Ursus Polaris

As per my last post, I’ve been watching a sickening amount of Grey’s Anatomy. I am very miserly with my devotion, preferring to think that I am the only person in the world who fully appreciates the Seattle surgeons. This is not true, however, it’s just the way I prefer to do things. 

[All of this helps to keep my grad school brain hibernating, btw.]

That being said I was looking for mp3 leaks of Brandi Carlile’s new album, and found a link to the GA site; it was a “life soundtrack” for all of the artists featured on GA’s fourth volume soundtrack. I’ve decided that I like the idea, and am determined to do this every so often. This is even more inspiring an idea since my 30th birthday was in April. So I think I will do this by decade - 0-10, 10-20, 20-30. 

0-10
Title: Rough and Tumble
1. Crazy, by Patsy Cline
2. C is for Cookie, by Cookie Monster
3. The Thunder Rolls, by Garth Brooks
4. Rainy Day People, by Gordon Lightfoot
5. Doctor My Eyes, by Jackson Browne
6. Born in the USA, by Bruce Springsteen
7. Sunday Bloody Sunday, by U2
8. Suspicious Minds, by Elvis Presley
9. Fancy, by Reba McIntyre
10. Little Surfer, by The Beach Boys

10-20
Title: Phoenix and the Flame
1. Baba O’Riley, by The Who
2. Pretty Good Year, by Tori Amos
3. I’m on Fire, by Bruce Springsteen
4. I am a Town, by Mary Chapin Carpenter
5. You Oughta Know, by Alanis Morrissette
6. Shoebox, by Barenaked Ladies
7. Ring of Fire, by Johnny Cash
8. Devotion, by The Indigo Girls
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana
10. Buddy Holly, by Weezer 

20-30
Title: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
1. Nineteen, by Teigan and Sarah
2. Lodestar, by Sarah Harmer
3. Plea From a Cat Named Virtute, by The Weakerthans
4. Ghost of Tom Joad, by Bruce Springsteen (with Tom Morello)
5. Turpentine, by Brandi Carlile
6. Hurt, Johnny Cash cover
7. Big Love, by Lindsey Buckingham
8. Yellow, by Coldplay
9. Hey Ya!, by OutKast
10. The Perfect Space, by The Avett Brothers

I am back home after my first year of graduate school; gruelling, agonizing, sleep-deprived grad school. My function of being here has been to rehearse and perform in a production of Venus & Adonis, bound for the Prague Fringe Festival, which is amazing. However, the length of time in which I am in Orange County is not sufficient in which to obtain a job and earn money - which would have been fabulous - because not only would I be generating an income, I would also be able to fill the days. That, I will say, has been the biggest problem. 

Here is a list of things I should be doing:
1. Researching my thesis project
2. Working on first year orientation performance
3. Reading criticism
4. Attending workshops
5. Figuring out a production concept for aforementioned thesis project

Now, I have done some of this. But the not-so-small grad school brain I’ve grown keeps saying things like, “slacker.” or “lazy bum.” or “your thesis isn’t going to direct itself, moron.” You know, normal stuff.

Here is a list of things I have been doing, with amazing regularity:
1. Reading Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Bossypants, Insurgence
2. Watching Grey’s Anatomy ad nauseum
3. Pinning things on pinterest (including production ideas!)
4. Starting this tumblr account
5. Sleeping from 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

One might argue that the second list is understandable; a well deserved respite for the 8 months of crazy I conquered (straight A’s all year and 30-40 hours a week of directing ain’t no joke!). But along with the constant judgement and criticism of the grad school brain, comes another wonderful occurrence: paranoia. Which apparently isn’t severe enough yet to scare me into a whirlwind of productivity. 

Because hot damn, I love Grey’s Anatomy.