Bloggity-blog

Hello fam! Long-overdue blog... sorry for the radio silence! Not because I'm jam-packed with awesome... rather because life here is rather monotonous unless you distill 1.5 months into concentrated Elly life.

ANYWHOO!!!! Life is good here in Superior. It's still mostly work-sleep-work-sleep, but we occasionally have some fun. =)

For example, on October 22nd, my work sponsored a volunteer day for all the employees. I personally volunteered at a place called Zuma's Rescue Ranch in Littleton. It's a very inspirational and awesome ranch that started out as a for-profit horse ranch. Sometime several years ago, the couple that owned it was going to sell it, but as they were in the process of getting ready to do so, a friend of theirs called them up and told them that if they didn't step in, seven perfectly good horses were going to slaughter that day.

Thus began the rescue ranch... they rescued neglected and abused horses, horses that would otherwise have gone to slaughter, and became a boarding house for people who couldn't keep their own horses for whatever reason. For a while they were doing this out of their own savings. Then, a close foster-mother friend of Jodi, the woman who, with her husband Paul, founded Zuma's, called her up and asked if she could bring her foster kids up to the ranch to spend time with the horses. Then, Zuma's became interested in the therapeutic influences of horses on troubled kids who had been neglected, abused, or forgotten by the system. They're currently working on making equine therapy a "legitimate" therapy so that it can be covered by insurance and they can open their doors to as many kids as need them. It's apparently a very effective therapy; that it teaches kids to relate and attach to other beings. The therapists can see more about the kid's true state of mind when they interact with the horses than they can through one-on-one verbal therapy, and there have been many reported cases of kids who work with horses having vast improvements in communication, self-control, and compassion in a short time.

If you can't tell, I was pretty moved by the organization and their mission, and I wish I had more time to volunteer there. I think they're doing great things.

Anyway, then on October 24, we had a huge Halloween party over at the community center! We rented out the big room, the breakfast room, and the movie theater--for free, since I'm an employee. It was pretty awesome, but not as epic as last year's party. *sigh* There will never again be a party that epic.

Halloween itself was awesome. We ran out of candy because we had a whole bunch of trick-or-treaters (which was all my fault! I did that), and then we went to Westminster for an insanely fun haunted house, where I made a complete fool of myself and learned, to my chagrin, that if I was confronted with zombies or chainsaw murderers I'd probably be the first one killed. Here I thought I'd be able to keep my cool. But no.

Then, as ma said, that next Monday, my infusion went immeasurably smoothly, and we had such a nice visit, I was very sad when it ended. =(

Unfortunately, since then, this week has been very long. Not for any particular reason, just ... blah. I don't want to work this week. But what can you do? Not much...

Okay so I'm gonna try to blog more often! Take care, mah peeps!

Hither and Yon

Hi Fambly....I'm on short time again. Last post caused me to miss the earlier bus to DIA. Actually watched it pull away...nnooooo....jumped on the next one still with lotsa time to spare, so no prob. I was leaving Superior after a great week-end.
"The goils" are flying in to DGO shortly. We'll leave from the airport for Sante Fe.
I've thrown together a suitcase full of costumes (which can double as my day clothes)...hairpieces,mardi gras beads, scarves, slips and make-up. That should about cover it. Susan's bringing camera equip. Boo has the hazy-shades of a script and her generous wit! My lap top will enable us to Skype-Chat...so, don't hesitate to jump into the production! Back to DGO Thrs. They leave Early Fri (the 13th!!).
Meanwhile Dad's in Denver (mtg), Superior (fun w/B&E), Co Springs (football w/McLachlan &Noah),Denver (fun w/N&CC), Superior (more fun), then Reno on Monday. I'm pretty sure that's followed by a return to Durango :)late Fri. night. Dad & 'the goils" are missing each other entirely, bummer.
OK, gotta pack & go pick 'em up. Good luck w/Caveman, Code. Noah and CC here for
Thanksgiving. Then Elly treatment, followed by N&C graduation, Caveman shows Nov-Dec, smash bam into Christmas!! Phew, I'm exhausted. And Excited!!LoveLoveLOVELoveloveLUVxoxo

From Superior, CO

Hi all--gorgeous day today. I'm flying back to DGO in a short while. Bus to the airport. As I've learned along the way by hanging w/yous guys, using mass transit does eat up a bit more of your time, but I like the not driving/parking etc. Plus it's an adventure!
This has been a great, if too short, trip. Flying vs making that trek across the state was a treat for a change. Elly, Branden and I (& 4 legged friends) threw together a stroganoff dinner on Sunday. Noah, CiCi and WaWa joined us. For the record, I later WON a par-the-cheese game without crying first.
Best case scenario yet for E's infusion. Not only one poke each for blood draw and IV insert, but much less palpating,proding,heming&hawing in general. We spent our extra free time at the gym later on. She is an amazing trooper. I would have to take to my bed with the vapors for several days of recuperation.
Oh, so much coming up and time is flying!! Speaking of which---I gotta run. more later. Loving All of You Madly, your mom xoxoxoxoxoxo

Grand Forks, ND

Forgot my camera all day. . . bummer

So, to the best of my reccolection, this is my first time ever in North Dakota. As I've been led to believe, our states are united (save two), and I've been to a great number of them, and now I get to check one more off the list.

Tonight was great. The past several months (and perhaps, the immediate future) have been a great challenge. The sheer size of the Los Angeles market is terrifying. I always have the feeling that success (as currently defined) is always around the corner, but I always feel like I'm on the wrong block. It's mind taffy. A mind-fuck, if you will. Being an actor was never such a job . . .

Anyhoo. Standing Ovation here in Grand Forks, ND. About half an hour from the Canadian border, and across the river from Minnesota. Tonight reminded me that not only do people need to be entertained, but I can be one of the many to entertain them.

I thought that it might be too late in the season, but lo and behold, I was able to witness some of the beautiful foliage in the Red River Basin on a letterboxing adventure today before the show (ended up being a 10-mile walk!), and had some great conversations with locals to boot.

It's strange, this life . . . all last week (between the Chicago trip and yesteray-leaving for this show), I had auditions . . . trying to prove to folks that I had what it takes to sell something or BE something or whatever, and then a night like tonight where seven hundred people stand up and applaud what I'm doing . . . it's just a nice reminder.

Anyhoo, it's late here. Just wanted to put this out. Love you all, and talk to you soon!

Chicago

Well, I still love Chicago . . . Let's see now . . .

Weds, 10/7 Flew LA-Chicago early. Beautiful sunny day. I bopped around downtown in the loop for a bit, just taking the city in-ogling the new buildings, etc. In the early afternoon, I met up with Dustin and Uncle Ken for a beer before heading over to meet Wyatt. Wow. Those babies are awesome. Wyatt is made out of muscle . . . every time I held him, I felt like we were wrestling, and he was sort of winning. O is awesome as well-talking up a storm! Ah, babies.

Thurs, 10/8 Woke up as O & W went off to wiggle worms with their grandma. I spent a couple hours in the morning relaxing at K&D's pad before heading uptown to meet up with Troy and his new puppy. While we were hanging out, Tanya got in to town, and we met up a Clarks-the first of many gastro-intestinal trips down memory lane. After lunch, T and I headed up to Rick and Cory's place to unpack. With Cory teaching 4th Grade, and Rick in his final year of Grad school, it's amazing to see the paths everyone has taken in life.

Fri, 10/9 Woke up and made the trip out to Ohare to meet Marie. The plan was to head straight from the airport to the Marathon Expo, but a fire at one of the train platforms pushed our plans back a few hours. We still made it down to the Expo, which was pretty cool. I had a few pounds of bite sized energy bars, energy jellybeans, energy drinks, etc. By the time we left, I was buzzing. On to Leona's for more delicious food.

Sat, 10/10 Allie (Cory's sister) arrived early in the morning, and we picked up Cynthia (Tanya's mom) shortly thereafter. We had a 4pm pasta party for the runners, combined with a "support group meeting". That was great. Lots of old war stories.

Sun, 10/11 Marathon Day. We made it down to our first spot (4mile marker) first thing in the morning and it was COLD! It was cool to see the pros pass . . . one of the Kenyans set a Chicago record! From 4, it was a short walk over to the 10 mile marker, then a quick train trip to 12. We missed Tanya at 12, but Dustin and Olivia were there to cheer! From 12, we trained down to Chinatown around mile 20, where it finally started to warm up. From 20, we headed to the meet-up section at the end. It was Epic. After a while, we gathered up our 4 runners and seven supporters and wound our way back north.

Mon, 10/12 Recovery Day. Ally went back to Ohare early, and we drove Cynthia to Midway shortly after. Spent the rest of the day in and out of consciousness while watching the first season of "Dexter". Caught the Broncos on MNF. Nice.

Tue, 10/13 Met up with Troy and Family for a late breakfast and then headed downtown to see the sights. Man I love Chicago. We checked out the new Trump building, wandered around Millennium park, and picked up some Garrett's. T and I had dinner with the Cousins, and got some good playtime in with O and Wyatt.

Wed, 10/14 T left for the airport around 4am and I had a pretty relaxing morning hanging out with Rick until around noon, when I headed off to Ohare. No excitement on the flight home . . . just the way I like it!

All told, it was a great week. Busy, but a load of fun. I always miss Chicago, but with winter setting in, I'm surely not going to miss the cold. I got a bit of a cold when I got home, but I've been hitting the auditions pretty hard . . . don't want to miss a step! Love you all, and talk to you soon!

Bodiless Bob and Beyond!

Hello . . .

Well, last Thursday through Sunday I spent a good majority of my time inside a refrigerator. Quite literally. The project: Bodiless Bob . . . a student film from Chapman University in which two roommates deal with the head living inside of their freezer. It was a strange script, but a very fun shoot. The hours were long, but the set was filled with fun folks.

On Monday, T and I got to see our dubious friend Jason Knauff in his performance as Baron Vegan VanHamburger with the Handsome Little Devils (google them for more!). They've been touring with the "Tour de Fat" with their vaudeville show, and though we only saw a smidge of it, it was a good time. Los Angeles can feel a bit isolating at times, so it's always nice to see a familiar face! Jason hung out with us Tuesday, and I did my best as a host to show him the best of Los Angeles . . . highlights including doing my laundry and packing for Chicago . . .

. . . where I woke up this morning! Got in Yesterday, and after watching the end of the Rockies game with D and Uncle Ken, I got to play with Olivia and Wyatt all afternoon. I don't know how they do it. By the time they went to bed (around 8?) I had seen them for 6 hours, and felt like I'd been run over by a truck! Currently, they're off at "wiggle worms" with their grandmother (Ken and Jo in town until Friday), and I'm playing with their toys.

The marathon frenzy will no doubt begin kicking up tonight as the old crew starts to gather! More to come soon!

Love you!

Fun Pet Adventure

Hey there Fambly! Lots of fun adventures are happening everywhere--Mom and Pops are painting the house and then OFF to Utica, Noah and Cici are emmigrating, and Cody's auditioning non-stop. I myself have the world's smallest adventures.

On Saturday we had an event for pet owners, a "pet parade" with a pet/owner look-alike contest and other such nonsense. A photographer came to take official portraits of pets and their owners. I was working, but my co-worker Laurie was super-nice and allowed me to run out for about an hour to get my picture taken with the kitties.

Branden and I carried Squish and Tayler over to the community center. As soon as we started heading down the stairs into the quagmire of dogs, they started up the yowl machines, but were otherwise very well-behaved. They were the only cats in attendance and a whole bunch of people came up and petted the crap out of them, which confused them a little bit ("What? I'm trying to be upset over here but this feels sooooo gooooood"), and then the photographer's room was large and free from any other animals, so they were able to prowl around a little bit and get their bearings. We had several pictures taken, and the cats were surprisingly cooperative, and then we took them home--and even they seemed sort of exhilerated by the experience. They both went outside, hung out in the living room, and snuggled with us that night, so they seemed to not have any lingering anger (which they usually express by hiding under beds and glaring at us).

Anyway, here are the pictures we had taken, and I think they turned out very well:
The Pictures
Username: horizons
Password: myportraits

Then, on Sunday, Branden and I went to Elitch's, then spontaneously caught a movie. After that, we went over to Joe and Sarah's to roleplay. Fun times were had by all.

Monday, I got a haircut, and it's super-cute. Branden picked up some new shoes on Pearl, and we took a walk around down there. The rest of the day was very relaxing and good, with reading, movies, video games.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten out to work out at all since last Monday. I actually made that decision, but I'm getting back on the horse tomorrow morning. My joints are getting all squeaky.

Okay, love you guys!