Come see me crawl across a table.

"Come see me crawl across a table!" My choreographer told me that should be my hook to get friends and family see me in "Bye Bye Birdie", heh...

Oh right - I never really continued to blog about the whole audition and casting process, huh? And given that my word of the year is "finish", I should get to that. 

As noted in a previous post, I dressed up like a Mormon missionary for my audition, deciding to use a song from my current favorite musical, "The Book of Mormon." I figured, "why not have fun with it and dress up?" So I bought that short-sleeved white button down just for this one purpose. Being the first one up, nerves got the best of me, but it was still a fun upbeat song to sing ("You and Me, But Mostly Me") as compared to the darker toned song from my previous audition. 

Immediately after I sang, the producer asked me to do something for her, as if something caught her eye. She asked me to walk across the room as I owned it... which actually, a few weeks later, I'm totally just reminded of that scene from "Friends" where Joey is working with Susan Sarandon's character and she tells him to walk into the room like he owns it, but then as he walks in, he acts excited at the thought of owning the room, haha... anyways, that then prompted the director to ask me to give them a big cheesy grin... which I tried - I don't know how I looked, really... but I left the room wondering, "what the heck was that all about?"

I got the callback two nights later, asking me to return again to read for Conrad Birdie, one of the leads of the show... and apparently those things they'd asked me to do related to how they saw him (since the character is a rockstar with swagger)... But now I was even more nervous, and in some ways now really wanted the part. Whereas before, not knowing anything about the show, I didn't care who I was. 

So during night two, we had to read a few lines and sing a few measures of one of Conrad's songs... it was a pretty simple process. But I was definitely conflicted between wanting a "big" part and not wanting to deal with the pressure of having to pull that part off either.

In the end, I got placed in the Adult Ensemble. When I got the call, I was really just relieved, between finally knowing that I get to be in another musical and that there's nothing on my shoulders. Not that there's less work though - I still have to be at lots of rehearsals and learn lots of music and harmonies. 

As part of the ensemble, I do have lines to read as "Reporter #1" -- I shall call myself "Kevin" -- and a male quartet member for this one song where we're backing up "Alfred" (the real male lead) but our harmonies are crazy and I'm singing the 2nd Tenor line. I haven't been singing a tenor line since junior high! I tend to just go for the baritone... but this one's going well.

As for the whole "crawling across a table" thing, there's this one number that we started to block last Saturday that had us guys trying our best not to laugh or break character, as we were being introduced to the scene and we're supposed to start off pretty stoic as "Rosie" starts to dance with her hips and stuff (yeahhhhh)... but then we get to let loose... and so far, I've had my ear played with by "Rosie" and get pulled out from my seat by my tie. We didn't do the table crawling yet, but apparently that's forthcoming... anyways, the number seems like it'll be a fun one, so if you want to see the show, let me know!

You gotta know when to fold 'em...

...know when to hold 'em
...know when to walk away
...know when to run.

That song's about gambling, right? I really don't know. I feel like I remember hearing it during commercials for Barona Casino or maybe Sycuan. Anyways, so I was talking to a coworker on Friday, and usually whenever we cross paths we talk about the latest episode of "How I Met Your Mother".

And then I admitted it out loud.

"HIMYM makes me sad now."

It really does. After 6 years... the comedy just falls flat. It's been going on waaaay too long - at least Lost set a definitive end point and could plot its denouement. HIMYM still hasn't definitively set its own yet - though allegedly it's 2013 - so we're still waiting to meet the titular mother. I tried to deny these feelings in seasons 5 and 6, like I was clinging on to a relationship that used to be great... but now I can't help but think "get on with it, Ted."

I came to admit this to myself after watching last Monday's episode, when I shut it down after the first half. The episode just felt way.too.long and that was after only 10 minutes.

This struck me especially when compared to my new show of the moment, which I started watching it last spring when it came on as a mid-season replacement... and that show is "Happy Endings". I have that show on when I'm falling asleep, as I'm getting ready for work the next morning, and it never gets old! It gives me the same warm feelings and laughs that HIMYM used to give me.

So yeah... if you haven't watched "Happy Endings" (ABC, Weds, 9:30pm), give it a shot. It's easy to call it "Friends" set in Chicago (i.e. where I want my future home to be, except for the winter)... but I really feel this show stands on its own. And the cast is just as fun+tight. And it has Elisha Cuthbert from "24".

I just love this clip in particular because it just shows the fun the cast has doing scenes like this... and plus I think Eliza Coupe (who plays Jane) looks ridiculously hot at the :33-:34 second mark, with that smirk and the slightest of shimmys............ ohhh yeah.

The Week In Instagrams

With the whole Picture/Instagram of the Day goal for 2012, I don't really intend on doing a recap of the week's pictures, but I feel like doing it at least for the past week...

SUNDAY - Me and my old friend from UCSD, Michelle, at the end of our coffee+Flood reunion. We hadn't seen each other in a few years, since the days when I was working the graveyard shift back in 2006-2007. Those days are hazy... we hadn't been in touch since then, except for a Facebook status comment every now and then, until around Thanksgiving or so when she messaged me about church recommendations and I invited her to come out with me. It was so great to catch up and make plans to keep hanging out this time around so that the years don't pass us by again.

MONDAY - Worked until... I think 10pm or so? Gotta love working on databases...

TUESDAY - I'm in a supplement fix lately, taking upwards of 16 pills a day between multivitamins, thermogenic pills, fish oil, fat burners, and one pill that my personal trainer recommended to take pre-workout for energy that is also... well, I later found out that some find it useful as an herbal bedroom enhancer... yeahhhh, I didn't know... but that would explain why the guy at Vitamin Shoppe gave me the whole "yeahhhhh buddy!" look of approval + headnod.

WEDNESDAY - My songbook for the next 8 weeks!

THURSDAY - The view from my desk, where I worked until 11pm... not a fun night.

FRIDAY - After a long week that did not end as planned, I still got to de-stress a bit and go out on Friday night when Ashley invited to come out to a hookah place with her roomie and another friend of theirs. Turns out I know very little about hookah, but I still enjoy it from time to time. Oh, and we got to go Trujillo's after, where I got to have one of my favorite things - which was basically a Cali burrito w/ onions and bacon. The best!

SATURDAY - Rested. As in took a nice long nap after rehearsal and caught up on the sleep I did not really get during the week. But on the weekends, I do like to watch my TV DVD sets, in particular "Boy Meets World" that I got for Christmas (and you can see the Adele and Foo Fighters DVDs on top).

SUNDAY - Today's message at Flood talked about taking a rest (Sabbath day)... I think it was a timely message. Oftentimes we keep going and going, and this week for example between work and rehearsals, I was always in a "working" mode... and the weeks ahead are bound to bring more of the same. So on the days off I get (such as Saturday), there's nothing wrong with just wanting to stay in and relax, to say "screw that" to the pressure of finding more ways to keep busy/active in an attempt to have an "exciting" weekend. It's okay to just be still, to find that space to reflect.

TOW The Margaronas

So during this first week of 2012, I've discovered that... it's kinda hard to keep up an Instagram of the Day when...

• you work a deskjob and you're in the office 40+ hours a week
• you do not have cute teenage kittens
• you do not have one of the cutest little toddlers in the whole wide world or are not currently experiencing the miracle of life growing inside of you

So the Monday thru Friday pictures might be a little challenging at times... but I did get through this week. If you're on Instagram, you'll have seen them.

Luckily today had more interesting things to take pictures of, and today's picture will commemorate tonight's outing with some friends to Trivia Night at On the Border, where I had my very first margarona.

Margarita+Corona = margarona. That's my mango one on the right, Suzy's strawberry one on the left. 

And our dynamic team of 5 - The Margaronas - totally pulled off a comeback to win 2nd place, which we were very stoked about! We were dead last at the half, and I think 5th place before the final question...

Wanna hear it, hear it goes...

List the following events in the order that they occurred -

"South Park" premiered

"Family Feud" returned to TV with Louie Anderson as host

"Cheers" aired it's last episode

Drew Barrymore flashes David Letterman on his late night show

Can you do it? Well, we were the only team that did and ended up finishing with 54 points, and the first place team got 55... if only I'd given my hunch earlier in the game that Martin Luther King Jr. was the one who was assassinated at a hotel in Tennessee... but we were very excited with our 2nd place finish (including $10 off our next trip to OTB)... But we do plan to win the trophy next time... 

Care to challenge? ;) 

Photo of the Day - 1/3/12

Hands down.

Hello. My name is Elder Price...

More on the audition at another time... as the journey still continues... 

And the year's word is...

I wasn't a super big video gamer as a kid, but I played and know enough that when I thought of a theme word for 2012, I was reminded of the following phrase from Mortal Kombat:

"FINISH HIM!"

The 10 year old me cringed at the cartoonish violence (and because I sucked at the game). 

The 27.5 year old me laughs in enjoyment upon finding the various "Finish Him" clips on YouTube.


(And still sucks at the game, btw.)

At any rate, I'm copying another idea and blog theme from the wonderful TGO Jordan, that of a "word for the year". 

And I landed on the word "finish". 

It was an easy one that came to mind. Take reading, for example. I'm really good at starting books... but horrible at completing them. Or even CDs - where a lot of times I'll get a CD and then get asked "so what do you think" and then have to respond "wellllll it's good so far, but I've only listened to the first 4 songs... but those first 4 songs are pretty good!" Or the whole bike riding thing I blogged about before... yeah, I still don't know how to ride one. 

Perhaps the word also easily came to mind because I'd recently read a blog on Jon Acuff's site about the very topic. You can read that here, if you want... http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/the-hardest-part-of-a-project-is-also-the-most-important/#more-923

So that's my word for the year, I've decided. Those ideas and goals that have come to mind in the past and will come to mind in the coming days/weeks/months? This year, the goal is to get them done and see it through to the finish.

Listening to: "The New Year", by Death Cab For Cutie

2011 in Instagrams

I've decided to pull a 2009-Jordan (lovelikeapolaroid.blogspot.com) and attempt taking a Picture of the Day in 2012...  another buddy of mine did this on Facebook too in 2011, so I need to ready to start tomorrow. I have my phone on me all the time anyway, and I like using Instagram, so that's likely where they'll be. 

But I did want to do a quick photo review of the past year in snapshots, so here goes... 

(Note: I really didn't take much pics throughout year, or have pics taken with me in them, haha... So some months I struggled to find a pic in my library, or I had to pic just one in eventful months like August where Chicago easily trumps seeing Adele in concert.)

JANUARY - Completed leg 1 of the Triple Crown series of San Diego half marathons by running in the Carlsbad Half

FEBRUARY - A shot from Sunset Beach in Orange County, during a trip when I came to visit Sarah and we went to see Hair

MARCH - ...uhhhhh I bought a new computer. :P But I do love this thing!

APRIL - Completed the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown in La Jolla... and totally kicked that Torrey Pines hill's ass. (You try running it and let me know how it goes.)

MAY - Was in my first musical production and had the support of friends and coworkers coming to see me

JUNE - My parents enabled me to celebrate my birthday at work by bringing in lunch for me and my awesome coworkers

JULY - My cousin and his longtime girlfriend tie the knot in a beautiful ceremony (that I had the honor of officiating)

AUGUST - Family vacation to Chicago! My favorite snapshot of just a part of the gorgeous skyline. San Diego's got nothing on you, Bean Town. 

SEPTEMBER - Hiked the long trail at Mt. Woodson and got to the Potato Chip cliff! 

OCTOBER - New York City trip! Checking out the amazing views from the Top of the Rock observatory with my friend Suzy

NOVEMBER -  Seeing Jason Mraz in a special acoustic intimate setting was a nice way to end the Thanksgiving weekend

DECEMBER - Christmas Day at the San Diego Zoo with my cousin and the cutest little 10 month old in the history of ever who even though she was tired, whenever I'd give her a goofy grin, she'd give me this huge smile back with both her mouth and eyes, and those smiles were like a gift in itself that day...  

So there's 2011! Cheers to more pictures and memories in 2012...