BSM

What a weekend!! Brian Stokes Mitchell (who goes by "Stokes" btw) came to BYU to do a concert. Well, he also did a master class that was basically 2 1/2 straight hours of genius.
Some of my favorite thoughts were:

Be a connoisseur of life.

Learn to be happy right now. If you wait to be happy until you have a Tony, you'll never be happy, because even if you do get one, the next day you still have to work!

Live artfully. You can be a great artist in whatever you do, always.

It's about the quest, not the goal.

After the class, everyone was going up to him and talking, taking pictures, etc. I figured he would be tired and appreciate me not going up and talking to him. (It doesn't really make sense...but it does to me.) Well, my mom dragged me over to him and I met him. He really is one of the most gracious, open people that I've ever been around. Afterward, I got brave, and as he was leaving, I asked him to sign my paper. I also told him how excited I was for his concert the next day, and that I was going for my birthday. He asked when it was, and wished me a happy birthday! Isn't that amazing?

His concert was delicious. I loved every minute of it, and you could tell that he did, too. When he closed with "Wheels of a Dream," I wanted to jump up and sing it with him. I will have to post our family picture when I can upload it. Afterward, we got to spend time with some of our favorite friends, the Southerlands. It was a dream night.

My little paper says,

"To Melinda

Dream!

Brian Stokes Mitchell"

It's perfect.

It's time

Alex told me a terrifying thought the other day when school started. When we started BYU in 2003, the incoming freshman class was in 6th grade. Yes. Elementary school. And I am still here... yes. It's time to graduate. I can't wait. These kids look way too young to be at university.

A little thing

Yesterday was the first day of school. 8 am class rolls around and I'm pretty out of it. I'm just happy I'm there on time. After all of the student designers introduce themselves (I'm the last one) and what show they are working on, a girl next to me turns and says, "Did you do sound for Kristy Kadish's mask club?" And, quite taken aback that anyone would know I did that, especially with my "new" last name (I just changed it at school after 2 1/2 years of marriage...), not to mention that it was a year ago, I said, "Yes!" And she said, "Oh! It was really good!" I thanked her, then the teacher started talking.

I worked REALLY hard on that mask club. I spent hours on end listening to music, cutting music, editing tracks, meeting with the director and cast to figure out what worked best- poor Alex listened to a whole lot of violin music while I was on it. I was extremely proud of the work that I had done. I got a big thank you, multiple times, from the director, a pretty perfect grade on it, and a few compliments from my friends and family that came to see it. But... when you work as hard as I worked on anything, there is a big part of you that wants recognition, right? Or is that just me? I wanted people to gush over how brilliant and inspired the sound design was. Well, that didn't really happen to the extent that I wanted it to. However, a year later, a girl remembering my name enough to tell me that she liked my work was so amazing! It lifted my spirits and got me in school mode just in time to dig deep into my design for Stage Door.

Thank you, random other student designer, thank you!!

Wisdom from Dumbledore

While watching Harry Potter tonight with my dad, I thought about how perfectly this dang movie is cast! Everyone is perfect. I LOVE the first Harry Potter. It's so magical and new, I just can't get enough of it. And I love John Williams. Could anyone have made a more perfect score for such a magical movie? I don't think so. The themes are perfection. Also, I am reminded of the wisdom of Albus Dumbledore. The books have many more tidbits, of course, but here are some that I love.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live."

I think we sometimes get so caught up in the future, or dwelling on the past that we forget right now. We forget to be here, right now, wherever we are. We forget to be grateful for all that we have right now. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband. He is more wonderful than anything I could have dreamed up for myself. I am grateful for my family, who constantly support us, and never make us feel stupid when we have to borrow money and are always willing to help us out with errands, puppy sitting, or whatever may come up. My parents are extremely generous to us in every way. And I'm grateful for my little puppy, who brings me such peace and happiness every day with just a wag of her tail, or when she jumps on my lap and curls up, letting me know that she loves me. I'm grateful for old friends and new, who constantly help me to be brave and open and teach me how to be better.

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."

I've been learning lately that it is extremely important to stand up for what you know is right. I need to be a good example to myself and never be afraid to stand up when there is a problem. It's kind of hard to be the best we can be, and follow everything that the prophets say, but it is important. The Church is true. It's easy to get caught up in the small things, or very large problems and obstacles. But it's true. It's worth it. It's easy to become lax, to fall away little by little. Don't let it happen. We need to be humble enough to see the faults in ourselves without getting offended or prideful. It's hard to change. But it's even harder to be unhappy day after day. Do what is right- God will protect you.

Different tastes

I was in Stained Glass today and one of my classmates started telling us about how she was watching Lord of the Rings for the first time with her husband. We were all amazed that she hadn't seen it before, and I remarked at the number of extremely good-looking men in the films. I said my favorite was Faramir.

Quite good looking. But everyone questioned my decision. Granted, I swoon when Orlando comes on the screen, and I want to make out with Aragorn pretty much through the entire trilogy. (However, I don't really find Viggo that attractive outside of LOTR. That long hair works for him.) Whenever Faramir appears, however, I am just happy! It's odd, but he is my choice.

LOST. Again, a plethora of men that are ruggedly handsome. My favorite? After having great love for Jack and Sawyer, (and it is very possible that Jin is the most handsome Asian ever) I fell in love with Desmond.

It's possibly his amazingly attractive accent that Alex just happens to do extremely well. Perhaps it is his devotion to Penny. Whenever he was in an episode, I was quite happy with LOST (after thoroughly establishing that he wasn't creepy). "Brotha," he is good looking!

And Gilmore Girls. I loved Dean more than Jess, until the "incident," of course. But when it came to Logan, I hated him. I was in love with Marty, and I couldn't understand why Rory wasn't, too.

It doesn't hurt that he played Fabrizio in Light in the Piazza, either. So dang dreamy.

Oddly, they all look like Alex in a way. It would seem that I think big noses are attractive, as my husband seems to think his nose is rather large. I also think that Shawn from Psych is totally cute, but my mom says he has a big nose. Suits me just fine!

Why?

How is it that I leave the house with my hair looking decently, and after class two hours later, I look like a homeless ragamuffin? What in the world happens while I sit in class trying to keep myself awake?
And why do we have to be so dependent on money? I need to find a way to win some serious cash, fast. It seems like the only problems that we have are money problems. Can't I just have a day of no money-worrying bliss?
Someday. And I seriously need help with my hair.

The Best Day

was yesterday!! Now, I woke up feeling a little sick, and after staying home all day yesterday from feeling the same way, I wasn't too happy with my life. I also haven't gotten a thing done since doing the dishes and laundry at the beginning of the week. I've been feeling very useless, especially because we're scraping the I trudged into the office and looked at my email. What did I see? A job offer!!!! A real, live job- and it just happened to be one that I've wanted for a long time: Tim Threlfall's assistant. Well, I was so excited that I suddenly felt fine and had a lot of energy. I didn't feel useless anymore, and started cleaning my house. Long overdue! Then I heard it was Audra McDonald's birthday, and we were going to see 110 in the Shade at the Hale last night, so for some reason I thought it would be awesome to make her cookies. So I did, and put a nice little note on it. Then we went to eat dinner at the in-laws' house, where we found out that Alex's mom had bought a puppy! We have yet to see her in person, because she was going to pick her up after the show, but we're planning on going over today. Her picture is DANG cute, though! Then, we got to see Audra. PHENOMENAL. I was blown away by the whole show! When it ended, I couldn't stop smiling for about five minutes. It was awesome. When I met her after the show, though, I was too embarrassed to tell her that I was the one who made the cookies. Silly girl. But she looked so tired and was gracious enough to talk to everyone who waited outside, so I felt badly taking her time. Oh well. Then we went to Applebee's with Cynthia Klumpp and family, Jennie Pardoe (who came with us to the show), Tim Threlfall, his wife and daughter, Kevin and Vanessa Goertzen, and Clotile Bonner and her dad. It was so dang fun!! I love having wonderful friends. It was such a great day!

Good Things

Today I did:

Homework
Dishes
Laundry.

Plus, I got a sweet audition because of Bailee.

I feel pretty awesome.

Austen Mania!

I have never been an over the top Jane Austen fan. I've never read one of her books, but I've seen the 6 hour long Pride and Prejudice, the awful Kiera Knightly version, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I'm a fan, but wouldn't consider myself a "Jane-ite." What has happened to me lately?

It all started with Lost in Austen. This mini-series captivated me. Modern girl gets stuck in Pride and Prejudice. Sounds silly. It's not. After watching it instantly on Netflix, (the best thing in the world) I was hooked. I watched a behind the scenes, and searched for anything I could find on it. And Elliott Cowan is a SERIOUSLY hot Mr. Darcy. I watched the ending about 12 times. Take three hours and watch it. It's so dreamy.

Then I picked up this little book, along with two others, at Borders last week. I hadn't read a novel in a long time, and I was so excited to have a fresh, brand new book in my hands. (I even got it for free, thanks to a gift card from my aunt and uncle!) Well, I remember why I haven't read a book for so long. School. When I open a book, I get captivated and fall under a spell. I don't want to do anything else but bask in the world the book has created. Everything else goes out the window- homework, dishes, laundry, etc. It's bad. This is a fun, easy read that I highly recommend. But again, it's modern girl goes to fictional Austen-based theme park, I guess you would say. I must really have a hankering for the past these days.

After finishing Austenland, last night, Alex and I watched Sense and Sensibility.

I hadn't seen it since I was young, and frankly thought it was a little slow, but I was in this Austen-y mood, and Alex had never seen it. What a gorgeous movie! I appreciated it so much more now that I'm not 10. If you haven't watched it lately, do it. It is so beautiful. It's a shame that all movies can't be just like this one. I don't know why it's not more popular than Pride and Prejudice, frankly. I absolutely loved it, and Alex did, too, enough to say that we should own it!

I don't know what has gotten into me, but I'm not sure if this mood will ever lift. The only thing I can say is that I am so grateful to have my own perfect man. Alex is everything I could ever want. It is so nice to read these books and watch these movies, and not want for anything in my own relationship. If Edward from Twilight (the books, not the movie, and there IS a big difference) and Mr. Darcy have done nothing else for the world, I hope they make girls want to be treated well. You don't have to settle, my friends. And you don't have to rush. Just enjoy the journey, and your Colonel Brandon will come, and he'll be everything you've been praying for. (Try not to fall for the Willoughby's of the world. I have. It doesn't end pretty.)

The V Word

Monday, little Belly Bear had to face her biggest fear- the vet. She was shaking so hard I thought she was going to fall out of my arms. She's ok, it was just for her yearly check-up and vaccinations. The nurse at the front desk was not very nice, which made me feel badly for my little one. Belly's usually ok with the vet if I hold her when they do whatever they do, but this time she was NOT having it. She squirmed all over the place, paws tangling in my hair, trying to escape over my shoulder and down my back. It was a little funny. But they took her to the back to finish, and when they came back in the room, my little baby had a muzzle on! It was the tiniest muzzle. Apparently the only volume she has on her is from her hair. I felt so badly for her. She's never had to wear a muzzle in her life. The vet said she was fine, just needed to be socialized more.

Um, EXCUSE ME?! Socialized more?!

I tried not to be offended for myself or Annabelle. I told him that she loves other animals and loves people, just hates the vet. I mean, what animal really likes going to the vet? I was upset that he would assume that she was this badly behaved all the time. I am a really good pet parent, and I have trained my dog well! She is a great dog, and everyone that meets her, loves her.

I didn't really trust the vet after that.

p.s. On a gross note, she's been licking herself a LOT since then. Is that normal? It's like every other minute. It's like she's getting a little OCD.

Ranting.

Here is a rant from a paper. I'm deleting the last paragraph. I just had to get it out. It's been building up all weekend. Please note that I'm extremely fatigued and it's 2 am. Words don't come as easily at 2 am.

I couldn’t read Angels in America. After two “f” words on the second page, I was done. I really don’t think we should be required to read something with that kind of language in a class at BYU. I am grateful we were given permission to not read it, but personally, I don’t think it should have been considered for the curriculum at all. Our standards shouldn’t have to be lowered just so we can “branch out.” Especially at BYU, because we are supposed to have standards here, whether or not it's cool.
I don’t know why something has to be controversial or shocking in order to be considered ‘good art.’ In one of my classes, someone said, “Watching good people doing good things is boring.” Why? Why is that boring? I don’t think it is. I guess it depends on what one considers the purpose of art to be. I think that art should be uplifting. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about issues, but the films and plays that are out there are mostly done by inactive (or ex) members who have a bone to pick with some aspect about the Church and want to exploit it for gain.
On a personal note, doing theater for the Church has been the greatest theater experience I’ve ever had. When someone says that Savior of the World is manipulating, what theatrical experience isn’t? People use key changes for a reason. Isn’t the purpose of art to evoke some sort of emotion? Any theatrical experience is meant to evoke some emotion, so isn’t every theatrical experience manipulative? Les Miserables uses every trick in the book to evoke emotion, but the message behind it- “to love another person is to see the face of God”- is still true. Do you go to Les Mis and think, “Gosh, that key change was really powerful. I’m being manipulated.” The message behind SOTW is true. And there are many people on stage at once, bearing testimony in a unique way that what they are saying is true. If I cry as Mary or Mary Magdalene, it is pure testimony. I’m not trying to manipulate anyone- I’m trying to bear my testimony. Don’t deny my testimony by saying it’s fake and manipulated. Some stories shouldn’t be shared in a classroom setting.
Achieving ‘transcendence’ in theater is hard. I think it’s challenging because it’s a public display of a private thing. It’s only going to be right to the artist. We still try, though, because this is the type of theater that means the most.

Snowing in my Heart

Alex is gone. He's going to the Great Wall of China today. I think he's taking our separation a lot better than I am. I stare at my homework for hours on end, then close it up and watch TV instead. It's hard to do anything while he's away.

Today I woke up to 4 inches of snow. In May. I told my professor it was my fault: it was snowing because it's snowing in my heart. He thought that was very clever and entertaining.

So, sorry for the snow, friends. It will all be over June 6th.

Purse Extravaganza

This post is for Alex, who's in China. I neglected to show him what kinds of purses I like before he left.

Home cookin'

I love to make dinner for Alex. I tried this last night to great success. It was really light and yummy. I halved the recipe and still came out with a ton! We both ate a lot but didn't get that too-full feeling. It was really easy and I recommend it!

I tried out this little recipe last week. It is amazingly flavorful, even without cilantro, which I happen to not like. It's even healthy enough that I made some of the fish for my dad who's on this crazy strict diet. He thought it was great, too!

I made this a while ago. It could not be easier- or yummier! It is probably the best thing to ever come out of my crock pot. Alex and I couldn't get enough of it! We had it on tortillas and it was really really great! I used some black beans and regular canned corn. Seriously, SO good.

Lesson learned

If you have church at 9 am, don't take Nyquil at 3 am. You won't wake up until 1 pm. Lesson learned.

If you are having a slight emotional breakdown, and you don't have waterproof mascara, you will look awful for your next scene. Lesson learned.

If you marry the perfect man, you will be deliriously happy. Lesson learned. :)

Success

I've been thinking a lot today about success and happiness. I'm looking at my class schedule for the next year and wondering if I should try to do NY Showcase or not. They've started asking people to only do Showcase if they are planning on moving to New York. So... am I planning on moving to New York? I have no idea. Am I just scared to try? I don't know. My dream job is working for Music and Cultural Arts for the Church. Whenever I'm working for the Church I feel completely satisfied with my life and talent and completely happy. I don't really know what to do. I think to move to New York I'd have to give it at least 5 years. I don't know that I want to wait that long to work for the Church. And I don't feel like I need Broadway to feel successful at all. What to do?! Life decisions are hard! Alex feels like NY would be great for me. But if the Church is my ultimate goal, why wait? Hmm....