Hello Friends!

How are you?

I apologize for not journalling, um, at all. But there's something I'm DYING to tell you, and this is the fastest way I can do it. Unless if I pull off some fantastic caper, get caught for it, and end up on television. Hmmmm... a summer caper? Maybe later.

For now, I wanted to let you know about this super-fun-action-packed-no-holds-barred-wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am show I'm part of!

Strawdog Theatre has put together another fabulous Radio Theatre Show! I get to make lotsa silly noises. You LOVE silly noises. "Fame: Live Forever" had a grand opening this weekend and will be running Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from June 2 - June 23.

You want synopsis?
----------------------------------------------
A new batch of live radio from one of the minds behind our lean and critically acclaimed cuttings of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Measure for Measure, polished by a sharp young director whose work has been featured four times in Collaboraction's Sketchbook. The programme includes ...

--Crime on the Rocks. Meet Nelly Quinn, Private Investigator. Oversexed, overbearing and overserved. This is not your father's PI. In this episode Nelly falls for her client as she tries to solve the mystery of supposed threats to America's sweetheart, bubblegum singer Blaire Blaine.

--Picklebot and Lawfer: The Final Mission. 4 Freedom. 4 Serious. IV. You have cheered for these heroes time and time again. So get ready to cheer again...again. A freak earthquake puts Greenland in possession of an atomic liquid that makes it the most powerful country in the world. With the freedom of the world in peril, will Picklebot and Lawfer shower victory in red, white and blood?

--Pop Song. The SRT World Service brings you a special feature on the Gilroy Rovers. In 1989 they took the U.K. by storm with their chart-topping hit 'Pop Song'. Their time at the top did not last long and they fell into the pop culture oblivion. Then, in 2007, British rapper Mind the Gap samples their song and brings the group back into the spotlight. A second chance for for fame and glory? SRT commentator Stacy Winterburn files this special report.
10 PERFORMANCES ONLY!
-----------------------------------------------
June 2 - 23
Previews May 31st & June 1st
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays @ 7pm

Special Benefit Performance - June 2 @ 7pm $40.00

Tickets just $15 the rest of the run! Or, I have some comps and 2-fer-1 tickets for those of you who can only afford culture in cottage cheese form. Mmmm. Cottage cheese.

The show is just a smidgen over an hour long, located at the charming Strawdog Theatre at 3829 N. Broadway. There's an IHOP nearby. We can get cottage cheese and flapjacks later. Could you think of a more perfect evening?

*Suffer from agoraphobia but still want to hear the show? You're in luck. It's not called "Radio Theatre" for nuthin'!
Tune in to the show at www.strawdog.org and hit "PLAY" during showtimes. We have the technology. We stream it LIVE.
Theatre that you can get while sitting around in your skivvies, slurping on a slushee or eating a peanut butter-and-ketchup sammich, laughing as loud as you'd like and burping out appreciation? YES. YES YOU CAN!

I think that's about all I can say about that. Hope to see you there!

I hope you're doing well, to hug you soon and talk to you even sooner.

wheeeeeeeee!
Shama

p.s. the subject line are lyrics from a Donna Summer song. really good song.

mood: good music: "Dance While The Sky Crashes Down, " Jason Webley tags: radio, theatre

Hey Friends of Mine!

As many of you know, I've been ridiculously busy, going crazy, having aneurysms and whatnot. It's all coming to a head this weekend, and I wanted to let you know the details, shenanigans and what-have-yous.

Ready? GO!

=====Come see "Proof", by David Auburn======

[The story of a troubled young woman who has spent years caring for her brilliant, but unstable father, a famous mathematician. She deals with her father's death, the return of her estranged sister, and the attentions of one of her late father's students, as well as the discovery of a mysterious notebook.]

High-falutin' drama, folks. This is the show I have stage managed, and helped put together.
WHEN: February 22 - 24, March 1 -3, 8 -10
preview night on Wednesday, February 21st.
7:30p
WHERE: Stage Center, at Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N. St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
F-Building
call 773.442.4274 to make reservations. Preview night is free. Tickets are $8 - $10. cash only.

=====Come see "Bones, Mummies and Tomb Raiders", by Noel Muenzer=====

[A childrens' show, spoofing the amazing "Indiana Jones" movies, in a far less amazing way. Integrating a 60-piece orchestra, audience participation and theater, the Imagination Symphony strives to introduce classical music to children of all ages.]

Just look at what people said about the last show!
"That was kinda cool. I guess." --Marty Harbinger

"I didn't really get it, but there were parts that made me laugh." --Sheila Snootengrouse

"YAAAAAAYYYYAAAYYYYAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!" --Several Small Children

This is a show I'm acting in, and it is only ONE day. Come see it. It'll be dumb.

WHEN: Saturday, February 24
10 AM - 11:30 AM
WHERE: The Pickwick Theater
5 S. Prospect Ave.
Park Ridge, IL 60068
847-604-2234

I'm the Olive Oyl-sidekick-damsel-in-distress character. Come watch me be a cartoon. It'll be stupid.
Promise.

========= COME TO THE MUSIC BOX!!! =============

This last juicy tidbit of event-goodness involves the kind of fun you can't miss.

Come watch my car get towed away, for the last time EVER. Yes, Jamie. THAT car. I'm done with her. The old girl is being put out to pasture, but what a send-off will we be giving her!

***Zipcar is having a charity event! All proceeds go to Cars for Kids and the Children's Memorial Hospital. Please come out and support the Children's Memorial Hospital, and Car Sharing. I'd like to see all of you there. Details are below!

WHAT:
The Zipcar Drive In - (Don't Drive Out)

Movie:
The Academy Award Nominated Documentary
"An Inconvenient Truth"
Speaker:
Sadhu Johnston
Chicago's Commissioner of the Environment


WHERE:
The Music Box Theatre
3373 N. Southport Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613


WHEN:
Monday, February 26th
7 PM Doors
7:30 Film


WHY:
Proceeds of donated vehicles and items will go the
Children's Memorial Hospital and Cars for Kids. Car
sharing is one of many ways that you can positively effect
your environment, and help to clean up the streets of
Chicago.


HOW:
Very Simple. Just send your name(s) over to
RSVP@Zipcar.com - We'll email you a ticket. Bring that
Ticket with you, and you're all set.....oh.....please bring
an unopened toy or new book with you for the Children's
Hospital. This whole thing is for a good cause, and you're
a big part of that.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Please mark this on your calendar. Monday can be fun, too!

RSVP@zipcar.com

HOW MUCH FUN DOES THIS SOUND LIKE?!?!?! I would loveloveloooove to have you there. This is a really big deal for me, seeing as how most of the funny/tragic stories I tell you have to do with my car. I love her the way some of you love your pets or your mothers. For real.

----------------------------------------------------

So, that's the weekend, kids. I hope to see you there (oh, anywhere. take your pick.)

Mad love to you all. ~s.

mood: excited tags: charities, events, fun, theater

i really love making lists. anyone who knows me, knows that i am a list-maker.

i do NOT enjoy filling out surveys, questionnairres or anything of the like. oh, and for any of you MySpace friends that read this page... I HATE YOUR STUPID SURVEYS. STOP POSTING THEM.

sigh. it seems that the "meme" has found me. darn you, Eep. darn you to heck. okay, so what happens now, is that i've gotta answer these questions, then pass the metaphorical baton to 3 other unsuspecting folks.

that's what you get for being friends with me.

"Three people/things that make me laugh"
-in no particular order: watching my teammate T, bowl. he looks like his joints are held together with strings, so there's a fair amount of flailing.
-slapstick always cracks me up too. a good pie-in-the-face really brightens my day.
-the third thing... hmm. dead baby jokes. definitely dead baby jokes.

"Three things that scare me"
-needles
-carbon monoxide poisoning
-those bugs that look like silverfish, but they have a gajillion little legs. eeugh.

"Three things i love"
-laughing
-watching scary movies
-hugs.

"Three things i hate"
-filling out surveys
-those silverfish-looking bugs with a gajillion little legs
-paying bills.

"Three things i don't understand"
-how airplanes stay up in the air. it's like magic.
-Derrida
-where all my time goes... oh. right. blogging.

"Three things on my desk"
-a plastic squirrel dressed up like Sherlock Holmes
-a slide whistle
-scotch tape

"Three things i want to do before i die"
-quit smoking
-REALLY learn to play the guitar
-slap George W. Bush

"Three things i can do"
-whistle
-make you laugh
-follow directions

"Three things i would like to learn"
-as mentioned before: play the guitar
-how to speak Urdu
-how to sing so i don't sound like a rusty hinge

"Three favorite foods"
-that's easy... macaroni and cheese
-chocolate ice cream
-marshmallows

"Three beverages i drink regularly"
-hot chocolate
-coffee
-wine

"Three TV shows/books i watched/read as a kid"
as a kid? what kinda question is that? i did nothing BUT watch TV and read. yeesh.
-She-Ra: The Princess of Power
-Scary Stories
and... golly, i dunno. lotsa stuff comes to mind, but i suppose the author i sought out regularly would be
-Roald Dahl
his books are so great. they still hold up too. funny and smart and interesting and weird. yeah. good stuff.

there you have it, folks. i hate doing this, but i'm going to send it out to meggyn, brackishlad, and, what the heck, bdar. have fun!

location: home mood: accomplished tags: memes, stuff i hate, stuff i like

i woke up an hour ago. i don't usually do that. this is very very strange. i'm more of a 9, 10, or even 11am kinda gal. but this is actually sort of nice. like "quiet time".

i did some stuff again. you know, the stuff that really only interests me or my therapist, but only because i pay her.

thanksgiving was productive rather than heartwarming. it wasn't lonely or anything, just productive. got quite a bit of homework done. that felt good. worked A LOT this weekend. enough to make me want to quit. i really hate my job.
REALLY.
i know i shouldn't quit a job without having something else lined up, but it's time for me to go. i refuse to spend another New Year's Eve working in some crappy bar, watching crappy people get crappy, or drunk-y, or puke-y. i want to spend NYE at a quiet place, and just watch the ball drop. eat some pizza. drink some orange juice. hug someone i like. not even romantically, just someone i like being around, who likes being around me.

i think my new bird, "Bird" likes being around me. i was told not to hug him though, because birds have air sacs instead of lungs, and a hug would kill him. he is my new friend. i will not kill him.

speaking of birds, i saw Andrew Bird on saturday. he's so dreamy, but i think he's getting a bit cocky. performance-wise, he can't be faulted, but i just didn't feel the same give-take intimacy that i've enjoyed at his previous shows. whatever. i've got a guitar now. i'll learn how to play it, and i'll whistle too. then, i can be a big, bad rock star. oh, yeah. i'm learning to play the guitar. (i already whistle fairly well).

i joined a bowling league too. that starts this sunday. i'm kinda geeked about it. i can't wait to hurl balls down heavily waxed lanes. i'm excited about that satisfying "CRASH!" of pins being knocked down. i actually suck at bowling. i'm pretty sure that the last time i went, i finished up with a 3. yup. a THREE. ah, well.

saturday is going to be a big day too. yikes. i ought to stop journalling and get a jump on my work before the weekend hits. on saturday, i'm going to a Wizard-Rock concert in DeKalb with my dear Potter-fangirl friend, Linnea. she's a Potter-geek to the Nth degree. we're seeing a band (it's actually just one guy) called The Remus Lupins. the music is pretty damn good. Wizard-Rock is... well, it just IS. that ought to be fun.

okay. 7:20am. i guess i'll start my day now. being this awake, this early, really is strange.

mood: awake tags: where did 9am go?

wow. REALLY?


U.S. President George W. Bush (R) pats 'Flyer' after pardoning the turkey before the Thanksgiving holiday in the Rose Garden of the White House November 22, 2006. Holding the bird is Lynn Nutt, of Springfield, Missouri.

mood: amused music: Cameron McGill, "Love's Worst Day" tags: president, turkey

I spent the last 38 hours at my parents' place. they're CRAZY. for real. i love them more than leonard cohen loves despair, but they positively drive me bonkers. they feed me, then lecture on why i haven't graduated yet. they converse with me, then lecture on why i haven't gotten married yet. they buy me socks and underwear, then lecture on why i don't know what the word for "socks" is, in Urdu. yeesh. i really do love them, more than i can express, but GOOD GOD, when will it STOP?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

ugh. i smoke FAAAAAR too much. or at least when i'm drinking. which, these days, is FAAAAAAR too little.

being on this whole math stint, i've figured out that: i have been smoking (on and off) for 2/5th's of my life; schooling for 4/5th's; chasing men for oh, around half of my life. Chasing men, when I've had an ACTUAL chance-- 1/5th of my lifetime.

Through it all, I have smoked.

I really want to stop. REALLY WANT TO STOP.

i would like to request, that anyone reading this, SLAP me upside the head, if they see me smoking. "Kumquat" is the safety word.

I'm down from a pack-a-day to 3-4 cancer sticks a day. HELP me.

location: your couch. go on. see if i'm there. mood: silly

(excerpt from a recently written email, in response to the question, "what have you been up to?")

i've recently done some calculations and figured out that if i add up all of the things i WANT to do with all the things i HAVE to do, cross multiply that sum by the time it takes to DO these things, factor in my fear of commitment, poor time-management skills, divide by the guilt attached to pleasing my family and carrying out the duties expected of me, then add in the distractions of romantic relationships, balance the equation with the responsibilities of being a good friend to many many people, and carry the one, the ANSWER looks like i will not be allowed to die until i'm 837 years old. sigh. then again, i was never really that good at math.

ah, well.


let that be a lesson to those who wish to inquire.
for the record, i'm actually an English major.

location: chicago? illinois? earth? mood: neurotic-y music: Califone, "When Leon Sphinx Moved into Town"

i've gone and depressed the hell outta myself. not in a funny way. just a stupid, pointless, mind-numbing, goopy mess of depression.

i don't even know if i have the gumption to write.
i guess i do.

due to a conversation several weeks ago about the irreplaceable items in our lives, (what would you take with you if your house burned down?), i realized that i don't have ANYTHING i would really miss. that's kind of depressing. seriously, shama? not even a piece of jewelry, or a photograph? nope. nothing. i WISH i could think of something. this realization sparked several other depressing thoughts. i began questioning what "home" actually means to me; as a renter for 7 years now, not much. as a first-generation pakistani-indian, i feel guilty when i claim to be an american (but these days, who doesn't?). my mother recently told me that it would be impossible for me to move back in with them because i have lived on my own for so long now. she has a point, but, OUCH. you can never go home again.

trying to define what "home" means is only the tip of the gigantic therapist bill-shaped iceberg.

i feel OLD. tiny lines are forming around my eyes, forehead and mouth. so far, they're happy lines, not frowny lines, for which i'm grateful, but they're STILL lines, dammit. getting older is great; i look forward to it, but...
i'm.
not.
ready.
i haven't got anything to show for myself! maybe i'm channeling my mother right now, but maybe she's right. i have to graduate, find a REAL job, travel, etc. etc. what would that real job be? there's a lot i want to do, and many things i think i could be good at, but when one mixes equal parts indecisiveness, poor time-management skills and relentless curiosity, the resulting batter forms a Mediocre Pie. it doesn't taste great, but it doesn't taste terrible either. it's just... meh.

for crying out loud, i just looked over what i've written, checked the time and got even MORE depressed thinking that i should be DOING something more productive than writing a freakin' blog. like, um, laundry. or something. sigh.

location: home? i guess. mood: depressed

... since i've written anything of great unimportance.

let's see here... i won a costume contest on Halloween, dressed as Medusa. that's something, i suppose. i'm overloaded with schoolwork (again) and wish i had the time to take a speed-reading course, which is quite funny on many levels. my ex-boyfriend is an impossible jackass who has done, what is becoming more apparent, irreparable damage to my psyche. my cousin left for Pakistan yesterday, and i already miss her. my mother drives me crazy. that's not really news though, is it?

i feel scattered, scatter-brained and stretched.

that is all for now.

mood: apathetic

of all of the things that could have gone wrong with my car (battery died, alternator gave out AGAIN, timing belts, boots, tire rods, muffler falling off, etc.) somebody HAD to slash one of my tires?!? really?

location: away from the snow. mood: incredulous music: The Velvet Underground, "There She Goes Again" tags: car

i'm sick. stupid sick. wahhhhh. that's me, whining. waaahhhhhhhh.

well, i have my very first PAID acting job tomorrow. yes, i am excited. yes, i am absurdly thankful for the opportunity. YES, i am totally geeked about getting to perform at The Athenaeum. it's such a beautiful theater.

i'm still sick.

i get to be a Gypsy-Pirate-Queen. i get to frolick, and conjure, and have a sword-ish fight with a Pirate Captain. Just in case anyone is misguided enough to want to see this production, here's the info:

Thursday, October 5.
The Athenaeum, 2936 N. Southport Ave. (Southport, Lincoln, Wellington intersection)
two shows-- 10:30am and 12:15pm
FREE! FREE! FREE!

I wish the writing was better. it's really bad, and kinda smells like cheese. not the good, expensive cheese that comes from over-priced wine shops downtown. more like Aldi cheese that's been sitting in the sun for a few hours. next to a pile of manure.

i'm really proud of (most) of the cast for pulling together some really fun-to-watch performances. there is ONE guy who took me aside during a rehearsal and asked, "Um, so WHERE did you study acting?" if i could have turned red, i would have. he also tried to look up my skirt. i think i kinda hate him. he's a blubbering-motley-minded-paunchy-fishface. harumph.

location: floating in a cold-medication haze mood: drained music: yo la tengo "you can have it all"

good god. i've FINALLY found my login name/password.

with all of the other crap i try to remember, THIS is a miracle.

well, here it is. a POST. i suppose this is the part where i mention the unmentionables and rant about the unfairness of it all. or not.

admittedly, i'm still figuring this whole thing out. do i dare go "public"? shall i be selective? bah. who knows...

i don't even remember WHY i signed up for this. i have a blog on myspace. i write on it occasionally. (myspace: Pennywhistle Galore OR www.myspace.com/twobitmoneybags).

granted, myspace is owned by the DEVIL, and i chide myself soundly when i sign on, but it is a fantastic way to keep several people within a cyber-arm's reach. when i signed up for "MySpace" (as opposed to "OurSpace", "YourSpace", or the less popular "RealSpace") i had no idea what to expect, or gain from it.
i'm still looking for validation.

Now i ask, gentle reader, where do i find validation in a livejournal account? is this yet another self-indulgent episode with summer reruns? is this a venue for intelligent commentary? perhaps a sounding board for 'lively' discussion? or is just another blog?

i will happily accept advice/suggestions/hatemail/comments/limericks/recipes from anyone who has the time or inclination. ASSIGNMENT: why is a livejournal account better than a 'myspace' blog'?

i'm waiting...

location: E4/G7... you sunk my battleship!!!! mood: curious music: Rachel Ries--- For You Only tags: first-time writer..., long-time reader