Meanderings

So tomorrow is moving day. I'm not guaranteed a truck, despite a reservation, so I'm going over early tomorrow morning to see if I can score one. Hah. We shall see, no?

D's roommate fell through. Turned out she was a bit psycho, but he has some leads on new places and a roommate he likes. He's also considering buying, something I think, given his steady job and income, he could easily do, especially if he takes in a roommate. That way he's a landlord, too, and not stuck in the rental trap. But we'll see. He's been "thinking" about buying a place, but that's as far as he's gotten with this. I really think, given the market right now, he could find a place he loves and can afford. Chicago is still expensive, but I think it's better than it was a few years ago during the Bubble Boom.

As for me, school starts in a week and a half. I've been trying to get one of my pieces into Logic Pro to enter a composition competition, but the fee is $21, and even if I finish it, it's not likely I'll finish the score in time. I also don't have the $21 fee. (It's common for composition societies and so forth to charge a fee for competitions.)

A part of me feels not ready to move, like I haven't planned everything enough. I still have a few things to pack, and I never went through my financial records and organized those. Hopefully I'll get enough gumption to do that, and not shove that box to a shady corner of my closet and let it collect dust.

The cats know something is up. Orson slept with me, as usual, and Gatsby has been following me around as well as sitting in empty boxes, as if he wants to go with me. I don't think he does; I think he just likes the boxes.

I submitted a few songs to a music library. Music libraries work similar to photo libraries. Some are royalty-free, while others offer royalties as part of their package. (I submitted to one that has royalties as part of its package.) I'm hoping my tracks for libraries will create an additional income stream in the future. We shall see.

Man, so much of my life is in a "we shall see" status at the moment.

As for writing, I have one flash fiction story out. I'm trying to come up with more stories, but to be honest, writing has kind of fallen off my radar lately. As much as I enjoy writing, I'm not sure I'm a writer. I guess I am in some ways, as I feel the urge to tell a story once in a while. Right now all my creative energy is going toward composing and playing. I have two shows going on at the moment, which will soon be on top of school and a possible part-time job (another "we shall see.")

When It Turns

So D STILL hasn't found a roommate, and the landlord is ready to sign another renter, and D is in a panic. My excitement has turned to sheer guilt. : (

If anyone knows anyone in Chicago who's looking for a place, contact me. Please!!

Little Announcement

Well. Seems a friend of mine is considering a run for Congress. She's been in Texas for years, and has been very active in Democratic politics. Personally, I think she's single-handedly responsible for the over-40% vote Obama got in the general election in Texas, but she dismisses that with a laugh. She's also become accustomed to dismissing suggestions she run for office. But now she's considering it, and I couldn't be prouder. People, meet Jennifer Giles, possible Democratic candidate for Congress.

http://whosplayin.podOmatic.com

Had trouble embedding the video, so I'm providing a link. Enjoy!

Being Human

Hah. I bet you read the title and thought this would be a long, philosophical post on the trials and joys of being human. No such luck. Just a quickie post wondering why . . .

Being Human is on BBC America, but not available on DVD in America. Hmmm . . .

Yes, the only TV I watch anymore is BBC America. I'm that geeky. So sue me, my British friends. I gotta say, you guys really know how to fucking tell a story.

Reflections

Today I turn thirty-seven.

Truthfully, I think I'm happy to move further away from my twenties, a time of utter confusion and insecurity. On the other hand, I'm fatter now. So I guess there's a trade-off? Ah well, I can always lose the weight, right? Let's hope I don't shed whatever wisdom I've gained with it.

I move in twelve days. I'm nowhere near packed, but then I don't have a lot of stuff to pack. There are so many things I'm looking forward to, but also many things I'm sad to leave behind.

Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. An herb garden

2. Chicken on the bone

3. Fish

4. Zucchini, squash, and eggplant

5. The possibility of buying a car

Things I'm Sad To Leave Behind:

1. D

2. The cats

I mean, truthfully, I'm not exactly leaving D behind, as surely we'll keep in touch. (Right??) But I'll miss the trips from Chicago to Indiana and the long conversations. Maybe we can still have those from time to time. But life has a way of wrenching those away.

The other night D came into the TV room and said, "P to E."

"What?"

"P to E. That's how long you've been living here." Ah, now I understood. D owns more than 10,000 CDs. It's probably closer to 12,000 these days. About ten years ago, he started a project where he's listening to every CD he owns, going in backwards order through the alphabet. (Hey, if you own that many CDs, you might as well make use of them.) So he and I have lived together from when he was in the P's. He's now somewhere around Melissa Etheridge, or something. Five and a half years.

I'm sad in some ways to close this quirky chapter of my life. That's inevitable, I think. But it's time.

Better

Been getting a lot more calls for jobs and gigs. Most of the jobs haven't worked out for one reason or another, but just getting the calls and e-mails makes me feel better. Hopefully something steady will work out soon, but I'm already working two shows and once school starts I don't know how much time I'll have to work a part-time job. We shall see. Now I'm too busy.

I swear this is all the result of re-committing myself to composing daily for my own pleasure, even if it's just a line or two. It seems to bring me luck, so I'll keep doing it. It's happened before, many times. So I've worked it into my morning schedule, and it's made all the difference in how my days go. I'm more focused. I really hope I can keep this up while I'm in school.

Offline

Probably won't be blogging for a while. Between all the no-pay/pay-linked-to-exposure offers on Craigslist and no other viable job prospects turning up, I'm maybe not in the best of places right now.

Hope you're all here when I get back.

3 Things About Me

Okay, more than. But they're grouped in threes. That counts, right?

Three names I go by:
1. Stacy
2. Spacey Stacy
3. Freddie

Three jobs I've had in my life:
1. Music instructor
2. Editor
3. Freelance writer

Three places I've lived:
1. Fort Wayne, Indiana

2. Dallas, Texas

3. Chicago, Illinois

Three favorite drinks:
1. Coffee

2. Tea

3. Modelo Amber beer

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

2. Gordon Ramsay's The F Word

3. Lost (I actually don't watch anything but the above two shows right now, but I really want to start watching Torchwood and Dr. Who. But haven't yet, so those don't count.)

Places I've been:
1. New Orleans, Louisiana

2. Lebanon, Missouri (don't ask)

3. Indianapolis, Indiana

Three people who text me regularly:
1. Classmates

2. Clients

3. Friends

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Chicken and rice creamy soup

2. Halibut

3. Hamburgers

Three friends I (maybe) think will respond:
1. No idea, as I'm not tagging anyone

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. School

2. Composing

3. Graduating

Three things that I value:
1. Creativity

2. Humor

3. Paying clients

Three things I am:
1. Happy on a semi-regular basis
2. Talented and eager
3. Conscious of my possibilities

Move

I can't tell you how excited I am about my impending move. With the cheaper rent, I'll be able to afford to eat more healthily, and a lot. I'm looking forward to zucchini and squash again—two foods D hates. (No fun cooking for one, you know.) Also looking forward to possibly having a small herb garden, something I haven't been able to do with the cats around. And chicken on the bone. And fish, which I don't even think I know how to make anymore.

But there are many things I will miss about living with D. He's remarkably laid back about my 3 a.m. bubble baths, and I will probably never have another person I live with say, "Compose as late as you want. It won't keep me up." Still, change is good, and I'm excited about this change. It feels like the exact move I need to make before moving out to L.A.

I Want a New Drug

Still Watching

Still a little obsessed with Kitchen Nightmares on the BBC. I used to think, back in my restaurant days, that I was a terrible bartender, waitress, and cook (I did all at one time or another). Now I look at these people who make soup in mop buckets and leave rat droppings in their pantries and serve spoiled food and think maybe I wasn't so bad. I was immature, but I was conscientious and, to my knowledge, I never made anyone sick. I never had any real talent for that business, but I at least had common sense.

Ramsay fascinates me. He's this curious mixture of insults, kindness, and hyperactivity. And because of his excessive cursing I can't help but feel affectionate toward him. He . . . reminds me of my mother as I was growing up. She had high standards, and her language could be appalling when I, my brother, and my sister didn't meet them. But that made her no less kind, and now you would never know that, language-wise, she could put Ramsay to shame. I kind of miss that edge to her, but she's getting on in years, and if she's happy not cursing, I'm happy.

Grammatical Errors

We all make grammatical errors, especially when we're dashing off a blog post or some other update online. But there are a few that get under my skin, like the proverbial nails on a chalkboard.

There's the obvious, "you're" vs. "your." I've caught myself on occasion using "their" when I mean "they're." There are lots of grammatical errors and mispellings I can forgive. I don't even mind "irregardless."

But the one that really gets to me is when someone uses the word "loose" when they mean "lose." "Lose" is a verb. "Loose" is an adjective. I suppose I can just tell myself the "o" button sticks, but when I see this error it literally makes my heart rate go up. I don't know why.

Which ones bug you?

Time to Work, People

Late last week I found a twitter announcement for a meet-up at Chicago Filmmakers. I'm trying to add some video samples to my website and get some more and better samples for my demo disc.

I have two days to put this all together. LOTS of work left to do. Wish me luck!

So Far I'd Give This Summer 3 out of 5 stars

It's been a semi-productive summer so far. I managed to get my website up, get registered for classes, and get a few samples out on Twitter and Facebook. (Although I woke up this morning and discovered I'd lost 10 followers (hate that term) and 3 people I was following. Hope it's just a glitch.) My latest sample (below) is a tone poem, a melancholy yet pretty piano piece I intend to put into my playing repertoire. 

No bites as far as jobs, but I am working on an updated version of Twelve Angry Men with a director at Columbia. She's young, feisty, seems to have it together, and the reading I did with her actors on Monday was great. Really intelligent, thoughtful group who seemed enthusiastic about the play and what it says. Apparently there were not enough people, as I had to read a couple of parts. I managed to do it competently until I had a beer. I just can't seem to build any tolerance when it comes to beer. *shakes head* 

As I was re-reading the play yesterday, marking transitional areas and places where I think music would heighten the drama, I thought of an adaptation: someday I want to do Twelve Angry Men as an alien vs. human play. Yes, you read that right. 

On a more personal, less productive note, thanks to EE I've become obsessed with Gordon Ramsay reality shows—especially those on the BBC. I work out to them, and I was surprised they capture my attention for a longer period of time than shows like 24. Have you seen Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares? In this one, he goes around trying to save failing restaurants. So far, in the eps I've seen, I think he's 1 for 4 because no matter how much he curses and no matter how straight he is, he can't always get past the owners' egos. 

The drill starts off with Mr. Ramsay being served in the failing restaurant. In one, where he helped a 26-year-old restauranteur, the young man in question had a quirky, too-clever menu. I'm still laughing over Ramsay's facial expression when a steak kabob was served to him hanging from some kind of metal contraption, swinging like a donkey's schlong in front of his face.

Edelweiss

This is "Edelweiss," a tone poem featured in Columbia College's rendition of Summerfolk. It accompanies Kaleria's (a character in the play) recitation of her poem of the same title. Once I get the DVD I have edited, I can post here. On my list of tasks!

Powered by Podbean.com