Thinking Quick on My Feet

As I do every morning I read cnn.com - I will forever be a news junky even if I'm not working in journalism - when I came across this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/08/12/rs.how.to.think.on.feet/index.html

The article talks about improv. I have been thinking about improv for a little bit these days mostly because I have an itch to get back on the stage (I have a theatre minor and enjoy acting/directing/writing) and also because my sister has been taking improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC - which is funny because right before she signed up for classes I went to a campus programming conference and made friends with some Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) folks and I ended up going to a UCB show in March. I am still trying to make it home one of these days for my sister's "class final performances. Anyway I've heard so much about how much my sister is enjoying improv and clearly we are both awesomely funny, plus it's a great way to meet people who are also funny. So today after reading that CNN article I decided to google improv classes in or around Atlanta. I found quite a few, but due to the drive and time zone changes it really limited what classes I would be able to take. However, I did find one on Sunday afternoons which could work. So I am going to sign up to "audit" one class and see how it goes. My only real hesitation is the drive because its nearly 2 hours each way (although it's a straight shot the whole way), but I do have tons of friends in ATL and it would be nice to seem them regularly. Plus it would only be like a 2 month commitment at first. I think I would be great at improv - I've a little bit of it in the past, but I am already quick on my feet and funny so I really can't lose. Plus again meeting people is always a good thing since there aren't too many options in town that I've seen, but I haven't given up hope of community involvement, volunteering etc. Plus I am actually looking into getting more involved with Greek Life here as well as the campus radio station - whose slogan - which I think is insanely clever is "A Rare Medium Well Done."

And most importantly I think all these things would give me amazing fodder for the blog....which is probably what most of you care about anyway!

After work today I am going grocery shopping, but I'm only buying things on a list that my trainer at the gym gave me. Which funny enough is mostly things I like anyway, but I need to get in the habit of eating more frequently, but with smaller servings to get my metabolism going. I am serious about this health kick/change of lifestyle and after 2 weeks of a vacation from my church exploration I need to get back on track this week. I think I might go to a different episcopal church this week - I think it's called Holy Trinity...so we shall see.

Making a Splash

I spent the weekend in Atlanta visiting friends. Friday night we went to a fancy expensive dinner in Buckhead because one of my friends had gift cards which was awesome then proceeded to go out to a few places. Saturday a bunch of us went to float the Chatahoochee River in Atlanta. I knew the float would be a while and we all brought beer and sunscreen, but it was 7 plus hours! It was fun, but sadly we all ran out of beer the last hour or so. The real highlight was there rocks that jutted out into the river that people jumped off of and when I saw people I mean mostly guys. One of my friends really wanted to go so I was feeling adventerous and decided to go with her. It was quite the challenge just clumbing the rocks to the get to the top all while drunk people are floating by. I would say it was like a 15-20ft jump into the water. Well we made it to the top and she jumped first then I did. It was really scary, yet exhilarating. Despite a mother of all wedgies from the jump it was awesome.

Speaking of water sports. It seems like most of the world has a severe case of Olympics Fever...yours truly including. I'm not gonna lie I didn't really think much about the Olympics not plan on watching them since I haven't connected my cable yet, but I was sucked in anyway. After the fateful day on the river, which was extremely draining despite the fat that all we did was float, tan and drink beer. We ended up staying in and watching the Olympics Saturday night and I got hooked. Clearly the big talk of the Olympics is Swimming and Michael Phelps. It was really exciting to watch, plus there were a bunch of swimmers who swam at Auburn which was cool (some were swimming for the US and some for other Countries - most notably Kirsty Covenry of Zim was an AU swimmer as well as Frederick Bousquet of France who was on the relay team. Speaking of the Relay...yesterday was crazy. I was so glad I saw it live since everyone is talking about it. I actually stayed in Atlanta last night to watch it and then woke up hella early this morning to drive back and go to work. So now I don't have cable and am addicted to swimming. I'll be the creeper in the sports bar... sitting alone....in nothing but a bathing suit haha!

1 weeks til the kiddies are all back for classes :)

08-08-08

I love cool dates like today is. I was also a big fan of 9-9-99. I wish my birthday was cooler 8-4-83 is okay but 8-3-83 would have been better. Anyway moving along, I must finally blog about my latest obsession. Twilight. Twilight is a book series geared to young adults about vampries and other strange happenings. I'm almost mad that Twilight is so cool, because I didn't hear about the books til this summer and the first one was published in 2005. The 4th and final book in the series was released last week and they already filmed a movie based the first book (I think only the first book) that will be out in Decemeber. I hate jumping on the bandwagon along with everyone else. Critics call Twilight the Harry Potter and I REFUSE to read/watch/care about Harry Potter because it was such a "to do." Same thing with getting Ice Cream from Cold Stone Creamery...I vow never to eat it because it was too trendy. Here I am thought a Twilight fan without even knowing it was cool. I've finished 2 of the 4 book and mind you each book is over 500 pages long. Oh and did I mention I bought all 4 books at one time without knowing very much about it. I do enjoy reading book series though. I hate getting "involved" with a character only for them to abandon you after 300 or so pages. I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and a few smaller series written by Meg Cabot. I really do enjoy reading. Most people in my family were/are big readers and it wasn't something I really picked up until late in grad school. Back to Twilight...despite it being about a 17 year old girl and vampires for the most part it is very interesting. I'm quite excited for the movie...although the few movies that I've seen where I read the book first were always disappointing. I am gonna hold off for a few days to read the last 2 books considering I read the first 2 books in under a week (and that included the 4 nights I was in NY and didn't have time to read). I am actually reading a book for a book group at work right now about using your "strengths" at work and improving your strengths as opposed to focusing on you weaknesses. Plus I have the book I am Charlotte Simmons sitting on my desk at work. I started the book MONTHS ago and couldn't get into it. I'm gonna try reading it during lunch when it gets too busy to leave campus. I hate not finishing books I've started (I think it's only happened once or twice where I didn't finish a book).

So if you have any interesting reads....suggest away. Not having homework or late night work responsibilities definately gives me more time to read, plus I haven't hooked up my cable yet and I can only watch seasons 1 and 2 of How I Met Your Mother so many times.

Have a good weekend. I know I will. I'm headed to Atlanta tonight to go out for dinner and drinks in Buckhead (ohlala) then tomorrow a bunch of us are floating some river somewhere in Georgia which involves beer and inner tubes :)

Famous

So I'm officially an antique...the big 2-5. I mostly feel good about being 25. I had a great time with friends, family and the top 10 from American Idol. Yes I rang in the big 2-5 by going to the American Idol Concert. I think me, my friend Christine and David Cook were the only 25 year olds there. By the way David Roland Cook of Blue Spring, Missouri is the winner of the 7th season of American Idol and if you didn't know that and you thought you were my friend, than you thought wrong because I've mostly obsessed over him for the past 5 months. So there I was watching all these people perform and then David Cook took the stage...no I take that back, he OWNED the stage. As much as I enjoyed his set it also made me jealous. Why is it that he is 25 and he is living his dream. It got me thinking, am I living my dream or am I just living. I have a bunch of emotions on the subject I guess. I do love my career and goals, but I wouldn't say it was the dream job either. Why did I never pursue theatre more or broadcast journalism or public relations or music (not in singing, but in record label side of things)...I love that stuff. I look at some of my friends who are doing those things and okay maybe they are still peons and I have a fancy masters degree and a nice desk, but did I settle? I don't know. I often get jealous of people who have cool jobs and are doing what they always dreamed of doing. I must admit I didn't grow up dreaming of working as a college administrator. Yes I find my job and life I chose to be fulfilling, but I wish I would have took more risks when I had the chance. I know some of you are saying...you're only 25 you still can take chances and I still might, but right now I am happy where I am. Maybe I'll so the theatre, public speaker, music producer thing later in life. I have other dreams beyond just a job that I want to start chasing first.

I think back to David Cook who had been one of thousands just a year ago auditioning for American Idol...he took the risk and look where it took him, beyond his wildest fantasies. Strangely though I am thrilled for him, not that I know him, but he could have easily been a guy I went to school with who only dreamed of being a rockstar and didn't care about school. Well when you gamble sometimes you win and sometimes you loose. I'm happy David Cook won. Over the past few days I have been listening to the song "Dream Big" that he performed during the top 2 finale and I really enjoy the lyrics. I will leave you with the lyrics and I set out to take some more risks in my life....maybe not professionally, but I have a lot I want to get out of life and I need to stop wasting time. So here ya go the "Dream Big" lyrics - although youtubing it would be awesome too because David Cook looked yummy when he performed it:

When I was a little boy,
I swore that I would change the world when I grew up.
Nothing else would be enough.

I see it everyday,
We settled for safe,
And lose ourselves along the way.

'Cause if you don't dream big,
What's the use in dreaming?
If you don't have faith,
There's nothing worth believing.
It takes one hope,
To make the stars worth reaching for.
So reach out for something more!

It took a well perfected plan,
For me to finally understand,
That it's not me.
Faith is something you can't see.

I wiped my tears away.
Now it's time for a change....
No I can't waste another day.

'Cause if you don't dream big,
What's the use in dreaming?
If you don't have faith,
There's nothing worth believing.
It takes one hope,
To make the stars worth reaching for.

'Cause if you don't have faith,
What's the use in dreaming?
If you don't have faith,
There's nothing worth believing.
It takes one hope,
To make the stars worth reaching for.
So reach out for something more!!

Jet Plane

I'm about to head out of the office in a few to run home gather my things (and my dog) and head to the airport for my flight to New York. I'm excited to be home, but at the same I usually have so much going on that it's rarely relaxing.

I am honestly looking forward to being 25, 25 is a solid number. You're not a kid, but your also not a complete grown up yet either...a perfect balance. It's funny though because I have no intention in dying when I'm 100, that's too old...so I'm already kinda past "quarter life" which is an accomplishment too. I look back at 24 years and am thankful I haven't made really any major bad decisions. No broken bones, no stitches, no kids, no husband, no police record (minus some speeding tickets). Not bad if I say so myself.

One thing I will proudly admit is that I love birthdays, anybody birthday....yes especially mine, but your birthday is a celebration of you. I like me and I like my friends and that's why I like making big deals about birthday. It's not about presents or parties, but a deal in trying to get the people I care about together and to celebrate not just me, but us. Now as much as I love birthdays, I HATE when people sing Happy Birthday to me, I've always hated it. I don't know why, I don't even mind singing it. I just really hate when it's sung to me. Strange I know.

Well I'm off to a what will hopefully be a fantastic weekend and maybe I'll even end with beginning a torrid love affair with American Idol Winner, David Cook. A girl, no scratch that I'm gonna be 25, a woman can dream!