A little determination goes a long way...

Hi everyone! Last night I worked 5 hours at American Eagle and it was actually a really fun and exciting shift. After I got out of work at the Clubhouse I wasn't really looking forward to working 6-11, but it turned out to be rather rewarding. Before I delve too deep into the story, let me give you a little background info on American Eagle. Our store just got 2 brand new things. #1 We got a new store manager. #2 We got brand spankin' new AWESOME touch-screen registers, which everyone is dying to try out. Our new store manager, however, said that sales people could not be trained on the new registers until after they had sold 1 credit card on the floor. When I heard this newly implemented rule I thought I should just kiss those shiny new registers goodbye, I mean getting someone to sign up for a credit card while cashing them out is hard enough..but on the FLOOR?! While they're shopping!? I thought that it must be impossible. Last night, however, I went into work with some credit card sale tips given to me by a friend and fellow employee (AND fellow Fame Forever-er), Ashley, and was determined as EVER to sell one of those damn things. I started off a little shaky, got a couple no's. Then finally..as I was letting someone into a fitting room and explaining the perks of the AE VISA, she said the magical words "okay, I'll think about it" and after she came out of the fitting room I had the application there and waiting and sure enough she signed on board. =) I WAS SO EXCITED. So, I got trained on the new cash registers and it just so happens that my first transaction on one was an upgrade from the old credit card to the new one so that counted as ANOTHER credit card sold for me! Anyhoo, it probably sounds silly in the big scheme of things, but I was excited about it and pretty proud of myself. Alright...later, gators!


COUNTDOWN UNTIL MOVE-IN DAY: 19 days!

A great day with a bestie...

Yesterday was a really fun day. I made the drive to Camden (while only getting slightly lost once) to visit Alyssa, one of my best friends and roommate from last year. You guys know her from the various video blogs she's been a part of, I'm sure. She and I met in November of freshman year when we were doing a production of "Bat Boy: The Musical" together and the rest is history. There's literally never a dull moment when we're together, since we have pretty much the same wacky sense of humor. Here are some pictures from over the course of our friendship:

During a Bat Boy rehearsal (I think this is the first picture taken of us):


Move-in night 2007:


A group photo from after Fame Forever 2007. Lyss and I have been in 3 productions together to date and I hope those shows (Bat Boy, Fame Forever, and The Marriage of Figaro) are only the beginning of our time on stage together:


I really like this photo because it's my future roommate, me, and my last roommate all together =):


SPA Ball 2008:


So, anyway...the day was very fun. I haven't been to Camden in years, so long in fact that I don't even remember if I've ever been...though I'm sure I have at some point. First we went to lunch at The Camden Deli, which has very good sandwiches and overlooks the harbor. After lunch we walked around downtown Camden and checked out cool stores like The Smiling Cow and Planet. After that we headed to Northport Music Theater (where I saw Alyssa in a show in July) and saw their production of "Closer Than Ever" in which we pretty much knew the entire cast. It was made up of 4 people, plus a bassist (who we also knew). Seth Grondin, who played Figaro in the Marriage of Figaro, was in it, Dominick Varney, who I worked with at Explorations, was in it, Kim Murphy, who was Alyssa's high school music teacher, was in it, and Annie Watson, who was in the last show with Alyssa, was also in it. The show was really really really good. The 4 voices were all very strong, which is important in a show with only music, and so it was really fun to listen to. All in all it was a really fun day with one of my besties and it made me super excited to get back to Orono and the rest of my besties. This year is sure to be the best yet. =) Later, gators!

I'm thrifty!

Hey all. So, I must say...I'm quite proud of myself. It's kind of a known fact that college bookstores completely rob you for books, so I decided to take matters into my own hands when buying text books this summer. I went on the bookstore website, found out what books I need, e-mailed my professors to make sure I had the right editions, and then went online to find them. To give you an example of some of my savings...



At the bookstore this book would have cost me $42.75..I found it online for $35.40.

Or this one..

In the bookstore this book costs $72.40...I found it online for $70.75. I know that's not much of a difference, but that book is brand spankin' new..just released in May, so I wasn't gonna find it much cheaper than that. PLUS..2 dollars less is still less!

That's just 2 examples, trust me there are more! It may not seem like much, but it adds up, so I am pretty proud of my thriftiness I must say!! I can't wait for school! Later, gators!

PS: Happy Birthday, Tut!

summmmmmertime and the living's easy...

Hi everyone! My summer has been very busy thus far! During the weekdays I work at the Kid's Clubhouse, during the weekend I'm out with friends and then once in awhile there's an American Eagle shift peppered in there, so there's been very little downtime to collect my thoughts and write a blog entry.

For starters, I hope everyones' 4th of July was fun! Mine was eventful. In the morning the Clubhouse staff was in the parade. I was dressed as the Little Mermaid...my wig looked like trailer trash. In fact, while I was walking I heard a little girl say "THAT's Ariel!?" I couldn't blame her; I looked like meth addict Ariel. You can judge for yourself, though this picture truly doesn't do the hideousness justice.

The others are Beth as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, Molly as Cinderella, Shelby as Fiona from Shrek, and of course me as Methadone Mermaid. Oh well! It was fun despite my horrendous wig.
That evening I went out with Chantal and her sister, Kyra and some other friends to a party on Lower Narrows Pond in Winthrop, which is actually the same lake that my grandparents used to live on! It was fun! Here is a picture of Chantal and I at that:

So it was definitely a fun night!
Saturday evening I went to see Alyssa in "Fame Takes A Holiday" at the Northport Music Theater. She was BY FAR the best one in the show, and I'm not just saying that because I am bias...she was seriously the best one. Here is the promotional photo for that, I know it's small, but Lyss is the one all the way to the left:

Yesterday I went to Old Orchard Beach with Chantal and then we stopped in Freeport for a bit. It was really fun and I hadn't been to OOB since I was little, so that was exciting. Here's a picture from that:


So, yeah I've been really busy and it's been a really great summer so far! I can't wait to get back to Orono though! September 1st can't come soon enough! More soon! Later, gators!

I'm just a Broadway baby!

Did everyone watch the Tony's tonight? I thought they were just fantastic! There were 3 parts that were especially exciting for me, though.

#1)

Stephen Sondheim's lifetime achievement award. What a no brainer! That man is pure genius and if he doesn't deserve a Tony lifetime achievement award, I really don't know who does. He has composed the music and/or written the lyrics for such shows as Gypsy, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods (a show near and dear to my heart), and Company, just to name a few! There's something about Sondheim's music that is unique to a point I truly can't explain. But I can tell just by hearing a few bars whether or not Stephen Sondheim composed it. I think it'd be safe to say that he's my favorite Broadway composer. There's just no one like him. In fact, I wrote a paper for one of my classes this past year about the way in which Stephen Sondheim's music affects the masses. It's true. He puts so much into his music. Life lessons, feelings, emotions. He's amazing, truly amazing. So, congrats to him.

#2)

The reunion of the original cast of RENT! I am so so so happy that I was able to see this show on Broadway in 2003, especially since its last show will be September 7th of this year. I got a bit teary when the current cast and the original cast started singing "Seasons of Love" together. The show is about so much. It's heavy and heartwarming and brilliant and true. It's just what Jonathan Larson wanted it to be, and unfortunately he died before he could see his creation gain the enormous popularity that it has. Sad.
Side note: Right after this, Liza Minelli came out with her bra showing to present an award and I was no longer teary, just scared.

#3)

Patti Lupone's much deserved (and LONG awaited) second Tony for her role as Mama Rose in the revival of Gypsy. It had been 28 years since she won her first Tony, for her role as Evita in Evita. She's just great. 59 years old and still giving just as much energy and pizzaz as she ever did. I love her. So yay yay yay Patti. =)

There were a few disappointments, namely that Mainer Andrea Martin didn't win in her category. That was a bummer. I love her though, she's faaabulous.

I love love love the stage. :)

As for everything else in my life...all is well. My day job starts Thursday. Thank heavens! I can stop being bored out of my mind during the days! Wahoo! Okay, more soon!

Later, gators!!!

He did it...

I am so excited to be witnessing this piece of history. Barack Obama is officially the democratic candidate for the president of the United States and with any luck he'll be the president in January. I think he deserves it and I'm looking forward to continuing my support for who I feel would be a great leader for this country!

I am exhausted, though...so I should hit the hay. I promise to try harder to update this thing. Sometimes I get in writing slumps. I'll definitely try my best, though! Later, gators!

Home sweet home & 2 jobs!

Hey ya'll! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile...finals week was crazy and I don't have the internet right now at my mom's house so there hasn't been a whole lot of time to update! The end of my second year in college went smoothly. My grades thus far are looking good and so I have no complaints. I can't believe how fast the school year went, though...it's insanity! Being home is nice, but I am excited to start working! I actually have 2 jobs lined up for this summer, which I am excited about! I am returning to work for the city rec department's Kids Clubhouse. It's a nice job that pays well and I like having set hours. That doesn't begin until mid June, though, so I am happy that I have my American Eagle job lined up as well. I have my orientation tomorrow afternoon and I am really excited. I worked retail 2 summers ago, and I enjoyed it, plus I LOVE American Eagle's clothes. So, up until the Clubhouse starts I'll be working whenever at AE and then when the Clubhouse starts I'll be working evenings and weekends at AE. =) $$$$! Yay yay! Cory and I also found out who we will be living with next year. It's a really nice couple with a dog. I facebooked them and they seem completely normal and very nice and their dog, a Russell Terrier named Domino, is ADORABLE. =) So, that takes some of the stress off about worrying who I am living with!
Okay, well I have laundry to attend to! But I will update soon! Later, gators!