Bomb diggity

Happy Friday!
I do believe I've come up with a plan. Fridays will be the only day I write on my bloggity blog. That's it. No sneaky posts with just pictures throughout the week. I'll just wait until Friday so I can explode here. :)
Can I just say how awesome my days are compared to when they aren't? haha And the main reason is whether I've read my scriptures or not. Dude. Like huge difference in EVERYTHING. I can't quite explain it, but I've been down both roads (no, religion vs. yes, religion). I've made my decision on how I'd like to live my life. Seeing as I only have one life to live, I am doing all I can to make happy decisions and remain true to them. What's wrong with that mindset? To me, that sounds like a life worth living. :)
Today was/is the bomb diggity because:

• I woke up with only 4 and a half hours of sleep and read my scriptures (Alma 26...seriously, it just made me sit back, ponder, and really apply what was relevant in ancient times to my life in the present. And I became very aware of how one person can do so much with a humble objective).
• Noelle and I did our preview in stage combat this morning and WE KICKED EACH OTHER'S BOOTIES ALL OVER THE FLOOR. Oh, my word. I felt like I was in Mortal Kombat. No joke. Maybe sometime we can get someone to film our fight? Hopefully!

Would I be Jade or Kitana? I've always wondered...

• My lit class had a field trip to the MOA (museum of art) on campus. We talked about this giant pentagon of books stacked on top of one another and what that meant. Dude. It was inspiring and intriguing.
• I had rehearsal for "The Stronger." The show just keeps getting better and better! Can't wait for it to go up next Friday! Wah!
• Zac and I went to the gym to work out after we were finished with classes and rehearsal. I ran a 5K at 25 minutes, so like a 8:15 mile pace. :) Guess who's getting back in shape? :D
• We're going to The Slab for a date night. I think I'm finally ready to challenge my dislike for stir fry and get a Thai chicken pizza. Pretty pumped to eat super cheap but AMAZING pizza with my dude. :)

• Getting super excited for General Conference tomorrow! :D Zac accidentally signed up to donate plasma tomorrow afternoon from 11:45 to whenever it ends...so probably like 3. :( I wish I had someone to watch it with...Boo.

Last night we had Leah, Veronica, Tim, and Emily over for some board game fun. :) We played Quelf, which is the most random fun board game I've ever played! I don't normally dig board games, but this was amazingly refreshing! I didn't feel like I was at an old folks home or desperately trying to understand the rules. Hooray!

How's your Friday?

Dear Theatre, Love Chelsea

As I'm getting more in touch with my character in "The Stronger," the more I'm realizing this role is a dead-on 1950's version me. And sometimes that's really fun! And sometimes, not so much. Only because I'm so vulnerable and real, if that makes any sense? :)

I love acting. I didn't know I'd love it so much while I was growing up until my sophomore year in high school. I'm so grateful for that first show and the many that followed. I'm grateful for all the shows I didn't make. I'm grateful for the directors who patiently endured with me my auditions and rehearsals. I'm grateful for the friends I've made through theater. I'm grateful for the drama queens. (haha) I'm grateful for the lessons I learned after being a drama queen: shut up and be humble. :)

Senior year of high school, Into the Woods. Rapunzel.

But most of all, I'm grateful for the changes I've made personally through theater. 

Theater has taught me to be open minded.

Senior year of high school, Into the Woods. Rapunzel.

Theater has taught me to dig deep, find levels, find reasons, find objectives. To never stop fighting.

Humorous Solo from senior year of high school. I was Eloise. :)

Junior year of high school, I Hate Hamlet. Deirdre McDavey.

Little Shop of Horrors, FIRST SHOW! Nurse Nancy. :)

I love Saturdays! :)

How amazing is a Saturday morning?
Recent happenings....
:)

We had Emily and Tim over last Sunday for dinner and FHE. :) It felt so wonderful having a full table!

This morning, we made breakfast together. Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, toast, apples, and orange juice. :) Good way to start a Saturday!

[Scene Break!]

Last night I went straight to work on my play. Before I collapsed into bed, I finished 7 pages of the second draft! So today I may even finish it. Maybe. Obviously, I am going to nit pick the whole thing endlessly until it's due this coming Thursday.

Today, I am memorizing lines. And doing theatre and English homework.

What is your Saturday looking like? :)

A pyromaniac poem, stage fighting, and first flurry of a 10 min play :)

Happy Friday!
Zac just popped me a bag of popcorn. Now, I am popping the buttery, salty, and warm popcorn into my happy mouth. :) ohemgee. so om nom nom.

Words cannot describe just how relived I am to be sitting on my love seat, on a Friday afternoon, blogging.

From a pesky Psych paper, to red ink slashes all over my 10 minute play, to strenuous rehearsals, and the ridiculous poetry unit in my lit class, I AM EXHAUSTED. Not to mention my "grad plan" meeting with George Nelson...

In order to graduate by April 2013, I need to take 17 hours next fall. :O. I sure hope I have it in me to get a high GPA that semester. The biggest hindrance to any grade, by far, is attendance (for me). It's so crazy how absences and tardies add up so quickly! So far this semester, I've done really well. Granted, it is only the beginning of school. But I really want grad school. HIGH GRADES IN THE BAG. BADDA BING.

Yesterday, the first draft of my 10 minute play was read out loud in class...after we got them back corrected from George. Hearing people read my glaringly red obvious mistakes was so embarrassing. But, luckily, everyone else in class had the same thing happen to them. George told me at my grad plan meeting right before class that "we're a team, we're in this together." I just moaned and laughed. After that hurdle was cleared, I went to my play last night and erased EVERYTHING I had. "First Draft 10 minute play" is on my task bar, begging me to write. The plot's gonna be a lot simpler, so my characters have more room to grow and show depth. I am throwing out one of the three characters. I am cutting out exposition almost entirely so I can get to the "meat" or the action of the play. Yes, good things to come. :) Hard? Definitely. Rewarding? Undoubtedly.

I've had rehearsal for "The Stronger" every night since Tuesday. Today, though, we had practice at 2 pm in a study room at the library. A previous study group was quite put out with us when we informed them we had the room until 2:30. But they were wonderful and let us have the room that was rightfully ours. haha I wasn't so sure I'd do amazing, awe-inspiring work today because as I put it to Hannah, my director, I felt like I was "in a dream." But, to everyone's surprise, I reacted off of Taylor (my brilliant co-star :]) and Taylor reacted off of me and today's run through of the show went splendidly! I learned the blocking for the my first couple of monologues last night. So in this afternoon's rehearsal, I did the blocking and inflections up to what I've learned and then "improved" what I felt appropriate for the rest of the show. All I thought the entire time was, "Focus." And great, new, and powerful emotions and tactics were found! Ah, the gift of revelation and listening. :)

Along those same lines, I've been working with a wonderful girl in my Beginning Stage Combat class on a choreographed fight scene. Her name is Noelle Houston. My, goodness, is she amazing! We were good friends before this class, but being paired with her has made a whole world of difference to our friendship. This week, we met up on Monday and Wednesday afternoon to "fight" outside the HFAC in the bee-infested grass. She is so talented, you guys. She's a sophomore and already been a part of so many theatre projects here at BYU. Even right now she's taking 17 hours and involved in...2 shows if I remember correctly. Anyway, I love her to pieces. It may seem odd to say, but I love fighting her. We laugh and talk and repeat the fight until we are just exhausted. And our conversations are so intense and heartfelt. There are times, however, when I do a move wrong and she tells me flat out I need to fix it. It also took us a while to get the timing of her flipping me over her shoulder down. But we're in a great place for our first preview next Friday. :)

My lit class is highly frustrating at the moment. Poetry. Is. So. Hard. To. Grasp. Bah.
I keep applauding myself for not being an English major. haha I love English, but I think sometimes it's just a little too out of my sphere. :) We just read a really intriguing poem that was extremely difficult to decipher because of it's free form and content. But, oh, how beautiful it was.

How amazing is it to find you aren't perfect?
How amazing is it to find that you still have so much to learn from others?
How amazing is it to find you can learn from helping others?

I am just in awe at the many people in my life who've taught me something about living. Who've shown me I am not perfect. Who've shown me that perfection may not be necessary, but a desire to do the best I can is all that I need. Who've shown affection. Who've shown hard love, when needed.

Race to the finish! GRADUATION.

while I do have quite a bit of psych reading to do tonight, I just need to blog. :) back in high school, I worked hard and applied myself and took 51 college credit hours onto byu. now I am technically a "senior" with credit, but in my junior prime. :) recently, I've been getting ahead on homework and I did some very important math today. GRADUATION. SO CLOSE. seriously. no, really. let me show you. :)

Fall 2011 (this semester)
Psych 111 (3)
Fundamental Lit. Interpretation (3)
Drama Perf. Antiq-Ren (3)
Playwriting 1 (3)
Beginning Stage Combat (1)
13 hours

Winter 2012 (this coming semester)
Directing Fundamentals (3)
Drama Perf. Ren-Present (3)
Playwriting 2 (3)
Dramatic Lit. 2 (3)
Performance Studies Intro (3)
Directing Fundamentals (2)
Theatre Production 2 (1)
15 hours

Summer 2012 (get gen-eds done)
Dinosaurs (3)
Stats 121 (3)
History of Creativity 2 (3)
9 hours

Fall 2012 (last 200m of the race!)
Writing for Children and Adolescents (3)
Writing Fiction (3)
Playwriting 3 (3)
Dramatic Lit. 1 (3)
Makeup 2 (2)
Theatre Production 3 (1)
15 hours

now, there is one class that I need to take to graduate that's an upper level class (Contemporary Performance Practice). I just found out it is only offered in the winter and after you've taken several pre-reqs:

• Dramatic Lit. 1 (Fall 2012)
• Drama Perf. Antiq-Ren (Now)
• Drama Perf. Ren-Present (Winter 2012)

bah. so Winter 2013 will have my last class for my major but I'll take a ton of other theatre classes and extras, so it won't be so bad when I graduate in....

April 2013 with a Theatre Arts Studies major emphasizing in Playwriting and a minor in English. :)

Graduate school- UCLA with MFA in Playwriting? Yes, please.

I take no prisoners.

I'll be graduating byu with (approximately) 163 credits.

only 120 are needed to graduate. I am a super senior :)

AW YEAH!

Quick update!
I got into the third show I auditioned for a week ago. :) The show is called "The Stronger" by August Strindberg. He's Swedish. And awesome.
The play is a one-act, women-only cast, just two parts. One woman, Mlle. Y, is single and doesn't say a word the entire time. The other woman, Mme. X, is married and talks for the full 20 min-30 min one-act. Guess which role I landed?

I AM THE TALKER, BABY. I have three pages of single spaced lines to learn in oh...3 weeks? Yeah, the show goes up on OCT. 7TH. Crazy soon! Memorizing lines=my life.

We had our first rehearsal yesterday and did the first read through. Well, I read through the script and everyone listened. Hannah, my director, even jokingly asked if we could get me a glass of water. :)

As I read, I was so deeply touched I almost lost my composure. You guys, this show is possibly going to be the best work I've done to date. It's that powerful. :) Words cannot express how amazed and happy I am I got this part. I even wondered if my "fire" for acting distinguished...But, oh, how wonderful it feels to be wrong. :D

You guys...I still got it. :)

The Ladybug Audition

Today did not start out as "good." I woke up extremely emotionally exhausted (so many "E's!") and did not want to face the day. Two nights ago, I went to my first two auditions in about 8 months. The first one was pretty rocky but I had hope for a callback. I was pretty confident I rocked the socks off the directors during my second audition. Last night I received an email informing me I didn't make callbacks for the first audition. I was pretty mad at myself because I knew the exact reason why I didn't make it. But Zac reassured me that I was just getting back on the horse. I still have time. Time slipped away from me and I tossed all night long.
Then came my 6:30 alarm this morning. Groggily, I fumbled out of bed, got ready slowly, and stumbled to my Beginning Stage Combat class. It felt like I was swimming through class, not really here nor there. The only thought on my mind was the second audition and callbacks.
No email came saying "Yay" or "Nay" to me making it.
No sign was posted in the HFAC saying who made callbacks and who didn't.
I was going crazy and poor Zac. He put up with all of my spewing anger and confusion. I knew callbacks for the second play were from 3 to 5 but had no idea where they were taking place. Eventually, I decided to just let it go. And as soon as that happened, a woman and her college-aged daughter asked for our help.
"Is this the HFAC?"
"Yes it is! Do you need help?"
"We're trying to find room 400."
"Hmm. That will be on the fourth floor. I can lead you there, if you want."
"Oh, would you! Thank you so much!"
And so we marched to the room. On the way, I was surprised at how readily I asked questions about these strangers and totally forgot about my "horrible-no-good-very-bad day." We found their room and Zac and I left the HFAC.
Another audition had started just moments before these strangers asked for our help. Zac and I walked to the MOA's garden and found it already underway. I decided to go for it. Zac waited patiently for me on a bench as I cold read with the directors and another girl. I have no idea what will happen with that show, but let me tell you: It's not the end of the world whether I make it or not.

[Scene Break!]

A LADYBUG LANDED ON MY NOSE TODAY AND STAYED THERE FOR FIVE MINUTES. NO JOKE. I was walking to my last class of the day and ran into a guy from my Beginning Contemporary Dance class from last semester. We chatted about dance and then I awkwardly asked if he got engaged to the girl he was dating in class. He said they talked about it but no, they are just friends now. I then told him that the night I went to pick up my wedding dress, I saw her trying one on! He laughed and I felt like a silly girl. And just then, a ladybug flew in between us and landed right on my nose! We counted the dots and the ladybug only had two. He dared me to keep the ladybug on my face while in class and I said my nose was starting to feel tingly. Then we laughed and I headed on my merry way. :) The ladybug did stay on while I walked through the hallways to my last class. Many heads turned. My nose tingled.
And I suddenly knew everything was gonna be alright.
No matter what happened: No callbacks or Yes callbacks.

Funny how a little ladybug can remind you of how small you really are. :)

Is this real? :/

Good evening!
My, my, my. Today was a jam-packed and wild ride of a Labor Day. :)
Zac and I met a rather odd and hilarious gentleman while we were on campus this morning at the library. He asked us if we could take him to the Heritage Hall dorms. Seeing as Heritage Halls is on our way to our apartment, we decided to help him out.
Oh, good golly.
We begin walking with this pajama clad and tattered sandal wearing stranger across campus. He pulls out his cellphone and greets Veronica on the other end. "Veronica? VERONICA! I LOVE YOU, VERONICA!" 
He then begins telling Veronica, consequently me and Zac, his whole life story. Every. Single. Detail. His abusive upbringing, his messed up parents, his suicidal tendencies, his rebellion from religion, and the drama with his family. 'I am officially disowning  my parents. I am getting a new last name this week.' You may think this was terribly awkward. YOU'RE RIGHT.
Uncomfortable as his choice of conversation was, he wasn't uncomfortable at all. He was hilarious, likable, and highly entertaining. I found myself laughing along with him and Veronica. In fact, when he told Veronica he lost 60 pounds, Zac and I were like, 'Dang, son!' And then he turned to us and said, 'I know right?! I go to Westminster and they have a free rock wall and all this other free sports equipment. You have to be fit to use that *&%$.'
I think I may have been the only one to notice he made a vulgar rhyme. I giggled to myself.
He was from Salt Lake visiting all his 'Mormon friends.' He told Veronica he was inactive in the Mormon church but still went to church two Sundays of every month. Merp?
We reach the Heritage Hall dorms; Zac and I begin frantically asking anyone we pass where building '25' is located. None of them know what we're talking about. Our new friend is still talking away on the phone, usually still walking even though we've stopped to ask for directions. Finally we find the building after aimlessly wandering around the dorms. We sit on the steps in front of the building with him and he asks us if we want to meet the friend who lives in building '25.' 'Of course we do!'
We waited for him to finish his phone conversation so we could go inside, but that opportunity never came. While we waited, Zac and I found out more information about this stranger. He helped build houses recently for Habitat for Humanity and decided he had a good knack for it. As such, he's bought several plots of land n Utah and has 'done all the math' and he'll be a 'millionaire by January.'
We realized we needed to get home soon so we bade our friend goodbye. 'You two are some awesome Mormons! New best friends!' We laughed and wished him well. He then invited us to the Bamboo Hut. 'I've invited some friends. Be there at 5. And it's all on me.'
Doubtful?

[Scene Break]

Zac and I celebrated Labor Day with Emily and Tim! I ate my very first Colombian hot dog. OH. MY. WORD. So good! Onion, lettuce, bacon, hot dog, ketchup, mustard, shredded cheddar cheese, crushed potato chips, and a little bit of honey drizzle. Smack in the face-taste explosion! 

We didn't have mayonnaise on it...And trust me! It is sooo good!

We also went to a park and I am getting much better at Frisbee. Zac said so. :) Then we all came back to our apartment and chatted while eating strawberries and sugar.
Quite the amazing day, if I do say so myself. :)

Feel Good Fuzzies Await!

I'm in the BYU library, browsing the internet until my Fundamental Literary Interpretation class in 40 minutes. I strategically locked myself out of the apartment this morning. When I came home from my second class of the day at 11, all I wanted to do was nap for half an hour, eat lunch, put on makeup, and then go back to campus for my FLI class. But as I reached into my bag and didn't find my key, I lost all motivation to be happy. I even stamped my little foot! Storm clouds visibly formed above my cross, cross head. My stomach felt like it was going to explode if I didn't eat something.
Zac was in class this whole time, so I couldn't just get him to open the door.
Grumbling, I went back down the apartment's stairwell and trekked back to campus. As I was walking, I found myself thinking of wonderful things that had happened that morning. Suddenly, annoyance with myself and the situation changed to quiet appreciation for my trials. I started listing in my head "mini-blessings" or "feel-good-fuzzies" that have recently been assailing me...in a good way :)

1. I totally DESTROYED my Theatre History 1 pop quiz this morning. A+ in the bag. Baddabing.
2. I lent my Living Theatre textbook to a girl before class so she could study. The pages are rigorously highlighted, so she could just breeze through the chapter! She was very appreciative and thanked me profusely. "You're a lifesaver!"
3. I am getting so awesome in my Beginning Stage Combat class! I can forward roll, side roll, and backward roll. Today we learned how to shove effectively and safely! Wahhh! Hooray theatre!
4. I laughed a TON in my Beginning Stage Combat class. We had so much fun with each other. 
5. I got to see Zac snoozing peacefully in bed when I left for class at 7:30.
6. Last night I read my scriptures about faith, hope, and charity. Need I say more? :)
7. I have several ideas in mind for my three 10 minute plays for Playwriting... 
8. I am reading an AMAZING book in my FLI class called "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman. It's about a Hmong family and their struggle with the Western world and their daughter's epilepsy. Go. Read. That. Book. Here's the teacher's prompt on our class's "blog"site...

"Reflect on how your identity as a Latter-Day Saint informs your approach to reading literature. That is, I'd like you to think about the processes through which you find meaning in literature and how those processes might be shaped by LDS culture. I'd encourage you to talk specifically about how your approach to The Spirit Catches Youmight be shaped by your identity as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

 

I'd then like you to think about the implications of the interpretive processes to which you subscribe: What are the advantages of reading in this particular way? What types of meaning might you miss out on by taking this approach to literature? (If you are not LDS, adjust the assignment to consider how an alternative religious or cultural tradition influences your reading habits).

 

I'm asking you to do some serious thinking here, so your post will most likely need to be longer than the typical two to three paragraphs. Post by 7 am."

And here's my response...

My identity is still growing, both as a student and a member of the LDS church. However, I will articulate as best I can with who I am right now and experiences that have led to my current “identity.” Who I am today is centered entirely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As such, when I read a piece of literature, I look forward to the personal changes the characters will go through, how the plot will change as a result of the characters decisions, and how I will eventually make the decision to be “changed” when finished reading. My LDS perspective with regards to literature is simple: The choices we make always bring about consequences and the Atonement brings about a “change of heart.”  

 

I try to imagine the potential each character possesses, just as Christ did for us when He died on the cross.

 

While reading the first three chapters of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I found myself constantly adapting to a completely different world and culture belonging to the Hmong people. Though at first caught off guard with their traditions, I then thought of what they’d think of our LDS traditions. Soon that “uneasiness” or “discomfort” flew out the window as I flew through the pages of the book. I ate it up. I became fully immersed and fascinated by their history as a people and what makes the Hmong, “Hmong.” Another LDS perspective I use when exposed to literature: Humility. Through casting myself aside, I see how the Lee’s beliefs and decisions create conflict and change. Thus, they grow.

 

I have a younger sibling who suffers from epilepsy. The transcendent tones and nuances of epilepsy in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down left me with tears on my cheeks. The Spirit “caught me” and I wondered if my sister really does travel “into the realm of the unseen” when having a grand mal seizure. I wondered if I really should be so worried and frightened for my sister when her eyes roll to the back of her head and she zones out for a matter of minutes. When she comes back, she doesn’t know where she’s been. I think there will always be a part of me that is scared for my sister, but because of the Hmong people and their example of absolute faith, I have gained a stronger testimony in faith that my sister’s “illness” is beautiful.

 

Obviously, my approach at latching onto literature with the idea “change” will occur is both encouraging and hindering. Character development is essential to any story and sometimes amazing parallels can be made to my life and the people I love. However, if I have a “set-in-stone” mindset that the characters will “change” and then come to find out they don’t, I immediately put up walls. I subconsciously distance myself from the plot, characters, and the author himself. There are times when the characters serve as “symbols” and the author intends for them to remain constant throughout the story. My second LDS perspective then comes into play and I practice humility. 

And apparently my teacher commented on my post with a video message? Hermm...I think I may have to cut my blog post short, kiddies. Urgent college kid stuff awaits!