Thankful thursday...

I was just inspired to do this, (thankyou liz). It was an interesting day, and I spent most of it in a pretty annoyed mood. Honestly I was pretty angry at one point. Because of that I think that I need to do this, and just remind myself of the truth of my situation. I am thankful for...

• The ability to make dang good chili
• A country where I can be involved in the elector process, even if it takes a year and a half and makes me want to hurt every third person who opens there mouth about it.
• The chance at a career that I never considered possible
• Friends who know me, and still want to eat lunch with me, and will on occasion have a conversation with me.
• People who believe in me when they have no good reason to do so.
• Little old ladies who can walk faster than a two year old.
• Children who believe the angels on stage are real.
• The quickness that with which summer became Autumn.
• The cold air against my face, and burning my lungs
• My Father who understands the frustration of unemployment, understands the frustration of moving on, and who in brief moments becomes my daddy one more time to pray with me over the phone when I'm at my wits end.
• My Mom who believes that everything I do is golden.
• Liz Stewart who listens to me from a thousand miles away
• Friends how gladly tell me that they told me so.
• the knowledge that life goes on.
• Being existential enough to believe that my reason and purpose comes from a God who created me, loves me, died for me, and wants only the best for me, even when I ignore Him, yell at Him, and blame Him.
• The grace to be a performer in need of a little attention from time to time.
• Ten months at a "job" that gave me my first real friends in three years, a chance to try a new career, and the apperance of passion that I didn't know was there.
• The patience to wait for a new contract to come out, and knowing that it doesn't define me as a person, or a performer.

A.T.H.

because I like to eat...

Ok, I really do have other things to write about, but I want to wait just one more day to write about those things. I'm waiting because by tomorrow I should know whether or not I have Christmas employment at the theatre or if it's back to the drawing boards...among other things. So he it is, because it sounded interesting and I was wondering myself.

The question is, which of these 100 foods have you eaten. If you want to participate feel free...here are the rules:


1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe (But I want too...)
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate (Chocolate with chili's?)
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

My life as an actor...

I have an audition tomorrow...
It's kind of odd to hear myself say it. It's a really good opportunity to see if this is a direction that I should be pursuing. Up until now I've not been sure how to take my new life as an actor. I mean I love it, I've alway dreamed of performing for a living (most musicians do), but I never really considered the idea that this is something I could do at least for a season. And now I'm presented with possibilities that really astound me.
It's a new musical, Amazing Grace. It's centered on the life of John Newton. The music is powerful, as is the story. It could lead to...I don't really know. I new opportunity somewhere else with another theater, another show. It could prove that I really should be pursuing this career, or it could tell me that this is only a season and to enjoy it while it lasts. I don't know. I'm prepared for the audition, though. I feel good about my songs, my voice feels good (though a little tired right now), and I'm looking forward to it. I'll have friends at the audition, and we're all kind of excited about it. New Opportunities...wow. That's all I can really say...wow.
A.T.H.

Things unsaid...

I've been reading old posts...I'm not sure what to think about them either. I like them, but they're mine I kind of have to like them. The one thing that really stuck out was the topics I chose to write about. Mostly they where centered around relationships, or rather the relationships that I would like to have. I don't know what to think about that. Of course relationship are important to me, but they're important to everyone, to one degree or another. I guess that they are just normally at the forefront of my mind, so when I start to write that's what comes out. Relationships, or my lack there of. As if I find my self worth based in them. I don't, or at least I don't think that I do. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by them. Even to night, I spend time with a couple from work. I didn't intend to, but it turned out that we we're the only ones who went for wings tonight. I enjoyed the time, they're both friends and I feel comfortable around them. In fact I love to hang out with the both of them. We've do this twice, where it ends up being Ben, Kristan, and me. We sit and talk and enjoy each other's company, and I don't feel like a third wheel. I would even go so far as to say that I enjoy watching them interact as a couple. They are just a blessing to be around. They make me feel comfortable even though I'm the single guy at the table, they're the kind of couple that make me hope that one day I'll be in that type of relationship.

I was in a relationship a few months back. Romantically it lasted maybe two weeks. I ended it. I ended because it was going so fast for me. She was great, she was lovely, wonderful, funny, but it happened so fast. I never saw it coming, and I wasn't ready for it, and all of a sudden there it was. I got scared, just a little...maybe more than a little. So, I ended it. I didn't do it with the idea of backing up, spending some time getting to know her, or making sure I was doing the right thing. I did it because I was uncomfortable with the idea of having someone that close. There I said it. I'm not an open person, I've never been an open person, and I found myself telling her the things that I didn't want to tell anyone. So, I stopped. But I knew I was doing the right thing. She came over one Sunday after church, she sat in my chair and asked me straight out if there was a chance for us. Part of me actually wanted to say yes. Yes, there is a chance for us, but just not right now. I've been alone for so long that when I finally wasn't I wasn't comfortable with the idea. I couldn't handle it at all. I kind of wanted to be with her, but not really. I didn't think that was fair so I told her, with a heavy heart, no. I stopped thinking about it. I felt hounded even after that. She would send me text messages a lot. She would call and ask to come over. None of my other friends did that. In fact if I want to hear from one of my friends it seems that I need to call them, or text them first. I got annoyed, and acted like a jerk. Something I wish I hadn't done. I started to build the walls back up that seemed to have fallen down. A few weeks ago she started dating some other guy, a new guy in the cast. At first I was fine with it. I was happy for her. Then I snapped. What the hell had I just done? I wanted to be in a relationship, remember? I wanted to date someone, remember? All this longing after people who don't spend enough time to give you the time of day, all this wishing you could find someone who actually liked you for a change, and now it's gone? I actually tried to get her back, but that didn't happen. In fact I almost succeeded in the complete destruction of any relationship that had left. It's been a process to getting to today.

I've been trying to understand why I did what I did. It doesn't make sense to me. But today, walking in the animal hallway, I started to think about the situation again and immediately stopped and though it'll work out the way that it will work out...and I moved on. Now would I date her given the chance...yes, I would. Do I see that happening...no I don't.

I had a rather bad day today. I woke up 20 minuets after I should have been at work for tour this morning. I slept through one alarm, and two phone calls. I was not impressed at the time, but I kind of am now. I got there in time for tour to start, and actually tour went well. We had a good group, and they asked a lot of questions. Later at cast meeting I found out that the Casting Director wanted to see me for 5 minuets. I knew exactly what the reason was, and exactly what she was going to say. "We're going to keep you in the backup position." I knew this, but was still thoroughly disappointed when I heard the actually words. You see backup is the number three position for a roll, but for Lucifer, the roll I currently "backup," there are only two of us. Which makes me the understudy by proxy. I feel like I'm being jerked around. I feel taken advantage of. I feel like I want to call the principle, who's a friend of mine, and telling him to pick a day when we both just don't show up for a show. I wanted to just go home at this point, but I didn't. the show must go on. My show run was bad, I couldn't get my timing right, I couldn't get my mind in the scenes, I missed dance steps, flubbed notes. I just had a bad day. Then said girl above asks me how I'm doing, so I tell her. I'm having a bad day. She sent me a text on the way home saying if I need someone to talk to she'd be there. I read that in my car, and I guy reaction was "no you won't. Not the way I'd want you to be." I can't tell her that. For friendship sake I can't tell her that. So I talked to Ben and Kristan, and I felt better. The right people, at the right time, for the right purpose.

I don't think she was the right person at the right time, but I guess only time will truly tell. Just like Sarah wasn't that person in High School, and Erica wasn't that person at University. This is where this gets hard. My mind is completely empty right now, and I'm writing in the present. There are few people in my life that I would consider dating. Erica, I would date, but know that it would never happen. I'm fine with that. This current girl I would date, but it can't happen. I'm not sure I'm fine with that but I do still think that I was right in the first place...no matter how much I've gone back on that thought, and seconded guessed it. And Liz, I would date, but she's a thousand miles away, and for all that I can ponder out has no interest in dating me. I have a picture of the two of us siting above my computer. It's from the last day we were on Caton's Island, inside the mess hall. Do you remember? I love that picture. I always have. I always thought that we looked good together in that picture. Liz has always been in the back of my mind as someone that I liked, and that I thought that I could date if we ever lived close enough, but that chance has never happened. And the logistics of a long distance relationship of that magnitude have always been daunting to me. I've often thought about how it might work, but I never get very far in the planing, mostly because it would take the both of us to make it work, and that's something that we've never had. That's it. Three women, that I would date, and seemingly none that I can.

I've spent the last six months living outside of my box. I'm completely steeped in a life that I never thought that I would be involved in, living a dream basically. A dream that I did not prepare for, was not planing on, yet here I am an Actor by trade. I have an audition coming up on the 14th for a new show, and the possibility of staying at sight and sound another year. It's because of this that I've been taking that chance to say those things that I've never said, or maybe just hinted at. It's better to have said them I think, than to have wished you said them after it was too late. Things that need to be said. The things I wrote about here were some of them. I need to clear the air, even if it on a blog that no one reads anymore. I want a relationship, but I want it with who I want it. I'm not good at intimacy, or relationships but I do try. I try to open up. Maybe it is as simple as a friend of mine said, "maybe it wasn't God's timing." Maybe. Maybe it wasn't God's person. Maybe. Maybe I just screwed up royally and have to suffer for a while. Maybe. It's been an uncomfortable, but good six months.

A.T.H.

Sometimes you fight for what you want, but what if you can't. What if you had exactly what you said you wanted in your hands and you threw it away because you were scared of what it meant? Have you ever realized you made a mistake at the exact moment that it became impossible to fix. What does a man do when all he wants is to be happy, and he is the only one who stands in the way of it? All I can do is nothing...and nothing is all I have a right too.

The man...

It's been a rough week. Last Sunday my Grandfather died. He was 85 and had not been doing well. When he caught a cold late last week the doctor knew that the only thing he could do was work through it on his on. It was a good guess. My grandfather worked himself through everything. At 75 he built his newest house with his own hands, eventually he had to be forced to stop so that he wouldn't hurt himself. He was stubborn to a fault, sarcastic, and a practical joker. You never knew exactly where you stood with my grandfather and that was the way he liked it. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade because his father was forced to retire from the Logging mill at the age of 75...the stubbornness runs in the family. He enlisted in the Army during WWII. He trained as a combat engineer and was shipped to the south pacific. He island hopped, spent time in the Philippines and latie, and was on a ship waiting for landing orders to invade Japan when the bomb was dropped. He never talked about the war, but we all understood. We listened to the stories he would tell and nodded with out questioning when he got silent. I never really knew that part of my Grandfather, but I knew that look in his eye. That glint that let you know he was up to no good, which was most of the time. I loved that look. I'll miss that look.

I didn't get to spend a lot of time with him these last few years. I tried to get up whenever I could but I normally wasn't around. We were alike in lots of ways, most of them mentioned above. I remember when I graduated from High school, He came down for my graduation party. He took me aside and started telling me about when he left for the army. He told me about how some of the boys he was with would cry at night because they were away from home for the first time. He looked me in the eye and said...Don't do that. I just had to laugh. He knew I was nervous about college, just the way he had been nervous about leaving for the army, but that was his way of telling me that I'd be ok. He was a good man. A brave, intellegent, loving, man, and I'll miss him. I just wish he and been well enough to come see me in the show. The last time I saw him, we hugged, he told me he was proud of me, and that he would be down soon to see the show. He never made it, but he wasn't a show guy so I won't hold it against him.
A.T.H.

It just occurred to me that I have once again failed to keep a promise...even if it is just to myself. The "job," heh...it's my job, is great. We opened Daniel and the Lions Den on the 7th of this month, and while I won't say that it's been going swimmingly, I can't say that it's going badly. I would have to imagine that most theaters have the small hiccups that we've had. Honestly I find them kind of nice. They're a break from what could become monotony and they do keep you on your toes. I'm really enjoying myself here in Lancaster. It's not the booming metropolis that I sometime think I would enjoy, but it's not completely dull either. The apartment I moved into is in a slightly nicer section of town a few blocks from Franklin and Marshall College. For me that means hearing college kids walking around most of the night. I like it though, the neighborhood isn't scary, at least to me it's not, and I can park right out front of my door most of the time.

Honestly it's been a very busy two months, between rehearsals, commuting, moving to Lancaster, making new friends, and just getting myself set up it's been a veritable whirl wind of activity. I have pictures of my apartment, but they're on my camera and right now I'm too lazy to even attempt to post them, maybe tomorrow. As far a pictures of work go, I'm not really allowed to take any pictures inside the theatre, so poop on that idea. I got a very part-time job as a tour guide for the theater, but I think I'm going to look for something else to supplement my income. I'm hoping that in the next few weeks I'll become more accustomed to my schedule and start to find the many cracks so I can get out and do a few of the things I want to do. I really do love my job, and often find myself sitting on the side stage where I start from and just wondering how in the world I ended up on stage. I'll be honest it was not a goal of mine to be on stage in anyway. Partly because it wasn't something I necessarily wanted to do and, to be very honest, I never thought that I was good enough. It's been an interesting two monthes for my ego. I don't have big roles, and there are times when I'm on stage that the scene could go just as well without me, but simply to be here...to have the opportunity to be on stage...it's beyond a dream. It's beyond what I thought God would do in my life.

You always assume that God has great plans for your life, but you tend to see them in the scope of what you believe is possible. Being on stage was a possiblity for me, I'm not good enough to do this, but here I am, sitting next to a guy who's actually been on broadway, who's traveled with Les Mis and sang as Valjan. I don't do this, but this job makes me wonder. I'm getting back into voice lessons, getting into the gym, and even starting some Ballet classes. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right and better myself. It makes me wonder where I'll be in 5 years. Because I never thought that I would be here. I am in awe, and I want to know more.
A.T.H.

My New Job...

I know I've not really written consistantly for quite some time now. I hope to rectify that this year, though I'm pretty sure that by now my minimal following has dwindled to nothing. In any case, let me introduce you to my new reason to blog. The picture is of my new office. Sight and Sound theater in Lancaster, PA. I'm in the process of move there, but for the time being I'm enduring an hour and a half one way commute, fortunatly it's the worst thing about my Job. I'm now among the true ranks of the starving artist's, being paid to sing, dance and act...that's right I get to play for a living. completly awesome, and completly God. I'm going to try and do a photo journal for this year, posting photos and maybe some video from time to time to document my first year here. It's going to be great, it's only been four days, two of which spend in nothing but meetings, and I love it. I never dreamed of actually being able to do somthing like this, it's completly mind blowing to me. If anyone is still reading this, immediate friends in anycase, I'm giving an open invite to come and see the show's this year. let me know a head of time and I'll get you good tickets for cheap. This place is amazing...I just have to keep saying it.
A.T.H.