Production Assistant Intern

I had the opportunity to be a PA intern for two days, well nights really, with a company that was filming a pilot for a new television show. Hard work, cold nights, sore feet and sore throat equals a great time? I still have know idea how it all added up but I had a blast. I learned a lot including that there is still tons more to learn. I met some incredible and interesting people. I met some beautiful dogs. I got prime rib and lobster tail for lunch on the last day. I met people who have been doing this kind of thing for less than a year and those who have been doing it for 20+ and still love it. Was it hard work, yes. Did my feet and legs feel like jelly at the end of the day/night, yes. Would I do it again, in a heart beat. Thanks DANNI, I hope for good things in your future and mine. Blessings.

It's begininng to look a lot like....

Well here I am, the final exam week of my undergraduate career. I have to admit this has been so long in coming that I wasn't sure it would ever actually arrive.  I am really glad that it finally has.  Five days from now I will be a college graduate.  Of course, six months from now I will be a graduate student...did I really sign up to jump in again? Yeah, I did. I am excited about it too. It will be a lot of work. It will be a lot of reading and writing...good thing I like both. I am also looking forward to getting to do some traveling. First trip is north for family time and then, for school, well, hopefully I will finally get across the pond again and maybe a little further. Last time I only made it to Iceland, which was great. This time, shooting for Scotland. Happy happy. Blessings.

Birthday and a movie

I am going tonight to the premier of Breaking Dawn with a friend and some of her friends I haven't met yet. Since her birthday is tomorrow and the movie is actually after midnight, this is what she wanted to do for her birthday ever since she found out the date. My husband's birthday was last week, that was easy. I just to him to his favorite place for breakfast, Pop's in Mandeville.  As I was thinking about birthdays in general this week I realized that they don't mean much between 30 and 64.  When you are little they are so important you can't hardly wait. We have even creating things called half birthdays to celebrate even more when they are little.  Then there are the important ones...10 (double digits), 13 (teenager), 16 (driving), 18 (legal adult), 21 (legal drinker), 29 (forever). The next really important one is 65 (retirement - if you are lucky) and there are those lovely ones that our friends enjoys...Lordy, lordy, look who's 40! Nifty, Nifty, guess who's 50? But really, they don't become really important again until you hit 100 (wow!) and that is only if you are lucky, or unlucky depending on your point of view. I myself am somewhere in the middle of lordy and nifty. I will have to live another lifetime (up to this point) to be even close to that magic triple digit number.  Funny thing is, I remember at 20 thinking that 40 was so old, on your way to being a grandparent and everything.  Now that I am here, even 70 doesn't look to bad on most of the people I know that are there or close.  It is amazing how sayings like, "youth in wasted on the young" begin to make sense as you get the experience that comes with time.  If I haven't told you lately mom, "Thanks for making it look so easy...and I am sorry I thought you were old when I was young and well, young." Blessings.

November...already?

Well it seems as if October flew by faster than the crow flies.  Between school and the play and the 24 hours play and going to see two other productions the month just seemed to disappear. The good news of that is now I am only weeks away from graduation. The not so good news of that is those two big projects plus several little ones are now in need of attention. The biggest one, a 10 page paper for theatre history class is (thankfully) well under way. I am actually hoping to get it completed this weekend. Having said that, I am now very aware of the fact that my plans often get changed when the powers that be have other ideas. Hopefully, our plans match up this weekend. There is also that game...where I live that game is LSU vs. Bama. Have been invited to a party for tomorrow evening.  Thinking I will use that as motivation to get my homework done today. Stay warm if you live like most of my family, in the north. If it gets too chilly, come south. New Orleans is beautiful this time of year. Blessings.

7 Deadly Plays Made in a Day

Wow. Can I just take a minute and say how cool it was to participate in the first ever Hammond Horror Fest 7 Deadly Plays Made in a Day. Friday night at midnight, sent to 7 different writers around the globe, a sin (ie: Greed, Lust,...) and photos of who their cast will be (3-4 characters.) At 5:00 am Saturday, 7 different directors get their newly written play and photos of their cast members.  At 8:00am all Cast and directors assemble to start rehearsals.  At 9:00am crew arrives to start helping with props, type up the program, bloody the host's lad coat, etc.  At noon the make-up crew arrives and begins planing the designs, etc.  3:00pm everyone gets a break for meal or nap or both.  4:00pm crew and directors arrives at the venue to set up and review space.  5:00pm cast arrives and has a run through in the place, does cue to cue with the musicians and then into full costume and make-up if not already.  7:00pm venue opens, all actors in place and in character. 7:30pm shows begin.
Wow. Long day but absolutely great event. Was incredible to watch it all unfold and get pulled off in such a great manner. Can't wait to be involved next year.
And can I just say Great Job to everyone involved, especially our hosts Jim and Drew and our Stage Managers Lydia and Kaci.  "Great great job." 

One show over the next one begins

Well, All My Sons had it's memorable 4 day run and did very well.  The last night after the performance we all stayed to strike the stage.  Two hours later, the house, garden, brick patio...all gone. They are getting ready for a dance performance tonight and then Sunday the build starts for the next show, "Mr. 80%" for which I am doing props.  Nice change because it means I am not spending every night at the theatre. Now I just need to get back on my schedule of getting homework done and taking care of myself.  Speaking of which...I have a 10 page Theatre History paper to write.  I guess I better quit typing here. Blessings.

Homework and Stagework

I find myself doing more and more of my actual homework while I am in the theatre.  Today I watch a brick patio be laid and a gateway arch put in place while I worked on projects for two different classes. The stage also got a planter/garden and some more paint.  Tonight we get to run a cue to cue...my first every as a stage manager. I am looking forward to learning the fine points of calling the show.
But first, I do have a bit more homework to get out of the way. Got to get that ten page Theatre History paper typed sometime.

Life on a college campus

I have been watching some of the interesting things happening on the campus of the college I attend.  There is this group of guys that tend to migrate from in front of the library to over by the student union and they insist on holding every conversation at full volume...yelling at each other, still haven't figured out why.  Then there is the theatre crowd that hangs out behind the theatre building and on any given day you might here several strange conversations going all at the same time...then you realize, they are running lines for auditions or rehearsal.  The nice thing about these conversations and others is they make for great inspiration when I need something to write about, or blog about.  Now it is time to go act like Carol Burnett and sweep the stage.
Blessings.

Happy Tuesday

Well, it is note time at play rehearsal and I get a few minutes break. I was going to say that today has been a good day, and it has, though it started out with a few frustrating moments.  I guess I should say it started out with a frustrating sleep, or lack of...we definitely need a new mattress.   I haven't spent much time working on removing clutter lately and it feels like it is building up again. Any horizontal space seems to become a filing cabinet. I am hoping to spend some more concentrated time on that this weekend, after I get homework out of the way. I also glanced at some writing on one of the next books and, well, I shouldn't have. It got me thinking about working on those books again and that has to wait. I just don't have enough time to give it the attention it deserves.  I got book two back from my editor friend and I have it tied shut with a string and a note that says open after graduation.  Then I will have time.  Speak of time...back to my thespian duties. Blessings.

Hmmmmm...

Not sure about a title for this one.  I just thought I ought to type up something. I am sitting in the front row of a mostly empty theatre as we get ready to run Act II of All My Sons.  I have been filling the role of Stage Manager and that has been a very interesting and educational. I also took my first Theatre History exam last week and sis very well on it. With this being my final semester as an undergraduate I am doing all I can with the theatre as well as preparing for graduate school.  There are days that seem so packed full that I feel I can't get anything else in.  Then there are rare moments like now when I can listen to a strange song (Shakespearean Pie) and take a minute to type for the blog.  Hope you are all doing well.  Blessings.

Fun and frustration

It is interesting to me how many things in my life today can effect my schedule.  Some are amazingly fun and I don't mind them until I realize they have helped me bump something important to a back burner. Others can seem really frustrating and then wind up leading to something I really enjoy.  My focus lately has been keeping everything lined up so it gets done on time, mostly school stuff but other things too.  I also have been desperately trying to weed down the collection of stuff that we seem to continually mass.  I really just need to be able to afford a bigger place, right?  I think my house is like my handbag, no matter what size, I will fill it to the brim and then insist that I need everything in there.  Well, I will just keep plugging away at it and hope I can stay ahead of it.  I am trying to get more flexible with my schedule too, deal-a-schedule or deal-a-duty roster as my friend calls it, seems to be helping.  I took a big calendar and inked in all the non-moveables like class time.  Then I wrote all the moveables on post-it notes.  It helps me see where my free time is and when I need to buckle down to get projects done.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Speaking of schedule, next up, sending off stuff for my grad school application and then time to set the stage for play rehearsal tonight.  May be a rough one, funeral service for one of the actors who was in our last production was this morning.  Rest in Peace Pompillius.
Blessings.

School days, school days

Well, the first few weeks of the semester are past and classes are full tilt.  One 10 page paper, research for theatrical make-up design, recreate my resume for career planning and fill my evenings with play rehearsal for All My Sons.  So, add to that tropical storm Lee over Labor Day weekend and the fact that we have been doing our best to pare down on stuff.  Still looking for someone who might like to have an old faded sofa for free.  I hate to see useable stuff go in the dumpster but I can't keep storing it in our small place now that we have added a recliner.  Well, back to the homework pile...what I really enjoy on a holiday weekend (hint of sarcasm there).  The good news, graduation looms on the horizon...December 10, 2011.  Then I might just jump in to grad school in May...oh, that reminds me...FASFA needs to be done.  See ya. Blessings too.

Preseason

Okay, I know the games don't really count and the first string doesn't play much but I still like watching the games.  Tonight is the boys...the New Orleans Saints. You can't live anywhere close to the home of the Saints and not be a fan.  It may not have been much fun being a fan when there were those calling them the "aints" but since the last three or four years, really ever since they came back to the dome after hurricane Katrina it has been exciting and then the Superbowl.  Living in a town that has a parade for everything, the parade after the Superbowl was amazing.  A friend of mine who went over and was in the madness said it was like a hurricane evacuation in reverse.  I love that image.  The highways leading in to town became parking lots. And the players road on the Mardi Gras floats throwing beads to crowds.  How cool is that.  I would love to see them do it again.  Geaux Saints!! 

Surgery went well

Hubby had his second eye surgery today and it went great. He has been really pleased with the results from the other eye and will hopefully be as pleased with this one.  I am very grateful he is in good spirits and enjoying being without glasses.  He will probably need reading glasses but he is really glad to have thrown his others away, they were in such bad shape they weren't worth donating.  I am spending the afternoon getting things ready for next week, back to school.  I am excited about the courses I e
will be taking and will probably go pick up my text books and parking pass tomorrow.  I have also begun the process of applying for graduate school.  Still have some major decisions to make but am feeling really good about the possibilities.  Well, time for more drops...have a blessed day.

Happy Tuesday

Hey, I am doing my best to keep up with everything...including blogging.  I have added my blog to my opening on my desktop so hopeful that will help me be better or at least more consistent.  Feeling a little overwhelmed today. Have already cooked breakfast, done dishes, washed, dried, and folded five loads of laundry and now getting ready to make lunch and then take hubby to the foot doctor.  Still have several phone calls on the schedule (have already made two this morning) and then a bit of shopping, dinner and a meeting tonight. I guess the attitude should be gratitude.  Grateful that I can accomplish these things even when it is 100+ degrees outside.  Hoping it cools off tonight.  Have a blessed day.

Where did the summer go?

Wow, that went quickly. I still have a few projects to complete and school starts in nine days.  Don't think either of the big ones will get completed before then.  I am hopeful to make good headway on them.  The summer has been good for the most part...the emergency room visit could have been skipped. All is well now, he is on the mend and all other health issues are being sorted out.  Had a few mechanical issues too, I am typing this on my new laptop.  I figured since the other on was over five years old it was probably time to upgrade.  I am excited about going back to school and really looking forward to the two productions we are doing in the Fall semester; All my Sons and Mr. 80%. I had a great time doing Julius Caesar, props mistress, last Spring.  Well, time to get back to work on one of those projects. Blessings.  

 Oh, in case you are interested in a gathering of those that have pledged to care for the earth (and are 21 or over) ... www.earthwarriorsfestival.com

Summer Projects

You would think with school being out that I would be looking for things to do with my free time...NOT. It is hard to believe how busy I am and how little time there seems to be to accomplish the things I need to let alone anything extra.  We have two long trip to complete, family obligations mostly. One quilt to make by August and two to complete by December which with school starting mid August, that means they need to be well under way this summer too.  I also have those books I have been working on which I would really like to spend some time with not to mention the reading I had hoped to do this summer as well.  Well, I did the math and I made a grid of my summer...I have ten weeks before school obligations begin, 4 weeks of which will be out of town.  I guess it is time to pull out all my organizational skills and get things moving.  Oh, and add to the fun: a new workout schedule at the gym, the GRE test, and a puppet show to plan and perform.  I guess it would be my kind of summer if it wasn't full.  If I ever have a summer to just sit on a beach somewhere and read I don't think I will know how to act.  Here's hoping your summers are going great.Blessings.

Excuse me, have you seen my sword?

I had the privileged of being Props Mistress for the recent production of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar at college recently.  It was an absolute blast!  I had a great time watching my peers stretch themselves and challenge themselves to be better performers and better crew.  It was amazing.  Four days backstage can dramatically enhance anything you think you know about life in the theatre.  It also opened me up to possibilities about future schooling, writing my own screen play and even ways to expand and work on the series of books I have been working on for a couple years.  Just a few days actively participating with a room full of very talented and creative people under excellent direction and management totally transformed the way I was looking at opportunities.  I am really excited now about the possibilities I see before me and the opportunities to continue to be of assistance and to grow while I am still in school.  And your sword, it is now stored in the good props room with all the other weapons, the other props went to prop heaven (the balcony storage in the shop).  See you next semester.  Can't wait to know what we are doing then!  Break a leg!

Time flies and then life happens.

Well, at least it isn't a year since my last post.  So much stuff going on that it just don't make it to the top of the list some days.  Between school and car trouble and trying to keep an eye on all that is happening in the world, well, I get a little sidetracked occasionally.  Hope to get back to this regularly soon.  Also working on updating my website.  Plus thinking about taking the GRE...