Merry Scrooge Mr. Christmas!

As per usual, I can't keep up on journal-based activities. Sorry I've been AWOL for the past few...months. It has been for a good cause, I promise. On October 25, I started pulling double duty as a stage management intern and a child supervisor for A Christmas Carol and felt like I didn't leave the building for a month. We opened on November 19 and have been running the show doing nine-show weeks since then. My internship officially concluded on the 23rd of November and I have been working entirely with the 13 children who are featured in A Christmas Carol. See, I told you I have been busy. During the run our cast and crew have adopted a family and done a pajama pancake breakfast. Tomorrow is a wrapping party for the adopt-a-family gifts and a chili cook-off. And since we are doing two shows on Christmas Eve, the wonderful volunteers are going to make us a holiday feast between the shows. It's going to be very strange not being at home for Christmas, but I knew it was coming and I have plans with my friend Amber and her family to celebrate on the 25th. My mom already sent me my presents in the mail so I'm ready for the holidays.

I'm currently looking for a second job to serve as supplementary income. Working as a child supervisor is awesome because I can pretty much get a solid 9 to 5 job and still make it downtown in time to work in the evening.

I'm finally starting to develop a social life and I have two... count 'em TWO offers for plans on New Year's Eve.

I'd be lying if I didn't say that this whole living far away from my family and friends hasn't been really hard on me. I know that what I'm doing is right and I love my job and want to continue working in this profession, but I wish I could bring all of the people in my life with me. Sometimes it dawns on me that I don't talk to anyone on my day off and that the only reason I've read 31 books since I moved here is because there is no one around to hang out with. I do know, however, that absence makes the heart grow fonder and I can say without any doubt that my heart is exponentially fonder of all of the great people who are my family and friends and that I am counting down the days until I can see all of you again. A second job would help with the bored aspect of my loneliness.

I'm looking into jobs starting after March1 and considering relocating to the East Coast or to Chicago... scary. You think I'd be cool with the whole moving across the country thing because I've already done it once, but I don't know if relocating will ever get easier. Every time I pack up, my life resets and I have to start from scratch. It's terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

Can't tell you when I'll update again, but I will try not to me so remiss about it. Let's shoot for sometime in the next few weeks.

Prep Week

Well folks, I'm up to my old tricks again. After a restful two week vacation in Missouri, I made it back to Minnesota and have started working on A Christmas Carol. I am so excited to be doing this show because it is such a staple here and since my job includes stage management intern duties and child supervision, I am going to get paid!!!

It has been a very long time since I posted last (slap on the wrist for me) and I have a lot to update so I'll be brief and just cut to the chase on most of these points.

Much Ado opened with very little to-do, which is nice and got into performances very smoothly. My family came up to see me and to see the show and they were impressed. It's nice that they got to see me doing so well and got to familiarize themselves with my surroundings so they don't constantly picture me out in the abyss flailing around.

I was supposed to help out on the studio show, The Edge of Our Bodies, but it is a one-woman show so they didn't see much need for me to sit around for 40 hours per week twiddling my thumbs so I got some time off. I helped out with prep for Bodies and also worked as a helper at an opening night party before I went back to Missouri. Helping with the party was awesome! Not only did I get paid to mingle, drink, dance, eat and carouse but I was also sent home with enough Greek food to feed me for a week and a flower arrangement. Connection to recent news: I booked another party helper gig, so I'm hoping to come away with some free stuff from that too!

It was wonderful to see my family while I was on vacation. Since I won't be home for the holidays this year, we all got together and spent some much needed family time hanging out, so it was like Thanksmas Eve in October. I was also home in time for Truman's Homecoming and the first main stage show of the season, A Melancholy Play which was great! It was weird to be back at Truman because I can tell that I do not belong there anymore, but it was fantastic to be able to support my friends in their success on stage and off just like they supported me.

I spent some time at home looking for jobs, reading and hanging out with the three friends I still have in my hometown.

Okay, so I guess that wasn't really that much to update. So now I'm all caught up and I'm going to work to keep this thing up to date and relevant to what is actually going on in my life.

Whirlwind

Life has been hectic over the last couple of weeks. All I can say is, please bear with me.

I went to the Minnesota State Fair on August 29. As a die-hard fair fanatic, missing out on the festivities was not an option, so on my Monday off I drove through rush-hour traffic from Eden Prairie to St. Paul and went to the fair. I decided that I would only eat truly Minnesotan fair food, so I stuck with cheese curds, hot dish on a stick and root beer. I also had something called an Australian potato that I'd never heard of and it was delicious. Upon arriving at the fair, I wanted to find my way as quickly as possible to the barns to see if there were any representative goats at the great Minnesota get together. After about 45 minutes of walking around to find the elusive ruminants, I finally had to go up to some sheep people and ask if they knew where the goats were and to my utter horror, they said that there were no goats at the fair. Can you believe that? What is a fair without goats? I did stumble upon the Grand Champion Meat Goats and in the Miracle of Life Pavilion there were several Boer does with kids, but that wasn't enough. Minnesota let me down on the goat front. Furthermore, the rabbit and poultry barn was closed for cleaning so I couldn't even look at them. In the main arena, they were having a draft horse show, so I watched that for a while. Then I walked around and through the midway. I stopped by the Minnesota lottery booth, as is tradition and played a few scratchers tickets. Then I decided to be brave and go up in a Space Needle looking ride that took you up 373 feet in the air and spun you around while you looked out over the fair and the Twin Cities area. It was totally worth it, because it was night and the view was breathtaking. I had a blast at the fair and took some great photos of butter sculptures, animal art and got my fix of fair for the year.

Most of my life has been consumed by work lately. We moved to the stage and had tech last week and now we are in previews for the show. We are talking over 60 hours of work last week, line notes multiple times a day, schedules, sign in sheets, etc. Lots and lots of time in the theater. I'm still loving it and yesterday I got to run a dance rehearsal on the stage and use the stage manager's headset and console and I got to announce breaks over the God mic. It was awesome! In other show related news, I may be appearing on stage at the Guthrie. We have had some trouble with keeping extras on the show and it is getting to the point where it is too late in the game to find a replacement to help with scene changes. The director mentioned that I could be dressed as a maid and help with the transitions because I already know the show and have proven myself to be trustworthy and responsible as well as professional. It's not a guaranteed spot or anything, but just being recognized as an option is amazing at this level. I won't know until the middle of this week, and it would mean a shift of duties for the second show I'm supposed to intern for, but I'm not about to pass up an opportunity like this. Also, during the first preview, I got a program with my name in it!!!!! I freaked out a little, but it's just so cool to have it in black and white that I worked at the Guthrie!

I'm finally starting to make friends with some of the actors and that is great, I don't feel so disconnected from them anymore. Several of the actors eat dinner in the building, and I was around so I started talking to them and I already knew they were nice, but it was so great to be welcomed into a conversation so readily. It's taken two months, but I've finally begun to feel like an "insider" at the Guthrie.

I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (forever ago) and got to see some great art. I may have already mentioned that.

My family is coming to see the show in a few weeks and I am so excited to see them! I can't wait to show them around the theater and let them see the show that I've been working on.

In addition to my family coming to see me, some of my friends are going to be in the area in a few weeks as well. It will be so nice to see them and catch up with them!

Time to get back to reading my book. It has taken me two weeks to really get into this biography of Mary Nisbet and I'm starting to get bummed about not keeping up with my "book a week" goal, but what can I say? I'm super busy.

I promise that as soon as the show opens, I will be better about keeping this updated...maybe.

Sober Ramblings

I'm feeling much better now. Last week is behind me and the future is out there waiting. 

This week has been a steady stream of good news and happy occurrences. After finally admitting to myself how lonely I was last week I decided that I would be proactive and go out in search of friends. I started with a place I knew I would run into some genuinely good people: church. I went to the church right across the street from my house and of course, had a wonderful time. The service was awesome and I liked the pastor. It is a non-denominational facility based in Baptist beliefs so I felt right at home. Megachurches in general, tend to put me off a bit because it seems that they are trying to hard to "relate to the people" and adorning sermons with unnecessary bells and whistles. I love the theater and all things theatrical, but I felt that when a church had a sound system and a light board, something just wasn't right. Well, I suppose it is time to eat my words because the church I attended on Sunday is the very definition of a contemporary church. With seating for over 4000 people, three projection screens and two cameras filming the entire time, it was exactly like being the audience for a television show, but surprisingly, none of it bothered me. I still got the message and the feeling I want when I go to church and even though there were tons of people there, it was still apparent that I was new and several families and individuals took the time to greet me. It was an undeniably positive experience and I am looking forward to going back next week. In addition to the great service, I was treated to free lunch because I was a first time guest and a member of the church welcoming committee chatted with me about my specific purpose for attending church. We discussed the 20's singles group that meets weekly and the need for volunteers at the church bookstore. I walked away feeling great and with a brand new volunteer opportunity about to start. Monday is my first day at the bookstore and I'm very excited to see what comes of it.  

I got my official letter of employment from the Guthrie for my Child Supervisor position and an employee handbook this week! As the days pass, I keep reminding myself that soon I will be a paid member of the staff at one of the best theaters in the country and I can't believe how lucky I am. I am still having a blast with the show and am really looking forward to moving on into tech work next week. The days are starting to run together and go by very quickly and it is hard to believe that it is almost September. I am cherishing every moment I have at the Guthrie because before long, my time here will be finished. 

Fall is approaching and that used to mean going back to school and classes and friends and homework, but it doesn't mean any of that anymore. Class at Truman started on Thursday and I felt so strange not being in Kirksville. It still feels like summer and I have sort of subconsciously fooled myself into believing that this is just a summer job that will end in a few weeks and honestly, I'm betting that I don't realize how truly finished I am with school until snow starts to fall here (which will probably be very soon, because I am in the Great White North, after all). I don't really miss school except for the social element, because I'm learning a lot now and I don't have homework, but the making new friends thing continues to elude me. Well, one thing at a time. I am also sad that I won't be able to see any of the shows at Truman this year and I would love to go back and support my friends who are still toiling away in the quest for that magical piece of paper that declares that they too are and official Bad Ass. School is behind me and the real world is awesome. 

The State Fair also started yesterday and when I am finished with my volunteer shift at the church on Monday, I am going to spend all day looking at animals and having a blast at the fair! I am in my element at th fair and it will be good to mingle with some goat and cattle people for a few hours. 

Last night, my boss from the genetics lab (whose parents I'm staying with) arrived in Minnesota for a weekend visit. She brought along with her a care package from home that my mom lovingly put together. The contents of said care package: two Bibles, the complete series of Gilmore Girls, some snack crackers, my proof of insurance card for my car, two letters I received after I left home, a purse, four bottles of wine and a rent check. There is nothing better than a hodge-podge of stuff to make you feel great at the end of the week. 

I think that's about it for now. 

Oh wait, I have confirmed that I am addicted to the library. I now have 10 items checked out and a request for three more books. I'm still keeping to my one book per week goal, but that may fall to the wayside as we approach opening. 

I'm sure there will be more to report in a few days.

Lightbulb Head

What a week.

We started staging the show on Tuesday and I am still having a fantastic time in Minnesota. I have slowly started to assert myself in rehearsals and I am steadily gaining more responsibilities which is good news.

That night, I had a message on my phone from my mom letting me know that my 19 year-old neighbor had died suddenly. It had been a long time since I had spent time with him or even seen him because I was away at school and we moved in different circles, but it hit like a ton of bricks. It is terrible when death happens at all, but when it is someone so young, it is exponentially worse. Hearing about his death opened the flood gates to all of the memories of my friend Paige, who died when she was 17. I still miss her and think about her a lot. So, my distress was a combination of being sad about the loss of a young man with so much of his life ahead of him, remembering what it felt like to lose someone so close to me, hurting for his family and knowing that I was in no position to offer any help at all. I wish that I could take all of that pain and absorb it so that no one ever had to feel that terrible.

Wednesday, I got the good news about the job I applied for at the Guthrie. I was hired to be a Child Supervisor for A Christmas Carol and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, so I will be staying in Minnesota until the end of February. I will also be getting paid $10/hr so I won't be completely broke!!! It isn't my first "job" job, but it feels different, more professional, more grown-up.

Today, I sat down to check my e-mail at work and between messages about my reserved library books and a Groupon deal was a short e-mail about Toby, my dad's dog. He had been having health problems and had deteriorated so quickly that my parents were forced to take him in to be put to sleep yesterday. It was the combination of all of the events of the week and the odd juxtaposition of such bad news with fluff e-mails that I lost it. Fortunately, none of the actors were around and I was quickly ushered out of the room and given the day off to recover from my roller coaster of a week. I was driving home and all I wanted was a hug and I had nowhere to turn to get one. Phone calls just don't cut it when you need a shoulder to cry on.

This week has thrown my situation into very harsh perspective. I am in Minnesota working and doing what I love, but that means missing a lot of things. It hit me how lonely I've been over the last few days and how I will probably continue to be lonely for quite awhile.

In addition (if that wasn't enough already), school starts back, or has already started back, this week. This will be the first time that I haven't gone back to school. This is one of those times in my life that I am really scared and I have to constantly remind myself that the things that scare you are the things that are most worth going after. So, I'm just hanging in there today, ready for tomorrow and a new day.

Bad Day, Good Day

A few days ago was my first "bad" day at work. It wasn't anything too terrible, but the day was doomed from the start. I walked into the rehearsal room and learned that the schedule needed to be changed and that added a lot of pressure to the rest of the day and we were recovering from the mistake for the next few hours. Then, I was in charge of a rehearsal room, but didn't have the necessary items to properly run the rehearsal and one of the actors decided not to show up at all. I was panicked because I didn't want to disrupt the other rehearsal, but I had to and I just felt completely incompetent all day long.

The next day was better and on my way home from work I called in to a radio show and won a pair of tickets to a St. Paul Saints game on Friday. I can't go because I have rehearsal, but it's still cool that I won.

I also made a stop by Arc's Value Village in Richfield because I needed some more professional attire and it had to be cheap. I bought two shirts and a belt and made Kylee very proud.

Today, I'm hanging out at the library and I think I'm going to explore some more of what Minnesota has to offer... maybe Minnehaha State Park or Walker Arts Center, or both.

What's Between the Mainstream and the Fringe?

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is the largest non-juried festival in the United States. It lasts for eleven days and features over 160 shows in venues around the Twin Cities. Having never been to a Fringe festival, I decided that since I had been exposed to a lot of mainstream theater, I would be adventurous and see what else the city offered in the way of performance. Tuesday was the first day I was able to go to the festival, so I got on the website and found a show that I thought sounded really promising. The Proper Way to Beat a Dead Horse was a show about how we interact with people that grew from improv work and was conceived and performed by five high school students. All I can say is I wish I hadn't paid $14 to waste an hour of my life. It seemed like nothing was working for these kids. I salute their bravery and passion for theater, but it sucked. The actors were no more than four feet in front of me and I had to strain to hear them. This is also a beef with the coordinators of the festival. They booked a dance/comedy show on the stage directly above the performance I was watching so most of the time the only thing I could hear was stomping and cheering from a crowd that was obviously having a great time. It made me wish I had chosen that show. Approximately 30 minutes in to the hour long performance, the actors seemed to have lost what little semblance of composure they had to start with and they were breaking character left and right and eventually just gave up all together and the show dissolved into nothing but five kids trying to kill time by any means necessary, including pulling someone from the audience into the scene and dumping water on the stage. The rest of the audience was trying to be supportive because every single one of them was either related to or good friends with one or more of the actors. I was alone in my contempt for the show. When the curtain call was finished, I was pissed that I had wasted time and money on these kids who didn't even care enough to stay committed to their show. As I was leaving the theater, I heard them say to their friends, "Sorry that sucked, we'll get you comps for Saturday night." That's all well and good for the people who could see the show done properly, but what about those of us who only had the chance to see it once? I had my hand on the door when the cast said, "Thank you for coming!" and I know they meant me. I just briskly walked out of the show and didn't look back. Needless to say, my first experience tainted my opinion of the festival, but I was determined to give it another chance.

Last night, I went to Theatre in the Round and saw Power Lunch by Alan Ball. It was a cast of four mature actors who did a wonderful job, and thank goodness because if I had seen a second bad show I would have been put off of Fringe festivals for life. The show was very funny and clipped along at a nice pace. I am probably slightly biased because I adore Alan Ball, but the show was good fun and a great way to end the evening. It also restored my faith in the Minnesota Fringe Festival and I will be going back tonight after rehearsal and probably for the rest of the week. Two shows and two very different reactions makes for two incredibly eventful days.

Perhaps along the same lines as my above rantings about the Fringe, I have taken it upon myself to cultivate my telephone skills. I was walking out of the theater on Cedar Ave and had about a 3/4 mile walk back to my car on 8th Street and I had just received a text from my friend Mandy so I decided rather than texting I would  call her. We had a fantastic chat for almost an hour and that one phone call made me realize how much I miss hearing my friends' voices. So the next night I called my friend Sarah and spoke to her for about 30 minutes and then called my friend Andrew and talked to him for over an hour. After I hung up with him, I felt great. It was a feeling of connection that I have been missing in Minnesota because it's taking time to develop friendships and connections here. So, I have added a goal to my list. I am making it my goal to talk on the phone to a different friend every week. Friends, if I have your number, look out for a call!

In other news.... I had an interview yesterday for a paid position at the Guthrie!!! The position is a Child Supervisor for the children who are cast in Guthrie shows and the commitment is from first rehearsal to closing performance. In all likelihood, if I get the position it will be for A Christmas Carol, a show that I am already working on as an intern, but I would get paid for the hours I spend with the kids and I would get to stay until the end of December. In my interview, I noticed that children were also being cast for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that runs through the end of February and I let them know that I was available and more than willing to sign on for that show as well. I won't know until the end of next week if I got the job for December and then after that for the February show, but I really hope that I get to stay at the Guthrie until the end of February! That would certainly decrease the amount of down time I would have before the start of most summer stock contracts. If  stayed in Minnesota until February, it would mean missing the entire holiday season, but I knew that was a possibility when I moved 8 hours away, so I would just have to catch my family at Easter or St. Patrick's Day. They are very supportive, though and understand that building my career is very important and that this is a crucial time.

That's a lot, so I can't really in good conscience say, that's it. We have come to the end of this post and if you've made it this far, I thank you for your attention.

Just dropping a little knowledge on you at the end. "A young man without ambition is an old man waiting to be."-Steven Brust

Rehearsal Rehearsal Books Books Sleep

I have successfully completed my first two weeks as an intern at the Guthrie! It has been an experience, to say the very least. It has been a whirlwind of prep, shadowing and rehearsals. My first few days were spent getting all of the paperwork ready for the cast and crew and figuring out more specifically what it was I would be doing while I'm here. At my first meeting with the PSM, I got into a discussion about looking for work to supplement the internship and I applied for an extra position at the Guthrie and have an interview for a paid job at the Guthrie tomorrow! Also, on that first day I met some of the other SM team members and secured three shadowing opportunities. I sat in the booth during a run of H.M.S. Pinafore and God of Carnage and quizzed the stage managers about their careers and their education. My third shadowing experience was trailing an ASM backstage on H.M.S. Pinafore and I have to say, that was the coolest! I got to meet several of the actors including Barbara Bryne (Jack's Mother), ride a huge hydraulic turntable and witness other secret kinds of theatre magic.

In my limited time at the Guthrie, I have had a chance to meet with props and scenery department heads, tape out the set and get the rehearsal room ready for a meet and greet and rehearsal. Last week was the beginning of the rehearsal process for Much Ado About Nothing; read-through, script work, character analysis, etc. It has been wonderful to watch such talented professionals work on the show. As far as I'm concerned, here at the Guthrie, there is a very steep learning curve. You are thrown into work and you just have to do it, which I'm finding to be extremely educational. I have become a master at making copies and coffee, but I have also been entrusted with other duties, like distributing the schedule and today I get to run a rehearsal room!

Today is my first Intern Workshop. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm excited to meet the other interns and to learn some new things about getting into the theater profession.

In other Minnesota news, I have no Internet access at my house so I have commute to Wi-Fi hot spots to keep in touch with the rest of the world. Now, I know that it isn't a big deal to drive down the street and sit in a coffee shop for several hours, but on my days off I just like to relax at home. In my lack of connectivity I have reawakened my yen for recreational reading. In the three weeks I have been here I have read 5 books and show no signs of slowing down. That is good news, but I only brought 9 books with me, so you can see where that presents a bit of a problem. Solution: yesterday I went to the Hennepin County Library and got a library card. It was a strange experience because it made me feel like a permanent fixture here rather than a visitor. Real grown-up stuff.

I am still going down the list of touristy things to do in Minnesota and on Saturday, I checked another one off. I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts... well, sort of. I arrived at the museum at 4:30, not knowing that they close at 5. I checked my bag and jogged around the museum for 30 minutes and then had to leave. In the short time I was there, I saw works by Calder, O'Keeffe, Gorky, Beckmann and others. I promised myself I would go back and leave myself plenty of time to leisurely enjoy the works of art.

Quack Quack Quack

So, I'm a bit of a liar. I didn't see A Midsummer Night's Dream like I said I was going to. Instead, I got to experience my first live hockey game at the Braemar Arena in Edina, MN. It was a college summer league and I had to employ every single trivia fact from The Mighty Ducks to successfully follow the game, but I did it and it was very entertaining. Who know? There may be a die-hard hockey fan buried deep within me somewhere. The mascot for the team was the Edina Mites... isn't that hysterical?

After the hockey game, I went to Adele's Frozen Custard... delicious! I had a caramel apple sundae. Just imagine how good that sounds and it was that great.

Yesterday I did the ultimate touristy thing to do in Minnesota and went to the Mall of America. I spent three hours walking around and I only went into two stores. I also went to the aquarium that is inside the mall: Sea Life. It was such a novelty to be in an aquarium in a mall. Of course I stopped by Nickelodeon Universe and the Lego store but the coolest place I stumbled upon was a store called Bettie Page that has all things inspired by the era of the notorious Bettie Page. Super cute stuff. So, the Mall of America, I've done it and that's that.

Today is my first day at the Guthrie and I can't wait!!!!! Only a few more hours! Until then though, here are some pictures from Sea Life.

 

Jellyfish... very serene and yet really creepy. It's probably the no brain thing. 

 

Fish and stuff in the aquarium

Bottom feeders

 

That is a shark! 

This should be the first picture, but it isn't. Sorry about that, I guess. It's like at the end of a movie when the title flashes again before all of the credits roll.

Fate and Other Happenings

Everything about Minneapolis and what I have experienced in the four days I've been here leads me to believe that I was meant to come here. I have had one positive experience after another and couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life right now. I was destined to work at the Guthrie, and I don't even start working until Tuesday.

I went to see God of Carnage in the McGuire Proscenium at the Guthrie yesterday with my friend Milton. In addition to seeing Milton, which was wonderful, I got to sit in Row G of a famous theater and watch a brilliant performance of a superb play. As I was looking through the program, I read some of the selected credits for two of the actors and saw The Straight Story. Most people don't know what that is, but it is a film based on the true story of Alvin Straight who rode a tractor from Iowa to Wisconsin to see his sick brother when he was in his 70's. It is significant that two of the actors in my first Guthrie show were in this film because Alvin Straight is the uncle of my neighbor Walter back home. It really is a small world and I'm loving that fact more and more every day. Also, one of the actors was in Drop Dead Gorgeous, another great film that connects me to this place and these people.

And today, I'm going to the Public Theater of Minnesota to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, just one more thing that makes it feel like fate that I'm here.

I took a leisurely stroll around downtown Minneapolis yesterday after God of Carnage and snapped a few tourist photos for posterity. Downtown Minneapolis is beautiful; the perfect combination of history and modernity, factory and fantasy.

 

This is a view of the Pillsbury mill from across the river. 

 

The Mill City Museum is right next to the Guthrie. Very cool. 

The Guthrie as seen from the historic Stone Arch Bridge. 

Hennepin Avenue Bridge 

This isn't downtown. This is the Smith Douglas More House in Eden Prairie that is also a coffee shop. I go there every single day. 

Gold Medal Flour mill right next to the Guthrie

And of course, the fabulous Guthrie Theater! 

New Digs

Here are some pictures of the house I'm staying in. 

 

Closet and desk in my basement room

 

Back room with washer/dryer, refrigerator, stove and microwave. This door also serves as my private entrance. 

 

Basement living room

 

My bathroom 

 

Bed #1 and shelves 

 

Bed #2 and beside table 

 

Dresser and general beautification area 

Real World: Minnesota

I am in Minnesota! It is hard to believe that I have successfully moved to Minneapolis and am sitting in a coffee shop right now writing this post.

Yesterday, I left Missouri at 7:40 am and arrived in Minnesota at 4:15 pm. I stopped in Macon for gas, Kirksville for errands, Bloomfield, IA for a snack and Albert Lea, MN for gas again. In the course of an eight and a half hour drive I stopped for approximately 30 minutes and wasn't even going stir crazy by the time I arrived at my new pad. I'm fairly impressed with myself considering that this was my first long haul and the only other long drive I've ever done was 3 hours to Fairfield, IA.

So, my new digs. I'm living in the basement room of an older couple. The room has two twin beds, north and west facing windows, two bookshelves, a beside table, a dresser, a full closet, a desk, a large mirror and it's own bathroom. If that wasn't amazing enough, the couple I'm staying with is adding an outlet in the bathroom for my various beauty electronics. The rest of the basement is also furnished. There is a couch, television, treadmill, washer and dryer, two refrigerators, a microwave and a stove. There is also a separate entrance for me to use when I get back late from work. The house is only 15 minutes away from the Guthrie, is 4 minutes away from a Dunn Bros Coffee with free Wi-Fi and is across the street from a gargantuan Baptist church.

I had dinner with my host family last night and we immediately delved into subjects ranging from politics to religion, education and art. It was wonderful and I already love the couple because they are so warm and welcoming and told me that I should consider myself at home with them. I couldn't have asked for a better place to stay!

Okay, I'll try to stop raving. It's difficult though, because this just seems perfect. I'm so lucky to be here.

I have a meeting today at the Guthrie with the Intern Coordinator and I get to go in through the Stage Door! I have no idea what to expect from my meeting today, but I'm ridiculously excited about it! I will post again when I know more about my job. Meanwhile, I'm going to go explore!

Kazoo

I sent in my application for a 12 month stage management internship at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre today, thus getting one step closer to completing my goal of living in all of the M states. It's a weird goal, but it's a goal nonetheless.

I can't wait to get to Minneapolis and start doing something. I now understand the turmoil of being unemployed and I'm not handling it well. I watched Percy Jackson and the Olympians, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, Despicable Me and The Social Network today.... my eyeballs are trying screaming.

I miss my friends, because none of them are here and I can't see Harry Potter on opening night... which means I can celebrate my childhood for a few extra hours.

11 days to the big move.

Time Travel Ketchup

Where have the last three weeks gone? Into dodgeball, rehearsals, hall meetings, crafting, water parks, tag, epic pirate vs. ninja battles and natural disasters just to name a few. It has been a few days since the end of JBA and I still can't believe that it is over. It seems a daunting task at the beginning of training but once the kids arrive, it is a whirlwind. I will attempt a short recap of my second summer at the world's best job. Week 1: Kids arrived on Saturday in a blur of teenage madness and settle in to their rooms. Some of my favorite kids from last year came back and made my day. Sunday was the rules meeting and getting to know your professor and a kid asked if we were going to do The Book of Mormon as our JBA show. I was impressed and stunned that a 12 year old knew about the show and thought we could pull it off in two weeks. Monday was the start of a standard week with class in the morning, lunch, afternoon class, dinner, activities and bed. Sounds pretty chill, but it is non-stop action from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. Not to mention the big events like Water Olympics (where I got the worst sunburn I've ever had in my life-- it's been two and half weeks and I'm still sore from it), Pirate vs. Ninja Day (Aaarrgh- I'm a pirate lover all the way), Dodgeball (which I was surprisingly good at this year), Halloween (I was Wilma Flintstone), Carnival, Lazy Sunday (I lazed about with the best of them and watched Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black...dumb) and Humans vs. Zombies. Working with three preceptors in the theatre class meant that we could take it easier this year, but with 22 kids it was about the same amount of work as 2 preceptors with 18 kids. We also had students who wanted to do tech rather than performance so I took them under my wing and they served as board ops during the show. 

So, natural disasters. In the first week we had a fire and a tornado. The second week was pretty calm and in the third week we had a huge storm that caused the entire city of Kirksville to lose power for several hours an multiple campus buildings were without power for days after the fact. The storm flooded part of the residence hall we were staying in and all of the staff had to stay awake for most of the night to assure children that the town wasn't sinking. Without power, the theatre class couldn't do tech for the show, Witch/Fairy until Wednesday morning for a Thursday evening show, but it all worked out and the show was a hit. JBA 2011 was a great success and a great ending to my time in Kirksville. On Sunday morning, I got up and checked out of C-Hall and left K-Vegas in my rear view mirror, never to return again.... at least until next session's Water Olympics.

My whole life has been JBA for the last few weeks and now that I'm back home it is a frantic game of get ready for the great northern migration to Minneapolis. I'm cleaning and packing and recovering from summer camp and going to the bank and getting my oil changed and about a million other things. I'm also dog sitting for a friend who is out of town.

I got spoiled when I came back from Kirksville. My theatre teacher from high school took me out to lunch with my best friend. My parents took me out to dinner to celebrate my homecoming and my grandma's birthday and partially because I think they feel guilty for not waiting to celebrate the Fourth of July with me. They decided to celebrate on the 2nd and I didn't come home until the 3rd. My aunt took me out to lunch to catch up and then my mom took me to Best Buy and I got a hands-free ear piece for my cell phone. I feel super futuristic and important when I use it. Technical gizmos are awesome!

Other random things:

I bought some special ketchup before I left for JBA and had some today, it was tasty.

It is my plan to make several mixed CDs for the drive to Minneapolis. I'm searching through music right now and fear I won't have enough CDs.

I recently found an internship at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre that is 12 months and paid with insurance so I'm applying for that. I updated my resume and it now includes the Guthrie, which is so cool!

One of our rabbits had bunnies and they are too cute to handle. I've had a cute overload lately between tiny twelve year-olds, stuffed animal gifts and real animal pets.

I'm addicted to a game on Facebook called Gardens of Time (judge all you want) and I spent most of today playing it.

Soon, I will have a GPS and be heading to Minnesota and then things will get exciting!

Squeaky Shoe Kid

I hate being the kid with the squeaky shoes. We all know who I'm talking about: that kid who walks down the hallway making that annoying noise every single time her shoes hit the ground. I loathe that noise. When you are the kid with the squeaky shoes, you know it and you feel supremely self-conscious because everyone knows that you are the squeaky shoe kid and they will probably be discussing the squeak in your shoes at length later, when you've left the room and they can finally hear themselves think because the squeak has left the vicinity. Inevitably,we all spend some time in our lives being the squeaky shoe kid, but I have actively worked to avoid being this unfortunate soul through my entire school career. It's only happened a few times and I have quickly resolved the problem by walking in a different manner (which probably got be labeled as the "weird walk" kid, but I'd rather have that than squeaky shoes).

This morning I was heading down to breakfast and I heard that ungodly sound coming from my shoes and I nearly flipped out. I cannot handle being that person, I refuse. So once again I started walking funny (but no one was around to see) and then the squeak gave up and surrendered and my shoes were quieted... all was right with the world. And just for good measure, I changed my shoes. 

Photo Update

Here are some photos of my recently completed Boggle themed bulletin board.

JB-What A Day!

Yesterday was officially Day 1 of training for JBA, the summer camp I work for. The job is a combination between glorified camp counselor and teaching assistant and it is the best summer camp type job in the world. This is my second year and I'm so glad to be back. I met all of the new staff and got to have some fun with the old staff as well and it seems like we are going to have a really strong team this year.

As a preceptor at JBA, one of the responsibilities is to make door decorations and a bulletin board, which I touched on in an earlier post. I have some photo updates on that front. I made Walk of Fame Stars and pairs of flip flops for each of my girls and my Boggle board game bulletin board is well on its way, it even has velcro on the letters so that I can change them part of the way through camp.

With all of that crafty work and hours of getting to know you games (including Mafia where I lasted the longest I ever have and successfully helped with identifying three of the seven mafia members), I was exhausted by the end of the day, which came around 11pm, but I still hadn't unpacked anything so I was up until 2:30 am getting my four-person room situated for just me. Note: I am once again sleeping on a mega bed, this time with four mattresses.

The next few days are general JBA training, but the real fun starts when the kids arrive. I'm so excited for the theatre class! At the end of the session the students perform a 30-minute play and this year we are doing Witch Fairy and (NERD ALERT) I get to stage manage it!!!!! I spent many hours over the past few weeks making the ultimate stage management kit specifically to show off to the kids--and to use of course. It's a tackle box that is roughly two feet tall and it is full of medical supplies and highlighters. I've actively "geeked out" over it on several occasions.

If yesterday was any indication of how my summer is going to go, bring it on because it's going to be fantastic!!!

Boggle and Buttons

I am not a crafty person. I have attempted to be crafty and it just never works out. I tried scrapbooking for awhile, I've tried crocheting, quilting, and other similar tasks, but I'm just not gifted in that way. I desperately want to be dedicated to a craft, probably because my life is one big void right now and I feel that filling that empty space with a hobby would make the days go by faster or something, but I have been looking for a crafty hobby for a couple of weeks and I think I've found it.

Please don't laugh, but I've starting making button bracelets. My mom used to have a really cool button bracelet and I always admired it so now I've decided to make some of my own. Furthermore, I think that the kids at the summer camp I'm working for this summer will enjoy them. Button bracelets seem like a pre-teen fashion fad and if I can start it at camp, I will be the coolest counselor ever. That is another reason for this hobby, I want the kids at camp to think I'm awesome. Here's hoping these things make me seem really cool!

In other news, I'm also in charge of making a bulletin board at this particular camp. It has always been a point of stress for me, but I think I've got it figured out for this year: a Boggle board. Sounds easy, but we'll see how it turns out. I've been working on it today, which is why I'm whining about crafts. They are hard. So, kudos to all of you crafty people out there, I'm green with envy. Hmm...maybe that will be my next bracelet.

My "Two Bed" Life

Today, I was thinking about my two beds. Since I moved back in with my parents after graduating from college, I have had two full-size beds in my room and they take up all of the space in my post-grad cave. I was looking at both of my beds and noting the differences. One bed has blue pillows and a denim comforter and the other has purple pillows and a lavender comforter. My "college bed" is entirely indicative of my personality while my "home bed" is an homage to the country girl I used to be (and still occasionally am). It's been really nice to have two beds because that means I always have a choice at the end of the day which bed I want to sleep in. It's not as existential as it sounds, I just have two beds.

Then I thought about where these beds have been and what they have seen (don't worry, it's not going to get dirty). My "college bed" has been in a house and an apartment and before it was my "college bed" it was my "teenage bed," because I got it on my thirteenth birthday. It had a brief hiatus when I was living in a dorm room, but it has been a wonderful bed. So, the point of all of this is: I have been living a "two bed" life for quite some time. As a freshman and a sophomore I lived alone in my dorm room and had access to two beds, I currently live in a room with two beds and when I move to Minnesota in less than two months I will once again find myself residing with two beds.

I thoroughly enjoy having two beds, but today I decided to cut back and commit to a "one bed" lifestyle, and by one bed I mean that I elected to stack my beds and create a mega bed. And now, as I sit atop my glorious work of art, I feel like Dwight Schrute, but only in the tiniest way.

Behold: MEGA BED!

There Goes the Neighborhood

Shopping for winter boots in the middle of the summer is wrong. Despite that, I spent several agonizing minutes today looking for some glacier-friendly footwear. Why? Because I'm moving to Minneapolis, MN in a few weeks and will be facing my first winter in the the Twin Cities. Now, I'm a farm girl and I'm not afraid of a little winter weather, but I've heard nothing but horror stories about Minnesota winters and honestly I'm a little freaked out about surviving the cold, because I am the quintessential summer person. I do not mix with snow... we'll see how this works out. This blog is mostly my attempt to keep everyone updated and to catalog my encounters with Minnesotans, I hear they are really nice!

I'm moving to Minnesota because I just got a job (and by job, I mean unpaid internship) at the Guthrie Theater. Here's the link if you wanna check it out: http://www.guthrietheater.org/. I will be a stage management intern from July to November and I will have the chance to work on three different shows. I can't actually type out how excited I am about this adventure, but I will try, I think it looks something like this: A;EOIJAOIDFAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHOWJFOJWFOIJDWOVHOLYCRAP!!!!AOIJ???OFWIVALDJAAAAHHHHHALEIFJWOOOHOOOOOO! and then some.

Before I leave for Minnesota, I am heading to the lesser north (aka Kirksville) to hang with a bunch of nerdy teenagers (aka kids who are cooler than me) for JBA and I'm almost as excited about that as I am for the Guthrie. It's basically all of the end of the last paragraph with fewer Ws. Since JBA doesn't start until June and I didn't find out about the Guthrie until yesterday, I have been operating on the pretense that this is summer vacation, but on productive acid. And by productive, I mean of course watching lots of movies. Which brings me to the ultimate point of this first blog post and serves as an introduction to what is probably going to be a regular occurrence on this page: I have to explain my obsession with films and the people in them.

Michael Douglas. Who would've thought? Here's a tangent if I've ever seen one (but I wasn't very good at math): I graduated from college and had a party. Simple enough. I made a playlist that I am very proud of, it's on my YouTube page. On this list were songs like Black or White, All for You, More than a Feeling and here it is: When the Going Gets Tough by Billy Ocean. If you haven't heard of it, look it up. You'll be listening to it for days. So, that song is on the soundtrack of The Jewel of the Nile, starring (hello cyclical) Michael Douglas. I decided to watch it because I got a free trial of Netflix (pointless detail) and found out it was the sequel to Romancing the Stone, and I cannot watch sequels first. It's almost as wrong as shopping for boots in the summertime. Anyway, I had to watch both of them and Michael Douglas... hot. So, then I watched The American President and The War of the Roses. Completely worth the lost day I spent staring at my computer screen. I already have a slight thing for older men, so it makes sense, but Catherine Zeta-Jones knew what she was doing.

People in Minneapolis will be so happy to have me around, right? I mean who wouldn't want someone this random hanging out with them, eh?