A Chemistry Story

This semester all three of us are taking Chemistry. Meaning myself, Reid, and Guy. We had the thought that maybe we could all help each other. This should be good fodder for lots of posts. Hahahaha I'm laughing already. I should have been voted least likely to be trustworthy of chemicals. Firstly because I am incredibly sensitive to most chemicals, medicines, cleaners, etc. Secondly, because I seem to blithely forget that fact often. Today, yet another example lead to breathing difficulties and medical consultation. Officially brand me a nitwit. But maybe it was a little reminder to me that I need to be very careful in the lab.

Ok, my laptop screen is attracting flying insects. That is annoying. Shoo, Fly, don't bother me.

I'm finally finishing up my "Theater Wall" with show pictures, cast photos and publicity Lobby pictures from all the shows I was in, or Stage Managed, or Costumed. It is taking up two entire walls. I walk through that hall to get to my bedroom many times a day, and I see all my wonderful friends looking at me, and years of hard work and irreplaceable experiences. Who knew you could miss so many people so very much? Chemistry is a funny thing...you wouldn't think you could have such group chemistry with such a large and varied selection of folks. TV stars always seem to be bickering or talking snidely behind their castmates back. I just finished that bio of John Leguizamo I mentioned a few days ago, and I never knew how much he preferred theater to movies. Everything he said about the differences was so true. I would liken theater production to something like going though a battle together. You come out the other side changed, every time...and only your fellow participants understand.

Reid and I watched "Project X" on TV tonight. It was a movie made when Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt were very young, in which an adorable chimpanzee trained by HH is mistakenly sent to a secret and deadly Air Force test program. We enjoyed seeing it together. It reminded me of a concept that Guy introduced me to, the Monkeysphere. The idea that the human brain is actually only able to have close and semi-close relationships with a limited number of people. We can only really conceptualize of a certain number of folks as individuals, and then the rest are just "others" unless we focus on them personally. (Google that if you are interested in learning more.) And it is that concept that leads me to surprise that I was able to be so close with such a large group at RLT (www.rogerslittletheater.org). Especially when we all took on so many different personalities for shows. Just kidding.

I will be having some biochemistry. I'm not sure the boys will. So maybe I will learn more about all this brain and interpersonal chemistry stuff. I have a lot of years left, and a lot of things to achieve, but I will always miss those people, and hope to see them again. My uber-talented monkeysphere. I think I'll close with a couple of pictures from the hardest show, as a whole, that I ever costumed and worked backstage. It was "A Christmas Story," and it was produced for the 50th anniversary of the Daisy Air Gun company, whose museum sits right next to RLT in downtown Rogers, AR. What an effort it was for all involved, during the Christmas season no less. But I'm going to think of that while I struggle (or breeze, maybe?) through Chemistry. Because there is no way Chem is harder than what I did on that show. And no one shot their eye out...