Road to “Chicago” – Summer Camp

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Screen shot 2011-03-07 at 9.41.23 PMRoad to “Chicago” – Summer Camp

So this road has a few more “bumps” in it than I thought. I’m still doing OK on my “must look really really hot” diet. Last week was a little rough as we went to a Family Camp up in Pinecrest. It was super fun, really dirty, and an overall great family time. The food was served family style, which I’m so NOT complaining about. Mostly cause any time I don’t have to cook, is a great time! BUT, it also means you get what ya get, and you don’t throw a fit. So it wasn’t always the healthiest of choices for me. I will say, that I made it the whole week without haveing a single smore!! (if you knew me, you’d know that that’s a reeeeally big deal.) I did 2 half hour Yoga classes, and after many people asked for it, I taught 1 Dance Fitness class. And let me tell ya, Dance Fitness at 7,000 feet is slightly different than sea level. I was ready to pass out after the warm up! But all in all, it was a good week. Now I’m home and back on the eating schedule that I can control. I have 10 more days till I leave for Sacramento, so I think I’ll be in good shape! That and the fact that I’m more than willing to maim, scratch and draw blood for one of the one piece costumes.

The “bump” in the road was not one I was expecting. This summer came racing at me. I did the best I could and organized the boys summer camps, so that no one would be bored. Cole had Robotics, Chess and Cooking camps. Jackson had Video Making, Tennis and Camp River Way. Camp River Way is a sleep away camp. My husband and I thought this would be a good year for our oldest to try it. He’s an awesome kid, but very codependent on me. What can I say, he was my first born and I coddled him to a fault. But now we were going to fix it! Let him be on his own for 2 weeks! Make new friends! Have adventures! Learn to tie his own shoes!! It all sounded great 6 months ago. But now the time is here, and it sucks. He left 3 days ago and I’m lost. I thought he was the codependent one, but maybe it’s me? I feel like a car with 3 wheels. But here’s the worst part….ready? I leave for Sacramento 2 days before he gets back. So I won’t see him until he comes to visit me there. That’s 4 WEEKS I won’t see my boy! I know i know, there’s Facetime, and Skype and blah blah blah, but I won’t hug his little body for 4 WEEKS!!

I’m so torn. I’m one part excited about performing in a show, actually doing something just for myself, my own sleep away camp if you will. And one part saddened that I can’t have my family with me. In my industry, the entertainment industry, the jobs don’t come to you. You have to go to the jobs. So how do I do that and still feel like a good mother? A good wife? I feel like either way, someone’s getting short changed. Hence, the “bump”. More like a big fat pothole. I know I need to stop worrying…..My husband keeps telling me “we’ll all be fine”, but honestly, I don’t like that either. I don’t want to be ‘fine’ without each other. But maybe this is what we need. What we all need. To be less codependent, to have our own adventures, make new friends….. Adult Sleep Away Camps? I don’t know….I’m going to try to listen to my own advice. When my son left I told him not to waste this time being sad. Enjoy the time away from us to learn more about himself. Take every new adventure thrown at you and make the most of it! Have fun and know that he and I will have the whole rest of the year together! So I’m going to do it. Make the most of my time away, and not feel guilty. (try!)  And maybe…..just maybe….I’ll come back knowing how to tie my own shoes.

Road to Chicago…Pizza

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Ok, so with all journeys there are going to be bumps in the road, right? I’m supposed to be getting in the best shape of my life, BUT I forgot about Hell week. For me Hell week is when my youngest sons birthday falls on the last week of school. So take aaaall those end of year parties and add my little ones birthday celebrations, (plural because we must celebrate in class, at a “real” party, and then with the immediate family). Then 3 days later it’s my husbands birthday, then 8 days after that, we do the same multiple parties for my older sons on July 3rd!! SO this weekend had pizza, ice cream cake, burgers, brownies and milk shakes to name a few. And that was just Cole’s birthday. And if you think I’m strong enough to say “no” to all of that then you really don’t know me. I’m great at eating healthy as long as I keep the healthy food in the house. But put something chocolatey and gooey in front of me and will power goes out the window! SO! I now have 7 weeks till “Chicago” rehearsals start. I still have 2 birthday’s to get through and a whole lot of summer “fun” with the kids to tempt my inner chocoholic! Zumba and Silks are keeping me in check, but the thought of the bra and panties costume is haunting me! Tonight my husband made salmon with brown rice and broccoli which was delish! Here’s to no more pot holes!

Road to Chicago

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I’d love to be able to tell you that I’m one of those naturally thin people. That I can eat whatever I want and never gain weight…. I’d love to tell you that. But, sadly,  I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in really great shape! But the truth is, I have to work really stinkin’ hard to stay this way. My arms and legs are always thin, so when I gain weight I tend to look like an Apple with limbs.  I’m doing pretty good these days, but the REAl truth is, I could be even better. There’s good shape, and there’s “Chicago” shape. Let me explain, I was recently hired to do the musical “Chicago” up at Sacramento Music Circus! Wooo Hoooo! SO excited! The show is awesome, the music is great, and the costumes are HOT! As long as you can fit them. The picture shows me when I did the show 13 years ago. (ouch, that kinda hurt to say) So here I am 13 years later, doing the same show. At 41,  I’m anticipating being the most “mature” girl in the show. Which means, I better get my ass in shape!! “Chicago” shape! (nothing like being compared to the 18 year old standing next to you.) My costume last time was one of the most conservative. Most of the costumes could fit in my wallet. One is a g-string, one is a body stocking over a bra and panties….you get the idea. So here I go! I leave August 8th, that gives me 2 months to get my abs in check! Fingers crossed!

There are changes in the air!!

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SO, BIG news to tell. As of April 2nd all of my Zumba and Cardio Dance classes will be taught at Astoria Ballroom 369 E. 17th St. #10 Costa Mesa, CA 92627    http://www.astoriaballroom.com/

Click on the Zumba tab for more info. Come put the fun in fitness and join me for a sweaty fabulous workout. Bring a friend or two! First class is always free for newbies!

Fit at 40

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OK, I’ll admit it, I was one of those girls who swore up and down that keeping in good health in your 40’s was not going to be difficult. I was in great shape, so how hard could it be to just stay there?? But Lordy, Lordy, now I’m 40, and I have changed my tune. Is it possible? Yes. Is it harder? YES!  I swear, it was like the day I turned  40 some internal clock went off and everything started to shift, or shut down. Reading glasses had to be bought. Sensodine toothpaste was a must. My doctor even prescribed Estrogen cream for the nether regions! It feels like 40 has taken my body hostage and the outlook of getting it back is not good. So I say fine! Keep it! I will simply reinvent what 40 is and what my new 40 year old body should look like. I am NOT lowering my standards. I’m simply changing them.  And changing how I reach my goals. My first tip of the 40’s: no bake energy bites! I have a sweet tooth that must be met. Bad things happen when I’m deprived of good food! So these little balls of goodness are good for you and totally take care of my sweet tooth. I wish I could say I thought up this recipe but I’m more than happy to eat it! I make them once a week and keep them in the fridge. Just remember to only have one or two at a time! And for the love of God, please use real Peanut Butter, not the processed yucky stuff!

 

No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
  • 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients!  Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter.  And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed.  I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.

Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

  • chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
  • dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
  • chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
  • other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
  • other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)
Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients.  The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible.  If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats).  If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter.  It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better.  And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled.  Enjoy!!

Family

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“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.”

The entertainment business is a funny one. I can’t think of any other business where you can become so close to other people in such a short amount of time. If your really lucky, you land a job on Broadway. Hopefully the show will be a success and you’ll get to work with the same people for a year or two or three. IF your lucky. Usually what happens are the quick gigs. Two or three months and then your off to another job. But in those few months your rehearsing 8 hours a day together, then comes the 12 hours a day of teching a show, and then the awesome high of performing it for a few weeks or months. It is amazing how close you get to other performers. Maybe because we all share the same passion, or because we were all a little “different” ie: exceptional. Whatever the reason, we are a tight knit family.

One such show for me was “A Christmas Carol” at Madison Square Garden.  It was a yearly Christmas show and when I joined, it was in it’s sixth Season. Since it was seasonal, many performers came back year after year so it was hard to get hired. It was a great job that paid well and kept you in New York but most importantly, Susan Stroman was Choreographer and the late great Mike Ockrent was Director. Only 4 girl dancers where hired the year I joined: myself, Lori Alexander, Kate Levering and Yasuko Tamaki. We had to start rehearsals earlier than the rest of the cast since they already knew it, so there was a LOT of bonding time. When the rest of the cast came we were the “new kids” and although they were rediculously accepting of us, we tended to stick together more. Kate was the youngest, but the most fearless and melted into the new group the easiest. Lori, Yasuko and I were all the same age, with similar ballet back rounds and just enjoyed hanging out. We had a blast!  I think it was the first big contract for all of us. We made so many new friends. Everyone spent so much time rehearsing together, but we still wanted to have lunch with each other and then go hang out at Arriba Arriba, the local theater hang out,  afterwards. Once the shows started it was even more time together. We did as many as 4 shows a day there, at 11:00, 2:00, 5:00 and 8:00.

The only bummer was that we couldn’t go home for the holidays. We had shows on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I remember one Thanksgiving in particular I had a “homeless” thanksgiving for all of us who didn’t have family near by. I just told anyone who wanted to, to come over. I had 20 people show up at my tiny one bedroom apt. It was one of the best Thanksgivings ever.

The show was quite an extravaganza. The costumes where amazing! One of my favorites would be the one we called “the He-She”. There was a scene in the opening where they needed a lot of male bankers. Well we didn’t have enough men, SO that meant Lori, Yasuko and I got to put on a fat suit, don a beard and top hat and walk on stage as a man. Mind you, we still had on our bright red lipstick and eyelashes, so although the audience couldn’t see it, we looked quite rediculous. Yasuko liked to part her wig on the side and give herself a “comb over”.  We use to laugh so hard tears would be rolling down our face. We would play games between shows, make up songs, exchange stories. Some times even on stage. (I think we played “pass the pancake” during the show a few times. You can get a little bored on the four show days.) I did the show for 3 years and even though I’ve lost touch with a good many of those people, I still consider them my “Christmas Carol family”.

It has been over a year now that my good friend Yasuko died of brain cancer. I hadn’t talked to her in probably 10 years. I don’t know how it happens. One day we were performing as giant fruit and the next we’ve gotten married and had kids and lost touch. But no matter what, she will always be part of my family. I think I’ll do a comb over in her honor.

The Tofu Jew

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I was recently doing a show with some friends of mine. I’m what I like to refer to as a “recovering actor”. I’ve been semi retired for about 7 years now, but I fall off the wagon once or twice a year when I’m conned into reliving my youth on stage. That usually entails me thinking wistfully of how flexible I used to be while I down 4 advil with my coffee. This particular show had a lot of down time. That usually makes for good conversations in the dressing room. As it was a “Holiday Show” that we were dancing in, the subject of religion came up. Being the only Jew in the room, I kept making jokes about how “we” always get the shaft in holiday shows. That was when my friends kindly pointed out that I wasn’t even a “real” jew, which was true. I married into it when I was 30 after running screaming from the Catholic church when I was in my teens. Then the conversation went like this: Dancer #1: “Your not even a real jew!”  Dancer #2: “Yeah, your like Jewish light….like vegetarian jew!” Dancer #3: “Yeah! Your like Tofu! Your a Tofu Jew!” Which, I have to admit, is a brilliant name! I think I’m going to have shirts made. But it got me thinking, how Jewish am I?

When I met my husband I was 30 and I was, for lack of a better term, spiritual. I didn’t pray, or belong to any religious group. When I explain it to my kids now, I actually use “the force” as an example. The God of Star Wars if you will.  I was fairly scarred from my Catholic upbringing, but I did like the foundation it gave me. It gave me a sort of spring board to come up with my own ideas. It taught me all about the bible and the do’s and don’ts of religion. Most of it, I completely disagreed with, but I at least had a starting place. So when I was getting married, I decided I’d take on the religion my husband was as long as he wasn’t a fanatic. I told him from the get go, that I’d be as good a Jew as I was a Catholic, which was pretty bad. I was a Christmas and Easter Christian, and now I’m a Passover and High Holiday Jew. But, and this is a big But, we raise our kids Jewish.
Let ‘s be honest here. My kids have rarely seen the inside of a Synagogue. It’s all about the traditions in our house. Being a convert, I know far more about the religion than my husband, as I actually had to study it recently. So we do all the right prayers and celebrate the bigger holidays. I always mean to build a sukkah but somehow it always slips my mind. All in all, I do and OK job for a Tofu Jew. I wasn’t raised with it, so maybe my hearts not totally in it, but I give a pretty good gung ho try. I also get the feeling that no ones really expecting too much out of me because of my lack of heritage.

The things that have happened to the Jewish people over the years, the bonding and commiserating over what their people have lived through, those are things I couldn’t possibly understand. There have been many times over the years that I’ve felt like an observer, a waitress in a country club. Someone who over hears things, but isn’t qualified to have an opinion. I’ve felt very much like a Tofu Jew. Everyone was more than happy to welcome me into the club but at the same time I felt there was a line I shouldn’t cross. That they weren’t really my people. I could talk the talk and dance the Hora, but in the end, my Jewishness was shallow. I didn’t lose anyone in the Holocaust. I’d never suffered prejudice for what I believed. Honestly, I agreed with them and I didn’t really mind. I didn’t see myself as a real Jew either. I come from Texas, Bible belt country. My family, while very good natured, has been known to throw out a good Jew joke. I’ve even heard the terms, “Jewing them down”, and “they sure are good businessmen” and I let it slide, because I know they don’t mean anything by it, and, well, I’m not a real Jew anyway, right?
But hang on, I’m raising my kids Jewish. My sons’ know the prayers on Shabbat. They love to open the door for Elijah. They ask why more people don’t have mezuzahs on they’re doors. They will never know anything but being Jewish. They look at me and see a Jewish mommy. What if someone says something antisemitic to my kids? Will someone hate my children for something they had no say in?? And BAM, just like that, I’m Jewish! I mean honest to God Jewish. There is no Tofu Jew in the house right now, because we’re talking about my kids, and how they’re perceived. And no, I didn’t loose anyone in the Holocaust and yes, for all I know I’m related to Jesus himself, (or more likely Mary Magdalene) but none of that matters because I’m raising little beautiful Jews.  It really has nothing to do with me. Maybe I’m not a real Jew, but my boys are, which makes all the difference in the world. Now antisemitism means something to me. The Holocaust means something to me.They are my people because they are my sons. I’ve gone about it backwards, but I’ve arrived at the same place. I don’t care who does or doesn’t want me in the club. I don’t care if anyone thinks I’m Tofu. This piece of Tofu is here to stay, somewhere between the Brisket and the Latkes. I think this year I’ll add Tofu to my Seder plate!
And I’m still going to have shirts made.

Schulein Family

Schulein Family

A Dancers Lament

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“Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.”  ~Ted Shawn, Time, 25 July 1955

Someone once said that it takes about 10 years to make a good dancer.  I mentioned before that I was a good dancer right? Well, I would even venture to say I was/am a great dancer. Now, I am what I would call a realist. I am the first to tell you the absolute truth, about me or anything else. There are many things in this world that I am not good at. The list is long and at times depressing, but dancing is not one of them. I was one of those people that dancing just came to naturally. That’s not to say I didn’t train hard. I worked my butt off, but I never had to  worry about flexibility or arched feet. That all came naturally, but I believe that to be a really good dancer you have to be a really good actor as well.  Anyone with enough training can get on stage and dance proficiently. A triple pirouette here, stick your leg up there and voila, your a “dancer”. But to be an artist in your craft you have to feel something and be able to convey that to your audience. Mikhail Baryshnikov is an amazing dancer, but it was his ability to bring you to tears without ever saying a word that made him exceptional. I loved getting on stage and becoming another character. Using my body to tell a story. That’s why I  think dancers can make the best actors. Because we’ve learned to express ourselves from the inside out without saying a word.
So, that brings me to my Lament. Musical Theater. I’ve stated that to be a good/great dancer you need to be a great actor as well, so after honing my acting skills at UCLA  I was ready to move to New York to be a dancer/actor on Broadway! And that’s where I hit my first road block. Singing. So not only do I need to beat out all the other dancers and actors but now I gotta sing while I do it??

My beef  with musical theater is this; if you are only an actor, meaning you probably started doing school plays in high school and thought it would be fun to try this “acting thing” out, they (the casting people) act like it’s just fantastic if you can carry a tune in a bucket. IF you can do the box step on top of that, your the second coming of Christ, and voila, your the Co-star in the next dramatic musical and up for a supporting actor Tony.

Now, if your a real “singer”, meaning you probably have done school choir and maybe started some real voice lessons in High school, they (casting) automatically assume that you can act. But again, if you know how to shuffle ball change, it brings them to tears, and voila, your up for Best Actor in a Musical.
But if your a dancer, meaning you’ve been training since you were 5 to 10 years old on average, anywhere from 1 to 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, they (casting) will ask you to show Tap, Ballet and Jazz. Oh, and can you do a tumbling run? No? Pity. Then they’d like to hear you sing, an up tempo and ballad. Only “legit” music please. What’s that? You’d like me to do a four part harmony as well? While dancing my butt off, trying to avoid set pieces while fake smoke is blowing in and I can’t see my partner who’s about to hoist me over his head?  Oh, and recite a monologue and understudy 4 other parts? Sure, no problem. And what award am I up for? Oh, that’s right, there isn’t one for us.
I have “moved up” in my years of performing from Chorus girl to doing Leads these days, and I can tell you that I never worked harder than when I was a chorus girl, and I never got less praise. Gypsy’s, as we’re called, are the hardest working people on Broadway, and treated with the least respect. We’re asked to do everything, and do it well, and do it while standing behind everyone else. Why do we put up with it?!! Because we love it. That is the achilles heel of being a dancer. We will put up with almost anything if it means we get to go out on stage and do what we love.
It’s a hard, short life. Most dancers careers don’t even last into their 30’s. And yet none of this will deter us. Dancing is part of our souls. I still walk turned out. I’m caught dancing in the aisles of the super market while pushing my kids in the cart. I can be seen rocking out in my minivan while driving down Harbor Blvd.
I couldn’t stop being a dancer if I tried….. not that I ever will.

The Road to Broadway

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Juliet as "Cassie"

 

Success

“Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. “
David Frost

I AM a success!! I have to remind myself of that sometimes. When I’m doing the umpteenth load of laundry or I’m picking up the boys toys yet again, I think, “I’ve been on Broadway damn it!!” Actually, I’m quite happy with my life and where I’m at. Awesome husband, two amazing kids. But sometimes my days in New York seem like a life time away. When I’m singing through the house and my kids yell, “MOM! Can you please be quiet?” I just want to yell, “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??”
Ok, so I’m not famous by most standards, but success can be measured in many ways. Ever since High School my dream was to be on Broadway. I achieved that when I was 26. How many people can say that? You want to know something else? Francis Ford Coppola was not my God father. I had zippo connections in the business. I knew exactly one person when I moved to New York, I had no job, no money and most impressive of all I never had an agent the entire 9 years I lived there. I did 2 Broadway shows, 3 national tours, and loads of regional and international shows. I’ve said things like, “Hey Stro, how are you?” As in Susan Stroman who’s hired me on 5 different occasions. Name dropper? Me? You betcha!
The point is I did it. Me. Little ol’ Juliet Fischer. I went to a performing arts high school in San Diego, but I was by no means the most talented kid in the school. I had areas of greatness. I’ve always been a kick ass dancer. But if you took a pole I doubt many people would have said, “She’s the one who’s gonna make it to Broadway!” But the point is, I did. It wasn’t easy. There were many times I had no idea how I was going to pay the rent, and there was a LOT of rejection involved. But in the end, I consider myself a success. At least by my standards. Pull up a chair and I’ll tell you all about my personal road to Broadway. But hang on tight, it’s a bumpy ride!

My Amazing Family

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Schulein Family