Austin Girl

i'm a mommy, a supportive wife (mostly), a loving daughter, a lazy but well-meaning friend, a texan, a reformed party girl, a slacker, a seeker, a chameleon, a reluctant L.Alien, trying to find the meaning of life in los angeles.

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Location: Los Angeles, CA

Saturday, March 25, 2006

INteresting article

were you a whiny, uptight kid, or a fun-loving free-thinker? it may explain your political bent today.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

the many lives of me

my hubby and i were talking about the many different "careers" i have had in my life. they are:

• Picketer/Activist
• Gymnastics Instructor
• Cheerleader
• Modern Interpretive Dancer
• Musical Theatre Actress
• Theatre Producer
• Commercial Actress
• Tour Guide
• Vocalist for a Movie Soundtrack
• English as a Second Language Instructor
• Drama Teacher
• University Lecturer
• Puppeteer
• Office Worker (many capacities)
• Grant Writer



Here’s the list with some description:

Picketer/Activist (at the age of 5-"save our fire house!")
Gymnastics Instructor (in high school- helped toddlers do somersaults)
Cheerleader (I was told once- “Amy, you look like you are afraid to move because someone might see you.”
Modern Interpretive Dancer (the husband witnessed this one when we were dating...)
Musical Theatre Actress (and this one, and STILL married me- I starred in "Donkey Hotey"- the musical- as Sancha the catnip pushing cat)
Theatre Producer (a most horrendous piece of experimental college theatre)
Commercial Actress (a few cheesy local Austin commercials and print ads- Tip Top Cleaners, Texas Hot Tubs)
Tour Guide (Wild Basin Preserve-led scavenger hunts to find pine needles,rocks, Twigs, various types of animal poo and such)
Vocalist for a Movie Soundtrack (Horror score. It was truly horrible.)
English as a Second Language Instructor
Drama Teacher (Creative drama, to be exact)
University Lecturer (Puppetry, of course- history of and how to make)
Puppeteer (did marionette shows for seniors at Texas-Czech Heritage Society meetings and events)
Office Worker (blah-my least favorite)
Grant Writer

I guess you could say that I enjoy following whims, and like a life that is random. I mean, come on. I married a Czechoslovakian musician who used to be a mermaid!

Monday, March 20, 2006

on a lighter note

For those of you who missed the midnight show at the Laemmle this past weekend, Voodoo Moon, starring Charisma Carpenter, Eric Mabius, John Amos and Dee Wallace, will be airing on the Sci Fi channel in May, and will go to DVD after that. The Sci Fi cut will be 2 minutes shorter, and minus the boobies. But you will get all of that and more when the dvd is released. I have to say it was pretty cool to hear Ludek's music in the theatre. (even though I slept through at least half of the movie).

EDIT/UPDATE: Just for the record, I didn't sleep through the movie because it was bad or boring. It was MIDNIGHT and I had just gotten over being sick FOR WEEKS. My husband wanted me to clarify. Thank you.

Please pray for Charlotte

A friend from high school and her family recently received some very sad news regarding the health of their beautiful 8 year-old daughter, Charlotte. I was never a close friend of Missy's, but always thought of her highly. We went to a small private school in Ft. Worth, Texas, and so we all knew each other pretty well. (48 in my graduating class). As a mother of an (almost) 6 year old, this hit me pretty hard. Charlotte has a beautiful smile, and sparkling eyes. This about the disease Charlotte has been diagnosed with:

Charlotte (8) is suffering from a "Demyelinating Disease", which destroys the protective layer of proteins surrounding the central nervous system in her brain. The symptoms thus far have included weight loss and rapid deterioration of her motor skills and cognitive abilities. We first noticed some changes in mid January. Multiple doctors are working furiously to try to identify the disease causing the de-myelination in hopes of delaying its progress. Unfortunately, the prognosis is not encouraging.
There is a strong chance that the disease is genetic, meaning that William (6) and Mae Mae (4) could also be vulnerable.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our day to day routine, and to focus on work or finances (TAXES), or the messy house or unnecessary grudges. This makes me take stock of life, and realize that every day is precious. Because you never know what can happen tomorrow.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Voodoo Moon at the Laemmle

A fun movie with Charisma Carpenter and Eric Mabius. zombies, a demon, and the dad from Good Times! OH, and an AWSOME film score. Midnight. Somehow the husband thinks we will be able to stay up past midnight to go out. He is always asleep by 9pm on the couch. Is he NUTS????

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

the cough that keeps on coughing

i am sick and tired of this damn cough. i have it, husband has it, and the poor little girl woke up this morning with a 100.5 fever and ... the cough. on the up side, i am home posting on my blog. i started antibiotics today. i am pretty much against them, and haven't taken any in years. but THREE WEEKS! this cough has been lingering for THREE WEEKS! the doctor said i either take them, or end up with chronic bronchitis or pneumonia. i have been coughing so hard at night, i feel like i broke a rib. ok, so it's probably just a strained muscle, but IT HURTS! the doc also gave me the super duper codeine cough syrup that will totally knock me out. i am taking the little girly to the doc this afternoon, then i just need to convince hubby that he needs to go asap. he's got deadlines and is totally stressed out, but he needs to take care of this thing.

ok. enough about me and my sick family. that's depressing. i got to spend a few days in texas, which was really nice, and the kid got to spend 5 days with her dear grandmother (my mommy). i miss austin i miss austin i miss austin! but, i do love los angeles in many respects (and hate it too). (i'm probably repeating myself here, but...) austin does seem smaller when i go back, even though it is expanding rapidly. every time i go there, there is something new, and it is definitely starting to sprawl. so many of my old haunts are gone. i just found out last night that the vegetarian restaurant, west lynn cafe, that my hubby and i met at while working there, was sold by the owners, and is now some trendy indian cuisine place. it was such a groovy little restaurant, with excellent food and wine. the owners also own a place called mother's cafe, and many of the dishes from west lynn are served there as well (also vegetarian). if you're ever in austin, try it. the food is outstanding, and not at all bland like some veg restaurants. but west lynn was classic, and i'm sad it is gone.

what i love about l.a. is the many cultures, the beaches, the mountains, the arts. so what do i hate about l.a.? well, for one, all the fake folk out there that make the rest of us look bad because they can afford to spend hours at the salon, with their personal trainers, and at the plastic surgeons'. (do i sound bitter? i am) has anyone else noticed that marcia cross's forehead does not move? does it look freaky to anyone besides me? the oscars are fun, but do we really need two hours of after-party commentary? and come on, sure the dresses are pretty for the most part, and everyone looks all tightened up and spray tanned. but GEEZ. get over yourselves. sorry. i'll step down from the soapbox now.

what else can i ramble on about today? the hubby has decided we are going to prague in june for the wedding of a brit film friend of his. it will be really cool to take the kid there to meet her czech cousins. i am interested to see how she will communicate with them. maybe she'll learn a little czech, which is a really useful language here in los angeles. (hee)

well, gotta run. (running? what's that? haven't run in 3 weeks! no marathon in my near future.)