Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Ilana's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, July 12th, 2009
8:55 pm	Egregious cooking fail So I've made my own cheese sauce for pasta before by basically guessing and intuiting the ingredients I want to put into it, pretty simple, pretty decent. Thought today I'd try a recipe from Chuck's recipe booklet of awesome, because he is a much better cook than me by several orders of magnitude. Clearly the idea of making a roux is far too difficult for the likes of me, as I ended up with vaguely cheese-flavoured, moreso bitter flour-flavoured library paste. Note to self: DO NOT randomly sub in some whole grain flour we have in a jar for normal flour, because ohhh gross. I threw in some veggies to try to salvage the pasta dish, and tried to thin it out a bit, and I'm eating it because it's edible and I don't want to waste food, and to try to get rid of the evidence before Dan comes home. I do find it funny that I almost always tend to make something more successfully when I'm just throwing stuff together, though my creativity extends to very few dishes, and I will always use a recipe for baking, naturally. Mostly I am just irritated at my major fail at a simple yet delicious-looking recipe, that I maligned through no fault of its own. Oh well. I think I'm just really good at "bake for 15 minutes" but I suck at empirically deciding when something is "combined" or "thickened." I totally failed to do anything useful today. Back to my paste. FailRoux. :( -Ilana Current Mood: disappointed (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
1:30 pm	Hawaii is lovely, but... I JUST GOT UNIVERSITY HOUSING OMG OMG OMG I HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE I'M SO HAPPY and this is all my internet time so bye! (24 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007
11:34 pm	Pomp and Circumstance This has been such a fantastic week, between the madness of Reunions, the inspiring speeches of Baccalaureate, the wacky actions of Step Sing (Bradley Whitford!), the random awards won (Old English?) and warm fuzzies of Class Day, the sentimental reminiscing of Prom, and finally stepping out of Fitzrandolph Gate into the real world at the end of Commencement. I will post a long entry in the next few days, to be sure, but now I have to help Dan pack. I love this place so much. I will miss it so. Hanging out with my nearest and dearest over the past few days has been lovely and wonderful, a blessing and a boon, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. We did it, guys. We graduated. I graduated. I'm a Princeton graduate. An alumna. How weird to write, to say, to experience. I have a degree. I am no longer of this place; I am now from this place, on to other places. But that is of course not exactly true. I will always be of this place, I feel, because this place permeates the senses, infuses the being, changes everyone who walks down its ivy-covered paths - we privileged few. Thank you to friends, parents, teachers, classes, preceptors, buildings, Wilson College, Terrace, Intime - thank you to any and everyone. More on this later, of course. There is much to elaborate upon. But it all comes down to - I graduated. Life is changing. I am happy, I am proud of who we have all become. I am sad because I am nostalgic. That, I imagine, will lessen but never disappear. Dei sub numine viget, y'all. -Ilana Current Mood: proud (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
3:28 am	Wheeeee, it just gets better! I'm graduating with "high honours!" Hooray! This is really exciting! Only 13 out of at least 42 of us are graduating with honours, so I feel pretty damn great. And Ashley is here! Yay! And....oh I have too much stuff to do in the next few days. Ilana out. May not post again until after graduation. Current Mood: excited (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 14th, 2007
6:42 pm	As my IMAP server gnashes its teeth.... Hellooooooooooo, Dean's Date Spam. Goodbyeeeeeeeee, productivity. On another note: COME TO MY THESIS PLAY READING on Friday, May 18th at 3pm! Then stay for Gan's thesis play reading, right after! His is comedy, mine drama, so it'll be a good order. Matthews Acting Studio, 185 Nassau. Please? It would mean a lot to me (and Gan) if some people showed up. Okay, back to (checking my email) my paper. -Ilana Current Mood: anxious (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 12th, 2007
1:25 am	po-tee-weet? I just found out Kurt Vonnegut died. This makes me melancholy. I was always a voracious reader as a kid, but I hit a point around grade eight when, all of a sudden, I had grown tired of it. I guess I was at some in-between stage, and I remember that it scared the hell out of me, that feeling that I was suddenly not interested in reading (an act which I felt defined me in some way) anymore and wondering if I'd ever get it back. Then I discovered Slaughterhouse-Five, and my reading rut was history. I never looked back. I loved this man's writing, his wit, the way his mind worked. I read every novel he wrote in the space of two years. I spent ridiculous amounts of time agonizing that I couldn't find his play, Happy Birthday Wanda June, because it was out of print. When my parents found it for me I got ridiculously excited. And I know I'm not alone; I'm sure countless kids at my age (or older, or adults) were similarly affected by his sardonic brilliance. Though I more recently read his books of essays, I really haven't read much Vonnegut since high school. I'm starting to lose the vivid memories of his work that I used to have. Perhaps this summer, I need to revisit the canon. Pay my respects. I think I do. First Gordon Parks dies after my JP on him, then Vonnegut a day after my thesis is due. My independent work seems to kill off beloved literary figures. Sigh. So it goes...RIP, Mr. Vonnegut. -Ilana Current Mood: melancholy Current Music: GrooveLily - Rewind (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007
12:55 am	We're in the New York Times!!! The show I've been working on all semester is front page center on the New York Times website right now! That's SO COOL! Go to www.nytimes.com or read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/arts/music/11boris.html?hp I *told* you it was getting attention. :) (Is very excited). I'm going to go put up the display in the lobby tomorrow. Yaaaay front page (of the website, at least)! Also, see the picture nearish to the bottom of the first page of the article with the research material display? Yeah, I found those images and made that display! Hee! (I'm such a nerd...) Anyway, I turned in my thesis on Monday and was quite pleased. I have a copy for myself here; it's all professional-looking and thick and bound and pretty. I received the senior English majors t-shirt, prompting me to think "I turned in my thesis and all I got was this lousy T-shirt. Also a piece of chocolate." The shirts are unfortunately manly style and huge, which I think they should rethink as most of the department is female. They have a quotation from John Keats merged with one from Jack Kerouac, so it can be attributed to "J.K." "Big tears were shed / More sorrow like to this, and such like woe / Too huge for mortal tongue or pen of scribe:" (then the Kerouac) "it's the too huge world vaulting us and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." And all of our names are on the back. It's a nice sentiment, though Mark protests it is too hard to read due to what Amy calls "boob distortion." Ah yes. Now we see why Amy tried to prevent this phenomenon with Intime shirts. The departmental secretary was very nice and congratulatory, but I was a little miffed when I asked for a small and she was like, "are you *sure*?" How fat do I look? The t-shirts are HUGE! The small goes halfway down my thigh. Elissa and Ashley left messages congratulating me on finishing and I felt loved. :) I still haven't had my celebratory drink! Oh well. Watched a bunch of Buffy in celebration instead. Today there were a bunch of us seniors with theses due today in English class. None of us really wanted to focus but we had to. We were discussing Alexander Pope. When we talked about his religion I made the note: "Pope was Catholic" and had to go back and write "Alexander" because it just looked too stupidly obvious otherwise. Ephraim might be coming to visit next week!!! I hope I hope I hope! I got a good mark on my English midterm, but the comment struck me as hilarious, because first it basically said my weakest of the analyses was the one play we had done all semester, but it was probably because we hadn't had much experience analyzing plays. OUCH, Professor! Also the comment to work on...something about the overarching analysis or somesuch, because it would help me on my final paper and perhaps my senior thesis sometime down the road. Professor has obviously forgotten that I am a senior, considering I got this back like a day before I turned in my thesis. Ha. He found out the truth today, with me in my shirt. Had a nicely social evening tonight; sat and talked with Dan and DHL and Mark for a while and then walked around to Starbucks and Firestone and beyond. It was a lovely conversation, and hilarious. Then went to Nick's to celebrate thesis-ending and played Guitar Hero for the first time with him and with Elissa. I kind of, what's the word? Oh yeah...suck. I did get up to 85% accuracy once, so maybe there's hope. I found out that I'm apparently a righty when it comes to guitar-playing, as I tried to hold it "lefty" and it was really awkward. Interesting. Then went to Koleinu. Life is so much calmer and nicer now. The only thing that has to stop are the daily low blood sugars, because they're getting bad and I'm getting worried. Also I need to buy a class ring this week, I think. Go read the article! Whee! -Ilana Current Mood: excited Current Music: Mudmen - Holiday (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 8th, 2007
8:11 am	I DID IT! ATTENTION, WORLD! At 8:07 am on Sunday, April 8th, Ilana Lucas officially finished submitting her thesis order to the binders. I'M FINISHED MY THESIS. It just needs to get bound, have another copy printed, and I need to turn it in. That's it. I'm done. I can't actually believe it. It's over. It's one of those things that I knew had to happen but I never thought it would. With the recommended spacing and all necessary titles and acknowledgments, it comes in at 87 pages, 24,082 words. Hot damn. I feel amazing right now. I actually feel like I might cry from sheer happiness. I'm so excited. Now to make up for all the partying I didn't do for the past month! (Don't worry, I won't go too crazy...don't even think I could party today at all, it is a Sunday.) I want to shout it from the rooftops, but I have the feeling that between the fact that it's a little after 8 in the morning and that most seniors have later due dates than me, I'd probably get pelted with rotten fruit, or pushed off said rooftops. Glee!!! -Ilana Current Mood: jubilant Current Music: The "I'm done my thesis" song (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 29th, 2007
4:54 pm	"A decision had to be made..." The mail today included a giant envelope from Columbia, a postcard from Ashley (thank you!) and a small envelope from Yale. Wait list. I should be disappointed - and, to a certain extent, I am. But really, this is technically the best thing that could have happened. No rejection, but no more decisions. No feeling like I should go to Yale when I want to go to Columbia. I am going to talk to my parents tonight and make sure they don't think I should go to Stony Brook. But I think, the waiting, it is over. I'M GOING TO COLUMBIA!!! New York City. MFA Dramaturgy Class of 2010. It's going to be amazing. -Ilana Current Mood: happy Current Music: Barenaked Ladies - Hello City (28 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 15th, 2007
11:18 pm	I wish I knew how good a sign this was... So I got an interview with Columbia!!! I'm really excited...I would LOVE to go there. I can't figure out if this is a "ReallyGoodSign(tm)" or if they interview everyone, though. I've been scouring the Internet to no avail. Oh well. If nothing else, it's not a bad sign; it can only be good or better. Did I mention that I'm REALLY EXCITED? Now I'm freaking out about the interview; this will be my first grad school interview and I'm worried that I won't come off as well as I could. Also I'm bad at coming up with questions. I should make a list. Yay, Columbia!!! Saw the Vagina Monologues tonight; congrats to Elissa and Franki, you girls were wonderful! Boris ("Ba-reese") is still eating my life but is also shaping up to be a good time; I'm learning so much about Russian history in both Boris Godunov and Pushkin's time periods, and doing a ton of image research, and sitting in on rehearsals as we go through each scene historically and with all the notes we can find, and it is just fascinating. At first I thought I was going to resent how much time it took, but now I'm really into it and it's great. This really makes me feel as if I am making the right choice for grad school; I'm so involved in class and rehearsals, and sure it takes a ton of time but it's so worthwhile. Theatre education = world education so much of the time, particularly when focusing on such a historically based piece. I'm so much more involved in this class than my other one, though it's also good; I'm really noticing that. Yesterday it seemed as if everyone on Earth had a snow day except Princeton. I went to work and within an hour and a half they were letting all the non-critical employees go home, but if I went home I wouldn't have been paid, so I stayed. I think what really convinced them was the blackout...funny story. So Mudd has two floors of "stacks" above the main floor, with most of the collections in various boxes. Most of the time it is not too brightly lit (though you can turn on as many lights as you want) because there are NO WINDOWS, and most of the time it's pretty deserted; I'm often on my own up there. (Also, I assume documents do better when light isn't glaring down on them at all times). I went up to the third floor to get some file folders, and I was alone, and it was dead quiet. It's a spooky place, and I was just thinking "this would be a great horror movie setting" when the lights go out. There are a few little emergency lights so I can see the emergency exit sign, but it's pretty pitch black. I got the heck out of there; man, that's scary. At least I wasn't the guy stuck in the completely-dark elevator. The blackout was not too long, though; soon I was back up to the third floor, having not gotten my folders the first time, albeit a little warily. Initiations this weekend...I really want to be in some group but I'm not sure who's doing what and how to join up. I must be there in some capacity! Stupid having to miss the meeting for rehearsal. Dan slipped a box of chocolates into my bag on the pretext that it was "unzipped." I discovered them during rehearsal. It was really sweet, even if cherry cordial creme Hershey's kisses are filled with a substance that looks, smells, tastes and has the consistency of soft cherry lip balm (like the stuff you get in pots from the Body Shop). So weird. The Boris cast liked them, though; to the point where our professor director accidentally stole some from a student and was sorry, but not sorry enough to give them back. Today I was given more chocolate and apparently there is something tomorrow. We celebrated this evening with sushi, rehearsal and class killing the previous evening. Had a nice dinner with Chan; lovely to see him again! Am seeing and talking to the old gang lately; this makes me a happy person. Time to go watch a movie with Dan...and try to keep my mind off worrying about the interview. It's on the 28th so I'll drive myself nuts if I think about it all the time until then. I've got my fingers crossed, though. -Ilana Current Mood: excited Current Music: University of Oregon Off the Rocks - Something Like That (14 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 12th, 2007
11:01 pm	THESIS BREAKTHROUGH!!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D ! .... I think, anyway. :) Current Mood: excited Current Music: The Who - Baba O'Reilly (4 Comments |Comment on this)
3:55 am	From tiny chips large posts grow I really need to stop wasting time on this thesis. But I really don't know what to do with it al the moment. I am craving so many food-related things from Toronto right now; bah, this town can be uninspiring food-wise sometimes. There's no dim sum, no Juice For Life, no Sushi Bong or Sushi on Bloor, or Lee or La Papillon or Hungarian food like Country Style; no red bean buns, no T&T. Also, suddenly I miss ketchup chips. Bizarre, I know, but the idea of going another four months without them (at least!) makes me sad. Where's a Ketchup Chip Fairy when you need one? I guess what it comes down to is that I'm missing Toronto, not just its food (which is lovely). I wish I'd gone home over Intersession something terrible; I know I stayed because Dan couldn't have afforded to come with and he'd have been lonely, but I can't shake the feeling that it might have been my last chance to come home for who knows how long. I miss my parents, I miss my home-friends; I want to go to Ksenija's birthday celebrations, darn it! (Happy birthday, by the way- both to you and David). I know it's only been a little over a month since I've been back on campus, but I went home twice when I usually do so three or four times, so maybe that's a part of it, too. Maybe it feels like I'm slowly letting go entirely, except that I don't want to. I'm hoping that, even if I wind up in Iowa or something for the next three years, I'll have breaks to come home...but after that, say I get a job in New York; am I going to use my two weeks off to go home every year, or will I try to actually go on vacation? (Not that home isn't a vacation, but I'm thinking of travel). It's funny; I came here to post about ketchup chips and got this. The little things, I guess. I love my friends here, but I haven't seen them excessively much lately; I spend a lot of time in my room on the Internet because I have much less to do than I ever have before (fewer classes with less reading, not on boards anymore...starting to lose my will to fight for a cappella groups where only half the members show up or a rehearsal doesn't get off the ground at all, not that talking for an hour with the Koleinu-ers who showed up wasn't wonderful, but I feel like I'm tired and I'm almost gone as it is). I want to audition for Myths and Hymns (Guettel love!) but I'm worried because of Boris. Boris may or may not be a 22-hours-a-week time commitment, however; I'm hoping I don't have to go to all the rehearsals, as I am a dramaturg on this production, not an actor or stage manager. But nobody is telling me, so I can't schedule anything because most days there are four hours of rehearsal! If it is that much of a commitment, that means instead of the normal second semester senior 6-7 hours of class, I will have 25. Most of which is doing what I like and I'd do for an extracurricular anyway, but I'm a little thesis-worried. This is going to be the best experience I'll have for grad school so there's no way I'd drop it. The first class was fun, anyway...a couple of hours discussion about the play and those involved with it (originally and now) and the set, and these awesome cables that are so stretchy that people will be using the entire set as an awesome flying jungle gym; yeah, it's an exciting production. Then we did biometric exercises (which I don't know if I needed to do, not being an actor in this and all) which were pretty cool, although my feet were SO sore from the exercise where you had to jump over a cane being swung back and forth by your partner while holding a glass of water. I fail at jumping with both feet. Lots of spilled water and whacked feet (and with a heavy-ass cane, too!) Oy, I am such a klutz. (I feel the need to follow that with "I could just plotz"). Otherwise, no harm done- I liked the one where we had to push each other over; I managed to best the director (larger than me and male) and Will and I tied in the battle of the dramaturgs ("I see your Dramaturgy is as strong as mine"). Going out on Thursday was fun, but I feel like I'll always be worried about it because I have this class the next day. Oh, I should just suck it up, honestly. Also on Thursday Dan and I saw the Freshman One-Act Festival; hooray, talented frosh. Hooray for Sophie! (Though I must admit- saying the show is two hours and having it go three might not be the best plan). Fun stuff. Shawn in the audience was a party in a box as usual. He has what those from home might recognize as an Ephraim laugh- i.e., everyone in the theatre can hear it and it's ultra-distinctive. Between Boris and Dan's Wednesday evening class, who knows when we'll get to celebrate Valentine's Day. I know it's a stupid holiday, but I do care about it, I'm sorry, I get sucked in by these things. Blah. After class Friday, I actually played with the Band at a basketball game. It took us two overtimes, but we did win over Harvard- yeah, our...ONE win in the Ivy League this year. I've been to one game and we've won once. Coincidence? I think not! I forgot my lyre and had to seriously improvise with music-holding. When Dan got there it got easier because he'd hold my music up for me. Then I went to the Band girls bonding party, and Dan went to Quad's semiformal, ostensibly until it stopped being members-only at midnight when he'd come get me. Well, milkshakes were drunk and While You Were Sleeping played...and midnight came and went, and so did 1am. 1:15 and my gathering broke up. Still no sign. 1:30 and he shows up at my door, absolutely plastered. It scared the hell out of me. I'm really used to him being the more responsible one when it comes to these things and I had never seen him like that before. I stayed up until 6am (until I couldn't stay awake any more) making sure he was okay and asleep on his side and all that and...yeah, I know for most people this is routine friend-care. I guess I'm just really bad at taking care of people. Anyway, suffice it to say that I was completely freaked out but that it's all okay now. Saturday there was some great 90's music at Quad and Sensemaya at Terrace, which is always a good time. Pretty much wasted Sunday...the whole weekend, really. Argh. Have to get myself in gear. Am looking forward to Initiations and such, though. Sigh. I guess my big problem now is feeling useless; not seeing many of my friends, not in charge of most things, can't go home, can't fix a cappella problems, can't fix my thesis, can't get a schedule answer about Boris, can't celebrate Valentine's Day, in stasis about grad school- there is nothing I can do but wait. Can't even jump over a damn cane. I'm not overly upset; a lot of good has been happening. Maybe all I need is a hug, a friendly chat, and a small bag of ketchup chips. -Ilana Current Mood: anxious Current Music: Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
8:17 pm	The music - it moves! Hmm, I totally forgot to mention PUP diner-bonding in my post. (That's okay, though...that post was so long that I don't think anyone read it anyway- no more waiting weeks without posting!)It was all pretty funny, including Caleb having to fix the restaurant, the strange tone of the GPS system, explaining a certain debacle to a freshman, the cheeseburger questioning and the multitudes of photos. It was great to dress up, go out and meet the new PUPers, and I like all of them. We are in good hands, I think. I'm kind of liking this whole second semester senior bit. I wonder, if I don't get into grad school, if Mudd might hire me full-time, because that would be a fun job to have. Also, I am almost thirty years behind the world, as I have just discovered the effect and joy of portable music. I got an iPod for my birthday (I'm aware that hasn't been around for thirty years, but I didn't have a Walkman either) and finally really used it over the past few days, with work, and then finally with walking around after work. I got so excited...I went to the CJL to table for Koleinu with David, and I arrived wide-eyed..."David, it's amazing...you move...and the MUSIC moves WITH you!!" So much for lugging a portable cd player and a bag of cds with me to work. It cheers me up so much, I tell you. I actually want to go to the gym with it now, which just shows how incredibly radical its effect on me has been. Weirdly, walking with music makes me feel more confident. It's really strange. Well, I guess I feel the same way when I have a really great upbeat song stuck in my head, only here it's provided for me. Also- this is kind of entertaining: I think that Franki put it best when she wrote: "It's like the letter boxes in elementary school when you'd send each other the cheap drugstore cutout valentines. Only, through the internet, so it requires a lot less effort." I really used to love giving everyone in the class valentines. So you should sign up so that I can send you valentines! I signed up to send people valentines, so I figured I might as well put it up as long as I was already signed up for it. :) Perhaps to thesisize... -Ilana Current Mood: chipper Current Music: Herman Düne - I Wish That I Could See You Soon (4 Comments |Comment on this)
1:08 am	Intersession and pickups and classes, oh my! Some day I will figure out what is going on in that little head of mine, and that day I will throw a party. And I'll bring the sanity brownies. Anyway, so we're back to the (sort of) routine. The only few things of note, pre-this week, are these: The Wednesday before Intersession I was intending on going to Intime for a half hour for my predecessor meeting (it sounds so ominous) with my...well, Props successors, Courtney and Megan. It turned into a random meeting of hilarity with Doug and Ira...which turned into me staying for clean-up...which turned into two hours attacking the props room... Here I pause to note that someone had hung a somewhat dismembered baby doll from a pipe on the ceiling, by it's "pull to make sound" thread. Now, this was one of the creepiest things I have ever seen, but it was so...funny, somehow, (so wrong) to pull it and see it gradually raising back up accompanied by this spooky lullabye-type music. The worse part is that I let BAC into the props room likely after this had been put there without my knowledge. They might have seen it, thought it was my addition, and therefore thought me crazy. Which I might be, but not because of that, I can tell you! Anyway, the props cleanout was a spectacle and hilarious. And then a bunch of us hung out at Intime for a while, and then Ira dragged (well, without much convincing) me to the Tower Underground party, where we convinced them to let me in though I was not a sophomore. I much enjoyed the bubbles that were made of blacklight paint, so that when you popped them you got covered with it. Ira and Franki and I and some others hung out for most of that night, the two Torontonians deciding that we needed to drink as quickly as possible to catch up. Well...it worked. :P All in all, it was a stellar night of drinking and dancing and carefree FUN, which I desperately needed...thanks, guys! Then the three of us trooped off to Intime for a while, until I lost them and was met on the way home (very very late) by Dan. A grand success. ( Intersession ) Sunday was a whole bunch of fun. Dan and I were late to the Intime board meeting due to waking up late but desperately wanting to shower (separately, thank you very much) and got there only to be informed that we didn't need to come because it was new board now. At least I got to go to one last board meeting. *sniffle* and I had to turn in my keys! (Well...sort of). Afterwards, Dan and I went to our respective clubs. I had dinner, achieved my goal of talking to someone new, and got ready for *Terrace pickups!* by painting a cape. (It looked really nice, too bad it all flaked off or somesuch later). Then drank beer in the Terrace tv room while watching the Superbowl (for the first time; it's not like I'd watch it in Canada where there aren't even the special commercials) for an hour or so, sometime during the middle of the first half until about after the halftime show. Oh, football. I don't get you, except when Princeton is playing, and even then I don't really care about the game mechanics. You wimps have more downs and fewer yards anyway. But then, we have two teams (of, like, twelve) with the same name, so who are we to judge? ( Totally awesome pickups ) I think my class in "Love and Liberty in 17-18th century Literature" is going to be good, though I definitely prepared WAY too much for it. Christian's in my class, which is nice. I had to work front desk at Mudd for the first time in my four years there- scary! And I FINALLY went back to band practice! HOORAY! Though I was the only alto sax at first, we finally grew to four. It just felt SO GOOD to play again, and to be back, and to be ABLE to be back, and to finally put my sax back in its case. And we're now playing Holiday by Green Day, which is a GREAT band song, and a great sax part, and I just got so hyper about it! Whee! And then Dan took me out to Thai Village to celebrate 2 years and 5 months. ( Truncated whining ) Looking forward to a lot more fun and soon. -Ilana Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Green Day- Holiday (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, January 29th, 2007
11:34 am	OMG. : ) So I just got my grades back. Holy crap. CLA 212 Classical Mythology: A MUS 242 Music Post 1945: A ENG 301 The Old English Period: A ENG 403 Victorian Novels into 20th C Film: A- Semester GPA: 3.925 This also raises my total GPA to the next tenth up...this was my BEST SEMESTER EVER. And three of those courses are for my major, too! :) (Too bad I already sent my transcript to grad schools!) I don't usually feel that proud of myself, but, this was probably the hardest semester of my life. I was producing shows, doing more extra-curriculars than ever, applying to grad school, trying to write my thesis, and had two finals for every course. One of my professors told me late in the year, "Maybe you should have taken fewer courses," which was both fairly embarrassing and, I thought then, probably true. I barely saw any other human being for over two weeks because I was in my room, working my ass off. And it actually paid off, for once. So I'm really proud of myself right now. And if the rejections start rolling in over the next few months, I can tell myself, at least I know I can do this. Now I want to go celebrate. Is anyone still on campus? Anyone? I want to go home; I miss people. (Of course, I also miss most of the people here, because it's not like I've seen most of them). Non-grades life post to follow sometime. -Ilana :) Current Mood: jubilant Current Music: Morten Lauridsen- Ubi Caritas et Amor (23 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 21st, 2007
10:57 pm	the end is nigh Less than 24 hours before my last two exams are due, and I have totally hit the wall...too bad I have 17 more pages to go! I'm so burnt out, I can't even panic. Really not happy. Really tired. Just want to not have something hanging over my head still every time I finish some giant deadline. Well...here goes nothing, I guess. PS: Instruction 1: This part of the exam should take you an hour. Instruction 2: Length: 1200-1500 words. WHO WRITES 1500 WORDS IN AN HOUR!?! WHERE IS THE LOGIC!?!? EDIT: Well, as of 9am I have the 14-pager done, with the 3-4 pager left, due at 4pm. Maybe I'm not as screwed as I thought! Maybe I could even *gasp* have lunch! (Well, that one's not for sure yet). Go me! EDIT THE SECOND: 12:20pm and I AM DONE THIS SEMESTER!!! I just need to print and hand in. That's all. Oh my god. Not counting my lengthy grad apps, I think in the past two weeks I have written around 23,000 words in assignments. Wheeeeeeeeee I'm so glad it's over!!! I MADE IT!!! Now it's just those pesky grad school apps... Current Mood: ecstatic Current Music: Tom Petty- Free Fallin' (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 20th, 2007
12:53 pm	"My Name is Pope Benedict and I am Funky" Having a Saturday morning 9am exam is the new not having a Saturday morning 9am exam. Which means that all the cool kids are doing it...or, it means that I used to not have one and then I did have one. Today. Which I pretty much stayed up all night for but at least that means I didn't have to worry about sleeping through it. It went well, but I wrote from 9-noon without taking a break, so I was shaking when I left due to sheer...writitude. Also probably adrenaline. The reason I shouldn't have 9am Saturday exams is that it plays havoc with my brain. I walk into Terrace for lunch, shaky after my exam, looking forward to a sandwich and fries, and smell eggs, and I'm like, WHY ARE THERE EGGS...Terrace NEVER HAS EGGS for lunch...eggs are not lunch...what's going on...SUSPICIOUS!!! And then I slowly realize that it's brunch, because Saturday is actually part of the weekend. Oy. It was a really slow realization for what it was. So yesterday I ran all over New York when I should have been studying, because I had to pick up that copy of my rec form and then try to barge my way into Columbia GSoA Admissions...which wasn't really that much barging. I can't believe it all worked out, but I physically handed them the missing piece on time, so *knock on wood* at least that's not why I'd get rejected. Then I went to Chinatown and had dim sum and bubble tea and bought a lot of red bean pastries because, hey, as long as I'm there, I might as well do something useful. It was nice, though I'd rather have had company. I was in Frist last night after being upset at dinner...and I walked by this Aquinas Club flyer, and it said, "CATHOLIC?" ...and under it was this picture of Pope Palpatine grinning creepily with his hands thrown up in the air in some sort of funky-like gesture...I know this wasn't their intent and I must be going to hell, but I just. Couldn't. Stop. Laughing. I BURST into the loudest laughter in the middle of the campus centre and people were looking at me. But it was just so unintentionally hilarious...I was laughing out loud almost halfway back to my dorm. Dan thought I was going to die. Really, you should see this poster...like Dan said, it's sort of "My Name is Pope Benedict and I am Funky"... Anyway. Two take-homes, three grad apps to go. Home stretch. SO TIRED. -Ilana Current Mood: amused Current Music: The Klezmonauts- Little Drummer Boy (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 13th, 2007
9:59 pm	I guess that's one fewer application fee. "A notice to those interested in our graduate program: To inaugurate new and exciting changes in our Master of Fine Arts curriculum, the Graduate Program in Theater at the University of Massachusetts will NOT be admitting a class of graduate students for the 2007-08 academic year. Graduate students in directing, dramaturgy, costume design, lighting design, and scenic design will next be admitted for the 2008-09 academic year. In subsequent years, students will be admitted every two out of three years. Changes in admissions procedures and curriculum will allow us to offer a more rigorous and vigorous theater education while augmenting our distinctive brand of hands-on training and close personal mentoring." FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK GODDAMN AND ALL THOSE BAD WORDS. I really *LIKED* that program and I thought it was my best chance of getting into an MFA, and I don't want to wait a year doing nothing! Why does this month keep getting more and more upsetting? I could really use some ray of sunshine here. Anything. UMass...you're such a tease... Current Mood: crushed (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 10th, 2007
6:34 am	Welcome back to school This paper is going so badly. And it's due at 3pm. I can't remember a paper of mine going so badly ever. I have seven things due in the next seven days. After that, I have seven more things due. I think I might be having a breakdown. I knew there was a reason I didn't want to go back to school. *cries* When did I turn into a stupid person? This is like a bad dream. Current Mood: miserable Current Music: Northwestern X-Factors - Hide and Seek (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 8th, 2007
3:58 pm	You suck, Air Canada My flight was supposed to leave 18 minutes ago. Instead, it is not leaving, because it was canceled this morning. ARGH! Am now leaving on a 9:15am flight tomorrow, because I didn't want to take their offer of a 3pm flight that went to Montreal first and stopped over for like three hours, or the flight that if delayed much (which I'm sure it would be) would make me miss the train home. Air Canada, I shake my head at you. I know I was whining about not wanting to go back, but you didn't have to take that to heart! -Ilana Current Mood: discontent (2 Comments |Comment on this)