Costuming Class: Part I

It’s been very long time and finals are looming but... I decided to post about my costuming class that I started back in January…and subsequently dropped. I always start out with an extra class anyway so I can drop the one I like the least. :-)

It’s the first day of class and I’m sitting in the stuffy basement dressing of the performing arts centre with about ten other kids I don’t know at all. Finally, the teacher arrives and we begin to go over the syllabus. We are to meet twice a week and in different classrooms on different days. “But,” says our teacher, “We’ll be meeting in Robin’s classroom next Monday and then be back to the schedule next week.” The other kids nod, they obviously know who Robin is, but I am left to ponder these intriguing questions, “Where is Robin’s classroom? Why does she have a classroom? What does she teach? For that matter, who is Robin?!”

:-)

Costuming Class: Part II

Very, very early on a winter morning some time ago, the first day of costuming lab went something like this: “Hi, I’m so glad you all came! Now I’ll show you around!” We obediently followed in a line down the hall to the cutting and sewing room. “Now,” she stood by an ironing board, “This is an iron....” (Really? We all thought it was just a strange steaming lump) She moved across the room, “And these are our cutting tables; this is a sewing machine and this is a serger—but you probably won’t need to use that in this class.” Our guide picked up a box, “This is your sewing kit: these are safety pins and these are straight pins; this is your tomato pincushion...you just stick your pins in it. (Really? Is that what a pincushion’s for?) These are your scissors, one for fabric and one for crafts—only use the fabric scissors for fabric or they get dull.” Closing the box, “Well, I think that’s about it. Now you’re free to leave early!” No, I didn’t laugh until I left; everyone else was taking it so seriously and I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But I did drop the class and got my money back.... I already know how to sew (real costumes...and with a serger!! :-D) and it seemed absurd to take a class to learn how to make a pair of pajama pants.

:-)

Farewell Ick... but not the in the way you might think...

I must confess something…. I like Ick now. This will be the last time I ever refer to it as Ick. My change in feeling probably has something to do with being interviewed for another school last December and a stuffy dean asking me in hauteur-type voice, “So, why did you choose the community college route?” and a few other questions dripping with snobbery. I didn’t let it make me mad until afterwards but then, I tell you it made me so mad I wanted to wring his neck. I’m NOT going to his school and I intend to stay at my community college next year and I LIKE MY COLLEGE!! And my education is NOT inferior to anyone else's!! Ahem… rant over… mostly. :-) Strange how you don’t realize how much you like something until someone else picks on it.

:-)

The Forest and the Trees

The interview is over… (it went well but that’s the first time I’ve ever been asked to summarize Descartes Meditations in 3-4 sentences) three of my exams are done and only one short paper to go… so I can now resume more frequent posts! (Aren’t you happy? :-D) It’s amazing what you have the time and patience to do when your semester is nearly over. The air seems fresher…the sun shines brighter…just kidding, school isn’t that bad and I mostly like it…but a break is always good. :-) You do see things that you barely noticed during the semester…. Like I just realized that I should tidy up my trunk which could/should be a place to sit but can’t since I leave things on top of it. Since fall break ended (the last time I actually noticed my room) the top of my trunk’s been a hopeless sea of French verb note cards, old to-do lists, bookmarks, drawing pencils, pens (of varying ink levels…some don’t work at all), books, Altoids tins―in short, there are places in my room which look like a refuse tip. I’m also realizing that hey, it’s December and my birthday is in three days (yay!), my cousin’s wedding is only a week away, and Christmas is only 14 days away. (Not all my shopping’s done…eek!) I think somehow I missed the fact that December began over 10 days ago. :-D

:-)

Strange Tastes

I’m in the middle of finals work (talk about nightmares for final exams you have taken!) and thus, my creative ability has been significantly diminished of late. I have a phone interview with the college that I really want to go to tomorrow night. I’m sure it’ll be fine…. *gulp* (Pray for me…please.) Anyway, as I drove home from Ick today and was trying not to think about finals, I remembered something I did back in the day which amuses me now. When I was three or four, Mom had a small Christmas tree on a card table (I think to keep the presents off the floor and away from little fingers) and I think there was a tablecloth over the table too. In any case, I remember taking a fresh package of cream cheese out of the fridge, getting a knife, and crawling under the card table to eat it. I know I got the foil package open and ate some of it with the knife…but I don’t remember how much I managed to eat before Mom looked under the table and found me. :-D As if that isn’t all… I used to eat frozen raw bacon from the butcher shop too. (I guess it is cured or smoked…but still….) My sister and I actually got away with that a few times before Mom caught us. My brother is also known to have tried to eat a stick of butter in a similar way to my cream cheese episode…. My poor mother… :-) (Don’t worry we weren’t habitually rotten. :-D) Ah, childhood. It’s a wonder anyone survives it.

:-)

The Pink Duck

Today when I went to Ick, it was raining (rather hard) and was very windy (I’d like to talk to whoever decided to build Ick on a river bluff) and was extremely cold. As I trek to the main building from my car (it’s a very long way), I’m wearing this pink raincoat with a hood and I’m thinking, “I look like a 5 foot three pink duck.” Then, I argue with myself, “Who cares what I look like? It’s pouring down rain and no one cares if I look like a pink duck!” Other side of my brain, “I do! I’ll just keep my head down and then no one will see my face.” But by the time I’m halfway to the building I’ve forgotten all about such things and am just trying to keep my hands from resembling icicles. So now you all know that I argue with myself sometimes and that when I use the hood on my raincoat I look like a pink duck.

:-)

My Life… Reduced to Paper

About 10 days ago, I mailed off an application for another college and it’s the one that I really, really, really, want to attend. Inside the envelope was a form, an essay, recommendations from two highly educated people, a check, and various transcripts. As I watched the postmistress stamp the envelope, I kept thinking, “My entire life… reduced to paper. *sob*” I’m too young to die, I’m too nice to die, I’m too me to die! (As you can see, I’m more than a little nervous about it.) This college process is highly over-rated.

(By the way, the “I’m too such and such to die” is something Snoopy think/speaks in Peanuts.)

:-)