Haiku for Viv

As Vivienne Benesch prepares to leave Chautauqua Theater Company for Playmaker’s Rep, Andrew Borba (the sweet man he is) has rallied her alumni to create a send-off book for her of haiku about CHQ.  For those who haven’t gotten to experience the nocturnal flutterings of the institution’s infamous bats, you should know there’s a few who take up residence in the theater & sometimes emerge during performances.  I’ve always loved bats & thus, my poem is about them:

‘Mong darkened rafters
wings unfurl. Lights, now aglow
attracted dinner

 

Spring in LA

Started this a while ago, but with all the transitions in my life haven’t gotten to work on it until now.  Current draft:

 

Hills blush green with grass

Orange blossoms burst on trees

Naroli delights

 

 

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Yoga Flow?

I don’t know who reads this, so I don’t know if you care.  But if you have an opinion on this, please let me know.  Any recommendations would be helpful!

So I’ve been doing yoga a while, but semi-offten I feel like the yoga is going too fast for me.  I like a little time to be aware of of my pose, to enjoy my pose, to be aware of my breath & to get to enjoy it.  But it often seems like the instructors I’ve had have gone a little too fast.  Or especially online (I try to keep yoga in my life even when I don’t have time for classes) they really don’t seem aware of their speed sometimes. Or maybe I just breathe slowly.   Has anyone experienced this?  Is there a specific branch out there that’s slower?

 

Strange Fellowe

Jumping in at the last minute to help on the workshop a truly beautiful piece: Strange Fellowe.

See their blog here.

Facebook event info here.

 

Rehearsal pic

 

 

Weird

While looking at an LED flashlight online, I was surprised to see the example photos for it:

As if this weren’t surprising enough, the item commonly purchased with it was:

True.

 

 

 

Fork in the Road

It’s not really a fork in the road: it’s a roundabout. The craziest spoke-wheel roundabout I’ve run up on. I’m approaching it quickly, & the size, the number of people involved, the array of choices – it’s intimidating. So as I hurtle towards this crossroads in my life I need to take a moment to survey the landscape, & would appreciate help in doing so.

See, my current job as a camera/lighting tech on Robot Chicken is coming to an end. With the season winding down, the options of what to do with my life blow wide open. I am blessed with numerous possibilities, but am unsure of the roads to travel. Some possibilities I know of are: to stay in LA & freelance, to move to NY & do the same, to take off on traveling adventures, or to bide my time, think this over & work on other creative and/or fun things in the meantime. I’m sure there are other possibilities, too. What I’m saying is: I am open to what’s next.

By posting this I’m not looking to initiate a NY-LA battle from my friends. What I’m looking for are real, concrete leads into what might be in store down one of these roads. Do you know of a great apartment opening up in NY? Do you know of a DP/studio I should send a resume to? Directors with a production I should collaborate on? An architectural lighting firm looking for young, fresh ideas? Have any other project you think I’d be great for? Know of a great travel deal we can go on? Once again, no general fighting over what city I should live in. If you want me there, lets start laying some concrete.

Here are some of my thoughts/fears/hopes about various options I know of. Feel free to dispel any fallacies, also (once again, with concrete proof, please):
– I am generally happier in NY than LA
– I will get more work in NY, in a field that to this point has been more creatively satisfying for me, but it will pay less.
– I can make better rates in LA, but am lower on the totem pole, so less creatively satisfied. Making TV/film satisfying will take yet more time, when I have invested a lot in theater. In the long run it would probably be more lucrative.
– Creative satisfaction is more important to me than money generally, but having gone broke once already this year (doing only theater in LA), I don’t want to work for free. I’m 31 today, & need to not just be self-supporting, but ultimately looking toward my goal of owning a home one day.

Most anyone who’s going to read this knows my work already, but if you’ve stumbled upon this without knowing me, you can see examples at http://www.ellieilluminate.com It hasn’t been updated in 18 months, so suggestions on an overhaul for it are also valid 🙂

Thank you, universe!
ellie

 

RCDC costumes!

Not too long ago we had a costume wrap party for the Robot Chicken/DC Comics special, & there were a ton of awesome costumes.  My handiwork can be seen below, but Lindsey’s trojan horse cake costume took the cake in my opinion.  I’ll try to get some pics of it for all to see…

 

Midnight Muddling

I pack my lunch for work the next day every night before bed. Tonight, I was placing a tomato in the top compartment of my tiffin set (thanks Alice!), when it occurred to me I should add a little olive oil & basil, maybe make it a little stuffed & broiled tomato. In that case, I really should put some garlic in there. Garlic certainly needs to be ground up a bit, so I should muddle all this together…and next thing you know I was basically hand-grinding pesto. Toasted pignolas & all. Delicious adventure.