Civic Theater of Greater Lafayette

For most of us in graduate school, the choice isn’t really a choice. The answer is grades. But not just grades. The answer is conference papers and publications, research teams and defenses, and teaching evaluations. The answer to the question of career, social life, or health is simple. We are here for the degree. Everything else is distraction or procrastination. You can function on four hours of sleep. You can eat microwave dinners. You can ignore your friends…or translate social life into group work time.

Let me be clear here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with caring about your work. I love what I do. Yes, I get stressed and tired and frustrated. But what we are doing is interesting and challenging in the best way.

Still, that does not mean that it should suffocate out all other aspects of our lives. So many of the people that I know at Purdue are extremely creative. They are writers and designers and actors and poets. And that’s okay. It’s more than okay. It is brilliant. Academic work and creativity are not opposites that one must choose between. In my (admittedly short) experience, they are fuel for each other. Creative work makes me sharper, and academic work expands my imagination.

That is one of the reasons why I was thrilled to hear that my friend and fellow graduate student, Jessica Robinson, was going to be in a staged reading this semester. I had never been to a staged reading, but I was more than willing to go see her in it.

A group of friends (and grad students) went to the Lafayette Civic Theater to watch Jessica in ‘In the Next Room.’ I was immediately struck by the space. It had a homey quality, with a wide stage and seating that ensured every audience member would have a ‘good seat.’ As we waited, we examined the stage and the props that were before us. It seemed interesting, and I was excited to see what would happen. Then the cast walked out and promptly sat in the seats in front of the stage. I thought this was odd, but I was sure it would all work out.

And it did. The stage was not set for the reading we were there to see. Without props or setting, the cast stood up and read through the play with feeling and expression that I am not equipped to fully describe in this short space. They had no need of props.

I was so amazed by my friend up there performing in front of the audience. And I absolutely enjoyed seeing the show. So when she suggested going to see another performance, the Rain Maker, I was more than willing to join her. And that too was a fun experience.

I know that these will be the first of many performances that I see. And I hope that this is not the last time I see Jessica on stage. I haven’t asked her, but I am certain that getting to perform and do something creative that she loves improved her life. I’d bet she would say it was worth the hours she used not working on her academic career.

But still we hedge. We make excuses for why we would be irrational enough to engage in these time-consuming creative endeavors. I propose that these endeavors aid in our work, and, even if they don’t, that they are still worth doing.

(Cast image from Purdue Exponent) 

Horticulture Park

“Ordinarily I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.”

I know that it is winter, and that many of you, particularly those from warmer climes, may recoil at this idea. However, I must propose that visiting the Horticulture Park in January may be one of the best decisions that anyone could make in the Lafayette area.

The barren trees are not ugly. Rather they are stripped to their most essential elements, displaying the foundation of their beauty. It is possible to see much further throughout the little wood without so much leaves and underbrush. And the sounds seem to carry much clearer. I could hear the woodpecker so distinctly, and I could even hear the sound a squirrel makes when chewing its food up in the tree branches. It sounds gross but it wasn’t.

“I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my own way of praying, as you no doubt have yours.”

The Horticulture Park belongs to Purdue University and is situated near the corner of State St./State Rd. 26 and McCormick Rd. There is no cost to enter. I do wish to avoid ‘Purdue’ places and events in this blog, but the Horticulture Park must be the exception. I am from a place where a national forest was my back yard (literally) and I sometimes miss the quiet it can bring. The Horticulture Park is small, like a child of those great woods, but it is still something quite marvelous.

I will admit that I did something strange on my first winter visit there a week ago. I sat on a bench I came across and read poetry out loud. (Just a couple poems). And I could read them out loud, for there was not another person there. Later I saw a lone runner heading for one of the trails, but that was it.

“Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.”

I plan to return to the Horticulture Park this winter, and to return often. I saw an article recently about something called ‘forest bathing’ (or something close to that) for relaxation, which I found to be an absurd name initially. But it is relaxing and a reminder that whatever things I am worrying about are quite small after all. So, I say: Go! Go to the Horticulture Park, whether it be alone or with a friend. (Website: http://www.arboretum.purdue.edu/come-learn/horticulture-park/). And if you would like, I would probably be happy to go with you.

“If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.”

(Poem is Mary Oliver’s How I Go to the Woods)

(Photos to be added after next visit)

Public Libraries

            There is an absolutely fantastic advertisement put out by Barnes and Noble. It presents a variety of slightly humorous, and extremely accurate, information about book lovers. One piece of information is about how we like to hoard books. It does not matter how many books we already have (not enough) or how many books we have that we have not read yet (also not enough). We need to buy more!! And the advertisement produces the perfect name for people like me, we who require large quantities of books with which to fill our homes and compulsively acquire them even when we lack reasonable financial means to do so: book dragons.

            I am a book dragon.

            I will likely never read all of the books that I want to, but I will continue to accumulate them, like a dragon lying on a mound of gold and jewels. I try to read them all by consuming multiple books at a time (currently reading: Hemingway’s Green Hills of Africa, Catton’s This Hallowed Ground, and Crichton’s Congo), as though that will somehow help.

            As a book dragon, I am sometimes wary of libraries, because I know that they will make me return any gold I take. But there is something quite pleasant about working at a desk amidst the vast wealth of the public library. So recently I have begun utilizing the many desks and couches of the Lafayette and West Lafayette Public Libraries. They are a fantastic place to work, read, relax, and admire the shelves of books. They are also, as it turns out, an excellent place from which to acquire books.

            No, I am not stealing books from the public library.

            The West Lafayette Public Library is currently having a book sale. It will run through this Friday (for any fellow book dragons who wish to make purchases). Currently it costs $3 for a bag of books and on Thursday and Friday it will cost $1 for a bag of books.

            As a book dragon, I could not wait until the books’ prices lowered, and attended the book sale this past Saturday when the books were still “full” price ($2 for hard cover and $1 for paperback). I had an absolutely lovely time with my fellow book dragons and book lovers (namely Elaine, Michael, and Jessica). We all emerged with several more volumes to add to our respective hoards.

            In addition to the books, they also had a variety of plants, baked goods, DVDs, VHS tapes (I know!) and fabulous cider. 

           The books themselves ranged from gorgeous copies of Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls to almost new Tom Clancy books, to Nancy Drew, to Twilight (seriously, most of the teen section was very Twilight) to books detailing the dimensions of the Enterprise.

            In the end, I emerged quite happy, although I do plan to return once more before the sale ends. The people at the library are quite pleasant and wonderful. I did smile when the woman at the counter asked if I was just buying the three books in my hand…there were many more in the bag I had brought with me.

All told, I purchased nine books. It was a very good day to be a book dragon.

The Library's website: http://www.westlafayettepubliclibrary.org/

The Barnes and Noble ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsI1Oxbmmv8&feature=youtu.be&adbsc=social_20150811_50586596&adbid=10153383213980020&adbpl=fb&adbpr=9122810019

Global Fest

Belly dancing. Bonsai trees. Origami. Celtic dancing. Afro-Cuban music.

And root beer floats.    

These were just a few of the attractions at Global Fest last Saturday.

It was (for a woman from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) a boiling 90+ degrees. It was about a mile walk from my apartment to the festival, and I am fairly certain if it had been a bit farther my skin would have burned. But despite the heat, it was a great day to be out in West Lafayette. That was where the festival was, in the Morton Community Center (222 North Chauncey).

I also did not have to experience the high temperatures alone. To commiserate in the heat and co-enjoy the festival, I had a friend with me. This was particularly advantageous because it turns out that Devika is better at asking questions than I am. Because of that we got to learn a bit about the dolls at the I Love Taiwan Club table, which, as it turns out, were actually puppets whose facial colorings and clothing held special significance. (Unfortunately none of them were for sale).

The food was also a highlight. We selected to get the chicken kabob combo meal from the ‘Oriental Grill’ that included (along with the chicken kabob) fried rice, iced tea, and an egg roll. We finished the meal off with a delicious root beer float. While we ate under a big tent outside of the community center, we got to watch and listen to Yaz Bang, an Afro-Cuban music group.

Although I did not purchase anything, I enjoyed looking at the various displays of scarves, fans, jewelry, and pottery.

I think the sole disappointment of the day was that we missed the International Petting Zoo. I am still very curious about what sort of animals may have been there. (I would be more than happy if anyone could tell me that information). 

Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival

Festivals.

I must confess that, as much as I absolutely love people and their stories and just generally being around friends, I am a true introvert. I also hate imposing things on others, like asking them to go somewhere with me they might not be interested in going. The latter issue placed me this past Saturday in a particularly problematic situation as an introvert.

Going alone to a festival.

In my endeavor to try out new things and truly experience Lafayette, I decided weeks ago that I would attend the Uptown Jazz and Blues Festival in Lafayette. But when the night came to wander off from my apartment alone to downtown with my camera, I was more than a little timorous. I almost convinced myself that I did not have to go, despite the fact that I love jazz music and had made this commitment.

Still, I went. It was a breathtaking evening for a walk. The sky was a mixture of pinks and purples and blazing gold. The fresh warm air renewed my resolve. And soon enough I could hear the music emanating from Fifth Street.

It cost me $20 and a bit of courage to get in, but it was worth it.

The space blocked off from Main to Columbia was lit up with colorful lights that, instead of seeming artificial and forced, added to the magic of an already lovely night.

There were many excellent performers that evening, but two in particular stayed with me. I am no music critic, but Condition Blue engaged me with their fast pace and energy. It was easy to see the joy that playing gave them. One of the group’s co-leaders, Randy Salman, is pictured below on saxophone as is Jeff Helgesen on trumpet.

Melvin Taylor & the Taylor Made Band were striking with the passion behind their sound, led, not surprisingly, by Melvin Taylor on guitar and vocals. The crowd was absolutely enthralled by this particular group. It took some effort to get near the stage.

As exceptional as the music was, it was the people that truly made the evening. I have only lived in Indiana for a couple of years, but its residents do not strike me in general as the type of people who dance often. But no one could sit still once the festival got underway. Some couples did swing dancing (which I was jealous of) while others just moved freely in groups off to the side of the stages. Even the people sitting down were moving. And I guess so was I.

Some wandered around with cameras, like me, or with friends or just enjoyed the music on their own. I was by no means uncomfortable or out of place.

I suppose this means that I do enjoy Lafayette festivals and that two Saturdays from now I will be attending either Global Fest or Mosey Down Main Street. If anyone wants to join me, all you have to do is ask!

One Size Fits All Improv

I have never been big on comedy, which perhaps could be a flaw of mine. I often am drawn to things that are serious or that have at least a hint of sadness in them. My favorite books are things like David Copperfield, the Brothers Karamavoz, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Many of my favorite movies, like Gladiator, the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the Way We Were, follow the same theme. There is something that tells me that serious things are deeper or more important. (Which, all things considered, really isn’t true).

But none of this stopped me from laughing along with a roaring crowd this past Friday night at the One Size Fits All improv comedy show.

The performance was held above the Lafayette Brewing Company on Main Street in Downtown Lafayette. To get to the actual performance, we had to walk through a special door in the restaurant, down a moderately sketchy narrow hallway and up a steep flight of stairs. The journey added a hint of exclusivity and intrigue to the event. But, despite the pleasure the individual gets from feeling like she is a part of something selective (which was somewhat countered anyway by the packed room), more people really should be aware of this troupe’s performances.

To quote Colette (a French writer and Nobel Prize nominee), ‘You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.’ This more or less sums up the experience of the One Size Fits All improv comedy show.

As can be expected in an improv show, there were many absurd and hysterical games and skits throughout such as ‘fortune telling’ pictured below, miming guessing games, and CSI puns.

           What was especially entertaining was the inclusion of audience members throughout the show. Sometimes, audience members were asked to give suggestions, themes, etc. or to volunteer to participate. At other times, like in the ‘town hall meeting’ (when the players went out into the crowd and pretended to be concerned citizens about a very ‘important’ town issue), audience members who happened to be in close proximity to the players ended up in the show. I am by no means a performer myself, but perhaps in future I will be gutsier about volunteering.

One Size Fits All also claims the title of the longest running comedy show in Lafayette, IN and for good reason. The audience involvement and the variety of players in the troupe will no doubt make each show a unique experience. In addition to the more adult-oriented shows at the Lafayette Brewing Company, the troupe also performs family shows at the Civic Theater once a month. You can find out more about them and when their shows will be at their website: http://www.onesizefitsallimprov.com/index.htm or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OneSizeFitsAllImprov. 

As much as I would like to just leave this post as is, simply discussing how enjoyable seeing the show was, I cannot help but add a more ‘serious’ remark. Another thing that made this experience great, was the fact that one of the players, Doug Pruim, is part of the same graduate program at Purdue University as I am. In support of Doug a large number of Purdue’s communication graduate students came out to enjoy the event. I will refrain from being too long-winded about this point, but I think that engaging in groups and events like these is a great way to build and foster community and to meet people who aren’t doing the exact same thing as you are. It was great for all of us to be pulled out of the world of graduate school for an evening.

If you didn’t make it to last night’s show, I highly recommend that you go next month!

All Fired Up!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

These are the words written boldly upon the walls of All Fired Up!, a paint-your-own pottery studio at 310 East State St. on Wabash Landing just over the river into West Lafayette. Admittedly this is a location that I have been to many times already, but I think it is a highly valuable place for Lafayette area residents and Purdue students alike to know exists.

I think one of the most damaging ideas in the adult life is the belief that in order to do something or to call ourselves something we must be considered good at that thing by others. If my watercolor painting wouldn’t merit entrance into an art exhibit, I am not an artist and should not do art. If my poem would be met with condescension or distain at a poetry reading, I am not a poet and should not do poetry. If I would get laughed off of American Idol, I am not a singer and I should not sing. If I am not good at it or I cannot profit from it, than it is not worth doing. Something like that would be considered play, and adults don’t play (another idea on my list of most damaging ideas for adults).

If you suffer from either of these ‘damaging’ ideas, I challenge you to go to All Fired Up!. If not, I also challenge (or invite, which sounds less threatening) you to go.

Upon entering, you are immediately accosted (but in a good way) by bright oranges and greens and purples and a wall lined with not-yet-painted pottery. This is a place to socialize, to relax, and to find sanctuary. Here there are no deadlines, grades, or inspections. Here you can play.

Art has always had an important place in my life, although I am not necessarily ‘good’ at it. I was what one might consider a nerd in high school, taking joy in math classes and attending a math and science summer camp four years in a row. But Mrs. Lindberg’s art class was my sanctuary. Even when I wasn’t enrolled in an art class, she still let me go there to make pottery and to paint.

Mrs. Lindberg was the type of teacher who, for me at least, found the perfect balance between being a mentor while still making me feel like an equal. Even when you made what you might consider to be a mistake, she always had a word of encouragement. She often said that a so-called mistake ‘added character’ to the piece. (This included the time I was painting a watercolor landscape to sell at our class trip fundraiser and a first grader decided to help me by painting a streak of brown paint all across the bottom of it). I still remember that she used to play the same CD over and over again in the background, and it never got old. I can’t hear Dreams by Fleetwood Mac (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrZRURcb1cM&noredirect=1) without looking around for a set of paints.

Being in her classroom taught me one of the most important lessons I have yet learned: Art and creativity are essential to a fully, and perhaps sanely, lived life. All Fired Up! provides the perfect opportunity to begin or continue a life of creativity.

They have so many options of what to paint: mugs, figurines, plates, and even full chess sets on occasion. My favorite is what is called the “sushi bowl” which I have a couple of now and use to eat stir-fry. Once you pick a piece to paint, it is time to choose your colors.

The tricky thing about choosing colors is that the paint, or more accurately ‘glaze,’ is not the same color in the bottle or when you put it on the pottery as it is when the process is completed. The pottery, once painted, is fired in a kiln which alters the colors and seals in your work.

So, it is very important to look at the samples they have on the wall of what the colors will look like as you make your decision.

Once that decision is made, all you have to do is paint.

They have fabulous deals each day and some classes that you can find on their website: http://www.allfiredupwestlafayette.com/. I went to Midnight Madness this past Friday and painted the sushi bowl pictured above. Midnight Madness happens from nine to midnight about one Friday per month and includes 20% off of your purchase.

I encourage you all to try out All Fired Up!: make a gift, take a friend, take your family, take some time for yourself, and maybe even post some pictures of what you end up painting! It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a ‘good’ painter. Make a little time for play.