Long overdue for a posting on here Which means I will be catching up on several fun points! Go team! So much to discuss, so I may as well jump into it.
Work - I've been off of work for a week, and am still off for another week and LORD knows I needed the break. I am so grateful to have a job and to have been given the opportunity to come back but LORD some of the people I work with seriously need a gift that somehow incorporates a kick in the teeth. Maybe then they'd be more self-conscious about opening their mouths before they say something negative, self serving, or flat-out stupid. Nonetheless, there are some great people that I work with and appreciate.
Fitness - So I've been keeping up with my new years resolution of running at least 10 miles a week. It's been going well so far. I usually run anywhere from 3-4 miles 3 times/week. If it wasn't for the fact I'm also trying to put on muscle, I'd probably do it more often or run longer distances. Running is very freeing to me. I love it. (update before posting this blog) This last week was an unfortunate lag in my goal of fitness due to a bizarre typically dormant issue I tend to have that I won't get into here. All I'll say is it's hard to focus on fitness when you're in pain.
Modeling - it's something that I've been told I should get into for quite some time. Which, much like being a stripper, I've always shrugged off as something that I couldn't do unless I gained 15-20 lbs in my chest. Not that Modeling and Stripping are the same thing *cough* oops, excuse me. Yes, I've always thought I'd have great potential in the modeling world with my current body type if it wasn't for this pesky Y chromosome of mine. But I digress. I was hit up about possibly being in a PRIDE calender with SNAPI. An organization that puts on the gay pride festival in town. From what I gathered, they take a lot of people, take their pictures, hand them to a committee who votes for 12 guys to be in a calender. All I heard was free professional photo shoot and I was in. I don't expect to be one of the 12 guys, nor do I really want to be. I've never been to a gay pride parade, but my very limited experiences in gay bars makes me think I'm not missing out on too much. I just figure it would be nice to have professional quality pictures to add to my account on ModelMayhem.com
SPEAKING of, I forgot I had an account on Model Mayhem until I received an e-mail from some woman needing male models for the MAGIC expo. I'm not down with slight of hand illusions (which turned out to be ok, because MAGIC is some sort of clothing convention) I ended up registering with the PUSH Models as requested. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that apparently only accepting "5-15% of those who apply" and my having to wait up to a month to hear back from them, i had an email welcoming me into PUSH models the very next day. Needless to say, I felt VERY pretty. I went to the casting call for MAGIC yesterday and without much to say in the "interview" I was giving a schedule that I would work for the convention. The breakdown said $40 for a 3.5 hour training, then a 7, a 10, and a 9 hour day at $25/hour. WHAAAAAATT? Holy crapballs you guys. I'm seriously hoping I hate this, because if I can make cheddar like that just standing around and helping confused people (Why they would hire "models" for that is beyond me), I might go out and try to figure out how to make it a full time thing. I'll basically be making in 3 days at the expo what I make in about 8-9 days at the MGM. Which will significantly help me out for the 2 weeks that the show I work at hasn't been running. Talk about GREAT timing!
Stand-up. So my coworker, Ann, invited my other coworker, Sue, and I to attend this weekend seminar on humor and public speaking (speeches/standup). It was "Humor Boot Camp" or something along the same lines. It was hosted by 2 people. A "world chamion" speech giver and the very funny Judy Carter, Ann's comedy mentor and all around funny gal. The class was unique in having 2 instructors. Especially when it seemed like one of them seemed WAY more with it than the other. Without sounding too mean, Judy was so knowledgeable and quick witted and it was really cool to get to learn from her. The guy, not as much. Bless his heart. The class was unique because I think there were about 4 of us in our 20's, a few in the 30's and then there was like a significant age jump. More than anything else the thing that jumps out of my mind the most is that the people I took the class with were REALLY cool, genuine people,. And for WHATEVER reason on this planet, several of them seemed to think I was the bees knees. I made a bunch of them laugh, so I guess there's hope I could POSSIBLY get my foot in the door with the standup thing. We'll see.
What else is there to throw out. I think that's about it for now. Quick Entertainment review. I don't have the time nor the energy to give reviews on all of these movies I've seen in the last few weeks. So I'm just going to make this short sweet and to the point.
Despicable Me - Really cute movie. I could listen to Steve Carrell do that (God knows what kind of accent that was) all night long. Not too much going on in the film. The yellow helpers carried a lot of humor along with Carrell as did the youngest of the 3 girls that are adopted. Also big props to Jason Segel who played a nerdy villain that I couldn't picture him providing the voice for. Thoroughly impressed. Julie Andrews has a cameo, and that woman will always make me hot for England. Yay.
Willow - FINALLY saw this movie. Good watch. A little slow at times, but Warwick Davis is just too adorable. And a spry Val Kilmer who was not only entertaining, but easy on the eyes in a short pink skirt. The tiny french guys (no taller than a forefinger) were my favorites, for no other reason that they were aggressive and...well, french mainly. Good Times, would watch it agian.
Pan's Labyrinth - haven't figured out how to break this to him, but my roommate rented this (along with a few others) with the idea that we would watch them together. We got through all of the other films he rented, but it was taking too long for us to watch this one together. So I watched it after a horrible day by myself and loved it. Only to have him offer to watch it with me the next day (ain't? life screwy). I'm confused as to why so little of the movie takes place iN the labyrinth. But that's just semantics. That monster with the eyes in his palms = nightmares. The faun was my favorite thing EVER! Tall like a viking, shaped like a goatman, speaks in over-exaggerated spanish and looks asian? What's not to love? Great film.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Watched this one with my friend after she had surgery. Very cute, definitely a chick flick. But a good watch for sure. Francis McDermott plays a frumpy woman consistently fired from nanny work finds herself playing "social secretary" to a very air-headed braggart played by Amy Adams who struggles to juggle her time and uncommitted affection towards 3 men. The story moves rather quickly and was definitely enjoyable.
Alright, I'm too exhausted to proofread ANY of this, so I'm going to bed before I write something even more non-linear. Night Y'all!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Music and Movie reviews
For those of you who haven't read my blog post before this last one. It's my intention to stop being so in the dark with movies and music. So I'm listening to "new" music and trying to watch more movies as well. And because my already horrible memory makes me scared of being a prime candidate for Alzheimer's when I'm older, it seemed like a decent idea to write my thoughts down. Please keep in mind I've spent most of my life listening to Pop music. So this is a learning experience. I'm not well versed on multiple types of music. Nor am I a professional critic of music. So keep that in mind as I review these.
First up. We have "Goodbye Blues" by The Hush Sound.
For those of you who are familiar with the Music Project Group I started on facebook, this is my Album of the Week. A friend gave me this album a while ago and I finally decided to give it a "thorough" listen. I think it's safe to say I went about listening to this album the wrong way. I was in a bit of a cleaning spree when I listened to it about 7-8 times in a row. I think that's probably not the best way to go about it.
The more I think about this music project, the more excited I get. And part of that excitement is because of how much I enjoyed the first album I gave a listen to this year. "Goodbye Blues" is the final album by indie rock band The Hush Sound before their breakup/hiatus which began the same year. Released in 2008, this album is a little bit hard for me to completely put my finger on. When I listened to the album at the beginning of the week, I felt as though many of the songs just ran together and didn't offer much of a variety. No clue why I felt that way, because the lead vocals jump at times from song to song between sole female in the group, Greta Salpeter, and any of the three males in the group (all of which sing.) I tried to figure out who sang on which songs, but couldn't figure that out).
The album starts with an almost haunting minute and a half intro (aptly titled "Intro") that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album. Not exactly foreshadowing to the rest of the album. The band has a swing-like bounce throughout several of it's songs as seen in "Medicine Man" and "Honey" that have been featured in numerous tv show ads. Greta Salpeter who leads the album has a slightly raspy voice that, at times, parallels that of Rachel Yamagata. Salpeter is also a very accomplished pianist. Her abilities are featured in several of the tracks and carry much of the power the album possesses. On the other side, Songs like "As You Cry" led by who I can only assume is Guitarist Robert Morris, are spunky little pop/punk songs that I also enjoyed. They don't have the same hook that draws you in rythmically. Nonetheless they still have their charm.
Favorite tracks on the album include :
"Love You Much Better" for completely selfish reasons. It's a pop-fueled track with the jazzy-swing influence the band utilized throughout most of the album. Lyrically, it's not much to listen to. The chorus is punctuated with a catchy procession of "La la la la las"
"As you Cry" Led by (I believe) Robert Morris is a really cool mix of the a jazzy tune spliced with what's been explained to me as punk.
I recommend this album to someone who enjoys collaboration between genres, which I truly believe this album is. Also for anyone who is a fan of Indie music. There is a pop element to some of the tracks and there isn't much to the lyrics in several of the songs. So if you're a lyrically inclined individual, this album may not be for you. However, rhythmically and melodically this album is enjoyable.
First up. We have "Goodbye Blues" by The Hush Sound.
For those of you who are familiar with the Music Project Group I started on facebook, this is my Album of the Week. A friend gave me this album a while ago and I finally decided to give it a "thorough" listen. I think it's safe to say I went about listening to this album the wrong way. I was in a bit of a cleaning spree when I listened to it about 7-8 times in a row. I think that's probably not the best way to go about it.
The more I think about this music project, the more excited I get. And part of that excitement is because of how much I enjoyed the first album I gave a listen to this year. "Goodbye Blues" is the final album by indie rock band The Hush Sound before their breakup/hiatus which began the same year. Released in 2008, this album is a little bit hard for me to completely put my finger on. When I listened to the album at the beginning of the week, I felt as though many of the songs just ran together and didn't offer much of a variety. No clue why I felt that way, because the lead vocals jump at times from song to song between sole female in the group, Greta Salpeter, and any of the three males in the group (all of which sing.) I tried to figure out who sang on which songs, but couldn't figure that out).
The album starts with an almost haunting minute and a half intro (aptly titled "Intro") that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album. Not exactly foreshadowing to the rest of the album. The band has a swing-like bounce throughout several of it's songs as seen in "Medicine Man" and "Honey" that have been featured in numerous tv show ads. Greta Salpeter who leads the album has a slightly raspy voice that, at times, parallels that of Rachel Yamagata. Salpeter is also a very accomplished pianist. Her abilities are featured in several of the tracks and carry much of the power the album possesses. On the other side, Songs like "As You Cry" led by who I can only assume is Guitarist Robert Morris, are spunky little pop/punk songs that I also enjoyed. They don't have the same hook that draws you in rythmically. Nonetheless they still have their charm.
Favorite tracks on the album include :
"Love You Much Better" for completely selfish reasons. It's a pop-fueled track with the jazzy-swing influence the band utilized throughout most of the album. Lyrically, it's not much to listen to. The chorus is punctuated with a catchy procession of "La la la la las"
"As you Cry" Led by (I believe) Robert Morris is a really cool mix of the a jazzy tune spliced with what's been explained to me as punk.
I recommend this album to someone who enjoys collaboration between genres, which I truly believe this album is. Also for anyone who is a fan of Indie music. There is a pop element to some of the tracks and there isn't much to the lyrics in several of the songs. So if you're a lyrically inclined individual, this album may not be for you. However, rhythmically and melodically this album is enjoyable.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
2011 is here!
Well, here goes round two of typing this out. I had 30 minutes to write my start of the year blog post, and since my internet explorer decided to crash, I'm speeding through this from the safety of my computers "Notepad"
So, 2010 has come and gone. And what a stagnating piece of bleh that year it was. Nothing particularly terrible occurred in 2010, but yeah. I did not do too many things to boast about. However, a few choice experiences stand out as things I can look back at and smile.
1. Big Fun - Here in Vegas there are multiple outlets for individuals who enjoy improv comedy. Whether it's watching or performing, there are chances to experiences this most amazing genre of theatre. One of which is the Improv Jam held at the insurgo theatre every Tuesday Nights at 9 pm. The entire evening is short-form improv that is performed by audience members. I absolutely LOVE the Jam and hate that I currently am not able to go and enjoy it as often as I would like. Anyway, after a particularly good night there, I was contacted by the VERY talented and funny Casper Collins and asked if I would like to join a new improv troupe he was putting together. I was very excited because I had (and still haven't) been a part of an improv troupe. So joined with Casper and 4 other very talented improvisers, Big Fun was born. We are a group that performs on a somewhat rotational basis at S.E.T. on Monday nights at 8 pm. I have learned so much from the members of Big Fun and have thoroughly enjoyed performing with them. Hoping 2011 is a prosperous year for us as a team. Casper has since left the troupe (and the improv community altogether). He is very missed, and I vow to make him proud someday.
2. For those of you who've known me for a while, you know that I was a Ka' Gatekeeper for 3.5 years until I left the job months before I went to live in Argentina. I auditioned to go back to Ka' not long after returning from down south, but was not offered a spot back, which was unfortunate, but I understood. It is a great job and I left it. So it was understandable if the offer to come back didn't come to me quickly. However, back in June, my former co-worker (now head of the department), Chad, called me up and offered me a position. I was pretty ecstatic. I had recently left my part-time job at Starbucks and was working at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum on the strip. The Wax Museum is another great job that treated me VERY well. This being my 2nd time working for the company, I was appreciative of the opportunity to come back and was offered another chance to return should things not work out at Ka'. There are some truly amazing people there at MTLV that I will forever be grateful for what they did for me.
Back at Ka', the first month was PRETTY rough. Thankfully my friend Troy was rehired with me. And although Troy and I weren't the best of friends the first time we worked together, we got along well and were pretty much bonded together coming back in. There were a lot of changes to the department since the last time either one of us had worked at Ka'. Long story short, a LOT of unnecessary negatively and some preliminary bull-honkey (that's right, I went there) made my first month back at Ka' a pretty awkward adjustment. However, after 6 months back, I'm happy to say that I love my job and am grateful that I get paid to do someone that I not only do well, but have a great time doing it.
As for 2011, I'm happy and optimistic that it's going to be a great year. For no other reason than I have goals and (hopefully) the determination to keep myself in check. We'll see.
Among a few things I would like to dabble in again, I have my main goal set and also smaller weekly goals that I think are going to make the year VERY productive.
Main Goal
I WILL get out of debt this year. I'm almost done paying off my credit card. And once that is taken care off I will pay off the money that parents helped me with to help me pay for the house. It means I'm going to have to start buckling down and being more financially responsible. As some of you know (hi mom!) I'm not the best when it comes to keeping on top of stuff like that. And since it's been a year and I have only paid back 350 to my parents, I would like to be debt free come the start of 2012.
Weekly Goals
1. I will run at least 10 miles a week. For my running friends, don't laugh at me. I think 10 miles/week is a very realistic goal. It's roughly a little bit over a 5k 3 times a week. I will obviously do more if time permits, but I'm going to make that happen. I love to run, so shouldn't be too big an issue. In addition, I will go to the gym to lift weights. I was thinking it would be great to put on 15 pounds of muscle. However, considering my metabolism makes that VERY difficult. My goal regarding weightlifting is just to get stronger. If I gain some mass as a result, then cool. Otherwise, I'm not worried.
2. I will make 100 spanish vocabulary flash cards/week. Living in Argentina the time I did gave me the opportunity to learn Castellano (which is roughly spanish with a few differences). I'm not fluent by any stretch of the imagination and I want to improve my skills with the language.
3. I will listen to at least 1 new artist/album a week. I hate that the majority of the music I listen to is Top 40. While there is some good stuff to be found in the genre, I want to expose myself to different styles and improve my musical knowledge. This weeks CD is an album The Hush Sound titled "Goodbye Blues." iTunes categorizes them as Alternative & Punk. A friend let me copy the CD when he brought it over for a day of painting, and I never gave it a listen again. I'm really enjoying it.
4. I will watch a new movie every week. I am NOT a movie goer. I think between 2009 and 2010, I would have seen about 6 movies maybe if it hadn't been for the $1.50 theatre not too far from my house. And even with those, I think I saw maybe 8 more. So despite the fact that the movies there are months old when they arrive, I would like to start watching more movies. Not really sure exactly what my motivation is for such an unusual resolution, but I'm sticking with it. Last weeks pick was "Legend." Umm......Yeah, I'll address that one at a later time. I'm already half an hour over the 20 minutes I gave myself to do this.
5. I will learn to do the splits. This one is a stretch (no pun intended..........no really...) because I've been telling myself FOREVER that I would do lots and lots of yoga and stretching until I could do the splits. I've just never done it because I HATE stretching. It's like a reminder of how crap I've taken care of myself in that regard.
Other than those, I plan to be better with my money. Making sure that I make my payments on time for utilities/credit card/mortgage etc. I also plan to try and be less messy. I've sort of gotten the hand of picking up after myself in the kitchen and living room. But my bedroom still consistently looks like a tornado zone as little as days after I clean it. Rough habit I've had since I was a kid. Also plan on keeping up with my new hobby and resurrect an old one. Roller skating is my new favorite past time and I want to get back into the art of spinning poi. It's been a while since I've done it, so I want to get back in the throws.
As I said, 2011 is bound to be interesting. And i can't wait to get in there and start living it up. I'm optimistic that this will be a great year!
For anyone who might have made it this far to read this. What are your New Years resolutions? I want to know. Not just because it would be cool to know who read this, but also because I want to know what to pester you about the next time I see you. Whether it's to quit smoking, to floss regularly, or to not let any hostages escape this year, I want to know! Talk to you guys later.
So, 2010 has come and gone. And what a stagnating piece of bleh that year it was. Nothing particularly terrible occurred in 2010, but yeah. I did not do too many things to boast about. However, a few choice experiences stand out as things I can look back at and smile.
1. Big Fun - Here in Vegas there are multiple outlets for individuals who enjoy improv comedy. Whether it's watching or performing, there are chances to experiences this most amazing genre of theatre. One of which is the Improv Jam held at the insurgo theatre every Tuesday Nights at 9 pm. The entire evening is short-form improv that is performed by audience members. I absolutely LOVE the Jam and hate that I currently am not able to go and enjoy it as often as I would like. Anyway, after a particularly good night there, I was contacted by the VERY talented and funny Casper Collins and asked if I would like to join a new improv troupe he was putting together. I was very excited because I had (and still haven't) been a part of an improv troupe. So joined with Casper and 4 other very talented improvisers, Big Fun was born. We are a group that performs on a somewhat rotational basis at S.E.T. on Monday nights at 8 pm. I have learned so much from the members of Big Fun and have thoroughly enjoyed performing with them. Hoping 2011 is a prosperous year for us as a team. Casper has since left the troupe (and the improv community altogether). He is very missed, and I vow to make him proud someday.
2. For those of you who've known me for a while, you know that I was a Ka' Gatekeeper for 3.5 years until I left the job months before I went to live in Argentina. I auditioned to go back to Ka' not long after returning from down south, but was not offered a spot back, which was unfortunate, but I understood. It is a great job and I left it. So it was understandable if the offer to come back didn't come to me quickly. However, back in June, my former co-worker (now head of the department), Chad, called me up and offered me a position. I was pretty ecstatic. I had recently left my part-time job at Starbucks and was working at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum on the strip. The Wax Museum is another great job that treated me VERY well. This being my 2nd time working for the company, I was appreciative of the opportunity to come back and was offered another chance to return should things not work out at Ka'. There are some truly amazing people there at MTLV that I will forever be grateful for what they did for me.
Back at Ka', the first month was PRETTY rough. Thankfully my friend Troy was rehired with me. And although Troy and I weren't the best of friends the first time we worked together, we got along well and were pretty much bonded together coming back in. There were a lot of changes to the department since the last time either one of us had worked at Ka'. Long story short, a LOT of unnecessary negatively and some preliminary bull-honkey (that's right, I went there) made my first month back at Ka' a pretty awkward adjustment. However, after 6 months back, I'm happy to say that I love my job and am grateful that I get paid to do someone that I not only do well, but have a great time doing it.
As for 2011, I'm happy and optimistic that it's going to be a great year. For no other reason than I have goals and (hopefully) the determination to keep myself in check. We'll see.
Among a few things I would like to dabble in again, I have my main goal set and also smaller weekly goals that I think are going to make the year VERY productive.
Main Goal
I WILL get out of debt this year. I'm almost done paying off my credit card. And once that is taken care off I will pay off the money that parents helped me with to help me pay for the house. It means I'm going to have to start buckling down and being more financially responsible. As some of you know (hi mom!) I'm not the best when it comes to keeping on top of stuff like that. And since it's been a year and I have only paid back 350 to my parents, I would like to be debt free come the start of 2012.
Weekly Goals
1. I will run at least 10 miles a week. For my running friends, don't laugh at me. I think 10 miles/week is a very realistic goal. It's roughly a little bit over a 5k 3 times a week. I will obviously do more if time permits, but I'm going to make that happen. I love to run, so shouldn't be too big an issue. In addition, I will go to the gym to lift weights. I was thinking it would be great to put on 15 pounds of muscle. However, considering my metabolism makes that VERY difficult. My goal regarding weightlifting is just to get stronger. If I gain some mass as a result, then cool. Otherwise, I'm not worried.
2. I will make 100 spanish vocabulary flash cards/week. Living in Argentina the time I did gave me the opportunity to learn Castellano (which is roughly spanish with a few differences). I'm not fluent by any stretch of the imagination and I want to improve my skills with the language.
3. I will listen to at least 1 new artist/album a week. I hate that the majority of the music I listen to is Top 40. While there is some good stuff to be found in the genre, I want to expose myself to different styles and improve my musical knowledge. This weeks CD is an album The Hush Sound titled "Goodbye Blues." iTunes categorizes them as Alternative & Punk. A friend let me copy the CD when he brought it over for a day of painting, and I never gave it a listen again. I'm really enjoying it.
4. I will watch a new movie every week. I am NOT a movie goer. I think between 2009 and 2010, I would have seen about 6 movies maybe if it hadn't been for the $1.50 theatre not too far from my house. And even with those, I think I saw maybe 8 more. So despite the fact that the movies there are months old when they arrive, I would like to start watching more movies. Not really sure exactly what my motivation is for such an unusual resolution, but I'm sticking with it. Last weeks pick was "Legend." Umm......Yeah, I'll address that one at a later time. I'm already half an hour over the 20 minutes I gave myself to do this.
5. I will learn to do the splits. This one is a stretch (no pun intended..........no really...) because I've been telling myself FOREVER that I would do lots and lots of yoga and stretching until I could do the splits. I've just never done it because I HATE stretching. It's like a reminder of how crap I've taken care of myself in that regard.
Other than those, I plan to be better with my money. Making sure that I make my payments on time for utilities/credit card/mortgage etc. I also plan to try and be less messy. I've sort of gotten the hand of picking up after myself in the kitchen and living room. But my bedroom still consistently looks like a tornado zone as little as days after I clean it. Rough habit I've had since I was a kid. Also plan on keeping up with my new hobby and resurrect an old one. Roller skating is my new favorite past time and I want to get back into the art of spinning poi. It's been a while since I've done it, so I want to get back in the throws.
As I said, 2011 is bound to be interesting. And i can't wait to get in there and start living it up. I'm optimistic that this will be a great year!
For anyone who might have made it this far to read this. What are your New Years resolutions? I want to know. Not just because it would be cool to know who read this, but also because I want to know what to pester you about the next time I see you. Whether it's to quit smoking, to floss regularly, or to not let any hostages escape this year, I want to know! Talk to you guys later.
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