For those who don't know, I belong to the most epic Girl Scout troop ever. Seriously. My Girl Scout troop (aka the Evil Minions for various and random reasons) means quite a lot to me. They are fun, positive, kind, diligent, and are willing to share their extra socks during a small hurricane in a campground in Pennsylvania.
Recently, we went camping. We got to stay in a large white tipi. Shortly after we arrived at our site, I decided to write down funny quotes people said in my journal. Well, throughout the course of the trip we collected quite a few. Some of the best are below (the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Whether or not I deliberately changed them to names of various companions in Doctor Who is for you to decide. Coincidences do and frequently happen.)
Our tipi smells like Christmas candles!
No one killed my father. Thank God.
My feet can fly!
We were encouraged to steal soap.
Hitler was a good artist until he decided that he hated Jews more than he loved art.
I love that there are three ukuleles on this trip!
I'm thinkin' Elmo with a mullet.
"Why did we bring such a huge pot?" "Because my mom told me that the little one was stupid."
If your cooking pot isn't smoking by now, you've done something wrong.
Why do the peas smell like Oreos?
The beauty queen is going to stuff her face now.
I will eat potatoes angrily in your general direction.
I hate it. I want to smother it.
What the HECK is in my pants?!
I'm starting to think that the idea of wearing pajamas all the time is a good one.
My brain is like "no! sleep is for the weak!"
I didn't clench, I just lightly grazed my teeth across your face.
Just hug her. She'll move.
That does not constitute a tickling emergency.
"WHAT is that THING!?" "Um, that's Martha."
I'm gonna go to war in my pajamas.
Either you love bacon or you're wrong.
Did you just spit into the wilderness?
It is possible that monkeys will fall from the sky and demand s'mores.
I'm like "yay, clothes!"
My soul has a bounce to it.
It's like I'm playing a weird, aquatic tuba.
It's like a python in the world of ponytail holders.
Isn't Donna's hair the best meal you've ever had? It's like dessert!
I have my own disgusting pile of disgustingness to finish.
I was bitten by a radioactive mustache. Now I'm cat woman by night.
My face hurts because he's so gorgeous! (In reference to the campfire that we named Benjamin).
You're sharing your chocolate with me, so I burned these three marshmallows for you!
Stop waltzing with Mr. Bunnypants!
"Is this sticky?" "I don't know. Let's run it across my face and see."
I'm known for my bendy face.
Wait, Sarah Jane? Did you just turn into Amy? WOW!
I feel like a middle-aged marshmallow man!
But how could you have tripped her if you didn't touch her?
But I had Rose in my head!
You could just tie a string to her ankle so you could follow her wherever she goes.
Let's just not listen to one another.
This is the sort of delightful madness that ensues in my troop.
~Naddie
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Playing Quidditch
My director is really, really cool. Not only is she a phenomenal director all around, but she does awesome things like let her cast members play Quidditch at rehearsal. I love Quidditch (along with Calvinball, it is the only sport I actually understand, if you don't count piano as a sport. Which most people don't seem to). I was very eager for the match, because while I knew all the rules of Quidditch I had never actually played before.
The match was last Tuesday. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. I was quite pleased to have been chosen as team captain for Gryffindor. I also felt very spiffy indeed, because a friend lent me his cape and a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages (an excellent read, by the way) that he had made notes in about which plays and techniques would work the best for people who didn't actually have brooms that flew. The players were picked, positions were assigned, the Snitch was released, and the game began.
Who won, you ask? Well, I am pleased to inform you, dear and gentle reader, that we beat the pants (er, capes) off of Ravenclaw and won by a large margin. However, I should add that this was not due to the team's Keeper. The Keeper was sadly not very good, and missed incoming balls on a regular and pathetically consistent basis. But because the other players were actually good at the positions they were assigned, we won. Why, my dear Naddie, you say, whoever was this terrible Keeper? Who could have caused your team such distress? My dear reader. I appreciate your concern. Thank you for your thoughtful question. The terrible Keeper who caused my team such distress was... erm... me. However, in my defense, I played Chaser later in the game and was quite good at that. Several people who were there will back me up with this story. I wish I had known that I made such a good Chaser and a pretty abysmal Keeper earlier in the game. Perhaps the most embarrassing part is that all the other players on Gryffindor were picked at random from a bucket containing their names on slips of paper. They could not control the positions to which they were assigned (at least in the first couple rounds). As team captain, I chose my own position. I thought I would make a fair Keeper. How terribly wrong I was.
All in all, we had an absolute ball (no pun intended, I swear). Many of us really want to have another match in the future. However, if we do this, I propose that we play on vacuum cleaners rather than brooms, because we had quite a large quantity of straw from beat-up brooms to remove from the (carpeted) floor once we were through. And the thing about sweeping up broom straw from a carpet is that it pointless because among other things you're probably using the very broom that caused the problem in the first place, and it will only increase the amount of straw on the floor. Brooms are very resistant to changing their ways.
~Naddie
The match was last Tuesday. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. I was quite pleased to have been chosen as team captain for Gryffindor. I also felt very spiffy indeed, because a friend lent me his cape and a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages (an excellent read, by the way) that he had made notes in about which plays and techniques would work the best for people who didn't actually have brooms that flew. The players were picked, positions were assigned, the Snitch was released, and the game began.
Who won, you ask? Well, I am pleased to inform you, dear and gentle reader, that we beat the pants (er, capes) off of Ravenclaw and won by a large margin. However, I should add that this was not due to the team's Keeper. The Keeper was sadly not very good, and missed incoming balls on a regular and pathetically consistent basis. But because the other players were actually good at the positions they were assigned, we won. Why, my dear Naddie, you say, whoever was this terrible Keeper? Who could have caused your team such distress? My dear reader. I appreciate your concern. Thank you for your thoughtful question. The terrible Keeper who caused my team such distress was... erm... me. However, in my defense, I played Chaser later in the game and was quite good at that. Several people who were there will back me up with this story. I wish I had known that I made such a good Chaser and a pretty abysmal Keeper earlier in the game. Perhaps the most embarrassing part is that all the other players on Gryffindor were picked at random from a bucket containing their names on slips of paper. They could not control the positions to which they were assigned (at least in the first couple rounds). As team captain, I chose my own position. I thought I would make a fair Keeper. How terribly wrong I was.
All in all, we had an absolute ball (no pun intended, I swear). Many of us really want to have another match in the future. However, if we do this, I propose that we play on vacuum cleaners rather than brooms, because we had quite a large quantity of straw from beat-up brooms to remove from the (carpeted) floor once we were through. And the thing about sweeping up broom straw from a carpet is that it pointless because among other things you're probably using the very broom that caused the problem in the first place, and it will only increase the amount of straw on the floor. Brooms are very resistant to changing their ways.
~Naddie
Sunday, May 27, 2012
April Waltz
At long last, here it is!
I wrote April Waltz not, as the title suggests, in April, but in February. I called it April Waltz because the sound suggested April to me. (I have synesthesia, which for me means that among other things I hear music in color. This piece is mostly blue and yellow with green and red, in pale-ish shades that remind me of flowers. I dunno, that's just the way that my mind has always processed sound). I've been editing it since February, and have finally arrived at a final version. Today I was at my church and choir practice finished early, so I thought hey, why not record good old April Waltz on this awesome concert piano here at the church? It's about time I posted it on my blog. So here it is. Please ignore the faint sound of screaming children in the penultimate phrase. Unfortunately, the church was far from empty while I was working. Oh, and the sound quality is kinda lousy because I had to record it on my iPod, but I deemed it good enough to post. I thought it was far better than no waltz at all, considering how long I've been promising to post this :)
~Naddie
I wrote April Waltz not, as the title suggests, in April, but in February. I called it April Waltz because the sound suggested April to me. (I have synesthesia, which for me means that among other things I hear music in color. This piece is mostly blue and yellow with green and red, in pale-ish shades that remind me of flowers. I dunno, that's just the way that my mind has always processed sound). I've been editing it since February, and have finally arrived at a final version. Today I was at my church and choir practice finished early, so I thought hey, why not record good old April Waltz on this awesome concert piano here at the church? It's about time I posted it on my blog. So here it is. Please ignore the faint sound of screaming children in the penultimate phrase. Unfortunately, the church was far from empty while I was working. Oh, and the sound quality is kinda lousy because I had to record it on my iPod, but I deemed it good enough to post. I thought it was far better than no waltz at all, considering how long I've been promising to post this :)
~Naddie
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Beauty and the Beast
Here comes the obligatory HTT post for the spring! For those who are sadly ignorant, HTT stands for Homeschool Theatre Troupe. This is my acting group, and possibly the finest conglomeration of teenage actors in the country (at least, that's my slightly slanted opinion). Each spring and fall, HTT puts on a very professional, highly produced show. This spring it is... (drum roll) Beauty and the Beast. I have had such an awesome time being a part of this production. In many ways it's one of the most ambitious shows we've ever attempted: there are special effects, a complicated set, complicated costumes, various musical, dance and performance elements and more. Note: this is NOT the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. If you come to the show hoping to encounter big yellow ball gowns, singing teapots, dancing cutlery, and flirtatious candelabras you will be sorely disappointed. No, we're doing the original French fairy tale version. It's very different from the Disney version, and really interesting.
If you're wondering who I am, I play Beauty during the dream sequences. (In the original version, the prince appears to Beauty in human form in her dreams). The official name of my character is "Dream Beauty." So in a weird way, I'm playing Sleeping Beauty in Beauty and the Beast. Ha ha.
Below is the show's information. If you live nearby, I strongly urge you to come see us!
Toodles!
~Naddie
Homeschool Theatre Troupe announces:
General Admission:
If you're wondering who I am, I play Beauty during the dream sequences. (In the original version, the prince appears to Beauty in human form in her dreams). The official name of my character is "Dream Beauty." So in a weird way, I'm playing Sleeping Beauty in Beauty and the Beast. Ha ha.
Below is the show's information. If you live nearby, I strongly urge you to come see us!
Toodles!
~Naddie
Homeschool Theatre Troupe announces:
Beauty and the Beast
Based on the original tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Beauty
is the child of a forbidden marriage between a fairy and a king of a
great realm. The fairy mother is imprisoned and the child spirited away
by an ambitious and jealous enemy attempting to win the favors of the
mortal king. When the king spurns the attentions of this malicious
fairy, she makes an attempt on Beauty’s life, and then resorts to wooing
a prince in another kingdom to gain power. The prince rebuffs her as
well, and the angry fairy curses the prince to live his life as a
ferocious beast, setting the condition that only the love of a young
girl can cure him.
In
order to save her father’s life, Beauty enters the beast’s palace
willingly and discovers that the rooms are delightfully enchanted, aimed
to please her every whim. At night she dreams of a handsome prince who
tells her that he can be rescued if only she is able to look beyond
appearances. Beauty is confused by these messages and she must fall in
love with the beast before she comprehends the prince’s full meaning.
The
enchanted rooms and dream sequences provide excellent opportunities for
performance art including live vocals and music, dance, acrobatics and
an exploration of the genres of commedia dell’arte and puppetry. Join
Homeschool Theatre Troupe as they present this beloved traditional
fairytale.
Come see the show!
Performance Dates
June 14 @ 7:00pm, June 15 @ 7:00pm, and June 16 @ 1:30pm
June 14 @ 7:00pm, June 15 @ 7:00pm, and June 16 @ 1:30pm
General Admission:
$8,
available at the door before each show or at the Sharron Baucom Dale
City Recreation Center. Members of the cast also have tickets. Ages 3
and under are free.
Group Tickets:
$6
each for 10 or more tickets. Groups can receive special benefits too,
such as reserve seating. A 15-20 minute Q&A and tour of the set is
also available. Contact julielittle@verizon.net for more information.
Location:
The Dr. A. J. Ferlazzo Auditorium, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive in Woodbridge, Virginia.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Trash Cans, Procrastination, and Joseph Glidden
Four million African-Americans were freed from slavery due to a Union victory in the Civil War. The Solomon Island Leaf Frog has no tadpole stage but emerges from the egg as a fully-formed froglet. There are ten semitones in a diminished seventh, Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire in the late nineteenth century, and David Tennant played the Doctor for three seasons of Doctor Who.
...And you're probably wondering about now why on Earth I have just supplied you with a string of mildly interesting but almost certainly useless facts. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. These facts are meant to have the same effect as a magician's flash of light or colored puff of smoke: I would like to distract you from what is actually going on here.
"What is actually going on here, Naddie?" you say. Well, dear reader, in response to your excellent question, you may have noticed that I haven't posted in a little while. Ok, fine, a large while. I had an excellent arsenal of excuses all ready to go, but I have decided to spare you the tedium of the precise nature of my procrastination and instead educate you with useless facts while simultaneously distracting you from my laziness. Two birds with one stone!
Oh, don't worry. I actually do intend to include some worthwhile content in this post, not only distractions, excuses and similes. And no, I'm not posting the waltz I wrote. Not yet. I still haven't figured out how to imbed a sound clip in a post (if you haven't guessed by now, my talents lie outside the perplexing realm of computers and technology). The waltz will have to wait a little longer. However, I recently became very bored quite late at night and the following writing resulted:
Six Good Reasons Why Every Room in Every House Ought to Have Two Trash Cans
1. You don't have to take out the trash so dreadfully often.
2. Each trash can needs another trash can to talk to. This is important. It can get to be terribly lonely, sitting there day after day while everyone's filling you up with trash. Only another trash can can really understand and sympathize with a trash can. Sometimes a really good actor wearing a convincing enough costume can do it, but it should be noted that this is not a good substitute for getting a second trash can for each room because most actors will not put up with sitting still all day while people throw things away in them.
3. If one of your trash cans gets burnt to ashes because some idiot thought it would be good fun to throw away a lighted match, then you've got a spare can all ready to go.
4. If you have to throw away something really big, you can cut it in half and share it between the two cans. Teamwork!
5. If you have a sudden urge to play a game of indoor soccer, pour out the trash from one can into the other. Then proceed to kick the empty can around the room until the game ends or you get bored or dizzy or all three.
6. If you are confronted with a bare light bulb, if you're at a New Year's party, or you find yourself for any other reason in need of an emergency lampshade, empty one trash can into another as discussed in reason #5. Then place the empty can on the light bulb or head. Note: This only works with lamps and cans that are of compatible sizes. Please do not attempt to place a very large trash can on an average-sized human head.
And thus I shall conclude this long-ish post. I hope to be able to post more often now, as many of my scholastic commitments this year have ended or are soon to do so.
~Naddie Boyne
...And you're probably wondering about now why on Earth I have just supplied you with a string of mildly interesting but almost certainly useless facts. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. These facts are meant to have the same effect as a magician's flash of light or colored puff of smoke: I would like to distract you from what is actually going on here.
"What is actually going on here, Naddie?" you say. Well, dear reader, in response to your excellent question, you may have noticed that I haven't posted in a little while. Ok, fine, a large while. I had an excellent arsenal of excuses all ready to go, but I have decided to spare you the tedium of the precise nature of my procrastination and instead educate you with useless facts while simultaneously distracting you from my laziness. Two birds with one stone!
Oh, don't worry. I actually do intend to include some worthwhile content in this post, not only distractions, excuses and similes. And no, I'm not posting the waltz I wrote. Not yet. I still haven't figured out how to imbed a sound clip in a post (if you haven't guessed by now, my talents lie outside the perplexing realm of computers and technology). The waltz will have to wait a little longer. However, I recently became very bored quite late at night and the following writing resulted:
Six Good Reasons Why Every Room in Every House Ought to Have Two Trash Cans
1. You don't have to take out the trash so dreadfully often.
2. Each trash can needs another trash can to talk to. This is important. It can get to be terribly lonely, sitting there day after day while everyone's filling you up with trash. Only another trash can can really understand and sympathize with a trash can. Sometimes a really good actor wearing a convincing enough costume can do it, but it should be noted that this is not a good substitute for getting a second trash can for each room because most actors will not put up with sitting still all day while people throw things away in them.
3. If one of your trash cans gets burnt to ashes because some idiot thought it would be good fun to throw away a lighted match, then you've got a spare can all ready to go.
4. If you have to throw away something really big, you can cut it in half and share it between the two cans. Teamwork!
5. If you have a sudden urge to play a game of indoor soccer, pour out the trash from one can into the other. Then proceed to kick the empty can around the room until the game ends or you get bored or dizzy or all three.
6. If you are confronted with a bare light bulb, if you're at a New Year's party, or you find yourself for any other reason in need of an emergency lampshade, empty one trash can into another as discussed in reason #5. Then place the empty can on the light bulb or head. Note: This only works with lamps and cans that are of compatible sizes. Please do not attempt to place a very large trash can on an average-sized human head.
And thus I shall conclude this long-ish post. I hope to be able to post more often now, as many of my scholastic commitments this year have ended or are soon to do so.
~Naddie Boyne
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Comment troubles: no more!
Hey everyone,
This is just to let you know that if you have ever had any trouble leaving comments, I fixed the problem and it should work just fine now. However, if trouble persists, lemme know and after some initial forehead slapping I will troubleshoot this irritating conundrum again.
Also, look out for an upcoming post about a waltz that I wrote for piano. Coming soon to a browser near you!
~Naddie
This is just to let you know that if you have ever had any trouble leaving comments, I fixed the problem and it should work just fine now. However, if trouble persists, lemme know and after some initial forehead slapping I will troubleshoot this irritating conundrum again.
Also, look out for an upcoming post about a waltz that I wrote for piano. Coming soon to a browser near you!
~Naddie
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