by Christine | Observations
Lovelies, I’m attaching Seema Sueko, the Assistant Artistic Director of Pasadena Playhouse’s email, below. If you can, PLEASE come – I might have a micro-read (one page) of my play that night afterwards. Plus, there’s FOOD. And DRINK! And if you come, I’ll hug you to pieces! It’s a week away!
Dear Friends,
Please join me on Friday, June 13, at The Pasadena Playhouse for a night of theater, networking and fun, all in the name of celebrating women playwrights and supporting gender parity in the performing arts.
The Pasadena Playhouse is producing the play
STONEFACE written by LA-Based female writer Vanessa Claire Stewart and starring her husband French Stewart. On Friday, June 13, the
LA FPI (Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative) is organizing a group to attend the performance to celebrate Vanessa. After the show, we’ll all go to the upstairs Carrie Hamilton
Theatre for food, drink, and Micro-Reads. Micro-Reads are quick, fun, one-page scripts, written by members of the LA FPI and read aloud by the cast of STONEFACE.
The entire evening costs only $28.00. That includes admission to STONEFACE and the Micro-Reads – that is 50%-off the regular ticket price.
Our goal is to demonstrate that producing plays by women is smart business. Did you know that in the field of nonprofit American
theater, approximately only 17% of the new plays produced are written by women? – and that’s not representative of the number of women playwrights. There’s an interesting article about this here:
http://www.giarts.org/article/discrimination-and-female-playwright.
I hope you’ll join me in supporting gender parity in theater on June 13. Here are all the details. Order your ticket soon as space is limited:
WHAT: LA FPI Night at The Pasadena Playhouse
WHEN: Friday, June 13, 2014
8:00 PM performance of STONEFACE, followed by Micro-Reads
WHERE: The Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
TICKETS: $28.00
Click on the Tickets Icon
Follow the on screen instructions – Click on either seating section at right of screen
Select the brown seats (Rows Q, DD or EE) to get the exclusive $28 LA FPI ticket rate (this is 50% the regular rate)
You will receive a ticket confirmation when your booking is complete.
Be sure you only use this link to book your ticket. (If you use any other portal, your order won’t be part of the LA FPI group and you won’t get the discount and admission to the Micro-Reads).
Thank you!
Seema
—
Seema Sueko
Associate Artistic Director
The Pasadena Playhouse
Admin Office: 600 Playhouse Alley, Suite 300 | Pasadena, CA 91101
Theatre Address: 39 S. El Molino, Pasadena, CA 91101
Up Next:
STONEFACE
June 3 – June 29, 2014
by Christine | Observations, Writing
I know, I’ve been sporadic on my blogging again, so sorry. But something in me (or the universe) has shifted, and the words are getting demanding again. Projects are piling up, and I’m carving more time out of my downtime to getting the words done.
This time around, I’m hitting up coffee shops after work to grab an hour (or two, or more). It’s strange to come home after a session and be high on caffeine when I should be winding down for the night.
Cafe au lait at the JumpCut Cafe
Here’s the skinny. I’ve got two more books in a brand new contemporary romance series that I need to write this year. I’ve got two shorter, short novella-length stories I need to finish because they’re just cool – those are more along the paranormal lines. Plus, I have two more pieces – one novella and one novel – to finish to complete the first Caine Brothers series.
Hence, hiding in coffee shops. The JumpCut Cafe is in Studio City and is one of my favorite places to write, because I’ve been going there to write or talk about writing for over ten years, back when it was Lulu’s Beehive. The only bad thing? It closes at seven.
So for now, I’m haunting various Starbucks and Coffee Beans, looking for a non-chain cafe that stays open past nine.
In other news, I really need to start a Street Team…anyone interested out there? If so, let me know. And sooner or later I need to start a newsletter, too…there is just so much to do beyond the writing it’s scary, somewhat.
So if I miss posting here, you know why. Words. I’m getting them down as fast as I can.
)O(
Street Team! Interested? Let me know in the comments below. And if you’re not interested, that’s fine too – I know how busy we all are. Squishy hugs to you all!
by Christine | Observations, Wine Friday
Rose with Limoncello?
It’s hot out there. In my neck of the woods, anyway, it’s been hovering around 100 degrees.
(Amazing that it snowed last week in Colorado! WTF, Mother Nature?!!) And it’s not even Memorial Day, which kind of amazes me! Fortunately, you’ve got a week to plan some tasty drinks to go with your Memorial Day Cookout next week!
Typical White Wine Spritzer over at Martha Stewart
Memorial Day means to barbecue, or laze around the pool while someone else is barbecuing. When lazing (or barbecuing), your typical go-to sip might not be the right one in this blasted heat, which is why wine spritzers are Mother Nature’s go-to heat busting drink. (Oh, just go with it, lol!)
There’s the ever-classic white wine spritzer. Tall skinny glass, fill with ice, fill glass half way with white wine (I’d use a nice Sauvignon Blanc or maybe a Chenin Blanc, nothing too pricey); top up with soda water, add a lemon or lime wedge. Easy Peasy. If you want to get fancy about it, toss in a ball of cantaloupe or watermelon instead of the lemon or lime wedge, the way Martha Stewart likes to do.
Sauvignon Blanc and Raspberry Vodka?
How about some Sangria? No, I’m not talking about the pre-bottled stuff – get that right out of your head! Tasty Trials has several Sangria recipes, but the one that totally caught my interest is the Berry Sangria (and yes, it has Raspberry Vodka in it!). Doesn’t that look yummy? And how perfect for summer, sipping by the pool!
Go check out Tasty Trials. (I love this site so much I’m giving you 3 chances to find them, lol!) They have several different Sangria recipes that will put the whole ugly episode of that one summer night in the park with the bottle of gas station Sangria right out of your brain cells. Forever. Or maybe that was just me? Whatever…
Kitchen Treaty has a wonderful looking Strawberry Lemon Sangria – go check it out! For your visual pleasure, here’s a photo…
However you choose to cool down from the heat, remember to drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol you drink. Alcohol and heat do NOT mix; it can be a fatal combination, so please be smart about your intake. Have a great weekend, my friends – stay cool!
)O(
Do you have a favorite wine cocktail recipe? Please share!
by Christine | Observations
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and while I’m not suggesting to run out and buy her wine (I’m suspecting she’d prefer your company more than a bottle of wine), here are a couple that would go great with brunch or dinner, depending.
Would you describe life as a Cabernet, or a Chardonnay? Me, I rather prefer to think of life as an Adventure movie. With maybe a shot of whiskey for the heroine now and then, lol. Anyway, here are two wines that don’t break the pocketbook.
La Crema Sonoma Coast 2012 Chardonnay, Alcohol 13.5% by Volume; Regularly 19.99, on Sale for $11.99 at Vons
On the Label: “Cool climate vineyards. Artisan Winemaking. Exquisite Chardonnay.”
My Take: As far as labels go, I like this one. Just the facts and under 10 words. As for the wine? Smooth. Creamy, but not oaked; neither does it have a steely taste. This is a rare Chardonnay that hearkens back to the bigger, buttery, oaky Chards without being big, buttery, or oaky. It was fantastic with roasted chicken this week.
My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~ Normally, this is an $18 or $19 bottle of wine; so if you can get it on sale, do so. Perfect for a Mother’s Day picnic or lunch.
Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Est’d 1888; Contains less than 15% Guenoc Valley
Grapes. Alcohol 13.5% by Volume; Regularly 10.99, on Sale at Vons for $8.99
On the Label: “Cabernet Sauvignon is the noblest of grape varieties and Guenoc California Cabernet shows ‘respect’ by putting the fruit front and center. Classic red and black cherry are surrounded by cushiony tannins. The coronation is a whisper of vanilla oak on the finish…all hail king Cab!”
My Take: Um, really? “cushiony tannins”? This is another winemaker that needs a hand in their label copy. Less is more, people, unless you go over the top (like Smoking Loon, still my favorite label of all time). Once again I’m glad that I don’t read the back labels of wine bottles (unlike the back cover of books – those I DO read before I buy). Still and all, label aside, this was a tasty but not overly memorable wine.
My Rating: ~ Drinkable ~ and like I said, not overly memorable. Still, not every sip has to be swooning ecstasy, just like every kiss doesn’t need to be swooning ecstasy. Am I right?
~ Until the next time, cheers! ~
~oOo~
Demon Soul and Demon Hunt are available for the Kindle and Kobo! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
My Rating System: Undrinkable; Barely Drinkable; Drinkable; Very Drinkable; and the ever-popular “Stay Away! This is MY wine, you Slut!”
by Christine | Life, Observations
Sometimes the weather gets crazy. Like last week, when it was a bajillion degrees in So Cal. (Okay, in the 90s, but still.) Or this week, when the high will be below 70, even in the valleys. (WTF?) Whether it’s hot or cold, when I know the family will be together (a rarity lately), I tend to gravitate to comfort food. Below are two of my new comfort food favorites.
Photo from delectablz.com
My go-to comfort food tends to be some sort of roasted chicken. And I found a terrific recipe at delectablz – Roast Chicken on French Bread one day, when I was feeling the need to do something special for the family but, you know, not work TOO hard.
Well, yum! This recipe has you using a whole chicken that you butterfly, but I’ve also made it using chicken thighs and trust me, it tastes just as yummy. One of the stars of this dish is the caramelized onions that go on top of the sliced French bread. The chicken goes on top of that, and when it comes out of the oven (smelling marvelous, I might add), the bottom layer becomes nice and rich and a tad gooey. SO good. With this dish, I put a Pinot Noir with it – the richness and gooeyness of the bottom layer demanded a red wine. (Don’t make this dish off my description. Truly, I’m leaving stuff out, so you need to check out the recipe!)
Once you’ve made the Roast Chicken on French Bread recipe, you need to try another one – Roast Chicken Thighs on a Bed of Potatoes. A Simply Recipes recipe (I love that place, and get a lot of my recipes from there.) This is a totally delish dish. Chicken thighs tend to be my go-to part of the bird – not too big (as breasts can be), and definitely on the less expensive side, but with more meat than drumsticks (which are great when you have little kids to feed – they love eating with their fingers). The first time I made this recipe, I didn’t have shallots, so I didn’t use any onions, and it was still fabulous.
This recipe also sends wonderful, yummy smells all through the house as it cooks – the
Simply Recipes photo
garlic tucked in between the chicken thighs add a great taste, too. THIS is the recipe that I made a couple of weeks ago and, since the hubs was going to be late for dinner, I made a plate for him to warm up. He later told me it was the single most wonderful meal he’s ever had in his life, lol! (I think he was just tired and appreciated being remembered.) With this dish, and the one below, I paired a lovely Chardonnay with it and was very pleased.
Then, of course, when you want to recreate the recipes but can’t find them, you do what I did last night – you mix the two. I had potatoes, and onions, and even French bread, but I didn’t remember what else went on the French bread recipe, and I couldn’t find my printed copy, AND I couldn’t find it when I googled it! So I caramelized the yellow onions (completely forgetting, once again, the shallots) and put them on top of the potatoes, and then the chicken and garlic – and voila, a fabulous and new dish!
So do check out delectablz and Simply Recipes, and let me know what you think.
)O(
What are some of your go-to comfort food recipes? I’m always on the lookout for something new!
by Christine | Life, Observations
When I need my mind refreshed before diving back into working on a novel, I like to “see” through a camera lens. Somehow, it changes my internal focus.
On Saturday, Tom and I went on a hike. It was a beautiful, cool morning, and not many people were on the trail. I had my camera with me, because I find I hike better when my mind is distracted.
Isn’t this a lovely path? Not too steep, not too straight, lovely curves with oak trees guarding it. I like to think even hobbits would be tempted to walk on this path.
But what I found my eye drawn to were the smallest of flowers, no bigger than my pinkie fingernail.
Another dainty flower…
And yet two more – while I was focusing on the yellow, take a look at the pink one in the background.
But what took my breath away was this beautiful guy. The biggest Coyote I can remember seeing, he owned the landscape. I was lucky to capture his photo – he obligingly posed a couple of times, staring at us across a huge meadow before running along. This is an extreme closeup, plus I cropped the photo even closer.
Isn’t he gorgeous? The best part about this hike is it’s not difficult to get to, at all. Give me a hat, sunscreen, some water and my camera, and I’m ready to go. It was a lovely, refreshing time that helped clear the cobwebs and steady my brain for the creative work to come.
)O(
How do you clear your mind for a creative challenge? I’d love to know!
