Happily wasted five minutes. Now you.

http://wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/sixwords.html

Thanks to Michael for this one.

For Lauren

Yes, I'm finally posting about this. Ya happy now? ;)

A couple of weekends ago I went to my fifteen year High School reunion. I viewed it like one of those things that you go to, because though you're not in the mood for the hassle of going, you know once you get there you'll be glad you went. And that's pretty much how it turned out. But not for the reasons I thought it would.

My parents still live in same town, so I knew that I could stay there with no trouble, and no extra expense. Sadly though, neither of them were home that weekend, so I was there by myself. But it was nice to be home for a while and see the fall colors and relax and just get away for a bit. The drive was a bit long, so I brought along my cat for company. She always loves staying at her grandparents' house because there are TWO FLOORS of rooms! ...as opposed to my apartment, which is just... a room.

I'd decided to try to avoid the 'what to wear' angst by just throwing some things into the suitcase and just deciding when I got there, instead of making special shopping trips to find the perfect outfit. I'm sure I could have looked better, but not stressing over it kept me from feeling like I had to present myself as someone in some way better than I actually am. Sad that I had to keep reminding myself to just be myself, isn't it?

So anyway, on to the shindig. It was held at a restaurant that I'd never been to, and I gotta say, I wasn't impressed. It was just a room that looked more like a converted store than a restaurant, and any atmosphere that was created with applied decor was ruined by too many flourescent lights. And the food, while not bad, wasn't particularly good, either. (I don't think it's the fault of the organizers - there's just not a lot of choice for locations.) I guess this makes me a snob, but I'm always depressed when I go home and have to search high and low for a green salad that isn't made with iceberg lettuce, and more than two choices for dressing. But they did have a cash bar, with beer and wine available. *whew.*

It was a pretty strange experience, walking in. There was an impressive turnout, considering it was our first reunion, and the coordinators didn't know how to get in touch with a lot of people. Also, the graduating class wasn't that big to begin with.

It was weird, seeing these people I haven't seen in fifteen years. I'm not sure what I expected, but the vast majority of them were easily recognized. Some (like me) had gained a little weight, or a couple of wrinkles (that too), or had bits of grey in their hair(not yet), but still looked very much like themselves. There were one or two that I didn't recognize at all, even after finding out who they were, and there were one or two who seriously? Hadn't. changed. a bit. Those were spooky.

Some people just have that gift for finding THE right place to sit at a banquet. Whether it's because of good luck, or because the party just seems to follow them wherever they go, I don't know. Because I am not one of those people. Not that I sat by bad people or anything, but my neighbors and I just didn't have much to say to each other past the usual, "so, what have you been doing for the past 15 years?" Plus, once people start breaking out the pictures of their kids, I have considerably less I can contribute to the conversation.

After dinner, there was some time for mingling and dancing. Or, more honestly, standing around drinking and talking. This was my favorite part. This was where I got to talk to people that I hadn't talked to much (or at all) in school, and I essentially got to meet them for the first time. It's a weird experience, knowing where someone comes from, and having a basically two-dimensional impression of what they were like half their lifetime ago, and then finding out that they're really interesting people that I'd be pleased to meet anywhere. I don't mean to sound like I was shocked that my classmates turned out to be interesting people - It's more that I felt relieved: if they've grown past what they were back then, and gone on to become interesting people then I must have as well. (And Thank Goodness the world no longer has to be subjected to my 17-year-old-self.)

I didn't talk as much to those I thought I would - those from the 'clique' I hung out with most in school, but had basically lost touch with since. Instead, I got to spend time with new people, and instead of conversations full of nostalgia and the glory days, we talked about our world views, dreams of the future, life experiences, and a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with highschool or childhood.

Those of you who know me know that I love a good conversation. And I had several of those. I'm definitely glad I went, and I'm looking forward to the next one. And I think I might be able to keep in touch with some of them and spend time with them when we're all home for the holidays.

So yeah, here's to growing up, in the good way.

It's totally scientific.

According to this website, these are the celebrities who look the most like me.
So, that's Elisha Cuthbert, Kimberly Williams, Martine McCutcheon, Allyson Hannigan, Helena Christiansen, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, and Naomi Watts.


...umm, yeah.

Mmm...Reclusion.

At a friend's recommendation, I spent the weekend reading Year of the King by Antony Sher. It's an actor's diary (and sketchbook) of the year he spent working on Richard III with the RSC. <--Royal Shakespeare Company.
I'm always looking for good books, and this one kept me so entertained, I declined an invitation to what turned out to be a pretty great party, according to all who attended. The book is something that perhaps only actors (and those who love them) will understand, but I found it to be fantastic.
As actors, we know that there are certain things we're supposed to say about a part, or a production, or 'the life.' And there are other things that are just best kept to ourselves. For example, you're not supposed to say you're disappointed that your role didn't get nominated for an award - you're supposed to say things like awards don't matter to you. You're not supposed to talk about a costume not turning out like you wanted - you're supposed to say, "it's fantastic!" And when anyone asks you how a show is going, you always, always say, "it's going great!" no matter how difficult things may be at the moment. But this guy talks about it all - the frustration, the feats, the self-congratulation, the self-loathing, the illusions and disillusions of what we do.
It's always difficult to answer the question, "why theatre?" I'm not sure that Mr. Sher has completely answered it(if that's even possible), but through his daily diary, he helps to illustrate the daily failures and triumphs that make up an actor's expreience in a given role. It's never perfect. It never will be. It's absolutely personal, and completely collaborative.

Autumn at last?

Recently, the weather has turned slightly colder. For example, it's 73 degrees at 4:00p.m. instead of 85 degrees.

Being far too ready for fall (it's OCTOBER, fercryin' outloud-why isn't it colder!), I immediately lept upon the cold-weather comfort foods. I bought Hot Chocolate mixes and ingredients for Chili and heavy pasta dishes. Which of course means that next week the weather will be back up in the nineties.

But I just can't help myself. I like colder weather. I like wearing sweaters and drinking warm beverages. I like piles of autumn leaves and the smell of wood smoke. I like getting cold and damp and then changing into warm dry clothes and curling up with a blanket and a good book. Also, my cat gets all snuggly when it's cold, and that's some really good stuff. What am I saying? I get all snuggly when it's cold.

OOOOh...as I've been typing this, a rain storm has come up and it's all grey and rainy and cold looking. I can't wait to finish work here and get out in it. I plan to get a little bit chilled, then heat up some chili and watch PBS all night. ...sweeeeet.








<---not my actual Chili.