Time

Yeah. I have a lot of it now.

And yet I'm still being unproductive. It's funny-- I think I'm actually more productive when I am running from morning to night on various excitements as two musicals at the same time plus academics plus music lessons plus college apps plus OH MY GOD.

I'm not entirely sure how I managed to pull off two shows simultaneously. Now, granted, I had a fairly small role in Willy Wonka, meaning I could focus the majority of my efforts on Sweeney, but I still had a significant role that required a lot of my time and attention. It's... pretty strange. And I've gotta say that I'm fairly proud of myself for balancing my entire life (with, of course, the possible exception of chemistry) and managing to pull through. :)

But now I go into a slump that lasts through January. That's not to say that I don't have significant things going on-- I have a voice recital, senior choir concert, Select, NHS, and a lot of things between now and February. But, generally, I have a very significant amount of time back in my life. But what to do with it? I've already caught up on all my favorite TV shows on Hulu, and have managed to sink a few hours into this new Facebook game called DataWorm (which is effing addicting.) Perhaps I can work on some scholarships.

Speaking of scholarships, I got accepted into CSU! This is very exciting, because it's the first college that has sent me a letter of acceptance. I don't find it completely surprising, but it still came as a shock. I have had a nasty habit this year of forgetting I'm a senior. This was the first metaphorical nail in the coffin of my childhood.

Wow. That sounded bleak. Think of this nail as a positive happy nail made of cotton candy and sunshine, and the coffin is a magical coffin that will transport you to lands of wonders and you'll have a more accurate vision of my life. :)

But yes. CSU is, of course, comparatively inexpensive. Especially when you compare it to such prestigious academies as NYU (which I'm kind of over... for now.) But I want to get scholarships to cover my tuition and possibly room and board (which is actually pretty expensive) so that I can use what's saved in my college fund for future conservatory fun at the Manhattan School of Music. Then Eric gets his MM and lives the rest of his life as a loving opera/Broadway star and dies, having fulfilled his dream.

So, I suppose I'll do that a little bit too. :D

I certainly have the time.

Miracle (The Sweeney Todd Post)

So... since Sweeney Todd is over, I'm going to have a lot of time on my hands.

Which is good, because my chemistry final isn't going to ace itself. Actually, it's probably not going to be aced at all, regardless of my own actions. But that's why I'm pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance. :)

But I digress.

This show has been one of the favorite shows I've ever participated in. I can't say that I'm entirely sure how Sweeney was pulled off. Let's look at the factors.

1. It's an extremely difficult score

2. We had no money

3. Our director was brand-new. She had never directed a musical in her life.

4. THS has had a history of people who simply don't show up for rehearsal.

It's a miracle, to say the least. But we pulled it off, and we pulled it off really freaking well. I can't even begin to explain it, but our costumes were excellent, our set was phenomenal, the orchestra was good, the acting and singing were prepared and ready, and there was an overall positive attitude throughout the entire cast and crew. I haven't been in a drama production at THS that has had such a good feeling throughout it. Even during tech week, things went fairly smoothly. The show came together so well, when it shouldn't have.

Sweeney Todd has been quite an undertaking-- vocally, mentally, and... physically. I have never been more exhausted by a show... but then again, I have never been so inspired or contented by a show (possible exceptions include Aida and pretty much everything choir-related.) The fact that a show about a serial killer can be so inspiring is... well... inspiring. :)

The part of Sweeney Todd is one of my dream roles. In fact, it's my second-highest dream role, trumped only by the Phantom of the Opera. So, it's understandable that I was fervently excited when I got the role. However, I was very wary about the show itself. I had actually talked to our director personally about my worries as far as orchestra and tech-stuff go, because I didn't want this show to fall through. But, miraculously, everyone, from Chorus to Lovetts, took on their respective roles and met their respective challenges. I'm almost afraid to pinch myself, in case I'm dreaming.

If you're reading this and you are a Sweeney cast/crew/pit member, you rock. And I love you forever. Thanks for making this the best senior musical EVER.

And... if you didn't see it... it pretty much sucks to be you. :)

Thankful

Greetings, faithful readers! (All four of you... lol.)

(Actually, apparently my aunt also follows my blog, so I guess she counts as an unofficial fifth reader. So there you go.)

Anyway... Happy Thanksgiving!

I happen to be celebrating Thanksgiving in a fairly less-than-traditional way-- my parents are out of town, celebrating their anniversary, so my dear, darling aforementioned aunt offered to allow me to stay at her condo for the weekend-- God bless her-- so I have been able to have a nice Thanksgiving.

Not that I'm upset that my parents are out of town-- I'm very happy for them, actually. I'm glad that they are able to still go off on random trips to continue their strong relationship. But I'm glad I was able to have a nice Thanksgiving with some family, at any rate.

That brings us to the universal theme of this post-- thankfulness. In case you haven't followed my everyday life, THS's choir actually sang a version of Josh Groban's "Thankful" at our senior concert last year, which is a very moving song. For your sake, I'll post an excerpt of the lyrics:

Somedays, we forget to look around us
Somedays, we can't see the joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we pray for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

I never quite understood the meaning of this song while I was singing it during my penultimate senior concert. Now that I've become more immersed and started to grasp the fact that I'm a senior and am leaving a major part of my life behind soon (GOOD GOD, HOWARD), it really rings true. There are parts of my life that are really little things that I shouldn't be worrying about, and so many things I take for granted. When the THS Vocal Jazz Ensemble picked this up randomly one day a few weeks ago and brought it back, it truly spoke to me... despite the fact that the song itself was a bit rusty... :)

But anyway, I'm very thankful for everything that I've had the privilege to have. Even if my Thanksgiving is a little unorthodox, I realize that I should be thankful for everything I have in my life-- my family, friends, and life in general. I'm extremely privileged, and I don't think I should only look at that one day a year. I should have daily reflections of the fortune in my life, especially on those days when IB and my stressful schedule are weighting me down.

And on that note, I think I'll have another slice of pumpkin pie. :D

Willy. Freaking. Wonka

So yeah. I intend to participate in five dramatic productions this year. Tonight, the second of those ended. So bittersweet... the ending of a show. But I like to look at it as the beginning of a new journey... and then the music gets... happy.

But seriously. It was a lot of fun.

As I said on Facebook, back in September, when I first got the role of Mr. Salt, I had absolutely no idea how much fun I would have in the role. Seriously. For a few moments of self-pity after I received my call about the part, I was a little disappointed in myself that I hadn't gotten a bigger role. I had massively failed to understand the vast, immense excitement that this character would offer me.

Since this was my second NYT show, I no longer had to deal with the awkwardness of being a new kid, which, for all intensive purposes, was mostly caused by me being introverted at the beginning of Aida rehearsals back in April-- I was actually very warmly welcomed into the cult... er... society. I just had a little trouble adjusting to such a new environment. Before Aida, I had only participated in school productions, which-- as far as professionalism and conciseness goes-- were nothing compared to NYT. It was a new kind of animal for me to comprehend, and now that I've participated in two productions, I'm really glad I joined. In fact, my only regret is that I didn't start sooner. I could have started at NYT at age eight and participated in all the shows that they've put on. But I'm glad to have what I have. :)

But I digress.

Besides the excitement of the role itself, I was really blessed to get to know some of the NYT people a little bit better. One unfortunate handicap of Aida was, for instance, the fact that most of Zoser's scenes were with his ministers, so I was unable to get to know anyone (besides the ministers, of course :D) very well. In Willy Wonka, most of my scenes (with the exception of the first one) were with most of the cast, so I was able to get to know everyone a lot better. The NYT kids are a special breed of human-- they're outgoing, social, awesome, and uncaring of what people think of them. They're the stereotypical theatre kids, but blown up way out of proportion. It's ridiculous, really. I've gotten to work with a lot of great people, and I hope to have that chance again when April rolls around. For you see, dear blog-readers, NYT is putting on Sound of Music, and that, coupled with whatever the choir musical will be (which will be done during school, so I'll actually have something reminiscent of a life then), will mark the end of my dramatic endeavors as a high school senior. As a minor. Then I move onto the exciting world of college.

Dear Lord. I'm excited. :D

Bananas!

Bananas are tied with pomegranates for the award of most obscure albeit comedic fruit. And they've been the focus of my last two evenings.

In case you are blissfully unaware of my life situation, I've been playing the role of Mr. Salt in NYT's performances of Willy Wonka. And it's been an absolute blast. I can't even tell you. To properly understand the glory of NYT, you must be in one of their shows. It's absolutely wonderful.

You may also notice that I'm posting this at 2:11 am on the morning of November 21st. (The blog might be stupid and say it's 1:11 am-- it thinks I live in California). This is because I've been up till 2am these past two evenings, decorating bananas.

Yes. Decorating bananas. Dear reader, you heard (or read) me correctly.

(Disclaimer: Since I'm typing this so late at night, I cannot be held responsible for anything in the content of this blog. Then again, I'm conscientious enough to include this disclaimer, so perhaps this disclaimer should be disclaimed.)

So me and three other great NYT friends (Dave Moyer, Ali "Baba" Bongiardina, and Christa Valdez) decided to participate in the traditional "Dress-A-Banana" contest that each show offers. The winner gets the products of the fine jar (probably around $3.) The only other show I've done at NYT is Aida, and I was too afraid to dress a banana back then. But we went all out, incorporating a total of six bananas into a diorama of our stage, along with bananas representing Charlie, Willy, Grandpa Joe, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Teevee, a stage techie (representing Ali), and an oompah-loompah (dedicate to Danielle Jackson.)

All this time, I've been thinking something along the lines of "Most teens who stay out this late on weekends are drinking or partying or having intimacy with every thing that moves." But no, we decorate bananas. And if we don't win this friggin' contest, I intend to sue God, because it would be obvious that He did something wrong in the creation of this world. ¿Sabes?

And with that, my dear faithful readers (all four of you... ;D), I bid you all a pleasant evening.

Les Mizzzzz! :D

Now, I don't usually blog critiques, but tonight I saw the 25th Anniversary Concert of the ever famous musical Les Misérables, which I've always known to be an excellent musical-- it is, in fact, indirectly, the musical that convinced me to join the Thornton High School choir department. This production was so phenomenal, it was pretty much ridiculous.

The singers were, of course, excellent. Lea Salonga (formerly Eponine-- she played Fantine in this performance) was probably my favorite. Her portrayal of Fantine was true to every virtue of the character, and was highly reminiscent of Salonga's role of Kim in Miss Saigon (interestingly enough, another show with music written by Claud-Michel Schönberg). Both characters are virtuous and pure, and yet have degraded themselves in order to survive in a cruel world. Of course, my first thought was "Look she's Asian," but I digress.

The gentleman who played Jean Valjean-- Alfie Boe-- of whom I've never heard, was pretty good. Actually, he was excellent, but he broke character at the end of "Bring Him Home," and actually acknowledged the audience's applause. Yes, I know that it was a concert, but I think his breaking of character severely weakened his performance in that song, which is, of course, a very important song not to break character in. The performance didn't seem to be quite all there, and it was nothing compared to the original Jean Valjean, but it was still highly impressive and moving.

Now, of course, I must move onto the show's weakest link-- Marius, played by none other than the Disney Channel pop sensation himself: Nick Jonas. "WHAT, Eric? Nick Jonas in Les Mis?" Why yes, good person. Jonas actually did fairly well for himself, but I'm not sure if I would choose him as the Marius for the 25th Anniversary Concert (I mean... isn't the point of the concert to create a dream team Les Mis cast?) He can carry a tune, of course, but I felt that he was too often switching into his pop voice-- especially during "A Heart Full of Love" and "One Day More." However, his rendition of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was, with the possible exception of his low notes, pretty good.

The Thernardiers were good... they weren't quite as over-the-top during "Master of the House" as the originals, but they played the part well. They were especially good in their final song.

Norm Lewis was Javert-- the role that I would most love to play. I actually got really excited when I realized that he played King Triton in Little Mermaid-- so I actually had seen him perform live, which was pretty cool. He captured the essence of the character, and his rendition of "Stars" was absolutely gorgeous.

The guy who played Enjolras-- Ramin Karimloo (apparently, he also originated the Phantom in Love Never Dies)-- was a highlight of the show. His performance was energetic and moving, and the girl I was sitting next to wants to marry him, but who wouldn't?

I've always been kind of annoyed by Cosette, and this was no exception. The girl who played Cosette played the role quite well-- it's just a role that grates on my nerves. Eponine-- who was played the wonderful Samantha Barks-- was wonderful, and could take Cosette any day.

That's really all I have to say. The performance was EXTREMELY moving and wonderful. I have never been to a performance that has left me physically exhausted and panting for air at the end, and please bear in mind that this was a recording of the concert. If I had seen it in person, I probably would have just died of heavenly shock.

Also... they're making Les Mis into a movie!! :D :D Though rumors had, of course, been moving around, this was pretty much the first time that Cameron Mackintosh had confirmed the movie, so my friends and I were very excited. I will most certainly be going to that midnight premiere.

Good night, blog friends. Until another day.

A Night to Remember

A Night to Remember

Or How God Spoke to Eric through High School Musical 3

As far as the International Concert is concerned, I have this to say.

Wow.

But… in the true spirit of a reflection, I must write more. If only to truly elucidate my true sentiments of the concert that we gave last week. Also, if you’re wondering what my subtitle means, I implore you to read on with the reflection. You’re in for quite a treat. J

I’m not sure if I’m biased, or if I’m truly immersed in the choir program after a year, or if it’s simply a statement of fact, but I feel that this concert impacted me much more than last year’s. Granted… last year I was a junior who was freaked out by a bunch of crying people. And I didn’t quite understand the meaning of the community that everyone was making such a big deal about. And I’m a senior this year, so I could be blowing it out of proportions.

But I return to my thesis: Wow.

Believe me; I wouldn’t be blowing off studying for my World War II exam in History tomorrow if I didn’t think this was important. I’m still an IB kid at heart, so it’s kind of painful to put that aside, but I know that I have to get this done while the vague memories of the concert still linger on in my subconscious. But I digress.

Last week’s concert exhibited such a vast variety of cultures—the only thing that could have added more culture would be to have some penguins speak on behalf of Antarctic culture (“Hello. I am a penguin. My favorite memory of Antarctica is… the snow”). The wide variety of culture was amazing—and it really is almost a shame that all of this culture is suppressed outside of the choir environment. For every kid in choir, there are several others outside of choir who live such cultural lives that we all can learn from, but never do. While I understand that they live in an American environment, they shouldn’t feel that they can’t express themselves culturally. Culture is something that I, being a white kid in the suburbs, have never been able to identify myself with. The most culture I get in my life comes from yogurt. (Laugh. That was funny.) Why people who actually live lives immersed in culture but choose to hide it behind the fashions and mannerisms of America is, in some ways, a mystery to me. I’m not saying that people should go around every day wearing robes and other such paraphernalia; I’m saying they shouldn’t be afraid to.

BLUEBERRY.

Anyway, on to the fabulousness that is High School Musical 3. This is actually deep stuff, no matter how frivolous it may seem. I was driving to THS—running late, as usual—with my iPod plugged into my stereo. On shuffle, I will add. Then, as I’m getting onto I-25, the movie’s opening number, “Now or Never” comes on. In case you are not familiar with the High School Musical franchise (the movie itself was not great, but I enjoyed the music), the movie’s protagonist, Troy, is playing his last high school basketball game ever, and as the game comes to a close, he begins to realize that his legacy is at stake, and that what he does now will immortalize him (in his high school’s records, at least) and his history. I was reaching down to skip the song when the true meaning of the song clicked in my head. I was on my way to my last international concert. I was wearing my tux shirt for the last time. True, we still have the senior concert, but I will never again (unless I flunk of course—and my chemistry grade isn’t keeping any promises J) have an international concert. There would be no way to change whatever happened that night. Once I got to the concert, it was Now or Never.

As if I weren’t freaked out enough by this bizarre coincidental pairing of song and scenario, the song ended as I was pulling up to the Thornton Parkway exit. And what song should come up next but another High School Musical 3 song called “A Night To Remember.” Of course, the song is actually about attending a prom, but the title of the song was enough to get me to think that my iPod was sending my messages. Out of nearly 1,000 songs, I got two Disney Channel pop sensations which somehow spoke to me. (If anyone cares, the chain was later broken by 3OH!3’s “My First Kiss,” but I prefer to think of that as unimportant.)

So yes. Two songs from High School Musical 3 spoke to me in the course of a single evening. As ridiculous as it sounds, I think they somehow inspired me to perform to the best of my ability. Sure, I have a lifetime of performances to come (hopefully, at least!), but I know now that there won’t be anything—no matter how professional—quite like the THS choir experience. I am heavily anticipating the senior concert (especially since I’m… you know… a friggin’ senior!) and, of course, the choir musical, whatever it may be. (I have some ideas too—I did my research and found some stuff the choir might like. J) And though I’m very excited to graduate, I also know that leaving the choir will be very sad experience.

I guess I’ll just have to enjoy it while it lasts. I have no doubt I will.

Just Freakin’ Sing!

Holy Crap It's Midnight

Actually... it's midnight-thirty.

And I still have work to do.

And yet I'm blogging.

Happy November!

I really don't have much to say. :P

Eagle!

It's been a while since I've blogged... like almost a week. I know that all of you have been on pins and needles to know about my life. I know I certainly have been.

That was a joke.

Moving on.

I had my Eagle Board of Review last night. Only one year, two months, and some odd days after my Eagle project, which was finished on August 2, 2009. Hmm. A bit of a gap. But I don't care. September of 2009 was when I was first getting myself into the IB Diploma programme, and I have since had no free time.

Well. That's not entirely true. But my mind was certainly in other places. :)

That was certainly the highlight of my week. Now, I can put the fact that I'm an Eagle Scout on all of my college apps (I actually...had already... put it on my Boettcher application. I'm glad it all worked out. :P) It's one thing of many that I can finally check off of my list of things to get done. My very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very long list of things to do.

BUT.

Becoming an Eagle Scout is no longer one of those things. Now I can focus on EE, CAS, IB, Chemistry (which I believe deserves its own category since it's currently killing me), College apps, scholarships (though... I did send in my YoungArts DVD and I'm waiting anxiously to hear back from them. :D), and other things that I probably have blocked from my mind at the moment to compensate for the stress that it causes.

Funny thing about my Board of Review. I was never told that my Scoutmaster and parents had to be present-- I had assumed that they were not necessary since they couldn't sit in on the actual Board of Review. While I'm at a loss as to why my Scoutmaster was not there (since his wife was one of my reviewers... :P), I had told my parents that they didn't have to be present, so they were out. However, when all of my people got there, the first thing they asked me was where my parents were. I, of course, freaked out, and quickly called my mom and begged her to come home. Luckily, though, this debacle didn't affect their decision, so I'm glad. :)

My mom texted me like an hour ago telling that she's bringing home Chipotle. Unfortunately, she was at my brother's football game... in Ft. Collins. So it might be a while before I get Chipotle goodness.

Why do I end every post with food? :P

Homecominggggg

It actually went pretty well. Much better than last year's Homecoming. The DJ was ten thousand times better. (Seriously. I did the calculations.)

Then again, maybe I'm blowing things way out of proportion since this was my last ever high school Homecoming. Depending on where I go to college (I still have no idea. :P), it may have been my last Homecoming ever. It's weird when I think about it. A year from now I'll be in college, surviving off of Ramen. It's hard to believe that this chapter of my life is coming to a close. It kinda makes me want to cry and jump for joy at the same time.

On one hand, I am very excited to be independent and start supporting myself (though my parents, God bless them, are willing to back me financially.) On the other hand, I'm going to miss the lack of responsibility that the dependence of childhood has to offer. Though college is not quite an accurate simulation of the real world, it's going to be a lot more real than the life I'm currently living.

Anyway. Tangent.

Homecoming was pretty awesome. They played some good songs-- luckily, thanks to my iPod malfunction a few months ago, I had to use the radio and so I was able to sing and dance along to most of the songs played. And, of course, the DJ played three Lady Gaga songs, which made my night. :D

Really, a night with my friends is something to be cherished. We could hang out in an old junkyard and have a great time. Though, I'm sure Homecoming (for the most part, anyway-- there were some sweaty kids) would smell a tad better. ;)

In other news, I am currently in the middle of a poke war with Jimena Vallejo. She is one stubborn son of a gun. I am also working on my ToK debate. I have to represent Diogenes, a so-called "cynic" who believed that a life free of possessions and doing whatever the heck you wanted (playing with yourself in public, for example) was absolutely okay. He was quite an interesting persona.

ALLSTATE

Okay. It didn't go too badly. I don't think. Then again, it's really the judge's call-- if there's anything I've learned from years of competitions both in the field of piano and voice, music competitions are very subjective, and a lot of your score may depend on whether the judge likes you.

Luckily, though, the judge I got seemed very kind and loving (of course... it could have been a facade to lull me into a false sense of security). Of the categories... here's my own personal critique (though I of course may be biased. :P)

1. SOLO (Pieta, Signore by Alessandro Stradella)

I think it went pretty well. My voice was cooperating with me, and the room itself had fairly good acoustics. I went at a comfortable speed. According to G, there were a few (very minor) pronunciation issues, but Pieta is a fairly new song, so I, of course, am going to have a few minor adjustments to make (if I get anything out of Allstate, it will be a helpful critique for this song which I can use when I sing it in further engagements. ;D)

2. TRIADS

They all went well, though I slid slightly on the Diminished (which, ironically enough, was the one I felt most confident in. There's a life lesson for you.) I'm not sure if I got knocked a point off for that or not.

3. INTERVALS

They all went well, with the exception of one of my sung intervals, which was like half a step off. (A minor third descending-- the judge herself said that was a fairly cruel choice. :P)

4. SCALES

Perfect. I'm sorry. They just were. :)

5. SIGHTREADING

Melodic sightreading was, of course, my weakest point in my audition. Having said that, however, I think I did very well on the first one. I would say it was perfect except for the fact that I have no way of knowing. So I gave myself an 8 out of 10. The second one did not go nearly as well-- especially when I realize that it contained an accidental which I probably botched. BUT I do think I ended on the right note, so finding my way back has got to get me something. As far as rhythmic sightreading goes, I think I did well except on one measure, which should give me a score of 8 out of 10.

All in all, I don't think I did too shabby. There are, of course, points to improve on, but I doubt that there are many perfect scores. I hope to get in, of course, but it won't be the end of the world if I don't-- I've got a lot of other things working for me. :)

And the fact that I made it there and back in one piece is reward enough for me. ;)

Mental Health

So. I took a day off today. I actually had a legitimate reason-- I had a doctor's appointment scheduled today for my eye.

The prognosis: Eric has a mild bacterial infection in his eye (NOT conjunctivitis. I don't appear to be contagious) and so he should use these special eye drops through the weekend and NOT WEAR CONTACTS.

Which means I will be wearing glasses to school tomorrow. Again. I figured I'd wait another six years before I wore my glasses to school (meaning, I'm allowed another bacterial infection in grad school) but nature failed to comply with my demands. That ho.

But I'm getting sidetracked. Today was also just a nice day to sleep in and relax. I pretty much did nothing all day. And I think I needed it. With everything going on in my life, it was nice to just take a day and pretend like I have no responsibilities. For a day, such trivialities as IB, college, scholarships, homework, or play rehearsal didn't exist. And I was able to watch TV like the teenager that I ought to be. (I actually did all of my homework last night, so I wasn't technically shirking on my responsibility. Though... I'm going to be busy until 8:30 tomorrow night, so maybe that wasn't such a good idea.)

I've used up my mental health day for the quarter. I don't think I should allow myself more than one per quarter. They're nice, but if I have to many of them, I'll just be screwing myself in the end. And Eric wants to go to college and be successful. :)

But it was worth it. I feel recharged and ready to take on the rest of the week. I'll need to anyway, since quarter ends next week and a certain Caucasian male has to get his Chemistry grade up. I'm hoping my labs will take care of it, but I'm not going to hold my breath. So far, I seem to understand organic chemistry. But again, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Here I am, talking about school again. You'll notice that "school" is a major topic in my blogging. It's pretty much the most important thing now. Second semester, not so much. But now. It's very important. I'm hoping that once I get over this metaphorical hill, it will be smooth sailing from here on out (with the tangible exception of the IB exams, but I'm going to pretend that they don't exist for now. Since I'm still technically on my mental health day.)

Well. It's 9:15, and I'm going to be a good little blogger and get to sleep, so I can get up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning. Adieu, faithful reader. Until next time.

Eyes Eyes Baby

My titular allusion to pop culture is, of course, referring to the current irritation/infection/whatever-it-is-I-have-in-my-eye in my eye. It's gotten pretty bad, leading me to believe that it's more than just a stress-induced ruptured blood vessel, thereby nulling the significance of the post discussing that, but it was so artistic and well-done that I'm keeping it as it is, thank you very much.

So, I'm staying home from school tomorrow to talk to a doctor about it, and get some antibiotics if it is actually an infection (so yes... it is possible that I have pink-eye, a disease that I formerly thought I was safe from since I graduated kindergarten-- then again, I had an ear infection last year, so anything's possible).

I've been very wary of missing school this year, because, as any IB kid knows, making up an entire day of school can be VERY difficult, especially when you consider how many extracurricular activities I participate in. I'm also afraid of leaving the choir to its own devices, since I'm a leading participant in it (though, I am confident in their abilities, and they'll certainly have to function without me when I graduate, so perhaps this is a good exercise.) But, since tomorrow is Wednesday (or, as Ms. G puts it, "Stupid Day"), I figure I won't be missing out on too much. Which is always pleasant.

It's kind of ironic. Most kids would kill to have parents like mine who will sometimes let me have a day off without any real reason at all. The problem is, I don't want a day off for no reason at all. I, myself, am straining at the bit about missing tomorrow. If I didn't think a day off to see the doctor would be beneficial overall to my health and mental being, I wouldn't go.

I'm tired now. I think I'm going to go to bed now. This post is short, but brevity is the soul of wit. So get over it. :)

Reevaluating Reevaluation

And, once again, we have reached the end of a weekend. And it's 11:33, and even though I'll regret this in the morning, I'm taking the time to blog a bit, since I find it therapeutic. :)

This weekend was fairly mellow. After our Chem Test on Friday, there really was nothing that we particularly had to study. And so, I finally found some extra time to put together my college essay for the Common Application. So, I'm pretty much ready to submit my application to everything but the Manhattan School of Music, which does not accept the Common App (they just have to be different, don't they?)

So anyway, I had another college talk with my parents, who are once again suggesting that I go to CSU, because it's cheap. Don't get me wrong, CSU would certainly be a good choice for me, but I've told my parents time and time again that I feel like it's taking the easy way out. I know I can get into CSU. I want to at least try to raise sufficient funds to go to a music school.

I've always lived by a philosophy that the only you can 100% ensure you won't get something is to not go for it. There's a chance that I can get significant financial aid and live my dream of studying in New York City, which is where I'm going to end up working, anyway. (I know I can at least get a job at Ellen's Stardust Diner as a singing waiter. ;) ha.)

There is a significant advantage of going to CSU, though, even though it's in-state. There's a professor there who's been following me since I was a freshman, and I'm pretty sure I can get a significant scholarship there-- and it's already an inexpensive school to begin with. If I get a Bachelor's of Music there, I should be able to make the transfer to MSM for a 2-year grad program. Two years at Manhattan would still be enough to send me on my way in NYC, and it'd be significantly less expensive. Plus, at CSU, I would be able to study more than just music, so I could ensure that I'd have some sort of career when I get out of college to support myself-- music performance is a risky business. Especially with all the tenor-happy composers out there on Broadway. :P

I seem to be changing my plans for school every week. And I haven't even submitted any apps yet. Three weeks ago, my dream school was NYU. Now I'm not so sure.

Why must college cost so much?!? GAH.

But since I don't want to end this blog on a negative note, I had chicken Parmesan for dinner tonight. It was delicious and ate far more than the Department of Agriculture deems a full serving. :D

Fictitious

So I've dedicated this day to writing college essays, but I've gotten stuck on one that has made me think my face off. (Not literally, of course, because I can't very well attend any sort of college without a face.) And, being the 2000's kid I am (I honestly remember very little of the 1990's, so I don't consider myself a 90's kid), I decided to turn to the power of the blog to work out some ideas.

The Manhattan School of Music (which has recently become my new "dream school" since I won't have to study science there :D) has a wide range of requirements, all of which I can adhere to. I am currently in the midst of applying there to study Classical Voice. I honestly think I can get in-- even though MSM only admits roughly 800 students a year. Let's hope the fates are with me on this one.

Anyway, the main essay question is "What fictional character do you identify with and why?"

fic·ti·tious/fikˈtiSHəs/Adjective

1. Not real or true, being imaginary or having been fabricated.

2. Of, relating to, or denoting the imaginary characters and

events found in fiction.

And so my thoughts scatter.

My first thought was Harry Potter. Let's look at how we compare:

- We both are human

- We both have had personal struggles in our lives but have overcome said struggles (in my case, my issues with my leg-- my mom has told me that I have to include that in all college essays from now on. Ha.)

Hmm. Not an impressive list. Then I got to thinking about characters outside of the realm of books. Musical theatre characters. And boom. I arrived at the Phantom of the Opera (who, interestingly enough, is named Erik. Coincidence? I think not.) Again... comparisons:

- We are both lovers of music

- We have had physical struggles to overcome. (Again... working up the leg.)

- We both have eccentric albeit enchanting personality traits.

- There is more to us than meets the eye.

I feel like the Phantom essay is more relevant, since I'm going into a school of music. Though there is no specific requirement that I have to mention my musical career, I think it's best to emphasize specific points of my goals (those being a career in musical theatre or opera) as much as possible, while still getting sympathy for my leg (I'M FINALLY A MINORITY).

For similar reasons, I could include Willy Wonka... but since I'm currently in that show, I don't think I'd feel comfortable writing about it. Plus I can just see the college board thinking of the Johnny Depp version and being like WTF.

And then I wonder to myself... are they looking for more classical characters? Something that makes me look like an intellectual? Something completely based off of Sparknotes (which they don't have to know) that makes me look like some worldly scholar of literature? I am, after all, going into classical voice. If that's the case, then all I can think of at the moment is Equality 7-2521 from Anthem... one of the few pieces of classical literature that I've been able to actually stomach. I could also do an essay on Snowball from Animal Farm, but that would make me a Communist. And a pig.

And we simply can't have that, can we?

And so, I'm unsure. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Phantom idea. But we still must remember that the Phantom is a crazed lunatic who kind of hanged a gentleman from the rafters in the climactic scene in the musical.

So the idea is kind of like that fly that's currently buzzing around my room and everything time I try to swat it, it flies away even though I clearly hit it.

Symbolic fly, give me inspiration.

Glasses

Due to the aforementioned burst blood vessel, I wore glasses to school today.

Hardly exciting news.

What if I told you that I haven't worn glasses to school since fifth grade?

Now it's big news.

I'm much to vain for my own good. However, Painful-Eye-Eric managed to win over Vain-Eric. So... yeah.

I have a chem test tomorrow. One of four tests. I wish myself good luck. I'm also singing the national anthem at the football game-- so everyone should come. I've gotta remember my blue hair dye. :D

This is a short post. I'm tired. Forgive me.

Ruptured

Anyone who has seen me or my left eye in the past week (though I imagine that most people who see my left eye also see me at the same time, but I digress) has noticed that it is slightly red.

It's quite irritating-- the sun especially makes it painful. And, of course, I'm too vain to not wear contacts.

I have determined that this redness has been caused by a ruptured blood vessel in my eye, and that ruptured blood vessels are most commonly caused by...

Wait for it...

STRESS.

My stress has physically manifested itself in the form of a ruptured blood vessel. I'm also very achy at the moment, but that might just be from my most recent 4-hour chemistry study session. But if stress is really behind my ruptured blood vessel, it certainly has good cause. Let's take a look at the last five days of Eric's life:

Saturday: Vocal Master Class and CD/DVD recording for college auditions. Plus rehearsal for said CD/DVD recording.

Sunday: All of the homework that I didn't do because of Saturday's events. On top of seeing a show at the Arvada Center (which I'm not complaining about-- but it certainly didn't give me any extra time.)

Monday: Sweeney Rehearsal, plus Chemistry Study Session, plus half of an Act of Hamlet to read, PLUS working on a giant history project that we didn't even present on Tuesday. (That was a bit of a spirit breaker.)

Tuesday: More Sweeney Rehearsal, plus singing the national anthem at the soccer game, plus more chem studying (we have a test Friday-- AHH!), plus Hamlet notes. Plus an hour out of my evening to watch GLEE. (Again... not complaining)

Wednesday: MORE SWEENEY (which I love, don't get me wrong), piano lessons, voice lessons, and extreme chem study session (I actually worked through all of Robertson's worksheets and feel fairly confident). Plus all the homework that I haven't done yet because I chose to blog about my stress. It's really just a therapeutic way for me to vent my frustrations-- so I'm going to say that this is actually productive.

The chemistry test is Friday. One of four tests of the year. Thursday night, I have Willy Wonka rehearsal (though not the full time... thank goodness.) I really hope I get a little bit of time to have one last jam-packed session of studying, because I'll need it.

I have determined that there are not enough hours in the day. It's not just my blood vessel that has been ruptured. I feel like I have been ruptured-- torn apart in two trying to keep track of everything. Sometimes I just need to take a moment and rest. But there's no time-- probably because I spend all of my extra time blogging about my stress (again-- it's generally productive because it allows me to rest my brain.)

It doesn't help me to know that it's just going to get worse before it gets better. I still have college apps to fill out, scholarships to obtain, and an Extended Essay to finalize. I'm sure that I'm rupturing millions of little blood vessels just by thinking about all of this.

So yeah. I feel ruptured. Physically and mentally. I think I'm just going to sleep through the entire weekend.

Compact-Disc

I don't know how Lady Gaga does it. I just sang five songs to put onto a college audition CD, and I'm exhausted. If anyone's interested, here's a list of the songs on said CD:

1. Il mio bel foco (Marcello)

2. Pieta, Signore (Stradella)

3. Der Doppelganger (Schubert)

4. Beau Soir (Debussy)

5. The Vagabond (Vaughan Williams)

A fairly varied list of songs-- that's what I was aiming for. This way, any combination of these five songs will be enough for any college's requirements. The Manhattan School of Music, for example, requires three songs: an Italian song (1 or 2), an English song (5), and a song in either German or French (3 or 4).

This list was based on what a specific scholarship I'm looking at requires: An Italian aria (1), an English (5), two contrasting art songs (3 and 4), and a final song of my choice (2). I think I picked well. Il mio bel foco and Der Doppelganger show off my low notes, while Pieta, Signore shows off my high notes. Beau Soir is a slower song, which contrasts the rapid Vagabond. And these five songs should fit nicely into any college's requirements.

I'm so glad that I have this under my belt. This is arguably one of the biggest pains in the process college application of music majors. Now I can start sending them in and finishing my apps. (Though I still have to write essays-- including one for MsM that asks what fictional character I identify with. I kinda want to say Harry Potter. :D) Things are starting to fall in place. I'm pretty happy about it.

Additionally, my parents got me barbecue for dinner.

It was delicious.

Conferences

They went well. Much to my surprise.

Actually, that's a bit of an overstatement. I figured every conference would go well except that for Chemistry, since I have a C in that class. (I do have an A in every other class, though. :P)

It's nice to hear people say nice things about me. Ms. Robertson (the teacher of chemistry) said that I actually didn't have anything to worry about, and that my grade would go up. (If I get an A at semester, I've decided I'm throwing a party over Christmas. Everyone who reads this post is invited.) And of course all the other teachers (besides Burns, who, of course, yelled at me in front of my mother... :D) had nice things to say. Which is always nice to know.

So far, senior year is going relatively well. This, of course, is the most important semester of school, since I'm in the process of applying to colleges, and the best way to get good scholarships so I can attend good colleges is to, of course, have good grades. Once this semester is over, grades don't matter as much-- not that I'm going to slack off and drop my grades to straight D's or anything-- but they supply so much stress in my life.

But, yeah, conferences went well. I was pleasantly surprised. :)

Oooh. And I'm recording my CD for colleges tomorrow! I'm excited!

Two-Face

Today was a fairly stressful day for me. And all the stress had one common root: Chemistry.

I am not skilled in the world of sciences. I thank God every day that I have a decent voice, because I'd otherwise be screwed. I'm not even kidding.

The thing about chemistry that gets me the most is the fact that it's like a two-faced teenage girl (I use the feminine for the simple purposes of comparison-- there are no doubt two-faced boys out there as well. I simply am using it because I'm sexist.) Chemistry never has a simple set of rules of follow. No. It's gotta follow one set of rules for one process, and a whole other set for a different process. There's no simplistic way to just know it. There are simply too many sets of rules to understand.

Today, I went to school feeling fairly confident about my chemistry worksheet that I had worked on last night. That is, until second period, when I realized, to my complete and utter horror, that I had done the entire sheet incorrectly. I had followed the processes for a strong acid in a reaction that produced a weak one. Immediately, I panicked and started trying to figure out the true answers.

We also had a quiz in chem on Periodicity-- a subject we "learned" (and I use that term loosely) last year. I think I did okay on it. Hopefully I did, because I haven't been faring well on the quizzes this far into the year.

With ten minutes of our class time spent on a quiz, we got to spend the last fifteen minutes of the hour to finish a lab that we hadn't been able to finish yesterday, due to time constraints. Our group, luckily, was able to finish the lab-- other groups weren't so lucky. They'll hopefully be able to finish their labs in due course.

When I finally got to Spanish 8th hour (late, of course), I sat down and realized how exhausted (mentally and physically) that I was. Chemistry is going to be the death of me. I was hoping that I would be able to do better this year, since Ms. Robertson is more assertive and no-nonsense-- a type of teacher I do well with. Hopefully this is just a nasty speed-bump that will pass with time.

I have some choppy waters ahead of me in the proverbial sea of chemistry.

Glee!

The season premiere of GLEE aired tonight, and I'm proud to say that I arranged my entire day around it, and, despite a few hitches with my family (apparently I couldn't wait until commercial to take out the trash... :P), I got to enjoy the majority of it. (Though I missed Finn's Cheerio audition, which is a bit tragic. I'll have to catch up on Hulu. NO ONE RUIN IT FOR ME!!)

One thing I noticed about this premiere was that it kind of plunged everything into a state of dismay. Finn's off football, the two Asians are going out, Artie's dreams are crushed (though he's used to that now), and Sunshine is off to Vocal Adrenaline. (PS... why did the other football player "transfer?" If I was a friggin' character on GLEE, I wouldn't give it up for anything.)

^^^ BTW SPOILERS ^^^

But, after some reflection time, that's probably the best way to begin a season. GLEE now has audiences hooked, and it will take an entire season (or at least half a season) to make things right again. It's taken the characters we've grown to love and ripped their lives up into pieces, and we're going to be right there ready to help put said pieces together. The season premiere was not as exciting or light as I anticipated, but I'm glad with what they did with it. I'm now, once again, shamelessly addicted to the show.

Regarding next week's Britney Spears themed episode, I'm on the fence. I do believe that Britney Spears herself is quite talented and her music is quite catchy (but all pop is...), and I'm glad to see that she has recovered from the bald woman with two babies in her car that she was. (SHE HAD TWO KIDS! HER HUSBAND TURNED OUT TO BE A USER. Yes. I've heard it.) But I'm not sure if she should be idolized like the GLEE cast is doing with an entire episode. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just the fact that I am shocked that there hasn't been a Lady Gaga themed episode yet (I don't count "Theatricality" because there were some songs by other artists mixed in.) Maybe I'm just a bitter person. ;)

But anyway, if I had to say anything, I quite enjoyed the GLEE season premiere. While it wasn't quite what I expected, I certainly can't complain. And I will be there watching next week... on Hulu. Since I'll be missing it. (On a related note, come see me sing the National Anthem at the soccer game next Tuesday! ;D)

That's really all I had to say. I'm off to study chemistry.

Scholarships?

Everyone who knows me knows that I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want to go to NYU for college. There's a list of reasons why.

1. HELLO. IT'S NEW YORK

2. It will look excellent on a resume, especially when one considers that I want to go into a performing arts career.

3. I'll be in the same place where I want to live for the rest of my life.

4. I'll be in the same place where I want to work for the rest of my life.

5. They've got a well-respected music program (operated through the Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development), which I'm fairly confident I could get into.

5. UM HELLO. IT'S NEW YORK.

NYU is conveniently placed in Manhattan. It seems like the absolute perfect college for me. I'm fairly wary about going to a conservatory school because they won't allow any non-music majors (I do want a fall-back plan) and they are sometimes only two-year programs, which won't give me the amount of teaching I need to become a fairly well-rounded persona. And that freaks me out.

The problem with NYU is... it's the second-most expensive school in the country.

When it comes to overall tuition, room/board, and the rest, it's expensive. My parents have informed me that if I get in, there's no way in heck that they will be able to pay for it. And, unfortunately, my parents make just enough money so that I won't be able to get a ton of financial aid (though I'm hoping that's not entirely true-- doesn't the FAFSA consider where you're going to college?) So, it's up to me to go scholarship hunting in order to make my dream come true.

Another problem with NYU is that it only offers Early Decision options for admittance. If I get in, I'm locked in. There's no going back. I've gotta come up with some sort of money. Student loans are, of course, always an option, but my parents both are against it, because they were still paying off student loans after I was born. It is an option, but I'm not sure that I want to take it.

However, people who do Early Decision I are the first to get their hands on financial aid. A significant percent of students at NYU get financial aid. But I'm afraid that I'll get in... but be screwed financially.

I'm really hoping to make NYU work out. REALLY REALLY HOPING. Like, if I can't make it work out, I'll be crushed. No joke.

New York is calling me!

Vests

For those of you who don't know, I am obsessed with formal clothing.

I love dressing up. Good thing, too, because I've gotta dress up for the numerous piano/voice competitions I participate in. Part of your score is your presentation, and how you dress is a fairly significant part of that score.

It's pretty legit, actually.

I used to hate dressing up, but I've learned to love it. I've also discovered my love for ties and vests. Speaking of vests, I was googling around (that sounded dirty... but you get the point) and I discovered this wonderful site full of vests that are also under $30 each. Those

are pretty good prices when you're looking at quality.

Since I want to keep things fresh, I've decided to wear the same tuxedo to this year's prom (which I hope won't conflict with Sound of Music), but with a different vest/tie combination. Here's a few of the vests that appealed to me.

The picture doesn't show it as well, but this one has a friggin' dragon on it. How awesome is that?I'll tell you. It's pretty awesome. The red tie just completes the deal. This one is $43, so it's not exactly cheap. But it's just so awesome. :D

This one's a bit plainer, but it's in my favorite shade of green. I was looking for a vest like this when I was singing "Wonderful" from Wicked in a musical theatre revue, but I couldn't find one in time. This one is perfect. Especially since I'm obsessed with the color green (even though I don't wear it every day anymore.) Plus it's significantly less expensive ($24.99) than the aforementioned dragon vest, though considerably less BA.

This one's more of a teal, which is one of my favorite shades of blue-green. Actually, teal is kind of the only shade of blue-green. But I like it regardless. It's a little less vibrant than the emerald vest, but since I like teal so much, I had to include it in the possibilities. This one's only $24.99 as well, so I'm leaning toward it. :)

This one is sky blue, which is a very pleasant shade of blue. I like it because it matches my eyes. Not really. My eyes are brown. But I like this one anyway, because it's a little easier on the eyes but still vibrant enough to make an important statement (the statement being, I can look good for cheap, because this one's only $24.99 as well.)

This one's probably my least favorite, for two reasons. Yellow isn't great looking on me, and for some reason, this vest is about $10 more expensive than the three previous vests. But it's gold, and I still kinda like it.

I also, for some ungodly reason, want a zebra print vest, but the site's being stupid and not allowing me to view the website where I could find it. So, just imagine me for now in a zebra-print vest. I think it'd be pretty freakin' awesome. But that's just my opinion.

I don't think I'm gonna do any more blogs with picture posts on them for a while. That was fairly exhausting. Stupid Blogger. :P

Theatre Kids

I need to hang out with them more often. Be they the THS or NYT version.

There's something about theatre kids that makes them more valuable than other high school cliques. When I hang out with people who consider themselves more "popular," I end up wanting to shoot myself in the brain. When I'm with theatre people, I don't have to worry about being obnoxious or crazy, because I'm in good company.

We are also the masters of excellent inside jokes. I wrote an entire poem comprised of tonight's list of inside jokes. They have no been forever immortalized in the Facebook world.

(I also want to clarify that all of the same things can be applied to choir people. I just hung out with theatre people tonight, so they're kinda my point of focus right now.)

I feel most healthy with theatre people. Even if I barely know them, it's like we're best friends. We get each other. It's pretty legit, actually. :)

Art!

So, in honor of the Congress-passed National Art Appreciation Day, all of THS's choir, band, orchestra, and art students were given the day off to perform for the other students. And I've gotta say-- it went really well! :)

Now, as I'm sure everyone and their brother is aware, THS isn't exactly known for its art programs. First off, we're not an art-based school. Second off, THS is in a lower-income area, where people can't always afford the necessary materials for the creation of visual and performing arts. A lot of people will turn their noses up at Thornton High School (its art program as well as the school itself), simply because of the stereotypes that surround it. Students at the school themselves also have probably been turning blind eyes, deaf ears, and other disabled appendages to the miracle that is the Thornton High School art program.

Until today.

I was frankly amazed at the number of students who came in to watch the choir performances. We were sure that we'd get a few people out of genuine interest. But we feared that would be it. We were shocked as the auditorium slowly began filling up. Sure, a lot of them had come because their teachers had their class watch the performance, but a lot of them came out of genuine interest. (Or boredom... ha.) And a good 95% of them-- I exclude a few people who were forced by others to come, or were simply disrespectful-- allowed themselves to enjoy the performance. I think a lot of them were shocked, too. This was the first time that several of these students had ever heard the choir. Given the aforementioned stereotypes surrounding the school, they had simply assumed that the choir program would be bad. That made the performance all the more effective.

The most important thing about art day is that it raised awareness to administration, the principal, and the friggin' SUPERINTENDENT (who was kind enough to make an appearance. :D) about the importance of the arts. We survived the first $24 million budget cut, and we've got another $20 million cut to go. Historically, the arts are the first to go. Hopefully, after today's demonstration, the school board will think twice before taking anything out of the art programs.

I'm super proud of everyone (band, choir, orchestra, and visual art kids alike) who participated in today's activities. Each and every one of you took a part in maintaining what is an amazing art program. I commend each and every one of you.

You humble me. :)

Brazil

Well, we had our first Willy Wonka "rehearsal" of sorts. It was more of a cast meeting with a readthrough rather than an actual rehearsal, but that's beyond the point.

I know that this show is going to be awesome. :D

The only trouble is, my character, Mr. Salt-- who, I might add, is traditionally a British character-- hails from Brazil. And I've gotta come up with the accent.

If you Google "Brazilian Accent," absolutely nothing of any use comes up. You would probably (I say "probably" because I haven't actually conducted a field test) get more useful results for the query of "Brazilian Wax." I'm just saying. Anything goes in these modern times.

But I finally found a Yahoo Answers that told me that there are several different types of Brazilian accents. Apparently, people who hail from Sao Paulo-- the home of the Salt family-- speak with an Italian accent.

Unfortunately, I keep slipping into my Russian, Asian, or Indian accents while trying to pathetically speak in an Italian accent. Learning accents is harder than people may give it credit for. But I'll eventually get it. It will just take a bit of practice, with perhaps the addition of immersion into Brazilian culture. Maybe I'll take a mini-vacation. For purposes of research (and... multiculturalism.)

;)

Bumblebee

I kinda like these one-worded posts. It makes me feel mysterious and enigmatic. Of course, mysterious and enigmatic pretty much mean the same things. But the fact that I use both words with similar meanings makes me... well... mysterious. And enigmatic.

;D

Of course, the title of this post is bumblebee, because I got a little taste of how busy my life is going to be the next couple months today. I came home from a full 8-period day of school plus Sweeney Todd practice (music plus run-through) at 5:30 pm. After that, I met Cori and Helen at Barnes and Noble for some studying (and general tomfoolery, but studying happened as well, I assure you.) In between, however, I had to go to a Boy Scout Meeting to acquire a few necessary signatures for my Eagle Paperwork. After that, I returned to Barnes and Noble to continue studying.

On an unrelated side note, the children's section of Barnes and Noble is far too distracting to work well in. Don't ask me how I know this. I just do. :)

...And I'm just gonna get busier, having obtained a significant role in Willy Wonka. Looking back, I'm glad I got a smaller role. I can focus more on Sweeney. Tomorrow, I have no plans of getting home anytime before 8:30. Hopefully there will be a little downtime to do some homework.

Speaking of homework, senior year of the International Baccalaureate isn't going to complete itself.

I'm not complaining. I understood when I made all these commitments that I was going to be busy, and sometimes stressed. I merely just wanted to discuss and remark (two words with similar meanings) my busy schedule. I hope I'm appreciated. ;)

Eagle

So, I have my Scoutmaster Conference for my Eagle Scout award later this evening. And it's only been a year since my Eagle Project, which took place July 31-August 2 of 2009. I've been awaiting my letters of recommendation, and they're finally getting in. It's really been all about getting things in. And in the spirit of the true IB student, I've been procrastinating.

But everything is now done. My project paperwork, my application, all but one of my recommendation letters, my personal statement, and all the required merit badges. I'm so friggin' close I can taste it. :)

And it's gonna look really awesome on all those college apps.

Salt

Mr. Salt.

That's me. :)

When I first got the call, I wasn't entirely sure of what to make of this part. My first thought was something along the lines of "That's not a very significant role at all. :(" I, along with several other hopefuls, was hoping for the role of Willy Wonka. I'm not gonna lie. I was a tad disappointed. But after a few hours of reflection, I've come to terms with the part, and I know I'm going to enjoy it.

Mr. Salt is going to be a very fun role to play. The father of the spoiled brat. And as far as I know, I'll get to speak in an English accent, which is just legit enough for me to be completely happy with the role.

Let's think of it this way. There were 75 kids at callbacks. Even more than that auditioned. I know people who couldn't even make callbacks. People who are talented. People who did well. There were 75 kids at callbacks and only 35 roles in the show. More than 50% of the kids at callbacks have nothing. Take the 40% who do. Half of them are chorus roles. People who might... just might... have one line. If that.

I feel very fortunate indeed.

Would I rather be Wonka? Of course. In a heartbeat. But will I enjoy this role? Yes.

And I'm gonna steal the friggin' show if I can. :D

Callbacks

So I had callbacks today for NYT's production of Willy Wonka. And within the next 24 hours, I will know who I am. :)

Yes, I'm going to be in this show at the same time as being Sweeney Todd. Because I'm too legit (or ambitiously idiotic) to be in one show. Hopefully, I won't be pulling my hair out at the time that both shows end. I don't think I will. If I'm busy with something I love, it won't be working. It will be doing what I love. And there will be plenty of time to do my homework at rehearsals.

But I hate waiting. I suppose that's good, since Sweeney Todd has problems with waiting. I can incorporate that into the show.

Waittttttttttttinggggg.

Waiiiitttttttttttiiinnnnnnngggggggg.

¡¡Clase de Español!!

Estoy en la clase de español ahora... es bueno practicar todo el tiempo. Es muy dificíl hacer los acentos a veces, especialmente en una computadora de laptop. Ayyyyy Dios Mio....

;D

College

It terrifies me beyond belief.

I have been applying for scholarship after scholarship (I actually just applied for the Boettcher... essays and all) and it still terrifies me.

If you have never met me or heard of me or ever breathed the same air as me, you might not know that I am into musical theatre... singing in general actually. Classical and Musical Theatre is my personal favorite (I'm not much of a pop singer... as much as I idolize Lady Gaga... :D).

So, the logical college choice for me is New York University. AKA My Dream School.

AKA The second-most expensive school in the country. Gahhhhhhhh.

Hence scholarship after scholarship after scholarship. It's ridiculous, actually.

If I can make it work, I will be happy. If I can't, I'll get through this. But unlike some things, if you want to make it big in music, where you go to school is very important. Colorado schools are not exactly known for churning out Broadway stars. I mean, they do happen, but I want to take opportunities if they present themselves.

On an unrelated note, I just auditioned for Willy Wonka today with NYT! :) I'm hoping that turns out well. Callbacks, should I be called back, are on Saturday. And yes, I'm going to do both this show (if cast) and Sweeney Todd (in which I'm playing the title character) at the same time. If only to prove to myself that I'm awesome.

It's 11:13 on a school night. I think I'll go to sleep now. ;D

Schoooooooool

It's started.

The excess of O's in the title are both an indication of excitement and sheer terror.

Mostly sheer terror.

But I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm very excited to be a senior, but I'm terrified of IB. But who isn't in these modern times? IB is quite terrifying. I blame Switzerland. They're the ones who gave it to America.

This is why I hate Swiss cheese.

But I've gone off on a tangent. (Not to be confused with a cosine. Ha.) I'm very excited about being a senior, even though I don't think the fact that this is my last year of school has truly sunk in yet. Holy Calcutta. It's my last year of school. After this, I have to pay to learn.

Though of course, I kinda have to pay to learn now. And by me, I mean my parents. My mom just signed a $200 check for graduation materials. God Bless Her. She also paid for my choir classes, my parking permit (which cost $50, a $20 increase from what it was last year), my yearbook, and everything else that costs money. Good thing I don't take the bus-- that would have been another expense. Stupid budget cuts. Public school is no longer free.

But anyway, I'm very excited to be a senior. I'm terrified of IB and also getting into college stuff. I really really REALLY want to go to NYU, but I'm gonna need scholarship upon scholarship to get in there, because it's one of the most expensive schools in the world (hardly a surprise, since it's in the most expensive place in the world.)

So, most of this "School" post is not really about school, but this blog is more of an electronic diary that anyone can see (hmmmm....), but it's mostly for me. So I don't care. :)

Extended Essay in Wordle

Back to School :(

OK. It's July Freaking 15th. And I just saw K-Mart's back to school commercial.

WTF.

It's July. It's the middle of summer. There is a still an entire solid month before school starts. GAH! That's just not fair. To hold something so horrid over our heads this early into summer... that's just a bit below the metaphorical belt, K-Mart.

I'm glad I don't shop at K-Mart. Those jerks. I bet they didn't have to go through IB. If they did, they wouldn't be so excited about getting their mother-flipping school supplies out in the MIDDLE OF JULY.

There's just something wrong with that.

This is America.

Oh well.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm going to see the "other" AIDA tomorrow night! And it's gonna be awesome. But not nearly as awesome as the NYT performance of AIDA. But you can't go wrong with such an awesome show.

I just saw a garbage truck go backwards down the entire length of a street from my bedroom window. It amused me greatly.

I really have nothing more to say.

Good-Bye, then. :)

So...

I've got this idea for EE. If I write, like, 300-400 words a day, my essay will be complete within two weeks. This would work, in theory. But I am not accounting for writer's block, or the fact that I'm still not entirely sure where this essay is going. I have a very rough outline, but is that enough? I have my doubts.

I would know. I outlined an entire 26,000 word book for my personal project, and even then I had problems writing.

But since this essay is a work of non-fiction (and is taken heavy donations from a kind old gentleman named Wikipedia, as well as the books I checked out from College Hill), it might be easier to write, since I'm not making things up as I go... at least I hope I'm not making things up. That would be an issue.

The Extended Essay did not fall on a convenient summer. I have much on my plate, and not much on the metaphorical plate has been fully consumed. Sure, I've taken bites out of the many bitter-tasting foods, but I am yet to actually consume an entire pork chop yet.

But at least I can find small mercies in my amazing ability to create metaphors.

That's all. Tune in next time. :)

The First Post

Hello. You have just encountered the first post of Eric's Blog of Awesome. If you are awesome, this blog is for you. If you are not awesome, we'll still put up with you.

I will be using this blog to inform you of things in my life, regardless of importance.

Right now, you might be interested to know that I'm working on my Extended Essay. Mine is on the evolution of song in musical theatre. It's quite a treat, actually. But it's also kind of not a treat because it's... well... an extended essay.

More to come! When I feel like it. Warm Regards.

(I'm not sure why I said that.)