Leigh goes to town

So I roll over this morning to check the time on my cell phone, and just as I open it it starts to ring, it's always weird when that happens. Of course it's Jon calling to tell me that in the few moments that he's been waiting in line in NYC to buy tickets to see Mary-Louise Parker in Heda Gabler, he's brushed shoulders with Will Ferrel and given a knowing nod to Lauren Graham (from Gilmore Girls.....one of Jons Favorite Shows). Well....good morning NYC.

Meanwhile I'm here eating poached eggs on toast, making all my friends into Mii's on the Wii (yes you have one) and wandering around my house trying to get my big ole fingers to change from the chorus to the bridge on the Ukulele for "Postcards From Italy"

.....I'm not Jealous Jon, I just can't wait to go to New York in two weeks I guess.

I do have rehearsal again with my high schoolers today, it's become a fun little thing to look forward too. I think one of the kids Dads is bringing in Pizza for everyone today, what a great life I lead.

People Leigh hangs out with Tracker:

Kate Got Back from New York last night
Daniel Got back from God-knows-where yesterday
Ryans here
David Returns from Egypt some time next week

Thankfully you can learn anything on Youtube to pass the time.

A Stink Eye and a Cute

A Brilliant Stink Eye Provided by Hel looks




And A Cute.



So I'm still trying to figure out if high schoolers are your toughest critics or easily impressed (by 23 year olds) I played the first half of "Postcards From Italy" on the ukulele for them and they were speechless. One of the Characters plays the thing in the play I'm directing.

So I'm very confident that what I'm doing looks very impressive and professional to them, while at the same time I feel like they're thinking "Does this girl have any Idea what she's doing?".

In any case, I'm a paid Director, I get paid to do what (roughly) I want to do for a career. And though it isn't much....I'm feel'n pretty good about it.

Insufferable in Moreland Hills

"You absolutely need a musician, you know that right?"
"Yes I know, I need it."

-

"I'm sure I've warned you about musicians, I mean, you should know"
"Know what? What wouldn't I already know about musicians.."
"If the opportunity to tour ever came up, or some opportunity like that..."
"...Gone in a second"
"But you're a musician yourself, so it's not as bad"
"I can be on the same brain wave if need be."

-

"The continuation of my Craigducation"
"I'm Leighrning some things as well"
"We are so fucking witty"


I'm feeling a little out of my damn mind.

Happy new year Friends and Foes

Anxious musings of the new year are in order.

I believe it's safe to say that the last week of 2008 was one of the most fantastic weeks I'd had all year. It was packed with people I love coming together in roughly the same places, passions I hold for music, Theater, and persons a-like were re-kindled and premonitions for the new year were made. It was a much needed burst of energy at the end of a very pivotal year, almost as if it was saying, "Big finish! Big finish! Big Finiiiiish!!" now it's 2009, and I think it's going to be terrific. I'll Move to Chicago, I'll start my career, I'll fall in love, I'll produce mass amounts of art, I'll maybe even get a dog. It'll be a good year.

Not to mention Obama is going to be President in less than a month! Ahh! My heart is a flutter!

Although one sacrifice was made to the New years Gods......I'm still hoping it'll turn up though....Notice there are no photos on this post as I am in mourning.

Girls.

A handful of my talented girlfriends in Chicago made a zine of their work and gave it to people for Christmas. Brilliant girls.
A quote that they placed at the very beginning of the zine caught my eye.

"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women" - Madeleine Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I feel her piercing eyes across an unfamiliar living room, it's speckled with girls I've never met, of course not one of them bothers to introduce themselves.
There she is sitting across from me, gathering information with every glance, picking up on flaw's I omit like high frequencies. 'Bad skin, split ends, weird clothes, heavy sighs. THIS is the girl who captured his attention?'
I know all this because I'm doing the same thing. I glance and glance hoping to find a flaw to reap, but I can't find a thing. 'Captivating almond eyes, flawless skin, beautiful curves, an endlessly cheerful smile....THIS is the manipulative little girl that is dragging us through the mud?'
Why do women so beautiful do themselves the dis-service of being so ugly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.womenco.com/benefits/articles/308-the-special-place-in-hell


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


As destructive as ones anxiety may be, in particular my anxiety, it ends up giving me qualities that I otherwise would not possess. It has become obvious to me that the nature of my friendships have a lot to do with my history with women, girls, whatever. When you're young, girls can be cruel, especially when you're lanky and flat chested and weird and in Orchestra. Needless to say, I was picked on. This causes me, and women like me, to be very selective with their girlfriends, making sure they're not bringing in unneeded drama, that the amount of caring for one another is a two way street, making sure all that petty shit roles off their back. suprisingly it's not everyday that you find women with all three of these qualities, I struggle with them myself! All women do! But because I get so anxious around girls who may be hazourdous to my mental health...I avoid a deeper friendship with them.


Thank God in heaven that I have some of the most beautiful, creative, kind, caring, funny, ambitious, weird women in my life, and that I have successfully entered into relationships with them.

The other thing my bad history with women has driven me to? More friendships with men, guys, whatever. Now it MIGHT have something to do with being the only girl bass player in town, at camp, at school, in the band, and just generally being used to the sausage fest, but I'm guessing me feeling like I can fit in more with boys than girls might have something to do with the fact that at a young age my brain went "Girls - Mean, Boys - nice". ..who knows for sure.


But seriously Ladies. In the end, what drives me nuts about females is that we're pinned against each other, and most of the time for no reason at all! There are two girls (that I know of) that do not like me one bit, a) they have no reason to dislike me and b) If they liked me, I would have no problem with them! Yes men have a bad track record of suppressing women in every way but what is even more horrifying is that WOMEN have a history of suppressing women as well! And maybe that's a mans fault, maybe the media is to blame, maybe, maybe, maybe. In all honesty, it's your choice in the end. Whatever beef you have with the girl sitting across from you, weather her clothes are too "preppy" or her make-up is too heavy, just remember that she's has mostly likely had all the same girly troubles that you have and you can relate to her on every basic womanly level.

Lazy Day (shower)

These seem to be a regular occurrence recently....I feel an endless amount of guilt about it.

Lazy day or not, there's always one big highlight of everyday, Taking a shower. My friend Ben  Billington used to call it (and sometimes still does) a rain locker, I always liked that imagery, so I titled the mix I listen to when ever I shower:

Rain Locker Dreams

"Anyone Else but you" By The Moldy Peaches

"If you rescue me (Chanson des Chats)" Sung by Gael Garcia Bernal and Co.

"Heart Beats" The Jose Gonzalez Cover

"Nantes" by Beirut

"Sea of Love" The Cat Power cover

"Skinny Love" by Bon Iver

It's the perfect blend of sweet charm and calming music that I know the words to and can harmonize with easily. So I always end up dreaming up scenarios in which I'm sitting next to one of my guy friends who plays the guitar as I harmonize along with a ukulele in hand.....*sigh*. If anyone has the desire to learn any of those songs on guitar I will be the first one to sing along :)

Taking a shower is kind of a fantastical experience for me, it's a production each time. I bring in my sisters ipod dock, turn on the light in the shower, turn on the shower, turn off the light in the bathroom, undress, press play and as I open the door to the shower the steam mists up the only light source in the room and I step into my escape. Music playing, heart beat slowing down, all of the noises and the stress of the house disappear and all of the sudden i can think straight and dream up all the things I'm excitedly capable of doing.

sigh

Sounds of the House

The sharp and witty banter of Carey Grant and the smooth Italian cadence of Sophia Loren, Mom and Grace are watching "House Boat" down stairs.

The Monotone hum of my sister reading "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" out loud to herself so she can compare and contrast it in a paper that's due tomorrow morning. 

The "scratch............scratch..........scratch" at the door, signaling some one to get off their tush and let Montana in, out of the cold.

The "Daling ling! wrrrr wrrrr wrrrr" of my cell phone, indicating a text messege has been receieved. Jon's feeling better, Erics power has gone out, Andrew wants me to drive out to Alliance again.

Other than that, it's really silent out here, especially in the winter when the house is all shut up. I used to come home from the city and not be able to fall asleep, it was so quiet. Other than the ringing in my ears, I didn't hear a sound. So Sirens, no reggeaton, no people shouting across the hall. There's no hum in Moreland Hills, Chicago has a hum that used to rock me to sleep at night.

The Sirens, the beeps the barks all became one day long hum. But when I visited Chicago a couple weeks ago I started noticing every noise that went on outside. I asked Maureen if she realized her next door neighbors were selling drugs, because I noticed a couple yuppies pull up outside their apt. give a couple suspisious honks, do a quick exchange with a "hood" looking hispanic guy, and speed away. "no" she said "I guess is all just fades into the background". The next morning an alarm was going off downstairs and I asked Chaz what it was "oh that? I don't even notice it anymore, I think it's an alarm or something". It's funny how we can be conditioned to live in certain areas. 

I just bought a ticket to go to Chicago December 8th - 12th. Merry Christmas everyone!...yes, my gift to you is the presence of me :-)