Where did it go?

So, I have been thinking about where I am, and have been awe struck at how fast time has gone. I am nearly done with my first semester. I have my classes one more time, a 10-page paper to write, a light lab project, a final, and one last mood board and concept. I can't believe it is so close. Thanksgiving break is very welcome. It has been a furious few months. I am also excited to come home for Christmas break. I really want to go skiing. I haven't gone in forever. If anyone wants to go please let me know.

Yesterday we had Al Crawford come to adjudicate the lighting for Jen's thesis show. He is the lighting director for the Alvin Ailey company. It is incredible to be out here meeting people that are doing what I want to do and have been very successful at it. It fills me with hope and fear all at the same time.

Tomorrow is the much anticipated "Holy War" I am going to paint my hair red in support of my alma mater. It has been a fun season and I am excited to watch the Utes win it this year.

I may be the projection designer for "Hair" next semester. That will be an exciting new challenge. Probably a large learning curve as well. I am registered to take a photoshop class, intro to grad studies, lighting systems, and projections next semester.

The only other thing worth note is that this week we went from T-shirt weather to freezing to death in one day. I am seeing ice form on some of the ponds. I guess winter decided to hit all at once. At least there isn't any snow yet.

Losing to the pictures

I keep intending to take lots of pictures. I have taken some, but I don't feel that they are all worthwhile.
The fall leaves are nearly done. I got a few pictures, but I think I was about 4 days too early for the really good stuff. I am amazed at the reds, yellows, and oranges that the trees can reproduce. It is so vibrant I think my driving has gotten a little...distracted. Good thing it is almost over.


This is the house I live in, there is a lake right across the street.It is a really nice house. I got really lucky.

This is the bridge I drive over and the waterfall I see everyday on the way to school. I love the drive, it is fairly short, very scenic, and very little traffic. It is just a refreshing drive, a really nice way to start the day.


I am dating a beautiful girl named Sarah. We met several weeks ago at a singles FHE. She is way fun. I took her down to NYC for the first time. We went through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, walked around Central Park, saw the temple, watched the sun set over the statue of liberty from Battery Park, visited Times Square, and saw Grand Central Station. It was a fun time. My second time there. It was a lot better this time having someone to see the sights with.

BFFFURTAs

I want to start by saying what I intended to say in the last post but think I forgot. I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful Connecticut is. Hartford is an amazing city scape, and all the country roads I have been on have filled me with awe and exhilaration. I just can't believe I am here (though that may change come winter). Campus is gorgeous, they are really interested in making this a great school.

I went and got sushi (sorry Aimee) with a few new found friends at school. The fortune in my cookie read, "Keep on keeping on." It struck me as odd at first as it seems like such an unoriental phrase. Though over the past few days it has come to be quite profound. Grad school is hard. I know that the challenges I am experiencing are exactly what I need. The reason it is so hard is because it is attacking all my weaknesses in the theatrical realm. It is demanding me to put a lot of effort into things I don't well understand. I am simultaneously anxious and scared beyond all reason. I am incredibly blessed with classmates who inspire me to work harder then my own motivation would expect. I am more productive in their presence and already feel a deep kinship here.

I love theatre. One of the most incredible parts is the people. I fit in here much better than I expected. It is an environment where one is expected to strive to be themselves. My beliefs have often been inquired into, but never attacked. I will spend the next few years with some of the greatest people in the world.

My time here has also been incredibly bitter-sweet. I am not around the people I am used. You are not there to buoy me up. I have open myself up to risk to get through my trials. I have been incredibly lonely for home at times. I have, over the last week, often felt a sense of insecurity that I have not experienced in years.

I appreciate knowing that this post will be read. I am grateful to be able to let my struggles out. Thank you.

Someone Paved the Cow Path

Alright, here is my update, I thought I would keep you all in suspense. It has been a grueling little while, driving like a bajillion miles twice in one week. The few days I had at home were really fun and furious. Then the four day trip out to Connecticut was about as boring as driving across our country of corn fields can get. I arrived last Tuesday and was happy to discover that the room I had found on the internet was in a gorgeous house and has a giant walk in closet. I unpacked my full car worth of stuff and it still looks like I don't own very much. The landlord is great, he lives on the main floor and has a lot of plans for the house. I will have to take some pictures and post them so you can all be jealous.

On Wednesday I had to go to a TA orientation. I am not teaching so it was extremely boring. I slipped out less than half way through and made a clean break for it. I had a department orientation on Thursday. That one was way more relevant. I actually learned what was going on with my new life. It will be some decent work. I think I will survive. During that orientation I met the 3 other grad lighting designers and found out that one of them lives right across the street from me. They had a party that night and I made a late appearance. Friday was my bum around day. I took mom to the airport then just kind of bummed around. It was nice having her out here while I tried to get settled I would have been bored out of my mind, having not met anyone yet. On Saturday I got some little podiddly things done then went to a department party in one of the Staff member's homes. It was great to meet most of the department and just be crazy like theatre people usually are.

Sunday was exciting because it was my first day in my new ward. It is about a 25 minute drive to church. I am now in the Manchester Branch. It is funny because if I lived on campus or on the other side of it I would be in a different stake. I think I got the better deal because the Hartford Stake seems to do more activities. I counted about 75 people in sacrament meeting. I don't know why I expected it to be bigger. It is mostly families. Maybe a couple other people near my age. I got invited to dinner by a member of the bishopric. It was really nice because I had neglected to plan what I was going to eat that night, it probably would have ended up being cold cereal. I still haven't gone grocery shopping. My landlord is getting a new fridge tomorrow so I decided to hold off until that was all figured out. Yay for ramen.

Today was the first day of classes. They didn't start until one in the afternoon, but I had little things like laundry to keep me busy all morning. My class today was Theatre History. It is going to be great because we are studying the history from the context of the text of plays. I am going to have to read a lot of plays, but it will be a lot better than a history book. Then we had a tech planning meeting. They happen every monday and everyone just gets together to make sure the production process is going well.

I realized this evening that since arriving here I have had no idea which direction is which. I am constantly surprised at the direction I need to drive to go home. It always feels like i should be going off another way. Stupid cow paths. I can't keep my bearing because no road goes straight for more than a few hundred feet.

I live right by a lake, it is fun to look out at the fog hanging over it in the mornings.

I have my other two classes tomorrow (Tuesdays). I am pretty much in class from 9:30am until 5pm. It will be a long day. Not to mention parking is a pain, just like any other college campus. Maybe I will be there early enough tomorrow to get a decent spot.

Sorry no pictures this time, I will get some cool ones soon though.

Wow, where did it go?

Here I am, my last day in Nauvoo, trying to recover from spending all night up striking the show. I am so stinking sore. It has been an incredible time. The spot ops I worked with were amazing. I now have 7 new friends, all great guys.
One of the funniest moments was when Taylor dropped a radio from the 50 foot tower and clocked Jason on the head. Jason was half way up the tower, so it wasn't the complete distance. Jason immediately booked it down the ladder and went straight to the First Aid station. I followed him over there to discover the blood pouring down his face. The cut was pretty small, but those head wounds are bleeders. He got a few stitches and was back for the second half of the show.
It really doesn't feel like it has been 6 and a half weeks already. I can't believe that I will be to school in a few days. My life is all kinds of tipsy turvy. I am going to miss so much about Utah.