Out and About

Last night I actually got out and off my campus to see theatre! The Patron Saint of Stanley Park is a locally written piece that was first staged last year at the Arts Club. It wasn't the type of show I normally go see. It was family friendly, bittersweet and heartwarming. All things that normally make me cringe. But you know what, I really enjoyed myself. The play itself wasn't something I would normally love and it had its issues, but that didn't seem to matter. By the end I was tearing up along with half the audience.

I went with a close friend of my mine and we made a night of it. We dressed up in heels and well she wore a dress and I managed to track down a lacy top. It was drizzling out, but that didn't matter. We were in festive spirits and nothing was going to bring us down. I have nothing clever to add, no jokes, no sarcasm. It was a genuinely enjoyable evening that could melt even this frosty hipster's heart.

This is one of those thing's that I would like to do more often. Take an evening to spend time with a good friend doing something we love. I love taking time out to enjoy culture and the great thing about this was that we were supporting local artists. Not only that, but it was relatively inexpensive because of Student Rush pricing. Not something we could do every night, but it was a nice send off to the year. I'll be going home to spend time with my family later tonight and she's off to see her's sometime next week. I won't see her again until the new year and this was the perfect way to send of what's bee a fairly stress filled year. New Christmas tradition? I hope so.

I wanted to take photos; the city was lit up with Christmas lights. It was gorgeous. Of course, I left my camera at home so this post is visually not so stunning, but what can you do? I hope the three of you reading this blog are taking time to enjoy the season and doing whatever it is that makes you happy. We all deserve some rest and relaxation.

Procrastination Central

Once again, it's been a long, long time without a post. I need to stop taking on three shows a semester. It's not good for my sanity or my blog. I had a joke there, but I'm too tired to think of what it was. So what am I up to now? I know you're all dying to know. Exams.

Okay, more accurately avoiding exams...and avoiding that paper that was due last Thursday and still has a page to go. I'm so stuck. I picked a difficult topic and there is very little research on it. So what's a poor university student to do you might ask? Obviously watch Christmas episodes of Community, Modern Family and Suburgatory while writing a page every few hours. Procrastination is not my friend.

It's clearly time for a sweeping declaration. This paper will be done within the hour! And then I'll start studying for my exam tomorrow! Gulp!

What I really want to do is curl up with Anne of Green Gables in front of a fire while listening to Bing Crosby on my parents record player and yes I will be drinking eggnog. It's disgusting, but it completes the picture. Ryan Gosling can serve the eggnog for kicks.

I guess I should go and be responsible now. But come on, could it get a little Christmassy around here? Would it kill Mother Nature to provide just a little snow to lift my spirits out of the exam duldrums? At the very least it would give me another way to procrastinate. Never underestimate the power of the perfect snow angel.

Summers Past

This concept of normalcy; I've often wondered if it exists. At university everybody seems to eschew it in favour of finding his or her own path, but I think overall everybody is just a little off. I'm not here to get into a philosophical debate (trust me, I'd lose). Sometimes I just think that even in this little micro-universe I'm not exactly "normal," whatever that means. Who's ever heard of environmentalist theatre major whose obsession with Springsteen led to a love of 1970s muscle cars? What kind of theatre student loves the stereotypical guy thing.

This whole post is a little more personal than I like to get on this blog. It's also incredibly off topic, so forgive me.

I think one of the great things about university is you can explore different interests and find a niche. You're exposed to ideas that weren't necessarily part of your experience growing up. The pool of people is just that much larger. However, I've found a certain type of person which is great, but there's still that hometown girl in me. The girl who remembers struggling to scrape by in an old used car. There's a part of me that will never quite fit in in a world that's dominated by the upper middle class (which is a shame). Most people from my hometown are married with children now. They've got solid jobs and work hard. I think all day.

I'm glad I chose the path I did, but I think I'll always identify a little with the people left in my hometown. They're the people who shaped me. They're my family and my neighbours. I never really fit in there either and I wouldn't go back, but their influence is profound. Sometimes I miss that life. Running downstairs and hopping into my friend's beat up 80s camaro and driving, walking for an hour in the August heat just to get to the coffee shop with board games,dancing down at the local hall, trekking into the city for an outdoor concert that we saved for months to buy tickets too, those are the memories I'll cherish. Those high school summers defined me. I grew apart from those friends and I miss them. We're different people now, but a part of me will stay lost in those summers, the same part of me that doesn't quite fit into the university mold.

Pencils and Books and Pens

                                                   
It's back to school time again, my final year of it. That's a weird feeling. Most people I know have graduated (this whole two degree things takes a little extra time) and I'm trying to figure out how I'll fit back into the swing of things (as I do every year) without everybody around. But that's all for later. Denial is a great thing.

The most important thing on my mind right now? School supplies.

Seriously, who doesn't love scouring the aisles of Staples for the latest and greatest erase-better-ers or the smoothest writing tool this side of the twenty first century? I get sucked in by the hype, what can I say. The pencils freshly sharped, the pens still working, the miles and miles of white out tape at the ready, it makes me think that this is the year I'll be organized. So what if that falls through by the end of semester, it all gets done doesn't it?

On top of all the school supplies university means (for many) dorms, apartments and basement suites. I remember the first year conundrum of what to bring, what to bring. I read horror stories about tiny rooms that wouldn't fit a quarter of the average person's closet; I witnessed some of these horror rooms first hand. I was determined not to over-pack.

I managed to fit my entire life into a single suitcase. I brought nothing extraneous. Five shirts, one pair of jeans, one skirt, runners, flip-flops (for the shower of course), and a pair of ballet flats. One rug because the floor would obviously be disgusting. No prints, there was no room for decoration. An extra box filled with text books and my school supplies were in one case in my pure along with my ID. Bare bones living, that's what I envisioned and yes I still got made of for over-packing by my family.

But you know what? I overdid it. Sure rooms are small, but they're not so small that you can't make yourself comfortable. Bring you favourite clothes, bring some photos for your walls, bring a mini-fridge. Trust me, you'll want to make room for that fridge when the floor thief starts taking things out of the communal one. Making your dorm room comfortable is essential; you'll be living there for the next nine months.

Those ads that are in all the papers right now want you to bring way too  much granted. But aren't they fun to look through? I love picking out my favourite things and buying maybe one, the cheapest one. Back to school is a great time to surround yourself with things that you love, that will make you comfortable and prepare you for the grind ahead. I've got my text books and pens at the ready and maybe I'll sneak in some contraband candles this year, because that seems safe.

I'm Back and Deeply Apologetic

Summertime at the beach

So here I am, back from my unannounced and unexpected hiatus. You would think that I would be able to make the time to write a few hundred words once a week during the summer, but no. I can only seem to manage a couple of projects at once and unfortunately this blog fell by the wayside.

What have I been doing with my time? I've been trapped in the theatre, only seeing the light of day through the wings. It's an outdoor venue and gorgeous. Of course, I'm backstage and see very little of the sun and grass and all that good stuff and instead have become intimately acquainted with the mosquitoes that inhabit the wings. I'm not complaining as it's a fantastic show that really came together after tech week and I'm proud to be a part of it. Not to mention the people who are lovely (and become even lovelier in my eyes when cupcakes appear in the greenroom)!

That one show took up hours of my time, but it's been open for awhile now. Up until this week what's kept me away has been sheer laziness. I didn't want to type. I didn't want to sit in front of my computer. I took day trips; I walked around my hometown. I have listened to far too much Bruce Springsteen. I must admit, I've barely thought about writing anything for weeks.

Now that I'm slightly busier and procrastinating from things that I really should be doing (*cough* rehearsal reports *cough*) I seem to have found the time to write again, funny how that goes. I've taken on a Stage Management position for a small one woman show that's showing in a local festival. It's not something I've ever done before and I'm excited, but also a little nervous. I'm less nervous about the actual show, which should be fairly straightforward, than my sanity. I haven't had a break in so long that I was looking forward to not working until October. Now I'll be balancing this job and the start of my final year at University. It will all work out because it always does; I just hope I don't burn myself out in the process.

That's how my summer has progressed, busy but no as of yet overwhelmed. I plan on enjoying my days off here and there and taking in all that I can during this coming August.