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End of Week 2 – Winter Term ’15

Jan17

I am feeling sore and brain drained as I write this.

Yesterday’s Jazz 1 class was awesome as I was getting a great workout but I sorta tweaked my left knee and I need to be careful with it as I injured it about 7 years ago and did not care for it properly.  So I need to make sure I keep my knee aligned with my foot/ankle and I should then be okay, no weird twists or side movements for me.

This morning I got up and set to work on getting as much of my readings done for Week 3.  I have a bit more to do for a specific assignment but it feels so daunting!  I am thankful my Kindle has a Text-to-Speech option so I can listen and read along to a couple of textbooks I have downloaded to it.  The double exposure should help in retention but a lot of my other readings are scans or PDFs so the feature does not work for them.  Bummer.

I am planning on making Sunday “Self-Care” Day and get in some jogging, shopping, and all around chores done so that Monday can be another “school day.”  I am sure a number of people are taking the 3-day weekend to goof off but I am bound and determined to keep working on school things as I may have bitten off more than I can chew this term.  The perspective I gain this is term is really knowing how much can I do before a complete meltdown.  As I think about it, around Week 2 or 3 of Fall Term had a similar feel as I had a grant to turn in for Free Shakespeare in the Park…

My dream for this term is to have as much accomplished a week to two weeks in advance of the deadline so I can focus on a lot of personal loose ends that I keep putting off or not having time for so they are no longer nagging me.  But until then, I shall pace myself on what I can do a few days ahead and to use my time wisely.

Ciao!

End of Week 6

Nov8

I feel this is the point where I start to see the end of term and my to do list for final projects begins to make me panic.  The feeling is more of being underwhelmed rather than overwhelmed because on some level I want to throw my hands up and just let others take over as I feel I cannot contribute or if I do that I am needing others to give input and I feel I am not receiving it in a timely fashion.  I do realize I set unrealistic standards and some of my failings are to due to poor communication.  What do I do now to work towards feeling less underwhelmed and more successful?

To start myself on the right foot again, getting some reading done will help and making sure I have set aside the time to do it.  This weekend has gotten packed with local activities, housesitting, working the I & You show, homework, play reading, and dealing with my car being in the shop and not having enough funds to cover this emergency expense.  I can see where I am getting anxious as I was to complish everything and do it well, be everywhere and make myself and others happy but am I doing justice to anyone in the end?  There are TV shows I want to catch up on but they play at times where I have to be working and are they really important?  (To me they are as they help me escape.)  I have a group project and our team wants to meet but when and where has gotten complicated as our schedules are all over the place and I feel I complicate it with all of the other things I have agreed to do.  Where do I cut back?  I have entrenched myself somewhere and I do not always know how to get out or make sure I am prioritizing my projects correctly.  Ehhh…

Hoping for more productivity in Week 7 and to set a schedule for my new job with University Theatre, I like consistancy and predictability, not knowing when things will happen makes me batty.  An early Victory Mimosa may be in order.

Ending Week 5

Oct31

Victory Mimosa!

Now that I am officially halfway through this term a celebration of sorts has to happen.  First there was the email from UO Theatre Department informing me that they want me to join their team.  I am now the University Theatre House Manager/Marketing Assistant!!  Yay!!

Second, my Ulitmate Victory Mimosa (see link above to my Instagram account) and thirdly, Chai Spiced Cheesecake from Sweet Life!  And I left the Gem Faire without buying anything, so I am incredibly proud of myself.

Other things to celebrate…figuring out to vector images and use the Add Anchor Tool.  I was starting to feel behind and overwhelmed in my AAD 610 but after working with Eric and John, I understand it better and have been able to replicate the process outside of class.  I feel determined to have a really inviting and refreshed brand for Free Shakespeare in the Park but I do not want to get too obsessed with it as there is still much more to do!

Next week appears to be getting busy but at least one of my anxities this term has been quelled with getting the part-time job.  Onwards and upwards though!

End of Week 4

Oct24

Compared to last week, it has been a pleasant respite from the onslaught of making a full bellydance costume to now being a stage hand for a local theatre company.  I am able to show up and work on assignments in an environment that invigorates me.  Being in the dark of the backstage world is comforting and the only distractions I have are the actors talking and being ready for my cues.  While I have stepped into the role as of Sunday, I feel relaxed and prepared to take this on as I have the confidence in my skill set as a practitioner of the theatre arts.  Plus, the show has a beautiful story to tell and its meaning and power is wonderfully executed by the actors and director.  My part is brief but builds upon the power that comes at the end of the show.  I will not give it away, but I encourage everyone to see it.  I & You at Oregon Contemporary Theatre.

Another benefit of not frantically sewing a costume is the ability to see articles and images online that I feel have relevance to what has been discussed in course work.  Portland Center Stage has a production of The Typographer’s Dream which opened recently and with my exposure to typography through my Marketing, Media, and Communications class, I now want to see this show.  Especially since they have a sense of humor.  Aside from the theatre, there has been an ongoing debate about women in the gaming (and other similar mediums) community.  I have been re-posting articles onto the AAD Class of 2016 Facebook group to either initiate debate or rather to bring it to our attention as it has relevance in what we have been discussing in our Art in Society class.  We have not covered much about gender, but when I see “culture wars,” I have to stop and figure out what are they meaning by culture.  Gamersgate is something I am not familiar with but it may have a lasting affect on how people are presented and treated in digital mediums or other art forms, especially when an article comes out about former Playboy Bunnies.

To counter possible negative articles, I keep finding really positive and affirming videos or articles such as comedian and actor BJ Novak reading to kids, http://themetapicture.com/this-man-opens-a-book/ or the video from CNN of a graffiti artist who now sells his works for thousands of dollars, https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153000318221509&set=vb.5550296508&type=2&theater  Being able to identify and relate to articles and opportunities is something I find re-energizing me and making me excited about my chosen path.  I just wish I could clone myself so I can be at 10 different places once, while still maintaining my original self so she can travel.  The clones can do the work.

Now on to Week 5, halfway through my first term of Grad School!!!