![[title of show]](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b285/ShephardSummers/titleofshowsm.jpg)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
My Bags are Packed....
I discovered this today while shopping for travel supplies and luggage. Omigod, I love this! I want one!
Unfortunately, it's by an Etsy seller, and I don't think they have the yellow ones anymore. Damn. It would have been purrfect. :) Then again... wonder if I can scavenge and make one (cuz I have SO much time on my hands)?
P.S. Today is my Blogiversary.
I'm amazed I've have been blogging regularly for four years. Four years that have given me a voice and a resource to share and exchange. I'm grateful for the people I've met, and the opportunity to continue to grow as a writer, but much more importantly, as a person. Thank you, Readers, Visitors and Friends, seen and unseen.
(NYC PHOTOS a couple posts below!)
~Shephard :)
Labels: Blogiversary
posted by Shephard @ 
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Win Some, Lose Some
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall --think of it-- always." ~ Gandhi
I just can't despair when I see so much progress in the last 5 years. Baby steps. It takes TIME for people to evolve, time to grow beyond their superstitions, prejudices and dysfunctional addictions to their biases. Truth floats. And so does hope.
"It's still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy!"
(grafitti found on the ruins of a medieval church)
FUN NYC POST BELOW, WITH NEW PHOTOS! :)
~Shephard
Monday, May 25, 2009
Recording The Adventure
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever sit there in a small room as singer after singer ... actor after actor ... paraded into the recording room to audition for The Girl Who Has a Pathological Hair Fetish. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 
After a "rudder repair incident" cost us 2 hours on the runway, we arrived in The Big Apple at farking 3am. Oy. But even as thrashed as we were, I figured out very quickly that this is not a hotel that bothered with such trifles as amenities. Why bother when you have a history of Literary residents and a prestigious cabaret? (their claim to fame)
Still. . . in the dim light levels, it had its charm. Unfussy and stately, if a bit worn around the edges. The friendly restaurant staff were great. But the front desk staff... singularly unfriendly and a bit too busy to be helpful.If it ever rains in there, they'll all drown.
A painting of the Legacy of Literati graces the premisis prominently.
But the real charmer is Matilda, the only full-time resident at present. The hotel has a long history of Kitterati. :) She was very sweet.
The recording studio wasn't too far from Grand Central Station (above). There have been a bazillion photos taken of the iconic blue ceiling, but I offer my two anyway.
We walked to Grand Central on our lunch hour to a restaurant called OYSTER (below). And no, I didn't eat slimey raw things, but others did and said they were wonderful. I can vouch for amazing New England Clam Chowder, however.
Of course I couldn't take photos in the recording studio, or rather, those I took are for more professional use. But below is the entry hallway. :)
Put on your Asterisk Decoding Hats for this next paragraph.
Some of the 60 who auditioned included two cast members from Ugly B*tty, 2 from the new series about kids who sing in high school (name withheld on purpose), 3 cast members from SNL (past and present), 4 different Elph*ba's from W*cked, several original cast members from The L*ttle M*rmaid, Bl*the Sp*rit, Spring Aw*kening, Chicago, Nine, Cabaret, South P*cific, Next to Norm*l, Int* The Wo*ds, Hair, and several from both the movie and Bway musical versions of M*mma Mia and Ha*rspray! I'm not even listing half the musicals represented by this amazing bunch of actors and singers. The auditions were funny, entertaining and the singing just beyond amazing.
I was geeked out for 4 days straight.
We didn't really have much free time, but one day there were two cancellations, so we bopped down to ABC Carpet & Home ~ megafun decor store! (thanks for the correction, Carli!) I wanted both the blue and green chandeliers. Sigh. :) No clue what I'd do with them, since I don't have a house they'd work in. Would need to be a special funky fun room. I can imagine it...
After 10am to 7pm auditions, we usually had just enough time to walk or taxi to the theatre. We saw Next to N*rmal, Hair, Blithe Sp*rit and In The Heights. After the shows, we'd search for food, which sometimes involved a massive authentic slice of NY pizza (CARVE or RAY'S). Annd sometimes involved meeting our friend Jane (above) for fun. Jane's a dresser (someone who makes sure costumes are repaired, cleaned, and makes sure the actors get in and out of their clothes on cue... ) for several Bway shows. She gave us a backstage tour at one of the theatres... it's kind of our ritual/tradition when we visit her, for whatever show she's currently working. :) And yes, she's as fun and adorable as she looks.
(my favorite shot from this trip... Times Square at dusk) It was a whirlwind trip, and one I'll never forget.
At one point, a couple people dropped out, and I got to record a song, which was fun.
So many celebrities. Admittedly, I was a big chicken. I couldn't talk to a certain handsome and talented Broadway star. What a voice. (sorry Marty!) But I did talk to a couple people I loved (women), and was able to tell them how much I enjoyed all the things I'd seen them in.
And you know what... of the 60 auditioners, they were all very nice, very engaging, very friendly. Theatre People are the best.
Best of all, we go back in a week for Call-backs! Oy. Then Japan. Double-Oy. But I'm still basking in the afterglow of all that singing and I feel no pressure from the future.... just happy thoughts in the now.
~Shephard
Labels: NYC
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Hoopla Holiday
Try as I might, I think I have to embrace the fact that I can't get my life back til after New York, and possibly not til after Japan in June. Though, I am at least trying to post, visit and comment as much as I can in spite of the pace and the distractions.
The powers that be have been so nice the last week to let me sit quiet-as-a-mouse in the corner of the control booth and watch the parade of auditioners to come through the studio, all vying for one of 3 parts in The Girl With The Unrealistically Long Hair. I think there have been at least 30 to date. In NYC, there will be closer to 150. Oy. The Casting Director is really good at her job.
This week, I most enjoyed hearing all the Broadway people. Most of the people in the control booth, and possibly the studio... had no clue who any of them were. I felt sorta bad for them that more people don't know them yet because they're phenomenally talented. I get so excited; I keep forgetting that theatre is uncool.
The auditions are fun to watch. There's nothing to brag about in this regard... simple hellos, no real personal contact, but just to say to someone that you enjoy their work sort of completes a circle. Meg*n made me laugh so hard. Purely selfish on my part perhaps to tell them how much I enjoy them, because they hear it constantly. But I'm glad I got to let someone know I enjoy their work.
Biggest surprise... hearing an unexpected popstar sing Joni Mitchell's "Help Me." It blew me away. She is not only under-appreciated and underrated as an artist, but I think her record label needs to get her some fantastic song-writers to work with. Just wow.
And while we're in NYC for the cavalcade of auditioners, Broadway and TV's best, with a healthy does of England's top men... we'll be paying a visit or two to this blog's name-sake.
And seeing a few shows that we are excited about. . .
And seeing a few shows that we are excited about. . . 
This break is as good as a "Pause Button." A chance to
* * * b r e a t h e * * *
A chance to let the sun shine in, to enjoy being away from the craziness, and to sit back and be sung to by 150 auditioners and escape to 4 Broadway shows. And hopefully.... Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity, A stroll through Shubert Alley or two, A visit to Mackenzie-Childs, Seeing the leaves on the trees in the Central Park. Everyone going seems to have their own plans, which means B and I will be on our own for the evenings (happy face). I have been looking forward to it all more than I dare verbalize (without annoying everyone around me). If I could, I'd stand on top of my house and shout it. That's how happy I am.
Been to NYC so many times... but... this time, I really need it. Will it be enough? Japan is so close on its heels (that one stresses me a bit). But after that... I am going to enjoy a horizon without major events and obligations. And I really need to focus on my writing now. It's time to focus now that the hoopla is over. I need a holiday from the Hoopla.
~Shephard :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Truth in Advertising
I had a very interesting conversion with a friend the other day about these two ideas:
If we listen, people will tell us who they are.
and...
Don't judge a book by its cover.
The two seem at surface to contradict each other. In truth, they are both about advertising. I know I should be careful not to believe everything that is intentionally advertised. And that's the key difference between the two. Intention.
A book jacket is intentionally making the book sound appealing. It can make an average book sound like a beloved favorite. We are reading what the publishers want us to.
When we're talking to someone... whether we are seeing who they want us to believe they are or who they really are ... they will tell us about their values. And values shape character. Values shape trust. Values shape intention.
Sometimes we get blinded by who we hope they are or what we expect someone to be. Maya Angelou put it this way (paraphrasing slightly): "People will tell you who they are. Believe them the first time."
When listening for what they value, I think about two things:
1. How will they judge me for being the same or different?
2. Will we be able to relate beyond these values?
I have very diverse friends. When it comes right down it, only kindness matters. We all step on toes, say things we shouldn't, say the wrong thing at the wrong time, enjoy pointed humor sometimes, make mistakes, have misunderstandings etc. But values are about longevity. And people will tell you their values. There is truth in this unintentional advertising.
"A person's actions shout so loud I can't hear what they're saying." (Emerson) So I do believe a person when they tell me what they value. And that's the heart of the book, not its jacket description.
~Shephard
If we listen, people will tell us who they are.
and...
Don't judge a book by its cover.
The two seem at surface to contradict each other. In truth, they are both about advertising. I know I should be careful not to believe everything that is intentionally advertised. And that's the key difference between the two. Intention.
A book jacket is intentionally making the book sound appealing. It can make an average book sound like a beloved favorite. We are reading what the publishers want us to.
When we're talking to someone... whether we are seeing who they want us to believe they are or who they really are ... they will tell us about their values. And values shape character. Values shape trust. Values shape intention.
Sometimes we get blinded by who we hope they are or what we expect someone to be. Maya Angelou put it this way (paraphrasing slightly): "People will tell you who they are. Believe them the first time."
When listening for what they value, I think about two things:
1. How will they judge me for being the same or different?
2. Will we be able to relate beyond these values?
I have very diverse friends. When it comes right down it, only kindness matters. We all step on toes, say things we shouldn't, say the wrong thing at the wrong time, enjoy pointed humor sometimes, make mistakes, have misunderstandings etc. But values are about longevity. And people will tell you their values. There is truth in this unintentional advertising. "A person's actions shout so loud I can't hear what they're saying." (Emerson) So I do believe a person when they tell me what they value. And that's the heart of the book, not its jacket description.
~Shephard
Labels: Of Mice and Mondays
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
Life is Full and So Is My Hard Drive
iPod Today: Bare: a tragically beautiful pop opera
LA Weather: warm and gorgeous
Last Night: Japanese revenge
Our Cats are currently: camped out at the fawcet, waiting for water to magically happen
A friend forwarded me a story where a 92-year-old blind man informs the staff at his new nursing home that he has already decided he loves his new room even before he sees it, because happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Or more simply: we can't always control others or life, but the one thing we do have absolute control over is how we respond to the world.
I just peeked in at the kitties, waiting for the kitchen water to be turned on. They seem pretty patient. They know, based on everything they've experienced, that the big monkey will come turn the water on for them eventually. All they have to do is wait. They trust their personal history.
I think about the masses looking for jobs and the toll it takes emotionally. But I also think... they're going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. We're always okay. If we look back at our lives, we've pretty much always been okay eventually. Until we die. But up until that point, we're okay. Every time. We make it through. We triumph because we transcend whatever experience has been tossed into our paths. I wish I had the intestinal mettle to live in a state where I know the water will be turned back on... because it always has been in the past.
That's a lovely metaphor. To assuage the compulsory devil's advocate, I'm not talking about sitting on your butt and doing nothing and hoping life saves you. Living life fully ...demands participation. Life demands response. I'm just saying... wouldn't it be nice if we could not obsess about the one time where things won't end up okay (death), and just be in the moment to appreciate that the other million times things eventually turn out just fine?
Hard to do that when we face the negativity from the TV/Media, and even our own relatives. It's all perspective. My mom looks at photos of me 4 months ago, and says, "You've gained a little weight back, I can see it in your face." Wouldn't it have been nice if she could have seen something more than my slightly rounder face? How about seeing: 4 months of living fully, surrounded by wonderful European food and experiences I might not get to taste for a long time, and awards show parties and press junkets and an exhausting schedule that made it doubly difficult to eat well and find enough time and motivation to continue exercising because life was happening so fast and furious?
Like the metaphorical 92-year-old man, I'm going to look in the mirror today and say, "Look at the amazing last 4-6 months you've had! It's part of you! It was all part of living life fully!"
To be honest... I wish the Japanese food I had last night wasn't part of me. It didn't sit so well. But today is a new day! I've done my 10,000 steps, and I have my water bottle next to me. And now it's time to unburden my groaning hard drive of the thousands of photos that are clogging my computer. It's a good day to remember that I will continue to be just fine, with or without all the croissants I ate in Paris.
~Shephard :)
LA Weather: warm and gorgeous
Last Night: Japanese revenge
Our Cats are currently: camped out at the fawcet, waiting for water to magically happen
A friend forwarded me a story where a 92-year-old blind man informs the staff at his new nursing home that he has already decided he loves his new room even before he sees it, because happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Or more simply: we can't always control others or life, but the one thing we do have absolute control over is how we respond to the world.
I just peeked in at the kitties, waiting for the kitchen water to be turned on. They seem pretty patient. They know, based on everything they've experienced, that the big monkey will come turn the water on for them eventually. All they have to do is wait. They trust their personal history.
I think about the masses looking for jobs and the toll it takes emotionally. But I also think... they're going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. We're always okay. If we look back at our lives, we've pretty much always been okay eventually. Until we die. But up until that point, we're okay. Every time. We make it through. We triumph because we transcend whatever experience has been tossed into our paths. I wish I had the intestinal mettle to live in a state where I know the water will be turned back on... because it always has been in the past.
That's a lovely metaphor. To assuage the compulsory devil's advocate, I'm not talking about sitting on your butt and doing nothing and hoping life saves you. Living life fully ...demands participation. Life demands response. I'm just saying... wouldn't it be nice if we could not obsess about the one time where things won't end up okay (death), and just be in the moment to appreciate that the other million times things eventually turn out just fine?
Hard to do that when we face the negativity from the TV/Media, and even our own relatives. It's all perspective. My mom looks at photos of me 4 months ago, and says, "You've gained a little weight back, I can see it in your face." Wouldn't it have been nice if she could have seen something more than my slightly rounder face? How about seeing: 4 months of living fully, surrounded by wonderful European food and experiences I might not get to taste for a long time, and awards show parties and press junkets and an exhausting schedule that made it doubly difficult to eat well and find enough time and motivation to continue exercising because life was happening so fast and furious?
Like the metaphorical 92-year-old man, I'm going to look in the mirror today and say, "Look at the amazing last 4-6 months you've had! It's part of you! It was all part of living life fully!"
To be honest... I wish the Japanese food I had last night wasn't part of me. It didn't sit so well. But today is a new day! I've done my 10,000 steps, and I have my water bottle next to me. And now it's time to unburden my groaning hard drive of the thousands of photos that are clogging my computer. It's a good day to remember that I will continue to be just fine, with or without all the croissants I ate in Paris.
~Shephard :)