so today. Today I washed all of my clothes by hand. Yes. I washed them in the tub. I really wish that I had a washboard it really would have helped. Plus I would have then felt more like an authentic washer woman. I would say it went fairly well. I am pleased thus far but we're still out on the final result as the dryer takes forEVER!
I ate too many biscuits again. They weren't even very nice.
Dryer is done. The clothes are dry and clean. Mission accomplished.
that is all.
oh and it rained today. many times over.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
there were boxes and people that i'd never met before
Thursday and Friday of last week we had workshops with Claire and Richard from Forced Entertainment. With Claire and Richard we flocked and made up a dance. We spoke about our fears and all of the things we are absolutely NOT afraid of. We hid in boxes and picked up chairs. We ran around and played games. We chatted about our likes and dislikes. We discussed the next step. We were critiqued and encouraged. We tripped over our own feet and said things we thought were funny. Nobody cried. Some people talked too much. Some people only listened. We didn't have fancy lights. There was a trip to the beach. We went to many beaches all at once. We made the beginning of a show. Maybe. Feel free to google them.
Last night Cathy, Ali, and I went to see Cat play at a pub that she described as sort of republican. It was in fact very republican. It was the most bizarre pub experience I've ever had. It was like some horrible Lifetime movie. There's Cat all in white the innocent singer song writer doing her best to make it happen playing were she can with just her guitar to protect her from the sea of drunk rowdy men. In the movie something horrible would most likely happen...however, not the case in reality.
Still it was the kind of place you walk into and are immediately reminded that you are a woman. On top of that this particular pub was full of locals so three completely unknown women were even more of a unique commodity. Before even buying a drink we were confronted by 'Pink Jumper Man' he had a loud voice and a short-term memory. I told him I was from New York at least 3 or 4 times. He guffawed every time. After chatting us up for a while and being quite rude he blessed us with his saints medal thus proving he was in fact a good man. Finally he departs only to make a triumphant return a few minutes later completely surprised to find two girls from Cork and a girl from New York in the pub. His comings and goings grow shorter and less frequent throughout the night but that does not mean that we were left lonely.
We had one guy who was in fact not too bad. Friendly and not too inebriated though at the end of it all when he was chasing poor Cat back to her car I thought perhaps I ought to reconsider is level of intoxication.
'Blue Man' who was not only wearing blue but I think was in fact quite blue fell madly and deeply in love with Cathy. He was sorely disappointed to find out she had a boyfriend. Even the promise of UB40 playing at their wedding could not lure her away from her man. 'Blue Man' also had a sidekick. He was an electrician and lived across the street.
Just before leaving we met 'Mr. Marty' the artist behind all of the artwork in the pub, which actually was quite good. He had spent time in New York painting sets and had been to the Irish Arts Center. Weird.
Finally we piled into Cat's car off to find some late night chips. A task we had laid out for ourselves quite early in the night and one we were determined to complete. Due to the closing of a peace wall (peace walls located in various parts of Belfast that are closed in the evening to separate Catholic and Protestant areas in order to prevent any misdoings in the night. they are meant to be removed. slowly i suppose) any way we had to drive the long way to bobby's Chinese, which apparently isn't even run by bobby anymore, where we got chips and rice drenched in sauce. too much sauce. but still yummy at 130am.
A few glasses of wine later we hopped in a cab at 3am and went home. good times.
Today I plan to finish cleaning my house. Do some reading. Use my hunter gather skills at the market and attempt to do some laundry in the bathtub as our washing machine has given up on life. That is all.
the best,
jen
Last night Cathy, Ali, and I went to see Cat play at a pub that she described as sort of republican. It was in fact very republican. It was the most bizarre pub experience I've ever had. It was like some horrible Lifetime movie. There's Cat all in white the innocent singer song writer doing her best to make it happen playing were she can with just her guitar to protect her from the sea of drunk rowdy men. In the movie something horrible would most likely happen...however, not the case in reality.
Still it was the kind of place you walk into and are immediately reminded that you are a woman. On top of that this particular pub was full of locals so three completely unknown women were even more of a unique commodity. Before even buying a drink we were confronted by 'Pink Jumper Man' he had a loud voice and a short-term memory. I told him I was from New York at least 3 or 4 times. He guffawed every time. After chatting us up for a while and being quite rude he blessed us with his saints medal thus proving he was in fact a good man. Finally he departs only to make a triumphant return a few minutes later completely surprised to find two girls from Cork and a girl from New York in the pub. His comings and goings grow shorter and less frequent throughout the night but that does not mean that we were left lonely.
We had one guy who was in fact not too bad. Friendly and not too inebriated though at the end of it all when he was chasing poor Cat back to her car I thought perhaps I ought to reconsider is level of intoxication.
'Blue Man' who was not only wearing blue but I think was in fact quite blue fell madly and deeply in love with Cathy. He was sorely disappointed to find out she had a boyfriend. Even the promise of UB40 playing at their wedding could not lure her away from her man. 'Blue Man' also had a sidekick. He was an electrician and lived across the street.
Just before leaving we met 'Mr. Marty' the artist behind all of the artwork in the pub, which actually was quite good. He had spent time in New York painting sets and had been to the Irish Arts Center. Weird.
Finally we piled into Cat's car off to find some late night chips. A task we had laid out for ourselves quite early in the night and one we were determined to complete. Due to the closing of a peace wall (peace walls located in various parts of Belfast that are closed in the evening to separate Catholic and Protestant areas in order to prevent any misdoings in the night. they are meant to be removed. slowly i suppose) any way we had to drive the long way to bobby's Chinese, which apparently isn't even run by bobby anymore, where we got chips and rice drenched in sauce. too much sauce. but still yummy at 130am.
A few glasses of wine later we hopped in a cab at 3am and went home. good times.
Today I plan to finish cleaning my house. Do some reading. Use my hunter gather skills at the market and attempt to do some laundry in the bathtub as our washing machine has given up on life. That is all.
the best,
jen
Thursday, June 11, 2009
where have i been part II
today was a tragically sad day as my sisters had to return home to the states. The arrived last Tuesday morning and we had a magical adventure together. I'm hoping they have/will make it home safe. They're plane has yet to land I believe.
And now a brief recap:
I arrived at Belfast International airport about 40 mins early. I had two cups of over priced tea and a scone. I looked in the gift shop and I bought some gum. They finally arrived and hour and half late. Hooray!!
After getting them back to the house they almost immediately passed out and slept for most of the day. We then ventured out to town and had dinner at Cafe Renoir. It was quite yummy. Melissa had a pizza, Delia had a chicken sandwich, and I had a burger. I know tantalizing. We then proceeded to head into the city center where I bought a dress. yay for me.
Thursday morning we departed bright and early for London. We were quite exhausted I booked us a 6am flight thinking we'd get to bed early however i had a paper to finish and Delia also had homework to do. So we didn't get to bed until about 2:30 and up at 4:15. whoops.
we couldn't check into our hotel until 2pm so we got ourselves a delicious English breakfast and then wandered around kensington gardens and palace. Inside the palace amidst old furniture, paintings, and costumes we learned to waltz and how to balance a book on our head in a very interesting exhibit about English debutantes.
Then almost to the point of delirium we walked through more of the gardens. We tried to sit in some lawn chairs but a quiet man with a box around his neck expected us to pay to enjoy them. Even half asleep we knew better than to pay for chairs that should be free. So instead of sitting we pretended to put our feet in the water of the pond and chased the swans around the perimeter.
Making it to 2pm proved much more difficult than could have been anticipated. When we found ourselves laughing uproariously over nothing we knew we needed to check ourselves in....to the hotel.
London House Hotel. Finally in our very own snugly room with our very own little snuggle beds we all lay our heads upon our downy white pillows just as the construction workers outside our first floor window began jack hammering some tile. Silence. Oh perhaps they are done we wondered aloud. No now it was time to nail something to the wall. Our giggling quickly picked back up again as our luck seemed to be against us. Finally after the fire alarm went off for no good reason the place quieted down and we had ourselves a lovely nap.
Refreshed and almost raring to go we dragged ourselves back out for a little exploring and some dinner. We ended up in a decent pub on the south bank of the Thames. I was super cranky by the time we got around to dinner and started to believe that the barmen and the waiters were all working against me. In the end after eating my pie and drinking my beer I came to realize that this was in fact not the case.
Next day: We ate breakfast at our hotel as it was included in the price. It was rather bland and lacked imagination to say the least. We had sliced white cheese, a mild cheddar we shall say. A choice of white bread or white bread toasted. There were some disappointing croissants but slab on some butter and jam and they would suit just fine. We also had a cold cereals to choose from four to be exact. Rice Crispies. Cocoa Crispies. Corn Flakes. Frosted Flakes. Yes the choices were really just too much for us that morning.
Friday: roamed around a bit as I tried to get my barrings. We bought tickets to Wicked and had a coffee in Leicester Square and then looped and zig zagged until arriving at Covent Garden. Places seemed to have moved slightly since the last time I was in London. We did a bit of shopping and saw some more sights including Tate Modern. We then fought about where to eat dinner but were able to rekindled our sisterly love over giant coca colas and poor Italian food before having a fabulous time at Wicked.
Saturday: After eating the exact same breakfast we had the day before we went to the Natural History Museum and played with butterflies then we learned about Eco systems and rocks until we got hungry. We had lunch in another pub and Bri of Irish Arts Center fame joined us. It was so nice to catch up. Saturday turned into the day of old friends as we had drinks with Rob, Iris, and Chris in Angel later that evening. A few drinks in Chris and Rob were able to lure us back to Chris's with the promise of a big breakfast the next morning. Little did we know that mother nature had other plans.
Sunday we woke up to the biggest storm I have seen in ages. Poor Chris and Rob determined to follow through with the promise of breakfast were planning to go out into the misery that beat down on the wee apartment to acquire all the items we needed but we were able to convince them that we were not in fact hungry. it was just too ridiculous. ah well. We went back to our hotel assuming that our plans to see Romeo And Juliet at the Globe that afternoon would now be ruined. However that would not be the case as the sun prevailed in the end. We had a nice time and learned some very important lessons:
1. tall men for some reason like to stand in front of us
2. people do not like to listen to ushers and it makes us mad because we are very good at following directions.
3. If we ever see another show at the Globe we must have seats.
After the show we went and saw London Bridge and the Tower of London. Then back to the hotel to get our things and something to eat before making our way to the airport to return the Belfast.
After purchasing our homemade noodle soup and wantons we attempted to eat our lunch in the Kensington Gardens. Our picnic was short lived as Mother Nature once again turned the tables on us. Quickly packing our lunches we decided we'd eat them on the train.
Three noodle soups. One train ride. One flight across the sea and one taxi ride later we were back in Belfast.
Monday: The most beautiful day of the trip. We did a day tour up to the Giants Causeway. The drive up the coast was just melt your heart gorgeous. We could not have had better weather. On a normal day you might be able to catch glimpses of Scotland as you weave around the bends. Our driver said that it was so clear that day that he was seeing parts of Scotland that he had never seen before.
Our first big stop was at Carrik a rede rope bridge. You walk across a rope bridge to a small island in the sea. This day once again supports my theory that Ireland is in fact a tropical island without the humidity. The water was sooo blue the sun was warm. We spent about 10 or 15 minutes sprawled in the grasses of that wee island.
Back in the bus we were off to the Giants Causeway. Arriving we ate our packed lunches at a picnic table overlooking a long stretch of farmland and the sea.
Climbing along the mountain's edge we slowly made our way around to the beaches below and the rock formations built by the giant known as Finn McCool.
Wrecked we made our way back to the shop at the top of the mountain where I indulged my sweet tooth with an ice cream.
Back in Belfast we made some dinner and were off to bed.
Tuesday was a restful day. I had an assessment interview and Delia and Melissa needed to catch up on their sleep. We had drinks in the evening. Nice quiet.
Wednesday: We were up early again for a trip down to Dublin. We saw all the major attractions. Delia got to have some Guinness and we were back in Belfast.
Thursday: I had class. Melissa and Delia attempted a trip to the Black Mountains but the bus systems of Belfast and Northern Ireland proved tricky for mere mortals. Next time maybe. We had a nice dinner and instead of having bye bye drinks at a bar. We opted to stay in do each other's hair and have cookies and milk. Way more fun than a smelly bar for sure.
Friday: Bright and early (a theme if you will) we were up. The girls all packed. We had a small breakfast. I made them some sandwiches to bring along with them in case they had to wait for a long time at the airport (please recall their tardy arrival)
They left on the 7:45a bus to Belfast International Airport. At several points throughout the day my classmates or tutors would mention the time and I would think, okay they should be on the plane now, or they're somewhere over the Atlantic, just a few more hours to go and they will be home.
My room which had grown quite full with all of their things is now strikingly empty.
I suppose they could not have stayed forever and it's only a few more weeks before I will make that same journey home.
meow kitties!!
And now a brief recap:
I arrived at Belfast International airport about 40 mins early. I had two cups of over priced tea and a scone. I looked in the gift shop and I bought some gum. They finally arrived and hour and half late. Hooray!!
After getting them back to the house they almost immediately passed out and slept for most of the day. We then ventured out to town and had dinner at Cafe Renoir. It was quite yummy. Melissa had a pizza, Delia had a chicken sandwich, and I had a burger. I know tantalizing. We then proceeded to head into the city center where I bought a dress. yay for me.
Thursday morning we departed bright and early for London. We were quite exhausted I booked us a 6am flight thinking we'd get to bed early however i had a paper to finish and Delia also had homework to do. So we didn't get to bed until about 2:30 and up at 4:15. whoops.
we couldn't check into our hotel until 2pm so we got ourselves a delicious English breakfast and then wandered around kensington gardens and palace. Inside the palace amidst old furniture, paintings, and costumes we learned to waltz and how to balance a book on our head in a very interesting exhibit about English debutantes.
Then almost to the point of delirium we walked through more of the gardens. We tried to sit in some lawn chairs but a quiet man with a box around his neck expected us to pay to enjoy them. Even half asleep we knew better than to pay for chairs that should be free. So instead of sitting we pretended to put our feet in the water of the pond and chased the swans around the perimeter.
Making it to 2pm proved much more difficult than could have been anticipated. When we found ourselves laughing uproariously over nothing we knew we needed to check ourselves in....to the hotel.
London House Hotel. Finally in our very own snugly room with our very own little snuggle beds we all lay our heads upon our downy white pillows just as the construction workers outside our first floor window began jack hammering some tile. Silence. Oh perhaps they are done we wondered aloud. No now it was time to nail something to the wall. Our giggling quickly picked back up again as our luck seemed to be against us. Finally after the fire alarm went off for no good reason the place quieted down and we had ourselves a lovely nap.
Refreshed and almost raring to go we dragged ourselves back out for a little exploring and some dinner. We ended up in a decent pub on the south bank of the Thames. I was super cranky by the time we got around to dinner and started to believe that the barmen and the waiters were all working against me. In the end after eating my pie and drinking my beer I came to realize that this was in fact not the case.
Next day: We ate breakfast at our hotel as it was included in the price. It was rather bland and lacked imagination to say the least. We had sliced white cheese, a mild cheddar we shall say. A choice of white bread or white bread toasted. There were some disappointing croissants but slab on some butter and jam and they would suit just fine. We also had a cold cereals to choose from four to be exact. Rice Crispies. Cocoa Crispies. Corn Flakes. Frosted Flakes. Yes the choices were really just too much for us that morning.
Friday: roamed around a bit as I tried to get my barrings. We bought tickets to Wicked and had a coffee in Leicester Square and then looped and zig zagged until arriving at Covent Garden. Places seemed to have moved slightly since the last time I was in London. We did a bit of shopping and saw some more sights including Tate Modern. We then fought about where to eat dinner but were able to rekindled our sisterly love over giant coca colas and poor Italian food before having a fabulous time at Wicked.
Saturday: After eating the exact same breakfast we had the day before we went to the Natural History Museum and played with butterflies then we learned about Eco systems and rocks until we got hungry. We had lunch in another pub and Bri of Irish Arts Center fame joined us. It was so nice to catch up. Saturday turned into the day of old friends as we had drinks with Rob, Iris, and Chris in Angel later that evening. A few drinks in Chris and Rob were able to lure us back to Chris's with the promise of a big breakfast the next morning. Little did we know that mother nature had other plans.
Sunday we woke up to the biggest storm I have seen in ages. Poor Chris and Rob determined to follow through with the promise of breakfast were planning to go out into the misery that beat down on the wee apartment to acquire all the items we needed but we were able to convince them that we were not in fact hungry. it was just too ridiculous. ah well. We went back to our hotel assuming that our plans to see Romeo And Juliet at the Globe that afternoon would now be ruined. However that would not be the case as the sun prevailed in the end. We had a nice time and learned some very important lessons:
1. tall men for some reason like to stand in front of us
2. people do not like to listen to ushers and it makes us mad because we are very good at following directions.
3. If we ever see another show at the Globe we must have seats.
After the show we went and saw London Bridge and the Tower of London. Then back to the hotel to get our things and something to eat before making our way to the airport to return the Belfast.
After purchasing our homemade noodle soup and wantons we attempted to eat our lunch in the Kensington Gardens. Our picnic was short lived as Mother Nature once again turned the tables on us. Quickly packing our lunches we decided we'd eat them on the train.
Three noodle soups. One train ride. One flight across the sea and one taxi ride later we were back in Belfast.
Monday: The most beautiful day of the trip. We did a day tour up to the Giants Causeway. The drive up the coast was just melt your heart gorgeous. We could not have had better weather. On a normal day you might be able to catch glimpses of Scotland as you weave around the bends. Our driver said that it was so clear that day that he was seeing parts of Scotland that he had never seen before.
Our first big stop was at Carrik a rede rope bridge. You walk across a rope bridge to a small island in the sea. This day once again supports my theory that Ireland is in fact a tropical island without the humidity. The water was sooo blue the sun was warm. We spent about 10 or 15 minutes sprawled in the grasses of that wee island.
Back in the bus we were off to the Giants Causeway. Arriving we ate our packed lunches at a picnic table overlooking a long stretch of farmland and the sea.
Climbing along the mountain's edge we slowly made our way around to the beaches below and the rock formations built by the giant known as Finn McCool.
Wrecked we made our way back to the shop at the top of the mountain where I indulged my sweet tooth with an ice cream.
Back in Belfast we made some dinner and were off to bed.
Tuesday was a restful day. I had an assessment interview and Delia and Melissa needed to catch up on their sleep. We had drinks in the evening. Nice quiet.
Wednesday: We were up early again for a trip down to Dublin. We saw all the major attractions. Delia got to have some Guinness and we were back in Belfast.
Thursday: I had class. Melissa and Delia attempted a trip to the Black Mountains but the bus systems of Belfast and Northern Ireland proved tricky for mere mortals. Next time maybe. We had a nice dinner and instead of having bye bye drinks at a bar. We opted to stay in do each other's hair and have cookies and milk. Way more fun than a smelly bar for sure.
Friday: Bright and early (a theme if you will) we were up. The girls all packed. We had a small breakfast. I made them some sandwiches to bring along with them in case they had to wait for a long time at the airport (please recall their tardy arrival)
They left on the 7:45a bus to Belfast International Airport. At several points throughout the day my classmates or tutors would mention the time and I would think, okay they should be on the plane now, or they're somewhere over the Atlantic, just a few more hours to go and they will be home.
My room which had grown quite full with all of their things is now strikingly empty.
I suppose they could not have stayed forever and it's only a few more weeks before I will make that same journey home.
meow kitties!!
where have i been you ask
Well I will tell you!
I believe the last time I updated this here blog was before How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen so a recap:
The show opened the last thursday of may. It went really well. We had great audiences for the entire run and I think both parents and kids really enjoyed themselves.
I don't believe I've ever sweated so much in one show...hold i'm running through every show i've ever done...nope captain najork wins for sweatiest show. We were all dripping by the end of it. Really not surprising since we basically moved for about 45 mins straight. I will be sure to put up some photos as soon as I can. Unfortunatly my computer may be dead. So no access to any of my pictures. none of them.
After the show came to a conclusion I worked madly to complete my critical incident log which I would say was good. not the best thing anybody has ever read but good. My sisters arrived last tuesday morning and we've been having a marvelous time. I will discuss these adventures in a separate post as there are simply too many to include now.
This past Tuesday I had my assessment interview for my first module here at Queens. Basically Anna and two other assessers (is that a word) ask me questions about my log and my ongoing development as a theatre practitioner. it went okay. i thought of all sorts of brilliant answers as i walked home. ah well.
okay so today we begin work with Forced Entertainment a company perhaps in the same vein as richard foreman's company and wooster group. it should be very interesting. we have two workshop days with them and then 10 days to devise the show. crazy scary i think.
ah well i must be off
all the best!
jen
I believe the last time I updated this here blog was before How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen so a recap:
The show opened the last thursday of may. It went really well. We had great audiences for the entire run and I think both parents and kids really enjoyed themselves.
I don't believe I've ever sweated so much in one show...hold i'm running through every show i've ever done...nope captain najork wins for sweatiest show. We were all dripping by the end of it. Really not surprising since we basically moved for about 45 mins straight. I will be sure to put up some photos as soon as I can. Unfortunatly my computer may be dead. So no access to any of my pictures. none of them.
After the show came to a conclusion I worked madly to complete my critical incident log which I would say was good. not the best thing anybody has ever read but good. My sisters arrived last tuesday morning and we've been having a marvelous time. I will discuss these adventures in a separate post as there are simply too many to include now.
This past Tuesday I had my assessment interview for my first module here at Queens. Basically Anna and two other assessers (is that a word) ask me questions about my log and my ongoing development as a theatre practitioner. it went okay. i thought of all sorts of brilliant answers as i walked home. ah well.
okay so today we begin work with Forced Entertainment a company perhaps in the same vein as richard foreman's company and wooster group. it should be very interesting. we have two workshop days with them and then 10 days to devise the show. crazy scary i think.
ah well i must be off
all the best!
jen
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