I'm Alive, and I have a New Job!

Wow...it's been a while.  Things have been pretty crazy, but at the same time, I haven't had much to blog about.  I was home in Indy, mom & I visited g-ma & family for Mother's Day, back to Indy, then the following weekend in a wedding the wedding in Cinci, then back to Chicago a few days later to start back at work right away.  My new show is open & running, and I have to say that this is one of the most talented casts I've worked with so far.  I love listening to them tell their story every night.  (I listen b/c from where I am backstage, I can't see them.)

But there is one big thing to report...I have a new job!  This past year, I did some stage managing for a group here in Chicago called Fifth-House Ensemble.  They're a chamber orchestra (10 musicians), who specialize in innovative, mixed media performances. This season, they put together a series (3) shows that used actors to tell fairy tales with movement set to their music.  The shows were directed by a director I worked with my two years at ISF; she's brilliant, and I love her, so I agreed to do the work for free.  Obviously, the shows turned out amazingly.

While in Indy, I got a phone call from their Executive Director.  The person who had been helping with their Operations & Marketing was leaving, and she was curious if it was something I'd be interested in doing.  Long story short, I'm the new Operations & Marketing Director for Fifth-House Ensemble!!!

I started my training this week, and am super excited to get going!  Today was my first staff meeting, and I already had some ideas & thoughts to share.  One of my current tasks is brainstorming ways to boost their social media use.  Obviously, an exciting task for me, the Twitter & Facebook obsessive!  I think my work with their blog, twitter, and facebook will be my favorite part of my job!  I will also be helping a little with their education & outreach programs.  Mostly scheduling, I imagine.  Bringing the arts to children is something I believe in very strongly; I think children experiencing the arts is crucial to their development & growth as humans, even if they don't end up pursuing the arts as a profession or hobby.  So, obviously, I'm super excited about this part of my job too.

The pictures I've dispersed throughout this post are from my time in Oberlin visiting my g-ma and from the wedding in Cinci.

Easter in Chicago 2011

I think Easter in Chicago might be a new tradition for the Deeter family :).  Last year, I wound up having Saturday & Sunday off (in addition to my standard Monday) (the ONLY weekend I had off in my 2 years working at that theatre), so my parents and I came up to Chicago for the weekend.  We ate at ESPN Zone (and watched the Yankees), had a wonderful brunch including a whole fried chicken, and saw Billy Elliot!  It was great.

This year, I live in Chicago, and since I'm running a show right now, I couldn't come home for the weekend.  So, obviously, my parents came here!  My dad found a GREAT deal at the Palmer House downtown, and I stayed at the hotel with them Friday-Sunday.

We had a great dinner at Berghoff on Friday before I headed to work.  After my show, Dad and I had some drinks at the Palmer House bars.

Prosecco in the Lobby Bar

beautiful chandelier in the Lobby Bar

the other bar, that, when the PH was opened, was a feather dancer bar

delicious apple tart dessert!

On Saturday, we did some shopping at the usual Deeters-in-Chicago-spots: Filene's on State Street, Nordstrom Rack, Macy's, Old Navy, and mom and I went to DSW in Lincoln Park and found shoes for the 2 weddings I'm in this summer.  It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day.  Dad ended up heading up to catch the Cubs game.  They saw my show Saturday night, and we had a delicious pub Easter lunch at The Bar On Buena with my roommate. 

Tulips along State Street!

To top it all off...Dad got me a GRILL for Easter!  So on Sunday, after my show, roomamte Mikey and I grilled out for the first time.  It was amazing, and I cannot wait to keep grilling!!

Sunset over the back of our apartment while we grilled.

Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 4

Day Four: 31st March. Where are they now?
Whatever happened to your __________?
Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.

This is gonna be a quick one because I'm headed off to tech/first preview...

This one's easy!  Last fall, I knitted my mom a headband with some BEAUTIFUL Malabrigo.  And then for Christmas...a pair of handwarmers with the rest of the yarn.  And I KNOW she wears them, because whenever she comes to Chicago, she brings them with her and wears them!  Hooray!  And these are special because they were at the beginning of my Yarn Phase 2 (phase 1 being just garter stitching for months, phase 2 being when I finally learned to purl, and phase 3 being crochet), and one of the first things I made with the purl stitch in them. 

Me modeling said headband.

mitts!

Momma with her headband in the Grand/State Red Line station!

Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 2

Whoa.  A long day of tech.  The other floor manager and I did a taste test between Samoas, Caramel DeLites, and Coconut Dreams (Keebler) on our dinner break.  A photo recap to come soon.

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP
Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

This is an easy one for me.  I learned to crochet this year.  I learned to knit over Thanksgiving 2009, and I was pretty much a simple knitter (square things in garter stitch) until this summer.  In summer 2010, I learned to make a diamond with my garter stitching, and my roommate and I made tons of them for a baby blanket.  Then, in September 2010, I FINALLY learned to purl.  WHOA! 

But the most important thing I learned?  Crochet.  I had wanted to learn how to crochet from the beginning, but my roommate taught me to knit because that's what she knew, and it was free. 

My Grandma Deeter was a champion crocheter.  She crocheted my coming home from the hospital sweater, booties, and blanket (I asked my mom why there was no pants...she said I wore a diaper, and that was all the answer I got).  She made hundreds of afghans over the years for my parents and I, and her other two kids & their families.  Rumor has it that before she lost her ability to crochet b/c of arthritis, and before she died, she made a baby blanket for each of her grandchildren's first born.  When I learned this for the first time, damn straight I cried.  Honestly, some of my most cherished items in life come from my Grandma Deeter.  

I spent summers and holidays at my my Grandma and Grandpa Deeter's house as a kid.  She tried teaching me to crochet a couple of times, but all I had to show for my effort was a super long chain.  Let me tell you, I kept those chains of yarn for YEARS. 

So, sometime in November I found out that Allyson from The Sweatshop of Love was teaching a free crochet workshop at one of the libraries really close to me.  I JUMPED at the chance to go, got myself out of bed EARLY on a Saturday morning, and headed to the library.  It was wonderful.  Allyson is so unbelievably talented and PATIENT.  She was able to juggle a big table full of first time crocheters, and I came out of the class feeling like it had been a one on one session.  AND she emailed extremely detailed notes out to us to boot! 

In the class that day, I started making a black beanie for backstage.  Let me tell you: it gets COLD backstage at a lot of theatres, and I didn't own a black hat (we wear all black) to keep me warm.  So making a black hat was at the VERY TOP of my yarn-to-do-list.  Priority number one.  And today?  Today I got to wear it for the first time for its INTENDED PURPOSE.  I mean, yes, I wore it all winter outside in the snow.  But today?  Today I got to wear it to keep my head warm backstage in the freezing dark.

Now, I consider myself an avid crocheter.  Sometime later this year, I plan to try making my first sweater.  And last week, I opened up an Etsy Shop -- deeter's yarnings. 

To relate this post to today?  I spent my down time backstage (which, let me tell you during tech [and ESPECIALLY during THIS tech], there's a lot of it) today crocheting up some cute little Easter Bunnies & Chickies for both my shop and for a personal order from my Aunt/Godmother for her granddaughters. 

Birthday!!!

Wednesday was my birthday!  25!  Whoa!  Mom came up Tuesday night & stayed with me through Thursday.  Then Dad joined us on Friday & they stayed downtown & left this morning.  Mom and I had wonderful Birthday Brunch, went to my favorite yarn store, saw a photo exhibit at the Cultural Center that I'd been dying to see, bought new makeup at Macy's, and had dinner at Potbelly's.  Here are some photos from the week:

Happy Christmas!!

My parents came up to Chicago for Christmas this year.  It's been wonderful.  And I got a fancy new DSLR camera.  And I'm in love. 

Go Irish! Break Trojans!

So my family and I went to Target yesterday before I had to catch the Megabus to head back to Chicago.  While strolling through, we see an end cap with a bunch of college t-shirts.  And right in front? a USC Trojans one.  WTF?!? we're in central Indiana... Anyways, when my dad sees it, he (literally and out loud) exclaimed "What is this shit?!?" 

He walked up to the end cap, and right behind the USC shirt were two Notre Dame shirts.  He proceeded to take the ND shirts and put them in front of the USC one before he walked away.

What?  That's how the Deeters roll.

You can't spell SUCKS without USC.

Go Irish, Beat Trojans.  Hopefully my preview will end in time for me to run next door to catch the end of the game tonight...

Short and Sweet

I've been waiting to listen to Christmas music for weeks now.  I started on Monday when we drove down to the south side for a Thanksgiving dinner with friends (because in my family, it's ok to listen to Christmas music on Thanksgiving).  And then on Tuesday, I put all of my Christmas music back on my iPod.  And last night, I burned about 10 albums of Christmas music off of my dad's iTunes.  And today?  My mom  bought the Kristin Chenoweth Christmas CD at Target.  And right now?  I'm burning that to take back to Chicago as well.

I love the Christmas season.  And I love love LOVE Christmas music!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Today is the second thanksgiving in 20 years that we aren't having the holiday at our house.  We're headed across the street to our neighbors (of 20 years) to celebrate with them.  I'm pretty excited!  I've made a pretzle, cream cheese/cool whip, pineapple dessert as my contribution (since I AM an adult now), and my parents are bringing lots of wine.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

What Day is Today?

My roommate Mikey and I just collective realized today is Tuesday and not Wednesday or Thursday... In our world (she's a lighting designer), weekends don't really matter, that is they aren't generally work free, but certain days have certain things going on.  Especially when you work free lance like we do.  It was quite the strange realization.  I'm actually ok with it only being Tuesday, because I have a lot to get done before Friday night when I hop on the Megabus and head home!  I'm unreal excited about going home this weekend.  Even though it's only for like 36 hours.  Wedding/bridesmaid dress shopping with the besties, shopping with my mom, dinner with my family, etc! 

One of the things I need to get done before I get home is a knitted scarf for a dear, dear person.  My parents have lived in their house for 20 years now.  And our neighbors across the street moved in a few months before we did.  Our families have pretty much blended together, and I'm super close to all of them.  Especially Old Man Marr (granted he's a few years younger than my dad).  He's become a second dad.  Anyways, I'm making him a scarf as an early Christmas present (he spends a lot of time outside, so I'd like him to have it for a majority of the cold months). 

In other news, you should check out this playlist of MUSIC TO KNIT BY that I saw on Twitter this morning. 

And here's a gratuitous picture for the day: 

What I plan on eating Saturday night with my parents....Daddy Deeter's Steak!