Audition Purgatory: Day #10

So things were going pretty well, just kind of dull. And full of work for exams. Life just going on.

And then we got an email today saying the cast list will be posted by 5pm.

I know, I know. You probably figure I'm excited, right?

Not really.

I kind of want to stay in my purgatory, this limbo of not knowing. Weird, isn't it? But there's a part of me that just really doesn't want to know.

I don't think I'm getting a part. I think I'm going to be a chorus member in Guys and Dolls, and that's if I'm lucky. I just don't have a good feeling about these results. Besides, I would rather resign myself to nothing and be pleasantly surprised later than to get my hopes way too high and be crushed later on.

I just don't think I'm going to get anything. Chalk it up as a victim of theater-department politics. Sure, i would dearly love to Adelaide, or Miriam, or even General Cartwright, at this point, but I don't think I'm getting anything.

The cast list is coming out at 5pm today, so I'll post later. And in the meantime, I'm going to celebrate that this is the last time I have to sit next to the girl who smells funny in World Lit I or the hacky-sack team of frat boys in Marriage and the Christian Home!

Eight things...distractions are the best!!

So Lora tagged me for this...so yay! This is a lot more fun than working on my stupid dramaturgy project...

eight things I am looking forward to

1. Thursday, because the cast list should be out!
2. Thursday, because it's Dead Day!
3. Thursday, because I get to see my Captain Marvel!
4. Going back to my hood...aka Disney
5. Getting married in March
6. Exams being over with!
7. Moving out of the dorms
8. My baby sister's graduation

eight things I did yesterday

1. Went to church (and ooh'd and ahh'd over the babies!)
2. Ate lunch with my family at Ted's Montana Grill
3. Took a nap
4. Drove!
5. Made butterscotch cupcakes with homemade cooked caramel frosting
6. Squabbled and made up with Captain Marvel (seriously...our squabbles only last for a few minutes!)
7. Sat through a boring meeting about dorm procedures
8. watched Hatching Pete on Disney Channel with my mum and my sister

eight things I wish I could do

1. Sing with my head voice. I can belt...but I used to be able to sing really high, and now I can't.
2. Magically lose weight.
3. Magically grow my hair super long (remember those dolls from the '80s, where you twist a knob and her hair would grow or shorten? Yeah, I wanna be one of those)
4. Be married. Now. Yes. I'm done with being engaged!
5. Draw, write, and play the piano without pain.
6. Speak fluent French (I was so close...then I stopped studying!)
7. Get my book published...and make it more famous than stupid ol' Twilight. Beatrice could beat Bella senseless in mere moments. Not even kidding.
8. Convince Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko to not only start the next series of Avatar NOW, but also to cast me in it. Life would be sweet.

eight shows I watch on TV

1. Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?
2. CSI: Las Vegas
3. CSI: New York
4. 18 Kids and Counting (that family scares me so much!!!! why do I even watch it?!?!)
5. Futurama
6. Robot Chicken
7. Friends
8. Family Guy

eight people I tag

Um...anyone who wants to do it!!

Musical Monday #14: Movie Music (and Audition Purgatory: Day #8)

My parents were super super super strict when I was a kid, so I didn't see The Little Mermaid until I was fifteen (although I promptly became obsessed). But there's one part of the movie that ALWAYS gives me chills...the last part of the reprise of "Part of Your World" with the waves crashing on the rocks. So here it is!



In other news, still nothing on the cast list. We've been told the list will be posted by Thursday or Friday...but really, this suffering has gone on long enough!

Audition Purgatory: Day #7 (but no #6!)

This is the last time I talk about callbacks, I swear!

Callbacks for Beau Jest were on Friday night. My little sister was in her last high school show, a one-act called Check Please, at 6pm. Callbacks were at 6:30. Luckily, I just had to run through a parking lot to get there on time, so I was able to do both.

Deb is directing Beau Jest, which means one thing when she does callbacks: improv! We did scene add-ons, which was fun, and then some partner improv scenes. The best one was Matthew and Ashley. Their setup was that they were father and daughter, and she had scratched his car. It was hilarious, but the best line was Matthew shouting "No more xylophone lessons for you!" I did an improv scene with Ashley, but I wasn't that funny.

The readings went pretty well. I did all right, but I wasn't stellar. I honestly don't know how this is going to work out. Pretty much everyone who was called back for Beau Jest was called back for Guys and Dolls, too, so it's probably going to come down to scheduling. Especially since I found out that rehearsals for Beau Jest start on August 10...while I'm still in Disney. That, combined with the fact that I think Deb really wants Ashley to play Sarah, might put me in Guys and Dolls instead. But who knows? They might just have me come in a week late for rehearsals.

I don't know. And I won't know until Thursday or Friday. Gah. Now it's time to talk about other things.

The second callbacks for Guys and Dolls were over, my allergies hit full-force. Not even kidding. It's so bad I can't even wear my contacts. And for some reason, I've been getting cricks in my neck every night too. This is not a fun time.

And then last night was the middle school Girls Night Out at church. I helped out and orchestrated one of the games: dress-up improve. I brought in almost all of the costumes I own... about thirty or so!! It was a great time. But I'm so tired. So, so, so tired. Makes me feel old.

So yeah. Now it's exams week. Then, once exams are over, I move back home. Then, a week and a half later, I move to Orlando.

When will I get a break?! Probably never!

Audition Purgatory: Day #5 (where did #4 go?)

Guys and Dolls callbacks were last night. I made a hot blue dress, did my makeup all fancy-like, and put on a pair of heels. I didn't really know what I was getting into. I mean, I went in auditions thinking I was a shoo-in for a callback, then dropped to nothing, then became the underdog. Mike had practically already cast me as General Cartwright, after all. I expected to read several times for the general, and then have one chance to do an Adelaide, and that would be all.

I figured this out based on the callbacks for Barefoot in the Park. Everyone sat in the theater while Mike would say "I want this person for Paul and that person for Corie," and they would read, and so much time would be spent on certain people that other people, like me, wouldn't get much time at all. I only read once, and when callbacks ended, I already knew I didn't have the part.

However, last night I was shocked and ecstatic to find that I was getting an absolutely fair chance.

There was a complete schedule written out. Every 30 minutes, one group of auditioners- say, the Skys and Sarahs- would come out and perform, while the Nathans and Adelaides would practice in the back. Then we would switch. Everyone was already paired up, and everyone got a fair chance. I have never felt so grateful in all my born days.

The General Cartwright scene was up first, because that didn't have a song and didn't require any rehearsal time. There was one other girl up for the part, so she read first, and she was absolutely hilarious! Then I read...and while I was good, I could tell that I wasn't nailing it like Anna, and I wasn't what Mike was expecting. I didn't feel comfortable with the part, either. It felt like I was playing Helga in Night Watch again, only funny, and I couldn't get the funny to blend with the character.

Then I did the Adelaide scene and the song "Sue Me" with Sawyer- which was great, because I had practiced with him beforehand. Sawyer had already done the scene with Shannon, so Mike had him play it differently. This time, Sawyer played Nathan like a big, dumb gorilla, and I just ran with it. I tried a couple of things, like fiddling with his bow tie, and carrying this loud polka dot clutch. We got some laughs, and I know I sang well, but honestly, I can't tell you much else that happened. I just lost myself in the character and played the scene. And that makes me happy. I haven't been able to let go of myself while acting since Brittany got here. Whenever I was in a scene with her in class, or auditioning in her group, all I could think about was "What does Brittany think of this? Does Brittany think I'm a good actress? Am I beating Brittany yet?". Then once Brittany left, it became, "Is Deb impressed? Is Doc impressed? Is Vali impressed? Am I doing this right?"

The truth is, acting should never be about what some other person wants. It should be what feels right to you. If you focus only on truthful onstage, it'll translate to the audience.

Later I got to sing the first 20 bars of "Adelaide's Lament." I kind of screwed myself over on this part...because I learned it in a different key. But I still sounded good (other than jumping in and out of the two different keys). And I took a big risk. I heard the other girls sounding out their words- during the song, Adelaide's reading out of a medical textbook, and she's not that bright, so words come out like "bas-ic-al-ly" and "resp-ir-a-tor-y". And I looked down at the page and thought, "You know, 'psychosomatic' has a 'p' in it." I debated wildly and internally for a while- should I do it? Is it too bold a choice? Is it stupid?

I went for it. I just belted out "Wiiiiith p-syco-so-mat-ic symptoms difficult to endure." And for a sickening second, it was silent. Oh, crap, I thought, I'm an idiot. And then everyone cracked up. Even Mike the Almighty Director cracked up. And when I sat down, Shannon turned around and said "That was hysterical! I wish I thought of that!".

Needless to say, my poor bruised little ego felt miles better.

We finished out the night with posing. MTAD called people up and said "Okay, you're this character and you're that character...now pose like you're on a show poster." He would try a couple of things, then call up another group.

For my first pose, I grabbed Matthew (he was Nathan at the moment) by the tie and kicked one leg up behind me. The second was not that exciting; I did a "talk to the hand" with a longsuffering expression. The third...well, the third started out as a basic hand on the hip with one finger beckoning. I didn't get a reaction for that, so I made it a "hey, you better do as I say" face. There were some polite chuckles for that. Then I made it a puppy-dog-pout. That got some laughter- not only from Mike, but also from Mindy and the music director.

All in all, it was a good audition. I feel good about it. This was the first time in a long time that I wasn't completely panicky. I actually didn't feel nervous at all. This was the chance I had been waiting for, the chance to show what I can do, and I got it. If I get the part, great. If not, so be it. I at least got my chance.

Audition Purgatory: Day #3 Part II: A saga of much emotion

So sometime after 9am, the callbacks list came out. Courtney told me.

I was called back for General Cartwright in Guys and Dolls and Miriam in Beau Jest.

Not Adelaide.

I was devastated.

I sat down and stared blankly at my phone (I've been using the internetz on my phone...sorry, Mum...) and just dry-heaved for a while. Not only was I not called back for Adelaide, but the three girls who were have all had lots of leads here- I mean, seriously. Between the three of them, ten or so leads. And then there's me: the theater major, the scholarship student, the belter. Am I called back? No.

But you see, this is where my resolve formed. It's my last semester, right? My last round of auditions. I'm never going to audition for these people again. And my mother always taught me that it never hurts to ask.

So I tied my wet hair in a ponytail, grabbed up my keys, and marched over to Mike's office.

My resolve faltered for a while, because I ran into Lucas. He's a good friend, and a sweet guy, and when he asked me what was wrong, the waterworks started up. And then they started up again when Deb came in, and I got a little hysterical, and she was like, "Seriously, go talk to Mike. I called you back for Beau Jest." (She didn't say it like that, but you get the picture.)

So I walked the walk of the damned...I mean, down the hallway...to Mike's office. And his wife and his youngest son were there. I actually felt better having them there, because I felt like Mike would be a ton less likely to give me bullcrap with Mindy in the room. And right then and there I told him, "Please give me a callback. Please give me a chance. I can play this part."

And he said, "Take this pen and write your name on the page. You have a callback for Adelaide."

It took everything in me not to scream and dance for joy. Seriously. You have no idea how amazed and grateful and joyful I am right now. This is my chance.

Mike told me that I wasn't initially called back because he saw me as a perfect General Cartwright. Which translates as "that character fit the box he put me in, and he had pretty much already cast me." And while it's great to get cast at all, I know I can play Adelaide. I can sing all of her songs. I can do her voice. I understand her character. I can belt up to an E, for heaven's sake. And he doesn't know that.

Mike told me flat out, "You're fighting an uphill battle." Which translates as "you're probably not going to get the part." And if, at the end of the day, I am cast as General Cartwright in Guys and Dolls and Miriam in Beau Jest, so be it. It'll be fantastic. I'll work hard and I'll do a great job. Because screw it, I'm talented. I can play those parts.

But I have a chance, a slim fighting chance, to play a part that I was born for. I CAN PLAY THIS PART. I can bring something new to the table. I mean, the Lipscomb audiences have seen Shannon, they've seen Ashley, they've seen Courtney. They're nothing new. Sure, they're great, for the most part, but no one has seen me. No one has truly seen what I can do. For all that's holy, Mike has never seen what I really, truly can do. He put me in this box without knowing what I'm capable of. And besides, these girls have gotten their times to shine. And for Shannon and Courtney, they'll have more time. For me, this is my final opportunity to show everyone, once and for all, that dammit, I am a good actress.

So on Thursday night, at seven o'clock, I am going to saunter into the theater like I own the place. I am going to be completely prepared for whatever scene or song Mike asks me to perform. I will be confident and brassy and saucy and spunky. And I will do my absolute best.

And who knows? Maybe I'll be Adelaide. Maybe I'll be Miriam. Maybe I'll be General Cartwright. Maybe I'll be Adelaide's understudy.

All I want is a chance. And I don't care if it's an uphill battle for a .00001% chance that I'll get the part. It's still a chance, right?

Audition Purgatory: Day #3

That's right. Day #3. We skipped day #2 and went right to day #2. Why? Because the callbacks list STILL HAS NOT BEEN POSTED.

It makes sense that it wasn't posted the night of callbacks. They did run awful late. I could understand them not posting the list yesterday morning; it might have been too early. But when 11pm rolled around, and still NOTHING, I got a little peeved.

Well, more just stressed out. But still. EmoooooOOOOooootions!

I am expecting the callbacks list to come out either between 8-10 am or 5pm today. The first guess because that's when Mike's office hours are, and the second because that's when classes are officially over for the day. They just HAVE TO COME OUT TODAY.

Why am I so vehement, you ask? Am I just whining because I want to know what I was called back for, and if I was called back?

(Well, yeah.)

But it's also because the callbacks for Beau Jest are TOMORROW! Yeah, that's right. Tomorrow. A group of people are showing up for a callback audition tomorrow, and no one knows who they are.

I have a strong suspicion that it's because not enough people tried out. Don't get me wrong, there were about thirty or forty people, but you have to take into consideration that:

#1: Mike the Almighty Director does not want to doublecast the two shows.

#2: There are only four female leads and about a dozen male leads between the two shows. I don't think there were enough guys who auditioned who can fit into the parts...and that's without casting anyone in the chorus.

#3: A lot of people just want to be in the chorus of Guys and Dolls. They don't want to be a lead, and they definitely don't want to be in a straight play. (I know, I know. "As opposed to a gay play, lawlz." It just means it doesn't have music. Moving on...)

Becca thinks Shannon will get the part of Adelaide. If that happens, I am going to speak out. Shannon is a nice girl and very talented, but she just played Corie in Barefoot, and she was dance captain for Joseph, and she played Lina Lamont in Singing in the Rain at ACU. She is also the only student in the department who came from ACU with Mike, and she's really good friends with Mike and his family, and so if he casts her in yet another lead, that is FAVORITISM, my friends.

But at the same time, I heard she started being a diva during Barefoot, and MTAD noticed, so maybe that means she won't be cast as Adelaide.

I also heard that MTAD was planning on casting Sarah King as Sarah Brown, which I was actually guessing myself, because she's gorgeous, an amazing singer, and the sweetest girl ever, but she's going to be in Vienna. See what I mean about knowing what actors were actually going to audition?

So yeah. Angst reigns right now.

Audition Purgatory: Day #1, Part II

So I had my general audition about three and a half hours ago.

Now it's time to freak out, because it's out of my hands.

I had a rockin' new outfit, a snazzy headshot, and a full resume, plus I had both of my pieces memorized. I strolled in, beamed at Mike, Deb, and the mysterious new music director, and said, "Hi, I'm Caitlin. What do you want me to do first?"

Initial mistake. I should have just launched into a piece. But no. Mike the Almighty Director just blinked and said, "Uh, whatever piece you have the most prepared." So I burst into singing my sixteen bars.

Second mistake. I should have introduced that before bursting into song like this was High School Musical. I realized that while I was singing, so the second I stopped I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I should've introduced that. That was 'I Can't Say No," from Oklahoma!".

They laughed and said they figured as much, then MTAD nodded at me to continue. So I said, in a shy little baby voice, "Um, my monologue is from 'Summer in the City,' by Barbara Kahn."

Luckily, I've been practicing my monologue for the past several weeks and I can do it in my sleep, so I think I did all right. Except no one laughed during it. MTAD kind of chuckled at the end and said thanks, and I left.

Then as I was leaving, Deb said, "On your audition form, it says you're willing to dye your hair. What color?"

And I just kind of shrugged and smiled sweetly and said, "Whatever is needed."

Last mistake.

I SHOULD HAVE SAID BLONDE.

REALLY, I SHOULD HAVE.

I SHOULD HAVE SAID, "WHY YES, AS ADELAIDE IS TRADITIONALLY A BLONDE, I AM WILLING TO DYE MY HAIR WHATEVER SHADE OF BLONDE YOU SO DESIRE. JUST PLEASE CAST ME AS ADELAIDE. I AM DESPERATE."

Okay, so maybe it's okay that I left it vague rather than spewing my emotional guts all over the stage. But still.

Now I'm just praying for a callback. Hopefully MTAD will send out the email soon. And when I mean "hopefully soon," that translates into "within the next hour."

I mean, auditions ended precisely ninteen minutes ago. How long should it take them to assemble a list of people to call back and send it over the internetz?

In my world, callbacks would be out by now.

Then again, in my world, I would have the paaart....

(By the way, I just want to share my marvelous headshot with you. I look so intense!!)


(By the way again, that headshot was difficult to procure. We went to Walgreens, Wolf Camera [which is now closed, by the way], CVS [well, Shannon went to CVS], and finally Kinko's before we could print them. Then, when we printed them, it broke on Erin's and we had to get a clerk to fix it. But not only did they get printed, I made it in time for my 3pm voice lesson! Tada!!)

Muffin Topple Monday #3 (and Audition Purgatory Day #1!)

So last week was awesome. Not even kidding. Lost five pounds, lost some inches...it was epic.

This week?

Nothin'.

That's right.

Nothin'.

At the same time, I'm okay with that. I would rather not lose anything than gain something. I am the first to admit that I was not as dedicated this week as I was last week. I skipped two days of Jillian (I hope she doesn't track me down and kick me in the face) and I ate bread. A lot of bread.

I was bemoaning this to Kat over sushi on Friday night when she very sweetly pointed out, "But it's show week." And I snapped my fingers and rejoiced, for yea and verily, the first commandment of theater (at least for me) is "Do not think about anything except thine show, for thine show is thy passion and thy greatest concern." Which, when translated, means "Just make sure you're eating, all right? It doesn't matter what it is."

I had four performances of the Three Little Pigs show this past week, and even though it's just a 30-minute pop culture retelling of the fable, it's still enough to keep me from thinking about anything else.

And anyways, I'm probably not going to eat all week. You see, today begins what I not-so-affectionately call "audition purgatory." Here's how it works:

Tonight at 6:50- General auditions. A one-minute monologue (from Summer in the City by Barbara Kaufman) and 16 bars of a song ("I Can't Say No" from Oklahoma!), plus a headshot and resume.

Sometime tonight or tomorrow: The callbacks lists are posted.

Wednesday: Madcap preparations for aforementioned callbacks

Thursday at 7pm: Callbacks for Beau Jest. These will be cold readings from various scenes. Luckily, I bought the script a couple of weeks ago, so I'm familiar with it in case I get called back.

Friday at 7pm: Callbacks for Guys and Dolls. First it's individual singing and acting callbacks for particular characters, then a general dance call.

Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc...: At some point the cast list will be posted!

You see what I mean about purgatory? Yeah. It's crazy. And not the good kind of "woohoo, let's have fun!" crazy. This is the bad, "I'm so anxious I can barely function" kind of crazy.

I always set myself up for disappointment with auditioning. My hopes always soar so high...and invariably I am crushed. It's been a year since I've auditioned and gotten a part that I wanted...and even then, it was my second-choice part. This time around I really, really, really want to play Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. All I can do is do my best and pray fervently that I'm the kind of Adelaide that Mike is looking for.

And if not, I'm going to be a hot mess for a while.

Actually, I'll be a hot mess until the cast list is posted. Then I will either be screaming, wailing, and mad dancing for joy, or locking myself in my room for hours on end with the lights off, weeping copiously while eating Cherry Garcia and consoling myself with the idea that "I did my best, I diiiiiid my beeeeest." (That's for all the Dane Cook fans out there.)

What was I talking about?

Oh, yeah, Muffin Topple.

Here's my stats at the moment.

Weight
Heaviest: 161
Starting: 150 (I had it written down wrong last week...it really was 150)
Current: 145
Muffin Topple weight lost: 5 pounds
Total weight lost: 16 pounds

BMI
Heaviest: 31.4
Starting: 29.3
Current: 28.3
Muffin Topple points lost: 1
Total points lost: 3.1

Inches Lost (from bust, waist, hips, upper arm, and thigh total):
Starting: 17"
Current: 20.25"
Total inches lost: 3.25"

My next goals are:
140 pounds
23" lost
27 BMI

Stay tuned for more audition whining...if you can!

Musical Monday #13: Back to school! (it's a three-song-bonanza!)

I have to preface this by saying I went to three different high schools. I went to the same school from first grade until ninth grade, but we moved over Christmas break from Lexington, Kentucky, to Independence, Kentucky (right outside Florence). So I went from a tiny school with about fifteen people in my grade to a larger school with fifty-three people in my grade. Then we moved again, two weeks before senior year started, from Independence, Kentucky, to Nashville, Tennessee. And then that school had about 128 people in my grade, which is still comparatively small, but for me, it was massive. Crazy. And I did not enjoy any of the transfers, but it all worked out in the end.

In any case, there are two songs that remind me of high school. This first one should make Kat giggle. (You know, you really should comment. Just sayin'. :) ) I was the Farmer's Wife and an ensemble member in The Music Man- the Litttlest Pick-A-Little, to be precise. And every day, the director made us work out. And I mean work out- running, pushups, crunches...everything. It was hardcore, man. And every day, we would dance. One of the crucial numbers is the Shipoopi, which I display for you now:



We did pratically the same dance, but the Fehrmanator (the director) focused on two steps in particular: the step-slide, step-slide, step-step-step; and the hop-touch. So she found another song that used the same rhythms, and we danced to it at least once a day (usually 2 or 3 times) for several months.



I can't hear this song now without breaking into dance!!

And now for the THIRD song of this bonanza!

After going to three schools, I got over striving to "be popular" real quick. I mean, you can be popular...and then the carpet gets ripped out from under you and before you know it you're at a new school where no one knows you and you're at the bottom of the ladder again. It's just not worth. The most valuable thing I learned in high school is to relax, to be my own lively and friendly self, to not take things too seriously, and care more about making a handful of solid friends rather than being popular. And do you know what? In my own circles, I did feel popular.

So when I think of the craziness of all that is high school popularity and how I happily avoided it, I turn to this song.

(Also, I love Bowling for Soup. I wanted to find the original video, but embedding was disabled. So this is from Ouran High School Host Club, one of my FAVORITEST animes of all time, and I highly recommend it. Also also, I most definitely did not make this video. The person who did is fantastically more talented!)

Life is looking up...

So the one part of the wedding planning where P and I hit a roadblock was our location. We have our church for free, but the guy in charge of renting it out is vehemently adamant that the layout of the great hall CANNOT be changed on a Saturday night. Even though I can bring in my own team of guys to set stuff up and take it down, apparently they won't let us. And despite my FMIL's heavy hinting, I refuse to have the reception in the lobby. It's ugly and dreary and gray and has the weirdest layout of anything I've ever seen. It is a wedding fail.

So during the budget meeting we had yesterday, my dad brought up the Vanderbilt student life center. He works for Vanderbilt, and might be able to pull out a discount. I checked it out...and to rent just one part of the ballroom it would fit 550 people (!!!) and cost, without discount, only $625! That doesn't include room setup or sound equipment (that and the technician costs extra) but that coupled with my dad wrangling a discount is downright affordable for a wedding reception! Besides, we can still bring in the caterer we pick, and I can use my wholesale and silk flowers. And we can set it up the day before! It'll be epically perfect.

See? It's set up for a convention in here, but it'll work wonderfully. Plus it includes theatrical lighting, so we can get all kinds of pretty stuff. And if we really wanted to, we could reserve a second room to make it bigger for $1,250 (without the discount.)


I got a little nervous when I saw the caveat about how non-Vanderbilt people can rent the space only during school holidays. So I checked, and March 13, 2010, falls during Vandy's spring break! How much more perfect can you get?

(But I haven't shown P the pictures...I hope he likes it!)

Awards and juff

(Juff is a combination of "junk" and "stuff, btw.)

So Lora gave me two awards like two weeks ago...and I never got around to putting them up! So here they are:

You're supposed to list seven random facts...I hope this is random enough!!!

1) I'm 22, but I get mistaken for seventeen, sixteen, and fourteen on a regular basis. The funny thing is...my almost-eighteen-year-old sister gets mistaken for someone in her twenties!

2) I have been involved in thirty different theater productions, starting when I was three years old.

3) Because of my wrist problems, I rarely handwrite anything, and when I do, I have to use a specific brand of pen.

4) I am weirdly gifted at playing Yu-Gi-Oh!. Yeah, pathetic, right? But I'm naturally gifted. Captain Marvel got so excited that he built me a deck comprised of cute cards and fire cards. We call it the "so cute it burns" deck.

5) I took horseback riding lessons in second and third grade, because I went through that horse-crazy stage and wanted to be a jockey, because I heard that small people made the best ones. Then I got tired of riding in circles and moved on to my puppy-crazy stage.

6) I collect movie Barbies. I have Belle from Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, Tinker Bell, Jessie from Toy Story 2, Giselle from Enchanted, and Anastasia, amongst others. I also collect movie action figures. Yeah, neeeeeerd.

7) I mimic anything and everything. Seriously. If you say something funny with an unusual inflection, I'll mimic it right back to you and mentally file it away in case I need it for a future VA gig.

And this award goes to...the first seven people to comment on this entry!!!

And then here's the other award:

Now I have to confess five things I'm addicted to. Oh, dear...

1) Pepsi. I hated Pepsi until Enchanted Attic. Then I started draining 44oz cups of the stuff during rehearsals.

2) Anything retro. If it's retro, I'm going to try to buy it.

3) Fabric. I'm not allowed to go into fabric stores unattended now...

4) Disney. 'Nuff said.

...and lastly:

5) Theater. If I wasn't addicted to it, I wouldn't do it.

And this one (I'm going to copy you, Lora!) will go to the NINE people who follow me!! Yeah!!

...but P, if you don't want to put up a "my blog is FABULOUS" sticker, you don't have to. Maybe I'll make you a manly version. It will involve steak and fire, and instead of "fabulous," I'll just type "insert manly grunting here."

It's the most dreadful time of the year

That's right, kiddos. It's audition time.

Not too many people were reading this during the Barefoot in the Park Panic Session of '07, but believe me, it was epic. (If you really want to put yourself through it, click on "audition" or "Barefoot in the Park" in the taglist...but you're warned ahead of time). I stress like nothing else during auditions.

The past couple years the theater department functioned on two major principles: small shows and precasting. So they would pick a show with six people in it and say, "We'll give this part to that girl and that part to this guy and I'm sure we can use this girl somewhere..." and that would be it. Auditions were a mere formality. And unfortunately for me, I didn't have a theater scholarship starting out, so I was not often selected for parts...especially since one girl who was a scholarship student was of a similar build and similar look and similar personality. Every time we auditioned, the role would go to her. It was frustrating, and it hurt, especially since the girl had one of the personalities where she would insult you without verbally insulting you. Does that make sense? She was very sneaky about it, but no matter what she said to me- even when she said something nice- the way she said it made me feel about two inches tall. I hated being around her, because I always felt like I was the most pathetic, unlikeable, untalented person in the world, and that she hung out with me simply because she felt obligated to, because the girl she decided was her best friend started out as my best friend.

(*phew* Whether that makes any sense or not, it was stressful.)

In any case, with all the changes in the department, I have a lot more hope. Which is good, because I really want to play Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. I could play her really, really well. She's right in my vocal range, she's a character part rather than a straight-up ingenue, and I understand her character.

Besides, it's my turn. It really is my turn. The older girls in the department have had leads- Betty and Ruth in Marigolds, Andromache and Hecuba in Trojan Women, Ethel and Corie in Barefoot in the Park, the Narrator in Joseph. I've never had a big part. I've had small character parts that I've worked hard at and rocked out, like Janice and Mrs. Paddy, but that's about it. And the younger girls have two, three, four years to go, with plenty of chances to play their perfect parts. Every time I audition, I either get a small part or I'm told "Don't worry, you're talented, just work hard and you'll get it next time." There is no next time. This is the last time. It's my turn to shine.

And to make me feel better (and hopefully stifle the panic-driven adrenaline spikes), I'm going to list things.

-Mike the Almighty Director is very balanced in casting...or at least more balanced in casting than the old regime was. He's not one to constantly place the same people in the leads over and over again.

-MTAD knows that this is my last semester, that I'm a hard worker, and that I really want a part. He also knows how broken-up I was over not getting a part in Barefoot, and hopefully that will play into things.

-Ashley, Kirby, and Becca aren't auditioning.

-Chelsea and Courtney were narrators for Joseph, and they're more ingenues than character actresses, which means they would probably get considered more for Sarah Brown.

-MTAD isn't asking the non-majors and -minors (like the music department people) to prepare a monologue, which most likely means that they will be used in only singing parts and ensemble. Besides, Adelaide is a character part and requires more acting than a classically trained voice.

-I would be shocked if an incoming freshman got a part. Seriously. They would have to KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK to get a lead right off the bat.

-I'm short. Which means if it comes down to me and a taller girl, and the guy is average height, they may very well go with me. (That happened in high school).

And finally:

-I am working so, so, so hard. I work out every day. I picked a socko-boffo song and a hilarious monologue that are perfect to show that I'm right for Adelaide. I'm going to talk to MTAD about how I can improve my audition, and what he's looking for from me. I've been belting every day.

I want this part so bad. So, so, so, incredibly bad.

Musical Monday #12: Embarrassing

I'm halfway embarrassed about this. It's a little less embarrassing because I'm not alone...my mother is a fangirl too!

It's hard not to fangirl over the JoBros.

That's right.

The Jonas Brothers.

I just want to pinch their cheeks and keep them in my pocket. So cute. Kevin's my favorite, most definitely. Although I'm still hoping for my sister to meet Joe Jonas and marry him so I can finally have cute, talented brothers of my very own.

I love this song. It's so cool and rockin', and it's nice to see that the boys don't take themselves that seriously- they can have a lot of fun and be all doofusy. I appreciate that.

So here, for all to enjoy, is "Burnin' Up" by the Jonas Brothers.

Muffin Topple #2: I'm a sexay thing!

This week was actually really, surprisingly good. Like seriously. I didn't expect it to go this well.

I cut out as much white food as possible- white bread, white rice, pasta, potatoes. Typically these are my Waterloos, but I just really focused on not gobbling up everything in sight. I ate brown rice with ground turkey one day (thank you, cafeteria, for serving something decent) and I ate sandwiches on wraps instead of bread. I did, however eat desserts at Barefoot in the Park, and Cadbury mini eggs on Saturday (sooo good!), and my mom's yummy Easter cake on Sunday (white cake with homemade lemon filling, homemade whipped cream, and coconut) but I ate everything in moderation.

But the biggest difference is the 30-Day Shred. I hate Jillian and love her at the same time. The first time I did the DVD, I thought I was going to die, but I've done it every night since last Sunday, and I can see a BIG difference.

I've made it stick by making it part of my nighttime routine. It's charge computer, change clothes, do workout, braid hair, wash face, collapse into bed. I even did it after set strike for Barefoot...which went from 10:30 to 1 in the morning and was a workout in itself. (We took the set apart, loaded the pieces into pickup trucks, drove over to our workspace theater, and unloaded the trucks. Lather, rinse, repeat). I was SO RIDICULOUSLY PROUD OF MYSELF over that one.

And the good news is...it's paying off!

Because guess who lost five pounds this week?!?

(that would be me).

I'm absolutely ecstatic. This is the plateau I've been struggling with since last semester, and not only did I get over it, I dropped a lot more weight in one week than I have in January. It's terribly exciting.

So here are the specs:

Weight
Heaviest: 161
Starting: 150 (I had it written down wrong last week...it really was 150)
Current: 145
Muffin Topple weight lost: 5 pounds
Total weight lost: 16 pounds

BMI
Heaviest: 31.4
Starting: 29.3
Current: 28.3
Muffin Topple points lost: 1
Total points lost: 3.1

Inches Lost (from bust, waist, hips, upper arm, and thigh total):
Starting: 17"
Current: 20.25"
Total inches lost: 3.25"

I made out a whole reward system for myself...just to make it that more motivating. And I actually hit THREE of them!! So I'm going to go shopping. Yay, shopping!

Reach 145 pounds: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (why don't I own this book?!)
Reach 18" lost: Ouran High School Host Club part I
Reach 28 BMI: Ouran High School Host Club part II

My next goals are:
140 pounds
23" lost
27 BMI

Maybe I'll make them next week! Who knows?!

A week in review

Why is it I can always think of fascinating things to blog about when I'm NOT at a computer.

Oh, well.

Things have been going well on the Muffin Topple front. The focus on my eating habits has been mostly on eliminating white food- bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. Which (except for rice) are all on my favorites list. It's been difficult, but I've been making it. And the exercise front is doing even better. I've worked out with Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred every day since Sunday, and I can actually see a semblance of a difference! It's tough as anything, but I solve the problem by making the workout part of my going-to-bed routine, so that, #1: I don't avoid working out, and #2: I can immediately collapse for several hours and not feel like a lazy slacker.

And to make everything even more worthwhile, two complete strangers on campus commented on how cute I looked, and several of my friend commented as well. One even said she could tell I lost weight!

Ego points for the win.

I've also been watching Ouran High School Host Club. Oh, man. I forgot how much I loved it! I used to be a big anime fan, but a couple years ago I got completely sick of it, partially because a girl I hung around with talked about anime and cosplay way too much, and it became a painful reminder of the fact that the girl was taking my best friend away. *cough* All right, enough with the emo. Since that girl went away, and things between me and my BFF are so much better, I am finally at the point where I can enjoy anime again. And seriously, Ouran is amazing. It's fluffy and funny and pretty and I DESPERATELY NEED TO PURCHASE IT BEFORE I LEAVE FOR ORLANDO.

The good news: I've been sewing like a fiend lately.

The bad news: I haven't photographed any of it.

Sad, right? Hopefully I can fix that. Especially the 1964 dress that I made for tonight, with vintage floral fabric. So cute!

Speaking of adorable dresses, hopefully I'll have one for tomorrow. P and I are FINALLY taking our engagement pictures. We've been engaged for nearly two years on the dot (April 19, 2007), and we've never taken pictures. Oh, well. They'll be awesome.

So yeah. That's what's up right now!

Muffin Topple Monday #1

So today was the first day on Muffin Topple Monday.

(By the way, my Flava-of-Love-style nickname is Biscuit & Cheeze. In case you were curious.)

Eating went decently well...even though there's a bag of Panera bread staring me down. I only had one piece! I'm so proud of myself.

I went out and bought Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred. OMFG. The reviewers weren't kidding when they said how hardcore it was. It is ROUGH. But I can tell it's going to work...if I stay motivated.

I lost twelve pounds last semester. I think I can manage losing more!

Also, hopefully next MTM will be more thrilling than this.

(sorry)

Musical Monday #11: Chicks That Rock!!

So I'm going a liiiittle different with this one. Why?

I actually made this video.

I'm a big fan of the group Groove Coverage, and especially their song "God is a Girl". (although I do not personally hold their theology. It's just a cool song.)

And I'm a huge fan of the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Like, seriously. Fangirl. Right here.

So I combined the two, way back in 2007, and made this video. It's a little clunky, since it was my first one, but it's got some great moments in it.

And seriously, the Avatar girls rock. Especially Toph. See the little kid with the dark hair and the white dress in the video? She's blind. Totally. But she's AWESOME.

Enjoy!

ATLA: God is a Girl (a tribute to the Avatar girls) @ Yahoo! Video

(Also, I HIGHLY recommend the Avatar series. Seriously. There is not a dull or poorly written episode in the entire three seasons. And actually, it's more popular with older teens and adults than with little kids! So...watch it! I'd lend you my seasons, but they're all being borrowed. :) )

Lesson learned: don't let me blog during a migraine

I had planned to write a nice, cheerful blog yesterday...yeah, that didn't happen. I was real snippy, wasn't I?

Well, yesterday I gave myself an ultimatum. I've spent the past couple of years whining about my weight, and while I've lost some pounds and inches, I want to be so much...well, LESS.

My goal for Lent this year was, instead of taking something away, adding something. So I've been exercising pretty regularly. But still, I want to see more results. I want to be down to my goal weight by my wedding.

Hence, I'm embarking on Operation Muffin Topple.

My goal is to get down to 130 by June 21st...which, hopefully, will allow me to be down to 110-115 by March 13, 2010. The winner of Muffin Topple gets a big ol' basket of fun things, but honestly...I just want to finally lose the weight.

So now, there's more than just Musical Monday. I shall also participate in Muffin Monday. So BE PREPARED.

I'm also going to be real honest with y'all about where I am weight-wise. It's not good. Well, it's been worse, but it's not good.

My heaviest weight: 161 lbs, in the fall of '07
My lightest weight: 139 lbs, in the summer of '06 (the lightest I've been since high school!)
And my current weight: 149 lbs
I can't wait to see these numbers drop!

PET PEEVES

I hate it when people make unnecessary slurping noises.

Like the girl sitting down the row from me in the computer lab.

I'm going to leave.

It's annoying.

Plus I have sewing projects:

-a blue and white gingham dress

-a retro floral A-line dress

-a 1950s party dress

-a precious lil apron

PEOPLE WHO SLURP UNNECESSARILY SHOULD BE SHOT.

I mean, she's not even eating or drinking anything. She's just slurping.

Who came up with "chillaxing"?

I don't know who came up with the term "chillaxing," but that's what I'm doing right now. Me...a Mickey Mouse hoodie...and a gatorade.

P and I might take our engagement photos next week...two years late! Oh, well. Better late than never...

I rejoined Neopets. I'm a little crushed that I can't remember my password to my old account, because I had a massive store and a ton of NP, but oh, well. Now my screenname is gidgett13 and I have a pet meerca named Rhinobal. I feel like a middle schooler, but it's so much fun. A nice way to kill time.

This looks like so much fun...I'm going to do it! It's a blog swap...you get paired up with another person and you send stuff.

(And hopefully, unlike my STUPID CD, it will actually arrive when it should. I'm so sorry, Diane!)

I am going to update every day this month!

This is a short post. I apologize for the stream of consciousness that is about to ensue.

Things have been crazy. I NEED TO WORK OUT. I've only worked out once this week, and I can feel it. It bothers me.

I lost Bubbette the Bubba Keg for a while. Panic! Then I found her in the physics lab. All was well.

I am officially, formally, a theater major/English minor. I shall graduate next semester!

My little sister is a cutie.

I miss the Great Movie Ride.

I need to get off the computer so I can call P back. He sounded sad.

I need to work on my Script Analysis project. Boo hiss.

I'm serving dessert for Barefoot in the Park tomorrow. Yummy.

I got the script for Beau Jest today. FUNNY! I want to be Sarah.

I swept with a broom that looked like a VERY LARGE PAINTBRUSH.

Erin Randolph and Ryan Malone are two of the most funniest people ever.

Today is Nick's birthday!

I feel old.

I really need to get off the computer.

I've been writing a new story, leaving poor Beatrice to flounder on her own.

I am GETTING OFF THE COMPUTER.

Good night, all.

Pure brilliance.

Need I say more?