The Past/The Future

Hi!
Welcome to what has become my website archive.

Blogger switched a few things...and yadda-yadda-yadda, I've moved over to Wordpress. But enough about the behind the scenes stuff.

Check out the old stuff...what little there is...and see some new adventures on the updated website: www.ruthricks.com...click the link or choose "home" above!

See you there!

I Fought The Fridge...

Well it's been a week since the move.

I'm happy to report that no one was crushed by the fridge.
I'm sad to report that I had nothing to do with the move of the fridge. I left that up to those who were confident about moving it.
I'm embarrassed to report that I almost fell down the stairs while carrying a large wooden chair while joking about falling down the stairs.

Yeah.

It's been a long week of running around, spending money and settling in. I'm so happy it's almost all complete. Moving is a pain in the ass...I don't recommend it at all.

So with this part of the transition over, I'm hoping to have enough wherewithal to focus and get my life on track. It's a New Year and I'm going to make the most of it.

Ruth vs The Fridge

Wow! It's amazing how time has gotten away from me. Life has a way of getting in the way of life, doesn't it?

Life has been presenting many challenges to me of late and as much as I'd like to think I'm rising to the occasion, I find myself paralyzed and stressed out. And not in a stressed out gnashing of teeth kind of way. More of a silent suspenseful, what's going to jump out from behind that closet door kind of way.

For example, I'm in the process of moving. Which is stressful in and of itself, but right now, that stress is compounded by the thought of moving my fridge.
Down a flight of stairs.
Across town.
And into a new place.

I already have trouble walking down stairs just carrying my purse, so trying to navigate a flight of stairs with a heavy appliance seems like a task of herculean proportions. I have several friends who feel that it's not that big of a deal, but if we're only as strong as your weakest link, I'm scared. The weakest link being me, of course.

I've had to do a few things.
1. Put my fear aside. Honestly, what's the worst thing that could happen? I mean, of course, I could be crushed by a fridge at the bottom of the stairwell, but what are the chances of that happening?
2. Put my faith in my friends...and their ability to move heavy objects. I have strong friends who have strong husbands. Well, a strong friend with a really strong husband and a sister who does a lot of heavy lifting on a daily basis. That and I have faith in that and my medical insurance.
3. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger. Well, let's hope for strength gained. We'll see how it goes. I'm for sure going to have to eat my Wheaties in the morning.

I was going to try to bring this around to some kind of point about overcoming adversity, but whatever. We'll see how the move goes and I'll save the triumphant speech for when I've actually overcome it.

Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

This post has nothing to do with Peppermint Bark Ice Cream other than it's the holiday season and I just happen to be eating it right now.

It's so good.

Thanksgiving has just passed and now it's full speed ahead to Christmas and the New Year. Good times. As always, I'm looking back over the past year and my first reaction is to wonder where the time went. But changing my outlook a bit, I realize that 2009 has been a pretty good year. Although I haven't made huge strides in my acting career, I've been able to get several time consuming tasks out of the way which will making auditions and getting myself out there a lot easier. I've remained employed at my 9-5...which is awesome and getting myself in a good place will help with the next leg of my journey.

I've also seen many of my friends have success in their various endeavors which has made me so happy. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my friends pop up unexpectedly on my TV screen. They are all an inspiration to me and giving me a reason to stop resting on my laurels and get my head in the game. One friend that I'm especially proud of is Jason Rogel. He's booked several gigs this year and is so deserving of all the success he's been experiencing. The sky is the limit! His latest and greatest is an indy film called 'Splinterheads'...which I would love to see...so in a shameless plug, please demand it come to LA. There's a red carpet somewhere with my name on it.

View all Splinterheads tour dates

Well, that's it for now...back to getting ready to usher in 2010!

bein alive & bein a woman & bein colored is a metaphysical dilemma

I read this morning that Tyler Perry is planning to adapt, produce and direct a film version of 'For Colored Girls...' by Ntozake Shange. Yes. That Tyler Perry. I almost don't know what to say.

I'm sure most black actresses out there have a history with this play. I'm no different. I was in 'For Colored Girls...' in college. That production was one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had on stage. Our little cast endured multiple trials and tribulations during the run of our show. We made it through and to this day those women and this play have a special place in my heart.

I will first admit, I'm not a big fan of Mr. Perry's work. I do appreciate the fact that he's getting films using primarily black casts made and there's no doubt his films make money hand over fist. So, yes, Mr. Perry making a film adaptation of 'For Colored Girls...' will get asses in seats and might expose a new audience to a wonderful piece of theatrical work. But that being said, when did Tyler Perry become the obvious choice to direct the film version? This is a play about the experiences of women. Date rape. Abortion. Domestic abuse. Spending time in a dress doesn't make him more insightful as to what women go through every day. Why not give one of the many talented women directors in Hollywood a chance? Tyler Perry presents 'For Colored Girl...' I can live with. Tyler Perry's 'For Colored Girls...'? Not so much.

And I'm not the only one...who thinks this...

The Play Audition...

Over the last few weeks, I've been getting back in the habit of submitting myself for projects. It's been slow going, but at least it's becoming a habit, right? I haven't been getting an overwhelming response, but I'm remaining steadfast in my commitment to getting my face out there.

Well, last week I was asked to audition for a play.

I love the stage. It's such a wonderful and rewarding experience, but I'm going to take a moment to be really honest. I wasn't really interested in doing a play. It's a huge time commitment...hours of time for rehearsals and the run itself. That winds up being two and half months of nights and weekends...especially since this play consisted of a cast of three people. I will also admit that outside of professional productions [ie the Taper, SCR, etc], I'm often underwhelmed by the stage shows out there. I should probably go to some more shows, just so I can get a better cross section of the theatre offerings, but it's daunting especially when I've had to sit through some really uncomfortably bad shows.

But I had to put that all aside...at least those folks are putting it out there. They're offering up their talents to a very jaded audience. If I thought I could do better I needed to get my ass up and audition, right? So I confirmed my time, showed up with sides in hand and when I was called to perform, I gave it all I had. I felt pretty good about it. I did what I could in the limited time I had with the script and afterward I had no regrets. I did, however, still feel ambivalent about doing a stage show. I felt good about the audition and that was reward enough. If I got a callback, that would be icing on the cake.

I figured since callbacks were that weekend I would definitely hear from the producer by Thursday if I had a callback for the show. Nope. Nothing. Which is totally fine. And although I say I didn't want to do a play, why do I feel ever so slightly disappointed they didn't call me back?

Fun With Self Portraits

Does anyone else thing that all these social networking sites have really fed into our narcissistic tendencies? Where/when else is it okay to talk all about yourself, go on about your opinions, what you think, what you're doing, where you're going, and not to mention making it perfectly acceptable to sit in your car for 30 minutes taking pictures of yourself?

Although I embrace my vanity to a certain extent, I refuse to think of this quest to take the perfect self-portrait as such. It's art! It's a document. A document of my new haircut. Half of which you can't see. A document of me at this time in my life. A document of...me. Ok. Let's call a spade a spade. It's vanity.

But it is a pretty cute picture, right?