(Actually, this'll sum up the year also...and in fewer words.)

On the way to the theater, as the bus horn was blarring for most of a block only to suddenly cease with a huge *whomp* of a bump, I was a bit pleased that I would die looking ever so classy (but I was sad I hadn't tried that cocoa-flavored Chex mix before I left the apartment).


Happy New Year, everyone. I had no idea I'd be here (in Texas, working with the children's theater branch of a professional company, wearing such a classy dress; pick your favorite) back at the end of 2005, and only the Lord knows where I'll be one year hence.

summing up the year

From the first draft of what I eventually sent to my mother for the annual Christmas letter:

Hannah's year has been one of many changes. She feels silly even listing her accomplishments and troubles for teh past year, though--by putting in the thought required for this letter--she now realizes what a tremendously fantastic year it was. This past spring, Hannah took on her busiest semester yet, working on every school production (in some capacity), finishing and presenting her English capstone project, and performing with an original children's theatre troupe. She also managed many late nights spent on movies, card games, and all around rambunchesness, all more fun than the similarly late nights spent on schoolwork. In May, her school years came to an end as she graduated cum laude from TSU with a BA in Theatre and English, and a minor in Business Administration (too pretentious?) Hannah celebrated with a trip to London and Dublin with several friends from school. She saw a multitude of overpriced churches, U2's Bono, and more flights of stairs than she would care to mention. These were two of her favorite weeks of life (thus far). Directly following her return to the country, she had a job interview and offer for the faith-based theater company where she now works. Hannah has been in Texas with the A.D. Players since August as a SM/box office intern. She received an unofficial promotion when the previous Rotunda SM left and thus took over those duties in the children's theater. By now, she's completed her first show on her own, and is in pre-production for the next two. Just like college, though, she's found movie, cards, and hanging out people. Hannah is guaranteed stuck with Texas humidity until the end of next August, but will hopefully be hanging around for longer.

(and almost out of queso)

First night back at box office in a month, and no end of problems. The printer didn't work in the lobby, the ticketing program didn't want to load, and the majority of people from the large group attending the show didn't seem to realize that their tickets were not under their individual names.

My favorite part would be the woman and her daughter who showed up about five minutes into the show (which had already started late, btw). The house manager had fetched me from another part of the theater despite my plea to just send them away because, in his words, "maybe we could make a little money." We get to the lobby, and, as the mother was on the phone, it takes a few more minutes for them to finally walk over. Conversation (edited down to reach the point quicker) ensues:

HANNAH: Okay, I have a few seats left. Full price for tonight is $30 and a student walk-up ticket would be $15. (to house manager) I'll sell tickets on the left, but you can just seat them wherever's least distracting.

BRAZEN WOMAN: Actually, we're season ticket holders and already saw the show before. I was hoping that we could just walk-in and get any open seat. (*smiles*)

[I know this smile. It's the same smile I use whenever I'm asking somewhat impossible or unhappy tasks.]

HANNAH: For free?

BRAZEN WOMAN: Yes.

[artful pause, half glance to house manager]

HANNAH: I'm sorry, but that's not our policy.

BRAZEN WOMAN: Oh. Well I guess we'll pass then. Thanks so much! Exits.

Because, of course, I'm going to reward your lack of consideration for the actors and crew with complimentary tickets since you're a season ticket holder and you've seen the first five minutes, anyway. Sheesh. At least I get the morning off tomorrow.

On the list of things you need to know about me, between "Yes, I always walk that fast." and "Shiny is one of the main ways to my heart."

Even if I own it, even if I'm less than ten feet away from being able to put it in the machine, even if there was something else on I was trying to find, I will stop and watch a movie on TV if it's on/near one of my favorite parts, or within close distance to the satisfying end.

that much closer to free popcorn

Last night we made the aquaintance of possibly the worst Christmas film ever, which I realize is a strong statement, especially coming from someone with "Santa Claus Versus the Martians" on her hard drive. Either way, the world is now filled with comments about disrupting the cosmic balance.

My favorite part of tonight's movie is a tie between Tenika pointing out all the tidbits referenced in the children's play and Jesse's perfectly timed quip to me (in the middle of one of Elizabeth's piercing childbirth screams), "Good luck with that."


After the movie, the five of us had a brief discussion, ending with the general comment that we're (in Natalie's words) more "socially happy" than anywhere we've been before. I don't know if I can throw myself completely behind that statement. I'm certainly very happy and entertained to hang with the people I do, but there's still a part of me that misses some of my Missouri folk something awful. I don't know whether this will improve or not by running into them during my brief travels. Phone conversations to catch up on details of life are certainly not the same as actually seeing people day-to-day. The delightful cellphone also can't prepare you for the little inevitable changes in people over the span of several months.

Let me quickly clarify: I love it here. I really, truly feel like this absolutely where I'm supposed to be AND I enjoy it. The fact that I have both sides is an amazing gift that I cannot ever repay with enough thanks. But, if we remember from the Truman years, I didn't stay feeling completely comfortable until after that first section of time. I shouldn't be expected to be completely at ease now (or frankly any moment); that wouldn't be in my nature.

This became somewhat down somewhere in there, and that wasn't my intention at all. Maybe if I stopped cheating myself out of sleep, that would help things. Also, allow me to do a list of positive things before we become too concerned with my well-being:

* jokingly requesting that people supply me with food/cookies/candy, and them actually coming through with food/cookies/candy (twice in one day)

* being complimented on my organizational skills by one of my directors and his assistant director

* the thought of chocolate-covered Tootsie Rolls: what's up with that?

(I'm sorry that I don't write full-out things anymore.)

* My obsessive weather checking tells me the TX temp will drop while I'm gone (to the low 50s), but that'll instantly feel warmer than anything I'll get in Missouri. It's like I put together this plan myself for my benefit.

* Favorite part of my eye exam yesterday: "We generally want to avoid eyes popping out." Second fav: I have a freckle on my eye (nothing to be concerned about, just a pigment thing), which would be my new trivia fact for "stump people with your bit of trivia" games if I didn't keep telling people.

* The Highland Village Christmas lights are even trippier when your eyes have been dialated with three different solutions.

* I am so fiendishly pleased (and diabolically evil) to have video--with sound!--on my camera. The clips on right now actually make up for the fact that the poor dear doesn't take the greatest night pictures.

* I ran the spotlight for the church's Christmas musical this past weekend, having only seen the show once (in the prior service). I had never operated one before.

Things I should be doing instead: Christmas cards, pre-production paperwork, whatever "door mix" (as written on my hand) means.

As always, I thank the IMDb for bringing me something like this.

pieces

I'm still vastly confused about who my Secret Santa is, but I think the same holds true for the person I've been gifting.

I spent three hours last night (after the hour spent bellydancing, and the two-three-ish hours I spent collapsed on my couch asleep) moving most of my college years onto disk. I still haven't hit the empty button on the recyle bin, but those 62 items need to go somewhere.

Eye glasses appointment made for next week: check. Accidentally made less than two hours before the company Christmas party: check.

Unless you're in my immediate family (this list includes some close friends), or I found something absolutely perfect, I do not plan to shop for you this year. I'm sorry that I work in theater...but not really.

too much!

It should not be a high of 80 degrees anywhere in the middle of December....at least, nowhere with me in the middle of it. Are we trying to kill every bit of cold weather tolerance I used to have?

There's a meteor shower tonight, anyway.

Why on earth is it warmer outside than it is in my fridgid, freezing apartment? I'm going for a walk.

(Yes, Mom, I realize that's it's after nine o'clock in downtown Houston. This is why I'm actually just going to the mall until they kick me out.)

"Mondays are full of possibility," she replied, "but I don't advise discounting the rest of the week, either."

Today I was approximately six and a half for a few hours, which resulted in tag and laughing loudly and chasing people around the theater. I could now burst into a rendition of "My Favorite Things," but we all realized that already, right? I found a should-be-classic at the new Borders and promptly purchased three copies. After three months of living together, Jess and I finally settled who owed what *today.* (That's called progress, children.) I had my first celebrity attend a Rotunda show and if someone turned me into a graphic novel character, I think I'd turn out like this.

The only downside I see to having these wonderful sort of days is not that they must end eventually, but that they cause me to neglect sleep.

I believe in the magic of rain.

Any day that begins with waking up to rain outside the window, whether you beat the alarm or not, is bound to be filled with wonderful things. Though things started slow, I give a list of all the ways today swerved into completely awesome:

* not needing a jacket at the bus stop at 8:45 a.m. in December

* an audience with the decency to show up on time for their show

* dinosaur imitations in the booth (I'm more a pterodactyl than a T-Rex)

* church bells

* taking a field trip to a place called "The Chocolate Bar"

* making the aquantance of the above's next door neighbor, "Candylicious"

* rediscovering Kinder Surprise Eggs

* discovering that Kinder Surprise Eggs are technically illegal to buy/sell in the U.S.

* pizza in the box office

* random gingersnaps showing up on my desk, mid-phone call

* returning to Candylicious; purchasing illegal items

* the possibility of mini-golf

* Christmas cards from delighful people

* only partially burned muffins (score!)

* a sudden doorstop full of guys looking to play a vaguely RPG-type card game

* breaking out the giant bag of Tootsie Rolls

* devouring the giant bag of Tootsie Rolls

* perfect walking weather at midnight a.m.

"Somedays, it's a zoo in here. But at least then I can sit back and be entertained."

Following a theory that whatever you do for work you might as well also do during your free time, I started working in the sound booth at church today. I meant to just stay for the first service, but instead I stuck around for a second. That awesome fade into the post-offering video? Totally me improvising with sliders. I already like that I've found a way to be involved with the church, though I'm a bit bummed that it comes at the loss of those I was just beginning to know better due to sitting in the same place for the past three months straight.

In other news, this pilates thing I can do so much more effectively than the tae-bo. I thank Becky Becker's acting classes for keeping me flexible, and I mourn the loss of the roundhouse queen I was in high school. Finally, how dare the universe conspire to hook me into "Heroes?" One of these days I might not be so free with my evenings, and then where will my new TV habits be?

Incidentally, that last sentence is part of my New Year's resolutions, because I'm going for all random things this year.

Think I can justify this dress (in the white pin dots) for the New Year's Eve shindig the theater throws? If it's not obvious, I'm trying to find something that'll work for other functions as well, such as those swing dance lessons I'm planning on starting at the top of 2007.

test results

I've discovered that (despite the vent being above the closet and not actually inside the closet) if I leave the closet doors open, then my room is seriously ten degrees warmer in the morning.

Slight side effect: I also sleep in about thirty minutes longer than I should.

halfway through the video, morphed into a puddle on the carpet

I'll cut myself some slack since I'm jumping back in with my roomie's advanced video, but I have no idea how I rocked out all that tae-bo stuff back in high school. Billy Blanks can just shut up and leave me alone.

nothing much to say

I feel obligated to post something, but my life has hit a round of routine again. I do the show (sometimes twice), I hit the box office for a few hours, and then I come home to work on a variety of non-essential projects (organizing photos online, reading library books, trying to clear things off the DVR).

I need to do some Christmas shopping. I also need to use my Best Buy coupon while it's still good and I have a seasonal product I wish to purchase (ah, every onward quest to gain the entire Muppets canon). I further need to complete various pieces of paperwork (production reports, ASM duties list for the temporary replacement, update the quotes list). Soon.