Extremes...

Wow. What a whirlwind of emotion the last week has been. With the loss of my dear friend Weiferd, my mother's 75th birthday celebration, teaching, rehearsals for my new play and the ongoing accolades for Skeleton Stories all accompanied by a nasty cold, I think that I have experienced everything that there is to experience in the last seven days.

Weiferd's funeral was so incredible. The chapel was filled with family and friends from his disparate worlds. The sermon was fiery and heartfelt and inspiring. I spoke, as did his best friend Shannon, several family members and a model and a body builder. Each aspect of his circle of friends brought together for the first time. It was amazing and tender and heartbreaking.

from our 2009 Golden Gate Bridge Shoot

I flew directly from Oakland to Las Vegas for my mom's 75th Birthday celebration and extravaganza...what a change in emotion and tone. Las Vegas is just unreal. The immense Americana of it--the excess, the cheap sexuality, the lights, the overwhelming noise and vulgarity. My niece looked up to me at one point and asked why everyone was wearing such short skirts. She had just witnessed one that barely covered what it should...

We had an incredibly overpriced but tasty meal, and saw Cirque De Soleil's Beatles Themed Show, Love. The whole trip was a surprise for my mom, and she was definitely surprised. I got to spend time with my favorite small person and even saw Mr. Obama's plane take off the next morning. Even though I would have liked to have spent more time in the Bay Area, I have to say that it was nice to move onto a celebration....

The Girls....

Adding to that the intense pressure of being in rehearsal and teaching 20 classes a week and I, for the first time since being a small child, went to bed at 8PM on Saturday night. All worn out....I love the show I'm in. I'm super proud of Skeleton Stories. Life is crazy and busy and full of extremes and I wouldn't want it any other way.