I’ve had a few negative experiences with caffine lately - likely caused by a serious increase in my coffee intake over the past few weeks.

The first one happened a few months ago, after I returned from Hawaii. I’d been awake for about 30 hours already, and still had to go in to school for the second half of the day (plus theatre rehearsal). So I decided I try out one (make that two) of those Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso drinks - which actually tasted quite yummy… 15 minutes later, I was completely wired. My friend Anthony, who sits next to me in computer science, spent the entire class watching me ramble and tap my feet and laugh slightly uncontrollably.

I haven’t touched a Doubleshot since.

But this past week, I think I went a little crazy on the Greenberrys and Java Java. I’ve been stressed out about Mother Courage opening this week - not the mention getting home at 1:30 some nights because of how late tech week rehearsals have gone. That, combined with a few Grande coffees for a person that rarely goes too heavy on the caffine (and an unfortunately incidident involving Blue Raspberry-flavored Jolt), equals a very jittery, nervous, and slightly paranoid seventeen-year-old. I was seriously on the verge of a nervous breakdown on Wednesday.

I’m writing this post at Java Java drinking a Cafe au Lait. This post probably doesn’t make much sense to anyone but me.

I need to stop drinking coffee….

As most of you Charlottesville readers know by now, the Downtown Mall is undergoing some significant changes. From rebricking to the new Landmark Hotel at the old Boxer Building, I’m a little worried that the mall I visit when I come home from college will be very different from the one I’ve come to know and love over the past few years. This is my mall! I’ve spent Friday evenings here for practically all of high school! The mall is where I’d get all excited about going on a Saturday afternoon in 6th grade when my family would go see a movie together. It’s where I went on my first date, where I had my first quasi-job, and collectively have eaten more pizza than you should in a lifetime.

Admittedly, the rebricking needs to be done. I’ve stubbed my big toe no less than four times in the past month on loose bricks, not to mention seen a woman who got her high heels stuck in the nonexistent grout. And I have to say, the new section they’ve finished next to the Paramount looks rather classy.

But I’m a bit less enthusiastic about the Landmark Hotel. Take a look at this rendering of the hotel (about halfway down the page). First of all, whoever thinks that the downtown mall is that empty at night is severely mistaken. Second of all, I completely disagree with Mayor Norris’ assertion that, “anytime you bring something like this downtown, it can only help.” I’m sure that’s exactly what residents near Barracks Road said when the John Paul Jones was being built.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m not completely anti-development. But parking’s already hard enough to find on a Friday afternoon, thank-you-very-much. Plus, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to tourists, I’ll admit.

What do all of you think about the Landmark?

I’ve found myself spending a lot more time downtown lately… Maybe it’s the gaping 2.5 hour window I have in the middle of every school day with nothing to do, maybe I’ve just needed some escape time from the rest of my busy life - who knows? All I know, is that it’s gotten bad. I’m in Java Java almost as much as Shawn Decker (who practically lives there), and I’m pretty sure the guys at Christian’s know my order at this point. It’s also a bit awkward when you’ve become so much a part of the downtown scene that others of a similar sexual orientation start cruising you. Let’s talk about feeling uncomfortable…

I’ll be spending even more time downtown this next month however (if that’s possible). Tonight I’m going to my first sit-in rehearsal for Mother Courage and Her Children over at Live Arts. I’m running sound for it, and it opens in a week - so I figured I should get a taste of what I’m signed myself up for. I’ll go out on a limb here and say you should all come see it when it opens next week - the script is amazing, I’ve heard the music is as well, and the renderings I’ve seen of the set design look pretty darn stunning.

Not only am I doing this month-long run of a show just days after Anything Goes wrapped up - but I’m also thinking about auditioning for The Complete History of America (Abridged) down at Play On Theatre. And of course I’ll be auditioning for the annual sketch comedy show Dessert Theatre 2008 at CHS next week [I’m trying to stock up on acting experiences before my 4-year-long theatre-free period known as film school].

I like killing myself with work, thank you very much.

You know, I’ve almost posted about a dozen times in past two months (even written a few posts out, but by the time I finished, they were irrelevant) – but it just never happened. I’m not even sure as I’m writing this that it’ll ever be read by anyone. I can use the general excuses: senior year, the musical that just wrapped up yesterday (Anything Goes), or even just 17-year-old laziness. But the truth is, I just never bothered.

So I figured I’d do a post on that musical:

Yesterday night, all the seniors involved in Charlottesville High School’s Theatre Department were sobbing on stage after their last main-stage show in high school. Surprisingly enough, I was the only senior not creating huge streaks in their stage makeup (which, given my reputation for sobbing at terribly cliché moments in every movie imaginable, was odd). That last show was probably the most depressing of my life, though. All the seniors were miserable for most of it – I spent the entire time consciously trying not to think about how this would be the last big show I ever did at CHS. Furthermore, since I won’t be doing theatre in college (and I somehow don’t think I’d be that competitive in New York anyway), last night was essentially the last show I’d be doing in years.

All of that hasn’t sunk in yet, or I probably wouldn’t able to type all that out with a straight head. As far as last shows go, however, I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone better. I had a lead role that was incredibly fun (British accent the entire time), a solo (which Allyson and I nailed for the last performance), and left much closer to everyone in the show.

I’ll link to the pictures that were taken as soon as I put them on the Theatre CHS website (my costumes included yellow running shorts a la Michael Cera in Juno, and a silk bath robe…).