African Escapades

Guest Blogger:

So, the time is fast approaching for my African Escapades, and it saddens me to think that I will be leaving my beautiful, caring, highly intelligent roommates behind in Nuevo Haven....oh wait, that's Spanish. Frick. Ok, so anyway, I recently discovered that yes, I know it's a shock, but I'm quite pastey white. Gasp! To begin adapting to my African counterparts, I'm going to begin a strict regimen of tanning and taking ice cold showers, as well as eating a diet solely consisting of leftover food. Don't want the palate to be too refined and go into palate shock (mouth equivalent to culture shock). My roommates are also helping me with the fine art of African Dance, as they are quite skilled in raucous displays of movement and noise. Sometimes I really feel that the theory that we all became homo sapien sapien in Africa and then began diaspora is quite true. My seemingly nerdy, country roommate is quite the home-girl, if you know what I mean. She's even been told she "knows how to shake it".

So I was wondering if you all in the world of blogosphere agree that I should join an African tribe, become initiated through tradtional ritual practices and take on a tribal identity. I was thinking something like "Kungfumidgian". It has a nice ring....oh ring! I could get those really awesome bull-esque nose rings!! I know you know what I'm talking about, and let's be serious, it's a really awesome idea. I am even considering .....(biting lower lip) taking part in a ritual animal slaughter to celebrate the election of Barack Obama. I mean, his Kenyan tribe did it, and if that's not patriotism I don't know what is! Sheesh!

Ok, I'm off to go stand on a bed of hot coals to adjust to the desert-like heat and toughen my feet, because when I'm practicing traditional hunter-gatherer methods of food production I will no doubt be stealthily tracking barefoot in the bush, and I don't want to embarass my tribesmen by complaining about blisters and heat.

Tata for now,

Midge

Comment if you think you know who it is!

Blister's On My Hands

Hello-

Well today is the first day of November- 70 Days... It seems so far away but it is going to be here before I know it.

Homecoming was today. Our float was kickin' (I designed it! I haven't done design work in a while) The act was not superior but it worked. We will find out in a little bit who won and such.

Last night Sam, Patricia and I had a roomie night. We went to Bobby's Apizza (Car Car's Dad's Place) Their food is so good :) Then we went to see the Secret Lives of Bees. I loved the movie- It has been a while since I read the book but I think they did a very good job portraying the anticts of the book.

Today we are also going to a Habitat Reunion. We are going to dinner. There are many of us going and some people who I havent seen in a while which will be nice. I will be working 8am-8pm tommorow so it will be a long on but its a magic show so it should be fun!

This week is a little busy but nothing I cant handle especially since I dont have any class that starts before 3 now :)...

Thats it for now.
Midge

I am trying....

So Chicago closed on Sunday and by Monday night- i got my traditional after the show closes sickness- but this time was worse then ever with both a sinus and ear infection- my head feels like it is about to explode. I have been on prescriptions for about 24 hours and am feeling a little better but really not that much....

My IDS class (Harmonica) class ended on thursday. I was sad for it to end but the time that i am gonna have now is nice. I believe i have a dance quiz on thursday but since i have missed the last two classes because of the infections i really dont know :( I sent in my midterm for ILS :) and got some CSC stuff done. For being sick luckily i was basically caught up so i didnt get behind. This weekend i am in the room all by myself so i am gonna get some things done but also just relax and hopefully my infection will work its way out of my system - cross the finger there.

I bought my plane ticket this week. I leave Jan 11th and return May 20th :) I can not wait... it is becoming so real now.... I am starting to also recieve emails from our advisor in Ghana and our contact in Washington DC so we are getting more paperwork and such to do... cant wait to see all the fun things we get to do :)

Thats it for now..
Peace-midge

I am going to start my weekly updates!

So there are about 12 weeks from today to the day that I depart for Ghana. I just received an email from ISEP and we will be learning on January 11th at 10:30pm from JFK :)

I went back to one of my old blogs to get this information:
So you may ask why Ghana? I wanted to study abroad for a long time. I thought about South Africa in High School- But that never happened. I am only getting older and who knows what opportunities will come in the future. I , as most of you know do not like the beaten path but the one less traveled. Ghana is natural. Ghana is reserved. Ghana is peaceful. Cities are nice but i wanted the opportunity to see a land that has not been commercialized and taken over by the corporation that we have almost everywhere else in the world. People take everything around us for granted. Can't we sit back and take a minute and be thankful for what we have? So my goal is to see what i believe, what i want in life, what the meaning of life is (i know its a stretch but this might help.) I want to be able to look back on my life and know that i did the things that I WANTED to do.... so if you have any questions let me know--- i might not have an answer today (7 months before i leave) but hopefully a year from now coming home i can answer questions in a different enlightened way.

I also have recently submitted my application for National Geographic's Glimpse Correspondence Internship program. I will know at the beginning on December. I believe I have some good work but not sure if I have what they are looking for. But you will never know unless you try by submitting application after application for things that you want.

Please remind me if i forget to blog...I will try but a push might be needed.

Midge

Long over due.....

So if I was getting fined for not posting items I would be broke...

So the last post was about the Fourth of July and it is now past the half way point in July.... bad Midge... So the run of Rebound and Gagged was a great success. It was extremely difficult to say good bye to the group. They were all great people and amazing to work with. I hope to continue to be friends with them because they were just all so GREAT!!! I miss them greatly and cant believe they have been gone for almost a week. It seems unreal.

Sylvia opened last night. It was a small crowd but they enjoyed the show. Opening night party was a bust but the food was good. The cast and crew went to see Batman in State College, Its a fun drive with some crazy people- the movie was absolutely amazing. As most of you know I am not the biggest comic book person but I enjoyed the movie-- it has been years since I saw the old ones and I watched a little of the newest one the night before but the best thing was you really didnt need to know everything to enjoy the movie. We got back to the dorms a little after 3:30 which kicked me in the ass this morning but i have nothing to do today- I am going to do laundry and then call a show...fun fun...

So I am going to be in PA for one more week then originally expected because they are remounting The Foreigner from Aug 11-17th...My vacation at the end of the summer is getting shorter and shorter- but what did i really have to do... I have a few things i have to for study abroad but thats about it-- and re-frickin pack for school--- I hate this constantly moving... If I had my own car it wouldn't be bad but car to car and place to place sucks...

Well thats it for now... comment...

love.

America's Birthday

So this weekend has been amazing. Thursday night was opening night of Rebound and Gagged- It went extremely well. The opening night gala was lovely and then Lenny opened the bar for us which was awesome- it was a nice relaxing environment for us to celebrate the great opening.

Friday we had a BBQ at Joann's house. The food like always was amazing. The amount pf water balloons thrown was insane and it wasn't that warm. We then went to state college to see Fire works. They were wonderful, it was really much better then Liberty Festival- the fireworks are set off to music which was awesome.... mom said the fireworks at home were only 15 min long which is really short for us-- so i am glad i wasnt there because to work all day for 15 min is nothing.... I did miss the festival though... the homestead was not very busy this fourth compared to years in the past. So being with the Millbrook family was great.

Yesterday (Saturday) we had another show and it went well. We added a little time to the show but it will tighten up tonight. I have faith.... and Monday i start Sylvia rehearsals which should be fun...I was told by the RG group that i am not allowed to be their friends but i will because thats how i am. I uploaded pictures on facebook of RG I promise at some point i will put pictures on the blog it just takes a while and its not something i feel like doing right now :) so sometime soon....

So a house right next to the theatre burned down last night which is ober crazy because we were all talking about it the other day and how creepy of a house it is...

So i think that is it fo now---

Leave me lovin...

Summer Lovin Part 2--

So long time over due entry. show #2 opens today! Wow-- I cant believe it, I have been here for a month already-- where did the time go... I cant beilve the fourth is tomorrow either-- I should be at Veteran's park setting up.. this is soo weird... I am excited about getting the next show started now that two have opened i feel much better about turn over and all....

Things are going very well. This new cast is great.. I will put up pictures soon-- facebook does have the ones from Foreigner though....

Summer Lovin with PA

So last night again went very well. We had one little slip up- but the tech staff will fix that for tonight's performance. Last nights cabaret was delightful. There were a few i was like huh? but thats okay.... its better then all of them. Laura was amazing! So was Jon. They did a really good job with the song.

We went to sheetz because we cant not go and came back to the dorms and played a game of scrabble. I was the score keeper until Matt decided to go to bed and 'we' ended up winning the game. I think we should have a team match in the dressing room. I love that our space plays scrabble and the other group sings, dances, and stampedes upstairs. We are so quiet in our own little world which is loverly.

We are having a laundry mat party this afternoon-- this should be fun- I am so used to doing my laundry by myself---

I start rehearsals tomorrow for Rebound and Gagged-- No show Monday night but we have company preview of the Taffetas on Tuesday- I dont know any of the music so it should be interesting to see.

All is well- the sun is shinning after last night amazing storm... Ready for a new week!

Second Night Fun!

So last night went extremely well-- No major issues just little toning things that will help with a goods day rest-- haha... like that will ever happen.

The cabaret performance was good last night, but i am looking forward to seeing Laura perform at Disney night tonight.

We went out last night which once again was real fun... I like the professional world for college is already old and i am over the party environment there.

Short and Sweet today-- off

Opening Night Success!

So everything went extremely well last night for opening nigh! We had a sell out performance which was great! The crowd was good which defiantly is a plus.

We then had out opening night party which was nice and then we headed to Uncle Alberts which was relaxing and fun for all of us to hang out and celebrate the opening of the show. A trip to sheetz to complete the evening! and then a little off the beaten path drive to journey- thanks to Kate's CD.


I love everyone in my cast-- they are just great people to work with- I hope the rest of the groups are as great as this first one-- but they have a lot to live up to...

Its my job to keep this show is order now-- this is technically the first time that I have been handed over a show completely because usually the directors i work with are locals-- hmmm...this should be interesting- I promise to get some pictures of the theatre space and all

Now that show #1 is open i am ready to start with the new show---
















Life is good in PA. A nap was in order today but it didnt happen....I think I am gonna need some coffee to get through the show.... but that fine because i havent been drinking that much since i got here...

Thats all for now---

Opening Night #1

So tonight is the official opening night of the Foreigner. We had the senior preview night last night and the night before the company preview- They both went very well. I made a few mistakes but nothing major that i wont get right tonight-- I dont know why i missed the props that i did but oh well--- I have the master list now and i will be fine.... The more challenging stuff worked much better tonight after having the rehearsal in the morning to clean up the Cues.... I am currently running 6 different machines in order to make cues happen. An Expression Light Board, Laptop, Sound Board, DVD/CD Player, Toggle Switches for Practicals and House Lights.... There are some very interesting positions and hand movements that i have to do in order to do some of the cues...but thats the fun of the game.

I am bringing my camera to the theatre today so i can get some pictures online for y'all to see. This weekend i should be able to take some out and about because I hope to get out and about for a while.

I am enjoying life in PA and life in the theatre but the little time we get off this weekend will be nice....

Thats it. peace

I guess Tech Begin

So tech work begins today.... By Monday we should be in tech rehearsals which excites and scares me because I am running both the sound and light board-- oh wait i have done that before...but this time i dont have to mix mics and instruments!!!
I am ready to get the show going-- we are in good shape we only have about 8pages of fine toning to do and then we will be running the acts-- and then the show... We have company preview on Tuesday and the senior preview on Wednesday. This cast has been so great to work with.... It was a great way to start out the summer. Everyone is great- I have finally got to meet some of the other techies which is great because i have been in my own little hole for the week- A large black hole-- What ever it is all good- It is a very fun space to work in... i cant wait to get the tables out and see the space looking more like a theatre and not a rehearsal hall.
I am a little nervous about Rebound and Gagged because it is the show that i know the least. I know Sylvia and Educating Rita is only two people so i feel like that will be a breeze when it is all said and done...
Well I am off to work on lines with some of the cast... leave lovin...

Week #1

Yeah! I get a minute to relax and post something.

So the road trip to PA was a blast. It didn't feel like it took me over 11 hours to get here. The trip was fun...hanging at Kendra's for the cookout was a blast as well. Visiting with Nana and Papa was also nice because it has been a while since i had seen them but they will be down before i know it....

Everyone here is so nice. The theatre space that i am SMing in is very interesting. I will take pictures and post them as soon as I can, but i think i will wait until the set is in there and the space is ready for a performance because right now it is a mess....but inst that how it always goes.

I cant believe it is Thursday Night already.... this week has gone by so fast as i assume the rest of the summer will. The days are long but the people are great and there is no where i rather be then here right now.... (except maybe abroad... but that will be here before i know it).

The cast that I am working with is absolutly wonderful. They all have a great sense of humor but are some of the hardest working people that i have meet. I really havent worked with the other tech staff so sometimes i feel like i am a little on the outside especially because they were here a whole week ahead of me...but soon enough (saturday) we will be on top of each other for a while.

The area that we are in is Beautiful.... there are mountains and rivers and lakes everywhere... and as i crossed into PA and "Aint no Mountain High Enough" was playing (have no idea how that happened) it was sooo nice to know this will be home for the summer. The weather has finally broke a little and it is cooling down which is nice because the weather was so hot and annoying the first two days...but the theatre let us turn on the AC which was real nice because i think we would have all melted....

I am glad i made this choice and it is only day 4... yes there are some frustrations but no matter where i ended up there would have been some....so life goes on and i find a way to get over it...I smile for the day has begun and frown for another day gone....but know that each day is another piece of history in my life.... I am glad that life has taken some of the twists and turns that it has... So as i look forward to the straight line that this summer brings i am ready to have some adventures and challenges to show me a little more....

I am excited for tech to start and for this summer to really start and take flight...

Thats it for now....

Goodbye :)

Today will be my last day in Maine :) I am so ready for the real part of my summer to begin. I leave tomorrow morning for Rhode Island. Lunch with Nana and Papa and then I will be hanging out with Kendra. Its only been two/three weeks but I am so ready for things to get started for the summer.

I am really excited for the drive! It is my first time I am taking a roadtrip and by myself... I cant wait to listen to the CDs that all of my friends made me! They should be good...and entertaining!

I wish the weather was a little better because it is raining and windy once again... i hate this bad weather and cant wait for good weather.

Well thats it for now...
Midge

RI again...

So this weekend was as lazy as they get....

I didn't do all to much... I went to Wal-mart 3 times in 24 hours which is pathetic...I helped mom go flower shopping...

Saturday Adam and I hung out which i miss all so much all the time.... It was good-- we rented Juno which none of us (parents) had seen. It was cute... Not as good as i had heard it was....

I went to Rhode Island and back today once again with dad. It was a good trip. Great weather.... but it is making me itch to head to Pennsylvania even more.... Saturday morning and I will be on my way :)

I am almost done packing-- but could be ready if I wanted to but it makes me nerves itch more to leave....

I worked on selecting classes for Ghana-- there are so many details to finding classes that will transfer and what i want to take....

Tomorrow is full of errands all around the twin cities and such... its really the last day i have to get stuff done so i am gonna run around like crazy--- hopefully nothing will hold me up to much because i want to spend as much time with my love Chelsea....we are gonna do dinner and go see Sylvia :)

Sorry this was all over the place.... but thats it for now....