"I believe I drank too much wine last night at Hurstbourne; I know not how else to account for the shaking of my hand today. You will kindly make allowance therefore for any indistinctness of writing, by attributing it to this venial error."

November 20, 2013

Dear Jane,

It is quite fortuitous that I happened upon this quote from one of your letters to your sister, Cassandra, for I wrote an eerily similar message to my own sisters one day last week after I too drank a hearty amount of wine (well, spirits, actually) the night before. (Needless to say, a shaking hand was not, unfortunately, my worst symptom and my message was not quite so long nor was it worded as beautifully as yours.  Additionally, I was not in Hurstbourne, but on the island of Manhattan.)  I won't delve too deeply into this subject, but I will say that, any person, be it gentleman or lady, must not be looked down upon for enjoying a refreshing spirit (or three) every now and again, even if they may have had more than they should have. (In truth, I did leave out a few details from my story, Jane, but a wise lady never reveals the entirety of her secrets.)  It is a comfort to know that even the admirable Miss Jane Austen was occasionally swept away by the temptation of an enticing glass of wine.  I would like to add that these spirits were consumed amongst a group of friends that I had not had the pleasure of visiting with in some time, and an agreeable evening was had by all. 

Now that all of that tomfoolery is behind us, I must tell you that I cannot believe that we are already in the midst of November! Where has the time gone, Jane? Have I really, truly been living in New York for two and a half months? Time flies when you are trying to figure out your life, I guess. That reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite novels (in addition to your collected works, of course) called, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (whom I am convinced you would have absolutely adored as she is a loyal fan of yours).  A wise character from this novel named, Albus Dumbledore, once said: "It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live." I must often remind myself of these powerful words as I continue through, what I am now calling my quarter-life crisis. (A quarter-life crisis is a curious phase amongst various twenty-something-year-olds who have not the slightest idea of who they are or what they are doing in this crazy world.  It's actually beautiful and terrifying at the same time, Jane...but mostly terrifying). 

 I digress.  I return now to the notion of time flying by, however, I will do so in a less existential manner...I promise!

Can Thanksgiving truly be upon us?  I am so thrilled at the prospect of going home to see my family and enjoying a homemade turkey dinner.  You must be wondering what this "Thanksgiving" that I speak of actually is, Jane, seeing as you were an Englishwoman of the late 1700's/early 1800's.  I realize that you would not have known about this festive, American holiday, but that being said, I truly believe that you would have been extremely fond of it... 

And now, another history lesson by Amanda:

The first Thanksgiving took place in the year 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. At this initial "Harvest Gathering," the English men, women and children who had recently settled in Plymouth (after religiously separating from the Church of England), enjoyed a meal with a Native American tribe called the Wampanoag. They were familiar with this neighboring tribe on account of Squanto (a member of the Wampanoag tribe) being a good neighbor. Squanto assisted the settlers in fertilizing their fields with fish and growing crops. The Wampanoag and the Plymouth settlers made a pact to protect each other from other tribes in 1621 and thus gave thanks for each other and the plentiful crop that graced their Harvest Gathering. (Unfortunately, the peace between the settlers and the Wampanoag did not last more than a generation, but we must not dwell on that fact.) Thanksgiving became an official, American holiday in the year 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday. Today, it is a time to gather together and give thanks for family, friends, and all the plentiful blessings brought to us throughout the year, while eating a lavish turkey dinner (Huzzah!). Also, it rings in the beginning of the Christmas season!

I would like to give a large thank you to National Geographic Kids for supplying me with a cornucopia (no pun intended) of facts regarding the first Thanksgiving!

There you have it, Jane, a compact history of the first Thanksgiving. Obviously, this event happened some years before you were born, but it is possible that you heard about these brave "separatists" at some point. Whether or not you heard about their first Thanksgiving, I cannot say.  As for me, I am looking forward to giving thanks for all of the blessings in my life: my amazing family & friends and the support and love they give me every day, my wonderful new roommates, having an apartment in New York, the ability to perform and bring live theater to people, and so many other things. 

Now, Jane, I have truly enjoyed writing this letter, but I must apologize for beginning my letter in such a shocking manner with my tale of spirits and folly; I am merely doing my utmost to be forthright and provide an authentic description of my New York adventures. 

As always, I hope you have enjoyed my correspondence, and I look forward to writing again posthaste.

Happy soon-to-be Thanksgiving!

Yours Faithfully,

Amanda

 

The lovely group I met with from my summer at the College Light Opera Company. It was so lovely to catch up with this fine group of gentlemen!

                                                           

My roommate, Hillary Ekwall, is starring as Angelina Ballerina at Vital Theater in NYC! I had the pleasure of seeing her dress rehearsal last week. It was adorable and everyone should see it!

My sister, Rachael, came to visit again! We had a lovely weekend meeting up with her friends from when she studied in London.  In this photo, she had just spilled her drink on me. Good thing I love her so much. ;)

If I lived in Greenwich Village, this would obviously be my laundromat. What a brilliant name for their laundry establishment!

One day after substitute teaching, I decided to explore the Museum of Natural History. It was a diverting and educational afternoon. This, is the skeleton of a dinosaur called a Triceratops (I think...).