Theater poetry

As one of the requirements for my creative writing class, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and attempting to write poetry. I thought I would share one of my first attempts, which was written completely on the fly right after I found out I was stage managing our first main stage production. Enjoy!


The Stage Manager
Show up early.
Staying late.
Keep track of actors, designers.
Remember your crews and cues.
All on your shoulders.
You can bear it.
Dimmer checks.
House music.
Prop check,
prop check,
prop check.
Calls to make.
Notes to write.
Things to post.
Til now my voice was not my own.
Now, this show is mine.
I am ready.
Go.

Planning for the Future

For months now, I've been playing with the idea of creating a vlog. I just checked the web cam I've got and the resolution isn't quite as clear as I'd like it to be, so the idea will have to wait until I can get the equipment, meaning it will have to wait until I get a little more cash flow. Money's tight right now after the textbook buying and food for the apartment and such. Current plans are to purchase what I need in the spring when I get my other refund check OR use my iphone when I get my upgrade next month, depending on its capabilities. Time will tell, I suppose.

To my knowledge, neither my laptop nor my netbook has a built in webcam. Even if the netbook does, it wasn't made to store something like a vlog, so I feel that option is out. I plan for the vlog to be an extension of this blog and will be posting on youtube with a channel under the same name - InkandGrit. I'm hoping this goal of setting up a vlog will prompt me to post things more regularly, increase traffic to my blog as well as the vlog, and help me personally with things like confidence, organizing my thoughts, and working on my facial expressions and body language.

Here's hoping this vlog goal will come to pass in the not too distant future.

Edit: I checked out some of the features on my current cell phone and found out that the video camera on it (my phone has a video camera!) isn't bad for quality. Maybe I can make this happen sooner after all. I just need some practice with video editing software.

Stupid mistakes leading to ideas

Today has been...interesting. Not necessarily in the good way either. I was, frankly, stupid and skipped breakfast this a.m. Combined with my (very) early dinner yesterday - it was more like an incredibly late lunch, I believe - I screwed up and had gone about 18 hours without eating. As I said, stupid of me. Of course, I paid the price with interest when I blacked out in science class this morning. Not fun. However, I came around and was perfectly aware of my surroundings and exactly what had happened. In fact, my first thoughts when I came to was "dammit" and several other expletives that were more to the point.

Despite that more-than-irritating setback, my only  complaint now is a sore finger, which I believe the EMTs bruised when they stuck it to check my blood sugar. My head doesn't even hurt anymore - apparently, I hit it on the chair to my immediate left. Then there's my injured pride, but it's resilient as well. This just means I'm going to not skip breakfast again and will take my backpack (packed with emergency snacks) to every class.

After this morning's lovely little episode - going back to class on Monday is going to be so much fun - I bought myself a medic alert bracelet, which is something I've been telling myself I needed for several years now. Thankfully, as I informed the EMTs, these episodes don't hit me very often at all and when they do, I can always pinpoint the cause. The last time my hypoglycemia got the best of me, excluding today, I was in junior high or high school. Normally, I do manage it fairly well. Now, finally, everyone around me will be aware should anything like this happen again.

The purchase of my new hematite beaded medic alert bracelet seemed to set off a bout of good old fashioned retail therapy. A friend came over to spend the evening with me and we went out to dinner - we had each only got one plate from the buffet when a high school marching band came in. Both ex-band students ourselves, we had clearly not thought ahead. Rather than wait out the crowd, we opted to do some window shopping that, for me, quickly turned into real shopping.

Today, I purchased my first ever pair of running shoes (pics to come later) for a mere $65 after tax. I also bought two books on running. My friend was a little surprised at "how serious I must be taking this running thing." I just smiled and shrugged. Until he spoke up, I hadn't really thought about my running as any kind of serious beyond a thing I liked doing that kept me in shape. Kind of silly from someone who, at the time of this statement, was holding a pair of bought-and-paid-for $65 running shoes and two books on the same subject.

Tomorrow - after a good breakfast - I'm going to lace up my running shoes and go for my first run in weeks. (Working out didn't seem like the brightest idea today, you know.) Tonight, I'm staring at a web page for a local 5k run that's only six weeks away and trying hard to talk myself out of it. Frankly, I'm running out of excuses.

I wonder what kind of day I would've had if I hadn't had to buy that medic alert bracelet...