Theater People

Several people I have met here so far say they love summer theater because of the people. Not only because they're so great, but because there are so many of them and they're all around you, all the time.

I am a people person- I liked how easy it was in college to find people to hang out and chat with, how there were always people around when you felt a little lonely. And I like the people here, too- I like my beer in the scene shop after work, I like the walks we take for food, and I like shoveling cream cheese based dip into my mouth while sitting at the kitchen table.

I also like the free & easy conversation while I'm in the shop, which so far hasn't felt like work once. I like that everybody is good at their job and enthusiastic about doing it, and willing to share ideas. I like the super-intense drunk conversations about Shakespeare at Murder Bar that make me rejoice that this is my life.

I'm a little sad we haven't gotten to hang out with the actors yet. They seem to be on a very whimsical schedule, so we are usually leaving work as they are taking their half-time break, but hopefully a few rounds of beer pong in our basement will change that. Unsurprisingly, I like actors. It turns out tech people are just as peppy and hilarious, at least around here. It takes a little weirdness in your soul to commit to this kind of thing.

Porch Sitting

While wandering today, I became enamored of the idea of sitting on the porch and watching the world go by, sipping an iced tea and reading a book in bucolic comfort. The Chautauqua porch sitting culture reminds me of what I saw in New Orleans: possibly because in both places, the most prominent architecture is from the 1880s. Robert told me today that if you stop to chat, sometimes people will even invite you up to have a sit.

Obviously there are many different kinds of porches in Chautauqua- some are screened in, some are just patios, and most are rather traditional wrap-arounds. Some have enough space for a dining room table, hammock, and desk, and some are just wide enough to put a chair on & hang your legs off the side.

In Mahopac, I loved to sit on the back deck in the summer & enjoy the weather while reading a book, so the thought of actually interacting with a large number of people going by my house is a wonderment. True, I may not want to chat with everybody on the street (or the porch) who wants to chat with me, but we take what we get.

And besides, I'm at summer camp for ten weeks. There is nothing bad about my life right now.