Day Forty-One: Halloween

Happy Halloween! Today as I walked through the Fireplace Lounge in L/L I was surrounded by a mob of cuteness. Local kids parade through the building every year. They were dressed up in every costume conceivable; there were fairies and Disney princesses and SWAT team members and pirates. The look on every kids' face was pure excitement. They got to show off their awesome costume to so many people! I wish I could go back to the days when finding a costume was easy; you just asked your mom to help you and they would drive you to the closest store. I had a hard time coming up with a costume today, but I needed something. I have rehearsal tonight, so we're all going dressed up. As per a friend's suggestion, I am dressing up nicely and pinning "I'm sorry." onto my dress to be "a formal apology". I think the witty costumes are always fun.
Another exciting thing happened today. I talked to my theatre professor, and I officially declared a second minor in theatre! I'm really excited. I've always loved theatre, but I never thought it would be something I could study; I never thought that I was "good" enough. When I looked at the requirements for the minor, it seemed easy to accomplish, only 6 classes, all of which I can't wait to take. I'm going to try to take Fundamentals of Costuming this Spring semester, because then I'll be able to help with costuming for Much Ado About Nothing. I think this is a great way to stay involved with the theatre, even if I'm not acting in a show.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Forty: Busy Bee

Lately I've had so much going on. At times it's been hard to take a second to just sit and clear my head. Even now as I write this, the blog intended to clear my head at the end of the day and sort out my thoughts, I'm thinking of a million other things, including my geography exam that I have tomorrow. I still need to study more for that, but I think sleep needs to win right now. Sleep has been one thing which is beginning to fall to the wayside. Between rehearsal for Toys Take Over Christmas, swim practice, working and school work, I've been staying up later and later.
I've been trying to make better use of my time. I'll bring multiple things to the library so I can study, undisturbed, for a prolonged period of time. This has really helped me. I find when I'm around other people studying, I'm less likely to get distracted. The nice thing about the library is that there is the Cyber Cafe, so if I'm hungry or need a jolt of caffeine, all I have to do is walk downstairs. For the past few days I've been using that as my study break. I feel like I've been living in the library, but at least I'm getting work done. Instead of spending more time writing this, I'm going to go review some notes for geography.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Nine: Trust

One of the most important things to me is trust. Today I was in the library studying for an upcoming exam. I had my laptop and everything with me, but I was getting hungry. I wanted to go downstairs to the Cyber Cafe and grab a bite to eat. I couldn't leave me laptop sitting out. I wanted to trust that someone wouldn't just walk by and steal it, but you never know. Instead, I looked around and found a nice looking girl to watch it for me. She gladly let me set it down while I went downstairs. This could have gone wrong in so many ways, but thankfully it was still sitting there, undisturbed when I returned.
I asked that girl specific girl to watch it for me simply because she was sitting closest to me, but this got me thinking. I could have just as easily asked the guy sitting one more step away to watch it for me. Did I subconsciously ask a white, kind-looking female to watch my computer because I thought she looked safer and more trustworthy? Has society so engrained in our minds whom to trust and whom not to trust based solely on how they look? Did I allow society's stereotypes involving gender and race to determine with whom I would entrust me laptop? Stereotypes like these are planted in our  minds, mostly for safety. When we're in a potentially dangerous situation we try to find what's different, or wrong, so we can stay safe. However, all too often, those snap judgements and stereotypes translate into aspects of our lives where we are perfectly safe, and therefore have no need to assume the worst.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Eight: Simple Joys

As we get closer and closer to Thanksgiving break, everything seems to pile on. It's not even Halloween just yet and the professors are worried about getting everything in before we go home for a week. On top of class work, a lot of sports have events; I just had my first swim meet and others are going to important races and games. For me, also, rehearsal has started. It can be a lot to juggle at once. Things can get stressful, so I need to make sure that I'm finding the simple joys in things. Today I went to the library to work on my French skit with my partner. We found the joy in the skit by making her roommate a cat, instead of the expected human. In class, I try to find at least one thing in the lesson I really enjoy and can hang on to in order to get through the rest of the class.  Rehearsal does provide a much needed break. Instead of stressing about all of the things I have to do, I can become my character and enjoy thinking about how much fun the children will have when we perform.  Everyone is happy and laughing and enjoying every moment of rehearsal, despite how hot the rehearsal space can get.  These little joys and laughter help get me through the day and refocus me in my studying.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Seven: Tea

This morning I woke up and I wasn't feeling great. After a very small breakfast I drank some tea (as per Alice's suggestion). The chai green tea really helped me feel better. I always find tea to be therapeutic.  If I'm tired, cold, sick, or grumpy, I find tea can always fix things.  I think part of it is the tea itself, the flavors and the smells, along with the antioxidants and nutrition, but part of it is definitely the soothing effect of drinking a hot liquid. It just warms you from the inside out, and it always brings a smile to my face.
This afternoon I went to a guest lecture about tea. The woman giving the lecture was a professor at UC Santa Barbara. She talked about tea marketing in the 1930s and 1940s, and how it worked to remove the idea of imperialism, and focus on how tea revitalizes you. I found it very interesting. Big tea companies tried their hands at market researching, and using different advertising approaches in different parts of the world. In the US, they focused on iced tea, because it seemed more manly, and less British.  I never realized how much culture had an impact on tea, both the consumption and the marketing of it. One item really symbolized the change from a world of empires, to a world of self-governing, and developing, countries. So cheers!
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Six: Respect

I feel as if my personal space has been violated. Over the past few weeks someone I live with has been eating some of my food, even after I asked them politely not to. It's been getting on my nerves, but I couldn't stop them. This weekend, I went away for a swim meet. I was hoping I could trust this person not to take advantage of the fact that I was gone for the weekend, and just to leave my stuff alone. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I came back today to find my almonds almost completely gone, half of the protein bars my mom bought me done, and my orange juice had been drunk. I can't believe that someone would be so rude as to do that. They had no respect for my personal space and belongings and they have lost all of my trust and respect. If you can't just leave other people's things alone, especially when they aren't there to defend their space, then you aren't a good, trustworthy person at heart. I'm sorry about the rant, but I'm furious at this unacceptable behavior.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Five: Rutgers

Today we had a swim meet at Rutgers. It was my first swim meet ever. I was nervous, but excited. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at first, but it quickly turned into a fun day. I only swam 50s, but some of them were mixed into relays. I didn't realize before just how hard swim races were, but now I have so much more respect for good swimmers. After going to the doctor's yesterday, my breathing was a lot better. I didn't have any issues while I swam, so I was able to do the best I could and just focus on swimming, not on my breathing issues.

There was a long van ride down to New Jersey yesterday. We stayed the night in a hotel before heading to Rutgers. Now we are at our VP's house in NJ. We did some team bonding, including a long game of Twister. Tomorrow we have another long ride ahead of us to get back, so I'm going to go to bed.

-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Four: Relief

Today has been quite the busy day, and it's only 4 pm. I started my day by going to the Center for Health and Wellbeing. Lately my chest has been tight when I've been swimming, so I got that checked out. The doctor thinks that I'm allergic to the chlorine, which causes my bronchial tubes to become constricted. So, she gave me an inhaler with a bronchial dilator and allergy medicine. Hopefully that will do the trick and I'll be breathing properly at the Rutgers meet tomorrow. After that I had class, which was a pretty normal day in French.
This afternoon my dad took me to lunch at New World Tortilla. I had never been there before, and the food is really good. The wrap I got was huge; I couldn't even finish it, but it was delicious. Since my dad is working in Burlington, we are trying to go to lunch every other week. It's been nice so far. After that he showed me his new office at VEIC. The building is awesome. There are bright colors and things are open, which makes the office space seem cheerful and alive.
For the past hour I've been packing and relaxing. At 4:30 the swim club will leave to go down to New Jersey. We're going to stay in a hotel tonight before going to the Rutgers meet. I'm so excited! This will be my first swim meet, so I'm slightly nervous, but I'm really looking forward to it. It will be one more thing I'll be able to say I've done.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Three: "Fine"

At the beginning of my senior year I saw a TedX talk given by a teenage boy. He was the captain of his varsity team, he was popular; he seemed to have everything going for him. What people didn't realize was that he was depressed. He went on to talk about how many people who suffer from depression don't show it outwardly; they have a persona they put on at school or in groups to deal with society. They also do have their good days amidst their depression. This got me thinking about our culture, and we tend to shy away from emotional interactions. This prompted me to write this poem, which I have only ever shared with a few people.

The Fine Line
Why do we ignore the most important question?
When someone walk by and asks how we are we say fine.
One work.
Do they ask because they care or is it just the social norm?
Well, what if I'm not fine?
Society doesn't want to hear about what's wrong.
We don't care if you're less that "fine".
That's weakness; we're told to hold it in.
Why?
Why do we say that those who are less than "fine" are weak?
Why do we prey on the hurt? Tear them down and
Make them feel alone?
They're not weak. Our society is.
We are too weak to lift up those who stand alone.
Too weak to put out a hand and help them from their bed. We're too weak to show we care.
When someone breaks a bone we all run to help, but
When someone feels broken inside we run the other way.
Why?
Why do we leave these people to suffer alone?
Are we too afraid to show the imperfections in ourselves?
Well WAKE UP!
We're all human. We're not perfect,
No matter how many times we say we're fine.
Who are we trying to kid when we say those two words
"I'm fine."?
Society? Well society's got us all fooled if we
Think those two words cover the entire range of human emotions.
Turn on a light. Become enlightened.
Just because you see her smiling in the halls
Doesn't mean she's not holding pain inside.
Just because he's captain of the sports team
Doesn't mean he might not want to be around anymore.
These people aren't fighting a disease, like chicken pox.
It doesn't just go away.

-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-Two: Toys

Tonight we had our first rehearsal for Toys Take Over Christmas, UVM's annual Christmas show. We did a read through and basic introductions. The cast seems like it will be a fun group of people to work with over the next month and a half. The play is obviously geared towards little children, who still believe in the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus, and that's part of what will make this so fun. Everything is so over the top in a way you can only do for children. I'm excited to really get in to rehearsals, and of course to perform for kids, because they are such a captivating audience.
The entire cast, including our director, SM, and ASM, seem like they will be a lot of fun together. We only had a few short hours together, but I can already sense some bonding, and that we'll be a tight-knit cast. I missed my high school theatre people, so I'm excited to be working on a show again. When I first came to UVM, I didn't think I was going to act. It was something I wanted to do, but I never thought I would be good enough to get a part, going up against all of the theatre majors and minors. I love how Toys is set up; it a great, non-intimidating way to get your feet wet with the Royall Tyler Theatre. I'm excited to become a Toy!
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty-One: Rainy Days

Today started out as a cold, rainy October day. Lately the weather has not been very wonderful, with cold days mixed with rain and wind. Lots of wind. Early in the morning I had to work a shift at work, in the ice rink. I was already cold going in, so I knew it would be a long shift. I sat there, freezing on the cold metal chair, only to realize (about 45 minutes into my shift) that the space heater never turned on. After fussing with it for a second, the heater turned on and things got better. As I started to warm up during the day, my day improved. In photo we were working on printing some pictures form our window project. My photos actually turned out well, and seeing the final product really made me happy. As the cold day draws to an end, I am very tired. I have to get up early to work an opening shift at work, so, tired from a good swim practice, I will hit the hay a little early.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirty: A Reflection

It's been a month now since I started this blog. I can't believe it's already been that long with only one minor hiccup.  It's been hard at times to write. Some days I have nothing to say, others my fingers can't keep up with my brain, but I think that's what's interesting. When I sit down to blog, I think about what has happened in the day. Some days huge events come to mind. Other days are normal, mundane.  This is what I think makes blogging interesting. Each day I need to find something interesting to do so that I have something to write about. It's making me break from habits and get out and try things. This is a fun way of pushing me to have the best college experience I can have. It can be hard at times, but I like the motivation and I like unwinding at the end of my day by writing. It really can be therapeutic.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Nine: Gym Culture

Since I've been at school, I've been working in the gym. For the most part, the women use the cardio machines and do lighter lifting or bodyweight exercises, and the men do more heavy lifting. Now, there are exceptions to every rule. Some guys use the treadmills and some women do lift with heavy weights, but that isn't the norm. When a guy uses a cardio machine (typically besides the treadmill or the bike) people say he won't get as big, that he's going to have a girl's physique. If a woman lifts with heavier weights people tell her that she'll get too ripped and look like a guy. I don't understand why people do this. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to their body and their workouts. And, with varying levels of hormones between a woman's and a man's bodies, the same workouts will effect their builds differently.  I think people need to change gym culture, to allow women to do heavy lifting if they want, and men to use cardio machines if that's what they prefer. We need to create an atmosphere where women feel welcome to do whatever workout they want, be it cardio, light lifting, or heavy lifting with the guys.  So much in our culture has been okay for either gender to do, and I think a simple gym workout should be one.
That being said, I have been going to the gym a lot more recently. Before, I wasn't always sure what I should do to get a good workout with weights, and I'm still not completely sure with certain elements, but by going to the gym I've become more familiar with the weights and my body.  As I work, I glance around and see what other people are doing, getting inspiration and knowledge from them. I admit I'm not the strongest or most knowledgeable, but at least I try. I feel lucky to have found a space where people are more welcoming. Most of the time at the UVM gym women feel comfortable to do the workouts they choose, and even get help from others. As I get stronger, I feel better about myself. At first I was ashamed of how few reps I could do, or how light of a weight I was using, but as I've gotten stronger, I've gained more confidence in the gym while I work out. I feel strong mentally and physically, and like I belong there with the guys, and girls, in the gym. It really makes me feel accomplished because I couldn't say this a few months back.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Eight: The Ballet

Tonight I went to see the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at the Flynn. I saw this as part of my theatre TAP class I'm in. It wasn't a traditional ballet; it was more contemporary. The performance was only made up of a few performers. They incorporated moves that weren't traditional ballet dance moves. It was jarring, but helped tell the story. The dancers weren't always doing the same thing, which created a cool effect. They reacted to each other, creating a chain of movement among the dancers, which was very fluid.
The dancers were very uniform. The women were the same height and build as each other; they all had brown hair put up the same way. Similarly, the men were the same height and build. One thing, however, that surprised me was the one of the men was bald. The other two had brown hair, styled in the same way. Based on how uniform everything else was, I would have assumed he would have had hair as well. Then, in the second act, a black dancer came out. He hadn't been part of the first act, which I found odd. I wonder if they used him, the fact that he wasn't uniform like everyone else, as a statement to add meaning to the specific piece. Regardless of their reasoning, the show was really good. I never see dance performance, and even more rarely do I see ballets, so I'm really glad I got the opportunity.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Seven: Gilmore Girls

I don't understand why there has to be pressure to go out and party every weekend. I find it nice to just relax with a nice group of people some weekends. I guess I've never been the kind of person to be able to go out every weekend. I like my downtime and I don't see anything wrong with that. Some nights, after a long week, I just want to watch Netflix. In fact, that's what I'll be doing after I finish writing. I will sit down and watch some Gilmore Girls, seeing as it is finally on Netflix! I don't have anything against partying, or those who do party every weekend. I just have never been the kind of person to have the desire to do that. I also don't see why it is viewed as necessary to always go out and be crazy. Maybe I'm just weird.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Six: A Cappella

All evening I've been listening to a cappella. This just makes me wish I could be singing in a group on campus. I'm not sure if I would have made it if I had auditioned, but I sort of wish I had, just to know. The groups always seem to have so much fun. There's a lot of camaraderie in the groups, so and you meet so many people of other ages. The groups on campus also sing fun, contemporary songs, not just traditional a cappella songs. The concerts on campus are so fun and energizing. I also just love music and theatre people in general. Most of them are so easy-going and fun people; they're great to be with and you never know when you'll all break out in song. That's one thing I really miss about my high school's musicals. I want to be surrounded by people who will break out in song with me at the drop of the hat. Maybe I'll audition next year.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Five: Warm Weather

Today Vermont decided to be weird, like usual. It was actually warm out in mid October. This fall, the weather has been weird. First it was cold when it should have been warm, then it got a little warm, giving us all a false hope. Then it got cold again only to be nice and warm today. Through this whole thing, being right on the lake, it has been windy. That makes wearing dresses very hard; I try not to flash people, so I usually have to walk around holding my skirt down. Nonetheless, I still choose to wear dresses and skirts because they're more comfortable. I wonder what the weather will be for the rest of the week.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Four: Auditions and Panic

No matter how many auditions I go through, I will always be nervous for an audition. I think it's physically impossible for me not to be nervous.  My stomach starts doing backflips and I get jittery. I was even nervous last year for district auditions even though I knew I would make it. Auditions are just scary. You've rehearsed something for so long, and suddenly you have to show someone your hard work, and get judged by how you did, how many hours you put in to your practice, how many pencil marks you made all over the page.
Today I auditioned for Toys Take Over Christmas, the annual holiday show that UVM puts on. It's scary to audition at a college level. I feel like everyone is so much better than I am. But that's what I like about this show; the only people who can be in this show are the people who have never performed on UVM's stage before. That made me feel better; I wasn't going up against seasoned vets of RTT.
After my audition I had swim practice, nothing that unusual. Today our workout involved a lot of longer distances, so I was excited about that. Halfway through one of my 300 yard swims, my chest and throat started to tighten up. I'm not sure why this happened, but when you're in a pool, it's terrifying when it gets hard to breath. I managed to make it back to the wall before I had a panic attack. It was scary. I had never had a panic attack in water before, and this was my first one at school. I was out of my element, quite literally. I didn't have any of my normal comforts around, or any of the people I normally talk to to help calm me down. I was scared. Eventually I regained my breath and my chest opened. I'm not sure why it happened, but I hope it doesn't happen again next time I swim.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Three: Comfort

When you're thrown into a new environment, you don't have the normal comforts you're used to. Being at college, living with people who were perfect strangers before we moved in, definitely can put you out of your comfort zone. I know it did for me. While I've been here, I've been finding other comforts, or finding ways of bringing some of my comforts from home here. For instance, I really liked being on a team, so I joined swim club. Having that as part of my schedule has become more than just a time to exercise and be with a group of people, it has become comforting and helps me get through the day.
One comfort from home I've missed has been my pets. This summer we had to put our dog down, so I've been missing her for some time now. I also really miss my cats. All my life I have been a cat person; I have so much love for every cat I see, and I think they are easier to get along with than most humans. I didn't realize how much I'd miss petting them everyday, or having Fred, as annoying as it could be, pawing through my hair when I sit down. I have always had pets around, so it's very strange to not have pets here at school. Today, however, I was able to meet one of my suite mate's dogs. He is this little, fluffy pomeranian. It was so comforting to be able to pet an animal again. It brought to light just how much I miss the feel of petting an animal. I wish that I could have a comfort dog or cat around.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-Two: Nothing

I'm not sure why, but I have nothing on my mind. Today, I guess, will just be a day of free writing. No topic, just random thoughts... This should get interesting.  Maybe I can't think of things because it's been a long week. I have had so much going on. It feels like forever since last weekend, and it seems like this weekend flew by to quickly. I wish that UVM had a fall break. I could really use more than two days to just relax and recover from what's been a crazy half to the semester. I'm having a lot of fun, but I'm also staying really busy. I work, a lot, and I have a lot of reading to do for class. I am still trying to stay involved and go to different events.  All of this is adding up to a crazy schedule, but I'd rather be busy than be bored. I have always juggled a lot of things in my schedule, so I know that I can manage, but a break would be nice. I'm just thinking about how nice Thanksgiving Break will be.
I really could go for Thanksgiving right now. The parade, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie... All of that would be so nice. And the weather will be perfect. I love November weather. It can be sad some days, but others it's the perfect crisp air and it's cold enough to wear a nice coat, boots, hat, gloves and scarf outside, but at the same time you're perfectly cozy with a sweater and socks on inside (as long as you cozy up to the wood stove with a mug of hot chocolate). Fall has to be my favorite season. I also think Thanksgiving is an underrated holiday. I always love the warmth of watching the parade together and baking and cooking all day long. It's a nice time to reflect and reset your mind for the rest of the semester. I'm sitting here in October, and now I just can't wait for November to come!
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty-One: Parents' Weekend

This weekend is Alumni Weekend as well as Homecoming and Parents' Weekend here at good ol' Groovy UV (UVM).  Walking around campus there are many events going on, including segway campus tours, for those who are either too lazy to walk or coordinated enough to not fall off of one. My parents and I chose to walk, knowing that if I were to try to ride a segway things wouldn't end well.  Although we come up to Burlington a lot, this was different. It felt so nice to be able to show my parents around my school and get to tell them about all the amazing things their money is allowing me to do.  I realized today how cozy campus feels. That could partly have been due to the fact that the autumn wind made me bundle up a little more, but Vermont really is a cozy place, and UVM captures that environment.
As it was Homecoming and Alumni Weekend as well, there were so many great events planned.  I got to sit in on a dialogue with Tony Kushner, a playwright and screenwriter.  I felt so honored to be sitting in the same room as tony Kushner. He has given so many silenced groups voices. The dialogue went well, and he is one funny man.
This evening was the A Capella Homecoming concert.  I have a few friends who are in the various a capella groups on campus. It was really nice to be able to hear them all perform. The musical talent was just through the roof, and everything was entertaining.  I love that all four groups do modern and interesting songs; the know what the audience wants to hear. The crowd was huge and the concert was amazing!
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twenty: TGIF

I am so happy that it's Friday today. It has been such a long week. I have been working a lot, and doing a lot of school work. On Wednesday I had a French quiz, then Friday I had a French skit and a geography quiz. There was a lot to study and memorize. By the time this evening rolled around, I was ready for a break. Even today was a long day. I worked a three hour shift alone, and then went right to ushering. I'm not complaining though. I really enjoyed ushering because I got to see A Grand Night For Singing again, without paying. All I'm saying is that Friday couldn't have come sooner.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Nineteen: Swim

A few weeks ago practice for swim club started. I had never had the opportunity to be in a swim team, but I have always loved swimming. I decided I would join the club and swim; I wouldn't be the only person new to a swim team. Immediately I loved it. Swimming is hard work, but it's a lot of fun. I did sports all through high school, but swimming is different. It's more of a full body workout than I thought it would be. Now I have to actively think about my breathing. Unlike running or skiing, I can't just breath whenever I want. I really like how much I need to think while I swim, yet I still find my mind can wonder off.
As with anything, you get better with practice. Although it's only been a few weeks, I can feel myself getting stronger; I can feel myself going faster; but most importantly, I am getting better at my strokes. Thanks to the vice swim president, I can now swim butterfly. She nicely took time out of her schedule to teach me how to do this difficult stroke. It really is hard. I feel awkward doing it because your elbows, unlike when doing freestyle, aren't supposed to be bent. It also takes a lot of upper body strength, especially shoulders. It's very difficult and sometimes I still feel like I'm drowning myself, but I'm improving, and I think that's what swimming is all about for me; self improvement.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Eighteen:Barely

It's almost 11 pm. I was lying down in bed, about to drift off, when I remembered I hadn't posted a blog today. I'm not sure why I remembered. Why do random things pop into our heads? Nonetheless here I am, groggy with nothing to write about. Nothing really happened today. I guess that could be a good thing, nothing bad occurred. But it's also a bad thing, I didn't go out and make anything fun happen. So here's a blog, about nothing. I'm sorry but I can't always come up with a story to tell, but I will write regardless. I'm not even sure if I can call this a blogpost, so please accept my apology about this sorry excuse for one. I'm too tired to write.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Seventeen: Photography

One of the seminar classes I'm taking is a photography class. I really like this class. We are using film, but we didn't start the year using normal film cameras. We started out using pinhole cameras, which essentially are light-tight boxes with a pin prick hole in the front, with photo sensitive paper on the opposite wall. By starting out with these cameras, we learned the basics of processing pictures in a dark room. We learned the patience required to produce a photo, and we were introduced to the idea of exposure.
Now, however, we have graduated to using out 35mm film cameras! I am so happy. I have been waiting all semester to use them. Our first project is pretty open; we have to somehow involved windows in our pictures. For me this is really easy and fun to shoot, because I love framing the same picture differently, and what better way to do that than with the actual frame of a window?  With the film cameras, everything is manual, so we have to choose the right aperture and shutter speed and focus the camera. At first it seems like a lot to think about, but it gets easier. Things start to click and the photography gets easier.
I really enjoy shooting with film. The whole process takes time. You have to think about what you're doing. You can't just pick up your phone and see the image right away; you have to put in effort and the result is so rewarding. After the methodical, and time consuming, process in the dark room, it's so rewarding to see the final image, a print that you put so much thought and effort into. It makes my pictures have so much more meaning
Shooting with film has also made me realize how quickly we try to rush through everything in life. Nowadays we get frustrated if we have to wait five seconds for a page to load or if we just miss the green light. Shooting and processing film has made me slow down, even if it's just during those few times I'm holding the camera or the film. There is no need to rush everything. It can be nice to slow down and enjoy the time it takes to produce something meaningful, to enjoy the process of making the final product.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Sixteen: Just Another Day

Nothing big or important happened today. When I think about it, nothing really happened today except for the usual classes and working and practice. I have fallen into a big routine. Nothing broke it up today, but I guess that was good. After a long weekend it was nice to get back to the same schedule.
Over the past two weeks plus I have started to make daily blogging part of my routine. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. I have found it really nice to write a little bit before I go to bed. I sleep better without everything whirling around upstairs. I know I don't get everything out; I don't go on long rants, but it is nice to write something, to get out some of the clutter in my brain. It's also very peaceful. No one's telling me what to write; there are no due dates, only the schedule I have set for myself, which I'm trying hard to adhere to. There are no grades, nothing. It is me and my computer screen, fingers on keyboard, typing what comes to mind. It's meditative in a way. I can really see how writing is therapeutic for people. I think it's starting to become that way for me too. It's also helping my confidence. I feel okay now with my written voice. I want people to see what I'm saying. I no longer feel too shy to post a blog about my thoughts and opinions. This has helped me break out of a shell I didn't even know I was in. I don't know who makes up my elusive audience, but thank you for helping me break free from part of my comfort zone.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Fifteen: Mexican Food and Anastasia

Today was another lazy day. I woke up late and did homework. I had a lot of reading to catch up on, but it's done now. After that I did go swimming. I met up with someone on the swim club to do a swim workout together. She helped me with my butterfly stroke, which I'm still learning. With her help I pretty much have it down. It's all a matter of strength and endurance now, so it should get better with practice. I'm starting to feel like a real swimmer now.
Later this night my friend invited me upstairs to a suite dinner. The program housed above mine, Dead Poets Society, was having a Mexican night. They invited me up for tacos and quesadillas, and yes guacamole, lots of guacamole. It was so nice to sit down for a meal and not be in the dining halls. They get old very quickly, and I haven't had good Mexican food in so long. After dinner we were all hanging out, so we decided we had to watch a movie. After a long discussion, we finally decided to watch Anastasia, because of how historically accurate it is, and we just wanted to watch an animated movie. It was my first time ever seeing the movie, but I remember learning about the Romanovs in AP European History last year. I really liked sitting and watching an animated movie. I haven't watched one in so long.
Everything about today was so simple and relaxing. It has gotten me ready for a crazy week ahead.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Fourteen: Lazy Days

Lazy days are the best types of days. I think they are very underrated, though. As a kid I always felt I needed to be doing something, hanging out with friends or building a fort or practicing to be the next world record holder for hula-hooping. No one told me to take a break, to have a lazy day now and then. I have always been on the go, jumping around from one activity to the next, with way too much on my plate. I rarely took the time to have a me day, a lazy day.
Today, thankfully, was a lazy day. When I finally woke up I did nothing with my hair, I didn't wear makeup, and I put on yoga pants and a tie-dye shirt. Then I walked to the dining hall to eat a simple bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. It was all that I could ask for. After working so hard all week and feeling constantly busy it was so nice to take a breather and not have responsibilities.  I didn't have a schedule to adhere to or tasks I needed to complete. Better yet, I had the time to sit down and have a really nice phone conversation with my parents. That was the perfect way to end my week. I need to take more lazy days, mental health days just to remind myself that it's good to relax, and that I can pull through everything that's going on.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Thirteen (Almost): An Apology

I'm sorry. I failed myself. I forgot to blog yesterday and this is a day late. I feel bad about this. I set out to write every day. I have no excuse for not posting anything yesterday. I only had ten minutes of class, and I didn't work. I had all the time in the world and I still failed. For that I'm sorry. I should have written during the day.
Last night was a lot of fun.  I wasn't back in my dorm after dinner until very late at night. I met some new people, friends of friends. We hung out in their suites. I'm glad I got to know more people. I've needed to do that for some time now. We watched Power Rangers while drinking coffee, and then moved to another suite and talked about life. It felt so good to be able to sit down with people I had just met and have a nice conversation. I think that's what college is about.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Twelve: Second City

Tonight I saw Second City perform at the Flynn. The Flynn is a theatre in downtown Burlington. Second City, a sketch comedy and improv group from Chicago, has a touring cast. This is where the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Steven Colbert got their starts as actors and comedians.  The show was a true pleasure to see. I was laughing from start to finish. The actors just have impeccable timing, and are just amazing at improv. Some of the sketches brought up serious subjects, like feminism, but in a way that made the audience laugh at themselves. I enjoy this kind of comedy.
The sketches were amazing. Some were short two liners, others were a few minutes long. As much as I loved the sketches, my favorite part would have to be the improv. I am always impressed when people are good at improv.  Personally, I'm not witty or funny enough to come up with a response off the top of my head, so to see these people doing it without missing a beat puts me in a state of awe.  The group engaged the audience.  They called out asking for suggestions, in a manner, which reminded me of the show "Whose Line is it Anyways?".  What they received were some weird suggestions, and what the audience got in return were some weird skits.  One that I found amusing was that, based on an audience suggestion, two of the actors had to be a mother and a baby giraffe, but they both had secrets. The baby was really a duck and the mom was adopted. The scene which unfolded was as bizarre as you could imagine.
Everything they did was entertaining. They threw a few little songs in the mix. They had a few classic jokes.  They even sat down and talked to two people in the audience (who happened to have met online and were on their second date). The show was captivating and hilarious. I would see them again and again, because, with improv, no two shows are ever the same.
-Libby Morehouse

Day Eleven: A Grand Night For Singing

It was "A Grand Night For Singing" and what a night it was indeed.  As part of the theatre class I am in, we go and see many different shows. Tonight we saw the final dress rehearsal for "A Grand Night For Singing" put on by my school. The show was fantastic. It is a series of Roger and Hammerstein songs from various shows they wrote woven into one show. The songs flowed seamlessly, as if they were written to be performed together.  You could hear hints of the different eras the shows were set in, which took me around the world and back in time, and returned me to the same seat I began the show in. Musical theatre is a great love of mine, so to be able to sit down and see a show, all of music, for free was amazing. I got goosebumps. The show made me happy and sad and made me want to laugh and dance, all which are indicators of an amazing show. The applaud the cast and crew for putting on such a wonderful show.
-Libby Morehouse