Dear Mr. Wolfe,

I wrote you a letter for class on Sunday night.  It was an assignment for Schools and Prisons, and it's a letter that you will probably never see.  Either way, I owe you an enormous thank you and wish that I could ask you all the questions buzzing around in my head today.  Your class was a large part of how I ended up where I am today. 


love,
hannah

Dear December,

Only three hours and forty minutes until you get here.  I can't wait! I've come to love December.  For a long time I tried to fight the onslaught of Christmas decorations and ribbons and lights and everything else that you entail.  However, I found that it was easier to embrace you wholeheartedly and go a little nuts.  I celebrate Christmas in perhaps the most secular way possible, which is to say I only celebrate with gifts and decorations. 

I do a lot of decorating.  Especially since coming to college.  It has increased exponentially.  But I refuse anything that is directly Christmas-y, so it's mostly snowflakes and winter things.  It's a frustrated sort of Christmas decorating for the Jewish girl raised in an interfaith house.  (At home we have a lot of blue and white winter and Hanukkah decorations, but at school all I have is articles that I printed and never read.  There is always enough paper.)

This year we have already covered the windows of our common room with snowflakes.  It took no time at all.  Now we have moved on to the ceiling, which is something I have always wanted to do. 

We are going to live in perpetual snowfall.  It's beautiful. 

Another great thing about December is music because as soon as Thanksgiving is over you can play Christmas music and not be embarrassed about it.  (I'm not into Christmas decorations, but really into Christmas music.) That said, I'm going to be sharing more music through the month of December.  It's going to be an odd mix of music. 

Today:
Adele: Rolling In The Deep
Shakira: She Wolf
Ingrid Michaelson: Snowfall
Frank Sinatra: Jingle Bells

Now it's three hours and twenty-seven minutes till December.  See you all there. 


love,
hannah

Dear Pushing Daises,

You are a super cute show.  I mean you make me squeal.  How did I avoid you for this long?

But of course we had to find each other right as I enter finals time.  Of course.  Damn.


love,
hannah

Dear Burlesque,

YOU WERE EVERYTHING I WANTED YOU TO BE. 

Thank you. 


love,
hannah

Dear Good Old War,

You were AMAZING last night.  I can't remember the last time I was that excited to hear someone play live.  And you were not even the group I went to go see.  An amazing experience of live music. 

Thanks.  Check them out everybody. 


love,
hannah

Dear 2 in the morning,

I thought you were just going to be the beginning.  I thought I would be up much much later.  Magically, through a connection between my life and dear Edwin Piscator, I was able to write you in basically two hours.  TAKE THAT LDN.  (What if I wrote your full name on this every time I spoke about you? What then? Then your theater studies colleagues would Google you, and get me talking about what an insane professor you are.  It's a possibility.)

I have two pages and citations left in the morning, but that actually seems manageable... I will not be writing this paper up until the minute I get on the plane tomorrow.

...today.  I GET TO GO HOME TODAY.  Which probably means radio silence until next Monday. 

So I leave you with these thoughs: LDN if you sign another writing assignment before finals, be ready.  I will be radicalized.  I will become an anarchist.  I will have no patience for you or your prompts. 

(Oddly, I'm very pleased right now.)


love,
hannah

Dear ice,

You make things a challenge.  Especially when a thin sheet of you covers everything.  And I mean everything. 

I'm going home.  so.  soon. 

All that's left is you lara.  Lara! LDN! Why did you do this to us?

Two days and two papers.  Nothing ever changes. 


love,
hannah

Dear Chuck and Blair,

You are so so good.  I mean truly.  I love you. 

The rest of the show is only okay, but you two make it worth it. 


love,
hannah

Dear Tuesday,

Happen now.  Not that I didn't love my night of three back to back rehearsals, but you're a little much.  Two performances, one that almost died because of a mess today, and two lara papers away from home. 

You couldn't come any faster, could you? That would be nice darling.


love,
hannah

Dear Craig Ferguson,

You are genius. You are plain genius. 

Also, I just came across this video.  This just may be the strangest fan video ever.  And the best. 
5 days till home.
28 days till end of semester.
64 days till reunion. 


love,
hannah

Dear light blue pen,

You once were lost.  But now you are found.  I can write in light blue ink again. 


love,
hannah

Dear energy,

Some days I feel it and some days I don't.  I felt it all today.  In ways I had not anticipated.  Conversations I had considered, imagined... I actually had them today.  More than I had imagined.  Today was everything. 

On an entirely different note, I think, don't hold me to this, that if I was only able to listen to one musician for the rest of my life it would be Ella Fitzgerald.  Don't hold me to that. 


love,
hannah

Dear At Last,

It may not be entirely coincidental that I'm playing you right now.  I came home from the last hours of Cabaret exhausted (and angry, but that's often how I left Cabaret) and now, in my relief I play Etta.  (Etta James, At Last= my whole life.)

AT LAST.

Cabaret is over.  That hectic phase of my life is done.  I can return to my normal procrastination and craft making.  Friends! I can have real friends again! We have entered that part of the semester where there is just so so much going on, but I'm going to cram everything in.  EVERYTHING. 

I'm celebrating my release.  Returning to my studies with a hopefully renewed vigor.  Commencing can commence! I can again talk with friends who are abroad! And my roommate! And eat meals at a leisurely pace! And wear my rings! (Oh how I await the moment I put my rings on again.) I'm making plans folks.

Thirty one days until I'm home for winter break...


love,
hannah

Dear snow,

The first snow at Mac is always magical.  Always.  It is beautiful, chilling, and calming.  I woke up to this text this morning, "SNOW!!! It's so beautiful out :)"And it is. 

Soon, the snow will not be as exciting and it will all be the same, but for now, it's everything. 

And you know what this means, don't you?

I CAN START MAKING SNOWFLAKES.  Here comes my creative procrastination in full force.  (Shout out to those in Europe who would normally be making snowflakes with me.  You will play in the snow with me upon your return.)

But not yet, because I've got a ton of work to do in just three hours.  Curse you strike!

Except, today is beautiful.  Now time for work.


love,
hannah

Dear Mall of America,

I visited you for the first time ever today.  But I came to visit the school that lives inside of you.  I win.  I managed to go to school here for more than two years without visiting you. 

Why do people on crime shows always say "Oh, and get a hold of this..."?


love,
hannah

Dear spiral staircase,

We are reunited.  Today, after calling places, I noticed that the orchestra was not tuning and the audience was silent, so I ran up you to get back to the TelEx.  I banged me knee.  Real bad. 

I know that you are space efficient and whatever, but you suck in the dark. 


love,
hannah

Dear Project Runway,

I hate how inconsistent your judges are.  Really.  It pisses me off. 

I like color.  And youth.  And patterns.  And apparently you don't. 

That's all.


love,
hannah

Dear November,

It's not that I don't like you per say, it's just that you fall between October (Birthday! Halloween! Leaves!) and December (Hanukah! Christmas! Snow!) Do you see the pattern? Two holidays and some weather.

So I made a mix this morning.  I could not even tell you the last time I made a mix.  I think of November as a bridge between October and December, sweet, chilly, and sometimes haunting, but with suprises sprinkled in.  An entire month of Sundays.  So I made a mix this morning.  Not all of this music is new to me, but it will probably make my November.

There's a little early Christmas present for you.  Just click through.  It's a zip file, cause that's easy.  Enjoy!

To make it through november
1. Hello Dolly: Louis Armstrong
2. True: Susan Tedeschi
3. 22: Lily Allen
4. Fuck You: Cee-Lo Green
5. Cry Baby: Dukes of Danville
6. Me and You: She & Him
7. Lovers' Carvings: Bibio
8. Cold December: Matt Costa
9. I Got Plenty o' Nuttin: Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
10. Petite Soeur: Ben l'Oncle Soul
11. If This Ain't Love: Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators
12. Cold War (Nice Clean Fight): The Morning Benders
13. A Sunday Kind of Love: Etta James
14. Boogie Shoes: KC and the Sunshine Band
15. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You: Kate Nash
16. Sister Winter: Sufjan Stevens
17. Hold You In My Arms: Ray LaMontagne
18. Cosmic Love: Florence and the Machine
19. Cold Shoulder: Adele
20. The Perpetual Self...: Sufjan Stevens
21. All I Want For Christmas Is You: Mariah Carey


love,
hannah

Dear Shakespeare spam,

You don't fool me.  Just cause you have lines of Shakespeare written in the body of your email doesn't mean that I will open you. 

No one sends me just lines of Shakespeare through email.

Nice try. 


love,
hannah

Dear Sunday,

I feel as though I have been waiting my whole life for a lazy Sunday.  I think such a thing cannot exist when you are involved in school.  (Perhaps a perk of joining the work force?)

Today I came close.  Well, perhaps not at all.  I started with rehearsal, and then brunch with a waffle, a walk in the gorgeous sun, some (not enough) reading, television, dinner and then a musical.  No, actually I didn't even come close to a lazy Sunday. 

It's been a very busy Sunday, but a very fulfilling Sunday. 

Back to the work week.


love,
hannah

Dear boots,

I wore you yesterday.  I was really sick of wearing the same thing every day.  And no jewelry! It's been hard. 

Now my feet hurt. 

Thanks.  This one is my fault. 


love,
hannah

Dear dude,

Really? Living on a Prayer? At this time of night?

Okay.


love,
hannah

Dear banners,

At the moment, you're all anyone can talk about. 

So, no, you didn't come down when you were supposed to.  Especially not when I pulled really hard.  Or when Tom pulled really hard.  (And then I had to make sure that you we're swinging so hard that you hit the chandelier.  Problem!)

Later all of the actors were like, "Hey.... what's up with those banners?" Dunno kids.  We'll see tomorrow. 

Cause let's face it, it will make this little Jewish girl so happy to bring in some giant ass Nazi banners. 


love.,
hannah

Dear election night,

Two years ago, you were one of the most exciting things ever to happen in my life.  I think there are many young people that agree with me. 

But this year, you pass almost unnoticed.  I voted, in Illinois, two, three weeks ago? I can't remember.  And given the fact that I was in the theater building until 11:45 tonight, I wasn't giving it much attention. 

From what I can tell from Facebook statuses, tonight didn't go so well. 

Hmmm.  Here we go..


love,
hannah

Dear musicals,

You are joyous joyous things.  I had forgotten.  I couldn't tell you the last musical I was backstage for.  Yamo? Junior year of high school? That may not even count. 

I dance up in my little home.  I dance all the time.

And no one ever sees me!


love,
hannah