Author: Lara

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What’s Going On?

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Tap – Yup, still dancing. Still wonderful. Hoping we can afford for me to continue to take lessons for over the next few months with all the upcoming expenses of the move. But I love it and really hope I don’t have to quit.

Running – About 3-4 times a week, usually between 1.5-2.2 miles each outing along the canal or reservoir. Having a workout armband that holds my phone (with RunKeeper app!) and earbuds that actually stay in my tiny ears so I can listen to music and run hands-free has been a huge help (thanks Dad2!), and the nice weather has been a big motivator too. Except for the snow on Saturday. That was ridiculous.

Blood donation – Despite my first awful blood donation experience back in October, I decided to try it again this past weekend, hoping my body would react better this time now that it has had a chance to get over the shock of so much blood leaving all at once. I’m very pleased to say that this time the experience was much more pleasant (as pleasant as it can be, I suppose) and I’ll hopefully be able to donate a handful of times every year from now on. Continually drinking ice water throughout the ten-minute draw and raising and lowering my legs in addition to squeezing and releasing the stress ball in five second rotations really helped keep the nausea and overheating away. Plus they give you a sticker that says “Be nice to me today. I gave blood.” and usually a coupon for free food too so, you know, kind of awesome.

Work – I’ve been keeping insanely busy the past few weeks teaching Discovery Workshops for The Whipping Man, writing the Discovery Guide for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, hosting post-show talkbacks for the Mainstage, Nextstage, and for Student Matinee performances, and preparing for Summer Academy…among other things. Love it!

Food – Haven’t had much time for cooking unfortunately, but I did make some black bean patties and a delicious chicken and veggie linguini with a garlic olive oil this weekend. And Friday at work we shared a “comfort food” themed potluck with enough calories for the next month, lest you thought the eating healthy and exercising were actually doing me some good. There were two different kinds of homemade mac n’ cheese, scalloped potatoes, grits, a cheesy ham casserole, fried chicken, baked mojito chicken, fried jalapeno poppers, pigs in blankets, ziti, pasta salad, lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake, apple crisp, peach sweet tea, and at least 5 other things I am forgetting about entirely. Needless to say, everyone yawned for about 45 minutes straight that afternoon before curling up under our desks for a nap, waking only to moan about our aching bellies and pop some Tums. It was excellent.

Shakespeare – Saw Measure for Measure with my friend Becca on Saturday night. The show was performed in an old church converted to a multi-use community cultural center with pews set up for in-the-round seating. This particular interpretation was set in December 1928, and featured speakeasies and clothing of the roaring 20s, the Salvation Army, and Kris Kringle (yes, Santa) as a main character…in a Shakespeare play…(a disguise for the Duke, if you’re curious). It was also a musical with original music and all kinds of lyrics added to the play. The songs were played live by a three-piece band. The actors and band also provided pre-show and intermission entertainment with renditions of popular jazzy songs. It was definitely a unique adaptation, but I was certainly entertained and had a really enjoyable time. Plus, Shakespeare’s stories are just so good.

What’s been going on in your world?

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Stop, Watch & Love

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– You need to watch this. Truly beautiful!

– And this video because I am in love with this little guy. What a sweet, brave trooper! I would be so proud to adopt him!

– A lovely perspective about the running culture and those wonderful people who turn out to support them!

– And this needed to be said. We all share a responsibility in educating and holding accountable our young ladies, as well as our young men.

– Cats, Shakespeare, and snark…three of the things I love most in one dandy little package. Amazing.

– And finally…

in-the-name-of-love

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The Forgotten Past

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So, we all know I have a fascination for abandoned places, especially abandoned theme parks and subways. In the past I’ve blogged about the abandoned Cincinnati water park Surf Cincinnati, the abandoned mall in Cincinnati, and the abandoned Cincinnati subway system we were super fortunate to tour last spring.

Imagine my delight to learn that Rochester too has an abandoned subway system!! Unfortunately, they don’t do tours of it or Ted and I would be all over that adventure as well. I also learned that Rochester has a gorgeous abandoned chapel in the Mt. Hope cemetery (which is literally across the street from where I live now). They don’t do tours of the chapel either, but rumor has it that they might renovate it? I sure hope so because it is beautiful. Anyway, enjoy some amazing photos of the inside of it here.

Late Saturday night Ted and I were on the phone and he was checking something weather related when the weather channel website’s travel section popped up some awesome photos of creepy abandoned theme parks and eerie abandoned islands (including one in NY that I must see!). If you’ve got 20 minutes, you really should see these pictures. There are 7 abandoned islands (each island featured has about 7 photos of it, so don’t miss any!) and there are 8 abandoned theme parks worldwide featured (each theme park has anywhere between 5 and 50 photos associated with it, so don’t miss clicking though those either!). Totally worth your time, especially if you are just completely fascinated by abandoned places like me. It’s just so amazing what people will leave behind.

If you’re extra enthralled, you should also check out these phenomenal jellyfish (it blows my mind that animals this beautiful even exist in the world, right beneath the water and we hardly ever get to see or appreciate them), these amazing bridges, and these amazing roads (my travel bucket list just exploded).

You’re welcome. Hope you didn’t have work you wanted to actually get done today or anything.

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You Can Never Have Too Many Cupcakes

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Saturday night my church held a spring garden themed Cupcake Extravaganza to benefit our young adults program. They had me at cupcake. Obviously. So I devoured like 8 cupcakes (no shame) and hung out with some friends. Pretty great Saturday night if you ask me!

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These were only a few of the nearly 800 cupcakes in attendance. It goes without saying that I am limiting my intake of sweets for the remainder of this week.

Each display was entered into the competition for “People’s Choice.” The winning display was saved to serve as dessert at an upcoming supper program for the poor in our area, and the rest were up for grabs for folks in attendance to take some treats home.

There was also a live bake-off. 90 minutes, two different types of cupcakes and frosting from scratch, and one secret ingredient (Cajun seasoning) that was revealed right before the bake-off began. The competing bakers’ cupcakes were judged by a panel based on texture, flavor, appearance, and use of the Cajun seasoning.

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I have so many amazing recipes I want to try out, I might have to actually participate in the bake-off next year :)

In the meantime, I’m cupcaked OUT.

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Foodie Tendencies

This weekend I found a recipe for a mean beef with broccoli, my favorite Chinese dish. It’s totally the real deal in flavor and texture, and is refreshingly simple, inexpensive, and fairly healthy to make.

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Now all I need are killer recipes for bubble, fried crab rangoons, and hot and sour soup, and my bi-monthly urge for takeout just might be curbed. Maybe. But we still might have to enjoy takeout occasionally because A) it’s fun, and B) Chinese food always tastes better when it comes in those little cardboard take out boxes. No point in denying it. Truth is truth.

Speaking of delicious bubble tea, I’ve discovered the joys of White Swans Asia Cafe’s (on Clinton in the South Wedge) bubble tea with tons of sweet chewy tapioca pearls and made with fresh blended mango or honeydew melon. It’s incredible. My search is over.

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I also trekked to the public market for my share of fresh produce as I do every Saturday morning and managed to capture the goodness of Martha Jane Bakery’s hot pastry pocket with tomato, basil, mozzarella, and prosciutto before I devoured it. That was no small task, I assure you.

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This week’s market spoils included about four pounds of green grapes for a total of $3, $1 for a whole pound of amazing looking green beans, 6 large Cara Cara oranges for a few bucks, and some juicy ripe tomatoes – all for at least a quarter of the price I’d pay for them at Wegman’s. I still have broccoli, carrots and basil left over from last week’s market trip, so I’m thinking a big fruit salad and roasted veggie dish are in my future this week.

Also, our 6 month farm share starts in a few weeks, and it’s almost rhubarb season. Be still my heart.

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The Places I Miss

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A few days ago my dad sent some shots of the family of armadillos that have taken up residence in our backyard in Texas (obviously Texas. ‘Dillos don’t frequent Cincinnati or Rochester, as far as I’m aware). I miss those suckers.

This, of course, sent me spiraling down the rabbit hole of other Texas things I’ve been missing lately:  Bluebonnet season, the smell of BBQ smoking out of the back of hill country BBQ joints, enchiladas and margaritas from tiny authentic Mexican cantinas, spring in downtown San Antonio (The Alamo, Luminaria, Fiesta, the Riverwalk, NIOSA – Night in ‘Ol San Antone), casual Mexican dresses with fiesta wreaths of flowers and streamers worn atop the head, cowboy boots, tubing the Guadalupe river, Blue Bell ice cream, Tower Tuesdays with the Magik Theatre crowd, cactus and sunsets, sunny days, the shaved ice stand with lime cream snowcones, mariachi music, country music, Sancho…it’s time for visit.

But the missing didn’t stop there. It went right on through Lansing, MI (picnics and frisbee golf at Fitzgerald Park, Boarshead Theatre, Williamston and Grand Ledge, Golden Harvest, The Outpost, road trips, MSU, the bunnies out back of our old apartment, Horracks, fireflies, pizza and our super cheap first-run movie theatre, theatre friends, late nights, show calls and lazy Mondays) to Cincinnati (the Drive-In theatre in Amelia, walking across the street to United Dairy Farmers for ice cream cones on summer nights, Dewey’s Pizza and Graeter’s, girls nights with my friend Allyson for sushi or shows or to sunbathe in the park, blueberry picking, the Cincinnati-Columbus biking trail, summer 5ks, carnivals, and festivals, historical tours around Cincy and Newport, all the amazing theatre and dance shows we got to attend for free, Rhythm and Motion at Cincinnati Ballet, Findlay Market and Pho Lang, parks and fireworks, and those hills!).

I struggle to leave behind the places I love; I’ve learned this about myself. Fortunately, I’ve also loved every new city we move to. I love Rochester now for many reasons. I already have a whole list of things I’d miss about Rochester too, if we were to move again in the future.

The nostalgia is still bittersweet, but this is why we have vacations.

I sense the need for a trip or two, soon.

Are there any cities you miss?

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Life’s Greatest Pleasures

Good eating and good conversation in the Roc city on Wednesday for girls night! First the Gate House for some comfort food grub with Becca followed by dessert at Get Caked with Becca and Shawnda, both at Village Gate. Food and friends are two of life’s greatest pleasures!

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{The Xerox: Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, crispy chicken, lemon arugula, goat cheese, and garlic butter – this pizza was so phenomenal it was unreal! The photo hardly does it justice, but this is a pizza I will crave in the future…}

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{The B. Anthony: Veggie burger with salsa fresca and sriracha mayo with a parsley mac and goat cheese…also delicious!}

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{Hidden star cider wine…a treat indeed!}

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{Strawberries and creme and lemon cupcakes…the cake flavors were fantastic and the frosting was incredible!}

We’re thinking Good Luck (also in Village Gate) for a colossal shared burger and some old fashioned cocktails, baking up some homemade dessert, and a few episodes of Duck Dynasty for our next girls night.

Can’t. Wait.

Interested in joining us? Speak up :) We like friends.

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Mixed Messages

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I’ve been reading a lot about food lately. Food is one of my great loves. Plus the articles just keep popping up on social networking, news sites, and Pinterest daily. They’re kind of hard to avoid.

More-so than ever, I’ve been reading articles about the dangers of the chemicals in anything not organic and how they do terrible things to your system and will kill you, how the chemicals in meat are not meant to be ingested by humans and they are making a new medication to combat that chemical for non-vegetarians before it kills you, how dairy isn’t good for you and you should be looking solely toward dairy-free alternatives for all your milk, cheese, yogurts, etc that won’t kill you., how all nuts and dried fruits we eat should be entirely salt, real sugar, and artificial sugar free before the salt, sugar, and “sugar” kills you, how takeout and fast food under any and all circumstances – no matter how rarely – is like injecting toxins directly into your body and will kill you, how we should eat nothing processed at all because they will kill you, how carbs should only come from fruits and vegetables because the other kind will kill you, and how vegetable oil and butter should be completely eliminated and olive oil consumption drastically reduced lest it kill you.

To this I say: ENOUGH.

I love food. I love cooking and I love eating. I love cooking and eating and drinking with friends and family. I love that food can simultaneously nourish us and bring us together. I love fresh, healthy, flavorful ingredients. I love a simple bite of homegrown tomato fresh off the vine and complex pairings of tomatoes and herbs and oils and meats and cheeses that create an explosion of flavor. I love uncomplicated classics and I love experimenting with the intricate and the exotic foods of the world.

And, for the record, I do believe that by putting a wide variety of healthier foods into our bodies we feel better, look better, and are healthier. I believe in trying to fill your basket with as many fresh items straight from nature as possible. Because they’re delicious, but also because they help your body do what it needs to do. And it would be great if they didn’t have chemicals on them to help keep the pests away and preserve them, but they do and that’s life.

But I also believe in eating delicious cheese often because it is, in fact, very delicious. I believe in bread, in juicy steaks, BBQ, and cold dairy-laden ice cream, in a damn Cheeze-It or Oreo or every now and then, in non-organic watermelon, in a margarita on the rocks, in trying food from all the other countries that we share the globe with, in Chipotle and Subway and Wendy’s and even Five Guys a few times a year if you’re feeling feisty, in almonds that maybe have been candied or salted for a change, AND in olive oil or cooking spay to sautee my dinner with.

How on Earth did people survive before all these helpful articles told us about the very few things we are allowed to eat safely, and all the hundreds of thousands of things we shouldn’t eat!?

I have one word: moderation.

Oh, and I have one more word: ENOUGH.

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Respectfully, I Disagree

So, this list has been surfacing around the internet a lot these days – “Things I Wish I Had Been Told in Theatre School.” I cannot even tell you how many of my Facebook theatre friends have shared this link on their walls because they like it. They agree with what this dude has to say. And to some extent, yeah, he makes a few very valid points that I agree with as well.

However, I have to speak up. I feel like the outlier in my profession saying this, but I just don’t agree – not completely, anyway. Most of the statements I agree with are things that anyone serious about this industry knows without needing someone at a “theatre school” to tell them. I understand these are not hard and fast rules, and I respect his personal opinion on his personal blog. He owns those words and he should write them with pride because, to him, they are truth. After all, everyone has a unique learning curve from which their experiences stem. We have all walked away with different lessons.

But there’s a couple of his thoughts, in particular, that I just can’t get behind because of my learning curve and my experiences. For the sake of not boring anyone to death, I’ll keep it to my top three objections only.

“#2. You’d be surprised how few people are willing to pay for theatre tickets when they aren’t your friends and family and have no personal connection to you whatsoever.”

This, I have to disagree with. Do you only dine at a restaurant if you have a personal connection to the chef? Do you only pay for tickets to a sporting event or music concert if you have a personal connection to the player or musician? If this were a truth in my world, the professional theatre industry would not exist and I would not be employed full-time by a LORT B house with a full-time staff of 50+ hard-working folks for whom theatre IS their day job/night job/living/life. That figure does not even begin to count the hundreds of actors, designers, directors, and over hire crew that we contract with on a show-by-show basis. The reason I am so blessed to be able to do what I do everyday is because people who had no personal connection to me, or anything involved with the show whatsoever, were willing to pay for tickets. Buying tickets puts butts in seats, and butts in seats means we can continue to explore our craft and share that journey with our community – which is, indeed, the heart and soul of the whole operation to begin with. Every single day we cultivate new relationships with single-ticket buyers who are stepping foot into our theatre for the very first time. They may not know a single soul associated with that production, but they were still willing to pay for a ticket. Why? Because stories are universal. Because art transforms us.

And for those individuals who do need a personal connection – we reach out. We invite them in, we get to know them, and we open the doors to involve them so they can take ownership in the process, translating to an investment both in themselves and in us, ultimately leading to the purchase of future tickets so this industry can continue to exist. We make a connection through what we share with them. Every single theatre experience is about making a connection to something or someone in some way. Audiences are smart folk; give them credit.

“#4. By the same token, there are very few roles in the theatre for twenty-year-olds.”

News to me. We feature twenty-somethings on our stages all the time. Every single new play I have read in the past six months (and I have read many plays in the past six months – plays in the early stages of their development, plays in a state of workshop and final revision before being published or produced, plays making their world or regional premieres, plays new within the past year, plays new within the past five years, plays that have been around the block a time or two, and plays that are have been around for years and years) has had (usually, this is a generalization, of course) at least one role for a twenty-something. Look harder. Broader your horizons. Explore new material and up-and-coming playwrights. These roles are all around. You just have to be open to them. They won’t always exist, all the time, but “very few roles” feels like a drastic exaggeration, in my opinion. Sometimes I feel like I can’t keep up with the number of excellent roles open to twenty-somethings.

“#32. And finally, don’t go down this path just because you’re “good enough” to be a professional actor. For the love of God, do it ONLY because you cannot do anything else.”

I have always had an issue with this sentiment. This very phrase was drilled into my head by countless theatre mentors from the time I was twelve and I have silently disagreed every single time but never spoke up because if so many people said it, then it must be true. “Only do theatre if you cannot do anything else. Only do theatre if you cannot imagine doing anything else. Only do theatre if you would be unhappy doing anything else.” I have been working in the professional theatre industry for the past five years, and I love what I do with every fiber of my being. I love that everyday, I get to go to work and create art. I am honored to be able to share that very art and make connections and touch others lives every single day.

But there are a lot of other things I can do, and could do successfully and probably even happily as well. Almost every actor I know could likely do something else successfully and happily as well. I think I could make a fine writer, a great educator, a strong nonprofit leader, a compassionate social worker, a smart veterinarian, a capable researcher, an archeologist, tour guide, animal trainer…but I choose to do theatre, not because it’s the only thing I can do, but because it is something I enjoy doing and want to share with the world. Treating this profession like you were forced into it out of necessity instead of choosing to do it out of love, just sucks all the fun and passion right out. I think telling our possible future generations of theatre artists that they should only do this if they cannot possibly do anything else with their lives is limiting. It intimidates them. It scares them away from what could be an amazing experience and an amazing life. Now, I’m not trying to diminish the fact that being an actor is hard work, or that you might work 150 jobs that have nothing to do with acting (unless you actively translate them to experiences you can use in your work – in other words, soak in the experiences and make them relevant), that making enough income to keep a roof over your head, food in your body, gas in your car, and your bills paid might be hard to come, or that you’ll need stamina and gumption to power through. I don’t shy away from the fact that it’s not an easy paycheck kind of life. But, we can be honest while welcoming people in to this wonderful world, not frightening them away so that someone who might make an excellent stage manager or technician or actor or director or designer or dramaturg never tries to pursue it because we’ve told them it will be miserable instead of joyous, when really, it’s a lot of miserably hard work that is incredibly joyous and rewarding! Let’s not make artists a dying breed.

Just my two cents.

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Currently

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Reading: I Love You Paris, But You’re Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin (it’s hilarious)

Pondering: 27 Ways To Make Your Groceries Last As Long As Possible (valuable tips)

Considering: Angel Sandwiches and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (mmmm)

Wanting: Tune Belt Otterbox Armband and Gokey (for running)

Researching: Small yard herb gardens and kitchen/bathroom/closet organization (for our cozy new townhome)

Eating: Tomato Basil Salad (this without the bread and with multicolored mini heirloom tomatoes)

Listening: Pandora Spa Suite (because it’s so relaxing!)

Laughing: Mixer Antics (because who hasn’t been there?)

You?

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