My day yesterday:
Show for McKinleyville High School--mind you this is a family show where we are dressed in ridiculous piggy costumes--were prepared for them to eat us alive--and they loved it. Clapped at everything, laughed, talked to us afterwards. Go figure.
Came back to Blue Lake in time for an annual ritual--a toast to our founder, Carlo Mazzone Clementi. All day there was an altar outside with his photo, a ribbon with the Italian colors, flowers, candles, wine--as the day grew there were more bottles of wine, and at night we gathered. Joan--the head of the schoool--played the accordian, my classmate Ade played guitar, we ate salami and roasted garlic, and toasted to our Papa.
Our cast had to leave before the trek to his grave, but as part of our warm-up we sang "When I get drunk, on a gallon of Carlo Rossi..." in his honor. It was the night to videotape and two of our instructors were there--so I decided to spice up the show by falling off the set (throughout the play we climb and play on these metal crossbars). We kept going, Jimmy, as our mother pig improvised fabulously, and I just went into clown mode. The shock kicked in on the van ride home. Was feeling a little tender, so Jimmy took me home for a huge family hug, and Spooky Nell wiped my tears with Jimmy's hat, then gave me a dime and a battery to make me feel better.
In my apartment there was Bindi-girl and a few first-year students, then more students, then more wine, then music and salsa dancing, then crepes, then more wine, and ultimately: FLOOR BED.
I try not to remind myself that when most of these people were born I was in junior high. I take their comfort and vitality, I offer them food.
Posted by Srae at December 11, 2004 10:31 AM