So I decided to audition for a community theater production of Carousel...

Open auditions, 35 people were there, and I was 16th on the list.

The first 15 auditions were ranged from really bad to can carry a tune (with a couple of people with nice voices, not a lot of training)...and then I went...and the director and choreographer said 'wow' after.

Then another 10 people in the same range of bad to can carry a tune sang...and then a girl came up and sang Can't help loving that man of mine.  and she was pretty damn good.  Had training...but based on her scales with the music director, I deduced that she wasn't a belter....but that doesn't matter for Carousel anyhow.  Then another few people in the bad to can carry a tune category sang.

So basically, me and this girl were the competetive people vocally.  So not surprisingly, she and I got called back for Carrie/Julie...along with a few of the other girls with nice voices.  But these girls weren't close to this other girl.

I talked to the girl briefly...she's 23, went to CSU Fullerton for music and AMDA as well (LA location) and she has a really lovely voice (did disney shows and said she was getting her equity card in may).  She asked where I went - I told her Berkeley, and she asked me how boston was...so I clarified that I went to UC Berkeley, and not Berklee.  My point anyhow is that she thought we both went to school for this, because no one else sounded like they had been training for a long time.

Anyhow, they were still holding some auditions on call back night for people who couldn't make it the first night and there were some really good older female vocalists, that ended up staying for callbacks for Nettie.

Anyhow, after open call backs and seeing everyone, vocally, I couldn't see ANYONE that could play Julie besides me or "equity girl" so I figured that the results would be either her for Julie and me for Carrie, or vice-versa.  Reading wise, there were some really good readers, but they didn't sing like 'equity girl'.  So after I walked out of there, I still figured the same thing...either she's 1 and I'm the other...because in the whole crowd, if there was a ranking system, she'd be first and I'd be second or vice versa.  On my audition sheet I ranked the parts I was interested in and said ensemble as a 3rd choice.  But that was just because I thought that since I was in a kinda rich community, there'd be some really good people there, and I wouldn't mind being ensemble in a good show.  I got the phone call and the lady asked if I would be in their chorus and I said that my schedule was packed and I could do it, but I don't think it'd be worth my time to make it so tight for ensemble.  I'm still really surprised because I imagine that 'equity girl' got Julie...which leaves me wondering who got carrie?  and if 'equity girl' got carrie, then who the hell got Julie? - because equity girl was a solid vocalist.  Any how, after seeing everyone's audition, I wasn't willing to be cast under anyone besides 'equity girl' and was pretty surprised.

I suppose it doesn't help that they precast the Billy and he's kinda older...and I look 12...

and all the men at callbacks for Enoch Snow that were anygood were over 40...and I look 12...

bah!  It sucks because I miss performing and I'm musically bored, but 20 hrs on weekends, and rushing to rehearsal in traffic tues-thurs 4hrs a night after work isn't worth it to be in an ensemble of a show where there is only one solid female vocalist as a lead ('equity girl')  It totally would've been worth it if i walked in and saw a bunch of really good people at auditions and I felt like I was at the bottom of the pack...but not for that theater.

Ensemble would have been fine if the other auditions had been good, and if I thought that it would be a good production, but I don't.  Because only 35 people showed up for auditions, basically, everyone who auditioned will be ensemble...and sorry, but I'm not wasting my time to be in a shitty ensemble, that they didn't even pick...they're just taking everyone because the turnout was small.

And maybe I'm an asshole because I don't feel like one...but I've always been pretty good about assessing where I stand in places.

on to another topic....

how the heck did this girl get her equity card after a year and a half out of school???  Maybe its easier on the west coast??? In that case...TRINAAAAA come to California and get your equity card...and then go  back to NY!  and that way we can hang out...you can live with me!

well...my day is crummy...but my co-worker totally made it better...

He showed me that there's this USB stick that you can just plug into your computer and watch local channels on HD!!!  I don't have a TV and I love love love TV...and most of the stuff I watch is local anyway, so I don't need cable. I'm going to buy one right after work!  yay!

ugh...

well back to being musically bored.

You know what I love about the internet?  Its so easy to start over.  If only everything else in life was that easy...

Online, I can go to previous blogs and edit or delete them, delete myspace and facebook profiles and start over...and just as easily add or delete friends.  Although I suppose the biggest benefit of the myspace/facebook invention is that it allows you to keep in touch with good friends, friends you've lost touch with...and get fairly regular updates about what's going on in their lives without having to do much - basically, the internet has created a lazy way to feel the same benefits that we used to from writing hand written letters to friends and getting responses.  I guess this is the era for shortcuts.  Funny thing to me is that while the internet makes it seem like there are shortcuts through everything, there really aren't.  Just because public profiles can be updated and edited, doesn't mean that our lives don't have the struggles and hardships that they would've had otherwise...its just that the people viewing profiles get to I guess "look over" or "skim" your life instead.

I am guilty of enjoying the good news from estranged friends and learning of the happenings in their lives without the leg work...but in actuality, the friendships that I hold most dear, I treat the old fashioned way - with a twist of technology of course...

Which brings me here...creating yet a new blog - and promising to myself that I'll keep it up...assuming ofcourse it gets read by the parties that it is meant for.

I still keep a handwritten journal for Trina, that I will give her once its full (its about halfway done right now...I write in it less and less...mostly because my hands hurt from writing the old fashioned way - how the hell did Anne Frank do that? lol)

Anyway...

2008 was not one of my best years...but I am optimistic that 2009 will be a happy one, not just because I am hopeful and will allow dumb luck to make that possible, but because I intend to hope while doing my part to make it that way.

13 days into the year, and I have to say that so far, I am pretty damn happy.  I know that still leaves 352 days to screw up - but I have a theory that if I pay enough attention to each day to make it count and to find something to be happy about, even the bad days will have some positve energy lingering in them.

So here's the year so far...

New Years Eve 2008-2009 - Dave and I spent it in Downtown SD and found a dive bar to watch the countdown...boy was the bar a dive!  filled with strange old men and cougars - the non sexy kind.

Jan 1 - I spent the day with my mom and grandmother, while Dave did some work at a coffee shop.  We then decided to hit the buffet at Viejas...a 2+hr line that I hoped would be worth the wait, but wasn't.  An unfortunate phone call from Trina to tell me that her grandfather passed...

Jan 2-  After a short amount of bickering, Dave and I met up with Kelly in Redondo and did some catching up and bar hopping.  A lot of smiles that night.

Jan 3-  Dave and I spent most of the day just relaxing and then caught up with his sister in the evening for dinner and tea.

Jan 4- I hung out with my buddy Schoups and watched some Law and Order SVU - its our "thing"

Jan 5- Back to work day...slow day.  But i had a great night, watching movies and eating dinner w/Dave...we just enjoyed eachother's company.

Jan 6-  evening was just like the night before...I love it!

Jan 7-  Dave and I went to a dive bar near our place...and I sang some karaoke...always makes me think of Trina...

Jan 8-  Dave and I hung out with his sister again...we try to see her a lot when she's in the country.

Jan 9-  We attempted to watch a movie in a theater...which totally flopped because we got there too damn late...

Jan 10-  My mom's 52nd b-day though she doesn't celebrate birthdays anymore...Dave and I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the movie theater - I hadn't seen a movie in a theater in months!

Jan 11-  Chatted on the phone with my mom and did a whole lot of nothing.  I love lazy Sunday!  Dave and I hung out with his sister one last time before she headed back to Venzuela...her next return to the US is in August! 

Jan 12-  Oh the work week begins...but another pleasant evening with Dave...we're on a roll these days. lol

Today...well, its 8pm and I'm still at work...ugh I'm tired, and hungry...and cranky that my hunger may take priority over my daily run...oh well, I guess thats just how it goes sometimes.

Looking forward to Vegas this weekend though.........