Hello Bloggy blog readers! Just vegging out here on this lovely Saturday afternoon. Done with my studying for the day and I thought I'd write an update.
I'm officially in training for my first 8k now ( I'm running in 2 of them 3 weeks apart, March 20th and April 10th). Doing prescribed runs every day plus strength training and cross training. I'm following a version of this schedule: http://www.halhigdon.com/8K/8kintsch.htm with a little extra milage in the first half, since I'm used to 20-25 miles a week. I need better ideas for the "cross training" days. These days occur once a week (I did the first one yesterday) and I'm supposed to do 60 minutes of cross training. It's supposed to be a relatively easy day in the training cycle, unlike what I actually did yesterday. I jogged an easy, slow 2.5 miles in the morning, then some friends came over and we did the INSANITY pure cardio workout...NOT easy. Insanity is one of the Beachbody DVD programs (like P90X) that is all cardio/reactive training/SAQ training based. It was basically 40 minutes of plyometrics and SAQ training (that's Speed-Agility-Quickness) and while it was a really good workout, probably not so much for what is supposed to be a rest day. I need something that's a little nicer to my joints after the almost 25 miles I ran this week. Once it gets nicer out I'll definitely do some bike riding but I need to figure out some other cross activities in the mean time.
I'm trying to be nicer to my joints and muscles all around. I can't risk an injury after all this time I'm putting in to training. My joints are still ok but I've been having crazy tightness in my TFL and calf muscles, especially on my left side. AHHHHH OMG the TFL!! I'm in pain now just thinking about it. I ordered a foam roller from Amazon that should be arriving in the next couple of days and I've decided to start getting massages at least once every other week. There's a little place called Resonance Massage and Bodywork , a fantastic Chinese-style walk-in massage spa just a couple doors down. If you go before 2pm you get an extra 10 minutes, so for $30 you can get 30 minutes on the table. I'm definitely willing to spend $30 every 2 weeks for a massage! (says the still unemployed girl)
Ohhhhh, employment. I went to 5 open server calls this week plus e-mailed a lot of resumes via craigslist, haven't heard anything. Every time I fill out an application I feel like I lose a teeny tiny bit of my soul. I think this week I'm just going to follow my friend Chris's advice, I'll print a stack of resumes and hit up all the bars where I want to work right at opening time, hoping someone got fired or quit the night before. It means facing a lot of rejection and needing a whole lot of luck, but I'm generally good at both those things.
Right when I got home from Michigan after Christmas I submitted for a bunch of server jobs and actually got called in for interviews on 2 of them! I realized that since I still had 4 weeks of my show left at that point it would be silly to go into an interview without any weekend availability so I was like "oh, I'll just hold off until after Kiss Me, Kate. It should be just as easy then!" Yeah, uh huh.
I keep occasionally checking the fitness section of craigslist jobs in addition to the food/drink service section, just for giggles. I can't wait to apply for these personal training jobs! Most of the smaller, independent gyms don't even require previous experience, just NASM certification and "a passion for fitness!" or "enthusiasm to get started in the fitness industry!" and they ALL come with health benefits, educational opportunities, 401k...401K!!!! Ohmigosh I will feel like a real adult. At my current pace I only have 2 weeks left before I finish the text book/course book, plus I figure another 2 weeks of flashcards/studying/practice tests and then I'll be good to take the certification exam at the beginning of March! Man oh man I just hope that there are still jobs then. March/April is when everyone starts worrying about swimsuit season and joins a gym, right? right???
Ok, gotta clean the apartmetn and walk Sawyer before I leave for my show. ONLY 2 SHOWS OF KMK LEFT!!! I have a feeling that this is what the last couple miles of the marathon is going to feel like.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I will be unemployed forever
OMG friends. So I went to an open call for servers today at Casey Moran's across the street from Wrigley Field. They put a craigslist ad up that they're hiring for cubs season, so I thought I'd stop by with my resume, and swing by a couple other Wrigleyville bars while I was up there.
I had some errands to do around Clark and Belmont, and then I thought I would walk up to Casey Moran's. The call started at 5pm and at 4:45 I started walking up from Belmont. Right then the sun set, suddenly, the temperature dropped like 10 degrees and it snowing that crappy horizontal snow. Of course since I was job hunting and wearing a cute outfit I was wearing my cute italian-made banana republic not-meant-for-chicago-winter coat and not my bring-it-on-mother-nature heavy-duty puffy, shin-length Lands End coat. Flimsy Anne Klien leather boots, not Uggs. I finally walk past Wrigley and see the bar...with two giant OHIO STATE flags flying in front of it.
I believe I've previously claimed that I would never, ever, even in the off season, even if it was free and came with free caviar, sit down for a DRINK at an Ohio State bar. I will honestly walk to the opposite side of the street even if I have to walk PAST an Ohio State bar. I was thisclose to turning around but I couldn't feel my toes at this point so ok, I'll fill out an app, give them my resume that says "University of Michigan, Ann Arbor" on it in two different places and go.
It is 4:59. The open call is from 5pm-7pm. There is a line of 5 people to get in the door and pick up applications. Every single table and bar stool is occupied with people filling out applications and the line to turn in the applications, meet the manager and get your picture taken literally wraps around the entire restaurant. There were easily over 150 people there. At 4:59. Cool. Blah.
At least after the HOUR spent there I sucked it up and went to the other bar hiring down the street. Of course I'm sure EVERYONE ELSE did too.
I'm sure this is in no way a unique story. I've heard that there's some kind of economic crisis going on or something.
Blah. Blah. Blah. Ok I'm almost halfway done with this glass of wine and the letters on the screen are starting to spin a little (yeah, I don't really drink much any more). Time to make some dinner, put on my snuggie and watch idol.
I had some errands to do around Clark and Belmont, and then I thought I would walk up to Casey Moran's. The call started at 5pm and at 4:45 I started walking up from Belmont. Right then the sun set, suddenly, the temperature dropped like 10 degrees and it snowing that crappy horizontal snow. Of course since I was job hunting and wearing a cute outfit I was wearing my cute italian-made banana republic not-meant-for-chicago-winter coat and not my bring-it-on-mother-nature heavy-duty puffy, shin-length Lands End coat. Flimsy Anne Klien leather boots, not Uggs. I finally walk past Wrigley and see the bar...with two giant OHIO STATE flags flying in front of it.
I believe I've previously claimed that I would never, ever, even in the off season, even if it was free and came with free caviar, sit down for a DRINK at an Ohio State bar. I will honestly walk to the opposite side of the street even if I have to walk PAST an Ohio State bar. I was thisclose to turning around but I couldn't feel my toes at this point so ok, I'll fill out an app, give them my resume that says "University of Michigan, Ann Arbor" on it in two different places and go.
It is 4:59. The open call is from 5pm-7pm. There is a line of 5 people to get in the door and pick up applications. Every single table and bar stool is occupied with people filling out applications and the line to turn in the applications, meet the manager and get your picture taken literally wraps around the entire restaurant. There were easily over 150 people there. At 4:59. Cool. Blah.
At least after the HOUR spent there I sucked it up and went to the other bar hiring down the street. Of course I'm sure EVERYONE ELSE did too.
I'm sure this is in no way a unique story. I've heard that there's some kind of economic crisis going on or something.
Blah. Blah. Blah. Ok I'm almost halfway done with this glass of wine and the letters on the screen are starting to spin a little (yeah, I don't really drink much any more). Time to make some dinner, put on my snuggie and watch idol.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Unpacking the ole' apron
WHOOPS, went a whole 4 days without blogging. My bad. Not even sure what I've been doing this week because I'm behind on my studying too. Seriously what the heck did I do this week? My brain really has turned to mush from all this anatomy memorizing and working out. Probably also from watching American Idol. Steven Tyler's shrieks are liquifying my brain matter.
Ok so I know one thing I HAVE done this week is make progress on the job search front. I definitely, maybe, probably have a job one night a week at an awesome little bar in Lakeview/Roscoe Village hosting a Euchre night! This is going to be pretty awesome. I MC the weekly tournament at The Waterhouse Tavern (RIGHT off the Paulina Brown Line stop, great location), give out prizes, mingle with the players, give out shots when people successfully go alone (my idea!) and get paid for it!! Pretty baller. The only catch is that I have to bring a lot of people in for it. This shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just from my first facebook message I sent out I had over a dozen people tell me they were interested. If all those people bring a partner that's 24 people, not including whoever I can attract from listing it on brokehipster.com, drinktown, local tourist, etc. The girl I met with said they just had to work out the details on their side and would let me know when I can start next week.
Of course I'm going to need something more than once a week, so I'm gonna go to some open calls at some Wrigleyville bars next week too. Everyone is starting to hire for Cubs season so I should be able to find something. I'm strangely very excited to start cocktailing again! Mostly I think I'm excited to have some cash in my wallet, but I honestly have a lot of very fond memories of the ole' Comic Strip Live waitressing gig I had back in NYC. If I can find something that awesome again that would be so amazing. Cross your fingers!!
Only two more weeks left of Kiss Me, Kate! Still enjoying it when I'm there but also SO ready to move on. When this show opened I hadn't even had my Thanksgiving tofurky yet! Now it's almost time for Superbowl chicken-less chicken wings! That is a long run and a lot of fake meat.
Ok so I know one thing I HAVE done this week is make progress on the job search front. I definitely, maybe, probably have a job one night a week at an awesome little bar in Lakeview/Roscoe Village hosting a Euchre night! This is going to be pretty awesome. I MC the weekly tournament at The Waterhouse Tavern (RIGHT off the Paulina Brown Line stop, great location), give out prizes, mingle with the players, give out shots when people successfully go alone (my idea!) and get paid for it!! Pretty baller. The only catch is that I have to bring a lot of people in for it. This shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just from my first facebook message I sent out I had over a dozen people tell me they were interested. If all those people bring a partner that's 24 people, not including whoever I can attract from listing it on brokehipster.com, drinktown, local tourist, etc. The girl I met with said they just had to work out the details on their side and would let me know when I can start next week.
Of course I'm going to need something more than once a week, so I'm gonna go to some open calls at some Wrigleyville bars next week too. Everyone is starting to hire for Cubs season so I should be able to find something. I'm strangely very excited to start cocktailing again! Mostly I think I'm excited to have some cash in my wallet, but I honestly have a lot of very fond memories of the ole' Comic Strip Live waitressing gig I had back in NYC. If I can find something that awesome again that would be so amazing. Cross your fingers!!
Only two more weeks left of Kiss Me, Kate! Still enjoying it when I'm there but also SO ready to move on. When this show opened I hadn't even had my Thanksgiving tofurky yet! Now it's almost time for Superbowl chicken-less chicken wings! That is a long run and a lot of fake meat.
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Confession and a Plea!
Ok guys, I will now confess to you one of my deepest, darkest secrets: I was always a horrible student.
I was able to keep this secret for so long because I managed to get pretty close to straight A's in high school and A's with a few B's in college but this really had nothing to do with being a good student. My M.O. was to do the LEAST amount of work/studying as humanly possible, take every academic shortcut along the way, and hope my quick wit and extraordinary b.s. skills could fill in the rest. I almost never studied for exams, I never underlined or highlighted a single text book and I mastered the skill of writing English papers on books I had never cracked open (Just to be clear, I also never plagiarized or "cheated" in the academic-code-of-conduct sense of the word, it was b.s. but it was always MY b.s.) I think I had to learn these horrible study habits due to the fact that I've always been a terribly slow reader, possibly had undiagnosed A.D.D. and, ironically am a total, anal-retentive perfectionist when it comes to things I really care about. These three things made actually putting a lot of work into school nearly impossible, so I just didn't.
Whew! That feels so good to finally get off my chest after all these years. Ok, but now we get to the real problem.
I am now studying for my NASM Personal Trainer Certification Exam. Not only do I have to pass the exam in a couple months, but I also really would like to retain this material long-term so that I can be a successful trainer. The material is definitely not brain surgery, a lot of it is common sense but it does require a whole lot of memorization of anatomy and movement science terms as well as mathematic formulas for program design. I have a big ole' text book and work book, as well as some pretty great online resources (computer flash cards, DVD presentations, practice quizzes and exams) but what I don't have is any method on how to learn this stuff.
I'm on chapter 6 of 18 right now. So far I've been reading each chapter, outlining the information in a notebook in my own words as I read along, then watching the DVD presentation and doing the workbook assignments at the end of every chapter. I thought I was studying really well but then I started practicing with the computer flash cards that cover chapters 1-6 and kinda freaked out because I feel like I didn't get anything right and haven't retained anything.
So all my friends out there with your advanced degrees and your academic prowess, HELP ME! How do I get this stuff in my brain and keep it there long-term? Any advice is much appreciated. Thankssomuchoknowbacktostudying.
I was able to keep this secret for so long because I managed to get pretty close to straight A's in high school and A's with a few B's in college but this really had nothing to do with being a good student. My M.O. was to do the LEAST amount of work/studying as humanly possible, take every academic shortcut along the way, and hope my quick wit and extraordinary b.s. skills could fill in the rest. I almost never studied for exams, I never underlined or highlighted a single text book and I mastered the skill of writing English papers on books I had never cracked open (Just to be clear, I also never plagiarized or "cheated" in the academic-code-of-conduct sense of the word, it was b.s. but it was always MY b.s.) I think I had to learn these horrible study habits due to the fact that I've always been a terribly slow reader, possibly had undiagnosed A.D.D. and, ironically am a total, anal-retentive perfectionist when it comes to things I really care about. These three things made actually putting a lot of work into school nearly impossible, so I just didn't.
Whew! That feels so good to finally get off my chest after all these years. Ok, but now we get to the real problem.
I am now studying for my NASM Personal Trainer Certification Exam. Not only do I have to pass the exam in a couple months, but I also really would like to retain this material long-term so that I can be a successful trainer. The material is definitely not brain surgery, a lot of it is common sense but it does require a whole lot of memorization of anatomy and movement science terms as well as mathematic formulas for program design. I have a big ole' text book and work book, as well as some pretty great online resources (computer flash cards, DVD presentations, practice quizzes and exams) but what I don't have is any method on how to learn this stuff.
I'm on chapter 6 of 18 right now. So far I've been reading each chapter, outlining the information in a notebook in my own words as I read along, then watching the DVD presentation and doing the workbook assignments at the end of every chapter. I thought I was studying really well but then I started practicing with the computer flash cards that cover chapters 1-6 and kinda freaked out because I feel like I didn't get anything right and haven't retained anything.
So all my friends out there with your advanced degrees and your academic prowess, HELP ME! How do I get this stuff in my brain and keep it there long-term? Any advice is much appreciated. Thankssomuchoknowbacktostudying.
Friday, January 14, 2011
This new fad called "jogging"...or "yogging"...I think that's how it's pronounced...
Big news you guys! My Blog has its first review:
"I love your writing 'voice'...this would be a blog I would be happy to follow. Its energetic and optimmstic, two moods I am happy to have my daily dose of. Write On!"
Wow! I love good reviews! Of course the part I put a "..." over was:
"I'm sure that even if I wasn't your mother". Yes, this review was from my mom. Oh well, first blog, I'll take what I can get. Ok, so what should we tawk about tonight...
Running!
I love running. I've become so very addicted. Today I went out to run 6 miles and ended up running 8.6 miles. Outside. In Chicago. In January. I'm not really good at it or anything. Right now I average about 9:10 miles for long runs, about 8:40 for shorter runs. But you know what? For the first time in my life I have found something that I really love AND feel no pressure what-so-ever to be good at. It's not like in theatre where I have to always be at the absolute top of the pack or else forget it, I won't get work. I can run as slow as I damn well want to and it doesn't matter to anyone. I'm actually trying to work on running SLOWER so that I can get my milage up even further.
It feels so freaking great when I achieve a distance that I've never run before (like my 8.6 today!) and I still have a smile on my face. And it's great coming off stage after Too Darn Hot every night and listening to everyone else gasping for air and realize that I didn't even break a sweat. But of course the BEST thing about running is this: I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT!!!!! I mean, I'm a vegetarian and I tend to eat a very healthy diet anyway, but seriously, as far as quantity goes I can just eat and eat and I'm still LOSING weight. Amaze balls.
Alright I'd say that's a good chunk of blog for tonight. I've found that runners can literally talk forever about running, though if you think about it, it's probably the most boring topic ever. Whoops. Sorry 'bout that.
I've had Anchorman on in the background as I write this so I will sign off with this: Stay classy, planet earth!!!
"I love your writing 'voice'...this would be a blog I would be happy to follow. Its energetic and optimmstic, two moods I am happy to have my daily dose of. Write On!"
Wow! I love good reviews! Of course the part I put a "..." over was:
"I'm sure that even if I wasn't your mother". Yes, this review was from my mom. Oh well, first blog, I'll take what I can get. Ok, so what should we tawk about tonight...
Running!
I love running. I've become so very addicted. Today I went out to run 6 miles and ended up running 8.6 miles. Outside. In Chicago. In January. I'm not really good at it or anything. Right now I average about 9:10 miles for long runs, about 8:40 for shorter runs. But you know what? For the first time in my life I have found something that I really love AND feel no pressure what-so-ever to be good at. It's not like in theatre where I have to always be at the absolute top of the pack or else forget it, I won't get work. I can run as slow as I damn well want to and it doesn't matter to anyone. I'm actually trying to work on running SLOWER so that I can get my milage up even further.
It feels so freaking great when I achieve a distance that I've never run before (like my 8.6 today!) and I still have a smile on my face. And it's great coming off stage after Too Darn Hot every night and listening to everyone else gasping for air and realize that I didn't even break a sweat. But of course the BEST thing about running is this: I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT!!!!! I mean, I'm a vegetarian and I tend to eat a very healthy diet anyway, but seriously, as far as quantity goes I can just eat and eat and I'm still LOSING weight. Amaze balls.
Alright I'd say that's a good chunk of blog for tonight. I've found that runners can literally talk forever about running, though if you think about it, it's probably the most boring topic ever. Whoops. Sorry 'bout that.
I've had Anchorman on in the background as I write this so I will sign off with this: Stay classy, planet earth!!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tweetle-lee-deetle-lee-dee!
Ok, so I hate to start my first real blog post talking about theatre when this is sort of supposed to be my anti-theatre blog, BUT since I just saw a SWEET PIECE OF THEATRE I've gotta mention it. Hypocrites Pirates of Penzance at the Chopin Theatre was SO MUCH FUN that it has set a really good bar for me. If I'm not always having that much fun doing theatre then I shouldn't be setting my little toesies on the stage. That's enough about that. Go see it. It runs Wed-Sun until 1/30.
But ok, this blog is NOT about theatre! I sure fooled you! SO here are some other thoughts on some other subjects:
Twitter!
Last night I joined the twitter. It is very confusing and I still don't understand a lot...ehhhh....most of it. I find it slightly annoying that I can't "like" someone's tweet. But a very cool thing I've discovered! I had a few friends who I thought fell off the face of the earth (meaning they no longer updated their facebook statuses), but it turns out they've just been twiddlin' around twitter! I love that I can once again see what these people are up to!! However I do promise to all my facebook friends that this will not happen with me. I will keep my facebook and twitter accounts N'sync like Bone Thugs in Harmony.
Speaking of Justin Timberlake, the real reason I joined twitter was of course so I could stalk celebrities. Do you know of any good celebrity twitter feeds I can follow? I've already subscribed to the obvious, Stephen Colbert, Oprah, Kathy Griffin... who else is fun and will make me chuckle as I wait for the bus?
Ok I had a lot of other topics I was going to get my blog on about, but it's getting late and I've burned way more calories today than I've eaten so I'm going to get some donkey chips, watch Grey's Anatomy and wait for the boy to come home from work. Nighty night!
But ok, this blog is NOT about theatre! I sure fooled you! SO here are some other thoughts on some other subjects:
Twitter!
Last night I joined the twitter. It is very confusing and I still don't understand a lot...ehhhh....most of it. I find it slightly annoying that I can't "like" someone's tweet. But a very cool thing I've discovered! I had a few friends who I thought fell off the face of the earth (meaning they no longer updated their facebook statuses), but it turns out they've just been twiddlin' around twitter! I love that I can once again see what these people are up to!! However I do promise to all my facebook friends that this will not happen with me. I will keep my facebook and twitter accounts N'sync like Bone Thugs in Harmony.
Speaking of Justin Timberlake, the real reason I joined twitter was of course so I could stalk celebrities. Do you know of any good celebrity twitter feeds I can follow? I've already subscribed to the obvious, Stephen Colbert, Oprah, Kathy Griffin... who else is fun and will make me chuckle as I wait for the bus?
Ok I had a lot of other topics I was going to get my blog on about, but it's getting late and I've burned way more calories today than I've eaten so I'm going to get some donkey chips, watch Grey's Anatomy and wait for the boy to come home from work. Nighty night!
Welcome!
Hello friends and strangers. As some, or maybe none of you know, I'm taking a small sabbatical from my life on the stage for the next little while (well, of course I have 3 weeks left of my current show, so I guess this is sort of the step-down nicotine patch approach to detox). Since moving to Chicago almost two years ago I've been pretty much consistently either rehearsing for or performing in a production (sometimes both at once) which has been AMAZING and I've been extremely lucky. I'm now going to take some time to do some other things, things that I maybe don't love so much, to hopefully, eventually renew my love for this thing that I've given my life to. This is the Rachel version of a "break" as opposed to the Ross version. I don't intend on metaphorically getting with the girl from the copy shop.
And by "do other things" I don't mean the usual: watch reruns of Law and Order SVU, eat Bobtail ice cream from the carton and do Sporcle quizzes for 8 hours a day. Here are some of the adventures I'm embarking on in 2011:
1. Becoming an NASM Certified Personal Trainer
2. Running the Chicago Marathon with the PAWS Chicago team
3. Getting a restaurant/bar job again
4. Apparently, blogging and tweeting
The last one is just because I realized that I might be going through a lot of sh-tuff emotionally/psychologically every time I accidentally check Chicagoplays casting notices or hear see my audition book collecting dust on my shelf. I'm going to need an outlet to whine to and my boyfriend Jason thinks my whiny voice is annoying. My dog probably does too. This blog will probably not be very exciting. Since I really don't read many blogs I probably wouldn't read this blog if it belonged to someone else. But this is for me, not you, k?
How long will this detox last? No clue. Probably until I find something really really worthwhile to audition for or I get so desperate that I end up doing a show at Gorilla Tango (I kid! I kid!).
So yay!!! First post done. Now back to memorizing the insertion sites of the muscles of the Quadriceps Complex (try saying tibial tuberosity of the tibia 5 times fast before YOUR next audition!)
~Dri
And by "do other things" I don't mean the usual: watch reruns of Law and Order SVU, eat Bobtail ice cream from the carton and do Sporcle quizzes for 8 hours a day. Here are some of the adventures I'm embarking on in 2011:
1. Becoming an NASM Certified Personal Trainer
2. Running the Chicago Marathon with the PAWS Chicago team
3. Getting a restaurant/bar job again
4. Apparently, blogging and tweeting
The last one is just because I realized that I might be going through a lot of sh-tuff emotionally/psychologically every time I accidentally check Chicagoplays casting notices or hear see my audition book collecting dust on my shelf. I'm going to need an outlet to whine to and my boyfriend Jason thinks my whiny voice is annoying. My dog probably does too. This blog will probably not be very exciting. Since I really don't read many blogs I probably wouldn't read this blog if it belonged to someone else. But this is for me, not you, k?
How long will this detox last? No clue. Probably until I find something really really worthwhile to audition for or I get so desperate that I end up doing a show at Gorilla Tango (I kid! I kid!).
So yay!!! First post done. Now back to memorizing the insertion sites of the muscles of the Quadriceps Complex (try saying tibial tuberosity of the tibia 5 times fast before YOUR next audition!)
~Dri
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