It's About Time

I think it's about time for a more postive post in this blog. So here it goes...

The Undergraduate Research presentation was FABULOUS! I mean, I know Pam and I had video/music playing, but people seemed to be drawn to our project even without that. As Dr. Blum stated when I went to him for physics help, "The projects were interesting. I couldn't get near your board though." Sorry Blum! Didn't know my and Pam's project was going to be such a hit! Between Anna Allen, Dr. Bednar, and Dr. Smith, I don't know what is going to happen with our project next:

Anna Allen: She wants us to copyright our concept of linking dance and chemistry and then copyright our choreography. Pam and I are forbidden to make copies of our DVD or put the dances on YouTube until we have everything copyrighted. She would like us to polish it up a bit and then market it as a teacher's aid.

Dr. Bednar: She agrees with Anna that we need to sell it as a teacher's aid. However, Dr. Bednar wants us to also get the rights to the music so that we can perform it live it we wanted to. Apparently that's, "Not hard, and relatively inexpensive". I think my favorite part was, "Is Dr. Prushan bringing you to the chemistry conference with this project? Has he emailed the people running it yet? Is he sure they aren't already booked? Well, if it runs anything like the education conference then they're probably already booked. I'm gonna go ask him..."

Dr. Smith: "This is my favorite project!" was probably the one phrase he kept uttering. His ideas are probably the wildest of them all. Dr. Smith is going to "talk to some people" to try and get us grant money. He would like to see us get the rights for the music and copyright our concept and choreography as well, but he wants us to market it toward professional theater companies. With this grant money, Smith wants us to get professional dancers and get backed by some professional theaters.

And on a side note, Dr. Price: (While watching the square dance) "Ooo look, resonance structures! Wow! Look at the bonds breaking! I wish the structure would fold in on itself and change shape...oh wait, it is! Loot at that!"

I can see the teacher's aid concept, but I'm not all sure about Dr. Smith's idea for a few reasons. One, I would be heartbroken to replace any of our dancers with professionals. It just wouldn't be the same. Those involved made this project worth doing and it wouldn't feel the same without them. Two, technicalities really. For instance, what professional dance company would take me and Pam serious as choreographers? Also, the choreography is not designed for professional dancers. Overall, the idea is awesome Dr. Smith, but it doesn't make much sense.

Next topic on my list is

Doug, Brianna, Pam, Liz P, Annaliese, Megan H, & Sara

So we were at the table on Wednesday and Megan thought it would be funny to tell everyone about her game she's been playing all year. This game doesn't have a name, but it basically consists of taking words that start with "al" and putting a "v" in front of them to make them about me. Examples: "Valcove", "Valcoholic", "The Valchemist". With some slightly altered rules to this game, the Vallied Powers sat around the table for about an hour and a half and came up with the following:

The Vallied Powers
Vallegory
See you later Valligator
Valcove
Val-Jassir
Valcoholic
Valchemist
Val-Queda
Valex Trebek
Valley-Cat
Valluminum Foil
Valiban
Valready to go
Valmanac
Valbus Dumbledore
Control-Valt-Delete
Valzheimers
Valabama
Valaria
Valtoids
Valbert Einstein
Edgar Vallen Poe
Vallentown, PA
Vallen Ginsburg
Valifornia knows how to party
Valgorithm
Valtruistic
Vallusion
Valbum
Valberqueque
Vallopian Tubes
Invallable
Valgebra
Valestine
Valexander the Great
Valexander Hamilton
Valexander Gram Bell
The Library of Valexandria
A Valley-Oop
Valerina
Valtercation
Valteration
Valmost Famous
Valice in Wonderland
Valex Mack
Val Gore
Valaska
Valliby
Valbatros
Valvin and the Chipmunks
The Prisoner of Valcatrez
Vallegro
Vallegra
Valance Beam
Valcon
Valangies
Valkaline Batteries
Valkali Metals
Valkaline Earth Metals
Valpine
Vallison Channey
Valright
Valypso
Vallergies
Vallegence
Valphabet
Valsace-Lorraine
Valicia Keys
Vallison Krauss
Valtitude
The Valamo
Valaddin
Valbanian

So from now on, when I drink I'm a Valcoholic, if I forget something then I have Valzheimers, if I give you a really big hug you're a prisoner of Valcatrez, when I dance I'm a Valerina, my little study area in my room with my desk is my Valcove, etc. If you can think of a word that works and it's not Valready on the list, feel free to add it and become a member of the Vallied Powers.

And just for the record this was not my doing...but it's hilarious!

I think my favorite part was Davey sitting at the table with us and not being able to come up with a single word. Sorry Davey, "Valentine" and "Vallium" are already words. They don't work. And" Valadder" (ladder) doesn't work either. Davey actually walked around reading signs and pulled out a program and thumbed through it in search of words he could use. Poor Davey!

An update for the Vallied Powers: Megan and Liz want to make shirts. Don't ask me why, but they do. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Talk to Meg or Liz!

And of course, since this entry couldn't be entirely chipper, I have to admit the theme of my life right now is "trying new things". Some of these new things I can't wait for, and some of them I'm dreading terribly. For instance, I can't wait to make the Masque office look brand-spankin'-new during senior week. My ideal situation: Get rid of props that are A)Broken and B)We'll never use again. Also, taking an inventory of props so incase things do get messy again (which they will) Props Masters/Mistresses will know what we have (somewhere in the dung heap) and don't have to go out and waste money buying stuff we already have. If I can get that done then my next step would be to tackle those photoboards next to Cicala's office. Don't get me wrong, I mean I love history and all, but we don't need three photoboards full of Cicala! And if there is any time left over (which there probably won't be, but here's hoping) I need to rearrange some files and get things in order my way. I'm saving that for last because once the office is clean then rearranging files is something I can do when I come back in the fall if need be.

Next on my list: my room at home. That didn't quite happen over Christmas break, and I'd really like to see that project come to fruition, especially because I'm going to be taking Calc2 until July and I'm gonna need somewhere to work. Plus, I know I'm not going to be getting an appartment straight out of college, so it's not like all of this work will go to waste.

(Sorry, this is completely unrelated, but still awkward as all hell: I'm in the library typing this up and there is a guy part way across the room from me CLIPPING HIS FINGERNAILS--nail clipper and all--in the middle of the library. Any psychology majors in need of a case study? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)

Anyhoo, now on to the new things I'm not looking forward to as much. One of them is being at Sesame. Um, new choreography for a show that has been running perfectly fine for 5 years? Yeah. I don't get it either. This is the last year for Big Bird's Beach Party, and NOW they decide the choreography is a little too intense? I knew Sesame employees were slow, but this just takes the cake. Aside from the unneccessary changes in choreography that are going to fuck with my job, there is also the factor of being alone. I know I mentioned this in a previous post, so I'm not going to hit this up with too much detail. All I have to say is this is most definitely going to be my last year at Sesame unless I get a supervisor position. Even then, I don't know if I'll want to be there. It's just not the same without the people you love working with. It's awkward being one of the "old" ones when you're surrounded by high schoolers, because the truth is you are so much older than them. Last year they all thought I was 23. Now what? I just want my free passes this year (so Amy, Chris, and I can take our family vacation! Woot!) and then I'm done with it after this. It's the same old bullshit every time I go back, so what's the point? I'm over it.

Speaking of being over the same old bullshit (as if that wasn't just the world's perfect segway) I've learned a new trick that I'm not looking forward to performing: how to burn bridges. Truth is, I don't give up on people. I never have. It's just not something I do. I care about people too much. I generally don't hold grudges and I tend toward the forgiving side. However, recent events (and by recent I mean um...the last few months or so) have made me realize that maybe I shouldn't be me anymore. Maybe some people need to be yelled at. Maybe some people need to be hurt to wake up. Maybe I don't deserve being treated like SHIT in plain English. So I'm trying this thing a good friend of mine calls, "Having a fucking fight or else nothing will get better". And if it doesn't get better? Well, I think at that point I'm supposed to just walk away. Apparently, this is supposed to be "good for me". All I know is that if this happens, when it happens, I'll be the only one I know who's not proud of myself.

*Twinkle Out*