Lesson of the Day

Don't watch Apocolypse Now before going to sleep and expect to be able to sleep well. It won't happen and you'll feel like you should skip work and sleep all day.

Quote

"Unique is unique. There is no very unique or extremely unique. There is only one. There has never been another Jodi Beck and there never will be again. That is unique."

Thanks, Uncle Joe.

Actually Heard This

On the #6 train heading uptown yesterday afternoon, I overheard this conversation.

Man in his 20's (with a valley girl accent): Yeah, I don't know who I'm gonna vote for yet. I'm just gonna vote for the one who's gonna win.

Asian-American Man in his 20's: I know, and it's really down to Hillary and Obama. Either one would be fine, they really are the same.

Man in his 20's (still with a valley girl accent): Yeah, I'm gonna vote for the one who's going to win.

I am still in shock! Problem one with the conversation: How could anyone possibly know who is going to win before the votes are counted. This is a huge problem with the media coverage this time out. They have been touting the inevitability of certain candidates and people actually believe it. Polls are the worst invention ever! And can anyone tell me if they have ever actually been polled during any political campaign this year or ever? Problem two with the conversation: Last I heard the only people who have dropped out of the race so far are Stephen Colbert and Tommy Thompson. People need to believe that their vote is what counts, not what the pundits say. Problem three with the conversation: Hillary and Barack are not the same. In the grand scheme of things of course they fall closer to each other on the spectrum of politics than say Kucinich and Gulliani, but they are not the same.
I am still undecided and I am not endorsing anyone with this message.
I am Jodi Beck and I approve this message.

Difficult Week

I realized that I hadn't written in almost a week. It was one of those weeks that I'm glad to put behind me and to direct myself forward toward the moments ahead. I was afraid this week that I'm not in the right place. You know that feeling that no matter what you are doing you are somehow behind. The puzzle wasn't coming together. It became that type of fear that almost cripples you. I'm not used to that type of fear. I normally face my fears head on. My fears are normally of the type that push me into action. This week my fears had me wishing I had stayed in bed. I will not have a week like that again. The things I need to focus on in the coming weeks:
1. Meet with Richard to go over Ross Reports
2. Write a cover letter for agents
3. Send out mailing with my new, fabulous headshots!
4. Work with Doug to figure out a cabaret
5. Find a second job (I babysat last night and I absolutely loved it!)
6. Find a reasonable health insurance plan
7. Take stuff to Goodwill- I'm tired of looking at it in the foyer (Yes, I said foyer- I have one of those in my fabulous apartment!)
8. Get a Christmas tree
9. Meet with new voice teacher for more music
10. Become more aware of my bad habits (nervousness brings them out, but it is also the time that I am the most unaware of them) and conquer them!

Unsilent Night

How cool is this? Phil Kline an Akron, Ohio native (yep, good, creative people come from Akron- Ohio, it's the heart of it all, you know!) who has lived in NYC for quite some time came up with a concept of Unsilent Night. I read about it on Charissa's blog, and went to find out more information. Anyway, on December 15, 2007 thousands of people will descend on Washington Square Park carrying their boom boxes with them. When they arrive they will pick up their reserved copy of a cassette (yes, I said cassette) and when Phil Kline directs them to do so they will press play at the same time and a symphony will burst forth. Sound cool? I thought so. I emailed to reserve my cassette. Now I'm off to check to make sure my tape deck still works and how many batteries will be required.

Erin and Janet Yoho

I've been thinking about these two people a lot lately. I think that it's because I just had my 30th birthday, something that won't happen for Erin until next August. Anyway, they were a big part of my life for a long time and they just aren't anymore. My sister separated all the pictures my mom had of all of us kids and so many of them include Erin. My brother John asked me what happened and I told them all through tears how I lost my best friend. I know its a long shot considering not very many people read my blog, but I want to say "Erin and Janet, I've been thinking of you both lately and I hope that you are well and happy. You were important people in my life and I will always have a place in my heart for you."

Autumn!

It is December 1st, but there are still 20 days left until the winter solstice. The leaves left the limbs of the trees later than usual this year, but it gave me the chance to remember why this is my favorite time of year. When we were kids we each had a rake. The backyard was full of trees and we would have to rake up the many colored leaves that had fallen from their branches. We would groan and complain, but it would always be a great day. It would be cold outside, but we would work up such a sweat that we wouldn't wear our coats. The pile of leaves would get bigger and bigger throughout the day and when we were finished, with blisters on the insides of our thumbs, we would leap into the leaves and roll around in them! That was so much fun! Sometimes we would arrange the leaves in a sort of maze, too. I was reminded of this when I was walking home the other day. I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. In fact, I seek the sound out. You have to pick a leaf that is wrinkled and dry. It looks like crumpled paper that has been rained on and then dried by the sun. Those leaves make the right sound. It sounds like the crackle of a fire in the fireplace. I found myself running after this sort of leaf just knowing it would sound as perfect as I imagined.