Tryin' to get back in the groove

(photo credit: yes and yes)

Ahhh good morning, welcome to my walk of shame.

Ok...so it's not so much a walk of shame as much as the I-ate-2-and-1/2-slices-of-pizza-and-passed-out-in-a-leopard-snuggie-watching-the-Pixies-on-Conan-last-night-at-Jobear-and-Xxxmas'-apartment-after-the-show morning wake up call.

I think I've blogged about this before, but as I was walking to work the other morning from the coffee shop, feeling rather cute myself (deigned to put myself together - teal tights, knee high boots, grey dress, purple cardigan, gray fuzzy hat), I passed about 4 different women, including the woman who owns and runs the coffee shop - who were all EXTRAORDINARILY put together.

And I always need to remind myself; women do this constantly. Women are these wonderfully gorgeous creatures who always take the time NOT to look like shlebs. It's incredible. The world COULD be such an ugly place and women are the ones reminding us that it doesn't have to be. The coffee shop woman who always takes time to curl her hair (she's Asian, her hair don't do that nat'rally), put on makeup and has a teeny tiny waist accentuated by her super cute lime green cardigan and apron. She puts together a mean sandwich and is always incredibly friendly. Or the girl with the curly, crazy afro crossing the street; wearing jeans a blue top or the other woman toting her cup of coffee, huge black and white houndstooth coat and patent boots.

I think about my friend Cher; who is styling a photoshoot for me in two weeks - who always looks gorgeous in clothes from H&M and Target. Or GeishaGirl who just walks into the room in her hippie skirts and curly, curly locks and stops traffic. These are the people that exist in the world and they make it so visually interesting!

And it was just sort of weirdly amazing. On a greyish day in Portrero Hill; the ladies are like flowers. They're all so pretty! And so different! No wonder we give men a hard time, there's just a lot of shit to look at.

How could any one of us ever think that we weren't born to be fabulous?

It boggles the mind.

So wrong, but SO cute.

Gaaaahhhhhh! How friggin' cute is this baby?! I don't ever think you should eat your children, but AHHHHH!! So cute! I want to EAT YOU! (which is probably why your parents dressed you up as a delicious crustacean and put you into a stock pot)

so cute. must eat. (via MissionMission blog)
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Amidst all the insanity of running the show and catching an evil case of H1N1 (yes really - someone in my office had it and my entire cast had it, I have a feeling that it's what I had) I scored myself a FULL TIME JOB!

Yay! So I'm back to full time and I couldn't be happier with the circumstances. Especially since I'm working with fellow actors. I think perhaps the only thing I'm going to miss about partial funemployement is how many comfy afternoons I got to spend with Kat and my long long walks on the beach in the middle of the day.

Even though I'm eternally grateful about the work (and accompanying health benefits), I hope I remember to take all of my lessons from this, admitedly, scary time. That cutting back and being honest about how much I make did more for my soul than spending. Material things don't mean as much as friends and spending time with others. Survival is incredibly easy, and my idea of comfort isn't a high end item, expensive dinner or fancy show - but it's a cup of tea and a good book, a movie or working, tirelessly on putting together a fantastic show.

Speaking of, we've been getting AMAZING reviews. I'm so proud of this show - and it just goes to show, the things in life that have meaning are beyond material comprehension. Whether they're completing a marathon, getting married or moving to a new city; the real, important parts of our lives don't involve a brand or a logo - they just involve you.

And to that end, I promise to start blogging more.

Kung Fu Bus Bash

Ok, so I know this not SUPPOSED to be funny per se, but it's HILARIOUS. And my entire cast has been watching it during tech week. The most awesome thing, after the Asian lady TOTALLY beats down on the African-American lady is the person going, "Stop it, stop it" repeatedly, but then who goes, "It's immature." (at around 1:50)

Um, you want to know why I don't ride the bus in SF? (the alternate title of this post had something to do with Rosa Parks, but I thought the better of it)

Crazee for NatNat (still)

The Natalie Portman obsession just continues. Look at this photo!! LOVE. I mean, can I just BE her?
(photo credit: Hedi Slimane)

Funny bunny of mine.

I cannot believe that THIS commercial made me crack up hysterically. I mean, I love electrocuting small fuzzy animals.

what is this world coming to when THESE sorts of things make me laugh at their absurdity?

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Amazing tip from the Interwebs, specifically Gala Darling (who always combines the best of her own personal girly punky funky style with all natural and healthy products), but I've been using 100% jojoba oil between my cleansing and moisturizer for the past two weeks (morning and night) and I've seen a really amazing difference. My skin is way softer and I feel like the consistency is so much better. I'd hate to say I'm glowing, but there really does seem to be a difference. I'm also using a lot less product; foundation and moisturizer because they spread easier and much more evenly over a smooth and slightly

The great thing? Even though I'm putting an oil on my skin, it doesn't feel greasy or make me feel like I need to pull out a blotting cloth. The concept is that the chemical make up of jojoba is close to that of the natural oils the human skin creates (sebum) so it balances the oil production because it tricks the skin into thinking it already has enough oil on it.

Try it! You don't use much at all (I've barely used an inch from the top of the bottle - which is actually the trick, you only use a LITTLE bit) and it's all natural, and for the size bottle I've shown, it's only about $14 - which is more than I can say for Creme de la Mer.

hand out

So I was all set to write a blog about what JK Rowling refers to as, "insufferable know-it-alls" and then, after today's events at service, changed my mind.

Do you guys feel that being solicited, while at church, is inappropriate?

I'm not talking about tithing. Or being asked for donations or an offering. I'm talking about straight up SOLICITING. Here's the details:

Chatting up our musical program director after service, I'm about to leave when I'm approached by the crazy lady. You know the one. She talks along during the prayers, sits by herself - doesn't always seem to be paying attention. Sleeps. Rocks back and forth, but in general seems pretty harmless. I've only ever seen her once, but our congregation is large enough that interacting with anybody is optional if you want it to be.

But apparently seemed to be my day of wearing the 'SUCKER!' sign on my forehead. She totally caught me off guard, half the time I couldn't even tell what she was saying. I heard something about either her or Jesus being crucified on a cross. I also heard about her giving her prayers and time to the Church for FREE. I mean, DUH lady. I hate to be all unspiritual, but DUH, we all give our prayers for free. Although, she does seem to have her personal elevator pitch down pat.

Anyhow, so after three minutes of being bombarded with information that I could barely hear I got all this, "Blah blah blah, can you give me a dollar for a cup of coffee or something? Because I have nothing and I'm giving my time to this church for free."

Wha? Ok, so first of all - that's the point of service. I mean we tithe, so in all honesty we give back to the Church what we can afford to give (hence my tithe of $4). We give instead of receiving. And it just felt dirty. Like she was playing on my guilt complex because I'm at church, so I'm supposed to be open and generous and abundant. Which translates to, "Well, it's just a dollar, who cares?" But I hate, HATE the feeling of being trapped or helpless. So the dilemma seems to be between being whole and healthy in my spirituality with healthy boundaries and feeling like I live in abundance and it's only a dollar. I also do not want to be a person who promotes this type of behavior or seen as encouraging it.

At the end of the exchange I just wanted to get out of there - had way too much to do today. But weigh in on this people. What would you have done or said in this situation? Bear in mind, this lady be CRAZY. She didn't even really hear what I was saying. I didn't straight up say no but I pulled a blank when it came to rebuffing her arguments gently. I feel like I come from a place of abundance (really, I counted my shoes once, remember?) and I'm used to being asked to be a giver.

Thoughts?

Anatomy of a gyro

Cheap food is always awesome. I could go into some random cultural diatribe about the amazing variety and intense quality of street food, but you know...that's been done. Still; quality food, simply cooked and quickly put together for a very small price? Is equivalent to the traveler's holy grail. Every country has it's prototype: in Japan it's takoyaki or onigiri, in France it's a crepe or merguez or waffle , in Mexico it's a taco, in Italy - there's nothing like a freshly pressed panino or un taglio (a slice) of pizza. But in Greece, the humble gyro reigns supreme.
In the States: gyros are almost always viewed as gross or an afterthought. They're what restaurants advertise with huge signs, but the end product doesn't ever match the photo. But in Greece, the end result is, well...one word: delicious.
Yes people, a European gyro is a wholly different creature. First of all, when you get one - it's a matter of less than a minute to have it sliced straight off the rotating meat grill and handed to you; warm, greasy and savory. A typical gyro starts with a soft, spongy pita that's thrown onto the grill and if you're lucky, UNDERNEATH the meat spiral. Then thin slices of the meat (contrary to popular opinion - only pork or chicken - not lamb, is used in Greek gyros. Because the first two are cheaper) are carved off the pre-stacked rotating log (see below)

And left to cook a little while longer on the hot surface underneath. Then the meat is piled into the pita, topped with slices of onion and tomato, a dollop of tzatiki (cucumber & yogurt sauce) and, AWESOMELY - french fries - popped into a paper cone and handed straight to the waiting customer.

Biting into the combination of savory meat - crusted, umami and lightly greasy from fat, spongy yet firm pita (so not the dry, airy crap in the States), crunchy french fries yet lightened with the tangy yogurt sauce and the fresh veggies - each gyro is great for a snack or even a meal. And our group of 8 went through 40 of them in about 6 days. Everywhere we went, the heavenly scent of the spinning grilled meat permeated the air, and they were almost always good. We would compare while traveling up and down the peninsula. Some were greasier, some more ample, chicken was always dryer than pork, gyros were always preferable to souvlaki (the grilled meatballs or chicken) and every now and then we had to request french fries. But they were the one consistency and one of the few things we, as an 8 person group, could agree upon.

The difference is really incomparable between the Greek gyro and the US gyro. There, gyros are ordered on a daily basis; so the meat is kept hot and spinning constantly. Making one is a quick affair; in the US - you're lucky if you get one within 10 minutes. The pita is probably the biggest difference; the only place that I've ever had pita as good was Kokkari Estiatorio. So my only recommendation for getting a good gyro? Go to Greece; the plane ticket is worth it.
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(two dresses, two tops: $35? Good day)