"Closer To You"

The rules are simple:
1. Put your media player on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments after the song name.

I have to say, my iTunes has over 2000 songs, so half of these is the first time truly listening to the songs. Therefore, I don't really have comments to give:

1. Opening Credits: “Powerline” by A Goofy Movie Soundtrack
2. Waking Up: “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by John Williams
3. Average Day: “Video Killed a Radio Star” by The Buggles
4. First Date: “Julia” by The Beatles
5. Falling In Love: “Idiot Boyfriend” by Jimmy Fallon
6. Love Scene: “I’m Only Sleeping” by I Am Sam Soundtrack
7. Fight Scene: “See Ya” by Atomic Kitten
8. Breaking Up: “The Lioness Hunt” by Original Broadway Cast of The Lion King
9. Getting Back Together: “Minas Morgul” by The Lord of the Rings Soundtrack
10. Secret Love: “My Paper Heart” by All-American Rejects
11. Life's Okay: “I Know You Won’t” by Carrie Underwood
12. Mental Breakdown: “Marguerite” by Ever After Soundtrack
13. Driving: “Huron Carol” by Jenny Crook
14. Learning A Lesson: “Come On Over” by Christina Aguilera
15. Deep Thought: “Ring of Fire” by Walk the Line Soundtrack
16. Flashback: “Shut Up” by Simple Plan
17. Partying: “The Hearts of the Fathers Are Turning” by Steven Kapp Perry
18. Happy Dance: “On The Open Road” from A Goofy Movie Soundtrack
19. Regretting: “Constellations” by Jack Johnson
20. Long Night Alone: “Little Wild One” by That Thing You Do Soundtrack
21. Death Scene: “I Beg of You” by Elvis Presley
22. Closing Credits: “Bonjour” by Beauty and the Beast Disney Soundtrack


How would you describe yourself?
“Something Worth Leaving Behind” by Lee Ann Womack

What do you like in a guy/girl
“One Week” by Barenaked Ladies

How do you feel today?
“Love” by John Lennon

What is your life's purpose?
“Landslide” by Dixie Chicks

What is your motto?
“Birdhouse in Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants

What do your friends think of you?
“Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves

What do you think about very often?
“God Be With You Till We Meet Again” by Michael Dowdle

What do you think of your best friend?
“Take a Chance on Me” by Abba

What do you think of the person you like?
“Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet

What is your life story?
“Be Still My Soul” by Marvin Goldstein

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
“Drive” by Incubus

What will you dance to at your wedding?
“When I Fall in Love” by Natalie and Nat King Cole

What will they play at your funeral?
“Big River” by Johnny Cash

What is your hobby/interest?
“Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” by Tavares

What is your biggest fear?
Boulevard of Broken Songs” by Party Ben - Green Day vs. Oasis vs. Travis vs. Eminem & Aerosmith

What is your biggest secret?
“Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” by Jenny Crook

What do you think of your friends?
“Happy” by Aqua

What will you put as the title?
“Closer To You” by Wallflowers

Fall Semester Ends ...

Well, it would appear that I will be able to pass this semester. I've just have a presentation and a much needed discussion with a teacher. It has been a great semester as I finally finish up with the majority of my college courses. Next semester I only have three credits left and I will finally be finished with college. Wow, do the years pass by quickly. I can't believe I have almost completed four years at BYU. Now I will prepare to go forth and serve. At this time, I hope to begin by settling for a time in Florida with a new friend I made this past semester.

Locked Out!!

I am not impressed. People are not all that helpful. I wanted to find out what to do if one gets locked out of their home where there is no person w/ keys to contact. If I was actually locked out, I'd have no access to the internet, the phone book, or such. So, who would I call? Police would be the first on my mind. BYU Police had no idea how to respond to such a question. The Provo Police would not answer their phones ... do they have a 24/7 number?!?! I'd never call 911 unless it was a true life or death emergency because otherwise, they aren't all that patient... Apparently there is a 411 number?!? I don't know anything about it, so that has not be tested. So, what have I learned, put a 24/7 locksmith number in your contact list. They don't sound happy or cooperative on the phone, but at least they can send a tech out. Of course they won't tell you how much it costs, but it's better then nothin' if no friends exist and it's COLD outside.

BTW, I was not locked out, but I was helping out a friend who was. I was curious how to get back into a home in such an occurrence so I made the phone calls while my roommate and friend were moral support. It ticks me off that people aren't all that nice over the phone. They didn't say anything rude, but the tone of voice says much. Of course, it is 11:30pm. Maybe that factors into it ... BUT STILL!!! What does someone do if they are LOCKED OUT!!!

Working nonstop ...

Monday:
I worked all the hours I didn't have class ... which was only eight hours of work. This week is Christmas Around the World at the Marriott Center so we keep very busy. I was a truck driver for a while, picked up lunch, painted the floor, etc, etc.

Tuesday:
I put in work at the HFAC to help with lighting. I hung to plot for Celebration of Christmas for five hours then was on stand-by for any help needed for a One Act show in the Margettes for five hours.

Wednesday:
I worked an hour refocusing the Margettes which was a new experience. It's not that "safe" but I've experiences so much worse. Then I headed to the Marriott to do more errands to prepare for rehearsal. I picked up CO2 and dinner, then was able to run truss spot for the show. I'll be stuck 30ft in the air at the back of stage doing spot cues. It's not too bad except climbing up and down the rope ladder. Well, actually is climbing from the ladder to the truss. I always had my safety cable connected to something at all times so I'm good.

Air Force Academy Chapel

The following is images of the Buddhist, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant chapels at the Air Force Academy.

Santa's Secret

When touring with BYU companies, usually we go through two different coach lines. I have traveled on both Le Bus and Lake Shore Motor Coach Lines and find that we usually have the same bus drivers. With Le Bus we have LeGrande as the driver, and with Lake Shore we have Phil as the driver. I have always appreciated the drivers we've had. They are simply wonderful people! With Theatre Ballet, we were with Lake Shore so I was able to tour with Phil again. He is great! Before we reached Provo, he told us of the book he wrote about several special experiences he's had while being a Santa during the holiday season. Here's a review I found of the book.


Title: Santa's Secret, A Christmas Novel
Author: Christy Hardman with Phil Porter
Reviewed by Jaymie Reynolds

Phil Porter doesn't just pretend to be Santa at Christmas time. He doesn't just wear the suit to supplement his Christmas budget. When Phil puts on that suit, he becomes Santa. He seeks for solutions to problems in a way that he thinks Santa would do. He has a simple faith in the miracles of the Christmas season. Phil expects things to work out and so they do.

Santa's Secret, A Christmas Novel, by Christy Hardman begins with a wonderful poem called Santa's Secret Wish by Betty Worth Westrope. This poem sets the tone for the entire book. It captures the attention of the reader and tugs firmly at their heartstrings. It embodies the spirit of Christmas and the reason that we celebrate it. In this poem Santa sums it up well saying,

"It's a very hard task, my smart little brother,
to give toys to some and to give prayers to others.

"But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed,
For God has a way of meeting each need."

When Phil Porter serves as Santa Claus for those who are grieving, lonely or destitute, he finds help through prayer and many Christmas miracles. To Phil, being Santa is important because it is how he finds the Savior at Christmas time. The opportunities that he finds in his service help him to draw near to Jesus Christ, to see others as Jesus would see them, and to become more like the Savior.

Santa's Secret is a lesson in perspective. It demonstrates how, to the person who has everything and more, often nothing will ever be enough. The Spirit of Christmas is lost in greed, anger and disappointment. The joy that is sought from sharing this holiday is lost in the need to acquire. On the other hand, to the child who sleeps in the corner on a rag pile because there just isn't money for a bed, a bed and bedding are a better Christmas present than the most costly toy. For the little girl whose mommy hits her, words of comfort and love are a kindness more priceless than anything else she has known.

Those who truly read Santa's Secret will come away with a greater appreciation for the gifts in their own lives. It is a thought provoking book that brings to the forefront the true meaning of Christmas. Hardman does a wonderful job of tying Santa and his trappings together with a meaningful worship of the Savior. This book is geared toward those who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but anyone seeking to draw nearer to the Savior can enjoy it as well. The one thing that might be done better in this book is to make it more clear that Phil Porter is a fictional character as many people are likely to overlook the title page.

The Spirit of Christmas permeates the pages of this book and reaches out to draw the reader in. This would be a great book to read together as a family as long as the children are old enough to know where Santa really lives. Little children can still be taught from the poem at the beginning of the book. For those who are seeking to build up their collection of holiday literature and traditions, this book is a great place to start.

It ends ...

Well, the eight day tour with Theatre Ballet has finally come to an end. This is my last mid-semester tour at BYU with the dance department. How sad!! All I have left is my summer tour with Dancers' Company then my touring experience at BYU will come to an end. But when one door closes, another opens! I now must find that newly opened door and continue on.

Day Seven: Colorado Springs

Our last day, last performance, the end of tour ... how sad!! This has been a new experience for me, for every company organizes their tours differently, and I'd have to say there were some things I was not use to on this tour. Most of the evenings, the dancers chose who they would room with, we watched movies constantly on the bus, we did only one day of sight-seeing, and we reported to the venues later then I'm use to.

Today was the only day we went sight-seeing. I don't know if that's because Colorado has nothing to see, or it wasn't organized for sight-seeing. We went to visit the Air Force Academy and it was amazing... and quite funny. Everyone had some small fact to add of the strictness of the institution. Apparently, because BYU beat AFA, the cadets were not allowed to leave campus. If the team wins, they get the weekend to finally leave campus - for apparently that is normally not allowed. I don't know if what the dancers said was true, but it was entertaining to listen to the different things listed. There is little room for individuality on that campus, I don't know if I could last there. Their rooms aren't even allowed to have decorations ... and no civilian items are allowed for the first semester there! Anyways, it was amazing because we went to the chapel and had a tour of the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist chapel. BEAUTIFUL!!! When people think of the AFA, they see the triangular building, architectural design, but how many people know that is a chapel!?!? I surely didn't know! Inside, there is stain glass everywhere. If I had remembered my camera cable, I'd post pictures. I'll do that tomorrow night! In the Catholic chapel, there is sculptures made from the same marble quarry that Michaelangelo used and there was wooden crosses marking those sculptures that were carved from wood from the Mount of Olives. In the Jewish chapel, there was a stone floor that was brought from the Holy Land and a Torah on display that had survived the Holocaust. The Protestant chapel is the most amazing because it is the main room with the greatest effect of the stain glass and an amazing metal cross that was given the name "Souring Souls Cross." What an amazing experience. I could go on and on of the things there. But the best thing is to go there yourself. Who know the Air Force Academy would have such a work of art. Oh, another thing ... right outside the Catholic chapel there is a project done where a group of students over twenty years ago took a picture of the shroud of Christ and put hours into constructing a mold of what the body must have looked liked that the shroud was laid on. It shows detail of the face and the mold of the body. Truly quite impressive.

We did see the recruits go to lunch and watched them walk in their straight lines and the patterns they follow. Then we heard a bugle call that must have been lunch. This trip was the only thing I took pictures of while on tour ...

So ... the performance went well and we are excited to head home. We were able to move the departure time in the morning to 7am because everyone wants to get home earlier for needed school work and such. I'm looking forward to sleep ... lots and lots of well needed sleep. Speaking of ... it's time for me to sleep for it's not going to be very restful on the bus. Good night!

Day Five & Six: Sterling & Greeley

Sterling was a great audience!! The house held 560 people and it was packed full. They were so glad to have us there. We were in the paper for the lec dems we did for the kids. Those were also fun to do because the kids always love being able to see the dancers perform while at school.

Journal-Advocate: Ballerinas Take Stage
Journal-Advocate: Brigham Young University Theatre Ballet Performing in Sterling

Our venue at Greeley was a very nice Civic Center. It housed over 1500 people and everything was already set up for us. I had work to do with projection and audio, but the dancers didn't have to touch Marley or lights. Our audience count ended up to be 593 people, and out of three levels, they all fit on the first level. With such an easy show, my tech girls were able to watch the first half from the balcony w/ me (where I was set up for the show). On headset, we had the guys from the theatre, so Mark and them talked of new technology coming out, which was quite interesting! While searching online, I find that we were also in a paper to promote the performance attendance.

Greeley Tribune: Brigham Young University Theatre Ballet Provides Some Fantasy at UCCC

Day Four: Sterling

Well, all we had today was travel and a lec dem. It was a nice stage for a middle school so there was nothing I had to do but push play. We spent two hours at the library right next to our venue for tomorrow. It's at the college in Sterling. At 5pm, we meet with our host family and will spend two nights with them. It was a day of relaxation, so there is not much to say. We are all well, eating good, building memories, and watching several movies on the bus.

Day Two & Three: Delta

Well ... more traveling again! When we got to the venue, I helped set up front of house then got on the genie lift to re-hang and focus the lighting. It was a bit hard at first because I had to take down cyc lights which are long and heavy. I'd rather not drop lighting instruments. It's no fun!!! It went well and I spent half the time up in the genie lift. Then the run of the show was fun. Dancers felt more confident and I got all my cues. We had to start late as we waited for dancers to finish their pre-show devotional.

My host family was amazing!! I loved them all! I actually stayed up until 1:30am talking with the 14 and 12 year old girls. It was fun!

We attended church with the host family, then began traveling again right afterwards. Because we are to arrive in Sterling on Monday, we drove halfway and are now staying in a hotel for the evening. A huge group of us gathered together to play games and listen to music for the night. It was quite fun!!

Tomorrow we only have a lecture demonstration to do at an elementary school. We drive through the morning, then do the lec dem around 1pm. After that ... it's a surprise to me.

Day One: Denver

Well, what an adventure we had today. While going through the pass, it decided to snow so several times we had to put on and remove the tire chains for the bus. It would seem like I got sleep, but halfway through the trip, I got a really bad ear ache and could not put my head down to sleep for the rest of the time. No fun ... but it seems to have been a passing thing, maybe from the change in altitude and weather???? No se!

We were at least two hours late to the venue so we quickly set everything up. The performance seemed to have gone well. It wasn't perfect, but nobody wants that on the first day or the rest have nowhere to go but downhill. It was the first time I saw the whole show, but I've seen clips throughout the years. It really is a good show. I quite enjoy it.

It's almost midnight and I am at my host family's home with two of the dancers. We are ready to get some much needed sleep then begin our travels again across the pass back towards Delta. We get to go through the pass four times in a week's time. Not the best scheduling, but what could we do? We rely on venue availabilities and this is how it was planned. Let's just hope we don't get stuck or late again.

I'm OFF >>>

So, I stay up all night packing and doing laundry and cleaning my room then report to the RB. Thanks to my wonderful brother, I didn't have to walk at three in the morning. Mark and I begin organizing the tech equipment and promptly at 3:30 we load the bus. Unfortunately, there were NO dancers. It would seem that the call time was changed to 4:15 ... well, at least tech is finished and out of the way! Dancers are slowly trickling in and loading up. We will be driving for at least nine hours as we head to Denver, Colorado for our first performance!

Ever Onward!

Side Note:

So, to not confuse people, the doors open at 6:30 in the JSB Auditorium. The Production Video starts at 7pm, then the actually screening is at 7:30. It'll be great!! I wish I was going!!

BYU NewsNet

Student-produced LDS film to debut
By Marsha Stoutenburg - 12 Nov 2008


Diantha's Crossing, a film made based on a BYU Professor's ancestor, is premiering this week. Students in the Theatre and Media Arts department along with the help of professional and faculty mentors created the film.

Diantha's Crossing is premiering at BYU at 6:30 pm on Friday in the JSB auditorium.

Director Tom Russell said the purpose of the project was to give students opportunities they would not otherwise have had.

"The overall purpose was to create a learning environment for the kids in the program," Russell said.

More than 70 students participated in the project, and together they contributed more than 10,000 student hours.

Asia Stryker worked as the associate producer on the project. Besides doing what she loved, she said she enjoyed working on the film because it was a combination of efforts between inexperience and experience.

"The purpose of the film was to combine the efforts of students with professionals being mentors," Stryker said. "It's essentially a student film."

Producer Eric Anderson said the combination of the students and professionals is a powerful force in the movie.

"My favorite part was collaborating with faculty, film professionals and students," Anderson said. "Combining the forces and having them at the same time and place. Students were asking the professionals questions and getting their feet wet in the film making process. For me, it was great to work with the professionals. It was great to have a good relationship with both sides."

In addition to the experience gained by the students, another purpose of the film was to help people understand the past, he said.

"It's our story - it's the story of the people who lived at the beginnings of the church," Anderson said. "There are a lot of things that are tackled within the story. It helps us realize things about ourselves. It's one of those films that you really need to see to understand what happened at that time."

Anderson said this film is important to our day because the issues the people dealt with in the early years of the church continue to this day.

"The persecution continues," he said. "It's still happening today. Take the things in California with Prop 8 and the stuff around the world. We're still fighting the same battles."

BYU student Whitney Donalds worked on the set as a production designer. Her favorite part of working on the film was being able to research and recreate a world from a different time period. She believes that looking to the past helps us better understand our present time.

"Part of the purpose was to help us understand our past a little bit," Donalds said. "It is supposed to help teach about some of the experiences people have gone through in the past. Those experiences teach how to live your life better and forgive people for the things they have done."

Donalds said that Diantha's Crossing departs from the normal LDS narrative.

"It's not typical because it shows a lot of the darker side," Donalds said. "They always tried to make it light and not so serious. This film deals with it, and does not try to make those issues lighter. It deals directly with what has happened in the past."


Copyright Brigham Young University 12 Nov 2008

hmm...

Well, I am totally not with life right now. But no surprise there. I haven't had my ten day break from the semester that I've grown use to. Since I began working with dance, I've gone on a mid-semester tour each semester. Usually it's around the second month of school so right when I lose care for classes, I take a short break then get back into school again. This semester, I was worried to not have the opportunity to go on tour. Thankfully, I will be going with ballet, but it's right before Thanksgiving break. So instead of a week break, I'm getting two and a half. It's going to really throw me off!!!!

I just find out that I will be leaving Friday morning at 3:30am. Gotta love early morning departure times. I'm quite surprised we aren't leaving Thursday. Our first performance is in Denver on Friday so apparently we'll drive all morning and somehow be able to start load-in at the venue at 2pm. Sigh ... I don't like bus rides. There is no way of getting comfortable unless you bring a blanket, pillow, and get a spot on the floor. Hmmmm .... quite tempting.

Yesterday, I decided to try and find some good bible movies to watch and discovered a great collection made over ten years ago. It was a TNT Movie Collection of Bible stories, including Esther, Joseph, Solomon, etc. I am greatly impressed with their retelling of the story of Joseph. Very well done. It tells the story of Tamar in there (which quite surprised me) and gives a view of Joseph's Egyptian wife. I'm very impressed and would buy it in the future. The easiest way of watching these is by going to YouTube ... That's how I watch it! Keyword would be [Joseph - Part 1] or [Esther - Part 1].

Well ... I guess it is about that time for Christmas music and Christmas sales. Quite sad since it's not Thanksgiving yet. The BYU Bookstore is tomorrow. I really want to go - three free Children's books for the first 25 customers - but I have class at that time. Oh well. Also, it would seem that the money I thought I had is no longer there due to rent. Joy. It's so hard to save money. I have it for a time then required payments come up. And then I have a weakness for books which doesn't help any. Good thing I am only taking three credits next semester or I would never be able to pay for tuition! Thank goodness I have until the end of December to pay tuition. Then I can get my paychecks to collect together. With tour and Christmas Around the World, I should have enough hours. Too bad I accidentally forgot to submit my hours last pay period. No paycheck! But I didn't have a lot of hours to submit. It'll fit for the hours I won't be working this week.

This week, I just need to pack everything together for tour. Pay period ends Friday so I can put in the first day of tour and those hours I forgot to submit last period. It all evens out in the end. No matter what, I will be getting paid for the hours I worked ... of course I forgot to keep track of my hours last week for Ballet Showcase so I'll probably be forgetting a couple of hours. Oh well ... it'll all balance out in the end with rounding and such. Gotta love my job!

Diantha's Crossing Invite:

Host: Theatre and Media Arts Department
Location: Brigham Young University
N Campus Drive, Provo, UT 84602
When: Friday, November 14, 7:30PM
Phone: (801) 422-6242

Brigham Young University's Theatre and Media Arts program proudly presents:

Diantha's Crossing

Diantha's Crossing is a one-hour, professionally produced, dramatic narrative film adapted from TMA faculty member Barta Heiner's one-woman show, that was produced by another TMA faculty member, Tom Russell, with a group of film and theatre students. Set circa 1857 in Salt Lake City, it traces the story of Diantha Clay, whose life encompasses the Church's western movement, and explores Diantha's crossing over from anger to forgiveness and from the temporal to the spiritual.

The project was designed to share stories from early LDS Church members, growing out of an original play written and performed by Barta Heiner, as well as provide a professional production for media arts students. Over 70 students participated in the production of the film, accumulating 10,000 hours of student learning. Tom Russell directed the film.

The film is an example of the practical use of new technology. It was shot on the RED camera, which is a digital-acquisition device that approaches resolutions previously attainable only with 35mm film. In addition to digital capture of images, the film's innovative post production entailed new, innovative workflows.

The film screening is free.


Film Screening
6:30pm - Doors Open (#140, Joseph Smith Bldg. Auditorium)

7:00pm - Screening Begins

Theatre Ballet

So, this is going to be the first time to really work with the theatre ballet company. I've assisted onstage for Ballet in Concert and always helps to move ballet's set pieces, but I've yet to have a tour experience with them. I really look forward to it and to see if it'd be interested in working with a ballet group in the future.

The show repertoire for Theatre Ballet consists of scenes from different fairytale-isc ballets, including Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Swan Lake, and Romeo & Juliet. Each scene I believe is approximately ten minutes long, expect Swan Lake will be around 30 minutes if I recall correctly. I have not seen any rehearsals, and may not until tour. It'll be quite an adventure. I'm not sure what to think about it yet. I can only imagine the many differences between touring with Ballet then with Ballroom, Folk, or Dancers Company. With Ballet being the classic dance, it will bring in a variety of people, but I worry of attendance due to the decline of society in these days and their lack of the classic tastes in ballet, opera, and the likes.

This week, I've decided to check out different film versions of these ballets, so today I've gotten Raymonda and Sleeping Beauty. It is an impressive artform, telling a story without any speech. It definitely shows how much can be communicated from just body movements. Plus it is a beautiful display of strength, balance, grace, movement, and the like. At times I almost wish I had the discipline to continue in ballet ... but I am quite happy with my work as a theatre technician.

It ends ...

Don Giovanni is finally over ... hmm, I'm sure there is some class paper I have to write about it ...

Tonight was the closing night and it only took us three hours to fully strike both set and lighting. The lighting crew was the last to leave and it was just before 1am. It was so much fun, if one can call striking fun.

Next, I'll help out with the hang for the silent film on Friday. I also have to spend my time in the RB theatre to strip the electrics and hang a new plot. It'll be fun if we can find free hours in the theatre when dance groups aren't having class or rehearsing.

I'll be working on the Ballet Showcase the first week of November, then off to the Theatre Ballet Tour to Colorado. A week later we begin work for Christmas Around the World. That's the plan for work. Not too hard, I'd say. But it will still be a lot of work.

The Riddles of Epsilon

Reading is my passion. It has been that way since I could remember. I always dabble in different genres with a variety of authors. An interesting observation that I am beginning to find in the last year or so is that my wanderings around the bookshelves and the several different books I settle on checking out each trip to the library seem to have a common theme. I will choose five different books from five different authors and somehow, there will be a shared theme or event or connection in my mind. It isn't something that anyone would see. It's probably just me over-thinking my reading again, but it always seems interesting in my mind.

I just finished a great book entitled "The Riddles of Epsilon" by Christine Morton-Shaw. Earlier in the week I read "Goose Girl" and "Enna Burning" by Shannon Hale and am waiting to ready "River Secrets by her also (a kind of series that branch off of a popular fairy/folktale). It's sad to say, but at times I was tempted to put the book down and it having no effect if I never finished it. However, I found that reading the end was worth the four hundred or so pages. It's been a while since I've found a book with a great wrap-up for an ending, and I find several in a row.

But I'd love to touch on "The Riddles of Epsilon". I recommend this book to all my friends. It can be both appealing and confusing while beginning to read it. I can't really say the synopsis really explains the book correctly, but I continued to read the book and it was all worth it in the end. I was utterly amazed at how this author tied things together. I had to make a note of it and even went online for some research. It was well thought out and written.

Unlock the code to the Spiritual World:

Jess has moved to a remote island called Lume off the coast of England. Her parents are restoring an old house, and Jess discovers an abandoned cottage on their property. Inside the cottage Jess encounters an eerie presence--something like a ghost but suffused with a comforting energy. She also finds three locked boxes. Inside each she finds antique papers that send her mind spinning.

As Jess unravels the myseries of Lume, she finds the writings of Sebastian, a boy who lived one hundred years ago and whose life contains unsettling reflections of her own. To her horror, the dangers he unearthed in 1894 now begin to threaten Jess and her family. Something dark has awoken, and Jess doesn't have much time to do something about it.

Jess has a talent for solving puzzles, riddles, and codes. She is confronted with a series of riddles that she must unlock in order to save her mother from a dark and acient threat. Jess is guided by the creepy presence in the cottage. The mysterious guide is called Epsilon, but is he a guide from the bright side or the dark?

Christine Morton-Shaw has created a spectacular thriller about one girl's spine-chilling experience with the supernatural world.

World Premiere Screening

The World Premiere Screening of Diantha's Crossing is finally coming up. It will be held on November 14 at the JSB Auditorium at 7pm. I'm so excited!!! ... unfortunately, I will be unable to attend. It is official that I will be touring with Ballet this semester and their tour is from Nov 14 to Nov 21 in Colorado.

Anyways, for those who are at BYU at the time should go see the premiere of Diantha's Crossing. It's going to be good .... I was able to watch a three minute clip at the forum and I really miss all the time spent working on that film.

It's amazing how close a crew gets while working on a show. That's why I love the theatre/film industry so much. When spending so many hours together working on a production, so many great experiences occur and we grow close together. We really are a family. Sadly, when a production ends it's hard to come together again, but at least the memories will always be there.

Forum

YEAH!!!! Today is a forum for Diantha's Crossing. I look forward to see what will be discussed. I didn't know they would do a forum. I will not miss it! I keep searching for information on the air date, but nothing has been discovered yet. Hopefully the forum will have a lot of information. It's at 11am in the Nelke theatre.


Synopsis:
Diantha Clay is a middle-aged woman in Salt Lake City, preparing to abandon the city, by order of President Brigham Young. But Diantha has not left with the others heading toward Cedar City. Instead, she is caring for a young, unconscious woman – the victim of abuse at the hands of her husband.

The husband and wife were passing through on their way to gold prospects in the west. During an argument with her husband, the woman is knocked unconscious.

Diantha has several reasons to be concerned. The army is approaching and the precise day of their arrival is uncertain. Additionally, Diantha anticipates the return of the woman’s potentially violent husband.

Eventually, the husband does return. He pleads with Diantha to open the door, but Diantha doesn’t trust him. Finally, he breaks down the door, inadvertently colliding with Diantha.

When Diantha regains consciousness, she is in her rocking chair and the husband is gone. An unknown man suddenly appears in the small cabin, offering assistance. Though initially frightened and suspicious, Diantha eventually begins a discussion with the man, recalling her extraordinary life experience and the events that brought her to this point.

Throughout the process, Diantha comes to grip with feelings of anger, guilt, and resentment. She encounters her own mortality…and immortality.

Dance Assembly

Today was the BYU Dance Devotional. It was fun. I was up at 6am to report and begin teching at 6:45. All went well for us and I was able to run sound for the program. This year, the title of the Devotional was Kaleidoscope. It presented some great numbers from each of the five main dance companies. I loved the number that Dancers' Company chose. The music was from Handel's Messiah. I really look forward to working with Dancers' Company this year to see all the different varieties of pieces they will choose for Dance in Concert and their Summer tour. Gotta love work!

Distracted ...

Wow ... I'm feeling so distracted from life. I spend all evening, from 5 to 11, in the deJong working on the opera. I want to do work with dance, but time is against me. The theatre is only available after 6, besides hour blocks here and there. Then, I'm busy with school - midterms aren't too hard for me, but they are occuring once a week. Joy. Dance Devotional is next Tuesday. I look forward to working on that. Hopefully things begin to get more organized for me. Oh ... time is of the essence. Gotta go!!

Don Giovanni

Brigham Young University’s School of Music will feature BYU Opera and the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra in a production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” Wednesday through Saturday, Oct. 22-25, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center.

For my TMA 360 credit, I am working as a stage hand for this production. This morning I stopped by rehearsals to familiarize myself with the production. It is quite impressive. It reminds me of how much I love the opera! One day I hope to attend the opera professionally done. Preferably to see La Cenerentola and Candide. That would be the greatest experience!! For now, I get to see the amazing talent of the BYU opera students. They are very good!

Tickets are $20, or $16 on weeknights and $17 on weekends with a BYU or student ID. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-4322 or visit byuarts.com.

Blood Drive

“A single blood donation can save as many as three lives.” This quote is posted around the Wilkinson center to get the students of BYU to participate in the blood drive this month. MountainStar Blood Services comes around quite often to get a new collection of blood, giving away t-shirts that state: "I Bleed Blue & White". I've always considered giving blood but bailed out at the last minute due to the time restraint and the fear of fainting. I use to be too thin, so being barely above the weight limit and constantly forgetting to drink water throughout the day, I have a higher risk of fainting. However, my friend talked me into giving blood with her. I really wanted someone there to hold my hand to calm my nerves - sad isn't it - but I survived, had no problems whatsoever, and donated blood in five minutes. I didn't realize that after giving blood, one should not do heavy lifting or strenuous activities, so that was hard to follow since that's what I do for work ... but thankfully nothing big came up for me to do. I now have the bandage off (it was lime green with dinosaurs), and I have just a slight bruise. All is well ... and I plan to give blood again in the future. How often can one give blood? ...

Ballroom Tech

Well, these past two weeks, I have put in hours trying to get everything ready for Ballroom to leave on their Pacific Northwest mid-semester tour. They left early morning Friday for their ten day tour. I no longer work with Ballroom, but put in a lot of effort making sure the RB theatre was prepared for their pre-tour show and all props and tech equipment was gathered and packed. Thursday was spent packing the truck and it was quite a challenge. I have awful bruises on my shins and knees from helping. Somehow, we are over-packed this year so we had to sacrifice some equipment to get everything to fit in the truck. Therefore, we had the truck packed by 1pm, but came back two hours later with just Benjamin, Mark, and I to unpack it all, remove some equipment, then pack it up again. Ow ... I really don't care much for tech cases. But it proves my strength when it comes to lifting. Now I need to learn how to lift storm cases without bruising my shins every time!! Anyways, when we finished packing it up again, the director discovers what we had to sacrifice and again they discuss a packing solution. I was so afraid we'd have to unload and load again, but thankfully, we left the truck as it was. I spent eight hours at work that day making sure everything was organized. It felt good being a major part of organizing and packing equipment. I almost wish I could have joined them on tour, but I am just fine staying here in Provo, plus I have other commitments. Good luck, Ballroom!

TV Shows

So ... I think I have a new favorite show ... but first, a list of my other shows.

It use to by CSI and House, but thoses have lost interest to me ...

Now, it is ... Pushing Daisies, Psych, Bones

And the new show is Fringe!

Obviously, I really like the crime scene type of programs. My favorite is Bones, but I like the comedy of Psych and Pushing Daisies.

One thing I really like about the crime scene programs is their cinematography, lighting concept, etc. It's quite impressive. That is one reason why I like Fringe because the film concepts are impressive.

Sick Week

Sigh ... I never get sick, yet for the last week, I've gone from a sore throat, to sneezing, coughing, sore muscles from working, and even light-headedness. I think I need to learn to drink water and take it easy working while sick. That may have been a problem with it lasting so long, because I kept working when I should have been resting. Oh well ... gotta love work!!

Anyways, I think I'm getting better. This week is going to be busy though. Joy joy! There is a career fair, two birthdays, Ballroom pre-tour, concerts to attend, etc. I look forward to it all, and I will be taking it easy.

General Relief Society Meeting

This Saturday, September 27, 2008, is the General Relief Society Meeting and my stake has been given a selective amount of tickets to attend. Three of my friends and I were able to get tickets and will be attending the meeting in the Conference Center. I am so excited!! I never thought I'd have the opportunity, yet here it is. With General Conference, this may be the first time since coming to BYU that I will not have at least one session in the Conference Center, but I definitely plan to spend both days in Salt Lake listening on temple grounds or in the Tabernacle or JSMB.

I am going through a lot of difficulties right now and don't feel like myself, but it is a great feeling to know that the Lord is always by my side. And these next two weeks I am able to hear from the leaders of the Church that can give me more strength and help me feel the love that radiates from this Church because of our beliefs in the true Gospel. I can survive any difficulty and times of loneliness just by remembering all the tender mercies given to me and embrace the warmth and love that come from the Sisters of the Relief Society. In all the touring I do, the best experience is always feeling at home with the Sisters. We are joined worldwide and what a comfort that is. No matter where my work may take me, I know that there is a place to meet each Sunday with people who always shares their love: love for the gospel and love for each other. Although events and people are coming in and out of our lives, we know one thing that stays steady: he love that God has for us individually as we can continue to learn from the Gospel.

Opera!!

Well, I have gone to the Music Dance Library to check out more operas and ballets. I've gotten another version of my favorite opera, La Cenerentola. Then I also got Don Giovanni because I have never seen it before and want to be a bit familiar w/ the storyline before beginning work on the show in the theatre department. And I got Magic Flute because I've been hearing a lot about it and should see it at least once. It really makes me want to attend one in the future, and oddly enough makes me want to be a spot operator for operas in the future. Maybe I should freelance for a while and try a lot of different aspects of the theatre. I hear spot ops have an easy job and get payed really well! Tempting ...

Also, I saw a version of The Nutcracker ballet the other day and it really made me want to see it. I actually wish I could see it with a boy (someone to cuddle up with) but that ain't gonna happen any time soon. Oh well. I do wish to work with ballet and almost wish I tried to take more classes in ballet ...

Hair Cut?

So my long hair doesn't seem to be doing anything for me. I like the fact that I have long hair, but it doesn't do anything for styling. I think I'm ready to chop it off. Okay, well actually I don't like how I look in short hair, but I'll be tempted to cut it short for "locks of love". I may wait another month or so. It just depends on when I finally get around to it.

World of Dance

It's been an interesting beginning. I'm trying to figure out what to do with my life after graduation and I want to continue with the dance while finishing my major with the theatre department. I've decided to spend more time with theatre by helping with light hangs and focus. I will be working as a spot operator on the fall opera, Don Giovanni after already spending 30 hours working on lighting with Dial M for Murder. I didn't do much with World of Dance (even though I did put in 40 hours these past two weeks) and surprisingly, my job for performances was to sit in the tv truck and help give dance cues to assist in camera shots. I realize how much I don't know the dances because I am use to calling cues as they appear, not a minute before. I did take notes last night so I can do it confidently now. Originally, I was to sit at the lightboard and make sure nothing goes wrong, meaning I sit and do nothing all night. Thankfully I was pulled in to help with the filming.

I'm uncertain about what kind of job to look for after graduation. Do I want to go into dance, theatre, or film? I can do well in any field. I want to get a job settled before graduation, but where do I look? I'm keeping my options open and checking out different sites, talking with friends, and thinking of different possibilities.

Dance work

Stage work has finally started for the Winter 2008. Our first show of the semester is World of Dance. This year we are having it filmed for BYU Broadcasting. I spent my Friday and Saturday working in the office to make sure scrollers were built and ready to be used for the hang on Monday. I look forward to starting a new year with the dance department, but this will be my last year and I am restricting my hours to begin working more with the theatre department. At the moment, company assignments have not been officially made, but it would appear that I will probably be working with Dancers' Company to lend my assistance with the summer tour, for Mark and Benjamin will already be out on the Ballroom and Folk tours.

More Driving ...

So I've been driving last night and tonight and have been finding it a lot more difficult to start in 1st gear especially if I want to do it slowly. Finally, we went to eat at Cafe Rio and watch a late night movie so instead of just Krista and I, Taylor joined along. He did not seem happy with my driving. I didn't know if he was carsick from my bumpy starts or afraid for his life, but he finally taught me a very important lesson on driving that I didn't quite catch in Krista's teachings. She is a great teacher but my mind doesn't grasp things normally and it takes several different perspectives of explanation for me to understand. I've always been confused at when the clutch should and should not be in. Taylor finally made me understand a lot more about it. I have always been releasing the clutch all the way to start. Therefore giving too much speed at the beginning and usually causing the jerking of the car. I now know to only release the clutch three-fourths of the way giving it gas to make is slowly move forward. I feel so much safer now trying to inch my way forward or backing up out of a parking spot. Wow ...

But I've only been driving three times so far and have driven most of the main roads and quite a bit around Provo. I'd say I'm doing quite well, even though I am a perfectionist and want to get a lot better. Automatics are no fun to drive. I'd rather prefer the challenge of a manual transmission ... anyone have a car to sell? Especially if it's a new Hybrid Honda Civic like Krista's, although I would prefer a truck ...

Film Shoot - Saturday Night

Well, that was quite an adventure ... I was hoping to help out on an evening shoot for an evening and it turned into an adventure. We traveled to South Fork Park in Provo Canyon and the location caused us to carry all the equipment quite a ways. It went through the gate, along the river, over a bridge, down a long dirt path and through the tall grasses. It took quite a while with several trips, but we made it and began to set up for the shooting. Unfortunately, as the night progressed, we had a lot of people not show. Then the rain began to fall with no thought of letting up. The worst was when the lightning came ... always a worry with equipment around. We finally decided to wrap up and go home. Everything had to be packed up - and did I mention there was no shelter from the rain and few of us had raincoats? We enjoyed getting soaked ...

Just as we were getting close to having all the equipment in a pile to start transporting back to the van, the generation runs out of gas and overloads. Therefore we lost all light except the few small flashlights people thought of bringing.

It really was fun ... although I am now quite sore and nothing came from that experience. But I liked being with old friends and re-familiarizing myself with film equipment - even if it has only been a few months.

So for me that evening went from 6:30pm to 1:00am. I was sore, tired, wet, thirsty, and went home for dry clothes, hot chocolate, and a nice warm afghan with a book.

Learning to drive ...

Hehehe ... so my friend Krista taught me how to drive today! It was so much fun! I don't understand why people say driving is so hard ... oh did I mention it was for a standard transmission vehicle. I finally learned to drive stick shift!!!! Of course this was my first time so it wasn't very smooth with the starts, but it was fun. Krista took me out in her nice hybrid and we started in a vacant parking lot. I didn't really stall until I tried to leave the parking lot and for some reason I began to stall nonstop so we went around again as I stopped and started over and over again. It's still not as smooth as I'd like but I don't really stall ...

Then we took a drive around the Provo/Orem residential areas. It's really fun. I didn't have any problems shifting from one gear to the next. I finally drove home on University Ave after about an hour of driving. Wow ... Krista was so proud of me! I'm so lucky to be able to pick things up quickly. It definitely is something to get use to, remembering to shift between gears and moving again after a stop. I had no problems though driving home ... so that made me happy. Now I just have to buy my own vehicle ... if only!

Rock Band

Tonight I tried my luck at the game, Rock Band. I was invited over by some ward friends. We spent a few hours learning to play. It was great! I started on bass, then went to drums and tried out a bit on guitar and singing. I preferred the drums. It was fun to learn first with easy then the medium level. I never did get up to hard, but I doubt I could have gotten very far. ! I knew maybe three songs out of the list to play. Obviously I do not know any rock songs!! So now I understand why people love Guitar Hero so much!

Westwood Apartments

So my new housing has been found ... It's a bit out there because it is just west of the Utah Valley Hospital, but it's only 5 blocks from campus. It's just as close as my housing from last year. It's a great price of $225 a month so that will definately help as I conserve money for Winter tuition.

It's hard to believe that this will be my last apartment while in college. For the past three years, I have had the same roommate ... my best friend Andrea, but as she is off on her mission to Spain, I have all new roommates. The apartment is getting all new girls so it will be an interesting year.

I have met with some ward members and it looks to be a great ward and we'll be very social. I"m excited! I always enjoy a new experience. The only challenge is the distance from all my friends. One on 9th E, 5th E, and 3rd E, it will be at least 10 blocks to walk to or from any of those places. Sigh ....

We'll see how everything goes this semester. I'll soon find out how walking to campus is each morning before 9am and having to walk up the RB/Fieldhouse steps. Even after three years, my body is not use to stairs.

Housing Hunting ...

Wow, I have to wonder how many students are homeless at the beginning of the semester. It is really hard to find housing less then a month before school begins. Everyone I call is full. Sigh ... I guess I shouldn't have been so picky last semester. I started my apartment hunting last February with my roommate Sariah. I just wanted the best deal ... which really doesn't exist. I now have to hunt and give in to what I normally wouldn't want. Now, I find places that would have worked fine, but are now full. It's my senior year! With my roommates seperating ways, I guess I wanted at least one thing right. Oh well.

I may have one place that is a possibility. I am going to look at it now. It was not the location I was looking for, but rent is cheap and it's a 4 person apartment. It may be just fine with what I need. We'll see ...

Gotta start walkin'. I need to time how long it takes me to get from campus to the complex. It's only five blocks so it shouldn't be too bad! If this place doesn't work out, I'll have to raise my rent price a lot. I only wanted about $240/mo, but those have been long gone. Now I'll have to settle for $280/mo with the way things are looking. Of course that is still cheap compared to other colleges and such, but compared to my $199/mo last year, it's quite a jump!!

Happy hunting!

BYU Ballroom Dance Company in China Tour Slideshow
Found through the BYU Homepage
Images by Jaren Wilkey

Doing well!

I am finally getting into working from home. I had such a hard time at first, but now I am loving it and don't want it to end. It is a bit hard to put in several hours because time goes slowly with these projects. My favorite right now is being able to transcribe the journal of my great, great grandmother. It's difficult to read, but so worthwhile when I am able to decipher each entry. It is a five year journal so there is a little message every single day of the year. It was hard at first because I started with her journal that showed the decline of her last years and I saw the constant sickness and doctor visit and the harder it was for her to write. When I finished with that journal, I went to one written about ten years before and began to find entries about the war. It was very seldem and only in 1942, but it was fun to be able to not only see her day to day life with family, but also catch a bit of events in that time.

I also am able to scan pictures of my grandparents when they were young. Apparently my mother sees similarities of my looks with that of my grandmother in her wedding picture. It's great to learn of our history and be able to see connections with our ancestors.

I also helped my mother with a Christmas gift as I learned to work more in Photoshop and greatly take stress from mom. It was a great project as I was collecting pictures of my grandmothers and great grandmothers. I look forward to my next project which is to take the old children's tapes we had fallen asleep to when we were yound and convert them over to CD. That will bring back a lot of old memories of my childhood. That'll be fun!

Scanning away ...

Well ... I'm home in AZ and all I've been doing is odds and ends around the house to get money for college. Yeah, it's not really doing much, but that would be my own fault. I am scanning pictures for family to better organize photos into CDs and DVDs. I'm also helping with other family history projects here and there.

I'm really enjoying doing some scrapbooking of old memories. I thought I finished my high school years, but found a box of more memories. I've also got to go through my college papers and scrapbook all that, too. It's great to remember the old times. It shows how much I've been blessed through the years.

Back Home

I've had a relaxing family vacation at the Cabin in Pinedale, AZ. It was a nice retreat and we were able to go shooting, fishing, horseback riding, and doing campfires as a family. We are all now home in Mesa. My mom loved having all eight of us together, the first time since Christmas. We hope to try and make it into a tradition to gather together at least once a year as a family to do a camping sort of activity.

Well ... I have shocked my mom at my abilities with a 12 gauge shotgun. Actually, I surprised myself. I haven't picked one up in several years since I bruised my shoulder the first time I shot one. Well, I now find that I can shoot clay pigeons out of the sky during my first and second attempts (each attempt has four shots). I apparently hit more than half. Apparently, I am also good with a gun. I've always liked pistols, but now I've gotten over my fears of rifles and shotguns. I'm hoping to get a group together and go to a shooting range sometime this month.

I plan to rest a lot while I am at home, but my parents want me to look into a possible part-time job with surrounding theatres or work with family history. We'll see what the next two months have in store. For now, I look forward to rest. If only I was in walking distance to the library ...

Keeping Busy

Well, time flies quickly when one is at work. I have finally finished working Stadium of Fire and I now have time to relax and get back to life. I have no idea the hours I’ve worked or what I will be getting paid. I’m a special case because I get paid by one company, was gets handed over to another company for work. It doesn’t always work out very well because I should only work 10 hours a day, but with lighting, we work longer then that. Therefore, I have submitted the hours I was at the stadium, but I do’t know if I will actually get paid for all thoses hours. I’ll find out when my paycheck is mailed to me.

It was a great experience! I hung out will all the old guys I knew from the two previous years. I worked with the lighting crew the whole time, and got some more experience and learning fro it all. For the show, I was one of the four spot operators, and to help out, I assisted the spots in calling parts of the show that I knew. It went well enough. We did lose power to a spot halfway through the show, but it didn’t cause too much problems thankfully.

I find that Stadium of Fire is more stress then it is worth. It is already going around that one does not want to be a lighting designer for the show because it is way too frustrating. They can’t begin designing until the sun goes down which puts in all nighters, then they usually have to wait for rehearsals to finish before beginning, which doesn’t happen until past midnight each night.

I felt so bad though because we had an amazing sillouette number that really would rehearse all night to get it perfect, but when the time came, to perform, it was cut. I don’t know if it was due to a problem with the screen, or if there wasn’t time to do it. The dancers put in so much work and it was an amazing patriotic number. It’s aweful that they were unable to perform it.

For strike, I was put in charge of cable world so I stayed in the tunnel with all the cases and directed people to where all cables should be place and the organization of cases for all the lighting equipment. I got three other girls to assist me and I put the men to work. It was slow at first as we had to pull the cables from the stage and field, but it went quickly. People kept coming to me with questions and equipment, and I was able to easily give them idrection. It was great to know I am finally learning how to be a leader. When all cases were packed, I enjoyed ordering the people of which cases to roll to the parking lot first. I was running around, giving directions of which case needs to go and we had such a huge group of labors, it was a constant flow until all cases were out and loaded. We finished up at 4:30am.

Now, the wise thing for me to have done would to go to bed, but I wasn’t tired at all. I stayed up until 6am looking at tour pictures that were just posted for the group. I was then very tempted to jump on a bus and begin heading north, but thought sleep was a good idea. Unfortunately, as soon as I fell asleep, it was impossible to get me up again. I didn’t get out of bed until 2pm. I was so frustrated with my lack of self-discipline because I wanted to be on my way to Roy before noon. Grrr …

I did catch the 811 bus at 2:55, then connected with the Sandy Trax, then onto the new FrontRunner. It was a fun trip that only took 3 1/2 hours. I was able to spend time with family - aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's been so long since I've seen some of them, one family I haven't seen for at least eight years. I spent the night in Roy, then was able to return to Provo with my parents Sunday evening.

My Next Adventure ...

So, on Monday I began work with Stadium of Fire 2008. It was HEAVEN!!! I discovered on Saturday that the Louisiana Boys (my connection to working SofF) were not hired on this year. Therefore, I was worried about what I would be helping out with this year. When I walked into the Stadium, I met the lighting guys from last year. I automatically got onto their crew! They kept asking where I had been and had hoped that I would be available to work. It felt great to hear that they remembered me and are eager for me to continue work. The first thing I did was be in charge of running DMX and addressing the moving heads. Jaimie, the Master Electrician, gave the job all to me, so I counted cable, organized, and ran cable. I only made one mistake (which is good for a DMX hang) because the plot was hung differently then it showed on paperwork which threw me off a bit ...

On Tuesday, work began at 9am and it was a hot day! I'm sure it's hotter in Arizona, but working outside did wear me out. There were a lot of moments where we just sat around (due to scenic issues), but I did climb up and down 20ft towers running cables and addressing moving heads. I am so sore, but it could be the fact that I got a nice sunburn on my arms - or it's because I ran cables for the front of house for a few hours. I worked until midnight, even though there were still a few more hours to work, but I wasn't doing much and what was left is programming lighting positions, which is for the Lighting Designer to do.

I love Stadium of Fire! Although I plan on leaving Provo next year and prefer not to return, I will come for one week out of the year to work Stadium of Fire. I would love to make it a yearly job opportunity ... I should really look into that, whether I consider joining one of the teams who are hired on, or to keep my name with the task force. We'll see how it goes. John, the man in charge of lighting, is really helping me out with networking as he introduces me to several different people working this show, so we'll see what the future brings ...

Fri, June 27, 2008

Well, we had to be on the bus at 7:30am to head to the Beijing International Airport. I woke up at 6:30, grabbed my things, and was down to eat breakfast before 7am. Then, we had checkout from the hotel, which caused some conflict because it was taking so long per person so Lee got frustrated and really got mad at the staff saying we will leave at 7:30 even if we did not check out. Then, a Chinese man kept trying to cut us in line, and even after being shoved aside by Benjamin repeatedly, and yelled at by Lee, he still cut his way in. We were not happy with him at all. Apparently, he called Lee a “mad man” which Lee agreed with.

Airport check-in took some time because it wouldn’t be open until 9am, and we were all there at 8am. Finally, we figured out how to get the self-check-ins to work and just had to wait for our bags to be weighed and tagged. My bag was 2.6 kilos over so I threw away my hangers and Sunday shoes (they were old and had holes on the bottom), then put a bit more in my carry-on (which really doesn’t fit well). My weight matched Brock’s (who is my bag buddy) and together our bags weighed 23 kilos, which is the maximum weight. It all worked well thankfully!! We got through, saw the huge size of the airport as we took the tracks to the security check, and had almost two hour to wait. I wandered around trying to find a china patch (which does not exist – not even a patch exists here. Finally, I ran into Cameron, Zach, Brad, and Jessica and we bought a pizza from Pizza Hut to get rid of our extra yuan. We barely had enough – so it worked perfect!

On the flight, of course it was long, but really good movies were playing like “27 Dresses” and “Jumper” and “Horton Hears A Who” so I was content. At one moment, they had to turn off all the power on the airplane due to electrical problems in the back – there was a consistent, random dinging that was so loud and annoying that wouldn’t stop. They basically just turned of the TVs and music. No big deal. I found some comfortable positions to sleep in, but it was impossible to actually fall asleep. I wasn’t tired … which will be bad when jet lag finally hits me since China has a 14-hour time difference. Gotta love flying!

When we reached San Francisco, we had a four hour layover which is never fun. I mainly just sat around, then had lunch at Burger King with the group. The flight went well and we made it back to Provo. Now, I’m at my sisters and ready to begin a new project: Stadium of Fire.

Oh, I guess I should say that due to weight, half the luggage was left in San Fran, which included about 3/4th of the personal bags. I have to wait for mine … sigh … no luggage for me yet. Good thing I have most of my souvenirs in my carry on!

Thur, June 26, 2008

Our first stop in the morning was to sightsee at the Summer Palace that was built by the Empress. It was beautiful with the gardens and architecture. One interesting story is that the advisors told the Empress that she needed to build a navy because of the growth of foreign naval forces. She made one ship, which is found at her summer palace, and it is made of stone … meant for a dining hall. Sadly, I wasn’t all that impressed with it. The architecture was so similar to the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven and such sights, and the gardens were loud with tourists, it couldn’t fully appreciate for what it truly was. There was the most beautiful pond and bridge … I had misplaced my camera on the bus so I did not get any pictures there. I did later find my camera on the bus thankfully. After our short 45min visit there, we headed to lunch near “The Friendship Store” (I thought that sounded funny!!) It’s going to be hard to have to go back to the US and be unable to barter. It’s been a great experience here and I am getting good!

Our favorite part of the day … that which we all looked forward to, was the Silk Market. Once a small alley that turned into a short street, about five years ago it became a shopping center with seven floors, but there were three worth shopping and having fun bartering. It was at this location that Shane had a woman vendor tell him “You break my back!” I had a great shopping experience when I wanted to buy silk robes. I wanted a two-piece and a one piece. It should be real silk, so it probably should be worth a lot, but I only had about 150 yuan on me because it was my last buy of the tour. Well, the original asking price was 1700yuan, but she put it down to 1350 and asked for my best price. I honestly did not want to spend more than 100yuan. Wow did she get mad! Outrageous price, and I also knew that, so I tried to put them down and leave since they didn’t grab my full attention. However, she would not let me leave! She kept complaining about the price I asked for. I kept telling her that it was all I had and would put it down and try to walk off. Finally she offered me 150, but I didn’t want to spend all my money on it. I really tried to walk away but they trapped me in. grrrrr …. She kept telling me that 100 was too low and if she sold it to me for that price, she would be unable to come back to work tomorrow. At one moment, she said, “Your head is broken!” Finally, she lowered it to 140yuan and I really felt I should bring some silk robes back for myself so I agreed. Plus they finally let me leave their store. I may have felt bad, but they didn’t have to sell it to me. They get so affecnded, but they have control of whether they sell it to us or not. Apparently, so was fine with giving it to me for so low, she just wanted a bit more profit and after who knows how long … more than twenty minutes … I gave in. Gotta love bartering.

Back at the hotel, we had to quickly dress for the special VIP Delegate dinner that we were having with several young delegates from China. It is a great honor for us to attend and we were all curious to see what kind of food would be served and the entertainment we would get. The event was held at the Camp David of China. Beautiful landscape and design with several mansions on the property. It was amazing to see. Lee told us to keep our oohs and aahs to ourselves. We were basically given the red carpet treatment and it was amazing. It began to rain as we arrived, but that caused no troubles for us. Inside, we began by mingling with the delegates. It is our hope that these connections between BYU and the young delegates would one day help with the introduction of the church into China. These people would one day hold high offices in the government and already are in charge of foreign affairs in many areas. I was impressed with those I talked to. The meal was a buffet and instead of tables to sit at, we stood and could either hold our plates or stand at high stands (hard to explain but I’ve seen it before where glasses would be set when empty during a professional party). I don’t know how to explain it, but it was great! First, they had a woman perform a traditional Tibetan dance, then we performed the Waltz. Then they had a woman play the zeipher – which is one of the most beautiful sounds, I really love string instruments. Next, we performed the West Coast Swing and they had a man perform a Mongolian dance. We did the Lindy and they followed with a violin and piano classical piece. We ended with the Cha Cha. It was a night never to be forgotten. Their numbers were amazing. Beautiful numbers with the music and movement and costumes. Oh, I simply loved it! There really wasn’t much to say after that so we began to say our goodbyes and they sent us off with souvenirs, a Beijing Olympic shirt and a book about Chinese Culture. How truly blessed we have been on this wonderful trip to China!

Back at the hotel a lot of people tried to stay awake all night so they could fall asleep on the air flights. I lasted until 3am then decided I didn’t want to be social and went to bed in my room. I did get everything packed – just like Tetris. Honestly, every time I pack, everything just ends up perfectly into place. The only problem I encounter is weight distribution. I thought I did pretty well … although my carry on is HEAVY due to the Mah Jong set I bought – and of course the books and scriptures also found inside. My purse was able to carry all the important and valuable souvenirs.

Wed, June 25, 2008

Finally, the time has come! At last the time has come at last. Hehehe …. We traveled to the Great Wall at 7:30am and stayed for at least four hours and we enjoyed every moment! I wanted to stay at the front, but I cannot climb stairs. I finally got up to the second tower and almost gave up. I rested on the ledge for maybe fifteen minutes when the director and tour manager passed and I decided to continue on. I did eventually make it to the seventh guard tower and was at the very top of a section of the Great Wall. A group went down the loop, which goes all the way around the freeway and back again. They were covered in sweat at the end, but they actually made it on time. I am so glad I did not give up and continued on to the top. It was worth it, although it was quite a challenge and many stops for rest were needed along the way. I did buy two paintings near the top and a stone carving at the bottom. It was great!

About the Great Wall … we went to a less tourist area. I was so surprised at the wall. I assumed it would be bigger, flatter, or something different. It was all stairs. Steep stairs of different sizes some almost knee high. It was an adventure! I would not want to be a guard if I had to climb those stairs several times a day. Going down was really easy for me, but up was impossible. I felt like I was going to collapse, like what I did when I climbed up to the Butte du Lion. Sigh … I need to learn how to climb stairs …

We finally returned to the hotel at 2pm for a two-hour rest. We all were told to constantly stretch because after such a climb, the dancers still have to perform tonight. I am so glad I am not a dancer! It did seem to go well, but I hear later that a few dancers were about to collapse at the end and they are all sore …

It was our last performance. I can’t believe it is all over. It is so unreal; I’m not sure what to do with myself! No more shows, no more set-ups or strikes. It could possibly be my last tour and I don’t even know it. I don’t know what I will be doing next year with my job. I hope to be working with Ballroom again but nothing has begun to be decided yet. Life goes to quickly … I am so glad to spend my time with wonderful friends. Even if I may forget the events, it is all about the emotions and impressions that are lasting. These dancers are my friends, and I have been able to get to know something about them all. I will miss those that leave, and look forward to seeing the team change again next year.

Tue, June 24, 2008

Our sightseeing stop of the morning was a travel to the Drum tower and Bell tower then walk around the small community. We climbed up steep steps and halfway up there the drums began so we sprinted up and was able to see five people sit the drums to replicate the timekeeping methods from the olden days. It was amazing. We also saw models of two other timekeeping methods, one deals with the trickling water and we were able to hear the cymbals go off on the small figurine to show time. It was great! Then I walked around with a few people to see the small community. They were small homes and they had to use community toilets. We found a playground that actually turned out to be an exercise yard. It was so funny! We spent quite a bit of time there and I got tired at the end.

It was our first performance at the Poly Theatre and it is an amazing building. It’s actually a hotel that happens to have a huge theatre in the center. When I say huge, the stage was at least twice, maybe three times as big as the deJong if it was cleared of all band shells and curtains. I had a hard time with sound again because I was back under the balcony in a small sound room. Jay did help to teach me some more about sound, but I know I have much to learn about equalizing and ganging sound differences between the house and the booth. One day …

One of the most memorable experiences on tour was our visit to the Hard Rock Café. It was great! We got 170yuan to spend on the meal and it was all recognizable AMERICAN FOOD!!! The music was loud, but they did play some music like Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, and Avril Lavigne. Before we exited the bus, Lee said we could not dance on the tables, but while inside, he did give permission for us to dance in our table area. We were on the balcony seating with soft couch-like chairs. It was so nice! They even brought candles for table lighting. I had fun making fun of the “flash and trash” lighting, but it would be fun to work at a place for a few months just to get experience lighting for a band. Oddly enough, I bought a veggie burger, but it looked really good and it was quite good … plus I also got onion rings to balance it all out. :-D At one moment in the night, Toffer got me to dance as he taught me the hustle. It was so much fun!! I simply love these dancers!! There were three singers, two women and a man, and the women were scandalously dressed. At one moment, one of the women came up to dance near us and went to one of the boys and stroked his spine. The funniest facial expression he made! Quite an interesting experience. We did have a great time and loved every minute!

Mon, June 23, 2008

Well, we met at the bus at 8:30 to begin our trip to first the Temple of Heaven, then on to shopping. It was beautiful architecture and design in the Temple of Heaven. I walked along the Emporer’s path and wondered how it must have been like in ancient times, if the Emperor walked alone or is the sides were lined with people or guards. Also, what would have been going through his mind at such a time as he saw the gates to the temple and the trees begin to open for a greater view of the property. We were at the center of the universe, the echo wall, and there at the central temple. It’s great to be with this team and participate in the different discussion and jokes that go on.

Our next stop was at the Pearl Market and I found out I’m getting a lot better at bargaining. I’m sure I have a lot more to learn, but there were a few purchases I was really happy about. I got three jade figurines for 180 yuan when they originally wanted about 260 each. That’s a fourth of the price … pretty good … Although it’s called the pearl market, no one really bought pearls because we already got what we needed from Qingdao or our first shopping experience in Beijing. There were great clothes and souvenirs for sell, so there were a LOT of stuff bought. Many of the dancers had bags full of things, me included. It’s been the best shopping experience I’ve had. Things actually jumped out to me! Now, all we have left is the silk market … and that will be a great experience!

We had an hour stop at the hotel at 2:30pm, but it was the quickest hour ever! I leant my computer to some people, and when I finally had alone time, I had ten minutes before reporting to the bus! And guess what we found outside … RAIN!!! We had quite a travel to make to the site, and when we got there, it had stopped raining, but it quickly began again and we were trapped on the bus or in their dressing rooms. It didn’t let up until 5:30 and the performance was to begin at 6pm. There was a lot of worries about the soaking wet carpeted stage floor (there was no roof for the theatre) so the dancers were able to wear character shoes and they avoided any dance moves that were to be done on the ground. It was a worry that they’d injure themselves, but all did work out (as three dances were cut from the order – including the medleys). It began to rain again, but thankfully it was a light rain so we were able to continue. Pres. Samuelson and twelve other people prominent at BYU and in the church were present, but due to the rain were swept away by the V.I.P. staff afterwards to protect them from getting too wet. Oh, did I mention this was a part of the opening ceremonies of the Cultural Olympiad? It didn’t appear as a big event, but we were the main event. A choir sang two songs before us and also a soloist and a dance group were included, but seven songs were ours. The end had paper confetti … and they pumped a lot out of the cannons!! Everyone was covered, and quickly learned that it dyes the skin. It looked cool though! I stayed out of the confetti falling, but saw the huge effect on the dancers … definitely something to laugh about!!

Our dinner was at a pizza place where we had a pizza buffet! Everyone loved it! It was funny that a lot of the pizza included corn and peas. A new combination but still good. It was American food – or at least recognizable food - and honestly nothing else matters. Most dancers went to bed full and happy … and we were able to talk Lee into letting us pick our clothes for tomorrow. He had assigned awfully hot and miserable clothes so after much discussion, he gave us the freedom to choose …. YEAH!!! It’s a rare occasion, so we are all glad that we can.

Sun, June 22, 2008

I’ve got the tour journal today. Dress code was gray pants, white shirts, yellow and blue stripped tie, and BYU blazers for the boys, and white dresses for the girls. Although the meeting time was 7:45am, we loaded on the bus ten minutes later after Lee had to fetch people, including Shane, from breakfast. We discovered that Brock and Tia had overslept their alarm and we left without them, causing them to pay 22 yuan for a taxi. On the bus, Richard Baldwin chose the song, “Abide with Me,” Charisse had the thought about following the rules: Jacob 6:12, and Angela gave the prayer.

We arrived fifteen minutes early to the meeting place for the Beijing 3rd Branch, located on the fourth floor of the Golden Tower. Before exiting the bus, we gave our bus driver a BYU t-shirt to thank him for all he does for us. Church began at 8:30am and there were about 30 members in attendance at that branch, but they had just split and many were on vacation or just moved. We attended all three hours of church with that branch.

When we returned to the bus, Micah informed us that during the Olympics, our church is the only religion allowed to meet and hold church services (according to the 2nd counselor of the branch) because we have followed the rules while other religions still try to preach underground.

We ate lunch at the same location as the day before. At one point, Shanae heard a little asian boy complain to his mother in English, ‘Mommy, I don’t want to eat a turtle!” And finally the mother turned to her son and stated, “You’re not going to eat turtle! It’s just there for decoration!”

As we headed to the Forbidden City, the men were able to take off their blazers as the women could change out of their nylons and heels. It wasn’t until after our picture at the cypress that men could remove their ties and women their belts. It was a hot day outside! Everyone was dripping with sweat …

So, our first stop was at the garden to discover the cypress tree where President David O. McKay offered a dedicatory prayer on January 9, 1921. We had a long walk from the bus to the entrance, but we found our way and took our group picture. What a sight for the people to see fifty foreigners finding fascination with a tree. Although it may have one appeared as a secluded spot, it now is a busy area for parents searching for arranged marriages. We spent maybe ten minutes in the garden before heading over to enter the Forbidden City. We were given three and a half hours (until 5pm) to wander around the grounds. Many were already worn out so just walked through the central area and had about an hour and a half to sit and wait around. Others took their time and visited many of the different halls. There was a few museums, but many did not realize that although it cost money to enter, the price was only 1.5 yuan … of course there were a lot of people who did not bring money since it is the Sabbath.

Because of the long wait where most of the team sat around wishing we could leave, the blame began to wander. No one really knew who set the time to be 5pm, and no one was going to accept the responsibility. It may or may not have been true *wink* that Lee thought we should make a doll that looks like Shane, hang it by a noose and burn it! Later, such a statement was denied …

We returned to the hotel at 6pm, and had thirty minutes until dinner. It was a nice turntable dinner at the hotel, but it was finally nice to return to the rooms and be able to rest from the long day.

Cultural Differences cont.

No personal space – packed like sardines, pushed
Hack a loogey - yelling
Quickly strike from a theatre after a performance
English and Chinese on signs in cities
Little storage space underneath busses
Holes in children’s pants for “potty training”
Countdown for traffic lights
Waitresses are given numbers instead of names on tags
Sell meat by full animal appearance.
Uncomfortable with us coming into audience
Giving fruit to show appreciation
Underground crosswalks
Sound volume is LOUD
What they clap at – singing scales, sleeve movement
Picture taking w/ foreigners
Save on electricity – turns power all off
Flowers given at the end of performances
Killer Elevators – impatient people
Very kind and helpful people – run spots, help set-up and strike, bus driver w/ water
Repetitious in performance – theme
Don’t clean restrooms – all else in establishment really nice

Sat, June 21, 2008

This morning, we reported to the bus at 9am, but first was breakfast when we discovered that a wedding reception was going to be there later in the day so the whole room was decorated in pink!! We talk in and wonder if we are in the right place, but that was the breakfast buffet … I am never going to have pink at my wedding! Wow … that room was covered!! I’m thinking it’s because of the meaning of red in China, and she felt like lightening it a bit by going with pink.

At 9am, we headed to a market and spent two and a half hours shopping! I accidentally spent the rest of my money on souveneirs – which adds to about 500RMB and I only got halfway through my list. We still have the Pearl market and Silk street to go to, so there are plenty of shopping opportunities – I just need to make a budget. Sigh ….

Our new adventure is at the CCTV studio. For almost five hours, we spent our time on a TV set filming the dances to air on CCTV. It seems to be a part of a TV series called Dance World. It actually was a pretty nice set, although it was more for rock lighting then dance. There was a star curtain, flash bulbs, about a hundred moving heads, and par-cans galor! With the hazer running it was a cool effect, but definitely nothing we ever tried for Ballroom before. We’re always up for an adventure! I just ran sound from the side of stage and had a monitor to watch. It was a fun time! I only messed up twice – playing the wrong music, and having my headset off for the first time causing me to miss stopping the music when a dancer got injured. Downside to monitors, you don’t get the big picture – only what the camera man and editor wants you to see.

Our dinner for the evening was amazing as we were able to go to an Italian style dinner where we were spoiled with food!! Oh there was pizza, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, recognizable meat, actual dessert … it was great! One funny thing was a chocolate mousse actually had rum in it and it caused the whole back of the bus to sing the whole way back to the hotel – over an hour long drive!! They were CRAZY!!! Finally, Lee actually began to lead them in song, trying to gear them towards primary and reverant church songs. Well, primary songs went well … it actually lead to “The Wheels on the Bus” which lead to them mimicking people on the team – especially the leaders. It was HILARIOUS!!!! Eventually, we tried to calm down while Kaelynne (an amazing singer) sang “God Bless America,” and Shane sang a few lines from “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.” Unfortunately, we lost that calmness when Ron began to sing “The Lollipop Guild” from Wizard of Oz. He’s really good at it. We tried to get Benjamin to do Rubber Ducky because he’s good at that, but it didn’t work.

It’d say it was an altogether GREAT day!! We got back to the hotel around 10pm and had some good laughs along the way.

One thing to add about the day is that Jaren Wilken joined us for the rest of the week. He is the professional photographer for BYU and took some great pictures of us last year at Blackpool. Already today, he took several pictures, many of me working or just standing around – meaning I stood on center typing on my laptop as specials were angled at me and he got some good shots of me in a special light w/ my laptop in hand. As he put it, a great Apple advertisement!!