family I have an older brother Leo, who is an actor living the dream in NYC. My parents, Amy & Earl, are two tremendous people for whom I have infinite respect, gratitude, and love. I grew up in Wexford, a suburb of Pittsburgh, enjoying a healthy, happy childhood that was as "normal" as far as normal is concerned... Of course one's home is where so many behaviors and values are developed, and I owe great thanks to my brother, parents, grandparents, and even Pittsburgh, for exposing me to the awesomeness of arts and culture at a young age. Leo was always singing around the house and performing with theatre groups, my mom enrolled me in dance lessons by age 5, my dad always had music playing, and my grandparents tirelessly took me and my cousins to plays, museums, and all kinds of activities. I knew I was fortunate to be raised in a loving family, go to shows, and whatnot, but I when think now about how formative all of it really was, how growing up in this type of atmosphere created the foundation from which I decided to major in contemporary dance in undergrad and lead a life that is creative and ever exploratory -- well, it is amazing really, awesome. And it grounds me when I find myself outside of a comfort zone.
friends are everything. in every phase of my life, forming friendships along the way yields meaning, memories, and texture to all of the milestones, botches, and experiences. i have lost a few, regained some back, and no true friendship remains static in the long term. that's the beauty. sometimes i get all sentimental about the people who have over the years faded farther away but if i take a moment and list all of the friends in my life at present, i am always baffled, not by the length of the list but by the richness of the collective value of all of them there, on the page, staring at me. each one is different.
FOOD - eating and cooking it. (grandma is an awesome cook, so the love goes way back): specifically chocolate, fresh bread, cheese - gruyere, strawberries, arugula, pizza (I can pack it in), indian, chocolate. coffee snob? sort of, spent some time as a barista pulling espresso shots, so. wine snob? nah, but just big reds please. ACTIVITY - yoga - bikram & vinyasa, being outdoors - gardening, skiing, hiking, camping, painting, reading - mostly fiction, watching live music/performance, making something from nothing - i shoot from the hip with a big craft box that collects odd items and scraps, home team sport watching - pens, steelers, wolverines - go blue, playing with my cat Bamboo. of course there are other things.... but those are the core of me ;) add pic- bamboo links i love |