persephone33

I've been thinking a lot, lately. (It's a dangerous business, don'tcha know.) As an actress, I'm my own worst critic, and even as we opened The 39 Steps this week, I keep thinking, I'm a fraud, I'm no good, why do I even bother..etc. Then, I saw a quote that one of my TRULY artistic friends found.

"If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), 'Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?' chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death." - Steven Pressfield

Well, there you have it. That's me. Scared to death.

So in light of all my fear and insecurity, I found a list of what not to do as an artist.
( What NOT to do. )

That's it. A must read for all the writers, photographers, artists, actors and other creative types out there. Keep on!

As I'm being currently entertained by my handsome husband playing the Nazi Zombies feature on the new X-Box 360 Black Ops game ("Stupid, goosestepping,Nazi Zombie, jackwagon pieces of crap!"), I thought I'd make a departure for looking up how to beat the silly game online for him and post something of substance.

Because among all the frivolity, a little substance must lie, right?

Or something.

Anyway, this is the time of year when the commercials and advertisements as a whole really step up their game and the tide of peace and goodwill overwhelms me. The result is that my normally misanthropic nature turns into a puddle of goo, and I'm forced to reach outside my nature and love my fellow man.

Or something.

I love to post a livejournal holiday wish list and fill wishes on others, but this year I'm thinking outside the scope of the internet. You've seen those pay it forward ads, right? Or you at least saw the movie, or at the very least understand the concept? I'm all about that. And I don't mind it starting with me, you know? Karma, baby!

Things you can do to start making the world a nicer place:

( Pay it forward! )

Little things make a big difference. And a kind word means a lot.

I've had a crappy week. I mean, CRAPPY. Like you read about. Viewings and funerals and emotional conversations and nightmares and meetings and missing meetings and sleep deprivation and talking to my hospitalized grandmother on her birthday was all topped off by the kicker, being told I was going TO WEAR A SWIMSUIT in the show, trying on said swimsuit, pleading for a sarong, and I'm pretty sure annoying the hell out of the costumer.

Which breaks the one of the cardinal rules of theatre - Don't piss off the costumer. Or the stage manager.

You'd think it would be something like, 'Don't forget your lines," but oddly enough, this isn't the case. ;)

The swimsuit, of course, led to a spiral of self loathing and cellulite-hating. Even though I'm on the HGC diet and spend an hour a day on the elliptical, (there is only so much one girl can do when it's this far gone) I'm still feeling generally fat and ugly and wondering if even auditioning was a bad idea. (Leaning toward HELL, yes.) I haven't burst into tears or anything, but I've considered fashioning a homemade cellulite-sucking device. I won't lie.

But let's face it, I'm crap with power tools, so doing the best I can with what I've got is going to have to do.

Now onto something more constructive: Having gone to more funerals than I ever thought I would in the past few months, I morbidly present to you some:
( Oddball: ...Always with the negative waves. Why can't you say something beautiful and uplifting for a change? Moriarty: Crap! )

Alright, I think that's it. It's enough rules and griping for a Thursday morning, in any case.

And a zillion points to anyone who can tell me the title of the movie without googling the LJ cut!

Have a cellulite free day,

Carrie Leigh

I ran across these pictures that might be from the late fifties, perhaps the early sixties? I was amazed at how dead on the advice was. I've added a bit of my own as well, so all you single girls, or you married gals looking to trade up (har dee har), here's some sage advice from Carrie.
( Read the captions carefully! )

So that's it!  Hope this helps all you single girls out there!  And maybe a few of you married girls!  Happy dating!

**The only real piece of advice in this whole post.  And it's the God's honest truth, y'all.

I started to write a post that was whiny and self indulgent, but I deleted it in one fell swoop.  That's the good thing about computers.  Nothing to wad up, no paper wasted, just highlight and CLICK, and it's gone.  And I try to live by the axiom, 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.'  That's fricking hard, sometimes.

In lieu of being Mopey McMoperson, I'll enlist your help.  My college roommate is coming to visit Monday evening for dinner and bringing along her family.  I've been looking at recipes, and wondering what to make while they're here. So if you had the below to choose from, or wanted to see a "Cooking with Carrie How-To," which would you want?  You can choose more than one.  ;)

Mushroom Casserole

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars

Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary

Salmon Burgers with Lemon-Herb Sauce

Lemon Tart

Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee

Herb Roasted Lamb Chops

Cheesy Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna

Milk Chocolate Malted Ice Cream

Who's hungry?  My goodness.  I'm about to go raid the cupboards, I think.

"Sometimes it's difficult to be alive, you know? Just to try to function.  There are all these people to deal with.  I used to find it difficult to leave the house because of them.  People, I mean."   - Laughing Wild, by Christopher Durang

That line's been running through my head on a loop for the last week. It was from a monologue cutting I did for a scholarship audition, years ago.  It's funny how these thing com back at weird times.

Random thoughts:

*My attention to detail is not good.  This used to bother me, but it simply does not anymore.  If you have to fix my mistakes, try to do so without making me feel stupid.  Or talking to me about it at all.  And I'll do the same for you.

*Conflict cripples me.  I cannot function in the midst of a fight.  My instinct is to withdraw.  The fact that I say nothing does not mean that I agree or disagree, for that matter.

*Because I choose to be silent does not, in fact, make me weak.  I think to refrain from speaking is one of the hardest things in the world to do.

*I love Lego Star Wars with every fiber of my being.  That game has united my children, forcing them to WORK TOGETHER.  The planets must've aligned just right.  I don't understand why Indiana Jones shows up, but I love it all the same.

*blueberry muffins soothe a lot of pain.

*I'm grateful for friends.

*one of my favorite things is going for a walk with my dog.  She's so excited.  And joyful while we're out.  And grateful.  Of course, she's grateful to get back on the couch when we get back, as well.

*I love writing.  I'd become disillusioned with it in the past three years or so, but my love for it is back.  I'm inspired.  So YAY.

* And because I can, and really enjoyed this the last time I did it::

For the first five people that reply to me and re-post this challenge, I will send you something. It might be something I've made, or something cool from my hidden stash, it might be a mix CD, or a rubber duck, a book I think you will enjoy, or something else that is awesome. Whatever it is, I promise that I will get it to you in 30 days or fewer. (Or as long as it takes.:)) The only thing you need to do in order to participate is to be one of the first five to reply to this, AND post this very same thing on YOUR LiveJournal - cause it's fun to give people stuff. (Please read all the comments because I'll be replying to people, and this will make my comment numbers jump up.)  

If I don't already have your address, (and why not?  I'm not a stalker!) you can send it to persephone3333@gmail.com.  :)

That's what the cast and crew calls A Christmas Carol.  I think an altogether different 'CF' would be more appropriate. 

I finished all of the costumes, done, bizzarely enough, while writing scenes with seegrimand mynuet.  If you know the show, It's Jacob Marley's Link By Link number, where eight ghosts essentially torture the crap out of Scrooge.  The ghosts look scary and all of the costumes I made fit...  well enough, anyway.

However, for those of you that don't know, there are unwritten rules in the theatre, for actors.  And I'm not talking about the no-brainer stuff, like 'memorize your lines and don't bump into the furniture,' or even the stupid superstitions, like you don't bring an umbrella in and open it up onstage,  and you don't say the name of Shakepeare's Scottish play (even though I don't, and certain people on my f-list like to go all capslock-y with it),  and you never, ever say 'good luck,' but  'Merde,' or 'break a leg' (which is, incedentally, elle_blessing, what I want to say to you before all your games, but I fear that wouldn't be the same in sports).
 
The unwritten rule that I'm talking about is none of those.  Here it is, a little free advice for those of you that care:

Rule # 1 for actors in theatre:  Don't piss off the costumer.

For the costumer is a bitch.  She's mean and vindictive.  If you piss her off, she's likely to go find the most unflattering color she can, in the hottest, scratchiest of wools, and drape it all over you, telling you all the while how FABULOUS you look.

That said, let me tell you about the little toerag that pissed me off. First of all, he can't remember my name, and instead of being kind about it, and saying, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?" he can't be bothered.  This was actually the way it went.


There's actually more of Toerag and his evils, but I have neither the time nor the energy to type it up.  And he's lucky he didn't really hack me off before I constructed his stuff.  Ohhhhh, yes.  He's lucky.