| Once on this Island |
[May. 1st, 2008|01:48 pm] |
So I choreographed a show...
Everyone is awesome in it, and it's awfully entertaining.
The show is Once On This Island and it pretty much retells the story of The Little Mermaid (non Disney version) but instead of being under da sea, it's about class stuggles on a Carribean island. And there are gods! And singing and dancing!
If any one is interested in seeing this (Erica you'd love it)we open tonight and continues May 1st - 3rd at 8pm with a 2pm show on Sunday the 4th at Parish Auditorium on Miami University's Hamilton Campus. Tickets are $12 at the door. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 26th, 2007|09:31 am] |
So I haven't posted in a while mostly because there's not much to say and I haven't been feeling very creative. But I woke this morning with an urge to write or create something. Most importantly to create something good. Something of quality. Something people would like. Now what that is I have not a clue. And I certainly am not doing it right now. So what is it people like? Puppies! Oh and Kitties. Okay here goes in less than 25 minutes. (I went back later and edited a little)
She lays on her back and stares, paws pulled up to the sides of her white downy belly. 'What a glorious thing' she purrs to herself, 'to not be burdened by human wickedness, human failings, human feelings'. She lives only for pleasure this tiny creature. Yet she is all to aware of her own superiority. She is witness to human life, entertained by it. 'It is humanities flaw to be ruled by emotion,' she'd muse while chasing a lazer spot or stalking a sock toy "To be tortured by conscious - the endless drudgery of being good. Goodness' she'd observe as she licked her hind leg' is happiness'. When she is happy it is good and right now what would make her happy is a gentle belly rub. She purrs coyly and wiggles a little. It is most adoreable. 'Yes that's it', she thinks 'you can't resist me.' Her owner, a dowdy woman in her mid thirties who had what some might call the start of a glorious ugliness coming about her, glances up from the sink where she is washing her lone dinner plate. The woman smiles admiringly and leaves her washing, wiping her hands on her worn Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt. She walks over and strokes the cats tummy. "Aren't you the cutest thing in the world. Yes you are. Yes you are!" Yes, she is. Her short grey fur is feather soft and her green eyes are inviting and innocent. The cat, having gotten what she wanted flipped back over to feet and stretchs dismissively. She can not take the prattle of common folk. There's nothing worse than being adored. It's absolutely exhausting.
Pretty kitty yawns large and impressively her mouth creating a vast chasm like she was swallowing the world. How she'd love to. To take in all of lifes pleasures in one gulp. But there shan't be time for it now. She hears the sweet machinical grind of the can opener. An animalist urge takes over and much to her own shame she runs to her dinner bowl cursing the human's control over her. Then again eating is a special pleasure for it is followed soon by napping which is then followed by eating and so on. She licks her paw feigning passivity. Waiting for the Lovin' Vittles.
Oh to be a kitten forever. To be forever adorable and loveable. To have endless control over her master...why for that she'd give her soul.
Time to eat.
Okay so I had also just read Oscar Wilde... |
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| Power of the Pen |
[Apr. 15th, 2007|11:59 pm] |
Okay so I again was a judge for a Power of the Pen competition.
Writers are given a prompt and 40 minutes to write. At the end of 40 minutes we collect their works and score them accordingly. The top scores go on to state competition.
One prompt was "Feeling Alive". This is what I would have written. Sorry for typos...I don't want to cheat.
I feel squishy.
Not bad squishy but just like my insides have been...oh I don't know...taken out, filled with chemicals and then returned to my body.
And it's dark. Comfy, warm, but dark. And do I smell carnations. Ew.
I remember the plague. Newscasters speaking in hushed and urgent tones. Each getting uglier than the next. It's hard to keep the pretty around in the face of a real emergency. No, it's the homely and stern that do their duty, keep the public informed.
I lived alone. Except for my cat Zora. It wasn't hard to stay off the streets, hole up in my house and wait for the disease to pass by. I was lucky.
Others weren't.
They say, the newscasters, that the infected were not to be trusted. You could tell them apart by their sallow complection darkened eyes...and usually by the crust of blood around their mouths. Dead give away that.
So I ate my spagetti oh's and watched my Days and carried on even if work didn't. Not that I minded. Spending time on my couch was the ideal employment anyhow. I had my morning shows - trashy talk, Price is Right, then the afternoon - Oprah and reruns of Home Improvement. Then in the evening I'd switch to cable. Nothing is better than the feeling of slipping away into sleep as you are watching something soothing, like Animal Planet. Oh you just drift into dreamless slumber as the antelopes are stalked by lions or elephants graze. And you think how you're so glad not to be an animal, struggling between finding food and being food. Then you pop another diet coke and microwave a hot pocket and settle in for another marathon. With the plague on and no new programing coming in...every week was Shark Week.
That was months ago.
There is something to be said for having lost most loved ones years ago. I mean I watched those specials, the memorials "We Won't Forget" etc etc. The names go scrolling by my screen and I haven't the time to read them let alone memorize. The thing is we will forget.
We all forget.
So I tried to stay away from the memorial shows, and the telethons with Chris Martin spouting retoric like he's the new Sting. Or is that Bono...I can't remember anymore. "The infected need our help" he said staring out from my set all glassy eyed and sincere as he knelt next to a docile looking infected child, "They can be cured if we take the time to listen to their needs." Then the child bit his face off. The camera cut away after that.
Anyway. You can't stay shocked and afraid forever. Pretty soon the attacks were as normal as anything else and if you were careful you could get by. It was the stupid that went and got their brains all eaten. And I needed toilet paper.
I'm starting to like the squishy. I feel awake now, like after a short but refreshing nap. I wiggle my toes down at the bottom of my box. All things seem to be in working order though my tummy is growling. I can now hear muffled conversations as the mourners file in. And over the scent of carnations I smell something else...something savory and alive. And I have no desire to watch TV.
p.s. On second reading I discover that I stole a joke...can you catch it? |
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| since I never post. |
[Mar. 11th, 2007|01:21 pm] |
1. Have you worked for more than 5 employers in your life?
- Um lessee: Fred's Donuts, Tim Horton's (shudder), Camp O'Bannon, that one restaurant where I waitressed badly, and then various schools..so yeah.
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2. What is the best drinking holiday of the year?
- I try to treat everyday as a drinking Holiday...it's what Jesus would want.
3. Name the one thing that will always make you smile.
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4. Do you prefer the "Electric Slide, " or the "Booty Call," when dancing at weddings?
- I enjoy the "sliiiide to the left, now sliiiide to the right, two hops now ya'll, REVERSE REVERSE!" dance.
5. What is the one song that you would sing if you sang kareoke right now?
- I believe "Midnight Train to Georgia" is my signature tune...though I'd like to tackle "Fernando" but they never have enough ABBA at karaoke bars
6. Do your parents know how to turn on a computer?
- uh...it's just a button right?
7. Which of your friends lives the furthest away from you?
- I'll go with Carrie and Sian in New Zealand.
8. Does "twiddling your thumbs" sound like something you've done a lot of?
- No..but I do enjoy a good thumb twiddle
9. What is the stupidest thing you've ever done and not regretted it?
- well hopefully it will be doing a play in Middletown.
10. Have you ever had an alias?
- Brian Collins called me Al back in the day...but he was my bodyguard and I was his long lost pal. And my little brother called me Aki.
11. What is something 'twee'?
- Belle and Sebastian...Franz Ferdinand...I actually like by bands at bit twee.
12. Have you ever played a drinking game with cards?
- Boston Red
13. What about a drinking game without cards?
- Not really but Kim and I, while watching X-Files, would always go "DRINK!" whenever anyone said "truth"
14. Rally's or Checkers?
- I brake for Wendy's, but if we are talking pure hamburgerism then Red Robin is heaven.
15. Have you ever wondered what the 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper really are?
- I'm not unconvinced that there is only one flavor and that is "prune"
16. Answer this in a language other than your native one, what's your favorite color?
- riz-ed and bliz-ack
17. How many messaging systems do you use online?
- AIM
18. Sum up your week in 5 words:
- Kids, grading, chaos, couch, Jonstewart
19. True or False: Lobsters are fun to play with AND eat!
- Rock Lobsters..
20. What do you do well?
- I'm a pretty good public speaker
21. Did you have to take the garbage out today?
- Probably will tomorrow morning. Though I think it is my unofficial job. I kill the spiders, I take out the trash. It's kinda like Sam's my wife.
22. Are you musically inclined?
- I play no instrument except the radio
23. Do you sleep with lights on or off?
- I usually fall asleep reading so -on
24. Are you legally blind or color blind?
- you mean I have to choose either/or? Well then I'd say I'm more nearly legally blind...I mean before my contacts my glasses were rather on the thick side.
25. What one possession of yours would explain the most about you?
- My ipod?
26. Do you believe that Nessy, Big Foot, or Aliens really exist?
- I like to. I don't want to rule out any possibilities.
27. Any big plans this year?
- If by year you mean summer -cruise with Erica, camping in Utah with Kim, Maybe a road trip with Samantha...though I should be checking out grad programs...
28. What makes you appreciate your life?
- my weekends with Justyn...aaaaaaaawww.
29. Would you rather live on the East coast or West coast?
- West...I want summer.
30. Can you can-can?
- I've never tried-tried |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 20th, 2007|03:14 pm] |
So I judge a Power of the Pen competition weekend before last where students are given a prompt and 40 minutes to write on it. One of the prompts was "Describe a search for truth through your narrative." This is part of what I would have written if I was in the competition. I'm sure there are mistakes. I only had 40 minutes.
The Case of the Tiffany Killer
Chapter 1 - Hooked on Trouble
"Gee golly gosh!" Peggy gasped as she stared at the dismembered limbs hanging on meat hooks. The killer had been a hunter - deer, racoons, the occassional bear. He knew much about how to preserve a kill. Peggy felt a wave of regret as she saw the flayed corpse of what she new must have been Jamie Lee Hitchcock. She was stretched out like a piece of tapestry or an old shirt hung on the line to dry. For the first time in her life Peggy feared she was over her head.
She never had reason to doubt before. Her scrapbooks were full to bursting with news clippings. Young Girl Finds Missing Kitten. The Case of the Phantom Hitchhiker Solved. Diamond Mine Ghost Unmasked. All articles featured a picture of Peggy smiling broadly hair a perfect beribboned flip. She had been in the sleuthing biz for years. The scrapbooking came later but now one simply seemed to provide for the other. Peggy relished the time she was able to take apart from her studies at Harmort College and weekly soda shop dates with Hugh to organize and decorate her scrapbook. Memories organized and labled. She was even able to add an artistic touch. For example on the page that featured her success in solving the Mystery of the Popcorn Pilferer - in which she discovered the dastardly villian who had been stealing the Cinema 10's snack supply was no other than the manager Ted Cooker. She had known it was him because he was unable to write with a pen - it kept slipping out of his hands because they were covered in artificial butter flavoring!! On that page of her scrapbook she not only included the article featuring her looking especially nice in a cardigan sweater and plaid skirt with always present string of pearls as she handed Ted over to the police, but also she decorated the page with little paper cut outs of popcorn and candy. It was ever so adorable.
This mystery would not lend itself well to any sort of memory book. She could appreciate though the killers attention to detail. She had seen some pretty upsetting things in her line of work. Once she came upon a skeleton that was believed to belong to Pillaging Paul the Pirate. That gave her quite a fright but she never gave up her search for the missing treasure of Casper Cove. Turns out it was just a fake skeleton put there to scare people away from the cove by Mr. Jasper the museum curator. "This is no fake skeleton." she said to her self as she came upon Ms. Lena Lorington face stapled to a corkboard on the left hand side of the garage. The killer must have carefully removed it from her head like a cook cutting the fat from a lambchop. "Good gracious!" she coughed as she covered her mouth to keep out the stench of rotting flesh that permiated the small darkened garage.
All clues had led her here. The dropped peice of lace in the woods, the consitancy of the mud left in boot prints, the killers penchant for pistachio nuts. Sheriff Thompson told her not go look any further in this case but she didn't listen to him.
"Listen Miss Hart" he'd said in that gentle fatherly way of his, "I appreciate all you've done for this force. Believe me. I mean I would have been in terrible trouble had you not found my wife's wedding ring for me. Who knew that a little bird could cause so much trouble?"
"Magpies often make their nests out of shiny objects that they find laying around." she had said rocking back on her heals a little and smiling proudly.
"That said, Miss Hart," the sheriff furrowed his brows. "I don't think these kidnappings are going to turn out well. We've already gotten reports of things being found around town."
"What kind of things! These may very well be clues!" Peggy's eyes were bright with the excitement of this new information and the wheels in her head were spinning like a kalidascope.
"Well, not clues persay. More like remains." He said slowly.
"I don't follow."
"The killer is leaving...parts...of his victims body in small turquoise packages tied with white ribbons like Tiffany boxes." The sheriff spoke as if his words tasted of bile hesitant and forced.
"Jumping Jehosiphat!" Peggy's mind reeled with the news. "Those poor girls...they must be in terrible pain! We need to find them quickly."
Sheriff Thompson sighed. He should have told her right then. Should have told her what was in the box. Why the need to find the 6 missing girls wasn't as urgent as Peggy might have hoped. But he couldn't. It was distasteful so he just shook his greying head and looked the girl detective in the eye. "Back off this case please. For me. And if not for me then do it for the memory of your little brother." But in the back of his mind...he knew she wouldn't. |
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| never again |
[Jan. 25th, 2007|04:21 pm] |
When one eats a Penn Station Chicken Sub one must be prepared to smell like Penn Station Chicken Sub for the rest of their natural lives despite frequent showering and generous sprays of Ralph Lauren Blue.
Also when one eats said sub in ones classroom be prepared for 10 students a day to comment on the smell.
"Ew it smells like a sandwich in here...what is that"
"Um my sandwich?"
"Oh..." |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 7th, 2006|03:54 pm] |
So much potential for a snow day. If only it had come an hour earlier. *sigh* I'm updating only because this has been the weirdest school day thus far. It snowed in Hamilton...maybe it snowed in Fairfield too but I didn't encounter any there...infact the closer I got to school the worse things got. After creeping down Eaton Road at 1/2 a mile per hour, I slid into the snow covered parking lot in the dark and attempted to park. This attempt was misguided though, since the prinicpal made an announcement over the intercom a couple minutes later "Um...someone with a black Honda needs to move their car because they parked in the middle of the road." We didn't actually start school until 8:20 when the busses finally arrived (they were ordered to pull over and wait out the icy roads). So a couple fellas from 1st period and I just hung out and discussed the possibility of getting out early. Alas, it was only wishful thinking, the snow stopped falling shortly after and it was back to work as usual. Until 2nd period (my prep period) when I strolled out of the copy room and straight into Santa Claus. What the crap was Santa doing in my school building? Not sure. But there he was Ho Hoing and the whatnot.
Here's hoping for a big dumping tommorow! Wear your pajamas inside out for me. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 6th, 2006|04:35 pm] |
I hate when people are asking you a favor but instead of just asking they make it sound like they are doing YOU a favor.
"Hey Alison, I'm going to put you on the schedule to stay after and work Wednesday school so you can get some hours in. Neat huh? Yeah, you can thank me later."
Like I'm being gifted a gigantic sub sandwich instead of being obligated to stay 2 extra hours after school and babysit delinquents. Wednesday school is our new Saturday school...which is a step up from detention.
Now sure I don't really mind getting payed for staying after school and grading. I mean I do it anyhow for free. However it's still extra work.
It's not in my contract that I have to work it, it's a volunteer thing. It's a favor. Not a huge life or death favor...but still. The conversation could have gone like this:
"Hey Alison, you mind working Wednesday school next week?"
"Sure, that's cool, I'll be here anyways."
"Alright, I'll put you on the schedule."
I guess it's just semantic but still.
Ah well. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 1st, 2006|04:50 pm] |
My students are doing compare/contrast essays which leads me to thinking..
What is the difference between this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMGamvE7C4
And this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKej7ZEn3vE
???
Answer:
It's the eye twinkle.
Seriously I always assume that Fergie knows that she's a huge joke but you can't tell that from the video. She plays it sincere. She HONESTLY believes that she is Fergalicious. Maybe meth destroys your sense of irony. Luckily Will.I.Am gets the joke.
Gwen on the other hand is combining club jams with Sound of Music references and she KNOWS it's ridiculous. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2006|04:33 pm] |
Ganked from Erica
Name a movie...
1) that makes you sad:
Crooklyn I've never sobbed so very hard...Actually dead moms usually get me reguardless of the movie
2) that makes you laugh your ass off:
Young Frankenstein - I actually start laughing during the credits thinking about what each character will say...
3) that was way better than you thought it would be:
Galaxy Quest - seriously, I thought it would suck.
4) that brings out the romantic in you:
Amelie
5) that has awesome dvd extra features:
X-Men
6) that is totally underrated:
Wet Hot American Summer
7) that you can recite every line of dialogue to:
Wizard of Oz
8) that words cannot describe:
Anatomy of a Dream
9) that is super sexy:
Pride and Prejudice
10) that has a great soundtrack:
Garden State.
11) that you really want to see:
Borat (same as Erica) but also Tenacious D:The Pick of Destiny.
12) that you have no interest in seeing:
Deck the Halls...it's like Jingle all the Way but grating-er
13) that you geek out over:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban...Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, etc.
14) that puts you in an emotional melancholy state of mind:
Metropolis - the anime version. Distopias will do that to you see also Twelve Monkeys.
15) that scares the hell outta you:
I'm easily frightened and hence don't watch much horror (except for zombies...zombies are cool). Fraggles used to scare me. That scene in Willy Wonka in the tunnel does give chills.
16) that makes you feel like a kid again:
Mary Poppins
17) that inspires you:
Singing in the Rain inspires me to bust out into showtunes.
18) that proves all remakes don't suck:
Dawn of the Dead (see zombies are cool) I liked Oceans Eleven too.
19) that wasn't as funny as you thought it'd be:
For Your Consideration...not bad, just not as funny as I thought it would be.
20) that deserves a sequel:
Serenity :-)
21) that should never have happened:
A Very Muppet Christmas, see also The Muppets Wizard of Oz, anything that rapes my childhood memories.
22) that has a kick ass movie poster:
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
23) that has a kick ass dvd case:
Evil Dead
24) that is one of your guilty pleasures:
Pretty in Pink - one word "DUCKIEEEEE!" see also Dirty Dancing, Sixteen Candles. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 25th, 2006|01:25 am] |
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I'm posting mostly to show off my new icon...which I borrowed from Erica's flicker page. |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 11th, 2006|03:25 pm] |
But I don't waaaaanna make a Myspace page.
I already diiiiid that already with Friendster already.
*huffs* *pouts lip* *will probably suck it up and do it anyways because she's a hopeless lemmimg plus you get to post music!*
But that's later. Right now I'll give a short ljpost. A journal I barely keep live. Infact the only reason why I'm on now is to tell everyone that I am NOT exhausted. How refreshing!!! I've been drained every day last week. As soon as 3:00 hits I feel as though the TeacherBot3000 has been unplugged. But today. Sure I'm sleepy. I'm ready to go home. But the day blew by and I'm clearly able to still lift my fingers to the keyboard an mash the buttons in a somewhat coherant way. Okay brain functioning slowing down...let's pound this out.
Lessee. For those who keep track I've been to several swanky parties these past two weekends. The first being a wedding for an old friend. So old that she thought I was my sister...sure the bride has alot of things on her mind...but still, we were tight for a good 6 years before college. I assumed we were of the special friend breed whom, after years of separation, can still converse as if no time has passed. Clearly I was wrong. Ah well. She married an older gent who has an 8 year old daughter. Weird for me to see that - her head first, no looking back, plunge into adult/parenthood. Anyhow the wedding was lovely and the meal was free and scrumptious.
Oh and we saw Steven Tyler. He looks like a little old woman. I could fit twelve of them in my gunny sack. If I carried a gunny sack.
Which I don't.
This weekend I officially was adopted into the Deleone family by attending not only the 2nd eldest daughters graduation party but also their Sunday night family dinner(again food, free and delicious). I should be recieving the ceremonial dark curly wig of Deleoneness soon. It will be made entirely of pita. And bagels. And dreams.
It's great though because seriously their house is da boooomb.
Um. That's it. All else is very well and I'm starting to find a groove. At least for today. Right now the cheerleaders are practicing the "LET'S GO BLUE" cheer. Which consists of them screaming that particular phrase over and over and me shooting myself in the face.
It's a special cheer. But I should leave. |
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