The Six Month Segment

Note: This is mostly a rehash of things I've done over the past six months but haven't blogged about. Most of the pictures and happenings I already posted on Facebook but this is a good summary for those interested

I had a full and therapeutic summer full of friendly, warm, smart, creative, open, and supportive people. Most of my time involved getting to know the contact improv community, visiting Malia in Hawaii with my sister, Jackie, and working part time for MonkeyLectric (business seems to be going pretty well).





In the vein of electrical work, I was able to be with Circle C Electric for about a week working at an amazing Stanford theater updating their electrical system for fancy new theater gadgets. I was hoping to stay with this company since they specialized in theaters, but because of the recession they had no work for me so had to lay me off. Thanks to a friend, Stig, I was able to work at remodeling a bathroom in Berkeley for about a month. I can't say I did the best job but I sure learned a lot and loved the working atmosphere.

( "working" at home on my mood lighting)

I took a little side trip out to Massachusetts and New Hampshire for my friends Gwen and Greg's wedding.

(I caught the bouquet)


(wedding gift I made using SPYN)



I was able to take a week in early October to visit my sister in Oregon who was working at the Oregon Caves National Park. She was working as a guide in the caves and teaching school groups that visited the park. She will soon be going down to another park near Arches to do similar work.



(Jackie)

I went to school for two weeks in early October (I think?) studying the world of the electrician and then started a job in Newark with Mega Electric in November. We worked on installing a new fire alarm system for a public high school. Lots of conduit bending!

I finished with Mega Electric late December and managed to fly home for Christmas only hours before the airport in Seattle shut down because of crazy snow! I had a great two weeks of playing with family pets, playing games with the family, snowman building, sledding, sitting in front of the fire, eating, resting, knitting, and visiting with friends.

(As soon as I was picked up, my Dad and I picked up the tree)


I'm now home in Berkeley spending another two weeks studying and shootin' the **it with my fellow green electricians.

Still doing tons of knitting and dancing!


I finished a large project that I had agreed to about a year ago. Wow, that feels good! Ale had found me while I was working at Stone Mountain and Daughter last February. She brought in several hundred little crocheted pieces that her passed mother had made but had not incorporated into anything. I made them all up into two twin bed size blankets that her twin nephews received for Christmas.



My performance group had a successful Dia De Los Muertos performance this year in several festivals. We also performed at Illusions 7 at the Mission Cultural Center in SF. We are in a small holiday season hibernation but still cooking up some future plans. (I have one I haven't proposed to them yet).


That's the gist of it. I'm finding myself super busy and engaged in life and loving it! I have so many other plans brewing as well!

Sailing etc.

Here are a few pictures that I took on the recent Solaris sailing excursion.



Solaris in her LED glory


   

The people


     
               
 
                

     
     
    
            

           

Awesome Brass band I saw with Becca after sailing:

                        

And something completely unrelated:

The shipyard where I work with Dan
 
(you can see the wings of the butterfly van amongst other oddball sculptures)

over and out -Meg

dance, dance, dance

Last weekend I spent flying and bouncing off walls. I took a workshop with Project Bandaloop in their new location in Oakland. I had a blast and acquired a few bruises from the harnesses that we used. Basically it involved using a Grigri (self belay device) and an ascender to gain a little height before playing around against walls. We did flips, cartwheels, leaps, and pendulum swinging all in a horizontal plane. It's amazing the way you have to adjust to having gravity pulling you sideways.



                                                       

This week the West Coast Contact Improv Festival starts, and I'm hosting a few out-of-towners for the festival. I'll write more about that after the festival is under way. Oh yeah, and I had a little Tango and Salsa dancing this week thrown in for good measure!

MonkeyLectric

So this is a company I've been working for since last December.  I wanted to let people know about my work here in Berkeley and promote this awesome company. I've been building prototypes, modeling, testing, shipping, and doing other odd jobs that Dan, the owner, comes up with.
I feel pretty stylin on my bike at night! Let alone safe from blind drivers!
Check out the website:

MonkeyLectric.com

Oakland Improv Collective

Check out the blog page that my performace group has. Oakland Improv Collective. I just had a performance last Friday and it went really really well. We had a great audience and it all went smoothly. The sculptor of the stautues that we danced with, Stephen DeStaebler, came. He seemed very greatful to have his art join with another art form to bring this empty and cold space in downtown Oakland come to life. Thanks to my friends who came to watch me perform. There should be some good pictures posted in the blog soon.

                                                        

My Return

Sometimes, when life isn't going exactly the way you want, sharing with the world wide wibe isn't high on the priority list. I'm transitioning (word of the month) into new work and out of a relationship. I'm still in the angry phase, but not one tramautic event caused the seperration, just a long drawn out tension that was finally released. Work, electrical apprentiship, may start up sooner than I had feared. I'm back from vacation in Hawaii with my sister and an old friend of mine so having my new job start soon will be a relief from reliving the recent past over and over in my head. Sorry I'm being so roundabout with this conversation but it's still a sore subject and I want to come back to posting. With that taken care of...
I had a great relaxing trip to Oahu. Bonding with my sister Jackie and my childhood friend Malia and making a new friend Clara.

Beach+Camera+Malia's Mac=

Sweater Wizard

This may look like a decent sweater with one sleeve unfinished but really its a very sad sweater because I've decided it may not live for much longer. The Sweater Wizard is a computer program that lets you plug in the dimensions and choose from several styles to create your very own sweater pattern. Great concept but this monster is what came from it. It's way too big in the upper part of the sleeve and too baggy around the waist because of the excessive length. You would think that my problem is the gauge from the overall hugeness but you would be wrong. I protest! The sleeves fit perfectly in the lower arm and the shoulders fit nicely. I know the gauge is right! Anyhow, this is a very sad sweater that the so-called-wizard created. I love the yarn too much to let it stay a monster so when I gain the courage to frog it....

In other news I'm knitting away on x-mas presents (sorry, that's not really "other" news)...

Dav and I moved to our own little spot. No more roommates! You don't realize until you got it (or I suppose just lose it) that it's nice to be in control of your home. Quiet, clean, and organized the way you want it! I do miss the company when Dav is busy but I'm still more comfy in my own little place. We went to the old stompin' grounds for Thanksgiving. Yummy food.

Can't wait for my little x-mas get-away. I'm taking off two weeks to visit my extended family in Illinois and Indiana and then back into the northwest to be with the close family for a few days. Dav is meeting me there and then we will drive back down to Berkeley in the pick-up that my parents are selling to us. Lots of ground covered but I think it'll all be pretty pampered and relaxing.
(Sorry, no other exciting pictures other than the monster wizard sweater).