September Wrap-Up

Books I Read

2/5

This reading prompted great discussion in my freshman course, but it wasn't super enjoyable to read. Plato's style of straight dialogue is necessary for what he's trying to write, but it's so heavy handed when it's a script between two people, but one person barely says anything in response to the other, who speaks in paragraphs. This was much better in play format when I watched a staged reading of it for class.

2/5

This was so freaking weird. I understood what was happening, kind of, but it was very episodic and disjointed (which makes sense since no one knows for sure in what order the scenes are supposed to be). Not a fan.

2/5

This wasn't boring, but it was obviously racist and problematic. And it was long for a play. I had no idea it had ever been a play until it was assigned for my theatre class, but this version literally just took the dialogue from the book to make the script, so if you've read the novel, you've basically read the play, just with more exposition.

4/5

I read this a couple years ago for my St. John's summer camp, but I enjoyed it so much more a second time through, especially since we studied it more closely in class. It's one of my favorite Shakespeare stories. It's never boring and it has a lot of interesting characters and beautiful poetry. It was a lot of fun to write about too; it has plenty of opportunities for close readings.

3/5

What an intense story! I'd never heard of this before in regards to Greek mythology, but it was a wild ride. It took a lot of focus to read since the language, even translated, is old and not easy to digest quickly, but it was a fascinating play. I loved discussing Medea's character in class since she's so complex and hard to label.

3/5

This was an interesting story, but it would've been so much better had it been shorter. I hate reading old plays/books where too much of the text is taken up by people being overly polite with each other. I know that was how people spoke back then, but it's such a drag to read about people saying, "Oh, it's so lovely to see you, you must sit down." "Oh no, I insist that you sit first." "No, please, my dear, rest your feet and I'll fetch us some tea." Groan. But this was also a wild study in character motivations and twist endings.

1/5

I have no clue wtf I read. We haven't discussed this in class yet, so maybe it'll make more sense then, but I felt like I was on a drug trip reading it. The dialogue made no sense, and I kid you not, there is a scene where someone places a toilet brush on a dining table and another character licks it. Seriously, WTF.

Movies I Watched

4/5

Again, Twelfth Night is a great story, and it was so much more fun watching it versus just reading it. Great casting choices too!

3/5

I'd never seen this movie before, much to the chagrin of many of my friends who love Halloween and Halloween movies, so this was fun to watch with friends! It was corny and had terrible special effects, but three witches made it a lot of fun. They were so over-the-top and amusing.

3.5/5

Though it wasn't very hard to guess where a lot of this movie was going, it still kept me on the edge of my seat. Watching someone be trapped in their own home was a very claustrophobic experience. I liked the premise, which felt a little like a reverse "A Quiet Place." Not my favorite horror movie, but it's worth watching if you want something that isn't terribly creepy, but entertaining.

Quotes I Wrote

I've been working endlessly on a query letter for All the World's Afraid (which desperately needs a new title, so if you have suggestions for me based on what I've written about it on my blog, let me know!). Any comments you have on the query would be helpful too:

Sonya and Eleanor, leading actresses in Sagewick High’s production of “Les Misérables,” are more than just castmates: they’re in love. Whether it’s from squeezing in close quarters together at laser tag or from being trapped in a closet, Eleanor and Sonya have had more than their fair share of almost-kisses. But when both have a habit of denying that the other could reciprocate those feelings, there’s no way to diffuse the romantic tension. Eleanor’s not even sure that her feelings are real; after all, she’s never crushed on a girl before.

All Sonya and Eleanor want to do this spring is put on a good show, but if unexpected romantic desire for your best friend isn’t complicated enough, there are a plethora of other road blocks: Not only is Sonya’s ex-girlfriend playing dirty in trying to win her back, but the entire cast is convinced that the actor playing Marius has a thing for Eleanor, and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his move. And there’s also the tiny possibility that their theater is cursed.

Eleanor and Sonya are nothing if not professionals though. They’ll find a way to hold their feelings in check and put on a bombastic musical the school will never forget. That is, if the curse doesn’t destroy them, and their friendship, first.

Obsessions I Acquired

"Lover" album Taylor Swift - I love this album way more than "Reputation." It feels like a combination of "1989" and "Red," a mellower pop style. My favorite songs from it are "Lover," "I Think He Knows," and "Paper Rings," but "Paper Rings" is probably my top pick from the album.




Pictures of the Month

Josh and Megan visited with my family for the Ursinus 150th Anniversary Festival!

The squad (or part of it, anyway)

So many of my favorite people all in one place 💓 

We took so many fun pictures in the photo booth

And some goofy pictures from the sci-fi art exhibit

I love Megan 💓

Colleen and I accidentally wore pink outfits on our Philly day trip, so we had to get pictures together.

My favorite Van Gogh painting

Really cool Shakespeare statue!

I "stole" so much tea from the dining hall

Excited to see the drag show!

My director was awesome in his "Girl on Fire" performance

I loved reading Sappho for class! Her poems are so short and sweet. I liked the simplicity of all of it. She was able to say so much in just a few words.

 

Just Jacob doing Jacob things in the common room.

Sandra braided our hair (not that you can see Jacob's braid in this picture since he missed the memo where we were supposed to be showing off our new hairstyles)

 

People have left a variety of messages on our board

Our Abele Scholars program coordinator made us delicious lattes!

Going home for the weekend!

What would a trip home be without a surprise visit to my vocal teacher?

Sushi tasted extra delicious after a month of dining hall food.

Out on one of our traditional milkshake dates

Liv pointed out that we didn't have any pictures together where we aren't in costume for some show, so we remedied that

Triple date!

We went to the park that evening and discovered our inner 8-year-olds

Scout needed her lick fix! She loooves licking my hand for some reason.

Max drove us around! It was weird being in the back with him in the driver's seat, but he's definitely a more confident driver than I was at that time 😂

My parents sent me a box of sunshine to help with the dreary days on campus 💓

"Jurassic Park" movie night in the common room (I multitasked and wrote a paper while we watched)

I have no clue who this kid is, but he walked in, saw what we were watching, walked out, and then came back dressed in a Jurassic Park hat. He didn't say a word. No one questioned it.

All I was trying to do was check my stage makeup in my camera and then Abby needed to make it weird 😂😜

Our Abele Scholars headshots came in and they turned out pretty well!

Music rehearsal for "Ursinus Abridged"

The Ursinus Facebook page posted photos of the first CIE courses and I ended up in one of them!

Charlie's Angels at Nerf Club

My friends love to get pictures of me when I crash in the common room 😂

Milkshake Monday! On the first Monday of each month, we've decided we're going to get together and drink milkshakes

So excited it's finally fall

Pumpkin caramel latte and line memorization in the cool, fall weather

I'm directing my first show! I'm sooo excited for auditions so I can finally cast a show like I've always wanted to do

Now time for a plethora of Scout pictures!

Scout loves Josh

Somebody wasn't amused about bathtime

Video chatting my sweet puppy!

How was your September?