Taking Chances

"But what do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?" -Celine Dion

I must say this school year has been an exciting one thus far. I have started many new activities and one can say I have taken chances. With expanding my extracurricular involvement and moving my studies towards a less scientific education I seem to have found where I want to go with my life. Of course I don't have one path I'd like to follow, but I have narrowed down the possibility.

I would love to pursue writing in some way, whether it be journalism or another profession. Writing is something that relaxes me, especially when it is not required by school, which is why I started my blog. During summer of this year I never would have been able to answer whether I'd like to take a science approach to college or, considered by some, to be an easier route and choose to major in a liberal arts topic. I can now answer that question with a firm NO to science.

That response is not related to the fact that I dislike the subject, in fact, I love science and find it very interesting but I realized that I would not enjoy a career in science as much as a job where the conditions greatly vary day to day. Although there are very exciting scientific opportunities, I feel like my high school experience is pointing me towards a world involving writing.

And this brings me to my next point, sometimes the most seemingly unfortunate situations can turn out on top in the long run. In my case, I do not have a science class this year due to my difficult array of classes but it made me focus on what I want to do and opened my eyes to the Journalism class at my school. It is amazing how things always have a bright side to them with some positive thinking.

Back on track, with more "artsy" classes such as Play Production, Dance and Journalism I can now firmly say I would love to do something more towards that field but can almost rule out being a professional actor.

Now onto the topic of "Taking Chances", let's see if I can come up with a few instances where I have done this recently.

-Choosing to take Dance regardless of what others opinions would be.

-Staying true to myself despite others constant critiques.

-Letting my voice be heard and not being afraid of speaking out.

I guess I haven't necessarily taken THAT many chances but now I shall sum up the whole point of this blog post.

When you take chances, it almost always works out best for you in the long run. I seem very satisfied with my life right now and my outlook with the next two years in high school. Of course, one must always remember to expect the unexpected but I have faith that it will all work out for me.

One Geek,

Grant

Rehearsal Update and New Look?

Alright, I haven't posted one today but I have been hard at work on the blog to improve the look. Of course, I enjoy simplified, clean images so I think I'll keep my blog nice and easy-to-read. I added a few new pages at the top and tried adding a poll but didn't like the look of it so I deleted it. Look for some possible changes to be coming soon as I have time to see how Blogger can really work its magic!

REHEARSAL UPDATE TIME! (LESS THAN 48 HOURS UNTIL WE OPEN!)

Sunday: This rehearsal was long but it was great to be able to really see the show come together seamlessly. I was amazed at the work everyone has put into making the production a success and seeing how far we have come in so little time. The run thru has shown me that we have a great cast this year and I cannot wait for the musical!

Monday: Today's rehearsal was full dress! Girls had to do their hair and makeup while boys only needed to do hair since the black box requires no make up at all! (YAY!) I enjoyed seeing the girls take an hour to do their hair while I took about a minute. The advantages of being a boy. But on a side note, the girls look fantastic! Another run thru with another success. It makes me look forward to Wednesday night even more. People have really stepped up their games and give it 110% while leaving it all on the stage and having no regrets. My hope is that every show we can all work together so that we are completely satisfied with the experience we've provided our audience with.

So as the week goes on, let's look at my schedule:

Tuesday 11/16: PREVIEW PERFORMANCE! Call Time 3 PM, Performance 3:45 PM

Wednesday 11/17: OPENING NIGHT! Call Time 5 PM, Performance 7 PM

Thursday 11/18: Call Time 5 PM, Performance 7 PM

Friday 11/19: MATINEE! Leave in the middle of 5th period for a 3:30 PM Performance. Afterwards stay in the drama room for pizza and have another show at 7 PM.

Saturday 11/20: CLOSING NIGHT! Call Time 5 PM, Performance 7 PM. CAST PARTY!

With such a busy schedule I have no idea if I will have time to blog, it just depends on my homework load! But I will try to blog as much as possible!

One Geek,

Grant

Goodbye 4-Day Weekend

This weekend was amazing, such a long weekend filled with so many great experiences. There was never a dull moment! Usually my weekends are pretty boring but this was a great exception.

Let's go into a Day-by-Day recap! Sound good?

THURSDAY (DAY 1)- Went to Disneyland which was awful. As many of you know I LOVE Disneyland but it can be the worst experience when it is crowded. Today is was one of the most crowded day I have ever seen at the parks. I feel bad for the people who go once a year and they go on a crowded day. Next we had dance practice at Ports of Call Restaurant and as you can read in a previous post, did very well.

FRIDAY (DAY 2)- Friday was a very fun day, and very calm as well. I stayed home for the first part then we had a rehearsal at the church for the entrance and exits. I also had a great dinner and dessert at The Counter and Yogurtland so make sure to read about that!

SATURDAY (DAY 3)- Yesterday was a one-of-a-kind day. It was a day I will cherish and remember for years to come. Being in a Quinceañera was a highlight that I will never forget. The cultural experience I took out of the ceremony was huge and I feel like I understand why these parties are such a big deal in the Mexican culture. Since I didn't write about my day in a dedicated post I'll write some right now.

I arrived at the house and my friend Angela was going to tag along with the court for the day.

We all left in a limo after being photographed and videotaped numerous times at the house. I soon realized that I would have to grow accustomed to this. We were photographed at least a thousand times throughout our journey and awkwardly stood waving to a video camera.

The church ceremony was very brief, to my surprise. We also had a great Laker themed limo which surprised the family that ordered it. I guess they didn't really ask for a Laker colored limo but that's what they got so we dealt.

The reception was absolutely beautiful. Every detail was amazing and refined. The cake was GORGEOUS. I would be satisfied if that was my wedding cake as it looked professional and tasted delicious.

At the end of the night I went home tired and grateful that I got to be a part of someones big day like that. Now onto TODAY!

SUNDAY (DAY 4)- Today I woke up and went home to do the dreaded homework that I have waited to do. I've done a little bit here and there but I decided to sit down and do the rest this morning. I'm taking a lunch/blog break right now and am currently watching SNL. On a side note, I am very excited by next week's SNL lineup which includes ANNE HATHAWAY and FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE! Two great artists that I cannot wait to see.

Tonight I have a pick up rehearsal for the play which I will try and blog about tonight but I can't promise anything, but you'll for sure get some sort of recap eventually!

One Geek,

Grant

Schedule 11/13/10 YAY!

Just thought I'd update everyone (anyone?) with my schedule for today. I basically just wanted to write a post today but couldn't really think of anything since the day just started. I didn't want to NOT post today since I'll be home after midnight, so here you all go!

11:00 Meet at the House

11:00-12:30 Limo Ride to Averill Park

12:30-1:45 Pictures at Park

1:45-2:30 Travel to Church

3:00-4:15 Church Ceremony

4:15-4:45 Pictures at Church

4:45 -5:30 Travel to Ports of Call

5:30-6:00 Final Dance Rehearsal Before Guests Enter

6:00-6:30 Formal Entrance/Waltz

6:30-7:00 Dinner

7:00-7:15 Cumbia

7:15-12:00 Party!

As you can see, I have a long day ahead of me and I woke up way too early. I feel like I am going to be wiped out by the end of the night with all this. And I have to wear a Marine's outfit (FML!) so I know I am going to get sweaty if it's hot so let's all pray that it isn't hot!

Hope you have as great a day as I hope to have!

One Geek,

Grant

Chicken Burgers and Red Velvet Yogurt

Today's post will be about my dinner :)

It was very odd. First I went to The Counter then I made my way over to Yogurtland.

Dinner-

Order: 2/3 lb Chicken Burger w/ Cucumber, Sprouts, Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

Review: The chicken was amazing! Moist, perfect and most importantly delicious. I only had half the bun as it would have been too filling. I also liked the Tzaziki (sp?) sauce I got with it. I give it a 4/5 and I would definitely order it again!

Dessert-

Order: Red Velvet Yogurt, Cranberry Yogurt/Choco Mix with Reese's

Review: Although it sounds really weird this combination was delicious. I needed to get the Red Velvet because it is delicious but I usually just get the fruity tart/choco mix with Reese's. It is my usual from Yogurtland although I do prefer the Blood Orange yogurt over this new cranberry one. I'm quite sad this flavor fell by the wayside :( 3.5/5

Overall: Great food night and looking forward to the quinceneara tomorrow! Look for a recap!

One Geek,

Grant

Let's Waltz!

One, two, three; One, two, three....... that is all I hear in my head during the never ending Quinceañera rehearsals I've attended over the past few weeks.

The event is for my friend's sister and I happen to be the Chamberlain (pronounced CHAM-BA-LON?) of Honor, go figure! I have to wear COMPLETELY WHITE.... keep in mind I am the only Chamberlain with pure white dress....

Also, we have TWO dances we're doing for the reception. Not that these dancers are by any means difficult but some people are slower learners than others and it seems that while some partners get the steps right away we are forced to do it again for everyone else. Maybe I just need to have some more patience, who knows!

So the first dance is the waltz and since I have to dance with the birthday girl, I also have a four foot diameter dress to deal with...... we'll see how that works. I find this dance incredibly easy and the hardest part is just moving in a circle and staying on count because whatever song was chosen for this dance has CRAZY HARD counts. It goes from six counts, to eight counts, to a three count....

The second dance is a Cumbia (sp?) and I really like it. We get to have more fun and individualize the dance for our experience level. We changed our solo up a bit tonight and I'm having more fun overall.

Tomorrow we have a rehearsal at the church then Saturday is the big day! Expect updates daily :) Maybe pictures? Who knows!

Why not comment your thoughts on my blog? Comment below and catch up with my daily happenings below!

One Geek,

Grant

STG Rehearsal Countdown: 1 WEEK, T-Minus 3 REHEARSALS

This show has come so far in such a short amount of time! The progression this cast has made in since Monday is amazing since we did a full run through today with little, if any, line slips that were noticeable; where as on Monday it was not THIS clean!

So our rehearsal was really broken into two parts, dance and a run-through.

For an hour and a half we worked with out choreographer, Chris, for a little surprise dance somewhere in the show (You'll have to come see the show to know when!)

He taught us a bit and we did the best we could with the new material we had. By next Wednesday, this dance shall be audience ready and rock solid!

The run-through, as I said above, went very smooth. We added lights today which made the show seem a bit more impending than it already was. Everyone handled the pressure and we did the best we could! We all took out notes that are given to us after every rehearsal and executed them as well!

Today was just a success in my book and I look forward to the pick up rehearsal scheduled for this Sunday! We open in one week and I cannot wait!

In the meantime, I'll be spending my lovely four day weekend preparing for a quinceanera that I am dancing in. Joy!

One Geek,

Grant

SAVING THE GREEKS!

OUR PLAY RUNS FROM NOVEMBER 17-20!!!!

ONE WEEK! It feels like I just got the role of Messenger and now I am going to be performing with an amazing cast in just a few days.

I can't wait and I think this show is going to be amazing. I've made a bunch of new friends in such a short time and although I sometimes feel like I take it too seriously, I hope nobody holds that against me. I just want us to put on the best show possible.

With that, we're off to a four day weekend with a pickup rehearsal on Sunday.

From here out I will post a daily rehearsal/performance recap up until Closing Night! Hope you enjoy!

One Geek,

Grant

Homecoming: The Recap

Okay I absolutely loved Homecoming. I wish there was another dance ASAP.

We started out the night by going to Buca di Beppo which was good but a bit anticlimactic and the service was sadly very slow. We took pictures near this turquoise wall which nobody would have guessed was the back side of a fast food shop though!

We got to the dance and there was a HUGE line outside. It took us almost an hour just to get in. The wait was comparable to that of Disneyland, minus the screaming toddlers. We get to the front and there are security guys frisking EVERYBODY down.... I felt as if I went to a ghetto school but I do understand that it is really for the best.

The dance itself started out a bit slow, but as the night went on I really let loose and had a ton of fun. The DJ was alright, but my date and my friends were awesome. We "danced" all night and I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend my first high school dance.

Afterwards we went to In-n-Out for some food and the night was over. I went back home and slept the night away. I was TIRED! Now I have two dance rehearsals (one for the dance show and one for a quincenera) AND homework to finish! I'm off!

One Geek,

Grant

HOMECOMING!

Tonight is Homecoming and I am pretty excited. I have a date and I am looking forward to my first real high school dance. Will it live up to my expectations? Will I be disappointed? Will I even know WHAT to do once I get there?

I'm going to Buca di Beppo for dinner then to school for the dance. Our theme is "Up, Up and Away" so we'll see if it's decorated to fit.

I'll try and remember to post my experience and write here more often!

I have plenty more to update you about but right now I must go and get ready!

One Geek,

Grant