Room Things:
GET/BRING IT:
#1) Mattress Toppers (this is a necessity-- I have memory foam, egg crate foam, and a mattress pad. I love my bed.)

• Extra blankets  (for sitting on the quad and snuggling on the futon. I brought my heated blanket, which is a luxury, but was amazing to come back to after trekking through the snow)
• MORE hangers! (Mom made two extra trips after realizing and realizing AGAIN that I needed more)
• Surge protectors and extension cords
• Pictures/Wall decoration (Naked walls are ugly)
• Hanging full length mirror
• Water filter
• Air freshener (I have the wallflower from Bath and Body Works- a seasonal smell changes the whole room!)
• 2 reusable plastic cups (great for both refreshing glasses of water and catching cockroaches in your 1936 dorm!)
• Box fan for the window
• OTTOMAN! (Storage AND seating? You can’t go wrong.)
• Lap Desk (These are great if you have a comfy futon or chair, or even if you want to eat lunch on the couch without making a mess. You can take it to study on the floor, in a lounge, or really anywhere! A staple to my study routine!)
• Paper towels (We ran out in the last days of school and I thought the world would end. Papertowelmageddon.)
• Bedside storage (esp. If you are in a top bunk or a loft! Mine hung off the side of my loft and held my journal, book, phone, water, etc. so as to not have to make the climb down the loft at 3am)
• Command strips/hooks
• Lights (Okay… you don’t NEED these, but they sure are nice and give a great vibe for a movie night)
• Electric water kettle (This is a personal preference, I love tea and used mine a lot)
• All of the regular bed things, which and how many is personal preference! Good pillows are a must.
• Laundry basket (I like the standing ones so I can just throw in my dirty clothes and easy to carry down to the laundry room)
• A futon (space allowing)
• A small refrigerator
• Plastic drawers

DON'T GET/BRING IT:

• Extra purses
• Desk lamp (I guess this depends, mine had a built in light)
• Small desk fan 
• Bed bug protector (depends on your school and dorm/mattresses, but I saved $60)
• Trash can (check to see if they are provided by the room. We had trash and recycle provided.)

School Supplies:
GET/BRING IT:
#1) Planner (I have a Happy Planner- get a monthly/weekly one to stay organized week by week and big picture!)

• A good backpack
• Cards and stamps (I love sending/receiving handwritten notes and cards!)
• Staples/stapler (lots of research papers to staple, staple, staple!)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Microsoft Office for your computer (Some professors require it and don't accept pages)
• Plastic folders (so they won’t rip)
• Flash drives
• Desk storage (I have an upright magazine holder that I just throw misc. papers/letters/brochures in!)
• Paper clips (I mostly used for resumes and headshots for auditions, but they came in handy a few other times)
• Highlighters

DON'T GET/BRING IT:

• Loose leaf paper
• Binders
• Glue sticks (Why I thought I needed these I’ll never know)
• Index cards (Use Quizlet! Save the earth!)
• Calculator (If you’re like me and never have to take math in college, the one on your phone will do just fine)
• Rubberbands (maybe bring like 2)
• Printer (the fact that I thought about trying to fit a printer in my room is just comical)

Clothes:
GET/BRING IT):
#1) Scarves and jewelry (You can use these to dress up and dress down your wardrobe, and double the outfit possibilities you have with the same clothes!)

• Clothes for any weather (you don't need your whole wardrobe)
• Dresses that you can wear in hot weather or pair with scarf/tights/boots in the winter (more outfits, less closet space!)
• Pajamas (Don't need that many, mostly t-shirts and shorts will work)
• Lots of underwear (less laundry)
• PARKA (make an investment and get a good one. You will thank yourself when you’re walking to class in the blizzard. And get one with fur on the hood-- I didn’t understand why everyone had it on theirs, but it catches the snow when you are walking as to not get it in your face!)
• Hats, gloves, wool socks, snow boots, rain boots (basically be prepared for anything)
• Slippers (Great to go downstairs to print or microwave, or to just go to your friend’s room!)
• Running shoes, flats, "going out" (comfy and nice) shoes, sandals, casual shoes (converse/keds)

DON'T GET/BRING IT:

• Excessive business/professional clothes
• Excessive heels/wedges
• You get the point-- don't be excessive :) 

Shower/laundry/cleaning:
GET/BRING IT:
#1) Towel wrap (This is one of my very best purchases-- you can wear it to the shower, and then wear it back while you use a regular towel to wrap your hair up! So handy.)

• Towels (you only need 2)
• Hard plastic shower caddy
• Laundry soap and dryer sheets
• Flip flops
• A cup or jar to keep your toothbrush/toothpaste/floss/retainer in
• hairbrush/dryer/heat tools
• your personal toiletries

DON'T GET IT:

• Laundry soap pods (This might depend on the washer, but twice I took my clothes out with melted plastic from the pod)
• Special shower shoes with holes (I never really understood why these were better? But you don’t need them. Plus, my friend at a different school stepped in puke wearing them and it went through the holes… yuck)

Misc:
GET/BRING IT:
#1) Journal (you should do it, especially in a time of so much change! Journaling gave me something routine to do when I was trying to establish stability and schedule in chaos, and forced me to sit down and reflect once in a while. It is great to be able to look back on all of the memories-- of excitement and joy and of difficulty and triumph. When I didn't know many people yet and my family was far away, the journal was a way for me to talk out my thoughts whenever I needed to. Anyway, you get it. Journaling rocks.)

• Umbrella
• A mini-wallet/lanyard for your ID and keys 
• Vitamins, Advil, Zyrtec
• Playing cards and games
• Water bottle without a straw
• A personal thermos (you will save $ at Starbucks and you can stick it in your pack without spilling!)
• Ziploc bags
• Extra pair of headphones (I don’t know how they do it so well, but they just get lost.)
• Lint roller (I didn’t bring one, but ended up needing one a few times! They sell mini-mini ones)
• Sticky notes (I didn’t include this in school supplies because I mostly used them to leave notes for my friends and decorating!)
• Clorox wipes (for when you need to dodge the dorm mono, pink eye, strep, etc plague)
• HDMI cord (I don’t have one and borrowed ALL THE TIME… I will definitely be bringing one next year)
• Tissues
• Personal steamer (clothes get wrinkled.)

DON'T GET/BRING IT:

• Flashlight (I never used it)
• Tupperware
• Mini speaker
• Laundry drying rack (I never needed it! If I had to hang dry, I just did it in the laundry room)
• Alarm Clock (I just used my phone)

I've already said many things you shouldn't do when dorm shopping, but I haven't forgotten the things you should. Do research on what is allowed, talk to people from your college, have fun, and GET EXCITED for this amazing journey you are about to begin. Happy shopping!

Whenever I tell someone I love musicals, the question of which is my favorite arising is inevitable. I've tried to have one answer for over ten years, but I have never been able to narrow my favorites down to one that I love over the others. Asking me to choose just one favorite musical is like asking me to make and put new sheets on a lofted bed-- nearly impossible and just plain unfair. This post is mostly for my reference, so I can use it to provide a much better response than my usual, "It's complicated."

The musical I love that everyone else loves too: 
Hamilton: An American Musical
Lin Manuel Miranda is everything. CHICKA BLAST.

The musical I love that one no one else even knows exists:
Jasper in Deadland
I saw this at the Seattle 5th Avenue Theater three times. The musical is Ryan Scott Oliver and One More Day of Snow is one of my favorite songs ever. They just released the World Premiere Recording, check it out here (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jasper-in-deadland-world-premiere/id1113084608)!

The musical that makes me want to change the world:
Spring Awakening
I had to watch this a few times before I really understood and appreciated what was going on and the message it was trying to give, but the piece and the message are brilliant. It's on my bucket list of shows I want to do.

My favorite musical of firsts:
Little Shop of Horrors
My first lead role, my first college show, and my first time being eaten by a giant man-eating plant, among other firsts, all came with the total eclipse of the sun (*ding*). 

The show I have to see on stage before I die: 
The Light in the Piazza
I've exhausted all YouTube versions and bootlegs. 
​
The show that holds my #1 dream role:
In the Heights
When I was a child I stayed wide awake, climb to the highest place on every fire escape, restless to be Nina. 

The best experience I've had doing a musical: 
Jekyll and Hyde
The summer of 2014 was the best of my life so far. The show was real and incredible and fun, and magic happened both onstage and offstage. It was the most talented, dedicated, close, and drama-free cast I have ever worked with. 

My favorite Golden Age musical:
Carousel
Actually, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of Rogers and Hammerstein works... Even though I can recognize how great they are, it's sometimes hard for me to stay awake. But I love Carousel (long as it is) and I think that the musical and message itself is often misunderstood. I particularly love the ballet and the character of Louise Bigelow.

The most beautiful musical I have ever seen:
Waterfall: A New Musical
The sets, costumes, lights, dancing, and visual presentation of this musical are just spectacular. In my favorite setting, there is a waterfall and a creek/pond onstage that they splash around in, dancing with a beautifully flowing lavender dress against the luscious green and stone set (see picture below). It closes with a watercolor painting of the scene. The actual book and score are good, but I almost feel like they didn't do the set justice!

The musical that captures my love for theatre, the art, the experience, and the life:
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is about growing up-- it’s about young people with dreams and the struggles of the theatre universe and of our society. The characters were all created from true stories of actors and dancers who sat down to talk about their experiences. The young adults in the line (many of which come from broken homes and difficult childhoods) look to the stage for an escape-- not looking for stardom, but for a place in the background, for a home and a place to fit in. It is an honest and intimate picture of desperation, insecurity, passion, and togetherness-- everyone knows what it feels like to love someone or something so much that you have no idea what you'd do or who you'd be without it. This is one that's on my bucket list to direct. 

There aren't actually too many musicals that I don't like. My top favorites can vary on a day-to-day basis, but I have always -- and will always -- love the amazing pieces of art I have mentioned here.