Life with Lynnette and John

Glacier National Park

2010-08-10T23:28:00.001-07:00

July 28 - August 1... Glacier National Park

Number one thing about Glacier National Park... it's ferocious grizzly bear country. However, I tried not to let this get me down. The footage doesn't do the actual sights justice... though, I'm not sure anything ever does. Cool thing about this segment of our trip, is that we very very randomly and wonderfully planned a road trip that happened to overlap with our friends' Joel and Betsy's road trip at this particular point. They invited us to stay on their campsite with them, and the following video is just a snapshot of the wonderful time we spent together!

Enjoy!
Lynnette

From Lanesboro, MN to Billings, MT

2010-08-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

From July 26 to July 28, we took 90 East from Southeastern Minnesota to Billings, Montana. We visited Lanesboro, MN which is where our friends Brennan and Jessie are apprenticing with the Commonweal Theatre. It's a charming little bed and breakfast town, and the show we saw, Enchanted April, was great! Next, we headed off to Badlands National Park in Southeastern South Dakota. Our car was attacked by grasshoppers, and we didn't see any bison, but the park was dramatic and beautiful, and we even met a nice prairie dog. We stopped in Billings, MT on our way to the next stop, Glacier National Park... stay tuned for that one, it's a beaute!

Madison Madness

2010-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

From July 23 - 26, we spent a long weekend in Madison, WI with my sister, Laura. She was a wonderful hostess, and we walked away feeling like we definitely got a Madison experience. There was plenty of cheese and beer, as well as the beautiful outdoors! Enjoy!

Lynnette

Illinois-y

2010-07-28T19:10:00.001-07:00

On the road... not much time to write. But please enjoy the Chicago video!

Pure Michigan

2010-07-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

July 11 - July 18, 2010

Man, it's hard to find time to work on these videos! Here's some footage from our time in Michigan. We were really fortunate to get to spend time with our loving families, and to enjoy the area we grew up in. Metro Detroit is beautiful in the summer, and we hope you get a glimpse of that in this video. By the way, we're going to work on getting our windshield cleaned!

DC to NYC to MI

2010-07-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

July 6 - July 11, 2010

Welcome to the first installment of our road trip. We left for New York from DC on July 6. This video is a bit long (sorry), but it captures some highlights from our trip so far.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any footage from our fantastic adventures through Flushing, where we attained the best xiao long bao we've ever eaten outside of Shanghai, hand pulled Xian noodles (endorsed by Anthony Bourdain), and the first Squirrel style fish we've ever found outside of China. All made possible by the excellent research skills of Dan Farbman (Thanks Dan!)

We hope to keep capturing little moments from the road, and sharing them with you!

Stay tuned!

Lynnette and John

Road Trip Spectacular - DAY 1

2010-07-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's official. The "Lynnette and John's Road Trip Spectacular" begins today!

Starting Line: Washington D.C.

Finish Line: Los Angeles

"Happiness is the journey, not the destination." Though, L.A. does make me happy :)

Have Love, Will Travel...

2010-06-01T22:38:00.001-07:00

View Summer Road Trip Spectacular in a larger map

My Husband is The Man

2009-05-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 29th, 2009, marked the last day of work for John as a Deputy Federal Public Defender for the Capital Habeas Unit. I had the privilege of being invited to attend his office's surprise going-away party for him. It gave me this new perspective of appreciation, pride, and love for a man for whom I wouldn't have thought was possible to love more than I do. He'll probably be really embarrassed that I'm writing this for all to read. But that's why I'm writing it, so you'll all read it.

You know, I went to high school with this guy. We were in many of the same classes together, and I figured we must both be pretty smart since we were acing AP Calc... um, ok, correction... he was acing AP Calc, and I was... passing, sort of. But still, I don't think it hit me until he walked into Spring Play rehearsal one day, wearing his Stanford sweatshirt (that he promised himself he wouldn't wear unless he was accepted), that John is exceptional. Ever since that day, I've only come to find out more and more about the brilliant man that he is.

Maybe you know the story. John went to undergrad with the intention of studying Engineering. The major changed to math, he dabbled in computer science, but realized through that amazing experience which is college, that he cared deeply about the world and about justice. By the end of college, though his degree would say "Math," his heart was devoted to making the world a better and more just place.

So, then he went to Harvard Law School, and while most of his classmates forged full speed toward working on the best way to make the most money, to be hired by the most prestigious law firm, spending summers being courted by these firms with expensive lunches and free in-office yoga classes, and making $33,000 a summer... John did public interest jobs. He worked for the ACLU, and the DOJ, making so little he had to apply for a cost of living stipend.

But this is not a sob story, or a "look at me, look at me" plea for sympathy or a pat on the back. This story is about true appreciation where appreciation is due.

You might know that John is heading out to Washington D.C. in less than a month to clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and you may or may not know that we're going to spend this next year long-distance, as I'll remain here in Los Angeles working my acting career. But maybe you don't know what John has been doing for the past two years.

I'm using layman's terms here, and I'm not writing this for John's lawyer friends, I'm writing this for you friends who love him and know him, but may not really know what he does. And I'm writing this for me... because I don't get to express how phenomenally proud of him I am, nearly often enough.

John's been working face to face, with people whose lives are literally in his hands. I think that for most people, Death Row is this mystical, creepy place where evil criminal minds wait for inevitable execution. For John, it became a "place" where his real clients, very real people, live, and wait, sometimes for several decades after their crime was committed, to die. And it was John's job to look these guys in the eyes, to hear their stories about everyday life, about their hopes for their own children (who they will never be with again), about their hopes for life in prison, and to do everything within his power to be that someone fighting for them, that someone on their side, to literally fight for their lives. It's a thankless job... but John did it, like he does everything in his life, wholeheartedly.

And so I knew he did all these things... and as an actor/pseudo once-upon-a-time social worker, it always impressed and awed me. But yesterday, I got to hear what John's co-workers, that is, the other people who are in the same boat, and also fighting for the same clients, had to say about John.

First of all, the room was packed. They had been planning this surprise party for several weeks. Someone said it was the fullest the room had ever been for a going away party. The room was filled not only with other Capital Habeas Unit lawyers, but with secretaries, investigators, and the tech guy. These people have a lot of work to do, but they all came out for John's surprise party because I think it was truly important to them to say goodbye and because he had truly touched their lives. After the initial shock, a very grateful John entered the room, and one of the lawyers in his office presented a beautiful "spoken letter" which I cannot justifiably paraphrase. The head of the entire office gave a speech, followed by several people in the office who had things to say. All of these notes of gratitude shared a theme: that John is not only brilliant beyond his years and experience, but that he is humble, selfless with his time and energy, and a true model for how best to serve his clients and co-workers with compassion and care. People expressed their great appreciation not only for his intellect and hard work, but for the joy, humor, and genuineness with which he worked with others.

Never really having worked in an office, I think I had a stereotype of what office parties were like: awkward, only semi-meaningful, well-intentioned but painful. But this gathering was sincere, celebratory, and loving. People hugged me hard, and told me that I was an incredibly lucky woman to be married to this wonderful, almost unbelievable man. I knew this to be true, but hearing it from people John worked with, really gave me a different perspective. That he could have this affect on co-workers... I mean, some people just go to work to make money, but John goes to work, and inspires people.

Anyway, I know my words have not expressed what I'm feeling to the fullest, but I had to at least try. I am proud of John beyond words. He is a real-life hero. I am the luckiest woman alive. My husband is the man.

Lynnette's Demo Reel

2009-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

I recently worked with my friend Chris Miyasaki (editor for Law and Order) to create my demo reel. Here it is!

Scenes are taken from two projects I worked on: Apple's Fear - Directed by Xiao Lu Tang, and Office of the Dead - Directed by Matthew Chung

Puente Hills Toyota

2008-09-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

I recently booked a local Toyota commercial spot. For your viewing pleasure, I am posting it here.

My Thoughts on the Slanty Eyed Photo

2008-08-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a lot of debate over whether the “slanty eyed” photo featuring the Olympic Basketball Team of Spain is offensive. I’m actually not sure we can really have this argument, because the fact is, something is offensive if someone is offended by it. Now it may be true that some people in some places are offended by this gesture, while other people are not. It actually makes quite a bit of sense to me that Chinese people in China might not experience this gesture as offensive. China has a fairly homogenous population, in which the majority is ethnically Chinese. They don’t experience discrimination or degradation as a result of being Asian the same way an Asian in a largely white society might. They may have never seen this gesture in the context of discrimination or ignorance. But, just because some Chinese people in China express that they do not find this gesture offensive doesn’t mean that it is never offensive.

I will share that I am personally offended by this "slanty eye" gesture, because it was a means by which I have experienced humiliation and embarrassment since childhood. My first memory of the “slanty eye” gesture was from a white family I encountered while I was on a camping trip with my family. I was about 7 years old, playing on a swing set with my younger sister and brother. There were two other children around my age, who were approaching the same playground with their parents. One girl screamed “Mommy! Mommy! Chi-NEEEESE people!!!” I felt like a spectacle, a zoo animal. Both kids ran over to me and my siblings and proceeded to tug at the sides of their eyes with their fingers, singing “Cheeeeny cheeeeny Chinese. Ching Chong Ching Chong,” in what my 7-year-old brain perceived as a mildly mocking tone. They didn’t come over to talk to us; they came over to talk at us. I am pretty confident that these children were too young to have any intention of offending, but I can still remember to this day that I felt uncomfortable and ashamed, and it was a feeling I strongly disliked. As an adult, I had a college professor jokingly tell me to “open my eyes” when our class was posing together for a picture. I’m sure that he didn’t intend to offend either, but in truth, it made me feel singled out and laughed at, on the basis of being Chinese.

Over the course of my life as a Chinese American in the U.S., this gesture has been associated with and accompanied by sentiments of ignorance, discrimination, and racism. Whether it is offensive is simply not up for debate. Just as a man can never argue that giving birth is not painful, a non-Asian person cannot argue that a "slanty eye" gesture is not offensive. And at the same time, if one woman says that giving birth was not painful, we do not conclude that all women do not experience pain during delivery.

With this said, I still believe it may be possible that this photo was not intended to offend anyone. However, upon realizing that this gesture is indeed offensive to many people, I believe that the proper response should have been a sincere apology. Jose Luis Saez, president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, argues that it was a "gesture of affection...to identify with the Chinese people." This puzzles me because I have never once felt any amount of affection or identification with anyone who has made "slanty eyes" at me.

Dear Olympic Basketball Team of Spain,
And Dear People Who Defend their Actions,

I am saddened by this photo. But I’m even more saddened by your unwillingness to offer a sincere apology, even after learning that the photo you took offends me and others like me. It is time for the defensiveness to stop. I am not interested in hearing any more explanations. I am ready and eager to forgive you and to put this incident behind us, once you have taken responsibility for your actions and admitted your fault. There is a better way to demonstrate your respect and affection for the Chinese people: say that you are sorry. It might feel hard to do, but you are not alone. People make mistakes all the time. It is learning from our mistakes that allows us all to grow and become a better, more compassionate, and understanding world society.

Sincerely,

Lynnette Li

March Madness

2008-03-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd update you a bit on life here in Los Angeles. Things are going well in the Li-Rappaport household. We've had a great month!

First up, I'm currently training with TTES (Train to End Stroke) to run a half-marathon. So far so good! I run during the week on my own, and every Saturday I meet with the rest of the TTES team at 7 a.m. for a long run. Last Saturday, I did 9 miles! And tomorrow, I'm doing 10 miles! Whoo hoo! I'm also raising $2500 for the American Stroke Association. And I'm not quite there yet, so I'd really really appreciate any donations no matter how small!
You can go to this website to donate or to read about what it is I'm doing. http://ttesla.kintera.org/runninglynnette

In other news, John was invited to speak on a panel at a conference at Harvard Law School called a Celebration of Public Interest. The conference was held from Mar 13 - 16 in Cambridge, MA. He had a great time attending workshops, catching up with his former professors, and having the opportunity to talk about the ways in which Harvard Law School supported his pursuit of a career in the public sector.

Finally, my rehearsals are in full swing for "The Swashbuckling Adventures of Jamie in the World of Red the Reading Pirate" (we just call it the "Pirate Show") It's a kids' show geared toward ages K-3... the show promotes reading as a vital option to watching tv and playing video games. I play Jamie, an 8 year old girl who needs the help of Red the Reading Pirate, his first mate Page, and their friend Webster (the parrot) who has memorized every word in the dictionary. They have to save Jamie from Capt Cable, who is trying to steal her imagination by putting her under the curse of the screen head... Ha ha ha! I wish I had taken a picture of me wearing the plush screenhead, but I'm sure I'll be able to take some once we go on the road. We open up our show on April 1... We took some pictures on Wednesday after we put up our full set and put on our costumes.
Here is a picture of me and Webster

Here are Red (played by Acquah) and Capt Cable (played by Andreas) They make me look so small!

And here is a picture of me with Page (Kristen)

And guess what? I'm the oldest actor in the bunch. I'm hanging on to my youth as long as I can!!

David in L.A.!

2008-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

David, for those of you who don't know, is John's younger brother. He came to visit us one week ago for the beginning of his spring break. Here are the Rappaport brothers enjoying some of our favorite ice cream from Scoops! Scoops is the best because they feature unique (and sometimes shocking) flavor combinations, such as white chocolate and sea salt, peanut butter and lemon, and caramel and bacon! My favorite part is that they always include 4 different types of vegan ice cream, which means that I can enjoy as much as I want without getting my usual tummy ache!

There was also plenty of time for David to cuddle with Zelda.

We had a great time! We miss you, David! Hope that your last half of your last semester is going well!

What a Spectacle!

2008-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

John has just experienced, for the first time, something which I experienced long long ago at the tender age of 7... getting his first pair of glasses! There were many exclamations of "I can see!!!" complete with the taking on and off of the new glasses to draw comparisons... And now for your viewing pleasure, I present my newly spectacled husband!

Note: Even Z-bot is rather taken by John's new appearance :)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2008-01-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we saw the French-language movie, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." It's a fascinating movie -- we give it two thumbs up! The Diving Bell tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was the editor of Elle magazine until he suffered a stroke-like incident that brought about "locked-in syndrome." Bauby was paralyzed from head to toe, yet his sight, vision, and mental function were unaffected. Bauby managed to write his memoirs, which share the movie's title, using only his left eyelid. Pretty incredible, right? The movie is extremely creative and visually stunning -- much of it is shot from Bauby's "locked-in" perspective. Highly recommended.

In non-cinematic news, Barack Obama won South Carolina by a landslide! Three cheers for him. Here's to hoping that he can pull off a similar feat come Super Tuesday.

The Headshot

2008-01-20T14:13:00.001-08:00

In the world of acting, the "headshot" has been said to be one of the most (if not THE most) vital and crucial factors, in determining the actor's success. This simple photo must capture the actor's likeness, while conveying a feeling or quality, that makes a casting director want to bring that actor in for an audition. If the picture isn't good, the actor doesn't even have a chance to show off her skills and talent.

It's also like an advertisement. When you order a new shirt online, you expect that when it comes to your door, it will closely resemble the shirt you saw in the photo. If its the wrong color, material, length, etc., you're an unhappy customer. Needless to say, this means that an actor needs to look like her picture. If the actor in the photo has long hair, and the actor who walks in the door has short hair... well, you get my drift. They also need to top notch quality photos, taken by a professional photographer, otherwise, your whole file is simply overlooked.

So, I got new headshots taken! With much much help from my parents (who helped me fund them with a fantastic monetary birthday present), and a fabulous photographer (www.alexandrakphoto.com), I have new headshots to represent me in the never-ending quest for auditions.

We took six different looks, that conjure a different feeling and quality, so that i look "suited" for different types of roles: from restaurant worker, to old time China doll, and from casual everyday student, to trendy hip business gal.

Here are the photos that my manager selected!

Let me know what you think!

That second to last picture is actually not a headshot, its a picture John took of me after he asked me to make dinner. Ha ha, just kidding. (John just thinks i look so mad in that one) :)

-Lynnette

Lynnette Turns 28

2008-01-11T10:16:00.001-08:00

Well, this is last year's news. I turned 28 on December 27, 2007. As a little treat to myself, as well as by suggestion of my new manager, I decided to get a substantial haircut. I cut so much off (10 inches to be exact), that I was able to save the hair and donate it to www.locksoflove.com :) For your enjoyment, here are some before and after pictures.

That night I had a birthday party at a nearby lounge/bar, and invited my friends out to join me for a little celebration. Here's a cute photo of me and Erin (who was out visiting me from Chicago)!

My friend Michael was awesome enough to bring a cake (he had his little cousin make it). Here, Michael, John, and Phong are singing me "Happy Birthday"

Our friend Brook also made some AMAZING cupcakes that we shared with the bartenders and doormen, but I can't seem to find any pictures of those scrumptious treats :( Thank you, Brook!!

And now, just because I still haven't posted a picture of the cat in my life. I leave you with Zelda, who is often spotted sneaking around our apartment, chasing invisible mice.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Love, Lynnette :)

2007 At a Glance

2007-12-27T17:19:00.001-08:00

WELCOME!!! We've decided to start a blog! Married life has been treating us well. We'd like to be a little better about letting you know what's going on in our lives... that's one of our new year's resolutions!

2007 has been such a blessed year! Here are just a few highlights from this year for which we're so thankful.

-In late May, Lynnette joined a theatre group called Hereandnow Theatre Company (www.hereandnowtheatrecompany.com - I'm not on the website yet, but hopefully soon?), an Asian American theatre group based here in L.A. She performed weekly in Pasadena in a show called Boba Stories. Here's Lynnette with new friends Jason and Sandy from Hereandnow.

-In June, John interviewed and was offered a clerkship with Justice Ruth Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court. Of course he accepted this offer, and we will be living in D.C. from summer 2009 to summer 2010.

-For the entire month of July, John studied rigorously for the California BAR exam, and took the horrible 3-day test at the end of the month.

-In August, Lynnette auditioned for and was cast in a one-woman show, Journey to Topaz, where she portrayed an 11-year-old Japanese American girl living during WWII. Lynnette lived in northern California performing this show for school-aged children during the month of October.

-September, good friends Wendy and Andrew moved from Boston to Los Angeles, and we housed them, along with Sullivan the cat, while they found jobs and a place to live (Santa Monica)!

It's been so awesome to have such good friends living nearby!

-October, John began his new job with the Federal Public Defender, working in the Capital Habeas Unit! His hours are sooooo much better, and now he gets to come home every night for dinner at 7 p.m. Life is good!

-November 16 - John found out he passed the BAR!! Celebration follows :) Actually, Lynnette's sister Laura was in town at the time, so she got to partake in the celebrating!

-Also in November, Lynnette auditioned and was cast in a children's show for Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Program! The show will run throughout March and April of 2008.

-December - John is sworn in by Judge Reinhardt, and is an official lawyer! And Lynnette gets a manager to help create more opportunities for her acting career!

Overall, we are loving life in Los Angeles! These days, we're really into the NBA (an obsession aided by an awesome Chanukah gift of LeaguePass from Mom Rapp). We've started a fantasy basketball league with friends and family scattered all over the country, for which Lynnette is the commissioner. Zelda, our cat, is one of the best things that has ever happened to us too. She is a great source of joy, cuddles, and mischief. Eating is definitely still one of our favorite past times, and we'll have you know that those kitchen wedding gifts are being put to VERY good use! Oooh, speaking of gifts, Mom and Pop Li have provided us with the Christmas means to acquire a new camera, so keep your eyes peeled for some fun new quality photos from us!

Much love and peace to all of you! Check in periodically for updates in our lives!