Rent - Day Two

Today I saw Rent... again, for day two, and this
time I took some notes on the
movie. This is what I got from it and was I thought:

Seasons of Love for the opening was such a beautiful
and inspiring. I remember when this same song was
sung by both Orono and Walton students and how
beautiful it was then too. It had tremendous energy
involved, and this was before I had even seen the
musical on Broadway, before the four day trip to New
York City, the Big Apple, the Hollywood of the East Coast.
That day we sung this song for the first time in large
group of people in front of an audience was at the Orono
Universalist Unitarian Church. We were shinnning brightly
that spring day.

I'd be willing to die for a taste of what Angel had.

"I'm a New Yorker! Fear's my life!"


"This is Calcutta, Bohemia is dead."

The beauty of the light from the burning eviction
notices rolling out of metal garbage cans as everyone
on Avenue A is standing on their apartment balconies.

"..And now our dreams can be reality.."

Mimi and the Cat Scratch Club.

"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?"

The poetic sight of Angel drumming on the bottom of a
plastic bucket with wooden drumsticks.

"There's only us, there's only this."

Alphabet City avant garde.

Roger singing "One Song Glory" on the rooftop of the
apartment building after getting back to New York City
from New Mexico on a coach bus. He kept thinking of Mimi.

Riot at Maureen's protest/performance.

"New York City.... Center of the Universe."

The scene at the cafe after Maureen's awareness protest
when the residents of Avenue A discover that Benny is in
the same cafe as they are, and sitting at a table right
beside their's. They dance on the tables and on top of the
bar, Collins erases part of the menu specials at writes in
caps "Fight AIDS", and singing at the top of their lungs.
The first time I saw the movie, on Saturday (11/26), I was
laughing through this whole particular scene because of the
hilarity of it.

I love Gardenburgers

I love veggie burgers!
I tried something new tonight,
making a grilled cheese sandwich
on a bagel, with a veggie medley
Gardenburger, some onion and
cheese. It was really good. Also,
now that I'm working less hours
because of being at my internship
for part of the time I would be
working, I'm dirt poor, even more
than I was before. Apartment
living has brought on a drastic
dietary for me, I'm eating
significantly less meat
than I was previously, which wasn't
much in the first place. My main
sources of protein now are veggie
sausage (which I first tried last
month at the YAF retreat, mmmmmm
......good), veggie burgers, and
beans. I have yet to try the veggie
chicken, which I have heard is good
too. Next will be tofu, which I
also like.

Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project

Moises Kaufman and the rest of the crew from the
Tectonic Theater Project have decided to perform
The Laramie Project at Penobscot Theatre, and the
performance is playing from November 2 through
November 13 at the Bangor Opera House.

I first saw this performance when I was still in
high school when the Tectonic Theater Project came
to Orono High School, and was sponsored by the
Diversity Team, an extracurricular club designed
to promote awareness, stop hate within ourselves
and the high school, and try to reduce and/or
resolve intolerance and ignorance that was
displayed both in the classrooms and the hallways
of Orono H.S.

Here is what some Laramie High School students had
to say when interviewed in February 2002 (Time Magazine):

"As a freshman at Laramie Junior High School, I was
shocked when I heard the horrible news. It's sad that
it takes a small town in Wyoming for everyone to
acknowledge the abuse and discrimination going on in
the world. Now Laramie is judged as a town, and the
people in the town are also being judged because of
their actions." -Megan Murphy

"The state of Wyoming is probably one of the most
understanding communities that I have ever lived in;
the problem is that people won't get to hear about
all the good things about this state for a while
because of what happened on October 12, 1998."
-Noce Nayigihugu

"It hurts to have negative opinions put on us the
way they have. You couldn't even travel somewhere
without being interrogated by people on what happened
and if Wyoming was really the state of hate crimes
like everyone perceived it to be. Laramie has changed
and will not be the same for me. Prejudices are not
just formed in any certain place; I have realized
hate can be anywhere." -Anna Schuch

"When I look at Laramie now, it looks the same as it
as it did when I was in seventh grade, when Matt
Shepard died. October looks the same now as it did
then, but I know that the October in 1998 left an
imprint of tragedy and guilt on Laramie, one that
still lingers today and one that will continue to
linger for a very long time. The town of Laramie has
gone through a lot, but only the people in Laramie
can tell that particular story accurately. The worst
insult a person can pay in this town is "you're gay".
But yesterday I heard someone say, "When you talk like
that, it's no wonder that Matt Shepard got killed."
When people start talking like that, I know that there
is hope for my town." - Elizabeth Hacker

"Laramie residents are accused of being the "encouragers"
of this crime that happened. Sadly enough, most people
do not even know where Laramie, Wyoming is and yet we
are still being criticized for the crime that happened
in this town a few years ago. Just as an educational
idea for those who do not know where Wyoming is (and
they should, those of you who criticize us!) It's directly
above Colorado and directly below Montana. And those off
you who criticize us, always remember that if it were you,
how would you want to be treated?" - Sarii Crites

"I was born and raised in Laramie, and this is the first
time I was ashamed of living here. Although the Matthew
Shepard tragedy was over three years ago, it still impacts
me. I remember crying for Matthew and I didn't even know
him. Even though Matt died such a horrible death, I admire
him. I admire that he wasn't afraid to be who he was, and
that he died standing up for what he stood for. I only
wish there were more people like Matthew Shepard."
- Laura Leigh Olden

I can remember what I was doing the day Matthew died:
not the specifics, but I was in eighth grade at that time,
and drugged up with some high doses of antidepressants and
that was also probably one of those days that I was
sleeping right through my science and math classes
because of the medications.