Whirlwind Week: Part 1- October 28, 2013

I hate college.

Correction: I hate how college has messed up my sleep cycle. There is NO way I should be up this late. For any reason. Ever. Granted, I've been up later, but not because of school work!!! :( Grrr.....

Ready for the whirlwind? Here we go.

8am- Intro to Acting class, which I was almost late for. It was a lot of fun though!! We ran through scenes and are almost ready for performing them for a grade now. Yikes. I did my scene today though, and it went pretty ok! We need rehearsal, but we'll get it tomorrow.

10am- Theater 130 Lab. I had fun here too! I was the only student helping out on pretty easy jobs- going down to the basement of the Shrine Auditorium where USC keeps a storage of old props and set pieces and things. It felt straight out of Indiana Jones, especially the cart ride down the long ramp into a dark, spooky-feeling, but really cool place of artifacts. We made two trips there. On the first trip back, I made a friend because I met one of the guys who was in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! He was at the street corner handing out free granola bars for his job, and he knew Kate, the worker I was helping today. The second time back, we had Duncan with us (basically the boss of this whole theater production group. He teaches the lecture) so that he could help Kate with platforms and things. There were only two seats that were open in the cart, so I got to sit on top of all the platforms!!! It was so fun!!! Definitely the highlight of my day, right there.

1pm- Lunch at Parkside, then scurrying back to my dorm. Packing up two bags with what I'll need for the rest of the day, then starting a bit of homework before I have to leave for my next class at...

3:30- Philosophy. We read a paper that my professor wrote for homework over the past week. It was kind of cute seeing him get a little bit more humble when talking about his own paper. Maybe it was just because it was the topic that fascinated him the most and that he understood the best. I wish I hadn't felt so distracted by everything else coming up after class during class, but for the parts that I could give my full attention, I enjoyed it!

5- Navigated my way pretty quickly to the Marshall School of Business. New area of campus!!! It's quite nice, but by far the most crowded I've seen a building be during a school day. I attended an information session about a Business minor, and confirmed for myself that I do want to apply. I have to have taken 32 units at USC before I can apply though, so I'll wait until next semester to officially do so.

6- Walked as quickly as I could over to Yogurtland, where I met Nicole, Christine, and my friend from earlier today that was handing out granola bars!!! His name's Drew. We went over to Nicole's apartment, where we were going to film her 290 student film. Christine was Nicole's crew member helping her out, and Drew was acting in it with me! Kat, a girl on my floor, was also in it, and joined us later! We had a really fun time, especially because it started raining outside, which made things just a bit more exciting. I found it a little hard to concentrate on what I was doing... but I've got a second shot tomorrow. We filmed up until about halfway through the script, but we had to stop because a) we didn't have fake blood (it's not me drenched in it this time, no worries!) and b) Kat had to leave early.

9- I get back to campus and get a bit of food at EVK with Jinny. Then it's to the room and starting homework.... and homework... and homework... and a bit of breaks here and there... but mostly getting stuff done.

And here I am.

Let's do it all again tomorrow... after I finish this chapter.... I'm exhausted.

Fight on, friends.

Kicking Butt- October 27, 2013

You know the best thing about Sundays? The libraries and dorm rooms are so crowded, you can walk around campus feeling like you've got the entire place to yourself. :)

This morning, Jinny woke me up at 9:50 reminding me I signed up for an event with her at 10am and we only had 10 minutes to get there... I'd completely forgotten about it, so it kinda messed up my whole plan for the day in which I was going to spend the whole day getting lots and lots done.

But anyway, we made it there on-time, and it turned out to be pretty fun and worth the time!!

What was it, you ask? Drumroll...

I took a self-defense class!!

It was part 1 of 2. I need both parts of the class in order to actually have a certificate of completion, but that's next week. Anyway, our dorm building officer offered up RAD (rape aggression defense) classes to girls in the building who were interested, and if there was enough interest, he'd teach it! My RA, Hannah, got together enough people to be interested so that the class actually happened, and Jinny and I were two of the people who put in interest! So there ya go! I learned some basics of how to stay safe that didn't involve kicking somebody's butt, like around the house and at your car and all that jazz, and that took up most of the time. But then we got out of the books and actually started learning how to kick somebody's butt. It was awesome.

So yeah, I can kick butt now. Watch out peoples. *Insert tough looking facial expression here*

The problem was that that took up literally ALL of my morning. What I said about it messing my schedule up? Yeah, I wasn't free until 2... Oh well.

The rest of the day has been me just trying to buy that time back by being as productive as I can be. Homework, to do list stuff, etc. In that mix of getting stuff done, I was cast in a film! I'd forgotten I'd expressed interest to the film student doing the film (just for class), but she got back to me and offered me a role! So I'm filming tomorrow and Tuesday... Plans are getting warped all over the place today! Also, my character might have to kill somebody (off camera), which is kinda.... woah.... But still, I'm excited!

Speaking of films, I finally watched the two films that I was in earlier this semester. It wasn't as bad as I thought the experience of seeing myself would be! But I still think I can improve in a couple of ways... At least, I think so. Maybe I should get somebody who's really really good at acting to watch them and critique me... but I'll try something different with this next film anyways, just to try and improve a little bit. That's the point, isn't it? To learn a little bit with each experience? We'll see how it goes.

Well, today was only the start, and it's gonna be a looooong busy week.... I'm buckling up for quite a wild ride.

Fight on, friends.

What I do for Fun- October 25-26, 2013

Here we go again... I'll clump together Friday and Saturday this time.

Friday I was exhausted, but I'd say feeling better nonethless. Voice lessons never fail to make me feel like I'm not practicing nearly enough and hence, not doing nearly as much as I should be doing in order to reach my personal goals of being the best I can possibly be at this whole acting/singing/dancing/auditioning thing. It's a work in progress, I suppose...

I had some pretty nice alone time between that and my class. Took myself to lunch and all, and then class itself was really fun!!! Theater kids are the coolest. Really though, they are.

After my class, I ran into my friend Tyler after he was done performing with his improv troop! We talked for a bit, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's nice being able to talk to someone older than you, but not too much older than you, who's gone through similar experiences (even if they're not exactly the same experiences) as you have. Or, just to talk to friends. Friends are wonderful.

Oh! I forgot to mention! The campus is completely done up for Parents Weekend. There's been events and parents and relatives and decorations and booths and the works up all over the place. That being said, while I was talking to Tyler, we got to see a cool A Capella group perform! I don't know if they perform there all the time, or if it was another way USC wanted to say, "Hey look, Parents! This is why you should keep your kids at our school!" and trying to be all impressive and such, but it was neat, nonetheless. USC likes to prove it's impressiveness to its visitors. The more visitors, the bigger the impressiveness needs to get. Hence, the campus is done up like a box on Christmas.

Anywho, I chilled out in my dorm, nothing special, but by the time it was getting to be time to decide what to do with my evening, I realized I had a lot of energy, and there was way too much that I could choose to do!!! I eventually decided on meeting up with my good friend Thomas for dinner and a play on campus!

The play was called Dancing at Lughnasa, and it was the best one I've seen on campus so far this year. Here are the reasons why:
1) The story was clear and intriguing
2) There was dancing. Onstage. Of the Irish type.
3) Irish accents the entire show!!!
4) A beautiful set
5) Fascinating characters
6) Symbolism that you don't get until you finish watching the play.
7) Did I mention the Irish accents?

There was only one plot point I didn't really understand, so when the play was over, Thomas suggested we go to the library, try to find the script, and see what it said! Great plan!!!

Turns out the library didn't have the script, but we spent a good hour or so in the Drama section looking at a bunch of different plays and playwrights! It was really fun and really cool!!! I wish I could read every play that's there...

The fact that we did this surprises me a bit. First of all, there were parties going on everywhere that we could've gone to, like normal college kids do for fun. Or, there was another show happening at 11 if we wanted to be complete theater goers. But no. We looked at scripts in the library and had a blast!!! Who'd've thunk?

After that, we hung out outside the library for a while just talking. Which was also really pleasant!!!! Though I was out pretty late and Jinny and Kieryn started to worry about me... whoops... It all paid off in the end though. I got Thomas to show off his piano skills. He's really really good at piano!!!

So, overall, it was a really fun night. As odd as it is that that's what I consider fun, I had a great time :)

Today was a little more "normal." I got up pretty late, but what woke me up was the sound of the tailgaters outside, singing and listening to the band and having a blast. It made me really happy. How many times am I ever going to get to wake up to this?? People outside, having a blast, getting ready for the big day of the week where the whole Trojan Family gets to root for our football team. Maybe it's not that dramatic, but it is as pleasant as drunk, loyal fans get. I enjoy it.

I got ready for the game, then went to brunch with Kieryn, Sneha, and Jinny. I say brunch because I got up at 10, and we didn't end up eating until noon.... :(

My favorite part of arriving at the Colisseum is when you're actually entering the stadium. If you go in through the lower entrance, you have to walk through a tunnel. It's so surreal, because you're walking through this concrete, really ugly tunnel, but at the end, through the little round opening, you can see the stands of people on the other side. It's hard to describe... but it looks so cool!!!

The game itself was pretty exciting up until the 3rd quarter. After that... not much happened. But we won!!! 19-3!!! Still, we probably could've left early. We wouldn't have missed anything. Oh well!

My day took a bit of a downslide starting at the game. There were people in the stands nearby us who got sick from being too drunk. If you know me well, you know that this freaks me out a little bit... so that wasn't nice. Plus the game was getting boring on top of that.

When I got back to the dorm, I was hoping to be super productive and get a lot done. Starting with laundry.

Well... our washing machine is broken, so I brought my bag of clothes up to the next girls' floor. Their machine was being used. So I went to the 6th floor. Their machine was broken too. So, I went all the way up to the 8th floor to use their machine. Right when I walked in the room, I noticed a really bad smell in the air... It smelled like rat droppings or something. I decided not to think much about it and just continue with washing my clothes, since it was probably not a big deal. As I was putting my clothes in the washing machine though... I noticed they were getting wet.

There was a big puddle of murky, disgusting, smelly water sitting in the washing machine. And it got the smell all over my clothes. Gross, right???

I took the clothes down to our washing room because a) I wasn't going to leave them to get worse smelling in the 8th floor washing room and b) I wasn't going to bring them back to my room. But in doing this, the elevator, hallway, and washing machine on my floor got the smell.... :( People were complaining... I felt bad... I still kinda do... I was able to solve the problem later by just using the 4th floor washing machine... but still. I would've preferred to not have that adventure.

Dishes, attempt at homework, getting dinner, and here I am now. There's going to be a lot to do tomorrow... but I've already cheated. I played before I worked hard to deserve it. Therefore, I'm making the decision here and now to do whatever it takes to be as productive as physically possible tomorrow morning.

Which means... I should probably get some sleep. But even if I'm super tired... I'd have to say that, except for all the gross things happening, how this weekend has been so far has made being tired pretty worth it.

Fight on, friends.

Comfort and Love- October 24, 2013

Honestly, these past two days have been deserving of their own blog posts each. I wish I hadn't been putting this off/forgetting! It would make the stories so much more effective.

Alas, what's done is done. I'll do my best.

It was odd, Thursday. Missing a day of class made me feel like it was the weekend... I mean, technically college weekends often do start on Thursdays, but there are still things to do!

I had an audition for a film, for starters. I did ok, but I'm still glad I auditioned. My Text Studies class was really fun too!! We're now reading Lysistrata, which is pretty baudy for a Greek play. There are innuendos all throughout, and my professor seemed to take a lot of joy out of getting to discuss all the themes and humor with us... as well as pointing out all the innuendos. He does it in a really funny, almost child-like way though that makes it all the more hilarious. He was also telling us how Greek plays, and this one in particular, was written by a man and performed by men (dressed as women) for men. Lysistrata is very focused on feminist power, but in a satirical way. It's a lot easier to get across the generalities and ridiculousness in which the men at the time saw the women at the time when you have men read the lines of the women as though they were the women. How'd I find this out? We had boys in the class do a reading of a part in the script. I've never laughed so hard in that class!!!

But yeah, the rest of the day I went back to feeling down. Went to CVS, practiced for another audition, and then found out that my Spanish class got canceled! So that gave me a lot more free time to practice for the audition as well as write a little bit.

This audition was later that evening for "Merrily we Roll Along." I did pretty well, though I ended up not getting a callback. It made me happier and more energetic, at the least, so I decided to go to InterVarsity.

IV is wonderful. The community and closeness of the people, in my opinion, is the closest I've ever seen modeled after the book of Acts. Churches all over want to reach that level, but IV is pretty darn close. I made some new friends, and was really challenged by the talk that was given, but what was most important was I got to pray for everyone back home and be prayed for. One of my friends at IV, Paulina, had also lost a friend recently. We sat together and prayed and talked and grieved together for a while. It was really comforting.

That was probably the highlight of my day: being with my family in Christ <3

You know, I'm just going to write several posts today about each different day. It's time to leave for the game! (I'm writing this on Saturday... :))

Fight on til then!

A Beautiful Sadness- October 23, 2013

If you all don't mind, I'm going to clump today's account into tomorrow. I feel like Wednesday deserves a blog of its own.

By the time I got up in the morning, my class back at USC was half over, but I didn't care. I was home! <3 Unfortunately, the habit of getting completely ready for the day before having breakfast has stuck with me.... so much for food in my pajamas :P

Mom and I went shopping. We ran by my Grandma's house really quick to drop some stuff for Jesse off to her, and it was wonderful seeing my beautiful Grandmother again. I'm not just saying that either; I love you Grandma!!!!

I also love my incredible mother!!! She took me shoe shopping and got me a pair of black shoes that I can work backstage in, as well as a pair of super stylish black boots! Squee!!! And to top that all off, we went to Macy's and got me a black purse (cause I don't have one and my purses are pretty worn out), and we got Boudin for lunch. Boudin, guys, Boudin. There is nothing on the entire surface on God's great earth that can even compare to Boudin sourdough bread and clam chowder. Words don't describe it. There is no better bread though!!!

Anyways, after that I got to go to TKA and see all those incredible people there that I've been missing so much, INCLUDING some of those I missed last time I visited (Andrew, Charlie!! to name a few!!!)! I love my TKA family... Honestly, you guys are so wonderful and incredible. I wish I could've seen them on a different circumstance though...

I went home and got ready to go, then Mom and I headed to the church for Walker's memorial.

It was beautiful. It was beautiful but thick with sorrow... at least on my part... I couldn't stop crying the entire service, and started even a little bit before the service started.... I had a really good view from the balcony... The pastor at the church gave a really comforting message, then Walker's father gave a beautiful little speech all about Walker's life and how much joy he brought to their family. It was beautiful. Purely beautiful. What made me break down was a video of pictures from Walker's life that was shown... the last song they played was Billy Joel's Piano Man. That song describes Walker so much... I couldn't handle it.... Sorry...

Losing Walker broke my heart. It broke the heart of everyone who knew him, I'm sure. And this... this is going to take a long, long time to heal. I still can't even fully believe that he's gone. I can't believe that it's him that's gone, and not someone else that I hardly know that I hear about from some other school... some other place... You hear those stories so much, but when it's someone you know? ...Maybe this is just because I've never lost anyone before.... but it's jarring. It's tragic and jarring and I don't know how I'm going to ever heal from it completely. Actually, I don't think I ever will. My heart will heal in time, but it will never, ever be the same....

Walker had a beautiful mind. He had a beautiful mind and a brilliant spirit, and was a blessing to all who knew him. But God is watching over him now, and his suffering is over. It brings me so much joy to know that he is safe and beyond joyous in the arms of his Father in heaven, but there will never be anyone like him. He was unique. I miss him so much...

But, as odd as it is, tragedy brings people together. The reception of the service was filled with so much love... we were all so connected. It's brought people together, what happened, and has ignited connections that haven't been there before.

I got to hug Walker's family, which I've been wanting to do since I heard what happened. Cole and Reid, if either of you read this, I love you guys so much!

And then, I got to just be with my TKA family. My wonderful, beautiful TKA family, of all ages. Actually... I spent a lot of time with the teachers... which was a bit odd for me. I felt like I should've been running around with the teenagers... but I'm growing up, I guess. Plus, they get to see their teachers every day. I don't, but I miss them lots! It's really cool being able to talk to them more like friends now, instead of a teacher-student relationship. I feel grown up.

After it was all said and done, I'd say there were a couple key things I took away from it:

1. Walker was an absolutely, incredible, brilliant, beautiful son of God. I'm going to miss him more than I can say. I love him and can't wait to see his face in heaven someday, but until then... he's at peace.

2. It is so, so comforting to be around people that feel the same way you do.

3. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted. Not only does this mean he was with Walker, but he's with all of us too.

4. My TKA family is irreplaceable. <3

I wish with all my heart that I had gotten to visit under a different circumstance, but I am so grateful that I got to go. It meant a lot to me to be there, and I hope I was able to bring others some comfort too.

I went back home, got all packed up and ready to leave, then got to spend a last hour just chilling out and eating dessert with my family before Dad took me to the airport.

Can I stop for a moment and say again how much I love my family? Dad, Mom, Kris, Ashley, Jesse, and Melissa (you too, even though I didn't see you!), you guys lift me up when I need it the most. I wouldn't trade you guys for anything in the universe.

So, back to LA I went.

I met a band! They were on the plane with me, and I got to talk to one of the members afterwards. He's the manager/keyboard player/electric guitarist, and the band is called Max Frost. The whole group was there, since they had a gig in LA. So, if they ever make it super super big, I can say I met them first! :)

My taxi driver was craaaazzzzyyyy... but I got back safe.

It's hard to get through the day when you're heart feels heavy and burdened with grief, but things can and will get better... I know they will...

There's two pictures I want to leave you with. Well, they're quotes really, but I feel like both have so much to do with the situation at the moment. Please ignore where they're from; it's what they say that's important.

It makes me sad to know that this is probably how Walker felt... but even
if it was, it speaks to how big his heart was. He always made
his friends feel happy, that's for sure. 

This... this is how I feel. 

Through the good and bad times, Fight on, friends.

Recounting Some Blessings- October 21-22, 2013

Shhh... I'm supposed to be going to bed right now.... don't tell Mom...

*sigh.* It's like high school all over again. Especially Junior year when I'd be doing APUSH homework til 11:30 every night, but Dad would still try to make me go to bed at 10. Good times... good times...

Anyway, Monday I was just tired... all... day... Ugh. Mondays are hard. Acting class early in the morning is fun!!! So at least it's easy to get up to do something I enjoy. But after that it's 3 hours of Lab for Intro to Production... I spent two hours fraying the edge of muslin, and that was just because I was the slowest person at it! :(

Plus, I almost always fall asleep in Philosophy, regardless of what I do. I just can't seem to help it!! By the end of this semester... I'll figure out a way to stay awake... mark my words.

Anyways, I was feeling pretty crummy that night, so spent some time doing easy work and chilling out.  Also got packed up so I could go home.

Ok, this has no real significance, but I had a fascinating dream last night that I was in a Mongolian Training camp. Ask me about it later if you want, I won't put all the details here, but the point was that I am STILL highly amused by this dream, and for some reason (even though there's a slightly violent tone to it), I'd consider it a really entertaining one. At least to me.

Also, after my 130 class today, I sat out in the sun in the LiteraTea courtyard and did some devotions. While I was there, I got that little song from VeggieTales stuck in my head about being thankful for what you have. I made up some of my own words to it... though I'm pretty sure most of it is the same.

I thank God for this day

For the sun in the sky

For my mom and my dad

And my little cup of Chai

For the love all around

And my friends that I have found

That's why I say thanks everyday

D'aww.... I'm proud of the chai part.

C'est la vie. I went through the entire USC course catalog and discovered there actually are WAY too many classes I want to take at this school. There's so much to learn and it all sounds so interesting!! However... the classes for the Business minor don't sound too exciting... but it's still a minor I want to take... So I guess I'll have to bear through it for the sake of learning practical information.

The day goes on. Class, getting ready to leave, class. Spanish class was actually really fun! Since it's such a small group of us, life gets pretty entertaining. My professor is super laid back, and often goes on little tangents about things, but she also speaks Spanish super well and teaches it better. I enjoy those two hours a day. I just wish they were a bit earlier!

In the middle of Spanish, we're required to have a break. I was planning after Spanish to take an 8pm flight out of LAX to get me to San Jose, but my mom told me (during this break) that the flight to San Francisco at 7 was pretty open. Class ends at 5:50... I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to make it, but borrowed a laptop (that was a fun exchange. "Hey... this is an odd question... but can I borrow someone's laptop? I left mine in my room...") and listed myself anyway.

Class got out a tad bit earlier than normal, so I went back to the room, called a cab to pick me up at 6 and threw my stuff together, then darted back out. The cab got there very promptly, and drove wicked fast.... Maybe there was just no traffic or something? I don't know, but we got there in no time. Plus, I already had a printed out ticket for the San Jose flight that let me go right to Security, I beat the security line so that didn't take long, and the San Francisco flight was boarding at the first gate out of security. They had just started boarding when I got there.

So the agent activated my name on the list for San Francisco, and I left a whole hour earlier than I originally thought I would. Even better, she gave me first class, and the flight attendants were super super sweet. And, just icing on the cake, the flight landed 20 minutes early. Wow. God is definitely trying to get me home. 

So Mom picked me up with a plate full of food, and brought me home to the loving hugs of my family and the pumpkin pie in the fridge. So now I'm safe and sound and snuggled up in my own bed with a full stomach and a smile. :) It's so nice being here. I'm lucky, I'll admit it. I'm really really lucky that I'm able to swing home like this on a whim. Most people can't, so I won't take it for granted.

Though... coming home this time isn't as weird as the first time. Now it feels normal. It's just home. It is what it is. It's wonderful!!! But now it doesn't feel like a surreal experience to be here. I'm still glad I am though, as bad as I feel about missing classes tomorrow... Oh well. As I said before, some things are more important.

Although, who wants to bet that one of my parents will call me out for being up "this late" (it's only 11:15) tomorrow morning when I got "put to bed" at 10:45? I'll give it a.... 60-40% chance. 60 on the getting called out side.

There's a lot to be thankful for. <3 Fight on, friends.

The Little Things- October 20, 2013

I've discovered it. The secret to happiness.

It's this video:

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?!?!

Ok, not really. Also, I knew this video existed before today. But it makes me really really happy!!!

All joking aside, I slept in a bit too much today, but ran into friends at breakfast. So that was a nice way to start my day off!!

I got a bit of homework done, then went to the Metro Station and took the metro all the way to Koreatown. All. By. My. Self. I'm so proud of me. I even had to switch trains halfway through and I did it no problem! I feel like such a grown up... traveling around LA all alone. I was safe, I promise! I put on my "Don't mess with me" attitude and didn't talk to anybody.

Except, when I got to Koreatown, I started walking in the wrong direction... -_- Typical me. I think my inner GPS is just wired to be a little bit backwards.

The reason I was going to Koreatown was because I got to meet up with my wonderful high school friend Elsie for lunch!!!! She found out about a cool-looking lunch spot that was about halfway between our schools, so we met up there. I can't tell you how awesome it was to see somebody from home even when I wasn't at home!! We got to eat and catch up and just enjoy each other's company. She's taking college by storm! It was so nice to talk and hang out with her!!!

We took a picture together:

D'aww

On the first Metro back to USC, a man got on the train with me. He was carrying a couple of grocery plastic bags, and then a green shopping bag inside of a black one. I noticed him reach down into the green bag a couple times... It seemed like there was something alive in it, but I wasn't too sure and I didn't want to ask (remember: "I'm traveling in LA and don't want to be messed with don't bug me" attitude?).

But he got off at the same stop as me, and as we were walking to our next respective trains, a tiny little Chihuahua head popped out of the bag. I couldn't help but comment on it, "Is that a puppy?!?" It was. A little baby 2 month old chihuahua puppy that this man, I learned, had bought two weeks ago for $100. It was a purebred dog, but the last one the owner was selling. She had said that the first person to bring her $100 could have it, so he had grabbed $95, borrowed 5 from his landlord, and got the puppy.

Turns out we were headed to the same location, so I got to hear even more of his story after I saved him from getting on the wrong bus. A really nice lady and another guy joined in the story-listening.

He'd bought the puppy for his wife. His wife had never had a dog before, but he had given her a fish and some baby turtles a while ago, and said, "If you can keep them alive until Halloween, I'll upgrade you." This puppy had given him the idea of what to upgrade her to. Besides, as he'd mentioned before, she'd never had a dog before. He had, and when it died he mourned for it for 6 years. Getting this little dog opened up that spot in his heart again. He said multiple times, "this little girl... she changed my whole attitude. My whole attitude has changed." I also learned that he had been in the military, was from Sacramento where'd he'd been a farmer most of his life, and came down to LA for some reason. When he came to LA, he got a job at a cardboard making company. One of his projects was printing hundreds of posters for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies two years before the movie came out. He met his wife because she had been kicked out by her roommates. She was homeless, and he took her to McDonalds to get her some food. He's been taking care of her ever since, and they've been together 4 years. She isn't used to the puppy using the bathroom everywhere yet, but he said he knew she'd come around to it and that her attitude would completely change too. The puppy's name was Pekko. In addition, he was teaching her to get used to travel, so he could take her back up to Sacramento with him, out in the countryside. "She's going to love it," he said. 

He got off at the same stop as me and the other guy, at USC station. He was taking Pekko to the park right across the street so she could get some grass and exercise.

God bless him. I've rarely seen a man with that much love in my entire life.

The other guy we were with turned out to be a PHD student at SC. He's getting his PhD in Physics, but really likes music too. We talked as we walked back into campus, and as we were walking, he said something that really hit me: If you spend your time doing only one thing (in my case, trying and trying to be the best actress you can be), you don't get to do anything else, like read books, see movies, go for walks, meet people like the man with the puppy. In other words, if you devote yourself to just one thing in life, you don't get to enjoy all of life... quite a wake up call for somebody who can be a bit too ambitious sometimes.... (like the one writing this blog...)

Even better, right in front of Tommy Trojan, there was a couplet taking wedding pictures. The bride looked absolutely stunning. I told her she looked like Cinderella, cause she did. A beautiful fairytale princess.

The next couple hours I spent outside... You know what's interesting about my campus? There's so much red brick everywhere that the sky really stands out. It almost doesn't look right... but I got to enjoy the sunlight and the perfect breeze in the air...

When I eventually went to dinner, they had a soup that I really like and haven't had before I came to college. It's called Italian Wedding soup. It made me happy :)

I finished my Philosophy homework in the company of friends, and got to take a survey that an old friend of Kieryn's had to give out for a class of hers!

I was getting ready to go take a shower, but decided to wash my comforter first (actually, a spider that died on my comforter decided it for me). On my way back from the laundry room, I got pulled into Kieryn and Sneha's room and...

We had a dance party. A full on dance party right there in the room with music blaring and us jumping around. The WiFi here was a rotten DJ, but who cares?

The line-up went like this:

-Moves like Jagger

-Loca People

-Party Rock

-You Can't stop the Beat

-Danza Kuduro

-The Time Warp

-Thriller

and... to end it all off,

-What does the Fox say?

The fox song has been stuck in my head ever since :) And now, I'm typing up this blog a half hour after I told myself I'd go to bed because I'm waiting for the top coat of my newly painted nails to dry. 

So, the secret to happiness then?

The sad things are still around. I'm still thinking of Walker (my nails are green for him!), people keep throwing up everywhere in my building, there's a ton to get done,  homework is onerous, and I'm still kinda stressed out...

But it's the details that make it worthwhile. The little things. Those tiny moments that just make you appreciate life. That little metro accomplishment, that short amount of time with a good friend, that little puppy, noticing a man's big heart, a little comment, a little sight, a little sunshine, a certain type of food, a little friends, a little fun. It all adds up to something much, much bigger. A great day, and, as my new friend said today, a great attitude. 

Fight on, friends. 

I Can't Think of a Clever Title- October 18-19, 2013

The road goes ever on and on, and I must follow, if I can...

That's from Lord of the Rings. I wish I had time to read the books... I still need to finish Pride and Prejudice for crying out loud!

Here's why I don't have time. For starters, Friday morning was the make-up lesson for my voice lessons. I didn't practice as much as I should have before coming to the lesson... I'm not sure if my teacher could tell, but I certainly could... I ought to be practicing a lot more than I am.

This made me realize that I'm basically taking 20 units at this school. I have 18 units of classes, but I should be doing 2 units worth more work to practice my singing, otherwise I'll never be as good as it as I would like. On top of that, lessons are changed now so that they're every week instead of every other week, so I'll have to be even more on top of it!

This began an interesting theme of Friday: "Rachel doesn't have her act together. She really really really needs to get her act together."

So the rest of the day was me trying to portion out my time to get stuff done or planning on getting stuff done. 

But in the midst of all the craziness, I found out how to find a bit more peace.

I'm still thinking of Walker, a lot. A crazy lot, and when I least expect it. I'm not surprised, I guess, but when I think about what happened, I get really sad... then I don't feel like doing anything and I can't think of anything else but Walker. It's hard to deal with all that emotion when it hits you straight away, but I found out a way to help myself.

Walker loved playing piano. He was a great musician in general. So, if I'm thinking of him and I'm getting too sad, I play the piano. 

There's a really out-of-tune piano in the lounge, but if the people in the lounge don't mind my playing, then it works just fine. Playing Les Mis is really helpful, both because it's the same book Walker played at my house last June, and because the songs fit how I'm feeling. I'm also trying to learn Pirates of the Caribbean. I made a friend on Friday because I was playing Pirates in the lounge, and he asked to play with me. It was a pretty fail result, but at least we got to talk about music together. I learned too that I mess up rhythm a lot... I need to stay consistent. But anyways... it makes me feel better just to play. It's like I'm letting his legacy linger on by playing the piano, but expressing myself at the same time, since it's me playing... or maybe music just does that. I don't know. I like it though.

This morning I got up waaayy late. It was ok though. Jinny got up late too, and we wanted to go to Target together today anyways. The Metro can be pretty fun if you know where you're going! Unfortunately, I cannot trust my iPhone map. It was getting all messed up and led us in the complete opposite direction of the Target once we got to Downtown LA. Our adventure in itself was pretty fun! I'm glad I know where the Target is now, and it's got a really nice selection of stuff. There were a lot of great clothes there too... but I restrained myself.

On the other hand... LA makes me sad. One minute, you're in a beautiful, well-made, clean area... and the next there are people sitting on the sides of the streets, and the smell of a dirty city hanging in the air... There's so much sadness and misfortune here... And I want to help, I really do! I want to give the people asking for a dollar for the metro a dollar, or reach out to and listen to the man sitting alone on the street... but I can't. For several reasons, of course, not all of which I need to lay out here (though #1 is safety)....though it still hurts to know that so many people are suffering in this city...

When Jinny and I got back, we spent quite a lot of time (in fact, too much time, at least on my part) working on decorations for the front of our door. I did get something done beforehand though by arranging my room a bit differently. I can now use my dresser as a bed headboard, and (hopefully) my snacks are now harder to reach... Just a little bit.

It's been so hard to concentrate on homework... that's the thing I need to do more than anything right now. My to do list is pretty long nowadays...

Especially now that I'm able to come home for Walker's memorial on Wednesday! I'll be skipping some classes, which means I have to step up my game in work a little bit, but it's worth it. Some things are more important than classes sometimes, you know? And I think this is one of them. I want to be there for my friends back home... and it would be really nice for me to be with people struggling with the same pain right now too. As much as I wish it were for a different circumstance, I can't wait.

Here's hoping I get everything done by then... Fight on, friends.

Pathetique- October 17, 2013

Guys, I'm not gonna lie. I really don't feel like writing this blog tonight. But I feel like I need to, because today was interesting, so here goes.

First of all, I got up pretty early for a Thursday because I thought I had a voice lesson. Turns out I went over to the building and up to the room just to discover she'd sent me an email the night before telling me she had to postpone our lesson today... At least I got a free hour!

I sat outside in the Music area of school instead, just chilling. I talked to my mom a bit too, especially because I'm trying to figure out how I can make it back up home in the middle of next week for Walker's memorial service. I really want to go... It will involve missing some classes, but you know: sometimes there are more important things than class.

What ended up happening after I hung up with my Mom was I met a 34-year-old who was taking real estate classes at USC. He seemed really nice, and we were having a pleasant conversation for a while.... then it got weird. He was a total weirdo. I should've left the conversation earlier than I did... I regret it. I walked away feeling really uncomfortable.... Now I know for next time though... hopefully there won't be a next time. Luckily, I'll probably never see this man again. Thank goodness.

And then there was class. And failing to be productive. And then more class.

This evening, I went with Jinny and Thomas to see the USC Symphony Orchestra perform some of Tchaikovsky's work! Jinny had signed up and asked me if I wanted to go. I did, but I felt like it would be too late, and I was anticipating wanting to watch a movie or something. So, I asked Thomas if he wanted to see a movie (since he's so freakin' movie deprived), but turns out he was going to the concert too. Well, two people I wanted to hang out with going to the same place at the same time. And it wasn't too late to sign up. So I might as well go!!

I'm really glad I did. In case you don't know, Tchaikovsky was the composer of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Those are his most famous works, so that'll probably give you an idea. Anyways, the orchestra performed a handful of Swan Lake, which was absolutely beautiful. Then the second half was about his last symphony he ever wrote. There are several people who think it might have been his most heart-felt, and partially auto-biographical symphony. It's called "Pathetique." It's got a secret story behind it (hence, it might be his story) and 9 days after he conducted it for the first time, he died of cholera. It's a really sad, dark, heavy piece, with a couple of really triumphant moments. The conductor was really neat about explaining the different sections of music, and what they might've meant if they had been about Tchaikovsky's sorrowful life. By the way, the conductor was really adorable and funny. He just had a joy about him. You could tell that he loved his art more than anything, and that the orchestra really was eager to respond to him. The symphony itself made me sad... just the themes and darkness of it...plus, it being about death, that opened up a lot of memories about Walker... but it was absolutely beautiful. The orchestra played it very, very well, and deserved the standing ovation they received at the end.

Since the concert ended, I went to the lounge and played some piano cause I felt inspired and all, and have been just hanging out ever since.

I want to say today was a good day... but the conversation with that weirdo and the sad feelings that have been peppered all throughout the day made it not quite up to a good day....

By the way, I wore green today, in case you're from King's and understand the significance of that.... I really want to come up for next week.

*sigh.* Fight on, friends.

The Aftermath- October 14-16, 2013

I know I'm filled to be emptied again, This seed I've received I will sow...

Monday wasn't that big of a day for me, by the way. I spent most of the day working on my paper due Tuesday.... finished finally fairly late at night.

Tuesday morning, it was super hard to get up for class. It was so hard to stay awake in the classroom... I feel really bad. I'm trying to stay awake, honestly!

Anyway, I edited and completely finished my essay. With that, I was done. All the big projects and papers and midterms are over with, and I was free to enjoy the rest of my week.

That's when I checked my phone, and got the message from my sister....

Thank God I finished my essay before I got the message. I stopped... just in the middle of the quad in shock.... My mom called me to confirm what happened and... I could barely concentrate on anything else all day....Classes were difficult.

For those who either didn't get my last post or who just don't know, a good friend of mine died Monday night. We all heard about it Tuesday morning.

Most of what I had to say I've said already. My heart is heavy and broken, and I'm still trying to figure out how to cope with this... I've never lost anyone I knew well before, and on top of that, I ever wanted to. I wish things could have been different, but I know more than anything that Walker is with the Lord now. Any suffering he was going through is over, and I find so much peace and comfort in that.

I went to the Intervarsity Bible study that night, and was able to share with the other 3 girls what had happened. We prayed for his family and friends in this difficult time, and they were just so supportive and loving to me too. I'm really grateful for them. God's blessed me with a community here on campus... and I'm starting to really see it shine through. 

It continued over to today. I was still feeling full of sorrow this morning... Lost in my own thought and all.... 

A lot of what I thought about was how hard it is to know that someone is going through something just by looking at them. Most of the time, it's impossible to tell. How can you tell who needs somebody, really badly, right in that moment? I wish we could just have it be a social norm to make that clear to those around us.

I spent a lot of time journaling before my next class. 

Tonight, I wasn't planning on doing much. Maybe being productive, for once, maybe watching more Youtube or something, but I remembered that Cru was having their weekly meeting tonight (another Christian group, much like IV), and Mom convinced me I should go. Besides, there are some people that King's that go sometimes, so maybe I could see them....

Turns out I was meant to be there. Go God.

It wasn't at the usual place where Cru was supposed to meet, but a couple of girls met me there, since they were also confused, and together we found out the actual room of the meeting. We walked over together too! So I made some new friends. I was feeling kinda sick when I got there... just really tired and I had eaten too much and felt like doing absolutely nothing. A girl came up to me and asked if we had met before, in the middle of me eyeing the door. I said no, and turns out we're both named Rachel! She's a freshman too. So I made another friend, and I sat next to her during the meeting.

As soon as the worship music started, I was sucked in. Even after all that devotional time today, I still needed more God. It's like I can't get enough of him: I was hanging on every word of the song.

Ok, then, I thought. That's good enough. I can just relax for the rest and maybe sneak out if need be.

Boy, was I wrong.

Cru is going through a series on finding God in the workplace, whether that's school or the business world. A recent USC film school graduate, Brian, came to share his testimony with us. He told us about how he became a child of God at 21, but before that, had a really neat experience in Korea that later, taught him a lot about God's character. He became a Christian once he realized one day that Jesus didn't just die for our sin, he became our sin in order to dispose it for us. It's a whole new perspective that really just makes you love God more. He also gave some advice for being with God in the workplace and in all you do.

I've got the specifics written down in my journal, and I want to share them, but I'm not willing to get off the bed right now to get my journal out to write it all down. Besides, the adventures continue after this. I'll tell you more about it later if you're still curious.

The point is... God spoke to me through Brian tonight. There was, surprisingly, a lot of comfort and encouragement in his story and advice that I didn't know I needed, but that affected me deeply, especially with all that's going on at home. It's the strongest I've felt God's presence here since I've moved down to college... I totally broke down during the worship songs at the end.... quietly and alone, but still....

I went up afterwards to thank Brian, and to tell him how much it helped. Before I got there, my new friend Rachel came up and offered to hang out or talk anytime. We're now Facebook friends since her phone is broken, but I'm so grateful for her reaching out to me. And Brian was so incredibly loving... I was still having a hard time keeping it together when I got there, but I thanked him so much and told him it was exactly what I needed to hear. Since I was breaking down a bit, I explained the situation. He took me to the side and gave me the biggest hug and even more encouragement. I can't even put into words how much that meant to me. What an incredible man. I'll include more about his film company in my next blog, when I'm not too lazy to get my journal out and tell you all. Be sure to check it out when I do!

I ran into another girl in the hallway on my way out. She saw I was still crying, and just asked, "hey, are you ok?" and then "Do you need a hug?"

I guess I was granting my own wish: being somebody out there who really obviously could use a bit of hugs and encouragement. I forget her name at the moment, but she also gave me her phone number, just in case.

As I started to walk back to Pardee, I thought I'd take the long way, just to go for a walk at night... get my thoughts together... try to enjoy the evening... One of the girls I met at the very beginning of the night, Jannelle (I think that's how you spell it? Sorry if I'm wrong) was walking the same way, and offered to walk with me and talk with me. Turns out we're both going through a loss of some kind. We ended up walking to the Bing Theater and just sitting outside of it, talking and talking and talking for a full hour. It really lifted my spirits, and I hope it lifted hers too. I also hope we get to talk more in the future.

As we wrapped up our conversation, a big group of people came out of the theater on campus where they usually show movies. I was walking to Pardee finally, when a guy from the building caught up with me and asked me if I had been in the class that had just gotten out. I said no, but thanked him for letting me know what it was. We ended up talking all the way back to Pardee! He's a critical film studies major, but wants to make films, not critique them. I told him I was an actress, and he recommended a film school teacher, without even knowing that I had the interest already in taking a film class at some point while I'm here. He also knows Kieryn! So there's a connection! I left with his phone number, and him with mine in case any films came up that needed an actress. I even got a side hug out of it.

But wait. There's more.

When I got back upstairs, I told Kieryn about how I met one of her friends, which was cool! I chilled out for a while, but Jinny left the room at one point. Shortly after, I could hear laughter coming from all the way down the hall. Naturally, I went out to see what was up, since it sounded like Sneha. It was, and I ended up joining in on a moment of pure fun and joy with these fantastic girls on my floor.

Ok, that's all.

It's blowing my mind how much God provided in just this one night. Networking, encouragement, friendship, community, peace... I'm overwhelmed all over again. Is He amazing or what? Even when the worst happens, He always pulls through.

So I'm feeling better. Definitely not recovered, but much better. I will be continuing to pray for Walker's family and friends, and I know they would appreciate all your prayers too, please.

I will bring praise, I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice, I will declare

God is my victory and He is here

Fight on, friends.

Dear Walker, - October 15, 2013

It's hard to put into words how I'm feeling.

There are so many questions wandering through my mind... and I'm not sure I should ask them. I know for sure I don't want to hear the answers.

I remember the first time I saw you. I'd heard of you before, but I saw you for the first time when you played The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. You were so lively! You were easily one of the highlights of the play: animated, talented, engaging. I was so impressed!

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I saw you in Once Upon a Mattress too. Weren't you in that? Well, I didn't know it was you then.

I'm so glad you grew up and got to come to high school. Otherwise, I may have never known you! Imagine that! We met during the musicals, that I'm pretty sure of. Hello Dolly, and you were a waiter! You fit so perfectly right into the drama family. I didn't even realize you were only a freshman most of the time!

And when we'd get to rehearsal early, and you'd be at the piano... You worked some magic on those keys, Piano Man. I'll never forget that. It was mesmerizing, watching you play. You'd play just about anything I asked. You could play anything I asked. The sky was the limit when you had those keys in front of you.

Where's Charley was so fun too. I remember all of your solos!!! You had such a pure and lovely voice!!! It was no surprise that you got some time to sing by yourself.
Though I also remember how you were always talking during rehearsal. I'll admit, it got annoying sometimes. There were times I'd be yelling at you in my head, "Walker!! Be quiet and pay attention!!!" But you brought the energy to the stage, and that's what mattered. And when you brought it to the stage, you shone like a star.

But I knew you were suffering. I knew, and I hope I helped a little bit. I remember that one time during Where's Charley tech when you fainted and weren't feeling well. Golly, you gave me a heart attack. I'm still so glad you were ok!!! You were the hero of the show that day: a real trooper and quite an encouragement to the rest of us.

You were a joy to talk to. We had some great conversations, almost always about shows though :) Can we help it? We're theater kids! We both love "On My Own" from Les Miserables though.

Oh my goodness, do you remember my graduation party? You came and played my keyboard!!! I was hoping from the beginning that you would. All those Les Miserables songs!! We got to sing On My Own together, and all those other songs that we love!!! I'm so glad you were there. It was an honor having you play our keyboard.

Looking back at some of your old Facebook status, I'm just reminded again how clever you were. Apparently you loved Calculus??? How did I not know that?? Maybe because we talked about theater so much... but I'm not surprised, you smart cookie.

You had character. Not just onstage character, but a bright, brilliant personality and contagious smile. And that laugh. It was such a pure laugh!

You had integrity. It's rare to see such a big heart in a person, and you can't find it in just anyone. Thank you for being such a good friend.

I remember the last time I saw you. Thank you for being so happy to see me. I was so happy to see you, and you easily gave the best hug of everybody I saw at the football game. I still can't believe you'd never seen Beauty and the Beast!!! I saw that you added it to your movies on Facebook though. It makes me smile to know that you saw it. I wish I knew what you thought of it!!! I told you then that you'd make the perfect Lumiere. I still think you would've been the best choice for the role.

You know, you mean a lot to people. You always have. If you didn't know it before, I hope you can see it now. People love you so, so much. I don't think you ever realized just how many lives you impacted, but you did. You were it all: talented, smart, fun (oh so fun!), caring, sweet... You were an actor, a musician, a clown, a brother, the Piano Man, a lover of spoons, a son, a child of God, a man of God, a true friend, but more than anything, you were a joy. You will always be a joy.

Thinking of you now is hard. I can't help but picture you there...I can't say it. I try to shut it out of my mind, but it lingers and grieves me all the same.

Hearing the news broke my heart. I'm really glad I finished my essay before I heard, because afterwards... I was so shocked and confused... I still am heartbroken and in a state of utter disbelief. It's going to take me a while to even accept that it happened. But I've been thinking of you all day today, and despite all the sorrow and grief, I can see you, energetic and full of joy, and imagine you and your laugh and your smile as you fling spoons at Jesus. Is there a big piano up there? I hope so. I hope there's that, and a theater, and a whole table full of Calculus problems for you.

Thank you for all you were. Thank you for all you still are. Thank you for every day of mine you brightened. Thank you for bringing all you had, even when it was hard. Thank you for being a friend.

I'll never forget you, ever. I already missed you, and now I still do, just more and in a whole new way. I love you. We all do. I'll see you again someday. I'll bring my Les Miserables piano book, and we'll have a grand time. Rest in the peace in His loving arms.

Love,

Rachel

Lost in Reverie...- October 13, 2013

In my opinion, the only thing better than a good dream is a good daydream.

Which is why today was a battlefield between my work and my daydreams.... *sigh*...

Attempt 1- Leavey Library. That was productive... but only for about an hour. I didn't start daydreaming then, just yet. I just got distracted and lost concentration.

Attempt 2- My dorm room. I think I wrote about 2-3 sentences while I was there.

Attempt 3- After working out and lunch, I sat out in the sun in the quad and tried to get something done there. It was... almost productive... I think I got a little bit done but I don't remember. What I do remember was this is when I started daydreaming....

I started thinking about all the people walking by, and was people-watching for a little while. I was trying to guess how they were feeling or what they were doing (if they weren't actively working on something) just by their body language. It was interesting for a while, but then I started thinking of something else that I don't remember and that something else led to something else and all of a sudden I was thinking about Lord of the Rings.

Then I started thinking about my favorite character, Pippin, and more specifically, the actor who plays Pippin. His name's Billy Boyd, and he has the most perfect Scottish accent I've ever heard in my life. I looked up his IMDB page, just cause I could, and learned a bit about his history and the band that he's in, and I eventually read a story about a couple girls who got to meet him.

Then all I could think about was "What if I got to meet Billy Boyd...or any of the other cast members, for that matter..."

Attempt 4- I called my mom to see if I could shake myself out of it. It worked a little bit, but then I went to the Pardee Lounge to see if that would help me. Nope. I had to watch a couple of Billy and Dominic interviews before I could satisfy myself with just playing the full LOTR soundtrack and getting down to business. And it worked!!! I finished writing it all the way through!!!

So I got to take a break, get dinner, and attempt working on other work for a while.

Attempt 5- Back in my dorm room, I successfully made notecards to study for Spanish with... then....

the music on my computer got me thinking about Disneyland and how much I want to go. I thought up a whole situation in my head where I would get to go and what if there were some little children there that were afraid of the Haunted Mansion, but I know a lot about the Haunted Mansion so I could make them feel better but what if they were in a tough family situation and so their dad was super mean and I could save the day by making their day by making them not scared anymore then we would run into each other later that day in Fantasyland and I could get a cast member to work some Mickey Magic and get them on the Peter Pan ride without waiting in line but what if it was with Peter Pan or what if I got to ride with Peter Pan too and how great would that be and then the dad would have a change of heart and end up being really rich and influential and then would be so appreciative of me helping his daughters that he gives me his name and number to use as references whenever I apply for a job so that I could basically get any job I would want.... including a Disney Princess....

....yeah. Welcome to my head. It's a strange place in here.

ANYways....

Attempt 6- Still in my dorm room, but after a visit from Sneha! I was able to start an idea of what I'll be writing for my next paper, as well as completely finish the Philosophy one by editing it. Huzzah. Work done for the day.

*sigh...* But seriously, what if...

*GASP* What if I met Billy Boyd AT Disneyland and we got to go on a ride together and....

...Maybe I should read a book. I think my imagination needs an outlet. See what happens when I'm not in a show???

At least it's fun :) Fight on, friends.

Dirty Rotten Crucible- October 12, 2013

Today I saw two shows in one day!

Well, first I had a Google Hangout with my beautiful girlies who I miss so much! <3 I worked on my essay a bit, then it was off to...

Show 1- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

I was thinking of auditioning for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the beginning of the year, but didn't because I was worried about the time commitment, being a freshman and all. I SO regret it. The show looked like it was super fun! Everyone in the cast was so animated and into the story. You could tell they were having a great time. The talent was spectacular as well. Though... there were a couple characters I felt were a bit... too over the top. Also, it was hard to understand/hear people at times. But still, the story was awesome, and the leads had some great comic timing.

After the show, I worked out for a bit and had dinner before going to the the next show!

Show 2- The Crucible.

Honestly, I loved The Crucible when we read it in high school. It's so intricate and has so much behind it. But seeing the show live just brought all those themes out so much more. I feel so privileged that I got to watch it. It was a very different mood than DRS, of course, but I was still on the edge of my seat for most of the show. However, the beginning was a little slow, and it was hard to hear people. Also, many of the characters acted angry.... almost the whole time... it seemed a bit too easy for some characters to raise their voices. Sometimes it was effective and added to what was supposed to be in the scene quite a bit. Sometimes... it was not. But the actors who played Elizabeth and Proctor were phenomenal. Quite easily my favorite people to watch on that stage. They were just.... perfect. Perfect perfect perfect. They took my heart and wrenched it in two and brought out all the injustice of the Salem Witch trials and I loved it.

Since the show ended, I've had a couple other adventures. Jinny and I went to Starbucks for a late-night snack stock-up!! That was fun. I spent a while hanging out in a room down the hall with Melanie and her roommate Victoria. Victoria had a friend here from Argentina too! Corona joined us, and Kate was there, then I met two guys from North and Parkside who were really funny. But we were there for a while, and now it's late.

Tomorrow is a working day folks!!! But... I'm glad today wasn't. There's no business like show business, you know?

Fight on, friends.

"I've been working on the railroad..."- October 9-11

All the live-long day....

I've been working pretty hard the past few days.

Wednesday's project was my Philosophy homework that I didn't finish the night before. I had to scramble to finish it before class at 3:30. Wednesday was just filled with Philosophy in general- right after that I met with my TA to talk about my upcoming paper...

I've been working on the railroad...

On the bright side, I got free sourdough bread at the Farmer's Market! It was right around closing time, so while I was looking at bread at one of the stands, the man asked if I'd ever tried his bread. I responded no, and he said, I quote, "Now why would you deprive yourself like that?" I told him I was interested in sourdough bread, and he just... didn't have any sample bits or something... he plopped a loaf of his sourdough bread right into my hands and said I could have it. So cool!!! I miss Boudin so much though... If anyone wants to send me a care package- anything from Boudin. Or Ghiradelli. Please and thank you.

Just to pass the time away...

I was up late (like.... really late) Wednesday night to start my Spanish project. I finished the first part, which was making a brochure.

Thursday, then, was me getting said Spanish project done in a scramble before 4. I was literally either working on it, stressing about it, or in class all day. I finished with a half hour to spare before class. Let's hope it's fairly good work. I'll start on it sooner next time.

Can't you hear the whistle blowin'?...

I had to recoup a bit after that, but then it was off to the football game for a bit of a relaxing time. We played Arizona and WON!!! Go Trojans!!!

Rise up so early in the morn'....

Today's project was anything and everything that wasn't my two papers that are due at the beginning of next week. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to devote to solely those papers. I did a fairly good job, though there are still some to-do list things I haven't done. It helped that I got up a lot earlier than I thought I would too. I had a whole extra hour or two to get stuff done.

It was still a really happy day!! I say happy day in that I felt happy basically all day today! I got to go to lunch with Thomas, and there was a mixer in the Pardee lounge for a while tonight. I went to about an hour and a half of it, and it was fun!

Can't you hear the captain shouting...

By the way... Thomas (yes, I'm calling you out and I know you read this) has never seen a Disney movie. Or so he claims. (Jinny doesn't think it's physically possible). I'll believe him, but...

WHATT?!?!?

How has someone never ever seen a Disney movie ever?!?!?

So I'm planning Thomas's Disney education. I'm thinking we'll start with Peter Pan... but... Disney friends out there- I need your help. What is the essential Disney that someone needs to know to live an educated and fulfilled life? I can't show him all 53 official movies, of course. I haven't even seen them all myself! But there has to be some staples that you can't go your entire life in this part of the world without seeing at least once.

Dinah, blow your horn!

Well, there's more work to be done yet. 'Til tomorrow, friends, Fight on.

It's hard to have a bad day with a great outfit- October 8, 2013

So today was practically perfect.

Except for a couple things:
1) I don't have my homework done, and I'm going to bed anyways
2) I'm going to bed at 1:15 AM. Aaaahhh!!!! Why am I up so late?!?

Anyways, I got up a bit late today, but made it to my 130 midterm on time and I think I did just fine, thanks very much! I finished right about the time my professor said most of us would be finishing, then went and did my devotions in my favorite little quad courtyard. Bought some stamps, worked out, cleaned up, then went and got some lunch.

On my way over to get this lunch, I stopped and talked to a security guy guarding some event going on in McCarthy Quad. I stopped to ask him what it was that was going on, and he told me it was some event for Veterans. We ended up talking for 10 minutes or so just about LA and how my year is going so far and all the cool things there is to do off campus. He was so fun and really nice!!! His name's William. I hope I see him around campus more! Yay for new friends :)

Also, I loved the outfit I wore today, and got a lot of compliments on my hat. The outfit felt very Lumieire inspired (a la Beauty and the Beast candlestick). ....Be... our.... Guest! But anyways...

Perfect, right? I'm getting things done already. Check, check, check. All that's left is working on homework, getting to bed early, and practicing my singing.

Spoiler alert: none of those got done, and here's where it all went down.

During my 125 class, I was noticing that I was starting to doze off a bit, so I went back in my dorm room and decided to take a 20 minute power nap. Well, that turned into an hour power nap. Whoops.

Got up in time to do a little bit of homework, and made it to Spanish on time. Spanish was fun!!! I felt like a super smart Disney nerd because I did my homework on "Saludos Amigos" and I knew the history behind it and all. Plus, my professor is great.

After that was dinner, then I tried to get my Philosophy homework done before going to the Intervarsity Bible study... It didn't work. I did get half the reading done, but I still have a bit to do before I need to turn it in at 3pm tomorrow. I was going to get it done after Bible study... but... well..

The Bible Study itself was really nice! Then afterwards, Paulina, Julia, Jinny, and I went to Yogurtland and got Froyo!!! We went to the Gateway apartment lobby to eat it, and that is a really, really nice place! I got to meet their friend Jeremy, and we all had a really fun conversation before leaving. Jeremy even drove Jinny, Julia, and I back to the dorm. Yay for car rides!!!

Of course, when I got back to the dorm I was stopped on my way to my homework by Kieryn and Sneha. So... yeah. I just spent a wonderful 2 and a half hours talking to those girls about just about everything. Our conversation was delightfully girly tonight, which I love too. Time well-spent? I think so. Yay for friend bonding!!!

So I didn't get everything done today, but you know what: It was an awesome day. Who needs to get stuff done when I can have constant reminders of God's love and provision for me here? He's given me some great new friends, I'm learning to take care of myself (the nap), I'm not (extremely) worried about classes (ok... maybe a little, but they're going well!), and.... Life is just good today.

I hope your day was just as lovely! Either way, Fight on, friends.

PS: I've decided on my current favorite song: "Haven't Met you Yet" by Michael Buble :) <3

Sunny Side to Every Situation- October 6-7, 2013

Bonus points if you know what show the title is referencing!!

Anyways, Sunday I got to sleep in quite a lot. Do you know how nice it is to get a bunch of sleep while you're in college?? It's fantastic, but you still go throughout the day feeling exhausted... meh.

Sunday was basically a battle between getting some studying done, and not wanting to do anything because I was too dang tired. I had to go outside to sit in the sun before I could feel any type of energy to study for my Philosophy midterm... But that was really nice. My favorite time to be outside on campus is anytime between 4 and 6. It's right when the sun is starting to go down and you get a rich, evening glow all over McCarthy Quad...

The other real treat to the day happened later that evening. As I was sitting in the Quad, I decided I was done with Philosophy and wanted to start my Spanish homework. For Spanish, I was supposed to write a critique of some sort of art form that I'd observed/seen/read recently... but I couldn't think of anything. I figured it was a good excuse to watch a movie sometime before the assignment was due, but quickly forgot about it as I continued onto other things.

Ok, so a few years ago I attempted a project in which I would watch every single one of the official 50 (at the time) Disney movies, in order. I made it up to Bambi, but after that started the odd, mix-matched movies of Disney, which are practically impossible to find nowadays, so I abandoned the idea.

I found the next movie after Bambi!!!

It was on Youtube, and is called "Saludos Amigos." It made me so incredibly happy to watch it!!! It wasn't even that spectacular, but I knew the history behind it and it was so... classic Disney that I was smiling like a 4 year-old as I sat through all 42 minutes of the film. And then, I had something to write about for Spanish! So that was fantastic. :)

Today... Today was a rough start.

Have you ever had those days when it's really obvious to you that there's spiritual warfare going on? Yeah, that happened today. It's an odd feeling... call me crazy, but I could swear there were little demons circling outside my window this morning... waiting to pull me and my thinking in an odd direction. I was even spooked by a squirrel that ran by my path... Maybe it was God's plan to get me to think of him more, because I found myself praying a lot more today than normal.

My acting class added to the feeling down... but first, what was really nice was I got to share my personal reading- that little passage I chose at the beginning of the year that has significance to me. I chose Sam's speech at the end of The Two Towers, you know, the one about there being some good in the world, "and it's worth fighting for." I chose the passage because, well, I believe all of what Sam says in that little speech. It just... mirrors the take I want to have on life, and that I strive to have about life as much as I can. Plus... Lord of the Rings just resonates with me in such a deep way for some reason... I don't know what it is about those movies... I just feel so moved and empowered by the story and the characters and even the actors. It reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing. I want to tell stories like that. I want to be a part of something that grand and large-scale that's going to reach and touch a lot of people... there's so much beauty in it.

Here's the speech, in case you have no clue what I'm talking about:

I stumbled over my words a bit in class, but that's what I meant to say.

Anyways, sometimes after my acting class, I feel pretty incompetent as an actress. There's so much I'm doing wrong... and I hear over and over again in class the ideas and details that we're supposed to be acting out... but I still feel like I'm missing something. Something is not quite right, or just hasn't clicked yet.... I need to figure out what it is. So I've decided, at least at this point, not to audition for anything else this semester. I need to focus on what I'm learning in this and all my classes for a bit, and see if I can decipher what it is I need to add to my own performance... I might change my mind. I tend to be mercurial about these things, but we'll see.

So I was in a bit of a downer mood when I got to my Intro to Theater Production lab. The lab was fairly fun, but I felt useless at times when I wasn't doing a job. Therefore, I plunged myself into any work I could find and figured I'd just prove to myself that I wasn't useless. What helps is that one of the shop workers doesn't seem to like me much for some reason... or maybe he just makes condescending remarks to everybody...

Anyways, I got an early lunch, but met a DPS officer who helped cheer me up a bit. We just had a really short conversation, and he gave me some advice just to not worry, and keep at what I'm doing, and things will be alright.

And you know, that's exactly what Sam's speech is about... Sometimes I forget to keep that philosophy, but it rings so true...

The police officer really cheered me up, and what helped even more was taking some time for myself to look up random facts about Disney on my computer for a bit before my next class :) Well, I also studied for my midterm, but still, did you know that the same animator of Stitch animated Toothless in "How to Train your Dragon?"

Next was my philosophy midterm... I think I'm taking these midterms way too lightly. I'm just not stressed at all about them... yeah, I studied... but walking into the classroom, I felt fine. And I think I did ok. Maybe didn't get an A, but I feel like a solid B is a good expectation.

Cleaned the room up, got some dinner, and then struggled to study for my next midterm... getting super tired again... but there was a silver lining to that too: My music really motivates me, and right when I finished studying, Paulina and Julia (some friends from Intervarsity) came by with "Midterm survival kits" full of little treats for Jinny and I. We made plans to go to frozen yogurt tomorrow. I'm super excited.

So today's lesson: Keep your chin up. Every shadow has to pass at some point, and things are going to be ok... I just have to keep remembering that.

Fight on, friends.

And... Action!- October 5, 2013

Yesterday was a LONG day, but a great day. Especially after how Friday went!!!

Like I mentioned in my rushed rant on Friday, I got up at 5am yesterday morning. Whew... it felt early... thank goodness for Starbucks! There's one on campus that's open 24-7, but I also got to have some caffeine before I showed up at the film location.

Oh, that's right. This is all because I was in a student film yesterday!

We were filming at the director's apartment, and he wanted us there at 6 so we could have time to talk about the story and go over a few scenes. Avi, the director, was super nice and fun to work with! Plus, there was only one other actor, and I've worked with him before. Ethan was in my first film with me! So that made things easier.

The story was about a man living on his own in a dystopian-LA rampaged by war. He's really lonely until an injured young woman, shows up at his doorstep and he saves her life. You can guess how they end up feeling about each other by the end. :)

The crew showed up, and we got the ball rolling around 7. I spent the first hour or so in the bathroom with Zaira, the makeup artist. I know- we got an actual makeup artist. It felt super cool!!! Avi wanted her because he wanted me to look like I was really sick on-camera. She did a fantastic job, plus, I got to know her and talk to her while she was working on my face. She really likes horror films, but likes watching musicals too. I promised her I'd watch Sweeny Todd. :) Meanwhile, the rest of the crew shot most of Ethan's solo scenes.

After that, we just kept working and working and working. Shot after shot. We got ahead of schedule sometimes thanks to a few "one take wonders" which was great! Plus we got some time to hang out and just get to know each other when we took a lunch break, especially since there were only 7 of us in the apartment!

After lunch were all the intense scenes. Zaira fixed my makeup a bit, then soaked a sponge in fake blood for me to hold against my side. It looked pretty gnarly, but was so fun and exciting I couldn't help but enjoy it. When I squeezed the sponge, it looked like there was blood gushing out of my side, and the fake blood got all over me!!! The shirt is unsaveable, and I might have a permanently stained pair of jeans... At least it came off my skin!

After those scenes were the scenes where I had to be the most sick, so I got my makeup fixed again to look even worse than we started out. Plus, since I was supposed to be feverish, she got my hair wet and sprayed my face with a spray can in between each take. That was fun, cause I had a bit of a giggle fit the first time she did it, even though it was one of the most serious scenes in the film... Don't worry, I composed myself enough to do the scene. It's not too hard to act sick.

The last scene we did was also super intense, so we saved it for very very last. Basically, it's my and Ethan's character's last moments.

We finished an hour earlier than we expected- about 5pm!

I really like working on films. It's different, for sure, but I like the atmosphere of it. It's much easier to see the relationship of the crew to the actors in film: they're literally always there to make sure they can get the best view of you and make you look as good as possible while you're doing what you're doing. It's comforting. With all that support and so few people, you just feel much more free to explore and go all-out. No one's judging you but the camera.

At the same time, film acting is different than theater acting. Well... it's the same, but it's also different. Both are acting. You're not changing how you act when you act... you just.. act! But in film, the story isn't going chronologically. It adds another dimension to your thinking since you have to concentrate on what part of the story you're on. You really have to know your character's story arc, scene by scene, really well. You can't just follow your character's story through in a fluid motion, like you can in theater.

I feel like I did a good job, better than my first film, at least. But there's still a lot I probably could've done better, or, at the least, prepared for better. Now I know though! I'm excited to watch both films I've done to judge what I did well and what I can work on next time, assuming I won't get too self-conscious of what I'm doing to watch... Just like anything in life, you get better with experience! And I hope I get to do a lot more films while I'm here.

When I got back, I scared Kieryn with my still-sick-looking makeup. Zaira made it a little over-the-top so it would show up right on camera, so in reality, I looked almost zombie-like... it was funny :) I went to dinner with her and some of her friends, then spent the rest of the evening feeling exhaustion crash over me and doing practically nothing.... I went to bed at 11 and didn't get up until 11 this morning.

Today doesn't look like it'll be as exciting as yesterday was, but I'll let you know more about it when today ends.

Until then, Fight on, friends.

PS: To those of you who were concerned about my last post, or who offered encouragement, Thank you. Your encouragement was helpful, and I appreciate it so much.

Currently Freaking out- October 3-4, 2013

Just when things seem to be looking up, I just have to go ahead and have a rotten day.

Thursday was nice. I had a voice lesson in the morning then got to chill a bit before my Theater 125 class. After that I don't remember all that I did but I think it involved not doing much and then studying and then getting ready for an audition before I facetimed my Mom and Brother. Then I locked myself out of my room but Jinny was there to let me back in. I went to Spanish class after that.

After Spanish, I raced over to the Annenburg Autitorium. Recruiters from Disney were there to talk about internships with the company... It's my dream to work for Disney... I almost cried with joy just to know I was in the same room as people that could give me that opportunity...

Anyways, after that I had my audition for Brand New Theater, which went pretty well. Then I went back to my room and hung out and didn't do too much the rest of the night.

This morning I got up fairly early. I wanted to get to the Drama Center so I could have a walk-in appointment with my college counseler. It was nice: I got some questions answered but in college, counseling is much more of a "you do everything" basis. So that wasn't completely helpful.

Then I got into a conversation on Facebook about Racism which left me fuming and mad and frustrated and disillusioned with society for the next four hours. Needless to say, I could hardly concentrate in class and ranting to my mom helped me a bit. I went for a run which helped me forget but now I'm completely exhausted because of it.

I studied for my Philosophy midterm and this test is going to be a TON harder than I thought it would be, so now I'm stressed about my midterms. Then I went to see "Fefu and her Friends", a play here on campus that I have to see for Theater 125. It was really good.... but I'm so confused by the ending and it left me shocked and, again, quite disillusioned for a good hour.

I've been watching Youtube and doing laundry and getting ready for tomorrow since. I have to get up at 5 tomorrow so I can be somewhere at 6am and then I'll be there until 6pm. I was supposed to bring my stage foundation and a pair of ripped up jeans but both of those things are all the way back home because I was too stupid to think I might need them/I didn't know I was going to need them so now I'm worried I'll be screwing things up. Also, I'm exhausted and everyone around me is getting super sick and I don't want to get sick because that would be awful and really unproductive.

Plus, I'm homesick again and just ready to be done with college.

Why does this happen to me? Can I just drop everything and go to Disneyland for a week and then go home right afterwards? That would be superb, thanks.

Or can we develop one-hour shipping so I could get my jeans and foundation and not have to be freaking out all over again?

Fight on or whatever I guess.

Why am I Tired?!?- October 2, 2013

Wow, I am exhausted.

How does this happen? I feel like I'm getting a decent amount of sleep... I really don't do too much in a day... yet I'm still struggling to feel normal when the day ends because all I want to do is do absolutely nothing.

Maybe cause I'm getting up early. I didn't get up as early as I'd like today, but still made it to class on time. I stayed pretty active and awake through both my classes... but afterwards I started to feel really down. Not emotionally, just physically tired....

Rehearsing our scene for Acting was fun, at least. I think my group got some good moments and details worked out! Let's hope it goes well the next time we perform it!! Plus we spent a great amount of time chatting and just hanging out, which was pretty fun!! :)

I almost fell asleep in Philosophy again. Actually, I barely paid attention in Philosophy. Partially because I was tired, partially because he was saying too much and I couldn't take it in as fast as he was saying it so I basically thought "Ah, forget it. The lecture notes will be online anyway" and proceeded to allow myself a bit more elbow room for zoning out.

I finished some homework, worked out, and then was feeling better, so I called home and got to talk to my family for a bit. Then it was dinner time, and I went to the weekly meeting of Cru (Campus Crusade). That was really neat! I enjoyed it!!

But coming back to my dorm room, I felt just rotten.

It's a tired kind of rotten, don't be worried. But still... how does one manage to get so exhausted from doing, seemingly, so little???

Why do I feel like I'm never going to get ample rest throughout my entire college career?

We'll see... Also, let's hope I'm not actually getting sick. Bugs have been going around all over this place... yikes. Fingers crossed!

Fight on, friends.

Let's have an Adventure- October 1, 2013

So it's October already. Can you believe it? I barely can... September flew by...

130 was pretty dull today. So I got a blueberry muffin afterwards to make me happier. It worked, and I had a pleasant snack as I sat in the lounge, partially procrastinating and partially getting ideas floating around in my head sorted out.

I felt like I should've been more proactive afterwards... but at least I got to talk with my Mom on the phone :) That was really nice!

I went to lunch with Jinny and met up with my friend Sam at EVK while we were there! She's in all but one of my classes, including Text Studies, so we walked over together.

I'm finding my classes so fascinating, especially this one. I love it!

I had an interesting thought while walking back from class though: Remember how when I first moved down here, I talked about how every day had it's own adventure? Every day was an adventure.

What happened to that?

I mean, come on people. I'm in L.A. Los Angeles. The city of Angels. That huge city in Southern California where Route 66 ends and which symbolizes the edge of the West Coast.

But life has died down since I moved in. Things are becoming just... more commonplace. More normalized. Sure, there's lots of exciting things happening all around me, but not to me in particular anymore, you know?

Anyways, I spent some time in my room studying for my Spanish test and getting organized, then went to my actual test. I barely finished on time... the reading section of the test took me too long, that's all. I did finish though! So that's good, but it probably could've been better if I'd had ten more minutes.

Came back to the dorm, worked out, came back to my room and cleaned up both myself and the room.

And then, I decided to have an adventure.

There's a philosophy that I have in mind that I'd like to test out: if you want an adventure, go look for one. So I did.

Bill Maher was on campus today, and going to be giving a talk as part of some of the organizations here... It's not Visions and Voices... I don't remember who sponsored it... but anyways. Jinny had been talking about going to see it but couldn't, and I heard lots of people talking about it, so FOMO (fear of missing out) took hold of my brain as well as my want for something exciting and I went to get a ticket.

The line was super long when I got there of people who already had tickets, but were just simply waiting in line to ensure a good seat. Wowzers. I was able to snag a ticket for a balcony seat, which I thought wasn't too shabby at all, then raced back to my room, grabbed some food for dinner, and made it back to my appropriate line for the balcony people with my homework and sat down in line about 7. The show started at 8, but hey: I don't want THAT bad of a seat.

Throughout this journey, I learned a little more about this guy: he's a famous comedian with a lot of political humor and a complete atheist. I thought, "Great, what am I getting myself into..."

Well, I stuck with it and got a pretty decent seat up in the balcony actually. Then, naturally, Bill came out and gave his talk, which is why we all came to see him.

What did I think? Well, I didn't think he was funny, for being a comedian. Half because some of his jokes I didn't get, and half because, well, I just didn't like what he was saying. He had a couple great moments where I did laugh, but all in all, he's not that funny. However, I was entertained and amused. He was fascinating to listen to. I just kind of sat back and took it all in. I was also careful not to applaud if I didn't agree with what the applause was for. I feel like that's appropriate for these situations. Let me know if it's rude...

One thing that was cool was he did a Q&A session after his little one-hour sketch. He had some great responses to student questions: many of them being opinions about political ideas, or requests for help on papers (yes, this happened. "We're here for extra credit. Can you give us a lead in on what we could write our response about? What you say and Public policy?" It was pretty funny. He got shut down big time). One thing I gathered from it most was that Bill wasn't really a totally pessimistic guy. He admitted that he doesn't dislike anyone, even those he doesn't agree with. He just pities them greatly. Plus, he added, they're great for his show.

So there was my adventure! Not as adventurous as I hoped... the theory mentioned earlier is still in testing, I suppose, but it was still a good experience and I'm glad I went.

Anyways, I got some ice cream after that cause I felt like it, then went back up to my room. I did some housework, then I was going to get homework done, but ended up writing Sneha a story on Facebook instead. I've included it, for your entertainment, in case you're interested. If you'd rather skip it, go to where the little squiggle lines close out the area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once upon a time, in a faraway land that wasn't all too far away, there lived a girl. Some considered her fair, others gentle, some quite intelligent and kind, but all considered her to be unbelievably lazy. 

She was so lazy, they said, that some days she would go without eating, just because she didn't feel like leaving her room. She was so lazy, it was a shock to the kingdom how she could avoid being morbidly obese... but perhaps that was because she skipped meals. Some even said, she was so lazy, she would marry the first chap that came knocking at her door. 

There was one chap who lived in this same land. He was a common fellow: charming, cheerful, a very hard worker, and always pleasant and sweet to those around him. 

His name was Mitch

Now, although Mitch lived quite a pleasant life down at his father's farm, he was fairly lonely. After all, people only pass by farms: they rarely ever stop. And Mitch loved his father and two sisters, but he knew them too well to be thoroughly interested by them anymore. He found his greatest joys in his daydreams as he worked hard, long days on the fields. 

People don't stop at farms, perhaps, but they do go by them, and as the people went by, Mitch would turn his ear and listen to their stories. It happened, perchance, that one day, he overheard the stories of this incredibly lazy girl and how she would marry the first man she saw.

Now, Mitch thought to himself, "Why, I am not all that handsome, and I am fairly lonely, and this girl is quite well-off. Think of how happy my family would be with me if I brought home a beautiful wife like this!"

Then Mitch remembered... "but what if she really is all that lazy?"

No matter, Mitch would try his luck. He packed up a sack, taught his sisters how to use some powertools for harvesting the crops (this was a civilized society, after all), and away he went, walking down the long road.

They didn't have cars back then, silly

At last he reached the house of this lovely young girl. It was a grand mansion: her father was a lord to the king. He knocked on the door, and the butler answered it

"Hello," Mitch said, "I would like to speak to the master of this house, the Lord."

The butler went to get the Lord, and when he returned to the area, Mitch gave a formal bow and stated, in the most confident way he could,

"I am a traveller from afar who has heard of your daughter's fair features and character, and would like to ask you for her hand in marriage."

The Lord, though impressed with Mitch's gall, was also quite amused

"Who do you think I am, the King?"

So he kicked Mitch out

Mitch scratched his head... how could this have gone wrong? It was like the oldest of fairytales...

Then, he came up with an idea: He could woo her the normal way a lad would a lass

But how? She never left her mansion for being so lazy, he heard, and he... well, he was not too welcome to walk right in anymore. So he camped the night out nearby the mansion to think of an idea

Mitch couldn't sleep that night. He was so distraught with the thoughts of this lady. He so desperately wanted a wife. As he tossed and turned, something caught his eye inside the mansion gardens

Abandoning his camp, he went over to investigate. He hid behind a bush, and observed as a beautiful lady, the most lovely he'd ever seen, waltzed outside. She was quite alone, but caught up in her blissful reverie, singing to herself about a love that she yearned for in the sweetest, tenderest voice.

Mitch was captivated. "This must be the lady of the Lord's house! this must be his daughter!!"

Her golden hair was still shining in Mitch's mind the next morning. However, he was afraid to step into the Lord's house again. What if he received the same treatment as before? How would the Lord react if he knew Mitch had been observing his daughter in the late of the night? That sounded so creepy even to Mitch that he couldn't believe he'd done it himself?

So he waited in his little camp out... watching every night the lovely lady who waltzed outside. He was, of course, too nervous to talk to her. He fell so in love with this lady... this beautiful, beautiful girl. His love burned a blissful passion inside of him, and he found the courage to try again.

Two weeks later, he knocked on teh Lord's door and begged, "May I at least make the aquaintance of your daughter? May I call on her and introduce myself?"

The Lord looked at his butler with... a look that seemed to carry a certain message but Mitch didn't know what... and agreed, "All right. You may meet her. Wait here."

Mitch waited with the butler as the Lord ascended the stairs of his mansion.

He waited... and waited... it seemed like an eternity. He could feel his heart beating with anticipation... he rehearsed in his head what he would finally say to this lady... this beautiful lady of his dreams

Finally, the Lord came back downstairs...but there was no lady with him

"Follow me," he told Mitch

Mitch had to use every bit of restraint to keep himself from bounding, skipping, leaping up the stairs. He looked quite like a gentleman, however.

The Lord led him up, up, up, to a door plated with silver leaves. He knocked gently, and the door opened to a room swimming in soft, baby blues. Sapphires embedded in the ivory canopies of a graceful bed, a couch with blue velvet against a wall painted with swirls of every imaginable blue and white...

Mitch felt his heart beating faster: "She always does wear a blue gown when she dances at night..."

The door opened further, and there she was. Resting on her bed, stretched out like an Egyptian queen, a blue gown draped around her shoulders.

"Sup." she nodded to Mitch

Mitch was nearly paralyzed with shock. Who was this girl?? Where was his beautiful blonde-haired waltzer??

This girl, though fair, had curly locks of brown embedded against a pale slender face

"How are you? My name's Vanessa"

"....Mitch..." Mitch uttered

The conversation was short and awkward

Vanessa was, as they said, fair and intelligent and friendly... but she was so lazy

Mitch, in the ends of the conversation meekly ventured to ask... "You don't... happen to like dancing, do you?"

"Dancing? Heavens no!! Too much movement involved. I thoroughly despise it."

"Oh..." Mitch responded... "I just thought, since you had so many beautiful flowing robes that are so perfect for dancing... perhaps you did...."

"Well," Vanessa conceded, "I guess I like watching people dance. It's frightfully entertaining. Here, allow me to show you: Cosette!" She hollered out into the hallway.

"Cosette? Who's Cosette?" Mitch couldn't stop himself from asking.

Vanessa laughed a hearty laugh, "Oh, she's just my lady in waiting. She responds to my every whim. Angelic, isn't it? I just couldn't live without her."

Suddenly, Mitch heard the patter of quick, delicate footsteps, and turned to see this Cosette walk into the room.

His heart lept for joy: Into the room stepped the sweet, lovely, beautiful little blonde lady he had seen dancing every night. Though this time, she was dressed in a trim, white uniform.

"My lady," she curtsied with a sweet voice, then turned to notice Mitch

Their eyes locked instantly. His: sheepish, brown, and happily surprised

Hers: Blue, bright, awe-struck, and suddenly, happy.

Vanessa, being intelligent, noticed the connection.

"Well! I'll leave you two to get to know each other. Seems like you could use the time. Let's see if I remember how to walk..."

Cosette rushed to her side and helped Vanessa outside, into one of the mansion's great living rooms, where she plopped down and proceeded to play Left for dead 2.

Cosette and Mitch spoke for nearly an hour, getting to know each other

Mitch, at last confessed, "I've seen you before, and I've loved you from the start. Your dancing... in the garden... do forgive me, my lady. I could not help but watch."

Cosette let out a childish giggle and said, "You know, sir, I often did that for my own enjoyment and to practice for my lady... but you don't fit well hiding behind a bush. I danced for you as well."

She was perfect: a hard worker, kind, gentle, sweet, but not afraid to get things done. And what was better: She'd seen so few men in her life, that she practically fell in love with the first man, the first real, devoted, hearty man she saw.

They were married in the next Spring. Vanessa happily received a new chamber maid (she's rich enough to have several, anyway) and extended an invitation for the two to visit anytime. Mitch took Cosette home to his farm, where they plowed the fields together, laughed, and got to know each other far too well in the best of ways for the rest of their days.

The End.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beautiful, isn't it? I hope so. I like writing stories sometimes, but they're more fun when I share them.

Maybe my theory was wrong... maybe adventures just happen to you... It happened to Mitch.

But Mitch also went looking for an adventure...

Ah, nevermind. Though I look forward to the adventures that tomorrow may hold...

Fight on, friends.