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Friday, October 31, 2003 @ 11:14 AM
Feliz Cumpleanos a Mi
Last night was really fun. First, David from the ensemble got a chance to bond with the ASM's while he waited to be a paper-hanger and a cop. After rehearsal, I encouraged Carolyn to be a delinquent and go with us to Wal-Mart. Justin, the rehearsal pianist, drove us there. I bought the finishing touches for my costume and a 3-pack of chapstick and an air freshener. All for under $10, yay.
Then we went to Joe's room in Newing and watched the episode of "The Family Guy" where Peter secedes from the United States. I love Joe so much. He makes constant references to his virginity - which always reminds me of Lauren. =) He also kisses me on the hand, which I love. I told him if he didn't have a girlfriend I would have a big sappy crush on him. Carolyn ended up spending the night at Ryan's, the big slacker, and I had to walk home alone. As far as I know, she never finished her paper, which is due today at one. She's probably working on it right now, actually...
Today, I woke up around 10:00, and realized I'm sick. It hurts to swallow, it's hard to talk normally, my nose is stuffy, and I have a sinus headache. But I'm not going to let a cold get me down. I went to Spanish happy, I wrote 30-second poetry while he explained direct pronouns for the 80th time, and I skipped back to my room, still giddy. Tonight after rehearsal, I'm going to meet up with Amanda, Brandon, and Carolyn, and go to Rocky Horror Picture Show, or a party at Christie's friends' place, or both. Tomorrow, I have rehearsal, but Tracy told me I don't have to be there until noon. That's good, 'cause I plan to be hungover. =) Then Saturday night, I'm going to Chris Rovente's party. I wasn't sure whether I should go or not, but then I found out Katie is going, and that clinched my decision.
Oh, and yay to my moms for my beautiful and shiny Not My Shoes lunch box, my "Buffy" season one, and my Kevin Smith comic book. Yay to my great-grandmother and great-Aunt for the money they've sent; and yay to everyone who's sent e-mails and IM's... In class today, Christie was saying, "Aw, I know how it is when it's your birthday and you're away from home..." But I actually feel really great. I've got friends here, I've got friends at home, I've got friends all across the country who love me. And presents and free candy. What else could I ask for?
Tuesday, October 28, 2003 @ 8:34 PM
And the Villagers Rejoiced
I got out early! Tracy let me out early as a thank-you for running the production meeting in her absence this afternoon!
I have never been this excited about the opportunity to do my Spanish homework!
Quick Questions
Is is bad that something people love so much is, to me, essentially a means to an end?
Is that redeemed by the fact that I really love said end?
Monday, October 27, 2003 @ 10:29 PM
My Day, in the Form of an E-mail to My Mother
After considerable trouble, I managed to get on a bus and take it to a clinic on Main Street in Binghamton. The receptionist told me that their clinic usually doesn't do physicals, and even if they did, that they'd need a form from Health Services and my immunization records. I didn't have either of those things, so I cried. And she said she'd see what she could do.
I finally got in to see the doctor, and he said he couldn't do it without the form. I cried. He called Health Services and had them fax the form. I got my physical done in ten minutes flat and got back to campus in plenty of time to watch "Angel," get dinner, and go to rehearsal. I was worn out from all the panicking, but overjoyed because now the whole nightmare is over and Bing will let me register for classes for next semester.
The moral of the story is: Crying solves everything.
Sunday, October 26, 2003 @ 10:49 PM
What You Feel is What You Are
Well, today's ridiculously long rehearsal wasn't actually that bad. I think it was because I brought my CD player with me and listened to Four Star Mary while I carried set pieces. Also, one of the other ASM's helped me get the carts for a change. Good times (great oldies).
It did suck that Tracy gave me a dinner break after all campus dining had closed. I ended up eating Dorritos for dinner.
Sometimes, it's not hard to just relax and let that which does not matter truly slide.
Once Again
We are slitting our wrists vertically again today. And rehearsal hasn't even started yet.
If today doesn't get better by the time I leave rehearsal - and it's not likely to - I'm going to start making collect phone calls. The first will be to my mom.
Friday, October 24, 2003 @ 10:25 PM
Re-Run
Me: "Hey, could you hold this door open, just for a minute?" Actor: "No. The answer is no."
It was another long night. But tomorrow, Carolyn and I are going to Six Flags... unless she forgot. Rehearsal Sunday 3-11. Now, not all the actors are evil. Some are neutral, some are even good. They are all, however, as far as I can tell, chaotic. And I am, whether I want to be or not, The Law.
Joe: "Are we slitting our wrists horizontally or vertically today?" Me: "Oh, vertical, for def. This isn't a 'cry for help' kind of night."
I know it's wrong to joke about suicide. Especially given my personal history and the histories of those close to me. And yet... when Joe and I do it, it's not insensitive, just politically incorrect.
Thursday, October 23, 2003 @ 11:07 PM
Worthless
Today sucked. I feel wretched. I'm sharing this because: 1.) My angst is part of me, and my loved ones should accept this. 2.) Today's events will someday be amusing. Hopefully soon.
All right. Start with the game of Asocksination, an Assassin game Champlain is playing, in which you kill people by hitting them with socks. Sounds like lots of fun, right? It was, until I found out that A.) we had to kill our first target by tonight at midnight, and B.) my target already knew I was his asocksin. I did have fun scaring people with my sock, I must admit.
Eventually, I had to go to class, which was Stage Makeup. Here's the problem with that class - I suck, and I am not improving. Even though I was on the Makeup crew for All-State, even though Thetard's acting class had an extensive makeup unit, I still suck, and I can't seem to get better. Unlike everyone else in the class, I do the reading and I practice outside of class. And yet, they all keep getting better and better, and I keep sucking. It's really discouraging. Every day when my teacher photographs my results, I stare into the bright light and start to cry. Pathetic, I know, but I'm not used to trying and failing. Especially outside the fields of math and science.
Then to play practice, where I move stuff around a lot. I was going to move a table with a cash register on it. I yelled out, "Hey? Little help? Anybody? Could someone give me a hand?" But they all just kept talking amongst themselves. Finally, I decided I would just drag the table away. I started to drag it, when one of the legs of the table broke off. The cash register went crashing and the table fell, bruising my arm. Suddenly, all eyes are on me. It was a very fitting episode, in that it basically summarizes my experience as ASM: I am invisible until I screw up.
Today, I failed as an assassin, an artist, and an ASM. All I want to do is feel like I am capable and in control. So, I'm off to play The Sims.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003 @ 11:14 PM
This is Only Funny If You've Seen Kill Bill
Tonight, as I was leaving rehearsal, I was wondering whether or not Adi was pissed off at me, and I couldn't find Anne or Tracy, so I couldn't ask them if I could leave. The building was deserted except for the cleaning staff. (Oh, if only I was paid to be in fine arts for five hours every night... But I digress.) Anyway, so I walk out of the building. There are two people off to my left. I hear a voice from my right yell, "Kellie!"
I thought it was Adi, waiting for me. "Yeah?" I shouted.
"KELLIE POWELL! WE HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS!"
To be honest... I was a little scared. I thought, "Huh. Adi wants to fight me?" And I yelled, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???"
The same voice answered me: "YOUR ONLY MISTAKE WAS... YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED ME."
And then the music from Kill Bill started playing loudly.
And four dark figures started walking towards me. In formation.
And I laughed. And said, "Carolyn? I love you..."
And we walked back to Champlain Hall. In formation.
I have the best friends on the face of the earth.
Peer Pressure
My Politics Mesh With: 1. Kucinich, Cong. Dennis, OH - Democrat (82%) 2. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (82%) 3. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol IL - Democrat (81%) 4. Sharpton, Reverend Al - Democrat (77%) 5. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (70%) 6. Gephardt, Cong. Dick, MO - Democrat (70%) 7. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (67%) 8. Clark, Retired Army General Wesley K "Wes" Arkansas - Democrat (64%) 9. LaRouche, Lyndon H. Jr. - Democrat (55%) 10. Lieberman Senator Joe CT - Democrat (52%) 11. Bush, George W. - US President (3%)
A - Act your age: I'm going to be twenty soon! I never really thought I'd get this old... I thought adults were people who had things figured out, people who know stuff. Nineteen didn't really feel the way I thought nineteen would... so twenty probably won't either.
B - Boyfriends: Over-rated. (See The Ex-Boyfriend Quiz...) hence, I prefer singleness - a mix of loneliness (when you get into bed alone at night) and euphoria (all the rest of the time).
C - Chore you hate: Dishes. And laundry. And dusting... and cleaning anything... I hate all chores. Most of all, I hate sweeping. No matter how much you get in the dustpan, it always seems like there's a bunch of dirt that you don't remove from the floor, you just move it around... What a waste of energy....
D - Dad's name: Frank Matthew Powell, Jr.
E - Essential make up item: Does Carmex count?
F - Favourite actor(s): Edward Norton, John Cusak, Jason Lee, Kevin Spacey, Lauren Ambrose.
G - Gold or silver: Silver.
H - Hometown: Bloomington, then Lexington, then Normal, Illinois.
I - Instruments you play(ed): N/A.
J - Job title: Assistant Stage Manager.
K - Kids: I used to like children, but now I hate them.
L - Living arrangements: I live with a Chinese-American Finance major named Shirley, in a small dorm room in Champlain Hall, on an all-girl floor.
M - Mom's name: Rebecca Ann Benner.
N - Number of people you've slept with: 1. Slept with: Dozens.
O - Overnight hospital stays: None.
P - Phobias: Doctors, nurses, blood, hospitals, needles, doctor's offices, anything touching my wrist, men over thirty (this one I just discovered recently, but it's real), insects (especially leeches), wire coat hangers (again, not kidding), driving, peanut M&M's, and everything that people are usually afraid of: failure, unwanted pregnancy, rape, and the government.
Q - Quote you like: "All the women I know feel a little bit like outlaws." -Marilyn French
R - Religious affiliation: None... Hypothetically I'm a pagan Unitarian.
S - Siblings: William, 18, a hostile, depressed drug fiend, an underachiever and rebel.
T - Time you wake up?: MWF - 10am, TR & weekends - noon.
U - Unique habit: I want to say insomnia... even though it's neither unique nor a habit...
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: What've you got?
W - Worst habit: Chewing stuff (pens, pen caps, pencils, bottle caps, bottles, strings and cords, my cuticles, glasses, sunglasses, the antenna on my cell phone, my toothbrush, eating utensils, and the occasional loved one)... actually, that's just my dumbest habit. My worst habit is feeling sorry for myself.
X - X-rays you've had: One time I stepped on my knee wrong and fell over. They thought I had broken myself, but eventually my knee just went back to normal on its own. It was tres weird.
Y - Yummy food you make: The occasional grilled-cheese-and-bacon sandwich.
Z - Zodiac sign: Scorpio.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003 @ 11:29 AM
Until I Fall Away
Feeling a little down... sedated, sort of... I keep getting headaches, I'm overtired, I sleep a lot. Trying to shake myself out of this lethargy, but everything is such an effort...
The show goes on, though obviously I'd rather it didn't. On the plus side, I met Joe. He's in the ensemble, a good friend of Carolyn's boyfriend, Ryan. He reminds me of R.J. Yesterday he mimed cutting people with a plastic water bottle, emitting a high-pitched bad imitation of a chainsaw. Good times (great oldies).
I have a midterm due Thursday, and I haven't started it yet... I should have worked on it last night, but instead I watched History of the World with Carolyn, Brandon, and Amanda. Well, I watched it up to my favorite part - the Spanish Inquisition song - and then I went to sleep.
Sleep is good... I wish I could be asleep right now... but I have class... "Life is so hard!"
Sunday, October 19, 2003 @ 3:24 AM
Surfacing
Aneurysm Kellie returned from the dead today, to the tune of a full-out panic attack... And I am still unable to make people see the difference between "brought on by" and "caused by." And I'm stuck thinking about that goddamned Happiness Map... Pondering the choices I have made, pondering the person I've become.
It's four in the morning... and I have no regrets.
Saturday, October 18, 2003 @ 1:24 AM
Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead
A lifelong nemesis of mine has stepped down from her stolen throne. I don't know why, and I don't care. The woman traumatized me for sport for four years, crushing my fragile self-esteem at every opportunity. Blaming me for things that weren't within my control, patronizing me. I spent a year as an English major because I was so afraid of ending up like her.
Her reign of terror has ended. She will never again have the opportunity to break another adolescent spirit.
And the munchkins rejoiced.
Thursday, October 16, 2003 @ 10:46 PM
Closet
Tonight, an adorable gay piano player kissed the top of my head. It gave me the warm fuzzies. I don't know what I'll do if someone hugs me...
Anne snapped at me for expressing an opinion (to be precise: "That was funny."), then apologized for being short with me but stood by her statement that I should not provide feedback to the actors. I'm gloing to write myself a note that says, "DO NOT FEED OR TEASE THE ACTORS. This is not your show. Even if it was your show, it would still suck, because it's Hello Dolly. This is four practicum credits and a way to meet people, not a work of art. The best thing that could happen to this show would be immediate cancellation."
And the Hello Dolly quote of the day: "You'll be in the closet, out of the closet, in it again, out of it again..." "Just like in real life..." --Anne (talking about a literal closet) and Chris (not).
Wednesday, October 15, 2003 @ 10:29 PM
Show
Most of the good moments that come out of working for this show come out of mocking it.
I miss decent writing. And realism, and darkness. Last year, Bing did The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Anton in Show Business, Hamlet, Our Town... Why couldn't they have done those shows this year, instead of Hello Dolly and Lend Me a Tenor? I whine too much, I know... but I'm reading David Sedaris under my prompt book and only looking up to gawk at Bing's idea of ensemble eye candy... I'm having fun, but my heart isn't really in this show.
On the plus side, I've been confided in, joked with, hassled affectionately, bonded with, complimented, thanked, and best of all... I finally found someone who hates Jason, my T.A., approximately as much as I do.
Monday, October 13, 2003 @ 4:32 PM
Disconnected...
I called Cingular today from a pay phone and begged them to fix my phone.
They tried everything they could think of, but finally admitted defeat. I'm supposed to take the phone to the nearest Cingular store... Which is in Ithaca. Rather than hitchhike to Ithaca - which would be fun, but which would cause me to miss rehearsal - I'm mailing my phone in bubble wrap to my mother, so she can take it to the Cingular store in Normal.
Meanwhile... It really pisses me off that humankind can travel the moon, but we still don't have a 100% safe, effective, and side-effect-free method of contraception... Lifelong abstinence notwithstanding - although it looks like a more and more attractive option with every pregnancy scare I get word of.
I hate the world today.
Sunday, October 12, 2003 @ 4:57 PM
WOAH!
I just realized something:
It's been six weeks, and I haven't been stressed out ONCE!
Could this be the end of Aneurysm Kellie???
I Had a Good Day
...Such days stand apart from the rest, like the sky on the Fourth of July, a rare occasion of night swimming in a lighted pool, a day filled with light upon light... All things good that we've ever done or thought are rewarded on the good days, as if the plants, the sidewalks, the sky, the strangers are all one thing saying thank you... -- Girl Walking Backwards, Bett Williams
Saturday, October 11, 2003 @ 1:12 AM
Comparisons
Okay... first of all... it really weirds me out that this weekend is Homecoming for U-High. I can't quite explain why... but it really, really does. Of course, on some level, it's strange to me that life occurs at all, in my absence.
Also, a semi-related observation - you can't really say anything about your hometown until you've lived somewhere else.
Friday, October 10, 2003 @ 8:40 AM
That Was Then
There's something I want to say about time, and forgiveness. I keep having false-starts - the words just come out wrong. This is the closest I can get to what I'm trying to say: I'm not sure if anything in the past is ever really forgiven, it just gets buried with so many other things that it seems less important.
Time doesn't exactly heal all wounds... maybe it just distracts you with new ones.
That might explain why sometimes a new injury re-opens all the old scars. Someone hurts you, and you remember things you thought you had forgiven, things you thought you forgot about.
Everything that I have ever done, everything that has ever been done to me... is starting to seem like it happened in another lifetime. But it doesn't take much to put me right back where I was eight weeks ago.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003 @ 10:45 PM
Hello, Beth...
I adore Beth, the actress playing Dolly Levi. And this is why:
Actual line: "I know, Mr. Kemper, the Yonkers train is ready to leave! Now you go buy our tickets... get a window seat..." Beth's version: "...Now go buy our tickets... get a fucking clue..."
Actual line: "I want a sign from you, sometime today, that you approve... I'm tired of living from hand to mouth, so I want that sign sometime today!" Beth's version: "...I'm tired of living from hand to mouth, so I want that Diet Coke..."
Actual line: "Don't worry, Mr. Kemper, we'll make that train, we'll get to Yonkers, you'll marry Ermengarde..." Beth's version: "...we'll get to Yonkers, you'll marry your little dumb twat..."
"Serious Cheese Potential"
Last night, we had two read-throughs, back-to-back. For the first one, the actors just read their songs as monologues... which I have to admit was kind of funny. Then they did another read-through and they sang their songs... And I was like... "Auuuggggh, can I go home now???" but only in my head... And there wasn't really much for me to do, so I was bored a lot... and I wanted to talk to Joe, one of the other ASM's, about how bored I was, but I knew I should set a good example and not talk... And then I started sneezing, and I'm officially sick now... Like a lot... Yuck... There's a picture on LJ, it's the penguin next to my mood... which is sick... and the picture perfectly represents how I feel. My throat hurts soooo bad, I have no voice, my ears hurt, and I'm all sniffy. I might have to invest in some NyQuil. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.
Speaking of yuck... We got the rehearsal schedule. For the next six weeks, I have about four days off. I have 5-6/hr. rehearsals five days a week, plus eight hours on either Saturday or Sunday, sometimes both... And again, I'm wondering... what have I gotten myself into?
Tuesday, October 07, 2003 @ 4:00 PM
Lobe Katie!
...I miss having Kellie, Dan, Steph, and usually Seth at my beck and call. And me at theirs. I miss going out after work and driving around... I miss adventuring at the mall and lusting after priests. I miss Krystal. I haven't seen her since the night we sat out in the middle of the parking lot at Hotel 8 and ate an entire carton of ice cream... As much as they hated it, I'm going to miss having Dan, Kellie, and Stephanie all in one place so I know where to find them... And next year, I'm not sure how much interest my college friends are going to have in hanging out with me. For instance, only the Alleged God knows what Kellie's going to be doing. All her talk about a traveling theatre company scares the shit out of me. Where will she be? If she's in Paris, she won't be available to me... --KatieMakesPie
If it's any comfort... to Katie or to anyone else... As far as I know, I will be in Normal this summer, and I will finish my degree at Illinois State University. This isn't for sure, and I'm still exploring some other options. But right now, I just want want to be in Normal and to direct for Shoes again. More than anything, I want to go back home and do what I love, with the people I love.
And... I didn't hate living with Steph and Dan. I don't know how they felt living with me, but I don't think they hated it either... It was hard. Really hard. We drank too much, we didn't eat or sleep enough. We were broke. We got on each other's nerves more than we thought we would, and we - or at least I - didn't always handle it well. I can admit, I had a lot of really hard nights and even harder morning-afters. And when I left for Bing, I was still carrying around a lot of anger towards my old friends. But just as I hoped, the bad times are fading away, and I'm letting go of the petty and the bitter and basking in the love.
Monday, October 06, 2003 @ 3:31 PM
Dan the Man-Whore
Kapouwy: i could send you paul's buffy cd's that i own...(was his name paul?) staringinawe: His name was... um... staringinawe: Fuck. staringinawe: It wasn't Paul, I don't think. Kapouwy: i think it was paul Kapouwy: oh... staringinawe: Um... Patrick was later... Kapouwy: did it start with an r? staringinawe: I can't believe we can't remember his name. Jesus. staringinawe: I can find this out easily enough. Hang on... Kapouwy: i am a man whore Kapouwy: wha? do you have an archive of my boyfriends, or something?! Kapouwy: cause if you do, can i have a copy? staringinawe: PHIL! Kapouwy: yes!!!! staringinawe: I found it. His name is Phil. Kapouwy: phillip! staringinawe: Yeah! Kapouwy: yeah... Kapouwy: i so feel dirty
My Sports-Related Ignorance and Apathy Know No Bounds
staringinawe: Was it the Superbowl or something this weekend? HelKat14: i dunno, but i think the cubs won staringinawe: Yeah, apparently there was something of a riot in Normal. staringinawe: And I'm not sure, but I think the Cubs played the Yankees. HelKat14: yeah thats not the super bowl HelKat14: thats the pennant thingy staringinawe: haha, The Cubs and the Yankees are baseball teams.
...
HelKat14: cubs suck HelKat14: io-fricking-wa staringinawe: What teams do they even have in Iowa? HelKat14: hawkeyes staringinawe: What sport do they play? HelKat14: its U of Iowa so they play all sports staringinawe: Do you have any pro teams? HelKat14: damned if i know HelKat14: there's the alcohol team HelKat14: i play fullback staringinawe: lol, what does a fullback do? HelKat14: gets trashed
To sum up... the Yankees and the Cubs are baseball teams. The Super Bowl is a football game. And the fullback gets trashed.
New York Fuckin' City
I stole that title from a shirt I saw but resisted the urge to buy. Now, the big "I just got back from a trip" post:
The plan was to go to dinner in Dickinson at 3:30, when Beatrice got done with class, and then leave at 4:00. Of course, Melissa's laundry still wasn't dry when we got back from dinner, and almost everyone wasn't done packing. We ended up leaving about 5:30, and Melissa's laundry was still not dry, it just sat soggy in the trunk of her car. I was in Melissa's backseat with Lauren on the way up, and Nora had shotgun. Melissa didn't have a CD player in her car, so we listened to the radio and sometimes sang, but mostly we just had a kind of rolling conversation with many lulls. The best conversations came out of my teaching them The Cliff Game.
Now, it's hard to play The Cliff Game with new friends, because you don't have a lot of mutual acquaintances. But no matter, we figured out a way around it - famous people. And famous fictional characters. The best question of all was this: Batman, Superman, and Spiderman. Everyone in the car agreed that we would have sex with Batman - a good bonding experience. The other good ones included the three guys and then the three girls from Friends, and any three of the four teenage mutant ninja turtles.
Anyway, we got so wrapped up in this game that we didn't realize Melissa had missed her exit, and we had driven forty-five minutes into Pennsylvania. (Someone tried to make a statement like, "If we hadn't stopped when we did, we probably would have driven all the way to... Um, what state is below Pennsylvania?" We couldn't figure it out, and finally got the answer two days later - Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey are all south of Pennsylvania. We would have driven into Ohio, the farthest to the east. ) When we finally got back into the right state, we cheered and it reminded me of a couple of different road trips I took with Dan.
Then Melissa needed to stop at her house to pick up a few things. She had been hoping to be in and out before her mom got home, but with the delay, this was impossible. Her mom was a little bizarre - incredibly forthright, and with a crush on Kenny Chesney. She picked little fights with Melissa in that mom-way that my mom never picked up, thank God. Melissa told her mom we would only stay half an hour, but we were there for at least twice that long. When we finally got to Heather's, which is where we were to sleep on Friday night, everyone had already eaten dinner. Heather had cooked some kind of pasta and chicken dish for the occasion, and it was spectacular.
While we sat and ate, we met Teddy, Heather's tact-free friend. I loved being around him, because he reminded me of all my bizarre, tact-free friends. To Becca, he was off-putting, with his, "I used to have a long-distance relationship, but he cheated on me, so I replaced him with a dildo." No one could tell whether or not he was kidding. Later in the evening, he told us he was actually a virgin. And I still had no idea. He was just a lot of fun to be around, but he made me miss my old friends... He and Heather had a million inside jokes and a million stories that they have to tell by finishing each other's sentences. I slept on a very comfortable if somewhat musty couch in Heather's basement, and somehow slept right through Jayna rolling over on Becca in the middle of the night on the pull-out.
The next morning, we hurried to get ready, left an hour behind schedule, and headed for the city. I was carsick and threw up my granola-bar breakfast in a parking garage. It was horrid. We were running incredibly late because it took us so long to park. Melissa got a cab and we somehow made it to the theatre by about 2:05. We got to our seats just as the lights were dimming, which was indeed a lucky break.
Aida was very good. I didn't really get into the first act, and Elton John's music has always kind of left me pretty cold. However, the second act turned me around - the actor playing Amneris blew me away with her final speech, and I have to admit, I cried a little at the ending. (I cry at everything.) Very good for a musical, and besides, it was free. I flipped through the program afterwards and realized that Take Me Out and The Violet Hour, (written by Richard Greenberg, you philistines), are both playing on right now. This means I have to make at least one more trip to Broadway before going back to Illinois.
After the show, we browsed the Virgin store for about an hour. Things I wanted to buy and didn't because I'm poor (unlike everyone else I went on the trip with): "Angel" season one, "Buffy" season four, "Cowboy Bebop" DVD's and mangas, "The Family Guy," and a discount Tracy Bonham CD. (WinMX has been trying to download "Sharks Can't Sleep" for me for an eternity.)
After the browsing, we went to dinner... Sadly, I can't remember the name of the restaurant. But it was tres high class. Because Melissa's father got to put the whole dinner on his company expense account, our bill came to over $500. Shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, and chocolate mousse. I didn't need to eat again for over thirty-six hours. The meal was made all the more enjoyable by all of the social screw-ups. Both Heather and Becca said mean things about the waitress, thinking that she had gone away, when really she was right behind them. Becca actually managed to do this twice. It was flocking hysterical.
After dinner, we went to Melissa's father's apartment. He turned it over to us for the night and left for Connecticut for the weekend. Her dad has the best job in the world. He's in liquor distributing. He has a great apartment, a $700/mo. car allowance, a pimp stereo, and he gets free alcohol. There was a giant bottle of vodka, and Jayna really wanted to take the empty bottle, so when we didn't finish the bottle that night, she made us all drink breakfast screwdrivers.
Saturday morning, everyone slept much later than we had meant to. (We didn't go to sleep until after four, so what did we expect, honestly?) About noon, Melissa and I went to buy everyone bagels, and it was the nicest little walk... I pretended that I lived in Brooklyn Heights, it was beautiful. Melissa and I just wandered the neighborhood, quiet, taking everything in. It was the best way to start the day.
We took a cab to Central Park and met up with Jayna's friend Patrick - a city native who had spent the past three nights bar-hopping through three boroughs. He and his accent were a real trip. We wandered through Strawberry Fields, to hear all the Beatles cover bands. Then we took another cab to the Village, where we never did find a sweet little coffeeshop. We passed three Starbucks, which apparently everyone but me fiercely hates. We browsed tents of clothes and bootlegs and paraph, again I resisted the urge to shop. We ended up going to dinner at a place called Dallas BBQ. Spectacular food, ridiculously expensive, which I guess is pretty much every NYC restaurant. Beatrice couldn't remember the name of one of the Midwest states and called it, "One of the ones in the middle," which made me laugh for no reason.
We headed back to Brooklyn Heights and loaded the cars. I decided to ride back in Heather's car, with Jayna and Patrick. We sang classic rock. I sang even though my throat was (and is currently) killing me. We lost Melissa and had to pull over and wait for her to return. We had to make a stop at Heather's house on the way back to pick up everyone's snowboards (apparently that sport is pretty huge in these parts). Long story short, I made it back to my room at four this morning. Shirley wasn't home, so I turned on some music and tried to write some poetry. Just to spite her and her going-to-bed-at-midnight-ways. In theory, she's returning tonight. It's back to headphones and flashlights for me. How sad.
And tonight is the first rehearsal of Hello, Dolly! (that I have to attend). Rehearsals are a 7-11 deal, from tonight until mid-November. Adios, free time. Hello, cheesy hateful musical. But it's okay, because I will get to be around theatre people. Theatre people who like musicals, but theatre people, nonetheless.
Friday, October 03, 2003 @ 3:32 PM
New York City: Center of the Universe
I'm leaving for NYC any minute - we're just waiting on Melissa's laundry to dry. I'm not really sure exactly what we'll be doing while we're there... which made it kind of hard to pack... I'm only taking what will fit in my bookbag, my purse, and my pillowcase. There are eight of us going. I won't be back until either late Sunday night, or sometime on Monday.
Have a great Yon Kippur, everyone. =)
Lobe Lauren!
"P.S.- I really miss Kellie. She was the only one I ever really connected to... plus we could spend literally HOURS talking about how much we hated Thetard. And Rob! And Neil Simon!! Nobody hates all three anymore-- what's up with that?" --Lauren
*le sigh* I miss her back.
Thursday, October 02, 2003 @ 2:02 PM
Wrench in Gears
Last night, our phone rang at two in the morning. Now, the first thing you have to understand is that our dorm phone is incredibly loud to begin with, and it gets a lot louder when someone in the room is sleeping. Shirley moaned, "Who is that?" and I said, "I got it," and rolled out of bed and answered the phone. It was Seth - and much though I wanted to talk to him, it was two in the morning and Shirley was trying to sleep, so I had to apologize and ask him to call me back tomorrowtoday.
So this is my life, post cell phone. If I had been able to remove the phone from the room, I would have probably talked to Seth until sunrise if he'd wanted. Grrr, arrrgh, if I can't get a new cell phone, maybe I'll just get a cordless to replace the phone we have now. At least then I could take my late-night phone calls into the stairwell.
This morning I went with Carolyn to Health Services, because I thought it would be a good idea to know where it is. Even though I have now been there, I still don't know where it is. (Said a la Xander.) I'm just a little slow in some stuff, mostly math and spatial relations... but certainly not challenged, or anything...
Then this afternoon, while walking to Theatre History class, I was witness to the first sleet/hail/snow??? phenomenon of the year. It started as rain, but then the raindrops started freezing in mid-air. They melted as soon as they hit the ground, but still... It's October 2 and it's just not right! Anyway, I got all sleeted on and then sat in class with semi-frozen hair. Fucking... I'm in for a winter of freezing white doom.
I got to class and met Tracy, my Stage Manager for Dolly, who informed me that I missed a production meeting. I thought it was at night. Turns out it was at noon.
I guess I'm just a little off my game today.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003 @ 10:45 PM
Stuart Davis = My Kindred Spirit?
I don't know how long I can sit with you this time The suffering in your live shrouds the joy in mine So maybe you should just call me when this sadness finally ends and you're ready to laugh again -- Someone Else's Ears
Can I just say... Been there?
While it might not sound like it from the excerpt above, when you read the entire song, you can't help but be left with the impression that the self-righteousness and hostility masks a tremendous amount of guilt. Hence the power of this song.
Other songs of interest: Fall Awake, and Uncle Seth's False Gospel.
Good Day
I had a great conversation with Julie Fisher last night. Then I went to sleep and had a great dream, the kind I didn't want to wake up from, the kind I could have stayed in for days if you had let me. Then I had a relatively good morning - Spanish sucked-times-infinity, but Acting was cancelled, so Christie and I had coffee and Snapple in the Commons and then we sat by the fountain while she smoked and talked to mostly a bunch of creative writing majors. She introduced me to several people, and I think I'm going to go with her to the next Bing poetry reading at Cyber.
Meanwhile... I hate my Spanish teacher. Daft bastard.
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