onward and upward. please, God, don't let the yetis eat me.

Source: fun-gallery.com via Larissa on Pinterest

HOLA, COMERADES.

That is not usually how I begin my blog posts, you are probably aware. Honestly, I stole that just now from Amanda F. Palmer, who writes the rawest most exciting Kickstarter Project Updates ever. (Other Kickstarter-ers: take note!)
I am sitting at someone else's kitchen table, in South Chicago, at 7:30 in the evening (which for me, since I have hardly slept since for the last two days, feels like 2 in the morning), and I thought I was tired until I read her post about what she's been up to.

(Oh, and that link is, if you scroll down far enough, quite NSFW.)

I stand corrected. I am far from really, truly tired. I am merely fortitudinally inconvenienced, that's all.

MORE updates on various endeavors! (now with 25% more endeavors and a 300% increase in funny pictures!)

Right, so I feel that the title of this blog post may require some explanation.

Over the course of my blogging existence, Blogger.com has been keeping tabs on my stats - things like where my site traffic comes from, where my audience is reading from (as of today, I seem to have almost as many readers in Russia as I do in the U.S. - thanks, Russia!), and which posts they view the most.

This last, in particular, is incredibly unpredictable. Today I looked up and saw that my most popular post of all time - all time, mind you, since this little cactus' very beginnings - is this one.

Dear readers. I love you. But I have to admit, you mystify me.
Don't get me wrong; it's great that you find my life-updates so interesting! But...what about the koala bears? The combovers? What about Magic Bracelet man? Has everyone forgotten the Magic Bracelet man???

Source: someecards.com via Lauren on Pinterest

the thrill of the chase

"Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: 'I'm with you, kid. Let's go.'"

~Maya Angelou

Hello, guys and ladyfriends!

The last few days have been somewhat INTENSE. Not so much in terms of my workplace - although I did nod off and almost fall out of my chair during tech a couple nights ago; I don't think anyone noticed? - but I have been tweaking resumes, writing cover letters, and sending unsolicited Hi I'm Awesome And Soon Available For Employment! emails until I have actually started dreaming in PDF files. Don't ask. It's weird.

Source: lolzbook.com via Eurydice on Pinterest

[Oh, God ... puns. I can't believe I'm doing this. I have intentionally propagated the use of puns. Who am I anymore?????]

[Whatever. It's a koala. I have decided that that makes it OK.]

all I need is a sidearm.

Source: imgfave.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Weekends are for other people.
Sorry for the lack of post yesterday, guys; you've no doubt noticed that this internship is doing mad damage to my blogging energies. BUT today is a new one and there is a large cup of coffee somewhere just waiting to become one with my nervous system.

To paraphrase one of Tolkien's trolls (I think?): "Tech today, tech yesterday, and &$!@$# if it don't look like tech tomorrow."
Bringin' it.
Happy Saturday!

as the workdays run together...

Good morning, friends!

I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes, trying to think of something interesting to write about, but I have a confession to make: my life does not come with a lot of interesting anecdotes right now. Three (four?) of the summer's productions are in rehearsal so far, and I've met a number of very nice actors and stage managers, and I'm looking forward to working with them all at tech this weekend (which will be the most epic tech I have experienced in my life thus far - I think we have four days in a row of 10/12s). Aside from that...I answer a lot of phones, send a bunch of emails, and run errands. And I watch and listen as much as I can to how the professionals around me are conducting their business.

Oh, and I've started writing a play. It is ridiculous. You can tell I've been spending a good third of my waking hours reading plays; I've gotten sucked right in.

In other news:

something intriguing

something inspiring

and something hilarious.

Happy hump-day. If you've got something interesting going on today, please share in the comments!

let's all just take a moment...

And behave as if we've got a clue.

Source: jenatru.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

NYS&F: Day 1

Hello, friends!

I write you from my lunch break, because there was no way I would have had time to blog, eat and dress this morning. I don't know what it is - maybe it's the change in elevation or something - but I've been sleeping like a rock here in Poughkeepsie. Consequently, mornings are difficult.

early mornings + late nights + New York

Source: etsy.com via Lauren on Pinterest

[just because.]

Oooooookay.

I've been sitting here puttering around the internet while occasionally cleaning my (already hopelessly trashed) desk, trying to figure out how best to start with the events of the last couple days. As usual, when in doubt, I revert to my trusty bullet points! Feel free to hop around to the interesting bits. I'm afraid I may be too tired to prioritize just now.

Shameville

The road to Shameville runs thusly.

working Wednesday

Good afternoon, people of the internet!

I apologize for the lateness of today's post; my computer's been in a bit of a sulk most of the day and I (terrified of getting on its bad side - again) have been running around doing things other than typing. To whit:

1. Packing. Endless, endless packing. I am so close to being done, guys. So. Close.
2. Tutoring (my student has a peer review on her yet-to-be-written analysis paper tomorrow).
3. Eating sandwiches with the irrepressible Lindsay T., who should really have a blog of her own because she is hilarious.
4. Having awkward encounters in the dressing rooms at Target ("Hey, aren't you the same girl who was here yesterday?" "Um...yes?" "Well, you're sure here a lot. It's like we're family!" "Um...no?")
5. Paying strangers to rip out my eyebrow hair, all the while making comments like, "Oh my; they're so thick!" and "You don't do this very often, do you?" and "Wow, you cry a lot."
6. Buying my Very First Ticket To See A Broadway Show.

That's right. This Saturday, at 2pm at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City, I am going to see Venus in Fur! I will be sitting in Balcony Row C, so if any of you, my lovely readers, should happen to be there too, you should come by and say hi.

I feel slightly guilty about not having any actual work news to report today, but rest assured that that will be changing very soon. The day after tomorrow, I leave for my NYS&F job...which means, in about 48 hours, I hope to be drafting a blog post about the No Doubt Ridiculous trip (because something ridiculous always happens when I take a trip).

Much love everyone, and thanks for reading! I will soon be writing you from a different time zone (eep!)...

Monday Monday

For those of you who are off work, sleeping in, barbequing and otherwise celebrating today – Happy Memorial Day! I enjoy a good barbeque is much as the next person (and probably more than some), but it’s always a bit weird to me to try and celebrate this holiday in a thoughtful manner. On the one hand – a day off work (for some people) and time to sleep in! Yay! On the other hand … it is about remembering our dead. (And if you’re one of the many Americans who is still a bit hazy about which dead those are, don’t be ashamed; educate yourself.) And that doesn’t seem like a cause for celebration so much as for a wake. Or maybe a vigil. Still, this is how we do it. We don’t have anyone in my immediate extended family to remember today, but I know a lot of people do, and our thanks can never be enough.

For the rest of the world – Happy Monday. Here's a roundup of some of the cool things I found on the internet this weekend!

back again

Hello, friends!
So, it's been awhile since I wrote here, but Blogger tells me you've been visiting a lot anyway, which is nice to see. I've said this before, but seriously, guys - if there's something in particular you'd like me to do a blog post about, let me know and I'll do it. I'm interested in what interests you.

Anyway, here are the highlights of what I've been up to since we last talked.

1. I finished my last week of undergraduate classes. (woot!)
2. I production managed a play festival.
3. I got published.
4. I received (and signed) my contract for this summer with New York Stage and Film.
5. I went to an amazing end-of-the-year banquet with 50 or so of my closest theatre department friends. (Seriously, it was amazing. You should probably be jealous.)

The senior class, all dolled up in our banquet finery.
Photo taken by Anna Selle, courtesy of Cassandra White.

There are a bunch of things I could write about recent events, but they will definitely not all fit into one post. So I'm going to break them up, and hopefully get through the interesting stuff while it's still current/relevant. In the meantime: I hope you're having a lovely weekend, and thanks for reading!

slightly largeish news

So. So guys.
The news came last week, but I wasn't sure I was going to officially do it until today, and I thought you all might like to know: I have a production management internship with New York Stage and Film this summer!