A summer in Montana?

So, I'm actually going to take this entry and share one of my deepest fears. It's not a constant one, but as a few of you know, I auditioned to work at the Playmill theatre in West Yellowstone this summer, but didn't make the 2nd cut. However, after an enormous internal debate, I've decided to live up there anyway and work in another tourist industry. Namely, a bookstore. Or a candy store. But that's not the point. The point is that I'm spending the summer with some of the most amazing, talented, fun, intelligent people I've ever met in my life! And quite frankly, that scares me out of my mind. I'll be spending an entire summer without my Alexis, without my Jen, without my Jenny, without my family, even without the dear friends I have back in Medford. True, the people I'm spending the summer with friends, but they've all known eachother for a lot longer, and I certainly don't have the closeness with them that I do with all the aforementioned parties. Gah. I hope to get to know them all a lot better and strengthen my friendship with them. But it's a new place, a new job...a lot of change. Change is scary. But I gird up my loins and face change with courage and confidence! What else could I do? Life is certainly an adventure, is it not?

There's no way you can even have a chance to get into bed with an American Idol reject

Okay, so second blog of the day, but I realized I wanted to write about this too, and it was so completely different in subject matter and tone from my other entry, that I had to do a separate blog. Besides, I wanted a way to get that quote that's the title in there somehow.
So here's what's on my mind. It's not only a huge blessing to be constantly surrounded by amazingly talented people, but it's really fun, too! There's something exciting about hanging out with and working with kids who just might end up making "the big-time." Which as I get older and more experienced, becomes less and less exciting, just because it seems nearer. And the fact that it's not as exciting anymore makes it exciting. Does that make sense?
For example, Andrew Maughn, who played Perchik in "Fiddler on the Roof" and who we know affectionately as "Fu" is moving down to L.A. this summer to find work there. And then there are the Brant Wadsworths and JD Taylors whom I love dearly and who have a tendency to gain fame in little ways whatever they do, no matter if they want it or not or are even aware of it. If they ever tried to make it "big" I don't think they could help but succeed. And then I'll be flipping channels on the TV one day and see them show up somewhere on the screen and laugh and smile and think of all the fun I had learning from them and working with them and playing with them. Actually, that may not happen, seeing as how I tend to not watch TV, which is occasionally to my detriment, since I don't know what's going on sometimes.
OR WHO PEOPLE ARE! I forgot about this story...speaking of fame, here's one instance where my lack of watching TV almost caused me a small embarrasment. So, during "Fiddler on the Roof," I spend intermission running around backstage giving notes and cues and fixing props and moving costumes and chatting with actors when I have time and basically making sure everything is going the way it's supposed to backstage. During intermission of Friday's show last week, I was running around doing my usual ASM duties, when I noticed this guy from the audience just wandering around and chatting with people. As Assistant Stage Manager with broken bottles, water-damaged props and quick costume changes and cues swimming around my mind, I thought "What the heck? Who is this kid? Why is he back here? Who does he think he is, just waltzing in backstage in the middle of a show?" I was about to ask him to leave (aka just give him the boot and maybe a little attitude to put him in his place while I was at it), when someone asked me a question that distracted me and by the time I got around to remembering to kick out the delinquent wandering audience guy, I decided that he probably knew someone and intermission was almost over, so I decided to just let it go. I had to go cue the orchestra and stage crew anyway.
But then, after the show, we were all hanging out at Dairy Queen, and as I was glancing around and thinking about how great all the people I know are, I locked eyes with a kid who wasn't in the show, but was nevertheless hanging out with us. I thought he looked a little familiar, but I couldn't place him at all. When he caught my eye, he smiled at me, which smile I returned. We chatted a little throughout the night, when all of a sudden in a moment of abrubt realization, I recognized him as the kid from backstage during intermission! The nerve of him. I guess he did know someone in the cast, cause here he was at DQ with us. I turned to Benji and the following conversation took place...
Me: Ben, who is that guy sitting next to Brant?
Ben: (looking at me incredulously) Who's that?
Me: What, should I know this guy?
Ben: That's Jon.
Me: Who the heck is "Jon"?
Ben: As in Jon Peter Lewis?
Me: (somehow the name sounds familiar, but I still don't know what he's talking about) Jon Peter Lewis?
Ben: From "American Idol"?
Me: OH.
Then it hit me. It was kind of one of those "duh" moments when you feel really stupid and kind of regret not watching TV at least sometimes. I remember before he came back to Rexburg, JD and Brantley and Ben talking about Jon, cause they were all really good friends and some of them roomates and had done a few shows together. But I felt kind of stupid for not recognizing him like everyone else did, even those who hadn't known him before.
He's a nice guy, for anyone who's wondering. Gorgeous blue eyes, cool sense of style and really short. Almost shorter than me. Funny sense of humor. I'm glad I didn't kick him out like I was going to. Poor guy...I would have felt bad if I'd gone through with it.

What would the 12 days of Christmas be without the partridge in the pear tree?

Of late, I have had increasingly powerful spells of homesickness for Medford. But last night, I was looking at my photo album and I had this realization. It was one of those things that hits you so hard and kind of breaks your heart a little because you can't go back to what you had. I've been thinking about how much fun a visit to Medford would be...seeing all the CPTA kids, and Southies, and good ole Medford 5th ward. But when I think about it, nothing would quite be the same.
As I was flipping through photos and reminiscing, this was the realization I had. The summer of 2004 was the best summer of my life thus far. That's all there is to it. So, I would like to dedicate this little blog to a few of the hundreds of fond memories I have of this past summer. To me, summer started in about the end of April this last year, which of course is fine with me.
I remember making that 15 minute drive to Central Point every evening for "Into the Woods" rehearsal with the windows rolled down and rock music blaring as I drove down those country roads. I remember hanging out with Chris and Aaron and Willie and Kristen, and I remember the warm pavement of the parking lot of the church after (and occasionally during) rehearsal. I remember Gramma's house and that Fourth of July night when we set off hundreds of fireworks in the street in front, and stayed up till 3 in the morning playing improv games. I remember that picnic at the park, and playing tennis and wall-ball with Chris and Willie. And the hat day! Meeting over at Aaron and Chris' house with Kristen and Willie and renting movies and eating hamburgers. And that night when Chris, Aaron, Kristen and I spread a sleeping bag out on the grass in front of the church after rehearsal, and stayed for hours and hours, telling stories and laughing and watching the stars. Pear Blossom parade with CPTA, and the new car, yet another blue station wagon.
Then there was moving into Bretty's house, and the pleasant warm evenings with lemonade and a book, and Saturday mornings laughing and telling stories with Brette. And learning to play the drums...coming home from work every afternoon and throwing on shorts and a t-shirt and banging on the drumset in Bretty's room. And having my own bedroom for the first and probably the ONLY time in my young life.
And then there was work, something that I loved in spite of myself! Hearing Carlos rant and rave about being president in his Brazilian accent, talking about acting with Sandra, the rare nights I would close with Tim and Lance and Carlos and Jade. Then there was Aaron, and hanging out with him and Amanda and Bernie...and bowling and watching movies at Aaron's house.
I remember Medford 5th ward, and hiking Pilot Rock and FHE and volleyball at Fichtner after Institute. Chad and Erin's wedding, and Ricky's baptism, and giving Hanah rides home. There were the nights of hanging out with Becky Stone and Katie and Dee and the Bells, and that funny part of the end of the summer when Becky and I took turns living at the Bell's house. Somehow, I also remember a lot of Taco Bell from that summer. I remember the nights of hanging out with Becky and Cole, and that night we went to Sharis and then went out and bought half a dozen 2 liter sodas from Food 4 Less and drove back to the Stake Center parking lot and shot soda bombs off in the air.
Somehow it's so hard to get just words to convey all the things this past summer was to me. It's over now, and now I'm living a different life, with different faces and voices and textures and and sounds and smells and tastes. It's just as wonderful as this summer was, but it's in a different way. I just miss the feeling of the summer, and all the things and people I knew. I love and miss you all, and hope you know how much you meant to me, and how much you mean to me still.

Wow! I can act, after all!

GLORIOUS WONDERFUL HAPPY NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So auditions for "Our Town" were last week, and my audition went well enough to get me on the call-back list, and from how call-backs went for me, I never thought they went well enough to get me onto the cast list. But wonder of wonders, they did go well enough to get me on the cast list, and as a lead, no less! I will have the happy privelege to play Mrs. Webb. I am so terribly excited! There are a lot of kids in the cast that I've never really met or worked with before, so I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn from some new kids, along with some old familiar names and faces. Rehearsals start Tuesday, the 17th, and the show runs the second and third week of April. Here we go again...another openin and another show!

Nothing like a nice beer to take the edge off a Sunday fast...

Survey of the century:

This applies to anyone between the ages 13 and 30, who is unmarried. Which do you think about more, food or members of the opposite sex?



My roomates and I have been having this debate for a few weeks now. Alexis, when she was asked tonight what makes girls tick, she replied promptly "Boys and food." We all laughed, but the more I think about it, the more truth there is to that statement. But in that particular order, boys then food? Or do you actually think about food more often? I suppose this question has two parts...how often and how intensely do you think about the two.

As for myself, I can't honestly decide. Here's the thing, I think about people I know quite often and intensely, some of whom happen to be boys. Does that count? Oh, disclaimer: Boys and food aren't the ONLY things I think about. My waking hours (and occasionally my sleeping ones) are occupied with thoughts of nobler and more worthwhile things from time to time. But that's not what we're discussing. I think about food whenever I'm hungry and whenever I'm eating it, at least, and occasionally when I'm not. I think about boys when I'm talking to them, or about them. But I honestly can't figure out a way to measure which I think about more.



So what about you all to whom this applies? Any unmarried readers between the ages of 13 and 30, which do you think about more often, food or members of the opposite sex?