Well, well, well!
Happy September, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your semesters that are either well underway or just beginning or haven't begun yet. Either way, I hope you are all well (all 5 or so of you that actually read this thing).
The Fringe festival in Edinburgh was singlehandedly one of the best experiences of my life! For 3 crazy weeks I got to be a real working actress (even if I paid to be there instead of getting paid for it) and do most of the things that working actresses do. There was the daily call at the theater, doing the same show every day, finding cheap places to eat, navigating my way around a new town, seeing other shows, hanging out with other actors, nervously anticipating reviews...it was amazing. We dealt with egos, idiosyncrasies, and flat out *drama*. We had cast vs. crew issues. We had cast vs. producer issues. We had actor vs. actor issues. And then there was the cold that we spread amongst ourselves and various other people in our hostel. Yeah, that was fun.
I learned about the joys of Stella Artois on tap. I learned how to do an hour long show in the morning, see three shows in the afternoon and evening, and still have enough energy to go drinking at night. I learned how to get a guy in a kilt to buy me a drink. I learned how wicked cool rugby is. I learned about the difficulty of perrforming American humor for British audiences. I learned that 80 degrees is considered a heat wave in Scotland.
I flew on 2 Airbuses and 2 Boeing 777s and learned that I never want to fly on an Airbus ever again. I rode the Underground in London...it puts the NYC subway system to shame. I learned that Jersey girls (and boys) shouldn't tell Brits that they hail from this great state. The immediate response is, "Ayyy, you're from Joisey! Ha ha ha! Like the Sopranos and everything, right?" I experienced the joys of watching Sex and The City on basic cable, uncensored. I learned to never order pizza in the UK (unless it's from Pizza Hut), or a Caesar salad. I learned that ice is a specialty, and cold drinks don't exist, unless it's beer or some other form of liquor. I drank a can of Red Bull almost every day while I was there and managed to not get addicted to it. I learned that the Scots love cheesy 80's and 90's pop music. I learned that you have to wait in queues (lines) for everything...including the city buses. I learned how to tip the cab drivers and not the bartenders. Fried Mars bars are the most heavenly concoction on the face of the earth, and they should never bring them to the States or everyone here will get fatter than we already are. A bad movie isn't so bad when you've pregamed with a pint (and you have a huge bucket of popcorn). Bagpipe music can actually be soothing to one's soul...you just have to get used to it. Being a stranger in a strange land isn't so bad sometimes. I learned that my family has a tartan (plaid pattern used for kilts and things...each clan has a distinctly different pattern and color scheme). I learned that some theater critics are just evil, crusty, bitter wenches who go to children's shows without having their triple shot latte beforehand. I learned when to lead, when to follow, and when to get the hell out of the way. I learned about what it takes to put all your trust in some people and when you you shouldn't trust someone as far as you can throw them. And I'm a tiny person, so it's hard to gain my trust sometimes. :0)
To make a long story short (and overly clichéd), I grew a lot during my three weeks in Scotland and the lessons I learned will last me a lifetime.
*Whew* That was a lot more typing than I've been used to since I've been back (I wrote e-mails to Phil every day while I was away), so I'm gonna go now. Updates on my semester and un-single life will follow eventually. Toodles!!
Happy September, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your semesters that are either well underway or just beginning or haven't begun yet. Either way, I hope you are all well (all 5 or so of you that actually read this thing).
The Fringe festival in Edinburgh was singlehandedly one of the best experiences of my life! For 3 crazy weeks I got to be a real working actress (even if I paid to be there instead of getting paid for it) and do most of the things that working actresses do. There was the daily call at the theater, doing the same show every day, finding cheap places to eat, navigating my way around a new town, seeing other shows, hanging out with other actors, nervously anticipating reviews...it was amazing. We dealt with egos, idiosyncrasies, and flat out *drama*. We had cast vs. crew issues. We had cast vs. producer issues. We had actor vs. actor issues. And then there was the cold that we spread amongst ourselves and various other people in our hostel. Yeah, that was fun.
I learned about the joys of Stella Artois on tap. I learned how to do an hour long show in the morning, see three shows in the afternoon and evening, and still have enough energy to go drinking at night. I learned how to get a guy in a kilt to buy me a drink. I learned how wicked cool rugby is. I learned about the difficulty of perrforming American humor for British audiences. I learned that 80 degrees is considered a heat wave in Scotland.
I flew on 2 Airbuses and 2 Boeing 777s and learned that I never want to fly on an Airbus ever again. I rode the Underground in London...it puts the NYC subway system to shame. I learned that Jersey girls (and boys) shouldn't tell Brits that they hail from this great state. The immediate response is, "Ayyy, you're from Joisey! Ha ha ha! Like the Sopranos and everything, right?" I experienced the joys of watching Sex and The City on basic cable, uncensored. I learned to never order pizza in the UK (unless it's from Pizza Hut), or a Caesar salad. I learned that ice is a specialty, and cold drinks don't exist, unless it's beer or some other form of liquor. I drank a can of Red Bull almost every day while I was there and managed to not get addicted to it. I learned that the Scots love cheesy 80's and 90's pop music. I learned that you have to wait in queues (lines) for everything...including the city buses. I learned how to tip the cab drivers and not the bartenders. Fried Mars bars are the most heavenly concoction on the face of the earth, and they should never bring them to the States or everyone here will get fatter than we already are. A bad movie isn't so bad when you've pregamed with a pint (and you have a huge bucket of popcorn). Bagpipe music can actually be soothing to one's soul...you just have to get used to it. Being a stranger in a strange land isn't so bad sometimes. I learned that my family has a tartan (plaid pattern used for kilts and things...each clan has a distinctly different pattern and color scheme). I learned that some theater critics are just evil, crusty, bitter wenches who go to children's shows without having their triple shot latte beforehand. I learned when to lead, when to follow, and when to get the hell out of the way. I learned about what it takes to put all your trust in some people and when you you shouldn't trust someone as far as you can throw them. And I'm a tiny person, so it's hard to gain my trust sometimes. :0)
To make a long story short (and overly clichéd), I grew a lot during my three weeks in Scotland and the lessons I learned will last me a lifetime.
*Whew* That was a lot more typing than I've been used to since I've been back (I wrote e-mails to Phil every day while I was away), so I'm gonna go now. Updates on my semester and un-single life will follow eventually. Toodles!!
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