that rosebud girl

a return to the stage?

i got an offer to stage manage a youth show in davis. some details need to be worked out, but if i can swing the schedule, i’m totally doing it.

i am stoked.

i’ve been wanting to get back into theatre for a long, long time, and now that i have a different schedule, that might be possible.

of course, i realize that my fall schedule is in all kinds of disarray and it’s going to be interesting trying to sort it out …

a sad day for many of us …

the first thing that came to mind after reading this?

i felt like i was reading my own obit.

a portion:

The decision will eliminate 1,400 jobs through a combination of layoffs, voluntary departures and attrition. The Bee announced it will eliminate 86 jobs, 46 by layoffs. The reduction will trim the paper’s work force by 8.1 percent.

now, i still have a job (as far as i know). but when the joint is actually turning to straight-up layoffs, you know it’s bad.

i know some of these folks are newsroom folks, but it still sucks. and it makes you feel more vulnerable. layoffs are layoffs, whether you work for Arnold or The Man or a factory or whatnot. it’s still people losing jobs in a shitty economy and wondering how to feed themselves next.

oh, and by the way, the comments on that story are like a train wreck. i really shouldn’t look, but i do. lots of folks dancing on our grave. (will refrain from making certain comments … wow, i am surprised at my restraint. or maybe it’s because i still want to have a job.)

i’ve long said this, but if you want to see the lowest common denominator of society, go work at a paper. spend a week answering phones in sports, where you get all kinds of wackos calling us with outlandish stories about going to heaven and coming back to earth, or calling in to settle their bar bets, or sounding incredulous because you’ve correctly answered one of their trivia questions — “wait a minute, you’re a girl and you knew that?!” or read the comments on any newspaper’s site (not just ours). and trust me, within 15 minutes, you’ll shake your head that such people really do exist in the world.

(oh, and of course, that’s in addition to the usual mayhem and crime and sadness you’ll see written about in the paper on a regular basis. you know, people shooting people, killing their children, etc.)

wow, that just made me feel even more sad.

my unintentional workout.

now that it’s summertime and i have actual free time (wow, what a concept), i’ve thought more about working out and whatnot. since i took a year off from the dance studio, i’ve reached lardball stage. ewww. not good.

and with gas prices being what they are, i’ve thought about riding from my house to the train station. i calculated it on a map once. it’s just over 4 miles. i usually ride that within my neighborhood (at a leisurely pace, though, mind you). but i wanted to see what the ride along a very busy street would be like. and i wanted to ride along a canal that i read up on (it has a bike path).

so i pushed on this morning and took the plunge. i intended to ride halfway to the train station, make a turn and then go on the canal path. i was hoping there was a way to get back on the street near my house, though i was doubtful.

i rode along my merry way and got to the point on the canal that was near my house. i crested a hill. i could see my friggin’ house (well, actually, the edge of my neighborhood). but there was no way to get home.

so instead of turning around (which would have been the sensible thing), i went on down the canal. i knew i would hit another major street. little did i know it would be 5 more miles down!

i get on the major street, cross at a busy intersection. my intention is to ride up another busy street. but there is no sidewalk at this point. just a tiny shoulder. i go maybe 200 feet and realize i’m chicken. and the wind is right in my face and strong.

my only other option is to go back up the canal. it takes me nearly twice as long to go back to the point when i got on the path in the first place, and i still have to get home. i stop at a starbucks for about 15 minutes because i want to stop moving. i practically fall asleep on a table. but i somehow find the energy to get home.

the final damage? 19.49 miles. holy crap. i haven’t ridden that distance in a while. of course, back when i could ride that distance, i was maybe 20 pounds lighter. yeesh.

man, i need to get back in shape.

if you really want to see the route i rode, check this out: