As long as I've lived in the Lafayette area, the arrival of fall -- and more specifically, October -- has excited me.
First of all, it's football season -- REAL football season, when the other Big Ten teams come to town. And even if we're losing (as we are this year), there's nothing like spending a Saturday at Ross Ade cheering on the Boilers. If you win, you want to hug everyone around you. And if you lose, well...there's plenty of beer back at the tailgate.
Secondly, this is the point of the year in Indiana when the weather actually starts to change. No more of this dilly-dallying between summer and autumn. No more wondering whether to wear shorts or jeans. Get out the scarves and hats and sweaters! The leaves are changing, falling, and crunching. The windows are open during the day. It's perfect sleeping weather. It's freaking fall.
And thirdly (and probably most importantly), it's Christmas show season.
Now, I've been out of college for like...over two years. So this doesn't even apply directly to my life anymore. But for four years, October meant the beginning of rehearsals for the spectacular Purdue Christmas Show. First was the unveiling meeting where we got to see for the first time what the set would look like and what songs were in the show. Right after that, rehearsals would start. And even though it meant no more free time between regular PMO rehearsals and classes and homework, it was the thing I loved best, and I soaked it up. I walked to class with the rehearsal music in my mp3 player, memorizing the arrangements to "O Holy Night" and "Sleigh Ride" as I passed the spookily decorated Greek houses and Halloween event sheet signs.
And even now, when October rolls around, I get that same urge to crunch across the leaf-strewn sidewalks, smelling Starbucks pumpkin lattes, and letting my headphones pump the sounds of Christmas into my brain.
Is that crazy? Yes. Is it cheesy? Yes. But also magical. And while I'm not the kind of person who starts putting up the tree before Thanksgiving or anything like that, I do enjoy my slightly brainwashed reaction to the change of seasons and the subsequent need for me to listen to a yuletide tune or two.
Showing posts with label Purdue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Purdue. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Home for Christmas (Show)
Pictures from my weekend during the 75th Anniversary Purdue Christmas Show, as promised!
Backstage during the show...
This is Clarice, who leaves her beautiful home in Hawaii every summer to spend the school year in West Lafayette studying engineering! She is the sound technician for the Purduettes and a total sweetheart!
In the green room with the Kids Choir!
The kids were fascinated with my camera and decided to take some pictures...serious close-up pictures! They were funny.
The view of an empty Elliott Hall from the stage.
Getting our line-up set before the show. It was so fun to meet all of these amazing alumni!
Back with old friends...
Israel, who like me works in TV and is also a Second City comedian in Chicago! So proud!
Greg, who is now married and expecting (well, his wife is expecting. He's not like that creepy dude on the news who got pregnant). He is going to be a great dad!
Kelly stopped by the alumni room to say hi on her way onstage. She was one of my little sisses when I was in Purduettes!
Chris, who now works for the Purdue Alumni Center. He and I will be doing a civic theatre show together this spring!
Jeff, who is engaged and getting married this spring. He is such a sweet guy and loves trying to imitate Will Farrell's Robert Goulet impression. GOULET!
Monica, my roommate for three years. She now works at PMO and is graduating at the end of this week!
Sunday afternoon I got to sit out in the house with my family and watch the show. Then I surprised my mom by being a part of the alumni set! She couldn't believe I kept it a secret from her...hehe!
The Purduettes and PMO Kids Choir onstage. The girls were, in my probably biased opinion, the best part of the show! I was so proud!
The Glee Club onstage.
After the last show, it's tradition to sing a song written for PMO, "There Will Always Be a Song." That definitely made me cry! What a memorable weekend!
Coming soon, more stories from the newsroom...it's been a busy week!
Until later!
Backstage during the show...
This is Clarice, who leaves her beautiful home in Hawaii every summer to spend the school year in West Lafayette studying engineering! She is the sound technician for the Purduettes and a total sweetheart!
In the green room with the Kids Choir!
The kids were fascinated with my camera and decided to take some pictures...serious close-up pictures! They were funny.
The view of an empty Elliott Hall from the stage.
Getting our line-up set before the show. It was so fun to meet all of these amazing alumni!
Back with old friends...
Israel, who like me works in TV and is also a Second City comedian in Chicago! So proud!
Greg, who is now married and expecting (well, his wife is expecting. He's not like that creepy dude on the news who got pregnant). He is going to be a great dad!
Kelly stopped by the alumni room to say hi on her way onstage. She was one of my little sisses when I was in Purduettes!
Chris, who now works for the Purdue Alumni Center. He and I will be doing a civic theatre show together this spring!
Jeff, who is engaged and getting married this spring. He is such a sweet guy and loves trying to imitate Will Farrell's Robert Goulet impression. GOULET!
Monica, my roommate for three years. She now works at PMO and is graduating at the end of this week!
Sunday afternoon I got to sit out in the house with my family and watch the show. Then I surprised my mom by being a part of the alumni set! She couldn't believe I kept it a secret from her...hehe!
The Purduettes and PMO Kids Choir onstage. The girls were, in my probably biased opinion, the best part of the show! I was so proud!
The Glee Club onstage.
After the last show, it's tradition to sing a song written for PMO, "There Will Always Be a Song." That definitely made me cry! What a memorable weekend!
Coming soon, more stories from the newsroom...it's been a busy week!
Until later!
Friday, June 6, 2008
just like oprah...but without all the free stuff.
It's my favorite things! Disclaimer: I totally copied this idea from Kels (check out her blog for her favorite things--it's a great compilation!) I tried to run the gammot of random interests, but it was hard to narrow things down and I'm sure that as soon as I finish this blog post, I'll think of a few things that I love and think, "How could I leave that out?!!" I even squeezed extra favorites in by highlighting them in bold even though there's not a picture for some of them. Like I said, hard to narrow it down.
Here we go!
First of all, I can't tell you have many times a day I Google things. I am truly a child of the Information Age. I even used Google Images to find most of these pictures!
Since the days of Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire, I haven't ever quite outgrown the DC. I know it's cheesy and over-the-top, but it's also fun and very cute, and who doesn't love Disney Channel Original Movies? Plus, the fact that I check in on the Disney Channel from time to time is very helpful in babysitting situations, because I actually have stuff to talk about with the kids.
My job! I love my job so much that a lot of times I forget that I "go to work" every day...or I guess I should say, every night. And I know I have it better working in the mornings because the people are great and compared to the daytime/evening hours, it's a lot less stressful! The people I work with are all hilarious, sweet, and easy to get along with. I love my job!
Arrested Development is one of my newest TV addictions, and I am so glad msn.com has given me the ability to watch all the episodes online for free! I did buy the first season on DVD though, and I will probably buy the other two as well. This show is hysterically funny and because of it I am so in love with this guy...
...Jason Bateman. Except for in Juno, where he played a guy that was a total loser at life. But seriously, watch his interviews for Juno with Michael Cera...so cute!
Bateman and Cera played father and son in "Arrested Development" and were never actually on screen together in "Juno" but they got to do this press junket/EPK stuff together, which was great! Too bad Jason is already happily married with a kid (becaaaause I would have a better chance of marrying him then? Whoa, dream big!)
While we're talking about guys I love but can't marry because they're already taken (and famous), let's talk about this guy right here. Bill Hader has this quirky quality that I find totally appealing. Oh yeah, plus he's hilarious. You can find him on Saturday Night Live and in movies like Superbad, Hot Rod, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Every time I see one of these camera commercials, I want to marry this guy. Again, not a possibility. But Ashton Kutcher is so lovable not only because yeah, he's hot, but also because he's got his stuff together. A true Midwestern boy, he has a goofy guy-next-door comedic appeal that works for him despite his model looks. And he's successfully gone from TV sitcom acting to producing his own TV shows as well as remaining an in-demand leading man in several different genres of film. Plus, he does these cute commercials!
Now onto something I love and can have whenever I want: Baja chicken chalupas from Taco Bell. They are my absolute vice. I don't eat them often because I know they can't be good for you, but every once in a while, I treat myself to this delicious, spicy, carb-loaded bundle of delight. Yum!
Put this on just about anything and I will eat it. JIF extra-crunchy peanut butter is a staple in my home. That and toilet paper.
CAPAKIMAJU is my grandparents' cabin on Kjostad Lake in Orr, Minnesota. It is my favorite place in the world and I'm so excited to go this summer! I think that when I go to heaven it will be a lot like Kjostad Lake.
Ralph Lauren's Romance perfume is my favorite scent. I got my first (and only) bottle my freshman year of college and I am finally running out, so...I will probably be asking for it this Christmas!
This, to me, is the best TV show ever. And I'm pretty sure I mean that. The Office has figured out how to make me feel happy, uncomfortable, sad, mad, in love, and ready to pee my pants from laughing all at once. It also has the magical ability to cheer me up in emergency situations.
I love Waiting for Guffman and all of the other movies Christopher Guest has created with his hand-picked improv troupe extraordinaire. And another thing I love is that people from this group keep showing up in Arrested Development and The Office as well as in Judd Apatow movies...it's just fun to see where and when and how they will pop up next!
I am just tickeld by Teen Girl Squad and most other things from homestarrunner.com. Even the introduction to the website cracks me up! I always want to quote this stuff in conversation, but it can only be with a few people I know who have watched it enough times to know what I'm talking about. I've been enjoying this website since my senior year of high school in newspaper class.
Another website I enjoy visiting is www.dorm-life.com, the homepage for a web series in mockumentary format (similar to The Office or a Chris Guest movie) about a group of college kids living on the same floor. They recently ended the first season and I am already stoked for more!
And while we're talking about fun shows on the web, I also wanted to highlight Whatever Hollywood, who I've talked about in my blog before. I suggest checking them out because they'll be famous someday!
Any excuse I can find to eat with chopsticks, I will do it. I don't know why, but I love eating with chopsticks! I even have a couple "permanent" pairs that I wash with my silverware and use again!
I love Purdue. So much. I bleed gold and black. Go Boilers!!!
Oh, Reese Witherspoon. If there's any one celebrity I love no matter what, it's Reese. She is beautiful, funny, smart, and so talented. And she's 5'2" like me! And you can make fun of me all you want, but Legally Blonde will always be one of my favorite movies.
I am kind of obsessed with this girl. Which is kinda weird, I know, because she's like my age. But not only do I love Ashley Tisdale for being Sharpay in High School Musical, I also think she is a great role model for the kids in her audience. She doesn't drink, smoke, or go to the clubs, and therefore she stays out of all sorts of trouble that her peers have gotten into. And I just saw the trailer today for her new little made-for-TV movie that premieres on ABC Family July 13th. The same weekend as we open our production of High School Musical in which I play Sharpay! See, obsessed. I even bought her first recording album when it came out last summer.
Also obsessed...with these two. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are awesome not only because they are so funny, but because of all the other cool things they stand for. The first all-female cast of Weekend Update on SNL, they are also very good friends and, from what I can tell, really cool people. I love Tina's series "30 Rock" on NBC, and I love her adaptation of the book "Queen Bees and Wannabes" to its film version, "Mean Girls." Amy Poehler joins Reese and Ashley on my list of favorite blondes. I love and imitate to exhaustion her character "Kaitlin" from SNL, and I think that she and husband Will Arnett (Arrested Development, 30 Rock) have to be the cutest, funniest couple ever. And I loved "Baby Momma."
My parents always say if I went to New York City I would never come back. And they would be correct. I have never been, but when I do you can bet I won't leave before seeing at LEAST one show on Broadway. I love keeping up with what productions come to the Great White Way every season, and I even get excited for the Tony Awards every summer! I know it's dorky because I'm out here in Indiana, but I mean, whatever.
And finally, I love jeans. I think I wear them literally every day. I love them. I know, who doesn't? But really, what would we do without jeans?
OK, so those are some of my favorite things, in no particular order. And now I'm hungry for a chalupa so...I might have to go do something about that.
Until later!
lis
Here we go!
First of all, I can't tell you have many times a day I Google things. I am truly a child of the Information Age. I even used Google Images to find most of these pictures!
Since the days of Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire, I haven't ever quite outgrown the DC. I know it's cheesy and over-the-top, but it's also fun and very cute, and who doesn't love Disney Channel Original Movies? Plus, the fact that I check in on the Disney Channel from time to time is very helpful in babysitting situations, because I actually have stuff to talk about with the kids.
My job! I love my job so much that a lot of times I forget that I "go to work" every day...or I guess I should say, every night. And I know I have it better working in the mornings because the people are great and compared to the daytime/evening hours, it's a lot less stressful! The people I work with are all hilarious, sweet, and easy to get along with. I love my job!
Arrested Development is one of my newest TV addictions, and I am so glad msn.com has given me the ability to watch all the episodes online for free! I did buy the first season on DVD though, and I will probably buy the other two as well. This show is hysterically funny and because of it I am so in love with this guy...
...Jason Bateman. Except for in Juno, where he played a guy that was a total loser at life. But seriously, watch his interviews for Juno with Michael Cera...so cute!
Bateman and Cera played father and son in "Arrested Development" and were never actually on screen together in "Juno" but they got to do this press junket/EPK stuff together, which was great! Too bad Jason is already happily married with a kid (becaaaause I would have a better chance of marrying him then? Whoa, dream big!)
While we're talking about guys I love but can't marry because they're already taken (and famous), let's talk about this guy right here. Bill Hader has this quirky quality that I find totally appealing. Oh yeah, plus he's hilarious. You can find him on Saturday Night Live and in movies like Superbad, Hot Rod, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Every time I see one of these camera commercials, I want to marry this guy. Again, not a possibility. But Ashton Kutcher is so lovable not only because yeah, he's hot, but also because he's got his stuff together. A true Midwestern boy, he has a goofy guy-next-door comedic appeal that works for him despite his model looks. And he's successfully gone from TV sitcom acting to producing his own TV shows as well as remaining an in-demand leading man in several different genres of film. Plus, he does these cute commercials!
Now onto something I love and can have whenever I want: Baja chicken chalupas from Taco Bell. They are my absolute vice. I don't eat them often because I know they can't be good for you, but every once in a while, I treat myself to this delicious, spicy, carb-loaded bundle of delight. Yum!
Put this on just about anything and I will eat it. JIF extra-crunchy peanut butter is a staple in my home. That and toilet paper.
CAPAKIMAJU is my grandparents' cabin on Kjostad Lake in Orr, Minnesota. It is my favorite place in the world and I'm so excited to go this summer! I think that when I go to heaven it will be a lot like Kjostad Lake.
Ralph Lauren's Romance perfume is my favorite scent. I got my first (and only) bottle my freshman year of college and I am finally running out, so...I will probably be asking for it this Christmas!
This, to me, is the best TV show ever. And I'm pretty sure I mean that. The Office has figured out how to make me feel happy, uncomfortable, sad, mad, in love, and ready to pee my pants from laughing all at once. It also has the magical ability to cheer me up in emergency situations.
I love Waiting for Guffman and all of the other movies Christopher Guest has created with his hand-picked improv troupe extraordinaire. And another thing I love is that people from this group keep showing up in Arrested Development and The Office as well as in Judd Apatow movies...it's just fun to see where and when and how they will pop up next!
I am just tickeld by Teen Girl Squad and most other things from homestarrunner.com. Even the introduction to the website cracks me up! I always want to quote this stuff in conversation, but it can only be with a few people I know who have watched it enough times to know what I'm talking about. I've been enjoying this website since my senior year of high school in newspaper class.
Another website I enjoy visiting is www.dorm-life.com, the homepage for a web series in mockumentary format (similar to The Office or a Chris Guest movie) about a group of college kids living on the same floor. They recently ended the first season and I am already stoked for more!
And while we're talking about fun shows on the web, I also wanted to highlight Whatever Hollywood, who I've talked about in my blog before. I suggest checking them out because they'll be famous someday!
Any excuse I can find to eat with chopsticks, I will do it. I don't know why, but I love eating with chopsticks! I even have a couple "permanent" pairs that I wash with my silverware and use again!
I love Purdue. So much. I bleed gold and black. Go Boilers!!!
Oh, Reese Witherspoon. If there's any one celebrity I love no matter what, it's Reese. She is beautiful, funny, smart, and so talented. And she's 5'2" like me! And you can make fun of me all you want, but Legally Blonde will always be one of my favorite movies.
I am kind of obsessed with this girl. Which is kinda weird, I know, because she's like my age. But not only do I love Ashley Tisdale for being Sharpay in High School Musical, I also think she is a great role model for the kids in her audience. She doesn't drink, smoke, or go to the clubs, and therefore she stays out of all sorts of trouble that her peers have gotten into. And I just saw the trailer today for her new little made-for-TV movie that premieres on ABC Family July 13th. The same weekend as we open our production of High School Musical in which I play Sharpay! See, obsessed. I even bought her first recording album when it came out last summer.
Also obsessed...with these two. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are awesome not only because they are so funny, but because of all the other cool things they stand for. The first all-female cast of Weekend Update on SNL, they are also very good friends and, from what I can tell, really cool people. I love Tina's series "30 Rock" on NBC, and I love her adaptation of the book "Queen Bees and Wannabes" to its film version, "Mean Girls." Amy Poehler joins Reese and Ashley on my list of favorite blondes. I love and imitate to exhaustion her character "Kaitlin" from SNL, and I think that she and husband Will Arnett (Arrested Development, 30 Rock) have to be the cutest, funniest couple ever. And I loved "Baby Momma."
My parents always say if I went to New York City I would never come back. And they would be correct. I have never been, but when I do you can bet I won't leave before seeing at LEAST one show on Broadway. I love keeping up with what productions come to the Great White Way every season, and I even get excited for the Tony Awards every summer! I know it's dorky because I'm out here in Indiana, but I mean, whatever.
And finally, I love jeans. I think I wear them literally every day. I love them. I know, who doesn't? But really, what would we do without jeans?
OK, so those are some of my favorite things, in no particular order. And now I'm hungry for a chalupa so...I might have to go do something about that.
Until later!
lis
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Stellar Saturday
Today turned out to be a much different day than I expected...
First, I went to an audition workshop for High School Musical, which the Civic Theatre is producing this summer. I am really hoping to do this show, since you may know I'm a teeny bit obsessed with HSM. So I went to this workshop, and here's the thing--looks-wise, I can pass for a high-schooler, but when I start talking, you can tell I'm older. So hopefully I won't get screwed in the casting and I'll get to play a high schooler, not an adult. Because the adults don't sing and dance. Honestly, I'd rather not have a speaking part and be a kid in the background singing and dancing, than have an adult role with lots of lines. But it was so weird because everyone else there was actually IN high school (or middle school) and so they'd be like "what grade are you in?" And I'd be like "Uhhhh...Purdue." Haha. So for the first time I'm having to lie about my age. Not really, though. When you sign up for auditions, you have to write your age down, so there's a big ol' 23 next to my name.
Oh well, hopefully I can still pull it off. I feel like I did really well, actually. My acting came back to me a little, plus I've watched this movie so many times, I felt like I knew what was going on with the lines enough to make some choices about how to play different roles. My dancing was solid, too. I don't think I'll have trouble with the dance auditions. The best part was when we were doing some staged readings with scenes from the script. We had to organize ourselves and assign ourselves to roles, so in the first scene I volunteered to play Ms. Darbus, the eccentric, long-winded drama teacher, because I thought it would be a fun way to loosen up. And they liked it! But again, that's an adult part, so I'm hoping to be cast younger, not older. In the next one, they sort of assigned roles, and put me as Gabriella, who is the female lead...a shy brainiac who wants to try her hand at being onstage. I am not a fan of the character in the movie...she's just too syrupy, but I tried really hard to play her with as much sweetness and integrity as possible, without being a total cheeseball. And then they had us go back in the scene because they wanted to change something about an exchange between two characters, Sharpay (the role I really want!) and Kelsi. And then they were like, "Let's do it again, but Lisa come over here and be Sharpay."
Yes!!!!!
Even if I don't get the part in the show, I am just so happy that I got to play her in this one scene...because it's one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Basically, Sharpay is a spoiled brat who controls the drama club and always gets the lead roles. Kelsi is the show's composer, a very softspoken, meek individual. And in this scene, Sharpay basically lets Kelsi have it for even suggesting that Sharpay may not land the lead this time.
And I got to do that scene! It was so fun! And I feel like I did really well!
I will say that it's funny coming back into a theatre setting after so long. By the end of high school, I was friends with so many people in drama that it really felt like a little family. But I had almost forgotten how much of an outsider you feel like when you first encounter a new drama group. It was like being in 7th grade and trying out for my high school's production of "The Nutcracker" all over again...the directors are super-warm and friendly to the people who obviously have been involved before, and there's no sort of trying to treat everyone the same. It's almost like all the inside jokes are aired out in front of everyone with no regard for the new people who have no idea what the jokes mean. Then all the directors keep telling you to be bigger, give more, and that the weirder it feels, the better. There's certainly no effort to try to make people feel less intimidated or more included. Basically, the point of drama is to make you as uncomfortable as possible.
But I know that the great thing is, once you get to know those people, you get really close to them and by showtime, you really DO feel like a family. I think it's just important to remember how it feels to come join a family full of people you know nothing about.
But anyway, auditions are in May, so I'll keep you updated!
Also, I caught up with someone I should've been talking to more in the past few years...we probably talked on the phone for a couple of hours, and the more we talked the more I felt so blessed to have someone I can relate to about so many things. Then I was on the phone with my dad for like three hours after that, trying to figure out how to get some video converting software on my computer. Then I got a message from the female sports anchor wanting to grab dinner, since she was done at the station. Then it turned into a little station girls' night out. We had said female sports anchor, the weekend anchor, a reporter, the weekend meteorologist, and me, the morning producer. We were rolling deep. We went for dinner and then hopped across the street for a couple drinks. And it was so fun! And now I'm home, pooped for the day and ready to crash.
Until you read again!
Lis
First, I went to an audition workshop for High School Musical, which the Civic Theatre is producing this summer. I am really hoping to do this show, since you may know I'm a teeny bit obsessed with HSM. So I went to this workshop, and here's the thing--looks-wise, I can pass for a high-schooler, but when I start talking, you can tell I'm older. So hopefully I won't get screwed in the casting and I'll get to play a high schooler, not an adult. Because the adults don't sing and dance. Honestly, I'd rather not have a speaking part and be a kid in the background singing and dancing, than have an adult role with lots of lines. But it was so weird because everyone else there was actually IN high school (or middle school) and so they'd be like "what grade are you in?" And I'd be like "Uhhhh...Purdue." Haha. So for the first time I'm having to lie about my age. Not really, though. When you sign up for auditions, you have to write your age down, so there's a big ol' 23 next to my name.
Oh well, hopefully I can still pull it off. I feel like I did really well, actually. My acting came back to me a little, plus I've watched this movie so many times, I felt like I knew what was going on with the lines enough to make some choices about how to play different roles. My dancing was solid, too. I don't think I'll have trouble with the dance auditions. The best part was when we were doing some staged readings with scenes from the script. We had to organize ourselves and assign ourselves to roles, so in the first scene I volunteered to play Ms. Darbus, the eccentric, long-winded drama teacher, because I thought it would be a fun way to loosen up. And they liked it! But again, that's an adult part, so I'm hoping to be cast younger, not older. In the next one, they sort of assigned roles, and put me as Gabriella, who is the female lead...a shy brainiac who wants to try her hand at being onstage. I am not a fan of the character in the movie...she's just too syrupy, but I tried really hard to play her with as much sweetness and integrity as possible, without being a total cheeseball. And then they had us go back in the scene because they wanted to change something about an exchange between two characters, Sharpay (the role I really want!) and Kelsi. And then they were like, "Let's do it again, but Lisa come over here and be Sharpay."
Yes!!!!!
Even if I don't get the part in the show, I am just so happy that I got to play her in this one scene...because it's one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Basically, Sharpay is a spoiled brat who controls the drama club and always gets the lead roles. Kelsi is the show's composer, a very softspoken, meek individual. And in this scene, Sharpay basically lets Kelsi have it for even suggesting that Sharpay may not land the lead this time.
And I got to do that scene! It was so fun! And I feel like I did really well!
I will say that it's funny coming back into a theatre setting after so long. By the end of high school, I was friends with so many people in drama that it really felt like a little family. But I had almost forgotten how much of an outsider you feel like when you first encounter a new drama group. It was like being in 7th grade and trying out for my high school's production of "The Nutcracker" all over again...the directors are super-warm and friendly to the people who obviously have been involved before, and there's no sort of trying to treat everyone the same. It's almost like all the inside jokes are aired out in front of everyone with no regard for the new people who have no idea what the jokes mean. Then all the directors keep telling you to be bigger, give more, and that the weirder it feels, the better. There's certainly no effort to try to make people feel less intimidated or more included. Basically, the point of drama is to make you as uncomfortable as possible.
But I know that the great thing is, once you get to know those people, you get really close to them and by showtime, you really DO feel like a family. I think it's just important to remember how it feels to come join a family full of people you know nothing about.
But anyway, auditions are in May, so I'll keep you updated!
Also, I caught up with someone I should've been talking to more in the past few years...we probably talked on the phone for a couple of hours, and the more we talked the more I felt so blessed to have someone I can relate to about so many things. Then I was on the phone with my dad for like three hours after that, trying to figure out how to get some video converting software on my computer. Then I got a message from the female sports anchor wanting to grab dinner, since she was done at the station. Then it turned into a little station girls' night out. We had said female sports anchor, the weekend anchor, a reporter, the weekend meteorologist, and me, the morning producer. We were rolling deep. We went for dinner and then hopped across the street for a couple drinks. And it was so fun! And now I'm home, pooped for the day and ready to crash.
Until you read again!
Lis
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Winter Break
Here's some irony for ya...I don't get a winter break this year for the first time since I was 5, because I'm not in school anymore...
But the term "Winter Break" applies to this time in my life better than I can possibly describe.
I'll describe it anyway :)
First of all, the break-up. This is the perfect time for a break-up, because everyone is gone, so none of these parties/get-togethers where people are telling you what they think about your break-up, and none of those uncomfortable moments where you both end up in the same place and everyone starts watching like you're suddenly the newest episode of "Grey's Anatomy." That actually happened once and I ended up crying...and not really because I was upset, but just because I felt all this pressure leaning in on me from around the room, and I literally cracked. So...none of those moments for awhile!
Also, some pretty big things happened...well, ONE pretty big thing happened just a few days ago. Our music director at Purdue announced that he was retiring, effective December 31. Which was a huge shock to people, since there are a lot of big things happening next semester that he won't be there for anymore. And it just makes everyone wonder...what's going to happen? This will change so many things for those kids. I am glad that a) I have already graduated and b) that it is winter break, so all the kids are at home where they can digest this with their families instead of rehash it at school...I mean, they'll do that anyway, but at least they'll have done it with their families first.
Finally, I got sick. It's just a cold, not the flu, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I've felt this gross. And since no one is in town and I don't have a boyfriend anymore, I can spend all day in bed, looking gross, and not having to go anywhere. I haven't been sleeping well because of being sick, so by yesterday I was exhausted when I got home from work. I went to bed about 9 a.m., and from then until about 6 this morning I have been in bed, with only small breaks for answering the phone (sometimes), going to the bathroom, taking medicine, and occasionally getting online for AIM, email, or facebook. And that's it! It's been a real break! All around! And it's not even Christmas yet!
I set up my first very own Christmas tree and did my shopping, and all my presents are wrapped and under my tree...and I'm so proud everytime I look at it! It's weird, for some reason I am the least excited for Christmas that I've ever been, and I don't know why. I am excited to go home, but I don't really feel like it's only a few days till Christmas, and I think it might be because every day at work just makes me feel like...every day is just another day. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it's just that difference of not having a build-up. No Christmas show rehearsals, no finals, no packing and going home. I think that must be it. I have one day off to look forward to; Christmas Eve night/Christmas morning, and then on Christmas night I go back to the newsroom. Holidays come and go so fast because I don't get to relish them for days, just for hours. The only thing that gets me excited is Christmas shopping and wrapping presents. And looking forward to seeing the Christmas Show on TV!
Speaking of TV, here are my media picks of the moment:
TV...well, nothing is on TV right now thanks to the writers' strike, but here are some shows I started watching and hope to be caught up on by the time WGA lets Hollywood get back to business:
1. The Office -- I love Christopher Guest movies, and this is like if a Chris Guest movie were made into a TV show. I bought the first season on DVD, which to my disappointment only had six episodes...they must have really been counting on this one to fail! Which is understandable, considering the fact that it was based off of a British show of the same title. It's subte, dry, every-day humor and I love it. I am very much in love with the character Jim Halpert (who isn't?) as well as the Jim-Pam love story, or "JAM" as some fans call it. "The Office" never fails to cheer me up and give me stomach cramps.
2. Pushing Daisies -- I had seen the promos for this when the new TV season started, and it looked interesting, but I was busy enough watching "The Bachelor" on abc.com, so I didn't look into it. But I kept hearing my director obsess over it, so now that I've run out of other stuff to watch, I thought I'd give the show a look. I also found out that one of my favorite Broadway people, Kristen Chenoweth, is in it, so that was what really made me decide to check it out. I love it. It's like Tim Burton, Gilmore Girls, and CSI all rolled into one show! Every episode is like a little movie. It's whimsical, colorful, dark, and old-fashioned, with that rapid-fire wit of Gilmore Girls but finally in an atmosphere fitting of that writing style. And it's a murder mystery, so you just can't stop watching as every twist leads you to the next commercial break. Luckily, I was watching online and didn't have to sit through much of a commercial break! And Kristen Chenoweth even sings! The best part, too, is that when characters sing in this show, they just sort of naturally burst forth without needing an excuse to, and for this show, that works and makes sense. That's hard to do in a movie, let alone a tv show! More about that in the movie section...
Movies...
1. I rented "The Wendell Baker Story" from a redbox and it was really good. One of those movies that got totally missed by everyone, even though it was written and directed by the Wilson brothers (Luke, Andrew, and Owen -- actually Owen just acted in it). It was a quirky little story about a con man who decides to clean up his act after his shinannigans cost him his girl, his best friend, and some prison time. He goes to work in a retirement home where he finds out about the shady dealings of the owner and decides to help out, and make friends with, the hilarious senior citizen residents. The movie isn't flashy or over-the-top in any way, which is probably why it flew under the radar for the public, but to say it's worth the dollar it costs to rent it at a redbox vending machine for the night is an understatement.
2. High School Musical 2. Yes, I bought it. I am a sucker for this stuff. It's campy, cheesy, and not made for people my age...but I totally don't care. This is the part of me that never got past the age of 12: I love any show where singing and dancing is involved, and I love Ashley Tisdale. This movie was even better than the first one because there were much more songs, especially big group numbers, and the dancing was a lot more complicated. Also, this had more of a musical feel to it because more of the songs came out of the storyline and happened "spontaneously," whereas in the first movie most of the music was explained by an audition or even kareaoke. I am one of those people who wish life was a musical, and in that musical, the singing and dancing tells the story, everyone already knows the words, and uniform dance moves happen not because someone taught it that way, but because everyone was feeling the same emotion, which led them to move as one. Of course! So I respond better to a show where the songs seem to kind of just happen, rather than be rationalized. Because it's less realistic! Makes perfect sense, right?
Ok, that's all I have for now. Time to find something to eat and start cleaning up my "sick person" mess around the house!
But the term "Winter Break" applies to this time in my life better than I can possibly describe.
I'll describe it anyway :)
First of all, the break-up. This is the perfect time for a break-up, because everyone is gone, so none of these parties/get-togethers where people are telling you what they think about your break-up, and none of those uncomfortable moments where you both end up in the same place and everyone starts watching like you're suddenly the newest episode of "Grey's Anatomy." That actually happened once and I ended up crying...and not really because I was upset, but just because I felt all this pressure leaning in on me from around the room, and I literally cracked. So...none of those moments for awhile!
Also, some pretty big things happened...well, ONE pretty big thing happened just a few days ago. Our music director at Purdue announced that he was retiring, effective December 31. Which was a huge shock to people, since there are a lot of big things happening next semester that he won't be there for anymore. And it just makes everyone wonder...what's going to happen? This will change so many things for those kids. I am glad that a) I have already graduated and b) that it is winter break, so all the kids are at home where they can digest this with their families instead of rehash it at school...I mean, they'll do that anyway, but at least they'll have done it with their families first.
Finally, I got sick. It's just a cold, not the flu, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I've felt this gross. And since no one is in town and I don't have a boyfriend anymore, I can spend all day in bed, looking gross, and not having to go anywhere. I haven't been sleeping well because of being sick, so by yesterday I was exhausted when I got home from work. I went to bed about 9 a.m., and from then until about 6 this morning I have been in bed, with only small breaks for answering the phone (sometimes), going to the bathroom, taking medicine, and occasionally getting online for AIM, email, or facebook. And that's it! It's been a real break! All around! And it's not even Christmas yet!
I set up my first very own Christmas tree and did my shopping, and all my presents are wrapped and under my tree...and I'm so proud everytime I look at it! It's weird, for some reason I am the least excited for Christmas that I've ever been, and I don't know why. I am excited to go home, but I don't really feel like it's only a few days till Christmas, and I think it might be because every day at work just makes me feel like...every day is just another day. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it's just that difference of not having a build-up. No Christmas show rehearsals, no finals, no packing and going home. I think that must be it. I have one day off to look forward to; Christmas Eve night/Christmas morning, and then on Christmas night I go back to the newsroom. Holidays come and go so fast because I don't get to relish them for days, just for hours. The only thing that gets me excited is Christmas shopping and wrapping presents. And looking forward to seeing the Christmas Show on TV!
Speaking of TV, here are my media picks of the moment:
TV...well, nothing is on TV right now thanks to the writers' strike, but here are some shows I started watching and hope to be caught up on by the time WGA lets Hollywood get back to business:
1. The Office -- I love Christopher Guest movies, and this is like if a Chris Guest movie were made into a TV show. I bought the first season on DVD, which to my disappointment only had six episodes...they must have really been counting on this one to fail! Which is understandable, considering the fact that it was based off of a British show of the same title. It's subte, dry, every-day humor and I love it. I am very much in love with the character Jim Halpert (who isn't?) as well as the Jim-Pam love story, or "JAM" as some fans call it. "The Office" never fails to cheer me up and give me stomach cramps.
2. Pushing Daisies -- I had seen the promos for this when the new TV season started, and it looked interesting, but I was busy enough watching "The Bachelor" on abc.com, so I didn't look into it. But I kept hearing my director obsess over it, so now that I've run out of other stuff to watch, I thought I'd give the show a look. I also found out that one of my favorite Broadway people, Kristen Chenoweth, is in it, so that was what really made me decide to check it out. I love it. It's like Tim Burton, Gilmore Girls, and CSI all rolled into one show! Every episode is like a little movie. It's whimsical, colorful, dark, and old-fashioned, with that rapid-fire wit of Gilmore Girls but finally in an atmosphere fitting of that writing style. And it's a murder mystery, so you just can't stop watching as every twist leads you to the next commercial break. Luckily, I was watching online and didn't have to sit through much of a commercial break! And Kristen Chenoweth even sings! The best part, too, is that when characters sing in this show, they just sort of naturally burst forth without needing an excuse to, and for this show, that works and makes sense. That's hard to do in a movie, let alone a tv show! More about that in the movie section...
Movies...
1. I rented "The Wendell Baker Story" from a redbox and it was really good. One of those movies that got totally missed by everyone, even though it was written and directed by the Wilson brothers (Luke, Andrew, and Owen -- actually Owen just acted in it). It was a quirky little story about a con man who decides to clean up his act after his shinannigans cost him his girl, his best friend, and some prison time. He goes to work in a retirement home where he finds out about the shady dealings of the owner and decides to help out, and make friends with, the hilarious senior citizen residents. The movie isn't flashy or over-the-top in any way, which is probably why it flew under the radar for the public, but to say it's worth the dollar it costs to rent it at a redbox vending machine for the night is an understatement.
2. High School Musical 2. Yes, I bought it. I am a sucker for this stuff. It's campy, cheesy, and not made for people my age...but I totally don't care. This is the part of me that never got past the age of 12: I love any show where singing and dancing is involved, and I love Ashley Tisdale. This movie was even better than the first one because there were much more songs, especially big group numbers, and the dancing was a lot more complicated. Also, this had more of a musical feel to it because more of the songs came out of the storyline and happened "spontaneously," whereas in the first movie most of the music was explained by an audition or even kareaoke. I am one of those people who wish life was a musical, and in that musical, the singing and dancing tells the story, everyone already knows the words, and uniform dance moves happen not because someone taught it that way, but because everyone was feeling the same emotion, which led them to move as one. Of course! So I respond better to a show where the songs seem to kind of just happen, rather than be rationalized. Because it's less realistic! Makes perfect sense, right?
Ok, that's all I have for now. Time to find something to eat and start cleaning up my "sick person" mess around the house!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Where Are You, Christmas (Show)?
It's mid-October. It's starting to get cold. And the normal American is getting ready for Halloween.
I'm ready for Christmas.
For the past 4 years I have spent this time of year putting in serious time learning various arrangements of Christmas songs and carols for the Purdue Christmas Show. And before those 4 years, I was at least starting to learn a Christmas song or two for one choir concert or other. This year, I'm not doing that, and it's weird. There is definitely a void.
So today I had to give in to the urge and pop in an old Christmas Show rehearsal CD on my way home from work. I almost cried; I am really going to miss being in that show.
Don't get me wrong; it's fantastic not to have the stress and anxiety connected with preparing for a show of that magnitude. But Christmas Show was my favorite part of Purduettes, PMO, and Purdue. I spent all year getting excited about it, and I never got tired of rehearsing for it. When the curtain finally rose in front of a live audience, I was in my element. Nothing else will ever be like performing on that stage, and it's a little sad not to look forward to having that thrill this year.
On the other hand, I am building up anticipation to being in the audience for the first time since I was in high school. I will definitely have a different kind of appreciation for it now that I've been a part of it. And maybe I'll get to sing with the alumni onstage during the carol sing.
P.S. -- I finished training for the producer job today. I did the whole show by myself, pretty much, and it went well! I am excited about flying solo come Sunday night. I really need to watch "Anchorman" again...so many references come to mind now that I'm writing what goes in the teleprompter and dealing more directly with the anchors, but they don't come to mind as readily as they should. I've forgotten a lot from that movie. Time to brush up!
Well, it's past my bedtime. Merry Christmas and a Happy Halloween!
I'm ready for Christmas.
For the past 4 years I have spent this time of year putting in serious time learning various arrangements of Christmas songs and carols for the Purdue Christmas Show. And before those 4 years, I was at least starting to learn a Christmas song or two for one choir concert or other. This year, I'm not doing that, and it's weird. There is definitely a void.
So today I had to give in to the urge and pop in an old Christmas Show rehearsal CD on my way home from work. I almost cried; I am really going to miss being in that show.
Don't get me wrong; it's fantastic not to have the stress and anxiety connected with preparing for a show of that magnitude. But Christmas Show was my favorite part of Purduettes, PMO, and Purdue. I spent all year getting excited about it, and I never got tired of rehearsing for it. When the curtain finally rose in front of a live audience, I was in my element. Nothing else will ever be like performing on that stage, and it's a little sad not to look forward to having that thrill this year.
On the other hand, I am building up anticipation to being in the audience for the first time since I was in high school. I will definitely have a different kind of appreciation for it now that I've been a part of it. And maybe I'll get to sing with the alumni onstage during the carol sing.
P.S. -- I finished training for the producer job today. I did the whole show by myself, pretty much, and it went well! I am excited about flying solo come Sunday night. I really need to watch "Anchorman" again...so many references come to mind now that I'm writing what goes in the teleprompter and dealing more directly with the anchors, but they don't come to mind as readily as they should. I've forgotten a lot from that movie. Time to brush up!
Well, it's past my bedtime. Merry Christmas and a Happy Halloween!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Who's Having the Best Week Ever?
I am!
I just spent a week without talking to Ryan, which was tough, but I reminded myself that Michelle spends half the year not being able to talk to anyone but the people on her ship. So I was very constructive and worked out every day, worked like a dog, and made some moolah, all the time with that anticipation of talking to and seeing Ryan. Don't you think that you appreciate someone so much more after you've been away from them for a time? It just helps you not take things for granted so much. Then I got to see my two best friends from the start of our freshman year at Purdue together.
I saw Katy at Scotty's; she was there with Sam and his mom and dad, after getting him moved back to Purdue. She just finished her first week teaching sophomores English! She's a real teacher! We both talked about how it's great to have our own places all to ourselves, even though the first couple nights alone are a little scary.
I had lunch with Beth today and we did a lot of catching up. She's got 6 weeks of class and then student teaching, so it'll be nice that she'll be in and out of town for the next month or so. I think she's getting to the point Katy and I were earlier during senior year; where is my life going, I'm going to be on my own, etc. The thrill of independence but also the scariness of not knowing what's coming next. Anyway, she, Katy, and I are going to try to plan a trip to my number one destination of choice: New York!
Let me back up and tell you more about where Ryan was all week. He was at Glee Club camp! They weren't allowed to have their cell phones, hence the no talking to him for the week. He came back and I had the best night listening to him tell me about camp! He's in a new specialty group, "Boiler Boys" based on "Jersey Boys," the musical about the Four Seasons. And Beth's already heard them (she went to their show at camp) and said they were great! I can't WAIT to hear Ryan sing at the Glee Club's show on Friday!
More reasons I'm having the best week ever: I now have the soundtrack to the musical version of "Legally Blonde" thanks to Beth, and it's very funny! If you're a fan of the movie, you'll love the music. Hopefully I'll get to see this in New York...hmmm! Also, High School Musical 2 came out this weekend. I actually have yet to see the entire thing, but what I've seen is cute and very catchy. What can I say, they've hit the jackpot with this franchise. I know it's a little cheesy, but it's great and it's great for kids to get into singing and dancing, and it's great material for school music departments to get kids involved. And I love it.
And now there's a possibility of my getting hired full time at the TV station! Keep your fingers crossed! I hope it works out. I'll definitely keep you posted.
Lastly, I turned 23. Nothing exciting happened except that I am now officially off my parents' health insurance. But, hey, it's a birthday! And I love birthdays! Caitlin took me to lunch on my birthday, and that was nice. And Ryan said he's going to take me shopping for stuff for my apartment. Yay!!! He knows I love my birthday, and since he had to miss it altogether due to being at camp, he said we'll get to celebrate now that he's back. And he does know how to make a girl feel special. Can't wait!
Well it's time to make some TV magic. And I don't have to go to school tomorrow! How cool is that?
Good night!
I just spent a week without talking to Ryan, which was tough, but I reminded myself that Michelle spends half the year not being able to talk to anyone but the people on her ship. So I was very constructive and worked out every day, worked like a dog, and made some moolah, all the time with that anticipation of talking to and seeing Ryan. Don't you think that you appreciate someone so much more after you've been away from them for a time? It just helps you not take things for granted so much. Then I got to see my two best friends from the start of our freshman year at Purdue together.
I saw Katy at Scotty's; she was there with Sam and his mom and dad, after getting him moved back to Purdue. She just finished her first week teaching sophomores English! She's a real teacher! We both talked about how it's great to have our own places all to ourselves, even though the first couple nights alone are a little scary.
I had lunch with Beth today and we did a lot of catching up. She's got 6 weeks of class and then student teaching, so it'll be nice that she'll be in and out of town for the next month or so. I think she's getting to the point Katy and I were earlier during senior year; where is my life going, I'm going to be on my own, etc. The thrill of independence but also the scariness of not knowing what's coming next. Anyway, she, Katy, and I are going to try to plan a trip to my number one destination of choice: New York!
Let me back up and tell you more about where Ryan was all week. He was at Glee Club camp! They weren't allowed to have their cell phones, hence the no talking to him for the week. He came back and I had the best night listening to him tell me about camp! He's in a new specialty group, "Boiler Boys" based on "Jersey Boys," the musical about the Four Seasons. And Beth's already heard them (she went to their show at camp) and said they were great! I can't WAIT to hear Ryan sing at the Glee Club's show on Friday!
More reasons I'm having the best week ever: I now have the soundtrack to the musical version of "Legally Blonde" thanks to Beth, and it's very funny! If you're a fan of the movie, you'll love the music. Hopefully I'll get to see this in New York...hmmm! Also, High School Musical 2 came out this weekend. I actually have yet to see the entire thing, but what I've seen is cute and very catchy. What can I say, they've hit the jackpot with this franchise. I know it's a little cheesy, but it's great and it's great for kids to get into singing and dancing, and it's great material for school music departments to get kids involved. And I love it.
And now there's a possibility of my getting hired full time at the TV station! Keep your fingers crossed! I hope it works out. I'll definitely keep you posted.
Lastly, I turned 23. Nothing exciting happened except that I am now officially off my parents' health insurance. But, hey, it's a birthday! And I love birthdays! Caitlin took me to lunch on my birthday, and that was nice. And Ryan said he's going to take me shopping for stuff for my apartment. Yay!!! He knows I love my birthday, and since he had to miss it altogether due to being at camp, he said we'll get to celebrate now that he's back. And he does know how to make a girl feel special. Can't wait!
Well it's time to make some TV magic. And I don't have to go to school tomorrow! How cool is that?
Good night!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
And We're Baaaack!
Just back during some downtime at the station to update on a couple things. As you know if you've been reading, I'm addicted to BB8, and it's really starting to get intense. One contestant is Eric, America's Player, which means that he is sort of "controlled" by anyone who wants to vote in the U.S., and they submit votes every week to tell him who to try to put up for eviction nominations, and most importantly, who to vote out of the house. This is hard for Eric, because he came into the house with his own game plan and now has to modify to what America requests from him, and the last two eviction elections, America told him to vote against his alliance, which was very risky. Well, everyone in the house sort of figured out that it was he who was casting the wayward votes, and last week Daniele as HOH had a personal vendetta to get Eric out of the house. He was almost back-doored, but some loyal alliance votes saved him...for this week. Now his best friend in the house, Jessica, is HOH, which would be good for him except that she really questions her ability to trust him after all the talk last week.
Here is where I have to say...America, what are you doing?! I know some people have said they don't like Eric, and I'm sure that some are trying to sabotage him to get him out of the house, but I think that once that happens, all those voters will regret it, because now they will have nothing to do but sit and watch the show, having no input or feeling of control with the show. Furthermore, the whole reason Daniele went on her campaign anyway is because during an endurance competition in the backyard, someone flew over the BB house with a banner saying that Eric was a liar. If it weren't for negative outside influence, Eric would still be playing the game without any backlash like he's getting now. My personal opinion is that Eric is kind of a tool, but I have to admire the way he plays the game, incorporating his assigned tasks with his own style. He's smart, and he deserves to stay in the game because he's playing it smart. Now everyone thinks he voted the way he did because he was trying to set someone up, but the truth is that he was just doing what he had to do as part of the game. I can't wait to see what happens when Dick and Daniele find out Eric's role in this game.
Enough about that! I know it's kind of lame to be into that kind of stuff, but it's fun, and it's all that I get on TV besides crime shows. CBS needs to run more sitcoms, by the way. We've got three different CSIs, Without a Trace, Cold Case, Close to Home, Ghost Whisperer, 48 Hours Mystery, NCIS, and The Unit. Gimme a break, I need something fun to watch!
Current music tastes: I've been listening to Christmas music (already getting excited for the Purdue Christmas Show as usual) and any other recordings of PMO, just because I'm excited to see upcoming shows as the new season begins. I also feel like the Christmas music may help me think chilly thoughts and stay a little cooler during this heat wave! (I feel bad complaining about the heat; Michelle is in the middle east and I know it's hotter there than it is here!)
Movies I'm into at the moment: Anything by the Chris Guest/Eugene Levy troupe (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind, This is Spinal Tap). I just watched Spinal Tap for the first time and it was great! So funny to see these guys when they were younger! I'd like to get my own copy of Waiting for Guffman, and I'd also like to find the new one they made last year called "For Your Consideration," but I haven't seen either anywhere. I also decided yesterday that I should own more musicals. All I have is The Wizard of Oz and High School Musical (does that really count?), so last night I went to Target and bought "Hello, Dolly!" and "The Wiz." I love Dolly...I think if I could ever have a dream role, that would be it, that meddling, fast-talking lady! I was actually in The Wiz in high school, and the movie is so much cooler, and Ryan had expressed a desire to see it awhile back, and it was only five bucks, so that's why I got that one.
Final notes: Today at the restaurant it was so busy that nobody got to leave until the night time shift got there, and even then everyone was there for about an hour getting everything caught up. I was finally excused at 5:00 because I was supposed to have been at the station at 4! With freshman orientation around the corner, everyone was in town for the "last supper" and, apparantly, everyone decided to come to our restaurant! At one point this afternoon, I thought, "I hate this restaurant." Let's just say if you want to know how I like my job, ask me tomorrow! I am still in my uniform right now; I didn't go home to change over the dinner break after the first newscast because I wanted to stay to make up the hour I lost while at the restaurant. And look what I'm doing! Clearly, it's a slow night at the TV station.
That's all for me today. Really.
Lis
Here is where I have to say...America, what are you doing?! I know some people have said they don't like Eric, and I'm sure that some are trying to sabotage him to get him out of the house, but I think that once that happens, all those voters will regret it, because now they will have nothing to do but sit and watch the show, having no input or feeling of control with the show. Furthermore, the whole reason Daniele went on her campaign anyway is because during an endurance competition in the backyard, someone flew over the BB house with a banner saying that Eric was a liar. If it weren't for negative outside influence, Eric would still be playing the game without any backlash like he's getting now. My personal opinion is that Eric is kind of a tool, but I have to admire the way he plays the game, incorporating his assigned tasks with his own style. He's smart, and he deserves to stay in the game because he's playing it smart. Now everyone thinks he voted the way he did because he was trying to set someone up, but the truth is that he was just doing what he had to do as part of the game. I can't wait to see what happens when Dick and Daniele find out Eric's role in this game.
Enough about that! I know it's kind of lame to be into that kind of stuff, but it's fun, and it's all that I get on TV besides crime shows. CBS needs to run more sitcoms, by the way. We've got three different CSIs, Without a Trace, Cold Case, Close to Home, Ghost Whisperer, 48 Hours Mystery, NCIS, and The Unit. Gimme a break, I need something fun to watch!
Current music tastes: I've been listening to Christmas music (already getting excited for the Purdue Christmas Show as usual) and any other recordings of PMO, just because I'm excited to see upcoming shows as the new season begins. I also feel like the Christmas music may help me think chilly thoughts and stay a little cooler during this heat wave! (I feel bad complaining about the heat; Michelle is in the middle east and I know it's hotter there than it is here!)
Movies I'm into at the moment: Anything by the Chris Guest/Eugene Levy troupe (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind, This is Spinal Tap). I just watched Spinal Tap for the first time and it was great! So funny to see these guys when they were younger! I'd like to get my own copy of Waiting for Guffman, and I'd also like to find the new one they made last year called "For Your Consideration," but I haven't seen either anywhere. I also decided yesterday that I should own more musicals. All I have is The Wizard of Oz and High School Musical (does that really count?), so last night I went to Target and bought "Hello, Dolly!" and "The Wiz." I love Dolly...I think if I could ever have a dream role, that would be it, that meddling, fast-talking lady! I was actually in The Wiz in high school, and the movie is so much cooler, and Ryan had expressed a desire to see it awhile back, and it was only five bucks, so that's why I got that one.
Final notes: Today at the restaurant it was so busy that nobody got to leave until the night time shift got there, and even then everyone was there for about an hour getting everything caught up. I was finally excused at 5:00 because I was supposed to have been at the station at 4! With freshman orientation around the corner, everyone was in town for the "last supper" and, apparantly, everyone decided to come to our restaurant! At one point this afternoon, I thought, "I hate this restaurant." Let's just say if you want to know how I like my job, ask me tomorrow! I am still in my uniform right now; I didn't go home to change over the dinner break after the first newscast because I wanted to stay to make up the hour I lost while at the restaurant. And look what I'm doing! Clearly, it's a slow night at the TV station.
That's all for me today. Really.
Lis
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Graduating
I have sat through two commencement ceremonies a year for the past four years here at Purdue, because the Purduettes sing at the winter commencements. Here at Purdue, the ceremonies are split up because there are so many thousands of people graduating that it would be impossible to fit everyone and their parents in one ceremony at Elliott Hall, which, by the way, seats over 6,000 people. So in the winter they split it into two ceremonies, and in the spring they split it into four. Just to give you a picture. Each one is about two hours long, and there are so many people that only the graduate and doctorate degrees get their names read; everyone getting a bachelor’s or associate’s degree gets to see his name up on a screen with about ten other people as he walks across the stage. Which, don’t get me wrong, is pretty cool.
I just figured, knowing how boring and long and impersonal these things could be, it wouldn’t mean a whole lot to me.
I knew it meant a lot to my family, and hey, they knew what to expect. My mom and dad both graduated from Purdue. And if it was important to them, I’d try to make it a special day. Ryan even pointed out to me what a great accomplishment it was.
“You’re the only person I’m this close to who has ever graduated from college,” he said. “It’s a big deal.” And he was absolutely right.
It’s not like I didn’t want to go through graduation…I just wasn’t really excited about it.
Plus, it was weird; none of my Purduette classmates were graduating with me. Beth has another semester, and Laura still has more school. Meghan was going to go through graduation, but I didn’t know what section she was in, so as far as I knew, I would show up at the armory, get in line, and go through the ceremony with a bunch of strangers that I had apparently been going to school with over the last four years. It wasn’t like high school graduation, where you’re with all your friends, and all the teachers are there, and everyone knows you. I’d be lucky if the Glee Club guys, who were going to be singing onstage, would catch me as I walked by.
When my family arrived, it felt like something out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Marla popped her head in the door to give me about a ten-second warning that everyone was here. Then in came Mom, Dad, Mamaw, and Papaw, with hugs, questions, and comments. Mamaw immediately pounced on the graduation robe I had laid out on my bed and began wishing she’d brought her steamer.
“Well, I bet we could iron it right here on the bed,” she offered. I told her no, thanks, because no one else’s was going to look any better, and from where everyone was sitting they wouldn’t be able to tell if it had wrinkles anyway. I was almost ready when they all got there, but not quite, so then I had the fun of people watching me get ready. For some reason, this is a pet peeve of mine. I think it’s because I worry that the person watching me is thinking, “Is she really going to do her hair like that?”
Finally it was time to go to the ceremony. I had to be at the armory, next door to the Hall of Music, an hour before the ceremony, and everyone else was going to go find seats. At the armory, Dad helped me put my little white collar on my robe while Mom and Mamaw corrected my placement of my cap on my head. Marla, who was taking pictures of all of this, told me I looked pissed off, and I knew my lack of excitement and slight irritation at all the nitpicky attention was coming through loud and clear. I had to at least try to act as excited as they all were.
That’s when Katy showed up.
Katy was my roommate and instant best friend our freshman year at Purdue. She was getting ready to graduate with a degree in English Education, and soon after would find out she’d been offered a teaching job in a high school near Indianapolis. She was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority and about a year ago talked Marla into rushing. Marla joined DG, and Katy took her under her wing from the very beginning, doing everything from pairing Marla with the perfect match of a Big Sis in the house to teaching Marla how to tease back her hair.
I can’t tell you how glad I was to see Katy. Just like when she showed up in our dorm room during orientation week with all of her cute dorm accessories and reminded me how fun and adventurous college life was going to be, she showed up in front of the armory asking my dad for help with her collar, since he’d figured out mine, and wanting pictures of the two of us together, and she reminded me how special it was going to be to finish this fun and adventurous time and start off on a new one of even greater significance.
Katy and I went inside and parted ways to sign in. Get this—we had to get a sticker with our names and numbers next to them so we’d know who to stand behind in alphabetical order! I felt like one of the calves at my grandma’s farm when my parents and aunt and uncle are working cattle; I might as well have had a tag in my ear. Wouldn’t that be funny? All the tags in colors to match our tassels representing our schools and degrees!
I was trying to find which line to get into when I saw standing together Ashley from the Purdue Bells in PMO, Lindsey, who used to go to my high school, and Amanda, a former Purduette classmate. The three of them were standing together and talking, and as they greeted me enthusiastically, I got the feeling that this kind of was like high school graduation…all of your classmates waiting in the gym, checking to see if someone’s cap is straight or if someone’s hair doesn’t look too goofy under the cap. I finally found my check-in line, and when I got to the front, who was there to sign me in but Colleen Williams, the academic advisor who had helped me schedule my classes every semester and who never let me completely commit academic suicide by taking on too much.
“Oh, you got your hair cut!” she said as she found my sticker and patted it onto the shoulder of my black robe. I smiled. She was like the teacher who always helped you out during high school, even if you didn’t have a class with her.
I lined up, it turned out, behind a guy I had met my first semester at Purdue. He remembered me, so it was really fun to be within speaking distance of a previous acquaintance. A few more people ahead of him stood Amanda, which was also a comfort. And after some final instructions about when and where to stand, sit, or walk, we began the ceremony.
We all paraded out of the armory and past the Hall of Music and the bell tower. Then we took a lap around the Engineering Mall as people stood outside waving and taking pictures. There was something really cool about taking this walk down sidewalks you’d hurried across so many times as a student, only this time at a leisurely pace and in a cap and gown. It made me feel the finality of walking in these places as a student for the last time. And I realized that this was the part I had never seen before when I sat through those winter commencements.
This was the special part. This was the part of the ceremony that was for me.
The rest was for Mom and Dad, Mamaw and Papaw. The speeches were great, the music was beautiful, and the university president, who knew me through Purduettes and a scholarship group I had been in as a freshman, made a point to get up out of his chair and meet me onstage as I walked across. He gave me a hug and shook my hand and asked what I would be doing after graduation, and he wished me good luck. I think it was a special ceremony weekend for him as well; he was retiring from Purdue at the end of the school year.
The two hours of commencement were gorgeous, and they meant a lot more to me than I could of imagined. But whenever I think back to the day I graduated from Purdue, it won’t be the stage full of glee clubbers, band members, faculty, and trustees that I will remember. For me, it will be that stretch of pavement between Elliott Hall and the engineering buildings, where I last walked as a student at Purdue.
I just figured, knowing how boring and long and impersonal these things could be, it wouldn’t mean a whole lot to me.
I knew it meant a lot to my family, and hey, they knew what to expect. My mom and dad both graduated from Purdue. And if it was important to them, I’d try to make it a special day. Ryan even pointed out to me what a great accomplishment it was.
“You’re the only person I’m this close to who has ever graduated from college,” he said. “It’s a big deal.” And he was absolutely right.
It’s not like I didn’t want to go through graduation…I just wasn’t really excited about it.
Plus, it was weird; none of my Purduette classmates were graduating with me. Beth has another semester, and Laura still has more school. Meghan was going to go through graduation, but I didn’t know what section she was in, so as far as I knew, I would show up at the armory, get in line, and go through the ceremony with a bunch of strangers that I had apparently been going to school with over the last four years. It wasn’t like high school graduation, where you’re with all your friends, and all the teachers are there, and everyone knows you. I’d be lucky if the Glee Club guys, who were going to be singing onstage, would catch me as I walked by.
When my family arrived, it felt like something out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Marla popped her head in the door to give me about a ten-second warning that everyone was here. Then in came Mom, Dad, Mamaw, and Papaw, with hugs, questions, and comments. Mamaw immediately pounced on the graduation robe I had laid out on my bed and began wishing she’d brought her steamer.
“Well, I bet we could iron it right here on the bed,” she offered. I told her no, thanks, because no one else’s was going to look any better, and from where everyone was sitting they wouldn’t be able to tell if it had wrinkles anyway. I was almost ready when they all got there, but not quite, so then I had the fun of people watching me get ready. For some reason, this is a pet peeve of mine. I think it’s because I worry that the person watching me is thinking, “Is she really going to do her hair like that?”
Finally it was time to go to the ceremony. I had to be at the armory, next door to the Hall of Music, an hour before the ceremony, and everyone else was going to go find seats. At the armory, Dad helped me put my little white collar on my robe while Mom and Mamaw corrected my placement of my cap on my head. Marla, who was taking pictures of all of this, told me I looked pissed off, and I knew my lack of excitement and slight irritation at all the nitpicky attention was coming through loud and clear. I had to at least try to act as excited as they all were.
That’s when Katy showed up.
Katy was my roommate and instant best friend our freshman year at Purdue. She was getting ready to graduate with a degree in English Education, and soon after would find out she’d been offered a teaching job in a high school near Indianapolis. She was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority and about a year ago talked Marla into rushing. Marla joined DG, and Katy took her under her wing from the very beginning, doing everything from pairing Marla with the perfect match of a Big Sis in the house to teaching Marla how to tease back her hair.
I can’t tell you how glad I was to see Katy. Just like when she showed up in our dorm room during orientation week with all of her cute dorm accessories and reminded me how fun and adventurous college life was going to be, she showed up in front of the armory asking my dad for help with her collar, since he’d figured out mine, and wanting pictures of the two of us together, and she reminded me how special it was going to be to finish this fun and adventurous time and start off on a new one of even greater significance.
Katy and I went inside and parted ways to sign in. Get this—we had to get a sticker with our names and numbers next to them so we’d know who to stand behind in alphabetical order! I felt like one of the calves at my grandma’s farm when my parents and aunt and uncle are working cattle; I might as well have had a tag in my ear. Wouldn’t that be funny? All the tags in colors to match our tassels representing our schools and degrees!
I was trying to find which line to get into when I saw standing together Ashley from the Purdue Bells in PMO, Lindsey, who used to go to my high school, and Amanda, a former Purduette classmate. The three of them were standing together and talking, and as they greeted me enthusiastically, I got the feeling that this kind of was like high school graduation…all of your classmates waiting in the gym, checking to see if someone’s cap is straight or if someone’s hair doesn’t look too goofy under the cap. I finally found my check-in line, and when I got to the front, who was there to sign me in but Colleen Williams, the academic advisor who had helped me schedule my classes every semester and who never let me completely commit academic suicide by taking on too much.
“Oh, you got your hair cut!” she said as she found my sticker and patted it onto the shoulder of my black robe. I smiled. She was like the teacher who always helped you out during high school, even if you didn’t have a class with her.
I lined up, it turned out, behind a guy I had met my first semester at Purdue. He remembered me, so it was really fun to be within speaking distance of a previous acquaintance. A few more people ahead of him stood Amanda, which was also a comfort. And after some final instructions about when and where to stand, sit, or walk, we began the ceremony.
We all paraded out of the armory and past the Hall of Music and the bell tower. Then we took a lap around the Engineering Mall as people stood outside waving and taking pictures. There was something really cool about taking this walk down sidewalks you’d hurried across so many times as a student, only this time at a leisurely pace and in a cap and gown. It made me feel the finality of walking in these places as a student for the last time. And I realized that this was the part I had never seen before when I sat through those winter commencements.
This was the special part. This was the part of the ceremony that was for me.
The rest was for Mom and Dad, Mamaw and Papaw. The speeches were great, the music was beautiful, and the university president, who knew me through Purduettes and a scholarship group I had been in as a freshman, made a point to get up out of his chair and meet me onstage as I walked across. He gave me a hug and shook my hand and asked what I would be doing after graduation, and he wished me good luck. I think it was a special ceremony weekend for him as well; he was retiring from Purdue at the end of the school year.
The two hours of commencement were gorgeous, and they meant a lot more to me than I could of imagined. But whenever I think back to the day I graduated from Purdue, it won’t be the stage full of glee clubbers, band members, faculty, and trustees that I will remember. For me, it will be that stretch of pavement between Elliott Hall and the engineering buildings, where I last walked as a student at Purdue.
Growing Up
A week from yesterday I will graduate from Purdue. I did it in 4 years, and I did it while devoting more of my time to an extra-cirricular singing ensemble than to my studies. Not a whole lot of people can say that, and I’m proud of myself.
The thing is, now I’m done with school. For the rest of my life.
I’m freaked out.
For the past sixteen years, the same thing has happened. I’ve turned another year older on the day before, of, or after the first day of school. Then I’ve made good grades, good friends, and good memories in the course of nine months. Then I’ve celebrated not going back to school until the day before, of, or after my next birthday. I knew what was coming with that next birthday: another year of school. But my next birthday is in a little over three months, and I have no idea what it will bring with it.
The hardest part about it is that everyone else around me seems to know where they will be in the next couple of years. My older sister, Michelle, is a graduate of Notre Dame’s Navy ROTC scholarship program, and her first 4 years of life outside of college were planned since her freshman year at St. Mary’s. She’s stationed in Pearl Harbor, where she is planning on staying for the remaining two years of her active duty. Oh yeah, did I mention that ROTC scholarships pretty much pay your entire tuition? My younger sister, Marla, just wrapped up her sophomore year in the pre-veterinary program, so she knows she’ll be at school for a loooong time. And now there’s me, the communications major, who got a couple $1000 scholarships here and there, but other than that pretty much freeloaded off of my parents for four years, didn’t manage to save up any money, and is now officially in debt for a car they had to help me buy?
I digress. Also among the people in my life who know where they’re going is Beth, my best friend and roommate, who got engaged last December to her boyfriend of 3 years. He is an engineer, so he’s already making more than I’ll ever dream of making unless I somehow get famous, and he’s living in Sacramento in an apartment that Beth will share with him when they get married next February. Beth is an English education major and has a semester of student teaching ahead of her, and then she knows where she’ll be living, whom she will be with for the rest of her life, and how she’s going to pay for stuff.
Finally, my boyfriend, Ryan, is already making more than I dare to hope I will this year, and he has two years of college under his belt so far. He is a youth director and recently took a full-time job as a church supply consultant for a Christian bookstore here in town. He also wants to go to seminary after he finishes his undergrad in religious studies. I envy Ryan because he can support himself and he’s two years younger than I am. It’s not fair of me to envy him because the fact that he can support himself is also a point of stress for him, as it is becoming for me.
I think the grass is always greener on the other side. I think, “If I only had a job.” Then I get a job and I think, “If I only had a job that paid better so I could support myself, pay my own bills, and not have to be in debt.” I’m sure it never ends. Right now I feel like being married would solve all my problems and make me feel stable and secure, but I also know that LOTS more stressors come with marriage. I think the whole key to growing up is getting yourself to believe that you’re ready to deal with the responsibilities, and the stress that goes with them.
Here’s one great thing: I do have a job. It’s only part time, which means I need to find another job to make the “real” money, but the great thing about this one is it’s exactly where I want to be. It’s my dream starter job. (So why am I complaining, right?!) I am a production assistant at the local TV station. It’s a great opportunity and a foot in the door for me, a girl trying to make it in the television business. I’m getting training and experience, and I get to stay in familiar surroundings near my family and my boyfriend. The challenge will be proving to myself that I can be independent amongst all of this support. That might not make any sense, so let me put it this way—I just want to prove to myself that I can do it on my own.
I love, love, love working at the TV station. Everyone is so nice, even the anchors and sports people and meteorologists. Everyone is willing to help you out. It’s a great place to learn. And on top of all that, I’m one of the lucky few who graduate and immediately gets a job in their field of choice. And the fact that I love my new job so much reassures me that I’m really in the right place. Still, I think I have this fear of never living up to my full potential, which is why I have this whole “grass is greener” complex.
Becoming a grown-up just makes things more complicated. I was working in the church nursery this morning and talking to Abby, a five-year-old who is very free-spirited and comes in almost every Sunday singing improvisational songs. At some point in our conversation this morning, I asked Abby what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“Well, I think I’d like to be a movie star, or a pop star,” she said casually. “Or a princess.”
“Let me know how that works out for you,” I said.
It immediately got me thinking, why do we give up on those things? Or do we really? I still want to be a movie star or a pop star. Or a princess! It’s not impossible to be those things. At least, not as impossible as we grown-ups think. I mean, I’ve accomplished those things on some small level in college. I had a small role in a classmate’s film class project…I played a dead body. But people totally recognized me when it was screened at the local movie theater. And as a member of Purdue Musical Organizations, I’ve sung in front of thousands and thousands of people. And I’ve been on PBS for the last three years, and this Christmas will be the fourth! So I’m a pop star of sorts, I guess. The only thing I haven’t been is a princess. But since my chances of entering a beauty pageant ever again are slim to none, I think I can kiss that ambition goodbye. Although I did the Miss Purdue pageant this year and I tied with another girl for the Spirit Award. I actually think I like that better than getting a crown anyway.
I think as we get older, our ideals of possibility shrivel up after too much exposure to reality. And we start to worry about where the money will come from, instead of knowing that we’re going to get our daily bread. I know I forget that a lot. Ryan had to remind me tonight.
I should be thankful that I’ve got a job where I get to do something I love and where I have promise of opportunities and growth, and I shouldn’t give up or worry that this start isn’t good enough. I shouldn’t settle for less than what I really want to be, and I shouldn’t freak out about how long it’s going to take me to get there.
I think that between Abby and Ryan, I got the best reality check of all today.
The thing is, now I’m done with school. For the rest of my life.
I’m freaked out.
For the past sixteen years, the same thing has happened. I’ve turned another year older on the day before, of, or after the first day of school. Then I’ve made good grades, good friends, and good memories in the course of nine months. Then I’ve celebrated not going back to school until the day before, of, or after my next birthday. I knew what was coming with that next birthday: another year of school. But my next birthday is in a little over three months, and I have no idea what it will bring with it.
The hardest part about it is that everyone else around me seems to know where they will be in the next couple of years. My older sister, Michelle, is a graduate of Notre Dame’s Navy ROTC scholarship program, and her first 4 years of life outside of college were planned since her freshman year at St. Mary’s. She’s stationed in Pearl Harbor, where she is planning on staying for the remaining two years of her active duty. Oh yeah, did I mention that ROTC scholarships pretty much pay your entire tuition? My younger sister, Marla, just wrapped up her sophomore year in the pre-veterinary program, so she knows she’ll be at school for a loooong time. And now there’s me, the communications major, who got a couple $1000 scholarships here and there, but other than that pretty much freeloaded off of my parents for four years, didn’t manage to save up any money, and is now officially in debt for a car they had to help me buy?
I digress. Also among the people in my life who know where they’re going is Beth, my best friend and roommate, who got engaged last December to her boyfriend of 3 years. He is an engineer, so he’s already making more than I’ll ever dream of making unless I somehow get famous, and he’s living in Sacramento in an apartment that Beth will share with him when they get married next February. Beth is an English education major and has a semester of student teaching ahead of her, and then she knows where she’ll be living, whom she will be with for the rest of her life, and how she’s going to pay for stuff.
Finally, my boyfriend, Ryan, is already making more than I dare to hope I will this year, and he has two years of college under his belt so far. He is a youth director and recently took a full-time job as a church supply consultant for a Christian bookstore here in town. He also wants to go to seminary after he finishes his undergrad in religious studies. I envy Ryan because he can support himself and he’s two years younger than I am. It’s not fair of me to envy him because the fact that he can support himself is also a point of stress for him, as it is becoming for me.
I think the grass is always greener on the other side. I think, “If I only had a job.” Then I get a job and I think, “If I only had a job that paid better so I could support myself, pay my own bills, and not have to be in debt.” I’m sure it never ends. Right now I feel like being married would solve all my problems and make me feel stable and secure, but I also know that LOTS more stressors come with marriage. I think the whole key to growing up is getting yourself to believe that you’re ready to deal with the responsibilities, and the stress that goes with them.
Here’s one great thing: I do have a job. It’s only part time, which means I need to find another job to make the “real” money, but the great thing about this one is it’s exactly where I want to be. It’s my dream starter job. (So why am I complaining, right?!) I am a production assistant at the local TV station. It’s a great opportunity and a foot in the door for me, a girl trying to make it in the television business. I’m getting training and experience, and I get to stay in familiar surroundings near my family and my boyfriend. The challenge will be proving to myself that I can be independent amongst all of this support. That might not make any sense, so let me put it this way—I just want to prove to myself that I can do it on my own.
I love, love, love working at the TV station. Everyone is so nice, even the anchors and sports people and meteorologists. Everyone is willing to help you out. It’s a great place to learn. And on top of all that, I’m one of the lucky few who graduate and immediately gets a job in their field of choice. And the fact that I love my new job so much reassures me that I’m really in the right place. Still, I think I have this fear of never living up to my full potential, which is why I have this whole “grass is greener” complex.
Becoming a grown-up just makes things more complicated. I was working in the church nursery this morning and talking to Abby, a five-year-old who is very free-spirited and comes in almost every Sunday singing improvisational songs. At some point in our conversation this morning, I asked Abby what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“Well, I think I’d like to be a movie star, or a pop star,” she said casually. “Or a princess.”
“Let me know how that works out for you,” I said.
It immediately got me thinking, why do we give up on those things? Or do we really? I still want to be a movie star or a pop star. Or a princess! It’s not impossible to be those things. At least, not as impossible as we grown-ups think. I mean, I’ve accomplished those things on some small level in college. I had a small role in a classmate’s film class project…I played a dead body. But people totally recognized me when it was screened at the local movie theater. And as a member of Purdue Musical Organizations, I’ve sung in front of thousands and thousands of people. And I’ve been on PBS for the last three years, and this Christmas will be the fourth! So I’m a pop star of sorts, I guess. The only thing I haven’t been is a princess. But since my chances of entering a beauty pageant ever again are slim to none, I think I can kiss that ambition goodbye. Although I did the Miss Purdue pageant this year and I tied with another girl for the Spirit Award. I actually think I like that better than getting a crown anyway.
I think as we get older, our ideals of possibility shrivel up after too much exposure to reality. And we start to worry about where the money will come from, instead of knowing that we’re going to get our daily bread. I know I forget that a lot. Ryan had to remind me tonight.
I should be thankful that I’ve got a job where I get to do something I love and where I have promise of opportunities and growth, and I shouldn’t give up or worry that this start isn’t good enough. I shouldn’t settle for less than what I really want to be, and I shouldn’t freak out about how long it’s going to take me to get there.
I think that between Abby and Ryan, I got the best reality check of all today.
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