Deep Knee Bends

Yes, dear friends, after a lengthy absence (2 whole weeks! Shocking!) I have returned to the blogosphere. Indeed, I am back to tell you that... absolutely NOTHING is going on. Ok, not nothing, I am knee deep in broadway camp and things are going...well, they are going. I'm exhausted generally, which is mostly due to the mental exercise that comes with thinking on your feet--I am feeling very Anne Bogart, continually jumping in without a clue as to what I am going to come up with until I get there. It is big fun for me (though I don't think my campers are big fans). Let's just say, I am feeling a good kind of tired right now (ok, not right now, right now my tired is more late-night induced thanks to some old friends. Thanks a lot, guys. My only comfort is knowing that y'all are hurtin' WAY more than I am right now). Anyway, I am the kind of tired that comes with exercising creative muscles that have been dormant for a while. It's like lunges for your brain--it hurts so good.

In addition to working in a familiar medium, I have been doing some work in some (ok, one) unfamiliar medium as well. My especially fantastic mother and her business partner are event planners and authors, and for their most recent article for M Magazine I was asked to take pictures. I've got to say, being billed as a contributing photographer for a magazine is pretty cool.

Yes, I took this picture. Yes, it appeared in a magazine. Yes, I am gloating.

In addition to this, my brother (an amazing photographer even though he's only had his own camera for like 8 days...jerk) and I did another photo shoot for my mom today for the October issue of M Magazine. Yeah, it was a little weird to be doing a Halloween themed dinner party in July, but the pictures were really cool. I mean, who doesn't like things that are neon green?

Anyway, the point of this post, besides the gloating? (Again, sorry for being so gloaty) To tell you, my friends, nay, to ENCOURAGE you to find ways to exercise the creative part of your brain, even if the ways you do it are out of the ordinary (or out of your ordinary behavior). Mental deep knee bends (or lunges, if that's the way you roll) may be painful (brain sweat is, well, creepy...and awesome) or exhausting, but in the end you absolutely won't regret it.

P.S. EDTHR friends have been on my mind a lot lately. Miss you all times a thousand. Big love from California.

Roisterous Behavior

There are few things better than watching your father dance with a belly dancer or seeing a relative putting money in the aforementioned belly dancer's skirt.

Shake it, Dad.

 

Classy.

Nothing says happy birthday like chicken cake (perhaps the best thing we've ever eaten).  

Happy Birthday, Momma.

How I Spend My Summer "Vacation"

All of these were made in our hotel room.  In Texas.  In the heat.  292 of them.  INTENSE.

Greetings!  My Texas recap is far from being complete, but I'm finding myself uninspired to describe it adequately.  Maybe it was too much of me to ask of myself to recap such a fantastic weekend with beautiful friends and a glorious wedding.  Certainly the blogosphere isn't hurtin' from me not telling my Texas tale.  So for now I'll leave the story where it stands, with NASA and waffles, two of my favorite events of the weekend.  When I'm feeling adequately inspired perhaps I'll try again to describe the other days.  For now, dear reader (at least I'm pretty sure there is at least one of you), just know that Texas was awesome, but I won't be moving there any time soon.

A friend came to visit me at "work" the other day and I realized that my job is sort of crazy.  For 8 weeks each summer, I work at circus camp.  Yes, you heard right, CIRCUS camp.  I get to wear yoga pants and no shoes all summer and pretty much just play with little kids.  Pretty much every day I get to do job "development" i.e. teach my self some circus skills.  Last summer it was plate spinning, this summer it is juggling.  And then, every other Friday, we put up a show and I get to play in a multimillion dollar theatre facility and run it pretty much however I want.  My job is silly...and AWESOME.  And while working with kids day in and day out isn't what I want to do forever, I do love the work I do.  I mean, seriously, look below.  This is what my summers look like:

Not a bad way to spend your time, yeah?