This is it everyone. Today is the last day of 2010. Some really fantastic things have happened to me this year, and I have had so many firsts that I almost don't know where to start! So, to take a page out of Kristina Horner's book, I think the only way to explain what this year has meant to me is to take it one month at a time.
January: January, while nothing extremely life-changing appeared to happen, really was the month that held most change for me. I started the second half of my freshman year of college. I started regularly watching fiveawesomegirls, I discovered wizard rock, I found out about the greater Harry Potter fandom and all the things that comes with that. I also started getting a lot more involved in the Youtube community. My three best friends from childhood and I started our own collab channel called Follow the Butterflies. We honestly had no idea what we wanted to do with the project, but we got off to a great start =]
February: I participated in my first mainstage production of college through the backstage, not something I'm usually accustomed to, as an Assistant Stage Manager. It was a fabulous experience and I really came to appreciate the importance of the backstage team. I will never, ever disrespect the Stage management crew (not that I would have, but now I have first hand experience). I also got my hair cut with fringe bangs, something that isn't really that big a deal, but I hadn't had them since I was roughly six years old, so that was big to me.
March: For spring break I went to Seattle to visit family, and it was so amazing to reconnect with my cousins and aunts and uncles that I hadn't seen in a very long time. I forgot how much I missed them all. The weekend after I got back I went to see two of my favorite artists live in Gulf Shores, Mat Kearney and Ingrid Michaelson. They were utterly incredible, and it was so much fun to take a road trip with friends that I don't spend a lot of time with.
April: This was actually a really busy month for me. Will Grayson, Will Grayson came out, which I promptly bought and read. I had two auditions, one for the first play of fall semester, and one for the Summer show. We ended the month with a huge Broadway variety show called Auburn Pops! that took a lot of planning and rehearsal over the course of the semester. It was a really big deal and we raised a lot of money for Auburn's art programs. As it turns out, I also started this blog in April, a decision that I have constantly supported for myself. I think it's so important to document your life as it happens.
May: With May came my second finals week, the first time I've ever stayed home alone for an extended amount of time, and the end of Lost, which was highly upsetting. I also went to Anime Central in Chicago with my best friend Meredith! It was the first time in almost an entire year that I'd seen Meredith, and I had missed her terribly. It was such an amazing experience to share, and it was our first convention. So. Much. Fun. ACen was such an amazing environment to be in. It was just like acting, everyone was dressed up in a costume and walked around in character. We felt right at home. When I got home I started my first ever summer school, taking Costume Construction and the Summer stage show.
June: Basically this whole month was taken up with sewing and rehearsal. We put on the collection of scenes at the end of the month and then the cast and some other theatre majors all went to Six Flags to celebrate being free. It was a fun day, and I hadn't been to Six Flags in years. Over the course of this month, too, I watched Avatar: The Last Airbender in its entirety for the second time, and loved every second of it. Because it's amazing.
July: The movie of The Last Airbender however was laughably bad. This month by far was one of the best in my life, and I couldn't believe how much I packed in to five days. I spend the first part of the month slacking off and preparing mentally for the epicness that was about to happen. Kelly, Jennie, Amy and Caitlin and I all went down to Orlando together. We explored all four Disney parks in two days, and it was my first time to go to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Then we went to Infinitus, which was easily the best day of my life. Meeting Team Starkid, my favorite wizard rockers, seeing the premier of A Very Potter Sequel, partying all night with some of my favorite people. It was incredible. The next day we went to Wizarding World of Harry Potter which was probably a tie with Infinitus for best day ever. Walking through Hogwarts, eating lunch in the Three Broomsticks, finally buying my very own wand, riding the rides for the first time. Everything was just so amazing. I couldn't believe my life. And then the day after that I went to my first wizard rock concert and got to see All Caps live. It really was the best month ever.
August: August was filled with stress and new beginnings as well. I blogged almost every day as part of BEDA, I went to Savannah, GA for a mini holiday with my parents and it was great to soak up the history there. I started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and became instantly addicted. I started school again with easily my most difficult schedule in all my years of school. Youtube lost a really amazing soul and we rallied to help her parents out in their time of need. I started my first ever job working in the costume shop of my theatre. I started taking Japanese.
September: brought my 19th birthday. I am currently in my last year of being a teenager and it's the weirdest feeling... I started becoming more obsessed with learning songs on the piano. We made a really big and awesome decision to add my friend Kelly to our collab channel! I made my presence on Youtube slightly more well known. School picked up in speed and difficulty. I didn't get cast in any shows again, but it was ok.
October: I did my first SETC audition. It was extremely nerve wracking, and even though I didn't get passed on, I felt really good about my audition and I don't regret doing it. I went to my second wizard rock concert with one of the awesomest people in the world, my friend Elizabeth, who is as obsessed with Harry Potter as I am. I got increasingly frustrated with my core classes. I geared up for NaNoWriMo. Halloween was scary with my Pope's Farm adventure with Sarah-Jean, Emily B and Ben.
November: I actually succeeded in writing over 50,000 words in a month. It actually only took me until the 28th actually, but there was a week in there that I had no motivation. Kelly was very important in keeping me on track. xD In the space of a week, so much amazing Harry Potter-ness happened. I went to the midnight showing of Deathly Hallows Part 1 with a whole group of friends and we all sobbed our eyes out. It was amazing. Then I went to NYC for a wrock festival and got to have real conversations with some of the people I respect most in the music business and in the Youtube community. I walked around SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown, as well as Midtown Manhattan. Thanksgiving was shared with my Grandmother, whom I had not seen since I graduated high school. I auditioned for both mainstage shows in the spring, and had callbacks. It was a fabulous month.
December: I got cast in my favorite show on earth, I got deathly sick, I went through finals week and almost hyperventilated from my math final. It was that awful. It's a miracle that I got all A's and still maintain my 4.0 average in college. I finally finished hell semester with an amazing feeling and so much to look forward to in the spring. Project for Awesome was even bigger and awesomer than any other year, and I felt so good donating so much to so many different charities. Christmas came and went spectacularly and was another success. I started watching Doctor Who and re-reading Lord of the Rings.
And now here we are. It's New year's Eve, and my parents and I are munching on fun seafood hors d'oeuvres and watching our favorite old British comedy, To The Manor Borne. Penelope Keith is a comic genius. I've been working hard to prepare for Piazza, and now I've just found out that I have a callback for a show this summer, due the same day I start back at school. I have so much to be happy about from this year, and I have so much to look forward to in the new year. I really couldn't be any more excited for what's to come and what 2010 brought me. So, for the last time in this year:
HPRT: I've been reading an awful lot of Ron/Hermione fanfiction lately. I don't even care if you think that's weird or stupid. There are some great stories out there!
Current Book: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Current Song: Say it Somehow from The Light in the Piazza
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
New York, NYCWRF, Thanksgiving and such =]
So first thing's first: Today is Thanksgiving, and I know how cliched it is to say what you're thankful for or whatever, but there really are some things that need to be said for my life where I am now.
-I am thankful for my wonderful family, who continues to astound me with their resilience toward adversity. My parents and I have gone through some really rough times as a family, things that I don't care to get into right now, but through it all we've stayed very close and fairly optimistic. We're a family of fighters, you can't just take a stab at us and expect it to defeat us. We won't back down. And I'm so grateful that I came from that. It's a gift that not many people expect to be valuable, but I think it's one of the greatest things about my family.
-I am thankful that my grandmother is here in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. I don't get to see her that often (in fact I believe the last time I saw her was my high school graduation a year and a half ago) so it's really awesome when she does come to get to hear family stories and just sit and talk. She's a wonderful story teller, and I couldn't ask for anything more right now =]
-I am thankful for the Harry Potter community, because through it, I've experienced as much joy as I have doing any show, and that is why I know that being a part of it is a good thing. If something brings you that much happiness, there is no reason at all not to take part in it, and Harry Potter brings such wonderful people together that the friends I make through it are worth more than almost anything to me. It brought me closer to Kelly and Elizabeth and Jennie, three wonderful human beings who I am so lucky to have in my life. It introduced me to wizard rock and the hugely talented and extremely kind people who partake in that. It brought me to a conference this summer where I had the time of my life and a theme park that impacted me so much that I want to work there. Harry Potter is my past, present and future (did you see what I did there?? Tom Riddle, HP and the Chamber of Secrets? No? ....... *ahem*)
-I am thankful for friends that accept my insanity in its many forms (Harry Potter, Youtube, Nanowrimo, etc.) and sometimes even join me in it =]
-I am thankful for Jo Rowling, for writing one of the best book series I've ever read, and for being the wonderful humanitarian that she is.
-I am thankful for NYC, just for existing.
-I am thankful for NYC Wizard Rock Festival, for completely blowing my mind with its awesome, and to all the people who performed in it for being so grounded and so amazing to talk to, and being so cool with the high level of fangirl-age that went on that day xD
-I am thankful for technology which allows me to communicate with my friends whom I don't get to see very often and whom I miss terribly.
-I am thankful for Darren Criss. Just because =P
-Oh goodness, I suppose I'm thankful for Cam Freaking Newton for actually getting me interested in Auburn Football. War Cam Eagle. Dammit. xD
So, with that list done, now I can talk about my wonderful weekend excursion in New York City!!!
I woke up at about 9:30ish on Saturday, the 20th, and by 11 I was at Kelly's apartment. After making a stop at both of our ATM's, we were out on the road up to Atlanta, jamming out to some awesome wizard rock. I was in charge of the phones on the way up, and at one point I got a text from Twitter that was from Alex Carpenter, saying something about NYCWRF, and Kelly was like, send a tweet to him from my phone! So I did, and I wrote what she asked me. 'I wonder if @AlexCarpenter will play "Dumbledore' at @nycwrf..." And lo and behold, he got back to her! It was freaking awesome! He said "@-------------, hmmm that's an interesting idea..." I mean come on! That's awesome!
But anyway, we got to Jennie's house at about 2:30 Eastern time, and from there we left almost immediately to go to Atlantic Station, which was where Jennie and her family was about to see Cirque du Soliel. So while they were at the show, Kelly and I window shopped the area, just to see what they had, and we ate at Moe's for dinner (how we missed it...). At 6:40ish, we left Atlantic Station for the airport, and caught our 9:40 flight to Newark!!
The flight there was pretty uneventful. Kelly dozed, Jennie knitted, and I attempted to get some writing done for Nanowrimo. I got about a days worth of words out in the two hour flight, but I was dangerously close to not being ahead of schedule anymore...
So we land in Newark, get our bags, and catch a taxi van into the city... which was kind of really scary. The taxi driver had gotten into an argument about how many people he was supposed to take in the van... and he got really pissy and angry it was kinda freaky. ANYWAY.
Our hotel was right off of Times Square, literally two blocks away, and it was sooooo nice! Not only did it have free continental breakfast, it had free wifi. In NYC. I thought that would never happen ever! I mean, the hotel in Disney World didn't even have free wifi, so why would I expect one in NYC to? It was a God-given gift! Kelly was like, if I'd known, I would have brought my laptop! So everyone just used my laptop to check things all weekend =P
So we didn't end up going to sleep Saturday night until after 1am eastern time because we were wired from being in the city finally. But our exhaustion from travel took us over eventually.
We woke up at 8 to get ready for the day of epicness that was about to occur. Our first stop was Bryant Park, which was part of the view from our hotel room (so cool!) and we stumbled upon this charity fundraiser for Toys for Tots, run by Citi Bank. All you had to do was have your picture taken, and for every picture, Citi would donate $10 to the charity. We loved this idea, so we took at least 8 pictures. We felt really awesome about ourselves =]
So from Bryant Park, we made our way over to Times Square to meet up with Jennie's parents, who were staying in a different hotel. We walked through Times Square, explored the M&M store, which was awesome, and then headed over to the subway to head up to the Guggenheim. We ended up parting ways with them at Central Park because we were planning on meeting our dance teacher's daughter, Jenna, who goes to the School of American Ballet near Lincoln Center. So we met her at the fountain in front of Lincoln Center, and she showed us around her dorm and her studios, and then the area around it. We went in a Trader Joe's and it was preposterously cheap! We were also introduced to the wonder that is Pinkberry, a fro yo store that just... ahhhh! It's amazing! I got a pomegranate parfait with strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds and granola. It was so amazing.
From there we went to the giant Apple Store, where we made a video for our channel, of course, and it was a ton of fun to look around on an iPad! Jenna had to leave to visit a friend, so we then explored the Urban Outfitters and American Apparel and the North Face store. It was a lot of fun just looking around.
Jennie's parents met up with us at 4:15ish, and we took the subway all the way to Brooklyn for the main event of our trip: The New York City Wizard Rock Festival!!
So many bands got together at the Williamsburg Music Hall to wrock out, and it's insane to think that we were really there and got to have some awesome conversations with wrockers. The first thing we did upon getting in the venue was head to the bathroom, because I had to change into my costume that I'd been lugging around all day. When that was done, we hung out at the Ministry of Magic merch table, which they shared with The Remus Lupins. We had to ask Luke to come out from behind the table to get a picture, but ended up having a really awesome conversation with him. We talked about his vlog style, and how we got to the festival, how excited we were to see MoM live, and a lot of other things. Kelly and I ended up asking him for a video for our channel, and so we asked him to say "Hey girls, it's Frunday!" with us. So he did! It was so awesome to have a real conversation with him!
Next we went over to Matt's set up for the Whomping Willows. He said he recognized me from the This Star Won't Go Out Tour for Esther he went on with Lauren and JFF in October!! I was really happy, and Matt's so cool to talk to. We got awesome pictures with him, as well! Lauren happened to be hanging around, so we talked to her briefly and got pictures, as well as a video for our channel, too.
We headed back to the MoM table, because more of the guys had shown up. Jeremy was there in place of his brother Mark, so it was a slightly different group than I was used to seeing, but it was cool. We got a picture with them as well. We had to kind of corner Jason to talk to him, he was kind of flitting all over the place, but it was fun that he also took a video with us.
Probably the coolest part of the night, though, aside from seeing the bands themselves, was talking to Alex Carpenter. We talked about a lot of things, like his role in Luke's vlogs, his touring, his music, and honestly just random things, but it was so incredibly cool. We asked him for a video with us, and he actually was like, "here, the lighting is really awful here, let's go upstairs," and took it really seriously! He really honestly took the time to make it awesome, and that's just so telling of his character. He was so awesome to talk to.
So the first band we went in to see was Justin Finch-Fletchley. I'd already seen him twice, so I knew his songs and such, but Kelly had never seen him, so she was really blown away by his performance style, cuz he gets soooo into it, and he always makes the show super awesome. He played the classics with just him and Brian Ross from Draco and the Malfoys on guitar, but when Diagon Alley came out with their guitars, drums and violin, the set got freaking real, man! Halfway through "Honeydukes", they came out and just started jamming like crazy, and stayed on through "Krum," to the point that the guitarist from Diagon Alley and Brian Ross got into this epic guitar battle for BOTH songs. It was intense. But AWESOME.
We took a break for Tonks and the Aurors and part of Swish and Flick to go buy more merch, but I'm glad we didn't miss all of Swish and Flick because they ended up being freaking awesome! It's a band made up of a married couple, the husband plays the guitar and sings and the wife raps really awesome Slytherin lyrics that make you laugh if you're not prepared for the sass and dirtiness of them. They literally had me and Kelly laughing out loud during their set.
The next band was The Whomping Willows, which I missed the first song of because I had to go down to the merch area again to get this one shirt that I'd been eyeing but couldn't buy during Swish and Flick because the vendor was part of her set. I also bought the Swish and Flick CD because honestly, who wouldn't after hearing that set??
So I came back up to hear the rest of Matt's set, and I'd seen him twice before as well, but it's always awesome to see Matt play, because he's so into what he's singing and his melodies are super catchy and hilarious. During the last song of the night, Draco and Harry, one of my favorite Whomping Willows songs, Aaron Nordyke and Jason Munday surprised him by coming out to play drums and bass, and literally by the end of the song EVERYONE was jumping up and down, rocking out to the song, and everyone was having a blast. It was the perfect set up for the next set, which was...
THE REMUS FREAKING LUPINS! I was so excited to see Alex play, because I'd never been able to see him play, and his set definitely did NOT disappoint. He played a lot of songs that I knew, some that I didn't, but one of the best parts of his set was when he turned on the music and sang "Dumbledore," just like Kelly suggested!! Not a whole lot of people were into that, probably because they didn't subscribe to him on Youtube, and probably hadn't seen his video, but for serious, it was freaking awesome! Kelly and I went crazy =] He played a Hunger Games song just to switch things up, and I loooooooved that I got to see him play Reaping Day live, because I love his Hunger Games EP. He also played a totally rocked out version of Teenage Werewolf and ended the set with Looking for Trouble, which is one of my favorite Remus Lupins songs!! He ended the set with an awesome bang.
Draco and the Malfoys was next, and it was kind of a mellow set, a calm before the storm, if you will. It was just Brian Ross, no one knows where Bradley was, but it was still really enjoyable to hear some of the classic wrock songs that were some of the first written, like "Potions Yesterday" and "My Dad is Rich," and he ended the set with a resounding chorus of people singing along with hi to "99 Death Eaters." So freaking awesome! BUT! The main event, the whole reason that Kelly and Jennie and I flew all the way from Atlanta...
MINISTRY OF MAGIC!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Their set was literally incredible. I couldn't even believe that I was there, experiencing all of the awesome that surrounded me. They opened with "Snape vs Snape," with the girl from House of Black and another girl (idk what band she's from) singing the parts usually done by The Parselmouths (since Kristina and Eia were still in Seattle). I was already jumping up and down like a crazy person for Snape vs Snape, because I adore all the songs they write about Snape. It was such the perfect opener!
The next song they played was "Accio Love", and it was perfect because Lauren was there to sing with them and everything! It was such a sweet moment, and everyone loved the song. I believe the next song they played was "Lovegood," and it was soooo awesome!! During it, the guys literally picked up Ryan, who sings most of that song, during the chorus and flew him around the stage. It was nuts!!
"Goodbye Privet Drive," was next, which I honestly hadn't listened to a whole lot, since it's from the second CD, which I don't like as much as the first and third, but I'd heard it enough to know some of the words. And now I'm obsessed with that song. I never realized how awesome it was until I heard them perform it live. It was so awesome.
"The Bravest Man I Ever Knew" was intense and so, so good. They threw out personalized megaphones during this song, and one literally just soared through the air right into Kelly's hand. It was preposterous xD She used it the rest of the night =P Jennie recorded the whole song on her camera, but I had been saving my camera because it decided to run out of battery right when I wanted it most. SO MAD. But I managed to get clips of Snape vs. Snape and Gryffindor Rally Cry. I think. ANYWAY.
The next song they played was Lightning Struck Tower, which is suuuuuuch an intense song, and everyone got so into it. It was insane. I was jumping up and down during the chorus, and... GOD IT WAS SO GOOD!!
Their closer was Gryffindor Rally Cry, which is such an awesome song to end on, because it's perfect for people to jump up and down to, and just totally let loose and go wild. Which we did. Collectively, the audience was so into MoM's set, that I couldn't even handle the awesome levels that were surrounding me. It was seriously one of the best nights ever.
So once they left the stage, we were like, no! That can't be it! So Kelly started chanting "Encore! Encore! Encore!" which I then took up, which Jennie then took up, which our entire section of the crowd took up, and soon we were all just screaming "Encore! Encore!" and we thought at first that it hadn't worked, but then Ryan and Luke popped their heads back out of the door, and then they all spilled out on stage again and put on Marauder's Map, which was awesome, because when it gets really quiet, they had us all crouch down until they came back with "Avada Kedavra!" and everyone went wild again. It had so many awesome moments, I literally couldn't handle it!
So that was it. The concert was over. All that remained was to go get our stuff from coat check. But wait! There's more!
We were waiting in line for coat check when Luke passed us, so we started talking to him again, and he told us that he had been looking for us in the crowd during the MoM set, and idk how I missed that, because I found out from Jennie later in line. I was like, WTF?? HOW DID I NOT HEAR THAT? It was insane. I couldn't believe he'd been looking for us. But it was so awesome because he hugged us all and was like, I'm so glad you enjoyed the show! We told him he had to tour again but come to the south, because we'd absolutely go! He then mentioned that Ryan was releasing a solo album, so they'd be doing a lot more on Youtube for that, so I talked to Ryan for a little bit about that. God, those guys were just so full of awesome it was ridiculous!
So we got our stuff from coat check, and on our way out of the merch room, we ran into Alex again. We stopped to talk for a while, and at the end, he hugged us too! He was like, "You guys are so awesome, thank you for coming!" And we all squeed. Like fangirls. Because that's what we are. =P
So then we left the venue, after getting our hugs and our stuff, and we were sad. We couldn't believe it was over, or that that had just happened to us for real. It was such an incredible experience! We were so wound up after the concert that Kelly and I vloged about our feelings to her camera on the streets of Brooklyn, and honestly we didn't care if we looked stupid. I also got on the subway back to Manhattan still decked out in my wizard gear, but I thought I looked awesome repping the Harry Potter fandom on the subway =P
So we returned to our hotel, feet killing us, ready for bed, but even so, we couldn't go to bed right away. Jennie and I ordered a slice of pizza and had it delivered to the hotel while Kelly showered, and then while I showered she got on my computer and typed up everything that happened until that point in time. It was so much awesome.
The next day was fun, we went to Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown. We spent a ton of time in the Forever 21 in Soho, trying on clothes and just having a blast, and then ate lunch in Chinatown. Our waiter asked Kelly and I if we were sisters. It was hilarious. We then returned to Manhattan to hunt for an I <3 New York t-shirt for our friend Kelly, which we found, and then we went back to the hotel, where all of our stuff had been held. We caught a taxi van back to Newark to fly home T_T
The flight home was pretty interesting actually. Kelly and I ended up sitting next to this really awesome nerdy guy, and we talked about everything from Dr. Horrible to Harry Potter to Buffy to our respective career paths and such. By the end of the flight we'd convinced him to look up the Vlogbrothers, Ministry of Magic, the Remus Lupins and other nerdy things. It was so cool! So at baggage claim, Kelly and I were hit on by this Jamaican guy who also asked us if we were sisters. Creepy. We played it off cool though. He asked us if we had anywhere to go after we got our luggage and we were like, uh yeah, we're going home. We don't live here. It was slightly creepy...
So we got to Jennie's house again, and Kelly collapsed on her bed. She was out so fast xD But in the morning, we got dressed and packed, had bagels and donuts for breakfast, and then while Jennie was getting ready to lead us back to I-75, her mom played a round of Toy Story 3 Uno with Kelly and I. It was so fun!
So we parted ways after giving much thanks and expressing our gratitude for everything Jennie's parents did for us. On the way home, Kelly and I wrocked out again, listening to much Ministry of Magic and Remus Lupins and Whomping Willows.
I was so glad to get home though, but I still had Nanowrimo to concentrate on. I wrote almost 4,000 words last night to just catch up, because for the first time in the whole month, I got behind. NOT COOL. But now I'm slightly ahead again, and I certainly will be by the end of tonight. See if you can spot Kelly and I in this crowd shot of NYCWRF!
Anyway, I hope your Thanksgivings are wonderful, and have a happy holiday season!! Me? I'll be trudging through auditions, last week of classes, outcomes, award ceremonies and finals before I can relax. Eff.
Thanks for reading!!
HPRT: I reference Harry Potter a couple times in my Nanowrimo story. Yeah. I did it.
Current Book: Um... None. At the moment. Hopefully I'll be reading Lord of the Rings over Christmas.
Current Song: Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic
-I am thankful for my wonderful family, who continues to astound me with their resilience toward adversity. My parents and I have gone through some really rough times as a family, things that I don't care to get into right now, but through it all we've stayed very close and fairly optimistic. We're a family of fighters, you can't just take a stab at us and expect it to defeat us. We won't back down. And I'm so grateful that I came from that. It's a gift that not many people expect to be valuable, but I think it's one of the greatest things about my family.
-I am thankful that my grandmother is here in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. I don't get to see her that often (in fact I believe the last time I saw her was my high school graduation a year and a half ago) so it's really awesome when she does come to get to hear family stories and just sit and talk. She's a wonderful story teller, and I couldn't ask for anything more right now =]
-I am thankful for the Harry Potter community, because through it, I've experienced as much joy as I have doing any show, and that is why I know that being a part of it is a good thing. If something brings you that much happiness, there is no reason at all not to take part in it, and Harry Potter brings such wonderful people together that the friends I make through it are worth more than almost anything to me. It brought me closer to Kelly and Elizabeth and Jennie, three wonderful human beings who I am so lucky to have in my life. It introduced me to wizard rock and the hugely talented and extremely kind people who partake in that. It brought me to a conference this summer where I had the time of my life and a theme park that impacted me so much that I want to work there. Harry Potter is my past, present and future (did you see what I did there?? Tom Riddle, HP and the Chamber of Secrets? No? ....... *ahem*)
-I am thankful for friends that accept my insanity in its many forms (Harry Potter, Youtube, Nanowrimo, etc.) and sometimes even join me in it =]
-I am thankful for Jo Rowling, for writing one of the best book series I've ever read, and for being the wonderful humanitarian that she is.
-I am thankful for NYC, just for existing.
-I am thankful for NYC Wizard Rock Festival, for completely blowing my mind with its awesome, and to all the people who performed in it for being so grounded and so amazing to talk to, and being so cool with the high level of fangirl-age that went on that day xD
-I am thankful for technology which allows me to communicate with my friends whom I don't get to see very often and whom I miss terribly.
-I am thankful for Darren Criss. Just because =P
-Oh goodness, I suppose I'm thankful for Cam Freaking Newton for actually getting me interested in Auburn Football. War Cam Eagle. Dammit. xD
So, with that list done, now I can talk about my wonderful weekend excursion in New York City!!!
I woke up at about 9:30ish on Saturday, the 20th, and by 11 I was at Kelly's apartment. After making a stop at both of our ATM's, we were out on the road up to Atlanta, jamming out to some awesome wizard rock. I was in charge of the phones on the way up, and at one point I got a text from Twitter that was from Alex Carpenter, saying something about NYCWRF, and Kelly was like, send a tweet to him from my phone! So I did, and I wrote what she asked me. 'I wonder if @AlexCarpenter will play "Dumbledore' at @nycwrf..." And lo and behold, he got back to her! It was freaking awesome! He said "@-------------, hmmm that's an interesting idea..." I mean come on! That's awesome!
But anyway, we got to Jennie's house at about 2:30 Eastern time, and from there we left almost immediately to go to Atlantic Station, which was where Jennie and her family was about to see Cirque du Soliel. So while they were at the show, Kelly and I window shopped the area, just to see what they had, and we ate at Moe's for dinner (how we missed it...). At 6:40ish, we left Atlantic Station for the airport, and caught our 9:40 flight to Newark!!
The flight there was pretty uneventful. Kelly dozed, Jennie knitted, and I attempted to get some writing done for Nanowrimo. I got about a days worth of words out in the two hour flight, but I was dangerously close to not being ahead of schedule anymore...
So we land in Newark, get our bags, and catch a taxi van into the city... which was kind of really scary. The taxi driver had gotten into an argument about how many people he was supposed to take in the van... and he got really pissy and angry it was kinda freaky. ANYWAY.
Our hotel was right off of Times Square, literally two blocks away, and it was sooooo nice! Not only did it have free continental breakfast, it had free wifi. In NYC. I thought that would never happen ever! I mean, the hotel in Disney World didn't even have free wifi, so why would I expect one in NYC to? It was a God-given gift! Kelly was like, if I'd known, I would have brought my laptop! So everyone just used my laptop to check things all weekend =P
So we didn't end up going to sleep Saturday night until after 1am eastern time because we were wired from being in the city finally. But our exhaustion from travel took us over eventually.
We woke up at 8 to get ready for the day of epicness that was about to occur. Our first stop was Bryant Park, which was part of the view from our hotel room (so cool!) and we stumbled upon this charity fundraiser for Toys for Tots, run by Citi Bank. All you had to do was have your picture taken, and for every picture, Citi would donate $10 to the charity. We loved this idea, so we took at least 8 pictures. We felt really awesome about ourselves =]
So from Bryant Park, we made our way over to Times Square to meet up with Jennie's parents, who were staying in a different hotel. We walked through Times Square, explored the M&M store, which was awesome, and then headed over to the subway to head up to the Guggenheim. We ended up parting ways with them at Central Park because we were planning on meeting our dance teacher's daughter, Jenna, who goes to the School of American Ballet near Lincoln Center. So we met her at the fountain in front of Lincoln Center, and she showed us around her dorm and her studios, and then the area around it. We went in a Trader Joe's and it was preposterously cheap! We were also introduced to the wonder that is Pinkberry, a fro yo store that just... ahhhh! It's amazing! I got a pomegranate parfait with strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds and granola. It was so amazing.
From there we went to the giant Apple Store, where we made a video for our channel, of course, and it was a ton of fun to look around on an iPad! Jenna had to leave to visit a friend, so we then explored the Urban Outfitters and American Apparel and the North Face store. It was a lot of fun just looking around.
Jennie's parents met up with us at 4:15ish, and we took the subway all the way to Brooklyn for the main event of our trip: The New York City Wizard Rock Festival!!
So many bands got together at the Williamsburg Music Hall to wrock out, and it's insane to think that we were really there and got to have some awesome conversations with wrockers. The first thing we did upon getting in the venue was head to the bathroom, because I had to change into my costume that I'd been lugging around all day. When that was done, we hung out at the Ministry of Magic merch table, which they shared with The Remus Lupins. We had to ask Luke to come out from behind the table to get a picture, but ended up having a really awesome conversation with him. We talked about his vlog style, and how we got to the festival, how excited we were to see MoM live, and a lot of other things. Kelly and I ended up asking him for a video for our channel, and so we asked him to say "Hey girls, it's Frunday!" with us. So he did! It was so awesome to have a real conversation with him!
Next we went over to Matt's set up for the Whomping Willows. He said he recognized me from the This Star Won't Go Out Tour for Esther he went on with Lauren and JFF in October!! I was really happy, and Matt's so cool to talk to. We got awesome pictures with him, as well! Lauren happened to be hanging around, so we talked to her briefly and got pictures, as well as a video for our channel, too.
We headed back to the MoM table, because more of the guys had shown up. Jeremy was there in place of his brother Mark, so it was a slightly different group than I was used to seeing, but it was cool. We got a picture with them as well. We had to kind of corner Jason to talk to him, he was kind of flitting all over the place, but it was fun that he also took a video with us.
Probably the coolest part of the night, though, aside from seeing the bands themselves, was talking to Alex Carpenter. We talked about a lot of things, like his role in Luke's vlogs, his touring, his music, and honestly just random things, but it was so incredibly cool. We asked him for a video with us, and he actually was like, "here, the lighting is really awful here, let's go upstairs," and took it really seriously! He really honestly took the time to make it awesome, and that's just so telling of his character. He was so awesome to talk to.
So the first band we went in to see was Justin Finch-Fletchley. I'd already seen him twice, so I knew his songs and such, but Kelly had never seen him, so she was really blown away by his performance style, cuz he gets soooo into it, and he always makes the show super awesome. He played the classics with just him and Brian Ross from Draco and the Malfoys on guitar, but when Diagon Alley came out with their guitars, drums and violin, the set got freaking real, man! Halfway through "Honeydukes", they came out and just started jamming like crazy, and stayed on through "Krum," to the point that the guitarist from Diagon Alley and Brian Ross got into this epic guitar battle for BOTH songs. It was intense. But AWESOME.
We took a break for Tonks and the Aurors and part of Swish and Flick to go buy more merch, but I'm glad we didn't miss all of Swish and Flick because they ended up being freaking awesome! It's a band made up of a married couple, the husband plays the guitar and sings and the wife raps really awesome Slytherin lyrics that make you laugh if you're not prepared for the sass and dirtiness of them. They literally had me and Kelly laughing out loud during their set.
The next band was The Whomping Willows, which I missed the first song of because I had to go down to the merch area again to get this one shirt that I'd been eyeing but couldn't buy during Swish and Flick because the vendor was part of her set. I also bought the Swish and Flick CD because honestly, who wouldn't after hearing that set??
So I came back up to hear the rest of Matt's set, and I'd seen him twice before as well, but it's always awesome to see Matt play, because he's so into what he's singing and his melodies are super catchy and hilarious. During the last song of the night, Draco and Harry, one of my favorite Whomping Willows songs, Aaron Nordyke and Jason Munday surprised him by coming out to play drums and bass, and literally by the end of the song EVERYONE was jumping up and down, rocking out to the song, and everyone was having a blast. It was the perfect set up for the next set, which was...
THE REMUS FREAKING LUPINS! I was so excited to see Alex play, because I'd never been able to see him play, and his set definitely did NOT disappoint. He played a lot of songs that I knew, some that I didn't, but one of the best parts of his set was when he turned on the music and sang "Dumbledore," just like Kelly suggested!! Not a whole lot of people were into that, probably because they didn't subscribe to him on Youtube, and probably hadn't seen his video, but for serious, it was freaking awesome! Kelly and I went crazy =] He played a Hunger Games song just to switch things up, and I loooooooved that I got to see him play Reaping Day live, because I love his Hunger Games EP. He also played a totally rocked out version of Teenage Werewolf and ended the set with Looking for Trouble, which is one of my favorite Remus Lupins songs!! He ended the set with an awesome bang.
Draco and the Malfoys was next, and it was kind of a mellow set, a calm before the storm, if you will. It was just Brian Ross, no one knows where Bradley was, but it was still really enjoyable to hear some of the classic wrock songs that were some of the first written, like "Potions Yesterday" and "My Dad is Rich," and he ended the set with a resounding chorus of people singing along with hi to "99 Death Eaters." So freaking awesome! BUT! The main event, the whole reason that Kelly and Jennie and I flew all the way from Atlanta...
MINISTRY OF MAGIC!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Their set was literally incredible. I couldn't even believe that I was there, experiencing all of the awesome that surrounded me. They opened with "Snape vs Snape," with the girl from House of Black and another girl (idk what band she's from) singing the parts usually done by The Parselmouths (since Kristina and Eia were still in Seattle). I was already jumping up and down like a crazy person for Snape vs Snape, because I adore all the songs they write about Snape. It was such the perfect opener!
The next song they played was "Accio Love", and it was perfect because Lauren was there to sing with them and everything! It was such a sweet moment, and everyone loved the song. I believe the next song they played was "Lovegood," and it was soooo awesome!! During it, the guys literally picked up Ryan, who sings most of that song, during the chorus and flew him around the stage. It was nuts!!
"Goodbye Privet Drive," was next, which I honestly hadn't listened to a whole lot, since it's from the second CD, which I don't like as much as the first and third, but I'd heard it enough to know some of the words. And now I'm obsessed with that song. I never realized how awesome it was until I heard them perform it live. It was so awesome.
"The Bravest Man I Ever Knew" was intense and so, so good. They threw out personalized megaphones during this song, and one literally just soared through the air right into Kelly's hand. It was preposterous xD She used it the rest of the night =P Jennie recorded the whole song on her camera, but I had been saving my camera because it decided to run out of battery right when I wanted it most. SO MAD. But I managed to get clips of Snape vs. Snape and Gryffindor Rally Cry. I think. ANYWAY.
The next song they played was Lightning Struck Tower, which is suuuuuuch an intense song, and everyone got so into it. It was insane. I was jumping up and down during the chorus, and... GOD IT WAS SO GOOD!!
Their closer was Gryffindor Rally Cry, which is such an awesome song to end on, because it's perfect for people to jump up and down to, and just totally let loose and go wild. Which we did. Collectively, the audience was so into MoM's set, that I couldn't even handle the awesome levels that were surrounding me. It was seriously one of the best nights ever.
So once they left the stage, we were like, no! That can't be it! So Kelly started chanting "Encore! Encore! Encore!" which I then took up, which Jennie then took up, which our entire section of the crowd took up, and soon we were all just screaming "Encore! Encore!" and we thought at first that it hadn't worked, but then Ryan and Luke popped their heads back out of the door, and then they all spilled out on stage again and put on Marauder's Map, which was awesome, because when it gets really quiet, they had us all crouch down until they came back with "Avada Kedavra!" and everyone went wild again. It had so many awesome moments, I literally couldn't handle it!
So that was it. The concert was over. All that remained was to go get our stuff from coat check. But wait! There's more!
We were waiting in line for coat check when Luke passed us, so we started talking to him again, and he told us that he had been looking for us in the crowd during the MoM set, and idk how I missed that, because I found out from Jennie later in line. I was like, WTF?? HOW DID I NOT HEAR THAT? It was insane. I couldn't believe he'd been looking for us. But it was so awesome because he hugged us all and was like, I'm so glad you enjoyed the show! We told him he had to tour again but come to the south, because we'd absolutely go! He then mentioned that Ryan was releasing a solo album, so they'd be doing a lot more on Youtube for that, so I talked to Ryan for a little bit about that. God, those guys were just so full of awesome it was ridiculous!
So we got our stuff from coat check, and on our way out of the merch room, we ran into Alex again. We stopped to talk for a while, and at the end, he hugged us too! He was like, "You guys are so awesome, thank you for coming!" And we all squeed. Like fangirls. Because that's what we are. =P
So then we left the venue, after getting our hugs and our stuff, and we were sad. We couldn't believe it was over, or that that had just happened to us for real. It was such an incredible experience! We were so wound up after the concert that Kelly and I vloged about our feelings to her camera on the streets of Brooklyn, and honestly we didn't care if we looked stupid. I also got on the subway back to Manhattan still decked out in my wizard gear, but I thought I looked awesome repping the Harry Potter fandom on the subway =P
So we returned to our hotel, feet killing us, ready for bed, but even so, we couldn't go to bed right away. Jennie and I ordered a slice of pizza and had it delivered to the hotel while Kelly showered, and then while I showered she got on my computer and typed up everything that happened until that point in time. It was so much awesome.
The next day was fun, we went to Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown. We spent a ton of time in the Forever 21 in Soho, trying on clothes and just having a blast, and then ate lunch in Chinatown. Our waiter asked Kelly and I if we were sisters. It was hilarious. We then returned to Manhattan to hunt for an I <3 New York t-shirt for our friend Kelly, which we found, and then we went back to the hotel, where all of our stuff had been held. We caught a taxi van back to Newark to fly home T_T
The flight home was pretty interesting actually. Kelly and I ended up sitting next to this really awesome nerdy guy, and we talked about everything from Dr. Horrible to Harry Potter to Buffy to our respective career paths and such. By the end of the flight we'd convinced him to look up the Vlogbrothers, Ministry of Magic, the Remus Lupins and other nerdy things. It was so cool! So at baggage claim, Kelly and I were hit on by this Jamaican guy who also asked us if we were sisters. Creepy. We played it off cool though. He asked us if we had anywhere to go after we got our luggage and we were like, uh yeah, we're going home. We don't live here. It was slightly creepy...
So we got to Jennie's house again, and Kelly collapsed on her bed. She was out so fast xD But in the morning, we got dressed and packed, had bagels and donuts for breakfast, and then while Jennie was getting ready to lead us back to I-75, her mom played a round of Toy Story 3 Uno with Kelly and I. It was so fun!
So we parted ways after giving much thanks and expressing our gratitude for everything Jennie's parents did for us. On the way home, Kelly and I wrocked out again, listening to much Ministry of Magic and Remus Lupins and Whomping Willows.
I was so glad to get home though, but I still had Nanowrimo to concentrate on. I wrote almost 4,000 words last night to just catch up, because for the first time in the whole month, I got behind. NOT COOL. But now I'm slightly ahead again, and I certainly will be by the end of tonight. See if you can spot Kelly and I in this crowd shot of NYCWRF!
Anyway, I hope your Thanksgivings are wonderful, and have a happy holiday season!! Me? I'll be trudging through auditions, last week of classes, outcomes, award ceremonies and finals before I can relax. Eff.
Thanks for reading!!
HPRT: I reference Harry Potter a couple times in my Nanowrimo story. Yeah. I did it.
Current Book: Um... None. At the moment. Hopefully I'll be reading Lord of the Rings over Christmas.
Current Song: Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic
Friday, November 19, 2010
The moment we've all been waiting for...
I know I said I'd do a blog post reviewing Mockingjay, but honestly, what just happened in my life takes bigger precedence.
For the past year and a half, I've been waiting with mixed feelings for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Back in early 2008, we learned that WB would be splitting the book into two films, and at first I was kind of apathetic about this news, but the closer the release date for part 1 got, the happier I became with this decision. Because of my utter disappointment in the film adaptation of Half-Blood Prince, I was hoping that Deathly Hallows would be different- that they'd spend the time necessary on the two films to accurately portray the scope and detail of the final chapter of Harry's journey.
This summer, when I went to Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Infinitus, it finally hit me just how close we were getting to the premiere, and I started to lose myself in anticipation. School started, and I forgot about it for a while, but once October rolled around, I began to count down the days until the midnight premiere. All of a sudden, it was yesterday, November 18th, and I had bought my ticket weeks in advance and it was finally time to don my wizard gear, grab my wand and embark on Harry's quest with him.
I'd been careful to stay away from spoilers of any kind, and I was highly successful (the one spoiler I received was minor and was not intentionally discovered). I only saw trailers when they came up on TV, I never looked at production stills, I watched no interviews and certainly didn't look up facts on spoiler sites. Way to take the fun out of everything! But as excited as I was, I think it increased tenfold when I watched Pottercast's highlights from the UK premiere last Thursday on Youtube. Jo Rowling herself was an Executive Producer for this film, and when interviewed, she stated that this film was her personal favorite film out of all of them.
And then I died.
If I thought I had been excited before, I was wrong. My hopes had been realized: if it's good enough for Jo, I thought, it's good enough for me! So I went in to the movie last night with many of my best friends (Kelly D, Elizabeth, Jennie, Abby and more), stood in line for... not as long as I would have thought, since we got there early, was NOT the only person who dressed up like a champ (it was so awesome!!) and was filmed singing "Get Back to Hogwarts" from AVPM for our University's TV station, Eagle Eye. Once we got our seats in theater 12, we went over to theater 10, whose crowd was so much more awesome than ours, and reprised our performance for their Audience Talent Show. Needless to say, we rocked the house!
When we got settled into our seats again, it was about 25 minutes to show time. I thought that we'd have the regular 15 minutes of commercials and previews and then we'd be on our merry way.
Um... yeah, you would think that's what happened, but it's not.
It hit midnight. The screen changed to a blinking Sprint ad, with a reminder to turn off our cell phones and other noise making devices. And it never went away.
For 45 minutes.
Yes, that's right kid, theater wide, we were all seeing the same screen, and we started 45 EFFING minutes late, because of the geniuses who thought it would be a good idea to get to the theater right before it started. They were late because they had to find seating for everyone. It was awful.
Anyway, the movie FINALLY started (after a mixed bag of good and bad trailers). Here's where I have to put up the SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT CONTINUE READING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU READ IT AND THEN GET UPSET BECAUSE YOU READ SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T WANT TO SEE. IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT. DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE OR DON'T CARE. THANK YOU.
Ok, sorry about that, I just hate spoilers and I don't want anyone to get spoiled unwillingly.
I'm going to go as close to in order as I remember, but since I was delirious and half asleep and dead tired when I saw this movie (although somehow wide awake enough to watch the whole thing...), my memory might not be the best judge.
-As soon as the WB logo popped up, Elizabeth and Jennie and I held hands and I literally started crying. Just like I thought I would.
-I LOVED the fact that they included Hermione modifying her parents memories. It was gut wrenching and I started crying again at this point.
-Dudley didn't get the chance to say, "I don't think you're a waste of space." NOOOO! I wanted to see that soooo bad!
-Two names: Alan Rickman. Tom Felton. They are two of the most excellent actors I've ever seen, and in the Manor scene with the Muggle Studies teacher, I was so incredibly touched by both of their performances. They both exhibited the internal struggle that Snape and Draco are having, their extreme discomfort in their situations and how they would rather be anywhere else doing anything else. Alan Rickman is Snape. There is no other Snape. And when Part 2 comes next summer and he dies, I'm going to cry probably harder than I cried for Dobby. I'm not kidding.
-The Seven Potters sequence was EXCELLENTLY done. I was so, so happy that they gave the twins more screen time in the beginning, and that there were some fairly lighthearted moments during this scene. Because it is pretty funny when you see seven Harry Potters, some in girls clothing, undressing and... goodness, it was just very well done =]
-Hedwig. Oh my god. I am SO glad that they gave her a more heroic death in the movie, because in the book it just seemed so random and wasteful... her death was pointless in the book, but at least in the movie she died with dignity, saving her master... it was beautiful and so, so sad.
-I was kind of upset with the way they handled Voldemort finding out which Harry was the real one. In the book it was because of his use of Expelliarmus, but in the movie it was because Hedwig died to save him. Also, it wasn't very clear that it was Voldemort chasing them until you see him taking down a crap load of power lines in rage that he couldn't catch him... yeah it was a little weird. Also, Harry and Hagrid didn't go to the Tonks's, they went straight to the Burrow. Which was magically rebuilt after they burned it down in the previous film. CRAP.
-George's "saintlike" joke about his ear was word for word from the book. YESSS!
-I loved the moment when Kingsley sent his patronus to warn the wedding. I was so hoping they'd take the words verbatim and they did. So glad.
-The cafe scene with the trio and the Death Eaters was so well done. I really feel like the acting overall in this film was phenomenal.
-Kreacher wasn't in it enough, and Dobby's re-emergence into the storyline was a little random. They also cut the scene where Lupin comes to them at Grimmauld Place and Harry bitches at him for abandoning Tonks. I really wanted to see that, just because I love Lupin so much, and David Thewlis is a wonderful actor, but I understand why it was cut.
-The Ministry scene was amazing. Umbridge was so terrifying, even more than the fifth movie, because she was just so heartless and ruthless... God she just made me so upset. I liked this whole sequence because I felt like the actors who played the people they changed into did a really good job of capturing Harry, Ron and Hermione so you believed that you were watching them in someone else's body, rather than someone else entirely. They also managed to get hilarious moments into a very sobering scene.
-The whole arc with Ron's progression into jealousy and rage up until the point where he leaves is so realistic and you just feel for him. Rupert Grint was amazing in this film.
-The scene where Ron leaves is just... perfect. It kills you inside a little when you hear Hermione screaming after him, but it's perfect. I cried.
-They added a scene where Harry and Hermione dance after Ron leaves. It's so incredibly awkward and precious and I actually really loved it. But what I think its purpose was in the film was to show that there really is nothing romantic going on between Harry and Hermione, and there never was. They were always just best friends, more like siblings, and it was really great for them to have a scene where they just could forget, temporarily, the gravity of their situation, their sorrows and their burdens and have a bit of awkward fun.
-Godric's Hollow with Bathilda Bagshot was also perfect. Effing scary as crap when Nagini is attacking Harry, but perfect. I legitimately screamed at one point. That scene was very frightening. No joke.
-Ron killing the Horcrux... I thought this was very well done, and very similar to the book. The only creepy part (that did happen in the book, even though people think it didn't) is when Horcrux Harry and Hermione start making out in front of Ron... the change that I didn't really like was the fact that they were... *ahem* not clothed. At all. Nothing was shown, of course, but still. Yikes.
-I was a little disappointed in Hermione's reaction to when Ron returned. She was not NEARLY angry enough. She just hit him a couple times with his bag and yelled at him. She should have kicked and punched and slapped him and just... ugh I don't know, I feel like that scene was handled better in the book.
-Ron was so cute and awkward trying to get back into Hermione's good graces. Adorable.
-The Lovegood house was awesome. The guy who plays Xenophilius was perfect for the part, and you could tell just how torn he was between helping Harry and turning him in.
-They did something very interesting for the Tale of the Deathly Hallows, which I thought, honestly, was one of the best parts of the film. When Hermione read aloud from Tales of Beadle the Bard, they had a very cool animation that illustrated the story as she read. Very, very unlike anything we've seen in these movies, but ultimately one of the awesomest additions to the movie and I absolutely approve.
-Ok. Malfoy Manor. Where to begin? The arc as a whole was soooo good. So unbelievably good, with a sprinkling of a slight disappointment and a pinch of funny and a whole slew of upsetting and shocking.
Helena Bonham Carter, as usual, plays crazy exceptionally well. Bellatrix was legit scary as crap in this scene. I love that Jason Isaacs (Lucius) was very accurate in his portrayal of the "broken man," as he himself described Lucius in an interview.
I hated the fact that when Ron and Harry were in the cellar with Luna, Ollivander and Griphook, and you could hear Hermione screaming from Bellatrix's torture, Ron hardly... did... anything. He wasn't nearly upset enough. He was just kind of standing there, shell-shocked, not yelling and pounding on the door and going mad with fear that the love of his life might die and he can't save her. Instead he stood there. And did nothing. I was not ok with that. I was also not ok with how Wormtail died. Not cool. He got a hatchet in the back thrown by Dobby... um, can you say random??
What I did like was that Bellatrix carved "Mudblood" into Hermione's arm and it was like, the most intense acting that I've seen Emma Watson do, and I was very impressed. I mean, she screamed her effing head off, and it was so believable. I started crying there too.
-Last but not least at all, probably the most important moment of the night. Dobby.
Dobby's last scenes were amazing. The way he showed up and stood his ground against Bellatrix, saved all of the people left and then... oh god, when Bellatrix threw that knife I grabbed Elizabeth's hand and I started crying right then. And I didn't stop until after Harry dug the grave. But anyway, Dobby's dying scene was beautiful and heart wrenching and so incredibly upsetting, but he knew that he had done it to save Harry Potter, and when he uttered Harry's name for the last time before dying I just lost it. It was so emotionally draining, that last scene. I couldn't handle it at all. It was just like watching a friend die before your eyes. I don't even know what I'm going to do for Part 2 when everyone that I love dies... God.
-The last scene of the film, where they make the split, is Voldemort retrieving the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb. That moment was soooo intense, and it happened right after Dobby died, so I was already crying, but when he broke into his grave and snatched the wand from Dumbledore's hand, I had this intense sense of rage that welled up inside me and I was just like, "YOU GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU $%*#@$*#% I HATE YOU SO MUCH I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL YOU DIE!" Silently, of course. But when he releases that electricity into the air I got chills and I knew instantly that this movie was a success.
So... I guess that's it. There's more, obviously, but I'm exhausted because I got 3 hours of sleep last night after the premiere (thank you 8am class after getting in bed at 3:30...), and I have a busy four days ahead of me, which you will hear all about in due time!
Thanks if you stuck with me for that whole thing and read my ramblings. I just love it so much. There are no words.
HPRT: This whole post is a Harry Potter Related Thing. Geez.
Current Book: None at the moment, but I will be starting LOTR during Christmas break, so I have that to look forward to.
Current Song: Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind from Spring Awakening
For the past year and a half, I've been waiting with mixed feelings for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Back in early 2008, we learned that WB would be splitting the book into two films, and at first I was kind of apathetic about this news, but the closer the release date for part 1 got, the happier I became with this decision. Because of my utter disappointment in the film adaptation of Half-Blood Prince, I was hoping that Deathly Hallows would be different- that they'd spend the time necessary on the two films to accurately portray the scope and detail of the final chapter of Harry's journey.
This summer, when I went to Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Infinitus, it finally hit me just how close we were getting to the premiere, and I started to lose myself in anticipation. School started, and I forgot about it for a while, but once October rolled around, I began to count down the days until the midnight premiere. All of a sudden, it was yesterday, November 18th, and I had bought my ticket weeks in advance and it was finally time to don my wizard gear, grab my wand and embark on Harry's quest with him.
I'd been careful to stay away from spoilers of any kind, and I was highly successful (the one spoiler I received was minor and was not intentionally discovered). I only saw trailers when they came up on TV, I never looked at production stills, I watched no interviews and certainly didn't look up facts on spoiler sites. Way to take the fun out of everything! But as excited as I was, I think it increased tenfold when I watched Pottercast's highlights from the UK premiere last Thursday on Youtube. Jo Rowling herself was an Executive Producer for this film, and when interviewed, she stated that this film was her personal favorite film out of all of them.
And then I died.
If I thought I had been excited before, I was wrong. My hopes had been realized: if it's good enough for Jo, I thought, it's good enough for me! So I went in to the movie last night with many of my best friends (Kelly D, Elizabeth, Jennie, Abby and more), stood in line for... not as long as I would have thought, since we got there early, was NOT the only person who dressed up like a champ (it was so awesome!!) and was filmed singing "Get Back to Hogwarts" from AVPM for our University's TV station, Eagle Eye. Once we got our seats in theater 12, we went over to theater 10, whose crowd was so much more awesome than ours, and reprised our performance for their Audience Talent Show. Needless to say, we rocked the house!
When we got settled into our seats again, it was about 25 minutes to show time. I thought that we'd have the regular 15 minutes of commercials and previews and then we'd be on our merry way.
Um... yeah, you would think that's what happened, but it's not.
It hit midnight. The screen changed to a blinking Sprint ad, with a reminder to turn off our cell phones and other noise making devices. And it never went away.
For 45 minutes.
Yes, that's right kid, theater wide, we were all seeing the same screen, and we started 45 EFFING minutes late, because of the geniuses who thought it would be a good idea to get to the theater right before it started. They were late because they had to find seating for everyone. It was awful.
Anyway, the movie FINALLY started (after a mixed bag of good and bad trailers). Here's where I have to put up the SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT CONTINUE READING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU READ IT AND THEN GET UPSET BECAUSE YOU READ SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T WANT TO SEE. IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT. DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE OR DON'T CARE. THANK YOU.
Ok, sorry about that, I just hate spoilers and I don't want anyone to get spoiled unwillingly.
I'm going to go as close to in order as I remember, but since I was delirious and half asleep and dead tired when I saw this movie (although somehow wide awake enough to watch the whole thing...), my memory might not be the best judge.
-As soon as the WB logo popped up, Elizabeth and Jennie and I held hands and I literally started crying. Just like I thought I would.
-I LOVED the fact that they included Hermione modifying her parents memories. It was gut wrenching and I started crying again at this point.
-Dudley didn't get the chance to say, "I don't think you're a waste of space." NOOOO! I wanted to see that soooo bad!
-Two names: Alan Rickman. Tom Felton. They are two of the most excellent actors I've ever seen, and in the Manor scene with the Muggle Studies teacher, I was so incredibly touched by both of their performances. They both exhibited the internal struggle that Snape and Draco are having, their extreme discomfort in their situations and how they would rather be anywhere else doing anything else. Alan Rickman is Snape. There is no other Snape. And when Part 2 comes next summer and he dies, I'm going to cry probably harder than I cried for Dobby. I'm not kidding.
-The Seven Potters sequence was EXCELLENTLY done. I was so, so happy that they gave the twins more screen time in the beginning, and that there were some fairly lighthearted moments during this scene. Because it is pretty funny when you see seven Harry Potters, some in girls clothing, undressing and... goodness, it was just very well done =]
-Hedwig. Oh my god. I am SO glad that they gave her a more heroic death in the movie, because in the book it just seemed so random and wasteful... her death was pointless in the book, but at least in the movie she died with dignity, saving her master... it was beautiful and so, so sad.
-I was kind of upset with the way they handled Voldemort finding out which Harry was the real one. In the book it was because of his use of Expelliarmus, but in the movie it was because Hedwig died to save him. Also, it wasn't very clear that it was Voldemort chasing them until you see him taking down a crap load of power lines in rage that he couldn't catch him... yeah it was a little weird. Also, Harry and Hagrid didn't go to the Tonks's, they went straight to the Burrow. Which was magically rebuilt after they burned it down in the previous film. CRAP.
-George's "saintlike" joke about his ear was word for word from the book. YESSS!
-I loved the moment when Kingsley sent his patronus to warn the wedding. I was so hoping they'd take the words verbatim and they did. So glad.
-The cafe scene with the trio and the Death Eaters was so well done. I really feel like the acting overall in this film was phenomenal.
-Kreacher wasn't in it enough, and Dobby's re-emergence into the storyline was a little random. They also cut the scene where Lupin comes to them at Grimmauld Place and Harry bitches at him for abandoning Tonks. I really wanted to see that, just because I love Lupin so much, and David Thewlis is a wonderful actor, but I understand why it was cut.
-The Ministry scene was amazing. Umbridge was so terrifying, even more than the fifth movie, because she was just so heartless and ruthless... God she just made me so upset. I liked this whole sequence because I felt like the actors who played the people they changed into did a really good job of capturing Harry, Ron and Hermione so you believed that you were watching them in someone else's body, rather than someone else entirely. They also managed to get hilarious moments into a very sobering scene.
-The whole arc with Ron's progression into jealousy and rage up until the point where he leaves is so realistic and you just feel for him. Rupert Grint was amazing in this film.
-The scene where Ron leaves is just... perfect. It kills you inside a little when you hear Hermione screaming after him, but it's perfect. I cried.
-They added a scene where Harry and Hermione dance after Ron leaves. It's so incredibly awkward and precious and I actually really loved it. But what I think its purpose was in the film was to show that there really is nothing romantic going on between Harry and Hermione, and there never was. They were always just best friends, more like siblings, and it was really great for them to have a scene where they just could forget, temporarily, the gravity of their situation, their sorrows and their burdens and have a bit of awkward fun.
-Godric's Hollow with Bathilda Bagshot was also perfect. Effing scary as crap when Nagini is attacking Harry, but perfect. I legitimately screamed at one point. That scene was very frightening. No joke.
-Ron killing the Horcrux... I thought this was very well done, and very similar to the book. The only creepy part (that did happen in the book, even though people think it didn't) is when Horcrux Harry and Hermione start making out in front of Ron... the change that I didn't really like was the fact that they were... *ahem* not clothed. At all. Nothing was shown, of course, but still. Yikes.
-I was a little disappointed in Hermione's reaction to when Ron returned. She was not NEARLY angry enough. She just hit him a couple times with his bag and yelled at him. She should have kicked and punched and slapped him and just... ugh I don't know, I feel like that scene was handled better in the book.
-Ron was so cute and awkward trying to get back into Hermione's good graces. Adorable.
-The Lovegood house was awesome. The guy who plays Xenophilius was perfect for the part, and you could tell just how torn he was between helping Harry and turning him in.
-They did something very interesting for the Tale of the Deathly Hallows, which I thought, honestly, was one of the best parts of the film. When Hermione read aloud from Tales of Beadle the Bard, they had a very cool animation that illustrated the story as she read. Very, very unlike anything we've seen in these movies, but ultimately one of the awesomest additions to the movie and I absolutely approve.
-Ok. Malfoy Manor. Where to begin? The arc as a whole was soooo good. So unbelievably good, with a sprinkling of a slight disappointment and a pinch of funny and a whole slew of upsetting and shocking.
Helena Bonham Carter, as usual, plays crazy exceptionally well. Bellatrix was legit scary as crap in this scene. I love that Jason Isaacs (Lucius) was very accurate in his portrayal of the "broken man," as he himself described Lucius in an interview.
I hated the fact that when Ron and Harry were in the cellar with Luna, Ollivander and Griphook, and you could hear Hermione screaming from Bellatrix's torture, Ron hardly... did... anything. He wasn't nearly upset enough. He was just kind of standing there, shell-shocked, not yelling and pounding on the door and going mad with fear that the love of his life might die and he can't save her. Instead he stood there. And did nothing. I was not ok with that. I was also not ok with how Wormtail died. Not cool. He got a hatchet in the back thrown by Dobby... um, can you say random??
What I did like was that Bellatrix carved "Mudblood" into Hermione's arm and it was like, the most intense acting that I've seen Emma Watson do, and I was very impressed. I mean, she screamed her effing head off, and it was so believable. I started crying there too.
-Last but not least at all, probably the most important moment of the night. Dobby.
Dobby's last scenes were amazing. The way he showed up and stood his ground against Bellatrix, saved all of the people left and then... oh god, when Bellatrix threw that knife I grabbed Elizabeth's hand and I started crying right then. And I didn't stop until after Harry dug the grave. But anyway, Dobby's dying scene was beautiful and heart wrenching and so incredibly upsetting, but he knew that he had done it to save Harry Potter, and when he uttered Harry's name for the last time before dying I just lost it. It was so emotionally draining, that last scene. I couldn't handle it at all. It was just like watching a friend die before your eyes. I don't even know what I'm going to do for Part 2 when everyone that I love dies... God.
-The last scene of the film, where they make the split, is Voldemort retrieving the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb. That moment was soooo intense, and it happened right after Dobby died, so I was already crying, but when he broke into his grave and snatched the wand from Dumbledore's hand, I had this intense sense of rage that welled up inside me and I was just like, "YOU GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU $%*#@$*#% I HATE YOU SO MUCH I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL YOU DIE!" Silently, of course. But when he releases that electricity into the air I got chills and I knew instantly that this movie was a success.
So... I guess that's it. There's more, obviously, but I'm exhausted because I got 3 hours of sleep last night after the premiere (thank you 8am class after getting in bed at 3:30...), and I have a busy four days ahead of me, which you will hear all about in due time!
Thanks if you stuck with me for that whole thing and read my ramblings. I just love it so much. There are no words.
HPRT: This whole post is a Harry Potter Related Thing. Geez.
Current Book: None at the moment, but I will be starting LOTR during Christmas break, so I have that to look forward to.
Current Song: Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind from Spring Awakening
Friday, October 29, 2010
Pre-NaNoWriMo Ramblings
For the longest time I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to do NaNoWriMo this year. There were several reasons why this was, not the least of which was the fact that my semester is literally insane, therefore I was anticipating no time, I had no story ideas (or no new ones anyway, and as far as I know, you're not allowed to work on the same story two years in a row), I wanted to win and didn't know if I could commit to it this year, etc. However, after having watched this video, I realized that these were all superficial, stupid reasons. Kristina is right, there is no excuse to not do NaNoWriMo this year.
Honestly, aside from the video, the main reason I got excited about NaNoWriMo was the fact that a lot of Youtubers were telling their Twitter followers to add them as writing buddies if they were participating this year. When I saw that Luke Conard was attempting this year, I was like, Done. Finished. Of course I'm gonna do it now.
The big worry of mine, however, was the fact that I was still lacking another original story idea. I love the one that I attempted last year, but I failed so miserably last year, I just didn't want to force the issue with that one. I want to go back and work on it when I feel inspired to. Better to start fresh with a new idea. Luckily, one came to me last night in the shower.
I'm... not going to tell you what it's about, but it was based on a conversation I had with my mother. I will give you a hint: it's hopefully going to have a very John Green/Maureen Johnson/Cassondra Clare/Cinda Williams Chima feel to it. And if you've read books by any of these authors, you'll know exactly what I'm shooting for. Especially Cinda Williams Chima and Cassondra Clare. Those women are wonderful.
So we'll see. Here's my list of Wills and Won'ts for this year.
I WILL plan enough over the next couple days before it starts that I'll have a decent idea of where I want my story to go. In tandem with this:
I WILL finish watching Buffy this weekend so that I can pour my Buffy-withdrawal symptoms into writing. And so that I don't feel tempted to get distracted by watching it. xD
I WON'T fall into the trap that I fell into last year of continuously re-writing what I'd already written until it got so tedious and so late in the game that I gave up.
I WILL just write to write, just get something down on the page and not care about whether or not it's good. Re-writes can come later.
I WON'T write too much in one day.
I WILL stick to the 1,667 words a day limit.
I WON'T deny myself the ability to go over the limit if I'm feeling especially inspired.
I WILL write during the day.
I WON'T postpone it until the night. I'm far too tired this semester and I'll start falling behind.
There are probably more, but these are the ones I can come up with at the moment. I think it's a pretty good list, considering I'm no longer a rookie at this. I'm a veteran. Not a seasoned one, but one nonetheless.
Here's wishing you all a wonderful NaNoWriMo, fall season and November!
P.S. Mockingjay review blog post will be up soon. When I have time.
HPRT: Today in rep class, we were learning the choreography for our mini-pops next month, and one of the moves caused my friend Garrett to quote the part of AVPS when Lucius Malfoy comes in and does the leap across the floor. I then commenced doing that move myself. It made my day =]
Current Book: None. No time. Damn.
Current Song: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
Honestly, aside from the video, the main reason I got excited about NaNoWriMo was the fact that a lot of Youtubers were telling their Twitter followers to add them as writing buddies if they were participating this year. When I saw that Luke Conard was attempting this year, I was like, Done. Finished. Of course I'm gonna do it now.
The big worry of mine, however, was the fact that I was still lacking another original story idea. I love the one that I attempted last year, but I failed so miserably last year, I just didn't want to force the issue with that one. I want to go back and work on it when I feel inspired to. Better to start fresh with a new idea. Luckily, one came to me last night in the shower.
I'm... not going to tell you what it's about, but it was based on a conversation I had with my mother. I will give you a hint: it's hopefully going to have a very John Green/Maureen Johnson/Cassondra Clare/Cinda Williams Chima feel to it. And if you've read books by any of these authors, you'll know exactly what I'm shooting for. Especially Cinda Williams Chima and Cassondra Clare. Those women are wonderful.
So we'll see. Here's my list of Wills and Won'ts for this year.
I WILL plan enough over the next couple days before it starts that I'll have a decent idea of where I want my story to go. In tandem with this:
I WILL finish watching Buffy this weekend so that I can pour my Buffy-withdrawal symptoms into writing. And so that I don't feel tempted to get distracted by watching it. xD
I WON'T fall into the trap that I fell into last year of continuously re-writing what I'd already written until it got so tedious and so late in the game that I gave up.
I WILL just write to write, just get something down on the page and not care about whether or not it's good. Re-writes can come later.
I WON'T write too much in one day.
I WILL stick to the 1,667 words a day limit.
I WON'T deny myself the ability to go over the limit if I'm feeling especially inspired.
I WILL write during the day.
I WON'T postpone it until the night. I'm far too tired this semester and I'll start falling behind.
There are probably more, but these are the ones I can come up with at the moment. I think it's a pretty good list, considering I'm no longer a rookie at this. I'm a veteran. Not a seasoned one, but one nonetheless.
Here's wishing you all a wonderful NaNoWriMo, fall season and November!
P.S. Mockingjay review blog post will be up soon. When I have time.
HPRT: Today in rep class, we were learning the choreography for our mini-pops next month, and one of the moves caused my friend Garrett to quote the part of AVPS when Lucius Malfoy comes in and does the leap across the floor. I then commenced doing that move myself. It made my day =]
Current Book: None. No time. Damn.
Current Song: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
Friday, October 22, 2010
SETC Madness
I've been ridiculously exhausted lately, and it's really no wonder why. Some pretty stressful things have been happening back to back in a matter of days.
First thing was SETC. Last Saturday, I did my SETC screening audition for the State of Alabama. I was horribly nervous and I kind of felt left out up until I arrived on the campus of Montevallo because no one had asked me if I needed a place to stay up there or a way to get there. I ended up going with my mom, and we made it a good experience. I was ultimately really glad that she was there. She calmed me down when I was nervous and about to go up there. She was the last person I saw aside from my fellow group members when I went up to the auditorium. That really helped. She also warmed me up in the car before my group was called. I think my audition went really well too. I felt totally solid on my first song and my monologue. The second song was really strong too, but I felt that my high G could have been a bit better, but you know, there are always things we wish we could change. IN the long run, I was feeling pretty confident in my chances to get passed on to go to the conference itself, or at least make it onto the alternate list.
So that was one thing. The second thing was my second Japanese test. Which ended up being a breeze. My upcoming Oral Interview on the other hand....... I'm scared. Let's just say that.
Third thing: SETC got totally effed up. Let me explain from the beginning of this whole fiasco. They decided to do the results differently this year. Traditionally they would post the numbers of who got passed on and who was an alternate at the end of the Saturday auditions, and people would find out that way. This year they decided to automate things and make a database on their server that they would enter the information into and then it would send us the emails. Well.
Basically, they told us before the Saturday auditions started that we should expect the results on possibly Monday, more likely Tuesday. So. We waited patiently through Sunday and Monday. We waited impatiently through Tuesday. Still no word. One of the seniors called them on Tuesday asking about results, and they said that they had been locked out of their program and that they were trying to break back into it, so they hoped to have the results up by that night or early the next day.
So we wait really impatiently through Tuesday. Still nothing. It gets to be Wednesday and they are now a day late. We wait through the day and... can you guess?? Still no word!! People are getting pissed off by this point. So Thursday, yesterday, comes and there's still nothing. We finally get an email in the middle of the day saying that the database had switched up people's numbers and their scores, so they now had to sort that out and make sense of it all from the audition sheets. Ok. They might be dysfunctional and complete dumbasses, but at least we know what's going on. Or so we thought.
Apparently they have UTTERLY NO CONTROL over their own system, because at about 3:30 this morning, a whole slew of false emails were sent out to the auditioners, saying that they had or hadn't passed. Literally everyone from Auburn except for 3 people got a "not pass" email, including myself, those who got passed on last year and some of the most talented people in the department. We knew something was wrong when Bridget and Chris didn't get passed on. Completely preposterous, especially since not only was Chris's audition completely solid and hilarious, but he's already Equity and therefore has priority. So after our 8am class, Dan, the head of the department, emailed the head of the entire Theatre Conference program and asked what was going on. We then received an email forwarded by Dan saying that they're looking into it and that hopefully it will be rectified soon.
But seriously. How effed up is this place?
Now I just have to worry about my two tests and my interview next week. Ew.
But, there was one really awesome thing about this week.
I went to my second ever Wizard Rock show yesterday!! Originally it was going to be me and Kelly C, then I told Elizabeth about it and she was totally down with it, so we were all set. Then Kelly's grandpa started having serious health problems, so she pulled out. Completely understandable, but it was still sad. I know it meant a lot to her, so I agree with her choice.
But Elizabeth and I ended up leaving Auburn at 1 yesterday, only because I managed to take my Piano Skills test early, and we spent the entire ride talking HP and listening to MoM and awesome music. We totally nerded out. When we got to Decatur, I was really happy to see that the show was on the same street as the ROFLCOPTOUR stop this summer! What was not happy about it was how few people were there! In the summer (probably because it was the summer xD) there was a line out the freaking door to get in. There were probably at most at one time 20 people there to see them. But honestly, I didn't care.
I got to see The Whomping Willows, Lauren Fairweather and JFF and the Sugar Quills again!! The whole first hour or so of the show, we just stood at the merch tables talking to all of them. I got posters for Kelly and Jennie, who both gave me money to buy them posters, and bought posters for myself. We all donated to the Friends of Esther fund to raise money to help her parents pay for Esther's hospital bills. I couldn't decide what to do with the rest of my money, so I waited to decide until after the show was over.
Armoured Bearcub, Lauren and Matt's band, opened with some my favorites, "In Which Buffy Slays Edward," "We're On Fire," and "Peeing in a Bottle" among them. Then JFF played a fabulous show, as always. What I love about JFF is that even though his songs are repetitive, he's so into what he's doing, so invested in each story he tells that you can't not love him! He's so funny and energetic, and he's just a great performer. That's what really impressed me about him this summer when I saw him. It was really great to see someone so involved with the character. As an actor, that always makes me really happy =]
Lauren played next, and there was a really beautiful moment when she talked about Esther and their donation jar and then played her slower song "Art Class." I was really blown away by the emotion and the sincerity. I recorded it on my new video camera (which is beautiful btw!). Too great a moment not to capture.
Matt closed as the Whomping Willow. He was totally hysterical, as always, and the audience really got into his songs. What I was really happy about was the fact that I got to go up on "stage" with him and a couple other people and teach the crowd the dance to the Neville song!! Elizabeth, being the best friend ever that she is, recorded it for me on my camera!! He high-fived me afterward!! YAY!
Afterward, I eventually decided on Matt's Whomping Willows t-shirt, the Armoured Bearcub digital download CD, and JFF's CD with all my favorite songs on it, as well as two JFF buttons. The rest went to the donation jar. Of course.
I had some really awesome conversations with Matt and Lauren, and I gave them my Mix CD contest entry. No word yet on if they like it... I think there are only 3 entries including mine at the moment, so we'll see.
Overall, Elizabeth and I had a blast. I think she was really psyched to be at her first Wizard Rock show, even if they were bands she hadn't really listened to ever. I asked her if she enjoyed the show and she said she really liked everyone. That made me happy =]
That's all for now!
HPRT: I wore my Whomping Willows shirt today to school =]
Current Book: None, but I finished Mockingjay two weeks ago. I'll write a blog post about that later. Because I sure have a lot to say about it.
Current Song: "In Which Buffy Slays Edward" by Armoured Bearcub
First thing was SETC. Last Saturday, I did my SETC screening audition for the State of Alabama. I was horribly nervous and I kind of felt left out up until I arrived on the campus of Montevallo because no one had asked me if I needed a place to stay up there or a way to get there. I ended up going with my mom, and we made it a good experience. I was ultimately really glad that she was there. She calmed me down when I was nervous and about to go up there. She was the last person I saw aside from my fellow group members when I went up to the auditorium. That really helped. She also warmed me up in the car before my group was called. I think my audition went really well too. I felt totally solid on my first song and my monologue. The second song was really strong too, but I felt that my high G could have been a bit better, but you know, there are always things we wish we could change. IN the long run, I was feeling pretty confident in my chances to get passed on to go to the conference itself, or at least make it onto the alternate list.
So that was one thing. The second thing was my second Japanese test. Which ended up being a breeze. My upcoming Oral Interview on the other hand....... I'm scared. Let's just say that.
Third thing: SETC got totally effed up. Let me explain from the beginning of this whole fiasco. They decided to do the results differently this year. Traditionally they would post the numbers of who got passed on and who was an alternate at the end of the Saturday auditions, and people would find out that way. This year they decided to automate things and make a database on their server that they would enter the information into and then it would send us the emails. Well.
Basically, they told us before the Saturday auditions started that we should expect the results on possibly Monday, more likely Tuesday. So. We waited patiently through Sunday and Monday. We waited impatiently through Tuesday. Still no word. One of the seniors called them on Tuesday asking about results, and they said that they had been locked out of their program and that they were trying to break back into it, so they hoped to have the results up by that night or early the next day.
So we wait really impatiently through Tuesday. Still nothing. It gets to be Wednesday and they are now a day late. We wait through the day and... can you guess?? Still no word!! People are getting pissed off by this point. So Thursday, yesterday, comes and there's still nothing. We finally get an email in the middle of the day saying that the database had switched up people's numbers and their scores, so they now had to sort that out and make sense of it all from the audition sheets. Ok. They might be dysfunctional and complete dumbasses, but at least we know what's going on. Or so we thought.
Apparently they have UTTERLY NO CONTROL over their own system, because at about 3:30 this morning, a whole slew of false emails were sent out to the auditioners, saying that they had or hadn't passed. Literally everyone from Auburn except for 3 people got a "not pass" email, including myself, those who got passed on last year and some of the most talented people in the department. We knew something was wrong when Bridget and Chris didn't get passed on. Completely preposterous, especially since not only was Chris's audition completely solid and hilarious, but he's already Equity and therefore has priority. So after our 8am class, Dan, the head of the department, emailed the head of the entire Theatre Conference program and asked what was going on. We then received an email forwarded by Dan saying that they're looking into it and that hopefully it will be rectified soon.
But seriously. How effed up is this place?
Now I just have to worry about my two tests and my interview next week. Ew.
But, there was one really awesome thing about this week.
I went to my second ever Wizard Rock show yesterday!! Originally it was going to be me and Kelly C, then I told Elizabeth about it and she was totally down with it, so we were all set. Then Kelly's grandpa started having serious health problems, so she pulled out. Completely understandable, but it was still sad. I know it meant a lot to her, so I agree with her choice.
But Elizabeth and I ended up leaving Auburn at 1 yesterday, only because I managed to take my Piano Skills test early, and we spent the entire ride talking HP and listening to MoM and awesome music. We totally nerded out. When we got to Decatur, I was really happy to see that the show was on the same street as the ROFLCOPTOUR stop this summer! What was not happy about it was how few people were there! In the summer (probably because it was the summer xD) there was a line out the freaking door to get in. There were probably at most at one time 20 people there to see them. But honestly, I didn't care.
I got to see The Whomping Willows, Lauren Fairweather and JFF and the Sugar Quills again!! The whole first hour or so of the show, we just stood at the merch tables talking to all of them. I got posters for Kelly and Jennie, who both gave me money to buy them posters, and bought posters for myself. We all donated to the Friends of Esther fund to raise money to help her parents pay for Esther's hospital bills. I couldn't decide what to do with the rest of my money, so I waited to decide until after the show was over.
Armoured Bearcub, Lauren and Matt's band, opened with some my favorites, "In Which Buffy Slays Edward," "We're On Fire," and "Peeing in a Bottle" among them. Then JFF played a fabulous show, as always. What I love about JFF is that even though his songs are repetitive, he's so into what he's doing, so invested in each story he tells that you can't not love him! He's so funny and energetic, and he's just a great performer. That's what really impressed me about him this summer when I saw him. It was really great to see someone so involved with the character. As an actor, that always makes me really happy =]
Lauren played next, and there was a really beautiful moment when she talked about Esther and their donation jar and then played her slower song "Art Class." I was really blown away by the emotion and the sincerity. I recorded it on my new video camera (which is beautiful btw!). Too great a moment not to capture.
Matt closed as the Whomping Willow. He was totally hysterical, as always, and the audience really got into his songs. What I was really happy about was the fact that I got to go up on "stage" with him and a couple other people and teach the crowd the dance to the Neville song!! Elizabeth, being the best friend ever that she is, recorded it for me on my camera!! He high-fived me afterward!! YAY!
Afterward, I eventually decided on Matt's Whomping Willows t-shirt, the Armoured Bearcub digital download CD, and JFF's CD with all my favorite songs on it, as well as two JFF buttons. The rest went to the donation jar. Of course.
I had some really awesome conversations with Matt and Lauren, and I gave them my Mix CD contest entry. No word yet on if they like it... I think there are only 3 entries including mine at the moment, so we'll see.
Overall, Elizabeth and I had a blast. I think she was really psyched to be at her first Wizard Rock show, even if they were bands she hadn't really listened to ever. I asked her if she enjoyed the show and she said she really liked everyone. That made me happy =]
That's all for now!
HPRT: I wore my Whomping Willows shirt today to school =]
Current Book: None, but I finished Mockingjay two weeks ago. I'll write a blog post about that later. Because I sure have a lot to say about it.
Current Song: "In Which Buffy Slays Edward" by Armoured Bearcub
Monday, September 27, 2010
Epic Week of Awesome.
So I'm sitting in the green room in the theatre right now, having just skipped my Concepts of Science class (honestly, could that class BE any more ridiculous?) and I pulled up my facebook page. I saw that one of my notifications was my friend Kelly having written on my wall. I clicked on it. She said:
"ho.ly. crap!!!! jason, kayley, AND alex?! you're a beast!!!!!!"
So I just thought I'd address what that means in this here blog of mine. Because it's pretty damn awesome.
So, probably the first place to start is explaining who these people are. You might remember Alex Carpenter and Jason Munday from my Awesome Summer of Awesome posts. They're the ones that look like this:
Alex
Jason
SO. Onto the real information. Let's start with Jason.
So about two weekends ago, Jason posted a vlog on his Youtube channel asking for people to ask him questions, because he wanted to do a Q&A video. I just came up with a random question, posted it as a comment on that video, and forgot about it for a while.
So last Thursday, I'm hanging out with Kelly C. in her dorm, and we're watching Youtube, when we notice a Q&A video from Jason from 2 days prior, and we were both like, why didn't this show up in our subscription boxes?? So we started watching it, but her internet connection was screwy so we didn't finish. When I got home, I had time to kill before the Bones and Fringe premiers, so I went back and finished Jason's video, and moved on to the second part.
This is when things got awesome.
It was halfway through the video. (Go to 2:08) He had just answered a question about when he started playing guitar, when he then says, "TheNevilleFangirl asks..."
And as soon as he said that my heart stopped. I paused the video before he'd even finished saying what my question was, called Kelly and freaked out to her. I was like, "YOU NEED TO WATCH JASON'S SECOND VIDEO AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME!" I was crazed I was so excited.
So, I came down from that first awesome thing, settled down to watch my two favorite shows ever, and then it occurred to me that Kayley from the Five Awesome Girls loves Fringe, which I had just watched. I decided to @reply her on Twitter to ask her what she'd thought about it. She then @replied me back!! I was stupid to think that she'd already seen it because she lives on the West coast, so it hadn't aired yet, but I was still pretty excited that she'd replied to my question.
Then, Hayley from the Five Awesome Girls asked her Twitter at large for advice questions for her to answer for her 5AG video. I randomly just decided to ask her if I should do my math homework, because I was really not wanting to do it. Her video was late, so I didn't see it until the next day, but she ended up answering it in her video too! (Go to 3:22. She even pronounced my name right!)
So the weekend passes, and I was super happy about all of it. Then, Saturday, Alex posted on his Twitter that he was gonna do a Q&A video, so he wanted people to ask him questions. I thought about it for a moment, and then sent my question. I was hoping that it was unique enough for him to take notice, so I had my fingers crossed all through Sunday.
That's when I got Kelly's wall post this afternoon.
I immediately go to Youtube and watch his video. (Go to 4:25) Even though he didn't pronounce my name right (T_T), I was touched not only that he answered my question with such genuine feeling behind it, but that it was also the last question he answered. *sigh* It just makes me love him even more =]
So, yeah. That's my epic story. I am just so happy right now!!
HPRT: Darren Criss is gonna be on Glee. HOLY CRAP YES!!
Current Book: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Lean On Me- Cover by Darren Criss for his Glee Audition =]
"ho.ly. crap!!!! jason, kayley, AND alex?! you're a beast!!!!!!"
So I just thought I'd address what that means in this here blog of mine. Because it's pretty damn awesome.
So, probably the first place to start is explaining who these people are. You might remember Alex Carpenter and Jason Munday from my Awesome Summer of Awesome posts. They're the ones that look like this:
Alex
Jason
SO. Onto the real information. Let's start with Jason.
So about two weekends ago, Jason posted a vlog on his Youtube channel asking for people to ask him questions, because he wanted to do a Q&A video. I just came up with a random question, posted it as a comment on that video, and forgot about it for a while.
So last Thursday, I'm hanging out with Kelly C. in her dorm, and we're watching Youtube, when we notice a Q&A video from Jason from 2 days prior, and we were both like, why didn't this show up in our subscription boxes?? So we started watching it, but her internet connection was screwy so we didn't finish. When I got home, I had time to kill before the Bones and Fringe premiers, so I went back and finished Jason's video, and moved on to the second part.
This is when things got awesome.
It was halfway through the video. (Go to 2:08) He had just answered a question about when he started playing guitar, when he then says, "TheNevilleFangirl asks..."
And as soon as he said that my heart stopped. I paused the video before he'd even finished saying what my question was, called Kelly and freaked out to her. I was like, "YOU NEED TO WATCH JASON'S SECOND VIDEO AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME!" I was crazed I was so excited.
So, I came down from that first awesome thing, settled down to watch my two favorite shows ever, and then it occurred to me that Kayley from the Five Awesome Girls loves Fringe, which I had just watched. I decided to @reply her on Twitter to ask her what she'd thought about it. She then @replied me back!! I was stupid to think that she'd already seen it because she lives on the West coast, so it hadn't aired yet, but I was still pretty excited that she'd replied to my question.
Then, Hayley from the Five Awesome Girls asked her Twitter at large for advice questions for her to answer for her 5AG video. I randomly just decided to ask her if I should do my math homework, because I was really not wanting to do it. Her video was late, so I didn't see it until the next day, but she ended up answering it in her video too! (Go to 3:22. She even pronounced my name right!)
So the weekend passes, and I was super happy about all of it. Then, Saturday, Alex posted on his Twitter that he was gonna do a Q&A video, so he wanted people to ask him questions. I thought about it for a moment, and then sent my question. I was hoping that it was unique enough for him to take notice, so I had my fingers crossed all through Sunday.
That's when I got Kelly's wall post this afternoon.
I immediately go to Youtube and watch his video. (Go to 4:25) Even though he didn't pronounce my name right (T_T), I was touched not only that he answered my question with such genuine feeling behind it, but that it was also the last question he answered. *sigh* It just makes me love him even more =]
So, yeah. That's my epic story. I am just so happy right now!!
HPRT: Darren Criss is gonna be on Glee. HOLY CRAP YES!!
Current Book: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Lean On Me- Cover by Darren Criss for his Glee Audition =]
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Super Secret Awesome Birthday Party =]
After my family birthday, I got to hang out with a lot of my friends and we just had the best fun ever =P
Kelly D. and Jennie picked me up at little before 6, and they brought me flowers! I put them in a vase and they're currently sitting on the table. I was touched that Kelly would think of that <3 So we then headed over to the Mexican restaurant that was to be my birthday meal. We got there and the place was basically deserted because everyone was watching the Alabama v. Penn State game and I guess they were at home or somewhere else... But anyway, we almost had the entire room to ourselves. Elizabeth showed up shortly after and we showed her the Harry Potter silly bandz that Jennie had found in Atlanta two weekends ago. They were so epically awesome!! I ended up only taking the sword of Gryffindor home, but I did want the red Hedwig and Harry's glasses =] I ordered a quesadilla, and Kelly D. insisted on paying for my dinner, but I didn't order anything was super expensive sooo yeah.
After a lengthy conversation regarding the Hunger Games paraphernalia at Hot Topic with Elizabeth, I decided that we had to check it out because I'm obsessed with the Mockingjay pins/necklaces that people have. So I rode with Elizabeth over to the mall and we completely fangirled and rocked out to Ministry of Magic songs. Halfway through my favorite, Only Power Remains, I got a call from my friend Mark from New York. He called to personally wish me a Happy Birthday, and I thought that was very touching. We talked all the way until we got to the mall, whereupon entering the call was disconnected because the mall is stupid and doesn't have service. I unfortunately forgot about that so the line went dead and I was like, crap.
Hot Topic had a lot of really awesome Hunger Games stuff, including 3 tshirts, pins and necklaces, and it also had the Harry Potter 7 shirt that Elizabeth was wearing. I was like, *must have*!!! I didn't buy anything there because I was like, I don't feel like spending any more money than is absolutely necessary. I've already decided to save all my paychecks to go toward a cheap video camera for Sarah Jean, Kelly D, Kelly C and my secret project ;P
We left the mall, I texted mark to apologize, and then we headed over to the Exchange to pick up Sarah-Jean. We got into the complex and legit couldn't find any parking. There was a parking lot that had Guest written under each spot, but it was kind of confusing because they were blacked out, but you could still see the word in the light, so we decided to chance it and park there. More on that later.
We got out and walked over to Sarah-Jean's building, and as soon as we walked in, Sarah-Jean came out and was like, "SURPRISE! IT'S A PARTY!" It was pretty adorable. They had gotten me two cakes and Sarah-Jean made me a wonderful card that had drawings of Bones and Harry Potter and an ambiguous nerdfighter, all wishing me a Happy Birthday. We watched She's the Man after I met Sarah-Jean's boyfriend (FINALLY) and Elizabeth became new best friends with SJ and Emily Becker. It was hilarious to watch her talk to my friends. She found something to connect with all of them over.
After the movie was over, Sarah-Jean was like, I need to go to bed because she had rehearsal today, so we moved the party over to Jennie's apartment. Tanner joined us as soon as he got off work, and he and Elizabeth literally hit it off right away. They had the MOST ridiculous conversation about their mutual love of Zac Efron. It was... scary at times, but overall incredibly hilarious. KDav and I just sat laughing together. We then commenced a crazy intense conversation about all things Harry Potter. We talked about everything from Snape to Dumbledore's Army to Harry using Crucio... it was awesome and it reminded me why I have the friends I have. I love them all so much.
Eventually it got to be 1am and we were like, we should have left hours ago, so we disbanded. Tanner went to his truck and we headed over to the "guest" parking lot. Or so we thought. We got to the parking lot where we left the cars and, guess what? They weren't there. We went up to the Security car that was parked there and asked the old guy for the number of the towing company. Elizabeth was so pissed off when she called them and found out it would be $100 to get her car back that she had a bit of an attitude with them, and felt bad about it when she hung up. We ended up calling Jennie to ask her to drive us over to the towing company over on Opelika Rd. She's such a good friend. When we told her that she was like, "What did you expect me to do, leave you stranded in the Exchange all night??"
So we had a bit of an adventure at the towing company. Elizabeth was able to get her car back immediately because the guy with her ticket was there, but the guy with Kelly's ticket was still out making his rounds, so we literally sat there for 30 minutes waiting for him. By the time she got her car back it was almost 3 am. RIDICULOUS. But we had yet another Harry Potter conversation in Jennie's car. It was lovely. We finally all had our cars and headed home. Jennie dropped me off at home, and I went to bed at 3:30am.
Today, the Kellys came over to give me their joint present for me. It was a HUGE TUB of Red Vines, a Hershey's bar and a Mr. Goodbar. The Red Vines tub is 4 lbs. FOUR POUNDS OF THE BEST CANDY EVER MADE! I loved all the many AVPM/AVPS references the candy made. The Hershey's bar just reminded me of Ron in AVPM: "Every time I look at her I get these pains in my stomach, and I just know it's her fault, that BITCH!" xD
That's all for now =]
HPRT: Dude, there are too many to count right now.
Current Book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Freedom in Panem by Alex Carpenter
Kelly D. and Jennie picked me up at little before 6, and they brought me flowers! I put them in a vase and they're currently sitting on the table. I was touched that Kelly would think of that <3 So we then headed over to the Mexican restaurant that was to be my birthday meal. We got there and the place was basically deserted because everyone was watching the Alabama v. Penn State game and I guess they were at home or somewhere else... But anyway, we almost had the entire room to ourselves. Elizabeth showed up shortly after and we showed her the Harry Potter silly bandz that Jennie had found in Atlanta two weekends ago. They were so epically awesome!! I ended up only taking the sword of Gryffindor home, but I did want the red Hedwig and Harry's glasses =] I ordered a quesadilla, and Kelly D. insisted on paying for my dinner, but I didn't order anything was super expensive sooo yeah.
After a lengthy conversation regarding the Hunger Games paraphernalia at Hot Topic with Elizabeth, I decided that we had to check it out because I'm obsessed with the Mockingjay pins/necklaces that people have. So I rode with Elizabeth over to the mall and we completely fangirled and rocked out to Ministry of Magic songs. Halfway through my favorite, Only Power Remains, I got a call from my friend Mark from New York. He called to personally wish me a Happy Birthday, and I thought that was very touching. We talked all the way until we got to the mall, whereupon entering the call was disconnected because the mall is stupid and doesn't have service. I unfortunately forgot about that so the line went dead and I was like, crap.
Hot Topic had a lot of really awesome Hunger Games stuff, including 3 tshirts, pins and necklaces, and it also had the Harry Potter 7 shirt that Elizabeth was wearing. I was like, *must have*!!! I didn't buy anything there because I was like, I don't feel like spending any more money than is absolutely necessary. I've already decided to save all my paychecks to go toward a cheap video camera for Sarah Jean, Kelly D, Kelly C and my secret project ;P
We left the mall, I texted mark to apologize, and then we headed over to the Exchange to pick up Sarah-Jean. We got into the complex and legit couldn't find any parking. There was a parking lot that had Guest written under each spot, but it was kind of confusing because they were blacked out, but you could still see the word in the light, so we decided to chance it and park there. More on that later.
We got out and walked over to Sarah-Jean's building, and as soon as we walked in, Sarah-Jean came out and was like, "SURPRISE! IT'S A PARTY!" It was pretty adorable. They had gotten me two cakes and Sarah-Jean made me a wonderful card that had drawings of Bones and Harry Potter and an ambiguous nerdfighter, all wishing me a Happy Birthday. We watched She's the Man after I met Sarah-Jean's boyfriend (FINALLY) and Elizabeth became new best friends with SJ and Emily Becker. It was hilarious to watch her talk to my friends. She found something to connect with all of them over.
After the movie was over, Sarah-Jean was like, I need to go to bed because she had rehearsal today, so we moved the party over to Jennie's apartment. Tanner joined us as soon as he got off work, and he and Elizabeth literally hit it off right away. They had the MOST ridiculous conversation about their mutual love of Zac Efron. It was... scary at times, but overall incredibly hilarious. KDav and I just sat laughing together. We then commenced a crazy intense conversation about all things Harry Potter. We talked about everything from Snape to Dumbledore's Army to Harry using Crucio... it was awesome and it reminded me why I have the friends I have. I love them all so much.
Eventually it got to be 1am and we were like, we should have left hours ago, so we disbanded. Tanner went to his truck and we headed over to the "guest" parking lot. Or so we thought. We got to the parking lot where we left the cars and, guess what? They weren't there. We went up to the Security car that was parked there and asked the old guy for the number of the towing company. Elizabeth was so pissed off when she called them and found out it would be $100 to get her car back that she had a bit of an attitude with them, and felt bad about it when she hung up. We ended up calling Jennie to ask her to drive us over to the towing company over on Opelika Rd. She's such a good friend. When we told her that she was like, "What did you expect me to do, leave you stranded in the Exchange all night??"
So we had a bit of an adventure at the towing company. Elizabeth was able to get her car back immediately because the guy with her ticket was there, but the guy with Kelly's ticket was still out making his rounds, so we literally sat there for 30 minutes waiting for him. By the time she got her car back it was almost 3 am. RIDICULOUS. But we had yet another Harry Potter conversation in Jennie's car. It was lovely. We finally all had our cars and headed home. Jennie dropped me off at home, and I went to bed at 3:30am.
Today, the Kellys came over to give me their joint present for me. It was a HUGE TUB of Red Vines, a Hershey's bar and a Mr. Goodbar. The Red Vines tub is 4 lbs. FOUR POUNDS OF THE BEST CANDY EVER MADE! I loved all the many AVPM/AVPS references the candy made. The Hershey's bar just reminded me of Ron in AVPM: "Every time I look at her I get these pains in my stomach, and I just know it's her fault, that BITCH!" xD
That's all for now =]
HPRT: Dude, there are too many to count right now.
Current Book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Freedom in Panem by Alex Carpenter
Saturday, September 11, 2010
9/11 vs. My Birthday
Today is a tricky day. It's the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade centers and the Pentagon, and the news on every station and on every website is all about the tragedy and how we're healing as a country.
I have to agree, I think we've all coped pretty well with the fall out, despite the fact that airport security is much stricter and we've all become ridiculously paranoid of anyone who looks like they're of Arab decent and we've started protesting construction of Islamic community centers and insane pastors have threatened to burn Qu'rans all over the place and... well, I think you see my point.
The truth is, we've become ridiculous. We're unnecessarily blaming an entire, ancient religion (one that worships the same God as Christianity does, has been around for longer, and is built on peace) for the actions of extremists that do not (I repeat, DO NOT) represent the beliefs of the religion as a whole. We've spent billions of dollars invading two countries, one of which did hold the responsible parties, and one of which did not in any way have anything to do with it. We've let our fear cloud our judgment.
I have several friends who are Muslim, and I can't even begin to imagine how they felt when they heard that someone was going to burn their holy book to "send a message." Who was he supposedly sending the message to? Because it sure looked like he was sending it to everyone who lives in our country, who loves it and fights for it and believes in justice and democracy, who just happens to be Muslim. That is a crime above all crimes. He successfully alienated an entire faction of our population in his attempt to let the radicals know that we won't tolerate their behavior. Well, guess what pastor dude? We don't tolerate yours.
I've always had an issue with these problems cropping up around 9/11, because it wasn't just the day that the twin towers were destroyed, it was my 10th birthday.
Up until that year, I had always lived to look forward to the day of my birth. For me, it meant presents. And presents meant fun. And fun meant happiness. Not grief, despair, and years, perhaps centuries, of national paranoia. In that one day, all my pre-conceived notions of my natal day were smashed to little bits. It would never just be a day of happiness anymore.
This is my 9th birthday after the tragedy, and it's still happening, all over the place. I don't claim that my problems are the worst ones out there, because there are thousands of people who lost a loved one that day, and I will never, ever think that their pain is less than mine. I'm not selfish enough to think that the day is just for me. But I do think that I have a right to be happy on this day, while keeping in mind the sacrifice that those people made. Their heroism will always be with me.
What I don't like about this day is that so many people go out of their way to consistently remind us that this country has become a clusterf**k of fear mongering and powerhungry media folks just looking to cash in on the pain of others. People like Glenn Beck and that Pastor Terry Jones who incite fear in others for their own personal profit make me sick, and I hate that they use this day as a golden opportunity to do just that.
I guess I just have to learn to balance how much of this I pay attention to and how much I ignore on my birthday. I think I deserve to be a little selfish and not want to be constantly bombarded with reminders about what happened. Its not like it just goes away. I remember every other day of the year. I just want to be happy again. Like the birthdays I had before this all happened. Is that too much to ask for?
HPRT: I bought Darren Criss's EP, Human with my birthday iTunes =]
Current Book: MOCKINGJAY!!! FINALLY!!! by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Art Class by Lauren Fairweather
I have to agree, I think we've all coped pretty well with the fall out, despite the fact that airport security is much stricter and we've all become ridiculously paranoid of anyone who looks like they're of Arab decent and we've started protesting construction of Islamic community centers and insane pastors have threatened to burn Qu'rans all over the place and... well, I think you see my point.
The truth is, we've become ridiculous. We're unnecessarily blaming an entire, ancient religion (one that worships the same God as Christianity does, has been around for longer, and is built on peace) for the actions of extremists that do not (I repeat, DO NOT) represent the beliefs of the religion as a whole. We've spent billions of dollars invading two countries, one of which did hold the responsible parties, and one of which did not in any way have anything to do with it. We've let our fear cloud our judgment.
I have several friends who are Muslim, and I can't even begin to imagine how they felt when they heard that someone was going to burn their holy book to "send a message." Who was he supposedly sending the message to? Because it sure looked like he was sending it to everyone who lives in our country, who loves it and fights for it and believes in justice and democracy, who just happens to be Muslim. That is a crime above all crimes. He successfully alienated an entire faction of our population in his attempt to let the radicals know that we won't tolerate their behavior. Well, guess what pastor dude? We don't tolerate yours.
I've always had an issue with these problems cropping up around 9/11, because it wasn't just the day that the twin towers were destroyed, it was my 10th birthday.
Up until that year, I had always lived to look forward to the day of my birth. For me, it meant presents. And presents meant fun. And fun meant happiness. Not grief, despair, and years, perhaps centuries, of national paranoia. In that one day, all my pre-conceived notions of my natal day were smashed to little bits. It would never just be a day of happiness anymore.
This is my 9th birthday after the tragedy, and it's still happening, all over the place. I don't claim that my problems are the worst ones out there, because there are thousands of people who lost a loved one that day, and I will never, ever think that their pain is less than mine. I'm not selfish enough to think that the day is just for me. But I do think that I have a right to be happy on this day, while keeping in mind the sacrifice that those people made. Their heroism will always be with me.
What I don't like about this day is that so many people go out of their way to consistently remind us that this country has become a clusterf**k of fear mongering and powerhungry media folks just looking to cash in on the pain of others. People like Glenn Beck and that Pastor Terry Jones who incite fear in others for their own personal profit make me sick, and I hate that they use this day as a golden opportunity to do just that.
I guess I just have to learn to balance how much of this I pay attention to and how much I ignore on my birthday. I think I deserve to be a little selfish and not want to be constantly bombarded with reminders about what happened. Its not like it just goes away. I remember every other day of the year. I just want to be happy again. Like the birthdays I had before this all happened. Is that too much to ask for?
HPRT: I bought Darren Criss's EP, Human with my birthday iTunes =]
Current Book: MOCKINGJAY!!! FINALLY!!! by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Art Class by Lauren Fairweather
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Disappointments and ramblings.
It feels so weird not to be be blogging every day anymore. I felt like writing the first two days after BEDA ended, but resisted since I deserved a break.
In the couple days since BEDA ended, I've learned a few things. The cast lists came out for the rest of the shows this semester, and I didn't receive a part in either. I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, my semester so far has been so stressful that I'm horribly sick right now. On the other... I really want to be in a show. It's why I'm in school, it's why I'm here. I'm paying to learn how to develop my craft and I want to be able to use what I've learned so far. I need a chance.
The summerstage show was very good for that. I think I proved to the professors that I can do this, and that I'm really dedicated to it. I honestly can't imagine myself doing anything else in the future, and I haven't been able to since I was 13 years old. I'm very passionate about what I do, and I felt very, very prepared for this audition season. I think I understand why it is that I wasn't cast, but I would still like a chance to do what I love.
Anyway, I'm sitting on my couch at home, trying not to cough, and I'm watching the first Auburn football game of the season, rooting for my fellow Theatre major, who's playing. Go #63!
I had to stay home from school yesterday because of how sick I am, and Monday is Labor day, so I effectively had a 4 day weekend. Thank goodness. I needed it.
I watched so much Buffy yesterday that I finished Season 4 today. I'll start Season 5 tonight, I think, if I don't watch AVPS, which I started over again this week =P
I just felt like checking in. I'm fairly certain that I'll be writing more often on this blog in the coming months. I have a lot going on, and I'm sure that as the semester goes on I'll be needing more and more to vent/explain/ponder/just write in general.
Countdowns:
Harry Potter DH Pt 1: 76 days.
NYC Wizard Rock Festival: 77 days.
HPRT: I played "The Coolest Girl" for my mom today. I think she and I both agreed that it's fairly applicable to my life right now.
Current Book: Nothing. Still. I'm too glued to my computer.
Current Song: Only Power Remains by Ministry of Magic
In the couple days since BEDA ended, I've learned a few things. The cast lists came out for the rest of the shows this semester, and I didn't receive a part in either. I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, my semester so far has been so stressful that I'm horribly sick right now. On the other... I really want to be in a show. It's why I'm in school, it's why I'm here. I'm paying to learn how to develop my craft and I want to be able to use what I've learned so far. I need a chance.
The summerstage show was very good for that. I think I proved to the professors that I can do this, and that I'm really dedicated to it. I honestly can't imagine myself doing anything else in the future, and I haven't been able to since I was 13 years old. I'm very passionate about what I do, and I felt very, very prepared for this audition season. I think I understand why it is that I wasn't cast, but I would still like a chance to do what I love.
Anyway, I'm sitting on my couch at home, trying not to cough, and I'm watching the first Auburn football game of the season, rooting for my fellow Theatre major, who's playing. Go #63!
I had to stay home from school yesterday because of how sick I am, and Monday is Labor day, so I effectively had a 4 day weekend. Thank goodness. I needed it.
I watched so much Buffy yesterday that I finished Season 4 today. I'll start Season 5 tonight, I think, if I don't watch AVPS, which I started over again this week =P
I just felt like checking in. I'm fairly certain that I'll be writing more often on this blog in the coming months. I have a lot going on, and I'm sure that as the semester goes on I'll be needing more and more to vent/explain/ponder/just write in general.
Countdowns:
Harry Potter DH Pt 1: 76 days.
NYC Wizard Rock Festival: 77 days.
HPRT: I played "The Coolest Girl" for my mom today. I think she and I both agreed that it's fairly applicable to my life right now.
Current Book: Nothing. Still. I'm too glued to my computer.
Current Song: Only Power Remains by Ministry of Magic
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
BEDA #30: Owls?
There is literally and owl hooting outside my bedroom. It's the weirdest thing. I've never heard a legit owl hoot in my life. I think it's really cool actually =]
SO TODAY'S THE LAST DAY OF BEDA! It's surely been a crazy month. I've honestly really enjoyed writing on the blog everyday, so much that I know I'll keep up with it more often, just to check in and such. It's remarkably therapeutic at the end of the day to either do a write up of my day or talk about something that was on my mind. I'm kind of going to miss it, even if I did fail just 13 days in xD
So, true to my fashion, I'll give you a summary of my day and then maybe do something I haven't done in a while... You'll see =]
So I got up at 6:30, took Tiger Transit in to campus, was the first one in Foy so I had a nice little chat with Jeri's daughter, Jenna, and had a wonderful jazz class. We started learning a routine where we have partners and one of us mugs the other. Kelly Davino mugged me. It was great =P
Voice and Movement told me some new things about my body, but honestly, I love that class. Just learning the whacky anatomy that we have is enough to simultaneously freak me out and fascinate me.
I had my voice lesson at 12:30 for the first time, and I think I might want to switch back to my regular 3pm, provided I can get Ben to switch with Kelly instead of me. He wanted 3:30 anyway.
So I rushed from my voice lesson to the science classrooms for my lab section of Concepts of Science. I walk in... there are no lab tables. I was like, what kind of lab is this?
Interjection: So I just realized that the reason why my blog compositions have been in the HTML format was because it had accidentally been switched to the "Edit Html" tab instead of the "Compose" tab. Which I JUST FIGURED OUT! I've been suffering through not being able to change my font size or kind for a week now! *STUPID*
Back to regular programming.
So I sit down at the table, and our GTA gets started, and he's this really southern geologist guy who seems really passionate about his classes, which got my attention, and then I realized that I hadn't done half the homework.
FML.
So I felt really stupid and unprepared (because I was) and I'll tell you now, I HATE feeling unprepared. It's like, the worst feeling to me to walk into a class and not have my work done. It just makes me feel like a failure, and I'm not exaggerating about that. I feel disappointed with myself FAR more than the professor could ever make me feel. So that's how I was feeling, and I just couldn't wait to get out of there and escape the never-ending reminder that was my stupidity.
I rushed straight from there to Piano Skills, which was easy, as usual, but I love Dr. Vauth, so it makes up for it to be able to spend 2 hours with him a week. It was so cute! I was standing outside Joey's office before my voice lesson, and Dr. Vauth's office is right across the hallway, and he was in there and had his door open, and he said "Hello" to me! I was like, "OMG!" So adorable.
So I went up to the theatre office to wait for Kelly to get off work so she could take me home, when I ran into Sarah-Jean in the green room. So Sarah-Jean gave us a ride to Kelly's apartment where Kelly gave me a ride home. How lazy are we? =P
So I went over my callback music, showered, dressed, ate leftovers from last night and went back to the theatre for my Fantasticks and Machinal callbacks! I was really excited that I'd gotten a callback for both productions. Fantasticks was first, and overall I thought it went pretty well. Very strong. Except for the crazy high Cs in Round and Round. I thought my throat was going to close on me. Not good.
Machinal was short (I was called back for a pretty minor roll, but I'm ok with that. We'll see if I'm on the callback list for tomorrow, too) and I finally got home just before 9pm and now I'm exhausted and sitting here, listening to the Light and the Piazza soundtrack, typing this all for you.
I guess now I'll do the not-so-typical Madeleine portion of this post: A Myspace Survey! That's right, I'm going old school, just for you guys, in honor of my last BEDA post. Now the trick is to find one...
I stole this from Anna, who does these a lot and posts them as Notes on Facebook xD
SO TODAY'S THE LAST DAY OF BEDA! It's surely been a crazy month. I've honestly really enjoyed writing on the blog everyday, so much that I know I'll keep up with it more often, just to check in and such. It's remarkably therapeutic at the end of the day to either do a write up of my day or talk about something that was on my mind. I'm kind of going to miss it, even if I did fail just 13 days in xD
So, true to my fashion, I'll give you a summary of my day and then maybe do something I haven't done in a while... You'll see =]
So I got up at 6:30, took Tiger Transit in to campus, was the first one in Foy so I had a nice little chat with Jeri's daughter, Jenna, and had a wonderful jazz class. We started learning a routine where we have partners and one of us mugs the other. Kelly Davino mugged me. It was great =P
Voice and Movement told me some new things about my body, but honestly, I love that class. Just learning the whacky anatomy that we have is enough to simultaneously freak me out and fascinate me.
I had my voice lesson at 12:30 for the first time, and I think I might want to switch back to my regular 3pm, provided I can get Ben to switch with Kelly instead of me. He wanted 3:30 anyway.
So I rushed from my voice lesson to the science classrooms for my lab section of Concepts of Science. I walk in... there are no lab tables. I was like, what kind of lab is this?
Interjection: So I just realized that the reason why my blog compositions have been in the HTML format was because it had accidentally been switched to the "Edit Html" tab instead of the "Compose" tab. Which I JUST FIGURED OUT! I've been suffering through not being able to change my font size or kind for a week now! *STUPID*
Back to regular programming.
So I sit down at the table, and our GTA gets started, and he's this really southern geologist guy who seems really passionate about his classes, which got my attention, and then I realized that I hadn't done half the homework.
FML.
So I felt really stupid and unprepared (because I was) and I'll tell you now, I HATE feeling unprepared. It's like, the worst feeling to me to walk into a class and not have my work done. It just makes me feel like a failure, and I'm not exaggerating about that. I feel disappointed with myself FAR more than the professor could ever make me feel. So that's how I was feeling, and I just couldn't wait to get out of there and escape the never-ending reminder that was my stupidity.
I rushed straight from there to Piano Skills, which was easy, as usual, but I love Dr. Vauth, so it makes up for it to be able to spend 2 hours with him a week. It was so cute! I was standing outside Joey's office before my voice lesson, and Dr. Vauth's office is right across the hallway, and he was in there and had his door open, and he said "Hello" to me! I was like, "OMG!" So adorable.
So I went up to the theatre office to wait for Kelly to get off work so she could take me home, when I ran into Sarah-Jean in the green room. So Sarah-Jean gave us a ride to Kelly's apartment where Kelly gave me a ride home. How lazy are we? =P
So I went over my callback music, showered, dressed, ate leftovers from last night and went back to the theatre for my Fantasticks and Machinal callbacks! I was really excited that I'd gotten a callback for both productions. Fantasticks was first, and overall I thought it went pretty well. Very strong. Except for the crazy high Cs in Round and Round. I thought my throat was going to close on me. Not good.
Machinal was short (I was called back for a pretty minor roll, but I'm ok with that. We'll see if I'm on the callback list for tomorrow, too) and I finally got home just before 9pm and now I'm exhausted and sitting here, listening to the Light and the Piazza soundtrack, typing this all for you.
I guess now I'll do the not-so-typical Madeleine portion of this post: A Myspace Survey! That's right, I'm going old school, just for you guys, in honor of my last BEDA post. Now the trick is to find one...
I stole this from Anna, who does these a lot and posts them as Notes on Facebook xD
1. What time did you get up this morning?
6:30am
2. How do you like your steak?
medium rare
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Inception
4. What is your favorite TV show?
BONES! So excited for the season premier Thursday, September 23!
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I would go everywhere I want to first, then decide. I couldn't possibly know yet since the only places I've been other than the U.S. are Canada (which almost didn't count) and France.
6. What did you have for breakfast?
Cheerios
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Probably Italian. It's just so comforting and delicious. But I do love sushi, so Japanese is up there too.
8. What foods do you dislike?
brussel sprouts, yams, squash. wow that sucks, since they're all so good for you.
9. Favorite Place to Eat?
Oh goodness, everyday kind of stuff, Moe's is up there. Special occasions? I've found that Warehouse Bistro is fabulous.
10. Favorite dressing?
Caesar
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
N/A
12. What are your favorite clothes?
the ones that I feel flatter me and the ones that are comfortable.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
The list is endless. New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Norway, England... basically all Western and Eastern European countries, extending to Romania and Turkey. All the places that are visited in the book The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
full
15. Where would you want to retire?
NYC or around friends and family
16. Favorite time of day?
night
17. Where were you born?
DC baby =]
18. Bird watcher?
nope, but I have a friend who is.
19. Are you a morning person or a night person?
night
20. Pets?
Dog Gennie and cat Willy. But we just call him Cat.
21. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?
Uhh... nope, the earlier portion of this post sums it up rather nicely =]
22. What did you want to be when you were little
It changed a lot. Vet, Doctor, Dentist, Astronomer, idk, there were more.
23. What is your best childhood memory?
there are too many to choose from
24. Are you a cat or dog person?
dog
25. Are you married?
no
26. Always wear your seat belt?
always, always =]
31. Been in a car accident?
does the hood of the car flying up and crashing into the windshield count?
32. Any pet peeves?
there are a lot, but I can't think of specifics right now. My brain isn't really functioning.
33. Favorite pizza topping?
meat
34. Favorite Flower?
ohh goodness. I'll say snapdragons as an AVPS joke, but I don't actually know what they look like xD
35. Favorite ice cream?
anything chocolately, less caramely.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Wendy's
37. Apparently Anna accidentally deleted this question before reading it. So I can't answer xD
38. From whom did you get your last email?
School: My lab professor. Personal: Modcloth
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Barnes and Noble, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
... Not... yet? Hopefully something soon. We'll see.
41. Like your job?
I do. I like making things in the costume shop.
42. Broccoli?
yum
43. What was your favorite vacation?
France, by far. But ASoA was pretty much on par, if you consider that a vacation. I view it more as a trip.
44. What are you listening to right now?
AVPS
45. Do you play the Wii?
nope
46. Favorite color?
green and purple
47. How many piercings?
2
48. Coffee drinker?
Not avidly, no.
49. How many children do you have?
0, thank the Lord.
50. How many siblings do you have?
0, sadly.
I would say Till tomorrow, but it's not necessary anymore! Until next time, then! =]
HPRT: My new friend Ben and I quoted AVPS between readings at the Fantasticks callbacks. It was amazing. And I'm fairly certain we freaked a few of my friends out in the process. Even better =]
Current Book: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I
Current Song: Say It Somehow from The Light in the Piazza
Monday, August 30, 2010
BEDA #29: Intensity
Dang. The episodes of The Closer and Rizzoli and Isles tonight are INTENSE.
There's something super comforting about coming home from a really long, intense day and turning on the TV and watching shows that you really love. I've had a long standing love of Kyra Sedgwick and The Closer for a while now, and I truly believe that she deserved her Emmy (that she just won last night, btw). I just love her kick-ass, Southern charm and uncanny ability to solve crime. It gives me hope =]
Today was long, despite the fact that my 8am Ballet class was canceled. Japanese was fun, as usual. A little confusing as always, but fun. Math was... yeah.
Science was full of sciencey things, but I do like my professor. He seems reasonable and he makes funny jokes that work most of the time. And he's got this superb German accent. Adorable =]
I almost finished an apron at work today! The pocket I put on was adorable. I was very excited that my pocket turned out so welllll and it's this really cute, light yellow cotton material. I was pretty proud of myself =]
I went home after work and my daddy made tuna casserole (yum!) and then I went into school early to work on my monologues and song. Kelly and I droned on with random stuff for my video... It's a very strange video, uploading now xD
So Marge called me about 20 minutes before my first audition time because they were getting really ahead, so I ended up doing both my auditions at least 15 minutes before I'd signed up for it. Ultimately... I'm glad. I just wanted it to be over, and overall I felt like they went pretty well. I was totally solid on both my monologues. The song... didn't go as well as it had in lessons and stuff, but I still think I have a shot at Lousia. Hopefully. I'm not getting my hopes up too much. I'm now sitting at home, watching the end of Rizzoli and Isles, and waiting for the emails to go out about callbacks tomorrow and Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed!
Only one more post of BEDA! It's been a rockin month.
Till tomorrow!
HPRT: Everyone seems to post the Literal Harry Potter trailer on my wall. I love how I'm the first person people think of to show all things HP to =]
Current Book: None. Still. I'm boring.
Current Song: Much More from The Fantastiks
There's something super comforting about coming home from a really long, intense day and turning on the TV and watching shows that you really love. I've had a long standing love of Kyra Sedgwick and The Closer for a while now, and I truly believe that she deserved her Emmy (that she just won last night, btw). I just love her kick-ass, Southern charm and uncanny ability to solve crime. It gives me hope =]
Today was long, despite the fact that my 8am Ballet class was canceled. Japanese was fun, as usual. A little confusing as always, but fun. Math was... yeah.
Science was full of sciencey things, but I do like my professor. He seems reasonable and he makes funny jokes that work most of the time. And he's got this superb German accent. Adorable =]
I almost finished an apron at work today! The pocket I put on was adorable. I was very excited that my pocket turned out so welllll and it's this really cute, light yellow cotton material. I was pretty proud of myself =]
I went home after work and my daddy made tuna casserole (yum!) and then I went into school early to work on my monologues and song. Kelly and I droned on with random stuff for my video... It's a very strange video, uploading now xD
So Marge called me about 20 minutes before my first audition time because they were getting really ahead, so I ended up doing both my auditions at least 15 minutes before I'd signed up for it. Ultimately... I'm glad. I just wanted it to be over, and overall I felt like they went pretty well. I was totally solid on both my monologues. The song... didn't go as well as it had in lessons and stuff, but I still think I have a shot at Lousia. Hopefully. I'm not getting my hopes up too much. I'm now sitting at home, watching the end of Rizzoli and Isles, and waiting for the emails to go out about callbacks tomorrow and Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed!
Only one more post of BEDA! It's been a rockin month.
Till tomorrow!
HPRT: Everyone seems to post the Literal Harry Potter trailer on my wall. I love how I'm the first person people think of to show all things HP to =]
Current Book: None. Still. I'm boring.
Current Song: Much More from The Fantastiks
Sunday, August 29, 2010
BEDA #28: The Emmy's *spoilers*
I'm just sitting on my couch watching the Emmy's right now. I'm kinda pissed about the fact that Lost didn't win for ANYTHING it was nominated for. For starters, I'm sorry, that guy from Breaking Bad has already won the Emmy 3 times. Matthew Fox deserved it sooo much more. Second, I understand that both Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson have won Supporting Actor before, but once again, Breaking Bad beat both them out when that show is still on the air, and Lost is over. For good. WHY???
It just made me extremely sad. But Clare Danes is on right now, so I can live with that. I kind of love her. AND Jane Lynch won for Glee. So deserved it's not even funny.
I spent all day doing homework and memorizing monologues. My Fantastiks audition is pretty solid, but I'm having some issues with my Machinal monologue. Maybe it's because it's so much longer, or that it's heightened text, I don't know. I know the lines, it's just the order. That and the flow of some of the lines as well. It's a little frustrating.
Interjection: Jewel's song for the In Memorium portion of the Emmys was beautiful. I still can't believe that Rue McClanahan is gone. Crimes.
Anyways, auditions are tomorrow, and I'm slightly nervous. I really want to get in a show this semester, but at the same time I'm completely swamped with my 18 credit hour schedule. I don't think I'm ever going to do another 18 hr schedule ever again. No more. It's already ridiculously stressful.
So. Auditions. Right. I'm excited for the shows this semester. I have a feeling that a lot of my friends will be in shows this year, and I want to see them shine and have their moments. Sarah-Jean is already ripping it up in The Birthday Party, and I'm super excited to see how that one turns out.
Another big deal this semester is the SETC screening in October. I don't for sure know what I'm doing, but I think I'll be doing a 1 minute song, 30 sec. monologue. Singing is truly my strength, and I hope that some production companies see that. We can only hope! *fingerscrossed*
A really fun development over Thanksgiving break has occurred recently. Nothing is permanent or certain, but there is a very good chance that Jennie, Kelly C and I will be going to the New York City Wizard Rock Festival in Brooklyn on November 21st!! We'd be going up just for the weekend, since the event itself is on a Sunday, and hopefully we'd be getting home the next day on the Monday of Thanksgiving break. No telling, but it's looking good, and we're all ridiculously excited and anxious for it to happen.
Interjection: CLARE DANES JUST WON! YAY!
So that's what's going on at the moment... We'll see how things unfold this week and in the weeks to come.
Till tomorrow!
HPRT: I made it so that my laptop background is changing pictures of my ASoA trip. Hooray for high-def images of Darren Criss, the Joe(y)'s, and wizard rockers galore. Hopefully I'll be getting legit videos and pics of them on stage in a few months time!
Current Book: The Sciences (I hate Concepts homework)
Current Song: Looking For Trouble by The Remus Lupins
It just made me extremely sad. But Clare Danes is on right now, so I can live with that. I kind of love her. AND Jane Lynch won for Glee. So deserved it's not even funny.
I spent all day doing homework and memorizing monologues. My Fantastiks audition is pretty solid, but I'm having some issues with my Machinal monologue. Maybe it's because it's so much longer, or that it's heightened text, I don't know. I know the lines, it's just the order. That and the flow of some of the lines as well. It's a little frustrating.
Interjection: Jewel's song for the In Memorium portion of the Emmys was beautiful. I still can't believe that Rue McClanahan is gone. Crimes.
Anyways, auditions are tomorrow, and I'm slightly nervous. I really want to get in a show this semester, but at the same time I'm completely swamped with my 18 credit hour schedule. I don't think I'm ever going to do another 18 hr schedule ever again. No more. It's already ridiculously stressful.
So. Auditions. Right. I'm excited for the shows this semester. I have a feeling that a lot of my friends will be in shows this year, and I want to see them shine and have their moments. Sarah-Jean is already ripping it up in The Birthday Party, and I'm super excited to see how that one turns out.
Another big deal this semester is the SETC screening in October. I don't for sure know what I'm doing, but I think I'll be doing a 1 minute song, 30 sec. monologue. Singing is truly my strength, and I hope that some production companies see that. We can only hope! *fingerscrossed*
A really fun development over Thanksgiving break has occurred recently. Nothing is permanent or certain, but there is a very good chance that Jennie, Kelly C and I will be going to the New York City Wizard Rock Festival in Brooklyn on November 21st!! We'd be going up just for the weekend, since the event itself is on a Sunday, and hopefully we'd be getting home the next day on the Monday of Thanksgiving break. No telling, but it's looking good, and we're all ridiculously excited and anxious for it to happen.
Interjection: CLARE DANES JUST WON! YAY!
So that's what's going on at the moment... We'll see how things unfold this week and in the weeks to come.
Till tomorrow!
HPRT: I made it so that my laptop background is changing pictures of my ASoA trip. Hooray for high-def images of Darren Criss, the Joe(y)'s, and wizard rockers galore. Hopefully I'll be getting legit videos and pics of them on stage in a few months time!
Current Book: The Sciences (I hate Concepts homework)
Current Song: Looking For Trouble by The Remus Lupins
Saturday, August 28, 2010
BEDA #27: The end draws nigh...
Not of anything drastically important, of course. I was just being dramatic =P
The end of BEDA is approaching, and all in all I think I've done a pretty decent job of documenting my days through this wonderful month of August. It's been hot as hell, humid, muggy, gross, buggy... but it's also been the start of some new adventures that I'm honestly pretty excited about.
I'm a sophomore now, which in itself is a strange concept to entertain, but what's even weirder is that we're not the new kids on the block anymore. There are new, fresh faces, who I can't wait to get to know, and I came back to campus for a new year actually knowing wonderful, talented individuals whom I've come to love and adore. I'm taking totally new classes, some of which are boring as all get out, but others that interest and challenge me in ways that I've never encountered in my life. I guess that's the thing about college. You have the best times of your life entwined with the most boring/frightening/stupid/painful times, too. And honestly, I'm so happy to be where I am with the people that I'm with.
Last night was the theatre 80s party. Just look at this picture for an example of how much fun we had. That's Jennie on the left, Sarah-Jean in the middle, and of course me on the right. Fun times =]
Till tomorrow!
HPRT: Last night, before the party, I printed off a whole bunch of pictures from this summer on Jennie's new photo printer. I got ones of me and Alex Carpenter, Jason Munday, Darren Criss, Joey Richter, Joe Walker and Mark Jennings =]
Current Book: none. I don't have time to read. That's actually a lie, I'm just watching Buffy instead.
Current Song: Days of Summer from A Very Potter Sequel
The end of BEDA is approaching, and all in all I think I've done a pretty decent job of documenting my days through this wonderful month of August. It's been hot as hell, humid, muggy, gross, buggy... but it's also been the start of some new adventures that I'm honestly pretty excited about.
I'm a sophomore now, which in itself is a strange concept to entertain, but what's even weirder is that we're not the new kids on the block anymore. There are new, fresh faces, who I can't wait to get to know, and I came back to campus for a new year actually knowing wonderful, talented individuals whom I've come to love and adore. I'm taking totally new classes, some of which are boring as all get out, but others that interest and challenge me in ways that I've never encountered in my life. I guess that's the thing about college. You have the best times of your life entwined with the most boring/frightening/stupid/painful times, too. And honestly, I'm so happy to be where I am with the people that I'm with.
Last night was the theatre 80s party. Just look at this picture for an example of how much fun we had. That's Jennie on the left, Sarah-Jean in the middle, and of course me on the right. Fun times =]
Till tomorrow!
HPRT: Last night, before the party, I printed off a whole bunch of pictures from this summer on Jennie's new photo printer. I got ones of me and Alex Carpenter, Jason Munday, Darren Criss, Joey Richter, Joe Walker and Mark Jennings =]
Current Book: none. I don't have time to read. That's actually a lie, I'm just watching Buffy instead.
Current Song: Days of Summer from A Very Potter Sequel
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