Woohoo! I got the job at Barnes and Noble and I'm still working at the church. Today I ran my first wedding and tomorrow I'm running a full service by myself with no help at all!
Also, big news: I'm officially a graduate student! I'm taking Religion in Film and Theatre Topics this summer and Advanced Directing in the fall. That means I'll be in Columbia for significantly longer than I had originally planned, but I'm fine with that. I used to be worried that I would get stuck in Columbia, but now that I'm faced with the prospect of spending a few years here, I'm not panicking at all. I know that I'm a goal-oriented person and it is my goal to move away from home. I will do it when the time is right and nothing can stop me!
I'm still addicted to baking cupcakes and will be making another batch tomorrow for my cousin's graduation party.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Post Grad Rad
Too often I end up doing "catch-up" posts because I get distracted by my life. It's a good problem to have and as much as I feel guilty for people who read this having to invest several hours reading my novella length updates, it's just how I roll and it's probably not going to change any time soon.
Here are the headlines:
Employment
I have continued to scour theater employment websites almost every day searching for new openings and chasing down leads whenever they present themselves. I've had a few promising interviews that all too quickly ended as disappointing emails. I've been told that your second job post-grad is the hardest to get in the theater industry and I believe it. So, I'm learning to be patient and keeping up the faith about my next big thing.
As far as temporary employment until something in the theater comes along, I've landed a job working as a technical assistant at a local church. As soon as I got home from Minnesota I started looking into volunteer positions to add to my resume, give me a chance to learn some new skills, etc. and I found an opening at a tech team at one of the big contemporary churches in town. Several of my family members attend church there, so I thought it would be great to have that connection. I went in and met with the IT Director and signed up to volunteer for that weeks service. Immediately I felt so comfortable with everyone at the church and loved the challenge of running lights for a live non-scripted event. It's a completely different experience that calling a play. The next week I got a chance to design lights for a big event at the church and it was incredible. It was definitely baptism by fire, but I made it through and have been working more and more as a designer for the church. A few days after my big designing debut, my supervisor asked if I wanted to dedicate a little more time to volunteering and really focus on directing Sunday morning services. Of course I said yes and we were off. I started spending even more time at the church and observing the inner workings of a technical team handling a church service complete with video, IPad slide shows, rock band, and lights. It's quite a thing to see how stage management translates from theater to churches. It would certainly be a good thesis topic. After a month of shadowing the service director, I got to jump into the driver's seat for the third service two weeks ago. I was scared out of my mind, just like the first night of Godspell, but I survived and learned a lot. My supervisor, Jake has been simply fantastic, taking the time to really make sure I feel comfortable and prepared for taking on more responsibilities with the services. Last week, I was calling all three services with Jake as a shadow. Moving up the volunteer ladder fast, huh? Working at the church is fulfilling and relaxed and I'm hoping to make the most of the opportunity while it lasts. In that same vein, the IT Director of the church knew my situation and understood the possibility of my leaving after only a few weeks. Apparently, everyone at the church was so impressed with how committed I've been and the quality of my work that they invented a position for me. There you go. My main duty as a technical assistant is burning and printing sermon series CDs for the bookstore in the church. I've been told it's basically a position to keep me around for as long as possible. The church is going through an expansion and they've hinted at keeping me on staff while that happens so that I can manage one of the auditoriums in the bigger building. It's a great feeling knowing that they trust my potential, but I'm just happy to be around for now.
At the same time I started volunteering for the church, I applied for a part-time bookseller position at Barnes and Noble. Last week I went in for a preliminary interview with the assistant manager and two days later got a call for a second interview with the store manager. The interviews were very smooth and I enjoyed talking with both of them and I'm in the final pool of potential hires. I should know by Monday or Tuesday about the final hiring decision, but I really hope I get it! I'm thinking that I won't be leaving Columbia until the fall, so this job would keep me occupied and keep me in the money while I chill in MO.
I also applied for a weekend job at a Vet Hospital because (believe it or not) I'm incredibly qualified to work there and I had a nice interview there and am waiting to hear back about that job too. I'm less excited about that because it would be mostly weekends and that would infringe upon my volunteering time at the church.
Slowly but surely, I'm becoming less and less unemployed, or more and more employed.
Domestic Issues
With so much free time, I've been experimenting with crafting and up-cycling. My dad and I cleaned out the garage and I found a bunch of old records and cassette tapes that I have since turned into a lamp (sort of) and two cupcake stands. I've also refurbished an old rocking chair, a sign, a coffee can and a small suitcase. I've also gone a bit cupcake crazy. I've always enjoyed baking cupcakes and now that I have a full kitchen to work with, I'm taking full advantage. About once a week I treat my parents to a fresh batch of cupcakes. I recently bought two trays for making mini-cupcakes, a special batter scoop, chocolate sauce bottles and a vat of Crisco to make my own icing. It's a good thing there are some big-ish holidays coming up because I need an excuse to bake. I bought a dress just because the pattern reminded me of cupcakes. It's bordering on obsession.
I occasionally help my mom with her rabbits. We now have about 80 rabbits living in our backyard. My family never does anything small.
My brother moved across town to a new house so my dad has been calling on me to help him more and I really like that I'm getting to spend more time with him. He'd never admit it, but he really wants me to stay unemployed forever so that I can live at home and hang out with him all the time. Every time I bring up the job search, he just says something like, "Don't worry about it, you're not causing any trouble being at home." He hated me being so far away and he's loving every moment I'm home. We've been hauling wood, getting feed, grilling and watching Duck Dynasty. It's the good life.
Foreign Affairs
There are several community theaters in Columbia and I contacted a few of them regarding stage management positions, but it ended up going nowhere. In an effort to stay connected to the theater industry, even in a small way I looked up a new company in Columbia called Talking Horse Productions housed in the Berlin Theatre (that's the Foreign part, I'm trying to be theme-y). I went to see [title of show] the musical and it was great! I was impressed and afterwards I met with the Artistic Director and found out that the next show they are doing is Five Women Wearing the Same Dress!!!!! I nearly had heart failure. Auditions are this weekend, and I'm really considering going. Just to be involved with that show again would be spectacular!
World Travel
I've made the trek up north to Kirksville a few times to see No Exit and Spring Awakening and had a blast hanging with some wonderful friends. I got to catch up with the Chicago crew and the St. Louis posse and party hard with everyone around.
New York Times Best Seller List
Sometimes the sheer strangeness of my dreams is astounding, but not too long ago I had a crazy dream that inspired an idea for a novel. I don't want to give it away, but it's a historical fiction thriller set in Austria in the late 1800's and several young girls go missing and then things get intense. It's still in the research and outlining phase, but I'm hoping that it turns into something. I've always been a huge fan of books and I love reading and writing, so to combine the two and get something original out of it would be interesting. It's going to be a challenge because the idea of writing a novel is daunting, but I'm pacing myself and staying focused so that it doesn't overwhelm me.
Society Pages
Most of my friends live out of state or are incredibly busy so I don't get the chance to see them very often, but when I do it's always a good time. I've seen a couple of friends who are in grad school and a few who are battling it out in the real world job market. My social life is definitely lacking these days, but I hang out with my parents. If you think that's lame, you've got the wrong perspective.
Health
According to schedule my six-month check at the dentist came up shortly after I came home and it was the first dentist appointment EVER that I was worried about. Two days before my appointment my mom pointed out how much my jaw popped and I had noticed it over the last few years but never thought anything about it. She told me that it could be something that needed to be fixed which immediately got my thinking that I would have to be rushed to the hospital, thrown on the operating table and cut open face first to have my jaw sawed off and reattached with some minor adjustments. At the dentist's office, I asked about the popping and he informed me that I have a mild case of Temperomandibular Joint Disorder, which basically means that my jaw joint is structurally wonky. He also informed me that there is no solution for the problem and that I'm just going to have to deal with the popping sounds for the rest of my life. I was relieved that surgery was out of the question and quite entertained by my strange affliction.
Obituaries
Don't worry, this isn't what you think. Today, a snake somehow wound up in our house and met it's untimely end. The only kind of snake I like is a dead one.
I think that's it for this issue of Amy's news.
Here are the headlines:
Employment
I have continued to scour theater employment websites almost every day searching for new openings and chasing down leads whenever they present themselves. I've had a few promising interviews that all too quickly ended as disappointing emails. I've been told that your second job post-grad is the hardest to get in the theater industry and I believe it. So, I'm learning to be patient and keeping up the faith about my next big thing.
As far as temporary employment until something in the theater comes along, I've landed a job working as a technical assistant at a local church. As soon as I got home from Minnesota I started looking into volunteer positions to add to my resume, give me a chance to learn some new skills, etc. and I found an opening at a tech team at one of the big contemporary churches in town. Several of my family members attend church there, so I thought it would be great to have that connection. I went in and met with the IT Director and signed up to volunteer for that weeks service. Immediately I felt so comfortable with everyone at the church and loved the challenge of running lights for a live non-scripted event. It's a completely different experience that calling a play. The next week I got a chance to design lights for a big event at the church and it was incredible. It was definitely baptism by fire, but I made it through and have been working more and more as a designer for the church. A few days after my big designing debut, my supervisor asked if I wanted to dedicate a little more time to volunteering and really focus on directing Sunday morning services. Of course I said yes and we were off. I started spending even more time at the church and observing the inner workings of a technical team handling a church service complete with video, IPad slide shows, rock band, and lights. It's quite a thing to see how stage management translates from theater to churches. It would certainly be a good thesis topic. After a month of shadowing the service director, I got to jump into the driver's seat for the third service two weeks ago. I was scared out of my mind, just like the first night of Godspell, but I survived and learned a lot. My supervisor, Jake has been simply fantastic, taking the time to really make sure I feel comfortable and prepared for taking on more responsibilities with the services. Last week, I was calling all three services with Jake as a shadow. Moving up the volunteer ladder fast, huh? Working at the church is fulfilling and relaxed and I'm hoping to make the most of the opportunity while it lasts. In that same vein, the IT Director of the church knew my situation and understood the possibility of my leaving after only a few weeks. Apparently, everyone at the church was so impressed with how committed I've been and the quality of my work that they invented a position for me. There you go. My main duty as a technical assistant is burning and printing sermon series CDs for the bookstore in the church. I've been told it's basically a position to keep me around for as long as possible. The church is going through an expansion and they've hinted at keeping me on staff while that happens so that I can manage one of the auditoriums in the bigger building. It's a great feeling knowing that they trust my potential, but I'm just happy to be around for now.
At the same time I started volunteering for the church, I applied for a part-time bookseller position at Barnes and Noble. Last week I went in for a preliminary interview with the assistant manager and two days later got a call for a second interview with the store manager. The interviews were very smooth and I enjoyed talking with both of them and I'm in the final pool of potential hires. I should know by Monday or Tuesday about the final hiring decision, but I really hope I get it! I'm thinking that I won't be leaving Columbia until the fall, so this job would keep me occupied and keep me in the money while I chill in MO.
I also applied for a weekend job at a Vet Hospital because (believe it or not) I'm incredibly qualified to work there and I had a nice interview there and am waiting to hear back about that job too. I'm less excited about that because it would be mostly weekends and that would infringe upon my volunteering time at the church.
Slowly but surely, I'm becoming less and less unemployed, or more and more employed.
Domestic Issues
With so much free time, I've been experimenting with crafting and up-cycling. My dad and I cleaned out the garage and I found a bunch of old records and cassette tapes that I have since turned into a lamp (sort of) and two cupcake stands. I've also refurbished an old rocking chair, a sign, a coffee can and a small suitcase. I've also gone a bit cupcake crazy. I've always enjoyed baking cupcakes and now that I have a full kitchen to work with, I'm taking full advantage. About once a week I treat my parents to a fresh batch of cupcakes. I recently bought two trays for making mini-cupcakes, a special batter scoop, chocolate sauce bottles and a vat of Crisco to make my own icing. It's a good thing there are some big-ish holidays coming up because I need an excuse to bake. I bought a dress just because the pattern reminded me of cupcakes. It's bordering on obsession.
I occasionally help my mom with her rabbits. We now have about 80 rabbits living in our backyard. My family never does anything small.
My brother moved across town to a new house so my dad has been calling on me to help him more and I really like that I'm getting to spend more time with him. He'd never admit it, but he really wants me to stay unemployed forever so that I can live at home and hang out with him all the time. Every time I bring up the job search, he just says something like, "Don't worry about it, you're not causing any trouble being at home." He hated me being so far away and he's loving every moment I'm home. We've been hauling wood, getting feed, grilling and watching Duck Dynasty. It's the good life.
Foreign Affairs
There are several community theaters in Columbia and I contacted a few of them regarding stage management positions, but it ended up going nowhere. In an effort to stay connected to the theater industry, even in a small way I looked up a new company in Columbia called Talking Horse Productions housed in the Berlin Theatre (that's the Foreign part, I'm trying to be theme-y). I went to see [title of show] the musical and it was great! I was impressed and afterwards I met with the Artistic Director and found out that the next show they are doing is Five Women Wearing the Same Dress!!!!! I nearly had heart failure. Auditions are this weekend, and I'm really considering going. Just to be involved with that show again would be spectacular!
World Travel
I've made the trek up north to Kirksville a few times to see No Exit and Spring Awakening and had a blast hanging with some wonderful friends. I got to catch up with the Chicago crew and the St. Louis posse and party hard with everyone around.
New York Times Best Seller List
Sometimes the sheer strangeness of my dreams is astounding, but not too long ago I had a crazy dream that inspired an idea for a novel. I don't want to give it away, but it's a historical fiction thriller set in Austria in the late 1800's and several young girls go missing and then things get intense. It's still in the research and outlining phase, but I'm hoping that it turns into something. I've always been a huge fan of books and I love reading and writing, so to combine the two and get something original out of it would be interesting. It's going to be a challenge because the idea of writing a novel is daunting, but I'm pacing myself and staying focused so that it doesn't overwhelm me.
Society Pages
Most of my friends live out of state or are incredibly busy so I don't get the chance to see them very often, but when I do it's always a good time. I've seen a couple of friends who are in grad school and a few who are battling it out in the real world job market. My social life is definitely lacking these days, but I hang out with my parents. If you think that's lame, you've got the wrong perspective.
Health
According to schedule my six-month check at the dentist came up shortly after I came home and it was the first dentist appointment EVER that I was worried about. Two days before my appointment my mom pointed out how much my jaw popped and I had noticed it over the last few years but never thought anything about it. She told me that it could be something that needed to be fixed which immediately got my thinking that I would have to be rushed to the hospital, thrown on the operating table and cut open face first to have my jaw sawed off and reattached with some minor adjustments. At the dentist's office, I asked about the popping and he informed me that I have a mild case of Temperomandibular Joint Disorder, which basically means that my jaw joint is structurally wonky. He also informed me that there is no solution for the problem and that I'm just going to have to deal with the popping sounds for the rest of my life. I was relieved that surgery was out of the question and quite entertained by my strange affliction.
Obituaries
Don't worry, this isn't what you think. Today, a snake somehow wound up in our house and met it's untimely end. The only kind of snake I like is a dead one.
I think that's it for this issue of Amy's news.
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