12.26.2006

year in review

0 comments
Done with school forever. Now what?

Lesson learned after Month One post-college: being unemployed is the WORST thing ever. Although, I now know a large portion of the Friends episodes by heart.

I accept Job Number Three, as a Program Assistant for the Center for Human Development in Pleasant Hill. Deep down, I know this job isn't for me, but compared to the other two offers I received, this opportunity was by far the best.

Enter Lucy, my brand new 2006 Toyota Rav4 and the love of my adolescent life.

Save money, eat less, go to the gym. To provide some variety and keep my sanity, Danielle and I visit Target and Barnes & Noble on a semi-weekly basis. Damn, Antioch is boring.

Despite the eating less and going to the gym, the weight creeps back on. I need to get out of here.

Have you ever been stranded by a snow storm? I have.

I love AiR. I hate AiR. When will this be over?

So I fell. Hard, at that. A year and a half later, reality mixes with fantasy and I can't believe what's happening. But because I am stupid and immature and desperate and naive, I mess it all up in one swoop with my terrible timing and poor choice of words. I let everyone believe I wasn't the one to blame, only because the truth hurts too much. But let it be known for now and ever more: I made the mistake.

AiR Concert: a personal disappointment. AiR Tour: a certifiable nightmare. AiR, Generally: one of the things that will always hold a place in my heart.

I move out of Antioch to live with friends from Cal in Oakland and to combat the rush hour traffic to Pleasant Hill. I hope this is the beginning of something good.

Angelina Malfitano, 12.12.83 ~ 5.30.06

More car accidents, more head trauma, more death. Summer feels like hell.

Fed up with my job, I secretly apply to new ones. I score an interview with Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Programs for the position of Assistant Public Affairs Representative. According to the job description, I would be paid to do everything I have ever enjoyed doing. Dear Lord, I think I've found my dream job.

Three months later, I'm an ETP employee.

Chocolate, one of my childhood pups, 3.1.93 ~ 8.29.06

Alameda Civic Light Opera's Aida, my first musical, opens to rave reviews on my 22nd birthday.

Since high school, I've wanted to be a singing teacher. Musically directing AiR was one of my life's most fulfilling experiences, and I planned on continuing teaching after I left the group. I didn't think I had what it took to privately teach lessons, so I offered free lessons to a friend who was looking for instruction. From there, things took off, and both my student and my teaching are improving. I can't wait until the day when I can have my own studio.

I am invited to perform in ACLO's 10th Anniversary Show as a featured singer. Small ensemble singing is what I love best. Having your picture in the paper isn't all that bad either.

Resolutions came early this year with the help of the Kaiser Permanente Personal Best initiative. Kaiser encourages employees to achieve their "personal best" by participating in physical activities for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The more often you do so, the more chances you get to win an iPod. Kaiser also hosts rallies and exercise groups once a month to help keep you on track. The 13-week program concludes with a 5K/Half Marathon event in Golden Gate Park on Superbowl Sunday. Thus far, I've lost six pounds in a month. I'm sticking to this.

ACLO hosts its annual Awards Dinner, where Aida takes home 16 of 20 awards, including Best Ensemble and Best Show.

Precious, my other childhood pup, is given up for adoption.

This year, seven people I know got engaged. WTF???

This Christmas signified change. I have officially been classified as an adult by my entire extended family, each of my cousins has grown up and there are no longer any babies, and my parents prepared themselves for their last Christmas in Antioch. In the car on our way to church, my dad said he believed something big would happen next year: perhaps a promotion, an early graduation, or something of that nature. I'm crossing my fingers for our something big.

...

Next year, I resolve to:

  1. get to goal - it's been long enough.
  2. save at least $1000.
  3. consider more permanent living situations for the somewhat distant future.
  4. go on a vacation.
  5. meet new people.
  6. audition for at least one hot shot professional performance job.

Happy 2007!

12.18.2006

somber endings

0 comments
My parents put Precious up for adoption. She had been staying with my grandma so that she could have more face time than she did with my parents, but my grandma is not equipped to care for an ailing dog. She recently injured herself when she didn't notice Precious skidding along beside her. Aside from that, she doesn't have the energy to keep up with her, so she had been keeping Precious confined to certain areas of the house. We've come to realize that she needs more than we can offer her. My dad took her to the animal shelter a few days ago, and he says that from the minute he walked in the door, people were fawning over her. She is great with people and makes a wonderful and loyal companion. And as heartbroken as it makes me feel, I understand that this is what is right. She will be with a family that can provide her with all she needs, and she will do the same for them. Come Christmas, I'm certain she will be gone from our lives forever.

And with her go the last vestiges of my childhood. Everything I once had to remind me of it has since disappeared, moved on, or grown up.

Goodbye 12, goodbye 13. Hello love?

...

2007 can't come soon enough. This year has officially been the worst of my life.

12.13.2006

morals of the story

1 comments
Two good friends and a couple shots of tequila make for an amazing pre-party.

I'm proud of my chickies. They should be too.

I might have gotten over it, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten.

I am officially a groupie. I don't believe he understands the magnitude of my admiration.

Seriously, being on stage is the most incredible feeling in the world. Seriously.

Being not too old and not too young is the perfect place to be.

...

I think I've reached a whole new level of performing. It's called, "bullshitting your way through a gig that isn't yours."

I'm more angry at my non-friends than I am at my actual friends. That's always a good thing.

Things I've learned from being in a sorority: how to network, how to charm, how to handle your alcohol, and how to take care of those who are clueless when it comes to their own limitations.

Please don't pretend like you understand my grief, especially when you admit so from the beginning.

And please don't invade my personal space.

...

That dress is a winner.

Even after 15 years of performing experience, there is still so much more to learn.

I struck gold when I accepted that role.

Despite the fact that this may be fleeting, I believe I have found a genuine group of friends.

...

And as a side note: Happy Birthday, Angelina! Party it up with the angels. We're wishing you all the best down here on Earth.