Knitting Publicity

Some months ago my grandmother Martha and I opened up an Etsy shop to sell our knitted and crocheted goods. We, along with mom, were recently approached to do a mothers day article about all three of us. It was published today for all eyes to see and I am extremely excited! It is such an honor and I feel it is the beginning of good things to come. You can read the article here.

In other news I have also been featured as a model on the shop of the lovely Xenotees. That is also quite exciting. Take a look here.

Right now I am on Spring Break and enjoying my freedom as well as finding myself rather bored. We begin school on Monday and are launched straight into Spirit Week. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I am excited to perform our teacher impersonations skit. I hope to do a post about Spirit Week by the end of next weekend.

I hope you all are well.

Pippin!

About a month ago my high school drama department had their performance of the musical Pippin. It was my first time doing a musical and over the course of the five months we worked on it I learned many things. Some lessons I learned were musicals are very different from plays, that singing in front of people can be an extremely nerve racking thing, you must be very specific when requesting a role because you might be misinterpreted, that some people are born singers and others are not, that lots of people are in the drama department for social reasons and not because they like to act and lastly that singing while jumping and dancing is very very difficult. I must admit I did not particularly enjoy doing the musical this year, not that I didn't have fun, because I did, but overall it was a very stressful, difficult, and sometimes tedious five months. Besides many of the people in drama were rather, to be very harsh, arrogant, judgmental and not welcoming. But I am making everything seem gloomy, I must fix that. There were many good times as well as bad. The show it self was proof of that. It was such a thrill to be inside the tent they put up, under the colored lights singing your heart out. I had a fairly small speaking part but I made the best of it by playing many little parts and having fun with my characters.
like we would actually be able to pull it off. See you mustOnce everyone had their costumes and make up I began to feel understand that the week before our play we were supposed to work in the tent but there were so many problems that that was not always possible. The costumes were not done until the day before the show, the lights weren't working, the heater wouldn't turn on, people were sick, and we ran out of time. I guess you could say our dress rehearsal was opening night.
Our four shows got better with each one. Friday night was good, Saturday matinee better and Saturday night amazing. Sunday matinee was great as well, but to be honest, Saturday night was the best. It had a wonderful cast and huge amounts of energy. Everyone seemed like they were having lots of fun.
I really loved the stage we had to perform on because you could sit backstage and watch your favorite parts while you waited to go on. I found there were some scenes that I would watch every show because I loved them so much. But my favorite part was being wheeled on stage in a chart of fake body parts as the character of the decapitated head. That scene was really fun and although it was quite short I enjoyed it very much. I especially loved doing a posh British accent.
Everyone did wonderfully, my friend My was phenomenal as the grandma Berthe. She gave her character a special flare and life. She has a wonderful voice as well which only made the scene even better. Ventana who played the queen, Fastrada, was also very good. She acted perfectly sweet and evil at the same time. I remember the first time she practiced her scene she had this catlike strut which became her trademark. I thought Tiffany who played one of the leading players was wonderful and Sean, who played Catherine, was lovely as well. I thought Dusty, who played Pippin, did a great job but I think it would have been better if he had taken the character a little farther.
In all everyone was wonderful and the show turned out extremely well. Part of me is sad that it's over and another part is happy because of how much work the whole project was.
Now you may wonder, was it really worth it? Was it worth all the hardships for four short shows? I'd say yes, even though it was extremely grueling, I was proud to be a part of it. We all worked as hard and I think it really showed. I know many people were pleasantly surprised when they came to see the show. Some even said it was better than the professional one playing at the Mark Taper. I think we all came together and made magic on that stage and it became apparent. I still can hardly believe we did it. I have many pleasant memories and I'm so happy I joined the musical and was apart of it all.
"We've got magic to do, just for you."

Coraline

Last night I went to see the film Coraline for Greg's birthday. When I was little I had always wanted to read the book Coraline but everyone told me it was to scary. When the movie came out, I was hesitant to see it for two reasons. The first was because I still wanted to read the book and I feared the film version might ruin it for me, the second was that I thought the film might not be very good. The trailer seemed a bit goofy and weird to me.
It turns out I was wrong, I throughly enjoyed the movie. It was funny, cute, a bit creepy and visually nice as well. I thought it had some cool ideas and got me thinking about my own stories. It also had some great characters. I love stop animation and the director, Henry Selick seems to be a master. He also did Nightmare Before Christmas and I think he worked on James and the Giant Peach.
When Coraline moves to a new house, nothing seems to be going her way. That is, until she finds a doorway that leads to an alternate universe in which everything is perfect. She cannot wait till night when she can creep back to her "other" world. But is everything really as perfect as it seems?
The film was superb and I recommend everyone see it for it is a real treat.

Daddy Daughter Dance 2009

Every year of high school our class holds the Daddy Daughter Dance as a fund raiser. We held this years on February 9th. I love the Daddy Daughter Dance because it's a chance to be with your friends in the class, eat yummy deserts, dress up and even dance a little. Now, I'm not usually one for dancing, but I do enjoy it at the Daddy Daughter Dance. Maybe that's because it's fun old music like the Beatles, David Bowie and others, or maybe it's merely being with good friends. In fact, I spent a good deal of my night Waltzing with My, Armand and Ventana while doing the twist with Claudia.
Everyone is supposed to bring some sort of the desert and this year I decided to make a cake from my new recipe book. I decided on the Chocolate Malt Ball Cake. It took me three or four hours to make it, but once I tried it, I realized that it was worth it. It was absolutely delicious!
Another part of the dance I really like is watching the little girls and seeing what they wear. They are so cute! Anyhow, I had a very fun night and I'm already looking forward to next years dance.

The Duchess

I saw the Duchess the other night with mom and Greg. Overall I thought it was very good. Some parts were stunning like the costumes, hair, cinematography and overall visual experience the film had to offer. I thought she, Keira Knightly, did a good job, but I wasn't entirely clear whether or not I liked how Ralph Fiennes played his part. It was odd, for he was supposed to be the bad guy, but he played it differently. I didn't quite know what to feel towards the character by the end. The Duchess tells the true story of the duchess of devonshire and the trials she faced in her married life. It was sad, for you really got to see what life would be like for women in those times. Especially women who had a mind of their own. It was very good and though rather depressing, I did enjoy it. it was not my favorite film of the year, but I thought it was nice quality film. I especially liked it because ever since I saw the portrait of the duchess at the Huntington, I have had a strange curiosity concerning her. 

Lovely film, and lovely lovely costumes. 

Happy Birthday

Well, it has been quite a long time since the last post and I'm very sorry for that.
Anyhow, on Tuesday, the 27th, it was my birthday! I turned 16 and I feel like it as well. I don't feel extremely different or anything, just a little older I guess. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not.
I had a great day at school and Ventana and My surprised me with a vegan pumpkin pie and a cranberry orange bunt cake! We decided to have some of the pie at school, it was really yummy! I had all the usual classes, Main Lesson, which is Physiology, German, English, Orchestra, Math, and Golf. After school I went out to Beverly Hills so I could visit my favorite store and have dinner at a restaurant I adore. I went with mom, Greg and grandma Martha. I have loved Anthropologie for a couple of years now. It seems as though every time I go in there, I see tons of things that I love. I found a green blouse shirt, a pair of cute stockings and a little sweater that feels Swedish or German. I wish I could have bought everything in the store!
We next went to Il Fornaio, which is my favorite restaurant. I always get this amazing chicken, broccoli, pasta dish which I could eat all day long! It was just as yummy as always. Then it was time for my favorite desert, whose name always escapes me. It is a fruit cup like dish, with sherbet and berries and cream. Yummmmm. It is fantastic! By the end of the meal, I was so stuffed I could hardly budge. When I got home, my dad arrived with a very special gift. A Kitchen Aid! I've been wanting one ever since I was little and now I have one! I'm so excited to be able to whip my whipped cream in a minute rather then five. I can't wait to start cooking and I think I'll start this weekend.
Anyhow, I had a wonderful day and I am so thankful for all the wonderful gifts! Thank you all very much!

The End and the Beginning

Well, the year is coming to a close. It is an end as well as a beginning. A time to start afresh, and let things go. Looking back on 2008, I realized that I grew a lot this year. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This year we performed the play "The Mouse that Roared." That really felt like the beginning of things to come in high school. It was a challenge and also extremely fun. I learned to golf in one of my favorite classes of the semester. I survived Spirit Week without many scratches and even earned myself a bow from the teacher I impersonated. My acting grew at Theatricum this year. My scene and monologue were big challenges and I am so proud of how hard I worked and that I was able to pull through. I got a great part in Taming of the Shrew and had a wonderful time. I learned a lot about acting, Shakespeare and what helps me with a scene. Being in a repratory Theatricum play has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. It was one of the highlights of my summer I really hope I can be a part of it again next year! I took some great photos this year. I'm not a master or anything, but it's nice to improve. I audtioned for Pippin and sung in front of people on my own. That has been a big fear for a while. Even though I didn't get the part I wanted I made my new part really fun and I'm so happy with what happened. I've taken chances with the role and wasn't afraid to look odd in front of everyone. The Native American trip will always linger in my mind for 2008. It was an amazing experience and I am so lucky to have been there. I will never forget the memories I have from there, the beautiful canyon, the friends I made and the laughs I had. I fulfilled another childhood dream by performing in the Halloween skits. I played in the winter concert loudly and didn't mess up more then twice. In all I think this past year really helped me begin to conquer some of my fears and well as accomplish some of my dreams. I had a wonderful time and I made so many good memories. I remember 2007 as a rather strange year, but I know I'll remember 2008 as one where I had hard times as well as fun ones. Goodbye 2008, hello 2009. What do you have in store for me I wonder. What goals will I accomplish and fears will I conquer? Happy old year and happy new year.
May 2009 bring joy and good fortune.

Winter Concert 08

On December 11 we had our Winter Concert at school. There were three groups that performed. First was hand bells. They played several songs which were pretty, but they could have done half of the pieces. Next was choir. There was a new choir teacher this year and it was interesting to see what the choir sounded like with her. I thought they did good, a bit off at times, but overall good. We, the orchestra, played last. My friend Claudia is an amazing violinist and the first piece, Violin Concerto, was her "solo" piece. She sounded wonderful and I think we backed her up nicely. Next the quartet played the Pachelbel's Canon. It was the first time I had heard them play it and I thought it sounded great! Next we played Chameleon by Herbie Hancock. That was my least favorite piece to play. It's hard for flute and we're supposed to play it really fast. We ended with my favorite piece Get Happy. The piece begins with a tom tom like drum beat, followed by the trombone and keyboard. The piece sounded great! I had a really good time! I was nervous but it felt nice playing with everyone in orchestra. I think we have a good group and I'll be sad when the seniors aren't there next year.
All in all, the night went really well. I hope everyone watching enjoyed it as much as I did.

Photographs taken by Andrew Neuhart

The Fall

We see many movies in our life. Some we like others we don't, and then there are those that are different and seem to hit a chord inside of us. I recently saw the film the Fall with my mom and Greg. I saw the trailer this summer and thought that it looked interesting so I was glad when it arrived in the mail via Netflix. I absolutely adored the film. It was so wonderful and inspiring. In a hospital in the 1940's, I young girl with a broken arm befriends a man who was injured by a fall. He tells her a fantastical story about 5 heroes. But are there darker motives behind this charming story? The film is a stunning treat for the eyes. Every shot is like a vivid work of art. It's colorful, simple and rich. The film was shot on 18 countries over the world which only adds to the films stunning appearance. The costumes were also brilliant. They were more dull for real life and when in the story they were vibrant and unusual. The acted was wonderful. The little girl had a lovely presence and you really feel for her. As for Roy (Lee Pace), the man who tells the story, he did a great job as well. He showed the pain that the character was feeling and even if his choices were not good, I couldn't force myself to dislike him. In all it was an amazing film which I highly recommend. It was really inspiring and I cannot wait to see it again! I hope it gets recognized when the Oscars come around it really deserves a nod for best costumes or cinematography.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times. I love eating good food and being with family. This year I didn't have a huge extravagant dinner, but a small one with my mom, dad and Greg. We spent most of the day cooking and then ate. There was the usual turkey mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce as well as a green bean salad that was amazing, fig and chestnut stuffing, a relish salad and homemade vanilla ice cream. We planned on seeing a movie afterwards, but it didn't quite work out. Instead we played Scrabble which was extremely fun. I don't think I had ever played before and I came in second place! We had a good deal of laughs and invented several new words, Balorclain and Downatoupe, thanks to dad and Greg.In all it was a really fun night and I had a great time eating yummy food and being with family.