The Creativist

1,000 Words? Here's hoping!

2012-01-31T16:44:00.000-08:00

While writing my thesis I kept a bit of creative writing going on the side. This second project might seem a bit crazy for someone who seemed to have an almost negative amount of time in which to finish her degree in but I loved it! This extra material turned out to be an ideal escape that kept my fingers and mind active in the writing process while allowing me the freedom to write WHATEVER THE HELL I WANTED TO WRITE. This brief escape into fiction would keep me working long into the night

Now that my thesis is complete I can devote all writing time to this lackadaisical writing project I have brought to Vancouver. Now that I enter week three of my focused writing, the words that effortlessly flooded onto my computer screen in the fall have turned into a slow trickle. For example, last Thursday I spent the entire day writing away only to see that I had completed roughly five pages over the course of seven hours. I no longer felt as connected with my writing and it made me feel as though a close friend decided to end our friendship. I felt lonely.

Today I decided to shake up my routine. I walked to a local coffee shop, one that I hadn't been to before, I checked email, facebook, and my favorite blogs for about a half hour and then shut everything down and got to work. I pulled out my moleskin notebook to draw up some characters. For roughly two hours I sat down with my blank book, my soy latte and my imagination and waited for anything to come words, images, thoughts; I wrote everything down.

Before today I was always able see and imagine my characters, but after this pause to reflect I felt that these characters could now breath and think for themselves. I wrote down physical and emotional descriptions, and personal histories. I drew up a chart that connected all the characters to one another. When I finished I reviewed what I had compiled and felt an urge to look them up, see who might be similar. Turns out Anjelica Huston fit in perfectly and I could not be more pleased with this discovery.The words returned to me and to the computer screen.

While I didn't end up finding an ideal fit for every character, it was nice to see some fleshed out versions that worked quite well. I spent the rest of the day writing with new found vigor and urgency. The writing no longer felt meaningless because I had further developed people that are now full of their own meaning and purpose.

When PuSh Comes to Shove: Performance in Vancouver

2012-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

Our arrival to Vancouver has prompted the hunt for fun and interesting performances. For the past two years I have been a bit deprived of performing arts that exist outside of the academic season (academia can do that to you). While I do cherish the opportunity to have easy access to performances year round in our small town I do believe that it is important to experience a range of art from a variety of venues.

Attending the University of Toronto was an incredible experience for a fledgling artist because I was surrounded by art that was easy to get to and offered affordable options. I wouldn't have experienced the same inspirational and sometimes bizarre performances if I had studied in a rural area with little external influence. Toronto pushed my theatrical boundaries and helped me to expand my imagination to understand what could be possible on the stage.

Three of my former classmates are currently living in Vancouver and as soon as I was in town I sent out a call to get a group together for a reunion. The PuSh international performing arts festival is being held all over the city and there is a large selection of events to experience. This Saturday, three out of the four of us met up on Granville Island to see a matinee performance of Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Canatata.

The day could not have been better but if the day had started out badly, this performance would have made the rest of the day wonderful! The show was inspired by what was found on Craigslist and Free Press. One of the patrons leaving was overheard saying, "not much dialogue but it wasn't needed" and I would agree. The entire performance is interwoven personal ads turned into musical ditties that flow in and out and sometime back around with one another.

But don't let this description take away the personal and emotional moments that occur in many of the songs. One moment I sat, giggling profusely over an ad a woman wrote concerning her tiny hats specifically for cats. Funny, yes. Weird, completely. Sentimental, yep. At the beginning of this melody represented exactly what I entered the theatre expecting, 'look at the crazy possessions people try to get ride of online! Now laugh.' but to my surprise the song became more than a crazy ad t laugh at, it highlighted the humanity behind the possessions and then the reason for the ad. The tiny cat hats represented this woman's passion and love for her now deceased cat, Snowman, and by the end of the song, this woman's loneliness is palpable.

In the program director Amiel Gladsotone is acknowledged for finding "within this random scattering a surprising emotional arc and unanticipated tenderness." Do You Want What I Have Got? was a wonderful surprise that showcased the comedy and tragedy of our deepest desires as they are expressed on the web. As my friend expressed post-post performance, "it was funny, sympathetic, and fantastic." I would second her review of the show.

I hope more people go out and take a chance on a local performance! It may not pay off but you could be surprised. If you are in Vancouver than you won't be disappointed by this cantata.

Lexi

Coffee Shop: Found

2012-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

The local coffee shop is required to be in my life and I will hunt one down if at first there appears to be none acceptable liking. This obsession may have stemmed from my college town upbringing, watching students pour over readings and research in a space that simultaneously allowed for privet study with a social air. This is my favorite place to work.

My ideal coffee shop location presented itself on my first day of hunting and since then I have spent almost every day at one of their unique and very sturdy tables typing away. The coffee leaves something to be desired but the atmosphere outweighs all of that.

Today I snagged a table by the window where I comfortably experience our first rainy day while enjoying some mint tea and a blueberry cheesecake square.

Calhoun's, you've been grand.

Lexi

Day 12: Home! (for the next four months)

2012-01-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

We made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a really long driving day for us....not. We lounged around this morning in Richmond, BC getting breakfast at the hotel and being drawn into a few cooking shows on the Food Network. Once we collected our things and packed up the car for the last time this journey, we drove a quick fifteen minutes to meet our landlord.

We were busy settling in. After meeting our very nice landlord we got a quick tour of our basement apartment. It's small but clean and comfortable. We loaded everything in and then walked around to get a sense of our surroundings; we're definitely paying for the location because it is fantastic. Everything is walking distance including post office, bank, groceries, and tons of great places to dine. We are looking forward to our future months here.

The Eatery is a sushi place that we ate at during the 2008 World Ultimate Frisbee Championships and it is currently an easy walk from our place. Where to go for lunch was an easy decision.

Being landlocked for roughly 2.5 years has me craving sushi like crazy! Peter wanted soup because we were feeling chilly but I pushed forward and ordered an "Andy Warhol"- mango, tuna, and salmon mayo, as well as an "Electric Banana"- Eel, avocado, and tempura banana on top. Super lunch to start things off. Check out the crazy menu at the Eatery.

Lunch gave us some more energy to plug on and collect groceries, sign up for our club card at said grocery store, and collect our bus passes for the next few weeks. We carried our purchases home, something we have not done in a long time, and got to organizing the new place.

The comforts of home, once established, can be taken for granted when everything is already in place and within reach. We soon began to realize what was missing in our home. I forgot my towel and there doesn't seem to be any around not even a dish towel. I used a frying pan to boil some water for my tea, that was a first. We don't seem to have a sauce pan or a microwave... I guess the fact that there is no kettle or coffee maker is assumed at this point. And the last realization is that Vancouver is unusually chilly at the moment and we can't seem to get a good amount of heat flowing through our apartment. We know the temperature will change but until then we are bundled up good.

For dinner tonight we went to Yeager, a pub down the road from us so we could watch the Canucks vs. the Ducks.

Peter decided on the bison burger and I chose the baja chicken salad which was quite good.

I guess this concludes our American road trip. I was extremely pleased with how this journey turned out and it will be an experience I will always remember. Peter and I planned for the worst aka car trouble, not finding a hotel, illness, loss of insulin, etc. We are very happy that nothing on our worst case scenario list occurred and that we arrived safe and sound!

Things we learned along the way:
-BOOKS ON TAPE! I know there are some people out there that are just not interested or feel the reading is too slow or that it is hard to pay attention and I was one of those people. However, to get through a long road trip and not kill the person you are traveling with than a book on tape is a must. (go for Game of Thrones)
-Hotel coupons: We discovered this our second day on the road. Stop at any rest area and there will be some free booklets to pick up. These have day of hotel rates so you do run a risk of not finding a place to stay but that only happened once to us. These coupons are better than an AAA rate can get you.
-Stay Active: We couldn't always find a hotel with a gym and when we could they were not always the best. I would recommend hiking/walking any time you can especially if you're touring around a new city. Getting moving really helped me to get through day long drives.
-Stay Moist: Water and lip balm! It was crazy how dry I got on the road. I didn't realize it until later but I become a little dehydrated on the road which caused my lips to chap and energy to just go down. Keep those handy early on.
-Relax: Stress is the worst when traveling. Always know that there is an alternative solution and breathe.

We would like to thank our amazing hosts and friends we saw along the way, thanks to Kevin in Austin, Aunt Joan and Uncle John in Santa Barbara, and Eric and Chelsea who came out to spend time with us. Thanks also to Honda and Garmin for helping us travel safely across America. And big thanks go out to my husband Peter who was a wonderful travel companion and who kept the journey fun and entertaining.

Our next road trip will be in May when we drive across Canada. We don't have a book for the great north so any food suggestions would be much appreciated.

Until then, stay warm!

Lexi

p.s. Stay tuned for a weekly photo from Vancouver!

Day 11: We're IN!

2012-01-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

We got a late start this morning since we were meeting my friend Chelsea and her husband Matt for breakfast in Portland. I haven't seen Chelsea in a long time and breakfast with her this morning put me in a great mood.It may have been a meal-long visit but it was exactly what we needed before our final push.

We went to a breakfast place called Down to Earth. I had the California panini with red onion, avocado, lettuce, tomato, smoked cheese and an omelet. Yum. Rating: Lexi: 7 Peter: Good.

After our great breakfast our day became pretty trying. We had some rain leaving Portland and headed towards Seattle. We waved hi to Seattle and just as quickly waved bye to Seattle. Maybe we shall return another time.

After fairly decent weather going through Seattle we ended up getting hit hard with the snowstorm we were trying to avoid. For about a half hour we stayed at a steady 40mph pace while huge chunks of snow swarmed around us. I actually became pretty sick driving when the visibility was so bad and the traffic so slow that it seemed as if we weren't moving at all even though I knew I was pushing down on the gas. Luckily we got out of it a-okay and experienced no more snow for the rest of the drive.

First snow at a rest stop in north Washington.

We made it to the boarder and after handing over the three (pretty sketchy looking) pieces of paper that said that I was allowed to work in Canada, we were sent inside to discuss my visa qualifications. We had one more border guard look at me as though I were crazy, some muttering about paying a $150 permit fee for which Peter was ready to bolt out the door without me, a second border guard type in the magic code and I had my freshly printed work visa in my passport and we left without an extra fee; Peter decided to keep me.

WE MADE IT INTO CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are collecting our keys tomorrow afternoon so we're staying in Richmond tonight. By the time we got into Richmond we were both tired, cranky and hungry. Our first hotel attempted failed since they were full. Our second hotel attempt failed because our GPS failed us for the first time this trip. Our third attempt was successful and so much better than paper thin wall motel of doom last night, we even have clean towels and little bottles of shampoo!

Sadly with the cross of the Canadian border comes the end to our trusted books Road Food and 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late have come to an end since they do not cover Canada. We had zero motivation to drive anywhere else and went to the closest restaurant Mad Greek.

I had the Greek Salad with garlic shrimp while Peter had the chicken and shrimp souvlaki.

Rating: Lexi: 6 Peter: Good.

We made a quick dash to good old Canadian Shoppers Drug Mart for some soda for Peter and face moisturizer for my struggling skin. We're back in the room, warm, fed, relaxed and happy. Peter has the Calgary vs. LA hockey game on and munching on a bag of dill pickle chips. I'll be headed to the hotel gym for a solid workout since I plan to tackle part 2 of the Voodoo dozen!

Some excellent motivation! Although it does seem I'm running around in circles :)

VANCOUVER TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi

Day 10: Baby it's Getting Cold Outside

2012-01-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we're not really talking the kind of cold that is going on out there in Ohio, but we are definitely feeling a bit chilly tonight. brrr. We left around 8am this morning and driving the winding uphill rout 5 towards Oregon.

Lovely change in scenery.

I struggled with a bit of car sickness as the passenger for the first leg so after a few pictures I closed my eyes and listened to our third book on tape, Terry Pratchett's Pyramids.

The view was incredible and we saw our first white topped mountain.

Our ears were popping on this leg.

We started touching the clouds.

More clouds.

We arrived in Portland, OR around 3pm and headed straight downtown to stand in line for some Voodoo Donuts!

This place was incredible! There were about three of these revolving cases with all their freshly baked donuts. We had a long wait and by the time we got to the front we couldn't decide what to buy. Peter stepped up and asked for one Voodoo Dozen aka they pick 12 donuts for you. We're obviously not holding back on this trip!

We loaded the donuts in the car for later and headed off to my second local selection, Crema coffee shop. Here is my fancy Spanish latte, milk/condensed milk with espresso. Wow!

For dinner we followed Road Food's suggestion for fish and chips at Halibuts. Poor Peter who is currently on his "no beer month" had to suffer past many local brewery pubs on our walk over. We hope to return to try some of them in the future.

Large pot of clam chowder! Very, very good and flavorful.

A bizarre shot of our fish and sweet potato chips. The fish was halibut (of course) with sweet potato chips. This was so light and delectable, almost like tempura. Rating: Lexi: 9 Peter: GOOD!

The road trip is beginning to take its toll on us. We're pretty sleepy by the time we get to our motels and being cold again helps our need to just curl up under the covers. Portland has been grand so far. We tuned into the Portland public radio on our way to the motel and after two soundbite errors we heard "God damn it!" before that was quickly muted to silence. hehe.

Tomorrow we're meeting up with an old Ultimate buddy of mine for breakfast before we head up to Seattle. We were hoping to stay overnight but the weather is looking a little treacherous. We need to get into town on the 15th to collect our apartment key so it looks like we'll be playing it safe tomorrow. At least Seattle will only be a 3 hour drive away!

Stay warm everyone! Now for some Jeopardy, The Hobbit, and some of these....:)

Day 9: Headed North!

2012-01-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

As much as we fought it, we had to leave Santa Barbara. We left around 8am after a quick coffee and morning chat with aunt Joan and uncle John before heading out for the open road.

Peter drove most of the way while I napped and listened intermittently to Mort. The drive had some brief highs and lows. High: Seeing a bald eagle fly by. Low: Driving over a massive mudflap on the road and fearing for our car. All was okay in the end and we finished our second book on tape.

Headed north

Rolling along through the rolling hills.

We wanted to make good time so we decided to try our first In-N-Out burger. Peter had two hamburgers and a vanilla shake and I followed the recommendations I've heard and got the double double. Shakes were great but my burger was super salty and I left unhappy after the meal. Peter rated it good and fresh and not too salty.

Lots of orchards along the way.

Last view of the water.

We stopped in Redding, CA for dinner by following our Road Food book to Buz's Crab and Seafood Restaurant. Peter LOVED the local dungeness crab he had the day before and this place was known for their fresh crab.

I am not a seafood connoisseur so I was skeptical going in. Peter gave me a taste the day before so I decided to jump right in and get a half crab with butter dipping and Buz's "almost famous" sourdough garlic bread. We tied on the bibs and got to work. The bread was crunchy and delicious and the crab was very good and not to scary for my sensitive palette. The servers were really nice and even asked if we were AAA members so we could get a discount. Rating: Lexi: 8 Peter: Good.

Peter was happy as a crab!

We're staying in Redding for the night and it looks like the 30 Rock live episode will be the entertainment for the moment. Tomorrow will be another early morning since our goal is to reach Portland tomorrow evening.

More good friends and good food in the final stage of our road trip. Liz Lemon for now!

Lexi

Day 8: The Living is Easy but I'm Sleepy; Santa Barbara Part 2

2012-01-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today was absolutely incredible, a highlight to our trip overall. We woke up this morning around 9am California time so we got to sleep in a bit. Coffee was already made when we got downstairs and after about a week of struggling through weak motel coffee, I was really enjoying my first morning here.

Aunt Joan has been busy keeping us fed and entertained and so far I am rating B&B Jamieson a solid 11. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, english muffins, sausage, and uncle John juiced us (fresh out of their own backyard) fresh orange/blood orange juice. YUM! (photo not included)

After checking in with the Canadian Jamiesons, John, Joan and myself headed out for a hike in southern California's front country while Peter stayed home to play some video games.

Uncle John and aunt Joan took me to Rattlesnake Canyon for a hike. Apparently the name is for the winding trail and not for any real snakes that might pop out.

I was told by the locals that living in Ohio would not have prepared me for the real hiking in California. We started out with some dusty trails heading up.

Uncle John proves that there is more to this path than dust. Watch the pro at work.

Here is a shot of one of the blackened trees from the fire a few years ago. New green life is taking over again.

Aunt Joan takes a moment to smell the wild white lilac flowers.

Our lovely hosts pose for a picture.

The view from the highest point we hiked to.

Best compliment of the trip: Aunt Joan: Well Lexi sure doesn't hike like she's a 'flatlander.' I believe that a lot of credit needs to go out to my hiking group The Walkstars! Thanks ladies!

My hike masters at the end. Lovely finish with a bridge and small stream. I was so happy to get a chance to move around!

After the hike I was brought to see the Santa Barbara Mission.

A beautiful historic site where you could see where they once washed clothing.

We followed the tour that offered lovely little monks to lead us in the right direction.

The Mission was breathtaking.

Skull and crossbones means graveyard here. I was hoping to see some pirates.

The graveyard had a number of marked graves and a little sign that said there were about 4,000 indians buried in the same location. Wow.

I've realized that I know very little west coast history and this tour was a great opportunity to learn more and to see the map of all the missions built along California.

The adventure group returned home to Peter who was still playing video games. Eric arrived from LA for lunch and once he got in we all walked down to the pier for some sea food.

Our walk on the pier. Eric: "This is why everyone loves Santa Barbara." Lexi: "No argument."

Lots of pelicans on the roof.

This is when we discovered how similar the Jamieson's walk. It was pretty bazaar.

Peter's choice for dinner was Moby Dick's.

I decided on some lighter fare, sinking my teeth into a Salmon salad.

Peter went all out with the 3lb seafood bowl.

Overall rating... Lexi: 6 Peter: Well, he REALLY liked the local crab!

View on our walk back from lunch.

Closer look of the beauty

Poor John loaded his pockets with quarters so we could take the tram back to the house. We ended up walking the entire way. Total miles walked for the adventure group: 10+ miles!

On our walk back to the house I really wanted to try some Pinkberry frozen yogurt. I love a good frozen yogurt and I have a reputation for being very picky. I've been let down a lot and I don't want to be failed ever again. I've heard Pinkberry is very good but living out east we never seem to have any near us so I was really excited about trying this place. Peter has made so much fun of my obsession for frozen yogurt and he's never understood how amazing a good and tangy frozen yogurt can be. We all dug in and after one taste of their blood orange flavor, Peter was hooked. He liked it so much was wanted to go again after dinner! I believe this might be Peter's first "Great" rating of the road trip!

Happy girls walk back holding Pinkberry!

With all the walking, and eating, and more walking, and frozen yogurt, and more walking... by the time we got back home none of us wanted to move or eat. Uncle John went to rest upstairs, Peter played some video games, I watched some t.v. and Aunt Joan prepared a light dinner for all of us.

Here is a shot of aunt Joan's delicious chicken soup with a light and lemony salad. Also note the local sourdough bread in the middle! This meal was exactly what I needed.

It's about 9pm here and I have hit my wall for the evening. The day was fantastic and I am a bit sad that we have to leave early tomorrow. Peter's insulin did arrive this afternoon and it was still cool! (Thanks Kevin!) An early night for me because my body is very ready for sleep.

In just a day and a half I can say that I <3 Santa Barbara!

Lexi

Day 7: Adventures with Uncle John and Aunt Joan

2012-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't sleep well last night. Our hotel was picturesque, cheap, and had paper thin walls. I ended up listening to the constant slamming of the balcony door from the upstairs room for what seemed like an extremely long time until they started arguing very violently. Peter passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow; typical.

Luckily for my sleep-deprived body, we only had a three hour journey today from Palm Springs to Santa Barbara. After a breakfast of bad coffee and tiny sweet pie things, Peter took the wheel and drove like a superstar through the intimidating freeways of southern California.

Palm Springs in the morning.

Making our way out of town.

We finished Game of Thrones today, pretty incredible that this book on tape lasted from Ohio past Palm Springs. We're pretty eager to pick up the second book because this one was such a good listen, but it may have to wait until our trip back to Oxford since we wont finish it before Vancouver. Instead we have Terry Pratchett's book Mort to listen to for the rest of the journey. Peter is cracking up quite a bit, a nice break from the war and tragedy of Game of Thrones. Although I would pop in the second book in a heartbeat, I am enjoying a book on the lighter side and I always enjoy hearing Peter giggling next to me.

I took a lot of pictures because I was so excited about the new California scenery

Lots of little white toothpicks?

Nope. Lots of massive white windmills. Cool.

First sight of the ocean! Exciting!

Peter was so cool driving up and down these hills.

More winding highway.

At the top and headed down.

Horses on the side of the highway.

We may have put in a new book on tape, but I was way more interested in looking for the super fancy homes on the tops of the hills. This was in Calabasas.

We turned the corner and saw even more ocean! There were lots of surfer dots on the water today.

We arrived at aunt Joan and uncle John's house around 12:30pm and were welcomed in with open arms, luggage assistance upstairs, and fed homemade pizza for lunch. It's been about two years since the last time we saw John and Joan, so it was nice to catch up for a bit. After lunch Peter and I walked down to the city center to do a bit of sight seeing and shopping.

We were told by our hosts to cut through the park. Done.

Tuesday is the one day the farmer's market comes to the center of town! How lucky were we?!

Lots of great local ranches selling their goods. Lots of street performers and pretty flowers all around.

Peter walked away with some local black olives that had been soaked in honey and balsamic. Yum!

My first attempt of the trip to get a picture of Peter. This is a picture of him dodging.

We may be in California but we were pretty chilly after walking around in t-shirts.

We stopped in at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to warm up. My English Breakfast latte was delicious.

Joan made reservations for dinner at a place I think was call Victoria. It was an Italian restaurant downtown that officially ended our "road food" style eating. It was lovely.

The Jamieson's always treat their guests extremely well, tonight was no different. We started out with some calamari. John shows us an action shot of the dipping experience.

Peter got the homemade ravioli

I got the special Gorgonzola pasta with walnuts. Rating: 8

Tomorrow we're staying put in Santa Barbara to relax, see more sights, and get a visit from Peter's cousin Eric. I've requested to get some physical activity in and some of the options on the table are hiking, kayaking, or walking around town.

Until tomorrow, Santa Barbara.

Lexi

Day 6: Cactus and Palm Trees

2012-01-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

Day 6 was a much more interesting day both in food and the changing of scenery. We got on the road around 8am and took off in the direction of Tucson.Peter and I have fallen into a nice groove. We start out the morning by picking up coffee from the hotel and turn on some NPR. I gotta say, it's pretty nice to have something familiar along the way. Peter takes over the first leg of driving and after we're done with our news updates or the NPR signal fails, we pop in our book on tape. Same book! Game of Thrones was particularly upsetting today, lots of gruesome battles and stupid evil people getting what they want, so I took a lot of pictures to make myself feel better.

Morning mountains in the distance.

Getting closer and brighter.

Our friend Egon told us to keep an eye out for the MANY signs for "The Thing."

We were pretty excited when we saw our first one. Didn't actually stop to see "The Thing"

but the signs were fun anyway.

Hello Tucson!

We stopped in Tucson, AZ for our first round of Mexican food at Teresa's Mosaic Cafe. Here is a shot of it. We ended up parking in a lot down a hill.

Luckily there was a pathway up.

Food was pretty good. I was pretty impressed when we walked in and there was a woman front and center making fresh tortillas.We both got enchiladas with a side of guacamole. I ordered myself a class of horchata, a sweet rice milk that helped cool down the SPICY salsa.

Rating: Lexi: 6 Peter: Good.

After lunch I realized that this was my first time in a location where Spanish is a dominant language. I walked around the restaurant in circles as the waiters watched. Turns out the frosted door next to the kitchen with the word "Banos"written on it was where the bathroom was. Something I will never forget.

Saw lots of these in Arizona!

The next thing we knew we were in California. We stopped at El Gallito in Cathedral City. This place was supper cool. It was tiny and had restaurant rules placed at every table. They were: Only one check per party, "You eat together, you pay together", cash only, three drink limit and only for people ordering food. I loved it!

I got the chili Colorado and Peter decided on a combo that included the chili Colorado. We both had the freshly made flour tortillas. This place outdid the first. The fresh tortillas were super hot and sooooo good.

Rating: Lexi: 8 Peter: Good.

Tonight we're staying in Palm Springs, CA. We've got a motel with a pool and hot tub. We're having a little trouble adjusting with the time, so I think a nice dip in the hot tub will do just the trick.

Shot from the balcony of our room.

We've been receiving a lot of well wishes from family and friends and I wanted to say thanks to all by including this photo sent to me from my friend Yasmin. It truly warmed my heart. It's a shot of the two possessions I lent to her before I left. Obviously they are of the greatest importance. Yasmin promised me that she would send a photo a week and I will do that as well via blog to keep the updates coming while we're in Vancouver.

Love to Yasmin!

Tomorrow we shall attempt to avoid the LA traffic so we'll be leaving around 9am to visit Peter's aunt and uncle.

We're past halfway!

Lexi

Day 5: Whataday

2012-01-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

Kevin was nice enough to say good bye at 7:45am this morning to see us off. We left Kevin, Austin, and Peter's medication behind. The package that Motel 6 had sent to us was waiting for us behind the locked doors of the apartment offices; they are closed on Sunday. Our wonderful host promised to send the package to Peter's uncle's house in California. We are hoping that the insulin is not ruined.

It was an I-10 day for us. We drove for roughly 10+ hours today from Austin to El Paso for dinner and settling in Deming, New Mexico for the night.

Our GPS with 415 miles to go and an 80mph speed limit. Rock on I-10 W

The desert scenery was beautiful. I missed capturing the sunset because I was driving at the time.

Overall the trip was long but easy as the I-10 is just a strait shoot to our destination. The food today was pretty blah in comparison to what we're used to. Lunch was nice. We stopped and made sandwiches at a picnic table in the middle of the Texas desert. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy the cool weather. Dinner was not terrible but we had dropped by El Paso specifically to experience Smitty's BBQ. Sadly, like the offices in Austin, Smitty's was closed on Sunday. Tired and hungry we decided to try our first Whataburger.

My Jr Whataburger. Peter chose the green chili whataburger.

They did their job.

Now fed and sleepy we've got some of Georgie's macaroons to snack on and football to watch. We're thinking about all of our friends back in Oxford, OH who are starting their second semester tomorrow. All the best in the term ahead!

Looks like Tucson, AZ tomorrow!
Lexi

Day 4: Austin, TX part 2

2012-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Day four was our first real hang out and see the sights day aka no real driving. We got to sleep in again and I took advantage of the gym in Kevin's apartment complex. Seriously, eating all this food would be killer if I wasn't able to get a good workout in these last two days. Future good food offers great motivation if anyone is interested.

After working out, showering, chatting, and waiting for Peter to finish the video game that he always blames Peyton for, we headed out to brunch at Trudy's. This was a location offered by our local and our second joint that was not-included in either of our books.

The food selection at this place was awesome. Here is a shot of Peter's fried avocado

I chose the Mexican eggs benedict. Holy amazing batman! Steak under eggs and megas with chile con ceso. Sides of re-fried beans and roasted potatoes. Yum.

Everyone attacked this dish before I could take a picture of it, that is how incredible this was. It only takes four words to blow your mind. Ready? Carrot...Cake...French...Toast! Yes, it was incredible. With a little bit of cream cheese frosting and you have reached perfection.

Rating: Lexi: 10 Peter: Good Kevin: 9

It was a beautiful day and we got to walk around town a bit. After brunch we headed down to south congress where we saw the food truck city. Obviously we didn't get anything but we did see trucks serving thai, cupcakes, and the more mains stream chipotle truck. We also popped into a few used book stores and an outdoor market where I picked out some feather earrings.

Shopped out Peter headed to a bar downtown to watch the Bengals vs. Texans playoff game while Kevin and I did a bit more walking.

Shot of the pretty Austin day.

We're off to see the capital.

Kevin and I decided to drop into the capital for a little historical tour of Texas. Here is a shot post metal detectors. The star at the top of the dome is 8 feet in length. Crazy.

A shot from the top.

Kevin was an awesome tour guide! Apparently if you live in Texas you are supposed to take two courses on the history of Texas in elementary school. Surprisingly, Kevin still remembered a good deal of those facts.

We made our way to where Peter had parked himself and gave him the souvenir Texas ranger badge with his name on it. Poor guy needed an upper today.

Watching the Bengals with margaritas and beer on a wagon wheel table.

Peter was ready to drown his sorrows in some good southern food when the game was over, so we headed to Threadgrill's for dinner. Fun fact is that Janis Jomplin worked there.

Howdy stranger! (I am there waving under the arrow)

This chicken fried steak is what this place is known for. Here is mine with a side of garlic and cheese grits. I've never head a chicken fried steak before and it was good. Kevin was not happy with this dish. As a Texan he has a strong say in this matter. The main complaint was that the breading did not stay on the meat and peeled off pretty easily. Peter and I were satisfied but not blown away. The grits were probably the best part of the meal. Rating: Lexi: 6 Peter: um... good. Kevin: Disappointing

Our time is Austin has been grand. We're completing it with another round of Community before we head to bed to rest before our long drive tomorrow.

Austin is a solid town and Kevin's couch is super comfy. Could only be better if Amy were in town.

Lexi

Day 3: Austin, TX part 1

2012-01-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

Day was pretty low-key as we only had a five hour drive that day. We slept in and then headed out to grab our last gumbo before leaving Louisiana. We dropped by the Boudin King on rout to Austin. This place was a spot we would NEVER have found. While it wasn't far off of the main highway it was in a location that had us questioning our GPS because there were no other establishments that we could see. Obviously, we found it and it was an excellent finish to our gumbo run.

Ta da! Boudin King found!

Food was great. I got the chicken and boudin gumbo while Peter chose the seafood. Both were good but we voted the chicken best. We also tried some friend okra for the first time and were not that impressed. I think we just don't like okra in a fried form. Overall rating: Lexi: 7 Peter: Good

After Boudin King we had a nice 5 hour drive, completing more Game of Thrones. We got into Austin around 4:30pm and dropped by my Miami Theatre pal Kevin's place. He has been kind enough to open his door to us weary travelers and show us a good time.

Our first food stop, well first real Austin stop was at Hut's hamburgers. After wandering around for a bit because Peter wrote down the wrong address, we made it to Hut's for a well earned meal.

Pal Kevin models the delicious burger and pepper onion rings at Hut's. The burgers here were really good. All of us waddled out happy (I'm still thinking of their hickory sauce).
Rating: Lexi: 8 Peter Good Kevin: Eat again.

We didn't do much else on Austin part one. We were all feeling a bit full and sleepy after dinner so we went back to Kevin's for a Community marathon before bed.

Austin adventure to be continued.....

Road Trip Day 2- Belly Full of Louisiana

2012-01-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

We got going early this morning so that we could walk around New Orleans for a few hours. We didn't know what to expect in terms of getting around the city so we decided to play it safe. We checked out of our Alabama hotel, jumped in the car and were off to Louisiana. Sadly, we left Peter's large stash of insulin in the fridge in our hotel room. Add one frantic call to the hotel later and we'll see his meds when we get to Austin Texas! (Thanks Motel 6!)

A post Motel 6 coffee face. Make of it what you will.

The drive was easy and the weather really started to heat up. A little mist in the distance.

Monsieur Jamieson at the wheel!

On the GPS it looked like we were driving in water. We were mesmerized by this highways.

The drive into the city was extremely easy, we found great parking and headed strait to Cafe du Mond!

I've seen this place on countless television shows that have forced me to dream of having a beignet one day. Today was that day! We grabbed a table with a street view and waited for our waitress to attend to my sweet-tooth desires.

Peter was a bit skeptical at first.

The beignet is covered in powdered sugar. It gets on your fingers, on your nose, and on the floor.

Dreams do come true! What a wonderful experience.

The weather was wonderful! It was super hot compared to what we were used to but there was a constant light breeze that kept everything feeling lovely. We decided to take advantage of the the sun and wandered around the french quarter and meandered onto Bourbon street.

Because I chose Cafe du Mond Peter got to pick lunch. We decided on Gumbo Shop, a place that was not in either of our books but that promised creole cuisine so we were in.

I decided on the chicken and sausage gumbo while Peter got the seafood. Peter has decided he'll have a rating of 3: Bad, Good, and Great. He rated Gumbo Shop "Good." I'd give it a 6. It wasn't bad but I was expecting a lot.

After lunch we toured a little more of the city and then got back on the road.

Three hours later we arrived in Lafayette where we settled down for even more Louisiana eating at Prejean's.

I wasn't anywhere close to hungrytown but that didn't really stop us. We ordered the fried sampler that included frogs legs, alligator, mushrooms, crawfish, shrimp, and boudin balls. It was incredible and frogs legs taste like chicken.

I ordered the dark andouille gumbo laced with smoked duck. I tapped out after this one. Add a fire, bearskin rug, and a ski lodge and this dish would be a perfect fit.

Peter decided on the crab and corn bisque. I fought him for more tastes. So sweet. So crabby. So delicious.

After dinner we searched for a motel with a gym! Tonight will be a night of relaxation with reading, gyming, and movie watching. Tomorrow it is off to Austin, TX to visit my theatre pal Kevin.

Happy trails and sweet dreams!

Lexi

Day 1: Making up for lost driving

2012-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

I've been struggling with a cold to end all colds. It started after my mom and I returned from a restful spa weekend. I woke up the next morning relaxed and glowing from my facial but could not swallow or talk. This continued on and my yearn to attend our friends New Years Eve party set me back another set of days as well as forcing us to postpone our road trip.

I woke up this morning and was finally able to breathe through my nose! The time had come to pack up and leave our small Ohio town.

I packed my goods.

And Peter packed his.

Said good bye to our chilly yard.

Loaded up the car and headed south.

Our first leg was uneventful. We made sandwiches and leftovers at at pit stop, snacked on the bags of Christmas chocolate (score), and made it through a good chunk of Game of Thrones without getting too confused over who was who and what exactly might be happening at any given time. Still, a very entertaining book!

Due to the "sick days" taken out of the trip we are plugging ahead to make up for lost time. We bypassed Nashville, which is only 5 hours from our home anyway, and will make it another adventure for another time. We clocked in a little over 10 hours of driving today, settling in Montgomery, Alabama for the night.

We did get a taste of the local dining, taking a page from Jane and Michael Stern by stopping at Martin's Restaurant for dinner.

As you can tell from the picture the place looks almost closed. It was in the back of a shopping complex was was the typical place we would have bypassed for a Denny's or the like. To our surprise Martin's was open and to our joy it was filled with lots of local families and elderly couples. A very friendly and delicious first Road Food experience.

We went all out. I started with some sweet tea and chowed down on their homemade cornbread and biscuits that they brought to the table; honey bear available to slather on either.

This wasn't necessarily the kind of place to whip out an old and noisy camera to take a picture of your food, but I am guessing that most of the places we go to will be like that, so I sucked it up, embarrassed Peter pink, and took a sneak shot of my fried chicken.

I ordered the fried chicken dinner (recommended by the Sterns) with mashed potatoes, butter peas, and collard greens. Peter got fried catfish still in the shape of the fish with tail and bones included under the batter. His sides were mashed potatoes, okra in tomato sauce, and coleslaw.

At the moment Peter is refusing to give this place a rating until we try the next joint on our list. He will say that it was better than the tuna sandwich he had for lunch this afternoon. I would give it a 7 out of 10. I like friend chicken and this had a lot of meat to it, but if it were not recommended I probably would have tried something else. Sides were excellent and I LOVED the sweet tea. The pies are also known at Martin's but with a belly full of fried chicken, three sides, and two cups of sweet tea, I had to tap out.

It may only be 9pm our time but I am exhausted and still in the state of constant motion even though I am sitting in one place.

Our plan for tomorrow is to head to New Orleans for lunch and to keep on keeping on.

To New Orleans and beyond!

Lexi

Prelude to a Road Road Trip

2012-01-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

Today the snow stuck to the ground for the first time this year and since the last time I wrote I've received my Masters degree! A lot more has happened in our lives that I've had no time until the end of December when I was literally shaking with excitement and exhaustion.

The holidays were jam packed with love and family and our return home included New Years spent celebrating with good friends. Our journey out west should have started today, but being under the weather from all this good cheer and relaxation has me moving sloth-like through the world.

For the next two weeks I'll be documenting our road trip from southern Ohio to Vancouver, BC where we will be staying for the next 5 months.

Peter and I will be spending lots of time in the car and to start things off we will be listening to George R.R. Martin's book Game of Thrones on tape. I've heard lots of good word surrounding this book and I'm excited to listen to this before I start watching the t.v. show.

Our next selection of road companions are two books from Jane and Michael Stern about food to find in many locations around the U.S. On Sundays Peter and I stop everything to curl up and listen to NPR's Splendid Table where we were first introduced to the Stern couple. We've hear a lot about the locations in these books so we snatched them up as quick as we could. I've already marked a few locations in 500 Things to Eat Before it's too Late but I have a feeling we'll be making in-the-moment decisions. The second book is the revised version of Road Food. We've passed these books around to friends and so far there has been some approval over the locations.

For my own personal reading stash includes three books. The Hobbit was a holiday selection which I am 3/4 of the way through. Think Like A Director by Michael Bloom is a book that's been required reading a few times in my educational career. It's been two years since I've read it last and I thought I would give myself a refresher before I re-enter the working world. The last book is Story by Robert McKee. This is the only one in the bunch that I will be reading for the first time. Peter read it this summer and strongly suggested that I give it a try since I plan to get some writing done over the next few months.

We'll be headed to New Orleans for the first stage of our trip and since we are attempting to avoid any snow related stalls in the trip we're heading south first.

Stay tuned to more blogs as the trip continues. And remember, adventure is out there!

Lexi

Checking in With the Kid

2011-06-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

When I was little, I loved horses. And when I say that I loved horses, I actually mean that I was OBSESSED with the animals. Okay, this picture is actually me dressed up as a unicorn and not a horse, but still... the idea is there.

I remember drawing pictures of horses for hours in my bedroom and only the best ones making it on my wall. I still remember the ultimate dream horse I had hoped of owning one day, a chestnut Quarter Horse with a star and a half cannon on all four legs :sigh: My future was so promising.

As we all know, change is part of life, and my life is no different from the average human beings. I never did get that dream horse. I did try but no matter how many "deals" I cut with my parents, or how many promises I made to myself, it never did happen. As I got older, the dream of owning a horse transformed into the absolute to own my own car. With the added importance of friends, sports, and boys my free time and day dreams were taken care of.

The next time I got on a horse was in my freshmen year of college. On a whim I signed up for a semester long course; I didn't make it past the first day. The course took place in an indoor arena in the middle of winter. The barn staff was not very helpful and I don't think they even knew which horses were being used in the lesson. My accident happened when I was in mid hoist, one foot in the stirrup and one hand on the reins, no real control and no one holding the hose for me, when my horse was spooked from some falling snow. I had dropped my reins but managed to stay on by holding the saddle and gripping with my one strapped leg. I was able to stay on the horse until one final buck launched me off and into the wall of the indoor arena. I was able to walk away with some minor injuries, but my mental state was very much weakened.

I've had a few more injuries since that day at the barn, not all from riding, but I have noticed that with age and injury, I have become more cautious and wary of potentially harmful situations. This is a new trait that I am not crazy about. Since becoming more cautious I have also grown to be more doubtful of myself and my body and recently, I have felt some of that doubt seeping into my non-athletic endeavors. Not a good thing.

In the past, I was never worried or fearful of challenges; I'm sure some of it was attributed to being a little naive, but still, I enjoyed pushing ahead and would always believe in myself even if it was in the simple belief of having fun in that moment. This January, I made the resolution to be active in fighting off the fear and doubt that has been slipping into my lifestyle. Though it feels strange to be spending time on an issue that I have never had to spend time on in the past, I know that facing this problem now will pay out in the long run. Like I said, it may be age, experience, and injury that has aided in my questioning, but regardless of how or why it started, I know that there is more to life than second guessing.

I got to work right away on my resolution. I sat down one day and made a list of all situations and activities I was worried about or no longer felt confident in. At the top of the list was horseback riding. Being New Years and all, I got online that day and signed up for my first horseback riding lesson in over six years. It was exhilarating. Everything felt good. I talked up the riding class to all my friends. I enjoyed the feeling of the exclamations I received from my onlookers. "Wow. I don't think I could do that." and "I wish I could ride." I was all ready to go until the first day my class went to the barn.

Me and my classmates never actually got on a house that first day, but as we toured the facilities, I could feel myself shaking, literally, in my boots. I could not remember the feeling I once had towards the horses and kept a good distance between myself and my four legged friends of old. Sure the sweaty palms and shaking knees could have been from excitement, but I'm pretty sure I was completely freaking out inside. As the class left the barn for the day, knowing we would be back to ride, I secretly thought that maybe I could just drop the class to say I was focusing on my research; People would believe that, right?

I didn't drop the class. I was scared to go back but I stayed with it. My first lesson did not go well, and I was not sold. I will repeat again, that I stuck with it. Even when I was on the verge of tears that first day of riding. I found myself standing in the middle of the arena as my instructor got my finicky horse under control. I had stayed on for a total of one minute before I was asked to hop off again. So there I stood in the middle of the ring for the first few minutes of class while everyone else rode in circles around me. I felt super awkward when I got back on my horse, and I'm sure the horse could sense it too. It was frustrating, mostly because I knew I had been able to do this at one point in my life and at that moment, the experience felt alien.

My return was not instant, it did take a couple difficult classes before everything clicked. It was my third lesson and I was late getting to the barn that day. I tacked up my horse as fast as I could, making it to the ring just in time for the start of the lesson. Since that day of being so rushed that I forgot to get nervous, my fears of bucking, biting, kicking, of falling off and tearing my legs apart, did not have a chance to percolate into my experience. The term ended with zero injuries on my side and a return to an old love. As my confidence grew, my riding ability and the way the horse would respond to my commands improved. On the day we started to canter, I was the first one up to try. It took a moment to catch on but once I was in that motion, I connected back how much I loved to ride at that pace. It's super fun!

I've continued my lessons into the summer session, improving my technique and looking forward to pushing myself towards jumping again.There is a lot to be said for self motivation but a large portion of my comfort with riding again has to be attributed to the amazing barn staff. They where available when I needed help and worked with the level that I, mentally, was able to ride at. Not all barns are like this, so I feel very fortunate to have worked with the people and horses that I did.

Trying new things and taking a step into the unknown seems to be what is recomended the most, and I agree; new experiences are often times the most frightening and a good way to gain confidence without reliving difficult moments. I guess what I wanted to share, was the importance of reliving the past and giving something a second chance. We all grow up and forget. I know that my younger self would never forgive me if I had truly given up horseback riding. For my older self, the experience of rekindling a lost love has helped me reconnect with some of my confidence and understanding the importance overcoming personal challenges.

I can now say; here's to you, kid!

The Dog Days Are Over... hopefully.

2011-06-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

It is always easy to share positive events in life. The celebration over good stuff is often times the best part. The difficult and embarrassing stuff that makes you want to crawl into a hole to hide away for a few years, not so much. Hey, that is the big issue with trusting written history, right? I mean, who really wants to document getting destroyed by another country, wetting their pants, or getting fired? Why relive it? Why share?

After this past weekend, I was questioning whether or not to document my rough experience via blog. As is, I'm already doomed to six weeks worth of bad jokes from my husband, as well as be labeled an idiot by a good amount of engineers and their students, so why should I propagate the embarrassment. In the end, I decided to share my woeful tale because the tough lessons are always the best; especially when you remember to follow them.

I FORGOT THE CAMERA. I forgot that stupid, bloody, most important part of making a damn documentary, camera. Please release all laughter now.

I've been filming on and off for roughly six months and have had that camera within arm’s length every time I've checked it out of the lab. When I traveled from southern Ohio to St. Paul, Minnesota, I had the camera on the chair next to me while I ate, I even stuffed it under our bed so if some bastard criminal broke in looking for my HD camera, I would be able to wake up and take them down before the camera was stolen. I treated that camera with the same care and attention all parents should give their children which is why I am still having a hard time understanding why I neglected my baby.

The lawnmower competition took place this weekend in Fairborn, Ohio, a little over an hour from where we live. Compared to the trek we made in January to Minnesota, this seemed like a breeze. (Warning sign #1) One issue I had in St. Paul was lack of storage space for the footage. Shooting over three days took up a lot of room, and I actually had to begin editing on the road. I even attempted to edit while filming which was the cause for me missing some unique moments that you just can't expect to happen. This time, I was very stingy with the shots I was taking. I've also noticed that I have been filming a lot of the same shots. How many times does an audience need to see students silently working on their laptop in the grass? Not as much as I have filmed, that's for sure.

Friday morning and afternoon was spent prepping the robot for the approval run that would officially get them into the competition. For filming purposes, there was a lot of the same activities I had already captured and not a lot to do once I got shots of the fields, competition site, and the team’s qualification. Basically, if I did not have a camera on this day, all would have been dandy. Once I got everything I could while saving room on the cards for the next day of competition, I left in the early evening to head home and have a much needed date with my thesis.

Saturday was the big day, D day of sorts. Saturday was the day I would rely on when I felt I missed something at the snowplow competition. I've even said on a few occasions, "not much room for this shot, but at least the main focus will be on the lawnmower competition." We loaded up the car, picked up the student we were driving, and made multiple attempts to get breakfast on the road. Even after leaving around 8am we got to the fields at around 9:45am, 45 min. after we were suppose to arrive. I jumped out of the car, a bit flustered that I had already missed about an hour’s worth of competition, only to discover the trunk of our car was neglecting a camera. THE camera.

It was unbelievable. It was horrific. It was a fact that was unavoidable.

I was speechless when I got back into the car and started the engine, leaving the students and robots behind me. Over the course of my two hour journey driving home and back again, I am very sure I experienced all seven stages of grief. Denial was probably the shortest lived. I think denial hit when I first opened the trunk of my car.I don't even think I understood what was going on until my husband asked, "where's your camera?" Pain and guilt hit hard. I cried my eyes out like a little baby, whimpering to myself as I got on the highway. 'How could this have happened?' What a selfish little snob I had become!' (The last time I looked that pathetic was when I found out I had torn my second ACL, forcing me out of the US National championships for Ultimate. It was so bad, the doctor asked if I needed a sports psychologist.) Anger was probably an experience worth documenting alone. It was seriously over the top. I punched the steering wheel, I cursed at every red light that forced me to come to a halt. I blamed the distractions of the morning! 'Why couldn't people get their own breakfast?!' 'Why didn't I have a crew?!' 'How was I supposed to do everything all by myself!!!!' 'WHY DO YOU HATE ME WORLD!!!!' Once I got home and had my camera again, I started my reflection phase. I suddenly remembered hearing the day before that the team was scheduled to go at 12:30pm and if I made good time, I could get there by 12:15pm! There was still hope. I might just be bale to successfully document the final competition. All was not lost. And as I ran onto the field at 12:18pm, camera in hand, I saw the team quietly sitting in garden chairs. Their run was long over.

I could feel the depression setting in; my self hatred was at an overload. This was the end. But before I could run off, screaming and crying, the team informed me that while they had made a run, they were scheduled for a second round to try and get more points overall.

In the end, the majority of the teams did not do well on their first runs, which extended overall length of the competition and allowed me to film enough to get me by. Also, while I was gone, my incredible husband managed to find a camera to document the first run for me. All was not lost!

In conclusion, there is no such thing is being overly attentive to details. Never assume. Always prepare as if you're going to film in Minnesota. Make a freaking check-list. And treat these trying situations as important life lessons that you will never forget.

When I got home after a seriously long day, I decided to leave all my stress of the day back in Fairborn. And when I opened up the trunk of my car to take out the camera, I realized I FORGOT THE TRIPOD.

~The End

For anyone who has made it to the end of this post, CONGRATS! Here is a little something for you... the promo video for the snowplow competition! Hope you enjoy.

Stills from a day in the studio

2011-06-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here is to C. Webster!

2011-05-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

At the end of this week I will be headed to ION's Robotic Lawnmower Competition in Dayton, Ohio. Once again the Panasonic HD camera will be strapped to my arm in an effort to document the creation of a lawnmower robot. Essentially, I'll be following the same team as they compete at their second autonomous robot competition. For those of you who read the snowplow competition, other than making the snowplow into a lawnmower, only this time, instead of dealing with the horrible snow and dark skies, I'll be lathering on the sunscreen and trying not to get my shadow in the way of the shot.

All has gone relatively well and I'm learning something new every day. The one major downside to making a documentary is that a project such as this requires a commitment that can create major conflicts. My conflict, is that my brother will be graduating from college on the exact same day as the lawnmower finals. In many situations I feel that there is the opportunity to reschedule or drop a thing of conflict; in this case, not so much. The one day that I HAVE TO film in order to complete the film and pass my class, my little brother will be celebrating a huge life achievement in Vermont. Even with a few attempts to try and fly out as soon as the competition was over, so I could possibly join my family for a late celebration, the plan proved to be a mission impossible.

This is not the end in terms of seeing my little bro and celebrating him. I'll join my whole
family at the Cape in July. Regardless, the situation is a huge bummer. While I know
this may not make up for the physical/emotional support I should be providing this
coming weekend, I've decided to dedicate the documentary to my little brother.
(This will be on top of the actual graduation gift I'm sending him, so don't think I'm trying
to be cheap :P) So here is to awesome achievements! Love you, bro! Huge congrats!

Below I have included some stills of the team working in the lab. More to come...
~Lex

Ryan working on the primary blade under the lawnmower.

You'll be seeing a lot of this guy in the film. This is a shot of the dog they send in to make sure the lawnmower can sense an innocent bystander. Basically, it is a little more PC than using a baby or small child to place in the path of a robot lawnmower.

Close of new wiring.

Aditya in the lab. As you can see, it's got some good light, traditional engineering couch
for late night crash sessions, and the dog looks on in approval.

Filming on the Road (part 3)

2011-05-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

On the third day I rose again, this time for the "I" shaped competition where Miami would compete in the first plowing round of two.

This was probably my favorite day for shooting. I was super prepped and ready to get some competition on film. At this point I had grown (somewhat) accustomed to the weather; at least I had come to an understanding of what I would be dealing with that day. With hand warmers shoved in my gloves, down my boots, and pretty much anywhere I could stick one, I was good to go for most of the day. The hand warmers were a brilliant move, especially since the team didn't go until the end of the day.

Here you can see the shots of the plow doing a very nice job of getting rid of that pesky snow. The blue lines are the barriors that if touched by the plow, will deduct points from the total score. Also note the crowed that showed up to watch the little plow that could!

Miami did an amazing job on this day. As you can see, the plow itself is a pretty powerful beast and got most of the snow in one swipe. Other teams were not as fortunate. Some malfunctioned, others were a bit too confident in their plowing capabilities and hit the kill switch a touch too late. An exciting day from a documentary perspective!

Stay tuned for the "U" shape!

-Lex

A Morning in Spring

2011-04-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

scent of sweet morning murmur through shivering curtains arrives
chasing misty dreams from sleep laden lashes
and brewing bite within porcelain embrace

prompts the call to arise and rejoice
all has been renewed!

Hummmm...

2011-04-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

What could be going on here?

Take Time to SEE the Flowers

2011-04-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

This week I sent my students out to find art around campus. My goal was to force the students to actually stop texting/rushing to and from class and actually take a little time to focus in on what they would usually walk past without a thought.

The idea stemmed from a recent visit to my Alma mater. I returned to the campus of my undergraduate career, and, for what felt like the first time ever, I took time to breathe in the space. Like most students I had a million and one activities that made me joyfully dash from one end of campus to the other, never taking a moment to stop and take in where I was at that point in my life. The campus is beautiful and place I will always treasure. From the big red leather couches of the JCR, to the cozy study nooks of Graham library, I still get a sense of home when ever I can pop in for a look around. And while it was wonderful to return to my old haunts, I did feel a bit of regret that those days were now over and that I may not have fully appreciated myself or my school at that time. So in a small way, I wanted to give my students a chance to take a moment to look a little closer at what will always remain a part of their lives.

I honestly didn't know how this project would fair with my students especially since a good portion of them are now four weeks away from graduating; all the more reason to require them to take a look around.

Here are some of my favorites...

This is a picture of some painted rocks, slightly hidden. My favorite part is the discarded cigarette butts that scatter the ground.

The reflective ceiling of the library cafe. None of the students could guess where this picture was taken. Looking forward to my next coffee trip!

Students performing on a beautiful spring night.

This is a sculpture that is difficult to miss. This is on my rout to and from class when I am on my bike, so it is something that I've always recognised. The shocking thing was that a lot of my students had claimed to never have seen it before.

Pinhole picture of the arts building taken from the perspective of an ant. :P

The project seemed to go over well. It was really fun to try and guess where the pictures had been taken. It was also nice to take some time and take in another campus where I am, yet again, a busy student.

-Lex

Food For Thought

2011-03-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

I found it hilarious that along with lighting and filming techniques, my documentary books provided a ton of information on how one should go about feeding a cast and crew.

For those who saw the Oscars this year, you may have seen "God of Carnage" director, Luke Matheny, thank his mother for being the catering manager on set. Yep, happy people usually have full bellies, and having home cooked meals works just fine (so says my how to book).

While filming on the road in St. Paul, I was very lucky to have the food taken care of by the event. I was also shooting alone, so I didn't really have to worry about taking care of any disgruntled/starving coworkers to deal with. Tomorrow morning I will be running my first round of interviews with students from the autonomous team. The guys have been very kind to let me interview them, especially since the students are not getting any academic or financial credit for the film, so today I made milky way stuffed cookies (pictured) to thank them for their time.

In June I'll be filming the lawnmower competition the team will be competing in. The location will not be far from us, so I am hoping to enlist some friends to help with the outdoor shoot. Keeping people you hire is one thing, but keeping kind friends happy is another. I am already planning to cover all their food and travel expenses. Though my books say one can ask restaurants ahead of time if they will discount the production, or donate food for some free advertising in the film, I think my "crew" is going to be small enough that I can bring snacks for the day and then treat to a dinner at the end of the day.

At least the cookies are good to go for tomorrow!

Lex

Quick Clips

2011-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays are my documentary days. From around 1 pm until I have to hand my key in at 9 pm, I get the editing studio all to myself. For the past month I have been playing around with the final cut pro book, working my way through the INTERACTIVE chapters as I begin editing for the first time. As of now, I've gone through all my clips from the snowplow competition, noted what looks interesting or should never see the light of day, and now have a pretty good idea of where I see the story going. I still have a good deal of filming to do since the lawnmower competition isn't until June and until then, the snowplow section has provided enough work for me to practice on. For now, I have two projects on my "to-do" board before I can dive into the long-term project.

To Do

1) Finish promo video for the Engineering Department.

For some reason I thought this would be simple. A quick 2 min. montage of the competition shouldn’t take long, should it? Well, this tends to take a bit longer when there are chapters to be handed in, and lessons to be covered. Oh, and when I can just blindly put crap up and fade in and out… nono… must ingest and learn along the way.

2) Interviews!

My plan at this point is to shoot some next week and then the week after. The schedule has been tricky with booking equipment. Midterms are around this time of year and I am low on the important scale. The other problem is settling on my scripted questions. I have found it very difficult to remain satisfied with my written work. Of course, it is always a joy to come up with the great questions in the middle of the night.

Here are two short clips. I've finally figured out how to condense and upload some of the shorter stuff. Can't promise quality... so here is some quantity,

Clip 1) Here is the robot! It is using GPS to find its way in the world! I can't get away with how much it reminds me of WallE!

Clip 2) The second clip is one that I have entitled "High Aspirations." There had been a large amount of snow (for this area) that had fallen the night before. You might be able to hear me chuckling to myself as I set up the shot for the robot to watch a real snowplow in action.

Back to the cave!

Lex

Mr. Golden Sun

2011-02-16T06:49:00.000-08:00

Shooting during the winter months has been a bit tricky. Here, you can see proof of the great differences winter sun can make in these two shots of the students.

The first still was taken in southern Ohio at around 5pm in late January. This was shot during the group's test runs before the competition.

The second still was taken at the competition site (you can see the competition path behind him) I was outside all day and the light would drastically change on a regular basis. Here you can see the difference of a 5pm early winter evening compared to a crisp snowy 1pm day shot.

Lex

Dream Job #5

2011-02-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

Life as a sportscaster has got to be one of the top jobs in my mind. Top five for sure. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard one complain about job requirements. To me, watching sports, talking sports, eating sporty food, and hanging around sporty people sounds like something I would pay money to take part in, not the other way around.

At the 2009 Canadian Ultimate (Frisbee) Championship in Winnipeg, I was asked by a friend of mine to help with commentating on the women's championship game. Obviously, I didn't mind at all.

While simply seeing the game from the bids-eye view was enough of a bonus, I recently found out that there is a recording floating around on the Internet. Here is my first attempt as a sports commentator for a truly incredible game of Ultimate. (As you can probably tell, I am more than slightly biased towards Toronto) The recoding of the game is located on the Ultimate blog, IAmUltimate.

Big thanks go out to Tushar, Rahil, and Steve, the three sporty guys who made this possible! Thanks for a dream afternoon! Good fun to be had!

Lex

Filming on the Road (part 2)

2011-02-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Day two in St. Paul was pretty low key. As I said before, I was really anxious about getting footage and making sure I had everything in place and ready to go, so the down time seemed to work against me.

While the group worked together on their laptops and practice for their presentations later that night, I went on a recon mission to scope out the competition location. Until that day I had been imagining a frozen wasteland where the robots would be let loose, free to plow their little metal hearts out. My imagination got the better of me I discovered when we drove the massive white van from our hotel and found the park..

To my surprise the competition would be held in "Rice Park," St. Paul's location for their annual winter festival. Beyond the barricades for viewers to walk by and see the competition, were ice sculpting competitions, music, fresh made donuts and corn dogs. In the competition section, there were mini white tents for shelter, and two designated plowing locations.

For filming the next day, I was excited to see that the ground looked pretty even, and there were street lamps lining the strip which would allow me to shoot some of the early morning shots without lugging around lights. The big bonus was seeing that the competition would be pretty centrally located. (Yay for warm coffee shops)

After the recon mission, we went back to the hotel to pick up the team, grabbed a quick dinner and proceeded to the presentation part of the competition.

Here is a still showing the competition organizers putting the order of school presentations on a board. As a theatre major, all I could thing was "engineering conference and no tape for the names on the competition order board?" I know for a fact that techies would never allow this to happen.

This is a still of the presenters from our team. They went third and did a wonderful job, especially during the Q and A session.

The presentations were held at the science museum in St. Paul. The place was really nice; I tend to be a sucker for science museums in general. I had a moment where I realized that I didn't enter in with a filming permit. While I could get away with filming the competition, the actual building itself could refuse to let me film there. With a smile, and a small amount of stuff, I walked right past the security and was good to film for the evening.

The food was good, the presentations took a long time. After three hours of standing around and filming the schmoozing, I was pretty tired. The bonus about that night was that I took care of most of the image release wavers I needed signed from opposing teams, as well as meeting everyone to tell them what I was planing to do over the course of the weekend. Since the presentation night was the only time I would see these people with less than five layers of clothing on, it proved to be very beneficial to talk to people face to face before I started talking camera to face.

After the talks, we went out for some more food and then back to the hotel. We were planning on an early morning the next day, so I called it a night.

Here is a still taken while driving to the site at 7am on Competition day. You can see through the window some of the celebrations going on.

Lex

Plan B: Not to B underestimated

2011-02-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

When a friend tells you that it is their firm belief that Superbowl Sunday surpasses Thanksgiving on the holiday scale, you know their Superbowl party is going to be legendary. And it was.

This Sunday I lavished in the massive amounts of homemade mac and cheese, meatballs,and a "ruben dip" complete with rye bread crackers. The comfort level was high with the multiple television sets distributed around the house, beer within arms length, and good friends and company to share all the Superbowl abundance with. The whole party could have taken a turn into the unimaginable when my friends famous stadium cake (complete with gummy bear players) crumbled on its exit from the mold.

I dropped by my friend's house a bit early to help with the set up. By the time I got there, stadium cake #2 was already in the oven and the scraps salvaged from Stadium cake #1 sat lethargically on a plate for us to eat as an early snack. We busied ourselves with cooking and decorating tasks while waiting patiently for the mold to cool on the counter. After a while we utilized the wooden spoon taping technique when the cake still wouldn't budge and even shoved the thing in the refrigerator to help with the extraction process. After the waiting and watching and doing our darnedest to coax the cake out of its hiding place, we took the mold in both hands and proceeded to shake the damn thing out. The brutal technique worked, but only for half of the cake. While one side was near perfect in its stadium design, the other side crumbled out, not the form of a stadium but resembling some of the ruins of ancient Greece. It was a tragedy.

My poor friend threw in the towel. The stadium cake, whose fame had been known to all attending the party, whose failure was not even something to be talked about, was just not going to happen this year. How could it?

Well, with a little engineering and the use of failed cake #1, we brought the stadium to life by adding a dome to the decrepit side.It started out as a long shot idea, but as we worked together, the stadium was created for the little Stealer/Packer gummy bears. Below are the pictures of our plan B stadium cake. Also included is an aerial shot of the cowboy's stadium for comparison. Personally, I think we did pretty well.

Can you spot the Polamalu bear?

Good luck to all of you and your B options in the future.

-Lex

Filming on the Road (part 1)

2011-01-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

An adventure of filming on the road. Exciting, cold, worrisome, and overall quite satisfying! Now that I am home, I'm starting to reflect on the fun I had. I met some great people, got to know my subjects better, ate WAY too many french fries, and understand a little bit more about the filming process. Excellent.

Here is part 1 from the road...

My journey began on a chilly Wednesday morning (chilly for Ohio). We started the morning off with a trip to McDonald's, I got a coffee because, at this point in the journey, I was still being conscious of my health.

To get to Minnesota we needed the traditional, awkwardly large, white, fifteen passenger van to load up with the groups robotic equipment, my video equipment, and then cramming ourselves and our luggage in on top of it all. The 12+ hour trip from Ohio to Minnesota was a long one. I rotated in for a three hour round behind the wheel of our "whale van," and was more than overjoyed when we pulled over so I could immediately rotate out of it. A van with shaky steering and full of college boys was a little bit stressful. However, having Vinyl Cafe on in the background did help out. I highly recomend it for anyone who plans to drive long distances.

For the equiptment I brought along for the shoot, there was an HVX200A camera which I borrowed from the school's COM department. Other doc needs were a tripod. I opted for a less steady but lighter version of the tripods I am used to, mostly because I wasn't sure how much moving around I would be doing and I decided lighter would be better. I also brought along a shoulder balancer for the camera. It helps to steady your shot by attaching the camera to a metal rod with an arm rest as well as a shoulder rest attached on the opposite end. I was really excited about this new toy because a lot of my close shots from the practice rounds came back very shaky and made me very unhappy. In the end, I ended up learning how to better brace the camera with my elbow. I used the balancer once but generally left the equipment alone.

A lesson I learned from the first leg of the shoot was to just chill out. I entered into the trip super excited and ready to go. I was almost salivating, wondering if I should be filming at every second, and getting a bit annoyed that I had decided to eat and chat, rather than film the group in a relaxed setting. I had also planned out a bunch of shots I was hoping to get early on. I wrote ideas down in my journal and circled the ones that would be most important.

All the planning, and chomping at the bit proved to be a bit of a waste in terms of my energy. I knew the basic premise of what was going to happen and generally what days these events would occur. What I didn't know or understand was the lack of action at the start of the trip. There was a lot of down time on my part and I think that if I had known that I would be given that time early on, I would have made a few more check lists for the busy days ahead and just relaxed, ate my food, and stopped fretting.

-Lex

Project: Autonomous Snowplow

2011-01-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! Today means that week two of the spring term has finished and with the week brings my exit from my French language class followed by my entrance to the editing studio. This afternoon I was left all by my lonesome to play around with Final Cut Pro and a few hours worth of footage I have collected.

Okay, so I've already said I am making a documentary for my first filming experience but the big question still remains, what is this going to be about? I'll bet a good portion of people have assumed Ultimate. Rightly so. I've actually always fantasized, as a player, to be filmed for a documentary on the success of the championship team I was playing on. :sigh: I Bleed Black was one of my obsessions as a high school Ulti player.

An Ultimate based documentary is still an awesome story to tell, for Ultimate junkies, the story I plan to film this term will be based on a group of engineering students as they build their very own autonomous lawnmower. Yes, you read correctly. They will essentially be building their own lawnmower "roomba." And the best part... the lawnmower will be submitted into the annual autonomous lawnmower competition this summer. Amazing, I know.

But first things first! It is winter here in Ohio and the competition is a long way off. Next week the team will be heading out for their own preliminary competition in the first autonomous snowplow competition in St. Paul, MN. I will be traveling with the engineering team to document the competition! Info to the competition can be found here.

This weekend will be focused on insuring all equipment, packing VERY warm clothes, and prepping for a weekends worth of shooting. Woo!

Below are a few stills of the team's practice runs. I love how the snowplow looks a bit like WallE!

To the right is a shot taken from behind the robot. This is from a short clip I've entitled, "High Aspirations" because he is sitting watching the bigger plow drive by. You can sort of see the little green plow at work at the top.

The shot to the left is of the students and their autonomous snowplow hard at work. Light was tough that day because I started shooting around 5:30pm. Still cute.

Happy weekend!

-Lex

Take One

2011-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today was the completion of my first week working on my documentary film-making independent study. Now, you may be asking why theatre MA would decide to add a documentary film onto her ever growing pile of grad work? Good question.

Here is my list:
-Gain technical experience (much needed) in the form of camera work, editing, and building on my theatrical knowledge of storytelling.
-Spend time with another medium.
-Take advantage of the cornucopia of equipment that, as a student, I have the ability to get my hands on equipment that would be very much out of my financial reach.
-Practice for my supplementary video that will go along with my written thesis.

Photo: The two books I am starting with, recommended by my prof. So far I have read a little of the "Shut Up and Shoot" by Anthony Q Artis. The other book I have is the fifth edition of "Directing the Documentary" by Muchael Rabiger.

Today I sat with my prof to look over some freshly uploaded footage that I had gathered from last week. My original goal was to put up some stills or a quick shot, but only a couple of frames made it off the cutting block, and by a couple I do mean two shots. The main issue was that person shooting was a beginner. The secondary issue was the fact the time of day and year I had decided to begin shooting outside.

Now onto week two of lugging equipment all around campus with my crew, right bicep and left bicep. Stay tuned!

Lex

Second Year

2011-01-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Photo: One of our actors taking a moment before rehearsal for the Production of "ART" I worked as AD for.

This week marks my official movement into the second (and last) year of my Masters degree. And as I begin this term, I am a little surprised by how very good I feel about what lies ahead for me. Looking back, the past year was quite busy and emotionally draining, to say the least, yet somehow I made it through. I firmly believe, that regardless of which field of study you choose to follow, grad school can be as much a personal battle as it is academic.

Over the winter break, I went back to visit my alma mater, U of Toronto. The campus was just about to open after the Canadian university's shorter winter vacation, allowing myself a chance to peak in and wander around to search out some of my old haunts. To say that U of T was a coming of age time of my life would be an understatement. U of T is the place where I first lived away from my family for any extended amount of time. It is the location that brought me some of my most cherished friends, as well as providing the "Ultimate" opportunity to meet the man who would become my husband. When I left campus this January, I wished that I had been more aware to take the time to just sit and breathe it all in. Because I didn't. And I know I didn't do that my first full year of grad school either.

I hadn't made a New Years resolution on Jan. 31st or 1st, but after my visit to my old campus where so many momentous experiences occurred, I am really going to try to be more aware of what I am doing in the present and to take it all in at that moment. Hopefully this way, when I revisit this campus, I will be able to walk away with no wishes of what I should have taken time to experience during the time I was a grad student. The year ahead is looking full of creative endeavors! I'll be making a documentary film for an independent study, researching for a play I'll be directing in the fall, and seeing lots of interesting shows and people that will be gracing this small college town of ours! Happy 2011!

-Lex

Word On The Street

2010-10-15T07:06:00.001-07:00

Living in a small college town, there is always a good deal of hoopla and gossip that stems from the discovery that there will be a "new place". This new information tends to consume the towns the residents, all of whom comment on what it could be like when the finishing touches are completed and all of our fantasies have come true; we all have been disappointed in the past...

While some of the rumors do, in fact, come to fruition, it is really interesting to see the rumor mill at work as some of the brightest people I know become engrossed in embellished rumors.

Since moving here about a year ago, I have noticed a few recycled rumors.These are my favorite, "A Panera Bread is coming to High Street! I can't wait for a place with muffins." or "All night diner. Walking distance! That is something we just don't have!" And of course my favorite, "a Lebanese place! I swear! No longer will I have to trek to the city to get my shawarma fix!"

Now why am I getting all up in arms about these silly small town discussions? Because I have recently become emotionally invested in a new and mysterious place that is supposedly having its soft opening tonight! From our many discussions, I have heard the words "wine bar", "fancy coffee shop", and "gourmet" all being thrown around when there is any mention of the no-name-new-place. I am worried because everything I have heard, I love, and the issue that concerns me is that no one really knows what is going on in there. My greatest fear for this evening is realizing that the deep seeded need for a more "adult" location, created by hopeful profs and grad students alike, will all be a lie. To be honest, I don't even know if the "soft opening" tonight is entirely factual.

Even if the night is a bust, I have added in pumpkin carving for the evening activities to lessen the potential blow :)

Stay tuned...

Lex

Baaaaaaaaack?

2010-04-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

:whew: It sure has been a long time since I have been on here! Leave it to the three 15 page papers still to write, a scene presentation to rehearse and interactive workshop to compile, to turn me back to the old trusty blog.

I guess one could say that life has been good/busy enough to keep me from the blogging world. Over the past little while I have had some pretty major event happen in my life... 1) I got hitched! (score!) 2. I moved from London, UK to Western MA. and now have come to settle my married self down in the Mid-West. (horror) 3) And last but not least, I have made my return to academia aka "grad school." (double horror) Yes, non-cyber life has been pretty sweet.

Stay tuned. More to come....

Lex

Trading Bubbles

2009-09-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've never been much of a runner. My rule of thumb was that if there was nothing to chase, (disc, ball, carrot) than I lost interest pretty quickly and focused more on sports like Ultimate, Basketball and Horseback riding ;)

Alas, Ultimate has pretty much maimed me, basketball can also be tough on the knees, and horseback riding is a bit on the pricey side at the moment; now I question how my parents were ever able to afford my horse obsession. But since the summer, I started running.... just for the sake of running.

It all started this summer when one of my co-workers was training for a marathon. During our time off, we hit the pool and did some pool running. For some reason, I LOVE pool running, it was the best workout I got while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. After the pool, we transitioned into half hour runs in the morning. I have horrible running form, so running with someone who knows what they're doing proved to be very beneficial towards my stamina and overall enjoyment of the sport.

The best thing that I could have done was to keep at it. After work ended, I kept up the early morning run, and because of that, running became less scary/annoying/difficult/tiring, and more of a piece of my day. Wherever I traveled, all I really needed was some sneakers and a sports bra, and I was good to go.

Last weekend, I decided, last minute, that I would buckle down and sign up for my first ever race, the State to State Half-Marathon, conveniently located a few minutes from where I live! I took on the 5k, and I honestly had no idea how I would do in this situation. I guess it didn't help much that my fiancee and I had a bit of a rock band party, where a fare amount of beer and pizza were consumed and I didn't get to sleep until about 2am, leaving me 5 hours before I had to get ready for my race.

Surprisingly, I did pretty well for my first race. I clocked in about 27.32 min. on the 5k. And I found that running with a bunch of other people was great fun. There was music playing, people cheering you on from the side of the road and behind you as you started going up hill. Everyone was friendly, warm and welcoming, and I left the race with a bag full of free stuff, and a huge smile on my face.

In all honesty, I have always been a bit intimidated by those "running folk", with their water bottle belts, timing watches, and the fact that these people can run forever. With all that gear, motivation, and the fact that this is a very solo sport, the race brought a great community together that was supportive and made me feel like a champ, something I have been missing from my lost days of Ultimate.

Last night I made my way to join a running group I had received a pamphlet from last weekend, and once again, I had a very nice welcome to the group that provided me with lots of information on how big the running bubble really is... it's shocking! And while the shortest distance being run last night was a 5 miler, mostly because one of the guys was getting off of bronchitis, I definitely have been working my way up since my running phobia.

I don't know if I have truly been "bitten by the bug", as we used to say once people became obsessed with Ultimate, but it is refreshing to get a glimpse of this new, and pretty exciting new world. It showed me, once again, how large a community can be once you actually get a chance to focus in on it. And since my race, I have found so many other races, in my area and around the world, that are all for good causes and they look like a lot of fun!

The pluses that I took away from my first race where:
-nice supportive people
-a goal setting activity
-I got my first race number to put on my shirt (something I have always deemed as "pretty cool")
-great workout
-goodie bags!
-cheap
-can use it as an excuse to see the world
Lex

Taking A Closer Look

2009-09-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I lucked out when the head of the theatre department invited me to a seminar/question and answer session with Leah Fondakowski, company member of Tectonic Theatre Project and head writer of the play The Laramie Project.

I had been invited by the head of the graduate department at the University, whom I had been meeting about my potential Masters work. He invited me to come to the Seminar that Leah was speaking at, as well as experience one of the historiography classes, a course I would be taking in the future. I'm pretty sure I skipped to the meeting location.

Leah was warm, welcoming, and actually more interested in answering our questions than reciting her resume. The Laramie Project is a play that I have studied a few times, in both high school and college, and I am sure Leah knew her audience, a room full of grad theatre students; she knew we had read about her work, and head seen the HBO film of her play.

What I really loved hearing from her was the process of creating the show. The Laramie Project. is an interview based piece, using the information the company gained right from the people of the community. While Leah does not prefer the term "docu-drama", she reluctantly gave in that there really was no better term for this kind of work, because essentially, that is the direction of the piece. Where the change occurs is really in the creative approach they take with the information to make it translate on stage.

I asked Leah how they managed to begin the process of bringing the information to the stage, was it improve based or more text based. She said that they really focused on moments, what moments were really important to include from the information they brought together, and this collected information was on hundreds of cassette tapes from their recorded interviews. The moments they wanted to bring to the show would range from action to emotion, a connection to the story they wanted to tell. The example she gave was that one actor started by putting his foot up on the chair and placing his cowboy hat on his head, and froze. From that position, more actors came in and set up around him. Next thing they knew, there was the beginning of a scene, an the characters were placed into that positioning, finding a similar moment they envisioned during the interviews.

It was incredible that this show, that has been so revolutionary in creative education on hate crimes and interview based performance, began with one person suggesting traveling to Laramie to interview on the hate crime against Mathew Sheppard, and that's all it took was a suggestion and a supportive company to get the ball rolling.

The visit for the day concluded with a sneak peak at the new ten year anniversary reading of the Epilogue to the Laramie Project which will be performed early in October. It was an incredible look at how the community from a ten year perspective. I look forward to seeing the final piece.

Female Incentive

2009-09-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Over the summer a friend of mine pointed me towards a great book, focused on recent college grads, leaning towards the liberal arts majors. You Majored In What? by Katharine Brooks provided some very realistic and funny situations that I have found myself in, leaving me with an "I'm not alone" feeling.

What I gained most from the quick read was the exercises it provides, the majority of the book is focused on personal exploration. Just like What Color is Your Parachute, the book aims at helping the reader find what is actually interesting and passionate in their minds, vs what sounds or looks good to others, understanding for the young attitude for success. I found, after a half hour of scribbling on pad of paper, that I really liked the idea of directing where acting had never truly been my main drive, no matter how much fun it really was. The workbook broke down my love for working in the arts, being in charge, and enjoy working with groups. Coaching is another passion of mine. On top of that, creating stories is an exciting idea.

Up to now, I've applied for a M.A. in theatre arts to continue this new career move. What has been interesting and wonderful is how my friends and family have been supporting my new game plan. My email box has been filled with interesting facts on directing, schools in the area if I wanted to look into an MFA and also new articles.

Here is one my dad found in the New York Times today about female film maker in the Toronto International Film Festival. It was a little concern of mine, knowing that I would been entering a male dominant world, so reading this article was really a nice supportive voice.

I only wish I was still in Toronto to take advantage of the film festival!

Lex

THE Legendary (note) Book

2009-05-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

My return to London has been really wonderful, and the weather has been some of the best I have ever experienced here. Today, the rain has returned and is offering me an excellent chance to stay put and get some writing done.

Right now I am on an extended vacation of sorts. I have returned to the UK for a last visit before my fiance and I move to a more permanent location in the US. So far, the vacation has been great along with the most gorgeous weather I have ever experienced this side of the pond. Today, however, the rain has finally come, offering an excellent opportunity for some posting.

A few years ago, some friends of mine returned from a road trip, discussing something they referred to as "The Book". "The Book" was a blank notebook that would be used to jot down the most amazing and inspirational thoughts, ideas and moments that would occur during any given time. The best part of having "The Book", was to watch everyone look through it after a few weeks, recalling things they had forgotten about over time.

I only recently started by own "Book", mostly because of my hatred for journaling. For years I was required, through my practical theatre courses, to keep an up to date "journal" on my personal experiences. The journal was one of my most despised assignments. For one, it was a required assignment for the course. A book of personal information that I would have to hand in, only to be returned with a grad attached to it. Over time, it became less about my personal growth, and more about knowing what the professors like to read, it was bullshit.

Moving on from those days of journal drudgery, there is some excellent backup for jotting down information, especially the random stuff. Putting ideas and thoughts down on paper is a chance to keep the present thinking alive and updated. Revisiting past jots can bring on new ideas or further old ones. It pretty much gets you to work in increments, and I always feel more confident in ideas once I let them marinate a bit.

If you're looking for a notebook, I highly recommend the moleskine line. Though supposedly J.K.Rowling used napkins, which seemed to work pretty well in her case. ;)

Happy Jotting!

Lex

Passionate Endeavors

2009-05-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend was spent selling athletic gear to the high school athletes who attended this years Amherst Invitational Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. (sure is a mouthful)

For those who are unfamiliar with the sport, Ultimate Frisbee is one of those pastimes that usually becomes an obsession, it becomes your life. For fifteen years, that has been the case for me. I have been able to set personal goals for myself aiming to make the top club team in the area, I got work in sales and coaching within the sport, and it allowed me to meet some of the greatest people, ones who have forever changed my life. The sport is excellent. To find work that is aimed to the sport, even better.

While working under the main tent over the weekend, I reunited with a few of my friends who I had played Ultimate against in high school. Now graduates 2009, they are making an attempt at creating a new business, and it was incredible to hear the beginning stories of what they are having to go through.

The creation is "Ultispace", a website for Ultimate players set up profiles, sort of like are more specified "facebook". What is provided is access to Ultimate information. You are able to find out where there will be pick up games, questions that can be sent to knowledgeable players who will send you an answer, and a score reporter, which is what they were working on all this weekend.

For the creators, Brian Cook and Daniel Kasal, the work didn't just start on the Saturday of the tournament. Both had been working on fixing the site for three days with almost no sleep. They were troopers, especially when the weather got a bit cold and wet, but they were still out there, taking down scores so the viewers at home could check in.

Brian and Dan had great attitudes this weekend. And even through the exhaustion and frustration they dealt with, the passion for the sport and the excitement for their new company shown through all of the drudgery.

"Just to sit out here, being around Ultimate, and meeting the kids who signed up last night, you just have to love this life." -Dan Kasal

I've got my profile up and running! I really wish all the best for them.

www.ultispace.com

-Lex

Profile- John Mighton

2009-04-27T11:05:00.001-07:00

“We convince people they have only one talent, or usually there's only one subject that's not beyond their grasp. And I think that's totally unnecessary. From my work with kids I'm quite convinced that kids are born almost universally with abilities in both areas, if we would nurture those abilities." -John Mighton

When I started toying with the idea of setting up a blog, the main force that really inspired me to start writing was the ability I would have to share the stories and experiences of the incredible people I have encountered, offering examples of the great work and energy that these people produce daily, maybe sending those good vibes of inspiration to those in a similar place.

For my first profile, I have decided on John Mighton. Though he is not a "hidden jem" like some of my other profiles will be, his story is probably one of my favorites, and one that I love to share because of the multiple achievements that only he could have taken advantage of. Truly incredible.

It was at the start of my first year at the University of Toronto when I first read and met Mighton. John Mighton came a guest speaker in my drama 100 class. We had just finished reading his play, Possible Worlds , and were poised to ask the prepared questions our professor had requested for us to bring to class that day. To our surprise, John Mighton decided to go off the topic, speaking to us on a personal level about life as a working, and once struggling, artist. It was probably one of the most incredible lectures I had ever had.

As an artist, it is very difficult to get some perspective on the work you are doing. Writing especially. It can be difficult to gage weather or not the work itself is not good. The thought is always there, "it is just a lack of luck breaks that is stifling my rise to fame." Or "Other artists heard no, but kept going and went on to succeeded."

John spoke candidly to us about his many failed attempts. The play writing became more and more exhausting when success never came. He told us, that when one becomes so focused, when life is dedicated to one aspect, one profession, project, and lifestyle, if there is consistant dissapointment is added in, it can seem that there is no escape and the end goal is an unrealistic dream. It then that Mighton decided to make a change, taking life into entirely new direction and going back to school, this time for a Ph. D in Mathematics.

Mighton was an artist, and Like most artists, myself included, math and sciences were ruled out at an early age. Mighton's change enabled him start work from the beginning, with no assumptions, to discover achievements that had been lacking. Enlightened by the new found love of math, he also discovered a love of teaching through the tutoring jobs he had acquired through grad school. It was during his tutoring session that he began to play with educational techniques, or "tricks", building the confidence in his students who had been written down as being severely mathematically challenged.

Mighton took charge, utilizing his creative insight from the success of his tutoring, by creating the JUMP program, nurturing plans to help lost students with the "difficult" challenge of understanding Mathematics. The success of his techniques led him back to where he began, writing. Mighton had come full circle, this time his arts was in the form of the book The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child.

Mighton's Blending of science world and the art world, were brought together again for the new plays he began producing. The roller coaster of human emotion, was now mixed with the ethical and practical world of science. The play our class had just read, Possible worlds, was one of the examples of this work.

Mighton's lecture was probably one of my all time favorites. He was a great speaker, reaching out to the class like a good friend. He reminded us that a good deal of success comes down to confidence. Confidence is what many people lack when they write off a path they are willing to take, don't be afraid to backtrack and make a second attempt over something that had previously seemed impossible.

That one experience I had with the mathematician/playwrite/author/teacher, was an experience that changed my outlook on University. I picked a wide range of activities and studies. I found that the separation of interests would provide a great distractionf I ran into difficulty any difficulty or frustraitions. It was nice to know I had options after failures. Options gave me a chance to breath, reflect, and find some sanity before returning back to work with a new perspective on the once dire situation.

Thanks, John!

Coffee Shop Sanctuary

2009-04-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." -Confucius

The time has come to get my creative juices flowing! And with the new projects I have acquired, comes the need to buckle down, to start cranking out that motivation for the workload that lies ahead of me.

While at school, the local coffee shop was a favorite study spot. As a theatre major, coffee was an addiction I developed early in my career, and having a cup at hand meant it was work time.

Here are the reasons the coffee shop will always be my study sanctuary:

It will get me out of my house! A change of scenery is the first step in physically motivating oneself. At home there are always things that "need" to be done, and they will become haunting over time. Escaping the indoors, even for a quick walk, will provide some much needed fresh air.
People watching! I am a huge fan of this pastime. Sometimes people watching will give me some interesting ideas for the work I am doing, or just provide a quick distraction if my mind begins to numb.
Working with some outside noise. Background noise helps me focus. For some, they can't stand it. For me, outside noise will help me focus that much more.
College town coffee shops are especially motivating! (or just any coffee shops near schools) There is nothing like hunkering down at your table and glancing over to see some poor engineer going over notes for their exam on "Aircraft Structures", to make you feel much more at ease on a paper on the feminism found in Shakespeare's comedies.
After a while, you will set up your favorite table and the staff will learn your favorite beverage. Less thinking makes the work that much easier.

My favorite place to hang out in University was the student common room. The coffee shop was student run, coffee was super cheap, and the huge red leather couches were wonderfully comfortable and supportive!

I don't have any finals this time around, not that I am missing them at all, but since my move from London, I have started writing a book, organizing a wedding, and applying to grad school. The coffee shop is a nice routine that I have happily fallen back into.

Now to buy myself a laptop!

Lex

Eco-Love

2009-04-23T09:05:00.001-07:00

Life has reached that turning point, the point where all of my friends are making their way into grownup-hood. It's a wonderful time of congratulations over new mortgages, giggles over babies, and of course, the brandishing of that shiny diamond ring. Even more exciting is that I have also joined those brandishing ladies, but what I am showing is a unique take on what can be given instead of the traditional diamond.

I am not much of a jewelry person. There is the small selection of pieces I will rotate for special occasions, mostly made up of beads and crystal. first time I was given information about the destructive nature of the diamond trade, was in my second year political science class. My professor had us read about the Kimberly Act, to give us a better idea of the issues that come with exportation from Africa. The act started in 2003 to research the origins of the diamond, making sure the diamond is being harvested legally and in a safe and fare manner. It wasn't until I went to see the movie Blood Diamond with my future fiancee. We left the movie horror struck, swearing off diamonds and that whole industry.

A few years later, the proposal came during a trip to Oxford, UK. My fiancee, Peter, had found an article in the paper about Gina Cowen, a jewelry artist who made rings from sea glass. We made our way to her studio and after measuring my finger and asking some questions, started our dig through her large collection of sea glass. Gina was the sweetest person to work with, and I loved searching through some of the most incredible glass pieces I have ever seen! Peter and I found five pieces that Gina would use to create five rings in my size, making a selection for me to choose from. Her finished work is pictured above.

In all honesty, I would have said yes even if it was a roll of toilet paper... The sea glass find was an idea I never would have had, but absolutely love and a piece that fits my personality quite well. The whole designing experience is a memory I will look back on fondly.

Big thanks to Gina, and of course, to Peter.

Happy ring hunting!

Lexi

That wasn't the plan!

2009-03-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." -Charles Darwin

Change is something you either need in your life, or something that is unwelcome that is fought against. At least, that's how I view it. I am a planner. I love to set agendas and know exactly what will be coming next. In high school I knew exactly what my future held. I an eager new US voter, who was a leading member on the college's democratic club. I was on the Ultimate team, and had the next five summers worth of internships in Washington D.C and NYC set on my list of goals before my plunge into grad school. That was summer 2004...

Of course I did end up receiving a harsh lesson in over planning, focusing so much on the future that I would neglect the present, and making large claims about decisions I never really wanted. The change that occurred during that period of my life was something that really changed how I view the world. The change was destructive at the time, and very much unwanted, but it ended up being the most rewarding direction change of my life.

Fast forward to spring 2009. I received news that my work visa had been rejected for renewal, and I would have to return to the US, leaving my fiancee, friend and plans in the UK behind. When I first received my rejection, I went home, upset and useless, wondering how I would be able to stay in the country, calling up anyone who could give me information. In the end, there was nothing to be done, and I am back with my family in New England.

More than anything, it has been an annoying pill to swallow, but now that I am returning to the US, I am discovering some great opportunities for work, I am a substitute teacher at a performing arts school in the area, family, getting a chance to spend quality time with my parents and younger brother, and a little bit of self discovery, allowing for personal time with myself. Living in London was what I had always wanted to do. I achieved my goal of experiencing the theatre, food, and people; all of which were great in their success. And even though I didn't want to leave, I am currently satisfied with the life I'm in back home.

Change will happen regardless, and though it is frustrating when unwanted, it becomes easier with acceptance and a "go with the flow" attitude. Lesson learned... again.

Cyber Book Club Reminder

2009-03-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
I managed to pick up my copy of Molloy, by Samuel Beckett this weekend. A quick heads up, the book is translated from its original version, which was written in French so make sure to ask for the English translation.

It is Due on March 20th so if you are still interested, you have until then to finish the book. Discussion on Molloy will be started around that time.

Happy reading!

-Lex

Should I Eat THAT Elephant?

2009-02-28T14:50:00.001-08:00

How can you tell if you're idea/plan/goal is good enough, or even possible? When are the naysayers right in their evaluation, and when is it worth tuning them out?

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old teammate of mine who I had not seen in over a year. During our catchup session, Mark asked me when I would updated my blog. In all honesty, I was a little shocked, but honored, that someone actually read and responded to what I wrote online. I've enjoyed sharing thoughts and interests, but there has also been the slightest bit of embarrasment that comes along with blogging. This same embarrasment goes along with plans and ideas I have for the future, not feeling secure until the ground I've envisioned is solid. Once my blushing had subsided, I found out that Mark was in the middle of writing his first Novel. Emmediatly I congratulated him and wanted to know all the details, and loving the idea of him being an author. But when started explaining his plans, he seemed a little shy about the topic, as if it were not a legit and exciting conquest he was after. It is always interesting how easily we are able to write ourselves off when our plans seem so big and daunting.

One of my favorite success stories, of achieving the big goal with little succeses over time, is when my good friend Lisa, was able to make the top Ultimate Frisbee team.

In the winter of 2006, Lisa and I would meet once a week for a physical training session, followed by a game of indoor Ultimate that would last late into Tuesday night. Both of us had our personal goals in place, mine was to get back into shape after ACL surgery, while Lisa's was to improve technique and field sense.

The previous summer, Lisa had just picked up the sport, and had found little success even being allowed to practice with a team in the city, so during training, her goals was to simply play Ultimate with some formed grouping of people. As the winter went on, and our training results began to show, Lisa awknologed this change and moved along with it, not overestimating herself OR selling her success short. Because of this imrpovement and confidence in the game, captains from a top women's team began to approach her about tryouts, making sure she would be attending. Lisa, continued her training, setting her sights on a new feeder team that was created for the top women's team. Over the course of her winter regiem and entering into the spring, Lisa went from interest in playing on a women's team, to captaining the feeder team, to being offered a position on the number one team in Toronto women's Ultimate.

What I love so much about this, is that Lisa didn't stop. She never settled. She was always very realistic with her progress. While making the top team in the city was achievable in the end, it would have been unrealistic for her to set her sights on that goal without putting in that hardwork, allowing the small successes along the way, to encourage the aim for the bigger goal.

During my training, I was able to hear Dr. Alan Goldberg, a sports phychologist talk about reaching personal goals. From that talk there were two quotes I took away from that and still use today. The first one was "You can't eat an Elephant in one bite." And "Get comfortable being uncofortable."

In Lisa's success story, she had a large goal, but took little bites to finally "eat" the elephant. The other one was that she allowed herself to be realistic of where her progress was, which can often times be an uncomfortable situation, to allow others to see the beginning steps of your progress before they have fully formed and to be honoest about where she really stood in terms of skill level, always checking in and revaluating the success rate.

I guess what I have discovered in my attempts at a few elephants of my own is that often times it is the first step that is the hardest. I find myself questioning weather or not I am being realistic or just plain silly, even before I have taken that step. The next part is stamina, how/why to stick with it. The last part is, will the end result be want I want or worth the effort.

The game plan...
1) get to work! As in, do something about whatever you've been planning NOW
2)Be realistic and honest about the current situation
3) Motivation! A person, chocolate, the dream/goal... keep that present and keep going
4) Some aspect of the process should be enjoyable

Easier said.

I'll be waiting for that manuscript, Mark ;)

-Lex

Creative Paradigms

2009-02-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

Western Massachusetts is getting creative juices flowing with help from the women of Creative Paradigms. This group of four brings you organized events, aimed to help rejuvenate, revitalize, and "experience the depth of your inner wealth".

Rock on.

Check out their new site here for more information.

Monday Night Theatre

2009-02-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

Monday night theatre... probably the best idea I have had.

Picture: The two British actors who played Mechior and Wendla in the London tour of Spring Awakening

I took advantage of my usualy un-booked, ho-hum Monday night and made my way to the Lyric Hammersmith where, for the low cost of £10, I was able to see Spring Awakening the new musical featuring it's new British cast.

Picture: The Lyric from the outside

Until last night I had never been to the Lyric. The theatre is about a ten minute bus ride from my house, and a two minute walk from the bus stop. Pretty much, I felt very guilty about the fact that it had taken me six months to get myself through their doors. Lesson learned. And I am better for that lesson! the Lyric greets you with a fresh look to it, the theatre was renovated in 2004 and proclaims this fact in a story that is printed on one of the many bright white walls. While the story and history resides on one side, the rest of the walls are decorated in scribbled information providing directions to the bathroom and other important patron information. It is funky and exuberant, welcoming the energetic young audience that chatter at their tables at the cafe/bar. On my way up the stairs, I pass by crisp rehearsal studios and classrooms, looking to be fully outfitted with rehearsal equipment and spring floors. Gaining detailed information about the Lyric is very simple with the help of the handy titles that head the doorways to each "STUDIO THEATRE" they have. My mouth drools over the idea of having such a space for when I was in University.

Picture: The Lyric's Cafe and bar. Merchandise booth is just cut off.

The most commonly shared fact about the show is that the original play, Spring Awakening, by Frank Wedekind, was originally banned from the German stage, due to its extreme content. We enter, 2009, and still, the audience is at times audibly squeamish to the scenes of masturbation, teen sex, and the on stage partial nudity of a minor. The play has kept up to its 1891 scandalous ways, forcing the Lyric to enforce a 14+ guideline for entry.

I have seen Spring Awakening many times, including performances, play readings, specified scene studies, and through all versions, have always found the play to come a bit short of where I thought it could have gone. From page to stage seems to be a dilemma in this case. Spring Awakening hits its share of depressing moments, covering subjects that range from child abuse to suicide, or teenage male thoughts to botched abortions . There is the countering source, using the energy and naivety of the young characters provides a great source of comedic relief and subtle anecdotes to the show. Still, I always find that the cast is usually too old for the characters, taking advantage of the horrifying circumstances and forgetting the childlike midset they should be in, or the show itself is taken to seriously, skipping over the subtly comedic moments, and losing steam over the length of the play. How can one remedy this predicament??? Why... MAKE IT INTO A MUSICAL of course! Thus, the key ingredient was found! The audience experienced moods ranging from awkward giggles, to banging applause, and at the end, I noticed heads beside me subtly bow down to brush a tear away.

The London version of Spring Awakening, the new musical, was a big success in my book. I had a total blast! The show brought the original design team from New York but provided its own fresh British cast to the stage. The young actors were cast very well, giving the youth I always yearn for when I see this play. There young energy was smarty in control due to the super level of professionalism each carried. They were fantastic! The vocals were pure Broadway, through some got a bit pitchy. The actions and movements of all the actors were well beyond their years. The Superstar of the performance was by the actor who played Melchior (picture at the top of the page), he not only carried the show, with wonderful backing from his fellow cast mates, but he also stole the show, leaving the female audience members drooling over his excellent performance and especially the little peak of exposed bottom. The addition of music to the original play was something that was a needed piece of the theatrical puzzle. The songs gave tons of much needed energy, breaking up the very difficult moments with ballads and secret melodies, sometimes making it seem as if the characters took a moment, were they appeared as if alone in their room, singing to the radio while standing in front of the mirror in their underwear. Very personal, an opening experience into their mindset and personalities. The range was soulful and rock and roll, both giving them a personal voice that was able to extend beyond the stage.

Highlights were....
-lighting and set design. Simple and interesting, creating a swing from the stage floor as well as dragging a chair across the back wall with one of the actors perched on it.
-hair and costumes. Very quirky and extreme. Gave the young students even more of an innocents with the extreme directions their hair was being pulled.
-Music. Very catchy. I have yet to experience a new musical with songs that I still have in my head after the show. Also gave a more focus to the monologues and longer pieces of text.
-Dry ice. First time this use has not made me gag. Excellent job of swarming the stage and engulfing actors.
-The adults. There were two adults in the show and I was very pleased with the teamwork I saw throughout the entire cast. Didn't seem to be an age gap.

I am rambling, too much fun to be had at the theatre.

Seriously, go see Spring Awakening A New Musical at the Lyric Hammersmith. The show is on until the 28th of February! Go while you still can! There are plenty of specials available too. 16-25's get tickets for £10, £9 quid for schools/colleges and £2 off for groups of 10+. Take advantage if you are in London.

I'll end this entry with a big thumbs up for the creativity it took to make this a musical excellent idea and well executed. Bravo!

-Lex

Picture: A stealth shot of what a £10 view would look like

The Cyber Book Club

2009-02-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

The Cyber Book Club was an idea started by my friend, Heather. She came up with the idea after reading my last post and suggested that we take action from Spoiler's blog which lists the "1,000 novels everyone must read before they die".

I think this is a great idea, and would like to open it up to the readers of The Creativist.

The first book to get our Cyber club going is Molloy by Samuel Beckett. I have always been intrigued by his scripts and love to see the different interpritations that the directors and actors take when the plays are performed. Now for the novel.

Ok club, snag Molloy, start your reading, and heads up for a post in about three + weeks to make your comments.

-Lex

In Search of Culture

2009-02-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

Moving across the pond to a new city is sure one way to find culture and inspiration. It begins as daring, adventurous and exciting, then slowly morphs into the real life, day to day, ho hum life that is only natural. And moving requires a great deal of effort, especially when there are no longer the safe and comforting walls of University surrounding you. There is the meeting of new people and future friends, discovering the most direct rout to and from the market, and getting some sort of routine down. For me, routine is a way to calm my mind, relax into the comforting, and refresh my love of "the little things". Today is my routine.

It is a late Sunday morning, one of two days I week I don't have to wake up at the whorish hour of 6am, obviously I take advantage. I get dressed, and make my way into the overcast world only to return fifteen minutes later loaded down with a coffee and the Sunday Times. Yes, this is the life.

And while it is always good to stay in the know of world events, the best part of the Sunday Times is the Culture Magazine that contains the Arts, Music and Culture sections, pretty much, giving me a guide to an amazing array of artistic possibilities to take advantage of in week ahead. From the National Gallery's latest show and the creative use of the naked bottom in art, to the creative success of Tina Fey (one of my inspirations) and reviews of the week's theatre, including the South African take on Shakespeare's Tempest. The Culture magazine always leaves my mouth watering, drooling over the amount of entertainment and Art London has provided me with.

My Sunday routine always begins as low key, unimaginative, and same old, same old. Finding a routine always makes me feel more at home and relaxed. And when I am in this state, I somehow come up with ideas and motivation. After Sunday, I begin my week with a solid base of ideas that will feed me through the fresh week.

Any other recommended routines or artistic motivation out there?

-Lexi

Crossroads

2009-02-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

What do you do with a B.A. in English? Or in my case, a B.A. in Theatre???

The writers of the hit musical, Avenue Q, sure sang it right, opening their show with it's lead character, Princeton, belting out his post graduate woes as he searches the dregs of New York for a place to live. " Four years of College and plenty of knowledge, have earned me this useless degree."

Or as my friend and fellow theatre major said,

"--how the f**k do you get out of
school and find a way to keep working, to keep being productive, and
engaged with theatre, and especially to continue to experiment with
form and style in the many and varied ways you get to while in school."

No doubt, it is a bind.

I've moved from Western Massachusetts to study at the University of Toronto. I've graduated. I've moved to London, England in search of the wonders and excitement of living in Europe. I've completed a handful of interviews, zero of which I was genuinely interested in. I've secured an apartment, or "flat", as they say here. I've found a job that keeps my hands busy and my bank account not empty... most of the time.

This blog will aim to provide information and insight into the lives of the completely lost, working, and/or dreaming creative potential that is inevitably out there in the real world abyss.

Reading over my CV, I became nostalgic after I skimmed the philosophy I had written in my early University days. It read:

Philosophy:

I believe that to achieve success at the highest level of excellence, one must have dedication, a strong sense of teamwork, motivation, and, above all, creativity.

Today I fight to regain my drive for creativity.