Biology Majors RULE

From today's XKCD:


YES!
YES!
YES!

- Jonathan

Wait, What Happened?

It's happened so fast- I haven't even had to to think since it began- I am in Seussical.


So perhaps I should start with from the beginning. Yes, that seems prudent. Well, it all began in a hazy misadventurous conception of potentially trying out for the spring musical, Seussical. Tuesday, the first day of auditions fell on top of me like a ton of bricks in much a similar fashion that the one ton anvil from ACME Inc fell on Wiley Coyote. I found myself, suddenly, thrust into an audition process where anxiety ran through me like the cable cars in San Fransisco, dictating my actions and movements.

The first audition (as it is a two day audition, providing to chances to humiliate yourself thoroughly) went as well as it could have as I sang (I think I sang better then than I have even in my life). Then the directors turned to me and asked me which monologue I had prepared. S.O.B.- I had to have a monologue?! the thoughts raced through my mind. I quickly explained to them that I wasn't aware that those seeking no major role, so a chorus role, would have to have a monologue ready since they wouldn't have any lines anyway. No bother! they exclaimed. One of them suggested I try the Pledge of Allegiance in "character." Oh shit. So I tried. And I should be deported for my performance, seeing as I COMPLETELY BOTCHED THE SINGLE PLEDGE I'VE MADE NEARLY EVERYDAY FOR MY PUBLIC SCHOOL CAREER. I panicked, bid them a good-day, and rushed out of the room and left promptly, certain that they had been stifling laughs while my back turned the corner out of the room.

The second day, if at all possible, was more disastrous than the first. We were taught a dance in two hours (the boys and the girls each taught a slightly different dance). Then, three at a time, we were sent up to the gallows/stage where they would judge us. To make things worse, they asked that we do the same dance twice. I failed. Utterly. No single performance has ever made me so ashamed of my self as did that little dance.

However, half a rotation of the Earth later, I discovered that I had been "called-back". This perplexed me, not only because I had honestly done so horribly that I wanted to melt into the backdrop of the stage, but because I had already told them that I had no aspirations of having a principle role with any lines. However, there was my name, clear as charcoal on a clean slate of glass, written up on the wall, for the part of "Mr. Mayor". Given two hours, I frantically memorized the part, tried to find a suitable yet manageable character voice, and then learn, 30 minutes to go, that I also had to learn a new song. Shit. So I did, frantically. I went second because the girl that wanted to go first decided that I should be her husband for the scene. Great. I began strong, in a great character voice, and then something miraculous happened- I, Jonathan, who has memorized 250 digits of pi, can recite numerous telephone numbers of his friends', and creates mnemonic devices which have helped an entire class to pass an exam, began to forget my lines. My neurons were acting out the cubical-ed office anarchy sketch portrayed in countless movies, where the tallest structures were upturned chairs and important papers were being shredded. Of course, in this case, one of those important papers being shredded was the monologue I was supposed to have memorized. Fortunately, my "wife" for the scene helped me along in a very golden-anniversary type moment, finishing my sentences for me, helping me to pick back up the lost steam (as it was a very mad monologue) and continue to chew out our nonexistent child. Again, despite having a mulligan, my singing went far better than my acting.

So, despite more than 24 hours elapsing, the Cast List has not been posted online, as it had be promised. However, a few hours ago, a friend called me to congratulate me on getting the part for Mr. Mayor. Needless to say, I was stunned, but I recovered quickly, finding out that, indeed, I had been selected for the part I was called-back for, and that it would have a quite a few lines.


So, in the span of three days, I have effectively lost all chance of maintaining a social life in January (since rehearsals are nearly everyday), but have probably gained a dozen and a half new friends, and inherited a whole bunch of anxiety. But hey- it's all worth it. =]

- Jonathan

Key Lime Frustration 2

Oh- and I burned half of what I baked.


=(

- Jonathan

Key Lime Frustration

Whenever I'm stressed out, bummed, or sad- I bake.


Today I baked about 10 lbs worth of food.

- Jonathan

Oh What A Harry Situation

Halloween is 12 days, 2 hours, and 38 minutes away. Shit.

Here's what has to happen:

• 12 of my friends have to come to a location yet to be determined, fully costumed, early on Halloween
• On the 25th, a half dozen of said friends must come over to make their wands for the event
• The rest of them will have to do it at some other time (yet to be determined) or have someone else make it for them
• I have to make a fire shooting wand from scratch
• I have to finish up the UV light wand
• I have to wait for the UV invisible ink marker to arrive and then draw footprints all over the Marauder's Map
• I have to sand, paint, and draw on Phil's (Draco Malfoy) Nimbus 2001
• I also have to give it its signature twig tail and stand (still not made)
  
• Need a place to host this with LOTS of kids ages 2-12

So that's everything I could think of that's left. I've done a ton already and that just represents what's on my mind for right now.

S T R E S S

- Jonathan

Up To Speed

Alright- get ready for a seemingly unending assault of updates on the various facets of my life. Don't say I didn't warn you..


Today, while taking what is notoriously referred to as a mental health day (it's when you skip school because you feel like you'd rather have an unexcused absence than have to face seven periods of torture), I got quite a bit accomplished on the Harry Potter Halloween props!

I am 90% done with sculpting the head of the Nimbus 2001 broomstick for Phil, and I must say- I am doing a damn fine job on it. All that remains to do on the Nimbus, after I finish the head, is to (potentially) lacquer it, paint it shiny black, make a super aerodynamic and trimmed tail of twigs, spray paint the tail, assemble the tail clasp band, assemble and paint the faux stand, and finally do the lettering on the head of the broom. So I'm like 60% done. Honestly.

I also got Aragog up and running, so he's nearly done. I just need to devise a better system to strapping him down to the car so that I can still access the batteries, or I'll just have to keep them fresh until the day of an just strap him in place with no room to access the batteries. Complicated.

Buffy still needs a pulley and rope, but otherwise she's good to go.

I have a party scheduled for the 25th of this month where everyone will come over and make their own wands. I'm really excited, because this is usually a lot of fun! I need to start assembling and stripping down lengths of wood though, and I need to buy more colors of lacquer, more super glue, and also find appropriate winding or other handle material. I have my work cut out for me. I still need to find a play to host this thing.. whoops. I'll just figure that out when they come over.


My unhealthy Apple addiction is about to get a whole lot worse. This Tuesday (being the 14th of October, 2008), they will release a new line of updated MacBooks, MacBook Pros and so on, so forth. I keep catching myself thinking that it's Monday and that the new Macs are coming out tomorrow. It's sort of debilitating because it means that I can't focus for anything more than five minutes. Bummer. =]


I am getting, however slowly, better at composing simple melodies on these chord progressions I keep coming up with. Last week I wrote some basic Halloween inspired music and yesterday I formed a melody that I think works with it. We'll see how that turns out.


On the cooking front, I have been doing a lot of baking recently. I'm still looking for the perfect fool-proof cookie recipe, but it doesn't seem like one exists on this dimensional plane. Whatever, I mean, I can settle for making the world's best cakes; cookies can just be my kryptonite.


AP Biology is really fascinating, but it's kicking my ass. 'Nuff said.


Lights! Camera! Action! I've been really trying to find a way into the Drama department at school, without taking the class itself, mind you, and I think I've found it. See, for Pack Attack ( a sort of rally of school spirit related skits put on by each club at school), French National Honor Society decided to put on a spoof of Dora the Explorer with Napoleon Bonaparte as Dora. Needless to say, the skit that ensued was as random as it was funny. However, after the rally, the head of the Drama Department asked me when I was going to try for any parts in upcoming plays. That gave me something to think about, I'll tell you that. So, come Monday, I resolved to go to a Cattle Call, where the Drama 3 and 4 kids were holding auditions for parts they needed filled for a directing project they're doing. I got called back for 4 parts. I've only been to two callbacks and I've gotten both parts. I'm sort of loving this. I probably won't go to the other callbacks just because I can't stand to have the pressure of potentially deciding between parts (as I could only take on two, what with my hectic and rather inflexible schedule). "So that's that, and no harm done." - Cornelius Fudge


On the subject of Harry Potter, I am slowly trudging my way through the Goblet of Fire, seeing as The Scarlet Letter has consumed the majority of my reading time and mental capacities. I despise that book for what it does to my brain.


So yeah. Delivered in a rather cacophonous fashion, those are the updates thus far on the majority of the major points in my current life. Yep.

- Jonathan

Substance Abuse Haiku

A new addiction
Sweet high I cannot forget
I cannot quit you.

- Jonathan