Light in the Piazza

So I went to an audition again, mostly just to get back into the habit of it, and went out to SLC for a musical at the Pioneer Theater Company. I didn't know how it would go since I'm just getting back into the audition thing, and they don't exactly have a lovey-dovey rapport with BYU students. That's not to say that there's actual enmity, but things have never been congenial. But walking into that theater was wonderful. It was a real theater. Like the kind you find in Minnesota.

But anyway, if the picture and title of this post mean nothing to you-the musical is The Light in the Piazza and it takes place in Florence. Mystery solved. Oh, and I got a call-back. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I was seriously so happy leaving I wanted to cry because it was just reassuring to know that I can still do a good job at an audition after being sick for sooooo long. It wasn't until I got home that I thought about how I didn't know the story or the music and my call-back was in 16 hours.
Luckily I found a synopsis so the sides they gave me to read will make sense. It's a beautiful bittersweet story and one I would love to be a part of, but hey! I'm just sooo happy I made it to call-backs that I'll be singing romantically to myself all week.

I am just grateful for moments of grace like these.

Best Interview Ever

Just a quick word of advice.

When you're interviewing for a children's story-teller position at the Public Library, and you're doing your sock-puppet routine, make sure you plan out your act in a little more detail so you don't accidentally say the following:

Sock Puppet Princess: But Daddy! I want a pig! Did you know they don't even sweat! That's more than you can say for your courtesans-NO! I meant COURT! Court!

Why We Don't Run Blenders With the Lid Off

OK, in my defense, I didn't intentionally do this-I was trying to lift the blender out of the base and leaned on the temporary "blend" button....and....oh the carnage....

Looks like something from a horror film huh?

The Hello Kitty Toaster makes it a little less menacing here...or is it more?



We threw the shirt away, though I probably should have sold it to a modern art museum.

There was a pic of me holding a butcher's knife like I just got stabbed, but it was a little less flattering (if you can believe it) than the last one. But I think you get the idea.

Oh, and when I made toast after this it it smelled like grape juice.

Happy, Cheap Things

So I am a lover of good deals and get a thrill out of finding something awesome that's way cheap. I seriously will sound like a door-to-door salesman when I find a great product for cheap, because I want everyone to be able to enjoy it. So, I thought it would just be much easier if I listed some of my favorite things so everyone here can enjoy them! YEAH!!

1. ELF Cosmetics: I could go on forever about this company! Everything here is $1 with the exception of the mineral make-up, which is $3-5 per product. There are on-line reviews for all the products so you can see what others think of them too. Most of my make-up now comes from them. OH! And I know an awesome coupon code! When you order, type in "Carolina" in the coupon area and you'll get half-off up to $15! Crazy, huh?

2. Expression Dance Center So I was looking for dance classes around the area, and this is by far the best deal I have found yet. Adult dance classes are $5 each if you buy a 10-class card (for $50.) They have hip-hop, ballet, jazz, modern, and a ballroom date-night for couples.

3. Free food! Finally one the men can enjoy too! Basically the hubby and I decided to try and get as much free food for our birthday as we could by signing up for as many different restaurants' Emailing lists as possible. The following will give you a free meal (or entree) the month of your birthday:
Tucanos
Red Robin
Noodles (they will also give you a free bowl right away just for signing up!)

A lot of other restaurants will give you discounts, buy one-get-one deals or free appetizer/dessert things. Some of those include Happy Sumo, Village Inn, and Fazoli's.

4. ME! What's this? How can I be cheap? Well, let me tell you that just 6 days after reading this, ironically enough, I am indeed doing a week-long, unpaid internship for an entertainment company. A network needed some interns to cast for a reality TV-show that they're having auditions for in Salt Lake. I know some of you may be thinking "is it worth it to drive up to SLC every day?" Well obviously you don't know what kind of show this is and the good it will do. I will be helping an ailing rock star find true love! We will be seeking out potential soul-mates who are interested in a relationship based on respect and understanding! The fact that there happen to be cameras everywhere has NOTHING to do with it! Sometimes a price must be paid to find your one-and-only!

So there are my closing thoughts for the week. I have some awesome future posts coming up that include such subjects as:
-Running a blender full of grape juice with the lid off is BAD (pics included)
-My infamous Paris romance
-How to keep the attention of 3-year olds (AKA Sunbeams)
and
-The inverse relationship in Mormon "films" between a woman's virtue and her bra size.

The Dark Knight....?

OK I'm totally gonna get lambasted for this one.

I wanted to like The Dark Knight. Wait, that's not true-I wanted to love the The Dark Knight. I wanted it to wash over me like a hungry lover and leave me ravished in the wake of its awesomeness, and I'm not removing the metaphor, because like I said, I really wanted to love this film.


So today was the hubby's birthday, and that marks a significant event-one month until mine. I had a great day planned for him that was going to be a surprise, but OOPS, "someone" left the computer open to the websites that showed orders for both a massage and tickets to The Dark Knight. The element of surprise gone, at least we could talk about when he should come home from work.

Soooooooooooooooooo on to the topic of this post: I didn't like it.





















That was to pause for the shock and horror most of you feel right now. I have to say that I agree with my mom on this one-it was too disturbing and violent for me to enjoy. Was the disturbance and violence well-done and believable? Oh yes. So much in fact, that it prevented me from enjoying anything else. I left the theater with a disturbed feeling in addition to a headache that must be from all the adrenaline that finally settled down.

The thing is, I felt like they spent so much time on the disturbing and violent elements that anything else was uber-short, possibly boring, and/or just poorly written. Anytime a civilian spoke you thought "no wonder Gotham's in such trouble-everyone here is an idiot who speaks bad dialogue!" It actually made you excited for the next explosion/chase scene so you wouldn't have to listen to them anymore.

Of course Ledger was amazing, but it made me all the more disturbed knowing that this was his last complete performance. As an actor, as much as you know it's not real, you still carry the spirit of what you're doing with you. Not that I think that means actors should only play happy roles, but it's just unfortunate that Ledger ended on this one.

Anyway, though I didn't like this movie, I certainly didn't hate it. The actors are amazing and the eighty-three fight/chase scenes are adrenaline-inducing. I think it was a tad long and plot-squished at the end, but Christian Bale is quite delicious on-screen and Aaron Eckhart and I had the same acting teacher at BYU. Go Cougars!

TERROR

Wow. I'm feelin it....terror.....

So I went to auditions for AIDA at the Hale last night. I will be unable to play the title role of Aida because apparently being black on the inside doesn't count. Additionally the only white-girl part is for a rock-belter which is not my strongest suite. HA! Strongest suite! Get it Aida fans?

However, they did call me back for dancer/chorus. Now in some shows chorus sucks. Man of La Moncha comes to mind; but Aida would be way fun because there's lots of dancing for the womens, and fun costumes, etc. whether you're an Egyptian, or a Caucasian Nubian that looks ethnic since there's a shortage on real ethnic in the Valley.

But here's where the terror comes in...the dancing. Don't get me wrong, I love to dance, but the thing is I've had mono, gone on a mission and had chronic fatigue for so long that I haven't been able to really dance (except with Dana in a few Divine Comedy skits) in about 5 years. 5 YEARS! People have plural childs in that amount of time!

So my fear comes from not only these scary children watching what I type, but that I used to be really good-well, not like I could audition for SYTYCD, but I worked a ton to be at least competent in an audition. Going to this audition and seeing how much I've lost is what really terrifies me. To think I worked for nothing. I almost never turn away from a challenge (even if just to say that I didn't), but I really don't know if I can handle this one.

Basically, I love performing, but having my inability to do so reaffirmed in front of others might be more that I can handle because I love it so much. Right now, writing this is the only thing between me and a flood of saltwatery emotion. I hate to say it, but I might give up on this one and not go because I know if my fears are confirmed, which is 99% likely since I won't just re-gain my skills in like 20 minutes, I might lose it then and there without a blog to hide behind. But wait! Of course!! I can go and just bring my laptop along!!! That's not weird at all!!!!

Well, obviously problem solved. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some mascara to run.

While we're on the subject of Japan....

All I have to say is this.


Ummm....yeah