Thoughts on next semester and graduation.

So I'm sitting here looking through the theatre calendar for the spring and just trying to orient myself with what is to come.
This is my conclusion: I'm going to be literally CRAZY. I'm going ahead and checking out on any sort of life I may try to have next semester. As there will be no social life to be had. This is why.

January.
Starting in January are juries for KC-ACTF every Friday. Also- I will be needing to do costume crew for Charlotte's Web, which starts on the 17th-23rd. I will also be preparing for KC-ACTF convo on the 28th (KC-ACTF is an acting competition for theatre majors in which you prepare 2 scenes and a monologue/song to perform in order to win scholarships and other awards.), and then I'm off to Daytona on Feb. 1st. Let's add to that As You Like It's preliminary rehearsals as well as In Dreams/Nightmares rehearsals. (Robin's Sr. Project)

February
February is a literal month of INSANITY. From the 1st-5th I'll be in Daytona for KC-ACTF, and then the following weekend is GA Thespians in which I'm required to work hours for, plus it will just be insane in Columbus around that time. The following weekend is One-Act auditions, and then In Dreams/Nightmares goes up the following weekend. I start actual rehearsals for As You Like It this month too, in addition to all the rehearsals for Robin's show. Aye Caramba.

March
And then I'm off to SETC on March 3rd-6th in Atlanta to audition for professional companies in hopes of landing an acting job after graduation. One-Act rehearsals begin on the 14th, and As You Like It is rehearsing as well. I will also be required to attend production meetings for the one-acts as I am taking sound design and will be needing to sound design a one act. Oh yeah and I also forgot one tiny thing-My SENIOR ACTING RECITAL goes up on the 25th, and the following weekend starts Tech rehearsals for As You Like It.


April
From the 1st-10th my life will be consumed with tech rehearsals and performances of As You Like It (It goes up the 7th!) and then that's over. However One-Act tech rehearsals start the week after. The next couple weekends will be consumed by one-acts and Dance Extravaganza rehearsals, no doubt. The day after One-Acts are over I've gotta high-tail it to Augusta for the weekend to be in Brooke's wedding on the 29th-30th.

May
May 2nd is the last day of classes. (Classes?! When will I have time for those?!) And Dance Extravaganza goes up on the 5th. However.....on the 9th....I ....will...be....A COLLEGE GRADUATE WITH A BFA THEATRE PERFORMANCE DEGREE. And ready to enter the real world!

So. There we have it. My Spring Semester of doom. Thank GOD my course load is light. I'm so incredibly thankful for taking summer/maymester classes because if I hadn't done that I would be killing myself to fit everything in! I literally only have theatre practice on M/W, and I have no classes on Fridays. T/TRs are going to be packed with classes, but that's just the way it worked. I have breaks though which is nice- and none of the classes are immensely stressful necessarily.

At some point I am going to have to find time to squeeze in Saber meetings and writing articles and things as well- since I definitely am not going to have time for a real person's job which is sad because I definitely need to save up money in order to move...ahh.

Speaking of moving after graduation. I have been doing some thinking lately. The bottom line is I definitely want to be in NYC. My initial plan was to go to Augusta and live there for about 6 months or so, and just work my butt off and raise money. However, I have been wondering if it is really the best idea for me to be in Augusta, making money, yet being far away from any opportunities I may get in the meantime-whereas I could perhaps be somewhere like Atlanta and paying rent, but being really close to tons of more opportunities and be able to maybe get signed on to an agency and do a year or so of professional work before heading to NY? These are just thoughts I'm thinking about. It would be definitely easier to take advantage of lucrative stand-in work and things like that if I'm already in Atlanta instead of commuting from Augusta, and I could easily share an apt. with friends that will be there. I'm also worried about being just stagnant career-wise in Augusta. I don't want to just slave away for money in order to get to NY while I could be slowly building up my career and making money at the same time. Also, if I am submitting to agencies earlier than I would have more of an incentive to move there as well. Then after a year or so, I could have alot of more experience and have beefed up my resume with professional work- making a move to NYC seem alot more feasible and I could have more time to prepare for it.

Of course, you never know what will happen in life. I could get a job from SETC, or heck, who knows- I could even get a job in NYC from an audition I will go on after graduation. (I want to go there and audition for my graduation present!)

But as you can see from my hectic schedule to come- I'm definitely going to embrace and enjoy these breaks coming up and try to utilize this time to the best of my ability! I'm a little annoyed that I don't know what part I am in As You Like It yet- as I wanted to really familiarize myself with my lines- but I guess I'm just going to have to familiarize myself with the entire play in general, or at least all the female roles- which is not a bad thing I suppose. I'm also going to use my breaks to submit to agencies and companies and the like, and to get off book for everything in advance- such as ACTF material and such. I also will need to find Sr. Project material during this time.
But it's okay- this is just the life of a theatre major, haha! I will get through it! It will make me a little insane- but I know it will all work out somehow. And the rewards will be great.

My life in bullet points.

• Crucible costume crew is finally over. I literally feel like I have been living in a dungeon for about a week. Forced to wear black and confined to a basement- it was awful. However, I did enjoy our knitting parties. Yes, you read right- I learned how to knit! And now I'm addicted! I just started a scarf. Although I have to say it's a little embarrassing how slow I knit right now- but I just knit it so tightly. It will take me forever to finish this scarf but by golly it will be a good scarf I think! It's pretty- variants of aqua blue. But anyways, I did enjoy working on such a great show, I just am glad it's over though. Life resumes as usual.
• Thanksgiving break is coming soon! Literally in 3 days! I can't believe it's already here. I can't believe this semester is almost over. Thank God all my hard classes are over. (I'm DONE with Directing. WHAT? Bizarre!!!) I'm excited to just relax and rejuvenate in preparation for my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE EVER. Although I do need to find a new Shakespeare monologue, as well as find scenes for ACTF. But that's not terribly stressful, really. All that entails is reading plays, which I enjoy doing :)
• So I downloaded The Sims 3 on my new computer which is super exciting because it runs like a charm! The graphics are super crisp as well. I can waste so much time on this game...but it is just so addictingly fun!
• I keep having dreams about New York. Can't wait to be there. Mentally, I'm already there. Now to get there financially as well as physically...

All I Want for Christmas...

I have decided to keep an on-going wish list through my blog for Christmas. Just for funsies :P

First item! This cute keychain cap from Modcloth. I love it! :) Find it here!

Next: this kitchen brush. It's so freaking cute! :) I realize it's lame that I legitimately WANT a kitchen dish scrubber but I mean really- look at the adorableness of this. Find it here!

Aren't these sunglasses the CUTEST?! I love them. Find them here.

UMMMM This dress is beyond adorable. I absolutely love it. it's retro kitsch at its best. Find it here!

I LOVE this dress, too! Wouldn't it be just a grand audition dress? It's so unique but classically simple as well, with the right amount of femininity and structure. Buy it for me here. ;)

Is this or is this not the perfect LBD? So classy! You can dress it up or down easily, and it's just so perfect I can hardly stand it. Purchase.

So sumptuous! This dress just makes me want to be dripping in pearls and champagne.While sitting on a cloud of silky buttercream frosting. So delightfully frilly and feminine and GORGEOUS! I want.

(So if you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE modcloth.com. Maybe I'll move to a new website...)

So...moving on to anthropologie! The clothes and accessories here are equivalent to a fancy decadent dessert at a restaurant you can't afford. So luscious. So expensive. So...off limits. But I love to look!
Let's take a minute and drool over all of these amazing sweaters:

 I'll take them all, thanks! Find them here :)

I'll also take this scarf/shawl please.

And these shoes.
 More Christmas wish list posts to come from here on out until Christmas. Ciao!

Moments

It's so important to treasure individual moments in life as they happen and to not take it for granted. This weekend has really taught me that. It's been full of many truly wonderful moments that are special in different ways but that all are worth looking back on. Feeding ducks on my pond, enjoying nature and thinking about the future, the bliss of spending a night in alone, as well as the excitement of going out and just enjoying life with friends, the simple pleasure of doing a crossword puzzle, listening to music and just being taken to another place emotionally- I've just encountered many noteworth moments this weekend.  Even though my philosophy is usually that life is a succession of awkward moments strung together- for the most part the past couple days have been pretty free of awkwardness and filled with moments of sheer joy that make me delight in the world and life in general. I'm just relishing in life right now and the uncertainty and spontaneity of it. Who knows what things will happen next week? Next month? Next year? Where will I be? What will I be doing? I have no idea! We never know. I may encounter hardships, heartache, failure, mistakes- but amid all of these things I know there will be special moments that will make life worthwhile. So I'll treasure these moments because this life is the only one I have- I don't think anyone should dwell on negativity but you should use your time on earth to just embrace the lovely world we live in by doing what makes you happy and finding ways that you may be able to spread joy to others. :)

Mega-List Part 2!

I did a list like this awhile back and I think it's time for a second version!

What have I been listening to lately?
Okay, so recently I went on an album downloading rampage and I have been steadily listening to these albums:
1.) Maroon 5- Hands All Over

It's their newest CD...and oh so good. If you have ever been a fan of Maroon 5 I highly recommend it! My favorite song? Hands All Over. It just makes me want to dance. ;)

2.)Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz.

Simply wonderful. Everything Sufjan ever does is gold in my opinion, and this album is just rich with lush instrumentation, quirky beats and haunting vocals that just make for delicious music.

My favorite song? I Want to Be Well. Just so intricately awesome.

3.)  Michael Franti & Spearhead- The Sound of Sunshine

This album is just full of happy fun music. Great for listening in the car on a sunny day! :) My favorite song? The Sound of Sunshine. Just fun. Makes me wish summer a bit though...

4.) The Andrews Sisters - The Best Of
Nothing quite like this lovely vintage music that makes me feel just warm and fuzzy. My favorite song? Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Love it.
5.) Matt and Kim- Grand
Simply delightful folk/alternative music...My favorite song? Daylight. Which I'm sure I'll be hearing alot of soon as it's in Robin's Sr. Project haha!

What beauty products have I been loving lately?

• Purminerals make-up. It is wonderfully light, yet offers alot of coverage and takes the place of foundation, powder, concealer, as well as sunscreen. It's really a great product! :)

•  NYX lipgloss in Salsa. This lipgloss is a wonderful bright hot pink and I love wearing it because it's just so fun! NYX is a really great lipgloss line- you can get it at ULTA. I would highly recommend it to anyone!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • got2b Smooth Operator Lustre Lotion. This stuff is really great. I don't leave the house without it on my hair. It is basically a lightweight cream that tames frizzies and flyaways and makes your hair silky smooth. I especially like it for when I wear my hair straight as I like to put alot on the ends of my hair and at the top. It's pretty awesome!

What have I been eating lately?

Well I discovered my absolute favorite soup in the world is back at Atlanta Bread Company! Butternut squash! :D It's so amazingly delicious- especially if you get it in a bread bowl. Now, I realize, however, this may or may not be the epitome of health and I'm sure it is high in calories- but it is just one of those guilty pleasures that I just have to have. Especially because it's seasonal- I'm pretty sure they take it away around Januaryish, and I have been craving this soup for EVER. So if you have never had it, it's worth a try. It's absolutely scrumptious!

Also- if you have never had Chill frozen yogurt, you have no idea what you are missing. Chill is another guilty pleasure of mine- however it's really not THAT guilty, since it's frozen yogurt and not ice-cream and you can definitely make it healthy with non-fat vanilla fro-yo and fruit toppings. Although I myself am partial to the pumpkin pie flavor with graham cracker crumbs, pecans, cheesecake bites and whipped cream. So fall-esque. So delicious. I can't get enough!

What have I been wearing lately?

In the winter-time, I'm all about wearing colorful skirts with neutral tights and/or over-the-knee socks. I also love cozy sweaters and cardigans in neutral colors to pair with it. Also- since winter wear is a bit boring to me at times, I especially love any kind of embellishments such as flowered brooches and things, and statement necklaces! Aren't these heels to die for?! I wish I actually owned those. *sigh*

What have I been doing lately?

This weekend has been a lovely respite from the grind of school, rehearsals, etc. Yesterday was the loveliest of days- starting with getting to sleep in- then going to feed ducks by my pond, then going for a brisk run in the sunny weather, then getting Atlanta Bread Company's butternut squash soup while reading Christopher Durang plays (I found a hysterical scene that I think I want to do for ACTF!) and after that I was crafty, where I made these shoes(Okay, well I didn't "make" them, per se, but I just decorated my white keds from Goodwill that I used for my Kelly Kapowksi costume from Halloween and revamped them a bit using a Sharpie and replacing the laces with black satin ribbon. I just basically doodled all over them and wrote things on the bottom- one shoe has the world "love" in about 8 different languages- and the other shoe just has words like "peace," "joy," "happiness," "fun," "gratitude" etc. on it. These shoes just make me happy! I'm thinking I might get another pair and cover them completely with sequins or something. That will make for a fun project to do over Christmas break! :)
I also made this brooch here- I just had some leftover polka dot fabric, bunched it together to make a flower and sewed a metallic button in the middle. I like it. :)

Today, I again, have NO plans. I suppose I could be productive somehow but at this point I'm not even sure what I should do. I will have plenty of time to read plays for ACTF scenes during The Crucible so I'm not too worried about that. I suppose I can get a head start on my Saber Articles, even though we don't have an issue for awhile. But anyways, I'm just going to take the day as it comes and just enjoy this little break before this upcoming week of Crucible dress rehearsals and performances. It's going to be rough in addition to my directing scene and then with the 2 morning performances...but it will be a good show and I'm excited to have a part in it somehow. I love any opportunity to help out with make-up related things, and I will be assisting everyone with their old-age and making John Proctor look gross at the end essentially haha. But by Wednesday I will actually be done with my last directing scene ever which is a crazy notion but exciting too. It's a lot of stress that will be gone. I'm surprisingly, however, not really stressed at all about my scene anyways. It's coming together pretty well, and I really like it. I'm thinking of adding some cello underscoring and maybe going to play with some lighting to evoke an old Russian feel to this Chekhov piece. I never really use technical elements in my scenes, but I think that it will add a little something special to it. I'm excited!
Well anyways. I hope everyone else has gotten to enjoy their weekend like I have gotten to. And the day has just begun so there is more joy to be had I'm sure! :)

Clean house, clean mind.

So the past couple days I have been cleaning my apartment intensely...like I'm talking bleaching the baseboards- cleaning out carpet stains- everything. Everything is pretty much done and I feel so super accomplished! Our apartment needed a thorough cleaning for awhile- we have all just been so busy...and recently we got some unfriendly fruit fly visitors so I thought it would be best to just do an overhaul. It is weirdly therapeutic actually, to intensely clean everything...and I'm not stopping still- I'm going to clean out my car tomorrow! Something I've been meaning to do for awhile. It's actually not too messy, I just need to like dust and spray everything down and vaccuum. But at either rate- it feels really nice and I feel like my head is clear.

I feel less stressed about life now that my last directing analysis is finished- however I feel like this is the calm before the storm....once Crucible starts I am going to be so busy with that, as I'm on costume crew and I'm rehearsing my directing scene during 1st and 2nd dress. But after that it's smooth sailing from here on out. I've got all my classes for next semester picked out and I'm ready and rarin' to go to settle into my very last semester!

I just feel like life is good and I'm grateful for everything that's come my way. I'm weirdly not as stressed out as I imagined I would be for this last directing scene, either. I usually fret so much about it but to be honest I'm just trusting that it will be good and I do believe that it will be, and I hate to say it but I'll be so glad once its over and I'm done with directing class! Not that I haven't learned alot and have enjoyed the process- it's just SO much work and it will be nice to focus my energy on other things besides 50 page analyses.

I don't know if I mentioned it earlier but I'm super excited to be cast in Robin's Sr. Project ballet in February! I have been missing dance, and I know that it will help me alot and it will be awesome to be able to be in a fully technical realized dance production that incorporates Shakespeare as well! I know Robin is going to do a great job :)

Everything just works out sometimes! :)

So life is pretty good. I just got past a major blip of stress what with auditions and Sr. Sem and figuring out the deets for my last directing scene....but I think I have it all figured out! PLUS: I got cast in As You Like It! YAY! It's super exciting, because we have a guest director from the New American Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta directing it which will make it such a unique experience- plus some great networking! We actually don't know our roles yet, however- we are supposed to present another monologue in January and we will find out the entire cast in February. (The show isn't until April, so they can afford to do this haha.) It's mildly stressful that we are still in the audition "process," but it's nice to know that I have a show to work on for my very last semester here. And a Shakespeare show, no less!

You know, that I used to think of myself as an actress that just would never do Shakespeare. I had just decided that it wasn't for me. However, since taking Adv. Directing and being able to really delve into it- I decided that I really enjoyed it and that I was completely capable! And now that I changed my attitude on Shakespeare- lookie here, now I'm DOING a Shakespeare show! :) It's really wonderful what can happen when you open your mind and change your attitude a bit. But anyways, I have great fellow castmembers as well, and I know it is going to be an amazing experience to finish out my college career with.

Another exciting notion is that I don't have to give up going to ACTF either! That's great because I really didn't want to have to since I have never gone- and I really like the material I have picked out. I'm planning on doing "When You're Home" from In The Heights as a musical scene, and a scene from the classic play "The Country Girl." I still need to pick out a monologue- but I may do one I already know, we'll see! But anyways. It's exciting! And then I have SETC to go to too, in March. I can already tell Spring is going to be a CRRAZZYYY semester...but I say bring it on! The more opportunities the better.

 Tomorrow I have auditions for Robin's Sr. Project (Which I can be a part of as well since As You Like It goes up afterwards!) which is exciting. It's a ballet type show and I'd love to get back into dancing again as I am not in a dance class for the first time in forever this semester. Tomorrow is also early registration. It's hard to believe it's the very last time I will be typing in my class numbers and preparing for the next semester's round of classes. Thankfully I've planned my classes well throughout the years so I literally am taking 12 hours. How awesome is that? And I only have theatre practice on M/W, and NO class on Friday. Ample, ample, homework time. Music to my ears! I'll definitely need all this time what with everything that is going on next semester...ACTF, SETC, Sr. Project, As You Like It, One-Act festival, Brooke's wedding....so. many. things. filled. with. stress. haha. But it will all work out I know it will, it always does!
However, I still am pining for the day I walk across the stage to get my degree... you know, I feel like it will be so much more emotional than my high school graduation was honestly...because I mean high school is something most every child in the country has to go through, and graduating high school doesn't seem that monumental for some reason. But graduating college with a degree- not everyone can say they have done that! And the fact that I feel like I have poured my heart and soul into this degree during my time here, and just thinking of everything I have learned, the people I've met and grown up in the theatre dept. with, all the experiences I've had- it was just so much more fulfilling than high school was. Don't get me wrong, I had a great high school experience, but  now I'm older and can really appreciate things more, I think. I am just so grateful for everything that has come into my life during my time here and I wouldn't have exchanged it for anything. :)

Pictures throughout time worth re-visiting.

 This picture and the next are from the time that Robin decided to "dress me up" with random objects. For some bizarre reason, I let her. This was probably around this time last year or so. I've always loved the first picture with the leopard hose on my head. I think it's a rather attractive photo, don't you? And I'm quite the fashion plate in the following one.

 This photo was taken before Crazy For You last Spring. It took me about an hour to put in these small, tight rollers in my hair every day. Ugh. We bought a cake and I decided to place the lid on my head, resulting in a strange photo that truly epitomizes me, I think. :P

 This is a somewhat recent photo actually, taken at a party at Justin Stevens'. I vaguely remember this strange mask being around and I being rather fond of it. Note the way Chris is glaring at me in the background..bahaha. In general it's an amusing photo.

 This picture goes way back to Freshman year, when I did Schoolhouse Rock Live, Too! On tour. One day we had a bunch of extra time before a show so we decided to don each other's costumes. "What a CraAaazzyyy day!"

 Another vintage freshman year photo. There is not too much I can say except WHY!?! haha! I love this picture though and it really represents my freshman year. Bizarre.

 One of my favorite pictures of all time. If you know Robin, you know her innate fear of wet paper...well this particular day at Ihop I decided to taunt Robin with wet paper mercilessly. Quite amusing for me, apparently, yet horrifying for Robin. Thankfully we got a great photo out of it that captures the emotion of the moment.

 This was Halloween in the costume shop my Sophomore year. We had a ball just trying on random things... this was probably my favorite combination. The Lady Gaga-esque dress, Captain hook hand and crazy ghoul mask are quite an attractive combo.

 The summer after my Freshman year in college I taught at Midsummer Macon, a summer arts camp. I taught theatre- and we did lots of fun things like create masks and put on mini plays. I demonstrated how these masks were supposed to work and created this strange one as an example. Thankfully, they did not follow suit and create similar ones. I have no idea what possessed the creation of this monstrosity of bizarrity.

 Freshman year. Cory literally harassed me with pizza...there is a video on facebook of this occurrence...he tried to shove it down my throat!! It was quite amusing looking back but I was not pleased.

 Actually, if there is any incident that epitomizes my freshman year, it has to be this one. The infamous "Peanut butter" incident. One day me, Dureyea, EJ, Emily and India decided to have a sleepover... and these were the days that I was not used to staying up super late yet and I got quite loopy at around 3 AM. This is around that time, and I decided to don Dureyea's cap and walk around with this giant jar of peanut butter, pretending to be a small child and asking everyone around me, "You like peanut butter?!?!" I was a mess.

 Ah, stage makeup. This was the animal day, and I was a tabby cat. I remember this day as I used to ride my blue razor scooter all around downtown Columbus- and I remember keeping my makeup on after class and riding around on it. Incidentally I ran into Robin and Chase and snuck up to them exclaiming "Cat on a Scooter! Cat on a Scooter!" To which they found great amusement. This picture has always amused me for some reason...I think it's because I'm so nonchalant and Megan is so loving on my cat character. And yes I know I'm going to be a cat lady one day. Don't judge.

My freshman birthday party was alot of fun...reindeer ears got passed around to the many members of the party and I just love this photo for the different emotions represented.

This is just a smattering of fun photos I found while reminiscing on old times. I'm feeling very reminiscent lately, I think it's because I realize just how close I am to graduating and and crazy it is! I like to think of the progress I've made in life in general and I am just very pleased with how things have been turning out. I treasure the fun times I've had and look forward to creating many more memories in my next phases of life! :)