print "Hello World"

Well, hello there. And welcome... To Urinet-*SHOT*

Sorry, that happens every time I try to greet someone that way. Anyway, you seem to have stumbled upon my repository of theater and science related thoughts. Why is it so bare? Because there isn't much here.

Yet.

Yes I hope to fill it with news, both scientific and theatrical, and some of my own ideas as well. So then I'm sure you're wondering why I chose to write about these two subjects. On a blog. For the world to see. The answer's very simple, really. I've always wanted to be a scientist. Science has fascinated me all my life and, until very recently, my ultimate goal was to become a physics professor at some college and spread that love of science to as many students as possible, and to nurture generations of future Boltzmanns, Einsteins, Maxwells, and what have you. But I also learned, in high school, due to a certain red-headed friend of mine, that I really love being on stage. Like, a lot. I never feel more alive than when I'm in front of an audience. So I thought, "Hey, me, why don't we give this professional acting thing a shot?" So, I'm going to try that. Yea me!

So clearly I've got two, fairly different passions in me. And when I tell people that I'm a physics/theater double major I INVARIABLY get a response similar to "How does that work?" Those who study or work in technical fields, such as physics, chemistry, or any number of engineering fields, tend to understand a little more easily since, well, they all have hobbies not related to their day jobs. Of course, theater is more than a hobby for me. It's a compulsion, really. I get antsy when I'm not in a show.

On the other hand, those who work in a humanities driven field usually just think I'm crazy. It's then almost inevitable that I hear some variation of the phrase "I wish I could do science," to which I can only respond that you totally can, you just fell into the trap of thinking you can't because that's what our culture teaches us to think from a young age. Math and science are hard, yes, but if you're interested in it, well, go ahead and do some reading. If you don't get it, that's fine, the smartest people in the world start off not getting it. And there are other ways of explaining it, whatever "it" is, that you can find. No one's saying you have to go work in R&D at your friendly neighborhood biotech when you get "it", but if "it" interests you, indulge yourself.

I am suddenly reminded of something one of the actors in the current show I'm working on, Car Talk!!! The Musical, once said to me. He said that I probably don't see people like them (the actors) at MIT. To some extent, that's true. No, I don't usually see people who look at a script and take it deadly seriously, who have long conversations about the meaning behind simple actions in a scene, or have their unique brand of boorish (and rather amusing) humor. But I do see people who take their research papers deadly seriously, have long conversations about novel ideas from lab, and have a unique type of techie (and rather amusing) humor. Different subjects, same thought patterns. And yes, even at MIT, among the eggheads, where we are expected to be socially inept at best and downright unapproachable at worst (which is totally untrue, by the way, we're socially capable), I have met many others who love to talk about scripts, scenes, shows, and make the crassest of jokes.

My point is, I want everyone to know that you can nurture all of your interests. No, you don't have to be in college to do that. Yes, your interests don't have to be necessarily related. Do what you want, it'll make you happier, and more power to you if they use both sides of your brain. That's why this blog exists. Hopefully, by indulging my different interests, you'll see that you can indulge yours too, whatever they may be.

Anyway, tune in tomorrow for the first Theater Thursday post, where I'll remark on a little show I've been living for this entire summer. And the next post will be Science Sunday! What's the subject for it? I've got an inkling, but you'll have to wait and see.