something random on a Thursday evening...

I have gorgeous friends. And they're brilliant and witty and absolutely adorable, not just hot. But hot too. I mean come on, look at her. Anyone who notices the tiny silver bands I wear on my left third and right fourth finger, they're my 'wedding/best friend' rings with Jackie, and I am proud to tell the world about it. It's a small thing and most people don't even notice them b/c they're so tiny, but they're always a reminder to me that no matter what the $*%^ state I end up working in next, Jack is always with me. And she's the one person on the planet who always knows, every single day, the exact state where I can be found. And that's pretty awesome.

Love you, Jackie. Happy Thursday. And happy first date tonight with the one who seems most promising. :)

This is also your reminder that now would be a good time to reschedule your skybus flight once and for all. You've got several months to still make it here. Turns out this city's kind of fantastic.

Counterpoint: You know what I love?

Cincinnati. It's true. I freaking love it. No matter how many natives ask me if I'm feeling well or what's wrong with me when I tell them I do, I still do. I love the food, I love the parks, I love the independent movie theatres, I love the live music, I love my place, I love the folks I've met here, I love my church...I love it.

So I am happy to announce that I get to stay here for 3 months more than previously expected. This means 3 more months of One World Wednesdays (which we WILL attend from here on out), 3 more months of Longworth's karaoke, 3 more months of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, The Bonbonerie, The Esquire, Dewey's Pizza, Busken, Eden Park, Mount Adams, my beloved Cincinnati friends, Jenny's wedding, Reds games (yes I will actually go now, I promise), TJ's beer adventures, I *think* Emily and Kevin's wedding, The Melon w/ Lauren, What's for Dinner w/ Lauren, Findlay Market, walking all over w/ Louis, live music in Clifton, Northside, and Newport, aaaaannd I get to go to whatever that music festival is in the summer....the stacks or something...whatever. I'm going. And if I'm not tied into being somewhere 7 days a week, I can travel home, DC, and you know...Orlando if I feel like defending this thesis.

And job options are already around...Liz and I are trying to think of a show we could do this summer at the Know. Greg, our drummer @ Knox (my church), plays gigs with combos that play weddings/cocktail parties/etc where I could be a jazz singer again for a while. Mike, who leads the church music group, is going to fish around in the Knox network and see who can take me on just for the summer in a day job capacity. And there's always the fun idea of working somewhere that I love (see aforementioned Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Bonbonerie) where I could not have to stress too much, and get a discount on the fantastic food. :) Plus there are a couple of babysitting leads I just haven't had a chance to really follow up on, the more I post on Craigslist about dog-walking and pet/housesitting the more responses I get, and I keep getting more and more promotions through different companies I've made contact with, so I'm not worried.

And if I've learned anything from this "pinning my hopes on one thing" deal, it's that I need to keep my options open. I do make a mean egg sandwich, and it's tough to say no to a big pair of blue eyes.

Point: You know what I hate?

Being strung along by a company, hearing that they really love your work and want to work with you, that they will be in touch soon with specific casting, but then only to find out a few days after the date they promised to call that you do not, in fact, have a job for the summer, no matter how much you wanted to work there/made great (ridiculous) effort to put together a wealth of material for the company/turned down/stopped pursuing other summer opportunities....yeah.

So it seems Margaret-Ellen Jeffreys, actor, will go on hiatus for a couple of months this summer.

Which means I have to find a real job.

So far I have been offered positions as "personal assistant" for my friend Ryan at his summer stock in Indiana ($20/week to to laundry, Liz is on cooking detail), and "housewife" to a lawyer in Lima, OH (his demands include egg sandwiches every morning). I think it's time to bust out the want ads.

I can't stop watching this

I watched literally 15 different versions of this song on youtube today. This is by far my favorite.

Also please watch the Alison Crowe one. Gorgeous. I want the music in her key so I can sing it myself. Just in my apartment...to Louis or whatever.

Love you, Jack. Always makes me think of you. :)

Hike and Bake on a Snow Day

So today was a "Level Three Snow Emergency" here in Cincinnati. This means you're not allowed to drive on the streets, and you can be arrested if you do, unless you have clearance. Bert only decided at the last minute to cancel rehearsal. There was no way I was going to make it up that hill to Mount Adams, I had told him the only way I could come would be if someone could come get me. I think 5 of 6 of us said that, so he finally caved. The whole city is shut down, Goldstein, do you really think that Little Medea takes priority?

So I finally got out of bed this morning (OK, afternoon...technically I got up and got back into my bed several times but I was awake for good since 8:30, there was just a lot of time sitting in my bed watching news and movies with my laptop in my lap), and decided I was going to make a cake. Hadn't done it in a while, it was time. I found what looked like a great recipe...committed the ingredients to memory, wrapped myself up and headed out into the great white drifts.

There is something truly delightful about walking in really deep snow in waterproof boots. I felt like I was about to fall down the entire mile up the street, and I couldn't help but laugh the whole time. It reminded me of middle school ski trips and those couple of blizzards we had in Greensboro when Angie and I were little. Loved it.

I must say, my friends who hang out on the streets surrounding the Sketchy Kroger 24 hours a day made an impressive showing for the severity of the weather today. They're even more reliable than the US Postal Service; nothing stops them. In fact, they were even friendlier than usual. Several more than ever before took it upon themselves to speak to me...one even asked if I wanted a ride in his truck (I politely declined). Then I was walking behind one dude when I had almost reached Kroger, and I think he heard me directly behind him, thought I was someone else, and he turned around really quickly, thrusted his head at me with a menacing look. Then he saw that the person following him was not another tough guy on the street but, rather, a tiny red abominable snow-white-woman. He laughed and apologized.

I got back to the apartment, and made the cake. I admit it was not what I expected. I always like to try making new things...it was a pretty basic chocolate cake with pudding in it, but the recipe asked for two 3.5 oz packages of pudding mix, I used 1 and 2/3 3 oz. packages b/c that was what I had the milk for, and in the end, there was WAY too much pudding. The end result was sort of a baked pudding...spongy texture, kind of like the cake part of the Lava Cake at Sweet Tomatoes, but not even as good as that. And it's really dark brown, and just not pretty...how can I put it? Now I understand the confusion at Lauren's roommate Melissa's school: that smear on the boys' bathroom wall...it could be something truly terrible, or it might just be chocolate. (No one will get close enough to conduct the necessary inspection.)

Ah well, only about $5.00 of my Kroger gift card spent, and the adventure was worth it. Oh--TJ and I took a couple of pictures of the snow (see aforementioned reference to red abominable snow-woman).

At least the roads are clearing up; hopefully I can venture out in a vehicle tonight (there have been whisperings of cheese fries and Blue Moon at TGI Fridays in Hyde Park) or at least tomorrow morning. They're gonna be in trouble if I can't get to Knox for the 9:15 service tomorrow; the song I'm singing 3/4 of as a solo may sound a little spare. Maybe I'll just leave at 7AM and walk.

It's actually been kind of nice sitting around in my PJ pants all day, and the snow is really beautiful to watch out the windows. I thought earlier about making a Snow-bama with the dark snow outside the front of our building, but I was afraid of offending several neighbors.

This is actually from days ago...

...but it was important to post.
And maybe it will kick-start me into blogging regularly again.

ME: So, I got rejected from the Ultimate Fighting Champion poster-girl promotion* up in Columbus this weekend.
(*note to readers: the specs asked for "young hot girls with great bodies," and 'talent' was asked to provide their own fishnet stockings and tall black high-heeled boots, miniskirts and cut-off tank tops would be provided. I'd never respect myself in the morning, but it was 11 hours @ $28/hour.)
Lauren: oh yeah?
ME: Yeah, not hot enough. Story of my life.
Lauren: No, actually I prayed you wouldn't get it. It was Jesus.

And even more appropriate to my personal Valentine's Day...

Josh Ritter sings Springsteen's "The River."

...and I'll be in the Super 8 in Wheeling, West Virginia, working on my thesis and waiting to hear from theatre companies. sigh.