17th of December, Part 1

I am afraid. Yet the date comes and goes and I drive the same road several times a year. I persevere.

Some part of you is going to read this, sickly fascinated by what happened, because it's something that draws everyone. It's what makes us slow down to see what happened and be thankful it wasn't us.

And some part of you may have no desire whatsoever to hear read about a twisted, mangled pain that may have healed to the best of healing ability in the physical manner - but still aches as a reminder.

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December 17, 1997.

A Wednesday. Cold enough for Winter in Texas, but not as bad as the sudden 10 inches of snow we would get a year later.

I wanted to be an actress. I'd wanted to be one for years. I did the community theatre, the high school shows, the after school children's productions. I did the modeling and training, the late night rehearsals of Shakespeare and musicals. I wanted Broadway, but being practical about my chances as an actress as I was about college, I didn't go.

A friend wanted New York, too. We decided on Austin as a stepping stone to get to NY eventually. Austin from Odessa was a huge step. We decided to move in the Spring, after the holidays with our families.

I like a plan. Whether I stick to it or not, I like having some sort of framework to go with.

We had a plan now. So when I saw an audition ad for "Angels in America" by Tony Kushner at an Austin theatre, meant to be performed a few months later, I decided this was a shot! A chance to audition for a show and move to a big city and see what I could prove!

So I figured it out. My day job at the time was as a graphic operator or sound tech for the local morning news show. Sometimes commercial stuff like helping to dub or make the phone number go across the screen. This Wednesday I would get off work around 11am. I left and headed out toward Austin, taking Brady and Llano across - a road I'd driven a few times before. I remember stopping to pickup a few things as Christmas gifts for my family. A couple of puzzles for my younger brothers, coloring books for cousins. I'm not sure anymore really.

I remember I had time to grab a sandwich and find the theatre. I remember sitting in the hallway going over the lines before the audition. I remember I wore my best blue t-shirt and a blue denim jacket with my best blue jeans. I guess I probably had tennis shoes on... oh, that's right, I did. White Keds. I remember thinking I did pretty good, but I was nervous, so I knew it wasn't a 'knocked their socks off great' audition. But I wanted that role. I wanted this show to be a sign I should move to Austin.

The drive home

Yes, it was dark, but I didn't think it's be a problem. I'd borrowed my dad's cell phone (because at the time only busy business-type people had one, really), so I was going to call my parents when I got to San Angelo just to let them know I was about two hours out. I also didn't want to use the roaming minutes and San Angelo was close enough it wouldn't.

Good. A plan.

It didn't happen like that. My parents got a call several hours later from either the hospital or the officer, I don't know, to let them know their daughter was in a car accident.

...to be continued...

More Alice

Patrick actually made the teapot - out of a large plastic barrel and casters, with cut foam for the handle and wood for the spout. He painted the base ivory type color on it. Then he let me go to town on the color and designs.

I used purple, red, blue - all royal, rich colors. On the sides and spout and handle, I used random designs, swirls, checkers, stripes, etc. On top of the lid he had found a circular piece with a fleur type design on it, then put a knob in the center for the handle. I kept with the red and purple, then added hot pink and neon green to the fleur parts and on each side of the knob. A very eclectic piece of art that fit perfectly at the Mad Hatter and March Hare's tea party!

Alice In....

Ahh... "Off With Their Heads!"

The Red Queen's Royal Garden. Well, the basis of it anyway.

Green fleece, a bit streaked with lighter colors - very pretty, very stretchable, looked good on stage under lights. And on sale that week at Hancock Fabrics!

Pick up several bunches of roses from wherever fake flowers are sold, pull the roses off the stems and quick stitch them to the fabric at random intervals. I actually spread out the measured and cut fabric, threw a handful of rose heads up in the air and let them fall, then stitched them where they landed. This was a pretty fun thing to work on, and I kinda wanted to keep the finished pieces to hang on my walls. It's better they ended up staying at the theatre to be used in the traveling set pieces.

Wonderland

Working on "Alice In Wonderland" at the Globe. I'm playing the Cook, so I get to be silly and dance with a pepper shaker. It's all good. (grin)

Anyway, am also helping with the painting and creating of things. One is the painting of the Walrus and the Carpenter that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum talk about with Alice.

This is a shot of it stretched out on my bedroom floor while I worked on it over the summer. I used a painters canvas - it was slightly more flexible than regular canvas, it was already the dimensions I mostly needed, and same cost. Then I found sketches of the Walrus and Carpenter in various books and on the web, drew it in free hand, making sure to leave room down the center to cut it and faded out on the edges to help with the surreal effect.

After sketching I started painting, using basic acrylics, filling in the clothes, rocks, and skin tones. The oysters were easier - I painted grey and black and white swirls in circles all along the bottom. I used a sharpie to outline the clothes and eyes and such, then to fill in the lines on the oysters and their little shined shoes on their little feet! (If you know the poem, you know what I'm talking about!)


I spent half the time in rehearsals and the other half doing other projects, and the other half traveling to El Paso to see Rob, or he'd come here and we'd hang out more than I would work on anything useful. It happens. Especially with a wonderful and handsome man like him!

Here's the shot of it finished, and still in one piece. (It had to be cut in half for the turning triangles for the set.)