Landmines & Time Bombs (Excerpt I)

An excerpt from my 10-minute play I've been working on for about a week and a half. I think I might send it into a theater that is currently accepting scripts for its 10- minute play festival.

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SCENE 1

It’s the eve of Thanksgiving at the Reed farmhouse. A table sits center stage. On the table is a cutting board, a rolling pin and a ball of dough. Three chairs are placed around the table. Two pairs of leather lace up boots sit on top of a worn brown rug upstage right. Next to the rug is a basket and a few logs. Downstage right stands a small bus stop sign. Downstage right is a single wooden chair.

NARRATOR: Susan was one of those girls. You know, the mere embodiment of the word captivating. She was infatuated with wearing skirts, scrounging for money, chance happenings, stargazing, the smell of baseball diamonds, moving mountains, awkward conversation, and God. She was like beams of light: translucent and beautiful, but never tangible. You would sooner build a tower to the Heavens than catch Susan Moore. Still, many a man tried and Susan was forced to turn them and their vain attempts away. That is, all except for one.

(Spotlight comes up on upstage right, where JAMES is standing smoking a cigarrette. He glances at watch, tosses the butt onto the ground, and begins exiting stage right when he's stopped by the sound of clicking heels and a shadow downstage. Spot light comes up on SUSAN, standing next to bus stop , as she gazes at the stars. JAMES looks SUSAN over, smoothes back his hair and then calls out to her. SUSAN continues to stare up, and JAMES calls out again. He gets no reply, and becoming offended, walks towards SUSAN to confront. He taps her on the shoulder and only then does she look over, smiling. JAMES' faces untenses and after getting his senses back, smiles. Spot light fades. Lights comes up on SUSAN standing at the table rolling dough on the cutting board. A KNOCK is heard.)

SUSAN: (Presses firmly down on dough once more, then wipes hands on apron.) Just a moment! (Takes off apron, JAMES enters.) I'm-- (Turns around, freezing when she sees
JAMES.) James.
JAMES: I hope it's alright that I stopped by. I was on my way into town and--

SUSAN: (Blinks, unstiffening. Walks over to coat hanger and places apron on rung.) Of course. (FATHER watches MOTHER as she moves. MOTHER stares at hanger a moment before turning to FATHER, forcing a smile.) Can I get you anything? Coffee, water--?

JAMES: No thank you.

SUSAN: Excuse me then while I get a cup of coffee for myself.

(FATHER nods and MOTHER EXITS stage right. FATHER sits down table, clasping hands together as he rests arms on the table and fiddles with thumbs. MOTHER RE-ENTERS, coffee cup in hand. She walks over to table and looks as if she's about to sit down, but instead stands behind chair closest to her.)

JAMES: How's... Michael?

SUSAN: Good. He's good.

JAMES: Doin' well in school?

SUSAN: Very well. His english teacher says he's gifted. She wants to move him to the class with the older children.
JAMES: Hmm. (Smiles and shakes head.) I always thought him a numbers boy. I guess he's turnin' out more like you, huh? (MOTHER flashes a smile that quickly fades. FATHER looks at hands.) How's, uhh, Robert? I read something about the bank in the paper the other day--
SUSAN: (Sets cup down on table.) Robert is fine. James-- (FATHER wrings hands while sneaking a glance at MOTHER before looking back at table. MOTHER whispers.) What are you doing hear?
JAMES: (Looks up at MOTHER. Eyes meet for a moment before FATHER looks down, unnerved. He stands quickly, pushing chair out and turning towards stage left.) I'm sorry. I'll, uhh... I'll go--

SUSAN: Wait. (FATHER stops. MOTHER stares at ground.) Don't leave. (MOTHER looks up, motioning for FATHER to sit.) Please.

Comprehensive Columbus

During my senior year, I was a member of Ohio Advocates, a statewide council composed of 11 high school and college students who sought to improve current sex education policies and programs in the state by supporting and promoting evidence-based, comprehensive sex education. Working closely with our Youth Activist Coordinator, we developed and implemented strategies to advocate for the elimination of abstinence-only funding and to promote comprehensive sex education policies in Ohio. Utilizing the power of youth activism along with strategies such as media mobilization, policymaker education, grassroots organizing, and more, the Ohio Advocates worked together to create significant policy changes during the 2008-2009 academic year and challenged the general culture around sexual health issues, including sex education.

Though I will no longer be a member on this council (I will be attending college in Vermont and you must a student attending an Ohio secondary or post-secondary school), I was asked to speak about my opinion of and experiences with the comprehensive sex-ed curriculum at my school and in my district. So today, I got up bright and early (5 a.m. to be exact!) for a 2 1/2 hour trek down to our state capitol- Columbus- to speak at press conference and legislative briefing regarding the Evaluation of Responsible Sexual Behavior Education in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. At both of these events, we also heard from expert evaluators at Philliber Research Associates about what’s working with the curriculum, what’s being improved, and what can be done in other school districts.

Anyways, I thought I'd share the speech I gave at both the press conference and legislative briefing.

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Abstinent Without Abstinence-Only

With the majority of the nation's schools opting for an abstinence-only approach to educating students about sexual health, you won't find too many youth like me. What I mean when I say this is that you won't often hear from someone whose taken an abstinence pledge, that's also had and openly advocates for a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. Because of this, more people tend to focus on the fact that I've taken the pledge and when they don't see a ring on my finger, after glancing at my hand, ask why I'm not wearing one. The question is one I expect; it’s only natural for someone to wonder why I, out of every other person they’ve met or seen that has taken an abstinence pledge, have chosen not to wear one. The Jonas brothers are quite open about their pledge and Jordan Sparks threw herself into a media blitz to show people what the ring means to her. I really can't speak for the Jonas Brothers or Jordan Sparks, but I can speak for myself. And what I'll tell you is that it was my comprehensive sexuality education that encouraged me to make my own personal pledge and is the exact reason I don't need to wear a ring.

Since the fourth grade, I’ve been lucky enough to have had a comprehensive, age-appropriate sex-ed curriculum. I should probably make it clear that I have not been learning about sex since I was nine. As I said, it was age-appropriate, which means only topics that were deemed consistent with and/or did not exceed the developmental stage of the children in the class were discussed. In a duration of two weeks, my fellow classmates and I learned the names of my body parts, how those parts are different than a boy’s, what changes my body would be going through, and how to never be afraid to ask a question when I was unsure about what was happening to me. From this, I gained enough self-assurance to go to my mother with questions. In turn, using her policy of "if you're old enough to ask, you're old enough to know," my mother sat me down and proceeded to give me the sex talk.

The well-rounded and honest foundation I received in my childhood not only helped me feel more comfortable when I moved into more serious subject matter in the Cleveland Metropolitan School Districts high school program, but it also protected me in ways that most people would not initially recognize. What some don’t realize is that when children aren’t taught about the medically accurate terms for their body parts, when you don’t allow them to identify and understand what is and what is not appropriate touching, (topics that are covered in CMSD's comprehensive sexuality curriculum), you are allowing these children-- your children-- to become victims. You are giving a predator the chance to take advantage of your child because they can’t say: I know what you’re doing and you shouldn’t be doing it.

But what if your son or daughter could say that? What if you as their parent, the primary individual responsible for their safe and supportive upbringing, gave them the knowledge and tools to protect themselves? Knowledge about what it means and takes to have positive body image, understand sexual orientation, effectively communicate their emotions and values, be in healthy relationships, and to plan for a successful future and a family? Tools that could safe-guard them from STIs, HIV, unwanted teen pregnancy, eating disorders, sexual predators, domestic violence, or even not graduating? All the while supporting and promoting the idea that abstinence is still the safest and best policy?

This knowledge and these tools would carry over from their developmental years on into adulthood. Adults, young adults, and teens alike would be familiar with all the ways they should be protected; they would possess the maturity and confidence to tell their partner, I’m not going to take this step with you yet because I don't believe we've reached that point in our relationship. Imagine teens, college students, and grown men and women all over the country saying that! Imagine generations young and old willingly and subconsciously taking a pledge because they want to be healthy, thriving members of society; because they want to ensure a chance at a bright future; because they don't want the legacy of humanity to be marred by a negative ratio. Imagine what the world would be like. What your world could be like.

You see, I didn’t take the pledge because of religious beliefs or because someone pressured me into it. On the contrary, unlike abstinence-only programs, the comprehensive curriculum does not have a pledge component. I took the pledge on my own outside of the program because it was what I wanted to do. Because I want to stand up against diseases that are turning our world’s youth into coffin percentages; I want to get the chance to grow into a healthy young woman; I want to wait for that someone I truly care about. And I don’t wear a ring because I don’t have to. I know that when the time comes, some ring won’t tell me what the right decision is. I’ll make the best choice for me based on the comprehensive foundation I’ve received; a foundation that has given me real facts, real options, and real confidence to be a responsible young adult. I’ll make good decisions on my own and I’ll never fall victim to a predator, sexually transmitted disease, or stereotypical statistic.

New Moon, New Cover

I'm extremely exhausted and really should be curling up in bed right now (it has been an eventful day), but I have to post this. It would be wrong of me as a Twi-hard not to. (*This is something I will be more than willing to go into/explain at a later time when I'm not so sleep deprived.)

I just jumped on the Internet to check out if my #1 source for Twilight related info, the Twilight Lexicon, had any updates. I was overjoyed to see that they did and that one of them was Entertainment Weekly's first look at the New Moon movie companion cover. I absolutely adore the cover, but as I'm sure you'll notice from the comments found beneath the article, not everyone does. If you've read the books, you can only form an opinion of it once you've completely and utterly over-analyzed it. If you're someone who hasn't read the book, you'll probably like it. It's visually stirring and quite frankly, enchanting.

Entertainment Weekly has asked that everyone link directly to their site, which is why I did not embed a picture of the cover in this post . So, if you want to check the cover out, just click on the title of this post and it will take you straight to EW's website for the exclusive look.

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11.20.09 : It's the year of the wolf...
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*Update*: I've also included the trailer for The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Enjoy!

Ballroom Brunch

If you live in or are ever near the great city of Cleveland (it really is great), then I suggest visiting the North Collinwood neighborhood for a good old fashioned, almost completely vegetarian/vegan brunch. The place where you can find this little treat, you ask? The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern.

The Beachland Ballroom, located at 15711 Waterloo Rd., is actually a music venue in addition to being a small tavern and vintage record and clothing store (found in the basement). The bands that play the Beachland are usually local and aren't commercial big (although they have had bands like The Hold Steady and The Donnas grace their stage, as well as sponsoring bands such as The Decemberists at other venues), but the music and atmosphere is fun and retro. If you want to know a little bit about the venue's history, click the following link: http://www.beachlandballroom.com/about.html It does a much better job at describing its coming about then I ever could.

Before I begin talking about the food (I'll get there, I promise!), I'd like to talk a little bit about the neighborhood because it plays a huge part in why The Beachland is so important and, maybe, why it's done so well. I've lived in Collinwood all my life and during the late 80s to early 90s, the neighborhood experienced white-flight (excuse the terminology). From there, the neighborhood slowly deteriorated, until the early to mid 2000s, when this progressive arts group called Arts Collinwood came around and gave it new life. Now, there's the Annual Waterloo Arts Festival, The Beachland Ballroom, The Waterloo Cafe (with full service bar!), and various art galleries that are definitely worth stopping by. On a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night, especially in the summer, you can find that the streets around the club are lined with cars (belonging mostly to people who do not live in the neighborhood, but I'm not complaining). The music venue hasn't just done well for itself; it has done well for the neighborhood and the people who live in it, which just makes it all the more awesome.

Now that that's done... back to the food! My mom had been hinting at going to the brunch for a while, and no doubt, I was a little curious myself. So we went yesterday morning and were a little confused by the menu. Our neighborhood was once completely Slovenian. I'm talking polish sausage and kraut, Golabki (stuffed cabbage) and Klopsiki (meatloaf stuffed with eggs). Which is why when we saw that the menu was almost completely vegetarian and vegan, we were a little thrown. We're not used to this kind of diet on our block. But, we're always up for trying new things, so we went ahead and ordered.

For my eats, I had the Fried Scrambled Eggs, which were panko crusted and served with chipolte sauce and your choice of either vegetables, bacon, or sausage. (I went with the vegetables to keep the vegetarian feel.) My mother had the Eggs Beachland, a delicious sandwich-like concoction with poached eggs, capicola, gouda sauce served on a baguette. This also came with a choice of vegetables, bacon, or sausage. The serving sizes were big and I was full about halfway through my meal. (If you'd like to see the rest of the menu, click on the link: http://www.beachlandballroom.com/menu.html)

Both my mother and I have been vegetarians before (me about 2 years and my mom about 5), and we were quite surprised at how good the food really was, not to mention how inexpensive. It's very hard to find decent vegan and vegetarian meals that don't rob your wallet. The service was also incredible. The waiters and waitresses were extremely lively but laid back, staying cheery but still giving you your much needed space at 11 a.m. on a Sunday.

On top of all of this, the brunch had something that you won't commonly see at a restaurant: DJs. There were two guest DJs (the DJs change every week) spinning records (yes, actual records) and dishing out a small dose of their charming dry humor. Dare I say, these guys were so good they deserved a radio show.

So, if you're looking for something to do or are trying to get over a hangover (the tavern has a bar that it more than happy to serve you a Bloody Mary) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a Sunday, stop by The Beachland Ballroom for their Beachland Brunch. You'll have a swell swanky time.

Small Introductions Usually End Up Being Very Big

I'm new to blogger, so you'll have to excuse my frivolous mistakes. You'll also have to excuse my lack of posting (which, from previous experiences with blogs, I know will happen), and my acute randomness. I know this is supposed to be a blog about the transition from high school to college, but it's only kind of about that. The other part is about my transition into who I'm going to be. Heavy, I know.

I did it. And when I say "it," I don't mean I'm quite ready to share my personal bedroom exploits with you. I mean I prefaced. My old creative writing teacher told me that you should never preface your work. It demeans it. But prefacing in your blog is something you have to do, at least in the introduction post, because you have to lay some ground rules for your reader, even if you're never sure who you're talking to or if you're actually just talking to yourself. And it's okay either way, it's just awkward because how you write... or blog... will change depending on who your audience is.

I guess I got to the point of my blog before I actually intended.

The fact is that I want a record of my life, my experiences, of me not changing how I write... or blog... simply because someone might be listening. I want to leave fossils of my past so in four years (honestly, it'd be a miracle if I was still using this thing in four years), I can look back and see how much I changed. Or didn't change. If you happen to come along for the ride, great! Glad to have you. Can't promise it'll be a smooth one, but I can promise that there will be a lot of scenery.

So... if I'm not the only person reading this... well, hello and welcome to my blog.