Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO september

Hi Everyone 

I'm back. I took a little break from blogging to enjoy the summer and to focus on myself a bit.  I hope all are well.  

I've been still doing improv and I'm looking forward to being in a improv Mystery Dinner show in October.  I have also got involved with another improv group and we've been meeting in person.

My language learning in Spanish is still going good.  I had a recent meetup in person and nothing gives me more of a reality check of what level I am in spanish until i meet people in person vs online.  Let's just say I probably know about 200-300 words.

Otherwise, I wanted to talk about a few shows I've watched recently.  The first one is "The Cook of Castamar" Its set in early 18th-century Madrid, the plot follows the love story between an agoraphobic cook and a widowed nobleman.  This is a great movie and the drama is so intense. It's a little spicy though, but I loved thinking about what life as a noble felt like and status and all that. The other show is "Virgin River" which I had postponed watching forever, thinking I may not like the small town vibe but I got latched onto the characters and the main character's transition from being an LA nurse to a nurse in a small town like Virgin River.

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

I fell for my secret pen pal believing we would never meet but now.. he's my husband.Grant Bergeron is Orleans University's playboy first baseman.He's charming, kind... and a tad arrogant. 

I thought this book would mostly be about baseball and I'm not one for sports romances' but I was surprised that the story revolved mostly around the heroine who is struggling to keep her family bakery. The back and forth texting between these two characters and what the mystery of not knowing who each other were, really drew me in. They may have done better by putting both the bakery imagery and baseball on the cover.

Sunday Post

 

LOOKING FORWARD TO June

Happy June.  I took my son yesterday to do a garden clean up at Randolph school and we also went to the Water Festival at Phalen Park. My son got to fish and create huge bubbles and drink fantastic berry lemonade.  There were a ton of people. In the past we went there to learn how to Kayak and it was nspiring to me and I've been kayaking by myself several times since. I think I've been really getting in tune with things that I've enjoyed on my own recently like baking and holiday shows and jumping on the treadmill at Home and going to spontaneous events.

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

watching

I love this detective series.  The MC Elsbeth is so eccentric and dynamic.  They way she catches on to the murderer's secrets is so fun.

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO MAY

Pretty great week for me.  I started a new improv team for a murder mystery show so we began rehearsals.  I did some improv online.  I took my son to the park yesterday and we ate some Tres Leche while there.

I've been trying to change routines a bit because I've done so much work online, it kinda felt like I was getting lost in that world so I have signed up for more classes in-person to keep me grounded. It does take a great deal more planning to make sure my son has a babysitter and that meals are packed and exercise has been committed to on those days.

Last Sunday I also went to see "Whose Line is it Anyway?" they have a touring show that is different than their typical game show.  They had two members from the audience come up to the stage and tell their marriage story and the actors redone that story in a comedic fashion. Some of these actors in this troupe have been performing improv together for twenty years and it was interesting to think about that.

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Meghan Quinn's "Runaway Groomsman contains dynamite dialogue. I began to enjoy this novel when the protagonist recognizes the man at the bar in his groomsman clothes and realizes that she has dated this man in the past.

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO May

This week I did a ton of improv and made it to a lot of comedy this week. 

On Monday, I met with some improv actors at El Tequila Bar and we discussed the possibility of creating a speed dating event with improvisers and non-actors and we brainstormed all the implications for such an event, including the reactions of non-actors when they find out their date was not the character they perceived them to be.

On Wednesday, I did an improv class at Patrick Henry High school where we played games like Zip Zap Zoop, and a game called Big Booty. I was the little bootie (wink) and that same evening I did an improv  online and we did some La Ronde scenes and I played a character who worked in Hollywood who sabotaged a reality show by sending a shark tank business man to a literal shark tank in the middle of the ocean and that was quite fun.  In these scenes we do a Dear Diary at the end where we comment on the aftermath of the decisions we made in the scenes, and I had told my business partner that I planned to go off the script with another humorous idea for a a reality show.

   On Thursday I took a day to rest.

 On Friday I had a stage match at Strike theater. We had such a high turn out, that the improvisers were asked to sit behind the stage to make room for the audience' seats.

Lastly, I performed in my first stand-up comedy event. It was online on a site called Plauzzable.com  I was surprised of how okay I felt afterwards and I'm glad I tried it.

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

I liked this novel By Greg Egan as it discusses the idea behind living in a simulation with clones of yourself and how you really better like yourself if you're going to live in this sort of reality.

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO APRIL

Earlier in the week I went to see the Ghostbuster's movie.It was great, a lot of the same actors in the movies.

  I started an improv class which just so happens to be located at my alum school, Patrick Henry. The school looked a whole lot smaller and the theater was freshly painted white and gray. I guess there are still mice running around backstage, but the whole school looked good with a lot of positive messages on posters.

   

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO April

Yesterday I went to writers group and I wrote several stories about my adventures on the language learning app: HelloTalk.  At one point I had been talking to people about cheesy English pick-up lines. Here are a few of them:  

I’m trying to think of something to say, but all I can think about is how cute you are.”

“Are you an archeologist ‘cuz you dug up a hole in my heart.”

I also drove for ride-share and I remember picking up a woman who said she used to be a drill sergeant in the army, and we talked about how it helped her become more assertive even though she characterized herself as an introvert.  Now near retirement, the same woman said that she works for a medical equipment company that inserts batteries into life saving materials and things for NASA.  I remember telling her about how important it is to do work you love and how it's good to be easy going and have a laugh at the small things. We talked about improv and some stand-up comics in the Twin Cities.  She said one amateur comic in Minneapolis is charging $100 for tickets to his shows which she finds quite bizarre because she believes that people have to earn their right to charge people exorbitant prices.

 

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That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Sunday Blog Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO march

This week I met with a friend at Dunn Bros to talk and play on my laptop.  Earlier this week, the squads were in my building and I took a picture in the elevator.  Supposedly there was a woman with a warrant on her record who was going around stabbing people with a knife. She was seeking shelter in my apartment and the police were not having it.

On Saturday, I went to writers/actors group to listen to artists read monologues.  

On Thursday I got into a discussion about Morocco and the city of Khouribga on the language app and when I got a closer look at some pics of the city on Google I came across the following photos.  The swimming pools look a little full to say the least.

I've been to Target several times this week to look for clothes and I only found one lucky cute athletic green skirt and I wondered why Target has so much bad fashion and

I got real silly and decided to ask ChatGPT why Target is selling clothes from Little House on the Prairie and this was the answer :

As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, I don't have specific information about Target selling clothing similar to "Little House on the Prairie." However, it's not uncommon for retailers to collaborate with or draw inspiration from popular cultural trends, including nostalgic or vintage themes.

Here is another article that gives me more details on Targets 1800's fashion dilemma.https://totallythebomb.com/target-prairie-dresses

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

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LOOKING FORWARD TO february

On Thursday I met some writers group at La Salsa restaurant in Minneapolis.  It was an anniversary to celebrate the group.  We did an icebreaker to meet some of the new members by answering some questions on a piece of paper and reading them out loud in a character voice and tried to guess who the writer was.  It was incredibly fun.  I took my son to Chuck E Cheese and we had a great time playing games and trying to get high scores.

Its been incredibly warm this week and it's been nice to walk outside and explore.

My tax money came in and I'm thrilled about that.  Not sure what I'll invest it in. 

I have been trying to collaborate more with other actors and I met someone who wants to video a comedy sketch so I'm memorizing some lines and it should be great.

La Salsa Restaurant

That's my week. Tell me about yours in the comments below.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO febrUARY

I met with a friend for lunch at Teresa's, Mexican restaurant.

I did some improv on  Thursday night. In the scenes I was a media specilist for comic con.  Some great scenes were done.  I got in my head a bit but 30 minutes in I was really feeling the improv.

The week kind of flashed by and it was a little out of the ordinary for me, as I struggled with a twitching in my eye that may have been stressed induced, and I didn't currently have medical insurance so I couldn't get it checked out.  MNsure had allowed everyone to keep their insurance through the pandemic but in November they sent renewal packages out and it caught me off guard and I didn't send mine back in on time.  Luckily, I noticed that they reinstated my insurance as of Friday, but by then the twitching was gone. 

Grateful list

Grateful for tax money

friends invitations

places we go to reunite

my son inviting me to his Roblox games

For good days.

 

ON THE BLOG

I watched Love is Blind (Sweden) I enjoyed learning about the Swedish culture and seeing Stockholm and seeing the inside of flats. I liked seeing some of the bigger homes in the countryside and they looked so cozy I was kind of wondering how they found women to come on shows like this to marry complete strangers. During the reunion show they did not use voice overs like they had for the other episodes of the seasons. I watched the Japanese version as well, and it was quite the culture contrast compared to American culture.

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO JANUARY

 This week I had Thursday off and went to Target and got some things like ear buds and markers for my son.  He loves to color these Roblox characters and to make squishies out of them with construction paper. I loved having the day off because I got seven hours of sleep which is something I haven't felt in months.  They actually say that Minnesotans in general are less stressed because of the amount of sleep we get(And that we have corporate jobs here) but I still question that theory.

My son at the Coffee shop

Earlier in the week, I did improv with Oozebear and we did a lot of scenes about Rick and Morty while the main characters were stoners.

It's been warmer here with temps in the 30's.  I've been calculating in celsius on TANDEM, the language learning app.  It's been interesting to hear people around the world comment on how cold or warm it's been. Of course Canadians  say it's quite cold there, followed by Petersburg, Russia and Moscow.

On Saturday, I met some writers at a library and we migrated to a coffee shop and talked shop. I took my son with me, which was a big thrill. It's often quite hard to take him to some of my hobbies and interests like writers groups and improv activities because sometimes they don't allow kids but I LOVE, LOVE Love tagging him around with me all day.  

One of the writers in the group is visually impaired and he talked about how he translates manuscripts for schools.  His biggest laughable moment was when he was listening to a podcast and a visual-abled person said, "Wow, there was a blind woman at the library." 

"Yes, there's always been blind people at libraries."

"Yes, but she was reading those bumpy papers."

"Yes, blind people have always always read braille."

He said he doesn't like it when people on the bus often grab him but the waist to direct him.

Lastly, I took my son to the Eagles Nest to burn off some energy and run around with other kids. 

I tried exercise myself while there by walking up and down the hallways and reading books.

ON THE BLOG

In Rapt, acclaimed behavioral science writer Winifred Gallagher makes the radical argument that the quality of your life largely depends on what you choose to pay attention to and how you choose to do it. Gallagher grapples with provocative questions—Can we train our focus? What’s different about the way creative people pay attention? Why do we often zero in on the wrong factors when making big decisions, like where to move?—driving us to reconsider what we think we know about attention.

I spoke about Maqluba which is a Palestinian dish 

Seasoned rice, baked vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, eggplant, and tender pieces of lamb.

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO January

This week was extremely cold in Minnesota.  The first thing my UBER passengers did when they got in the car was talk about how cold it was. I wanted so badly to sit in a hot tub to get warm and thought about how I could do that at the YMCA but alas, it did not happen. Surprisingly even though it was very cold I still managed to walk nearly five miles a day, and would often walk between rides or around the track at the Y. I was extremely proud of myself.

Outdoor Minnesota Gopher stadium

The ritzy area of Edina

On Saturday, I went to do improv at Inver Grove studio. I did a lot of scenes that had to do with lunch ladies. We played a game called switch characters. And then I was in a game called Two line Phrase, where I was only allowed to say these two lines:

 "Is this supposed to be there?" And "That's a terrible smell," while the main character was doing the best to respond to my inoculous phrases.

I've been watching Loki and I love the time travelling concepts in this Disney Plus series.

Mohamed Al-Arasi YouTube Channel.  I met this individual recently on the tandem language app. Orginally from Yemen, Mohamed talks about the Journey of becoming a new Vlogger and I find him to be quite eloquent and I believe he will go real far in the influencer community. He talks a lot about the distractions in our lifes and how meditation and reflection is important.

ON THE BLOG

(top tier, second to the right) With Kay Marie & Carol's school of dance.

Sunday Post

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LOOKING FORWARD TO January

This week I went to spontaneous writers and actors and I wrote a fun piece about the CEO of an airline admonishing his employees for some really funny things he's been noticing at the workplace. Several other people wrote pieces about sitting next to someone on the plane and them letting out gas or chasing after a loved one in the airport like a comedy rom-com

Earlier in the week, I was going to meet a friend at a place called the Fox Den which is like a warehouse room with a lot of board games, but by the time I got there I realized I was so loaded up on caffiene that if I didn't eat something, I was going to go crazy, so a friend of mine just went to Dairy Queen and had some food and played Dominoes and Uno with my son Zulfi.

I got into a Discussion with some people about Turkey and we talked about a city called Pendik and I noticed this city has a small theme park for kids to enjoy.

Earlier in the week, one of  y YMCA dance instructor's was on vacation and asked two of her student's to lead the class, and I got the idea that I would take her up on this offer in the future and see what it was like.

Lastly, we talked about this turkish food called Borek, which I'm reminded of eating foods similar to this several times in my life.

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Accidentally Amy

When the line at the coffee shop is taking too long, she finds herself claiming an abandoned drink meant for someone named Amy. So when Izzy accidentally dumps that drink all over a handsome stranger, he's under the impression that the cute girl he just had the perfect meet cute with is named Amy.

I'm loving this book.  The main character sends texts back and forth to her love interest who is also some she works with and she justifies her frat-inizing by saying things "Well, it's not a date if I just happen to be at this cafe at this time, and he just happens to be there (she wrote down his habits and routines). Or he can take my bike home, but I'll run home, and therefore we won't be in a car together.   The two of them also play this elaborate game with their friends that involves drinking games and various silly athletic competitions that reminded me faintly of games from the tv series, "New Girl." 

I loved this Nonfiction self help book and plan to reference it several times in the next few weeks to get back into the habit of my own writing..  It's similar to the Power of Habit and it talks extensively about the habits of a writer and it made me think and want to discuss some of my most important habits. This included

Sitting down to write continuously,

Turning off the smartphone

Writing for at least twenty minutes.

Writing in a different environment-In my case at the Library

Have a structure to the writing process

Committing to the process-it gives the example of how one writer was taking master classes, while also writing a book and how long it took him two hours of writing everyday at a specific time in the day.

Here are some other ha

1. Focus on the wildly important. This means a small number of extremely essential goals. ...
2. Act on lead measures. ...
3. Keep a compelling scoreboard. ...
4. Create a cadence of accountability.