My immune system seems to let its guard down at the weirdest times.
In a way, I suppose now was good time for me to be sick. If I were sick just a week before, that really would have messed with a presentation I gave for the Department of Education - so it's sort of a good thing that I'm sick now rather than earlier.
But on the same note, the timing's not so good. As you probably know by now, last night we initiated our new mimes, which is not the best thing to do when one is under the influence of a cold and cold medication.
Yesterday I slept from 11 PM to 4 PM. I'm all for sleeping in and everything, but that felt a little too far. This all better be a part of your grand plan, immune system.
10/31/2007
10/30/2007
10/29/2007
Another story for you:
So I'm sorting books at work for what feels like a very long time. I look behind a display and there's a woman standing at the register - for what was probably a very long time.
"Oh, man," I say, walking back to the register. I gesture toward her. "I'm sorry about your wait."
She says nothing. I figure she's mad at me because I made her stand around - fair enough.
But she's oddly silent throughout the entire transaction. It gets to the point where I'm trying to force her to talk. "Would you like the receipt with you or in the bag?" She just points at the bag.
"Have a nice day," I say. She doesn't even nod. She just turns around and leaves.
I'm still recovering from the awkwardness. I don't have a customer for the next 20 minutes, so I spend most of my time trying replaying the conversation in my head. Was I too condescending in my tone? Did the member card spiel annoy her?
Then it hits me: the woman was maybe...300 pounds? And that gesture kind of looked like pointing. And "wait" could be a homonym for "weight".
Oh! I just pointed at this woman...and I said, "Sorry about your weight."
Oh.
Shit.
I spend the rest of the day alternating between laughing at myself and feeling kind of like an asshole.
So I'm sorting books at work for what feels like a very long time. I look behind a display and there's a woman standing at the register - for what was probably a very long time.
"Oh, man," I say, walking back to the register. I gesture toward her. "I'm sorry about your wait."
She says nothing. I figure she's mad at me because I made her stand around - fair enough.
But she's oddly silent throughout the entire transaction. It gets to the point where I'm trying to force her to talk. "Would you like the receipt with you or in the bag?" She just points at the bag.
"Have a nice day," I say. She doesn't even nod. She just turns around and leaves.
I'm still recovering from the awkwardness. I don't have a customer for the next 20 minutes, so I spend most of my time trying replaying the conversation in my head. Was I too condescending in my tone? Did the member card spiel annoy her?
Then it hits me: the woman was maybe...300 pounds? And that gesture kind of looked like pointing. And "wait" could be a homonym for "weight".
Oh! I just pointed at this woman...and I said, "Sorry about your weight."
Oh.
Shit.
I spend the rest of the day alternating between laughing at myself and feeling kind of like an asshole.
Friday I helped give a presentation at the Science Center. My teacher came with me, since it was partially for a class.
We got there early and set everything up, so we had a half hour to burn.
"Do you want to walk around the science center?" my teacher said.
What the hell, I thought. "Sure."
Fifteen minutes later I'm standing in a giant nose with my film teacher. And I'm left asking myself a question I seem to wonder all too often: "Is this a really weird dream?"
We got there early and set everything up, so we had a half hour to burn.
"Do you want to walk around the science center?" my teacher said.
What the hell, I thought. "Sure."
Fifteen minutes later I'm standing in a giant nose with my film teacher. And I'm left asking myself a question I seem to wonder all too often: "Is this a really weird dream?"
10/27/2007
What a busy month. Work on a project all week, and then at the end of the week, sit back and delude yourself into thinking you're going to have some nice free time in the next few days. Repeat as necessary. Side effects may include dementia, drowsiness, and in rare cases, mild bouts of Tourette's.
I took the ACT again today. The test administrator said, "While taking the test, do not look ahead and don't look back." The other test-takers took it as a regulation - I mistook it for a calming piece of Eastern philosophy.
I took the ACT again today. The test administrator said, "While taking the test, do not look ahead and don't look back." The other test-takers took it as a regulation - I mistook it for a calming piece of Eastern philosophy.
10/04/2007
It's 10:47 PM and I have at least three projects due tomorrow that I could be working on. Hell, I have a shower I could (and should) be taking sometime soon. But I need to do this for you. Actually, come to think of it, I don't need to do this for you - I'm doing this more for me. It gives a sense of closure to my week.
Reflection on a Mime Show
Fall Show 2007
I'd like to be upfront with you and let you know this: I believe this show was cursed.
I'm not saying it was a bad show. I mean, it was spectacular. I'm very proud to have been a part of it. But it all started out with a particularly bad omen; a brilliant performer named Marcel Marceau recently passed away. This was quite a downer. It's no understatement to call Mr. Marceau the hugest influence the Baker's Dozen has ever had. And maybe I'm being a little extreme, but I'll go as far to say that he's the hugest influence the Baker's Dozen will ever have.
And he died the day we picked our skits.
Not exactly the best omen one can hope for.
And then we ran into a few problems during tech week. It was frustrating enough that we were having some issues with the administration in regards to posters, but to make matters worse, our vice president, Jordan, was experiencing extreme abdominal pain throughout the week. Doctors originally thought this pain was an impending appendicitis - however, this wasn't the case and Jordan was left wondering what the hell was wrong for far too long.
Jordan eventually started feeling a little better as show week came along. But we still had our fair share of struggles. We ran into quite a few hangups as we rehearsed this week, from technical issues to writing issues to censorship issues.
And don't get me started on stress. Yes, when you combine the Baker's Dozen and the BD Tech, you get the greatest and most fun group in Valley High School, but when you're dealing with a cursed show (or any show, for that matter), it's not all fun and games. I would be lying if I said I didn't have any low points during this week. I think anyone involved in making this show would be lying if they said they never had a single moment of frustration.
But in the end, it was all okay. The show came and went, and it was great. Yeah, there were a few technical glitches, but our skits still got across and our audience left entertained.
Not bad for a cursed show.
The Skits
Opening - The original plan for the theme was Trojan Horse - until everyone realized that building a big horse would be too difficult for how it would end up looking.
Too Sexy - This skit was re-written and added to the show just yesterday. Yeah, we do a lot of last minute work, but never have I seen it to this extreme. This skit took the place of one I had written (my tryout skit) because administrators deemed it "offensive to those with [a certain disability]." No, it wasn't like we were going to make fun of people in wheelchairs or anything. We're immature, but we aren't tasteless.
Stella B. and Me - Rob's skit. I don't think you know how much I loved this one. Thank Sara for her work in this one too - I have never seen anyone play a blow-up doll as well as her.
I'm looking at the above sentence and realizing how weird it looks on paper.
Moving on...
Lost Religion - Also Rob's. The first of many short and simple skits throughout the show.
A Progressive Mime - This one was completely Kyle. Bow to him. Fear his creative prowess and spectacular technique.
HuHot - Another Rob skit. I found it really funny that the crowd cheered so much upon seeing this sign. It was as if they were saying, "Yes! I love HuHot and I am so glad the Baker's Dozen has decided to glorify it in their Fall Nite o' Mime."
The Mask - Though I had the lead in this skit, this was Mary's. It was taken to the stage in a semi-written state and ended up going quite well.
Fall of a Dictator - This one (Kyle's) took the place of a skit I had written - a skit the administration deemed to be inappropriate. I never got a particularly clear answer why my skit was deemed inappropriate, so I'm going to refrain from telling you about it until I can get that figured out.
But enough ranting. Kyle pitched this skit to us without uttering a single word. Originally there was music for it (I believe it was the Russian national anthem, thanks to Rob) but that didn't happen due to technical issues beyond anyone's control.
The Garden - This skit was written as a group. The entire group wanted it in the show - I didn't. I didn't think the crowd would find it funny. But I was wrong. I was dead wrong.
(Extra credit if you get the reference above.)
Walking with a Ghost - Mary's. Her ability to write both serious and funny skits is evident throughout this show.
Blockbuster Quickies - A Mary/Jordan/Thomas collaboration. Points for you if you got the "Day After Tommorrow" joke ("It's SATURDAY!"). Extra points if you got the semi-intentional reference to The Whitest Kids You Know.
Mermaid - Another show, another Marython. A very funny skit. Something about it made me feel like I was in junior high mimes again - and I don't mean that in a negative way. Perhaps it was seeing Mary and Jordan performing onstage as a duo that did it for me.
Statutory - Jordan's. This one was censored by the administration a bit too. I think the crowd still dug it.
Where Do Babies Come From? - Before I say anything: no, it was not at all our idea to have crowd members shout out "vaginas!" upon seeing the sign.
This was Jinny's first skit that made it into a show - and an awesome skit it was.
Pac-Man - Mine. I really loved the music that went along with this one. Unfortunately, I think this one entertained us more than it did the crowd, but it seemed a good number of audience members liked it.
Reap What You Sow - Another serious Mary skit. It came together very beautifully. I can't say a lot to you at this point, but I don't think this will be the last you see of this skit. And I'm not talking about Mimeories. Speaking of which...
The Kid with Short Shorts - From my first ever show - I believe this was Tyler's. Classic, hilarious stuff.
Evil iPod - This was from Fall Show 2005, written by former BD President Joe Bouma. I remember this skit very clearly - it was from the last mime show I witnessed as an audience member.
Marcel Tribute - This had to be done. It was the least we could do to pay tribute to a great artist. The sign is now sitting in my car. I think it might go up on my wall.
Storybook - As always, written dangerously close to the date of the actual performance. I can't speak for everyone else, but I was incredibly happy with how this one turned out.
Closing - Ah, yes. The seniors kill the juniors and the flag is raised.
And that was our show.
As you're aware, the Baker's Dozen is typically made up of thirteen members (clever, we know). There are currently only seven members of the Baker's Dozen. So, of course, we're holding tryouts next week.
I'm not sure if I have any sophomore/junior readers from Valley, but here are the details on tryouts: we'll have a workshop in the Student Center to answer whatever questions you may have Monday the 8th at 3:30.
Tryouts will be held 3:30 on Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th. Come with a 1 to 3 minute long solo mime skit that you're ready to perform for us. Music isn't necessary, but it's helpful. Be prepared to improvise a short scene.
To my fellow mimes: spectacular job - but you already knew that. Seeing things come together like they did was mind blowing. I both anxiously await and dread our Spring Show.
To our techies: we would be nowhere without you. Thank you all for everything you do. You all give so much for this show - your time, your effort, your sanity - and you all combine your efforts to make one of the most spectacular shows any school in the area has to offer. We love you all.
To our audience: thank you so much for coming. We always hope you enjoy the shows as much as we do, and I think we succeeded in this show. To hear your roars and cheers as the lights go up and the curtain opens is a truly remarkable thing. The mimes and techies have worked very hard on this show, and to know you enjoy and support our efforts means a lot. I suppose everything I've said in this paragraph can be summarized into these two words: thank you.
It's 11:45 now and I think I can be done. To my homework I go. And yeah, I'll get to that shower. Eventually.
Hmm.
Four shows down, one more to go.
Reflection on a Mime Show
Fall Show 2007
I'd like to be upfront with you and let you know this: I believe this show was cursed.
I'm not saying it was a bad show. I mean, it was spectacular. I'm very proud to have been a part of it. But it all started out with a particularly bad omen; a brilliant performer named Marcel Marceau recently passed away. This was quite a downer. It's no understatement to call Mr. Marceau the hugest influence the Baker's Dozen has ever had. And maybe I'm being a little extreme, but I'll go as far to say that he's the hugest influence the Baker's Dozen will ever have.
And he died the day we picked our skits.
Not exactly the best omen one can hope for.
And then we ran into a few problems during tech week. It was frustrating enough that we were having some issues with the administration in regards to posters, but to make matters worse, our vice president, Jordan, was experiencing extreme abdominal pain throughout the week. Doctors originally thought this pain was an impending appendicitis - however, this wasn't the case and Jordan was left wondering what the hell was wrong for far too long.
Jordan eventually started feeling a little better as show week came along. But we still had our fair share of struggles. We ran into quite a few hangups as we rehearsed this week, from technical issues to writing issues to censorship issues.
And don't get me started on stress. Yes, when you combine the Baker's Dozen and the BD Tech, you get the greatest and most fun group in Valley High School, but when you're dealing with a cursed show (or any show, for that matter), it's not all fun and games. I would be lying if I said I didn't have any low points during this week. I think anyone involved in making this show would be lying if they said they never had a single moment of frustration.
But in the end, it was all okay. The show came and went, and it was great. Yeah, there were a few technical glitches, but our skits still got across and our audience left entertained.
Not bad for a cursed show.
The Skits
Opening - The original plan for the theme was Trojan Horse - until everyone realized that building a big horse would be too difficult for how it would end up looking.
Too Sexy - This skit was re-written and added to the show just yesterday. Yeah, we do a lot of last minute work, but never have I seen it to this extreme. This skit took the place of one I had written (my tryout skit) because administrators deemed it "offensive to those with [a certain disability]." No, it wasn't like we were going to make fun of people in wheelchairs or anything. We're immature, but we aren't tasteless.
Stella B. and Me - Rob's skit. I don't think you know how much I loved this one. Thank Sara for her work in this one too - I have never seen anyone play a blow-up doll as well as her.
I'm looking at the above sentence and realizing how weird it looks on paper.
Moving on...
Lost Religion - Also Rob's. The first of many short and simple skits throughout the show.
A Progressive Mime - This one was completely Kyle. Bow to him. Fear his creative prowess and spectacular technique.
HuHot - Another Rob skit. I found it really funny that the crowd cheered so much upon seeing this sign. It was as if they were saying, "Yes! I love HuHot and I am so glad the Baker's Dozen has decided to glorify it in their Fall Nite o' Mime."
The Mask - Though I had the lead in this skit, this was Mary's. It was taken to the stage in a semi-written state and ended up going quite well.
Fall of a Dictator - This one (Kyle's) took the place of a skit I had written - a skit the administration deemed to be inappropriate. I never got a particularly clear answer why my skit was deemed inappropriate, so I'm going to refrain from telling you about it until I can get that figured out.
But enough ranting. Kyle pitched this skit to us without uttering a single word. Originally there was music for it (I believe it was the Russian national anthem, thanks to Rob) but that didn't happen due to technical issues beyond anyone's control.
The Garden - This skit was written as a group. The entire group wanted it in the show - I didn't. I didn't think the crowd would find it funny. But I was wrong. I was dead wrong.
(Extra credit if you get the reference above.)
Walking with a Ghost - Mary's. Her ability to write both serious and funny skits is evident throughout this show.
Blockbuster Quickies - A Mary/Jordan/Thomas collaboration. Points for you if you got the "Day After Tommorrow" joke ("It's SATURDAY!"). Extra points if you got the semi-intentional reference to The Whitest Kids You Know.
Mermaid - Another show, another Marython. A very funny skit. Something about it made me feel like I was in junior high mimes again - and I don't mean that in a negative way. Perhaps it was seeing Mary and Jordan performing onstage as a duo that did it for me.
Statutory - Jordan's. This one was censored by the administration a bit too. I think the crowd still dug it.
Where Do Babies Come From? - Before I say anything: no, it was not at all our idea to have crowd members shout out "vaginas!" upon seeing the sign.
This was Jinny's first skit that made it into a show - and an awesome skit it was.
Pac-Man - Mine. I really loved the music that went along with this one. Unfortunately, I think this one entertained us more than it did the crowd, but it seemed a good number of audience members liked it.
Reap What You Sow - Another serious Mary skit. It came together very beautifully. I can't say a lot to you at this point, but I don't think this will be the last you see of this skit. And I'm not talking about Mimeories. Speaking of which...
The Kid with Short Shorts - From my first ever show - I believe this was Tyler's. Classic, hilarious stuff.
Evil iPod - This was from Fall Show 2005, written by former BD President Joe Bouma. I remember this skit very clearly - it was from the last mime show I witnessed as an audience member.
Marcel Tribute - This had to be done. It was the least we could do to pay tribute to a great artist. The sign is now sitting in my car. I think it might go up on my wall.
Storybook - As always, written dangerously close to the date of the actual performance. I can't speak for everyone else, but I was incredibly happy with how this one turned out.
Closing - Ah, yes. The seniors kill the juniors and the flag is raised.
And that was our show.
As you're aware, the Baker's Dozen is typically made up of thirteen members (clever, we know). There are currently only seven members of the Baker's Dozen. So, of course, we're holding tryouts next week.
I'm not sure if I have any sophomore/junior readers from Valley, but here are the details on tryouts: we'll have a workshop in the Student Center to answer whatever questions you may have Monday the 8th at 3:30.
Tryouts will be held 3:30 on Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th. Come with a 1 to 3 minute long solo mime skit that you're ready to perform for us. Music isn't necessary, but it's helpful. Be prepared to improvise a short scene.
To my fellow mimes: spectacular job - but you already knew that. Seeing things come together like they did was mind blowing. I both anxiously await and dread our Spring Show.
To our techies: we would be nowhere without you. Thank you all for everything you do. You all give so much for this show - your time, your effort, your sanity - and you all combine your efforts to make one of the most spectacular shows any school in the area has to offer. We love you all.
To our audience: thank you so much for coming. We always hope you enjoy the shows as much as we do, and I think we succeeded in this show. To hear your roars and cheers as the lights go up and the curtain opens is a truly remarkable thing. The mimes and techies have worked very hard on this show, and to know you enjoy and support our efforts means a lot. I suppose everything I've said in this paragraph can be summarized into these two words: thank you.
It's 11:45 now and I think I can be done. To my homework I go. And yeah, I'll get to that shower. Eventually.
Hmm.
Four shows down, one more to go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)