listen

Amidst the numerous football fans that I work with, I somehow managed to get Sundays completely off. Yeeha! Now I don't have to stress out about getting my shifts covered for improv class, and I can actually enjoy them and relax. This week's lesson was about showing emotion, but I think the bigger lesson was about listening before reacting. The rule of the game was to make the delivery express your emotion, but not let the emotion control you or the scene. It became difficult when we were told to freeze and given a new emotion, and we all just exploded. It became easier to listen to someone's offer and letting it sink in before letting loose. Sometimes I worry that silence will make people uncomfortable. In comedy I think that tension could potentially be golden. In real life I think I need to shut my mouth now and then before I spew my opinions. One of my all-time favorite quotes was said by Plato, and it is "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.". I try to remember that as much as possible. One of these days I am going to make a collection of quote t-shirts to inspire myself with nuggets of wisdom every day.

I'm having a rare spell of creativity at the moment. I whipped up some homemade cookies to bring to work the other day, and while they were baking crafted a patchwork owl and sewed it on a sweatshirt. I'm thinking about starting some diy project posts on this blog. Another theme I'd like to carry out is "things I have learned from my grandparents". Seriously, grandparents are awesome. I can't think of a better note to end on than that. Katie out.

making the most out of my morning

Coffee...is there anything it can't do?

As of late I've spoiled myself by getting a coffee grinder and purchasing my beans from local roasters (Conscious Coffee and Boxcar Roasters in Boulder are almost, if not equal to, my all time favorite Stumptown Coffee from Portland,OR). I'm willing to splurge a few extra dollars because, like I said, I'm now spoiled and the regular grocery brands just aren't as appealing anymore. So in an attempt to not let any of my little luxury go to waste, I've been thinking up ways to savor even the coffee grounds.

Back when I lived in a house, I had a wonderful compost pile in which I would deposit coffee grounds, food scraps, and yard clippings. I miss that little pile, especially when I note the weekly amount of garbage that accumulates in our apartment. I've read in a lot of places that coffee grounds make a great exfoliant, so I thought to give it a try this morning. I made my coffee and breakfast, did some reading, then decided to use my buzz to go to the gym. Ok, ok, drag myself to the gym. When I came back home to shower off, I snagged the used coffee filter and grounds from the Mr. Coffee and was pleased to note that the bundle was still nice and warm. If any of you want to try this, I'd recommend placing your filter and grounds in a dish of some sort so you don't drip all over the place. Once in the shower I scrubbed and scrubbed, and it was delightfully tingly. I've heard the caffeine can even make your skin feel buzzed. Followed by my Dr. Bronner's magic soap, to which I like to add some coconut essential oils, I felt smooth and delicious. The only drawback is your shower might be covered in grounds and look icky, but I don't think it's hurting anything.

I don't think I'll be doing this every day, but I'd definitely recommend trying it now and then! I have a list of other ways to use your coffee grounds that maybe I'll be trying soon:

-Massage grounds into your scalp to soften and add shine. This is especially great for brunettes, it really brings out your highlights!

-Fertilize plants.

-Rub coffee grounds on hands after chopping pungent foods to get rid of odors.

-dye fabric or paper with old coffee grounds for an antique look.

-for scratches in wooden furniture, rub some moist coffee grounds to fill in the scratch marks.

Fellow coffee lovers, savor away!

Improv your life

By a stroke of luck I was able to start improv classes today. It's a very small class, pretty balanced in age and gender, and is at the Impulse Theatre in Denver. The company spun off from my former improv group, Comedy Sportz, but their philosophies are slightly different. One of the basic tenants of improvisational comedies, as I was taught, is "yes, and...". This means you accept whatever a fellow improviser throws at you, and then you heighten the situation. I'm so accustomed to this that I will immediately and happily accept a suggestion. So when we started with 2 line scenes and my partner told me "You're on fire!" I just smiled and said, "Yeah I am!". Ouch. Coach has us continue the scene and to make my answer more believable I recovered with "What did you expect? We're in hell!".

I kind of like the yes, and rule, because it encourages us to be supportive. On the other hand, I like this new freedom to accept the reality they create but form my own opinion around it. If I immediately agree with what a person hands me, it doesn't allow me to think for myself. Now I get to train my brain to say "Yes, I see where you are going" and give myself a moment to form a logical reaction. I'm excited to re-train my brain to be in the moment and quick, improv is a great mental workout!

save the date

Who else loves theme parties? As many ugly Christmas sweater parties or 80s shindigs you've seen, don't you still get a kick out of it and have fun? Some themes seem overdone, but that's because they work so well! I was just listening to some good old Michael Jackson on Youtube and couldn't help but smile at that sparkling glove, and it hit me: I want to have a Michael Jackson party celebrating him this June 25. On the anniversary of his death, I'd like to celebrate his music. So bedazzle your gloves, zombify yourself for some Thriller, and break out Michael Jackson: the Experience on the Xbox so we can moonwalk. It's gonna happen.