Oh, hey - it’s me looking stupid on YouTube! Also starring Ben Matheny and Jesse Manley, What’s Happenin’? is a funky news broadcast filmed by Ben Maner!
My pal Vicky Illk wrote a blurb about the spectacular spectacle that was Cory and the Sisterwives’ debut performance at Art Two Ways this past Saturday. Cory and the Sisterwives is an improv comedy troupe composed of Cory Dumesnil, Vicky Illk, Zetta Gagliano and myself. Alas, it may be C and the Ss one and only performance, because today we and the members of what I hope to be our new and expanded improv troupe are meeting for the first time! With that said, stay tuned for news of future perfomances around NOLA.
Cory and the Sisterwives looking extra festive.
Now it’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for (or so I tell myself) : A photo documentary of my trip to The Windy City!
Our hosts and dear friends Amber and Sean’s house in Lincoln Park!
Amber! My long lost roomie.
Out on the town! Sean gave us a brief tour.
We saw the crazy amphitheater at Millenium Park.
And the famous Bean!
Sean, Katie and I posing for a typical Chicago tourist pic.
Sean and I ended the night doing improv at Piper’s Ally, an annex of the prestigious Second City, the school Amber and Sean moved to Chi-town to attend. It was exhilarating, even though it was just for fun. I had to improvise a rap about a chameleon in front of some strangers. It was terrifyingly awesome.
“With this chemeleon
I’m gonna make a million
Dollars in my store
People will come from shore to store
To stand on the floor
Of my pet store.”
Or something like that.
Day two, after shopping at H&M for over two hours, we visited the Historic Chicago Water Tower!
Inside, Amber got photobombed by a lion.
Chinatown was next. We started playing a game called P.I. where we took random photos of strangers.
The Dragon, my Zodiac sign, was described as being the most “awesome.” Duh.
Amber and I have a thing for stone creatures.
Day three we ate at The Bourgeoisie Pig. I got a sandwich called The Hobbit. It was a BLT with sprouts and avocado and it was delicious!
Sean planking on a train.
The last day was spent at Willis (Sears) Tower - the tallest building in the States! So tall, it took us an hour and a half to get to the top.
Just kidding, the 25,000 other tourists held us up. But the wait was worth it for this.
This part was more frightening than improv rap. But once I got used to the strange sensation of walking on air I couldn’t get enough!
It was raining in Chicago when we left - it was like the sky was weeping to see us go. Hopefully I return someday!
Not pictured: Clubbing, trying deep dish pizza at Giordano’s and loving it, weirdos on the L (train), eating a jumbo chili cheese dog at Portillos, getting rained on multiple times, wearing a hat with ear flaps to sleep to stay warm at night, my new wardrobe and lots of other shenanigans.
Since I graduated college I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with my life. I like a lot of things. I like to do a lot of things. My many interests and hobbies as well as my talents have lead me to explore many possible career paths and choices. This left me nothing but an indecisive mess and nowhere closer to deciding my next step. My quest for fame and fortune was in shambles and I’ve been stuck in a job that - while I enjoy it - is not where I want to be. Yet, gradually I have began to realize something important. And today it really hit me.
I can’t do everything.
The less I focus on, the more I can get done.
So I took the time to think about the things I truly love doing.
- helping people
- learning
- improv
- being all around hilarious and charming *wink*1
The answer has been in front of me this whole time! The career path that I have always held in the highest regard, but had totally forgotten about in the wake of my soul-searching quest, is teaching. Duh. It combines all my favorite things flawlessly. I’ve long felt like it’s what I was meant to do. So, why the heck have I wasted so much time?!
Well, I was unsure and wanted to explore all my options. I did. I wanted to save money. I have been. I wasn’t sure if NOLA was the right place for me to live. It is. Very much so. And New Orleans needs some good teachers. 2
Maybe I’ll never be an astronaut, park ranger, pilot, figure skating champion, fashion photographer, archaeologist, detective, assassin, or master chef. Or maybe I’ll never live in Japan or San Francisco (although you can bet I’ll visit both often). I no longer feel I need to do everything I love or live everywhere. As long as I am doing the one thing I love most, I will be happy. Plus, I’m only 22! I can teach now and focus on another career path later if I get antsy. I have a long lifetime ahead of me. I feel the important thing is to do one thing at a time. And do it well.
So, now I have a plan. One I am going to stick to.
Goals:
- save money
- take the Praxis exam
- volunteer abroad
- volunteer at home
- get teacher certified
That will get me on the path to being a teacher. Plus, a couple important things I can’t give up:
- continue writing everyday, whether it’s working on my novels and short stories (more on this soon) or simply blogging
- make people laugh (a new improv troupe is already in the works, considering the current one is stagnant)
- make FCM too legit to quit (my online baby)
And a few other important projects I want to begin to improve my overall well-being and health (so I live long enough to accomplish these goals):
- learn how to cook well
- get in shape
Phew. Let’s go.
1 I can’t actually wink. But, you get the idea!
2 Not to brag or anything.
By Tom Salinsky and Deborah Frances-White
Just started reading this book. It is so far and very great and insightful read, not only into the realm of improvisation, but also into the nature of human behavior.
And soon I will be an improv expert and take over the comedic world.
It’s an exciting time for me right now.
This week is finals week, and though it goes without saying, it is a very busy time. Fortunately I only have one actual exam. Two of my classes had final projects due last week. My Biology final was not required - we only had to take it if we were not happy with our final grade, but I was because mine was an A! Plus I never have to take Biology again! All that is left is my American History final (easy), a five part photo project (daunting, but two parts are complete and the others are in the works), and a ten page research paper on transportation, communication, and globalization in World War I (which I haven’t started, but at least I have thought about it!).
Once all that is out of the way then I only have one more semester of college! Working world, here I come! What am I going to do after I graduate? Well, I want to teach English in Japan, lay around on the beaches of Greece and wander the ruins, study Archaeology on a graduate level, work in a photo lab or studio, and continue to perform in an improv troupe of course! Not necessarily in that order.
So, it’s pretty essential that I do well this week if I want to graduate in May.
Seems like that is already enough to have on one’s mind this week, but no - there is more. Two very exciting, important, and long anticipated things are also happening this week.
For two years I have been trying to move off campus and this week it is finally happening. A friend and I are getting an apartment! It really is the perfect situation. I have no car, but the place is walking distance from campus. I do not have a housing scholarship so living off campus is actually cheaper in this case. Plus, the apartment is super nice. It is a remodeled two-bed-two-bath carpeted wonder. I am in love with it. Since signing the lease and receiving the keys last Thursday we have been slowly moving our things, bit by bit. I canceled my “lease” at the dorms and I have to be out by Saturday. So, while it is exciting, there is another thing I have to worry about this week!
My other concern has to do with improv. In addition to being a part of FDR Improv, UNO’s improv comedy troupe, I am also a member of Orphaned on Purpose. OoP was started by the people who founded UNO Improv and have since graduated. They regularly performed at venues in the French Quarter. I auditioned for the troupe this summer after being a big fan of them for almost a year and I was one of two people they picked! However, since joining the troupe we have been concentrating more on building ourselves as a troupe by rehearsing and working on other side projects, so I haven’t been in any actual shows with them. Well, that is about to change this very week! We finally decided to come out of our hiatus and we found a new venue! So, Orphaned is back and we will be performing this Friday night at a place called Yo Mama’s Bar and Grill (I’ve never been). Again, I am really really excited, but I wish it didn’t have to be finals week. I need to be working not rehearsing. Oh well. It’s definitely worth it.
I suppose I should be working on all that and not blogging.
