Stumbled my way back here. Maybe my mom and Nessa can motivate me to get back into this blogging thing. Right now, I've got a couple of scripts to memorize for rehearsals Monday. Two acting scenes, ten minutes each. I've held each script less than a week and am supposed to be off book already. Oh boy... Time to get to work.
Anyone who stopped by here and was disappointed by the lack of an actual blog entry, check out these other blogs. They're pretty cool and newer to the blogosphere. :)
Mistress Mary and Quite Contrary are doing a remodel of their blog. Its well worth a visit.
Jayde's Little Corner will give you a glimpse into the life of a small town Texas mom, artist, and all around cool person.
Jayde's other half, Terzula, is also very cool. He's got a clear view of the world and every now and then can be pretty profound. ;)
I'll get an actual update going soon. :)
15 November 2009
27 June 2009
Fired
The summer routine was going in full force up until last night. Everything kind of derailed. I was working, like usual for summer, at a convenience store near the edge of town. My step-dad was there as well, doing his evening stocking hours. It had been a pretty slow night, no lines of customers at the register, but they were coming in pretty steadily. It seemed like every time I moved from behind the counter to do a side-job, somebody else would come in. This prevented me from doing my safe drops, which turned out to be my own fault. That was how it started, normal enough.
This guy comes in and pre-pays for gas, so I set the pump and go to put the money in the register. As soon as the drawer was open, his hands reached over and grabbed. I reacted automatically, grabbing back, but I missed. Yelling "hey!" very loudly, I kept on acting automatically and followed him out of the store. By the time I hit the doors, he was in his car. It was turned off. I got close enough to watch him shift into drive before my brain kicked in, going: "okay, what are you going to do now?" As he drove off, I noted the license plate number.
The next hours or so was hellish as the adrenaline started to wear off. The store manager and my stepdad both praised me for being so gutsy while I kept telling them I hadn't planned any of it. When I was filling out a police report, the manager came into the back room where I was and told me the bad news. I'd been fired.
For chasing the guy and trying to get the money back, I was fired.
The pay there was good, but it doesn't seem worth fighting to keep the job, so my job hunt will start fresh on Monday. After last night's insanity, I think I deserve a weekend off.
This guy comes in and pre-pays for gas, so I set the pump and go to put the money in the register. As soon as the drawer was open, his hands reached over and grabbed. I reacted automatically, grabbing back, but I missed. Yelling "hey!" very loudly, I kept on acting automatically and followed him out of the store. By the time I hit the doors, he was in his car. It was turned off. I got close enough to watch him shift into drive before my brain kicked in, going: "okay, what are you going to do now?" As he drove off, I noted the license plate number.
The next hours or so was hellish as the adrenaline started to wear off. The store manager and my stepdad both praised me for being so gutsy while I kept telling them I hadn't planned any of it. When I was filling out a police report, the manager came into the back room where I was and told me the bad news. I'd been fired.
For chasing the guy and trying to get the money back, I was fired.
The pay there was good, but it doesn't seem worth fighting to keep the job, so my job hunt will start fresh on Monday. After last night's insanity, I think I deserve a weekend off.
04 April 2009
To my mom for everything
I love you more than words can say. You're my best friend. You've always been there and supported me even when you knew I'd fall flat on my face. Thank you, Momma Bunny.
Twenty-two years and counting
The end of March marks the start of a new year in my life. My birthday has come and gone and I'm now twenty-two. No big party, but I didn't really want one. I just spent time with my best friend last Saturday and went to a play that Sunday. I ended up getting a new computer out of the deal since my Mac crashed Friday. The problem? It's a Windows. I haven't used Windows computers in ten years. At this point, I've managed to get connected to the internet. I know the DVD player works. I know the wireless card works. Haven't tried much else.
Even though I've passed another birthday, there are times I have to remind myself it happened; I have to remember I'm 22 now. I suppose it makes sense. After all, there's rarely any sort of ceremony or tradition surrounding birthday number twenty-two. Thirteen seems big because you're finally a teenager. The next year or two marks the beginning of high school. Sixteen, of course, is everything for most teens. Girls get the sweet sixteen party. You get your learner's permit, soon to be your license. If you're lucky you get a car. If you're really lucky and/or your folks aren't the most intelligent (in my opinion) you get a new car. Eighteen marks the world of legal adulthood. You're graduating, being thrown into the world with whatever guidance or lessons you may have picked up over the last twelve years of school. Twenty is big because you're no longer a teenager. Twenty-one years and you can legally buy your own alcohol. Twenty-two? Not exactly a milestone in most people's eyes.
In my twenty-two years on this world, I've learned a lot about myself. As a child, I learned to do whatever my mom said. Whether he like the pets or not, my dad would do anything for them because they were mine. I learned about classical music, great literature, and great art, developing a life-long love of impressionistic art. The ability to think for yourself will get you far and help you for the remainder of your life. Sometimes friends leave, but that doesn't mean you have to forget them. The best food in the room just might be the stuff nobody else is touching. Grass is not my friend. Neither is poison ivy. The worst thing you can ever do is lie to someone who trusts you; if that person is your mother, you may as well have committed blasphemy. Be willing to express your opinion, but realize that sometimes its better to keep your mouth shut. Its okay to drive over 40 mph. The idea of standing by your friends no matter what sometimes only works in theory. My uncles would kill for me if I asked them; my mom would get away with it. My step-dad is one of the greatest men in the world if only because he treats my mom like royalty. Suicide is never the answer, if only because it causes so much pain to the people left behind. I have three guardian angels watching over me, one of them a canine. The pursuit of knowledge is never a waste of time. The smell of steak cooking can make me nauseous. Whether its a car or a house, outer appearance doesn't matter. Family doesn't always mean you're related. A smile is the same in any language. Don't be afraid of manual labor. A willingness to work, to try, is just as important as knowing how to think. Boys are icky. Best friends don't always make the best lovers. Anytime you get extra money, you'll suddenly find a need for it you didn't know you had. Try anything once; you might find a new hobby.
I could go on, but just got an invite for dinner with a friend I haven't seen in a few months. Hope you enjoyed that little glimpse at some of my life lessons.
Even though I've passed another birthday, there are times I have to remind myself it happened; I have to remember I'm 22 now. I suppose it makes sense. After all, there's rarely any sort of ceremony or tradition surrounding birthday number twenty-two. Thirteen seems big because you're finally a teenager. The next year or two marks the beginning of high school. Sixteen, of course, is everything for most teens. Girls get the sweet sixteen party. You get your learner's permit, soon to be your license. If you're lucky you get a car. If you're really lucky and/or your folks aren't the most intelligent (in my opinion) you get a new car. Eighteen marks the world of legal adulthood. You're graduating, being thrown into the world with whatever guidance or lessons you may have picked up over the last twelve years of school. Twenty is big because you're no longer a teenager. Twenty-one years and you can legally buy your own alcohol. Twenty-two? Not exactly a milestone in most people's eyes.
In my twenty-two years on this world, I've learned a lot about myself. As a child, I learned to do whatever my mom said. Whether he like the pets or not, my dad would do anything for them because they were mine. I learned about classical music, great literature, and great art, developing a life-long love of impressionistic art. The ability to think for yourself will get you far and help you for the remainder of your life. Sometimes friends leave, but that doesn't mean you have to forget them. The best food in the room just might be the stuff nobody else is touching. Grass is not my friend. Neither is poison ivy. The worst thing you can ever do is lie to someone who trusts you; if that person is your mother, you may as well have committed blasphemy. Be willing to express your opinion, but realize that sometimes its better to keep your mouth shut. Its okay to drive over 40 mph. The idea of standing by your friends no matter what sometimes only works in theory. My uncles would kill for me if I asked them; my mom would get away with it. My step-dad is one of the greatest men in the world if only because he treats my mom like royalty. Suicide is never the answer, if only because it causes so much pain to the people left behind. I have three guardian angels watching over me, one of them a canine. The pursuit of knowledge is never a waste of time. The smell of steak cooking can make me nauseous. Whether its a car or a house, outer appearance doesn't matter. Family doesn't always mean you're related. A smile is the same in any language. Don't be afraid of manual labor. A willingness to work, to try, is just as important as knowing how to think. Boys are icky. Best friends don't always make the best lovers. Anytime you get extra money, you'll suddenly find a need for it you didn't know you had. Try anything once; you might find a new hobby.
I could go on, but just got an invite for dinner with a friend I haven't seen in a few months. Hope you enjoyed that little glimpse at some of my life lessons.
18 February 2009
Chaos, insanity, idiocy
This is sort of a continuation of my previous post. Let's just dive right on in with the rest of my end of the month review for February.
Once the children's play was over, the entire department's "behind the scenes" work came forward in full force. The whole time we'd been rehearsing and building and planning for the children's play, we'd also been working on our next show, which opens in less than a week. Actors cast in both shows had daily rehearsals from 5-10 until the children's play ended. Two students spent all of Valentine's Day weekend in the theater building painting a gigantic backdrop - I think the measurement is 60' x 20' but I'm not sure. It took the entire tech class to get it laid out so that it could be painted. I've put in about seventeen hours worth of work on making a skirt for one of the actresses and I'm still not finished. I've put in about as much work on the set, doing various tasks as part of my lab hours for one of my classes. This weekend is tech, where we'll all spend two days scrambling to finish everything at the last minute.
Sometime this week, or so I keep hearing, we're supposed to have run crew rehearsals, where myself and about twelve others go up in the evening to what I must say is every techie's dream: a stage without actors. ;) We'll spend however much time is allotted working through scene shifts for the show. By opening night, we'll need to have this down to be as smooth and quick as possible. Of course, the word 'quick' can't always be applied when you're talking about moving a 10' or taller flat across the stage in the dark to try and find the piece of spike tape (that I can only hope will be white), place the flat, and secure it to pull it back up as soon as the scene ends so you aren't mowed down by the next set piece that has to go, inevitably, right where you're standing. At the same time, you've got to simultaneously communicate with whomever is assisting you in moving said 10' flat while keeping quiet so that the audience doesn't hear you.
Yeah. That'll be fun. The funniest part of it all? I volunteered for that insanity. Oh well. To each his own.
Just to make things more complicated: I've got a Spanish test the same day the play opens - my schedule won't be affected since the show goes on at night, unlike the children's play, but it'll give me something to complain about for sure. As soon as the show closes and strike is complete, I'll be expected to go to the cast party. This is a hilarious idea in itself since I've never been to a cast party. What's different this time? A friend who lives out of town (on the other side of the state, practically) is coming in to see the show that weekend. Myself and another friend know that this girl will love hanging out with all the theater majors at the cast party; had she stayed in this area, she'd be going to our school and, no doubt, we would've dragged her into theater as well. So, since she's going to be in town, I'm required to go to the cast party. From everything I've heard, these parties are good excuses for everyone to get together and drink. Since I haven't been doing much socializing, what with all my friends busy with rehearsals every night, I guess one party wouldn't kill me.
Right now, I'm fuming over what an idiot my Spanish professor is. We received a homework assignment today that we have already done. She gave it to us the first week of classes. I know, I know "if you've already done it, it should be an easy A." It will be because I fully intend to recycle my answers - or just hand in the first packet since it was never graded. I just find it...irritating. When I pointed out that the worksheets looked awfully familiar, the classmate I was talking to stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. If the professor's stupid enough to give me the same assignment twice when the composition we have to write (again) has already been corrected, graded, and handed back, I'll take my free 100 and keep the fuming under control. I hate repeating myself...
Once the children's play was over, the entire department's "behind the scenes" work came forward in full force. The whole time we'd been rehearsing and building and planning for the children's play, we'd also been working on our next show, which opens in less than a week. Actors cast in both shows had daily rehearsals from 5-10 until the children's play ended. Two students spent all of Valentine's Day weekend in the theater building painting a gigantic backdrop - I think the measurement is 60' x 20' but I'm not sure. It took the entire tech class to get it laid out so that it could be painted. I've put in about seventeen hours worth of work on making a skirt for one of the actresses and I'm still not finished. I've put in about as much work on the set, doing various tasks as part of my lab hours for one of my classes. This weekend is tech, where we'll all spend two days scrambling to finish everything at the last minute.
Sometime this week, or so I keep hearing, we're supposed to have run crew rehearsals, where myself and about twelve others go up in the evening to what I must say is every techie's dream: a stage without actors. ;) We'll spend however much time is allotted working through scene shifts for the show. By opening night, we'll need to have this down to be as smooth and quick as possible. Of course, the word 'quick' can't always be applied when you're talking about moving a 10' or taller flat across the stage in the dark to try and find the piece of spike tape (that I can only hope will be white), place the flat, and secure it to pull it back up as soon as the scene ends so you aren't mowed down by the next set piece that has to go, inevitably, right where you're standing. At the same time, you've got to simultaneously communicate with whomever is assisting you in moving said 10' flat while keeping quiet so that the audience doesn't hear you.
Yeah. That'll be fun. The funniest part of it all? I volunteered for that insanity. Oh well. To each his own.
Just to make things more complicated: I've got a Spanish test the same day the play opens - my schedule won't be affected since the show goes on at night, unlike the children's play, but it'll give me something to complain about for sure. As soon as the show closes and strike is complete, I'll be expected to go to the cast party. This is a hilarious idea in itself since I've never been to a cast party. What's different this time? A friend who lives out of town (on the other side of the state, practically) is coming in to see the show that weekend. Myself and another friend know that this girl will love hanging out with all the theater majors at the cast party; had she stayed in this area, she'd be going to our school and, no doubt, we would've dragged her into theater as well. So, since she's going to be in town, I'm required to go to the cast party. From everything I've heard, these parties are good excuses for everyone to get together and drink. Since I haven't been doing much socializing, what with all my friends busy with rehearsals every night, I guess one party wouldn't kill me.
Right now, I'm fuming over what an idiot my Spanish professor is. We received a homework assignment today that we have already done. She gave it to us the first week of classes. I know, I know "if you've already done it, it should be an easy A." It will be because I fully intend to recycle my answers - or just hand in the first packet since it was never graded. I just find it...irritating. When I pointed out that the worksheets looked awfully familiar, the classmate I was talking to stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. If the professor's stupid enough to give me the same assignment twice when the composition we have to write (again) has already been corrected, graded, and handed back, I'll take my free 100 and keep the fuming under control. I hate repeating myself...
I long for a little dullness
As I knew would happen, I now want my routine to go from "we have to do everything RIGHT NOW" mode back to where it was at the beginning of the semester. Well, maybe not; that was pretty boring, but still... Okay, let me back up and explain for those few readers who haven't already heard all of this.
This month has been tough. It started the last two weeks of January, when everybody got ready for the first play of the semester, which happened to be one of our children's shows. These plays are performed in alternating years, with the directing class taught prior to these productions. Students from the directing class either get to direct a one-act play, performed on a weekend in one of our smallest performance spaces, free of charge to the public or they get to direct a children's play. These are performed in our largest space - I believe I heard that the auditorium will seat 1500 but don't quote me on that. another interesting factor about the children's plays is that they, like the one acts, are completely student run. Director, designers, actors, all of it is ours. The professors give advice, but, unlike our main-stage plays which one of them always directs, we generally have the option to listen or disregard.
The play was performed the first week of February. Working the sound board was made more difficult by the designer, I'm sorry to admit. I'm just glad the sound cues were cut down - the original design had almost fifty sound effects, several of which came right on top of one another. Cut down to the essentials, I was running thirty-something SFX on four different CDs (another unnecessary irritation), twelve wireless mics, and we put on two performances a day for three days. The first two showings were completely sold out, with extra seating added in the back of the theater. Local elementary schools came out to see the show, as usual. I actually got a two day break from classes, although I still had to make up everything I missed.
Generally speaking, things went well. I now wish that the light and sound board operators had more than just two rehearsals to get everything figured out. Since the board op is rarely, if ever, the designer in our department, whoever is running these cues isn't really needed until the tech run-through and dress rehearsal. Because of this, as well as the irritating but necessary habit of not providing the board ops with scripts, we had no idea what the cues were supposed to be, how they looked/sounded, when they ended, etc. I completely understand the reasoning; the stage manager runs the show, stepping in for the director during performances. Since the SM is running the show, he/she calls the cues, making the board ops and whoever else needs a cue completely reliant on that person. It just didn't make much sense as I sat there, in front of a board I'd never run, watching levels dance on wireless mics I'd never before touched, getting ready to provide sound effects I'd never heard for a play I had never seen.
During one performance, the entire cast was dancing, not to music, but to a roll of thunder because I hit play on the incorrect disc.
During another, an audience member answered their cell and knocked out the signal for one of the wireless mics. None of the kids heard the leading lady's line for her entire first scene.
Then there was the time I almost missed my "something magical is happening" cue because I remembered to turn off the effects speaker backstage, but had forgotten to push the button necessary to pipe sound back through the mix speakers above and around the stage. Lovely bit of improv from the cast, who saved my tush more than a few times. "Unless something magical happens...right now..." *insert music hear*
And, of course, the once-a-performance-conversation regarding the character of the warrior princess.
Stage Manager: *over headset, in my ear* There's a lot of feedback...
Me: I can't do anything about it.
SM: Is there something wrong with Ursula's mic?
Me: No.
SM: Why the feedback?
Me: *deadpan* She's screaming into it.
I was spared this conversation for Saturday's public performances when the actress came to me and asked if she really needed to wear the mic. We agreed that she did not as long as she projected more on her non-screamed lines, which she had maybe a dozen of, if that. It wasn't a problem, especially since the audience was nowhere near as large as it had been.
On Saturday, my dad, step-mom, and two year old sister came out to see the show. I was so happy! Sissy loved the show and I got to show the old man and other mom around. I'm pretty sure I was about bursting with pride the whole day.
The play was a lot of fun, though I'm still irritated that I slept through the cast party. Took a "nap" at 6:30 pm and woke up at 10:00 Sunday morning. I suppose taking a sixteen hour nap means I needed the sleep more than I needed to dress up in drag and be Prom King for our 'Second Chance Prom' theme.
Alright, I'm ready for spring break!
This month has been tough. It started the last two weeks of January, when everybody got ready for the first play of the semester, which happened to be one of our children's shows. These plays are performed in alternating years, with the directing class taught prior to these productions. Students from the directing class either get to direct a one-act play, performed on a weekend in one of our smallest performance spaces, free of charge to the public or they get to direct a children's play. These are performed in our largest space - I believe I heard that the auditorium will seat 1500 but don't quote me on that. another interesting factor about the children's plays is that they, like the one acts, are completely student run. Director, designers, actors, all of it is ours. The professors give advice, but, unlike our main-stage plays which one of them always directs, we generally have the option to listen or disregard.
The play was performed the first week of February. Working the sound board was made more difficult by the designer, I'm sorry to admit. I'm just glad the sound cues were cut down - the original design had almost fifty sound effects, several of which came right on top of one another. Cut down to the essentials, I was running thirty-something SFX on four different CDs (another unnecessary irritation), twelve wireless mics, and we put on two performances a day for three days. The first two showings were completely sold out, with extra seating added in the back of the theater. Local elementary schools came out to see the show, as usual. I actually got a two day break from classes, although I still had to make up everything I missed.
Generally speaking, things went well. I now wish that the light and sound board operators had more than just two rehearsals to get everything figured out. Since the board op is rarely, if ever, the designer in our department, whoever is running these cues isn't really needed until the tech run-through and dress rehearsal. Because of this, as well as the irritating but necessary habit of not providing the board ops with scripts, we had no idea what the cues were supposed to be, how they looked/sounded, when they ended, etc. I completely understand the reasoning; the stage manager runs the show, stepping in for the director during performances. Since the SM is running the show, he/she calls the cues, making the board ops and whoever else needs a cue completely reliant on that person. It just didn't make much sense as I sat there, in front of a board I'd never run, watching levels dance on wireless mics I'd never before touched, getting ready to provide sound effects I'd never heard for a play I had never seen.
During one performance, the entire cast was dancing, not to music, but to a roll of thunder because I hit play on the incorrect disc.
During another, an audience member answered their cell and knocked out the signal for one of the wireless mics. None of the kids heard the leading lady's line for her entire first scene.
Then there was the time I almost missed my "something magical is happening" cue because I remembered to turn off the effects speaker backstage, but had forgotten to push the button necessary to pipe sound back through the mix speakers above and around the stage. Lovely bit of improv from the cast, who saved my tush more than a few times. "Unless something magical happens...right now..." *insert music hear*
And, of course, the once-a-performance-conversation regarding the character of the warrior princess.
Stage Manager: *over headset, in my ear* There's a lot of feedback...
Me: I can't do anything about it.
SM: Is there something wrong with Ursula's mic?
Me: No.
SM: Why the feedback?
Me: *deadpan* She's screaming into it.
I was spared this conversation for Saturday's public performances when the actress came to me and asked if she really needed to wear the mic. We agreed that she did not as long as she projected more on her non-screamed lines, which she had maybe a dozen of, if that. It wasn't a problem, especially since the audience was nowhere near as large as it had been.
On Saturday, my dad, step-mom, and two year old sister came out to see the show. I was so happy! Sissy loved the show and I got to show the old man and other mom around. I'm pretty sure I was about bursting with pride the whole day.
The play was a lot of fun, though I'm still irritated that I slept through the cast party. Took a "nap" at 6:30 pm and woke up at 10:00 Sunday morning. I suppose taking a sixteen hour nap means I needed the sleep more than I needed to dress up in drag and be Prom King for our 'Second Chance Prom' theme.
Alright, I'm ready for spring break!
16 February 2009
Surviving February
Schedule too busy. Can't blog. Homework is finished, at least. Back to rowing with the other slaves...
29 January 2009
Bookworm Meme
I was tagged by Nessa in this and am already fascinated to see what happens. Here's how this thing works. Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or something you have to go searching for but whatever's closest to you right now, and go to page 56. Starting with the fifth sentence on the page, transcribe three to six lines directly from the text. Once you've typed those lines, tag five more bloggers to do the same on their blogs.
Okay. Grab whatever book is physically closest to me. Well...alright.
Page 56 of Theater Theory Theater, which is one of two texts used in Theatrical Theory & Criticism. Fifth sentence.
The Plot in fact should be so framed that, even without seeing the things that take place, he who simply hears the account of them shall be filled with horror and pity at the incidents, which is just the effect that the mere recital of the story in Oedipus would have on one.
Following sentences.
To produce this same effect by means of Spectacle is less artistic, and requires extraneous aid. Those, however, who make use of the Spectacle to put before us that which is merely monstrous and not productive of fear, are wholly out of touch with Tragedy; not every kind of pleasure should be required of a tragedy, but only its own proper pleasure. The tragic pleasure is that of pity and fear, and the poet has to produce it by a work of imitation; it is clear, therefore, that the causes should be included in the incidents of his story.
This excerpt is from Aristotle's Poetics, a work I found interesting for what it said, but dull in the way the material was presented. What Aristotle is doing for his fifth-century BC audience is disecting the structure of a play and presenting it in a scientific manner. In my opinion, this is dull. In most people's opinions, generally speaking, this would be dull merely because it's academia.
Rather than get on my soap box and proceed to wax eloquent, I'll finish up and do the tagging.
Rhea
Jewel
Lezlie over at Books 'N Border Collies (Two of my favorite things ever!)
The Biblio Brat (Well written book reviews)
The Redneck Mommy
Okay. Grab whatever book is physically closest to me. Well...alright.
Page 56 of Theater Theory Theater, which is one of two texts used in Theatrical Theory & Criticism. Fifth sentence.
The Plot in fact should be so framed that, even without seeing the things that take place, he who simply hears the account of them shall be filled with horror and pity at the incidents, which is just the effect that the mere recital of the story in Oedipus would have on one.
Following sentences.
To produce this same effect by means of Spectacle is less artistic, and requires extraneous aid. Those, however, who make use of the Spectacle to put before us that which is merely monstrous and not productive of fear, are wholly out of touch with Tragedy; not every kind of pleasure should be required of a tragedy, but only its own proper pleasure. The tragic pleasure is that of pity and fear, and the poet has to produce it by a work of imitation; it is clear, therefore, that the causes should be included in the incidents of his story.
This excerpt is from Aristotle's Poetics, a work I found interesting for what it said, but dull in the way the material was presented. What Aristotle is doing for his fifth-century BC audience is disecting the structure of a play and presenting it in a scientific manner. In my opinion, this is dull. In most people's opinions, generally speaking, this would be dull merely because it's academia.
Rather than get on my soap box and proceed to wax eloquent, I'll finish up and do the tagging.
Rhea
Jewel
Lezlie over at Books 'N Border Collies (Two of my favorite things ever!)
The Biblio Brat (Well written book reviews)
The Redneck Mommy
28 January 2009
Slush and writing
Not much has changed here. My routine was, unfortunately, hardly interrupted by the chilly weather. However, I didn't have to go to Spanish today and I got an extra three hours worth of sleep. That makes it all worth it, even though I'm wide awake now. My friends are all kept busy by rehearsals while I am not. Instead, I'm keeping caught up on my homework, getting to watch them all sweat as they try to get everything done. I suppose there's always an exchange of some sort to be made. I'm just glad I didn't slide too much while walking through the slush - those patches of ice always seem to find me!
I just finished reading Lysastrada, a bawdy ancient Greek comedy. It was a very quick read, only about twenty pages long, and I'd never read it before. It was a pleasant change from Oedipus Rex. These days, I'm trying to talk myself out of any serious recreational writing, at least until midterms and our back to back February productions are over with. Sort of hard since there's a storyline rolling around in my head.
For what feels like years, ever since my interest in writing became serious, I've heard the old saying of "write what you know." Every time I've tried that, I've grown bored. I know my characters and the situation, I know what they'll do, so why write about it? This new idea, like so many of my old ones, has potential, a lot of potential, but I'm trying to talk myself out of it. Maybe because I fear failure? In itself, this worry is beyond ridiculous because I don't show my fiction writing to very many people. At this point in my life, its just for me. Of course, it doesn't help that I've never been able to type the phrase 'The End' and finish any of my stories. They all end up gathering metaphorical dust in my computer. I go back later and read through them and think 'my god, why didn't I ever finish this; it's such a good story!' but that's all that ever comes of it.
I've tried sharing my work with others. NaNoWriMo was a little easier this year knowing I was competing against Mom, but I wrote less than I had last year, two more incomplete manuscripts that will probably never see the light of day. Writing may not be my future. It may never be a career path for me, but does that mean I can't do it? I don't think so. I just have to figure out how to finish what I start...
I just finished reading Lysastrada, a bawdy ancient Greek comedy. It was a very quick read, only about twenty pages long, and I'd never read it before. It was a pleasant change from Oedipus Rex. These days, I'm trying to talk myself out of any serious recreational writing, at least until midterms and our back to back February productions are over with. Sort of hard since there's a storyline rolling around in my head.
For what feels like years, ever since my interest in writing became serious, I've heard the old saying of "write what you know." Every time I've tried that, I've grown bored. I know my characters and the situation, I know what they'll do, so why write about it? This new idea, like so many of my old ones, has potential, a lot of potential, but I'm trying to talk myself out of it. Maybe because I fear failure? In itself, this worry is beyond ridiculous because I don't show my fiction writing to very many people. At this point in my life, its just for me. Of course, it doesn't help that I've never been able to type the phrase 'The End' and finish any of my stories. They all end up gathering metaphorical dust in my computer. I go back later and read through them and think 'my god, why didn't I ever finish this; it's such a good story!' but that's all that ever comes of it.
I've tried sharing my work with others. NaNoWriMo was a little easier this year knowing I was competing against Mom, but I wrote less than I had last year, two more incomplete manuscripts that will probably never see the light of day. Writing may not be my future. It may never be a career path for me, but does that mean I can't do it? I don't think so. I just have to figure out how to finish what I start...
15 January 2009
The Green Room
Traditionally, a green room is a room located close to a performance space. It is used as a place for actors to hang out before their cues are called to prevent them from lurking behind the set and disrupting the performance. The green room is also intended to be a public area, somewhere for members of the audience/actors' family to come after the performance to meet the actors and technicians and mingle with them. Blessedly, these rooms usually aren't painted green. At least, ours isn't...
Apparently, this room is welcome to anyone - or so I heard one of my theater professors saying while giving a tour to some people I didn't recognize - but the theater students have claimed it as their own. Its our territory, our hang out place, our turf. Some of the strangest and most interesting conversations I've ever heard have taken place on those dark green couches. I'm not sure which is more interesting: being in the conversation from the start or walking into the middle of it. Some of the topics we've discussed include:
the election - This was very interesting since everyone has such different feelings when it comes to politics. My best friend is a Libertarian and most of the students around me are Democrats. I don't hold to a straight-ticket vote, but I know I'm more Republican than Democrat. I also know that, more often than not, I'm seriously outnumbered in this room.
the inauguration - See above. Though I do support the President Elect, I saw no real purpose behind stopping the lecture so we could watch the inauguration. Then again, I've rarely understood anything that disturbs my studies, so it's nothing personal against Obama.
our school's parking problem - Man, am I glad I'm not commuting anymore!
how do mermaids have babies? - I won't even go into how this subject came up...or the answer that the carpenters came up with.
gripes about professors, parents, other students, the school's administration, etc. - An old standby. I always try to take my classmates' opinions with a grain of salt when it comes to the question of which professor to take.
if you were a serial killer, what would you want to be known for? - I've had fun with this one. Scared a few people too.
a costumed rehearsal dinner for a wedding (Marvel on one side, DC on the other) - One of the carps shared this tale. It sounded like something to be at.
what's your drag queen name? - According to the formula (first pet's name + first street you've lived on) mine would be...wait...what was the first street I lived on? Mom!
redecorating the green room (murals, an effigy of the department head, posters from shows, etc.) - This subject has been hashed and rehashed. Conclusion: the ideas are too far-fetched, we don't have enough space, we don't have the resources, and/or we're working too much during the semester to bother with decorating the space we all seem to live in when we're not in class.
dog grooming - Somebody else's hobby/side job. A few of the folks in the department can get pretty caught up in this. I usually head out to the loading dock when this comes up because they can (and have) talk for hours on end.
what new look might be required for a certain play - Since the designers of whatever production are usually sick of the script, they're not always involved. If they are, it's likely to be through sharing what they've done or explaining the guidelines they were provided by the director. Sometimes, this can be fun - if you leave the director and the money out of the picture.
which plays we will never be able to perform (Rent, Arcadia, etc.) - "Gee, I wish we could do {insert title of play here}" This list always seems to grow. We don't have the money/talent/numbers for the cast. The list of reasons is blessedly shorter.
"This one time..." - Stories of past productions... Like the time our now graduated master carp moved a platform that measured 8' x 10' and was hanging 8' in the air, supported by struts. It needed to move mere inches, but would take a lot of people...or so we thought. The 6' 2" guy, who looks like he should be named 'Bubba,' gets on a stepladder and swings his fist. Yes, he [I]punched[/I] the second floor of the set into alignment. All of a sudden, people stopped goofing off in the scene shop...
During Godspell, one cast member injured four or five other cast members in a single performance. The story is that she had made a deal with her mother - $20 for everyone she incapacitated without missing a cue. Then there was the time an actress' nose was broken by an actor's foot in the middle of a performance. And, of course, the headset chatter of the techies during any performance or the "very different story" of Godspell given by the shadows on the wall - a claim made by the stagehand who spent 2 hours a night crouched under a platform with nothing to do until the finale of the show. So many interesting stories. I love collecting them.
And that's just a small glimpse of a few of the conversations that take place in the green room. Which did you least expect? Which was your favorite?
Apparently, this room is welcome to anyone - or so I heard one of my theater professors saying while giving a tour to some people I didn't recognize - but the theater students have claimed it as their own. Its our territory, our hang out place, our turf. Some of the strangest and most interesting conversations I've ever heard have taken place on those dark green couches. I'm not sure which is more interesting: being in the conversation from the start or walking into the middle of it. Some of the topics we've discussed include:
the election - This was very interesting since everyone has such different feelings when it comes to politics. My best friend is a Libertarian and most of the students around me are Democrats. I don't hold to a straight-ticket vote, but I know I'm more Republican than Democrat. I also know that, more often than not, I'm seriously outnumbered in this room.
the inauguration - See above. Though I do support the President Elect, I saw no real purpose behind stopping the lecture so we could watch the inauguration. Then again, I've rarely understood anything that disturbs my studies, so it's nothing personal against Obama.
our school's parking problem - Man, am I glad I'm not commuting anymore!
how do mermaids have babies? - I won't even go into how this subject came up...or the answer that the carpenters came up with.
gripes about professors, parents, other students, the school's administration, etc. - An old standby. I always try to take my classmates' opinions with a grain of salt when it comes to the question of which professor to take.
if you were a serial killer, what would you want to be known for? - I've had fun with this one. Scared a few people too.
a costumed rehearsal dinner for a wedding (Marvel on one side, DC on the other) - One of the carps shared this tale. It sounded like something to be at.
what's your drag queen name? - According to the formula (first pet's name + first street you've lived on) mine would be...wait...what was the first street I lived on? Mom!
redecorating the green room (murals, an effigy of the department head, posters from shows, etc.) - This subject has been hashed and rehashed. Conclusion: the ideas are too far-fetched, we don't have enough space, we don't have the resources, and/or we're working too much during the semester to bother with decorating the space we all seem to live in when we're not in class.
dog grooming - Somebody else's hobby/side job. A few of the folks in the department can get pretty caught up in this. I usually head out to the loading dock when this comes up because they can (and have) talk for hours on end.
what new look might be required for a certain play - Since the designers of whatever production are usually sick of the script, they're not always involved. If they are, it's likely to be through sharing what they've done or explaining the guidelines they were provided by the director. Sometimes, this can be fun - if you leave the director and the money out of the picture.
which plays we will never be able to perform (Rent, Arcadia, etc.) - "Gee, I wish we could do {insert title of play here}" This list always seems to grow. We don't have the money/talent/numbers for the cast. The list of reasons is blessedly shorter.
"This one time..." - Stories of past productions... Like the time our now graduated master carp moved a platform that measured 8' x 10' and was hanging 8' in the air, supported by struts. It needed to move mere inches, but would take a lot of people...or so we thought. The 6' 2" guy, who looks like he should be named 'Bubba,' gets on a stepladder and swings his fist. Yes, he [I]punched[/I] the second floor of the set into alignment. All of a sudden, people stopped goofing off in the scene shop...
During Godspell, one cast member injured four or five other cast members in a single performance. The story is that she had made a deal with her mother - $20 for everyone she incapacitated without missing a cue. Then there was the time an actress' nose was broken by an actor's foot in the middle of a performance. And, of course, the headset chatter of the techies during any performance or the "very different story" of Godspell given by the shadows on the wall - a claim made by the stagehand who spent 2 hours a night crouched under a platform with nothing to do until the finale of the show. So many interesting stories. I love collecting them.
And that's just a small glimpse of a few of the conversations that take place in the green room. Which did you least expect? Which was your favorite?
Relaxing and wondering
The first week of classes has almost come to a close. I've spent over $100 on textbooks and will be able to bump that figure to over $150 once I get my book for health, which was sold out when I tried to buy it today. In these next weeks, things will start kicking into a higher gear, the pace continuing to pick up as the spring season officially starts. After that, I'm sure I'll miss this week, its slower pace, its moments of boredom. We've got mid-terms right after our second production, West Side Story, which it seems the entire department is involved in. Perfect timing, as usual.
Although I know all this is coming, I'm not as stressed yet, possibly because I'm holding smaller roles in these first two productions. For the children's play the first week of February, I'm running the sound board, getting to monitor and operate about a dozen microphones while listening for cues to play sound effects. Since I'm not the sound designer, I don't have to find them. Right now, my job is easy. I get to worry about nothing other than class until the costume parade. While everyone analyzes the fit, overall look and color of each outfit, I'll just be making sure I can attach a mic to it. After that, though I'm sure I'll get to help with the alteration, my work doesn't really start until the first dress rehearsal.
As part of the run crew for West Side, my job will be similar and easier at the same time: no costume parade to worry about unless I'm given a project in the shop, someone's outfit to help make for the show. I'm not sure what I'm doing in that play yet; I just hope I'm not stuck backstage as a dresser. That role just doesn't interest me. I'd much rather get to do spotlight op again, like I did for Godspell.
Other than wondering about what's coming, I don't have much to do. I've done what homework I'm capable of before my textbooks get to me and have been reviewing where I could, like in Spanish. I'm attending all my classes, even health, which I'm already hating. Still, I'll grit my teeth and muddle through it, if only to keep from having to repeat the boring class. I just can't fathom the way these coaches speak, telling their classes that we'll be working out one day a week as if it were some sort of fun treat. Sure, it's a break from lecturing, but I wouldn't consider it fun by any stretch of the word. It's possible I'm still seething from the $60 book that I won't be able to refund at the end of the semester since its an unbound text.
Oh well. C'est la vie!
Although I know all this is coming, I'm not as stressed yet, possibly because I'm holding smaller roles in these first two productions. For the children's play the first week of February, I'm running the sound board, getting to monitor and operate about a dozen microphones while listening for cues to play sound effects. Since I'm not the sound designer, I don't have to find them. Right now, my job is easy. I get to worry about nothing other than class until the costume parade. While everyone analyzes the fit, overall look and color of each outfit, I'll just be making sure I can attach a mic to it. After that, though I'm sure I'll get to help with the alteration, my work doesn't really start until the first dress rehearsal.
As part of the run crew for West Side, my job will be similar and easier at the same time: no costume parade to worry about unless I'm given a project in the shop, someone's outfit to help make for the show. I'm not sure what I'm doing in that play yet; I just hope I'm not stuck backstage as a dresser. That role just doesn't interest me. I'd much rather get to do spotlight op again, like I did for Godspell.
Other than wondering about what's coming, I don't have much to do. I've done what homework I'm capable of before my textbooks get to me and have been reviewing where I could, like in Spanish. I'm attending all my classes, even health, which I'm already hating. Still, I'll grit my teeth and muddle through it, if only to keep from having to repeat the boring class. I just can't fathom the way these coaches speak, telling their classes that we'll be working out one day a week as if it were some sort of fun treat. Sure, it's a break from lecturing, but I wouldn't consider it fun by any stretch of the word. It's possible I'm still seething from the $60 book that I won't be able to refund at the end of the semester since its an unbound text.
Oh well. C'est la vie!
12 January 2009
Back to school
Slipping back into my routine has been so easy and such a relief. I've called home a few times (quite a few times) over the weekend because I was so bored. A month from now, I'll have forgotten what the word "bored" means.
Classes started today and I was off and running like a herd of snails. The day started spectacularly when the alarm on my phone failed to go off at 7 am. Instead, I woke up at 8 and had to rush through my morning preparations - exactly what I didn't want to do. Breakfast was...well,it was food. It was edible. The fact that I woke up feeling like a drill bit was biting into my temple probably didn't help much. The phantom drill bit is still there now, but greatly dulled, so I'm not complaining. I just keep telling myself it's stress, nothing more because I can't get sick. It's just plain not allowed.
My first class of the day was Spanish, a language I have not touched in a month. Just my luck: the professor comes in speaking Spanish, so I got sit and nod along, completely lost and utterly dumbfounded, picking up about every third word. A couple of theater students were in the class, so I'm feeling a lot better about it since I know people. :) After class, we all went to the library for coffee, which I'm hoping won't be a daily habit since it made us a few minutes late to the next class.
Tech theater was enjoyable. It felt so good to be surrounded by theater majors again with Ms. Glitter standing at the front of the class. I'm sure this feeling won't last since the prof. gets distracted even easier that I do and I can't stand it when we go off on tangents without ever getting back to the subject we were discussing. My friends have already said they're going to make me socialize more since I'm on campus and no longer have commuting as an excuse. I'm really looking forward to that.
After classes were over, earlier than they usually will be since there are no labs today, I ran some errands. Getting my post office box, taking care of some last minute paper-work, just more things I needed to finally settle in. Hopefully, I'll get to meet my roommate soon. All I know about her is that she's a senior and a music major. Right now, however, it's time to make flashcards for my Spanish vocabulary and grab some lunch - not necessarily in that order.
Classes started today and I was off and running like a herd of snails. The day started spectacularly when the alarm on my phone failed to go off at 7 am. Instead, I woke up at 8 and had to rush through my morning preparations - exactly what I didn't want to do. Breakfast was...well,it was food. It was edible. The fact that I woke up feeling like a drill bit was biting into my temple probably didn't help much. The phantom drill bit is still there now, but greatly dulled, so I'm not complaining. I just keep telling myself it's stress, nothing more because I can't get sick. It's just plain not allowed.
My first class of the day was Spanish, a language I have not touched in a month. Just my luck: the professor comes in speaking Spanish, so I got sit and nod along, completely lost and utterly dumbfounded, picking up about every third word. A couple of theater students were in the class, so I'm feeling a lot better about it since I know people. :) After class, we all went to the library for coffee, which I'm hoping won't be a daily habit since it made us a few minutes late to the next class.
Tech theater was enjoyable. It felt so good to be surrounded by theater majors again with Ms. Glitter standing at the front of the class. I'm sure this feeling won't last since the prof. gets distracted even easier that I do and I can't stand it when we go off on tangents without ever getting back to the subject we were discussing. My friends have already said they're going to make me socialize more since I'm on campus and no longer have commuting as an excuse. I'm really looking forward to that.
After classes were over, earlier than they usually will be since there are no labs today, I ran some errands. Getting my post office box, taking care of some last minute paper-work, just more things I needed to finally settle in. Hopefully, I'll get to meet my roommate soon. All I know about her is that she's a senior and a music major. Right now, however, it's time to make flashcards for my Spanish vocabulary and grab some lunch - not necessarily in that order.
09 January 2009
Calm waters
Things here are starting to look like they might calm down. Logically, I'm thinking this simply because I'm heading to campus tomorrow...or I'm thinking this way to avoid thinking about heading to campus tomorrow. There's really no telling. I'm looking forward to the move - really I am. This will ensure a lot more time to hang out with friends, a lot less time spent commuting, and, coincidentally, a lot less money going towards gas for my new/old 'Stang.
However, I'm really going to miss a lot about home. Never mind that I'm less than an hour's drive away. I'll miss my oh so sweet and logical mother who is my best friend and my coach. She has always helped me stay on task and I've done the same for her.
I'll miss cutting up and joking around with my stepdad, who I call Elrond. I can always go to either of those two any time I have a problem. Despite his demanding work schedule, working two jobs and holding an assistant manager position at one, Elrond always makes time for me and anything he knows is important to me or Mom.
I'll even miss my hard-as-nails grandma, never mind what I might say to the contrary. A lot of the time, her heart's in the right place. She still needs to teach me how to cheat good when we play games. ;) I guess her secret is number crunching; after all, she always acts as the score-keeper.
I'm going to miss our awesome neighbor Nessa and her family. Her kids are so sweet - if they don't keep up with their homework and do what is asked of them, I'll come home just to straighten them out. Nessa has always lent an ear if I find myself needing to get away or get hacked off at Mom or just want to yammer about Twilight. We've got an open door policy between our two households and I don't think we could've asked for better neighbors. I can only hope my roommate and suite-mates will be half as sweet. :)
I'm also going to miss TV. The best I can get in the dorms is basic cable, which is hardly worth the effort. While I don't watch TV all that often, I do have shows I follow: House MD, Top Chef, Project Runway, Top Design, Shear Genius, Solitary, Criss Angel Mindfreak, and Wife Swap to be specific. (I know it sounds like I'm a reality TV junkie, but I swear I'm not.) Although I say I'll miss this, logic and experience both tell me that I won't have time. My first semester on campus, although I still didn't get much done, I don't remember ever touching the TV. Besides, why haul the heavy thing and put it the only place it'll fit - the top of the closet - just so I'll have to climb onto my end table whenever I want to turn it on? Such a headache (plus a backache for Elrond, who is glad I'm on the first floor) when my laptop is lighter, more conveniently placed, and much more portable if I want to lounge on my bed while browsing youtube.
I'll miss my two year old half sister, who lives with my Dad. Yeah, I know I can come home every weekend if I wanted and visit her. I could even come home and take her back to school with me for the weekend, I bet. Still, I'm just going to miss being able to go to Dad's house anytime I want and see her big blue eyes and her smile and hear her yell "Sissy!" before rattling off the names of all five of our dogs, asking if she can go see them. My world revolves around that little angel anytime she's near me. Who could resist this face?
So, tomorrow, I will leave the safety and familiar routine that is my home to go to school, go back to theater, and hang out with some real characters. My best friend, for one, who just got his own apartment and is so proud of his new place that I just find it adorable. This guy is like my other half when I'm at school. Each of us is the other's eyes and ears amongst our gossipy classmates. Not that we're not just as bad. ;)
It'll be good to see the professors too. I actually miss a few of my teachers! Namely my theater teachers. The department head is, I'm almost sorry to say, the only man with a walk that can be described as "fussy." The more irritated he gets, the fussier his walk. Then, there's Ms. Glitter, who I didn't have in class last semester and whose quirkiness I have missed so much! She's teaching two of my classes this spring. :D I just hope my ADD can tolerate her constant verbal flitting from subject to subject during class. She's very easily distracted (might be ADD too?) and the students take full advantage of it since we get no such luck with the dept. head. Our newest prof just joined the department last semester and I wish I had her this spring. Not that I won't still see her, of course. She's the sound specialist and boy did she teach me a lot last fall! The last one of the bunch is the costume shop supervisor, who I've never been taught by in a classroom setting. Since I'll be learning how to sew (groan...) I'll get to spend more time with her too.
Oh, I can't wait to get back to school!
However, I'm really going to miss a lot about home. Never mind that I'm less than an hour's drive away. I'll miss my oh so sweet and logical mother who is my best friend and my coach. She has always helped me stay on task and I've done the same for her.
I'll miss cutting up and joking around with my stepdad, who I call Elrond. I can always go to either of those two any time I have a problem. Despite his demanding work schedule, working two jobs and holding an assistant manager position at one, Elrond always makes time for me and anything he knows is important to me or Mom.
I'll even miss my hard-as-nails grandma, never mind what I might say to the contrary. A lot of the time, her heart's in the right place. She still needs to teach me how to cheat good when we play games. ;) I guess her secret is number crunching; after all, she always acts as the score-keeper.
I'm going to miss our awesome neighbor Nessa and her family. Her kids are so sweet - if they don't keep up with their homework and do what is asked of them, I'll come home just to straighten them out. Nessa has always lent an ear if I find myself needing to get away or get hacked off at Mom or just want to yammer about Twilight. We've got an open door policy between our two households and I don't think we could've asked for better neighbors. I can only hope my roommate and suite-mates will be half as sweet. :)
I'm also going to miss TV. The best I can get in the dorms is basic cable, which is hardly worth the effort. While I don't watch TV all that often, I do have shows I follow: House MD, Top Chef, Project Runway, Top Design, Shear Genius, Solitary, Criss Angel Mindfreak, and Wife Swap to be specific. (I know it sounds like I'm a reality TV junkie, but I swear I'm not.) Although I say I'll miss this, logic and experience both tell me that I won't have time. My first semester on campus, although I still didn't get much done, I don't remember ever touching the TV. Besides, why haul the heavy thing and put it the only place it'll fit - the top of the closet - just so I'll have to climb onto my end table whenever I want to turn it on? Such a headache (plus a backache for Elrond, who is glad I'm on the first floor) when my laptop is lighter, more conveniently placed, and much more portable if I want to lounge on my bed while browsing youtube.
I'll miss my two year old half sister, who lives with my Dad. Yeah, I know I can come home every weekend if I wanted and visit her. I could even come home and take her back to school with me for the weekend, I bet. Still, I'm just going to miss being able to go to Dad's house anytime I want and see her big blue eyes and her smile and hear her yell "Sissy!" before rattling off the names of all five of our dogs, asking if she can go see them. My world revolves around that little angel anytime she's near me. Who could resist this face?
So, tomorrow, I will leave the safety and familiar routine that is my home to go to school, go back to theater, and hang out with some real characters. My best friend, for one, who just got his own apartment and is so proud of his new place that I just find it adorable. This guy is like my other half when I'm at school. Each of us is the other's eyes and ears amongst our gossipy classmates. Not that we're not just as bad. ;)
It'll be good to see the professors too. I actually miss a few of my teachers! Namely my theater teachers. The department head is, I'm almost sorry to say, the only man with a walk that can be described as "fussy." The more irritated he gets, the fussier his walk. Then, there's Ms. Glitter, who I didn't have in class last semester and whose quirkiness I have missed so much! She's teaching two of my classes this spring. :D I just hope my ADD can tolerate her constant verbal flitting from subject to subject during class. She's very easily distracted (might be ADD too?) and the students take full advantage of it since we get no such luck with the dept. head. Our newest prof just joined the department last semester and I wish I had her this spring. Not that I won't still see her, of course. She's the sound specialist and boy did she teach me a lot last fall! The last one of the bunch is the costume shop supervisor, who I've never been taught by in a classroom setting. Since I'll be learning how to sew (groan...) I'll get to spend more time with her too.
Oh, I can't wait to get back to school!
08 January 2009
Drama belongs onstage
Anyone who has been reading Nessa's blog or my Mom's blog has no doubt been following a lot of what's been going on. Mom reminded me I needed to blog and that I sure as heck had plenty to blog about, so here we go: the one subject I didn't want to discuss here. This is my view on these issues. Nothing more.
I hate it when real life starts to feel like some sort of stupid soap opera. So much drama has been revolving around these four little angels: two year old twins, their four year old brother, and six year old sister. Although its been revolving around them, nobody who has been directly involved (their family, the people who are supposed to care) has cared at all about those same kids, instead putting them in the middle of a tug-of-war. They're not releasing any information about what condition the children's father is in, although they've allegedly been in town the past four days instead of at the hospital while we had the kids.
They've got them now. I'm sure they'll be taken out of the state and away from their Mom as soon as the courts allow it. These poor kids have been in such turmoil these days, never knowing what they'll be doing or where they'll be from one day to the next, not having any sort of routine, asking questions about whichever parents they're not with. The rumor mills in our super-small town have been churning and chugging away; I'm doing all I can to ignore the predictions of what's going to happen, what did happen, and who did what to whom.
Right now, I'm trying my hardest to keep my focus on this coming weekend. I'll be moving back to campus, away from whatever fallout this might have later. I'll be able to get back into my regular routine at school. Boy, is this semester going to be a busy one! Here's a glimpse at my schedule, which I may end up detailing in a later blog.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Spanish is first at 9 am. Joy. Ever so much joy and rapture. *eyeroll* At 10, I go to Tech II and get to learn about costuming. (Pardon me while I groan piteously.) At 11 is language lab, followed by an hour break for lunch, then three hours worth of lab work for my theater classes. School day officially ends at four.
Tuesday, Thursday: First up is the theater department's writing intensive course, theory & criticism at 9:25 am. Seems I plugged my two most difficult classes into my morning routine. This is good, I keep reminding myself, because I'm generally more focused in my morning classes. At 10:50, I'll go to makeup design, which I am so looking forward to. Maybe the professor can tell me something about putting on makeup that won't disappear once I put my glasses on... These are my short days, ending with health at 1:00 and 2:15 signaling the day's academic end.
What a way to start 2009...
I hate it when real life starts to feel like some sort of stupid soap opera. So much drama has been revolving around these four little angels: two year old twins, their four year old brother, and six year old sister. Although its been revolving around them, nobody who has been directly involved (their family, the people who are supposed to care) has cared at all about those same kids, instead putting them in the middle of a tug-of-war. They're not releasing any information about what condition the children's father is in, although they've allegedly been in town the past four days instead of at the hospital while we had the kids.
They've got them now. I'm sure they'll be taken out of the state and away from their Mom as soon as the courts allow it. These poor kids have been in such turmoil these days, never knowing what they'll be doing or where they'll be from one day to the next, not having any sort of routine, asking questions about whichever parents they're not with. The rumor mills in our super-small town have been churning and chugging away; I'm doing all I can to ignore the predictions of what's going to happen, what did happen, and who did what to whom.
Right now, I'm trying my hardest to keep my focus on this coming weekend. I'll be moving back to campus, away from whatever fallout this might have later. I'll be able to get back into my regular routine at school. Boy, is this semester going to be a busy one! Here's a glimpse at my schedule, which I may end up detailing in a later blog.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Spanish is first at 9 am. Joy. Ever so much joy and rapture. *eyeroll* At 10, I go to Tech II and get to learn about costuming. (Pardon me while I groan piteously.) At 11 is language lab, followed by an hour break for lunch, then three hours worth of lab work for my theater classes. School day officially ends at four.
Tuesday, Thursday: First up is the theater department's writing intensive course, theory & criticism at 9:25 am. Seems I plugged my two most difficult classes into my morning routine. This is good, I keep reminding myself, because I'm generally more focused in my morning classes. At 10:50, I'll go to makeup design, which I am so looking forward to. Maybe the professor can tell me something about putting on makeup that won't disappear once I put my glasses on... These are my short days, ending with health at 1:00 and 2:15 signaling the day's academic end.
What a way to start 2009...
02 January 2009
The holidays in ten sentences
What an enjoyable, relaxing holiday I've had! On Christmas Day, we visited my stepdad's family and my stepbrother came to town to announce his recruitment into the Army, which has us all both proud and nervous. I made out like a bandit in the gift department, even without counting the car amongst my presents. Some of my favorites included the kick-ass pair of boots, the brand new iPod, the perfume, the old books, and the giant stuffed shrimp.
The books are amazing, all of them first editions with copyright dates ranging from 1875 to 1912 and subjects ranging from a beginning Spanish dictionary to etiquette to a brief study of the ancient Romans to works by Washington Irving and Herman Melville. However, I've been neglecting this blog, which I hope to stop shunting aside and procrastinating over. The final count on baked goods was 66 dozen and the leftovers from X-mas dinner are slowly being emptied from the fridge. My Twilight reading has progressed, although I'm using audiobooks, which is irritating and makes comprehension difficult. The cabinet I built, which measures 6' x 4' x 1' and is made of medium density fiberboard, is still on the porch; I hope to get it inside and anchored to the wall this weekend. Although I'm still nervous about a lot of things, not the lest of which is the fear of flaking out and failing, I can't wait to get back to school and back to my usual schedule.
The books are amazing, all of them first editions with copyright dates ranging from 1875 to 1912 and subjects ranging from a beginning Spanish dictionary to etiquette to a brief study of the ancient Romans to works by Washington Irving and Herman Melville. However, I've been neglecting this blog, which I hope to stop shunting aside and procrastinating over. The final count on baked goods was 66 dozen and the leftovers from X-mas dinner are slowly being emptied from the fridge. My Twilight reading has progressed, although I'm using audiobooks, which is irritating and makes comprehension difficult. The cabinet I built, which measures 6' x 4' x 1' and is made of medium density fiberboard, is still on the porch; I hope to get it inside and anchored to the wall this weekend. Although I'm still nervous about a lot of things, not the lest of which is the fear of flaking out and failing, I can't wait to get back to school and back to my usual schedule.
01 January 2009
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