Sallyacious

« Dude! Where You Been? | Main | How Does It Look? »

December 31, 2006

Beginnings and Endings

By the time many of you read this, it will probably be 2007. Holy shit. 2.0.0.7. How the fuck did that happen? I swear to god just last week I was complaining to Dave about how long and slooooow and empty 2006 was going to be once Sight Unseen closed and the Jazz Festival ended. And yet, somehow, I have staggered to the finish line of this calendar year, bruised, battered and exhausted, with a much stronger resume, a new job and a vastly better sense of my worth as an artist.

Who knew that would happen?

This was my mantra at the beginning of 2006:

I'll never get to teach again. I'll never get to act again. I'll be lonely and bored and sad and--baaaaaaaarrrrrfff ... (I began 2006 with a nasty case of the pukes. I swear, I am encasing myself in plastic the next time I go visit Dave's family. Both Christmases I've spent with them, I've come home vomiting.)

And this is what happened to me during 2006 (in rough chronologial order):

1) Two strong supporting roles in two shows, one of which (Death of a Salesman), was the experience of a lifetime. There are still not words for how much I learned and discovered during that process, nor for how much of a gift it was to work with Danny Peterson. (Working with Peter Aylward, the guy who played my husband in Sight Unseen, was also a joy. I have been very, very fortunate this year as far as acting goes.)

2) A photography project which has brought me a teenytiny bit of recognition. People are visiting Sallyacious because of the pix, and they're telling their friends. Bless you all, and I promise, someday I'll get the photographs for September, October, November and December posted.

Because I took them. I really did. It was my intention to process and post one Sunday's stuff for each day I was on break. Only, I decided to make Christmas presents for my family, clean the house, sleep in and visit my new nephew instead. Clearly I have the eye but not the drive to be a professional photographer.

3) The knowledge that I can plan one helluva party (or two). And run a good lecture series. All of our guests felt pampered and cherished, and the stuff that went wrong was not my doing. I had a great time, and if I could, I would do it all over again. Especially because getting into all the parties ROCKED. It won't happen this next year, however, because I have nonononononono time for that sort of thing (see #5, Teaching Gigs).

4) Reiki Certification at two levels. Someday I'll get to use it on people other than the cats and Kieran. (It's excellent for soothing gassy baby tummies.)

5) Teaching gigs. I started the January semester of 2006 as a substitute secretary/event planner. By the beginning of February, I had three comm classes. Last semester, I taught four comm classes and trained the incoming graduate TA's. Beginning January 10, I'll have one comm class, the TA training and two sections of Sex and Culture. The exciting thing about Sex and Culture is that these two sections are MY classes. I am developing the syllabus (within the structure of the course). I put together the reading list. They are MINE. And I'm getting paid twice what I earn for the comm classes. Also, I'm official adjunct faculty now, which means that if I still get to do this next fall, I'll get the tuition waiver benefit and the don't have to pay to use the gym benefit. Plus, I'm a member of the Theatre faculty. Which is just, well, odd.

6) A NEW NEPHEW. Who I spent a week playing with, before, over and after Christmas. Hence the lack of posts. I was loving my boy. He's soooooooo beautiful. And responsive. His eyes are focusing now, and he talks up a storm. And every so often this last week I got a glimpse of who he's going to turn out to be and it is good. Also, his eyes are starting to change color. They're getting gold at the center. I think the same hazel eyes you can see in Dad, John and me are going to show up in the next generation. They're certainly the same shape as John's. And Dad's. And mine.

7) Art. From all over the world. I was introduced to Swap-Bot.com in late September, and have been working away like mad on ATC's which I have sent to Australia, France, Finland, Hawaii, California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona and Florida, and which I have received from Australia, France, Germany and all over the U.S.

The whole theme aspect has been a challenge for me in a very, very good way. I am forced to develop creative solutions. Rather than just coming up with art out of my own head, I have to come up with art out of my own head that fits the requirements.

8) A second novel. Which eats gravel, by the way. If I can ever bring myself to read it, I expect I will have to keep a vomit bucket handy. But I finished the sucker. 52K.

Okay. To be honest, I think it's probably not that bad. I can write, after all. It's one of the forms of expression I know I can do. And do well. And some sections of The Search for Herself are well-written. There's some good stuff in there. But there's an awful lot of dreck. An awful lot. Most of it to do with the unpleasant way the plot began. I'm sure I was working some stuff out psychologically in there, but, Dude, unpleasantness abounds, and it didn't make the book any easier to write.

9) Friends. Desiree. Uli. Maaike. Karma. Cyndi. Ginger. Amy. Heather. Britt. All of these wonderful women with whom I began and/or deepened friendships. I am truly blessed.

10) And although this had nothing to do with me and everything to do with him, a healthy, fit, sexxxy, national award-winning playwright husband of nine years. Why he still puts up with me is inexplicable.

So. That was 2006. I know there was a long stretch during the summer when I hated everything about life because It was a lot like January all over again (minus the barfing). (And the cold.) But boy, did that end with a vengeance come August.

You know how you should never pray for patience because what you will get is all sorts of opportunities to practice it? I've got another one for the list. Never ask the Universe to give you something to do.

Posted by sally at December 31, 2006 10:54 AM

Comments

Posted by: Heather at January 1, 2007 07:28 PM

Posted by: Sallyacious at January 1, 2007 08:03 PM

Posted by: Maaike at January 2, 2007 02:49 PM

Posted by: Sallyacious at January 2, 2007 04:59 PM

©2006 - All content copyright Sally Eames-Harlan unless otherwise noted