A Possibly Dubious Distinction and the Poster

I saw this badge browsing the blog-o-sphere and thought it was interesting. Apparently some website thinks my blog is written on a post-graduate reading level. I wonder what their criteria are, especially since it takes mere seconds to decide the level of writing. I also wonder if I should take that as a complement. Is that just a polite way of saying my writing is incomprehensible to the majority of the English speaking world? Does it have more to do with lack of typos and average length of words than actual writing quality? Isn't the goal to be understood rather than sound intelligent through the use of unnecessarily long words?

Whatever the case, congratulate yourself, dear reader, on being educated enough to understand my writing. If nothing else, get a good chuckle out of this. I did.

Here's what I worked on this weekend. Hurray for Photoshop and free 30-day trials. This is the poster that I will hopefully be getting printed some time this week. I also made the tickets, which should also be printed sometime this week. I think they look pretty snazzy. If you're wondering, the drawing is the frontispiece from an early edition of A Christmas Carol. I really like the black and white look. No goofy Christmas red and greens here. Anyway, if you happen to be in the Orlando area in two weeks (December 6, 7 & 8), you should come see it, if only because you know me, and you know that the Colonial Drama Department needs money, and who doesn't like watching train wrecks? Perhaps if you're feeling especially charitable (it is Christmas, after all) you could print out the poster and hang it in your place of business, or simply spread the word.

P.S.

You maybe wondering, "why the random post?" That's right, I have work to do.

P.S.2
I made my post quota for November as well! Dare I hope for an extra to make up for my abysmal summer post rate?

That Feeling

There's this feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I'm stressed and facing an important deadline whose only cure seems to be sleep. I'm a worrier, see, it's what I do. Unfortunately, the temporary relief gained from sleep wears off after I shake the sleep from my vision and realize that nothing has been accomplished. Before I know it, the real world starts invading my dreams, and I see myself on opening night running frantically around the PAC looking for props and set pieces. I hate this feeling. What's making it worse is that I don't know what to do. In college the solution was always sitting down and writing a paper, or spending hour upon hour in the drafting lab, or staying up all night doing something. This time I have to find my own solutions. New solutions. Blaze a new trail through this experience and hope to come out unscathed on the other side.

Christmas Wish List 2007

Wal-Mart has started playing Christmas music, which means: it's time to publish the annual Christmas Wish List! This is seriously a wish list. I don't really expect to get most of it.

• a laptop bag
• an Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse
• a digital camera
• Guitar Hero III
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on DVD
• Stranger Than Fiction on DVD
• a drafting board (or something like it, you should talk to me...)
• a calender (with retro poster art or black and white photography)
• tools (pliers, side cutters, wrenches, a socket set, etc.)
• Photoshop

Finally, a Break

It's nearly Thanksgiving, yet it feels nothing like it. Sure, the weather has finally taken a turn towards chilly, and the darkness comes faster, but there is a definite lack of--well--something. Perhaps it's that I'm not examining my schedule to see if I can cut class on Wednesday in order to go home on Tuesday. I'm not making Thanksgiving plans. My life has been so consumed with everything else (and by "everything" I mean only one thing: work) that the thought of stopping and doing something other than think about the long list of things I have to do to get "A Christmas Carol" up by December 6 is ridiculous. On top of all that, I have to worry about fund raisers for International Thespians Society and registering for District Thespian competition at the end of next week.

Despite all of the stress and endless lists of things I have to do, I'm having fun. Each day I spend at work, the more I am convinced that I have to best job in the world. It has it's downsides, not the least of which are money and paperwork, but everything else is a blast. There are problems to solve, it's challenging mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm being stretched as a person, and I'm loving it (in a non-McDonald's kind of way).

Ode to the Coffee Pub

There's this little coffee shop in Tallahassee which has become popular with countless FSU students for it's coffee and atmosphere. C. introduced me to the Coffee Pub one evening last Spring semester, and it quickly became my study spot, my hangout, my escape. On more than one occasion I found myself twisted up with a book and a steaming cup of tea in one of the comfy chairs in the corner furtively watching the people around me as I tried to make sense of Beckett, or Virginia Wolff, or Stoppard (oh, Stoppard!). Some evenings when I didn't have much to do, I would just sit and journal, sipping the amazing Mighty Leaf tea with honey.

On evenings like tonight, I want nothing more than to sit and listen to the low hum of college students doing homework and chatting with friends, having conversations that don't relate to someones boyfriend, or High School Musical (the bane of my existence). I miss intelligent conversation, and being around people who have heard of the Lost City of Atlantis (no, not the ride), or Death Valley, or Tibet. There is only so much high school jabber a person can take.

If anyone knows of a good coffee shop in the East Orlando area, please share (Starbucks and Barnie's do not count).

Not Scary Enough

I've decided that I'm not scary enough. I remember going into "Les Miserables" being completely terrified to miss a rehearsal. Despite my warnings, my cast doesn't seem worried about missing rehearsal. As much as I don't want to, I may have to cut someone, just to prove a point. I hope it's not someone I like. But the fact is, several of them have missed rehearsals without telling me why, or even telling me in advance, and that is--frankly--not cool. I want to give them some time to settle in and work things out with their parents as far as rides go, because I remember what it was like being in high school, but at the same time, there hasn't been one rehearsal where someone wasn't standing in for someone else. Considering that we are less than 4 weeks from opening night, that is not good.

I have to be scary. Develop that look. Do something so that they will pay attention and quit goofing around. Maybe I need to grow up a little too. I think that might be my problem. I'm so young and so close to their age that they make a joke, and I totally get it, so I make a joke too, and then we start going back and forth and we don't get anything done. Did I mention that I spent half an hour talking about Nintendo with some of my cast last week when we should have been rehearsing? I need to quit that. It's not good for anyone.

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The Hispanic festival was on Friday in the PAC. They needed someone to run the fly, and since none of my students know how to use the fly safely, I stayed and did it for them. It has been a really long time since I've done anything like that. No matter how evenly weighted the grand drape is, getting 3000 pounds of anything moving is going to take some energy. Doing it upwards of 20 times quickly and in the span of two hours is downright exhausting. My hands are bruised from the rope, despite the leather gloves I wore. I think it was worth it though. A few hours of my work will hopefully be returned in the form of clean dressing rooms and a good relationship with that club in the future. If not, well, they can do their own fly work next year, and it's not my fault if someone gets a grand drape on top of them.