Summer Portraits

Now that I've sent in my interview video to grad school (ah!) I find I have a lot of time on my hands.  Ok, who am I kidding, I've had a lot of time on my hands despite having to complete the video.  I'm a college graduate.  I have nothing important to do, at least until my job starts in two weeks.  Thus, I'm taking on a little project.  Thanks to the good people over at Digital Photography School and their shiny photography tutorials, I've decided to take on a little Summer Portrait Project (yes, that's right, it is so awesome it deserves to be capitalized).  The California sunlight is just too beautiful not to take full advantage of.  Thus, here are two images from my first attempt, featuring my "little" brother (at 6'1" he's notthat little) and our dog, Matilda.  Enjoy!

    

Dear Body,

Why is there a disconnect between you and Brain?  Brain says that I still feel 15 years old, but you, O Body, seem to disagree.  Let me tell you, Body, I don't appreciate it.  And neither do Knees (especially Mr. Right Knee), who pretty much hate you right now.

Love,

Ashleigh

Ain't No Party Like My Nana's Tea Party

Somewhere over California

I'm a college grad!  Yay!  Certainly it isn't official until my diploma arrives in the mail but for the interim period until it arrives I'll be taking full advantage of my boasting-because-I-completed-college privileges.  So, sorry, blogosphere, because you have to receive the brunt of my gloatiness. 

I'm sure many of you are wondering (because we are SO interesting), what does the life of a recent college grad entail?  Well, let me tell you--in the past week I've:

1) returned to a house that previously I'd only spent 3 days in.

2) slept in like it was my job (which wasn't the plan and for which I now feel guilty). 

3) left my house and went on a trip.  

Yes, that's right, no more than 72 hours after returned home I left again, this time for the warmth of southern California and Occidental College's graduation ceremony.  Lucky for me, all of those typical college experiences I'd been missing over the last four years (it's sort of hard to have a house party when no one at your college lives in a house) were taken care of this past weekend.  And do you know what knowledge I've come away with? (yes, even after college I'm still hungry for the learnin'):

I AM AN OLD LADY.  

Seriously, I am.  At almost 22 years old, I am over the hill.  I mean, first it's the knee thing, which, if you've spent about 8 minutes with me in any sort of stair environment in the last 8 or so years, you are aware of my unfortunate arthritis situation.  Yes, that's right.  ARTHRITIS.  Old Lady.  Then, the fact that lately, if it hits anything past 12 am, I pretty much am useless and mostly am thinking about pajamas and my bed (get your mind out of the gutter, you).  Old Lady.  And lately, strangely enough, after the passing-out-early thing there is the waking-up-early thing, a trait most elderly people also seem to possess (why in the world would you wake up at 7am if you have nothing to do during the day?  I don't get it).  Not to mention the fact that I am social inept at all those typical college things like house parties (sorry for strapping you with my lameness, Hil).  Old Lady Old Lady Old Lady.

Don't get me wrong.  I love my old lady status (ok, I don't love the arthritis, but other than that it's not so bad).  And as far as the "classic" college stuff goes, I wouldn't trade it for any of my experiences at NYU (ok, maybe I would trade PAWC.  But other than that...).  I'm not that Animal House kind of college girl.  I'm the kind of college kid who would rather watch The West Wing (or Gilmore Girls, if I'm being honest) and order take out with friends than go out to a club or a bar.  I always have been.  And I do enjoy some of the classic college things on occasion (anyone who knows what The Bank is knows what these things are).  But usually I measure the way I spend my free time like this--if my sister couldn't come with, it's probably not my favorite thing in the world.

So for now (especially during the summer when my friends are far and wide), I'm embracing my old lady nature.  Worst comes to worst I'll say it's my homage to Bea Arthur.

My life in boxes

My closet. VERY empty, which is strange.

This is basically the only thing left in my closet. WEIRD. I tried this little ensemble on last night (which was a trippy experience, let me tell you) and it got me thinking--why in the name of all that is holy are traditional outfits so FUNNY looking? What exactly is the point of wearing a robe and a hat with a piece of square cardboard on the top? It is an ensemble that no matter how hard you try (and believe me, I've been trying) you can't make look good. You just have to accept the fact that you are going to look silly. And, of course, NYU's colors are purple and white so the robe is that lovely electric grape color that is oh-so-flattering when put on an oversized choir-type robe. And, because my brain is so big (sure), I get to wear the biggest gold tassel you've ever seen. I'm not complaining (especially since I'll be able to tie up tapestries quite easily when I'm done with the tassel), it's just for some reason last night was the time when, without the pomp and circumstance and excitement surrounding this outfit, I realized how silly it makes you look. At the same time, I can't WAIT to put on that bright purple robe and enormous tassel and walk across the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Yes indeed, in a little more than 12 hours I will be college graduate and I will be more than happy and willing to wear the silly outfit. Who am I kidding, I love costumes and the one I'm wearing tomorrow is going to be AMAZING.

I'm done with college, I might as well do some school work

Having completed all of my work for my undergraduate degree (!), I have begun focusing more on my graduate school plans.  As part of my graduate school "interview" (which, oddly enough, doesn't actually contain an interview at all), I created a 2 minute performance piece in response to one of Aesop's fables.  If you aren't familiar with Aesop's fables, I suggest you go out and purchase a copy right this minute.  They literally cost $2 (being dead for 2,000 years, Aesop is no longer pulling in royalties from his works...in fact, he might not have even been a real guy, so he doesn't get any money) and they are super fast to read.  Each fable is a short story PLUS a moral--it's better than a 2-for-1 Vegas buffet! (or Boo-fay, as my grandmother would say)  Enrich yourself.  Laugh your head off.  Buy these fables.

I chose to focus on the moral of The Eagle and The Arrow, which basically says that we often supply the means for our own destruction.  Below is part of the video of my piece (there are 30 more minutes of me working with the actors...too much fun for the internets for sure).  My beautiful and superbly talented friends Kyle and Annaleigh are the actors and they are just glorious.  Not many people could do what they did in a half an hour.  Special props to Marissa, who did some excellent camera work and really made the video what it is :)

Sadly, I am having lots of trouble finding a song to go in the background of this piece, so no worries about having the volume up or anything (though if you have a suggestion, I would love to here it). Annaleigh is the only one with a line, and it comes at the end of the piece quite randomly, I think.  If only we'd had 5 more minutes, it probably wouldn't end so strangely.  Alas, that was all the time I was alloted.  So, here it is.  Enjoy!

Dear Universe,

The art of letter writing is dead (apparently).  I enjoy writing letters, remembering a time long ago before cell phones and blackberries and the confusion that is Twitter kept us in constant contact (though, for some reason, every time I write a letter it sits on my desk for ages, waiting for the proper postage.  I never seem to have a stamp).  To fill this ever-growing letter writing void (and avoid the stamp-dilemma), I've begun composing little letters aloud, scribing them upon the air. Little letters like this, written just this afternoon:

Dear Anne Bogart,

Why in god's name is your book $30?  It's like 50 pages long.  OY.

Love,

Ashleigh

Or these, from last week:

Dear Joshua Jackson,

You make me giggle, especially when remembering the Dawson's days.  

Thanks ever so much for that.

Love,

Ashleigh

Dear Japanese Website From Which I Illegally Watch Television Shows Due to My Lack of TV,

Your streaming capabilities are subpar.  You should fix that.  I have important things to watch and your videos pausing while a woman is birthing an alien baby is inconvenient.

Love,

Ashleigh

Try writing little letters yourself sometime and sending them out into the universe, your voice providing the necessary postage.  Not only will it make you feel as though you've stepped right out of a Dicken's story, you'll also be helping the environment by not using paper.  Everybody wins.

The End of an Era

As of this upcoming Wednesday, my undergraduate career will be over....and I CAN'T wait.  Sooo much work in these past few days, it is difficult to remember that I have a little over a week left in New York.  I'm trying to keep this in mind, even when I am swamped with work.  Little trips around the city here and there over the next week are a MUST.

In sad news, theatre practitioner Augusto Boal passed away yesterday.  Boal's work is revolutionary and some of the most interesting techniques I learned about at NYU.  His book, Games for Actors and Non-Actors, is pretty much my bible.  I use it all the time.  Boal's work changed the way I teach and they way I create theatre work.  It is a great loss to the theatre community and to humanity at large.

To all those graduating seniors out there, keep your chin up.

"The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come...The great work begins."