Political Action

I've been reflecting and acting on a lot of political things lately. It started with the whole "ground zero mosque" thing as you could tell from this blog post and with the talks about repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" - fueled by Lady Gaga. (Click here for some info.) Megan and I even ended up calling our Vermont state senators about that one. This week, on Wednesday, I continued my streak of political action by wearing purple. It was LGBTQ Spirit Day - so called to memorialize, remember, and reflect on all the teen suicides that have occurred recently and which have been sparked by bullying and harassment because the individuals were gay. For more information, click here. To see what Megan wrote about the subject, click here.

These tragedies cannot go unnoticed. Someone needs to take a stand. Wearing purple on Wednesday was a sign of what a few people can do to spark change and hope. Almost everyone in the theater at UVM was adorned in purple. It was amazing, and we were all incredibly excited to be a part of the movement and support. Our generation must be the voice that stands up for what is right. Discrimination and harassment just because someone is different from who you are is one of the cruelest evils in this world, a wrong going back to the slave trade in America and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Some people can say, "get over it," or "it's a part of life." But, I've been there. You can't get over it. Sometimes suicide can seem like the only way out, and the only form of escape for these people, but that is only because they feel so alone and so isolated. But they need to know that they are not alone, that there are people out there who care about other people, and who are willing to make a difference.

So I wore purple.

On another note, today Megan and I watched the new documentary film Waiting for Superman for one of her classes.

The film is about our nation's educational system and basically how America is failing our children. Did you know that America ranks last in math and science scores among developed nations? Did you know that the reason most jobs in America go to foreign countries is because no one is qualified for them...because they haven't been educated? I think the chancellor of the District of Columbia school system Michelle Rhee put it very well. She said that the education system has become this thing that keeps the adults involved happy when it really should be about the kids. With my new career goal as a theater teacher, I realize I will soon be thrown into the system, but that is why I want to be a teacher. I want to help kids and inspire them like I have been inspired. I wept when I saw how these children are being cheated out of life. Their entire futures depend on a lottery that will tell them if they get into school of not. They have teachers who don't even teach them. They just sit there reading a damn newspaper, completely protected by tenure while the kids slip right through the system. It made me incredibly upset to see how messed up our system is.

I don't know why I've been so fired up about political things lately. Maybe it's just because a lot of stuff has happened recently all at once. Maybe it's just because as I get older I notice more about our world and all of its wrongs. Maybe I'll follow Bertolt Brecht and do political presentational theater. I don't know. It's really sad when you think about it, but then there's always hope. There's always a protagonist willing to stand up for what is right. I think the voice of our generation is just that. Thanks for listening. I hope I've brought some things to light maybe you haven't thought of before, and maybe I've inspired you. Just know that you are never alone.

Peace out!

Autotune

These "Auto tune the News" songs from Youtube honestly get me through anything. I just play them and I can't help but laugh and sing along. The bad thing about them is, they are a really hardcore procrastination tool. Writing a paper: sit down, turn on computer, gather notes, check Facebook, check email, check Twitter, open Microsoft Word, sit there thinking, type my name, type the title, type the date and the class, sit there some more, open Youtube, decide on which one to play next, and play. That's how it goes every time, and then eventually I can make my way back to the paper, but this time I will be more refreshed and vibrant. Who knows? Maybe a little bright and a little more vivid. Then I run and tell that homeboy and back it up and then I start my paper. It works. Try it some time.







Oh jeez, I just found another one in my Youtube wanderings:



Hooray for more options when I procrastinate! I think auto tuning (for those of you who don't necessarily know what auto tuning is, click here) in some cases can be a really cool way to change a song or make a different kind of pitch/noise. Being a singer, I'm really against auto tuning whole tracks or songs, just to make the singer sound better. It totally makes benign all vocal training. It's cheating. If you have training and you have worked your voice so you can produce pitches and sing melodically, then you shouldn't need it. That's why I love Lady Gaga so much. And by the way, there are all these rumors out there that all the singers on Glee are auto tuned. I refuse to believe that. They are all trained singers. And yes, sometimes when the sound mixers are mixing songs they add some auto tune to add a different sound or style. That's the point: when used to create a different sound, auto tuning is cool. It is still considered an art form because sound mixing itself is an art form. Why should auto tuning be cast out? It's when it undermines the integrity of a song that auto tuning goes too far. There's food for thought today. I'm off to class, work (Toys tickets go on sale today), and then more class (Dramatic Analysis midterm today, wish me luck!).

Peace out!

Check It Out!

More UPlayers publicity for Monologue Jukebox!



And another article! http://www.examiner.com/arts-in-burlington/another-successful-monologue-jukebox-for-the-university-players

Monologue Jukebox

Things are starting to add up. And when I say "add up," I mean roll into a ball of perpetual all nighters, stressfulness, and crying, but I like it! Wow, am I a masochist? No, but I'm really happy because a lot of good things are happening. I mean, I'm sick with a cold which really isn't such a good thing, I'm taking cold medicine though and eating cough drops and vitamin C drops with lots and lots of water so hopefully that won't be too much of a problem.

But...the thing I'm really most excited about is that I've recently been cast in a play! I'm going to be in UVM Theatre's 20th annual Christmas show, The Toys Take Over Christmas. I'm so excited. It's like my prayers have been answered---I finally get to be in a show again. My faith has been restored, well, sort of...more like my emotional well-being. Things are really looking up, I just wish my planner and time would hold up for everything I have to do and everything that's happening. It's very hard to keep track, and sometimes life has to go on the back burner to get things done. For example, a flu shot. I need one and UVM is giving ones at a clinic. Do I have time to go? No. Especially now that I'm sick I can't get a flu shot. See what I mean? Life is pesky, but I'm so happy that I get to have theater in my path like a bright shiny path leading to pure awesomeness.

Speaking of theater, the past two weeks UPlayers has held a Monologue Jukebox in the middle of UVM campus to raise money so we can put on our major production and buy supplies for other productions. Basically you pay a dollar and pick a monologue, song, or dance, and we perform it. The event was actually very successful this year, and I ended up dancing the Single Ladies dance eight times (just six times today). And hey, we had an article written about us! I also sang a happy musical song in the library courtyard which was really fun. I felt like I was in an Improv Everywhere skit. It was really fun acting, being in a real place afterall not imaginary like in a theater. It must be how actors feel in a movie musical. It was so much fun to belt into the sky.

Peace out!

My Naked People

Do you want to meet my naked people? I drew them for my costuming class.

I think they turned out pretty well. I even named them!

These two are named Beatrice and Walter. They are an item, totally exclusive.

Then I drew Eunice (we had to draw three for class), I think she's honing in on Walter and making Beatrice jealous. I just hope it doesn't cause too many problems, the page is certainly big enough for the three of them. Ahh, drama...

Peace out!

Driving

I went home Friday night because I promised Chase (you remember Chase right, from QNEK this summer? Here's his website to refresh your memory...) that I would come to see his first show this season, Snoopy! The Musical. It had been such a long time since the summer, and since we had all seen each other. Kat and Lissy were planning on going as well, and I knew that everyone from Curtains would be at the show.

I took the LINK Express from Burlington to Montpelier so my grandmother could pick me up there. It was actually a very nice ride, even though I hadn't been looking forward to it. The foliage was amazing, and it provided a sure sign that we are definitely into fall.

The bus driver was very nice. He gave out free York Peppermint Patties at the card kiosk. Yeah, a little sketchy I know, and I'm not supposed to take candy from strangers, but...He also had his bus decorated with animals from Africa like elephants, giraffes, and lions so it basically felt like you were on an African safari when really you were just going to Montpelier. I did feel really bad for this one older gentleman on the bus. I'm not entirely sure what his nationality was, but he had a very thick accent. He was saying that we was lost, and then he started talking with the guy sitting in front of me. The guys asked him where he was going, and the man replied,

"To my wife's funeral. She died of liver cancer."

Then he started weeping on the bus. It was horrible and so sad. My heart poured out to this poor man. I only hope that there were people in Montpelier to take care of him, it looked like he needed someone.

After a fantastic lunch with my grandmother, and the drive through US Rt. 2, I made it home to find my mom frosting a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. It was good to be home.

Patches was very happy to see me.

It was also really fun to be able to drive again. I hadn't noticed how much I actually missed driving at college. I'm never even riding in a car at college. I mean, I closest I get to it is riding in a CCTA bus, and that's just not it. So driving to the Haskell like I had been doing all summer was a pretty amazing and relaxing experience. It was awesome to see everyone that I had had so much fun with over the summer again. I really did miss them.
Today I had to return to Btown which meant actually getting up this morning after being out until an ungodly hour (we stayed and chatted it up in Chase's mansion). After a home-cooked meal, my mom and I trekked back with a lot of stuff to bring back to my dorm. Including the cake... All in all, it was a good break for the moment, and it was exactly what I needed. Now for another stressful (but rewarding!) week. Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend!

Peace out!

P.S. If you're looking for a movie to see, I would definitely suggest Life As We Know It starring Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, and a wicked cute baby. It is an adorable movie and it will make you feel good. Speaking of cute babies, here are some new pictures of Iris!

Screaming

Screaming can be such a fantastic emotional release. Not only for the person doing the screaming, but also for the others around that person, especially when the scream is hilarious. It can be, oh, say, Megan losing her flip flop and suddenly outbursting on the front lawn of a middle school on our way back from Champ Farms in a rain storm. It could be Ashley when I tickle her feet or me after she kidney shots me in the back. Just an instinctual reaction, of course. It might be me playing King Creon in my group's scene project for Dramatic Analysis. Or it could be Stanley Kowalski screaming for STELLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!



We just had to read and watch A Streetcar Named Desire for Dramatic Analysis so I have Marlon Brando on the brain. Screaming is such a release of emotion that it can be entirely therapeutic. Seriously. Try it sometime. Just let out a scream when something happens. You'll feel so much better.

I think that might be why I love acting so much. It's an incredible release. All that pressure, any emotion you have, can be released just like that. Acting may be even more therapeutic honestly.

Something to think about.

And for those of you who haven't see A Streetcar Named Desire, here's for you to catch up:



Peace out!

Silver Lining

Good morning! Happy October! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a very long time. I've been so busy. Work, class, and other things just will never end. It's what I signed up for, though, so I really can't complain. This has been kind of a hard week. There's been a lot going on at the theater and the work has been piling up like crazy. Things have been stressful. It's also been raining a lot. I mean A LOT. Thursday night I left my window open and my fan on while I went to go sell concessions during intermission of opening night of Cloud 9. It wasn't raining hard, and it was hot in my room. When I got back, it started down pouring. Like torrential rain. It was like Burlington had entered monsoon season. My window was not happy. Water started pouring in and gushing into my room from the window. Water built up all over the windowsill and spilled over onto my comforter and sheets. It was like when Charlie died at the end of season 3 of Lost.



That's basically what it was like. I scrambled to throw towels on the windowsill, and then I slammed the window shut. But then, because my window is so wide, the window itself started filling up with water! So then I had to climb on top of my bed and close the storm. Finally, I had conquered Mother Nature. I did not have it as bad as the girls down the hall. Their walls were actually leaking so it looked like a creepy waterfall cascading down their walls. The basement leaked, too, as if anything else needed to happen.

This rain has sucked. I mean, not only does it flood your dorm but it also rips your umbrella, soaks all your stuff (especially papers), muddies your boots, darkens the sky, and it makes you depressed. There are also some good things associated with rain, as there were good things that came from this week from the Silver Lining. For instance:

1. Warm rain makes it fun to walk to Champ Farms with your friend Megan. Especially when you forgo your umbrella and take Mother Nature by storm. Also when you stand under a giant waterfall coming off the top of a middle school.

2. After a rainy day, you can get gorgeous sunsets:

3. You can have Lost moments (see above).

4. You actually HAVE to stay inside and do work.

5. It creates a nice cool breeze that is a fantastic contrast to hot weather.

Anyway, I hope you've found the Silver Lining in your week. I know it may be hard to find, especially when things are going so crazy, but it's there. And also, it's always fun to laugh through rough times. Just take everything with a grain of salt and when need be walk without an umbrella to Champ Farms in a torrential rainstorm. Everything works out.

Peace out!