Eva Matulewski-Carter

19 July 2017
Closing Essay

Its not easy having a good time! Even smiling makes my face ache! - Dr. Frank N. Furter

Oh, the tumbling distortions and illusory dimensions of the daily grind! In 18 years Ive
come to find that this lifetime is a wonderful burlesque of possibility and sensation. Opportunity
abounds, the heart quickens, and I choose to kill my darlings and hold them close as memoirs of
my unfolding evolution. There is simply too much to do; I think its better to wrap yourself up in
grandeur and decadence to a hilarious excess because life is short and the night fast approaches.
My name is Eva Matulewski-Carter, your Goblin King and Emperor. I am native to
Austin, planted in the age-old mulch of feather boas, prose, leather pants, and daydreams.
Sanctioned by my young parents, I was blessed with a lively, artistic, free childhood, and
imparted with Pagan spirituality. The village that my parents and their eccentric friends created
exposed me to multi-faceted aspects of life early on, and I grew up with the guidance of drag
kings and queens, the LGBT community, and the wild artistic types..I love bringing visions
forward into reality. I love discovering hidden treasures in history.
I was sewn by my creators with the intrinsic prioritization of real-world experiences and
passions over rigid public education systems of learning and so, inevitably, struggled to comply
with school expectations... Whats more, I was faced with deteriorating mental health for several
years and was losing my grip on sanity. Despite the lost marbles, the support Ive received is
unparalleled; My community is my saving grace. This is a love letter to my strange and special
family, my lovely friends, my wife Jasmine, and the Garza populace. Thank you, Dr. Webb, for
recognizing the unlimited Blue Moon potential in all of us ragtag, motley individuals and
investing in it with the utmost selflessness. That kind of magic is rare.
The last 12 years was no Hunky Dory Moonage Daydream. Now, however, after Ive
spun myself into a cocoon to hibernate and become the Mothman, I will emerge and embark on a
new, more fruitful adventure at Hendrix College. In pursuing a linguistics degree, Hendrix will
send me to Oxford University to take advantage of their specialized linguistics program.
Following my indoctrination into the babel fish community, I intend to seek training to become a
master sound engineer, start an empire, and inevitably retreat from my newfound, unmanageable
power to become an old hermit in a mountain. I cant wait.
On this day, everything is so perfect I feel as if Ive been smiling my whole life I dont
think I can take it much longer. Slinked over a throne, Tim Curry, in portraying the extravagant,
over-the-top gender-bending alien, inspires us to forgo the dreadful monotony of plain living in
favor of decadence. After all, is life ever truly balanced? As Frank N. Furter famously purred,

Its not easy having a good time Even smiling makes my face ache!