48-Hour Film Experience!

So, as promised in the last post, I will talk about participating in my first ever: 

48-Hour Film Experience.  

It all started a few months ago, when some of my Comm Arts friends asked me to be a part of their team as "talent" (that's what on-camera people are called) so I immediately said "Duh!" Mickey came on board a bit later as Assistant DP (Director of Photography).  I knew this was going to be a blast.

So here's the premise of this Film Experience.  Each team (or director and asst. director actually) go to this place on friday evening at 8pm and get the genre and location.  The theme was retro. Our genre was horror and location was 50s.  All teams would have 48 hours to film, edit and everything to turn it in by 8pm that Sunday.  And so it started!

That friday night several people got together to write the script/rough outline and the rest of us got info for Saturday (shooting day).  And so, after a slow start that Saturday, we were off!

That's me!!! 

We filmed (almost) everything on campus because its architecture is very 50s and it was perfect!! 

Just some of us. :)

I played the new girl out of town who's being haunted by The Clique (behind me).  

Then, everything takes a turn! Dun...dun...dun!!!

In the wee hours of the morn'. 

We finished filming that night/early morning Sunday at around 1am. We were freakishly exhausted but so excited to see the final product!!! That following morning I had to meet the crew at a local high school to shoot a shot and then we wrapped filming! Then it was crunch time! They turned it in in the knick of time.  :)

Mickey and I the last day of shooting. Bright & Early. 

Next up was the screening that week.  I was so pumped and excited! I couldn't believe all the people that were there! Even more so, all the people that were gonna see MY FACE on a BIG SCREEN! I could hardly contain myself.  I was like a little kid! 

MY FACE on the freakin' BIG SCREEN! Oh. my. goodness.
My momma would've been so proud!! ♥

Everybody's films were very nice.  Although, I did think ours was just the bees knee's.  Haha. Get it? :)

We went to celebrate after the screening at a local Mexican Restaurant.  Only in the South.  

Not all the cast and crew were able to go but it was wonderful to be able to celebrate. 

 It was actually Anthony's birthday and so we surprised him with a birthday sing-a-long at the restaurant, along with a balloon and cake.  It was a fun time!

Some of our amazing cast and crew. :)

There was an awards ceremony the following week but unfortunately we didn't win anything. BOO.  We all thought 3rd place was ours. Oh well! There's always August and December for some more film experiences.  We are all hoping to get together and hang out because, well, we're pretty awesome.  

All in all, this was an AMAZING experience.  Thank you Joel and Ysenia for asking me to be a part of your fantastic team!

 If you want to see the video, just let me know! 

(acssndr2010@gmail[dot]com)

The Memory of Steel Magnolias

So this blog post title is an amalgamation of The Memory of Water (my favorite play) and Steel Magnolias.  :)

Here's the story:

So last fall I was in search of a monologue that would really be good for me.  I was taking my Beginning Acting class and we needed to have a monologue and so I began the search.  I found one but it wasn't up to par with what I had hoped for.  I went and took a trip to my Beginning Acting teacher's office and asked him for his help.  He came up with a few options.  Three Days of Rain, Steel Magnolias and The Memory of Water.  He had a copy of The Memory of Water and felt that was the best one for me.  I read it so fast, it was so interesting and I could relate to it so well! If you know me, you know I'm not a fan of reading, I know, it's sad, so reading this play so fast was a sign of how much I loved it.  It's about sisters dealing with their mother's death.  But guys, it's so much better than that! Anyway, I did it for my monologue and it went very well. I absolutely loved it and still have the copy of the monologue I made.  

"What is it with men?  I mean, I don’t have a problem with men or anything.  I love men.  I’ve been to bed with seventy-eight of them, I counted, so obviously there’s not a problem or anything, it’s just he didn’t even apologise or anything and how can he say on the phone he doesn’t want to see me anymore?  I mean, why now?  Why couldn’t he have waited?  I don’t know what to do, why does it always go wrong?  I don’t want to be on my own, I’m not that sort of person, and I can’t do it.  I did everything for him, I was patient and all the things you’re supposed to be and people kept saying don’t accept this from him, don’t accept that, like, you know, when he stayed out all night, not very often, I mean once or twice, and everyone said to tell him to **** off but how could I because what if he did?  Because they all do, everyone I’ve ever met does, they all disappear and I don’t know if it’s me or what.  I don’t want to be on my own, I can’t stand it, I know it’s suppose to be great but I don’t think it is.  I can’t help it, it’s no good pretending, it’s ******* lonely and I can’t bear it. "

So, guys, y'all won't believe it but my university is doing The Memory of Water in the Spring!!! So, I had it in my heart to audition.  So, here I go, auditioning for only the second time at my university. I think I've improved enough and I'm so glad to have this opportunity. December 5th 9:20pm! Wish me luck. 

Here's the other story:

I picked a M'Lynn's monologue about Shelby from Steel Magnolias.  I am undecided between two but I believe I'm going to chose this one. I absolutely love Steel Magnolias even though it makes me cry.  I remember watching it for the second time when my mom was in hospice and I surprised myself by not crying.  As a young southern gal, I feel a strong connection with these ladies and I feel doing this monologue will be absolutely wonderful.  I have so many memories of watching this movie with my mom and I know that this is a really good choice for a monologue.  So, wish me luck as I begin memorizing lines.  I'll update y'all on other things about theatre soon! :)

"No.  I couldn’t leave my Shelby.  It’s interesting.  Both the boys were very difficult births.  I almost died when Jonothan was born.  Very difficult births.  Shelby was a breeze.  I could’ve gone home that afternoon I had her.  I was thinking about that as I sat next to Shelby while she was in the coma.  I would work her legs and arms to keep the circulation going.  I told the ICU nurse we were doing our Jane Fonda.  I stayed there.  I kept pushing…….just like I always did where Shelby was concerned……..hoping she’d sit up and argue with me.  But finally we realised that there was no hope.  At that point I panicked.  I was very afraid that I would not survive the next few minutes while they turned off the machines.  Drum couldn’t take it.  He left.  Jackson couldn’t take it.  He left.  It struck me as amusing.  Men are supposed to be made of steel or something.  But I could not leave.  I just sat there…..holding Shelby’s hand while the sounds got softer and the beeps got farther apart until all was quiet.  There was no noise, no tremble…..just peace.  I realised as a woman how lucky I was.  I was there when this wonderful person drifted into my life and I was there when she drifted out.  It was the most precious moment of my life." 

Hello, my name is Amy and I'm a college senior.

Okay so, where has the time gone? I'm a freaking college senior! I became one after last semester but it's still like, what? Anyway, I think this semester is going to be a VERY good one! So here's my review of it thus far. 

Tampa! 

Aesthetics of Vision and Sound

-LOVE the teacher, I've had her before (the same semester my mom passed away) and she was so very helpful to me throughout the whole process

-The class sounds like it's going to be a blast! I'm so excited!

-This is part of my Comm Arts major requirement stuff

Speech

-The teacher is funny and young

-I know somebody there back from freshmen year of college and so that's nice

-The class seems interesting!

-There's a guy from Australia there and a girl from West Africa!

Intermediate Acting

-BY FAR, MY MOST FAVORITE CLASS OF THE SEMESTER

-I met the teacher during the Fall 2011 semester (the semester my mom passed) during an audition in which I didn't do so hot. I was running late and everything was a mess.  I performed two monologues and they did laugh but my goodness, the song sucked! I was so nervous and I was still recovering from running.  Well, anyway, my acting teacher at the time was talking to him (my new teacher) about me so that was cool. Anyway, yes, I have him now for Intermediate Acting and the first two classes have been absolutely fantastic & wonderful & amazing & awesome!!! I'm so excited for the rest of the semester.

-My only worry is we have to impersonate someone for our first performance.  It sounds fun but the list only includes theatre folk and I don't really spend time there because I'm not a theatre major and it may surprise some of y'all but I can be shy.  But, you know what means? Somebody is going to be casually observing some people from the list! Wish me luck guys! I'm excited!

-I've only told one person this and I don't really know where it came from but I want to study acting more.  Go into it further.  

Roma! 

-I'm so excited to get assigned scenes!!! AAAAHHH!!!! SO EXCITED!!!!!

Creative Writing: Non-Fiction

-The teacher is super nice and funny!

-It seems like it's going to be a really fun class! And, as y'all can tell, I love writing!

-I presented this review I had written which was assigned the first day and she complimented me on my presentation!! :)

Theories of Communication

-The teacher seems nice.

-It's a once-a-week class so I'm glad about that!

Social Media

-I had this teacher my first semester of college and so I know his style, he's pretty cool

-The class seems like it's going to be fun!!!

-I'm excited

So, four more things!

1. One of my closest friends, Sydney, got married August 11 in Tampa and Mickey and I were able to go! I was a bridesmaid and it was so much fun! I still cannot believe she's married! She looked absolutely beautiful!! The wedding was on a ship and it looked so nice outside! 

2. Mickey and I are looking into both being able to study abroad in Rome next semester and we went to talk with the Study Abroad Coordinator and she remembers me from December 2011! She's so nice and helpful, she gave us a bunch of information!!! We are crossing our fingers that everything will come through!

Weight loss!

3. So a while ago I went to a casting call for a show that a student at my university was starting.  I almost didn't go because of time constraints but Mickey encouraged me, he even helped me memorize the script the night before! I went ahead and had his support and guess who is the host of Off Broadway???? Yup! Yours truly! 

I will keep y'all updated with all the happenings of that but as of now, I'm finishing up the script and we'll begin shooting next week! Wish us luck!! Mickey even gets to be in charge of lighting and stuff!! Yay!! I'M SO BEYOND EXCITED FOR THIS! 

4. Lastly. I've got some wonderful news! WEIGHT for it! I've lost... 20 POUNDS!!!!! It may not seem like a lot since May but trust me, you can see the difference! I'm a size 6 now!!! My goal is to be a 4.  I'm so freaking proud of myself and I'm even getting compliments! That's nothing compared to Mickey's 44 pounds! He certainly got a lot of compliments himself too! We look really good! I'm so happy for us! We are continuing to exercise and I'm looking at starting Zumba back up again, I miss it.  I've been running a mile on the treadmill every other day and it's been fun! 

Well, tomorrow I have work at the chapel and then it's an 8-hour shift at Cracker Barrel on Sunday and then school on Monday! I will do my best to keep y'all more updated! 

Here's Johnny!

Johnny.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have picked up my violin and played it for the first time in a year! I am helping my friend Cassey with her recital in the fall semester coming up and we had our first practice this past week.  I was seriously surprised I didn't completely suck.  It was nice to play Johnny (my violin) again.  It was kinda weird too that this was my first time playing the violin without my mom listening.  I know she'd be proud though.  Oh and by the way, my violin's name is Johnny because the first piece I played on him was When Johnny Comes Marching Home.  :)

I saw Titanic with a special someone and oh dear did I cry! I knew the parts I would be sad at because I've seen Titanic so many times and it was my mom's favorite movie but this time, it was way worse.  I mean, it was in 3D people! I guess what also got to me were the credits with Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On because it has sentimental value to me and it just was absolutely beautiful.  I'm really glad we went to see it.  It's crazy to watch a movie again after not seeing it in a long time, it really opens your eyes to things you never saw before.

-Happy Easter y'all!
-I've started looking at classes I will take during the summer and fall semesters and I feel like there aren't that many options for some reason.   A lot of the classes available are for graduate students, so I'm hoping they can change that.  They already made minor adjustments to the summer schedule but not enough to influence me.  It's nice, though, to be able to plan.  I already had my dream classes figured out, now all I need is for them to be there.  :)
-School will be over in less than a month!!!!
-Tomorrow I'm going to help someone with their video project, I will be acting in it and I'm so happy!!!! I already helped someone else with their video project for the same class, I helped with a voice over which was really fun as well.  I love performing!!!! :)
-I've lost 12 pounds!!!!

Well, I think that's it for now. Have a great day guys! Happy Easter!

M.I.A.

Recycling.

So I've realized I've been missing in action for about a month.  I guess I just needed a break from blogging because everything has been in fast forward since I last blogged.  But, here are the highlights.  Oh and I will try to blog more frequently.

-I was invited to join Alpha Chi which is an honor society for juniors and seniors!!! I'm pretty freaking proud of this accomplishment because I know my mom would've been so proud of me.  Oh, and the inductions? Yeah, those will be held on my mom's birthday.  Coincidence? I think not.
-It's been 6 months and four days since I've lost my mom and today I had a meltdown.  A GINORMOUS one.  One of those super draining ones, yeah, it was pretty bad.  I was expecting it to be at the 6th month mark but I guess it was delayed.  Sometimes, it really hits me how alone I am.  Don't get me wrong, I have friends and such but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't want my mom here.
-Last week, in my Intro to Technical Production class, we had to climb really high up to look at some technical aspects of theatre and oh my goodness, that was scary! Another thing, I killed a bug in my room like two days ago.  Another tremendous accomplishment for Amy! My mom would've been freaking proud.
-School will be over in about a month and I'm SO BEYOND EXCITED!  I'm not gonna lie, this has been one of my less favorite semesters.  I'm looking forward to the Fall 2012 semester so I can get back to acting! :)))
-Speaking of which, in my Video Production II class, we filmed our "How-To" videos and that was nice. I was director this time which was kind of empowering but the fun part was actually helping a friend and her group out.  I was one of their talents and oh dear! It was SO MUCH FUN!!! I basically did a semi-Good-Morning-America-esque kind of a segment. It was live for class so it was way fun! I love being in front of the camera :)

I think that's it for now.  I'm missing a lot but I will keep y'all more updated. :)

I can't even begin

I can't even begin to tell y'all how many times I've wanted to blog but just get too tired.  So, I'm definitely glad I am able to blog! :)

-I got a 96 on my Italian II test!
-I went out of town with my friends last weekend and I had so much fun! There was this festival and everything there! I went on different rides which is so amazing because I usually don't really go on rides, even these baby ones, because I get too scared but I did it! I went on rides that scared me at first and I don't regret a thing! Thank you Katie, Dominic, Mickey and everyone else for such a fun time!
-Valentine's Day was three days ago.  It was kind of the same old kind of day for me.  Katie and I decided to go to a restaurant though because it was our "fat day" as we like to call it when we can pig out (based on this semi-diet thing) and we did but we got some awkward stares.  Haha. It was fun though because we had some GOOD food.
-We are all (for the most part) still trying to be healthy. I'm hopeful.
-My confirmation is this sunday! My mom would be so happy and proud of me. I'm glad I'm doing this because it feels good.
-I've decided to see Dr. Tucker every two weeks now, instead of every week.  Of course, a few days after I made that decision and told him, I had a meltdown, but all is well now.
-I've begun to teach conversational Spanish! At the moment I have 1.5 jobs so it's improvement.
-My friends and I are working on producing different skits and it's making me SO HAPPY. I have no words to describe how much I love acting. :)
-I've made huge strides and I'm frickin proud of myself for that.  I feel my mom is too.

Weight, Giants, Acting

-I apologize for not blogging as much but I've been super busy with stuff but I'm glad to tell y'all that…DRUM ROLL….I've lost 3 more pounds! I have lost 8 pounds total!!! :) I'm so excited! My pants are big on me! I'm waiting to get to my goal weight so I can get new jeans!!! 

-School has been going okay, some classes are definitely not as fun as others but that's what college is so it's all okay.

-THE NEW YORK GIANTS WON THE SUPER BOWL! 

-My friends and I are part of this skit kind of company thing and we have been working on shorts and stuff and it's been SO. MUCH. FUN. Not even kidding.  We just finished filming this one horror short film and it was frickin fantastic! I got to cry in it! It definitely cured my acting withdrawals for the time being. I will most likely share this with y'all because I'm beyond proud of it.

-I will share more info soon but I just wanted to post something because I really needed to share stuff with y'all. :) 

-P.S. Happy Monday!

My momma would be so happy for me. ♥

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Saturday to Sunday ♫

A lot of stuff has happened. List time!

-Monday was weird. I cried right around lunch time, it was one of those depressing ones, and plus I wasn't hungry because I was worried about this one midterm I took.  I didn't even eat lunch.  I am glad to say though I have been doing well today!
-Ohh! I got the highest test grade in my Italian class!
-Acting has been EXTREMELY fun! What else is new? Oh, btw I'm still looking for the right monologue, this was one is a toughie.
-BIG BLOG NEWS: For my writing for the media class, we are starting a new a blogging assignment, meaning I will use this blog for that.  The assignment is to write about pretty much anything, as long as it shows growth because we'll be writing a feature story after.  I have decided to write about starting new, starting fresh.  Since my mom has passed, this will be a new beginning, life without my awesome little momma but it will be about finding the good things in life, about healing, about doing new things that would've scared me in the past and stuff I know my mom would have wanted to do.  (Example A: Today at Olive Garden I got a raspberry lemonade, I would have never done that before, granted, they didn't have normal lemonade, so I had to get that one, but I tried it and it was DELICIOUS!) Do y'all catch my drift? These blogs will be 2 a week for 5 weeks so it will be for a while but I will try to write these kinds of posts also.
-My sessions with Dr. Tucker and Jana have been going very well, each time I leave the office it's like I feel like I've talked with my mom about how I'm doing, it's really nice.
-I have a TON of stuff to do but my aunt is helping me a lot.
-This past Sunday I went with some friends to Barnes and Noble (to celebrate a friend's birthday) and I got some books! One was a dream dictionary (in english, because I mentioned a long while ago my mom had a spanish one) and I got a book with inspirational quotes and stuff.
-Thursday and Friday of this week is fall break! Yey! I'm on fall break already!
-VERY IMPORTANT NEWS: I got an iPhone 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been wanting an iPhone since they first came out but we had Sprint and now Sprint has iPhones!!! I am beyond excited to have this phone! It's gorgeous!
-LOVELY NEWS: Today I went to go see the family my mom and I had at the oncologist's office, it was absolutely wonderful.  You'd think that I would have been depressed because of what happened in that office but it was nice seeing everybody, the only person that wasn't there was the nurse practitioner but hopefully I will see her soon! I cannot describe to y'all how beautiful it was to see them again.  Now, I can share wonderful events going on in my life! I'm excited about the future again.  My momma must be so proud.
-I found two dresses for work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are gorgeous, oh and I got a bag from Ross too, oh and a fedora! Excitement all around.  Oh and I got a magnificent scarf from another store!

-I may be missing stuff but I got the good stuff.
-I hope y'all are doing well! Thanks for reading.

Suffocation, Coincidences, Nostalgia, Future

Okay first of all, I had a sucky night on Tuesday.  I don't know why sometimes those moments just come up and it's like "HELLO AMY, MELTDOWN TIME." I don't know, I'm doing well now but it was tough.  I don't know how to describe it except that it was very suffocating.  Sometimes things in life seem bad but when you miss someone you can no longer see it's very…suffocating.  I'm glad today was a better day.  Speaking of today…

I've noticed several coincidences when it comes to wedding rehearsals and my mom.  So for example, last week, the bride's grandmother's name was Lupita, that was what my mom was called in Mexico, kind of like Maria Guadalupe, which just so happens that's what the bride's mother's name is this week.  THAT WAS MY MOM'S NAME! Another thing, I think this is the biggest one, the priest officiating the wedding is the priest who led the rosary at my mom's viewing, he isn't from my city so it's not even that common!!! I see these coincidences as a little "hey baby" from my mom, so they are nice. (There were more coincidences too).

Another thing.  I miss performing so much.  I miss acting, dancing, singing, and playing the violin for an audience.  I miss long rehearsals, late nights, getting stressed because of a costume change or not having the right hairdo for the routine, or having to drink a whole lot more water because it's humid, or worrying about my violin getting way out of tune because it's humid.  I miss it all.  It's sad.  I know for choir we have a performance coming up next month but still I miss it.  I especially miss being part of musical/play.  I don't think I ever told anyone this, which is kind of dumb because now I am, but I cried at my last performance of Fiddler on the Roof my senior year in high school.  It was my only performance in a musical in high school because orchestra and AP classes had overtaken my life but my senior year I really wanted to be in a musical and made sure I would be.  I cried because it was over and I didn't know how long it would be before I got to experience it all again, unfortunately I still haven't experienced it again.  As far as dancing, oh my.  I haven't performed a routine in front of an audience since the spring of my sophomore year in high school.  I'm a sophomore in college now! I miss it so much.  Playing the violin, oh dear, I miss getting a new piece and trying to sightread it and then trying to practice the super hard parts.

I used to be able to do this.

I don't like this feeling.  I miss performing so much.  I don't see how people do it.  This leads me into something else.  I'm taking Beginning Acting because it's required for my minor in Theatre, which is great but it's also [obviously] needed for those majoring in Theatre.  Which means there are some freakishly talented kids in that class that want to be professional actors or directors. Every single time I go into class I go in thinking, "Okay, I'm good, I got this" and I leave feeling like "Oh my goodness, I suck".  I remember our teacher saying that he would knock us down and then build us up, which reminded me of the Army slogan but I never thought it would be like this.  Don't get me wrong, I look forward to that class the most out of any of my other ones because it's so much fun but it's like I don't feel I'm good at anything anymore.

For example, you'd think that being a Comm Arts-Production major, I would be wonderfully good at those things and be extra excited but I'm not.  I'm good, yeah but not "Wow, this is what you are meant to do".  I try to think if I wasn't a Television Producer, what would I be? And I just don't think there is anything else for me.  I guess a big thing is that right now what I'm learning are kind of like the second stage of basics before it gets super fun, for example, I won't need to know how to write a Press Release or a News Story or anything like that [hopefully] as a Television Producer for let's say, Grey's Anatomy right? Right. I hope it gets better from here on out and that my skills grow, I guess that's why I'm in college.

Choir!!! [Plus I LOVE this movie]

Maybe what I'm going through right now is just self-doubt about the future. Which I believe is perfectly normal, I just wish I were better at what I'm studying [Theatre and Communication Arts-Production].

Well wish me luck guys!

PS I think I already wrote this but I'm looking for another monologue! Whoohoo! Wish me luck in finding the perfect one!

Tadaa! [Take {Two] Step}

Happy 1st Birthday blog!!! 

 That's right, it's been a year since I first started this blog.  HERE is the link to where it all began. It's insane how much has changed.  I mean, of course, it's been obvious to me how much can change in a year but through this blog, it is clearer.    I was a  college freshman and my major was Communication Arts.  I was nervous yet excited about college.  Now, as a college sophomore my major has not changed but I've added a minor…Theatre! (Oh and I got a job too) I am not nervous about college anymore and I am still excited about it.  I believe blogging is very therapeutic for me and let's me see how much I've grown in a year.  I definitely recommend blogs to anyone who at least mildly enjoys writing and who wants to have an outlet for "expressing themselves" [as cheesy as that sounds] to get a blog.  

Other news:

- I auditioned for my university's play/musical and, unfortunately, didn't make it.  It's okay though because I've got too many things going on right now but I'm SO proud of myself for doing it (even though we did have to as part of my Beginning Acting class) but I performed both monologues and sang a song (Yikes).  I definitely did better in my choir audition than I did with this song, but I learned from it.  It was a great experience AND they even laughed at my comedic monologue! :) I'm looking forward to auditioning next year and maybe even getting cast.

-My mom got a transfusion and we are back at the skilled nursing facility. We almost went to the hospital again because her platelets are low but we are able to get her injections here (hopefully on saturday and sunday).  She is doing okay at the moment and thank God for it (and thank y'all for the prayers).

-We are looking at hopefully moving in to the new apartment next week! 

-College is going well.  Country Western Dance is so much fun! Acting, as always, is pretty fun! Italian, oh my goodness, I'm learning so much! Choir-fun! Writing for the Media is interesting, my teacher has, get this, lived in New York!!! Ahh, she even went to Columbia, she has part of my dream life.  It's an interesting class.  I feel I'm going to learn a whole lot in my Video Production class too! My religion class is nice as well. 

Well, I hope school is going wonderful for y'all! Thanks for reading and keep prayin'! Thank you.

Mi chiamo Amy.

This will be a pretty short post because I've still got a few things to do but…

TODAY WAS MY FIRST DAY OF MY 2ND YEAR IN COLLEGE!

Here is a summary of my day:

1st class: Italian! 

-So excited to finally be taking Italian.  I have the teacher I had my junior year in high school so it's nice seeing a familiar face and she's really nice.

-There are like 20 girls in my class and 2 guys. Haha.

-We already started learning stuff.

-I am so excited to start learning more stuff.

2nd class: Country Western Dance!

-So fun because my friend Deidra is in it, it would have been kind of awkward not knowing anybody in it.

-We had fun learning the different elements of ballroom dancing (I think, or maybe it was only Country Western dancing).  

-It was so much fun!!!

-The teacher is nice. :)

3rd class: Choir!

-Nice getting back to a familiar place.

-A whole lotta new people.

-Weird thought knowing that I'm not a freshman anymore.

-Really fun!

-Teacher is still really nice. :)

4th class: (After lunch) Beginning Acting!

-This class is for MAJORS but I need to take it because minors also need to take it.  Not gonna lie, a bit scared, these people are SO talented!

-We have to present one of our monologues in class, I'm scared that my classical monologue isn't as classical as Shakespeare and that maybe everybody else chose Shakespeare.

-We have to audition for the play so my time is 5:40pm.  Wish me luck!

-I have the monologues down, it's just that I'm a bit worried.

-It looks like it's going to be a good class.

-I've had the teacher before and he's also really nice. :)

5th class: (last one on Mondays) Writing for the Media!

-The teacher was surprisingly really nice and laid back.  She even made a joke that Dora the Explorer was the best thing that happened to her because now she tells kids her name is Dora and they look at her in amazement. Pretty funny stuff.

-She did say the first 6 weeks are going to be the hardest. I'm just hoping everything will be manageable.

-The teacher is really nice. :)

I'm probably missing out but I just wanted to write it down before I forgot most of it. :)

My mom is doing okay, it's weird not being here when she's in therapy though.  Please keep praying, she'll get labs done tomorrow and then chemo on thursday.  

Thank you! I hope y'all had a great first day too! :)

Monologues

Okay so I finally found my monologues!!! I found them maybe like three days ago. I was surprised at how fast I was able to memorize the first one.  [GO AMY!] It's pretty cool. I really wanted to share them with y'all so here they are (they are just a little snip bit of each monologue):

……………………………………………………………………….
Look Back in Anger 
ALISON
DRAMATIC CONTEMPORARY

"It doesn't matter! I was wrong.  I was wrong! I don't want to be neutral,  I don't want be a saint.  I want to be a lost cause.  I want to be corrupt and futile!
(Her voice takes strength, and rises)
Don't you understand? It's gone! It's gone! That-that helpless human being inside my body, I thought it was so safe, and secure in there.  Nothing could take it from me.  It was mine, my responsibility.  But it's lost.
(She slides to the floor)
All I wanted was to die.  I never knew what it was like.  I didn't know it could be like that! I was in pain, and all I could think of was you, and what I'd lost."

An Ideal Husband
MABEL CHILTERN
COMEDIC CLASSICAL

"And then Tommy is so annoying in the way he proposes.  If he proposed at the top of his voice, I should not mind so much.  That might produce some effect on the public.  But he does it in a horrid confidential way.  When Tommy wants to be romantic he talks to one just like a doctor.  I am very fond of Tommy, but his methods of proposing are quite out of date.  I wish Gertrude, you would speak to him, and tell him that once a week is quite often enough to propose to any one, and that it should always be done in a manner that attracts some attention."

……………………………………………………………………….

What do you think? It took me forever to find them.  I know the first one is pretty intense, but there are a couple of reasons why it is so perfect.  One: my mom almost named me Alison, it would have been spelled Allyson though, but yeah, she almost named me Alison.  I came to her in one of her dreams and told her that "It's me mommy, Amy, Amy Cassandra". Yeah, pretty cool.  Two: my mom had I believe four miscarriages before I finally came into this world.  So this monologue is very personal.

For the second one, I found it pretty funny because although it is classical, I feel like I would totally say some of the things Mabel says.  I feel I can play around with it too.

I'm so excited to perform these monologues.  I can't wait.

{My mom is doing okay right now so please keep praying guys! Thanks!}

Tre.Due.Uno.

I recently got my books for school and I have already started to learn Italian!! I'm so pumped to begin learning more and more and more!!! Ahh! This would be the first language that I learn on my own.  When I was 4 my mom and I moved to Mexico because my mom was born there and pretty much all of our family is there.  Anyway, I learned Spanish kinda fast because my mom spoke it since I was born so moving to Mexico was just a chance for me to also improve my Spanish.  I am also glad that there are so many similarities between Spanish and Italian.  :)

[The Italian flag.]

Really quick.  My mom went into the hospital a little while ago and then got released and now we are back at the skilled nursing facility.  I won't go too much into depth because those were SERIOUSLY rough times and I got super overwhelmed that I didn't want to do anything.  So here's an update: My mom is doing well.  We are taking everything day by day, praying and thanking God for everything, she is doing okay in therapy, she had had an infection and was dehydrated.  She got lots of antibiotics, she got another transfusion, she got plenty of other meds.  She will start the second round of the chemo next thursday.  Please pray that this chemo works really well and keeps working for a very long time.  Thank you. ***Here is a link to a note I wrote when everything was pretty bad, things are better, thanks to God, but prayers are still always very very welcome.***

Okay, back to other things.  We are *this* close to moving into a new apartment!!!! The one we are currently renting will not be a good one to return to because since my mom is now wheelchair-bound, she won't be able to climb the stairs.  So my aunt, my mom and I had started looking for apartments a while ago but things got too crazy.  Anyway, these are apartments for people that use wheelchairs, walkers and such but it's pretty great. We will be on the first floor in apartment 3110. :) These apartments are close to one of my mom's favorite mexican restaurants, they are close to the Humane Society :), and close to one of the local television stations, oh and there is a Super Target pretty close as well. They are pretty amazing, we just need to send them a couple of papers, then my mom needs to go and sign some stuff and then…HELLO KEYS!!! Oh, and there is one minor detail missing, I need to finish packing.  Yeah, pretty important part but things got too crazy, like I said, so my priorities were rearranged.  We are both very excited to start getting things rolling, even if my mom is still in the skilled nursing facility.

Other things:
-I finished my summer class with an A+ :)))
-Work is going well.
-School is just around the corner!!! Aaah.
-Wish me luck finding the perfect monologues, thanks.
-I can't believe school is almost here, that means Fall shows are almost here!!! :))) [Grey's Anatomy and Parenthood] Yepee!
-I got a Pinterest. You can find it [here.]

Jen, HP, life in general

Okay so time to catch up on things.  I will write down stuff in a semi-list form.

-We had gone to the hospital for like 6 days because my mom had hypercalcemia (high calcium) so it was  kind of nice seeing everybody from the 3rd floor because that's where she had been in early May for a while.  I just wish it had been under different circumstances. We came back to the skilled nursing facility like 6 days ago.
-Happy July!!!
-We celebrated the 4th of July in the hospital which was different.
-Casey Anthony-not guilty??? I know this is late but I just had to make a comment on it.  My mom and I were eating hospital food at the time we found out and it was just devastating.  I wish that Caylee wouldn't have had a life like that.  Another thing: karma. That's it.
-Good stuff: Jennifer Aniston recently got her handprints and footprints cemented at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre!!! She was also on Inside the Actor's Studio!!! :)
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be out in 3 dayss!!!!!
-I started my summer class (PE) and yesterday I had to make up a class I missed where we had to do a 1.5 mile run/walk assessment. So of course today I am exceptionally sore.  Oh dear.
-The class is pretty interesting though because there are only like 8 of us.  We do aerobics and stuff and I want to try some other exercise equipment next week.
-I have also been wearing a pedometer for this class which is interesting.
-We are (hopefully) getting closer to finding an apartment and then I'll begin to pack.
-I am getting so many ideas for decorating my room! I have recently found that I ABSOLUTELY ADORE paper lanterns! Oh my goodness! Another thing, Target has become even more of an obsession for me.  I found this chinese takeout lamp. Isn't that amazing???

-I have homework from my Beginning Acting class (fall) and I'm super excited.  I have to find two monologues: One dramatic classical and one comedic contemporary and then I have to read/watch movies: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire.  Oh and another thing, I have to audition for the play in the fall. Ahh.
-I am still an ENFP! (I took the thing again for my PE class).

-Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th hit!!! Go YANKEES!

-Emmy nominations come out in 2 dayss! I really want Parenthood and Grey's Anatomy to get some nominations and awards.  

-My job has been going well.  :))) This last week was the first time I saw/heard a small choir and a violinist singing/playing at the church for a wedding and it sounded so beautiful.

-My mom has an appt with the oncologist this coming thursday so hopefully she'll be starting something soon.  We found out she broke her clavicle and shoulder area also so she's resting that but therapy is going well.  Please pray that my mom feels okay and that the cancer gets controlled by this next treatment.

Until next time!

I'll be there for you

FRIENDS

Okay so first of all I am stressed about my mom's situation, I guess maybe more scared though, anyway, I would deeply appreciate prayers for my mom, she will be going to the oncologist on thursday, her abdominal pain has not gone away, I'm just really REALLY scared.  I pray every night that my mom's cancer stays under control.  I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but my mom's kind of cancer (stage IV) means that her cancer won't go away, the goal is to just keep it under control, so that is why I am always tense. Anyway, sorry about that, I didn't want this to be a depressing post, so I will change the subject. 

I was reading something about ads and stuff and how on Oprah's final episode, each 30 second spot (for a commercial) is going to bring in a whole lot of money, and they mentioned other series finales and their commercial things, or whatever, anywho, they mentioned FRIENDS! :))) I absolutely love this show, I seriously cried during the last episode, I remember going to school (middle school) the next day and feeling like something was missing, I know this probably sounds pathetic, but that's okay.  So I wanted to take this time to say thank you David Crane and Marta Kauffman for creating FRIENDS! :) ♥

Another thing, acting class has been sooo soo sooo sooo much fun! We are working on our monologues for the final and today I performed mine and it was really nice to get feedback and to work on it.  My monologue is from A Doll's House and I'm playing Nora, during the last scene of the play. 

Random: I wanted to post my schedule for summer and fall just so y'all can cross your fingers that I get these classes, you know if you are really bored.  jk!

Summer: Religion and Film, Dimensions of Wellness (PE) and Announcing and Performance (for my concentration)

Fall: Italian I, Country Western Dance (haha, it's another part of PE), Beginning Acting (for my minor), Writing for the Media (for my major), Video Production I (for my concentration) and U.S to 1865 (history).  

So please cross your fingers! :) Thanks! 

On a serious note: Please continue praying for my mom and that this disease isn't spreading any more.  Thank you! ✌♥

CT, "Smile", Acting

Part of the chemo room.

So it's been a while since I last blogged but as you maybe can tell, everything's been pretty crazy.  First of all, today was my mom's CT scan.  It's crazy because she gets her labs and scans done at the place where she used to work at (a hospital, she used to be a radiology transcriptionist) so everytime we go there it's like deja vu of when she used to work there, and frankly, when she wasn't sick.  Anyway, the process of getting the scan done didn't take long but they had trouble trying to get a good vein, so it was more pain for my mom, yeah, it was bad, but I'm glad it's all over.  We even ate lunch with one of her ex-co-workers (I don't know where the dashes go) and it was nice to see everybody there that we know, I mean they've known us for like three years or so, they've seen us through this sucky disease.  My mom also had the new calcium-lowering thing (that took 4hrs) on tuesday but that wasn't too bad.

As for me, it's final project time for Audio Production I, so I am starting to work on that.  My project is going to be a music video of an updated version of Charlie Chaplin's Smile.  I love that song and it seemed perfect, I also wanted to somehow capture the meaning of the song while talking about cancer. To me the song basically means that although life is sometimes sucky, you should smile and know that everything will eventually be okay, which kind of helps me get through this whole cancer situation.  The support I'm getting with this project is great! :)

Other than that, ooh! Acting has been soooo soooo sooo much fun! :)))) Last class (the 5th) my scene partner and I were doing a scene and my acting teacher was like "This is my favorite!" and "You're always great! (referring to me).  Not to toot my own horn but yeah, I agree! :) Haha, jk!  Anyway, that class has really been a stress-reliever for me. I am starting to work on my monologue for the final as well, and so far so good! Also, I'm starting to plan my classes for summer and fall, so my OCD is kind of helping me in this situation except that I don't know yet if I can get this one class that is super hard to get into because all Communication Arts majors (like me) need to take it, so I'm crossing my fingers.

I think that's it for now. Hasta la pasta! (Please keep prayin'!) ✌♥☺

Long time no see?

So yeah this past week was superr crazy.  Here's a brief summary, in list form:
-My mom had chemo this past thursday. It wasn't too hard on her.  It was kind of nice because we both took naps there.  There were plenty of chemo chairs empty so I sat on one of them.  It was (as weird as this sounds) a nice little bonding moment.  I just hate the situation, you know?
-My mom isn't feeling too well now, well it kind of goes up and down, the roller coaster thing again.

Yeah, I know. :)

-I don't know if I mentioned this or not but like two weeks ago I found out I got this scholarship from an online magazine! Yey!! Well, anyway, I just found out today that I got this other scholarship too!!! :) Oooh and I get to go, along with my mom, to the ceremony!!!
-I got a 98 on my Anatomy Lab :)
-I am starting to get my classes ready for the next semester
-My mood has been all over the place, it's weird, I get superr excited when something good happens (like the scholarship stuff) but then I get superrr upset when I see my mom in pain.
-Oh that reminds me, my mom has begun to use her "chemo hat", which means, bye bye hair.
-Acting is still super fun, I actually had to go see this one play for class and it was really nice.
-I have A LOT of stuff to do.  :(
-The job situation is still ehhh.
-Oh! Today was/is Valentine's Day!
I guess I'm doing okay.  I really want to see "Life as I know It" with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel (on Demand)

Anyway, please keep praying for my momma.  Thank you.