I'll take Potpourri for $500 Alex...

The coolest Upcycle I've seen in a while! Tie Statement Necklace!

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Via Cassidy Brown - Bay Area Actor/Artist

Why is theatre important? What do you think your role is keeping it a vital part of civilization? How does Theatre Bay Area help?

I heard a phrase last night, which I think can be attributed to Bill English, the artistic director at SF Playhouse: theatre is like an "empathy gym." If we were all Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr., we might not need the help in exercising our empathy muscles. But we aren't, and we do. Theatre serves to bring people together to share an experience that is living and breathing, in such a way that we cannot help but feel some connection to those around us, and by proxy, to the world at large. Regardless of the content, the simple act of sitting near fellow humans while other humans enact the human experience deepens our ability to empathize, which hopefully leads to greater understanding of our fellow humans' struggles. As an actor, I hope to provide a channel towards that goal. Theatre Bay Area, quite simply, helps theatre in general to thrive. We need that help. We really need that help

WORD: The 10 Traits of Outstanding Leadership

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What are some of the benefits that a person can get from journaling?

Journaling helps you slow down and become more grounded. Journaling allows you the space to slow down and get in touch with your inner voice. We always have the answers – it’s just that we get so busy that the answers get buried underneath all of our multi-tasking.

It’s a form of meditation. You have to be present when you are journaling. You can’t be doing anything else – in that exact moment, you are writing. You are going within – you are getting in touch with that part of you who is so wise. You are allowing yourself to let go of everything else and just be right here. Your breathing slows down. Your shoulders loosen. Your head begins to clear. And you remember how wonderful a feeling this is – you remember how much you love being with yourself.

Writing prompt journals help guide you gently in a positive direction. For instance, they can help you remember what you’re grateful for; get clear about what you want, or set and keep your goals. They are also great tools when you’re going through a major life transition and need some guidance

Veggietales

Great article by Kenji of Serious Eats on Vegetarianism/Veganism

Lately, I've been trying to be my own sneaky mom. I've been throwing handfuls of broccoli slaw into pasta dishes, making sure that beans and rice make a feature, freezing grapes and opting for fruit over candy for snacks. Basically upping my fiber and veggie content whenever possible. And buying fresh veggies to fill up my crisper and fruit bowls - leaving things in plain sight. So that the first thing I see when I open my fridge is salsa and carrot sticks. Not salami. But that leaves a small issue.

Snacks.

Veggies are great snacks but require some work. First of all, you have to either purchase them precut or spend a lot of time cutting them yourself. Then then is the slightly flavorless aspect - unless said veggie contains sugar (carrots, red peppers, sugar snap peas) - so then there comes the dilemma of dip. Lastly, I'm a nightime snacker. 3-5 hrs. after dinner (and yes, if dinner is at 6, then at 11 I will be hungry) I start to get tummy grumblies.

Another issue with eating that late at night? Acid Reflux my friend. Which I guess you can argue would originate with any foods. Acid Reflux is esp. bad with fruits and other items with excessive sugar which can start the fermentation process leading to reflux. And then there is THIS video from NYC food critic Jeffrey Steingarten.

Other than that - vegetarianism and veganism have been shown to increase metabolism, resolve health issues and natch reduce body weight. There are no longer term physical effects as long as you supplement enough. I've been thinking about doing a 40-60 split - with 60% of my intake being mostly vegan/vegetarian and the other 40% including meat/dairy products. This means (with an average of 21 meals a week) that about 8 of them include meat, and that 13 of them don't. Vegetarian breakfasts are the easiest. Friday and Saturday night dinners and brunch the hardest. This also means that I can eat at least one meal a day that has meat so I don't feel deprived.

I've been using lePinterest to pin vegetarian meals - so here's to hoping!

Tip the scales.

So I went to Thailand...and gave up blogging for 10 Days. More updates soon. Until then:

Stop Engaging and Start Getting More Emotional: Generation more conversations, clicks and conversions

You can't have one without the other.

Engagement gives you the widest range of possibilities

Emotion gives you the deepest range of possibility

Time gives you the longest range of possibility

Strive to be the best in all three. This is where marketing has to work with engineering who has to work with operations. You need a good "script", but you also need to understand the needs of your client. Any marketing program that doesn't include a requisite psychology class is pure bunk in my book. You are selling to people. People, in their infinite multitudes can't be understood in simple terms and it takes a complex reader of people to understand that.

On the other hand, emotional focus can often lead to oversentimentality. The emotional quality of your marketing needs to be tempered and balanced with reach. This means selecting several different ways to reach customers. Whether it be by viral blogging, traditional advertising, social media and/or fantastic events that hone in on your key clients - you have to be absolutely ruthless and brutal when determining your strategic placement of advertising.

Empathic yet ruthless. Sounds like a weird concept right?

Well, not in the theater world. As actors and artists, we're often asked to pour our passion into the works we create and then expected to be completely objective with the resulting criticism. Um, duality much here people? But it's an important aspect to be able to detach from ones work in order to see the outstanding issues and or qualities about that work in a realistic light. In other words; we cannot fall in love with the resulting work we create, only with the work that we do. We can be in love with the process, and throw ourselves, whole-heartedly into the making of something, but once it has been created, we have to let it go.

Sounds mindless doesn't it?