the pain.
The thing is that this run is much, much shorter than what I would normally go for -- it's just under a mile -- but, the workout is much harder because of the grade of the hill going up and the control required going back down.
It makes my knees and hips a little on the ouchie side.
This morning I have stayed at home so that I can await delivery of my BS postcards via UPS - between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm... I woke up at 9-something and decided that it was a good morning to go for a run (cloudy, cool - not raining)...
I ran that route this morning. It was good. Got my heart-rate up pretty high... knees all spaghetti-like... smelling like a homeless person (and, I know what that smells like - as I passed by two or three on my run)... good.
When I got home my cell phone was ringing - it was my brother, Matt, calling me to tell me that he & my sister-in-law have bought a house in Pittsburgh (where he recently relocated for work)... very exciting.
He asked me why I was so out of breath... told him about the run... he and I used to run together when I lived in Ohio - I'd bike over from my apartment (having to cut through a park to do so) and then we'd run along the river and back... he was impressed with the difficulty of the route I described.
He asked me why I am running again, of course there are a multitude of reasons: Get into better shape, lose some weight, work out my stress in a healthy way, etc...
He asked me if I'd lost a bunch of weight again (as when I went home for Xmas he commented that I'd lost a bunch of weight even since his wedding in October - which is true - I'd gone down one and a half pant sizes.) Sadly, my answer has been no -- I seem to have been holding at the same weight for about two months now...
He gave me an interesting reason for this (he minored in Sports Nutrition and Training... why? Dunno.) In order to drop a lot of weight it's not about the difficulty of the run - it's about the length of time you have your heartbeat elevated... that the run I was describing sounded like an endurance run - which would build muscle as opposed to burning calories... meaning I have been losing size (most likely) but, have been keeping my weight the same - if not gaining weight - because, muscle weighs more than fat.
Erm.
Okay... that explains that.
He recommended that I buy an elliptical trainer (for my knees and to drop those unsightly lbs) and limit my endurance run to once a week.
So -- my Mom gets on the phone then (I guess they were at the lake house) and says:
"Do you want an elliptical trainer as your Valentines Day present?"
Hell yes, I do!
I swear to god - it's somewhat embarrassing that I'm *coughthirtysomethingcough* years old and that my Mommy still buys me Valentines Day presents... but... but...
I'm getting an elliptical trainer!
Woo!
Running hard always makes me poo, too... maybe that's too much info for all y'all on the IRC... but, I'm out as I gots to GO! :bleagh:
One of my New Years resolutions was to start running again... which I have been doing - bit by bit - when I've been sitting around w/nothing to do I put on my red running shorts & New Balance... head out the door & run until I induce an asthma attack (which isn't far, sometimes)...
I used to run all the time. In New Orleans I used to get up really, really early (like 9am - which is equal to 5am anywhere else - you just could never call NOLA a 'city which never sleeps' - because, it seems to only sleep at times...) and, run my little ass down Jefferson Parish Parkway to the canal - then run along the canal until I got to City Park... run down Esplanade back into the Quarter... I would stop at this little coffee shop right at the corner of Esplanade & Burgundy (pronounced Burh-gund-ee) to get a coffee and the paper... usually, I'd run into my ex-Uncle (In-Law... that's right, suckahs, I was married once) and his partner (affectionately referred to "Ankle" John) having coffee & breakfast... NOLA being the lazy-ass town it is they never seemed to have anywhere to be before 11:30 am... then I'd walk back to my apartment (stinkin' like a homeless person) and climb back into bed w/Thomas (my ex-bf, not ex-hubby - ex-hubby lives in Ohio) who would still be sleeping... as he never had anywhere to be before mid-afternoon.
I loved that run. It was pretty, quiet - I hardly ran into people who were in my way... at 9 am it usually wasn't hot enough yet to really make it a horrid experience -- but, it was hot enough that it made you feel like you were melting off fat, etc.
It was about 3 miles, round-trip. Not very hilly (which is important)... a good workout. Did it about three times a week.
When I lived in LA I ran at the gym every morning before going into the set and every evening before going home - on an elliptical trainer. I would just plug in my little headphones and listen to the news... or, put my disc-man on and let my stress get worked out with some punk-rock running... or, put a monologue on the little stand on the elliptical trainer (they have a book stand on most of them) and work on that... no one even looked at me weird when I did that... it was LA-LA, after all.
I would run for about 45 minutes each time... coming out to about 5 miles a session... meaning I was running about 10 miles/day.
No wonder I was in such great shape when I lived in LA.
Running on the elliptical trainer is much different than running on the pavement -- it's nicer. It's like getting all the benefits of running (stronger legs, smaller ass, smaller tummy, improved cardiovascular system, less asthma issues, etc...) without the pain. It's like running on clouds.
When I lived in Boston I used to run at the gym, too -- mostly because my parents had bought me a gym membership for my birthday or some other assorted occasion & it seemed stupid to waste it. Besides, there was a Ballys in Porter Square which was open 24hrs... so I could go whenever I wanted to - which has a sort of appeal to the busy individual, you know?
Running in SF is an entirely different experience. The first thing you have to contend with is the weather -- most often when I want to go running (early in the morning or very late in the evening) it's foggy, cold or raining... Sometimes I see people out running in the rain & I think they're fucking insane. I hate rain in all forms & even if I lived in a tropical climate I wouldn't choose to go out and run in the rain.
Then there are the hills. The neighborhood I live in (Chinatown/North Beach) is one of the hilliest in SF... I live a mere 12 blocks (three down, six over) from Lombard Street - the hilliest street in the SF... or, is that crookedest? DK, DC (don't know, don't care)...
I have a bad knee. Two bad knees, as a matter of fact. The right is worse than the left, though... The right one - when I was 13 I shattered my patella... and, now I have a Teflon plate in that knee instead of a knee cap. You want to know why you're loath to ever find me in shorts? That knee. I had some reconstructive surgery on it about 10 years ago - so it looks better than it did for a long, long while... but, some scars run very deep.
I have to wear a brace when I run on the right knee. I should wear one on the left knee, too (damage from a chipped patella, some soft tissue damage & chronic tendinitis from years of stage combat & movement training)... but, I don't.
Suffice it to say that running on flat surfaces can be very painful.
Running on hills? Not just painful - damaging.
If I'm going to run on pavement I should really be running on flat, even paths.
I could go over to GG Park & run there... but, that would require me to take Muni over to the park - which is unappealing. Sometimes I run through the Embarcadero - but, during the day it's so crowded over there it's like trying to run through pudding.
Right now in Chinatown it's terrible to try to run... it being Chinese New Year & all the place is even more jam-packed with stupid-gawking tourists than it normally is.
Sometimes late at night I like to run up Grant Street to Broadway and then back down the other side of Grant to the Chinatown gate... it's maybe a mile.
My normal route, though is to leave my apartment & run up Clay Street to Sproule (which is at the top of Cathedral Hill - Cathedral Hill being a very steep incline - one of the worst hills in SF)... then to cut over on Sproule to California & run back down the same hellatious hill all the way through Chinatown to Montgomery... and, cut over on Montgomery back to Clay - where there is a Starbucks... where I get myself a triple-grande Vanilla Latte and walk my exhausted ass back up the hill on Clay to my apartment.
This run is HIDEOUS. Hard, hurtful... I could go on but I've run out of 'h' words to adequately describe the pain.
The thing is that this run is much, much shorter than what I would normally go for -- it's just under a mile -- but, the workout is much harder because of the grade of the hill going up and the control required going back down.
It makes my knees and hips a little on the ouchie side.
This morning I have stayed at home so that I can await delivery of my BS postcards via UPS - between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm... I woke up at 9-something and decided that it was a good morning to go for a run (cloudy, cool - not raining)...
I ran that route this morning. It was good. Got my heart-rate up pretty high... knees all spaghetti-like... smelling like a homeless person (and, I know what that smells like - as I passed by two or three on my run)... good.
When I got home my cell phone was ringing - it was my brother, Matt, calling me to tell me that he & my sister-in-law have bought a house in Pittsburgh (where he recently relocated for work)... very exciting.
He asked me why I was so out of breath... told him about the run... he and I used to run together when I lived in Ohio - I'd bike over from my apartment (having to cut through a park to do so) and then we'd run along the river and back... he was impressed with the difficulty of the route I described.
He asked me why I am running again, of course there are a multitude of reasons: Get into better shape, lose some weight, work out my stress in a healthy way, etc...
He asked me if I'd lost a bunch of weight again (as when I went home for Xmas he commented that I'd lost a bunch of weight even since his wedding in October - which is true - I'd gone down one and a half pant sizes.) Sadly, my answer has been no -- I seem to have been holding at the same weight for about two months now...
He gave me an interesting reason for this (he minored in Sports Nutrition and Training... why? Dunno.) In order to drop a lot of weight it's not about the difficulty of the run - it's about the length of time you have your heartbeat elevated... that the run I was describing sounded like an endurance run - which would build muscle as opposed to burning calories... meaning I have been losing size (most likely) but, have been keeping my weight the same - if not gaining weight - because, muscle weighs more than fat.
Erm.
Okay... that explains that.
He recommended that I buy an elliptical trainer (for my knees and to drop those unsightly lbs) and limit my endurance run to once a week.
So -- my Mom gets on the phone then (I guess they were at the lake house) and says:
"Do you want an elliptical trainer as your Valentines Day present?"
Hell yes, I do!
I swear to god - it's somewhat embarrassing that I'm *coughthirtysomethingcough* years old and that my Mommy still buys me Valentines Day presents... but... but...
I'm getting an elliptical trainer!
Woo!
Running hard always makes me poo, too... maybe that's too much info for all y'all on the IRC... but, I'm out as I gots to GO! :bleagh:
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