Thanksgiving - An Ode to Carbs

Let me preface this by saying that Thanksgiving is about much more than just the food so before you accuse of me of being overly shallow, please note that this blog focuses merely on the meal.

Thanksgiving dinner is probably the most decadent meal I eat all year and I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to discover what it was that I loved about it so much. A lot of people love the turkey or the cranberry sauce or a favorite pie. Many have mentioned the famed "green bean casserole" which to me is still a mystery. I don't think I've ever had it and I think I prefer it that way. But what I love most about Thanksgiving dinner is the massive amounts of carbs: the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, and my aunt's amazing dinner rolls. The turkey and vegetables are merely there to add balance and a splash of color to the heaping piles of starches. Let's face it, I have a reverse sort of Atkins diet going on.

But the truly great thing about Thanksgiving at my house is that dessert constitutes its own meal. We usually have dinner around two in the afternoon so that our evening meal consists entirely of a delicious variety of baked goods. My mom and I spent a week creating the extravangaza of sugar that blessed our table yesterday evening. I think I had three helpings this year. It was glorious. I wish life could always be that grand. (Those that know me know I have a habit of having dessert for dinner on probably a weekly basis, but I feel less ashamed of it on Thanksgiving.)

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that your dessert course was bountiful!

No Offense Tchaicovsky

I have to say it's pretty hilarious that most of the closest people in my life have been conditioned to fly into full-fledged panic anytime a note from the Nutcracker Suite touches their ears. The score, though beautiful, has been known to throw me into fits of rage, especially the Sugar Plum variation or the Waltz of the Flowers. My boss has it on his ipod and even when it comes on when he's at home alone, he leaps over furniture to quickly change it to another song.

There was a time in my life, when I considered Tchaicovsky's masterpiece magical. It was an exciting time of year for me. It signaled new dance opportunities and the beginning of the holiday season which I had been anticipating since January 1st. (I know I'm a dork.) Nutcracker auditions were usually in September and it was always thrilling to find out what new part I would get to play that year. The years I got to play Clara were pivotal for me and I enjoyed the experience immensely. Hearing those lovely notes would transport me to another world. One that I longed to share with audiences in a new way each and every year. That was in high school. For eleven Nutcrackers, I saw my dancing grow and mature as I was given bigger and better parts. My senior year I played the Sugar Plum Fairy. From there, there was no where to go but down.

Fast forward a few years. Around Nutcrackers thirteen and fourteen I started to play the same parts over and over again: Dewdrop, Merlitons, Snow, Petals. It never changed. Around Nutcracker fifteen I started to crack. Sixteen was met with bitterness and a sense of obligation. During Nutcracker seventeen, I sold my soul for the money. I wanted to be anywhere but in rehearsal. My friends were celebrating and shopping while I spent countless hours in a studio or theatre. I even had a show on Christmas Eve. I hated it with every fiber of my being. I was miserable, sleep deprived and extremely short tempered. My boss even threatened to fire me if I ever did another Nutcracker. But I had a car loan to pay off. And so I danced...joylessly and with a depressing lack of the wonder and inspiration that I used to live for.

I'm happy to say that as of today, the only times I have heard the Nutcracker score this calendar year were the few moments that my boss was daring enough to play it on purpose just to spite me. Rest assured, he was assaulted with highlighters within seconds of it's recognition.

I wish I could say I missed it, but I really don't. I do miss my friends and the crazy things we would do in between shows or during long rehearsals but I am so relieved to actually be able to celebrate the holidays.

Maybe I will miss it next year.

Or the year after. We'll play it by ear.

Witnessing Catastrophe

It's been quite a weekend. I went to work Friday morning with plans for only Friday evening. The rest of the weekend was entirely clear to do whatever I wished. I had considered plenty of options but was relishing in the fact that I was almost completely uncommited to anything.

And then the first disaster struck. A very good friend of mine went to the emergency room with a recurrence of appendicitis. I hadn't heard much when I left work that afternoon so I went home to work out and half way through I got a call that he was waiting to be transferred and I was needed to help get his car home. I jumped off the treadmill, got a ride to the hospital, got his car from the valet, drove it to his house, got a ride back home, changed, drove to the performing arts center and was walking in to see the ballet that night in less than an hour and a half. That has to be some kind of girl record. When I got out of the ballet, he was still waiting for surgery so I went home and passed out.

Saturday morning I woke up with plans to visit him as he was recovering in the hospital. Funnily enough, they transferred him to the very same hospital where I had my appendix removed many years ago. I was sitting at the kitchen table eating my toast when the phone rang. I never pick up the house phone so I continued eating and poking around on the internet. The answer machine picked up and then I heard my sister's voice. She was being evacuated. Her housing community was on fire and her, her husband and the kids were in a Coco's parking lot waiting to see the fate that would befall their home.

OMG!

I called her back. They were ok but definitely on edge. I kept it brief, offered them the house if they needed somewhere to go and let her get back to helping her neighbors. Then I realized that my elderly grandmother lives alone just on the other side of the freeway from her. I called my sister back but no answer. I called my grandma and thankfully she picked up. After several minutes of yelling into the phone to establish both who I was and what was happening to my sister I realized that she had no idea that less than a mile from her there were homes catching on fire. Apparently there was no threat to her neighborhood though so she let me know that my sister was welcome at her house and continued to chat a little longer. Anxious about my sister's fate, I tried to excuse myself and hung up the phone.

I sat paralyzed for a few minutes not knowing what to do. Do I go out there and help? Are the freeways even open? Do I go to the hospital? I checked the internet. The Corona fire wasn't being reported online or on TV yet. I called a good friend of mine for advice. After talking to him I decided to call my other sister. She assured me that they all were fine and that there was nothing I could do at the moment.

I got dressed and was about to leave the house for the hospital when I got a call from my aunt. She was in Corona as well. The RV park she was staying at was evacuated and she was staying in the area to help my sister or my grandma if need be. I felt considerably better at this point. Both of my parents were out of town so I did my best to keep them informed. In the process my dad learned to text message. I was so proud.

I got to the hospital and my friend was doing well. I spent the afternoon and early evening there just hanging out. I left for a short while to get some lunch and it was a little chaotic out there - smoke everywhere, the freeways packed. I decided the hospital was a much better place to spend the day.

By the end of the evening, my friend was sleepy but recovering and it looked like he would be released the following day. Several phone calls and text messages later it looked like my sister was still safe and her house still standing although they did lose a few trees in their backyard. Amazing!! A few of her neighbors lost their homes completely. It was so surreal.

So here I am on Sunday evening realizing that despite the calamity that struck all those around me, I still didn't really do anything this weekend (aside from finishing the third Harry Potter). It's so hard to hear of the strife your friends and family are facing and not be able to do anything tangible for them. But I am so grateful that they are all back home, feeling better than when they left it and that they have homes to go to. Considering the circumstances, it wasn't a bad end to a weekend.

Thank God the Chickens Are Free

I have to say I’m pretty bummed out by a lot of the outcomes of this election. In general, I’m supportive of the idea of democracy. That we all get a say in what happens to us and the nation we live in is a powerful thing. That we shape the environment for future generations is a humbling and awesome responsibility.

But I begin to wonder, how many people take that responsibility seriously? When candidates are placing ads in video games and on myspace and dazzling us with a killer smile and polished orations, I have to ask: Are we making our decisions based on subliminal messages and spin-doctored responses? Do we buy into charm and eloquence or real content and value? It’s hard to tell anymore.

I had a hard time getting to the bottom of a lot of issues this election. I feel like we’re so rarely fed the truth anymore that it’s nearly impossible to make informed decisions. Or the truth that we are given is presented in such disguised packaging that we don’t know what we have when we have it. I felt that the only responsible thing to do in regards to several ballot measures was to abstain from voting. I do my best to research the issues, discover a candidates character and understand the long term impact of propositions, but there were a few where I felt it was impossible to tell.

Do my fellow Americans approach their ballots with the same integrity? I’m sure many of them do. But I come from a very apathetic generation. A generation that had higher voter turnout this election than any other. I wonder what time they put into researching the issues? Or did they make their decisions with only their own self-interest in mind based on the text messages they received, myspace bulletins and whatever adds popped up between episodes of Gossip Girl and The Hills? If they are, then democracy can be a very frightening thing. I fear that all of us run the risk of being lambs led to the slaughter if we don’t take the weight of our one vote seriously and put some real mental effort behind it. I guess time will tell.

I realize the alternatives to democracy could be much worse so I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining. I would rather live here, under this government than almost anywhere else. But it’s an imperfect system and the reality of that bums me out at times. Of all the propositions Californians had to vote on, they seemed to care about prop 2 the most. We’re building a train we can’t afford and teenagers can continue to get abortions without the guidance of the adults that care about their well-being most but thank God the chickens are free!

Halloween Movie Survival Guide

This is actually an old one from my myspace page but I thought I would revisit it here. I haven't been as disciplined in my movie viewing this year but there's still time. Even though October is gone, Halloween still lives on.

1. Always be in the company of someone bigger, stronger and handier with weapons than you are. Self-reliance is overrated.

2. Pay attention to your pets. Animals always know when something is up.

3. Stop babysitting. Children are rarely targets of mass murderers. They'd be better off on their own.

4. If you're concerned about a friend, call the police. Never attempt to investigate a potential murder yourself. Trust me, your private investigating skills are not as strong as you think.

5. Check the backseat of your car before getting in. Thoroughly.

6. NEVER assume someone is dead unless there's a tag on their toe and rigormortis has set in. Even then, continue to keep your distance.

7. Learn how to fashion weapons out of everyday objects: knitting needles, wire hangers, keys, fireplace pokers. You get the picture.

8. Women, get this through your head - stalking is not charming.

9. Always, always, always make sure you have your keys before leaving the house.

10. Whatever happens, run. Don't look back. Just flee! Seriously.