The Rogue- my take

This was my first ever experience with a festival, let alone the Rogue. I fell into this festival while having drinks this past summer, and like I said in previous posts no one could prepare me for the magnitude of this great event. The variety of shows, the areas the performers come from the whole festival is just crazy amazing.
I loved volunteering. It was really neat to hear people's takes on various shows, seeing the artists get nervous or even a bit nutty prior to a performance. I got to see everything from the front and "back" stage views. Ashtree is an amazing gallery- wonderful art, and a great venue for intimate audiences.
I was only able to see three shows, but able to hear many more from my post outside of the gallery. Jag Bennett's solo comedy is awesome, Naked guy Kevin and Co. (although he wasn't naked!) were out of this world, and RP, Lecram and Nate were a fun Friday evening nightcap. All three shows so very different, but so very awesome in their own right.
Met some great people through SSM. Old friends to him, hopefully new ones to me! :) It was a pleasure meeting you all, so nice to meet people with smiles! :) The whole festival was great and as tired as I am, I am so very looking forward to getting started on next years festival now!
I hope next year's be a bigger success than this year, fewer snafoo's, more laughs, more talent, more VOLUNTEERS! :P
Everyone that busted their rears on this- you are all amazing. It's great to see a community of people come together like this to produce something as awesome as this was!
So this week I am out for the count, need some major snuggle time with my couch and cat, as I do believe they both missed me like crazy!
Congrats Rogue 2007 performers, directors, volunteers, venue managers, accounting persons, owners of venues, patrons, everyone for making my first Rogue experience pretty damn neat!

Yowza, that was fun! :)

I had one hell of a time with Rogue this year. It all started for me this past summer, hot meetings at Liparis, handing out sponsor packets, more meetings, building stages, running various errands, taking tickets, helping with money, seeing shows. It was awesome. I got a little taste of all that is the Rogue. I met some amazingly talented performers, some super dedicated fans of the festival, and some just really nice people and patrons.
The dark circles have started to fade, but having them were a "badge" of honor- if you will- for how much fun I had. Early mornings, late nights, running around- it was so worth it. I loved seeing performers walk outside of their venue's with HUGE smiles on because of the crowd they had inside. That is what it is ALL about!
This was my first festival and although I had so many veterans describing to me the events, I couldn't have ever been prepared for what I witnessed. I'm still taking it all in. After the stressers and what not that I was a part of this past year, I can't wait to get going on next year's festival.
That's all I've got for right now, more later! :)

Writers Note

I got a very interesting look from a few people about my last blog. I am fine, I promise. I had a mighty stress filled last weekend, and needed to vent.

No I am not upset anymore, nor am I irritated for the moment. All is well, Rogue is rockin, Thai food is super yummy and warm snuggles make me smile.

I am looking forward to seeing a few shows later this week, as I have only been able to listen to them from out side of the Ashtree Studios. (Yes, Lecram I will get my ass to your show at some point in time.)

But, for the moment I need to give some serious attention to Mr. Jag Bennett. He again sold his show out last night. We were turning people away. Jag- you rock! I am so excited for your success with your show! You should be grinning ear to ear. I can't wait to see your total numbers! Congratulations sweetheart! Your hard work paid off!

Mustang, It was so nice to see you last night, you always make me giggle!
APJ- I love you and your tata's. MEOW (But really, get a skank tank and show those babies off with me! ) :)
SSM- you big goober, me now talk like cave man- *grunt*
Kien- I can't wait to see your show! (or at least hear it from outside). You are a funny funny man!

So yeah, thanks to those people that seem to always be a smile and a hug when you need one. Tonight is a late night for SSM and I at Ashtree- so come see a few shows!

www.roguefestival.com

*smooches*

Being in the back seat, behind the scenes, out of the way is where I prefer, but being totally invisible, not quite my cup of tea. I help you out, listen to you vent, help you with things both physically and mentally, and yet I become invisible.

You ignore my thoughts, wishes and hopes because they aren't as important to you as your drama, you are upset when I fire back, when I decide I can't take anymore of it but a few days later, here you are requesting from me what I cannot yet give.

Someday I hope someone treats you as you treat me and that you despise the feeling Then you might have a tiny clue of how it feels to not have the World spin the way you think it should, not to be able to call the shots, to be used and tossed aside to be invisible.

A bit frazzled

With many a situation. I say it all the time, but I really don't understand things so much of the time. I thought the older we got, the more things make sense. I guess I am just totally naive or something. On a normal day I am the biggest optimist you will ever meet. The sun will always shine, doors never close without a window opening, silver linings always present. Not this week. This week has been a headache, possibly from thinking entirely too much about certain situations that I have been presented with, that pose the following questions:

1. You bring up a big problem to a person, this person listens, no advice given, just questions asked to get a better grasp on said situation. The you don't hear from said person. Shoot them an email or two to check in- a phone call as well, and no return anything. Communication completely cut off. What is that all about? How can you cry on someone's shoulder and then not follow through with how things are going with the situation??? It's a bit frustrating to say the least!

2. The word "Thank you". Where has it gone exactly? It seems as though it isn't a part of peoples normal day to day routine to say thanks anymore. How hard is it? Two words, spoken after something is done, said or presented to another.
From Dictionary.com:

thank you

noun

a conversational expression of gratitude

and just in case you needed to use it in any other language:

thank you

I thank you
Example: Thank you (very much) for your present; No, thank you.

Arabic: شُكْرا، أشْكُرَك Chinese (Simplified): 谢谢（你） Chinese (Traditional): 謝謝(你) Czech: děkuji Danish: tak Dutch: dank je Estonian: aitäh, tänan teid Finnish: kiitos French: merci German: danke Greek: (σε, σας) ευχαριστώ Hungarian: köszönöm! Icelandic: þakka þér Indonesian: terima kasih Italian: grazie

Japanese: ありがとう Latvian: paldies; pateicos Lithuanian: ačiū Norwegian: tusen takk (for) Polish: dziękuję Portuguese (Brazil): obrigado Portuguese (Portugal): obrigado Romanian: mulţumesc Russian: благодарю Slovak: ďakujem Slovenian: hvala Spanish: gracias Swedish: tack !, tackar! Turkish: teşekkür ederim

3. When did being the only person in existence become a hip thing to do? No one else exists, no one else has feelings, no one else matters. It's a very interesting concept that I don't think I am very comfortable with. If this is the way we are evolving- I might as well retreat into a cave for the rest of my existence.

4. Human beings bury their heads in the sand? I was unaware of this as well. They can have lots of information presented to them from various sources, but choose to not take said information into their action or thought process. Even when it comes from a loved one.

All of these things have been tossing around in my head all week. Makes it a bit hard to sleep, especially when they are all things that I am passionate about. Treat people as you wish to be treated, keep it simple, less drama is better. I will never understand why people choose to complicate issues that don't need to be. If presented with a challenge, a question, a task, simply would be my preference to handle whatever it may be.

I am starting to think that I care too much about certain people or situations, and that is why they affect me this way. Perhaps it is time to not care about things the way I do, or care for the people I care for the way I care. I don't know. I'm very lost with people's actions and words lately I am pretty glad I am going on a short "vacation" this weekend with my family- the people that always keep it real, keep it simple, keep it full of love.

Team work

Last night an amazing group of couples gathered at the home of Rachel and Kowboi to build tons and tons of platforms for a festival that is scheduled to take off next week. 24 beers, one pizza, 4 hours, a Beatles cd and a million laughs later, we had them complete. It is truly amazing when crunch time is presented and phone calls are made, who cares enough to help a very stressed friend out with a task one person shouldn't ever be asked to accomplish alone.
Last night was amazing. Really showed me who cares, who understands the frustration, and who wanted to have some fun with a few wonderful individuals.
Kowboi is amazing when it comes to building things, I can do nothing more than look on in amazement with his skills, his precise measurements, his organization, his dedication to the things he loves. And damnit he needs some really big "thank you's" from certain individuals. A technical mind is awe inspiring to me. Precise things are hard for me to achieve, but putting things together, like making phone calls, and setting things up are quite easy. You tell me what and where, I'll tell you who and when.
I want to thank Mustang, Dana, Kowboi, Rachel and SSM for making last night one of the best nights I have had in a very long time. I love you guys! Thanks for stepping up when this festival really needed you!

Thanks Kowboi

for this beautiful picture of me

*smooches bitch*

LOL

Question of the day. Why is it so easy to spout off about certain things and so very hard to talk about others? Sometimes things that upset us just spill out of our mouths, sometimes you keep them trapped in until one day it just explodes out. The day to day things are easy to let out, but the minute there is something that effects us in one way or another we can't seem to let ourselves talk about it.
Things that frustrate me are usually a bit easy to let out, usually. Then the things that I feel very deeply about, I can't ever find the words.
Someday I pray there will be a balance between my thoughts and my words....

uncertain
adjective
1.	lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
2.	not established beyond doubt; still undecided or unknown
3.	not established or confirmed
4.	not certain to occur; not inevitable
5.	subject to change
6.	not consistent or dependable
7.	ambiguous (especially in the negative)

un·sure (ŭn-shŏŏr', -shûr')
adj.

1. Lacking confidence.
2. Uncertain of the facts.
3. Precarious; unstable; unreliable.

un·sure'ly adv.

And because APJ did it,
so am I LOL! :)

Get Your Sexy Name

Wanted to wish everyone out there a very Happy Valentine's Day. Yes, I do understand that you are suppose to love daily, but having that one day a year to be able to be super smooshy in public, and get super romantical (yes I said romantical), needs to be wished to all!
I hope yours is full of lots of hugs and kisses- maybe even some chocolate! LOL ;)


Happy Valentine's Day!

at least for today! :)


Conversations with friends over a cup of coffee, especially when they just show up at your house. Even when the topics may be a bit confusing to both parties or being hard to talk about, knowing that I have people in my life that will just show up when they need an ear, shoulder or cup of coffee means so much to me.






Having super long conversations with friends that live too far away to just stop by. Getting caught up on moves, loves, children, family, jobs- everything. Then having super long conversations with people that live close by and their day, the killer conversation they had, help understanding certain things in the world. Events to conspire the next day, and the following week.

The sunrise I saw on the bus this morning. Scattered clouds, all pink on the bottoms. How calm and beautiful the sky is while the world is just waking up. How the sun feels on my skin even when it's still a bit chilly outside. How much sun in the morning changes my entire outlook on the upcoming day- that it's going to be good, going to be filled with warmth and smiles.




This small but wonderful collection I have slowly acquired of original, local photography. How it's so different and so beautiful in each pieces own way. I love art- think it's amazing. But there is something I love even more about photography. It's someone's personal view of something we all see on an almost daily basis. It is very interesting to see what others see through a lens.


I woke up this morning so thankful for many things, realizing how lucky I am.

M&M bloggers #2

:)
Zen Bunny


Kowboi after a crazy Rogue day! :P


Rachel

Bloggers as M&M's

A few bloggers as M&M's. More to come- promise! :)




SSM.....





APJ






Katie

Lecram

The Simple Life, Katie style

So, I have decided to make life a bit more streamline. Got rid of the cell phone, I have a house phone- why do I need 2 phones???? I don't, so the cell is going to be used for road trips and out of town excursions- so I have a way to phone if I need to.
I am working on the no smoking train. I've been on the patch for 4 days now, and with the exception of 2 random cigs I haven't been smoking...... a more healthy person and some serious cash saving in the near future.
I test drove a car that was super cute last night, but as most things go- cute doesn't get anyone very far- now does it? LOL The thing was a POS. So, the car hunt continues, something in decent shape that will get me a million miles to the gallon works just fine for me.
So in the recent past, I have cut out the cell, most booze, cigs (well close enough), and am aiming for mucho afford ability in a vehicle.

Simple-
that's the theme to 2007! :)

Observing, seeing, watching, silence.
Words not necessary, knowing without saying.
Seeing with your heart, feeling with your eyes, knowing without asking, and asking without speaking.
Connecting in ways not the norm, more comforting than not.
Communication at it's prime and yet so primitive, puts smiles in hearts and eyes.

BLEH

The stomach flu can take a flying leap.

More when I feel better!

Quiet nights at home, take two

with Lucy, of course! :)


Why is it that some nights sitting alone, flipping through the bajillion channels of t.v. (that I am now paying for, although I promised myself I wouldn't) are some of the best nights.
Stepping away from people, things, the "norm" the usual routine of the week is kind of nice. It's also very interesting how some things that make us so content and so happy, also make us appreciate our alone time. Some people can't handle being alone, and while it's not always my favorite thing to be, I do enjoy it. I believe it makes us all better people, makes us think, reflect, relax, and just be- which is something that seems to be lacking in this world. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the super fast pace of life, always somewhere to go, something to do, someone to see. It's a necessary evil to just be at times.
I remember how hard it was the first time I lived alone, I could hear every bug, every creak, every everything. Coming from a home that moved 24 /7 it was a crazy adjustment to make. After sharing space with someone, other than the cat, I love being able to hear the little things. To hear the cars driving by, the conversations people have while walking, the wind, my downstairs neighbors slam their doors for 10 minutes. Those things are somewhat calming, comforting, relaxing.
I used to think I wouldn't ever be able to live alone, that I would freak out at the solitude, and now- I'm not sure how sharing space would affect me. There are people in my family that haven't ever lived alone, and one in particular that has lived alone for some amazing amount of time.
Pretty crazy.........


*side note* I'm a tard- I apologize!

Quiet nights at home

with Lucy, of course! :)


Why is it that some nights sitting alone, flipping through the bajillion channels of t.v. (that I am now paying for, although I promised myself I wouldn't) are some of the best nights.
Stepping away from people, things, the "norm" the usual routine of the week is kind of nice. It's also very interesting how some things that make us so content and so happy, also make us appreciate our alone time. Some people can't handle being alone, and while it's not always my favorite thing to be, I do enjoy it. I believe it makes us all better people, makes us think, reflect, relax, and just be- which is something that seems to be lacking in this world. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the super fast pace of life, always somewhere to go, something to do, someone to see. It's a necessary evil to just be at times.
I remember how hard it was the first time I lived alone, I could hear every bug, every creak, every everything. Coming from a home that moved 24 /7 it was a crazy adjustment to make. After sharing space with someone, other than the cat, I love being able to hear the little things. To hear the cars driving by, the conversations people have while walking, the wind, my downstairs neighbors slam their doors for 10 minutes. Those things are somewhat calming, comforting, relaxing.
I used to think I wouldn't ever be able to live alone, that I would freak out at the solitude, and now- I'm not sure how sharing space would affect me. There are people in my family that haven't ever lived alone, and one in particular that has lived alone for some amazing amount of time.
Pretty crazy.........

Fax bus, cold weather and a clean living space...

That just about sums up my life for the past week!

The FAX bus isn't such a bad form of transportation. Yes my commute is a bit longer than normal, but there are some definite pluses...

1. No waiting for the car to defrost in the freezing mornings
2. Reading books I have been wanting to get into for a while now
3. Not having to worry about driving with the crazies in this town
4. Cheaper than gas
5. Meeting some very interesting and helpful people on my rides
6. Being able to unwind on my ride home before I get home, thus making me more productive when I get home!

The cold weather is killing me. Thank goodness it hasn't killed my PG&E bill yet. LOL It seems as though I can't quite ever get warm, no matter how many layers of clothing I wear, or how long I blast my little heater at my desk. I can't wait for spring!

I got Christmas taken down this past Friday, as fun as it was to have it up, I am so glad it is going back in the garage. I rearranged furniture, added some new pieces thanks to the family, and set up this awesome fountain I received as a Christmas present. I now have an area rug for my front room, that is totally cat approved. LOL My house is becoming my "zen" pad again, and I love that!

Did some decent cooking this past weekend- which is always fun for me! (Cow tastes good when cooked on the George Foreman) I also got to spend some much needed and wanted time with friends at the clean zen pad this weekend- that was awesome!

Sidenote:
I want to thank everyone that has volunteered vehicles and rides to me during this whole smashed up car time. I thank you all soooooooo much for caring enough to want to take care of me. I am trying to be more accepting of help, but sometimes it is so darn hard. I try so hard to be self sufficient that it is hard to take the hand of someone when I fall. You guys are so amazing, and I needed to verbalize again my graciousness for the offers. *smooches*