It's about that time to reflect

Quote of the Day:  "Do not go where  the path may lead, go instead   where there is no path and leave a trail."   Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's theme is graduation.. senioritis everything of that sort... I have a lot of people  I know who are graduating from high school and college in a couple weeks ( or  a month and a half approximately if you go to SHS) so  I figured I would post a  words to wise kind of entry. It will be split into two parts... advice for high school seniors and advice to college seniors.

Part 1: High School  Seniors

It's been a long time since I was a senior in high school  (going on 5  years) at around this time   senior projects  were wrapping up... college apps had been sent in and most of my friends had found out where they were to  be going to school in September. Current seniors at Souhegan have the same kinds of things to deal with  even though  I think senior project presentations are now at end of April or beginning of May instead of earlier in April...  things have changed so much at Souhegan since I left that  I'm not sure how that schedule works now.  I'm sure the stress of the application process is well over and done with and that most of you know where you're going next yet.  The advice that would fit  your situations right now is live your final days of high school to the fullest because you will miss them  (and your friends) when they're gone.  When the end of the summer and  your departure to your  departure for college (where ever your travels may  lead you  close to home or far away) Embrace each day with passion and don't be afraid to try new things. When I was thinking of what clubs to join in college I kept my passions in check but wasn't afraid of trying something new and that's how  I met a ton of the friends  that I have now.  

Part 2:  College Seniors

This part of the entry  is more relevant to people  I am more closer to in age.  I am in awe that it was only a year ago when   I was in all of your shoes... stressed to the max about graduating on time and even more stressed about what  I would be doing post grad. It was only in the last couple of  weeks of school  when I realized how much  I was going to miss NEC (not so much Henniker because not a whole lot happens there but more so my friends,fellow thespians and professors)  and how much I still miss it and miss all my friends.  Transition from the college life to the real world is a daunting task but take it in stride and you'll do a ok.   The economic down turn has had the biggest effect on me because I have struggled with finding a job since I've graduated and  sometimes even pondered  why  I majored in  what I chose to major in (wishing  I had majored in education instead of communications)  but  I take that in stride too.  The right job will come along eventually  for me    I am sure as I'm sure it will come along for all of you once you start the ever so daunting search.  Live the final moments of your senior year to  the fullest and enjoy them.

Congratulations to everyone in the class  of 2009. Best of luck in whatever future endeavors you lead yourselves on. 

With all these thoughts of graduating  and  where people will be afterwards and even what some people  I graduated with last year are doing now   I can't  help but have a flash back to   August 12th  2007.  It was  the last  brunch at the Barn Playhouse at Wally and Bud's house where  I joined in a conversation that Nic,  Will and Paul where having  with Bud about where they see themselves in the future. I  didn't throw in my own two cents because I didn't want to interrupt anyone else's train of thought.    Besides the late night talks I used to have with Will about various things after Annie Get Your Gun rehearsals or even backstage when there wasn't much else to do  this conversation  really stood out to me because it got me to think about where  I was going with my life.. and where   I would predict most of my friends from the Barn Playhouse would be after we left NLBP. Broadway bound? Well maybe not yet but everyone has to start somewhere and from the chatting i've done with various people in my intern company  quite a few of them have been in either touring shows or off Broadway shows so that doesn't  shock me based on the diverse range of talent that everyone had.  Highly admirable. :D Love everyone in NLBP 07!!  Anyway enough about that.    I still think about the conversation a lot today because I guess the daunting question  I consistently find myself facing is  where do  I see myself in 5,10,15 years?    Communications  is clearly the broadest major one can choose but with the way a lot of newspapers seem to be going out of business  I don't know if i'll be able to make much of a career of being  a theatre reviewer  that's why  I've done some constant rethinking of my career path and  am gonna take some classes in the fall  in either Early Childhood Education, Speech Pathology  or Medical Coding.   It's a daunting and confusing task to try to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life..and quite challenging. It makes my head hurt. 

American Idol Recap- Songs From The Cinema

What week of American Idol is this? 5? 6? I don't remember.
This week's theme was songs from the cinema
Top 3 Allison Matt Kris
Bottom 3 Adam (though he definitely won't get into the bottom 3) Anoop Lil (she's borderline this week)
Middle Ground Danny
Scale Rating 1-10 1 horrible and hurts my ears 10 Awesome
Allison
Song: Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith from the movie Armageddon
Rating 9
Clearly her best performance yet. If she is in the bottom 3 again this week I will be shocked. She is definitley going to make it all the way to the end.
Anoop
Song Everything I Do I Do For You Bryan Adams (missed the movie it was from)
Rating 4.5
This performance was alright.. better then some of his performances in past weeks. His time is running very short,
Adam
Song Born To Be Wild missed the artist name from the movie Ez Rider
Rating 3.5
The best performance he has done so far was Tracks of My Tears during Motown Week. The past two performances he has done have gotten low ratings from me but based on his strong fan base there is no way he'll even get close to the bottom 3. He's invincible. 3.5
Matt
Song Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman by Bryan Adams from the movie Don Juan Demarco
Rating 8
He continues to improve as an artist. I like what I hear from him more and more every week. He did a really good job with the song.
Danny
Song Endless Love Lionel Ritchie missed the movie it was from
Rating 6.5
Lots of good emotion in this song but I tend toward liking his more upbeat performances then the balllads.
Kris
Song Falling Slowly missed the artist and movie it was from
Rating 8
Totally agree with Kara's critique BEST MOMENT!!
Lil
Song The Rose I think it is from Beaches with Bette Midler in it but I am not sure
Rating 7
One of her better performance out all the ones she done over the past few weeks. Loved her song choice but quite frankly I am getting bored with her and hope she goes home this wee

...

Happy Easter and Passover!

So my interview on Friday at Friday's went so-so. It seems like they are looking for people to hire when all the college kids go back to school at the end of the summer so if I end up getting hired I have a feeling I won't get on the schedule rotation for awhile. Now I am anxiously await Tuesday to find out if I get hired. good vibes good vibes

Tomorrow I have an interview for a summer camp job at the Milford Middle School Enrichment Program. That should be pretty interesting and it pays really good too. We'll see how that interview goes. Also I got a phone call on Friday from the Plus Company a sister company of Gateways Community Services and I got a volunteer job offer to be director of their theatre department. I am super excited.. not only am I gonna be working on plays but I am going to be DIRECTING something I have never had any experience in before. I am super super excited.


Things just keep getting better and better.

April 9th- Job update

Bypassed going to the job fair in Manchester today. Heard something on the radio that it was too crowded and there was no way I would have gotten a parking space to get on the shuttle bus from the mall. There weren't a lot of places I was really that interested in applying for there anyway so I guess it works out in my favor that I didn't end up going. Things are finally starting to turn around!!

Fridays FINALLY called me back about the hostesss job. I have the interview tomorrow at 2pm. Hopefully that will go well. *crosses fingers* I also start my volunteer job at Gateways Community Services in Nashua sometime in the next couple weeks doing public relations stuff for them. I also just got a phone call from the Plus Company another place that helps people with disabilites find jobs. They have a department of theate and I was asked to help out with theier shows I am wicked excited! That interview is next Friday @ 11am.

Things are looking up! I might be employed sooner then you think. YAY for potientially not being broke anymore! :)

A humbling experience for this American Idol fan

Before I begin I just want to say that my NCAA basketball bracket totally and completely sucked. The team that I predicted to win did not even make it to the finals. That team was Syracuse... they got out in the semifinals. The team that I was hoping would come in second place UCONN did not win either. North Carolina did. Next year when I do my bracket I have to do a better job of picking teams that will actually win the whole championship.
Moving on.....
So American Idol last night.. history was definitely made. Scott Mcintyre got voted off and I almost cried when the result was given. He is truly an amazing performer and a true inspiration to me. He is vision impaired but does not let his disability get in the way of what he loves. Music! He has been my favorite in this year's competition ever since the audition process started in January. Alexis Grace was my second favorite and to be honest she should have stayed longer than she did and Megan Corkery should have gone home the week that Alexis went home so that way I could have been spared from her horrible performance during top 100 week. I should mention that I am vision impaired too.. I have been since I was really young and the reason why Scott is so inspirational to me is because I wish that I had half the musical talent that he does but I don't. I know I don't and I most likely never will. There are people I have done choir with and theatre with in college and even some people I worked with at the Barn Playhouse that I know my talent won't even halfway match up too (umm Colleen Fee, Nic Rouleau, Caroline Massageee, Keri Racicot the list could seriously go on.. actually technically there's only three or four more people I could possibly think of) I am totally and completely humbled to be an American Idol fan after watching Scott's progression from the auditions to this week's performance that sent him home. He's amazing! I will definitley buy his cds if he comes out with any. I will also buy Allison Ireheata's and Danny Gokey's because they are pretty amazing too.

Back To the 80s on American Idol- Theme Songs From The Year You Were Born

 Last night's American Idol  theme was  Songs from the year were born.  Overall good theme though some performances were better than others

Top  Three: Alison;Danny; Matt
Bottom 3:  Anoop   Lil  Scott
Middle: Adam and Kris

Summary and Ratings of Last Night's Performances 
Ratings on 1-10    1= horrible and hurts my ears 10- Totally and completely awesome
 ( I can't remember all the song titles)
Danny 
Birthyear 1980
Danny's performances keep getting better and better  each week. He is definitely  a contender  for the top 3 in my opinion.
Rating:  9
Adam
Birthyear   1982
Song: Mad World
Not a huge fan of this song in the first place. His performance was so-so.  Everything he sings is kind of starting to sound the same and I think he is better suited for  Musical Theatre then for American Idol.
Rating; 4
Lil 
Birthyear 1984
Song: What's Love Got To With It - Tina Turner
Not her best performance.  Loved the song choice and I found myself singing along however  I do not feel she did the song justice. She may go home this week
Rating: 4
Matt  
Birthyear 1985
Song: Part Time Lover
Like Danny his performances keep getting better and better and continue to impress me. I think he will definitely make it into the top 5. If he is in  bottom three  I will cry. Same thing with Allison and Danny. 
Rating:8 
Scott
Birthyear 1985
Good song choice  and I liked how he finally got out of his comfort zone from playing the piano. He has good stage prescene. However, all his songs are starting to sound the same. 
Rating 4
Kris
Birthyear: 1985
He had a really high energy performance this week. I truly enjoyed it.
Rating: 7
Anoop
Birthyear: 1986
Song- True Colors  by Cyndi  Lauper
I don't know what to think of Anoop anymore. There are some weeks when I think he is  really good and some weeks when I think he will most likely end up going home.  This week I am sort of border line because while I thought he had an excellent song choice and did really good vocally  like I said for Scott and Adam everything is kind of starting to sound the same
Rating:4.5
Allison
Birthyear:1992
The youngest one in the comppetion surely has high stakes for her older compettiors to follow.  She is very talented for   sixteen years old and  I predict she will make it all the way to the top three.  I will definitely by her records. I plan on buying Danny's and Kris's too. Possibly even Scott's. If she  is in the bottom three again  I will cry. She has been in the bottom three for the past two weeks so things don't really look too good for her.
Rating:8

Reviewing the situation

Today I went to a job fair for people with disabilities @ the Marriot Hotel in Boston. I picked up a lot of pamphlets that I need to look over about stuff in Massachuetts that are hiring. Quite frankly Massachuetts seems to have a bigger variety amount of jobs than NH does. If things do not turn around considerably in terms of full or part time employment soon I may have to consider reloacting to Boston for awhile to work down there and live with my grandparents during the week and live at home during the weekends.. kind of similar to what Thomas Rossi is doing. I have been incredibly discouraged lately with the amount of full time or part time work I have been able to find locally so it might be beneficial for me to broaden my horizions a little bit. I have been playing phone tag with the managers from Fridays and Black Forest Cafe to set up interviews and the Public Relations department woman at Gateways for a volunteer job working on thier newsletter to set up a schedule for that quite frusturating. I also had a job interview at Southern NH Medical Center yesterday for a volunteer job. Complete disappointment as they had no opportunties I was interested in. I wonder what kind of opportunities I will find for jobs at the job fair at Southern NH University on Thursday. Hopefully there are more places hiring then I think there are.. perhaps I am just looking in the wrong places for work. We willl see.
So needless to say I have a ton of stuff to do in the coming days

• Fill out online job apps for Home Depot, The Social Secruity Adminstration

Follow up with the following places about job apps/setting up interviews (these may have to wait til Monday.

1. Fridays (7th attempt)
2. Black Forest Cafe (5th attempt)
3. Unos
4. Camp Sargent
5. Hampton Inn

• Work on my next article for the Milford Cabinet.

A 48 hour hiatus from Facebook seems most appropriate.. maybe a while longer.

Megan got voted off American Idol. Sweet justice to my ears. She could not sing and whoever kept voting for her (clearly she had a bigger fan base than Alexis Grace who got voted off two weeks ago) were totally tone deaf. She was totally and completley a sore loser being all immature and saying " I don't care what you think" and having an over all bad attitude. Thank god she is finally gone. I think that either Anoop or Scott will be next to go. Allison was in the bottom 3 again this week... not a very good sign.. that could potentiallly be an indicator that she could go home next. I think is is a close contender for the top 3.

Well Seinfeld is on in 10 minutes so I gotta go.. i will probably go to bed early tonight. A lot needs to be done tomorrow before Heather and Erin come over... mostly cleaning my room and working on my article so I can get that sent off by Sunday night.

Janine