My Music

In case anyone is wondering, this is my current "Top 25 Most Played" list on iTunes:

1. "Breathe" - "In the Heights" Original Broadway Cast
2. "Grace Kelly" - Mika
3. "Blackout" - "In the Heights" Original Broadway Cast
4. "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Glee Cast Version) - Lea Michele
5. "Happy Ending" - Mika
6. "Lovefool" - The Cardigans
7. "Kissing You" (Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet) - Des'ree
8. "Please" - "Miss Saigon" Original London Cast
9. "Passeggiata" - "The Light in the Piazza" Original Broadway Cast
10. "Burning Love" - Elvis Presley
11. "Skeleton Song" - Kate Nash
12. "Crazier Than You" - "The Addams Family" Original Broadway Cast
13. "It Won't Be Long Now" - "In the Heights" Original Broadway Cast
14. "Snow Angel" - Tori Amos
15. "Fields of Gold" - Eva Cassidy
16. "The Story" (Grey's Anatomy Cast Version) - Sara Ramirez
17. "You Don't Know Me" - Michael Buble
18. "Here We Go Again" - Ray Charles and Norah Jones
19. "Glitter in the Air" - P!nk
20. "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen
21. "U Want Me 2" - Sarah McLachlan
22. "Bring On the Wonder" - Sarah McLachlan
23. "Elaborate Lives" - "Aida" Original Broadway Cast
24. "Sway" - Bic Runga
25. "Rakut" from Eric Whitacre's "Five Hebrew Love Songs" - BYU Concert Choir

I defy you to mock more than 10% of those. This list doesn't necessarily reflect my current most favorite songs, which I have recently downloaded and therefore not played fifteen times yet.

The Unknown

You know those people who think that life is an adventure? That the unknown is this wonderful endless realm of possibilities? I hate those people. Okay, I don't actually hate those people, I just can't understand them. At all. I like knowing things. I like knowing what I'm eating for lunch tomorrow; I like knowing whether or not I should bring an umbrella with me; I like plans. Right now, however, I'm at a really horrible (some might say "exciting," I say "horrible") place in my life where a lot of things are unknown.

I hate not knowing...

• Exactly what I'm doing next year: I got into a PhD program at BU, and I'm really excited about that, because I have a somewhere to go, but while I'm on the financial aid wait list, I have to do a lot of waiting and wondering exactly how I'll be paying for the rest of my education, and if I can't pay for the rest of my education, what I'll be doing instead.


• How I'm going to pay off my student loans. I got the "pick a repayment option" packet in the mail last week, and it's all terribly depressing.


• What I'm supposed to talk about in the graduation speech I'm supposed to give in exactly one month. I know, I should be honored that the dean wants to sit down with me personally and discuss this important thing, but is it too much to send out an email with a topic and a time limit?


• What I'm doing this summer. I have applied to all of the jobs. All of them. Well, not the ones that require computer skills or the courage to commute to Roxbury, but pretty much the rest of them. Do you think one of them would realize how awesome I am and promptly write me back and offer me all of their money? Of course not. So I continue to apply for all of the jobs.

So this is basically my depressing blog post. Sorry about that. And I know I'm supposed to do the whole "faithfully pressing forward" thing, but I just very much dislike not having a plan. So send me good planning vibes, everyone, and maybe I'll actually know something!

"Let [Me] Entertain You"

Last night our church had it's annual talent show. It was kind of a big deal. For one, I was able to invite some of my classmates and give one of them her first "Mormon activity" experience. On the performing end of it, I had the opportunity to co-emcee the show with my pal Ashley. All of you readers should know that ever since I was a small child, I dreamed of hosting the Tony Awards, so this experience really meant a lot. For instance, it taught me that in life, I need to aim lower.

I feel like the hosting went fairly well: most of our jokes resonated well with the audience, we had good rapport, and every time I stepped on and off that stage in my dangerously sexy purple high heels I didn't kill myself (which is the true Darwinian definition of "success"). I also performed in two other acts: I was a model in a fashion show displaying the designs of a brilliant seamstress in my ward, and I sang in an acapella group performing Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby." Both of those were quite successful.

This talent show experience was different from others I've done for one main reason: my singing wasn't the focal point of my contribution thereto. Normally in a talent show I'll do a vocal solo or sing in an awesome musical. This time, I decided to explore my layers, kind of like Idina Menzel in "Enchanted." It also worked out well because I just got done being sick and was too phlegmy to do any fantastic singing. Although the hosting experience was fun, I think I'll go back to vocal performance next year. There's a duet from "The Addams Family" (the musical) that I'd like to do as soon as I get up the nerve to actually sing it with a real boy.

As a host, I did discover another new talent that I can eventually put to good use. Like any good host (who takes her hosting duties far too seriously) I had a few wardrobe changes throughout the course of the show, and, I'm happy to announce that I can change clothes really quickly. I feel like that can go on my resume somewhere.

"The Story" and Other Musical Inspirations

I have this pathological thing that forces me to watch any TV show's "musical" episode, even if I don't actually watch the show. This is probably why I continue to watch "Glee." In terms of quality, there's a range. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" pretty much wins, hands down, for best musical episode ever. The loser? "7th Heaven"--horrid. "Scrubs" did a great one, "Even Stevens" Influenza musical was cute, and the "That's So Raven" musical wasn't the most painful thing I've ever had to endure.

Anyway, they did this on "Grey's Anatomy" a week or so ago, and even though I said I wasn't going to watch it, I did. It's a sickness, people! I'm not really a fan of all of the sturm und drang angst of "Grey's," and it's totally unrealistic that all of the main characters would be operating on one person all at the same time. Don't they have other patients? It was still better than the "7th Heaven" musical. The standout moment of the entire episode: Dr. Calliope Torres' astrally-projected spirit singing "The Story" to her lesbian lover, her premature baby, and her comatose self.

Okay, that looks a little bizarre when written down. But it's true. I was moved. Is it just coincidence that "Calliope" means "beautifully-voiced?" Don't think so. Not that I didn't already know that Sara Ramirez is a goddess (she gave a Tony Award Winning performance as the Lady of the Lake in Monty Python's "Spamalot"--go look it up). I have a crush on her voice, and the iTunes people have 99 cents from me to prove it.

In related news, I auditioned for a choir called "Calliope" this morning. I'll find out if I get in by Tuesday, but I think my audition went really well, despite the full-scale attack my respiratory system is currently launching. For the audition, I sang the second verse of Ryan Murphy's "Pilgrim Song" and "Rakut" from Eric Whitacre's "Five Hebrew Love Songs." The latter is perhaps one of the most beautiful things in the world, not only because I think Hebrew is one of the most beautiful languages in the world, but because of the text:

"Hu hayah maleh rakut
"Hi haytah kashah
"V'chol kama shenista l'hisha'er kach
"Pashut uvli sibah tovah
"Lakach otah el toch atzmo
"V'heniach
"Bamakom hachi, hachi rach"

Translated:

"He was full of tenderness
"She was very hard
"And as much as she tried to stay thus
"Simply, and with no good reason
"He took her into himself
"And set her down
"In the softest, softest place"

The alto line just does the most amazing thing with the last four lines, and you can actually imagine being tenderly set down as the line flows. Ah...I love gorgeous music!

I Forgot One!

A little while ago I made a list of things that irk me to no end. I was surprised that I could only think of eight things, and knew I was forgetting something (another thing that annoys me--knowing I'm forgetting something). And I remembered what it was:

I can't stand when there's a musical performance of some sort and the audience decides that it can't wait until after the song to start clapping. All of a sudden, the tempo of the song starts to get a little "poppy" and the audience starts clapping along "with the beat." I use the quotations there because not everyone's internal metronomes are as they should be.

Get one of these, people.

Anyway, this concerns me, because I'm going to be part of this amazing acapella piece that my friend arranged for our talent show, and I feel like people are going to start clapping during the song, miss all of the amazing musical nuances and vocal percussiveness, and just be distracting and stupid. Furthermore, things like this get recorded, and nobody wants to listen to a recording of people clapping. So listen up, talent show audience members, I'm warning you now. Don't even think about clapping in the middle of the song. Your percussion will have repercussions (see what I did there?).

Internet Fame

I was talking to my friend today, who didn't know that I had a blog and then commented on the fact that he wants no part of his life to be on the Internet. I, however, have decided that the Internet and I are going to be friends, and have now crafted a scheme to pay off my student loans by becoming Internet-famous. Here are a few of my ideas:

1. Get married, have cute kids, and make this my "Mormon Mommy Blog" to get all sorts of sponsorships from Deseret Book, Down East Outfitters, and hotsaints.com (where you can chase and be chaste).
2. Make a music video of myself singing an insanely catchy song about what day of the week it is.
3. Post videos of myself singing other songs/performing in a musical and get a recurring guest spot on "Glee" in which I sing all the solos and take part in a tastefully-done makeout scene with Mike Chang's abs.
4. Have CBS launch a sitcom about my blog co-starring George Takei as the voiceover to all of my posts.
5. Make a Twitter account and tweet about nothing but Wheat Thins so that the Wheat Thins people will give me a lifetime supply of crackers so I can spend all of my grocery money on paying back my loans. Or maybe do the same thing with UBurger so I can get some protein in there.
6. Blog about how much I hate a certain actor, get sued by said actor, countersue with Laura Taylor as my lawyer, win, get all of said actor's money, and then write a book about how said actor didn't "win" this time.
7. Wait until Laura Taylor becomes a super rich and successful lawyer and have her pay me advertising fees every time I mention her in my blog. The same goes for Lindsay Sorenson when she becomes a famous YA historical fiction novelist.

Any other ideas?

Restaurant Review: Zume's

I've decided that every now and then, this blog is going to contain restaurant reviews, because, as I've recently found out, some people have been to even fewer food places than I have! Also, I never find review websites all that helpful, because I don't know the people, so maybe the people who give horrible reviews are snobs, or the people who give great reviews have no standards. So here's my review for all of you that know me.

Zume's Coffee House is located at 233 Main Street in Charlestown, MA. When I first moved to Charlestown, I was really excited because it was a short walk from my house and looked cute. So now that I've been there a few times, I figure I can write about it.

First things first, I don't drink coffee. So I can't comment on the coffee. I know what you're thinking, how can you review a coffee house if you don't drink coffee? Chill out, there are other things at coffee houses besides coffee! In terms of drinks, I've had the rooibos iced tea, which was decent, and the hot caramel apple cider, which was far too sweet for my taste. I've also tried a few of their baked goods: the glazed and jelly donuts, which are significantly tastier than their less expensive counterparts at the Dunkin Donuts across the street; the chocolate chunk bar, which was pretty nice the first time, but kind of stale the second time; and the cheesecake brownie, which was lovely in presentation, but pretty lackluster in terms of taste.

They have other real food items there too, sandwiches and soups and such, but I've never tried any of it, since it's a little more expensive than other options. The price to deliciousness ratio of the baked goods and drinks is also a bit high. Other reviews have pointed out a lot of problems with customer service at Zume's. I'm not really a customer-service snob, in that I'll stop going to a restaurant I like if the staff isn't friendly, but I must admit that on all but one occasion (that occasion being the second, stale chocolate chunk bar excursion) I never felt like the people waiting on me were incredibly enthusiastic.

The atmosphere of Zume's is pretty nice, it's moderately-lit, chairs are comfy, menu items are written in colorful chalk, and local artwork is displayed on the walls. I guess it's kind of a hub in Charlestown, a home away from home for residents and their cute babies and cuter dogs. Overall, I'd say that if you can afford this place and like "coffee culture," it's worth a visit, but if you're looking for amazing bakery items and affordable drinks, you might want to take your visit elsewhere.

I must admit that this review may be a little biased, as I've applied for a job at Zume's on two occasions and haven't been hired either time, yet according to Craigslist, they're always hiring. I'm guessing, after this review, they're probably not going to hire me ever.