One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

There are only a few things besides buying your first house our having a baby that are as emotional as ending a show. As Assistant Stage Manager of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest it is hard to let go of this particular show more than any other. I found that every relationship was special, and every moment was magical. The stage is a magical place. It is difficult to put 30 hardworking and creative individuals onto a task and expect nothing less that pure genius. I am sad to see it done but glad that it was such a success. Here is to the cast! I hope the spirits of this play live long after we are gone from this place.

If you would like to read a rather good review for the show, here is one worth reading.

Happy Wandering,

CCosner

Spirited Away

I was up until two this morning watching Spirited Away. It is such a great movie but I wish that I would have not been up until two. The final production week of Cuckoo's Nest is upon me and I should be sleeping all I can. Oh well...there is always tonight.

Happy Weekend,

CCosner

Halloween

The picture hardly makes this look cute but that is me, dressed as a fairy from A Midsummer Nights Dream with my Ninja boyfriend. It was a good Halloween. :)

I got a fantastic e-mail from my Theatre Prof who will be taking us to New York. We will only have to pay about $100 more out of pocket for out trip. That brings the cost of the trip to $519 not counting spending money of course. Very cheap!! Exciting!

Happy (late) Halloween.

CCosner

Snow

It snowed for the first time yesterday. I am not a big fan of snow before Halloween. It is kinda backwards to me. But that is what I get for living in the mountains.

I just spent four hours in front of a sewing machine making a shirt for Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It looks damn good considering how horrible I am at sewing.

Putting together a monologue for my next audition has been interesting. I think I have finally chosen one. Two directors are collaborating for this audition. The two shows will be The Odd Couple, which is a comedy and Main Street which is a drama with a cast of two or three. I have decided to go out on a limb for my next audition. Hopefully it will pay off. I have a month until then to work on it.

People are already planning on what to do for Spring Break. I kind of want to go to California.

I ate lentils for the third time this week. I hope it all pays off in the end. Saving money can be such a drag but it certainly is worth it later.

Happy Wandering,
CCosner

Doubt

So my first college show is officially over. There are flowers everywhere in my room now. My wonderful boyfriend got me a dozen red roses. I am so lucky. Now I have to get to work on my next show One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I am the assistant stage manager. This is also very exciting.

We booked our flights for New York. The round trip total for me will be $419. This is pretty good. It was cheaper a week ago but those rates are gone now much to our disappointment. We are lucky though. The college will be helping pay for our trip making it more affordable.

Happy Sunday,
CCosner

Fall Shenanigans

I do not think that there are many more fun things to do than hang out with theater people. From the borrowing *cough* of a Safeway shopping cart to the stealing of the Costume Shop mannequin for the perfect prank, playing with nerf guns, or dressing up as flappers for the Homecoming parade, and everything in between. Pure shenanigans!

Fall has caused an explosion of color. It is beautiful here. It always is. So many colors to create one glorious palate.

I have found a good restaurant lately. Foley's Station has $6 lunches and Friday Bar bites at very reasonable prices. Their dinner menu is more pricey but that food is wonderful. It is mainly north west cuisine that is served but there are a few exceptions. Beautiful atmosphere and it is less than a block from my apartment. I am in love.

I am going to New York this winter after all. I payed my first installment last week. There will be six people going on this trip. I am looking forward to it more and more everyday.

Happy Wandering

CCosner

Fall

Back to college for me again. Where did the summer go? I posted nothing...sorry!

The extent of my ventures this summer revolved around the humble town of Newport, OR. My parents finally decided that we could break away for a vacation for the first time in 5 years. Newport was beautiful. I ate the best clams I have ever eaten at The Whales Tale, a little restaurant down by the wharf. As with any trip to the ocean one consumes great quantities of chowder, fish, chips and salt water taffy. The weather was beautiful. It marked my third visit to the ocean this year. I have never gone that many times in one year.

Once I return back to college I usually fall into this busy sort of behavior even if school has not started. I have been rehearsing for Doubt a few times a week. The theater always inspires me. I know why I am there.

Summer is starting to fade. Fall is my favorite time of year by far. Everything is so brilliant and crisp. Late peaches, apples, pears are the fruits of choice. Octorberfest will be here before we know it. Fall is a time for exploring. I will keep you updated.

Happy Wandering,
CCosner

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

The King of Pop will be missed.

Thoughts

Now that I am home for the summer I am beginning to sort through things in my life. I am getting ready to go to Meadowood which is a Speech and Hearing camp that I work at all of July. That is something that I am really looking forward to this year. I always loved camp as a child and for me this is a way to still "go to camp" and get payed for it. It is a fantastic opportunity and will really help me on my Peace Corps application.

Unfortunately, it looks like I will be changing my plans on my study abroad program. Because of my recent upswing in Theater positions I believe that taking a complete year off my Junior year would be foolish. I am being blessed with an incredible amount of opportunities right now. Turning them down would be illogical being as that I have worked hard to gain them. So because of this I have come up with a solution.

1) In order to stay on top of theater classes I will not be taking a foreign language...(yet). I will be studying in a country that will be teaching me another language and have a program for beginners in that language or be an English speaking country.

2) My program with have to have a theater curriculum available for me so that I can continue to receive my theater scholarship money and training.

3) I will only be taking a semester abroad rather than a year. The program must have a semester option, Fall preferred, that is affordable to me. This means below $9,000.

These options currently lead me to the following countries: Greece, Australia and New Zealand among a few other depending on the program. Greece would be wonderful. I would be all for that. That is the brith place of theatre. Australia and New Zealand are not bad either.

Still...all of this seems so much less glamoures than living in Europe for a year and tuoring. I really should not stress it but I feel as though college is a place to learn about making choices. There are good ones and there are ever better ones. Being a little bit picky will probably pay off. In my reseach however I did find an ultaimite dream. The Moscow Art Theatre has a semester program for acting students. It costs $18,900 not including food or visa. Oh it would be so amazing. That right there is my dream. Click hear for the link.

I will keep you updated as plans evolve.

Happy Wandering,
CCosner

Random Behavior

As the days of college begin to become fewer and fewer I find myself partaking in the last of the rituals of the year. Between papers and classes I have managed to have a few conversations with some squirrels, get a job as Theater House manager, be cast in Eastern Oregon University's production of Doubt, and become Assistant Stage Manager for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. All of these things are very wonderful to me. I am honored to have had such a sudden rush of theatre prospects. I have also begun to search for an apartment. All of these things seem to mark my passing from first year college student to second year college student. I am excited for a new year of school.

My friends as I partook in a photo shoot for a Media Arts final project. Here are some of the wonderful pictures. It seems to be our last group bonding moment before we go our separate ways. We are supposed to be portraying a band. Yes..that is saran wrap and glitter glue. It was a wonderful experience

Wallowa Lake

For Memorial Day weekend we decided to take a trip to Wallowa Lake. The weather was lovely and the mountains were absolutely beautiful. These pictures probably do not to the experience justice but nevertheless it was a wonderful day. Wallowa Lake is about 4o miles from La Grande. It is located near the booming tourist town of Joseph, Oregon which is know for Chief Joseph days in July. The summer time is the best time to go because the water is slightly warmer than aching cold. The lake is glacier fed and incredibly deep. It is well worth a visit.

Wallowa Lake

Canadian Geese by the lake.

Apparently the water was not that cold!

The beautiful snow covered mountains.

Happy Wandering!

Cool music from some cool places

This past winter I worked at my campus radio station as an incoming DJ. One of the benefits to the amazing experience was the fact that I could purge the stations plentiful music library whenever I felt like it. I discovered some gems; collections of tunes from some unlikely places. Here are two of my favorites:

Made in Iceland -
"The creative and playful force that characterizes the Icelandic music is constantly vibrant and evolving. The Made in Iceland project showcases 15 of the key artists who have released albums this year, and are working on promoting themselves internationally"
I enjoyed this fantastic little disc. It sports an interesting variety of music that is fun to listen to. Click here for the website and more info.

Phase 5 NZ Music-
Music from New Zealand
A "project developed by NZ On Air to introduce new music from New Zealand to the world"
This project has yielded multiple albums. The one that I have listened to is great. For their website click here.

I hope you enjoy.

Happy Wandering,

CCosner

API, Oregon Abroad, AHA...Oh the choices!

Over the past several months I have been trying to decide what study abroad program I want to apply for. This has been a rather overwhelming task. First, one has to decide what they want to study and then where they want to travel to. How long do you want to be gone, a fall, an entire year? How much do you want to pay for the "experience of a life time"? All of these questions aside and then you have scraped the surface of the Study Abroad Program world.

So finally after a good amount of searching I have managed to find my program of choice. I will be traveling to Seville, Spain during the academic year to study Communications through Academic Programs International.This is a reasonably priced program with an initial cost of $17,500. In comparison my tuition currently at EOU is $18,500 which is considerably cheaper than many state colleges. I will have to pay for my plane tickets. This will probably the most costly part of the trip. The dates for the upcoming school year are September 14, 2009 to Late-May, 2010. The cost also pays for two excursions, one of which will be to Paris, France and another will be to a city in Spain.

Right now I have put together a binder to hold all of the information about my excursion. My goal is to be totally prepared by the time that I need to apply next spring. I am super excited for the next couple of months.

If you are interested in the API programs click here.

Happy Wandering,
CCosner

Travel Guide : Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2009

In my ambitious quest to learn as much about traveling Europe as I can, I went to my local library and purged the travel section. I was referred to Rick Steves' many travel guides as reliable and creative sources. So a stack of twelve travel books later I have found several winners, this book obviously being among them.

To my absolute pride, I found that Rick lives in Washington and like many hardy Pacific Northwesterners is not afraid of roughing it a bit. His book is chock full of all sorts of money saving tips for the broke yet wandering college student that I am. From how to pack, when to travel, where to stay, and what to avoid; Rick covers it all in a very comprehensive and entertaining fashion. He even provides some sample trips routes that could prove inspiring and helpful. Since I will not be traveling abroad for another couple years I plan on purchasing the most up-to-date version of this book being as these things tend to get out of date pretty fast.

To order this book or check out more Rick Steves' goodies click here.
Or if you are the money saving type Amazon will have want you want here.

Happy Wandering,
CCosner

Foreign Films I Recommend

For those of us that do not always get the ability to travel the world and hear another language, foreign films can provide an escape. Not only can you enjoy listening to another language but you can also experience a different story and a more refined cinema. All of the movies listen below are subtitled and are all wonderful. My friend and I have spent most of this year watching foreign films.

If you like what you see you can read his reviews for the rest of our movie obsessions here: http://thekingofwishfulthinking.wordpress.com/

Here follows the list in no particular order:

1) Amelie - Language: French US Rating: R

This is one of the first foreign films I have watched. It has a wonderful plot. The filming style is fantastic. It is a romantic comedy so it will leave that warm fuzzy feeling after you have watched it. I would recommend this movie to viewers who are new the subtitle reading.

2) L' Auberge Espangnole (The Spanish Apartment) -Languages: French, Spanish, German, English and others US Rating: R

To be honest this is the movie that inspired me to consider studying abroad. It follows a French grad-student on his adventures in Spain. The movie is funny. It is tasteful and crude at the same time. There are a plethora of languages spoken throughout the movie and you really grasp how wonderful it would be to study with so many interesting people. The movie has a squeal, Russian Dolls, but I did not find it nearly as good as the first and it is not listed here.

3)Paris Je T' Amie (Paris I Love You)- Languages: French, English US Rating: R

The movie is comprised of 18 short films all made in Paris. Not all of them are as some a highly stylized while others are not so much. They each have there own special flavor. This is a must see for anyone who adores the city of lights.

4) Everything is Illuminated- Languages: Russian, English US Rating: PG-13

Starring Elijah Wood, this movie is a touching, funny, and beautiful. There are some remarkable film transitions and moments of wonderful hilarity. It is a movie that seems to optimize the quest of finding ones roots. It is defiantly a must see.

5)Paradise Now- Languages: Arabic, English US Rating: PG-13

With the current trend of anti-Arabic media it is hard to put a positive face on a group of people that has been ridiculed by society. Paradise Now identifies the struggles of two young men who are chosen to be suicide bombers. The movie is deeply moving and makes you reconsider your biases.

6) Les Choristes (The Chorus)- Language: French US Rating: PG-13

This is probably the most mild movie on this list. Les Choristes is a delightfully soft and warm film. With its notes of love and sympathy it is probably the most "family" of all of the films I have watched in French. The music is amazing and the plot is a delightful one dealing with a man who is hired at a school for misbehaving young boys. This film is also a winner of two Academy Awards.

7)Persepolis- Language: French US Rating: PG-13

The only animated film on this list is Persepolis. Both bold and entertaining it recounts a young woman's life as she grows up in Iran in the 1970's. This movie is based off of a graphic novel and the animation style is very smiler.

8) The Counterfeiters- Language: German US Rating- R

I personally am a fan of WWII movies but this one tells a different story. The Nazis processed thousands of dollars via counterfeiting to flood foreign markets. This movie tells the story of one particular man and the effect he had on this system. A must see for those who love history.

9) He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not- Language: French US Rating- PG-13

Two stories, two points of view. Who's is right? You only know at the end. With an unexpected plot twist I was left both disturbed and in love. Audrey Tautou does a wonderful job as usual.

10) Pan's Labyrinth - Language: Spanish US Rating- R

Probably one of the more popular "foreign films" in the US. Regardless, I find it to be both disturbing and enlightening. It leans heavily to the side of fantasy. There are scary scenes and the effects are great. It is must see. (Plus we can all exercise our high school Spanish)

All of these movies can be found on Amazon.com. You can read more detailed reviews as well by both Amazon and other viewers. Until next time...

Happy Wandering,
CCosner

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

There are several things that I hope to address here. The first will of course be highlighting my travels around the Pacific Northwest and the world. Secondly, I hope to delve in to different experiences with food, films, and music. Lastly, I will be updating my readers on my latest goals, a year long trip to Europe, and my enrollment in the Peace Corps.

I hope that you will enjoy.

Happy Wandering!
CCosner