tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165700542024-03-13T02:57:35.787-07:00Little Dragon FruitPrickly, but SweetSamanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.comBlogger896125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-26760961959760980362017-06-18T15:17:00.000-07:002017-06-18T15:17:12.496-07:00Day One: Cookies and Conversation at 30,000 FeetFriends, we are launched! I write to you from the Delta Sky Lounge in Seattle, where the cheese is good and the cookies are nervous. We have a few hours layover before our flight to Beijing. Seattle, you ask? Why Seattle? Well, it turns out it's kinda hard to fly from San Diego to Beijing. Seattle ended up being an attractive option.
I'm watching Jarrah and Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-52041362395480106542015-09-12T12:04:00.001-07:002015-09-12T13:31:05.140-07:00Set Diary 2015: The Not-So-Dirty Dozen
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mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-61313345538456457372014-07-02T16:28:00.001-07:002014-07-02T16:40:10.037-07:00Set Diary: New Decade for the ToadsIt's been a year since I wrote in this blog, and fittingly, this post mirrors the last, also a set diary for the San Diego 48 Hour Film Project. It's been less than 24 hours since we turned in the film (on time!) so I'm a complex mix of dazed and exultant. I really like our film this year, but then again, I like them every year and sometimes I'm the only one. So we shall see. &Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-62089159156289770592013-07-19T16:34:00.002-07:002014-02-05T20:41:26.611-08:00Set Diary: 48 Hour Film Project Turns 10Friday
3:30: I've had a good night's sleep, a massage and a hot shower. Now I'm tingling with anticipation. Jarrah is camping with the Rupperts so I have a blessed hour of silence to myself before the madness. I stand buttering some toast when the quiet is shattered by a Harley-Davidson roaring into our driveway. It's my brother-in-law, Ben, from Australia, whose Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-59659263777474514122013-03-26T09:18:00.000-07:002013-03-26T09:18:56.264-07:00Tiny White Daisies On The LawnPassover has just begun, and the first matzah breakfast consumed. We like it with butter and apricot jam. It's actually good for the first couple of days. Then later you want to throw it at the wall.
Feeling a little of that "it's newly Spring and I don't have rehearsal" ennui. On the other hand, it's been nice being home in the evenings, actually cooking a leisurely Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-86505960789954754102013-03-11T08:51:00.001-07:002013-03-11T08:51:41.991-07:00Pure ImaginationMorning after the first weekend of "Willy Wonka the Musical." I am typically zoned out. Not helping is the fact that we've just "sprung forward" (which sounds even worse in the past tense.) Jarrah kept moaning, "I'm so confused..." this morning when we woke her up in the dark. "We are, too, sweetie." "They should give a week off from school after the time change." &Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-24812275065943940412013-01-15T17:48:00.001-08:002013-01-15T17:48:31.231-08:00Men Don't Make PassesTomorrow I pick up my new glasses.
They've promised to show me how to clean them, store them--even how to put them on and take them off. What my friend Robyn calls "the care and feeding" of my new eyewear.
Which is a good thing, because the fact that I need glasses feels about as natural as if I'd suddenly grown a p*nis.
It's like the doctor smiled and said "Well, whaddaya Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-82614846911802948942013-01-15T09:10:00.001-08:002013-01-15T09:10:48.398-08:00In With The NewBeen a busy couple of weeks around here, launching into the New Year. After a quick jaunt to Palm Springs to ring in 2013, we've been off and running. I participated in the fabulous 24 Hour Theatre Experiment (more on that later) and auditioned for Willa Wonka the Musical, and we hosted a laser tag birthday party for Jarrah that was much smaller than her previous parties but perhaps Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-28184793188384167022012-12-29T14:23:00.003-08:002012-12-29T14:23:55.100-08:00The View From HereJarrah is EIGHT!
Yesterday we celebrated in the traditional way with a day devoted to the whims of the birthday girl, shared with Joy and family, and this time happily joined by David, who has a full, glorious week off, courtesy of Go-Pro.
Things went a little differently than planned. There was the requisite visit to Build-A-Bear, which typified our child's personality when she chose Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-45441788308897522032012-12-11T14:48:00.000-08:002013-11-11T09:20:02.769-08:00Hanukkah MonologueThe following is an impromptu piece I wrote yesterday afternoon when challenged by my friend, Anna. She was hosting a latke party and I asked what I could bring. "How about a comic monologue?" she said. "You better not be kidding," I shot back. "It's okay if you're not off book," she said. I wrote it quickly and read it after the candle lighting, and that was Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-60289817278583145352012-12-06T09:24:00.001-08:002012-12-06T14:47:36.508-08:00My Strong SuitDavid and I have been married a long time. I mean, not ladies-and-gentleman-the-last-on-the-floor-for-our-wedding-dance long, but pretty darn long. Sometimes I'm reminded of how long by a particular incident. Like this one.
He wanted a new suit to go with his sharp new haircut. Now, that doesn't sound like a big deal, except when you know all the facts. Which are: &Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-36397762752495968162012-11-28T09:28:00.000-08:002012-11-28T09:28:03.665-08:00I'm A Loser, BabySo it's Monday morning and I have a splitting headache because my stomach doesn't remember how to drink coffee and I'm focused on eating this piece of toast in front of me because whether I should be attempting to eat a piece of toast yet is still a matter of debate. And I haven't slept because David and I apparently can't tell time and don't realize we're only going to get a few hours Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-85725470580407859792012-10-22T10:52:00.001-07:002012-10-22T10:52:23.845-07:00Birthday Week BluesI'm in a Monday morning funk. Still in my bathrobe. Sulking. Instead of being grateful that I have legs, which is my policy.
Just returned from a Jewish Women's Retreat in the woods near a town called Angelus Oaks. Yeah, I hadn't heard of it, either. Apparently, bears know it well, since a gal opened her cabin door and one was chilling right outside. I didn't Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-8612403634809596592012-10-02T08:11:00.004-07:002012-10-02T08:11:55.054-07:00Room Moms Are EvilI haven't written here in ages, and I've skipped a soul-shoring trip to Maui, the first day of second grade (we scored an amazing teacher) and Jarrah's budding soccer career, which is blazing (as I expected--the kid doesn't share my scared-of-balls genes.)
But what has sent me scurrying for the benevolent cover of my blog is a problem that I have no idea how to fix. I signed up to be "RoomSamanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-54054037322085129542012-08-16T10:04:00.000-07:002013-01-15T22:55:55.876-08:00Pippin and Other ProjectsAs you can see, I've been on a bit of a hiatus since NaBloPoMo ended. But I came by it honestly. After a long week of tech, Pippin opened on August 3rd, and closed on August 12th. During that time, I hosted three (!) cast parties at my house and went out every single night after the show, often with most of the cast, as we became very close.
It's been a beautiful summer, in Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-89930613040076922662012-07-31T13:47:00.002-07:002012-07-31T13:47:41.354-07:00Day #31: Back In TimeThis is it, kids! (See what I did there?) 31 posts in 31 days! I'm pretty proud of myself, even though it's been a lonely journey. It's funny how blogging has changed so much that you can post something on the internet for the world to see and still feel like you've written it in your private journal. It's good timing for me to wrap up this little exercise, as we moved to Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-1740089901246822412012-07-30T11:04:00.000-07:002012-07-30T11:05:44.413-07:00Day #30: Shavian WisdomToday's topic: "Do you agree with George Bernard Shaw that youth is wasted on children?"
Well, when I first saw this question, I was kind of annoyed, because I would have bet something important that the saying is actually "Youth is wasted on the young," which I think is very different than saying it's wasted on children. Children are not the ones living the life which Shaw considersSamanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-35703448536632461732012-07-29T17:29:00.000-07:002012-07-29T17:29:30.971-07:00Day #29: Lazy and CrazyIt hasn't been that long since I wrote the last post, but it's been sort of a weird day and soon David and I are going to see The Queen of Versailles and maybe eat some Afghan food. We haven't had a date night in ages because he's been away a lot and I've been in rehearsals. Of course, we just had lunch, so maybe a big meal in an hour isn't going to happen.
The reason we had lunch atSamanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-60857275440047793242012-07-28T22:29:00.002-07:002012-07-28T22:29:53.538-07:00Day #28: Grad Night TiredThat's a weird title, referring to the time after ninth grade graduation that my class spent the night at Disneyland. That's how it works--they sort of lock you in until 5:00 a.m. Wearing a dress and heels. Sounds like torture now, but we were pretty stoked then. I remember that Tommy TuTone, they of the one (admittedly pretty rad) hit "Jenny, Jenny (867-5309)" played for Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-40804990104229508712012-07-27T09:26:00.000-07:002012-07-27T09:26:29.856-07:00Day #27: Kid QuestionsToday's topic: "What's the best question a kid has ever asked you?"
Oh, this one is easy. And the way I know it's easy is that I tell this story all the time, so it obviously made quite an impression.
When I was 25, I met a guy through my sister--she worked with him and I spent a day volunteering at her work. He called the next day to ask me out and our relationship was sort Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-27895302509047248982012-07-26T16:36:00.001-07:002012-07-26T16:36:09.551-07:00Day #26: HungryToday's topic: "What did you swear you would never do as an adult that you still never do to this day?"
I should preface my response by saying "Not much. Hardly anything. Nope, mostly I'm just a big, fat hypocrite now." My stance on television, kids' meals, saying "Because I'm the mother, that's why" and practically everything else has been leveled under the bulldozer of Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-17782136067839954072012-07-25T17:42:00.002-07:002012-07-26T16:37:30.717-07:00Day 25: Stuff That Keeps Me From NappingToday's topic I sort of covered yesterday, about stuff I do now that I wished adults wouldn't do when I was a kid.
I'm feeling really wiped out today. I've been rehearsing a lot at night, and then being totally wired until 1:00 in the morning. I think I'm kind of worried that we're not ready for this show, or maybe just that I'm not ready. I am still messing up the dances, butSamanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-71336072813888557552012-07-24T16:16:00.002-07:002012-07-24T16:16:28.732-07:00Day 24: Adults Are Cray-CrayToday's topic: "Talk about how you felt about adults back when you were a kid."
Good one. Well, on the one hand, I thought they were idiots. Because when confronted with one they all repeated some version of "Wow! You're getting so big!" This seemed moronic to me. How would they know if I was getting so big? I didn't even know who the freak they were. &Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-40632156653460874342012-07-23T11:13:00.002-07:002012-07-23T11:13:11.151-07:00Day #23: Kid ProblemsToday's topic is: "What is the hardest part about being a kid?"
Some people might say "School!" but, clearly, I didn't imbibe that message and voluntarily stayed in school for 30 years. They might say "Eating your vegetables!" but my mom is a good cook and I didn't mind them. Perhaps "Sharing with your siblings" but, honestly, it wasn't an issue. I had my own room, and Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16570054.post-62061940768244187052012-07-22T22:48:00.001-07:002012-07-27T09:28:09.280-07:00Day #22: PicnickThis afternoon David, Jarrah and I attended the 2nd Annual Pickwick Picnick, which is a summer beach event for people who have been in Pickwick shows. Although I sometimes feel like a shy outsider, I guess it's sort of official that after three shows, I'm sort of a Pickwick person myself. They are a really cool bunch of people, many of them teachers, who like theater and kids, which Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112717691155332450noreply@blogger.com0