Well, here we all are, on the edge.  I, for one, won't exhale until Biden is sworn in and in an undisclosed location.   

Let the shitstorm begin.

Well, looks like the family drama is coming to a big ole pussy head.  (that's pussy as in full of green smelly pus, not pussy, as in cat, just to be clear)

The impatient one has forced her hand, and the shitpot has been stirred.  

Red line crossed, game on.

This one means a lot, high stakes.  

Values, Respect, Civility, Service.

Wish us luck.

45 years ago today I became Donna Dickerson.  It began with a ride from a friend from Roanoke to Eden, N.C. and ended with a hitch hiked ride with a trucker named Measles back to Roanoke.  It was cold as we traipsed all over Eden to comply, and as I remember, the guy who married us showed mercy.  I wore a navy blue wool Jonathan Logan suit I had bought at a thrifts shop because I Loved navy blue wool anything.  As misguided as it may have seemed to all who learned of it, it was not.  It put me on the path that led me to today and I am grateful, happy and satisfied.

Ok i did it.

One more thing off the bucket list this week, I auditioned for a sketch comedy show. It was fine. My heart's just not into onstage. On the other hand I would love to work with this company. So I offered to work back stage.   Turns out, they go thru stage managers like beer. Love this company, I've been a fan since the beginning. If their off stage production process were upgraded, I believe they could up the quality of the performer's experience as well as the audience's.

Changing my heart.

Recently I've noticed something.  The walk down the ramp to the theater no longer energizes me.  I found myself feeling heavier and darker with every step.  The magic's just not there.  My heart just isn't in it.

What happened?  Gigantic Success. Somehow nothing else seems worthy of my attention, much less my heart, anymore. 

My heart went with the glow of an ensemble collaborating like partners, team mates and stakeholders.  And the food that was always there when we needed it. 

Looks like a new adventure to me.  Time to don my BackStage Diva tiara and brass balls.

Keep Playing,
Donna

Sabbatical, earned and well used.

Shedding the old skin.

1/10/10
Didn't know where I was going, because I didn't know where I was. The landscaped had shifted and I needed to find my bearings, figure out what was important, how to handle the new responsibility and where I wanted to be in a year.

Took some time to be at home and take a good look at my life.  Reality check.  A lot has happened in the last five years.

Relationships changed, passion waned, loss became normal, purpose faded into the background, then morphed.

I'm grateful I could take a look around and remember who I am, and why I'm here.

Time to lift my chin, look to the horizon a little further and go play.

It's not whether, but when.

It's not if but when
You gotta live til you die
my dad always says


If you got to choose, would you?

For Uncle Charlie

For Uncle Charlie from Donna Dickerson on Vimeo.

How time flies.

I've avoided posting these last few months. Too much going on way too fast. If you know me, you know I like to think about things in a lot of different ways before I decide where to go next, trouble is, a lot of things needed deciding...quick. Standards slipped a time or two, compromises made, unresolved business still unresolved....leading to today.

I left a cooler full of party stuff in my car for a week. Just didn't think about it, when I did, it was either too cold to go out in my loungewear or it was raining and forget about it...from conscientious homemaker, daughter, mother, and backstage diva to toast in 4 short blurry months.

But what four months they were. Glorious, fun, energizing and inspiring. I'm looking forward to snow days, I can't wait to share the adventure. And get to work on drab to fab. Do I ever need it. I'm a mess.

Drab to Fab

Did you ever see a reflection in a store window and wonder what the hell she was thinking, then realize it was you?

Do you have underwear older than some of your colleagues?

When was the last time you changed your hairstyle?

Are you seeing telltale signs of your lifestyle on your face?

Stay tuned. Drab to Fab is coming.

Look for the free e-course in a couple of weeks, and teleclasses coming in August.

Life's too short for ugly shoes.

Return to the Burgburb

Went back for family reunion after an unusually long stay at home. It was a little odd without mom, the warm fuzzy feeling of seeing all the cousins has become a cold clammy duty dance. I think it's time to hang up the dancing shoes and admit that these folks are not my tribe at all.

It's Living Geneology. Every year we have to be reminded, by the keeper of the family tree, of how we are connected. For the most part, it's only from the prolific childbearing of generations long passed. The pre-meal presentation was replaced by a post meal recitation of who died in the last year. I'm done.

Returned home for 4 days, only to return again so that Youngblood could collect the car promised to him by my mom. He's on cloud 9 and fully mobile.

A new era has begun. Yeaaaaa.

Laugh a little.

As you may know, yoga has been a way of life for me for a very long time. It's been westernized, demonized and twisted into an unrecognizable form to make it more palatable to the American couchpotato mentality.

Now, another form. Laughter Yoga. Love it.

Try it out over the phone, in a free moderated call. It's great fun and just what I needed this morning.

Youngblood's Biggest Night So Far

Success.

My Hero.
Film at eleven. pm. tomorrow.

So much for the weekly update.

Obviously, I can't be relied upon to post once a week.

That said, I haven't been idle. It's spring here at Ellsworth Manor and the carnage has begun. So far i have a 50% save rate on baby rabbits. The tomatoes are blooming and the weeds are thick and lush.

Youngblood graduates next week and my five month laissez faire attitude with his room and the contents thereof is biting me in the ass as we speak.

The management company we hired to manage the property can't keep books and three years into this house, the shoddy is showing.

I still find comfort in knowing that Mom got home, it offsets the horror of wondering if her meds killed her.

Family reunion is coming up. So many have passed this year. Wondering how the dynamics of the event will change, and how the dynamics of the event will change us.

Well, there you go. You're all caught up with me. What's going on with you?

Are you on Facebook or MySpace? Please join my friends list.

Rock On

Youngblood's style is changing. Here's a one minute home movie.

The Backstage Diva

As I mentioned a few posts ago, time to branch off.

If you love theatre, particularly locally produced theatre, I'd like to invite you to join me at The Backstage Diva.

It's a commentary on all things production with an emphasis on the collaborative process that, when done well, makes magic happen for audiences.

Hope to see you there. As always, your comments are welcome.

Living on the Edge: Back to the Future

Here's a handy tool in pdf format for getting a grip on your life.

Clean Sweep

I'd love to know if you find it helpful. I did.

Living on the Edge: What.

Living on the Edge evolved into a glimpse into my life, the part I don't really want to "talk" about. Little press releases. No comment.

Then, ahhhh (full exhale), I'm free to be me again. (full inhale) and now I want to "talk", have conversations about the things that matter to those I'm blessed to have in my life, many of whom annoy (or bore) the crap out of each other.

My family types don't always "get" my theatre colleagues. My theatre colleagues really don't give a damn about laundry or easy, impromptu entertaining. Neither of those groups care much about the newest technology in skin care, my quest to simplify everything wardrobe and makeup, and my "Go to Europe with a toothbrush and a credit card concept".

So what to do with an unwieldy blog? Break off into new ones, activate some not so new ones and make a guest list for each party. Yea. An action step.



Next post: Back to the future.

Living on the Edge: Why.

Living on the Edge began as a project a while ago when I ran across this guy with a free e-course.

Anyway, I knew I had to have a blog. Didn't exactly know why. Didn't really care.

All I could think of was the crew of the Enterprise. Their amazing access to history, carefully catalogued and categorized, accessible at one's voice command, was us.

So, that was my context: This will be referenced on the Star Ship Enterprise database.

Ok. That said.

Hi, If you can contact me from the future, one question?
When do we get teleportation?

May I ask one more?
Did you Google that?


Next post: What