It's the end of the world as we know it...

and I feel fine!

Songs that have been stuck in my head recently:
-Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes
-There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly (like the children's song/poem that starts: There was an old woman that swallowed a fly, I don't know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she'll die. If you want to see the whole thing you can go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_an_Old_Lady_Who_Swallowed_a_Fly )

That was one of my favorite songs as a kid. Two of my favorite books back then were Go, Dog. Go!

and Hooper Humperdink? Not him!

(which was written by Dr. Seuss under a different pen name- since his real name is Theodore Geisel, the different name is a variation on that: Theo LeSieg... neat, huh?). Go, Dog. Go! was a random montage of anthropomorphic dog scenes, culminating in a huge dog party on the top of a blue tree. The common thread running through the book is two dogs that keep running into each other and having the exchange:

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"Do you like my hat?"

"I do not."

"Good-bye!"

"Good-bye!"

Until the end when, at the party, he does like her hat, and they get in a car and drive away into the sunset together. Which is actually a little odd, now that I think about that as an adult... Oh, well!

Hooper Humperdink was about a kid that didn't get invited to the biggest party of the year, but then in the end he does. Simple, I know. But it turns into this elaborate exploration of the birthday kid's exotic range of friends from A-Z. My favorite line (that I will never forget) is:

"No one wants to play with Hooper, Humperdink's a party pooper!"

I think I liked it because it introduced the concept of a "party pooper" into my life and vernacular.

Anywho, now I'm in college and reading a book of ancient erotic poetry for a comparative literature class. To pull a line from the title song in the musical "Anything Goes":
"Times have changed!"

Good-bye, Heath!

Ok, I admit this entry may seem a bit silly, but I wanted to acknowledge something big that hit the media today. Heath Ledger died, and it's crazy how quickly news spreads in this day and age. A wonderfully talented person that did some really great work in his time, my prayers are with his family and friends. That being said, someone pointed out to me that 27 American soldiers and 349 Iraqi citizens have died in 2008 alone. It's a little extraneous to shower quite so much attention on something that we will know nothing new about for the next 48 hours, but I think it's an interesting study of American culture. True, he lived a highly visible life, but our society's obsession with celebrity deaths and culture is disturbing at times. Anywho, I was just thinking about it and feel like it's something of which to be aware.

I hope everyone sleeps well and has a pleasant week. Good bye!

Ye Olde Spring Semester

Indeed, it's that time of year again. In with the old, out with the new... wait, scratch that, reverse it (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, anyone?). Break resulted in a few things for me (you all know how I love lists!):
1- Unparalleled (at least in my immediate family) skill at Pin Ball


2- Many trips to the movie theater (Charlie Wilson's War, Juno, Atonement, etc.)
3- Quality and bountiful family time (Hey everyone!)
4- My first Christmas in a new home, an experience at times both odd and wonderful, but overall interesting and fun
5- Happy times with friends back home (board games galore!)
6- A visit to Chicago to see a few friends (including a good friend who's abroad all year... hey, Agnotti!)


7- A week of nothing after New Year's... I was more than ready to come back!

After that week I traveled with a group of more than 20 other Beloit students to the American College Theater Festival that was held in Milwaukee this year. A crazy 5 days full of plays (I saw 7) and workshops and competitions. My friend Daisy and I were in charge of getting the hotel and all that jazz, and I'm happy to say that everything went well. It was a blast and I really loved spending some quality time with a gaggle of insane, fun-loving, theatre people. Next year it's being held in Saginaw, Michigan. Who's excited?!

Now we're into the second week of the spring semester. Cray-cray, as my friend Emma would say (a slightly mutated form of the word crazy). I am pumped for this semester, though. I'm taking Human Biology, International Politics, Burning Sapphos and Laughing Medusa (a class about poetry and sexuality), and creating a special project with my friend Angie focused on the theory side of Theater of the Oppressed. Meanwhile, Kappa Delta is half way through our recruitment process, Voodoo Barbie's first show is a two weeks from Friday, and I'm already late in turning in my tour availability slip for Gold Key. Oh, and I'm taking voice lessons now. Crazy, cray-cray, insane, maniacal, sleep deprivation, friendless... these words come to mind when thinking about my schedule. Which isn't actually all that bad... just constant.

I can already fast forward (in the movie that is my life) to my last blog of this semester:
"I was right, folks. It was hectic, and I barely survived. But it was worth it. Have a good summer and hopefully I will meet some of you in the fall!"

But there's still quite a bit to do before then.
Here it goes!