![]() Near treeline, our skin track shifts out and left of the track as we approach Jacob’s Ladder. ![]() The track we’re skinning next to this morning is thus the world’s oldest cog railway-running through 28 presidencies since Grant’s. Still, the first 1,000 feet of elevation go quickly and in no time we’re cruising by Waumbek Tank, a water tank where Grant’s train probably paused to take on more water and coal for the steam-powered engines.Īt the time of Grant’s 1869 ascent, the Cog was the world’s first cog-driven railway, employing engines with cog wheels that mesh with a toothed rail in the center of the track for propulsion up and down the steep grade. The average grade is 25 percent and drops of perspiration start to appear on our caps shortly into our climb, despite the single-digit temperatures. ![]() Courtesy: The Mount Washington Cog Railway His idea, however, was mocked, with one legislator responding to Marsh’s request for a charter to build the railway with a suggestion that the Legislature instead authorize him to build a railway to the moon. We don’t have that luxury-trains don’t typically run in the winter-and we’re relegated to skinning up the mountain on the open slopes on either side of the track. President Grant ascended its 3,600 feet in elevation and roughly three miles in distance in the front of the passenger car. The comment has dogged the Cog for a century and a half You’ll still hear people call it the “railway to the moon” today.įrom the Marshfield Base Station, the Cog, known in Grant’s time as the Sky Railway, ascends up the mountain between Burt and Ammonoosuc Ravines before making a gradual right turn toward the summit. After struggling to hike up Mount Washington, Marsh was inspired to build an easier way up the peak. The Cog Railway, which we’ve come to skin and ski today, was the brainchild of New Hampshire native, Slyvester Marsh, who’d made a fortune in Chicago’s meat-packing industry before returning to his home state. | Courtesy: New England Historical Society President Grant (center left, holding his hat) atop Mount Washington. Skinning away from the Marshfield Base Station early on this mid-winter morning, it sure is a lot colder, but President Grant’s 150-year-old remark still rings true: This mountain puts things in perspective. Dressed in suits, top hats, and dresses, his party posed for a summit photo-the only inkling of the approaching fall chill was the blankets wrapped around the women’s shoulders. He’d just ascended the mountain’s west side via the Cog Railway, and then strolled about the summit, smoking a cigar. Grant as he stood atop Mount Washington in August 1869. “Man looks so small against the universe,” remarked President Ulysses S.
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![]() But Spanish scientist Alejandra Traspas, a PhD student at Kent University at the time, wondered what happened to the tardigrades after the accident. The crash caused a small scandal: it was yet another example of the risk of biological contamination in the solar system due to the negligence of new space actors. There were no plans to rescue them or find out whether they could be rehydrated and resuscitated after the impact. And that’s how they remained after the privately funded spacecraft crash-landed on the Moon in 2019. The tardigrades, which are smaller than half a millimeter in size, were sent in a dehydrated dormant state, with their metabolism curtailed to 0.01% of normal. The question was not theoretical: two years ago, US millionaire Nova Spivac decided to send thousands of tardigrades to the Moon on Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft as part of a so-called “lunar library.” The mission, organized by Spivac’s NGO Arch Mission Foundation, was aimed at creating a “backup of planet Earth” on the Moon. Now a new study has subjected water bears to a literal trial by fire: the tardigrades were shot at extremely high speeds to see whether they could survive the impact. But a Moon crash is too much even for these sturdy creatures, which are tipped to be the only survivors on Earth if there is a mass extinction event given their amazing resilience. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic beings capable of surviving nearly everything: freezing temperatures, boiling water, decades without food. Now deliver your monologue without speaking, just go through the physical actions one by one. This time, when you say punch, physically punch out. Create a physical action for each of your action words. Speak the monologue aloud in a neutral tone.What discoveries do you make? Are there any action words that should be changed? For example, say a line of dialogue, like a punch. Now speak the monologue aloud again, this time treat each sentence as if you’re saying the action word. When you say “I punch,” use your voice to punch. When you speak the action words, do it as if you are making that action with your voice. Then speak just the action words you’ve created. So what do you do with all these action words? How do you use them? Here are some exercises to try: I need to know for sure whether I should keep hold of the shreds of the guy you used to be. We used to be so close Jamie_Īnd now I’m at one end of a tunnel and you’re at the other end_Īnd we’re never going to be in the same place, the same time again._ You do this instead of trying to figure out what you want in life._ You’re standing in front of me and you don’t see me._ Try your hand at giving an action word to each sentence (or sentence fragment)īut Jamie don’t you see?_ I’ve written out the monologue line-by-line. We used to be so close Jamie and now I’m at one end of a tunnel and you’re at the other end and we’re never going to be in the same place, the same time again. You do this instead of trying to figure out what you want in life. You’re standing in front of me and you don’t see me. The Monologueīut Jamie don’t you see? You might as well be dead. At the end of the play when she finally confronts him, he retorts that ‘it’s just pot’ and that ‘he’s not dead.’ This is her response. Descriptionįourteen-year-old TJ watches as her older brother Jamie becomes consumed by pot use. The character clearly makes a journey as she tries to talk to her brother. I chose this speech because it has a build. It can be found on our Free Resources page. Here is a monologue from Floating on a Don’t Care Cloudby Lindsay Price. When I think of the phrase “I taunt” I visualize holding out an ice cream cone then snatching it away. Use verbs that are either a physical action (I kick, I punch) or that bring up a mental picture (I taunt). Drama needs conflict and if everyone gets what they want every time then the performance will be boring. Your character may or may not succeed with their intended action. A monologue is never delivered in a vacuum. If you’re preparing a monologue for an audition/competition, the listener is either the person you’re talking to in the scene (even though they won’t be there when you perform) or, more rarely, the audience. “I lie” is a stronger choice still because it’s all about what you want from the listener. “I pretend to cry” is better because it involves the listener. “I cry” is not a good choice because it’s about you. ![]() The action word should imply what you’re doing or trying to do to the listener. If we only did it once it’d be called hearsal. It’s actually better to make wrong choices in rehearsal. There are no right or wrong action words for your first pass. ![]() But don’t get caught up trying to find the perfect words the first time around. Your choices will have to work for your character and in the context of the piece as a whole. For example, you might choose these for the above sentence:Īnd just like that you have something to play when you say those lines. For each sentence (or fragment of a larger sentence) choose one action word and jot it down next to the line. That’s our job as actors, to bring the text to life. ![]() Not much action is suggested, is there? But theatre needs action. It’s a great tool for those speeches where you’re not entirely sure what’s going on, or with speeches that seem static. I wanted to poke my own eyes out by the end.īut I still use it from time to time in smaller doses. The director I learned this from had us do it for the entire script. And I don’t recommend following this exercise for your entire script. I’m talking about visualizing action, injecting movement and life into your performance.ĭepending on the text, this activity can be easy. I’m not talking about blocking, that will come in a later article. In this part we’re going to look at exploring your script through action words (“verbs” for you English majors.) The idea is to find the “action” in your dialogue. |