I survived. Now bring on the giants.

The improv showcase went very well, thank you very much. I think the audience was entertained, but I left feeling the need for something more.

I remember finishing the 201 performance and feeling ecstatic. And, a little bit (I'm embarrassed to say this), feeling like I was the best improviser that has ever lived. Ever. Okay, clearly my adrenal glands had taken control of my body and mind; I may have been okay, or decent, but far from the Muhammad Ali of improv. But I left the show excited to take 301 because as the best improviser that has ever lived (ever), I was going to go into 301 and come out a star. That's right. People would be lining up outside of the shoddy little classroom on the fourth floor of the building in the Seattle center wanting my autograph on my yet-to-be-taken fabulously glossy 8x10 head shot.

Cut to week one of 301--no queue of autograph-seeking fans. What? Why? One slice of humble pie for Little Ms. Notetaker.

I liken it to the transition between know-it-all teenager and overwhelmed young adult. The phase where one day you know everything and could write the book on it all and the next day you realize all these other people in your life are absolute sages and you know nothing--and you've pretty much known nothing for quite some time and either you've been too haughty to notice or you just blatantly ignored everyone around you out of pure spite. Suddenly you feel lonely and you question everything, but you don't give up because you know enough to see that the other people around you, those yogis of [insert your topic here], yeah, they went through this phase and made it out successfully on the other end. So you can too. That's the intersection I'm sitting in.

So as I left the show last night, I know I did as well as I could for where I am now. And I made people laugh (phew), but I also know better this time. I know that technically our class had improved considerably from our 201 days--we have more practice and are starting to have a better grasp on the fundamentals. I know that I am NOT God's gift to improvising, but that I do have the gifts to be better. And I know that I want to get better, and that after leaving the show I know where and how I can get better, I just need to be challenged and pushed to get there. So I leave excited for the next chapter to grow and improve, but I need a little break. Some time away from improv is needed, which is good because tonight I started to go get lost in the woods.