Recap

What I've been up to lately... a story told in hazy, poor quality food porn photos...

I'm trying the Paleo diet! And discovering that local sage sausage, with sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes, and poached eggs are too much flavor on one plate...

Oh wait....sushi isn't Paleo because they don't consume soy or rice...? Well shit, screw that, I want my salmon & avocado rolls...addicted.

Also not Paleo....but it's the holiday's so it's allowed. Delicious vegan pumpkin cheesecake and the best coffee in town, thank you Sticky Fingers. You are my non-dairy mecca.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Home with the fam and very thankful that due to some awesome drugs, I can consume dairy in a moderate amount....so of course my plate is 90% dairy infused. Exempting the turkey, cranberry sauce and the pickle....I think.

And since I'm at home, must indulge in Dinosaur BBQ...1/4 rack of ribs and you're just fat, 1/2 rack of ribs and you are the VICTOR. Also...I almost cried over their sweet potato and bacon mash.

Not quite the end of my holiday weekend but capping my night off with a copy of the BBC America Holiday Shopping Guide ("and Mom, I want this, and this, and THIS!") some icebox cookies (ALL DAIRY BABY) and some wine. Good times.

I never really understood the word "diet".

Happy Thanksgiving! xo

Crazy Times

Life is such a crazy mix. I've had such a good time tonight, after opening night of the first play of my season at work. And I'm in a mood of appreciation. Appreciating the friends I have surrounding me, of the creative people I encounter in my work (check out Anthony Cochrane IMMEDIATELY....seriously in love with his music and composing style...and I am now proud owner of two CD's of music from plays he's worked on at my theatre) and just happy about a lot of things (can I just say....went to a GI doctor today and turns out I'm NOT lactose intolerant...just going through a rough digestive patch...someday I WILL eat cheese again :)...

......but at the same time, last week still sits on my shoulders and it's hard to be too comfortable. When I'm alone, I remember "hey, Ben died on Wednesday.....you know, he'd love this play..." and it just tears me up. I've never had anybody close to me die and I don't know how to think, feel or deal with it. But he comes up in my thoughts almost every day, and I've developed a new kind of perspective. One that has me less stressed at work and about certain relationships because, ya know, in the end....the little things don't matter. It's family, friends and the path you pursue that's important.

....And that's your deep, philosophical thought of the morning...you're welcome!

Cheers!

Pictures from Home

Just a few pictures from the weekend so far:

As soon as I got home from the 6 hour drive from DC on Wednesday night, this is what I was greeted with....

Salmon Run Riesling and their Chardonnay Riesling...nobody does better Riesling than the Finger Lake Region. NOBODY. Not even Germany.

While I was enjoying the wine with my parents, it soon became apparent that the crazies felt comfortable coming out of the wood work and making their appearance. Or as I like to call it...stalking.

This is Maurice. He is my sister's cat. He wants whatever you are consuming. Even if it's wine. Especially if it's wine. This is definitely a wine household. And more proof of that....

Having some red wine at my favorite Irish Pub in alllllll of New York State. O'Lacy's Irish Pub in Batavia, NY. I love them so much I threw caution to the wind and ate dairy. Because you can't go to O'Lacy's and not have their honey mustard chip dip. Oh and there is definitely dairy in that. But I was already kind of drunk off of two glasses (ahem, I mean goblets) of red wine, so the impending doom surrounding my ill fated choices was no match for my appetite. I had their beef stew for my dinner and it was sooooooo creamy, so delicious, I could only eat a few bites of it. (Then again that may be because I had started the meal with dairy and the bloat may have set in...though again, I was kind of tipsy at that point so it didn't matter much :P)

Today I'm just chillaxin' with the mountain dogs. Oh you haven't heard of them, have you? Yes we have wanna-be mountain dogs in the house. They practice climbing and protecting their castle on an hourly basis....

Outside of screeching at them to get down, I've got nothing planned but relaxing....oh and visiting the best wine shop ever and stocking up. And drinking apple cider made by local farms. And reading. It's good to be home. Now I need to go distract my mother, who is sorely disappointed that there is no police blotter in this weeks Pennysaver....she reads it every week so she regal me with stories later about which one of my high school classes mates has been arrested and what stupid thing they did to get themselves incarcerated.

Ahhh home. Not much changes.

xx

Home At Rest

For the first time in months, I can sit and think and just be still. Don't ever underestimate the restorative powers of just being still.

I've managed to sneak away from work to home for the weekend. Was originally supposed to only spend two days here, but it's turned into four because my car is getting worked on and therefore I can't make a wedding I had originally intended on going to today.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it back to home again since the theatre season is just about to get underway. Lots of changes happening all over the place so it's nice to be able to come home where things change at a completely different pace and I can always find comfort and a good cup of coffee.

I wanted to post something because NaNoWriMo is coming up soon and I am DETERMINED to blog every day in November. National Novel Writing Month is one of my favorite activities, even though I've never actually managed to complete the challenge. I feel that this year, with all the craziness that's been going on, I need a little stability and the crazed, cracked-out obsession with meeting a number of words challenge, is just the kind of stable I need in my life. If you're interested in checking this out, it's a world wide crazy that takes hold and everyone is together in the trenches. All the crazies in one place. Find your local support group now! www.nanowrimo.org

xx

DC Earthquake Aftermath

Just a video to show I'm okay! My apartment....not so much....f* you DC Earthquake!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmPEy03YChI

BIRTHDAY!!

Yes. It is that infamous time of year again. It just keeps coming round and I am grateful for it. It's my BIRTHDAY! July 28th could, quite possibly be, my most favorite day of the year. A day when I only get a slight eyebrow raise over the fact that I make everything about me, instead of the usual scoff and under-breath comments about being an egotistical, self-involved brat. (Actually, no one has actually said that, but I've seen the thought play out on my brothers' face on several occasions.)

I'd like to think that with each year that passes I grow and mature into an intelligent, compassionate, graceful, beautiful, amazing young woman......

But really, the facts are this....I really haven't changed that much over the years. You can clearly see from the following photos that I really haven't changed that much at all.

I still have an affinity for spoons.

I am still aware that if something is really, really, ridiculously delicious and made of chocolate...then playa, shit bout to get REAL...nom nom nom....

I will ALWAYS be a pretty, pretty princess.....uhhhh I mean, a small child who dresses in the colors of the rainbow, possesses magical powers, and has the ability to ride a majestic white horse off into the sunset. So in other words, deep down inside, I am a gay man. Thanks Rainbow Brite for showing me the way....to excellent fashion taste and an attitude that says "YES I am wearing all the colors of the rainbow and I don't match. I have cute hair, damnit, and you will RESPECT me."

And finally....I still make good hair choices that will invite people to come talk to me, therefore creating an opportunity to make new friends.

What? You don't do that with your hair??

Yes. I feel "25 and change" will be a good year for me. Getting older means I can rationalize champagne for breakfast (IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!)...as well as being full aware that I'll need a Prilosec later, after the champagne and the full English breakfast I decided to make myself. I'm an adult. This is how it goes.

Finally...I would like to thank my parents on this momentous occasion....

thanks Mom and Dad for giving the world 27 years of AWESOME. I come from good stock, people.

Having Fun Sans Cheese or Ice Cream

So I have just come to terms with the fact that I just might be......lactose intolerant. Oh the horror. Apparently, I consume a hell of a lot of dairy. Or dairy is in just about everything I eat. I'm not sure which it is yet. Will let you know once I discover a world free of bloating and swearing. (Side note: Never ask a woman if she's pregnant. She might be lactose intolerant and making bad choices that day. Things may get violent. This has been your Public Service Announcement brought to you by GoFuckYourselfCheeseEaters.)

One thing I do know, the day I thought I came to terms with lactose intolerance is the day God decided to fuck with me. Ben & Jerry's came to my work to give away free ice cream. Sonofabitch. For a second there, I thought they might be stalking me. Like maybe they had some kind of honing system where they pick up the lactose challenged individuals on radar .

No seriously. I didn't get the email about free ice cream till after I saw the truck. Sometimes I get paranoid and, of course, the world revolves around me. And of course Ben & Jerry's would stalk me. Duh.

It's times like these that I'm glad I spent the $12.99 on this beauty:

You'd be surprised at how often I need to look at this at work.......wait.....this is me we're talking about. There should be no surprise there, just look at the damn blog address.

My parents love me and tell me I'm special.

In other somewhat related news....I can still have fun sans cheese. And this fun makes me glad to be an adult. Especially when being an adult means going to adult playgrounds. No, not what you're thinking, get your mind out of the gutter....why do my blog readers have such dirty minds?

Adult playground = table taps! Hallelujah! God does love me!

Say hello to Redline. (Say hello to my non-dairy meal of beer!, beef and grilled veg! on a stick! with potatoes!...which I did not eat...they may have fried it in butter.)

Now, don't let the term "gastrolounge" frighten and/or excite you. It is not a place, as I may have previously thought, where you can eat to your tummy's content then stretch out and take a nap. Lounge = nap to me. But c'est la vie. I can pour my own beer and eat at a slight recline in their booth. ALWAYS CHOOSE A BOOTH. Anywhere. If your belly gets too full, you can lean back and it does not appear that you are carrying a food baby. You're welcome for that Lady-Like Tip Of The Day. Also it means I can sit with my feet crossed under me.

This joint is right next to the Chinatown Metro and has happy hour specials. Which make me happy inside. (Side note: I just thought to myself "I'm so happy I could vomit." If you've ever thought this, you too may have Crohn's Disease or IBS. Welcome to the club, your membership card is in the mail and I can tell you where all the best public bathrooms are in DC --or--- that was just an incredible overshare on my part and in fact you just think crazy thoughts like that...in which case, welcome to my blog. Where crazy thoughts occur at random...or when there's wine involved. Or whiskey.) No Mom....I am not drinking and blogging at the same time. One Corona does not count....okay now it's two, but still.

I do believe that's my cue to exit.

Love!

Mumford Love

I'd like to think I'm much more emotionally mature now than I was when I was 16, sobbing into a can of diet coke and a bag of peanut butter M&Ms, while a John Mayer CD played.

Turns out I'm not.

Say hello to Mumford & Sons.

Cue "White Blank Page" and you will find me sobbing into a glass of Merlot and a bag of peanut butter M&Ms.

Thank you Mumford & Sons for showing me that I will always be 16 inside.

<3,

L

P.S. Just googled their bio and found out they're Londoners. See how my life is just full circles leading me back to all things British?! Love.

Shoes

Dear Shoes:

You know? I like you better than all those other metro hussies. You are pretty and blue and gold AND from London. You are not killing my feet. I don't need to drink my foot pain away, cause I have no foot pain.

Also. With flat shoes, I am always prepared to fight Ninjas. You can't run in heels, yo.

Heart you,

LindsayLou--Faithful Shoe Owner

This is Why They Don't Give Me Days Off..

What do I get up to when I get a day off? I knew you wanted to know....

...Spring cleaning. Which means re-discovering mini bottles of liquor I had stocked away. Why yes, I would like to sweep and drink a mini bottle of Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka & Bourbon Whiskey. How ever did you know? It's like I'm straight outta Mad Men...where's my pearls?

Also while cleaning was listening to my iTunes on random and had the joy to discover that I have, and still remember all the words, to every Jennifer Love Hewitt song ever made. And booty-popping does work to Love's tunes. Winning. This is why they never let me have a day off.

And just to provide the cherry on top of all dorky/Anglophile-ness....

Oh yes. I did buy the Royal Wedding on DVD and it came today. Cause ya know, I wanted the world to know, I did plan on being single forever if this didn't cement that already.

To all my spinsters out there. Word.

L.

A Topic on Which I Feel Strongly...

Was recently searching around the blog world looking for supportive and interesting ones on Crohn's Disease since A. I have it, B. I need support but not medical information, and C. I love blogs on specific topics. I did find one I really liked especially when she took a post to rant, not about Crohn's, but about something separately on a topic I feel quite strongly about and she does it with a bit of humor. You can check it out over here.

My favorite part, "If I don't pay a prostitute is it rape or shoplifting? If I hit you in the face with a shovel for telling this 'joke' is it assault or a public service?"

I think I'm going to like reading her stuff.

Ta!

Lindsay

Dr. Who and Proper Fry Up

Nothing picks a girl up like a proper fry-up and some Saturday morning Dr. Who watching. Hey...everybody needs their version of Saturday morning cartoons and season 4 is one of my favorites, specifically the episode "Partners in Crime". Best introduction episode of a new companion. I love it. Makes me cry at the end, every time, the bit with Donna's granddad. Just. Can't. Stand. It.

This past week I found myself just a tad bit tipsy and at my favorite British goods shop in Clarendon, VA. Woke up the next day with a purse full of McVities Milk Chocolate Digestives, Cadbury Chocolate bars, a can of Heinze beans, a few cigars as well (hey it is a cigar shop as well, called Classic Cigars & British Goodies) and my bank account out $30.00. Worth it. Especially for the chocolate and the beans.

And now for my Saturday morning breakfast before heading off to a full day of work, I get the treat of beans and toast, poached eggs, and a few vegetarian sausages thrown in for good measure. Top it all off with a cup of tea. Just a little bit of heaven.

In other news, I might be going to an audition on Monday, Memorial Day. We'll see how it goes and if I'm able to make it out of the apartment. With all the time that I spend at work these days, it's difficult to pry myself away from the comfort of my bed at home.

I hear I'll have normal hours in the summer....gosh, whatever shall I do with myself? Re-read all the Harry Potter's before the last movie and start in on my massive Jane Austen and Shakespeare book fests I've decided to do? Good plan....

...such a nerd.

Ta!

I only have a few moments to myself first thing in the morning so I never think I have time to blog, but it's been too long. I haven't given up on you yet, blogworld, and shall return more energized and dedicated after June 12. Till then, scraps for you.

My comfort food for breakfast lately has been a cup of PG Tips, with lactose-free milk (stress leaves me with a sensitivity to dairy, boo), some Weetabix with Earth Balance butter (I eat Weetabix like toast....mmmm crunchy, delicious toast) and fruit. Simple, easy, and comforting. I've needed it as these last few months have been a bit intense and overly stressful. I've practically been living at work and in April I had my best friends wedding (which was amazing and gorgeous and THE BEST TIME EVER and totally worth any stress I had over it).

My last show of the season at work ends on June 12th and after that...who knows where life will take me. I shall have normal work hours over the summer, allowing me a bit more breathing room then I've had and I may decide to fill that extra time with classes. Again...who knows?

This past weekend was spent in NYC and I'll have to blog about that soon. I had a ridiculously good time with my sister, who just moved there, and I'm liking NYC more and more each time I go. Once I find my camera cord to put my pictures on my computer, I will dazzle you with pretty scenes and delicious food shots. I'll leave you with these: Alice's Tea Cup and Harry Potter Exhibition.

Kind regards and missing you,

L

Pictures Around DC

Here's just a few shots taken around the National Mall and one from Metro Center area of DC.

I went to the Walk for Epilepsy this past Sunday and it was quite an inspiring experience. My cousin has epilepsy, as does my best friend from college and one of my old high school friends. It's just surprising how, just like my Crohn's, nobody is willing to talk about it so the ones that have it need to fight to be heard. It's hard to find a celebrity willing to step up and say "I have epilepsy" (or, in my case, I can't name a single well known celebrity who has Crohn's or admits to having IBD/IBS), so often times it's just the people suffering that need to stand up and make themselves heard.

It was pretty fantastic seeing all the people out there who were just there to support their loved ones and the cause.




Even the dogs came out for support.

Ummmmm...I'm not sure, let me get back to you on that, but thanks for asking!

<3

Lindsay

More on "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs"

Check out this blog post/review of Woolly's show. She says it way better than I did and thanks to work friends who pass stuff to me concerning things that I foam at the mouth about (seriously, I just embarrass myself when I get overly passionate about things...like England. Fo'realz yo', don't get me started on my passion for England, it's worse and more epic than my passion for "Agony & Ecstasy".)

Ta!

A Cop Out Food Post

Ummm, errrr....ooook so I always feel just a touch awkward after getting too serious about something and end up dealing with a situation that can best be described as an 'emotional hangover' the next day. I'm just not used to displaying strong emotion, or showing just how passionate I can get about something...unless I have a built in excuse like 'blog post fueled by wine'.
Regardless of how I feel right now, still GO see The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. Right now. Go.

But in the meantime, as a blog cop out....instead of doing a real post about something big and awesome like my London trip, I'm going to throw a picture of food at you and hope that you're hungry so that you can resent me just a little bit because of the fantastic food stuff I eat. If you're not hungry then this post is really just a waste of time....I'll admit to nothing.BAM! There you go. I've been obsessed with this deliciousness for the past few mornings. Hello, Bagels and Baguettes, my new favorite breakfast place. Quick, cheap, delicious. That's all I need. This is a wheat bagel, toasted with bacon, egg and cheese. I don't question whether or not the eggs are free range, or if that bacon lead a happy life before it ended up on my breakfast sandwich, hell I'm not 100% sure if that's American cheese or not, I can only assume. It is how a breakfast sandwich of cheap, hot, deliciousness should be. Only $4.39. Mmmmm.....

You're welcome. xo.

Theatre As Theatre Should Be

Unfortunately I am completely lacking in the vocabulary necessary to fully describe the theatre experience I just had, and for that I am sorry. (Not that that is going to stop me from trying, of course.)

All I know is that I've just had one of the best theatre experiences yet so far in my life and I want more. It was as theatre should be. It was devastating in the way that it made me laugh, made me think, took my breathe away, brought tears to my eyes and gave me hope.

Before I continue, go right now and see if you can buy tickets to see The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in DC. Your very vision of the world will change after you see it. You know that little closet in your heart and in your head where you tuck the unpleasant things away, shut the door, lock it and get on with your life without too much thought to those things again? Yeah, I have that too...and I just burned that door. It's not possible to put this away when all I want to do is go over and over it again in my mind.

The beauty of theatre was exemplified in a preview night performance. A Pay-What-You-Can performance, in which I stood in line for 15 minutes and paid only, I'm ashamed now to admit, $4 to go see. Slip ups happened in the show and it just made me love it all the more. Mike Daisey was amazing in the way that he could seamlessly slip from the performance to just being Mike talking about how the lights were messed up and all you could do was fall in love and thing "I will never see this performance again, because it is only happening right now. It will be different for every single audience and I get the chance to see this very performance, this beautiful display of art." It was truly amazing.

See? No vocabulary. "Amazing" does not do it justice. Mike Daisey, you have blown me away. All I can think is "everything is hand made" and all I can do is feel my fingertips burning as I type on this very computer with my hands dancing on places that have been touched before...by foreign hands in far off China. Dear reader, this won't have much sense for you to find unless you go and watch this show. Go. Right now. Seriously. I don't often...or ever really encourage in this way, so trust me on this one.

I just keep thinking that this is what theatre should be doing. I've been to plenty of shows before that want to expose some injustice, or I've watched loads of Today Show clips about the inhumanities of the world, and I cry and hang my head and think "dear God there's so many horrible things, I feel terrible, there's nothing I can do that can make it all better"...and then I take that and put it in the closet I have on the inside. I lock the door, wipe my hands clean and forget about it. Sure, I may think on it occasionally and my mind flits over the atrocities that fill up the dark corners of the world. But then it flits away like a butterfly and gently veers away from touching on it again.

Not this show. Mike Daisey pulled me in, made me comfortable even with all his words about computers, because he's a nerd too and aren't we all nerds? Wow he's so funny, I should totally bring my Dad and my brothers to this, they would totally get all the computer talk...wait, I may not understand the terminology but I get what he's saying. This is what I'm thinking during the first half. Then he turns the pages of his notes before him (it's a one man show, this is a preview night, the man needs some notes) and all I can do is remind myself not to sit on the edge of my seat and I breathe a sigh of relief that it's not over yet, there are still more pages thank God. I refused to look at my watch, as I usually do at a lot of theatre performances, because I did not want it to end.

When it did end, he did an beautiful thing. He exposed some horrible things and then he went and left me with hope. The hope that comes with believing in change. And now I can't forget, and I don't want to forget. Because I'm hopeful. And this was the best fucking performance yet so far and I want more.

That is how theatre should be.

Hours from London

Normally, being only hours from London (I depart DC Sunday night and arrive in London on Monday morning), I would be in a state of over excitement that would require me to be on no drugs. It would normally appear that I was cracked out on caffeine without actually consuming any caffeinated beverages. Unfortunately, I haven't actually gotten a full nights rest in the past week and have been working like a mad woman because I'm suddenly afraid that everything at work will FALL APART in my absence.

Now, clarification. I work in the front-of-house of a prominent DC theatre. If you know theatre hierarchy you will know that I am a low rung on the ladder of the company. However, if something goes wrong, even if it's a super tiny problem, in the front-of-house at the theatre...EVERYONE will comment on it. It's made me extremely anal about things like toilet paper (pun intended) and whether or not we're providing liquid creamer as opposed to powdered creamer at the coffee bar. So the fact that I will be absent and hard to reach for 10 whole days away from my beloved theatre has me in a panic.

I'm trying to mentally prepare myself to not think about work while I'm in London. Of course, my uber awesome and amazing father has provided me with his international blackberry so I can still be connected through email. I've made sure to tell a very small amount of people this information so I'm not constantly working while in London.

Oh God...I'm going to London.

In other news (revolving around London, of course...it's the only reason for this blog people), I am going to be pretty poor while there and I'm excited about it. Saturday I'm going to research cheap eats and things to do around the city. I'm already familiar enough with London to have a partial list in my head of places to re-visit and my fav cheap eats. But I can't wait to blog about it later for your benefit (don't roll your eyes, you. will. love. it. If you don't....dude...go away). I will also be bringing along my Flip camera and will hopefully record some good stuff to re-post later.

SOEXCITED.

That is all.

xx

Is there Life After London?

The answer is no. Absolutely not. I have big plans for my post-London trip and they mainly center around Dr. Who marathon's in my jammies, gorging on all the Cadbury chocolate I'm bringing back with me, and warding off the crying jag's with red wine. Ya know...per usual for my post-London trips.

Also, my roommate and I are getting rid of our cable. I still have my internet/netflix so after I'm back and done obsessing over monologues and grad applications, I have a long list of movies and miniseries to retreat into including: Battlestar Galactica, Downton Abbey, Little Dorrit, Bleak House, Wives & Daughters and the new Sherlock Holmes show.

Isn't life just grand when you're not really living it?

After I come out of my post-London coma...I'll slowly ease back into polite society, hopefully not in my jammies, and start looking for some theatre classes to take and some community theatre auditions to go on to keep myself sane.

Bit sad that I'm still two weeks away from actually going to London and I'm already dealing with the emotional trauma of coming back to the states after the trip.....yes. I should get professional help. But it's okay Dr. Konstantin Frank makes an excellent red that will do just nicely.

xo

Happy Moments

Hey. Hey. Hey. Guess what?

TWO WEEKS till I'm off to London. Iamsoexcitedyouhavenoidea!

I'll have little-to-no money while there, but begging on London street corners just has a classy, 'woman of the world' feel to it, don't ya think? So much nicer than begging in DC. Which usually will result in getting yourself mixed up in a debate where neither party can fully back up what they're saying but both are holding on to the conversation like two starving dogs fighting for scrap meat.

I really have no idea where that just came from.

I'm in a ridiculously good mood tonight. Thursday night I got to see a play. It was Pay-What-You-Can-Preview night over at The Source Theater on 14th Street NW, where Constellation theatre was putting on On the Razzle. It was a great show that made me laugh and boy is that something I need in this economy. And I am so grateful for PWYC preview nights. It's really the only way I'll be able to see shows in the next few months, unless they're free or I'm working for them.

This upcoming Tuesday I might be seeing another PWYC preview for another show. Yeah!

I'm also in a good mood cause I've spent the night in with a glass of red wine (hi there Lindemans Pinot Noir....delish and cheap! I love the friend that suggested this too me...she knows me well) and I've been working on two monologue pieces that I would love to do for some grad school auditions...if I can can wrangle some up while I'm in London. (Tomorrow morning I'll be up early to crack away at the applications...oh joy.)

I have such a weird love of monologue work. Actually just working on a script when you're first introduced to it and trying to make it's acquaintance, is really quite a delight. You play parts over in your head getting a feel for it. It tumbles out your mouth, awkward at first as you learn it's taste and try out it's sound. Over and over. Words start making meaning upon meaning pile up. Pictures play behind your eyes, an achy need to move starts to bubble up, the lips are having all the fun and the body wants to follow through. You move it, shift it, try it one way, add some energy here, here and here. What do I want you to see? What do I understand about this part? Do you see what I'm saying? I'm not me, I'm me. Hello, welcome.

Aaaaaand theatre geek moment done. I'm starving. I think it's Cheerios time. Mmmm, cheerios. A cereal that goes with any wine really. Trust me on this, I'm an expert on wine/cereal pairings.

Hugs and Kisses.

Grad School

Someday, someday, someday....it's the song I sing myself to sleep with when I go to bed thinking on Grad school. Someday I shall get there. Who knows when?

Until I do get there, I really need help figuring out where "there" is. I need some guidance and there doesn't seem to be any Americans that can help me. I need a UK drama school pro...maybe somebody who knows specific things like how drama school and getting a visa afterwards for an American can go hand-in-hand.

I've found some great programs that I'm really interested in. Some that are on the CDS and NCDT lists and some that aren't. What I'm concerned with is will I be able to get funding for a program that is not certified? Or will it prove to be more difficult? Also, if I get accepted to a non-certified program does that make it doubly hard to get a work visa after graduation? It's already hard enough to do that, I'm not sure I want to make it even harder on myself.

I really like this one program that is specially geared towards international students and even helps Americans/Canadians/Australians improve their accent/dialect and RP. I want to work in the UK and want to get hired despite having an American accent, so I want to be able to work in other accents/dialects. But this program is not certified. So am I just wasting my time?

Questions abound....

PMS looks good on me...

Ahhhh PMS, isn't it just lovely? I used to hate PMS but now I have fully come to appreciate it's benefits.

For example. I'm not sure if you knew, but my apartment is nicknamed "The Igloo" for a reason. It's a basement apartment and stays chill like an icebox year round. Good for summer, real bad for winter. It costs a fortune to heat ($200 last month cause I thought maybe I'd try...boy did The Igloo sure teach me...), so we just don't bother. I'm currently wearing a delightfully, sexy ensemble that consists of sweat pants, LL Bean knit socks with kickass leather bottoms, long sleeve tee with a sweatshirt and a nice fluffy scarf that I have wrapped around my head. Which of course I can't wear to bed, cause that'd just look silly, so I shall replace it with a ski cap before I go to sleep. Elegant and refined, I know.

Exhibit A: Too Hot to Handle Right Now, or Screw You Pepco, I Can Generate My Own Heat

But this is where the benefits of PMS come in handy.

I eat like food is going out of style when PMS hits and at the rate I'm going this week, I will have amassed enough body fat to help me survive a winter, naked, in Russia. Currently, I think my food consumption today alone could feed a third world country....wait, that is not where I wanted to veer this thought process....happythoughts, happythoughts, cute puppies and babies.....mmm, beer.

So yes, today...I won't list my entire food diary here, cause who cares, but my dinner should impress--Coke, double patty burger from 5ive Guys (ketchup only of course, I try to watch my figure...expand....), easy mac on the side, and 2 peanut butter rice krispie bars for dessert(I made a batch yesterday and ate half of it in one sitting, proving.....I AM THE VICTOR). I was slightly satisfied. Then I worked for about 3 hours at the Theatre and was raging hungry afterwards. Late seating the jerks who show up to a play late always works up an appetite, don'tcha know. My hunger was to the point that I had thoughts of robbing a Domino's or begging on the corner for some Chinese food and a bottle of red wine. Although, I'm not really supposed to be eating out at all in order to save money...but the 5ive Guys burger does not count cause I needed meat and that's just not something that is safe for me to cook without adult supervision.

Now that I'm home, I've given myself full approval to chow down, bulk up, go for the gold. Bikini season is way off...and I never liked those anyways, so who cares? Eat! Eat your heart out and love it!

Except I got nothing here. Haven't gone shopping. Can't until I can hopefully beg $30 from the gentle souls who bore me and call me their own. So instead of consuming wholesome, delicious food, like Ben & Jerry's or roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, like I wanted, I had instead 2 bowls of Rice Krispies with vanilla almond milk (no need to add sugar, yum!), and have now moved on to popcorn, my brother's homemade beer and, apparently, run-on sentences. (Glad to see my English degree is being put to good use. Use me as a model kids, plagiarize away, I dare ya.)

And guess who's going to England during the next PMS storm front? Oh that'd be me. Hello fish 'n chips, Yorkshire puddings, Strongbows by the multiple pint, Cadbury chocolate made in the mother land, bangers 'n mash, blood pudding, Chicken Kiev's made at Sainsbury's (don't ask, I just loooooove them), cream custard, high tea, PG tips with...wait for it....WHOLE MILK. Heaven save me. Please allow Virgin Atlantic to board me home again once I've gained 500lbs.

The end.

Now I must go and see how strawberry Popsicles taste dipped in peanut butter and rolled in oats......

....kidding......

kinda. Can't say the thought didn't cross my mind to actually try it.

xx.

Poor Me...Fun Me

Dear Friends in the DC/VA/MD area:

Hi. I like you. I think you're cool and fun and really enjoy hanging out with you on multiple occasions. I would like to continue to hang out with you on multiple occasions. Here's the sitch however....I am poor. I mean like super poor. I haven't blogged about it yet, but if you're friends with me on Facebook you already know, at the end of February I'm going to London for 9 days (I'MSOEXCITEDYOUHAVENOIDEA). I don't know if this will come as a surprise to those who know me but....I can't actually afford to go to London. But per usual, I toss all thoughts of what I can and can't do when poor out the window. I'm already in debt, but damnit, my soul needs some England, so c'est la vie.

What does this mean for you dear friends? Other than you having to put up with me gushing constantly about my trip, that is. Well, I can afford to do absolutely nothing with you. This is unacceptable in my book. So I propose a Poor Me plan. Starting Tuesday (after one of my good friends birthday dinner at Circa in Dupont on Monday night) I will not be spending any money on eating out. I will not even spend a dime on coffee at my favorite coffee shop or purchase a small, cheap snack at my favorite little French cafe on the Hill. My money will be saved for the immense amount of delicious, amazing, calorie saturated, British food I'll be consuming every hour I'm in London (definitely not joking here my friends).

So in order to not slip into my unavoidable destiny of spinsterhood before it's time, I propose dinner parties. On the nights when I'm not working a show...which starts this Tuesday night. I fully expect several of you to accept my dinner invites for the cheap, but I'm sure delicious, concoctions I shall cook up in my kitchen. Come, join me for a meal. And if you care to reciprocate, I make an excellent dinner guest.

For nights that I just can't avoid going to the bar man-hunting with my favorite dynamic duo, Callie & Mills (and why on earth would I want to avoid that? Not because I'm tired and want to go to bed early....oh no...never again, I swear ladies. Girl Scouts honor), I shall be purchasing only one of the poor man's favorite brew, PBR. Mmmm, delicious. I hear if you add a lime, it tastes just like Corona.

Other Poor Me ideas for frivolity and fun, long walks with one of my favorite bloggers and her pup, beer pong tournaments at my house (you provide the beer, I've got the table and a winning attitude), movie nights (10th Kingdom anyone? It'd be an adventure that spans over several nights!), tourist walks around DC, visits to many of our free museums, and I have half a bottle of Tequila sitting in front of me...so let's plan something around that shall we? ;) (Mom, I'm kidding....kind of...)

Any other free ideas you want to throw at, feel free. I'm good, cheap fun....errr....I mean I'm up for good, cheap fun.

Best regards,

Lindsay

I Take Pictures of Food

I was super excited about my breakfast this morning. I just had to take a picture and share. Then my roommate asked me if I knew what a "spinster" is...and that word is not in my vocabulary. The only thing I can relate is "fabulously single blogger who occasionally takes pictures of her food"...and in the blog world it's totally normal.

Breakfast: Steal cut oats cooked in unsweetened vanilla almond milk, with Pumpkin Pie and Cardammon spice. Raspberries and agave nectar on top. Healthy, delicious and with enough sugar to make me happy it's morning. I kind of rock...did you know?

Somebody's Gotta Do It

Just wanted to give you a little looky-loo into what I do for my day job:

Yup, this is official type business, people. And it wasn't even suggested by me, the Anglophile of the company. I had a higher-up suggest maybe we should be selling some fun British stuff, like a Shandy, ......and then the prawn cocktail flavored crisps were all my idea.

A shandy, for you none-Brit-obsessed Americans, is a drink that mixes beer with lemonade (or sprite/7up). I didn't actually know they sold it as a pre-made canned beverage, so it was quite a delight to find it at my British goods store in Arlington called Classic Cigars & British Goodies. Then, per usual for me, while there I got carried away with excitement over the chocolate products. I can't leave a shop like that without getting imported McVitie's Chocolate Digestives, Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Cadbury's Dairy Milk Caramel, Cadbury's Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut, and of course, Cadbury's Dairy Milk Whole Nut. DON'T get between me and my British chocolate.

Yes, when I lived in London I did indeed gain forty pounds and went up TWO cup sizes....I guarantee that my boobs were most likely made up of entirely Cadbury's Chocolate.

Overshare? I think not. Knowledge can only bring us closer.

Hugs 'n Kisses.

L

Books to Keep the Blues Away

I haven't been feeling the greatest lately. Lots of internal, self-inflicted stress that I can't seem to shake. And let me tell you, my body will always physically react to any amount of stress, whether I'm aware I have any or not. Welcome to life with Crohn's.

I've been struggling a bit with the fact that I am a 'people-pleaser'. Yup, this is a bad thing. I've been told that word for word. "Lindsay you are a people-pleaser and that is a bad thing." See? Word for word. And as soon as that was spoken out loud I realized that's exactly what gives me a vast majority of my stress on a daily basis. I make a lot of decisions, even very important, life-changing decisions, based on the fact that it will make a lot of other people happy...totally disregarding my happiness. I get very upset when I think a decision I'm making will make someone unhappy.

I can't fully point the finger at others because this is something I created in myself and I'm not quite sure how I got here. But how I got here is really not what I need to focus on. I'm working towards being more positive and retraining myself to see whats best for me and how to get it with clear visualization.....

....and don't I just sound like a self-help book. Ummm, that's because I am totally reading a self-help book and it's AWESOME. Don't be a hater. Leave me to my happy place. I am a total closet-self-help junky. LOVE. Maybe it's because I'm very pessimistic a lot of the time, but it does go against my innate nature. I'm drawn to books with positive words that tell tales of having control over your own life and doing great things...this book has all that and it doesn't sound like a whole lot of crap you want to roll your eyes at. It's called The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. I've been getting up early and reading bits of it before I start my day, finding that it helps put a spring in my step and makes me feel like I can handle just about anything. Of course, usually by the end of the day I curl up in a ball and cry "uncle" to the headlock Life has me in...but baby steps...

Other books that I currently have at my bedside that I'm working my way through in the odd hour.... Respect For Acting by Uta Hagen. This practically reads like a self-help book, but it's one for actors. I've underlined a lot of fantastic stuff and I just go straight to my happy place when I read about technique and finding better ways to convey a message through acting. No matter what my day job is, I'll always be an acting nerd.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanne Clarke is one I've owned since it first appeared over here in the US. Having seen it over the pond in England, I bought it and then just never got around to reading it...the very same thing that happened with almost all 250 books I currently own and have not read...oops...Book Buyers Anonymous anyone?

I've picked it up this second time around because a friend of mine is reading it...she happens to have a blog over here. (She's really kind of awesome, so get on that) I was jealous she was reading it, what with me owning it and all and having never read it, so I decided it was time. So far it's pretty decent. It's very, very thick with very, very small type and extremely detailed with a whole history created for it. An impressive piece of work to be sure. I'll let you know how it goes.

But moral of the story, and there sooooo is one....cause I'm all about the educatin' the masses....books make me happy. These ones are keeping the blues away. They provide that little period of calmness, where I enter through a door and have to leave my shit behind because it just can't carry into the story. A nice little respite from life. You should try it.

And if you have books that keep your blues away...well holla at yo' girl.

xx

Open Call

Dear Men:

HI! My name is Lindsay and I. AM. SINGLE. It's official. I am open to dating, so let's get it on. Okay, GO! I am ready for the flirting to commence. I have my stick ready to beat off the masses swarming around me for attention--I promise to be gentle.....

....okay....any time now.....feel free to ask me out....

...ummm, I'm waiting, did I not say GO?!

Seriously now. Do I honestly need to give you an incentive for this already hot package?

.........................................................

Damn. Okay....here ya go.

I am available-Single & ready to mingle.

How can you say no to footie pajamas?

Wait.....don't let this awkward silence come between us.

Ah well, at least my feet are warm and I am beyond awesome.

Nuf' said.

Love, Future Nun Candidate.