To The Herd of Freshmen

Hello friends. I'm writing this entry from my sauna-like dorm room at Syracuse University. Yes, I am back in Cuse after an exciting summer in New York and a short one week stint in the beautiful Manchvegas AKA Manchester, NH. Though I wish I could be home, I had to come back to school early for my favorite time of year... RA TRAINING!!! Ten long days of lectures, bulletin boards, lectures, door decorations and did I mention lectures?! Who could ask for anything more? I sure could. Anyway, the end of training marks the beginning of opening. Soon the halls of BBB will be flooded with incoming freshmen and the few upperclassmen that got screwed and somehow ended up in BBB.

Oh, freshmen. I think it will be pretty easy to point them out. The smell of fear that clings to them is as pungent as moldy cheese... of the french variety. Their beady little eyes dart around the room as their minds try to deduce which of the many people surrounding them will become their new best friends. Their nervous laughter is constant, even when nothing is funny. These are the traits of a freshman.

Many moons ago, I was a freshman. I know, it's hard to believe, but there was a time when I was awkward... wait a minute, I'm still awkward. Now that I think about it, a lot of the freshmen come here acting like they already own the place. They know exactly where to go for parties and which sororities and frats they want to be in come springtime (don't even get me started on Greek Life). Plus, they've already made a ton of "friends" via Facebook. Many freshmen today come to school cool, comfortable and relaxed. Well, here's what I've got to say to the Gucci sunglasses wearing, Coach purse toting, sorority bound freshmen.

Your first year here is a good time to find yourself, but it's also when herd mentality is at it's worst. Don't get sucked into being a carbon copy if you don't want to be. Forge your own path at this university and discover who you are and what's important to you along the way. If being involved in a frat or sorority is something that's really important to you, do it, as long as you're doing it for yourself and not just to fit in. Don't let people like me give you shit for it either. I really shouldn't only be giving Greek Life a hard time. Anyway, remember that college is a place of higher education, not just one big party. Expand your mind. Be a nerd. Read. Go see the Winslow Homer exhibit at Schaefer. Get out of your comfort zone. Go to class... seriously. You might be reading this and saying what the hell does this Greek Life hating nerd know about anything. 1) Hate is a very strong word, and I'm actually a part of Greek Life. Though there are some pretty big differences between APO and Tri-delt. 2) I speak from experience. I was all about the herd mentality my first semester here, and I thought that life at Cuse wasn't so bad. Come second semester, I ditched that attitude, did everything I wanted to do and really found myself. Now, I love my life here. So, welcome to Syracuse all you freshmen. It's hardly an infinite abyss, but good luck exploring it.

Peace,
Kim

Music + Cab = :-D (that's me smiling)

Who out there can honestly say they don't like music? I'm going to go with no one. Who out there can say they don't like cabs? Hmmm... ok lots of people I'm sure. Put these two seemingly unrelated things together and you get something incredibly awesome: Black Cab Sessions. I was turned on to this website by the wonderfully fabulous Meghan Schaetzle (check out her Photog Blog!). Awesome people, playing awesome music live in the back of a black cab. What's not to love? And as an equal opportunity employer, they have sessions with acoustic rockers, hip-hop artists and everything in between. The videos really speak for themselves. Here's a couple videos. Enjoy!





Peace,
Kim

An Apology... Sort of

You know what's very interesting. I did not think people besides my followers read this blog, but recent findings show that they do. I'm not sure how to handle this newly found information. I have written a couple blog entries that were rants aimed at certain people. After writing these entries, I noticed that the behavior I found to be annoying by these people promptly stopped. So I guess that's a win for me, right? Sort of? I don't really know.

Now, I'm wondering if I should censor myself on this blog. Should I avoid getting people upset and only write about topics that I know are neutral or should I write about the things that are going on in my life and turn them into funny blog posts? I think, I'm going with the latter. Sorry if I've upset anyone out in the blogosphere, but I've already told my mom I'll stop swearing as much on here, and that's the last concession I'm willing to make.

Peace,
Kim

On Cleanliness

I am notorious for having a dirty room. Though some would never admit that, I have no shame over that fact. If I'm the only one living in my room, what does it matter if it's dirty? I'll clean it if I know someone may be coming over, but otherwise, I feel my room only needs to be as clean as I see fit to live in. As much as I don't mind having a dirty room, I would never want other people to be affected by my uncleanliness. Unfortunately, other people don't feel that way.

Living in an apartment with four girls in the city has taught me many things. The most surprising thing of all is how much uncleanliness in any space other than my room bugs me. I can't decide if my roommates have just never done chores before or if they think I'm their maid. Maybe one day, I'll write a book on roommate etiquette that will make Emily Post smile down on me from heaven. Here are a few tips I would write about in my book.

On Cleanliness

1. When cooking, make sure to clean up after yourself. That would be oh so nice of you to share some of flour with me. Of course, I'd much rather you give me some in a Ziploc bag instead of it being all over the stove top. Letting it sit there for over a week without cleaning does nothing to get you in my good graces, especially if you don't offer me some of whatever you were making.
2. Eat your food before it rots. Many people these days are on a budget, so it shocks me that some would actually let their food go to waste. Even more shocking is when they won't throw away said moldy food. Moldy black bananas on top of the fridge do not make good kitchen decorations. For God's sake people, there are starving children in Africa!
3. Take out the trash when it's overflowing. I don't understand how someone can honestly place there trash on top of an overflowing waste basket, watch it topple onto the ground and proceed to walk away without doing anything. These people make me vomit in my mouth.
4. Don't leave your books/paper/clothes lying around. If those things are lying around your room, that's fine. If I'm tripping over your sneakers in the living room or eating breakfast on the couch because all of your crap has overtaken the kitchen table, that's just plain rude.
5. Ask before emitting strong smells. No, I'm not talking about farts. I'm talking about smoking anything or burning incense. I can't stand the scent of incense or cigarettes, and I know I'm not the only one. Coming back to an apartment where I can barely breathe is not fun. So please be considerate.

Based on everything that happens in this apartment, I will have no trouble writing a book about roommate etiquette. Anybody else got any rules they feel should be included? I'd love to hear them, and they don't only have to pertain to cleanliness. With the new semester right around the corner, I hope everyone has far fewer roommate issues to deal with.

Peace,
Kim

The Times is right, Our Town is "Shattering!"

I am intent on seeing shows this summer despite running low on the funds! I have two weeks left in New York, and I plan on scouring the city for great deals on theatre. In my hunt, I discovered Our Town is currently playing at the Barrow Street Theatre Off-Broadway. Some quick research showed that it has garnered rave reviews. Adam Chanler-Berat loves it too, ha! Our Town is a play about the average everyday lives of people in a small New Hampshire town by revered playwright Thornton Wilder, and it's only $20 with a student ID!

I actually tried to get into God of Carnage first, since Sunday was it's last day before going on hiatus until September, but it just wasn't meant to be. So my friend Effi and I hightailed it to the West Village from Times Square. We get to the theatre, and we're the third and fourth persons in line after these two really great guys we met. We notice these girls slip in and start hanging out near the front of the line. Hmmm, that's odd. The box office opens to put our names on the waiting list, and what do you know, these bitches cut in front of us. I was so flabbergasted. Thank God, for those two great guys because they told the box office attendant right away that we had been waiting in line and deserved to go first. YAY! There are some good people in New York! We were the last people to get into the show off the rush list along with those great guys in front of us. All is right in the world.

Anyway, about the show. Shattering! That's what The New York Times said about it, and I concur 100%. This production is a bold and beautiful take on a classic. Cromer's minimalist vision eliminate distraction. Stripped is the best way to describe Cromer's Our Town. His inventive staging immerses the audience in the show. The actors weave through the audience. At times, the action was happening inches away from my face. There is a part in the play where the character of the Stage Manager (played by director Cromer) brings out a professor to answer questions about the town. Usually, actors are planted in the audience, but in this production the Stage Manager handed out cards to people in the audience. We really were immersed in the show. I could feel the Stage Manager staring right at me as he talked a few times. We weren't merely an audience, but a part of the show.


The acting was wonderful. Every person in the show knew who their character was and portrayed him or her well, whether they had one line or 100. It was wonderful to see actors that worked so well of one another as well. I loved how they were clothed in more modern circa 1990s even though the play takes place circa 1900, which was made obvious through mentions of industrialization. I think the costumes help make the play seem more current. As an audience member you don't look at the play as an homage to times gone by. You recognize that the same things happening back then are still happening now.

I walked away from this play feeling both heavy and light. It's such a powerful experience. My friend Effi was pretty much in shock. He could barely talk. It's a beautiful work of art that makes you fully appreciate life. The last time I walked away from something appreciating life this much was when I first watched Into the Wild. If you have the opportunity to see this, GO! You will not be disappointed.

Peace,
Kim

P.S. Whoo for plays that take place in New Hampshire!! 603 for life, baby :-D

Coffee black and egg white..

If you know what lyric my title is from, bonus points for you. I hope you all read my review of Next to Normal. Shame on you if you haven't! After seeing a really great show, I always get the sudden urge to perform again. It's like a drug, and all of a sudden all I can think about is being on stage. Well, after seeing Next to Normal, I kept visualizing myself playing Natalie. I think it's a great role, and I would love to play that part. Then, I was slapped back to reality. Natalie is white. The whole family is white. Even the other two characters not in the family are white. What's a black girl to do? Well, I can hope that someone decides to put on an all black production of Next to Normal or that someone decides to do the unthinkable, color-blind casting!

Color-blind casting tends to cause quite the controversy. Here's an angry letter to The New York Times about Phylicia Rashad's (yes, The Cosby Show mom and stage veteran) casting in August: Osage County. It has also been done to much acclaim. David Oyelowo was the first black actor to play an English king in a major Shakespeare production, and his performance won him the Ian Charleson Award. I've been on the fence about the issue in the past, but now I really feel like it should be done more often. I'm already suspending my disbelief when I sit down to watch a movie, play or musical. What's the harm in accepting, for the sake of art, that a black woman gave birth to white children?

As a writer, I'm going to try and make sure that I don't write characters with a race in mind unless it is imperative to the story. I think far too many writers do that. Grey's Anatomy, which boasts a very diverse cast, was created with nobody's race in mind. The actors were chosen on the basis of talent, which is the way it should be. Talented people shouldn't be sidelined from playing great roles because of their race. Some groups have taken action. East West Players is an Asian American theatre group in Los Angeles. George Takei of Star Trek fame starred in their performance of Equus a few years ago. Last year, an all African American production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof hit Broadway. I applaud these productions, but I'd love to see more productions with extremely diverse casts and complete color-blind casting.

On a lighter note, my good friend Mike Contino, author of the blog Making Things Happen, and I were discussing about color-blind casting, when he had the great idea of composing a list of shows that would be extremely awkward if casting was color-blind. I laughed out loud, and we created this list.

The Most Awkward Shows to Cast Color-Blind (in no specific order)

• The Color Purple - Oprah might get a little pissed if that ever happened.
• Fiddler on the Roof - Obviously, the roles in this show don't have to be played by Jewish people, but something tells me some Jewish people would be angry if they were played by people who didn't even look remotely Jewish.
• The Civil War - This needs no words.
• Anne Frank - Again, no words.
• Porgy and Bess - Considering the characterization of black people is pretty racist in this opera, it might be even more awkward if people of another race gave a crack at this show.
• FELA! - This hasn't even hit Broadway yet, but it's a show about Nigerian activist and musician Fela Kuti. Fela, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, is known for creating the musical genre Afrobeat. If other races were cast in this, then maybe people would realize that Africa is not solely comprised of black people. Then again, people might be too preoccupied by other races dressed in traditional African garb with paint on their bodies doing traditional African dances to care about my latter statement.
• Anything by August Wilson - Wilson's ten play play series is about the African American struggle in the 20th century. I guess that means when he wrote them he only envisioned black people playing the roles, but who are we to know that for sure?
• Parade - Seeing as they all suspect the black guy of murder because they're all racist, the show might not make sense with anyone other race in the part.
• Miss Saigon - A starring role for an Asian woman on Broadway. There is no way you can take that away from them.
• Hairspray - It might get a little tricky to pull this off during the segregated school dance scene.

I hope you all feel sufficiently awkward. Got any more that might be really awkward? Comment!

Peace,

Kim

Next to Amazing Brilliance!!

My busy schedule and empty wallet have prevented me from seeing lots of shows this summer, but I was fortunate enough to see Next to Normal with my mom a couple weeks ago. If this is the only show I see this summer that is completely fine with me. I was blown away by this honest and poignant depiction of a woman's battle with bipolar disorder as her family is falling apart at the seams.

The fact that a musical about depression is on Broadway is a testament to the fact that the musical as a genre is evolving. The fact that a musical about depression had me laughing out loud shows that the writers have a good grasp of how to mix pathos and comedy. The show is an emotional roller coaster ride set to a Tony Award winning rock score. I was laughing out loud one minute and near tears the next, and the whole time I was surrounded and enamored by amazing music that ranged from thoughtful folk songs to head-banging rock.

I thought all of the actors did a great job. Alice Ripley is brilliant as Diana Goodman, the woman battling bipolar disorder. Her unique voice helps bring life to the character. As an actress, she's so good at her craft. There were so many little things she did that were so in character even when she wasn't the focus of the scene that make her so engaging to watch. I was also very impressed by Jennifer Damiano who plays Ripley's neglected daughter, Natalie, a sarcastic and bitter teenage genius looking for a reprieve from the constant madness at home. It would have been really easy to play this role very angry, but Damiano added a lightness to the role that really opened the character up in my opinion. Adam Chanler-Berat plays Natalie's stoner boyfriend Henry with unassuming charm and likability. I am in love, and I think every girl deserves a Henry. I'm pretty sure he's gay though, so my fantasies will never be realized, sadness.

I thought the show was well written though there were times it got heavy handed, especially concerning the parallels with Diana and Natalie. On the flip side, I thought there were times in the show where subtlety was used perfectly. They did a good job of leaving certain factors up to the audience to interpret, which I loved because subtlety is almost never a bad thing in my book. The set was very cool and visually interesting. It is more conceptual, which works for this show because it allows certain areas to double as other places easily without slowing down the pace of the show. There are tons of lights on the set, which give the show a rock concert feel during the bigger flashier numbers. The band being on stage adds to that feeling.

I really feel that everyone should see this show. It's a new original music with contemporary themes like family, love, reliance on medicine, mental disorders, pharmaceutical abuse and isolation. It's funny because right before we went to see it, my mom and I were discussing pharmaceutical abuse and reliance on medicine in general. She's a pharmacist who often comes face to face with people swearing they need more medicine. Someone should tell them their profuse sweating and quickness to throw fits gives away their addiction. Anyway, I highly recommend this seeing this musical if you have the opportunity. If this is any hint on the future of the American musical, I am very excited to see what's in store.

Unfortunately the videos I wanted to add won't embed :-( Here's a link to them, and I'll try to embed them later.

COOL VIDEOS :-)

P.S. I am in with the promotion photographs taken by Evan Kafka. I find them so interesting. Here's a link to the photos. Check them out!