Saturday, June 23, 2007

Pool Daze

I could get used to this relaxing around the pool thing. Last night we went Stephen Talkhouse it apparently is the thing to do on Fridays. I have to say it's not my scene but I did have fun. It seems to be the requirement is that you drink quite a bit this seems to raise the fun quotient, and since I don't really drink....So I enjoyed getting to know my housemates. It's a great group of people friendly, here to enjoy themselves, no frat boy/girl mentality, very easy going fun. Its interesting it seems that sharing a house is the like having a ready made group of people to hang out with, provided you like them. I guess that is a really big if, so once again blessed on the group I'm currently residing with.

I've spent most of my day by the pool listening to my Ipod, sharing my four floppy hats (yes I brought 4 hats for my 3 day weekend, what's the problem?) with the some of the girls, we took very cute pictures I'll share them later. Tonight we're (the friend I came with, and one of the housemates there are 14 total) going to the Love Heals benefit and then there is a house party and possibly Pink Elephant (a club) after that. So I'm hobnobbing in the Hampton's and lolling about the pool. We strolled about East Hampton around mid-morning and ran into some people we'll be going to the party with later. I love when that happens, when you go to another country or place and run into friends it feels like you're in the know, a woman about town, like you belong not like you're vacationing. So I am obligated to look fantastic tonight and dance the night away so I will take my leave of you and possibly stop by later to tell you of my exploits.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Mellow Yellow

I've had a wonderfully slow day. I slept over my friend's house last night, we were too tired to drive last night and the roads are not well marked leading to the house. So we got up early today and through our slow meandering we got to the house around 11:30 only to find 12 kids still here from the night before! Apparently these kids had their prom the night before and rented the house for the evening. Well needles to say we were very happy we didn't arrive last night! Can you imagine?! So it's good to listen to your intuition or just trust that whatever setbacks you face are there for a reason. Luckily I'm pretty laidback and my friend is too so we were by no means rushing but we were approx 12 hours behind our "schedule" and thank God! I really wouldn't have wanted to start my weekend off partying with some 20 odd 16 and 17 years old, thank you but I'll pass!

So we hit the pool around noon and started our tanning extravaganza, by the by, everything is an extravaganza when you haven't had a vacation in over a year. I was trying to start evening out the interesting walking around the city tan lines I have incurred in the last few weeks. We tanned topless for a little while before some our house mates showed up. At one point it did seem all the support staff was nearby either cutting the grass, cleaning the pool or checking the jacuzzi hmmm...I wonder if we were the cause of that? Anyway we had a very mellow day. People showed up intermittently throughout the day and everyone is very cool. We're cooking dinner and we may or may not go out tonight. It rained at one point although it was gorgeously sunny most of the day and I took that as an opportunity to take a nap. Ah the luxury of a nap not taken for the purpose getting through work for the rest of the day. I am gloriously content.

So I'll get back to you I must eat and join my house mates. I'll let you know about the happenings later if we go out 'till then ciao.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Weekend Extravaganza!

I am at my friend's house getting ready to drive out to the Hamptons whoohoo! I have not had a day off in months! At least not a proper away from my house, no brainstorming, no submitting (my headshot) no clients not even one day off in a dogs age. You my dear reader will be my only commitment. I am excited about this, you and my weekend.

So today has been a series of appointments and packing. Somehow I was able to get my 3 day weekend down to one bag (luggage) and a purse and a beach bag. Now this was a feat and it took 2 clients to get me there. Thank God I have such amazing clients and former clients. One of them is watching my cats, I am very blessed and grateful! Now this bag, the luggage one contains 8 pairs of shoes because...well because and if you understand how I feel about shoes you'd understand that I wanted to bring more but I had to be reasonable. So I am hoping to have many opportunities to wear said shoes.

So I am exhausted and will sign off. I am hoping I dont have one of those weekends where your body is so happy to have rest that you just sleep and, like a narcoleptic, and don't do anything. I don't think I have to worry, my friend is like me super high energy so I'm expecting to go out dancing and have hot times in the summertime (yes like the song). Ok now I'm out I'll keep you posted on my weekend extravaganza!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Finally

Ah I finally went to the MOMA today as I've been threatening to do for some time. I saw many things but the Richard Serra exhibit in particular was delicious. I really enjoyed it. The sheer size I think makes it fun and anytime you get to be in the art. I was terribly pleased with myself later when I found out a piece that I felt just looked like a house of cards but on a much grander scale and of course in sheet metal turned out to be titled "One Ton Prop (house of cards)". The pieces in the sculpture garden were lovely and the ones of the 6th floor were interesting but I was enchanted by the exhibit on the 2nd floor.

I really felt like a kid and we were of course not allowed to touch but I found my body wanted to roll against the undulating metal. Turning over and over and following the folds so... I did, not touching of course, but it felt good. It felt good to follow that instinctual and very childlike desire. The undulations of the metal were very inviting. Some of the pieces felt when you were in them felt like ship hulls and others like you were in the folds of a piece of ribbon, except of course 71+ feet high. Some pieces had a warm and inviting feel to them and others very cold and a little scary. It was fascinating because you could be flippant and say its all sheet metal how could it feel different or warm or cold but each piece of metal had its own vibration and personality and unique discolorations and lines or shade or rusty design even within pieces that were welded together and part of the same sculpture ultimately. When I stepped back from them and looked down the room I was awestruck the images were so powerful. I highly recommend the exhibit and I will be going back soon.

So the show Tempting Joanna premiered today and it was a preview to the show involving some behind the scenes interviews and snippets of episodes to come. It was fun and nerve wracking watching myself on TV. But ulimately exactly the road I want to go down and I want more, more! The image of the mad scientist should come to mind. I am excited to see an actual complete episode. I am really looking forward to it. It is interesting though because I am starring in and producing a short film ( and a feature) and it is definitely a different feeling to be involved in the behind the scenes of the project. I love being a producer and creating the vision for a project and being part of the casting etc but there is also the ability to hold the vision for a project, the creative aspect, seeing the larger picture. That has been a wonderful experience as well but the other positive side is I get to be there on the post-production side. That is the interesting aspect I was exploring today the truth of as an actor you do your work and then you have to let it go because you have no idea how it's going to get put together. That has been an intriguing lesson in surrender and trust. I'm signing on off that note. Ciao

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Good Things on the Horizon

I started my day around 5:30 am after going to "sleep" around 2:30? I think maybe even 2 I woke up around3 :30 with the keen awareness of how much sleep I was going to have. Isn't it amazing the calculations one can do while unconscious? As I walked to Starbucks, which may be my God, I know thou shall not worship false god's and what not but I believe God created coffee. I feel it is the nectar of the God's, the elixir of life, the wind beneath my wings...I think you get that I love coffee and believe in it, much how I believe in Ice Cream. And yes these are things to believe in and I am very serious about both of them. So I walked to my shrine I listened to the "O, What a Beautiful Mornin' " from the album Oklahoma! Let me tell you that is how everyone should start their day. It put me in such a great mood. I was happy and (fairly) unaware of my lack of sleep. Through most of my first session I was humming random parts of songs either, with a fringe on the top or intermittently genuine leather, said gen-ui-ine leather, from the song "The Surrey With the Fringe On top".

Now if you are not familiar with the musical Oklahoma! get familiar and get back to me. It is not acceptable that you are not, you are doing yourself a disservice and frankly I want to know what you have to say for yourself? (My hands are appropriately on my hips, okay they're not but let's pretend they are since I am trying to chastise you.) It is probably appropriate at this time to let you know I am half Oklahoman. Half Oklahoman you say? And I say yes half Oklahoman. Now I think I may let you wonder what the other half is because one, I love the suspense and two, it will come out eventually why not enjoy the discovery phase of this love affair? I am a born and raised New Yorker but my parents are not they met here and my father is from Oklahoma. That is he's from Okahoma City, Oklahoma just so you know and yes I love to say that and yes I have seen that musical numerous times and I love it and get misty eyed and the whole bit.

One of the reasons I get misty eyed is I think about all the hopes and dreams people had when they settled there. "It was called the sooner state because in 1889, the Indian Territory was opened to settlers. Thousands of people lined up on the border and, when the signal was given, they raced into the territory to claim their land. Some people went in early to claim their land. They became known as the Sooner's. Hence, Oklahoma's name today is "The Sooner State"." That is an excerpt from the site http://www.50states.com/bio/nickname4.htm, I like to give credit where credit is due (a pet peeve of mine are people who steal ideas, work etc so to be in integrity...plus plagiarism isn't a good thing). I think about how they were thinking about changing their lives and making a better life for themselves and creating opportunity and their children to come and their grand children. I can really relate to that as I'm striving to forge my own life. I am also part Choctaw Indian so empathize on both sides. It was their land first to some degree.

I find myself releasing judgment when I start realizing that all of us are just trying to make a better life for ourselves. Sometimes we mistakenly believe we have to lie or hurt someone or take something from another, that there is only enough for some of us and not all of us. Or we don't realize that the person we think we need to take from or is taking from us is simply mistaken and blinded by the their need. They are or we are forgetting we all ultimately have the same needs and desires; to have enough to eat, love and be loved, live our dreams, create, be respected, provide for our children, ourselves and our generations to come. It's so simple and we just get so caught up in our own view, our own story of how we deserve this and they don't or any variation therein. Somehow when I listen to these songs I am able to tap into how they felt and I realize that the dreams of my parents and grandparents and onward led to me right here right now forging and settling my own land figuratively, in my heart and in my life.

It makes me feel so connected with my ancestors of any race or heritage on my Oklahoman side. All those dreams live within me. On both sides of my family that desire to have a better life, to dream big enough to encompass now only your life but your descendants as well. Those are big dreams, I feel them in my soul and I know that I can endure, tolerate all obstacles. I can surpass and succeed and my dreams will encompass my children's children. I will get into my other side, my mother's side another time where I am definitely connected as well, at the root of my being. That is an entire posting in and unto itself.

So tomorrow the debut of the show airs at 6pm on Channel 56 and then again at 8pm on the website http://www.temptingjoanna.com . So we'll see, I am really excited and a little nervous. I believe it is going to be the introduction to the characters etc and the first actual episode will be the following week. Also I am very happy to announce my Fitness blog is up! Fit Chic, the address is http://fitchicnyc.blogspot.com so please check it out. Till tomorrow, ciao.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Yeah Baby Yeah!

Blessedly my Monday morning client had to cancel and I got to sleep in! I felt a little bad because she had a vicious leak in her apartment and later I confessed I may have been the cause. When I woke up around 5 am I put it out there that I would love to sleep in. During the year and really most of the time I have a steadfast rule about clients on Monday Morning before 10am. Simply it's because ostensibly I have 4 careers going and I work 7 days a week so I refuse to join the Monday morning rat race. It's also because people are really unpleasant in the morning on the train but especially on Mondays. But really it's just that I love to stage a sleep in and Mondays are that day for me.

Anyhoo she canceled on me around 7 am via text message, have I mentioned yet how much I love the text message? Let's just say that commercial where the father says to his kids after they create a big banner for his birthday, ignoring the banner, "nothing says it like a text message"? I am so there. Communication without contact? I am all over that! Especially at 7am when I can look, respond and get back to the very serious business of sleeping. Communication when there is no possibility of contact? It's so great! I text message with my Father in Tanzania all the time it's awesome. I mean you are not always near a computer for IMing and emails are great for what they're great for but when you want to tell someone you love them or hey I'm thinking about you but I'm busy? Or you have to communicate with someone but can't really talk? Texting is where it's at.

I text with my Mom all the time when she's not too busy for me. This woman makes the most industrious person seem lazy and lacking in a social life. She barely has time to communicate with me so again texting is helpful. And yes if it sounds that I am a little bitter about it, I mean people, I'm the one she says I gotta take this to most of the time on the phone, I mean come on I'm your child if the sun doesn't rise and set on me with you....then sheesh. (Now I must say I'm kidding if I don't put in a disclaimer I will hear about it and I am teasing her because it's so easy!) So the diatribe was about my love of the text message not a means with which to harass my Mother, shoot I do a lot of my scheduling clients via text! Ok enough about the freaking texts.

Luckily we were able to reschedule for later in the day and when I reawoke ( I know the word doesn't exist I am just running amok with the re's) around 10am I realized my deep desire to sleep in, which I have not been able to do for awhile, may have spontaneously started a leak in her ceiling in her apartment not unlike that movie Firestarter but with water not fire and... You may not be as amused as I am. Hmmm so my delusions of grandeur ( and apparently telekinetic powers) led down that a path of thinking and I shared my theory with her during our session and although she did not entirely dismiss the idea she felt it may also have had something to do with the history of leaks in the apartment. So that's where we stand with that. Either way I got to sleep in baby yeah! Wow it sure took a long time to tell that story.

So in other entirely unrelated news, I got invited to the Hampton's this weekend, a friend of mine has a share and I am not obligated to anything this weekend so I can go! Yeah baby I am absolutely overdue for some rest and relaxation! So its in Wainscott and the house is supposed to be quite nice, we'll meet up with some of her friends who are out there this weekend in East Hampton and.... I am already smiling! Alright tomorrow is a very early day so I will take my leave of you. Ciao.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Virtue?

Wow. I have discovered once again that I am not a patient person. This is contrary to what most people say about me, at least to my face who knows what they say when I'm not around. But I get a lot of wow you're really patient, I couldn't do that or thank you for being so patient with me or any variation there of, I figure you can do your own version of mad libs here and leave me out of it. But walking through the streets of New York? No I just am so glad that I don't carry a handgun or I'm not allowed to or whatever because it would not be pretty. I just don't get it. I mean I really don't get it is the edge of the crosswalk really the place to decide what your next move is gonna be? Or what movie to see? Or whether Uncle Harold would like the cheesecake IS IT? IS IT REALLY the best place for that discussion? Right in the middle of Times Square!?!?!! Or are you completely unaware that not everybody wants to stroll behind you while you do your Sunday afternoon we really like each other walk? Can you be aware that you're in freaking midtown and not everybody is going at your pace?! Look I don't begrudge Maude and Jerry their afternoon stroll they've been doing for the last 65 years I don't, really I don't but do you, no can you really be in midtown Manhattan and not be aware that approximately 4 million people are AROUND you? No really I want to know, get back to me I'll wait.

So I wasn't even in a hurry or anything but I don't necessarily want to stuck behind what I consider can only be dip@*&ts , and I say that lovingly, if you're not aware that I'm right behind you. I mean I can count the hairs on your neck! Just step to the side let me through you can go back to walking 3 feet an hour I don't mind that, heck I like to walk as slow as grass growing too sometimes. Okay that's a lie but I can appreciate that you want to, I don't want to change anyone, okay another lie, it just takes a little awareness people. If you're that unaware then you deserve to have your wallet stolen in the big city there I've said it now I'm the bad guy.

Okay now thats off my chest I can go back to the relatively nice person that I am when not walking in midtown Manhattan. I dunno people it seems it may be time to move on. I may have done had my share of city life. Allright so I know it's the price you pay for living in midtown Manhattan and I love it most of the time just not at above said times. So... I actually have had a wonderful day with some drawbacks including getting canceled on while at a clients door this morning! Yes but in all fairness I must have misunderstood an email but if you've been following or know me at all you know that one, I love my sleep and two, I really don't enjoy waking up early and to compound it all...wait for it...wait for it... I took a cab so I wouldn't be late because the trains were all screwy.

Yes and that my friends was my howdy doo, top of the morning to ya. So I almost bagged the whole day, canceled all my clients and went back to bed you know the moment? The Lise this just ain't your day moment? Cut your losses and get back to bed. But I decided a couple of things one (I like lists can you tell? even if they're short ones) so again in case the parentheses threw you off one, I wasn't going to disappoint or let down my other industrious and very committed (you have to be if you're doing the Sunday morning workout) clients and two, as the Course in Miracles puts it, a miracle is just a shift in perspective. So I shifted my perspective and decided that it was lovely to talk to the Guyanese cab driver on the ride uptown this morning. And it was. I had told him the back was really hot and asked if he could turn on the air conditioning. As we went along he asked me if I could feel the air and I responded that I was starting to and he said well it's really cold up here. So I told him that the trickle down theory does not work in politics nor in air conditioning. So we laughed and joked about that. He really was a lovely man. I told him I was going to Tanzania to see my Father in August and he was mightily pleased.

So anyway I took that lovely experience and my breakfast to the little diamond shaped park on 106th and Broadway and was reading Don Miguel Ruiz' book The Voice of Knowledge and I was tweeting at the birds who were tweeting at me. Okay maybe they weren't but it was fun to tweet at them and yes I probably looked like a crazy person and if that's the case then I guess looks aren't deceiving. I am chuckling away, by the by, I think I'm a regular laugh riot over here. So anyway I trained my subsequent clients and was stood up by a friend I had plans with, that I might add I had made plans with in lieu of some other people ( I am driving it in, he reads the blog and is easily made to feel bad). But truthfully today happened exactly as it was supposed to because I did something I almost never do. I went to the movies and in the middle of the day no less!! It was wonderful and the movie was so funny and really kind of heart warming( "Knocked Up").

I have to say I really enjoy going to the movies by myself although I have not done it much, but I really got it today why people go to the movies with other people, it's not for company like you might think. I mean come on it's dark, you're not supposed to talk, if you're "hanging out" then I "hung out" with a 100 people today at the movies. It's because you need a small army to help you eat all that freaking popcorn. Really though you do. It is in one word ridiculous and then I'm trying to rationalize throwing away all this popcorn and trying to find a way I won't be embarrassed to take it with me because we know it's not going to go bad, it's chock full of preservatives and God knows what else to make it so addictive. This is why it actually did not come home with me (other than the fact that my bag was too small to hide it in, truth be told) becuase I would be eating the popcorn for days to come. And I can only rationalize eating that much popcorn and drinking that much soda i.e. calories ( I don't do the diet cancer causing stuff) when I'm in the dark hanging out with all of you at the movies. That is my story and I'm sticking to it. And now I fear I've said too much. Till we meet again ciao.

Hot Damn! It's a Revival!

I just got home from a pre-birthday party for my cousin. Yeah I know most would call it a birthday party but if it's not your birthday its not your birthday period. I have steadfast rules on this. I am big fan of the birthday and consider mine a personal holiday (we just past the 6 month countdown). Actually I think everyone should consider their birthday a personal holiday I mean come on you decided to do this whole life thing again, go through the trials and tribulations of learning language, living, loving etc etc. Yes I am going with the whole reincarnation idea. It just makes the most sense to me and yes I still consider myself Christian, but come on people somethings just make sense. But I'm still a recovering Catholic so forgive if you feel I have sinned with these comments.

Anyhoo, back to birthdays so they're personal holidays and to be taken very seriously so that means you can celebrate the weekend before but it's not your birthday. So.. I sang her happy pre-birthday to you, how old will you be in 2 days, how she will be jolly good fellow 2 days etc( I'll explain the family tradition another time), explained my stand on it. She understood of course having met me and what not and she brought up a point, which of course did not sway me at all but rather I felt supports my idea. This may seem contradictory but I do believe in a 3 day birthday, a week long birthday and a birthday month. These are all valid. The 3 day birthday is the night ( not the whole day) before your birthday so you turn on midnight (sounds like a werewolf kind of thing) and you celebrate, wake up and really celebrate. Now the birthday week and birthday month came about from not being able to see all your friends in one fell swoop so I would be celebrating well past the week and still getting presents going out to dinner etc. This is all acceptable but it has to happen after the magical day of the anniversary of the day you decided to come into the world and wreak havoc upon your parents lives.

Yes let's just be honest that's what you do,. Yeah, yeah and you're a joy and all that good stuff. And you're crying and not letting anyone sleep and pooping and peeing all over the place (even if it's in your diapers) and throwing up on people. I mean come on you're wreaking havoc on these poor people who succumbed to their animal urges and then bam. Cute as you are you decide to stir up some trouble.

Anyway the party was great and it was at a very cute place called Revival right near Union Square. It had dive feel but not too divey with a lounge flourish and a nice garden in the back. Actually it was quite nice, perfect vibe. You didn't feel like you were there just to be seen and pay $14 per drink to do so. They played the Scorpions and The Cars and other random 80's songs but it wasn't that kind of retro let's relive the 80's kind of bar either. Anyway I have to go to sleep and train some clients early tomorrow morning. So sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. Ciao.
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