A Coinkydink

I love when random things in my life overlap. Where two people I know actually know each other, for example. Last night after I got home from WSW I got into bed with The Dada Seminars. I read part of the chapter on Zurich and it saddened me to realize that my reading comprehension is for crap when I looked on my notepad to find notes from a few weeks ago from the same chapter. At least they were not the SAME notes, but from different pages. It's amazing how different readings spark different ideas. And that I really don't remember reading the chapter before. To give myself some credit, I have been reading A LOT about the history and origin of Dada, so while I didn't remember reading this PARTICULAR chapter, the information was not foreign.

I have been paying attention to other people who inspired the Dadaists, so I can do additional research or start passing off assignments. I have also been looking for all performative elements. Tristan Tzara really liked the work of Guillaume Apollinaire and his "visual poems." That sounded interesting so I wrote it down on my dedicated Dada legal pad.

This morning as I ate my scallop scramble on whole wheat tortilla, I read my blogs and came across this.

It made me happy.

A little too much Quiet

I couldn't wait to get to today. When I was able to sleep until noon and not put on a pair of sweats. I got out of bed around 10AM and biked to the Silo for Free Bagel and Coffee day, but alas, the room was empty. I was slightly suspicious when there were no bikes in front of the stairway door and the smell of brewed coffee was not wafting down the stairs. Since next Friday is the 4th of July, I will try again in 2 weeks. It was probably a good thing, since I have been drinking an iced soy latte to keep me going pretty regularly.

Instead I went home and made myself a yummy egg breakfast with a whole wheat tortilla. I spent a little time emailing my students about their history presentations and getting all of the dead beats to drop the class.

I then wandered to the movies to see Get Smart and biked home after a quick trip to the Co-Op. And then the boredom set in. After a nap, the boredom only increases.

Tomorrow I will head to the Farmer's Market and then over to Jennifer and Robin's for a BBQ. I am not looking forward to the second session when I have ALL evenings off. I am scheduled to teach 3 dance classes 4 days a week, so there's a good chance that I will collapse every day at 8PM. But I probably won't. And then I might just troll on Blogthings every day...

You Are a Soy Latte

Yeah, you've got a bit of that healthy hippie thing going on, but you're more Kate Hudson urban bohemian than Phish groupie.  You're worldly and well traveled, and you know where to get the best coffee in town.  All your experience makes you a compassionate person - and a caring girlfriend.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Root, root, root...

...for the Root Beer.

Perfect for summer time, our friends at The New York Times give us their favorites!

Hello, hello, hello...

...is there anybody out there?

Here I am at grad school -- trying to get my groove on. I came to a "safe" place where I can regain some self-confidence. I blog every day to keep a record of my journey and to share it with others. I have to say it's been about 2 months since I got a comment. I really wasn't keeping track, but I happen to look it up the other day.

Yes, folks feeling a little needy.

Do I have to ask?

Hey-AY...

Racer stripes and running shoes

Today is day 2 of my first summer session craziness. I teach 2 back-to-back hip hop classes and then jump in the car and drive to Winters for WSW. I went to the Theatre & Dance department this morning to get situated in an empty office (that I share with Sara Zimmerman) and then printed my class roster. I haven't checked, but I'm sure there are changes.

I then went downstairs to Lab B and choreographed another 3 counts of 8. We got through 3 yesterday and I think we will do the same today. I am still stealing some steps from some online videos and soon I will have the dance in my body and I won't need to. I wrote my choreography down while having lunch at the MU. But since I forgot my water bottle I found myself back home. Sitting on the couch. With a sleeping Maxie next to me. I sit in my used from ebay athletic pants with the racer stripes down the side and my sneakers. I really just want to fall over and take a nap.

This is going to be a difficult afternoon.

Maybe I should make some coffee...

Well, I'm on my Way and Joke #2

After taking Tony to the airport this morning and stopping at Petsmart on the way home -- I FINALLY went into the studio to prepare for tomorrow's class. Tomorrow, y'all. Hard to believe. I think I have a good plan, but to be honest it's not in my body quite yet, so I'll see how we do.

I have 3 songs for warm up and choreographed 4 counts of 8 for a combination, but I would like to have another 2 8s just in case. Towards the end of my time at Hickey Gym, I just blanked. I have a bunch of youtube hip hop videos in my Favorites folder that may inspire me. I am starting to look now, but I may wait until I get home from lunch with Jennifer Chuang.

For the time being, I found a bit of Steven Wright also on youtube. I am doing a bit of research on dead-pan for my thesis. He's the king.

Enjoy!

Blast from the Past

For some odd reason and decided to go back and read last years post from 6/20. It's hard to believe that just a year ago I was packing up my crap and ready to move along to the West Side. I thought I was all about the 2 year "time out, but I truly only have one year of "who cares" because in a few months I need to figure out what that heck I'm going to do when I graduate. Now I really wish I took a 3 year program. Then I would have more time to just nest out in my little academic hole.

I got up super early today. Like at 5:30AM. It was a tad warm and Maxie was walking all about. I called my mom and talked to her for about an hour and then did my usual email and facebook ritual.

I had to pick up Tony from the airport at 8:15AM before yoga at noon. He came in from LA to design lights for a dance school concert in Jackson Hall. His assistant thought the gig was tomorrow so was in the Bay Area when Tony called in the car to confirm that the equipment was at the theatre. So, in his absence I drove Tony to campus to pick up some lights and bring them over to the Mondavi. I passed on yoga and stayed with him to program cues into the board. For a very stressful morning, he was super calm. And I learned that I can always take on the job of board op.

After I was released at 1PM I stopped by the Studio Theatre -- where our thesis presentations will be next April. I tried to get some inspiration from the room. There is a balcony area or really a cat walk that would be fun to play with, as well as a wall of windows. I wonder if I can start outside or end there. Or perhaps dance outside while Wyatt plays inside.

Hmmmm, the possibilities.

I returned home and had a yummy lunch of cottage cheese, fresh apricots and granola. I then biked to the department to sign contacts and check the sound system for class on Monday. And then I biked to Ace Hardware and Radio Shack to return some items.

I really need to clean my apartment and choreograph a combination for Monday and Tuesday. I started during breaks at the Mondavi Center, but felt a little silly. Tony caught me dancing around in the booth, but he thought that I was stretching out my shoulder.

Whew!

I think I will throw some hip hop music on while I do a bit of cleaning. Maybe I'll contact my inner Melvina and really shake my bootie!

A Bit of Reality

When I first moved to Davis last August I arrived without employment. The acting class I planned to teach for the University was cancelled due to lack of enrollment, so I researched temp agencies and some talent agencies, as well. Both agencies contacted me a least a month after submission, so I had to find other work.

Enter Splasher -- the fantastic mascot job at the State Fair -- which gave me stories for days.

I did go in to the UC Davis temp agency to take all of the necessary test -- typing, computer competency, etc. However, they failed to mention that things really don't get going until classes resume. Unfortunately, my schedule did not allow any outside work nor am I allowed to do work above my TA-ship.

When I spoke with Cast Images -- the Sacramento-based talent agency, I had learned my lesson and just told them my schedule constraints. However, I got an email from them a few weeks ago and decided that I should go and see what they were all about. I arrived early -- well, late for what I thought was a 12:15 appointment, but early for my true appointment 12:45PM. The ageny owner, Chandra, told me to run to Starbuck's to get a coffee and come back in 20 minutes. I didn't want coffee so I took a walk around what I think is midtown. But I don't know Sac that well, so who the heck knows.

I returned at 12:45PM and sat for a few minutes. Chandra was finishing up her lunch at her desk and grabbed her purse and on the way out the door said that she would be about 5 more minutes. She then made a joke about nobody wanting to ever meet with her before she eats lunch. I laughed cordially, but I was getting bad vibes. The office was small and had a air of people working hard, but little comraderie. I'm sure it would be different, or I would have gotten a bigger welcome if I signed with them, but they seemed a little snooty.

I met with Chandra briefly, and to be honest I was not prepared. I brought my last 2 headshots, but my resume was not up to date and I assumed that she had all of the information I emailed a year ago. Like my VO demo and my updated resume. I quickly told her that I am still in school and really don't have the schedule that allows auditions and bookings. However, i wanted to get some information from her so I knew what to prepare when (and if) the time comes.

I knew that I would need new headshots and she recommended Kelsey Edwards who did my shot about 4 years ago and another woman in SF. She also recommended that I grow my hair back out. I did appreciate her bluntness, but it bordered on rudeness. She said that my hair was too exotic for me. And that she just didn't like it. She did say that there was work to be had, but I would need to find my niche. There was a girl Michelle who worked regularly who was petite and "had an Italian look." She has not been with the agency for about 2 years. The bad thing is that auditions are in both Sacramento and San Francisco. So, travel would be extensive.

I left feeling that I made a mistake in going since I knew that I could not sign with them right now. However it was good to hear it all -- well, everything except the comments about my hair.

Hmmmm, I wonder where I will be this time next year?

A Few Steps Back, but a Giant Step Forward

Well, ladies and gents, I just did some dishes, but for some reason they just pile up. I do not have a deadline to clean my apartment, but I hope to complete it over the weekend. I need to get into the studio tomorrow or Friday to get my class set and I also need to finalize the syllabus. There will be some hippin' and hoppin' in the hizzouse on Monday y'all. So watch out!

I could not fall asleep last night so I spent a while thinking about my thesis and I did a bit of reading and researching today. I met with my Winters Shakespeare Workshop (WSW) partner, Cara this afternoon at the Farmers Market and I told her some of my thesis ideas before we moved on to figuring out today's workshop. After 45 minutes we walked the market and each got some yummy fruit. I cannot wait to dig into the apricots and peaches tomorrow with some fresh cottage cheese. I had a dinner of a fresh chicken tamale and some yummy horchata. Cara got a tri-tip sandwich from Buckhorn and we sat on the grass and listened to the live music. One of her friends wandered by with his girlfriend (?) and I quickly learned that he is a veteran of WSW. He did not act, however, he was a musician.

Well I come to find out that Wyatt is a very accomplished dude and plays like a million instruments. I mentioned my thesis and my dada project and he was interested and available in BOTH. He is in the process of starting a country western band based on his new found love of Hank Williams, Sr. I told him I am more than happy to assist where I can.

So, a collaborative match was made. I am so amazingly excited I can barely contain myself. In fact I kept bringing it up to Cara on our drive to Winters. And who knows, I may even become a country star.

Yaaaaaaaaaaahooooooooooooooo!

Well....

my apartment is not yet clean, I have not taken my clean laundry out of my car and I missed the pilates class I wanted to take today. I am not sure what all this means, but it's not good.

However, I am fully outfitted for my dance classes after purchasing 2 lots of clothes on ebay and a pair of dance sneakers. I will head to Hickey Gym tomorrow and get the first bits of choreography down in prep for Monday's 2 hip hop classes.

I also started the gig in Winters working for the Summer Teen Shakespeare workshop. It's an odd little thing and my job description of Production Manager does not accurately describe what the position entails. Luckily my partner in crime, Cara, is on the same page as me and we vent and discuss on the 20 minute drive home.

What we do is help the stage manager set up, keep the room in order as we read through the play and then take the kids for 45 minutes after our snack break and do a series of games and exercises. That does not sound like a Production Manager, but Cara and I cannot come up with anything other than Workshop Leader -- and that just looks wimpy on a resume. Truth is that I am a mature person the scene. The stage manager is a super quiet SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL and Cara is just graduating UCD as an undergrad. So, the parents come to me to check in, I help the stage manager with her duties and the Director of the show, Russell St. Clair is completely insecure around me. Mary Lou, the woman in charge -- so I guess Producer (and also Costume Designer) -- when responding to my question about who handles the schedule actually said, I really don't care who does it as long as it gets done. Wow, now that's a leader!

The kids all know each other and many have been doing this Shakespeare workshop for many years. Therefore there is a lot of talking but surprisingly mostly talk out of nervousness and insecurity. They are super smart and really understand the Shakespeare. It's so different working with this population of people versus DRA 10. I cannot wait until they open up and get to know me better. But either way the job is easy and it's nice trying out new exercises and games -- and learning about Shakespeare as we go. Russell while trying for pissing rights is pretty annoying since it seems like he's always trying to prove something, he really does know about Shakespeare and is good with the kids. Once he calms down I am sure I will continue to learn much from him.

On the docket for today was a little cleaning and a movie, but there does not seem to be anything good at the theatres. So maybe it will be cleaning and sitting by Tony's pool...or cleaning and reading.

With an afternoon nap for good measure!

Still Messy

I swear to the lord above that I cleaned my apartment 2 days ago for a good few hours. I vacuumed and did ALL of the dishes and yesterday I went to Tony's apartment complex to do laundry. Of course, the set up is a little different than most laundromats. Instead of 6 minutes for a quarter, it's 45 minutes for a dollar. So, I thought I was being clever and combined 4 washes into 3 dryers. Brilliant, huh? Except for the fact that I did not bring enough quarters with me -- I now have 2 bags of WET laundry in my car. They have been in there since yesterday, so hopefully the heat of the car has dried them. I stopped at the ACE Hardware on my way home yesterday, but could not find a parking spot. I wanted
to pick up a clothesline. Maybe I should head over there today.

But the couch is oh, so comfortable. And Lincoln is snoozing beside me.

So, my apartment is still pretty untidy, but at least it is clean. And that's better than nothing.

Okay, okay, where are those rubber gloves? Dirty dishes, your number is UP!

The Return to Productivity

I got up early this morning and went to my first yoga class in months at The Bo Tree. As it turns out my 10 class pass is good through 6/20. So I have one more week to use the last 4 classes. It was a level 2 class and there was a sub. It was not a great class, but I have to say it was better than no class at all. I'm curious to see how my body will feel tomorrow.

I went to an early class so I would finally get back to a regular schedule and not spend the entire day on the couch. I have fallen into the Facebook blackhole. I have also been doing a lot of reading and watching movies, but that also means that my house is a disaster area.

The heat has caused my cats to just lounge all day and it's been very easy to join them. Lincoln has been lying with me on the couch much of the time and has been more vocal that usual. And it's his little hurting yelp. I have checked-in with him and all seems well, so I'm not sure what's up. For the first time today I called him "old man" instead of my "handsome boy." Truth is he's an older cat. He turned 10 this past March. I see him getting older and I am not looking forward to his maturity.

Wait a second, this entry was supposed to be about productivity -- and now I just want to cry in a ball on the couch!

Okay, folks, email and blogging are done, I've moved my cars on Parking Wars and now I need to tackle the dishes in the kitchen. Rubber gloves and peppy music ON!

I won't stop until the place is spotless. If you want to keep up with the live progress visit The Secrethideout.

Return of the Lonelies

Yeah, I didn't think lonelies was a word and Blogger just confirmed it by placing a nice red line under the word. It basically says WRONG in big letters. But I don't care. Here's a raspberry to you Blogger! Many of my friends have skipped town so I am back to quiet of last summer. Spending most days by myself in the comfort (or not so comfort) of my warm apartment. After the craziness of spring quarter, I thought I would welcome the solitude. However, it just makes me feel more alone.

With graduation upon us there has been much celebration outside my little cottage. Loud music and sounds of drunken co-eds. I see that idea form in your head... No, I am not about to make friends.

With a nice breeze coming through my window I have spent much of the day reading about the origins of hip hop. I am not sure how I can incorporate into the class quite yet, but I think I will do a similar assignment to what I do in DRA 10. Five minute history presentations in pairs. I will probably do them the second week of class to allow the dropping and adding to cease. Get a little movement in there and then add some academics.

Today was supposed to be all about hip hop, but I did throw some Dada in there. I found some great books at the campus library and look forward to cracking them open. I also checked out 39 Microlectures by Matthew Goulish based on a recommendation by Peter. I think I need a rested brain to tackle that one. It's a little "out there" right now. Read what Amazon has to say if you're curious.

I think I need to get out of the house and take a walk. That ought to give me temporary relief.

Joke #1

Okay so he's not a chick, but he wears a full face of make-up. I get confused. It's a little hot here and my brain is fried. He's a quick snippet of Eddie Izzard to keep you happy.

And laughing.

Shed a Little Tear

As the weather heats up, I find it very easy to sit on the couch and do nothing -- in between naps, of course. This time will be short lived since I start with Winters Shakespeare Workshop (WSW) next Sunday and then start teaching Hip Hop the following week.

The only thing on my calendar yesterday was to get a massage. Nice, huh? It was a good one and really worked out all of the stress in my back. During the massage I had images of Atlanta and also thought about writing an update email to my contacts. When I got home I called Jennifer Denning and had a great conversation that ended with talk of a possible trip in mid-September to her baby shower and ideas of what I would write in my email letter.

For the most part I didn't think anyone would care, but I got a few very nice responses and both Souper Jenny and Synchronicity Advisory Board member, Sharon Robinson said they would like to come out and watch my thesis performance. I didn't quite cry, but I was very moved.

For Sara Pia's Acting for Film class we had to show a scene of acting importance from a film or TV show. I brought in the Christmas Dinner scene from The Color Purple. It truly showed the ranges of Whoopie Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. I decided to watch the entire movie on my laptop while I sat on the couch. I cried within the first 5 minutes. The DVD had errors and didn't let me watch past the 32 minute mark, so I walked to Blockbuster to switch it out. I grabbed Into the Wild since Chris mentioned it a ton when I took that Core Fitness class in Fall quarter. When I walked home I had a hankering for frozen yogurt and ran into Kristin Orlando and her mom eating -- you guessed it -- frozen yogurt. I mentioned the movie and they said "oh how sad." I really didn't know anything about the movie.

For those of you who do not know it's about an Emory grad who goes cross country on an adventure. I'm not going to give it away, but I did continue my crying from The Color Purple. I also got nostalgic for Atlanta and mirroring the protagonist, a little lonely.

Yes, this lead to more crying and insomnia. It's good that I'm doing my thesis on comedy for the past few days my inability to sleep has brought me to more comedy videos on youtube.

Here's the email I wrote to a select distribution list. I failed to mention the appointment of DRA 141. That's special for you blog readers.

Hey all-
It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since I picked up and packed up and moved across the country to get my MFA in Dramatic Art here at the University of California, Davis. Quite a few of you have wanted updates, so forgive the mass email. I'm halfway done with the program and cannot wait to see what year 2 has in store.

Highlights from Year 1 include:
-- advising undergrads in the Theatre and Dance department on the THIRDeYE play festival
-- working with Pulitzer prize nominated playwright/composer/director/performer, Rinde Eckert on his new devised work, Fate & Spinoza
-- teaching three quarters of a beginning acting class to undergraduate non-majors
-- working with London-based director, Irina Brown on a updated version of Nest by Bathsheba Doran. The play will be published by Samuel French later this year.
-- doing an independent study with Barbara Sellers-Young on Fundamentals of Movement for actors and dancers
-- tons and tons of collaborative projects with my fellow MFAs

This summer I will remain in Davis and will teach both Hip Hop and Jazz dance for the University. I am also heading to the next town over, Winters, to work with a bunch of teens on Shakespeare. The Winters Shakespeare Workshop is doing The Tempest and somehow adding Hawaiian dance. I am curious to see how that will intersect. My official title is Production Manager, but I will be leading daily workshops for the teens and apparently will take on quite a few other job titles along the way for this community driven event.

I will also use the summer to prepare for my second and final year. My thesis is a solo exploration on Physical Comedy and the Role of Women in Comedy. I have been watching a lot of French & Saunders and Victoria Wood and will soon switch to American Comediennes. I am also finally doing my Dada project which just received funding by the Theatre & Dance Department as a Three Penny Project. I am super excited about this since it's completely interdisciplinary and I am collaborating with at least 6 other departments on campus (art, music, french, german, history, and design). Most of my Fall quarter will be focused on these 2 projects so I can work with choreographer John Jaspers on a new text/movement piece in the Winter quarter. Both my thesis and the Dada project will perform next spring.

I am still up in the air about what I want to do when I graduate this time next year. I may hang in the Bay Area and perform for a while, but I will certainly keep my eyes open for both university faculty positions and non-profit arts jobs. With such a demanding and exciting year ahead, I prefer to enjoy the present rather than freak out about the future.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Have a fun and cool summer. And please stay in touch.

Take care-
Hope

Well there's good news and more good news...

As I sit out in the sunshine grading the final journals of my DRA 10 students, I feel pretty good. My students really enjoyed the class. I know there is a good bit of sucking up, but there has to be truth in some of what is said. I know not every class was successful, but for the most part my students got a whole bunch more out the course than they expected.

I did find out this morning that I get a break from DRA 10 in the fall with the appointment of the instruction of DRA 141. I am super excited and pretty nervous about it. I met with Peter this morning since I had a bit of time to kill before my final meeting with Barbara. I'm glad there was no Free Bagel and Coffee Day which got me into the department early and I popped into Peter's office.

Apparently Barbara met with Peter and Lynette this morning to hash out the details and they decided to give me DRA 141 and Hillary DRA 10. These assignments will challenge us both. How win-win of the department.

My meeting with Peter was so great. He is much more supportive than Jade and really exudes a sense of guidance and give and take, rather than Jade who it seems always feels the need to prove herself. Peter is a great listener and I think will give great feedback as a director and as a man as I work on my largely female focused thesis on comedy.

Last night I stayed up way too late watching clips of Victoria Wood and French & Saunders on youtube. If you have some time on your hands and want a good laugh, I highly recommend it.

As I continue to research and develop the ideas, I'm sure I'll post clips and ideas -- and maybe a few jokes.

Here's to the continuation of the journey and lots of laughter.

Almost Done

Our last CORE class today was on Lynne and Bill's boat. It was so great to spend the afternoon on the Sacramento River and have a little bubbly with my fellow first year MFAs. Most are just not my favorite people, but we are all soldiering together and have come quite a ways.

I just returned home from the 2008 Lobster awards. The undergrads give out these "Most Likely" awards and do a little skit that spoofs all of the shows from the season. I was very disappointed to see Jade as the ONLY faculty member present. It made a real statement about the lack of support. I truly felt the love in the room and it was good to be a part of a strong student core. I may be PMSing, but I did get a little emotional during the presentation.

It's only 9PM, but I am already in bed. I'm ready for the end of my eyes hurting in tiredness. I just have to finish grading my DRA 10 class and then I am officially done with my first year. With all of the bitching and complaining, I do think I still made a good decision in coming here. Not only that, but I got a lovely email from one of my students.

I'm going to sleep smiling.

Hi Hope,

I just wanted to formally thank you for teaching such a wonderful class. I

really enjoyed the course, much more than I thought I would. You really

helped me open up and not be afraid to be daring. I can't thank you enough for that. My boost in self-esteem and creativity is all because of you.

Thanks again and I hope to see you around. Good luck with everything!
Best,
Margery Wang

a day later

It's 7AM and all i really want to do is go back to sleep. Last night we had a little Nest BBQ at JTs house, but I stayed WAY too long since I have quite a few projects due today that needed a little attention.

When I got home I said, why did I have that third glass of wine? I didn't finish it, but I don't feel on top of my game. I'm tired and that's not good. But I watched some of The Color Purple to pick a scene where the acting was of some importance. I do have to say that I care less and less about Sara Pia's class.

And after our MFA Actors meeting with Jade, I'm starting to care less and less.

I had breakfast with Irina yesterday morning at 8AM so I could be on-time for the MFA meeting. When I got to Wright there was no one in 225. I called Tim and he said Jade was trying to change it. Apparently Christine sent an email trying to change her independent study time and Jade got confused and cancelled this meeting instead. I was so pissed. We eventually had it after our CORE presentation, but by that time I was not prepared. I did have my MFA handbook or a notebook of any kind. There were also way too many I Don't Knows from Jade. I know she has a lot on her plate, but she was not prepared for this meeting.

That made me decide to try Peter as my mentor. Christine really seems to like him, but Victor mentioned that he's completely hands off. That may be a good thing.

8AM DRA 10 final class - final scene presentations
10AM Movement - final class - monologue and Moliere scene presentations
12PM - Voice - final class - um, I think I need to bring in a song or speech to be analyzed by the class
2PM - Acting for Film - final class - presentation of scenes of importance
5PM - Mai Tai with Melanie at Sophia's!

A Hint of Sorrow

In our Alice in Wonderland themed CORE project I play the Mock Turtle. He's a melancholy guy, but does introduce Alice to the magical world of dance. I have decided to forgo the sorrowful part of the character, but now I feel it's apropos.

I found out today that the new acting hire wants to mentor only the first year MFA actors. So, now I'm back in dilemma mode. I have already left Jade for Barbara and once Barbara announced she was leaving I tried to switch to Della. However as an actor in the program, I had to stay with someone in the acting faculty -- Jade, Peter or Barbara.

I did meet with Barbara for my independent study, but I also met with Jade once to talk more about the thesis. Needless to say she was little help. I requested a meeting with the 4 of us MFA candidates and the 3 faculty members. Barbara cannot join and Peter never responded so it looks like it will just be Jade. I fought for this meeting to make sure we were all on the same page. Jade finally agreed after a little coaxing from Barbara.

In any case, I am not looking forward to it. I am also not excited about selecting a new mentor or our CORE project, for that matter.

Is it Wednesday yet?

Wednesday I go for Mai Tai's with Melanie and go the UCD Film Festival. And then I get my haircut on Thursday and go on Lynne's boat in the afternoon.

Oh, and then there's a massage on Friday or Saturday...

Oooooooh, things to look forward to...

Beginning of the End

I may be making a bad decision by wasting such a good blog title on such a minor time.  But it just seems right.  As I near the end of my first year and embark upon a bunch of new projects I feel the doors opening and closing.

Speaking of which, we close Nest today.  Actually I need to get out of my robe and get dressed.  I have to be at the theatre in 45 minutes.  We had a good show again last night and in good political form I spoke with Lynette after the show.  She was impressed with my "work" and said that she had never see me to a role like that.  Comments like that surprise me especially since I have only been in one show here and no one seems to have watched the video made to get me into this place.  Of course, she hasn't seen this type of work from me!

Anyway, I digress.

The weather here is getting warmer and I am in the process of completing all of my final projects.
-- the Valere/Mariane scene from Tartuffe with Jesse for Barbara's movement class
-- a revisit of the monologue from Helen
-- a showing of the Georgia scene I directed for film (and edited with Jessica Herman)
-- a showing of a scene of a film or TV show with a performance of importance (gosh, I'd better select something)
-- our Alice in Wonderland identity project for CORE

Then there is the thing called grading for DRA 10.  Luckily I have scheduled a massage for Tuesday and a haircut on Thursday -- and Lynne is taking our CORE class out on the boat on Thursday evening.

I have yet to find out if Bella will take me as a mentee and if I will be teaching DRA 141 in the fall.  Mom is insistent about getting dates for Thanksgiving so she can book my flight.  It's difficult to tell her with so much unknown.

Ah, unknown -- now if only I could find that door handle...