La la Lamar land

You will have many friends when you need them

2008-08-16T11:25:00.000-05:00

So I haven't posted to my blog in quite a while. It's been a bit of a whirlwind, to say the least :) But just the other day I had a fortune cookie with the title of this blog entry as my fortune, and it compelled me to write.

One thing that I have been conspicuously quiet about on this blog was a relationship that I was in. And I intend to continue being quiet about it, except to mention that I was in a relationship, and now I'm not. Because I'm very aware of what I share on this blog, this wasn't something that I wanted to write about. But when it's the thing forefront in your mind, it's kind of hard to write about anything else. I would feel kind of phony. But it has now moved from the forefront of my thought, and much of that had to do with the many friends I have when I need them (and probably when I don't, either--they're just that good!).

So now I can move on :)

So, last time I checked in, I was still in Israel. Much has happened since! I returned home to Anchorage and hit the ground running. Well... almost running. For some reason, jet lag hit me pretty bad this time. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that because of shuttle schedules I had to spend the night in the Tel Aviv airport before I ever even got on a flight. I was a bit tired, and then the light of Alaska at night was playing all sorts of tricks with my head :) I now know what it's like for people to experience an Alaskan summer for the first time... yay for me?

I was able to kick it with my friends in a Renaissance Fair for one weekend, which was a joy. I was then able to travel down to Valdez, Alaska, for another installment of the Last Frontier Theater Conference. Initially I thought that I might start a job right away, and so when I was able to go, I was particularly happy. It did not disappoint. I really love this conference, and I love the road trip down there and back. It is so much fun.

Right when I got back we jumped into rehearsals for The Head That Wouldn't Die. This is a play that I performed in at the theater conference in Valdez last summer, but this time around we were doing a full run of the show. We got some pretty good press on it. In fact, here are some links:

Anchorage Daily News Review of Show

Anchorage Daily News Article Featuring the Show
Stage Talk Radio Interview with me and Elle

I absolutely LOVE this play. It is so full of comic gems that every night it was fun to try and get it pitch perfect in timing and delivery. And I just absolutely loved the character of Penny who I got to play. While I was happy to get my life back after this run was over, I was sad to stop performing the show. I really love it. And the playwright, Rand Higbee, came up from Minnesota for a weekend of the shows--I think it's pretty cool that he wanted to come up and see us do his show again (he had seen the original performance in Valdez).

And now I'm settling into day-to-day life :) I'm working for a small IT company here in Anchorage, and I am having a blast. I'm living with one of my bestest friends, Megan, and so I luck out once again with a rockin' roommate (Shelly being previous, who I still miss!). And lots of hanging out with friends, Olympic watching and Wii playing.

Yeah, life is good :) It's nice knowing I have many friends when I need them :)

My beautiful friend Megan

2008-05-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Dear world,

I thought you should know about a special person on this planet, in case you ever have the bounty of knowing her. Her name is Megan, and she's my friend :)

Megan is a great friend. I feel like I don't deserve such a great friend. She is one of the most selfless people that I know. She always wants to help people out. World, she sacrifices sleep for this! Precious sleep!

As a case study for your review, world, I present this situation: I was living in Minnesota, and Megan was living in Alaska. Both of us met up with 28 of our friends for a cruise, so we both flew down to Florida. After the cruise, she then (I kid you NOT!) flew back up to Anchorage, worked three days, and then flew overnight from Alaska to Minnesota. I picked her up from the airport as the sun was rising (barely), and then she got in a car with me for over 12 hours! And then, if that wasn't enough, had 4 more days like that as we drove across Canada to move my stuff back to Alaska. Oh, and did I mention there were snow/wind storms? Oh, and did I mention that she used vacation time for this? Oh, and did I mention she used her own airline miles to pay for her flight down? Unbelievable.

You would think this one story was an outrageous, extreme example of Megan's generosity and service to her friends. But trust me, it's not. I could go on, and on, and on. And it's not like I'm anything special--I mean, we're really good friends, and she makes me feel special, but the way she acts is because that's HER! She is like this with everyone in her life. She simply amazes me.

She's also very cool :)

So, today is Megan's birthday. I'm so grateful you were born at this time. I'm so lucky to know you, and I'm so happy that we will get to live together when I'm back in Alaska! I mean, come on world! Aren't you jealous that I get to spend my time with this incredible woman?

Thankfully,
Megan's friend Lindsay

Hey look! I'm famous!

2008-04-19T05:06:00.002-05:00

Even though I haven't set foot in Australia...

Australia Bahá'í History

Thanks Marjon for sending me the link (she's the one just below me on the right)! And hopefully I get to visit Oz sometime in this life of mine :)

It's been snowing in Alaska...

2008-04-11T09:20:00.002-05:00

...and this is what I have here:

Not too shabby :) I have about 7 weeks left in Haifa, and while I desperately miss home, I'm trying to stop and smell the flowers too :)

Camping at Jordan River Park

2008-04-08T11:31:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to get out of the city and into some nature... so nice :) We went out to the Jordan River Park, which is close to Lake Tiberius. It was a quick camping trip, as we only stayed one night, but it was so much fun!

We arrived late afternoon on Friday, set up camp, and proceeded to get our dinner Feast ready. This camping trip had one component that I was all for--eating our way through the entire time :) We had gathered plenty of wood to keep our fire going that night, and pretty soon it was time for bed... and for the jackals to come out :)

At least I think it was jackals :) I never technically got out of my tent to check it out... because I'm SANE! For the record, jackals are actually pretty skittish of humans, so I doubt there would be any harm, but I woke up in the middle of the night, and I'm unsure why I did. But a few minutes later, something brushed up along my tent right by my HEAD! Needless to say, I was wide awake at that point, and the only one in my tent... so I lay there for a while, and a little later I could hear a jackal howl in the distance. Nothing more came by my tent (that I know of) and I proceeded to fall back asleep. I think I even convinced myself that it was one of my friends walking their dog, or something like that. But that theory was debunked in the morning, so I'm convinced I had a close call run-in with a jackal. That just sounds cool and dramatic :)

ANYway! Our full day on Saturday was a blast. We had a great breakfast (following our tradition of good food) and then a group of us decided to trek down the river IN the river. It was a lot of fun, and there was much mischief of some of the people on our trek in convincing others of snakes and the like, which made it that much more amusing. After we had packed up camp, we went to Susita, which is an old fort on a mountain that has been excavated. It's fascinating to see the columns and ruins of this old place. We stopped by a Baha'i cemetery that was on the way back that I had never visited before, and we said some prayers. Then we drove back to Haifa, plenty satisfied from our adventure. Enjoy the pictures!

Where I Work

2008-03-30T13:36:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to share a photo of where I work. This is the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. I work on the top floor, which you actually can't see in this picture. But it's a pretty spectacular place to walk into each day :)

A New Beginning

2008-03-21T16:36:00.002-05:00

Hello! Obviously I've been a little absent from this blog :) I've had more than a couple polite reminders. I have plenty of excuses, but I think ultimately, I just wasn't drawn to post for a while. After all, I never want this blog to be something of a burden, to me or my friends :)

Nevertheless, I now feel compelled to write. The Bahá'í World has just welcomed in the New Year, and I wanted to check in :)

I've been working in Haifa since the middle of January. I've been quite busy, but I'm really having a good time. I'm here until the end of May, and I am quickly realizing that if I blink too slowly, this could all be over sooner than I expect. So I'm trying to enjoy each day and live in the present.

The weather here is drastically different from Anchorage at the moment. It's strange to think that we were in the high 80's today, and that Anchorage... well, wasn't :) Here are a few pictures I took over the weekend, at both the Naw-Rúz (New Year) celebration, out at Bahjí (where the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh is), and walking down the terrace gardens below the Shrine of the Báb on my way home.

So far so great!

2008-01-24T10:06:00.000-06:00

Hello! I'm just about finished with my first week of work here in Israel, so I thought it was an appropriate time to check in. There has been so much that I wanted to share, particularly about my pilgrimage. But I also feel like I'm still processing things. I think my goal is to maybe share some photos and quick summaries of the places I visited while on pilgrimage, particularly for those not familiar with the area. So hopefully I get around to that soon.

Anyway, life is good :) I've settled into my apartment (I'm living with my friend Shaghayegh, for those who know her), and like I said, I'm almost finished with my first week of work. I really just dived in! But I was really excited about it too. It's strange being back in a work environment that is so familiar to me, yet so many of the people around me are different. But there are some familiar faces in the crowd, and I'm meeting also sorts of wonderful people.

So that's it! I hope all are well. And I promise to do better at keeping in touch :)

In Israel

2008-01-05T08:50:00.000-06:00

My brother and I have made it safe to Israel! Our luggage... well, that's another story :) But it will be delivered to our hotel by tomorrow morning, so all is well - it's a good thing our mom taught us to have extra clothes in our carry-ons :)

So our travel was pleasantly not challenging :) We had a long layover in Chicago, so we took advantage of the time and went to see the Baha'i Temple for the the North American continent, which is located there. It was a really nice way to pass the time, and it was great to get out of an airport for a while.

Currently I'm sitting in the airport in Tel Aviv. We'll be heading into Haifa tonight, so we're just killing a little time before catching a shuttle. It feels great to be here, and I'm glad that we didn't get stuck somewhere along the way :)

Colin and I will be on Pilgrimage for 9 days. I don't know if I'll be updating my blog during that time or not - I'll be sure to share some pictures at some point though.

I'm already missing you guys from home - I have a feeling that will be the case for the whole 5 months that I'm here. But I'm also really looking forward to all the adventures to come and to seeing friends here in Israel.

Shabat Shalom!

Home Sweet Home

2007-11-22T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! This is just a quick note to let you know that I have made it safe and sound to Anchorage. I have my friend Megan to thank for flying down to Minnesota and driving back with me. It was so nice driving with her, and she kept me in good spirits... even though I hogged so much of the driving :) I love you very much Megan!

It's nice to be home for Thanksgiving. As I write this, the tasty aroma of all the Thanksgiving food is wafting through the house. I don't think it's totally hit me that I'm home yet... it's strange to be home, only to turn around and leave for Israel for 5 months. But I'm happy to be here... I have been smothered with dogs, so it's a good day.

I think the thing I miss most of all in Minnesota is my Aunt Shelly. We got to talk on the phone today, and it made me miss her even more. We created a very nice home in Minnesota, and I will always miss this chapter. But for now, new chapters are opening :) G, you know I love you!

So I'll write more about the road trip later and include some pictures as well. For now, I'm on mashed potato duty, so I better go get to mashing. For those who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! May you have as much to be thankful for as I do :)

Squinchy Ball

2007-11-19T23:33:00.000-06:00

We are safely in Fort Nelson. We went to dinner at a place recommended by the hotel manager, and as we arrived, there was this banging we could hear from inside. I commented to Megan that it sounded like a bowling alley. We were amused, I even laughed at the thing that "sounds like a bowling alley, but I'm sure it's not a bowling alley." We walk into the restaurant... and there's the bowling alley - awesome! But it was only 5 pin bowling, which the waitress said didn't have a separate name. So I've named it squinchy ball - start circulating the term people :) It will be all the rage, I'm sure :)

Okay, we're exhausted, but on schedule! Good night for now!

Lindsay and Megan :)

Oh Canada!

2007-11-19T08:30:00.001-06:00

Well, it didn't seem like it was going to be possible, but somehow everything fell into place for me to leave Minnesota the actual day planned :) I can't believe it... It still hasn't totally hit me that I'm not going back, that this is not just a visit.

So, my friend Megan flew down from Alaska and is helping me on the trek back to Anchorage. We are currently in Edmonton, Alberta. This means that so far, we have been in two US states (Minnesota and North Dakota), and three Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta). So far the roads have been pretty good. We ran into an area where there was some slushy snow on the road, since the winds were high and they hadn't cleared that section. But other than that, we've had clear roads so far... wish us luck with the rest of the trek!

Our first night we were able to stay with a friend of mine from the Bahá'í World Centre, Ailsa, and her family. It was so nice! I got to meet her daughter Aleta and husband Dale for the first time, and it was really nice have a visit, even if it was short! Thanks for letting us stay!

We're on to Fort Nelson, BC, tonight, where we've been promised wireless as well - so hopefully I can get another update in.

Ciao for now,
Lindsay

Western Caribbean... here we come!

2007-11-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

As I have no idea if I'll have internet access on the cruise ship, I thought I would send a quick note before leaving.

There are 30 of us going on this cruise. THIRTY! We had some surprise additions to the trip to make a nice even number. It really is great to see everyone. We started to trickle into the Orlando airport in the afternoon, and when the flood of remaining friends arrived, we were most definitely a site to be seen. Luggage alone...

Thank goodness, people in the group had the foresight to plan a shuttle for all of us to ride to Cape Canaveral. I can only imagine how crazy it would have been otherwise. But with such a huge group, we filled a bus... it was awesome...

We stayed the night in a hotel with a great pool and sleep number beds... pretty darn swell :) And about noon today we will be heading over to the port.

Ciao!

In a bit of a panic...

2007-10-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

Well, if I didn't feel the time crunch before, I certainly feel it now! When I realized that I have only 7 days left in Saint Paul, this sent my mind reeling! I kind of have a lot to do before then...

I'm currently sitting in the Purple Onion café in Dinkytown (part of Minneapolis), using their wireless to work (and blog, apparently) while my car gets the front brake pads replaced. Considering that I had the whole car checked out in preparation for my road trip up to Alaska, I am extremely lucky that I didn't need more work done on the car. So at least I'm checking something off my list.

But boy, do I have a lot more...

So I'm working through Thursday, and then I am off from work until after Thanksgiving. But here's the run-down:

I leave on Friday for a Western Caribbean cruise with 26 of my friends. I am SOOOOOOOO looking forward to this! But I need to be really adept in my packing for this cruise, because I'm sending suitcases back with some friends. This times out beautifully for getting my clothes and such up to Alaska. My friend Megan is even going to bring my violin back as a carry-on—how nice is that? So my first priority is to make sure I have everything that I need for my cruise, and then filling the rest of the space with clothes and such that I want to return to Alaska... I also need to find someone who has a scale I can borrow to make sure my bags are within weight restrictions...

Meanwhile, I'm still in the mindset of how the heck am I'm going to fit the rest of my stuff in my car. I'm going to have 4 days between the cruise and hitting the road, and in reality, most of the work of stuffing my car will go on during this time. I just have no idea how things are really going to fit. I've given stuff to goodwill, sold some other things, but then the fitting of everything else into the puzzle piece of my car is going to be the challenge. The good thing is that there is not tons of stuff that I would cry if I had to leave behind... I just want to be economical and try to not have to replace things when I'm up in Alaska. All I'm saying, is that goodwill might end up with some pretty good things :)

Okay, I've got to get back to work, finishing some things before I take off all this time, so that I can truly enjoy the time off without feeling like I left some things hanging. Sorry, this post ended up being pretty boring. I guess it was more therapeutic for me, figuring out what all I need to do before leaving. So if you got this far, you're awfully sweet!

Ciao for now,
Lindsay

Life Changes

2007-09-26T09:35:00.000-05:00

So I have a bit of news :)

As many of you reading this know, I served at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel, for 2 and 1/2 years. I loved my time there, and I've missed it many times over. So how fitting, that in the month of September, the month I left Israel in 2004, I find out that I have been invited to serve again at the Baha'i World Centre! This time will be for a shorter period, from January until May, and I will be helping out in my old office. I'm so excited!!!

That being said, this news brought on another life change. I am moving back to Alaska. I have loved living in Minnesota, and the thought of leaving so many friends here makes me sad, but ultimately I am really excited to be moving back to Alaska. It's where my family is, and it seems to be the place that I left my heart. Heck, those who know me here in Minnesota know that I can never stop talking about Alaska :)

Prior to my news of going to Haifa, I was already pretty sure I was going to move back to Anchorage at the beginning of next summer. Since now I will be in Haifa until the beginning of next summer, I've decided to move my belongings back to Anchorage beforehand. Which means my time in Minnesota is short. My friend Megan is going to fly down from Anchorage and drive back with me, and we'll be hitting the road mid-November. This will afford me a month at home with family and friends before my brother and I head over for our Baha'i Pilgrimage and then I stay on for my service.

I'm a whole ball of emotions. Mostly I'm very happy, but of course I'll miss being in Minnesota. It has become another home to me, so I'm sure I'll be back to visit... there better be some couches I can crash on!

On a completely separate note, it has been pointed out that my blog title could be sung to the tune from Smurfs. I leave you with that :)

Shelly and Lindsay go to the Fair

2007-09-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, there were two girls, Shelly and Lindsay, who went to the Minnesota State Fair:

Upon entering the fairgrounds, they encountered the end of a parade, with tiny ponies:

After walking and eating, Shelly and Lindsay went on a quest to find the busts of butter. While they thought it would be nigh impossible, because they didn't know the name of the building they were in, they were fortunate to encounter kind people who had been to the fair before, and could put them on the right path:

With their bellies full of tater skins, and their eyes amazed at the sites already seen, they decided to ride the Ferris Wheel in the Midway:

Ah, but at this point in their adventure, Shelly and Lindsay decided that sitting and watching something would be a nice rest from the walking. So they ventured to the skate park, where they watched some superb skateboard tricks:

To end the day, Shelly and Lindsay ate what any self respecting person at a State Fair in the Midwest would eat - cheese curds!

And they lived happily ever after (with only slight stomach aches from all that cheese).

Ian and Milly's Wedding

2007-08-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I think this is the last entry as catch-up from my time in Alaska :) I ended up staying in Alaska a couple weeks more than I had originally planned. The reason? My cousin Ian announced he was getting married! And the wedding date was only 11 days after I was scheduled to leave. Well I certainly couldn't justify leaving! Especially considering that I was working for a company in Alaska that wouldn't mind my presence a little longer :) So I gladly changed my ticket!

Ian and Milly's wedding was very nice. Their marriage was a joining of two families as well - Ian's two boys, Jaden and Elliot, and Milly's daughter, Imani. The day itself was gorgeous, which was nice, especially because the ceremony was outside! The ceremony was on the lookout at Flattop mountain, overlooking the city of Anchorage. After the ceremony (which, believe it or not, was actually almost all just family!), the reception was at the Baha'i Center. There was quite the spread, and there was also an open mic. An open mic is not daunting to our family :) We were soon singing up a storm, which was lots of fun.

Please feel free to take a look at more photos from Ian and Milly's wedding. They had at least 5 people taking photos that day, so there was easily over 1,000 shots to choose from... I narrowed it down to about 60 :)

Congratulations Milly and Ian!!!

Go Elizabeth!!!

2007-08-24T07:42:00.000-05:00

This morning I had the pleasure of dropping off my friend Elizabeth for the Breast Cancer 3-day walk, which I mentioned she was doing in a previous email. It made an early morning, setting out before the sun had even started to rise, but it was great fun driving out to the starting point, getting a chance to talk and catch up, and also giving me a chance to see her and her friend embark on their adventure. They are walking 3 days, and they have raised a substantial amount of money--Elizabeth met her goal of $2,200!!!

Way to go Elizabeth!!!

The most amazing weekend....

2007-08-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

So this last weekend I traveled about 2 hours outside of the Twin Cities to a summer camp near Onaimia, Minnesota. A Baha'i summer school was happening, and I was able to go for an extended weekend, driving out Friday morning.

I had SO much fun! The summer school was set up as a get together for people in the area - I met people from Minnesota, naturally, but also South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois... and even someone all the way from Oregon! It's a family event, so there were programs planned for all ages. I was in the adult classes that focused on a couple different topics, including true encouragement and how all the religions really come down to one common faith. There were some very interesting discussions and presentations!

When we weren't in classes, we were socializing with everyone. There were a lot of youth at the camp, and many of them had been in youth study classes during the year that I went to as well - so during breaks for meals and such, I was soaking up as much time with them as I could. I love you guys so much!!!

We also had a talent show Saturday night which was loads of fun - there were participants of all ages involved, which was cool. After the talent show was a dance, and it was soooo much fun to dance. Even though I didn't get to the gym that weekend, the dancing definitely counted as a workout - my feet were cramping by the end, I had been dancing so much!

The only down side is that the weather over the weekend was pretty wet and chilly - so there was no jumping in a lake for me! But the lake was absolutely gorgeous, so at least it was pretty to look at :)

I didn't take any pictures, because I was enjoying myself too much, and I'm horrible about taking photos when I'm "in the moment." But the whole weekend was a blast, and it was such a wonderful chance to get to know lots of people on a deeper level than just in passing. Hooray for summer schools!

The blur that was June

2007-08-14T18:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've had it on my list of things to do to share some photos with you guys! It's just been a little crazy :) Although not as crazy as my month of June in Alaska! Seriously, when I think of June, I cannot believe that I came out the other end - and successfully as well!

Pretty much every bit of every day I was involved in something. I was either working, rehearsing (Renaissance Fair, New York plays, Valdez play), performing (the three things mentioned in rehearsals), sleeping, and sometimes eating :) Oh, and sometimes seeing my family as well :)

Okay, so I shared some photos from New York, but I wanted to share a few photos from Valdez! I had sooooo much fun in Valdez. The full length production that we brought down is called "The Head That Wouldn't Die"... and boy is it a comedy! We all had trouble not laughing at what was happening in rehearsals, long after the time when most shows stop being funny to the actors and they can focus on what they're doing. Heck, there was stuff I wanted to laugh at during our performance! It is such a funny play! It was really well received, and we had a wonderful audience that just went with us for the entire show. It was such a success, that it looks like we might possibly remount the show next summer... boy was it fun :)

The photo at the top of this entry is from that show, but I'm also including a link for more photos here. From that link you can view all the wonderful antics of being in Valdez for the Theatre Conference, whether it's readings of new plays, workshops, or dance-offs in the classroom at night, all was lots of fun. There are also some photos from the final Gala celebration, and of course, photos from our production of "The Head That Wouldn't Die". Enjoy! I just wanted to give a shout out to TBA Theatre , because they were the ones that made all of my blurry month of June possible, and I love everyone there! And while I'm at it, I should also thank my family for being so patient with me too - I love and miss you so much!

We're okay

2007-08-01T23:42:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

I just wanted to post a quick message to let people know that Shelly and I are okay. Neither of us were on the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. Thank you for your calls of concern.

I would just like to share a portion of a prayer for those who lost their lives by this terrible accident:

...O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy splendors on the loftiest mount. -- 'Abdu'l-Baha

A Worthy Cause

2007-07-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

My friend Elizabeth has been gearing up for the Breast Cancer 3 day walk. A major component of doing the walk is to raise money for cancer research. She has been training all summer long, and while she has been working on fundraising, she is still falling short in her goal for the walk.

I'm really proud of Elizabeth, because she has been working quite hard to train for this event. An added benefit to all of this is that she's able to shed some of the baby weight she gained having some of the most beautiful girls in the world :)

I'm including a section from her own email below, but if any of you feel inspired to donate to her walk (which is tax deductible and earns extra karma points, even if it's just a little donation), please visit the following website: http://www.the3day.org/twincities07/ezconklin

An excerpt from Elizabeth's email:
"My due date for fundraising is quickly approaching, July 25th to be exact. I'm still $600 short…. You can see where this is going, right? :) Please support me as I take an amazing journey in the fight against breast cancer! The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust, funding important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.

I'm also happy to report that the training is going very well. I walk to/from work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - that's 7 miles a day. And I do strength training and yoga Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. All of this has lead to my favorite part - a 27 pound weight loss and just over 3 inches off my waist.

So, even if you don't care to support the Breast Cancer 3 Day event, won't you consider donating on behalf of my personal health?"

Way to go Elizabeth!!!

New York, New York

2007-07-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally feel recovered enough to put some updates on here. I'm sorry, blogging community, to have failed to be up to the minute with this stuff... but I was busy :) Of course, that's not much of an excuse, because my friend Erin managed to blog while we were in Valdez. All I can say, is you're a much better person than I :)

However, I have compiled some photos for your viewing pleasure (I hope!), and so I wanted to place some of them here on my blog. I'm horrible about actually taking pictures, so I'm hoping at some point to acquire more from friends. But, as you can see from these photos, I had a blast.

Here's a photo of me and my friend Berglind! She was able to meet up with us for the first day we were there - it was so great seeing you Berglind!

She was also with a small group of us that went to walk by the UN, followed by a search for breakfast. We ended up eating at a diner that was VERY good. I think it was my favorite breakfast food the entire time, although that is colored by the fact that I was on very little sleep and was hungry :)

Our first day consisted of the walk by the UN, breakfast, and then checking out of the replacement hotel (long story short, when we arrived at our hotel, there was a mix-up and they didn't have all of our rooms. In the end, after much debating between the online booking company and the hotel, the online booking company took fault, and the hotel found us another, pretty swanky, hotel for the evening - but this caused us to have to move our stuff the following day), checking into our original hotel, walking around Times Square, and then waiting in line for tickets to a Broadway show:

We ended up with tickets for all 11 of us at our first choice, which was the Terrance McNally play "Deuce", starring Marian Seldes and Angela Lansbury:

Here's a photo of our crew waiting outside the theater doors where we performed. This was right before our tech rehearsal for the first show:

Most of the photos that I've put up here I've gotten from other friends (actually, mostly from Leif!), but I have a set of my own photos up on facebook in a New York Album. Please take a peek! You don't need to have a facebook account to look at them.

I'll slowly but surely catch up with events! I still want to post about my Valdez theater conference experience, so I'll try and make a point to do that soon. Meanwhile, I was originally supposed to have left Alaska about two hours ago, but I decided to extend my trip when my cousin Ian announced his engagement! The wedding is only 10 days from now, so I could not pass up on being here! So I'll be heading back to the Twin Cities on July 25th.

Ciao for now!

Back from the Big Apple

2007-06-19T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well, our hilarious troop has returned to Anchorage, Alaska, and we had a blast! Let's see... what has happened since my last update?

Okay, we had our second night of performance, and it went really well! I think all of us were a little more relaxed, since we had performed in the same space the night before, and the show was good. I was so grateful, because I really didn't want to fall flat on my face in front of a New York audience! The theater itself had a loud air conditioner, and I was worried that in our effort to remain loud enough for the audience to hear, we would destroy the mood of the play. Luckily, I think we struck the right balance, and it all went very well. One of the judges even stopped Shane on his way out and told him that if it was strictly up to him, the play would be in the finals.

Unfortunately, we were all a little sad when it became apparent that we had not been chosen for the finals. Then came some great, unexpected news. The first show that we had performed was chosen as an alternate for the finals, and we were asked to perform Sunday night! It was such a mixture of emotions for all of us - of course, we would want both shows to be selected, but we had all been so happy to even be a part of the festival. And then one show WAS selected, and we had to get over our sadness of the other show NOT being selected. When all was said and done, we were all thrilled to have a chance to perform in the finals. And of the two shows, this was the play that included the whole cast, so it was certainly a nice send off for our group.

Performing in the finals went really well. We had a chance to improve on the previous performance, and it really was a great time. Apart from participating in the short play festival, we had all sorts of adventures in the city. I'm hoping to compile a bunch of photos to share at a later date... now I'm just trying to get over jet lag and master lines for the next play I'm doing at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska (I leave this Friday for that!).

More updates to soon follow - I hope!

New York Update

2007-06-16T08:59:00.000-05:00

While I had a moment, I thought I would quickly send an update on New York so far! We've got one show down, and one more to go! Last night's show went pretty darn well. There seemed to be some fairly good audience response. At this point we know that the show was not chosen for the finals, as we would have had a call from them last night. But really, we felt like just coming and performing was the awesome thing. The building that the theater is in is really cool. However, the theater itself has an air conditioner that is pretty loud, so it makes it a little uncomfortable to act in, as you are always keenly aware of being heard. I'm perhaps a little more nervous about it because we don't get tons of time on the stage, but the group of us performing are pros, so last night seemed to go well in that regard. Here's to hoping tonight goes even better!

On my way to the Big Apple!

2007-06-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

Well, it certainly has been an eventful couple of weeks! I've been working during the day and rehearsing for our New York shows and our play for Valdez as well. So blogging has been at a minimum :) But now we are officially on our way to New York! As I write this entry, I'm sitting in the Seattle airport for a brief layover. But by this evening, we'll be in the Big Apple! It's kind of hard to believe...

The past two weekends I was part of the Three Barons Renaissance Fair in Anchorage, and I'll make an effort to put some photos up sometime soon. It really was a lot of fun.

Last night we had an Anchorage performance of the short plays we'll be doing in New York. It was VERY well attended, and we had to add a lot of extra seats. But it was so wonderful having such a friendly audience to send us off. After performing the shows, it finally felt real, that we would be performing these for an audience in New York. Needless to say, it was hard for me to fall asleep last night from anticipation :)

I don't know if I'll have easy access to internet while in New York, but if I don't post from there, I'll definitely post updates once I return. Wish us broken legs!

-Lindsay-

Over 10,000!

2007-06-01T18:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I officially have had over 10,000 visits to my blog!!! That's amazing! Here are some of the stats:

Started tracking: 9/17/2005
Current average visit length: 1:11
Current average visits per day: 11
Of the last 1,000 visits, 73% were from the US, 7% Israel, 4% United Kingdom, 2% Canada, 1% each Australia, Colombia, Italy, and Sweden, and 10% was Unknown.

Of course, I set my counter to ignore my visits, so it wasn't counting lil' ol' me :)

Also, what I think is most impressive is that a great many of you who actually read my blog receive the entries by email (around 60 of you!), and most of you normally don't click on the link at the bottom of the email that takes you to the site. So even though the site counter is not completely reflective of my readership, it still hit 10,000, which I thought was blogworthy. Especially because I don't have kids :) Those kids, they draw the blog world in with their cuteness (they certainly do me!).

So thanks everyone! And blog on!

My Welcome Moose

2007-05-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

I don't know why this is the case, but it seems like in recent years, I have always seen a moose within the first 24 hours that I'm back in Alaska. One time this moose was standing next to the "Welcome to Anchorage" sign that you pass on the way out of the airport, so I started calling this phenomenon my Welcome Moose.

Well, my Welcome Moose did NOT show up within 24 hours of my arrival this time, which was highly strange after a long string of times with this occurring. It was even a topic of discussion with my parents. But, not to fear, my Welcome Moose did appear within my first week... so I'm not too angry :) This was out behind our house:

I officially feel welcomed to Anchorage :)

Ah, the dogs :)

2007-05-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

One highlight of being home is being around the family dogs! I've been getting some quality time this Memorial weekend, and here are some shots from a couple of our outings. The two Bernise Mountain Dogs (black, white and brown) are Abby (larger) and Bailey. The bulldog is my brother's dog, Winston. Oh, and the humans are me and my dad, Gary (my brother, Colin, was behind the camera for all of these).

And, of course, there was a rock in the middle of the falls that I just HAD to go get on :) So my brother tooks some photos of that as well :)

Watch out New York, here I come!

2007-05-26T19:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't mentioned it on my blog before now, but my plans heading up to Alaska also included auditioning for TBA Theatre's touring shows that are being taken to New York in the middle of June. I didn't want to jinx my audition :)

But, as I'm sure you know from the title of this blog, I got cast! I even was so lucky to get the part that I dared to dream I would get! How great is that?

So I just thought I would have a moment: WOO HOO!!!

Now the wonderful work begins :)

Some show pics

2007-05-24T13:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I wasn't able to get any photos from the actual show performances, but I had some friends take backstage shots, so I thought I would share these photos from "The Madwoman of Chaillot" cast:

Here's Amanda and me. Amanda played the singer, and I played the violin lady, so we started off the show with me harmonizing to her singing "La Vie en Rose"[thanks Mara for the spellcheck!].

The last two are of us evil ladies, who get killed :) L to R: me, Amy, Corey, and Patty:

Too funny :) The show was lots of fun, and it still hasn't completely hit me that it's over! But I'm already memorizing lines for the next one! So acting life goes on :)

One week!

2007-05-18T17:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I am now officially a week away from being in Alaska! I can't believe how quickly time has gone. With the days being longer, I'm finding myself doing things later and later... but I love it :)

Here a couple recent events:

Earlier this week, my friend Megan's parents and aunt were here in town. Naturally, we took advantage of the time and went out for the evening. Amongst the evening activities was a nice walk along the Mississippi, where we took these shots (Aunt Rosie and I trading out) :)

Last night was a really nice Baha'i Feast (a monthly Baha'i community meeting), and afterwards I went out for tea with my friends Diane and Sheida. We managed to take this one, long-arm shot before my camera batteries wore out :)

So now I'm in my final weekend of performances for "The Madwoman of Chaillot." It was a four-week run, and it's just raced passed! We're having a cast party tonight, which should be loads of fun.

I have no idea if I'm going to update my blog in the next week - the next post may very well be from Alaska! I hope you're all well, and I'll be seeing you Alaskans in the very near future!

Official first rollerblading adventure!

2007-05-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the weather has been getting absoultely gorgeous here in the Twin Cities, so I have been wanting to get outside more. I love taking walks, but I wanted to be doing something else. So the decision? Rollerblading!!!

Baseem and I decided to embark on our first rollerblading adventure together--first stop: Purchasing rollerblades. We ran into a little hiccup when the first place we checked didn't HAVE rollerblades (I'm not going to mention where, but their initials are REI). Luckily we had success with the next place and were fitted and ready to go.

We decided to go on a path along the Mississippi (for the record, I had to pause and repeat to myself how to spell that darn word) River. Hmm... how to put this gently?... We were definitely beginners :) It's not a good sign if joggers are passing you! But it was great fun, and we're both determined to get better.

We were so proud of ourselves that we went to have ice cream to celebrate. While eating, we walked through the neighborhood around the ice cream shop and came along a very patriotic house - so like everyone, I had to take the requisite ice cream cone as torch in front of the statue of liberty photo, of course!

All in all, a very successful first rollerblading adventure... especially the ice cream :) Here's our horribly-framed-because-we-had-to-put-it-on-the-car photo at the end of our ride. For the record, it was very impressive that I got in the shot in time!

Homeward Bound

2007-04-25T16:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person around! Believe it or not, I'm heading back up to Alaska for my very favorite month of the year!

What does traveling up to Alaska for the month of June mean? It means that I can be in Alaska for the longest day of the year. It means I can participate in the Anchorage Three Barons Renaissance Festival and the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez. All that aside, it means that I get a lot of time with my friends and family, which I'm forever grateful for! And the best part is that since I'm working for a company in Alaska, I'll actually still be able to work while I'm up there (which my bank account really appreciates!).

My ticket is purchased (thank you mom and dad!), and so it's official--I'm homeward bound!

Deciding what to do with your tax return?

2007-04-20T16:10:00.000-05:00

I have a worthy cause :) TBA Theatre just recently found out that TWO of the plays they submitted to the XXXII Annual Samuel French, Inc. Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival have been accepted! How amazing is that? The play festival has been going on for over 30 years, and many of the playwright participants in the past have gone on to become award-winning. So it's a great opportunity! TBA will be bringing two short plays to the festival in New York City.

But here's the thing: TBA Theatre is not a big organization. They are doing well, but this is an unexpected opportunity that has surfaced, and it will cost the company a pretty penny to bring the productions to New York.

So that's where the title of this blog comes into play. Everyone in the United States just passed the tax deadline - and maybe some people are getting a bit of a refund :) And since many of you just got done doing your taxes, maybe you know that donations to non-profit companies are tax deductible :) So if anyone would like to deduct a donation to a charitable organization on next year's taxes, here is a worthy opportunity!

I, personally, am getting a tax return from the state of Minnesota, because they give people who rent a certain amount of what they paid in rent back as a return. Since this was totally unexpected money to me, I'm now pledging it towards TBA! I'll let them know the specific amount, but I think that they will agree, that no matter what the amount, every little bit can help! If you are interested in making a donation, you can contact them directly - just go to the TBA Theatre website for contact information. Another possible way to help could be to donate some of those airline miles you have accrued... just a thought :)

Congratulations TBA Theatre! This is such a wonderful opportunity!

Isn't this always the case?

2007-04-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

You know, I lost my watch close to a year ago. I really liked the watch. It wasn't expensive--quite the contrary, it was very cheap! I bought the watch while I was in Turkey at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It was one of the street vendors outside, and I bought it for 5 million lira (close to $5 American). He sized it for my wrist and everything! My other watch had a dead battery, and I had been using my cell phone as a watch in Israel, but while I was in Turkey I decided it would be nice to have a watch on the trip--and heck, for $5, if it only lasted as long as the trip I would be fine!

I actually grew to really like the watch. It fit perfectly, and I liked the look of it a lot. It lasted quite a bit longer than my trip in Turkey. In fact, I still had it when I returned to Alaska, and sometime during that year back in Anchorage I had to have the battery replaced. I went to a jewellers in a department store I was shopping in. It cost $12 for a battery and installment. I thought it was kind of funny that it cost more to put a battery in the watch than it did for the watch in the first place, but then again, I was in a completely different market.

So then, sometime in the last year, I lost the watch. I kept thinking, "oh, it will show up. There's no need for me to get a new watch". "Besides," I added, "as soon as I bought a new watch, the old watch would show up!"

So I waited...an incredibly long time! And no watch showed up. So one day a couple weeks back I was in a department store, and I saw a watch that I thought looked okay. It was reasonably priced, so I decided that enough was enough, that I would finally succumb to buying a new watch.

So... I bet you can see where this is going. Maybe a week and a half pass by with my new watch. It works well. It's a bit of a pain to put on, but overall I'm happy. I then go to adjust my couch cushion. And what do I see wedged up against the wooden frame of my couch? My Turkish watch, of course! Naturally I was quite thrilled and rather amused. But there was no question about which watch I was going to wear--the Turkish watch went right back on my wrist.

So my question is this: Would I have found my watch sooner if I had bought another one earlier? I'm just wondering...

Of Particular Concern

2007-04-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

This article has just been posted on the Baha'i World News Service, and I just started to cry. As you may be aware, I've mentioned in the past some concern in the rise of persecution of Baha'is in Iran. This recent article brings to light that now it seems that children are being persecuted in school. How can something like this be happening now? Have we not learned from the past about persecuting a religious group?

Baha'i schoolchildren in Iran increasingly harrassed and abused by school authorities

NEW YORK, 5 April 2007 (BWNS) -- Baha'i students in primary and secondary schools throughout Iran are increasingly being harassed, vilified, and held up to abuse, according to recent reports from inside the country.

During a 30-day period from mid-January to mid-February, some 150 incidents of insults, mistreatment, and even physical violence by school authorities against Baha'i students were reported as occurring in at least 10 Iranian cities.

"These new reports that the most vulnerable members of the Iranian Baha'i community -- children and junior youth -- are being harassed, degraded, and, in at least one case, blindfolded and beaten, is an extremely disturbing development," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"The increasing number of such incidents suggests a serious and shameful escalation in the on-going persecution of Iranian Baha'is," said Ms. Dugal. "The fact that school-aged children are being targeted by those who should rightfully hold their trust -- teachers and school administrators -- only makes this latest trend even more ominous."

Ms. Dugal said the Baha'i International Community has been aware of scattered reports of abuse directed at school children but has only recently learned that young Baha'is are now widely being forced to identify their religion -- and are also being insulted, degraded, threatened with expulsion, and, in some cases, summarily dismissed from school.

"They are also being pressured to convert to Islam, required to endure slander of their faith by religious instructors, and being taught and tested on 'Iranian history' in authorized texts that denigrate, distort, and brazenly falsify their religious heritage," said Ms. Dugal. "They are also being repeatedly told that they are not to attempt to teach their religion."

According to Ms. Dugal, one Baha'i has reported that the school-age children of a relative in Kermanshah were called to the front of the classroom, where they were required to listen to insults against the Faith.

"Another student, accepted at an art institute, has been followed by the authorities and on three occasions seized, blindfolded, and beaten," said Ms. Dugal.

"While a few of these may be isolated attacks, the extent and nature of this reprehensible activity has led the Baha'is in Iran to conclude that this is an organized effort," said Ms. Dugal.

Of special concern, she added, was the fact that a high proportion of the attacks against high school students have been against girls.

"While the attacks reported to have taken place in elementary and middle schools were leveled evenly against boys and girls, those at the high-school level targeted girls to a far greater degree: of 76 incidents, 68 were against Baha'i girls," said Ms. Dugal.

The reports of attacks on innocent Baha'i schoolchildren come at a time when a growing number of older Baha'i students seeking to enter Iranian universities have been expelled solely because of their religion.

So far this year, at least 94 college-age Baha'i students have been expelled from institutions of higher education. That figure is up from 70 as reported in late February.

Since the Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979, the 300,000-member Iranian Baha'i community has faced ongoing and systematic persecution. In the early 1980s, more than 200 Baha'is were killed, hundreds were imprisoned, and thousands were deprived of jobs and education, solely because of their religious belief.

At the present time, more than 120 Baha'is are out on bail and awaiting trial on false charges, solely because of their religious beliefs and activities. Over the last year, as well, international human rights groups have expressed concern at the Iranian government's efforts to step-up their covert monitoring and identification of Baha'is.

February trip to Alaska

2007-03-30T18:25:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, why the heck did I move to Minnesota? It seems like I'm always up in Alaska! Well, this trip up was for "business" in a sense. TBA Theatre brought me up to perform in a Folk's Tales show--the latest installment? Rail Tales! Songs and Stories of the American Railroad. Some of you may recall last year the show's theme was stories about the sea and pirates.

These shows are just so much fun. I'm friends with the whole cast, and the rehearsals for these shows end up being just as fun as the performances. This whole crew has the perfect mix of professionalism and goofy-ism to make the process enjoyable. What do I mean by that? We can definitely get off course with our sillyness, but we're able to ring ourselves back in to get things done. And we laugh a lot!

I touched down around midnight Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and then Thursday mid-morning I was recording a radio show with Wayne, one of the other Tales cast members. We were recording a show that airs on the local NPR station call Stage Talk. I think it went pretty well! I was worried that I would sound a little daft owing to jet lag, but we actually had a good time, and it didn't sound too stupid when listening to it.

From then on out we had rehearsals most evenings, as there was really only a week before we had an audience! The rest of the cast had already been rehearsing, and I had been working on Orange Blossom Special on the fiddle... let's just say that I wasn't performance ready yet when we first started. But everyone was patient with me, and we figured out where to place me in stuff they had already arranged, and then we also got to come up with some killer harmonies while I was there as well. And yes, I did end up playing Orange Blossom Special in the show... it wasn' t too painful for people :)

Another highlight to these rehearsals were that they were in the new TBA Theatre Studio. TBA Theatre has its own space! They are using it for offices, rehearsals and classes, and they are renting a theater for actual performances. It looks great, and they just continue to make it nicer. My last weekend there I got to participate in a big open house they had celebrating the new space. I had no idea so many people would show up! It truly was a lot of fun, and it was a great way to kick off having the space.

Hmm... other highlights from this trip? I actually had quite a bit of down time. That drives some people crazy, but I'm one of those people that actually thrives on down time, so it was really great to spend some time at home, chillin with the dogs.

My one regret, as always seems to be the case, is that I never get enough time with my extended family. I see my parents a lot, since I'm staying with them, but I don't get to see my brother or my cousin's family nearly enough. Most of my downtime was during the day, when people were at work. It's one of those things where you always think there will be time and then the time is up! I'm going to have to make an effort to actually schedule time ahead on my next visit, just to make sure I don't continue to have that regret.

This trip was particularly hard to come back to Minnesota from. I think because I just absolutely love all the people in my life in Alaska. Don't get me wrong, there are great things about living in Minnesota, and there are some great people here as well... but there's something to be said for family and for friends that have been your friends for years. I love you guys!

Here's some shots from the show that my brother, Colin, took:

Oh, and here are a couple shots that Tony Batres took, including the necessary Dr. Pepper ad photo:

I'm in another play :)

2007-03-26T18:03:00.000-05:00

Every time I get cast in a play here in Minnesota, it's such a relief. This can't just be another fluke! I've been cast in Theatre in the Round's production of The Madwoman of Chaillot. I am essentially an extra, playing a couple small parts, but I am absolutely thrilled. This theatre company is well respected in the Twin Cities, and this cast seems to be pretty darn good. Don't get me wrong, I love sinking my teeth into bigger roles, but there's something so much fun about playing small parts too--it is definitely less stress, and I still get to be there in the theatre, which is what I love.

Hooray!

Working from Home

2007-03-25T15:29:00.000-05:00

So I've started working for a company in Alaska... from Minnesota :) So my office is my kitchen table! I'm essentially writing documentation on how to use a computer program. I've done this type of work in the past, so I've been hired to do it yet again.

Here are some pros for working from home:

No commute, so I can sleep a little later and save on gas, parking, or bus fare
Not having to dress for the office--I have time to exercise and then clean up for the day, but I don't have to wear slacks. Instead it's the nice comfy jeans :)
Easy access to snacks--just have to go to my cupboard
Being able to play my music and not worry about disturbing anyone

Here are some cons:

I have to be extra diligent to stay on task
I don't have tons of human interaction

Hmm... that's about it :) I do enjoy the work that I'm doing, and I like the people that I'm working with from afar. As far as the human interaction, I'm fortunate enough to have stuff in the evenings a lot of the time, so I get my fix of that as well :) All in all, I think it's a pretty darn good situation!

Wild about Hockey!

2007-03-22T23:34:00.000-05:00

Again, this was a great experience that I didn't post right when it happened--but fun nonetheless!

My aunt Shelly, who I live with, was invited to attend a NHL Wild Hockey game here in Saint Paul through her work. They were treating some customers of theirs, and Shelly interacts with these specific customers on a regular basis. So not only was Shelly invited, but I got to be her +1 :)

Here's the thing: This was a very swanky experience. We were in one of the sky boxes, which was very nice. There was also catered food, which was incredibly delicious. And it was a hockey game, where the Wild won!

Shelly and I were both on cloud nine from the experience. The whole evening was probably about $200 for the two of us... and we paid nothing :) The people we hung out with were fun as well, so the whole night ended up being a great time!

I'm going on a cruise!

2007-03-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's really happening! Me and about 17 other friends from Alaska (maybe more?) are all going on a cruise together in November! This has been a talked about fantasy for quite some time, and now we are actually doing it! I have to give kudos to Robin for taking the initiative of contacting the travel agent and getting options for us. Omigosh, I get so excited even thinking about it! The picture is from Belize, one of the stops on our Western Carribean tour.

The cruise has also inspired everyone to start getting into shape! November is far enough away, that those wanting to trim a few pounds will be able to do it, and since there is such a big group of us, there is plenty of camaraderie and support in getting fit. It's pretty exciting! Now, I don't have pounds to lose, but I definitely have strength to build. So I've started doing my Pilates again, and I'm hoping that I can continue to make it a habit. When I've done Pilates in the past, I've noticed that my back doesn't have as much pain and my posture is better. So I'm staying inspired by my friends, and hopefully it will be reciprocal!

Woo hoo!

Pictures from Alaska in December :)

2007-03-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it didn't take long for me to get some pictures emailed to me from my trip! Allow me to share (thanks Shane!):

Here are some photos from our caroling time - we ended up getting covered in snow, and it was so much fun!

And here are a couple from Christmas and New Year's parties I went to.

December trip to Alaska

2007-03-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

Well, for some reason I just haven't felt like blogging! I don't really know why, except I have been feeling a little lazy lately. Or rather I've been having a fairly busy life, and so when I actually have down time blogging doesn't equate to what I want to do at the moment.

Whatever the reason, I've fallen drastically behind :) So let me touch on some highlights from my December trip to Alaska, keeping in mind that I've actually had another trip to Alaska since then, so things may be hard to distinguish :)

Let's see... well, of course in December in Alaska, you definitely have the picturesque look of Christmas. There actually seemed to be record snowfall for December, with the snow coming all the way up to the top of the fence in my family's yard - it looked like a big swimming pool full of snow!

One of my fondest snow memories was going around a friend's neighborhood and singing Christmas carols. We go through this area every year, and they were doing it long before I even knew this group of friends. But I've gone with them for quite a few years now, and I absolutely love it. How great that there is a time of year when it is fully accepted to randomly go up to people's front doors and sing to them? Love it! And I love seeing how happy people get. Some houses even give us treats! Part of the fun this year was that it was actually snowing while we went out, and it was that beautiful, big snowfakes falling from the sky. So it was fun to abandon all hope of remaining dry... and go ahead and jump in some snow piles! It was almost too fun :)

I also used to sing with a professional caroling group back in the day, and my absolute favorite part was the tour day where we would go to several different nursing homes in the area. The arrangement of songs we would sing, with 4 part harmonies and such, were so amazing to be a part of. Well, the director of the group heard I was coming up, so he asked if I would like to join them for the tour day--would I ever! I was actually suffering from a cold, but I still had a great time going everywhere with them. It ended up being quite the day of service, because that night with my Folk's Tales friends we helped lead music at a Boy Scout dinner that they were throwing for some families in need.

Now, I was visiting Alaska over both Christmas and New Year's which afforded me a chance to go to parties and see lots of people that I might not otherwise see during a visit. So it was great to catch up with a lot of people.

I guess it bears repeating again, that I was also able to take part in the one-page play festival that happened the first weekend I was there. I already posted some photos, but I thought I would tie that in with this trip.

Anything else? Well, as I mentioned, over part of this time I was actually kind of sick. While that's not always the best thing, it did force me to stay home and get lots of visiting time in with my family and the dogs :) So it wasn't all bad :)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something at this time, but these are definitely some great highlights. Sorry that I don't have pictures :) A certain *someone* gave me a disc that didn't end up having the photos on it. You know who you are!

In honor of a great man

2007-03-08T16:34:00.000-06:00

I simply want to pay tribute to a wonderful man, Blaine Reed, who is being laid to rest this day.

Blaine is my cousin's grandfather, but I've always simply called him grandpa myself.

Your voice will be missed when the family sings...

The following link will take you to his obituary if you wish to read about his life:
http://newsminer.com/2007/03/07/5740/

Happy Winston's Day!

2007-02-14T22:05:00.000-06:00

Well, not only is it Valentine's Day for people, but it's a little more special in our family--it's my brother's dog's birthday (I like the party hat on his head)!

He's had a pretty good first year, including a brush with famous dog sled runner Dee Dee Jonrowe!

He was actually shooting a commercial, which is yet to air, where he was pulling Dee Dee's sled (all her dogs wear the pink vests).

So Happy Valentine's Day everyone--and Happy Birthday Winston!

Back to Alaska?

2007-01-26T17:04:00.000-06:00

It's true folks, I'm heading back to Alaska for another visit--although technically this one is for work rather than pure vacation--I'll still have fun though! TBA Theatre will be putting on "Rail Tales: Songs and Stories of the Railroad" as the latest Folk's Tales creation, and my friends at the company have lovingly decided to bring me up to be a part of it! Especially because I've been with Folk's Tales for 6 years (is that right guys?), it makes it that much more special that I get to be a part of the show. Of course, playing the violin helps a lot :) But I like to think they want my glowing presence on stage too, right?

Unfortunately, this does mean that I miss out on my friend Ara's wedding--I hope that it's spectacular and special, and I can't wait to see some pictures! On the fortunate side, I get to be at my friend Amanda's wedding (at least part of it, if I can get away from rehearsal for a bit!).

Meanwhile, I've been requested to learn Orange Blossom Special for the show. Those who are familiar with the song know how difficult the first part can be--the shuffle chords are a bit strenuous to anyone, but particularly those of us with small hands that have a hard time stretching that fourth finger out! But I'm going to give it my all, that's for sure! I intend to practice at least twice a day every day until I get to Anchorage (and probably once I'm there too!). If I start to sound like something presentable, then maybe it will make it into the show! So there's a little teaser for those of you in the Anchorage area... go see the show and see if she plays the song! Right now, all I can say is that my neighbors are unaware of my squeakings, thanks to my trusty electric violin that I don't amplify :) The perfect way to suck for a while and not let the whole complex know it!

So those of you in the Anchorage area, drop me a line if you want to squeeze some visiting time in. Prior to the performances of Rail Tales (February 9, 10, 11), I'll probably be MIA for the most part, but I'll have some time after that before I head back to the Twin Cities.

I love you all!

Snowboarding!!!

2007-01-23T09:23:00.000-06:00

So, even though I still haven't put stuff up about my trip to Alaska in December, I didn't want to fall behind on other activities either. So since I have a couple pictures from my snowboarding trip, I thought I would share those!

My friend Melissa teaches snowboarding during the winter (on top of her regular full-time job), so some of us at work thought it would be fun to go out and have her teach us. The group started with one… and it soon ballooned to 10! It was a little bit crazy, but I was really impressed with Melissa's ability to focus on all of us.

And the result? Well, I'm certainly not ready to graduate from the bunny hill, but I actually did okay! There were a few things that I need to work on, but I'm having a good time figuring them out. My poor knees were pretty sore by the end of the night, as I had more trouble with the forward leaning than the backward leaning, but I iced them when I got home and didn't end up with too much bruising! I did have aching muscles, but not nearly as bad as I thought I would get. I bought a package deal, so I have two more trips covered for the future.

It really was a lot of fun, and here are a couple pictures from when we were wrapping up in the chalet:

My goodness!

2007-01-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

My goodness, I've failed all of you in my blogness... is that a word? Anyway, I realized that I hadn't put anything on my blog since returning from Alaska, so I better give some sort of update.

I don't know why I haven't felt like updating my blog. I usually enjoy writing something up and sharing some pictures and such, but I suppose everything has an ebb and flow, and right now I'm just a little behind the curve.

I'm back to work, and I really enjoy working with the people I'm working with. I'm going to go snowboarding for the first time tomorrow night, so I hope my rear doesn't get too sore from all the falling :) But I'm also looking forward to it. I also have pictures from my time in Alaska--there are some really great shots! So maybe sometime soon I can get myself in gear to start posting again. But for now, whoever ends up reading this, know that I'm okay :)

Ciao for now,
Lindsay

Alaska Update

2006-12-29T13:16:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been in Alaska for about two weeks--I know, I didn't really have an official "I'm in Alaska now" post, but so goes life :)

This is what the first week consisted of: I arrived Thursday afternoon, Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat :) I was none to thrilled about this, and unfortunately it broke into a full out cold. On the positive side, it never got too horrible, and I had time to relax and try to get better. But still, I had come all the way to Alaska to see people, and I ended up spending a lot of time at home with the dogs :) But that has its plus sides too!

But just because I was sick does not mean that I did not jump right into things. As it happened, the weekend after my arrival was the one-page play festival. I had friends who were directing in it and offered me a couple roles. The title of the festival should be a clue in, but the night consisted of a bunch of one-page plays. It's kind of fun, because different directors can choose to do the same play, so sometimes the way a play is done is different, and it's interesting to see the various choices made. And they are all pretty short, so the night seems to fly by. We had two nights of performances, and I think that everyone did a great job--it was a pretty good evening of theater!

Here are a couple photos from shows I did--next post I'll get you some highlights of week two (and maybe week 3 the rate I'm going with blogging posts!):

From "Theodore Goodman" by Erin Mitchell (photos by Colin Lamar):

Photos from "The Note Left by the Man" by Dawson Moore (photos by Colin Lamar):

Ode to my father

2006-11-29T15:36:00.000-06:00

On my dad's special day, commemorating when he was born, I just wanted to take a second to reflect on the person that he is. Granted, my perception is tinted by my vision of him as a father, but I also think that over the years we have grown to appreciate each other for the individuals that we are. So however biased I may be...

My father is the type of person who has:

* Been to my aid, when I have screamed, in two leaps and a bound (when he was on the other side of the house).

* Inserted my name in a song that I loved that he would play and sing me to sleep with.

* Worked hard at his job and never had the phrase "good enough" in his vocabulary.

* Loved my mother in a way that makes me not want to settle for anything less.

* Known the wisdom of the one nut.

* Worn his hair long, played electric guitar in a rock band, and owned a Harley.

* Let me see him cry.

* Always been there for me, even when I know he's exhausted.

* Made people laugh and feel at ease in stressful situations.

* Taken his dogs on long walks, even when it's really cold.

* Created the Arkabarkoo.

* Made our family run around the car on long road trips.

* Been a good, kind, and just man.

* And apparently... taken Snowzilla in a fight:

I Love You!!!

Winter Holiday

2006-11-16T10:35:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a little time since I updated my blog... I've been a bit busy :)

We're heading into the final weekend of "Steel Magnolias." If you're in the area and wanted to see the show, this weekend is your last chance! I've really enjoyed the character of Shelby, so it will be a little sad putting the show to rest. Not to mention that the cast members are all wonderful people! I'm glad this show afforded me the chance to get to know them all.

Next week is Thanksgiving in the United States. It's my first Thanksgiving since moving to the Midwest, but fortunately I have some family in the area! My cousin Khadijih and her husband Gino live in Madison, Wisconsin, which is about a 4-hour car drive from here. Shelly and I are going to drive over Wednesday night after work, stay the night, and then spend Thanksgiving Day with Khadijih and Gino, along with Lua and Hadi (Gino's sister and brother-in-law, who I know a little bit from serving at the Baha'i World Center in Israel). Then we'll drive back that day, early in the evening so that Shelly can work on Friday. It's a bit of a whirlwind, but we're both really excited! We have family to go spend Thanksgiving with--I'm certainly thankful for that :)

I'm also gearing up for a trip to Alaska! It seems like I just can't stay away :) But it will be so great to spend time with family and friends, and the timing was perfect! I'm finishing a temp job in the middle of December, so I can just hold off on starting a new one until I get back! And it's perfect timing, because at the end of the year people have more time off work around the holidays, so I'll get some good quality visiting time in. I'm so excited to see my immediate family, but also my cousins (and cousin's children!) and friends. And, to those non-pet people out there, this might not make sense, but I'm sooooo excited to see my dogs! Living in an apartment, along with my crazy schedule, doesn't allow me to have a dog down here... but I love my dogs in Alaska! And I'm really excited to see my brother's bulldog too--he was just a puppy when I was last up. Here's a photo of the two of us when I was visiting this summer--who wouldn't be excited to see that face?

Come see "Steel Magnolias"

2006-11-02T12:25:00.000-06:00

Photo credits: Mark Jungmann

If you're in the area, come see "Steel Magnolias" out in Lakeville! We open tomorrow night, and Truvy's hair salon is the place to be!

Performances will be at the Lakeville Arts Center :

Nov. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18 ~ 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 12 & 19 ~ 2 p.m.

Tickets: $6 opening night, $12 adults / $9 students & seniors

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Arts Center at (952) 985-4640.

Happy Halloween!!!

2006-10-31T09:39:00.000-06:00

You can imagine a great picture inserted here from the costume party that I went to on Saturday night. I was Miss Alaska, and I got my photo taken with Borat, even before his movie comes out! But of course, I forgot to take the photo off of my camera, so that is not much help now. I'll be sure to add it to this post later on, but for now I wanted to say: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A bunch of my friends in Alaska are performing "The Mummy" today for school audiences during the day, and then some frightening performances in the evening. If you're in the Anchorage area, feel free to check it out! I just want to let them know how sad I am not to be able to see it, and I wish the whole cast a special scary final adieu to the production today.

Meanwhile, I think I'm going to dress up like Shelby in "Steel Magnolias" for my Halloween costume! We're in the final rehearsals before we open THIS FRIDAY! I've been remiss in my photo taking of rehearsals, but hopefully we'll have some promo shots or something soon that I'll be able to share.

***Here's the Halloween photo I promised--a day late, but so what?***

My morning routine

2006-10-27T22:34:00.000-05:00

Well, even though I work as a temp, I have pretty much worked for the same corporation the entire time that I've been temping in Minnesota. I love it, because it still gives me flexibility, but it also allows me to get into a daily routine.

Along the way temping, I've made lots of friends, and there is a core of us (that keeps growing because we're so cool!) that goes for coffee every morning. I'm not someone that requires caffeine in the morning, and I often even get decaf, but I love having something hot to drink. I also love the morning routine of seeing everyone!

So I decided to document it in pictures:

Here we are, walking through the skyway to the Carribou Coffee (it's great, many of the buildings in downtown are connected by skyways, so you don't even have to go outside--mighty handy in the winter!):

Here's our lovely coffee spot:

Here are the spectacular Elizabeth and Melissa, two of my closest friends:

Here's Elizabeth getting her coffee:

Here is the happy bunch with coffee in hand:

Thrilling, isn't it? I know it's not high drama, but it's something I do every morning. Heck, not all of us even get coffee every morning, but all of us go for the walk! It's what gets me through the morning!

Mmm... mmm... good :)

Yarn treasure hunt?

2006-10-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I actually went on a yarn treasure hunt a couple of weekends ago! My friend Sandra and I split it up over two days, since the shops were spread around the greater Twin Cities area... but let me explain :)

Basically, there were about 7 yarn shops that teamed together to have the first annual yarn treasure hunt. You had to go to each store to get your passport stamped, and once you had all of the stamps, you were entered in the grand prize drawing for $3,000 worth of knitting supplies! But not only were you getting your stamps, but each store had a clue that you had to solve. Once solved, you could then get a different charm in each place. It may not sound like it, but to anyone who loves knitting and/or crocheting, it was a great time! And the other cool part? Apart from the gas spent in driving to these places, it was free! And because I'm still fairly new, it afforded me a chance to see some different yarn places in the area. So I highly enjoyed it.

I meant to document our hunt through pictures, but I got lazy, so all I have is this one picture from the last yarn store we visited:

Snow?

2006-10-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we certainly didn't get dumped on like Buffalo, New York, but I was not a happy camper when we officially had snow in Saint Paul before Anchorage! What the heck?

Of course, it didn't stick, and now we've just been having some rain, but there will be more snow in our near future... I guess I just have to become resigned...

Weekend training

2006-10-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

Why hello! Rehearsals have started for Steel Magnolias, and it feels so good to get this show up on its feet! It's kind of funny though--the first scene I'm getting my hair done, so I practically sit the whole time (talk about tough blocking!). The group is fabulous, and I know that we'll probably part with tears at the end. So even though I end up being exhausted all the time (with work and then rehearsals), it's the satisfied kind of exhausted.

A couple of weeks back I attended a junior youth animator training (basically a course designed to be training for people who will end up working with Baha'i junior youth groups). It was the first weekend of a two weekend training, the next weekend to be October 20-22nd. There were actually quite a few of us, and some people drove quite a ways to be there. And it was great fun! I really enjoyed the course, and I'm looking forward to the second installment.

We, of course, took the requisite group photo, so I thought I would share!

Autumn in Minnesota

2006-10-06T07:39:00.000-05:00

Fall has been well under way here in Minnesota, and it is truly beautiful here. What’s great is that, although it has gotten cooler, we are still having some warm days where you can just have a light sweater and you’re fine. And the colors of the leaves! So pretty! Last weekend I had a chance to go outside of the cities to a Baha’i convention, and the building that the convention took place in was surrounded by incredible nature. We were able to go on a bit of a nature walk, and I saw my first snake in the wild! Granted, it was a teeny thing that wasn’t poisonous, but I was excited all the same.

Another thing that I was able to do recently was to go to the Sever’s Corn Maze. This is where they take a big field of corn and create a maze that from an aerial view has a picture! How cool is that? Here’s what this year’s maze looks like from above:

I went with my friend Elizabeth and her daughters (her daughter Emma is the one in overalls and a red shirt--one of the cutest kids ever!). They were meeting up with people who are part of her mommy club, so it was really fun to go with all these kids. Not only did they have the maze, but they also had a pit of corn that you could play in, as evidenced below:

They had a petting zoo (with a kangaroo!):

And a hay ride too!

It was a perfect day, and as soon as we walked in you could hear the Dixie jazz band playing and smell the wares that the vendors were selling. I absolutely loved this afternoon in the beautiful Fall of Minnesota!

Photos from Cannibal!

2006-10-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a little while, but some photos were just recently posted on the Mechanical Division's website, the theater company that I did "Cannibal! The Musical" with. I think they're pretty darn funny, so feel free to check them all out!

As you may have guessed from lack of updates to my blog, life has been a little crazy! But I hope to put up some posts about recent activities sometime soon!

She's left meh!

2006-09-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I just dropped Megan off at the airport--she's heading back up to Alaska! Oh, how I wanted to crawl into her suitcase (particularly this super swank one that she writes about on her own blog).

It kind of sucks that her last day here I had to be working. I timed out her trip to the airport on my lunch break, so at least we got a proper farewell. But of course I'm going to miss her! I had a great time with her sister Melanie as well (she had to leave this last Sunday). Thank goodness I have play rehearsals to look forward to, otherwise I would absolutely be dying.

So thank you Megan for visiting! I love you lots, and I can't wait for us to see each other again!

Muah! (that's me blowing a kiss in your general direction, which I think as I write this is the terminal where you're waiting to board your plane).

Cast in Steel Magnolias!

2006-09-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

Hooray! I just got a call from the director--I've been cast as Shelby in Steel Magnolias! For those of you familiar with the movie version, the character I'm playing was the part Julia Roberts performed.

I'm SUPER excited to do this role, and I'm so very happy to get cast again in Minnesota--it wasn't just a one-time fluke!

Rehearsals start in the beginning of October for about 4 weeks, opening in November. I must admit I was unsure with how I did at auditions. I felt like I was in my head the whole time and didn't connect emotionally. But I'm grateful the director saw something there, and I'm really excited to sink my teeth into this role! Also, the entire cast is women, which I've never done before, so that's something unique.

And the best part? This means I don't have to audition for a while :) I'm enjoying the bliss of being cast... eventually the reality of how much work this will be will sink in, but that's another type of joy :)

Ciao for now,
Lindsay

Nickel Creek in concert

2006-09-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

Megan, Melanie, and I went to see Nickel Creek in concert tonight at an outdoor music festival. I didn't take any photos of us, mostly because we were just too incredibly attractive all bundled up to see the show. I know the blogging world reading this just could not take it; it would have been too much for mortal man to handle.

It was actually quite chilly outside, but it was so worth it to go to the show. I just felt bad for them performing. I remember playing in fiddle contests at the State Fair in Alaska, and it always seemed to be rainy and cold on those days... my fingers would start to feel arthritic! They would get quite stiff. So it was to my amazement and respect that they played incredibly well--it was so much fun! It made it that much more fun to go with Megan and Melanie. This really was a blast. One highlight, besides hearing a bunch of their own incredible music, was a cover version of "Toxic" by Brittany Spears. Too funny, and actually quite good! If you've never heard Nickel Creek, then you absolutely must go and get one of their albums! ...at least one :)

Fun with the girls

2006-09-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

I took the day off from work today. Megan's sister Melanie arrived today, and she took an all night flight, so we wanted to have a very relaxed day. We ended up going for brunch at a neighborhood restaurant and then going for manicures and pedicures, as evidenced below:

We met up with Megan and Melanie's cousin for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Their cousin actually works there, so we got a sweet discount on our meal! We also rented the first disc of season 2 of Lost, so we're watching another episode before going to bed. So goodnight for now!

The Megan has landed

2006-09-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

My friend Megan from Alaska is here! She's visiting, and I'm thrilled! She just got in this afternoon, and I've already dragged her out to meet friends at Pasta Wednesday and out to get snacks for our candle party tomorrow night. After she flew all night :)

But it's so great to see her, and we're going to squeeze as much fun into the next couple weeks (around her trip to Wisconsin, that is).

Dramatic much?

2006-09-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

I was looking over the last post that I made... gosh, I can be a little dramatic :) My first inclination is to delete the post, because it doesn't reflect how I feel at the moment--but it's how I felt then, so I'm keeping it.

Almost immediately after writing that post I felt better. It seemed like I was wallowing a little, and that post got the feelings out--and I was ready to move on. It doesn't mean that I'm not sad I didn't get a callback when I think about it, but it's not the center of my thought anymore--I've moved on :)

Actually last night at "Cannibal" I met one of the girls who is still in the callback process for the show I auditioned for. I was envious of her, but I was also happy for her. In some ways this opened the wound a little more, but in other ways it just closed it to. I knew I wasn't right for the role, so that was that!

On a completely different subject... my friend Megan is coming to town for a visit!!! Woo hoo! I'm so excited for her to be here, and we're going to do some of the fun things that I haven't taken advantage of since moving--we're hopefully going to the amusement park Valleyfair, we'll go to the Renaissance Fair they have here, we'll do the requisite shopping in Mall of America, and we're going to see Nickel Creek in concert at an outdoor music festival! My dad tipped me off on Nickel Creek coming to town, and I absolutely love their music, so I'm super thrilled to watch them live!

It will also be great fun to introduce Megan to friends I have made here--the two worlds will be united, the rift will be closed. Each side will have a reference point for stories that I'm telling :) I'm really looking forward to her (and her sister!) being here!

Ciao for now,
Lindsay

When the going gets tough...

2006-08-29T13:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I've officially hit my "what the heck am I doing here?" part of my move :) It's that joyous time when I really start to ponder why I wanted to make my life more difficult.

I'm not writing this entry as a pity party for myself, but I just wanted to explore some of these feelings. I think they were launched by having two auditions this week that I didn't a callback or cast for. Boy that's rough, but it's also part of the lovely package of being an actor. What's interesting is that one audition I didn't really care about so it wasn't such a disappointment. The other, however, seemed like such a wonderful new play, and I was really holding out hope of being able to do it. So much of the character seemed to resonate with me. Even knowing full well that I didn't completely fit the part (the character was supposed to be at least 5'8", while I'm 5'6"), I still felt like I had a good audition. I hoped that it would be good enough to at least render a callback, where I would be able to see what the other prospects were and then understand if I didn't get cast. But alas, I live in the dark, because I don't know what my competition was.

This is the real world of acting, and I understand it's just part of the whole package, but I think it's particularly tough to take when I'm new. I have no idea if I just was plain awful or if there was someone on par with me that the director already knew. There are just so many different variables, but one major factor is being known. It just makes perfect sense that if you have the choice between two people of equal talent, then you're smart to go with the person you know, because you don't want to risk the unknown when you have the option of security. But at some point I hope that I can get a lucky break that helps me be known as the secure option, that makes me the person they choose.

But that takes time and patience, and at the moment I don't feel so patient. Don't get me wrong, this is not stopping me from doing what I came here to do. I'm still going to audition and audition, and more often than not I'll fail, but hopefully at some point I will start to be known--if for nothing else but as the girl that just keeps coming to auditions. And really, even auditioning helps me improve as an actor, so I'm not just wasting my time. But thank goodness I have solid relationships with my parents and friends, because each rejection is a blow to the self-esteem. Each no is a moment when you ask "am I just not good?". With prayer and people, I seem to sustain some semblance of normalcy :)

So again, this isn't a "feel sorry for Lindsay" entry. I'm putting myself in this position, and I'm very happy to be doing this. But I think it's interesting to explore this aspect of theater. For something that hardly pays monetarily, it still pays pretty high emotionally :)

My voiceover demo

2006-08-27T11:53:00.000-05:00

One of the things I have been wanting to work on is voiceover work. Back in March, while I was up in Alaska, my cousin Ian generously helped me out by letting me use his home studio equipment to record some samples of voiceover work. Then, the incredible Randy Johnson was able to take my recordings, choose the best ones, add music to them, and edit together a 90-second sampler which I now share with you.

A HUGE thanks goes to both Ian and Randy for helping me out with this. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them!

To listen to the demo, click here!

Dates for Pilgrimage!

2006-08-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

I've received dates to choose for my pilgrimage to Israel!

For those of you that don't know, Baha'is are able to apply for a 9-day pilgrimage where you have a chance to go to the Holy Land, visit places of significance in the Baha'i Faith, and pray in the Shrines. The wait list for going is quite long, and I've been on the list for quite some time (I think I applied in 2002, if my memory serves correctly). The dates I received range from October 2007 to March 2008, and I will send in my prioritized list in the near future.

Think about it: 9 days to focus on your spirituality. I was in Haifa for two-and-a-half years, and yet I was working. This is a chance for me to go on my pilgrimage. I was so thrilled to see the envelope in the mail.

To my friends in Haifa: While I'll of course be focusing on my pilgrimage activities, I would love to hear who may still be there when I come--it would be so wonderful to see friends again!

So my heart is very happy at the moment :)

Get on the bus!

2006-08-17T22:16:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow will mark my two-week anniversary of riding the bus to work :) I don't know what took me so long! I love riding the bus to work. I don't have to pay for parking, I'm not paying for gas, and there's less wear on my car. And I can't explain why, but I just really enjoy it. Perhaps it goes back to my childhood years, when our family had one car that my dad used at work, so my primary mode of transportation with my mom was by bus. Perhaps it's because it's a bit of a social thing--I'm out with the community on the bus (I don't really talk to people much, so I don't know how much this can count, but I still in a strange way feel a part of the community, if that makes sense). Perhaps it's because I feel like I'm doing my small part to helping the environment. Who knows?

All I know is that I like it. The bus lets me off just across the street from work, and I have a little bit of a walk between my house and the bus, but that builds in my daily walk, which I had neglected when I got busy. I also often bring my iPod, so my life has a backing track for part of the day. Okay, so it's only been two weeks :) And it's summer, so I haven't had to walk in the cold yet. So we'll see how things go. All I know is that for the present I'm perfectly happy with riding the bus :)

Cannibal photos!

2006-08-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple photos from the show that the fringe staff took (there are more on the fringe website from the Saturday evening slideshow).

The angle is not the most flattering, but it's the closest those of you who are afar will have to seeing the show!

The second photo is the "Hotchick Indian" Tribe :)

Bloglines is cool!

2006-08-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

I love blogs. I absolutely love reading other people's blogs--a lot of you are great bloggers! It's gotten to the point where so many people I know have blogs, that it's almost a chore to keep up with them.

But then my friend Krisia turned me on to this website, Bloglines, where you can create a list of blogs that you are subscribed to. Then, when you go to the site and look at your list, it shows which blogs have new entries and you can click on them from there--how cool is that? You don't have to check each site, and you don't have to check each feed--just go to your list! Maybe everyone is already doing this, and I'm just behind the curve :) But I think it's quite useful!

For those of you that prefer getting an email when I post to my blog, I'll still continue sending messages (you can sign up to the mailing list on the left). But if you go with some other way of knowing that I've posted, you can always unsubscribe :)

Ciao for now!

So inspiring!

2006-08-05T16:46:00.000-05:00

I recently read this story that was released in the Baha'i World News Service, and I was so inspired by it--this is a great example of people identifying a problem, and finding a way to address it in such a wonderful, systematic and simple way. I recommend reading the full article by clicking the link at the bottom to continue.
*****************************************************

Empowering Roma mothers to break the cycle of illiteracy

THE JASZSAG REGION, Hungary, 3 August 2006 (BWNS)

-- Before she started studying with the Mesed Project, Agi Racz was ashamed of the fact that she could not read -- and afraid to try to learn how.

"At first I had doubts, fears," said Ms. Racz, a mother of four and a member of the Roma ethnic minority.

But with the encouragement of the Mesed literacy project volunteers and other participants, she overcame her anxieties.

"I felt good with my friends, and it helped me to get over my feelings of shame," she said. "If someone couldn't read she got encouragement from the others. They said, 'Never mind, go on.' I realized that I can do it, that they won't laugh at me."

Ms. Racz is one of some 40 participants in the Mesed project, which was started by the Baha'i community of Hungary in 2003 with the goal of teaching reading and writing to disadvantaged Roma women.

Currently operating in eight towns and cities, the project is distinctive for its use of storytelling in the teaching of reading and writing. The word Mesed is an acronym for "Meselo Edes Anyak," which means "storytelling mothers."

The project aims to help Roma mothers to overcome their fears of reading by encouraging them to read and tell stories to their children -- thereby not only giving them encouragement in the path to literacy, but also to create a culture of reading at home -- and so help break the cycle of illiteracy between generations. ... FULL ARTICLE AND PICTURES

Thanks Alaskan Gang!

2006-08-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

So this beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived for me, much to my surprise, as a break-a-leg present from some of my friends in Alaska. It was such a nice thing to do, and it made me so happy--thank you very much!

Cannibal! The Musical opens tonight--yipee!

Ode to my parents

2006-08-02T07:19:00.000-05:00

Today is the anniversary of the first day my parents lived together in their married life (that's the pretty way of saying I missed posting on their actual anniversary yesterday!).

As my parents' wedding anniversary approached, I actually thought quite a lot about how wonderful their relationship is. They've been married for 32 years by my calculations (is that right?), and I was trying to figure out why they lasted and others didn't. Of course, there's no magical formula, and there are a million different factors, but the thing that came to mind was respect. My parents really respect each other and our family. I cannot recall a single time that they called each other names--they've argued, don't get me wrong, but as far as even calling each other stupid, I seriously can't even remember. So even when they were in conflict, they seemed to manage to keep a level of respect that I personally think is key to their marriage surviving.

Both me and my brother are out of the house now. As we left, they replaced each of us with dogs (seriously, it's a little scary how the timing matched up!), and now they're living it up! They just had a three week vacation (much deserved after no vacation last year), and do you know what they did? They went camping! Just the two of them! Well... and the dogs :) You definitely don't go camping together if you don't want to spend time together :)

So here is my ode to my parents. I love them deeply and am amazed by them daily. They love each other and our family very much. Here's to many more blissful (and as least challenging as possible) years of married life together!

Come see "Cannibal"!

2006-08-01T22:59:00.000-05:00

For those of you in the Twin Cities area, come see this crazy show! You'll have a great time, and laugh a lot. I'm still laughing at every rehearsal, it's just too funny :)

Here are the details for the show:

Two, I say TWO, different opportunities to see the show--during the Fringe Festival in Minneapolis, and in an extended run in Saint Paul!

During the Fringe:
Performed at Mixed Blood Theatre at 11:30pm
August 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12

In Saint Paul:
Performed at the Loading Dock Theatre
August 18 through September 3, 8:00pm Fridays and Saturdays, 7:00pm Sundays

So come if you can--you'll have a shpadoinkle time (if you don't know what that is, then you need to come see the show!).

-ciao!-

The Candle Conference

2006-08-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm in the final week of rehearsals for Cannibal, so it's coming down to the wire! I'll put a separate post with the details for seeing the show for those of you in the MN area, but I wanted to share some photos from my trip to St. Louis!

On the first day I got a chance to go up to the top of the famous arch. You go up in one of these small, Star Trek-like pods:

And here are some views from the top: The old capitol building, the Cardinals stadium, and the hotel I stayed in (notice the pool on top, which I DID swim in!).

And then here's my artistic shot :)

Here are some of my fellow Minnesotans after visiting the company store:

And here is a picture from the stadium and one of Pam and I on the last night:

What a fun time!

-Lindsay-

I'm back in Minnesota

2006-07-25T16:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I've certainly been remiss in my blogging duties! I'm back from the PartyLite conference in St. Louis, and I've jumped back into life here in the Twin Cities.

First of all, the conference was awesome! I learned tons of great stuff, got to meet some amazing people, and I got a lot of free products! How exciting is that? You should have seen the stadium of people when they were unveiling the new fall/winter catalog--they were showing us the new stuff, and then they would say, "and you're getting this for free"... the stadium would erupt into applause! I was right along with them! I'm so addicted to PartyLite :) I have a consultant website, which you can check out if you want :)

So now I'm back to work, and I've also started rehearsals for "Cannibal! The Musical". Sooooo much fun :) There's a crazy group of people doing it, and I love it. I'm so excited to be doing a show down here, I cannot even express it. It's a very short rehearsal period (we open Aug. 4), since most of the cast was part of the production that happened here in January. So a few of us have to catch up! But I'm not too worried, we have enough time :)

This is just a quick update, since I hadn't put anything on in a while :) I'll be sure to share some pictures from the PartyLite conference sometime soon.

Ciao for now,
Lindsay

It's a big arch!

2006-07-18T18:47:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I made it safe and sound to St. Louis, and I'm just about to leave my hotel room to explore a little, but I wanted to let everyone know that the drive was nice and smooth. We only ran into a little road construction, but even that was only reduced speeds of 45 mph, so we had a good time!

Obviously I have internet access here, so I'll be sure to try and put some updates throughout the week--it just depends on how worn out I am at the end of the day!

Bye for now,
Lindsay

Meet Me in St. Louis!

2006-07-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

I'm off to St. Louis in the morning for a PartyLite Candle conference. I've never been to St. Louis, and a group of us women from the Twin Cities are driving down together, so it should be a lot of fun! All of the consultants who have gone to conference before just rave about the experience, so I'm excited that I have the chance to go. I won free registration at one of my first regional trainings, so I've been looking forward to this for a while!

Of course, I'll try and take pictures and report in during the event. Hopefully I'll have internet access in my hotel :)

Of interesting note: Back in March when I went up to Alaska to do Pirate Tales, we sang a song called "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." One of my lines in the song was "and I've never buried treasure in St. Louis or St. Paul"... Now I'll be able to sing this line with absolute truth...unless I decide to bury treasure...hmm...

It's a shpadoinkle day!

2006-07-11T22:25:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I have officially been cast in my first play in Minnesota!!! I am so excited! I cannot express how excited I am! It just feels good to finally have some success :) I'm going to be performing in "Cannibal: the Musical" as part of the Fringe Festival that happens here in August, and we'll also have an extended run through part of September. The original is a movie that was Trey Parker's student film, and the movie is hilarious. I actually own a copy somewhere in storage :) It's a fun musical, and it will be great fun to do it--I have my first rehearsal on the 24th, so that's when I'll get to meet the whole cast. Hooray!

A funny episode

2006-07-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

Last week I was invited to join my friend Melissa at her place for a BBQ. What was funny, was that this BBQ originally was going to be quite small--I was the 6th, and I was already an additional add-on to the party, originally set at 3 :) But then things quickly started to happen...

While we were preparing the food, there was a ring of the doorbell. Melissa was in the middle of something, and me thinking that it might be another guest, I went out to answer the door. It turned out to be a salesman for a security company. They were offering her a special deal, so I went and got Melissa. It turned out that she had already been thinking about getting an alarm, so she decided to go ahead and take advantage of the special. Which left the rest of us to get ready for the BBQ while she went through all the details with the salesman.

At some point we were just about ready to eat, and she was was STILL talking to the salesman, so someone went out to tell her we were ready, but that we didn't have butter for the corn on the cob. Here's where it gets funny: the salesman was going to be waiting around for the technician to come and install stuff anyway, so he volunteered if we gave him money to go get butter for us! Too funny! And that's what he did!

Of course, when he returned, we invited him to join us in our meal. There were 6 of us, now there were 7. At some point this salesman got a call from another salesman in the neighborhood, who was running into some sketchy situations, so we invited him to join as well--party grows to 8. Pretty soon the technician comes, and we invite him to eat as well. And so there were 9. It's a good thing we had so much food!

It was a great BBQ, and we were laughing the whole way through. The group that was there was kind of a hodgepodge of people that Melissa knew anyway, so we were all getting to know each other. All in all, it was a very fun night--and Melissa got an alarm system out of it too! You can check out Melissa's blog for more pictures and her description of the night if you want... just too too funny :)

TBA Theatre Presents...

2006-07-04T12:32:00.000-05:00

During the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, there are various evening presentations. One night of one-acts was produced by TBA Theatre, Inc., and it was a night of plays by Alaskan playwrights that had been part of the play lab in previous years.

Now, remember, I surprised all my friends coming up to Alaska. One of the things that I knew I would be sacrificing was the possibility of performing with my friends at the conference, but I thought that even if I did tell them I was coming, it would still be too short a time to expect them to wait for me to come up in order to prepare something. So it was to my delight when I found out that one of the plays had a role yet to be filled, owing to someone not being able attend, and that they had not started rehearsals yet, owing to the fact that they were busy doing other productions! So I gladly stepped into one of the roles! Hurray! I got to have my cake and eat it too--surprise my friends AND perform at the conference! It was just icing on the cake that I was able to take part in the overnighters once I got down there as well. So great... :)

So I wanted to share some photos from the shows. I also wanted to give credit for the photos to Gen Hasagawa. He is at every single evening performance, taking photos while the show is going on (with no flash, of course!). He never gets to sit back and enjoy the show. And he captures a lot of stuff! So I'm very grateful that he does it!

I'm including a picture from each show of the night, and you can click on that photo to see all the photos from that show. The entire night was a lot of fun, and I'm really impressed with how people did. And of course, I need to give a special shout-out to Matt's cooler, who was the star of the evening :) Enjoy the photos!

In a Red Sea by Dawson Moore

Asparagus by Schatzie Schaeffers

Equal Opportunity by Andrew Day

Out to Sea by Nancy Lord

The Miraculous Resurrection of Humpty Dumpty by P. Shane Mitchell

Mid-Fair Feast

2006-07-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm playing catch-up on all the fun things that happened while I was in Alaska. My friend Dave Brown is a great photographer, and he documents all the events of the Renaissance Fair. He's got his own website with tons of pictures which you're more than welcome to check out, but I've included some of my favorites here :) There are actually pictures of the entire fair if you want to check them out. I'll be sure to put some of them on the blog later as well. Thanks Dave!

The Mid-Fair Feast is a fundraiser that happens the second Friday of the Fair, and people buy tickets for a meal and entertainment. As you may recall of you've read previous posts is that I surprised my friends by showing up right before this event. They proceeded to find some clothes for me to be in costume, and we went to the Feast and performed! It was great fun, and we were singing songs from "Pirate Tales", the show we did in March... which was appropriate, since it was a Pirate theme :) I had brought my violin, so I was even able to play while people were standing in line for their food. It's so funny to think that I had just showed up, and I was tossed right into the mix--I love it! Enjoy the pics (you can click on an image to see it larger)!

Back in the land of 10,000 lakes

2006-06-30T09:47:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm back in Minnesota! I got in last night, so I haven't even unpacked yet. But strangely it does feel like I'm home. I suppose I'm lucky, in that both places feel like home. But it's also hard to describe, because they are both so different. I absolutely love Alaska--it is the place my heart knows the best, and I just feel at home there. But I've carved out a Lindsay-sized piece of Minnesota too, and I'm happy to be back here. Thank goodness! It would be absolute torture otherwise.

It was great to see people back up in Alaska! Of course, the time went way too quickly, and I still feel like I didn't get to spend enough time with hardly anyone--but isn't that how it always is? But I got to do a bunch of theater stuff and hang out with my family (although not nearly enough).

The trip ended with a core of my friends taking me to the airport late at night and thoroughly embarrasing me with their antics while I went through the security line. But I love it :) They sang to me, including the final song from Beverly Hillbillies--"y'all come back now, yah hear?"--and apparently they stayed in that area for a little while after I was gone, because they had been commissioned to stay and sing a welcome song for someone coming into Anchorage :) Hilarious! As I was walking away from security, another passenger asked me if I was embarrased, and I said, "oh, I'm used to it... plus I love them very much". And the fame of it travelled all the way to Texas (that's right, I had to fly through Texas... but it was a mileage ticket, so I couldn't complain too much). I went into a restroom in Dallas, and some lady in line said "oh, you're the girl that they sang for--they had such pretty voices!". So hey guys, I think you should take your show on the road! Just travel from airport to airport, and charge $5.00 to sing a tune--call them "Airgrams" :)

So I still have entries to make about different activities in Anchorage, which I'll be catching up on over the next few days, but I wanted to say thanks to everyone in Alaska. I loved seeing my friends, and I loved being with my family--the coolest family ever! And I got to see my brother's puppy Winston! Too cute!

Meanwhile, I'm back, I'm going to take a shower, and then I'm going to tackle unpacking and all that entails... and possibly I'll see some of my friends here!

Bye for now!

Overnighters in Valdez

2006-06-28T02:25:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've explained it before, so allow me to introduce you to the concept of the Overnighters: they are fully realized short plays that are written, rehearsed, and performed all within 24 hours. It's truly amazing, and if you haven't been to something like this before, I highly recommend it if you ever have the chance. This year at the Last Frontier Theater Conference, the first night of performances were Overnighters (this term, by the way, is used for the Alaskan version of this; I think other similar type enterprises have had other names). So this is what happened: the night before, all of the actors, directors, and playwrights gathered in the theater, where the inspiration for each playwright for their piece was revealed. In this case, each playwright was given a cartoon slide that would be their inspiration. They had a chance to meet their cast, and then they were off! They had until 7:30 in the morning to write a play... talk about crazy! So at 8am the actors and directors came in, got into their rehearsal space, and started reading through the play that they would be performing that night... again... crazy!

But what a thrill as well! This was the third (thanks for the correction Shane!) chance that I had had for performing in the Overnighters, and I had a blast. My friend Shane was the playwright for our piece, which ended up being called "Naughty Friedrich Goes to Heaven". Basically, the gist of it was that Friedrich's soul in life had been so balanced, that it wasn't clear cut in which direction he would follow after death... so both an angel and a demon were sent in to battle over him... well, that's not a great synopsis, but that's a basic idea to base these photos off of.

Seriously, memorizing everything and going out there in less than 12 hours is a bit crazy... but it's thrilling too, and there's some special energy that happens at these things--you know that you're hanging by a wire, the audience knows what you've been through, and so when it all works out it is truly amazing. I loved the show we did--Shane did an amazing job writing this very funny, but very poignant piece... in less than 12 hours! Amazing. Anyway, I've added a few of my favorite pics here, but like before, I have a link to more by clicking here, if you care to take a look! Enjoy!

Trip to Valdez, Alaska

2006-06-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

Well, what a week in Valdez! I was pretty darn busy the whole time, so even though I thought about adding more entries to my blog, I never quite got fingers to keyboard. But it was so much fun!

For those who are not aware, there is a playwriting conference that happens in Valdez, Alaska, every year in June called the Last Frontier Theater Conference. In fact, this year was the 14th annual conference, which is just amazing. The conference has a play lab, where playwrights from all over the world can submit plays to be work-shopped at the conference. The playwrights who have a work selected are able to have a reading of their play at the conference, where there is a panel of experts and an audience that can give them feedback. It’s a great opportunity for playwrights to hear their work read out loud and to get some very good critiques of how their work plays out. It’s a chance to see if they are getting their desired effect from the audience and such. And also just to hear how dialog sounds coming out of an actor’s mouth.

So not only do they have playwrights there, but they need actors to read the plays—which is where I come in! Well, me and a bunch of other people :) I think this was my fourth time attending the conference, and I really love it. I always travel down with a group of friends, and we’re able to camp out in a classroom down at the college. And I get to hear all sorts of new plays and read in some as well. I’ve also had the pleasure of performing two years now at the conference. One of my very first postings to this blog had pictures from the shows I did at the conference last year, if you want to check those out. This year I got to perform in another evening of one-acts that TBA Theater brought down to the conference. They also did a set of overnighters, where plays are written, rehearsed, and performed, all within 24 hours that I performed in. It’s awesome, and I’ll have postings with pictures from both of those evenings separately from this.

Valdez, Alaska, is about a 6-hour drive from Anchorage, and it is one of the most beautiful drives you can make in the state. There are mountains galore, and you even go through a pass that still sometimes has snow, since the elevation is so high. I’m including some photos here of the drive, and if you want to see more, you can click here for a photo album of the rest of the shots I have from the drive. We caravanned with 5 cars, and we had a blast, as is usual :) Much of the trip is spent oohing and ahhing over sites along the way, including many a glacier, and the rest is spent being goofy and making each other laugh, as is supposed to happen on road trips. So enjoy the photos!

Pictures from the Renaissance Fair!

2006-06-19T01:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Tony Batres, I finally have some photos to share from the Renaissance Fair! I must admit, getting carried in a sedan chair is pretty darn awesome—I’m not going to lie!

I brought my violin, and I’m so glad I did! I played at the fundraiser dinner (which I’m still hoping to get some pictures of) and I also played with Everblue, our fair band that plays for peasant dancing. I hang out with fabulous, goofy people, as is clear from the pictures. After fair hours are fun too, as the guitars come out and dancing ensues. Enjoy the pics!

General update

2006-06-15T16:52:00.000-05:00

I've noticed a trend on people's blogs that when they're on vacation there are suddenly less entries on their blog... I guess I fit into that category :)

Sorry, no photos yet! I have friends that were professional photographers at the fair, but I haven't been able to get my mitts on any pictures yet, so when I see some, trust me, you'll see some!

But a general update: Things are going great! I've been able to see so many people, and I've been having a wonderful time. I leave for Valdez and the theater conference that happens down there tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to hearing some new plays and hanging out with my friends.

Last time I came up to Alaska for the play "Pirate Tales", I was immediately roped into doing some commercials, a photo shoot, and of course the play. So my friend Shane was joking the other day that I come back, and it's moments after I surprise them all and then I'm put in a costume to go perform, which I ended up playing violin during breaks as well, then I'm also immediately cast in one of the evening performances that is happening at the conference in Valdez, because a person had to drop. So I just jump right back into things! It's great! I'm trying to get my lines memorized, packing for the trip, going to rehearsals, and I've been doing a few PartyLite candle parties as well :) No wonder I'm sleepy...

Anyway, I just made a purchase of a digital camera yesterday, so I'm hoping that I can document the trip down to Valdez to be able to share with you. And hopefully sometime soon I'll have pictures of the fundraiser we performed at, and the Renaissance fair as well!

Bye for now!

Surprise! I'm in Alaska!

2006-06-10T12:56:00.001-05:00

That’s right folks, I’m in Alaska! I’ve actually had the trip planned for quite some time, but I decided it would be fun to surprise my friends up here, so I couldn’t even mention it on my blog! Do you know how much it killed me not to mention it on my blog? I wanted to shout it from the rooftops!

But the ruse paid off really well ☺ My friend Leif was the only person who actually knew that I was coming, so we conspired on the best way for me to surprise the crew. We had toyed with me walking into the Renaissance Fair in costume while the show in our court was going on and interrupting it, but while we both thought this would be great fun, we decided that this would be disruptive, and people would have to stay in character and everything, so it wouldn’t be as much fun.

Finally, circumstances made up the decision for us. There was a fundraiser dinner for the Fair on Friday night, in which it was a pirate theme, so they had asked the cast of “Pirate Tales”, the show I came back up to Alaska to do in March, to perform as one of the acts. Well… I knew all the songs already, and I was the only cast member missing… so I showed up at the theater when they were pulling all of the costumes ☺

The reveal went like this: Leif sent me a text message of where they all were gathered, and I was sitting in the car with my mom in a parking lot a ways off from the university building they were in. As soon as we got the message, we pulled over to the building, and I called them on my cell phone, which is the main way that I call them from Saint Paul, since I have free long distance. And I call them all the time, so it was not strange for me to be calling and talking to all of them.

Leif put me on speaker phone, and then we were all talking. Eventually I told them that I wanted them to sing one of the songs to me, since I missed it so much. So they started singing, and I proceeded to walk into the building and straight into the room where they were all crowded around the cell phone singing.

The reaction was sort of in a ripple, where the people on the far side of the circle facing me saw me first, and started to smile and get excited, and then the rest of them followed around to what they were looking at… and mad hugs ensued ☺

Being the awesome people that they are, they put together a costume for me (my old one fit in the world of our play, but I needed something more piratical for the evening). And we went off to the fundraiser to perform and have fun! I got to surprise more friends (Matt F. jumped the highest to my delight), and the evening was great! Now I have to go, since I have to finish getting ready for the Renaissance Fair that I’m participating in today and tomorrow.

Pictures will follow, I promise!

Congratulations are in order

2006-06-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems to be a very dramatic time of year, where lots of congratulations are in order! There have been graduations, births, and weddings galore! So I just wanted to take a moment to shout a "yahoo" for the following people, dreading the idea that I might miss someone (because, seriously, there has been a lot going on!). So here it goes:

Congratulations to my cousin James for graduating from high school! Seriously, I think you have finally been the person that has made me feel old, because I remember baby sitting you (don't worry James, that's as sappy as I'll get). James played varsity football his senior year, and I think he was the only one of us to actually play on a sports team in school--I know we all liked to go and cheer him on. He was named as someone to watch in the newspaper, which is pretty darn cool! So congratulations James on graduating!

We have another graduation in our midst--Raina, who is my cousin's cousin, but close enough! She graduated from high school up in Barrow, and from the pictures it looks like it was awesome! It has always been fun seeing Raina when they would come down to visit, and I always wanted to go up to Barrow to visit the family (I ALMOST made it up with work one time). She got a $1,000 scholarship, and she was also the class president. At graduation she got to lead the turning of the tassles. Yaaaaaay Raina!

And yet another graduation: Krista! Krista graduated from college, which is just great! She is quite the writer, and sometimes she posts some of her poems and such on her blog. She celebrated graduating from college by making a trip to New York, which you can see chronicled on her blog as well. I've known Krista since we were little kids, and I really loved sleepovers with her and her sister Kelsey--basically their home was a second home to me for a while! We always had a lot of fun! She's planning on moving back up to Alaska, so I'm super jealous that I'm not up there--but I'll be sure to see her on visits, so that's good. Congrats Krista, you definitely deserve it!

Okay, moving on to births: There is young Lucas, who was born on May 23rd to Andy and Zuzi. I'm so happy for you guys. Andy and Zuzi will be the best parents. I am in awe of Zuzi. She is somone who will be an organized and loving mom, and I think a wonderful example to her son of what a woman should be like. I actually know Andy better, as we worked together and have done some plays together as well. And now he's a daddy! It just makes me so happy, because Lucas is going to be so loved. And Andy, you better sing to him. I loved it when my dad sang to me.

One of my flatmates from Haifa just had a baby as well! Amelia, you'll have to correct me if I'm mistaken on spelling, but her name is Maleha, and she's absolutely gorgeous as well. Hmm... I see a little bit of matchmaking going on: Maleha, Lucas---Lucas, Maleha :) Both Amelia and Kaiwan are amazing people, and I'm sure that they will be amazing parents as well!

Now to weddings: Congratulations to Sjona and Jason! I worked with Sjona (pronounced "show-na") in Haifa, Israel, at the Baha'i World Centre. She grew up in Chile, but since leaving Israel she went to New Mexico for school. And there was Jason! I've never met Jason, only seeing him in pictures on Sjona's blog, but I know that he must be amazing. Sjona has a real love for life... with a little mischief thrown in. She also has a great laugh, and when people are around her, they are infected with her joy. I'm so happy that you've found a life partner Sjona!

My friend Redeit, who I met in Ethiopia, but had served at the Baha'i World Centre just before I was there, just recently got married as well. She looks absolutely gorgeous! I remember when we were visiting Ethiopia, she was in the midst of exams, and she amazed me with how she would study, pulling all nighters, and still have energy to do stuff during the day! I'm so happy for you Redeit! And Tigistu, you are one lucky man!

There have been lots of weddings in the recent past, that I just want to congratulate: Amir and Tahmina, Jarrett and Mutale, Arash and Bahareh, and I'm sure many, many more :)

Congratulations for their engagements go to Corinne and Kevin (no pic yet), Alisa and Chet, and Andre and Zhanna!

And two moms to be: Ailsa and Sieni!

Whew! I'm almost positive there are moments of greatness that have happened to people that I know, and I've totally spaced on mentioning them, but frankly I'm surprised I remembered this much :) I love you all and wish you the best!

An update: article in the New York Times about the situation of the Baha'is in Iran

2006-06-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

In a previous post I had mentioned that there were signs of the persecutions on Baha'is in Iran potentially getting worse. I wanted to present an article that appeared in the New York Times yesterday, which lays out how the situation is declining. It mentions towards the end that the US Congress is aiming to make a resolution to speak out against this, and if any American feels so moved, they can contact their representatives in Congress (www.congress.org) to encourage them to support this resolution.

While the article is long, please take the time to read it:

Iran's Bahai Religious Minority Says It Faces Raids and Arrests

June 1, 2006

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

The New York Times

Members of the Bahai religious minority in Iran said this week that the government had recently intensified a campaign of arrests, raids and propaganda that was aimed at eradicating their religion in Iran, the country of its birth.

On May 19, Iranian security officials arrested 54 Bahais in the city of Shiraz who were involved in a community service project, many of them in their teens and early 20's, said diplomatic officials and Bahai officials outside of Iran.

They were not charged and all but three were released within six days, these officials said.

It was the largest mass arrest of Bahais since the 1980's, when thousands of them were imprisoned and more than 200 were executed by the new Islamic government.

The developments have alarmed human rights monitors at the United Nations, who say that since December, the government newspaper in Tehran has published more than 30 articles denigrating the Bahai faith even accusing Bahais of sacrificing Muslim children on holy days. The arrests coincided with raids on six Bahai homes, in which notebooks, documents and computers were confiscated. More than 70 other Bahais have been arrested since January 2005 in smaller clusters, and some are still being held, the monitors said.

"We see a pattern emerging that is quite ominous," said Bani Dugal, who represents the Bahai International Community at the United Nations, where religious and some other groups have consultative status. "It's basically trying to create terror in the Bahai community, and also to win over the Iranian population to accept it."

Mohammad Mohammadi, press secretary for Iran's mission to the United Nations, said he had no information about arrests of Bahais and would not be able to respond until Monday because of an Iranian holiday this week.

The Bahais are the largest religious minority in Iran, with about 300,000 members there. There are five million worldwide. They believe that humanity is one race, that men and women are equal and that all religions and prophets are derived from the same source, God.

They have suffered successive waves of persecution in Iran since their faith was founded there in the mid-1800's by a Persian nobleman considered by the Bahais to be a messenger of God. That belief violates the Islamic teaching that God sent many prophets before Muhammad, but none afterward. The Bahai are discriminated against in some other Muslim countries, where they are far less numerous than in Iran.

Unlike Jews and Christians, who have seats in Iran's Parliament set aside for them as religious minorities, Bahais in Iran are considered "unprotected infidels," said Kit Bigelow, director for external affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States. Bahais are not permitted to attend college, work for the government or practice their faith openly.

She called the recent arrests "the latest step in the implementation of a strategy on the part of the Iranian government to eliminate the Bahai community."

Asma Jahangir, the United Nations special rapporteur who monitors freedom of religion for the Commission on Human Rights, announced in March that she had just learned about a confidential letter from the chairman of the command headquarters of Iran's armed forces instructing government agencies to identify all Bahais and monitor their activities.

Ms. Jahangir said the letter was sent on Oct. 29, 2005, on the orders of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ms. Jahangir said in a statement in March that she was concerned that "information gained as a result of such monitoring will be used as a basis for the increased persecution of, and discrimination against, members of the Bahai faith, in violation of international standards."

Mr. Mohammadi, the Iranian press secretary, said he could not confirm whether such a document existed.

Azedah Perry, a Bahai in North Carolina, said that among the 54 arrested in May were 3 of her nieces, ages 17, 18 and 21. She spoke by telephone with her nieces after their release, and said they told her they were interrogated during their six days in prison, but tried to keep their morale up by praying and singing. She said when they were arrested, they were volunteering in a community service project at several public schools. She said they were teaching underprivileged children English, science and mathematics not the Bahai faith and had permission letters from the local Islamic council in their pockets.

Last year, Mrs. Perry's brother-in-law in Shiraz was taken by armed Iranian guards from his home and held for six weeks in a prison in Tehran with several other Bahai men before being released, Mrs. Perry said.

"It's hard to live in such a situation," she said. "You don't know what will happen each day. The day they attacked my sister's house, she was in her bedroom and she saw guards with guns in her backyard."

The United States Congress is considering a resolution that would condemn the Iranian government for repressing Bahais and call on President Bush to make the abuse of Bahais a significant factor in United States foreign policy.

Representative Mark Steven Kirk, an Illinois Republican who co-sponsored the resolution with Representative Tom Lantos of California, said, "My fear is that if the regime leads the country into a confrontation with the West, it will be the cover for a great human rights crime, as happened before."

blush

2006-05-26T09:44:00.000-05:00

It's nice to finally have Saint Paul feeling like home. My aunt Shelly and I have made our apartment a wonderful place to be--I know I like hanging out there! And I'm starting to have friends that I totally feel I can call out of the blue to invite myself over or plan some outing. Probably two of my closest friends right now are Melissa and Elizabeth--some of my co-workers right now. Actually, my first temp job here was to fill in for Melissa's position while she moved to a different one, and then Elizabeth was the person who was hired full time for the position I was temping in. So we're all united from one desk :) Now we're in different parts of the building, but we still go and get coffee and muffins in the morning together and hang out for lunch and stuff.

Getting sappy? I can't help it, they're both awesome people! I should also mention some other awesome people that I love here: Brittany, Marjon, Suzanne, Adib and Berglind, Bassim, Everett, Celeste, Erin, Shaghayegh, Heidi, Fran... the list just goes on! And I'm sure I haven't even mentioned everyone.

So I'm grateful, being the social person that I am, that I have amazing people to hang out with. Melissa has just started her own blog, and she surprised me with an entry about me--so all humiltiy aside, I'm linking you to Moving Melissa to check it out :)

Oh, and all you guys in Alaska--I'm way jealous that I'm missing out on Lost night. I love you guys way too much for one heart to handle!

The newest member of our family

2006-05-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to Winston.

My brother, Colin, just last week got this little tyke (who apparently is all teeth!). I'm pretty in awe of my brother getting a dog--puppies are a lot of work, but he seems to be doing very well. He did a lot of research into the breed (English Bulldog), and he got to know some breeders in Anchorage. I'm so happy for him! The rest of the pictures are of Winston meeting another non-human member of our family :)

Getting active!

2006-05-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

Well, today was "ride your bike to work" day, but I don't actually own a bike. But my friend Melissa happens to have an extra one :) So she invited me to ride to work with her this morning! She was able to convince me to wake up extra early on a Friday by promising to make me a smoothie... it was delicious!

So I kind of defeated the point of not driving today by driving to her house. But I did it in the right spirit! We had a great time going to work. It's only about 3 miles, which actually goes pretty fast when you're on a bike. And it was pretty much all downhill... which means the ride home is going to be really fun :) But it's nice to do something active, and Melissa is infectious with her bike riding. She is going to be riding in the MS150 in the beginning of June, where she'll bike 150 miles in two days (yikes!). If there's anyone out there that wants to help sponsor her to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research, you can click here. Melissa also just started a blog where she'll highlight a lot of her activites, and I'm sure she'll put an entry about her MS150 ride... she's one active lady, and I'm grateful when she's willing to slow down enough to drag me along :)

In downtown Saint Paul (where I'm currently working) there was an event in a nearby park where there were various booths for people that ride bikes and such. I even got to practice putting a bike on the public bus rack, something that I've never done before. It would certainly make me feel comfortable doing it in the future. And there were free items and breakfast, so it was a lot of fun.

Of course, maybe I'll have to adjust this entry once I've tried riding uphill back to Melissa's home :) I'll post a picture of the two of us later as well... once I'm home and can get the picture off the camera!

Added after: Well, I obviously made it home! But MAN was that ride more difficult on the way home :) There was only once when I had to get off my bike and walk, but this was towards the end, after I had made it up the biggest hill... so I was okay with that. It was nice getting out and active, especially after sitting at a desk all day. Thanks again Melissa!

I love you mom!

2006-05-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

Well, all over the US mothers are being honored today, and I would just like to say how much I absolutely adore my mother. It's great that many people in the world would disagree with me (in favor of their own mothers), but my mom is the best mom in the WORLD!

I love you with all my heart :)

Well it looked extremely rocky for the mudville nine that day...

2006-05-13T16:55:00.000-05:00

Maybe it was rocky for the Mudville Nine when they played on that fateful day told about in "Casey at the Bat", but our jaunt to the Metrodome proved for the Twins to be a slamming day for them! They took the White Socks for a spin, ending at 10-1. And boy was it fun :)

This was my first baseball game here and only my second professional ballgame ever, so I was super excited about the whole thing. The perk was that I got the tickets for free! The place I'm temping at right now had about 30 guests from Brazil in this week, and part of their MN experience was seeing the Twins play. But they had extra tickets, so some of us lowly ones lucked out and got them! And not only did we get to see the game for free, but they gave us food vouchers which were more than enough to pay for the pricey game food. So I was having a grand ol' time.

The whole evening was a fun adventure. I had yet to take the train in Minneapolis, but the train has a stop just outside of the Metrodome. So rather than worry about parking, my coworker Elizabeth, her husband, daughter and I took the bus to the airport and took the train to the game. The whole day at work I was looking forward to the whole experience... seriously, I was kind of laughing at how giddy I was for the adventure. So we rode back as well, and the great thing was that the train was filled (and I mean filled) with people from the game--and all in a good mood since we had won.

Tickets to a Twins game: free
Food for the game: free
Transportation to the game: $3.50
Doing the wave and singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"?: Priceless

Oh, and I even got a "Ciao Bella" from one of the Brazillians as we got up to leave--how cool is that? Somehow so much cooler than "See ya beautiful"...

Anyway, here are some pics from the game:

This picture is for Matt I., who should appreciate who this is...
I didn't know he was the prize pitcher for the Twins until
someone told me--so I took a picture!

This was still pre-game, but I kind of forgot to take photos
once the game actually started :)

My friend Elizabeth and her daughter Emma (who is
SO absolutely adorable!)

Take me out to the ballgame!

2006-05-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

I'm going to see the Twins and the White Socks play on Friday night! I've only been to one other professional game (I saw the Rangers and Blue Jays in Texas when I was about 15 or 16), so I'm super excited! I'm definitely taking some pictures, which I'll share later. But the best part? Shelly and I get to go for free! I got some tickets from work because they weren't being used, so we get to benefit :)

I'm hunkering for some peanuts and cracker jacks :)

No news is bad news

2006-05-01T19:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems I did not get cast in "War of the Worlds". If I was cast then I was supposed to hear back at some point yesterday, but alas I did not hear from them :)

Ah well, like I said before, it still felt great to have a good audition. I'm hoping at some point I will look back at all of this and smile--"oh, those were the years that I suffered*... but it was all worth it for what I am doing now!"

So the auditions continue!

*added note: "suffered" is used in that overly dramatic, "I'm ready for my close-up Mr. Demille", not taking oneself too seriously way... just in case someone reads it differently, I'm just being my typical dramatic self :)

What a weekend!

2006-04-30T18:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I can definitely feel like I had a full weekend!

It started on Friday night, when I went to Baha'i Feast, which is a Baha'i meeting that happens once a month for the community (one Baha'i month = 19 days, so it's once every 19 days). The Baha'i community here in Saint Paul is very nice here, and having people that I got to know right away when I moved here really helped, so I always enjoy going to Baha'i events.

Saturday was a Baha'i Holy day, so I was able to go to a commemoration for the 9th day of Ridvan, where I even shared a little violin music. Then last night Shelly and I went and saw the Guthrie's production of "Hamlet". I'm really glad that we got to go see it, particularly because this is the very last production that the Guthrie is doing in their old space. This summer they will be moving to their new location. The Guthrie's first production was "Hamlet" in 1963, so it seemed very fitting for it to be the last show that do in their old space. I really enjoyed the production, and this was the first play that I've seen here, so quite frankly it was just really nice seeing a play! I'm hoping that the new theater is good, because I really liked this old theater. It's a thrust stage, and there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. So I'll report once I've seen something in the new space to compare :)

This morning I went to Baha'i school and helped out in the preschool class. They are so cute, so it was a lot of fun to go play with them. Afterwards I went to a Baha'i Ruhi study course, and after that we went to watch a performance of Mozart's Requiem. A friend of mine was singing in the chorus, so that's how I even heard about it. It was performed in a huge Catholic church, so the acoustics were just great. I had never heard it live, so that was great!

So now I'm home, and not looking forward to going to work tomorrow (mostly just waking up early). But I can say that I had a good weekend, that's for sure!