August 11th, 2010

It is two weeks to the day until I leave. It's not as far as I thought it should be, and I have the feeling that it's going to feel a whole lot shorter than that. I think I can say honestly that I don't want to go and I desperately want to go, exactly at the same time. (If you think it's impossible to do that, I point you in the direction of everyone; human beings are remarkable in their ability to want opposite things equally).

Went dancing again on Saturday night -- I was exploding at the seams with energy after a short little power nap, and finally got in touch with the boy. We ended up at BoBo's gallery for a bit, then the Haywood Lounge, notable for the fact that it was mostly empty, 2 in the morning, and we were the only white people there, right smack in the middle of the dance floor. I have the feeling the people watching were probably laughing at me, but I also think I managed to hold my own pretty well. In any case, by the time we actually went to sleep, it was about four. My alarm went off at six, and I dragged my carcass up the Clingman hill and into work, where I drank coffee like water and somehow managed to survive perfectly. I even managed to meet Hilary at Malaprop's and have an intelligible conversation before returning home and sleeping for three hours.

We ended up going to Shakespeare in the Park on Sunday night; they just opened "Troilus and Cressida", which is actually about the Trojan war and is a little performed play. I really like the story of the Iliad anyway (probably more than the Odyssey, which I realize makes me highly bizarre), and it was very clever and funny, so I quite enjoyed it. Troilus and Cressida is actually somewhat of a subplot, of a love affair between Priam's youngest son and a somewhat capricious Trojan woman who ends up in the Greek camp (where she falls in love and causes poor Troilus no end of heartbreak). There were some takes on things that I wasn't too wild about, but I thought the cast did a good job and took an interesting interpretation, so that was cool. Hilary and I also found our latest motto, which we quote to each other at every possible moment, whether or not appropriate -- it is from Achilles, who is trying to explain something, then stops, shrugs, and goes, "I know not, 'tis trash. Farewell!" And walks off the stage. Hilarious. Raj and a friend joined us for the first act - they had promised food, but were delayed by some accident involving a car and a neighbor's fence, and so Hilary and I ate a bag of chips and a candy bar apiece from the concession's stand for dinner. Mmm, healthy.

This week I'm assistant stage managing again for Terpsicorps, this time a show called "The Dream Project", which is essentially dance interpretations of people's dreams. The prop list is insane, and has been described as a "clusterfuck", and with opening night tomorrow, we have still not run through the entire show with lights and sets. I probably shouldn't tell you that. Oh well. In any case, I wasn't sure if I was going to be helping out, since I hadn't heard anything, but it turns out that just no one had time to get back to me, so when I e-mailed the stage manager, he basically said that whenever I'm not working would be a good time to help out. I have rehearsals all day today and tomorrow, and shows tomorrow night, Friday, and Saturday. Oh yeah, and I don't have an off day from work. So this week, including two jobs and the Terpsicorps project, I will be working roughly 70 hours. Fun times. Ah well, no one can say I didn't sign up for it. I just want to be able to sleep in for a change.

Since I'm not leaving quite yet, I won't say all of my impressions of Asheville -- I think some of those are best left to when I'm no longer actually there. But it does seem incomprehensible to me that my summer is almost at an end, and even less so that I will be in Paris in about three short weeks. (Good lord.)

Until next time.

June 29th, 2010

They are trying to fix our internet. So instead of just not working well, the cable guy has succeeded so far in making it not work whatsoever. So I am back leeching off the internet in Montford Books, however sitting at the table this time in an attempt to save my back, which is already angry with me for the abuse I've been putting it through -- either hunched over a bike, on my feet all day long, or doing arabesques. I also got some free coffee out of the deal, which is great, seeing as I took an hour and fifteen minute long power nap and am still sleepy.

But here we are -- I'm not really sure what to say except that life goes on. I've been at work for about six or seven straight days now and don't have a day off in sight -- when I'm off at the hotel, I'm working at Pack Place, and then doing a double Sunday at the hotel. At least I no longer have to be out every night -- that was just absolutely killer. I'd get home at ten thirty and collapse into bed. Wake up at six and repeat the cycle.

But I can't complain -- did the internet here just die?! No? Good. -- because I got to spend several hours in a theatre, watching some fantastic dance. It was a tribute to Salvatore Aeillo -- the company was Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, and they are fantastic, you should check them out -- and they did his pieces "Clowns and Others" and "The Rite of Spring", along with a piece choreographed by the artistic director of the company, Heather Maloy, called "Second Line". Clowns was just really precious, Second Line had some fantastic swing music and a really hot pas de deux, and Rite is totally energetic and crazy and awesome. It was great because I got to see each piece several times, so I learned them well and got to think about them and all that fun stuff.

I also met another fellow dancer for coffee yesterday, a woman who is the cousin's wife of one of my bosses at my internship this past semester. She danced professionally for several years in New York City before recently moving to Asheville, and she has her own company, which blends modern with butoh, which was originally a Japanese form of dance, created post World War 2. It's an interesting form -- if not really in my aesthetic, but it was great to chat with another dancer.

Also on Sunday night, Hilary, Raj and I went to see King Lear, put on by the Montford Park Players and the Asheville version of Shakespeare in the park. It was great -- very laid back, this little amphitheater in Montford Park, rent a chair for two bucks and chill. The acting wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't terrible either. I like Lear anyway, so it was fun. Afterwards, Raj and I took a wander through the nearby cemetery, which was really really lovely with the full moon rising, huge and yellow and generally howl worthy.

This week is fourth of July, which is actually one of my favorite holidays. I'll probably go to the fireworks game on Saturday night, even though I don't get off until 8:30. I'll just be one of those really annoying people who don't show up until the fourth or fifth inning. Not my idea, people!!

In any case, I managed to talk myself out of two hundred bucks -- I got the revised paycheck from the hotel the other day. But at least my karma is still spotless, and I've earned the respect of the grumpy manager who was getting on me for not having the name tag. That hotel -- the atmosphere is so heavy. People are so angry and frustrated...I try to be as cheerful as I absolutely can, try and lighten things up. At least a couple people have told me that the place is happier when I'm there, and it makes me smile -- that's what I'm trying to do, there and in life. Make life wonderful again.

I think this place closes at five, so I should think about heading out. I am highly doubtful of the internet's ability to work but hopefully it will be fixed soon and I will stop annoying you endlessly complaining about it.

Until next time.