[Gemma]

This is my Year of Doing Brave Things, and so far things are going - oddly better than I expected?

 

 

 

 

I had three overarching 20SOC goals for 2023. They all involved getting off my butt and out of my rut, doing things I've really wanted and made excuses not to do for way too long. 

1. Audition for community theater

2. Submit a short story to a publisher

3. Shoot in a competition (I shoot long-range precision rifle) 

 

So far I've accomplished #1, and the fallout from that win has taken up all of my bandwidth for the past month and a half. I am playing Baptista Minola in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, with a steampunk circus setting. I am also taking voice lessons to recover from a lifelong fear of singing in public, and my vocal coach has convinced me to sing in the school's end-of-year show. 

 

In the hurly and the burly of rehearsals, memorizing lines, daily vocal practice, and an exhausting bout of business travel, I have let my health and fitness goals vanish into the depths of the North Carolina swamps. Last challenge I got my eating habits back to a little bit better, but I don't think I worked out twice in the whole six weeks. 

 

So this is a Keep It Simple, Gemma challenge period. 

 

I love GMB workouts and I'm a member of their "Alpha Posse." One of the freebies they have available to the Posse is a movement practice they call "The Daily Battery."  I hesitate to call it a workout, because it's not going to move the needle on my strength or mobility or body composition. It's just meant to get me MOVING. That's what I need and what I currently lack. Movement. 

 

The DB is pretty simple. It's meant to be done early in the morning, and it's eight movements done for one minute each.  

 

So this challenge, the only goal is: 

 

Do the Daily Battery daily. 

 

Other targets that I am shooting at, but not going to count it as a "fail" if I don't hit them because I am terrible about trying to do too many things at once and giving up early: 

 

• Eat salad 4x/week
• Walk 5000 steps/ day (I currently average ~4,200)
• Start learning a new song for musical theater auditions.  I'm torn between The Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd, or Some People from Gypsy. I'm currently working on Just Around the Corner from The Addams Family and I'm starting to get comfortable with it, so I'm going to need a new challenge soon. 
• Keep up with the forums - check in at least 3x/week

 

 

[Sovalis]

Good stuff, Brave One! Here to cheer you on! 😁🥳

[Elastigirl]

Great plan!

[TimovieMan]

Yay for simple challenges! 👍

 

I said simple, not easy. 😇

[Scaly Freak]

4 hours ago, Gemma said:

• Start learning a new song for musical theater auditions.  I'm torn between The Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd, or Some People from Gypsy. I'm currently working on Just Around the Corner from The Addams Family and I'm starting to get comfortable with it, so I'm going to need a new challenge soon. 

 

I vote you learn both the Gypsy song and the Sweeney Todd song. Flip a coin for which one you should learn first.  

[Tigerlillie]

Excellent written expression here. Good luck with your goals.

 

[MaeradCase]

21 hours ago, Gemma said:

I had three overarching 20SOC goals for 2023. They all involved getting off my butt and out of my rut, doing things I've really wanted and made excuses not to do for way too long. 

1. Audition for community theater

2. Submit a short story to a publisher

3. Shoot in a competition (I shoot long-range precision rifle) 

These are all super cool goals! 😃

 

21 hours ago, Gemma said:

I am playing Baptista Minola in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, with a steampunk circus setting. I am also taking voice lessons to recover from a lifelong fear of singing in public, and my vocal coach has convinced me to sing in the school's end-of-year show. 

How exciting! Hope the practice and lessons continue to go well! 😃

 

21 hours ago, Gemma said:

So this is a Keep It Simple, Gemma challenge period. 

 

I love GMB workouts and I'm a member of their "Alpha Posse." One of the freebies they have available to the Posse is a movement practice they call "The Daily Battery."  I hesitate to call it a workout, because it's not going to move the needle on my strength or mobility or body composition. It's just meant to get me MOVING. That's what I need and what I currently lack. Movement. 

 

The DB is pretty simple. It's meant to be done early in the morning, and it's eight movements done for one minute each.  

I also think that GMB is a nice approach to exercise. If it makes you feel any better, last challenge I had a simple movement goal based entirely on the little exercises done in the plaza of Animal Crossing New Horizons. Small achievable goals are valid. 😃

 

21 hours ago, Gemma said:

So this challenge, the only goal is: 

 

Do the Daily Battery daily. 

😍 I look forward to cheering for you.

 

21 hours ago, Gemma said:

Other targets that I am shooting at, but not going to count it as a "fail" if I don't hit them because I am terrible about trying to do too many things at once and giving up early: 

 

• Eat salad 4x/week
• Walk 5000 steps/ day (I currently average ~4,200)
• Start learning a new song for musical theater auditions.  I'm torn between The Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd, or Some People from Gypsy. I'm currently working on Just Around the Corner from The Addams Family and I'm starting to get comfortable with it, so I'm going to need a new challenge soon. 
• Keep up with the forums - check in at least 3x/week

Good luck with all your goals, Gemma! 😍

[Rhovaniel]

On 3/19/2023 at 7:28 PM, Gemma said:

Other targets that I am shooting at, but not going to count it as a "fail" if I don't hit them because I am terrible about trying to do too many things at once and giving up early: 

Very much same! I'm glad you are taking the sensible approach  

 

Good luck, and following!

[Gemma]

Prologue, scenes 1-3

 

 

Batteries: 🔋🔋🔋🔋 So far I'm liking the Daily Battery movement, it feels good to shake the sleepy-stiffness out first thing.

Bonus goals - 

Salad: 🥕
Walks: 🚷 (3-day avg. 4175)

Singing: 🎼 🤷‍♀️ I've got more work to do on Corner before I start learning anything new. It's allergy season and my throat doesn't like it; there's an A4 note right near the end of the song that I can sometimes hit without squeaking, but that is pretty near the top of my range and I'm not at all consistent with it. 

Forums: 👋👋

This has been a very good week thus far. I've had more exciting happy things happen in three days than I normally have cause to expect in three months. 

 

1) my mom has been pain-free for 10 days now! Backstory behind the wall, it's longish.

2) my mom and sister bought plane tickets to fly out to the swamplands from Denver to see the show! 

3) my eldest son found a great job! (he's finishing his PhD in May and has been terribly stressed about what comes after)

4) 🥁🥁🥁 Director Phil asked me if I would consider DIRECTING!!!!!!!!!! SHAKESPEARE!!!!!!!!!  He's going to talk to the board of the company about me taking the reins of a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor next spring!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Nothing is definite yet, it's up to the board, but ... O. M. G!!

 

Spoiler

My mom has been in severe chronic pain from osteoporosis and damaged vertabrae for almost a year now. She had a hip replacement last April and while she was still using her walker she twisted awkwardly and did some bad things to her lower back, which led to the discovery that her bone mass is basically styrofoam - she'd never had any trouble with it before because she has really strong musculature in her back. She has been teaching yoga and Pilates for decades and swims regularly, so it seems that instead of her skeleton supporting her muscles in the common way of things, her muscles were actually holding her bones up to an inappropriate extent. When she stopped working out while recovering from the hip replacement, her muscles weakened just enough to cause terrible trouble.

 

She's been on an experimental bone-rebuilding treatment regimen for about 4 months now, but more importantly she has continued to teach two yoga and one Pilates class every week and swim several days a week.  Some combination of the exercise and the treatments have led to a near miraculous transformation from severe pain to "discomfort." 

 

In related news, I'm asking my doctor to schedule me a bone density test the next time I see him - osteoporosis has a pretty strong genetic component. 

 

[MaeradCase]

Wow, that is a lot of great news! How exciting to be asked to direct!!

[Sovalis]

What a great and glorious update! 🥳🎉

[Everstorm]

So much win here!  Directing sounds amazing!

[Wild Wolf]

On 3/19/2023 at 2:28 PM, Gemma said:

2. Submit a short story to a publisher

3. Shoot in a competition (I shoot long-range precision rifle)

 

Both of these sound awesome! 

2 hours ago, Gemma said:

2) my mom and sister bought plane tickets to fly out to the swamplands from Denver to see the show! 

 

That'll be great to have them come support you! Awesome stuff  

 

2 hours ago, Gemma said:

3) my eldest son found a great job! (he's finishing his PhD in May and has been terribly stressed about what comes after)

 

Very nice! I'm sure that's a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

 

This is a great looking challenge, Gemma! Definitely here for all the battery charged badassery that you are bringing right now!

 

Wolf

[Rhovaniel]

Awesome news on all fronts! I'm so excited for you, and so happy for your Mom!

[Gemma]

Prologue, scenes 4-6

 

Battery count: 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋

 

Bonus goals - 

Salad: 🥕🥕🥕
Walks: 🚷 (5-day avg. 4115) This is moving in the wrong direction, I hadn't paid attention in a while and didn't realize quite how sedentary I have become. 

Singing: 🎼 🤷‍♀️ Practice continues. I feel like I am not improving at all, but I think I am at the stage where I think that in virtually every endeavor, so I persist. I definitely don't feel ready to add anything to my repertoire yet, so I'll just keep pressing for a few weeks and see how we go. 

Forums: 👋👋👋

[Gemma]

Prologue, scene 7 fin

 

Battery count: 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋 

 

Bonus goals - 

Salad: 🥕🥕🥕🥕
Walks: 🚷 (5-day avg. 4077) The only day I got over 5,000 was Friday, and that took a lunchtime walk around the campus and a doggie walk after work. I don't know that I have the bandwidth to do that every day, but I will do it when I can. 

Singing: 🎼 🤷‍♀️ Practice continues. 

Forums: 👋👋👋

 

20 Sec/Courage has it's limits. Another local theater company announced auditions for The Wedding Singer, and I really think that playing Grandma Rosie would be extremely fun. I debated it inside my head all day yesterday, and then woke up at 1 a.m. this morning with symptoms of a panic attack. So I think I am not ready for that much bravitude just yet.  Thinking about singing in public still elicits the same basic symptoms as thinking about going to work in my underwear. More work needed. 

 

 

[MaeradCase]

6 minutes ago, Gemma said:

I really think that playing Grandma Rosie would be extremely fun. I debated it inside my head all day yesterday, and then woke up at 1 a.m. this morning with symptoms of a panic attack. So I think I am not ready for that much bravitude just yet. 

And that's okay, too. Glad you're being self aware and handling your decisions to take care of yourself. 

[Everstorm]

Maybe you need some public singing exposure where the outcome is less important to you?  To reduce the pressure?  Maybe try a karaoke bar or something, where it isn't tryouts for a part you really want.

[Gemma]

Act 1 Scenes 1-3

 

Fun fact: I have chronic bronchitis, and probably have had it for years. Saw my doctor yesterday and mentioned that my OTC allergy meds are really not cutting it this year and I'm frustrated by feeling like I need to clear my throat all the time - he listened to my lungs and immediately went and got me an inhaler to use for the next few weeks. This might be a partial explanation for some of the things that I have been struggling with in voice lessons, and may also have some bearing on my sleep troubles 🤷‍♀️

 

Week one so far

Battery count: 🔋🔋🔋🔋

 

Bonus goals - 

Salad: 🥕🥕 and I'm out of salad-building materials. Grocery store today!
Walks: 🚷 (3-day avg. 4003) 

Singing: 🎼 🤷‍♀️ Practice continues. 

Forums: 👋

 

Rehearsals have been going great, I really like this cast and we are having a lot of fun. Director Phil pulled me aside on a break and said that he had pitched my name to about 2/3 of the board and so far everyone seems in favor of me directing Merry Wives,  and entertained by the idea of me setting it in Gold Rush-era Windsor, Colorado. No firm decisions about next year's shows will be made until the end of May, but the possibilities are exciting! 

 

[MaeradCase]

56 minutes ago, Gemma said:

Fun fact: I have chronic bronchitis, and probably have had it for years. Saw my doctor yesterday and mentioned that my OTC allergy meds are really not cutting it this year and I'm frustrated by feeling like I need to clear my throat all the time - he listened to my lungs and immediately went and got me an inhaler to use for the next few weeks. This might be a partial explanation for some of the things that I have been struggling with in voice lessons

Being susceptible to bronchitis nearly anytime I get something in the area, I totally relate to this, and you have my sympathy. I hope the inhaler provides relief from the symptoms.

 

57 minutes ago, Gemma said:

Salad: 🥕🥕 and I'm out of salad-building materials. Grocery store today!

Haha, same 😆

 

58 minutes ago, Gemma said:

Rehearsals have been going great, I really like this cast and we are having a lot of fun. Director Phil pulled me aside on a break and said that he had pitched my name to about 2/3 of the board and so far everyone seems in favor of me directing Merry Wives,  and entertained by the idea of me setting it in Gold Rush-era Windsor, Colorado. No firm decisions about next year's shows will be made until the end of

Shared excitement!!! ❤❤❤

[Harriet]

Hi! It's awesome that you have a role in a play, and even more awesome that you might become a director! Very impressive and it must be a lot of fun, if somewhat stressful.

[Gemma]

Act 1 scenes 4-7

 

Today we started playing with costume elements, and Holy Cow the creative team behind this troupe are a bunch of just truly amazing human beings. They are re-interpreting Petruchio as an airship pirate. And I will wear leather pants as my standard 'lounge around the house' wear. 

 

Week one wrap up

Battery count: 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋

 

Bonus goals - 

Salad: 🥕🥕  
Walks: 🚷 3-day avg. 3860. Some of that has been bad weather, but some has just been that I'm out of the habit of getting up off my butt.  Well, awareness is the first step, right?

Singing: 🎼 I am not working on either of the two options in my original post, but I am starting a new song. It's "No Time at All" from Pippin, and it is delightful and fun. 

Forums: 👋👋

 

Great week of theater was nice because it counterbalanced a terrible week at work. We are starting to wrestle with the problem of students using ChatGPT to write their essays, and all the ridiculous mind-bendy stuff that goes with it (how can you tell? how reliable are various checkers? how much are you sure of vs. how much can you prove? what consequences are even appropriate in the context of this particular school?) It made me a very tired Gemma, but I still forced myself to do the Battery movements every morning so I'm pretty proud of that. 

 

12 hours ago, Harriet said:

Hi! It's awesome that you have a role in a play, and even more awesome that you might become a director! Very impressive and it must be a lot of fun, if somewhat stressful.

 

It is a great deal of fun, and weirdly not that stressful yet. I'm  sure it will get there, though - Tech Week and Hell Week have reputations for a reason. But for now it is really just a blast! 

 

[Scaly Freak]

2 hours ago, Gemma said:

They are re-interpreting Petruchio as an airship pirate.

 

 

Please for the love of boot buckles tell me there will be a stream or recording of this play

[Gemma]

7 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

 

Please for the love of boot buckles tell me there will be a stream or recording of this play

 

Sadly no - but I'm hoping to maybe get some recorded footage of final dress rehearsal that I can put up on my private channel to show y'all and such members of my family as won't be able to come.  And I'll definitely put up links to whatever promotional photos and vids they release. 

[Alanna]

Following! I'm also getting back into movement/GMB. Your theatre pursuits sound very exciting, and I have my fingers crossed for you for the directing role!