BEDA Sept...Guilty Pleasures

Instead of another boring, rambly, angsty post, I think I'm going to list my guilty pleasures.  You know, those things that we all love that we'd probably rather not admit to anyone.

1. Driving my car on summer days, windows and sunroof open, blaring some obnoxious, overplayed summer anthem on the radio.  And, of course, singing and dancing along to it.  And hoping the drivers of other cars don't think I'm a serious lunatic.

2. ABC Family original series.  Don't hate me.  Currently, I won't miss an episode of Make it or Break it or Pretty Little Liars.  When it's on (new episodes starting soon, hopefully) GREEK (I know, I know...I'm a sorority girl who watches a show about sorority girls...it's incredibly exaggerated and Greek life really isn't like that, but there are aspects of truth there and I think it's hilarious.  The annoying bits of the show are like the things that annoy me about my own sorority, so it makes me giggle).  I used to be an avid fan of both Wildfire and Kyle XY, before they were both canceled, that is.  I know...so embarrassing.

3. Old Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movies.  It Takes Two, Passport to Paris, Billboard Dad, etc., etc.  Please don't judge.

4. The O.C. and Gossip Girl...apparently I like teen dramas about rich kids...whatever... 

5. The Food Network. Giada, Ina, and Paula are my favorites.

6. This goes along with the whole Make it or Break it thing, but anything having to do with gymnastics or figure skating.  I did gymnastics for a total of one year when I was six and have never figure skated, but I'm obsessed.  No clue why.

7. Peanut butter. I used to carry a jar around in my purse everywhere I went.

8. Splenda...I know...so bad for you.  But so good.  And no calories.

9. Center Stage.  Yes, that ridiculously popular movie about a bunch of kids who go to the American Ballet Academy.  It is horrendously exaggerated, not really based on any facts, and totally unrealistic.  But it is also the movie that I've probably seen more than any other (even any of the HP films), and I could easily quote the whole thing for you.  And the one-liners in it.  "So the elephant goes 'ow, ow' and the mouse goes 'take it all, bitch." "I am the best goddamn dancer in the American Ballet Academy. Who the hell are you? NOBODY." "What a prick." "He was perfectly nice about it." "Being nice when you're saying something pricky is even prickier." "Careful with that one. You break it, you bought it." "Oh, please...she's a heartbeat away from tatooing your name on her ass." And the always cliche "Whatever you feel...just dance it."  Plus, the soundtrack...it's ridiculous and amazing.  By the way, the whole thing is on youtube in parts if you've never seen it.  I feel like everyone needs to watch.

10. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  I am a pretty healthy eater.  I try to eat as many unprocessed things as I can.  But there is just something amazing about that blue box and that neon-colored powdered cheese.  So yummy.

11. Bold red wines (big cabernets, smooth merlots, and malbecs). I'm not apologizing for this one.

12. The World Cup.  Not really apologizing for this one either.  The soccer boys.  And the internationality of it all.  Amazing.

13. Josh Groban.  Yeah...

14. Celine Dion.  I don't even know...

15. Looking through old photo albums and scrapbooks.  I do this more than I would care to admit.  I'm not sure why.  It's kind of a sad happiness it gives me...nostalgia is weird.

16. 1970s folk music a la Dan Fogelberg and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.  Blame my mother.  My favorite Fogelberg song is this.  Wonder why, haha.

17. Days where I don't have to get out of my pajamas.  Always a welcome respite.

18. Decoupaging and knitting.  I haven't done either in a while, but there is something calming about old ladyish arts and crafts.

19. Chik-fil-A.  If you've never had it, you're missing out.

20. High School Musical. In all its forms. I'm not even going to try to justify that one.

That's enough for right now.  Hope ya'll enjoyed that.  Tell me your guilty pleasures in the comments...please!!!  Also, one more thought...I'm considering vlogging again.  Your thoughts?

Currently stuck in my head: "We're Dancing" by PYT...because I just watched, like, five Center Stage youtube videos utilizing the final song from the movie.  *headdesk*

BEDA Six...On Freaking Out

Sometimes I have those days where I cannot stop thinking.  Today was one of those days.

This wasn't productive thinking either...this was freak-yourself-out-to-the-point-of-hyperventilation kind of thinking.  You see, I haven't really allowed myself to think about the fact that I'm a) going to be a senior in college and b) need to get a job next year til today, when I had too much time alone with just my thoughts.  And I can safely say that I'm officially freaking out.

I'm terrified.  Terrified that I'm not good enough.  That I won't be cast well this year at IUBT and therefore, won't have decent performance footage when I go to make my video.  Terrified that my family won't be able to pay the travel expenses necessary to send me all over the country to audition.  Terrified that any number of things could go wrong.

I wish I had someone here at home (besides my mother, that is...I mean, she's great, but I need my friends) who could pick me up and take me away from my thoughts.  I mean, I can call any number of people, but I need the physical contact right now.  I'm being swallowed by nagging thoughts about how I need to lose six pounds, being eaten by knots in my stomach.

And this is NOT good.  School hasn't even started yet.  Auditions don't start til January.  So why can't I get a break from my overly analytical brain?  jfkdlsghkdslghdklsg

Sorry for the gjdlkghskdlg post today...just in a bit of a funk right now and not sure how to deal with it, that's all.

Song currently stuck in my head: "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons.  (They're lovely...you should check them out!)

BEDA Cinq...Ellen's Got the Travel Bug

I miss Disney World.

Week one of BEDA is almost done (yay!).  Today was, again, fairly uneventful.  Most of the day was spent trying to summon the motivation to work on my independent study.  Yeah...that never really came.  I mean, I did make some progress, but it's slow-going, to say the very least.

I miss my friends.  From all aspects of my life.  I wish I had the money to just up and fly somewhere to visit them.  Hell, I wish I had the money to up and fly ANYWHERE.  I've been REALLY, REALLY, REALLY restless lately, thinking about all the world traveling I have yet to do (which is to say ANY world traveling).  The only time I've been out of the country was for a less-than-24-hour hotel stay in Vancouver, B.C., the port of departure for my family's 2005 Alaskan cruise.  (Sidenote: can we talk about how skinny I was then? I know, I know, I was 17, but still...ugh!)  Yes, it was amazing, but that's beside the point.  Currently, I'm just experiencing an intense itch to getthehellouttadodge.  And, seeing as as the funds are running low, we still have a year's worth of college tuition to pay, the (EXPENSIVE) dance audition season is looming on the horizon, and I lack a wealthy and generous boyfriend, I don't think my travel bug is going to be cured in the near future.  Depressing.

Trust me, if your house backed up to a cornfield, you'd probably be feeling the same way as I do right now.  (Don't mistake, though, being home is nice...just...boring).

I went on a long walk this evening and sprinted home (I'm not usually a runner, but I was in the mood for a brief jog).  Then I did abs while watching the last ten minutes of SYTYCD (very pleased with the verdict of the Final Three--Kent, Lauren, and Robert).  Felt good to do abs as it's probably been over a week since I did anything resembling a sit-up...whoops!

In other news, have you ever been scrolling through your Facebook news feed and discover a last name you didn't recognize, only to click on that person to realize you missed the fact that they got married three weeks ago?  Yeah...that happened today.  My dear friend, Rachael, from my arts high school told me about her engagement months ago, and I followed all the photo updates and everything, but somehow I missed that she actually got married, went on her honeymoon, and is now home with her new husband enjoying married life.  I am so very happy for her.  I just can't believe I didn't know!!

Thus, I bid you all good night.  If anyone has a few thousand bucks lying around, let me know...I'd be happy to use it to buy a plane ticket to Europe.  Kthxbai.

P.S. Something I forgot to mention in my post yesterday was the other thing that drives me nuts about SYTYCD, particular this current season...the judges' blatant and obnoxious favoritism.  It is so obvious this season.  And they've pretty much made up the rules as they go along.  RAWR.

P.P.S. I probably should mention Emma Watson's new haircut, as the fandom seems to be completely up in arms.  Oh my God, give me a break.  She cut her hair.  That's it.  It was bound to happen sometime.  I know, I know, it will be kind of weird to see her doing all her press junkety stuff without her Hermione hair come fall, but I think she looks gorgeous.  Yeah, her color could stand to be redone, but who cares?  She's beautiful and she wanted to do it and she did.  End of story.  Can we move on now?  Thanks.  /done

Currently stuck in my head: Summer of '09 by ALL CAPS.  Been listening to Bmin/E far, far too much lately.

BEDA Quatre...Loving and Hating SYTYCD

Because my day was less than stellar (spent the day in Chicago to take class/kill time/shop in awful, rainy weather), I'll spare you the gory details and rave/rant about my one of my favorite (most of the time) shows, So You Think You Can Dance.

Now, for those of you that have been living under a rock for the last six years and have no idea what I'm talking about, I will give you a brief rundown.  SYTYCD, as it has come to be abbreviated (which isn't even easy to say outloud--Ess-Why-Tee-Why-See-Dee), is essentially American Idol for dancers.  Up until this season, of the thousands of auditionees, the best were sent to Las Vegas for "Vegas Week," and the Top 20 (10 women and 10 men) were chosen to compete on the show.  Each week, male/female couples would do a "routine" (btw, I hate that word, but more on that later), either in their own style or outside of it, and then the judges would critique them.  On results night, after a group number, the bottom three women and bottom three men were announced.  From Top 20 to Top 10, the judges could "save" two girls and two guys.  Then, from Top 10 to the finale, it was all up to the audience.  That format has changed a bit in the show's current 7th season.  Instead of a Top 20, there was a Top 11 (6 men, 6 women).  Each week, they have competed with routines paired either with each other or a SYTYCD "all-star" (standouts from past seasons).  Up until last week, when they announced the Final Four, the judges could save two of the bottom three, who could be all male, all female, or both, as the number of women no longer has to equal the men.  What do they win?  Well, usually money (a hefty chunk of change like $250,000 or something, which is crazy for a dancer, and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer").  Hope I'm explaining this well enough.  Aaaanyway...

I have to admit, I've had a love/hate relationship with this show from Day One...and I'll admit, I've watched it, literally, from Day One.  Season One was way back in 2005.  I think I'll do a Pro/Con list to more fully illustrate my point:

The Pros:

1. Dance is finally being given its day. The American public is actually interested in a show about dancers, and that can't be argued with.

2. Getting to see people go far outside of their comfort zones and succeed.  Nothing says that better than Alex Wong's epicness. Holy crap, are you kidding me?!!

3. Sometimes the pieces are truly inspiring. Standouts in my recent memory include the infamous bench number, Jason and Jeanine's "If it Kills Me," Chelsie and Mark's "Bleeding Love," Though I wasn't her biggest fan, Lacey and Kameron's contemporary, Tyce's very first B'way/SYTYCD debut, Katee and Joshua's Bollywood and along those same lines Caitlin and Jason's "Jai Ho," Jamie and Hok's "Hummingbird and the Flower," the first pas de deux that was every on the show, the very first number that made me cry on the show-Allison and Ivan's "Why," The "Addiction" piece, Katee and Twitch in "Mercy," Season 2's Final Four take on "Sexy Back" (which I can't find decent video of), and this season's aforementioned Alex Wong hip-hop, Robert and Allison's "Fix You," Billy and Kathryn's "Jar of Hearts," Robert and Kathryn's "Heaven is a Place on Earth," and Ade and Billy's "Mad World."  Ok, I'll stop now.  Also, I know it seems like I like this season best...it's not.  I think season 3 goes down as my favorite season in history because of Danny Tidwell.  By the way, that solo of his was totally mostly Le Corsaire :D

4. The fact that I've had the privilege of dancing with some of the contestants.  It's way more exciting to vote for someone you've known or worked with :)

5. The guest performances are by top companies and artists, people that the general public might not see otherwise.

6. It's a really fun summer show.  When I was in Orlando, all four of the lounges were overtaken by the students.  I get really into it.

7. I start to believe that I'm not quite so weird...you see, dancers are REALLY, REALLY touchy-feely and emotional and I'm like that and seeing dancers on television who have such passion for what they do and are really emotional and hug each other and whatnot...well, it reassures me that I have company in my craziness.

8. Cat Deeley. Enough said.

Now, for the cons:

1. Why are the hip-hop dancers always praised SOOOO highly for doing ballroom semi-ok because it is such a large feat to go from no training to ballroom, while the ballet dancers (very, very few have ever actually made it to the show) are constantly bashed for not excelling at hip-hop.  Newsflash: hip-hop is a completely different way of moving one's body if one has been classically trained.  The center of gravity shift is insane.  I know this from personal experience (i.e. I absolutely suck at hip-hop).  Why all the lenience shown to the b-boys and no mercy to the contemporary/ballet dancers?

2. The audition process.  Just get me to Vegas Week so we can see the real talent.  The trolls and stupid people and awful auditions are painful to watch.  UGH!

3. This doesn't really apply this season, as I don't believe she's been on once, but Mary Murphy.  For those of you who watch the show, you know what I'm talking about.  For those of you who don't, this should suffice as a brief introduction.  Barf.  So glad they replaced her.

4. The American audience's sometimes brainlessness.  Yeah, yeah I know.  Most of the people who watch the show don't have trained dancing eyes, but sometimes the best dancers don't win.  I understand why...they don't connect with the public on camera, and therefore, the public does not vote for them.  However, there are some people that overstay their welcome for reasons that are baffling to me (Some that stand out in my memory are Season 2's Heidi and Ivan, Season 3's Dominic and Lacey, Season 4's Joshua (who actually went on to win the show, and that still baffles me) and Comfort, and Season 5's Melissa and Kayla.  I didn't actually watch Season 6, as it was this past fall and 1) I wasn't a huge fan of any of the contestants and 2) I feel like this show only works as a summer series).  The other side of this coin is the dancers who don't stay around long enough, the ones who are voted out earlier than what I think their time should be (i.e. Season 2's Allison (btw so glad she's an all-star this season), Season 3's Jaimie, Season 4's William Wingfield (he's one of my favorite contestants to-date) and Chelsie (she should have been in the finals), and Season 5's Caitlin (ok, I'm a little biased as I danced with her in 2006-07).

5. The ultimate winners of the show.  I think, out of all 5 seasons I've watched, I've agreed with exactly two of the winners--Season 1's Nick Lazzarini and Season 5's Jeanine Mason.  The other winners--Benjii Schwimmer, Sabra Johnson, and Joshua Allen--have confused me since their respective finale nights, especially considering who their runner-ups were (Travis Wall, Danny Tidwell, and Katee Shean/Twitch, respectively).  I mean, come on!  Where is the logic in that?  I understand somebody must have liked the winners, otherwise they wouldn't have, you know, won.  But it just pisses me off that some of the best dancers have been totally jipped on this show!

6. The judges.  While I agree with them quite often, sometimes their logic escapes me.  I hate that they often criticize the dancers' costumes (seriously? They likely did not pick that pleather unitard off the rack and say, "Yes, I will most certainly rock this during the quick-step tonight).  I hate that sometimes a dancer's talent gets overlooked because they're criticizing their demeanor or character (a la Danny Tidwell season 3 when they could not get over the fact that they thought he was so "arrogant.")  And the constant focus on dancing from the inside-out.  WE GET IT!  The dancer has to connect with the camera.  He or she cannot do this if he or she is not passionate or if his or her passion is not showing through his or her dancing.  But they sound like broken records.

7. This. Period. End of story. Most heartbreaking and awful thing ever. Praying for Alex Wong's swift and complete recovery.

I think that's a fairly substantial list, and I don't want to make this post too terribly long and boring, so I'll quit now, but I just needed to get that off my chest.

The cons don't really outweigh the pros...I'd probably still watch even if there were more things I couldn't stand about the show, but there are just some things that irk me, and I needed to catalog them.  And not have a boring blog post.  Though I'm sure this is fairly boring to a lot of you.  I'm finishing this with a little over an hour to spare.  BEDA, I cannot give up on you yet!!  Peace and blessins, Me

Edit: I was so happy to hear to Prop 8 verdict today.  Work it, Judge Walker.

Edit 2: As if MSNBC read my mind, I found this article just now...

BEDA Trois...Failed Adventures to Chi-town and Whining

The above is what I will totally audition for if I dont' get a ballet job next year.  Just kidding (sort of, but maybe not really).  Mostly, I just couldn't find a cute enough picture to put up there, so I thought a video of ridiculous ribbon dancing would suffice.  Hope you enjoyed that.

Anyway, I need interesting things to blog about.  Don't get me wrong...I know my life is, like, totally, like, the most exciting thing like, ever, but it'd be nice to blog about something other than my daily activities, which don't amount to much since I'm home and it's summer.  Ideas welcome in the comments, cupcakes.  Thanks in advance.  And I apologize for calling you all cupcakes :P

Today has been pretty ridiculous...not because I've done anything super exciting or noteworthy, but because of the awful morning I had.  I had planned to go into Chicago today to take ballet for the first time since getting back from Orlando, as I'm starting to feel fat, lazy, and out of shape again.  Anywho, my alarm woke me up at 5:30 this AM...and it was one of those things where the alarm was in my dream for a while before I realized it was my phone that was making that God-awful sound.  After hitting the snooze button as many times as I could without being late, I got up, took a shower, got ready, and headed out the door with what I thought was plenty of time to drive the 20 minutes to get to the train station and have 10 minutes to spare before my train left for Chicago...WRONG.  There were thunderstorms early this morning and the rain pretty much effed up traffic, and so, by the time I got to the train station, the train had pulled up, I hadn't parked, and I still needed to go inside to buy a ticket...which obviously wasn't happening before the train pulled away from the station and onwards to the Windy City.  Maddening. 

So I turned around home, drove home in a downpour, and went back to sleep for a while.  The rest of the day has been filled with me running errands, working out (man, I missed the Y), and unsuccessfully making progress on my independent study class.  I am not one of those people who can work without deadlines.  I need them to be productive.  Otherwise, I just let things sit and sit and sit and collect dust.  Which is kind of what has happened with this correspondence class I'm taking.  But, in my defense, it's this religious studies class I thought I would more or less breeze through and really enjoy called "Introduction to the New Testament."  I know, I know...boring.  And it is.  So dull.  And there's so much busy work, it makes me want to kill myself.  But there's nothing I can do about it...it's paid for and I'm committed, and without these three extra credits, I won't be able to graduate in May.  Anyone out there have any motivation they'd be willing to lend me?  It would be much appreciated.

I feel like my blog needs some sort of thing at the end a la Hayley's Chipotle burrito count, so I think I'm going to do "song I can't get out of my head."  Let me know in comments if you have something better or more exciting!  I'm really liking this BEDA thing.  Au revoir!  Love, me.

Song I currently can't get out of my head: "Forever" by Vertical Horizon (if you've never heard it, go listen! Now!)

BEDA Deux: Orlando Highlight Reel

Day 2. Oh dear, I have no idea how I'm going to be able to keep this up for the rest of the month, but I'm committed, so now I have no choice.

I feel really lazy today.  I was planning on going into Chicago this morning to take ballet and possibly modern, but it turns out that my mom's car is busted, so she stole mine to go to work, so I had no way of getting to the train station, which foiled my plan.  Upon learning this, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up til 11...which is absurd and should never happen again.  Nothing else exciting has happened today, so I guess I'll more fully recap my five weeks spent in Orlando:

Most of the RA girls at Universal City Walk

There were 12 RAs total and 1 "head RA," ranging in age from 18-25...I was the 2nd oldest at 22 and Brandon, our head RA was the oldest (that's most of us in the picture at the top--last night/no sleep/don't ask).  And I felt old most of the summer...being around a bunch of 15 year-old ballet prodigies will do that to you.  Anyway, we resided on University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality campus, which was small, but fairly brand new.  The apartment-style setup of the dorm was lovely, and there was plenty of space to move around, and there was a pool--which would have been awesome for the whole summer, except that a pump broke in the middle of week 2, and the university never got around to fixing it before we left (UGH!).  The only complaint I had with where we stayed was the food (it was just awful) and the lack of things to do around campus (seriously, the only things within walking distance were a Publix, chinese food restaurant, and pizza place across the street).

The dancing was good, but I won't go into too much detail about it because talking about it would probably bore you.  The days were long.  There were a lot of baby ballerina prodigies.  My body was totally shot by the end.  And I got into better shape than I've been in for a while.

At Downtown Disney for Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba (eating Wetzel's Pretzels) with Kendrick, Lauren, Kelli, and David

The weekend excursions on which we accompanied the kids were probably the most memorable part of the program.  I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend all four trips--Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Aquatica (Sea World's Water Park), Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, and Universal's Islands of Adventure (aka THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER).  I really don't have much to say except that it was all AMAZING and MAGICAL and AWESOME and INCREDIBLE and I'VE RUN OUT OF ADJECTIVES AND THOSE DON'T DO IT JUSTICE.  My family was not one of those families who went to Florida every year.  In fact, before this, the only two trips to Florida I'd taken were a visit to Ft. Lauderdale as a toddler of which I have no recollection and Virginia School of the Arts's 20 hour bus ride to Miami to spend four days at The National High School Dance Festival my senior year in 2006.  Needless to say, I'd never been to Disney World before this.  When I walked in and began walking down Main Street and got my first glimpse of Cinderella's castle, I started crying.  It was just so magical and wonderful and I was with my amazing RA friends and there was so much togetherness and loveliness and AHH!  Moving on...there's not much to say about Aquatica, as it was cloudy the day we went, and I hate waterparks, but whatever.  La Nouba was freaking awesome, as I've never seen Cirque live and there was a ballet dancer and it kind of got me thinking about the many options I have as a dancer, not just this closed-minded view of the ballet world.

In front of Cinderella's Castle...clearly more excited to be at Disney than most of the six-year-olds there

And then...(drumroll, please)...there was The Wizarding World!!!?!?!!!!!!  My friend Liz and I arrived at Universal and literally ran, as fast as we could, to the back of Islands of Adventure to get to the park.  And I started crying when I saw the gates of Hogsmeade.  It really was like my imagination had come to life right before my eyes.  And it was amazing because the park hadn't even been open for a month, and I was there.  And with people I loved.  True, it would have been even more epic to experience it for the first time with Infinitus goers at The Night of a Thousand Wizards, but it didn't matter because I. Was. At. Hogwarts.  There's really not much else to say...I started crying again while riding The Forbidden Journey-tears of absolute unadulterated joy.  I never thought I'd get to go, and here I was.

In front of the Hogwarts Express... "I will miss the train ride in..."

With my good RA friend Liz in front of Hogwarts Castle :D :D :D

Another awesome thing happened in Orlando.  As the program coincided with Infinitus, I was able to go to the Royal Pacific and hang out with some of my favorite people, if only for a few hours the night of the ball.  I spent the early evening swimming in the amazing pool with Marlena and Leah, and then hung around and waited for people to get ready for the ball.  While I didn't have a ticket and couldn't stay that long, my dear friend Adam had the brilliant idea of sneaking me in...and it worked, and I got to hang out for an hour or so, and see lots of awesome people.  I didn't want that night to end.  But, alas, it did and I returned to the land of bratty ballerina children.

From left to right: Adam, Marlena, Leah, and I at the Infinitus "Night of Frivolity" Ball...clearly I'm a little underdressed, but I didn't mind because I was with people that I love <3

Speaking of bratty ballerina children...I've literally never in my life seen kids this bratty, spoiled, or entitled.  I think it must be a generational thing because all of us RAs were just appalled at some of the things that went down.  It was as if these kids had never been told "NO" in their entire lives.  It also appeared as if they'd never had to do anything for themselves, including cleaning a bathroom or making a bed.  They felt they were owed everything by the RAs and sought to constantly bend the rules and see how far they could push our buttons.  It was outrageous and awful and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope I was never like that as a 14-year-old.

One piece of not-so-great news...my grandfather passed away while I was in Orlando, forcing me to go home for a few days during the second week.  He was 88 and just a few days shy of his 89th birthday.  He had been battling cancer for several years, and it was peaceful and quiet.  It was hard to say goodbye, but I'm glad I returned home to do so.  You are missed, Grampa.

And so another day of BEDA comes to a close.  I'll try not to make my posts so long from here on out, but I felt like I needed to write about my experience in Orlando.  Happy blogging.  Love, me.

BEDA Un...The Beginning

Ok, so I wasn't going to commit to doing this, but my dear friends Sarah and Marlena are, so I thought it be good to join in the fun.  By the way, you should check out their blogs.  They are lovely writers and a whole lot better at this than I am.  So now I'm committed and can't back out and I have friends to motivate me to do this.  For those of you who don't know, BEDA stands for Blog Every Day in August, though I suppose it has been used for Blog Every Day in April, as well.  Aaaanyway, because I recently rediscovered that I have a blog, I think this will be good motivation for me to keep up with it. 

Here goes...OMG it's August!?!  Holy crap, where did summer go?  I mean, I still have, like, 25 days before I return to school, but seriously.  Time...AHH!  So it's now been about a week at home, and I haven't died yet, which I suppose is a good thing.  Instead of being whiney like usual, I think I will list the top 10 reasons why home is good:

10. Getting to sleep in...after 11 weeks of getting up wicked early, it is so great to sleep in past 7:30!
9. My queen-sized bed.
8. Driving my car. I missed it.
7. Shopping with my mom.
6. Home-cooked meals.
5. Teaching at my old studio ($$)
4. My YMCA membership and favorite yoga studio.
3. My church.
2. Pets-2 dogs, 2 cats, and a turtle. Not bad company.
1. Family-When we're not fighting, they are lovely...really.

I'm hoping to go into Chicago a lot this week to take class.  A week off is plenty and I need to remain in the shape I was in upon leaving Orlando.  I'm also hoping to meet up with some friends there as well, so hopefully, at least some of my boredom will be relieved.

I still miss everyone from everywhere more than you know.  I'm also really worried about finances at the moment, for the audition season is looming (well, Jan-April, but still) and I'm trying to wrap my mind around how much my family and I are going to have to fork out for flights and hotel reservations and postage for audition packets and video and blah blah blah...AHHHH!  Trying not to freak out.  And also praying for a miracle that will help me make do all the things I want to do next summer, including LeakyCon.  Stay tuned.

Before I go, I wanted to briefly mention that I saw Inception last night and loved it.  I'm still not convinced one way or the other of the end, but regardless of plot (which was awesome), the film-making involved was just epic and amazing.  Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard <3.  I love movies that make you think, and I think I'm going to have to agree with the critics who applauded it.  Other movies on my list still to see this summer are Charlie St. Cloud and Despicable Me.  I'm really pumped for Mao's Last Dancer, as well.
 
I'm feelin' good about this whole BEDA thing.  Keep up with me.  If you'd like to follow me on twitter, you can click here.  I also have a tumblr in case anyone's interested...mostly I just reblog photos and quotes and things other users post.  Here is where I do the "serious" blogging.  Happy August!  Rabbit, rabbit.  Love ya'll <3