Denial

I live in denial.

I am in denial that I cannot watch a movie and get work done at the same time.

That I should probably clean more often.

That I'm not in control of my life.

That much more exists beyond this moment. Right now. And now.

That my bad habits are problematic.

That I am utterly, pathetically materialistic.

That I let my culture dictate what I do and how I look and how I feel about myself.

That I need to run more often.

That I won't always be twenty-one and ready to take on the world.

That my eyebrows need to be plucked.

That I should probably get more sleep.

That I would have the time to read if I restructured my time just a little.

That my room's a mess.

Okay, maybe not in total denial. But with every passing day I become ever so slightly more adept at tucking these loose strands behind my ear, ignoring they way they continually slither around to lick my cheeks and my eyelashes.

Senior Project: Round 2 (In which I discover that I am an artist.)

I posted this photo on Facebook today.

My canvas ♥

This is the Black Box Theatre, set up for round 2 of performances of Rachel Corrie.

It took me a while to think of myself as an artist. I was never any good at "art" growing up - my sister had a knack for drawing and crafty things. They always just frustrated me because they never turned out the way I wanted them to. As I've gotten older, however, I've thought of myself as an artist in different ways. I love to write, and I'll never forget the time I positively glowed after an artistically-inclined friend of mine read one of my short stories and announced I had "painted with words." And now, I've started to think of myself as a theatre artist. A growing one. A beginner. But a theatre artist.

Rachel Corrie has made me feel more like an artist than ever before. Sometimes theatre isn't the first thing in people's minds when they hear the word "art." But quite a few people who saw the performances last semester labeled what they saw "art" without hesitation. In fact, to quote a review of the performance, "Go into it expecting to view a piece of art, rather than learn about a political conflict." And I feel like I can finally embrace that.

The stage is set. Round 2 is about to start.

C.O.D.: Shakespeare O.D.

My spring break was a whirlwind of witticisms, iambic pentameter, gelato, fake blood, One Direction, dancing, monuments, rhetoric, deep conversations amidst hot tub bubbles, and spell-binding theatre. If you tried to go back and tempt me to a beach somewhere instead I wouldn't trade my spring break at ASC in Staunton, Virginia for the world.

It was simultaneously strange and magnificent to be back again after living there this summer. Wandering around Staunton brought back the feel of the summer. I did miss some people, though - some of the people I spent the most time with this summer were gone, so it didn't feel quite the same. We stayed at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center - I had only ever been in the lobby during the summer. It was nice - pretty plush compared to living in the dorm, though that was not at all a bad experience either. Except for the [multiple] times the power went out and I had to take the stairs to the fourth floor and shuttling my frozen goods over to the fridge in the Blackfriars Green Room so they wouldn't spoil. Those were fun times.

It was also fun to see Staunton at a different time of year. This summer I got a taste of Staunton with no air conditioning, and this time around I experienced Staunton buried under a pile of snow. Yay weather extremes.

There were supposed to be twelve of us but we started out with eleven, taking off on a faltering note the morning we were to leave. One of our triumvirate of professors fell ill, leaving the rest of us to try to negotiate the trip on our own. We made it, however, and all did seem to fall in place as we went along (though we missed our third professor incessantly). Fortunately, he managed to join us on the third day. And there was much rejoicing.

I enjoyed every single moment of the trip. The food and outings were wonderful (though my bank account was smarting by the end of the trip), the shows were incredible (I wanted to write individual reviews for each but "ain't nobody got time for that" - Custom of the Country at ASC, Henry V at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Julius Caesar at ASC, Henry VIII at ASC, and rehearsal observations of The Two Noble Kinsmen at ASC), the workshops and activities were great fun and beneficial, (see following photo of blood workshop)

and we made tremendous memories. Here is our official trip music video, for your consideration.