Save the drama for your mama

Everyone should get a college degree in drama. And that’s the truth.

I went into college with only one mandate from my parents.  I had to get a “real” degree.  You know, in something like law, business, engineering.  Something that will make their retirement very cushy.

They also mandated that I didn’t get any tattoos, or they would stop paying my tuition.  If you know me at all, I'm an anti-rebel, so of course I didn't get a tattoo.

Back to my illustrious college career.  I promptly decided that I would get my degree in communications (sorry mom and dad) and become a news anchor, because  Communications is just as  prestigious as law, business and engineering- and oh so lucrative (ha). AND, I would get a “fall back” degree in drama so I could be famous.

Do I look like a famous news anchor yet??

 Yep, that was my plan.  Be a new anchor or be famous.  Whichever panned out first, I was nothing ,if not flexible.

Actually, drama wasn’t even what I wanted to be famous for.  I wanted to sing.  I was going to be all Mariah Carey before she got divorced and got remarried to Nick Cannon.  But, then I watched American Idol and realized that most of the people’s a cappella auditions were better than my accompanied “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” would ever be.

American Idol, a show that gave millions of people around the nation visions of being famous, ruined all my hopes and dreams- and I never even tried out  So I got a drama degree as a backup, because who knows… maybe I was a better actor than singer (not likely).

So there I was being a double major and pretty much winning college (still not famous) when I realized that some people were taking this drama thing seriously.  Very seriously.

I was not one of those people. Clearly.

To this day, I never actually acted in a play outside of high school.  How did they allow me to get my degree?  Clerical oversight I’m sure.

Anyway, I was surrounded by a ton of people who were taking this degree super serious, and I was wasting everyone’s time (sorry about that drama peeps).  I just wanted to double major, and I figured that if I didn’t get famous, I could always teach drama to kids someday, and a drama degree couldn’t hurt when that time came. Who appreciates that I had a back up to my back up??

In one of the more introductory classes- you know, the ones where we walk around an empty room and convey emotions through your body language (don’t tell me you don’t know about them), I was probably giggling or rolling my eyes and not taking it seriously and I crossed paths with another eye roller.

It was love at first eye roll. Neither of us knew how to “walk with morose” or “laugh with our eyes.” Hello new drama bestie.  

We bonded over how drama was not our “real major” and how we had grand plans for our “real” lives.   We even partnered up to do an atrociously bad scene in class where we were teenagers sun bathing on the beach. This is my public apology to anyone who had to sit through that scene and then do a forced-applause at the end.  I am SO SORRY!

While we were busy bonding over our love of all things funny and working on our morose walks. We ended up actually learning some things, first and foremost; how to OWN public speaking.

Remember how I wanted to be famous?  Well, public speaking is just code for being famous on a small stage.  Yep, every staff meeting, class presentation and engagement party toast is an occasion to dust of the “laughing eyes” and give a once in a life time performance with smiles, tears and applause.

We also learned that being weird is cool.

Yes, I realize that the hipsters have been trying to teach us this over the last few years, with their embracing everything not mainstream, thus, in turn, making it mainstream, but I learned this WAY before the hipsters ever put on a pair of “nerd glasses”.  

 

Drama peeps embrace the weird.  I’m pretty sure they were all looking at me like the crazy-pants, for being so conformist in my Northface coat, designer jeans and Nalgene water bottle (also known as northwest sorority chic circa 2003).  They were not afraid to wear wings in class (only 1 girl did this), grab lunch while in character, and totally be who they were- no holds barred.

Rock on drama peeps.

The whole being-who-you-are thing totally struck a chord with me, and my drama bestie.  That is what made me love drama so much.  Life lessons on individuality.  I’m sure I didn’t get this from my communications degree, although I did learn in Comm that the general public likes news anchors with shoulder length hair a "friendly face"- both of which I have.

So here I am many years later, and I'm totally putting my "drama lessons" into practice. Starting a blog is pretty much the ultimate form of public speaking, and it basically forces you to embrace your weirdness, and tell everyone about it.

Guess how I finally came to the decision to start a blog?

I talked to my drama bestie, who is a real life bestie AND a blog bestie.  She is Ashley, from the Accidental Olympian, and she told me that blogging was fun and easy and I should do it.  She lied to me about the easy part.

The OTHER Ashley- working on her "smiling eyes"

What she didn’t lie about was how great blogging is.  It is great. It pretty much forces you to embrace your own idiosyncrasies and then tell the world about them.  Clearly I’m overboard on buying other people’s junk, home décor and DIY.  Meanwhile, Ashley is all over Alaska, moose and tackling anxiety in her daily life.  She recently picked up and moved herself, her boyfriend, 2 dogs and 2 fish from Olympia, WA to Anchorage Alaska- and everyone made it there alive.  She is wonder woman, and a fabulous blogger. Go read her blog now.

So, there you have it.  Everyone should get a drama degree so that they rock at public speaking, embrace their individuality and meet a new friend who encourages them to write their own blog.  See how I brought that full circle?

Yep. I’ve got mad full-circle skills.

For extra bonus points and an increased level of fun, make this post into a drinking game and reread it while drinking every time I use the words drama, bestie and famous.  I’m sure Ashley (the other one, not me) would endorse this game, as she loves to drink.

PPS. I am pretty awesome at laughing with my eyes these days, and I totally know what morose means now. 

Ashley does not know that she is blog-famous today.  Surprise Ashley!