A Tisket, A Tasket

Here I am, a fresh face emerging from the haze of my last round of Chadwick finals (sfumato, anyone?). The bags under my eyes are fading, and I am laying heated rice packs around my neck to end the aching from my endless hours hunched over my Physics notes. It has been a long, long, journey, but HERE I AM! Instead of being in the mountains, partying with my friends in Mammoth, I am here. On my couch, with monologues, plays, magazines, and these DELICIOUS chocolate cookies from Pavilions. I would say this is a good way to de-stress before an energetic stress of pre-audition butterflies and preparation.

SO, this post will be dedicated to my current favorite things. I like this idea SO much, that I will try to re-do this blog every month! Here we go.

1. Passion Pit

If you don't know who they are, you need to look up their latest album, Manners IMMEDIATELY. And no, I'm not just saying I like them because it's trendy and somewhat unknown. I first heard them a long time ago in a Dance Yoga class, when my instructor played "Sleepyhead." Their music is so unique and weird that I can't stop loving it. It's one of those albums you can listen to to wind down OR pump up. You get addicted to it and can't stop. AND LOOK HOW CUTE, HIPSTER-ISH, AND FUN THEY ARE! DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO SMILE?

2. Natalie Wood

I've always had an obsession with Audrey Hepburn. That's one of those givens that will always be a favorite. HOWEVER, I grew up on West Side Story and have always recognized the iconic eyes of Natalie Wood. People sometimes say I look like her (which came in handy for this week's Facebook Doppleganger mess), and I've always admired her work. I'll post a picture of her in her classic Hollywood prime, but I'm currently also loving her 70s and 60s looks, thanks to my hippie transformation in Hair. I'll probably post other pictures of her later, because she's so inspiring.

3. Love and Other Disasters

A small homage to Brittany Murphy (R.I.P.), this movie is basically the epitome of my ideal life. (1) A fabulous, classy, chic flat in a city like London, Paris, or New York, (2) with a gay roommate who enjoys everything about life in the same way I do, minus the bitchiness and tragic matching up of menstrual cycles, (3) Finding out that a gay man you've liked actually is STRAIGHT (WTF?!) AND YOU END UP FALLING IN LOVE. If you know anything about my love life, you'd know that this would be a miracle and would pan out perfectly in my ideal world. This movie was introduced to me by my bff Xtina, and I watch it whenever I feel an itch to begin my future life.

Okay, well as I was telling you my favorite things, my mother came in and got mad at me for being on the internet, so now I need to go and work on monologues.

ADIEU!

English Mask Completion.

I thought I would share this with you all!

I just finished my mask project for AP English Lit. I'll post the explication later, because it has yet to be written. I haven't titled it yet:

Side One: My Emanation

"What identity to I adopt for others and/or who am I perceived to be?"

Materials: Glass Beads (the peacock, lips, and irises), Acrylic paints, Decoration feather, and Metallic-Gold Leaf overlay by Mona Lisa products

Side Two: "My Authentic Self"

"What is my authentic identity?"

Materials: Acrylic paint base, Crushed Seashells, Crushed Coffee Beans (irises), Sugar, Bark (eyelashes), Leaf (Eyebrow), Olive Branch, Silk Rose Petals (lips), Decoration feathers (dove)

This was an awesome project. I'll post the explication here when I'm done with it... but for now I need to get moving on my finals work! :-P

Finals Mode Begins, So I'll Blog

So now starts the official finals week push.
I've been mostly focusing on my English project, which I'm extremely excited for. We were assigned to make masks out of plaster and decorate them as follows:

• The Outside must be what you wish to emanate to others about yourself, or how you think others percieve you.
• The Inside is the "authentic" you... or how you perceive yourself.
• Otherwise... DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.

I've been in this introspective, contemplative trace/state since yesterday afternoon, thinking about what to put on this mask. The ultimate question: WHO AM I?!?!

I'm going with an idea I think means a lot to me: naturalism and make-up. Yes, it sounds petty, especially if you don't know this CERTAIN struggle I've gone through for the past six years, but it's going to look cool.

To go along with my super self-examining time last night, I spent a while drawing a self portrait of what i am going to try to make the "natural" (aka "authentic) part appear to be on the mask. I'm not giving away what the full idea is, but this is a piece of the sketch i like most. (DON'T JUDGE. I HAVEN'T DRAWN A PORTRAIT IN LIKE.... A YEAR)

Yay. Well now I'm off to make a study plan for my other classes. I wish I could just do this mask all of the time.

Senior Year Slipping...

I'm missing two of the biggest senior year traditions: my Winter Formal and Mammoth weekend...

I'm sad, but know it's the best thing for me.

MLK Celebration/ Quick Update

Hey!

Sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER... life is SUPER chaotic, what with finals in a week and a half, auditions in two, and HAIR rehearsals giving me whiplash! :)

I'll post more later, but basically I've had a really interesting couple of days:

• Boys Basketball won with a BUZZER BEATER!
• TEN LONG HOURS of HAIR Rehearsal (but I love it... so all's good)
• Awesome singing lesson
• PHYSICS PROJECT
• PHYSICS PROBLEM SET
• College Interview
• Four Games to Cheer at

Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MLK! Please take a moment to appreciate the rights and freedoms we were given because of this wonderful man. It was only a few decades ago his message enriched our lives tremendously, and I think we need to listen to the "echoes of history" (oh hey, Invisible Man) and reinstate the same principles and ideas he made so important in his time now. Speaking of which, our school's Gay Straight Alliance gets started on our DOCUMENTARY this week! Exciting! :)

Well... off to sleep before yet another CRAZY DAY!

Resolutions

So here is a taste of my BEAST list of New Years Resolutions... most of them were too personal or private to publicly post. Enjoy! I suggest everyone makes a list and posts it! It makes me feel like I'm held to it...

1. Stop procrastinating... and bite Senioritis in the bud until after auditions.
2. When I'm done with auditions, get out more. Even if its going for a walk instead of sitting in front of Facebook.
3. After auditions, get a job.
4. Read a play a week.
5. Keep room organized by finishing a to-do of cleaning out my entire room. Be serious - what do and don't I need or use?
6. Go to church.
7. Don't be exclusive with friendships.
8. Go to the gym or for a run when I don't exercise that day.
9. Eat way more healthy foods - don't snack.
10. Get my splits DOWN.
11. Get back on pointe.
12. GET A TAN.
13. Stop/suppress my nervous habits.
14. Read for fun.
15. Actually keep up with this blog.
16. SLEEP MORE! PLEASE!

The Best Year Ever Begins.

Here I am, sitting by a fire on a cozy green couch surrounded by family in the mountains. My hair just was de-suffocated from its wet braid and is radiating this Pantene scent from this morning's shower. My dad's cousin is softly playing the guitar and my younger cousins and second cousins are running around and playing. My mom and sisters are finishing a puzzle behind me. My cousin, Todd, just asked me how awesome it would be to have a slushie right now. I agree... too bad we're dozens of miles away from a 7-Eleven.

I just finished my college applications FOR GOOD. Like actually, I'm completely finished. Audition season starts in a month, and I'm in the process of narrowing down my song and monologue choices. I just spent a good amount of time curling up with Hamlet by the fire in my toasty, soft socks and sweater.

It's such a good feeling to be surrounded by family... to take a break, and just relax. I haven't been able to do this in a while: think about myself, sleep, and spend tons of time with loved ones. I'm usually bitter about not being able to go to the big party and instead spend my annual New Years Eve in the mountains with family, but I came to a recent realization that this is something I need. I need more family. I need more love around me. I feel so caught up in stress and college and work and drama that I never get to focus on the important things. I never see my family, except for while I'm in the midst of something at school or if they come up to see a show I'm in. I never get to talk to my aunt about theatre. I never get to hear my Grandma talk about my late Grandpa and remember those times.

I miss you and love you, Grandpa. I think about you all of the time around the holidays... when we lost you.

So, yes. This has been a successful retreat. I'm in the process of making my list of resolutions... I'll get back to you on that. I'll probably not post them all on here, because most of them will be pretty personal I assume.

And with that, I'm off to do some online shopping, sip some pumpkin-infused coffee, and enjoy more of this family time. :)