I'm in a play! Again!

Come see Pippi Longstocking, presented by the Civic Arts Stage Co. and playing at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton.

Why? Because I'm in it!

When? To see me on stage, get tickets for these dates/times:

Saturday, March 2, 7:30 pm

Sunday, March 3, 2:00 pm

Friday, March 8, 7:30 pm

Saturday, March 9, 2:00 pm

Tickets are available at firehousearts.org or the box office on 4444 Railroad Ave, Pleasanton.

What about mid-week school shows (i.e., Field Trip!)? I'll be on stage:

Thursday, March 7, 9:30 am

Thursday, March 7, 11:00 am

Contact Michelle Russo at mrusso@cityofpleasantonca.gov or call 925-931-4847 for more information about these shows.

And if these times don’t work for you, don't worry! There are other shows. Just go to firehousearts.org and pick a different date.

Hope to see you at the theatre!

The M.A.C. Consultation

Several weeks ago, I went to the M.A.C. store to get the real lowdown on the Nude Lip. It was something I wanted to try, but I had trouble finding the right shade that would work on me. Turns out what I had gotten from Target two days earlier is very similar to what was tested and purchased from M.A.C.

As she was ringing me up, the salesperson asked if I would be interested in coming back for an appointment with a make-up artist. Sure. With nude lips, the eyes are the focal point, so I figured I could learn how to make it all come together.

My appointment was today. As I approached the M.A.C. store, I heard loud music coming from the Center Stage of the mall. (Center Stage: where Santa & the Easter Bunny reside during their respective seasons.) I think the song was American Bandstand – or was it The Twist? No matter. The M.A.C. store had taken over. There were swing dancers and a kissing booth and make-up artists galore.

Uhhh…my consultation is in the store, right? Not in the midst of this loud hullabaloo? Away from all these people?

Wrong.

Because I had an appointment, I was moved to the front of the line and given the next available slot. My eyes were applied; I saw each step as it was put on. She even did a Smoky Eye, which may be more trouble than it's worth. But it looks a'ight.

My eyes, my eyes! Er, My eyelids, my eyelids!

Of course I bought the shadow palette(Veronica).

And some blush (Betty). (It's so hard for me to find a blush for the natural look. Yes, I'm aware some of you consider natural looking make-up to be an oxymoron.)

I'll be rocking the new look on the opening night of Pleasanton Civic Arts' Pippi Longstocking, Friday, March 1, 7:30pm at the Firehouse Arts Center.

(That's right. Shameless plug. My opening night's March 2^nd at 7:30pm. I'll also be onstage 3/3 (2pm), 3/8 (7:30pm) and 3/9 (2pm). Tickets are available at http://www.firehousearts.org/events/events-list.)

I might even try for a smoky eye.

Unemployment Weekend 1

Applied for a job.

It took roughly an hour and a half.

It's a temp position, which is what I want. Nothing permanent; nothing with the hint of permanence, or the expectation of permanence.

The company uses the Taleo system, so there's almost no chance my resume will get through.

For while I tailored the cover letter to include many of the key words of the job ad, I don't think I sufficiently changed my resume.

I should've taken three hours.

That's why job placement is now, more than ever, via friends and acquaintances. Resumes and cover letters must be modified to include key words that get you through as many system filters as possible. People who've work at the company for years probably can't get their resumes through the system. So if you know someone on the inside, you might be able to get an interview.

But because I don't have a specific field in mind, I have to modify every resume and cover letter I use in an application. It's not that I don't use the keywords as a guide, or even in my resume, but…I'm not used to writing for a machine. I'm not used to writing in a specific (and frankly, unknown) style just to prove I'm worthy of consideration.

It's disheartening.

Unemployment Day 1

The Temp Agency Interview

First, a video. Then a quiz on the video. Then a mountain of paperwork requiring signature, social security number, or both. I should order my free credit report.

Finally, the face to face with the account executive.

The Where Do See Yourself in 5 Years question didn't come up. Because it's a temp agency. More specifically, an agency specializing in temp-to-hire and direct hire positions, with a few temp assignments every now and again. For someone making a career change (and for someone with little experience in other fields) the agency might not be very helpful. Their clients are interested in candidates with experience.

Of course, the What Are You Looking For question was asked. Because it's a temp agency. And they need to know. And like the Where Do You See Yourself question, I don't know. I can make stabs. I can throw out possibilities. But I have no passion or driving desire for a particular vocation. Frankly, I'm not sure I ever did. I've been told this is normal, but

It sure doesn't feel that way.

I was sent a series of assessments, which I took at home. There were five tests – MS Excel, MS Word, MS Outlook, MS PowerPoint, and MS Access. I scored only 77% on the Excel test – the program I had used the most at work – followed by 80% on Word and Outlook, 93% on PowerPoint, and 90% on Access.

That's right. I scored the highest on what I used the least and the lowest on what I used the most. Plus I should've scored in the 90's for all the assessments except maybe Access. (The learning curve from Access 2003 to Access 2007 is steep. It seems I know less than before.)

So that was demoralizing.

On the plus side, the account exec gave me tips on how to improve my resume for marketing purposes. Turns out they need descriptions of what I did at the previous jobs. The summary of my leadership abilities is…uninformative.

Unemployment Day 7

The thing is, I've been going to the library. They've got Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, see, and, well…it's hard to job hunt when you're catching up on wonderful literature.

[I also read some Edgar Rice Burroughs (did you know he was American? I had no clue until I was looking at stamps one day. Thank you US Postal Service.), The Hound of the Baskervilles, the play Peter Pan; and I'm about to start MacBeth. (I'm quite behind on my Shakespeare. I've read none of the Kings except Lear, and only…well, more of the comedies than I had thought: Midsummer's, As You Like It, Taming of the Shrew, that one with Denzel and Keanu, when Ken & Em were married…Yea, I still have much to catch up on.)]

Now, my local library has all of main Sandmans (there are 10) except for A Game of You. And I'm trying to read them in order. So this past weekend I searched the Alameda and Contra Costa county library catalogs and found the book. In Fremont, Hercules, and Walnut Creek.

I wasn't going to go, but I don't want to buy the books yet, and I do want to read them in order, so

After breakfast and a shower, I headed out to the Walnut Creek library. The last time I saw the place it was the size of a double wide portable.

As Captain Von Trapp said, "That was very very very long time ago!"

I missed the turn for the library parking lot. So I turned at the next major intersection and then took the next right (which happened to be parking for the park next to the library and

Ended up about a minute's walk to a library entrance.

The place is gorgeous. There is artwork on the walls, hanging from the ceiling. The children's area is bright and red. Lots of metal plaques indicating who gifted these bookshelves or that artwork. There are chairs with little tables, should you need to rest you coffee cup or laptop. And a café. And big cushy chairs by windows.

But no ottomans.

Another thing that seemed lacking was the number of stalls in the first floor bathrooms. One is just a giant room, but the other only has two stalls, like the Kansas City airport. Still, it has this sink:

I know, right?

I read A Game of You in a big chair tucked in a corner by a window on the first level.

I hadn't thought about the second floor until I glanced at a map on my way to the bathroom. And since Fables & Reflections wasn't due back to my local library until the 19^th, and it was there on the shelf. . .I decided to read it. Upstairs.

Where there's a teen section, with a purple sectional curved in an 'S' and a computer area (replete with a bunch of teenagers. Magazines and non-fiction are housed there, along with cushy chairs and chairs with little tables. I opted for the collection of comfy chairs in the magazine section and came across this:

I know, right?

Of course I settled by the fire with my book. All I was missing was an ottoman and a cup of hot cocoa.

The Invisalign Chronicles 4: The Twos

At first, the next set of trays were hard to put on. They were tight, and they pinched a bit. They quickly felt not snug enough, particularly on my front teeth. I occasionally use my thumb to push the trays up (on my top teeth) or down (on my bottom teeth) farther. And I'm constantly trying to suck air bubbles out of them.

Yep. Just adding to my freak cred.

The Invisalign Chronicles 3: Buttons

When they said buttons, I imagined small mercurial silver discs, the size of the nub on the smallest pocket of a pair of blue jeans.

Instead, they're more like tiny studs. And they're the color of my teeth. Giving logic to the name  Invisalign.

I took ibuprofren before the appointment – I had been warned I would be in a bit of pain when I put my next set of trays in. The dentist decreed I would wear my practice trays for another week (the number 1s) before switching to my number 2s. After two weeks, I'd switch to the 3s, another two weeks, the 4s, another two weeks, the 5s, then a check-in appointment.

There was a bit of challenge getting the trays on with the buttons on my teeth. And a greater challenge getting them off. Of course, when one is determined to eat, a way will be found.

The Invisalign Chronicles 2: Vanity

The trays (I call them teeth), simply fit over your teeth. Like removable gold plated grills one could use to look like Li'l Wayne. Or is it Li'l Jon? Whoever says "yeah" in that Usher song.

One for the top, one for the bottom.

They're known as practice trays, and they come with a bleaching solution so you can get that thousand watt smile in the comfort of your own home.

I tried one application. At two 15 minute sessions, I took a double syringe looking thingy and squeezed dots of solution onto the trays, where my front teeth are. The squeezing mixes two different compounds together into the magic solution that works wonders.

In my case, the next day, I felt a tingle by my molars, where I had not applied the bleach. Considering that everyone, including the dentist, says my teeth are white, I feel no guilt in forgoing the treatment.

Apparently, people have trouble putting the trays on. But since I wore a night guard, the concept wasn't difficult. The biggest change was popping something onto my lower teeth.

Well, no, that's not true. The biggest change is not being able to eat as I normally would.

I can drink water with my "teeth" in. But I can't eat with them. The entire process? Take teeth out. Eat. Brush teeth (both real and trays). Floss. Put teeth back in. Not very conducive to my grazing habits.

As you can see, optimal wear time is 22 hours. Which leaves two hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Two hours. It takes me that long to eat breakfast on a lazy day Saturday. People lose weight wearing Invisalign.

As warned, I have a mild lisp when my "teeth" are in. My hope is that I can get past it, but so far I've been inconsistent. The S's give me the most trouble.

Allegedly, you only need to soak the trays in denture cleaner once a week. The rest of the time, you can scrub them with your toothbrush, after you brush your teeth. The residual toothpaste should be enough.

But after a few hours, the bad breath starts the sneak up.

Mints are okay. But you can't chew it when it gets to that super tiny size. You've got to let it completely dissolve in your mouth. Another adjustment.

The Invisalign Chronicles 1: Crooked Teeth

Years of clenching had brought on the inevitable – my formerly straight teeth had nudged to a perceptible crooked line. Time for braces.

(Apparently, only the dentist and I can see how crooked my lower teeth had become. And before I started this adventure, I didn’t' notice my front teeth – the two big ones – were slightly out of alignment.)

Now, I don't have the full set of Invisalign, but some (hopefully cheaper) shorter version. Theoretically, my life will revert to normalcy around June. The down side – if it doesn't work, I would've spent $3,000+ on fancy orthodontics.

There were pictures taken. And molds – four? six? Lots of biting down "normally". Which I found difficult, because I don't know what my normal bite feels like. I know when I clench. But on a regular, no stress, comfortable temperature day? I haven't a clue.

Still, it must've been good enough because a month later, the first set of trays came in.

Unemployment Day 2

My original plan was to get up as if I was going to work (5:25 am), and start looking through temp agency websites for some sort of income.

Instead, I slept in until 8am

Stretched, read the day's Our Daily Bread, used the bathroom

Finished The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

At breakfast at 9ish

Showered at 10ish

Finished up some temp agency stuff

And started reading The Sandman Vol 2

It's definitely a sweatpants sort of day.

I'm thinking tomorrow will be a similar trajectory.