Blonde Moments

In the past I've been accused of being a bit of a "blonde" (especially when it came to blenders and gas pumps), but just as I was beginning to think those days were over, my air-heady side resurged. I had pulled into my parking space and was hurrying inside when I realized that I'd left something in the trunk. I turned around to see my car rolling out of its stall like a slow motion sequence in a movie. I panicked and tried to jump in to put on the breaks, but while I had neglected to put my car in park, I had locked the doors. It was up to one of the neighbor's cars to stop its get away. Yikes!


But my blonde moment was completely eclipsed by a story my stage manager told me about a girl she works with named Sarah. This Sarah was getting a pedicure and asked the technician where he was from. When he told her he was from Viet Nam, she responded "That's not a place. It's a war!" She proceeded to argue about it and was only convinced when she went home and did a Google search on it!

Dating Scared

Most people who know me know that I've never really enjoyed dating. I always felt it was a truly less effective way for me to get to know someone and for them to get to know me. It wasn't a huge deal. Some people don't like chocolate, some people don't like hot weather--I didn't like to date. I always thought I'd just have to meet my husband some other way.

But then, about a couple of months ago while I was running with one of my oldest friends, telling her about my latest lunch date, she started asking me all kinds of questions. She finally told me, "What you are experiencing is anxiety."

I was shocked. She gave me a booklet to read and it was like reading a collection of inner thoughts I'd never verbalized. VERY strange, but it was also a relief to know that it wasn't just the way I was wired--my tendency of having a headache and wanting to go home an hour into the date--it had a name. And somehow, I felt like if it had a name, I could do something about it. But the solution! To get over anxiety you have to do the thing you are scared of over and over again until you prove to yourself it isn't the monster you think it is.

That was the last thing I wanted to hear, but after a very long and honest talk with my sister-in-law (in which she shot holes through all my excuses) I decided to bite the bullet. I wasn't about to suffer this for the rest of my life, so I did the very scariest thing I could think of. I went online.

I've always said that I would rather be single for the rest of my life than do that. The thought of advertising myself and shopping for men went against every ounce of romance I had. Yuck! But I also didn't want to be a slave to fear, so I just took a deep breath and did it.

I'll be totally honest--it has become pure entertainment. Some of it is so breathtakingly cheesy, like the drop-down menu of smiles under categories of "casual" "flirty" and "pick-up lines." The things people put (or don't put) on their profiles is astonishing, but I just make myself send out about 10 messages a week as my self-assigned "therapy session."

I don't expect anything from it, so maybe that is why it's become so funny to me. I've looked through profiles of people I knew and didn't recognize them. I've had someone track me down on another site because he didn't pay to email on the first one. I've had people ask if they could write me back if the relationship they were persuing didn't work out. It's an adventure in cyberspace. I've also emailed some nice people and maybe someday I'll work up the courage to meet them in the flesh (baby steps! :)) but I'm definiately not scared of it anymore.

So just another evidence of my long held belief that you should never say never--because God loves that kind of a joke!

Rings of the Tree

I recently went to a play with a friend of mine, and she was shocked to find out about my theatrical past. My original plan was for a double major in English and Theater, but by the end of my second year at Ricks I had decided against it. Ironically, that same semester, I was taking a directing class and my professor took me aside and told me that I had a real talent for directing. I was flattered (he was an amazing director himself and never gave out false praise) but still felt like that part of my life had come to a close.

I have been a faithful audience member ever since (except for performing in the Easter Pageant in Arizona) until a couple of weeks ago, when my brother asked me to direct his senior project at UVSC, a play he'd written called Rings of the Tree. At first I was really unsure, work was really hectic and I knew that committing to a play is like taking on a second full-time job. Besides, I hadn't been directly involved in a play for 13 years! But after I read the script, I couldn't resist. A Jane Austen-style romance with a twist? It was just too tempting! The things my brothers get me to do!

I've slipped into it like I'd never been away. The cast is good, the script is good and I have an amazing stage manager who takes care of all the pesky logistics so that I am free to be creative. I've been having a blast with it (although I AM tired) and have laughed until my sides hurt. I'd forgotten how fun drama-people are!

I'd love for everyone to come and see it. It plays from September 6-8 at 7:30 (with an additional 2 pm matinee on Saturday the 8th) at the Black Box at UVSC. You can get tickets by calling the Campus Connection 801-863-8337 or at the door. Other runs of his plays have sold out, so come a little earlier if you want to get them at the door.