Paneer, Prints, and Poppy: February Favorites

February 2020 was (is... I know this post is a little early...) one of the busiest months of my life. According to my Little Women calendar, out of the twenty-nine days, I've had something relatively important on twenty of them. In the little bubble that is the world of performing arts, I've had five bruises from wacking my metal shield against my leg, four auditions, two call backs, three performances, and one day devoted to battle choreography. It's been a time.

Lots of beautiful things happened this month. I babysat a bookish one-year-old. Some of his favorite baby books are about quantum physics, others are in Spanish, and there's a bit of Arabic mixed in. He is going to be a brilliant boy, I can already tell. I, myself, have read six books, none of which were about quantum physics. The Black History Month presentations during lunch at my school have been so full of hope. It's so important to learn about other cultures, the injustices they've suffered, and the ways in which we are all the same. My counselor and I have been planning the rest of my high school career, tailored to my ambition of attending film school. No more AP European History or AP US Government: We The People. Yes to AP Psychology and AP Art History. Triple yes to 4D Design and Animation.

It occurred to me today that I only have about two years to live in my room. Weird.

In this whirlwind of a month, here were my favorites. Because next week is show week, and I have dress rehearsals until eight in the evening and mountains of homework to attend to, I am posting this a tad early. Do forgive me. I hope February treated you well.

Experiences
- Performing in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I had the privilege of working with so many friends, new and old, and learned a lot in the process. For instance, it's kinda hard to breathe when you're sixteen and wear a compression shirt to play a ten-year-old. Also, never put root beer in a corked bottle to stand in for a Healing Cordial. You will be a sticky mess. From this experience, I am most grateful to Claire, our student director, and Luke, Maya N., and Cal. Claire taught me so much; she is a phenomenal person and director, and I can't wait to see the mark she makes on the world. Luke, Maya, and Cal... you're my very favorite fake siblings.


- Not getting quite what I wanted. The time to audition for choirs had arrived, and more than anything, I wanted to be in jazz choir. Jazz has always been a big part of my life, and I worked quite hard to (hopefully, fingers-crossed) make it into the select group. The auditions were at six in the morning, during tech week of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I listened to nothing but Billie's Bounce for a week. Thank goodness for Charlie Parker. Alas, I did not make it in. At first, I was certainly disappointed - I will not pretend otherwise. However, I am thrilled to have made it into Bella Voce, another upper choir at my school. I know I have a lot to learn, and I hope Bella will give me the opportunity to expand my limited sight reading abilities and grow my meager confidence. Sometimes, not getting what you want can be a good thing and a fantastic learning experience. It humbles you. It teaches you that failure can be the best path to improvement. Plus, there's always next year. And I'm so, so proud of my friends who did make it in! I can't wait to go to their concerts.

Playlist
Words - Birdy
Visions of Gideon - Sufjan Stevens
Big God - Florence and the Machine
U (Man Like) - Bon Iver
Still Trying - Nathaniel Rateliff
Green Light - Lorde
Anchor - Novo Amor
Wake Me Up - Dirty Loops
Hymnostic - Big Red Machine
Big Jet Plane - Angus & Julia Stone
No Care - Daughter

Movies, Shows, and Videos
- My mom, sister, and I re-watched Lady and the Tramp one night when my dad was at a concert. It was lovely. Afterwards, we made pasta (spaghetti with parm for them, Banza with parm for me).

- The Irishman. Boy was it long. Boy was it good.

- What Even Is Masculinity? This video was incredibly enlightening for me. Recently, one of my friends told me he was sad. When I told him he was doing a good job powering through it, he said "that's because we live in a society that tells boys to stifle their emotions." He was right, of course. I just didn't expect him to say it. I wanted to give him a big hug. Here's a video I watched shortly after this conversation.

- TEDTalk: "Locker Room Talk." Says Who? Alexis Jones's TEDTalk was riveting. She is one eloquent lady, and I was fascinated by both her story and her call to action. As a girl in the midst of high school, this is a topic that hit very close to home, and one I wish to spread to every single human ever.

- I haven't really watched many shows this month. Instead, let us continue on to 'za books.

Books
- This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. This book made me laugh and cry in all the right places; I feel like my heart grew two sizes while reading it. It was the sort of book where I was gonna read just one more chapter... and one turned into seven... and suddenly, it was one in the morning. A story of a family with a transgender daughter, named Poppy, navigating a cruel world, this is one of the most stunning books I've read in awhile.

- Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon. This is a play, not a book, but we spent four class periods reading it in theatre, so it counts. The characters made this play for me. They were so three-dimensional, so flawed and unique, and I really wanted to have dinner with them.

- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. In all fairness, I am still finishing the book as I write this post. So far, though, I am hooked. Apparently, Mr. Darcy's first name Fitzwilliam. Why didn't I know this? I suppose my middle school viewing of Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies missed that detail. Anywho, I do enjoy a period piece, and I do enjoy romances during the week of Valentine's Day. So far, I'm not being let down in the slightest.

Food
- Paneer Masala. I ate quite a bit of Paneer Masala in February, and it's quickly morphed into one of my favorite dishes. I have yet to make it at home, but here's a recipe that looks promising. Can't wait to try it out!

- Banana Berry Smoothie. Winter is a lovely season - because of the snow days, of course - but it doesn't entail much fresh fruit. Throwing a banana, milk, chia seeds, and some frozen berries into a blender has served me well. I'd suggest this if you'd enjoy a little splash of summertime.

Fashion and Art
- My dear friend Cornelia gifted me some Tombow Dual Brush N00 Pens. Instead of paying attention to the overwhelming white-dead-male ciriculum of my English class (we are working on changing this... because everyone knows we need more diverse books...), I've been bullet journaling with them. They're great! Don't bleed through, feature vibrant colors, and remind me of my friend. She's a Danish exchange student, and I already miss her, even though she has a few months left here. Every time I draw with them, I'll think of her.

- Print Mixing. I still suck at this, but it's sure fun. Why not put florals with plaid? Go for it.

What March Will Bring

A prelude to April showers. Green and gold and maybe some gluten-free Irish soda bread. Walks to the library, if it's not too cold. 31 days of anything at all.

Happy day, reader. I am grateful for you.
- Maya

Photo by Raphael Schaller on Unsplash, Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash,
Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash, Photo by William Recinos on Unsplash,
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Photo by Hello I'm Nik 🍌 on Unsplash