Communications to the Outside World

Is it just me or does anyone else who sits at a desk Monday - Friday for 8 hours a day get the feeling that the world is happening outside and you're just on the sidelines. Me, I do. It's lucky that the other people in my office are so cool. We do our own things to bring a bit of life to the dreary work day. For example, we are currently listening to a mix tape with alittle Michael Jackson, a little David Bowie and alittle Stevie Wonder. We go on Starbux runs and glare at people who lounge there in the middle of the day, chatting with a friend and surrounded by shopping bags. We play double solitaire when the day is particularly long. Now this is my favorite! Solitaire was never been that appealing to me b/c I like games that you play with other people. I'm a middle child, I don't care for solitude. But in Double Solitaire you play with another person (which makes one wonder, should it still be called Solitaire?) and the goal is to play the most cards on the aces, so eventually you're racing against the other person to put your cards down before them. In the throws of the game you might here words shouted out like, "Whore!" or "Son of a Bitch" and some times in moments of pure frustration I make the noise of an explosion b/c I really want the person beating me to explode. Yes, it can get quite violent. Dana pioneered Double Solitaire in the Education office. She is manager of our acting labs and after spending one too many hours with small children in Seussical costumes she occupied the last 30 minutes of her work day with harmless double solitaire to chase away thoughts self inflicted pain. Rachel , our manager of community outreach, is infact a Card Shark. I wouldn't have used capital letters if I wasn't serious about it. Card Shark. When we play each other it's like Card Sark vs. Squirrley McSquirrlerson. She hones in on those aces and I just suffer brain fart after brain fart just trying to keep up. I'm glad that our office uses these tactics to bring alittle bit of the outside world into our cramped, motley, non-profit office that has a murky skylight and burnt out ceiling lights. I wouldn't change our cozy nest of an office for anything. Double Solitaire and a nice soy latte is all one needs for a reminder that the outside world happens inside too.

Trying to Keep Up

Well, I have obviously neglected my own blog to a serious degree. It is even possible that I have lost all of my thousands of readers! Good thing I like to read my own stuff, otherwise these entries would be disappear completely. I am trying. For example, I absolutely do not feel like telling any stories or trying to be clever, and I do try whether it comes across or not, yet I am alone in the office at this moment and time. If I don't type out something today, right now in this empty office then maybe I just won't again and again and again. So here I go with a few random thoughts and then I'll be done with it:
Oscars - I love the movie Crash, and I loved it the first time I saw it. I also love it when something unpredictable happens during the Oscars b/c they can be so completely predictable...HOWEVER, Brokeback was the better film and one has to wonder why it didn't win. I gave it alot of thought because I really did love Crash, so why couldn't it be the best film of the year? In the end the award should go to a movie that takes one singular story and makes it larger than life. Crash had an amazing screenplay to work with and the material spoke to people from all backgrounds, which I love. Then there's the gay cowboy movie, which never had much hope to begin with. How are you going to make audiences take this seriously? Comboys played by Hollywood pretty boys that fall in love. I mean how many Brokeback jokes have you heard since the film was released? And yet, they found a way to make it more than a joke. It's one small story that went a very long way. Despite personal biases, one can't deny that Brokeback was the movie that, against ALL odds, rose to the top and became larger than life in American cinema for 2005.
Beavers -Today when I was pulling up to work there was road kill that caught my eye. Yes, I am bringing up road kill, just have a little faith and keep reading. I was trying to figure out what it was when I saw the tail and can you guess what it was? That's right! A Beaver! Poor Beaver. I didn't even know there were any beavers living in Dallas. My co-worker suggested that the animal possiby commited suicide since the creek he must be living in is pretty famous for being icky gross, full of all kinds of bog.
WBC - If anyone is keeping up with the World Baseball Championships please join me in cheering for Venezuela or the Dominican Republic. These countries got a lot of shit to deal with and they deserve to have a world championship baseball team. Something to celebrate, you know? Actually, don't tell Venezuela this, but I really want the Dominican to win, which is unlike me b/c I generally love all things Venezuelan like Ozzie Guillen. I just think the Dominican is an amazing story. For one very small country, that no one knows anything about to have such great baseball. You gotta love the underdog!
Deadwood - I have recently gotten hooked on this series, and I just wanted to share my new addiction. I love western stuff. I used to watch Dr. Quinn on Fridays, but know that Deadwood ain't no Dr. Quinn. The word of the week seems to be "cocksucker" every week on their show. I feel comfortable sharing this with you since my grandmother was the first to tell me how much she liked it. If you can get pass the grittiness you'll find amazing complex characters that you will love and hate at the same time.
Baha'i Gardens - Yesterday we (work friends) had lunch with a visiting playwright and his partner. I was not eating b/c of the Baha'i Fast and explained such to them. I was then delighted to know that one of them grew up in Wilmete near a Baha'i Temple. I responded by saying, "My sister got married there!" to which he said, "Yes, the gardens were a perfect place for teens to make out growing up." And then I laughed for 10 minutes. I don't think my mom would approve of that, but it makes plenty of sense. The Baha'i Temple is surrounded by lovely gardens which are surrounded by neighborhoods where teenagers must live who are not Baha'i and looking for places to romance other horny teenagers. Ah...I'm still laughing about it alittle.

My Kids

SO I work with a lot of middle schoolers. They come to the theater, we do workshops, play games, I take them to their seats, we talk about etiquette, scenic design, what's a Tony? Do you got bathrooms? Are there famous people in the lobby? What movie are we going to see? No, you can not bring that hot dog into the theater. That's ok if you don't like Harry Potter, this play isn't about that. Eccetera!

They are fabulous 7th & 8th graders who really don't care about Method acting or Uta Hagen or Ibsen. Instead they worry about having to sit next to some old lady and actors who spit too much when they talk. It's wonderful and they're fabulous! I mean, for a kid whose parents never make them bathe and doesn't have money to buy their own lunch, what is method acting to them? Some actor wants to find his character by starving himself and not bathing. Yeah, nice to be you where it's a choice and not your life. My kids are these beautiful, loud obnoxious children who come to the theater once a month and stick out like a sore thumbs with their bulky jackets and school identification cards and wide eyes and inappropriate giggles. We play games like: Find the Spot, Sound Ball and Rhythm Wars. This week we split into groups and they had to come up with a skit in which they were a family having breakfast together trying to figure out who ate all the cereal. When one "parent" would threaten to whip or hit whoever ate the cereal I'd say in a sunny voice, "Let's try to find positive solutions!" And I almost kissed a little boy named Laurence who started and ended his scene with dancing. If that's not a positive solution, I don't know what is! They know me as Miss and every time I see them they ask, "Member me from last time?". Usually I don't b/c we have a lot of schools coming in and out. Sometimes I do b/c they make a real impression. Like Geraldo from L.V. Stockard who is kind of shy, very polite and a little skeptical about all this acting stuff. Anyways, I think of them as My Kids every time they come, even if I don't remember their names. And when they are well behaved, over enthusiastic or even inappropriate I am proud of them. I'm proud that on this evening where they ride a bus to some theater that sells overpriced candy, where people get dressed up and almost everyone is taller than them, I get to be the smiling face that greets them. And although they don't know it, I am proud that this wild bunch of 14 year olds, who would never consider spending $25 to come see some play about a handicap kid, are (for one night a month) My Kids.

Grossmutter!

Did you know that 8 medium sized strawberries have less calories than an apple and more Vitamin C than an orange? It's true. Did you know that the word Grossmotter is Grandmother in German? Also true. Those Germans are crazy. At work I've been preparing for our next play and reading a lot of German, CRACKS ME UP! Example: Guten Abend, Grossmutter! Dieses eine alte plattenspieler(for translation see bottom of page). Hee! Hee! Are you giggling? If not, it's b/c you haven't read it out loud yet. Come on, try it. HA! See, you sounded so silly....I guess it's not German that's funny, just my attempts to speak it. Just something about German sounds way more made up than other languages, you know what I mean? Like 2 very drunken, portly British men who were making up there own language and one pointed to his record player and said in a slurred and giggly voice, "What will we call that?" and his buddy thinks for 2.6 seconds and barks "PLATTENSPIELER!". Ha! I love it! My apologies to all the linguists who visit my blog, but really, you should be spending your time reading much more complelling and knowledgeable material anyways. I wonder if the next time I see my grandmother calling her Grossmutter would be worth the confusion it would undoubtedly cause. Probably not. I'll just stick to the safety of my blog for now. Alviterzahn Everyone!


Translation: Good Evening, Grandmother! This is an old record player.

A Little Help From The Wiser

Yes. Hello. Jessa here. Just trying to prevent comments that leave both confused and preturbed. Any suggestions? I want friends to be able to comment without having to start their own account, BUT I don't want crazies leaving essays about their company's mission. Is there no way to have both. If anyone has helpful hints, please share.

On a lighter note, I am sitting in a very empty office listening to merengue and I'm having my own C2 yearnings...you know, "I want to break free", and dance on my desk to this awesomely Latin music I put in the CD player as soon as my co-worker left for lunch. The only thing holding me back is the fact that I am not wearing heels, but sneakers instead. Sneakers contradict the music in every way and so I remain seated. Don't get me wrong, I've danced merengue in sneakers, in flip flops, in bare feet, but where the environment and situation were in complete support of the dancing to be had. Here I am, in a well lite office, behind a big brown desk. A computer to my left, an in box to my right. The printer and file cabinet in arm's reach. In silence this place hums to me, "Type. Read. Blink. Again." I put on Chayanne, bombos and trumpet fill the room, my hips swing to the right and then the left, my shoulders roll, and then I remember that I'm wearing socks and sneakers, it's Monday, vacation starts Thursday and I have to finish a study guide before then. Thank goodness for sneakers and their staying factor, otherwise Chayanne would have taken over a long time ago, and instead of typing I'd be dancing.... And then you have to ask, "What's wrong with Chayanne? What's wrong with bare feet?" And before I have a chance to take off my shoes the CD ends. And the phone rings. And the office hums and Rachel comes back from lunch and another moment passes where I could have danced, but didn't.

In Support Of...

In support of my previous post I'd like to share this writing from Baha'u'llah, which I came across this evening at a study circle:

"O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain."

I love it when certain ideas can become a reoccuring theme.

Worlds. WORLDS will be unveiled to ME?! Little ol' Jessamyn Busch from 1220 Berkeley Street. Well, in that case, I better keep truckin'.

Have You Had Any Adventures Lately?

I live a semi-scheduled life. Monday-Sunday I have both weekly and daily rituals. I go to work, talk on the phone family and Natalie & Amy, spend time with Jared, chat with my roommate, read before bed, look forward to watching West Wing, workout on the Eliptical (but not as often as I should). I brush my teeth because one should, but also because it's a foundation to my daily schedule. If for some CRAZY reason I forget to brush my teeth then you know the day cannot be too promising. Crest puts a bounce in my step, as does the act of washing my face, as does having a strong antipersperant to keep me SURE! And having my cellphone near, and having all 3 phone numbers of my big sister just in case. Such is my safe and semi-scheduled life. I say semi b/c sometimes I switch the schedule around AND sometimes I do totally new and different things. Like this weekend I went to the Opera, which I've only done once before. I went to Kwanza Fest, never done that before. So, as you can see, there's plenty of new and unscheduled events taking place within my life. One activity within my week is seeing a movie. I am a movie geek, or at least I run in that circle, and this week's movie was Chronicles of Narnia (hold your breath everyone, I'm about to come to my thesis). I remember reading about Lucy walking through the wardrobe and how the fur that brushed against her became pine needles, and feeling that were I in her shoes I would handle the situation in the same way, pleased as punch to be there and courteous to whatever fawn or beaver I might meet. And I am reminded how movies and books that take you so far away, but bring you back safely, are an antibiotic to the semi-scheduled life. One is harmlessly asked to dream without logic and thus carried to places where animals talk, and new species exist and human law is not the same, but good rules, or eventually overcomes. There is something in me that wants to always believe that existing now, in a place unseen but somehow close, is another world with another design and function. I've been in places that have felt magical and overwhelming, and there will never be a day where I feel sufficently fulfilled by the wonders of this world, BUT the idea of one great adventure growing, thriving and perhaps waiting for me is both haunting and sustaining. I say this with absolute loyalty to my semi-scheduled, earthful (you can make up words in your own blog), linear world. I love the scheduled and unscheduled events of my life because I believe in God's Great Design. It's because of this belief that the deep desire for a great and unknown adventure makes sense. More than books and movies, God has provided me with the most adventures, and one can only assume he's got a lot more in store for all of us.

p.s. I think I will dedicate this little entry to my mom, who frequently asks, "Have you had any adventures lately?".