Disney Marathon

These are great movies.  I just want to say a few things about them.

• They are frequently stereotyped as primarily for girls, but they are not only for girls.  There are at least as many male protagonists as there are female protagonists, and Walt Disney didn't even approve of the "Disney Princess" stereotype.
• They are frequently stereotyped as primarily for younger children, but this is not the case.  Just because a movie doesn't have swear words, violence, and sexual content, doesn't mean that it's only for children.  Anyone can be entertained.
• They are good movies to watch with friends, because everyone knows them.  You can easily keep a conversation going in the background with the movie going on.

I mean what I say.  A week or two ago, when J couldn't believe that he was actually being forced to watch Winnie the Pooh, he complained beforehand, but was cracking up laughing as he was watching it.  My dad was skeptical the first time he saw Tangled, but he loved the movie by the end.

So when KR proposed a Disney marathon, I was completely enthusiastic.  Although we only ended up going for six hours, and just me, KR, and MC, we had a good time.  We made it through four movies, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Winnie the Pooh, and Aladdin.  They all are completely different, even the two with the same songwriter team (which I love about Alan Menken).

I had a good time.  My dad though couldn't seem to understand that I love being around KR and MC.  As far as he was concerned, I was going to be the only high schooler, and the only guy there.  He even offered me to use him as an excuse if I ever wanted to leave earlier.  I thanked him, but I knew it wouldn't be necessary.  It wasn't.

For those of you who went to see Les Miserables today in the group that I was invited to go with, I'm sorry I couldn't make it.  It was between going to Les Miserables with a few people I didn't know, or didn't know very well, or doing the Disney Marathon with a few of my best friends.  I did have some really good friends at the movie, I just would have rather been doing what I was doing.

-NM

To My Readers:

December 25, 2012

To my Readers,

Merry Christmas!  I know it has been a chaotic time of year for all, as it is every year.  I could give you a detailed description of everything I did yesterday and today, but I'm going to pass for two reasons.  The first is that it would be extremely hard to write about.  The second is that it will likely be the same next year, and I can write about it then.

I would like to take this time to thank you, my faithful readers.  For quite a while, I was in doubt as whether or not to start this blog or not.  Between the time I knew it would take, as well as the common stereotype that such blogs may lead to an easy method of bullying, I wondered whether or not starting the blog was the right thing to do.

However, I can clearly see that it was well worth my while.  I have had nothing but compliments about the content of my posts.  I have avoided saying mean things about people, and have never found the need to.  It has become extremely fun for me to write as I'm sure as it is for you to read.

I would like to apologize at this time to everyone who I didn't get a Christmas present for.  I have never gotten presents for my friends in the past,  and every year I always feel really guilty by the end.  I barely even managed to get presents together for my family.  I hope you will excuse my manner, as much as I don't expect any presents from you.

There is only one thing I ask of two of my readers.  There are two people who anonymously are reading my blog.  The first is following mine, and is only known as "Another Generation Jump".  Their own blog does not make clear who this person is.  The second sent me an anonymous letter, which was handed to me last Friday after going through a series of hands.  The person giving it to me didn't know who sent it.

I only ask this.  I would like you to reveal yourselves to me, but if this is not possible, can you at least let me know if you are the same person?

In the meantime, I shall keep writing.  

Yours Truly,

NM

12/22/12

What a day!  Just so many things happened, and nothing bad at all.

I woke up around 8.  When I checked my e-mail, I found the results from my December SAT Subject Tests had come in.  My results were as follows:

Math Level 1: 800
Math Level 2: 800

I could hardly believe it.  I knew I had done well, but I would have never thought I had done that well. It was a great wake-up call.

Then, as had been arranged, I went up into town to meet KR and BF at B.  It wasn't about the food.  We were just hanging out.  We went all around town, and just hung out, for about three and a half hours.  This was a big deal for me in two aspects.  First, I didn't really keep in touch with anyone from the middle school show last year, and seriously regretted it.  This was a first step to improvement.  Second, I've never really hung around town with anyone all that much, even when I was in middle school.  We had so much fun, and I couldn't possibly name all the places we went, or all the things we talked about.

Then came the preparation for that evening.  We were having company over, and the anticipation had been high for a long time in our family.

It was a ton of fun.  The guests started arriving around 5.  It wasn't just adults.  Also coming over were CM, NC, and JC.  Plus me, J, A, and V.  We just hung out and talked before dinner.  Though at dinner there was definitely plenty of conversation going.  Afterwards, the kids were all responsible for putting on a show.  V was asleep, but everyone else performed in some way, whether it was singing, playing piano, or a combination.  Mr. S even dropped by briefly to sing "O Holy Night".  Later, me and CM went to play some cards.  We played seven games of rummy.  I won three, and she won three.  After the deciding final game, we could hardly believe it when we added up the scores, and we had tied.  The last of the guests left around 11:00, and we went to bed shortly after.

Just so much good stuff happened yesterday.  I just had to share it with you.

-NM

KM

I've known her for a long time.  We met for the first time between 4th and 5th grade, during a production of The Wizard of Oz.  She was Dorothy, I was the Scarecrow.  After that, we saw each other again when the EE and OE orchestras combined for the concert, and we were in the sort of double quartet together.

Middle school we were good friends.  We talked, we did the shows together, and had a good time.  We were in a few classes together each year, and were glad the other was with us.  We didn't have a ton of memories, except the few we made with musical.

High school was when everything started to get really awkward.  Something happened freshman year, carrying into PAC the summer after, that changed our relationship for a while.  I won't say what it was over the internet, but a lot of people probably noticed.  We never talked about it, and still never have, but it still puts a damper on everything.

For a while, we would barely even talk to each other.  I don't blame either of us.  It was just too awkward.  But that's starting to change.  At first it was the point where conversation was possible, we just weren't real good friends.

Though now I think we've reached the point where I can call her my friend again.  We've started talking more, and I think we've both put freshman year aside.

Now, onto more about her as a person/actress.

She's talented.  She really is.  The problem is that she's quiet enough that you almost forget about her.  As we agreed last night, they're not picking shows with her in mind.  When the casting is being made, she's already working against prejudice.  Plus, she's forced to fit into a part that doesn't come natural to her.  She's just a hard type to cast.

But she's one of the nicest people ever.  I can't remember the last time I've heard her say something truly mean.  She's just really quiet.  She rarely speaks her opinion about anything, and you rarely know how she truly feels.  I compare her to Jane Bennet from Pride and Prejudice frequently, because it's such a good comparison.  Nice, but you don't really know whether she's happy or upset.

I hope it works out for her.  I believe there's a role waiting for her senior year at PAC at the very least, but I hope that next year at high school there's something to be had.

-NM

Middle School Winter Chorus Concert

Ah... the brief reunion.

I wish it would have been a few weeks after.  It would have been a lot more emotional, especially since I may not see a lot of these people for a long time.

As soon as I walked in, KR and KD ran up and each gave me a hug, and KR gave me another copy of the Christmas Card I lost.  BF and ES saw me and waved from their place on the risers.  As I was sitting down, I was getting texts right up to the start of the concert from them, trying to communicate.

The concert itself was really good.  A lot better than last year, and a lot better than anything we did when we were in middle school.  The solos were all great, especially CP's.  The problem is that the guys are at such a hard stage in their voices, that the pitch suffered.  The best number was probably "Santa Baby", which was only girls.  But it was good.

I don't think anyone I talked to afterwards truly appreciated how much of a goodbye this really was.  Last year, there were people I didn't see between the chorus concert and either the high school musical or PAC that I wished I would have gotten a chance to see at some point.  Hopefully that will change this year, but I still wished I could have said a goodbye.

Yes, I got hugs from most people.  KD, BF, KR, ZG (even though he wasn't singing), NB, among others.  I didn't see GC or DM afterwards, which was a shame because I really wanted to congratulate them on their solos.  But I didn't get the chance.

It's a shame.  I hope this wasn't it for too long of a time.

-NM

KD

Another good friend.  I wish I could have gotten a chance to work with her, but the tentacles weren't really in any of the numbers.

I really got to know her during the last few weeks of Little Mermaid.  We hung out in the normal spot, with a lot of other people, and we had a good time.  Though for some reason it always seemed to get back to how short she was.  She's actually not that short, she's just comparing herself to me and KR.  But I still gave her a few piggy back rides.  She liked that.

She couldn't seem to get over the fact that she looked ridiculous onstage.  The tentacle hair and makeup were crazy, but it was perfect for their characters.  Afterwards, she was at the cast party.  I hung out with her a little, just as much as anyone else, and I got her number at the end.

Yesterday, she texts me saying that she saw my blog, and that I'm a good writer.  Now, I really only write for this blog, but I thanked her.  She told me that she writes, and I asked to see some of it.  I had such a hard time talking her into showing me some of it.  She eventually agreed to send me some of her poems, and I was really impressed.

She strikes me as having some sort of inferiority complex.  But she has no reason to have one.  She's not actually all that short.  She writes beautifully.  Apparently, I'm one of the only people she's shown her work to.  She needs to get it out there.

Anyway, I was telling her how the only fiction I've really ever written was the short story I wrote for English last year.  She asked to see it, so I sent it to her.  I was interested as to what she would have to say, because I was pretty happy with it when I wrote it, and I never really showed it to anyone (comment if you want to see it though).  She was actually impressed.  That made me feel better.  Maybe I can write too.

After I looked at a few of her other works (which were all great), she came up with the idea of writing something together.  I was okay with that, and excited too.  We started a short story together.  Even though we were only communicating over Google Docs, we worked really well together.  Our writing styles are remarkably similar.  After about an hour of writing, it was getting late, and we both decided to break for the night.

She's one of the many people from Little Mermaid I'm going to miss.  It's a shame, that a lot of my friends aren't going to see me for so long, and she's one of them.

-NM

WDA Winter Dance Show

I know.  It's the day after Little Mermaid.  If it wasn't, A would have been in Little Mermaid.  Of course, I couldn't devote the time to rehearsals, or I would have been dancing in it.

I agreed to play a brief piano interlude a while ago to give the dancers more time to change for the finale.  I don't know why I agreed, but it turned out to be no big deal.

The show was really good.  I hadn't seen any of it in the studio, and didn't really know what to expect.  They repeated the opening number's concept from last year, except it alternated between groups of threes and solos, and it was still fantastic.  The KP and RE's contemporary duets were amazing.  What really impressed me about the first act though was NG's solo.  She really put the energy needed to do the number, which you never really see coming out of her normally.

The second act was all nutcracker.  What really sold this section were the two solos at the end.  When IW came out for the "Arabian", you knew it was going to be a good show.  And it was.  That number, considering her flexibility, was perfect for her.  And then was KL's solo: the "Sugarplum".  She was right on, and the piqué turns at the end were nailed perfectly.  Those two really were amazing.

I had to watch the third act from backstage, because of the piano solo.  From what I saw, it was good.  Except for "Holly and the Ivy" (which they've been doing for too long now), it was all the high-energy, tap and jazz numbers.  They were good.

Overall, what really sold this show were the solos and duets.  The group numbers, in general, all needed to be a little tighter, but the energy was where it needed to be.  I feel more rehearsals could have solved that problem.

I'm excited for the Spring Show.  I want people to come and see it this year.

-NM

The Little Mermaid

In the words of Rapunzel, "Best! Day! Ever!"

I arrived at 2.  The cast had already been prepping for the show for the past hour, and most were already ready.  By the time I got there, people were already being herded down into the chorus room.  I joined them.  I played some piano, but mostly just hung out.  The waiting period took forever.  Like last year, the cast was called way too early.  During this time, KR gave me a rose and a card.  I thanked her for it.  

I watched the first show with my dad and J.  It went really well, but the crowd didn't seem to get into it.  It was a very typical matinee crowd - mostly senior citizens and children who don't have quite the energy of teenagers and adults.  But it was still really good.  When the mersisters came out for Daughters of Triton, the crowd went crazy! They clearly weren't expecting the heelies, or had known about them and didn't expect them to be so good at them.  And then there were just a lot of lines that got laughs, mostly puns, that no one in the cast was really expecting.  They clearly liked it, but didn't show their like very well.

Dinner was crazy between the shows.  The food came late, and when it came is was simply a mad rush to get there.  And then there wasn't enough time to eat enough.  After that, I asked GZ the question I'd been waiting to ask her for a long time: "Are you planning on taking my job next year?"  She said she wanted to, and I am fine with that.  Just as long as I can be her assistant.  We then discussed whether or not I should pass the cape to her as well, to ceremonially pass the torch, but we decided against it.  It's going to be interesting next year.  

At about 6:05 I went to buy roses.  I had a really hard time deciding whether or not to buy roses, because in my position there is a fine line between honoring friends and playing favorites.  I got roses for the following people (in no particular order): RD, MC, KR, ES, ZG, ES, BF, GC, JI, OB, KD, AL, and LW.  For all those who I didn't get a rose, I'm sorry.  They're expensive, and I could only get so many.  Anyway, I then went down to the chorus room and hung out some more.  KR kept saying how much she was going to miss me when the show was over, and we had a few very touching hugs, though I kept telling her to save it for the cast party.  Then came energy and the second show.

I watched this show with RG and AF (yes, she was there).  This one was phenomenal.  And the crowd was a lot more into this show than it was into the last show.  Despite what the cast says, this show was simply done a lot better.  This was everything I had ever hoped for.  Although a few moments were not quite as funny/unexpected, because part of the audience was seeing them for the second time, it was still fantastic.  There was so much more energy in the audience, and the cast, with any show, will feed off the audience's energy.  They loved it, and we got the standing ovation we were waiting for.

Right after the show I dashed back to my locker.  I took the cape out of my locker (I had stashed it the day before), and put it on.  I got hugs from all, though it was really crowded out in the house.  The audience was packed!  No one could leave until their costumes were returned, and I had arranged to get a ride with BF.  During this time, I received my rose from ES.  I never would have predicted that, and I realize I never got the chance to thank her for it.  ES, if you're reading this, I thank you for the rose.  As I was about to leave, AH tried to give me a job to do.  I left before he could give me any more work to do.  

One of the first things I did at the cast party was break to the mersisters what I hadn't told them about She's in Love's choreography.  Their reactions were not as dramatic as I expected.  BF couldn't believe it.  NB wasn't surprised.  DM couldn't hear me over the noise, and assumed I had told her off for her mistake in the evening show, but then told me that she had noticed.  I got out of NB and DM that they had both actually noticed, and had not said anything to me about it.  ES, MC, and AH had all figured it out as well.  How was BF the only one who didn't notice?

The cast party was awesome!  It was one of the only times ever where I could feel extremely happy and tired at the same time, and then realize I was just standing there, doing nothing, but feeling happy.  I spent time with all of my friends pretty equally, which was good.  There was food.  There was a little bowling.  There was footage of the shows from earlier that day.  There was usage of the dinglehoppers as dinglehoppers.  But most importantly there was friendship.  It was not a sad goodbye, as the high school cast party is, but it was a celebration of the success of the past few months.  

Though it did end with the goodbyes.  And I got goodbyes from a ton of people.  It wasn't hard on anyone else: they're all going to see each other in school.  I got KD and AL's numbers, and I already have a lot of other people's.  I'm going to see RD, RS, and ES around for sure.  KD and AL, who knows?  JI, MC, and KR I'll see at PAC, but hopefully I'll see them sometime before then.  BF I'll see on a weekly basis if phase 2 goes as planned, but if not I may not see her until next year.  

The actual goodbyes were harder this year.  I gave hugs to almost everyone.  First KD.  Then EW.  ES sort of said bye then walked out.  Then I lost track of the order.  I gave hugs to ER, JI, MC, KR, BF, and even GC.  I said proper goodbyes to all of them.  I thought about writing a post to finish my final goodbyes, but I feel I said what needed to be said in person.  I don't need to put them in this blog, unless you readers want them of course.

Just one last words: SS - I miss you.  I would have loved to have you here today.  I would have loved to have you here the entire time.  We never said a proper goodbye - we said so many final goodbyes the actual last time we saw each other we didn't take seriously.  Please come back and visit.

Looking back, this show was officially the most fun I've ever had doing a show.  I was nervous when the cast list was created, but I still had such a great time.  I gained so many good memories I can't even count them.  Hopefully the DVD will do it justice, though I still think I'm going to cringe every time OB says, "just use a little black magic to help out a few merfolk".  

-NM

Last Rehearsal

That was great!  Incredible!  There were a few technical things, but the dancing is exactly where it needs to be!  After the slight disappointment of Yesterday, today was everything I had hoped for!

The Latest Ratings:

"Human Stuff": 9.5
This number has come so far I can hardly put it into words.  It's going to be a great way to get the audience into the show early.

"Under the Sea": 9
Although the number has become a little stagnant, it became stagnant at a high level.  All my fears of collapse due to either time lost or the large-ensemble factor are not present, and it looks great!

"She's in Love": 9
Me posting about "The Curse" seemed to do the trick.  No worries now about injuries.  All the mersisters are really seeming to find their characters, and not just DM.  It looks great!

"Les Poissons": 9.8
WHERE WERE YOU TH?!?!? THAT WAS AWESOME!!! IF YOU HADN'T DONE THAT THING WITH THE MALLET YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A 10!

"One Step Closer": 9
No worries anymore.  It's not awkward, and they got it.

"Kiss the Girl": 9
No more chaos.  Seeing a ton of life.  They're not marking it.  The circle is clean.  The kicks are on time.  Just a few spacing issues, but it would be fine to someone who hasn't seen the number.  It's come so far.

As you can see, everything is drastically higher than my last "Update".  Seriously, if you haven't read that in a while/ever take a look at it.  I was happy then, and I'm ecstatic now.  It is now the show that I envisioned back in June, and rejoiced over August 29th, (See "Year in Review").

I'm really excited for tomorrow, if you can't tell.  I've been taking dates in relation to December 15th for weeks now.  As I told someone, "Everything revolves around Little Mermaid".

-NM

Holiday Chorus Concert 2012

Prologue: BF wants to come, but is unsure whether she can because she had dance afterwards that night.  I told her to come, and just leave early if she had to.  She replied saying that both she and ES would be there.  No mention of ES had been made previously.

The 6th Grade did a good job.  Considering that middle school chorus is normally highlighted by the people in the back talking to each other, there wasn't a lot of that this time.  They were really into it, and the guys were actually stronger than the girls.  Hopefully it will keep up throughout high school...

Then we came on.  The "Silent Night" got a really good reaction, and welt really well.   "Sanctus" and "Glad we be this Day" followed, and we executed them well, but I could tell we were starting to lose it with the audience.

The ensemble came on.  I was nervous.  A ton of people were not there at rehearsal this morning, and PH was not even there for the concert.  That left seven sopranos, seven altos, six baritones, and only four of us tenors.  Pressure's on me, CF, JR, and KD.  We did well.  Even on "What Child is This?", and Skatin with my Baby stole the show with LK and JR's solos.  The audience seemed to love it too, which was even better.

At that point, the audience was into it, as was Mr. B.  We got a lot of applause for each of the final four chorus numbers.  Then came "This Little Light of Mine".  The 6th grade chorus got back on the risers, and we got ready to sing.  It went superbly.  Considering how dead we were this morning, we were pretty into the singing.  The audience went into huge applause afterwards.  We did an encore, completely unplanned.

Afterward, everyone really liked the show.  KR and JI were both there, and both told me that the show was great.  Everyone I talked to in the show seemed to think it went really well.  Even though they had to leave early, BF gave me her classic response over text, and apparently ES really liked it too.  That settles it.  If ES was impressed, then it must have been one of the greatest chorus concerts ever.

-NM

Cell Phones (cont.)

So in my last post about this topic, I talked about how I never really texted that much.  That's starting to change.

My phone automatically deletes older texts as new ones come in.  It can hold about 600 texts total.  I judge my texting rate by how old the oldest text is in my inbox, or how long it took me to send/receive 600 texts.  That being said...

• At the end of PAC, my range was about 3 months
• In September, when I wrote "Cell Phones", the range was about a month and a half.
• Now, my last 600 texts have been sent over a period of 8 days.

That's pretty drastic.  I am now sending about 5 or 6 times more texts than I was at the start of the school year.  I have started to realize what texting can do.  For all the hype people make about how bad it is that our generation has turned to technology, I am here to present a few facts that I have learned these past few months.

1. Texting does not replace face to face contact, except when face to face contact is not possible anyway (I miss you MS).  It is used in addition to such.  In fact, it can be used to arrange face to face contact, as it did for me at light up night.
2. Texting allows one-on-one conversation.  When you think about it, how often do you really have a one-on-one conversation with people face to face, with absolutely no one else around?  How long did it last?
3. People say things in texts that they won't say in person.  Grown ups assume this is a bad thing, but in my experience it has not been.  Some of the nicest things I have ever been told were told to me over text.
4. There are very little interruptions with text conversation.  It is easier to return to a conversation after a brief break over text than it is when you talk in person.
5. People think about what they say more over texts.  People will put more thought into what they write than what they say out loud.  You can go back and edit what you are going to say before you say it.

It's interesting food for thought.  Granted, most of my texting is with BF and KR, but it's changing.

-NM

Faster, Under Intense Accelerandos Before Tumblers

Orchestra Concert.

Geometric Dances went well.  The triangle addition to the Triangle Dance not only made it more interesting for the audience, but for us as well, as our triangle player was consistently either 2 measures ahead or 2 measures behind.  Fantasia on Greensleeves was uneventful.  No better or worse than we had done in rehearsal.

Then came Five Ukrainians in a Bell Tower, or FUIABT for short.  It began with Mr. N giving a long discourse on the background of the piece.  Then it started.  Just a little fast.  But we kept rushing.  And rushing.  And rushing.  I kept thinking, "how have we not collapsed yet?" And then it ended.  We were playing the piece double time, and it sounded awesome.  When the applause began, we started laughing.  Mr. N even said something to the audience about how fast it was.

Dance of the Tumblers went well.  As Mr. N predicted, it took longer to get ready than it did to play the piece.  Then the orchestra sat down to watch the band, still not believing FUIABT.

The band blew us out of the water.  We are just too small.  The music they did was just so much more interesting to listen to than ours.  Granted, they could have used a little work on balance, and bringing out the melody when it kept moving.  But overall, it was the fact that they had so many more people than we did.  Our orchestra from two years ago may have stood a chance, but we're literally half that size now.

After the concert, me, SG, SK, and others wrote the final adaptation of the acronym FUIABT.  I think it fits.

Now, "Bring on the Baby!"

-NM

Definition: Best Friends

This has come up a lot lately, at least internally.  I need to put my interpretation out there.

• "Best Friend" should never be used in the singular, only in the plural.  "One of my best friends" is acceptable.  No one should ever have to select one friend, because it is practically impossible to do that without offending someone else.  
• Best friends should be people you can go to when you need them.  Everybody feels lonely sometimes.  Actually, everybody feels lonely a lot.  Best friends should be able to bring people out of their loneliness and return them to the world of light.
• Best friends should be equals.  No one should be the dominate force behind the relationship, controlling what the other says and does.  Also, nothing should be awkward about their relationship.  Even if it appears that way to others, it should not appear that way to them.
• Best friends should communicate, despite whatever separates them.  It can be difficult, but all of them should be willing to partake the measures.  Even if they are the sort of people who don't talk, they should talk with each other.
• Best friends should want to see each other.  Even if they are remaining in touch via text, phone, or even any sort of video chat, real, live, conversation should be a goal.  
• Best friends should have a good time together.  When they part for the night, they should have loved their experience, wanting to do it again.  

This makes sense, does it not?

This next clause is not part of my definition, but something I think one should strive for, and something I have struggled with.

• Best friends should be mutually best friends.  These are the people that are there when you need them, their equals, the people they communicate with, the people they want to see, the people who they have a good time with.  No one should have to know, or even question, that these people don't feel the same way about them.

-NM

Revelation of the Blog to KR

I mentioned to KR last night via text that I had a blog, but it was late at night.  I pretty much gave her a good search keyword, and went to bed.  When I woke up, I found that I had seven new messages from her, which made my day before it even began.

Timestamped 10:52:

• "AWWWWW you are so sweet! I just read an article... about myself! I love it! I freaking love you! You are such a good friend!"

The following 6 messages came timestamped around 11:43:

• I hope it's not too late at night to say that I'm glad I have had a positive impact on your life! And before I thought I was just an afterthought of yours.
• [N], you really have a way of making people feel special and I love you for that. You are as I said before my inspiration and one of the
• people I lo
• ve being close to and you have made my year. My life.  And I hope when you go to collage you keep in touch with me. You are talented and fun and wonderful. 
• And I don't know why people in high school don't see that. They are blind to true kindness, sweetness and pure love. An
• d I've said enough. txt me tomorrow. Love, [K] :)

I feel we have actually both made each other's day.

Click to view the post in question

-NM

Note: The text messages were corrected for grammatical accuracy.  I hope you'll understand.

Costumes

Today was the big reveal.  We are renting costumes for Little Mermaid, and with a week before the show, they have finally arrived.

I give them a mixed review.  There are some really pretty costumes.  The Ariel, Ursula, and Sebastian are all perfect.  All of the humans (Eric, Grimsby, Carlotta, etc.) are well done, and not overdone.  GC brought in her wig today, and it is gorgeous.  There are some really good costumes, and are going to look great onstage.

But it's clear that the company didn't spend as much time with the ensemble.  The biggest complaints were those by the mersisters.  Their tails are not nearly as elaborate as Ariel's, and we are going to have to make our own tops entirely.  The sea chorus are very cartooney.  This is clearly an allusion to the movie, and is probably better than the broadway version, but they're going to hard to work with.  The cast doesn't like them.

And Flounder's the worst.  It is not a stage costume, it is barely a halloween costume.  If I were directing the show, I would forget about that costume and completely redesign it.  If only there were time.

We knew from the beginning that part of this show's success was going to be based on how the costumes turned out.  This doesn't exceed or fall short of my expectations.  Just maybe those of the cast.

Thursdays

It's a wonder I got any sleep last night.

It's always the same way.  Thursdays are my crazy days.  And it'll be that way the entire year, for when Little Mermaid's over, it's just going to be replaced with rehearsals for the high school show.

Take today for example...

After school I had Little Mermaid rehearsal.  Went well, and was a success, but I couldn't really get any homework done while they were setting light cues, and putting mics on and stuff because there were too many people in the house.  During the run through, not only did I have to take notes, but between the dance numbers it was too dark to see.

The problem was rehearsal ended at 5:00, and I had to go straight from rehearsal to dance.  I ate dinner in the car, and took all my school stuff with me.  I was half hoping that they would just rehearse for the winter show, which I'm not in, but they didn't.  And I can't really do homework during class.

But right away, at 7:45, was acting class.  No travel was necessary, but there was no break either.  And we made masks.  It was plaster mask construction.  It's necessary, as to prepare for the mask work that we're going to do later this year, but I already had one from two years ago.  I spent the time from 7:45 to 9:30 cutting strips of plaster for masks, and the set up and clean up associated with such.

With the half hour ride home, I arrived home at 10:00 for the first time since I left for school that morning, and no homework already completed.  As for homework, I had to...

• Do an online AP Physics test
• Homework for AP BC Calculus
• Final preparations for the debate in US History tomorrow (which involved little work by the rest of the group)
• Coming up with a "goal statement" for Health. (Which I didn't do)
• Working on my French dialogue (Which I didn't do either)

This is typical Thursdays, and I doubt it's going to change.  Even when Little Mermaid ends, it's only going to be replaced by rehearsals for the high school show.

-NM

Response to a Few Quotes 12/1/12

I spent a lot of tonight texting KR and BF.  Yes, KR is allowed to text guys now.

I'll start with KR.  I'm telling her that if she wants to do some more intense dancing, she should talk to her dance teacher.  She responds with this:

"Thank you.  You're a big help and a big inspiration"

I tell her that I'm not actually that great a dancer, and that I never get the feeling of inspiration when I'm in high school, when she gives me another heartbreaking text:

"High schoolers can be mean... I look up to you :) and compared to me you're a dance god."

To be honest, I'm not.  The world of musical theater dance is not the same as the world of dance, and in the world of dance I stand no chance.  And among the world of musical theater dance there's the world of musical theater dance for guys.  So maybe I'm a god in the world of musical theater dance for guys, but I'm not that high up in the world of dance.  But this was pleasant to hear.  KR has witnessed the normal world of dance.

On to BF...

She asks me if I had a good time at Light Up Night.  I say yes, and thank her for dragging me out.  She gives me this:

"Light Up Night is the perfect excuse for me to get a bunch of my best friends together so you were not allowed to skip out!"

Wait, am I actually in someone's group of best friends?  Granted, I am far from her number one best friend, but this is a start.  I'm getting somewhere.  And to think it's someone who I met a little more than a year ago and only see a few months out of the year.  But that's okay.  To be honest, she's one of my best friends too.  As we established before, high schoolers can be mean.

I told her thanks, when she followed up her quote from "Response to a Quote 11/14/12".

"Time for you to realize what you are worth!"

Reflection

I don't get this in high school.  Between Light Up Night last night and this tonight, I'm becoming more and more convinced I was born three years too early.  How am I going to let it go when Little Mermaid's over?  We'll have to get together sometime.  But it's not just these two.  The entire cast makes me feel more welcome than I ever feel in high school.  How am I going to live without them until next year?  What if GZ wants to take my job as choreographer?

This is why I came back for a second year.  I feel happier among the cast of the middle school musical than I feel with anyone else.  I seriously have friends with these people.  I can't question it any longer.

-NM

Note: The contents of the quotes have been slightly edited for spelling and grammatical accuracy. 

Light Up Night 2012

I did it.  For the first time in six years I went.

The most interesting part isn't about what I did there.  It's how I got sucked into going.

My parents are away this weekend.  My mom confronted me about tonight well in advance.  She told me that if I planned on going, it couldn't be impromptu.  I had to know exactly when I was going, and when I would be back.  I wasn't planning on going.  I figured I might if someone invited me, I might consider it, but this is Light Up Night.  It's impromptu in nature, and the conditions given weren't going to happen.

Throughout the week no one invited me.  That was fine.

Today in school no one invited me.  That was fine, I just wasn't going to go.  At rehearsal today for Little Mermaid, a few people asked me if I was going, but I told them no, and explained why.  After rehearsal, OS asked if I wanted to hang out with her and AE beforehand, but that wasn't a possibility with Nana and Granddaddy watching the house.

The events of the evening are best presented in a timeline:

• 5:15 - Pizza arrives, I begin eating dinner.
• 5:17 - Receive text from BF, asking if I am going to Light Up Night
• 5:30 - After dinner, tell her I am not coming.  Ask if she is.
• 6:09 - She replies, telling me she is already up.
• c. 6:30 - Fireworks begin, I watch from bedroom window.  I then continue reading book.
• 7:04 - Receive text from KR, simply saying "hi [N]".  I reply, asking if she is at Light Up Night
• 7:14 - She tells me that she is, and that I should come.
• 7:15 - I tell her it's too late now, and that I'll go next year.
• 7:16 - She asks if I am sure, I tell her to go have a good time.  I go to practice piano
• 7:19 - KR texts me "so whats up?" I don't see it right away, because I have to finish my piano concerto
• 7:28 - I reply with the full details of why I can't go to light up night.
• 7:29-7:33 - Various texts, we agree that it would be too chaotic.
• 7:36 - I receive phone call from BF.  She asks if I am there, and I tell her I'm not coming.  She tells me I am coming.  I agree to check with Nana and Granddaddy, and then text her back.  She sounds like she really wants me there.
• Immediately following - I confirm with Granddaddy, I have to be home around 9.
• 7:39 - We agree on a meeting place, I hurry up.
• 7:46 - I arrive.

The night was fun.  Various people went in and out of the group, such as ZG, JI, MC, and even LW, but consistently there were BF, ES, KR, PR, CP.  It involved searching for people in crowds, ninja, duck duck goose.  Towards the end of the time, BF and CP had to sing at SU Methodist Church, and I agreed to watch.  I ended up singing with them.  After that, I headed home, via the agreement, but I had a great time.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking right now?  That I should have been embarrassed to be seen in the company of people 3+ years younger than me the entire night?  I wasn't.  Frankly, I probably had a better time with them than I would have with people my own age.

The thing is that no high schoolers wanted me with them as badly as these middle schoolers did.  In fact, no one in high school ever asked me whether or not I was there.

I lead a strange life.

-NM

TP

I am amazed.

He didn't say anything.  He just left.  He had been missing a lot of school, and I guess we all just assumed it was another one of those days.

When you think about it, he never talked about himself.  It was always about something else.

I can't say I knew him all that well.  We had many brief encounters, but never a lasting friendship.  But he was nice.  I won't say he had anything against me, we just weren't best friends or anything.

He was the only freshman in ensemble last year, and a tenor.  He was good, definitely deserved his spot.  I don't know why he didn't try out for musical, because he knew practically everyone in it.  Last year that is, I now see why he didn't try out this year.

At the courthouse there were only 4 tenors.  TP was missing.  No one knew where he was, just that he wasn't in school that day.  I found out after school that he had moved away, and was not coming back.  Drama club was in chaos.  I mean, seriously, how do you move and not tell anyone?

Under the GC College banner in Mr. B's room, there are the words TP 2056, preparing the world for when TP's going to be president.  Yesterday, next to those words, we found he had wrote a brief goodbye.

-NM

ES

She is BF's sidekick.  Wherever BF goes, she shall follow.  They are great friends, don't get me wrong, but there definitely is a balance of power.

And they are both characters, and foils.  BF is positively all over the place, ES is calm and collected, very straightforward.  If you were to write a movie, these two characters would be a comedy team.  Every now and then throughout the show, BF would come up with an idea, and ES would just be like, "Here we go again..." or something like that.

There are two instances that I would like to recall for you.

• This took place early on in the rehearsal process.  BF came up to me saying that she and ES had a few questions.  Actually it was more like BF had a few questions, and they were written on ES's hand.  During this session, BF asked me for my phone number, and whether or not I would be her expert for her CSI project.  ES had nothing to gain.
• The second one actually took place in rehearsal today.  BF decided to put ES's hair up with a hair clip.  It looked ridiculous.  But BF wouldn't let her take it off.  She said that she looked like a librarian.  But ES kept it in.  She seemed really embarrassed, but I can't think of another reason for her to keep it in except that BF told her to.

Do you get the picture?  Don't get me wrong.  There is no hostility between the two whatsoever.  It's just that when BF texts me saying that if I don't get a lead she and ES will protest to Mr. V, I really wonder whether ES would actually protest, or just stand there in the background and watched BF protest.  (Note: No protest was necessary, or took place.)

-NM

Trip to Columbus

So after Thanksgiving, we left for S.  We spent that afternoon at Baba and Jedo's house.  We played cards, mostly euchre, and I won one and lost one.  Part of that afternoon was spent at the shooting range, where I shot a gun for the first time in my life.  I didn't do so great with a pistol, but I was okay with a rifle.  We came back to the house briefly, and then Uncle R, Aunt F, A, E, and R, and I (a pronoun) left for C.

The 2-hour ride to C was very quiet, with music in the background.  I spent most of the time on my phone.  I decided to check with a few of my friends on how thanksgiving went.  Two responded.  I hadn't talked to MS for a while, and we went on for several hours, and almost 100 texts.  It's a shame, we can't talk about normal stuff anymore: all we do is either update each other on what's been going on in our lives, or lament about how much we miss each other, but it's still great to hear from her.  We stopped at Uncle R's house to drop off R, and we had pizza there.  Then came the last 30 minute stretch  to Uncle R's house, where I would be staying.  We all pretty much went straight to bed.

The next day was highlighted by the OSU-UM game (See OSU: 26 UM: 21).  After the game, we all returned home and watched college football the rest of the evening.

And today I got up, packed up all my stuff, and went to their church.  It was interesting.  Very small, low attendance, and the choir was pathetic.  Then we all went to G Inn for brunch, where we met my dad.  The food was terrific, but my dad couldn't stop complaining about how A wouldn't stop talking.  

I drove the ride back.  I now have 65 completed hours of driving, and it has been 7 months since I got my permit.

-NM

OSU: 26 UM: 21

It's not often that I can let the football fan in me out.  In the world of musical theater, sports talk is greatly discouraged.  I remember one time last year when AF had to ask for 30 seconds to talk about football.  I snuck in something about March Madness, and was suppressed immediately.

That being said, the OSU vs. UM game is still one of the biggest rivalries in sports.  I have been to the past three matchups of these two teams at O Stadium, and OSU has always pulled off a win.  This time, I knew would be different, because J wouldn't be there.  My eardrums might not explode.

Me, A, E, and Uncle R left the house at 11:00 for a noon game.  We figured the band show would start a half hour before the game, and a half hour for the 2-mile walk.  The opening band show was everything it should be.  Traditional, and perfectly executed.  Being the last game of the season, the OSU seniors were all honored, and you could tell the crowd was really into it.

The first half was entertaining, but OSU just played very sloppy.  A dropped pass here, a muffed punt there, and way too many penalties.  Between the first and second quarters, they honored JT and the 2002 national championship team.  That was the loudest part of the whole game.  At halftime, we made a 52-yard field goal to narrow the score to 21-20.  But you could tell that no one in he crowd legitimately though that OSU was going to lose.

The OSU halftime show was phenomenal.  The theme was Fantasia, and contained elements from both the original and Fantasia 2000.  During the nutcracker song, the band formed two stick-figure people and actually had them dancing.  During the sorcerer's apprentice, the band became a broom, and picked up other band members being a water bucket.  During Rhapsody in Blue, they became a piano, and the keys actually played.  It was just fantastic.

The second half was like a different game.  The OSU defense held UM to the point where they never crossed midfield the entire second half.  The OSU offense was not great, and they should have gotten more than two field goals, but it was enough.  Although not as entertaining, we still got the win.  Final score 26-21.

Were we cold? Yes.  Was there so little room that we could barely sit down? Yes.  Did we complain? No. (Except for A during the 2-mile walk back).  We had such a great time that we didn't care.

-NM

P.S. I am not looking at OSU for a college option.  Way too big.

Thanksgiving 2012

My favorite holiday.

This was a very different year, but was still a lot of fun.  Unlike every year since my existence, the big family gathering was at our house.  We figured this year would be too much to have Baba and Jedo host the meal, and we are the closest to their place.

But traditions still had to be maintained, and the most important one of those is the annual Thanksgiving Day Walk.  Normally, we all go to the S Country Club near Baba and Jedo's house, and hike there.  However, this year it was obviously impossible.  SH Park did quite nicely.  There was a lot of talk that it wouldn't be any fun, because we would be on trails, and it wouldn't be the same, but we had a great time.  We arrived, took the trails that went down the big hill to the stream, and about halfway down we split up into two groups and played hide and seek.

I was in the seeking group with Uncle R, L, and K.  Hiding was Uncle R, J, A, V, A, E, and R.  Uncle R was found first, he had not enough sufficient time to find a hiding place, we would learn why later.  Then, I heard so much noise coming from one section across the stream that I had to check it out.  A and V were easily found.  When I returned, I learned that A was literally buried, and Uncle R had almost stepped on him.  Uncle R had so little time to hide because he was burying her.  For the next 20 minutes or so, we were looking for J, E, and R.  We heard a strange bird calling.  We learned via incoming text messages that it was E and R making the sounds, and not real birds.  On our way to find them, we stumbled across J.  I soon located E and R, and they were declared co-champions.

The dinner was great.  The food was good, and the fellowship was superb.  At the table, we seemed to just keep telling anti-jokes.  Somehow, we got to A showing us this funny Youtube video.  Warning: It is extremely racist, but that's okay in our family.  After sharing it among the kids, the adults viewed it, and got a kick out of it too.  Then came a ping pong tournament among me, A, J, and R.  I won the whole tournament, even though J finally beat me.  Then came a mini-show by V, A, me, and K.  Then more ping pong, and when half the group left for S, the rest of us settled down and watched some football.

I love thanksgiving.  My favorite holiday, by far.  Some people complain about seeing all their family members, but I never really understood that.  I love my family.  We have such a good time together.  How could anyone not like that?

-NM

High School Musical Cast

So I said in "A Tale of Two Callbacks" "I just want a chance to show the directors that I'm something other than a dancer."  

This cast list is an accomplishment.  I didn't get a huge part, but I got a lot to do.  As the Purser, I will get an opportunity to say lines and act.  As part of Tap Ensemble #1, I will get an opportunity to dance hopefully to the full extent of my ability.  And, as part of the Sailor's Quartet (even though it isn't a quartet yet...) I will get to sing!  This is basically recognition from Mr. V, Mr. B, and MG!  I couldn't be happier about myself.

As for the fourth person in the quartet, we really have no idea who that's going to be.  JD brought up the good point that if he's fair game, then what's to stop the directing team from putting in BT?  

We seriously have no idea who's going to be our bass.

Other than that, almost all my friends should be pretty much happy.  RH and RS both got the parts they wanted, and wanted each other to get (and made sure everybody knew they wanted each other to get).  GZ is dance captain, which everybody said she should be, and will be good for her.  SR, CR, JN, and OS all got into Tap Ensemble #2, and KK and GA even got into Tap Ensemble #1.  JR got Billy, which we all predicted.  AH got Whitney, and KD got the Captain.  AH and AS are sure to nail the two Chinese guys.

As for Evelyn, it was not RG as I had suspected.  RG got Moonface, which was a pretty obvious decision after callbacks, and PH got Evelyn.  He'll do a better job than I would have done, I'm sure of it.  I have no hard feelings.

And then there's KM.  Poor KM.  For the second year in a row, she's the runner up for a lead role.  As good as Guys and Dolls was, I still hold to the fact that KM was ripped off last year for Adelaide.  This year, I felt Reno was to close to call, in which case you really have to give it too the senior.  The thing is, RH and KM were really the only two people who could be Erma.  Once RH was decided as Reno, making KM Hope would leave no one for Erma.  I'm not saying RS didn't deserve Hope, but only that she or GZ wasn't going to be Erma.

To KM: Don't give up.  You're better than you're getting credit for.  In almost any other school district, you would be getting leads.  Don't let the result judge your performance.  

And I still have no idea who's going to be our bass.  If JD and BT are fair game, why not AF?

-NM

The Curse of the Mersisters

Ever since last year's disaster at Millie, I've been worried about injuries for this year.  Nothing's helping.  Specifically, the Mersisters have been a disaster.  Ever since we staged "She's In Love", I have yet to seen the number with all six in attendance.  Either one of them is missing, or I'm missing.

As I mentioned in "Update on Middle School Musical", MC was missing that whole week.  The week previous, either we didn't run the number, or DM was at cheerleading.  We were starting to notice that we always seemed to have five mersisters, never a perfect six-pack.

This past week wasn't any better.  On Monday there were apparently all six in attendance, but I wasn't there.  When I returned on Tuesday I was glad to find that MC had returned, but quickly also learned that ES had gone home from school sick.

Thursday sprung some hope.  All six mersisters were in attendance.  We seemed to have made progress.  However, during rehearsal ES took a bad fall.  She had to leave early in rehearsal and go home, her knee already swollen.   My mom took a look at her, and it looked bad, but was too hard to make any definite conclusions.

When I went to dance that night I was nervous.  I had visions of alternate mersisters in my head throughout dance.  Then, I myself had to sit down in class because my right calf, which hadn't hurt since this same time last year, was starting to hurt again.

Last year...

When I returned from Thanksgiving break last year I found that disaster had struck two of the stenogs.  DM had a broken arm.  She still managed to do the show, but some of the effect was definitely lost.  But bigger still, SC had fallen off of her horse.  She had some neck problems, and would be wearing a neck brace until the day of the show.  She was either not in attendance or marking the entire week.  On the day of the show, she said she could do the show.  I decided to let her do it, and she claimed afterwards that she felt terrible.  I would learn the next week that she had a dislocated rib and a twisted hip.  That horse fall had almost killed her, and she still did the show.

The difference is that this year, unlike last year, we can't do the number with one less dancer.  We would have to teach an alternate the choreography.

After dance class, I had acting and ES was there.  My dad had looked her over as well, and it was believed to be a bruised tendon, and it wouldn't stop her from doing the show.  Relief came over me, but we're not in the clear yet.  Thanksgiving break is only now in session, and even longer than last year.  When BF told me today that she fell down skating, I got pretty nervous.  She's fine, but I still am nervous.  I can't help but think that either ES's injury is worse than we think it is, or DM's going to break her arm again, or something worse is going to happen.

-NM

SA Middle School's Seussical Jr.

As I said to GC, OB, and EW after the show, "This is what we're up against."

When I came to see the show, I honestly didn't know who was in it except for DP and HJ.  However, I expected that there would be other people, and I was right.  HJ was featured as Gertrude, BD as the Cat, MC (I realize that I know way too many MCs) as Mayzie, CG as Mrs. Mayor.  As a whole, these people stood out above the rest.  They were phenomenal, while the ensemble as a whole was weak.  Horton had a good voice, but his musicality was, in general, off.  There were way too many people cast as the Bird Girls, and as a whole they didn't quite get involved enough.

Again, I have to complain about the choreography.  In general, it was simple, and incomplete.  There were significant pauses between steps, and it just didn't flow.  However, to the choreographer's credit, this show would be murder to try and choreograph.  Considering that they put together the show in a lot less time than we have for Little Mermaid, and the fact that there has to be seven or eight big dance numbers, I can see why they made it simple.

However, it brought back memories.  Being the Jr. script, it was the exact same script that we used at WAS in 2009.  I knew the lines before they were spoken, and grimaced when someone would screw something up.  Our production was not great, but keep in mind we had the age range issue.

All in all, it was one of those shows that the cast could have been a lot better with another few weeks.  It was well-rehearsed, but with more time it could have been amazing.

Don't want to compare to Little Mermaid yet.

-NM

Response to a Quote 11/14/12

I'm texting BF about callbacks, and I'm just telling her how I'm not optimistic at my chances at Captain, when she responds with this:

"That is your problem - you do not realize both how good you are and how much you mean to people!"

I couldn't respond to that one over texts.  I've decided to take it on here.

This has been an issue that has been troubling me.  Everyone tells me I'm good.  Whenever I play piano/sing for people I don't know, I always get a good reaction.  At my shows, people always come up to me and tell me I did a good job.  But I wonder how far it can be taken.  I've been in the high school shows, but no one gets cut, and I've never been in consideration for a big part.  I made ensemble, but none of the tenors have gotten cut the past two years, and I wonder whether I would have made it in otherwise.  One only has to watch one class at WDA to realize how bad of a dancer I am.  At PAC, there were chopped liver girls getting better parts than I did.  No one is going to tell me that I'm bad, so I wonder.  Do I actually have any talent?  Or am I just disillusioning myself?

The second part bugs me as well.  Do I mean anything to people?  Sometimes I look around and feel insignificant.  I talk to people about my troubles, but no one ever comes to me with theirs.  On the weekends, I rarely see any of my friends.  Summer vacation can go by without me even communicating with anyone at all.  I look around and I see people sharing memories, and I'm always the person who wasn't there.  Whenever something happens, I'm always the last one to know.

The following statement I have been saying to myself for sometime, and I think it's time to let it out:

I am no one's best friend.  I have good friends, but I am no one's good friend.

Can anyone try to argue with me on this?

Please? It would be reassuring.

-NM

A Good Morning

Today started fun.  And ensemble had nothing to do with it.

Apparently yesterday in chorus we had such a good rehearsal that we didn't need to do anything today. After a motivation speech to bring stuff to donate, we had the whole period free.  Being 1st period, I had no work I needed to do.

It started with me and Mr. B being proclaimed great huggers by KK, CK, and AP.  This is something that has only happened to me twice before, by BF and RH.  Then we went into Mr. B's office and chatted.  We played the drums, talked about classes, old chorus/orchestra memories, took pictures, and had fun.  In addition to a great hugger, I was proclaimed to have a great smile as well.  Not once did the word "callback" get mentioned.  This was good.  I really needed something to get my mind off of it.

When KK and AP just started being KK and AP, I left the room.  I started pacing as I often do (see Social Judgement), when I received a text message.  After wondering who could have texted me, I saw it came from OS.  Keep in mind she was in the room at that time.  I looked at her, and she was working on her computer.  When I read the message, it said "Stop pacing, you're making me anxious!".  I look at her again, and she just smiled at me.

Because I couldn't exactly keep pacing now, I plopped myself down at the keyboard.  I played what I could of the Pathethique, except not in the piano setting.  I actually sounded really cool in Ultimate X or whatever it was.

The period ended shortly after, but I was happy.  I was worried that as callbacks approached, chorus class would be getting harder and harder for me (just because it includes RH, RG, and KM, and yesterday it was), but I see that it's not an issue.  Hopefully, tomorrow won't be...

-NM

Update on Middle School Musical

Yesterday was a fun day.

Half day of school, which as we all know means at least 4 hours of rehearsal.

So when school lets out, the 6th graders have already arrived due to their school letting out even earlier.  They ask what to do about lunch.  With the fear that food in the auditorium is a bad idea, I tell everyone to eat in the back hallway.  When everyone else arrived, the hallway started to get a little packed, but everyone was settling in.  When Mr. V arrived, he had no objection to people eating in the auditorium. 

It began with a quick music review, while I took small groups behind the curtain to work on some choreography.  Due to TE being kicked out, KR was chosen to take his place in "Human Stuff", and we just reviewed that a little.  This was followed by a review of the kicking section of "Kiss the Girl", and "One Step Closer".  

Then came a full run-through.  This went very well.  I took notes and gave ratings (see below).  During long breaks between music numbers, I socialized with a lot of the cast.  We talked about all sorts of thing, played cards, and just had a good time.  Because of the new harsh rules, and the fact that Mr. V was completely involved in the show, I was constantly being asked for permission to go to the bathroom/get a drink/etc.  It's annoying, but there really is no other way.

After the run-through, it was time for a choreography work-through, which included the giving of the notes and ratings.  I hammered "Under the Sea" until it reached the point where everyone was groaning.  "Kiss the Girl" is finally starting to make progress.  "She's in Love" is going to be fine.  I have to admit, the choreography for that is probably the best, which makes sense considering the circumstances.  I'm just worried that MC is going to have problems.  She was missing for this entire week.

All in all, I'm having such a fun time.  I said that it had the potential to be the most fun I've ever had doing a show, and it's living up to its expectations.  

And, the latest ratings...

"Human Stuff": 5

This has come together really fast.  It's not quite there yet, but considering we finished it on Tuesday, and KR only learned it on Thursday, it's going great!

"Under the Sea:": 7.2

I am so happy with the way this is turning out.  This has been my dream number since June when I first suggested the show to Mr. V, and I was working choreography in my head even before the show was announced.  Going to be a huge show stopper!

"She's in Love": 6.5

Another show stopper!  The audience isn't going to be ready for this number one bit, and the dancers are nailing the choreography.  Just where is MC...

"Les Poissons": 4.5

This number is still on the verge of awkward, but I'm not too worried.  We don't have the props yet, and that's going to change everything for the better, provided MC doesn't hit ES with the frying pan.

"One Step Closer": 4

This is the only number I'm actually worried about.  Neither GC and CB are amazing dancers, and they're thinking too much about the steps.  However, considering what is was just the day before...

"Kiss the Girl": 6
It's come a long way.  From the chaos on the days we actually choreographed it, to signs of good life.  It's got a long way to go, especially with the four featured dancers, but I'm convinced its going to make it.

We have four weeks of rehearsal left.  We're already doing full run-throughs.  This show is going to be awesome!

-NM

RH

Here's to one of my best friends ever.

Or at least she's one of my best friends.  Again, I'm pretty sure that I'm not one of her best friends.  And I don't blame her.  I've been a pretty terrible friend.  I have to apologize for the things I said about her on "Dance Class vs. Ensemble".  Just goes to show how mean I can be at times, even though she told me not to take them off.

I met her in the most unexpected of places: math class.  When I was in 6th grade, her in 7th, our math class only had 10 people in it.  Being the only two people in both this class and Honk!, we got to know each other.  In fact, math class became a huge deal my 8th grade/her 9th grade year, because I was commuting to the high school, and I actually knew her.

Middle school shows were bad, but we had a good time.  Honestly, everyone in Romeo and Juliet: Together (and alive!) at Last was pretty close, but that was one of our first chances at a better friendship (there were too many people in Honk!).

But when high school came things changed.  It wasn't just her anymore: I was finally starting to make other friends.  The past two years have been fun, exciting, and awesome, and she's been a big part of that.  She is one of my oldest friends.  Looking back at 6th grade and comparing it to now, she's one of the few people I'm still friends with.  Then, she was one of the only people I knew in the musical.  Now, she's the only one who has ever even tried to get me a prom date.

When she told me that she wanted me to be her Evelyn I was a little surprised.  I would have assumed that she wanted RG to be playing that part.  I had assumed that RG would be playing the part.  For her to tell me that I would be playing a part was something.  She was of great consolation last Tuesday.

Although we don't see each other any more, we are still friends.  She is one of the people I'm afraid to go to college, because I'm afraid that we won't keep in touch.

-NM

P.S.: I predicted she and JD would be dating when they were in middle school.  When I got the news, my first thought was, "It's about time!"

A Tale of Two Callbacks

Part 1: The Wizard of Oz

When the show was announced, everyone I knew told me that they already knew what part I was going to get: the scarecrow.  This included my family, Mrs. S, and even a lot of my friends.  I disagreed, and thought that the role was practically cast with someone else already, but I listened to them.  I let them get my hopes up.

The first round auditions came.  I did pretty well.  I personally thought that it was one of my best auditions ever.  When the callbacks were posted, it was just a list.  No parts were announced initially.  We all were in suspense for quite a long time, but everyone had convinced me that I had to be called back for the Scarecrow.

When we found out what parts we were actually called back for, I learned that I had not gotten called back for the Scarecrow.  In fact, I don't think I was ever in consideration.  As I had practically known the whole time, the part was practically pre-cast. 

Part 2: Anything Goes

When the show was announced, everyone I knew told me that they already knew what part I was going to get: Evelyn Oakleigh.  This included my family, Mrs. S, and even a lot of my friends.  I disagreed, and thought that the role was practically cast with someone else already, but I listened to them.  I let them get my hopes up.

The first round auditions came.  I did pretty well.  I personally thought that it was one of my best auditions ever.  When the callbacks were posted, it was just a list.  No parts were announced initially.  We all were in suspense for quite a long time, but everyone had convinced me that I had to be called back for Evelyn.

When we found out what parts we were actually called back for, I learned that I had not gotten called back for Evelyn.  In fact, I don't think I was ever in consideration.  As I had practically known the whole time, the part was practically pre-cast. 

In summary...

It's just annoying.  Even when I know that I stand no chance, I let everyone get my hopes up.  I haven't gotten a decent part in a long time, and everyone makes me think that it's my chance to get there again.  As I told RH, I just want a chance to show the directors that I'm something other than a dancer.

-NM

PMT's Cinderella

Last night, I saw Cinderella.  I knew that RH was the Fairy Godmother, and that she and RG were in this show due to their apprenticeship program at PMT.  I figured that the talent level would be really high, and I expected a show that would be above and beyond what one would expect from a high school production.  

I honestly have to say that it was a good show.  RH was fabulous (even calling out to AF in her opening improv), and by far one of the best on stage.  The stepsisters were hilarious, and played their character very well.  The actress playing Cinderella I can honestly say wasn't that interesting, but it's hard.  The script doesn't make Cinderella a very interesting part.  Overall, one could tell that there was a lot of talent onstage.

My biggest complaints were in two fields: the script and the directing.  

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is not a great show.  There are several moments where there were clear attempts at jokes that just weren't funny.  The characters are not well-developed at all, and, as I just said, the part of the lead is not very interesting at all.  There are good songs, but the lead-ins are almost cheesy, and they don't flow very well with the script.

On top of that, the directing wasn't great, specifically the choreography.  There are huge dance scenes in the ballroom, and they were simply boring.  The choreography would repeat the same exact series of steps numerous times over, and the dancing wasn't that challenging to begin with.  The dancers nailed it perfectly, but I feel that they could have been pushed a little more.  On top of that, the orchestra seemed ill-rehearsed, and the crew needed more work (there were a couple of bad incidents).

All in all, the actors were great.  I give the best congratulations to RH, RG, and AD.  I just feel a different directing team could have done a better job.

-NM

PBT's Giselle

This is going to be a habit.  When I see a show, I review it.

So, I've been excited to see this show for a while.  Thursday, at dance, Giselle was on everybody's minds, including Mr. A, who had us do ponchés and pirouettes with our arms across our chest, like the Willies.  Yesterday, the day of, I mentioned it at Little Mermaid rehearsal.  KR was jealous, and LB asked, "What is a Giselle?".  And a minute later, "Oh wait, isn't she that princess from Enchanted?"  Me and KR had to explain Giselle to her afterward.

The show was incredible.  The moment the curtain opened, and I saw the set, I knew that it was going to be a good show.  The costumes were all perfect, and beautiful.  But the dancing was the best of all.  This show was another reminder that the best dancers are in ballet.  The opening peasant dance at the beginning was so together, but they were doing jumps that I know from experience are far from easy.  The choreography shined, and the acting was great.  The man who played Hilarion was so good for his part, and the Giselle and Albrecht were incredible as they worked together.  When Giselle went crazy, you could really tell she was going crazy, and her death was incredibly dramatic.

Of course, then came the famous second act.  When the willies first entered with the veils over their faces, chasing Hilarion, you were freaked out.  And when the willi queen did her solo, it was amazing. But the best part was the entire group of willies.  They were so together, legs at exactly 90 degrees, right on the counts, arms exactly the same as everyone else's.  Plus, the acting was again great.  The final scene, at dawn, was extremely moving, when Giselle had to return to her grave.  The audience would not stop clapping.  In fact, the leads even came through the closed curtain to take a second bow.

Overall, it is one of the best shows I have ever seen.  I ran into IR after the show.  We agreed, "Yeah, we do those steps in class, just not all at once."  You really have to work hard to be in professional ballet.  If any one of those dances would have been done in a broadway style show, the crowd would have been in thunderous applause right after the number.

The only thing I don't understand is why PBT waited eight years since the last time they did the show.  I hope they don't wait that long again.

-NM

Mr. N

Today was a typical day in orchestra.

Basically, it started with ER complaining that she couldn't sleep last night because she had the Triangle dance stuck in her head, and Mr. N responded with the fact that they had just talked about her mental status on Monday.

We began with a warm up in the High Tech book.  Although he keeps making us doing really boring études in complete unison, at least he realizes that we all hate it.  We then turned to the Geometric Dances.  This dance contains a section which goes, according to Mr. N, something like this:

Da, Da, Da da da, Da, Da, Da, Da da da, Da, Da da da, Surprise!!!!!!

The entire class cracked up laughing.  Fortunately, he was able to get our focus back to play the next piece.

Everyone that either is in/has been in orchestra has an opinion of Mr. N.  I love him.  He may not be a orchestra specialist, but he makes a good effort to learn what he needs to learn.  Also, being a piano guy, he knows a ton about the theory behind each of our pieces.  I imagine he is a great teacher of the AP Music Theory class.

Also, his sense of humor is incredible.  Part of the humor is in the fact that when he presents a fact, he is normally all over the place.  Also, he will occasionally crack a really cheesy joke, and make it clear that its cheesy (he and NS worked really well together).

Some people complain that his sense of recruitment is overdone, but that makes sense.  The size of the orchestra is ridiculously small.  I can't imagine the band is much better.  The problem isn't him, the problem is that we don't do anything.

He is one of the major reasons I stuck with orchestra this year.  It's getting smaller and smaller.  I really don't know why.

-NM

The Wizard of Oz

So, my faithful readers will know that today was the night that my Wizard of Oz performance closed with WAS.  I want to say a few words about how it.

It's a completely different kind of show from what I'm used.  With so much of the cast being members of WDA, the expectations from the performance are different.  There were so many differences from this show to others.

• The huge size and age range.  This means that people of different ages/abilities are going to be cast in different numbers.  Your audition hardly means anything, it's where you can be grouped.  Also, the other problem of the age range is that you don't feel a general cast connection.  I honestly didn't know the names of half the people in the production, because they were either Munchkins or Ozians.
• The presence of parent chaperones.  Always backstage helping out.  They're always in the dressing room, making sure the costumes were hung up, and that everybody was ready for their number.  Seriously, we were not responsible for knowing what was happening on stage, we pretty much were waiting for someone to tell us, "Get ready for curtain call!" or something like that.

I could go on and on, but I'm going to fast forward to the biggest difference.

The audience

During the high school show or PAC, what generally happens is you're in the show with a lot of your friends, but there are other people you know who aren't in it.  They come see you and all the other people in your group of friends, and you end up seeing a lot of other people who you didn't expect.

Now, this style of show resembles for the the dance recital audience.  Everyone in the audience is part of three categories.  They are either family members, people who are part of your class and just didn't do the performance, or people who used to be part of the studio and graduated/stopped class/changed studios.  If anyone else shows up, it's a huge, huge surprise.

That being said, did anyone who didn't fit these categories come to the show?

No.

In fact, in the past 4 years of WAS shows, only one person who didn't fit these descriptions has every come to any of the shows.

The difference is this year, unlike last year, I didn't expect anyone to.

-NM

School Spirit

The following represents the approximate amount of school spirit there is at QVHS.











































There may be less, this is just an approximation.

-NM

WAS Show

So, I can't believe that I haven't mentioned this yet.  And its this week.

The WAS is located in the same building as WDA, and uses the same rooms, but run independently.  It was started when WDA moved into the new studio, and has expanded ever since.  Since, 2009, they have put on a fall show every year, with auditions the previous June, and I've been in all four.  It's an interesting experience, due to the fact that the age range goes from about 5 to 25.  The shows to date...

• 2009: Seussical Jr.: This, their first show, was an interresting experience.  The studio was small enough that, even though I was only in 8th grade, I was able to earn the part of the Mayor.  My wife was a junior in high school, and I'd guess the average age of any of the Whos was 8.  The show came together really well, but the talent pool was just not really there.  I asked around, but no one from QV came to see it.
• 2010: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: This was a great experience.  Although we were officially combined with a local church, the auditions were open to the public.  Our director, Miss S, is the director of the NA musical, and a lot of her actors did the production.  A lot of them got leads, but they completely deserved them.  It is probably the best quality show that I have ever been in.  I told a lot of people about it, but only KM came (who knew RM, playing Judah).
• 2011: Beauty and the Beast Jr.: This was the beginning of the NA dominance in the show.  Returning to our own acting studio, our Belle, Beast, and Lumière had played Eponine, M. Thenardier, and Marius in NA's production of Les Miserablès the previous spring.  I was Maurice.  The show had a lot of potential, and I told a lot of people about it.  In one of the worst scheduling conflicts of my life, AM's surprise birthday party was the same day.  The show day was one of the worst days of my entire life.  Not only did the show go terribly (that's what you get when you can't tech anything until two days before curtain), but no one from QVHS came to see it, not even the matinee, which didn't conflict with the party.  All the NA people were there, but no one from QV.

Which brings us to this year.  The Wizard of Oz.  There are way too many people in the show, and if you're not a dancer or a lead, you're on stage for about 30 seconds and you bounce up and down.  That's what is happening to OS.  Fortunately, I'm the head of the winged monkeys (we can't actually fly), a crow, and a jitterbug.  Most of the roles are double-cast, and still almost all the leads are from NA.

I really haven't been asking for an audience.  Maybe it's just because I'm not as confident the show's going to turn out.  Maybe it's because I have just a small part.  Maybe it's because it's this Saturday and Sunday, homecoming weekend.  Maybe it's just because I know that no one would come anyway.

If you want ticket info, please comment, but it's really not a big deal.

-NM

Social Judgement

My family keeps telling me.  I do some things that are very socially awkward.  They're just habits.  It's too hard to break them.  My habits are a part of what makes me me.
My main habits...

• Shoulders back! - This one has been going on for several years.  I have always had a slouching problem.  It's become common nature when my mom or dad corrects me, but now that J's starting to get involved, its becoming annoying.  My mom has finally realized within the past year that I'm not the only one.  Now, she claims its her goal to get out entire generation unslouched from the backpacks and texting.
• Stop twirling your hair! - This one has died out.  I first noticed it toward the end of Joseph rehearsals freshmen year, when I had to grow my hair out way too long.  My whole family has gotten into this one.  One day, in the car, we were deciding on code words, so they wouldn't have to keep saying it over and over.  I think it almost ended for good when I cut my hair for Guys and Dolls, but I even noticed myself twirling today.
• N, You need a haircut. - On the same note, this one is probably the most annoying.  My dad and J are the main critics, who have always had short hair.  They're athletes.  I doubt that I even have the longest hair of my friends.  I have never heard anyone my age I should keep my hair short, even when I had it cut for Guys and Dolls.  I agree, its maybe a little long now, but it doesn't need to be really short.
• Stop Pacing! - This one has also been going on for a long time.  I can't stop moving.  This is the only one, however, where someone outside of my family has really noticed (thank you OS).  I just like to keep moving.  Though I do realize it is a problem, I don't know what I can do about it.  It's just a habit.

Those are the biggies, but there are other small things that crop up occasionally.  Just today, my parents spent about 5 minutes lecturing me because I turned my back on them at the wrong time to go take my shoes off.  They keep telling me its a wonder I have any friends.  Somehow I manage, but sometimes I think they're right.  I'm never invited to as many things as anyone else (though MM seems to think its because I don't have a Facebook), and I'm always the last to know on almost everything.  The people I text the most are 7th grade girls.  I doubt they text me more then anyone else.  Is this really the source?

Please, somehow show me.  But don't be annoying.

-NM

BF

Come on, I just couldn't not write about her.

From the audition's at Millie, I knew she was something special.  She was energetic, motivated, and clearly loved what she was doing.  When she was cast as a stenog, you don't know how excited I was.  Even though she had not tap experience, I knew she would be excited to learn, and that she could be fabulous.  I had a good hunch, but she exceeded my expectations.  I never would have expected to be hugged as I first entered the auditorium every rehearsal, loved like only BF can love, and just feel happy.  She was present on the happiest day of my life (see "Year in Review"), and is partly responsible for making it such.  

Since then, our meetings have been scattered.  Just the occasional running into each other after school, or being in the same show as JF, but I've always enjoyed this.  I've learned that she started dance classes (apparently at WDA, though I've never run into her).  I don't know why she wasn't taking them already.  She could be a fabulous dancer, if she took it seriously enough, and she will.  I know she will.

Little Mermaid's been great, even though I've only seen her three times.  On audition day, she was the first to hug me, in addition to doing well in her audition.  At the callbacks, I got several hugs.  Even though she didn't nail the callbacks, we knew she was definitely going to be a mersister.  On the read through of rehearsal, it literally took about two seconds for her to come running to hug me after I put my cape on.  I can't wait to work with her in "Under the Sea" and "She's in Love".

Now, I found out she has a blog.  The most recent post was about a week ago on the Little Mermaid auditions and casting.  In it, she wrote, "And, I got to see N, which I only really see during drama season and high school concerts!  He's fabulous, as always."

It's nice to be admired like that.  It doesn't happen to me that often.

-NM