amateur vagabonding

a broken record

2009-06-05T22:13:00.001-06:00

i think i am going to be a broken record about this job situation for a while.

but on a good note...i am interviewing for the assistant branch manager position at my branch in lindon. a promotion i would LOVE to get! cross your fingers and live the secret.

2009-04-09T21:56:00.002-06:00

to all who follow my old blog, i have moved :)

www.fouramfriend.com

please make the note in your readers or what not :) i think as of tomorrow. i will begin blogging again.

officially

2008-10-26T16:07:00.002-06:00

I checked my application status on Saturday. I have officially been accepted to transfer to the University of Utah.

Woot!

Many will probably think I am making the wrong decision--that I am adding time to my graduation. Yes I am. But after some very long conversations with Whitney, I know I am making the correct choice. Something that she said that stuck out to me was "you need to stop saying 'i only have xxxx left and then i can finally be done! or finally get on to something worth my time!' ... you need to start living more in the now. live life in the now instead of always thinking about what you are going to be doing in six months or a year."

and she is so right. college should be a fun time in life. and especially since I'm paying for it, I shouldn't hate going to the school that I attend. which is why I am transferring. I will be much happier at the U. I met a lot of good people and experienced a lot of good things while attending BYU, now it's time to have a new experience at the U and possibly enjoy my last year of college instead of loathing it :)

GO UTES!

Sweeney Todd!

2008-10-16T11:29:00.002-06:00

more hot PIES!

2008-09-28T18:38:00.000-06:00

birthday wishes

2008-09-18T15:33:00.006-06:00

Every year, people ask me what I want for my birthday. I don't really "need" anything. But I get paid by meridian on the 24th so I thought I would cash my check and probably treat myself to a few of these things: (not everything of course)

I HAVE A WINDOW!!!

2008-09-18T15:33:00.001-06:00

Every job I have had to this point at BYU has been in the basement of a building. Not anymore! I am on the fourth floor of the Tanner Building (Marriott School of Business) and I have a great window view of the south valley.

I think i deserve it.

2008-09-16T19:46:00.002-06:00

i think private school really means:

ability for parents or even other teachers to take students out of your class at anytime multiple days in a row.

that's what i think private school means.

sweeney auditions

2008-09-11T14:13:00.003-06:00

When: Friday, Sept. 19 5-8 PM

Where: BYU HFAC E-251

What: Bring 32 bars highlighting your abilities. An accompanist will be provided.

Callbacks will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 1-3 PM HFAC D-341

Cast members from previous castle Sweeney productions need only come to callbacks
The show will be Directed by Mindy Nelsen and Music Directed by Korianne Johnson.
The roles of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett will be played by Neal Johnson and Barta Heiner

For more information, Please contact Nick Stone by email or phone:
nickcstone@gmail.com 801-367-6538

www.castletheater.org

2008-09-09T18:15:00.003-06:00

i don't know what the actual job title for this is, but i would be content to be this guy:

"oh crap, everything is going wrong. there is no way everything will get done ...... " or something like that.

to where my name is thrown around as the guy to call.

"you should call nick stone. he can work miracles."

love it.

please come to my show.

2008-09-04T18:51:00.004-06:00

please.

www.castletheater.org

multi-tasking

2008-09-04T14:15:00.002-06:00

i know that we are all busy in our own sense.

but i'm not quite sure that many of those around me actually have a clue of how many different projects, activities, assignments, trips, etc, etc, i actually have going on. i think most would probably want to pass out and quit.

me too! but you know, i think what keeps me going right now is actually being able to see graduation. mmmm....graduation. (then what?! haha -- not thinking about that right now.)

i just turned in two dvds of a video and a cd with some radio ads i edited for the marriott school. i don't think they realized that the time leading up to their completion involved some castle errands, teaching two classes yesterday, going to one of my night classes, reading for humanities, helping julie get ready for her shoot this afternoon, and AND being in class.

let the games begin.

the beginning. of what should be the end! (finally)

2008-09-01T21:14:00.002-06:00

well first things first. i bought an iphone. yes. it is done. i tried the verizon version of the iphone, but it's not syncable to my laptop, so i have been frustrated. i plugged in the iphone and BAM all my contacts, email addresses, calendar, and favorite music ready to go! it's pretty much awesome. there i said it. and i will be paying about 40 dollars less a month (yes really 40 dollars less.) so within 5 months the phone will basically have paid for itself. i named her beyonce III.

secondly. my classroom is finally ready. (thanks to emily and wald.) it has a beautiful red wall to accompany the other three gold-ish walls. it's a very warm and inviting room now! and it no longer has nasty purple trimmed doors and windows. it still needs some decorating, but i think i am going to have an activity where i have the students make their own "cover album" on old LP jackets, and then we'll hang those up around the class. i'm looking for some other cool posters and such, and maybe i'll have the awesome new art teacher come start a collage or something. him and i are new best friends. him and his wife own a really AWESOME clothing store in provo. it's called mode. i would love to work there a few hours a week just to get a discount or something. he's an awesome guy and i'm really excited to be working with him. remind me sometime to talk about how everyone thinks i'm too young to teach. more probably because of the way i dress. i bought some new khakis today. and for my birthday i'm hoping to get some new clothes from mode.

thirdly. the beginning of my "real" senior year has begun. and truly it will be my senior year. i have had some really romantic thoughts about being done with school by now, but realistically it was near impossible. (i just wanted to think that in some way it was doable. well that's not the case when you still need 30 credits combined of GE's and other classes even though all my major courses are completed). i have a not necessarily extra hard classes ahead of me, but i do have a full plate this semester. and next semester.

fourthly. i've been trying to figure out where my "next step" will be after this year. i want to head east to be closer to my older siblings. or at least closer than now. i think my first choice would be to get an apprenticeship with this theater. it would be a paid apprenticeship and it would give me a chance to live in the city where i am thinking about grad school. the application isn't due until starting in late may, and they encourage prospects to come and visit sometime the year they apply. so i can go visit jon and his family for a weekend and also visit the theater.

fifthly. i'm really proud of merry wives. i was having a conversation with tracey the other night and i told her that i was really appreciative this year when i would ask her things and she would respond with "what do you think is best, you are in charge." and i sat back for a moment and really thought about that. -- yeah i am in charge. i get to make the decisions i want. (mostly.) and whether the show turns out good or bad has a lot to do with me. usually i'm just there to help out the person who is really in charge, but this year that was me! and i've decided that i'm actually pretty damn good at it. yes, i have a lot to learn, but for me it has been a challenging experience with great rewards. although after this rainstorm from the weekend i'm scared to go see how the set looks.....

sixthly. i have the feeling that i am going to be really tired this year. really really tired. haha. i know i always say that life couldn't possibly get any busier, but i think i have just blown all of my old records out of the water. i am going to be busy, but i am going to try and blog more as well. because even though my site tracker says no one reads my blog (probably because i don't update often enough haha) i am going to blog for my own person journaling. as always. that's what it's always been.

i wish i had some pictures. i will soon.

update

2008-08-08T00:32:00.004-06:00

Merry Wives opens in two weeks. I am doing nothing really besides getting things ready for the show. yay!

love it!

here are some photos from tonight: i am in love with barta.

for all of you non facebookers

2008-07-21T02:17:00.002-06:00

my friend kris and i had fun taking some pictures on sunday.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2196818&l=981e8&id=17807888

2008-07-15T23:40:00.002-06:00

i think i'm in what one might call a rut. haha. don't get me wrong. my life for the most part is -- good. but nothing in the past year, it seems, has gone the way i intended for them to go. i switched jobs in january from speeches. a very good change, but to a job where my description sometimes changes day to day. (and maybe that's why i don't hate it.) job and work wise i've always been pretty lucky to be quite choosey as to where I work. i hope that is at least one trend that I can always have no matter where i go or what i do.

i thought i would be done with school. i was off. way off. well not way off, just off. i want to be done with school -- yet it's one of my constants that i grasp, even if i complain about it. school is school and will always be school. i can always count on it for that.

i thought i would be moving to new york city in august. and i think i'm pretty sure i've removed that completely off the table. at least for now.

i'm trying to find a reasonable place to live in provo. with griff -- now that's just fun no matter where we live. but still i don't really want to pay to live in a dive. of course, sometimes the dives can be fun .... ??? haha. we'll see how that plays out.

here's the confusing one for me. i'm starting to enjoy reading more. i have bought more books this past year than i have ever purchased. right now i am reading one called "the china study" (thanks clawson). it's a good thing to do while i'm riding the bus.

friend circles haven't changed, but friends have come and gone. moving here, there, and maybe back again. i have fun with my core friends like whitney, griff, and stacey. miss my friends like michelle (sorry ross. i wish you were around more but referring to michelle clawson who lives in vegas), laura, julianna, and enjoy my new friends like katy, steve, riley, and megan. all offer me different perspectives on just about everything.

things aren't terrible here in utah, but i still have this underlying desire to go. i don't know what that "going" involves. just that next chapter. i'm to the point where i want to skip ahead to the next chapter because it's only a few pages away, but then realize that i need to read the last few pages and not skip ahead because there is important information that I will need in order to be more prepared for the following chapters.

i get myself so excited about things, and then sort of freak myself out.

so for now -- i'm going to remain excited. excited! because graduation really is around the corner. summer is full of exciting things with merry wives starting to come charging full speed ahead with sweeney todd looking like it will happen in oct as well. two exciting shows! (and maybe i can be in sweeney...).

bring it on world.

the summer for...

2008-07-05T19:53:00.004-06:00

this has become the summer for a lot of things. as busy as i stay i've had more time to stay busy with things i enjoy. last weekend we went hiking up to ensign peak (north of salt lake over looking the city). if i can, i am going to try and go hiking every saturday or sunday. today we hiked to silver lake up american fork canyon. (pictures to follow once i get them from marianne.) griff and i seized the opportunity to jump into the glacier fed lake while paul and marianne watched -- they were the smart ones.

i love being outside. away from my computer. away from where my cell phone works. and hiking for the most part is one of those recreational activities where you are getting a great work out without even realizing that you are exercising. next week i'll be up at bear lake with stacey. hopefully there will be a fun hike we can go on.

i have been listening to sondre lerche a lot lately. he did the music from dan in real life (thanks michelle for helping me find motivation to look up his name.) he is accompanying while i write this blog. check him out if you haven't yet.

oh. well i'm back in school now. finished the crazy intense 9 credit spring term. and now i'm just enrolled in one class with the castle as an "internship." the end of school is getting closer and closer. i keep running into frustrating road blocks with classes i still need for GE requirements and such. but i know i've been saying this for like two years now. this coming year WILL BE the year i graduate.

promise.

also. my next post will be discussion the new title of my blog (vagablogging). or at least a definition.

marin county

2008-07-05T10:49:00.002-06:00

this is the best one from my trip up to see clark, morgan, and jill. it was a very short short trip, but really a great chance to do some much needed catching up. hopefully it won't be another 5 years before i see them.

for those of you who read my blog by reader

2008-07-05T02:16:00.002-06:00

I have put up a new header photo. you should let me know if you approve or disapprove.

writing to follow.

returning soon.

2008-06-29T01:56:00.001-06:00

to a blog near you.

2008-06-01T14:40:00.001-06:00

I found this photo from last summer? ... i can't remember how long ago it was. Yeah it had to have been last summer. I just think it is one of my better photo taking moments.

Looking good tina and jonas.

albertine

2008-05-13T22:34:00.001-06:00

class 9am- 6:30 pm

2008-05-06T17:54:00.002-06:00

with one break from 2-3:30. I usually go to work.

but you know what? i'm realizing something -- it's not biology and it's not american heritage. i actually enjoy what i'm learning. here is a break down

391 -- film theory. basically we sit around and talk about film theorists and how film is more than just watching a film but that there is SO MUCH more going on. it's more of a philosophy class about people/culture interactions etc. it's a great class and since it's all about theory and philosophy, all of the assignments are such that there really is no wrong answer. tough as hell, but i'm learning a lot.

291 -- film history I. we have started from the beginning and are slowly working our way through the creation of film and by june we'll get to around the golden age of cinema which is during the war time. this class is awesome. we watch films that all "film people" should have under their belts, we talk about the important people and the important influences. again -- lovin it so far.

293 -- documentary history. documentary is conversation about ideas. you can talk about it in terms of rhetoric, structure, access, etc. it's awesome. watch docs, then talk about them. also lovin it.

7 more weeks of this! oh and throw in the Apple WWDC from june 9-13th. the week before this term ends. ha! i'll talk more about that as we get closer....

a long silence

2008-05-04T21:27:00.004-06:00

Finally! Some photos from my weekend in california. My new friends we met down there posted some photos on facebook.

To put it in a nutshell. The three days of music was non-stop amazing fun. And meeting these four girls was pretty awesome! Nothing like having new friends in Chicago. Oh and yes, the man standing behind matt is David Hasselhoff. SUCH a fun weekend. Maybe again next year?

For the rest of you: if you want me to hear about the weekend, call me. I'll tell you all about it. :)

i reach a point

2008-04-20T23:29:00.002-06:00

where i can no longer focus on what i need to get done. i have reached this point.

so i pushed random, and laid down. this is much better.

Happy Birthday Madison!

2008-04-18T18:05:00.007-06:00

Too bad you missed your birthday party!

Whitney and I went to the mall to get sunglasses, had lunch at wingers, went to FYE, the DI, tanning (so I don't burn next week in california), and ate a ben's cookie.

Here are some photos from the fun:

Every once and a while I get a photo of myself that I actually really like. Today was one of those days:

summer plans

2008-04-14T23:31:00.004-06:00

this picture is of me sitting here at 11:35 with an empty house and annoying cats at the kitchen counter editing my 457 class on my amazing macbook pro. (VERY LONG RUN ON SENTENCE!)

i am only allowed to work 20 hrs a week again this spring summer since i am enrolled in classes. or at least that is what people are telling me. i've been thinking maybe i will get a second summer job where i can work 2 or 3 or even just once a week. something more for a social interaction outlet. don't get me wrong, i love my co-workers, but there is something to be said about working in a small room with no windows staring at a computer as you edit video....

i know that the castle usually offers this sort of social interaction i desire, and i plan on it doing just that-- but what about something else where i can make a little spare change on the side since i will not be working my normal 40 hrs? ......

speaking of co-workers here are some fun photos.

i am superman

2008-04-10T09:21:00.002-06:00

no not really. what makes me think that day after day after day, i can wake up before eight, push through an entire full day, spend 1-2 hrs at the gym, work on homework (sometimes if i can focus), and stay up until 3am everyday?

i guess that's what saturdays and sundays are for me. a chance to catch up on sleep. oh wait! not this weekend. haha.

i am allergic to cat hair

2008-04-09T13:24:00.001-06:00

i started to sneeze in class today.

girl next to me: "are you by chance allergic to cat's?"

me: "actually yeah, i think i am."

girl next to me: "oh sorry. i just put on this sweater and it's covered with cat hair."

me: "it's okay. my mom owns two cats and they sleep on my bed. the sneezing has been a part of my life for a long time now."

URINETOWN! brought to you by google

2008-04-07T00:10:00.001-06:00

and meg's brother:

b--log--blog

2008-04-06T23:17:00.001-06:00

why on earth is sesame street on at midnight?

is it for the drug happy friends of public broadcast television?

fun times

2008-03-31T22:33:00.001-06:00

a look back at logan: (this will make you laugh)

and now:

REJECTED

2008-03-31T11:49:00.002-06:00

love my honda, i really do. just needs some work:

new tires
new windshield
both inner tie rod ends replaced
both upper ball joints.

total: 1000$

i don't envy me.

2008-03-26T16:39:00.002-06:00

BUT HEY! THE SHOW IS TOMORROW! YAY! it's gonna be good. come and see it.

...and i really don't envy me. time for my end of the semester list of things that are due really really soon (like next tuesday.)

biology paper (wed)
new testament paper (wed)
american heritage paper (wed)
media classroom lesson plan (tues)
final doc sequence (tues)
producer paper (mon)

how do these projects' due dates sneak up so friggin quick?!

ha! and all but one are due next week. that's funny. and now i'm feeling a little stressed. oh well-it's that stress which helps me find the motivation to get them done!

on a plus note, i will be able to start riding the bus full time again next week. i am excited about that. and i finally got paid for the deseret book mother's day commercial. bout time.

urinetown next week!

2008-03-21T00:56:00.001-06:00

for the seven people who visit my blog, and the one person from italy.

come to my show:

URINETOWN!
Playing in the Nelke Theater
Harris Fine Arts Building
Thursday March 27th
1pm, 2pm, & 4pm.

constants

2008-03-21T00:01:00.002-06:00

i hate to say it, but i realized today that one of the biggest constants in my life has been going to school. i get so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but what does that mean? ...great i have a piece of paper that says i went to a higher institute of learning.

so then i got a little freaked out. one of my biggest constants is rapidly getting closer to going away. then what? do the variables take over and decided where I go next?

funny story

2008-03-19T12:40:00.001-06:00

the film student should have fellow film student friends. i have three fellow film student friends, and that is because i work with them. number of new theater student friends? .... way more than that! haha.

welcome to school (and urinetown)

2008-03-19T11:57:00.002-06:00

I've reached that part of the semester. I have only three real weeks of school left, so all of my projects that were assigned at the beginning of the semester are quickly becoming due! ...it's okay, i'll get them done--it's just that same time of the semester. (except this time, there will be no summer break....sigh....)

urinetown is actually become a lot of fun! it's fun to play lockstock, eventhough sometimes i miss just being the silly background character that i was before. meg and i were talking about this--some of my favorite memories of shows come from being a minor role in the background. my character development is just as important as the main characters! but i just have less lines to show that development. so much fun... but lockstock is a fun part to play as well! and hopefully the audience will walk away impressed by our cast and the show as a whole.

i have so much on my mind as of late. and really my thoughts are all over the place. me going to school in the summer is opening up the door to school being done sooner. for so long i've lived in comfort. comfort of a house i don't pay for, comfort of food i don't pay for, comfort of magic laundry that gets done if i don't get around to doing it. after the summer, i actually have the option of leaving all this comfort really for the first time in my life. yeah, i lived in logan on my own, but i still was surrounded by family, living in a relative's house, in a familiar city with people, etc. where will i go? what will i do? i haven't really figured that out yet. but for me that's part of the adventure. sweet.

which brings me to my major. i've been trying to figure out what the heck i'm going to do with my media arts major? i've been helping out neal a little with les miserables and i'm also currently in a show. wait wait wait...the film kid is doing more THEATER projects than film projects!? don't tell my film teachers that. i enjoy both and appreciate them for very different reasons. i just find myself always going back to what i know better which is being around the stage rather than the screen. a "media arts" major sounds cool. it makes me sound like i'm a really well rounded individual in all the arts involving media, or some junk like that. haha.

why we study

2008-03-19T11:55:00.001-06:00

i got an f. economics is a swear word. 42/75. hooray for me! i didn't think i would need to do the optional extra credit for the class. but that 42 needs to be a 62.

lucky for me, it was just one section on economics--now we're back to real history: the civil war.

urinetown update

2008-03-12T12:52:00.002-06:00

Dear Blog:

Today Meg called and told me that Joey had dropped the show. She offered the part of Lockstock to me.

Prepare for 2 and a half weeks of hardcore memorizing and character development.

Due: March 27th.

YIKES!!!

I am excited though.....

cleaning out my closet

2008-03-07T19:51:00.002-07:00

with the help of my favorite musicians, of course.

the evolution of nick stone continues. i look in my closet and see things that i will never wear. time to fill yet another DI bag. michelle, eat your heart out.

maybe i should start documenting the things i do with pictures. maybe then would others find joy in my mundane life. word.

a late shout out

2008-03-04T13:53:00.002-07:00

to my older brother jon. he turned 30 yesterday. i think it's safe to say he's getting older. i also think it's safe to say that he'll be okay with the late birthday shout out because of what i got him.

i also think that jon and my relationship gets better as we both get older. i always look to him for advice and as an example. plus, like michelle, much of my music likes and tastes stem from him. there are few artists that i can ever show him because he's already heard of them. and sometimes he wears stretchy pants--it's for fun.

love you jon. and props for the weight losing!

hug hug kiss kiss. big hug little kiss little kiss.

many thoughts

2008-03-04T10:57:00.003-07:00

I get overwhemled with what to blog about because I'm constantly thinking about something.

today my thoughts are about finishing school. (as they usually are.) i've been going back and forth about making summer plans or just going to school. right now i'm back to the school thing. I figured out that if I go to school spring/summer the rest of my classes I could finish online. Which means I could go ANYWHERE for the Fall Term. I wouldn't be able to go anywhere until the end of September though because of Merry Wives, but still--this is a very nice thought!

i think that is all i have for today. life is interesting, and it seems with every passing day my life changes. i love it. and i love that I'm in a position where I can go anywhere and I can do anything. this excites me so.

media: lies or truth?

2008-02-20T11:09:00.002-07:00

So last week we had a terrible TERRIBLE snow storm which ended with it taking me 3 hrs to get from downtown salt lake to american fork. A trip which usually takes me about 30 minutes. it was frustrating, it was awful, it made me antsy to sit in my car. but was I really ultimately okay? yes. did the news make it seem like the end of the world was at the point of the mountain? yes. i think the only story that really stuck out to me was the fact that the kids were stuck at school. except we never heard the kid's side of the story. a few of them probably thought it was awesome, or maybe some were relieved that they didn't have to go to their house (ie, abusive parents, telling them about a bad meeting that just happened with their teacher, report card, etc.) all we heard was "DISASTER IN SARATOGA SPRINGS! KIDS STUCK ON BUS! HAVE TO STAY AT SCHOOL!" but really--let's be honest. they were just fine.

we study this a lot in my media class. it's called media literacy. part of this literacy idea is possessing the skills to analyze the media that is thrown in our face via email, blogs, text messaging, newspaper, television, movies, etc.

i relate this idea now to my new year's resolution of becoming more "green." what does that even mean? does the act of one person really affect (is the right "affect" or is it "effect"...i should know this...) the earth and those around us? if i believe in the butterfly effect, then my answer would have to be yes. the idea of "going green" means a lot more to me though. it means eating healthier, spending less, conserving more, being more relaxed, enjoying life as it comes my way, being more appreciative rather than negative. "going green" is more of a lifestyle change. i would relate it to being fat. if you're fat and you decide you are going to diet, ultimately the weight you lose from the diet will probably find it's way back because it was a temporary fix. to lose weight and to keep it off, you have to initiate lifestyle changes.

now switching gears and thinking about the media and the idea of being green. right now it seems as though more than ever there is a push for our society to be more green. the media would tell you that we are changing our earth's climate too rapidly from all the crap we emit into the air, all the forests we cut down, all the resources we burn, etc. now yes, i would agree that we are consuming at a much higher rate than we ever have before in history. for me it's like the kid who sees the whole bag of candy and wants to eat it all in one sitting. i get half way through and realize i have to slow down. i think that is what will happen with our society. new technological breakthroughs will happen in the next ten years guaranteed that will benefit our society and help us all be better consumers. but when it comes to the media telling us that the earth is the way it is today because of us. well DUH! thanks for pointing out the obvious. but let's give credit where credit is due. our planet is smart, it evolves with time. like the school bus story, i think that the media never gives us the WHOLE part of the story, just the part that makes the best news. brandon--you should help me out here. i really don't care if i'm proven wrong with this theory or if i'm proven right. i guess anyone can help. (it's also for my 457 blog...that's why i'm asking for the help. haha.) i'm going to start hunting for stories which give more of the whole perspective of global warming: how bad we really are, how much we can say is our fault, and how much is just the earth evolving into a new period of it's life.

to be continued.

i fixed it

2008-02-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

my blog that is.

everything else is still pretty much broken.

playing some catch up

2008-02-19T15:15:00.003-07:00

i've been on a blog hiaetus for the past few weeks. i broke the silence to make a shout out to my brother-in-law brandon. and now i will attempt to write a summary of my life for the past couple of weeks.

- School has been keeping me busy, but school itself isn't overwhelming. My 457 class usually has something for me to be reading, or a project to be thinking about/working on, etc. That goes for my 387 class as well. There is always something that I could/should be working on whether it be chapters from the text, or a script to write coverage on. I enjoy both of the classes, so the assignments are more rewarding than other classes I've taken. I am finding out more and more that as I take higher and higher level classes, the work becomes more worth my time and I'm learning a lot more. go figure! I guess that's how it's supposed to work...

- My GE classes are a different story. Besides my New Testament reading, I really have no outside of classwork to worry about, and I usually read my NT assigned reading on the TRAX on my way to school. My first biology midterm was last week. Didn't study, got a high B. Would it have been an A if I would have spent a little time studying? ... probably. but hey B's get degrees. haha. and atleast it's not crappy Anthropology. I actually do enjoy my biology teacher and his lectures, and a lot of what we're learning now I learned in 9th grade biology, so it's just been more of a refresher course for me.

- Urinetown is been great so far. Actor's are fun people to hang out with (usually. there are a few that are sour grapes.) just because within the first rehearsal everyone is everyone's friend. There have been a couple of moments where I wonder the background of some of the actors. Great people! just with a different theater background than my own. I'm not saying I"m a great actor. Actually i'm not saying that at all because I'm not. But I feel like for the most part I have had some great basic acting training when it comes to basic acting etiquette. I still have my sheet from high school that neal gave us. I love the director Meg. She just has a great energy that is fun to be around. I'm glad to be doing the show!

- I'm going to Denver this weekend for one of my fun jaunts. My friend Matt invited me out to visit him and see a show, so hey why not! Michelle may be a bit jealous because he lives in Boulder. haha. I'll take some pictures of your future city. Denver is also the cheapest place to fly out of Salt Lake City. And now that I have a friend who lives in the Denver Area, I look forward to many Red Rocks concerts because we'll have a place to stay for free! (get ready stacey...) Matt is my friend who I did an audio documentary about for class--I'll try to figure out how to post it on my blog...because I think it's really good.

- This week we are prepping for our two (well three, but I won't be a part of Wednesday because of class in SLC) shoot days for the promo film for BYU. I have been assigned to find "pretty people." On friday I walked around campus and basically recruited people for the shoot. I've emailed everyone, and hopefully some of them come ready to be "featured extras." Haha. Shoot days are very tiring, but very rewarding. A crew from the Motion Picture Studio is hired and it's a great experience to be able to work with a professional film crew. Who is glad they left their cushy speeches job to come work for University Communications? I am, I am! I don't know how it is, but I always end up getting the coolest work opportunities. I hope this is a trend that continues through out my entire life.

-That's all for now. Things for a maybe future post will include how amazingly bad I am at guitar hero, and how I'm not getting any better; An actual interest to utilize the real guitar at my house and begin taking real lessons; and some summer fun.

to my brother in law....

2008-02-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday.

MIKA WAS AMAZING!

2008-02-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

and so was his little black drummer chick. waiting two hours in the cold was really worth it.

2 weeks of no blogging

2008-02-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

long time gone here on the old blog. i think the fact that there has been so much snow has affected my ability to focus my thoughts into text because there is SO MUCH SNOW! I've lived in cold weather, but never a place where this much snow has fallen. Folks who have lived here their whole lives say though that this winter has been more like the winters they remember growing up. If that is the case, props to them. It's pretty, and yes it's warmer when it is able to snow, but it just gets annoying to drive in.

aside from that. life continues to stay busy. this semester is both busy and not busy at the same time. i have busy moments, but i can always make time for other things that may spring up (like driving to vernal to sing at a funeral...). or concerts! tonight i'm going to mika at in the venue. i will probably leave smelling like smoke (since i think in the venue now has that smell creeping out from its walls) but i'm actually excited.

i got my little sister hooked on vitamin water. makes me a little excited. if only she will stick to that and not start drinking coke or whatever, her teeth will thank her later!

that's all for now! oh and for those of you who LOVE what i write. (haha) i have to keep a blog for my media class. Click HERE and it will take you there.

sundance...the rest.

2008-01-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

i'm too tired to type about the rest of sundance. you can refer to this post to hear about some others i saw. i share similar feelings with melanie, and i hope phoebe in wonderland finds a distributor to pick it up.

yesterday i went up for a final hoorah. riley, megan, and i headed up for the final day of screenings before the awards today. we saw a shorts program. i really enjoyed the shorts program! i think next year i'll try to see them all. it's great because you see 7 short films and if you don't like one, you know it will be over soon. loved it! riley and megan are what I would call benefits from working at publications and graphics. they are interns for byu magazine and a whole lotta fun!

every year i have a mini post-mortum (sp?) about my sundance experience and what i will do differently for the following year:

#1.) Next winter might very well be the last winter I live in Utah permanently so I think I am going to try and get a job with the festival. I was talking with a few of the workers yesterday and they can basically get into any movie they want to see for free. (with a few exceptions and such.) and if i can get a job with them for the festival maybe that can transcribe into a yearly position. (i was surprised to see how many workers at the festival were from out of town.)

#2.) if i don't work as an employee, i am getting the pass where credentials are part of the package. there are some fun music events i missed out on because i didn't have a credential. but if i'm working i automatically get one. yay.

#3.) see the 4 shorts programs. there are four of them so it's like seeing 28 films. they have to choose from over 5100 short films. i was impressed.

goodbye sundance film festival 2008. see you next year.

Sundance 2008: Day 1

2008-01-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

Technically it's like Day Three? Whatever. Day one for me:

Madison and I got up at the crack of dawn and drove to Park City for the 9:15 screening of "The Wackness." I don't know how much I want to comment on the films I see. I really enjoyed this film though. It was funny and lighthearted about serious problems ie: girls/dating, drugs, alcohol, parents. As I was watching this, I couldn't figure out where I'd seen the lead guy. And then I remembered that he's from one of Emily's shows on Nickelodeon. No, Emily. You cannot see this movie.

Blurb from the Sundance Booklet:

Main Characters attending: (click name to see photo from imdb)

Sir Ben Kingsley (the one and only)
Josh Peck (emily's nickelodeon boyfriend)
Olivia Thirlby (also did juno. good for her for getting a bigger part)

Main Characters not in attendance of the screening:
Mary-Kate Olsen (in pc, just not at the screening)
Method Man (don't really care)
Famke Janssen (would have liked to ask her about X3.)

Park City was insanely warm. Kind of the calm before the storm. It was so pleasant to be up there just walking around. One thing when I hang out with Madison is that there doesn't seem to be rules about where we can and can't go. haha. Something more of a characteristic he has and I don't. But we ran into some fun stars probably as a result of this. He and his sis saw a lot more after I left to go to my second film.

We also attended an Avid Workshop. My new boss told me that if I went to any Avid workshops or demos while I was at the festival I could consider it work, and count the hours for work. word. I wonder how she'll feel when I say the workshop was on sunday. haha. The place where the workshop was held has some really cool pieces of art technology I guess you would call it. I really can't describe it, but nonetheless really fun.

The final list for Sunday:

Dennis Quaid (a couple times)
Paul Giamatti (a couple times as well)
Jack Black
Jared Leto
William H. Macy (but no wife)
Adrian Grenier (I also saw him in New York driving a jalopy stopped in front of Yankee Stadium the day I was denied entrance.)
Dylan Walsh
Tim Daly
Eddie Redmayne

No Julianne Moore at my second screening of "Savage Grace." I was hoping maybe...just maybe. Whit and I went and saw this film at the Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake. It is a perfect example of some of the out there films that are screened at the festival. this movie was OUT THERE. It was based on a true story which made it even creepier. I'm not really going to go into to much detail because I like my blog to remain lower than PG. Even posting the Sundance Booklet description might make my blog PG-13. Sorry Michelle. Don't read this one.

Final Conclusion from Sunday -- My Day 1:

The weather gave me hope for future trips to Park City for the festival. It may have just been a lucky fluke, but it was SO pleasant to be up there. Don't me wrong. Last year was a lot of fun as well, just butt-ice cold.

Free Sundance Swag is fun. I have a new black bag which really can be used as a replacement/reusable shopping bag. I used it to put all my free crap in, and maybe it will be my new Tues/Thursday School Bag. Until it rips or something. haha.

Where the heck were all the lady movie stars? No Mandy Moore for me this year.

Films left to see: 5 for sure. Maybe 6 if I successfully wait list.

22 and up.

2008-01-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

today i did an adult thing:

i've decided that direct deposit is a great thing. i never really look at how much gets put in... (i just have learned what the average is for my normal paycheck.) well i decided to use this to my advantage. i consolidated all my accounts today by closing my zion's account and uccu accounts and opening a chase account. (i did this for a few reasons. mainly because i don't really care for uccu.) anyway. after doing that i decided to open up two other accounts at chase as well. a new savings account (which happens usually by default anyway) and another investment account. my savings account will have money deducted from my paycheck every month, as well as this new investment account. it's not a ton of money each month, but for what i make as a student I think it's a start. and the beauty of it all? it may seem like i'm getting less money every month, but i'll adapt. and since it's automatic it will actually happen because me saying i'll do it and having a computer do it are two very different things :)

why the sudden change of responsibility? well one, i live at home and should be saving money. it's a plus for living at home! also, hopefully if all goes according to plan, by this time next year I'll be starting to look at post-graduation opportunities and jobs, and having a little money saved will probably come in handy.

yay.

to do this week:

2008-01-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

cancel tivo service. (that or buy a new box)
finish reading Indy 3 script (oh crap i need to do that tonight since it's due tomorrow.)
consolidate bank accounts. (why is the zion account even open still? it has 3.50 in the checking account.)
create school blog.
get emmy's piano books.
have fun PnG party. (that's Publications and Graphics)
record music w/ meeshy
eat.

yeah probably in that order.

first week analysis

2008-01-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

again, this semester is going to take on different characteristics than previous ones. i am enrolled in 5 classes, which is a good load for the winter time. two on byu's main campus, and three at the salt lake center.

main campus:

tma 387: advanced producing. this is going to be a great class! and tom is a great teacher. there will be a lot of script reading and coverages, a lot of following hollywood trends, and just fun creative activities.

tma 457: media in the contemporary classroom. this class requires a blog, along with some creative audio podcasting and 3 minutes docs filmed on $300 dollar cameras and editied in iMovie. (all things that could be used and taught in today's classroom.) the only interesting factor about this class is I'm the only guy. let the fun begin!

salt lake center:

rel 211: a different take on the new testament. the teacher is fluent in greek and latin and will be using older versions of the bible to compare to what is in the KJV. should be fun...there is only 12 people in the class compared to the usual 50+ at provo campus.

biol 100: another GE. my teacher said and i quote "i would recommend checking out the test from the library a week or so before the exam. it may benefit you..." haha. should be a fun class. 45 people compared to the 250+ classrooms in provo.

ahtg 100: GE. i like history enough that this class should be enjoyable. and it's not as assignment heavy as the provo campus american hertiage class. 23 people in this class compared to the 250+ in provo.

so there you have it folks! the beginning of an interesting semester. no classes on friday either!

oh and ps: i love my new job.

bare with me...

2008-01-09T20:14:00.001-07:00

my new blog interface is still a work in progress. i haven't found the perfect look for '08 yet.

it's the beginning...of the end!

2008-01-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

2008 will mark a change in schooling for me...mainly because i am going to also enroll in summer school. so the only real break i will have from school is in august when there is three weeks of conferences going on between the end of the summer term and the beginning of the fall term. i don't exactly know how i'll hold up. (i mean i know i'll be able to do it. i'm a smart kid :) ) so we'll see. if for nothing more 2008 will have new and exciting school experiences. the nice thing about this semester is that i don't have classes fridays, and if i sign up for the creative producing class, it meets only mondays in the afternoon. so i can take fun weekend trips (my specialty.)

on another note, i start riding the bus tomorrow! thank heavens.

the new year's gang.

2008-01-04T18:29:00.001-07:00

so much fun. this is us at squatters. stacey and i actually look like a legitimate couple.

grad school

2008-01-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

i've told myself that after i graduate from college, i'll probably be done with school forever. i would like to amend that answer. going to college and getting a bachelor's degree i think is great and accomplishes the whole goal of "going to college." After that I think that graduate studies shouldn't be considered solely on the fact that a masters degree or PhD opens up more doors. You should want to go because you are passionate about whatever you are studying. With that said, my amended post undergrad school consideration will be as follows. "If I go to school again, it will be at a school with an awesome program that caters to what I want to learn. I will not go to grad school just to go to grad school."

This is one of very few schools that I would consider:

http://www.newschool.edu/mediastudies/

sundance 2008

2008-01-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

So thanks to some miracle, I will get to attempt to buy tickets (up to 20) for sundance 08--this Sunday at 1pm. If anyone wants me to try to get them some tickets, I don't plan on using all twenty. Let me know! And if you want to be my date for any of them, let me know that as well :). I can pretty much do any day/night but Wednesdays.

I'm so excited!

movies over the break:

2007-12-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

so far over the christmas break (and in recent weeks) i have seen:

The Water Horse was basically free willy meets the loch ness monster. I never need to see this movie again, however the creature reminded us of our dumb little black and white cat. a little slow in the mind, but still cute and friendly. and you can't give him up even if he is handicapped and overweight. ha!

Atonement was a great movie. Again, another one that I don't think i need to see again, but i was glad to see Vanessa Redgrave making a cameo appearance at the end of the film. this movie represents one of my greatest fears. having a false accusation towards me end up causing a huge change in my life that was unneeded and unexpected. great acting though--even from ms. knightly. and mr. tumnus (lion, witch, wardrobe) was great.

Juno just might be my favorite movie from 2007. No that's unfair to my other favorites from 2007. It was a top three though of the year. i would consider this to be the sleeper film like little miss sunshine was last year and sweep up everything it's nominated for at the golden globes and oscars. the little pregnant chick had the greatest comedic timing, not to mention a handful of great one liners. everyone should see this film. period. it's pg-13 so you have no excuse.

Sweeney Todd....sigh....i don't know what to write about this film. I loved it for what it was worth. I hated some of the musical liberties they took. actually i didn't really enjoy a lot of the liberties they took, but tim burton did say that this was the "FILM" sweeney todd and not the stage play and that there would be differences. Toby was my favorite. I really liked that part and how they changed it for a smaller child with a higher register. i also enjoyed a lot of the intricate details that are possible in film, but not on stage. Mainly the production design. the sets where amazing. hands down fantastic. there was WAY too much tim burton blood. my friend kris thought the same thing i did! it's like the scene from addams family where pugsley and wendy cut off each other's arms and the blood sprays out like it's coming out of a pressured hose. there was SO much blood. almost so much that it made it comical and took away from the suspense and horror of the story that is sweeney todd, the demon barber of fleet street. he kills people! it's supposed to be scary! not funny! anyway. see it if you want a lot of blood, but don't get your hopes up if you're expecting it to be like the stage play verbatim.

i'm not going to say much about I'm Not There. It was very artsy. And edited so strange. I understood the overall idea of what the movie was trying to present, but apparently I don't know enough about bob dylan for the movie to make complete sense to me. i feel like i need to research him and his life now. maybe that's what the movie is encouraging? i don't know...maybe it just means i didn't really grow up in the bob dylan era like my folks, and even though i know a hand full of his songs, i'm more aquainted with his son's music talent in the band "the wallflowers." 6th avenue heartache. i still love that song. oh and cate blanchett is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. she is the best thing about this film in her portrayal of dylan--hands down.

I loved I Am Legend...until I saw the creatures. then all i wanted to do was pinch their cute little ugly faces. they were all CGI and completely unbelievable. i mean come on! you're already spending millions of dollars on making new york city look abandoned and destroyed. what's a little more to use real humans and real actors and dress them all up like any other zombie movie like the 28 days later and 28 weeks later. Will Smith is surprisingly really good. it's just the dang "bad guys." they're no good. it did make me ponder though a little about the "what if" of the development of science and technology. what if one day while finding a cure for cancer or some awful disease like AIDS it has a deadly side affect and wipes out most of mankind? it is a feaseable concern i believe. it isn't going to be global warming that kills us--it's going to be the human race. just a thought..... see it if you like sci-fi movies and will smith talking to manikins like they are real human beings. just be prepared to see some cheesy looking night creatures.

things i love about utah:

2007-12-30T03:06:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I try to do (and fail miserably at most of the time) is no matter what to find the good in people, places, things, etc. i gripe and moan about living in utah a lot of the time. it has its quirks--no doubt about it. sometimes i have good reasoning to complain, but other times i don't. over the break i've had some moments of "utah is great!" here they are:

1. for the first time since i moved here I went sledding today up american fork canyon. apparently it's this amazing popular place called the bowl. everyone goes, but i never have! so i made everyone get together and go with me. it was great! it was nice snow and not the icy kind at happy jack up the summit in laramie. and then we went on a little wilderness trek through the snow and in some spots it would come up mid thigh. i haven't had that much fun in the snow in a long time--in fact i think ever.

2. salt lake is a clean downtown. been up there both days this weekend. if i were to get a job with #3 or something related i think i would be okay living in the downtown area of salt lake. at least for a while.

3. sundance. had a TON of fun last year. hopefully I will get my hands on some tickets for this year since i spaced signing up for the utah locals ticket sales. i have some sources. i'm not too worried.

4. wasatch front. the mountains are gorgeous. especially right now when they are covered in snow.

5. opportunity. moving to utah has given me opportunities that i know wyoming would have never been able to offer. i figured out what i really want to do when i "grow up" or maybe i should say graduate from college because of what i've been able to involve myself with here. plus i've made some great, great friends because of it.

and the countdown continues: t-minus 1.5 years until graduation.

a new take on christmas eve

2007-12-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

yesterday instead of our normal christmas eve tradition of cooking mexican food ourselves, we headed north to salt lake to eat chipotle! a great new tradition that i think we should do every year. less mess to clean up.

also. i went hot-pot-tubbing at 12:30 am last night in lehi. I have heard about said hot-pots but never went. I went with a few friends, and after the freezing walk to the hot-pot was grateful for the natural warmth. so much that i didn't want to leave!

look alikes

2007-12-24T22:44:00.001-07:00

this is my favorite picture from the holiday break so far. are we siblings or what?

Collage

2007-12-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my final film project:

for some reason it is really dark on my blog, so you can watch it at this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ldzDaGi5zc

i'm done!

2007-12-21T13:20:00.001-07:00

i took my final test today! and also i got 100% on my final film cut. that makes me happy.

i'm going to celebrate and see sweeney todd. right now.

best of 2007

2007-12-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

This list includes both my favorite things of 2007 along with new music artists i stumbled across for one reason or another. It's not a complete list seeing how a lot can happen in 365 days, but here are a few highlights....

HAIRSPRAY!

This may easily be my favorite thing from 2007. I saw it too many times, and my mom even can be spotted dancing to it while it's playing in the house. Stacey even bought me this book as a joke. But i loved it!

MISSY HIGGINS

I stumbled upon Missy while working. A co-worker was playing some of her music and I asked for a copy. She's probably been around a while, but I just found her this year and I love her.

3:10 to Yuma

Everyone needs a good western every once and a while. This movie was brilliant.

Into the Wild

This movie really affected my life, I think. I mean, i'm not really one to get up and move to alaska after college. But I felt like I could compare his wants and desires to my own. After I graduate, I'll probably up and move somewhere. Even if everyone else thinks it's a bad idea or whatever. I'm itching to leave my comfort zone that I've created here in Utah and have new life experiences, meet new and exciting people, and basically grow up. Great flick. Maybe i should read the book?

Spring Awakening

A show very similar to me to Into the Wild. A show about growing up, figuring out who you are, and breaking free of people telling you what is right and what is wrong. This show is also special because it was the first show I ever saw on Broadway. oh! which brings me to my next best thing of 2007.

NEW YORK CITY

What a city...so much energy and so much activity. I think my A.D.D. brain thrives in such a place. The daily chaos of the city ironically is something I really enjoy. I'll live there sooner or later.

Other things without pictures:

2007 was the year I actually began to feel like a college student even though I've been doing this for almost 4 years now. I was accepted into an awesome program where I get to study and learn about media, and can thrive in an environment where I feel like I am talented and can grow in potential in both theatre and film.

2007 was the year that I stopped driving the burb and finally got behind the seat of a nice honda accord to take me to and from school.

2007 was the year I became an uncle to 5 kids.

2007 was the year my teeth finished straightening.

2007 was the year I lost my "freshman fifteen."

2007 was the year I helped get a full-featured length film to play in a movie theater.

2007 was the year I saw nickel creek in concert at Kingsbury hall. and they were AMAZING!

2007 was the year I went to New York twice.

2007 was the year stacey and I drove to vegas on a 24 hr straight road trip for in-and-out.

2007 was the year I didn't buy an iPhone.... sigh....

2007 was the year....

Nutcracker

2007-12-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Come One Come All!!

new year's resolutions

2007-12-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I would crack these out early this year. Just because one of them may actually take some planning. I would also like to mention before starting that Brandon has started a chain reaction with his consume less save more campaign. Some of my resolutions go hand in hand with the campaign. Here they are in no order:

#1 Stay healthy. 2007 was a good year for me health wise. (except for right now because i've had this lame cold for weeks.) I'd like to continue what I've already accomplished so far. Maybe I'll add get buff to that.

#2 Drive less. Ride more. This one entails riding the bus when possible. Next semester I think this is definitely a possibility. I may have to take a hiatus during the summer when I'm running around with my head cut off with Castle responsibilities, but this is at least possible for Jan-May and August-December.

#3 Spend Less, Save more. I like being able to go on fun trips through out the year. Trips for 2008 already look to include New York in May, Illinois sometime, and maybe disneyland with stacey. I spend so much money eating out. I have cut back on this significantly to keep with #1, but I think I can cut back even more. Also, hopefully #2 will ultimately help with #3. By taking the bus I should be saving on gas and car repairs. Not that the honda has needed much beyond some breaks work. The little guy rocks, and does surprisingly well in the snow. (You just have to know how to drive in it! HA! sorry jon...that's a stab at when you guys stayed an extra few days with us because of sliding off the road. we were glad that you stayed though)

#4 Write to eric more often. Granted, i never really wrote to jon either. but since it's an email address i have no excuse.

#5 Read more. I put this at the end because there is a large possibility that it will not happen. but i am resolved at trying atleast. If anyone has any suggestions I'm game.

So there they are in a nutshell. Coming up soon. My list of "best of 2007."

2007-12-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

things left to finish by the 21st:

-tell my work that i am changing jobs, get someone hired to replace me, and train them.
-start training at my new job. say good bye to publications and graphics and hello to university communications. (i have a feeling that p&g will never fully be out of my life. especially if i want to use the hvx :) )
-rough cut of 185 project turned in, fine cut finished
-final anthro paper written
-religion class final
-114 final paper
-paper for barta for castle credit

i think that's all.

2007-12-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

so i'm putting this out there for discussion.

on sunday i was lucky enough to catch a tim allen double feature on cable.(funny how i actually was kind of excited to watch them...they bring back fun memories from a decade ago.) but then i realized when my mom pointd this out to me that tim allen is the same character in every movie. so true...so true. funny as he can be, there is no depth to his character choices. so i started to think about other actors who fit this mold.

tim allen
chris farley
mandy moore
steven segal
ben affleck
hayden christensen
keanu reeves
sandra bullock
lindsey lohan.

okay those are just to name a few.

a like to have options

2007-12-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

so i'm really amazed.

a few months ago i met with the wife of the man I would now call my supervisor at work (mainly meaning if I need anything i go to him, other than that he really doesn't know how or what I do with speeches. but speeches deserves its own post soon.) she's a really nice lady. she works for university communications. i put working for her just because it was a really busy time (not like now is any easier...) but she contacted me last week again and asked if i was still interested in working for her. well i gave her the big shpeal on the whole roundabout theatre hold up, and then asked her about just working/training during the christmas break until I know for sure about the internship. she was so nice about it and said that she thought that was a great idea, and really had no problem with me leaving for the winter term, and she still wants to hire me.

it's one of those nice and warm fuzzy kind of feelings to know that my previous work has impressed her enough to work around my conflicts. "I am interested in having someone become an expert on our system who will work as an editor and also help us with the technical side of the system. I know you have a lot of talents and would be a good fit on both the technical and creative side.."

so yes, it seems as though i will never fully leave "technical support," but its the kind of technical support I don't mind doing because it's CREATIVE technical support if that makes sense. plus i get free training on avid. sweet. sweet.

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i like having options. i think no matter what, speeches will soon be out of my life. sad, but necessary. and! i'm trying to stay positive about the new york thing. if i don't get the internship, I have a few options for working up at sundance in january. so there ya go.

a realization

2007-12-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

I'm 22.

if i were to follow the examples of my older siblings i would be married by now.

two weeks and counting

2007-12-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

my mom is a genius. this most likely isn't that much of a surprise to hear me say that. but for the second year in a row now we have set up the christmas tree in a matter of seconds. (minus the ornaments.) how you ask? It's pre-lit! no more matching up colored or numbered tree limbs to their correct hole. no more swearing! (well for tree related incidents) no more hatred towards setting up the tree.

pre-lit trees. i think i'll invest.

also i think my vitamin water is a little better than my parent's vitamin water.

internship update

2007-11-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

i broke down and called today. here's a blip of the conversation:

"hey allison, i'm just following up with you to see where we stand with the internship. i'm trying to figure out my schedule for next semester and if i should get the paperwork started for the internship or not."

"i'm glad you called! it's been really busy around here with the thanksgiving break. we just finished our first round of interviews, and i've passed your name on to the stage manager. you should expect to hear from them for your second interview (phone interview) within the next couple of weeks."

"okay great, thanks."

"and please feel free to call me if you have any other questions or you don't hear from them after a few weeks."

"thanks allison."

.......

what i wish i could have said:

"another couple of weeks?! that's fine, who needs more than a few weeks to prepare to move across the country? ... not me, i guess!"

.......

so i guess there is still hope.

thanksgiving weekend

2007-11-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

2007-11-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

i decided the music player was too much, so it is gone. last week at this time i was in central park. that's a fun thought to have!

end of the semester distractions

2007-11-18T22:37:00.001-07:00

I have been trying so hard to get my homework done. which i have...just intermixed with episodes of heroes. thanks to ben and melanie and their first season dvd's, i have been able to start the process of catch up.

i've decided that dvd tv is even better than tivo tv. why have i not been a dvd tv guy before?

some other shows i need to netflix:

house
alias
30 rock
notes from the underbelly
ugly betty
project runway
the west wing
the Tudors
Extras
Monk

wow. that's a lot of tv.

really though?

2007-11-14T01:57:00.000-07:00

i'm just sayin....

NEW YORK, with a side of thought

2007-11-14T01:26:00.000-07:00

i just had a funny thought come to me. it's 1:30 salt lake time, which is really 3:30 to me so i should be sleeping. (mom that goes out to you...) it's kind of a momma stone inside joke. most won't laugh, but i think it's great.

well trip #2 to new york was definitely different than trip #1. i didn't feel like i had to get EVERYTHING in, in fact i had no schedule. not one thing planned besides my interview time. annie and i spent a lot of time talking about living in new york, the experience that it has given her, and the fact that it is possible. i don't want to think much about living there right now since i'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch.

for a while there i was feeling like i lived there. i sat in annie's house watching lost with no desire to go out with that feeling like i was missing something going on in the city. we watched all four last episodes of season one. which on a side note, now i need to watch seasons two and three. i picked up on some things i hadn't paid attention to or didn't think seemed important. plus arzt gets blown up in the last episode. haha. yay!

i think what i really want to say about nyc is that sooner or later i will most likely live there. it may not be now, and it will probably not be forever. but there is something so unique and amazing about that area that makes me so excited. graduation can not come soon enough.

i think that's all i want to say about my trip. i wonder when i'll be back...

NEW YORK!

2007-11-14T00:12:00.001-07:00

i smell like airport. you know that stale smell? i volunteered to bump to a later flight. in doing so i was given a refund of my flight plus 200 dollars all put on a voucher for a future flight. not bad! it did mean that i not only was laid over in chicago, but also denver. and the flight attendant from denver to slc was abusing his loudspeaker usage rules. suffice it to say, i'm glad i'm not flying anymore. but free flight here i come!

blogging after a trip is hard. i don't really know how to break it up. i could break it up by day, but i think i'll skip that and just hit key moments that i wrote down in my moleskin.

i think these two pictures sum up my trip. it was fun seeing madison and annie. i haven't seen annie in a think 2 years! they showed me a great time in the city and convinced me of moving to nyc if this internship comes through.

highlights from my trip:

jewish temple service at the 5th avenue synagogue
taco express
the met
the theatre strike
"no music" -- little kids dancing on the train for money.
Monty Q's
Tea & Sympathy
Magnolia Cupcakes
pinkberry

darwin the swan in central park
my interview with Roundabout Theatre
party on Roosevelt Island with Annie
Club Element -- dancing with annie while madison hosted

for the rest of the pictures of my trip visit this link http://picasaweb.google.com/nickcstone

new york in a minute.

2007-11-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

i'm still alive! i finally cracked open my laptop late this evening to write a paper quickly and email it to nicole who is going to turn it in for me on campus. i have some fun things to write about, and will post when i can find my usb cord for my camera to post fun pictures.

interview is tomorrow. yay.

2007-11-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

well i'm headed back to the city for some fun this weekend. it's interesting how what seemed like a trip which served no purpose other than to have a break from school has turned into a trip with a purpose!

i'm trying really hard not to jump to any conclusions, but i still think it's amazing how i was able to set up an interview for the same time frame that i would be visiting. pretty cool.

the weather should be nice too. cold, most likely, but not nasty cold.

roundabout

2007-11-01T11:40:00.001-06:00

http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/

So about a month ago I started thinking that I should maybe try to get an internship either in new york or la. as much as I would like to consider what I do around here professional (which many times it is...) it would be nice to tack a well known company on my resume. i haven't heard back from any of the plays i applied. today that changed, the roundabout theatre in new york called me! so i guess my scheduled trip out to new york now has a purpose instead of just a vacation. haha.

it would open a lot of doors for me in the future after graduation if i worked with them, so we'll see.

a compliment

2007-10-31T16:16:00.000-06:00

today i received a compliment. one of my professors wrote a message on a photo assignment returned to us today where we had to take 5 photos featuring different visual elements (ie., color, shape, line, space, etc.) his note reads:

"Nick--

You sure have an eye for creating great composition within the frame. It always intrigues me how sometimes the ones who don't make many comments in class are the ones who really understand what I'm trying to teach. May I recommend you look into taking some other photography classes along with the cinematography classes. I think you will find them fascinating and extremely helpful.

B.U."

i'm not trying to hide his name, that's really how he signs everything. haha. but anyway, i always like when what i do is validated. granted i have an awesome camera, but i don't think i can give it all the credit :)

2007-10-31T00:59:00.000-06:00

it wouldn't be a true post if it wasn't one in the morning, or close to it. michelle you can be proud, although i won't be coming north this weekend. i will be patiently waiting to hold annie when you guys come down for thanksgiving. :)

ain't gonna lie...school is busy! i'm frantically trying to finish projects and turn things in early so that i can have a fun "fall break" in new york starting next thursday. i think for the most part i have everything under control.

saw sweeney todd last night in park city. it made me happy inside. i just love that show! hopefully the castle will put it on next october (if i have anything to say about it...which really i don't.) when i got home i crawled into bed and turned on the halloween movie marathon on amc. here i was preparing to go to bed, but was so intrigued by the no name slasher film that i had to stay up and watch it! :) tonight amc is showing alien. not my favorite, so i don't feel like i have to stay up, plus i have class in less than eight hours. yummy.

another thought on school work and dedication. recently i have had a change in thought process when it comes to homework, projects, assignments, etc. and i've wondered if it is just me copping out. maybe a little, but then "carol of the bells" came up on my random playlist on itunes and i took a moment to listen remembering being in the studio with jules as she played while i sat in the booth. i am really proud of that project, and put a lot of effort into it. and who's to say that i shouldn't concentrate most of my efforts on the classes and projects that mean the most to me while making sure that I atleast pass the other classes which are not as important? d's get degrees, and so do c's. haha. what happened to the guy who freaked out if his grades weren't straight a's!? gone....long gone. and i don't think i miss him.

more hot PIES, more HOT, more PIES, MORE HOT PIES! -- sweeney todd the musical

2007-10-28T19:48:00.000-06:00

i'm blogging instead of writing my papers. figures.

i spent the weekend up in logan to see urinetown, as well as some college friends. i need to stop going up to logan when it is so pleasant and pretty. a small part of me regrets my decision to come back south, but then i actually compare apples to apples of the actual schooling in my program of choice and know i'm where i should be, plus i have had some amazing experiences, adventures, and opportunities only because of deciding to transfer to the Y. i guess i just need to get up and visit logan more often, it's not so far away and a quick trip if you have someone to talk to on the phone. :)

2007-10-24T17:13:00.000-06:00

today is a good day. i haven't exactly put my finger on why i feel like i need to proclaim it. maybe because of the changing leaves? maybe because one of my classes ended? maybe because timp is snow covered but it's not freezing down here in the valley? i don't really know...but today is a good day.

also i'm glad that the jonstone clan gets to experience what season changes are all about! again, i don't know why, but i'm glad they get to freeze during january like the rest of us! mmmm....

byu characters -- library security

2007-10-24T12:46:00.000-06:00

i'm starting a new segment on my blog called byu characters. they will highlight people that i run into or just observe walking or working on campus.

today's character is the library's security guards. dressed in a white uniform shirt with dress slacks and usually boots they sport a walkie talkie attached to their shoulder, and (if properly certified) a container of mace attached to their belt. besides looking extremely "intimidating" as people come and go from the library, what do these security guards actually do? ...glorified book return. i'm guessing its actually 99% of their job. correction 95% of their job. the other 5% is to look intimidating.

weekend roundup

2007-10-21T22:57:00.000-06:00

I had a very successful weekend. Success, i guess, is a relative word. I would say I was successful because I was able to focus long enough to finish all my midterm assignments along with having some time to have a little fun. griff wanted me to go hunting with him on saturday. i laughed when he asked because i didn't think he was serious -- he was. oh well. I still didn't go. we're not a family of hunters!

stacey and i had an interesting conversation this weekend about global warming. neither of us really know what we're talking about. it's something that i'm really starting to find interest in. what is and isn't true about what people say on this topic?

also i was watching 60 minutes tonight (don't really know why...) and this story http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/17/60minutes/main3378089.shtml (sorry i can't make it clickable right now.) valerie wilson used to work undercover for the cia. her story is about being directly involved years ago when they were making claims about iraq buying uranium from niger for weapons of mass destruction and how what we were hearing from our country's leaders wasn't exactly matching up with the information she was finding... anyway. fascinating stuff i think!

and now i must start preparing for a very busy two weeks as i try and turn assignments and take a test early so i can go to new york without having any worries, and have a personal fall break. haha.

my family is hot

2007-10-17T22:46:00.001-06:00

i'm so glad we have an annie in our family!

seth, zane, maryn, jonas, and annie. if we follow this trend, michelle you have to get pregnant again here soon...

lucidity

2007-10-14T16:07:00.000-06:00

Here is our 24 hr film. The quality online isn't that great, but you'll get the idea.

24 hrs film festival

2007-10-14T07:06:00.000-06:00

it's seven am, and i'm just going to bed.

goodnight! (the film festival video to be posted soon...)

me and my hat.

2007-10-12T12:27:00.000-06:00

i've never met a carrot i didn't like. except for this one!

2007-10-09T22:45:00.000-06:00

plans for after graduation: work in an equity theatre for a year (mas o menos...that's spanish in honor of eric.) gain enough points to join AEA as a stage manager, then see where life takes me.

"then why am i in the film program?!"

i've been asking myself this question for the past few weeks. the only answer i can give myself is that a media arts degree will only compliment the experience i have in the theatre. graduate in film, work in theatre.

ironic isn't it?

a little bard

2007-10-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

i spent the weekend in cedar city as a chaperone for the high school. it was Shakespeare competition, and not surprisingly, american fork took an overall first place in its division. i had the opportunity to see the fall show series while i was down there. as a whole group we saw Henry V. an interesting rendition of the show, but it was mainly SUU students. the following day i saw three shows. the mousetrap, the tempest, and art. all were great shows! the tempest isn't my favorite shakespeare play (ironically it was on my reading list from a few weeks ago) but it was a great production. technically speaking, changing between sets for each show is a NIGHTMARE! i can't imagine having to do it everyday. i went and watched the change over from mousetrap to tempest, and all i can say is that i shouldn't have complained so much about having to set up and take down the speaker system for caesar. it takes 1hr 15 minutes to change sets, change light gels, and then run through the lights and sound to make everything has been correctly set for the change over. insane!

it was nice to get away for a few days. almost so nice that i hated the part where i had to come back and do homework. the desire to continue school is a hard one sometimes. i look at my older brother and wonder how it is that he's been able to keep his nose to the grind and continue schooling. but he has a family to support, and so i know there has to be motivation from them to continue in school. i guess i just get frustrated sometimes because in some aspects i feel like some classes are a waist of my time and money. read this book, write this paper, take this test, rinse and repeat, and at the end of the semester forget everything. just so that at the end of the process i can get a piece of paper that says i'm a well rounded individual and more capable of a job because i took some general ed classes. i've adapted a phrase from julianna (who is one year ahead of me in graduating.) in these classes which fill her life only with extra busy work she says "eh, it's good enough." and i don't know whether i should feel good or bad about adapting such a phrase into my attitude towards school. granted, i put a lot of effort into classes and projects i see worth my time and effort. but as for the others, as long as i pass that's all i really care about.

i guess a lot of how i'm feeling stems from this job i have. i don't enjoy it. i get paid really well, but i don't enjoy it. it adds unneeded stress in my life. i know i've asked for more to do to help the speeches part be acceptable, but i don't think anyone in the department talks about which students they have helping out on which projects. in the last week (on top of usual speeches crap and my computer crashing) joyce has asked me to help her with some alumni house updates, jeff has asked me to help with some music selections and other things for an upcoming spread in the magazine (for the web) about musicians on campus and hunting down different bands, artists, etc who go to byu, jed and i have to do another video segment for the psychology video since when we had them OK the video so we could lock it for editing they didn't have a problem with the fact that there were more men being interviewed than women and now they do, chad wants me to create some video commercials from old footage with new titles that i got from dave which are going to look like crap with the old footage and the old raw footage was from a project from charles which no one can seem to find so i'll have to use the compressed video, and hopefully brandon did the color correction for the marriott school so i can give them a final copy to send to the printer for distribution (which they originally were not planning on.), and all of this while staying on top of my classes and only working 20 hrs a week. what a joke! this is a work load for a full time employee. work that would be manageable during the summer when i don't have school. the secretary for publications and graphics wrote me an email saying that apparently a couple of people (probably old people) have called some byu relations office wherever that is saying that they are frustrated because there isn't always someone answering the phone when they try to make an order. well can they see why!? i do my best to stay on top of it all, but i really just want it all to go away. i feel validated that so many people need my help for projects, but it's like they don't realize that i'm also in charge of speeches and need to be around to answer the stupid phone for the old people.

i guess being in cedar city made me yearn to be somewhere else with a whole new set of problems and a whole new set of complaints. working backstage on a show at a professional theater being fully dedicated in a much more concentrated environment rather than having 6 different people expecting me to cram 40 hours of week into 20 hours a week (oh and not to mention i only work tues, thursdays, and fridays.) as much as i enjoy my pay check i'm still not sure it's worth it. i guess i do know that it was the better choice between staying and doing speeches and going to work for byu broadcasting.

time warp, two years from now. life will be better! and i will be in the position (with a degree under my belt) i want to be to go work anywhere i want! for now i just have to keep telling myself to suck it up (and to frequent the job board byu's website just in case something amazing appears)

the ulcer can go away now

2007-10-02T16:39:00.000-06:00

For the past two weeks I have been regretting waking up and coming to work because my computer crashed (not my fault!) and everyday when i come to work I have been trying to figure out how the heck I was supposed to salvage my files. i won't go into detail about how final cut works, but basically my two big project files were missing all their media. Projects which have cost a lot of money! i wasn't at fault, but i was expected to fix the problem (because our programmer has no knowledge of final cut.) well today, two weeks later, i finally FINALLY found a way to make Final Cut recognize all the files again. basically i had to reimport every missing file, and then manually relink them to where they belong on the time line keeping in mind that there were hundreds of files to relink. something that may sound easy, oh no. it took me all day. i've just finished the marriott video, and now it's on to the psych film. oh well. at least it's fixable and the nasty pain in my side can go away.

22 and counting

2007-09-24T14:15:00.000-06:00

well i made it to 22. and i still haven't been incarcerated for illegal fireworks! amazing. i've been listening to beyonce today on my ipod pretending like she's singing to me on my birthday. other than that, it's just another day, and actually i'm really okay with that.

also, i'm glad my parents to get married on my birthday :). a tribute to them on this the day of their anniversary.

a funny observation

2007-09-19T12:38:00.000-06:00

as i was walking from the hfac to the jsb today (okay i realize that that will only orient a handful of people who read my blog) i noticed a funny thing. the campus is fairly student heavy from about 9-3, which also makes for the pathways between buildings to be congested. funny part is, we create a natural flow of walking to the right of the sidewalk in whichever way we're going. so if this is true, do they walk on the left side of the walk ways at oxford? if anyone knows the answer, please let me know!

blog appreciation day

2007-09-18T18:34:00.000-06:00

blogging is great. don't you all agree? i can count on the blog to keep me updated with my friends, even though I don't get to see them much. (which all depends on if they keep it updated!)

with the conclusion of caesar, i've realized that i can have a pretty normal semester. i don't know whether this is a good thing or not. having that extra element which makes the mundane routine of school manageable is almost a necessary element in my life. of course, it does give me more time for evening play time. for instance, this weekend i am going down to st. george to see 42nd street. something i couldn't do if i was involved with a show, so I guess breaks are good. i actually think it will be a large break from a show probably until next summer. more time to focus on my two year goal of graduating.

just as a side note, saturday was strike for caesar, and i had a validating experience. strike with incredibly smoothly! (with the help of neal, and his high school entourage) we tackled the set and had everything locked by 12:04. the validation comes from the fact that i was the go to guy for questions. people were coming to me with what to do and where to put what. it was a moment of, yes, i'm going to school getting the right degree. i have a brain for production, and honestly i'm really good at it. (with a few exceptions which involve my ADD tendancies. haha) if only i could graduate sooner.

some more castle memories

2007-09-14T12:22:00.001-06:00

the first two i love, the second two are extremely cheesy!