The Joy of Installing Ovens... Among Other Things

So today was an interesting day.

Last week, my dad decided that it was time to put in a new oven. Because apparently the oven we've been using for the last 14 years can't cook a turkey, and obviously, since we are proud middle-class citizens of the United States of America, the inability to cook a turkey, arguably one of the most patriotic animals that is allowed to be slaughtered and eaten (obviously bald eagles are not exempted from such a status because of the whole "eating and slaughtering" thing, though not necessarily in that order. But I digress.)

And so, my parents, being the absolute darlings they are, decide that we won't get the oven professionally installed. No, after all, they have two "strapping young lads" (and that's a direct quote, mind you) to help carry in and install ovens and other kitchen items. And for the second time in this blog's history, we turn to the magic of the dictionary:

strapping [ˈstræpɪŋ]

adj

(prenominal) tall and sturdy

[from strap (in the archaic sense: to work vigorously)]

Now, I am certainly tall, but I'm not exactly "sturdy." I am certainly the least masculine person in the family, with the possible exception of my mother. And I'm not really an excellent person at such activities as heavy lifting, which this task required a lot of. There was first the heavy lifting of the original oven, which was already considerably large, as ovens are apt to be. And then the new oven, which was like three hundred times (and this is, I must confess, a rough estimate) heavier, and of course a much worse thing to drop on the ground. If we drop the old oven on the ground, who cares, it's an old oven, but the new $1500 oven (which my parents considered a steal- I see it as a chunk of my college fund... haha. But again I'm digressing. All I'm saying is that if it truly was a steal it wouldn't be a big deal if I dropped it and broke it) would of course break and then I'm sure I could have to at least partially contribute to a new oven. And while I have money saved up for college spending money, I don't have enough to throw into a new oven.

And after all that, we still haven't completely put the oven in. It's just awkwardly standing in the kitchen next to a gaping hole where the old oven used to be. It's connected, so in theory we could probably use it as a real oven... it just happens to be a giant block in the middle of the kitchen, which, if left alone, could lead to stubbed toes, angry words, and a body count-- three things that are undoubtedly and equally unpleasant. So, tomorrow (which, I might remind you, is the Christian day of rest... plus it's already Lent. So unorthodox), the strapping young lads will assist their father in sliding this giant piece of machinery into a wall and hoping to the good lord Jesus Christ (it will be Sunday after all-- I must find some way to spiritually engage myself) that it fits.

Also today, I learned that I am definitely and completely incapable of driving a manual stickshift in a car. It's pretty much impossible, so I'm glad that my car is an automatic. Because if it wasn't, I'd... probably be able to drive a stickshift by now. Hmmm. Bad argument. But my brother (who just passed his permit test Friday) and I were learning at the same time, which is not a good combination. I, of course, am much too dependent on the automatic gears, having driven them for the past three years, and so it is understandable that this sudden change would be so... well... sudden.

However, I closed up the day video chatting with my dear friend Ali "Sunshine" Bongiardina over Skype, in which we discussed several hot topics such as abortion, theatre, and college. I also managed to fall out of my chair mid-conversation and was laughed at. My hamster, Fiyero, also partook in the conversation as a silent third party, which was quite pleasant as well. And then that ended, which was sad. My internet kept phasing in and out during the conversation, though, which made for some awkward pauses and difficulties. And then Ali, in the middle of a pleasant conversation, decided that she was going to get food and left me at the altar... or rather... computer, all alone without any love in the world. But luckily, my internet finally stopped being stupid and we went like a full hour without any issues, which was pleasant. It has really reminded me of how much I miss being with my NYT friends, who I just don't get to see as often, which is quite sad.

But while discussing life with Ali, I learned that the CenterStage Theatre Company (located in Boulder-- political friends of mine probably know my feelings about the city... haha) is putting on Titanic: The Musical (yes, there is such a thing, and no it's not based on the movie) this summer, so I'm considering auditioning for that. After all, my goal this years was to participate in five musical productions, and right now I've only gotten four (including Chess), and since Sound of Music with NYT didn't work out, I need to get some last show in before I head to college. Especially if I go to CSU, because they don't do a lot of musical theatre stuff. They do a lot of opera and Gilbert and Sullivan, but they don't do a lot of musical theatre, which is, of course, my first love in the theatre. So I've gotta work in as much as I can. Four productions is just not going to cut it, I'm afraid. So I'm considering that. The only problem is, of course, the location. Frequent rehearsals throughout the summer could be difficult to work with, as I'd be driving to and from Boulder every time I go there, but I have almost the entire summer off-- I'm just unavailable one weekend to go to LA for the Classical Singer Competition (Par-TAY in L-AY!), so if that weekend is when auditions/callbacks are, I'm screwed. But I can certainly hope.

But anyway, all six of my faithful readers, that's all in the life of Eric for today. Still no important scholarship offers from NYU or Miami, and I certainly can't expect any more mail until Monday... and of course school starts back up again after that. Gah. But tomorrow I will be participating in my first ever paying gig at a restaurant in Ft. Collins. (A company, Arias@Avos, is honoring the Classical Singer Finalists for Colorado, of which I am one, at a dinner tomorrow. And I'm being paid a $25 honorarium. Sure, I make more money dog-sitting, but this is indeed the first time I'm being paid to sing (excluding, of course, the times I've won money for vocal competitions), so that's a nice step in the right direction. I can never say my vocal abilities amounted to nothing now! I've got $25 to say the opposite. :)

So that's it, for now. If you haven't heard yet, I'm playing Molokov in the THS Choir's version of the hit musical Chess on April 27th at 6:00pm. Be there or be squared. It's going to be ridiculously AWESOME. :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.

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.

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. :)