N.Y.C ... what is it about you?

Hello Reader,

I traveled to NYC and back this weekend - what a whirlwind!

It was everything I needed it to be; a vacation, a change of scenery, a change of pace, and energizing!

And now for a photo recap!

It rained! I don't remember the last rainy day we had out here, let-alone the last time I saw rain.
 

It was also sweater weather the whole weekend in my opinion. (Yes, I know, I've lost the tough Mainer in me. I am such a wimp once the temperature drops below 70). I did not pack adequate warm clothing and I feel lucky to have not caught a cold from being cold and wet all day. (It was 97 degrees when I left Phoenix and 46 when I got into NYC).

Randomly stumbled upon a lego exhibition in the middle of Times Square. There were some amazing and massive lego structures. My favorite was Yoda with his "NY I <3" shirt.

I didn't do as much as I wanted in NYC, but I certainly did enough...

... Highlights were definitely the jazz class at Broadway Dance Center and the aerial vinyasa class (The instructor was hysterical, she makes up names for poses, one she called, "Oh Shitasana" because you are standing and swinging on the hammock and all you can think is "oh, shit"). Also, there's something about taking a jazz class in NYC that seems so perfect (great instructor there too who encouraged us to take our "slutty time" on a few of the hips swivels in the choreography).

OH, and how could I forget, Rock of Ages on Broadway! Definitely another highlight! Such a fun show! Between the 80s music, lots of neon spandex, the classic 80s jazz dance moves, and spot on comedic timing of the cast, it's bound to be nothing but a good time! (Corny reference to opening song). And, per usual, added the musical's key chain to my collection.

And then, of course, there was delicious food including; Cupcakes (surprised? Didn't think so), bagels, pizza, cheesecake, savory breakfast at a cute lil' bistro and a sampling of some Irish Pubs.

I should also mention that another huge highlight on my brief trip was meeting up with friends who live and work in the city! It was amazing! It felt like I was home while on vacation when I was with them. It had been months to years since I saw them so catching up was very necessary and absolutely delightful.

All in all, my spontaneous trip to NYC (center of the universe) was just right in so many ways. And while I did not enjoy being at the Newark airport at 4 a.m., watching the sun rise over the NYC skyline while sipping my morning coffee was a pretty damn good way to close out my time back east.

Thanks for reading!

- M

Last Week as an Advisor

Hello Reader,

I've alluded to changes happening and sharing as they came, so here's the next big one ... a new job!

I am officially no longer an academic advisor. Starting this week I am an Academic Services Coordinator for the School of Film, Dance, and Theatre! Craziness!

I've done my fair share of reflecting over the past week and the primary thought is how surreal it is that I am changing jobs. I moved out here for the academic advisor position, I thought I'd stick around for a few years then move on to San Diego, or San Francisco, or Seattle. I never, never, thought I would be moving on to another job at this institution, let-alone within a performing arts school, while I'm pursuing my MFA in Dance ... unreal, yet wonderfully perfect.

 

This office and the role I played will always have a special place in my heart. It is the sole reason I am here, and I feel a great loyalty because of it. I've learned so much about myself both personally and professionally and the extreme diversity that exists in this vast community. I've had conversations with students and colleagues who have had incredible journeys full of challenges and hardships that have lead them to where we have met.

... on the flip side of that, I've also had plenty of conversations that make me worry about the future of the world....

For example: 

Me: So, why did you make this appointment today?
Student: I need to sign up for fall classes.
Me: ... do you know you've been disqualified from the university?
Student: No, what does that mean?
Me: It means that you are no longer allowed to attend the university.
Student: But I signed a lease for an apartment next year!

But then there are the cuter ones such as:

Me: So, what are we talking about today?
Student: Omigod, I'm just so stressed out and I just need to, like, figure out life.
Me: OK...well, we only have 20 minutes.
Student: That should be enough time.

And two classic moments from my final advising appointment. I should also mention, this student is a senior:

Student: So, I need to retake a class because I didn't do very well in it, and now I'm off-track because of my GPA, so I thought retaking the course would help my GPA and then I'd be back on-track for graduation, but I'm not sure if I can retake the course this fall because I don't know if I'm in 15 or 16 credits, I think it's 16 so then that means I can't retake the course without your permission for an override, right? So, I figured maybe I can take the course this summer, but if I'm in 15 credits then I can take it this fall, so I'm here to figure out when I can take it. So, I guess, what I want to know is, do I need your permission to take another class?

Me: You don't know how many credits your taking this fall?

Student: (laughing) No.

 

...Same appointment, I was explaining a course he was taking this fall, when I highlighted it on the screen...

Student: I got a 2.0 in that class?!

Me: ... no, that's how many credits you've enrolled in it for ... 

I'm going to miss these conversations, however, I'm sure I will continue to have plenty of great student stories in my new role as well.

Bye, office. It's been real.

Thanks for reading.

- M

Road trip!

Hello Reader,


This past week I traveled to Tucson with some colleagues to present at and attend a conference. I realize that this trip was just a warm up for my trip to NYC, now I am really, really ready to head to NYC.

While Tucson may have just been a teaser trip for the Big Apple, it was certainly a great change of scenery and broke up the mundane daily routine I operate on. Most of my time was spent at the conference but when we got out of breakout sessions and the hotel room, I was able to snap some pictures - food is, as always, well represented ... check them out below!

Good morning, Tucson!

German Chocolate Cupcake Whoopie Pie from B-Line ... amazing ... I shouldn't have eaten it in one sitting all by myself, but I did!

The conference was next to the University of Arizona campus (ASU's biggest rival) and in the distance you can see U of A's A Mountain that Sun Devil's will try to paint gold during rival football games.

There was a lovely sitting area dedicated to women on the U of A campus with these tiles covered in quotes ... I got a little carried away in there with all the picture, I really liked the area!

And some more pictures from campus ...

We discovered a delicious frozen yogurt place (I think it was called Parlor ... Their tag line was "We'll never ask your weight" which was true because it's $3 for a small froyo cup regardless of how much goodness you cram into it.) Anyways, I got nutella and prickly pear froyo and it was very, very satisfying.

For my readers who are unfamiliar with the desert fruit called prickly pear (except when followed by the word "margarita" - you know who you are) below is a picture I took at the Desert Botanical Garden of a prickly pear cactus ... and that is what you are consuming.

Thanks for reading!

- M

I'm in a New York State of Mind!

Hello Reader,

A week from today I am taking off for a jam-packed 48 hours in NYC! I am so excited! I need a getaway and this one is working out just perfectly! I haven't taken a spontaneous trip since I went to Cali post undergraduate graduation ... apparently, I catch a spontaneous travel bug pre-graduate school...

(From my summer of '09 trip to California)

NYC will be a great vacation - it will be fun to be a tourist. I think my need for a semi-impromptu trip is a sign that I truly consider AZ one of my homes now. I'm settling in and I know I will be here for at least several more years - plenty of time to get to all the places I want to. When I do travel these days the trips are well planned breaks back to home in ME ... which, to be honest, are anything but a vacation since I'm running all over the state soaking up as much Maine as I possible can from the food to the ocean and let's not forget all those amazing people back east I must spend some quality time with!

So, this NYC trip is going to be a perfect mini-vacation.

Fingers-crossed that I meet my crazy high expectations for this trip!

Oh, and prepare yourself for a slew of NYC related quotes over the next two ish weeks!

Thanks for reading!

- M

Pomp & Circumstance ... and a little bit of dance

Hello Reader,

Confession, I am sort of a higher education dork and I love graduation/convocation/commencement season. I love the mix of emotions, the energy, seeing the students walk across the stage (some who are actually graduating, some who are just going through the motions) and hearing all the speeches (I watch graduation speeches on YouTube for fun). I have heard some great speeches since coming out here - no offense to my Alma Mater. Perhaps it is simply because it is not my graduation I now find some level of enjoyment at it but I certainly wish I had the witty advice shared here as an undergraduate.

While I may not have soaked up the advice given in the speeches at my graduations, I will soak up what I can here and now and apply it moving forward with my MFA in Dance. One piece I'm taking with me this time was shared by our dean who told the students to know and understand that their success will also depend on someone else giving them an opportunity to be successful. I very much feel that way with where I am right now and I am grateful for where I am going within the dance program here.

... Speaking of  dance, there is a super fun graduation tradition here for dancers that I look forward to participating in. All dancers  - undergraduate and graduate - will dance barefoot across the stage as they graduate! I'm already working on my choreography! I may have started mid-convocation because, well, there were a lot of students graduating (700, I think) and I got bored, so I worked out some possible 8-counts in my head. I'm also learning from other dancers' executions during graduation. For example, turns don't work unless that cap is really bobby-pinned to your head quite well, any sort of extension is limited based on what you wear underneath the gown, and if you choose to do something that requires room to move simply unzip the gown. See? I've learned a lot in the four graduation ceremonies I have attended since graduating twice myself.

I love that part of my role as an advisor here is to march with my students at convocation each spring and fall semester. This time, I was sandwiched between my film students and my BAs and I could not have been happier (don't tell them that). While they walked across the stage shaking hands with the deans and directors, I saw some of my hard work to get them to that point pay off - it takes a village, right? The best part was all the thanks yous, the hugs, the handshakes, and other brief moments of gratitude I felt from my students. I was not expecting any sort of acknowledgment especially since many of them I had only met with for a single 30-minute meeting. It was truly a rewarding ending to the semester. 

 

Thanks for reading!

- M

DIY update: My heart's in Maine

Hello Reader,

I finally finished the project I gave you a sneak peek at earlier this week - Check it out!

 

I've realized while Maine is a huge part of me, I don't have anything that really screams Maine around this place. And I believe this says it loud and clear, my heart's in Maine.

Thanks for reading!

- M

The Arts

Hello Reader,

I'm sorry for the inconsistent posting lately. I've been distracted with all the amazing performances in and coming through the valley.

Let's recap! In the past month I have attended ...

... a performance by 2Cellos
... Bill T. Jones and the Arnie Zane Dance Company final residency performance at ASU
... an annual student film festival
... BON JOVI!
... the touring Broadway show Fela!
... the ASU Dance Annual (which I hope to be a part of next spring!)
... a student's tap dance capstone performance
... and more students' film capstone screenings

And this was in addition to other mainstage productions, gallery openings, and other touring shows (like Spamalot)! I keep a bulletin board in my office of tickets and programs to any arts event I attend on campus.

I love the arts - music, theatre, dance, film - you name it, it makes me a happy camper to be around it. I find it energizing and inspiring!

And it reminds me how happy I am to be returning to school for dance this fall and how lucky I am to be a part of the arts community out here.

Thanks for reading!

- M

Starting to feel like summer

Hello Reader,

(I'm posting this one a few days late, but better late than never! )

It's starting to feel like summer around here - and I'm not referring to the triple digit temperatures. For me, a shift in campus climate signifies summer. The biggest indicator is all my students have disappeared to focus on finals mostly, some are in a panic because they have failed their final requirement for graduation, but most are doing well and off to the next step - hallelujah! 

Now, don't get me wrong, I adore my students, it's why I'm in the job I am and why I plan to work in higher education the rest of my life. However, I love when the majority of them leave for summer. There are 50,000 students in this one square mile of campus and it's just a little too cozy for my liking sometimes.

In the summer campus is quite, my schedule is quiet, it's a glorious change of pace. I am able to sit outside on my lunch break in peace and quiet and in shady spots that are hard to find when you're competing with tens of thousands of people. It allows me to truly re-energize on my lunch break. I am welcoming this transition to summer.

I hope whatever your summer transition looks like it is happening smoothly as well.

Thanks for reading!

- M

DIY, continued ...

Hello Reader!

I've mentioned I'm on a go green/DIY/buy local/support your community kick and I thought I would share an update of some of the things I've made.


I've purchased enough raw materials (beeswax, cocoa butter, different oils, etc.) to make a collection of beauty products including ...

... lotion bars ...

... shower gel ...

... soap made with rose petals ...

I've also returned to painting again and have started to decorate my walls with some original work...

... some a little more abstract ...

... and some for inspiration ...

I have another project I'm working on but it isn't quite done ... so here's a sneak peak...

Thanks for reading!

- M

Make way for the ducklings!

Hello Reader,

Have I mentioned there are ducks in this apartment complex? Yes, ducks, in the middle of an urban jungle in the middle of the desert, there are ducks that wander around this place. They also swim in the chlorinated pools ... which, for me, having grown-up seeing ducks swim in a natural lake where I think ducks should be, I find it quite funny to see a mallard duck swimming and diving in a bright blue swimming pool.  (I have a pic of one somewhere, but I can't find it. When I do, I'll be sure to post it.)

So, the other day I was walking back from the apartment complex's main office when I notice eight ity bity ducklings swimming in the streams and waddling down the paths - it was too cute! I was finally able to get close enough to snap a shot of them huddled in the shade the other day. Adorable little fur balls, aren't they?

 

Thanks for reading!

- M

Lessons From the Yoga Mat to Life

Hello Reader,

As some of you may know, I have some significant changes on the horizon over the next few months. I won't get into them now, all in good time, but I feel it is important to share that before I got into this post.

I have practiced yoga for a little over 5 years now - mostly on my own these days - and I am suddenly struck with all that yoga has taught me and how it has grounded me through a lot of things. I am amazed how I am able to draw connections regularly between life and the yoga mat lately. The rooftop yoga series I attended over the past month has played a huge role in these epiphanies. I've listed out my top three below.

#1.) The most important lesson for me has been to be present, not dwell on the past or worry about the future. The instructor at rooftop yoga would say whatever sensation we are feeling right now, we should allow ourselves to feel it, and know that it will pass. It is a regular motto for me these  days. I have some anticipatory anxiety about the possibilities to come. But I know the changes are inevitable, so I might as well be along for the journey.
 
#2.) I have learned to re-frame my focus by taking the time to think about all the good things I have happening around me. We began and ended each rooftop yoga class with a moment of gratitude. Gratitude for what we have, not what we hope to have someday. For me, its not just about the what but, more importantly, the who. I have met a diverse group of people out here (students, colleagues, and new friends). Hearing each of their personal stories has allowed me to become more and more grateful for everything leading up to this moment in my life. I am increasingly grateful for all I had growing up and I currently have now.

#3.) The final lesson I've learned, and perhaps the one that will carry me through the transitions ahead, is to trust myself completely. I started to realize this when I popped up into a wheel posture for the first time in a while (last time I tried this pose, I ended up crashing down onto the top of my head). My realization was confirmed when I made my way into a full tripod headstand for the first time in probably four years since I had first tried that pose. It reminds me that I can do what I need to do and want to do, I just need to take a leap of faith. The yoga instructor would tell us that we don't have to have a path to be heading in the right direction. For me, that means I need to trust that I am heading in the right direction (which I do).

So, all of this has come about due to change in my life and a yoga series that took place on a roof of a hotel in Phoenix (there's something I'd never thought I'd say). Maybe I just needed to grow up a little bit or have my life take a 180 in order to have it all hit me in this way, regardless, I am definitely using the lessons I've learned on the mat in my life to process the anticipation of all the change to come.

A very wise friend of mine has been telling me since we met over 6 years ago, "Mollyness, the only constant in life is change." So true.

Thanks for reading.

Namaste.

- M

P.S. If you have no idea what I'm referring to with all this change, don't worry about it and don't worry about me. I'll be fine and I'll share as it occurs.