Showing posts with label improv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improv. Show all posts

Define Success? 

Monday, August 2, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Awhile ago Thomas and I bought a horrible-on-purpose birthday cake for our friend Tom Brown. I then sent the picture into Cake Wrecks. And look at this: 1000+ comments generated because we're cheap.

I feel as though I have accomplished something even though I really haven't. Kind of like the time at the university with the bathrooms and the aprons. I can just picture my next job interview:

"So, tell us about some of your proudest accomplishments to date."

"Well, one time I sent and email and now people at Subway don't wear their aprons while they pee. Oh! And I sent a picture of something stupid that I bought into a website and they posted it."

Yes my friends, I'm totally landing that job. Shabam.

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real life improv, scene one 

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - Posted by Amanda Bast
If you haven't heard of the group Improv Everywhere, I strongly urge you to check out their site. They're a group of people that get together and do improv in the streets of New York. This isn't small scene improv. This is hundreds of people getting together to complete a mission. For example, 200 people wore blue polo shirts and khaki pants and went into a Best Buy and wandered around. A really cool one worth checking out is when hundreds of people froze simultaneously in place for five minutes at Grand Central Station. They do it just to get reactions. It's awesome.

I got a very small dose of this at school today. By very small, I mean I was the only one involved. Some of the girls were doing an hour-long presentation on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (which is a pretty fascinating disorder, by the way) and asked me to be a secret and special part of their presentation. Throughout the hour, I displayed obsessive compulsive behaviour. It had to be noticeable enough to cause small disruptions, but not overly distracting because they still had to carry out a presentation. To aid me, Anna switched the powerpoint slides back and forth four times every time she changed it. Here are some things I did (always in groups of three):

-unzippered and zippered my backpack
-drinking from my waterbottle (this was a whole obsessive process of wiping the lid and taking it off and...it took awhile)
-flipping my paper over
-moving my pen around the desk
-getting a binder out from my bag (which involved more zippering and flipping papers around)
-at one point I got up from my desk, walked to the door, wiped the door handle with my sleeve three times (OC people are massive germaphobs) then left the room. To make it more authentic, I actually went to the washroom and washed my hands so I had paper towel in my hand to open the door with. I then opened and shut the door (three times, of course) and straightened the garbage cans that were askew, and threw the paper towel away. I then walked back to my desk, flipped the little writing desk open and closed and straightened my coat (all three times)
-folded my scarf in three. If I didn't do it right the first time, I had to redo it until it was in thirds.
-rolling my sleeves up and back down

I think that's about all. Remember, I was going for an hour. It was amazing, because by the end of it, some people still had no idea what I was doing and thought that I had completely lost my mind. The girls presenting said some people glared and me with disgust whenever I did something disruptive.

It was a really bizarre experience, but I'm glad I got to do it. It was pretty fun causing a ruckus on purpose, but I was in a really weird headspace after the presentation because I was so focused on doing things three times over. It was amazing the response it got from people, though.

If anyone else has any slightly insane improv performances for me to participate in, I'd be more than willing!

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Fascinating. 

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Oh baby, the world is getting weirder by the minute.

I'm getting good marks again. Frankly, it's starting to freak me out. I can't figure out why I'm suddenly good at school. Fascinating.

Professors are people too. I've had a conversation (extremely brief, but still I talked to him) with a prof, and an amusing email exchange with another one. You laugh, but this is a first for me. Fascinating.

The guy who started a conversation using a Kit-Kat is the grand poobah of all things improv at Guelph. Anything improv at the university is because of him. There are weekly improv workshops that are open to anyone. These workshops fit perfectly into my schedule. Fascinating.

This just in: The Haus boys are slacking in the hlog department. Not so fascinating.

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shalom! 

Sunday, September 30, 2007 - Posted by Amanda Bast
-not getting (too) lost - 4:00am mornings - new friends - late night fence climbing - late night making fun of Steve - best friends - suprising Chad with cookies - having three toes - Saved By the Bell - those delicious apples - pa-pa-pants! - Caaaawwfeeeaaaaaay! - four on a bunk - a door hit my face - becoming Goo - intense prayer sessions - blue silk blouses - ones-ey pjs - hugs - go fish - three boys in a shower - singing outside - sticky situations - brown and sticky - IKEA in mom's pants - sketchiest man alive - autumn crispness - mad libs - spelling POO - apple juice water - guitars - Jewish things.

Good weekend.

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hoolabaloo 

Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Improv went marvelously on Saturday. I don't think it could have gone any better for it being my first performance and all. Wait, that's a lie. I would have liked to have been funnier during subtitles, but it was right near the beginning, so I'm still ok with it. Let me tell you, I could get used to performing like that. Ahh I love acting like a fool :o)

Today I got to hold my newest cousin. Four weeks old and very very cuddley. I don't think there is anything quite as lovely and joyful as baby snuggles. I really don't know what to compare it to. Babies have such a lovely smell and they're so soft and wow, babies make me really happy. Now to convince my brother to start having kids....

I also won two games at the baby shower (Baby Bingo and the baby food guessing game). Great Aunt Irmgarde and great Aunt Dorothy didn't know what hit them. Hah!

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