This place is starting to get to me

As much as I enjoy my work and the city I am in, Life here is starting to get to me. By that I mean that home life is starting to get to me. By that I mean that Mary is starting to get to me. I don't mean to single her out, but she is not an easy person to live with. Half the time she doesn't listen to what Anita and I are actually saying, which causes miscommunication, which I in turn try to fix (because i stupidly put myself in as a mediator), which is starting to frustrate me since it doesn't seem to be helping and Mary still seems to not listen, which is causing me to be impatient. I suppose I shouldn't have stepped in as a mediator in the first place, but if I am the one who can see there is a problem and is willing to take the time to try to work through it, then I will. But again, it gets tiring when Mary doesn't seem to realize that there is a problem and Anita has become so frustrated with it that she just doesn't want to try anymore.

is it sad that last week I wanted to be at the theatre, being given a hard time by one of the actresses, rather than be at home alone with Mary while Anita was at her Med school interview?

Personally, I think it is extremely sad. I don't want to get to the point where I avoid going home, but at the same time if being at home causes me more stress than being at work, then I would rather be at work.

Furthermore, Mary will often talk about things she doesn't understand. The play for example, Mary started telling Rita Mary (the nun she works with at the Bishops office) that I was working late nights last week for the play. I told Mary from the beginning that show week was going to be crazy, but that Matrix would compensate for the extra time I spent there. And yet I have Rita Mary approaching me at mass saying she is sorry I have such long hours at Matrix. I was just like wait a minute, I don't want you to get the wrong idea here, I was there willingly... no one forced me to be there.... that is part of the show, a part of the show that I love being part of.

As far as communication goes, I feel like I have tried and tried and tried with Mary and yet nothing works... sooner or later I am going to just stop trying. I can already see my frustration coming out in other situations... like that actress who says I do nothing, I wouldn't be surprised if part of my problem with her is as a result of communication road blocks at home. I hate to be one of those people who cant separate issues at home from issues at work... but at the same time, you know that it is really starting to get to me if i can no longer maintain that separation...

Life in the Fast Lane

The past couple of weeks have been a blur. I suppose that is what happens when you're getting ready for a show. On the one hand, Costumes were 100% complete for opening night. My first professional show, with A LOT of responsibility and A LOT of detail work, was a success. Oddly enough none of it really seemed like work to me. I had fun making the costumes, though i was afraid to use chiffon since I had never used it before. I had fun rummaging through thrift stores hunting out costumes that could fit the time period. I had fun making sure the characters looked good next to each other when they needed to and clashed when they needed to. And I certainly had fun creating my baby... this white dress that started out looking like a choir robe. We took the bottom layer out of it and used it to make a sash. We took the dress in to fit the actress. We took of the sleeves and made a hat. Add a boa, shoes, and gloves and you have a fabulous Easter dress. I am blessed to have an opportunity like this just out of school... especially when I didnt study it per se.
It has been a pleasure working on this show, and I am going to be sad (and relieved) when it is all over. I have met quite a few awesome people, maybe I can keep in touch with them. I have gained alot of hands on experience. And, more importantly I like to feel like Ive made a difference. Maybe one day I can head up a theatre as cool as Matrix, with such an amazing mission. Im not going to lie, it is HARD WORK... quite a bit harder in many ways than I have ever done before. It was worth it though and despite everything I feel like I have grown as a result of it.
What can I say, a little bit of hard work, intuition, ingeneuity and dedication and you can accomplish anything.

Thank you Boomtown, Thank you Matrix

Easily Amused

Today as we left the house, I climbed into Mary's jeep and saw a little burger king toy on my seat. I picked it up and looked at it, thought it was a voice recorder and asked Mary if i could open it. She said sure, so i did. It wasn't working as a voice recorder, but as i read the instructions i discovered it was rather a little radio. Well imagine my amusement when i hit the scan button and it fell upon my favorite radio station here. In my amusement i distracted Mary and she missed the turn for Mercy Ed... twice. Not once but twice. I didn't actually think i would have to direct someone to the work site we go to EVERYDAY. Even so, the miniature radio is my new favorite toy.

Much to my amusement, Mary and I walked into Mercy Ed in hysterics. Rose, Toni and Shannon looked at us like we were crazy, so I explained. Rose was so amused by the radio that even though she hates fast food, she is going to go to burger king just to get that toy. For once fast food has created something useful.

Surrealism at its best

Life in Detroit is Surreal. This week at Our Lady of Guadelupe one of the girls fathers died. He didnt just die, but he was killed in a gang related incident. Just hearing Anita talk about how she and the other extended day staff were specifically told to go to the wake in a group during daylight sent chills up my spine. They have to be so cautious though because of the gang involvement, well really it is more like the mexican mafia, but you catch my drift. She described the funeral as chilling. She had to feel for the family and be there in the moment, while also keeping one eye alert to possible incidents that might occur. To be at a funeral and have to be thinking of the best way to get her girls to the floor if a gun were fired must be one of the most nerve racking things to experience. Anita said that it was even more of a shock and tear jerker to see just how well the girl was taking the situation. The girl came in one day wearing her father's teeshirt. She looked at Anita and said she liked the way it smelled like her father. Just hearing that is absolutely incredible and insane to think about. I cant even imagine what i would have done.

To be quite honest, I am very happy here. Its not for any one reason, but for many little things. Mostly though, I think I just needed a change of pace. I love Virginia Beach and Harrisonburg, but they had become to routine and I was bored with them. I need something new for a while and Detroit is it.

I still find it hard to believe that in so many ways, Detroit seems dead. There are less cars on the road in Detroit at 8pm than there are in Virginia Beach at 3am. You think I am kidding? I'm not. As a result of my being costume mistress for Boomtown 1925, I have researched 1920 Detroit quite a bit. I think there were more people on the road in 1920 at 3am than there are in Detroit now at 8pm. Its quite an interesting difference to see. I mean for a city to be big and bustling, really the place to be, in one decade and like a ghost town 80 years later is uncanny.