I wish the real world would just stop hassling me.

every spring semester (or every as in for the past three years) during midterms I begin watching a new show that I've been reluctant to take on as part of my regular viewing activities out of a) fear that I will become addicted to said show and want to do nothing else but watch said show or b) sheer embarrassment (see sophomore year). spring 2006 saw the viewing of not one but four seasons of 24. I didn't own the dvds, so my goodest friend, nora, lent them to me. by the second week of march, she was limiting my consumption to one disc per day (flashback: erin, seriously, four episodes in one sitting is enough. go study for your french midterm. me: MAIS J'AI BESOIN DE REGARDER MAINTENANT). last year, I secretly watched seasons one and two of dawson's creek (okay, I watched them with my suite. but I have told no one about that. privileged information).

which brings us to this spring. I have resisted LOST for the past ... well I guess four years. now it has practically destroyed my will to do anything else except watch and watch and watch. oh, and produce varsity show. now that I can "guiltlessly" partake in new media viewing (not that I wasn't watching during the wga strike and didn't really feel bad about it), my schoolwork has literally fallen off the stove behind the back burner (where my laundry is boiling away). miraculously, I am skating by in all my classes ala tonya harding pre-crazies.

googlebating

when I google myself (you're lying to yourself if you haven't), I discover ideas for careers I have yet to consciously entertain, but apparently have unconsciously pursued (because no one else in the world has my name. that's more or less logical, right?).

versatile singer/jingles and voice-over
managing director and leading internet strategist for marstellar interactive
web/multimedia developer for orbit media
award winning jazz vocalist for austin, tx band 'junkyard mary'
costumer on 'jonny zero'
marketing intern at second stage theatre
amateur distance runner (three mile run 21:57.67)
capricorn
celebrity fashion stylist
public relations for cupal
associate director for the library association’s office of intellectual freedom at common ground common sense
children's worship leader calvary chapel, oakland county, MI

the return

remember that time I had a blog and didn't write in it for three months??

I DO!

lesson learned for fall 2007: producing three shows leaves little/no time for blogging. c'est la vie.

currently in los angeles for break. brief intermission to learn skeet shooting in texas. now watching my nineteenth (wish I was joking) episode of 'america's next top model.' vh1 has the greatest reality television on the air. it is shamelessly entertaining with just the right amount of self-awareness. I like to imagine vh1 execs laughing at their ratings because they know how many of us watch their base programming. and then there's dancing and a sweet light show (you know, in my imagination).

today was spent driving around looking for my beloved twin peaks box set. a best buy, two targets, and a blockbuster later, my hands remain woefully empty. amazon, here I come. (I was able to distract myself with a die hard trilogy and 30 rock season 1 purchase).

dear 2008: prepare to be compared in every way to 2007, which was, quite possibly, one of my favorite years in its entirety. best ever spring, summer, and fall. this year, I resolve to photo document and cook more. and build a reading nook.

the 114th annual varsity show

not that it just occurred to me, but I am a part of an incredibly-amazing-talented-couldn't pick anyone better-it's truly a dream-team that will be creating a musical that 4000 people will see in 208 days.

I can't tell if I'm excited or freaking out. excited? yea. that's the one.

misery, new york

train ride on the 1 to 72nd because there's no weekend express: $2

upon exiting subway station, you notice it has spontaneously (in a not so spontaneous new york way) begun to rain, so you buy your ninth black umbrella from the subway magazine stand guy: $4

feeling your (dry) victory literally being washed away by a speedy yellow cab splashing a newly formed puddle all over your dress (and you're reminded of the little miseries you love that you can only find in manhattan): priceless

there are just some things money can't buy.

well, hey! I'm alive!

basically, it makes more sense to write a blog than watch four more episodes of 'top chef.' ...slash I will be watching four more AFTER I write this blog.

things I have time to do: all my reading/assignments, produce into the woods, produce latenite, PR for cupal, get a producer callback for 114, buy seven liters of bad wine for 28$ and drink it in mcbain, think about the role of religion/God in my life in light of reading pico/ficino and my 'literary approaches to the bible' class, read all of my blog feeds on igoogle, drink three large iced coffee per day (minimum)

things I do not have time to do: clean my room (not in the sense that my room is so small that even my bag on the floor makes it look messy. no no, like in the sense 'hey erin how have you possibly been able to live here for A MONTH without setting up your room), laundry (although I did three loads yesterday, but it is still spilling out onto the floor from the basket re: item one in this list series), send in $400 worth of rebates from my new computer (SORRY MOM), buy groceries (it would be nice to eat something besides honey nut cheerios), sleep

even though I have no time to do the things that make me a civilized human being (ie be neat, eat and sleep), the former list compilation brings me such joy and happiness that I don't really care about the piles and piles of crap on my dormroom floor. hey, my bed is five feet off the ground.

things I will make time for: blog? sleep? community service? WORLD DOMINATION

yea, it's all that not sleeping. time for more top chef. season two > season one.

summer showers

first of all, what the EFF is with all this EFFIN' rain? okay, I know I'm from the desert, but this is getting silly and ridiculous. I've never seen so much rain in july. it's SUMMER. where is my MISERY AND HUMIDITY? the terrible tradeoff I was SUPPOSED to have made for the greatest summer of all time in the greatest city in the world.

naaanner, naaanner?

today's realizations (why in roman numerals? WHY NOT):

I) when did I become a musical theatre geek? looking at my recently played tracks on itunes, I have been listening to nearly solely sondheim fare and the likes (or not-at-all likes, if you're michael snyder, because nothing compares to senior stephen). do I need to listen to "the ballad of booth" twelve times in a row?

II) why did it take me until my twentieth year of life to discover pepper jack cheese? it's cheese! and spicy! FUCKING SPICY CHEESE. run for president, mr. jack, I'm on board. delicious, delicious, cheesy board.

III) twin peaks might be one of the best television shows I have ever watched. ever. but you know what? I really can only watch one episode at a time when it's dark outside. because it's creepy - creepy like I've had nightmares the past few nights.

IV) morimoto made asparagus ice cream on iron chef. I saw this while babysitting on saturday night. moments such as these make me want to get cable just so I can watch food network.

V) I saw hairspray last night. it really wasn't great, but I had fun for the following reasons (AND LOOK LITTLE ROMAN NUMERALS):
i) zac efron. you are dreamy. gay-bee! gay-bee! can't you see I'm droolin' for you...
ii) elijah kelly's voice.
iii) "you'll be fighting whores for cigarettes" - allison janney.

L) yea, so what if it's not item fifty. someone explain to me why "L" is the roman numeral for fifty. it was on my mind for an inappropriate length of time today.

photoblog - jersey shore

geo's beach condo. july 12-15, 2007.

rocking the suburbs

I used to post a lot more. last summer, I think I wrote a blog entry nearly every day. am I a) lazy or b) busy or c) or having fun? am I doing all of these things!?

the suburb themed week began with my cousin's high school graduation party (saying that I'm going to be a junior in college remains a foreign phrase and leaves an odd taste in my mouth). talk about swank: filet mignon, lobster rolls, veuve cliquot, open bar where the grey goose flowed into pomegranate martini's like milwaukee best at all of the high school graduation parties I attended with friends. nothing is more hilarious than pre-frosh begging the bartender for more booze after they've been laughed at on multiple occasions and effectively "cut-off." ah, to be young again.

theme week continued with tuesday night into the fourth of july in westport, ct at caitlin shure's house. played my finest round ever of boticelli with michael and tom on the train (notable clues: "this ostensible activist actually hates ostriches:" lindsay bluth, and "this beloved childhood character took things entirely too literally, for example, hitting the road with a stick when asked to 'hit the road:'" AMELIA BEDELIA.) drank and was merry through and into the fourth.

WAIT STOP THE PRESSES I FORGOT TO MENTION THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF SUBURB THEMED WEEK:

I ATE MEAT. MEAT. DELICIOUS MEAT.

tom "scared me straight" (irony?), and told me to "EAT SOME CHICKEN, BITCH!" and I did. and it was delicious. I celebrated independence day with a delicious array of meaty goodness: chicken, steak, and meatball pizza. while I will continue to enjoy a moderately vegetarian lifestyle (because 1) I eat better when I eat veg) and 2) hey, it's much cheaper not eating meat), I will no longer have problems at dallas bbq with finding a delicious meaty companion to accompany my gloriously gay AND HUGE beverage. and hello, hamdel. I remember your texmex sandwiches and mona lisa burgers well. I look forward to getting reacquainted.

the final stop on this wonderfully suburban themed train was the mother of all suburban destinations: junek's lakehouse. though I cannot effectively verbalize my feelings about the lakehouse, I will tell you what I learned there:

1) fireworks and intoxication do not mix. they just do not.
2) it's great to share a smile.
3) modern bride > jersey bride
4) sunset rose franzia + sprite zero = a delicious white wine spritzer that even iris grossman would envy.
5) the exposures on my disposable are sure to have captured nothing but what can be described as precious moments.

next on the agenda: few days then BEACH VACATION ALL I EVER WANTED!! I promise a photo blog.

your moment of zen.

working 55 hours a week is hard. it's a long time. especially when you're not getting paid for nearly half of them (but the experience is invaluable ... I mean, right? right?) things that are keeping me through:

a) I finally saw 'eurydice' (ie the show I'm front-of-housing for 2st that I'd heard three times before seeing the visuals synced with the loud and glorious sound cues.) I took jordy (who is living in my kitchen in a sick-ass-sweet nook that she fashioned) for freee (because sometimes being an intern rules hard), and it was incredible. post-show, we decided to numb any lingering desire to pontificate on the all too regular themes of love and loss (as deftly and deeply as they were portrayed in sarah ruhl's play. I mean, she won the macarthur genius grant for chrissakes.) with a trip to dale and thomas. I had never heard of said confection-ary (save what I read of it on her blog), and was not prepared for the salty sweetness we were about to consume. oh did I say consume? I meant devour. nay, obliterate. peanut butter and white chocolate drizzle? ughhh so delicious, and nearly worth the hours of stomach pain experienced post gorge-fest.

b) the tonys. no surprises (except for one, which I still believe didn't actually happened, and that raul esparza is going home to his beautiful tony every night after his 8PM 'company' performance because he rightfully deserved it ... but more on that later.)

c) graight nyc. nuff said.

d) spending nearly every night of the week drinking chablis (don't be fooled, it's almost always franzia. I've come to embrace it) and playing 'celebrity,' a taboo-charades-like game we take entirely too seriously (not to say that I don't take it seriously. from the outside, I'm sure we all look insane when we are madly gesticulating and making outlandish grunting noises in order to portray chelsea clinton) at the eiffel tower (aka chez keenan-shure-mende-siedlecki).

e) working at rosebud with hadley, francesca, and leda. maybe you thought I was exaggerating when I said we just have to stand and be trendy. we also dance around to charlotte gainsberg and read 'escape from polygamy' aloud from the latest glossy issue of 'glamour' magazine.

f) the richard serra exhibit at moma. overwhelming, magnificent, and beautiful. AND FUCKING META. FUCK YES.

g) yelonyc. you may ask, 'erin, why on earth would you pay 15$ for a nap? why?' well 1) 500-thread-count sheets 2) chair that makes you weightless 3) cashmere blankets 4) simulated sunrise to wake you up 5) ...I'm insane. maybe I take naps entirely too seriously, and I stopped taking them this semester, because it was just easier to sleep 3 hours a night instead of being awake all the time with taking 20 minute naps here and there.

h) and I leave you with this. oh george michael bluth. I love you. ever so much.

"I saw this and thought of you" - hk

little known facts that now you know.

a) I have spent the past week and a half covering for the receptionist at my stepdad's real estate office [truly riveting work, I must say. (actually, it's quite difficult to say goodmorning/afternoonewingandassociatessotheby'sinternationalrealtyhowmayIhelpyou) and when I say "truly riveting" I mean NOT AT ALL RIVETING]. due to this stint of "receiving" (reception?) I have learned the following things:
1) I am perfectly capable of wasting nine hours. not like OH MY GOD THIS FEELS LIKE NINE HOURS I MIGHT DIE OF BOREDOM, but more like HOLY SHIT IT IS ALREADY 6PM I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT TIME FLEW BY.
2) I enjoy sitting.
3) I pack a good lunch.
4) I think I'm boring.

b) the network upfronts were last week. aside from the surprisingly unexpected [namely 1) "pirate masters," a summer reality show about 16 modern day pirates (it has been decided that these people actually need to believe they're pirates a la steve the pirate from dodgeball {and I am only referencing said movie for its applicability in this situation, not out of enjoyment or reverence for that piece of crap} not 16 people who have interest in acting like pirates. these must be deluded, sad people. that's entertainment) vying for a million dollar treasure while living as bucaneers! and 2) "miss/guided," a midseason abc comedy starring judy greer], NEXT SEASON IS GOING TO SUCK. it's like the network execs were like, "hey that show about kids creating a workable society in a 19th century ghost town and a heartwarming lifetime series called "a side of life" (arguably the greatest show title of the millennium) are SURE to crank in the ratings we need to withstand the ever growing popularity of internet streaming and tivo. HOW CAN WE LOSE!? and I can't even begin to put my frustration at the alphabet's stupidity in not picking up "the thick of it." mitch hurwitz. christopher guest. oliver platt. the universe is fucked. there is just not any other explanation.

b 1/2) take that, strunk and white, for my genius and most likely incorrect usage of parentheses in the previous item.

c) gchat is the greatest invention in the history of all time.

d) francesca is working at grove/atlantic this summer reading manuscripts and crushing dreams. due to the magic of item c, she has gifted me with many a genius excerpt from works as diverse as 18th century lesbian fiction to "three feet under," a heartwarming tale of self discovery found in a pet cemetery.

e) moving onto better reading. I just finished the crying of lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon and I am blazing through cat's cradle. I am doing my very best avoid an existential crisis in relation to the meaning of my life and the world constructed around me. is it hopeful that I believe there is meaning in a society built nearly entirely on illusion (like oedipa) or have I failed because I've constructed a reality where none exists (also, like oedipa)? do I find postmodernism to be hopeful because there is no meaning other than that which I have determined for myself, or are we doomed to live in a structureless society without optimism or hope for progress? perplexing indeed as I sit at my desk reading snarky celebrity gossip, movie/book reviews, and ponder the new color scheme for my room.

f) ah yes, redecorating. I bought red sheets. I could probably make a well-timed, sophomoric field of dreams reference that would indicate how sheet-color choice correlates directly with the seductive lure of my bed, but I am above all those things ... I am nearly above all those things. I am also seriously seriously considering a black shag rug, and no, I am not quagmire. I like the feeling of a shag rug on my toesies.

g) I saw the mikado with caroleather englander last saturday. (we of course found every way possible to direct our conversation to 113 in hopes of reliving moments that occurred only weeks before.) after seeing this light, gilbert/sullivan opera, I wondered: HEY WHERE DID THE FOURTH WALL GO!?!? did I miss this memo that any theatre produced in the last five years needed to be actively conscious of the fact that it is art and not reality? and not even in clever ways (ie, retrieving a prop from the orchestra pit and tipping your hat at the conductor does not a meta-moment make. oh, you're defying the laws of the medium by crossing the boundary between the actual and the theatrical by literally crossing the threshold of the stage? well, sir, my mind has been blown. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S REAL ANYMORE). on a less cynical note, the costumes were out of control. I'm pretty sure the budget was a bajillion dollars.

h) I am coming back to new york on saturday. these are good things.

i) best for last: dinosaur comics. after being introduced to this mighty genius, I proceeded to read a couple hundred over the next few hours.

seriously?

lovemusik (more like lovemuSUCK), legally blonde, and spring awakening (11? really?) all got more tony nominations than company (3). seriously. what the fuck.

done with my theatre nerd moment of the day.

last call.

"your hair is like golden flax" - guy outside of 1020 at 3:45AM

awww we're halfway there...

good things -

1) done with french. forever. for. ever.
2) got a job. at a boutique in soho. where I get to stand. and be trendy. and leda and hadley and francesca are working there. we will stand. and be trendy. together.
3) got mother's day gift at said boutique.
4) checked out summer housing assignment (in 600)- HUGE room with a HUGE common room and a HUGE kitchen and HUGE windows and a NEW bathroom. oh wait. I don't know who my roommate is or what I'm going to do without air conditioning. still. good things.
5) I'm almost done with science. forever. for. ever.
6) all I want to do is listen to "shakey dog" over and over and over again.
7) one more "exam" (oh please it's open book and it'll probably just ask me what my favorite crayon color is. but, shit, I won't remember. is it red? is it blue? I DON'T EVEN KNOW) tomorrow and then one more EXAM on tuesday (oh, jennie kassanoff, you may fool us all for the entire semester with your quips and fantastic ensembles, but you were just baiting us on only to shatter our entire enjoyment of the class with your epic beast of a final.
8) one more paper. that I really have mostly written. in my head... however, it's due on saturday. hopefully will be writing that wayy before then so I can enjoy the rest of my days before I go back to LA for two weeks.

it got cold again. since making the transition to mostly spring/summer clothing, I can't seem to make logical sweater choices. embrace the faux-pas.

more ghostface and environmental science. power duo.

I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD BE SO HAPPY!!

INTO THE WOODS INTO THE FUCKING WOODS!!!!


!!

coming to roone. fall 2007. fucking yes.



ps. I spent almost 10 hours at the fruit paunch 24hr show. not sad.

now it's time to say goodbye to all our (v113) company...

now the year comes to an end
we're off to somewhere new
but nothing could be better than
the time I've spent with you
and now it's time to reminisce
on all the things we've done
the people we've become
with INSUFFICIENT FUNDS

I was talking to jordy last night about how we can't believe that varsity show is over. I mean, the one thing that has pretty much been the sun to my heliocentric universe for the past six months (well, at least in the past 11 days where I didn't sleep save for the upside-down nap I tried to take in the cinema, which, incidentally enough, was actually the least successful nap in the history of the world) is over. over.

she said something interesting - we spent pre-v (as the weeks heading up to our theatrical culmination will now be known) examining everything in our lives, wondering how we could fit it into the varsity show. varsity show is meta-columbia. now that it's over, everything reminds us of varsity show. my life post-v has become a never ending reference to the varsity show. it's funny. and also kinda sad.

here's to the last six months of my life. here's to the people that I've met, laughed with, had conversations with that I was way to drunk to remember, had conversations with that changed the way I think, and spent nearly every waking moment with. and I wouldn't trade the sleepless nights, horrific hangovers, and sense of possible impending doom for anything.

from the minds of mjam and babrams.

another shameless plug.



on a happier note, I just bought a week's worth of yogurt parfaits and vitaminENERGY drinks. now, I'm going to take a three hour nap to make myself more nocturnal so I don't drop anymore hammers on my toe or talk with the writers about my themed socks. I'm sorry, my mismatched themed socks.

latenite, oh what a great night.

after a week of blowing up dinosaurs (met with a delightful amount of comments a la "you're not even going to let him buy you dinner first?) and putting out fires (but wait! no fires in the black box!), we were able to put up an actual real live latenite. I'm so proud of everyone's hard work. also, my night ended with me sharing and sipping a tiny bottle of jameson poured over ice in the back of 1020. stupendous. god bless you, latenite.

goodbye, blue monday.

laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I got a summer internship at second stage. yes. yes.


(farewell, kv, you shall be missed).



so it goes.

(also, be a dear and go buy your tickets to the varsity show. they will sell out, and I shall be ever so sad if you miss out.)