It's been almost two months since I last posted. Unacceptable, I know. At the moment I'm doing fifteen things at once so I don't have time to really write. Shocker, I know. The last week has been completely consumed by one thing and one thing only. Awesome, I know. There will be a full report coming soon, I promise. Until then, ponder how insanely perfect all these people are. It's scary amazing, isn't it?

Howdy! It's been a while and this is, by no means, an update on my life but it's an experience I wanted to share. Last week there was "Teacher Open House" Day at several San Francisco museums. My mom, being a teacher, went to see the new exhibits, network with other educators and collect new teaching materials. I, being the son of a teacher, went to freeload and take advantage of getting in free. That's right, I love museums so much that I only visit them when they're free. I support them in theory and save my hard-earned money for the gift shops. I really enjoyed the day, however, and I thought I'd "review" here. If you hate art and history and exhibits about art and history, tune out now.

First stop: Cartoon Art Museum. Whoever had the idea to hang cartoons on the wall and charge admission is a thief and a genius. Seriously, this place is bomb. Their two biggest exhibits are, currently, "Once Upon a Dream: The Art of Sleeping Beauty" and "Monsters of Webcomics". I mean, come on! Just awesome! The first included work (unseen drawings, original sketches, color tests, rough drafts, etc.) from several very early Disney movies, not just Sleeping Beauty. Having just this Summer been confirmed as a Disnoid, I was beyond thrilled. I think Disney artwork is incredible and the early stuff is really fascinating. The rest of the (rather small) gallery was really fun and included a lot of political cartoons, classic comics, modern work, etc. Incredibly varied and incredibly fascinating. (Ps. The gift store is basically a glorified comic bookstore and who doesn't love looking around one of those once in a while. They had original Gumby dolls!)

In the same building three floors up is the GLBT Historical Society. I don't have much to say about it, the place was a bit unorganized and confusing with only one exhibit that wasn't explained very well. We just took a very quick look and moved on. I was a little disappointed with it but whole-heartedly support the institution.

Directly underneath the GLBT offices is SF Camerawork (nerd alert: I really like their logo). As a photography-enthusiast, I was super psyched to find this place. The gallery (like most photography spaces) was pretty small and had a mix of works I really liked and really didn't care for. Several photographers really impressed me in particular and I want to introduce you all to Mark Citret (these photos are among the ones he has on display there but definitely check out some of the other pages), Christina Koci Hernandez (again, this shot really amazed me but look at some of her others as well), Michael Rauner (click "The Visionary State", then the image of the book on the left, "11-15" for some of the ones he had on display), and Dan Nicoletta (of "Milk" fame). The selection really inspired me and got me itching to pick up my camera again. I guess that's the point of art, right?

Around the corner and down the block is SF Moma which is one of my favorite museums in the whole world. I can't really explain why, except that I have a lot of great memories of visiting and I'm always inspired by the architecture and often (though not always) by their exhibits. I snapped this shot on my phone looking up the staircase to the second floor. I'm not sure what the piece is on the back wall but it reflected beautifully on the walls and the whole thing represents why I love the museum. There was a small reception (free food!) for teachers upstairs which we stopped into but didn't stay long. We also didn't explore any of the current exhibits since we were pressed for time. We did, however, spend quite a while in the gift shop downstairs which gives new meaning to merch. If I could move into their store, I totally would. It's amazing.

Right across the street is Yerba Buena Gardens which houses a multi-building complex. We walked through Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (sweet logo) and I had mixed feelings about it. We saw an exhibit called "Wallworks" (bomb-ass logo!). These pieces are HUGE. Like mind-blowingly huge. Two-story high, city-block long, have-to-back-up-as-far-as-possible-to-see-it-all huge. Some are amazing (see left), some are weird. None has any information posted about it. Instead you have to pick up a gallery guide (which they don't explain) with confusing reviews and artist bios. The one I (illegally) snapped to the left (no pictures allowed!) is called "Display of Properties" by Leslie Shows and it is incredible. The top is a row of blank white flags and "dripping" down the wall are elements of flags from different countries (colors, patterns, insignias, etc.). I think the concept is amazing and there's so much to see you can't help but just sit back and soak up the colors. This other piece is called "Post-Perfect" by Odili Donald Odita and it's not nearly as interesting or thought-provoking as the last. What caught my eye is the fact that it's "stashed" behind the stairs. I was much more invested in setting up this picture to capture all the different textures you see when looking up at the staircase. Truly, the choice of placement on this back wall is more exciting than the piece as a whole. I think YBCA has an amazing space (three actual galleries, two media screening rooms, two floors and several hallway spaces) and the potential for really engaging works but this exhibit, as a whole, missed the mark.

The last stop on (and initial impetus for) the day was the Contemporary Jewish Museum (I like their logo, as well). The current exhibit is a retrospective of Maurice Sendak's work. If you don't know who he is, you need to. His most famous work is "Where the Wild Things Are" but he's done much more than just that during his incredibly long career. To start with, the CJM is a beautiful museum. It's relatively new (just a few years old) and I hadn't been yet so I'm glad I got a chance to check it out. The building itself has an old brick facade with exposed steel beams inside. Jutting out of the left side and top of the building is a blue metal structure which intersects the rectangular brick architecture at a somewhat jarring angle. The meshing of old and new, expected materials and surprising ones, classic shapes and modern pieces makes the whole place very visually interesting before even seeing a single exhibit. On the back wall of the lobby is a massive fluorescent light display which, on first glance, seem to be placed at random. In fact, they're four huge slanted Hebrew letters which spell out the word "pardes" which means orchard. And in special recognition of Sendak, they have many of his drawings on walls all over the museum which creates a fun hide-and-seek element to the whole experience. Clearly a lot of thought and planning went into the design of the museum and it doesn't go unnoticed. The CJM hosted a reception (free booze!) to introduce all the educators to the museum staff who then led guided tours of the exhibit. I broke off on my own and explored the gallery by myself.

The exhibit is truly incredible and if you will be anywhere near the Bay Area in the next few months, go see it! "Where the Wild Things Are" has always been one of my favorite books and I really enjoyed learning more about both the story and the author. The exhibit was beautifully curated and from start to finish. My favorite part of all was right by the front door (one of the first and last places you pass) where they have most of Sendak's books hanging on the wall like pieces of art. Directly beneath these is a table with copies of all these same books which can be read. The presentation of these same items as both works of art and nostalgic childhood stories is brilliant and inspiring. I think every artist hopes their work is accessible on many levels. Throughout the several galleries, I learned that Sendak was born and raised on the Lower East Side during WWII and faced childhood illness, the death of siblings early in his life and the loss of family in the Holocaust. All of these things affected him deeply and play into his stories to this day. He started by drawing the scenes he saw out his window (he spent months cooped up inside daydreaming and cartooning due to disease) and his work has always had a melding of the mundane and fantastical. The exhibit's introduction explains that from the very beginning of his career he has held that "a child's full range of emotions, from confusion to isolation to joy, must be portrayed, no matter how uncomfortable this might be for adults...To Sendak, childhood can be messy, but there are important truths in the logic children use to cope with reality. As Sendak playfully puts it, 'We make up things that mean things...That's how you get through life... You make it up.'" Balancing out the amount of make-believe in his work, is his application of very real aspects of the world. One description explained that "Sendak uses newspaper headlines to strategically remind readers that children face harsh lives and real suffering throughout the world." This constant juxtaposition is what makes his stories and drawings so multi-faceted.

Sections of the exhibit include:
Angels and Devils "His devils take on various shapes and guises, and are often captivating, even beautiful creatures, while also appearing as the scary demons of legend. Sendak likes to blur the lines between tidy categories of good and evil, asking his readers to find the beautiful in his devils, and the clumsy and fraudulent in his angels."
Sendak and Reality "He once hinted that fantasy is useless if its not true to all forms of childhood experience: 'There have to be elements of anxiety and mystery in truthful children's books...What I don't like are formless, floating fantasies. Fantasy makes sense only if it's rooted ten feet deep in reality.'"
"Ungovernable" Emotions "'What interests me,' Sendak once said, 'is what children do at a particular moment in their lives when there are no rules, no laws, when emotionally they don't know what is expected of them.' He has called the emotions that arise in such moments 'ungovernable,' suggesting children's struggle fro master over their feelings. Sendak's book illustrations include as many sulking, moody, tantrum-throwing children as they do smiling, cavorting misfits; his works explore the melancholy of city kids troubled by fears of abandonment, jealousy, and sibling rivalry."

The section called Paragons discusses how Sendak found inspiration above all else from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, William Blake and Herman Melville. It explains that he felt "their works is already so layered with mean that his own interpretation would hold no mystery or interest." This fascinated me because we rarely hear an artist (of any medium) describing the personal limitations of his chosen profession. The humility and grace with which he respects his icons is incredibly heartening.

Quotes throughout explain that Sendak was always inspired by live theatre and hoped to work in the business. Aside from having several of his works turned into plays, musicals and operas, he has designed sets for many productions around the world. "I think there was a time when I thought of everything as a theatre ." I love this idea because in a sense it's exactly how I see the world. He has collaborated with a wide range of professionals in the arts including Tony Kushner, Gregory Maguire, several opera and ballet companies in the United States and across Europe and the dance group Pilobolus. It really amazed me how much this children's author had worked in so many media with so many other people and how much his work speaks to people on so many different levels.

At the very back of the gallery is a huge timeline spanning his life, ending in modern day (he's still alive and working). Next to the line marking 2008 is a brief mention that Sendak came out publicly last year when his partner (which whom he'd been living for more than 50 years) died. I think it's incredible that at 80 years old he had the confidence to let the New York Times know who he really was and prove that it's never too late to do anything in your life. I was also really impressed that the exhibit didn't make a big deal about his being gay because that's not what it's about. A brief mention seems perfectly appropriate.

My favorite anecdote describes his old, Jewish relatives "with yellow eyes and teeth and hair growing out of every hole on their faces" who would descend on their house for dinner when Maurice was a little boy. They were all so loud and angry and hungry that he was afraid if his mother didn't get dinner on the table fast enough they'd eat everything in the house and then eat him. Years later, these relatives would be represented as the Wild Things.

The man is truly a legend and inspires me in so many ways. It was so great to rediscover some favorite books and explore some new ones. Props to the CJM for housing this exhibit which I know will stick with me for a very long time. It was the perfect ending to a lovely day and (on a grander scale) helped me feel a little less downtrodden, as I have been the last few weeks. I'm a total nerd for museums and I'm glad I got my fix!

I'm not sure if I've posted this before but even if so it deserves a second (or seventh or twelfth) viewing. It's one of my favorite videos of all time and I just found it again. He's not only one of the funniest comedians on television but he's brilliant to boot. Total bromance.

By now you've noticed that the blog looks different. What do you think? Too bright? Too dark? Too busy? I'd been feeling bored with the old layout for a while and I finally did something about it. In the process I accidentally, frustratingly and painstakingly slowly taught myself some valuable HTML coding and I'm proud to say I customized almost everything about the new template myself. I threw the header together today and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. But more than anything else, I'm incredibly proud of my new favicon. In case you didn't notice (or don't know what a favicon is), this is what it looks like. I made that! And got it to work! Whatup! Let me know your thoughts on the new spread and feel free to hate it. Thanks for checking in!

K is for Ketchup.
K is for Kale.
K is for (Rice) Krispies.

K is also for Kosher. All the aforementioned foods are Kosher. Do you know why? I'll tell you! Because they are meat-free. While this is an over-simplified explanation of Kashrut, it's a good rule of thumb to remember.

I spend an incredible amount of my time explaining Kashrut to those who don't understand it. ("Kashrut" is the actual noun referring to the set of laws as a whole. "Kosher" is the adjective given to foods which fit those rules.) I don't mind this, at all, in fact I kind of like it. It is different and I'm happy and even excited to enlighten others about this part of my life. Regardless of the number of lessons I give my friends, however, most still can't keep it clear. I thought I'd set the record straight and please feel free to ask questions if anything still doesn't make sense.

There are many different forms of Kashrut but they all stem from actual laws in the Torah. These were interpreted and redefined (like everything in the Torah) by rabbis in every generation (including our own). This means that the laws are still changing and being examined, but more on that later. Also, certain animals are Kosher and many are not, but this is only part of the equation; there are also rules about slaughter, preparation and pairing of foods. The basic laws pertain only to meat. Mammals must chew their cud (part of the digestion process, kinda gross) and have split hooves. They must also be healthy at the time of slaughter. Birds of prey are not Kosher. Fish must have fins and scales.

For meat to be considered Kosher it must be killed painlessly (usually one slice to the jugular which kills the animal instantly) so the animal feels no pain. Blood, the lifeforce of all creatures, is not for human consumption so all blood must be removed during preparation. This is acheived through a process of salting the meat which soaks out the blood, is then washed away and repeated several times. This explains why Kosher meat is so high in Sodium but also much cleaner. In terms of consumption, the Torah says not to cook a kid (baby goat) in its mother's milk, also to save the animals from cruelty. In biblical times this was easy to avoid but since we don't know where our meat and milk come from these days (or if the milk is even from one singular animal), the ruling was widened to exclude eating any meat and milk together at all so as to avoid breaking this rule (complicated, for sure, but we Jews like to make sure we don't break any laws even accidentally). While this all might seem rather complicated, it's really pretty simple on a cooking/eating/consumption level: animals are inherently okay or not okay, no meat and milk together. That's pretty much it. (There are, of course, exceptions to these rules which I'll explain later.)

In terms of practice, I can only speak to my personal rules which come from my parents. It's truly different for everyone, but I'll tell you what we do. When I said that there are different "forms" of keeping Kosher I mean that, like most things Jewish, different people have different customs or levels of observance. Some people call themselves practicing or religious Jews but don't keep Kosher at all. Some people won't eat anything they don't prepare themselves. Some people need everything to be hechshered (the OU or K symbols you're probably seen on many packages. My family is somewhere in the middle. So when I said that Kashrut refers to meat only, I should change that to say that's all that my family personally adheres to and others follow more complicated rules. I often tell people I'm "functionally vegetarian" and by this I mean I spend 95% of my time as a vegetarian (actually pescetarian). I'll eat Kosher meat whenever it's available but since it rarely is I generally just ask for vegetarian options since there's nothing that a vegetarian would eat that's a problem for me. (I said pescetarian because one of the exceptions to the rule is that fish is actually not considered meat and therefore can be eaten out in restaurants and with dairy; a tuna sandwhich with muenster is my favorite!).

With me so far? No? Don't worry, few people really get it. Now for the much harder question: why do I follow this convoluted series of rules? I'm reading A.J. Jacobs's book The Year of Living Biblically which is fascinating and I recommend it to everyone (also his first, The Know-It-All, which I also loved). In one section talking about prayer he's talking about thanking God for the food he's about to eat:

"'I'd like to thank God for the land that he provided so that this food might be grown.' Technically, that's enough. That fulfills the Bible's commandment. But while I'm in thanksgiving mode, I decide to spread the gratitude aroud: 'I'd like to thank the farmer who grew the chickpeas for this hummus. And the workers who picked the chickpeas. And the truckers who drove them to the store. And the little old Italian lady who sold the hummus to me at Zingone's deli and told me "Lots of love." Thank you.' Now that I type it, it sounds like an overly earnest Oscar speech for best supporting Middle Eastern spread. But saying it feels good...The prayers are helpful. They remind me that the food didn't spontaneously generate in my fridge. They make me feel more connected, more grateful, more grounded, more aware of my place in this complicated hummus cycle. They remind me to taste the hummus instead of shoveling it into my maw like it's a nutrition pill. And they remind me that I'm lucky to have food at all. Basically, they help me get outside of my self-obsessed cranium."

While he's talking about praying and thanking God for the food (before or after, depending on your religion), this reasoning applies to keeping Kosher as well. I do say a bracha (prayer) every time I eat which accomplishes the same goal but Kashrut is truly a way of life and it reminds me to be appreciative of all food and everything that goes along with it. Needing to avoid certain foods (meat is harder to avoid than you might think: there's chicken broth in EVERYTHING) requires me to stop and think about everything I eat. Also, I'm so incredibly excited every time I get to eat meat that it really is a special occasion every time. It sounds corny to say that I appreciate the sacrifice the animal has made so that I can eat it but it's true. Mindlessly eating meat with no understanding or regard for the animal feels wrong to me and that's why many Jews end up going vegetarian anyway. For me personally, I do think it's okay to eat meat but I like the built-in respect that comes with eating Kosher meat.

So. Did you get all that? Tricky, I know. The funny thing is that while I always say that it's pretty easy to understand and not terribly complicated, every time I start to explain it I remember how complex it actually is. A couple FAQs I thought might help:

Q. How do you keep it all straight?
A: It's second nature to me at this point since I've been doing it my entire life (truly since I was in utero).

Q: So you've NEVER had bacon??? (Note: bacon can be switched out for lobster, pork, cheeseburger, etc.)
A: Nope!

Q: But bacon (sub: lobster, pork, cheeseburger, etc.) is SO GOOD!!
A: But if I've never had it I don't know I'm missing so it's not like I'm wishing I could have it.

Q: Touche! So do you actually like it or just feel compelled to keep Kosher?
A: I do actually enjoy it for all the reason I mentioned above. Of my Jewish friends from home I'm just about the only one still keeping Kosher. I have family members who used to and don't anymore. People definitely go in and out of it. It's a very personal thing and I understand those who choose not to. But for me it's important so it really is my personal choice.

Q: What happens if you accidentally eat something not Kosher? Do you have to pray? Do you have to burn the food? Do you go to hell??
A: It happens all the time. Accidents occur pretty often. Nothing "happens". If you find out that it's not Kosher, stop eating it! No, you don't have to burn it or pray. Just don't eat any more and do your best to avoid it in the future.

Q: What accidents have you had?
A: When I was 9 I went to Camp Ramah (a Jewish sleepaway camp in Southern California) and there was a big mixup where chicken egg rolls were accidentally served with a dairy meal. Chicken salad is often served in place of tuna salad. Mexican rice (among other rice dishes) is often cooked with chicken stock even if it's called vegetarian because there's no "actual" meat in it. One fateful night at a Pasta Party, I was told an alfredo sauce was meat-free and found out it actually had bacon in it (you all know who you are...), but I tell you what, it was the best freakin' alfredo I've ever had.

Q: Have you ever intentionally broken?
A: Only once. Someone had gone so far out of their way to make a special dish for me that had Kosher meat and was cooked and prepared properly so I could have some meat along with everyone else. I found out that there was milk in the dish and I couldn't bring myself to embarass the cook or hurt anyone's feeling by not eating it. Again, best damn version of it I've ever had. And by the way, I still feel guilty about this but (in accordance with another important Jewish principle) I think letting the cook save face was more important.

Q: Come on, don't you just want to break it for like a week and try everything you've always wanted to?
A: Yes! Constantly! But I'd feel guilty forever since it would be solely for the purpose of breaking the rules. I can't say I won't some day feel that it's not important to me anymore. But for now, it is.

Q: Isn't it hard to find stuff to eat?
A: Not really. Not to say that I haven't had many, MANY meals at catered events consisting of salad and bread. But generally, there are so many options for vegetarians that it's not a problem. Also, people are so welcoming and considerate that I rarely ever have issues.


Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Comment it up! I'm happy to explain more and explain better. Happy eating!



ed: Wikipedia has a pretty comprehensive explanation of everything if you're interested in reading more. Even I learned something!

This is a bit late (okay, two months late) but I still think it's cool and I want to give a shout out. Brahoney, one of my closest friends with ties to both sides of the country (we know EVERYONE in common), is a blogger extraordinaire and I wish I had his dedication. It's always a joy to read what he has to say and he's incredibly creative with his posts. When I grow up I hope to blog like him.

A couple months back he emailed a bunch of us and said he'd like us to fill out the questionnaire that Playbill.com uses on their site. He's running a mini version of what they do with his group of friends as the "celebrities". Cool, right? I'm tellin' you, he's a smart kid. I was so psyched about the idea that I answered the email on the spot and sent it off immediately (I'm still working on that whole "waiting a while to make it seem like you're not overly-excited and keeping your cool" thing). Well, wouldn't you know it, I was the first one featured! Just thought I'd link back to it. Yeah, I'm just that nerdy and self-aggrandizing that I'm pimping my own interview on a friend's blog. Deal with it!


link Cue & A: Elie Berkowitz

My god, it's been a long time since I posted. I've been so crazy busy since I last wrote (3 states!) and I just haven't had the time or brain capacity or stamina or emotional preparedness to update. I still don't have any of those things but I'll bring you up to speed.

Dirty Dancing ended. I really can't believe it. It's been a major part of my life for over a year now and it's over. There were (and still are) a lot of emotions surrounding the whole experience and the fact that it's over but I truly wouldn't trade it. I met some incredible people, lived in three awesome cities, reconnected with old friends, added some helpful skills to the resume, made some valuable contacts, bought an unbelievable number of DVDs I don't need and learned a whole freakin' lot about myself. It was by no means all good times, but overall I'm so glad I did it. But, onward and upward...

New York was amazing. One of the best weeks of my life. There was a whole of awful shit that went down towards the end but it didn't tarnish the stellar time I had before that. There's a WHOLE lot that I won't write about here (for many different reasons) but suffice it to say it was a growing experience in many ways. Spent some solid quality time with the F4, got in some kick-ass (literally) classes at NYSC, did a lot of drinking, got to see almost everyone I needed to, and played some award-quality rounds on Guitar Hero. Oh, and above all else, SOS finally began. (Miss you, Betrothed!)

In between LA and New York there was a brief few days at home (sleep, beach, laundry) and a few more after I got back from the East Coast (more sleep, more laundry, 24 season 7). Before I could even unpack from two months down south, I repacked for a month in Seattle. After a quick flight up to Washington, I got to see KCanny after more than two years apart. She picked me up at the airport and graciously agreed to let me stay with her for the whole time I'm here. That is amazing and I'm so greatful. Unfortunately, I arrived in Seattle to some pretty bad news. We ended up getting here a full week early and we've been doing a whole lotta nothin'. Luckily, BM and NE were in town this weekend for a wedding and I suddenly had lots of time to spend. We drank an incredible amount, ate some stellar Seattle cuisine, sailed around the Sound and visited Pier 70, the site of The Real World: Seattle. I'm glad they were here and we got to spend so much time together. Truly some of my favorite people in the world.

That's the past month in a nutshell. It's been a real whirlwind and it's only just beginning. Once the show ends here in three weeks I have no idea what I'm doing. Good times! The show starts previews tomorrow and I'm excited to finally see it and be a part (in a very small way) of a brand new show. I'll do my best to update more often. Seattle, over and out.

I had the pleasure of meeting KH for drinks last night after the show just to catch up and spend some time together before the show ends next week (I can't believe it!). She told me about her experience working with an afterschool program in South Central LA and the incredible students she met which reminded me how lucky I am to have so much theatre in my life. She compared the school to a prison and said she simply doesn't understand how any of them gets up and goes to school every morning. After working with the group (of about 35) she was so inspired personally that she wrangled a donation of tickets to the show for the whole group and a bus to transport them. The kids came last Sunday night and stayed after the show for a talk-back. The most incredible part was that none of them had ever experienced live theatre before.

KH came to me to ask for some merch to give the kids and got signed posters from stage management and T-shirts from wardrobe so that each kid left with something tangible to remember the night. She told me that after weeks of talk-backs with groups from private arts school this was incredibly eye-opening for everyone. To hear regular people (and especially straight guys) talk about dancing and performing as a living was literally life-changing for them. One girl who showed particular talent had the chance to audition for KH and the new musical theatre program at Texas State University and was propmtly accepted. The company has been coming together to donate money for her scholarships and they've almost entirely covered her tuition. This makes her one of two from this particular group going to college and the only one pursuing theatre. The arts programming I've had in my life is truly a gift and I forget how much I need to appreciate it. It's so easy to take for granted and stories like this are a blessing. It truly inspires me to keep working and help in giving back to those who don't have the access I've had.

On the walk back to the parking lot I asked if I could pick her brain about getting started in the industry and she very graciously explained what she thinks is most important to do as a new performer. By this I mean the ten minutes that followed blew my mind. She said she feels that the first step is figuring out where your market really is. She clarified that this means that New York and Los Angeles are by no means the only places to grow creatively in this country. In fact, because of the ever-present financial constraints in the industry, those two cities are often among the least creative cities for a performer. Her strongest recommendation was not to wait around for the opportunities to come to you. "Make art happen for yourself." Being proactive in advancing your career (and this applies to any field, of course) will bring possibilities to you. Working, creating, performing in any capacity (in small theatre, in readings, as an audition reader, in your own living) is the first step towards bigger chances. The bottom line is that Broadway is by no means the be-all and end-all for actors. We often feel that it is but she expressed that if we really ask ourselves what it is about that world that appeals to us, the ugly truth is that want the bragging rights. All we really want is to prove wrong everyone who ever told us we'd never make it. But do they even remember who we are? And will it really make as great an impact on them as we'd like it to? Certainly not. The need for that attention and respect and adoration is purely selfish and negates the creative process almost entirely. If given the chance to play a dream role in a small regional theatre elsewhere in the country or a very minor supporting or ensemble character in New York, which would you rather choose? Feeling creatively fulfilled beats a Broadway credit any day. And considering that she's somewhat of a theatre legend it's incredibly refreshing to hear this kind of talk from someone of her calibur. I left feeling more inspired than I can express.

So with 12 and a half shows left before this year wraps up, I'm looking towards the future and feeling excited again about theatre. I miss it and I can't wait to get back to it. Here's to no more waiting.

There's nothing to even say about this video. "Appalling" doesn't even come close.



I have plenty to say about this video. "Hilarious" doesn't even come close.

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

Walking near the beach today (oh yeah, I found the beach), we found us some Jamba Juice (I found Jamba too) and we were soaking up the sun and fruit and warmth and friendship when a ringing "Do you have a moment to fight..." cut through the joy and brought us crashing back down to Earth. Nothing I hate more than petitioners on the street bugging me about starving children or the disappearing atmosphere or the genocide in random country #73. Today's annoying cause at the end of that sentence was "...Prop 8?" Without even thinking we both half-smiled and mumbled a vague "nothankssorrygoodluckdonthavetime". We took another three steps and realized... wait, we do care about fighting Prop 8. There was another girl right in front of us who asked the same question and we both shouted, a little too-eagerly, "YES, WE DO!!" As she tried not to look started by our inappropriately-excited response and yet overjoyed that someone had actually stopped to listen, I turned around to apologize to the first guy and explain that it took us a minute to process what he'd said. He seemed slightly jealous that she'd lured in fresh blood and yet humble enough to appreciate that we were signing up for his cause and it didn't really matter who actually held the clipboard while we signed.

The girl who we spoke with explained about Equality California and the grassroots movement fighting Prop 8 and the Supreme Court's decision, last week, to uphold the law which passed in November. While her pitch wasn't perfect (it sounded like she was spitting out a memorized speech rather than just talking to us, she was a bit too pushy about the whole thing, she explained that no amount was too small to donate but then pushed me to increase my monthly donation, when asked about a website she discouraged us from using it in order to "play up the impact of the street team", no literature to take with us...), I decided this was my chance to get involved. I've been trying since November to find some way of really making an impact and while I don't think this is it, it's a start. I signed up for a small monthly donation and I hope to increase it when I can afford more. There's no question that they need the funds but I feel like this is cheating a bit. I want to do more.

DYC and I have had several conversations about how most gay people I know are less fired about on a day-to-day basis than straight people who believe in marriage equality. I don't mean to imply that my gay friends don't care or that they're willing to give up or even sit around passively; I just know that I feel violent about the whole thing and I've yet to have a discussion with a gay friend or family member who has done anything but calmly accept the decision and pacifistically look to the future. I've written before about how angry I am and how helpless I feel. This gives me some amount of hope that I can get involved and be a part of the solution.

I registered with the EQCA website tonight as a volunteer and I'm hoping they call me. If anyone else knows about other ways to get involved please let me know. I'm tired of being told that this is "the Civil Rights movement" of our generation. It's 2009 and the state of Iowa has already allowed it. Shape up, California.