groups.

I somehow manage to simultaneously be great and awful when it comes to group projects.

Great because I get along with everyone. I saw that eye roll.
Awful because I procrastinate. Don't we all?

I don't know what it is with society and groups. We need to be individuals, who also happen to work well with others. You want me to stand out and be part of the team?  You want me to that likable person that everyone also happens to hate because they're so fucking likable? Like Jennifer Lawrence.

It makes no sense.

But back to this problem of my GOVT group project that's due tomorrow/today at 8:30 am.

My group consists of 3 people: myself, a guy who we shall call Husband, and a girl who we shall call Wife. Husband and Wife are married. Husband was the one who literally walked up to the back of the lecture hall to ask me if I wanted to be in his group with Wife.
I think it was because he recognized me from when I let him bum a cigarette.
Regardless, in this simple action of approaching me first, he labeled himself as one who takes initiative; a leader. I fully expected to be a follower, as I usually am in group projects, and he would pick the topic and delegate tasks to us.

I was wrong.

Husband and Wife have come up to where I am and Husband asks me what topic I'd like to do. I said I don't care, which of course means that I'd like to do it on the legalization of marijuana. He says we'll just think about it and come back next class and pick it then. Sounds good.
After that I swear they missed the next 2 weeks of class. I actually thought that they dropped.
Then one day, they're finally there. Husband, with Wife following, asks me if I've picked a topic. What? But he walked over to me. HE'S THE LEADER FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.

I tell them I've narrowed it down to Illegal Immigration and Legalization of Marijuana.
I literally flipped a coin to decide between the two. I really wanted the weed one, but immigration won fair and square (2 out of 3).

They actually attended class all week, so I told them we were doing immigration. Then Husband says "You know, I think we're just gonna let you take the lead on this."
Well fuck me. I'm the leader.
We still hadn't exchanged information, but went our separate ways.

This is where all the days run together. Below the Belt was up and that was really the only thing I cared about. So, somewhere in that 3 week period, me and Husband exchanged information (apparently he and Wife are joined at the hip or something) and I actually did type up a general outline. I sent it to Husband after sending far too long looking for his email.

And then I waited. For anything. A text. An email. Hell, it could have been a blank email as long as knew that he was alive. Then, out of the silence, I hear my phone. 3 days later Husband finally texted back explaining how crazy his work schedule is. I'm not sympathetic. I text him back. "That's okay, as long as you reply." Damn my good nature. We set up a time to meet after my classes on Monday.

We go to the library. I pull out my laptop and bring up everything I typed and some stuff that I found as sources. Then I realized that Husband had never even opened the email, as they had never seen the outline before. I then explain it to them, and pretty much tell them what to do.

LEADER.

I looked up the entire first half of Husband's information.

Wife is smarter, and was already looking up her information.

I told them to email their information so I could add to the Power Point (which I had already started), and we left.

We present on April 12th, which is, as of this post, today. And it's 1:00 AM, and I'm looking up my information. And waiting for an email or text or something from them. Will I get an email? Will they send a text confirming that we'll meet up before class tomorrow? I don't know.

All I know is that my part of the presentation will be good. It has to be. I'm so close to passing with a B.

All I know is that I hate working in groups.

closing night.

Office

I know it's been a while. And I was supposed to talk about opening night. Yet now closing night is upon us, and you have no clue as to my first show went.

Did it go okay? Was it horrible? Was I a nervous wreck? Did anybody even listen to me? Do I still want to be a stage manager?

It's been going surprising well. Though there was one weekend, the second week of the show, where all the tech (myself included) was all kinds of fucked up.
The show has gotten great reviews. Here's one: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2012/03/below_the_belt_a_corporate_fan.php#more
I was nervous, but in that good pre-show way. I knew it would be fine, I just wanted to be sure it would actually be fine. That doesn't make any sense, but maybe you get it.
Everybody listens to me. I'm the fucking STAGE MANAGER.
And I will remain a stage manager until I feel that I can no longer do it. Which means until the end of time.

Bedroom

After this I'll be doing Lover's Quarrel at KVPAC. WHAT?!?!? Not CPH?!?

Yes. I need to expand a bit. Plus, my theatre teacher was cast and he seems like he'd be awesome to work with. The only difference is that I won't be an SM; I'll just be doing general tech stuff.

And also general tech stuff for an upcoming show at CPH.

And I'm now a "Technical Assistant" at CPH.  I'll be helping out the Houston Russian Ballet in May.
$25/hour bitches!

The floor. It glows too. 

And I spoke a person who seems important at CPH and who told me that she "directs a lot" and said that she "liked my resume" (resume? what? what resume? you mean my bio in the program?) and would like for me to be her SM for her show. NEXT YEAR. I have a fucking job lined up for NEXT FUCKING YEAR.

And now, here I am. In the booth overlooking weeks of time and effort. Just waiting for the last show to start. And knowing it will be great.

Tomorrow we strike everything except the paint on the floor (which I think should stay there until forever because it's fucking amazing) and then it will really be over. In about 3 hours, 6 weeks of work will be gone.


So, my first show was great. It was everything that I wanted out of my first SM experience.

Panoramic of the entire set