Saturday, March 17, 2007

Poetic justice.

How nice is it that, after I have written two days ago about how lovely it is outside, that yesterday it snow-iced 4 inches? Yes, indeed. Let's hope this is winter's swan song becuase I can't take much more sleet-in-the-face.

Today is Saint Patrick's Day. Parade, revelry and drinking - none of which I am participating in. But let's reflect: Saint Patrick's day in New York makes me think of a day exactly four years ago, which for me was another Saint Patrick's day spent in New York. I was a senior at Fresno State, performing in a show, trying to graduate in two months and knee-deep in the Grad School panic. In Februray of 2003 in San Francisco, I auditioned for Tisch and the graduate acting program at NYU. I got a much-desired callback and on the 16th of March, I flew on a red-eye to NYC to secure my education for the next 3 years - or so I thought. I was trying desperately to convince myself that an MFA in acting was worth the $100,000 in loan debt that would follw me around for 35 years after graduating from such a pretigious school. I was trying to pretend also that I actually enjoyed acting - that it was something that I wanted to continue doing and it wasn't just something that I did because people said I was good at it.

Let's just say that I did not present myself well at this particular callback. In fact, I venture to say that it ranks number one as my Worst Audition Ever. However, if I had gotten into NYU, I never would have accepted my offer at the Chicago Conservatory of Performing Arts. Now, y'all know what I think of that "educational institution". But it took moving to Chicago and going to a super-crappy school in order to arrange my life path so that it would cross that of my darling husband. And now look where we are... in New York, on Saint Patrick's day, four years later. The Empire State Buling is lit green and I am in the same green sweater that I wore four years ago. (Even though I should be wearing orange, but we won't go into that.)

And now I shall go scrape the ice-snow off the car before it solidifies into an ice-block that won't melt until June.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You gotta believe it - things happen the way they're supposed too. It's just that sometimes we can't see any reason for the happening at the time.

Love,
Mom

paperdigits@gmail.com said...

I hope your mom is right. My mom said basically the same thing to me about what is going on now- a fork in the road if you will. I am more skeptical, I think something will work out, but I am not sure what. Things are... things. As it turns out, I might be visiting soon, if I don't get into grad. school somewhere. One of my best friends just got accepted to the MFA poetry program at Brown. Fuck it maybe I will move to Rhode Island. Who knows. It's been about 80 here in LA. Nice and warm... in the middle of March... I have been questioning my own art of late-- but I still feel like i have to do it. You were a good actor, quite talented if i do say so myself. You certainly gave me an experience watching you that I would not have had otherwise, and for this I am thankful. I remember the play you produced at Fresno State. . . I couldn't tell you what it was about now... but I remember sitting there and enjoying it. Which reminds me, I really need to get to the Geffen playhouse before I leave here. It looks like an excellent facillity... hope work isn't weighing too heavily on you-- us Semricks-- we're all artist... not cut out for day jobs and shit like that ;)