I am a bad LJ citizen.  I have neglected my LJ friends.  I haven't posted anything at all, let alone interesting, in weeks.  Is it LJ ennui?  Is it sheer laziness?  Is it the common sense to know I have nothing to say?  (Can't be that last, I can talk about nothing (and have) extensively.)

I still haven't posted about The Vagina Monologues.  It was FANTASTICALLY fun.  howeirdand iamradarand moonlightnrainand kelbebop and unibearand  other LJ peeps came to see it, which was a delight and, in the case of howeird, not only a delight but a surprise.  We performed to a sold-out 500 seat theater the first show and a few-seats-shy-of-sold-out theater the second day, which was a matinee.

Bear in mind that, barring masquerades, I can count my times onstage in a performance on the fingers of one hand.  (Is that true?  Lemme see... about four performances with the Golden Stag Players in the SCA back in the day, and two editions of The Vagina Monologues... ok, make that the fingers of two hands--barely.)  So, very limited experience with all this.  The first night, the crowd was rowdy--I suspect that evening shows for the Monologues will always go better because you can get the audience liquored up.  

I remember all of us standing, pressed up against the inside of the heavy stage curtain in the dim blue light (which made my black jeans look burgundy, which was an interesting experiment in how the human eye processes color, but I digress), and all of us glancing at each other, our eyes getting BIG and ROUND at the roar of the crowd.  "Oh my God" I remember some of us whispering.

Anyway, it seemed very well received.  We got lots of laughter and apparently a fair amount of crying -- mercifully, both reactions taking place where you'd WANT them to take place in the play.  On our second performance, some of us had a few volume problems, but not so bad as to detract horribly from the performance.  I remember blowing a line in my first monologue ("My Angry Vagina"), but fortunately, I don't think anybody noticed.  I just flipped a bit of descriptive word order and kept going.  Whew.

I was hugely impressed by my fellow (sister) actresses.  None of us are professional thespians, or even experienced amateurs, and thanks to our amazing director, I think we pulled off a damn good show.

Backstage on the second day, Melissa, one of the actresses, had brought gifts for all of us based on things we said in the play.  One woman, who had a "fact" about vibrators and guns ("We have yet to hear of a mass murder committed with a vibrator") got...well, a vibrator.  Another woman who was in the monologue about "What Would Your Vagina Wear?" got a pink feather boa, and another got a red bow.  I had this bizarre monologue ("The Vulva Club") about a woman who had to name everything ("Rugs and doors and chairs and stairs").  She started as a child by naming her collection of frogs, and progressed, by the end of the monologue to changing the name of her "down there" from "Itsy bitsy" to "vulva."  Anyway, it's cute. 

But because of it, I ended up with this cute stuffed frog with a name tag that says "HI MY NAME IS FROGGY DOODLE MASHY PIE."  Ok, maybe you had to be there.  But it was hilarious.  Oh, and if you squeeze him, he goes "RIBBIT!"

I am easily amused.  He now lives on my desk at work.

All told, we raised approximately THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for Tri-Valley Haven.  So, to the people who came to the show--I want you to know how intensely grateful we are, and I am, specifically.  That money (if I didn't post this before) goes to ANY area of the Haven that most needs it, unlike grant money that has to be spent in a very narrow area.  It was a HUGELY successful fundraiser in a difficult financial time, and those of you who came to the show are the ones that made it happen.  THANK YOU.  We thank you and, if only they knew, our clients would thank you as well.



Riffing on going to the OB/GYN.  "And then you get there...don't you hate that?  'Scoot down!  Relax your vagina!'"

Photo courtesy of sami406's mom.  *grin*  sami406was in the play and she wholesale rocked, incidentally, as did jenn_x who not only rocked but was funny and hot all at the same time.

I have talented coworkers and friends, and it's even cooler when the two categories overlap. :)

Ok, so... I have finally talked about the play.

 So, thanks to jenn_xand her amazing turn of phrase, this mug was insta-invented on Cafe Press.

Thanks, jenn_x!

FRONT DESIGN

BACK DESIGN

Much giggling ensued.

*HUG*

It's a little dithery here, as it was saved as a gif file.  Its native format is Illustrator, so it's scaleable.  I hate Illustrator, because I don't use it often enough to really feel like I know what the heck I'm doing.

Still, this came out pretty well, I think, especially on very short notice.

TVH 30th Anniversary Logo Created by yours truly, with the initial inspiration (that of the characters for "om") provided by the brilliant Michael, my office-mate and all around dynamite guy.

 

In a Tree, Late 1970s This is one of my favorite photos of me as a kid, and sadly, the original is nearly lost...I had to do extensive color correction. The film emulsion has lost nearly all blues and is almost entirely in shades of orange and yellow, now.

Got a chance to scan some old photos this weekend, and liked this one enough to share.  This was definitely the "real me" as a kid...always happiest outdoors.

 

Ok, first the vagina update - our first preview was last night, with about 20 people in attendance. They seemed very happy with the performance and we got lots of laughs and some tears - both subsets of reactions thankfully at the appropriate times! We also got some money donated, which was really nice and will cover some of the charge by the theater tomorrow for us showing up early to work in lighting, etc. So... yay!

Congratulations to everybody in the show! :)

On an unrelated note...

Best SW advertising ever.  LOL! 

The Saturday March 29th performance of "The Vagina Monologues" is nearly sold out!

Fewer than 130 tickets left!

Go to: livermoreperformingarts.org

Get your tickets now!  You'll laugh!  You'll cry!  You'll think, "OMG, did she just SAY THAT?"

Support the arts!
Support vaginas!
Support a fabulous organization that helps victims of Rape, Domestic Violence, and Homelessness!
Hell, support me!  LOL!

(Many many many thanks to my friends here who HAVE bought tickets!  You rock!)

All Proceeds Benefit:
TriValley Haven 

 

I don't REALLY feel this way about the Vagina Monologues at this point, but we were doing headshots yesterday for the program and my inner goblin apparently came out...

My vagina's angry.  It is.  It's pissed off...

	Mavericks - low tide... REALLY low tide. The tide was so low that vast stretches of surf grass were uncovered that normally doesn't get exposed and we could walk way out toward the rocks in the distance.
	Surf Grass at Mavericks It was amazing to see all the tide pool life exposed. It was magical.
	Ochre Star, Mavericks Up close and personal with some of the resident echinoderms.
	Mavericks Look close and you can see a harbor seal sunning itself.
	Mussels - Mavericks Huge stretches of the rocks in the intertidal zone were covered with colonies of mussels.
	Hermit Crab Hunting Now THAT is a fun way to spend an afternoon!
	Bat Star - Mavericks More starfish, patiently awaiting the return of the water.
	Rogue Wave! Whoops! I got too close to the surf zone, snapping photos of sea palms, which I've only ever seen in guidebooks but not in real life, due to the fact they're usually covered by water or far out on rocks I can't reach. Got a bit splashed!
	Eric and I, Mavericks We had a wonderful day. :) :) :) :)
	One-Armed Bandit A VERY cranky red crab. I thought I was just picking up its carapace when I found it, but there was a complete crab attached and gave me a good nip as punishment for my presumtion.
	Afternoon sun near Pigeon Point Lighthouse I love it when the ocean looks like silver.
	Rock face near Pigeon Point Sandstone with embedded rocks. Forget the geological term for that. Anybody?