Keeping Busy

So far, this week has been vastly different from previous weeks here at U of O. Mostly I think this is because I have been a lot busier. Project 365 as it has come to be known has been taking up a lot more of my time and I love it. I had two rehearsals today. One at 4:00pm and one at 8:00pm. They were both so much fun. Though I may not admit it sometimes, I think I really like keeping busy. Always having something to do or work on is a good feeling. When I have large gaps of time with nothing scheduled like I have in the past weeks I tend to spend a lot of time alone with my own thoughts which can often lead to worrying about stuff for no reason. Plus, I am keeping busy with what I love to do. I am working with people who share my passion for theatre arts and I am slowly becoming better at it. I called my mom today. It was very nice to talk to her. I also talked to my girlfriend today making me even more excited to come home this weekend.

Jubilant Again

Today was a really good day. I really feel like I killed my Theatre History midterm. Then I had a really good Acting class. After that I had my first rehearsal for 365 plays which was a whole lot of fun. I am so excited for the rest of the process. More detail about the rehearsal can be found on my other blog. After that I had dinner at Hamilton with some of my favorite people from my dorm and then I met up with Tessa and we headed over to my friend Liz's new apartment. She was originally living in the dorms but it wasn't working out so now she has this awesome apartment slightly off campus. Got some good studying done there. Walking from the car back to my dorm when we got back I slipped in the mud. So I decided to change into my pajama pants. I am now sitting here at my desk and I am quite comfy. I kind of feel like going to bed early tonight but this hall really doesn't sleep until like 2:00 on any given night so that may not be possible. It is already nearly 10:30 and I feel lame for being in pajamas. I have been feeling a lot happier lately. My optimism and jubilance seem to be returning. This is wonderful. Also, I am headed back to Portland this weekend and that has me extremely excited. I miss my family, girlfriend and hometown. Reconnecting with them is going to be amazing.

Cramtacular

So its close to 2:30 in the morning now and I have been studying all night with members of my FIG. We have our History of Theatre midterm tomorrow. Actually, scratch that. Today. We have been drilling flash cards, drinking coffee, and researching our asses off since around 3:00pm yesterday. Theres something kind of fun about this. It is really fun to have so many people living in my dorm who are in my classes. When we team up for study sessions we really get a lot done and we have fun doing it. I really hope the coffee wears off soon so I can get some sleep. This has literally been my whole day. Studying studying studying. Intense.

Ashland

The Ashland trip with my FIG was wonderful. We got up at the crack of dawn (that being about 8AM for us college students) and hopped in a couple vans bound for Southern Oregon. There is some really beautiful scenery between Eugene and Ashland and lots and lots of sheep. I was the only guy in my van and I was totally cool with that haha. The girls I got to travel with are wonderful and hilarious.We talked and sang to show-tunes and just generally had an awesome time. We made it to Ashland by about noon and we had a little bit of time to wonder around before the matinee began. I ate lunch with my friend Vicky and we fed the ducks at a pond in lithia park. Then we goofed around in the gift shop momentarily before it was time to watch Hamlet. This was the second time I had seen the show down there but it was equally stunning the second time. I will be the first to admit that Shakespeare can drag a bit and in fact during the first act I may have been dozing slightly but the lighting and sound effects they are able to pull off down there are truly incredible. The acting of course is also spectacular. After the show we went and got some sandwiches and ice cream before having a thoroughly enjoyable ride back. It was ironic to me how vulgar and immature we all were being in a van driven by a professor of English. I couldn't tell whether she disapproved or found us amusing. Still, twas lovely.

Some Thoughts

I've realized recently that college has been the biggest transition I have experienced in my whole life. That is probably why it has been so strange. Its been just about a month since I moved into the dorms here at U of O and I still feel kind of unsettled and off. It just doesn't quite feel like home yet. I still long for my room at home where I found solace. Having a roommate eliminates the possibility of a sanctuary where I can be alone with my thoughts. But then there are the times that I don't want to be alone. For example, Saturday I got really depressed. A bunch of my friends here had gone home for the weekend and I felt incredibly alone. Theoretically I probably could have found a party but at that point I only felt like laying there in my room. When my mood plummets there is this bad thought snowball effect that occurs so all of my worries surface at once. Currently I'm doing pretty good though. I got cast in an acting project called 356 days 365 plays and Acting class has maintained its level of awesomeness. Tomorrow my FIG (Freshman Interest Group) is going on a field trip to Ashland and its going to be loads of fun. We are seeing Hamlet which I have already seen in Ashland but I am excited to see it again. Also it is going to be fun to spend some time with the other people in my FIG who are pretty damn cool. Monday we have our midterm in History of Theatre though which is a class we are taking together in my FIG. Its going to suck but at least we can all study together. Next weekend I am headed home to Portland. I honestly cannot wait. I think I am more home sick than I realized.

Friends and Detergent

So I am sitting here in the laundry room/lounge in the basement of Bean (my dorm). I'm hanging out with my artist friend. She wasn't doing to good and then we talked for a while and now she seems to be doing a little better and smiling a little more. I think this is what I thrive on. Listening to people's problems, giving advice and trying to make them feel better. I find myself doing it all the time. The best is when I know I have friends who will listen to my shit as well and have the same effect. My artist friend is becoming one of those wonderful people. Well, she already is a wonderful person but she is really becoming a good friend. I also have met a girl from Ashland who is an actress and very similar to me in many ways. I already feel as though I can talk to her and she can come to me with her troubles. I am lucky to be acquiring friends like these. I think that one of the main reasons I like counseling people is that it allows me to gain more empathy. I learned recently in my Acting I class that Stanislovski's method for acting (the most widely used method for acting worldwide) can be summed up in that one word. Empathy. The ability to feel what others feel. The more I listen to the trials and tribulations my friends are having the more I am able to walk in their shoes. The greater the variety of people I can understand the wider my range as an actor. Conversely, the more of an actor I become the more empathetic I become. This kind of makes it harder for me to have contempt for anyone, much less hate anyone which can be difficult when I really want to be mad. But then the empathetic part of me kicks in and I start trying to see the situation from the other person's point to view which diffuses the anger almost every time. I guess thats why I'm such a pacifist. Well, my laundry is done.

College Life

I've been here in Eugene for two and a half weeks now. Everything is so new. The transition has been jarring. It seems like everyday I have met one hundred new people and learned one hundred new things about living in Eugene and going to school at the University of Oregon. The shift is difficult but exciting at the same time. This new level of independence leaves me open to do as I please whenever I want and where ever I want. It forces me to create my own structure which is sometimes nerve wracking. Not knowing what I am going to be doing or who I am going to be hanging out with at any given time is strange. But it does allow me to be pretty spontaneous which is fun. I am a Theatre Arts major so I am focusing on what I truly love at an extremely elevated level. I have History of Theatre, Shakespeare and Acting. All of which are very intriguing. Acting class actually is keeping me sane. It is so much fun. My GTF (Graduate Teaching Fellow) for that class is incredible. The first week of school wore me out to the point of being sick for the last four days. I think I am getting better but I am still feeling pretty exhausted. I am hoping to become accustomed to this lifestyle soon. I cannot deal with being this tired all the time. It really takes a toll. Aside from all this complaining, college has been really fun and new so far!!