tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292556592012-02-17T07:52:33.284-08:00Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.comBlogger1291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-9647821002942071872008-12-07T23:12:00.000-08:002008-12-07T23:21:45.559-08:00

Haven't been here in a while. Twitter and Facebook offer the appeal of brevity and minimal commitment to content. Had some (OK a lot of) wine with Foster tonight and feeling simultaneously philosophical, metaphysical and physicistical (yeah, can you pronounce that? It has something to do with realitivity and string theory and tatoos somehow too). Foster's smart and I guess so am I, but Future the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-54601548669262201382008-08-31T23:04:00.000-07:002008-08-31T23:06:51.003-07:00

Am starting to get excited about my next project, a stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Desperately need a stage manager. And a set designer. Anyone know anyone? Auditions September 27-28 if any actors are out there reading this.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-43705186861968789092008-08-31T23:01:00.000-07:002008-08-31T23:04:07.648-07:00

Wow, just noticed my last blog entry was about a moth. Exciting. And now all of August has flown by. And I've been a rehearsal room at the G since the Fringe. Assistant Directing doesn't involve much besides sitting next to the director waiting for a command. Lucky the G's rehearsal rooms have a view. So now I can follow my post about a moth with posts about geese. Interesting exercise in

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-82762343750608811802008-08-01T20:56:00.000-07:002008-08-01T21:03:40.297-07:00

This really big (no really, like 4" across) flying thing just dive-bombed me on my porch. Just saw Mike Fotis's hilarious show where he talks about being chased by a bat. Alan, Louise, and I had our own adventures with a bat. So yeah, I screamed and got epileptic for a minute. But then he landed and I saw that one of his antennae is broken, so he isn't drunk, just a little broken. And look, he's

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-55245682708292176972008-07-28T22:28:00.000-07:002008-07-28T22:31:48.473-07:00

And performing! If you haven't seen both his Beowulf and his Gilgamesh, now's your chance. He's a last-minute drop-in to the Fringe, kindly produced by Chopping Block. Here are the details:What are the odds and (you might well ask) what can be done on such shortnotice?How about a little show called "Beowulf or Gilgamesh - You Decide!"You've no doubt heard tell of Charlie's two epic adaptations.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-85903322312926765482008-07-21T20:15:00.000-07:002008-07-21T20:29:22.842-07:00

Just came from the public meeting regarding the Southern Theater. Top lessons for non-profit boards of directors:1. If you run an arts non-profit, have some artists on your board. Saying you support artists and work collaboratively with them works better when you actually have them in the room for planning and major decisions.2. If you're going to vastly restructure things and lose the one and

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-31378640895931749502008-07-19T00:23:00.000-07:002008-07-19T00:28:13.675-07:00

Just finished putting a whole can of primer on the walls of our new bedroom. (We moved to an apartment I like so much better, that now I excitedly paint.) It was a perfect bedroom except someone put in burgundy carpet and painted all the walls and the ceiling bright gold - I think, in honor of a sports team maybe. Then someone maybe didn't like the gold, so they got high and tossed a nasty

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-8002159055970173872008-07-18T19:17:00.000-07:002008-07-19T00:09:39.899-07:00

what the hell?My favorite quote from the Southern's board vice-chair, Bryan Fleming:"Arts organizations are not traditionally run as businesses, and we are trying to bring some sound strategic business practices to the art at the Southern."Which sounds harmless enough unless you're an artist yourself and have experienced first-hand how clueless business people often are about actually making art.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-10545328311867310002008-06-23T20:37:00.000-07:002008-06-23T20:45:12.220-07:00

As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.-Carl Gustav JungWe have art in order not to die of the truth.-Friedrich NietzscheMay heaven protect us, cher monsieur, from being set on a pedestal by our friends.-Albert CamusTrue excellence is rarely found, even more rarely is it cherished.-Johann Wolfgang von GoetheAu revoir, Jeune

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-79982144652590047752008-06-11T22:05:00.000-07:002008-06-11T22:19:18.829-07:00

I love traditional Chinese medicine and my friend Megan for showing me the wonder of acupuncture and Chinese herbs.I love not smoking and swimming and biking and swimming and swimming without getting out of breath.I love the TV show Weeds.La, la, la. Got to just try to be giddy and simple sometimes because some of the things I really love, that I wish everyone could love, are so fucking

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-59263837666975911152008-05-24T07:01:00.000-07:002008-05-24T08:11:01.269-07:00

WikipediaThe life expectancy at age x, denoted , is then calculated by adding up the probabilities to survive to every age. This is the expected number of complete years lived (one may think of it as the number of birthdays they celebrate). Because age is rounded down to the last birthday, on average people live half a year beyond their final birthday, so half a year is added to the life

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-42582085400029183572008-05-11T18:14:00.001-07:002008-05-11T18:27:29.308-07:00

Went to Berkeley to see Jeune Lune's Figaro. Hiked up the mountain to the University's botanical gardens. Was rewarded with this 20-foot high freaky plant. Awesome what grows on this planet.Berkeley is pretty weird about smoking in public. And they really don't know how to make a pastrami sandwich. And they are politically correct pretty far past the point of annoying smugness.But otherwise it's

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-71283360454682478792008-03-17T17:44:00.000-07:002008-03-17T18:15:43.795-07:00

Who's got time to blog? I'm too busy directing a show, this one by the fabulous Alan Berks. Very very excited I am.Everywhere Signs FallStarring Paul Cram, Tracey Maloney & John MiddletonWritten by Alan Berks, Directed by Leah CooperA world premiere presented by Gremlin TheatreA thrilling rollercoaster ride through mystery, tragedy and romancein a steamy motel room in hot, seedy Phoenix,

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-66897096423715260002008-02-10T10:38:00.000-08:002008-02-10T10:42:35.092-08:00

Foster went to L.A. for his birthday. I didn't ask for stories about the trip because it's embarrassing to cry in front of a large group of people at the Leaning Tower. But a casual visit to his blog put me face to suddenly teary face with this photo. Eucalyptus, palm, sun, how you taunt me.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-12825048109326401222008-01-15T10:25:00.000-08:002008-01-15T10:30:39.806-08:00

Now that my nighttime breathing is back to choking-free, I slept soundly all the way through to 8:30, hours later than I've made it all the mornings of the last week. And I guess we're far enough into the season that the sun is coming earlier and at a steadily new angle. Today it came bursting through the window by the bed, and that's what woke me up.There isn't enough hyperbole or exclamation

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-70534805822205228362008-01-13T05:55:00.000-08:002008-01-13T06:09:01.563-08:00

After nearly a week of lying around moaning, celebrated a return to health by seeing Black Label Movement's Wreck at the Southern Theater on Friday. A dance piece "set inside the last watertight compartment of a recently sunk ore boat resting at the bottom of Lake Superior," it was an amazing ride. Human bodies conveying mechanical objects and forces of nature while still always being human

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-28472694304566201852008-01-09T03:36:00.000-08:002008-01-09T03:39:51.827-08:00

I haven't been sick in ages. Pretty much since that long visit to the Honduran hospital. And that's a really really long time for me to go without being sick. Indulged deeply in some World Wide Whining about a haircut. Now I'm sick. Tell me that isn't karma. Going to the doctor today to see if this is strep throat or whine fever.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-22974638258394582962008-01-06T11:55:00.000-08:002008-01-06T11:58:06.202-08:00

See, really, really short. Like a boy. My Minnesotan friends are so nice. My Californian friends will say, "Girl, that's just bad. Here, wear my hat honey."

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-57230293695565220942007-12-30T13:23:00.000-08:002007-12-30T13:29:43.194-08:00

Note to well-meaning girl at the Aveda Institute who cut my hair yesterday:This is a Halle Berry haircut.This is a pixie haircut.Please note how irrevocable the pixie choice is when your customer asked for a Halle Berry.Now the money I saved by going to a student needs to be spent on a cute hat.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-23738463841443120892007-12-27T17:24:00.000-08:002007-12-27T17:32:10.770-08:00

I usually buy coats that are cheap and warm. Really warm. And really cheap. Thrift-shop fuzzy things. The only people who see me in my coat are my fellow passengers on the bus and I don't think they care. But, you know, it being a long-ass winter here, I guess I see my damn coat a lot. So I finally laid out a little extra for a seriously awesome coat. It was consignment and on sale, so it was

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-78138312741973902922007-12-24T05:56:00.000-08:002007-12-24T06:08:54.172-08:00

Our dog is mostly a quiet dog. Pensive, philosophical, we like to think. He only barks for three reasons.1. Please love me - A very polite little grunt to indicate he'd like to come back inside with us.2. Please play with me - Big happy yelps to demand that another dog or friendly-looking human come on over and play with him.3. Hey, what are you? - Territorial growls and ranting barks filled with

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-18506489254371384812007-11-27T10:13:00.000-08:002007-11-27T10:53:52.408-08:00

Driving back from Chicago after bloatfest day, Alan and Eben were both asleep, something caught my eye. Perched atop a boulder, hiding behind a billboard, a wild turkey. Just sitting there the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Giving thanks himself I suppose.Cold enough to call it winter now, and enough changes in our midst to settle down my autumn restlessness. For the two or three of you that read

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-30373670700369790952007-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:002007-10-21T19:41:59.914-07:00

A couple days after surviving a consulting project with only one lesson learned - that I never want to do anything like that again - I took a super long bath. Submerged myself up to my nostrils and layed there for a very long time. I noticed I could hear sounds all over the house from neighbors and pets. They sound completely different reverberating through the frame of the house, the ceramic of

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-13766938914579214472007-10-05T15:45:00.000-07:002007-10-05T15:47:07.679-07:00

Much better than September. The air tastes like apples. And I'm in rehearsals ... ah, the luxury of being creative feels so good.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-84060222761192571932007-09-21T23:47:00.000-07:002007-09-21T23:59:13.796-07:00

Fucking September. Hot and humid one day, cold and blustery the next. Confused, spring bulbs still shoot off young blooms while old wise trees burst red before dead leaves fall silently and sad. Kids going back to school, some so excited about what's next because everything is so deeply new it must be wonderful, while others are punched in the gut to find out that there's no time anymore for

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-53080433529231444452007-08-27T20:50:00.001-07:002007-08-27T20:50:51.983-07:00

Has anyone seen this yet? Or tried applying yet?

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-47252963496703777662007-08-20T19:39:00.000-07:002007-08-20T19:49:54.949-07:00

Production meeting for Chicago Avenue Project (where kids do the playwrighting) today. Discussions about how to make oversized, foam-core naked mole rats pop out of holes in foam-core "dirt", whether the elephants will need hands, how to do costume and make up for a character named "Fatso" who is half-human, half-donkey and looks like Gene Simmons, and whether they still have the costume for the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-57554320889666465162007-08-18T10:37:00.000-07:002007-08-18T10:49:59.103-07:00

If I actually succeed in quitting smoking, I might just have to credit Apple for making such a fabulous machine.It's been, I don't know, 15 years since I used a Mac on a regular basis. (It was an Apple IIvx if that helps anyone date it.) And then I became a software engineer, which required moving to PCs and the occasional Unix machine. And I've been stuck in Windows ever since.When the friendly

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-56772964875186628272007-08-17T00:41:00.000-07:002007-08-17T00:44:30.313-07:00

Day two. My computer crashed. Spent the whole day trying to recover it.Day three. Defeated in my own attempts, Geek Squad says the hard drive is done. Cost of repair is more than computer is worth. How unfair is that, to lose my computer in the middle of trying to support several busy projects, ON DAY TWO of quitting smoking?Still not smoking. Chewed a lot of gum. And bought a Mac.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-22669042774509123712007-08-14T18:31:00.000-07:002007-08-14T18:42:03.162-07:00

Alan has the car a lot these days and my bicycle is in the shop getting pampered like it's never been pampered its entire life so I'm walking everywhere lately. Which was perfect today. Walking, walking, walking, faster, faster, breathing deep, clenching the jaw, tightening then loosening the fists, rolling the head to loosen the neck, flaring the nostrils, humming, blinking extra frequent and

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-47353811601518039282007-08-13T22:16:00.000-07:002007-08-13T22:44:05.002-07:00

Sorry I fell behind on my Fringe posting. I got wrapped up in seeing shows and working and then I left town for a couple days toward the end of the festival - I know, mind-blowing, how could I? Well, there's this precocious nine-year-old playwright named Jaiden who is writing a play for Pillsbury House Theatre's Chicago Avenue Project, and I get to be her dramaturg and director. So I went on a

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-9271373610177259622007-08-06T20:29:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:36:45.269-07:00

The Most Mysterious Day of the Year (from the wonderful people who brought Wonders of the Word: Recite last year)Killer SmileThe Cody Rivers Show: Flammable PeopleAnd I can't wait to see Tom Thumb, or the Tragedy of Tragedies by the fabulous and brilliant Charlie Bethel, but I had to wait for Alan to get back to come see that one with me. After all, Charlie married us, so we have to share him

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-34774685234808190942007-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:002007-08-05T10:36:24.240-07:00

I've seen ten shows at the Fringe so far, and nine of them were just fantastic. One was, uhm, incoherent, but it was only 30 minutes so not much skin off my theatrical nose. It's been such a long time since I got to binge on theater without feeling responsible for any of it.Nice to play reunion with Fringe artists, local and visiting, whom I haven't seen in a while. But I'm trying to be low-key

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-8339518213086890572007-08-02T22:50:00.001-07:002007-08-02T22:52:21.984-07:00

Saw two shows tonight. Very relaxing. Gee, I nearly forgot how fun this could be.Unrelated to Fringe, I wish I could jump in the river and save people. Feeling rather helpless about the bridge ... just awful. Really no other words for that. Just awful.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-84370037368748574812007-07-31T18:30:00.001-07:002007-07-31T18:43:12.170-07:00

How did that happen? My last post said I had little to say, but who would have thought I could go two months without saying anything. OK, anyone who's had wine with me lately knows the babble-button never got turned off. But I completely forgot about this blog. Presumably, everyone else did too. So I'm writing only to some Cyber Fairy of Blogland now.I clicked by my blog because, for me, it's a

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-29084941778201436342007-05-29T09:03:00.000-07:002007-05-29T09:11:04.830-07:00

So yeah, I haven't posted in a while. Several people have pointed this out to me. Which is nice, you know, that people are even reading ... or waiting or something. When we were traveling there were more stories to tell than time to write. Now that we're home, well, I have to admit I'm less inspired. A lot less inspired. The few things I might write about here at home are a little too close to

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-78431768856317609072007-04-07T16:16:00.000-07:002007-04-07T16:26:34.645-07:00

Made it through three months of Central America without getting my purse stolen only to be robbed at Ikea in Bloomington, MN.We both have old people backs, so we thought we'd better lie on every mattress/pad/ever-so-clever-swedish slatted base combination at least three times each to decide what bed we'd be saving up towards. Had to put down the coats and purse to do this. Back turned. Purse

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-60644740914838777942007-03-31T15:26:00.000-07:002007-03-31T15:30:06.431-07:00

By the time we move this weekend, we will have been officially homeless since October 26th - about five months. Wow.Two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a front porch, and a yard for Future. Such luxury ... we're very excited.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-57649072736827401302007-03-20T21:34:00.000-07:002007-03-20T21:42:36.677-07:00

Ironic it seemed when, after 13,000 miles, the car died 80 miles outside of Minneapolis. Saturday night, St. Patrick's Day, in Kellogg, MN - a very small town. Dark, cold, not a lot of people at the Kwik Trip gas station. But a very nice woman named June put us on the phone with a very nice man named Brennick who drove on over and looked at the car. Turns out he's a very good mechanic and his

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-77934010130220477882007-03-16T23:24:00.000-07:002007-03-16T23:58:35.932-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, we hit the road for the very last leg of this journey. Minneapolis, I hope you are warmer than Chicago was today. But I'll take any temperature to be back home. Looking forward to seeing Future. Our dog, Future. And the future that is not a proper noun too. Was fun to step back and see a bigger world; a vague glimpse of the big picture and my little place in it. I feel humble,

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-78325957041629836852007-03-15T09:54:00.000-07:002007-03-15T09:55:14.903-07:00

Adorable Aliza and me in Chicago at the home of Alan's brother, Paul and sister in law, Amy. Chilling out after many adventures at the aquarium.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-57106585867311009832007-03-12T10:36:00.000-07:002007-03-12T10:43:00.257-07:00

Arrived in Chicago late last night to discover just a teeny bit of dirty, ice-crunchy snow on the ground in the shady corners of the north sides of things. I'm not sure which is wierder, that crunchy bits of snow make me feel at home or that Chicago itself, vicariously, through Alan, feels homey.Hangin' around various sides of Chicago for a few days catching up with all of Alan's peeps. Then,

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-11124597047913444252007-03-11T14:17:00.000-07:002007-03-11T14:18:16.093-07:00

Standing on top of a pyramid. Phew, quite a climb.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-10791270062917055542007-03-11T14:15:00.000-07:002007-03-11T14:16:15.427-07:00

The pyramids of Tikal towering over the jungle,

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-4740779770343053972007-03-11T14:10:00.000-07:002007-03-11T14:13:35.303-07:00

Carlos Castejon at his coffee and cardamom plantation in Copan Ruinas, Honduras.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-23631268849106532232007-03-11T14:06:00.000-07:002007-03-11T14:11:07.408-07:00

One of the prettiest beaches in Honduras in a tiny Garifuna village called Triunfo de la Cruz.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-68960034747994842442007-03-10T15:32:00.001-08:002007-03-10T15:32:06.409-08:00

Puerto Escondido. Surf competition in the background. Kids playing soccer in the middle. Hot surfer in the foreground.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-31984375889184123752007-03-10T15:25:00.001-08:002007-03-10T15:25:29.995-08:00

OK, it doesn't look like much, but this place perched on a cliff over a completely empty stretch of the Pacific Mexican coast served the yummiest fish.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-38425456002701361662007-03-10T15:18:00.001-08:002007-03-10T15:18:39.108-08:00

Me in a KFC in Mexico. Just couldn't take any more Mexican food.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-89853785969128356662007-03-10T15:16:00.001-08:002007-03-10T15:16:48.176-08:00

Sorry, lame picture. The view from my friends'backyard in San Diego.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-6952209612928258852007-03-10T07:05:00.000-08:002007-03-10T07:06:00.855-08:00

My Aunt Betty and Uncle Rod in Pahrump, NV. Two of the coolest people on the planet.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-41279004833224612922007-03-10T07:01:00.001-08:002007-03-10T07:01:30.090-08:00

Long drive ahead. Time to update the photos. Grand Canyon is truly grand.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-53734764399568172532007-03-06T11:20:00.000-08:002007-03-06T11:35:21.617-08:00

I've been living in Minnesota for almost nine years now, and even after spending a few months trying to think of somewhere else we'd rather live, we plan to continue to call Minnesota home. And every time I go back to California, I get more convinced that everyone who lives here is a bit touched. And yet, there is something singularly wonderful and comforting about my birthplace. It's none of the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-34487581406530454062007-03-03T11:54:00.000-08:002007-03-03T12:00:36.319-08:00

Just spent four days lounging about in Tucson with Alan's playwright friend Toni Press-Coffman and her husband Glen Coffman. Soooo nice to drink clean water and eat fabulous food (Glen's a chef) and tell stories and speak English. Also got to catch up with Barbara Kingsley and Stephen D'Ambrose who are rehearsing "Molly's Delicous" there in Tucson. Strange enough to be speaking English, even more

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-46571770508881512892007-03-01T13:58:00.001-08:002007-03-01T13:58:31.291-08:00

Spring training, Tucson. Blue sky, green grass, warm sun, cold beer. Yeah, it's that good.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-64422959542512488922007-02-27T11:10:00.000-08:002007-02-27T11:17:57.700-08:00

Crossed the border ever so easily yesterday. Got pulled aside to participate in a little training exercise for a sniffing dog (training for the dog, not us). We miss our dog so much this was actually fun. Spent the night last night with Tony, a good friend of Alan's, and her husband Glen, and their dog Grace and their cat Grendal. So so wonderful to see friends. To have a long conversation in

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-62737450182328848102007-02-26T10:37:00.000-08:002007-02-27T11:10:36.161-08:00

One last little town before the final stretch to the border. We've loved so much of the trip and the places and the people and the culture and the language, but yeah, I'm really done trying to understand Spanish. Last night we went a little out of our way to find a hotel with a TV with cable so we could watch the Oscars. Most years, I watch 'em if they're on, but I certainly don't go out of my

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-31881329380894738552007-02-24T10:36:00.000-08:002007-02-27T10:37:52.985-08:00

Guadelajara was all kinds of fun. Lots of Orozco murals, long walks around monuments, cathedrals, and the city. Also, we caught a theater performance, "Fuenteovejuna" by Lope De Vega, Spain´s Shakespeare. Luckily, the program had a synopsis, and we got there 20 minutes early so we had enough time to do a very rough guess of a translation and figure out what happens in the play. Not sure if it´s

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-88241085018511458172007-02-21T15:49:00.000-08:002007-02-21T16:39:07.881-08:00

Well, those ominous noises caught up with us at last. We had just passed through Puerto Escondido, a big surf town on the southern coast of Mexico (where the Pacific side curves around), heading for a little village out on a peninsula, up a long, sand road that might or might not even be passable depending on recent rainfall, where we were hoping to visit a crocodile breeding center. As we begun

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-15378313654541642562007-02-16T11:56:00.000-08:002007-02-16T12:12:44.360-08:00

Laid low in Xela a bit longer than expected while I tried to kill a parasite in my belly. OK, that´s just one illness too many. We´re heading for the U.S., clean water, conversations where we can use verbs, and no exotic fruits. The car is getting tired too ... all kinds of ominous noises. On the way out of Guatemala, we stopped in a little mountain village that has an effigy everyone prays to

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-68650319960722197622007-02-12T09:23:00.000-08:002007-02-12T09:37:55.037-08:00

Just to conclude the exciting find-a-Subaru-window-in-Guatemala story, next day, turned out the people from the shop in little mechanic-central Chimaltenango drove all the way to Guatemala City to find out they didn´t have the correct window. For less money, and fairly quickly, they constructed a window for us made from acrylic. It took a little longer than they expected, the explained with big

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-60413606389443629342007-02-09T16:36:00.000-08:002007-02-09T16:36:28.738-08:00

In my new, long quest to gradually reintroduce all my favorite foods, today with an spare day in Antigua to kill, I reintroduced the lemon. Mojito Cubano! Salud!

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-44832884993412600702007-02-09T09:15:00.000-08:002007-02-09T09:15:22.188-08:00

Getting our share of Spanish lessons by necessity. Today we learned how to describe in Spanish a mechanic who replaces car windows. Car was broken into last night. We don´t leave much in the car, so nothing valuable to take - just our tent and cooking gear. But replacing a window on a Subaru - a car nobody here ever sees - is tricky.Luck of all possible luck, about 15 km from here is

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-81814612244139169852007-02-08T15:25:00.000-08:002007-02-08T15:35:56.044-08:00

Antigua is where everyone starts in Guatemala, to learn Spanish. We´re feeling like we´re heading slowly back, so Spanish classes seem like closing the barn door after the horse already survived the hospital without learning Spanish. So we´re thinking just a couple days here. It´s a very beautiful city. A completely perfect introductory city to Guatemala - beautiful, easy, totally tourist-ready.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-59937793539286504482007-02-06T17:36:00.000-08:002007-02-08T15:24:06.882-08:00

No spectacle whatsoever here to see an entire family of four, including small infant, riding together on a freaking motorcycle, high-speed, dodging traffic on crowded city streets. Or on a small scooter. Or a bicycle.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-52936172118265916932007-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:002007-02-06T17:36:17.552-08:00

The "Check Engine" light comes on any time the humidity or temperature changes much. And the wierd squeal that was coming out of the right front wheel seems to have moved to the left rear wheel, and it´s got a fat ass, and it´s covered in mud, and its overdrive is more of a groan than a gear. But that old Subaru station wagon has taken us about 6,000 miles through some really really shitty roads

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-63971122192611006622007-02-06T16:46:00.000-08:002007-02-06T17:16:32.116-08:00

Well the little island off of Honduras had beautiful snorkeling but, believe it or not, the heat, the not-so-clean water (even the bottled water), and the isolation of being on a tiny island kinda got to us. Didn´t help that between the bad water, the side effects of the allergy medication I´m still on, and my incredibly limited diet, I was a malnourished wreck. So we hopped a ferry back to the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-56553608778557032282007-02-03T11:48:00.000-08:002007-02-03T12:11:15.458-08:00

We're hanging out on the tiny island of Utila, off the northern coast of Honduras. It's one of three islands called the Bay Islands; they are a mecca for scuba diving. Alan and I both have dived before and have bad ears that don't adjust to depth so we're just snorkelers. I've dived and snorkeled enough to know we're seeing the best stuff without the hassle and danger, but all the visiting

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-9413589554227352402007-01-30T12:18:00.000-08:002007-01-30T12:30:45.684-08:00

We have worn our very own trail between our hotel and the hospital, visiting a couple times a day, every day since Saturday. Drugs, doctors, tests. We´re now well acquainted with the Honduran medical system, which I have to say, is quite good.As of this morning, the rash that had taken up a nomadic trail all over my body for days on end, has finally left. And my face looks like me again. Nothing

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-15974896331911353612007-01-29T09:27:00.000-08:002007-01-29T10:08:58.802-08:00

Still hanging out in La Ceiba on the Honduran coast. We´ve settled in a bit at a nice place and have signed up for Spanish classes in town. After that, we´ll go visit the Bay Islands for snorkeling. Meanwhile before our five-day Spanish course begins, we decided to see a famous botanical garden where the big fruit conglomerates who used to control this part of the country collected rare plants

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-59252442976014052212007-01-26T16:00:00.000-08:002007-01-26T16:25:39.263-08:00

After one night in Tela, we went in search of a bit more quiet and a lot fewer tourists. At the finca, Carlos told us about a man named Profesor Margaritos Colon who had some nice cabanas on the beach in a little fishing village outside of town.It wasn't really on any map very clearly, so we just kept driving along and asking people for directions. They were all very helpful except that their

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-66372348553647567272007-01-21T16:20:00.000-08:002007-01-21T16:55:19.248-08:00

Finally made it to Tela, a pristine Caribbean beach town on the north coast of Honduras. We were within 100 km of here when we had our littl hostage crisis in Puerto Cortes, but then had to drove way west back through Guatemala to a different border, south, then way east again. It was a long drive - just one lane with many large, slow trucks and buses to carefully pass on windy turns to get up

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-41232890741247000482007-01-20T09:03:00.000-08:002007-01-20T09:08:52.386-08:00

We´re about to hit the road, at last, for the Pacific beaches of Honduras, so this entry won´t be long. Had a blast at Finca El Cisne (www.fincaelcisne.com), a coffee and cardamom farm where we spent a day and night with Carlos Castejon riding horses, seeing beautiful plants and birds, eating delicious food, and most fun of all, seeing how the farm works. Picture coming soon if we can get Alan´s

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-39341078163556170912007-01-18T13:42:00.000-08:002007-01-18T13:52:08.904-08:00

After two days of resting and hanging out in a fun little town, we regained our composure, sense of humor, and proper amount of humility, then headed to El Florido, another border crossing between Guatemala and Honduras. Our latest theory was that Puerto Cortes, being a big commercial port, had extra procedures because most things, including vehicles, arrive via containers and ships. El Florido

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-11725589098067475082007-01-17T08:18:00.000-08:002007-01-17T09:58:06.917-08:00

OK, so I guess we gloated too much about how easy it was to cross from Mexico into Guatemala. Our hubris has been duly punished. Very long story. Here goes ...Very little information out there about crossing from Guatemala into Honduras. Things are changing fast in both countries, so information doesn´t stay current long. And I guess there just aren´t that many North Americans driving their cars

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-8239841791362925202007-01-17T07:36:00.000-08:002007-01-17T09:44:43.260-08:00

Sorry still no pictures. Alan´s phone just started working again, and I sent a bunch last night, but they don´t seem to have published here yet.Last post reads like a Lonely Planet guide. I was sitting in a stuffy little room with only 15 minutes of online time while a guy sat right behind me reading over my shoulder, so I made it fast. Also distracted by all the mosquitos under the desk feasting

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-61283277347656533902007-01-14T16:15:00.000-08:002007-01-14T16:24:14.828-08:00

Alan must have said, ¨¨Incredible¨¨ a hundred times. Tikal was beautiful and humbling. Many conversations with many nice men with guns were required to establish that we wanted to camp in our tent in the park, but not pay to enter the ruins until 3:00 because then our admission would be good for the next day as well. Anyway, that done, we setup camp, had a bit of lunch and wandered into the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-48241250613520242972007-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:002007-01-12T08:38:01.427-08:00

A long, but fabulously paved road through more jungles, farms, villages brought us to a little town called Sayaxche. From there we got to ride (in our car) on a ferry across the Rio Passion. The ferry, like so many other things in Guatemala doesn't look like it can possibly accomplish the task, but quietly, slowly it does.From there, we drove on to Flores, a tiny island in the middle of a big

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-62395400008653151882007-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:002007-01-12T08:35:14.965-08:00

While in Coban, where mist is always in the air, we visited an orchid nursery called Vivero Verapaz. Thousands of orchids of hundreds of varieties. Amazing. Apparently a private collection kept by Juan, who says he just likes orchids, it is a huge endeavor requiring the full-time work of three people. Seriously, orchids as far as the eye can see. From big giant 25-year old plants to teeny tiny

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-13550087420756697232007-01-10T11:13:00.000-08:002007-01-10T11:36:11.187-08:00

With no clear information about what the best road to Tikal is, we set off for Coban. One map shows a highway there, the other a dirt road. The guidebook says it´s a breathtaking 150 km. So off we go. Some pavement, some dirt, very windy, very narrow, lots of death-defying attempts to pass big trucks and buses. We headed up, up, up into the mountains. The road got rougher, more gigantic potholes.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-70067754354621141832007-01-08T11:05:00.000-08:002007-01-10T11:13:38.491-08:00

Our guidebook has almost no information about crossing borders with your own car. Just before heading for one border, we confirmed with our very limited Spanish that the border crossing we were heading for could only be crossed by boat. Also our Guatemala map came from Mexico, and neither that map nor Lonely Planet´s had much useful information. So we got nervous and researched online. No

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-55269420535675679502007-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:002007-01-07T19:08:09.730-08:00

Just outside of San Cristobal, the Reserva Ecologica Huitepec is a small cloud forest on a dormant volcano. The trees are covered with lots of exotic bromelias, orchids and ferns. Sorry the picture really doesn´t capture it. The cell phone camera leaves a bit to be desired.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-2830016388720342242007-01-07T14:19:00.000-08:002007-01-07T14:20:33.573-08:00

Growing out of a small tree branch. We hiked 2 km out and 900 m up to see this. It was worth it, even for a smoker.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-59712130905993310262007-01-07T14:15:00.000-08:002007-01-07T14:16:00.499-08:00

A blooming bromelia.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-86413528318769393902007-01-06T08:29:00.000-08:002007-01-06T08:38:24.497-08:00

Arrived last night in San Cristobal de Las Casas, which is finally exotic and remote enough to make it feel worth all the long driving. Wow, Mexico is HUGE! Can't believe how many hours of driving it has taken to get across it. All fascinating hours with ever-changing landscape: from empty desert to highland plains to volcanos to dense jungle valleys to big, crowded cities. To get here, we drove

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-36670800235551654662007-01-04T16:40:00.000-08:002007-01-06T08:29:33.675-08:00

Finally found a beach... and a pinacolada. Veracruz es muy bonita.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-36399007831684026802007-01-02T18:11:00.000-08:002007-01-02T18:16:07.867-08:00

Our little hostel in the big city of Puebla. Feels like a Mexican Chicago. Just an overnight stop on the way to Veracruz.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-33488461127782299322007-01-02T18:04:00.001-08:002007-01-02T18:04:50.020-08:00

More Guanajato - hillsides of colorful houses.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-71370852284688332492007-01-02T18:02:00.000-08:002007-01-02T18:12:29.405-08:00

They have big theaters in Guanajato!

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-68873520692665682092007-01-01T12:43:00.000-08:002007-01-01T12:46:18.707-08:00

Further south into Mexico, about four hours from Mexico City. Large town, once a booming silver town, nestled in the hills, gorgeously colorful houses stacked up on the hillsides. Lots of colonial architecture, and three gigantic theaters! All the streets go one-way east. To go west you have to go through freaky claustrophic tunnels. I guess a town full of miners made tunneling seem logical. We

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-79220663796617850242006-12-29T12:39:00.001-08:002007-01-01T12:43:28.676-08:00

Sorry didn't get a picture, so busy looking at things and tasting things and smelling things, and butchering the Spanish language. Real de Catorce is a very magical feeling city. I think some of the magical quality comes from how hard you have to work to get there. Long drive through a desolate desert, then up into huge mountains, then more desert, then a 10-mile cobble stone road - not

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-60492267866779390162006-12-28T09:49:00.000-08:002007-01-01T12:47:33.372-08:00

Alan is climbing that gigantic rock in the background. I'm here at our camp drinking a Tecate and eating a guava I got at a farmers market down the road. It's 75 degrees. Lots of freaky extreme sports people here. Very friendly locals - I got offered rides many times on the long walk back from town. Lots of roosters everywhere. Sorry the picture is sideways - tricky sending messages and pictures

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-45196216600130983582006-12-27T15:23:00.000-08:002006-12-27T15:26:24.711-08:00

Austin was all kinds of fun and a perfect place to hide out from the holidays. Tomorrow, early, we head south for Monterrey. Just outside of Monterrey is Potrero Chico, one of the top ten places to rock-climb. Due to the holidays, not much demand for rock-climbing lessons, so Alan was able to arrange one-on-one instruction. He'll spend the day hanging from rocks while I'll walk all around the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-601307502072097162006-12-25T18:36:00.000-08:002006-12-25T18:46:38.254-08:00

Everything is bigger in Texas, even the Playwright Center's cat. For anyone who remembers readings at the PWC before they remodeled, you probably wondered what ever happened to that adorable cat Tigger. He used to wander around the room during readings, often hopping onto an actor's lap during the most dramatic moments of the play. Well, here he is living with playwright Colin Denby Swanson in

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-46918000374460076422006-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:002006-12-25T18:42:13.477-08:00

I wonder if he misses all that drama.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-736723976699838792006-12-24T11:08:00.000-08:002006-12-24T11:19:42.868-08:00

Wow, this is a big country, especially when you try to leave it heading south from Minnesota. We're still in the U.S., now hiding out from the holidays with friend Colin in Austin, Texas.Last night she showed us a bit of the town, starting with delicious Tex Mex food. Two kinds of tamales and tacos al pastor ... mmmm.Then we went to a club expecting to hear Omar and the Wailers. Before the

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-5764230415160259662006-12-22T16:24:00.000-08:002006-12-24T11:08:38.433-08:00

Crawfish massacre on the banks of the Bayou Teche.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-35409352660017409822006-12-22T16:21:00.000-08:002006-12-22T16:22:08.947-08:00

Cypremort Point, our first beach, in Southern Louisiana.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-2378183323924333542006-12-22T16:16:00.000-08:002006-12-22T16:17:03.266-08:00

Michael and Eric, our fabulous hosts in New Orleans.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255659.post-7865027433500384222006-12-20T12:02:00.000-08:002006-12-20T12:03:08.177-08:00

This is Ozzy. We're drinking in his favorite bar.

Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781029051834387061noreply@blogger.com0