"We’ll be their pet, we’ll wear their collar, into the flame and off to the movies. The thrilling of Claire, for the thrilling of Claire, the thrilling of Claire, for the thrilling of Claire. We’ll be their pet, we’ll wear their collar, into the flame and off to the movies. The thrilling of Claire, for the thrilling of Claire, into the flame and off to the movies. The thrilling of Claire, for the thrilling of Claire." ~the national
I was already obsessed with The National before I learned that they had a b-side with my name in the title, and that discovery certainly didn't lessen my opinion of them. I love them. A lot. I'm seeing them (for the fifth time) at Central Park on Monday. I plan on getting in line insanely early so that I can be in the front row. I cannot wait. I can't stop thinking about it. I need to calm down about it, though. I keep thinking of all the songs I really want them to play (Wasp Nest, Lucky You, Karen, About Today, the Cherry Tree, All the Wine) and I know I'll be lucky if they play just one of those. I wish they varied their setlists a little more.
Yesterday I went to see the play Some Americans Abroad. It wasn't fabulous, but I adore Tom Cavanagh (he played Ed Stevens on the tv show Ed, which I watched religiously) and he gave a great performance in the play. He's such an incredibly nice person in real life (I talked to him after seeing him in Urinetown and he was so sweet).
Today in acting class I performed a scene from Say Goodnight, Gracie with a partner. It was so much fun. I played Steve, who's a comedian, and being him was exhilarating. I got to be funny and loud and impersonate Groucho and I wanted it to keep going after our scene ended. I don't like when we improv scenes that much, but when I have a script to work with I like being onstage.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
"Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song. You go ahead, let your hair down. Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams, just go ahead, let your hair down. You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow." ~corinne bailey rae
I love summer. Teachers are so lucky to have the summer off; I keep having to remind myself that people with normal jobs are still working. I'm not completely free because I'm taking classes, but I definitely have more time than most people to do what I want. I've seen a lot of movies lately (five movies in five days). My apartment isn't air conditioned, so it's nice to sit inside a theater and cool off. The last three screenings I went to were Stepbrothers (not fabulous, but still funny, and Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were at the screening and were very funny introducing the movie), Brideshead Revisited (very, very good; Emma Thompson and Matthew Goode particularly shone), and American Teen (a surprisingly touching documentary).
My acting class is going well, although I still don't feel like I'm cut out for acting. It's nerve-wracking, especially when you have to improvise. I'm much more comfortable memorizing lines and then getting onstage (even though that still makes me nervous). I can see why acting is a draw for some people, though. In my first class this summer, while my group was performing a scene, I made people in the audience (my classmates) laugh. I particularly remember one guy's laugh; it sounded so deep and sincere and spontaneous, and it thrilled me that I could make someone laugh like that. That was a great feeling. So I get it. It's just not easy for me. But I'm trying. If I were an undergrad taking this course, I think I would be much more nervous.
Both of my grandfathers have been in the hospital for months (this has been an awful year for both of them), but they both seem to be doing better now, which relieves me a little bit (although I'm still worried about both of them). My Grandad recently had his leg amputated, and he just got moved to a rehab center. His roommate is a young African American man who is recovering from a gang-related shooting. Everyone who knows my Grandad finds that pairing the most hilarious thing ever. My mom couldn't stop laughing as she tried to tell me. It has the potential for comedy gold. It's a sitcom in the making. I love my Grandad to death (he's honestly one of my favorite people in the world, and quite possibly the funniest person I've ever met), but he has his faults. He's very critical and outspoken; he'll say what he's thinking and is not afraid of insulting anyone. He's also racist. He's an old, stubborn, Southern white man who is set in his ways. It sounds like he's dealing with his new roommate pretty well, though. So maybe this will help change his mindset. But I'd love to be a fly on their wall.
I love summer. Teachers are so lucky to have the summer off; I keep having to remind myself that people with normal jobs are still working. I'm not completely free because I'm taking classes, but I definitely have more time than most people to do what I want. I've seen a lot of movies lately (five movies in five days). My apartment isn't air conditioned, so it's nice to sit inside a theater and cool off. The last three screenings I went to were Stepbrothers (not fabulous, but still funny, and Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were at the screening and were very funny introducing the movie), Brideshead Revisited (very, very good; Emma Thompson and Matthew Goode particularly shone), and American Teen (a surprisingly touching documentary).
My acting class is going well, although I still don't feel like I'm cut out for acting. It's nerve-wracking, especially when you have to improvise. I'm much more comfortable memorizing lines and then getting onstage (even though that still makes me nervous). I can see why acting is a draw for some people, though. In my first class this summer, while my group was performing a scene, I made people in the audience (my classmates) laugh. I particularly remember one guy's laugh; it sounded so deep and sincere and spontaneous, and it thrilled me that I could make someone laugh like that. That was a great feeling. So I get it. It's just not easy for me. But I'm trying. If I were an undergrad taking this course, I think I would be much more nervous.
Both of my grandfathers have been in the hospital for months (this has been an awful year for both of them), but they both seem to be doing better now, which relieves me a little bit (although I'm still worried about both of them). My Grandad recently had his leg amputated, and he just got moved to a rehab center. His roommate is a young African American man who is recovering from a gang-related shooting. Everyone who knows my Grandad finds that pairing the most hilarious thing ever. My mom couldn't stop laughing as she tried to tell me. It has the potential for comedy gold. It's a sitcom in the making. I love my Grandad to death (he's honestly one of my favorite people in the world, and quite possibly the funniest person I've ever met), but he has his faults. He's very critical and outspoken; he'll say what he's thinking and is not afraid of insulting anyone. He's also racist. He's an old, stubborn, Southern white man who is set in his ways. It sounds like he's dealing with his new roommate pretty well, though. So maybe this will help change his mindset. But I'd love to be a fly on their wall.
Monday, July 21, 2008
"Actors are basically drag queens. People will tell you they act because they want to heal mankind or, you know, explore the nature of the human psyche. Yes, maybe. But basically we just want to put on a frock and dance." ~colin firth
I'm not opening with a song quote today, just a quote. Because I like it. I adore Colin Firth. And I love that he's not afraid to embrace his inner drag queen! He was hilarious in Mamma Mia!; I wish he had been given more to do. It was a fun movie. I love the entire cast. Amanda Seyfried is wonderful (I'm a huge fan of hers because of Veronica Mars), Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep ('nuff said), Pierce Brosnan's singing is ridiculous and yet he still just goes for it...they all just seemed like they were having such a good time.
I've seen a few movies in the past week or so, and I'm going to three advanced screenings this week (Brideshead Revisited, Step Brothers, and The Rocker), so I'll try to report back on those. I want to soak in as much air conditioning as possible (my apartment has no AC and feels like an oven). The Dark Knight was very well done. Heath Ledger stole the film. The Wackness was also pretty good; I love that Ben Kingsley is willing to play such a diverse characters.
My last class went well. On Saturday we went to perform at the senior citizen's center, and it was a success (I remembered my lines). The seniors seemed to really appreciate our work, which made me feel good. The man to whom I had spoken when we went there to collect stories brought me a bouquet of roses, which was incredibly sweet. I can't remember the last time someone gave me flowers. My instructor said something like, "Petal got flowers!" Did I mention that I adore him?
Today was my first acting class. I'm used to being the youngest person in my grad school classes (I'm the baby), but this is an undergrad class so I'm the oldest. It's an interesting shift. Class ends at noon, which gives me the rest of the day to do whatever, which I love. Today I met my dad for lunch; it was good to see him.
I'm not opening with a song quote today, just a quote. Because I like it. I adore Colin Firth. And I love that he's not afraid to embrace his inner drag queen! He was hilarious in Mamma Mia!; I wish he had been given more to do. It was a fun movie. I love the entire cast. Amanda Seyfried is wonderful (I'm a huge fan of hers because of Veronica Mars), Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep ('nuff said), Pierce Brosnan's singing is ridiculous and yet he still just goes for it...they all just seemed like they were having such a good time.
I've seen a few movies in the past week or so, and I'm going to three advanced screenings this week (Brideshead Revisited, Step Brothers, and The Rocker), so I'll try to report back on those. I want to soak in as much air conditioning as possible (my apartment has no AC and feels like an oven). The Dark Knight was very well done. Heath Ledger stole the film. The Wackness was also pretty good; I love that Ben Kingsley is willing to play such a diverse characters.
My last class went well. On Saturday we went to perform at the senior citizen's center, and it was a success (I remembered my lines). The seniors seemed to really appreciate our work, which made me feel good. The man to whom I had spoken when we went there to collect stories brought me a bouquet of roses, which was incredibly sweet. I can't remember the last time someone gave me flowers. My instructor said something like, "Petal got flowers!" Did I mention that I adore him?
Today was my first acting class. I'm used to being the youngest person in my grad school classes (I'm the baby), but this is an undergrad class so I'm the oldest. It's an interesting shift. Class ends at noon, which gives me the rest of the day to do whatever, which I love. Today I met my dad for lunch; it was good to see him.
Friday, July 18, 2008
"Moon River, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style some day. Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker, wherever you're going I'm going your way." ~johnny mercer
I realized that I haven't written about either of my summer courses yet. The first one was last week, and the second one is this week (it ends tomorrow). Each course is three credits, which is what you normally get for a course spread out over a whole semester (16 weeks). Cramming all the material into one week is intense (to say the least). Each course is six days in a row, eight hours a day. It's exhausting. Our course this week has been incredibly interesting, though. It's called 'Making Meaning Through Community Drama,' and the instructor is an adorable old British man. His book was one of the required readings for my Drama in Education class last semester. He's absolutely brilliant, but he's also incredibly hilarious and kind and wonderful. On Monday we went to speak to senior citizens in a community center, and we spent the rest of the week devising a theatre piece to present to them based on the stories that they told us. Tomorrow we're performing it at the Center. The process has been so fascinating; it's such a cool feeling to know that we used their stories to create an actual piece of theatre. We're singing some beautiful songs in the piece (Moon River, Earth Angel, and more), and that's why Moon River is in my head right now. I'm opening the show with a monologue, which I'm pretty nervous about. There are tons of great actors in the class, and somehow I (the person with no experience being onstage) end up opening the show. I expressed my concern to the instructor and he was so sweet; he called me 'petal' and told me not to worry, that I'd be lovely. We'll see how it goes.
Here's one of my favorite SatC scenes, featuring Moon River:
I realized that I haven't written about either of my summer courses yet. The first one was last week, and the second one is this week (it ends tomorrow). Each course is three credits, which is what you normally get for a course spread out over a whole semester (16 weeks). Cramming all the material into one week is intense (to say the least). Each course is six days in a row, eight hours a day. It's exhausting. Our course this week has been incredibly interesting, though. It's called 'Making Meaning Through Community Drama,' and the instructor is an adorable old British man. His book was one of the required readings for my Drama in Education class last semester. He's absolutely brilliant, but he's also incredibly hilarious and kind and wonderful. On Monday we went to speak to senior citizens in a community center, and we spent the rest of the week devising a theatre piece to present to them based on the stories that they told us. Tomorrow we're performing it at the Center. The process has been so fascinating; it's such a cool feeling to know that we used their stories to create an actual piece of theatre. We're singing some beautiful songs in the piece (Moon River, Earth Angel, and more), and that's why Moon River is in my head right now. I'm opening the show with a monologue, which I'm pretty nervous about. There are tons of great actors in the class, and somehow I (the person with no experience being onstage) end up opening the show. I expressed my concern to the instructor and he was so sweet; he called me 'petal' and told me not to worry, that I'd be lovely. We'll see how it goes.
Here's one of my favorite SatC scenes, featuring Moon River:
Monday, July 14, 2008
"I'll be there for you, these five words I swear to you. When you breathe, I'll be the air for you, I'll be there for you." ~bon jovi
Oh, I have so much to write about. And there's no way I'll be able to cover even half of it in this post. So I'll just write about what's on my mind (recent stuff).
First of all, Bon Jovi playing on Central Park's Great Lawn. It was a miracle that I got tickets. They were going on eBay for $1500 (which is absolutely ridiculous considering they were all free tickets), but I spent all day (seriously, hours) just refreshing craigslist over and over. Finally I got in touch with a guy who was looking to give away an extra pair to a true fan and was lucky enough to get his tickets. I picked them up from him, met Nicole at Central Park, and got in around 5 (the concert started at 8). There were over 60,000 people there, which is a LOT of people. I don't think I've ever been in a crowd that large (it's twice the size of Madison Square Garden!). There was a lot of energy. It was a fabulous concert; they played all their hits. Being surrounded by 60,000 people all singing along to Livin' on a Prayer is just such an amazing experience. It was sooo much fun, and I'm glad I lucked out and was able to go (for free). I hope they release it on DVD or on TV (there are rumors), because it was so absolutely fantastic.
Setlist:
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER
BAD NAME
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
RUNAWAY
SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD w/ Twist & Shout
BLAZE OF GLORY
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
IN THESE ARMS
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
IT'S MY LIFE
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - (RICHIE ON VOCALS)
HAVE A NICE DAY
KEEP THE FAITH
WHO SAYS
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout
ENCORE:
ALWAYS
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
I LOVE THIS TOWN
I took pictures but I can't upload them onto my computer because my camera cable is at home, so I'm really bummed about that. Here's some official shots, though:
Second thing on my mind: Tonight, after our class ended, I went with my friend Karen to an art opening. I've never been to one of those before. Karen is friends with the artist (who is amazing by the way; her name is Laura Loving, so look her up). We went straight from class and I have never felt so out of place in my life; we were definitely underdressed. As we walked in, Karen whispered something like, "Well, at least we're not wearing..." and, after trying to think of something worse than what we were wearing, said, "really, really short shorts." We mostly stuck to one corner and didn't move around much after our initial walk-through. It was actually fun, though. I met one of Karen's friends, and he said I looked like Jane Krakowski. Seriously. Jane Krakowski. Trust me, I know that I look absolutely nothing like Jane Krakowski, but I was flattered and liked receiving the complement (because she's gorgeous). I don't feel pretty that often.
So I've been having a good time lately. I'm tired now and don't feel like writing more, but I'll try to update more often.
Oh, I have so much to write about. And there's no way I'll be able to cover even half of it in this post. So I'll just write about what's on my mind (recent stuff).
First of all, Bon Jovi playing on Central Park's Great Lawn. It was a miracle that I got tickets. They were going on eBay for $1500 (which is absolutely ridiculous considering they were all free tickets), but I spent all day (seriously, hours) just refreshing craigslist over and over. Finally I got in touch with a guy who was looking to give away an extra pair to a true fan and was lucky enough to get his tickets. I picked them up from him, met Nicole at Central Park, and got in around 5 (the concert started at 8). There were over 60,000 people there, which is a LOT of people. I don't think I've ever been in a crowd that large (it's twice the size of Madison Square Garden!). There was a lot of energy. It was a fabulous concert; they played all their hits. Being surrounded by 60,000 people all singing along to Livin' on a Prayer is just such an amazing experience. It was sooo much fun, and I'm glad I lucked out and was able to go (for free). I hope they release it on DVD or on TV (there are rumors), because it was so absolutely fantastic.
Setlist:
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER
BAD NAME
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
RUNAWAY
SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD w/ Twist & Shout
BLAZE OF GLORY
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
IN THESE ARMS
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
IT'S MY LIFE
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - (RICHIE ON VOCALS)
HAVE A NICE DAY
KEEP THE FAITH
WHO SAYS
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout
ENCORE:
ALWAYS
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
I LOVE THIS TOWN
I took pictures but I can't upload them onto my computer because my camera cable is at home, so I'm really bummed about that. Here's some official shots, though:
Second thing on my mind: Tonight, after our class ended, I went with my friend Karen to an art opening. I've never been to one of those before. Karen is friends with the artist (who is amazing by the way; her name is Laura Loving, so look her up). We went straight from class and I have never felt so out of place in my life; we were definitely underdressed. As we walked in, Karen whispered something like, "Well, at least we're not wearing..." and, after trying to think of something worse than what we were wearing, said, "really, really short shorts." We mostly stuck to one corner and didn't move around much after our initial walk-through. It was actually fun, though. I met one of Karen's friends, and he said I looked like Jane Krakowski. Seriously. Jane Krakowski. Trust me, I know that I look absolutely nothing like Jane Krakowski, but I was flattered and liked receiving the complement (because she's gorgeous). I don't feel pretty that often.
So I've been having a good time lately. I'm tired now and don't feel like writing more, but I'll try to update more often.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
"Whooah, were halfway there. Woah, livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear, woah, livin' on a prayer." ~bon jovi
I haven't blogged in a long time. I guess I just haven't been in the mood. I have a lot to write about but I'm sure I'll never get to it all. I'm exhausted right now, but I'll update later (tomorrow?) about the freakin' fabulous Bon Jovi concert in Central Park tonight. It was absolutely amazing. Bon Jovi, me, and over 60,000 other people on Central Park's historic Great Lawn. The band playing "Nothing but hits, baby" (Jon Bon Jovi's words). Indescribable.
I haven't blogged in a long time. I guess I just haven't been in the mood. I have a lot to write about but I'm sure I'll never get to it all. I'm exhausted right now, but I'll update later (tomorrow?) about the freakin' fabulous Bon Jovi concert in Central Park tonight. It was absolutely amazing. Bon Jovi, me, and over 60,000 other people on Central Park's historic Great Lawn. The band playing "Nothing but hits, baby" (Jon Bon Jovi's words). Indescribable.
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