Work Hard, Play Hard.doc

Do you ever have such a productive day that it seems as if you've added four hours to the stingy twenty-four we're alloted? Today has been like that for me; I feel like I've run a marathon. This late night blog post is just another stop along the way. 

Work Hard: Today I worked in studio for eight hours with 50 first year students who are developing final presentations which they perform next week. So, guess who's the new hip and laid-back MA student who knows all the first years? I kid. It was an cool to have been chosen to help out (since the program Director thought I'd be a decent instructor) and it turned out to be a pretty inspiring day. One can get serious, cynical, and wrapped up in research very quickly as a postgrad, but there is something more naive in the approach of the majority of first year students. They seem to possess the energy and enthusiasm that comes with the knowledge that they've begun a new journey. It reminds me of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, beautiful works in my opinion, which explore the duality of the "two contrary states of the human soul." I was a little terrified this morning that I wouldn't be able to fill an hour workshopping with each group. My fears were quickly extinguished when again and again it became a race against the clock to try to work out all the new ideas I was able to offer in each time slot. I realized that even though it was difficult to sit down and plan out the types of advice I could offer, the five years of schooling was all accessible once in the moment - I was pulling out 'as-ifs', 'objectives', 'status' and 'tension' levels, 'atmospheres', LePage type prop play, and of course a keen attention to aesthetics. At a time when it's inevitable to start thinking about career options, today reinvigorated a self-confidence in what I have to offer. Today I realized how incredibly scary being 'the instructor' can be, but the potential for those moments of joy become all the more possible. 

Play Hard: Two Brits, an Australian, an Indian, a Singaporean, and a Canadian walk into a bar...on Brazilian night. The beginning to a popular joke? No! My Tuesday night. The international possibilities are endless here. Some of my program mates and I went to a Brazilian night at the union - live music and dance, special cocktails....and some posters on the wall of Brazil. So the decor was lacking, yes (I know a special blog commenter who would have Braziled the heck out of Brazil Night). After the live music and dance, which was pretty much the highlight of the event, the music kind of devolved into a DJing playing Spanish music with some Gasolina and Bob Sinclair thrown in for good measure. It's the closest I'll come to Brazil in at least the next five years.

Work Hard: I've been spending a lot of time at the library - definitely more time than I ever did at uni in Canada. I can't really do much work at Heronbank. I think the residence room just doesn't feel like an official study zone to me. The library culture at Warwick is also really attractive. Aside from the crazy security, the libraries are pretty mod and feature a lot of new-age learning strategy zones that I find amusing - white boards for break out collaboration, computers hooked up to video screens all over the place, reallllly comfortable sitting areas, and a lot of technology designed for different learning styles. It's a very stimulating environment. Hincks and I skyped while I was at the library. We didn't talk, but rather watched each other on video and chatted. It was a pretty funny setup. The library rules. I'm going to say goodbye before Christmas.

Play Hard: What do you get when you combine rollerblading and alcohol? The beginning to a popular joke? No! My Wednesday night. Lotte, Bec, and I went to the union for the second night in a row for a theme night which just begged spectatorship: Roller Disco. That's right. Somene thought of, and approved, an idea to have a roller rink at a campus bar. Picture if you can the alcohol infused collisions that could possibly take place at such a venue and multiply it by two. For one, it may have been the combination of alcohol and skates, but the Brits were pretty sad bladers. Granted, we come from a nation where you usually have worn a pair of skates by the time you're five, but I was still unimpressed (I was taught to skate by Mr. Owen Nolan and can say in confidence I was the fastest on my team a handful of times, a thank you). Unfortunately the lineup for blades was much too long and we were happy to avoid the throng and observe on the sidelines. Instead, we've made it a priority to go ice skating in Coventry in the next two weeks.

Work Hard: To give you an idea of the final project that I've mentioned, I'm part of a group exploring theatre curation. We've settled on the concept of creating an exhibition featuring notions of National Identity in each of our home countries and what that can tell us about concepts of nationalism across cultures. I'm focusing in on Wajdi Mouawad's Scorched and Tideline as adding a new concept to the current patchwork of Canadian Identity presented in the theatre. I'm proposing his vision focuses on origins, venturing outside our borders to gain a perspective of what's inside, and considering Canada's identity in an increasingly globalized world. The exhibit will feature production material showcasing the plays, with two scripts the author's agent is sending to the UK, juxtaposed with the performance of National Identity in previous Canadian productions and popular culture. An ambitious project to say the least.

Play Hard: I leave for Sweden early Saturday morning! I'm actually departing The Spa late tomorrow night and making my way through London to Stansted. Paul and I are excited to explore all that Stockholm has to offer. Sunday night we're partying on a boat named Patricia located in the harbour - we'll say hi to her for you. Some friends in TO are taking a roadtrip to Kingston. Weekend getaways all around!

Doc's Prescription for the Day: I want to avoid something stereotypically Swedish (like meatballs, the Chef, ABBA) so why don't I prescribe one of their most successful exports: IKEA! If you take some time to head to Ikea, it'll be like you're in Stockholm with me. Exactly like it. They even have a smorgasbord...and a ball pit.