Gratitude On The Go! 10-18-15

Here are some things that I'm grateful for lately:

-October. You sweet sassy month you. I just can't get enough of your sweet fall breeze and your beautiful leaves. I'd date you if that was an option.
-All my amazing thoughtful friends helping me celebrate my birthday. I got to do everything I wanted. :) Go to brunch*, spend some solo time, have friends come over and just chat and hang, watch The Leftovers, and I got some homemade ice cream that was the BOMB.COM! Thank you again and again and again, Roomie! I'd make sweet love to it if that was an option.
-Ben. Holy shit he's just the sweetest thing ever. He never fails to impress me. He's also been getting funnier and funnier. Keep it up, Ben! You're a champion, Ben! Way to be the best. I love you.
-#CloneClub. Yes I'm still geeking out over the show. I started my own twitter account (@cloneclubmpls) and it's been a great outlet for me to express my love for the show with like minded people. Plus I've been able to share my love for Gifs there too. :) Also Heather, a fellow #cloneclubber, coworker, and friend has made my dream of making clones come true. Backstage photoshoots? Yes please! Here are a couple of the best ones:

-Hannah and Josh. Those two are so amazing. Their wedding is next week and I could not be more excited about it! Hannah told me (unofficially) that I'm her maid of honor and I am so incredibly honored. I'm giving a speech, which I'm trying not to freak out about (But I'm totally FREAKING OUT! It's fine I'm fine.) I've written it already and I think my idea will go over well and will hopefully keep everyone engaged. It's short and to the point.
-Last night I had a really fantastic improv show. I felt really strong about my character choices, I had some solid space work, and above all I wasn't at all in my head. I found myself just playing the game. I also did some musical improv, which a lot of the time I panic so much about trying to rhyme. I now realize that I don't need to and in fact if I can make it a game like I'm gonna rhyme it gets a pop too. Also last night's crowd had the best suggestions for emotions. I was loosing my shit in the best possible way.

*Went to French Meadow with Ben and when we got to the register we had to make small talk for a bit because we had to wait for a table number. Usually small talk is Ben's area of expertise but for some reason I was in the forefront on this one. The guy behind the counter was super nice and we started talking about how it was my birthday and where I worked and he told me his boyfriend was a drag queen and wanted to see more theater. I happened to have some comps in my pocket so I gave it to him and then he gave us half off our meal. It was a good reminder for me of the power of connection even on such a simple level with small talk. You just never know.

Gratitude on the go! 9-4-15

Today I am grateful for:
-the state fair. Even with my food issues now, it's still great!
-having the weekend off work to go Hannah's bachelorette party!
-laughter
-Ben. He recently got an apartment down the block from me! Moves in November 1st. Woot!
-TV. I've been so grateful for tv for awhile now. Excuse me while I ramble:

I've been fan girling hard lately. I mean serious rabbit hole syndrome. It started first with Wentworth. I couldn't stop myself from finding out everything I could about this amazing show. The whole cast is brilliant, the writing is on point, the characters are complex and engaging, and it's visually and aurally sound as well. I finished all three seasons in about 2 weeks. If I'm gonna be really honest, probably less. I was/am hooked. I started following all the actors on twitter. I now know why twitter is amazing. For this reason alone. I personally don't like to tweet, but I love to see what the actors I admire are saying and/or doing. Thank you twitter!

However, once I finished the show, I didn't know what to do with myself. Watch other tv I guess? There are over 270 new scripted tv shows happening this year, but what could possibly fill my Wentworth size hole in my heart until the new season in 2016? 2016! That feels like light years away! Luckily, I started a Facebook group called I Only Want To Talk About TV. And it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a group dedicated solely to talk about tv. It's glorious. And on it people talk about the shows they love. I don't know who recommended it, but someone mentioned Orphan Black. I thought I'd give it a try.

So I thought I was obsessed with Wentworth, but Orphan Black has taken it to the next level. Another incredibly well put together show. Everything I said about Wentworth times a billion it feels like. I haven't fanned this hard since Xena, which I still currently fan over.* I once again watched the entire 3 seasons in less than two weeks and now I'm rewatching it again! It's just too good not too! I've also pretty much found every article, video, interview, etc with the cast and crew so I can be more involved with the show. #cloneclub forever and ever!

I can't help but find myself drawn to these high stakes shows with strong female leads. It makes me so happy. Being able to watch these amazing actors getting to do such unbelievably impressive work in such a short period of time because it's TV is beyond exciting. I think it's been giving me strength on my harder health days as well as builds up my passion for the craft and makes me want to work harder as an actor. It's been the best. And clearly it's all I want to talk about. I now really really want to go to a convention. :)

We really are in a golden age of tv these days. And I'm super grateful for it.

*Side note, today is the 20th anniversary of the first episode of Xena airing. I didn't watch it when it first aired, but that show forever changed my life. Xenite through and through! Here's a great article about one fan's love of the show. This is exactly how I feel and wasn't able to capture into words when I wrote about it last time.

Gratitude on the go! 6-26-15

Here are some things that I feel truly grateful for these days:

The last week in June:
There is just something magical in the air. I think its my favorite time of the year actually. The weather is usually on point, the sun is out the longest, and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Well done, last week in June. Well done.

Twin Cities Improv Festival:
I wish I had the words to express how truly incredible it is to be a part of the twin cities improv scene, but I don't. It just makes me beam with joy that I can be a part of it. Even though improv is happening all year round, there's just something special about TCIF. I'm so honored to be a part of it again this year.

Ben
Y'all, I love this guy. I feel so insanely lucky and thankful that our paths crossed. He is one of the most thoughtful, caring, considerate, kind, smart, and loving people I have ever met. And I get the absolute pleasure of being able to call him my boyfriend. Thank you for making me so happy, Ben. I love you.

My adorable goober. :) 

Xena
Only a few select people know about my deep love of the show Xena: Warrior Princess. The love is real though. There are a lot of reasons why people love this show. The Xenite community is still strong btw. I'm sure there's even more love now that SCOTUS declared gay marriage legal nation wide!! It's about damn time! I'm proud that Minnesota was on the forefront of that decision. Well done, America and specifically SCOTUS. This week you ruled to provide nationwide tax subsidies to help poor and middle class people buy insurance, you declared that it does not violate the first amendment to ban license plates with the confederate flag on them, and today you stated that love is love. And for the few SCOTUS members and other idiots that disagree that #loveislove, YA BURNT!  #lovewins

I digress. The reason I love Xena is different than most of the Xenite community I have found. Here is the reason(s) I love the show so much.

I was in 7th grade. Like most middle school aged children, it was a challenging time for me. Not only was I going through puberty and not really understanding what was going on with my body (I seriously went to bed one night and woke up with a full grown set of boobs. WTF!?!?!), I was also in Chicago with my dad because my grandmother was dying of liver cancer. I didn't know how to process what was happening. I wasn't particularly close with my grandma, so I felt like I wasn't reacting the way I was suppose to be. I wasn't especially sad, which made me feel like I was doing something wrong. Not to mention the fact that I was living with someone who didn't have much time left was a scary concept for me. I felt very alone. One day, on a whim I turned the tv on and Xena was on. Here was this kick ass woman who knew, well, pretty much everything it seemed. She always made the right move, knew the right thing to say, she fought for the good of everyone, and she took care of the ones she loved. She was also recently a new mom (God Fearing Child was the first episode I ever saw) and would do anything to protect her children. This particularly struck a chord with me because my mom and I did not have a strong relationship. Basically, Xena encompassed everything I felt I needed in order to get through that challenging time.

To this day, I feel the same way. Being diagnose with an auto immune condition was/is terrifying. I find myself often feeling hopeless and alone once again. So I started re-watching Xena. It's been about 15 years since I really watched the show, and I find that it still brings me comfort. Yes, sometimes I use the show as an escape, as I do with most tv in general. However, I feel in a way that the show is my protector. Is it silly? Yes. Is it over the top? Yes. Is the subtext laid on too thick? Hell yes. I don't care. I love it. With everything making a comeback these days, lets hope Xena gets a comeback too. #bringxenaback :)

These quotes:
"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

"You have to go through the falling down in order to learn to walk. It helps to know that you can survive it."

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."

Gratitude on the go! 4-11-15

Today I'm just gonna share some things I've been grateful for this week:
-I saw a nutritionist to help me try to figure out my UC. She was very positive and gave me a lot of good tools to work with. She said at one point its her goal to help me try to get rid of what I'm going through completely. That would be amazing. I hope that we can figure that out together. In the meantime, I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet. Lots and lots of fruits and veggies, chia seeds, turmeric, and I have to order some supplements too. I need to get my body back to a neutral place. I'm still having good days and bad days at the moment. I think this might be a thing for me for now. Number 10, 11, and 12 definitely apply. I really am so grateful when I have good days. Monday and Wednesday were solid good days. Most of today was as well. The evening got a bit rough. When I have bad days, or bad hours in a day, I really try hard to stay positive. There are moments where I find myself slipping into a pity party. A, "why me?!" mentality. I get upset. I don't really drink anymore, I don't do drugs, and I gave up a lot of foods in the past to try to avoid this very thing that's happening to me. So I think it's unfair. Then again, maybe giving up all those foods in the past were helping me now. I was able to do it relatively easily, so now it shouldn't be a problem either right? It's a bit of a back and forth. One minute at a time. On the plus side, I'm really gonna get to know my body well.
-Despite having a hard day on Tuesday, I went on a date! And I'm really glad I did. He was very kind, asked lots of questions, shared lots about himself, and (added bonus!) paid for dinner. That was really sweet of him. We have another date planned for next Wednesday. I think we're gonna go to the Walker. I'm looking forward to it. When he texts me, I can't help but smile. :)

-This hilarious list
-The Wedge. Chances are I'm gonna be getting a membership super soon. I also need to learn and practice making my meals for the week and buying more groceries. 
-I booked a national VO for Subway this week. Recored over 64 tags for spots across the nation. And in Canada! I'm international baby! Woo Hoo!
-Voice over's in general.
-Doing a musical VO for Augsburg. It's challenging for sure, but the music is great and it's so much fun to be able to just belt out some notes in a recording studio. #nerd. #idontcare. #winning
-laugher. Gift of the gods. Seriously it always heals.

Gratitude on the go! 4-5-15

Today I am grateful for:
-having some alone time. Working on Sunday's at the museum are great. I don't have to talk to anyone, I can listen to music, and take care of business at my own time. It's pretty great.
-Roomie inviting me over for Easter Dinner. It was super tasty and really relaxing. We just ate food, watched some dumb tv, and played some games. Winning.
-laughter. Always always laughter.

This weekend has been tough for me physically. I was doing well all week and then bam! There are many challenging side effects that comes with UC. I'm working on trying to make them better and hopefully the nutritionist that I'm seeing on Tuesday will help me figure it out even more. I'm so grateful for the good days that I have. On the bad days it's hard sometimes not to wallow in and think, "why me?" However, gratitude pulls me out of the dump. One minute at time. I got this.

Gratitude on the go! 4-2-15

Today I am grateful for:
-finding out that Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrel are doing a for real lifetime movie. This is not a joke. LOOK IT'S REAL. Day. Maker.
-the weather
-laughter

Gratitude on the go! 3-29-15

Today I am grateful for:

-getting the opportunity to see Stevie Wonder in concert. My dad and I went together. It was pretty amazing. The concert started around 8 and didn't finish until midnight! There was an intermission but it was only 30 minutes so it was like a 4 hour concert! He played all his songs from his album Songs in the Key of Life and THEN for the finale he basically played all his other major hits closing with Superstitious. India Ire was also there as his guest and sang some great songs too. It was so rad and definitely a once in a lifetime concert. 

Gratitude on the go! 3-28-15

Today I am grateful for:

-getting to do what I love for a living! On stage tonight I had that euphoric rush of joy! It doesn't happen all the time but when it does it reminded me how wonderful and lucky I am to have the life I'm living. 

-the sun shining brightly today 

-laughter 

-finding all sorts of awesome gems on YouTube of interviews of actors that I loved when I was young 

Gratitude on the go! 3-27-15

Hello there again old blog. I've been severely neglecting you. I'm sorry. I am not gonna promise that I'll write in you every day, but I will try to keep posting on a regular basis. I need to remind myself how much gratitude is important in my every day life. Like yesterday, I went to get a donut because I was feeling kind of crappy and the lady behind the desk gave me two for the price of one. Thanks, donut lady! You really made my day. :)

Recently I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. It was about a 4 month process to actually figure out what was wrong. As much as it sucked to hear, it was also a relieve to get a diagnosis. I'm grateful for that. Obviously it's still a process to try to figure out what will work best for my body and stuff like that but I'm trying to take it one minute at a time. Stress obviously doesn't help anything, so whenever I get upset I'm trying to take a breath and remember the things that I am grateful for. It's actually been quite helpful.

In conclusion, I'm gonna write more about what's making me happy. I'm gonna make a conscious effort to live in the moment and be thankful for all the good that surrounds me every day.

So today, here are some quotes that I'm grateful for:

"Practice is like raising a duck. If it grows fast or slow, it's the duck's business not yours. Let go & just do your own work."

"Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others love yourself and you will be loved."

"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

"Feelings are much like waves, we can't stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf."

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." 

"Taking good care of you means the people in your life will receive the best of you rather than what is left of you."