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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
So here it is... in ranked order, my list of what makes being in a show enjoyable. Because I'm sure you're all dying to know my thoughts on the matter. My order for this here list has changed considerably from what it was, based on the two shows I'm currently in. If you're like me and you read into things (or I've been telling you stories about rehearsals) I'm sure you will be able to figure out what aspects of my current show experiences are beyond amazing, or on the other side, horrendous based on how these here ranks have changed. (That is, if the topic hasn't bored you enough that you already stopped reading...) In some cases I'll just say how these shows affected my opinion flat out. Eliminate the speculation. Speculation leads to misconception which leads to rumors... because I'm sure everyone will be gossiping about this stimulating blog of mine. I am, however, brutally frank. Just getting that out there. Warning.
I'll start with #1 in importance (previously #4) if only because I hate the suspense associated with "countdowns"... start with the good stuff- it eliminates reading in reverse. So, numero uno in determining how happy I am doing a particular show is the director. If you have an awesome director things run smoothly, and you are inspired slash in awe of their creativity, perception, visions etc. Their energy and personality sets the tone for rehearsals. I've always thought this. I've had a couple of great directors and I tend to follow them around, show-to-show, like a groupie. On the other hand, an awful director can destroy a wonderfully written show with a super talented cast. Worse than that, at least from a performer's perspective, they can completely ruin the overall mood of the cast and enjoyability of rehearsals... causing a rise of frustration that eventually leads to anger/disappointment outside of rehearsal. Just as I've had some brilliant directors I've had some horrendous ones, and they can completely ruin the experience. Whenever I have an awful director my first reaction is usually "I want to quit" and my later reaction "I want to take over". But I've never quit and I've never taken over, so no worries there. There's my praising and venting.
#2 (previously #3) = Cast. Though this may seem straight-forward, "The Cast", in its high ranking number 2 spot, encompasses a lot of things. First off, they have to be talented, because if they're not you will feel embarassed to be on stage with them. Let's be real, we all think it. If you have an untalented set of people, forget it... you ultimately want every show you're in to be the best it can be and it's AWESOME to work with a cast full of talent. But then there's also part of you that doesn't want them to be too talented. If there's too much talent you are overshadowed. And if there's a severe excess of talent you can be intimidated (I have to sing and dance in front of them?!?!? What will they think of me?). So there has to be that balance between "how could they not currently be starring in their 32nd Broadway show?" and "never open your mouth or attempt to dance again, even in the privacy of your own home because then your own pets may disown you". A great or awful cast, talent-wise, can certainly affect your level of rehearsal and performance satisfaction. What I'm primarily referring to here though doesn't really depend on talent. It's more basic: are they good people to be around? A nice cast, with energy, some humor, and good work-ethic can make the experience 817 times more enjoyable. And of course the reverse holds too... if it's cliquey and full of complainers you end up begging for the show to start so you can skip right to the performance aspect and avoid the rehearsals.
#3 (previously #1) is your part in the show. Not necessarily whether you're the lead or not, but how featured you are in whatever you are doing. Let's face it, everyone wants the best parts. And about 98% of actors think they deserve the best parts. I buy right into the stereotypes. You end up counting your lines, determining who is downstage center the most in the group numbers, decide upon your "rank" in the show in terms of size of the role, decide upon your "rank" in the show in terms of talent, decide upon your "rank" in the show in terms of audience likeability, and the list goes on. You can't help but feel a bit of pride when you realize your part is better than so-and-so's. And you probably won't be too happy if you get zero-stage time. The old saying "no part is a small part" or whatever it is... it's a lie to 95% of the performing community. It's an aspect of being a performer. We all want to be featured and we all get upset when we're not featured to the level "we deserve". It's a narcissism thing. I'm not ashamed to admit it. And I know you're nodding to yourself in acknowledgement.
#4 (previously #5... aka didn't change much) is the choreographer. Now this isn't just because I'm a dance person. I feel like the choreographer has a HUGE role in the level of satisfaction you have doing a show. First off, it's usually a majority of the cast who considers dancing their weakest point... the choreographer has to be encouraging, helpful, and make the steps at an appropriate level yet exciting for the audience to see without "dumbing-them-down". They also have to work with a wide variety of levels. I feel like the dance aspect of the show is where the cast is most likely to get frustrated. The choreographer is the primary person who sets the mood at these rehearsals. There's a way to make it fun and enjoyable. I've seen a bunch of choreographers get frustrated with the cast for "not getting it" and just as many make the steps easier as they decide it's "too complicated". Only the best are able to inspire the cast to work at it while convincing them that they will get it. A choreographer who isn't just good at making up the steps, but who can also lead the dance rehearsals and gain the like and respect of the cast makes a world of difference.
#5 (previously #6) is the costumes/makeup. This one is simple. Who doesn't love getting dressed up? Who doesn't love finally "looking the part" once the performance time hits? Great costumes and makeup can make the show so much more exciting to the performer in the great costumes and makeup and really boost confidence as well.
#6 (previously #2... can we say giant leap?) is how much you like the actual show you are performing in. I used to think this was key. Be in a show you love. If you connect to the story and the music you will enjoy the experience that much more. While I do think it can help, the satisfaction from rehearsals and the overall experience do not rely on this at all. I've been in shows where I've HATED the plot, songs, characters, dialogue... the whole bit, and yet I've LOVED the experience. Same goes in the reverse. I've been super excited to do certain shows I essentially had memorized before joining a cast, including knowing bizarre random facts about, oh I don't know, how the original assistant lighting designer came to be part of the show, and yet I've really not enjoyed the rehearsal experience at all. Surprisingly, how much you like the show itself makes little to no difference in satisfaction with the experience.
#7 (has always been #7) is the musical director. I get their importance and all and yes, it would be lame to have one who was really mean or did absolutely nothing, but I've never done a show where they've had a profound meaning or purpose to me personally. I take the score home, plunk out the alto notes, learn them, go into rehearsal and sing them. Simple as that. Musical directors make a huge difference in terms of the vocal performance level of shows, don't get me wrong. They just don't really effect how much I enjoy a show or not.
So that's my list. I should probably mention that the crew also falls into the cast bit in #2... both in the talent aspect and the likeability aspect... though I feel no competiton from them, they should know what they're doing. And with that, I'm off to rehearsal.
I'll start with #1 in importance (previously #4) if only because I hate the suspense associated with "countdowns"... start with the good stuff- it eliminates reading in reverse. So, numero uno in determining how happy I am doing a particular show is the director. If you have an awesome director things run smoothly, and you are inspired slash in awe of their creativity, perception, visions etc. Their energy and personality sets the tone for rehearsals. I've always thought this. I've had a couple of great directors and I tend to follow them around, show-to-show, like a groupie. On the other hand, an awful director can destroy a wonderfully written show with a super talented cast. Worse than that, at least from a performer's perspective, they can completely ruin the overall mood of the cast and enjoyability of rehearsals... causing a rise of frustration that eventually leads to anger/disappointment outside of rehearsal. Just as I've had some brilliant directors I've had some horrendous ones, and they can completely ruin the experience. Whenever I have an awful director my first reaction is usually "I want to quit" and my later reaction "I want to take over". But I've never quit and I've never taken over, so no worries there. There's my praising and venting.
#2 (previously #3) = Cast. Though this may seem straight-forward, "The Cast", in its high ranking number 2 spot, encompasses a lot of things. First off, they have to be talented, because if they're not you will feel embarassed to be on stage with them. Let's be real, we all think it. If you have an untalented set of people, forget it... you ultimately want every show you're in to be the best it can be and it's AWESOME to work with a cast full of talent. But then there's also part of you that doesn't want them to be too talented. If there's too much talent you are overshadowed. And if there's a severe excess of talent you can be intimidated (I have to sing and dance in front of them?!?!? What will they think of me?). So there has to be that balance between "how could they not currently be starring in their 32nd Broadway show?" and "never open your mouth or attempt to dance again, even in the privacy of your own home because then your own pets may disown you". A great or awful cast, talent-wise, can certainly affect your level of rehearsal and performance satisfaction. What I'm primarily referring to here though doesn't really depend on talent. It's more basic: are they good people to be around? A nice cast, with energy, some humor, and good work-ethic can make the experience 817 times more enjoyable. And of course the reverse holds too... if it's cliquey and full of complainers you end up begging for the show to start so you can skip right to the performance aspect and avoid the rehearsals.
#3 (previously #1) is your part in the show. Not necessarily whether you're the lead or not, but how featured you are in whatever you are doing. Let's face it, everyone wants the best parts. And about 98% of actors think they deserve the best parts. I buy right into the stereotypes. You end up counting your lines, determining who is downstage center the most in the group numbers, decide upon your "rank" in the show in terms of size of the role, decide upon your "rank" in the show in terms of talent, decide upon your "rank" in the show in terms of audience likeability, and the list goes on. You can't help but feel a bit of pride when you realize your part is better than so-and-so's. And you probably won't be too happy if you get zero-stage time. The old saying "no part is a small part" or whatever it is... it's a lie to 95% of the performing community. It's an aspect of being a performer. We all want to be featured and we all get upset when we're not featured to the level "we deserve". It's a narcissism thing. I'm not ashamed to admit it. And I know you're nodding to yourself in acknowledgement.
#4 (previously #5... aka didn't change much) is the choreographer. Now this isn't just because I'm a dance person. I feel like the choreographer has a HUGE role in the level of satisfaction you have doing a show. First off, it's usually a majority of the cast who considers dancing their weakest point... the choreographer has to be encouraging, helpful, and make the steps at an appropriate level yet exciting for the audience to see without "dumbing-them-down". They also have to work with a wide variety of levels. I feel like the dance aspect of the show is where the cast is most likely to get frustrated. The choreographer is the primary person who sets the mood at these rehearsals. There's a way to make it fun and enjoyable. I've seen a bunch of choreographers get frustrated with the cast for "not getting it" and just as many make the steps easier as they decide it's "too complicated". Only the best are able to inspire the cast to work at it while convincing them that they will get it. A choreographer who isn't just good at making up the steps, but who can also lead the dance rehearsals and gain the like and respect of the cast makes a world of difference.
#5 (previously #6) is the costumes/makeup. This one is simple. Who doesn't love getting dressed up? Who doesn't love finally "looking the part" once the performance time hits? Great costumes and makeup can make the show so much more exciting to the performer in the great costumes and makeup and really boost confidence as well.
#6 (previously #2... can we say giant leap?) is how much you like the actual show you are performing in. I used to think this was key. Be in a show you love. If you connect to the story and the music you will enjoy the experience that much more. While I do think it can help, the satisfaction from rehearsals and the overall experience do not rely on this at all. I've been in shows where I've HATED the plot, songs, characters, dialogue... the whole bit, and yet I've LOVED the experience. Same goes in the reverse. I've been super excited to do certain shows I essentially had memorized before joining a cast, including knowing bizarre random facts about, oh I don't know, how the original assistant lighting designer came to be part of the show, and yet I've really not enjoyed the rehearsal experience at all. Surprisingly, how much you like the show itself makes little to no difference in satisfaction with the experience.
#7 (has always been #7) is the musical director. I get their importance and all and yes, it would be lame to have one who was really mean or did absolutely nothing, but I've never done a show where they've had a profound meaning or purpose to me personally. I take the score home, plunk out the alto notes, learn them, go into rehearsal and sing them. Simple as that. Musical directors make a huge difference in terms of the vocal performance level of shows, don't get me wrong. They just don't really effect how much I enjoy a show or not.
So that's my list. I should probably mention that the crew also falls into the cast bit in #2... both in the talent aspect and the likeability aspect... though I feel no competiton from them, they should know what they're doing. And with that, I'm off to rehearsal.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
So this blog is really just a small look into the mind of Trisha... how neurotic I am and how my thought processes generally go. I've mentioned it before, but in case you're new, I take the train to work. Previously I've gotten monthly passes, mainly for convenience, considering I just figured out they actually only save about $2.20 a month. But anyways, since I started my two shows I've had to take my car into work quite a bit in order to get to rehearsals afterward. Henceforth and forthwith (totally don't know what that actually means, but I wanted to say it), I ceased the use of the monthly pass and decided to buy 10 trip passes and use those whenever I do take the train.
Well, today was a train day. I haven't taken the train to work since last week and this weekend I switched some stuff from my main purse to a different one. During the drive to the train station this morning I thought to myself "you should probably check and make sure you have your ten-trip pass thing in this purse Trisha". But then I decided I was being paranoid... there's no reason that I would have taken it out because I didn't need it in my "weekend purse". So I didn't check. Sit down on the train, pull out my book and go to grab my pass for when the conductor comes by. If it wasn't already blatantly obvious, the pass wasn't there. Now, if we know me at all we also know I don't carry around cash. Reason number one, credit cards are easier to use, harder to lose. Reason number two, I can get away with saying "sorry I don't have any cash" in various situations, which always leads to spending and lending less money. So I'm on the train, ticketless and cashless. What do I do? Well about 187 scenarios run through my mind. Really about 3, but I exaggerate. Let's discuss what went through my mind...
Option 1: Fake sleep. Pray they don't try to wake me up. If they do, fake deep sleep. Pray they won't want to make a scene by shouting at the sleeping girl. If they do, fake death. If pulse is checked, fake coma. But then how do I stop faking in order to get off at Stamford for work?
Option 2: Get up and just walk around the train for the entire 40 minute ride, never stopping long enough for a conductor to find me. If spotted and looked at in a questioning manner ask which car has the closest bathroom. Pray I'm not standing in front of one as I ask it. If I am, play stupid, clueless girl who gets really embarrassed when she is told she's standing right in front of it. Or, only if verbally questioned, say I was headed back to my seat in the other car, and just came from the bathroom.
Option 3: Spin-off from the bathroom idea... wait until the conductor is a few rows away collecting tickets and then get up and ask him where the closest car is with a bathroom. Make my way in that direction, by the time I'm back he's gone through my car and collected all tickets. Maybe to be safe instead of returning to my original car I will instead sit down in the car he came from previously, where tickets were already collected and where he wouldn't be looking for "that girl who went to the bathroom while I was collecting tickets".
Option 4: Pretend I don't know I don't have my ticket. When conductor comes by rummage through my bag. Keep rummaging. Hope he's tired of your rummaging and "comes back" to you, but never does. Only if needed say "I can't seem to find it".
Basically the only guaranteed option is 4b, because men are men. Especially men in their 40s who are being flirted with by a girl in her 20s. But alas, it's also the last one I would actually do. I'll play dead, walk unnecessarily essentially playing grown-up hide and seek for 40 minutes, be completely conniving, cry, or throw a tantrum... but probably not flirt. Notice tell the truth and just be upfront about the whole thing is never an option that crosses my mind. I decide to fake sleep while all of this is running through my head, in case that's the option I go with... I want the people sitting near me to believe I'm actually asleep by the time the dude comes around. Finally I start hearing "tickets please" and the sound of the conductor's hole punch. The pressure's on and I can't decide whether to go with option 3 or an option 1, 4a hybrid (fake sleep as long as possible... when it comes to the fake death step switch instead to option 4a). My heart is racing, I'm sweating. Really, this isn't a huge deal, but I get worked up over minimal things. His voice sounds closer. I decide it's too late to go with option 3 and still be convincing that I'm not just trying to get out of paying for my ride so I go with the hybrid and do my best deep sleep impersonation. Time is going so slowly. I'm sure that any second my neighbor will tap me on the shoulder to give the man my ticket. But wait... can it be.... it sounds like his voice is now a row or two ahead of me.... dare I peek? No, too soon. Too risky. Could be my ears being hopeful. Heart rate is fastest at this point. Then I hear the train car door open and close. Could he have collected all other tickets and just went along to the next car? Dare I peek NOW? No, still too soon. I end up waiting a good 2 minutes of silence before daring to open my eyes. Even then, part of me was sure he'd be standing there, glaring at me... suspecting me as a fraud all along. But alas, he was not. The sleep trick worked. Brilliant. Now for my ride home this afternoon....
Well, today was a train day. I haven't taken the train to work since last week and this weekend I switched some stuff from my main purse to a different one. During the drive to the train station this morning I thought to myself "you should probably check and make sure you have your ten-trip pass thing in this purse Trisha". But then I decided I was being paranoid... there's no reason that I would have taken it out because I didn't need it in my "weekend purse". So I didn't check. Sit down on the train, pull out my book and go to grab my pass for when the conductor comes by. If it wasn't already blatantly obvious, the pass wasn't there. Now, if we know me at all we also know I don't carry around cash. Reason number one, credit cards are easier to use, harder to lose. Reason number two, I can get away with saying "sorry I don't have any cash" in various situations, which always leads to spending and lending less money. So I'm on the train, ticketless and cashless. What do I do? Well about 187 scenarios run through my mind. Really about 3, but I exaggerate. Let's discuss what went through my mind...
Option 1: Fake sleep. Pray they don't try to wake me up. If they do, fake deep sleep. Pray they won't want to make a scene by shouting at the sleeping girl. If they do, fake death. If pulse is checked, fake coma. But then how do I stop faking in order to get off at Stamford for work?
Option 2: Get up and just walk around the train for the entire 40 minute ride, never stopping long enough for a conductor to find me. If spotted and looked at in a questioning manner ask which car has the closest bathroom. Pray I'm not standing in front of one as I ask it. If I am, play stupid, clueless girl who gets really embarrassed when she is told she's standing right in front of it. Or, only if verbally questioned, say I was headed back to my seat in the other car, and just came from the bathroom.
Option 3: Spin-off from the bathroom idea... wait until the conductor is a few rows away collecting tickets and then get up and ask him where the closest car is with a bathroom. Make my way in that direction, by the time I'm back he's gone through my car and collected all tickets. Maybe to be safe instead of returning to my original car I will instead sit down in the car he came from previously, where tickets were already collected and where he wouldn't be looking for "that girl who went to the bathroom while I was collecting tickets".
Option 4: Pretend I don't know I don't have my ticket. When conductor comes by rummage through my bag. Keep rummaging. Hope he's tired of your rummaging and "comes back" to you, but never does. Only if needed say "I can't seem to find it".
- Option 4a: Play the pity card. When told I can't find it, conductor will say I can pay with cash. Open my wallet, show him it's empty. Offer him the ticket I happen to have in my wallet (from over a year ago, never used) from Stamford to Rye, NY as alternative payment... even though it's expired and about $5 less than a ticket for the trip I was taking. If needed, get teary eyed.
- Option 4b: Flirt my way out. "Are you reaaaaally going to kick me off? How about you let this slide and I'll.... (smile coyly, pause for effect)..... let it be our little secret"
Basically the only guaranteed option is 4b, because men are men. Especially men in their 40s who are being flirted with by a girl in her 20s. But alas, it's also the last one I would actually do. I'll play dead, walk unnecessarily essentially playing grown-up hide and seek for 40 minutes, be completely conniving, cry, or throw a tantrum... but probably not flirt. Notice tell the truth and just be upfront about the whole thing is never an option that crosses my mind. I decide to fake sleep while all of this is running through my head, in case that's the option I go with... I want the people sitting near me to believe I'm actually asleep by the time the dude comes around. Finally I start hearing "tickets please" and the sound of the conductor's hole punch. The pressure's on and I can't decide whether to go with option 3 or an option 1, 4a hybrid (fake sleep as long as possible... when it comes to the fake death step switch instead to option 4a). My heart is racing, I'm sweating. Really, this isn't a huge deal, but I get worked up over minimal things. His voice sounds closer. I decide it's too late to go with option 3 and still be convincing that I'm not just trying to get out of paying for my ride so I go with the hybrid and do my best deep sleep impersonation. Time is going so slowly. I'm sure that any second my neighbor will tap me on the shoulder to give the man my ticket. But wait... can it be.... it sounds like his voice is now a row or two ahead of me.... dare I peek? No, too soon. Too risky. Could be my ears being hopeful. Heart rate is fastest at this point. Then I hear the train car door open and close. Could he have collected all other tickets and just went along to the next car? Dare I peek NOW? No, still too soon. I end up waiting a good 2 minutes of silence before daring to open my eyes. Even then, part of me was sure he'd be standing there, glaring at me... suspecting me as a fraud all along. But alas, he was not. The sleep trick worked. Brilliant. Now for my ride home this afternoon....
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Teenage years. You hear the good and the bad associations all the time... "it's the best time of your life.... 30 years from now you'll look back and think about how great things were in high school... cherish it now while you're young" as well as "prime suffering years... I know it's hard, it gets better as you get older.... identity crisis, you don't know who you are yet" and etc. and etc. I can only understand the negative side of it really. Jr. high and high school years are the worst. For several reasons. Even just looking back now makes me want to get in a ball and cry. Okay, I'm being dramatic.
First of all, there's this extreme desire to simultaneously want to fit in and to stand out. And you think the only way you will be accepted is if you act a certain way, even if it's entirely not you. I distinctly remember in junior high thinking I would definitely be one of the cool kids if only I swore. I mean, that's a ridiculous thought. (You can tell this was the younger years of junior high because it's swearing versus the whole drinking, partying, sex thing). Yet, I was so sure of it. In my mind it was the only thing holding me back. Maybe I chose to think this to justify to myself why I wasn't one of the popular kids... I could say to myself "self, if you woke up one day and started swearing you would be a cool person" and I'd never have to worry about what if that wasn't the case because I knew swearing is something I wouldn't do. Another silly anecdote here... there was a time in like 1995 when they were going to add an M&M color to the standard mix and you could call in and vote on which you wanted. The "cool girls", who I was on a casual talking basis with, but never included in the elite club, told me to vote repeatedly for blue. I'm talking they would all call each other at night to say how many times they were able to get in blue votes. And when I was asked I sure wasn't going to give a disappointing number. The kind of sad thing is that I really wanted pink. I still remember feeling incredibly guilty because I threw in one solitary vote for pink. When blue won they felt accomplished. I was a secondary accomplice. Perhaps an accomplished feeling accomplice... until I realized that I was secretly hoping pink would win to spite them all.
So those swearing and M&M stories were like the pre-teen and early teen years. Junior high stuff. By high school you're somewhat more comfortable with yourself and have some sense of pride. You may still want to hang with the popular crew but you wouldn't do anything they say just as an attempt to please (like vote for the color M&M THEY decide is best even though you think otherwise.... you might say you did it, but actually doing it? No). By high school I realized that believe it or not, even if I swore I wouldn't fit in with them. But I also started to realize maybe I didn't want to. Sure, on an ego level I would have loved it but it's also fun to join the "cliques are stupid" clique. Whereas early teen years you want nothing more than to fit in and be exactly like everyone else, late teen years the last thing you want is to be cookie-cutter. You want to be known. We're all individuals, but what makes you unique? The torture of high school is finding that out and becoming comfortable with what you find. Plus, I don't know if what I went through in high school was so much worse than the type of things I go through now or if it just felt that way because it's the first time you have to learn to cope with difficult things. (Because let's face it, other than hating the fact that your gym class just switched from scooters to football, you didn't have that many concerns when you were little).
Maybe I'm generalizing... I'm sure plenty of people had horrible child childhoods and loved teenage childhoods. Or both were okay, great, or lousy. But I really think those jr. high/high school years are the worst. At least by college you're pretty settled into yourself and stop caring what other people think so much. All I'm saying is that I highly doubt I will ever wish I could go back to my teenage years... maybe in the sense that I'd like to go back and give it a do-over, knowing what I do now, but even that's unlikely. No thanks, let's just erase age 12-17 all together. Take that back, let's remember it so that we can look back and think "I'm so glad that's over". Never again will I vote blue if I want pink. (Or keep quiet about my love for Megan Corkery on American Idol, now gone for weeks, despite her odd love of acting like a bird and general hatred by 99% of viewers) And to this day, even though I'm plenty old enough to not worry about being yelled at by a parent for swearing, I don't care what people think when they find out I still don't swear. I'm who I am and I'm realizing this has kind of turned into a "be proud of who you are, accept your differences" after-school-special. Ughh
First of all, there's this extreme desire to simultaneously want to fit in and to stand out. And you think the only way you will be accepted is if you act a certain way, even if it's entirely not you. I distinctly remember in junior high thinking I would definitely be one of the cool kids if only I swore. I mean, that's a ridiculous thought. (You can tell this was the younger years of junior high because it's swearing versus the whole drinking, partying, sex thing). Yet, I was so sure of it. In my mind it was the only thing holding me back. Maybe I chose to think this to justify to myself why I wasn't one of the popular kids... I could say to myself "self, if you woke up one day and started swearing you would be a cool person" and I'd never have to worry about what if that wasn't the case because I knew swearing is something I wouldn't do. Another silly anecdote here... there was a time in like 1995 when they were going to add an M&M color to the standard mix and you could call in and vote on which you wanted. The "cool girls", who I was on a casual talking basis with, but never included in the elite club, told me to vote repeatedly for blue. I'm talking they would all call each other at night to say how many times they were able to get in blue votes. And when I was asked I sure wasn't going to give a disappointing number. The kind of sad thing is that I really wanted pink. I still remember feeling incredibly guilty because I threw in one solitary vote for pink. When blue won they felt accomplished. I was a secondary accomplice. Perhaps an accomplished feeling accomplice... until I realized that I was secretly hoping pink would win to spite them all.
So those swearing and M&M stories were like the pre-teen and early teen years. Junior high stuff. By high school you're somewhat more comfortable with yourself and have some sense of pride. You may still want to hang with the popular crew but you wouldn't do anything they say just as an attempt to please (like vote for the color M&M THEY decide is best even though you think otherwise.... you might say you did it, but actually doing it? No). By high school I realized that believe it or not, even if I swore I wouldn't fit in with them. But I also started to realize maybe I didn't want to. Sure, on an ego level I would have loved it but it's also fun to join the "cliques are stupid" clique. Whereas early teen years you want nothing more than to fit in and be exactly like everyone else, late teen years the last thing you want is to be cookie-cutter. You want to be known. We're all individuals, but what makes you unique? The torture of high school is finding that out and becoming comfortable with what you find. Plus, I don't know if what I went through in high school was so much worse than the type of things I go through now or if it just felt that way because it's the first time you have to learn to cope with difficult things. (Because let's face it, other than hating the fact that your gym class just switched from scooters to football, you didn't have that many concerns when you were little).
Maybe I'm generalizing... I'm sure plenty of people had horrible child childhoods and loved teenage childhoods. Or both were okay, great, or lousy. But I really think those jr. high/high school years are the worst. At least by college you're pretty settled into yourself and stop caring what other people think so much. All I'm saying is that I highly doubt I will ever wish I could go back to my teenage years... maybe in the sense that I'd like to go back and give it a do-over, knowing what I do now, but even that's unlikely. No thanks, let's just erase age 12-17 all together. Take that back, let's remember it so that we can look back and think "I'm so glad that's over". Never again will I vote blue if I want pink. (Or keep quiet about my love for Megan Corkery on American Idol, now gone for weeks, despite her odd love of acting like a bird and general hatred by 99% of viewers) And to this day, even though I'm plenty old enough to not worry about being yelled at by a parent for swearing, I don't care what people think when they find out I still don't swear. I'm who I am and I'm realizing this has kind of turned into a "be proud of who you are, accept your differences" after-school-special. Ughh
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
So I hesitated before deciding to share my audition story, mainly because if I get the show and become friends with any other cast people on facebook they could quite easily find this here blog, read, chuckle through the first half, and decide to hate me by the second half. But I decided to share and just avoid making friends. It's more my style. (By the way, if you ARE from one of the shows and just read that, it was sarcastic. I'm a sarcastic person. Now that that's clear...)
So, on Saturday I went to go audition for the 3 shows which make up the summer season at an outdoor theatre group in Danbury. Three shows in this case are defined as Funny Girl, A Chorus Line, and Children of Eden. In researching this theatre it seemed somewhat more legit than your average community theatre. For starters, I found out about the auditions on playbill.com, a fairly legit site. There were also 4 days of auditions, spanning over 21 hours, rather than the usual 1 day, 3 or 4 hours. They requested that you bring a headshot and resume. The director/choreographer of A Chorus Line has done choreography on Broadway (including the well known "Telephone Hour" from Bye Bye Birdie). But it's non-profit and there's no pay. So I couldn't decide in my mind if it was just a kind of suped-up community theatre trying to appear as more than it is, or a pre-professional, step below the big-time, type of place. I arrived at the audition still unsure.
So I get to the audition site which is one of those K-12 private schools, and it looked like a barn. I walk into the barn, grab a sign-in sheet and sit down to fill it out. The usual questions... age, height/weight, voice type, songs prepared for the audition, rehearsal conflicts, sign your life away saying you will not demand pay, desired roles, favorite nursery rhyme... the norm. I decide to say "yes" to auditioning for all 3 shows rather than the 2, 1 or ever-confusing none option. I decide to say "yes" to accepting ensemble for one show and "no" to the other two. (When I told this to someone on Monday she appeared SHOCKED... "but, don't you think you need to work your way up Trisha?".... in my head I replied "I worked my way up. Just not with this group" (I decided upon seeing the barn it was probably more community theatre-esque. If more professional-ish, I could agree with her) and my mind followed it with a "don't judge me as an overly-confident-in-their-own-talent snob". Out loud I made up something more polite about how rehearsals were an hour from work and an hour from home and I knew it would be taxing so I'd rather only make the commitment if I have a role... which I suppose can still sound theatre snobby, but...) Anyways, the fact that I was auditioning for Funny Girl and said no to ensemble was almost a joke. To be quite honest I DETEST the show, found Barbara Streisand ridiculously annoying in the movie, and would not want to suffer through being in the ensemble. (Add in, month later... I'm in the ensemble and actually quite enjoying it. haha. I apologize for the severity of my pre-conceived notions). But I knew that although I would never be able to pull off the comedic characterizations, or the powerful 18 solo songs, or convince the audience I am Jewish, I might as well put down that I'm auditioning for the lead of Fanny Brice. In the 1 in 10,000 chance I actually got it, it would be a great resume role. A Chorus Line I instantly checked "no" to ensemble, because I did not just want to be in the opening number after already doing the show before. No thanks. For desired parts I wrote Val, Kristine and Judy... three of only four I can realistically play. (Here's the breakdown even though I'm sure none of you care all that much. Cassie and Sheila I'm too young to play. Two out of nine parts out. Connie I'm too tall to play unless they can somehow shrink me 10 inches or so. Three out of nine out. I know there are better singers out there to be Diana and Maggie (plus, no matter what you do to me I can not come close to looking Puerto Rican, and no matter how much you train me I can not force myself to be a first soprano with belt). Five out of nine out. Leaves 4: Val, Kristine, Judy and Bebe.... my realistic options) Then for Children of Eden I put down my desired role of Yonah, knowing I had a super small chance of getting that too, but then responded in the affirmative for ensemble... their ensemble is in like 16 numbers, and I love the music, so I would very much so love to do anything in this show.
After looking over my sheet, chuckling again to myself that I put down Fanny Brice, I go to turn it in. Immediately after sitting down again, an older man comes up to me and introduces himself. I immediately recognize the name as the man who will be directing A Chorus Line, who did the broadway choreography and such, but (perhaps stupidly) do not make it known that I know who he is. I smile and say my name. He asks if I will be singing or dancing today. I reply "both". He smiles, says "good" and leaves me be.
First reaction.... Well this is good. The director of A Chorus Line sought me out in a room full of auditioners (auditionees?) to make sure I was auditioning for his show. Definite good start.....
Second reaction.... Singing or dancing? Singing OR dancing? You're never given a choice! You have to do both! Does this mean if you choose to dance at the audition you have to have something prepared? Think back to what it said on playbill.... "Prepare an uptempo and a ballad, be ready to sing just best 16 bars if necessary. If asked, be prepared to dance or read from the script"..... be prepared to dance.... that doesn't say have a dance prepared.... but it also doesn't say be prepared to learn a dance combination..... If you can't tell, I'm getting paranoid. Of course, it never occurs to me to just ask someone what the audition process was. Instead I start running through all of the dances I've done in the past 2 years (that are still somewhat committed to memory), trying to decide what I can do for them... with no music... and without running it beforehand besides envisioning it in my head. All of my choreography, which is freshest in my mind, is too bizarre and doesn't show off anything, and anything older I forgot. I don't really come to a firm decision on what to do when I am called into the audition room. As I'm walking down the hallway to the audition room I decide if it comes down to them just saying "ok, now dance" I will visibly panic, do a double turn, kick once, say I have a flexible back and cringe as they stare at me, expecting more.
So I walk into this tiny tiny room with about 8 people sitting there for casting, and the pianist crammed in the corner. As I walk in some lady gives them my info sheet, resume and "headshot" (prop from A Chorus Line at Wheaton... comes in very useful) and introduces me as "Trisha Carr, who is auditioning for all three shows". The "all three shows" bit causes a kind of gasp on their end. I wouldn't think it that unusual, but apparently it is. Since the lady already introduced me my normal opening audition line is all thrown off and I don't know what to say, especially because they were shuffling through papers, muttering, and not paying the slightest bit of attention to me. So I decide to just make a bad first impression and walk straight over to the pianist to hand over my music. Not knowing if I should do the ballad first or the uptempo, 16 bars or the whole thing, I start to just pull all of the sheet music out as one of the casting people says (reading off my info sheet) "Oh! You've Got Possibilites (song name, not remark about my potential)... good choice". So I guess that means I'm starting with You've Got Possibilities. The one I know I can belt my life away to in real life but have never attempted at an audition because I know my voice always fails me when it comes to power and auditions. I set aside the safe ballad I know I can do well, and go with the risk, all because casting lady says "good choice". Well, I say bad choice. Because after the first note I sang I realized that the nerves were taking over again. I hate it. I don't get nervous for performances... people are there to enjoy. But at auditions their sole purpose is to judge you and critique, and that always gets the better of me. I sound like 2 completely different people at auditions and not. So I struggle. That much is clear. Some notes are okay, but whole picture is NOT. So I end feeling kind of miserable, knowing I've screwed myself over in terms of hoping to get a part in any of the shows, but I don't let it show that I feel this way. I feel more miserable when it is made apparent I will not be singing the other song. Then, Children of Eden man says "will you read me these lines for Yonah?"
First thought: What? He's asking me to read for the part I wanted after I sang like that? He's nuts! Or has pity for me....
Second thought: I don't care, I get to read!
Third thought (upon looking at the script): Panic. First line: "Japeth?". Second line: "No Japeth, it's not right." Do I know how to pronounce Japeth? Just because I've seen the show, I'm Catholic and supposedly "know the Bible" and it's the husband of the character I said I wanted, I'm expected to know how to pronounce it? Well, I can't ASK how to pronounce it! I should know, given it's the part I said I wanted. To not know says I don't care enough to know, I'm unprepared, I'm un-Bibley cultured, I can't read.
Luckily, mid third thought I hear Children of Eden man say to another "Yah-pah-teth" in a funny tone and then chuckle. To me, it's clearly him saying Japeth, and it's just as clearly him mispronouncing it. So I take advantage of the moment and say (in a totally "non-Trisha" way... it was giddy and confident but nervous-- not an oxymoron, think an outspoken, outgoing person asking a question, with no fear of looking stupid, but knowing it's a ridiculous question to ask and they will probably be laughed at).... now I lost track of my original sentence. Right, so I take advantage of the moment and say "Waiiiit, how DO you pronounce it???". Well they loved that. Laughter ensued as they tried to calm the nervous girl by saying "don't listen to him, he's kidding around, the way you know it is right, (for a minute I feared they would stop right there, but they continued...) It's Jay-pith". So I felt better after they thought my question was amusing and I knew how to pronounce it. Worries came up again mid read-through when I realized I could totally be straying from the scene's intentions. It was one of those scenes that could be performed a bunch of different ways.... I went the quiet emotional, contemplative route but halfway through realized it could totally be an angry emotional, stubborn type moment. I hate finding out mid-scene that it can be interpreted differently. And because I only saw the show once I don't remember how it's usually done and there weren't any comments in the script to help me out. So rather than completely change tone mid-scene I kept going with the quiet emotional thing, wishing I had the chance to read it before then and decide if it was the best choice. I always tend to see scenes as quiet emotional first go around.... like that scene from Chorus Line at Wheaton... I was so confused why the director wanted me yelling, because I read it completely differently... then once I did it, I could see it that way too. Anyways... I still don't know if this Children of Eden scene should have been angry.... seeing as I was reading as a female character from the Bible I think probably not, but who knows.
After I do the read through the Chorus Line guy says to me "and you said you would be dancing for us?". Here it is again, panic. Do they expect me to break out in a dance right now? If I say "yes" will they be silent and wait for me to start? So I say (in that same, not me, confident scatterbrained way) "I was under the impression we'd be learning something?" Well, that made off better than the pronounciation comment. They found it downright hilarious. Comments like "That's the best thing I've heard EVER during an audition! Hilarious! This girl's adorable!" came from the 8 with all the power while the pianist played a little jingle as if for me to dance to. They told me yes I'd be learning a combination and continued laughing (with me? at me? at me in a not so bad way?). I said something stupid like "just making sure!" along with an exaggerated "phew!" gesture as I left the room saying thank you. As I left I heard more comments "I LIKE her, she's got spunk, precious, world's best singer". Okay, last one was not said, but the others all were. I thought to myself, hey... if I didn't walk out singing my best at least I made a strong personality impression!
As I'm learning the dance combination some woman comes in, hands me lines and says "they want you to read for Kristine when you go back in". I guess I kind of did portray myself as a Kristine. Or a Judy. Anyways... dance combination, legit original choreography, no changes, even has that ridiculous turn into arabesque into jump turn thing that always terrified me (though now that I've done it I can say it's much less scary than it looks). The evil side of me was very happy that non-dancers would not be able to pull this off (come on, we all have evil thoughts). The punishment for this evil thought was that in my small group of 4 who would be showing the combination to the casting people there was one girl who was CLEARLY the best. I was hoping for the dance part I would at least be able to shine above the others in my small group setting. But no, there was awesome girl. Let's just refer to her as that from now on-- Awesome Girl. Yes, she's a returning character.
So we go in, do the combination a few times, director guy asks if we were all given lines to read or not. Awesome Girl replies in the negative. Well that just won't do, this girl can dance! "Oh no, oh no, you have to read... get her Val's lines". If she wasn't asked to read after singing, why give her Val's lines, one of 3 female characters who has a legit song solo? I'm a horrible person. But at least I know it and am not afraid to admit it. It's one of those things you can think, but shouldn't say outloud. I type it here... essentially the same. Anyways... I read for Kristine. All is wonderful. Then, Funny Girl guy throws me a curve ball. Remember how I said I'd never have to read for Fanny Brice? Well, in a way I was right, but in a very bad way I was wrong. Funny Girl guy must have liked my dancing, or reading of Kristine or something right then and there enough to say to me "Okay, now do me a favor. Read those same lines again but with a thick, New York, Jewish accent".
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"I'm sorry, what?"-- internal thought bubble
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"Okay!"-- external verablization. Now the worst part of this wasn't reading lines in the accent, it was trying to pull off nervous, forgetful Kristine's lines in a Fanny Brice way.... they could not be more opposite. The accent was just the kicker. Of course, I didn't think to practice the accent beforehand, because who on earth would actually think I was right for this role? But I start... "I mean, I used to watch everything on TV that had dancing on it. Especially, oh... what was it? Um..." except, oh god, it's coming up British. I pause. Hold back a nervous chuckle. Pause for a painful 10 seconds or so, come really close to saying "I'm sorry, I can't do it, I'm just really nervous" (which I only later realized was nearly a word for word quote of Kristine), but decided to continue. I'm glad I did, because then things started sounding right. I channeled my inner Streisand and thank goodness, I'm suddenly sounding like a Jew. I'm thanked and Chorus Line guy asks me to come back tomorrow. Callback.
So fastforward 22.5 hours and I'm back, not knowing what to expect. After sitting around for about 15 minutes some woman says "If you're here for callbacks for ACL and want to go over the dance the assistant choreographer is in the other room and will practice with you". So I get up and go. After running it twice I'm pulled to the front of the room by Assistant man for others to watch. Confidence boost. woot. We run it about 87 times. An hour later Chorus Line guy comes in to watch. We're split into groups of 5. Though I try as hard as possible to avoid it, by standing on the opposite side of the room, I'm in the same group as Awesome Girl. Last thing I want. Of course, after my group he pulls Awesome Girl aside. He ends up pulling 2 others aside too from the rest of the group. They're asked to read. Awesome Girl for Cassie. Obviously. I later found out she's played it twice before... and she's 4 years younger than me.... way too young to play it when it's being cast somewhat by age, but it was clear they were eyeing her for exactly that purpose, and rightly so, given the other people there. I mean, she's Awesome Girl. They get pulled into another room to read. We continue practicing. Assistant man gets fed up and says (paraphrase... I did not memorize his speech) "I know not all of you have danced before and that this has to be a process. I'm willing to teach slowly and will happily give corrections, but if I'm giving the same corrections over and over again and seeing no changes it tells me you're not teachable. In all of you here today there are only two of you who I would say "Hired!" on the spot, that's it. So the rest of you pick it up if you want this". As he said the two of you bit he stared me down. Others turned to look at the source of his stare. It was awkward. Obviously Awesome Girl is person number 2. At this point I'm thinking it's much more community theatre than the pre-professional ideal I was hoping for. In a group of about 30 maybe 6 had dance training... actual training. This wouldn't be the dance busting version of A Chorus Line I was hoping for. In a way I got my wish because I wanted to appear as the second best dancer.... not first best because I did not want any chance of being Cassie again, but second best still gives me a good chance at securing one of the 8 other line members. Another hour later Chorus Line guy comes in and watches us again... different groups, but yes, I'm still with Awesome Girl. Whole time director man is beaming at her. I feel sad. He calls a different set of 4 people to read/sing. Not me. We can all leave now.
So my hopest of hopes is that assistant man has some say, or director man did notice me next to the shine and sparkle of Awesome Girl. I'm trying to convince myself that he loved my reading of Kristine so much that he decided then and there that's who I would be and there was no need for me to read/sing again. One can wish. Now I just wait for the phone call. And I'm not very patient. Watch, I'll be cast as Fanny Brice and not get into Chorus Line. I bet that's what happens.
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UPDATE:
So, as I mentioned earlier I got cast in the chorus of Funny Girl. I came very close to declining... but since I did not get in Children of Eden at all (the one show I really, really wanted) I decided to do it. Now I'm taking it as a sign, because I found an audition I want to do in July and low and behold the director of that (I found out later) is also the director of Funny Girl. So he will see me in Funny Girl, fall in love with my star quality and I'll get my desired role at July audition. haha. That's MY plan anyway. Plus, I'm actually enjoying Funny Girl more than Chorus Line right now. I'm a happy little ensembler. As I also just said, I am in Chorus Line. Funnily enough the part I got isn't one of the four I mentioned earlier as my only possibilities. Even more funny is that it's probably the one part I should have thought of for myself after I messed up my vocal audition. I got "Larry", Zach's assistant. The part hadn't even crossed my mind even though I figured it would go to a girl. But once I got the phone call I was like "righttt... that makes sense" since Larry has to be a strong dancer and can be a horrible singer... which is what was heard at my audition. I almost said no to Chorus Line also... because I really, really was hoping to be on the line and it was so disappointing that I wasn't... and I was sad that I wouldn't be singing, essentially at all. And it's going fine so far... we've only been dancing and it's a slow process, but enjoyable. And another note, Awesome Girl isn't in either show. I'm convinced she was offered "Larry" first and turned it down. Who knows.
So, on Saturday I went to go audition for the 3 shows which make up the summer season at an outdoor theatre group in Danbury. Three shows in this case are defined as Funny Girl, A Chorus Line, and Children of Eden. In researching this theatre it seemed somewhat more legit than your average community theatre. For starters, I found out about the auditions on playbill.com, a fairly legit site. There were also 4 days of auditions, spanning over 21 hours, rather than the usual 1 day, 3 or 4 hours. They requested that you bring a headshot and resume. The director/choreographer of A Chorus Line has done choreography on Broadway (including the well known "Telephone Hour" from Bye Bye Birdie). But it's non-profit and there's no pay. So I couldn't decide in my mind if it was just a kind of suped-up community theatre trying to appear as more than it is, or a pre-professional, step below the big-time, type of place. I arrived at the audition still unsure.
So I get to the audition site which is one of those K-12 private schools, and it looked like a barn. I walk into the barn, grab a sign-in sheet and sit down to fill it out. The usual questions... age, height/weight, voice type, songs prepared for the audition, rehearsal conflicts, sign your life away saying you will not demand pay, desired roles, favorite nursery rhyme... the norm. I decide to say "yes" to auditioning for all 3 shows rather than the 2, 1 or ever-confusing none option. I decide to say "yes" to accepting ensemble for one show and "no" to the other two. (When I told this to someone on Monday she appeared SHOCKED... "but, don't you think you need to work your way up Trisha?".... in my head I replied "I worked my way up. Just not with this group" (I decided upon seeing the barn it was probably more community theatre-esque. If more professional-ish, I could agree with her) and my mind followed it with a "don't judge me as an overly-confident-in-their-own-talent snob". Out loud I made up something more polite about how rehearsals were an hour from work and an hour from home and I knew it would be taxing so I'd rather only make the commitment if I have a role... which I suppose can still sound theatre snobby, but...) Anyways, the fact that I was auditioning for Funny Girl and said no to ensemble was almost a joke. To be quite honest I DETEST the show, found Barbara Streisand ridiculously annoying in the movie, and would not want to suffer through being in the ensemble. (Add in, month later... I'm in the ensemble and actually quite enjoying it. haha. I apologize for the severity of my pre-conceived notions). But I knew that although I would never be able to pull off the comedic characterizations, or the powerful 18 solo songs, or convince the audience I am Jewish, I might as well put down that I'm auditioning for the lead of Fanny Brice. In the 1 in 10,000 chance I actually got it, it would be a great resume role. A Chorus Line I instantly checked "no" to ensemble, because I did not just want to be in the opening number after already doing the show before. No thanks. For desired parts I wrote Val, Kristine and Judy... three of only four I can realistically play. (Here's the breakdown even though I'm sure none of you care all that much. Cassie and Sheila I'm too young to play. Two out of nine parts out. Connie I'm too tall to play unless they can somehow shrink me 10 inches or so. Three out of nine out. I know there are better singers out there to be Diana and Maggie (plus, no matter what you do to me I can not come close to looking Puerto Rican, and no matter how much you train me I can not force myself to be a first soprano with belt). Five out of nine out. Leaves 4: Val, Kristine, Judy and Bebe.... my realistic options) Then for Children of Eden I put down my desired role of Yonah, knowing I had a super small chance of getting that too, but then responded in the affirmative for ensemble... their ensemble is in like 16 numbers, and I love the music, so I would very much so love to do anything in this show.
After looking over my sheet, chuckling again to myself that I put down Fanny Brice, I go to turn it in. Immediately after sitting down again, an older man comes up to me and introduces himself. I immediately recognize the name as the man who will be directing A Chorus Line, who did the broadway choreography and such, but (perhaps stupidly) do not make it known that I know who he is. I smile and say my name. He asks if I will be singing or dancing today. I reply "both". He smiles, says "good" and leaves me be.
First reaction.... Well this is good. The director of A Chorus Line sought me out in a room full of auditioners (auditionees?) to make sure I was auditioning for his show. Definite good start.....
Second reaction.... Singing or dancing? Singing OR dancing? You're never given a choice! You have to do both! Does this mean if you choose to dance at the audition you have to have something prepared? Think back to what it said on playbill.... "Prepare an uptempo and a ballad, be ready to sing just best 16 bars if necessary. If asked, be prepared to dance or read from the script"..... be prepared to dance.... that doesn't say have a dance prepared.... but it also doesn't say be prepared to learn a dance combination..... If you can't tell, I'm getting paranoid. Of course, it never occurs to me to just ask someone what the audition process was. Instead I start running through all of the dances I've done in the past 2 years (that are still somewhat committed to memory), trying to decide what I can do for them... with no music... and without running it beforehand besides envisioning it in my head. All of my choreography, which is freshest in my mind, is too bizarre and doesn't show off anything, and anything older I forgot. I don't really come to a firm decision on what to do when I am called into the audition room. As I'm walking down the hallway to the audition room I decide if it comes down to them just saying "ok, now dance" I will visibly panic, do a double turn, kick once, say I have a flexible back and cringe as they stare at me, expecting more.
So I walk into this tiny tiny room with about 8 people sitting there for casting, and the pianist crammed in the corner. As I walk in some lady gives them my info sheet, resume and "headshot" (prop from A Chorus Line at Wheaton... comes in very useful) and introduces me as "Trisha Carr, who is auditioning for all three shows". The "all three shows" bit causes a kind of gasp on their end. I wouldn't think it that unusual, but apparently it is. Since the lady already introduced me my normal opening audition line is all thrown off and I don't know what to say, especially because they were shuffling through papers, muttering, and not paying the slightest bit of attention to me. So I decide to just make a bad first impression and walk straight over to the pianist to hand over my music. Not knowing if I should do the ballad first or the uptempo, 16 bars or the whole thing, I start to just pull all of the sheet music out as one of the casting people says (reading off my info sheet) "Oh! You've Got Possibilites (song name, not remark about my potential)... good choice". So I guess that means I'm starting with You've Got Possibilities. The one I know I can belt my life away to in real life but have never attempted at an audition because I know my voice always fails me when it comes to power and auditions. I set aside the safe ballad I know I can do well, and go with the risk, all because casting lady says "good choice". Well, I say bad choice. Because after the first note I sang I realized that the nerves were taking over again. I hate it. I don't get nervous for performances... people are there to enjoy. But at auditions their sole purpose is to judge you and critique, and that always gets the better of me. I sound like 2 completely different people at auditions and not. So I struggle. That much is clear. Some notes are okay, but whole picture is NOT. So I end feeling kind of miserable, knowing I've screwed myself over in terms of hoping to get a part in any of the shows, but I don't let it show that I feel this way. I feel more miserable when it is made apparent I will not be singing the other song. Then, Children of Eden man says "will you read me these lines for Yonah?"
First thought: What? He's asking me to read for the part I wanted after I sang like that? He's nuts! Or has pity for me....
Second thought: I don't care, I get to read!
Third thought (upon looking at the script): Panic. First line: "Japeth?". Second line: "No Japeth, it's not right." Do I know how to pronounce Japeth? Just because I've seen the show, I'm Catholic and supposedly "know the Bible" and it's the husband of the character I said I wanted, I'm expected to know how to pronounce it? Well, I can't ASK how to pronounce it! I should know, given it's the part I said I wanted. To not know says I don't care enough to know, I'm unprepared, I'm un-Bibley cultured, I can't read.
Luckily, mid third thought I hear Children of Eden man say to another "Yah-pah-teth" in a funny tone and then chuckle. To me, it's clearly him saying Japeth, and it's just as clearly him mispronouncing it. So I take advantage of the moment and say (in a totally "non-Trisha" way... it was giddy and confident but nervous-- not an oxymoron, think an outspoken, outgoing person asking a question, with no fear of looking stupid, but knowing it's a ridiculous question to ask and they will probably be laughed at).... now I lost track of my original sentence. Right, so I take advantage of the moment and say "Waiiiit, how DO you pronounce it???". Well they loved that. Laughter ensued as they tried to calm the nervous girl by saying "don't listen to him, he's kidding around, the way you know it is right, (for a minute I feared they would stop right there, but they continued...) It's Jay-pith". So I felt better after they thought my question was amusing and I knew how to pronounce it. Worries came up again mid read-through when I realized I could totally be straying from the scene's intentions. It was one of those scenes that could be performed a bunch of different ways.... I went the quiet emotional, contemplative route but halfway through realized it could totally be an angry emotional, stubborn type moment. I hate finding out mid-scene that it can be interpreted differently. And because I only saw the show once I don't remember how it's usually done and there weren't any comments in the script to help me out. So rather than completely change tone mid-scene I kept going with the quiet emotional thing, wishing I had the chance to read it before then and decide if it was the best choice. I always tend to see scenes as quiet emotional first go around.... like that scene from Chorus Line at Wheaton... I was so confused why the director wanted me yelling, because I read it completely differently... then once I did it, I could see it that way too. Anyways... I still don't know if this Children of Eden scene should have been angry.... seeing as I was reading as a female character from the Bible I think probably not, but who knows.
After I do the read through the Chorus Line guy says to me "and you said you would be dancing for us?". Here it is again, panic. Do they expect me to break out in a dance right now? If I say "yes" will they be silent and wait for me to start? So I say (in that same, not me, confident scatterbrained way) "I was under the impression we'd be learning something?" Well, that made off better than the pronounciation comment. They found it downright hilarious. Comments like "That's the best thing I've heard EVER during an audition! Hilarious! This girl's adorable!" came from the 8 with all the power while the pianist played a little jingle as if for me to dance to. They told me yes I'd be learning a combination and continued laughing (with me? at me? at me in a not so bad way?). I said something stupid like "just making sure!" along with an exaggerated "phew!" gesture as I left the room saying thank you. As I left I heard more comments "I LIKE her, she's got spunk, precious, world's best singer". Okay, last one was not said, but the others all were. I thought to myself, hey... if I didn't walk out singing my best at least I made a strong personality impression!
As I'm learning the dance combination some woman comes in, hands me lines and says "they want you to read for Kristine when you go back in". I guess I kind of did portray myself as a Kristine. Or a Judy. Anyways... dance combination, legit original choreography, no changes, even has that ridiculous turn into arabesque into jump turn thing that always terrified me (though now that I've done it I can say it's much less scary than it looks). The evil side of me was very happy that non-dancers would not be able to pull this off (come on, we all have evil thoughts). The punishment for this evil thought was that in my small group of 4 who would be showing the combination to the casting people there was one girl who was CLEARLY the best. I was hoping for the dance part I would at least be able to shine above the others in my small group setting. But no, there was awesome girl. Let's just refer to her as that from now on-- Awesome Girl. Yes, she's a returning character.
So we go in, do the combination a few times, director guy asks if we were all given lines to read or not. Awesome Girl replies in the negative. Well that just won't do, this girl can dance! "Oh no, oh no, you have to read... get her Val's lines". If she wasn't asked to read after singing, why give her Val's lines, one of 3 female characters who has a legit song solo? I'm a horrible person. But at least I know it and am not afraid to admit it. It's one of those things you can think, but shouldn't say outloud. I type it here... essentially the same. Anyways... I read for Kristine. All is wonderful. Then, Funny Girl guy throws me a curve ball. Remember how I said I'd never have to read for Fanny Brice? Well, in a way I was right, but in a very bad way I was wrong. Funny Girl guy must have liked my dancing, or reading of Kristine or something right then and there enough to say to me "Okay, now do me a favor. Read those same lines again but with a thick, New York, Jewish accent".
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"I'm sorry, what?"-- internal thought bubble
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"Okay!"-- external verablization. Now the worst part of this wasn't reading lines in the accent, it was trying to pull off nervous, forgetful Kristine's lines in a Fanny Brice way.... they could not be more opposite. The accent was just the kicker. Of course, I didn't think to practice the accent beforehand, because who on earth would actually think I was right for this role? But I start... "I mean, I used to watch everything on TV that had dancing on it. Especially, oh... what was it? Um..." except, oh god, it's coming up British. I pause. Hold back a nervous chuckle. Pause for a painful 10 seconds or so, come really close to saying "I'm sorry, I can't do it, I'm just really nervous" (which I only later realized was nearly a word for word quote of Kristine), but decided to continue. I'm glad I did, because then things started sounding right. I channeled my inner Streisand and thank goodness, I'm suddenly sounding like a Jew. I'm thanked and Chorus Line guy asks me to come back tomorrow. Callback.
So fastforward 22.5 hours and I'm back, not knowing what to expect. After sitting around for about 15 minutes some woman says "If you're here for callbacks for ACL and want to go over the dance the assistant choreographer is in the other room and will practice with you". So I get up and go. After running it twice I'm pulled to the front of the room by Assistant man for others to watch. Confidence boost. woot. We run it about 87 times. An hour later Chorus Line guy comes in to watch. We're split into groups of 5. Though I try as hard as possible to avoid it, by standing on the opposite side of the room, I'm in the same group as Awesome Girl. Last thing I want. Of course, after my group he pulls Awesome Girl aside. He ends up pulling 2 others aside too from the rest of the group. They're asked to read. Awesome Girl for Cassie. Obviously. I later found out she's played it twice before... and she's 4 years younger than me.... way too young to play it when it's being cast somewhat by age, but it was clear they were eyeing her for exactly that purpose, and rightly so, given the other people there. I mean, she's Awesome Girl. They get pulled into another room to read. We continue practicing. Assistant man gets fed up and says (paraphrase... I did not memorize his speech) "I know not all of you have danced before and that this has to be a process. I'm willing to teach slowly and will happily give corrections, but if I'm giving the same corrections over and over again and seeing no changes it tells me you're not teachable. In all of you here today there are only two of you who I would say "Hired!" on the spot, that's it. So the rest of you pick it up if you want this". As he said the two of you bit he stared me down. Others turned to look at the source of his stare. It was awkward. Obviously Awesome Girl is person number 2. At this point I'm thinking it's much more community theatre than the pre-professional ideal I was hoping for. In a group of about 30 maybe 6 had dance training... actual training. This wouldn't be the dance busting version of A Chorus Line I was hoping for. In a way I got my wish because I wanted to appear as the second best dancer.... not first best because I did not want any chance of being Cassie again, but second best still gives me a good chance at securing one of the 8 other line members. Another hour later Chorus Line guy comes in and watches us again... different groups, but yes, I'm still with Awesome Girl. Whole time director man is beaming at her. I feel sad. He calls a different set of 4 people to read/sing. Not me. We can all leave now.
So my hopest of hopes is that assistant man has some say, or director man did notice me next to the shine and sparkle of Awesome Girl. I'm trying to convince myself that he loved my reading of Kristine so much that he decided then and there that's who I would be and there was no need for me to read/sing again. One can wish. Now I just wait for the phone call. And I'm not very patient. Watch, I'll be cast as Fanny Brice and not get into Chorus Line. I bet that's what happens.
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UPDATE:
So, as I mentioned earlier I got cast in the chorus of Funny Girl. I came very close to declining... but since I did not get in Children of Eden at all (the one show I really, really wanted) I decided to do it. Now I'm taking it as a sign, because I found an audition I want to do in July and low and behold the director of that (I found out later) is also the director of Funny Girl. So he will see me in Funny Girl, fall in love with my star quality and I'll get my desired role at July audition. haha. That's MY plan anyway. Plus, I'm actually enjoying Funny Girl more than Chorus Line right now. I'm a happy little ensembler. As I also just said, I am in Chorus Line. Funnily enough the part I got isn't one of the four I mentioned earlier as my only possibilities. Even more funny is that it's probably the one part I should have thought of for myself after I messed up my vocal audition. I got "Larry", Zach's assistant. The part hadn't even crossed my mind even though I figured it would go to a girl. But once I got the phone call I was like "righttt... that makes sense" since Larry has to be a strong dancer and can be a horrible singer... which is what was heard at my audition. I almost said no to Chorus Line also... because I really, really was hoping to be on the line and it was so disappointing that I wasn't... and I was sad that I wouldn't be singing, essentially at all. And it's going fine so far... we've only been dancing and it's a slow process, but enjoyable. And another note, Awesome Girl isn't in either show. I'm convinced she was offered "Larry" first and turned it down. Who knows.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
This here blog's topic is things that irritate me and things that excite me way more than they should. Let's jump right in and start with irritant number one...
People who pee on public toilet seats. To be completely honest, I don't understand the purpose of "hovering". I get you don't want the germs or the stds or who knows what you think you can catch... but in reality there are WAY more germs on sink handles, door knobs, counter tops etc. and about 98% of STDs can't survive once exposed to air... and even if they DID linger around, you would need a break in the skin to be affected. So if the skin on your butt is not bleeding, you are safe to sit on a toilet seat. But what do people do? They hover. Because they're paranoid and grossed out. And we all know hovering leads to splattering, which leads to more hovering. It's freakin annoying. If everyone just sat down then the public restroom world would be a much happier place. There would be no pee on seats and it would be perfection.
Irritant number two is really irritant number two and three. Both relate to how others perceive me. One (two?) is that I am ALWAYS "the approachable one" in public places. You know how you'll be lost and need directions, or want to know the time and you look for a friendly face to ask? Well, the friendly face is always me. I get approached by sooooo many strangers. Which is fine in a way... it's nice to know I'm viewed as approachable. But I am hardly a people person and probably the last person who would enjoy being approached by you. Plus, I always have an inner dialogue going in my head. If you interrupt the inner dialogue you often become the subject of the inner dialogue and it's not always pleasant... if only because I'm then thinking "there's ANOTHER person who approached me!". Second thing (third?) is related... strangers' first impression of me is "hey, approachable girl", and yet in social situations, others' first impression of me is "stuck up snob who is full of herself". If I could get somewhere in between, leaning toward the approachable side I would be happy. I feel like because I'm quiet and don't know how to talk to people I come across as stuck-up. People say I'm judgemental, yet I'm constantly judged and misunderstood. Tis not fair. There are irritants number 2 and 3.
Last irritant is recent. My need to think of funny blogs has entered into my dreams and it's ANNOYING. Something will happen in a dream that's amusing and in my dream state I will think to myself "I have to remember to put that in my blog". I'll give a couple of examples, both of which happened in dreams during the same night. In my dream my work has hired a new employee. She's introducing herself to me and like puckering her lips in an exaggerated fashion before saying her name... so I think "okay, she wants to do like a kiss on the cheek thing". As I lean in she starts slowly saying her name... I realize English is her second language and she has a very difficult to pronounce name and so the pursed lips were really her preparing to over-pronounce her name for me. I made an idiot of myself by leaning in for a kiss. My thought? "Must add to blog". In another dream one of my high school math teachers somehow re-entered my life. He showed up uninvited to some family party of mine and in the end of the dream he told me "although we shared undeniable passion he was 40 years my senior and it would never work" and then he kissed me. (Now this teacher I can promise I never had any sort of crush on). My first thought (mid kiss) was "Oh my god, I have to tell Griff I kissed an old math teacher!" Second thought, blog story! Now if these things happened to me in real life, sure they would make good blog stories, so my dream mind self was right to think "blog!". But they didn't happen in real life, and I'm not going to just make a blog about funny dreams so I'd be very happy if my dream self would stop screaming blog whenever something happens. (Although I will admit that upon waking I did spend a moment laughing that I thought to myself "I HAVE to tell Griff". haha)
Now the little things that make me incredibly happy... every morning and every afternoon when I'm waiting for the train I secretly hope I am standing in the prime location where, once the train stops, the door will be right in front of me. It's a little one-up I get on the others around me. I get excited if the door ends up really close to me and absolutely ecstatic if it lands so that I am right in the exact center of the doors. It's a bit OCD but if that train stops and I'm dead center between the doors I get REALLY excited. It's one of those little things I can be happy about during the day and I know it gets me wayyy more excited than it should.
Next one really doesn't make much sense, even compared to the train door thing. But if I get sent an email that's like a quiz or a fill out about me type of thing I get really happy. I enjoy filling these things out even though I know no one reads them. Maybe it's a narcissism thing, maybe it's the joy of self-discovery (although I don't know how much typing in my favorite color and preference for summer over winter leads to self discovery). Maybe it's just I enjoy that I'm special enough to someone to have them think of me when determining who to send the email to (because you know they wouldn't annoy just anyone with these things). But yes, I enjoy getting tagged in facebook in these things, filling them out, and thinking that maybe just one random person will actually read it.
Another little joy is similar to the train thing in that it's something I encounter every day. I park in a commuter parking lot every morning. It's tiny... there are 4 rows of cars. I regularly park in the 3rd row, sometimes forced to the 4th. If there is a spot in the 2nd row it starts my day off on a really positive note. Even though it means literally only about 4 seconds less of walking (and sometimes actually more depending on how far down the line the empty space is) the fact that I was able to park in the SECOND row versus the third gets me really excited.
In summary it doesn't take much to make me happy.... and I want everyone to sit on public toilet seats.
People who pee on public toilet seats. To be completely honest, I don't understand the purpose of "hovering". I get you don't want the germs or the stds or who knows what you think you can catch... but in reality there are WAY more germs on sink handles, door knobs, counter tops etc. and about 98% of STDs can't survive once exposed to air... and even if they DID linger around, you would need a break in the skin to be affected. So if the skin on your butt is not bleeding, you are safe to sit on a toilet seat. But what do people do? They hover. Because they're paranoid and grossed out. And we all know hovering leads to splattering, which leads to more hovering. It's freakin annoying. If everyone just sat down then the public restroom world would be a much happier place. There would be no pee on seats and it would be perfection.
Irritant number two is really irritant number two and three. Both relate to how others perceive me. One (two?) is that I am ALWAYS "the approachable one" in public places. You know how you'll be lost and need directions, or want to know the time and you look for a friendly face to ask? Well, the friendly face is always me. I get approached by sooooo many strangers. Which is fine in a way... it's nice to know I'm viewed as approachable. But I am hardly a people person and probably the last person who would enjoy being approached by you. Plus, I always have an inner dialogue going in my head. If you interrupt the inner dialogue you often become the subject of the inner dialogue and it's not always pleasant... if only because I'm then thinking "there's ANOTHER person who approached me!". Second thing (third?) is related... strangers' first impression of me is "hey, approachable girl", and yet in social situations, others' first impression of me is "stuck up snob who is full of herself". If I could get somewhere in between, leaning toward the approachable side I would be happy. I feel like because I'm quiet and don't know how to talk to people I come across as stuck-up. People say I'm judgemental, yet I'm constantly judged and misunderstood. Tis not fair. There are irritants number 2 and 3.
Last irritant is recent. My need to think of funny blogs has entered into my dreams and it's ANNOYING. Something will happen in a dream that's amusing and in my dream state I will think to myself "I have to remember to put that in my blog". I'll give a couple of examples, both of which happened in dreams during the same night. In my dream my work has hired a new employee. She's introducing herself to me and like puckering her lips in an exaggerated fashion before saying her name... so I think "okay, she wants to do like a kiss on the cheek thing". As I lean in she starts slowly saying her name... I realize English is her second language and she has a very difficult to pronounce name and so the pursed lips were really her preparing to over-pronounce her name for me. I made an idiot of myself by leaning in for a kiss. My thought? "Must add to blog". In another dream one of my high school math teachers somehow re-entered my life. He showed up uninvited to some family party of mine and in the end of the dream he told me "although we shared undeniable passion he was 40 years my senior and it would never work" and then he kissed me. (Now this teacher I can promise I never had any sort of crush on). My first thought (mid kiss) was "Oh my god, I have to tell Griff I kissed an old math teacher!" Second thought, blog story! Now if these things happened to me in real life, sure they would make good blog stories, so my dream mind self was right to think "blog!". But they didn't happen in real life, and I'm not going to just make a blog about funny dreams so I'd be very happy if my dream self would stop screaming blog whenever something happens. (Although I will admit that upon waking I did spend a moment laughing that I thought to myself "I HAVE to tell Griff". haha)
Now the little things that make me incredibly happy... every morning and every afternoon when I'm waiting for the train I secretly hope I am standing in the prime location where, once the train stops, the door will be right in front of me. It's a little one-up I get on the others around me. I get excited if the door ends up really close to me and absolutely ecstatic if it lands so that I am right in the exact center of the doors. It's a bit OCD but if that train stops and I'm dead center between the doors I get REALLY excited. It's one of those little things I can be happy about during the day and I know it gets me wayyy more excited than it should.
Next one really doesn't make much sense, even compared to the train door thing. But if I get sent an email that's like a quiz or a fill out about me type of thing I get really happy. I enjoy filling these things out even though I know no one reads them. Maybe it's a narcissism thing, maybe it's the joy of self-discovery (although I don't know how much typing in my favorite color and preference for summer over winter leads to self discovery). Maybe it's just I enjoy that I'm special enough to someone to have them think of me when determining who to send the email to (because you know they wouldn't annoy just anyone with these things). But yes, I enjoy getting tagged in facebook in these things, filling them out, and thinking that maybe just one random person will actually read it.
Another little joy is similar to the train thing in that it's something I encounter every day. I park in a commuter parking lot every morning. It's tiny... there are 4 rows of cars. I regularly park in the 3rd row, sometimes forced to the 4th. If there is a spot in the 2nd row it starts my day off on a really positive note. Even though it means literally only about 4 seconds less of walking (and sometimes actually more depending on how far down the line the empty space is) the fact that I was able to park in the SECOND row versus the third gets me really excited.
In summary it doesn't take much to make me happy.... and I want everyone to sit on public toilet seats.
Friday, March 13, 2009
I've been thinking a lot of random, yet somewhat interconnected thoughts lately. I will try my best to verbalize them and their interconnectedness. Please, try to bear with me on this blog and get through it. I think it might be rewarding in the end. Or maybe not, but I want it to be given an honest effort, because it's different from my normal blogs and I'm testing the waters here. One, I've been thinking about passions... what it means to be passionate about something, what are popular common passions among people (music, fashion...), what I thought my passions were, what they really are, etc. Next, (totally separate thought with no relevance to my passion theme yet), I found myself consciously making an effort to think of an inspiring blog and I thought of how much it slash I have changed since this here blog's onset. Back in 2004 or whenever this was created (oh my gosh, was it really 5+ years ago?) I found the humor in everything and writing a clever, funny blog was effortless. I did it daily at one point. Now, I try to force out funny when in reality all I can really think of and want to talk about is more philosophical in nature. Is this just me grown up? There's nothing wrong with writing a philosophical-esque blog, but I miss the funny side and feel like that's what this blog has been about from the onset... the random, everyday occurrences that I find humor in. It saddened and yet intrigued and contradictorily (so not a word) in some ways excited, me to realize that maybe my way of thinking of things has changed and matured in the past 5 years. Third thought is really the connection of things... In realizing how my thought process or whatever you should call it has changed, (which remember, started with thinking of a blog topic), I thought more in depth about passions and how my passions have changed over the years... and if they have changed, was I ever really passionate about those old things in the first place? I came to the conclusion that there are passions, things of interest, intrigue and inspiration, and, for lack of a better word, affairs.
Oh yes, they are three distinct, entirely separate categories which I can place my "hobbies" into with ease. In going with my new turn to philosophy, let's start with definitions. And because I like listing everything in my life let's do it in a list like fashion.
So yeah, I don't know. I was just thinking about a lot of things. Things you may call passions really aren't, and things change over time, with a select few remaining constant. I guess I'll continue pondering... this was a long blog and really poorly written. I can see my senior year expository writing teacher having a heart attack at it's longwindedness. But I had an urge to express my more philosophical thinking, rather than force another attempt at a funny post.
Oh yes, they are three distinct, entirely separate categories which I can place my "hobbies" into with ease. In going with my new turn to philosophy, let's start with definitions. And because I like listing everything in my life let's do it in a list like fashion.
- Passions: Passions never leave you; they are intrinsic to who you are and something you can not live without. I believe that most people have one "ultimate passion" that started at an early age and is held throughout life. Other passions can develop over time. If something is your ultimate passion, you know it- absolutely no doubts- you will be 80 years old and still obsessed. You know the lame mantra that is so typically overused and paraphrased by way too many people.... if you can't stop thinking about something, it's the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about before you go to bed, then it's your passion? I think if this holds true for a solid length of time, I'm talking years, then it's a passion. Anything less than that solid, currently undefined, length of time and it could be an affair, we'll get to affair in mention #3.
I know my ultimate passion and it's no surprise to people who know me. Since I was 8 years old I have been obsessed with musical theatre. I will see absolutely any production at any level of experience, if only to learn more about my favorite art. I've followed performers, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, like a religion. And I KNOW that 60 years from now I will still go through NYC withdrawals in a matter of weeks after visiting Broadway. No questioning, no doubting, this is my ultimate passion.
And in all honesty I think I only have one other passion, and I say I think because it's currently developing. I believe my other passion is choreography. I had absolutely no respect for choreography as an art form in and of itself prior to 3 years ago. If anything, it was something I rolled my eyes at. I won't go into the whole "turn my perspective around" moment again, but in the past three years I have found myself unable to stop creating choreography. When listening to the radio, whether or not I leave the station on or change it depends on if I could see myself choreographing to the particular song on at that moment... if I can, I instantly start thinking about steps. I'm not kidding, choreography guides my radio listening. Throughout the day I think about new moves to the soundtrack of silence from my office. It's something I literally CAN NOT stop thinking about. And this has majorly influenced my viewing of musical theater as well. Suddenly my favorite thing about a show is its unique choreography, or on the other end, I'll end up overly critical of shows that are, in every other way, remarkable, but where the choreography is tired and unoriginal. It's funny to me because I never really saw musical theater as a "prime spot" to feature unique choreography. Musical theater dance, stereotypically, has the sparkle and the jazz and the tricks meant to impress... not innovative choreography and dancing. If that's what you wanted you go and check out any of the many professional modern dance companies. I think I'm getting off track. And I think what I was trying to say here is that I've found beautiful choreography in unlikely places, I'm seeing it everywhere. And to be clear, by beautiful I mean odd, odd inspires me and odd is beautiful. The musical theater dance reference was just an example and a way to bring together my two passions.
Both of my passions I enjoy partaking in myself as well as observing. I don't think you need to be a partaker for it to be a passion, but I do think you need to be a partaker for it to be your ultimate passion. For example, lots of people are passionate about music, but not all of these people are musicians, songwriters, singers, etc. However, for something to be an ultimate passion you must love it so much that to not partake would kill you. You don't have to make it a career, you don't have to do it regularly, you don't have to be good at it (I have a great example I won't disclose here). But you've meddled in it and enjoy every second that you are meddling. - Things of interest, intrigue and inspiration: These are the things you enjoy reading about, watching tv/movies about, and are pretty much a constant interest in your life. They just make you feel happy. Mine make me feel kind of nostalgic, or maybe the whole "warm & fuzzy" thing is a better description, but they have that same sense of excitement and warmth as opening a box you found in your attic of old keepsakes, untouched and unseen for years. (Lamest description ever right there) I have a few of these... some will sound random and bizarre until I explain: numbers/logic, food, makeup, movies, scents.
Numbers and logic, logic and numbers. Mentioning it here made me instantly think of a professor at Wheaton who I never knew very well and yet who said to me in a conversation (obviously it was said during a conversation) "so your major is math... is that really something you love?" It was a question full of disbelief and doubt. Not disbelief in the "everyone else in the world is afraid of and detests math, so I can't comprehend how someone could love it" kind of way, but disbelief in the "you seem so passionate and talented in other areas, but yet you chose math. i don't get it" kind of way. I replied with a "yes I love it" not because I love math in and of itself but because it's honestly all I would have wanted to study. I would have much preferred studying math to art or theater or psychology or anything else. There is definitely an innate love of logic and numbers in me. I love when things work out and there's a solution, I love solving puzzles, I try to systematically make sense of random things that are largely nonsensical. And parts of all of that are in math. I don't call it a passion because it's not something I find myself constantly thinking about. But I will always be intrigued by new puzzles; I will always enjoy carrying out everyday calculations (like the ratio of steps to my bus stop to the number of seconds it takes to walk it, graphed out over time- done in elementary school); I will always enjoy mapping things out in an effort to transform random information into concise stories (like the time I tried to create a venn diagram of sorts to determine groups for one of my dances based on individual dancers' strengths), and I will always be a mathy/logic nerd at heart.
Food... I could spend all day watching the food network or reading Gourmet magazine. I'll even read restaurant reviews for random places throughout the country. One of my favorite "unwind" things at Wheaton was to sit in the dining hall (that's not the food interest related bit, no worries), and read the food section of the Boston Globe. It's typically the only part I read. I don't enjoy cooking, just eating, and clearly hearing about food, innovative recipes, etc. I've had one true fine dining experience, (because I still can't justify spending so much money on food), and I still find myself constantly thinking back to it. Food is definitely something that interests, intrigues and inspires me.
There's not much to say about makeup other than that I constantly find myself visiting sephora.com (or spending hours in the store) browsing through new products and dreaming about purchasing it all. I have 16 makeup related websites in my bookmarks, ranging from brand specific like covergirl.com to the more product review, news, makeup swap, message board free-for-all type of sites like makeupalley.com. I got depressed when I got a full time job and had to face the fact that I had to wear natural looking makeup rather than my normal, wear it all, try everything, it always washes off, approach. As a result whenever I'm not in work I go overboard and look ridiculous.
Besides makeup my other constant splurge, make me feel good, impulse type of purchase are dvds. I don't over-analyze movies or get into deep conversations about how so and so film was ground-breaking in its camera technique or use of lighting or anything like that, but I really enjoy all types of movies. I've watched and loved all genres, including foreign films and silent films. It's one of my personal goals to watch all of imdb.com's top 250 movies of all time before I die. I don't do it to be cultured and I'm no movie snob, one of my favorite movies is the horrendous Simply Irresistible and you know I was first in line to see Confessions of a Shopaholic, but I just love movies. They make me content.
Last on the list I believe was scents. This is largely related to beauty, and I guess food too, though not necessarily. I love researching about perfumes and know all about top notes, middle notes and base notes; I love reading about the science and history behind it all and I know that my preferred fragrance family is oriental woody, rather than any of the florals, softer orientals, mossy or dry woods, or citrus, green or water "fresh"s (I also know that there are multiple ways of grouping families of scents, including one by the French perfume committee, which is an actual group). But my love of scents goes beyond perfumes. And no, it's not just enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread either, though I enjoy it as much as anybody. I can say that my favorite article in any magazine is one that pertains to scent. It's a common topic... why we're attracted to certain scents, how scent is related to memory, how smells can effect your mood (arometherapy anyone?)... type of article sound familiar? I even picked up the current $5 issue of Vogue almost entirely because when flipping through it I saw an article with two giant paintings of a nose and a title that read something like "The marketing of scents". The title wasn't actually that lame and it didn't even have anything to do with marketing, more like... scented air in Vegas and custom perfumes or something, and it's bugging me that I can't find the article online... I'll just replace with the real title later when I get home and have the article in front of me.
So yes, if there's something you can't read/hear/see/experience enough of, but it's not something you think about constantly, I'd say it fits in here, to the "things of interest, intrigue and inspiration" category. - Affairs: Affairs are things you try out... fall in love with for a period of time but then slowly fade away. In this category are a lot of the things you might have said you were passionate about when you were younger. Affairs come and go, but you always have a soft spot for them. (I feel like I'm writing the results to the end of a quiz or something... "Your color personality is brown. You are grounded, down to earth and appreciate the small things in life...")
I'd say I've had two affairs. haha... I'm still immature enough to find that phrase slightly amusing in this context. Anyways, they would be art and poetry. There was a period of time where I wanted to be an artist and a period of time (even through college) that I wanted to be a poet or writer.
The art story I find oddly entertaining... I loved art in elementary school and even took private art lessons for several years. I continued to take art in school when it was no longer required and considered it equal in level to my love of singing and dancing. Then came time for high school... the first time in my life I wouldn't be able to take both art and choir. By this time I had stopped the private art lessons and taken up private voice lessons instead... since I was just starting to get involved in actually performing in musical theater. I decided to try out slash apply for the honors level choir and the honors level art class, figuring I'd let fate decide which path I chose if I got into one but not the other (too conceited to think I wouldn't get into either, which of course is what happened. hah). But it was still a turning point. Because I realized I loved singing so much, and was so disappointed to have not made it in the honors choir, that I would skip a year of History and instead take the "normal", elective level choir as well as a Voice class for credit at school in order to make my way in with the choir teacher and improve enough to make it into honors choir next year (which I did). So even though I had the opportunity to (if I really wanted) skip History and take an art class and choir, I chose two singing classes. And since then I haven't picked up a paintbrush or a piece of charcoal. Looking back, I think art was one of those things I did because I was good at it and I enjoyed being good at something and to look at what I created... not something I genuinely loved the process of doing. It's funny though that something that was once so big a part of my time and life and that I did enjoy has faded out. Now I'm confident if I were to pick up a set of pastels again I would have no idea what to do. It definitely doesn't make me feel inspired.
Other one, like I said, is poetry. And this is a big one. I've always loved writing poems and genuinely thought I had a shot at being published in something besides the state papers and school publishings. I knew from about 9th grade I wanted to major in math and for a long time part of me wished I could do creative writing instead, but I wasn't confident in that as a logical career path. At least, I was certain I would do a creative writing minor. As I got older and high school was ending and college was starting I realized I wasn't writing as much.... what used to happen naturally and I'd have to pull out a scrap of paper while on the bus to jot down an idea was now coming in gaps measured in months. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that poetry was a huge outlet for me... I'd often write while crying about something or because I was feeling extremely hurt or scared.... and that by the end of high school I was feeling a lot better about my life so those emotions weren't there as much, but there was definitely a decrease in the writing. Then I took a poetry writing class at Wheaton and what happened? I ended up dropping it three-quarters through the semester. I hated being told when to write or what/how to write and I hated having my poetry critiqued. Things that were meant to inspire made me feel constricted. And I felt like everyone else in the class thought of me as an amateur in comparison because I was a math major amongst the english folk. I dropped the class in a fear that it would make me hate poetry. Ironically, while I do not hate it, I literally never write anymore. I think the last time I wrote a poem was maybe two and a half years ago... and I only wrote it because I thought to myself "hey, you haven't written a poem in awhile, let's sit down and write one". Another "passion" virtually gone.
So yeah, I don't know. I was just thinking about a lot of things. Things you may call passions really aren't, and things change over time, with a select few remaining constant. I guess I'll continue pondering... this was a long blog and really poorly written. I can see my senior year expository writing teacher having a heart attack at it's longwindedness. But I had an urge to express my more philosophical thinking, rather than force another attempt at a funny post.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
So yesterday I went into New York all by my lonesome to spend the day in the city. I left at 6:15 in the morning, got back at 2:00 the next morning and had plenty of fun all by myself. I frequently do this, simply because I am addicted to the city. If I haven't been there for a month I start to go through withdrawal, three months is pretty much my breaking point and then I will plan a day to go in by myself. So yesterday was my breaking point. My mom calls me "an odd duck" for going there alone, but I really don't mind it.
So I get into the city and start walking immediately to M&M World on Broadway for the Shrek musical lottery. I've wanted to see Shrek since it first came out late this past fall, mainly for its cast. I fell in love with Brian D'Arcy James, who plays Shrek, 3 years ago when I first came across the recording of The Wild Party, and since then I have seen him in everything he's performed in. He is brilliant. Then there's Sutton Foster, who's a big deal in musical theater land, and who I also loved until I saw her the other year in Drowsy Chaperone. Sure she's got talent, but she doesn't thrill me on stage. But she too I thought was worth seeing in this. Then, finally there's Chris Sieber as Lord Farquaad and John Tartaglia as Pinocchio who are both hilarious actors. These 4 together in 1 show made it worth seeing. Plus, the musical had potential because the movies were very funny. Anyways, if you've never done a Broadway lottery normally there are hundreds of people there all vying for about 14-24 tickets, winners are drawn by a lottery system. Well, I was happy to see only 5 other people there trying to get these tickets for both the matinee and evening performances. The lady still went through the process of spinning the tickets around in her lottery machine thing even though it was more than obvious we were all winning. Why, I don't know. Needless to say, I got my front row tickets for $25 for the matinee. Woo-hoo for me. Next on my list of things to do was find myself cheap tickets for an evening performance. I made my way to the theaters for In the Heights, Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia (3 of the most regularly sold out shows on Broadway) to see if I could get standing room tickets (which are only sold if the performance is sold out). None of these performances were being close to sold out, I was informed, so there was no shot of them selling me standing room tickets. I began to wonder if I would notice emptier theaters than normal due to the recession, if these three shows had "no chance" of selling out. Anyways, I then walked my way over to Mary Poppins to ask for a student ticket. Got one no problem, was told I could get as many as I wanted at the student price (even though I KNOW their policy is one ticket per student ID) and again thought about how hard the recession must be hitting broadway sales. (By the way, "my student ID" is actually that of Laura Peters. haha. She had lost hers, got a new one, found the lost one, had 2, and then gave me one so I could continue to see broadway shows at a cheaper rate for the next 2 years). So yes, I had my two show tickets, now what to do....
I decided to go walk around Central Park. In all of my visits to NYC I have NEVER been to Central Park. So even though it was in the teens, degree wise, and the park wouldn't be as "blossom-y" as if I went to visit in the spring or summer, I decided to go explore. I'm very happy I did. I walked around fairly aimlessly and ended up seeing quite a lot along Central Park's south end. I was amazed at how instantly the city noises went unheard once in the park and at how relatively un-people filled it was. Some people think I'm nuts going to the city alone and how it's not safe and blah blah blah... but I always think how there are 180000 people around so I'm not really worried. In Central Park someone could have very easily come up to me and taken my purse or taken me somewhere with no one else knowing. I wonder if it's like that during the warmer times. So I saw the Cop Cot, pond, Wollman rink, empty carousel, baseball fields galore, the snow covered Sheep Meadow, the bandshell and Bethesda Terrace... and I walked through the Children's Zoo quite unintentially on my way back. I spent a good 2.5 hours in the park just walking around. At one point I bought some of those Nuts 4 Nuts things. I felt kind of odd because I think of it as such a tourist treat but I like how they taste so I got them anyway. I walked around a bit to find the perfect bench right in the sun and sit down with my sugary almonds. A squirrel passes by and well, squirrels are my favorite rodent, so I fed him one of my almonds. Big mistake. Sure, he took it and ate it right in front of me, looking cute all the while. However, I was quickly reminded of that "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book because that squirrel would not settle for just one almond. He jumped up on the bench and slowly, creepily inched his way closer to me... close enough to the point where if I just extended my hand I could have picked him up. Well, I had a horrendous image of this squirrel jumping on my lap and grabbing the bag of nuts from my hands so I quickly got up and left. So much for my sunny bench. Stupid squirrel. Of course, 3 minutes later I see a baby squirrel and toss him a nut.
On my way leaving the park I passed by this sign that I thought said "DANCERS (next line something in this sexual script, then) Men at work above" and I thought to myself... hmm... dancers, men at work above... there must be like a male strip club in one of the upper levels of this building... that's an odd way of advertising for it... "men at work". Then I re-read and realized it said "DANGER (still didn't catch the sexy script words) Men at work above". Sure enough, there were, quite obviously, 5 or so construction workers one level up on the outside of the building. I think I read it the first way because as I was leaving the park I heard one guy say to another "So they were all topless, I mean, all nice looking women", so I had strip joint on the mind. I wish I had taken a picture of the sign. Or at least deciphered the script writing. Who would write something in a sexual script on a Danger sign anyway?
So after my Central Park initiation with the hungry squirrel and wrong reading of the Danger sign I went to go see Shrek. Like I said, front row. Which for this particular show was unfortunate because the Lord Farquaad guy does the whole show on his knees and I couldn't get the full effect of the costume, but anyways. Talent was good.... Pinnocchio and the woman doing Gingy sounded IDENTICAL to the movie and Chris Sieber stole the show as Lord Farquaad. Hilarious. The songs were catchy (I left the theater with one stuck in my head for the rest of the day) and it had some moments that were particularly funny. All in all though there was something missing. The theater was only 1/4 full. I actually felt bad for the actors because the applause sounded so freaking pathetic after each song. One-third of the 1/4 full theatre was made up of visually impared children. ABC news was there doing some special on it. They gave all of the kids a listening device where some woman was dictating the whole show to them. It was nice, except for the fact that they were all right behind me and asking questions loudly to their parents the whole time about what was happening on the stage. I tried my best not to mind.
The highlight of the show for me was at the curtain call. haha. I'm about to sound like a giddy teenage fan fanatic but I don't care. So they take their bows and then like dance around the stage for 30 seconds or so before the curtain goes down. The entire time Brian D'Arcy James is looking right at me, making faces and dancing towards me. I was cracking up slash dying on the inside, because like I said, I love him. In the next ten minutes as I waited by the stage door I created a whole scene in my head. I imagined telling him how I've seen him in four things and how I think he is brilliant, him asking which 4, me telling him and then him catching me in a lie. See, I would have told him "Well, let's see, now I can say I've seen you in Shrek, and I've also seen The Apple Tree, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Wild Party" and then he would have said "Are you sure, Wild Party? I think I recall you saying you never got to see Wild Party". See, in my dream scene scenario he remembered talking to me for 20 minutes after Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (from over a year ago) about how much I loved the Wild Party and so wish I had the chance to see him in it. See, we had actually talked for about 20 minutes at the stage door once, about the Wild Party and Andrew Lippa and he asked if I was an actor, because it was unusual to see someone who spoke so passionately about such a little known show and I looked like I might be a performer, and etc and etc.... It was to the point where at the end of it I actually pictured him asking if I wanted to get a cup of coffee or something. haha. So as I'm envisioning this whole scene of him remembering me and that's why he was dancing towards me at the curtain call I realized it was the matinee performance and he probably wasn't leaving the theater so I probably shouldn't wait at the stage door. I asked the door guard person and he confirmed that Brian D'Arcy James, as well as Sutton Foster, don't leave after the matinee when there is an evening performance. I left smirking on the inside at all of the other people waiting at the door for Sutton Foster's autograph, wondering how long they would wait before they realize she's not coming out. (I felt the same way waiting for Brian D'Arcy James as I did when waiting for Ruthie Henshall.... I knew everyone else there was waiting for someone else (Sutton Foster/Kristin Chenoweth) and I was the only one who knew better). So I didn't get to see Brian D'Arcy James again. Oh well....
Next I got dinner at some cheap Thai place that was really good and cost me $15 for an app, dinner and tip. I was happy. Then I spent some time in Sephora and Virgin Megastore who was having a closing sale.... their idea of a closing sale is everything 10% off.... when full price averages $27.99 per dvd. No thanks. Then I went to Mary Poppins where I was more than pleasantly surprised. I've now seen 4 Disney musicals and Mary Poppins was by far the best. It was obviously better than Little Mermaid, which is the only one I can say probably wasn't worth seeing, but I also think it was better than Beauty and the Beast, which has like a cult following of Disney lovers, and even Lion King, deemed by many the best of broadway. The set was magnificent and I LOVED the choreography and dancing. I was happy to see it wasn't Disney-fied choreography but actually fairly unique. And the woman playing Mary Poppins was in a word, incredible. She's from England so this was her Broadway debut and her voice is superior to most performers I've seen and comparable to only a small handful of others (off the top of my head Audra MacDonald, Patti Lupone, Ruthie Henshall, Julia Murney and Kristin Chenoweth). That's right, she goes above and beyond many modern favorites like the previously mentioned Sutton Foster, as well as others like Idina Menzel and Kelli O'Hara. If she stays in America I think she could be huge, though I'd rather she remains relatively unknown and can stay one of my secret little-known favorites. I could not have been more surprised at how much I enjoyed Mary Poppins. That show and Brian D'Arcy James made my trip worthwhile. And I spent less than $100 for the whole day, train ticket and all. Love it. Can't wait to go back the next time my withdrawal hits an all time low.
So I get into the city and start walking immediately to M&M World on Broadway for the Shrek musical lottery. I've wanted to see Shrek since it first came out late this past fall, mainly for its cast. I fell in love with Brian D'Arcy James, who plays Shrek, 3 years ago when I first came across the recording of The Wild Party, and since then I have seen him in everything he's performed in. He is brilliant. Then there's Sutton Foster, who's a big deal in musical theater land, and who I also loved until I saw her the other year in Drowsy Chaperone. Sure she's got talent, but she doesn't thrill me on stage. But she too I thought was worth seeing in this. Then, finally there's Chris Sieber as Lord Farquaad and John Tartaglia as Pinocchio who are both hilarious actors. These 4 together in 1 show made it worth seeing. Plus, the musical had potential because the movies were very funny. Anyways, if you've never done a Broadway lottery normally there are hundreds of people there all vying for about 14-24 tickets, winners are drawn by a lottery system. Well, I was happy to see only 5 other people there trying to get these tickets for both the matinee and evening performances. The lady still went through the process of spinning the tickets around in her lottery machine thing even though it was more than obvious we were all winning. Why, I don't know. Needless to say, I got my front row tickets for $25 for the matinee. Woo-hoo for me. Next on my list of things to do was find myself cheap tickets for an evening performance. I made my way to the theaters for In the Heights, Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia (3 of the most regularly sold out shows on Broadway) to see if I could get standing room tickets (which are only sold if the performance is sold out). None of these performances were being close to sold out, I was informed, so there was no shot of them selling me standing room tickets. I began to wonder if I would notice emptier theaters than normal due to the recession, if these three shows had "no chance" of selling out. Anyways, I then walked my way over to Mary Poppins to ask for a student ticket. Got one no problem, was told I could get as many as I wanted at the student price (even though I KNOW their policy is one ticket per student ID) and again thought about how hard the recession must be hitting broadway sales. (By the way, "my student ID" is actually that of Laura Peters. haha. She had lost hers, got a new one, found the lost one, had 2, and then gave me one so I could continue to see broadway shows at a cheaper rate for the next 2 years). So yes, I had my two show tickets, now what to do....
I decided to go walk around Central Park. In all of my visits to NYC I have NEVER been to Central Park. So even though it was in the teens, degree wise, and the park wouldn't be as "blossom-y" as if I went to visit in the spring or summer, I decided to go explore. I'm very happy I did. I walked around fairly aimlessly and ended up seeing quite a lot along Central Park's south end. I was amazed at how instantly the city noises went unheard once in the park and at how relatively un-people filled it was. Some people think I'm nuts going to the city alone and how it's not safe and blah blah blah... but I always think how there are 180000 people around so I'm not really worried. In Central Park someone could have very easily come up to me and taken my purse or taken me somewhere with no one else knowing. I wonder if it's like that during the warmer times. So I saw the Cop Cot, pond, Wollman rink, empty carousel, baseball fields galore, the snow covered Sheep Meadow, the bandshell and Bethesda Terrace... and I walked through the Children's Zoo quite unintentially on my way back. I spent a good 2.5 hours in the park just walking around. At one point I bought some of those Nuts 4 Nuts things. I felt kind of odd because I think of it as such a tourist treat but I like how they taste so I got them anyway. I walked around a bit to find the perfect bench right in the sun and sit down with my sugary almonds. A squirrel passes by and well, squirrels are my favorite rodent, so I fed him one of my almonds. Big mistake. Sure, he took it and ate it right in front of me, looking cute all the while. However, I was quickly reminded of that "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book because that squirrel would not settle for just one almond. He jumped up on the bench and slowly, creepily inched his way closer to me... close enough to the point where if I just extended my hand I could have picked him up. Well, I had a horrendous image of this squirrel jumping on my lap and grabbing the bag of nuts from my hands so I quickly got up and left. So much for my sunny bench. Stupid squirrel. Of course, 3 minutes later I see a baby squirrel and toss him a nut.
On my way leaving the park I passed by this sign that I thought said "DANCERS (next line something in this sexual script, then) Men at work above" and I thought to myself... hmm... dancers, men at work above... there must be like a male strip club in one of the upper levels of this building... that's an odd way of advertising for it... "men at work". Then I re-read and realized it said "DANGER (still didn't catch the sexy script words) Men at work above". Sure enough, there were, quite obviously, 5 or so construction workers one level up on the outside of the building. I think I read it the first way because as I was leaving the park I heard one guy say to another "So they were all topless, I mean, all nice looking women", so I had strip joint on the mind. I wish I had taken a picture of the sign. Or at least deciphered the script writing. Who would write something in a sexual script on a Danger sign anyway?
So after my Central Park initiation with the hungry squirrel and wrong reading of the Danger sign I went to go see Shrek. Like I said, front row. Which for this particular show was unfortunate because the Lord Farquaad guy does the whole show on his knees and I couldn't get the full effect of the costume, but anyways. Talent was good.... Pinnocchio and the woman doing Gingy sounded IDENTICAL to the movie and Chris Sieber stole the show as Lord Farquaad. Hilarious. The songs were catchy (I left the theater with one stuck in my head for the rest of the day) and it had some moments that were particularly funny. All in all though there was something missing. The theater was only 1/4 full. I actually felt bad for the actors because the applause sounded so freaking pathetic after each song. One-third of the 1/4 full theatre was made up of visually impared children. ABC news was there doing some special on it. They gave all of the kids a listening device where some woman was dictating the whole show to them. It was nice, except for the fact that they were all right behind me and asking questions loudly to their parents the whole time about what was happening on the stage. I tried my best not to mind.
The highlight of the show for me was at the curtain call. haha. I'm about to sound like a giddy teenage fan fanatic but I don't care. So they take their bows and then like dance around the stage for 30 seconds or so before the curtain goes down. The entire time Brian D'Arcy James is looking right at me, making faces and dancing towards me. I was cracking up slash dying on the inside, because like I said, I love him. In the next ten minutes as I waited by the stage door I created a whole scene in my head. I imagined telling him how I've seen him in four things and how I think he is brilliant, him asking which 4, me telling him and then him catching me in a lie. See, I would have told him "Well, let's see, now I can say I've seen you in Shrek, and I've also seen The Apple Tree, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Wild Party" and then he would have said "Are you sure, Wild Party? I think I recall you saying you never got to see Wild Party". See, in my dream scene scenario he remembered talking to me for 20 minutes after Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (from over a year ago) about how much I loved the Wild Party and so wish I had the chance to see him in it. See, we had actually talked for about 20 minutes at the stage door once, about the Wild Party and Andrew Lippa and he asked if I was an actor, because it was unusual to see someone who spoke so passionately about such a little known show and I looked like I might be a performer, and etc and etc.... It was to the point where at the end of it I actually pictured him asking if I wanted to get a cup of coffee or something. haha. So as I'm envisioning this whole scene of him remembering me and that's why he was dancing towards me at the curtain call I realized it was the matinee performance and he probably wasn't leaving the theater so I probably shouldn't wait at the stage door. I asked the door guard person and he confirmed that Brian D'Arcy James, as well as Sutton Foster, don't leave after the matinee when there is an evening performance. I left smirking on the inside at all of the other people waiting at the door for Sutton Foster's autograph, wondering how long they would wait before they realize she's not coming out. (I felt the same way waiting for Brian D'Arcy James as I did when waiting for Ruthie Henshall.... I knew everyone else there was waiting for someone else (Sutton Foster/Kristin Chenoweth) and I was the only one who knew better). So I didn't get to see Brian D'Arcy James again. Oh well....
Next I got dinner at some cheap Thai place that was really good and cost me $15 for an app, dinner and tip. I was happy. Then I spent some time in Sephora and Virgin Megastore who was having a closing sale.... their idea of a closing sale is everything 10% off.... when full price averages $27.99 per dvd. No thanks. Then I went to Mary Poppins where I was more than pleasantly surprised. I've now seen 4 Disney musicals and Mary Poppins was by far the best. It was obviously better than Little Mermaid, which is the only one I can say probably wasn't worth seeing, but I also think it was better than Beauty and the Beast, which has like a cult following of Disney lovers, and even Lion King, deemed by many the best of broadway. The set was magnificent and I LOVED the choreography and dancing. I was happy to see it wasn't Disney-fied choreography but actually fairly unique. And the woman playing Mary Poppins was in a word, incredible. She's from England so this was her Broadway debut and her voice is superior to most performers I've seen and comparable to only a small handful of others (off the top of my head Audra MacDonald, Patti Lupone, Ruthie Henshall, Julia Murney and Kristin Chenoweth). That's right, she goes above and beyond many modern favorites like the previously mentioned Sutton Foster, as well as others like Idina Menzel and Kelli O'Hara. If she stays in America I think she could be huge, though I'd rather she remains relatively unknown and can stay one of my secret little-known favorites. I could not have been more surprised at how much I enjoyed Mary Poppins. That show and Brian D'Arcy James made my trip worthwhile. And I spent less than $100 for the whole day, train ticket and all. Love it. Can't wait to go back the next time my withdrawal hits an all time low.
Monday, February 23, 2009
I've been thinking about begging for money... not me personally, though a few extra bucks would be nice. No, I mean others I witness begging for money. It's hard for me not to think about it when everyday on my way home from work the same guy (who is clearly employed, considering he's always dressed in different jeans and tops with a construction vest and hat) asks if I can spare $3.75 for his train ride. I don't get it... if you can't afford to take the train everyday, then don't. I don't know how he expects to get $3.75 from people EVERY DAY and count on it to get to and from wherever it is he's going/coming from. And I don't know what it is with me, but I'm always the only one I notice him asking. If I say no every other day, I'm going to say no today too. I'm sorry, but when you beg like this you get no sympathy from me. True, I don't know his story. True, considering I only see him asking me it may be some pathetic way at trying to talk to me (haha... trying to get someone's attention by begging them for money). But still, I don't sympathize with him.
So this made me think about effective methods of begging. In my short 22 years on this here planet I've come across dozens and dozens of beggars. Some are definitely more effective in their technique and are more likely to get mine (and probably others) money... even if it's only some of the change that's loose at the bottom of my purse. (SIDE NOTE: please people, don't get all PC on me here and declare me a horrible person for discussing this the way I'm about to or even for just the topic of the blog. Sometimes it's the overly PC people who get on my nerves more than those who are close-minded and just completely speak their point of view. Obviously, I'm also speaking humorously about this here... and don't get all "it's not something to joke about" on me either. Quick vent. Anyways...)
So like I said, the guy at the train station everyday who is clearly employed and asks for money everyday will not be getting a penny from me. I do not sympathize with him whatsoever. Also, if you're on the side of the road with a sign or a bucket for money 99 times out of 100 I wouldn't give you a penny either. Call me whatever you want, but I can't help but wonder if the money they get goes straight to drugs or alcohol... and there's no way I will help fund that. I would be more than willing to buy them some food, but after one time when I bought a pizza for someone with a "will work for food" sign and had it thrown back in my face, that isn't likely to happen now either. I won't provide money... I will provide food... but now I have a constant fear that it will come across the wrong way or won't be appreciated, so I don't give food either.
So what does work? Let me just say I had one case that was incredibly sneaky (at least to a non-world wise girl like myself) but clever enough that I didn't feel at all apprehensive about giving away a couple of dollars to the guy. I was in Chicago, by myself. I had just gotten a cab from the airport to the train station. The minute the cab pulled up to the train station someone opened the trunk and took out my bags... before I was out of the car. My gut instinct was that it was being stolen but when the cab driver acted as if this was entirely normal and I noticed the person wasn't running off with my luggage I relaxed. When I got out of the cab the person didn't ask IF he could carry my bags for me, he just asked "Will you be traveling with Amtrak or via the local trains, miss?" and I responded and he politely asked me to follow him. I didn't catch on to his scheme at all. I was thinking he was like... hired by the city of Chicago and that Chicago was just a much nicer city than any I had been to before. While he carried my bags he chatted with me very politely. When I got to where I had to be he handed me my bags and... well, to be honest I don't remember if he said something, paused and didn't leave, or held out his hand, but whatever it was it was clear to me he was looking for some type of a tip. Only then did I realize he was probably just some guy living on the streets looking for extra cash. But because he did something for me and was very polite, I didn't mind giving him a dollar. Probably everyone else would have seen through this instantly, but I didn't... and I don't mind.
You're also more likely to get something from me if you offer something in exchange... street performers, people who sell ANYTHING (you could even sell dandelions for $1 and I would buy them for the effort). Don't push it on me, like those people you see in the movies who start washing your car as you pull up to a stop sign. But if you make an effort, I'll spare some change.
If you can somehow manage to afford one really nice outfit, it would probably be a good investment. Only because people are MUCH more willing, I feel, to give to those who are not homeless, not hungry, but just forgot their wallet at home and are looking to get a train ticket so they're not stranded. Think about it, a guy who's dressed nice comes up to you and apologizes right away and says he's embarrassed that he just realized he's short by $2 to get a ticket... you're more likely to believe him and give him the money.... because he's not some "crazy homeless beggar" (I swear, I didn't mean that to be mean... just trying to explain the extreme of what people might think. Here's where the PC warning really comes into play). I was even in this situation once as the beg-ee. Granted, it probably helped that I was a teenager and obviously scared out of my wits but still.... I took the T in Boston for the first time, completely alone. And stupidly, I only brought exactly how much money I needed. Well, I didn't transfer at the right spot and ended up at the end of the line... which line I don't know, but I was way off. I needed $4 to get back to where I was supposed to be. It was nighttime, nearly empty and I was freaking out. My plan was to go up to different groups of people who seemed approachable and ask for the $4, explaining the situation. I only had to ask one person. See what I mean? If you were able to pull off faking this type of situation as a beggar I bet you'd make lots of money. It's not honest, but it's effective.
Speaking of not honest, on this really lame TV show I watch, even though it's awful, contestants had to come up with the best new outfit when only given $15. Some of them went up to people on the street and said they were raising money for a charity and then used the money to help them get a better outfit. If you can pull of this situation as a beggar, it's even more dishonest but even more effective. Or you could always pull children into it somehow. Get them to do the begging for you, pretend you have a kid, etc etc.... children make people want to give money. According to Slumdog Millionaire blind children who sing work best.
There are certain methods of begging that are more effective. Basically, the more dishonest you are or the harder you try to give something back the more likely you are to get others' money. This blog is pretty shameful, but it's what my imagination ran away with, thinking about my Stamford train guy. So I shared.
So this made me think about effective methods of begging. In my short 22 years on this here planet I've come across dozens and dozens of beggars. Some are definitely more effective in their technique and are more likely to get mine (and probably others) money... even if it's only some of the change that's loose at the bottom of my purse. (SIDE NOTE: please people, don't get all PC on me here and declare me a horrible person for discussing this the way I'm about to or even for just the topic of the blog. Sometimes it's the overly PC people who get on my nerves more than those who are close-minded and just completely speak their point of view. Obviously, I'm also speaking humorously about this here... and don't get all "it's not something to joke about" on me either. Quick vent. Anyways...)
So like I said, the guy at the train station everyday who is clearly employed and asks for money everyday will not be getting a penny from me. I do not sympathize with him whatsoever. Also, if you're on the side of the road with a sign or a bucket for money 99 times out of 100 I wouldn't give you a penny either. Call me whatever you want, but I can't help but wonder if the money they get goes straight to drugs or alcohol... and there's no way I will help fund that. I would be more than willing to buy them some food, but after one time when I bought a pizza for someone with a "will work for food" sign and had it thrown back in my face, that isn't likely to happen now either. I won't provide money... I will provide food... but now I have a constant fear that it will come across the wrong way or won't be appreciated, so I don't give food either.
So what does work? Let me just say I had one case that was incredibly sneaky (at least to a non-world wise girl like myself) but clever enough that I didn't feel at all apprehensive about giving away a couple of dollars to the guy. I was in Chicago, by myself. I had just gotten a cab from the airport to the train station. The minute the cab pulled up to the train station someone opened the trunk and took out my bags... before I was out of the car. My gut instinct was that it was being stolen but when the cab driver acted as if this was entirely normal and I noticed the person wasn't running off with my luggage I relaxed. When I got out of the cab the person didn't ask IF he could carry my bags for me, he just asked "Will you be traveling with Amtrak or via the local trains, miss?" and I responded and he politely asked me to follow him. I didn't catch on to his scheme at all. I was thinking he was like... hired by the city of Chicago and that Chicago was just a much nicer city than any I had been to before. While he carried my bags he chatted with me very politely. When I got to where I had to be he handed me my bags and... well, to be honest I don't remember if he said something, paused and didn't leave, or held out his hand, but whatever it was it was clear to me he was looking for some type of a tip. Only then did I realize he was probably just some guy living on the streets looking for extra cash. But because he did something for me and was very polite, I didn't mind giving him a dollar. Probably everyone else would have seen through this instantly, but I didn't... and I don't mind.
You're also more likely to get something from me if you offer something in exchange... street performers, people who sell ANYTHING (you could even sell dandelions for $1 and I would buy them for the effort). Don't push it on me, like those people you see in the movies who start washing your car as you pull up to a stop sign. But if you make an effort, I'll spare some change.
If you can somehow manage to afford one really nice outfit, it would probably be a good investment. Only because people are MUCH more willing, I feel, to give to those who are not homeless, not hungry, but just forgot their wallet at home and are looking to get a train ticket so they're not stranded. Think about it, a guy who's dressed nice comes up to you and apologizes right away and says he's embarrassed that he just realized he's short by $2 to get a ticket... you're more likely to believe him and give him the money.... because he's not some "crazy homeless beggar" (I swear, I didn't mean that to be mean... just trying to explain the extreme of what people might think. Here's where the PC warning really comes into play). I was even in this situation once as the beg-ee. Granted, it probably helped that I was a teenager and obviously scared out of my wits but still.... I took the T in Boston for the first time, completely alone. And stupidly, I only brought exactly how much money I needed. Well, I didn't transfer at the right spot and ended up at the end of the line... which line I don't know, but I was way off. I needed $4 to get back to where I was supposed to be. It was nighttime, nearly empty and I was freaking out. My plan was to go up to different groups of people who seemed approachable and ask for the $4, explaining the situation. I only had to ask one person. See what I mean? If you were able to pull off faking this type of situation as a beggar I bet you'd make lots of money. It's not honest, but it's effective.
Speaking of not honest, on this really lame TV show I watch, even though it's awful, contestants had to come up with the best new outfit when only given $15. Some of them went up to people on the street and said they were raising money for a charity and then used the money to help them get a better outfit. If you can pull of this situation as a beggar, it's even more dishonest but even more effective. Or you could always pull children into it somehow. Get them to do the begging for you, pretend you have a kid, etc etc.... children make people want to give money. According to Slumdog Millionaire blind children who sing work best.
There are certain methods of begging that are more effective. Basically, the more dishonest you are or the harder you try to give something back the more likely you are to get others' money. This blog is pretty shameful, but it's what my imagination ran away with, thinking about my Stamford train guy. So I shared.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
I'm not going to lie... I cheated in order to find inspiration for this blog. Truth be told, nothing really amusing has happened to me lately. It's rather depressing. So, I decided to google "funny things that happen to everyone" to see if I found something interesting to blog about. (It's so pathetic that I've come down to googling for blog ideas. Where did all my insightful creativity go? Slash what happened to all the interesting things that used to happen to me?)
So in my google quest I found a website entitled "Funny Things You Shouldn't Laugh At But Do Anyway". Somehow it had two titles and was also called "18 Things Everyone Finds Hilarious But Shouldn't". I want to know how they earned a two-title fame. So here was the list.... my comments slash random tangents are interspersed in orange. Of course they're in orange.
1. Ugly babies
Now, maybe I just haven't been around enough babies because I try to avoid them as best I can... but I don't recall ever seeing any ugly babies. I know, I know... "all babies are beautiful". But to me, all babies are terrifying. When they're really young they don't talk, but you can tell in their eyes they are taking everything in and they're working extra hard to absorb everything and gain attention and love... this may be wonderful to most people but the fact that these are little people, observing you unashamedly and unable to talk completely freaks me out. It's like young children (fully capable of speech at this point) who will turn and just look at you... some people enjoy making faces at them to get them to smile, while I just want to coldly stare them down until they're afraid and look away. I hate staring. Back to babies, when they're older they're just crawling, noisy tornadoes. I don't know how to act around babies or children. They're like an odd necessity before you become a real person. It may surprise you to know that I actually want a large family and several children. What can I say, I'm a conundrum. Now that I wrote it, I don't think that word pertains to people.... let's change it to enigma. Anyways, even though I'm not a fan of babies or children, I don't laugh at ugly babies, so there's a positive to offset the negative. Next!
2. People who walk with something heavy in one hand and have to lean really far the other way to balance themselves.
It's funny, but the familiarity I have with this statement is only because it so often pertains to me being the one walking lopsided. I never notice others walking with something heavy in one hand and having to lean really far the other way to balance themselves. And I'm a ridiculously observant slash people-watching kinda person. Am I missing out on something funny here by never being on the spectator side? I'm a bit relieved now to know others laugh at me when I look like this... it's oddly more securing to know it rather than wonder hmmm... are people staring at me and chuckling to themselves?
3. When someone turns around and goes back the same way they were coming.
Okay, here's another one. I do this constantly, but I rarely notice others doing it. Actually, what I do when I realize I'm walking the wrong way is keep walking that way for a bit, stop and pull out a cellphone, pretend to call someone, pause while it's "ringing" and then casually start strolling back in the other direction as if I'm just walking around while on the phone... even though no one is on the other line and it's just a way of turning around without being so obvious (or maybe it's overly obvious, hah). Or I'll do the opposite and make it ridiculously obvious... I'll do like a mime move of "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot something and have to go back!" so that it's more of a sympathy thing than an odd embarassed person turning around. I'm so bizarre.
4. Cops riding anything except police cars: Bikes, Bicycles, Boats, and especially Horses.
Here's the first one I can somewhat agree with. Cops on bicycles or horses do make me laugh. It's like... what's the point? Do horses really make police escapades more efficient? And bicycles ring in as something childish and slow. You've got the shiny car with the twirling red lights you so often abuse to speed by people when there's no emergency. Use it! And I've never seen a cop in a boat but that would be very amusing. Especially if they were behind the steering wheel... or sitting in the crow's nest with a telescope.
5. People who say stupid things but really mean them.
You mean genuinely stupid people who aren't just sarcastic? I don't laugh at them because I am often that person. I don't mind people laughing at me with that stuff though... I've come to terms with my stupidity. Just yesterday I asked someone if a BB gun was like a paintball gun or a cap gun or a real gun. I heard a news story about a father shooting his son in the bum with a BB gun and didn't understand why it was such an issue. I thought it was a child's play thing. Don't worry... I won't buy your child a BB gun, or shoot him in the bum with one.
6. Girls that wear belts that have no function and are not even attached to anything.
Okay, I've done this, we've all done this. Sometimes it's about fashion and not about practicality. No use in laughing about it unless it looks utterly ridiculous. Which sometimes it does.
7. Cats wearing clothing
I laugh at dogs wearing clothing. Any animal wearing clothing is amusing and ridiculous. Let's not limit it to cats.
8. People who animatedly sing in their car.
This I am 110% guilty of. My car time is my vocalization time and I don't care how loud or animated I am. I secretly wish that someone will hear me and think it's a CD I have and not me singing. I'm sure I've been caught, both visually and auditorially. I flatter myself by thinking they're more impressed than amused. I'm sure it's not true. I sound so freakin full of myself. hah
9. Fannypacks.
They're amusing, of course. However, I rather admire people who use them because they don't care that they're amusing and "went out of style" 20 years ago. I see a fannypack on a hip and smile at the person... they're too cool for school.
10. Guys who drive with their shirts off.
This is always amusing in one of two ways... if they're attractive and muscular it's clear they know it and want to show it. And if they're not then they're usually a mix-breed of the trucker/hick variety and frankly... they're feeling the heat from the sun and don't care what hangs out to gain some more comfort.
11. When you tell someone to watch out and they don’t.
This would be amusing if I told people to watch out. But I prefer to say nothing and then laugh when the inevitable happens. One word-- schadenfreude.
12. People who have full protective gear on when they ride a bicycle or rollerblade (kneepads and everything).
This IS funny. It's funny to me to see just a helmet even though I would always wear one and I know it's the law. It just screams "I'm on the lookout for anything bad to happen to my head!". My ultimate favorite though is people who wear helmets with a headlight on it, a la a miner, when walking at night. Or during the day when walkers wear the bright orange, construction worker vest thing with reflectors. I love it. Keeps me young.
13. When you catch someone talking to themselves.
This is also funny, but unfortunately I'm often on the other side of this one too. I'm a compulsive self-talker. The worst is sometimes I'll be singing a song in my head and then one of the words will come out... so it appears like I just sang a random word. This is most likely to occur in my otherwise silent office. I try to play it off my coughing afterward. It doesn't work.
14. Stupid car horns.
Like horns that play a tune when you hit it? That would be awesome! I've never heard one in person, but I'm sure I would be completely envious rather than filled with laughter. I really enjoy obviously nerdy things. Now, if we're not talking tunes... if we're talking like Little Miss Sunshine horn that doesn't stop, that's just annoying. It might get to the point where it's so ridiculous that you laugh at it before remembering it's really just annoying and not all that funny.
15. Clowns and mascots. Not because they are funny, but because they are sad.
I can relate to this one. The people behind the clowns and mascots are making a fool of themselves for attention when they know the truth is that no one enjoys them anyways.
16. When someone turns around to say something to the person they are with and find that they aren’t there anymore.
God, I wish I witnessed these things more often! Why am I always the one doing these awkward things instead of getting to see and laugh at them! I would probably laugh at this. If one of my friends will purposefully do this next time I'm around, I would appreciate it. I want to know if I'd find it funny.
17. Anytime someone runs into something
This is always funny. Probably the only one on the list that makes you violently want to laugh out loud, and the one of the list that it would be least appropriate to do so. I constantly find myself in a situation where minutes afterward I'm still trying to bite my lip to keep a laugh from spilling out. Here's another place where sometimes I can't help it and then I try to cover it up with a cough. Know that I very rarely genuinely cough. It's quite often an attempted cover.
18. The plural of "salami"
Okay... I did not know the plural of salami so I proceeded to look it up. I got three variations. One place said "salami" was both singular and plural. I agree with this. It's what sounds correct. Another site said "salami" was the plural form of "salame" while the last said "salami" was singular and "salamis" was plural. I don't know what to believe. But I don't find any amusing.
So in my google quest I found a website entitled "Funny Things You Shouldn't Laugh At But Do Anyway". Somehow it had two titles and was also called "18 Things Everyone Finds Hilarious But Shouldn't". I want to know how they earned a two-title fame. So here was the list.... my comments slash random tangents are interspersed in orange. Of course they're in orange.
1. Ugly babies
Now, maybe I just haven't been around enough babies because I try to avoid them as best I can... but I don't recall ever seeing any ugly babies. I know, I know... "all babies are beautiful". But to me, all babies are terrifying. When they're really young they don't talk, but you can tell in their eyes they are taking everything in and they're working extra hard to absorb everything and gain attention and love... this may be wonderful to most people but the fact that these are little people, observing you unashamedly and unable to talk completely freaks me out. It's like young children (fully capable of speech at this point) who will turn and just look at you... some people enjoy making faces at them to get them to smile, while I just want to coldly stare them down until they're afraid and look away. I hate staring. Back to babies, when they're older they're just crawling, noisy tornadoes. I don't know how to act around babies or children. They're like an odd necessity before you become a real person. It may surprise you to know that I actually want a large family and several children. What can I say, I'm a conundrum. Now that I wrote it, I don't think that word pertains to people.... let's change it to enigma. Anyways, even though I'm not a fan of babies or children, I don't laugh at ugly babies, so there's a positive to offset the negative. Next!
2. People who walk with something heavy in one hand and have to lean really far the other way to balance themselves.
It's funny, but the familiarity I have with this statement is only because it so often pertains to me being the one walking lopsided. I never notice others walking with something heavy in one hand and having to lean really far the other way to balance themselves. And I'm a ridiculously observant slash people-watching kinda person. Am I missing out on something funny here by never being on the spectator side? I'm a bit relieved now to know others laugh at me when I look like this... it's oddly more securing to know it rather than wonder hmmm... are people staring at me and chuckling to themselves?
3. When someone turns around and goes back the same way they were coming.
Okay, here's another one. I do this constantly, but I rarely notice others doing it. Actually, what I do when I realize I'm walking the wrong way is keep walking that way for a bit, stop and pull out a cellphone, pretend to call someone, pause while it's "ringing" and then casually start strolling back in the other direction as if I'm just walking around while on the phone... even though no one is on the other line and it's just a way of turning around without being so obvious (or maybe it's overly obvious, hah). Or I'll do the opposite and make it ridiculously obvious... I'll do like a mime move of "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot something and have to go back!" so that it's more of a sympathy thing than an odd embarassed person turning around. I'm so bizarre.
4. Cops riding anything except police cars: Bikes, Bicycles, Boats, and especially Horses.
Here's the first one I can somewhat agree with. Cops on bicycles or horses do make me laugh. It's like... what's the point? Do horses really make police escapades more efficient? And bicycles ring in as something childish and slow. You've got the shiny car with the twirling red lights you so often abuse to speed by people when there's no emergency. Use it! And I've never seen a cop in a boat but that would be very amusing. Especially if they were behind the steering wheel... or sitting in the crow's nest with a telescope.
5. People who say stupid things but really mean them.
You mean genuinely stupid people who aren't just sarcastic? I don't laugh at them because I am often that person. I don't mind people laughing at me with that stuff though... I've come to terms with my stupidity. Just yesterday I asked someone if a BB gun was like a paintball gun or a cap gun or a real gun. I heard a news story about a father shooting his son in the bum with a BB gun and didn't understand why it was such an issue. I thought it was a child's play thing. Don't worry... I won't buy your child a BB gun, or shoot him in the bum with one.
6. Girls that wear belts that have no function and are not even attached to anything.
Okay, I've done this, we've all done this. Sometimes it's about fashion and not about practicality. No use in laughing about it unless it looks utterly ridiculous. Which sometimes it does.
7. Cats wearing clothing
I laugh at dogs wearing clothing. Any animal wearing clothing is amusing and ridiculous. Let's not limit it to cats.
8. People who animatedly sing in their car.
This I am 110% guilty of. My car time is my vocalization time and I don't care how loud or animated I am. I secretly wish that someone will hear me and think it's a CD I have and not me singing. I'm sure I've been caught, both visually and auditorially. I flatter myself by thinking they're more impressed than amused. I'm sure it's not true. I sound so freakin full of myself. hah
9. Fannypacks.
They're amusing, of course. However, I rather admire people who use them because they don't care that they're amusing and "went out of style" 20 years ago. I see a fannypack on a hip and smile at the person... they're too cool for school.
10. Guys who drive with their shirts off.
This is always amusing in one of two ways... if they're attractive and muscular it's clear they know it and want to show it. And if they're not then they're usually a mix-breed of the trucker/hick variety and frankly... they're feeling the heat from the sun and don't care what hangs out to gain some more comfort.
11. When you tell someone to watch out and they don’t.
This would be amusing if I told people to watch out. But I prefer to say nothing and then laugh when the inevitable happens. One word-- schadenfreude.
12. People who have full protective gear on when they ride a bicycle or rollerblade (kneepads and everything).
This IS funny. It's funny to me to see just a helmet even though I would always wear one and I know it's the law. It just screams "I'm on the lookout for anything bad to happen to my head!". My ultimate favorite though is people who wear helmets with a headlight on it, a la a miner, when walking at night. Or during the day when walkers wear the bright orange, construction worker vest thing with reflectors. I love it. Keeps me young.
13. When you catch someone talking to themselves.
This is also funny, but unfortunately I'm often on the other side of this one too. I'm a compulsive self-talker. The worst is sometimes I'll be singing a song in my head and then one of the words will come out... so it appears like I just sang a random word. This is most likely to occur in my otherwise silent office. I try to play it off my coughing afterward. It doesn't work.
14. Stupid car horns.
Like horns that play a tune when you hit it? That would be awesome! I've never heard one in person, but I'm sure I would be completely envious rather than filled with laughter. I really enjoy obviously nerdy things. Now, if we're not talking tunes... if we're talking like Little Miss Sunshine horn that doesn't stop, that's just annoying. It might get to the point where it's so ridiculous that you laugh at it before remembering it's really just annoying and not all that funny.
15. Clowns and mascots. Not because they are funny, but because they are sad.
I can relate to this one. The people behind the clowns and mascots are making a fool of themselves for attention when they know the truth is that no one enjoys them anyways.
16. When someone turns around to say something to the person they are with and find that they aren’t there anymore.
God, I wish I witnessed these things more often! Why am I always the one doing these awkward things instead of getting to see and laugh at them! I would probably laugh at this. If one of my friends will purposefully do this next time I'm around, I would appreciate it. I want to know if I'd find it funny.
17. Anytime someone runs into something
This is always funny. Probably the only one on the list that makes you violently want to laugh out loud, and the one of the list that it would be least appropriate to do so. I constantly find myself in a situation where minutes afterward I'm still trying to bite my lip to keep a laugh from spilling out. Here's another place where sometimes I can't help it and then I try to cover it up with a cough. Know that I very rarely genuinely cough. It's quite often an attempted cover.
18. The plural of "salami"
Okay... I did not know the plural of salami so I proceeded to look it up. I got three variations. One place said "salami" was both singular and plural. I agree with this. It's what sounds correct. Another site said "salami" was the plural form of "salame" while the last said "salami" was singular and "salamis" was plural. I don't know what to believe. But I don't find any amusing.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Hello again all. So I take the train in to work everyday. Primary reason? Originally it was to save money because gas was nearly $5/gallon and it's 36 miles from home to work. Theoretically it also saved time, but I don't know how much this is really true. With traffic the commute can take an hour and a half... picking this or a 35 minute train ride isn't really that hard of a decision. But then take into account driving to the train station, waiting for the train, waiting at the Stamford train station for the shuttle, taking the shuttle to the office, etc. etc. and it adds up. It's pretty much an hour and 25 minute trip from door to door. So with gas cheaper now why do I still take the train? Simply, it is my "me time". I get to rest my eyes, let my mind wander into scaringly random yet completely enjoyable chains of thought and read. I've literally read more books in the past 8 months than I have throughout my entire life... averaging about one a week. Lately I've gotten into rereading books I had to read in high school. My theory is that anything that is ever assigned is never enjoyable. I could be asked to read Harry Potter for a class and because it's something I have to do, I will with near certainty hate the book. So let's give these classics a try again, with a new outlook. I read Pride & Prejudice and absolutely loved it. Other Jane Austen books are now on my wish list. It's so humorous to me because I clearly remember it being one of the books I hated reading the most in 9th grade. Currently I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities which I remember enjoying in jr. high. While I'm reading these on the train I constantly wonder if others think I'm a highschool/college student reading these for a class, one of those nerdy book people who reads the classics and non-fiction instead of chick-lit or thriller novels, or an intellectual whose taste in books is attractive in a slightly intimidating, yet intriguing way. I hope to come across as the latter but feel like 7 times out of 10 I'm perceived as one of the first two. Anyways, this is a divergent from what I really want to get to here. I always do this. Come here with a topic in mind, mean to offer up a small introduction to it and get on a complete side track... wait until you see how little this whole reading thing has to do with my main topic, and the mentioning of why I take the train has literally nothing to do with it at all. All I had to say as an introduction is that I take the train. For someone who doesn't talk much, my mind certainly is always in overload and apparently it comes out when I freewrite like this. Anyways...
So I'm on the train coming home last night and I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities. I'm at the beginning where what's his face is acquitted and I'm fairly into it but I'm also observing things going on around the train while reading. I love people watching and the train is one of the primary people watching hot spots. First a guy sitting across from me drops his magazines, Men's Fitness, and hidden inbetween, Maxim. I pick them up for him and wonder if he's embarassed in his magazine choice and that a girl around his age picked them up for him. I mean, he DID have the Maxim with a barely-qualifies-as-a-bikini model on the cover hidden behind a Men's Fitness so as to conceal what he was actually reading. He soon loses my interest and I'm back to reading. Then, I'm overhearing a conversation between 3 older 20 somethings... probably 5 or so years older than me. Before long I was pretending to read my book and really concentrating my full attention on their conversation. They were talking about TGIF. I found myself totally absorbed by nostalgia and felt like I was a part of their reminiscing even though I was just an eavesdropper pretending to read a book.
First of all, the mere mention of all of these shows made me remember how much television I watched growing up. TGIF and SNICK were my obsessions. As they mentioned the various lineups I realized how many "seasons" of TGIF I went through as a child. The shows I remember watching were Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers, Hangin with Mr. Cooper, Dinosaurs, Boy Meets World, and later on- Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Naturally when I got home I looked up when all of these shows aired on TGIF to see when my prime watching years were. I was SHOCKED to find out Perfect Strangers aired in 1990 and 1991 meaning I was 3 and 4 years old when I watched this. The sheer fact that I remember this show from so young an age amazes me. Eventually the good shows were replaced with the bad... it all started with Sabrina... Clueless came in there and Teen Angel and probably 3 or 4 other shows that lasted less than 10 episodes. Basically I stopped watching when Family Matters and Step by Step left and that's what these 20 somethings said too. I realized, through my internet research, that my TGIF watching lasted exactly as long my SNICK watching. Both expired in early 1997 for whatever reason... when I was 10. (This was the same time my parents got a divorce and now I can't help but wonder if there was some subconcious connection. I really think it was the change over to lame shows that did it though.) For SNICK I remember the Clarissa, Roundhouse, Ren & Stimpy and Are You Afraid of the Dark lineup the best... which also scares me considering I was around 5 and 6 then. And yes, I watched Alex Mack and All That and Kenan & Kel when they came around. But then there was Kablam and Shelby Woo and Allen Strange and SNICK and the big orange couch lost all appeal for me. Now my favorite TGIF shows are on Nick at Nite which really scares me since that was always the station for the "old tv shows" growing up.
Shoot, I'm on a tangent again.
Forget it, I'll give in to all of the tangents, and now confess what the topic here was supposed to be. My intention was to discuss what it is that's so connecting about reminiscing and why nostalgia is so enjoyable. Way back in the day nostalgia was viewed as a medical condition and a sign of depression. Now I think it is primarily comforting to people rather than painful and we all must confess that at times we get nostalgic and fantasize about going back to certain times. Certainly, we all enjoy reminiscing and thinking about things that happened years ago. I can't tell you how many times my cousins and I have tried to list out all of the episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark that we remembered, how many times my friends and I discuss tamagachi's and pogs, the age we got our first CD player or that time Mrs. Moger fell into the pond. I still bring up Vlinks to everyone I meet, unable to accept the fact that it really was just an Orange, CT fad. (Essentially $80 walkie-talkies disguised as a cellphone with a 4 digit number that worked within a range of 3 blocks and became so popular they were banned from my elementary school... ). We feel connected to the past and to each other in remembering these stories. It's why I felt connected to these 3 20somethings even though I wasn't partaking in their conversation at all. Guarantee you're smiling right now remembering skip-its, slip and slides and crimping your hair. I've gone so far as to repurchase Polly Pockets I owned as a child, favorite Golden books that probably got sold for a nickel at a tag sale back in 1993, the complete collection of Barbie trading cards I used to reorganize constantly growing up, and everyone knows I own all the seasons of Are You Afraid of the Dark and Doug on dvd. I don't need all this stuff, but I feel like I do. Is it only childhood things that you reminisce on? Does it stem from wanting to reconnect to your carefree days of youth? (Lamest sentence ever right there) I have no idea why reminiscing is so enjoyable and nostalgia so comforting. But I certainly enjoy looking back.
As an end note I'd like to say that I think my tangents are often much more enjoyable than my main topics. I should stop thinking of main topics and just write whatever. Eh, over it.
So I'm on the train coming home last night and I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities. I'm at the beginning where what's his face is acquitted and I'm fairly into it but I'm also observing things going on around the train while reading. I love people watching and the train is one of the primary people watching hot spots. First a guy sitting across from me drops his magazines, Men's Fitness, and hidden inbetween, Maxim. I pick them up for him and wonder if he's embarassed in his magazine choice and that a girl around his age picked them up for him. I mean, he DID have the Maxim with a barely-qualifies-as-a-bikini model on the cover hidden behind a Men's Fitness so as to conceal what he was actually reading. He soon loses my interest and I'm back to reading. Then, I'm overhearing a conversation between 3 older 20 somethings... probably 5 or so years older than me. Before long I was pretending to read my book and really concentrating my full attention on their conversation. They were talking about TGIF. I found myself totally absorbed by nostalgia and felt like I was a part of their reminiscing even though I was just an eavesdropper pretending to read a book.
First of all, the mere mention of all of these shows made me remember how much television I watched growing up. TGIF and SNICK were my obsessions. As they mentioned the various lineups I realized how many "seasons" of TGIF I went through as a child. The shows I remember watching were Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers, Hangin with Mr. Cooper, Dinosaurs, Boy Meets World, and later on- Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Naturally when I got home I looked up when all of these shows aired on TGIF to see when my prime watching years were. I was SHOCKED to find out Perfect Strangers aired in 1990 and 1991 meaning I was 3 and 4 years old when I watched this. The sheer fact that I remember this show from so young an age amazes me. Eventually the good shows were replaced with the bad... it all started with Sabrina... Clueless came in there and Teen Angel and probably 3 or 4 other shows that lasted less than 10 episodes. Basically I stopped watching when Family Matters and Step by Step left and that's what these 20 somethings said too. I realized, through my internet research, that my TGIF watching lasted exactly as long my SNICK watching. Both expired in early 1997 for whatever reason... when I was 10. (This was the same time my parents got a divorce and now I can't help but wonder if there was some subconcious connection. I really think it was the change over to lame shows that did it though.) For SNICK I remember the Clarissa, Roundhouse, Ren & Stimpy and Are You Afraid of the Dark lineup the best... which also scares me considering I was around 5 and 6 then. And yes, I watched Alex Mack and All That and Kenan & Kel when they came around. But then there was Kablam and Shelby Woo and Allen Strange and SNICK and the big orange couch lost all appeal for me. Now my favorite TGIF shows are on Nick at Nite which really scares me since that was always the station for the "old tv shows" growing up.
Shoot, I'm on a tangent again.
Forget it, I'll give in to all of the tangents, and now confess what the topic here was supposed to be. My intention was to discuss what it is that's so connecting about reminiscing and why nostalgia is so enjoyable. Way back in the day nostalgia was viewed as a medical condition and a sign of depression. Now I think it is primarily comforting to people rather than painful and we all must confess that at times we get nostalgic and fantasize about going back to certain times. Certainly, we all enjoy reminiscing and thinking about things that happened years ago. I can't tell you how many times my cousins and I have tried to list out all of the episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark that we remembered, how many times my friends and I discuss tamagachi's and pogs, the age we got our first CD player or that time Mrs. Moger fell into the pond. I still bring up Vlinks to everyone I meet, unable to accept the fact that it really was just an Orange, CT fad. (Essentially $80 walkie-talkies disguised as a cellphone with a 4 digit number that worked within a range of 3 blocks and became so popular they were banned from my elementary school... ). We feel connected to the past and to each other in remembering these stories. It's why I felt connected to these 3 20somethings even though I wasn't partaking in their conversation at all. Guarantee you're smiling right now remembering skip-its, slip and slides and crimping your hair. I've gone so far as to repurchase Polly Pockets I owned as a child, favorite Golden books that probably got sold for a nickel at a tag sale back in 1993, the complete collection of Barbie trading cards I used to reorganize constantly growing up, and everyone knows I own all the seasons of Are You Afraid of the Dark and Doug on dvd. I don't need all this stuff, but I feel like I do. Is it only childhood things that you reminisce on? Does it stem from wanting to reconnect to your carefree days of youth? (Lamest sentence ever right there) I have no idea why reminiscing is so enjoyable and nostalgia so comforting. But I certainly enjoy looking back.
As an end note I'd like to say that I think my tangents are often much more enjoyable than my main topics. I should stop thinking of main topics and just write whatever. Eh, over it.
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