Austin's Journal

My friend Clare just invited me last night to see Wicked with her when she sees it in Syracuse in January! I'm extremely excited, it's going to be the First National Tour which has Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda right now and I would really love to see her (fingers crossed for no understudies, at least not for Glinda) because from reviews I've read online and recordings of her she seems to be really promising as one of the few actresses who doesn't go ridiculously over the top in the role and makes Glinda a sincere character. Plus I saw her in one of the Pittsburgh CLO shows this past summer (Copacabana. Pretty bland show but I really liked her) so I'd really like to see how she does with Glinda.

Also Donna Vivino is playing Elphaba and while I don't know much about her portrayal (other than that revyrie liked her, and we tend to agree on which Elphabas and Glindas we like) but she was the original Young Cosette in the Broadway production of Les Miserables so it would be interesting to see her just for that little fun fact :)

revyrie

Read 8 Notes -Make Notes

My car is officially done. The repairs will cost more than it's worth so we're just going to sell it to a junk yard for parts.

I'm sad. I've grown attached to that car. It's gotten me everywhere I wanted to go, carted friends around, got me home when I've been lost (frequently), and I just don't want it to be sold away. I remember reading online once about how men typically get attached to their first cars much more than women do and I thought that seemed so silly, but I guess it's true because I really don't want a new car, I want my car with the broken center console, mysterious stains on the dashboard, oil spill in the back seat, and memories.

I know I'm being silly, but I really will miss my car. :(

In other news I'm going to Brandywine PA this weekend for the Pennsylvania Art Education Conference. Sould be a great experience which will not only help me become a better art teacher one day, but will also look good on my resume. :D

Read 1 Note -Make Notes

Like the repetitively redundant title? I do. :)

 

Read 11 Notes -Make Notes

Last night my car was hit by a hit and run. It was parked at the top corner of the street my apartment is on and, according to the witness, an SUV came down the street, went into reverse to go back around the corner, hit my car, went up on the sidewalk, and then drove away. My car isn't damaged too bad. Some denting on the rear passenger side and smashed brake light cover, but the lights themselves are ok and the car is still very much driveable.

I feel confident that we'll be able to catch the culprit. There's a surveillance camera right on that corner where I was parked which should have seen everything and the Mercyhurst Police are looking at the footage, the witness got the driver's license plate number and is about 90% sure it's the right numbers, and they left behind a nice big chunk of their car's body, so if we see a silver SUV missing that piece, Cinderella's Slipper, we've got our guy.

Anyways, I wasn't in the car, so I'm completely ok. I was in the apartment watching TV with my roommates when our Area Director came up and told me about the accident. She said "As soon as I heard your name I thought 'Oh no'" by which I think she meant that she feels bad always bringing me problems. She knows I'm a pretty good kid, yet it seems as though she always has to handle bad situations with me, most notably that whole fiasco with my druggie roommates freshman year.

Read 10 Notes -Make Notes

otakuwench

piratesmile331

Read 4 Notes -Make Notes

Hey, look who's posting in his journal! Last time I wrote I wrote a review of Act I of the tour of Rent. I never got around to writing up my thoughts on Act II and avoided posting in my LJ because I felt sheepish about not finishing my review. Anyways, I feel it's been long enough for it to be acceptable to post again.

So, it's Fourth of July, happy Independence Day people! I had to work today, but it's ok, because none of my friends or family had plans anyway. For those who don't know about my job, i work at the local fruit market as a cashier (primarily, but we take care of anything that needs done in the store) and for the first few weeks I really didn't like it. The produce and flowers don't have prices on them and we don't have a scanner so it's necessary to learn the prices by heart or look them up on the list, but the customers get impatient when you do that. Plus the prices are changing constantly and it's nigh impossible to keep up. The schedules aren't posted until Friday so I never know when I'm working in advance and can't really make plans, and worst of all was the manager Kim.

Kim has, according to my friend who worked there last summer and hated it, worked at the fruit market for twelve years and judging by her attitude she wasn't happy about it. She was always in a bad mood, acted like I was inconveniencing her if I asked a question, got mad at me if I didn't know what I was doing, and basically treated me like an idiot and a nuisance no matter what I did.

BUT!

This past Tuesday was her last day! I no longer have to see her or deal with her attitude and I seriously can't describe how much better work is now that she's gone. For those of you who are familiar with the musical The Wiz (and if you haven't you should. Don't let the craptastic movie fool you, it really is a good musical) all I could think of on Wednesday, my first day of work without Kim, was the song "Everybody Rejoice!" which the slaves sing after Evilene is melted. It was such a good day.

In other news, I saw Legally Blonde the Musical twice while it was in Pittsburgh and it was phenomenal. Becky Gulsvig is on her way to becoming one of my favorite Broadway stars and I'd love to see her as Glinda some day. Also I will be going with my mom to see Les Miserables this Tuesday and Kate Loprest ( aformer Glinda) is playing Cosette, so I am super excited. It's my mom's first time seeing the show after three years of longing. :)

That's about all people!

Read 2 Notes -Make Notes

Read 6 Notes -Make Notes

It was just an intro. Kinda rambly, all about me (hobbies, music, the stuff I'm into, all that jazz)

Anyway, I'M SEEING RENT THIS SATURDAY!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

*is slightly sad about the whole "Farewell Tour" whatnot, though*

Read 10 Notes -Make Notes

piratesmile331

Philosophy of Education:

 

Read 9 Notes -Make Notes

And that last post was a meme :O

Anyways, I've been unexpectedly busy lately. Schoolwork before Christmas break, family stuff over break, and OMGMORESCHOOLWORK after break, but for now I'm a little free.

I've begun practicums again for Art Ed. This term I'm in a high school (Mercyhurst Prep) since I'm taking Secondary Art Education now and I like the teacher much more than the last one I had to work with. She is much mre respectful of her students and treats them better. The students areso far pretty good to work with, not as much fun as working with the younger kids, but it's still a good experience. I'm thinking that when I graduate I'll probably look for jobs in the elementary schools, but I do enjoy working in the high school. It actually reminds me a bit of Quigley, except with more kids and more money.

Also, I just finished my second teaching lesson and it went very well. I ended up being late (yikes!) because I had to run off copies of my handouts and stuff, but it still went well and I got a "B". I'm now much more confident in my choice to be an art teacher, whereas last year, and even until about mid-term this year, I wasn't so sure.

Nothing else is really going on right now though, except that we've begun rehearsals for Sweet Charity and I've gotta be honest, I'm not so in love with the show. The Fosse choreography is fun (but painful!) but I find the show as a whole to be a little boring. I watched the movie last night and while I'm sure it will be different live, I couldn't help but think "This would be so much better if they weren't singing" and you all know me, it's pretty rare that I would say that about a musical! It just seems that the songs do very little for the story and just kind of interrupt it, rather than help it. It also has a horribly unsatisfactory ending, for me, in which

!!!!!!!!SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!! 

the main character, whose life has been crapped on throughout the show, is dumped by her fiance, spends the night crying with no home to go to without telling her friends that her mariage failed before it even began, and it just ends with the words "And she lived hopefully ever after".  WHAT THE HECK?? Charity has not shown any real strength, other than her ability to live in denial, and we're just left with, basically, she's still miserable and unsatisfied, but she remains as in denial as ever? I hope to God that that was just one of those times where the movie version took a severe departure from the stage version and the original piece gives a much more satisfactory ending.

Read 12 Notes -Make Notes