Musings of a Critter

Dreams

2011-01-01T11:23:00.002-07:00

Last night I dreamt that with the help of Gandalf the Wizard and a rag-tag group of humans and dwarves and possibly some elves too we captured an entire city controlled by a dark wizard. We destroyed his giant fortress (thanks to Gandalf) and liberated an ancient temple nearby that in the past had been built by the Jaredites and in the future would become significant in the history of the United States.

That's when I woke up. There was a whole bunch more before all of that involving robots and time-travel and tropical fish and giant tanks of water, but the details are really fuzzy on those.

I think I've been watching too much "Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles".

What if life were an actual adventure?

2010-11-27T17:24:00.003-07:00

I was pondering today how interesting life would be if it were an actual physical journey and adventure. What if you really had to don your sword and armor and journey through the wilderness and fight dragons and demons? What if you had to save damsels-in-distress or solve perilous puzzles? I think it would be a lot easier to keep on track if that were the case. When the journey, adventure, and fight is all within your heart and soul it's a lot easier to forget about it than if you were out in the woods camping and suddenly got attacked by werewolves and had to fight them off. I guess that's why people go on pilgrimages. A journey can teach you a lot about yourself. It's harder to know what you're learning when the journey is internal. I guess that's what ultimately makes us stronger. If the Plan of Salvation worked better with us living in a world of fantasy where you had to go on journeys and fight monsters, then I suppose we would live in such a world. Anton Chekhov once said, "Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." I guess that's the true test of our character. Can we endure to the end when life is humdrum and requiring nothing more from us than patient diligence?

Don't Believe Everything You Learn At Home

2010-11-09T18:39:00.002-07:00

There have been many things in my life that I thought were a certain way because that's how they were in my home growing up. I accepted this as standard behavior and standard knowledge. This is generally a safe thing. Occasionally it results in slightly embarrassing moments. Like the time I almost corrected a friend for singing the Beach Boy's song "Barbara Ann". She was singing the words "Barbara Ann" and I started to correct her that the words were actually "Bopper Ann", when I realized that was my sister's nickname and more than likely the Beach Boys had actually used a common and normal name in their song. Fortunately, on that one I caught myself before the embarrassment ensued. Unfortunately, this weekend's experience did not involve embarrassment, rather it dug into my wallet. And there was nothing in there to begin with.

Sunday afternoon found me with a 20 lb. bag of potatoes and a few hours to turn them into mash for a church luncheon-thingy at 4:30. I only had a small pot so I was prepared to do them in waves. I peeled the first batch and chopped them up and got them cooking. No problems. I decided to clean up the peelings from the first batch and then peel and dice the next batch so as to have them ready to throw on the stove the moment the first batch was done cooking. I should interject here that growing up we had the world's most powerful garbage disposal in our kitchen sink. My grandpa installed it. If you knew him this shouldn't be surprising at all. This thing is a beast. You can grind up anything in it. Melon rinds. Chicken bones. Every conceivable thing you might cut off of a vegetable. Even potato peels. This grinder was a fact of life. I naturally assumed that all garbage disposals were equally useful as I proceeded to send my fresh cut peelings into its gapping maw.

I was about half-way through when I noticed that the water was backing up. Not good. Fortunately, I have experience with this as my sink back home suffered a similar fate when we once foolishly installed a 90-degree elbow joint that liked to get plugged. I quickly got under the sink and started taking the plumbing apart to clear out the line. It was very evident that whoever installed those pipes was not Pomp. They were tiny and full of twists and turns to make them useless for anything beyond draining the most purified, distilled water. I cleared them out and put them back together only to discover that the water was still backing up. A couple more times under the sink taking the pipes apart revealed that the problem went deeper than I thought. The plug continued beyond my reach, deep into the wall. I couldn't get those pipes apart and I was severely lacking in the plumber's auger department. Let's also point out that by this point Critter is wet, and hungry (I had been fasting all day), and muttering things he shouldn't have been muttering, and running out of time.

The first batch was done so I ran over to my neighbor's and asked if I could use their kitchen seeing as mine was having a bit of an off-day. Enlisting the help of my friend who was staying the week with me we moved our entire operation next door and tried to ignore the piles of dirty dishes filling the sink and thus making it difficult to drain potatoes and other such activities necessary in the mashing of spuds. We managed to get the second batch cooked and mashed, but due to the time lost trying to save the sink we didn't finish all of them. We packed up the mashed ones and brought along the chopped up ones to cook at the church while people ate, which we did. Of course there were heaps of left over mashed potatoes and so that is what I will be eating all week. At least I got some free food out of this. Anyway, the point is...

At some point during this crisis I called the lord and lady of my land and explained that I needed a plumber. I explained what had happened and they mentioned that that wasn't a very good idea. That potato peelings should never go down a garbage disposal. It was at this point I remembered that Pomp had installed that super-duper all-powerful disposal. My original thought that a newer model would be far better at grinding anything than the old model back home, proved to be... well... silly. So, there I stood on the phone feeling like a complete fool.

Today the plumber came. I wasn't there when he came. A little while later I was informed that he had fixed the problem and that as it was my fault would I kindly offset the $154 cost by $100 out of my own pocket? Thank you very much.

Sigh.

Can't really argue that one.

Shouldn't there be some sort of family insurance that covers things like this?

This is why I love my Dad

2010-10-26T00:08:00.004-06:00

Because he knows me so well. This is the best birthday present ever!

Sometimes

2010-10-02T14:08:00.003-06:00

Some guys are really good at flirting and dating. They are charming and attractive and girls are easily drawn to them. I find it interesting that a lot of times the guys who are really great flirts aren't very good at commitment-relationships. They aren't always the best boy-friends.

I find myself among a different group. I'm terrible at flirting with a girl in whom I am actually interested. The best way to tell if I like a girl is if I clam up around her and avoid touching her. Weird. I know. I'm getting better. I don't enjoy dating. I enjoy spending time with friends and I like spending time with a girl I like, but I'm terrible at asking lots of different girls on dates and bouncing around from girl to girl.

So, I'm not very good at flirting or dating; however, I am great once I'm in a relationship. I'm a great boy-friend if I may say so myself. Once I'm in a relationship I feel comfortable and safe. I know I still have to work at it, but I know what to do from there. I know that there is at least a small commitment to each other and I can operate in that understanding. Knowing the girl is willing to give it a go with me gives me the confidence I need. I know how to make her happy from there. Perhaps this is strange, but it's how I feel.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess I'm trying to learn how to be better at dating. I want to be more attractive to girls. I don't want to change who I am, but I'm learning that being the "nice guy" doesn't really get you anywhere. "Nice" is bland. I'm not saying I want to be a jerk. I can still be a gentleman, but I can show more of my personality than just "nice". I have opinions. I want to feel comfortable sharing them without fearing offending someone. I want to do those things that make me happy and feel comfortable inviting another to share those things with me without being self-conscious or shy. Sometimes I'm goofy and silly. Sometimes I'm moody and sad. Sometimes I'm happy. Sometimes I'm deep and thoughtful. Sometimes I tell off-color jokes and have inappropriate thoughts that are pretty funny. Sometimes I am very spiritual. Sometimes I just want to snuggle with someone. Sometimes I want to make-out with someone. Sometimes I want to hold someone's hand and watch a movie. Sometimes I want to have sex. Sometimes I want to wake up next to one I love. Sometimes I want to play with my kids.

Sometimes I just want a best friend with whom to share everything.

Huh. That's strange.

2010-09-06T00:05:00.003-06:00

Two weeks ago I got one of the most painful knots in my back that I've ever had. It was on the left side and I couldn't sit, lay down, sleep, move or do anything without it resulting in the most intense pain and a few unsavory words muttered under my breath. And it was right in the middle of a week of shooting a film. I'm pretty sure it was a pinched nerve, but I'm not a doctor. I finally managed to work it out with a little yoga and could do what I needed to do, but it was still sore.

Fast forward to today: the pinky and ring finger on my left hand have had that tingly numb feeling for about a week now. I think it's getting worse. It just feels like those two fingers and the part of my hand they are connected to are asleep. I attribute this to the nerve I pinched. I was doing yoga the other day and felt that knot still there and noticed that when I worked on it, my fingers also felt it. It was weird to realize how connected my fingers and my back are. This week to plan to be a little more diligent with yoga and see if I can't sort this out. I sure hope it's not permanent because it's kind of driving me nuts and making typing a little hard.

In other news Bertie's warranty has run out and I never got the extended warranty. I hope he holds on! Jeeves has been doing just fine these two years, so I'm hopeful.

Sometimes I'm handy.

2010-08-30T13:35:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I also don't like to inhale fiberglass while installing a phone line.

Sometimes I Philosophize

2010-08-15T19:12:00.001-06:00

In order to reach his full potential an artist must train. He (or she, I don’t care what gender the artist is, I just happen to be male so I’m writing “he”, but do what you like) must subject himself to the disciplines and rules of his craft, and he must put in the time and effort. He must learn the basics and develop a fundamental understanding of the principles upon which his craft is based. He must submit to the tutelage of experienced masters who have walked that path before him. Even when he has mastered the craft he must continue to practice and polish it. Eventually he is able to explore more on his own. He can experiment and fail and succeed and grow. All the while his efforts are toward the goal of unlocking his true potential. Perhaps in this life he will never become the greatest master of his art, but he will achieve depth and passion in his work that will move those who witness his art to their very souls. He will become a master of his craft. But he must walk this path of discipline in order to do so.

One may argue that he is gifted and doesn’t need to practice. He possess raw talent and desires to let the natural expression of his soul come out. This has a certain beauty to it and will touch many hearts. There is great power in the soul. I submit, however, that the artist who refuses to learn the guidelines of his craft and the teachings of those who have gone before will not be able to unlock the full power of his talent. The great gift he has been given will never realize its full potential because he refuses to give it the time and discipline necessary to fully mature. I’m not saying he needs to destroy his individuality and conform, after all that’s what makes his work truly unique and wonderful. However, he needs to master every aspect of his chosen craft, and then the natural talent he has will reach a level of extraordinary beauty and power.

So it is with our mortal lives. We have a potential within us to become truly great. Our Heavenly Father knows our full potential and he sent his Son to walk the path and then show us how to walk that same path. The rules and guidelines he gives us aren’t so he can punish us or amuse himself. They serve a purpose. Just as the young artist cannot fully comprehend or appreciate why she must learn to count, or why he has to do so many plies, or what on earth phonetics has to do with singing, we too don’t always fully comprehend or appreciate why we have to go to church every Sunday, or read our scriptures every day, or always pay tithing. We need to trust that the Master has walked this path and knows exactly what we must do to reach our full potential. Not only does he know the basic principles of this path, he knows each of us individually on an intimate level because he suffered and experienced everything we do. He is the greatest instructor because he is able to take our unique gifts and circumstances and show us the way through our individual trials. He will help us achieve our true potential.

This is only possible if we submit ourselves to the tutelage and training of our Master. We must be willing to learn what he has to teach us, and learn it in his way. Some are born with great gifts and talents and may argue that they are a special exception. They don’t need to follow the rules as closely because their hearts are already more open and they see the bigger picture. Perhaps they have great empathy for others, or understanding of surrounding events, or an ability to teach, or heal, or comfort, or understand hidden knowledge. This individual may be able to do great good and touch many lives, but once again I submit to you that this individual will not realize his or her full potential unless they subject themselves to the Master and walk in his path.

When the gifts we have are molded by the Master we reach our full potential. We grow and progress and become powerful instruments in the hands of God, able to touch the hearts of thousands. We find after a long road of obedience, practice, struggle, frustration, success, failure, joy and sorrow that there was a purpose in all of it. We look at our Master and see him as he sees us. We know him as he knows us. We have, in fact, become like Him. We have becomes masters. (see 1 Corinthians 13:12 and Moroni 7:48, also read 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, and Moroni 7:45-48)

Guilt

2010-07-27T19:17:00.001-06:00

One of my friends told me this today and I'm grateful that he did. It's very wise advice.

"Remember that guilt has a shelf life. Once it serves its purpose let it leave. And continue to live your life and go after the things you want."

Dragons and Monsters

2010-07-25T13:32:00.003-06:00

This has been a long week. But a good week. Things continue to go very well at the Stanislavsky Summer School. This last week felt like it just flew by. It's hard to believe that it's almost over. I hope I'll be able to keep myself in shape once I don't have a Russian movement-teacher grilling me every other day.

I would have to say that the highlight of this week was babysitting for my nieces on Friday night so my sister and her husband could get away. I found it very suspicious that they wouldn't tell me where they were going or when they were going to be back. I had a sneaking suspicion that they were making a run for the boarder. Ada and Alice and I had a wonderful time though. We played Princesses and Dragons. I was the dragon. They were princesses. I was a nice dragon and read stories about princesses to them. They listened quite nicely for two stories and then we abandoned that venture. I was a prince at one point. I was a bad guy at another point and got tied up and left to die until I promised to be a good guy and said I was sorry. Then they let me go. Later on the Princess Ada was bit by a bad snake and went into a magical sleep. Princess Alice and I tried every magical potion and amulet we could possibly think of. We even turned the play kitchen set upside town brewing potions and mixing ingredients (and made quite a mess in the process). After quite the elaborate cocktail of magical remedies she woke up. Phew. It was a close call.

After a wonderful evening we rushed to clean our teeth before the Dirty-Teeth-Eating Monster came. It was a close call. I had to hold the bathroom door shut while he tried to break it down while they finished. Then more monsters were coming so we had to put our armor on (pajamas). Finally after reading some scriptures and saying prayers the monsters had all become good monsters and wanted to spend the night with the girls. So they did. In the morning Princess Ada informed me that the monsters gave her kisses all night long. Those sure were some nice monsters.

Later Zuba and Coop did in fact return home and they shared their yummy cup cakes with me. I then played a rousing game of Robo Rally with Coop and I didn't do too badly, though I did end up loosing. Ah, well. I'll get him next time.

Company

2010-07-20T05:10:00.004-06:00

Thank you Mr. Sondheim for describing how I'm feeling.

What do you get?
Someone to hold you too close,
Someone to hurt you too deep,
Someone to sit in your chair,
To ruin your sleep.

Someone to need you too much,
Someone to know you too well,
Someone to pull you up short
And put you through hell.

Someone you have to let in,
Someone whose feelings you spare,
Someone who, like it or not,
Will want you to share
A little, a lot.

Someone to crowd you with love,
Someone to force you to care,
Someone to make you come through,
Who'll always be there,
As frightened as you
Of being alive,
Being alive,
Being alive,
Being alive.

Somebody, hold me too close,
Somebody, hurt me too deep,
Somebody, sit in my chair
And ruin my sleep
And make me aware
Of being alive,
Being alive.

Somebody, need me too much,
Somebody, know me too well,
Somebody, pull me up short
And put me through hell
And give me support
For being alive,
Make me alive.

Make me confused,
Mock me with praise,
Let me be used,
Vary my days.
But alone is alone, not alive.

Somebody, crowd me with love,
Somebody, force me to care,
Somebody, make me come through,
I'll always be there,
As frightened as you,
To help us survive
Being alive,
Being alive,
Being alive!

Dear Comrades...

2010-07-18T14:35:00.002-06:00

Don't worry, I'm not writing a letter of defection to the Russian Federation. As much as I'm enjoying my time at the Stanislavsky Summer School, I remain a faithful citizen of the United States of America. Besides, if I did defect you can rest assured that Y2K-Man would hunt me down and place me under arrest, or see that I was never found...

Well, I'm here in Massachusetts and loving it. It's great to be home. I'm really enjoying my summer program and encourage you to read updates about it on my other blog. While I don't get to spend as much time at home as I would like to (I have classes 6 days a week from 9 am to about 6 pm) it's wonderful to see my family. I do like them. Speaking of which my oldest sister Bizzy and her two girls came out to visit yesterday! Hooray! I like them a lot. In about a week her husband and son will be coming out to join us. It's a party here in Pepperell!

Um, let's see. I went and saw a visiting company from Russia perform three short plays by Anton Chekhov in Russian. That was pretty cool. I'd never seen a play in Russian before, but I understood most of what they said. I didn't know all of the words, but I understood what was going on. They were all very funny plays. It was also just great to see so many Russians and be able to listen to them all speaking Russian together. I don't think I've seen that since my mission.

Well, I guess that's all. I don't really have much more to say. Sorry this post was pretty boring. Love you all!

Happy 5th!

2010-07-05T09:49:00.002-06:00

I spent my Fourth of July traveling. Not the best way to spend a major national holiday, but that's what I did. Flights are cheaper on a holiday. I am currently at home where I will be attending a five week actor training program called the Stanislavski Summer School in Boston. The faculty are all Russians from the Moscow Art Theatre School and I'm wicked excited to work with them.

Anyway, while flying on the second leg of my journey from Chicago to Manchester, NH I looked out my window in hopes of seeing a beautiful landscape of America lit up by fireworks. Instead I saw a beautiful landscape of Canada enjoying a quiet Sunday evening. Sigh. I did, however, enjoy the most beautiful sunset I had seen in a very long time. With no clouds in the way I was able to witness a vast display of colors stretching across the horizon. It was one of the most spectacular rainbows I had ever seen. Deflected by the molecules in the atmosphere and at the perfect low angle the light from the sun spread out into every color of the visible spectrum. Red was right on the horizon with orange and yellow above it blending beautifully into green, a color you don't see in the sky very often. Next, of course was blue, and then I believe I caught a hint of the ever allusive indigo, and finally saw violet blending into the growing darkness of the night sky. It was quite a beautiful sight.

After about an hour of flying we crossed back into the United States, probably somewhere in up-state New York or Vermont, and I was rewarded with thousands of civil and private displays of fireworks. Fireworks, I will be honest, aren't nearly as cool from 30,000 feet. They are barely noticeable, just little puffs of light that appear and disappear so quickly you barely have time to flick your eyes to them. What I did experience though was a deep appreciation for this land. Below me were hundreds of thousands of fellow Patriots celebrating the freedoms we enjoy. Up in the air with me were dozens more straining to look out the window and witness what we were all missing. I love this country. I don't agree with everything that is done and not everyone agrees with my opinions, but that is the beauty of this great nation. I love the Constitution and everything that she stands for and I am willing to lay down my life to defend her. God bless America.

A Thought

2010-07-01T00:33:00.003-06:00

All too often I base my happiness on the fact that right now in life I don't have a special someone to come home to and I really, really want that. Well, today it struck me that I do have a special someone to come home to: me. Everyday I come home to myself. I even take myself around with me everywhere I go. The day will come when I will be able to share my life with someone I love oh so deeply, but in the meantime I've got a rockin' awesome person to spend my time with. I love who I am. I love my life. I can embrace this wonderful opportunity to love being me and enjoy this time with myself.

Done!

2010-06-29T00:05:00.002-06:00

Today I passed the exemption exam for Physical Science 100. This was the last class I had to take at BYU. I am finished with my undergraduate schooling! It's the weirdest feeling in the world. I don't feel ready for real life, but it's here and I'm pushing forward with it. I know that for the next six weeks I'll be home in Massachusetts attending an actor training program at Harvard. After that I fly back to Provo for a film shoot the last week of August. After that... I don't know. I haven't planned my life beyond that. I suppose in February I will be auditioning for grad schools again, but other than that I have absolutely no plans. It's kind of scary. Right now I'm weighing the choices of staying at home and working, or coming back to Utah to work for a short time. There are many pros and cons of both choices. Blargh.

Noah

2010-05-29T15:47:00.002-06:00

I had an idea for a painting that I think would be very powerful and interesting. Try to picture it if you can:

The painting consists of two parts: the middle is rectangular and is the main focus and then there is a thick, rectangular boarder around it.

In the middle is a close up of Noah in the ark, perhaps Mrs. Noah is also visible embracing her husband. In the boarder we see what is going on outside: the rain is falling and the flood waters are rising, people are clinging to the arc, the waters rise. I have seen paintings of the arc with people drowning all around it before, but what interests me is Noah in this situation. What would it be like for this great man? He spent years pleading with these people to repent and come back to God. He taught them. He warned them. He loved them. Now in this moment of reckoning he must listen to their cries and do nothing. No doubt they believed him at this point and begged to be let inside the arc, insisting that they would repent and follow God. How hard would it be for Noah to hear all of this and yet know that he must do nothing? His soul would no doubt be racked with sorrow for these people he loved, and yet knew that it was too late for them. That moment would be the focus of the close-up on Noah, with his wife also feeling it and giving support. The story in the boarder would really only serve to help the viewer realize the situation.

That is the moment I am interested in capturing with this painting. If I could paint I would do it. Perhaps someday I will have the money to commission someone to do it for me. I think it could be powerful and moving.

Some updates

2010-05-29T11:26:00.003-06:00

So, I've been doing a couple of things lately in connection with my blog. You may have noticed that I've added ads to it. I don't know if I'll ever see the check from it, but I thought "why not?" So there it is. Please feel free to become intrigued with the ads that Google puts on my blog. Sadly, in light of having ads I feel obligated to remove all copyrighted material from my blog. This is especially sad since I love my profile picture. That little picture of Calvin throwing a snowball with absolute glee on his face just makes me so happy. And describes me pretty well. Oh, well.

On a similar note, I have started another blog about acting. I recently created another Google profile for my professional side that includes a separate e-mail, profile page, and blog. You are free to read it as well. Mostly on that blog I'm going to talk about the projects I'm working on, the discoveries I make as an artist, the things I'm doing to improve, and general ponderings on the subject of the art of acting. It might be of interest to you and it might not, but there you have it. The link to that blog is this.

Be Specific

2010-05-25T12:43:00.003-06:00

I'm trying to determine a more specific direction to take my blog. I'm also thinking of creating a separate blog that addresses a particular topic that I'm passionate about. The trouble is I find myself being passionate about far too many different things, and not really having enough time to dedicate to some of those things I love to even begin to compete with the hundreds of other people who spend their lives on a subject. Blargh. Here are a few of the things I'm thinking about blogging about, whether in this blog or in their own separate blog:

- Board Games (I love board games. I've always been a huge fan ever since I was a little kid. I especially love playing new games and combining old games to create something new and exciting.)

- Snowball wars (I've played around with writing a little book about snowball warfare. It's a fun little topic that I really enjoy, but I haven't ever seen anything specifically about it. It is more of a seasonal topic and not really an endless one. Perhaps a short blog would work for it.)

- Acting (I am an actor and see a lot of plays and movies, as well as spend a lot of my own time training and improving. I have a lot I could say about my own personal process of training and studying acting as well as offer tips and advice on the subject.)

- Gospel Topics (I really enjoy teaching and discussing gospel related topics and I usually have a lot to say in my head. I should probably start writing those things down.)

- Other Random Ideas I Have From Time to Time (I'm always thinking of some new something-or-other that would be fun. For example I'm contemplating a live-action spy game on campus with some friends right now. It could be very exciting.)

So, what do you, my dear reader, think? I'm pretty sure there is only one of you at this point, but I thank you for your patience and dedication.

I put up a poll! I'm so fancy.

Blogging

2010-05-08T20:38:00.002-06:00

See the Critter. See him blog. Blog, Critter, blog.

I am so high tech and 21st century. I am going to try and blog more this summer. I have more free time than I know what to do with so I might as well do something with it. In that spirit I have been trying to justify having a Netflix account for the last 5 months. So far I am 13 episodes into season one of 24 and I'm loving it. Well, that's enough chat. Gotta see what Mr. Bauer is up to!

Of Note

2009-11-12T15:57:00.004-07:00

It should also be noted that my new computer's name has changed. Originally I named it Mithrandir and then named my iPod Touch Glamdring, but those names just didn't seem to fit their personality. I've been musing over different names lately and felt that it should be something British, and my sister suggested Nigel. I remembered that that is one of my favorite names. I then remembered that the computer needs a companion with a good name for the iPod. So, I would like to inform you that my new computer's name is now Bertram Wilberforce Wooster, or Bertie for short. My iPod Touch is named Reginald Jeeves, or just Jeeves for short. This also allows me to name my future printer, Time Machine, speakers, and any other accessories I decide to get after characters from "Jeeves and Wooster". Cheers!

Dancing Queen

2009-11-12T15:56:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank my nieces and nephew for being my inspiration for a dance test today. We were performing a silly dance to a silly song, and were being graded more on character than technique, which is a good thing because my technique isn't the greatest. However, I was still very nervous because I didn't quite remember the whole dance well enough to just go through it without any hiccups, and being nervous just makes you get into your own head and worry about the performance instead of just letting loose and doing it, which is what the dance needed. While waiting for my turn to perform it I realized that I need to imagine someone to perform the song for. It needed to be someone who was fun and silly and loved me and who I loved to make laugh and who wouldn't care if I messed up at all. So I decided to use the kids. They love to laugh at me when I'm silly (and even when I'm not silly) and they wouldn't care if I messed up. So I did that. It worked great. My technique was a little off. I missed a few steps. But I had fun and enjoyed myself and it seemed like everyone else was also enjoying themselves watching it. I feel bad for the girl who was also performing with me (we all learned the same dance and would then perform in pairs, not as partners though, we each did our own separate thing). I felt bad because I probably stole the show from her. Oh, well. I needed this dance to bring my grade up from a low B, so I went nuts. The class I'm in is Intermediate Jazz dance and it's tricky because in Beginning they just grade you on your willingness to try and progress and don't worry so much about good technique. In this class however, your grade is very much based on good technique, which is my biggest struggle seeing as I've only been dancing for a year and everyone else in class has been dancing since they were kids and can turn themselves into pretzels. Anyway, that's that story. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks again to the kids!

My hair

2009-09-15T22:41:00.002-06:00

So, pretty much the easiest and quickest way to calm me down/put me to sleep is to just play with my hair. I can't think of anything that works quite as well and I love being reminded of this little joy in my life.

I just really love what I do.

2009-09-14T22:11:00.002-06:00

Well, that title pretty much explains what I wanted to say. On Monday I go to my stage combat class and play with swords for two hours, then I read plays that writers have written and help them improve them, then I work monologues for auditions and learn how to audition better, then I assistant teach the classical acting class, then I rehearse a character mask piece. On Tuesdays I have a dance class, then I rehearse the mask play again, then I go to work in the Prop Shop, and then I rehearse my senior project, "Absent Friends" by Alyn Ayckborn. Scattered throughout this schedule I work with students from the classical acting class on their scenes. Pretty much every single thing that I do is something that I love. So even though I spend every Wednesday and Friday going from 9am to 10pm without a break, I love it. This is definitely what I want to be doing right now.

Okay Folks!

2009-09-12T20:43:00.002-06:00

Here we go everyone. I've just purchased my first top-of-the-line computer and I'm very excited. It's an aluminum MacBook and it looks great. It is my hope that now that I have a portable computer I will write more often on my blog. I'm not going to worry about having anything interesting to say, I'll just start by writing whatever and we'll see where that takes me. Um, that's all I've got. I didn't get much sleep last night and my brain is dead. Ta ta!

An Afternoon at the Theatre

2009-01-25T18:29:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I went to a matinee of a play. As many of you know I am an actor and I enjoy going to the theatre or to the cinema and watching a performance. I love to see plays and movies that are well done. It doesn't have to blow me away, but I like to see a sincere effort and honest talent. Such was the performance that I saw yesterday. One of my friends here at BYU is getting a degree in directing and her senior project, "Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire, was performing this weekend in the Margetts Theatre at BYU. The Margetts is our black box theatre, and is a delightful space to work in. I've done three shows there and each one was a memorable experience. My friend is a very accomplished director. I've had the pleasure of performing in two different shows that she had directed and each was a wonderful experience. So I was excited to see this play. Also because two of my friends were acting in it. The day before another friend of mine (who I hadn't seen for a while) called me up and asked if I would be her theatre buddy for the afternoon. I agreed and we met up to go see the show. We met and there were two other friends of hers there. They asked me if I knew anything about this audition they had noticed announcements for. I told them what I knew about the film project and encouraged them to audition since one of the guys involved in making it had encouraged me to audition the other day (I'm far too busy right now, or I might have, it sounded like fun). They agreed to go try. I thought just the one girl who asked about it would audition and we would get out and make it to our play on time, which started in 15 minutes. Bad idea.

Turns out this girl encouraged my friend to also audition so she wouldn't feel alone. We got up there and another girl in line agreed to let us go in front of her, but the girls I was with decided that they wanted to look over the sides first, and so they let her go. Then my friend went. When she got out we had less than five minutes to get down there. The other girl seemed to spend forever in there, finally I decided that we needed to go. Now, I didn't know the other two people and I hadn't been introduced to them, so I felt rude and awkward just abandoning them, especially after encouraging them to audition in the first place. Finally, two minutes after the show should have started I decided that we had to go. My friend and I headed down from the fifth floor to the first and got there just as they were starting. Unfortunately we were just barely late enough that they made up wait until the first scene was over. Perhaps I should mention here that one of my biggest pet-peeves as an actor and supporter of theatre is people who are late to plays. I personally hate being late to plays and movies. If I miss the beginning of a play or movie, I would almost rather not watch it at all, except usually I've dished out a bit of money for it. I have being at a party with friends and they want to watch a movie, and it's one I haven't seen, and then everyone talks through the whole thing and I miss most of it. This annoys me to no end.

So I found myself stuck just outside the door to the theatre trying to catch bits of dialogue through this tiny crack, and for the most part failing at this because of all the other late people who felt the need to whisper to each other. I felt my frustration with late-theatre-goers rising, and then my embarrassment at being one of them would also rise even more. I felt awful. I was on the verge of giving up, and eating the $5 and coming back for the evening performance. I just felt awful walking into a theatre to support some good friends, but doing it late. I couldn't think of anything more rude. Then they finally let us in (please don't get me started on the usher, who, while a very nice girl, knew less about her job than I did). I snuck in as fast as I could and grabbed the first two seats I found. Please, also note that at this point I was feeling very bad toward the girl who had invited me to go with her. While, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a date (she referred to it as being theatre-buddies), I was still ignoring her with my ear plastered to the theatre door. Plus, she no doubt felt awful about making me late. I was annoyed by this, but was trying very hard not to blame her, because she's a nice person and didn't do it on purpose.

Anyway, we finally got in and grabbed the first two seats. Bad idea. The mass of people behind us who were also late, also went for the first section they could find. Which was our section. So instead of the corner seats with a good view that we had obtained, after a lot of "excuse me, can you move down please" to good patrons who had had the decency to show up on time, we found ourselves stuffed way in the back, with no view of the front part of the stage. Whenever an actor went up there, I could only try to imagine what they were doing, because I literally could not see them. So we missed the first act, and a lot of the second act by trying to move in enough to let people sit down, who were dumb enough to show up late, oh wait that was us. Pooh. Finally we settled in and I had to try and figure out what was going on.

At this point I would love to give you a nice review of the play. Except for one small problem. On the front of the program, printed very clearly, are these words: "Under special agreement with the playwright, no reviews in newspapers, magazines, blogs, radio, or any other mediums may be published of this performance. Thank you." Well, how do you like that. I've never encountered this before and I'm not sure why someone would make that disclaimer. Perhaps Mr. Lindsay-Abaire doesn't like criticism, or perhaps the events in the play are too personal, and he doesn't want them commented on (but then, why write the play?), or maybe he doesn't want anyone to disagree with him. So whatever, his reasoning I cannot tell you that I enjoyed the performance, particularly that of one of my friends who was in it, nor that while I really, really enjoyed it and it gave me a lot to think about, I also saw a lot of areas of improvement. So I won't tell you that. On that note, thank you for reading and have a great night!

Here's the title I forgot to add in November

2008-11-25T21:24:00.003-07:00

In case anyone is interested I've added a link to my Amazon wish list for Christmas. It's not everything, but it's a start. I'm mostly interested in books, music, and movies this year. In case anyone is wondering if I'm expecting gifts from everyone, that's not the case. Mostly I'm putting this here for my family so whoever drew my name this year will have an idea as to what I'm interested in. Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1925FCWC6WHZQ/ref=wl_web

Bored out of my noodle

2008-08-28T13:17:00.003-06:00

So I'm sitting here listening to obnoxious music regularly interrupted by a recording telling me that all other operators at the BYU Student Financial Center are busy helping other, more important people. And I'm bored. Just thought you all might like to know.

Update

2008-08-03T11:40:00.002-06:00

Well, I don't write very often, and I apologize for that. I just feel that there is so much to write about that I never know where to start. Well, here goes. (I've noticed that I use the word "well" in my writing a lot, poo.)
I'm living in California right now. It's pretty sweet. I've never lived in California before and I'm pretty excited for this opportunity. I've been spending the summer with my sister and her family just working and earning money. I love her kids. I really do. They are so fun and cute. I also miss my friends and people my own age. There's a singles branch in town, but I don't have a car to get there, plus I work nights so I can't go to institute regularly, plus I've been asked to serve as an assistant scoutmaster in the ward's troop and that keeps me tied to the family ward. It's so interesting being in a family ward again. Everything seems so much more permanent than a student ward. You just get the feeling from the ward members and the way things are run that people have been there for a long time and that they intend on being there. They are raising families. In student wards everything is temporary and fleeting. The ward changes every semester. Everyone is just itching to get out into the real world. It's just so interesting for me to see the contrast between the fast-paced college life, and the slow and stead adult life. It gives me a lot to ponder as I prepare for that life. It strikes me as interesting that that is the life I've been preparing for my entire life so far. We think we're preparing for adulthood and parenthood and independence (and we are), but I wonder if we realize that that means shifting to a new life where you pace yourself for the long run. We've been doing qualifying dashes up to now, and now it's time for the marathon. It takes years and years to raise a family and become successful in a job. My sister and her husband have been married for something like 12 years and they're still in the early years of a family. They have years before the oldest child goes to college. He still has years in his job and lots of ladder climbing before retirement. It's been such an awesome experience this summer to observe a marriage and a family. There are tons of things that I want to incorporate into my future marriage and family, and there are things I don't want in my house. I guess it's been good for me to get a glimpse of what I'm preparing for. It's given me some great perspective.
Don't tell anyone I said this, but I'm really excited to go back to Provo in the fall. I'll be there in four weeks and I'm so excited. I'll be living with Mr. Early and Uffish will be right next door. Do you realize how awesome that will be?! I'm so excited! I'll have great classes. I just can't tell you how wonderful it is to finally have a major chosen, to be accepted into the program, to be doing really well, to have the respect and friendship of the professors and my peers, and to be enjoying the hard work. I don't know if I'll have success as an actor, but I love studying it. Seriously, I have learned more about myself through studying the art of acting than I have in any religion class or probably even sunday school. I've only learned more about myself in my own personal study, meditation, and communion with God. So I'm very excited to get back to work in the theatre. We're doing Macbeth this year! How cool is that! I'm also excited because thanks to the Powers That Be I recieved a government grant and scholarships sufficient to cover both tuition and housing for both fall and winter semester, plus I have enough left over to get a new MacBook and iTouch. I am beside myself with giddiness over the prospect of having a new laptop (my old one died after like 2 or 3 months in my posession, it was 6 years old though) and finally having an iTouch. If you need birthday or Christmas gift ideas for me just give me iTunes giftcards. I plan to finally build up my personal music collection. I can't wait! I wish I could get them now, but I have to wait until September when those funds will be transfered to my account. I'm trying to think of a name for my MacBook and iPod. I want to name them after a famous duo of some sort. I was thinking that since one is big and white, and the other is small and black that Moby and Ahab would be fun (especially since Ahab is attached to Moby by a cord). Then my sister suggested that I might not want to encourage that kind of relationship between the two. So I'm open to ideas from anyone. I think the MacBook is female and the iTouch is male, but I'll have to meet them before I can make the final call.
So that's part of my life right now. There's so much more I want to right, but I just don't have the time and patience right now, plus this post is already long and boring. So, adeu!

The Rules of Play

2008-06-01T22:07:00.005-06:00

Well, due to popular request I am writing another post here. Okay, by popular request I really just mean that my sister is the only who has mentioned it. *Sniff* Clearly no one else cares to hear about my life. Oh, well. I know who to remember when I'm rich and famous. Besides, after Uffish takes over the world she promised to give me a helicopter. So we'll see who's laughing while I'm up in the sky and you're all down in the mines slaving away! Mwahahahaha!

So, on a different note. It's very hard to play with kids when you're just a big kid yourself. Kids have rules and huge imaginations when they play. They also don't like to lose. I also have rules and a huge imagination. And I don't like to lose. This presents a problem. I'm spending the summer with my niece (11), my nephew (7), and another niece (4). Each age group has its own set of rules for play as well. And of course they all want to play with me because I'm the big cool, old guy. Maybe I should hang out with kids more often. They think I'm cool no matter what.

I bring all of this up because yesterday I went yard sale-ing (not yard selling, that's the other end of the stick) and got some good stuff. I got a version of Risk from the 1970's to add to my collection, the purpose of which I'm unsure of, but I do it any way. I got a small pair of headphones. You know, the kind that goes into your ear? Very compact and discrete. Me like. Don't worry I washed them. I also bought a box of Legos. Legos are by far the greatest toy known to man. So many worlds and adventures can be created and explored, then dismantled and something new explored! I love Legos. So I'm very happy to have my very own now. My nieces and nephew have their own Legos. More in fact. Better ones, too. Yet for some reason my new Legos are the only ones they want to play with. I hate not sharing my toys with little kids, but on the same note I hate sharing my toys with little kids. As before mentioned they have their own rules and I have mine. I built a whole bunch of miniature starships and space stations, but I was hesitant to play with them, knowing that the moment I started a bundle of kids would run up and want to join in. I tried to discretely have a little battle, just to try out my fleet, but soon my niece came running up wanting to join in. I knew that would happen. I also knew that the moment it happened the rules of play would change. So against what I wanted to do, I let her join. We divided up the fleets and soon battle commenced. My niece wanted to negotiate more than fight. I just wanted to send my fleet screaming into her fleet turbo-blasters ablaze. So I cut the chit-chat short and charged full speed. It was fun. It wasn't how I wanted it to go. If I were playing on my own (or with my best childhood friend) it would have gone very differently. But it was fun. I love playing with my nieces and nephew. They are so much fun. I do miss playing my own way, too. The trouble is the only other person I know in the world who is my age and will still play spaceships with me is living 3000 miles away, is married, and has a kid. That makes it difficult.

I love playing! I can't wait to have kids so I can play with them. The trouble is though, it will most likely be like it was whenever my dad tried to play with me when I was a kid. He didn't play by the rules of my world. He was playing by the rules of his world. So when I go to join my kids in their worlds of play I have to play by their rules. But who's willing to come to my world of play and play by my rules? Whoever it is, I really hope she falls madly in love with me so we can live happily ever after with a big bucket of Legos and a universe of endless adventures.

Free Taco

2007-11-02T12:54:00.000-06:00

I found this photo very amusing. This is Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox rookie who stole second base in Game 2 of the World Series and earned every American a free taco from Taco Bell. He is, of course, seen here enjoying his very own free taco.

Red October: Game 4

2007-10-28T22:13:00.000-06:00

Sox: 4
Rox: 3

I expressed my desire for the Rockies to at least win a few games since I didn't really want a sweep. I mean the Rockies are a very good team and if they were playing anyone other than the Red Sox I probably would have cheered for them. I felt bad for them getting swept after doing so amazingly well. I want the Sox to win, but I'm not a mean fan. I don't like crushing the other guy. Having expressed this desire my brother reminded me that you don't really want to let a team like the Rockies start winning because there's no telling when they'll stop. I agreed that that was a good point. Best to sweep them and finish this thing off before Boston blows it. I am pleased. If all keeps going well the Patriots will take the Super Bowl and with a little luck the Celtics will be the NBA champions. Who knows, maybe the Bruins will pull off a miracle? How amazing would that be to take all four major sport championships in a year? Too bad the Revolution are out already. Well, friends, there we have it. The Boston Red Sox are world champions for the seventh time in franchise history and for the second time in four years. I never dreamed that I would see two Red Sox World Series victories in my life. Not to mention two World Series sweeps. Please don't think I'm a stuffy Red Sox fan. I'm a pretty nice Red Sox fan and I've been a Sox fan for quite some time now. After years of losing I think we're entitled to a few wins. In closing I refer you to an article my brother wrote about Red Sox fans. I give it my stamp of approval.

Red October: Game 3

2007-10-27T19:49:00.000-06:00

Sox: 10
Rox: 5

Did I say that I was nervous about Dice-K batting? Silly me. The man's first major league hit and it's a two-run single in the World Series! It just doesn't get much better than that from an American League pitcher! Well, except five innings with 5 strikeouts and no runs. That's pretty good too. Well, I'm not sure what more to say. The Rockies sure had a nice comeback there for a bit, but once again the Sox bullpen and the Sox lineup came through, but some very nice defense. Sox are up 3-0 now! Only one team in the history of baseball has come back to win a playoff best-of-seven series when down 3-0. That was the 2004 Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Can the Rockies do it? I don't think so. They still might win tomorrow and maybe even Monday, but the Red Sox will take this series.

Red October: Game 2

2007-10-26T12:30:00.000-06:00

Sox: 2
Rox: 1

This one was a little closer. Again, I had to catch the game on Game Day down in the Margett's Green room, but I was able to watch Papelbon close the game off. I'm usually fairly confident that the Red Sox won't blow a 13-1 lead (though I wouldn't put it past them), but a 2-1 lead is a lot more stressful. The series is promising to get very interesting in Coors Field. I don't expect the Sox to sweep the series, I mean, the Rockies are a solid team, but I do vote for them to win. I'm a little nervous when Dice-K is on the mound. He brings back memories of Pedro Martinez. When he's hot, he's very hot. When he's not, you just want to crawl under a rock and die. Plus he'll be batting. Why can't the NL have a DH? I'll admit I'm nervous with Big Papi on first instead of Yuke. This weakens both Boston's offense and defense. I'm nervous, but not scared. I'm sure the boys will pull through for me. I predict Sox in 5. If they want to go 6 and win it at home, I'm okay with that. I don't want a game 7. I hate game 7's. They're bad for my health. In fact, I hope they win in 6 because I want them to win at home. My sister reports that all of Boston is just buzzing with excitement. My dad ran across channel 4 in Boston that just had the colored bars black screen with a scrolling message at the bottom that said something to the effect of: "we know that no-one is watching this because you are watching the game; so are we!" That made me giggle. I love Boston. Go Sox!

Red October: Game 1

2007-10-25T10:10:00.000-06:00

Sox 13
Rox 1

I don't think any more has to be said. I couldn't think of any better way to put a stop to the Rockies' admittedly awesome, yet very mortal, 21 wins of 22 tear. I would have given anything to have been at Fenway last night. Sadly, instead, I was in rehearsal and thus forced to catch the score on Game Day. My fellow citizen of Red Sox Nation and I were pleasantly delighted to watch the score climb higher and higher as the night wore on. I can only imagine what tonight's game will bring as I, again, stare at a computer screen in the Margett's Green Room whenever I'm not on stage. Go Sox!

Red October

2007-10-21T22:20:00.000-06:00

In October 1999 I was ridding the T home along with thousands of dejected Red Sox fans having just suffered a loss to the Yankees that eliminated us from the ALCS. If you had asked me at that time when I thought that I would see the Red Sox win the World Series, I probably would have given the faithful fan answer: "Next year", but I would have seriously doubted whether I would have witnessed it in my life time. In October 2004 I was doing a giddy happy-dance with my sister in Oakland as two very happy Red Sox fans, 3000 miles away from our boys. If you had asked me if I thought that I would see the Red Sox in the World Series any time again soon, I'm not sure what I would have said. I was still scared that someone would come up and tap me on the shoulder and tell me that, in fact, we had lost.
But here we are. October 2007 and the Red Sox are once again in the World Series. I'm so excited! And they're playing against Colorado, so if the Fates smile favorably down upon me I might get to go to a game! Wahoo!!!! I love October. I just wish I was in Massachusetts and not Utah.
Bring on the Rockies! Someone has to show them who's boss. Optimistic, I hope we can still be friends after the Red Sox defeat the Rockies. :)

Pirates

2007-09-28T20:45:00.000-06:00

My oldest sister sent this to the family and I loved it. I love my sisters' kids they are all so wicked cute!!

Well, today [Erin] came along just before dinner and said, "Let's pretend we're all pirates, Arrrrrgh!" Except that [Erin] still doesn't say her "R"'s, so it actually came out as "Owwwwgh", which was so cute it was funny. She had a toilet paper tube telescope that she kept tucking into her pants, and she said she had a parrot on her shoulder and all through dinner she kept talking for the bird. It's name was Iago. At first [Shnuters] thought she was trying to be the pirate AND the parrot, but I explained to him that she always talks for her imaginary friends and that the parrot is a separate entity, but she's doing both voices.

So, today, during dinner, we were pirates. [Sam] didn't want to play, so we declared that he was the cabin boy that we had taken prisoner.

After a dinner full of "me hearties" and "cover your scurvy sneezes, please!" we were pretty much done and we ended it before bedtime, but I did tell her to put on her scurvy pirate jammies, and she ran right off and did it.

Fall

2007-09-09T14:51:00.000-06:00

I, too, am very excited for this new semester. It's probably going to be crazy and I'll be lucky if I manage to have any personal time or social time, but none-the-less I'm very excited. I'm still working at the creamery and enjoying it. It's not the most wonderful job in the world, but it keeps me busy and earns me money and the people are very nice. Plus, my hours are very flexible. This upcoming week will be the true test to see if my class and work schedule can work together. Don't worry, I'm training another guy to help me with my ice cream clean-up, so if your ice cream gets you sick or find hairs in it, it's not my fault. :)
My class schedule is mostly what is making me excited. I've decided that a BFA in Acting is truly the way to go. Even if I don't make a career out of it (which is still up in the air if I'll even try) I love it and it relaxes me a lot. It's by no means easy. It's probably less intellectually demanding than most majors, but it's very emotionally and physically demanding. And I love it. I love the way I feel when I perform, and I love that people enjoy watching me perform. It makes me happy, that they are happy to be there. So these are my classes for Fall semester:

Doctrine and Covenants Part II
Russian 321 (grammar, grammar, and more grammar)
Introduction to Film
Beginning Stage Combat
Voice Production
Theater Production I
Acting Improvisation
Martial Arts (I got my yellow-belt in Jujitsu in the summer, and I hope to get my orange-belt by December)

And that's my schedule. Pretty cool huh? Don't worry, some of you may think that it looks really easy, but it's already looking like it's going to kick my butt. I also auditioned for The Seagull by Anton Chekhov and if I get a role in that I'm sure to go crazy. If I don't get a role I'll no doubt audition for another role in a smaller play. Right now I work and go to class until about 5 or 7 in the evenings. If I'm in a play rehearsals will go from 7 to whenever, thus leaving either no time for homework, or no time for sleep. I'd rather skip the homework, but that might not work. So I'll be busy, but enjoying life.

Today is a Thursday

2007-08-30T19:52:00.001-06:00

I seem to have trouble with this whole writing thing. I highly suspect that my ability to write often and interestingly in a blog correlates to my ability to write often and thoughtfully in my journal. Oh, well. The trouble is I have a lot of thoughts on just about every subject imaginable, but I have a hard time making them make sense to someone who is not me. I work at a dairy plant and provide the masses on campus with their ice cream. Today we made vanilla and simply cheesecake and graham canyon. oh so yummy. The annoying thing was that the state health inspector was there and we're not supposed to run "quality tests" on the ice cream while he's there. A quality test basically consists of enjoying the never-ending fountain of ice cream we have at work. I really love the graham cracker flavored ice creams and I was disappointed to spend all day in such close proximity and not be able to try the ice cream. Finally he finished and I was able to conduct a thorough examination of graham canyon and pronounce it satisfactory to sell to you, the masses. So please enjoy it. We work so hard to make all of you happy. Also at work we have these giant garbage carts and various other flat-bed carts and pallet-jacks. Just in case any of you were worried, yes, I do pretend that they are space-ships and that I am flying them around an interplanetary facility of some sort. On a similar note I checked out "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes" from the library and my evenings have been all the more gleeful. Well, I'm off to bad-movie night now.

Why bother growing up?

2007-07-25T23:05:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid I loved playing dress up and make believe. A young lad needs to go on an adventure every now and then. Strapping on my wooden sword I would grab a blanket to wrap around me as a cloak and tie a sock on my belt as a coin pouch full of all my pirate coins. Next came a bed-roll for camping out and a few other items necessary to an adventure. Critter the elf would set off for the far away and dangerous lands of the living room. The ancient, gray couch offered a perfect mountain range to scale and scout out the valley below. Any travelers upon the mountains were either attack by our fearless adventurer or avoided by stealth and cunning. Upon reaching the valley safely I would set up my camp for the night, always keeping an eye out for the many giants and monsters that frequented the mountain range. The adventure could take me anywhere in the kingdom. Perhaps I needed to sneak into the king and queen's bed-chamber, or into the young princess' secret castle tower. The dungeons were always a frightening place, but that's where the bottled peaches were kept and sometimes the queen would request the gallant elf to venture down and brave the dirt and spiders to return a tasty treasure for the feast table. I remember once challenging my oldest sister to a duel and she hastily grabbed my other wooden sword and I promptly turned heel and dashed up the stairs to the safety of my room. Fortune was with me and she slipped and sprained her ankle and spent the rest of her vacation at home on crutches. Such is our hero's fortune in battle.

This love of entering new worlds and exploring their possibilities led to the birth of a mighty character in my life. I would like to tell you the tale of Y2K-Man. The date was December 31, 1999. Midnight was approaching. The world was about to change forever. Panic had seized the world and no-one knew what the new day would bring. Would the world collapse into war and technological breakdown? Or would the End come? Would a mighty alien race descend upon us and destroy us all? No-one knew. We could only wait. In these tense moments, I felt the weight of approaching hour upon me. I knew that something must be done to instill hope in the hearts of those who were closest to me. Retreating to my place of solitude I began to prepare myself for whatever might come. Fortunately, being an avid outdoors man, I had many of the items need for any emergency already on-hand. A utility belt was first. Lacking a real one, I just used a normal belt. Onto the belt went my trusty Gerber pocketknife, my faithful radios, binoculars, and, of course, a flashlight. Lacking a real cell-phone I pocketed the one I had made for myself out of duct-tape and plastic. It served it's purpose. Various other items included: a spool of rope for Bond-style entrances and exits, a rock-climbing helmet, my Nerf guns and extra ammo (including my 20-shot Gatling-gun), identification, handcuffs, various keys and locks, a wooden combat knife, and a backpack prepared with all of the gear one would need to survive in the wild. Thus equipt I proceeded downstairs to present myself to the family. I could tell from the smiles and laughter that hope was rekindled and moral was boosted. The disasters of that night were avoided. My Dad gave me a name. He declared that I was Y2K-Man. Thus was born Y2K-Man. He has honed his skills over the years and completed many missions successfully and even humorously. He even spent two years in the former Soviet Union training with KGB officers and learning Russian, the language of any successful agent. Y2K-Man is covert and sly. He is capable of anything. He should not be underestimated.

You might think that these adventures have died off as I've gotten older. I would hope that some of you know me well enough to realize that they've only gotten more awesome. The last time I was home I would don my sword (still wooden) and coin pouch (made for me by my sister to replace the sock) and other various adventure things, over all of this would go my elvish polar-fleece blanket and thus concealing my weapons under a cloak I would sneak around the house and see what there was to discover and what curious folk I could engage in conversation. I never seem to get tired of doing this. Y2K-Man also continues his adventures. A towel has been added to his cache and serves has a primary tool in covert operations. Technology has improved. Outfits have become more realistic. Adventures are more in the real world. But beneath it all, the same little kid that would sneak up on a sister on the couch and tackle the dragon, resides in my heart. The same sense of adventure burns inside. And I don't think that it's leaving. And I'm glad that it isn't. I quote the great philosopher Hobbes: "You can take the tiger out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the tiger."

Случайное

2007-07-15T17:34:00.001-06:00

Иногда мне захочется написать кое-что по-русский. Здесь пишу об очень тайных делах! :) Наверно Рэчел читает это теперь. Привет Рэчел, как дела? Сегодня я просто хотел попробовать писать на русском языке. Проблема в том, что я слышком медленно пишу по-русский. Я люблю жизнь! Жизнь прикрасная! Как вы думаете, должен ли я изучать политическую науку и жить в России? Хочу ли я воспитывать семью в России? Ну, всё я пойду. Пока.

Transformers, melodrama in disguise.

2007-07-14T21:56:00.000-06:00

This following post is a paper that I wrote for my class TMA 202- Dramatic Performance: Renaissance to Present. It's in response to the following three questions:
1. Describe the performance.
2. What historical period is being represented? What do you learn about the period from this performance? What are some problems with the representation?
3. Why is this particular performance important for an understanding of the history of civilization? Be specific.

So, I also wrote this at like 3am. So I apologize if it doesn't make sense. Maybe later I'll go back through and edit it to make sense. It's also geared toward an audience that is familiar with the discussions we've had in class. To help you understand this better I am including a check list of aspects that are always present in a typical 19th century melodrama. We further discussed in my class that the melodrama has evolved to the screen and that many movies that come out of Hollywood today are actually modern melodramas, and we love them. A melodrama is a predominant art form, addresses the social issues of the day (race, gender, politics, religion, etc.), and reflects real concerns, fears, and the interests of popular culture. A melodrama also always includes these eight items:

Musical underscoring
Simple episodic plot
Stock characters (one-dimensional, stereotypical characters)
Moral polarization
Violence
Rhetoric
Poetic justice
Spectacle

You will find these elements in many of today's films. Now, without further delay, here's my paper.

Transformers is an action packed movie directed by Michael Bay and produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures that tells the story of the battle between the noble Autobots and the evil Decepticons as it is brought to earth and involves the human race. I watched it in a typical movie theater, though I swear I've never experienced such a loud sound system before. There were a lot of stylistic elements to this movie. The special effects were impressive, especially the computer animation, which heightened every action scene (of which there were many) and definitely drew in the viewer. Often, though, during an action scene the camera would move too fast, or the cuts between shots would come to quickly too allow the viewer to really follow what was going on. In addition to the action of the movie there was also a love story and a decent amount of humor to entertain all audiences and keep everyone involved. There was also a great soundtrack that really fit the show well and molded the viewers emotions to the desired emotions for a scene. There was definitely a strong sense of excitement in the auditorium during the show, the audience was very much involved in the performance.

This movie portrays the modern day. A lot can be learned about the age we live in from this movie. The female roles are very strong, suggesting a strong sense of feminism in our day. Mikaela Banes is a very strong character. She pops the hood to Sam's car and is able to tell him things that he had never known about cars. In the climactic battle scene she plays an important role in helping the damaged Bumblebee keep fighting by dragging him with a tow truck through the heat of battle. She's a very tough girl. Race is an issue that is touched on as well. The army squad that battles Scorpion consists of soldiers of all ethnicities. A number of jokes are made using Jorge Figueroa, suggesting a superior feeling amongst Anglo-Saxons in the United States toward ethnic Mexicans. There are a number of black supporting roles, but no lead black roles. Bernie Mac's cameo as the used car salesman contains a lot of humorous stereotypes of blacks, and the computer geek Glen Whitmann seems to do no more than play comic relief. Modern politics are also portrayed to a degree. One may wonder why the President never takes a role in the national crisis evolving, rather the Secretary of Defense, play by Jon Voight, takes the active leadership role in the movie. There is a brief scene showing the President's socks as he reclines on Air Force One, and he speaks with a very Texan accent. He seems to be portrayed as lazy and incompetent, suggesting the varying opinions in the public toward the current administration. International politics also plays a large role in the movie. The United States is very clearly set up as the dominant nation in the world, and the characters express their surprise that any other nation in the world would even be able to pull off such an attack on the US. The obvious problems would be that this portrayal of society is from an American point of view, and a highly dramatized and stylized point of view at that. The characters are very basic and flat in their development (including the robots) and don't reflect real people; rather they reflect characteristics and stereotypes of our society: Defense Secretary John Keller is the hard-lined leader; Maggie Madsen is the strong willed female, ready to climb the ladder and prove herself; Captain Lennox is the heroic American soldier, who portrays every aspect of courage; Optimus Prime is the ultimate pinnacle of virtue and nobility; while Megatron is evil incarnate. While aspects of these characters exist in many people, and they represent ideals that we value, or despise, in America, none of them are deep enough to represent actual people of society.

This performance can help us understand the history of civilization. Firstly, this is a great example of how 19th Century melodramas for the stage evolved to film during the early 20th Century and have remained there to our day. Transformers contains all of the elements of a melodrama (musical underscoring, violence, simple episodic plot, stock characters, and so forth) and shows us how this genre has survived to our day by adapting to the popular medium of the time. Secondly, as mentioned above, this movie can teach us a lot about modern society and culture. We can see how the role of women has greatly changed over time and most especially in the 20th Century. The woman of the 21th Century is so much more empowered than the woman of previous centuries and this is very visible in Transformers. We can also see the peak of development of the United States as a world power in both military and political spheres. Civilization of the modern era is so greatly influenced by the United States. This is shown not only by parts of the movie, such as the US Army base in Yemen that is attacked by the Decepticons, but also by the fact that this movie joins an enormous list of American made films that enjoy immense international popularity. So much of the world's opinion of America is influenced by what they see in these films, not all of which portray American truthfully as discussed above. Transformers is important for us to understand the history of civilization because it shows us so much of the American, and even global, mind. We can learn a lot about the hopes, dreams and desires of humans through such a film.

Once again Critter has given in to peer presure.

2007-07-08T21:08:00.000-06:00

So, yes. Here you have it. This is my blog. I feel kind of silly doing this since I've only very recently even heard of these things. Hey, I was in the former Soviet Union for two years. Cut me some slack. Trust me, drunk Russians are 100 times more fun than the Internet! So, as I was saying, this is my blog. I guess I supposed to post stuff here. I will try to fill these pages with brilliant ideas and stories that will amaze you all and leave you in awe of my brilliance and awesomeness. Um, I don't know how often I'll even write here or how long I'll care about this. I may get hooked, I may give up tomorrow. We'll see what happens. It's like were going on an adventure together, or something. So anyway, I will leave you with this, in honor of the musings on heaven and hell that we've been having lately:

European Heaven is Where:
The French are the lovers,
the English are the police,
the Italians are the cooks,
and the Swiss are the accountants.

European Hell is Where:
The English are the cooks,
the French are the police,
the Italians are the accountants,
and the Swiss are the lovers.

I don't know where my Dad got this, but I like it.