Disneyland, Easter, and The Rover- April 19-24, 2014

You know what, I'm not even going to comment on getting behind a daily blogging schedule again. I've messed it up so many times that by now, it's pretty redundant.

Not yesterday, but Last Saturday.... was amazing. Incredible, even.
I went to Disneyland!!!!!!!

This time, Hannah, Jinny, and Sneha joined Corona and I. It was the perfect day to go!! We took the bus all the way down, which wasn't bad, plus now I know how to do it! The crowds didn't start getting large until the afternoon/early morning, and by then we already had several big rides out of the way and enough fast passes to get us to the rest of them. I posted most of the pictures in my album on Facebook, but here's a few highlights of the trip:

Getting there!!!! Look at the pure joy
on our faces

Space Mountain Front row with my roomie <3

This score on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

FINALLY riding this after TWO YEARS
For the record, it is GORGEOUS and my new
Favorite ride at Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sneha's first Dole Whip!
And Jinny's!
And Corona's!!!
Yay Dole Whip!!!

Seeing the love of my life <3

The second time we rode Splash Mountain
and did this picture <3

Other fun points were when Hannah swore on the Winnie the Pooh ride, the Teacups, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, The Matterhorn, Toontown, and going to the Rainforest Cafe at the end of the day!!!

We had a BLAST. Honestly. It was such an incredible day!!!!!

After Dinner, we went to the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney, and I picked up a princess mug and Alice in Wonderland tea I'd had my eye on earlier. I also got in a great conversation with one of the workers there about Disney movies, and then about working for Disney! He gave me some great tips on working for the company- including when to apply!! Yay!!!

Ok, then we had quite the adventure trying to get back to USC. We weren't sure where the bus was going to pick us up, so in our confusion, we missed 2 buses because a) we were on the wrong side of the street and b) the second bus came too early. So when we finally found out where it picked up, we waited an hour for the bus to get there. We were so tired!!! Once we finally got on the bus, everybody but Hannah dozed off. Poor Hannah- she stayed up to make sure we didn't miss the stop. I was up by the time we got there too, but still. It's a long drive and it was really late!!!
We made it back just fine :) So worth it though. What a fun day.

Easter Sunday:

Sorry for not posting anything specifically for Easter, actually. I do feel bad about that. Happy belated Easter!!!

As with every Easter, I am so grateful for the reason for the holiday. Christ is Risen and Alive and we are free from sin!!! Hallelujah!!!! My joy at this thought can't be expressed in a blog post, or even words, but the best I can do is express gratitude. I'm so thankful for Jesus and all that he's put into my life. <3

But, on Easter Sunday, I got up too late to meet up with my Intervaristy friends and ride to Church with them, so I had to get to the church on my own. I've never been before, and I was running late, so I felt really stressed out and upset. What didn't help was a really rude girl BLARING music via STEREO on the Metro. Rude music too. Loud and rude- I could hardly hear the announcements of which station we were arriving at. Police had her turn it down when we got to the first station, but she got on the same second metro that I did, and turned it up AGAIN. UGH. The driver came over loudspeaker after a song or two and made her turn it off. Thank goodness.

I finally made it to the church, just to find out that because it was Easter, they were holding the service at a different place. Aaahh!!! Luckily, I wasn't the only person who was that late or who went to the wrong location. A very nice couple gave me a ride to the new location. I was in time to hear the last half of the sermon and to participate in after-service worship. It was really wonderful. I've missed church... a lot.

On my way back, I ended up at the Hollywood Walk of Fame again. I remembered that I wanted to come back to Hollywood- Maybe I will before Freshman year is up!

Made it back to USC just fine, finally got food (hadn't eaten all day!), and, honestly, just chilled out for the rest of the day. I opened my Mom's Easter basket that she snuck in my room last time she was here (for Fortinbras), and loved everything in it.

You know... this was actually the worst Easter I think I've ever had. Not including the Metro stress.... I just missed my family. I'm so used to spending Easter with my family, that it was weird this time. It didn't feel different from any other day. I didn't feel that peace that I'm so used to on Easter and that I love so much.... Maybe it's cause I haven't been to church in a while? I don't know. I wished I was with my family though...

Monday we had a substitute for Scene Study, but we learned a lot about physicalities that can help us with our characters! Also, Sociology was cancelled. Huzzah!
Also, I had a group project where I had to present a scene from Aphra Behn's The Rover on Thursday. So my group had a meeting/rehearsal to discuss what we were going to do! That was pretty fun, actually, despite how few people came....
I don't remember much else of the day...

Tuesday... was a disaster at first. I woke up SUPER late. I missed both my Writing class and my academic advisement appointment.
The appointment is the worse thing to miss. Now I have to wait until next Monday to register for my classes for next semester.... that adds a bunch of stress to my life.... GAH. :(
Well... things looked up a bit the rest of the day... We had another Rover rehearsal, which was fun. I decided my favorite character in the play is Blunt. He's so idiotic that I can't help but love him.

Wednesday, Afton and I presented our scene in my Scene Study class... I feel like I did a bad job. I'm pretty upset with what I did, actually... But! There's room for improvement always. So that's good.
For some reason, I was very vocal during my Sociology class. Just felt interactive, I guess. I really like my professor for that class though! Then we had a final rehearsal for The Rover before I came back to Pardee and cram-memorized my lines as Blunt. I got to play Blunt :)

Thursday was awesome because all but one of my classes got canceled- I only had the class that I was presenting in! I was woken up by a phone call by one of my group members who had a question. Thank goodness, otherwise I don't know if I'd have gotten up in time!
We did really well, by the way! I was proud of the group!! :)
I spent the evening figuring out my weekend. Woohoo... party college life....

OK. Now that we're up to this weekend, I'm going to pause here again so that I can get ready for bed. It's getting late. Plus, I want to give this weekend it's own blog post. I had a LOT of adventures!!!

Fight on, my lovely friends.

I Made a Video, I miss Fortinbras, and other Recaps- April 14-18, 2014

Gaaah!!! Running so behind my own schedule!!!!

This has all got to be quick, sorry folks. I'll include the most important details.

Monday- Meh. Awesome Drama class, where we got to talk to an MFA student about his decision to take Graduate school and the Repertory that the class did earlier this semester.
Also, Sociology was cancelled!! So yay!!!

I miss my Fortinbras cast :(

That night, I pulled an all-nighter again... I know... I told myself I'd never do it again, but failed at that, I guess. I was writing a paper for Writing 150, but I finished with the exact amount of time I needed to finish my other homework due Tuesday too.

Tuesday- Sucked. Ew. It's the day-after-all-nighter feeling. :P Despite constantly falling asleep during the day (I could NOT stay awake. Seriously), I had some nice times!

Jinny gave a presentation at the Thematic Options conference (it's an honors program at USC), so Sneha and I went to hear it! She rocked it, and gave a fantastic paper. Woohoo!!!

I was so exhausted Tuesday night... I didn't feel like doing any serious homework. So instead, I rented "Brave" from the library and watched it. I've had "Touch the Sky" stuck in my head pretty much ever since.

While I'm on this subject, can I just say that I LOVE the character of Merida? I love her feisty nature, her free spirit, her bravery (of course), and her devotion. The movie isn't Pixar's best, but Merida made it worth it.
Also, the reason it isn't Pixar's best is because the title is misleading. Think about it- You're expecting the whole movie to hear what real bravery is, or to get some revelation where someone becomes brave. However, by the end of the movie you haven't gotten a real answer to the question. That's why the movie isn't satisfying. If it had a simpler title, it'd be much better received.
It's also a bit "deux ex machina" with the Will O' the 'Wisps. They seem pretty common, based on how the movie sets them up.

Anyways,

Wednesday- Accidentally slept in and was late to Scene Study.
But it was Jinny's Birthday!!! HAPPY (Belated) BIRTHDAY JINNY!!!!!

We celebrated with a cake at the end of the day. I think she had a nice day. I sure hope so, at least!!! :)

Thursday- Wow. This was yesterday, and it's the day I have the hardest time remembering what happened. What's up with that??
Oh! That's it!
I was actually productive! Ha!

At least, for the first half of the day. I was really motivated, and getting quite a lot done!!! By the end of the day, my room was clean, and I'd read two plays. Booyah.

I still didn't get everything done, but I was still fairly successful in doing a lot!!

Today-
I woke up 10 minutes before class again... Is this going to be a Friday tradition?
I also figured out that I can't register for classes until the day after my registration time, because I have to have an admissions counselor appointment before I'm allowed to get clearance to register, but since I was forgotten in the scheduling of those, my appointment isn't until the day after my registration time. GAH. I really hope that the classes aren't filled up by then!!

Also, I wasn't very productive today... I mean, I got some stuff done, but I definitely could've done better....Whoops.

But I did make a video, because that was more fun. Check it out:

Like the editing? Me too. That's actually the whole reason I did it- experimenting with editing.

The most important part of today, though, was that today was my beautiful mother's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!! I love you more than words can say. Thank you for everything you do for me. I seriously cannot imagine what my life would've been like with any other mother, and I am so grateful for you. You're beautiful and inspiring and fantastic and I'll always be your little girl, I promise <3

Ok!!! That's it for now!!!!!

Tomorrow is gonna be AMAZING!!!

Fight on, friends!!!!

Rest Well, Fortinbras- April 13, 2014

Today was absolutely fantastic.

I'm afraid my writing will have to be really brief, but I'll do my best to convey how I'm feeling.

I thought I'd miss out on a lot of the day if I slept in too much, but guess what? You can sleep in until 10 and still get some great stuff done!!!

I worked on homework a bit, and then lost myself in the book festival again... I really hope I make some money this summer, because I'm going to need to replenish the small dent these books have made on my savings account... whoops. But I'm super excited to read them!!!

Then it was to the theater for one final performance of "Fortinbras."

I wrote notes for everyone in the cast, so I got to hand those out. I think people really liked them, which makes me happy!

The whole show, I tried hard to not concentrate on how it was the last performance. The last few scenes got me thinking about it though... I think I'm too sentimental, but it filled my heart up with a lot of bittersweet feelings. The second to last scene has a lot of characters telling Fortinbras to "Rest well..." How fitting. We're laying the show to rest now, but I think it will rest "well" with all of us.

But it still ended.
I still can't quite believe it, but maybe that's because it was less than 24 hours ago!!!

Anyways, Francesca and I greeted and thanked our Writing 150 professor, who came to see it with her husband!!! It was super sweet of her to do so!!! I think I'll write her a thank you note :) Strike happened next, which started super chill, and then I got a hold of a screw gun. I love screw guns. They're so fun!!! Nevertheless, it's really sad how quickly a gorgeous set can come down...

I spent the next few hours in my dorm room- cleaning up, finishing homework, eating food.

And then we had the cast party at Kapil's apartment!!! I know, it's been quite a full day!!!

I know I've said it so many times, but I love these people. I hope so dearly that the end of this show doesn't mark the end of these connections and friendships, because I treasure all of them very much. Everyone is so positive, supportive, talented, funny, and interesting! Maybe I'll use the time I have now that the show's done to spend more time with all of them :)

Overall, my heart is so full and happy. It's going to be weird, not having rehearsals or shows every night now, but I'm so happy that it happened at all that I don't think I even care.

After all, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." And that quote fits perfectly with today.

I'm so blessed to have gotten to be a part of this production. Of all the adventures I've had this year and all the great experiences, I think this is the best thing that's happened to me. It's a memory I will treasure, and a show I'm very proud to say was my USC stage debut. I can't wait for the next play, and I can only hope that it compares!

Thank you so much, if you came to see it. And even if you didn't, thanks for the support! Support doesn't always look like coming to every show, and I appreciate it no matter what form it's in.

The rest of this week might be tough and dull... but it's moments like today that keep you going through them. This weekend will be sticking with me all throughout the week.

But I need to sleep now. I love you all <3

Fight on, friends.

Shows and Books and Celebrities and Shows- April 11-12, 2014

I'm going to breeze through Friday pretty quickly here. It's today that's got all the awesome stories in it!

Friday was a 100% "You know you're a college kid when..." day.

You know you're a college kid when...

1) You wake up at 8:57 for a 9am class
2) You use every single getting ready for the day cheat (popping in gum, wearing the same shirt you slept in, wearing sweatpants, not brushing your hair, glasses, bike) to make it to said class at 9:10
3) After the class, you decide "Forget getting properly ready for the day, I'm going to just go get food like this"
4) When you do get dressed, it's in the same sweatpants and a bro tank.
5) Even though you're now actually "decently dressed," you stay in your dorm room doing homework and to do list stuff until you absolutely have to leave the room.
6) When you do leave the room, it's because a) you want food, and b) you have to.

But Friday night's show went well! It wasn't our best, but the audience still really liked it, and it was fun!
Also, Sneha and Kate came and got me flowers!!!! They're the sweetest ever. I'm only in four scenes and really didn't need flowers, but they did anyways, and I love them. Thanks guys!!!

Ok. Now onto Saturday...

I don't know if you've heard of this at all, but USC is hosting the Festival of Books here this year. Apparently they do every year, but this is the first time I've been here! And it is AMAZING.

I only know of two of the visiting authors: John Greene and Ridley Pearson, but I missed them both because of my show call time

Nevertheless, I had so much fun running around and nerding out over books and buying myself a few! For instance, I finally got "The Fault in Our Stars" and can't wait to read it. I hope I get time to explore a bit tomorrow too. Yay books!!!! Books are so fun!!!! Also, I got to see Thomas again! That's always a nice treat! He wandered around the festival with me until my call time :)

Saturday is the day in the schedule where we perform two shows in a day. As we were all arriving for our first performance, I noticed that we have a pattern of who arrives first, and the order that we arrive after that. Isn't that cute? I think it's really amusing, and I'm excited to see if it sticks tomorrow.

The show went really well!! I tried hard to have fun today, since recently I've been forgetting that being onstage is just as fun as being offstage. I hope I did well. The audience was smaller, but they still liked it!!

Also, it didn't take long into the show for us to discover that Adam Sandler was in the audience. So... yeah. I've performed in front of Adam Sandler now!!!
I also got to meet him after the show. He really liked it!!! He also told us we did a great job!!!

(In case you're wondering why he was there, he has a family connection to one of my cast members and came to support him. Not just cause we're awesome. But, let's be real, we are. It's a great show)

I did take a picture with him, but I feel bad that I did because I'm worried I shouldn't have. I won't post it here. If you'd really like to see it, I have it on my computer and will either post it later or show you later.

So... yeah... that was awesome :)

We had a break between shows, which I spent in my dorm room and then wandering around the book festival again. I didn't get any books this round, but I've decided on a book that I really do want.
If anyone can find it, I would love a collection of Tolkien's poetry. You know how poems are all throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit and several of his other books? There's got to be, somewhere, a collection of all those. I haven't found anything online similar to what I'd want... Maybe I'll make it myself. But if it does already exist, I would love it, please. Thanks :)

Show number two was next!!! Most of the time, I just hung out with my cast members backstage :) The Saturday night audience was really lively though!!! They ate up every joke and were super enthusiastic and I think they loved it!! We were told later that one of the audience members commented "it was the best $10 I ever spent."

In case you can't tell, I'm pretty proud of this little production we've got going here.
Our last performance is tomorrow... :( But on the bright side, when it's over, I'll have more free time. All this homework that's stacked up is really starting to worry me...

Yay. It's been an awesome weekend so far :)

Fight on, friends

Opening Night!! -April 10, 2014

I've been looking forward to classes being over all day.

Seriously, all day today I was just yearning for classes to be over with and to be on with the evening!!!

I had nice classes though! There was a very lively discussion in my Writing class, and Theater history is always nicer with 2048 and friends. My discussion session for Sociology.... I have no idea what happened then, actually. I didn't pay a lick of attention. I'll probably regret it later this semester, but for now, I don't care.

Right after my discussion, I met up with my mom!!! Mom was here today to see the show!!! I've missed her so much. I love my family!
We hung out in my dorm room and I got to catch up on some news from home. Apparently, we no longer have carpet in my living room, our green couch is gone, and there's lots of exciting things happening at TKA.

For all you TKA kids going off on Service trips this upcoming week- Have fun, God bless, and I'll be thinking of and praying for all of you!!! You guys are so incredible!!

She walked me to the cafeteria and I got her in with me while I grabbed dinner, then it was to the theater to get ready for OPENING!!!

I accurately experienced the 6 stages of Opening Night. In Disney gifs, they are as follows:

1) Super hyper excitement that I couldn't contain

2) Ok... Ok... focus time

3) Nerves slowly sinking in

4) Realizing I can hardly do anything cause being nervous is making me dizzy and I don't know what to do about it but I have to hurry up and get ready and go onstage soon and CRAP.

5) Pulling myself together- I've worked so hard, there's no need to be nervous!

6) Heading onstage. Ready for this.

The dizziness was hard to shake off until... Intermission, actually. But then, everything was fantastic!

Plus, it was thrilling knowing that we had an audience out there!!! I felt like everyone did really, really well!!! And the audience seemed to really love it!!!
Mom liked it, and my cast members were all incredible, so that's what really matters :)

Actually though, guys. If you're reading this, each and every one of you did incredible tonight!!! I'm so excited for the rest of the run, and I know that we're going to KILL IT! I love you guys lots!!! <3

Big hugs to you all!!!

Mom and I got to hang out a bit more after the show. I walked with her to get food, and we hung out and ate it until I called Uber to pick her up and take her back to the airport. I wish I'd spent more time with her :(

...But this was the first time I said bye to one of Mom's visits without getting really sad. It took quite a few months, but I guess USC is finally turning into home. Or I'm just getting used to being on my own. Or I don't feel like I'm quite so alone anymore; at least, not right now. I'll see my family in a month for summer break, anyways!

And since Mom left... I've just been in my room... trying to relax and reflecting on the night...

I love theater. I love it here. Life is wonderful.

Fight on, friends

To Thine Own Self, Be True- April 8-9, 2014

Tonight has been one that I don't think I'll forget.
In fact, I hope I don't.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was fairly dull. Sorry for not blogging. Not much happened though! It's getting hot in LA again, which isn't too much fun if you're like me and you don't like the heat. Summer is coming so quickly! I feel almost like I got cheated out of winter and spring!!! Though it's supposed to cool down later this weekend...

I think above all, I'm constantly remembering just how much stuff I have to do, and it's a tad overwhelming. I'm not a fan of all this work...

Plus, getting ready for the dress rehearsal last night started with my hair deciding it didn't want to do squat to look nice for me. So... thanks for that, hair :P
The run itself was really fun!!! I felt during the show like I could've been doing better, but I still got a nice compliment saying I was on a good track. Yay. Glad I'm doing something right then!!! :)

Then I stayed up too late and snacked on food I don't need and didn't do enough homework that staying up late is worth. What else is new?

Today though... today was special.

Now, I am not a fan of Wednesdays this semester. Actually, Wednesdays outright suck. I enjoy my classes, but with the middle of the week, you're going into everything you're doing already bogged down with work and not much sleep, you don't have the weekend to look forward to yet because it's not close enough, but there's still a false sense of hope about the weekend because you won't see these professors until next week. What the heck.

And that's how today started. I was exhausted this morning. Getting an iced chai helped a bit, plus my Scene Study class is fantastic, but I didn't really wake up much until after class. Worked on homework in the Campus Center before grabbing lunch and heading to class again.

Confession time- Rachel does not pay nearly enough attention in her Sociology class. What's the point though? He makes the points in his Powerpoints, and most of it we read about in the articles he assigns for homework, so I understand the concepts. Yes, I'll have to study it more carefully than normal when the final rolls around, but for now, it's hard enough to concentrate on just staying awake during the day.

I had a voice lesson then, which I was afraid I wouldn't do well at since I haven't had much time to practice. On the contrary, it seems I'm making progress. Even a little practice is practice, and I'm gaining an ear for being able to tell what it sounds like when I'm not singing quite properly. The songs I'm working on are forcing me to use perfect technique as well, so that's helpful!!!

Then, it was off to the theater. A little earlier than normal, so I would have time to get done everything I needed to when I was there.

And tonight... Tonight I tried hard just to do nothing but concentrate on the show while I was there. Just the show and my cast members- that's it. It didn't work- I get a bit bored after my scene in Act 1, since I'm not on again until Act 2. And what are you going to do when you're just waiting for your next scene but you don't want to avert your concentration from the show? My solution was to casually listen to the show, or chat with cast mates.

Tonight was our last dress rehearsal, and an open dress rehearsal, at that. We had our first small audience! There was one member in particular we could hear laughing at practically everything- and he had a VERY loud laugh!!! It's encouraging to know that people think this is a good show, and we were told so by them afterwards. We're working hard out there, so it's good to know when your work pays off!!!

After the show, since it was still technically a dress rehearsal, we gathered around for notes. I can't quite describe this cast well enough to explain how fun it is to listen to them and be in their company, but what might help is if I tell you that notes are always interesting. I'm tired, yes, and closing my eyes a bit, but you can't help listening to all that's being said around you. And I learn so much, even when it's a note to another actor.

This time was more sentimental than normal... this was really the last time we're going to have a notes session like this one for the show's run. We all decided on goals to focus on during the show: mine are to stay alive and in the moment, commit and remember my intentions onstage, remember the arc of my character, and to always make everyone else on stage with me the most important person in the scene. Some goals were similar to mine, but some were quite different. All were good!

I went up to my director afterwards and asked her about something that's been on my mind ever since auditions. I don't know if you remember my story about when I first auditioned for this show, but it was right after my audition for Grand Hotel (which I truly felt I had failed), and I almost didn't audition for this show. So, I told Jen this story, to just... thank her for whatever it was she saw in my audition that got me here, because I was really grateful for it. Also, to ask what that was, since I really had no clue.

What she said surprised me. After my audition, I had asked her to keep me in mind to work on the show, on crew or wherever else I was needed, since I really wanted to be involved. So she got to see more of my personality, and the person I was, and there was a person there that she wanted to work with, I guess. Long story short. From what I gathered. I'm worried about misquoting her, so that's why I'm putting some disclaimers here.

...I'm taken aback and awed. Who would've thought something so simple as that would've led to one of the best experiences of my freshman year of college? But it taught me a few really important things:

1) If God wants something to happen, then by golly it's going to happen no matter what you do...

2) ...but you'll want it too. I had a strange attraction to this show since I heard it was being produced here, and especially since I read the script for the first time. I just knew, deep down, that this is what I really wanted to work on and be involved in. Then, I thought that being on the crew was as close as I was going to get, but it turned into something much more. See point 1 for that explanation. Wow.

3) In an audition, be yourself!! They want to see that!!!

4) It's fun to be yourself.
I've been thinking about this the past few days- the idea of being yourself. It's so vague to say, and I don't think anyone will ever understand what it really means fully. Tonight though, I discovered somehow that being you isn't really complicated. It's nothing more than following your heart, listening to your brain, trusting those feelings and thoughts (because see point 1 again!), and sticking to what you think and believe. And it's freeing. It's freeing because you can be whatever you want when you're you! If there's something about you you don't like, you can change it. Or, you can just live your life being accepting of yourself and who you are. And there's a lot of freedom in that.
It's also fun! There's no one else on earth who's going to contribute to society exactly like you are, you know? You're unique. "There's no one alive that's youer than you." I think Dr. Seuss said that.

I know, all that just from learning how I ended up in this show? How'd that happen?
I think part of it is the realization that getting into this show wasn't in my control. All I had to do was be myself and listen to how I felt, and let God do the rest. Pondering on that... you get a beautiful revelation about what it means to be you.

And being you is something to be proud of. You are unique and special. Isn't that incredible?

I feel freer, after today. I feel like I have less control over my life, but that I'm ok with that... at least for now. I'm still going to try planning out every minute of my day so I can attempt to be productive, but still, that's not the important stuff. And the important stuff, all those important decisions in the future I'm worried about, or worrying about what exactly it is I plan on doing with this Theater degree in 4 years... I don't have to worry about that. I just have to be me and see what happens.

And that's why life's an adventure.
And that's why I love it.

I cannot wait for opening tomorrow. This weekend is going to be so much fun!!!

Fight on, friends <3

Mondays and Old Things- April 7, 2014

On a scale from 1 to Garfield, how much do you hate Mondays?

Honestly, I don't. Mondays aren't bad for me. Actually, they're pretty pleasant- I feel relatively rested from the weekend I just had, and energized to start off another week. Plus, I like the classes I have on Monday, and Monday hardly ever has a deviation from the normal schedule I'm expecting. Mondays are nice.

This Monday, I felt a little cheated of my well-restedness and gusto to start the week.
It wasn't a bad day, just.... dull. Not a whole lot happened.

Scene Study class went well, and I read my scene during my class. I hit the gym, and saw Kieryn there, which was awesome. Had class again, failed to be productive afterwards, and then curled my hair and went to the first dress rehearsal for Fortinbras!

So... yeah. Not a whole lot happened.

I did have an interesting thought today though, as I was going to get lunch. You know how kids today introduce what people say by saying "And he/she was like..."? On the other hand, older generations may say something like, "And he/she says..." or "They go..." etc.? What if our colloquial way of saying "He was like..." becomes, in 50 years, an "old people" thing to do? Just like VCR's and naming your child Martha? You'll know a person is dated when they say things like "YOLO" or "I was like..." or "swag" or "hashtag." It'll be like someone today just randomly saying, "Totally tubular" or gushing about Elvis not because he's awesome, but because they saw him in concert during their teens. Think about it... isn't that weird?

But that's just a thought I had.

Dress rehearsal went really well!!! Everyone looks fantastic in costume, though the run itself felt a bit low-energy today, since we were all distracted by our hair and makeup and clothing. I'm glad we get to run it a few times in costume before we get an audience though. We could use the practice!!!

Did I mention I love my cast? I really do. I don't think I'm going to try to do homework at rehearsals anymore- just hang out with these awesome people instead. That's basically what ended up happening today, even though I did get a little bit done. I'd so much rather watch everyone's performance, or talk with them, or sing with them, or something. All of them. They're all so great.

We were called later than normal tonight though... 11pm... I've been staying up later than this the past few nights, yet somehow I'm still tired.

I have no right to be tired. I'm only in 4 scenes, I have no insanely fast quick changes, and my shoes that I wear in the show are flats and fairly comfortable, when I actually am wearing shoes. So how did I end up super tired and with sore feet tonight? Somebody tell me because I don't have a clue.

Anyways, We'll see what adventures we run into tomorrow. It'll be the last time we run the show without the audience... What am I going to do with my evenings once this is all over?

Fight on, friends

Memories New and Old- April 6, 2014

Let's be on top of this blog again, shall we?

And we only have today to worry about catching up on... Ahh... It's nice to feel on top of things.

Today was another day spent nearly entirely in the theater, but I couldn't care less. First, it was a beautiful day outside- my favorite kind of day again, although not as much wind as I'd like.

Second, I got to learn how to do my hair and make up for the show! Everyone's going to look fantastic, and I can't wait for dress rehearsals.

I love this cast so much. I love every single person in it, I love our crew, our director, our stage manager, our set, the script, everything. I know I sound overly-enthusiastic about... everything, but honestly, it's been really incredible to be back onstage and in a theater with people that are really cool. I have a theater life again, and I'm absolutely loving it. It'll be weird when the show's over... but I've made some awesome new friends from this!!! So it's ok!!! I guess it's just really fun, or something. I'm having a lot of fun!! It's the type of busy I want to be- in the theater all day, having your day sucked up by rehearsals and tech and script studying. This is the life!!! Can we do away with GE classes now? Ok, thanks.

We finished hair and make up a bit late, but teching went pretty quickly! We didn't have much left to tech, since we'd left off in the second half of the second to last scene. We had time to go through every single scene transition to make sure those were smooth, and even then we got to be let out for our break early.

This is a good time to mention how nice this tech process has been. I personally haven't felt stressed out at all. Well, not yet, at least. Of course I'm nervous- I want to do well!!! But compared to the Art of Success tech rehearsals, this is a breeze. Ugh... This tech to Art of Success tech is like walking in a straight line is to a Rubix Cube. I'm not joking. Maybe because the cast and crew are smaller, or maybe because we happen to be a large group of highly competent people. I don't know, but it's fantastic.

Wanna know what else was fantastic? My two hour break.

Two absolutely beautiful ladies, some of the most incredible ladies I know, happened to be in the USC area today and so I got to see them and visit with them!!!

These two!!!

Kristina and Rae!!!!!

These are two of my girls, for those of you who don't know my high school friends. My other two lovelies are away in Seattle and Canada, but us three are all in the LA area so we finally got to see each other!!! 

I got to show them my dorm room, where we hung out for a while, then they walked me back to my tech rehearsal so we had a very mini campus tour. They got to meet a few of my cast members and see the set for the show!!! So that makes me really happy!!!

Kristina's sister was in a fashion show today on campus (she goes here), so they went to that after I went to tech. I wish I could've gone, but I love rehearsals, so it's all good. But that's why she was on campus!

Rae came along for the fashion show, and for fun. She's in a show at her school!!! Death of a Salesman, of all things!! I really really really want to make it!!!! <3

So yeah. That pretty much made my day.

When I got back to the theater, my director's baby was here to visit!! He's visited tech before, but it's always really fun to have him around. He's only 16 (?) months old, and his name is Atticus. We put him on the throne and took pictures of him:

Here's your Christmas card, Jen! You're welcome!

Isn't he cute?!?! And yes, that's the Polish flag. We have those. Long live Poland!

Since we finished teching before the break, we did a full run through afterwards, to make sure all the cues ran smoothly through the show. What we discovered is, compared to a lot of other shows, we have a very short run time. We started at around... 5:15ish, and the show was over at 7:30. We were supposed to be called until 10, but we just worked through a few scenes and then got to leave early! Tomorrow is the first dress rehearsal, with costumes and hair and makeup. We only run it two more times before we have an audience!!! Yikes!

Since tech finished, I've been attempting to do homework, but utterly failing. I feel like I'm getting a relapse of Senioritis or something- I just cannot concentrate. I try making myself work, but it doesn't work! I just start daydreaming or clicking on other things or looking off into the distance or... something. I can't keep my mind on one thing for a very long time. Curse this immediate-information-attention-deficiency issue that comes with growing up in the Information Age!!!!

Amid this procrastinating, I had some serious reminiscing time about Jam Jar Sonnets. I miss Jam Jar more than I can say- the entire experience was absolutely incredible. Plus, I miss my character, Amanda. I know she's just a character, but I grew so close to her that I miss her like a person.

I also miss my cast members/my Advanced Drama class who I had the privilege of doing the show with!!! <3

While I was thinking about the show though, I discovered that the original cast posted the WHOLE SHOW that they did on Youtube!!! We can watch the original production!!! Granted, I'm not a fan of the voices in this show, and it's really hard for me to see these characters as people other than the cast I performed with, but it's still really nice to have access to the whole show.

Charles. Where is that DVD you promised?!? I'm calling you out and putting you on the spot for this, but we all want it!!! Can I help you edit or something?!

*sigh*... Theater is incredible. This entire semester has been really affirming of the path I've decided to take my college career on.

Now if could only get the rest of my work done for once... Humph. This week is going to be a tough one to get stuff done in too. I'll do my best!

Fight on, friends!!!

March- March 7-April 5, 2014

Aaand a month later..... Hi! Didja miss me?
Man, I really fail at this whole blog thing, don't I? Sorry guys.

It's been so long that I feel like it would be nearly impossible for me to accurately relate everything that happened to me in the past few weeks. Instead, I'll share highlights from the past few weeks that I can remember before moving onto the past few days.

Last time I wrote was March 6th. That weekend was very theatrical, as I spent most of it working on/watching theater. Francesca and I did a lot of rehearsing for our midterm scene, and I saw three plays!!! The first was part of the MFA repertory, "Our Town." Then, I saw a different MFA class perform "Pericles: Prince of Tyre," and ended it up back at the repertory with "Trojan Women"

"Our Town" is a beautiful play by Thornton Wilder. Although I imagined the play a little bit differently in my head than how I saw it, it was a lovely performance that I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to finally watch. After seeing it, I've decided that this is my favorite play. The message is profoundly simple, yet deep and resonating. It's a play that left me in wonder at how beautiful life is, and how special people are, even in the most monotonous situations. I absolutely love it.

Funny stories about"Pericles." First, I was supposed to see "Trojan Women" first, but the show was sold out and I didn't make it in. So I sprinted across campus and showed up at this show a couple minutes late, but still! I got to see something! Secondly though.... I had to look up the plot at intermission. It was hard to follow... It's a Shakespeare play, but he co-wrote it with another author.... and... I don't know. It was difficult to follow until I could connect the plot points to what happened after the fact. After Intermission, it was much easier to track what was happening, and the ending was a very feel-good, heart-warming type ending that left me satisfied with the story, if not the production.

"Trojan Women" was a truly unique and remarkable play produced here. The MFA students made this show their own, so the play is very, very unique to this production. But it was beautiful and extraordinary and captivating and moving. The acting was spectacular, and the characters compelling (even though I can't remember half their names.... Greek names.) Also, I feel like I don't need to read the Illiad now, because I understand completely what happened in the Trojan War legend. Anyways, it was a fantastic performance.

That week from March 10-14 was a week mostly of recovery and wrap-up. Francesca and I performed our scene for our Scene Study midterm on the Monday and got some great feedback. I'm really happy with the final product and the experience. Plus, it was tons of fun working with Francesca! I'm proud of the results. My other classes didn't have anything too out of the ordinary happening in them, but homework stacked up and up and up.... ugh.... You should've seen my To do list going into Spring Break. And by the end of the break, I'd only made a dent in it!!!

The other real highlight (and truly special event) of the week was an event I attended on Thursday, the 13th. I skipped my Sociology midterm to attend a Q&A session with Jeff Marks, one of the composers of "Avenue Q." I'm so, exceedingly glad I did. He talked all about how Avenue Q came to be, and what he learned working in the business, and how a lot of the songs in the show came to be. I learned a lot from Jeff's story!!
Also... He brought his Tony Award!!!! And we all got to hold it!!! Gaaahhhh!!!! I admit, I actually teared up a bit when I saw it... a real-life Tony award.... it was beautiful!

He also brought a puppet :)

Afterwards, I approached him to thank him and say hi. He also agreed to take a picture with me!!! Plus, from our short conversation I learned a little background on one of my favorite songs- "There's a Fine, Fine Line"

Yay! Theater Business!!!

Ok... so... What happened after that? Holy cow, it's been so long.

I'll be honest: I'd say I missed blogging, but it hasn't crossed my mind too much. With stuff happening, and being busy, I've often forgotten.

Anywho, the Friday after the Avenue Q event, I left for Spring Break and home!!!

Here's an adventure for you- I rode to the airport, and was prepared to wait in line to check some bags. Turns out, the line was mega super long, and my flight was boarding in about 10 minutes. The security ladies wouldn't let me through with my bags either. So, at the last minute, my parents got me on a Southwest flight instead of the Delta flight I was about to miss. I had to maneuver my way to a different Terminal, and had quite a difficult time getting there before I finally made it to my gate.

I made it home. And it was wonderful. I had a lovely Spring Break!

I saw both casts of Beauty and the Beast at my high school! It was so fun to see all my old friends from high school, including Kristina!!!!! She's in college, but we got to have a lovely evening getting food and talking together after the closing show. :)

I also got to see my sister play softball, go to my brother's baseball and softball games, hang out with my family, see some friends, relax, and attempt to do homework. It was really relaxing. I sure needed it!!!

As usual, I got back to college from home, it was hard to come back, but I was somehow able to leave again and continue life down here.

It's starting to feel more like home here. I'm getting really used to college life- even if I don't like all that it entails. I feel like a college kid, and that I'm in the right place, and that I'm doing pretty ok. And that's really good!!! At least, in my opinion.

I got back in a lot of good habits back home, so I've been trying to keep up with them now that I'm back at school. The whole "get to bed earlier" thing went a little right out the window... whoops.... I'll catch up on sleep one of these days- I promise!! Other than that and eating way too much chocolate on a daily basis, I'm doing ok!!

Let's think... what else happened last week that was really exciting...

I learned a lot about how to take headshots correctly on Monday, the weather all these past two weeks has been PERFECT (beautiful sunny blue skies and a cool breeze if not mega windy: my favorite!!), and Fortinbras has been going really well!!!

Last Saturday, me and some of my Pi Pi Pi girls went to a really cute pie place near Downtown as a belated Pi day celebration!!! We had some AWESOME pie and took pictures with the street graffiti :)

This week has been a bit more stressful. I'm starting to get behind on work and sleep again, and I had to miss out on seeing a screening of "Who's Line is it Anyway" since I had rehearsals. However, I finally got to see Thomas again!!! I've missed that guy!!! Also, Tech week has officially begun as of Thursday, and I am loving spending all this time in the theater with my cast mates!!! 

Seriously. I have the best cast and crew ever. These guys make me laugh and keep me way too entertained during the long hours of Tech Week. Today was our first 10-10 rehearsal, where we had to be there from 10am to 10pm with one two hour break from 3-5. There was also a music festival/carnival thing happening on campus today called SpringFest. It had a lot of food trucks and super loud music, so I went with some of my cast to get food there while we didn't have to be in the theater. It was so fun!!!! Cast bonding, for the win.

That's it, mostly. I can't think of anything else extraordinarily important, which means I'm finally all caught up!!! I know!!! FINALLY!!!

Now if I could only catch up with homework and sleep too... *sigh*...

If you're in the LA area later next week, come see Fortinbras!!! We open on April 10th and go til April 13th. Message me separately if you'd like more information!!!

Hopefully I'll stay updated with this blog now that I'm caught up with it. Also, stay tuned for more stories. We're in the home stretch of my very first year of college!

Things are gonna get crazy. 

Fight on, Friends :)