persephone33

♛I've been working at theatre camp all week. These are some of the most talented students I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Also, they're some of the most uninhibited; I think that's part of what makes an actor great, letting go of what everyone else thinks and just being. Yesterday I got to coach scenes and monologues, one of my very favorite things in the world to do. The kiddos did a flash mob (to Fleetwood Mac!) at our largest grocery store in town today to promote their show this week, and it was super cool. So fun.

♛The chubbiness is getting out of control, and I feel there might be a direct correlation between that and the volume of food I'm putting in my mouth. I haven't even stepped on the scale in over a month. I'm afraid the poor thing might die of shock. Or strain. Or both.

♛I lost the Jeep a few days ago. I went to the mall to use my card for a free Victoria's Secret panty (like you do) and when I got back out to the parking lot, NO JEEP. The Jeep is no frills - no panic button, no remote entry, no power windows or anything else. I was upset - not because we don't have insurance, but because I was going to have to tell Mr. H. that the car was stolen on MY watch. I walked around in the boiling Texas heat for twenty minutes before I remembered I entered through a different door than I normally do. WHAT. AN. IDIOT.

♛My back has been killing me for months. Since March? I've been going to the chiropractor, and I thought it was getting better, but I woke up this morning to the same level of pain I started with. It's just frustrating. Annoying. Getting old is roughly on par with chewing up broken glass. It, simply put, sucks out loud.

♛The week without kiddos was relaxing, I'm not going to lie. It's fun to not have to be responsible for anyone else but me. Oh, and Nolan a little. But he's fairly self-sufficient. However, I'm glad to have those little goobers back in the nest. We were incomplete while they were away.

♛I'm gearing up to work another week of camp - I get to direct 'Baby it's Cold Outside' and 'Sing' from A Chorus Line, comedies both. :D Very fun. And I'm making a costume plot for La Cage... anyone want to place a bet that there's over a hundred separate costumes? Eeeek. :)

★ I worry about myself.

★ I just spent about a good minute trying to remember what those orange vegetables are called... you know, the ones with the green tops that Bugs Bunny eats?

★ *headdesk*

★ When Nolan told AJ that he was 'a couple of cans short of a six pack' this weekend, Aaron lifted his shirt, looked at his tummy and replied, "I don't have a six pack. I don't even have a four pack."

★ I finished plotting out a WIP. That's so very gratifying. Wrote a drabble for hp_humpdrabbles, and sent new chapter for for editing. I'm ALL accomplished. The writing drought is officially over. Whew. Thank goodness. I was getting a little mopey about it. I'm looking around for an rpg to write for, but can't find any that need whom I'm willing to write. :)

★ I've been sewing the heck out of a strapless, sparkly dress for Kiss of the Spider Woman. I'm thinking about making one for myself (minus the sparkly, spidery vibe) for the cruise I'm going on in February.

★ We're going on a cruise in February! I CAN'T WAIT.

★ I learned that friends are still friends even when we don't talk every day.

★ The scale won't move past thirteen pounds. I'd love to have lost 20 by the time we get on the boat. Lose it! is still my BFF. Counting calories and exercising. Go figure. :P Twenty-two more pounds to go.

★ Bond girls were curvier in the sixties. For that matter, so were women in during the renaissance. When did stick thin become what everyone wanted to be?

★ I learned that friends are still friends even when we don't talk every day.

★ Nolan just pointed out that James Bond must not have had to worry about STD's. He was kind of trampy. (But hot. Er, that's MY observation, not his.)

★ I need a new camera. Like, bad.

★ What do we think of Miss Me jeans? I tried some on and yes, they look great, but a hundred and something bucks is a lot to drop on a pair of pants, you know? And certainly not til I'm in the single digits, size wise.

★ It's distressing to have principles, at times.

★ That's it. My Sunday evening roundup. Do you have any news?

Well, technically, it was more like a mid-morning snack. And it wasn't strictly ice cream*.

Let me back up.

Okay. I'm on this hardcore, awful, brutal diet, right? And achieving results, so... yay, sort of. And I guess I cheated. Fell off the wagon. Tied one on, because... get ready for this...

I HAD A BANANA.

In what fascist diet dictatorship is a banana cheating? I don't want to live in a world like that. Do you?  I didn't think so.  *solidarity fist bump*

My husband would love a world like that. He hates bananas. Thinks they're responsible for 1/16th of the evil in the world. You'll have to ask him about the things that comprise the other 15/16th. I'm sure he's told me, but he talks a LOT. I can't be expected to remember everything, can I?

So. Today I give you a tutorial. This is how to make ice cream* with one ingredient. You're intrigued, right?

( Recipe under the cut! )


And there's just a few more hours til August's contest is over.  Go write a poem and win a prize!

Even though I didn't plan it, I seem to be busy. Really Busy.

I'm pleasantly sore from all the workouts I've been doing to reduce in the name of South Pacific, waist deep in research for costuming Eurydice (now that I understand it, I think I may like it. Still not sure, though),preparing and rehearsing for a women's retreat drama mid-September, dance rehearsals and blocking rehearsals for South Pacific, managing to do the HGC diet without wanting to pull my (or anyone else's) hair out*, writing a little and sewing, painting and keeping the house from exploding with dirt.

I am woman, hear me roar, etc.

We're getting our new bed delivered today. I could NOT be more happy. I still need to document the drama that is The Bed. Gracious. It's an epic freaking saga.

The children have been gone since Sunday, and they return this afternoon. I've missed them! But the house is really clean. And quiet. ;)

---

* Actually, I'd sell my grandmother for some queso. And you know how I love my grandmother.

You're the ___________ to my __________.

Comment here with your username, and I will comment that you are the (insert character's name here) to my(insert another character's name here)-- this may include but is not limited to books, tv shows, movies or even real people.

It's pretty easy. ♥ GO MEMESHEEP.

( And here's the cut, wherein I discuss spelling, crawfishes, my kids and the lack therof, hideous rock chips, furniture, the Supernatural Car, my gigantic ass and rehearsals. Feel free to skip it. )

That about covers it. What are you all doing this weekend?

Edit: And there's a tie at ronpansy_ldws. Please go and vote?

&hearts Go HERE and read obrien_blue's recap of the Glee finale. She does fabulous Bones recaps (or squee!caps) and this is the first one she's done for Glee. She's funny and smart and a hell of a writer (warning for language). I always laugh aloud at her entries. Go read. You won't be disappointed.

&hearts If I were in charge of the world, like a High Empress Over All Things, there would be a few changes. Manipulative people? Incarcerated for life. Mean people who insist of ranting about insignificant things and belittling others? Mmmm... the rack, I think. I'd be just and fair. And the bastards of life would need to re-think their positions on being jerks.

&hearts I've been feeling crappy lately. Like a low-grade nausea and intense tiredness. If I didn't know better (and I mean really know better), I'd say I was pregnant. And LHM, if I was pregnant, it would be a baby that would have a purpose, because it would be a freaking miracle. That is, if I didn't jump off a bridge, first.

&hearts I've been trying to write, poking around at a few things, but I'm just not inspired. When the muse takes a vacation, she really hits the road. I have no idea what to write that might spark any sort of even mildly acceptable results. It's sad.

&hearts We leave for Dallas on Friday, and we'll be gone for a week; the boys are going to a golf and tennis camp, and my sister will be there for the weekend. I want to get together with some old friends and family (I'm looking at you, deedsk_tx and tadpole_bac) and I think it'll be good to get away for awhile. When I get back, Nolan and I are going to the theatre's awards gala. I've been nominated for best actress, an award I fully do not expect to win. There are too many other great actors up for it, too. That's okay, there's a lot of that being nominated but not winning stuff going on. Luckily, my self esteem is high enough that it doesn't send me into a tailspin. Anyway, as I've been nominated, it's a great excuse to buy a dress. And I'm at -22 pounds, so shopping in the semi-formal departments in the Dallas area might even be pleasurable.

&hearts Nolan brought me 3 charms for my bracelet today for no reason whatsoever. That's nice, huh?

&hearts I love summertime. Seriously, having the boys home and going to the pool and making brownies and waking up whenever we feel like it? Nice. Really, really nice.

See you all on the flip side!

Monday I began a new diet/exercise regime. It's homeopathic. We shall see.

All I know is that nothing in my closet fits and I groan every time I see a picture of myself. That's no good. Something must be done.

Also, I'm thinking of starting to run with my ten year-old. His football coach (Gah, I am not EVEN going to get on my soapbox about THAT) suggested that he run a half a mile to a mile three or four times a week. I found this program. Several of my friends have done it and it worked for them. It may not work for my knees, though. They're cranky.

Metabolism? Why did you leave me at age twenty five? I miss you.

The reason for all this? My twenty year high school reunion is in 2011 (typing that made me a little ill, I'm not going to lie) and we're going on another cruise in February of 2011 with a bunch of damn skinny girls. I'm never gonna be skinny, (Nolan wouldn't like that anyway) but I can at least be in a place where the work "swimsuit" doesn't send me into convulsions.

I'll keep you folks posted.

There is nothing like the feeling of standing in a Dillard's department store dressing room with that damnable unflattering florescent lighting and ill painted walls that make your reflection in the mirrors (that have to be some they got from a frickin' funhouse) pallid and wan.

You stand and gaze at your reflection, willing yourself not to flinch, and inspect the piece of lingerie that you have on. You know that you will wear said piece of lingerie for thousands of people, and it's enough to make you seriously consider MacGuyvering your vacuum cleaner hose into a makeshift liposuction device and getting after some of the cellulite on your thighs. It's definitely enough to make you steadfast on sticking to your diet. It's enough to make you regret everything you ever put in your mouth... like... ever. Ever, ever, ever.

*sigh*

I think I've managed to find something provocative without being slutty.

Which is a sentence I couldn't have predicted writing before a month ago.

I got all 'Little House on the Prairie' again. :D  I went from gorgeous, perfectly ripe apricots...

To beautiful jars of jam... all within a few hours, and for less than $8.  Move over, Ma Ingalls.  I got it covered.

Rather than give you the step by step, which you can see here, I thought I'd share a bulleted list of  other random stuff:

• seegrim  and I are going to rock the Mile High Music Festival this weekend.  I've been writing with the woman for nearly two years, talking to her nearly every day since December of '07, and spending hours and hours on the phone.  It's about time I met her face to face!
• It's raining.  Hallelujah.
• I fell while on my walk yesterday (oh, yeah, I'm graceful) & my hand is messed up.  Silly Carrie.
• I've clocked something like 140 miles walked since the beginning of May.  Get smaller, rear end!
• I get my grey roots colored tomorrow.  Seriously.  SERIOUSLY.  Enough with the 'growing old' crap.
• I've been doing lots of painting, lately.  It's SO good for me. I love it.  Soothes my chi or whatever.
• I've also been doing lots of writing.  I entered the ronpansy_fest  with seegrim  and the dgficexchange  with mynuet , and both are pretty solid efforts.  I was pleased.  So YAY for that.
• I was a runner up in the dg_ldws  this round.  Was fun and challenging.  I learned that I'm too wordy for a limit.
• five weeks til I have to stand next to my SIL in a swimsuit.  I wish phenfen didn't cause me to die. :(
• six weeks til my punks go back to school.  Come on, August.

Tell me something cool, f-list.  What's been happening?

For those of you that don't know, I have a weird diet.  Diet in the sense of the food I eat, not a weight loss regime, necessarily.  It has been exactly one year since I changed my diet.  It started out as a spiritual fast, but morphed into a way of life, I think.  All I know is that I feel so much better, have more energy and don't pack on the pounds like I did before I ate this way.  I don't eat any meat (no, not even chicken or fish -- that's meat), any bread, or any sweets.  I get asked, "What's left?"  I eat veggies and fruit, dairy products, pasta and rice, and of course Mexican food.  Have I lost weight doing this?  Yup.  About 40 pounds.  I started last April at 181 (That's a lot when you're 5'2") and weighed in this morning at 138.  (I'm a four time Weight Watcher Droput, btw) Would I like to lose another 10?  Kind of, but I don't know if that 10 lbs would make that much of a difference anyway.  I mean, my skin isn't as elastic as it used to be, so I don't need more sag than I already have, right?  Anyway, the weight isn't the best thing.  The best thing is that I have the energy to keep up with the boys and live my life, and I have no plans to change anything.  I think it annoys some people, that I don't eat certain things, but I've never had a problem anywhere that I've gone, finding something I can eat.  And it's much easier to get full.  One year.  Wow.  I don't think I've stuck to anything for a year before.  Go me.  It isn't so much self-control as it is a stubborn streak a mile wide.  I gotta be me.

I got my prompt for the dgficexchangethis morning.  It is, blessedly, very vague.  Yay.  It's due on Ethan's birthday.  Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.  

The theatre is doing Into The Woods next season for the first show.  I'm not a singer, but I'd sell my Grandmother into white slavery to play a role in that musical.  (Sorry, Grandma, but I totally would.  I'd pay to get you out once it was over.) Little Red Riding Hood, especially.  I've been listening to the music for the last two days...  and there is NO WAY that I can hit some of those notes without medicinal help.  I'm contemplating taking voice lessons, actually.  What else do I have to do this summer?  Besides vacation (Going to NYC with Mom & Sister -- YAY!) and lay by the pool?  That sounded bratty.  Sorry.  Anyway, Into the Woods is one of my favorites of all time; Act One is wickedly funny, one of the best books around, with a Sondheim score (stinking hard music) and Act Two has huge lessons and morals.  The best kind of theatre.  It makes you laugh, and then makes you think.  I want it so bad I can taste it.  And that's never good.  I guess I have three months to learn how to get up above my small range.  Here I go!