This Just IN: Shaving
October 31:
I think I wanna shave tonight. Or maybe tomorrow. This whole ‘No Shave November’ thing is kinda annoying to me to be honest. And I’ve let my beard grow out long enough as it is.
November 9:
It is a good thing I didn’t shave, Alex likes it longer and she’s bringing her camera. I’ll shave it after she leaves.
November 27:
I think I want to shave. I still haven’t yet and it is getting itchy…
Nah, screw it. Happy No Shave November guys!
~T
This Just IN: Laundry
1 OCTOBER 2011:
I really hate doing laundry. I always feel like I have to sacrifice the better part of a day/morning every time I do it. But considering I ran out of underwear like three days ago, it ‘s about time that I bite the bullet and wash my clothes.
I’m starting to realize that I need to get my life together. Yeah, I moved on from pizza and cinniepies, but my nights can’t keep ending in five buck boxes from Taco Bell either. I just keep getting fatter and poorer everyday, and the point of college is to become skinnier and poorer. I would be missing out if I skipped out on half of the college experience.
23 OCTOBER 2011:
I finished my laundry this morning.
Rosa is next to me…
Two months ago, shortly after writing my last post, I set out on an epic quest spanning the globe lasting until now. I found much gold and treasure and many beautiful women that I all brought home with me. You can imagine my roommate’s reaction…. I gave him half my women, so he was pretty stoked.
Weather here isn't nearly as balmy these days
What I’ve really done for the past two months?
A lot of nothing. I’ve been practicing piano (and sleeping through piano class) a lot. So that is going well. I am starting to be able to use both hands. To do it. It. *Dramatic pause while your puerile minds snicker at my horribly forced innuendo*
My play opened! It closes tomorrow, too, actually. This is the first show in a while that I’ll be upset about it closing. This is ironic because I’ve already done it. You, know, it. Twice. *Blank stare, because obviously this time it refers to the play, not intercourse. Perv.*
The same friend who I visited in New York last semester came and visited for a long weekend. He got to see my play in the tech rehearsal process, so I apologize for how long he sat there and watched while we tried the same transition eight times, switching sound and light cues and such. It is crazy how people and things change yet they can still function well. Another thing that is interesting to note is how change and growth in people can be vastly different. People are affected by different situations differently, and they change accordingly. Some things for a person make them grow more than others. Longer, some would say… [I’ll stop, I promise].
I’m scanning back through my iCal to see what else has been happening. Sometimes when there are long gaps in posts, it is because I’m too uncomfortable to gush about all my feelings and my sad, sappy life. In this case, I’m pretty sure it is just because my life took a turn for the slightly boring. And all of my creative juices weren’t able to spruce up any of it to make it worth writing about.
Oh! I finally know what it feels like to break a heel. At this year’s Fall Fest, in addition to convincing some of the carnies my origins in Belfast, Ireland, I was perusing the fried food vendors when the heel of my left hipster boot, as Alex calls it, flew off into some random shadow filled with evil and the money conned out of small children trying to win a Domo doll. In my, uh, heightened state, I was unable to track it down. So, anyone know how I can fix it?
Stay tuned (if you know what I mean),
~T
(TRY to make something out of that, just try!)
LaMo (Lazy Monday)
Classes are cancelled. I’m waiting for a text from one of my favorite gingers giving me the ok to bring Lego HP over. Today is gonna be awesome!
Why are classes cancelled you ask? The Monday before the opening for a mainstage show all theatre classes are cancelled to focus all our collective efforts to finish the technical aspects of production. What makes this CoMo so much better is that since the cast has a whopping three people total with minimal set, I don’t have to do anything. And classes are still cancelled! Everything’s coming up roses!
So….uhhh….What do you do on a day like this? I haven’t had a free day since being back. Sure, I’ve had weekends. But even on every weekend I’ve had something to do on each day. Lego HP will be fun, but I can’t play it all day. Well, I probably could. I’d only have no friends afterwards. I could bug people who have things to do today, but again I’d have no friends afterwards. I could eat because I’m bored, but I’m so miserafull from last night I don’t know what to do with myself. My stomach has been subject to some sort of biowarfare hidden among the cinnie-pie from Papa John’s. What to do….
Expertly laced into the icing, Formaldehyde slowly seeps...
I think I’m going to end up just letting fate decide, to guide these lives we lead. Even though I love planning things out because I feel secure once I’ve made one, I want to slowly ween myself into being able to calmly and comfortably improvise plans. I’m thinking that will make abroad next year more fun and less stressful. There is some profound quote that’s like “A true traveller has no destination” or “has no plan” or something like that. And by god, if I’m not a true traveller, at least I’m a true adventurer. So whatever happens today will happen. Classes are cancelled. Happy CoMo to me!
~T
3.5 – Too Young
Classes have been deceptively challenging but still really easy all the same. It isn’t that I have a lot of homework, so that’s easy. But because of my lack of homework and the like, I get really unfocused because I have not that much to focus on. Which makes weeks like this past one seem much more stressful than I think they really needed to be.
I changed jobs. I actually had to do things in two of my classes. I started working in the Ticket Office as well. REALLY STRESSFUL STUFF, K? I mean, I doubt the normal stock of human beings could have persevered through the mundane challenges I faced this week. On Fridays, I can’t sleep in anymore. I have to wake up at 8! Who does that?! I’m half tempted to call up child services and report child abuse on the administration, but being 19 makes the child services people a little less cooperative.
So what does an adventurer like myself do to add a sense of danger and excitement to dreary overcast life here? Load up on Cinnapies from Papa John’s and go behind enemy lines.
Let me give you some background information on this operation: This summer, being of slightly sound mind and body, I decided to break free from the chains of oppression and pretend I was older than I really am. I was hitting the bar scene. Who, I thought, would have the audacity to even do it? By my confidence alone, they’d never suspect I had two and a half years left before I had security clearance. For a while, it worked for me. I became a Karaoke King. Central Texas had never seen such passionate Nicki Minaj raps. Guys (well, just one) were buying me drinks left and right. But all mediocre things must come to an end (a boy can only take so many Dirty Farmers), and I was kicked out. Mind you, this was a Friday night. The next Friday, still sore from my last attempt, yet still hopeful, I decided to go to a bar and play by the rules. I got huge ‘X’s on my hands and didn’t drink anything at the bar. I loaded up at home (duh). Yet still, something in my behavior warranted my underage ass booted to the curb. No but really, after I got kicked out a second time I sat on the curb for about 20 minutes while my of age friend was all alone and lost inside. Mind you, not only anther Friday night, but the Friday immediately following the Friday I was kicked out of the first bar. Katy Perry: I demand royalties. Clearly I inspired your smash hit Last Friday Night.
Coming back to college, I was determined to never let that happen again. So with the help of my dear Canadians, I have obtained a successful Polyjuice alternative that has yet to fail me. I haven’t seen even half of what it can do for me and I’m so excited. Though the first time I was scared shitless. Well, even the second and third times were equal parts exciting and terrifying. But that is what an adventurer seeks! It’s Adventure Time!
Maybe my obsession with this show is a dead giveaway of my age...
Yet through all of this, braving heavy legal ramifications and slight moral conflicts, I can’t muster up the lady balls to figure out how to make friends with this guy. I’m baring it all for you. My blog doesn’t usually cross over into meshy personal stuff, and I’m not going to start now, but if any of you out there have any advice for someone too shy to make a move, let me know.
Stay Tuned,
~T
The Troll Bar
I figured out a lot of things this summer. Three isn’t quite as magical a number as Britney makes it seem and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 comes out this holiday season. I also figured out what I’m going to do, should acting and politics fall through.
I’ll open the Troll Bar.
I forget if I have talked about it on here previously, I know sometimes in real life I’ll mention it and expect everyone to understand what I mean, but instead I’m met with looks similar to those given to Carrie (from the 1976 classic Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek). But this summer when I threw some really low-key classy soirees at my house I workshopped an idea for a bar that I think will become real popular. It all started when a friend of mind scared me one night because she reminded me of the goblin from The Princess and the Goblin. As we were walking somewhere (to be honest I can hardly recall anything about it, this is just how I think it could have happened in my mind), I saw her shadow shoot out in front of me, and in my state the shape and physicality of it ruled out being a human. And since I couldn’t remember the word goblin at the time either, the term “troll” was born. Since then, whenever she does anything lazy or gross or really funny, I call her a troll. It is a term of endearment for me and I had the most fun this past summer when either she or my self or any of our friends was acting like a troll.
Troll Chic
Back to the small gatherings this summer: I transformed my kitchen into the Troll Bar, and for two weeks it was the coolest place in the world. We served great drinks, great food, and a great atmosphere. At the time, it was just a really fun thing to do at my house while my parents were gone. Now, I kinda actually want to do it. Good idea yes? Let me run some of our drink/entree ideas past you all for input.
But before I begin, everything made at the Troll Bar was a stroke of inspiration. No recipes were followed or written during the creation of these items, nor will anything at the real Troll Bar.
Entrees:
- The Chili Sandwich – This classic Troll Bar original was the start of it all. Two pieces of fresh bought white bread lathered with canned chili and velveeta cheese microwaved to perfection.
- Troll Sludge – Another Troll Bar classic, this is a perfect mixture of bacon-bits macaroni and cheese, chili, and beef ravioli, heated on our professional stovetop ovens.
- Green Chicken – For those Troll Bar patrons who like things a little south of the border, our green chicken is white meat breaded chicken patties baked to perfection and coated with green jalapeno Tabasco sauce. Served with a side of spanish rice.
- Southern Steak – Maybe you like things south, but not quite as much as the green chicken. Our southern steak is a chicken-friend steak patty baked to perfection and coated with A-1 steak sauce. Also served with spanish rice.
- Texas Chicken n’ Rice – Our latest addition to the Troll Bar menu, this dish is the most popular. Stir-fried chicken marinated in black bean and corn salsa, mixed with corn and other vegetables, dashes of jalapeno and banana peppers all mixed in a batch of spanish rice
- Troll Bar Margarita – The Troll Bar’s most beloved and famous drink, a perfect (and strong) margarita using the super-secret house recipe.
- Limarita – This profound drink was inspired by not having the right ingredients for the above, but it is still delicious and at a reduced price!
- Facepalm – An alluring and interesting drink that gets in your face. Contains brandy and coke.
- Thunder Whiskey Tea – This totally intentional combination of rum tea, whiskey, and Dr. Thunder doesn’t taste 100% awful and gets the job done.
Trollz Forever!
~T
Back to Black
As you probably noticed, I haven’t posted in a while. I know you all must have been dying to know my latest escapades and things that I should be embarrassed to write out but never have been. For all of you (read: Raby), I apologize. I was doing things that were simply too exciting to write down and that if I were to tell you any of them, I’d have to shoot you on sight.
In news that I can tell you, the rest of my summer was pretty tame. I sold some knives and I served some sushi. I had a party and sacrifices were made. I was kicked out of every bar I went to and things were expensive and hard to get.
Man it feels good to be away from all that and be back in Evansville.
I’ve been back on campus since Saturday after a three day caravan of just me from Texas. I drove it all alone and had to fend for myself. And when the government tried to assassinate me in Arkansas, I killed them all and only suffered minor casualties. Alright, so that isn’t exaaaaaaactly what happened. But I’ve told the story so many times already that I’m exhausted with it and am bad at re-telling it at this point. And I’m hoping that it has caught enough momentum to become like an urban legend and it will grow and become more awesome with time. Maybe then it will be a huge tornado that I was driving through.
I got all moved in yesterday with my roommate. NERD ALERT: It almost felt like Willow and Buffy moving in together. I was going to tweet about it (follow me at twitter.com/trentoniantx!), but then I foresaw the collective groan of all my followers reading it. This will be weird for me because my roommate this year is both from America and can speak fluent English. I think it will be better, but he hasn’t offered me any free tea from his home country yet.
So yeah. Not much really going on, just getting back into the swing of things. It is so weird having friends who were abroad different semesters all here at the same time. And then having half my class gone is strange as well. But it feels good to be back here. Now the summer, while it had its great moments, can fall back into memory. Classes start Wednesday, so maybe I’ll feel differently then, but for now I’m super excited to hit the ground running and have an awesome semester.
~T
MacSalado
My grandma comes over to the house occasionally to hang out with us and fall asleep in our comfy chairs, but today she is watching the entire last season of American Idol on our DVR and skipping everything unless it is Scotty. Wtf has life come to?
My grandma fan-girling aside, today’s mission: Scottish accent.
So, as return readers know I’m in this lil’ dog and pony show called Salado Legends, an awful beautiful tale of the small town’s historical importance and inception. I play Andrew, the main guy and central Texas teenage heartthrob. Or at least that’s how I am envisioning him. Anyways, in the show, I am a fresh immigrant from Scotland who arrived in Galveston, TX, and sought out Salado: the Athens of Texas. Yeah, I think poor Andrew got his facts messed up. Because, not only did he probably pay more to land at Galveston than if he had landed in New York, but he also decides to fight in the Civil War…for the Confederacy. Yep. Shortly after arriving in America and knowing close to nothing about the Constitution or anything, he decides that the Union isn’t worth it and Texas rises supreme. Anyways, he falls in love with a girl at school but they waltz and get in trouble because of how raunchy we all know waltzing is and he returns from the war to her loving arms and live happily ever after in Salado, Texas. Oh yeah, spoiler. And this is how I’m spending my summer. I put myself through it for the money. Feeding the capitalist machine. (Emma: NOOOOOOOO!!!)
I’ve been looking for some historical photo of Salado to use, but apparently the Athens of Texas had yet to figure out cameras. So enjoy this:
Our set, which also doubles as the set for 'A Christmas Carol'
Something that the director has asked me to try to do this year, along with the horrid dances and archaic political ideas, is a realistic Scottish accent. Makes sense. The character is fresh from the boat, so his speech should also be. But as I sit and try to diagram my lines according to IPA and stretch out my mouth, I am filled with a ton of apathy. Why should I put forth leaps and bounds more effort than most of the rest of the cast combined? There are those in the show with me who are my friends who actually show up on time and try to get work done at rehearsal in the time it is scheduled to be done and they’re great. But the other day, rehearsal started an hour late. Yesterday, not only did we waste an hour mindlessly filling time with walkthroughs and talk, but over half the people didn’t show up. Their conflicts? I didn’t have a ride. I had a motorcycle convention. I don’t know how to tie my shoe.
The most frustrating part of it all is that most of these people have been in it since Salado was first founded, so you’d think they’d understand the concept of a grapevine by now. It is shocking how many people do the show every year and manage to never really improve. And from an outsider perspective, it is a little daunting. Is this how it feels when you step into a running show in the real world? Like you are full of creative energy, but because the show existed well before you, you can’t change anything and no one else puts as much effort into rehearsals? I understand this is nowhere near a professional level on any sort of scale. But I am finding it harder each rehearsal to try or really, even show up, because no one else seems to. But I can’t change that. All I can do is my best and try this Scottish accent. So in the meantime I’ll fan-boy all over John Barrowman and Jams McAvoy, but mostly John Barrowman:
It’s all for the show, people.
Stay Tuned,
~T
No Speak Americano
I’ve written like three different openings to this post but none of them have been good enough. So I apologize as I just jump right to the chase. I also apologize for not posting much. To be honest nothing really exciting has happened that made me think to update, so this might also be a little jumpy.
Last Saturday I ran a 5k with my manager at Nami. I did it in 26:53, so not bad, but certainly not my best. I was confident that it would propel me to continue on exercising and the like and kicking off my fit summer again, but here I sit on my couch. It has been almost a week and I haven’t done anything really. But I’m supposed to run one tomorrow, again with my boss. This one costs money, and so I’m not so sure I’ll do it…I need to save my money!
Speaking of money, I picked up my grandma from the local senior center today when she was done quilting and she pointed out to me that I have little over a month of summer left….like, wut? I was supposed to make majah bank this summer. I haven’t counted all my earnings yet, but I’m pretty sure it is under 1,000. So. I gotta hustle hard. And make a ton of tips. And while I’m talking about tips, let me tell you all something. Because I’m expected to make like, at least 15% tips, they don’t pay me minimum wage. Like, I get like $2.85 an hour. So if you come to my restaurant and you tip nothing, I will hunt you down and kill you. I’m serious. And yes, I’m talking to you, Mr. Cowpoke who ordered $95 of sushi and tipped $3. You will be my first horcrux. I’ll place that part of my soul into a thing of soy sauce so you can think about what you have done for all of eternity.
Work has been nice. I’ve gotten a lot better at it and I haven’t been stressing as much. My coworkers, while occasionally crazy, are really fun and easy to work with. Although, sometimes I feel like I’m speaking a whole other language completely. I mean, it’s not just around them and not just because they speak Korean. One of the most fascinating things I have found about being immersed into a new group of people is how their vernacular is shaped, and how they interact. In the beginning stages I can usually fly under the radar and not have to worry about things, but after I get used to things, figuring out how to assimilate my usual way of being into the new environment is a little awkward. I think I have moved past the awkwardness with my coworkers, but it definitely existed and still does to a certain extent. But I suppose this is good preparation for when I go to Harlaxton because then I might be in situations where the people actually don’t speak English. So I guess it is time for me to become fluent in body language.
Sexy can I...?
Also: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 is less than a week away. I’m already exploding with tears.
Stay Tuned!
~T
Employees MUST Wash Hands; Not Customers
Before I get started, some items of business:
My pictures from NYC over spring break have finally been developed, but of course I have no idea where they are anymore. Dad said he’d pick them up but I forgot about it and I haven’t seen them, so all roads lead to their demise at the abandoned pictures counter of Walmart.
And then tomorrow my friend Mikah Young’s debut single goes on sale in the United States on iTunes. Tomorrow I’ll have a post all about her, so look forward to that.
Ok! Well, on with it!
I’m afraid this post might be similar to other equally as jumpy and not fluid. I have two big topics I wanna cover, so I’ll do my best to weave them together, but just a warning if it isn’t.
I got a real job! At a real place!
Making use of my degree in food services acting
I was thankfully offered a sweet gig at this local Japanese food place and last week I started my training. Where usually I hate the first day of everything because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, I was eager to show and do my best. It should be known that I’m a lazy-ass when it comes to things I don’t care for, but right now I’ll do anything that delivers me from Cutco. Nami is my Moses, parting the Paring Knife Sea and leading me towards the Promised Land Sushi Bar.
Never again will I deride that little box on job applications that asks if you can stand for long periods of time. I’m relatively young and relatively less healthy, but it was hard! I came home from my first shift and my feet were beat. Thank goodness I put my name on that foot massager my dad bought my mom last Christmas so I could use it. Also: I will never laugh at waiters dropping things anymore. On my very second day, I was among them. It looked sortof like this:
Ok, not really. But being my second day on the job, it felt a whole lot like it. What really happened was a clear example of Karmic Physics. The lady I was shadowing was worried I wouldn’t be able to carry all five waters on one tray on one hand over to the table across the room. HAH! What does she know, anyways? I mean, I’m training at a prestigious acting school to hopefully earn my degree in cater waiting acting which involves dance which involves balancing of course, and maybe her tiny-Korean-woman arm couldn’t handle it, but my slightly average beefy biceps and triceps would make it no problem. But no matter how big your biceps are, they will always fall victim to Murphy’s Law. If it can go wrong, it did, and after successfully placing two waters on the table, the remaining two on the tray Kamikaze-d in a frigid waterfall between two patrons (thankfully not on). But my alarm at those crazy glasses made me forget my hand was holding the fifth glass and released it, dropping it onto the table, slightly capsizing it and having water flow over the top. Horrified, I retreated and got a towel while my shadowee(?) apologized for me and explaining I was new which made me feel just LOADS better. And of course that was my last day of training for the week, so I walked away from this new experience thankful it was delivering me from Cutco, but wondering if I was delivered into some new sort of under-cooked hell.
So I went into this weekend considerably down for a variety of reasons. I went to ATX on Friday with my friend, and while the cupcake man was noticeably beefy and delicious (the cupcake was good too), the bright weather was not reflected in my mood. Talking to her about all my junk was good to get it off my chest and to realize that she had similar junk, it just reinforced my blahhness over the fact that the junk exists anyways. So I talked with my mom about it over breakfast tacos yesterday and I forget the details, but I’m pretty sure out conclusion was something along the lines of taking it a day at a time. After we returned home I was about to sit down with HP7 and a tall glass of chocolate milk when we received an invitation to go over to our friends’ pool for a late night party. I was originally against it because I am lazy and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were stuck inside the Ministry, but I agreed.
It ended up being a blast. After four three margaritas I was feeling good and confident for our tri-family water volleyball tournament. Our first roster was myself and both my parents. Our first opponents were ruthless. It turned into this:
And instead of Ben Stiller, it was the other team, and instead of the girl, it was me. And instead of just once it was over and over again. But there was no blood except the bad blood brewing in my psyche. But we pulled out victory despite injury and ended up winning the Gold.
Got my gold medal, y'all...peace
And besides winning, I had a really good time just being with my family and friends. I think I’ve learned that finding happiness is a lot easier when it can be anywhere. We had great snacks and drinks that we made ourselves and it didn’t matter that I was in Texas or that people are writing racism and hate into our legislation. That pool was my own form of paradise away from everything and it was good.
So taking it one day at a time, Saturday was good. Today I didn’t do a thing so it was AWESOME, and tomorrow I’m skipping a business meeting to do more nothing. Then Tuesday I return to training.
Stay tuned!
~T
TrentonianTV 