What's In A Name?

I love my name. I really do. It's just...been a difficult name to have.

Apparently Adrienne is a guy's name (according to many people).

Apparently Lee (my middle name) is a guy's name (according to many people).

Apparently Lindsey is a first name.

Thankfully Davis has no real issues (except for being spelt David on occasion).

Whenever I meet people they NEVER understand what I say my name is and invariably mispronounce it back to me so many times that by the third or fourth correction I usually get frustrated and/or embarrassed and just nod my head like they got it right.

One of my professors actually argued with me on how to pronounce my own name once. He seemed to think it was Adri-ANNE.

It's not.

Don't even get me started on going to Starbucks & giving them my name for my cup. It's so bad I don't even give them Adrienne anymore. I just say "Lindsey" or "A." It's easier and not really a lie.

Which reminds me...for YEARS before I added Davis onto my last name Lindsey could be quite the problem as well. I have had countless conversations which go something like this:

"Last name please."

"Lindsey."

"No, no, hon. Your last name."

"Lindsey."

"Ma'am, I don't need your first name, I need your last name."

"My last name is Lindsey."

"Your last name is Lindsey?" Asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Yes. Lindsey. L-I-N-D-S-E-Y."

Just once I wanted to say, "Oh, I"m so sorry, you're RIGHT. That's NOT my last name."


This week at a teacher training we all had to do a reflection on our own name after reading a snippet from Sandra Cisneros called "My Name."

Here is mine.

Dear World,

No. My parents were not obssessed with "Rocky."
No. My name isn't Audrey or Adri-ANNE or Audrine.
No. My name isn't two syllables.
No. My name isn't a man's name!

Yes. My mom saw it on a tax form and thought it was pretty.
Yes. It's pronounced AY-dree-uhn. Three syllables. Count 'em third grade reading teacher.
Yes. It is spelled A-D-R-I-E-N-N-E. The "e" is silent and the spelling is feminine and French.

Maybe that's the problem.
A French name pronounced in English.

Please get it right people.

Sincerely,
"Ah-dree-EHN"

http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/Adrienne

Link to the English & French pronounciations of my name, the latter being how I signed my letter to the world.

Red Lipstick and Stockings

Since being forced against my will to drive across the Southwestern United States to relocate in California something happened-

I slowly started to move out of my comfort zones.

This summer I not only started my master's degree in administration (something I never thought I would have done), I started writing a novel (something I never thought I would actually try), and I signed up with Central Casting.

Central Casting is a company which casts "background actors" in television and movie productions. A friend of mine had done it, so I knew it was legitimate. I mulled over the idea of registering for quite some time but wasn't sure. What if I never actually got to do it? What if I did and got on camera looking stupid? What if?

I decided to just take the plunge and do it anyway. When will I ever be 25, married withOUT children, living in Southern California again?

Never.

So last Monday I drove to Burbank and registered.

The way Central Casting works is you call a phoneline which has prerecorded messages from casting directors telling you what they are looking for. If you fit the profile, you return the call, they look at your picture and then decide if you are, indeed, what they want.

I called, and called, and called, and called for several days and never got more than a busy signal.

Thursday morning I fit a description that I got very excited about.

It was for Cold Case.

It was a 1940's flashback scene.

All I needed was to hear flashback scene and I was calling that number like a madwoman. I really wanted to do extra work at least once before being forced back into the public school system and was running out of time.

I called the number and got a busy signal for ten minutes.

Then, it rang. And rang. And rang.

Then, "First five of your social please."

"Uh,....."

"Hi Adrienne."

"Uh, Hi."

Awkward pause and she looks at my picture in essence sizing me up.

"Ok, Adrienne, let's put you on Cold Case."

Yay!!!

The next Monday I went to Western Costume (apparently THE costume company for all of LA) to get fitted for my 1940's costume.

Then Tuesday night I rolled my hair in a wet set (a whole other blog I assure you) and promptly failed miserably at sleeping that night. After getting not an ounce of sleep, I left the apartment at 3:45 am in order to make it to location for my 5 am call time.

We all got there, rollers and all, sleep deprived and aware that the on location set smelled heavily of cow manure.

We were ushered into wardrobe to get dressed, then on to hair and makeup where we got to listen to a hair lady accost almost all the girls for not setting their hair correctly.

Well, excuse us for not being born in an era where we don't wet set our hair anymore!!! We tried, ok?!

Anyhow, after being rudely cut in front of by several other extras I finally got my hair and makeup done and was off to the holding area near the filming.

There was something surreal about walking up to the set. Almost a hundred guys in air force attire and about 35 women in dresses, seamed stockings, red lipstick and some very vintage hair. There were military tents set up and lots of period jeeps and airplanes. If there hadn't been cameras and extras in costume talking on cell phones it would have really felt like 1944. It was amazing how much detail and planning goes into filming something.

Then began the "hurry up and wait" that is so rampant in the film industry. We were rushed out of hair and makeup only to sit in a sweltering tent for three hours. It wasn't bad actually and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with some of the other girls. It's always nice to meet new people.

When we finally did begin filming our scene it was hot. Really hot. Like 100 degrees hot. I won't give anything away about the episode or the scene we filmed just yet, but I will say it took hours to get one thirty second scene filmed.

We were hot and sweaty and hungry and sleepless and underpaid (minimum wage), but it was such an experience!

I loved dressing up and getting to see exactly how things are done with cameras and direction and props and background and all the behind-the-scenes stuff most people will never see.

I want to do it again.

Preferably on another period piece.

Or CSI.

Yes, CSI would be acceptable.

When Did It Get To Be August?

Wow, summer is almost over and mine has hardly begun. This is the point where I would start complaining about that fact but then I remember that most people in the world don't have a summer vacation at all and it is annoying when people who do get a "hiatus" of any kind gripe about how short it is.

Do I get a little bit of a "le sigh" moment since I simulataneously taught summer school and took six units of grad school? Maybe.

On that note, summer school wrapped up about two weeks ago.



We read "Twilight" and finished up the summer watching it. I was the only girl in the room who was on "Team Jacob" if any of you even know what that means. I certainly hope not since it's horribly embarassing that I have succumbed to an overly advertised, teenage girl crazy trend. Most of my life I've tried to not like things oftentimes because they are popular. "Twilight" being case in point, but by no means the first. In high school there was "Harry Potter," followed by Facebook, blogging (gasp), iphones, and now...dare I say it, I think I'm about to get a Twitter account (even though my better judgement is screaming no). To my better judgement: I say...blah...I'm going to do it anyway.



After teaching ended, so did my Ed Law class (I just found out I made an "A" yay)! I learned way too much about California law and answered way too many emails from irate parents with silly questions about...everything. I really enjoyed the class, the people in it, and the professor though.

The day after both of my summer schools ended, Drew was a groomsmen in our friends' Cliff and Heather's wedding. It was beautiful and we are so happy for them!



The very next morning we were at LAX to board our flight for Dallas. We had a really good time at home, seeing Rachel off to the Dominican Republic, forcing Drew's family to watch "Twilight" (they LOVED it, by the way), lots of making fun of our families (all in good fun of course), visiting grandparents, smoking cigars (Drew and Glynn), and watching most of the first season of Laguna Beach with my sister. She was not happy that I saw Lauren Conrad at LAX the morning of our flight. I thought it was pretty cool.







I'm off to spend my last few weeks trying desperately to write as much of my book as possible. It has been hard to get motivated though. Emails of forceful encouragement are greatly appreciated.

Did You See Those Mountains....?

Thursday was a good day. Despite going to work at 6:30 to finish up my check-out procedures, getting said check-out hijacked (in my opinion) due to a perceived error on a cumulative record, and getting to finally leave, Drew and I went to our first Dodger game! They beat the Oakland A's 3-2 in a great ballgame.

The stadium was full of character with a gorgeous view of mountains and palm trees behind the scoreboard, and our Dodger dogs and peanuts were the perfect compliment. (Because really, is a baseball game a baseball game without seriously overpriced food that normally is just ok, but seems to be all you can think about when you're there)?

The really cool thing is that when we sat down, a man behind us tapped Drew on the shoulder and asked him what class he was. This, to an Aggie, can only mean one thing and one thing only.......that the person asking the question is ALSO an Aggie. The man, his wife, and son were on a baseball trip across the West and were both Aggie graduates. We had a good conversation with them before the game started and it was nice to talk to some Texas people!

Later, the men sitting next to our Aggie friends stole the show I'm afraid. He asked EVERYONE (and I do mean everyone who could be asked) if they'd seen "the mountains at twilight with all the purple...and....." It became a joke by the end of the game because he repeated every. single. thing. he said at least twice.

So......

Did you see those mountains at twilight?

Summer To-Do List

Well, summer vacation is upon us, although it doesn't feel like it (mentally and weather-wise). Drew will be finished with his summer class by the time I'm finished with regular school, and free completely (in the event he doesn't find a job asap) by the time I'm well under way with teaching summer school (what was I thinking) and taking my own summer school.

So.....on to the list....

1. Teach Migrant Ed summer school. (I tell ya, I'm really looking forward to doing PE with these kids...PE...outside....in the summer.....yay).

2. Take and ace Educational Law. (all while looking cute in my new APU jacket)

3. Update this blog on at least a bi-monthly basis.

4. Read and finish the "Twilight" series. Reread "Redeeming Love." Despite it's overly cheesy cover and the fact that I find romance novels in and of themselves to be "overly cheesy," it's a fantastic book and one of my favorites. Read something else of note......not sure what yet.

5. Do some personal writing on my "book." All I will release at this point is the title: "Queens Don't Use Porta-Potties"

6. Visit Tejas, San Diego, Universal Studios (day trip), and Big Sur/San Francisco.

7. Do at least a little pool lounging.

8. Watch Drew willingly study ancient Greek (just for fun) and teach himself German (for Ph.D. studies, but let's face it....also for fun).

9. Watch Drew be the consumate academic....he studies when he doesn't need to and when he's supposedly "taking a year off." Wow. This is the difference between us. I like to learn, but don't find myself going out of my way to do so.

10. Attempt to get some rest and recharge before rebooting for a new class of sixth-graders and 12 units of grad school in the Fall.

11. Go to a couple Dodger games (our first is this Thursday night).

12. Go to a couple of concerts. Right now we're planning on doing ZZ Top/Aerosmith in Irvine and AC/DC....somewhere I'm not sure where they're playing....

"So It's Been Ten Years and Maybe More..."

Name where that title is from!!! If you do....pictures will be up sooner rather than later.


Top Ten Reasons Why We Haven't Updated:

1. Drew made a horrible post where he wrote about himself in the third person. It was weird and I just couldn't get past it for awhile. It ruined my blogging spirit.

2. Drew has placed in the top ten in TWO races (LAX crit and Brea crit)!

3. I turned 25!!! (Drew is still 23......)

4. We went to Las Vegas for my b-day/Spring Break!

5. Drew got accepted into a Ph.D. program at Southwestern in Ft. Worth.

6. I got accepted into a masters program at Azusa Pacific here in SoCal.

7. We made the decision to stay here so I could get my degree in Educational Leadership (administration).

8. We found a new apartment, signed a lease and moved entirely within one week.

9. I forgot about the blog.

10. Oh, and I forgot about the blog.

Pictures to follow!

New Bike!

After months of anticipation Drew finally bought the new bike. It has a 2006 Calfee Tetra Pro carbon frame, Easton EC90 wheels, and all of the components are Shimano Dura-Ace. The bike is not only top notch in quality but it is in top notch condition. The previous owner, another Velocity member, took meticulous care of it and only rode the bike for about a year. This bike is at least 5 lbs lighter than Drew's other bike, making high speeds possible at lower heart rates!