long... stressful times

It's-a me!


My life has been crazy lately. Very, very crazy.

Lets see... when did I last post? WOW.

okay, a whole lot has happened since then.
Its been, what, a little over a month? Yeah... thats sounds right.

Alright.

Tonight is opening night for the show that has been eating my life, Of Thee I Sing. It is a PULITZER PRIZE winning play about a man who is running for president. Its a spoof on musicals and the absurdity of our electoral process. It is set in the 1930's and the story goes like this:
John P. Wintergreen is running for president for a political party that is never defined (not for lack of trying, the candidate for vice president asks and the committee gives a run around answer). The committee admits that their party is not well liked so they must come up with a gimmick to make the American voters like them. They come up with the idea of love as a running platform. The committee holds a nation wide beauty pageant to choose the most beautiful woman in America and choose a woman named Diana Deveraux. While the committee is choosing a woman off stage, Wintergreen is introduced to a secretary of his named Mary Turner who can make corn muffins (his very favorite food) without corn and, of course, instantly falls in love with her. The committee comes back, telling Wintergreen he must marry Diana. She is "jilted" and runs off, crying. Through a series of twists and turns, including a court scene where Diana almost gets John impeached, the good guys win and Diana must marry the vice president.

Its really an awful show. How it won a Pulitzer, I'm not quite sure.
But, in the quandary of these past few weeks, I've gone from being uninvolved in the show outside of creating a costume for costume construction to being on wardrobe crew to being wardrobe head. I was assigned the position of wardrobe head one week ago. Generally, when one is a wardrobe head, they would begin working on paperwork and crew assignments weeks prior to training week and would have little work to do for that week... the girl who was wardrobe head before I took over did not do anything for the position. She, in fact, had a wardrobe meeting and was incredibly unprepared for that as well. As a friend, or perhaps in a short burst of masochism, I volunteered to take over for her as she had some pretty obvious personal problems getting in her way of being an effective wardrobe head.

It was a mistake, and this process has taught me to stop bailing people out. People in theatre seem to be very thankless. One of my professors today said "What I love most about Theatre is the commrodery that comes with it". I'm beginning to disagree. When I told the designer today that I was exhausted she looked me right in my red eyes (I cried for about two hours last night and got about three hours of sleep) and said "you asked for this, remember?"

I really had to resist the urge to yell at her. I thought, how dare you tell me that I asked for this. How dare you scoff at my exhaustion when I am bailing you out. The girl who was wardrobe head would NOT have been able to do it and you would have been out on your ass.

At this point, I'm not quite sure what to do. I obviously have to discuss it with her, but I have to let it sit on the back burner for a while, since I have a research paper I've GOT to do. I have to make it through this week to next Monday in order to be sane enough to talk to her about this without breaking down during our discussion. Its a hard situation.

Anyhow, thats the big stressor in my life right now. I'm working through it. Also, thats all for now, I'm mostly just procrastinating.

I'm a little overwhelmed right now.
Lets go over the day of Devin so far---
At 7:30am this morning, my phone rings for the first time. I reject the call, without looking at who it is thinking its my alarm. Over the next hour, I see that it is my landlord calling. I finally pick up.
Yesterday, he was over here patching up my closet wall because the water main behind my closet wall had a crack in it and he had cut into the wall to take a look at it.
Turns out, early this morning, the apartment below ours flooded from this pipe. He called a plumber and was trying to let us know the plumber was coming by. Last night I had put all my stuff back in my closet where I keep it. So, at 8:30 am, after a looooooong night of not being able to sleep, I pulled all my stuff back out of my closet, essentially trashing my room. I went to class and came back to find mud tracked all over my house, dirty power tools all over my piles of stuff in my room and wet drywall shards all over my closet. The guys were still working, so I figured they'd be cleaning, but they didn't.
On top of all this, the plumber says that the wall has to remain open for at least three days to dry out, leaving my room unbearably smelling of mildew.
This is what that means: I'll be sleeping on the couch for the next few days. That by itself isn't so bad, but when you live with a night owl and have to meet for a field trip at 7am the next morning... its not so good.
I'm just exhausted (not sleeping well, for no apparent reason) and increasingly frustrated.

I promise I'm not dead...
I promise I'll be updating soon.
Just trying to catch things up.

god loves ugly.

its been a while, huh?

this weekend was a little crazy. it takes a lot more energy than you would think to sit in a nearly empty house and watch a play and look for everything that is wrong. but the show looks good, and its open so i'm very happy.

i have my first exam in computer science tomorrow, as well as my barbie dress is due (but, of course, its done at this point). its pretty much mid-term time, and this term is just FLYING by.

today has been okay, it was pretty good until i checked my myspace and found a message that i really didn't want to find. it was... a little painful and very upsetting. so, i went to mijer and bought iron man, love actually and a big fuzzy bathrobe, came home, took a very very long shower and am now just lying in bed. i should be going to sleep but i can't convince my brain to just... shut up.

i know, its cryptic, but i don't really want to get into it. i'm sure you can guess who it was from and what it was about. and if you can't, and really REALLY want to know, you know my email.

so i'm thinking that i'll take my pills, pop in love actually and see if that can't put me to sleep.

my dad gets into town on friday!! and rob does too, but thats not so exciting since i haven't seen my dad in a few months and i saw rob last week. but its still exciting!

anyhow, a photographer is coming to class tomorrow morning so i may as well get to trying to go to sleep.

Harry Potter Audiobooks.

I'm listening to all the Harry Potter books via Audiobook. I tried to find Ender's Game or Shadow but no such luck!

My cleanse has come and gone, and it went GREAT. I feel very good. Yogurt is for sure going to be a part of my daily foods from now on. I've awoken every morning, seriously been awake and ready to go. Early, in fact. My body dosen't ache as much and I'm in a much better mood.

Lesse, what else....?
We started "hell week" this week. I started wardrobe training for my show on Tuesday, we watched a run tonight and tomorrow night is makeup training, then I'll get friday night off. Adam (my ex, but a very very good friend of mine) had his 21st birthday on monday, we're hoping to celebrate friday. Martin (my friend, Rob's roommate and my roommate Julie's boyfriend) is coming down, as well as bringing Tim Martin (we're all hoping) with him. It should be a kind of amazing birthday celebration.

Then, on saturday, I'm attending a commencement ceromony with Rob (his cousin, I think), then rushing back here and going to first dress. I'm, at this point, praying that it goes well. This have been very, very frustrating and complicated the last few weeks. I'll be keeping you updated on how that goes.

Anyhow, its getting very very late and I've got class very early.

Ever see me running, make sure you keep up.

CSI marathon.
Today is the first day of my 3 day cleanse. I woke up, did some psudo-yoga and my-type stretches, etc, which was nice. Then I checked my email and saw a crazy email from the director of the show I'm designing. Just... very neurotic about the photoshoot today. She was requesting things from people that were a little outlandish and very paranoid. She requested that the Stage Manager (my good friend Kyle) and I drive by the shoot location to make sure that everything was okay... I think? So we did...
It was just very odd to wake up to.

The results of the photoshoot? Lots of waiting. Results of waiting?



Grass whistles. Steve was unamsued, as were the rest of us.

I'm teething, and it hurts. I think that we have wisdom teeth so that we can know what its like to teeth and take pity on babies.

I also checked my mole removal scars today (I don't do that so often) and the one on my neck kinda looks like its growing back... its weird.

Hokay, also, cleanse blog!

Today has been pretty good, though a little moody and head achey. It could be many things, and I'm just assuming its not so much the lack of good nutrition (I'm sure it is) and its just... lameness. But so far so good. We'll see how tomorrow goes and the next day, too.
I'm thinking I'll probably give up red meat soon, too. I've been noticing it kinds just... sits in my stomach for a while, and I don't really need it as long as I remember to take a vitamin.

I discovered today that there is a state park in Illinois called "Starved Rock". It looks like its beautiful, and almost like something you might find in Oregon. Its about half way between Bloomington and Chicago and a little more west. I'm going to see if I can't convince Rob to take a day trip out there or if you can camp there or something. Not that I have any camping gear or anything. But it might be fun.

I have so many visits to look forward to coming up quickly!
Rob is coming down this weekend, then again next weekend, and Dad will be here then, too! Then Maddi is coming to visit me sometime in the next few months, too! I'm very excited. I love visits!

Tonights homework? Lysistrata. Oh. No.
Save me!

Desginers? Time is up!

I'm sitting in my living room, with my room mate watching a rerun of the most recent Project Runway.
I feel like they're really reaching for designers to be on that show. Its kind of... disheartening. I suppose with a season like last season, they were bound to have a relatively untalented season.

Today has been very subdue. I got to watch a few tv movies while I did homework, which was awesome, and cleaned the bathroom.

I'm starting on a quest to improve my health. Starting tomorrow, I'm doing a three day cleanse to jump start it all. It will be an adventure, for sure. I'm just trying to kick start my life back into health, I've been kinda letting it slide which is never good!

Anyhow, distractions call!

Bad beginnings, better ends.

Today has been an interesting day, for sure.
Last night was even harder... it started with a hardcore bout of nostalgia. Nostalgia is hard for me, I've had some very very good friends in the past, and fallen out of touch with most of them. I was looking through old pictures I have on my photobucket, which right now is the only place most of my pictures exist. I'm not quite sure what brought it up, but oh well.
Then, I went over to a friend's house and, all of a sudden, my phone's screen just... stopped working. I, of course, had a little freak out, then, after much deliberation, made use of the "reset" button on my iTunes. I was very sad because there were cute notes left and texts I thought I was loosing... but THANK GOD FOR APPLE.
My phone is back to being the exact same. Everything is there! EVERYTHING! Even the character and level of a game that I downloaded. I'm very pleased right now.
However, I had a very hard time going to sleep last night, and an even harder time waking up this morning. Despite today being a no SOTA (School of Theater Arts), we decided to have a costume construction class meeting. It was not very productive for me. I'm doing very well with flat patterns, which... surprises me. I started on my Barbie, but other than that, it was a waste.
I walked into the theater today to be greeted with the news that we couldn't order a few things I really need for my show. It was very frustrating to sort out, but its all figured out now, so thats good. But it was an awful way to start off the day.
Then to production meeting, and the rest of the afternoon was fine, but I've been in the haze of last nights nostalgia.
Anyhow, tonight is going to be Laundry night, along with a run of the second act for me to view and a very very early bed time for me.
I'm off for dinner making!

Introduction!

I figured I'd start out with an intro to... me!

I'm currently a junior BFA Costume Design student at a small mid-west liberal arts school called Illinois Wesleyan University. Its located in the town of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, about two hours south of Chicago. I'm originally from Portland, Oregon. Prior to the move to the dorm my freshman year, I had lived in one house my entire life.

My parents have given me many great gifts and are truly wonderful people. I've been privilaged enough to tavel abroad frequently through out my life. I've always had enough to eat, a roof over my head and and loving, wonderful family (even if I haven't always apriciated it).

I have a love of food. I love "ethnic foods", fun and expressive foods that I can make for myself. Now that I'm living on my own, I'm leaning how to make things, enjoy things, and cook for myself (for reals!!). I'm developing a taste for good cocktails, good wine and good food. I try not to make sacrifices when it comes to the things I put in my body (even though sometimes you have to).

I have a passion for art. I love looking at classic art, I love creating art. I have a great passion for fashion, and costume. For me, there is no greater wonder than taking a two-dementional sketch and turning it into art on the body. As Oscar Wilde once said "One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art." To me, one of life's biggest adventures is finding the balence between being and wearing art.

I have friends I love, family I love and am learning to love myself!
Come explore with me!