And here it is!!!

What?! Mark’s posting again?? No way!!

Yeah. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? My apologies. I suppose I’m starting to make a reputation for myself as one of those people who go months at a time without posting . . . people like Rae :-P

But anyway, not a whole lot has really happened this past month and a half, but some stuff has. That, not surprisingly, is the stuff I’ll be writing about (my apologies if I seem weirder than usual . . . I’m in a weirder-than-usual mood).

So let’s see . . . I guess we’ll go through the end of Cinderella first, then move on into the stuff that happened afterwards. Wow, I’m brilliant.

Okay. So Vince decided at some point that since he’s 35 and not in a relationship, and therefore has nothing better to do, that he would set up cast hang-out times every weekend, basically meaning that we would go to Denny’s every Friday after the show. Which was always a blast. The first time we went, I was sitting near the end of our long table-thingy with Vince and Rachel across from me, and Bonnie next to me. And then random people to my right occasionally participated in the conversation.

Vince likes to shake things up a bit over the Saturday break, so he comes up with some random thing for the group that goes with him to do. The first one was they went to Uncle Howie’s (I was not a part of this group at any time), and a birthday party was raging. Vince therefore challenged (and offered ten bucks) for Josh Lomeli to go over, cut himself a piece of cake, and come back without saying anything. He did, and got his money. They then were given cake by a second birthday party, which had Cinderella cake toppers, so they went over and sang a song, and then got cake.

The point of that was because Vince and Rachel came up with one (that they never did) at Denny’s that night. We were going to do it walking into Denny’s, because Rachel was dressed really weirdly (tye-dye scarf and giant sunglasses), but we didn’t ‘cause nobody had suits. They decided that they’d go into a restaurant, claiming that Rachel was a French model who had come to SoCal to start a career in movies. She was a major celebrity, and therefore had a group of bodyguards (to be played by Vince and one or two other guys in suits). So they were going to walk into a restaurant and demand service and privacy, and just see what the people would do. They never did it, though, which was a shame.

The next week, I’m pretty sure I didn’t go for some reason . . . but the next week I did. So we’ll skip to that (‘cause nothing really interesting happened during the shows that I can remember, at least not stuff worthy of such a great location as my blog). We went to Denny’s, Rachel, Katrina, Sean and I riding with Vince (with crazy music that we all went crazy to in the car [including Vince, which was scary since he was driving]). When we got to Denny’s, we discovered that the unthinkable had happened: someone had stolen our reservation!! Vince asked the cashier dude what was going on, and he explained that someone had taken that reservation already (although he believed that it was ours and was stolen, but they were already eating so there was nothing that he could do). Vince asked for permission to take them out of the restaurant one by one by the ear, and the cashier (who seemed like a cool guy) gave it. Although he made Vince promise not to tell anyone he’d given it.

Anyway, in the end, Vince and Jeff (who was with us for some reason) decided that we’d go to IHOP instead, where they could take us. So we did. And while we were in there, it started raining. Rachel had a brilliant idea: “Let’s go run around in the rain!!” So we did. At first it was just me and her, but then we came back in and got Katrina and went back out. I went in first, and then Katrina and Rachel came in a few minutes later.

Oh! Ha ha! I remember why I didn’t go the week before that! It’s because the cast party was that weekend, so we didn’t go at all! So yeah. Guess I should chronicle that before I go any further.

Actually, there isn’t a whole lot to chronicle. It was at the Gourmet Pizza Shoppe, and — no, wait, first there was a dodgeball game.

Between the show and the cast party there was a dodgeball game, which the whole cast was supposed to go to (most of them did, but not all). We were playing the #1 team in the league, and it was a must-win game. When it started, we were getting soundly trounced. We went down 4-1, I think, and had lost three in a row. Bonnie then took a game off and ran out to her car. A few minutes later she came back, wearing her padded rear-end from the show. We didn’t lose another game. Final Score: Theatrical Threat: 7 No-names: 4. Wee-haw.

Anyway, then there was the cast party. It was at the Gourmet Pizza Shoppe, but the shoppe was open for business, so we couldn’t do skits or even really be loud. So that made me angry. And Wayne, too, was upset. So he said that to make it up to us, the next weekend we’d have a cast party between shows on Saturday at Lifehouse and do skits and stuff. I cackled gleefully. Because I, of course, had written a skit, to redeem myself for the not-so-wonderful Esther one.

So the next Friday was the IHOP Escapade, and then Saturday was the Cast Party Mk. II. It was a lot more fun than the first. The Johnsons sang for us, first off. They were amazing. Like, I’ve never really been a big fan of gospel music, but . . . holy sithspawn, man. They rocked.

After that, Adam and Nick finally got back from dinner (Nick was the lead in my skit), and Nick had his hair dyed for some reason. So we had to wait a while before doing the skit. So while that was happening, Vince did the final awards ceremony (he’d done a bunch before — they were basically just stuff he’d picked up at the dollar store which reflected some aspect of someone’s personality). Then it was time for the skit. Which went over VERY well — I think I was vindicated. Yay.

After the show that night, a bunch of folks went to a Karaoke bar somewhere, and I went for a little while. Didn’t sing anything (thank goodness I left before Vince made me), but it was fun.

Then came the last show. ‘Twas tragic. *sniff* It brings a tear to my check . . . not really. But yeah, it was sad. It was a great cast.

After the show, there was another dodgeball game, and the whole cast was supposed to go as a big closing-show bash type-a thingy-ma-jigger. AJ was in town for one reason or another, and Mom was working, so Dad decided that AJ, he, and I would go out to dinner after the game. And through a long and complicated process, David and Sarah were also coming to the game.

So I went in, fearing that I was late. I ran and ran and ran. Only to find the team and most of the cast hanging around in the hallway rather than the gym. I asked Vince and then Josh Riley and then Nathan what was going on (surprisingly, Nathan was the one who actually gave me a real answer). It turned out that the game had been cancelled due to the fact that the next day was a holiday. As if THAT made sense.

So I trudged dejectedly out of the Drayson Center and back into the parking lot, only to see a hooded figure (and a non-hooded one, but that’s less dramatic) coming towards me. Naturally, hooded figures coming towards me in the night scare me. Especially if under the hood is Sarah’s face.

So I met Sarah and David and told them that the game was cancelled, and walked back with them to my car, at which point Dad invited them to come to dinner with us. They did so. For those of you who have never been to Pat & Oscar’s, go. Now. Even if you’re not hungry. Just go and stand in line for a few minutes, and they’ll hand you a breadstick, and then you can eat it and leave. But you have to eat they’re breadsticks, they’re the best in the known Universe.

Anyway, we had a good time feasting and fellowshipping. Then we went home. Then the next day, since it was a holiday (though not for me . . .), David suggested that a group of folks get together at The Golden Spoon and hang out.

I agreed to this proposition. So did Katrina, and Carly. So we were supposed to meet there at two. I got there at about 2:10, and saw David standing there alone. We waited for about ten minutes, then David called both of them (and Megan, too, I think, although she wasn’t expected to show up). No answers. Then we got ice cream, then called them again. No answers.

Then finally Katrina showed up. She explained that she’d been in Driver’s Ed., and so hadn’t been able to answer her phone. So she got ice cream and joined us, and we spoke of many things . . . and I was lightly breaded with the graham cracker crumbs that were my ice cream’s topping. I also lightly breaded the table.

Eventually we got fed up with Carly not being there, and decided to go to Broadway Expressions and give her a piece of our minds. It was within walking distance, so we walked there. I had never been there, and stood marveling at how well hidden it was. The only sign they had (although I’ve been told they’ve added a new, bigger one) was a piece of 8 1/2x11 paper taped in the window that said “Broadway Expressions” on it. I commented (as David had before me) about the lack of a sign, and we were discussing it when Megan and Carly came running out shouting, “Go away! Go away! We don’t want you here!”

About thirty seconds later they invited us to come in, which we did. Carly and David got in a brutally violent argument over whether or not David had called Carly (Carly’s phone showed he hadn’t, David’s phone and my memory showed he had). Eventually they were reconciled, and David and I were invited to watch them rehearsing for a dance. Which we did, twice through, and then Brenda walked in, and we felt really awkward, ‘cause we’d gone from friendly observers to intruders upon a private class (well . . . maybe not, I have absolutely no clue what the Broadway Expressions visitor policy is, but that’s what it felt like). So we left.

Katrina disappeared somewhere into the studio and didn’t come with us. So we went to Barnes and Noble for a while, then I came back home.

And . . . wow. I didn’t even mention that Uncle Ted and Bev were out . . . a pox upon me for the nerve. Well, they were. And they were taking us out to dinner that very night, to a place called Mill Creek . . . if you haven’t been THERE, go there . . . but make sure you’re REALLY hungry. I got the Philly Steak Sandwich, and when it came . . . well, you know how restaurants put toothpicks in their sandwiches to hold them together? For this sandwich, the toothpick looked an awful lot like a steak knife. It was awesome. And it tasted great, too.

Then that Wednesday, Didi invited mother, father, and me to come to the final rehearsal of The Princess and the Pauper at Heartland, which we did. It was funny, although it got off to a bad start and Didi had to yell at the cast to get it back to good. Or whatever. Kinda lost my grammatical prowess there (not that I ever had any).

It was made up almost entirely of teenagers, with a few younger folks and a few older folks. On the whole everything was really good . . . very good acting, good singing (except Nick bit his tongue of his big romantic song and started cracking up), well choreographed . . . the choreography was actually pretty funny, too (intentionally), which added to the comedy of the whole thing . . . Music was good . . . And I had something else I wanted to say about it, but I can’t remember. If it was still running, I’d highly recommend it, but it’s not. Sorry.

I think something happened that weekend, but I can’t remember what it was. And the next thing that happened was the weekend after that, when I went to see Princess again, this time with Sarah, David, and John. It was better then the previous time. And what else is there to be said?

So we’ll jump to the next weekend after that, which was an exciting Sunday. First, thanks to David’s brilliant planning, Dad and I went to see Hiding Place at Lifehouse. If you haven’t seen it yet, then a pox upon thee. See it. Now. It’s incredible. And it’s leaving April 15th. Train Station People: This Means You!! Give David and I a hand pestering AJ to organize something like he usually does.

It’s not a musical, and it’s probably a good thing that it’s not . . . there are two songs, but they’re in places where people in real life could conceivably sing (one’s a praise song, the other’s a song sung at a party). The script is really phenomenal. It moves a bit quickly through the first act, but it summarizes the events comprehensively and well. The second act slows down a bit, and is majorly powerful. (On a side note, I say that it’s just plain wrong that “majorly” isn’t actually a word.)

The acting, too, was great. Almost every accent was believable, and the only one that sounded fake was an actor for whom English is a second language. So we can cut him some slack. But if Karen (the lady who played Corrie) doesn’t get an ITL (Inland Theater League award), I will be very upset. ‘Cause she was amazing. And David did well, too . . . although you can tell he’s not really playing the piano . . .

And, to my surprise, Wayne allowed Josh to use blood, and lots of it. So when people get beaten up, they get beaten up. Blood and all. Yay.

So yeah. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you find time in your busy schedules to see it. ‘Cause it needs to be seen.

Then afterwards, I went down and was talking to David and saw Daphne for the first time in ages, and was talking to her for a while . . . I learned that they make scented bowling balls. As absolutely pathetic as that is.

Then, as was the plan, Dad went home, and David and I headed over to REV to watch Bye-Bye Birdie, as presented by Broadway Expressions. We met David’s friend Jenna there, and a few minutes before the show started Tim came to sit with us.

The show was absolutely hilarious. I shall forever have the image of Megan gripping Matt’s leg yelling “I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU” etched in my mind. The only thing about it that I really didn’t like was the one bit of fighting there was in the show . . . Michael was supposed to punch Matt, and it looked very fake. And Michael of all people should know better.

But other than that it was very good. Quite a mood change from Hiding Place, but once the initial shock was overcome we’re okay as far as that’s concerned. It was also somewhat odd to see a Milligan playing a bartender, and seeing another Milligan ask for drinks . . . made an impressive roll down the stairs, though.

Then, before I knew it, it was March 10th. What, you ask, is the significance of it being March 10th? Well, it was a Friday. The next day was Saturday March 11th. Which was the date of auditions for the Bowl. I got my sheet music in the mail on the 10th. And was desperately trying to prepare satisfactorily for the impending audition. I begged AJ to come home and play it for me before auditions. I freaked out a lot.

Then I called Sarah to coordinate meeting at the church. “I can do it next week, actually,” she says, after all my scrambling to get ready for the next day just because she couldn’t do it the next week. So I collapsed in relief and watched The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which is NOT a good thing to watch. If you haven’t seen it, don’t. Spare yourself the torture. Unless you love Alan Rickman, in which case it’s almost (almost) worth the torture.

But again before I knew it, it was March 17th, the day before auditions again. And this time there was no way out. I was also more prepared, but I was still freaking out. For the record, I hate auditions. And I suck at them.

So I got to the church the next morning, bright and early. I was supposed to meet Sarah there, but I got there before her, so I figured I’d start filling out the paperwork. I was number 49 (they continued the numbers from the previous week, so I was pretty close to the beginning). To my dismay, someone else (Zack DeZon, actually) walked in about thirty seconds before Sarah and snatched number 50, which meant (naturally) that Sarah and I would be in different groups.

This did not make me happy. I was already extremely nervous, and my audition buddy was going to be in another group. It turned out, however, that the last number from the previous week was 36. So groups were from 37-42, 43-47, and 48-52. So we were in the same group, after all.

But the audition panel managed to make it as nerve-wracking as possible. They called us in groups of five, to be sure, but those five then waited in the hall. And they called auditioners in one by one. The room was HUGE . . . it was the fellowship hall (I think) of the church, and there were tables at one end, and an X in the middle, on which you were to stand. The audition panel was also rather large (7 people, I believe), and one of them was Nolan, and another was Dustin, which didn’t help. Being in the presence of such greatness does not translate into wonderful singing. For me, anyway.

It went alright, though, and in the end I got a callback. Sarah was sick for callbacks, so I didn’t have her to latch on to, but Lucas and Zach tried to replace her (in terms of me having someone to latch on to). The song (Be Our Guest) was kind of a little bit WAY too high for me, but just barely low enough that it’s awkward to sing it an octave lower. So that sucked.

We also had to learn and perform a short little dance thing. They taught it to us, then gave us about an hour to practice it while they did the mains’ vocal stuff. I faithfully practiced it for the entire hour, with the aid of Lucas and Zach. I got it down perfectly. I totally had it. Then came time to perform it. I was placed right directly in front of Dustin.

*Woosh* went my thoughts. It was the sound of the dance completely leaving my head. So I just kind of fumbled around for a moment, then turned my head (desperately hoping that I’d see what the others were doing and pick it up again). Nobody else in my group (we went in groups of five, like auditions) remembered it, either, so we were all floundering. Then Dustin graciously let it start over. I remember a bit of it, but my performance of it completely sucked. As did the vocal thing afterwards.

So I went and despondently sat down, thinking, “Well, there go my chances of getting in.” Then, to my amazement, I watched as every other group sucked just as much. With the exception of a few certain people who, of course, did it wonderfully and then complained about how terribly they’d done it. There are times when I really loathe Carly and Katrina . . .

So I’m still waiting to hear the results from that. But I think I might get in, since everyone else sucked, too. And that was that.

Next interesting thing was yesterday. After fencing, there was a Bible study which I was invited to stay for (it’s open to anyone . . . y’all should come sometime). It was really cool . . . Vince led it, and it was well done, and all that good stuff.

Which brings us, finally, to today. Today we had a Passover Seder for church, complete with Yamakuhs (sp?). Then I came home and read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And then blogged. And here I stand, I can do no other.

Comments (a few skipped):

AJ: Well, a generally reliable friend of mine spelled it “foozeball.” Get over it.

Stephen: So it DOES mean wireless fidelity? Weird . . . I still don’t get how that works, but whatever . . .

Megan: 27 days . . . enjoy ‘em . . .

David and Megan: Done and done. Finally.

(Final Count: Pages: 7 Words: 3737)