Channeling the Power

Jessie has had, and continues to have, a variety of goals for her future. While there is an underlying current that relates to the arts and performance, the flavours of the month day rival, in range and creativity, those on offer by the Baskin Robbins ice cream chain.

Generally her identified passion and career choice derives from whatever movie/TV show she has just watched. From Spy Kids (a spy, of course) to Harry Potter (a wizard) to Little Women (a writer, complete with oil lamp), to Bring it On (a cheerleader), to the Jonas Brothers (a lyricist), to Glee (this one is a little more convoluted and involves travelling to LA with Dan /Dad where he gets a job as a scriptwriter on Glee and writes her into the script so that there are TWO actors with Down syndrome and she is the new love interest for Finn).

As she has matured (sic) and moved into a life phase where she is expected to be a little bit more reality-based in her choices, she often states that her desire is to act, advocate, and/or dance. All things she has had some experience and success with; all things that she has figured out that we have a more positive response to (i.e., it does not precipitate parental eye-rolling or large exasperated sighs).

Of course she continues to throw us loops—such as a consistent urge to follow her passion: her music career. (Hmmmm, where is that chromosome related to singing on key? Certainly not on the 21st you say?) Or a more recent desire to give up dancing professionally (which she does, dance professionally that is, with Propeller Dance) so she can spend more time with Drummer Boy, her boyfriend, and they can work on their combined music careers (he is also considering a career playing with the National Hockey League, so they are not 100% sure about the music thing. )

This week however, I’m glad to see that all our discussions about talent, passion, reality, and the 10,000 hour rule are really paying off! She and some friends went to see X-Men on Monday and I got this text:

I wonder if our college savings will cover it?

Jessie Flips: About Living in L.A.--The Nicer Part!

We're still going over the videos that Jessie took in L.A., but one particular on-camera essay deserves a posting, particularly in these rough and uncertain financial times when a good place to live can be hard to come by.  According to Jessie, you can avoid the nastier parts, just let it go, and live in the nicer areas! Because living in the nicer areas (of course) is based only on one's desire to live in the nicer areas. Glad we got that straightened out. Now she just has to share this with Obama (and Harper). 

Living the Dream in L.A.

I called Dan and Jessie in L.A. yesterday morning to see if they were surviving. The last time I spoke to Dan was a hurried call the morning they arrived (after flying across the country all night and not really sleeping) when he asked me if it was okay to give Jessie Pepto Bismol and if it was normal for Jessie to ask why she was vibrating. Huh? I just said yes, okay for Pepto-Bismol and anything is normal for Jessie on the road and then went back to my Lenten readings thinking L.A. is in the desert right? So Dan gets the wilderness, I get the honey, and I’m not going to ask any more questions!

When Jessie answered the phone, she exclaimed, “I’m living my dream!” I guess the Pepto Bismol worked!

It turns out that the day before they had walked along Hollywood Boulevard and when they got close to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (where all the stars' hand and other prints are) there were buskers in weird get-ups and loud music blaring. Jessie looked, listened, and then—decked out in her new bright pink sparkly Hollywood t-shirt and sunglasses—began to dance, doing her hip-hop choreography to some Rihanna tune. She refused to look at Dan, who was madly miming for her to stop, and just sucked up the attention as people stopped to watch and then looked around for a hat or some other receptacle in which to place money. When they saw Dan—who had by now surrendered and was filming it on the Flip (we try to chronicle all our daughter’s forays into madness)—they asked if he was her father, and then complimented him on her dancing.

According to Jessie, all their plans for the day were thrown to the wind and they were going back to Hollywood Boulevard. This time she was going to make Dan bring his baseball cap. They’ll either get rich, or arrested. Yup, she’s living her dream.