What are you trying to say?

So, what have I been up to? Well, if you guessed 'puking my guts' out you win the slightly soggy toaster, because despite insanely obsessing over hand-washing I managed to contract the stomach flu that is going around (and had to miss Jess dm'ing my group, something I would have loved to witness). However I am now better - much, much, much better. I was even back at work today with normal energy having a fabulous time (it was a nice change from when I tried to come in on Monday and realized partway through the day what a mistake THAT was).

I've also made a decision: I am going to continue as Girl Scout Service Unit Manager until summer, and then I'm resigning. The truth is I can do all of the stuff that needs to be done, I have fabulous ideas and the know-how to execute them, I understand it all well enough to recognize that I am failing miserably in nearly every way because I'm lacking the one thing to really make it all work: time (and energy). So, now I'm going to be looking for a replacement, someone who has the time to really do it all, and do it well - or at least do the basics well. I feel pretty good about this choice. It sucks recognizing that I've messed up something I should have excelled at, and understanding why - but now that I've made the decision, I'm feeling pretty good about getting it all to a point where I can hand it off to someone else and then back away. Plus, if I take on a smaller role (like PR - something I excel at) I can do a lot more good then holding everything back as I am now. So, a couple of deep breaths while I plunge ahead and get things tied up and kept up until summer and then I can relax.

In other news: Vagina Monologue rehearsals are going, and they are going so well!! I mean, I had a few bumps in the beginning (don't all productions?), but it's all coming together and it is going to be absolutely spectacular!! We're taking sponsorships now to help fund the show's expenses, and we're figuring out all of the details, but it is going to be simply amazing. Really. The cast is excellent - women of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, ages, and acting experience from one woman who has performed professionally across the nation, on tv, and in various high profile events, to women who have never done anything but are inspired to be a part of this, and everything in between. It's all represented. And the work that is being done...locally when I've talked about it, I've emphasized that while Vagina is in the title and the center of the play, Violence is also there - and that's what the core of the production is about, talking about the violence, the treatment - taking it from a shameful, dirty, vulgar thing that some think should be hidden into something that can be openly talked about, can be dealt with, can be ended.

So, there is the art show: On the Subject of Women, that Nancy/Making the Most of I is running, and that looks to be amazing. Then the production, which I know will be incredible! And once all of our expenses are paid, then 90% of the profits are being divided between The Women's Crisis Center, New Beginnings: A Support Network for Women, and Making the Most of I. 10% of the profits are going to the V-Day International Spotlight Campaign for Comfort Women.

'What is a Comfort Woman?' you might ask?

The euphemism ‘comfort women’ was coined by imperial Japan to refer to young females of various ethnic and national backgrounds who were forced to offer sexual services to the Japanese troops during the Asia/Pacific Wars between 1932 and 1945. Some were minors sold into ‘comfort stations,’ others were deceptively recruited by middlemen, and still more were detained and forcibly abducted. Estimates of the number of ‘comfort women’ range between 50,000 to 200,000. In the early 1990s, nearly a half a century after the end of WWII, Korean victims of Japan’s military sexual slavery, followed by other survivors in China, Taiwan, North Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Timor L’Este, broke their silence and began to call for justice and reparations for the unanswered war crimes. Despite years of protests, including the weekly demonstrations held by survivors in South Korea in front of the Japanese embassy for the past 13 years, the Japanese government still denies legal responsibility. Now, the aging survivors are dying off one by one without any type of redress, formal apology, or historical acknowledgment by a government that stole their freedom and power for so many years. You can read some testimonies of the Comfort Women here (Warning: These accounts are VERY disturbing).

So, the show will be February 18th, 7:30 pm at the Bellows Falls Opera House (WAHOO!!), tickets are $15 general / $10 students and seniors ( and you can buy advance tickets in town at Bulls Eye Music and the Booksellers) and there ends my plug for today.

And now for links of fun and goodness.

DARKCRYSTAL2DARKCRYSTAL2DARKCRYSTAL2DARKCRYSTAL2 I can live with that sequel.

Someone came in to show me Megatokyo, and I thanked them because I had forgotten about it and about how much I really like it.

Fascinating, creative, funny, and possibly posted before, but maybe not.

I love, love, love this puzzle game. I've actually purchased the game (I've had it for awhile, but I just rediscovered it). A small warning: there's something addictive about these puzzles...for me anyway. You can get a free version that will let you do only so much. Snood!

What I'm reading:

Well, books 7, 8, and 9 of Fruits Basket came in. And they're here! With me! Muahahahaha!!!

Otherwise, I've been too ill to actually read much.

What I'm watching:

However watching stuff takes very little effort on my part. In fact it seems to happen if I just sit in one place long enough. However, if I don't have the energy to get up and choose what to watch I find myself subjected to the decisions of others. I only tried to claw my eyes out once (Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie....I think my family is out to get me); luckily I lacked the energy to follow through because things got much better!

Allegra is following up on her newly found love of Mr. Bean. So, she and Jay went to the video store and came back with the Fawlty Towers collection (woot!), Rowan Atkinson live (oh, I laughed, luckily there was only one sketch that I really would not have wanted Allegra to see or hear, but I don't she knows what ANY of those phrases mean), The Thin Blue Line, and And Now for Something Completely Different.

Jay only threatened Gladiator once (evil, evil...).