Parks

There's something about a park that's really amazing.

I think it's a combination of the fresh air, the blue sky, the expanse of green grass, the wildflowers, and all the people talking and running and reading and relaxing.

Parks just make me happy.

Nothing really serious is ever going on in a park. People go to parks to relax or to have fun. And because of that, there's always this lovely feeling in a park.

I love that I can go play Frisbee or soccer or have a picnic or lie on the grass and read a book, and probably no one is going to bother me, or tell me to move, or anything.

Because people in parks are happy.

Hyde Park in London is this massive park-- just this huge area with the greenest grass ever and a lake in the center and bridges and fountains and statues. And it's incredible, because on the outside of this park, there are skyscrapers and you can see the London Eye and Parliament in the distance. But it's so rural and relaxing in the park. It feels like somewhere else completely, out of the city. But really, it's just smack dab in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.

But it's such an escape. It's like magic.

There are always ducks or little birds chirping, and nice paved paths to walk along. There are benches to sit on if the grass is too wet. There are a million things to do, really. Anything you want.

I think what I love most about parks is the feeling of absolute freedom. There's really nothing there except grass, and you can do whatever you want. And I don't think there are many places, other than parks, where you can do anything. A park is like this open book, where you just sit down and pick what you want to do and how you want to do it. And then it's written, for that day or that hour or that minute. How you'll spend your time.

No one goes to a park to be stressed out or angry or to yell at people. And if that's ever happened in a park, you're probably in the wrong park.

But normal parks are probably the most relaxing places on Earth.

It's spring now, and the sun is coming out, and daffodils are blooming, and the sky looks super blue. It's prime park season. And it's beautiful.

And standing in the middle of a beautiful park just makes me think about my life, and how happy I am, and how lovely it is, and how lucky I am to have a free minute to spend, just walking in the park.

 

Hyde Park in April

Theater

I've been living in London now for nearly two months, studying playwriting and screenwriting. And so I've seen a ton of professional plays in the West End.

And seeing all these plays has just cemented in me this crazy, exciting love for live theater.

It's such a bittersweet feeling, watching a great play. Because I enjoy it so much, and immediately, when it's over, I want to watch it again. But I can't. Because it isn't a movie I can just put in and rewind. I'd have to buy more tickets and go again. 

But that may just be why it's so special.

I love the fact that the actors are right on stage in front of the audience, pulling off these incredible performances. They seem so real. Because they are. It's like watching a 3D movie, but actually good. 

I'm amazed by all the sets and costumes and how the directors decide to change the sets and costumes and characters. For example, I saw a show called Port, and each new set came up from inside the stage or down from the ceiling. So, while the other set was descending or ascending, the main actress was walking from one set to the next. 

I saw a play called The 39 Steps, where there are four actors in the whole show playing tons of parts. And they'd just put on a new hat or coat right on stage and change characters.

I'm blown away by lights and sounds and endings and beginnings and even intermissions.

I just love it all.

I feel like, at most of the plays I've seen, I watch the majority of the show with my mouth hanging open in awe. Because there's always some kind of crazy, new, magical, trick. Like in this adaptation of Metamorphosis, the Gregor character climbed around on the walls the whole time, then rain came in through a window. And it was all so amazing to me. I couldn't even shut my mouth. 

I've just finished seeing a post-apocalyptic version of Macbeth, which was absolutely incredible. James McAvoy played Macbeth, and played it so, so, so well. He was so convincing and amazing, and straight-up crazy. I've never seen an actor I've seen in movies play a role on stage before, and it was just fascinating to watch. Because in a movie, they seem so fake. And on stage, they're real. And this man can really, really act.

I've seen all sorts of plays, from Wicked to Fences. And there's something about them all that I love. Even the weird ones. 

I just appreciate acting so much more when I watch a play, as opposed to a movie. I can see how hard it is for the actors, how much they're really giving in their performances. And then I realize they have to go out and do this play every single night for months, sometimes years. And always, always, always give their best.

And that's what I think makes it so amazing. It's a unique, once-in-a-lifetime performance you get to see, and it only lives in your memories. You can't pop in the DVD and rewind it to your favorite part. So you enjoy it while it's there and play it back in your head, over and over and over.