So, since this is a milestone year for me, and I've been in limbo for the last 21 months, I thought I'd take the time to start a blog.
When I was in second grade, I decided I wanted to be an actress. I worked toward that for years, graduated with a theatre degree, continued in an acclaimed acting school (Playhouse West in North Hollywood, California), and performed off and on for years in theatre and film (nothing known, really). While living in Los Angeles, I ended up working first for corporate Disney, then Feature Animation, then Disney Stores corporate headquarters as a production manager in their sourcing department. During this time I slowly went from an actress-to-be to a corporate career woman. Then I was laid off in April of 2008. Always the optimist, I decided I'd get a job within a month and use the rest of my severance for a trip to Scotland and England. I had a bunch of interviews, and a couple jobs came down to me and another person. Another person always got it. Sigh. After my severance ran out (sorry, Scotland/England), I couldn't afford rent anymore. I don't like to build up more debt or default on rent, so I picked up and moved back home to Silicon Valley. Moved in with my mom. Big Sigh.
So...I've gotten back into acting via community theatre. But it's been slow, since I've been away for many years and no one knows me anymore. I have to rebuild my local network connections and reputation. So acting is a big theme for me, and, indeed, I have an audition next week for another local play.
Since I had some time on my hands (well, at least when not looking/begging for work), I decided to take some time to get healthier. I bought a bicycle (I didn't know bike weight would be an issue...I just wanted the hybrid while I decided if road or mountain biking was for me...my bike is 41.5 lbs), and I took a class in road biking so I'd feel safer driving to the bike paths. Well, cycling agreed with me, and I managed to do my first century ride last October...well, I completed 82 miles of it, anyway, on my very heavy bicycle. I also lost thirty pounds over eight months. Unfortunately, I'm a real wuss in cold weather and have managed to not ride much in the last two months...I've gained back ten pounds. I've just purchased a balaclava so I can psych myself up to get out there and ride in the cold. I'm hoping, if it's not raining, to at least get out for ten miles or so tomorrow...to stick my toes back into cold-weather riding...we'll see if that happens!
And I'm a cat owner. I am down to three cats: Ashke, Shala, and Starlight. Ashke and Shala are beautiful blue (that's code for "gray" in catspeak) shorthairs. Shala is the girl, and Ashke is her brother. Starlight is a beautiful cameo orange boy with extra toes on his front paws. He was a stray at my LA apartment that I ended up rescuing to live with me. At one point, I had eight cats in my apartment. I'm quite happy with just two or three, so I don't plan on any new kitties for quite awhile. But their antics do lighten my heart, and their purring bodies warm me on cold nights. :-)
And I'm a dancer. I studied tap dancing for years as a child to adult, then ended up studying belly dance, American Cabaret style, under Diane Webber for about fifteen years. I went professional around 1996, but didn't market myself as such until 2001. I haven't been active in the last three years or so, but I'll always be a dancer at heart and am a big fan of shows such as SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, which I truly wish had been around when I was twenty.
There are lots of other things about me that I'm sure will come out as we go along. I'm currently single (divorced since 2004), but I am friends with my ex. We think that's partly 'cause we're both in show business (even if I've resigned myself to amateur status), but my mother is still friendly with my father, so I have role-models in friendships with ex's. Anyway, I've been on one date since the divorce. I keep meeting men who are nineteen or twenty or sixty or seventy. I'm missing the thirty and forty-somethings, somehow. But then I'm picky. I thought intelligence was my top priority, but I realized this last summer that talent is number one for me. I'm attracted to talented men. Yikes, but it seems most talented people are poor. I don't need rich, but at least "steadily working" would be nice...and what a fantastic economy to be in when I realize this.
Finally, today: I didn't get much done. I started cleaning, which meant a ton of laundry is in the process of drying, but I still have a lot more to do. It looks like a tornado hit my bedroom. I worked on memorizing my Shakespeare monologue for my audition on the 9th. I hope to have it fully memorized by Sunday so I can work on the nuances throughout the week. I played on Facebook for too long. And I looked briefly at a few websites to see if I might apply for any potential jobs. None today. Sigh.
Summation:
Acting - memorize monologue for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern audition
Bicycling - ordered balaclava
Cat Owner - just fed the cats so they won't climb on my lap while I create my blog
Dancing - boogied a bit while doing laundry and making bed
Other - cleaned, pined for David Tennant (DOCTOR WHO marathon on BBC America), watched some episodes of season 3 of 30 ROCK, Facebooked, job searched
Tata for now,
Jennifer
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