Rocket Boys: The Musical

I always thought it was so cheesy when people would say that 'It couldn't hurt to just ask' or 'The worst they could do is say NO' when you were really nervous about delving into something. But that is exactly what I was telling myself a few weeks ago and now I'm so happy I had the guts to try.

On a Monday morning a couple of months ago I was laying in bed, listening to the radio (my alarm) and trying to convince myself that it was time to get out of bed...and myself was not at all pursuaded to move. So I focused on the radio talk show that just happens to be a usually entertaining look into the real Alabama (the call-in quiz show tends to be horribly embarrasing), but that morning they were interviewing one Homer Hickam. He was discussing a book he'd written about his youth in West Virginia - basically he grew up during the Space Race admiring Dr. von Braun, developed his own rockets with high school friends, and ended up as a NASA scientist. This book is wildly popular across the country and taught in many schools...you may recognize the title: Rocket Boys. The other reason the plot may sound familiar? It's also been made into a little movie called 'October Sky' with Jake Gyllenhaal. Well, the reason Homer was being interviewed that day was because a musical adaptation of his book was/is in production and a full-fledged stage reading of the show was going to be performed at the end of May here in Huntsville. I was laying there thinking - 'Science and musical theatre together. That's amazing!! I wonder if they're holding auditions?' So I hopped out of bed and started searching online for the website. But my hopes were all too quickly dashed...I learned that the auditions in Huntsville had been the weekend before.

Oddly, though, the idea of the show was stuck in my head the rest of the day as well as the crummy sayings I mentioned before. So I finally brokedown and sent an email to the director just to see if I could send in an audition tape...expecting nothing to come of it. A few days later I heard back and after a bunch of talking back and forth I ended up getting a part in the show!


So for the week before Memorial Day I worked with about 20 other actors to learn the music...and, well, the entire show. Yup, all in one week. I quickly learned the benefits and downsides to doing a staged reading vs. a full production: while we get to use the scripts and music during the show...we have a very short time to work on character and to really get comfortable with the show. Plus we have to learn to work with a book in our hand - almost more complicated than it's worth! It was a very stressful week but very much worth it. I got to work with some amazing actors from New York, Huntsville, and across the country. Heck, there were even a few from St. Louis! Oh, and I got to chat with Homer Hickam at some rehearsals - he's a really great and genuine guy.

Check out the website: www.rocketboysthemusical.com
You can see pictures from our production and hear some of the songs we recorded! (Listen for me in 'Dorothy Plunk' and 'Rise' - I've got solo lines :)
Never again am I going to not try to do something I want to do...this would've been too cool of an experience to miss out on just because I was chicken.

The Hurricane Conference: Nerds in the Tropics

Our semester ended about a month ago, shockingly early for my normal experiences with school. Even though it was nice to get things over with it sure made it a rush to the finish line! Then not two days after I took my last final I headed down to Florida with some fellow grad students. Don't get jealous, though, cause it wasn't a big ol' vacation. True, I got to relax at the pool or hot tub every night with friends and visit Disney World the last day...but there were a lot of presentations to go to and people to meet with...so it was a lot of work, too.


Every April there is a Hurricane/Tropical Meteorology Conference held in Orlando and the pasty scientific sorts attempt to blend in with the tan vacationers...and fail miserably. In the evening, after we'd spent all day freezing in the conference rooms listening to presentations, we usually ended up at the hotel pool for a few drinks. I could pick out each and every one of the conference people who were attempting to catch the last few rays of sun so they could go back and gloat to their colleagues...the glare off their skin was a good tip. Of course there were also those few who'd be uncomfortably propping themselves on chairs at the bar. Those were the ones who'd fallen asleep by the pool the day before and burnt to a crisp...and were praying to be past the peeling point by the time they got back home and avoid torment!

The other funny thing about these conferences is people watching during the day at breaks and social events. Socializing for scientists is pretty darn funny considering that most of them are fairly inept at this skill...I have a theory that, on average, the level of intelligence someone has in this field is inversely proportional to their ability to handle themselves in any normal situation. Completely playing into the stereotype, I know...but with the exception of a few really great people, this is the truth. All around the Cocktail Party the one night I could see people engaged in lively conversation (usually about eyewall replacement cycles or some such nerdiness) and many others just standing there with drink in one hand and hors d'oeuvre in the other and after making polite conversation with someone about what they've been up to, just standing there awkwardly staring around the room for a reason to need to walk away. After about 3 minutes of this, both parties would come to the conclusion neither could find a reason to leave and nonchalantly just walk away pretending they never saw each other. It's amazing, I tell you!

I also learned that it was a very, very BAD idea to have a Starbucks on the walk between my room and the conference, especially when I was on a per diem and not spending much other money on food. I think I had more espresso in that week than I had in the entire year prior. And now I realize why I was dragging so much the next week....


Other happenings from the week: We went Mini-golfing one night (Mike's request...er, more like demand), felt really old once the high schoolers conference showed up at the end of the week, enjoyed fancy food like pasta and meatball subs at the world's largest McDonald's, had a fabulous time at Universal CityWalk...once we finally got there (much mess with finding transportation), almost lost our voices that evening singing along at the piano bar at Pat O'Briens (see above) and unintentionally allowed another friend to become victim to the Hurricanes (just like New Orleans!).


Oh, and we went to Disney!! We took a couple of friends to the Magic Kingdom for their first trip to 'the happiest place on earth' and had a blast. I finally got to ride the Teacups, Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain like I wasn't allowed to do when I was little...so I was very happy :) Hilariously, we managed to fit 5 full grown graduate students into a single teacup. It was cozy and then quite a challenge to pry ourselves out of it at the end of the ride, but no one got sick! Oh, and that drop on Splash Mountain creates quite a bit of force with all that water. Two of our guys had their hair blown backwards by it...and it stayed that way.


One last little thing about our trip to Disney - my favorite point of the day was waiting in line for the Teacups and watching those ahead of us on the ride. One Dad was on the ride with his two daughters, probably only 6 and 8 yrs old. When the ride got started he started spinning the teacup as fast as he could and the little girls were just laughing their heads off and saying 'STOP!' but enjoying it as much and their Dad, who had this goofy grin on and laughing as much as his girls. When they stopped and he helped them off the ride, it was a good thing he was holding the littler one's hand cause she took a couple of stumbling steps and then toppled over like a domino - busting out laughing as she hit the floor. But that wasn't the greatest thing I saw. On the ride just before we got on there was an older couple (grandparent age) in one cup. The lady was leaning back with her head back, eyes closed and another big grin on her face as her husband twirled the teacup around with almost the same youthful enjoyment that the other dad had. When we got on the ride we all cracked up because we realized that the older couple had just stayed on the ride for another go...and no one was going to say anything - they've paid their dues and may as well have as much fun as they want relaxing and being kids again!

But as all good things do, this trip had to come to an end...and this one ended in a very bumpy flight home. As we got close to Huntsville we had to fly through a lovely little frontal boundary that bounced us around so much I swear I left my seat a few times...even with a seatbelt firmly fastened. I just took it as training for a P3 flight (read: Hurricane Hunters), if that ends up working out. I handled it pretty well, so bring on the big beasts!!