Its Been A While...

So, I know that probably NOBODY is reading this anymore...oh well.  

So, Music Man went great!  It opened to Rave reviews, from what I heard everyone loved it!  I had a blast working on the choreography and the music.  After the first weekend I moved back out to Utah, and started rehearsals for Aida, which is now running at the Hale Center Theater through November 22.  I play MWFS nights, so Come see it!  

School is going well so far.  I am pretty busy.  Especially with my Jr. Seminar Project for MDT...i was assigned Pirates of Penzance...and cutting it to 30 minutes, starring in it, directing it, getting people to do it, etc., has not been the easiest.  haha.  I also am playing for everyone else's projects.  Plus with YA's, I have NO time.  In YA's i have the Footloose solo and i am the baritone in the Jersey Boys medley.  Besides that i am just in the Dancer's Track numbers (Abba, Chorus Line, Wicked, Footloose, In the heights, etc.).  our first show is at Homecoming Spectacular this week!  Come and see it!

Besides all that i have been doing ok.  I had a mission reunion this week, and general conference this weekend was Amazing.  Well, til next time!  

ps:  here are some links for ticket info...

Aida (Hale Center Theater): www.haletheater.org

Music Man Review: www.forallevents.info/kedaradour/2008/08/music-man-at-6th-street-playhouse.html

An update...

So...sorry for not updating as much as i should. I just have been so busy with everything.

So, I am still working for Clark. The month of June has been a bit slow for me, but overall I am doing fine. And my dad STILL won't buy pest control from me...even though our house is under constant attack from spiders, ants, etc. ha ha Anyways, we have finished Santa Rosa, Rhonert Park and now we are working in Petaluma. Now that rehearsals have started, I only can work part time during the day...and on fridays and saturdays.

Anyways, rehearsals for the Music Man have started and are going really well. We have a very talented cast and they are doing really well. I am the Music Director and the Choreographer. It is definitely harder than I thought, but I am doing ok! I am just having the time of my life.

I also started teaching dance at the Musical Theater workshop for the theater on monday. I am SOOOOOO exhausted from doing that AND work AND rehearsals, but i am surviving. I have about 46 kids in the group and they are all doing really well.

Besides those things, I almost died choking on pizza as i made fun of my dad for taking a huge bite...yeah...lame...ask me about it...it was pretty darn funny. that is what you get for speaking ill of the Lords anointed! HA HA

Oh, we also went and saw Hairspray in San Francisco...my friend Taylor Frey was Link Larkin. He did really good...i took my friend molly from the American Mall to see it with me. we had a great time! oh...speaking of American Mall...it comes out on MTV on August 11th. so watch out for it!

well, i will try to keep this updated better in the future! til later!

randoms

Well...it sure has been a while huh? ha ha

Since the last post i have just been working my BUTTOX off like crazy and earning some good money. so I am happy about that. in the last three weeks of working i have made over $3000 and i am going strong. this last week was a bit slow for me, but oh well.

We had fun with Cody and Emily...he is CRAZY!! and everyone was just asking if they were dating...ha ha...no one really knows...still. But yeah.

What else has happened...really...not much just because i am working everyday all day. i went to the beach and took some awesome photos of me dancing...you can view them in my facebook albums...i Got awarded a $1000 scholarship from the School of Music for doing absolutely nothing...i really don't know how of why i got the scholarship...but oh well. i'm not complaining! I ahve also been called as a Gospel Doctrine and Gospel Essentials teacher and of course the Ward Organist. Both callings are going well so far.

tonight kelly is coming out and we are gonna record a demo CD for her tomorrow. It shoud be fun.

well, that is all for now. sorry my life is so boring.

oh...here's some pics!

New Job

So, I have a new job. Yes, I gave in and I am selling Pest Control with Clark. It is a good company and the pay is really good, but the job is hard. My first week I did pretty well. I made 9 sales...which is like $1350. so yeah..not too shabby, but this week has been much much harder. Anyways, I wanna do well, so be sure to send me motivational texts or jokes during the day to keep me going! ha ha

It is now memorial day weekend. I had callbacks this week for the Music Man, of which now I am most likely not only the choreographer, but the Music Director as well. They went really well, except for the fact that NO dancers from SR High came...so I hope to go there to get some dancers this week. Cody and Emily came out for the weekend from Utah, so yeah. We should have some fun!

well, til we blog again!

Toby the PT Cruiser

So, I was doing the job hunt thing yesterday, right? Everything was going just fine and dandy, and then I got a craving for Cafe Rio. Well we don't have Cafe Rio in Cali...so i saw...Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, which wasn't as good, but definitely yummy!

I digress....

ANYWAYS....i get back into my car after eating and....NOTHING! My car had expired...my dear Toby had given up the Ghost!! I paniced...not really...i just called the parental units. Well, after a while of waiting, calling the tow truck and having dad FORCE my hood closed thus causing the rod holding it up to DENT my hood, the tow truck came and took dear Toby to the Dodge dealer, where he rested the night.

On the morrow (today), his dead battery was replaced and all is well. TOBY IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN!!! HALLELUJAH!!!! MERCY ME!!!!

the end.

Grades...

Phew....

So grades from last semester were posted and i did better than i thought! i got all A's and B's, and i scraped a C in American Heritage....THANK GOODNESS!!!! I thought i was doomed! ha ha. But, however, i did MISERABLY in TMA 114...i mean, c'mon...i know i missed some of the papers, but my final paper was KILLER!!! and they gave me an E!!! ew ew ew ew GROSS!! i was soooo PISSED off when i saw that....give me at least a D or a C...but NO!! so, i have to take it again to get that grade off and raise my GPA...suck. that ruins my chances of having a Job this semester....

i hate school.

the end.

Coming Home...

So, I decided to do the Young Ambassadors this year. My talk with Pat went well to tell him I wouldn't be doing Dancers' Company. I am so stoked to be on YA's!!! We are gonna have sooooo much fun!

So on thurday i moved out of my apartment, and on friday i went to my trainer's wedding the in Salt Lake Temple. It was a nice ceremony and I had fun with Emmeline (the ex sister hallam). Saturday was fun too hanging out with my sister and also mission friends. Sunday i just packed and said bye to people, and yesterday i drove home....all by myself. I HATE that drive! it was soooo boring and soooo long.

Now i am home...bored...but i will survive. i got the choreography job with the Playhouse, and now i just need a day job. I am also gonna start working out more often...which will help me stay in shape for YA's next year. SO, i am bored. if you want to save me from my boredom please PLEASE call me and lets PLAY!!

I MADE IT!!!

Well, I made both the Dancers' Company and The Young Ambassadors! But unfortunately I have to choose...so I think I am Choosing YA's! I didn't make the Music Circus for the Summer, but I am gonna go home and Choreograph the Music Man with the 6th Street Playhouse! yay! well , just thought i would update!

Auditions, etc....

So, we had Thoroughly Modern Millie auditions this last week...the callbacks went well. And don't even worry, they made us sing in CHINESE!! it was hilarious! i think if Ivan and I did it we would have fun...we will see.

so this week, I am auditioning for the Dancers' Company and the Young Ambassadors. Wish me luck! Plus i am playing piano for the auditions on Tuesday and Thursday, and on wednesday i have MDT Dance Proficiencies. Plus i am playing for Tara Bloomfield's Student's recital on friday night and thus rehearsing with them individually every night of the week. suck.

so, yeah...lets just hope i can keep up on everything....i need some time for myself and a love life...ha ha...what a joke...

craziness

So, these last few weeks have been totally crazy. When I last blogged I had just auditioned for the Music Circus. I still have no word. I hope to soon! Also, I secured myself a bunch of piano jobs recently. My reputation as an accompanist here at BYU is getting better. I just played for the Thoroughly Modern Millie auditions, I will be playing for the Young Ambassador auditions next week, and I am playing for the recital of Tara Bloomfield's students. PLUS, I got a tentative offer to be the pianist at Tuacahn (sp?) for the summer. So my life has revolved around the piano recently.

Also, we just had auditions like I said for Thoroughly Modern Millie. I got called back for Bun Foo...ok people....lets face it...I'M NOT CHINESE!! lol I am kinda upset I wasn't called back for Jimmy. I mean the guys called back for Jimmy, they are really good...but they are the same people...plus the people I was called back with for the role of Bun Foo (excepting like 1) aren't that great. So it kinda makes me think I am low on the MDT chain...hmmm. But at the same time I am ok that i wasn't called back. I mean, if they don't want me, they don't want me. And the other guys will do a WAY better job than I ever could. So, yeah. That is all.

Well, need to do TONS of Homework and Laundrey AND get ready for Call backs!

California Music Circus Auditions

So, this weekend has been OH so fun!! Me, Clarissa, and Melissa all road tripped out to sunny Sacramento California this weekend to not only visit our dear Ivan, who almost DIED from a random kidney disease, but to audition for the California Music Circus! Geoff and Jenny came in their own car...hmmmm.

So, we had lots of fun riding out here in the car...we sang, talked, told embarrassing stories and i drank more than 5 liters of water. that resulted in ALOT of unwanted stops to use the restroom...he he.

When we got to Sacramento, the Hoffman Family greeted us with warm welcomes. when geoff and jenny finally got here we had a wonderful yummy dinner (prepared by mama hoffman herself...) and then we set off for Kinkos to print off headshots and copy music. that stressed me out. lol

anyways, we all got in bed, and today, we went to the auditions at 9 am. we signed in, warmed up and were informed we would be learning a ballet combo....oh crap i thought...but it turned out well. out of the 145 dancers, all 5 of us made the first cut...they cut it in half...kinda...like 70 were left. THEN we learned a crazy fun combo from Hairspray, followed by another cut. unfortunately, Melissa and Clarissa were cut, but Jenny and Geoff and I made it. then we went to a yummy lunch at the Bread Factory, and after lunch we did both dances again, we all sang, and Geoff and I read for a part in My Fair Lady. I sang All I Need is the Girl. i thought i did fantastic...not being proud, but i was proud of my audition today!

well, it is off to bed...we have a full day of driving tomorrow! GO US!!

Decisions

You know, sometimes I hate making decisions. It is so hard to decide sometimes between the red shirt of the blue, the water or the soda, sourdough or white, what one knows to be true and what one feels in their heart...I hate making decisions.

In happier news, tonight was the Panama Party! It was a blast to see lots of old mission friends and catch up and reminisce. I also loved the patacones and the cornflake milkshakes and the potato salad...yummy!!!

Random

So, I don't really know why I am updating this right now. I think I am just procrastinating doing homework. So, Emily got home off of her mission in Taiwan. I got to go to Cali for the weekend to visit with the fam and see her. It was fun. The only bad thing was that it rained all weekend! I was really looking forward to some nice California weather. Oh well. Utah is making up for that right now. It is like 50 degrees outside and SUNNY!!! Absolutely gorgeous!

So, I am kinda tired right now. I have gotten a grand total of 10 hours of sleep since Sunday. It's my own fault though...sometimes I just can't help myself. OH, and in Jazz we did our testing for our combination...it was a super fast combo and it was pretty hard, but i got a 28 out of 30! yay! And Tuesday and today we tested our across-the-floor stuff, and I felt like i did really well. For example, I pulled my hamstring on Monday, yet on Tuesday i was able to kick as high as ever. Plus I hit solid double turns. And today I was able to do a great side leap and really sit into my turnout. I was proud! yay for me.

well, enough about me. I need to do homework.

seriuosly.

i'm going

now

.

Taking Control

So, lets face it folks, these last two weeks have been HELL!! I have been to Hell and Back...and NOW is the time to take control. I am going to let go and start new goals and just get on track. It feels so good to be in control of my life! I won't let it out of my control again!

So, I finished the American Mall. That was yet again an utter fiasco. We also performed the MDT showcase! It was a blast! The show was amazing! Unfortunately I didn't do much, but I had fun anyway. Jenny Jordan Frogley was the guest star. I was in the Opener (Once Upon a Time from Brooklyn) and the closer (Its Your Wedding Day from The Wedding Singer), and I came out as the preacher in Not Getting Married Today from Company. My parents came, my uncle Curt and aunt Kathy came, Sis. Ampuero and Adriana came, Paul came, Teancum and Seth (my room mates) came, and the biggest suprise of all, PRESIDENT and SISTER DUFFIN came!!! He was my mission president. The best part was in the show when all of those dear people came, during the first part of the closer, I bent down to pick up my partner and my jeans RIPPED so bad! like seriously from the top of my butt almost down to my knee! HA HA HA lol luckily I had ballet tights on underneath, or everyone would've have a wonderful show of my dance belt! GROSS!!

Point being people, I AM IN CONTROL AND SO MUCH BETTER!!!!

The American Mall

So, I am in a movie! YAY!!! It is called the American Mall. I am a dancer. It is going to be like a "High School Musical" - esqe type musical movei that is being produced by MTV and will air...well, I don't know when. So far it is going good. The first day that the dancers filmed was absolute HELL!!! Seriously, we got at the Mall at like 9 am, and we did a lot of sitting. I realized I am not a Film person...definitely an instant gratification theatre person.


But anyways, so we were there til 1:30 am...it was ridiculous. And not only that but the crew treated us like crap. There was this lady that we nicknamed "Ms. Coyote" who would not stop Shushing us even though there was nothing going on. Yeah, we understood that when they are rehearsing or filming that we have to be silent, but they were just changing lights or something, and she would SHUSH us!!! And very rudely too! Plus they like wouldn't just send us back to the waiting area to wait, but we would wait ON SET for hours without doing ANYTHING!!! It was annoying. It wasn't very organized that day, and there were many other things, but it was just crazy. The other days haven't been as bad. Luckily. I think it is cause "Ms. Coyote" is gone. lol anyways, we finish it this Sunday and Monday. So, yeah...look for me! I am dressed as a Ben and Jerry's Employee in a Tye-dye apron...so it is easy to spot me!

School

Well, it has now been about, oh, Two weeks of school, and things are going well. I love my schedule, I love my classes, and i am doing good in all of them, yes, even American Heritage!

I love my Jazz class. My teacher is Jenny Giaque (said "Juke") and she was a former Cougerette. The class is killer, but I LOVE it! Also, my acting teacher, Laurie, is so amazing! We have such a great time in class, and she has really taught us not only acting things, but she has helped us boost our own self confidence.

Hence my new attitude on life...I am keeping it positive! Whenever I get down on myself I just change that thought around to a positive thought. For example in Jazz class there are many things that are very very hard to do, but I just say to myself(and sometimes outloud) "Dude, I can so do this. I will be great!" And when i screw up miserably, I just laugh at myself, pick myself up and start over and try harder, really focusing on getting better and not putting myself down. You should try it sometime! It really helps!

Well, I am here...freezing and trying just to fit in. That I think is the hardest part. But it will get easier.

My new Dorm

So, for those of you who actually read this thing...which I think is very very few...i am now almost moved into my new dorm at BYU....I am living in The Colony...i like my apt., but I am not a huge fan of the room I am living in. Yeah, either it is too small or i brought too much stuff! lol

So, yeah, I guess it will have to do. I have only met one apartment-mate...his name is Teancum...cool right? he is nice enough...but it seems like it is everyone for himself in this apt.

oh well, i just can't wait to get busy with school and to make friends so that i am not so alone here. that is how i feel. a bit alone.