sometimes, it's worth being tired.

So.

It's now...3:13 in the morning of Halloween. Still Friday, so this counts as an update! And I thought since I'm up, I might as well post something.

I just got back from working for a local theatre company in Medford with loading equipment for a traveling road show (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee WHICH, by the way, was AMAZING to see on stage at last!). Woke up to get there at 7:30 am, worked until 1:00 pm. Rushed back to the SOU theatre scene shop to work carpentry crew hours until 6:00 pm. Had a short break before actually going to go see the performance at 8:00 then went backstage to work again until about 2 am. And I have class later on this morning and a job to work at (and possibly another job interview for another job on campus). And what comes after that? Halloween is expected to be a late night and Saturday I have another date at the scene shop for 6-7 hours.

I realize I will be very tired, but you know what? I believe I had done something that will be of great experience for me in the future to come. I met a lot of interesting people and I got an idea of what a one-day traveling show is like as far as preparing for it and such. And for the first time in weeks, my mind was washed clean of all the past stress I've been having. I was truly embracing the rush of the technical theatre and I loved every minute of it.

...isn't that the important issue at stake here?!

Anyway, I'm getting psyched to get caught up on my papers. It'd be nice to get back on track on my education (don't get me wrong, I'm not failing! I'm just...overloaded for the time being). Seriously. It's time to take learning to a new level. I challenge my studies to a full-showdown.
Ready, set...GO! *goes to sleep instead*

Intensity Insues

This week, Theatre Foundations had just gotten intense.

So performers are scrambling around and about because auditions for the Acting I class are coming up. That's how it works: theatre people who WANT to act for a living are recommended to take this class, but because there are so many who want in the class, the acting staff has to hold auditions to allow only 32 people to split up into two classes. I think 90+ people are trying out.

Anyway.

Performers are scrambling for monologues and on Tuesday (well, this last tuesday), our instructor gave a lot of students the chance to get up on stage to recite their monologues.

This is the point of insanity that had become of that class.

As each person recited their monologues, the teacher would work with these performers to make their pieces even more better. She'd end up yelling and pacing around the performer and even whispering into their ears, secret little things that drove the performer into a frenzy and more dramatic with their piece. People even started to get emotional and cry over their monologues. But by the end of the performer's session, there is a FINE, Fine, fine difference between when they first recited their monologue and then after working with the teacher.

By the way, these were all dramatic monologues. Nobody did comedy, a lot of people think it's too hard to do.

...WHAT. I can't help but give these people a crazy, skeptical look. It's the opposite for me. Seriously. Who here has ever seen me act dramatically? ...well?

That's what I thought.

MOVING ON.

School, for the most part, is still going well. I'm now officially tired from a lack of sleep. I TOLD YOU, that this would happen, did I not?

Learning voting principles in Math Honors.

Finding the original American ritual in University Seminars.

Theatre Foundations...

...

Getting bruises in Judo.

Painting science rooms for money.

Riding my bike (thanks Mom and Bill!)

Attempting lots of reading.

So little time.

90 days, 90 nights...

OH WAIT, that's suppose to be "19", never mind.

No, seriously. It's funny how you'll be out of one's hometown for just half a month and all ready it doesn't feel like one's birthday is coming up.

Like that time I didn't feel the christmas spirit. Now THAT was bad.

Anyway.

Again, being the third week in for college, I'm still feeling a little too ahead of my classes, thus inducing the need to do more things. I know some of you may be yelling at me to stop where I am, but I can't help it; can't just sit on my butt all the time.

For example, I've joined/currently joining a disney, musical theatre, and an improv club. I'm still working at my painting job. I take hundreds of walks early in the morning before class. I have put a stall on my journey, but it'll pick up soon.

...Oh, wait, I never told you my journey, did I?

OKAY.

SO basically I've decided to journey forth and find the best hot chocolate possible. I've made notes from a few places here in Ashland and continue to do so at whatever restaurant I end up being in. I've decided to count all the hot chocolate I've had in The Dalles as well.

It's a spiritual pathway of redemption! ...of chocolate, for god's sake!

Other than that I've been holding up. The only thing that's been bugging me is my faltering status on whether I really want to just become a scenic design theatre major or not.

...maybe I'll major in Math. Yeeeeeaaaah...

Moving dates for winter.

Seriously. It's going to happen. 

Because when you wake up on an October morning and find out that it's about 39 - 42 degrees out...IT'S NOT FALL ANYMORE. I've made my claim and nobody's going to make me change my mind.

Anyway.

FINALLY, things are starting to pick up! I now am officially working the carpentry crew for the theatre department's main stage production and I have a new job as a painter around the campus! Huzzahs all around!

Doesn't help, however, that the technical director for the crew I'm in is probably wondering what he did wrong to wind up working with me, since I possess no knowledge what-so-ever in the projects that we're working on.

Well, that's a lie.

I know, at least, how to handle a screwdriver, sweep floors and do what I'm told. I'm learning, god dammit! Isn't that what counts?!

If anyone says anything against that, may the Gods curse your head with weeds.

But, yes, other than that I am looking forward to a lot of things:

1) continuing to work with the theatre dept. (no duh there)

2) being able to eat real food for once! ...OH and see my Mother/Stepdad next weekend

3) finding more jobs! (more money, yaaay!)

4) registering for more classes in the next term.

But, for now, I'm focusing on keeping warm and remembering that it's OKAY to eat SOMETHING. I'm a tight-wad when it comes to food + money, give me a break.

WHICH REMINDS ME.

Apparently, there's a foods tax in restaurants and food-serving places here in Ashland. Why didn't I realize this when the drama group came down?

...dammit. Oh well.

Syllabus' are a pain

It's come to my attention that the first week of classes usually are the most painstaking things to deal with.

What with all the syllabus' passed out, what not to do in a classroom, memorizing names and all that crazy junk. In college, it's at least a little bit more paced.

As it has truly stated, SOU has very small class sizes. The average number, I'd say, that I was in a classroom with students is about 20 to 25 students (I'm not counting Theatre Foundations, all the pre-major freshman + transfer theatre students are in that class). It's a nice feeling, at least interaction with the classroom is a bit more lively than it was in high school.

In fact, our Honors Math class decided it was much more lively to talk about the Vice Presidential debates than logarithms (it's Math 105, don't expect me to be a genius).

Anyway.

The most important topic for now: the Theatre department. Apparently, there are 240 majors/pre-majors enrolled and the main stage can only hold a capacity of 260 people.

Competition... intensifies! Thank the gods almost half of them want to become performers.

Either way, I'm still very much excited for the productions to start rolling. Quote me on this two weeks from now when I'm only living on four hours of sleep.

And when I'm swamped with homework and jobs (WHICH, by the way, I'm still applying for, the Elmo's restaurant here in the student quad wants me to check in next monday while a painting crew wants to interview me today. Huzzah!)

Well, take care until next Friday, everyone!