Back to Business

I opened the door to the office this morning with my hot tea in my hand, which was there to wake me up and to warm my body from the arctic air conditioning blast that invades our office when it's hot out.

I'm the first one here.  Tim's not here yet.  I walk in and look at my desk.  I see my supply caddy in beige.  Index cards and Post Its filled to the brim.  A picture of Debbie Harry from the Blondie days for inspiration from a post card my best friend used as a birthday card years ago.  I have a bunch of plays on my desk.  The Pillowman by Martin McDonaugh, a collection of Sam Shepard plays, and Extremities (which I'm reading purely as research, I don't really like the play).

To my left is a book on memes that a friend had recommended to me for another play that I will write in the next year or two.  It's a play that I started working on last summer, but that now I realize I am not ready to write.  I have two more plays in me that I need to write before then and maybe both of those will prepare me to write this one.

I have The War of Art by Steven Pressfield to my right.  I re-read it over the weekend.  And I've started re-reading it again since then.  I'm going to give it to the boyfriend to read next.

This is my domain.  It feels safe and warm here.  The air conditioning must not be on.

Behind me are more books:

• an oral biography of Robert Altman that I've had for years.  I started reading it again last summer over and over again when I was working on this play I had just mentioned that borrows from his aesthetic.  I'll get back to it soon.  The research was too much fun.  I watched about 11 of his films over the summer.  And now I've noticed that Netflix has some of the rarer works to instantly stream.  I'm really interested in his version of Fool for Love.  There are some films in that fallow period, which I don't think are very good or at least not very well regarded.  He failed as much as he succeeded and that I love about him.
• a memoir of a female chef that I picked up on another trip to Portland at the airport's Powell's Books, which they got rid of since my last trip there.  I was very disappointed, but very happy that I had made it to Powell's in the city earlier that day before I left.  The memoir was research for my pilot about a family of chefs.  Very helpful.
• Just Kids by Patti Smith.  I'll be re-reading that soon as I work on another play.
• a Bill Bryson book about Europe.  I'm not sure if I bought that for myself or if we got that for my Dad.  And I forget when I bought it.  But it's about travels in Europe and that is a subject that's infinitely interesting.
• The Fran Lebowitz Reader, which includes Metropolitian Life and Social Studies.  It's also the version that was reprinted when her documentary by Martin Scorese came out.  Public Speaking.  She doesn't write much any more.  But she should just let famous directors film her talking.  It would be interesting to about .02 percent of Americans (and maybe that's being generous).  But I would love it and it would make me feel like the fantasy life I want to live where such things exist is becoming a reality.  Mind over matter.
• Seven Days in the Art World.  Again, more research.  I just finished a pilot about the art world.
• Free For All, the oral biography that Kenneth Turan worked on with Joe Papp about his time at the Public Theatre.  I love this book.  I geek out on it.  I had given it to an ex as a Christmas gift when I really wanted it for myself.  It's wonderful.  And inspiring.  Which is why it's there.
• Colored Lights yet another oral biography by Kander and Ebb, the famous musical theatre songwriting team.  I read this about nine years ago and bought it on a trip to New York with the same ex I mentioned earlier.
• The Last Party by Anthony Haden Guest.  It's about Studio 54 and I got it used at Powell's.  I've never read it.  But I am fascinated by this period in history.
• Annie Leibowitz At Work.  A gift from the same ex.  I like pretty pictures.
• Stephen Sondheim's second volume of lyrics and stories behind his shows, Look I Made A Hat.  Again, inspiration.
• Influence by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.  It's like a more expensive, extra long edition of Interview Magazine.  Maybe a great issue from the 1980s.  Again, this is the fantasy world in which such fun things exist.

And the second shelf is just plays:

• a new translation of Medea
• Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing
• The Boys in the Band
• A collection of plays called Wordplays.  I have no idea where that came from.  Maybe the book shelf of the old couple I used to clean for.
• Sarah Kane's collected plays.  Essential.
• Angels in America: Millenium Approaches
• Collected Plays of Paul Rudnick.  I got these a long time ago.  I've read them all.  I've never been into his work, but I like a funny gay Jew playwright.  Who doesn't?
• The Vietnam Plays Volume Two by David Rabe.  I got this on sale at Powell's last time I was there.
• Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris because a student gave it to me.
• The Collected Plays of Edward Albee: 1966-1977.  Plays include: Seascape, Everything in the Garden, A Delicate Balance.  The picture on this cover is super groovy, shaggy hair, maybe free loving Edward Albee.
• The Collected Plays of Edward Albee: 1958-1965.  Plays include: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Zoo Story, Tiny Alice, The American Dream.
• Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Feirstein.  I like a lot of gay Jew playwrights apparently.  And gay playwrights.  Who knew?

So all of this is around me.  And so are Tim's books and films and cork board.  It's meant to all be inspiring.  And it is.  So this is what I look at immediately when I walk in.  

And it reflects what I need around me in this space.  

Tim came to the office and brought with him two rugs.  We chose which one we wanted to put in our space.  We moved some stuff around and now we have a rug.  We talked a bit more about the way we wanted to lay out the space.  I think we're getting some new shelving.  

Chatted about what this week is about for each of us.  For me, I'm trying to get back into my work mode.  The big part of that is showing up to work this morning.  And now I'm finishing up this blog post, which is item two on my To Do List.  

Ease into it.  That's what I want to do.  Not just jump right over the cliff.  I'm not trying to force something.  I just am doing some simple inventory this week and getting myself set up.

I am grateful for good friendships.

I am grateful for a supportive relationship.

I am grateful to have a space in which to work.

I am grateful for a week long break from LA and a 10 day break from work.

I am grateful to have had time to focus on other parts of my life.

I am grateful to be refreshed.