It snowed… AGAIN.  I don’t know how much, but at one point I stepped into snow that went just below my knee… and I’m 5′ 10″.  I have decided that this is Kirksville’s way of telling me I must play in the snow or else it will not allow Spring to arrive and continue to throw snow our way.  I’ve been so swamped lately that I still haven’t found the time or energy to have a snow day . SO! The fate of Kirksville’s weather rests in my hands… I will make it my mission to play in the snow ASAP! I will not let you down Truman State!

Only a week and a half until spring break! I am so excited because 1) I will get 10 days of relaxation and NO HOMEWORK at my roommate’s house in St. Louis and 2) I will be getting certified in Yoga Level 1 so I can teach classes at the Student Recreation Center next semester, if everything goes according to plan.  Yay for Yoga!

I have to say, with the exception of my 10^th birthday where TGIFriday’s was out of chicken, balloons, and ice cream, my 19^th birthday was definitely the worst. I went back home to see my folks in St. Louis and we went out to dinner. I found out one of my grandparents was sick, I needed to get my wisdom teeth out soon and, oh yeah, my parents were moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

My home, as I defined it then, was being ripped away from me. Because of my dad’s job, my parents would be a 13 hour drive away instead of 3. All my friends were from St. Louis and I now had no permanent place to sleep there. This also meant I would see my dog at best twice a year. Big time bummer!

So, I helped my family move over the summer, and in the fall of my sophomore year at Truman I made the long drive to Kirksville, unsure of just where or what home was… (more…)

We have finally made the transition from bones to organs in my anatomy lab!  YAY! It’s so GROSS!!  I actually don’t mind looking at and touching the organs, it’s the smell of formaldehyde that really gets to me.  But if I can get over that, I can tell I am going to learn SO much from these labs.  I didn’t realize how big and heavy our lungs are.  

                It’s been pretty sunny the last couple of days, so the huge layer of snow is finally starting to melt.  I’m crossing my fingers that this is a sign that the weather is leaning towards its spring characteristics and leaving its bitter cold traits behind for the semester.  And if it is, that means I’ve only fallen on my butt once this whole year!  That is quite an accomplishment with the amount of walking I do around here and Kirksville weather being what it is.  Yet again, there’s still snow outside, so I have plenty of time to add a few more tumbles to my inventory.  Let’s see how I do .

 I have decided I love the Missouri Hall (MO) cafeteria. With my crazy schedule, I usually find myself just grabbing a quick bite to eat on my own. But this semester it is clearly going to be different. Over the last six days I’ve run into different groups of theatre people in the cafeteria every day. We finally decided it would make more sense to just meet in OP (Ophelia Parrish – the Fine Arts building) and go to lunch together. Yeah for logic! Now, as we chow down on pizza, grilled cheese, salad, and quesadillas, we also get into debates about the merits of musical theatre, the potential cast list of the next show, and who is dressing as what for the upcoming costume party.

 PB&J on the go, no more!

                It snowed all day Monday and into Tuesday, so we are COVERED in snow.  And while everyone is complaining about how hard it is to drive in and how cold it is and blah blah blah… I’m LOVING it!!!  Maybe it’s because snow is still novel to me and I don’t have a car so I never have to drive in it.  Regardless, no one seems to have the same appreciation for snow as I do. 

I really hope I have time this week to go sledding, because last week I was swamped.  I had a painting due on Monday, an anatomy lab practical on Tuesday, a drawing assignment due on Wednesday, a ceramics assignment due on Thursday, and finally, an anatomy test on Friday.  It really wasn’t that bad, I was just super busy the whole time.  But now it’s a new week and I will make sure to find some sledding time before all of this delightful fluff melts away and turns into grey sludge

I am no longer allowed to complain about my stress-level to my mother. She says I put this on myself, and she’s right. What was I thinking! Stage-managing two projects at once!

Rabbit Hole has entered the rehearsal process. Barely a week ago, I was toasting our director in celebration for receiving the show, and now I’m taking blocking notes! Jack vs. Giants, the project David recruited me for, has been having meetings and auditions all week. My email inbox is overflowing and I’m constantly carrying around 2-3 book bags: one for school, one for theatre, and one for food or over-flow. All for the love of theatre.

Jack starts rehearsals tomorrow. We’ll be having a read-through of the text with all the actors and composer. The playwright will be joining us mid-week. Then comes the hard work of learning all the music. In less than a week!  I can only say, glad I’m not an actor. I’ll keep track of breaks, meetings, and props any day, over learning 13 songs in one week.

While I’m down the hall monitoring Jack rehearsals, my fabulous assistants will be ensuring Rabbit Hole runs smoothly. I’m only a few doors down and a text away, though. Hopefully no problems will arise.

The theatre department is a little groggy this morning. Lots of coffee filled thermoses and heavy lidded eyes. A clear sign that this weekend’s 24-Hour Theatre project was a success. This year was my first experience as a participant (previously I’ve only ever watched from the audience), so I’ll fill you in on the inside scope.

24 hour theatre is a gathering of like-minded folk, who love putting on plays, drinking coffee, and staying awake for hours on end. At 8:00 pm on Friday we met in mass, around 50 of us, ready to write, direct, act, paint, design, build and everything in-between. A few encouraging words from our producers, and we were off, breaking into crews and teams to create an entire production from scratch in a 24 hour period.

Throughout the night Baldwin was filled with the sounds of writers typing, technicians drilling, and directors…directing. As the night wore on our ideas got goofier and the coffee stronger, until the 5 am cage fight. Unfortunately, I missed it, but the pictures are epic! With a nap here and there, and fresh blood coming in at shifts to re-energize the project, we somehow survived and at 8 pm on Saturday we were set to present, Weaver of Wishes.

While I doubt we’re going to be up for any Tony’s, the show was a lot of fun. Fairy tales, lyrical dance, Lady GaGa and so much more for a one-time-only engagement. Now, while we walk zombie-like through the halls of OP and exchange semi-lucid memories of hallway bowling, we can only imagine the ridiculousness of next year.