I will just pretend it has not been ages and ages since my last update.

School ended June 12, but I have not been relaxing. It does not feel like
summer break. I have still been spending time at school and still have
school things to worry about, as well as other life things.

I only took 2 classes this past term, and I took an incomplete in one of
them because the teacher offered to let me take an I instead of an F (which
I really deserve), giving me more time to turn in 2 papers and take the
final. So I've got to read 4 plays and write papers about them and arrange
to take the final exam sometime. So far I've read 2 of the plays. These are
plays from about 1400-1700 AD, England, France, Spain, and Germany
(translated to English of course). Most of them are very hard for me to
read. Several of them are written completely in rhyming couplets, which I
just cannot abide. I can't focus on what the people are saying because I
can't get past the incredibly unnatural rhythm/rhyme scheme. And many of the
rest of them are just boring. I don't really like reading plays anyway,
because they're not written to be *read*, they're written to be *performed*.
They're like blueprints. I'd have a much better time writing about plays I
can *watch*.

This class is Development of Dramatic Art 2 (aka DDA2), a theater history
course required for the Theater Arts major. Also required are DDA1, Modern
Theater 1 and 2 or Multicultural Theater or Women in Theater and Society,
and several other courses involving reading and writing about plays which I
have no interest in taking. So I'm going to change my major to Arts &
Letters.

Arts & Letters is an "interdisciplinary degree program" which means you get
to take pretty much whatever classes you want in any of several departments,
as long as you have at least 8 upper division credits in each of 2 different
departments (most classes are 4 credits each) and at least one Writing
Intensive Course (which I have). I have definitely got one of the
concentrations covered with Theater Arts courses. So while I still haven't
quite sorted out which exact courses I'll be taking, there are many more
options now, and a weight has lifted from my shoulders! I should be able to
graduate by end of next Winter term at the earliest, possibly end of Spring
term. So, another year.

In other news, this summer I'll be pretty busy with theater and acting.
Hooray!
Tonight (Friday), *The Odd Couple* finally opens! This is the TASO show I've
been working on for probably at least 6 months as production manager (as
well as publicist, set crew, and soon to be co-house manager, usher, and
concessions seller) and which has probably caused me more stress than any
other play I've ever worked on (not counting Haroun and the Sea of Stories,
my accidental fall during strike and the ensuing hospital bills). Producing
is really effing HARD, especially when your funding comes from the
University and you have to navigate excessive beaurocracy in the shape of
ludicrous policies and bountiful paperwork. I am immensely proud that this
show is happening because I put so much work and energy into it (and so did
several other very dedicated, unpaid theater artists) and now it's real and
people will see it and that is extremely exciting! If you're in Portland and
want to see Neil Simon's classic American comedy, the shows are June 26-29
and July 3-5, 7:30pm each night except Sundays which are 2pm matinees, at
the New Studio Theater in the Market Center Building at 1600 SW 4th Ave (at
Market St). Suggested donation is $5 except for the FREE show next Saturday,
the 4th of July.

Tomorrow (Saturday), I'll be acting in a short play as part of No.Fest
2009<http://nofest.net/>,
a festival of new music and art in the quaint, sleepy North Portland
neighborhood of St. Johns (where I had my first Portland job at eMerchandise
- remember?). Very much in contrast to *The Odd Couple*, I have only had a
week to work on this play, and it will only have one performance. It's
called *Blat (A Fable*) and it's presented by The Working Theatre
Collective<http://www.theworkingtheatrecollective.com/>. It
was written by Collective member Eva Suter specifically for this festival,
and I get to be in it! It's a pretty cute play, featuring a death, a kiss, a
lizard, and an oral report. Intrigued? Of course you are. Come see it at
5:30pm tomorrow at Proper Eats, 8638 N Lombard St. All totally FREE.

The day after *The Odd Couple* closes, rehearsals start for *Ursula*, by
Howard Barker. This is a big one. My role is rather peripheral (I have at
least 10 times more lines in *Blat*), but I'm very excited to be involved in
it. TASO (PSU's Theater Arts Student Organization, of which I am on the
executive board) is co-producing this with my acting teacher Devon Allen's
professional theater company, Our Shoes Are Red/The Performance Lab, and
Devon's acting in it, too. It will be the longest run I've ever acted in: 4
weekends from early Sept to early Oct, plus one additional show Oct 21 as
part of an international festival of Barker's plays. And it's being staged
at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC <http://www.ifccarts.org/>),
which is one of the more professional theater venues in town. So I'm psyched
for that.

Meanwhile, I'll also be taking a non-university-related acting class from
Devon starting July 19 and running once a week for 6 weeks, wherein
I'll develop a classical monologue.

On August 2 I'll be doing another 24-hour play with CoHo
Productions<http://www.cohoproductions.org/wordpress/comingsoon.php>.
Those are always fun. And apparently on August 10 & 11, we'll be remounting
"I Have Herpes?" (the original one-act farce I acted in in late January as
part of the Fertile Ground
Festival<http://www.fertilegroundpdx.org/plays.html>),
also at CoHo.

So, all this to say, I am going to have an awesome summer of theater, and at
the end of it, my resume will be longer and hopefully I will have more plays
lined up! Things are looking good.

Oh, except that none of this stuff pays, and after Tuesday I won't have a
job.

What's new with you?

This term I took a 300-level Sociology class called Gender & Sexualities to fulfill a University Studies requirement at Portland State U. It's been a great class (though the schedule and structure could use some improvement) and I've learned a lot of interesting stuff. I just wrote a paper for it. The assignment was to watch two contrasting TV programs on different channels, note the portrayals of gender roles and identities in the commercials, and compare/contrast the difference between the commercials in the two shows. Being that I did this research the day before the paper was due (today), both of the shows aired on Sunday (yesterday). Then I stayed up til 3am writing it, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are some typos or errors I missed. Where I reference Kimmel, that's the author of one of our textbooks. Apologies if that reference doesn't make sense out of context; you, internet reader, were not my target audience.
Anyway, I'm just pasting the paper here because some people wanted to see it and this is an easy place to link to. kthxbye.

( Homework... )

That didn't last very long. I guess this is what dating is? Ehh.


... I wanted to take this really well and be cool and whatever about it, but uhhhh. Not as easy as it seems. I just need to go to bed before I -- no. whatever! yeah! goodnight!

Okay I am mildly obsessed with this song title survey thing. Don't judge me!

*The original rules:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, mp3 player,etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG TITLE DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

*What I actually did:
1. Put iTunes on shuffle.
2. Make a list of the first 22 songs that come up on random that aren't names of people or places.
3. Choose the song whose title seems most appropriate to you as an answer for each question.
----------------------------------------

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
It's Going To Get Worse Before It Goes Better [Piebald]

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Anchorless [Weakerthans]

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Positive Tension [Bloc Party]

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Poor Man's Grey [Matthew Good]

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
For The Best [Straylight Run]

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Take Control [Weezer]

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Even Happier [The Sun The Sea]

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Come Back Home [Pete Yorn]

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Long Way Down [Guster]

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Shit Gold [Thunderbirds Are Now!]

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Too Much To Lose [Ladies And Gentlemen {aka Small Sins}]

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Go Fly Blind [Matthew Good]

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Bowl of Oranges [Bright Eyes]

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Ears Ring [Rainer Maria]

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
The Humpty Dumpty Love Song [Travis]

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) [The Arcade Fire]

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Driving Sideways [Aimee Mann]

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Surgically Removing the Tracking Device [Say Anything]

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
The Beautiful Letdown [Switchfoot]

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
German Motor Car [Margot & the Nuclear So and So's]

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Scoundrel Babes [Constantines]

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Looks Just Like The Sun [Broken Social Scene]

There's a boy I'm seeing. I'm seeing a boy. Well, a man. (He's a little younger than me but he's of age.) We're casually dating. I like him and it's fun! So yay!

lately, I start getting really tired by around 4pm. And I wonder how I'm going to make it home! And then I do get home and consider doing some homework, and maybe I do a little assigned reading, and then there's the internet and not dinner and then it's midnight and then it's 1:00am and I lay in bed and my mind won't slow down!

maybe it's because I'm sick?

I'm a little tired right now. Maybe I'll try going to bed reeeally early tonight, before I stop being tired. (...That sounds weird. That is a little weird.)

I am sick. Bit of a sore throat, bit of a cough. Caught it from somebody I knew had it, and I don't regret it a bit.

I got my computer fixed.
I rearranged my room.
Still need a bigger bed. And shelves.

All afternoon I have been sitting here at my desk in my room crowded with unpacked boxes. I have been sitting here doing things other than things that I need to do.

Things I have specifically not been doing:
Writing any of several papers due this week
Unpacking
Laundry
Showering
Eating dinner

Things I have been doing:
Listening to music
Talking on the phone
-mom
-Kristin
-Jen Allen
-Casey
Eating snacks: chips, nuts, candy
Reading: No One Belongs Here More Than You. Stories by Miranda July
Internet
-facebook (especially scramble)
-chain factor (a game)
-bbs
-craigslist
-freecycle
-twitter
-online banking
-myspace
-livejournal obviously
I have put some clothes into a laundry bag in preparation for washing
I went downstairs to the kitchen to make grilled cheese but found no bread at all! Microwaved a small frozen macaroni dish instead, and ate it. Am still/again quite hungry.
Contemplated the patheticness of myself and all of this.

I miss having somebody around to snuggle up to. And I feel so much more bored, but that is probably mostly because I don't have a job anymore.
The only meal I've eaten here so far is breakfast. I may not be having lunch and dinner every day; not sure, haven't been keeping track. Probably not I guess. Probably not dinner.

I felt like I had so much money for a little while there. But that is probably just regular income, nothing special. It will buy me this month without a job, but that's probably all. And there was the security deposit. I am wondering though, how I will make enough money during this school year. I should really look into financial aid, but it's probably too late by now? Do they just give you money for living and stuff even if your tuition is paid by someone else? I should find out how that works. I will definitely take some money please.

Side note: in high school, most of the teachers and counselors mistakenly called it the FASFA when it is actually the FAFSA, which is easier to say so I don't know why they complicated it for themselves. Also at work, where I most recently worked, my coworker would say KRSA instead of KSRA, and I judged her for that. Sorry, no tolerance. Nucular. Etc.

Tonight I went to First Thursday art receptions in Old Town. Art receptions - in my experience - usually have some beverages (especially wine) and refreshments, but hardly any of these did, and that takes the fun right out of art for me. Sorry to say. Give me a snack, I will like your art more! That's all I'm sayin.

Went to Ikea the other day. Excellent meatballs, of course. Wish I had more money but I may just get some of their stuff anyway. Really like the Malm bed and bedside table. Need to figure out where in my room this new furniture is going to go. Also need bookshelves. Probably a lot of them. Have lots of books that need shelving. And DVDs and CDs and other such media I'm sure.

Roommate promises me a key one of these days... and a ride to Fred Meyer, where I shall purchase a laundry basket and a full-length mirror if all goes well, among perhaps other items. I do hope I am not becoming a burden to those friends of mine with cars. I don't need a ride everywhere, I am fine taking the bus, but it is harder to take the bus when you have large-ish items in tow, such as perhaps a full-length mirror and/or laundry basket. For instance.

Have been going to bed early and sleeping in late, mostly due to being bored and a little bit lonely. That said, I'll be going to bed now.

Tonight I was going to go see We Are Scientists after attending a reading of a new play at Portland Center Stage that my former acting prof was in. I ended up eating Voodoo Doughnuts for dinner and drinking wine with some friends instead. HOWEVER, tomorrow night I am absolutely going to see Phantom Planet, for I already have my ticket. I have been waiting for this for so long! Ohhhh it is going to be so good.

Also, it's been a really long time since I've been to a (music) show, or to any non-theater entertainment for that matter. Another reason to be excited.

DEREARL;I IVEHOURNALD livejournal I am the CHAMPION if the somepelleing mebeee SPELLING BEE I won it I am once again the champ of the spelling for the first time sinxe I was bmaybe 12yeears onld or so. there is a spelling bee at a pizza place/BAR and now I am drhunks and have also to work in the morning at earlytime s. i stayed out late beause one of my prizes was $20 gifts certificalte oto the place so I spendt it on alcohol with my friends Lori and Kalera . ALSOOOO my friend Stacey sfrom the Prod of Aloha ship has moved to Portland ans dhse was wthere! Only I didn't seee her until she was leaving! I was onthe stage so mlong winning the spelling that I didon't see Stacey then she was leaving as I 'mmeantioned. Oh well I can see her again she lives her now. I shold cgo to bed but I am so alcoholled.

Inspired (and reminded) by Lauren, it turns out I had some updating to do to my 101 List! Hooray!

3. Act in a PSU Theater Department (main stage) play. Dancing at Lughnasa, May 2008 This also gave me my first theater review, in PSU's Vanguard. Woohoo!
6. Act in a play not affiliated with PSU. 24 Hour Play with CoHo Productions, 6/29/08 Also got a review, this time from Portland's alt news weekly, the Mercury. It's not the most positive review, but I'm not mentioned in it, either, so whatever.
27. Visit Michigan in summertime. Lauren's wedding! 6/12-17/2008 I didn't have as much time there as I would've liked, so I didn't get to go up north, which is a shame, but I had an excellent time at Lauren's wedding and got to spend time with my parents and my grandma, and visit my grandpa's grave for the first time.
51. Buy a CD by a band/artist I already like. Phantom Planet, Raise the Dead, June 2008 (from Music Millennium) I had sort of stopped buying real physical CDs for a long while, and I didn't really want that to happen, especially with bands who I own other CDs by.
61. Visit psychologist/counselor. several times, 2007-2008
62. Visit dentist (ugh). Unfortunately. 4/28/08 and subsequent. Really should've done this sooner than I did, because the reason that finally got me in there turns out to be irreversible gum tissue damage. Yowch.

Tonight begins the 24 hour production. This means 31 actors and 4 writers working together throughout the night to write and develop four original one-act plays to be performed (off book) at 8:00 Sunday night to a (hopefully) sold out audience. Should be quite the experience, and I'm really looking forward to it; however, I should really be napping right now.

sometimes it is startling and/or inappropriate to offer hugs to office
coworkers.

I was just remembering how I used to have AIM, iTunes, windows games, and
unfiltered internet access when I worked at eMerchandise. Sorta miss all
that, but I do remember getting absolutely nothing done for days at a time.
I played so much Minesweeper I would dream about it, and I had some pretty
impressive times, too. Man, back then I even got to read Entertainment
Weekly as my job.

These days I have my iPod so I don't miss the iTunes, and hardly anybody
talks to me on AIM anymore but I do still miss that a bit, and I definitely
miss the games and internet. Although I can sort of access myspace and
facebook on my phone, but less fun versions of the sites. Can't play
Scrabulous on my stupid MobileWeb 2.0 browser. boo to that.

On the other hand, I only work 4 hours a day now, so there is usually enough
actual work to keep me busy.
Yesterday and this morning, most of my coworkers were in Seattle for our
company's annual "Sales Celebration," the point of which is I'm not sure
what, but probably just schmoozing and having fun. I don't get to go. I
couldn't anyway, I had dress rehearsal last night. Oh well. The only thing
I really missed was meeting the people in our other offices (Bend, Phoenix,
Tucson, Seattle) who I work and communicate with on a daily basis. So
that's too bad.

They're back now, though, and I expect to soon be inundated with the work
that didn't get done yesterday because everybody was out.

boss will debrief me on the meeting at a later date. now I can go get
coffee. whew.

What a shitty morning.

I woke up just in time to catch the streetcar and get to work by 10, when I
am regularly scheduled to work on Thursday mornings. Just as I was about to
leave (around 9:35), I remembered I was supposed to come in an hour early
this morning for an important phone meeting at 9 with my boss who is in
Seattle today. I don't have her number to call her, and she apparently
doesn't have my number either. But even if she'd had mine, I'm not sure it
would've helped, because even though my phone was plugged into the charger
all night, this morning it said low battery. Wire must be coming loose in
the charger cord. So I wiggled that and got it to start actually charging
and, now half-dressed, I started writing an email to my boss explaining that
I forgot about the and would be in ASAP and could we please reschedule for
10.

The my phone rings, an 866 number. I think it's our teleconference and they
got my cell number from our company database so I will get to explain myself
and maybe not miss the whole meeting after all. I answer and an automated
voice says something like "please stay on the line for important
information" so I still think I'm being patched into the meeting.
Not the case. It is a collection agency calling about my ambulance bill
from March. I thought I already paid it by phone, but apparently that was
the hospital bill. So, fine, I'll give them my credit card number and
whatever, go ahead, 800 some dollars is a drop in the bucket of my credit
card balance at this point and I need to get to work. I'm still
half-dressed, writing this email to my boss, while I read off the credit
card number to this lady on the phone, which I can't unplug from the charger
because it'll have low battery. The lady tells me there is an error with my
card. Not that it's declined, just that there's an error, but she doesn't
know what the error is. I read her the damn numbers like 5 times, including
the security code on the back and the expiration date, and I am like, look
lady, can't you just take down the fucking information and figure it out
later I am late for work. Then she checks the spelling of my name. Of
course they had it down as Virgina. I tell her, "no, -G-I-N-I-A,
Vir-gin-i-a" she hesitates for a minute and says again "V-I-R-G-I-N-A?" So
I shout at her again the correct spelling and she's all, ohhh that's the
problem we have it down as Virgina. FINE WHATEVER FIX IT I AM LATE FOR
WORK. So she says "okay I have it now, it's 046-" I interrupt - "Wait, you
have what? what is that?" The confirmation number. So I have to dig up the
damn ambulance bill on my messy desk to write it on, THEN her boss has to
come over and verify that I'm agreeing to be charged $846 or so, then I can
hang up, cry a little while I finish writing the apology email (which now
asks if we can reschedule for 10:30 because "I'm being held up on the phone
by a financial matter and may be [MORE] late by 15 to 20 minutes"), get
dressed and run to the streetcar without taking my morning pills, without
brushing my teeth or fixing my hair or using the bathroom, and wearing jeans
because I couldn't find any work pants fast enough.

Only 10 minutes late I get to the office, call the admin in Seattle, ask
about my boss. Boss is still in the meeting, but the meeting's over and
she's about to go to another meeting she had scheduled for 10:00. Admin
will let her know I called.

Nearly 11:00 now, and I'm tied to my desk because am afraid that if I get up
to get some coffee, boss will call while I'm in the kitchen. Or the
bathroom. Want to call and ask Casey to bring me my phone charger (which I
also forgot in my frenzy to catch streetcar), but I'd have to meet him
downstairs to get it, and my boss might call!

This afternoon I have to go to the dentist. If I have time, I still need to
get my hair cut for the play. Tonight is the preview show, our first
audience.


I want to go back to bed.

This weekend was tech weekend for Dancing at Lughnasa. And now it's over! yay! Just tech weekend is over, though, but we'll continue to have tech/dress rehearsals all week until the real shows start on Thursday (well that one's a preview, does that count as a "real show"? I'm not sure I know the point of a preview).

Saturday SUCKED MAJORLY because I was overlooked for lunch break and the director didn't see fit to give any of us a dinner break. For this show I am both crew and cast, and the reason I missed lunch yesterday was that crew (including me) was called at 10 and had lunch break from 12 to 1. But cast was called at 12. I was fine until about 3 or 4pm. The tech rehearsal (cue to cue, so tedious) went til about 7:30, and then I had props to put away. I wouldn't have minded the tediousness if we had been given any breaks as we should have. That was just not right. So there was much bitching and we made sure we got it right today (yesterday? - Sunday).

Today was a run-through (just once!), and it went much better. We weren't very "on", but the tech stuff was pretty smooth, surprisingly, and we were out of there before we would've even needed a dinner break. Huzzah!

FYI y'all, when I do email posts from my cell phone, I can't make a subject line, so it just uses the beginning of the post as a subject I guess. So that's what that's about. aaaaand it uses default userpics too. BORING, SORRY!


uhh...yep!