Why I Do What I Do

So, whilst taking a break at our rehearsal a couple nights ago a cast member of mine asked me a very interesting question:

"Why do you stage manage?" He asked, "you get almost no recognition, you work more than everyone else, and while you're in school you don't even get paid for it."

And, instead of blowing it off like I normally do when someone asks me that question, I actually stopped and thought about it.

Why do I stage manage? It is a hard, and sometimes thankless job. It's like adding a second job that I don't get paid for onto my schedule. It's frustrating at times, exhausting at times, and it's genuinely hard to do. So why do I keep on doing it??

"Because" a tiny little voice said to me "because of those exact reasons!"

I stage manage because of the emotional connection that theater gives to people. I love being right in the center of that. I love knowing that I played a part in making people laugh, or cry, or understand a concept that they failed to realize before.

Yes, my job is hard, but since when is anything worth having easy? Why would I do anything that's easy? Easy doesn't get you anywhere. We weren't sent to this earth to take the easy road, that's not the point of our existence.

Stage managing doesn't come easy to me. I feel like I fail at is as often as I succeed. But I love doing what I do so much that I'm willing to keep pushing myself to be better.

So, I guess you could say that I stage manage because it's hard. And because easy is boring.

Office Supplies

I have a secret fettish for office supplies.

I don't know why, but post-it's are one of my favorite thing in the world. I got 15 packs of them for Christmas!

One of my good friends continually surprises me with little packs of office supplies, just because she knows I like them. She gave me 3 kinds of post-its for my birthday, and she gave me paper clips for Christmas. Every once in a while, I'll be walking in the building I work at on campus, and a random box of some random office supply will hit me in the head and I know it's because she wants to tell me she likes me. (she NEVER misses my head, this girl has better aim than a sniper. )

I also love sharpie markers. I have a whole bag of them in my stage manager's kit. Every time I see a pack in the store I have to restrain myself from buying the colors I don't have yet.

Also, pen shopping is my favorite thing about starting a new school year.

....... Is that weird??

I love Christmas, and am sad that it's over.
I am happy, however, that I get to spend another week in St George with my family.
I am also happy that I'm starting a new show (Shakespeare's As You Like It) up at BYU in about a week.
I'm happy to be starting a new semester (only 3 left before graduation!), and I'm happy about last semester, it was a good one.
I'm happy that I'm starting a new job this next semester (I get to work with a lot of cool people)
In short, I'm a pretty happy person right now.

Life is good. That is all (for now, more to come promise!).

I believe.......

in the healing power of a good action movie

that everyone deserves a Christmas

in the LDS church (perhaps this one should be first)

in never. ever. giving up.

that hard times and trials suck, but they do make us stronger.

that feeling beautiful can change your entire day.

that making others feel beautiful can change your whole life.

Not Me Tuesday.

So I've given up on the whole Monday thing, ok?

I definitely did not secretly lose my temper at someone today and have to leave the room before I screamed at that person.

I so totally did not, once again, sleep in rather than getting up when my alarm went off. I also didn't unplug my alarm clock because the sound it was making was annoying me.

I totally called my mom today while walking on campus instead of listening to my ipod. And, I didn't have a rationalization that involved me thinking that it took less energy to listen to music than talk to my family.

Happy Thanksgiving all! Enjoy the break!

Sleep

You know what I really like? Sleep. You know what I don't like? When I can't sleep. The latter happens far to often to suit me. Take tonight for instance, it isn't that I'm not tired. Because I am, I really really am. I just lay down to go to sleep, and nothing happens. When I talk about my insomnia to other people, the only way I can describe my inability to sleep is that when I lay down, my thoughts are too loud in my head. I can't lower the volume of what's going on in my own head enough to fall asleep.

Moral of this post..... It's 2am, I can't sleep, and I have to be to work at 8am. Awesome.

An Update

So...... It's been awhile, I know. It's only because I had about 50 billion things to do. But, now that I've got a few minutes, instead of catching up on homework like I should, I figured I'd give an update.

The first update is this: The Taffetas officially closed this week! It's a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I've got more free time, bad because I no longer get to hang out with some of the coolest people I know every night. This show was so wonderful, and I had such a great time. Cut open legs aside, this really was a very fun show to stage manage.

Second update: School started a couple weeks ago. I'm enjoying my classes so far, though the one at 8am is kind of killing me a little bit.

And now, some pictures!

This is Kerilyn (Kaye) and me, posing right before the show started.
These are my girls (I call them my girls even though they're all older than me) signing the pictures that they give out during the show. We usually gave out 4 each night, but at the last show we gave out about 40.And two members of our wonderful band! (Cori doesn't always look this grumpy, she just hated when I took pictures of her)
And this is me and my absolutely wonderful assistant stage manager:And finally, this is everyone! Our full cast and band, the director and me and my assistant.

TheTaffetas

So, I've got another show opening in about 2 1/2 weeks up at BYU, and you should all buy tickets and come see it.

Longer post later.

Mistakes

I think you should be proud of the mistakes you made, not because you made them, but because you recognize that they're mistakes and have therefore learned from them.

I remember.....

When I thought the sun was the size of a basketball, and was inside the earth.

When I thought a quarter was a lot of money.

When a can of soda was too much for me to drink.

When I thought "shut-up" was a really bad word.

When I thought I could catch a spark from a firework in my hand and wear it in my hair. (True story! I was a weird child....)

'Tis the season......

...... for marriages. I just had two of my friends get engaged.... within one week of each other. Two? You may be asking yourself.... But Lindsi! That isn't an unreasonable number, and the time period could surely be a fluke...... Until you factor in the other 4 previously engaged couples that I know who's weddings are taking place this month. You know what that means? It means I've got one wedding to attend every weekend this month. Is it any wonder I'm getting a little tired of pastel colored tulle and little tiny packets of rice?

Not Me Monday

I definitely didn't forget to turn up the volume on my alarm clock, which in turn definitely didn't make me wake up an hour and a half later than I was supposed to.

There's no way I would EVER consider taking some money out of my hard earned savings to go see Transformers 2. I'm totally aware that I would regret it later, after I was done rotting my brain with mind-numbing action awesomeness.

I definitely didn't stay up until 4am. I so totally went to bed at a decent hour last night, and it's amazing how awake and alert I feel right now. Not at all like I lack any and all strength.

Michael Jackson

I know a lot of people didn't like him. A lot of people thought he was creepy, and strange. On some level I agree with them. He certainly wasn't ordinary, in his life or with his music. Despite what you think about him, everyone must admit that his talent was extraordinary. He must have loved music, and he must have worked hard. I say this because no one, no matter how talented, can achieve anything unless they're willing to work for it.

People often underestimate the power of music. They forget the effect that it has on people. How a song with a good message can lift us up. How a powerful score can literally make a movie. The memories that go with a certain song are some of the most powerful I have.

I respected Michael Jackson because his music was so powerful. He could take one song and make it reach all people, no matter their age, race, or nationality. That is a talent that deserves respect, and no has ever been able to do it again.

And so we say good-bye to a man who truly deserved the title "King of Pop" because everyone must admit that no matter what allegations followed him, his music will live forever. Because that's just how good it is.

I Miss....

- My family

- Being around people that I don't have to hide from.

- Laurel Sandberg-Armstrong (and her husband Nathan)

- A fast internet connection

- New episodes of The Office, Supernatural, Scrubs, and Ugly Betty

- Being in school (though you'll never actually hear me saying that one out loud)

- My family

My Mom and Dad

(I'm a late for Mother's Day, and early for Father's Day.... Oh well)

I love my parents. They are the best example of the kind of person that I hope to be someday. My mother has more patience than anyone I've ever known, she's such a great listener and is always willing to listen to me as I rant about people over the phone. And my dad is so full of understanding and love, he can pick me up off the floor when I'm feeling discouraged and make me feel better about what I'm doing, and where I am in life.

They are the reason I go here:


And they're the reason I'm able to stay sane through all of this:


I want nothing more than to make them proud of me. That's part of the reason I went to college, and it's the main reason I work so hard while I'm here. I'm so glad that I never went through a teenage-angsty thing where I stopped listening to my parents. They gave me great advice all throughout my teenage years, and they continue to do so.

Thank you for teaching me correct principles, and then letting me explore and test them. I know it was hard to watch me make mistakes, but I'm a stronger person now because of it.

Thank you both for everything you've done. For every sacrifice (and there were a lot!) and for every midnight phone call, emergency fund deposits, and (most of all) for all of the prayers, and spiritual support.

I love you both more than I can say.

Never Neverland (Fly Away)

She'd tell me 'bout Captain Hook and all of his men
Who followed Peter with with a hook replaced as his hand
In those tales, bad guys never did win,
So the Captain was eaten and Wendy had twins
Well that was the story as I recall
But I may have made up the end
Don't remember much at three feet tall
Except for when I'd say,
"Mom, let me go to Never Neverland
Let me fly for one day
And throw that fairy dust in my hair
So I'll pretend I'm flying away"
I'm flying away
Well to my surprise, I grew up too fast,
And that easy life of Tinkerbell never did last
So I silently dream myself far, far away
That I would be immortalized like Peter one day
And that's my childhood as I recall
Though in some ways in some ways it never did end
And now I'm standing a little bit taller
Except for when I say,
"Mom, let me go to Never Neverland
Let me fly for one day
And throw that fairy dust in my hair
So I'll pretend I'm flying away"
I'm flying away
And though life is never easy as we as children read in the books
Where fairy dust could just fly you so far away
All I ask is that you leave me my imagination
So I can pretend I'm flying away
I'm flying away
And that is where I stay
Right there in Never Neverland
I'd be flying, I'd be dying
For love and appreciation
Where mermaids would sing
And fairies would ring
Right down there in Never Neverland
And it's second to the left and straight on 'til morning
Or was it second to the right and straight on 'til morning?
In Never Neverland
In my Never Neverland

I found this song while reading this blog. It reminds me of a time when there were less things to worry about, of a time when entertainment came in the form of tea parties and imaginary friends (mine, apparently, was a bear).

Childhood is the Never Neverland of our lives. While we're there we don't appreciate it, and once we leave we can't go back. And while growing up has it's own adventures, I think there's a part in all of us that wish we could remember how to get back to Never Neverland.

Who knew it could be so simple?!

Saw someone driving while eating cotton candy. I now believe that if more people do this, the general happiness of the population would increase so much, all war would end. That's right my friends, cotton candy could totally be the cause of world peace!

Dear Life

Dear Job-
I like you much better than I liked my other one. Getting experience in theater and getting apid for it is one of the best things ever.

Dear New Apartment-
I like that you're bigger, i like that I have my own bathroom. I don't like the slow internet connection or the fact that I have to walk up a lot of steep stairs to get to campus.

Dear New Boots-
You are wonderful, and also 50 percent off. What else do I need to say?

Dear Insomnia-
Go away. Now. I would like to sleep, because I've got to be up in a couple of short hours.

Dear Disneyland-
19 DAYS!!!!

And finally-

Dear Life-
I'm so supremely blessed. I've got a job when many people don't, a home when many people are sleeping in the streets, and a loving, kind, wonderful family when so many people are alone. Life, you've been good to me, and I'm grateful. I'm also blessed to have the knowledge that I'm a daughter of God, a fact that is sometimes the only good thing I have to hold onto. Thank you to everyone who is part of my life. I love and appreciate you all.

Top 10 Pet Peeves

1. People who try to sing in the car when they don't know the words. Especially in my car, for some reason.

2. People who touch me too much. Sounds weird, but I am not a touchy person.

3. Those little ceramic collectible kittens. It's their shifty eyes. It may also have something to do with Dolores Umbridge and the fifth Harry Potter book.

4. People who complain about Utah. Unless you've lived here your whole life, (and in more than just Provo) you haven't earned the right. Period.

5. Really bad mystery novels.

6. A slow internet connection.

7. Irresponsibility

8. Forgetfulness

9. People who talk on their cell phone while I'm trying to sleep.

10. People who call me, and then don't leave a message.

Music Review #2- Marie Digby

Marie Digby's album can be summed up in two words: High School. Talking about eating under the bleachers at lunch, and living with your boyfriend in the same CD creates a very disjointed album, with you getting very confused as to the demographic she's shooting for. Considering how she wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 songs, I think that the feel we get from her personality is that she's got a bit of growing up to do before she'll make an album that has more than a hint of originality.

That being said, her album isn't all bad. Her most commercial single (Say It Again) also serves as the best of the CD. Miss Invisible also shows some promise, only being ruined by the aforementioned high school references.

Those who like Mandy Moore will also probably like Marie Digby, their vocals are very similiar as are their song styles. They even look similar. All Marie really needs now is a starring part in a movie that will develope a cult following. Oh, she should probably sing the main songs on the soundtrack too, just for good measure.

Album Overview: All around, her mixed lyrics make for a disjointed album that hardly anyone would find likeable all the way through.

Download: Say It Again
Skip: Everything else