Hmmm..

I should probably update soon. I don't know how many people actually read this though.... Maybe I'll get around to updating in the next week or so...

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I'm home!

Two Weeks

This year has gone by so quickly. I can't believe my freshman year of college is almost over and that I only have two more weeks at NYU. For those of you who haven't already heard, I will be transferring next year to Marymount Manhattan where I will be dual majoring in Biology and Dance. They have a really neat dance concentration that combines dance and biology as a pre-dance physical therapy program and then I'm supplementing that with a degree in Biology as well. It's going to be difficult but in the long run it will be worth it.

I already like the school so much better and I've only been there four times. When I walked in to meet with my dance academic advisor for the first time after my audition and interview, they greeted me by name which is more than I can say about my professors here at NYU. All I am here is a number. In Chemistry I'm number 344 and in Biology I'm number 2,179. Not to mention the Marmount faculty is very excited that I will be joining them as a student because I am the first Dance and Biology dual major in their history. I have met all of my dance professors and about half of my biology professors, and they are all so nice. Unlike the professors here, they seem to really care about their students and really want to get to know who they are not just as a student, but as a person.

Of course I will miss the friends I made at NYU greatly. The good news is they are only a twenty minute subway ride away (assuming the subways are running on schedule of course!).

Well, I should probably go study for finals. :-(

Spring Awakening Description

For those of you who don't know what the amazing musical Spring Awakening is about, here's the full description from their website (www.springawakening.com)


SPRING AWAKENING takes its inspiration from one of literature’s most controversial masterpieces – a work so daring in its depiction of teenage self-discovery, it was banned from the stage and not performed in its complete form in English for nearly 100 years.

It’s Germany, 1891. A world where the grown-ups hold all the cards. The beautiful young Wendla explores the mysteries of her body, and wonders aloud where babies come from, till Mama tells her to shut it, and put on a proper dress.

Elsewhere, the brilliant and fearless young Melchior interrupts a mind-numbing Latin drill to defend his buddy Moritz – a boy so traumatized by puberty he can’t concentrate on anything. Not that the Headmaster cares. He strikes them both and tells them to turn in their lesson.

One afternoon – in a private place in the woods – Melchior and Wendla meet by accident, and soon find within themselves a desire unlike anything they’ve ever felt.

As they fumble their way into one another’s arms, Moritz flounders and soon fails out of school. When even his one adult friend, Melchior’s mother, ignores his plea for help, he is left so distraught he can’t hear the promise of life offered by his outcast friend Ilse.

Naturally, the Headmasters waste no time in pinning the “crime” of Moritz’s suicide on Melchior and expel him. And soon Mama learns her little Wendla is pregnant. Now the young lovers must struggle against all odds to build a world together for their child.

Spring Awakening... Again!!

I saw SA yet again last night and it was fantastic as usual. I went with a group of friends and I talked them into staying afterwards to meet the cast because I knew they would have a blast. Here are some pictures from last night!


My group of friends and I with Blake Daniel (Ernst)

The group with Blake Bashoff (Moritz)

Skylar Astin (George) and I

The Group with Brian Charles Johnson (Otto). He goes to NYU!

I had to save the best for last! Jonathan Groff (Melchior) and I. I asked him if he's ever heard of potato candy (he's from Lancaster). He has not.

Final Project Songs

Ok, so I'm finally taking voice lessons. For our final project we have to pick a song and perform it for the class. Seeing as I would love to perform in a professionally musical (preferably on Broadway), I'm looking at songs from different Broadway musicals. There are so many great songs that I can't decide! You can click on the links to listen to either the whole song or a section of the song. For the links that take you to Amazon, scroll down until you find the song lists and thin click on the link to play the sample. Suggestions are greatly appreciated! (especially when it comes to older musicals) Right now I'm looking at sining one of the following:

Spring Awakening:
Mama Who Bore Me
Whispering
The Song of Purple Summer

Wicked:
Defying Gravity
For Good
As Long As You're Mine

Beauty and the Beast:
Home

Aida:
Every Story is a Love Story
I Know the Truth

Les Miserables:
On My Own

Music Quiz Thingy

I did this quiz, I saw it and thought meh, I'm bored, I'll try it...
Ok I'll admit I thought it might be interesting...
So here we go...



RULES:
1. Put Your itunes, windows media player etc. on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. you must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?' YOU SAY?
Layla (Derek and the Dominos)

HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Johanna (Sweeney Todd Movie Soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Name (Goo Goo Dolls)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Make Them Hear You (Ragtime Original Broadway Soundtrack)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Broadway (Goo Goo Dolls)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Who'll Stop the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Too Bad (Nickelback)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Lullaby for a Stormy Night (Vienna Teng)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Logical Song (Supertramp)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
I Thought of You (Old Springs Pike)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BESTIE?
Candyman (Christina Aguilera)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFES STORY?
No Place Like London (Sweeney Todd Movie Soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
The River (Garth Brooks)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
It's Delovely (Anything Goes)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Next Contestant (Nickelback)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Rockin' the Paradise (Styx)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Taking Over Me (Evanescence)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBIE/INTEREST?
Dread Rock (Paul Oakenfold: Matrix Soundtrack)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Daughter (Vienna Teng)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
I Want to Be Loved (Bon Jovi)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
It's My Life (Bon Jovi)

Well that was interesting indeed! Apparently I describe myself as Johanna, I want to be a river when I grow up, and my biggest fear is my daughter (which is non exisitant). Hmm. Although, if my life's purpose is Broadway, I won't complain!!!

Help!! A Fish Stole My Legs!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! See you in 2008!




Oh... so you're wondering about the fish... well... umm... see below. Hopefully that stupid fish will return shortly with me legs. I was kinof attached to them!

Deviously Deviant

Thank you so much to all of you who went to the Miss Berks County pageant on Saturday to support me! I'm so glad you could come!! For those of you who didn't make it, I was named the non-finalist talent winner.

On another note, you should wander on over to my new photography postings on Deviant Art. http://monkpengossum.deviantart.com/
Comments are always welcome!! If you're looking for more of my photography, it can be found at the following sites:
Webshots
Flickr
Photography: The World Through My Camera (My photography blog)

MGBC

What does MGBC stand for you ask? Could it be My Giant Bacon Cheeseburger or Many Goat Biting Chickens? No, of course not! It stands for Miss Greater Berks County, and you should come out on Saturday and support me as I compete to be the next MGBC. For those of you who still don't know what I'm talking about, the winner of MGBC goes on to compete for Miss Pennsylvania and then possibly Miss America. If you are indeed interested, the pageant is on Saturday, November 17th at 7:00 PM. It will be held at Kutztown University's Schaffer auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. I hope you can make it!

~I updated my Photography blog. Go check out my new photos!

Matrix Macbeth

This is only the rough cut. I ever get the final version from Cory I shall post that one too! Enjoy!!

Colbert 2008!

Woo!! Stephen Colbert is running for president in 2008!!


On another, completely random note... here's the video I made for a competition this past spring. The editing job is not the best, but the whole thing was put together in a matter of three days. Enjoy our stupid, plotless story!

Royal Death!

I hope you all learned the significance of the number 18 because there will be a quiz on it, and it will be pop. Who knows when it will strike? Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe three months from now. Only time will tell!

So, I finally updated my photography blog for the first time in two months! Haha. Why do I have a photography blog you ask? Because I like to take pictures silly! I'm actually going to try and keep it somewhat updated.

For those of you interested, I will be home again this weekend. Yay! Unfortunately, I also have to finish writing my stupid essay this weekend. :-( Ugh... I guess I should go study for my Biology exam tomorrow. It shouldn't be hard. I know my biology like the back of my hand, although, I guess that's more anatomy! Haha. If you laughed at that, congratulations! You're just as much of a loser as I am. Don't you feel special! You know you should go to bed when you start making lousy Bio jokes.

And now for my random fact of the day!
King Alexander I of Greece died of blood poisoning after being bitten by his pet monkey.
~The Little Book of Bad Taste

See! Reading my blog is actually educational! Haha. Guten Nacht!

18

18 is the only number that is twice the sum of its digits.

18 is the number of holes in a stipulated round of golf

18 is the number of chapters into which James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses is divided

18 is a slang term used in Soccer for the Penalty Area

18 is the number of wheels on the most common type of tractor-trailer truck, which are hence often called 18-wheelers

18 is the customary percentage to tip a waitress in a restaurant by groups of four or more

Australian rules football is played with teams of 18 players.

18deg. Celsius is usually considered a comfortable room temperature.

In the UK, the names of race horses can be no longer than 18 characters, including spaces.

On Earth, the length of a day 900 million years ago was only about 18 hours. - Science magazine

Don't you feel smarter now? Haha! If you haven't guessed, I'm 18!!

6 Days!!

Who's going to be 18 in 6 days? I am!! Other than that, there's nothing really exciting going on in my life. I've been spending my time writing stupid 5-7 page essays on random philosophical stuff, doing chemistry problems that make you want to go back in time and kill Newton before he invented calculus, and stressing over my costume for the Miss Berks County Pageant because some people who shall remain nameless "lost" my costume (aka they don't want to let me borrow it.) I need the costume for rehearsal in two weeks. How am I going to put together a classical Kitri tutu together in two weeks!!! Luckily I have some very awesome friends out there who a helping me.

Fortunately, I get to come home this weekend for my birthday! Woo! I'm hoping to get some friends from school together and take a trip down the PA Renaissance Fair, because who doesn't love the PA Ren Fair!

Well, I guess I should get back to my insanely difficult (not sarcasm) chemistry problems... ugh.

One day I'll fly away,
Leave all this to yesterday.
Why live life from dream to dream,
And dread the day when dreaming ends.
~Moulin Rouge

WOOT!

7 days until I'm 18!!!!

Me attempting to write my essays for Writing the Essay: Science. Enough said.

Meh...

I exist... what can I say. Today pales in comparison to this weekend. Somehow, a day of class just can't be as exciting as going to festivals and museums. Saturday I went to the San Gennero Festival in Little Italy, which was really neat. Hey, they had fired oreos, I can't complain! If you've never had fried oreos, I highly suggest trying them . They're full of artery clogging goodness! After that I took my first ballroom dancing lesson. We learned the Salsa and the Tango. It was so much fun! I'm planning on joining the ballroom team here so I can dive deeper into the world of ballroom dancing and compete at various schools like Columbia and Yale. It should be a lot of fun. I ordered my ballroom shoes yesterday so I'm really excited! Yesterday I spent most of my time wandering around the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I only got through about a quarter of the exhibits, if that! If you count the exhibits i saw two years ago when I was there for the first time, I've probably seen about a quarter of the museum. Well, I guess I should get back to doing home work, although I really don't want too!

Ugggh

Homework... essay, calculus problems, reading, chemistry problems, chemistry lab, I think that's all... what fun! (sarcasm!)

The Pin Cushion Queen

Last week was entertaining. I finally found out whether or not I got into Honors Chemistry. I did!! Woohoo!! Wow, I'm a nerd. The only thing is, it messed up my schedule a bit. I had to talk to the chemistry department because one of my Honors Chem classes ends at 9:45 while my Chem Lab lecture starts at 9:30. See the problem? I was informed that I just have to show up for my Lab lecture 15 minutes late every week! This should be interesting. Not to mention I found out on Thursday that I had a math test in Chemistry the next day. Yes, I said a math test in Chemistry. This only gave me a day to learn high level calculus that I hadn't seen before. Well, that didn't happen. Out of the four problems on the test, I think I got one right. Oh well, I'll survive.
This weekend was fun. I got $21 of really amazing (and really expensive...$3.50 each. They are HUGE though) free. That was one of the highlights of my weekend. The best part of my weekend is going to stay a secret for now. :-) I also went to the American Museum of Natural History for the second time today. I had to write an essay about a scientific object so i picked an ecosphere. They're really cool. It also gave me a chance to see the Mythical Creature exhibit. That was really neat. It contained are and artifacts from around the world depicting mystical creatures and the legends behind them.
So, what about the Pin Cushion Queen you ask? It has absolutely nothing to do with my post what so ever. It's just the title of a poem by Tim Burton. Then why is it my post title? Because, it's random and that's what I do. Seeing as you're probably curious now about what kind of poem could possibly be called "The Pin Cushion Queen," it follows below.

The Pin Cushion Queen
By Tim Burton

Life isn't easy
for the Pin Cushion Queen,
when she sits on her throne
pins push through her spleen.