2011 Update

First off, I LOVE CHRISTA SO MUCH BECAUSE WE ARE BEST FRIENDS WHO NEVER GO ON DATES.

Secondly, I haven't posted in a while because 1) I was on Christmas break and tried to just sleep most of the time and 2) Since break has ended, I haven't had a moment to myself. But for the sake of my readers, I will make a quick post to let you know how life has been going in the life of Eric.

As far as colleges go, I have applied to nine universities (my parents are annoyed) and, of those nine, I have received three acceptances (no, I haven't received six rejections. :P) I have been accepted to Colorado State University, Luther College (IA), and DePauw University (IN), all with fairly significant academic scholarships. I'm supposed to hear from the University of Miami by January 15. Let's all cross our fingers. I've actually been looking into Miami's Vocal Performance program, and I really like it. Also, it's one of two places I have applied where snow virtually doesn't exist, which is also nice. Perhaps now is the time when I'm most motivated to go someplace like Miami. But I've also been very impressed with DePauw's music program-- when I went to the Classical Singer Convention/Competition in NYC last summer, I had a master class with their classical vocal teacher, and she was really awesome.

Anyway, yeah. I've sent recorded auditions to Miami and NYU (actually, New York was a prescreening... if they like me enough to invite me to audition, I might have to talk my parents in letting me go there for a live audition.) I'm auditioning at CSU sometime in February, and I have plans to audition at DU as soon as possible (especially since they removed me from their Early Action application because, apparently, since I signed up to the music school, the audition is part of the actual application, and I won't even get in until I send that in.) I'm auditioning for DePauw on March 6-7 (live-- I'm actually really excited), and I'm probably going to send recorded auditions to Luther and Capital University. I'm not sure about University of the Pacific or St. Olaf yet-- I'll have to see where that leads me.

But school itself has been keeping me busy. I've been working on my G4 Project for science. We're examining the voltage of electrolytes in sports drinks and then assessing their effectiveness on slowing heart-rate while exercising... I know it sounds very exciting. And then I have my Lit Oral Examination (yes, it's a funny name) this Friday, for which I feel reasonably prepared.

In a more positive note, the THS Senior Choir Concert is next week, and I'm singing a solo with my friend Kiani (who, for the record, is awesome) on the final night of the concert, for which I'm very excited. I finally have my entire outfit ready... I'm going all out and wearing a tux with a green vest, then switching into a royal blue vest for my performances with Select and VJ. (It's January 19-20 at 7pm... and it's free. :D) Then we go directly into our choir musical, which is confirmed to be Chess (it's a Cold War musical... I'm very excited), and the same week I audition for that, I will audition for Sound of Music at NYT, which (assuming I get in) will be my last show there, which is endlessly sad for me, because I only have done two other shows there before, because I was lame and only did school stuff until last year.

Did I mention that I was accepted into the Colorado All-State Choir earlier in my blog? Well, if you haven't heard, I did, and I'm very excited. I'm singing Bass 2 (really low) in the Men's Chorus, and I've been working hard on memorizing the songs on top of every-bloody-thing else I have to do.

So it's understandable that I haven't blogged in a while. :)

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. :)

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.

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. :)

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. ;)

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.