23 hours ago
Saturday, December 20, 2008
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
On Friday, we had a school assembly where every grade sings a Christmas song for the rest of the school to enjoy and we sing other songs all together. Mr. and Mrs. Claus also drop by with a few elves. It was so much fun! There is little that will get you in a jolly mood faster than over 1,000 children singing Christmas songs.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wallaby's
So, last Saturday night, after the horrible football game, Shauna and I decided to go out to dinner. She had a luncheon at school catered by Wallaby's barbecue restaurant in Lindon, UT, and has ever since sworn up and down that they had the best BBQ she'd ever had. So, willing to take the challenge (and hoping to prove her correct), we drove out to Wallaby's.
When we arrived, we noticed that it was also next door to China Lilly's chinese gourmet, which we'd both heard about. So, now you know where our next culinary adventure will be at. Anyways, as we walked through the door of Wallaby's, we were greeted by a happy, middle-aged guy named Bob who happened to be the owner. He was very nice, albeit talkative. He bragged, with reason, about the extent to which they prepare their meat--I'm talking ribs and briskets that are smoked on site then cured and aged for days before they make it onto your plate; the seasoning and sauce is caramelized on the outside of the meat during the process... By the time he was done explaining, I was sold and salivating!
We ordered a meal that came with three meat choices, one of which I insisted on being 1/4 rack of ribs. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. We didn't wait long before our food was brought out to us piping hot. Their three homebrewed sauces are extremely good, as well. The meat from the ribs just fell off the bone like I had never before experienced! When we go back, I'm going for the full rack. That stuff was amazing and worth the trip by themselves. Shauna would also have me say to get the cinnamon roll for $1.99. It was delicious, too! In all, Shauna and I both split that plate with two sides and two drinks for about $25.
So, in short, if you're into BBQ, you have to go to Wallaby's on State St. in Lindon, UT. I did my best to explain it, but it is truly something you have to experience for yourself.
When we arrived, we noticed that it was also next door to China Lilly's chinese gourmet, which we'd both heard about. So, now you know where our next culinary adventure will be at. Anyways, as we walked through the door of Wallaby's, we were greeted by a happy, middle-aged guy named Bob who happened to be the owner. He was very nice, albeit talkative. He bragged, with reason, about the extent to which they prepare their meat--I'm talking ribs and briskets that are smoked on site then cured and aged for days before they make it onto your plate; the seasoning and sauce is caramelized on the outside of the meat during the process... By the time he was done explaining, I was sold and salivating!
We ordered a meal that came with three meat choices, one of which I insisted on being 1/4 rack of ribs. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. We didn't wait long before our food was brought out to us piping hot. Their three homebrewed sauces are extremely good, as well. The meat from the ribs just fell off the bone like I had never before experienced! When we go back, I'm going for the full rack. That stuff was amazing and worth the trip by themselves. Shauna would also have me say to get the cinnamon roll for $1.99. It was delicious, too! In all, Shauna and I both split that plate with two sides and two drinks for about $25.
So, in short, if you're into BBQ, you have to go to Wallaby's on State St. in Lindon, UT. I did my best to explain it, but it is truly something you have to experience for yourself.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Is anyone really surprised when prophecies come to pass?
We received this article from Shauna's aunt the other day. Shauna's mom also mentioned that this article has been circulated around California. It is so powerful, especially when read in the context of what has been going on in California and among the Church recently, with Prop 8 and all that. The words of the Old Testament prophet Joshua resonate today just as clear, urgent, and challenging as they were when he first spoke them, "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve!"
If you would like the whole article, it can be found at LDS.org.
"A More Determined Discipleship"
by Neal A Maxwell
Neal A. Maxwell, "A More Determined Discipleship," Ensign, Feb 1979, 69–73
An address delivered at Brigham Young University, 10 October 1978
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not they will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions.
President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'
"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.
"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat." (Emphasis added)
If you would like the whole article, it can be found at LDS.org.
"A More Determined Discipleship"
by Neal A Maxwell
Neal A. Maxwell, "A More Determined Discipleship," Ensign, Feb 1979, 69–73
An address delivered at Brigham Young University, 10 October 1978
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not they will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions.
President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'
"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.
"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat." (Emphasis added)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Day at the Shooting Range
Saturday, Shauna, Thomas (her brother), and I all went out to Range Masters in Springville, UT, to rent some handguns and use their indoor range. While the prices went up since I was last there (three years ago), it was still well worth it and a lot of fun. Our goal for this trip was to find what kind of gun Shauna is comfortable shooting and also to give us all more experience shooting handguns. Experience is important when it comes to gun safety, and, like in all other aspects of life, knowledge is power.
We started off with a Glock 9mm and a brick of 50 rounds. The Glock was nice, but it was a little big and uncomfortable for all three of us. I'd forgotten how powerful a 9mm was because the last time I was at the range, I shot a Glock .40 first, then a 9mm, so the 9mm seemed really small. Haha. So, we shot about a clip each and then switched out the Glock for a Sig Sauer 9mm. The Sig in comparison was a lot nicer and more comfortable. But, it was still a little too big.
I have to throw in here that it was really cute watching Shauna's routine: She'd step up to the range, load and cock the gun like a pro, get into her stance, carefully take aim, fire one shot into the ceiling, one shot somewhere down range, place the gun calmly back onto the table, and walk away. I think her cowgirl name would be Ol' Two Shot Shauna. =)
Anyways, after talking with the clerk, he set us up with a Sig .380. The gun itself is a lot smaller than the others and the bullet is slightly shorter than a 9mm, though they're about the same diameter. The one big con is that because the barrel is shorter, it produces more of a 'bang' and therefore a little more kick. But, Shauna liked this one much better. In fact, by the time we were done with our .380 rounds, Shauna was able to plant quite a few rounds onto the target and at a good distance down range. (Way to go, honey!)
After the Sig, we switched out for a Colt .380, and that was slightly smaller than the Sig. It felt a little better and the clip was easier to load. But, we learned that the Colt was way more expensive than the other guns.
So, as I mentioned previously, one of main purposes of this outing was to gain experience (and to have some fun). Although Shauna and I differ on some political issues, one issue we are both adamant about is our right to bear arms and the importance of being able to protect yourself and those you love from harm (i.e., from crazy bad guys that think rampaging through a small-town, neighborhood shopping mall is the end to a perfect night out, etc.). The world is getting to be a scarier place, and it's just good to be prepared. I'll leave it at that.
Bottom line: Date to the shooting range--highly recommended!
We started off with a Glock 9mm and a brick of 50 rounds. The Glock was nice, but it was a little big and uncomfortable for all three of us. I'd forgotten how powerful a 9mm was because the last time I was at the range, I shot a Glock .40 first, then a 9mm, so the 9mm seemed really small. Haha. So, we shot about a clip each and then switched out the Glock for a Sig Sauer 9mm. The Sig in comparison was a lot nicer and more comfortable. But, it was still a little too big.
I have to throw in here that it was really cute watching Shauna's routine: She'd step up to the range, load and cock the gun like a pro, get into her stance, carefully take aim, fire one shot into the ceiling, one shot somewhere down range, place the gun calmly back onto the table, and walk away. I think her cowgirl name would be Ol' Two Shot Shauna. =)Anyways, after talking with the clerk, he set us up with a Sig .380. The gun itself is a lot smaller than the others and the bullet is slightly shorter than a 9mm, though they're about the same diameter. The one big con is that because the barrel is shorter, it produces more of a 'bang' and therefore a little more kick. But, Shauna liked this one much better. In fact, by the time we were done with our .380 rounds, Shauna was able to plant quite a few rounds onto the target and at a good distance down range. (Way to go, honey!)
After the Sig, we switched out for a Colt .380, and that was slightly smaller than the Sig. It felt a little better and the clip was easier to load. But, we learned that the Colt was way more expensive than the other guns.
So, as I mentioned previously, one of main purposes of this outing was to gain experience (and to have some fun). Although Shauna and I differ on some political issues, one issue we are both adamant about is our right to bear arms and the importance of being able to protect yourself and those you love from harm (i.e., from crazy bad guys that think rampaging through a small-town, neighborhood shopping mall is the end to a perfect night out, etc.). The world is getting to be a scarier place, and it's just good to be prepared. I'll leave it at that.Bottom line: Date to the shooting range--highly recommended!
Monday, October 13, 2008
'South for the Summer'
Here is a link to my brother's band, South for the Summer. They have a new Myspace and a couple of new songs on there. Please, stop by and listen. They're really good, and I'm not just saying that. Spread the word. (P.S., Jared has the vocals and the bass guitar).
I also wanted to post some pics I took of the American Idol auditions. They'll help you get a feel for everything you missed by not going. =)
Ryan Seacrest, ladies and gentlemen!
(No, you can't see him. I was feet away from him and I couldn't see him... All those tall, 5'3" Utah girls... But doesn't the bright, white light make him appear angelic?)
Jared, waiting for the big moment (hours into the day).
Jared auditioning (post yawn)
He's the big guy in the black shirt, second table from the left.
I also wanted to post some pics I took of the American Idol auditions. They'll help you get a feel for everything you missed by not going. =)
Ryan Seacrest, ladies and gentlemen!(No, you can't see him. I was feet away from him and I couldn't see him... All those tall, 5'3" Utah girls... But doesn't the bright, white light make him appear angelic?)
Jared, waiting for the big moment (hours into the day).
Jared auditioning (post yawn)He's the big guy in the black shirt, second table from the left.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Our 'American Idol' Experience: Part III
When I say my brother is a great singer and has great talents in music, I understand why you might think that I'm just biased and that he's not any better than the average Joe. But, as unbiased as I possibly can be, I really do think he has great talent. He is the lead singer of his band, South for the Summer, which he and some friends put together a couple years ago. He also plays some bass guitar. They all have remarkable talent for music. They write all of their own music, though they also cover songs too. And I love his music! I think that the songs are well-written (again, all original material) and that they're catchy. Plus, Jared has been a DJ and singer at Roxy's 50's diner at the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas for the last few years. Keep in mind that he started that gig when he was still in high school. So, please, don't take my opinion for granted just because I am his brother.
TUESDAY: HYPE
So, there we sat with our $9 bottles of water and pretzel. Even before we had first gotten to our assigned seats, the sound of singing beckoned us down. The producers had the arena singing this year's 'crowd songs', or the songs they have everyone sing in every city for their little video they'll play at the beginning of the TV season to make it look like we were all having a wonderful time. And, in all honesty, it was kind of fun. At the very least, the singing and the sight of all the banners and stuff helped us forget about the disastrous morning. But, even that was too good to last.
After we sang the songs about a dozen times, they told us to go crazy for the cameras. We had to be on our feet screaming and jumping around every time the camera was approaching our section. And we did that like a dozen times, at least, while the camera people tried this angle and that angle. They later started pulling people out of the audience and replacing them with 'prettier' people. You know, the stereotypical 'Utah girls'. And then they did the same shots all over again. This went on for at least 2 hours, no kidding. Then, as people began getting tired of that business and leaving their seats for food and restrooms, etc., the producers yelled at us over the PA system, saying that anyone not back in their seats in 5 minutes was going to be permanently replaced and sent to the end of the audition line. They "had a job to do" and we couldn't audition until they got what they needed. That's when it all became real to me--this was all just hype. They didn't care about us. They were using us! And I don't know about you, but that just rubs me the wrong way. I felt like the only thing missing from the picture was a bull whip in the producers' hands. So, I was done 'having fun' for the cameras, and I think Jared felt the same way. It will be extremely funny watching for us on TV.
Later on, they finally set up half of the tables to conduct auditions. We were in the 4th section away from the front of the line, so, roughly 1,800 people away from auditioning. At the rate they were moving, it was going at least 3 hours before our section even got looked at by the producers.
About 45 minutes later, very well-timed and probably planned that way because the whole arena was getting restless and fed up with things, they announced that auditions would be suspended for about an hour while they did some more camera shots. But this time, there would be a special guest: host, Ryan Seacrest. And, oh, you should've heard the girls go crazy! You could've just ax-murdered their families, but, man, if you sent Seacrest out to them afterward, they would've forgotten everything. That's what it felt like. So Seacrest comes out and does some of his little promo takes--purposely surrounded by cute blondes who were hand-selected by the producers, mind you--and leaves. Whoo hoo! Glad that's done... Seacrest probably went back to his presidential suite while we were left to sit for hours--no food, little water, and little to no motivation.
TUESDAY: GAME TIME
For those of you who are fortunate enough to not know the audition process, I'll try to explain it to you. There are many levels of auditions in the whole process before you can even make it on to Hollywood, and there are at least two stages before you can even audition in front of the real judges (the famous trio). The first stage is where we and the other 7,000 hopefuls were at that point. This stage involves you being randomly assigned to one of eleven stations in groups of four where you would either audition in front of a low-level producer, an associate producer, or a bunch of random temps (as far as I could tell). Each singer got approximately 10 seconds. Then, the 'judge' would either keep you behind to advance you to stage two, while dismissing the others, or he or she would dismiss all four of you at once. And that's it. After putting up with all the hours of crap that morning, which started at 3am for us, you got 10 seconds to sing in front of someone who probably couldn't carry a tune in a bucket themselves. Ten seconds.
As we sat there for hours waiting for our section's chance to audition, we watched the judges closest to us. We began to notice a funny pattern. The two tables closest to us were manned by two official looking adults, so obviously not the temps that I mentioned previously, but most likely the lower-level producers. The tables farthest from us were staffed by the temp-looking people, kids or interns, basically. We noticed that the farther tables were letting alot more people through than the closer tables. In fact, the producers' tables let nobody through at all for a long time.
If you're acquainted at with all with probability theory or statistics, this should seem especially odd. Doesn't it make sense that if you take a random distribution of talent and divide it up randomly that you'll end up with a bunch of little random distributions of talent? In other words, every table should have been allowing people through at approximately the same rate. Such wasn't the case, so I became suspicious. This wasn't a talent search at all...
I started pay close attention to one of the close tables. The producer was a middle-aged woman who couldn't have appeared less excited to be there. Her eyes were constantly half-shut and glazed over, her head was cocked to one side and rested heavily on one hand which was propped securely on the table. She seemed to sigh at every new song she had to endure. Often, she would hold her hand up after only a few seconds of a song and impatiently wave the performer back and away from her table. I think I could count the number of people she let through on one hand, and that's out of all the hours I sat and watched. Then, suddenly, as a new group of four approached the table and started to sing, she came alive! The first guy was a good looking, young black guy, dressed up to the nines. I couldn't hear at all what he sang. The next guy was his friend, equally good looking and dressed up. Again, I couldn't hear his song. But, you should've seen this lady. She sat straight up in her chair, paid close attention to them both, then asked them both to sing another song. She then dismissed the other two singers, and again, had the two guys sing again--for a long time. Then, she gets up from her table, gets her friend producer, and has the guys sing for him. They both talk behind their clipboards for a long time, nod some sort of approval, then she has them come up to the table, she fills out some paperwork, changes their wristbands, and sends them on their way to the next stage. And when I say that went on for a long time, that took like fifteen minutes! When everyone else had 10 seconds, fifteen minutes is an eternity! The lady then left her station, returned after a few minutes, and slumped back into her chair, back to her old routine. I remember thinking that she filled her quota. That's what that was. Too many things just didn't make sense. I'll bet the producers are given a specific goal for their auditions that day. They'll let the temps and interns find the semi-good filler talent or whatever, but the big time producers are the ones that are scouting for the ratings boost or 'the scoop', whatever that may be. I don't want to speculate what that is, it could be a number of things or it could be nothing. That's just what my gut says about the whole situation. So, I looked over at Jared and said, "Dude, whatever you do, don't get table 11!" Guess what table he got...
As Jared marched off with the rest of the section, he got coralled into the huge line which was four deep, and made his way to the front where he'd be assigned a table number to go to with his group. Seriously, the line was a thousand people strong, there were 11 possible tables to get assigned to. What are the freakin odds? As Jared's group did an about face and started walking back toward me, I remember thinking, "No freakin way!" And sure enough: table 11. I just couldn't believe it.
Jared approached the table. He told us that he chose to sing Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it through the Grapevine", a classic song, which Jared had practiced on and sounded amazing singing. His backups were a Bon Jovi song (always a good choice) and another song I can't remember now. I wasn't sure which one he was going to choose, but he later told me he sang Grapevine.
Just as Jared started to sing, I'll be damned if the lady didn't yawn right in Jared's face! She didn't even try to hide it, she didn't look sorry, nothing. Just a big, fat yawn. Jared told me afterwards that at that moment, he just didn't even care anymore. He sang as best he could, but his reasons to care all went away with her stupid yawn. After the last of them sang, she told them, in as mono-toned a voice as possible, lacking any semblance of emotion, "I know you all have sacrificed alot to be here and that you have amazing talent. Thank you for coming, but this just isn't your year. Please come back in the future. Have a nice day."
To say the least, I was a little disappointed--disappointed and angry--disappointed, angry, and offended. Yet, I was semi-relieved, too. And Jared felt the same way. It's just not worth it. After 9 or more hours of hell, we limped back to my car, and headed home.
Overall, it was a good experience. Now we know, right? And now we have a story to tell. In the end, it all boils down to the fundamental difference between a talent show and a reality show. I would go as far to say that it's also the difference between a reality show and a business, because that's what it is: a business. As a side note, this experience has permanently altered how I look at reality TV shows. I can't stand them anymore. 'Disenchantment' doesn't really do my experience justice...
Thank you all for reading. Give my brother's band a shout-out and if you're ever at Roxy's in Vegas, tell him Josh sent you.
TUESDAY: HYPE
So, there we sat with our $9 bottles of water and pretzel. Even before we had first gotten to our assigned seats, the sound of singing beckoned us down. The producers had the arena singing this year's 'crowd songs', or the songs they have everyone sing in every city for their little video they'll play at the beginning of the TV season to make it look like we were all having a wonderful time. And, in all honesty, it was kind of fun. At the very least, the singing and the sight of all the banners and stuff helped us forget about the disastrous morning. But, even that was too good to last.
After we sang the songs about a dozen times, they told us to go crazy for the cameras. We had to be on our feet screaming and jumping around every time the camera was approaching our section. And we did that like a dozen times, at least, while the camera people tried this angle and that angle. They later started pulling people out of the audience and replacing them with 'prettier' people. You know, the stereotypical 'Utah girls'. And then they did the same shots all over again. This went on for at least 2 hours, no kidding. Then, as people began getting tired of that business and leaving their seats for food and restrooms, etc., the producers yelled at us over the PA system, saying that anyone not back in their seats in 5 minutes was going to be permanently replaced and sent to the end of the audition line. They "had a job to do" and we couldn't audition until they got what they needed. That's when it all became real to me--this was all just hype. They didn't care about us. They were using us! And I don't know about you, but that just rubs me the wrong way. I felt like the only thing missing from the picture was a bull whip in the producers' hands. So, I was done 'having fun' for the cameras, and I think Jared felt the same way. It will be extremely funny watching for us on TV.
Later on, they finally set up half of the tables to conduct auditions. We were in the 4th section away from the front of the line, so, roughly 1,800 people away from auditioning. At the rate they were moving, it was going at least 3 hours before our section even got looked at by the producers.
About 45 minutes later, very well-timed and probably planned that way because the whole arena was getting restless and fed up with things, they announced that auditions would be suspended for about an hour while they did some more camera shots. But this time, there would be a special guest: host, Ryan Seacrest. And, oh, you should've heard the girls go crazy! You could've just ax-murdered their families, but, man, if you sent Seacrest out to them afterward, they would've forgotten everything. That's what it felt like. So Seacrest comes out and does some of his little promo takes--purposely surrounded by cute blondes who were hand-selected by the producers, mind you--and leaves. Whoo hoo! Glad that's done... Seacrest probably went back to his presidential suite while we were left to sit for hours--no food, little water, and little to no motivation.
TUESDAY: GAME TIME
For those of you who are fortunate enough to not know the audition process, I'll try to explain it to you. There are many levels of auditions in the whole process before you can even make it on to Hollywood, and there are at least two stages before you can even audition in front of the real judges (the famous trio). The first stage is where we and the other 7,000 hopefuls were at that point. This stage involves you being randomly assigned to one of eleven stations in groups of four where you would either audition in front of a low-level producer, an associate producer, or a bunch of random temps (as far as I could tell). Each singer got approximately 10 seconds. Then, the 'judge' would either keep you behind to advance you to stage two, while dismissing the others, or he or she would dismiss all four of you at once. And that's it. After putting up with all the hours of crap that morning, which started at 3am for us, you got 10 seconds to sing in front of someone who probably couldn't carry a tune in a bucket themselves. Ten seconds.
As we sat there for hours waiting for our section's chance to audition, we watched the judges closest to us. We began to notice a funny pattern. The two tables closest to us were manned by two official looking adults, so obviously not the temps that I mentioned previously, but most likely the lower-level producers. The tables farthest from us were staffed by the temp-looking people, kids or interns, basically. We noticed that the farther tables were letting alot more people through than the closer tables. In fact, the producers' tables let nobody through at all for a long time.
If you're acquainted at with all with probability theory or statistics, this should seem especially odd. Doesn't it make sense that if you take a random distribution of talent and divide it up randomly that you'll end up with a bunch of little random distributions of talent? In other words, every table should have been allowing people through at approximately the same rate. Such wasn't the case, so I became suspicious. This wasn't a talent search at all...
I started pay close attention to one of the close tables. The producer was a middle-aged woman who couldn't have appeared less excited to be there. Her eyes were constantly half-shut and glazed over, her head was cocked to one side and rested heavily on one hand which was propped securely on the table. She seemed to sigh at every new song she had to endure. Often, she would hold her hand up after only a few seconds of a song and impatiently wave the performer back and away from her table. I think I could count the number of people she let through on one hand, and that's out of all the hours I sat and watched. Then, suddenly, as a new group of four approached the table and started to sing, she came alive! The first guy was a good looking, young black guy, dressed up to the nines. I couldn't hear at all what he sang. The next guy was his friend, equally good looking and dressed up. Again, I couldn't hear his song. But, you should've seen this lady. She sat straight up in her chair, paid close attention to them both, then asked them both to sing another song. She then dismissed the other two singers, and again, had the two guys sing again--for a long time. Then, she gets up from her table, gets her friend producer, and has the guys sing for him. They both talk behind their clipboards for a long time, nod some sort of approval, then she has them come up to the table, she fills out some paperwork, changes their wristbands, and sends them on their way to the next stage. And when I say that went on for a long time, that took like fifteen minutes! When everyone else had 10 seconds, fifteen minutes is an eternity! The lady then left her station, returned after a few minutes, and slumped back into her chair, back to her old routine. I remember thinking that she filled her quota. That's what that was. Too many things just didn't make sense. I'll bet the producers are given a specific goal for their auditions that day. They'll let the temps and interns find the semi-good filler talent or whatever, but the big time producers are the ones that are scouting for the ratings boost or 'the scoop', whatever that may be. I don't want to speculate what that is, it could be a number of things or it could be nothing. That's just what my gut says about the whole situation. So, I looked over at Jared and said, "Dude, whatever you do, don't get table 11!" Guess what table he got...
As Jared marched off with the rest of the section, he got coralled into the huge line which was four deep, and made his way to the front where he'd be assigned a table number to go to with his group. Seriously, the line was a thousand people strong, there were 11 possible tables to get assigned to. What are the freakin odds? As Jared's group did an about face and started walking back toward me, I remember thinking, "No freakin way!" And sure enough: table 11. I just couldn't believe it.
Jared approached the table. He told us that he chose to sing Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it through the Grapevine", a classic song, which Jared had practiced on and sounded amazing singing. His backups were a Bon Jovi song (always a good choice) and another song I can't remember now. I wasn't sure which one he was going to choose, but he later told me he sang Grapevine.
Just as Jared started to sing, I'll be damned if the lady didn't yawn right in Jared's face! She didn't even try to hide it, she didn't look sorry, nothing. Just a big, fat yawn. Jared told me afterwards that at that moment, he just didn't even care anymore. He sang as best he could, but his reasons to care all went away with her stupid yawn. After the last of them sang, she told them, in as mono-toned a voice as possible, lacking any semblance of emotion, "I know you all have sacrificed alot to be here and that you have amazing talent. Thank you for coming, but this just isn't your year. Please come back in the future. Have a nice day."
To say the least, I was a little disappointed--disappointed and angry--disappointed, angry, and offended. Yet, I was semi-relieved, too. And Jared felt the same way. It's just not worth it. After 9 or more hours of hell, we limped back to my car, and headed home.
Overall, it was a good experience. Now we know, right? And now we have a story to tell. In the end, it all boils down to the fundamental difference between a talent show and a reality show. I would go as far to say that it's also the difference between a reality show and a business, because that's what it is: a business. As a side note, this experience has permanently altered how I look at reality TV shows. I can't stand them anymore. 'Disenchantment' doesn't really do my experience justice...
Thank you all for reading. Give my brother's band a shout-out and if you're ever at Roxy's in Vegas, tell him Josh sent you.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Back at School
I feel so much more prepared this second year teaching as far as everyday routines, behavior management, and when I should teach what goes. (I actually spent quite a bit of time this summer planning out my year which I am so grateful I was smart enough to do.) It is very exciting to have a little experience under my belt.
BUT this year will still be far from easy. There are always things that come up to try a teacher's patience, flexibility, and smarts. My class this year is much different than last year's--which is good and bad. I'm in a bit of shock, actually, at the differences. I always knew it would be different, but I didn't realize how drastic a change it could be. The academic abilities of this year's group is much more spread out (K to 3rd or 4th grade in reading and math), which really will be a challenge that I'm excited to rise to but nervous about anyway. :) Two students try to get away without doing any work--something I honestly didn't really see last year. I was taken aback when that started on the first day of school, when most students are on their very best behavior. That's okay, because I don't expect that will last long (hopefully), because I won't make it easy for them not to do anything.
I just have to say, I never appreciated my teachers as much as I do now. I am constantly thinking about my students and spend a lot of time preparing lessons and praying. It is really such a rollercoaster ride--some days I loooove teaching, and sometimes I wonder why I chose such a difficult profession. Teaching is so hard but also so rewarding! I love seeing last year's students, and the students I student-taught the year before and see the smile on their face when they see me.
I just have to share one cute little experience. On Fridays we have Fun Friday where each third grade class matches with another class for a half hour of fun for those who are caught up in class and were well-behaved. (A few students may have to sit out due to problems during the week or missing work.) We alternate who's in charge. This week, I was in charge, so we did a little color-cut-and-glue project. So after school, I'm on my way to the office and the kids are streaming down the hallway to the buses. This little girl I don't know comes and gives me this big hug and says something like, "Bye, Mrs. Hiram!" Not knowing who she was, I took the safe route and told her with a big smile, "Have a great weekend!" The only thing I can figure is that she's in the other class that did Fun Friday with us and that she therefore likes me after having spent a half hour in my classroom. :) Cute.
BUT this year will still be far from easy. There are always things that come up to try a teacher's patience, flexibility, and smarts. My class this year is much different than last year's--which is good and bad. I'm in a bit of shock, actually, at the differences. I always knew it would be different, but I didn't realize how drastic a change it could be. The academic abilities of this year's group is much more spread out (K to 3rd or 4th grade in reading and math), which really will be a challenge that I'm excited to rise to but nervous about anyway. :) Two students try to get away without doing any work--something I honestly didn't really see last year. I was taken aback when that started on the first day of school, when most students are on their very best behavior. That's okay, because I don't expect that will last long (hopefully), because I won't make it easy for them not to do anything.
I just have to say, I never appreciated my teachers as much as I do now. I am constantly thinking about my students and spend a lot of time preparing lessons and praying. It is really such a rollercoaster ride--some days I loooove teaching, and sometimes I wonder why I chose such a difficult profession. Teaching is so hard but also so rewarding! I love seeing last year's students, and the students I student-taught the year before and see the smile on their face when they see me.
I just have to share one cute little experience. On Fridays we have Fun Friday where each third grade class matches with another class for a half hour of fun for those who are caught up in class and were well-behaved. (A few students may have to sit out due to problems during the week or missing work.) We alternate who's in charge. This week, I was in charge, so we did a little color-cut-and-glue project. So after school, I'm on my way to the office and the kids are streaming down the hallway to the buses. This little girl I don't know comes and gives me this big hug and says something like, "Bye, Mrs. Hiram!" Not knowing who she was, I took the safe route and told her with a big smile, "Have a great weekend!" The only thing I can figure is that she's in the other class that did Fun Friday with us and that she therefore likes me after having spent a half hour in my classroom. :) Cute.
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