Here's a link to my latest column for Canadian Lawyer magazine. This month: explaining virtualization to dummy lawyers like myself. And because I forgot, here's a link to last month's column on the NSA Prism program. Happy reading!
On Balance
Oh, poor neglected little blog. Here you've sat with nary a post to be had for months on end.
The thing is, I've been kinda busy. Actually, really busy.
At the beginning of 2013, I set myself a number of goals. One of them involved increasing my participation in quality, challenging musical productions. It's been wonderful to actually accomplish that: with Assassins, Spamalot, Brief Encounters and A...My Name is Alice. But, I'm tired. Between rehearsals, shows, one-off concerts and performances, learning how to play ukulele and accordion in record time, my passion is beginning to feel like...well, work. And some of the other goals I had set for myself, with regards to my health, my professional growth, my relationships with friends and family, have suffered as a result of this focus on performance.
So, in the name of balance, it's time for a break. At least until the end of the year. I want to see how it feels when I have to choose what I do in the evening, rather than simply consulting my rehearsal schedule to see where I have to be, and when. To read a book. Take a dance class. Cook a meal. Have tea with a friend. Pet my cat. Re-align some of my priorities.
So, watch this space. Hopefully I'll have some new adventures to report, soon.
The thing is, I've been kinda busy. Actually, really busy.
At the beginning of 2013, I set myself a number of goals. One of them involved increasing my participation in quality, challenging musical productions. It's been wonderful to actually accomplish that: with Assassins, Spamalot, Brief Encounters and A...My Name is Alice. But, I'm tired. Between rehearsals, shows, one-off concerts and performances, learning how to play ukulele and accordion in record time, my passion is beginning to feel like...well, work. And some of the other goals I had set for myself, with regards to my health, my professional growth, my relationships with friends and family, have suffered as a result of this focus on performance.
So, in the name of balance, it's time for a break. At least until the end of the year. I want to see how it feels when I have to choose what I do in the evening, rather than simply consulting my rehearsal schedule to see where I have to be, and when. To read a book. Take a dance class. Cook a meal. Have tea with a friend. Pet my cat. Re-align some of my priorities.
So, watch this space. Hopefully I'll have some new adventures to report, soon.
Birthday Weekend Update
All I wanted for my birthday this year was some family time. So on my birthday, June 29, Alex and I went on an overnight camping/hiking trip to Sidney Spit, on Sidney Island, and then I headed to Victoria for a backyard barbecue/campfire with my family the next evening. Alex and I topped the weekend off with a hike up Mt. Finlayson on Canada Day in 40 degree heat, which I admit was a bit ridiculous and not that fun. But, we did it anyway. I spent Canada Day evening in an air conditioned theatre watching The Great Gatsby with Roger and Elizabeth, which was a nice rest after trudging up hot rocks all day. All in all, it was a perfect birthday weekend.
My gear.
Alex's gear. Note: we had to carry this all a kilometre into our campsite from the Sidney Spit dock. Oh, don't worry, they said. There are wheelbarrows. Which other campers had totally hoarded within their own campsite...
The back view from our campsite.
The front view from our campsite.
Master camper.
In Grade 5 I taught my class how to set up a tent in 3 minutes or less.
Our mother taught us how to camp with class, OK? Alex is BBQ'ing my birthday dinner.
I forgot to bring my flip flops so Al's became the "Family Flip Flops." Meaning, I wore them the whole time.
We got a lot of good walks in while we were on the island
.
Victory! A wheelbarrow for the return trip! We guilt-tripped a family who were letting their kids use this as a toy.
Hook Spit.
Fordie Cat really likes my hiking boots.
When we got off Sidney Spit, I had a nap lying in my parents' backyard in the shade.
The view from my nap.
Dad's pond.
On top of Mt. Finlayson.
Artists Who Hike (and the People That Love Them)
So apparently I like hiking now. After a very very stressful few months professionally, I found myself needing some peace and quiet and an escape from busy Gastown. My friend Jenny dragged me out reluctantly on her birthday for a hike around Buntzen Lake, which to my surprise, I really enjoyed. And since then I've been hiking every weekend, sometimes both Saturdays and Sundays, dragging various of my theatre friends out onto the trails with me. We've started a Facebook Group called "Artists Who Hike and the People That Love Them" where we post our weekly hiking plans, so feel free to find us there if you'd like to join on one of our walks.
On the Buntzen Lake Loop, first week of June.
Some of the gang on the Buntzen trail.
Jenny and Oriana on the Cedars Mill Trail, mid-June.
Amazing. Even this city girl can appreciate scenery like this, in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park.
Kate, on the Lynn Loop. This post is revenge for her calling me a "Mountain Goat."
Super Dann!
I'm starting to get headband-tan. How embarassing.
Cedars Mill Trail.
Mist on the river. Lynn Headwaters.
Birthday Hike on Sidney Island with my brother.
Canada Day on the top of Mt. Finlayson with Alex. I look much happier than I felt after this straight-up scramble.
Freedom 33.
Student loans are a dangerous thing. They're easy to get. And once you utter the words "professional school," banks are eager to line up and throw money at the doctors, dentists, accountants and lawyers of tomorrow. That's how I managed to finance three degrees, a visiting year at McGill, and a post-graduate program at London School of Economics. And it wasn't just enough to scrape by. It was enough to travel, enjoy London theatre, to see and experience the world.
When the time came to pay those loans back, I wasn't worried. After all, I was a lawyer now. I thought I'd always be making stupid money. Who cares if it took me 25 years to pay them back? I could afford it. I thought I could afford a lot of things that suited my newly minted stature as a yuppie. And the banks kept calling and offering more money, and the monthly payback numbers kept growing.
After my first several years in big-firm practice, including my years in London, where I worked harder than I ever had before and clocked in more all-nighters than most people will experience in a lifetime, I was burnt out. And I had to keep working hard, had to stay on the big-firm treadmill, because the big-firm salary was the only way I could afford to make those monthly paybacks. The numbers were starting to grow faster than I could run.
By December 2009, I was too tired to keep running. And I was at a point where the choice to be a lawyer had been taken away from me. I had to do it, there was no walking away. The Golden Handcuffs which I had willingly thrust my wrists into in order to live the lifestyle to which I thought I was entitled, were starting to chafe. I wanted to options - to practice law or not, to stay on the big-firm track or not - and I needed to make some changes to open those doors.
I cut up all my credit cards. I consolidated all my loans. And I began paying them back at a rate that amounted to more than half my take-home pay. I was still making stupid lawyer money, yes, but I was living on a budget smaller than I had set for myself as a freewheeling London student. I was 29. My loans would be paid off sometime in 2013. That seemed a long, long way off. I jokingly called my new lifestyle the "Freedom 33" plan. Life, I said repeatedly, would begin at 33.
On June 28, a day before my 33rd birthday, I pressed a button on my online banking, and paid off the last of my loans. It was very anticlimactic. I didn't feel different. I didn't feel free. I didn't suddenly see my whole life open up in front of me. But - it is a good feeling, this clean slate.
The new challenge is to keep to the strict budget and cash-only lifestyle I've been living for almost four years. With Canadian household debt currently at 165% of disposable income, I don't intend to become part of that statistic. It's tough though. When people say, "Oh, treat yourself to that car/ring/condo/pair of Manolos/Indonesian holiday, you deserve it!" I think, Yeah, I do! I deserve that! It's hard not the be proud, the way you are when you finish a long run or a hard workout. And it's hard not to want a treat as a reward for your efforts.
So, tomorrow I'm going to celebrate my birthday and my freedom with a number of my friends, on my rooftop terrace. And that's what I deserve. The rest can wait.
When the time came to pay those loans back, I wasn't worried. After all, I was a lawyer now. I thought I'd always be making stupid money. Who cares if it took me 25 years to pay them back? I could afford it. I thought I could afford a lot of things that suited my newly minted stature as a yuppie. And the banks kept calling and offering more money, and the monthly payback numbers kept growing.
After my first several years in big-firm practice, including my years in London, where I worked harder than I ever had before and clocked in more all-nighters than most people will experience in a lifetime, I was burnt out. And I had to keep working hard, had to stay on the big-firm treadmill, because the big-firm salary was the only way I could afford to make those monthly paybacks. The numbers were starting to grow faster than I could run.
By December 2009, I was too tired to keep running. And I was at a point where the choice to be a lawyer had been taken away from me. I had to do it, there was no walking away. The Golden Handcuffs which I had willingly thrust my wrists into in order to live the lifestyle to which I thought I was entitled, were starting to chafe. I wanted to options - to practice law or not, to stay on the big-firm track or not - and I needed to make some changes to open those doors.
I cut up all my credit cards. I consolidated all my loans. And I began paying them back at a rate that amounted to more than half my take-home pay. I was still making stupid lawyer money, yes, but I was living on a budget smaller than I had set for myself as a freewheeling London student. I was 29. My loans would be paid off sometime in 2013. That seemed a long, long way off. I jokingly called my new lifestyle the "Freedom 33" plan. Life, I said repeatedly, would begin at 33.
On June 28, a day before my 33rd birthday, I pressed a button on my online banking, and paid off the last of my loans. It was very anticlimactic. I didn't feel different. I didn't feel free. I didn't suddenly see my whole life open up in front of me. But - it is a good feeling, this clean slate.
The new challenge is to keep to the strict budget and cash-only lifestyle I've been living for almost four years. With Canadian household debt currently at 165% of disposable income, I don't intend to become part of that statistic. It's tough though. When people say, "Oh, treat yourself to that car/ring/condo/pair of Manolos/Indonesian holiday, you deserve it!" I think, Yeah, I do! I deserve that! It's hard not the be proud, the way you are when you finish a long run or a hard workout. And it's hard not to want a treat as a reward for your efforts.
So, tomorrow I'm going to celebrate my birthday and my freedom with a number of my friends, on my rooftop terrace. And that's what I deserve. The rest can wait.
Tea Party Challenge.
When I decided last year to go on a super-diet to lose some of the weight I've been carrying around for too long (a diet that is still in progress -
sigh
- will it ever end?), I gave up a few addictions, and picked up a new one: tea. I can't snack, I gave up baking, so I figured, hey - why not drink tea? The beautiful selections at David's Tea don't help matters - delicious, pretty and affordable. I've always liked tea and picked up interesting varieties as I found them. But, with shopping for most other items on hold until I finish my diet, I guess I felt like I needed to have
something
to shop for, and somehow, one flavour followed another and pretty soon I had about 50 varieties of tea in my cupboard. Yep, that's right, I said 50.
Don't get me wrong, I am well aware of how ridiculous this is. It feels kind of gross, actually, given how much I'm working on balance and authenticity in my life, in all respects, for me to have such a ridiculous stash of, well, stuff. Here I am trying to focus on what I need in my life, what's valuable, and this curious little behaviour has been quietly causing mayhem in the background. This tea is just another form of "stuff" that I buy to fill a void. Same as Reese's peanut butter cups filled a void, at one time. Same as obsessive running once filled a void. I've always had an addictive personality, and while I've been trying to work on the emotions that cause those addictions, it's obvious I have a long ways to go on this journey towards my best self. Sigh. I feel discouraged at how much work I have done and how much work I still have to do.
Obviously I can't get enough. Thanks, David's Tea.
The tea station at Casa Lemon.
Yeah, that's a lot of tea.
So, friends, readers, please help me turn my tea addiction into something positive:
You are cordially invited to tea
at the home of
Danielle & Curriecat Lemon
That's right, you're invited for tea. At my house. Even if you think, "well, I don't know Dani that well, I just read her blog every once in a while," or, "we trade snarky comments on Twitter," or "we're really just Facebook friends," you are welcome. Take me up on the invitation. Please. Come over, we'll drink tea, or many teas, and it will be fun, or it will be weird, or it will be awkward. Bring a friend. Bring a couple of friends. Let's turn my consumption into connection, and turn a negative behaviour into a positive one.
and we'll figure out a time for you to come for tea. Wear a hat if you want. Bring your own special cup
if you want. But just show up. Me and the tea will be waiting.
Latest IT Girl Column: Cash, Cheque or Bitcoin?
You can read my May 2013 IT Girl column for Canadian Lawyer Magazine here.
Brief Encounters 19.
This week I'm performing in Brief Encounters 19. Produced by The Tomorrow Collective, this performance series pairs 10 artists from different disciplines together, gives them two weeks to create, and then throws them onstage for three nights to perform. I was contacted by the producers a few months ago. They had seen me onstage before, and knew I could sing, act and (somewhat) dance, but they were intrigued that I was also a lawyer. They wondered, would I be interested in being one of the Brief Encounters artists with my lawyer hat on?
The thought of meeting another artist, writing something (I don't usually write music or plays - this blog, my columns and the odd short story are about as far as I go), and then performing it - well, frankly, it terrified me, which is why I had to say yes. So I did.
I was pretty sure (and some of the artists have since admitted) that the person who got the lawyer as their partner was going to be choked and feel like they had to carry me through our 15 minutes (max). And when I got paired with comedian Wes Borg, I was quick to reassure him that I had some artistic background to help us out.
The first challenge for our pair was that Wes lives in Victoria, and I'm in Vancouver, and really stupid busy, between my jobs and Spamalot. On my last free Saturday I flew over to Victoria to meet with Wes at his place to write our piece. Instead, we ended up brainstorming a few ideas and then going to the Beacon Hill petting zoo to look at the baby goats and baby pigs. Wes seemed unconcerned with us having something written that day, so I didn't press the issue. It felt like a weird first date.
Anyway, tonight's our first show, and I think it'll be fun. Before we even met, Wes had the idea of us doing "Copyright Infringement: The Musical," and he kept going back to that throughout our brainstorming and writing process, so that's what we're doing. I think you'll like it. I've been sitting in dress rehearsal watching other pairs today and the other pieces are fascinatingly eclectic and cover a diverse array of themes. It's really worth checking us out. It's like the Pick n' Mix of art - if you don't like one piece in the bag, reach down a little further and you might find one you enjoy.
Brief Encounters runs tonight through Saturday at Performance Works on Granville Island. Tickets are available online here. Use promo code "DANIELLE" to get a discount. Be sure to listen to North by Northwest this Saturday morning on CBC Radio One, as Wes and I will be talking about our collaboration.
The thought of meeting another artist, writing something (I don't usually write music or plays - this blog, my columns and the odd short story are about as far as I go), and then performing it - well, frankly, it terrified me, which is why I had to say yes. So I did.
I was pretty sure (and some of the artists have since admitted) that the person who got the lawyer as their partner was going to be choked and feel like they had to carry me through our 15 minutes (max). And when I got paired with comedian Wes Borg, I was quick to reassure him that I had some artistic background to help us out.
The first challenge for our pair was that Wes lives in Victoria, and I'm in Vancouver, and really stupid busy, between my jobs and Spamalot. On my last free Saturday I flew over to Victoria to meet with Wes at his place to write our piece. Instead, we ended up brainstorming a few ideas and then going to the Beacon Hill petting zoo to look at the baby goats and baby pigs. Wes seemed unconcerned with us having something written that day, so I didn't press the issue. It felt like a weird first date.
Anyway, tonight's our first show, and I think it'll be fun. Before we even met, Wes had the idea of us doing "Copyright Infringement: The Musical," and he kept going back to that throughout our brainstorming and writing process, so that's what we're doing. I think you'll like it. I've been sitting in dress rehearsal watching other pairs today and the other pieces are fascinatingly eclectic and cover a diverse array of themes. It's really worth checking us out. It's like the Pick n' Mix of art - if you don't like one piece in the bag, reach down a little further and you might find one you enjoy.
Brief Encounters runs tonight through Saturday at Performance Works on Granville Island. Tickets are available online here. Use promo code "DANIELLE" to get a discount. Be sure to listen to North by Northwest this Saturday morning on CBC Radio One, as Wes and I will be talking about our collaboration.
Post-Show Blues.
It's been a busy year for me so far
in all respects, but it
's been particularly packed with theatre,
having appeared in three shows since February. It's always a bit of a let-down when a show is over, but in particular, my last two shows, Assassins, with
, and then Spamalot, the
in which I played the Lady of the Lake (and which closed its sold out run last night), were fantastic experiences with great casts, and the end of each production has caused some major post-performance blues. It's tough s
aying good bye to people you'
ve become used to seeing every day - yes, you'll see each other again, but
it's never the same, and the i
n
-jokes become a little stale as time goes by
, and you each join other casts and bond with new people.
So how does one get over that? There are a few tried and true methods:
1) Lots and lots of gin at the cast party on Closing Night. That way, the next day you are too hung over to feel anything but, well, hung over. Beware, though - you walk a fine line between a "comfortable" hangover - meaning one where the effects can be somewhat easily remedied by McDonald's and re-runs of Buffy - and wretched misery the next day. This was my chosen method for Assassins and worked out quite well, except for the miserable 9 a.m. walk back to our party location to pick up my Modo car the next morning.
2) Abject wallowing. Sleep in, refuse to get out of your PJs or brush your hair, re-live the "glory days" on Facebook, eat Goldfish crackers incessantly and talk to your cat. This is what I've done today, as I only had one (!) scotch on the rocks at our Spamalot hijinx last night.
I think my mom suspected that the post-show blues would be kicking in and acted accordingly. She and my dad were here this weekend to see the show, and she quietly left a bottle of her perfume, which she has worn my whole life and which I refer to as "Momma smell," on my vanity, next to my own signature scent:
Sometimes a girl just wants a hug from her mom, and when that isn't possible, well, at least she can SMELL her mom.
The bright side of this whole shows-ending thing is that my roommate and common-law kitty is extremely pleased to have me at home:
I know I'm just being my melodramatic self, and I'll be fine (meaning highly functional though melodramatic) tomorrow. But I'm having a good old fashioned sulk tonight while watching UK police procedurals in my jammies. There may even be gin involved.
My new column with Canadian Lawyer: The IT Girl
I'm now writing a monthly column for Canadian Lawyer Magazine, called the IT Girl. Each month I'll be scribbling about something tech related that catches my fancy.
You can read April's column here, and May's column here. As the intended audience is lawyers, sometimes the columns won't be of general interest, but hey - who knows? Maybe I can get you interested in the joys of outsourcing agreements even if you're not a lawyer. Always good to be optimistic, Dani.
You can read April's column here, and May's column here. As the intended audience is lawyers, sometimes the columns won't be of general interest, but hey - who knows? Maybe I can get you interested in the joys of outsourcing agreements even if you're not a lawyer. Always good to be optimistic, Dani.
Come see Dani in Assassins, April 3 - 13, 2013 at Performance Works
There are a few shows that end up on any musical theatre performer's bucket list.
Assassins,
by Stephen Sondheim, is without a doubt one of them...which is why I'm so pleased to be appearing in Pipedream Theatre Project's production of the show, opening next week at Performance Works on Granville Island. I'm featured in the ensemble and also playing Emma Goldman, the radical feminist and anarchist who inspired Leon Czolgosz (played by Dane Warren) to assassinate William McKinley in 1901.
Assassins
first opened Off-Broadway in 1990, and the 2004 Broadway production won five Tony Awards, including Best Revival.
This innovative piece of musical theatre uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to present a revue- style portrayal of nine men and women whoʼve attempted or succeeded to assassinate American Presidents. The rules of time and space are bent, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins from different historical periods, from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.
Assassins
examines societal violence and its contributing factors such as social and economic inequality, political corruption, lack of resources and care for the mentally ill, and gun control. It is Pipedreamʼs hope that this show will keep the discussion of these issues open and inspire the kind of critical thinking in our audience that can lead to positive change.
The casting for this show has been nothing less than inspired and all of the performers have been a delight to rehearse with.
Assassins
stars:
Victor Hunter as the Balladeer
Alex Nicoll as John Wilkes Booth
Cameron Dunster as Charles Guiteau
Dane Warren as Leon Czolgosz
Alex Dafoe as Samuel Byck
Kurt Schindelka as Giuseppe Zangara
Ben Bilodeau as John Hinckley
Missy Cross as Lynette 'Squeeky' Fromme
Keri Smith as Sarah Jane Moore
Nikolai Witschl as Lee Harvey Oswald
Matt Hume as the Proprietor
Danielle Lemon
Steffanie Davis
Ryan Scramstad
Martin Story-Kapusta
Eric Biskupski
Produced by Keith Opatovsky
Directed by April Green
Musical Director Kerry O'Donovan
Choreography by Meagan Ekelund
On Curtain Calls
I'm appearing in
The Rimers of Eldritch
at Jericho Arts Centre until Saturday. This Lanford Wilson drama takes place in a decaying Bible-belt town in Missouri. The entire 17 member ensemble is onstage for the entire play. Our director, Ryan Mooney, made what I think is a really interesting choice, to have all of us "town folk" onstage when the audience arrives, doing "town business" (my character, Martha, is cross-stitching and gossiping with her best friend, Wilma), and to stay in "town mode" during intermission. At the conclusion of the play, in which a number of shocking events happen in quick succession, we do not bow or have a curtain call - we simply return to our activity in the town, and then quietly leave the stage, one by one.
The result has been that audiences have not really been clapping at the conclusion of the show - I think because they are not sure the performance is over until we have all left the stage. From an audience point of view, we have been told that it's an emotionally powerful ending that leaves the audience feeling tense and uncomfortable - which is what we want them to feel. However, as an actor I have to admit it's a little bit disconcerting. I like the catharsis of stepping out of character, and being acknowledged by the audience for my work. So the result is that I also leave the performance without resolution, feeling a little bit tense and uncomfortable. It takes me an hour or so after the show to really let it go and shake off the emotions of the performance.
Don't get me wrong - I think our director, Ryan Mooney, made some brilliant choices in terms of staging, and I think it's been an interesting experiment that subverts tradition in a way that works for the piece. And there is a history of shows that have no have curtain calls (
Showboat
?! Who knew?!), and I found lots of discussion on the Internet on this point (
), and Ryan has had some very interesting conversations online with other directors who have concurred that in the right context, the lack of a curtain call can be extremely powerful.
What do you think? Have you ever been to or in a show where there was no curtain call? Did you see Rimers? How did it make you feel?
If you'd like to see the show and experience what I'm talking about for yourself, we have performances until Saturday. You can can buy tickets online at the Jericho Arts Centre's
.