how much i heart my friends

I talked to Vivian last night and she is practically forcing me to read "Atonement," so we can "discuss" it, so I bought it at Barnes & Noble, since all 15 or so copies at the public library are checked out, probably because the movie's coming out in 1 week. I hope to finish it before the movie comes out, since it sucks doing it the other way around. I've never heard her--or anyone--so excited about literature.

Just finished "Kafka on the Shore." OK maybe I'm dumb or lazy to think, but I didn't really get it. Now I can catch up on my Time magazines, woohoo!

"...slung between a neurotic and an iceberg, Amelie retreats into her imagination."

This week

So I had to do origami at a big trade show from Sunday to Wednesday. It's a metal fabrication and welding show. Booo. I hated it because I had to wake up at 7. Had to take two trains to get there. Had to wear a suit (possibly the worst part). 95% of attendance were men, and everyone assumed I was one of those trade-show models instead of a legitimate businesswoman.

Problem was, my recital was Sunday night. I think I did well, like maybe a 8.5 out of 10. The only problem was a high note at the end that was not brilliant, but there were reasons for that--my teacher decided I was gonna do that note only last week so I had never rehearsed it, etc. And also the accompaniment was a bit problematic as he didn't give me room to breathe. But all in all, I think it was good. I just wish my teacher would stop insulting me with the order she chooses to have people sing in--as in, either put me before intermission or have me close the show, k?

Then on Monday night, we had to go see a free screening of the Battlestar Galactica Razor movie, showing 2 weeks before it airs on TV. We really had to see this because we don't get SciFi channel anyway, add that to it being free, and in Evanston, so I had to go even though it meant having no time to take care of any other orders at the time.

Therefore, I've been completely swamped with filling orders yesterday and today, hoping to get them to customers before we leave for California. I am exhausted.

I am swamped and freaked out with all the orders I have to fill... I always doubt how fast I can really fold and assemble and cut, but I know I can pull it out in the end. And really, it's rewarding when you get customers who are probably the best people on the continent (versus, say, if I sold grenades or something), you want to do it well for them.

Normally, I'd be cool with sleeping less and stuff. But I have to work at a trade show for 4 days next week and have to be on a normal sleep schedule in order to wake up for it. Also, I've been juicing everyday and have never felt healthier. Plus, I have a recital on Sunday. I have to HAVE TO do well.

I went to my voice lesson today and my teacher was just about gonna kiss my feet for singing the absolute best I've ever sung, especially after an abysmal rehearsal two weeks ago. It's been so much crazy singer shit I've been doing, like mad visualization, mental rehearsal crap, focusing, singing in front of a mirror, fixing my tongue, fixing my posture, reading books, warming up at home, diva-ing it up in the car, eating breathing this, but I swear the juicing is what did it. (But I hate to say it out loud b/c then it's not gonna work anymore.)

Which is why I'm feeling very guilty right now drinking coffee and eating a pumpkin muffin from Panera. I haven't had coffee in over a week, k? But I realize I shouldn't be drinking it now that I'm trying to sleep earlier and earlier (last night I slept at 2:15). Anyhoo, sorta decided on what's gonna be in my juice: carrot, celery, cucumber, kale, Romaine lettuce, and pear. It tastes awesome as long as you don't put too much kale in.

Last weekend we got a juicer and made juice with celery, cucumber, apples, pears, and carrots.

I was very inspired by Kris Carr, who appeared on Oprah to talk about her documentary and book. She was a 31-year-old model and actress who found out she had stage-4 cancer, as in, incurable. Instead of waiting to die, she decided to look into every kind of way to improve her health, mostly with diet, but she tried every single thing you can do. Her cancer becomes stable and she is doing well. One of the things she did was to make juice from vegetables. It's a small thing, but considering the fact that I usually only ingest coffee during the entire day before dinner, having fresh organic vegetable juice will probably make a difference for me. (Although I wonder why I don't just EAT the stuff, so I think it would make more sense to juice some worse-tasting vegetables that are even healthier, 'cause that's the whole point of drinking it right? It's not supposed to taste this good!)

Funny, I just went to her blog and the top entry is about how gross milk is. V.Li just told me the exact same thing a few days ago! OK no milk for me.