Warning: Giant Update
This will be a long one given that it's been 8(!) months since I last wrote. It seems that Facebook is getting the brunt of my thoughts as they happen nowadays.
Since last October (yeesh), I've gotten much more comfortable in my VISTA role and this summer is shaping up to be a busy one. I'm still doing quite a bit of writing but it's not the old newspaper articles anymore; it's more of the short stuff that I definitely prefer.
My 24th birthday wasn't anything terribly special aside from the fact that it fell on the Friday of an FI event. The 24th isn't exactly one to make a huge deal about anyhow. The event was spectacular and I put the wheels in motion for some intense character development over the next few events. Also, I won at the Device grab bag. Hooray, Death Ray!
The following Monday, I set out across the pond for London. There's so much to say about it; I could fill this entry with how much I loved it. I love the mentality over there, the sense of community, and the appreciation for art, history, and culture. That's what I feel that America truly lost in its climb into superpower status. Going to England only reinforced my belief that America needs its soul back and that I'm meant to help it show it.
Thinking back now on the most powerful moments of the trip, they weren't exactly what one would expect.
-We were driving into London from Heathrow and I looked out across the chimney-tops, immediately knowing that I was looking at a snapshot of Dickens' London. It was breathtaking. Our hotel was actually in Dickens' neighborhood.
-Walking through the National Gallery, I saw Picassos, Van Goghs ("Sunflowers"!), Monets, Rembrants, and Da Vinci's "Virgin on the Rocks" among other priceless works of art. The fact that these fragile masterpieces, paintings and tapestries dating back almost 600 years, had survived to end up hanging right in front of me was overwhelming.
-I walked across the iconic crossing at Abbey Road in step with Jon and Sara. Video footage exists and I couldn't be happier about it.
-The British Museum wasn't even on the itinerary but I made a point to make the detour twice. I made for the Rosetta Stone straight away and almost cried when I saw it. It hit me similarly but in an even more profound way to seeing the National Gallery. Seeing actual ancient copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the remainder of THE Mausoleum (one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the world), and so many other objects of antiquity was nothing short of astounding. The Sutton Hoo Burial, which I'd learned of in college and have wanted to see since, was beautiful. Just walking through the endless rooms filled with all of this history alone and in silence was an experience that I can still feel.
-Stonehenge. I was almost in shock by the time we got there. I remember reaching the edge of London and seeing the countryside burst all around me. Farmhouses here and there, endless rolling hills of green, and hedgerows and stone walls that have been meticulously maintained for over a thousand years were all around me. Then I fully realized that I would be standing at Stonehenge, the one place in the world that I wanted to visit more than anywhere else, within an hour. I have no shame saying that I full out cried at that. I was floored by the entire excursion and vowed to go back someday.
-As we were leaving London, I felt like I had so much left to do there. I tried all week to get over to the Globe but never managed to do it. But on our way to the airport, I realized that we were going to be across the Thames from it. I spent a good ten minutes glued to the bus window until I finally saw a split-second glimpse of it between two buildings. I think I actually sighed in relief at having seen it at least.
I think I grew out of Christmas. At least I think I grew out of the anticipation and anxiety of it. It's Christmas. It's a holiday. Woo.
A couple of days after Christmas, Kevin and I broke up. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't heartbroken over it at the time, especially given that it was supposedly over around Columbus Day (long story of well-intentioned miscommunication), but the time since has made me realize that we are MUCH better as friends than as a couple. For most intents and purposes, that's how we were functioning as a couple anyhow. I'm happy to say that we're close and I expect that to remain so.
FI's One Day event forced Kevin and I to deal with the potential awkwardness of being around each other less than two weeks after we'd broken things off. We spoke that morning and it was clear that we were on good terms and that things shouldn't be awkward. Thankfully, they weren't. As for the event, I won't say I called it because I didn't have anything more than reasonable and vague suspicion to go on but I definitely knew that all was not what it seemed. I was right and somehow ended up being one of the 8 people to escape the plot-tastrophe of the day.
I started hanging out in Boston soon after thanks to having gotten a lot of hang out time with that crowd at the FI One Day. I'm glad that I'm a little more integrated with the FI crew than I was before; they're fun, intelligent, and genuine people who err on the side of maturity most of the time. I love hanging out with them.
RENT rehearsals started up in late January. It's the first show I've ever formally stage managed and I knew that expectations were high, albeit not exactly knowing what I was supposed to take the lead on at the time. The rehearsals took up at least three nights a week all spring.
After a series of incidents at shows and a major difference of opinion in regard to professionalism, I resigned from my position as a region leader of ZO2's street team. I was really sad about it, this was the band that got me into the music industry and got me out of my shell in college, but it had to happen. I haven't been to a show since and don't expect to attend one soon.
March brought another trip to experience Sleep No More in NYC. I spent the early part of the evening hanging out with Matt D. who I hadn't seen since at least August. He seems so at home in NYC; he can be himself there and not feel the intense social pressures that can come with small-state living. The production was fabulous of course and I even got a one-on-one with Banquo who managed to mostly elude me in prior showings. I was thrilled!
Shryne's performance at the Limelight Music Awards the following day was a blast from the past and it was just like old times for a while. It felt right to be at a show with them and enjoying that music again. They walked away with the Album of the Year award so that was a great way to end the night.
The first FI event of the season began with the (anti-climactic) taking back of the Colony from what essentially ended up being body-snatchers. I made major advances in character development both from an RP and skill perspective so I couldn't be happier about it.
All of April is a blur of intense preparations for RENT. We open tomorrow and I thought for a while that things wouldn’t come together in time. The set is still, at this moment, without its finishing touches and I am more than a little upset with my assistant stage manager but I’m dealing. I actually felt close to comfortable at the light board last night in the midst of calling cues, running the board, and dealing with tech hiccups. I had a great time after the soft opening with some of the cast, including a real-life rendition of “La Vie Boheme” at Boilermakers (a pub in Woonsocket) and a really good chat with one of the actors afterward.
It's going to be strange after Saturday night. I won't see a lot of these people with any sort of frequency anymore, much less three nights a week. The cast and crew have really gotten close and I absolutely want to stay in touch. They are WAY too fun a crowd not to be around.
It's not to say that I won’t be busy after RENT is over. I have a summer project that I will be throwing myself into pretty extensively and I may be doing more theatre work later on.
Ok, that's it for the novel update I think. I'll have another entry up soon, either mirrored on or linked to my Wordpress blog, so I won’t be gone for long!
Since last October (yeesh), I've gotten much more comfortable in my VISTA role and this summer is shaping up to be a busy one. I'm still doing quite a bit of writing but it's not the old newspaper articles anymore; it's more of the short stuff that I definitely prefer.
My 24th birthday wasn't anything terribly special aside from the fact that it fell on the Friday of an FI event. The 24th isn't exactly one to make a huge deal about anyhow. The event was spectacular and I put the wheels in motion for some intense character development over the next few events. Also, I won at the Device grab bag. Hooray, Death Ray!
The following Monday, I set out across the pond for London. There's so much to say about it; I could fill this entry with how much I loved it. I love the mentality over there, the sense of community, and the appreciation for art, history, and culture. That's what I feel that America truly lost in its climb into superpower status. Going to England only reinforced my belief that America needs its soul back and that I'm meant to help it show it.
Thinking back now on the most powerful moments of the trip, they weren't exactly what one would expect.
-We were driving into London from Heathrow and I looked out across the chimney-tops, immediately knowing that I was looking at a snapshot of Dickens' London. It was breathtaking. Our hotel was actually in Dickens' neighborhood.
-Walking through the National Gallery, I saw Picassos, Van Goghs ("Sunflowers"!), Monets, Rembrants, and Da Vinci's "Virgin on the Rocks" among other priceless works of art. The fact that these fragile masterpieces, paintings and tapestries dating back almost 600 years, had survived to end up hanging right in front of me was overwhelming.
-I walked across the iconic crossing at Abbey Road in step with Jon and Sara. Video footage exists and I couldn't be happier about it.
-The British Museum wasn't even on the itinerary but I made a point to make the detour twice. I made for the Rosetta Stone straight away and almost cried when I saw it. It hit me similarly but in an even more profound way to seeing the National Gallery. Seeing actual ancient copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the remainder of THE Mausoleum (one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the world), and so many other objects of antiquity was nothing short of astounding. The Sutton Hoo Burial, which I'd learned of in college and have wanted to see since, was beautiful. Just walking through the endless rooms filled with all of this history alone and in silence was an experience that I can still feel.
-Stonehenge. I was almost in shock by the time we got there. I remember reaching the edge of London and seeing the countryside burst all around me. Farmhouses here and there, endless rolling hills of green, and hedgerows and stone walls that have been meticulously maintained for over a thousand years were all around me. Then I fully realized that I would be standing at Stonehenge, the one place in the world that I wanted to visit more than anywhere else, within an hour. I have no shame saying that I full out cried at that. I was floored by the entire excursion and vowed to go back someday.
-As we were leaving London, I felt like I had so much left to do there. I tried all week to get over to the Globe but never managed to do it. But on our way to the airport, I realized that we were going to be across the Thames from it. I spent a good ten minutes glued to the bus window until I finally saw a split-second glimpse of it between two buildings. I think I actually sighed in relief at having seen it at least.
I think I grew out of Christmas. At least I think I grew out of the anticipation and anxiety of it. It's Christmas. It's a holiday. Woo.
A couple of days after Christmas, Kevin and I broke up. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't heartbroken over it at the time, especially given that it was supposedly over around Columbus Day (long story of well-intentioned miscommunication), but the time since has made me realize that we are MUCH better as friends than as a couple. For most intents and purposes, that's how we were functioning as a couple anyhow. I'm happy to say that we're close and I expect that to remain so.
FI's One Day event forced Kevin and I to deal with the potential awkwardness of being around each other less than two weeks after we'd broken things off. We spoke that morning and it was clear that we were on good terms and that things shouldn't be awkward. Thankfully, they weren't. As for the event, I won't say I called it because I didn't have anything more than reasonable and vague suspicion to go on but I definitely knew that all was not what it seemed. I was right and somehow ended up being one of the 8 people to escape the plot-tastrophe of the day.
I started hanging out in Boston soon after thanks to having gotten a lot of hang out time with that crowd at the FI One Day. I'm glad that I'm a little more integrated with the FI crew than I was before; they're fun, intelligent, and genuine people who err on the side of maturity most of the time. I love hanging out with them.
RENT rehearsals started up in late January. It's the first show I've ever formally stage managed and I knew that expectations were high, albeit not exactly knowing what I was supposed to take the lead on at the time. The rehearsals took up at least three nights a week all spring.
After a series of incidents at shows and a major difference of opinion in regard to professionalism, I resigned from my position as a region leader of ZO2's street team. I was really sad about it, this was the band that got me into the music industry and got me out of my shell in college, but it had to happen. I haven't been to a show since and don't expect to attend one soon.
March brought another trip to experience Sleep No More in NYC. I spent the early part of the evening hanging out with Matt D. who I hadn't seen since at least August. He seems so at home in NYC; he can be himself there and not feel the intense social pressures that can come with small-state living. The production was fabulous of course and I even got a one-on-one with Banquo who managed to mostly elude me in prior showings. I was thrilled!
Shryne's performance at the Limelight Music Awards the following day was a blast from the past and it was just like old times for a while. It felt right to be at a show with them and enjoying that music again. They walked away with the Album of the Year award so that was a great way to end the night.
The first FI event of the season began with the (anti-climactic) taking back of the Colony from what essentially ended up being body-snatchers. I made major advances in character development both from an RP and skill perspective so I couldn't be happier about it.
All of April is a blur of intense preparations for RENT. We open tomorrow and I thought for a while that things wouldn’t come together in time. The set is still, at this moment, without its finishing touches and I am more than a little upset with my assistant stage manager but I’m dealing. I actually felt close to comfortable at the light board last night in the midst of calling cues, running the board, and dealing with tech hiccups. I had a great time after the soft opening with some of the cast, including a real-life rendition of “La Vie Boheme” at Boilermakers (a pub in Woonsocket) and a really good chat with one of the actors afterward.
It's going to be strange after Saturday night. I won't see a lot of these people with any sort of frequency anymore, much less three nights a week. The cast and crew have really gotten close and I absolutely want to stay in touch. They are WAY too fun a crowd not to be around.
It's not to say that I won’t be busy after RENT is over. I have a summer project that I will be throwing myself into pretty extensively and I may be doing more theatre work later on.
Ok, that's it for the novel update I think. I'll have another entry up soon, either mirrored on or linked to my Wordpress blog, so I won’t be gone for long!