A Great Big Diva!

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Performing the Fat Piece

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It's been a couple of weeks since the evening in which I performed a reading of the Fat piece from my solo show. I was nervous, I was uncertain. It had only been a fantasy for so long, a work in progress, my biggest obstacle in the long running marathon to complete my solo show. The writing is the hard part - until you think of performing it live in front of people. The many drafts have been edited, critiqued, undone, reconstructed within an inch of its life and still it seemed "not ready," but …

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Straight from the Woodshed -The Fat Monologue

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Tonight's the night! I'm going to do my first ever reading of the "Fat Piece" in front of a live audience - ever. I am reading as part of "Story Jam", a story-telling live music show produced by singer, performer, writer Stephanie Rogers and held at The Wilmette Theater. I'm a bit frightened in an excited way. I've been working on this particular piece off and on for decades, steadily for months. I have had invaluable guidance from solo show writer and scholar Arlene Malinowski who has been …

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Showing Up Is Half The Battle

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I didn't think about it. I knew I had to go. Even as the pain in my back and knee hampered my every move in bed, I got up slowly, cautiously. I thought to myself: "How the Hell am I going to the gym? I can't even go to the toilet!" In the old days, I would have cancelled this session and stayed in bed all day. Still I had an appointment with Trainer Jeremy and I said to myself: "One day my pain may keep me from it, but not this pain, not this day!" The folks at the Spa at Trump Chicago …

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Documenting My Weight Journey for My One Woman Show.

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I've been up for ages this morning writing the hardest piece ever for my show. It has always been the one story that I knew I had to tell yet the most difficult to complete. The topic of weight is so multifaceted for me. There are so many approaches I can take. Every time I think I've nailed it I find yet another level to explore. My fitness program has led to yet another approach to the telling of this story. Do I keep the story as is with the fitness thing as a mere mention, or do I insert …

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Feel The Burn And Don’t Throw Up!

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That is one way to describe my session today with Trainer Jeremy. This is the first time in nearly seven weeks that I actually want to say: I have to stop! I can't do this one anymore! But I don't say it and I don't stop. The day starts off innocently enough. I hobble down the long hall past all of the windows and the beautiful city views to the fitness center at The Spa at Trump - today known as the Chamber of Torture. And we get right to …