greatness awash in a sea of trivialities, blah blah blah

I know this adds nothing to the discussion, but may I just say that I'm so bored with the AP Official Presidential Candidate format? I can't remember the last time I saw a New York Times photo of a candidate in which they weren't looking thoughtful, squeezed into the corner of the frame, and dwarfed by an oppressive blur of lights, signs, normal people, etc. It was evocative the first time I saw it (Hillary Clinton, head bowed, facing out of frame in a field of blue bunting) but now it's getting tired.

Step up, AP; tell me something I don't already know:

and elevenses and tea...

Acting is, first and foremost, thinky work so I always forget how physically demanding mental exertion can be. True, I'm in an unusually athletic show, but it's disconcerting to catch myself mapping out meal plans with an almost primal attention to nutrition density and calorie input/output ratios divided by rehearsal hours. I've begun using the phrase "second breakfast" completely un-ironically.

tech notes

- My skin hates makeup. The situation is not improving as I get older. However,


- Head-to-Toe baby wash is an excellent makeup remover, particularly for waterproof mascara! Yay, babies!

- Note to self: yes, you're biking way more than usual, but you still don't get to eat candy all freaking night. Stop with the M&Ms already. Really.

- If you're going to be dancing in high-heeled tap shoes (two sizes too large), it really helps if you practice the routine in said high-heeled tap shoes (two sizes too large). Yeah, it's a little different than dancing in sneakers, isn't it?

- Tasks and assignments are great ways to tackle confusing spots in the text, but you actually have to, uh, do the tasks and assignments. Derr.

- Stretch your hamstrings after exertion, doofus, or you are going be a crippled old lady much sooner than you anticipate.

- No matter how it seems, we're all in this together. Really.

food chain

"The whole of nature, as has been said, is a conjugation of the verb to eat, in the active and passive."

- William Ralph Inge

via.

did you forget the...

I leave my house for work at 8:45 a.m. and return to it after rehearsal 14 hours later. Every morning feels like I’m packing for a little camping trip. I make lists like this one:

• tap shoes
• toe shoes
• white peignoir
• romper that kind of looks like old-timey bathing suit
• unitard
• curry, bread for lunch
• bag spinach for dinner
• water bottle, e-mer-gen-C
• vitamins
• power bars

• ProSys tax webinar (10am-1pm)
• SEP/IRA adjustment form
• get new bus pass


• p/u library holds (accordion sheet music!)

• don’t forget to buy cat food! (chicken/lamb OK, not salmon)

it all depends on where you're standing

"You may not be Tolstoy, but Tolstoy wasn't Sendak, either. You have a vast and beautiful genius."

- Ursula Nordstrom to Maurice Sendak,

Dear Genius

baked goods

Last week I made a batch of end-of-the-holidays cookies:  cocoa, bittersweet chips, ginger, cinnamon, coconut, salted brown butter... basically, everything that was left in my pantry after holiday baking, minus the acorn squash.

If you can believe it, they taste even better straight from the freezer a week later.  I may have a new tradition.

So long, 2007.  You were sweet and weird and you look best in the soft glow of hindsight.  I'm ready to re-stock.