10 things we can't live without!

 

I read an article today in a magazine entitled.........10 things we can’t live without! 

Quote:“Nearly everything had to go. A few months after losing her administrative job in the summer of 2008, 23-year-old Brianna Karp got rid of her furniture, a beloved piano, and most of her books so she could move back in with her parents. When that didn't work out, she moved into an old trailer a relative had left her, settling into an informal homeless community in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Brea, Calif. By the summer of 2009, she was living without electricity, regular showers, home-cooked food, and most basic conveniences.

Karp held tight to one appurtenance, however: her laptop computer. She spent hours at a nearby Starbucks, using the wireless network to surf for jobs. A friend suggested she start a blog about her life on the edge, which she called the Girl's Guide to Homelessness. It generated attention that helped land a part-time magazine internship. Then came an offer to write a book about her ordeal, which is due out in 2011 and might get turned into a movie. With some money from a book advance, Karp has upgraded to a better trailer, on a friend's property, and she's eyeing a Victorian fixer-upper she'd like to make her permanent home. Yet she craves few of the material things she's given up, while cherishing the friends and opportunities she's discovered online. "When you're in survival mode, you slash everything," Karp says. "That makes the online community that much more important. Online, somebody will always be there for me."”

This made me think of a film called “Julie and Julia” and how this inspired me to use the idea of a personal reflective blog to document my Solo Platform Performance journey at college.“Julie and Julia” started as a blog by Julie Powell, became a book, also by Powell, and eventually a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. All three document Powell's efforts to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook in one year's time. The blog, book and movie explore the obvious and not-so-obvious ways that the project changed the life of Julie Powell.

To read some of Julie’s blog click on the link;

http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/

I used this as an idea to keep a reflective blog in my third year at college to document the trials and tribulations of my Solo Platform Performance. My blog is a blog-by-blow account of my experiences with all the stages of the performance piece from the conception of the idea, to the first rehearsal on to the actual performance. It includes the successes and the failures along the way of my 3 month journey and is a very personal account. I thought it would motivate me and document my progress and be useful to critically reflect and evaluate at the end of the journey.

The difference between the 2 was that Julie’s was posted on the net and she quickly had lots of followers and hits, mine was just a personal diary and no one but my tutor read it at the end of my journey.

Julie says in one of  her blog entries , “What I didn’t know, when I started, was how much I would come to rely upon the feedback and encouragement and just plain daily greatness of all of you who’ve so inexplicably agreed to go through this thing with me.”

I also became addicted to writing my blog even though no one else was reading it. It became therapeutic for me to reflect on how everything was going and as I went on it became more and more of a very personal journey. It is brutally honest and critical and provides an insight into the roller coaster ride of emotions I went through. 

Here’s an extract from my reflective blog............... one of the bad days;

7: 45pm Friday 4^th June 2010

Ever had one of those days when you should never have got out of bed?

Shud’ve just pulled the duvet over the head and stayed there ?!
Well today was one of those days !!

Despite still feeling lousy got up at 6 and got to college for 8am to ensure I was on time for showcase opening rehearsal scheduled for 8.30am . Started rehearsal at 9:45 am and did exactly 4 bars of music before leaving for agent showcase rehearsal at 12 which I suppose went ok despite frog like croaking sounds from my direction. I sound like Bernadette in Priscilla.

I suddenly found out at the end of the showcase rehearsal that David Leighton’s rehearsal later is at St Johns Hall and I don’t have trainers. Not supposed to use heels there as the floor very slippy and risk of injury. Arrrrrrrggggggggh!
If I rush I may just get home to New Eltham and back in time to get trainers before platform rehearsal.

Platform rehearsal with other SP dancers and Luisa at 2:30pm  -        total disaster!!!!
Luisa seemed really annoyed with the group, said we were all totally unorganised and she seemed particularly cross with me cos I wasn’t at tutorial on Friday 21^st May but I had informed her at my first ever tutorial I had booked to meet Eddie to help me at home with the platform on the weekends of 8^th and 21^st May and she had said that was ok !!
This was not a good start!!

[ Being honest it’s a good job I did go home those two weekends cos Eddie is  the one dance person who has actually helped me put something constructive together – so far it’s been a very solo , solo platform with lots of promises of help but in reality actually nothing happening !!]

Anyway, went through the dance and I felt it didn’t go too badly. My balance in the opening ponche felt good and I really tried to focus on the breath so my turns in attitude and at the end went well but overall I know I have done the piece much better but it was the first time with other students watching it, the cd was fowling up,  and I had to put my hand down in no handed, I had to use a very bad plastic chair which I couldn’t manoeuvre on  very well and  basically had a very hostile audience, even CT did not make any impression.

Luisa said nothing – no feedback – not one word.  Not even any feedback from fellow students, not even a polite ripple of applause for having the balls to get up there. I clapped everyone cos I thought they were all so amazing!!

Silence is golden and speaks volumes doesn’t it?!! I know now what the expression “died” on stage really means.
Apparently today was a dress rehearsal – well thanks anyone and everyone for letting me know – nothing about that on call notice  -  mine still in Yorkshire with the chair!!
My music needs further editing as technical people are not able to cope on Monday with fading music? I won’t even go there I haven’t the where with all but Jack came to my rescue and offered to edit it over the weekend!!
 (Bless him for that.)
In a rush to get my trainers I had left my programme notes for Luisa in my other bag, so will have to email them through to her later when I get home!

Everyone else performed their dances and Luisa gave feedback to each one – how they had improved and worked hard and each had a little ripple of applause from the other students – how great does that make me feel guys??  Self esteem and confidence hit rock bottom again!  I am dancing at number 6 in the line up and Steph is to set my props for me and I’m to help her with hers, she’s dancing second. Obviously sandwiched me between Katie and James so everyone got 8 minutes to get over the euphoria of Katie and prepare for James who will both be very good and very popular with the crowd!!! It’ll give everyone time to get their breath back anyway and read the programme notes for the others!!! It’s the point where if it were on telly you’d go to make a cup of tea, like when the Cypriot entry comes on the Eurovision song contest!

Oh well, ever hopeful, maybe David Leighton will boost me with some confidence later.

Think my day couldn’t get any worse oh boy how wrong could I be ?!

Got the worst ballet result and report I’ve ever had in my life for my 3^rd year assessment –  dreadfully disappointed and totally disillusioned. Probably a pointless exercise dancing the platform in front of any of the ballet faculty I’m so bad apparently!!!!!!!  I could cry – my opening move is a ponche into a ronde jambe and just for a treat there’s a devloppe in there and fouettes at the end – oh joy.
Oh well, dig deep girl and  keep going Emily only another 4 hours of the worst day ever to get through!!!

Next stop David Leighton’s show piece rehearsal. Hopefully this will go well and end my day on a high .
 
Make it by skin of teeth to St Johns.
Walk into rehearsal.
Everyone else in heels – me in trainers – New Yorkers in locker at Bexley !!
[Deffo a Bridget Jones moment!!]
Worse still, David Leighton announces he is finishing rehearsal early as he has to be somewhere else  -  obviously not going to watch my platform – heart sinks to boots – it’s now officially a really, really bad day !!

 Long bus ride home alone – tired after 10 hour day, hot and sticky ( it’s been 26 degrees and sunny) , still full of this viral infection,  disillusioned and disappointed. No one has actually looked at the second half of my piece to give me any constructive criticism. I feel really lonely right now.

OMG !!!!  I’m totally incompetent at ballet and  it’s official my platform is crap!!!

Can’t get upset I’m working tomorrow so need to get an early night again – gonna have hot shower and something to eat, then bed with hot ribena and paracetemol. How fun is my life?
For what it’s worth I’ve emailed programme notes to Luisa.

Note to self:   Maybe Freed have got full time vacancies after July 17^th  – seems the nearest I’ll ever get to being a dancer is to sell dance shoes, tights and leotards to other dancers !!!!]

I read the whole of the blog again and I was astonished at the memories it brought flooding back but what a really excellent way of storing and documenting information keeping a blog like that can be, it gives you so much information to use when evaluating and reflecting on the process and the successes and failures.

So the big question, should I publish? It worked for Brianna Karp and Julie Powell !
There may be a book and a film deal pending??!! I could even play the part of myself in the movie!....