Goings Ons

So what has happened since the last time I decided to update this thing? Not a whole lot. The usual beginning of the year adventures. Two weeks ago, Audrina attended the Regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. This is a conference for theatre majors in college to go and attend workshops, the actors can be judged on monologues that they present, and designers can take a show and get judged for it. This year, Audrina took her set design for The Water Engine and Mr. Happiness. These were two plays by David Mamet and they were performed here at Clarion in October. Here is a picture of Audrina's display.


There were a few other set designs that were there, but Audrina won! This means that she gets to go to Washington D.C. in April for the National Competition. There will be seven other set designs there for her to compete with. Her award is officially the Barbizon Award for Excellence in Scenic Design. Along with the model of her set, she took pictures, all of her draftings of the set, and even a microphone that she made for the show because she also built some of the props. Here is a picture of the model of her set.

( I have no idea how she does this...I mean look at the tiny chairs!)

Needlessly to say, she is pretty psyched and nervous at the same time. More to come on that later.

Not too much has happened with me. I'm still waiting for my teaching certificate and my diploma. I've been graduated for almost a month and I don't have either one yet. How do they expect us to get jobs when they don't get us the necessary paperwork to apply for them. Every district that I would apply to requires me to send them a copy of my certificate and everything but I don't have either one yet. I would like to start working so I have some sort of income but as of yet, nothing.

So there's a little of what's been going on here. Not much as you can see.

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010 Everyone! Yes I know it has been quite a long time since I've posted anything, but one of my resolutions this year is to update this thing as often as I can. Ten years into the 21st Century already. Kind of hard to believe. A lot of things have happened in that 10 years.

• Graduated High School in 2005
• Lost one Grandfather in 2004
• Lost my other Grandfather in 2008
• Graduated College in 2009
• Started dating the girl I'm gonna marry in 2005 and got engaged in 2008.
• Had my first acting experience last summer
  

I know there's a lot of other things but those are the things that really stick out.

There's so much else that's happened that I'll get to eventually but first let me tell you how Audrina and I started the new year.

Well, last night I went to her house to spend the night. Her little brother had gotten a Wii for Christmas so we were playing that and enjoying some festive drinks while her Mom was making some stuff for Dri's sister's wedding. Well, let's just say that socks with no traction, alcohol, and wood floors don't mix. Dri went down, hurt her hand, her knee, and got a couple cuts. We didn't think too much of it until this morning when her hand really started to hurt.

When we went to my grandmother's for New Year's, my Dad look at her hand along with my cousin and her husband and 2 out of the 3 thought she should get an X-Ray taken. So, we went to the ER and it ended up that nothing was broken, just a sprain. But when we got home, Dri started to not feel so well and considering her Mom and brother and Sister had all been sick...it was only a matter of time. Luckily, Dri is feeling a little better.

More to come when I get the time.

And so it begins...

And so it begins...another school year. My last semester and Dri's Jr. year. It doesn't even seem like I had a summer vacation since I was working in the theatre all summer. A few weeks before we started rehearsals and a few weeks after we closed our last show and that was it.

I'll be student teaching this semester. That means it'll be up early every morning for me as I travel to Dayton Elementary the first half and Oil City High School for the second half. Of course I had to be up early today for a Student Teacher Orientation. Why they couldn't start it later I don't know.

Dri will undoubtedly have more responsibilities this semester as she is now one of the only upper class techs. She'll probably also be designing more this year. She's just worried that she won't be able to go back to sleep after I leave at like 6:45 AM every morning.

Well, that's all for now. Be prepared for much ranting from me this semester.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Clarion University Summer Theatre Festival's presentation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opens July 23, 2009 at Clarion University's Little Theatre at 8 PM. Performances continue through July 25. After that, the show moves to the Sawmill Theatre in Cook Forest for performances on July 30 through August 1 and August 5 through the 8.

Audrina designed the set for the show and painted everything herself and I am musical director. I'm also playing the role of Pharaoh. Some of the show may be different than the version you are used to but it is going to be an awesome show. Audrina's brother Nicholas is also part of the children's choir.

Tell everyone you know and make sure to order your tickets because shows are getting close to being sold out.

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium Trip

Audrina and I went to the zoo last Friday. We both agreed that it was kind of nice going without any children along. We were able to walk around without any strollers or wagons and to look at what we wanted to look at. The first time we walked around, we were in the middle of about 12 different schools there on field trips. Let me just say...there are some very rude children out there. Add to the fact that at least two of the schools had clipboards or papers that they had to fill out along the way.

It was a very nice day otherwise. We thought it was still cool enough that the animals would be out but there were still quite a few that were hiding. I haven't been to the zoo in four or five years and Dri said it was longer for her so we enjoyed ourselves. We had enough time in the day to actually walk around the entire zoo a second time. Luckily, there were no schools that time. There's no way I could upload all of the pictures we took, but here's a few of the better ones.

The baby elephants that were born last year.

A sea otter...just cause I like them.

Rocky, the Kodiak bear enjoying play time.

The penguins showing their Penguin pride.

Overall it was a great day and both Dri and I are looking forward to going back soon. Everyone should visit the Pittsburgh Zoo, it's a great zoo, very nice, and the animals are all great.

Finally, a new post

Yes, I know it's been quite a while since I've posted, but I've been busy. The end of the semester is always a busy time. Professors always seem to assign the large projects towards the end of the year. They probably think it's fun. It's not...trust me. I'm glad I stayed an extra semester and got some classes in that I've been wanting to take and some that I think will help me student teaching next semester. I would liked to have gotten a little more out of one of them...but you'll have this. Both Dri and I made Dean's List this semester. She was just floored that she got an A in our Principles of Macroeconomics class. Sadly, I don't know what I got because I took it for Credit/No Record.

So, we have the month of May off before we have to start summer theatre. Last week we didn't really do a whole lot...just relaxed as much as we could. This coming week we're moving to a new apartment. It's just down the street from the one we were in last year...but it's a lot nicer. Pictures will get posted of the new place once we take some. The week after that, Dri gets her tattoo and pictures will get put up of that too. The last week of the month I have to be back at Clarion for rehearsals for the elementary school tour of "Schoolhouse Rock, Live!" we're doing and then the actual tour. Then rehearsals start for "High School Musical On Stage." "High School" is first this summer, followed by "Schoolhouse," and finally is "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." I'll get dates of performances up here shortly.

That's all for now. Watch for new posts and pictures soon. I promise I'll keep up with this more often.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms and anyone who is a Mother figure.