sleep no more + I need a doctor (cover).
in Performance, there are pictures here, Thoughts and Feelings, video
as bonsai trees, doctor, homeless person, inch heels, kind, kind of observation, leather shop, new friend, party, person, publicist, purse, radio program, recording, shop, someone, sooooooooo, today, tom larsen, wayne tucker
Last night, I played Sleep No More’s Storytelling post party here in NYC.
And it looked like this:
(that’s Wayne Tucker, Biet Simkin, me, and Tom Larsen, from left to right–they are incredible musicians; such a privilege to collaborate with them)
I also met with my publicist today. Yes, this means I have a publicist, which is quite new for me. She took one look at my safety pinned-together purse and was quite taken a back. “We need to correct this situation,” she said. “You cannot just walk around looking like…”
“…a homeless person?” I supplied.
She nodded and I made a mental note to drop my purse off at the leather shop this weekend while I am recording.
I wore three inch heels last night. This makes me 5’11. “You are sooooooooo tall,” said someone in the audience as I walked by them. What’s interesting about that kind of statement is that it’s hard to know how to respond, exactly. You can’t say ‘thank you,’ because it isn’t a compliment. You can’t say ‘so are you,’ because it’s generally a short person who makes that kind of observation. You could say that you are not so tall when compared to most trees, but that would start a conversation that you might not want to have. Plus, there are always bonsai trees–and they totally trump your argument.
I usually just end up agreeing and then trying to move the conversation on.
Oh, and here is a video someone took of us covering ‘I Need a Doctor’ from last night at Sleep No More, if you care to watch.
And that, my friends, concludes this blog post.
I am meeting a new friend who’s visiting from Britain tomorrow morning. We met because she interviewed me for a radio program, and now we’re hanging out. The internet is a crazy and wonderful place sometimes.
patience and safety pins.
in Funny Stuff, I Lift My Eyes Up, Thoughts and Feelings
as apartment, armor, bathroom, buste, c est la vie, gist, green jeans, knight, knight in shining armor, new friend, pair, personal assistant, prospective clients, purse, replacement, safety pin, safety pins, sun, today
My zipper totally busted today. While I was out. Well, I was actually in. In the bathroom of a new friend’s apartment. And I was taking an extraordinarily long time in said bathroom. Because I kept trying to zip. up. my. fly.
So finally I just walked out of the bathroom and explained the situation to her. Though, seeing my fly open probably gave her the gist of it before I opened my mouth.
Enter: safety pin.
Have I mentioned that safety pins are basically my knight in shining armor? They are right now responsible for holding together: my purse, a pair of boots, and now my bright green jeans.
Who needs a personal assistant when you have safety pins?
“The good news is that a replacement zipper costs $10,” my friend told me.
And the bad news is that I’m out for the day and my zipper is busted and a safety pin is reflecting the sun from my crotch, I thought.
Oh well, C’est la vie, right?
I took pilates today with a teacher I’d never had before. And I happened to be waiting for the elevator with her before the class. And she kept hemming and hawing over the length of time it took for the elevator to get down to us. And then she got all frustrated over the fact that it was 6:30 on the dot and the instructor who was presently teaching in the studio had not yet finished. And then she got all mad at the lady giving a tour to prospective clients because she interrupted the pilates class (once it was well underway) by touring it briefly. All this to say: no matter how good the class was, I would have been less than impressed.
Because we are in a world that involves other people.
And they use the elevator, too. And they teach classes, too. And they have to do their job and give tours, too. And I think if we realize this (and if I realize this, because I sometimes get frustrated with the elevator and forget that maybe Suzie on the tenth floor needs it a little bit more than me right now. Maybe she’s got to go to the bathroom. Maybe she has a busted fly and–horror of horrors!–NO SAFETY PIN!) –well, if we realize this, then we start to practice patience. And when we start to practice patience, then all the good parts of life become much more accessible. Not that they weren’t there before in droves–but now we notice them. And, honestly, whether the good parts are there or not doesn’t matter as much, I think, as whether or not we notice them.
So, here’s to practicing patience. And realizing that we share the elevator with a whole building full of people who lead VERY! IMPORTANT! LIVES! too.
And, just to bring it round full circle, here’s to safety pins. Because they sure help when my fly has decided not to.
Better? I don’t know; but it sure is good.
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as arbitrary nature, brand spankin, caffeinated soda, chopping vegetables, first names, miracles, new friend, peanut butter, rehearsal, singing songs
I am full of soup and songs and conversations that reach all the way from my heart to another’s. I am, in a word: full. I don’t quite know how to put it, really, but one thing that has astounded me this past year is the proven ability of the heart to expand and grow [...]
the week in pictures.
in Loved Ones, there are pictures here, Thoughts and Feelings
as bob, Buoyant, few words, friend kevin, friend nick, friendships, gift, girl, half, heart, Jess, life, little apple, lucky girl, mittens, new friend, nothing, puppy, sign, something, Speaking, tonight, water, year
And a few words, too, I guess. Today, I marveled at life. I’m feeling all whole and full inside lately. Buoyant, even. Like a little apple that continues to happily bob along in the water. It’s really good. Life is really good. And lately, I’ve been feeling it. “Nothing cataclysmically amazing has happened,” I told [...]
stream of consciousness.
in Thoughts and Feelings
as cheese, dreadlocks, eyelashes, girl, good times, hipster, Honest, kind, life, makeup remover, new friend, orthodontist, phone, smell, stream, stream of consciousness, suitable answer, time, toasted bread, type
Jenna is eating some delicious smelling toasted bread and cheese. The smell fills the whole room. And suddenly my life lacks one thing, and one thing only: Toasted bread and cheese. My friend called me tonight, and I cried a little on the phone. “You’re not gonna cry, are you?” he asked, sounding a little [...]
when you end on a major chord.
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as chord, Christian, dead man, Don, drew, g chord, gentle reminder, great mysteries, life, Major. Cause, Nathan, new friend, something, song, time
Last night I locked my keys inside my car. As if I needed a gentle reminder that life sometimes just sucks. And it’s in those moments when it’s so clear what’s missing here. My husband. I don’t even like to say the word, actually. I’ve made one new friend since this whole mess just about [...]
it’s not all good, but some of it is even better than good
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Thoughts and Feelings
as everybody, first performance, God, grandaddy, life, microphones, new friend, story, time, way, wedding day
I guess that’s what blogs are really about anyway, huh? Stories, I mean. Sharing yours, specifically. And I would go so far as to say that everybody wants to be known in some way. And no, I don’t mean being famous. I mean everybody wants to have someone else glimpse into their soul and be [...]
