Dreeeeeeeeeeeams

I am really writing to say that I'm too tired to write anything, but felt like saying hi anyway. I just got home from my double-shift at the theatre and find myself soooo exhausted that it's unreal! The most exciting part is that I am about to conk out. Wooo!

Today was NOT a productive day. I slept until after 11:00 a.m. Then, I got up and sat around for quite a while. I ended up opening a Word document and writing whatever I felt like writing. Ya know how I mentioned my book and how I wanted to work on it this weekend? Well, I decided to try this new thing called 'start over.' I know that's a ridiculous thing to consider when I'm at 200ish pages of the book, but it's revamping with a clean slate in mind. As I get inspired to tell stories that I know I've already written about, I'll retrieve them from the old document. Who knows... I'm basically just rambling at this point. I've just been feeling kind of empty lately, but I know I'm not empty.

I didn't work out Friday or today, but whatever.

I went to the library today to return several books and browse and see what tickled my fancy. For the first time since I got my library card, I did not check out a book. I was just feeling kind of unattached to anything I picked up. Plus, I know that reading will inhibit my writing. Soooooo, I am library bookless for the first time in as long as I can remember.

Finally, before I headed downtown, I met my sister for El Toro. It was gooooooooooood. On that note, it's bedtime.

Negative Nizzancy

Guess who is in hypercritical mode?! Meeeeeeee. I'm not wild about tonight's show (I guess officially last night's) in any form or fashion. Tonight I put on a tutorial for what happens when you get inside your head during an improv show. I was having a hard time getting psyched before the show and it was evident in my first scene. From there, it was like a snowball effect and starting pouring into every aspect of my performance. I kept thinking about how many people were there to support me and how it wasn't going like I wanted it to, so it just wasn't a good approach for me to have. Oh well - I live and I learn.

On the positive side, I ended up getting at least 27 people there, which was just awesome. I am really appreciative to feel so loved, especially when I'm feeling down on myself. For my own improv scrapbook, tonight I was in Emo Spot (as the straight guy - a therapist), Buzzer Interview (as my character Piper Pennington), Narration Switch (started on-stage), and ABC Buzzer Craft Show. I'd actually never played any of those games in a show and had never played three of the renditions before, so it was cool to get to try some new stuff... even if I didn't execute it like I wanted. I live and I learn. Again.

Aside from the show, today was... okay. I stayed up later than I intended last night because I was watching Douglasville win a bronze medal in the women's bobsled in the Olympics. That was pretty cool, but I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted. I got up and exercised this morning (DAY FIVE!) with hopes that it would help keep me energized throughout the day. Then, although it usually takes four minutes to get on 400, it took me 20, so I ended up being pretty late to work.

That being said, getting my steak nachos from Willy's was probably the highlight of my day. I learned today that the steak nachos do not make me as invincible as I thought. They were delicious, nonetheless.

I was coughing a lot today, but I hope it was just a weird day. My voice was starting to get hoarse as the day went on, so it's probably good that I wasn't in any singing games... although my voice is so horrible that being hoarse might be an enhancement! Did I ever mention that I signed up for these pollen alert emails the other day? Dorky, I know, but I am trying to avoid landing myself in the ER like I did last spring. Today's pollen count was one of the highest it has been all week. Wonder if there's any correlation - note to self.

This weekend I think I'll work on my book. I haven't mentioned it in a while because, well, my mind's totally been elsewhere. It would probably be beneficial to delve back into that a bit, especially since I'm sure my perspective's slightly different than it was several weeks ago. I have to work two shows at the theatre on Saturday, but other than that, I should have plenty of time.

Off to bed. It's really late. I'm working from home tomorrow and meeting an old friend at Maggiano's for lunch. I'm excited!

Hit me off

Man, tonight at improv I was reminded of the singing group New Edition and got excited. Perhaps that CD will have to journey with me in the car tomorrow...

Speaking of tomorrow: SHOWTIME! I am actually getting really excited for tomorrow's performance. My favorite thing about improv is that it is constantly challenging; there are always so many different areas in which I can improve. There really is no limit, which is pretty cool. It keeps it lively! I have a lot of awesome people coming to support me tomorrow, so I'm really pumped! I'm looking forward to an AWESOME show.

I got up this morning and went to the gym. Boy, I am quite the overachiever! I have exercised four consecutive days - I think it's been quite a while since I've done that. Don't stop counting now, though, because I'm going to make it five tomorrow morning. This morning I ran a mile, then did sprints for a mile, then hopped on the Stairmaster for a few minutes. I cut it a little shorter than usual since I was a little slow to get up. The best thing about exercising in the morning is that I already feel accomplished before the day has really begun...

I'm surprised at how exhausted I feel right now, but it's awesome. I know I'm going to be asleep within minutes of putting my head on the pillow. I love that feeling; tossing and turning is LAME!

Well, I better get on that before I have a second wind. I need to find some cohorts tomorrow morning to help me fulfill Operation: Nachostitious. Everyone knows I need Willy's steak nachos on show days.

Jaaaaaaaaaava chip

Sunday was a success... First, I walked 3 miles on the treadmill while reading. Then, some apprentices met for Korean food and then we stopped by Baskin Robbins to enjoy some good old-fashioned dessert. When I got back from that gathering, my fraaaaaaand came over to help film more of my fundraising video. This time we got video of me doing mainly non-treatmenty things, like brushing my teeth, getting in my car, etc. We also went over to the fitness center and got video of me running on the treadmill. I ran about a mile in the time that I was being filmed and then realized afterwards: 'Hey, I just ran on the treadmill and it didn't hurt my SC joint once.' So, I was really excited! As far as the video goes, I can't wait to see how it comes along. I'm ready to start fundraising BIG-TIME! (Then we ate Mexican food!)

Monday I got up for work and was just lagging big-time. I dont know what's gotten into me, but I have just been feeling so run-down. I started feeling progressively worse on Sunday and, knowing that I'd been outside a decent bit, I decided to look up the pollen counts. Believe it or not, they were high, so I attributed some of the sneezing and itchiness to that. Monday I felt so weak. Things that are usually effortless required significant determination. So, I was a little concerned considering my show on Thursday, which I've been looking forward to for what feels like FOREVER!

Rehearsal on Monday night went well, but when I got up this morning, I just couldn't go to work. I ended up working from home in bed all day. I didn't feel nearly as weak as the day progressed. It was nice to get to be immobile and minimize the stress and distraction. By the end of the work day, I was feeling pretty good and pretty confident that maybe I wasn't catching anything after all. So, I went up to the fitness center to try to destroy anything that could be plaguing me. Much to my surprise, I ran three miles and walked one. I stopped at each mile point and got some water because I was feeling dehydrated, but I was pretty pleased. Again, no pain in the SC joint! Somebody might be unstoppable!

This evening I did my vest for a little while. I also finished up the letters that I was writing for the CFF. I hope they are on-target. I was pretty pleased with them and rewarded myself with a little bowl of java chip ice cream. I was holding that over my head as a bribe, knowing that it would motivate me to seal the deal on the letters. I want projects like that to be so unbelievably phenomenal that I tend to drag them longer than I should... thinking I'll have a revelation, etc.

Anyway, today was a big success. Tomorrow's Wednesday and then Thursday? It's showtime!!!!

Kick it to the curb

So, Thursday was an eventful day; that Cortisone injection made it more painful than I imagined. I took some Aleve in the morning, hoping that the soreness would wear off as the day continued. However, I was horribly wrong. By 2:00 p.m. when the pain wasn't subsiding any, I decided to take half of a Vicodin. I'll tell you that definitely did a trick or two. I was at least able to relax a bit, so my shoulder stopped twitching and my neck loosened up a bit.

I met a friend at El Azteca before Thursday night's show. Dinner got started a little late considering the zebra running around on the Downtown Connector, which held up traffic quite a bit (it's no wonder Atlanta was just ranked third in the worst traffic among metro areas). Anyway, we had to move quickly, but we got in some good catching-up before we headed to the improv show. It was super-fun being spectators together, and the show was quite amusing!

I was relieved to work at home Friday so that I didn't have to sit up in a chair and/or walk around as much. Thankfully, I woke up Friday feeling remarkably less sore, but it was still nice to get to work from bed. I got a lot accomplished before I headed downtown to meet a friend at Willy's. We were both on the volunteer schedule, so we got to visit over dinner before we went to fulfill our duties. I was originally slated as the camera girl with her doing suggestions, but we flipped responsibilities since I knew my SC joint wasn't going to be happy about having to work the camera.

Today has been a really lazy day. I'm not sure if I'm just exhausted or if I'm still kind of fighting something, but I haven't felt up to much today. I slept in pretty late, which was nice since it's been a pretty jam-packed week. My mom ended up heading this way and we went to the Goodwill to do a little character-outfit shopping. I got a few good things to solidify some characters. Then we swung by El Toro (third Mexican reference in this post - I also forgot to say I had Willy's for lunch Thursday) and ate a late lunch.

This evening I haven't accomplished much. I dozed off for over an hour. I tried cleaning up a bit, too, but that didn't work out quite as planned. I got a bath, which was nice, but honestly I have no idea where the night has gone. All I know is that I'm feeling pretty drained.

Tomorrow I think some of the apprentice actors are meeting for lunch. Then, in the afternoon, a friend and I will be doing some filming for my CF video. I'm pretty excited to see the outcome of this; it's gonna be cooooool!

Hold on while I ice my chest

GREETINGS! IT'S THURSDAY!

Well, my chest is really sore today because I got my much-anticipated Cortisone injection. It was kind of what I imagined it might be when I tried to conceptualize what it would be like for a needle to go into my chest. I was on the gurney (or whatever) and the guy put the gooey gel on my SC joint. He started moving the ultrasound thingy (these are all medical terms) around to get a good picture of the joint. He moved it around for a while, then told me to get ready for a cold spray. After the cold, the needle went into my chest at a diagonal. When the needle got into the place they were going for in the joint, the doctor could not make the syringe cooperate. I think it was a matter of being at a place in my chest that didn't want the medicine. So, they ended up having to take it out.

Then, then tried again. This time they got in the joint pretty easily at an angle that was actually willing to receive the medicine. He slowly started to push the syringe. He warned me that I would feel a lot of pressure, but it was kind of like someone had just put a twenty-five pound weight on my chest or something. It was weird because it was in such a specified location, but it felt like the joint was about to explode from the pressure. Anyway, he warned me that after the injected Lidocaine wore off, it would start to get sore. And boy, was he right. There's a little bruise in the center of my chest and I'm feeling pretty sore. I iced it after rehearsal last night. I'm probably gonna need to pop a painkiller today. He said the pain should only last a few days.

The week has gone pretty well, I'd say. It has actually flown by; I can't believe today's Thursday. Tonight I'm going to the improv show to support some fellow actors. I think I'm meeting a friend for MEXICAN! beforehand, which will be the perfect after-work activity on a Thursday. Then tomorrow I will be working from home until I need to head down to the theatre to work suggestions and camera again. Saturday I will be worthless.

I really need to finish getting ready for work. I forgot that I'm going to be relying on my less-coordinated arm to dry my hair and what not. Here goes!

Achooooo

The sneeze total in the hour and a half I've been awake is now at seven. I don't know what's up, but my nose has been running pretty severely since Sunday night. Mmm, perhaps the suspicion that I was getting sick was on-target. However, I'm confident I can kick this. YES. I. CAN.

I had a pretty good weekend, although the snow thing threw it off a bit. Saturday was pretty fun. I officially went to IHOP for the third consecutive weekend; this time I went with a friend that lives in my complex. The second we walked into IHOP, the workers started telling me I looked exactly like 'Sarah' that used to work there. They were all pointing me out to each other. It's pretty strange because I don't know how I could possibly look like so many people. Oh, and I got an Elizabeth Shue lookalike comment on Friday.

Saturday night I worked two sold-out shows at the theatre. I was on suggestions and camera. It was pretty fun because it was a packed house. We also gave out roses for creative suggestions. How. Sweet. Anyway, I had a good time and worked with a fun crew.

Sunday a friend and I went to watch a college basketball game (a friend is an assistant coach there). The game was pretty fun; I like sports in general. Then the three of us went to get Mexican and margaritas for dinner. It was a non-traditional Valentine's Day, but I'm not a big fan anyway.

Yesterday I woke up feeling pretty gross. I was all sniffly and what not. My throat hurt pretty bad, too, from being horizontal, but it got progressively better as the day went on. I was also FREEZING all day, but the thermometer suggested that I didn't have a fever. Anyway, today when I woke up, my throat didn't hurt as much, but, as I mentioned earlier, I am sneezy magee.

I had sushi for lunch yesterday with some people from the CFF. It was fun aaaaand delicious. We talked about some fundraising strategy for the walk (yes, kids, it's about that time!!!!). Over the next few days, I'm going to write some motivational letters that are going to get blasted out to team leaders. It's time to get inspirational!

Rehearsal was the late shift again last night, but I'm excited because it's at 7:00 p.m. next week. Awesome! By the time I got there, I was feeling so run-down. [Interjection: I ate Mexican food (SHOCK!) for dinner before rehearsal.] We mainly sat around and talked about problem areas at rehearsal, which was kind of a blessing considering how 'off' I was feeling with my stuffy head. Anyway, I got home around 11:30 p.m. and got to sleep to gear up for an early day at work. WOOOOOOO!

Vanilla latte.

Coldlanta

Let me say that it definitely snowed in Atlanta today. If I knew how to get a picture from my phone to the Internet, I would show you the snow right now. However, I guess I'd need Internet on my phone to do that. WHATEVER! It looks like over three inches at this point. I'm just happy the weather people were right for once.

Today I worked from home. It's funny that the only two 'weathery' days this winter have been when I was telecommuting, but oh well... Work closed at 3:00 p.m. today, so that was a pleasant break from Friday's typical activities. I got brunch during lunchtime at J. Christopher's... Mmm, Spinach and Bacon Skillet.

Note: It's Tuesday now, but I'm going to post this anyway.

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

So, it's supposed to snow in Atlanta again tomorrow, like it did about a month ago. It's funny because I really dislike the cold, but I like precipitation. I would like it to be in the 80s every day, but if it's not, I tend to like precipitation. I have always been a fan of rain, and snow isn't bad, either. It sounds like the possibility of snow is pretty promising, so we'll see how it goes. The good news is that it shouldn't hang around for long, so we can hopefully avoid the icy mess that came along with last month's snow.

I've had the best week I've had in quite some time, for no real reason. Things calmed down enough to not be on-edge at work, so that obviously has an extremely positive influence on me. Plus, I've just had a nice week. Wednesday I worked from home and then, instead of rehearsing, we went out to a bar, so that was nice. Tonight I went to the show and had fun laughing there, too. It was nice to catch a bit of a break this week since it feels like I haven't gotten that in a while. I got to take it easy and I needed that.

Right now I'm just kind of surprised at where my memory has gone. I was just reading an AJC article online and it referenced my high school media center. WHOA. Okay, so this story just took a drastic turn. Really, though, the article referenced the media center and I have been wondering for about 10 minutes now where that even was in the school. I was totally blanking, partially because I was so surprised it wasn't coming to mind easily. Somehow, though, just then when I typed 'WHOA,' I could picture it. I just remembered. Everyone can breathe now.

Speaking of breathing, I don't sound too hot today. It might be a combination of the bar shenanigans, some smoky air, yelling to hear people last night, the crazy weather, etc. Either way, though, I sound a little junky. I found myself short-of-breath some today. Hopefully it's just some kind of fluke. Over the last several weeks, I have been sneezing a ton. Fact-sharing time is over now.

I think I'll go to sleep. I'm going out to an early lunch tomorrow.

I get knocked down

So, the title of this post is in honor of Chumbawumba. But, in all honesty, I don't even like them. That song was fun for a hot minute, but now it's obnoxious. I don't know how I got it in my head...

Let me tell you why I am excited today. I got an iPod! My sister actually got one with points she earned at work, but I bought it from her since she already had one. I'm not going to lie... it's pretty stinkin' hot! It is silver with some black accents on it. I need to add music to it and what not. However, I'm most excited because it has the radio. I know most iPod people are too good for the radio, but I looooove listening to the radio. It's full of surprises and it's a way to stay up-to-date with what's hip. You know I'm hip (says the girl who is at least five years behind on the iPod craze)!

Today was a great day, mainly because I had Mexican x 2. For lunch, I had Willy's. Typical behavior, but I devoured some steak nachos. Then, for dinner, I went to El Azteca and enjoyed some mango margaritas (YEAH!) and a combo. It was pretty awesome.

I'm super-excited right now because I get to telecommute tomorrow. There are some events being hosted in our building, so I get to benefit with a day at home. It will be perfect because I need to finalize some email communications, and it will be so much easier to do when I'm at home. It seems like I rarely luck out on days like this, but it looks as though my time has come. Awesome!

This weekend should be fun, I think. I'm going out to dinner with one of my work friends on Friday. Then, on Saturday, I'm working both of the shows at the theatre. That should be fun and Valentines-ish. Sunday I'm going to a basketball game at Oglethorpe University, so I bet I'll enjoy that, too. It sounds like a good weekend, although I'm anti-Valentine's Day in the same way that I am most holidays.

Well, I'm pretty darn tired because I went into work really early today. I savor my Tuesdays since I don't have any obligations... Ahhh, time for bed and a fun day of working from home tomorrow!

Goldilocks

Mmmm, I am more tired than I should be at 9:10 p.m. on a Saturday. Oh well.

This morning I got up a little after 8:00 a.m. because there was a lot of loud banging outside. It sounded like someone was knocking on our door, but that wasn't the case. I'm still not sure what it was, but it was obnoxious enough to prevent me from going back to sleep. That wasn't too completely horrible, though, because I wanted to get up and exercise before I went to get my hair did.

I went to the fitness center and got in a pretty good workout this morning. I did a combination of jogging, stairing, and sprinting. I think my workout totaled almost 40 minutes, so that felt worthwhile. I forgot to mention (I think) that I got up and worked out before work on Wednesday. So, this was the best week I've had fitness-wise in quite some time. I think it helped me maintain my sanity despite the week's activities.

Then I headed to get my new hairdo. I ended up getting....drumroll....goldenish highlights and about an inch cut off. The color is pretty. I don't know that other people will notice it as much as I do, but it feels pretty drastic to me; I think because that was the longest I'd gone in quite some time without having done anything color-wise. I'm trying to get used to it. The cut looks super-cute with a lot of body, though. I wish the hairstyler could fix it for me every morning because I don't know that I'll be able to replicate it. Anyway, I think the color makes me look a bit warmer.

After my hair appointment, I met my friend at IHOP! Yes, I sound like an IHOP fanatic, but in all actuality, last weekend was the first time I'd gone since I went with this same friend last year. I got the pancake platter with bacon, as I did last weekend, and it was just as good. We talked about a variety of topics, and she gave me some much-needed reassurance on my book.

I had every intention of working on my book tonight, but it seems like it just wasn't in the cards. Ha! I've actually been trying to keep my eyes open for several hours, so I haven't had quite the energy I'd like in order to write. I wish I had a drill sergeant here making me get things accomplished. Oh well. This blog is an accomplishment, even though it's a bit worthless and uneventful.

The Super Bowl is tomorrow. It's funny because I just really haven't followed football much this year. Ever since the Falcons decided to lose all of their games, I kind of lost interest. Plus, my schedule has gotten significantly busier lately, so I quit spending my Sundays watching football. Anyway, I don't know if I'll watch the game or not. It's pretty late on a Sunday night considering how long Monday will be (We have late rehearsal again). So, we'll see what happens tomorrow... Man, I've gotten old.

Well, maybe I'll force myself to contribute something to my book before I go to sleep.

Barracuda

Well, I am comfortably sitting in bed, getting ready to hit the hay. I am extreeeeemely tired tonight. It's been a long day and I just got home from my IMPROV show a little while ago. Woohoo!

Tonight was a lot of fun! I was in Buzzer, Repeat Scene Styles, Emo Interview and Oscar Musical. Again, that's mainly for my jogs down the improv memory lane - not so much so anybody else will understand what those things mean. I felt pretty good about every single scene, so that's a refreshing feeling to have! I had several of my wonderful friends and family members there supporting me despite the rain, so that was awesome. Plus, it was a friend's first apprentified show and she was stellar - especially at singing games. Her excellence overcompensates for my shouting to music!

I enjoyed steak nachos at Willy's today, per my pre-show tradition. A late-ish lunch of steak nachos is the perfect thing to get me geared up for improv. I had part of a Monster energy drink before the show and was feeling super hyper. It was a good kick to get me going! Throw in a few gummy bears and I am good to go!

Well, I'm pretty relieved because I don't have a whole lot on the agenda for the weekend. I am guessing I'll lay low tomorrow. Then Saturday I have a hair appointment and lunch with a friend. Otherwise I don't plan on doing much. I'm pretty sure I work at the theatre every weekend for the rest of the month, so I'll savor this weekend while I have it. I haven't quite decided what to do hairwise. As usual, I have been extremely satisfied with my hair ever since I made the appointment. Why does it always work this way?!

Anyway, I'm a sleepy one and have a lot to accomplish work-wise tomorrow. I'll be working from home, but I will be in. the. zone.

Cheers to a good week!

Robot

Well, it is waaaaaaaaay past my bedtime, but I just got home from rehearsal a few minutes ago. Tonight didn't go so hot for me; I think a lot of it had to do with my being tired. We worked on straight scenes tonight, meaning they were based purely on acting and not so much on games and funniness. Anyway, I was tired and it was tough for me to make emotional connections, hence the title of 'robot.'

Today was the best Monday I've had in a while, so that's good news. I honestly think a big part of it has to do with the fact that I successfully executed the pre-work workout. Sleeping in my gym clothes left me with few excuses, so I woke up and headed straight to the fitness center before reality could set in... I took an old-school portable CD player with me and a few unmarked CDs, so that made for constant surprises. I jogged a mile first. Then I did sprints for a mile. Finally, I hopped on the stairmaster for a fast-paced climb for about another eight minutes. It all only totaled about 30 minutes, but it was pretty high intensity the entire time.

Work wasn't too shabby today, either... It was the first day in a while that I was able to keep my head above water. I accomplished many lower-priority things that always get overshadowed by other time-sensitive things. Tomorrow we have a FOUR HOUR meeting that begins at 9:00 a.m., so it looks like it might be a Starbucks morning.

Ooh, I went to Marshalls between work and improv. I got two things that I'm kind of excited about: 1) a water bottle, and 2) a household decoration. The water bottle is aluminum and is black with little peace signs on it. I got it because I really need to start drinking more water for many reasons. I figured if I had a cute water bottle, maybe I'd be more tempted to take it places. Not so much for status purposes, but more because I just paid for it and should use it. Then, the household decoration is a little wooden sign that I've placed on my dresser. I first noticed a star on it, which is what originally DREW me to it. It reads: "It is never too late to be what you might have become." That really resonates with me because I have always had a lot of big dreams and sometimes need to be reminded that I can still accomplish things.

Speaking of accomplishing things, no, I haven't made any worthwhile progress on my book lately. A friend suggested that I take a break from it for a bit, and I do believe that it will help relieve some pressure and hopefully generate some new energy.

Well, I'm looking forward to my improv show on Thursday night. I can't wait for the adrenaline rush and the challenge.