Sunday, June 29, 2014

Summer Cirque Part 4

So this weekend was supposed to be weekend two of North Hold Renessaince Fair, but due to unforeseen factors it did not happen… exactly. There was much disappointment from many, for a variety of reasons, so a member from one of the acts organized an event in its place. There were many that could not attend due to costs and booking other gigs but those of us performers that could traveled back up to Cadillac MI to have Renessaince gathering of sorts. 

Over all I would say it was a good weekend but it definitely had it's bumps in the road. I for one did not like having to repack the car to drive down the street and unload it again. Not cool! Also the wind really made aerial difficult and scary yesterday! We weren't even able to go up today it was so strong! Not to mention the lightning threat. And the uncertainty made everyone on edge just a little bit, at least that's how it looked from my perspective. But at the risk of sounding cliche I like to take what I can from these times. For example I got to work out alternative sequencing for my routine and play around more with my rolla-bolla act. Also got to hang with some cools people again this weekend! So with out further rambling I'll get to what I like to imagine is everyone's favorite part. 

Things I learned at the Renessaince (sort of) fair:
1. Wind is trying to kill you
2. I have too much awesome to fit through one hoola-hoop
3. Audiences love it when they think you're gonna die but don't 
4. How to select audience members
5. There is a lovely generous person out there that tips in teensy weensy bottles of Kracken 
6. My love of bag pipes is lasting
7. I can fall asleep to scary movies if I'm not paying attention
8. Whiskey mustard exists!!!
9. My abs are shaping my fat but not getting rid if it
10. Lemon flavored icing goes really well with cinnamon 

Farewell where ever you fare




Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Summer Cirque Part 3

Well surprise! You get two posts this week! Guess where I was this weekend.... That's right I was at the Renaissance Fair! This weekend was the first ever weekend of North Hold Renaissance Fair in Cadillac MI. Mixed feelings about this one but overall I am pleased.

Down sides first, attendance was super low. Being the first weekend of the first year of this fair I'm just not sure very many people knew about it. This means tips were pretty scarce, in fact on Saturday we had to work 2 shows just to get lunch! Eeek! You might not know this about me but I get hangry, and it happens more quickly when I'm burning calories so the thought of not having lunch was scary! To be fair to our lovely patrons, tips were low not because they were stingy, there just wasn't very many of them. They were quite generous in fact and many of them stopped to chat and it was wonderful! Also our stage, which was the cool kids stage, was directly in the sun pretty much all day. So much so that I may have gotten distracted by the glitter on my eyes at one point in the middle of a show. Oops!

Now before you start thinking I had an awful time at this fair I will share all the brilliant things that happened! We got to share the stage with one of my favorite performers I have ever met in person! Ric Roc is outstanding, both to watch perform and to hang out with back stage during fair! Good times were had by all and screaming chickens were thrown more often than they should have been. Or not enough? We had a reappearance this weekend of the Gwyd and Dangit version of our show (my other boss Sylver was at a different gig, don't worry she'll be back this weekend!) which meant that I got to practice my stage presence. I have found my self starting to say lines to the show in my own way with my own flavor which is cool because when I start doing this at Mayfaire this year I was mostly copying the way Sylver delivered the lines. It means I'm growing, aren't you proud reader? I got to hang out with my ren fair friends from previous fairs which is always a good time but I also got to chill with some music groups that I really enjoy and one of them I've never seen perform at all! So as I said mixed feelings on the weekend but if I had to give an overall opinion I would say it was a great time and I hope that the fair grows and people hear about it! Now for your favorite part of these

Things I learned at Ren fair:
1. Drums exist that are so large I could fit in them
2. The Box of Extreme Discomfort is truly an easy bake oven
3. Audiences love the screaming chickens
4. So do we
5. I can still juggle after not having tried it for a month (only once though)
6. The song Wipe Out completely transforms my rolla-bolla skills into an act
7. First impressions can be unfairly colored by unrelated events
8. There are some flies that can bite right through tights!!
9. I am not the only one amused by my rear view camera
10. I really should get the Monday after fair off!

Till next time!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Sunday = Good Television

I suppose I should start this post by saying that I really enjoy stories. It almost doesn't matter what format I get them in, book, television/movies, or being told them aloud. As a result I have always loved to watch TV, even as a child. Not to worry I spent plenty of time outside with friends and playing imaginary games and sports or simply bugging neighborhood parents for fun!

I did, however, always look forward to my TV time and it did not take long for me to notice that there was always one day of the week with superior programming. Growing up it was always Fridays, I'm sure many of you will remember TGIF. Leading up to the beginning of this year I was speaking with some friends about shows we were excited for and we realized there has been a shift. A disproportionate number of good shows now come air on Sundays. This led us to create a gathering that we lovingly call Super Sundays. We started in January with Downton Abbey, followed by Sherlock, and we just finished Game of Thrones! Which leads me to the purpose of this post, about halfway through GoT we realized our conversations were strange, hilarious, and occasionally thought provoking. We talked about podcasting but none of us have ever done this before and we were unable to get the right software before the season ended. :( So I thought I would include some of the highlights of our conversations on my blog to share with all of you.

So now my thoughts on season 4 of GoT as a whole. RIP the Red Viper!! I loved him in the book,  he was quickly a favorite and quickly snatched from me. Naturally I was nervous to see how his character was portrayed on screen, and the answer is: perfectly! That was a job well done HBO! I loved that we got a whole 50 minutes for the battle at Castle Black, they deserved it. We often get only pieces of what happens up there, but I was disappointed that we did not get to see Jon made Lord Captain Commander. It was sexy in my head and I'm feeling like it will be sexy on screen. Maise Williams is brilliant  as Arya and I love her more and more every time she is on screen. Cersi is not crazy enough on screen and it bothers me because the result is the audience is not sympathizing with Jaime as much as the should by this point. Joffery's death was just as satisfying in the show as it was in the book! Sansa's character development is being shown so well. But the question I kept asking myself all season long is: What happened to Little Finger's voice?! Why does he talk out of the side of his mouth now in that loud whisper?  Why did they change this? Can he use a normal inside voice please??

That is just a summary, I have many other thoughts on this season but I worry that would get lengthly and hard to read. I will save my thoughts on premiere of True Blood for next week so hopefully I have more to say. As always thank you for reading.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Summer Cirque Part 2

Well we just completed another weekend at the renaissance fair which closes out Mayfair for the season. This weekend brought with it a whole bunch of new wisdom and silliness! 
I was on stage for the first time ever as more than just an extra. Just me and my boss so there was no one to hide behind. I think I did ok though, and I would say that I definitely played to my strengths. We even kept one of the segments in when my other boss joined us on Sunday. But what I feel most proud of is that with each show I got better at engaging the audience and trying new things to make the act mine. 
I also got to make new friends this weekend! I met new friends last weekend too but it always amazes me how quickly performers at renessaince fairs bond over things. You sometimes only see them two weekends a year but it doesn't seem to matter much bc we all tend to have the same sort of weird. Except for the ones that are just a little too weird ;). That's what makes coming back so exciting every year. 
But what you really want to know is what I learned this weekend at renfaire:
1. I can rolla bolla while climbing through two hoola hoops
2. Some people will always cultivate their own negativity 
3. Brand new silks are super hard to climb!
4. Pride really can come before a fall and sometimes you have to let go of your pride so you don't fall
5. The Box of Discomfort is really hot
6. I survived getting whipped and had a BA welt to prove it
7. Glitter and sunscreen do awful things to your pores 
8. Juggling (sort of)
9. Stage combat (lesson 1)
10. I make a great stunt double Sir James!!

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll get some time coming up to write about new things. Till later!