Back in Business

...after a brief hiatus in which I boycotted all expendable responsibilities/things that stressed me out, and took time for things like bidding farewell to friends (so many fabulous people have departed from San Diego in the past few weeks, I'm surprised there have not been recorded sightings of weeping sidewalks and wilting palm trees), walking on the beach, sitting in God's presence, etc. For which I think my psyche is much the better.

I am now the last intern standing in the Artistic department, my two fellow interns having departed for school over the past several weeks. We made it through the whirlwind--or should I say tornado--that was dramaturgy for The Wiz, which was a very educational process, and now rehearsals for the show are underway and looking fabulous. I am here for two more weeks, and am particularly enjoying the literary side of things under my new boss. I do miss Sasha, though, and our mutual appreciation of some of the more amusing things that go on in the office.

At the same time, I'm definitely looking forward to the chance to start seriously focusing on writing. And to being back in the glorious green Northwest. Although I have been soaking up my share of golden So Cal sunshine, able to appreciate it thanks to my knowledge of the limits to my time basking therein. I am attempting to get through the task of sorting and organizing my papers, books, and other possessions before I depart from this land once more, in order to purge my way down to that which I am truly likely to use, and it looks like this goal should be accessible, although the film editing I was hoping to also complete this summer is looking far less likely thanks to a defect in the editing program I purchased for the purpose.

Let's see, since last I wrote I have experienced several recommendation-worthy books and movies: My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok and The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey were interesting reads, and Children of God, the sequel to The Sparrow, was not disappointing. On the cinematic side of things, I watched The Devil Wears Prada, which I heartily recommend despite my usual distaste for the "Ugly Duckling made Beautiful through hair-straightening, glasses-removal, and make-up-application" genre of films. I also saw Little Miss Sunshine, which was quite amusing and heartwarming and such.

Plans for the future are somewhat less overwhelming since I spoke with a much-valued mentor from my high school Bible study group, who is also a writer herself, and who, unlike many people I encounter, not only understands my urge to spend some time focused on writing, but thinks that the plan I have outlined is a sensible one given my goals. The current thought on school is to apply if and when it doesn't stress me out too much to go through the process of doing so. If that happens this fall, great. If not, I will finish this year focusing on writing with some kind of part-time work on the side, and then next year get my own place and find some fuller-time job capable of supporting me and leaving me with enough extra time to make my way through the application process for the following year. I'm happy with this plan, and, most attractively, it doesn't cause me to hyperventilate whenever I think about it, so I think that's what we'll be going with for the moment.

Tomorrow I am off to a real live feis to cheer my sister on in her soft shoe competition, and to pick up a few tips to improve my own dancing, I'm guessing. Unfortunately there will be not ceili at the end of the day like at the last one, but I have been getting a weekly Irish Dance fix of late at the beginner adult lessons, which are so much fun. I will be sad to leave the school in a few weeks, and will definitely be looking for a place to continue my lessons up north.

That's it for the moment--just wanted to post a quick update to satisfy those few who actually check this thing to gain insight into my existence. Hope that's sufficient. :-) More later, I'm sure.