All Grown Up. Ha. That's laughable.

Today, I discovered that I am an adult.

Absolutely devastating, right? I KNOW!!!!

I've been noticing clues popping up all over the place as of late. There's the obvious ones, like being completely OCD about working and the compensation that is included with such activities. I have been auditioning like a madman and doing SO much preparation for each one because a year ago, my auditions were a HOT MESS and I just relied on getting gigs through my networking skills. Also laughable, right?

Another clue is that I am scheduling things more than a few hours in advance. Back in college, when I directed Edges, my cast was about ready to kill me at times with my rehearsal schedule.....or lack thereof....The upside of this new obsession is that I am officially booked through the END OF THE YEAR! STABILITY! YESSSS! Another example is that I made (and carried out) a six week rehearsal plan for Zombie Prom. I know that pales in comparison to my friends who are music ed people, but for me, that is more or less unheard of. I usually make tons of tentative plans for things and then I lose interest (because I have the attention span of a goldfish) or I lose the plans themselves. Real professional, right?

The final straw was that tonight, after a rousing game of kickball with some friends, we went out to a bar near the University of Minnesota and I ordered a beer. AND I LIKED IT.

(gasps)

I always absolutely hated the taste of beer. Any beer. It didn't matter what kind or how "hoppy" it was. Whatever that means. The only beer I really liked EVER was a beer that my friend Joel gave to me when we were on a tour stop in Texas. And only after did I find out that it was actually half cider. So there's that.

Everyone always told me that my tastes would mature and I would develop an appreciation for beer and other "adult things" and apparently, today is that day. Horrifying. Soon I'll be getting dentures and a hip replacement and I'll be writing these entries from my favorite overstuffed rocking chair in the nursing home right off of Plymouth Boulevard. Can't wait.

As jarring as this realization was, I have taken this week off (yes, I have a week off! =] ) to review my life as it currently stands. And it actually looks okay. I just booked a reading of a new musical that will be going up the first week of October. I'm not sure if it is staged or semi-staged or a table-read or what. Now that I think of it, I don't even know the plot of the show. I should really be more attentive when reading audition notices....but anyway, I am really excited about this because its not often that an actor gets to work directly with the playwright and composer of a piece. Super pumped. I am also sending in my materials for final rounds for a replacement in a national tour. I can't say much on that yet though, because nothing is set in stone.

I have also had the recent pleasure of catching up with a lot of friends who I haven't seen since either graduation or since I last worked with them, which in some cases, has been years! I am so proud of each of them. Its so easy to become very self-involved in life. The type of work that I do is very centered on, well....me. Between acting workshops, voice coaching, dance classes and the type of critical feedback I receive, it is increasingly easy for everything else to fade away. I think this is why I find it so invigorating to hear about what other people are working on, whether its arts related or not. I am so enthralled by the daily goings-on in the lives of my friends! And I am so proud of the things that they are doing in their lives. Many of my friends are just getting their first taste of classroom shenanigans during their student teaching, which includes the obligatory hilarity that ensues when shaping young minds. Hahaha! One highlight is that I recently had the immense privilege of seeing two friends and former colleagues perform in the Nat'l tour of Wicked and one cool cat just got back to this side of the pond after finishing Hair in London. Crazy, right?!?! Everyone is growing up so fast. Myself included.....which is scary but also really exciting. That is the interesting thing about the future. The unknown is one of the most scary things to me, but if I keep all my ducks in a row and continue to surround myself with the passionate, caring people that frequent my life, things should turn out okay, right?!

Theme of the month: Don't fade to beige.

This has been one of the most influential ideas over the past few years, and after seeing it play a huge role in my life and the lives of those around me, I think its probably a keeper.

Be well.

Andy