Hey folks!

Head on over to my new style blog and follow me over there! Living with Lindsay . . . an awkward style blog is up and running! Scripted Chaos will remain, but will probably undergo a major revamp. I need to reorganize my blogging goals, and a style blog has been on my list for a long time. So jump on over to Living with Lindsay and check it out!

Zach via text message

It may be the sweetest/strangest thing he's ever said to me.

"I enjoy existing in the same area as you do for extended periods of time, and I anticipate continuing to do so for a length of time comparable to 3/4 an average human lifespan."

Definitely a keeper.

I've got some new shoes on

This is one of the pairs of boots I ordered, waited anxiously for, and finally received on Friday. How do I love them; let me count the ways. . . 

Zach and I went for a lovely Sunday walk by the river. What a beautiful weekend it's been! Today was 64 degrees, and the next few days are supposed to be just as beautiful. I love when awesome weather lands on a weekend where neither of us have things to do or places to be, so we get to enjoy it together.

We started really paying attention to the awesome architecture we're surrounded by - so many interesting color/style combinations. The buildings by the river are so historic - this area is where Pillsbury Flour originates.

The smile in this picture is because I just noticed the empty liquor handles laying on the hillside next to us. Nature.

 

We saw a giant church made completely out of metal on the way home. Ok not really. But we did see a miniature church made completely out of metal, and it was awesome.

This picture really needs no explanation. Sketchiness at its finest.

 

Dress (worn as skirt): Old Navy

Top: Ann Taylor turtleneck, customized by yours truly

Belt: Thrifted

Tights: Marshall's

Boots: Charlotte Russe

All pictures by the oh-so-wonderful Zachary Keenan.

I'm famous!

Well, not really. But it felt like it tonight! Zach and I attended the premiere screening of the film I did with Lenstory Films here in Minneapolis. What a great night! Awesome food and people, and we got to watch the film on my fellow actor's giant projection screen in her amazing loft apartment. It was so crazy to see my face up there! The film turned out really great - it was so exciting to see the final product. I can't share it online until January, because it's being entered into a film festival, but once the new year hits, you can download it and watch it as many times as your little hearts desire. I won't stop you.

There is no chocolate to be found anywhere in my house . . .

. . . and this does not make me a happy camper.

Oh, October, how quickly you left us . . .

I'm starting to be more honest with myself. About myself. Every time I take note of a certain trait I have, good or bad, I don't think much more about it. But in order to find ME (which has been a goal and struggle for a long time), I need to take note and then DO some thing about these things. Either fix them, use them, appreciate them, evaluate them and how they work in my life and my happiness. I'm currently reading the Dalai Lama's book "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living," and I've already learned so much, just from the first 3 chapters. I'm excited to see what lessons the rest of the book brings.

This is a busy(ish) week. Work every day, a few auditions, etc. I already had two auditions. Last night I went to a call for extras at the Guthrie. Their production of The Winter's Tale opens in February and goes until the end of March, which is when I would be in rehearsals for Antigone. I ended up leaving the audition because I didn't want to waste their time. Had I been cast, I most likely wouldn't have been able to do it. What's more worth it? A credit at the Guthrie as an extra? Or a leading role at a smaller theatre? For my soul, it's definitely the larger role. I need something juicy to work on.

I also just got home from an audition for The Anatomy of Gray. I'm definitely not expecting anything from this. The only character I could have been considered for spends the majority of the play at 15 years old. There was probably 90% pretty teenage girls at the audition tonight . . . so . . . yup. I read once, right away, and the director didn't need anything from me after that. I'm sure she has about 50 actual 15 year olds to choose from.

Z and I saw The 39 Steps at the Guthrie on Sunday. SUCH a great production! There were 4 actors playing probably 30 different roles, and the physical acting was just incredible. I love being able to see the product of such intense, dedicated work.

This Saturday I'm attending the premiere screening of the movie I did! It's definitely not as big a deal as I make it sound- we'll just have some snacks and watch it on the TV in the director's living room, but still. My film debut!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend! Mine was pretty un-Halloweeny. I never have enough motivation to put effort into a costume (except for the year I was one of my bffs Beatus Hoang, and even that was last minute), so this year . . . no costume. Pathetic, I know! At least I have one thing in common with Jim Halpert. We could have apathetic Halloweens together. But Z and I loaded up on candy and watched Interview with the Vampire, so it was an overall good night.

I went crazy and bought three pairs of shoes online last night, including a pair of black boots that I've been searching endlessly for. Here's hoping they all fit and are perfect and bring tears of joy to my eyes.

I feel like this is the most random post ever . . . apologies. It's how I make up for being the world's worst blog poster. I'm working on it, I promise!

P.S. I don't know where I found her (through someone else's blog, I'm sure), but check her out: Color Me Katie. I LOVE her work, and she just seems so joyful and excited about life! I love looking at her blog.

Ok . . . the dishes are calling my name. I must answer.

i want to change the world; instead, i sleep.

Lately I've been finding it difficult to balance my overwhelming desire to be lazy with my overwhelming need to do creative things. The laziness has been winning more often than not. Please bear with me while I make the necessary adjustments to my mental state.

Windstorm

I was about to start typing this post and I looked over and saw a squirrel tail waving in the wind on my windowsill.  Perfect image to start the day. I feel bad for the poor guy - it's a crazy windstorm out there. Of course, I'll be walking to work in it in about an hour.

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts! I feel like life has been just a little crazy lately. Lots of rushing around and last minute things. A quick rundown of updates might have to do for now until I can sit and make a more exciting post.

1. I accepted the role at Coin Purse Theatre. SO excited! It's such a great role, and I can't wait to start working on it. Although it's nice to have work lined up for the future, I'm so disappointed that it's not until March. I want something to dig into right now! But I have four auditions next week, so hopefully I can find something for the winter.

2. Split my lip open on a metal clothing rack at work the other day. Felt awesome. This was after I had three bags of trash explode on me in the freight elevator while trying to take it to the warehouse to dump. So that was a good day.

3. Z and I saw Max Weinberg's Big Band (from Conan) at the Guthrie on Monday night. Such a great show! It's been a long time since I've been to a concert, and anything with people that talented is amazing. I'm always in awe of anyone who plays an instrument.

4. HUGE crazy rain/windstorms in the Midwest this week. Yesterday as I left work I watched 5 people's umbrellas get turned inside out, and I decided I didn't want to brave the 40 minute walk home. So I shopped. For three hours. I restrained myself and didn't buy anything, and the rain held out for me to walk home at 5:30.

5. My 30 for 30 challenge? Eh. I've been so busy that I haven't cared enough to make new outfits, so I go with my old trusties. And Z and I are never home in the daylight at the same time so outfit photos = 0. And I bought a new purple cardigan that I've worn more than I'd like to admit.

6. I've watched the entire seasons 4 and 5 of The Office in the past week. THAT'S what has been keeping me busy. Drooling over Jim.

6. There's more . . . there must be. I remember thinking I was going to have a huge epic post today. Perhaps tonight though.

Happy day, all! I'm off to sell overpriced sweaters for the day and I'll be back this evening!

edit: Yes, I realize there are two #6s. I'm leaving it that way to brighten your day with a little mockery.

silver lining

Today was one of those days where every word you try to text is misspelled and every customer has a credit card issue that you haven't been trained to handle and your boss is always on the phone.

But those days are also made infinitely better when you come home to an email that you've been cast! I've been offered the role of Ismene in a contemporary telling of "Antigone," and will (obviously) most likely accept it, but I need to do some looking at my timeline, since the show isn't until April.

I may get around to posting more tonight - after some serious Season 5 Office viewing and coffee of course. It's how I celebrate.

my bad

I'm sorry I suck at posting. Things have been mucho busy lately, like the 11 hour work day I had today. But a small update: there is magically now a screen in the living room window. It strangely appeared over the weekend. Take that, squirrels.

I shall name him Squishy.

True story: I almost involuntarily adopted two squirrels today. Here's how:

I was just sitting on the couch, minding my own business, lustfully searching Anthropologie.com when I heard some sort of ruckus outside my window. Like, directly outside my window. Which is only strange because I live on the third floor.

I sprang up to see what was the matter (leaving the children dreaming of sugarplums) and discovered two squirrels having a grand old time itching themselves on my skinny window ledge. And chirping. Ok, not chirping. But making some sort of odd noise.

So I slid open the window to hear them better. And in that split second, I realized there was no screen in the window. I was an inch away from the squirrels. I looked at the squirrels. They looked at me. I could tell they were contemplating a break in.  It was all very dramatic.

And I slid that window shut faster than ever. Granted, I'd LOVE a pet. But I have a feeling squirrels would be a tad annoying.

P.S. I imagine this whole story being accompanied by Allie Brosh's illustrations. They would make it just that much more dramatic and epic. Read her whole entire blog and be prepared to wet yourself with laughter. Here she is: Hyperbole and a Half.

Our maintenance people are very creepy. We send in requests and don't hear from them for months, and then all of a sudden you'll notice that something has been fixed. And you were never notified that they were going to be coming and meandering around in your apartment. The other day, I noticed our living room blinds were fixed. They must have decided to fix the hole in the screen while they were at it . . . by just removing the screen . . .

I was excited for a pretty amazing blog post today, including outfit pictures. However, by the time Zach got home from class, the light was gone, and I won't subject you guys to more Photobooth pictures. Anyway, my reason for outfit photos is I am doing Kendi's (from Kendi Everyday) 30 for 30 Challenge!

What this means is that I pick 30 items from my closet and remix them into 30 different outfits for 30 days. Kendi includes shoes, but since I'm doing this for the first time and I'm terrified, shoes don't count for me. I chose my 30 pieces last night and Day 1 was today! I have no idea if I chose the right 30 pieces, or if I'll be able to create 30 completely different outfits, but that's why it's called a challenge! And I already know I have a lot of wardrobe updating to do, so this will give me a clearer vision of things I need (vs. want) to acquire.

Ok. It's coffee time (ever since my mother ever so kindly bestowed some decaf Dunkin Donuts blend on me, I've been making it a nighttime ritual. Thanks, Momma!). I think coffee time will be accompanied by the first season of Gilmore Girls. Sigh . . . I love autumn.

And being a winner, God give you goodnight.

And so my weekend comes to a close. I opened my first professional show, did voiceover work for the movie, hung out with my wonderful family, got caught in a zombie mob (for real), closed my first professional show, partied with my cast, and spent today in a blissful state of regret-free laziness.

The Taming of the Shrew went splendidly. I can't claim it to be the most incredible Shakespeare production ever to be done in the history of Shakespeare, but it was damn funny, and our audiences enjoyed it. And we enjoyed doing it. I'm very proud of what we created - it was truly unique. Hopefully we'll be getting photos soon, and I can share!

It was LOVERLY to see my family and to get to hang out with them. They magically filled my fridge and cupboards, so opening them is like looking into a paradise of yumminess. Chili-flavored ramen be damned!

Minneapolis's Zombie Pub Crawl was Saturday night, and we got to wade through 5,000 drunken zombies on the way to and from my show. Quite the experience. We ate at Baldy's BBQ (yes, it was sketchy) and were surrounded by the brain-craving undead. Not really the ambience we were looking for, but we were entertained.

I wish I were in a more hilarious mood - I've been lazing about all day, so my brain isn't quite functioning on a higher level of communication.

My upcoming week is fairly tame. Work, audition tomorrow, work, and Lax this weekend to see The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. I am very much looking forward to it. I will keep you posted, and hopefully soon will be back to my sarcastic self!

Ciao for now!

It's National Coming Out Day!

Be an LGBT ally and join the fight against hate. Stand up for love and equal rights.

Check out the GLAAD campaign.

my daily entertainment

Watching people run to make a bus will never stop being funny. Especially when they run really stiffly in order to avoid looking silly, when in fact, it makes them look even sillier.

sweat

Remember that perfect fall weather I was raving about? Gone. It's 80 degrees here today, and I am a sweaty mess from my walk home from work.

But The Taming of the Shrew opens tonight, and I'm so excited! We had the most excellent final dress rehearsal last night, and hopefully the rest of the weekend will be just as fabulous. I'm so lucky to have been able to work with such a talented playful cast.

I wish I had more time to write, but it's been a few days since I posted, so I just wanted to add a quick update. The rest of the weekend will be pretty busy, but hopefully I can have some exciting posts up starting Monday!

My family is coming to visit and see the show Saturday and it will be AWESOME. Can't wait to see them and show them my new city!

Ramen

Real conversation between Z and me this morning:

Z: I'm hungry. I wish we had seafood.
Me: Well . . . we probably have shrimp flavored ramen.
Z: Oooohh! We probably do! I also saw they had roast chicken flavor, so I got some of that!
Me: Yum, that sounds good. How does it taste different from regular chicken flavor?
Z: No idea. But they also had pork, so I got that. And chili flavor!
Me: Huzzah for the ramen!

Ok my last line is an exaggeration, but seriously. This is what our life has come to. Excitement over new ramen flavors.

Please test your smoke alarms

Three years ago we lost a dear friend to a house fire. This is his story. Please don't get annoyed when your smoke alarm yells at you for burning toast, like mine did this morning. It's just doing its job. Test yours to make sure it works. I love you all.

Not My Midnight

McDonald's coffee = so not worth it. The girl at the drive thru somehow couldn't grasp the concept that I wanted 1 cream and 2 sugars. "2 creams, 2 sugars? I'm sorry. 2 creams, 1 sugar?" I forgot how watery McD's java is.

So I shot a movie today! Turns out I am actually physically in it, not just my voice! I'm sure the phone conversation I'm involved in will mostly focus shots on the lead role, but hey, screen time! I got my hair and makeup all done, spent about a half hour shooting different angles of the scene, and helped myself to the free donut holes. Note to self: they feed you on film sets. Worth it.

They were great to work with - really professional, and while I have no idea how the film will turn out, I have the feeling they know what they're doing. They said they'd like to work with me again, too, so hopefully I made a good connection there.

I have much to do tonight, in terms of cleaning the apartment so it doesn't drive me insane all week, and digging through my wardrobe for Shrew costumes. I can't believe we're in tech already! One more week, and I'll be done . . . and I have nothing new lined up yet. Yikes. Audition city, here I come.

I may post a bit more later tonight, but I really just wanted to share my film experience. So I'll leave you with this: I rewound it 3 times and laughed harder each time. Enjoy, and happy beginning of the week to all.

deliciousness

Peanut butter and honey on toast. Just God's little gift to me.

autumn adventures

It's finally really feeling like fall here! Last week was really warm, which was nice, but I've been itching for autumn weather! Today was perfect - jacket weather, but still sunny and beautiful. Z and I took a beautiful walk around the city today. We stopped for coffee and scoped out the local co-op-ish store, and then continued to wander around, over four different parks and bridges. We got some great river time in, looking at the vibrant fall colors, and we ended up downtown to look at the awesome architecture before heading back. We haven't really had the chance to explore our new home yet, and this was the perfect day to do so.

My camera batteries are, of course, dead, and my charger is nowhere to be found, so I had to settle for mental images.

The week has been busy, but great. Work is fun, and it doesn't get boring often, which I love. My lovely friend Christine was in town this week, and we had a great night together at The Shouthouse downtown. Our cast also finally went out together for pizza and drinks, which was really great. They're a really fun, playful cast that I've learned a lot from, and even though our show is over in a week, I hope we continue to work/hang out together.

I had a film audition last weekend, and while I couldn't be considered for the lead due to availability problems, I got a small part as the lead's friend (who I believe is only heard, in a phone conversation). There are only 3 characters though, so I do feel honored they liked me enough to give me this small part. And hey, my resume can use all the bulk it can get. So I'll be shooting that tomorrow, and then starting tech for Taming!

We have 5 jars of peanut butter in our cupboard, I kid you not. Three are mostly empty, one is half full, and the last is unopened. Add some ramen, rice, and cereal, and you've got what we like to call the "Starving Artist Diet." Shockingly effective.

I had a darling Skype interaction with my grandpa the other day. He attempted to call me, and after watching him mouthing desperately at the screen for a few minutes, I finally called his cell phone and we continued to video chat in that manner.

I wish I had more hilarity to leave you with (sorry, Mom), but I'm going to go gorge myself on our leftover Little Ceasar's. We have little shame when it comes to cheap pleasures.

another

I was going through an old notebook to find that Shaw quote and I came upon this one as well. It was on the sleeve of my Starbucks drink last year when I visited Boston for an audition. Wildly fitting for an audition trip and I think for this next stage in my life.


"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life." --Anne Morris

blog block

As I started my blog, I looked at lots of tips from successful, existing bloggers. One that stuck out to me was, "Blog every single day." And I've been finding that so difficult! Why can't I find at least one interesting thing to say every day? I find things interesting! I'm interesting!

That's why I moved to Minneapolis. I didn't want my life to become just "work, rehearsal, eat, sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat." I can't let my life revolve around my survival job hours. I want to create. I want to always be doing something new. Something INTENTIONAL. I read through more of Jess's site today, and I can't wait to start my life design. The concept is a little harder to grasp than I thought it would be, but I think it'll just come to me. It has to start with purging the things in my life that are useless and stress me out, including habits.

Do I INTEND to sit on facebook for hours? No. Do I INTEND to let the dishes sit in the sink for weeks? No. Do I INTEND to neglect my script work? Absolutely not. So why do I do it? These are all things that stress me out, and when it comes down to it, they are so very changeable. I want the things I do and own to be intentional. Instead of a random, floaty, nebulous existence. Purposeful and meaningful.


"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown out on the scrap heap, the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." --George Bernard Shaw

makeunder my life

I found this blog a couple weeks ago, and while I haven't given myself the time to really dig deep into it, I'm already intrigued and totally in agreement with it. I read tons of articles on how to simplify your life, how to minimize your stuff, or how to manage the extra crap.

But what struck me about Jess's site was the phrase "designing a life with intention."

THAT is what I want from my life. I want it to be intentional. I want the things I own to be intentional, the things I do to be intentional. So starting this weekend, I'm going through every inch of her site and challenging myself to begin re-designing my life. With intention.

Here's Jess's brilliant site. The newest post is a guest post by one of my favorite style bloggers, Kendi from Kendi Everyday. Follow her. She's hilarious and beautiful and has two blogs!

I have a dinosaur obsession...

...and this is AWESOME.

finally!

I've been trying (forever!) to figure out how to create my own header! This one is really simple, but it's all I wanted, really! I downloaded Picasa from Google, and bam! Header! Photo creds go to Amy Waala for capturing my craziness at the peephole. I tried futzing with the page's background color, but nothing seemed right. White seemed so blah, but then I scrolled through the blogs I really like, and they all have white backgrounds! So I'm keeping it.

I have two auditions lined up for the weekend, and sent out some emails in response to student films on craigslist. I emailed a lot of people on craigslist for acting gigs, but now I see so many things on there that are just shady, or I don't get replies from anyone, so I've stopped taking a lot of stuff on craigslist seriously. Ads have to be really articulate and intelligent for me to pay any attention to them now. If you don't want to proofread your ad to see if you spelled "film" correctly, I'm probably not going to contact you.

I don't know what it is about the Twin Cities, but their stoplights are extremely temperamental. It took me 45 minutes to get to rehearsal tonight (it usually takes 10...) because every stoplight from here to St. Paul was out. Convenient. And also, Minnesota, who ever heard of making a merge lane and an exit one and the same? That's just asking for road rage.

Happy first day of autumn, everyone. I leave you with this clip I rewound a million times when it aired for the first time. Enjoy.
edit: Since finding this treasure an hour ago, I've watched it at least 8 times. Hilarious every time.

recycling

I've gotten into the bad habit of wearing two outfits a day. I get all dressed up for work, and then I come home and put something comfier on for rehearsal. And then I discover a way I can dress up the comfy-ness, so I wear it to work the next morning. But then I have to change again for rehearsal, otherwise my castmates will think I'm a dirty slob who never changes her clothes. So it's a vicious cycle of wearing every outfit twice....just with different underwear.

I'm hoping my work outfit today isn't TOO casual. I've got a jacket on (the first time I've worn it since I bought it....which was over a year ago while I lived in NY), but I'm also pairing it with fairly casual boots. And jeans.

I was hoping to get some pictures on my walk to work today to share, but I can't seem to find my charger for my camera....so I might have to settle for pics off my phone.

Happy Tuesday, all. It's warm again here :)

P.S. I didn't realize just how much I was torturing myself last night with my Anthropologie and Aldo browsing. I actually dreamed about those motorcycle boots and woke up expecting to see them in my closet. ....le sigh....

please? k thanks.

Sometimes I like to torture myself by spending hours browsing websites full of pretty things I can't afford. Someone please buy me this outfit.

and so it begins

Well my first real disappointment in the professional world came today. I'm not heartbroken, but it just made the reality of my career a little clearer. I had two auditions this weekend for two shows I would have loved to be a part of. The first I was called back for, the second I was not. I haven't heard from the second show yet, but not being called back generally isn't a good sign. The callback for the other show went really well (in my opinion), but I got an email today saying they had to decided to go another way with casting. Not the end of the world by any means, but it's always disappointing when you get your hopes up.

Because I did so well in my last few years of college and in La Crosse, I'm not used to not getting cast in some capacity. It sounds arrogant, but it's true. But it was a much smaller talent pool, with people who were closer to me. I got lucky that my first audition here brought me my first professional gig. It's a big city here, and there are people who've done/learned/know so much more than me. So what do I need to do? STEP IT UP.

Not getting cast just made me confront how hard I'm going to have to work to find continuous employment in the theatre.  I can do it, I know I can. And in the meantime, I will continue to sell ridiculously priced sweaters to middle-aged women. I seem to be excelling in that area.

my parking lot...

...is a strange place. At this very moment, there are two men boxing out there. Literally. Gloves and all.

measure your life in love

Reason #624 on my list of Why I Love my Boyfriend: Free Guthrie tickets. I have a night off of rehearsal, so what do I get to do? Get myself all gussied up and go see a night of free awesome theatre. Granted, I'll be doing it alone, as Z has his training for work tonight, but what do I get to do this Saturday? Oh, you guessed it! Get myself all gussied up and go see a night of free awesome theatre WITH my boyfriend! I think I like Minneapolis.

I have potatoes in the oven, and they seem to be squealing. That's not going to stop me from devouring them.

I think my left foot is allergic to exercise. Any time I try to stick it into a tennis shoe, it starts cramping and writhing and yelling things like, "No! I will not exercise! I hate this shoe!" And that's just embarrassing. You can't have your feet yelling in public.

While my weekend in La Crosse was anything but epic, it was a wonderful visit. I got to see most of my lovely friends, and I got a great night of theatre/my boyfriend in leather pants. Thanks to the cast of RENT for reminding me why I do what I do. "Revolution, justice, screaming for solutions, forcing changes, risking danger, making noise and making pleas!"

And BUZZARD EGGS. While the name is disgusting, in reality they are tiny nuggets of heaven. Jalapeno slices wrapped in pepperjack cheese, wrapped in chicken, all tied together with a bow-tie of bacon-y goodness. It doesn't get much better. Unless you add a Hazelnut Tiramisu martini. Which I did.

I felt a little bit like a rockstar at work today, overselling my goal and chatting it up with some really funny clients. The thing that irks me about retail is the lingo and how seriously everyone uses it. I just can't take it seriously! But I AM an actor, and I can sell it all right along with the best of them.

The potatoes are still squealing. I think they must be saying "Eat me!" Don't worry, potatoes, I'm coming!

Dear Minnesota,

What do you do to your drivers to make them INSANE? Stop it.

Love,
Lindsay

tights? shoes? sure...

This whole "working in fashion without owning a full length mirror" thing isn't going to fly.

Note to self: coffee=morning.

Remember the mug of coffee I had at 10 pm? Me too. It's what's preventing me from finding the motivation to put on some jammies, take out my contacts, and get my much-needed beauty sleep. Much-needed because I have to work at 9 am with 3 other women who are way more perky and stylish than yours truly.

Back in the days of my coffee addiction, caffeine never had an effect on me (unless you count the jackhammer withdrawal headaches I'd get if I skipped a cup). But now that I've kicked the habit and indulge in some java only when I am feeling truly selfish, caffeine likes to have its kinky way with me. For instance, tonight, I chose to chug down a travel mug in the 15 minutes I had between work and rehearsal. Halfway through, I started hearing mariachi music in my head and there was no point in restraining the dancing that followed. At least I was peppy for rehearsal, albeit with a few more spastic awkward comments than normal. 

I think someone is singing Aladdin songs in my parking lot.

"blogging is hard"

I've watched/read/attempted to navigate/wanted to destroy so many different HTML tutorials tonight that I think my brain might actually quit on me. Protest signs and everything. Long story short, I ended up not even messing with the html of my blog and just went for a simpler template with no header image that won't align right no matter how many curses I throw at it.

End product: Lindsay's blog is pretty (read: plain), and she doesn't want to impale herself on a rusty spork every time she looks at it.

I have no cohesive thought process tonight because of the mug of coffee I just drank (at 10 pm, so SMART), so I present you with:

THINGS THAT SCURRIED ACROSS LINDSAY'S MIND/LIFE TODAY:

1. When the one person/friend you have been hanging out with 24/7 for the past 3 weeks goes out of town, it is apparently appropriate to make the dirty dishes in your sink talk back to you as you threaten to run them under scalding water and purge them of their filth. Yes, they did scream as I followed through on my threats.

2. One of my castmates told me I looked like Luke Skywalker when I got to rehearsal tonight. Jedi or not, Mark Hamill is not an attractive man.

3. When in doubt, coffee solves all problems. Especially Vanilla Almond Creme coffee that you down in 10 minutes, therefore letting the caffeine rush into your bloodstream all at once.

4. Walking your bike down the street while wearing heels makes people stare at you like you have 5 heads. What? I can't be stylish and eco-friendly?

5. My bff is moving in across the hall from a man who has a dead cat nailed outside his door. I'm both a) worried that she'll end up at the bottom of a well while he lowers lotion to her in a basket, and b) getting ready for my close-up, in-depth interview regarding how I rescued her on "I Survived..."

6. Is it wrong to have a 5 oz. chicken breast and 2 bowls of ice cream for dinner? If that's wrong, then I don't want to/will never be right. *edit: Two pieces of toast for dessert. I am not ashamed.

7. Blog name = sappy and awful. New and improved-better-than-ever title = coming soon.

The end. La Crosse adventures to come this weekend. Epicness is expected.

Hello, Income, welcome back!

All right, nervously called *retail operation that I shall not name for fear of tarnishing their reputation with any horror stories I may tell in the future*, and I am officially a "stylist" on their staff! I'm giddy with excitement about the prospect of having money and a "fashion"-ish job. The job itself is actually further away with awful parking, but I instantly had the feeling that I would enjoy it more. I hope my instincts didn't fail me!

if i was richer, i'd still be with ya...

It's next to impossible to get Cee-Lo's song "F--- You" out of your head. It's been quietly playing in my brain for close to two weeks now. I love the song - just wish it was more appropriate to blast at high levels throughout my morning routine.

Today's weather is AWESOME! Not the kind of weather I want every day, but it's such a nice change from the heat and sweat. It's dark and very windy and chilly, but no rain, so playing outside in wonderful fall clothes was a must. I wish I'd had my camera (dead batteries and all) on my walk today. The chilly weather just made me appreciate the colored buildings and the textures more, for some reason. The birds were out and about in all their glory. Z and I passed a patch of them on a lawn where there were literally so many that you could HEAR them all chomping away at their lunch.

Today was the perfect day for coffee, but alas, I am far too poor for coffee filters, so I MacGyver-ed one out of a paper towel, and am now enjoying some DELICIOUS Vanilla Almond Creme coffee, courtesy of my lovely former acting teacher. I love the ritual/taste/general wonderfulness of coffee, however, I had to wean myself off of it earlier this year due to major caffeine headaches. When I'm rich enough to afford more than bread and peanut butter, I will buy a tub of decaf to start my mornings off right.

Speaking of being rich, I had two job interviews in as many days! And they both were fantastic. The first was at a high-end women's retail store, where the manager and I had a really great conversation about fashion and theatre. She seemed to like me a lot and told me she would call me next week. The next one was a bagel/coffee place closer to my apartment. Basically she offered me the job on the spot, but I told her I'd need a night to think about it. It'd be steady hours, but it seems like not a lot of flexibility in terms of asking off or switching shifts with people (the rest of the employees are U students, so their days aren't open), and I don't want another job like that. Sooo.....I have to call the retail job tonight and basically ask if she's made a decision, because I have to let the bagel shop know by tomorrow. I'm nervous to call and make that demand, because I really want the retail job, buuuuut....I don't know. I have to call no matter what. And I have about an hour in which to do so.

Long story short, though, I guess I have a job! Which is AWESOME because I was starting to get worried.

So because my camera batteries are dead, I settled for some Photobooth fun on my Mac, which I haven't indulged in in a long time. I'm sitting on my couch curled up with a giant sweater, scarf, and cup of coffee, and here I intend to stay. Happy autumn, everyone!

That incredibly awesome ring used to be my grandmother's. My staple/favorite random piece.

what a piece of work is man

I had an insane burst of creative energy yesterday. I woke up and immediately wanted to DO something. So I cut up my clothes. I've been dying to try recreating old, unworn garments, and I finally just did it. (My inspiration comes from this brilliant blogger: New Dress A Day) Of course, I'm far too poor to own a sewing machine, so for this project, I just used some scissors. And a needle and thread when my scissors got too happy.

This first shirt I got from a friend as she was purging her closet. She, in turn, had gotten it as a gift from her sister's semester in Ireland. It had never been worn, for good reason. Neither of us really understood the shape or concept of it, but I took it, thinking I'd try it out (which I never did.) I had it thrown in my Goodwill bag when my cutting insanity began yesterday.

Here's the BEFORE shot:

BEFORE shot. Notice the weird not-quite-a-skirt apron-y thing at the bottom.

It's got some really great detailing up at the top that I didn't get a close-up shot of. Totally worth saving.

And AFTER!

It's sheer, so it's just a great cute overlay that I ended up getting a lot of compliments on. And of course the drawstring at the bottom ripped after a day of wear, so I ended up doing some mending at the end of the day, but it should be able to withstand all sorts of adventures now.

The next piece I cut up was an itchy black dress that I wore maybe once. It's an odd shape, and just so hot and itchy that it, too, was in my Goodwill bag.

Pretty blah.

But check out the great ruffles!

I ended up chopping off the entire bottom of the dress, cutting right up the center seam and removing the tiny buttons on the front, and making a little ruffly shrug. Granted, the inside of the shoulders is still pretty itchy, but with some creativity I can fix that in no time.

My bout of creative energy didn't end there yesterday. I picked up my guitar and found some free lessons online. G maj, A maj, and C maj chords accomplished! Of course, I couldn't do them for you off-hand right now, but give me time! I'll be rockin' and rollin' before you know it.

I tried working on the layout/design of the blog, but nothing really came of it. It will definitely continue to change as inspiration comes to me, but this is good enough for now. My main focus right now has been finding a survival job. Why does it feel so difficult to do things without money? I know there's tons of free stuff in the city, and yet my first three weeks here have mostly been spent on the couch.

I'm off to rehearsal now. Looking forward to a date night with Z, who's been busy with his first week of school. Later, gators.

copperboom!

I'm trying to find a new means of expression. Now that I'm not being constantly challenged in classes by teachers, peers and mentors, I need to actively seek out ways to be creative. It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I imagine it's that way for almost every college grad. This transition period is a lot scarier and is taking a lot longer to pass than I thought it would. But my days of moping about it at my soul-deadening cashier job are done. Now's my time to be remarkable.