Today was a good day. I went in at 8:30 to organize research for Man for All Seasons in preparation for Matt's meeting with Palmer, the director. They've been having some trouble getting things nailed down and figured out, so most of my research yesterday was intended to give options that they could choose from for various things. I attended the meeting with Matt and it went very well; they made a lot of decisions and good progress on adjustments to the design. Afterwards I spent time going through the script tracking movements of things and putting together a research packet for the props people.
At lunch I made my daily pilgrimage to Dunkin' Donuts. Moody asked to come with, I took an order from Christy (along with her credit card... :-P), and at the last minute Matt got back from exercising and came along too. It was quite the coffee-addicts party. I drove and was complimented on the cleanliness of my car. :-D
After work Moody, Christy, and I had an Alexander session with Joan, which was great. And then we rushed off for the real event of the evening: a surprise birthday party. Our friend Rachel often tells the story of how her family forgot her 16th birthday; it's always made us feel very bad. Today just so happened to be her half-birthday (she's 21), and we have been planning for a while to throw a surprise Sweet 16 party for her, to make up for her traumatized teenage years. Christy bought a mint-chocolate-chip ice cream cake from ColdStone, and whisked Rachel away from the apartment to go grocery shopping. Meanwhile Moody and I ran over to the Dollar Store and bought decorations: butterfly-themed plates, napkins, hanging decorations, streamers, tablecloth, and birthday cards. You have to understand, Rachel is about the least girly girl I have ever met. So it was intended to be fun and hilarious at the same time. We decorated Moody's apartment (quite impressively if I do say so myself) and set the table and set out the cake. Then we lured Rachel over on false pretenses. She was completely surprised and very touched and happy; for a second we thought she was going to cry. There were 4 of us throwing the party: Christy, Moody, me, and our other friend Will. We sang Happy Birthday, gave her her cards, and all sat down and enjoyed the cake. It was a great party.
Afterwards Will had to leave and the rest of us played Munchkin again. I won, for the first time ever.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
I spent today researching 16th century English material culture. That is to say, everything Man for All Seasons. Tables, chairs, rope, lanterns, goblets, tankards, banners, tapestries, crests, table coverings, trunks, and much much more! Our period for the show is 1530-35, and most things you can find date from 1550 or later, or before 1400. Which is very frustrating. But I eventually found quite a bit, and I'll find more tomorrow. I'm going in early to help Matt get ready for an important meeting with the director.
Interesting facts I learned: wealthy people in early 16th century England used oriental rugs as tablecloths. They were handwoven and therefore very supple and their patterns were colorful and ornate. They were very popular. Henry VIII's favorite ship was named the Mary Rose and it sank in the mid-15oos. Recently they brought it up and restored it and everything they found onboard. There are all sorts of wonderful examples of rope and tankards and buckets and such from the period.
After work we went out to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. I ordered a Mai Tai; I had never had one before. It's a rum and pineapple juice concoction and was quite tasty. A little sweet but good. It was a little awkward at dinner: there were 4 of us, me, Christy, Moody, and our friend Rachel, who is a carpenter in the scene shop. Our waitress mistook Rachel for a guy and called her "Sir" several times as she took our orders. We were all a bit embarrassed, but Rachel was a good sport about it and cracked a joke about us being on a very awkward double-date. We laughed quite a bit about it.
After dinner we played Munchkin at Christy and Rachel's apartment. It's the latest craze here; it's a card game that involved collecting armor and other strengthening cards in order to fight monsters and ganging up on each other in the process. Kind of hard to explain and there are a million cards. It's ok, but I'm not really into the ganging-up part and I've played a lot less than the other 3 and so I don't do as well.
I need to buy a wedding present for Margaret some time this week; her wedding is Saturday evening. It's crazy to think about but I'm really excited for her, and really happy that Matt's letting me go, even though we have our first tech rehearsal that day.
Interesting facts I learned: wealthy people in early 16th century England used oriental rugs as tablecloths. They were handwoven and therefore very supple and their patterns were colorful and ornate. They were very popular. Henry VIII's favorite ship was named the Mary Rose and it sank in the mid-15oos. Recently they brought it up and restored it and everything they found onboard. There are all sorts of wonderful examples of rope and tankards and buckets and such from the period.
After work we went out to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. I ordered a Mai Tai; I had never had one before. It's a rum and pineapple juice concoction and was quite tasty. A little sweet but good. It was a little awkward at dinner: there were 4 of us, me, Christy, Moody, and our friend Rachel, who is a carpenter in the scene shop. Our waitress mistook Rachel for a guy and called her "Sir" several times as she took our orders. We were all a bit embarrassed, but Rachel was a good sport about it and cracked a joke about us being on a very awkward double-date. We laughed quite a bit about it.
After dinner we played Munchkin at Christy and Rachel's apartment. It's the latest craze here; it's a card game that involved collecting armor and other strengthening cards in order to fight monsters and ganging up on each other in the process. Kind of hard to explain and there are a million cards. It's ok, but I'm not really into the ganging-up part and I've played a lot less than the other 3 and so I don't do as well.
I need to buy a wedding present for Margaret some time this week; her wedding is Saturday evening. It's crazy to think about but I'm really excited for her, and really happy that Matt's letting me go, even though we have our first tech rehearsal that day.
Monday, June 28, 2010
One of Matt's unspoken goals for the summer is to give me experiences similar to those he remembers fondly from his own assisting days in New York. One of his favorite stories is about working on out-of-state shows and having to FedEx materials to the theatres. He and fellow assistants would work until the last possible second and then run full-tilt down the sidewalks to get the model or drafting or paint elevation to FedEx before the shipping cut-off time. Good times, good times.
Enter me. The Williamsburg FedEx cutoff time is 5:30pm. Last week I rushed a slew of paint elevations for Spelling Bee over at 5pm and made it out with a couple minutes to spare, very proud of myself. Today I completed the last paint elevation for the show. I worked all day, and late in the afternoon Matt suggested a few relatively-major changes to what I had done. Which I implemented. While the clock ticked. Matt came in and labeled everything. The clock ticked more. I covered the elevation with acetate to keep the painter in PA from destroying it. The clocked continued to tick. I dashed out the door at 5:20pm, power-walked to my car and drove as fast as I dared to FedEx. Entered the building at approximately 5:25. There was a couple in line in front of me paying for their box. I could see the FedEx man scanning boxes and loading them onto his truck. The couple decided to pay in cash with exact change and started fishing coins out of their pockets and exchanging nickels and pennies. I forced myself to relax and remember that no one would die if the elevation arrived a day late. Finally they finished and the woman at the counter boxed the elevation, taped it within an inch of its life, and then kindly rung me out and gave it to the FedEx man. 5:33. Success. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I met my friend Jin for coffee at Aromas this evening and we had a good chat. I drank a beer and ate a chocolate croissant (both good, but not the best combination ever--I don't recommend it). I told her about some of my ponderings from the weekend, which have crystallized a little. I've realized that I've never had to trust God to the extreme that He's making me trust him now. I never been concerned that I won't have food or housing or work; there's always been a baseline level of comfort and security that I haven't had to trust God for. But now He's making me actively trust Him to provide the basic necessities of my life: my job, a place to live, and food to eat. Not something I'm used to, but I think it will be very good for me.
I went running tonight and it was glorious. I really enjoy running after the sun is down; I like the cool and the lack of brightness. I also find that I'm better hydrated if I go at night as opposed to early morning and therefore can go longer. One thing that I discovered while walking the other night is how beautiful asphalt can be. It sounds weird I know, but when a streetlamp shines in the night and you walk up to it the asphalt in front of you glitters. Each facet catches the light and sparkles and it's really quite beautiful.
Enter me. The Williamsburg FedEx cutoff time is 5:30pm. Last week I rushed a slew of paint elevations for Spelling Bee over at 5pm and made it out with a couple minutes to spare, very proud of myself. Today I completed the last paint elevation for the show. I worked all day, and late in the afternoon Matt suggested a few relatively-major changes to what I had done. Which I implemented. While the clock ticked. Matt came in and labeled everything. The clock ticked more. I covered the elevation with acetate to keep the painter in PA from destroying it. The clocked continued to tick. I dashed out the door at 5:20pm, power-walked to my car and drove as fast as I dared to FedEx. Entered the building at approximately 5:25. There was a couple in line in front of me paying for their box. I could see the FedEx man scanning boxes and loading them onto his truck. The couple decided to pay in cash with exact change and started fishing coins out of their pockets and exchanging nickels and pennies. I forced myself to relax and remember that no one would die if the elevation arrived a day late. Finally they finished and the woman at the counter boxed the elevation, taped it within an inch of its life, and then kindly rung me out and gave it to the FedEx man. 5:33. Success. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I met my friend Jin for coffee at Aromas this evening and we had a good chat. I drank a beer and ate a chocolate croissant (both good, but not the best combination ever--I don't recommend it). I told her about some of my ponderings from the weekend, which have crystallized a little. I've realized that I've never had to trust God to the extreme that He's making me trust him now. I never been concerned that I won't have food or housing or work; there's always been a baseline level of comfort and security that I haven't had to trust God for. But now He's making me actively trust Him to provide the basic necessities of my life: my job, a place to live, and food to eat. Not something I'm used to, but I think it will be very good for me.
I went running tonight and it was glorious. I really enjoy running after the sun is down; I like the cool and the lack of brightness. I also find that I'm better hydrated if I go at night as opposed to early morning and therefore can go longer. One thing that I discovered while walking the other night is how beautiful asphalt can be. It sounds weird I know, but when a streetlamp shines in the night and you walk up to it the asphalt in front of you glitters. Each facet catches the light and sparkles and it's really quite beautiful.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
How ya feelin'??
HOT HOT HOT. (Bend It Like Beckham fans will appreciate that). But that point is it is stinking HOT in W'burg. Today it's getting up to 105. I repeat, 105. And the air conditioning upstairs stopped working last night so the Mills and I all woke up feeling quite balmy, to say the least. It will be another warm night tonight.
Yesterday evening I went on a 3-mile walk around the neighborhood; it was quite pleasant. I may walk again tonight.
I love tomatoes. Cherry and grape tomatoes are my fav. You can just pop them in your mouth and crunch. So delicious. We also have amazing peaches right now. Some of the best I've had all year. I want to make a peach pie sometime soon.
I worked on another job application today; this one is to the Birmingham Children's Theatre in AL. Putting it in the mail tomorrow. I'm not wild about the location, but the theatre itself seems really cool and beggars can't be choosers.
I appreciate that Matt is working hard to make sure I get the weekends off, but I am looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I'm not used to all this time with nothing in particular to do. I'm using it to read and think and play piano and walk and watch movies, but I also really like being at work. Probably part of it is that most of my friends are there.
Yesterday evening I went on a 3-mile walk around the neighborhood; it was quite pleasant. I may walk again tonight.
I love tomatoes. Cherry and grape tomatoes are my fav. You can just pop them in your mouth and crunch. So delicious. We also have amazing peaches right now. Some of the best I've had all year. I want to make a peach pie sometime soon.
I worked on another job application today; this one is to the Birmingham Children's Theatre in AL. Putting it in the mail tomorrow. I'm not wild about the location, but the theatre itself seems really cool and beggars can't be choosers.
I appreciate that Matt is working hard to make sure I get the weekends off, but I am looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I'm not used to all this time with nothing in particular to do. I'm using it to read and think and play piano and walk and watch movies, but I also really like being at work. Probably part of it is that most of my friends are there.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
So I've decided to start blogging again. The old FrodoBagginsI blog is still there but I'm keeping it as a relic of my early college days. This one is for the post-college me. :-P
This summer has been good. I love my job, really love it. I work Monday-Friday 10-6 for Matt, with extra time in the evenings and weekends as needed. I get paid to build models, draft, make paint elevations, research, and answer questions for people. And to just hang out with Matt and whoever's around, listening to music, talking, joking, whatever we feel like. I love it and can't believe I have less than a month left.
Recently we've been swamped and Matt's been getting tired from overworking himself. I'm helping as much as I can. This past week was paint-elevations-time and early work on Man for All Seasons. On Monday I'll do the last paint elevation for Spelling Bee and then start building the Man For All Seasons model.
At the beginning of the summer I resolved to become un-addicted to coffee. Alas, it was not to be. Even if I could get myself to give it up, Matt and Eileen are such huge addicts I wouldn't be able to hold out for long. So I have developed a tradition of going out for iced coffee every afternoon, usually around lunch time. Place of choice has been Dunkin Donuts. The coffee snob inside me dies a little bit every time I go there, but it's actually not too bad. It tastes ok, has a drive thru so I don't even have to get out of the car, and costs $1.09 for a small black iced coffee. I have become a fan.
I have also begun to read again, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. Last weekend I read Born to Run, which was fascinating and excellent. This week I've been working on The Private Lives of the Impressionists, which is very interesting, all about Monet and Cezanne and Degas and Renoir and those types in Paris in the 1860s and 70s. But it's a little bit slower-going.
I've been working on getting exercise. I run when I can, but have been fighting the weather (extreme heat and humidity make it hard to run), injury (shin splints and nausea), and tiredness. But I'm keeping at it. I also walk a lot. The Mills' neighborhood is great for that; it's beautiful and quiet with lots of side streets.
Today I spent the morning reading and thinking and eating at Panera, then went by the library, talked to Remus and Daddy, and established this blog. I also painted my toenails black (shock!!!) which is a new look I'm trying. I'm going for sophisticated and interesting, not emo, just fyi. Nobody freak out. I have not yet decided what I think of it.
I've been pondering a lot the last few days. Not getting the job I wanted in Philadelphia has lead to thinking about what I do want from and value in life. I won't bore you all with the overly philosophical parts, but one question is whether it's better to have a job that you love but not much money or personal life, or is it better to dislike your job but make good money and have time to do other things? Or is that the wrong question? Still pondering.
I have also been pondering things I want to do in my non-work life. Things on the list of what I want to always do, regardless of my location or financial status:
enjoy good food (homemade or restaurant)
enjoy good alcohol
enjoy good coffee
enjoy good chocolate
spend time reading lots of books on many topics
spend time listening to current and classic music
spent time going to concerts and performances
spend time watching current and classic movies
I want to remain, and become more of, a cultured person who is well rounded and enjoys life. I want to spend time and money traveling. I want to talk with interesting people. I want to love people and help them. And a lot of other things.
This summer has been good. I love my job, really love it. I work Monday-Friday 10-6 for Matt, with extra time in the evenings and weekends as needed. I get paid to build models, draft, make paint elevations, research, and answer questions for people. And to just hang out with Matt and whoever's around, listening to music, talking, joking, whatever we feel like. I love it and can't believe I have less than a month left.
Recently we've been swamped and Matt's been getting tired from overworking himself. I'm helping as much as I can. This past week was paint-elevations-time and early work on Man for All Seasons. On Monday I'll do the last paint elevation for Spelling Bee and then start building the Man For All Seasons model.
At the beginning of the summer I resolved to become un-addicted to coffee. Alas, it was not to be. Even if I could get myself to give it up, Matt and Eileen are such huge addicts I wouldn't be able to hold out for long. So I have developed a tradition of going out for iced coffee every afternoon, usually around lunch time. Place of choice has been Dunkin Donuts. The coffee snob inside me dies a little bit every time I go there, but it's actually not too bad. It tastes ok, has a drive thru so I don't even have to get out of the car, and costs $1.09 for a small black iced coffee. I have become a fan.
I have also begun to read again, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. Last weekend I read Born to Run, which was fascinating and excellent. This week I've been working on The Private Lives of the Impressionists, which is very interesting, all about Monet and Cezanne and Degas and Renoir and those types in Paris in the 1860s and 70s. But it's a little bit slower-going.
I've been working on getting exercise. I run when I can, but have been fighting the weather (extreme heat and humidity make it hard to run), injury (shin splints and nausea), and tiredness. But I'm keeping at it. I also walk a lot. The Mills' neighborhood is great for that; it's beautiful and quiet with lots of side streets.
Today I spent the morning reading and thinking and eating at Panera, then went by the library, talked to Remus and Daddy, and established this blog. I also painted my toenails black (shock!!!) which is a new look I'm trying. I'm going for sophisticated and interesting, not emo, just fyi. Nobody freak out. I have not yet decided what I think of it.
I've been pondering a lot the last few days. Not getting the job I wanted in Philadelphia has lead to thinking about what I do want from and value in life. I won't bore you all with the overly philosophical parts, but one question is whether it's better to have a job that you love but not much money or personal life, or is it better to dislike your job but make good money and have time to do other things? Or is that the wrong question? Still pondering.
I have also been pondering things I want to do in my non-work life. Things on the list of what I want to always do, regardless of my location or financial status:
enjoy good food (homemade or restaurant)
enjoy good alcohol
enjoy good coffee
enjoy good chocolate
spend time reading lots of books on many topics
spend time listening to current and classic music
spent time going to concerts and performances
spend time watching current and classic movies
I want to remain, and become more of, a cultured person who is well rounded and enjoys life. I want to spend time and money traveling. I want to talk with interesting people. I want to love people and help them. And a lot of other things.
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