In the Company of Sinners and Saints

Last Sunday I attended Texas State's new play "In the Company of Sinners and Saints." I hadn't heard too many good things about the play from from classmates who were able to see it before me, so I wasn't really expecting any thing great. To my surprise the play was actually quite entertaining. All of the actors played their characters really well, and the message behind the story was meaningful too. I'm not sure if the playwrite was intending to influence the audience to not use Facebook or networking sites such as Facebook, or if she was just making the play for entertainment, but it was good either way. Although the play was good over all, the only complaint I had was how similar the story line is to the new show Gossip Girl. I think if this play makes it onto a bigger screen then there is a big chance of causing conflicts between the producers of both. But, like I said the play was great in general and I would recommend it to a friend!

Bat Boy Musical

I must say I am not a huge fan of plays or musicals, but after seeing Texas State's Bat Boy a few weeks ago I have a much different opinion. Not only was the story line great, the actors and actresses were fantastic! Each character not only had speaking lines, but sang as well. The musical was at the main theatre and I was disappointed at how small it seemed inside compared to what it looks like on the outside. As I said, the actual play was hilarious! The actual "Bat Boy" was half human and half bat and had lived in a cave his entire life until three kids found him while exploring the gave. The play is set in a small, country and family oriented town that is extremely religous. As the play goes on, Bat Boy had bitten one of the kids that found him and was detained in a cage at the local vet's house. The family seems extremely willing to take care of him although the rest of the town is disappointed. The vet's wife has been falling out of love with him, and when the Bat Boy comes along it just grows worse. As the plot unfolds, and after the Vet's daughter has fallen in love with Bat Boy, we find out Bat Boy is actually the vet's and wife's SON! In the end the wife, vet, and Bat Boy all die, being murdered by the Vet. I can't describe this play in one word; it was hillarious, sad, awkward and heart warming all at the same time. If any of you get an oppurtunity to see this musical on our campus or another, I would highly recommend it!

Aquarena Springs

Last Monday our class had to attend a boat tour in the miserable rain and cold on Aquarena Springs. The boat had a glass bottom so we were able to see the entirety of the springs. It was really interesting to find out that only Texas State has an actual Spring on campus with endangered species, unfortunately we weren't able to see any on the day of our tour. The springs are unbelievably clear and we were able to see over thirty feet deep. We even saw actual Springs that were pushing water out. I also found out that there are HUGE fines and consequences for swimming in the springs, unless you are allowed to do so. Luckily for me I am taking Scuba Diving as my PFW next semester and can get certified to dive, and hired at Aquarena Springs and be one of the few people that get to swim in it! Aquarena Springs was beautiful and a fun experience!

Sights and Sounds

I am a huge fan of Christmas, and Sights and Sounds put me right into the Christmas spirit! :) It's just a short walk from campus and cost only two dollars to enter. Once you're inside there are TONS of Christmas lights every where, including an enormous tree made of only Christmas lights. There's so many different types of organizations with so many different types of food, including the most amazing biscuit I have ever eaten in all my life. The food was a little over priced as it is at most places, but it was delicious none the less. There was also a set up of Bethlehem where there where animals such as lambs, camels, and donkies as well as examples of what the town looked like. The exhibit was interactive and mainly for younger children, but I still enjoyed it. In the back part of Sights and Sounds there are rides, games and shopping. The shops included mainly jewelry and house decorations of sorts and wasn't too expensive at that! The games and rides are a different story, however. The games were outrageously priced ranging from two to five dollars for a few seconds of intense spinning, but were still fun. I do not think the rides were worth that much money, but seeing as this is the only carnival in San Marcos I was willing to pay it. I enjoyed Sights and Sounds overall and cannot wait to go next year!

BAT BOY

Wednesday night, I went to the musical Bat Boy. Initially I went because I'm a HUGE Batman fan!!!! Ofcourse, I knew it wasn't Batman, but I was still pretty intrigued by the play title. Just as I had thought, it was NOTHING like Batman, however, it was an amazing musical!!!! The actors were ridiculously talented and the music and plot wasn't the slightest bit boring. Bat Boy, aka Edgar, is half bat half boy. Being half bat, he's treated as an outcast for being different. We watch as he tries to live day to day as the outcast, and how he deals with being different. I would most definitely watch this musical play again! And i recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a school play! Best one so far! :)

Now this may be pretty late, but I'm going to post a blog on "In the company of Sinners and Saints". The play overall had a good theme, but I honestly think it could have been better

I dont know if any of ya'll can remember, but the actress who played the mom just didn't cut it for me. She did not seem like she knew how to play a mother at all. Also the same music that was played over and over again annoyed the crap out of me.

But aside from those 2 things, the play was pretty good. I remember that the Video Guy was pretty funny and made the show good. The 2nd half of the show really tied the whole show together and gave a pretty good life lesson

I would give this show 2.5/5 stars just because of the mother and the music, also when it got kind of sloppy at times, but it was a show that could have been a lot worse. Decent show

-Ryan Gonzalez

Thursday night, I saw Take which happened to be a pretty good show. All the actors did a very good job in this play, and I liked it a lot. The actors definitely made this show a good show and you could tell they worked very hard on this play.

This wasn't my favorite play I have seen here at Texas State, but it was still a pretty good play. After being in plays throughout all of highschool and seeing plays, this one was up there. The plot overall was very good, and I liked how they made the show not only on the edge of your seat, but also kind of funny.

I would give this show 3.5/5 just because I have seen better plays, but I have also seen a lot of worse plays. I would see it again though if I had the chance to.

-Ryan Gonzalez

Restuarant Review: Blue Goat

The Blue Goat is an interesting and European style bakery, cafe, dessert shop - featuring desserts and baked goods all made in-house. I was very impressed by the baked goods like the croissants and dessert which were almost as good as the pastry and croissants are almost as good as the authentic European counterpart. My favorite is the chocolate dishes, and being Belgian, I know quality chocolate, so the rarity of excellent chocolate make the Blue Goat an outstanding café. Another good choice would be the European breakfast and the fantastic drinks. This is a breakfast place so of course it is open from 8 am to 3 pm on weekdays, 8:30 to 2:30 on Sundays, and not open Saturdays. The Blue Goat is located at 10 Mary Street, San Marcos, TX 78666 * Phone (512) 392-4628

~Kiva McFetridge

Glass Bottom Boat Ride

Monday I went on a glass bottom boat ride on the lake. It was probably one of my most interesting experiences on campus so far! Besides the weather being ridiculously cold and misty, the ride was so awesome. San Marcos is one of the only, if not the only, school that owns it's own lake and river. We started off at the edge of Salt Grass and were taking to the opposite end of the lake, then back. During the boat ride we saw tons of little springs, both high and low pressured ones. The water, although it's dark from the surface, is actually cleaner that filtered water and very clear under water. We saw a bunch of life forms swimming around as well. We saw baby turtles and big turtles, small fish, and a rare animal who's name I dont remember. I learned that the elephant years surrounding a corner of the lake drinks up gallons of water per day and that the springs produce almost a new lake every day. What I also thought was interesting, was that the aquarena hires students of all majors and gives them work, internships, etc., according to their majors.

Take!

On Thursday night, I went to see Take on campus at Texas State University. This is the third play I have seen at Texas State and all of them have been very good.

I often see plays that relate to other plays, or have the same idea and plot as another play. Take was very original to me, and I've never seen any other similar production. It was about a famous actress who ended up getting kidnapped and held hostage. It was unique to me because you never really hear stories like this happening. The actors did a great job making the play seem real.

Take was a very diverse play, and I had never seen anything like it. It had very many different aspects of theatre put together, which is not common. It had me feeling very different emotions throughout the play. At times, I was nervous and other times I found myself laughing.

Although this play was only held on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I would recommend it to any one if it comes through Texas State University again!

By Kristen Redwine

Casey Donahew at Midnight Rodeo!

This past friday night, I went to Midnight Rodeo in Austin to see one of my favorite music artists, Casey Donahew. Because I am not originally from Texas, this was a brand new experience for me. I had been to concerts in Washington DC and surrounding areas, but never I had actually been to a "texas country" concert.

When we walked in, I was surprised to see a huge dance floor in the middle of the building. We got there at around 10 o'clock and even though the place wasn't packed yet, there were already people two-stepping on the the dance floor. This was also new to me. At exactly ten, Curtis Grimes took the stage as an opening act for Casey Donahew. He put on a very good performance, and it was cool to find out that he actually went to Texas State a few years ago.

Around 11, the place was packed and Casey Donahew finally took the stage. He put on a very good show, playing mostly his songs but also old school popular songs which put a nice swing to the show. It was funny to me because usually when I went to concerts back home, everyone just stood there. At Midnight Rodeo there were a few people just standing around, but mostly everyone else was two-stepping on the dance floor. By the end of the night I was two-stepping like a champ!

I'd have to say one of the best parts of the night was that I got to meet Casey Donahew, and even take a picture with him! I had an amazing time and will definitely be going back to Midnight Rodeo in the near future!

By Kristen Redwine, photo by Robert Medina

Sights and Sounds

Hey everyone!

I attended Sights and Sounds yesterday night. It was so fun! My favorite part about it was the little Bethlehem town! You can go pet all the animals. They were so cute! There was a huge funny looking camel, really adorable baby lambs, and donkeys that reminded me of the movie Shrek. My friends and I walked through the craft area, and we found some really cool items. There was this booth that had a bunch of African bags all brought from Africa. There was also a candle booth, we were there for a while smelling all of the scents..haha. The hot chocolate was amazing in the freezing cold weather! My hands were frozen. Note to self, bring gloves next time. Anyways, you guys should definitely check it out!!

Claire

Take

Last night I went to the play, Take. It involved a soap opera/broadway actress and her drug dealer who kidnaps her when she goes to his house. The acting was very well done by all of the actors. The beginning of the play kept me on the edge, wanting to figure out what was in store for the actress' fate. The second half was when it really started to get interesting as well as slightly humorous at times. Although, I was kind of confused at the end of the play what the moral was suppose to be because it was so twisted. They're putting on another performance tonight at 7:30, I suggest seeing it because it was different and entertaining. Make sure to get there early though because the seats did fill up so several people including myself had to sit on the stairs to watch it.

Hello everyone!

Tonight at 7:30 pm i attended a play called Take. It was about a famous actress who gets kidnapped by her drug dealer. It was really crazy! The acting was great. The female character who played the actress did an amazing job! The fights and struggles seemed so real. Also, it was cool how the play was some what bilingual in nature. If you do not like vulgar plays, however, this should not be for you. I enjoyed it very much and the story kept me on edge the whole time! There is another show tomorrow at 7:30 pm. You guys should try and check it out!

Claire

Time to blog

The semester is drawing to a close. Make sure you make your last blog posts.