Saturday, May 30, 2009

Note II on Lewis

One incredibly amusing thing in Surprised by Joy. I have met a number of people who say that they can't fully enjoy a lot of Lewis's work because they were distracted and annoyed by the Christian overtones. Apparently, before his conversion, Lewis was a fan of a lot of Christian authors who at the same time irritated him because he was distracted and annoyed by the Christian overtones. :-)

On a related note, despite being raised Christian and having been exposed to the Narnia books from a very young age, I did not detect the religious significance until it was pointed out to me by a book of commentary on the series. Didn't notice it at all, even in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where it is the most overt. Maybe I was a remarkably slow child. That is possible. In fact, I went to a week-long church camp once with an extremely heavy Narnia theme, and I was completely perplexed as to why it was present at all-- the connection escaped me that completely. The fact that they never bothered to EXPLAIN the connection, probably just taking for granted that it existed and that we quite small children were aware of it, may not have been the best way to deal with the matter for us kiddies. ;-)

Friday, May 29, 2009

Note on Lewis

Another note on Lewis-- he does this thing so well that I have always admired and labored to do myself. He somehow manages to end his paragraphs with the punchiest, most perfect cappers of sentences that just put a feather in the cap of the whole paragraph. I have been highlighting passages here and there, and so often I want to mark the last sentense of a paragraph. Damn, I love that.

Lewis vs. Tolkien

In the process of reading Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis's autobiographical account of his religious journey. In the course of things, I find myself comparing his way of writing to that of J.R.R. Tolkien, who was his close friend and colleague.

As much as I love both authors, I have alwys found Lewis's work to be deeper, more mature, and more profound than Tolkien's. Lewis always seems to have a thoughtfulness and a reflectiveness that his colleagues just doesn't seem to have for me. Tolkien's epics are grand and poetic and powerful, but they never seem to thematically go as deep. But I think it comes from the way the two men think. Tolkien had the disadvantage of having lived comfortably in his beliefs for the entirety of his life; he never had any need to dig or wrestle with anything, and it shows in the way his work just seems to take certain concepts for granted as truths of the universe. Lewis, on the other hand, is much more reflective-- he had to struggle to any surety under the exacting criticism of his own standards. Lewis, if you read any of what I call his personal works, those written about his personal matters, is an intensely self-aware man, and you can tell he came to it only by the stark and ruthless self-examination he enforced in his struggle toward understanding of his life and his philosophy as it related to God and the universe. I think this difference in the two men shows very much so in their writing. It's the reason why I love Lewis, in fact, and the reason I would say I prefer him to Tolkien.

Grown up

Someday, I would like very much to live in a grown-up house.

Jenn's birthday

A very happy birthday to in_water_writ* today! I love her and miss her, and she deserves to have every birthday be special.

Have a great day, love. :-)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Cross-casting

Talked to my brother a little bit about my role as Fleance in Macbeth. He told me cross-casting doesn't happen as often in actual theater as often as one might think-- while college theaters often make use of whatever actors they have available, it usually only happens in real theaters when they specifically intend to do it. He thinks my size and delicacy made me seem like a good choice for playing a young boy; when I mentioned that they made a point of comparing my height to those of the other auditioners, that confirmed it for him. I've always been comfortable being cross-cast. Sometimes it allows me to play a particularly interesting part-- Dromio, Puck, the Fool --and sometimes it's an acting challenge in itself to try and be believably male. And I while I may be capable of looking boyish fairly easily, acting it is pretty tough for me because of my high voice and fairly feminine carriage. I sometimes wonder if that affects my larp casting, at least by people who know me. I've mused on getting cross-cast in larps in this space before, but I'm thinking about how infrequently it happens to me. Even though I always say I am cool being cross-cast on my casting questionnaires, I almost never actually get a male character. No matter, it's fine either way. But I wonder if it ends up this way because people who know me can't see me as a grown man. I suppose I get that, given that I'm kind of small and have such a girly voice. That's not the case at all in my theater experience, but again in that instance there tends to be a necessity because there just aren't enough guys for all the male roles. But the final word for me on it is that while I don't necessarily prefer it I'm completely fine doing it, and sometimes I particularly welcome it. So, my GM friends, don't be afraid to give me a guy role if you think I would be suited to it.

People's feelings on it tend to be mixed. Most guys would really rather not be while more girls tend to be okay with it even if it's not their preference. It's kind of funny when you think that in previous times in the theater men played all the roles. Still, I don't know why it is, but for some reason a woman playing a man is easier for me to accept as "male" than a man playing a woman is as "female." Not that I've never seen a guy play a woman convincingly, but I think it takes more for it to be believable. I've even known a few girls, like witticaster in larps and Frances and Brenda in theater, who actively prefer to be cross-cast. Never really met a guy that way, except for perhaps morethings5 whom I gather sometimes on a whim decides he would like to play a woman.

A lot of games are written with characters that are gender-flexible in order to conform to preferences of the player. In general I am not a fan of this; the gender is usually, at least to me, so intrinsic a part of each character I write that I would rather cross-cast the player. Even if a lot of the genders in Alice don't necessarily factor much into their characterizations, I chose them based on the character they are inspired by in the book, and I am pretty attached to them being played as I wrote them. Unfortunately, that means for a very low number of female parts. Alice has fortunately never had much of a problem finding a way to honor the requests of the players to which this is something important, but a lot of girls still end up playing guys.

Despite my preference for fixed genders, in Oz I decided I needed to have if not all then most of them be flexible. Oz is a smaller game than Alice, with only fifteen players, and also based on a fairly famous source material. I didn't want people to look around at the genders of the other players and be able to say things like, "Okay, four of these females have to be the witches, and since I know a little about the source material, I know two of them are good guys and two of them are bad guys." So in order to combat that, I decided that most characters would be gender-flexible so that no one could metagame using the genders of the characters. In the first run of Oz, there was one character who's intended gender was flipped, the one played by contradictacat in honor of her preference, and it worked fine. The game is probably better for this flexibility, though it's not my preference in these things. For the next run, I expect the genders to be at least somewhat different than they were. I just need to make sure I thoroughly edit the sheets for pronouns.

Realized

Today is the day my mother realized that I am happier now than I have ever been in my life.

I am pleased. She will do good things with this knowledge.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Star Trek

Last night I saw Star Trek with my parents, and I must say, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It was a really fun movie.

Now, not being much of a Star Trek fan, I have seen only a handful of episodes of the original recipe. I'm probably a little too steeped in the parody-culture that has risen up around it. I am, after all, the girl who owns the badydoll shirt with "Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" on it. But it felt like a worthy addition to the canon (as loose as the meaning of that word may be.) Again, true fans might not necessarily agree, but I thought all the castings were brilliant. I loved the guy who played Kirk-- to me, he captured the spirit of this maverick kind of guy, and felt enough like Shatner while still not directly imitating him. When he was sitting in the captain's chair in that classic pose, he really struck me as having captured the character. I can't decide whether I find him cheesy or hot. Heh, seeing as it's Kirk, that's probably about right. I also was really impressed with Zachary Quinto as Spock. I liked the slightly-uncomfortable-in-his-own-skin vibe he gave off, trying to balance his human and his Vulcan side-- which contrasted so nicely for me with the older Spock, who has had so much more time to learn how to achieve that balance. Simon Pegg as Scottie and Karl Urban (!) as Bones McCoy were absolute treats. I didn't even recognize Karl Urban, the guy who played Eomer in Lord of the Rings. I've been told they were played more comedically than they were in the series, but they were so much fun for me to watch that I don't really mind. I am so pleased by how much more I enjoyed it than I thought I would, so I am extremely glad I went to see it. :-) The only thing that disappointed me was the distinct lack of pause-acting. And now I need a T-shirt that reads "Spock! SPOCK!" ;-)

Lewis and "Diary of Jane"

I have just discovered the song "Diary of Jane" by Breaking Benjamin, and I've absolutely fallen in love with it. It's exactly up my alley, hard-edged rock with a story lurking just under the lyrics sung by a coarse-voiced male vocalist. Ahhh, I love it so, and I've listened to it approximately a hundred times since I found it the other day on Pandora.

Went out shopping with my mom. Bought some home stuff I needed, like an oven thermometer and a special cleaner to make my All-Clad beautiful again, but also hit the bookstore. Got a new blank notebook to use for writing down recipes-- I like to write them out in my own words so I know I understand them, and it's nice to be able to take places with me in case I want to cook stuff for people --and a couple of C.S. Lewis books I've been wanting to read forever. I got Surprised by Joy, his autobiography of his coming to Christianity, and A Grief Observed, a collection of essays working through his grief over the death of his wife. I find him such a fascinating man, in addition to being one of my all-time favorite writers, so I'm delighted to have gotten a hold of these. I will probably be posting my reactions to them as and after I read them.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Cast!

Well, the production of Macbeth got back to me, and I am cast! I have just accepted the part of Fleance, son of Banquo, who I believe at some point becomes (or at least his descendants do) king of Scotland. It's a part I've played before, and it's certainly not very large, but I am just happy to have gotten in at all. I believe rehearsals begin in early July, with performances from August 7th to 16th.

:-) I am pleased.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Home, apparently.

So my family decided I will be going home today. *Sigh* Okay. That's fine. I wish I'd had a bit more input, but since any attempt to make home visits more convenient for myself seem to result in my mom interpreting things as me not wanting to come home at all, I guess I'll just go with it.

It'll be nice to see the parents. I do like spending time with them, though it is somewhat dull to be at home. I'm not the best traveller in the world-- I get motion sick at the drop of the hat --so that part isn't so fun for me, which I think makes me even more reluctant to undertake the process. I will be gone until Sunday afternoon, so I'd better go get things together.

From hermit to social butterfly

After several days of comfortable purposeful isolation, I emerged from my solitude this weekend to do several things with several people. Saturday I headed over to the new place of bronzite and pezzonovante to try and help with the move-in. I baked ginger molasses cookies, bought jugs of lemonade, and brought a bottle of wine as a housewarming gift, as that is what Italians do when somebody moves into a new place. As it happened, quite a few people came out to help John and Tom deal with all their stuff, and there ended up being too many cooks in the kitchen. I was sorry I couldn't be more help, but hey, cookies and wine are a contribution, right? I considered hanging around out of the way in case there was something I could do, but I wasn't loving how this one girl I didn't know who was there was barking orders at everyone, so I decided to just clear out and not have to deal or be a hindrance. Hope everything ultimately went well.

In the evening Marissa and morethings5 came over to hang and have dinner with me. I really enjoyed the last time we did that and wanted to see them sometime, as well as with all the kosher people gone I wanted to eat with people who would let me cook something really trayf. So I made pork chops in sauteed apples and onions with rosemary corn cake and brussels sprouts. I was incredibly pleased with how the chops came out, mostly because I remembered that pork is best when it's brined before you work with it. It's a very lean meat that has a tendency to dry out, so letting it soak in a salt and herb solution will keep it juicy after you cook it. This is also a useful technique for turkey, which has a similar problem, so I'll actually be able to use this cooking technique with my regular dinner crowd. It was also really nice to talk to them, both them together and just Marissa after Kindness went home. I don't think I've ever had a chance to really talk with just her before, and I was always sorry about that because I've always felt that she was the kind of person I could tell things to. I hope I can entice her out to Waltham again sometime soon. I'll have to figure out another tasty dinner.

The next day I met twilighttremolo for sort-of lunch and for wandering around Waltham. She is another friend I've wanted to spend real time with and get to know better, and I had a really nice time doing that yesterday. I wasn't quite sure what I would say going into things-- I have a tendency to worry I will be holding people prison to conversation they're not really interested in --but she was very easy to talk to, and I very much liked doing it. One of my favorite things to do with somebody is walk around talking about things, so it was nice for me to just wander through the suburban parts around here. Good exercise, good time, and with good company. I will have to see that this happens more often.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Chef reviews!

Not that anybody asked me, but writing about Rachael Ray and hearing people reference other chefs in response got me thinking about the other ones on Food Network, and which ones I like and which ones I don't and why.

Rachael Ray, as I said, has an incredibly grating voice and personality, but I really like how she makes delicious and even kind of fancy meals that are quick and easy to make. Skip the show, buy the cookbooks-- worth it as a chef.

Alton Brown is awesome. His show is fun and interesting, and when it comes to optimization of familiar recipes and kitchen, he's your man. I not only love his recipes, I love how he teaches you to buy equipment that is both proper and useful, and the fact that he throws in the science of it is really cool as well. That said, I think the science is more interesting than necessary to being a good cook. (I've actually found some people who cook while worrying about that stuff become slightly neurotic what's going on in their food. "But what if the protein strings aren't relaxing?" "Just follow the recipe already.") Probably the most well-rounded, accessible chef on Food Network. Might be my personal favorite.

I grew up eating Bobby Flay's recipes, as my parents have been using his cookbooks for years-- he is the master of grilling, and his style is influenced by the spicy Southwest. The man strikes me in all ways as a rock star-- an absolute badass at his craft, but I could totally imagine him trashing a dressing room and a few people to boot because some poor stage hand misplaced his whisk. I don't have a grill so I haven't really bothered to learn much grilling yet, but he's probably a bit too difficult for me to start with, though there's probably nobody better. Probably one of the greatest chefs cooking today, but I think he's a little too well aware of it.

I like Paula Deen as a personality-- I love that an older lady who's life kind of screwed her ended up working her way to enormous happiness and success, and her expansive pleasantness actually seems genuine, unlike some like Rachael, who would probably bite your face off once the camera stopped rolling. It makes me smile when her nice husband or sons come in to help her, or her fat yellow lab Gertie lays in the kitchen while she's doing her show. That said, I can't eat anything she cooks. It's all so heavy, packed with butter or cheese or slathered with mayo, it's usually aggressively not kosher, and sometimes hearing about what goes in makes me and my food issues want to crawl into a corner and never eat again. If you like heavy, unhealthy Southern comfort food, her stuff is probably delicious but it isn't for me.

My parents are into Tyler Florence right now, so I'm finding out that his food is pretty good as well. His stuff is a bit too hard for an inexperienced cook like me, but my very talented mother can do great stuff with it. Like Bobby Flay he comes off as kind of arrogant, and his show's shtick that all his recipes are the "ultimate" vesions is a little eye-rolly for me, but the proof is in the pan in the end, and his stuff is pretty damn tasty if you're talented enough to make it. Not for a novice to follow, but nice if you go to a dinner party of one of his fan's.

I'm in love with Giada de Laurentiis, though probably for all the wrong reasons. Whatever her strengths or weaknesses as a a chef may be, I am invariably distracted by how incredibly beautiful she is. To the people who point out her head is too big for her tiny body, I say be silent. She's still lovely. ANYWAY, I do enjoy her food as well, since her concept is doing updated, lighter versions of traditional Italian food, and being Italian myself that really appeals to me. She too has the problem of too much pasta and pancetta-- which I cannot believe she actually eats --but most of her Italian stuff is really my thing, and not too hard to make.

Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa is another one I enjoy. She has such a serene, contented presence that I enjoy listening to, and her food is very appropriate for me-- incredibly elegant without being unbelievably difficult. I like her show's shtick of "today I am cooking for this gathering/person/event" (though I am distracted by constantly wondering how genuine things are) because it's also helpful in planning complete meals. When I made a mocha cake that broke when I tried to get it out of the plan, it was after watching her make a brownie pudding that I thought of making the broken pieces of cake into very delicious individual puddings that saved what I thought was a failed dish. I really need to cook more of her stuff.

Friday, May 22, 2009

In defense of Rachael Ray

I must confess-- I am really coming to like Rachael Ray. Most people who see me cooking from the Big Orange Book roll their eyes and grumble about how they don't like her, but come on. Yeah, I get that as a personality she can be kind of unlikeable. On her TV show her stage presence is this super-upbeat obnoxious enthusiasm that comes off as kind of fake and her voice is absolutely grating, not to mention her current level of product-endorsing mega-consumer-oriented brand identty. That stuff sort of bugs me too. No grown woman should ever utter "Yum-o!" But purely as a chef, her food and her method of cooking is really good, and for me that excuses the rest of the stuff.

First, the principle of 30-Minute Meals that made her so famous is incredibly cool if you think about it. She teaches people to develop their cooking skills by giving them recipes not just for dishes but for complete, balanced meals that are not too difficult, not too time-consuming, and not only delicious but usually rather elegant. It's an excellent entre to the world of cooking-- I love the idea of dishes with complex, sophisticated flavors that even a newbie like myself can put together.

Just look at the Rachael Ray cookbook I recieved last Christmas, the Big Orange Book. This book has been enormously helpful to me in my personal development as a cook and a host. It helps me meet so many of the culinary challenges I reguarly encounter. I'm only just a novice chef yet, but my tastes are toward slightly more sophisicated dishes, so its quick and easy-to-make recipes that come out so elegantly allow me to do a good job cooking the kind of food I enjoy. Many of the people I most want to cook for keep kosher, and so the fact that the book has a kosher recipe section helps me with interesting and delicious kosher options. The vegetarian section also contributes to that, as well as for my vegetarian guests. Heck, there's even a meals-for-one section I'm going to now that I'm cooking only for myself. Incredibly useful, and even though I don't like everything in the book there is so much that's interesting and fun for me. The only real complaint I have of her in general and this book in particular is how huge a focus is placed on pasta, and only because it's something I absolutely don't eat-- the recipes for them are still great if you're in to that sort of thing. Otherwise, it helps me prepare dishes that I not only enjoy but am proud to serve to friends. You don't know how many times people have commented on how "fancy" my cooking is, when I'm just making a recipe from the Big Orange Book. Also, because she tells you how to make meals and not just dishes, I'm learning how to balance a plate and pair flavors and foods that properly complement each other.

So, if you're not inclined to give Rachael Ray any credit, I suggest you try and ignore the woman herself and just pay attention to her recipes and cooking techniques. If you've ever been to one of my dinners, chances are you've eaten something out of that book. I really feel like having something like this to learn from is helping me become a real cook. It helps me make good food that's not beyond my skill level, and hey, anything that brings more good food into the world can't be all bad, right?

I don't know why I just took it upon myself to defend Rachael Ray. I'm sure all her endless product-endorsement money comforts her well enough. It must have been Italian balsamic barbeque chicken in polenta for dinner tonight. ;-) Mmmm.

Texts from... what?

Apparently my ass has been texting nonsense to people. No, I don't know either. Stupid iPhone and its stupid touch screen.

Cooking for one

I spent a lovely hour this afternoon on a blanket in my backyard sunbathing in my bikini. Mmm, I could get used to that.

Not too many people are around this week. So I am going to be working on something I haven't really done before-- cooking for just myself. In addition to being an economical alternative to eating out all the time, it'll be a good way to practice my cooking skills without worrying about disappointing guests, and since I really only have experience cooking for ten people at a time, it'll be a nice, less stressful change. I probably should have planned myself a menu for the coming week including the most trayf dishes I could think of-- no kosher boys around to worry about --but by accident or perhaps habit most of them conform perfectly to kashrut. Darn. :-) Ah, well, when Marissa is around Saturday night I'm gonna make pork chops. So there. :-) Okay, so I'm not totally just making dinner for myself, but it'll be nice to hang with Marissa a little, since she'll be going to Greece in the fall.

Also, if I wasn't sure already, listening to him last night definately confirmed this-- I like Andy Kaufman.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Workout, walks, and Oz

Found out recently from Zachariah that I have not been doing the Crossfit.com workout exactly right. I misunderstood the indication of how many sets of each exercise one is supposed to do. I am a bit grouchy to hear this; it makes me feel like I wasted that time. I guess it wasn't a complete waste, as I was at least getting SOME exercise, but if I'd done it right I'd be more than a week farther than I am right now. It turns out that the correct way is pretty damn hard, and takes a fair bit more time than I'd hoped it would.

After my workout this morning I walked into town to get Jared's watch repaired. The pin holding the face to the band had bent again, and he left it here instead of taking it home, so I got it fixed for him. The jeweler who did the work was adorably Jewish older man who complimented me on my anniversary necklace and suggested it might appear more advantageously on a shorter chain. I've actually thought about that myself, as the current one tends to make the pendant fall just inside the neckline of a lower-cut shirt, but I kind of don't want to part with the original, which is not only delicate and lovely but was part of the gift from Jared. I enjoyed the walk in town very much overall.

I've been doing work on editing Oz, and I'm pleased with some of the changes I've made. There's a good bit left to do, but I'd like to be able to get a second run happening this summer when Jared comes to visit. For those of you interested in playing who did not get to during Festival, information will be forthcoming. The only thing I'm not sure about is how to go about is finding a space for it. I don't suppose it's possible to engage Brandeis space during the summer, is it? What do people normally do when they run larps during the summer months? Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Well said, Dad.

"Food and wine are like a married couple. And they love each other."

Heehee.

Post-callback

Well, that was a bit anti-climactic. I just got home from the callback. I got there crazy early, but I had no problem parking and just waited until 10 rolled around. There were two other kids there, one a girl a bit older than me with a deep voice, and one a boy about my age with a high voice. They each read for Malcolm; I read for Donalbain. Then he checked how tall we all were, then sent me off. I'm not sure what to think from that. Since I was the only one that read for Donalbain, it may be that's the part the director wants to give me. It's not a big role, but I'd be perfectly content with it. Still, he heard so little from me, it may be he isn't interested. I really don't know. He said he'd let us know sometime next week.

Nerves

Woke up very early today due to day-of-audition nerves. I'm not so much worried about the callback itself as I am about getting there on time and finding a place to park. I'm worried about the rush-hour traffic, since I'm not really sure when that starts or when it goes to. I need to be by 10AM at Boston University, and for the first audition I left forty-five minutes in advance and was still late. I really, really don't want to do that again, it stressed me out too much. And God knows I suck at street-parking.

Still haven't picked what I'm wearing. Should go do that now.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Chore progress

I have returned from my morning workout, and have had a spot of breakfast, and now am beginning my chores for the day. I'm endeavoring to use my free time, hopefully soon to be subsumed by a job or a play or maybe even both, as efficiently as possible before I don't have it anymore. So that means today is going to be all chores. I have thank you notes to write, errands to run, laundry and other house chores to take care of. I'm in the process of designing a chore chart for those of us that live in Elsinore. I think we've had enough nonsense over house responsibilities happen that it might be a useful thing to institute. I'm going to make a basic outline, then ask the housemates to give their input on adjustments, and we'll figure out together who to assign what and when.

My callback for Macbeth is tomorrow morning. I am very excited, though I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I did find out that the show is probably not in fact professional, about which I'm disappointed, but I talked to my parents and they think it's worth doing anyway-- I could make a connection with the theater, or even with the playwrights whose work is produced there. They're cool with me maybe doing something silly part-time for the sake of the experience of it. That makes me feel pretty good about it. I think that I'll add looking over the text of Macbeth again to my to do list, just to make sure I'm familiar with the words I might be asked to say. I also should pick my wardrobe in advance, something flattering but comfortable enough to move in.

Ah, so much to do. But I've got time, and I've got good momentum going.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Commencement concluded

I am graduated now. I have a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University. And, amusingly, I can't seem to get the beginning of the opening number from Avenue Q out of my head. ;-)

It was a really great weekend. My parents came up for the ceremony, and they and Jared and I did some fun things. We went out to dinner Friday night, and then took Mom to the Dreitzer Gallery to look at the senior show. Jared hadn't seen it either at that point, so it was good that we went. She was very glad to see Kindness's painting of me, and unsurprisingly her favorites were him and Ernest. I've always said Ernie's style reminded me of hers. ;-)

Saturday we went to the zoo! I love going to zoos, 'cause I love looking at the animals-- it kind of renders me into a little kid. It was so much fun being out with Jared, gushing over animals. And then we came home and prepared a big dinner. Bernie's parents were also in town for his graduation, so Bernie wanted to have a big dinner getting friends and family together. We made chicken marbella, mint-citrus wild rice, spinach salad, French onion soup, and mixed berry pie. I liked Bernie's mom and dad a lot, and I got to teach Jared to roll out pie crust. :-) The other guests consisted of witticaster, zapf, the Daves, and bronzite, who in case he had any concerns WAS both helpful and charming, not to mention made a favorable impression on my parents. ;-) All in all, it was a really nice evening and I had a very good time.

Sunday was graduation. My mini-commencement and the main commencement went well enough, though they were both a bit on the dull side for my tastes. I probably would not have gone if my mom hadn't wanted me to, but it wasn't so bad. Jared was wonderful to be willing to sit through it all for me. Afterward we collected my brother, who spent msot of the weekend hanging out with friends, and went to a lovely dinner in the North End. All in all, a most excellent weekend.

I took Jared to the airport to go home today. Here we begin our third summer apart. We've done this twice before now so we've pretty much figured out how to make the distance not feel so far, but I am sad as always to have to be apart from him. We spent the last week in the same house together, and it was really wonderful. But now I must be strong, and make time to talk to him every day, and plan times to visit over the coming months.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Callback

To my surprise and no small pleasure, it seems I have recieved a callback for Macbeth. I was called yesterday and asked if I could be at the theater on Wednesday at 10AM to read with some people, which seems to suggest that they are interested in me for a role of some nature. This sort of thing varies from director to director, but it could even mean that they want me and simply have to decide where to put me.

I'm going to go for it. I'm still not certain whether or not it's professional, but if it is, this could be really cool for me. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I'm just really excited.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Eaglies!

My mom linked me to this live webcast, where you can watch a nest of eaglets. There are three little eaglets, each visibly a little older than the last, fluff around in their nest, getting fed by their mommy and daddy eagle and generally being cute little puffy-babies.

I like the eaglies. :-)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Audition for Macbeth

Today I auditioned for a production of Macbeth held at the Boston Playwright's Theater at BU. I read a piece of the Fool from King Lear, the prophecy after the storm, and they called me back to read a side for Malcolm, and asked if I'd be willing to cut my hair. I... think it went well.

I'm not sure this was a good idea. If this is a paying gig-- and I probably should have asked if it was, but I couldn't figure out how to phrase it that wouldn't sound weird --then I guess it's not the worst job to have until I find something actually worthwhile in my field. And I could do something part-time in addition if it doesn't pay much, which I'm pretty certain would be the case. If it's not, it's would probably just interfere with any actual job I could get, which would not be a good idea. Hell, it might do that even if it does pay. So I'm not certain that this is the right thing for me to do. I just thought I'd go out anyway. I probably won't get in anyway and it won't be an issue. I don't know.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get into the Hold Thy Peace storeroom and clean it up. I bought a bunch of storage bags, and I'd like to go through what's there, organize it, pack it up, and make lists of which bag contains what. I think that would make dealing with it a heck of a lot easier. Jared said he'd help me, and I think Emma will as well. I'm not certain that the ICC, where the key is accessed, is still open during senior week, but I've wanted to do this for years, and I think it might be a nice parting gift that I could make to Hold Thy Peace.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

New BPAL to play with!

In thanks for letting her store some stuff at Elsinore over the summer, blendedchaitea gave me a bag of BPAL imps to play with. I am not certain, actually, if they are for keeps or just to try out, but either way, it was very generous of her and really made me smile. I am inventorying them and their collections so I remember which ones I got from her:



Ars Amatoria
SALOMÉ
A scent that is both coquettish and sinister. Exotic and lush, brimming with grace and viciousness: almond with star jasmine, oakmoss, red sandalwood and Egyptian musk.

Diabolus
AKUMA
Devilish temptation, as sweet as sin: blood orange, neroli, and raspberry.

LOUP GAROU
The wild, untamed essence of lycanthropy. Primeval in its raw power and insatiable hunger: juniper, cypress and galangal with the barest touch of eucalyptus.

BLUEBEARD
A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver.

A Picnic in Arkham
THE HIGH PRIEST NOT TO BE DESCRIBED
Monastic incense, blood musk, black leather, cypress, pimento, white pepper, and Roman chamomile.

Excolo
GRANDMOTHER OF GHOSTS
Her scent swirls with a high-pitched tumult of laurel, stargazer lily, splintered woods, peony, mandarin and white musk, and is spiked with pale pepper. (A very garden scent, not only the flowers but the rich earth as well.)

EUPHROSYNE
The Grace of Mirth
Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine.

OLD SCRATCH
Old Nick, the Devil himself, as seen through the eyes of Victorian New England. A jaunty, dapper scent, deceptively genteel: a lavender fougere with tonka, amber, rosewood and a whiff of diabolical patchouli.

PANNYCHIS
An attendant of the Goddess Venus. She presides over nocturnal pleasure, nighttime festivities, and all the joy and delight that can be found in the darkness. In later ages, it became the name of the all-night festival that closed the Eleusinian Mysteries. Night-blooming jasmine, moonflower, cardamom, sandalwood, black currant, ylang ylang, frankincense and lily.

GAUEKO
Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum.

Ars Draconis
DRAGON'S EYE
A piercing, radiant perfume: dragon's blood resin, lily of the valley, lilac and galbanum.

DRAGON'S MUSK
Dominant, passionate, devastating. Dragon’s blood and five deep musks.

The Mad Tea Party
THE MOCK TURTLE'S LESSONS
Not quite Turtle Soup: blurry aquatic notes, with a confusing, contrary splort of iris, ambrette, green apple, vodka, white mint and a squish of lime.

THE DODO
‘Red musk, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood.

THE UNICORN
A misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs.

Ars Morideni
THANATOPSIS
A meditation upon death. Inspired by William Cullen Bryant's poem. A deep, solomn earthen scent containing pine, juniper and musk.

WINGS of AZRAEL
Azrael is the Angel of Death, marked as the last being to die in the Apocalypse. Though a harbinger of doom, his duties are an act of mercy: he curtails human life before world-weariness and despair destroys our spirits. Warm myrrh swirled with a bittersweet blend of violet, Lily of the Valley, juniper, cypess and cajeput.

Illyria
TAMORA
Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean.

REGAN
A deceptively sweet orchid vanille with a faint trace of stephanotis.

Wanderlust
ROME
Refined, austere and graceful. A recipe gleaned from Classical Rome: cypress, juniper, chamomile and rose.

FLORENCE
The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.

VERSAILLES
Grand, courtly and robust: a glittering, golden scent that would do Louis XIV proud. Gilded red and gold citrus with amber, ruby roses, jasmine and orris.

Bewitching Brews
LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI
The name translates to "the beautiful woman without mercy", and is the title of an old French court poem that was later revamped by John Keats. A bewitching, seductive scent, rife with mystery and foreboding.

BLACK OPAL
A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.

JACK
The scent of warm, glowing jack o'lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove.

LAMPADES
Their scent is the crisp, inviting bittersweet tang of cranberry with smoky dark lilies, heady, sensual musk, a tingle of ginger and a brush of Mediterranean spices.

EPHEMERA
The scent of loss, love and the echo of time without end: sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves.

ULALUME
Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Lovely spare bed

Little ordinary things give me a great deal of pleasure sometimes, especially those having to do with the comfort of the home. This afternoon when my parents came to see me they dropped off the bedding I used when I lived in the dorms and had a twin bed. It consists of dark blue sheets, very smooth and soft, and a blue-themed patchwork quilt. I remade the spare bed we have in our basement with these, then I put a heavy coverlet made of this denim-like material over everything. I folded the final spare dark blue blanket longways and laid it across the edge of the bed that touches the wall. The bed is perfectly comfortable to sleep in should we have a guest, and the denim is protective and durable enough that people can sit on it like it's a couch without damaging or messing it. The whole affair is so much more useable and comfortable now, not to mention far and away nicer-looking. Now I feel a lot better about offering it to our guests. I am incredibly pleased with myself for remembering my old dorm stuff, and for arranging things so well.

I know, it's a silly little thing to be so proud of how one has made a bed. But sometimes, my domesticity makes me happy.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Jared's LARP resume

Played:
Nexus - Ivan Tadeov - Brandeis - '06
Welcome to Scearbridge - David Merrin - Brandeis - '06
Elanthia - Prince Edmund - Intercon G - '07
The Awful Truth - Silversleeves - Intercon G - '07
Alice - White Rabbit - Festival of the LARPs - '07
Final Voyage of the Mary Celeste - Johann Volkert - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '07
Divus Ex: Convocation - Anubis - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '07
Fire on High - Sir Joseph Butler - Brandeis - '07
MASKS: Superheroes Have it Damned Tough - Crawdad - Brandeis - '07
Game of Empire - Ahl Yenkowik/Zyph - RPI - '08
Wonderland 2.1 - White Rabbit - Intercon H - '08
Desperadoes Under the Eaves - - Intercon H - '08
Paradox Rides - Floyd - - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '08
Marlowe 2020 - Detective Calvino - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '08
Miskatonic Archaeological Expedition - Warren Delapore - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '08
The Morning After - Winthrop Filmore - Brandeis - '08
Unconventional Odyssey - Horde - Brandeis - '09
Casino Xeno - - Intercon I - '09
Supervillain Academy - Crimson Cobra - Intercon I - '09
League of Extraordinary Hogwarts Students - Percy Longbottom - Intercon I - '09
Paranoia: Research and Dismemberment - Bug-R-Off - Brandeis Festival of the Larps - '09
Miskatonic Class Reunion 2000 - Warren Delapore - Brandeis Festival of the Larps - '09
Oz - Phineas An - Brandeis - '09
A Midsummer Night and the Living is Easy - Nazbok - WPI Gaming Weekend - '09
Redemption: High Noon at the Devil's Luck - Jake "Buffalo" James - Brandeis - '10
Shadow Over Babylon - - Intercon J - '10
Limbo! - Jazz - Intercon J - '10
Nepenthe a Surcease of Sorrow - Father Thomas - WPI - '10

GMed:
Alice - GM - Intercon H - '08
GM Space - Cast GM - Brandeis - '09
GM Space - Cast GM - Intercon I - '09
Alice - GM - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '09
GM Space - Cast GM - Brandeis Festival of the LARPs - '09
Alice - GM - Chicago Fete Fatale - '09
Oz - GM - SLAW - '09
Oz - GM - Intercon J - '10
GM Space - Cast GM - Intercon J - '10

NPCed:
Paranoia: Research and Dismemberment - Acc-U-Men/HK 47 1/2 - SLAW - '09

Written:
GM Space - '09

Edited:
Alice - '07
Oz - '09

Feeling better

Feeling in better sorts after some time without the press of too many other people. Did some studying, did some chores, went out to a nice dinner with bronzite, and came back and chatted with lightgamer a little after the Buffy game. Sleep was welcome and appreciated afterward.

Today is my last day to study for my last final, so that will take priority. Also, my parents will be in town to help my brother pack up his stuff from his room for the end of the year, so I need to be available to see them for a minute. Also, tonight Kindness has very kindly offered to take Marissa and I out to dinner in thanks for modeling for his paintings. As to this, my attitude is "You want to feed me as a thanks for... flattering my vanity? Suuuuuure." :-) He's a very sweet young man.

Also, tomorrow Jared's parents will be here to help him pack up, and I have offered to make dinner for them in the evening. I am in the process of planning the menu, and a trip to the kosher market to buy meat. I am also endeavoring to not stress myself out like crazy for this, as I just want it to be a nice evening. I have a tendency to panic over the impression I'm making.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Crowded

In an unusually grouchy mood today. Have been feeling kind of out of control of my space a lot lately. There are lots of people around all the time, and I know that I invited some of them but it was slightly forced on me, and it isn't my place to say to the others can't be here because I'm not the only one that lives here, but I'm feeling crowded and overrun. I try to make the best of it and be friendly and make conversation with the guests, but mostly there is a brief response followed by the immediate return to whatever they're doing on their omnipresent laptops. It's like the living room is now an Internet cafe. And with the constant seething of people, everything I clean seems to gets immediately messed up again.

In even grouchier news, I'm irritated with how soft I'm getting. I'm starting to look like everybody else.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Accomplished!

Ah, it feels good to get things done. The weekend ended well, with the game ending to the satisfaction of all parties involved. Zachariah made us a lovely French toast brunch Sunday morning, and in_water_writ and 1takejohnny dropped by to see us for a bit. Apparently there's a possibility Jenn might get a job in the area, and that would be absolutely lovely. Especially if she sublets at Elsinore until she found a permanent place. I know nothing's happening yet, but it makes me happy to think about.

I also finished my last paper and handed it in this morning. All that remains is my Latin final n Friday, and I have all week to study for it. So I'm feeling pretty good. I'm going to make a low-key dinner tonight just for my pleasure and relaxation-- I'm trying a Rachael Ray beef and burgundy recipe --and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Exhausted already

As fun as this weekend has been so far, I am already exhausted. I know it may have seemed silly for me to have done so much crowing at how I organized things to get off, but please excuse me because I don't know if it's clear just how hard it was and how much work it took to make sure things happened. I had to make sure all parties involved, many of whom had very disparate needs, got taken care of. A lot of responsibility, most of it unasked for, fell to me, and not only did everything go off, it went off smoothly, on time, and none of my schoolwork got neglected in the process. I cleaned, I scheduled, I shopped, I led the cooking, I balanced the gamers and the non-gamers, I provided the game space, I secured the crash space, I attended to the guest, I organized people's activities, and I took care of all the little needs and issues that arose. I'm incredibly proud of my organizing and hosting abilities, and I'm enjoying the end results, but all that work combined with the focus needed for the game and the homework I have to get done, everything has left me exhausted. I kind of want to curl up and go to bed already. But I'm not done for the day quite yet, and I have one more day tomorrow to make sure works okay. Wish me luck.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Announcement of awesome

I would just like to take this opportunity to point out how awesomely efficient I am.

I woke up at eight and wrote the last page of my paper. Finished by eight-forty-five.

Washed and dressed. Took paper, walked to campus, handed in the paper by nine-thirty. Got breakfast, called my mom on the walk home. She's doing well, by the way, and she sends her best.

Got home. Ate breakfast. Started cleaning house by ten. Cleaned kitchen, bathroom, living room, and basement by myself. Finished by eleven-forty-five.

Met Jared for lunch at noon at his place. Packed him off to class at one. Straightened up his room for Zachariah to crash in and threw in a load of laundry so the guest will have clean towels.

It is now one-thirty. I have my shopping list in front of me for dinner tonight. I will be meeting Bernie to borrow his Dutch oven from him, and at three Elana and Steph and I will go shopping. All the remains is for Jared to get out of class and return my car to me.

My plan is perfect, because I am the master of planning. Bow before my mad housewife efficiency skills!

;-)

Busy Bee II: Electric Boogaloo

Ah, it feels good to accomplish something. I just finished, printed, and handed in my ten-page final for the last class required for my double-major. That's one final down, two to go. But for the moment, I am going to enjoy the feeling of having finished something.

I'm eating breakfast right now, but in a moment I'm going to go and clean the house. Tonight will be Zachariah's game and I'm making dinner for it with the help of Elana and Steph, so I'd like to get everything ready in advance. Hopefully between the three of us, dinner will be ready relatively early, and we'll have a bit of a social period, and then we'll move into the game.
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