I luv my crazy life

Today I carried two plants, a watering can, pink clothes, and a buch of other things to class. For my previous scene, I had to take a lamp. The next one involves crème caramel, but perhaps my scene partner will take care of that. Although, even if that's the case, I'll probably be taking another crazy item.

And the above is just the tip of the iceberg, since the prop madness is just one of the consequences of the constant addition of new scenes/monologues to work on. Another way in which it shows is, I'm now working on three ways of speaking English: Standard American for Shakespeare, General American for contemporary scenes, and a Brooklyn Italian dialect for my scene from A View from the Bridge.

I promise at the beginning of the semester I thought I was going to lose it. But I seem to be getting along quite nicely. Actually, I find the juggling of the various scenes quite stimulating. I find it overwhelming at times, but right now I feel like I'm learning more effortlessly... Which makes me enormously happy. And also, I'm having a crazy amount of fun. Rehearsal projects will be anounced soon. I can't wait!!

70

Wow! I've just realized this is my 70th blog entry. I'm not much about numbers usually, but 70 seemed worth noticing. I suppose what I'm actually happy about is my ability to commit. May this serve as motivation to keep on writing.

Now, before I noticed the number thing, this post was supposed to be about this week's realization. Yep. I don't really now why, but whenever I slow down, however minimally, I realize something. And this week, it hit me that I'm kind of suburban at heart. Not way suburban, but a little. I love Manhattan and all, but when I started hanging out in Brooklyn, I came to realize that I actually missed having a little bit of quiet. And the gardens. I had almost forgotten that they existed. Also people walking down the streets without rushing. So, while being a mere 5 subway stops from school is very practical, my mind is almost set on finding a new neighborhood for my second year at Adler.

I suppose this resolution is somewhat related to the one from the previous week, which involved living for something other than acting and school. And about that plan, I'm sticking to it zealously. I don't know if the events are related, but I'm feeling more creative and focused in class.

I hope this post hasn't turned out completely random... As for the picture, I took it the past Sunday in Caroll Gardens. Seems to illustrate both the suburban thing and the 70 posts anniversary. Happy next week, everyone!

How to not be a workaholic

Hey there! Happy weekend. I almost miss my weekly post, but I didn't. Ha!

Today is Saturday, the sky looks a bit cloudy but it's probably gonna be a nice day anyway, and basically my plan for the day is... rehearsing. I have to run lines and then go rehearse. And tomorrow I have to rehearse too. Sure, I won't be rehearsing the entire day, but out the window goes the concept of free day in the weekend. My past weekend was pretty much like that, and chances are, my following one will be, too.

So it seems to me that I have a challenge, here. I need to get my homework done for Adler, but I also need to rest and have a life. None of these are negotiable. What I've done so far is to a) make sure I at the very least have one free afternoon, when I can avoid thinking of school for a couple of hours; b) make sure I can sleep late, at least once a week; c) combine work and relaxing. This could be walking to school, or having a dialect coaching session in the park (see photo above). I'm still working, but at the very least I remind myself that there's a world out there and take in the fresh air. In so many words, I make sure that I have a few moments when I can think of something else and spend time with my friends.

This may not be the ideal solution, but it's the best I have, for now. There's so much more to being an actor than just the craft. I'm learning so much about time management, staying healthy, and, more importantly, I'm growing every day. Even if at times it gets a bit overwhelming, I'm really grateful for my jounrey, and excited for the new adventures to come.