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Saturday, January 30, 2010

The New Age of Sledding

So my ward had a sledding activity today. We just went to a park and found places to sled - no real 'ramps' or whatever. We hiked up this path and used that as our sledding spot. Half the time involved massive snowball fights instead of actual sledding, but it was awesome. We had a few tubes and those worked the best - putting 3 people on it made it go the fastest!

The best part, though... was at the end. We were all done, almost all packed up, and ready to go. But then someone had the bright idea to attach a rope to the back of Rob's car and two people could sit on the tube, hold on to the rope, and let the car pull you down the street (which was covered in snow/ice). Jess and I did it the first time and it proved to be a pretty stupid idea. The tube ended up going faster than the car and we almost ran into the moving tires! So we improved it a bit. We got much closer to the car, put our feet on the back bumper, and tried again. However, this time Jess and Matt were on the tube. I was in the back of the car videoing the whole thing. And Isaac and JJ joined in as well. It's a pretty awesome video. Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Zumba, Pilates, and Weights, Oh My!

So a year and a half ago, I did this workout program. I learned how to exercise properly as well as how to eat healthier. I was really good at it for 3 or 4 months, but it kind of died down after that. I still stuck with the healthy eating portion of it for the most part, but the exercise/weight training part sort of went down the drain. I would do it here and there if I remembered, but it never was a permanent or set thing.

Well in October, I decided that I wanted to get back on track, so I finally caved and bought another gym membership. My plan was to go at least 3 times a week to start with. But then I got a film, and that plan quickly died. Films are so exhausting that it's hard to make yourself go to the gym after a long day/night - especially if you're not already used to going every day. And then I was home most of December so that sort of impeded my plan once again. And the very night I got back to Utah, I got a call for work in L.A. and off I went.

But NOW... I am back in Utah, and hopefully will be for quite some time (please, no more suitcase-living!). My roommate, Karie, finally got me to go to a Zumba class with her. It was the first "class" at the gym that I had ever been to. I don't know why, but I had always been a bit leery of the classes and had never gotten around to trying them out. As it turns out, I loved it! Granted, I felt absolutely retarded trying to figure everything out, I still had a blast and an awesome workout. (Zumba is kind of like Latin dancing + aerobics).

So I started going with Karie to more of those classes. Yesterday, I decided to branch out and try a new class: Pilates. Oh man, it kicked my butt! Luckily, I was fully prepared for that. I had heard from others how intense a Pilates class can be, so I was ready to be whooped. It fully succeeded in major butt-kicking, but it was awesome. I felt like I got a really good workout with muscles I didn't even know existed! lol. After the class was over, I did my upper body workout, and then got on one of the bikes for about 15 minutes to fully destroy myself. haha. I am definitely feeling it today!

I am trying to use as much of my "free time" as productive time, and while that isn't *always* going so well, the gym part is rocking. I went 3 or 4 times last week for an hour or more each day. I went on Monday for an hour, yesterday for two hours, and I am about to head there again for another Zumba class and then either weights or some more cardio afterward. I have FINALLY gotten into some sort of gym schedule and it is awesome! I highly recommend it. :D

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Holy Wind, Batman!

Oh my goodness!  Tonight we had the craziest windstorm in Provo!! I haven't been in wind that strong since hurricane season when I lived in Orlando! And apparently weather.com isn't quite as trustworthy as one may think: it said that we had winds that were 17mph. Pah! Well, weather.com, then tell me why we had our back fence entirely RIPPED off, and our door twisted and thrown to the ground! It's pretty safe to say that the wind was MUCH stronger than a piddly 17mph!!

I was actually so bummed that I couldn't stay for the whole storm! I later found out from my roommate who was here the whole time that she didn't dare go upstairs because the entire house was rattling and whatnot. Ahh! I wish I could have been there. I think there is something wrong with me: I love storms! I actually quite enjoyed prepping the house for a hurricane and then watching the storm from the safety of my house (Orlando was lucky - we never got too terrible of ones because we were far enough inland). Once, it picked up our trampoline and flipped it upside-down!! And it ripped massive branches from our trees as if they were twigs!

The best part about this storm though, was that it started right as I was getting out of the theater from watching 2012. I had gone out to see it with someone from my ward and as we were driving back, we could literally feel the pull of the wind on his car! It was almost kind of freaky! So we were joking about it being "the end of the world!" since we'd just come from that movie. I got home and actually went in my front door for once (almost always use the back door - it's where the parking is), changed, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then headed out for the concert I was going to...

That was when I discovered my door:
Hmm, not quite what I was expecting on my way out! I opened the sliding door and was slammed with a huge gust of wind and just by instinct, I yanked my body back into the house and quickly closed the door. I stood and watched for a few moments, and then thought, "never a better time to get some awesome pictures and video!" So I grabbed my camera, prepped myself a bit more for the strength of the wind, and took some pictures. It was then that I realized that it wasn't just our door that was gone. Our next door neighbors lost their door as well! 

It was completely torn off! I took a few more pictures of other backyards and finally headed off to the concert. I initially thought I was going to be slightly late, but I forgot that you can give a couple hours of buffer time with all of the opening bands. So I got there with plenty of time to spare. And the concert itself was pretty good. The headlining bands were Safetysuit and Parachute. Safetysuit was the real reason I went to see it, and they rocked.

I thought for sure that the wind would have died down once I got home, but oh was I wrong! I drove up my street and it was crazy to see all of the wreckage done to my neighbors' fences as well as my own! From the time I left to the time I got back, half of us had lost doors and/or fences entirely! Here are some of the pictures:


When I got home, my next door neighbor Jessica was over and we got talking about all of the fun things we could do with the wreckage. The first idea was to take some of the larger pieces of debris, save it, and use it as wicked sleds for the next time it snows! We still might do that... But our second idea of fun with the wreckage was to take pictures underneath it. These were the results:

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Happy People Just Don't Shoot Their Husbands!

Oh my goodness. I think that if everyone could realize how AWESOME it is to exercise, we'd have people banging on the doors of all gyms to get inside! Okay, maybe not. But shoot, I love it! And see, it's one of those love/hate relationships because I really do love going to the gym - it's just a matter of actually getting myself there!  It's like how I was with swimming and lacrosse - I always hated the initial going TO practice part, but once I was there, I loved it and didn't want to leave!

Same goes with the gym. I always have the hardest time getting there, but then once I'm there, I can't believe it took me so long to get there! My roommate Karie finally convinced me to go to Zumba with her last Friday and I loved it! Zumba is kind of like a workout routine of the Latin-dance persuasion. It totally felt like a dance class to me, and it was awesome. So I went with her again today and it was a blast! And afterward, we did our arm routine (weights) again! Dang, I hadn't done that in far too long!

Karie and I did this workout program a few summers ago where our trainer taught us how to properly 'train' and whatnot. He was a nutritionist as well, so he got us on a more healthy eating plan as well. But his workout routines were for upper and lower body. We usually just call it "arms" or "legs." So we decided to do arms today and I'm definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow! But I love being sore! Might sound weird, but I love it because I know I worked hard at it!

After the gym, I came home, got ready for institute, and went... and immediately following, I went country dancing! Yay for dancing! I hadn't been since the first week in December and I'd missed it dearly. It never ceases to disappoint me! I still can't believe the night and day difference from the before and after times of my 'epiphany on life' (see here for story). It just baffles me. I seriously used to never get asked and now, even if I try to sit one out, I still get asked! It's crazy! I love dancing, and I love life! :)

Post title: quote from Legally Blonde

Saturday, January 16, 2010

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Today... was awesome. On all accounts. It had three parts to it, and all three parts rocked.
It started with meeting up with a bunch of old friends from freshman year. Dave's birthday is tomorrow and a bunch of us went out to eat to celebrate, and then to a friend's house afterward to play games. For those of you who know the crew, we had Dave, Eric, Allan, Tim, Kevin and his wife, and Dan and his wife. Most everyone had to leave before we played games though, so Dave, Eric, Allan, and I went back to Eric and Allen's to play games. But it's always fun to get a group like that together and reminisce. The best part though, was that any story that we remembered about Tim, he couldn't remember. Even after we tried to jog his memory, he still had absolutely no recollection of said event ever actually happening. We all got quite a kick out of it.

We played the Italian game "Bang" at Eric's and I was 1st to 'die', so since I still had a talk to write, I decided I ought to leave. (It was 5, and I had plans at 7:30 and still had to get ready, too). But for some unexplainable reason, I decided to call my friend Josh before I left Alta (where Eric lives). I hadn't seen him since before his mission and knew that once upon a time he lived in Alta, so I thought "Why not? I'll check and see." As it turns out, he DOES live in Alta again! All those plans of actually writing my talk at a decent hour immediately went out the window. We had far too much to catch up on.

A quick background for those who don't know who Josh is (since I've only started blogging in the last year or two)... Josh and I met freshman year and became really good friends. He wasn't a member at the time, but a few years later he ended up joining, and a year after that, he decided to serve a mission! (And a random side note - his mission president happened to be my old stake president from when I lived in Florida! Weird!) Anyway, he was one of my best guy friends and I would talk with him about everything.

But then he left on his mission and I hadn't seen him since! So it was an awesome little mini-reunion. We barely skimmed the surface of the last 3 years of each others' lives, and definitely need more catching up. But it was just SO good to see him again! Have you ever had a friend who no matter what just automatically puts you in a good mood? I can't not be in a great mood whenever he and I talk. I am so happy to have such a great friend back!

I left there around 7, got home, and had barely any time to get ready for the dance thing tonight. Oh, this dance is apparently every week at the Murray Arts Center and it's a dance full of classic dancing! (ie ballroom) Oh my gosh it was awesome. It kind of depressed me at the same time because I was never made so aware as to how much ballroom dancing I have forgotten over the years; but aside from that, it was awesome. Every song that came on was truly danceable and EVERY song was partner-dancing! I danced triple step swing, two step swing, west coast swing, fox trot, cha-cha, samba, salsa, and waltz. It... rocked. And the best ones were when I got asked by someone who really knew what he was doing and I could follow. All I really need is just a refresher course and then I'd be good to go, and that's how it was with those dances.

This one guy asked me to dance on one of the waltzes and I later found out that he was or is on one of the BYU ballroom teams, so he definitely knew what he was doing... and each new move we did, I kept thinking, "Oh yeah!" or "I remember this one now!" or "I can even remember what comes next!" It made me happy. I will have to go to those more often, because THAT is real dancing. THAT is how dances should still be. If dances were still like that, I would probably be a dance junkie, because I absolutely love ballroom style dancing!

Friday, January 15, 2010

We Are All A Little Weird

I don't know why this is, but for some reason I am always incredibly good at keeping my blog up-to-date whenever I'm in California, but the second I get back to Utah... not so much. So I'm going to try to do better...

On the 13th, Jackie and I went to the temple. It was really exciting for both of us: for Jackie, because it was her first time; and for me, because I had never before gone with anyone who had never been. And it was just overall a really awesome experience. And randomly, we ran into one of her home teachers who had been trying to get her to go, as well as a good friend in her ward who had just been talking to her about the temple a couple days prior. We celebrated afterward by going out for sushi! Yay for sushi. :) And then, of course, stayed up WAY too late chatting. I was originally going to leave for Utah at 7 or 8am... yeah, definitely didn't even wake UP until 9. But I figured, I should probably get at least 6ish hours of sleep before a 10-hour drive. :P

I actually made record time getting back to Utah. I left Jackie's right after 10, and pulled into my 'driveway' at 7:47pm. But it worked out really well, because I actually had a date that night and getting in that early gave me enough time to actually unpack my car, shower, change, etc. When I found out we were going for sushi before the movie, I laughed, but loved it. I had sushi Monday, Wednesday, AND Thursday nights this week. It has been an excellent week. :P

After sushi, we went and saw quite possibly the absolute weirdest movie I have ever seen. It was called "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." It was Heath Ledger's last movie and he died in the middle of filming it, so they got Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to play different parts of his character. Oddly enough, they actually made *that* part make sense. Though, that was about the only thing in the movie that did make sense! It was like one big acid trip or something. I left the theater feeling the like world should be swirling in different colors. Later on, I discovered that it was directed by the same guy who directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the insanity made a little more sense, but it was still an incredibly odd movie.

In other news, I finally got to hear the engagement story of a very close friend of mine! Jameson has been like my surrogate 'big brother' for quite a few years now, and so I was ecstatic when he called me on New Year's to tell me he was engaged! But he didn't have time to tell the story then, so I had to wait until today! In case he doesn't want the story posted about, I will refrain, but suffice it to say that he definitely had it *very* thought out and it was incredibly cute. :) Congratulations, Jameson. It makes me happy. :)

Post title: a quote I happened upon and it just struck me funny.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Boo to R

Oh my goodness this just keeps getting more difficult and/or frustrating. I got an email today from the Utah Film Commission inviting me to a "cast and crew" screening of Frozen at Sundance this year. Haven't I had enough tests for one measly little week? Apparently the term "when it rains, it pours" can apply to many different facets.

See, the issue at hand is that this film is rated R. And in the last week, I have realized now more than ever WHY I need to "stand fast" to my decision. But it just sucks, because how often do you have a film that you worked on premiere at Sundance?? That's not exactly a tiny little film festival. It is in fact, the "largest independent cinema festival in the U.S." ::sigh:: There *is* a cast/crew party beforehand that I might go to. We'll see. Maybe I'll still get the tickets (they're free) and just give them to a friend of mine who really wants to go.

Or, you know, I could actually work on films I *want* to see the final product of! Wouldn't that be nice. One day, right?

Monday, January 11, 2010

I Love to See the Temple

Well, since I no longer have work to worry about, I met up with a good friend of mine today - Jackie. Jackie and I met originally at a party last summer, then randomly ended up working on the same film short together, and we just became really good friends. She was an investigator at the time and once I was back in Provo, I found out that she finally had an official baptism date set. So, her friend Paul and I carpooled from Utah down to L.A. in September for the baptism and I hadn't *seen* her since then.

It was great to catch up with her, and amidst our conversation, I found out that she hasn't been to the temple yet. She really wants to go, but she's just a little nervous about going. That and I guess she lost her recommend a few weeks ago and hadn't been able to find it. So, since I really have no need to be in either place (UT or L.A.) right now, I said "Shoot, I'll go with you!"


I was originally going to leave tomorrow, but oddly enough, I'd had this really odd desire to go to the L.A. temple before I went back to UT, so this was perfect! After we came back from lunch, we looked through all the places she thought the recommend might be and voila! we found it. Yay! So now we're going to go on Wednesday night and then I'm going to stay with her that night and drive back to Utah on Thursday. I'm so excited!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The Hardest Choice

This weekend I had to make one of the hardest choices I have ever had to make. And no, I am not over-exaggerating. It was seriously that hard. I waffled all weekend over it, weighing the pros and cons, never fully being able to decide one way or the other. I love the crew that I'm working with, but the subject-matter is just awful. And I love the fact that the entire thing is filmed on a sound stage and that we get to stay in the same place and that the temperature inside is absolutely perfect, but again... the content is troubling me. And I was thrilled that I would more than likely get to go on location with them to Lousiana for a week in February to film the last portion of the film, but I had this unexplainable *awful* feeling on set that I just couldn't quite explain. But then again, if I quit, I'd be giving up a LOT of money... money that I really need right now... money that I can't really afford to say no to.

Saturday night I spent a good hour or more talking with a really close friend of mine who brought up a TON of really important points and said things in ways that I hadn't quite been able to word. He also was able to help pinpoint WHY I was feeling so rotten after I came home from filming. I'm not going to get into the details of that, so if you really want to know, then email me or something and I'll tell you, but suffice it to say, he really helped put things into perspective for me, and got me that much closer to a decision.

I thought and I prayed about it, prayed and thought about it. I tried to figure out if it was worth it to stay on for the full show, or if I should take the hit and wait for something else. Well, whenever I have to face really tough decisions, I like going to the temple to help me decide... clear my mind from everything else and just be able to really think clearly.

So I thought, "Man, I wish I could just up and go to the temple right now..." But it was a Saturday night, and here they only do baptisms certain days at certain times. So then I thought, "Well, maybe I could go right after work on Tuesday..." and immediately after *that* thought, I thought, "...but I wouldn't feel right about going to the temple if it was coming straight from set."

That was pretty much my answer right there. I had to quit. If working on this film made me feel THAT gross inside that I wouldn't feel right about going to the temple after work, then it wasn't worth it. I could have been making 10 grand on it and it still would not have been worth it.

Plus, in talking with my old (and sort of current) roommate Sarah (I live at her family's place when I'm in L.A.), I realized the whole justification thing trying REAL hard to creep in. And that's exactly how Satan gets to people - by degrees. You start with something small, justify that, then justify the next level, and the next... and before you know it, you're totally off the deep end. If I were to justify "just this 'one' film", then it would be that much easier to agree to "just one more" down the road, and so on. I've got to start high up and stay high up.

So I called John (the friend I had already given Monday to) and asked him if he wanted to take the full two weeks. I explained to him that I just didn't feel comfortable on set and really would prefer not to finish it. I also warned about the content beforehand, and though he appreciated the warning, he was more than happy to take the two weeks from me. Now, the only part left was to tell the mixer.

I know the best way to do these things is either (1) in person or (2) on the phone, but I also knew that there was absolutely *no* way that I was going to get everything out that I needed to get out unless I wrote it all down. So I initially intended on just sort of making a bullet list of all the things I wanted to make sure to tell/explain to him, and it just sort of turned into this really well worded letter instead. So I decided that it would ultimately just be best to email him instead... as lame as that seems. But I did also include in the beginning that I would have preferred to talk to him verbally, but knew I wouldn't be able to say it all in an organized fashion, etc. He responded an hour or so later and said that he totally understood, no hard feelings, that 'horror films aren't for everyone', and that maybe we'd work together in Utah soon (he's based in Utah, too).

So there you have it. I gave up a full feature, 2-3 grand, a great crew, an 'all expense paid' trip to Lousiana, a credit, and a huge networking opportunity. Sheesh... when you list it that way, anyone would say that I'm absolutely insane for giving it up. But so what? Let them. I know that I am making the best possible choice for myself. I feel very much at peace with my decision and I know that better things will come along if I am just patient. I don't have to resort to doing films like these.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Decisions, Decisions

DAY TWO:

Well, today proved to be a turning point for me. I also debated whether or not to even put this on here, but hey, this is me - it's who I am and who I'll always be. Most people find it rather surprising that working in FILM, I still have never seen an R-rated movie. And no, it's not because anyone "told" me not to see them - it has been my own choice since an incredibly young age. And yes, I have worked on them - but that is SO different than watching one. The blood and guts look so fake when you're on set - and it hasn't gone through post yet either, so it looks nothing like the final product when you're actually on location.

The language part of it... yeah, I can't get away from that on ANY set - whether I'm on a potential R film, or G. Crews are just notorious for their sailor-like usage of choice words. So whether it's on set or in the script, I have no choice in the matter, and just learn to develop a filter with the language that I hear. I am proud to say, though, that I have still never said a single swear word in my life, despite the mass amount that I am bombarded with every day.

The topic of discussion today however, is sex scenes. I don't particularly care to work on the slasher films and gory scenes, but I'll do it because like I said - it's so fake when you're on set. But I don't care if it's on screen, off screen, or what - sex scenes I just will not do. Unfortunately, I had no warning and on my very FIRST day, there was one. And let me just say... it was the most uncomfortable thing I have EVER had to boom. I don't ever want to do it again. Ever. I was hoping that that would be the only scene like that since this film is supposed to be a big slasher movie where the 'bad guy' basically goes around killing everyone in gross ways, but when I got the shot list for Monday... well, I had to do some thinking.

I couldn't very well just tell the mixer, "hey sorry but I'm not coming in on Monday", but I'm also in L.A. and don't know many boom ops out here. Luckily, I do know one. I worked with him on a film short while I was living in L.A. last year and he was great to work with and knew what he was doing. So I texted him while I was on set today, asked him if he was free and if he wanted to make an extra $200 on Monday. Fortunately for me, he had nothing going on on Monday and was totally up for it. So I gave him the info, the address, and the call time, and he's going to take my place on Monday.

Yes, I know I am giving up $200, and that the mixer may not hire me on for the next thing he does if he knows ahead of time that there are sex scenes and that I will get a replacement for those days, but you know what? That is just one thing where I draw the line. I *love* working on films, but I don't need to see that stuff...ever. It's disgusting, it's offensive, and I don't want any part of it. I'd rather be out of work and in debt than be subject to that for a month straight.

I'm still wondering, though... why, especially when I live in UTAH, can I not find any 'good and wholesome' movies to work on!? Why do I keep getting these blood and guts movies?? Sure, those "Feature Films for Families" movies are about as cheesy as you can get, and kid movies in general are so corny, but I would SO much rather work on those than movies where everybody dies in gross ways. Plus, I really hate that I can't recommend half of the movies that I work on to any of my friends of family. I worked on Frozen last March and sure it was fun to work on, but there is no WAY I'm going to recommend it to my family! People die gruesome deaths, and the f-bomb is dropped every 4 seconds!

I know the High School Musicals are super cheesy, but you know what? I love them. Working on HSM3 was a blast, and I actually can't wait to work on HSM4 (yes, there is a 4th one...) even though I know it's going to be incredibly lame. Why? Because it will be a good, wholesome movie, and I won't have to worry about all the junk that comes with slasher-type movies. I *really* hope that the next few films I work on will be closer to the PG-G end rather than the R-PG-13 end.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Up, Up, and Away!

I guess I'm going to start off the year with a bang! I flew back to SLC yesterday, and as I turned on my phone once we landed, I was surprised to discover that I had 3 new text messages and two new voice mails. The first voice mail was from Glenn (a guy I have worked with on many productions) informing me that his son, Bobby, is trying to get a hold of me - he is in dire need of a boom operator for a film starting in 3 days. The next voicemail was from Bobby. Yep, he needs a boom. They start filming on the 7th at 7am...in Los Angeles... and it's currently the evening of the 4th and I'm in Utah. I quickly called him back, got it all squared away, and began preparing for a mini-move to L.A. as soon as I got home. I called up the Womacks (the family with whom I stayed all summer) and they agreed to let me do the same deal I had over summer. Housing: covered (thank goodness). I then spent all day running errands, doing laundry, sorting through a few things, depositing checks, paying bills, etc... and bright and early tomorrow morning, I make the 10-hour drive to L.A. My goal is to put at least *something* each day of this film. We'll see how well that goes...

Friday, January 1, 2010

2010 - A New Year, A New Decade

I guess life hasn't been exciting enough to post in the last little bit. Well, either that or *too* exciting. Oct-Nov was a bit too "exciting" with the film, and post-Thanksgiving has been all funeral related. Christmas Eve was hard for everyone when it came time to read the Christmas story. Our family finally put up a tree about 2 days before Christmas - only because the little kids were dying to decorate one. My 17-year-old sister, parents, and I had no desire to decorate the house this year. The sparsely decorated tree by the younger two was about as festive as we got.

My uncle (Alex) and his two kids (Niya and Quincy) came up for Christmas though, and it was really fun to have them in town again. We spent quite a bit of time with them. Christmas Day we all went over to Jason and Tashia's to visit with each other. There was still a lot of snow, so the kids had a blast sledding down the hill near their backyard.

I got into a cleaning mode (as I often do) and luckily was able to pull Rachel in on it and this past week or so we have spent cleaning a great deal of the house. The first were the kids' rooms. I helped Logan with his room, Rachel helped Tiana with hers. Next up was the kitchen and family room. The first time was more 'basic cleaning', but the 2nd time (a few days later) was super deep cleaning. The next day was the hall pantry and the kitchen pantry, and re-straightening of the living room. After that came the fridge and the butcher block. The day after that, Rachel and I finally tackled *her* room. Anyway, that was our present to Mom for Christmas - cleaning the house, since she'd pretty much been away for nearly a month with all the funeral stuff (staying at Grandma's, flying to Utah, etc).

I can't believe it's 2010 already. I remember when I was a little kid thinking that I was going to be "so old" in 2010. heh. I went to the Pratt's party last night and it was so much fun. No matter who is telling the stories, there are always loads to go around. Well, Happy New Year.