March 2014 Archives

(My first post about this topic is here.)

I've been wanting to post about this for a while, but I've been so busy lately, that I've not been able to. With today's DUMB FLEET FEET MOMENT, I thought this was the right time to post about this other DUMB FLEET FEET MOMENT that totally infuriated me.

A few months ago, I was driving down Western and passed the Lincoln Square Fleet Feet. This advertisement was in one of their windows (forgive the quality--these were taken through my car window in the winter):

It's a Saucony ad for a shoe. It features a man running.

"A 10oz WRECKING BALL to Break Through the Wall."

So I get it, so it is a light shoe, and when you are about to hit your physical wall, these shoes will help you get through it. Cool.

This was in the other window:

It features a woman running.

"The further you go, THE BIGGER THE SUNDAE."

What.
The.
Fuck.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS WRONG.

For one, rewarding yourself with food is a bad habit to get into, and the concept of "I worked out so I deserve this X" is bullshit. It's a much bigger topic than I can even get into right now, and so many people have done it better than me before.

For an athletic store to promote this way of thinking is irresponsible.

Secondly, why does this have to be the message on the WOMEN's shoe ad? Does Saucony (and subsequently Fleet Feet for posting the advertisement) think that the only reason women work out is because we want to lose weight? Sure, a lot of women do, but a lot of MEN do, too. And in reality, I know a TON of women runners, and do you know why they run? Because they are badasses, because they are determined, because they are overcoming great obstacles, because it makes them feel good, because it can be both an independent and communal experience, because they challenge themselves to be the best they can be. Women runners are strong and powerful. Hardqore. Tougher than nails. And we would also love to depend on a 10oz wrecking ball to break through the wall, too-- and one that ISN'T pink, might I add.

Think about what a more powerful message and ad campaign this would be if it said something like:

"A force as powerful as you are."

YES! I want those shoes!

Instead, Saucony and Fleet Feet are perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes and shaming women into feeling like we all must meet a stupid societal image of weight, health and fitness, and that the only reason we should work out is so we can eat ice cream.

I would like to think that the companies that encourage health and fitness would be the ones who would try to stop this damaging and outdated message, but I guess I am wrong.

WE have to be the ones to fight it.

This week, my aunt Susan sent me all the old family photos from my Memaw and Papaw Reid's house. I can't wait to dig in and find old treasures from the family and new old photos of Dad. I have only just scratched the surface of the photos (literally, I opened one box and looked at the top few photos), but I already found this treasure: an amazing photo of my bro and me as kids. I think it perfectly sums up our relationship even to this day, 30ish years later:

I mean, come on.

It's been tough having my brother so far away in Mwanza, Tanzania, Africa, but thanks to Skype and email, we've been able to stay in pretty constant touch, as long as they have power. But after their trip to the states in February, there has been a new development in our lives.

Christopher was given a hand-me-down iPhone.

This is awesome for so many reasons, the best of which is that he and I can now iMessage each other for free. We can text! And because his evening is my morning, his night is my afternoon, and my night is his morning, we can sort of always keep a conversation going. When I get up in the morning, I can expect a "what's up?" from him, and when I get home before midnight from a rehearsal, I can check in with him to see how his day is. It's amazing. Of course, in typical, Erica and Christopher fashion, often our conversations devolve into Bitfest USA, which leads me to non-stop giggling and zero productivity. It's pretty great.

Case in point: This conversation from Friday. Please enjoy.

Me: Hi! Wassup?
C: Working on a logo.
Me: What's it for?
C: Mwanza Charity Craft Fair
Me: Ooh, Cool!  Take a photo and send it to me.
C:
C: At a loss how to illustrate "crafts."
Me: Make the house a little smaller and put a display of tiny purses and paintings next to it.
C: That's a lot of details to add.
Me: Baskets? Africans loooooove baskets.
C: I wanna just write SHE'S CRAFTY.
Me: A couple mockups:

C (at the exact same time as the last one from me): How about this?


C: We drew the same thing!
C: God, we are idiots.
Me: HAHAHAHAHHAHA. I'm losing it.
C: If only the rest of the world were as cool as us.
(FIN)

Amazing, right?

Today would be our father's 60th birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate his life than by doing bits with my older brother.

REIDS FOREVA!

For months, I saw these 2 billboards on the same stretch of I-294, and to this day, when I see one of them, I think it is an ad for the other.

See? Identical.

The Plucky Show is back! And better than ever!

Tonight at 9pm at Gorilla Tango! Get all the details here!

I really do think that I have a charmed and magical life.

This story proves it.

Yesterday, Shannon tweeted to me the following:

3 days riding lifts. 1 summit run and 1 tweaked knee. Oh, and this adorable surprise Parker bulldog sticker. #shredfest @drunkmonkeyshow

-- Shannon Rose (@shannonrose) March 9, 2014

I was confused, but expected to see a photo of a Parker-like cat. So I asked for a photo. She sent this.

I freaked out. It isn't a Parker-like image--it literally IS Parker.  Though they changed her eyes a bit.

My cat. My precious little Parker who just passed away is a company's LOGO.

I looked them up. 

She's on the website and on these awesome I <3 My Cat bumper stickers.

PARKER ON A BUMPER STICKER!

I mean, WE all know that she was amazing, awesome and the best cat in the universe, but the fact that someone else saw her and thought the same, enough to make her their COMPANY LOGO just melts my heart and brain. Parker truly was special.

I am utterly dumbfounded.

What's even more amazing to me is that we never would have known if Shannon hadn't randomly seen it out in the world on her ski trip this past weekend. What are the chances!?!? I also love love love that my friends know and love Parker so much that this image is iconic and unmistakable when seen out in the world.

@drunkmonkeyshow I know! Totally freaked out in line at the chair lift. I'd recognize that kitty bulldog anywhere!

-- Shannon Rose (@shannonrose) March 10, 2014

We contacted the company today and are working out the attribution details per the Creative Commons License on the photo. The best part? They are going to send us some stickers!

Parker's life and legacy lives on.

Surreal, right?

The more famous Erica Reid (I'm not going to say only famous Erica Reid, cause I like to think that I am famous in my own right) is miss-faced in this Broadway World listing of my name! Those are my show credits, but that's not my face!

Another great review! This one from Newcity (bold emphasis was added by me, but you'll see why.)

Five or ten minutes into "Period Piece," I had nearly resigned myself to a show with little but its heart in the right place. Then, quite noticeably and suddenly, everything else clicked into place and I was off on a spirited, intelligent and emotionally true journey through time on a rather red river of hilarity.

 

Our hero Tammy DuPont has placed about as many pharmacological, intellectual and emotional dams between her and her monthly magic as playwrights Jenni Lamb and Lisa Linke have placed slang menstruation terms into this frequently uproarious script. A disastrous pitch to her longtime client from Forever Feminine hygiene products, the resultant falling out with her business partner and a surprise visit from her Aunt Flo (oh, that bothersome flow) conspire to force high-powered ad-exec Tammy to rethink her bitter, dismissive attitude about her period. The catalyst for this change of heart is a family heirloom gifted by Aunt Flo: a magical sanitary napkin belt which thrusts Tammy back and forth through time. On several stops through both world and DuPont family history (which generally intersect) Tammy confronts ridiculous, debunked "expertise" on women's health, sexist doctrine on a woman's place and her own unresolved feelings of personal loss and shame which are increasingly revealed to be the source of her views on menstruation.

 

A musical comedy about many periods throughout many periods, Playground Theater's production is an impressive piece of work. It's frenetic yet cohesive; informative yet humorous; angry yet delightful. Though they tire Tammy to no end, the musical numbers are never tiresome. The goofy dance/movement pieces not only provide laughs but help advance the narrative. The serious topics are handled comically. And rather than just rail against injustice, the resolute characters revel in strength. "Period Piece" accomplishes all this while mocking both the idiocies of the oppression of women throughout history and the more laughable cliches of the movement for female liberation in the eras we travel to.

 

The entire cast is commendable and at times remarkably funny. With the exception of the lead, each actress takes on multiple roles and they do so ably. Director Andy Eninger keeps what is often a madhouse from ever becoming a mess. And the script, while mostly dealing in humor, offers some genuinely tender moments. During the scenes with Tammy's late mother, you might even feel a lump in your throat. Ladies, you may fear that's your wandering womb rising out of place--a medical belief Tammy encounters during her stop in the Victorian Era. Convincing her young, bedridden nineteenth-century DuPont ancestor not to believe such quackery is just one way Tammy proves herself a qualified and likable guide through this appropriately hysterical temporal trek. (Raymond Rehayem)

 

The Playground Theater, 3209 North Halsted, (773)871-3793, the-playground.com. $10. Through March 21.

 

- See more at: http://newcitystage.com/2014/03/02/review-period-piecethe-playground-theater/#sthash.mfl2rDEJ.dpuf

RECOMMENDED

Five or ten minutes into "Period Piece," I had nearly resigned myself to a show with little but its heart in the right place. Then, quite noticeably and suddenly, everything else clicked into place and I was off on a spirited, intelligent and emotionally true journey through time on a rather red river of hilarity.

Our hero Tammy DuPont has placed about as many pharmacological, intellectual and emotional dams between her and her monthly magic as playwrights Jenni Lamb and Lisa Linke have placed slang menstruation terms into this frequently uproarious script. A disastrous pitch to her longtime client from Forever Feminine hygiene products, the resultant falling out with her business partner and a surprise visit from her Aunt Flo (oh, that bothersome flow) conspire to force high-powered ad-exec Tammy to rethink her bitter, dismissive attitude about her period. The catalyst for this change of heart is a family heirloom gifted by Aunt Flo: a magical sanitary napkin belt which thrusts Tammy back and forth through time. On several stops through both world and DuPont family history (which generally intersect) Tammy confronts ridiculous, debunked "expertise" on women's health, sexist doctrine on a woman's place and her own unresolved feelings of personal loss and shame which are increasingly revealed to be the source of her views on menstruation.

A musical comedy about many periods throughout many periods, Playground Theater's production is an impressive piece of work. It's frenetic yet cohesive; informative yet humorous; angry yet delightful. Though they tire Tammy to no end, the musical numbers are never tiresome. The goofy dance/movement pieces not only provide laughs but help advance the narrative. The serious topics are handled comically. And rather than just rail against injustice, the resolute characters revel in strength. "Period Piece" accomplishes all this while mocking both the idiocies of the oppression of women throughout history and the more laughable cliches of the movement for female liberation in the eras we travel to.

The entire cast is commendable and at times remarkably funny. With the exception of the lead, each actress takes on multiple roles and they do so ably. Director Andy Eninger keeps what is often a madhouse from ever becoming a mess. And the script, while mostly dealing in humor, offers some genuinely tender moments. During the scenes with Tammy's late mother, you might even feel a lump in your throat. Ladies, you may fear that's your wandering womb rising out of place--a medical belief Tammy encounters during her stop in the Victorian Era. Convincing her young, bedridden nineteenth-century DuPont ancestor not to believe such quackery is just one way Tammy proves herself a qualified and likable guide through this appropriately hysterical temporal trek. (Raymond Rehayem)

The Playground Theater, 3209 North Halsted, (773)871-3793, the-playground.com. $10. Through March 21.

- See more at: http://newcitystage.com/2014/03/02/review-period-piecethe-playground-theater/#sthash.mfl2rDEJ.dpuf

RECOMMENDED

Five or ten minutes into "Period Piece," I had nearly resigned myself to a show with little but its heart in the right place. Then, quite noticeably and suddenly, everything else clicked into place and I was off on a spirited, intelligent and emotionally true journey through time on a rather red river of hilarity.

Our hero Tammy DuPont has placed about as many pharmacological, intellectual and emotional dams between her and her monthly magic as playwrights Jenni Lamb and Lisa Linke have placed slang menstruation terms into this frequently uproarious script. A disastrous pitch to her longtime client from Forever Feminine hygiene products, the resultant falling out with her business partner and a surprise visit from her Aunt Flo (oh, that bothersome flow) conspire to force high-powered ad-exec Tammy to rethink her bitter, dismissive attitude about her period. The catalyst for this change of heart is a family heirloom gifted by Aunt Flo: a magical sanitary napkin belt which thrusts Tammy back and forth through time. On several stops through both world and DuPont family history (which generally intersect) Tammy confronts ridiculous, debunked "expertise" on women's health, sexist doctrine on a woman's place and her own unresolved feelings of personal loss and shame which are increasingly revealed to be the source of her views on menstruation.

A musical comedy about many periods throughout many periods, Playground Theater's production is an impressive piece of work. It's frenetic yet cohesive; informative yet humorous; angry yet delightful. Though they tire Tammy to no end, the musical numbers are never tiresome. The goofy dance/movement pieces not only provide laughs but help advance the narrative. The serious topics are handled comically. And rather than just rail against injustice, the resolute characters revel in strength. "Period Piece" accomplishes all this while mocking both the idiocies of the oppression of women throughout history and the more laughable cliches of the movement for female liberation in the eras we travel to.

The entire cast is commendable and at times remarkably funny. With the exception of the lead, each actress takes on multiple roles and they do so ably. Director Andy Eninger keeps what is often a madhouse from ever becoming a mess. And the script, while mostly dealing in humor, offers some genuinely tender moments. During the scenes with Tammy's late mother, you might even feel a lump in your throat. Ladies, you may fear that's your wandering womb rising out of place--a medical belief Tammy encounters during her stop in the Victorian Era. Convincing her young, bedridden nineteenth-century DuPont ancestor not to believe such quackery is just one way Tammy proves herself a qualified and likable guide through this appropriately hysterical temporal trek. (Raymond Rehayem)

The Playground Theater, 3209 North Halsted, (773)871-3793, the-playground.com. $10. Through March 21.

- See more at: http://newcitystage.com/2014/03/02/review-period-piecethe-playground-theater/#sthash.mfl2rDEJ.dpuf

RECOMMENDED

Five or ten minutes into "Period Piece," I had nearly resigned myself to a show with little but its heart in the right place. Then, quite noticeably and suddenly, everything else clicked into place and I was off on a spirited, intelligent and emotionally true journey through time on a rather red river of hilarity.

Our hero Tammy DuPont has placed about as many pharmacological, intellectual and emotional dams between her and her monthly magic as playwrights Jenni Lamb and Lisa Linke have placed slang menstruation terms into this frequently uproarious script. A disastrous pitch to her longtime client from Forever Feminine hygiene products, the resultant falling out with her business partner and a surprise visit from her Aunt Flo (oh, that bothersome flow) conspire to force high-powered ad-exec Tammy to rethink her bitter, dismissive attitude about her period. The catalyst for this change of heart is a family heirloom gifted by Aunt Flo: a magical sanitary napkin belt which thrusts Tammy back and forth through time. On several stops through both world and DuPont family history (which generally intersect) Tammy confronts ridiculous, debunked "expertise" on women's health, sexist doctrine on a woman's place and her own unresolved feelings of personal loss and shame which are increasingly revealed to be the source of her views on menstruation.

A musical comedy about many periods throughout many periods, Playground Theater's production is an impressive piece of work. It's frenetic yet cohesive; informative yet humorous; angry yet delightful. Though they tire Tammy to no end, the musical numbers are never tiresome. The goofy dance/movement pieces not only provide laughs but help advance the narrative. The serious topics are handled comically. And rather than just rail against injustice, the resolute characters revel in strength. "Period Piece" accomplishes all this while mocking both the idiocies of the oppression of women throughout history and the more laughable cliches of the movement for female liberation in the eras we travel to.

The entire cast is commendable and at times remarkably funny. With the exception of the lead, each actress takes on multiple roles and they do so ably. Director Andy Eninger keeps what is often a madhouse from ever becoming a mess. And the script, while mostly dealing in humor, offers some genuinely tender moments. During the scenes with Tammy's late mother, you might even feel a lump in your throat. Ladies, you may fear that's your wandering womb rising out of place--a medical belief Tammy encounters during her stop in the Victorian Era. Convincing her young, bedridden nineteenth-century DuPont ancestor not to believe such quackery is just one way Tammy proves herself a qualified and likable guide through this appropriately hysterical temporal trek. (Raymond Rehayem)

The Playground Theater, 3209 North Halsted, (773)871-3793, the-playground.com. $10. Through March 21.

- See more at: http://newcitystage.com/2014/03/02/review-period-piecethe-playground-theater/#sthash.mfl2rDEJ.dpuf