Something that never fails

I was thinking about what I could blog about today, and although I'm going to blog about my Broadway experience tonight, I decided a much-needed break was in order. I thought, "What gives me a much-needed break?"

I could only think of one word. Well, actually like two words, if ".com" is a word. Or maybe three, with the dot? Okay, well, I thought of one concept: www.homestarrunner.com.



It's on my list of Web sites I visit daily, along with my email and bank accounts. I can count on something new being there weekly, not counting their sketchbook, fan and quote stuff. If I've had a hard day, nothing can lift my spirits like browsing through my favorite toons or hitting the "random" button and having the site pick a classic StrongBad email.

Everyone in the office knows about my addiction and merely smiles indulgently when they hear me laughing and look over to see what struck me as hilarious, seeing the telltale signs of FreeCountry, USA. I even talk in Teen Girl Squad voices with one of my coworkers — which, by the way, is exhausting.

I love wearing their merchandise, too. There's nothing quite like walking around with "Rock, rock on" on your back, and people yelling from across the quad, "Awesome shirt! I love homestarrunner!" Or getting a coupon for their merchandise for your birthday — it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

What makes people like the Brothers Chaps? Sometimes I wish I could be half as creative as they are — I could definitely use the talent. Although, I'm sure it gets exhausting, cranking out new stuff every week. I wonder if they live on Mountain Dew, or just pure adrenaline from the rush of creating things and seeing it in color, playing back to them.

I guess it was worth a lot, 'cause I got in!

And yay, verily, Amy's audition for Broadway Revue was not in vain, for she got in! And there was much rejoicing. And yay, she did invite all who could to come and watch the performance and she will probably post pictures and video as soon as the event happens.

My foray into Broadway

Photo by Steven Hopkins
Yeah, yeah, I know I've used the word "foray" a lot lately in my posts, but it just works so well rhyming with Broadway that I had to use it again.

Anyway, I don't know how many of you I had told about this beforehand, but I auditioned for Broadway Revue (yes, that is the way they spell it) this past Thursday. I told myself before the semester began that I would, so I did. It's basically a show of people singing and dancing to Broadway songs -- go figure. I decided on the song "Nothing" from the musical A Chorus Line.

It was an interesting route getting there, though, just because I realized I needed either an accompanist or a minus track to sing along to during auditions. That was Tuesday when I realized this, so I texted my sister-in-law Mandi and asked her if they provided accompanists or what I could do to audition, since she'd been in the show before- she's amazing that way. :)

She told me I'd probably need to provide either, and I was semi-panicking. I didn't really know anyone who had time to practice the song in two days or could pick up music and play it really well, and my hopes began failing me. Then I asked if I could somehow buy/make a minus track, and Mandi graciously told me, with two day's notice, that she would. Bless her soul. She says it was so she could play with her new music software, Finale, but I just think that was an excuse to not make me feel bad. :)

So, she finished it up the next day, and I had a good half of a day or so to practice with the track and polish my singing and acting. I performed for my roommates the night before, who at least acted amused. Thanks guys.

I checked the Web site to see if I just had to show up at 4 to audition, or if I had to do anything else. It said to sign up at the MC Info Desk, so I dutifully went there that morning and looked at the sheet, which basically said I needed to send my lyrics the day before and had a sign up sheet with time slots. I shrugged my shoulders, signed up anyway, and ran to my next class.

I sent the lyrics, figuring that I would still be okay, and looked at this kind of disclosure they wanted me to sign. "Blah, blah, blah...BYU-Idaho appropriate...Blah blah blah...only students can perform...blah blah blah...you can't change the lyrics on a cover song. Wait a second." I had changed three of the words in my song, all three being expletives. I texted Mandi in a panic, wondering if my song was a cover song. She called me back and told me she was pretty sure it wasn't, but I was still a bit wary.

I showed up pretty early for my audition, just because of where I was situated and what I had to do that day, and they didn't start admitting people until 15 minutes after they said they would start, which was interesting. But I just went up to sign in a bit later than I would've, and the girl asked me which lyrics I had changed.

I was like, "That word right there," pointing to the word "nonsense."

"What was the word before?" she asked.

I was almost sorely tempted to blurt it out, but knowing it probably wouldn't win me any points with the Talent Board, I merely said, "A swear word," like a five-year-old would. I don't know why I didn't use the word "expletive," but I was already nervous they wouldn't accept my audition because I'd changed the words. She merely nodded and approved my edits.

With my knees shaking, I entered the MC Little Theater, where five sets of eyes were waiting to take my act in. I introduced myself, spelled my name, and promptly starting switching things around on stage. I took the mic off the stand, pulled a piano bench up to my space and nodded to the guy running the CD player to mash go.

For the most part, I think it went well. I was pretty nervous, but only shook a little when I switched to my head voice and remembered everything I needed to say and sing. Also, they laughed during an appropriate part of my performance, which was encouraging. It's a funny piece, so laughing is a good thing.

After I was finished, I used my wobbly knees to walk out of there and said goodbye to everyone. One of the judges went to go get some food somewhere else in the MC just as I was leaving and told me "You're really good," for whatever that's worth.

I find out if I made the show tomorrow, so I guess we'll see what it was worth.

A vocal minority

In my Money Management class, I have lots of epiphanies. My latest one came about when the class was split into married people and single people in order for the married people to give a kind of "What I Wish I Would've Known" thing about money before they were married.

I thought to myself, before we split up, "I am so in the single minority in this class. It's going to be the married people and me."

That's not quite what happened, however.

I was surprised to find, as we turned our desks toward each other, that the single people occupied more than half of the seats in the room! But, as we did this little exercise, I realized that the people who commented the most were in the married minority, which led me to believe that there were a lot of married people in the class.

This semi-bothered me and made me wonder about why it seems that those who are married are the most vocal in class.

I've got a couple of theories:

1. Only people who are vocal get married.

2. Married people have twice as many life stories to share.

3. When they get married, they become more interested in getting involved in class and getting involved in their education.

4. Some married people think that they because they're married, they suddenly have important things/advice to say to those poor "unmarrieds". ;)

Whatever the reason, I say single people to speak out! Become heard! I know I'm trying to.

Things I Love

So I've been tagged by Anna Bergevin (spelling? Sorry if I'm wrong) to write about this, so here are three things I love more than my family, roommates, children, or soda. I don't know how family and children are different, but they are. It's hard when you're not married and you don't have the choice of husband, so you have to fill that spot with something similar...;)

1) Lost parties with my family. Actually, any parties with my family. I know it kinda counts as being my family, but they make me happy, especially when we can all get together and go to San Francisco or Denver. I'd rather hang with my fam than anyone else.

2) Making people laugh. I love coming up with things on the fly and hearing genuine laughter afterward. This happens a lot when Becca and I go off on something random. I love times with her, too, a lot.

3) When teachers validate my life by complimenting me. I'm going to be honest, sometimes it's just not enough to do assignments just for the sake of knowledge. I love every once in awhile to have a "gold star" moment.

I'm tagging Becca, Brandon and Katie McPhelpen to do the same thing I just did.

Senior Seminar: senioritis in an enclosed space

One of the requirements of my major is a class called Senior Seminar, which you must take as a senior, obviously. I don't know if the heads of the department really thought this through before putting this class into play. A bunch of seniors, either a semester or two semesters from graduating...all in class together...early in the morning...

The best part of the whole thing is the fact that we're in groups and supposed to do group things from time to time. Before last night, I have never been in a group where it was blatantly stated that they didn't want to be there and didn't care about the assignment. I've been in groups where the underlying tone was that fact, but I've never had it openly said. Until last night.

Honestly, before our little rendevouz, I had basically wiled the day away with a very long nap and half an assignment. I was still in that mood when it was expressed that no one else really cared, making my mood even worse. It was like an awful cycle of senioritis going round and round in that little newsroom.

I had written partial answers to all five questions we were supposed to answer. We're talking five questions here, people. Five, concise, sucinct, answers -- maybe a paragraph long at most. Everyone was amazed at my feat of academia. Have we really degenerated to things as sad as this when we become seniors? I haven't. Yet.

My profession is going up in flames

Reading the New York Times headlines today was definitely an interesting experience. There it was in the Media and Advertising section: "Editor Fires Parting Shot at His Chain," speaking of the Los Angeles Times editor James O'Shea who got fired because he refused to make job cuts the parent company,the Tribune Company, was demanding.

This has been a startlingly growing trend in the business in the past few years, especially since circulation, readership and advertising have taken a dip and profit margins have gone from 20% to 15% or less. The thing is, a 3% profit margin is amazing, but with huge parent companies investing stock who know nothing but the concept of more, it's too much of a deficit and they've started cutting jobs to make up the loss.

The ironic thing is, the more you cut jobs, the harder it is to make lots of good content for people to read, and the less people read it, which brings advertising revenue down even further. I don't know what the solution is, but I know that large amounts of job cuts will probably come back to haunt big conglomerates in the end.

This is the field I have chosen to go into. I'm sure I'll be fine, but sometimes it's a bit daunting to see what I'm up against: lots of big companies who only know numbers and profit margins, rather than content, ruling the newsroom.