Week 1.5

10 days into rehearsal; 8 days into class.

First run through of the show? check

First English book read? check

First scene written? check

First all nighter? ain't happened yet, baby!

I will fill in the blanks sometime not tonight or I might have to change my last answer :)

Good Times

Mmhm. Summer was made for me. Normally I would be a little bored and restless by this point - a full week with no scheduled activities, but at the end of this year I am soaking it in as much as possible. I was TIRED. This year was a test of endurance like I've never experienced before. I have had a good mix of activities; some reading, a sound project for a friend, a lot of detailed cleaning, a project for my nephew, and lots of outings. There have been several shared meals of the cleaning-out-the-cupboard variety, three distinct and wonderful games of Scattegories, a fierce and passionate competition in Bop-it Extreme - a game I did not even know I owned until the beginning of this week (I currently hold the high score, 56, that's right.) Several movies have been involved, including the midnight premiere of Angels and Demons (I liked it, but it's the first exposure I've had to the series, books or movies) which freaked me out when my sister, Julie, called the next night and asked if I had seen any good midnight premieres lately. There was also one fantastic night when a group got together and didn't play games or watch a movie, but just talked for several hours.

So, after a year of hard labor I am pleased to report that it does pay off and I do have the ability to take it easy now and then. I am also blessed to have sat in the presence of many different groups of people and felt at ease and seen the comradarie abound even as the dynamics shift. My time in Waco is winding down and I will need to get a job soon, but it is time to move on and into a working atmosphere again. However, I will always be grateful for every moment I have lived in the last week.

Oh Hi There!

Hey, friendly readers. I'm just

(touching base...haha). This is a picture of my life currently:

(in the strictly metaphorically sense of course). I'm of course lovin' every minute of it. This is tech week which begins the most exhilirating part of a show for me and our first performance is next Tuesday. Whew! What a thrill!

The Evolution of Decay

Okay. Depressing title. But it's worth it, I promise. The other day, a friend gave me a rose that she purloined from the library. I placed it in a roll of tape to elevate it and struck by its vibrancy, I took a picture of it. The next day, the flower was still on its throne, its petals half dried, half curled. I took another picture because it was somehow even more beautiful than it had been. The third day, the rose had shrivled up completely and I took yet another picture which turned out to be the most striking of all. I have no real philosophical implications for this event other than the fascination of natural progression of things.

[Enter Brillance Here]

Boy, oh boy am I tired. This has been a long, crazy semester. I have been running like never before just trying to keep up, and hoping that I can help my friends stay afloat as well. I feel like I haven't had any adventures lately -- either that or I've had too many, I can't remember. There have been several laughs and jokes and ironies, but none of which make sense to anyone outside those involved. I guess I really just wanted to check in and say I'm not dead (at this point). And since this is a random, uninteresting, and unintelligent blog post, I'm going to add a picture simply because I like it and I like having pictures on my blog. Done and done.

Last year's roommates on the playground at Cameron Park Zoo. Good times.

The Great All-Nighter

When I was in junior high and high school my church youth group had a thing called the Great All-Nighter each year. It was a big event involving hundreds of students from about 12 different churches. There would be speakers and entertainment then we would go to the university's rec center and play games all night long. There were donuts in the morning so it was an exhilirating night of delerium and was awesome to stay up and be with friends.

College also has Great All-Nighters. They just happen differently.

Tuesday, my friend Rebecca and I were working on our lighting project and decided that the best way to get stuff done would be to work through the night. We took turns programming and sleeping, so I left on Wednesday morning having slept from 2am-4am and from 7:15am-8:00am. When I left, I was amazed that there was light outside!

Thursday, I had an involuntary all-nighter. I went to bed at midnight, dozed for about a half hour. I was wide awake after that so when I heard some theatre friends in the parking lot outside my window around 3am I decided it was worthless to just keep laying in bed, so I got up and did a couple things before finally sleeping from 6am-8am.

Tonight, I am sitting in the light booth again, with a pillow and blanket at my disposal. I have actually FINISHED my project (it may need a little tweaking, but it's complete and presentable where it stands). My friend, Hayley, will be programming most of the night, so I am keeping her company. Fortunately, there is more sleeping and less homework ahead for me this evening...I hope.

Preparing for the Winter

I want a coat rack. You see it in the movies and in plays all the time and it looks so elegant. Also, there is plenty of room between our front door and our couch to comfortably have a coat rack. I have visualized myself many times coming in from a day of class and rehearsal and stopping by the door to take off my coat and my scarf and placing it on the conveniently located hook. I am rather fond of the image it creates.

Recently, I needed to improvise. I am a complete wimp when it comes to cold weather, so I wore my pea coat on Friday even though it's barely past the "chilly" stage. When I got home, I did not want to hang it up in my closet because I expected to use it again the next day, I did not want to toss it on the floor for obvious reasons, and I did not have the folding chair that normally sits at my desk since it was used in my scene and has not found its way home yet. However, I did have the vacuum cleaner sitting proudly, but unnecessarily in the middle of my room. The handle was at the exact right height and the pea coat hung quite well on it. I was also highly amused every time I checked the time Saturday morning and saw my pea coat on my vacuum cleaner. So I am hopeful; if my dream of owning a coat rack is not fulfilled I know I can supply a suitable substitute...that is, until I need to vacuum.