I'm starting this post at 2:31 AM MST. A zillion amazing things have happened in the past 3 days and I would wait until I'm bored at the airport to write about them all, but I just said goodbye to Ronen and so the idea of starting to clean the bathroom now or attempt to go to sleep would just be stupid because I'm too sentimental. So here I am writing my blog on the bathroom floor so the light doesn't bother anyone else. Let's just jump right in where we left off, shall we?
Chapter 8 - The Jazz
As I mentioned earlier in the summer, I was asked to be involved in one of the items auctioned off after the cabaret. This item was to have live jazz at an event and I was one of four singers along with 3 band members. The winning bid was $13,000 and the people who won were actually a group of people, mostly members of the board, who had a party solely to have us perform. Now, I've mentioned before that the people who live in Grand Lake are pretty well off, but I really really need to mention it again because, honestly, this kind of lifestyle is incredible and The Jazz performance really brought to my attention how freakin lucky I've been this summer to be treated the way I have. SOOO MANY open bars and full meals and parties on the lake with boat rides and the works all amounted to this day. It was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY we have had this entire summer. It was 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We were in someones backyard who had a private boat dock where the technical equipment was set up. Behind us were boats in the lake and there was food for us and wine and ALL the important people in town who have come to be like our own parents and grand-parents were there. Well let me tell you that I was NERVOUS! I mean, we only rehearsed our songs one time and it's not like I perform all the time these days. It's kind of rare for me to perform now and this was a pretty big deal gig. And you know what? I rocked. I'm sorry, but I sounded damn great up there. I first got to the mic and gave my little intro which was something to the effect of, "I actually didn't come here to sweep or mop any floors or run any fog machines or call the actors to places, I came here to sing so thank you so much for having me on this lovely day!" My first song was The Way You Look Tonight which I sang as a ballad in a REAL low key and pretty slow, but I worked the hell out of it and had a lot of fun. My second song was East of the Sun and West of the Moon which was also a lot of fun. After we had all performed we had the opportunity to mill about with all the guests and it was so great hearing the compliments from people. One woman was even in tears saying how fantastic it was that I am so multi-talented and it's touching that someone with such talent in performing could work backstage just to make theater happen. I was very humbled and really it was just such a NICE event for the last few days here.
Chapter 9 - Closing Pirates
There's really very very little to say here. I really didn't ever do anything for pirates except carry a wooden pirate ship across the stage and throw balls of black tape at someone. But Pirates was my favorite of the three shows because the talent in this cast is incredible and they sang it so well. I'll miss having such a relaxed job on a show.
Chapter 10 - The Great Scavenger Hunt of '09
So after Pirates we had a scavenger hunt. Let me tell you, I don't think I have consumed that many different types of hard liquor in one night in my entire life. A lot of the things on the list were things to be done in bars or involving alcohol. I'm actually going to keep most of the details of what went on that night to myself, but I will say that I had a great time and it MAY have involved skinny dipping in Grand Lake. =P
Chapter 11 - Closing All Shook Up...what a night!!!
I've mentioned a few times, I think, that we have been raising money all summer to build a new theater. I really downplayed that fact in this blog because the Raise the Curtain campaign was kind of a huge freaking deal all summer long. Everything we did was to raise $4 million for the first phase of the building project. Phase 1 includes the actual building of the new theater and all summer they've been showing blue-prints and what not promising huge and incredible things if we could just raise the money. This entire summer I've felt kind of like we were being whored out to raise money for them. However, during the curtain speech for our final performance of our last show, it was announced that we had raised the money. I cried. It was so beautiful how...gosh, I'm having trouble finding words for it even now because I'm getting choked up! It's just so incredible that this town and this community and these people care about this theater thing so much. It's not like this anywhere and I just feel so so blessed to have been able to not only bear witness to such generosity and commitment but to have also made a direct impact on it. WE were the season that raised $4 million! That's...oh, it's just so much and as many rough times as I had working for these people, I'm so proud to have been a part of this company this year. I don't regret my decision to come out here in the slightest.
There had been a rumor going around that Tim Allen was coming to the final show. A rumor, mind you, but it seemed plausible because Grand Lake is such an expensive place to live and it is true that Tim Allen owns a house around here. So I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised when everybody came backstage after the first number FREAKING OUT because they really did see him in the audience. I was kind of bummed, though, because I'd forgotten to put my contacts in that evening so I couldn't really see him at all through the small crack in the curtains that hide the backstage. I figured at the time, "Whatever, it's cool he's here and I know what he looks like."
The show was great. I cried at the end of the first act when they all sang I Can't Help Falling in Love with You because it was, in my opinion, the best song of the summer and so moving. Cat and I had a pretty radical dance party at the end of the show backstage. And after the bows were finished and the cast had gone outside to get their congratulations from everyone, I slipped out to just in front of the curtain where the side entrance is so I could watch the band play one last time. Next thing I know, Tim Allen is standing right in front of me because he was sneaking out before the hustle and bustle. He touches me on the shoulder and says "Tell everybody I had a really great time this evening." And that's how I met Tim Allen!
Okay, but for real it's 3AM and I have to clean the bathroom for a 7:30 AM checkout. More to come from the airport!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
I could write a book
Alright!! Lots going on, but here is your blog. Finally! (PS - I'm going to wait until I'm sitting in the airport to go on facebook and steal pictures from people, but when I do I'll be posting them on shutterfly) There's a lot to talk about, so please multiply each chapter in awesome points by about 100 because it loses some enthusiasm and awe when I try and write about so much. I've really been having a fantastic last few days here.
Chapter 1 - My hike
Sunday was a big day. I woke up at around 7:30 to meet Mark, the bagpipe player from Brigadoon who also happens to be a park ranger, for a hike on the East Inlet trail. I had really hoped I'd get the opportunity to climb Baldy this summer (Baldy is the most unique looking mountain around here and kind of the sentimental one to the people in town) but it would have been a huge endeavor and it give me a reason to come back. Anyway, it was a really refreshing journey. Nothing stupendous to see but I did get a MUCH closer look at Baldy which was neat because I could look all the way to where I usually see Baldy from and it was like the view that I've had this entire summer was backwards. Mark was a decent hiking partner too. He gave me a neat (fake) tattoo from a bagpipe band that he's into.
Chapter 2 - Steamboat Springs
I sorta rushed Mark to get us back home because I was FINALLY able to work out a plan to meet with my mother's cousin, Andrea, and spend a night in Steamboat. It's truly a shame that it took this long to get the opportunity and I wish I could have had more time because it was SO FUN! First off, Andrea is fantastic as is Steve. We got to talk about family and what not the entire ride there and then we spent the night pub-crawling to all their favorite places. It was really nice to get out of this tiny town and actually see things like, oh I don't know, buses? Haha, it was as if I was trying to ease my way back into city living. I will say I got kinda fed up with hearing "Hide your beagle, Vick's an Eagle!" all night, but we'll let it go. =P Anyway, I got to sleep in a real house with a real bed and a TV in the room even! It's the little things, you know? After a fantastic nights worth of sleep, I got to explore Steamboat on my own for a little while before having to ride back with Steve to Grand Lake in time for changeover. So Baldy and also Andrea are TWO reasons why I have to come back here.
Chapter 3 - The Freedom Band plays at The Lariat
So some of the people in the company have grooved out together over the summer playing real folksy type music. They call themselves The Freedom Band and they're really really excellent. They performed at the cabaret and even recorded a cd together I believe. Anyway, one of the bars that we often go to in town, The Lariat, agreed to have the band play there on Monday night. It was so much fun! I drank more than I usually can and the whole company was out enjoying the show. It was neat to get out of the theater but still all hang out together.
Chapter 4 - Final Evening Changeover/Slumber Party at Marks
Not much to say about the final evening changeover. I find it really incredible how many times I did such hard manual labor right after shows this summer. I mean, I did evening changeovers at PSF last summer, but not to this scale. These were HUGE set pieces and very heavy and often times I was responsible for bringing down some of the heaviest things because I was too short to carry large lighter pieces. So I'm pretty damn proud of myself for getting through the summer this way (and pretty ripped if I may say so). Cat bought the 10 of us beers afterwards and we all drank together in the theater.
After that, I went to one of the company member's friend's cabin which they'd loaned him for when they were away. We had a slumber party complete with video games, board games, food and beds. It was really cute.
Chapter 5 - Cleaning the bathroom
OH EM GEE. I worked on the bathroom for, like, 4 hours yesterday. It's definitely way cleaner than it was when we got here. I can't believe I didn't pass out from toxic fumes. Seriously, 4 HOURS.
Chapter 6 - FINAL BRIGADOON
It feels like just yesterday when I was freaking out trying to find plastic bottles and fake heather for this damn show. It feels weird now that it's over. The final show went really well...okay no. The first act did. Act 2 was kind of a shit show if you'll excuse my language. People messed up lines, choreography, songs, the works, but it wasn't too bad in all honesty. I ran the fog machines for the last time this summer and thank goodness for that because I'm so over them. Brigadoon had the most and the youngest kids as guest artists and it was sad seeing them so sad about closing a show. I don't know if it's that there are still two more closings or if I just didn't love the show as much as others I've done or if I've just been doing this for so long that the sentimental value doesn't hit me as hard anymore, but I didn't cry or anything. I suppose I'll miss it in a way, but probably not much.
Chapter 7 - Striking Brigadoon
There's really not much to say about this. We tore Brigadoon apart today. I cleaned the props loft weeks ago so I didn't have to work on that much. I cleaned up a little backstage but I'll have to work at it a lot more on Sunday when all the shows are finished.
Okay, I'm definitely losing steam here so I'm going to save The Jazz for tomorrow. Take care! 3 more days!
Chapter 1 - My hike
Sunday was a big day. I woke up at around 7:30 to meet Mark, the bagpipe player from Brigadoon who also happens to be a park ranger, for a hike on the East Inlet trail. I had really hoped I'd get the opportunity to climb Baldy this summer (Baldy is the most unique looking mountain around here and kind of the sentimental one to the people in town) but it would have been a huge endeavor and it give me a reason to come back. Anyway, it was a really refreshing journey. Nothing stupendous to see but I did get a MUCH closer look at Baldy which was neat because I could look all the way to where I usually see Baldy from and it was like the view that I've had this entire summer was backwards. Mark was a decent hiking partner too. He gave me a neat (fake) tattoo from a bagpipe band that he's into.
Chapter 2 - Steamboat Springs
I sorta rushed Mark to get us back home because I was FINALLY able to work out a plan to meet with my mother's cousin, Andrea, and spend a night in Steamboat. It's truly a shame that it took this long to get the opportunity and I wish I could have had more time because it was SO FUN! First off, Andrea is fantastic as is Steve. We got to talk about family and what not the entire ride there and then we spent the night pub-crawling to all their favorite places. It was really nice to get out of this tiny town and actually see things like, oh I don't know, buses? Haha, it was as if I was trying to ease my way back into city living. I will say I got kinda fed up with hearing "Hide your beagle, Vick's an Eagle!" all night, but we'll let it go. =P Anyway, I got to sleep in a real house with a real bed and a TV in the room even! It's the little things, you know? After a fantastic nights worth of sleep, I got to explore Steamboat on my own for a little while before having to ride back with Steve to Grand Lake in time for changeover. So Baldy and also Andrea are TWO reasons why I have to come back here.
Chapter 3 - The Freedom Band plays at The Lariat
So some of the people in the company have grooved out together over the summer playing real folksy type music. They call themselves The Freedom Band and they're really really excellent. They performed at the cabaret and even recorded a cd together I believe. Anyway, one of the bars that we often go to in town, The Lariat, agreed to have the band play there on Monday night. It was so much fun! I drank more than I usually can and the whole company was out enjoying the show. It was neat to get out of the theater but still all hang out together.
Chapter 4 - Final Evening Changeover/Slumber Party at Marks
Not much to say about the final evening changeover. I find it really incredible how many times I did such hard manual labor right after shows this summer. I mean, I did evening changeovers at PSF last summer, but not to this scale. These were HUGE set pieces and very heavy and often times I was responsible for bringing down some of the heaviest things because I was too short to carry large lighter pieces. So I'm pretty damn proud of myself for getting through the summer this way (and pretty ripped if I may say so). Cat bought the 10 of us beers afterwards and we all drank together in the theater.
After that, I went to one of the company member's friend's cabin which they'd loaned him for when they were away. We had a slumber party complete with video games, board games, food and beds. It was really cute.
Chapter 5 - Cleaning the bathroom
OH EM GEE. I worked on the bathroom for, like, 4 hours yesterday. It's definitely way cleaner than it was when we got here. I can't believe I didn't pass out from toxic fumes. Seriously, 4 HOURS.
Chapter 6 - FINAL BRIGADOON
It feels like just yesterday when I was freaking out trying to find plastic bottles and fake heather for this damn show. It feels weird now that it's over. The final show went really well...okay no. The first act did. Act 2 was kind of a shit show if you'll excuse my language. People messed up lines, choreography, songs, the works, but it wasn't too bad in all honesty. I ran the fog machines for the last time this summer and thank goodness for that because I'm so over them. Brigadoon had the most and the youngest kids as guest artists and it was sad seeing them so sad about closing a show. I don't know if it's that there are still two more closings or if I just didn't love the show as much as others I've done or if I've just been doing this for so long that the sentimental value doesn't hit me as hard anymore, but I didn't cry or anything. I suppose I'll miss it in a way, but probably not much.
Chapter 7 - Striking Brigadoon
There's really not much to say about this. We tore Brigadoon apart today. I cleaned the props loft weeks ago so I didn't have to work on that much. I cleaned up a little backstage but I'll have to work at it a lot more on Sunday when all the shows are finished.
Okay, I'm definitely losing steam here so I'm going to save The Jazz for tomorrow. Take care! 3 more days!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
I'M SO SORRY!!!
I really do apologize, everybody. I DID write out another post that night but I suppose the internet backstage gave out before I got it on the website. I really will update very soon, I have to tell you all about my trip to Steamboat Springs! but things are REALLY hectic now because we're in our final days. I'm currently 25 mins from starting the last performance of Brigadoon for the summer so I don't really have the attention span to give you an in depth post before I have to give my next time call to the actors, but the next post will be about my trip to Steamboat, my hike with the bagpipe player, closing this show, the Freedom Band performance at a local bar and anything else I can think of. So close to coming home!!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Biebs and the Bear: A Story About G-d
Haha, that title is kinda ridiculous, but I worked really hard on it so don't judge.
Two days ago I woke up earlier than usual with the intention of taking my usual hike to the pool. I've never been very specific as to how I get to the pool so let me break it down for yall. Usually people drive up to the lodge and it's about a 5 minute drive. Because I don't have a car but I don't feel like waiting around for them (particularly because they don't get up till 1 when the clouds are already coming out) I hike there. The Tonahutu Trail goes for maybe half a mile before there is a turn off with some overgrown path that leads to the shut down lodge. It's sort of a roundabout way of getting to the pool because it actually takes you in the opposite direction first, but I enjoy being outside anyway and it's good exercise and only takes about an hour.
So it's 9:00 AM in the morning when I reached the trailhead for the Tonahutu Trail and I start thinking, "I have my whole day ahead of me and who really cares if I get a tan? Should I maybe just stay on this trail for the whole 4 miles and try and make it to Granite Falls?" I didn't have my camera or my phone on me and I was a little afraid that I would be disappointed if I spent my day going out there and seeing this beautiful thing just to forget it the next day. On the other hand, I want to pack in as many experiences as possible while I'm out here and I didn't want to regret spending a day at the pool when I could have gone exploring. I decided that I would stay on the trail and that I alone would notice if my tan doesn't make me look like a golden goddess when I go home.
About 2 minutes after I made my decision that I would pass the turn off for the lodge and keep going on the trail, I heard a rustling sound. No, lie. I heard branches breaking. It sounded larger than the tiny scurrying animals I usually hear when I'm on the trail. An elk? Maybe even a moose? The cracking branches sounded more like a person was messing around off the track so I glanced over to my right. And there it was. About 25 feet away from me through the few trees the beetles haven't killed off I saw a black bear. He wasn't enormous, not quite as big as a moose. Or maybe he was, I'm not really sure, because the moment I realized what I was looking at was also the moment my brain went, "Well ef me if this bear sees you because you don't have your phone and you're effed." Granted I always tell people (Cat specifically because she's an out doorsy person) when I go on my walks through the woods, and this particular trail isn't very far from humanity, but I also realized at this moment that I never want to be without my cell phone again. Actually, I wasn't nearly as panicked now as the time when I saw the four moose. Moose are about 10 times more likely to attack someone than a bear is. The bears really don't care about you at all. I think the reason I was startled as I was was because I'd never really expected to see a bear while I was out here and especially not while I was hiking. Many residents of the town have been telling us all summer that they've lived here for many years and never even seen one bear and the ones who have seen them where when the bears were looking through dumpsters for food. This bear was out in the daytime looking for whatever in the woods and I was there too. How incredibly lucky I was to witness this! Of course, that didn't cross my mind until a little bit later.
So anyway, I see the bear and remember that the advice we were given for coming across a bear in the woods is to make yourself seem as large as possible. It never really crossed my mind until this point how freaking stupid that would make me feel. I was pretty certain the bear had zero interest in me because it hadn't stopped at all, it just kept walking parallel to the trail I was on in the direction from where I was coming from. I decided not to draw any more attention to myself by yelling or anything, but I stuck my arms out to my sides and hoped that the sweatshirt I was wearing made me large enough. About 10 seconds later I was very surprised to see 2 boys about my age coming in my direction on the trail. I excitedly told them I had just seen a bear and pointed it out to them. Having passed the view on to someone else, I hightailed it passed them and continued on the trail. Needless to say I felt fulfilled enough to skip out on the full hiking excursion and did go to the pool instead where I spent a lovely few hours listening to 2 15 year olds talk about getting drunk. One other cool thing, though, is that when I reached the pool and opened the gate there was a snake lying across the cement. I haven't really been able to figure out what it was but my BEST guess at this point is that it was young western terrestrial garter snake.
Here's the G-d part. I always wanted to believe that there was more reason for my coming out here to work than just the money and the job. I know there were many reasons I could use like getting away from the city or trying to be independent from my friends for the summer, but I don't think I whole-heartedly believed that any of those were special reasons for coming out here. I think the reason I did decide to come out here really was only because it was the only theater job I found. How sad it would have been if I left here feeling the same way because the truth of the matter is I didn't LOVE this job. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of the work that I've done and it's not everyday you find work where you don't have to come in until the day is over, but the people I worked for bummed me out and the rest of the company was just very negative at the time. However, the bear experience, along with many other experiences I've had out here, has given me reason to wonder if maybe there WAS another reason for me coming out here. I'm learning that I really really really enjoy being out in the wilderness, climbing these mountains and seeing these things, and maybe when I graduate I don't have to jump right into the theater world. Maybe I want to be a trailguide. Maybe I want to travel and go backpacking across Europe. I don't know. What I can say is that I'm so very very thankful to have had these experiences while I'm out here. I don't know where I stand on all my religious beliefs and I'm even less certain about how I feel about the concept of there being a G-d who hears us and what not, but I must say I feel a little blessed to have had such a unique experience that many locals have not even had. So I thanked G-d that day. And it didn't feel silly. It felt very fulfilling.
As promised, I've stolen a few pictures from our hike up to Sky Pond and put them in this post. I will be stealing more pictures and putting them on my shutterfly at some point, but for now I hope these will do.
Two days ago I woke up earlier than usual with the intention of taking my usual hike to the pool. I've never been very specific as to how I get to the pool so let me break it down for yall. Usually people drive up to the lodge and it's about a 5 minute drive. Because I don't have a car but I don't feel like waiting around for them (particularly because they don't get up till 1 when the clouds are already coming out) I hike there. The Tonahutu Trail goes for maybe half a mile before there is a turn off with some overgrown path that leads to the shut down lodge. It's sort of a roundabout way of getting to the pool because it actually takes you in the opposite direction first, but I enjoy being outside anyway and it's good exercise and only takes about an hour.
So it's 9:00 AM in the morning when I reached the trailhead for the Tonahutu Trail and I start thinking, "I have my whole day ahead of me and who really cares if I get a tan? Should I maybe just stay on this trail for the whole 4 miles and try and make it to Granite Falls?" I didn't have my camera or my phone on me and I was a little afraid that I would be disappointed if I spent my day going out there and seeing this beautiful thing just to forget it the next day. On the other hand, I want to pack in as many experiences as possible while I'm out here and I didn't want to regret spending a day at the pool when I could have gone exploring. I decided that I would stay on the trail and that I alone would notice if my tan doesn't make me look like a golden goddess when I go home.
About 2 minutes after I made my decision that I would pass the turn off for the lodge and keep going on the trail, I heard a rustling sound. No, lie. I heard branches breaking. It sounded larger than the tiny scurrying animals I usually hear when I'm on the trail. An elk? Maybe even a moose? The cracking branches sounded more like a person was messing around off the track so I glanced over to my right. And there it was. About 25 feet away from me through the few trees the beetles haven't killed off I saw a black bear. He wasn't enormous, not quite as big as a moose. Or maybe he was, I'm not really sure, because the moment I realized what I was looking at was also the moment my brain went, "Well ef me if this bear sees you because you don't have your phone and you're effed." Granted I always tell people (Cat specifically because she's an out doorsy person) when I go on my walks through the woods, and this particular trail isn't very far from humanity, but I also realized at this moment that I never want to be without my cell phone again. Actually, I wasn't nearly as panicked now as the time when I saw the four moose. Moose are about 10 times more likely to attack someone than a bear is. The bears really don't care about you at all. I think the reason I was startled as I was was because I'd never really expected to see a bear while I was out here and especially not while I was hiking. Many residents of the town have been telling us all summer that they've lived here for many years and never even seen one bear and the ones who have seen them where when the bears were looking through dumpsters for food. This bear was out in the daytime looking for whatever in the woods and I was there too. How incredibly lucky I was to witness this! Of course, that didn't cross my mind until a little bit later.
So anyway, I see the bear and remember that the advice we were given for coming across a bear in the woods is to make yourself seem as large as possible. It never really crossed my mind until this point how freaking stupid that would make me feel. I was pretty certain the bear had zero interest in me because it hadn't stopped at all, it just kept walking parallel to the trail I was on in the direction from where I was coming from. I decided not to draw any more attention to myself by yelling or anything, but I stuck my arms out to my sides and hoped that the sweatshirt I was wearing made me large enough. About 10 seconds later I was very surprised to see 2 boys about my age coming in my direction on the trail. I excitedly told them I had just seen a bear and pointed it out to them. Having passed the view on to someone else, I hightailed it passed them and continued on the trail. Needless to say I felt fulfilled enough to skip out on the full hiking excursion and did go to the pool instead where I spent a lovely few hours listening to 2 15 year olds talk about getting drunk. One other cool thing, though, is that when I reached the pool and opened the gate there was a snake lying across the cement. I haven't really been able to figure out what it was but my BEST guess at this point is that it was young western terrestrial garter snake.
Here's the G-d part. I always wanted to believe that there was more reason for my coming out here to work than just the money and the job. I know there were many reasons I could use like getting away from the city or trying to be independent from my friends for the summer, but I don't think I whole-heartedly believed that any of those were special reasons for coming out here. I think the reason I did decide to come out here really was only because it was the only theater job I found. How sad it would have been if I left here feeling the same way because the truth of the matter is I didn't LOVE this job. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of the work that I've done and it's not everyday you find work where you don't have to come in until the day is over, but the people I worked for bummed me out and the rest of the company was just very negative at the time. However, the bear experience, along with many other experiences I've had out here, has given me reason to wonder if maybe there WAS another reason for me coming out here. I'm learning that I really really really enjoy being out in the wilderness, climbing these mountains and seeing these things, and maybe when I graduate I don't have to jump right into the theater world. Maybe I want to be a trailguide. Maybe I want to travel and go backpacking across Europe. I don't know. What I can say is that I'm so very very thankful to have had these experiences while I'm out here. I don't know where I stand on all my religious beliefs and I'm even less certain about how I feel about the concept of there being a G-d who hears us and what not, but I must say I feel a little blessed to have had such a unique experience that many locals have not even had. So I thanked G-d that day. And it didn't feel silly. It felt very fulfilling.
As promised, I've stolen a few pictures from our hike up to Sky Pond and put them in this post. I will be stealing more pictures and putting them on my shutterfly at some point, but for now I hope these will do.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Staff Cabaret, Sky Pond, and maybe some more...maybe
Okay, I MUST say this before I say anything else at all because I have been trying to figure out for 2 months how to fit it into a blog post and I just haven't been able to. I love the dogs out here. I am by no means a dog person, but everyone in town has these HUGE dogs that they keep in their stores and walk down the street with. I'm talking about untrimmed mountain dogs, not these stupid little hypoallergenic dogs they've got in Philly. I'm really going to miss the dogs out here.
Onward with the real post. Saturday night after Brigadoon was another "After the Show" cabaret concert featuring the artistic staff - aka the people who don't like me, I mean, my bosses. It was actually a nice evening with some of my favorite songs being performed. However, the whole thing made me a bit angry. All of the artistic staff have been a part of RMRT for many years now and in between songs they would tell stories about their experiences with this company. The reason it made me angry was that they spoke about these life-changing times with each other and how they have such good memories singing around the campfire with the staff before them and so forth and I thought, why have they disconnected themselves from us? Why don't THEY come and sing with us or treat us well or so forth? They said we're the best company they've had in years, so why do they treat everyone like shit? Granted I get a lot more crap from them than many of the other company members, but there's a general feeling from everyone that we're treated like children. They tell us all the time that we should be thankful to everyone in town for all they do for us and we are! We don't need to be reminded of common courtesy and so forth. It's just frustrating hearing them talk about this beautiful thing when I don't believe it's all there. I think in past years the company bonded together much more than we have this year and I blame the people in charge for festering a sense of wrong-doing on all of our parts. Phew, I didn't word that as well as my feelings are about the topic, but it doesn't really matter. I'm done bitching.
I don't consider myself a very physically active/fit person but I've been trying to challenge myself while I'm out here. I'm really happy about it because it's given me a few experiences that make me believe I may actually miss this place. See, I don't want to go home regretting not making the best of my situation while I'm out here. What is my situation? Well, I'm working at a theater where I usually don't go into work until 7 at night and it's smack dab in the Rocky Mountains. If there was ever a time to pick up the hobby of going hiking it would be now. So yesterday I climbed a mountain to a place called Sky Pond. And despite whatever ill feelings I have toward the people I work with, I must say that it did, in fact, change my life. Just a little bit, but it was really a remarkable experience.
I went with Cat, Ronen and Kent's friend Jack. Jack spent 3 years in the army and I was worried that I would be a wreck on this trip but I did really really well for myself. Particularly considering that I've made myself sick once again. Bad cough. We woke up way early and left Grand Lake at 7:20AM (we were supposed to leave at 7 but we spent 10 minutes pounding on Ronen's door and then had to turn around once we'd left him and he called us saying his alarm hadn't gone off). Cat drove us on the scenic highway that goes to Estes Park and we parked in a lot near the trailhead and took a shuttle to where the trail starts at 9,240 feet. This particular trail had many different stops along the way and got progressively more difficult as we went on. The first section of the trail took us to Alberta Falls which were perhaps the most beautiful waterfalls I've seen since I've been out here. At this point there were still lots of kids and families on the trails.
We continued up and were able to behold the most beautiful view that overlooked the Rocky landscape. This is where we had our first major photo op and where I smashed my knee into a rock trying to get on top for a picture. I had to climb the whole damn mountain in pain but it was totally worth it. The going was still pretty easy at this point.
We kept going and we reached these meadows that were filled with colorful flowers. Running water flowed past us the entire trail. It was kind of like a movie, in all honesty. I knew places like this existed but definitely not in Pennsylvania. It was so neat seeing all the green meadows even at however many feet up. I kept my eyes out for eagles the whole time because I'd really like to see more before I leave here but unfortunately eagles don't come out on Sundays.
Right after we passed our first patch of snow we reached The Loch, a HUGE lake that looked like it would be a lot of fun to swim in were it not so freaking cold. The trail split in two here and you could go around to the other side to get a different view of the lake. Jack and I went to one side to get a picture of Ronen and Cat from across the lake and they did the same. Did I mention that part of my drive to get out and hike is to fill my vain desires to get pictures of myself in cool places? In the distance we could see The Continental Divide.
We walked and walked and walked. The trail had been getting increasingly steeper/narrower/rockier as we walked to this point, but when we reached the next waterfall, Timberline Falls, we were surprised to see that we would have to climb up these very steep stone steps to keep going. We climbed the steps to get closer to the falling water and it was breathtaking. Huge boulders sat at the base of the waterfall and you could get to them by stepping on smaller rocks which of course we had to do to take pictures. After that photo op was finished, we went back to the trail and were surprised once again to find that the steps hadn't even been the most complicated part of the trail to Sky Pond. The trail actually stopped being so much a trail and more of a rock climbing excursion THROUGH the running water! It wasn't like a billion feet up or anything, but I've definitely never done anything like this before. It reminded me of being at Camp Harlam and climbing the rock wall only with real rocks and water. It was so much fun!
We reached the top and I managed NOT get blown over by the wind which was so strong we had to shout to hear each other. It was also freezing cold up here. It was also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Climbing over the last ledge we beheld another lake more splendid than anything we'd seen on the trail before. Sky Pond. It was incredible. You could look across the lake and once again see all the mountains in the distance. I'm a little bit sad that I forgot to make a stone pile because I wanted to leave my mark, but cest la vie.
We sat down and had lunch. After we were finished, I turned to Cat and yelled that I wondered how far the trail kept going because I'd seen some people continue past us. We looked at the map and realized that we were wrong and hadn't even reached Sky Pond yet. This was the Lake of Glass. Ronen confessed that he'd had an inkling there was more to go because he'd seen two lakes on the map, but he didn't want to keep climbing up waterfalls. Lucky for him the rest of the trail was nothing like what we had been on climbing up to the Lake of Glass. It was just a straight trail with a very slight incline. It was interesting because at this point I believe we'd passed the line where trees are still able to grow. There were still shrubs and flowers. It was funny to see all the greenery up there with the snow.
We made it to Sky Pond where we could look across and see this enormous glacier. This place was WAY less windy and it was very quiet. Mostly because the people who'd actually made it to this point were too exhausted to talk but also because of the lack of wind. We stayed for a few minutes to take our final round of pictures before we turned around to go back down. The way down wasn't too bad. My knee was really killing me at this point, but at least we were going down hill.
The four of us got the most fantastic Indian food in Estes Park for an early dinner and sat around talking for a few hours. I also bought myself a Baha, one of those hippie sweaters that I've wanted for years but never wanted to spend the money on. It was only like $18! After that we drove back to Grand Lake admiring the stars along the way. I'll be stealing pictures from Cat and Ronen shortly and will post them on biebs.shutterfly.com asap (Actually, I'm currently sitting backstage during a performance of Brigadoon, but I'll put at least a few pics from Cat's facebook album in this post when I get back to my cabin).
I mentioned that I'm sick again. I know that it's stress about leaving in 2 weeks. It's not because I'm happy about leaving and it's not because I'm sad about leaving. I'm still sorting out whether or not I'll be more happy or sad to go. There are so many things that make me unhappy out here like the stress of my job and the negativity in people, but I don't hate my job. In fact, it's really a pretty swell gig I've got going here. And it's beautiful and I'm doing things I've never done before that are making me a healthier person in the long run. I think I'm sick because it's change and I always react oddly to change. I must say that I'm REALLY looking forward to finally seeing my friends and family and roommate again. Speaking of which, I got a package from her today! Funny story, she and my grandmother both sent me the same exact Emerald Green nail polish.
I bought a new navel ring today and when I was trying to put it in I dropped part of it down the sink in the women's dressing room. In my frustration trying to get it out of the drain I slammed my hand against the pipe which shattered the ring on my index finger. Sad story, but I managed to get the other one out of the drain at least. This time in two weeks I'll be landing in Philly airport!
Onward with the real post. Saturday night after Brigadoon was another "After the Show" cabaret concert featuring the artistic staff - aka the people who don't like me, I mean, my bosses. It was actually a nice evening with some of my favorite songs being performed. However, the whole thing made me a bit angry. All of the artistic staff have been a part of RMRT for many years now and in between songs they would tell stories about their experiences with this company. The reason it made me angry was that they spoke about these life-changing times with each other and how they have such good memories singing around the campfire with the staff before them and so forth and I thought, why have they disconnected themselves from us? Why don't THEY come and sing with us or treat us well or so forth? They said we're the best company they've had in years, so why do they treat everyone like shit? Granted I get a lot more crap from them than many of the other company members, but there's a general feeling from everyone that we're treated like children. They tell us all the time that we should be thankful to everyone in town for all they do for us and we are! We don't need to be reminded of common courtesy and so forth. It's just frustrating hearing them talk about this beautiful thing when I don't believe it's all there. I think in past years the company bonded together much more than we have this year and I blame the people in charge for festering a sense of wrong-doing on all of our parts. Phew, I didn't word that as well as my feelings are about the topic, but it doesn't really matter. I'm done bitching.
I don't consider myself a very physically active/fit person but I've been trying to challenge myself while I'm out here. I'm really happy about it because it's given me a few experiences that make me believe I may actually miss this place. See, I don't want to go home regretting not making the best of my situation while I'm out here. What is my situation? Well, I'm working at a theater where I usually don't go into work until 7 at night and it's smack dab in the Rocky Mountains. If there was ever a time to pick up the hobby of going hiking it would be now. So yesterday I climbed a mountain to a place called Sky Pond. And despite whatever ill feelings I have toward the people I work with, I must say that it did, in fact, change my life. Just a little bit, but it was really a remarkable experience.
I went with Cat, Ronen and Kent's friend Jack. Jack spent 3 years in the army and I was worried that I would be a wreck on this trip but I did really really well for myself. Particularly considering that I've made myself sick once again. Bad cough. We woke up way early and left Grand Lake at 7:20AM (we were supposed to leave at 7 but we spent 10 minutes pounding on Ronen's door and then had to turn around once we'd left him and he called us saying his alarm hadn't gone off). Cat drove us on the scenic highway that goes to Estes Park and we parked in a lot near the trailhead and took a shuttle to where the trail starts at 9,240 feet. This particular trail had many different stops along the way and got progressively more difficult as we went on. The first section of the trail took us to Alberta Falls which were perhaps the most beautiful waterfalls I've seen since I've been out here. At this point there were still lots of kids and families on the trails.
We continued up and were able to behold the most beautiful view that overlooked the Rocky landscape. This is where we had our first major photo op and where I smashed my knee into a rock trying to get on top for a picture. I had to climb the whole damn mountain in pain but it was totally worth it. The going was still pretty easy at this point.
We kept going and we reached these meadows that were filled with colorful flowers. Running water flowed past us the entire trail. It was kind of like a movie, in all honesty. I knew places like this existed but definitely not in Pennsylvania. It was so neat seeing all the green meadows even at however many feet up. I kept my eyes out for eagles the whole time because I'd really like to see more before I leave here but unfortunately eagles don't come out on Sundays.
Right after we passed our first patch of snow we reached The Loch, a HUGE lake that looked like it would be a lot of fun to swim in were it not so freaking cold. The trail split in two here and you could go around to the other side to get a different view of the lake. Jack and I went to one side to get a picture of Ronen and Cat from across the lake and they did the same. Did I mention that part of my drive to get out and hike is to fill my vain desires to get pictures of myself in cool places? In the distance we could see The Continental Divide.
We walked and walked and walked. The trail had been getting increasingly steeper/narrower/rockier as we walked to this point, but when we reached the next waterfall, Timberline Falls, we were surprised to see that we would have to climb up these very steep stone steps to keep going. We climbed the steps to get closer to the falling water and it was breathtaking. Huge boulders sat at the base of the waterfall and you could get to them by stepping on smaller rocks which of course we had to do to take pictures. After that photo op was finished, we went back to the trail and were surprised once again to find that the steps hadn't even been the most complicated part of the trail to Sky Pond. The trail actually stopped being so much a trail and more of a rock climbing excursion THROUGH the running water! It wasn't like a billion feet up or anything, but I've definitely never done anything like this before. It reminded me of being at Camp Harlam and climbing the rock wall only with real rocks and water. It was so much fun!
We reached the top and I managed NOT get blown over by the wind which was so strong we had to shout to hear each other. It was also freezing cold up here. It was also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Climbing over the last ledge we beheld another lake more splendid than anything we'd seen on the trail before. Sky Pond. It was incredible. You could look across the lake and once again see all the mountains in the distance. I'm a little bit sad that I forgot to make a stone pile because I wanted to leave my mark, but cest la vie.
We sat down and had lunch. After we were finished, I turned to Cat and yelled that I wondered how far the trail kept going because I'd seen some people continue past us. We looked at the map and realized that we were wrong and hadn't even reached Sky Pond yet. This was the Lake of Glass. Ronen confessed that he'd had an inkling there was more to go because he'd seen two lakes on the map, but he didn't want to keep climbing up waterfalls. Lucky for him the rest of the trail was nothing like what we had been on climbing up to the Lake of Glass. It was just a straight trail with a very slight incline. It was interesting because at this point I believe we'd passed the line where trees are still able to grow. There were still shrubs and flowers. It was funny to see all the greenery up there with the snow.
We made it to Sky Pond where we could look across and see this enormous glacier. This place was WAY less windy and it was very quiet. Mostly because the people who'd actually made it to this point were too exhausted to talk but also because of the lack of wind. We stayed for a few minutes to take our final round of pictures before we turned around to go back down. The way down wasn't too bad. My knee was really killing me at this point, but at least we were going down hill.
The four of us got the most fantastic Indian food in Estes Park for an early dinner and sat around talking for a few hours. I also bought myself a Baha, one of those hippie sweaters that I've wanted for years but never wanted to spend the money on. It was only like $18! After that we drove back to Grand Lake admiring the stars along the way. I'll be stealing pictures from Cat and Ronen shortly and will post them on biebs.shutterfly.com asap (Actually, I'm currently sitting backstage during a performance of Brigadoon, but I'll put at least a few pics from Cat's facebook album in this post when I get back to my cabin).
I mentioned that I'm sick again. I know that it's stress about leaving in 2 weeks. It's not because I'm happy about leaving and it's not because I'm sad about leaving. I'm still sorting out whether or not I'll be more happy or sad to go. There are so many things that make me unhappy out here like the stress of my job and the negativity in people, but I don't hate my job. In fact, it's really a pretty swell gig I've got going here. And it's beautiful and I'm doing things I've never done before that are making me a healthier person in the long run. I think I'm sick because it's change and I always react oddly to change. I must say that I'm REALLY looking forward to finally seeing my friends and family and roommate again. Speaking of which, I got a package from her today! Funny story, she and my grandmother both sent me the same exact Emerald Green nail polish.
I bought a new navel ring today and when I was trying to put it in I dropped part of it down the sink in the women's dressing room. In my frustration trying to get it out of the drain I slammed my hand against the pipe which shattered the ring on my index finger. Sad story, but I managed to get the other one out of the drain at least. This time in two weeks I'll be landing in Philly airport!
Friday, August 7, 2009
From Sunday to now
Sunday was a day off for us. Ronen and his father and his father's girlfriend invited me to go along with them to Estes Park which is about 50 miles away and you get there by way of a scenic highway. It was a really gorgeous drive. We stopped at about a million places to take pictures. Speaking of which, I'm currently uploading a whole bunch of pictures that I stole from Ronen because my camera hasn't been working. Some of them are from events that happened earlier this summer but I hope you enjoy. You can check them out at biebs.shutterfly.com
Like I said, we stopped pretty frequently to take pictures along the way so it took us a few hours to get there. Estes Park isn't really anything special but it's the biggest town I've been in since coming to Colorado. Just gift shops and restaurants and stuff. We all had lunch and then shopped for about an hour. We took a cable car up to the top of a mountain where we could see the hotel that they based The Shining off of as well as another beautiful view of the Rockies. Honestly, it wasn't a particularly eventful day but it was really nice of Ronen's father to adopt me for the day.
The days have kind of been meshing together at this point. There was a company horse back riding excursion. We didn't really go anywhere special and it was only an hour long of walking on a peaceful trail through their property, but it was kind of funny seeing a caravan of 20+ people on horses.
I let Putt-Putt buy me ice cream. Also uneventful. I wasn't really feeling very well either so it wasn't a long date or anything. We got ice cream, watched some TV and then he walked me home. Poor guy's tryin, but I'm just not having it. It's all good, he's leaving in two days or something and then I won't have to worry about him anymore.
Yesterday a couple who owns a house on the lake invited the company over for the afternoon to have food and fun. It was incredible. The weather didn't seem very promising but there were many patches of sun throughout the afternoon. In addition to eating my heart out, I went tubing in a tube being pulled by their boat (and fell out) and then got to try wade boarding (and fell off). I still can't get over how kind people are to us out here.
I'm sorry, these things were all probably a bit more exciting than I make it out to be here in this blog, but I've been in a weird place lately. I'm sure it's because we're leaving so soon. There's so much happening in two and a half weeks and at the same time there's very little happening now. I've got a lot going through my mind that if I can sort it out I will be happy to share it with you all. Just things about leaving here and what I'm doing when I get back to Philly and so forth. I'm also going to eventually go through all the other company member's pictures of the summer and steal a bunch so I can share them with you because there are a few good pictures that I don't have.
Again, sorry for the lack of enthusiasm in this post. I have to figure out what to do with the rest of my afternoon. Pool's closed. =(
Like I said, we stopped pretty frequently to take pictures along the way so it took us a few hours to get there. Estes Park isn't really anything special but it's the biggest town I've been in since coming to Colorado. Just gift shops and restaurants and stuff. We all had lunch and then shopped for about an hour. We took a cable car up to the top of a mountain where we could see the hotel that they based The Shining off of as well as another beautiful view of the Rockies. Honestly, it wasn't a particularly eventful day but it was really nice of Ronen's father to adopt me for the day.
The days have kind of been meshing together at this point. There was a company horse back riding excursion. We didn't really go anywhere special and it was only an hour long of walking on a peaceful trail through their property, but it was kind of funny seeing a caravan of 20+ people on horses.
I let Putt-Putt buy me ice cream. Also uneventful. I wasn't really feeling very well either so it wasn't a long date or anything. We got ice cream, watched some TV and then he walked me home. Poor guy's tryin, but I'm just not having it. It's all good, he's leaving in two days or something and then I won't have to worry about him anymore.
Yesterday a couple who owns a house on the lake invited the company over for the afternoon to have food and fun. It was incredible. The weather didn't seem very promising but there were many patches of sun throughout the afternoon. In addition to eating my heart out, I went tubing in a tube being pulled by their boat (and fell out) and then got to try wade boarding (and fell off). I still can't get over how kind people are to us out here.
I'm sorry, these things were all probably a bit more exciting than I make it out to be here in this blog, but I've been in a weird place lately. I'm sure it's because we're leaving so soon. There's so much happening in two and a half weeks and at the same time there's very little happening now. I've got a lot going through my mind that if I can sort it out I will be happy to share it with you all. Just things about leaving here and what I'm doing when I get back to Philly and so forth. I'm also going to eventually go through all the other company member's pictures of the summer and steal a bunch so I can share them with you because there are a few good pictures that I don't have.
Again, sorry for the lack of enthusiasm in this post. I have to figure out what to do with the rest of my afternoon. Pool's closed. =(
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Around the World!!!
Wow! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd written. It's sometimes hard to motivate myself to update because there's so much time to just sit around and dwell on nothing, but I suppose I have a lot to talk about in this entry.
Needless to say, the rest of that day did NOT go as I had hoped. However, it turned out swell by the end. Let me mention first that it had been decided that Saturday night would be another theme party/competition. The theme was Around the World and each cabin was told to pick an obscure country to present for the rest of the company. Food, drink, costumes and decorations were all a necessity. My cabin was combined with the adjoining cabin. We, the duplex, chose Fiji for our country.
Okay, so after I finished writing about how I was going to spend time at the pool I had to go changeover the set from whatever it had been the night before into the pirates set because the children's youth theater production of To Be or Not to Be...a Pirate? uses our set. that took until about 12:45. I went back to the cabin to change into my bathing suit. I asked if there was anything I could to do help set up for the party. Since the other girls were already working on food and drink and decorations, they asked if I could go gather some long grass for our costumes and for decorations. Well, that took for freakin ever. Okay, it took an hour. But I gathered grass for an hour. Then finally as I was ready to set off for the pool, Ronen came up and reminded me that I'd told him I'd go see the kids show with him that day. I was grumpy about it, particularly cause I was still supposed to go on this stupid ice cream date with Putt-Putt, but he told me it was only 40 mins so I should go with him. After much pestering (and MAYBE a trip to Grumpy's for some pre-show shots of tequila) I agreed to go see the show. It was awful. And I know they're just kids, but ug. It was bad news. Not only that, it was AN HOUR AND A HALF long. So by that time it was well past 4, I called Putt-Putt and asked if we could reschedule I didn't make it to the pool because we had to change the set back over. BUMMER.
Despite being grumpy about not making it to the pool, the Around the World party TOTALLY made up for it. The competition was judged by the RMRT alum who had sung the special event the night before. Now, I did say the rules said obscure countries. Here's what it turned out to be. Fiji, Greenland, Texas, 78% of the earth's surface (so the ocean) and Columbia. It was all INCREDIBLE. Fiji went first. Everyone in the entire company came into our cabin and we had the judges and some others sitting around on a carpet we'd laid out. The drink we made was called Caba which is some ritualistic root drink that actually tasted pretty terrible but it was a lot of fun having everyone clapping their hands and doing the rituals and what not. Anna made a pineapple sweet potato back with cheese melted on top. Everyone got to try a little bit and it was fantastic.
Onward to Greenland! Scott and Sarah are the vegan couple of the company who live together. We all packed into their cabin which they had decorated with white sheets draped everywhere. They were both wearing winter gear. They didn't have any food for us, we all got hot chocolate with schnapps which tasted great. We also got a fun fact! Did you know that if Greenland were to melt that the water level of the ocean would rise 23 feet? Cool, huh?
Next was the main house who chose Texas as their country. The main house consists of the most people out of any cabin, seven of them under one roof (although one of them is pretty anti-social so he didn't really participate). Most of the kids from there are from southern states and like to joke with each other that they're a southern family anyway. They all talked with annoying accents and yelled alot. They had American themed balloons everywhere and a confederate flag which was...cute. Jack Sweeney grilled hot dogs and they were phenomenal. Their beverage was a gin bucket with an ef ton of gin in it, but I guess that's what happens when you have 6 people buying booze.
THe ocean was next. Cat lives by herself so she joined Luke and Christina, the other resident couple of the company. I don't recall their decorations, but they looked incredible. Christina just looked like a sea urchin or something. Luke walked around in a bathing suit and life preserver and Cat had a mermaid costume. They actually made vegan avocado sushi! They also had blue jello with Swedish fish sticking out and they made Velveeta pasta shells. They called their drink "Whale's Milk" and it consisted of milk, caluha and vodka. By this point we were all drunk as hell which made us that less prepared for...oh gosh, Columbia.
The loft house did Columbia. While the Fiji house consisted of only females, Columbia's house is the home of one actor, two musicians and the lighting designer. All male. All effing crazy. Honestly, words can't really describe their house. Kent, the lighting designer, set them up with red lights all over the house. The borrowed the jail cell that had been used in the Buffalo BBQ Parade. Josh, the actor, was locked in the cell with bags of powdered sugar that looked like cocaine and danced around saying sexually perverted things to all the girls. They made fried plantains and some sort of dulce de leche cake which was effing incredible. Honestly. their booze scared me so I didn't have any of it and I don't really recall what it was. They also burned about 20 sticks of incense at the same time. The whole cabin complex still smells like Columbia.
In the end, Fiji won for most authentic, Texas won best pride and Columbia took home the Roustabout t-shirts with the overall win. It was so much fun and I don't think I've been more drunk since I got here.
I have more stories from the past few days including my trip to Estes Park and my....huhhh, ice cream date with Putt-Putt, but it's 1:00 here and I want to get up early tomorrow before a lunch party we've been invited to.
Needless to say, the rest of that day did NOT go as I had hoped. However, it turned out swell by the end. Let me mention first that it had been decided that Saturday night would be another theme party/competition. The theme was Around the World and each cabin was told to pick an obscure country to present for the rest of the company. Food, drink, costumes and decorations were all a necessity. My cabin was combined with the adjoining cabin. We, the duplex, chose Fiji for our country.
Okay, so after I finished writing about how I was going to spend time at the pool I had to go changeover the set from whatever it had been the night before into the pirates set because the children's youth theater production of To Be or Not to Be...a Pirate? uses our set. that took until about 12:45. I went back to the cabin to change into my bathing suit. I asked if there was anything I could to do help set up for the party. Since the other girls were already working on food and drink and decorations, they asked if I could go gather some long grass for our costumes and for decorations. Well, that took for freakin ever. Okay, it took an hour. But I gathered grass for an hour. Then finally as I was ready to set off for the pool, Ronen came up and reminded me that I'd told him I'd go see the kids show with him that day. I was grumpy about it, particularly cause I was still supposed to go on this stupid ice cream date with Putt-Putt, but he told me it was only 40 mins so I should go with him. After much pestering (and MAYBE a trip to Grumpy's for some pre-show shots of tequila) I agreed to go see the show. It was awful. And I know they're just kids, but ug. It was bad news. Not only that, it was AN HOUR AND A HALF long. So by that time it was well past 4, I called Putt-Putt and asked if we could reschedule I didn't make it to the pool because we had to change the set back over. BUMMER.
Despite being grumpy about not making it to the pool, the Around the World party TOTALLY made up for it. The competition was judged by the RMRT alum who had sung the special event the night before. Now, I did say the rules said obscure countries. Here's what it turned out to be. Fiji, Greenland, Texas, 78% of the earth's surface (so the ocean) and Columbia. It was all INCREDIBLE. Fiji went first. Everyone in the entire company came into our cabin and we had the judges and some others sitting around on a carpet we'd laid out. The drink we made was called Caba which is some ritualistic root drink that actually tasted pretty terrible but it was a lot of fun having everyone clapping their hands and doing the rituals and what not. Anna made a pineapple sweet potato back with cheese melted on top. Everyone got to try a little bit and it was fantastic.
Onward to Greenland! Scott and Sarah are the vegan couple of the company who live together. We all packed into their cabin which they had decorated with white sheets draped everywhere. They were both wearing winter gear. They didn't have any food for us, we all got hot chocolate with schnapps which tasted great. We also got a fun fact! Did you know that if Greenland were to melt that the water level of the ocean would rise 23 feet? Cool, huh?
Next was the main house who chose Texas as their country. The main house consists of the most people out of any cabin, seven of them under one roof (although one of them is pretty anti-social so he didn't really participate). Most of the kids from there are from southern states and like to joke with each other that they're a southern family anyway. They all talked with annoying accents and yelled alot. They had American themed balloons everywhere and a confederate flag which was...cute. Jack Sweeney grilled hot dogs and they were phenomenal. Their beverage was a gin bucket with an ef ton of gin in it, but I guess that's what happens when you have 6 people buying booze.
THe ocean was next. Cat lives by herself so she joined Luke and Christina, the other resident couple of the company. I don't recall their decorations, but they looked incredible. Christina just looked like a sea urchin or something. Luke walked around in a bathing suit and life preserver and Cat had a mermaid costume. They actually made vegan avocado sushi! They also had blue jello with Swedish fish sticking out and they made Velveeta pasta shells. They called their drink "Whale's Milk" and it consisted of milk, caluha and vodka. By this point we were all drunk as hell which made us that less prepared for...oh gosh, Columbia.
The loft house did Columbia. While the Fiji house consisted of only females, Columbia's house is the home of one actor, two musicians and the lighting designer. All male. All effing crazy. Honestly, words can't really describe their house. Kent, the lighting designer, set them up with red lights all over the house. The borrowed the jail cell that had been used in the Buffalo BBQ Parade. Josh, the actor, was locked in the cell with bags of powdered sugar that looked like cocaine and danced around saying sexually perverted things to all the girls. They made fried plantains and some sort of dulce de leche cake which was effing incredible. Honestly. their booze scared me so I didn't have any of it and I don't really recall what it was. They also burned about 20 sticks of incense at the same time. The whole cabin complex still smells like Columbia.
In the end, Fiji won for most authentic, Texas won best pride and Columbia took home the Roustabout t-shirts with the overall win. It was so much fun and I don't think I've been more drunk since I got here.
I have more stories from the past few days including my trip to Estes Park and my....huhhh, ice cream date with Putt-Putt, but it's 1:00 here and I want to get up early tomorrow before a lunch party we've been invited to.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Parent Train has pulled into Grand Lake!
The weather has been so awful here but today is supposed to be SUNNY till like 4 today which means I'm totally hitting the pool! I'm supposed to go on an ice cream date with the guy from the putt-putt at 4 but I'm gonna call him and ask if we can make it later so I can stay at the pool longer. I'm not really that into him, but he offered ice cream so... you know. ::shrugs::
Both Ronen (my gay Jewish partner in crime) and Kathleen (my outspoken bunk-bed mate) have their parents in town these few days. My parents were going to come this week but some things came up back home and unfortunately weren't able to make it out. It's all good, though, I'm just about 3/4 through my time here so soon enough I'll be seeing EVERYONE again!
Ronen invited me out to lunch yesterday with his father and his father's girlfriend which was really kind of them. He's a very very quiet dude which Ronen said made him a little uncomfortable sometimes so I did a great deal of talking and question asking. I think I make a good impression on parents because Ronen's dad seemed to enjoy my company. Too bad he's a gay and can't be my boyfriend...or can he???
We went shopping for a little bit after that. We were hoping to find some friendship bracelets for the two of us or something but they were all a little bit too girly for Ronen's taste. We're going to try and find some hemp so that we can make our own. I did pick up some spray for my cowboy boots so the suede doesn't get messed up and also a pretty pimp gift for my niece. I'm going to have to send it to New York I think cause I don't know how else I'll get it home.
Last night after the show was some special event with some RMRT alumni who've made it to Broadway singing at the Daven Haven. I heard it was great, but I didn't go because Kathleen wanted to take her parents to Grumpy's bar. There were only a few of us there but we had a nice time. Kathleen's father bought us drinks and we talked about...well, Kathleen. Again, though, it was really nice.
I got YET ANOTHER PACKAGE from my family yesterday. I told them to cool it with the packages cause the other kids are getting jealous. However, this was an awesome package. My grandmother included a 52 piece make-up kit from ULTA which will be PERFECT for when Kathleen does the Biebs-int0-Lauren make-over, an event that people are highly anticipating at which Kathleen will transform me from runaway teen to...an adult. The rest of the package included THE COOLEST WATER BOTTLE I'VE EVER OWNED (from Eddie Bauer) a magazine, some food and hairbands and an ice cube tray. And my medicine. I'm so excited about the water bottle, it makes my life.
Alright, early changeover today because of the diva concert last night and skipping it then. I'll be at the pool if you need me after 12. Cheers, friends!
Both Ronen (my gay Jewish partner in crime) and Kathleen (my outspoken bunk-bed mate) have their parents in town these few days. My parents were going to come this week but some things came up back home and unfortunately weren't able to make it out. It's all good, though, I'm just about 3/4 through my time here so soon enough I'll be seeing EVERYONE again!
Ronen invited me out to lunch yesterday with his father and his father's girlfriend which was really kind of them. He's a very very quiet dude which Ronen said made him a little uncomfortable sometimes so I did a great deal of talking and question asking. I think I make a good impression on parents because Ronen's dad seemed to enjoy my company. Too bad he's a gay and can't be my boyfriend...or can he???
We went shopping for a little bit after that. We were hoping to find some friendship bracelets for the two of us or something but they were all a little bit too girly for Ronen's taste. We're going to try and find some hemp so that we can make our own. I did pick up some spray for my cowboy boots so the suede doesn't get messed up and also a pretty pimp gift for my niece. I'm going to have to send it to New York I think cause I don't know how else I'll get it home.
Last night after the show was some special event with some RMRT alumni who've made it to Broadway singing at the Daven Haven. I heard it was great, but I didn't go because Kathleen wanted to take her parents to Grumpy's bar. There were only a few of us there but we had a nice time. Kathleen's father bought us drinks and we talked about...well, Kathleen. Again, though, it was really nice.
I got YET ANOTHER PACKAGE from my family yesterday. I told them to cool it with the packages cause the other kids are getting jealous. However, this was an awesome package. My grandmother included a 52 piece make-up kit from ULTA which will be PERFECT for when Kathleen does the Biebs-int0-Lauren make-over, an event that people are highly anticipating at which Kathleen will transform me from runaway teen to...an adult. The rest of the package included THE COOLEST WATER BOTTLE I'VE EVER OWNED (from Eddie Bauer) a magazine, some food and hairbands and an ice cube tray. And my medicine. I'm so excited about the water bottle, it makes my life.
Alright, early changeover today because of the diva concert last night and skipping it then. I'll be at the pool if you need me after 12. Cheers, friends!
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