Due to a series of unfortunate events I am a bit behind on my blogging. I sort of had this completely written before I went to Adelaide, but then it got deleted. Sad day, I know. Let’s try round two, second verse same as the first...only better?
Alice Springs was fantastic, to say the least. Hot as hell, but fantastic. I think my trip to Uluru may be one of my favorite. I did a two night, three day tour from Alice Springs. Fun fact, they call it “The Alice” there, isn’t that adorable?!
Our first stop was a camel farm, and I got to ride one! It was just around the yard, but it was ridiculously fun. It was more bouncy than a horse, and man did those camels not want to behave. It took the trainer quite a bit of time to get the camel to stand up and sit down, probably around a minute and a half each. Silly rebellious camel!
Any who, after that we drove to Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas. There are two trails which you can walk on, a short and a long one. The long one was closed because it was far too hot, so we did a short hour and a half walk.
I should probably mention the heat. It was pretty disgusting. It got up to 45 C (113 F) during the day, and we were hiking around in it. It was so hot that 30 C (86 F) felt chilly at night. The sun could be physically felt beating down on you. I managed to avoid sunburn though! Through careful application of sunscreen and a hat and sunglasses, however I do now have a nice golden glow. I’m flippin tan!
After lunch we were promised a dip in a pool, however it was closed. We contemplated jumping the fence or starting a riot, most just settled for a fully clothed shower.
That night we went and watched the sunset on Ayer’s Rock. I was actually a little disappointed with it. The rock itself was beautiful, a fantastic glowing red that really did change colors as the sun set. The problem was the crowd gathered to watch said color change. There was a ton of people gathered, some sipping wine eating hors d'oeuvres, others talking loudly and not appreciating what they were standing in front of.
That night we slept outside in swags. Swags are like little mattresses that you put your sleeping bag on top of and it makes it more comfortable, actually quite comfortable. It was hot enough that we didn’t need our sleeping bags, so most people just slept on top of the sleeping bag as well.
I’ve never slept outside where there is no light pollution. The first night we slept in a camp site where there were a few street lamps, and some people in cabins nearby, but other than that there was nothing. The second night was the middle of nowhere, we were the only ones around so once our lamp went out it was like someone turned on the sky. It was spectacular, breathtaking. If you haven’t seen the stars with no light pollution, you haven’t seen the stars. They go on forever, tiny flecks of light spreading out across the sky.
I was also there around the peak of the Leonid meteor shower, so I saw quite a few shooting stars. I never realized they were so fast, you blink and they’re gone. I didn’t even have time to make a wish, although I didn’t really have one prepared in advance.
The next morning (and I use the word morning loosely) we had to be up at 4 (still night in my book) because we were headed to watch the sunrise over Uluru (AKA Ayer’s Rock). The sunrise was much better than the sunset, as significantly fewer people made it up in time to see it. The color changes were really quite lovely.
After the sun had risen, while it was still marginally cool (as in not midday), we did a base walk around the rock. It took around two hours to get all the way around it. The textures on the rock were really interesting, and I took way too many pictures. Huge chunks are missing where erosion has eaten away at the rock. There were some aboriginal paintings in sections, and sacred sites dotted the base. There were signs indicating that no pictures could be taken at those places.
I saw some dingoes running around the rock as well. They just trotted by on the path, a few feet from the people walking around, totally nonchalant about it. Way to go dingoes.
Climbing up the rock was closed that day. In case you didn’t know, it is still legal to climb Ayer’s Rock, but it is extremely discouraged. The traditional owners view it as a very sacred site and take full responsibility every time someone is hurt on the climb. They see it as their fault, as it is their land. Efforts are being made to make it completely illegal; as it stands it is just extremely frowned upon. Quite often it is closed due to temperatures or winds, anyway. I had no intention of climbing it, even if I could have. I think it’s important to respect the Aboriginal people’s beliefs, even if I don’t share them, and I respect their acceptances of everyone as being important, rather than just their own people as so many other cultures do.
Most of the rest of the day was spent driving to get to King’s Canyon, our next stop. The next morning we were up early again (this time at 4:30, whoo sleeping in!) to get there. The night before our guide, B, gave us a talk over dinner. To climb King’s Canyon you must first scale a bit called “Heart Attack Hill”. The walk is 3-4 hours long depending on the pace (I think we did it in 4 because we had a decent sized group) and almost entirely in the sun. To do it B required a certain amount of water and checked to make sure each person had it before allowing us to even try.
The first section certainly lived up to its name. I’m glad it was at the beginning, the day was still warming up from the night before so it wasn’t as hot as the end, and the knowledge that it was the hardest bit of the walk added an incentive to reach the top.
I’m elated to say that I did it, made it to the top and managed to not get shipped to a hospital for dehydration. The views more than made up for the wheezing to the top. It was like we were standing on the top of the world. I think it was my second favorite thing we did on the tour, the first being falling asleep and waking up to the stars ablaze.
It’s hard to describe how breathtaking Kings Canyon is. It would take a better versed writer than I to do it, and I don’t want to insult the emotions associated by attempting to do so. Just know that people have been known to cry upon reaching the top, and I feel honored to have experienced it.
After Kings Canyon we went to a rest stop camp ground setup with a pool and lots of bathrooms and jumped into the pool, several of us (including me) fully clothed. Bathing suits is for pansies!
Never has a pool felt so good in my life. I can still feel the cool water against my skin after the hike in the sun all day. I’m trying to think of an artistic metaphor, but all I can think of is jumping into a cool pool on a hot day. Close enough?
I’m certain this post was longer the first time I wrote it, but I’m exhausted and don’t care to try and remember what I said then. More to come in the next day or so, I have two more posts planned before leaving for New Zealand. Until then, stay classy kittens!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
100 Words on Examine
Finals over, I have a chance to do some fun stuff again, like 100 word prompts! Missed two weeks, but I'm back with "Examine".
Crunch crunch crunch, the little girl sat crushing leaves. Youthful excitement tinged with anticipation filled the room as she carefully opened her birthday gift. A box filled with microscope slide making tools, and she was humming with pleasure. A drop of liquid on the leaf first. She slowed her breathing, carefully dropping the plastic to not catch any bubbles.
Almost.
Four tries later, the perfect slide is finished. Sliding it into place, she flipped the switch and gazed into the lens to examine the leaf.
Nothing.
A few simple adjustments to the microscope brings the intricate lines into focus. Perfect.
Crunch crunch crunch, the little girl sat crushing leaves. Youthful excitement tinged with anticipation filled the room as she carefully opened her birthday gift. A box filled with microscope slide making tools, and she was humming with pleasure. A drop of liquid on the leaf first. She slowed her breathing, carefully dropping the plastic to not catch any bubbles.
Almost.
Four tries later, the perfect slide is finished. Sliding it into place, she flipped the switch and gazed into the lens to examine the leaf.
Nothing.
A few simple adjustments to the microscope brings the intricate lines into focus. Perfect.
Theatre Sports
Finals over, and I’m flying to Alice Springs to see Uluru tomorrow, but we have more important things to talk about. IMPROV REVIEW.
Alright, here we go.
OK so the show was set up with a spy gimmick, someone has to go save the world through the use of theatre sports (AKA improvisational comedy). There is a host (looking dashing in his suit) with the list of games, and a judge (facing away from the audience, though the back of his head was also quite dashing) who rated the games 1 through 3 magnifying glasses. There were 9 performers, each with a tie with their number on it, who were each referred to by their number rather than name. They were called out for games and would be rated, after a certain number of games a few people would be eliminated based on their number of magnifying glasses until one improvisational comedian was left standing.
It was sort of obvious that the group hadn’t really worked together, and the individual competition setup was not conducive to a group mentality. Sure, scenes were performed together, but in the end people were trying to stay in the game, which is not what it should be about at all. I’ve seen a few different setups now, and I have to say this is my least favorite. I see the benefits of a competition, but I much prefer two groups head-to-head over the individual being mixed together with different people. It allows for bonding, and working together. It’s one for all and all for one, rather than just all for one and none for all.
The most surprising and obvious difference was that all of the suggestions were already chosen. They didn’t get a single one from the audience. I found this especially surprising considering the audience they had to work with. Comprised of mostly actors from the show and their friends, they were quite ready and willing to laugh and participate. The performers had no idea what the suggestions were (I also got the vibe from their reactions that they didn’t even know what game they would be playing), so it was improvised, but the host already had all the suggestions picked out.
They were not afraid to let one person perform on their own, which I actually rather liked. Some good stuff came out of it. One girl did a pitch for a children’s book (no joke, that was her entire suggestion. They were pretty terrible sometimes) and really shown. The guy who ended up winning seemed to be kind of new at it; because they called him up and said he was improving then gave him a game by himself. He had to defend himself in a court room for a crime. Wasn’t given a crime to defend against, just a general crime. Kind of lame suggestion, but he did surprisingly well. He picked a direction and ran with it.
They also didn’t have any games like CMM, which used mime to convey things to each other. They did, however, have an actual mime game. Two people had to mime brushing their teeth. There is something to be said for simple suggestions being given to people who know how to use them as a spring board, and I think that is what the host was trying tap into.
Some of the games were the same with different names, though there were a couple new ones that I found rather interesting. One was called “Stunt Double” where two people were performing on a movie set a rather simple task; however they are lazy actors that don’t like physical activity so whenever anything has to be done they call “Stunt Double” and two stunt doubles take their places and perform the activity and a ridiculous stunt-y fashion. They call “actors” and the actors come back.
Another game which was particularly fantastic was called “Man Up”. It is sort of like a manly-themed “Should Have Said”. Two or more people perform an activity (they scrap booked when I saw it!). If the audience thinks they aren’t being manly enough, they shout “Man up!” and the performer changes their last line to something manly. Beer, women, breaking stuff, you get the picture. Incredibly sexist, and filled with lulz.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m looking at you Ryan, and also you Steven (though I already talked to you, so I’m looking at you slightly less).
HOLYCRAPFINALSOVERNOWLOTSOFTRAVELANDFUNANDAUSTRALIAAAAAAAHHHHHH! Ahem. Time to go pack for 100 degree weather in Uluru. I expect to get unburnt and I plan on buying a ridiculous hat.
Alright, here we go.
OK so the show was set up with a spy gimmick, someone has to go save the world through the use of theatre sports (AKA improvisational comedy). There is a host (looking dashing in his suit) with the list of games, and a judge (facing away from the audience, though the back of his head was also quite dashing) who rated the games 1 through 3 magnifying glasses. There were 9 performers, each with a tie with their number on it, who were each referred to by their number rather than name. They were called out for games and would be rated, after a certain number of games a few people would be eliminated based on their number of magnifying glasses until one improvisational comedian was left standing.
It was sort of obvious that the group hadn’t really worked together, and the individual competition setup was not conducive to a group mentality. Sure, scenes were performed together, but in the end people were trying to stay in the game, which is not what it should be about at all. I’ve seen a few different setups now, and I have to say this is my least favorite. I see the benefits of a competition, but I much prefer two groups head-to-head over the individual being mixed together with different people. It allows for bonding, and working together. It’s one for all and all for one, rather than just all for one and none for all.
The most surprising and obvious difference was that all of the suggestions were already chosen. They didn’t get a single one from the audience. I found this especially surprising considering the audience they had to work with. Comprised of mostly actors from the show and their friends, they were quite ready and willing to laugh and participate. The performers had no idea what the suggestions were (I also got the vibe from their reactions that they didn’t even know what game they would be playing), so it was improvised, but the host already had all the suggestions picked out.
They were not afraid to let one person perform on their own, which I actually rather liked. Some good stuff came out of it. One girl did a pitch for a children’s book (no joke, that was her entire suggestion. They were pretty terrible sometimes) and really shown. The guy who ended up winning seemed to be kind of new at it; because they called him up and said he was improving then gave him a game by himself. He had to defend himself in a court room for a crime. Wasn’t given a crime to defend against, just a general crime. Kind of lame suggestion, but he did surprisingly well. He picked a direction and ran with it.
They also didn’t have any games like CMM, which used mime to convey things to each other. They did, however, have an actual mime game. Two people had to mime brushing their teeth. There is something to be said for simple suggestions being given to people who know how to use them as a spring board, and I think that is what the host was trying tap into.
Some of the games were the same with different names, though there were a couple new ones that I found rather interesting. One was called “Stunt Double” where two people were performing on a movie set a rather simple task; however they are lazy actors that don’t like physical activity so whenever anything has to be done they call “Stunt Double” and two stunt doubles take their places and perform the activity and a ridiculous stunt-y fashion. They call “actors” and the actors come back.
Another game which was particularly fantastic was called “Man Up”. It is sort of like a manly-themed “Should Have Said”. Two or more people perform an activity (they scrap booked when I saw it!). If the audience thinks they aren’t being manly enough, they shout “Man up!” and the performer changes their last line to something manly. Beer, women, breaking stuff, you get the picture. Incredibly sexist, and filled with lulz.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m looking at you Ryan, and also you Steven (though I already talked to you, so I’m looking at you slightly less).
HOLYCRAPFINALSOVERNOWLOTSOFTRAVELANDFUNANDAUSTRALIAAAAAAAHHHHHH! Ahem. Time to go pack for 100 degree weather in Uluru. I expect to get unburnt and I plan on buying a ridiculous hat.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Bugfest and Halloween
It’s been a while, but for good reason. I will probably split this into several entries, because it’s been a full few weeks. Highlights: finishing my thesis, tech week for the play, the show, last classes, Halloween!
Last week was hellish, the last week of classes before revision period. Assignments due in all my classes, including a thesis and a presentation on said thesis. Needless to say I didn’t sleep much. I got it all done, pulled two all-nighters, and managed to be some semblance of presentable throughout the week. Huzzah.
Onto more important and interesting things. The week before last was “tech week” for Bugfest. They call it “bump in”, and I never did figure out why. I finally got to put together everything I had been imagining or calling out during rehearsals. Sound effects and lighting came together.
Lighting was a little complicated. I’ve never done much with lights, so I had to find words to describe what I wanted and ways to compensate for what wasn’t possible. Thankfully my lighting was pretty simple, only a few cues and a few settings, and the lighting designer was thankful for that. I think she liked me because I was nice and didn’t ask much. There was only one which was simpler than mine; lights up and down a few times, mine had some red in it.
The first time we went through it with all the tech I hated it. The design didn’t turn out the way I imagined or wanted. It took the most important and serious section of the play and made it comical. I was exhausted and not happy with the way things turned out. Mulling things over in my head as I walked him, I decided to make a few changes (although I hadn’t figured out what those changes would be yet). It took a flash of inspiration at 2 am to figure it out.
I cut a sound effect and amped up the lights to compensate for the intensity the sound was supposed to add. The lighting tech actually said “Great, much better, I love your work.” The second time around was so much better. It added to the intensity and really supported the words the way they needed to be supported.
Any who, that is most of Bump In. Everyone was really nice; hanging out back stage with all the actors and directors was so much fun. I had almost forgotten how fantastically amazing drama people are.
Bump in over, I let my actors go about their merry way. Opening night I had dinner with the writer of my script, Tim. We have a lot in common (the script was inspired by one of our shared favourite authors) so it was a good time. I was a bit nervous when it came time for TCOMSSK (abbreviated title of my play, The Centre of My Skull Sized Kingdom) to go on. Tim had never seen it. Would he approve? Would he enjoy it? It was his baby I directed, he was basically the only person whose opinion mattered to me.
He laughed at all the appropriate moments, and a few extra places. The smile on his face at the end was all I needed to see.
I saw it two more times after that, once with Kylie and Erin and once by myself on closing night. The night I went with Erin and Kylie the after show was improv (!!!) which was refreshing to watch. I plan on writing a post just dedicated to that, the differences and all, as I figure that will be interesting to anyone from Purdue Improv. I didn’t get to tape it (sorry Ryan), but I made lots of observations. Next best thing?
Closing night was Halloween and Bugawards. Most of the awards were not surprising at all. Best script went to my favourite, which had a nice blend of the funny and philosophical. Best female actor went to Samara from my play. We also managed to snag Best Production and Best Ensemble BOOH YEAH. I was really shocked at getting those two; I honestly wasn’t expecting to get anything. I got a plastic lizard as a prize and gave a little speech, followed by a group hug from my cast. D-awww.
After a minimal set strike, there was a party! Whoo! It was a mix of a closing night party and a Halloween costume. Some people dressed up (my favourite was Samara who dressed all-out as a nun. Seeing a nun appear throughout the night was priceless), while others did not. Games were played, friends were made, and a good time was had by all.
A few highlights: a nuddie run (which I did not partake in, thankyouverymuch), Never Have I Ever (there were some crazy stories in that bunch), and explaining to people that not everyone believed 911 was a hoax.
The house the party was at was above a sex shop, which was hilarious in itself, and it was the only residential place for quite some area, so noise was not a problem. Good thing too, we were pretty loud pretty much all night.
I got to know a lot of people that night. Some I had only said a handful of words to, and then spent hours talking with. I wish I had more time to get to know all the people I have just scratched the surface of.
Improv post will be coming soon, but I have exams to study for, kittens, so you’ll just have to wait.
Last week was hellish, the last week of classes before revision period. Assignments due in all my classes, including a thesis and a presentation on said thesis. Needless to say I didn’t sleep much. I got it all done, pulled two all-nighters, and managed to be some semblance of presentable throughout the week. Huzzah.
Onto more important and interesting things. The week before last was “tech week” for Bugfest. They call it “bump in”, and I never did figure out why. I finally got to put together everything I had been imagining or calling out during rehearsals. Sound effects and lighting came together.
Lighting was a little complicated. I’ve never done much with lights, so I had to find words to describe what I wanted and ways to compensate for what wasn’t possible. Thankfully my lighting was pretty simple, only a few cues and a few settings, and the lighting designer was thankful for that. I think she liked me because I was nice and didn’t ask much. There was only one which was simpler than mine; lights up and down a few times, mine had some red in it.
The first time we went through it with all the tech I hated it. The design didn’t turn out the way I imagined or wanted. It took the most important and serious section of the play and made it comical. I was exhausted and not happy with the way things turned out. Mulling things over in my head as I walked him, I decided to make a few changes (although I hadn’t figured out what those changes would be yet). It took a flash of inspiration at 2 am to figure it out.
I cut a sound effect and amped up the lights to compensate for the intensity the sound was supposed to add. The lighting tech actually said “Great, much better, I love your work.” The second time around was so much better. It added to the intensity and really supported the words the way they needed to be supported.
Any who, that is most of Bump In. Everyone was really nice; hanging out back stage with all the actors and directors was so much fun. I had almost forgotten how fantastically amazing drama people are.
Bump in over, I let my actors go about their merry way. Opening night I had dinner with the writer of my script, Tim. We have a lot in common (the script was inspired by one of our shared favourite authors) so it was a good time. I was a bit nervous when it came time for TCOMSSK (abbreviated title of my play, The Centre of My Skull Sized Kingdom) to go on. Tim had never seen it. Would he approve? Would he enjoy it? It was his baby I directed, he was basically the only person whose opinion mattered to me.
He laughed at all the appropriate moments, and a few extra places. The smile on his face at the end was all I needed to see.
I saw it two more times after that, once with Kylie and Erin and once by myself on closing night. The night I went with Erin and Kylie the after show was improv (!!!) which was refreshing to watch. I plan on writing a post just dedicated to that, the differences and all, as I figure that will be interesting to anyone from Purdue Improv. I didn’t get to tape it (sorry Ryan), but I made lots of observations. Next best thing?
Closing night was Halloween and Bugawards. Most of the awards were not surprising at all. Best script went to my favourite, which had a nice blend of the funny and philosophical. Best female actor went to Samara from my play. We also managed to snag Best Production and Best Ensemble BOOH YEAH. I was really shocked at getting those two; I honestly wasn’t expecting to get anything. I got a plastic lizard as a prize and gave a little speech, followed by a group hug from my cast. D-awww.
After a minimal set strike, there was a party! Whoo! It was a mix of a closing night party and a Halloween costume. Some people dressed up (my favourite was Samara who dressed all-out as a nun. Seeing a nun appear throughout the night was priceless), while others did not. Games were played, friends were made, and a good time was had by all.
A few highlights: a nuddie run (which I did not partake in, thankyouverymuch), Never Have I Ever (there were some crazy stories in that bunch), and explaining to people that not everyone believed 911 was a hoax.
The house the party was at was above a sex shop, which was hilarious in itself, and it was the only residential place for quite some area, so noise was not a problem. Good thing too, we were pretty loud pretty much all night.
I got to know a lot of people that night. Some I had only said a handful of words to, and then spent hours talking with. I wish I had more time to get to know all the people I have just scratched the surface of.
Improv post will be coming soon, but I have exams to study for, kittens, so you’ll just have to wait.
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