Three of the Seven Plays (in Seven Days)

I'm traveling to NYC in December with a group of UT students and a professor, and we'll be seeing seven plays in seven days. I'm excited to see these on- and off-Broadway plays, as well as to visit lots of museums and see NYC around Christmastime.

Here are the three plays that I already know we'll be seeing:
1. Superior Donuts
2. In The Next Room
3. Next to Normal

Lord, I was born a rambling (wo)man

With a non-existent social life, confronted daily with the decision between food and homework, and with almost no time for relaxation of any sort, something has got to give. Several columns I've edited in the past week and a half have spoken to me more personally than usual. With admonitions to make time for activities other than professionally-related ones and advice from a graduate that all the stress and worry of college are baseless, I've definitely begun to reconsider my priorities. Basically everyone with whom I've discussed my insanely-packed life has told me something along the lines of "I don't know how you do it," and "Yeah, you should probably cut back on something next semester." A professor instructed me to consider which of my activities is really important to my future and to what I hope to gain from my college experience. I know I don't want to come out of college with a chronically sore back and that lasting look of exhaustion that friends seem to notice even when I feel more rested than usual. As painful as it is, I know that sometimes I have to let go of something, no matter how worthy a pursuit it might be, in order to improve my skills in another area and, hell, to actually allow myself a little free time. Just to clarify, time cannot be completely free unless it is completely separated from all thoughts of work left undone. That's something I've got to learn.

Also, while I feel that journalism serves an important service for the community, it doesn't seem to have nearly as positive an impact as actual volunteer community service. That's something I haven't really done in years, and I feel self-centered and self-serving for neglecting something as worthwhile as helping others. I'm afraid I've become too cynical. In thinking about community service and "mission" trips taken by church groups, I've often thought what good does one day or one week of picking up trash or cleaning someone's house really do? With mission work, people often go in with the mindset of what they, as the volunteer, will gain from the experience. That's not what it's about at all. It's about connecting with others and simply sharing in a common humanity. Next semester I plan to do some volunteer work. I want to quell this cynicism and see again the goodness of humanity in a simple act of kindness.

Look at me, adding yet another item to the to do list. I need to learn balance in my life, and to think about things in terms of the experience and not in terms of results. In that spirit, today I decided to take a Drama in New York class this December. I, along with 19 other students and a professor, will travel to NYC, attend seven plays, and keep a journal along the way. I'll also have free time to see the sights when we're not attending the theatre. AND the class doesn't count toward my major. I'm doing it because it should prove to be an exciting, enjoyable experience. Improvement, right?