A day of B

I have discovered a new blog A Day of K she has a few post about being an English major and not being able to define what she wants to do with her life at least not in words.

The closest I will ever get to fame
She writes about how she didn't have a name for the career she wanted. And how people would ask her "if she wanted to teach" or "did she want to read professionally" to which she answered no to. She actually wrote to Jodi Picoult and got some inspiring words.

This post got me thinking of two things in my life. When I got started working on my history degree lots of people asked me if I wanted to teach... I said I had no patience to teach. I just loved history. My mom had always told me college was not job training it was life preparation so it didn't matter really what I majored in. My dad had different thoughts on college always wanting me to take business classes, I didn't. I majored in American History with a minor in Women's studies. Where has that gotten me? A continued interest in history, but from the social side not political, also into grad school where I am continuing in history and library science. I also want to write historical fiction... for that I'm going to have to do research which I am fine with... I love research. I am a geek what can I say.

The next thing this post reminded me of when I wrote to my favorite author Jennifer Donnelly (more info on her at bottom of page), gushing over how much I loved the Winter Rose (the 2nd book in her trilogy) the fact that she wrote me back at all was amazing. I told her about my blog and she said she loved it and wished me luck on my writing endeavors. And the quote I have at the top of my page keeps me going some times on my writing.

Ain't no thang - freelancing
First grabbed my attention because of Alexis Bedel... hello, I love Gilmore Girls.

So I started reading this post. She reflects on how she had lunch with her high school English teacher and the teacher telling her how the teacher wanted to write but couldn't make it work.

My mom has always said I was a good writer and when I started this blog and started reviewing movies my Grandpa said I should work for a newspaper writing. I do want to be published one day but for now I just like writing... to make it a career I think would take the joy out of writing for me, at least in the fast pace of print journalism. I like my little blog, my little story, and just enjoying the escapism of writing. I actually want to be an archivist for the pay check but a writer on the side. I am just happy that I have come out of the closet about my writing... and have gotten to share my life with you my lovely readers. I have been happy with all the kind words I have gotten. I love when people tell me they love my blog or that they even read my blog. I love when my mom and a friend told me that my blog inspired them to start their own blog. I have written more about it in my post "I'm a blogger" so I won't bore you again with my gushy details. Even if I never get published I am happy to have this littl nook for my writing.

basically these post told me if you had something to write about write it.

The quote in the picture "Writing is the only thing that when I do it I don't feel I should be doing anything else"- Gloria Steinem.

Ways to Live Creatively

On Friday August 12th I posted this on my blog... saying i found it through FlutterHappy
Then on Monday August 15th I posted the Rules 1-6 and how I did or didn't follow them (included below). And I meant to write more on the rules but life happened and I didn't get back to them until today

1. Make list... I guess I make grocery list, packing list, mental to do list, and reading list (not very creative).

2. Carry a notebook everywhere... Yes I carry 2 one where I write my story and the other one that I write thoughts for my story or this blog. I have carried notebooks with me for a long time because you never know where inspiration will hit.

3. Try Free Writing... sometimes. I don't know if I am very good at it though but when I find a quote I really like sometimes I write about how I feel about the quote or what the quote means to me.

4. Get away from the computer... I wish I could more often but my work requires me to be on the computer all day and this blog also makes me stay on the computer. But for my story time I am away from my computer.

5. Be otherworldly... Yes, sometimes I feel I live too much in the world of my imagination.

6. Quit beating yourself up... I am trying to do that. My dad calls me a "people pleaser"... and I know that's true so I take people's words (criticism more than anything very personally) so I have to give that up if I want to be a writer because not every one is going to like my work and I can't beat myself up over it.

NOW FOR RULE 7-16

7. Take Breaks- This is hard when I am writing creatively esp. when I get like a spark of an idea I just want to keep writing but I know I have to take breaks, go outside and take a walk around the block or hang out with friends.

8. Sing in the shower- I used to do this a lot, when I was living at home I have kind of quieted down when I had roommates.

9. Drink Coffee/Tea- Yeah another reason for my coffee addiction. But I am not sure how this makes me creative minus a jolt of coffee to make me write faster.

10. Know your roots- I am not sure how far I have to go back for this. I know on my mom's side I am 13th generation American with ancestors fighting in the Revolution and the Civil War. My mom has kept me well informed on her side of her family as she loves gen I am from Oklahoma, and sometimes I have stories floating in my head about a country girl. I wrote about when my Grandma was sick that..."As a future archivist and a want to be author. I love that she has kept all her journals and notebooks from when she was younger. She also has kept all her family and our family's photo albums neatly organized. I would love to one day be able to explore her world a little bit more." (for more click here)... I would still like to explore more into that world and know those roots better.

11. Listen to new music- This is a little hard for me to follow because I love the songs on my blackberry and I don't really listen to the radio minus some Saturday mornings when I listen to WERS here in Boston that plays the Best of Broadway from 10-2. (If you like Broadway Musicals but don't live in Boston they stream live through the Internet... click here.) But when I do discover a new song I keep it going on my play list. My music has changed through the year... it's not knew but in January I saw Jersey Boys and love Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and after seeing Footloose I love the 80's music. But I love when people give me new music to listen to. For example one of my best friends recommend I listen to Pomplamoose... and now I love them too.

12. Be Open- Working on this because I know what I love and I am stubborn sometimes to discover new things.

13. Surround Yourself with Creative People-All my friends.One of my best friends is learning how to play the ukulele, and wants to work with stain glass and the desserts she makes are so creative and tasty. A lot of my friends like to paint.

14. Get Feedback- I like hearing what people think of my story. If you want to read it... click here it is based off the plot of Sense and Sensibility but I have changed a few things.

15. Collaborate- This I have hard time doing because I get lost in my own world.

16. Don't Give Up- This I need to have posted on my mirror as a daily reminder.

Okay I promise to write more on these rules later.

This weekend I am going to a friend's baby shower and finish packing up my apartment. Can't wait for this move to behind me.

Hey guys,

I am pleased to announce that come September I will be sponsoring on two blogs I love.


They will be putting up links to my blog on their blogs and I can't wait for the "unveiling". I already have the links up on the left hand side bar I put them up a few days early because I the end of this month is crazy busy for me with a friend's baby shower, packing up my place, starting classes and oh yeah my move. But go check them out they are fun to read (and they update very frequently).


Thanks,


-Blaire

Footloose the Musical

Last night I went to go see Footloose the Musical at the North Shore Music Theater. The first thing I learned was a majority of the girls I went with (8 total) I was the only person (maybe my friend's mom had seen it) who had seen the original movie. Footloose is an 80's movie classic right up there with Dirty Dancing and going back further Grease. The second thing I learned was even though I love the classic, I should not try to compare the two against each other but to love them both separately.
But let me say there will there will never be another Kevin Bacon...though some have tried. If you don't know what I am talking about for awhile there was talk when the new Footloose (movie) came out Zac Efron would be playing Ren (Click Here). I will also say I love movies turned into musicals... I loved Legally Blonde the Musical. And I liked this musical as well...though it would be awesome to see it with all the production value of a Broadway Musical behind it. The North Shore is a round theater so it has unusual limits.... no drastic set changes, as well as smaller stage but I think how the stage company made the sets, rather it be the church, school, burger joint, or dance hall was great with some imagination. And we had great seats... in a round theater the seats aren't far away they are all close to the stage. But in a round theater you also get some moments where the actors are standing with there backs to you (its unavoidable) but for the most part my friend did a good job picking out the seats where we didn't have the actor's butts shaking in our face as they danced too much.

I found the first act thinking Ren is not that stupid in the movie... and I am not sure if it was the writing, actor, or director. In the film and musical Ren is just trying to adjust to living in a new town with the past of his father having just left him and his mother. But the whole town Beaumont is watching his every move and trying to trap him into trouble (while the girls sing "Some body's Eyes"). I just felt like the usual corniness of musical (that I love) was some taken too far to Ren being a little goofy... not the cool, street-wise man that Kevin Bacon played.
The second act was better for Ren, he got more to the heart and the pain that was Ren. But I would say I missed the whole trapeze dancing that Kevin Bacon (or his really good sump double did). I also missed the Tractor Chicken scene where Ren takes down the bad boy Chuck Cranston. But I loved being able to sing along to the 80's songs I know by heart. And I loved how some of the choreography from the film carried into the movie, like Ren teaching Willard to dance, or the girls with their hands in the hair whipping themselves around looking so flawlessly effortless (if I tried to do that I would like a girl having a seizure).

I think the characters of Rusty and Ariel were done nicely. Ariel was good at pretending to be the good girl for the first 5 minutes but then we get to see her bad girl side. We also learn quicker, than movie, that it was her brother that died and she is trying to get away from that memory and that pain. And Rusty love for Willard even though he is awkward and can't dance is so cute when she sings "Lets hear for the boy." Though I loved the awkward love story of Rusty and Willard it is hard to think of another playing Rusty besides Sarah Jessica Parker. Also Reverend Shaw Moore, was also embraced well with his sense of making sure everyone did what the Lord wanted, but still questioning was right and holding on to the pain of losing a son.

Over all I left the theater feeling happy... and that is the point of a musical to feel happy. But I will admit it was hard for me to take a movie I have seen a million times and not compare the musical against it. So maybe it was better for my group, who hadn't seen the movie to just see the musical, because they could love it for what it is and not compare it to the original. Though 3 of the girls had seen it in London and thought the big production value that musical had was worth it.
We shall see what happens when the new Footloose (not musical) get released come October... I wonder if any one from the original cast will make an appearance. The only person I recognize in the cast is Dennis Quaid playing Reverend Moore. If this is set in the 80's I will have to break out the leg warmers.