oooops

Well....here we are.


More than a month has gone by.

2 Comps....

1 is my fav...the other one I have wanted to go to for years....

And I didn't write.

Oh well...also had a preview and a fund raiser...and a week or so ago we were part of the Santa Fe Theater walk.

So there it is...that's my update.

As for training....James is pulling me back while I prep for the show...thank you James.

I have about 6 weeks til we open and Rod and I are just working...trying to stay focused on the art while also trying to figure out what we don't know about getting a piece produced....

AHHHHHHHH.


Focus on the art, focus on the art.

But truly we do need people to come see it as well.

Can I just shout out about Rod here for a sec?  Over the 25+ years we have worked together I have said this to people over and over....he is fucking brilliant.  Rod has always pushed me to see things in new ways....and to trust when I had nothing left to trust...to keep going when I had nothing left to give.  I could not be doing this without him.

To be able to work with Rod and the long list of actors I have worked with in Santa Fe who are simply dedicated to the work has been such a gift....

And the pathway that open for us to do this work....difficult to explain all the little gifts that I was given that allowed me, at each step to be able to keep saying YES.

The Walk was another gift, pushed and given by Scott Harrison...while I may add, he is in the middle of producing his own show.....that allowed me to see whether or not I could actually speak these truths to people I did not know, did not know if I could trust.

Ok....enough...my list is long....so I shall pause here.

But seriously...Rod is fucking Brilliant.

goals

Sometimes it is very interesting the way people see you...

I'm just going through my days, struggling to get my work outs in.  My personal goals right now are pretty far removed from the gym at the moment.

Some one says to me, "I know you are trying to be some bad ass power lifter chick."



Huh?


No.


1.  I have never imagined myself fitting into the "chick" category.

2.  I only "focused" on power lifting very briefly, post heart surgery.

3. I have great respect for the sport and those who focus on said sport....I simply will never be one of those women....I am not disciplined like they are...

4. I lift to be a better thrower....most of the time.....but right now.....

5.  I lift because I like to lift and frankly, it has been tho ONLY thing that I have ever stuck with.  I don't wanna "be" anything....but I do want to keep moving.


Is it something I should be doing at my advancing age?  Well, some may not think so...but I say yes, yes it is.  Is it "traditional" or gentle or whatever?  No....But I keep coming back to the bar.


I keep coming back to the bar, because the bar doesn't lie.

I can convince myself of all sorts of things when it comes to my "perceived effort" on a walk or on a bike or fuck, even in Yoga....

But as Henry Rollins says...200 pounds will always be 200 pounds....


So, I'll do me and you do you. I know it wasn't meant as an insult or anything....it was just this person's impression and that's OK!!

I'll just be thankful I have found a way to move that keeps me coming back....keeps me moving.  I don't want to BE anything....I just wanna move...and really that is still sorta new for me.  2010....less than 10 years ago...I joined my first gym.  My workouts have changed a ton since then....and you know what?  It can keep changing. But even back then....my favorite days were lifting days....

So, I'll find that bar for as long as I can...as long as it keeps calling me back....

No REP!

I go "no repped" last rehearsal!

For those of you who are not familiar with CrossFit lingo....judges or coaches will yell "No REP" if you miss depth or some other standard.


Last rehearsal......

Me:  Well. I made it through the lifting piece.

Dir: Well, almost.

Me:  What?

Dir:  Well.....

Me:  Whatever, my knee still hurts.

Dir:  I really need to no rep you.

Me: Fine

Dir:  No rep in rep.

Me: ........

Dir:  No rep; in rep in a repertory theater.

Me:  No reppy reps.  The whole rehearsal doesn't count.


Ahhhhh.

Mona and Rod, combining Art and Sport since 2010....but never quite like this.

Meat Sack

Well,  Things are moving forward...

The things that need my attention are taking focus. Sometimes it is so difficult to remember that we cannot make time for everything we want to work on all the time.  I realized after yesterday's rehearsal that I need to let a few things go...I am so overwhelmed by the support I am getting for this show I am working on. 

I need to match that.

I can't fit things in anymore....It needs to take the front seat.


ANYWHOOOOO....

There has been something bugging me lately that has absolutely nothing to do with this piece.

I think women in particular get caught in the trap of talking about our bodies, not in terms of what they can do, but how they look. And as expected there is a huge disconnect between how we perceive ourselves in these beautiful meat sacks....I experienced this in a super painful way years ago when I was working on a piece with a group of dancers....There I am in a dressing room and they are talking about all their flaws and their FAT.....I am standing there left with this feeling of "Jesus, if they see themselves that way, they must want to vomit when they look at me."   I remember saying something to someone about this years ago and the comment was, "well it is ok for you to look the way you look, but...well.." and they trailed off....I felt like they were going to say, "because you don't give a shit about yourself." 

But I didn't press it.

I also was reminded of my own behavior...I know I have done that to friends...put on blinders and put myself down, without regard to what someone might be taking from my hateful comments toward myself.

There is someone in my life who is constantly using the phrase "enormous" to describe people.  Then I saw one of these "enormous" people they were referring to and I kinda wanted to die. 

You know where I am going with this, right?

Now every time I see them, I hear their voice saying those words about me to other people.

There seems to be a surge in this right now in the women around me and I don't know why, perhaps I am just more aware of it.

I asked a dear friend once, a friend who really is amazingly strong and super lean and fit..."Be honest, when you first met me, did you judge me based on my size." 

To their ENORMOUS credit...they said yes. Yes, they do judge people by how "fluffy" they are, they try not to but it is there... The honesty was refreshing.  I still felt shame...the cultural pull is strong....shame that some how my meat sack is upsetting to people....but not for long. 

I look how I look for a long list of reasons....but none of those reasons include some sort of weakness, or moral failure.

So, I will watch my self talk, especially when it is out loud. When I experience this again, I will do my best not to accuse the speaker of anything, but to reminder her of all the things she can do with her meat sack...and maybe, just maybe it will help me to remember all the things I can do with my meat sack too. 

Quickie...

Up date that is...

Well, we got rid of our carpet in the living room and hall.  Dang....in by the yard; out by the pound indeed.

I am throwing this weekend...SCARY.

Rod, Kate, and I are looking at doing a preview/Bake sale for the piece we are working on.....

Probably the end of August, stay tuned.

Have I mentioned that we have dates for said piece?  Well we do.

Nov 1-3 and 8-10.

Means I'll miss World's, which if you know me at all you know I have conflicted feelings about...but the choice was made for me.

I probably told you that already.  Scott of IronWeed and John of Grotessco are both making me wanna cry lately....they are both being so generous with their time and resources. 

Got the official notification about Pleasanton yesterday. 

I know I say this every time I get selected, but I am so humbled and thrilled.  I adore that game....and They expanded the class....the last couple of years we threw with the men's 60+ so there were on 6 or so of us, this year?  12

12!

12 women's masters at Pleasanton!

And I get to be one of them....

I've been throwing a little more....mostly drills in the yard...but I think it's good...it's the detail work. 

Gym has been ok....

I have had a couple of bad days....days when I walk in and I just feel sad...a little lost...and a little lonely.  But I kept lifting. 

I know it's me..but there is someone there who I am starting to see frequently enough, that we always stop and say hi and even check in about what we are working on....that is the best....she's pretty cool to chat with this old grandma... seriously, she's pretty freakin nice....

I'll try to check in after the Elizabeth game...

Oh, I booked a movie too....Squeeee...It's been a while!

It's been an interesting time....I have so much beauty and grace and love around me and sometimes I can't seem to feel it or see it. 

Gotta keep my eyes open.

And another Happy Birthday to my son Kegan....he made me a mom 25 years ago today.