No, I don't mean the book, which just is a load of new age tripe. What I'm talking about is the actual work of being an artist, whether it be performing or creative. Being an artist is all about being committed to the work, as my dear friend, brilliant actor and acting coach, Warren Kelley would say. After being away from performing for as long as I have been, I've forgotten how much work really goes into creating a fully rounded character.
Now that's what I call commitment!
I was recently cast in a one-act play and even though it's a minor (although powerful) role, I still need to put in tons of work creating a backstory for this character - why she is the way she is, how she got where she got, etc. But the problem for me is I'm a little lazy right now. I'd rather go out and enjoy the lovely autumn weather or spend time with friends than siting on my couch studying my lines and creating this backstory. Uta Hagen would have lost all respect for me. I think though that my momentary laziness with this task is due to the infrequent rehearsal schedule. Instead of having 3 weeks of rehearsals 2-3 times per week, the schedule is once a week over a period of 6 weeks. Really? That's just too much time in between rehearsals to keep my interest up. My initial excitement over being cast has waned a bit because after our initial read through, we had a 2 week break. So the question is how do you stay committed to the work when you're away from it? I have actor friends who have their entire scripts memorized before even starting rehearsals (Warren!). I have until Thursday to get my lines memorized. If I buckle down for an hour, I can get it done, but I need to commit myself to doing it! The backstory has been percolating and I have most of it done - although I keep changing it daily! She's a complex character - much like myself!
Despite all that, this show should be interesting. Therefore - in act of blatant self promotion - if you are planning to be in Newburyport on October 21 (8pm), 22 (8pm) or 23 (5pm), drop by the The Actor's Studio of Newburyport located at The Tannery at 75 Water Street and catch Marc's Shorts, a evening of 16 short plays, all written by Marc Clopton. I will be performing in one of these plays, entitled Perhaps - a one-act about 6 recovering addicts during a group therapy session. It's a very intense but fascinating play. (Yes, I'm playing an addict.) Reservations can be made by calling: 978.463.1229. Send me a message if you would like further information.
I suppose that at one time or another most people have said that they wanted to move to an impoverished country and help the less fortunate, but how many people actually do it? Little Princes, a memoir written by Conor Grennan, is an amazing story of a man (Grennan) who decides to go on a year long trek around the world and starts his adventure by volunteering to help orphans in war torn Nepal for three months. He fully admits that he decided to volunteer because he thought it would make him more appealing to women, but the time he spends in Nepal quite literally changes his life. He discovers that these "orphans" are not parentless at all, but have been sold to traffickers who had promised the parents that their children would be taken to safety and living a better life. Instead they were left abandoned to their own devices on the streets of Kathmandu until they are rescued by volunteers. After leaving Nepal to finish his trek around the world, Grennan is unable to leave the memory of his time in Nepal and these amazing children that he met. He arrives back in the States and starts his own non-profit, Next Generation Nepal. He returns to Nepal to locate the parents of these "orphans" and to save as many of these children that he can. Set during civil war torn Nepal, this story is a truly inspirational read.
Check this video to learn more about Little Princes and Conor Grennan:
On my drive to work today, I noticed that a few of the trees had started to change into their fall colors and it put a smile on my face. I had nearly forgotten how beautiful autumn can be. Autumn in the Big Apple is nearly non-existent. New York City goes from blazing hot summer to frigid winter with about 2 or 3 days of fall weather. If you want to see the changing of the leaves, you have rent a car and drive either upstate or to New England. Or you could keep checking out Central Park for the very brief fall foliage that the City has to offer. I believe it occurs some time in late October in a 20 minute time span but don't blink because you might just miss it.
With the leaves starting to change and the air filled with a crispness that you can almost taste, it reminds me of the heady days of my youth and I long to go apple picking or on a hay ride. Oh, my - I've gone native! I've never been a big fan of summer or winter - spring and autumn have always been my favorite seasons (sweater weather!). I cannot wait to see New England in its full leaf changing glory and walking through piles of leaves on the ground. One of the advantages of not being a home owner is enjoying the falling leaves because I don't have to rake them.
Sing it Edith...
I couldn't decided which version of this
gorgeous song to use, but I figured
you can't get much better than Piaf!
I am tattooed. Not like freaky-sideshow tattooed but I have some tats. People keep asking me what (if any) significance my tattoos hold for me. Yes, each tattoo represents something very specific in my life. Back story: I had always wanted to get a tattoo from the time I was 15 or 16 years old, but I didn't actually get my first tattoo until I was 39 years old. Why did I wait so long? There were a couple of reasons. First, when I was in my late teens/early 20s, I was never certain what image I wanted to get. Any design ideas I had seemed trite (flowers, butterflies, etc.) and nothing had any real meaning behind it because I hadn't done...well...anything! As I got older, I thought that perhaps a visible tattoo might hold be back professionally (as an actor) from getting roles - forgetting that tattoos are easily covered with makeup and/or costuming. Finally at 39, I decided it was "now or never." I had expected that I would only want the one... I was so wrong! At the ripe age of 45, I now have six!! That adds up to one a year. Guess it's a good thing I didn't start this process 25 years ago or I might be called "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady."
Here are my tattoos - in the order that I got them, the location on my body and the meaning behind each:
1. Sun and Moon (lower back (aka "tramp stamp")): I had gone to a now defunct tattoo parlor in the East Village in NYC with a very simple sun and moon design. The artist created something so much better and I was thrilled with the outcome. It took approximately two hours to complete and was quite possibly the most painful experience in my life! This photo (----->) was literally taken yesterday. Over six years later and the image still is vibrant and beautiful. I only wish I could actually see it. The sun and moon is significant to me because it represents the concept of yin and yang - it is a reminder for me to remember to always keep balance in my life (something I'm still struggling with 6 years later). Cost: $200
2. Bastet (right outside ankle): Bastet is one of my favorite Egyptian goddesses - (the cat goddess) who was the goddess of fire, of cats (naturally), of the home and of pregnant women. Additionally, she was responsible for joy, music, and dancing, also health and healing. A very cool goddess! I found this design online and "borrowed" it for my own. The woman who posted it requested that no one steal it because it was a one of a kind design. Then perhaps she should not have put it on a public website. This image is in honor of all my cats - particularly those that have passed on to Kitty Heaven, but it is especially in the memory of my favorite cat, Charlie. I had this tat done at a different East Village tattoo parlor (Fun City Tattoo). Cost: $120
3. Luna / Triple Moon goddesses (left wrist): This tattoo was my own creation. It is a combination of two symbols: Luna (the central figure) and the Triple Moon goddess, which is shown below the photo of my tattoo. The Triple Moon goddess represents the three phases of womanhood - the Maiden (waxing moon), the Mother (full moon) and the Crone (waning moon). Not being a mother, I took out the full moon and replaced it with the Luna Goddess. Luna in Roman mythology (Selene in Greek mythology) represents the Moon as a keeper of wisdom and magical power. For me, Luna is a very smart, very strong, warrior-type woman and reminds me that I am just as brilliant and strong as she was and can achieve whatever I truly want. Again, this is something that I don't always remember about myself. Fun City Tattoo did this one as well. Cost: $100
4. Egyptian Ankh (middle upper back): The Ankh is the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. After enduring breast cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment from late 2007 through early 2008, I wanted something to represent what I had experienced over those 7 months and to reaffirm my life. I found this ankh with tribal design at TattooJohnny.com and thought it was the perfect image! One month after my final radiation treatment, I was on vacation in Key West and went to Paradise Tattoos to have this tattoo done. The artist was Lou and he was by far the best tattoo artist I have ever gone to. I would recommend him every day and twice on Sundays. I would have used him for my next two tattoos, except it wasn't very convenient to fly to Key West just for a tattoo. Cost: $120
5. Tragedy and Comedy masks (top left foot): I decided that I wanted to have a tattoo which represented of all my years as a performer. By the time I got this tattoo, I had been on hiatus from performing for nearly 6 years and really missed the stage. I found this design on a website that had hundreds of different theatre masks. It was fun going through them all and deciding on my favorite. This was the 2nd most painful tattoo. Village Pop Tattoos in the West Village was my tattoo parlor of choice for this tattoo. Cost: $125
6. Infinity Symbol (right wrist): This is my most recent tattoo, which is approximately 2 days old. I went to Jim's Tattoos in Seabrook, NH - a very nice parlor. After deciding to completely change my entire life, relocate to a new town and start anew, I wanted a reminder of this exciting time in my life. I tried to think of what design would best symbolize these changes. I decided on the infinity symbol which is to remind me that life has infinite possibilities and not to get bogged down in the minutiae of minor or even major disappointments. As Alexander Graham Bell once said: "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." Cost: $80
Total of all tattoos: $745 (not including tips). Probably add an additional $150 for tips. Grand Total: $895.
Will this be my last tattoo? I have no idea. I always say that it will be and then I change my mind and get another one. I know I would not want to get full sleeve tattoos, full leg tattoos, etc. I think that much ink overwhelms the senses and tends to lose the personal statement made by each tattoo. But that's just me. Others, obviously, do not feel the same way and I respect that. If I get a 7th tattoo, it will be an individual tattoo again in a new location. I did contemplate putting a treble clef with a couple of music notes behind one of my ears and/or the Eye of Horus on my shoulder blade. Hmmmmmmm...
I highly recommend getting a tattoo but be careful, they are addictive. If you decided to get a tattoo, make sure that it is something that is very meaningful to you as you either have to live with it forever or go through very expensive, very painful removal. Also, I would caution you to never, ever tattoo your wife's, husband's, boyfriend's, girlfriend's, etc. name on your body. If (more likely, when...) the relationship broke up, you'd have a permanent reminder of that person. What a horrifying thought!
I'm sure most women have come across this scenario time and time again. Men are incapable of completely reading and responding to emails accurately. I know I am asking perhaps too much here, but I would like for men to be similar to women in certain aspects, such as general communication skills, but they are not. They are just configured differently from women. For example, today I sent an email to a sales rep where I'm on temporary assignment asking him a few questions. He only actually answered the first question. See below:
The message:
Do you want the product sheets on white cardstock? How many should be printed? When do you need delivery?
The response:
Yes.
Erm...yeah... Not exactly helpful. I believe he read as far as "do you want the product sheets on white cardstock" and he responded "yes" to that and just ignored the rest of my message. Similarly, I asked another co-worker if he wanted to go with plan A or plan B and he responded "yes." Yeah, again, not helpful. I notice that this phenomenon only happens with men. Women tend to actually read entire emails and answer all questions posed to them. By the way, this issue is not limited to just this current company. In fact, it has been occurring from time immemorial. I'm sure that in the Garden, Eve asked Adam if he wanted apples or oranges and he responded "yes." So Eve gave him an apple.
You would think that after 45 years of communicating with men, I'd be used to it. But alas, not so. It's sad. What should be answered in a single email ends up being a flurry of emails. Because they do not completely read messages, one ends up having to go back and ask follow up (repeat) questions. I wonder if they communicate like this with each other??
Gentlemen: I beg of you, please, please, please take the extra 30 seconds to completely read your emails. I promise that we do not ask questions just to waste time. We really do need answers to the questions posed. Thanks! [Serious doubts that this plea will ever be read. I probably should have put it as the first line, instead of the last.]
Living in New England has a boatload of challenges. For instance, I'm a Yankee fan, they are fanatical Red Sox fans. I don't really like football, they live and die by the Patriots. I read... well, okay, they read. My biggest challenge: understanding what the heck they are saying with their New England accent. George Bernard Shaw once said: "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." I sort feel like that about New England and me. Now don't misunderstand me. It's not that it's an annoying accent, like ... ummm ... for instance ... a "Lawn Guyland" accent or "Tex-ass" drawl! But the "Bahston" accent does take some getting used to. Sometimes it's so thick that it's almost indistinguishable as the English language. Having lived in NYC as long as I did, I got used to some of the more ... shall we say ... colorful accents that are found there. Although I still find that the Staten Island, Long Island and Brooklyn accents offend my ears. It makes the speaker sound common and uneducated, which I know isn't necessarily true. Contrary to the NYC regional accents, the New England accent, while sometimes difficult to comprehend, doesn't necessary come across as uneducated, although sometimes it does.
In addition to their accent, New Englanders tend to pronounce words...erm... interestingly. Peabody becomes "Pee-buh-dee." Gloucester is "Gloss-tah." Haverhill is "Hav-rill." Computer is "come-poo-ter." (I just heard that one today.) And the list goes on and on. I am constantly mispronouncing town names because the pronunciations are just wrong. I have discovered a website that can assist me as to how to 'correctly' pronounce the towns. Some of the 'translations' are hilarious!!! Beverly becomes "Bev-a-ly." Fall River is "Faw Rivah." Sorry, Massachusettts, I know you think the letter "r" is artibitrary and not necessary in words, I still prefer to pronounce it. They also have developed their own lexicon of words, which I suppose every region does. Just to list a few of the more interesting ones: "Bang out" - call in sick to work; "Skidder" - someone who bums money (pronounced: 'skiddah'); "Grinder" - a sub sandwich. This website has a fairly comprehensive list of Boston slang. I'm still learning most of these. But would be useful for anyone traveling up here.
I have lived all over the east coast and have heard my fair share of accents and have always remained accent free. If needed, my acting training has given me the skills to "put on" an accent, but I will never, never, never become a true New Englander by saying that "Reveah is wicked wee-id" (translation: "Revere is unusual"). I draw the lines at certain things.
Helen Reddy knew what she was talking about 40 years ago when she co-wrote "I Am Woman." Women are amazing, strong, incredible humans. I was reminded of these attributes tonight as I was surrounded by 8 resilient, feisty, creative, interesting women. When I moved to Newburyport, I started looking for opportunities to get involved in my local community, especially if it was in an area of which I had much interest. Early summer, I saw that the Newburyport Literary Festival was looking for committee members and it seemed exactly what I was looking for. Tonight, we had our first meeting of the committee. It was there that I met these 8 remarkable woman. It has been a long time since I worked with a group of women and I forgot how inspiring that can be. In a male dominated society such that we live in, it's a rarity that any group is solely made up of all women. Now don't get my wrong. I am not a man-hater. I love men. Some of my best friends are men, but there's something empowering about being a part of a group of women.
Yes, we are loud and we all talk at the same time and we laugh... a lot! But we also get things done. We are committed to the tasks at hand and strive to give 100% to whatever these tasks may be. And we have fun while doing it. Thank you, my new found friends, for reminding how great it is to be a woman and for inspiring me.
...Or at least I assume that's where people are receiving their driver's licenses. Goodness knows they cannot be getting them after taking a road test or going through driver's education, right? I know I haven't really driven all that much in the past 17 years due to living in NYC, but I honestly don't remember drivers being this bad. Perhaps I just didn't notice it way back when. I've given up being mad about it because I'd be furious every time I had to drive anywhere. I usually just heave a heavy sigh, shake my head and laugh. Apparently the driving basics have all been forgotten - fundamental rules such as using turn signals, stopping at stop signs or turning on headlights in the pouring rain. Probably the most annoying thing I've noticed: drivers who come to a complete halt at a yield sign, particularly when they are attempting to get onto the highway and they don't bother to use the acceleration lane that is there specifically for that purpose. ARGH! Of course, my favorite recent driving moment was the 21 year old little pisher who decided at the last minute that she needed to make a right hand turn while in the left hand lane (I was in the right hand lane), cutting me off and causing me to ram her passenger side door. You just shake your head and exchange insurance information.
I've decided to go to the grocery story and buy as many boxes of Crack Jack I can find. If you can get a driver's license in one, who knows what else might be found!!! Plus it's a yummy snack.
Here's one of my all-time favorite George Carlin clips on driving. Ahhh, George! I miss you so!
As the 10th anniversary of September 11 looms, I'm sure there will be more and more people writing about their experiences and feelings on the subject and I thought I'd add my own two cents. For some reason, the events of 9/11 have been on my mind a lot lately, perhaps due to the remembrances on every channel for the past few days. There are things that I will never comprehend in my lifetime, among them are: The Holocaust, George W. Bush's two term presidency, the 2001 World Series outcome, and the events of 9/11. I cannot understand the level of hatred that would cause a person (or 19 people) to fly planes into buildings in order to kill thousands of innocent people due to their disagreement on the foreign policies of another country. I disagree with the policies of many countries, but I wouldn't go to such lengths. Perhaps those of use who are rational human beings are never meant to understand these events.
The memorial at the US Embassy,
London (Sep 2001)
On the evening of September 10th, I was sitting in a plane on the tarmac of JFK International Airport, waiting to see if my plane would be able to take off in the torrential downpour. I was heading to London for a week's vacation with my mother. Already it was starting out to be a terrible vacation between my annoying mother and the horrendous weather. But as luck would have it, a small window of opportunity opened up with the weather and our plane took off for Heathrow. We arrived in London the following morning and made our way to the hotel. A little before 2pm London time/9am NYC time, we finally got into our room and I was in the process of unpacking my suitcase. I had turned the telly to CNN just to have some background noise and a distraction from my mother. It was about 10 minutes after the first plane had hit WTC 1. I was confused by what I was seeing. At first I thought it was some sort of drill or a doomsday scenario that the news was presenting - a "what would happen if..." scenario. Five minutes later, it became abundantly clear that this was reality as I watched the 2nd plane hit the tower 2. What do you do when you are 3,500 miles from home 'on vacation' and one of the worse man-made tragedies in your lifetime occurs in your home city? There is nothing you can do but feel unbearable sadness and guilt over not being there. We attempted to continue our vacation, but it was difficult to sightsee and enjoy our stay in London during these events.
I will say though that if I had to be in a foreign country during this time, I couldn't have asked for a better location. The support and love from the British people toward the Americans who were visiting or living abroad was astounding! Wherever we went in England during that tortuous week, there were the kindest sentiments and support toward the US and its citizens. Whoever decided that the British were cold and standoffish was completely mistaken, which I had known decades before September 2001, but can confirm how wonderful they are during a crisis. Perhaps those erroneous judgments were made from observing the royal family, but we should give them some slack. After all, there are consequences to thousands of years of inbreeding.
The worse part of being in London during the terror attacks was not being able to reach friends and family to make sure everyone was okay. The second worse part was not knowing when (or even if) we'd be able to fly home from London. My mother proposed taking a ship home. Uh, I think not. Too costly and too long, plus she would have been fish food half way across the Atlantic.
There are some moments in time which will live with me forever. The emotions triggered by the events of September 11th (and the weeks and months following) will never leave any of us. After arriving home a week later and seeing the still smoldering crash site, I experienced those emotions all over again. The city that I loved and lived in was hurting and I was away and couldn't help. Friends had said that there wasn't anything anyone could do but the horrible feeling of guilt lingered for a long time. I was fortunate that I was spared losing anyone in the attacks. For those who lost loved ones, my sincerest condolences. To the first responders, you are our hereos and deserve our eternal respect and support. For the nearly 3,000 victims, you are in our minds and hearts always. Rest in peace!
This sweet little boy was at the
memorial in London the same
day I visited!
"Better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." - William Blackstone
As a bibliophile, I will pretty much read anything and everything. I enjoy reading pop fiction as much classic literature and have Jane Austen, Shakespeare and Dickens sitting on the same book shelf as Janet Evanovich and Dean Koontz. I am certain that this review will horrify my snobby literature friends that I actually read John Grisham's novel, The Confession. I equally admit that I have read nearly all of Grisham's novels and, in general, find his writing to be enjoyable if somewhat formulaic. While it's not brilliant literature, Grisham's novels are fast, fun reads, which often present interesting moral issues. The Confession fits into this category. The theory behind the story I found fascinating.
Synopsis: The novel focuses on a career criminal, Travis Boyette, who has, upon release from prison, been diagnosed with an inoperable terminal brain tumor. Nine years earlier in a small town in Texas, an African-American youth (Donte Drumm) had been found guilty and condemned to death row for the murder of a white high school cheerleader. Boyette committed this murder and while not feeling guilty over this miscarriage of justice, he would like to set the record straight and help Drumm. The story starts three days before the death sentence is to be applied. Boyette along with Drumm's attorney and a minister from Kansas, attempt to right this wrong.
Review: One of the aspects that I enjoy about Grisham's novels are the moral issues that he presents. Whether or not insurance companies should be responsible for their dying customers (The Rainmaker), or whether or not tobacco companies are at fault when a cigarette smoker dies of lung cancer (The Runaway Jury), Grisham's novels provide interesting commentary on controversies that Grisham clearly finds important and he often makes compelling arguments in which readers can discuss the merits of his claims. The Confession is no different. Grisham is preaching to the choir with me on the death penalty. Personally, I abhor the death penalty and believe it should be eradicated. Death Penalty Focus, "one of the largest nonprofit advocacy organizations in the nation [who is] dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment," lists 10 sound reasons for opposing the death penalty. In a civilized society, putting people to death for their heinous crimes is nothing short of vigilantism. It's cruel and does nothing to deter violent crime, add to that the chance of putting to death an innocent person.
I will not give away if or how the wrongful death penalty case is resolved in Grisham's novel. You should read that for yourself. I do know you will find yourself infuriated by the callous nature that this case was handled. Even though the reader knows that this is a fictional account, the reality is that this type of scenario can be found. Since 1973, 138 people in 26 states have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. There is no way of knowing how many out of the 1,000+ people executed since 1975 may have been innocent. But it stands to reason that there had to be at least 1 person put to death for a crime they never committed and that's 1 too many. Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox...for the moment.
