King Lear & 1st Fridays

It was a first Friday for me on this journey.

05 April 2013 Friday

I woke up still late, I think it was about 9 am. I quickly had a shower and prepped up. I wanted to catch the 11:15 bus so I can attend the 12:10 pm mass at the Immaculate Concepcion Church in town.

I went down to have a quick breakfast, everyone was downstairs already wide awake.

It was quite chilly that day, I shivered but I'd say the steroids fully kicked in, being the 3rd day of medication. My sensitivity to the cold went away and walking wasn't that much of a struggle for me. I also noticed that my breathing when sleeping regulated as well.

It was my first time to see people in the Immaculate. I found a few of the practices as conventional but it was a good feeling knowing that I dont get to see this that often.It was a short ceremony for the First friday afterwhich we prayed the Sacred Heart Novena.

I tried to look for a place to get Dad a book so I can send for his 70th Birthday. Apparently there was nothing in town, strange. All of the proper shops were located outside....So i decided to go to Barnes and Nobles instead, Fred Meyer East (bus route). In Fairbanks, there's a Fred Meyer East and West. Don't ever get confused or else you'll be walking some miles.

There was a show when I got to the Transit Centre. A girl wanted to hit this guy and then the police arrived. Him in his blue uniform looking bored with the scene, just tried to pull them apart then went back to his car. I looked at the kid beside me and asked, "Does this happen that often?" He said cooly, "No".

I got on to the blue line and went for Barnes and Nobles. Got Dad a book about a lady who moved to Alaska and offered flight lessons. Then went straight to the grocery shop.... read...liquor shop haha.

For some reason I was craving some Stella, so bought a 6-pack. There I waited in the cold for the bus again.

I snoozed back at the hostel after having a chat with Cho. I was still contemplating if I should go out again because of the cold, but Cho was good enough to tell me I'd regret it if I don't. True enough.

@ 5:30 pm Beethoven played across the bed. Cho with his iPad was playing this Beethoven tune as my alarm. EEEEK! okay wake up jowe!!! I opened my eyes and there was Cho waking me up with a smile. hahaha! Hilarious! I stood up said "I hate you" and said "Thank you" then prepped up to go out again.

I left the hostel and caught the Red line to town. In the bus, bumped into Renier and Ruan.

1st Fridays in Fairbanks

Its an event in Fairbanks on every first Friday of the month. From 5-8pm all of the Art Galleries are open for viewing (free) and free food is served. I arrived in town around 7 pm and got to the Empress Theatre.

The ground floor had a few open art galleries, a band of music and people dancing, and of course a lot of those just curious to watch and listen. :)

I checked a few galleries but stayed longer in a Digital Imaging Photography gallery where the displays were all donated and sold and proceeds are to go to Cancer patients. The imagery were fantastic I'd say, though there's been a lot of post processing, which I dont really fancy. However, I'd say the retouches added up to the lively photos.



Shakespear's King Lear

I went up to the second level and waited for the door to open so I can purchase a ticket for the nights show.

The Director opened the door and I went inside to line up. The aroma of popcorns filled the room and a kid was playing her toy at the front counter. I had a chat with the guy prepping up the pops while they sort of worked on the technical issues of their computer.

I found myself sitting at the left stage, 1st row. I didn't expect that though
as it was so close to the play scene. I sat there in silence and watched the place fill up. I was the first person to be received in. Eventually the place got packed, and a couple by the name of Cindy and David sat beside  me. We had a chat while waiting for the show to start. They were a very lovely couple who moved to Fairbanks 2 years ago. And again, as I would usually ask, I asked why Alaska. Of course with the freedom and the beauty of nature, who wouldn't? I'd say the same if it wasn't for the intense snow though. Living and Visiting are on 2 different planes most especially for places that offers intense weather/climate activities.

The show started and everyone was silent. There were 4 big screens setup that showed the subtitles for the Gwich'in language. Enter all characters and the set begins.

Me & Oogie

It was a 90-hour full on play with no breaks. The characters were all in their costumes. I liked how the theatre offered an intimate setting. There was no need for the cast to speak on the top of their lungs nor did they require microphones. The place was small enough for us to hear the vocals and even the softest speech the cast would say.

I've never read King Lear before but one thing's for sure, the cast was superb and the emotions were very well portrayed coz I can see the people's reactions most especially when it reached the climactic point when both the King and Cornelia died. I loved how they combined the lines with Gwich'in and English too. It was amazing :)

After the show I rushed to the backstage to find Oogie. :) So proud and happy for her :)

Cindy and David offered me a ride home since there were no bus services anymore. We talked a lot about asthma since David was having the same issues as me. They dropped me off exactly at the hostel. I said goodbye and bid them well. :)