The Computer rAGE

Software updates on my Mac,

Watching the status bar creep slowly; is it even moving at all?

No, I don't want you to send a report to Apple—I want you to work!

Six Word Essay: Returning Home

Comfy in my bed snuggling puppies.

When The Sky Is Blue, I Am Not

Ordinarily I get depressed with rain.
Clouds cover the day, and my emotions become foggy.
I’d rather see the harsh reality of my life, enduring the honesty of the bright light;
Instead, I drown in the water.
When the sky is blue, I am not.

Friends. Food. Fat!

I’m staying with my closest friends while I’m choreographing in Pittsburgh;
I can’t decide if they’ve been a bad influence on me, or if I’ve rubbed off on them; all I know is that I’m eating entirely too much food––and the cocktails aren’t exactly helping.
We’re eating like we did in our twenties.
Unfortunately, if I keep this diet up, my mid-section will prove I’m middle-aged!

Six Word Essay: Food.

It’s time to stop the binging!

On The Road, Again.

I love teaching workshops out of town.
I hate driving to the workshops out of town.

An Education

Watching young artists apply my note;
We both grow.

The Madonna Complex

Women everywhere hate Madonna.  The Matron of Pop Culture has managed to stay relevant in a world full of naked-wreckingball rage, sex tapes, and auto-tuned dance beats; all of which she paved the way for.
Her spirit (or desperation to remain famous) has endured.
Rejecting the idea that woman should ever look or act their age, she thrives on the attention she demands when she lifts up her Red-Carpet-costume to flash the paparazzi her firm-middle-aged-assests.
Face it America, every time Madonna struts across the stage in her religiously-charged-yet-somehow-still-sexy costume showing off her I-do-yoga-and-pilates-and-I-can-still-dance body, she’s not just proving that she’s still got skin in the game (literally). Nope. Each time we see a hint of ass, or a flash of the grill––she’s sending us a giant FUCK YOU America––this is what a 57 year old should look like now!
Subsequently housewives (and gay men) across the country are pouring into pilates studios, packing in the yoga, and Soul searching on a Cycle; while the straight dudes are shedding the #DadBods and shredding on steroids and circuit training.

[This is a portion of an op-ed piece I am writing for a fun website. More soon.]

Another Week, Another Airport

The birds are chirping in unison;
They’re so happy to be up at 6AM.
I am not––but it’s all part of the lifestyle.
Off to spread my creative energy; Pittsburgh look out, I’m headed your way!
#TheGlamorousLife

Emmy Coma

Food, friends, fancy wine;

The Emmys okay-the laughter was fine.

You Know You're An Adult...

You know you're an adult when you attend a birthday party for a one-year old.

Surrounded by your best friends, and they're little carbon copies;

I can't wait to have a little monster, too!

#TheClockIsTicking

Saturday

My day is free––a rare treat.
The skies are bright with possibilities;
pooltime, outdoor yoga, and a long walk to Starbucks (naturally) with the puppies.
Balance means stepping away from the computer...

The Starbucks Shuffle

Finding shade outside;
Trendy LA writers, actors, producers––the industry spends more time drinking coffee than working.
Although netWORKing is draining.
With my puppies on my lap, I happily create.
Life is beautiful. Especially outside in LA!

Laptime

Life is good with a puppy on your lap;
It’s even better when you have two!
It does make it a bit more challenging when you’re trying to typo...

Art and the City

A trip around MacArthur Park revealed some beautiful colorful ball art.
#InspirationInLA

The Rain In LA

The rain in LA falls mainly in the drain.
According to one meteorologist, “We’re receiving reports of up to two inches of rain in Santa Monica! That. Is. Record. Breaking!”
This statement comes in the midst of a drought; I’m not sure that one day of “record breaking” rainfall is going to save LA––but it certainly gave me an excuse to blow off my regularly scheduled day for a book-fest on the sofa with my puppies instead!
I’m currently working on my second book, so I’ve decided that this is the perfect day for some “industry research.”

All In A Days Work?!

Returning phone calls,
Responding to emails,
Scheduling meetings and planning huge projects.
Creative writing.
A walk to Starbucks for some lap time with my puppies.
A yoga workout; mind and body in check.
There are days when my job doesn’t feel like work––I wish they were more often, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.
#Balance

Home

Sunday in LA; hungover.

Happy to be home with my family.

Ginger and Lily on my lap—Starbucks iced coffee and my journal.

My sister is going to be okay.

God is good. 

Yoga

A crowded yoga room packed like sardines is not my way to namaste;
I need balance, I need space, I need these LA divas to get out of my face.

Vacation: What I've Learned.

After an extended amount of time out of town––jumping right back into the workforce can be overwhelming; not for me, for the lazy people who can’t keep up. Slacking off is never okay, even when I’m out of town.
I don’t expect perfection, just competence.

Palm Springs; Day 4

We beat the heat in the pool;
Just in time, we packed––late check out and headed out of town before the traffic crawled.
Life is wonderful with my family: Jeff, Ginger, and Lily.
It’s simple and lovely.
Vacation ends, and we’re back to the grind.
Thankful for the desert.

Palm Springs; Day 3

I gain weight just looking at food––so Mexican dinner last night didn’t help me in the swimsuit department;
I’m on vacation, I can eat what I want.
I was able tune out the nagging demands of my job for a few hour yesterday––and thanks to a late night work session, I knocked out a few things on my “to do” list for today.
Hopefully I’ll be able to release a bit more today. Perhaps an extra cocktail poolside will help me chill in the 110 degree heat.
Vacation ends tomorrow, I need to enjoy today!

Palm Springs; Day 2

God will give me what I need, when I need it.
[Repeat as often as necessary to enjoy my time on vacation.]

Palm Springs; Day 1

The heat seduces me into a coma;
Three weeks of sleepless nights have added to the cocktail.
I sit by the pool reading a book––trying not to focus on the work I need to get back to.
Even on vacation I make lists in my head: Enjoy the downtime, release, relax, when you get back to the room make sure to call... NO! stop it.
It usually takes a day to get into the groove.
Tomorrow I will worry less.

I Hate Goodbye.

I hate saying goodbye.
Despite my usually positive outlook, saying goodbye always seems so definite.
The past three weeks have reminded me how quickly life can change, and now more than ever the word hovers as proof that you’re leaving and you may not ever see this person again.
I spent the past weeks bonding with my sister in a way I never thought possible.
We were always close growing up, but once we got to high school our lives started to head in different directions––we were becoming adults.
As adults, we saw one another on the big holidays and major life events, as you do when you live across the country from your family.
A terrible illness shutdown my sisters system, but it simultaneously revived our bond.
Thankfully she is almost entirely recovered, and our connection is reinvigorated.
I look forward to the next chapter in our relationship; regardless of time or distance my sister is forever in my heart and I will guard her eternally.
We may not be near each other every day, but she is with me and that brings me incredible peace of mind.

Shiree

Strong

Helpful

Intelligent 

Resilient 

Energetic 

Exceptional 

#HappyBirthday

Everyone Needs A Break

[        THIS SPACE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY           ]

Heart to Heart

Late night chats with sis;
Conversation and bonding.
Not just siblings, friends!

Walk On!

From stillness to mastering the staircase in under two weeks;
My sister continues to inspire me.
I can’t imagine the pain that she is working through right now––shrieking at 3AM with the inability to move.
Despite her agony she continues to fight and push herself to rehabilitate.
Today she walked from the physical therapy room all the way back to her room without a walker.
Progress is slow and steady.

Raising Hell In Rehab

I’m back with my sister;
Raising hell in rehab!
She’s walking, talking, and sadly smoking again––but I guess that means she’s getting back to life as usual.
Her sassy eye rolls (and the circumstance for why she’s in her to begin with) aside, I’ve really enjoyed getting to reconnect with my sister.
As and adult I find it much easier to over look her flaws, as she has mine, in order to get to know who she really is and what she wants from life.
Life––a word that has taken on a new meaning for her.
We’re all so grateful she survived, now if she would just stop bossing me around... Yeah, like that will ever happen.