Dear Whoever,

The limited counter space is not valid storage for your dirty dishes. The stove is not valid storage for your empty pizza boxes. The living room table is not valid storage for the scraps from your projects. The drain is not valid storage for your old pineapple (?) dropping things on the floor and leaving them to be stepped on, or ground into the area rug is not acceptable. Spilling something on the stove and leaving it there to bake on is also not acceptable. In other words, presenting me with a kitchen in which I can not prepare food rations for my next round of calls (Because lets face, I simply don't have time to cook every day) is just not acceptable. Go suck a lemon.

~Me

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock, for the last month or so, I've been working hard at school to put up our first production of the season. It's a Musical called 'Little Me' which tells the story of a girl's rise from the slums to attain wealth, culture, and social position so she can finaly be good enough for a boy 'Up on the Bluff'. Hilarious. Truly, it's rather entertaining.

For this show, I was put onto the Carpentry Crew. For those of you who may remember the near disaster that was building plat forms in grade 12 for 1837 (I'm looking at you, Jerry!!) You might be wondering wft?? Well I was too. But I survived. Not only did I survive, but I was put on the metal work, so I learned an entire new array of skills. Working with metal is so entirely different. Plus, now I understand the basics of welding, enough to keep the actors from dying at least!

It's been an amazing 2 months. I haven't worked this hard for as long as I can remember, but I've never had so much fun, and been so happy with what I'm doing. I miss you all dearly, don't get me wrong.. but HOLY HELL theatre school is wonderful, and the people are amazing. I feel as though I've set my personal bar quite high in this first production, and I'm looking forward to raising it for the next. Which is 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court' as in, a music rendition of the Mark Twain book. Yes please, do want. <3

We opened on Friday, and Friday, Saturday went well. Then Sunday rolled around. It seems that over night, the ENTIRE crew and half of the cast got sick. We also received confirmation that H1N1 has breached into the production and there are folks who have it. Which means that, in all probability, alot of us (including me) have it, or are going to get it. But we will endure and press on. For that is what we do. Today is a dark day, so no show, and I don't have class until noon tomorrow, so I am planning on doing some laundry, and then going to bed for like 12 hours and hopefully beat this thing. Because fyi, I'm sick too!!

We looked at our schedules today and realised.. we apparently don't have classes on Monday November 9th. It makes us very suspicious, but if it is true, I will be coming home to PA for the 6th-9th. So if anyone will be in town that weekend, look me up! Sadly, I won't make it to stoon because there are things I need to do at home. But I'll be thinking about you all anyway.

For now, I wash my stage black so I have clothes for tomorrow, and then I sleep.

For those who I've neglected to inform, which is pretty much the entire civilization, Geordie and Shar are getting married on July 3rd.

Dear World,

Welcome to Tech Week.  If you thought set building was busy, this is insanity.

Note: When welding and set building out of metal... always use goddamned jig!!! Also, probably telling you're teacher to 'Fuck off!! We can do this!!" (Note: This is considered friendly shop banter) is probably not beneficial either.

That was the preview, the story comes later when I don't have to leave for school in 15 minutes.

P.S. Invited Dress Rehearsal tonight, Preview tomorrow, Opening Night on Friday, wish us luck.. or someting... :)

I woke up this morning to find snow on the ground.  I realised, I would need snow tires for Duke (my car).  Okay, fine.  I went to my Noon Rigging class.  It turns out that this class is only for a half hour today, on account that we aren't really getting started until after the 'Little Me' run.  I spent some of the time on that break talking to Dad about the logistics of getting snow tires for Duke (or as he puts it, snowshoes for my pony).  He finds a place relatively close to the school, make arangements with them, and tells me to go in whenever.  I get the brain wave then, that since I have still about an hour before my next class, I should run over quick and do it now.  After all, it is only about 20 blocks or so, a couple of kilometres at most.  Surly I can drop Duke off, and find a bus that runs back to the school.  It's so close!

So I drive to the tire place, talk to the nice people, make arrangements for them to leave the keys in the car so that I can just pick it up after Crew Call at night and go to make my way back.  I am a little sad because it is cold, it is windy, I don't have a warm enough coat, and it's later then I wanted it to be.  There are two bus stops I can see.  One, there are no buses coming too for at least an hour.  The other, I missed by five minutes, it won't come back for another hour, and even at that I am still certain that neither of those buses would have taken me back to school.  Now, I am very annoyed.  So I begin to walk, in the windy cold, knowing full well that I can't walk back and make my 2:00 class, even if it's not that far.  I just don't have the time.  

At this point I tried calling my dad to see if he could look up where a bus stop was that had a route that would get me back to school.  The line was busy.  At this point, I would like to note that Edmonton transit is terrible.  All kinds of terrible.  Like, almost making me miss S'toon tranist terrible.  So I walk.  And I walk.  And there are no bus stops along the road.  I say screw it and cut through a parking lot into a residential zone.  I see a cop outside an apartment building, walking back to his car.  I run over to him and ask him if he knows where a bus route that will get me to school is.  He says he doesn't know, he is sorry, but school isn't far from here.  I start to leave and tell him I realise that, but I have a class at 2:00, and thanks for his time.  He asks if I want I ride.  I pause.  I blink.  I pause.  I blink.  I say, okay, sure.  He tells me, he's sorry, but I'll have to ride in the back.  I say no problem and jump in.  He drive me back to school.  I make it to class on time.

SUMMARY:  I got a ride back to school in the back of a cop car.  Go me. :)

Things I find annoying / entertaining:

Showing up for a 9am Audio class, Monday morning, only to be informed that the teacher was still in North Carolina and thus.. would not be teaching the class.  True story.  Next class isn't until noon.  The fucketh sir, the fucketh.  So what do we do?? Pile into cars and drive to the West Edmonton Mall (which is pretty close to school) for Breakfast / Coffee / Running around because we have nothing better to do.  So all in all, the morning wasn't a total loss.  But we all could have been sleeping.  Especially since I had my first until 10pm day building today. 

We started installing the set we built this past weekend which so far consisted of two deck / platforms at different various heights that encompass at least a third of the stage.  It is so very satistfying to see our working coming together. It's a great Carp team that we have.  I am slowing adjusting to these days.  Some hour are easier than others.  There are times that I am energetic beyond all reason, and times that I am worn out; nights when I go to bed stiff and wake up stiffer but I can say that I am really, really into what I am doing right now.

... but seriously... you think someone in the department would have thought to tell us our Monday morning teacher wasn't in the country.

What I have done in school the last few days:

- Learned how to thread a sewing machine
- Learned how to soder electronics
- Paint, also know as mashing 3 colours together with various brushes and sponges to look at effects
- Built a Tool Box and Flat
- Disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled lights.
- Put tape all over a floor

In other words... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS REALLY SCHOOL??? Omg.. Seriously.. what kind of programme do you get to study Electrics, Sewing, Painting, Drafting, Sewing, Construction ALL AT THE SAME TIME?? What a random, random subject list.

Needless to say I am really really quite enjoying myself.  I don't have a lot of spare time and I'm behind on both drafting assignments (god I suck at drafting)  but I think it's going well.  I'm enjoying myself at least.  Oh Theatre School, how random thou art.

On an unrelated note, I spent like the evening watching Serena, one of my roomates play Kingdom Hearts 2.  It was time well spent.

(Rob!!! At the Vivi cameo in the beginning in Twilight Town I was all.. ZOMG! Rob!!! </3!)

This is for your entertainment.  Plot Summary.. GET!!

"A young boy, Harry Potter/Luke Skywalker, whose father was killed by Lord Voldemort/Lord Vader is suddenly whisked away by Rubeus Hagrid/Obi-Wan Kenobi who is a wizard/Jedi Knight and taken to Hogwarts/Yoda's swamp where he must learn the art of magic/the force. Together with his friends Ron and Hermione/Han and Leia, Harry/Luke manages to stop the evil Voldemort/Vader and save Hogwarts/the galaxy."

I figure that I should get back in the habit of using this thing.  On the off chance that some of you care about what I am doing with my life over here.

Thus far, I am coming up to the end of my second week of classes, and things are already in full swing.  This first month has basically been an intro to the various subjects we'll be studying, lights, sound, props, shop safety etc.  Thus far everything has been review, except drafting.  Oh god drafting will be the bane of my existence I am certain!! Please shoot me now.  It's made better by the teacher, who is a jolly chap that reminds me of Santa Clause.

We're starting work this week on the first of our 3 main productions.  All of the big shows here are musicals by the way, and this first one is Called 'Little Me'. I know nothing about it.  By next week though I should at least know what my job will be for it it.  I applied to be either an assitant for the design team or an ASM.  Just for a change of pace.

On another note, there is a first!  There is another Beth in my class.  This just never happens.  As a result of this... I may have picked up the nickname 'Izzy' as of the girls thought it would be a suting shortning of Elizabeth.  Izzy eh?  I smiled on the inside.  I've yet to see if this will stick though.

I am Dragon, here me roar
I have wings so I can soar
And I sometimes breath fire when I snore
Oh I feast on fair young maidens 
And the Knights who try to save 'em
I am Dragon, I am Dragon
Here me ROAR!!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

Today, I called in dead.