The 20s

In less than an hour it will be my twentieth birthday. The not-very-funny-more-like-interesting thing is I honestly don't feel any different. Everything feels the same. Granted, my life has changed so drastically in the past three years that it's kind of hard to define what is "normal" because everything is changing. In the blink of an eye anything will be different. I find college is a part of life that will always keep one on their toes.

That being said, this is not what I expected my twenties to look like. When I was younger I imagined my life at this time to be like an episode of Friends - a not-so-glamorous-yet-fashionable-contemporary-fast-paced life in a city like New York where I drink coffee all the time and have adventures all over the city with a cute little apartment.

Literally what I imagined life to be like in the future.

However, life doesn't always work out the way you picture it. Maybe one day my life will be like an episode of Friends, but right now it's pretty damn awesome. As I begin this totally awesome and new period of my life I want to completely let things go. Will I have a job next summer? Not entirely sure...Am I going to Europe next summer? That's definitely for sure seeing how I've bought my non-refundable plane tickets and our apartments in Italy are amazing. Will Megan get into grad school? and if she does will it be at UVM? We don't know. That being said, will we be able to get an apartment and live together? I hope so...There are so many questions coming up that appear will never be answered but hopefully---and I truly believe it will, seeing how I'm always the optimist---everything will come together. It always does. So what will my twenties be like? I think it will be one giant play-by-ear. It has to be. As much as I feel the need to plan every minute of my life, I know I can't.

Right now, I'm going to enjoy my birthday as much as I can, things are extremely busy with the play and homework and responsibilities, and I will wait to see what happens next.

Check out the beautiful cast photo for The Beaux' Stratagem which opens this week Thursday 16th at UVM's Royal Tyler Theatre. Get your tickets now!

Peace out!

Rain

The sidewalk glistens in a malaise of oil and rainwater,
But at this point it doesn't matter.
The beat of the music in my head crawls to my shoes which skip through the puddles, scraping water from the
Ground while I swing the umbrella from side to side.
The heavenly ointment unleashes in torrents from the clouds,
Baptizing me in absolute happiness.
Each droplet on my face is a splash of joy.
Each step I take is a thought of you.
As the rain embraces me, I smile a curious and wide grin,
And drink up the tears of the sky.

Sense Memory

I love, love, LOVE the fall weather hitting Vermont right now. It's like a cold and clear breath of life that takes your heart in its grip and transports you to worlds of memories long forgotten yet still reminisced about. Upon each stinging breeze rides an image of crinkling leaves, the smell of apple cores and pumpkin spice, or the scratchy feel of a wool scarf on the skin. The chill which takes root in the feet and travels up each individual vertebrae to each follicle of hair holds a physical bond to day trips through an enchanted forest and afternoons spent on train tracks. The taste of dust and the feel of grit between teeth is a flash back to dirt roads and the hidden groves to which they lead.

Each memory dances with the senses in a waltz that began at birth. Each physical presence individually linked to an emotion draws me back yet pulls me forward at the same time. While I muse over the events and the feelings of the past, I am still pushed forward by a thirst for more. I long for more emotion, more feeling, more of the "breath life," for the essence that makes me utterly human. We long for the memories in life because that is what draws us forward, the longing and desire for future memories. We beg for new smells, feelings, and images that will give us retrospect to the events of our past and bring our lives in a circle.

Stepping from the front door, the fall's evening zephyr energizes my lungs and my body, propelling me forward into the sunset's lighted shadow. The leaves hanging stiffly from the trees' branches sway and crumple as they draw near to each other in anticipation of what is to come. Drawing my scarf closer to my throat, I walk along the broad sidewalk with heavy footfalls. The clouds above seem to sway lightly, taking in the moment below. I clutch my books to my chest and keep walking, observed and observing...

Dear Boys

Please flush the toilet after you use it. I don't care if you're drunk, I don't care if you think you're wasting water, flush your disgusting bodily functions away, especially your puke which does not belong on the floor. Also, please work on your aim. I know some of you may be aspiring Jackson Pollocks out there, but the Wills first floor bathroom is not the place to practice. Please don't leave your moldy soap in the showers for it does not make me feel clean. Please don't leave your stereo blasting in the bathroom when I have to pee in the middle of the night. And for God's sake, please WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER YOU PEE. When you pee, you hopefully have to touch your penis (see above plea about aiming), and your penis is covered in sweat, bacteria, and urine spray. Said bacteria then covers your hands which then infect anything you touch. WASH YOUR FILTHY HANDS YOU DISGUSTING FRESHMEN BOYS.

If you obey these simple life rules, we can get along and have a nice, peaceful semester at Wills. Don't make this hard on yourself.

Love,
Ryan and Joe. Wills 108.

Beauty

I made the most amazing chocolate chip cookies last weekend. You know you want one.

Friday morning at work I made the most excellent Harry Potter themed weather board in anticipation of the FINAL MOVIE this past weekend.

Jake was supposed to come over this past weekend so we could all go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 together but unfortunately Jake's car broke down. So, no Jake this weekend, but Megan and I still had a super awesome weekend which began with a lot of crying, cheering, and sobbing. Yes, I did all of those things while watching Harry Potter because to me, and to a whole generation of people, this movie really marks the end of an era. It marks the end of our childhoods, the last thing we grew up with.

I finished my re-read of the series on Friday just as I finished my desk shift. As I walked upstairs, I wiped tears from my eyes thinking about the adventures I had just been through, all the emotions I had felt, and all the lessons I had learned with Harry and his friends. And in one day's time, I knew that it was all going to end.  It's crazy how something so simple can effect people, and how a single story can make connections between people.

My hands shook as the opening credits played and my heart stopped when I remembered Dobby's death. I laughed when Hermione transformed into the evil Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter is a genius.), I cheered when Harry, Ron, and Hermione escaped Gringotts on the back of a dragon, I cried when Professor McGonagall unleashed her rage against the man who had murdered Dumbledore, I shook when Voldemort and the Death Eaters came to Hogwarts and began the battle, I screamed when Nagini murdered Snape and sobbed when Harry learned of Snape's true alliance, I weeped when Harry learned his true destiny and marched into the Forbidden Forest with his family by his side, I smiled when Harry survived the Avada Kedavra curse again only to come back to the castle and fight and win.

It was amazing, and a beautiful ending. To watch Harry send his own children off to Hogwarts was the most brilliant ending there could be. Thank you for these stories J.K. Rowling, you have brought so much joy to so many children with your writing.

On the way to Middlebury to dance in the street - Big Band style.

A U.F.O.! Of course a theatre would have this set up.

The coolest storefront ever.

One thought that's crossed my mind lately is the way actors work. I don't want to give my own tools away because their mine, but most teachers (Hagen, Stanislavski, Strasberg, Meisner, mostly The Method) talk about finding a substitution for the emotional moment of a scene from your own past. For example, if I had a scene where a character was arguing with someone who abandoned him, I would try to think of a moment in my own life when I ever felt abandoned or betrayed to substitute that real emotion into the character. (For me, sometimes this really isn't enough. I like the Practical Aesthetics method introduced by David Mamet which involves create a physical image of a character, imagining the "given circumstances," and then filling in with substitutions and emotions.) Megan brought up the strange dilemma to me when actors stop feeling in real life, and the only way they can express emotion becomes the stage in a character, they're not able to have emotion themselves. It's kind of that image of the "stoic actor" who is very pompous, speaks in monotone, but when they get on the stage they completely transform.

In a way, the stage becomes an actor's form of therapy. But is it crossing a line when an actor can no longer feel in their own lives? I think the answer is yes. Uta Hagen talks about how the actor needs to be a vessel for emotion, and in an interview with Jennifer Anniston that Megan and I were watching, she mentioned how she feels like the actor has a deep well of emotion that they just use. Being that "emotional sponge" is the way an actor becomes a character. Actors have to let emotion effect them. Always. That's how we get the tools we need to play characters. We need to embrace the brilliant happiness and deeply feel sadness and anger in order to convincingly use the entire spectrum of human emotion when creating the aesthetic of a character.

So that's why I cried, laughed, cheered, and sobbed through Harry Potter. Because that's what I felt, and I was filling my well.

Peace out!

Contact Improvisation

Here are a few pictures from the final session of my Movement and Improvisation class this semester:

We went down to Oak Ledge park in Burlington down by the waterfront to do some dancing and site improving. It was raining so hard and the lake was so flooded that the beach no longer existed and the water was sweeping up onto the walkway, dragging full trees out to open water and eroding away the trail. It was a lot of fun though and a great example of how beautiful the performing arts are in any medium when they persevere. That was basically how the end of the semester happened for me: perseverance. By the end of April, I was feeling like there was legitimately no more brain/will power that I could give. Somehow it all happened though including my Theatre History final which was a beast. Greece through the Renaissance. Bam. Overall, it wasn't that bad and the transition into this new job is going smoothly. Today was our last day of training and I'm definitely ready to begin the actual job and the actual summer. If only this rain/thunder/massive amounts of lightning would quick for a moment. But let's take a minute to see what my summer has been like so far.

Summer 2011 So Far: 
1. I work in an office now. Which is a much better improvement from McDonald's, however it's a little weird for me. I'm just not totally emerged into it yet. Soon though. The cool thing is I get to work in all these different UVM buildings where I find things like this:

A composting toilet! It's basically a hole in the floor and when you push a button foam eats your poop.

2. Rain.

3. GAGA. Her new album is probably going to be my soundtrack during the whole summer. So much fun, I love it. It's so artful and full of character and life. It's the best to rock out to.

4. My new room in UHeights! One of the amazing perks of this job is that I get a free room in the swanky UHeights dorm on campus. I feel like I have my own apartment. It's fantastic, but I feel like I'm getting way too spoiled before next school year...

5. Beginning to have summer fun with Megan. The other night we went to the waterfront and started walking along the Burlington bike path as the sun set. It was beautiful, even though the water is still incredibly flooded and high and was eroding away the earth under the trees along the shore. It was part of the magic though.

6. Thinking about myself, and how I feel, and what I want to do with myself in the present and in the future. Ever since Voice and Speech I've thought about how I take care of myself as an artist and I've started really doing warm ups in the mornings and taking care of my voice and the rest of myself. I think I'm going to start doing Sun Salutations (yeah, yoga!?) and stretches out on the lawn this summer. Those are the things that make me feel good and happy, so why not do them? I've also been thinking about a performance piece I've been thinking about writing, and next semester, and grad school, and Hairspray, and why the hell am I not doing any performing the summer, etc.

This was part of a text I just sent to Megan:

"i hope i can really kick ass thru the rest of college and make something of myself in grad school u know? i still feel like im missing myself. im missing myself in parts that i only find when im truly in the moment performing (when im not being judged by teachers or peers) or when we're together doing something crazy :)"


Peace out!

Oversized Comfy Sweatshirt

I feel like such a bum. Well, not exactly a bum but a homebody. No, not really a homebody but...okay, let me give you a picture of me at this precise moment: I'm sitting in my room at Converse alone in front of my computer. Papers, books, binders, clothes, and art supplies are strewn about, waiting to be taken care of and waiting for me to do homework (I have done some this weekend!). I just got back from working in the box office/running concessions for A Doll's House, which I might add is a spectacularr show...where was I?

Right. Sitting in front of my computer. I'm drinking a cup of chai tea and eating one of those microwavable soups. Sirloin burger. Yum. A box of Triscuits sits on my desk as well, an open invitation. I'm working on this blog entry while patrolling facebook and twitter. Social networking at its finest. Oh, and I'm also watching those Autotune videos because I love them so much. I'm wearing my pajamas, my hair is a mess, my glasses need to be cleaned, and I'm wearing my oversized comfy sweatshirt.

My oversized comfy sweatshirt is one of my best friends. It's always there for me. When I'm sick, it wraps me up in its warmth. When I'm tired, it serves as a transportable bed. When I just plain wanna be comfy, it's ready to cuddle. I love my oversized comfy sweatshirt, in case you can't tell.

What's this all about? Well, Megan left Friday afternoon to go home for the weekend to see her family, recharge, and basically take a break for a little while. She deserved it. She hasn't gone home once this entire semester. Granted, I only went home for one night and that was to see a show but I digress. Bottom line is, I miss her. Like, a lot. She is one of my best friends in the whole world, and I don't think I had realized just how dependant I had become of her. I love her so much and just like my oversized comfy sweatshirt, she has always been there for me. It's not like I can't take care of myself, but things are much better when she's around. I want to live the rest of my life with her by my side.

Peace out!

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!

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!

Lazy Weekend

Good morning! I just woke up from a very lazy weekend. It's been a pretty lazy, yet relaxing (and occasionally busy) weekend. Friday I spent my afternoon searching the Bailey-Howe Library here at UVM for a book of eight plays-one of which I have to read for my acting class-and failing. I couldn't find the book at all. I checked the call number five different times using the computer on the third floor. It just wasn't where it should be. Or so I thought. I gave up, and decided I would find the damn book some other time this weekend.

That night, Megan and I went to Burlington Bands 101 at Nectar's sponsored by our favorite local Btown newspaper, Seven Days. It was basically a showcase of local, homegrown bands in the area.

It was pretty fun. Some of the musicians were really good. (Like the keyboardist in the first band. He was absolutely amazing.) The music was fun, except when the music turned country and got twangy. Not my favorite. But it was still nice to be able to get out and go do something. And we got swag bags of free stuff!

Saturday was a very nice, lethargic day. We slept in until around two o'clock and then just sat around besides going downtown for a little while. Oh, and we started watching season two of Heroes (we're kind of behind on the times, okay?). I did get quite a lot of homework done that night, though, which is always a good thing. Except that the Internet was kind of fail. Ashley, Megan, and I went for a walk to the waterfront and sat on a bench and stared out at the water, and we just talked. There's something incredibly meditative about the waterfront. Really awesome. Anyway, yesterday was a little busier. I joined one of the UPlayers officers at the Student Government Association's club workshop because none of the officers could go and I volunteered. Yep, I am that stupid. Anyway, after the boring lecture I went back to the library to find the book in question.

There's something extremely delightful and fun about searching library stacks for books. Most of the books in this library are really old, and everything has that musty smell. It's incredibly quiet, and usually no one else is around in the stacks but you. It makes me feel like one of the Hardy Boys are Sherlock Holmes. One of those guys. For some reason, it's one of those things that makes me really happy. I finally found the book, I had the call number and the shelf location wrong. But the hunt was fun.

After the UPlayers meeting, Megan came up to UVM to watch this film with me that I had to watch for Dramatic Analysis. It was this old production of Shakespeare's King Lear, only it was done in the Japanese style of Noh, Kabuki, Bakukari doll theater, whatever. It was awful. It was pretty fun to laugh and make fun of the weird poses everyone was in and the intense overacting that was going on. On a factual level, I completely understand the style. I don't understand what the point of it is in theater. Like, why does everyone have to scream everything? What does that do? And, I still don't understand Shakespeare. I know, I'm a theater major and I don't like Shakespeare. Whoa. I just have a hard time connecting to the characters emotionally. Their stories have no bearing on me whatsoever. I just don't care. Make me care, Shakespeare, MAKE ME CARE! That's what I'd tell Shakespeare if he was still alive. Oh well...

All in all, a pretty good weekend. Hope you had a good weekend too.

Peace out!

Am I Doing Enough? An Aristotelian Analysis

So far this week has been incredibly busy. Basically, and almost entirely, with homework. It's homework that I've been procrastinating on, or just didn't want to do, and also homework that was sort of interesting, but I still didn't want to do it. It was a lot. Part of said homework was the 1000 word paper I had to write for Dramatic Analysis on the plot structure of Sophocles' Antigone.

Anyway...also recently I've been thinking about where I'm at, what I've been doing, and where I want to go. Mainly in the world of theater. Theater is sort of like religion. Sometimes you doubt yourself (actually, a lot) and whether it is right for you, or if you're actually good at it, or if you even have talent at all. I've kind of been in a place of doubt lately not just about myself and my abilities, but weather or not I'm doing enough now to better myself for my future later. Even though I've changed my focus from trying to be a Broadway star to being a theater teacher, that doesn't mean there are things I still don't have to do to prepare: like graduate school. What do I have to do for that?

I've learned to be kind of honest with myself. Even though I doubt my talents, myself, and theater sometimes, just like when I doubt my religion, I think it over and I remember how I first felt when I found theater. I remember the joy it brings me, and I renew my faith in it's power. And I renew my faith in myself. But I also see that probably the Broadway dream is a reach for me. I live in Vermont and I don't really have the ideal body type/look for a leading man. I need to face reality. I need to do something where I am going to make money so maybe later on, one day, I can achieve my dreams. And then there's always starting my own theater, that dream will totally never die.

The thing is, right now I feel stagnant. I felt the same way last year. I'm not in a play, I'm not in a major choir (though I love Music Makers) nor am I taking voice lessons, and I'm not dancing or moving really in any way. I almost feel trapped, which isn't very cool. I just hope things start to pick up and there's some way I can do something. I do feel so much more comfortable at UVM this year than I did last year. I'm working in the box office, I have awesome friends, I'm working hard in my classes, and I'm working on UPlayers stuff to keep up with all the theater. I guess that's really all I can do. I'm trying, I really am.

Peace out!

Happy Constitution Day

Today is Constitution Day and with 9/11 being only a week ago, it's had me thinking about a lot of things political (or maybe it's the atmosphere at UVM, it breathes political protest). One of which, actually one of the biggest that really has been plaguing my mind for quite awhile, is the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" that is being proposed for New York City. This "mosque" is supposed to be built near the site of the World Trade Center. The building in question, however, is NOT A MOSQUE! What is being proposed is a community center with a basketball court and swimming pool. And yes, on the top floor there is going to be a prayer center for Muslims. Another fact that has been blown entirely out of proportion is that this "community center that the media has sold as a mosque" is to be built right next to Ground Zero. IT'S GOING TO BE TWO BLOCKS AWAY. Do you know how far away that is? It's quite a distance. People need to get over it. If we as closed minded Americans do not let a community center be built because it is pertained to a single religion, we are giving in to the extremist terrorists. It's saying-"yes, we are going to judge an entire group of people because of a few radicals." The same thing has happened to my religion, Christianity. Because of radicals and extremists, the entire religion has been judged. This needs to end. Wouldn't it be a stronger image if we as one people can rise above this hate and judgmental attitude and tell terrorists that we do not care what they do-we will stand for who are?



In tandem with this topic is that fact that before September 11th of this year, a Florida Baptist church said it would hold a "Burn a Qur'an Day" is memory of 9/11. Honestly? That's what we will do in the face of terrorists? Fuel a fire of hatred? Show them that they are right? Really? And when President Obama condemned this, the church said it would end it's proposition. Guess what, another church, the Westboro Baptist Church from Kansas said it would take the initiative in this horrible act. This is wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to describe. Not only that, but it goes against everything Christianity is about. My belief is that Christianity is inherent love because God has love for all his people. How can a church condone this kind of action in the face of Christianity, in the face of love?

Maybe if America actually still stood for its Constitution, then maybe Constitution Day would still hold some weight. In these moments, I'm not very proud of my country and some of the people who live in it. That does NOT mean that I hate America (jeez, I can see the FBI coming after me now). I am so grateful I live in a country where I have the opportunities that I do. I understand the value of freedom, but is that what America is standing for right now? I would like to think that I stand for what America originally stood for: love, tolerance, respect. Maybe we should reflect on that during the time of September 11th and Constitution Day.

Quoted from RamenXBaka (Youtube):

The new mosque is not in the least disrespectful in fact did you know there were two mosques inside the WTC? So stop your bigotry, and learn what America is about, do your homework.

Peace out!

Rain

Last night, I finally gave in and went outside with Ashley. All night after the Hang Ten dance at UVM Ashley had been begging Megan and I to go outside where it was much cooler to escape the horrid heat that had been haunting us the past week. Everyday the high temperature reached into the nineties and everyday we begged for rain. We looked forward so badly to the weekend when the forecasts promised for cooler weather.

So at 3 AM, Ashley and I stood outside talking on the front porch when all of a sudden, it started to rain. It came in droplets to begin with, staining the sidewalk like the henna on my arm. With a wild ecstasy, Ashley and I ran out onto the lawn, yelling "RAIN! IT'S RAINING!" We danced on the front lawn. It started raining harder, and the wind blew. It felt so amazing and refreshing after this week of pure hell. It was like fresh air after holding your breath for a really long time. We ran upstairs to go wake Megan up.

"Meg, wake up! IT'S RAINING!"

"Yeah..." she rolled over and went back to sleep.

We ran back outside and ran to the field by the playground downtown. By the time we got there, the rain had drained down to a sprinkle so Ashley cried, "DO A RAIN DANCE!" This prompted me to take off my shirt and start running around the field while screaming at the sky. While this seems drastic and crazy, the most important thing is that it was raining, and the first week is over. Not more hot weather, no more awkward greetings, no more "first days". Now the routine begins, and the year starts. I think that was the most exciting part of the rain.

Peace out!

Top 10

It's almost time. College is approaching super fast (two more days to be exact), and my packing is all done. On Wednesday, Megan and I took a trip to Plymouth, NH and went to the Walmart Supercenter to finish college shopping and getting some last minute items. We also visited Eden at her new job at Cicero's Cafe in downtown Plymouth. We had an amazing time trekking around town and getting the complete tour of campus. We also went to PHOP (Plymouth House of Pizza) to get some awesome buffalo chicken calzone. It was great to see Eden's place and be able to reference back to something Eden tells us. It was a fantastic visit. Thanks Eden for an amazing time!

So in the spirit of fun and the intensity of move-in day approaching, I want to post something that I've been saving for a rainy day to post. (I guess this works, it's been raining for the past four days.) Here are my top 5 top 10 favorite things, enjoy!

Top 10 Favorite Songs:
1. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
2. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
3. Glitter in the Air - P!nk
4. Life and Death - from Lost Michael Giacchino
5. Electricity - from Billy Elliot Elton John
6. Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson
7. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship
8. Poker Face - Lady Gaga (both versions)
9. Single Ladies - Beyonce
10. Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News

Top 10 Favorite Movies:
1. Shout It Out (duh)
2. Mrs. Doubtfire
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. Sister Act
5. Finding Nemo
6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
7. Back to the Future
8. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
9. Forrest Gump
10. Singin' In The Rain
(I just have to add to this list The Wizard of Oz, Donnie Darko, Pan's Labyrinth, Some Like It Hot, The Lion King, Thelma and Louise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I love movies.)

Top 10 Favorite Cities:
1. New York, NY
2. Burlington, VT
3. New Orleans, LA
4. San Antonio, TX
5. Orlando, FL (who doesn't)
6. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Venice, FL (not really a CITY, but still awesome)
9. Montpelier, VT
10. Woods Hole, MA (once again, not really a CITY...)

Top 10 Favorite Broadway Shows:
1. Rent
2. Billy Elliot
3. The Lion King
4. Avenue Q
5. My Fair Lady
6. Little Shop of Horrors
7. Curtains
8. Wicked
9. Sweeney Todd
10. Godspell

Top 10 Favorite Books:
1. Catcher in the Rye
2. To Kill A Mockingbird
3. Harry Potter (all of them...duh)
4. War of the Worlds
5. Eragon
6. Hatchet
7. The Bible
8. The Great Gatsby
9. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
10. The Tempest

Anyway I just thought it would be fun to list everything. The next post will be from move in day so get ready to start this year's college adventures!

Peace out!

Iris Eva Howland

The show ended with a bang! Curtains ended its run on Saturday night with an amazing weekend. Megan loved the show and enjoyed herself ushering as you can tell from her blog, Erin was astounded by the show, and Mrs. Fields even showed up to join the fun! I seriously think it was the most fun I've ever had with a show. Thank you once again to the entire cast and crew (and of course, Lynn) for an epic summer, it has been a joy. But now, I am in a week of transition. College is so close that I can literally taste it, and it tastes pretty damn good. My to-do list is shrinking however along with my three page checklist. Megan helped me pack on Monday which was much obliged. Of course, with the two of us you know there are going to be some hilarious shenanigans going down. Megan served as a very good coat rack as I pulled shirt after shirt after (my favorite vest) shirt from my closet and hung them on her hands. Then I went to grab my ghetto Space Bag (I say that because it's a cheap knock-off on the real deal) and the whole bottom blew off, sending all of my bedding stuff I had packed in there flying. Then when I went to deflate it again once we picked everything up, the bottom literally exploded.

Needless to say, packing has been a daunting task, but it's almost done! Just some last minute things to pick up and then it should be basically finished. Also, one of this week's goals is to finish certain appointments. Monday was a haircut, and today was an eye exam complete with a new pair of glasses.

I like them. I think they add a cool, urban, and professional look. Duh, obviously.

Also, another awesome piece of news is that at 12:30 this morning, my sister-in-law finally had her baby! We have been waiting for this baby to arrive all summer. So on Sunday (a week past the due date) my brother and his wife decided it was time. And now we have our beautiful Iris Eva Howland, my first niece.

Unfortunetely, we also recieved some bad news today as well. One of my very good friend's father passed away last night. I just want to give a shout out to her if she is reading this and let her know that we are all totally here to support you and to give you anything you need, even if that is as simple as a hug or someone to just listen. We love you, and I'm deeply sorry for your loss.

In a way, it goes to show that things sometimes have a way of working out. One life begins, and another ends. So in this period of transition, I wish everyone the best of luck and the strength to make it through.

Peace out!

It's Over

Yesterday I walked out of McDonald's with my head held high and with a smile on my face. It was my last day for the summer. Giddy does not entirely describe how felt. This summer has gone by so fast, and now it seems almost impossible that it is ending. Eden is already back in Plymouth and has started her new job in a fantastic coffee shop downtown. Megan gets done at Kinney Drugs in the middle of this week. My boss even made me a cake for my last day which was really nice.

Curtains is also finishing its run this weekend. Tonight is our second opening night and we round out the show tomorrow night. Megan is coming to usher closing night and Erin with her new husband Jason are coming from Montpelier to make a guest appearance in the audience on closing night. We have had a fantastic run, and I have been so proud to work on this show. Susan-Lynn (the assistant director) told the cast at our opening night party at Hoagie's that this show was the best QNEK had ever produced. I am so proud to have been a part of this wonderful show and to have met these amazing people. On Wednesday I went to the Orleans Fair with Kat, Lissy (Lynn's stepdaughter), and Chase (Also in the show. He owns his own theater company! Check it out here.) and we had such a good time. Thank you once again for welcoming me to QNEK everyone and thank you making it such a fantastic summer! To check out the pictures taken by Kingdom Wedding Photography, click here.

And now, in this next coming week, I have so much to do. I have several appointments to attend, including finding a new pair glasses which should be fun. I also have a three page college checklist to pack up, and a massive to-do list which includes cleaning my room. Yeah, that's going to happen. Somehow...

Another sign of the end of summer is that I only have two more opportunities to go to the Lyndonville Farmer's Market which has surprisingly grown during the summer and has become very impressive. Congrats Lville! I'm enjoying my last few days in the NEK because pretty soon I'll be leaving it. No more quite Lville nights, this Farmer's Market, 95.7 NEK independant radio, QNEK, McD's, family, and cats. It will be a sad goodbye, but I'm so excited for new adventures in another year of college. Thank you for sharing this amazing summer with me. Go out and enjoy the last few days of summer!

Peace out!

The 100th Post!

Yes folks, this is the 100th post of the not-so-well-known "My Life In Progress." I just want to thank all of you out there who are reading this (who basically is Megan, Velvet, Ashley, Jake, and friends who happen to find it on facebook), but I'm finding blogging to be an amazing outlet for not only creativity, but also a place to just share my thoughts on life and any troubles going on in the moment. It's a place to unleash things that have been plaguing my mind. But also it's a place to share adventures, crazy stories, and moments of love and inspiration. Thank you to all of you who have been and continue to read, post comments, and share your own feelings on your own blogs.

There's no way I'm stopping now! Here's to another 100 posts and then some!

Peace out!