Lots and lots of running

I've been doing 4 miles minimum each day this week, and I haven't let a mild cold stop me from going outside to see the lovely Lake Shore afternoons. My iPod also died last week, and if you had told me to run without music a year ago... I would've probably shrugged and stopped running until I got a new iPod (which, in my financially-challenged situation, would've been pret-ty far of a priority). So instead of waiting, I decided to just go with it and run without music. I didn't think I would like it, as it was the thing I would do only once in a blue moon whenever my iPod was low on battery... but I've been running without music for 10 days now, and I love it. Not only do I feel much more aware of my surroundings, but it's probably the most calming situation you can put yourself into. You hear so many natural sounds, like wind when it hits you in the face, people chatting on the park benches, dogs barking, children laughing and crying, ambulance sirens, insects chirping...

It's a separate kind of escape that you get when you listen to music while running, I've realized. Music can be soothing and motivational for the activity, but I ultimately forget what is going on around me. I could get distracted by the lyrics, the musical beat, or just anticipating my favorite part of a certain song. The music isn't part of the natural surroundings, and yet I place it there as an alternate sense of reality. When I run without music, I feel like I am a part of the actual reality happening around me, even if I'm concentrating on my running pace. =)

Anyway, it's just an observation. In other news, I'm back in the drawing mood again! It's the sort of thing where I just keep telling myself to do it, for practical purposes and to improve my technique... and the fact that it always makes me happy despite whatever sad circumstance I'm in. Job hunting has been taking over my life right now, so drawing gives me a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

Ventriloquists give me the creeps

I don't know why. Maybe it's something about the illusion of a person interacting with a puppet all alone onstage, both characters acknowledging each other and reacting to what the other one says. If it's done right, it looks so real and twisted, and my brain starts to hurt. It's not like actors interacting with actors, or even actors interacting with puppets... because as an audience member I already accept that this is unrealistic: people onstage are pretending to be someone else, and puppets are manipulated off-stage to pretend to interact with actors onstage.

Ventriloquism is sort of that 'gray' area. It's like the actor shows up as his/her ordinary self and tries to convince to you, the audience, that this puppet nearby is a living, breathing, very opinionated person. I somehow lose the entertainment aspect of the show and just get mildly creeped out by the idea that this is unreal trying to become real.

0_o

I spent the last weekend in Las Vegas with some college friends of mine, and it was one of those places where I felt excited, overwhelmed, and completely broke by everything I saw at once. I had fun though... and I must say, it's the creative hub for hospitality management because my god those hotels are beautiful! The Mirage, the Wynn, the Bellagio... they all have their distinct themes and everywhere I looked was like a work of art. And they're hotels!!! That's kind of a cool thing, but kind of a lame thing when you realize that you're just walking in a city made up of entirely one strip, made up of nothing but luxurious hotels. =) And the hotels have everything. Casinos, pools, theaters, delicious food.

I finally got to see the Beatles' LOVE show after so many people raving about it, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The first five minutes of it made me so nostalgic for directing and acting, and the whole show in general was just breathtakingly colorful and emotional. I wanted to jump in there with the acrobats and swing along those ropes! =) I also got to meet one of the original animators for 'Yellow Submarine' at the gift shop!



The spas in Vegas are gorgeous, too, and as someone who rarely gets herself pampered... I may have crossed over into a Spa-Chick. I think I understand why a girl needs something like this every so often: just to feel clean and so fricken' pretty! Haha. Apart from that, I took the occasional picture of a crazy costumed character on the strip and watched a very naughty Thunder From DownUnder show just for adult girls. =D Quite the experience!

Anyway, life in the Windy City has been good. I've been on a budget, so it limits the amount of fun I can have. But I've been creative, like going to the Chicago History Museum on the free day, and using my NASA space camp vouchers to go to the Adler for free as well. I'm back to my creative daily drawing groove, which keeps me happy and motivated. I'm still reading Gone with the Wind, but less than 100pgs left! I've finally started up hip hop dancing (for fun), and of course I'm running whenever I can to get myself ready for the big 10K in a few weeks. Crazy!

Jobwise, I've been a little down. Partly it's because I'm not used to the fast-paced city environment that people except from its employers. I did have some new job offers this week, so I'm keeping myself hopeful about it.