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
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 – The Reboot!
Well, I'm back to it again. I have officially decided to get healthy. Only this time I'm getting help and I am accountable to someone. Today marked my first session with a trainer and a fitness team. It all started in February while visiting my dear friends in Colorado. My friend is 83 years old and works out every day, still works, plays golf and skis. He's strong and fit. And I don't mean fit for an 80 year old. I mean fit. He's like a father to me and with that loving role comes brutal …
Kindness, Knowledge, Empathy, Tolerance and Discourse: Healing Race Relations. It Takes Work.
Kindness, knowledge, empathy, tolerance and discourse. The recent Ferguson decision and the subsequent violence that erupted in that town has brought race relations to the forefront once again. I have witnessed some of the most ignorant assumptions and racist remarks that I have not seen since Barack Obama won the presidency. It seems that many White Americans do not understand Black Americans. And it's almost enough to make me think that many don't care to. But being the eternal optimist I …
Talking Smack
Listen to yourself when you talk negatively about someone. Often times Gossip is a form of laziness. It's a comfort zone. I think if we took the time to really see what the issue is (fear, jealousy,envy, unfulfillment) in our own life then we wouldn't just sit and bitch about someone else. We would do something about the issue in our own lives that sparks the sudden vitriol we spew forth about another. It is easier to bitch about a person who writes a play then to start/complete our own writing …