25 February 2013

I promise I'm not actually touching my boobs

Sweatshirt: Colonial Williamsburg / Chambray: J.Crew / Pants: AE / Boots: Enzo Angiolini

That awkward moment when you're pointing at the logo on your chest and it looks like you're touching your chest.... Yeah.  Story of my life right there.

You can tell if I've had to work in the morning if I'm wearing 1) these black jeggings, 2) some form of sweat material, 3) my hair is in an unstyled bun or ponytail, 4) I'm wearing absolutely no makeup, or 5) any combination of the above.  Today, it's all of the above.

Avenue Q is done and now I'm stepping headfirst into tech week and performances for the second show I'm working on - a song cycle performance for the theatre department.  Here's to another busy week, and even more, to the nice relaxing two weeks after this one!

21 February 2013

welcome to Avenue Q!


Tonight was opening night of Avenue Q!  It went pretty well - a few cues on my end that needed editing but wow my cast and crew nailed it tonight!  I am honestly so proud of this show.  I am extremely grateful that I have the opportunity to be where I am, stage managing this show, because this will be my last one with the Performing Arts Office before I graduate and move on to other things in other places.  And I am so blessed to be a part of a show that is really a great piece of theatre, and so much fun!  Seriously, y'all, this show is SO much fun!

I'll let the photos speak for themselves, and also, below is a video that shows a time lapse of our awesome set being built.  Our hard-working cast and crew, combined with students from the PAO spent literally all of last weekend loading in this set and building from the ground up, and a camera set up in the balcony took a photo every 5 minutes, which was strung together to make this awesome video....


20 February 2013

floating heads and the epitome of laziness






Jacket: New Look / Dress: Ooh La Loft / Shoes: Shoedazzle / Scarf: handmade gift / Lipstick: MAC Russian Red

 So this face is what laziness looks like.  I started to put on a little makeup (lipstick), then I said screw it and went bare faced because I don't really care that much.  Honestly, the days I don't wear makeup outnumber the days I do lately.  And I kinda like it.

Also, this scarf was knitted and given to me by my friend, Carmen, who has some major skills.  It has saved me many a time this semester from the blasted (literally) Boston wind.  Boy, how I did not miss that sucker.  My favorite feature of the scarf would be the ability to make my head appear as though it is floating about unattached to my body.  Magic, I say.

Shocker of all shocking things, I'm off to another tech rehearsal for Avenue Q.  Post on that coming at the end of this week, I promise.  Cross my heart, pinky swear, and all the good stuff.

This post brought to you by Marion's Trend of the Month: black and white edition!  (Though I cheated a little and put on red lipstick because sometimes a girl just needs to be a little fancy for no apparent reason.  Also, I like color too much.  So sue me.)

19 February 2013

these are the final pieces of the puzzle, and holy batman, the puzzle is gonna be amazeballs

Dress: Nordstrom / Shoes: Shoedazzle / Ring: H&M / Lipstick: Estée Lauder "Abstract Violet"

First of all, it's been a week since the last post and I'm sitting here all "where did the time go?!"... I'll tell you where.  Tech week has begun ladies and gents.  All these past few days I've been removed from the outside world, practically living in the same theatre building with the same 30 people.  I love it.  It means our show is really starting to stand on it's own two feet and be something we can show others and be really proud of.  This part of the process is my favorite for a reason - there's nothing quite like seeing all the various aspects of something that you've been working on individually for a month come together to suddenly be something really awesome.  Like putting together all the pieces of a puzzle, and the near complete removal from the rest of society is totally worth the end result.

I have pictures coming up at the end of the week, but for now, this is what I wore Saturday for the first proper night out I've had all semester, and the last one I'll have for a couple more weeks.  Let me tell y'all, as much as I love my job, it was wonderful to go out and have fun and not have to worry about anything else for just one night.

13 February 2013

oh hey gimpy t-rex arm

Shirt: H&M / Leggings: Windsor / Booties: Vince Camuto / Beanie: Nordstrom / Bracelet: vintage / Ring: gift
Lipstick: Revlon ColorStay in "Stay Currant"

One of the things on my bucket list is to be in New York during Fashion Week.  Sometimes, I like to think of the things I would wear around that would fit in with the vibe of NYFW, and then I remember that I'm not in New York, and people are all staring and stuff.  But you now, what?  I don't care.  I'll dress like I'm at New York Fashion Week if I want to (I do)!  Bright blue top?  Yep.  Faux leather leggings?  Double yes!  Dark red lip?  Duh.  Studs on ma kicks?  Why not!  I might even add a fur coat and a wide brimmed hat for good measure.

Friends, tomorrow is our last regular rehearsal of Avenue Q, and then the weekend leads us straight into Tech Week.  Also known as Hell Week, aka the end of any free time (what's free time?), aka the end of sleep as I know it, aka the end of my life.  And you know what?  I absolutely love it.

09 February 2013

we found nemo

For those who didn't know, New England got hit with a winter storm, fondly dubbed Nemo.  Don't ask me how that name got applied - I didn't even know they had started naming winter storms.  Anyway, Nemo showed up right on schedule and graced the Northeast with his snowy charm.  This meant the past two days were spent indoors, stockpiled with snacks, some JD Honey whiskey (perfect for a few sips in front of the fire, er, TV while chatting with one of your best girlfriends), and a full-scale Sex and the City marathon.

I decided to abandon my dorm apartment as both my roommates were gone for the weekend and instead am staying with my friend Nicole, who also had her apartment to herself.  We ventured outside a bit today to play in the snow and walk around the neighborhood.  Snow angels were obviously a must.  The snow is just above knee-level on me - about two feet I'd say.  Perfect weekend to have these snow days since next weekend we start teching for Avenue Q.  Just under two weeks until opening!

06 February 2013

a collective account of last week as told by a series of short stories

 Sweater: So old I forget (maybe Old Navy?) / Pants: AE / Shoes: Vince Camuto / Earrings: also old - from senior prom(!) / Ring: H&M

Man in Theatre Lobby

So I'm at rehearsal, and I get informed there is a strange man in the lobby of the theatre.  As Stage Manager, it's something I deal with, so off I go to find a seemingly very stoned homeless bum hanging around and making actors uncomfortable.  I then proceed to spend the next 10 minutes saying I'm sorry but I have to ask him to leave, blah blah blah, as he responds with okay but then rambles on on a different topic.  I say I'm going to need to have campus security come and talk to him if he doesn't go, and he talks about five years in prison for stealing $50,000 and stabbing a dude.  He then says he wants an application to the school to better himself, and says go ahead an call security and tell them to bring an application.  Oh, and if they don't he'll have to respond with violence.  I say well, we don't want that, and give him the school's website so he can apply.  He leaves, and I return to rehearsal thinking, well that was interesting.

Debit Card

I'm at a meeting on Tuesday night for Avenue Q, and get a text from my bank saying they have detected fraud, and would I please call this number and give this code to verify my identity.  I do so, and am informed that a charge to a company in Connecticut was made that day on my card as well as an attempt to withdraw $900 at an ATM in Romania, of all places.  I say no, it wasn't me, and am instructed to destroy my card - they're sending me a new one to my home address in Seattle, and from there it will be sent to me here in Boston.  Until then, I am debit-less.

Liquor Store

I go to the liquor store around the corner from where I live to pick up some beers for the Super Bowl, etc.. and when I come to the front with my purchases, they ask for I.D., so I hand over my Washington State driver's license, and am told that they don't take out of state I.D.s and do I have a passport?  Um, no, my passport is back in Seattle.  I have cards with my name on them, but still, no beans.  So that was a waste of time and Massachusetts liquor laws suck (they don't even allow happy hours here!).

Rat Kicking

Walking through Boston Common after rehearsal one night and I feel my foot hit something, look down, and see a small rat land two feet in front of me and scurry away past my feet.  I had accidentally kicked a rat.  All I can say is thank goodness I was wearing boots.

Breaking Bad in Real Life

Taking the T on the way home from my friend's apartment one night, a man gets on and stands right in front of the guy sitting next to me, facing him.  They do they little handshake slap welcome thing that guys do, and when the hand of the guy next to me comes back from it, he's got a teeny tiny ziploc bag of a light blue-ish substance, which he proceeds to tuck into the backpack on his lap.  The guy who gave it to him gets off at the next stop (about three blocks away from the one he got on at).  I watch Breaking Bad - pretty sure it was meth.  And all I can say is, really, you couldn't have found a less conspicuous place to deal that stuff?  Idiots.

02 February 2013

a (yummy) taste of England

Over the past week or so, I've had a craving for some clotted cream.  I had it in Wales on a scone, and it was so wonderfully scrumptious, I was determined to make it here - scones and all!  Well, turns out clotted cream has to sit in the oven for at least 8 hours!  Sorry, no can do.  But I was able to find some at Whole Foods, so off I went to purchase some clotted cream and ingredients to make scones.

I'm warning you, these scones are so easy and so delicious, there is a large possibility of wanting to make them every few days so you never run out of a breakfast (or dessert ;) ) option.

First things first, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

It looked like scones are supposed to be made using self-rising flour, but as I'm a poor college student, I made my own version out of all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.  Start out by mixing together the flour, sugar, baking soda (yes, more baking soda), and salt with a whisk.  The trick with scones is you don't want to over-handle them, because we want them to stay light and fluffy, so a lot of the steps require a gentle caressing touch.  :)

Cut up your butter into cubes, and drop them into your dry mixture...

... then use your hands to scrunch it all together until you end up with a mixture that looks like a bunch of small crumbs.  See below the comparison between our mixture (right) and regular flour (left).

Next, pour your milk and stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so - just so it's warm, not hot - then add your vanilla and lemon.  Let it sit for a moment while you stick a cookie sheet in the oven to get nice and hot for when you're ready to bake the scones.  Turn back to your dry mix and make a little well in the middle, then pour your milk mixture into the middle.

Quickly take a dinner knife and cut and stir through it to get a wet dough.  It's going to seem really wet and gooey, but you don't want it very dry, so don't worry about it.  :)

Sprinkle your prep surface with some flour and use the knife to tip the dough onto the floured surface.  Flour up your hands, pat a little on top of the lump of dough and gently flip it over a couple times - don't knead it, we don't want to manhandle it - and pat it into a lump about and inch and a half high.

Coat your dinner knife in flour and cut through the dough to make four individual scones, flouring the knife between each cut (the dough gets sticky!).  Brush some egg beater on the tops of the scones and sprinkle a little cane sugar on top.  Take your cookie sheet out of the oven, put your scones on it, and pop it back in.

Leave them in until they're lightly golden on top.  Mine took about 20 minutes, but I think it just depends on the oven.  When in doubt, go for the old toothpick test, and if the toothpick comes out dry, without any dough sticking to it, they're done!

Pretty, huh?  :)

Pretty delicious!

Enjoy with some clotted cream and a jam of your choice for a yummy dessert or a naughty breakfast.  ;)

1.5 cups self-raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
5.75 (just under 6 is fine) tbsp of butter
3 tbsp caster sugar (very fine sugar)
6 oz. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
squeeze of lemon juice
egg beater (to glaze)
Pin It button on image hover