It started with a commercial I saw for $26/sq. ft granite.
Seems harmless enough, a great improvement at a great price. So we went for it, finally replacing our out of date counter tops with custom granite. Of course that also meant a new double sink and then why not also upgrade the faucet while we have a plumber at our disposal? Well now the cabinet pulls look really outdated. Why not replace all 29 of those guys? But look, now the doorknobs don't match. And hey - did you ever notice how much more light we'd get if we just finally went to a flat screen? But where do we put all of the DVDs and remotes and stuff that are in the gigantic entertainment center we don't want in our house but don't want to get rid of? Not in the current storage unit, it's too small and so we need to get a bigger one to hold more stuff. Now what do we have to put the new TV on? Nothing? So we need something smaller and shorter. Great found it, but it doesn't solve our storage problem. Hey did you notice this coffee table? It would look really great with that new TV stand. And look, two smaller media cabinets that can go on each side of the fireplace. Ah, the room looks great - except did you happen to notice that now the windows are more prominent these blinds have to go? And the sills need to be painted. But the same color as the kickers on the foyer steps. And did you notice that the carpet on the landing in there is dirty again? No - because I was looking at the flooring in the hallway on the way there - it's really time to upgrade. And the baseboards need to be replaced. Look at this door jam, it's coming apart from being slammed. Mostly because you were being cheap and wouldn't let me look at granite slabs so I slammed the door when I was drying my hair.
Which needs a trim...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tick, tick, tick.
I realize it's been a while, but hopefully, like old friends we can pick up where we left off - which was sometime back in late summer with me apologizing for being less available and hoping to get back to writing.
I have been writing, but in a more private way and more importantly, I've been reading, traveling, taking in shows, teaching improv, performing, writing songs for a show I've had simmering for a while, and thinking about where I am, where I want to be, and where to keep pushing and where to just accept my lot (I am having great difficulty in this area, as I am profoundly confounded when having to quit things - I get hives, nausea and insomnia when faced with quitting anything.) I see it only as failure - never as freedom the way others can.
I recently heard the song Love the One You're With and became very nearly angry with the defeatist message of the lyrics...if you can't be with the one you love...throw in the towel and pretend? My, what a lot of actors we all are? Oscars all around!
What a sad and unsatisfying way to approach life - especially in a song. Reality may require it, but in a song? Fucking fight for whatever you want. In personal terms I apply the song not necessarily (well not at the moment) to my most significant relationship with another person, but rather to the one I have with myself.
I wish I had the guts to fight this way in reality - but I certainly would put up a fight in my artistic endeavors - the one place where the world can become your oyster. Where the ending can twist. New relationships forged. Out of reach achievements awarded, and the self you'd hope to become is the self that is on display. I'd never celebrate the disappointments in my life with a song - especially one with such a preachy tone - as if it's helpful to anyone.
Lately I've been dealing with the fact that in getting older, you lose that range of potential that was once bestowed on a person simply because of time, which is fading fast and furious. There are major life altering decisions and sacrifices to make and time is the evil reason for forcing it all to climax. It means evaluating everything in life. Everyday choices. And it's exhausting. And frustrating. But tick, tick, tick goes the clock and more time passes and nothing really changes and you have to decide - or at least decide to try, and then it just gets you back to a place where you lose sight of why you're in it to begin with and simply have a goal and all the romance fades because there is no more just "being" it's all time, and responsibility, and opportunity, and keeping up with the Joneses and the tick, tick, tick only gets louder and louder.
But then, it's 10:47 and you have a project that's due, a proposal to overnight, a dishwasher to empty and the mundaneness begins to seep in, which leads to madness. Am I doomed to be disappointed because I always thought I'd be a certain way (dare I say it...special?) - or will that eventually drive me to where I've dreampt? God help me that I feel something along the lines of the latter because this is suffocating. And manifests itself uncandidly as bitterness, which I am happy to quit.
I have been writing, but in a more private way and more importantly, I've been reading, traveling, taking in shows, teaching improv, performing, writing songs for a show I've had simmering for a while, and thinking about where I am, where I want to be, and where to keep pushing and where to just accept my lot (I am having great difficulty in this area, as I am profoundly confounded when having to quit things - I get hives, nausea and insomnia when faced with quitting anything.) I see it only as failure - never as freedom the way others can.
I recently heard the song Love the One You're With and became very nearly angry with the defeatist message of the lyrics...if you can't be with the one you love...throw in the towel and pretend? My, what a lot of actors we all are? Oscars all around!
What a sad and unsatisfying way to approach life - especially in a song. Reality may require it, but in a song? Fucking fight for whatever you want. In personal terms I apply the song not necessarily (well not at the moment) to my most significant relationship with another person, but rather to the one I have with myself.
I wish I had the guts to fight this way in reality - but I certainly would put up a fight in my artistic endeavors - the one place where the world can become your oyster. Where the ending can twist. New relationships forged. Out of reach achievements awarded, and the self you'd hope to become is the self that is on display. I'd never celebrate the disappointments in my life with a song - especially one with such a preachy tone - as if it's helpful to anyone.
Lately I've been dealing with the fact that in getting older, you lose that range of potential that was once bestowed on a person simply because of time, which is fading fast and furious. There are major life altering decisions and sacrifices to make and time is the evil reason for forcing it all to climax. It means evaluating everything in life. Everyday choices. And it's exhausting. And frustrating. But tick, tick, tick goes the clock and more time passes and nothing really changes and you have to decide - or at least decide to try, and then it just gets you back to a place where you lose sight of why you're in it to begin with and simply have a goal and all the romance fades because there is no more just "being" it's all time, and responsibility, and opportunity, and keeping up with the Joneses and the tick, tick, tick only gets louder and louder.
But then, it's 10:47 and you have a project that's due, a proposal to overnight, a dishwasher to empty and the mundaneness begins to seep in, which leads to madness. Am I doomed to be disappointed because I always thought I'd be a certain way (dare I say it...special?) - or will that eventually drive me to where I've dreampt? God help me that I feel something along the lines of the latter because this is suffocating. And manifests itself uncandidly as bitterness, which I am happy to quit.
Friday, August 20, 2010
End of Summer To Dos
Try to find the time to:
...see friends you haven't in a while
...take that vacation
...try that new restaurant
...have the doctor check out that mole/lump/rash
...watch an army of ants carry a beetle back to their anthill (Do they just call it a hill? Or home?)
...swim in a natural body of water before the summer is over
...eat a meal outside
...tell someone something personal about yourself
...return to something you love and haven't been able to do in a while (LIKE BLOGGING!)
...read
Will try harder to make time to write blog-readers.
...see friends you haven't in a while
...take that vacation
...try that new restaurant
...have the doctor check out that mole/lump/rash
...watch an army of ants carry a beetle back to their anthill (Do they just call it a hill? Or home?)
...swim in a natural body of water before the summer is over
...eat a meal outside
...tell someone something personal about yourself
...return to something you love and haven't been able to do in a while (LIKE BLOGGING!)
...read
Will try harder to make time to write blog-readers.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
New Obsession: Polyvore.com
Okay - so I am a clothes horse, as noted in many earlier blogs...but I may have found a solution for how to decrease the amount of shopping I do, but increase my exposure to clothes...www.polyvore.com.
This is a site I read about in an issue of New York magazine and thought I would check it out. Oh, goodness!
I was immediately hooked.
I have already teased you with how much I like the site in my last blog - but I just felt I could really dedicate an entire entry just to this site.
I really enjoy putting outfits together for different events. It's a fun and challenging exercise. Sometimes I'll come across a pair of shoes, earrings or a bag on the site or in a magazine, and I can build an entire outfit around that. Sometimes I have actual events in my own life (video shoots, working from home, dinner with friends, show openings/closings, date night) that I'd like to come up with different outfits and accessorize for. This site saves me from standing in my closet in my underwear for an hours wondering where to start. It also helps me to see what other "basics" would be great for me to have on hand to build a variety of outfits.
Additionally, there is an entire community and thousands of sets to look at for ideas. Really, you can create anything!
The best part about the site is that it's not just tweens. The woman in the New Yorker article is a professional woman who just happens to like clothes. Of course there is a huge Twilight following here - but that is kind of everywhere, now isn't it?
Here's the link to my sets...if you like clothes, check out the site!
Find me on Polyvore
This is a site I read about in an issue of New York magazine and thought I would check it out. Oh, goodness!
I was immediately hooked.
I have already teased you with how much I like the site in my last blog - but I just felt I could really dedicate an entire entry just to this site.
I really enjoy putting outfits together for different events. It's a fun and challenging exercise. Sometimes I'll come across a pair of shoes, earrings or a bag on the site or in a magazine, and I can build an entire outfit around that. Sometimes I have actual events in my own life (video shoots, working from home, dinner with friends, show openings/closings, date night) that I'd like to come up with different outfits and accessorize for. This site saves me from standing in my closet in my underwear for an hours wondering where to start. It also helps me to see what other "basics" would be great for me to have on hand to build a variety of outfits.
Additionally, there is an entire community and thousands of sets to look at for ideas. Really, you can create anything!
The best part about the site is that it's not just tweens. The woman in the New Yorker article is a professional woman who just happens to like clothes. Of course there is a huge Twilight following here - but that is kind of everywhere, now isn't it?
Here's the link to my sets...if you like clothes, check out the site!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
News! And Stuff...
Two things - First, sorry I haven't been writing much here lately. I've been busy opening a new sketch comedy show at Second City (it's called Breast in Show, runs Saturdays at 10:30, and tickets are $15.00), spending a lot of time with my "pHamily" of pH Productions, and working hard for my clients.
Also - I have started my second book. (The first you might remember is a children's book - which is still in editing, illustration, and proposal mode.)
The new book is a novel about a Kallen, a woman in her 30's who is facing what all of us do as we age: Sagging, regret, success, and understanding.
The impetus for the book is an approaching birthday - one that will say I'm officially "in" my 30's and I am not at all looking forward to it.
Kallen is going to take care of any remaining regrets, wishes, insecurities and other adventures that I may never get to do, or even ever pursue. (Dating a younger man for instance - I'm happily married.)
She is, of course, skinnier, smarter, and more self-sufficient than me, and will hopefully help to take me to a brave new place in my own life. She is already finding her own voice and I am quickly falling in love with her and hoping publishers and potential readers will too.
Here is a tiny sneak peak:
“Kallen, we can swing this on our own. Can you imagine finally seeing the entire billable invoice in our own names?” he said.
“David, there’s a lot of stuff that we have to…” I interjected.
“Stop worrying. Hey pull over here. I’m downstairs.”
“Who are you talking to? You’re here?” I asked.
“Cab driver. Your message sounded so urgent I just told the cabby to drive me right over to your place. You don’t have any cats do you? I’m allergic.”
Why would he think I have cats? He thinks I’m old. He thinks I’m gross. I’m like his mentor. Which sounds really close to mother. Oh God. I am a first class idiot. Pathetic.
Wait. I don’t have a cat. Halleluia!
“No cat. I hate cats. Aloof bastards. Just me. Give me 5 minutes and I’ll come down. We’ll go across the street and grab a drink” I directed.
“What, I still can’t see the lair?” he asked.
Please don’t let that be a cougar reference.
“Hot women never let me upstairs during the day time” he whined.
“Oh, I’m sure some would.” I consoled.
Shit! Was that bold or cougary?
“Okay. I’ll grab us a seat. Five minutes. I’ll get you a Dirty.”
“Extra Dirty” I corrected.
He knows my drink! Well, sort of. I should probably order Rum and Diet Cokes after that one though. I won’t even be able to get earrings on tomorrow after all of that sodium.
I jam by finger on the End Call button and run to the bathroom. Oh dear gawd. One look in the mirror reminded me of just what that ten year age gap looks like.
Secondly, I have been spending a ton of time here...www.polyvore.com. It's basically paper dolls for grown women but much cooler. You can add anything you want to your "sets" including music and backgrounds. I have even created a few outfits for Kallen there.
Click here to see my collections. It's addicting!
Michelle
Also - I have started my second book. (The first you might remember is a children's book - which is still in editing, illustration, and proposal mode.)
The new book is a novel about a Kallen, a woman in her 30's who is facing what all of us do as we age: Sagging, regret, success, and understanding.
The impetus for the book is an approaching birthday - one that will say I'm officially "in" my 30's and I am not at all looking forward to it.
Kallen is going to take care of any remaining regrets, wishes, insecurities and other adventures that I may never get to do, or even ever pursue. (Dating a younger man for instance - I'm happily married.)
She is, of course, skinnier, smarter, and more self-sufficient than me, and will hopefully help to take me to a brave new place in my own life. She is already finding her own voice and I am quickly falling in love with her and hoping publishers and potential readers will too.
Here is a tiny sneak peak:
“Kallen, we can swing this on our own. Can you imagine finally seeing the entire billable invoice in our own names?” he said.
“David, there’s a lot of stuff that we have to…” I interjected.
“Stop worrying. Hey pull over here. I’m downstairs.”
“Who are you talking to? You’re here?” I asked.
“Cab driver. Your message sounded so urgent I just told the cabby to drive me right over to your place. You don’t have any cats do you? I’m allergic.”
Why would he think I have cats? He thinks I’m old. He thinks I’m gross. I’m like his mentor. Which sounds really close to mother. Oh God. I am a first class idiot. Pathetic.
Wait. I don’t have a cat. Halleluia!
“No cat. I hate cats. Aloof bastards. Just me. Give me 5 minutes and I’ll come down. We’ll go across the street and grab a drink” I directed.
“What, I still can’t see the lair?” he asked.
Please don’t let that be a cougar reference.
“Hot women never let me upstairs during the day time” he whined.
“Oh, I’m sure some would.” I consoled.
Shit! Was that bold or cougary?
“Okay. I’ll grab us a seat. Five minutes. I’ll get you a Dirty.”
“Extra Dirty” I corrected.
He knows my drink! Well, sort of. I should probably order Rum and Diet Cokes after that one though. I won’t even be able to get earrings on tomorrow after all of that sodium.
I jam by finger on the End Call button and run to the bathroom. Oh dear gawd. One look in the mirror reminded me of just what that ten year age gap looks like.
Secondly, I have been spending a ton of time here...www.polyvore.com. It's basically paper dolls for grown women but much cooler. You can add anything you want to your "sets" including music and backgrounds. I have even created a few outfits for Kallen there.
Click here to see my collections. It's addicting!
Drop me a line and let me know what you think of the preview...and if you get hooked on Polyvore too, share your sets with me!
Thanks for reading - I really, really appreciate it, you're lovely.
Michelle
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Announcement: Twitter Your Life! Get More Connected.
Whoever said that technology would be the demise of human connections clearly doesn't have a Twitter account. You can find deeper understanding and strengthen human ties by embracing the multitude of electronic platforms by which to reach out, reach out and touch someone.
Yesterday I was checking Twitter when I learned of Diablo Cody's pregnancy, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy's breakup, and Mo Collins' recent heartache. Now, I don't "know" these people, but I see that they are just human, like me. I somehow feel like I'm more a part of the universe simply, because I learned about these things that they obviously wanted to share - from them - not Billy Bush or TMZ.
Making me feel even more connected, I saw that I had received some new comments on a very personal blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Posted yesterday was a very profound and touching comment from a cousin I don't think I've ever really spent more than several hours with over the course of both of our lives.
I was completley humbled and grateful for her honesty and courage to share her story. I see that we have so much in common - and feel closer to her than I ever thought possible.
A simple blog has brought us closer together, and forged a relationship based on common interestes and feelings - some of them that we'd probably never bring up around a Thanksgiving table.
There is a whole world of people that share their lives (everything from burning their morning toast to relationship woes and medical struggles). In some cases - I wonder why (even for myself) anyone would choose to "air their dirty laundry"?
But I always find myself thinking - maybe there are others that feel the same way I do? Maybe there isn't another person brave enough to say what isn't being said? Maybe I could help?
Here's the thing - in most cases - it's not even really dirty laundry. It's just life. And "social" media is all about connecting and sharing. All you have to do is put your story out there - and you'll soon find out (sometimes in the most surprising places, like in your very own family) that there are other people with wonderful advice and wisdom to impart.
Go ahead and share. It's good for your heart, your mind, your well-being.
mm
Yesterday I was checking Twitter when I learned of Diablo Cody's pregnancy, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy's breakup, and Mo Collins' recent heartache. Now, I don't "know" these people, but I see that they are just human, like me. I somehow feel like I'm more a part of the universe simply, because I learned about these things that they obviously wanted to share - from them - not Billy Bush or TMZ.
Making me feel even more connected, I saw that I had received some new comments on a very personal blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Posted yesterday was a very profound and touching comment from a cousin I don't think I've ever really spent more than several hours with over the course of both of our lives.
I was completley humbled and grateful for her honesty and courage to share her story. I see that we have so much in common - and feel closer to her than I ever thought possible.
A simple blog has brought us closer together, and forged a relationship based on common interestes and feelings - some of them that we'd probably never bring up around a Thanksgiving table.
There is a whole world of people that share their lives (everything from burning their morning toast to relationship woes and medical struggles). In some cases - I wonder why (even for myself) anyone would choose to "air their dirty laundry"?
But I always find myself thinking - maybe there are others that feel the same way I do? Maybe there isn't another person brave enough to say what isn't being said? Maybe I could help?
Here's the thing - in most cases - it's not even really dirty laundry. It's just life. And "social" media is all about connecting and sharing. All you have to do is put your story out there - and you'll soon find out (sometimes in the most surprising places, like in your very own family) that there are other people with wonderful advice and wisdom to impart.
Go ahead and share. It's good for your heart, your mind, your well-being.
mm
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
This is the Crap You Need.
So last week I told you what crap you don't need...this is the crap you do:
1) TiVo or DVR. You are an active, popular, important person with things to do right? Your busy life shouldn't keep you from seeing all of your favorite shows. Maybe you aren't busy, maybe you spend plenty of time at home, but you opted to watch Twilight (again) and will catch up on 30 Rock over the weekend.
2) A Pandora account. Create the radio channels you like and vote thumbs up or down as songs play. It's free - with short ads running about every 5 songs or so, or for a reasonable fee, Pandora One, which is ad free and has a few additional perks. There are other options than Pandora, but I think it does the best job of feeling out my mood and playing just the right songs.
3) Some polarizing figure to admire. Mine is Chris McCandless (AKA Alexander Supertramp). Yes, he may be seen by some as a suicidal idiot full of nonsense and self-importance - or maybe he just wanted to say fuck it all, I'm going outside. I read Into the Wild more than a decade ago, but didn't see the movie until recently and it rekindled my sort of romance with Chris - his courage and bravado to reject the materialistic comforts afforded to him startled me and I admired it then, as I do today. Plus, someone else's failures and successes remind you you're only human, without the carpet burn.
6) Some piece of clothing that makes any outfit special - and instantly says any ensemble you're wearing is your own. I have a blue pashmina I wear year round and it instantly dresses up anything I'm wearing, keeps me warm, keeps food off my clothes, provides an odor guard on public transportation, and goes with everything.
9) A sense of humor. And forgiveness for yourself when you think something is really funny, but it is only funny to you.
10) A good pair of earbuds/headphones to drown out everyone else. You're your own best company.
1) TiVo or DVR. You are an active, popular, important person with things to do right? Your busy life shouldn't keep you from seeing all of your favorite shows. Maybe you aren't busy, maybe you spend plenty of time at home, but you opted to watch Twilight (again) and will catch up on 30 Rock over the weekend.
2) A Pandora account. Create the radio channels you like and vote thumbs up or down as songs play. It's free - with short ads running about every 5 songs or so, or for a reasonable fee, Pandora One, which is ad free and has a few additional perks. There are other options than Pandora, but I think it does the best job of feeling out my mood and playing just the right songs.
3) Some polarizing figure to admire. Mine is Chris McCandless (AKA Alexander Supertramp). Yes, he may be seen by some as a suicidal idiot full of nonsense and self-importance - or maybe he just wanted to say fuck it all, I'm going outside. I read Into the Wild more than a decade ago, but didn't see the movie until recently and it rekindled my sort of romance with Chris - his courage and bravado to reject the materialistic comforts afforded to him startled me and I admired it then, as I do today. Plus, someone else's failures and successes remind you you're only human, without the carpet burn.
4) Two sounding boards: A wacky creative artist for business dilemmas and a stuffy business type for creative problems. The creative artist is not aware of traditional "solutions" and therefore automatically offers unique and out of the box ideas and opinions. Same is true of the stuffed suit - they will apply business logic and statistics to your creative problem and help you to see through the clutter to the bare bones and hopefully, the heart of the piece. In both scenarios, you will be trying something different and avoiding making the same choices over and over.
5) A signature cocktail. Face it, it's just kind of cool. Plus it helps people to know what to have on hand when you're coming over. I like Presecco (Italian sparkling wine) and sometimes Frambois Lambic (Belgian raspberry beer that is also sparkling).
6) Some piece of clothing that makes any outfit special - and instantly says any ensemble you're wearing is your own. I have a blue pashmina I wear year round and it instantly dresses up anything I'm wearing, keeps me warm, keeps food off my clothes, provides an odor guard on public transportation, and goes with everything.
7) Some cool party trick or entertaining flair. Mine is an endless capacity to connect celebrities a la Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, and making a kick-ass ice cream bomb dessert - which I always unmold in front of an audience.
Patty Duke to Kevin Bacon:
1. Patty Duke was in The Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft
2. Anne Bancroft was in Keeping the Faith with Edward Norton.
3. Edward Norton was in Fight Club with Brad Pitt.
4. Brad Pitt was in Sleepers with *Kevin Bacon
or Patty Duke to Kevin Bacon:
1. Patty Duke was in The Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft
2. Anne Bancroft was in The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman
3. Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Bacon were both in Sleepers.
or Patty Duke to Kevin Bacon:
1. Patty Duke was in Prelude to a Kiss with Alec Baldwin
2. Alec Baldwin was in She's Having a Baby with Kevin Bacon.
As for the ice cream bomb, you'll just have to hope for an invite.
9) A sense of humor. And forgiveness for yourself when you think something is really funny, but it is only funny to you.
10) A good pair of earbuds/headphones to drown out everyone else. You're your own best company.
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