Vol 2 Issue 18

Pic of the week 

This is essentially everything I own.  I kind of wish I owned less.  But I'm also pretty happy about the fact that it all fits in one room.

What's going on?

Life is busy busy busy.  I had big dreams of bringing a bunch of my stuff back to LA and going through it all and building some furniture and buying some furniture and getting some houseplants and just enjoying some productive summertime upgrades on my life.  But the reality is work and more work and some other stuff and my storage boxes have been sitting in my room untouched for a week.  But I got paid to play with kids and get to know interesting people and eat food so I can't complain too much.  I did end up getting to dive into a couple of these storage boxes this weekend, and that felt good.  My "donate" pile is getting pretty big, and I'm excited to get a new bookshelf with some storage spots and maybe even put up some new drapes.  Cuz I'm an adult and that's what we do. Drapes.

Also.  Summer is in full-swing temperature wise and my apartment is sometimes the worst.  It soaks up the heat all day and then at night, when outdoor temperatures are PERFECT, my bedroom continues to be a sweltering sweat box.  If I could I would just set my fan right by my window and have it blow in cold air all night, but the apartment building next door is, like, RIGHT next door and the lights over people's doors outside shine directly into my retinas all night, so I have to have blackout curtains, and so a cool outdoor breeze is just out of reach.  Moving the inside air around is about the best I can hope for. 

What I'm reading

This one is about the history of our species and how we rose from relative obscurity to become not only the dominant human species ('human' meaning all of the species belonging to the genus 'homo'), but also the dominant species on the planet.  Fascinating stuff. 

What I'm watching

WHAT I EAT!  Not as much as I should.  But I try.  Cuz I wanna take care of myself better.  Ya know?

What I'm listening to

This week's episode of Mormon Mental Health was so so good.  Episode 183. It takes them a bit to get the episodes up on their website, so I don't have a direct link, but it was great.  The title is Framing Mormonism that Benefits Mental and Relational Health.  According to the episode description, "They talk about aspects or framing of Mormon theology that can be helpful to mental health instead of detrimental.  Some of the topics they include are: agency, love as the primary commandment, faith, ongoing revelation, and many more." Take a listen. 

Also listening to this series on the podcast "A Thoughtful Faith" called "Reconstructing Death" that I think is so helpful and interesting and good.  Just different takes on death, dying, grief, mourning etc. from different fields of study and thought.

Vol 2 Issue 17

Pic of the week 

Candid shots are the best.  A friend of mine works for the Utah Symphony and hooked me up with some tickets to one of the concerts at the Deer Valley music festival.  They played all Disney music and this group of friends was the perfect group to go and sing along with.

What's going on?

I'm in Utah! The annual summer pilgrimage is upon us.  I came back to see my nieces and nephews while they're in town cuz I don't get to see them very often.  I also took the opportunity to finally gather all of my worldly possessions from hither and yon into one place.  I've had several storage bins worth of stuff in Utah since I moved and I thought it was probably time to have a bit of a reckoning with it all.  I condensed 5 storage bins down to 2, plus a couple of smaller boxes of photos.  Once I get it back to LA I'm going to do some serious de-cluttering with all of my stuff and get rid of some excess.  It's time.

Utah has been great.  It's been hot, but other than that, summer in Utah really is so lovely.  I saw 4 different performances of various kinds this week (two musicals, the Utah Symphony, and the ol' Tabernacle Choir with special guest Sissel.).  I got to eat lots of treats, visit the Salt Lake farmer's market, go on a beautiful hike, see tons of friends, and generally have a wonderful time.  I even introduced a new friend to Crown Burger! 

What I'm reading

This essay on one person's experience being gay in the church.  Worth a read, even if you disagree!

What I'm watching

I suppose "watched" is more appropriate since my roommate and I watched the entire season in one day.  😳 'twas good.

What I'm listening to

Audiobook.  It was entertaining.  Kind of a mix of Twilight and The Golden Compass.  It's an interesting world, I think, but I'm done with the paranormal romance genre.  I just don't need to read any more about some unattainably handsome creature and how deep his gaze is.  Ya know?  But it kept me awake on the way from LA to Salt Lake, so I'll give it points for that.  And honestly, I'll probably listen to the sequel on the way home.  And then finish off the trilogy just because. 

Vol 2 Issue 16

Pic of the week 

I got new head shots this week.  A while ago I did an informal poll on Facebook to see how often my actor friends update theirs.  My agent commented almost immediately saying, "You're due." So.  New head shots.  Sometimes you get a few goofy ones.  But, really, they're the best ones.

What's going on?

Summertime is in full swing!  Luckily it hasn't been too warm yet - which is GREAT because we only have air conditioning in the front room of our apartment, and so sleeping when it gets hot is a bit of a chore.  So far my little fan has done quite nicely, but in a month or so I may have break down and get an in-room A/C unit.

I don't always love LA, but in the summertime it's a lot of fun because there really is so much to do.  Lots of free shows and concerts and movies.  And some cheap shows and concerts and movies.  This weekend I went to a star party up at the Griffith Observatory. They have those once a month. It's a fun event where amateur astronomers from the area bring up their telescopes and set them up on the lawn and you can just kind of wander around and see what people are looking at.  This time we got to see the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. All of which were very cool.  I also went up to the Rose Bowl Flea Market which is one of the biggest in the country, and to a free outdoor concert of the Grammy award-winning Mariachi Divas who were playing at a tamale festival.  Most of that I did with Shanalee and Seth and their kids who were in town for a few days.  So fun to see people when they're here.

I'm headed up to Utah tomorrow for a few days and all week I've already been eating like I'm on vacation.  It's kind of a problem.  But whatever.  You gotta live your life!

In sad news, I found out that Nancy - the woman I lived with when I first moved to LA - passed away a couple of weeks ago.  She was never in very good health, so it's not surprising, but I do think it's sad when someone dies, regardless of the circumstances.  They almost always leave people behind. She was well-loved in the ward in El Segundo and in her neighborhood.  And in this case, though we didn't part on the best of terms, she did allow me to live in her home for 4 years and gave me a stable place to find my feet for this crazy adventure.  She didn't want to have services and so her children accompanied her body to Idaho where she was buried. 

What I'm puzzling

FINALLY finished this one.  It was a tricky one, but still a lot of fun.  I got it from the thrift store unopened!  And it was on my desk for a few weeks, and in that time I managed to misplace one of the pieces.  Oh well.

What I'm reading

Lots of these charts, which are SUPER COOL!

What I'm listening to

Podcast episode from Radiowest about the dangers of inactivity.  This is all pretty common-sense stuff, but it's good to hear a discussion about it, I think.  Makes me want to park far away from everything now.  

Vol 2 Issue 15

Pic of the week 

Guess who's employee of the month at Kidville!  This guy! Mostly that means I get free cake.  As pictured.  :)

What's going on?

Earthquakes.  Southern California had two of the biggest earthquakes of the last few decades this week.  Both in basically the same location.  Right around Ridgecrest, CA. 

That's about 150 miles from where I live.  The first one, a 6.4, was on the 4th.  My roommate and I were out walking around in the hills, so we didn't feel that one (It's actually pretty easy to miss an earthquake if you're moving.).  The second one, a 7.1, happened the next day and I definitely felt that one.  It's the longest earthquake I've ever felt.  It probably lasted for 10 seconds or so.  And if you don't think that's very long, stop what you're doing and count out ten seconds and then imagine that everything was shaking that whole time.  It was long enough that I debated whether I should get under my desk (I didn't because although it was shaking for a while, it wasn't actually shaking that badly.  It was pretty gentle.).  And the water in our pool was sloshing around.  There were also some tiny aftershocks in there as well. It was basically the topic of every conversation for several days. Everybody is now on high alert for "The Big One" and also on the ball with their emergency preparedness.  I was on that ball a few years ago, so my 72-hour kit is ready to go.

Independence Day!  Happy America, everyone.  This country isn't perfect, but I still love it a whole lot.  We take for granted so many things that so many other people don't get and it's hard not to, but I try to take a step back every once in a while and remember that I'm a pretty lucky person.  I hope everybody's 4th of July was awesome. At the end of a very chill day of brunch and poolside reading, I climbed a hill by my house and watched the fireworks happening all over LA.  There were, I think, four "official" fireworks shows visible from up there, along with all of the neighborhood fireworks happening all over the city.  I sort of love this holiday because you can hear the distant sounds of fireworks until about 2:00 AM and it's just kind of nice to fall asleep to.  Though I can understand how it would be terrifying for some.  And also it creates a WHOLE LOT of gross air that lasts for a couple of days.  Yay America.

What I'm reading

I finished the Golem and the Jinni.  Turns out, 3 weeks is plenty of time to read an 800 page book when it's engaging.  I found it to be a very interesting story.  It combines some myths of the Arabian desert with myths of Jewish folklore in a story that says a lot about belief, relationships, love, etc.  I'd recommend it.  :)

And now, to delve back into this:

What I'm watching

This is a heartbreaking, and heartwarming French film about a kid in an orphanage. It won a bunch of awards and was truly delightful.  Highly recommended.

What I'm listening to

This is my current workout jam, and I'm loving it. Thanks, Spotify!

Vol 2 Issue 14

Pic of the week 

I bought a new bike! Again! Although, it's really just new to me.  It's been around for at least as long as I have.  It's in good working order, though.  I just need to take it in for a little tune-up and replace the brake pads.  Might also add a rear rack.  Should be in ship shape condition in the next couple of days.  And don't worry, the first thing I did when I got it home was write down the serial number and register it online.  It came with a free lock, but I'd like to get a better lock - which I can register and the company will basically provide theft insurance.  

What's going on?

What's going on?! The year is officially half over, gas prices are on the rise, climate change, summer, peach season, democratic presidential debates, Tortilla Joe's, friends visiting, Story Pirates shows, free pizza, $6 Tuesdays, lack of affordable housing, Goodwill puzzle purchases, plants, health care costs, and someone needs to tell the library that 3 weeks is not enough time to read an 800 page book!

Also, I went to see Carly Rae Jepson in concert and it was...fine?  It was at the House of Blues in Anaheim and was a standing room only affair.  I'm also not super familiar with Ms. Jepson's music, so mostly I just learned that concerts are not my favorite.  I prefer entertainment that involves cushioned seating.  Or at least space to lay down a blanket.

I think I'm turning into a plant person.  I bought three different plants this week, along with a seed-growing kit.  And I also planted some flower seeds that I've had sitting in a box for quite some time.  All of my new plants are small and I think I prefer that they stay that way.  I just want a little touch of green.  Knowing how this usually goes, though, I'll probably end up with a jungle in my bedroom before long.  So far my plants are named:

Milton

Rosie

Gus

What I'm reading

Just started this one.  We'll see how it goes.

What I'm watching

This movie was entirely unnecessary, but it was still cute.  Lovely story, great message, funny moments, fun new characters.  But honestly, they should have stopped at Toy Story 3.