Since I love my job and that's basically my life now I don't have a lot of time for hobbies, or as much time as I used to. Aside from the usual singing, dancing like an idiot, watching movies/tv, listening to music, hanging out with friends most of my hobbies somehow involve children - directing plays, directing a camp, directing skits and worship at that camp, that's my mid-year life. Should be interesting to balance with work. We'll see how that goes. We have a date for the play this year, we're doing Three Men in the Fiery Furnace - but it's under a different title that I can't remember - but we're grouping it with awards night, that way we have more time to work on it.
Aaannnd, since it's almost spring that means camp stuff is going to be starting up full swing soon, aka writing up the registration and release forms, sending them out, updating the website, then once they start coming in it's all about ordering t-shirts, assigning grades to cabins along with counselors, teen helpers, station leaders, putting together a schedule, watching the budget, writing/finding skits to match with the numbers in each grade. Printing nametags to put in the lanyards, updating the song books...I'm missing something, I'm sure. But yeah, there are spreadsheets galore on my computer, it's madness. But I love it. Because, again, I'm crazy. But just seeing how happy the kids are is totally worth it. Plus, youth camp means teen camp which is even more fun because it means I'm not constantly watching out for homesick 3rd graders. These are just teens that only want to swim, tube, or watch movies on the wall. "Delayed...Reaction" loves teen camp because it's when we're most inspired to write and perform music...Plus we eat things like pizza, steak, lasagne, icecream and all that. Take them bowling. Go tubing down the river, which we do at youth camp as well but that is madness. 40+ 5-8th graders tubing down a river does not bode well for the sane. I'm stoked! Can't you tell? No, I actually am stoked. I love it. Which is why I've been going to the camp since 2nd grade. That's like...crap headmath on the fly sucks, Library Goddess was right. Like 12 years of camp! Madness, no wonder I got promoted. I'm a lifer. So's Amos. And Steve. And Megan. We have fun.
Okay, enough rambling, list time.
So I guess favorite hobbies for me include:
5. Lazy things like watching movies/tv, listening to music, reading books - it's nice to have something that's quiet and laidback after working all day in public service.
4. Helping with the play at my old grade school - we have far too much fun during practice. more laughing than progress but it's worth it in the end.
3. Going to the Roller Derby!! I'm a nerd for Derby. LT. Slamher is my hero. No Coast Derby Girls all the way! Toni told me I was supposed to try out (aka manager) but Mom said if I made it into grad school I wasn't allowed to join as it would take up too much of my time. Boo. I could pull off a secret hidden life, right? Yeah, no, probably not.
2. Directing the kids summer camp - yes it basically takes over my life and all my spare time but I love it. I really do.
1. Writing - That's really my only "hobby hobby" of interest because it's the only thing I'm occasionally semi-good at. Or so people tell me, everything I write I think is crap. Maybe that's because I'm a perfectionist, about writing anyway, so if it turns out different than my plan I don't like it.
But I write some of the skits for camp if I can't find anything I like. This past year I wrote one on Rapuzel the early years aka before she was born and how the evil witch tricked her parents into giving her up. I gave it to the seventh grade girls. My niece played the demon radish - long story - but they loved it, she still has the script hanging on her door. I always give my favorite skits to the seventh graders just because they still think drama and acting is fun, whereas the eighth graders are like "this is lame. i want to go swimming." It's the skits that are written at 2AM the night before camp that I've learned go over the best, aka Rapuzel and then the year before that's "Killer Eggs" which is an even longer story and yet again for the seventh graders.
But major pressure for this year since I promised the seventh grade girls a continuation of Rapunzel after she was imprisoned. And now they'll be eighth graders. Crap.
Okay, back to writing. Since it's clearly my favorite hobby without any competition we'll just go with it.
Here's a short intro from one of my latest projects.
“Well they say she died easy of a broken heart disease, as I listen through the cemetery trees.” – One Headlight, The Wallflowers
I watch as Tom, her father, approaches the grave. His hands are clasped behind him as he walks in an adagio kind of pace. From far away one could easily assume he is at peace, but they would be missing the contorted look on his face that contradicts with the rest of his calm demeanor. He is trying to be strong for Amanda, Lindsay’s mother, who seems to be a zombie in complete denial of every emotion ever conceived.
As the service starts people make a circle around the grave and Father Mark. I stay by the tree line around the edge of the cemetery. My feet are stuck in place. I can’t seem to make it any closer than 40 feet away. The breeze picks up and I can hear the leaves rustling against each other. It is as if she is here pushing me toward the grave, begging me to say goodbye and receive some kind of closure in return. But I’m not going anywhere. This is as close as I can get. The wind makes it hard to hear Father Mark. I can only make out every couple words but I’m not really listening anyway. All I can think about is the last few days. A week ago you were healthy. A week ago you were happy. A week ago we were together. Now you’re dead… and it’s my fault.
Intrigued? Me too, now if only I could figure out where to go from there!! No, I have a couple pages after that but I'm already stuck. Jake is the main character, he is moving to Seattle for a job and asks Lindsay to go with him. Most of it is in flashback. I'm still debating how to kill her off and make it his fault. I have a couple of ideas but none of them good enough to give me inspiration to finish it. If you have any send them my way!
So, since I'm blocked on that one I'll stick to my guns and hit you with another Sketch and Edit. With them I'm never blocked, mostly because they're short and if I don't like it I can make them do someting else, like order takeout or go shopping for flowers or go to a bar or install a nav system or decorate a tree. The possibilities are endless. There are more of these throughout the blog if you feel like scrolling through. You don't have to read them in any particular order.
Since I've been spent most of my day in one Wednesday I'll give you this one.
Sketch and Edit Sit in the Waiting Room
E – “I hate waiting rooms. They always make me feel so nervous.”
S – “Remind me why I’m here again.”
E – “Every time I go to the dentist something always goes wrong.”
S – “And I’m here because…”
E – “I need the moral support. You should know I’m famous here for bad things happening. Didn’t you notice the hygienists laughing and giving me funny looks when I checked in?”
S – “I just figured that was a normal reaction for people around you. Why are you famous at your dentist’s office?”
E – “Just traumatic events… I kicked him once.”
S – “The dentist?”
E – “No, Janet Reno, yes the dentist!”
S – “What happened?”
E – “He told me all he needed to do was pull out one of my baby teeth and it wouldn’t take long but ended up cutting it into four pieces.”
S – “Ouch, but that’s not that bad.”
E – “And I passed out, it was embarrassing.”
S – “Lots of people pass out at their dentist’s.”
E – “Do they also freak out over having too much Novacaine, run to the lobby, smack their heads on the main desk, conk out cold and then wake up in their dentist’s arms?”
S – “All that here?”
E – “Yeah, last time I was here they asked if they should put a big red x in front of the desk. Apparently I made number three on their list of top five highlights in this office. I bet it’s down to number four now though since he got arrested this summer.”
S – “What?”
E – “Thought you might like that one."
S – “Your dentist is a felon?!”
E – “Say it again but louder, I don’t think the mailman heard you. And my orthodontist committed suicide a while ago too.”
S – “Are your teeth really that bad?” *Edit glares* “So, basically I’m here to…?”
E – “Keep me from getting violent and/or passing out in the lobby…or just generally embarrassing myself.”
S – “Sounds like a full-time job.”
Dentist – “We’re ready for you now.” *leaves*
S – “Was that the felon?”
E – “Yes.”
S – “Aw, no felons have the right to be that good looking…”
E – “Slow down there cowgirl. I’ll be back soon…hopefully.”
S – “Okay, I’ll just be here, building up my tolerance for heedless celebrity gossip. Look, it’s Brad and Jennifer!”
E – “I always was for Team Aniston. I bet if you dig deep enough in those piles you’ll find some about Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley…” *leaves, comes back twenty minutes later to find a red-marker-colored taped ‘x’ in front of the desk* “Oh, You’re dead.” *Sketch smiles and makes a run for it*
Based on a true story. I really am famous at my dentist's office. The main lady at the desk asked if they should put an x in front of the desk and one of the hygienist's heads went up and yelled "that was you?!"
Okay, I'm running out of ideas for favorite things. I have Music, Movies, TV, Books and now Hobbies. Tomorrow I'm thinking Youtube clips or websites or something to that effect. If you have any other suggestions send them my way.
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