Sunday, December 26

Sheeshter

Christmas is over for another year. I am currently occupying one-third of my couch, while my holiday loot consumes the other two-thirds. ARGG, it's me Christmas booty! 
Today was a good day, and tonight was a great night. I won't go into detail, but the past three hours reminded me that my best friend is, and always will be, my sister. 


Our ultimate dream is that when we're old ladies, we'll do nothing but crosswords all day and feel perfectly content. We'll wear fuzzy pajamas and get tipsy on cheap wine and laugh at what the neighbors must think.
Can't wait. I love you, J-bean.



Friday, December 17

Time Goes By

Here I am, 
          back in the same little kitchen in the same little 
house in the same little city in Tennessee.      
    
One year ago, I was probably sitting in this exact spot, reveling in how much things had changed during one semester. Freshman year exposed me to so many things and people that challenged my every outlet. I was exhausted and exhilarated by the newness of it all.
Now it seems routine
I go to Texas for four months, come back to Tennessee for a month, spend four more months in Texas, and come back for summer. Don't get me wrong: it's not a bad gig. But something's off; I feel radically older yet stuck in adolescence at the same time. 
Flying almost 900 miles to a huge city where I live alone makes me feel pretty mature. Then I come home to a family who takes care of me in every way, and I realize: perhaps I'm not so independent. After all, this new lifestyle, with flights, tuition, and rent, requires moneyMentally, I am an adult, but financially, I am still a child.
As Brittany Spears would say, "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman." At least she understands.
So when does the cycle break and maturity begin? It's not adulthood that scares me, but rather, not knowing when or how it begins. How can I indulge in my youth with this question festering in the back of my mind? Inhibitions are overwhelming me as I search for the answer.
In the mean time, life is a mixture of two extremes
1. "grandma Parham", and
2. "little M"
That's right: I have two identities. Though this lifestyle feels a bit like a bad roller coaster, it is also a temporary solution to my ambivalence. 


Anyway, I hope everyone's having great family time so far! Check back for more posts soon. The holidays make me extra-reflective.

Thursday, November 25

Giving Thanks

What is Thanksgiving?
A day to give thanks, right? So, "Thanks" is a gift. So, words are gifts.
How many of us have ever thought of our words as being little gifts to others? Compliments, encouragements, congratulations, cheers, thanks: these are all different types of gifts we offer to one another everyday without even considering their huge effect.
When someone compliments me, I may scoff or say, "Yeah, right," but the truth is, those words lift me up, make my heart swell for a moment, and stay echoing in my head for the rest of the day, sometimes longer.
I recently wrote an article for theotherperspective.net about the forgotten value of words. Though the article targeted the negative impact empty speech can have, the opposite is just as true: words can be uplifting, refreshing, precious things if we use them for good. 
Even if you feel horribly cheesy doing this, I hope you will tell the people around you how much they mean to you. Put your feelings into words, words which contain power and life. And remember, the recipient's reaction is likely a vast underrepresentation of his or her feelings.


Forgive my cliche, but I now must mention one thing for which I am extremely thankful this year:
And that is, my amazing support group
 The holiday season reminds me that family is the one constant which, regardless of how my life changes, will ALWAYS be there to support, encourage, and love me. Without them, the world would be much darker, more intimidating place. I also appreciate my true friends now more than ever, both those back home and here in Texas, those people with whom I can do anything or do nothing, who rely on me just as I rely on them everyday. 
It is those people, my family and friends, whose words revive me every time I fall, whose gentle encouragement keeps me fighting. And to them I give thanks this November 25th. I would be nowhere without them.

Wednesday, November 17

Sell out or Starve

Legendary acting theorist Constantin Stanislavski proposed the purpose of acting to be to convey the beauty of "the life of the human spirit." 
Although Stanislavski specifically focused on theater, I believe his idea can be applied to any artistic outlet, be it visual, performance, or written text. Yet as inspiring and noble as this goal may be for artists, I cannot help but question the practicality of its application in American culture today. Staying true to one's artistic roots while succeeding in the ever-competitive realm of entertainment sounds about as easy as taming Chuck Bass (which is, for all you non-Gossip Girl addicts, a one-in-a-million chance). 
Our generation of headphone-wearing, texting, Megan Fox-worshipping hipsters seems uninterested in artistic integrity. Today's audiences love films and television because they deliver rapid exposition, limitless plot devices, and immediate satisfaction. Actors are valued not for their talent or versatility, but for their jaw lines. Today's movie-goers probably couldn't care less about truthful portrayals of human nature, especially when coming from young, attractive actors. Obviously I am not immune to this trend, though, considering my earlier reference to one of the silliest shows on television. The difference is that I acknowledge that Gossip Girl is just that--a silly TV show, not art. 
You can only imagine how discouraging this sad truth is to someone who has dedicated her education to theatre.
In fact, the public's shift away from tradition and toward technology has altered my personal career plan. I used to believe I could make a living as an actor/director in theater. The new plan, post-graduation, is to move to L.A. and sniff out film work. I dread the inevitable shock this change might present to my liberal arts background. I fear the rude awakening that awaits me in Hollywood: my naiive belief in higher art could quite possibly be shattered to pieces when placed in L.A.'s brutal hands.
A few weeks ago, my acting class was instructed to label each of our classmates with their "type" (what roles he/she could play) and what actors they were similar to. Here is my list:

Miranda Parham  
  • Ingénue
  • East coast/horsey set ingénue
  • The sweet, shy girl
  • The girl all the guys want
  • The innocent
  • Preppie
  • Hippie
  • Queen bee
  • Smart girl everyone thinks is dumb
  • Successful corporate type
  • Ice Princess
  • Blonde bombshell
  • Vulnerable girl
  • Bitch
  • Valley girl
  • Dumb blonde
  • Scandinavian
  • German
  • Dutch
  • 15-25
  • Kirstin Dunst
  • Blake Lively
  • Rachel McAdams, The Notebook
  • Anne Hathaway, The Devil Wears Prada
  • Claire Danes
  • Cate Blanchett
  • Nicole Kidman
  • Gwyneth Paltrow
  • Andy in How To Lose A Guy...
  • Mary in There's Something About Mary
  • Allie in The Notebook
  • Regina George in Mean Girls
  • Emily Proctor in CSI Miami
  • Kate Hudson in Almost Famous
  • Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
  • Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls
Not that I don't appreciate some of these as compliments, but am I doomed to be just another ditzy blonde in some horrid teen movie?
I recognize beauty in others and in myself, but I would hate to look back at my acting career and see that I wasn't proud of my work as an artist. The extent to which I am willing to sacrifice my artistic goals to make a buck is up to me, and I will simply have to face that question as each opportunity arises.
Yesterday I had a conversation with my landlord who lived in L.A. for roughly fifteen years as she pursued music. She told me, quite frankly, "It's a rough, dirty, mean city, and if I were you, I'd think twice before moving there." Thanks for the encouragement...
As for audiences, no one can force others to care about the integrity of their entertainment. I only hope that our generation eventually becomes jaded with looks and sex and instead desires something deeper than cheap entertainment. 
As my dear grandma always says: "Turn that crap off!"

Monday, November 8

Waiting for a Spark...

It's November 8th. That means: Six days until filming. Three weeks until the play opens. Six months until filming, again.
All these coals are in the fire. And here I am, standing over the stack of logs, staring...why won't they just light already!


So it is evident that I have reached a frustrating point: I'm doing all the "right" things and I'm heading in the "right" direction, but I'm not. getting there. fast enough.
Living alone has given me the complete focus I needed to buckle down. I'm taking school seriously, I'm actually invested in rehearsals, and I've never felt more passionate about creating art.
That said, I am also the antsiest and most irritable I have ever been. Inside, I feel like I'm jumping up and down, waving my arms, begging for any recognition I can get for all the work I'm doing. Yet life is barely inching forward. 
In show business, things are supposed to move fast. The competition is lighting a subconscious fire under my butt to constantly keep working. Which, on the one hand, is great! It's making me productive, energized, and ambitious.
The problem is, I think I've forgotten how to relax. Here I am: nineteen years old and a complete workaholic. I refuse to let myself sit back and watch TV, or even nap. Plus, I don't dance much anymore, and that, for me, is a major red flag. Is my childlike spirit withering?
At the other end of the spectrum, I witness far too many of my friends and peers drudging through their classes, getting by with as little effort as possible. This stuns and annoys me; I want to scream, WAKE UP PEOPLE! We are so lucky to be here, and yet the majority of us have no motivation, no desire to excel. 
So where is the ideal balance between these two extremes? I am currently facing that question and, with the help of my friends, working to find an answer. Wish me luck.

Tuesday, November 2

Guest blog!

This editorial is courtesy of my previously-mentioned "visitor," Mark Slay. I have to say, I'm rather pleased that he took the hint from my last post. This is the first guest writer I have had, so, as you read, please keep in mind: if you have any hostile reactions, direct them to him. 
Enjoy!


Most Overrated Things
[Disclaimer: Overrated does not necessarily mean bad. It simply means overrated. Confused? See #1.]

3. Chocolate- I saw a commercial for a bacon chocolate bar the other day. I wanted to puke. Not because I thought of the taste (which I’m sure is awful), but more because I realized: that is such a classic American move. If I were to make an underrated list, bacon would be on it. Bacon is American, it’s NEVER marketed, yet you can always find it, it’s made by farmers (arguably), and it’s all generally the same. Bacon produces no surprises. No mysterious liquids oozes out the middle, unexpectedly, midway through a mass produced bar. All this and yet as I type this, the word bacoholic has squiggly red spellcheck lines underneath it and chocoholic does not. Chocolate is foreign, bad for you, trendy (never a good thing), and DOES NOT taste very good. It is said that the Mayans regarded cocoa beans as food from the gods. So if the world ends in a year and two months, I may change my stance on chocolate. Until then, stop putting it on my fruit, keep it away from my coffee, and please, let my bacon go. 

2. The Second Amendment- On December 15, 1791, our founding fathers decided that for the security of the common man, Americans should be able to “bear arms.” This is because at the time, our main national defense was state militias, where “BYOG” was the general practice. Now there are exactly three reasons to have a gun: one is to hunt; two is to break a law in some way; and three is to protect your self against two.  Let's set aside the moral dilemmas with killing living things for fun (stay in your seats hippies).  Hunting is expensive, time consuming, and only approximately 1.7% of hunters use it to benefit their income or livelihood (based on a slightly unreliable poll done in my head 5 seconds ago). I would argue that hunting and golf serve the exact same purpose.  This hobby is hardly worth allowing anyone in America with two hundred dollars and a decent amount of street cred to purchase an A-K 47.  So yes, Miranda, I agree that we should listen to our elders, but sometimes we should use discretion when deciding whether or not to keep a law placed by those who would now be over 200 years old.  

1. The Human Race- A wise narrator once said that humans may be the stupidest animals on the planet. She points out that humans put on facades and yet still expect others to understand their problems as opposed to dogs who wag right and left for happy and droop around when their sad (paraphrased). Over the past three days, this has resonated enough with me that forty minutes ago when I decided to write about the most overrated things, people is what popped in my head first. Unfortunately I can’t list all the reasons, so I will make this as short as possible. The reasons why humans are overrated, besides the fact that we, and by we I mean you, are all stupid, are as follows: People care about what their equally ignorant friends think of them, you cannot entertain yourself, the LAW of human nature is recognized yet not followed, and last, people assume they can control certain things. More importantly, they assume things should be controlled.

[I reserve the right to make exceptions to the statements in number one, including: Lincoln, King, Hilton, Gandhi, etc. Other things that almost made the overrated things list include: hellos, college, advertising, greek life, nuclear bombs, babies, spicy food, baseball, birthdays, poetry, and Dave Mathews Band.]


Monday, November 1

"Guest blog"

I had a visitor in Dallas this weekend, and he was supposed to write a guest blog filled with refreshing perspective from someone outside of Dallas and SMU. Unfortunately, he never got around to it.
In lieu of him sharing his own thoughts, I'll  let you in on what he taught me...


What bonds people together stronger than anything is their flaws.
We all have them, and we all hide them. That is, until we find someone whom we trust enough to let in and see our shit (all the stuff we call "baggage" and throw into the back closet so it doesn't scare people off).
Now, that's not to say that happiness and excitement are ingenuine, or that we should all dwell on the ugly things in life. But to get to a place where your happiness is genuine, you first have to be brave, acknowledge the ugly stuff, and either embrace it or change.
It's funny: I've bonded more with my ex-sorority sisters over feeling like we don't fit in with that crowd than I ever did with those same girls during rush or when we were so excited about pledging.


Mean people finish last.
There's a certain poison in the air on this campus. Particularly among the girls. People get mean because they think they have to in order to keep their heads above water. 
Insecurity leads to competition, which leads to fake friendships, fake personalities, and more insecurity, which leads to everyone wanting to transfer. But come on, all these concerns--looks, money, Facebook pictures, hook-ups, clothes--are far too temporary and unfulfilling to get worked up over. Now, that's not to say that I'm in any way above caring about such things. In fact, I struggle every day worrying about my image and what random people think of me. But I am consciously making an effort to grow up and see what's actually important.
Which brings me to my last lesson from this weekend...


It's all about relationships.
How we interact every day, whether with friends, family members, coworkers, or strangers, defines who we are as people. Everywhere you look you see people labeling each other to make these interactions easier: every other driver on the expressway is an asshole, every child an annoyance, every homeless person a danger, etcetera. These generalities are even more poisonous to our relationships and our understandings of people as fascinatingly complex individuals. Everyone has a story, if you're willing to listen.





Monday, October 25

Irony's a bitch




Please, before you continue reading, scroll down to October 17th's post and read number 4 on "Unicorn's List of Underrated Things!"



Great. Now, I can tell you how irony came and made a complete ass of me today:
I got hit by a car on the way to school this morning, while riding my bike.

I'm OK, though. Shockingly fine actually...I don't even have a bruise to speak of. And, no, I am not mad at the car or the driver, who ironically, is an ex-sorority sister of mine...yeah, awkward.

The only thing I could think to do as I re-assembled my books and purse into my bike basket, surrounded by concerned construction workers who had seen the whole fiasco occur from across the street, looking at the purely horrified facial expression of the poor girl who had just hit me, was laugh.

Then, cry. Then, call my mom. Then, laugh more.


And you have to wonder, how could there not be a higher power, at least some universal forces conspiring, when things like that happen in life? Oh irony...you bitch.

Thursday, October 21

Epiphany

Tonight was one of the all-time worst, turned all-time best nights of my life. 
Let me explain:




The past month or so, I have been feeling completely insecure. I feel like I have been clawing for blades of grass to keep from falling over the edge of a cliff. Those blades are the people I once considered my closest friends here. And the cliff, loneliness. Anyway, it all came to the surface tonight...


I was having a horribly frustrating night, until about thirty minutes ago. On top of the four and a half hours of life-sucking backstage grunge work, I went to a rehearsal at which I felt completely drained, apathetic, and uninspired. I rushed out of the building feeling unaccomplished and lonely, admittedly having quarantined myself away from the group.


For the first time, I thought: What am I doing here? Why go through all of this work only to feel like a failure at the end of the day? 
The alluringly forbidden thought crept into my head: I could drop out of college altogether and move on with my life, free of all the social drama and the stress and the homework.
I could beat the college system by simply saying, I don't need your stupid diploma! I'll move to L.A. and get famous and make beautiful, inspiring art all on my own!


I jumped on my bike, nearly hyperventilating as I pedaled speedily through campus. As I rode, my mind was racing, and then it hit me: Rather than leave school to get away from these feelings of insecurity and unhappiness, why can't I just omit the things and people in my life that are making me unhappy? I shouldn't have to give up everything I've worked for--that is, my education and my art--to be happy. Especially when the cause is as silly as high school drama.

So it took one really icky night to make me realize: Life is not about popularity. It's about truth and beauty. It's about feeling instead of doing. It's about the people and things that make you happy, that bring out the best in you. And you know, that's all I'm really interested in.

Sunday, October 17

Underrated things!

Unicorn's Top 5 Underrated Things:

1
.
Stretching 
           Stretching hurts, which is why most people (myself 
included) avoid it as much as possible. However, I've made an effort to stretch before bed every night, and after a few days, I already feel much less tense and ready to start the day!
2.Black Coffee
         Almost all of my friends who drink coffee have never even tried it black. I thought I would hate drinking it the "manly" way, but actually I love how it wakes me right up in the morning. Don't knock it till ya try it.

3.Cooking 
         In America, we put such value on eating out. My first job was at a local Italian place, and I can tell you, it's not nearly as glamorous as it's made out to be. In fact, most of the food is crap, and behind the scenes, things get a bit disgusting. Cooking for yourself is the best way to ensure that you're getting high-quality, delicious food. Plus, you save money, and you can adjust recipes to fit your tastes. For instance, this Sunday morning: wheat french toast with banana and peanut butter filling. Easy, cheap, and (holy shit!) amazinggg. For recipe ideas, might I suggest: www.allrecipes.com

4.Bicycles
        I just started riding a bike now that I'm living off-campus, and I've gotta say: it's the way to go. I have command of the road and the sidewalk! Traffic? Not a chance.

5.Elderly People
        I cannot understand why we as Americans devalue the people in our society who have the most life experience. Older people have accumulated such an array of information, and they retain effortless grace in dealing with even the messiest situations. I am fortunate enough to still have two grandparents alive. My grandma, Betty, is one of the ladies whose strength and grace have constantly pushed me to be a better person. Also, I work with several older ladies in the theater's costume shop whose skill amazes me and whose whose wit sends me into hysterics on a daily basis. They are inspiring, fabulous ladies. 


Well, that's it for me! 
I hope that you'll give these five sadly overlooked things a second chance. And remember, if you ever really need advice, ask an old person..because your friends are probably just as confused as you are. 







Thursday, October 7

Success

Since about my junior year of high school, my father and I have almost solely related with one another through practical, business terms: we are smart, hard-working, arrogant people, and we operate with the motive of proving ourselves and attaining success. So whenever I would visit my dad, the visit was always planned and usually related to business in some way: looking at a car problem, recording a voice-over, or dropping something by.


Yesterday I spoke with my dad on the phone from Tennessee, and at the end of the conversation, he told me just how proud he is of me and my progress, even if I haven't chosen the most lucrative profession. This compliment seemed a bit back-handed to me...is theater not good enough? At this point, I felt like my dad was discretely expressing some disappointment in my choice.




But then I remembered: my dad left pre-law in college to be a radio DJ.


So what does success really mean to my dad and I, when we put the pretenses of society aside? 
It means putting all of our various talents into practice and enjoying every minute of our work. For him, it's radio. For me, it's theater.






In American society and overwhelmingly at SMU, "success" comes down to money.

We are under a constant pressure to attain more and better stuff.


But at the end of the day, what does success mean to you? 
     Because to me it sure as hell doesn't mean sitting at a desk all day.

Saturday, October 2

Bring on the cold!

   As October begins, 
the air nibbles on my nose just enough to get me giddy for fall.




Layering clothes.
   The hot coffee
 Colorful leaves!
   (missin Tennessee)
  Football Saturdays
The calm feel in the air.
(&No more sweating to class)

This is from photographer Glen Luchford,for AnOther Magazine. 
And wow, the fierce fashion.
Bring on the cold? Yes, please.

Wednesday, September 29

ridin solo

I'm living alone for the first time in my life.
(Statue of Eleanor Rigby in Stanley Street, Liverpool.)
         When I say alone, I do not just mean without my family; I mean alone, in a single apartment. I expected to love being free from distractions and disturbances, so I could focus on school. It was absolutely liberating being able to walk around in my underwear or blast 70's music or cook fish without someone complaining about the smell.


Yes, all of these things have been awesome, and I still giggle to myself when I'm flipping pancakes at midnight and jamming to Fleetwood Mac. But I miss being greeted when I come back from class, being surprised by my friends knocking on my door just to say hi, and walking down the hall to borrow someone's printer or a curling iron.


So yeah, I don't have to listen to the loud girl next door skyping her boyfriend at 3 in the morning.

But is 19 too young to be living completely alone? 
I'm starting to think so.

Sunday, September 26

Jean Seberg

Timeless beauty








Honestly, this woman rocked stripes and a boy cut better than anyone. Ever.

Thursday, September 23

filling myself up


my mind is exploding 
with all the things I want to see,learn,experience

the past few days, between working on my latest theatrical endeavor  (Metamorphoses, by Mary Zimmerman) with a fantastic cast, a visit from the incredible Glenn Close (yes, Cruella herself), Mrs. Giva Taylor's infinite wisdom, and the sheer abundance of STUFF out there, i have been absolutely inspired
anything & everything*
*the problem is figuring out where to start


Yesterday, I started randomly researching whatever popped
into my head. Lookie what I found!


Stunning underwater photography by Ari Abramczyk (more at http://www.ariabramczyk.com)






                                                        

One mo' thang:
"Any enduring art has some sense of outrage"      
-Glenn Close, at SMU on 9/21

Thanks for reading.
Now, if you have or find anything inspiring/random/funny/interesting,
please do us all a favor,
& share!

Monday, September 20

I'd like to add a goal:

to fail.
                   i'm talking...


BIG,
bold,
hilarious,
($)           failure


       As in, trying to jump a giant curb on my little blue bicycle,
flying off and onto the concrete, 
breaking the front basket,
and laughing my ass off.



because you live, you learn. 
        (& failing, like it or not, makes you a human.)


who knows, you might be the next Youtube sensation, like this guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeoOR_NWHyo



Sunday, September 19

to blog!

Here I am, stuck in this icky, awkward thing called college.


Almost every day I listen to the people around me and think,
 "Wait, whaaaaat?" or "That's messed up." 
And maybe it's just me...but I have an inkling it's not. 


 ...
    ...
       ...


Besides all those daily snags, there are so many things to discuss, to share with other people and to enjoy together.  There's so much we can learn from each other, it would be a shame not to. 


I'm Miranda.I'm a 2nd year theater student in Dallas, Texas. I am a long way from my home back in Knoxville, Tennessee. 
So many times, this school and this city have given me the most invigorating experiences, and I've grown up a lot just in the past year. But some days, it's a struggle being away from anything familiar.




My hope in being here is this: 
to stretch, 
to grow, 
and to find a few laughs in this messed-up world.
Sounds good, right?