Food Guilt

I feel a heavy amount of food-guilt this morning.

I should clarify first that when I say "food-guilt," I don't mean that I feel guilty for having eaten too much food or too little food. I don't feel guilty for having eaten unhealthy or just plain bad food. What I mean is, I feel guilty when I eat food without my wife. You might say that the food-guilt is a result of food-cheating on wife--meaning when I eat food without her that I know she would want/love OR I eat food that we had agreed to get together, I feel terrible. I should also mention that food is a very very very very very very very important part of our marriage. I fell in love with her when she suggested that we "stuff" the dinner into our bellies, rather than get a box to take it out. That was our first date. Boy, I just love her thinking about that . . . anyway.

That being said, I feel a heavy amount of food-guilt this morning.

Last night, after a very productive rehearsal, Alicia and I went out separate ways (she went with some friends to pick up some food at JCW's to take to a friend). I stayed behind with some other friends, not really sure what would be happening next. I only knew one thing--imsohungryimgonnadie. We started throwing out of places to eat at. Initially, Mongo's stir-fry came up and I explained that we couldn't go their without Alicia because she would be so sad that we ate there without her (it was the last food we ate before we got engaged--also it's really tasty). Five minutes later, the choice was between Station 22 or Black Sheep Cafe.

It was hardly a choice. Black Sheep Cafe is a fantastic restaurant, and everyone wanted to go there. Our hunger had gotten too intense. We had to go, right away.

We sit down at Black Sheep Cafe, and I get this text (mind you, I haven't told my wife anything about my dinner plans--and yes she is called "Tuna Babay" in my phone):

1st lesson learned: Your wife knows everything.

2nd lesson learned: Always check with your wife if you are susceptible to food-guilt.

3rd lesson learned: Cheating on my wife might actually be slightly less worse than eating good food without her.

Attending Live Theatre: A How-To Guide

So, you're going to the theatre? Congratulations! What an exciting and unique opportunity. Whether this is your first visit to the theatre, or your fortieth, it will benefit you to review the following "How-to Guide" for attending live theatre performances. This guide has been created from extensive personal experience and is designed to provide you--and the other theatre goers attending the performance--with the best possible experience. Review it often, as I will continue to update it.

Before the Performance
Travel to and Arrival at the Theatre - Before the day of the performance, you should take the time to research and prepare for your theatre experience. It has been said that knowledge is power. In this case, knowledge is arriving on-time and not bothering the other patrons who have to stand up to let you into your seats. Use the following suggestions as you prepare for your visit to the theatre:

• Get on Google Maps. Look up the theatre you'll be attending. Become familiar with the surrounding area.
• Get directions to the theatre. Often times, instructions for travel to the theatre are posted on the theatre's website.
• Using Google Maps and/or the theatre website, decide how long it will take for you to travel to the theatre.
• Using that estimated travel time, plan a departure time that will get you to the theatre twenty minutes early. Planning to be twenty minutes early will give you a suitable buffer should you get caught in traffic. It will also give you a chance to use the restroom prior to the performance.
• Before you leave for the theatre, confirm that you have your tickets for the performance on your person. You do not want to arrive at the theatre without your tickets.

These steps are very important. You, and the other patrons, have spent your hard earned money on this experience. I am sure that you did not spend your money so you could miss the first ten minutes of the performance. I am also sure that the other patrons didn't pay to have you step on their feet as you stumble across the aisle in the dark. You should be courteous to yourself and those around you.

During the Performance
Singing - Don't do it. Just don't. Ever. Nobody cares that you know every word to The Phantom of the Opera or every Idina Menzel vocal lick you heard while listening to the cast recording of Wicked. Nobody really cares that it is your favorite show--you should not sing along to the performance. It is also worth mentioning, it does not matter that you played the part in High School, you still can't sing along. If this becomes a temptation, please use the following check-list to effectively handle that urge to belt along with the cast:

• Location: Look around you. Are you riding in a car with three of your closest musical theatre buddies blasting Legally Blonde? No you are not. Please refrain from singing along.
• Location: Look around you. Are you at a special sing-along showing one your favorite musical films? No you are not. Please refrain from singing along.
• Location: Look around you. Is there a shampoo-beard on your face? Is the shower pouring hot water down on your naked body? No it is not. You are not Jean Valjean and you should refrain from singing along.

Please use this checklist as often as you mus to ward off the impulse to sing-along.

Talking - Akin to singing, talking should not be a part of your experience at the theatre. Believe me, nobody came to the theatre to listen to the conversation you are having with your neighbor and I'm fairly certain that you did not come to the theatre to chit and chat and discuss and what have you. If you would be so kind, please keep those lips zipped. Occasionally, in rare circumstances, something will come into your mind that you must say to your neighbor in that moment. In these cases, I would please ask you to refer to the instructions listed below regarding whispering:

• Whispering: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Think of what you want to say to your neighbor. Then run it through the following checks:
• Is what I want to say absolutely necessary to and dependent on this moment?
• Is what I want to say fifteen words or less?
• Will the delivery of my message disrupt or distract fellow theatre patrons?
• Is what I want to say absolutely necessary to and dependent on this moment?
2. If your message has passed the checks listed above continue to the next step. If it has not passed all the steps, then forget about it and return to enjoying the performance.
3. Lean over to your neighbor and place your mouth as close as possible to your neighbor's ears. If this makes you uncomfortable, then learn sign language.
4. Carefully exhale air from your lungs in order to sufficiently adduct your vocal cords to create an audible turbulence through which you can speak at a quiet volume that only your neighbor will hear.
5. After delivering your message, return your body (and your mouth) to it's normal position. 

Friday Night Lights

Recently, I just finished a rather intense marathon of NBC's critically acclaimed program Friday Night Lights. It changed my life.

I know that this might sound like some kind of sponsorship or advertisement, but believe me when I say, I've been moved to write about this program simply because this show is fantastic and I want to do my part in spreading the good news of FNL.

I admit, I did not ever want to watch this show. There were so many people touting it's superiority which is tough considering I have a bad case of I-don't-want-to-like-things-that-everyone-else-likes-especially-if-they-are-shoving-it-in-my-face-every-time-I-see-them-itis. I was initially turned off to this show by the mere fact that everyone I knew loved it. On top of that, Friday Night Lights is about football. It's not that I hate football, I just don't love it. I couldn't imagine myself becoming immersed in a five season show that was based about football. I could not have been more wrong.

I went home for the Christmas Break and I started watching Friday Night Lights. Less than a month later, I had watched all three thousand, two hundred and sixty-eight minutes of it. Coming out the other side of this FNL tunnel, I could not be a bigger fan of this show. I have experienced first hand what this show can do for you ( or to you?), and I'd like to share three of those with you now.

YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE TEXAN AND YOU LIVED IN TEXAS

This is very strange side-effect of watching the show. After one season of this show, you might start to hear the strange drawl of a Texas accent sneaking in. Certain words creep into your conversation--words like "ya'll" and "texas forever."By the end of the show, you might even consider moving to AND living in Texas (of course that might be out of some misguided hope to meet your favorite characters from the show--it's important to remember that the show is not real life . . . I know, it gets really hard).

YOU WILL LOVE FOOTBALL

Say what?! Yes. It's true. You'll wish you have paid more attention in High School. You'll wish you had gone and supported the team. It'll make you a little more fluent in "sports," making you less awkward at those Super Bowl parties you keep getting invited to by that guy at work. Pretty soon, that strange sound (something like static mixed with a lot of shouting) that blasts from your uncle's TV when you go too visit starts to sound like intelligible English. I know this sounds farfetched, but after watching Friday Night Lights, I'm getting excited for next season of High School Football. What is strange is that my TiVo says I can't get a season pass to "High School Football," as there are "no programs found" with that title. Do I need a different cable package or do I actually need to go somewhere to watch "High School Football?" Anyone? Help me out here.

YOU WILL BECOME A BETTER PERSON

You will become a better person. There is no doubt of that. The more that I watched this show, the more that I realized this show is not about football. It's about so many things. It's about love. It's about heart. It's about marriage. It's about self-reflection. It's about friendship. It's about perseverance. It's about challenges. It's about life. Through this show I have learned so much about myself, what I want, and where I am going. I know what kind of person I want to be and how I can become that person. Friday Night Lights has taken it's place amongst my life-changing experiences--right next to Lost, and right below my religion. It sounds corny, but it's true. Friday Night Lights changed my life.

Friday Night Lights is available for instant viewing on Netflix, so start watching. Be warned. It will suck you in. And you will be the better for it.

Cultural Diorama - 6 Word Stories

This lanyard and pins are a symbol of my love for Disneyland, and more than that, a love of collecting. I haven't been collecting pins that long, but this set of pins, probably cost over $100 dollars. Additionally, these are not all my pins. Disneyland is such an important place in my life, and has been since I was young. This expensive hobby is is totally justified in my mind, because it lets me show what it is about Disneyland that I love. I actually really like collecting pins!

This here is Kevin. He is a nice guy. Kevin's moms name is Prim. I received Prim from a former girlfriend. Prim looks just like Kevin, only bigger. I gave Kevin to my former girlfriend. Somehow or another, we switched cats. I take care of Kevin, and she takes care of Prim. Prim and Kevin came with us to South Africa this summer. Prim has also been to Cuba. This little cat is my buddy. He is wearing a Santa hat, which I think is interesting. I love Christmas, and I love dressing this cat up. It's September and he is ready to go. You are all probably thinking I'm so strange right now. That's okay. I thinks that is representational of me. I have this weird thing with cats. I'm not embarrassed, nor can I explain it. I think they are strange and lovely.

This is probably something that everyone in this class can relate with. This is the first file folder I bought. It's huge and it is filled to the brim. I save everything that may of be some use to me. It's extremely heavy, and loosely organized, but it is all there. I hope I never lose this folder. I would probably cry. It has everything about Theatre Ed. It has syllabuses from 30 different classes. I have lesson plans I've created, or borrowed. It is stuffed with stuff from church, stuff from music classes, stuff from everywhere. It's a big part of my life. I'm an educational hoarder.

Review: "Christmas" by Michael Bublé

Okay, I'm back. Sorry about that.


It's nearly December, thought it's felt like December since I started back at BYU in September, mostly because I've been rehearsing White Christmas since the second week of school.


With December comes Christmas, comes Christmas Music. If you've been a regular reader of my blog, you've noticed that I really like Christmas Music. I decided this year, I would review new Christmas Albums and songs, because I think that you should all know what I think. Mine is an important opinion.


I'm starting early, though not as early as my first album was released. Michael Bublé released his newest album, Christmas on October 21, 2011. That is a full two months before the big day. It's sold successfully, currently holding the 8th slot on the Billboard 200, dropping from the 3rd slot it held last night. It's at the top of the Jazz Charts, 2nd on the Canadian charts and 2nd on the Holiday charts (the 1st slot is currently held by...Bieber...BIEBER!!!!!) It's had a successful release and it will most likely enjoy a pleasant boost in sales as we get closer to Christmas.


What do I think of it? Here is my track-by-track review:


1. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: 


This is, I think the second strongest track on the album. It's exactly what I'm looking for when I turn on any Michael Bublé album. It's a very nostalgic track, that will remind you of some the classic Christmas records recorded by Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole. It's a great album opener. The strings are nice too.


2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town


I like Big Band, and I like Big Band Christmas. This driving recording is a welcome addition to my regular Christmas listening. It's spunky,and the horns sound great. In my mind, it's a fun production number from some big gay Christmas musical.


3. Jingle Bells (Feat. The Puppini Sisters)


Another reminiscent track featuring the Andrews-Sisters-esque Puppini Sisters. I like the girls a lot. I just have a problem with the first twenty seconds of the song. Michael wishes the sisters a Merry Christmas: "Merry Christmas Ladies." They respond, "Merry Christmas Mister Bublé!" in a strange chorus-girl fashion. It doesn't sound right to me. Picky, I know. I like the rest of the track after that.


4. White Christmas (Duet with Shania Twain)


I have big problems with this track. I'm pretty sure it's sampling the actual Drifter's recording of White Christmas. It's lame. Michael and Shania sound great, but it's unoriginal, and it's nowhere as good as the original recording.


5. All I Want fo Christmas Is You


This track is a hard one for me too. There is only one version of this song in my opinion and that is Mariah Carey's. Whenever I hear another version of the song, I just think of hers. Also, I find Michael's voice be very produced on this track.


6. Holly Jolly Christmas


After that brief rough patch, we get a short and sweet recording of Holly Jolly Christmas. I don't have much to say about this track. It's pleasant.


7. Santa Baby


All I can think of when I listen to this recording is Michael Bublé in nothing but garters, stockings, a skimpy piece of lingerie, stripper heels, and a santa hat. He lies patiently with a slightly hungry smirk on one side of his face, the room carefully lit by the fire and the lights on the tree. This is not the image I want to see when I listen to Santa Baby.


8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas


A lovely recording of one of my top 5 favorite Christmas songs. It's not super memorable, but it's a beautiful recording and a great arrangement.


9. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)


Another cover of a 1960's Christmas Hit. It's a fun track, but it doesn't stray to far away from the original recording. Also, it's not really a sound that I'm looking for when I turn on Michael Bublé. It's a song I would skip when I pops up on the shuffle.


10. Silent Night


Michael Buble + Children's Choir + Beloved Religious Christmas Hymn = Beautiful song that your Mom listens to in the Car. Also, the horn intro doesn't fit.


11. Blue Christmas


Of all the covers of well-known Christmas songs that Michael Bublé has on this album, this is the strongest one. It makes me thing that he has had a little to much to drink from a jug marked with a "XXX." Mostly because he is just sad. I really do like this recording, especially the instrumental break.


12. Cold December Night


Not my favorite song. His voice sounds produced again. I don't like that sound a lot. Also,  he harmonizes with himself. The sound is peppy and I like the poppy arrangement, but not what I'm looking for. I admit however, it's catchy.


13. I'll Be Home for Christmas


Top three favorite christmas songs ever. How is Michael's recording? Great. The gentle guitar combined with the warmth of Michael's voice sucks you straight into this fairly simple Jazz Ballad. I'd be comfortable putting this on my Annual Christmas CD.


14. Ave Maria


Meh. I've heard better.


15. Mis Deseos / Feliz Navidad (Duet With Thalia)


I really only like the José Feliciano of Feliz Navidad, but I really like Thalia. I could listen to her sing Mis Deseos all day, though I'm not crazy about Michael's Spanish in Mis Deseos. Interesting that this is the final track of the Album.


The final word: It an album that get's confused in some places. It has many really wonderful tracks, though only a few are truly memorable. It makes you nostalgic, almost to the point where you stop listening to MIchael Bublé and you turn on Frank Sinatra's christmas album. It's a solid album that any Michael Bublé fan would like. I'm sure it will make regular appearances at many of this season's Christmas parties.


Grade: B-


Favorite Track: I'll Be Home for Christmas.

Planking

This post may be out of date, but I just felt the need to express my opinion on the subject of planking and owling.


Just so everyone knows, planking is way better than owling.


Just compare these pictures:

VS.

I think planking is just inherently more funny and more clever. So there.

Christmas Music

Hey there everyone!


I'm back after another long hiatus. It wasn't intentional, but it happened, I guess. So without further ado, let my blogging begin again!


This is a short little entry, mostly looking for feedback from you, the reader! You may see something similar on my facebook, but that is only to make sure I get as many responses as possible.


I love Christmas music, and the time has come again to listen to it non-stop. I have a pretty hefty collection of Christmas music, but I love to add to that collection. So, I'm sort of curious as to what your favorite Christmas music is.


If I had to pick a some of my favorite songs (off the top of my head), I might mention these ones pretty quick:


The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
This is my favorite recording of this Christmas Classic. I get chills right off the bat with those perfect opening chords.


Why Can't It Be Christmastime All year - Rosie Thomas
This is song is fun. I discovered it last year (A free download! Amazing!) and I haven't forgotten it. I think you'll like it.


What Are You Doing New Years Eve? - Lena Horne
This song is in my top three favorite Christmas songs. This a fairly new recording for me, but it's a great one. I could listen to Lena Horne for days at a time, so couple her with one of my favorite songs and you've got a winner!


This is in no way, no way at all, a comprehensive list. Just three little songs I like. Well, I'm curious to know this:


What is your favorite Christmas Song?