Haunting

So Neil Patrick Harris is my boss, right?  (Sorry to keep mentioning that.  I know it's super name-droppy and ridiculous, but as a friend of mine said, "I work for a lady named Laura, and that's not nearly as cool.")

He's producing the Haunted Play that I'm performing in.  This attraction is hard to describe to people.  It's different than a traditional haunted house because there's a plot, and the audience is involved in the story.  But it's not a really a play because it takes place in an old mansion:

...Anyway...It's super cool.  Neil has been through it a couple of times and even though he's kind of one of the gang at this point, it's always a tad jarring to be all up in my expositiony schpeel and suddenly see NPH's face. (It's dark in my part of the house - which is that window on the upper left of the picture - so I can't really see people very well until I'm right in front of them)  Yesterday I missed out on Michael Cera - which may be for the best.  Jarring experiences like that tend to make me forget my lines.

All celebrity aside, the show has been really fun.  It takes about 40 minutes for people to get through the house and a group starts the tour about every 15 minutes.  It's not a very "jumpy" haunted attraction, though there are certainly jumpy moments, it's more just terrifying.  I don't really want to give anything away, just know that yesterday a woman literally left in tears.  The day before a man had to crawl from one room to another because he lost the use of his legs.  Last week I heard that someone actually wet themselves.  Gotta love Halloween time, eh?

This is exactly the kind of thing I hate going through.  I don't like haunted houses.  I don't visit them.  But being in one is an entirely different experience - and one that I find wildly entertaining (excepting the lady who was crying, I kind of feel bad for her.).  Plus they feed me every day - which is good because this show is exhausting.  We're there for roughly 6 hours.  We do about 25 shows a night (though I'm double cast, so I only do half of them).  I start on the second floor and end in the basement, so I essentially descend and then ascend 2 flights of stairs twice an hour - which doesn't sound like a lot when you put it that way, but believe me, it's tiring.  I'm beat by the end of the night.  And I smell fantastic.  Especially when they serve garlic bread with dinner.

If you have a chance, come check it out.  We have shows through Nov. 11, but tickets are selling fast.

For those of you that can't make it, just enjoy this picture of some of our fractured family:

That shirt I'm wearing is Armani!  Swakny, no?

Random fact:  NPH really likes Red Bull.  Like, a lot.

Dear Mom,

I think you're the greatest.  Because you are.

I know you love me.  I do.  You gave birth to me after all.  Without an epidural even.  You sacrificed a lot over the years so I could have an amazing life.  You fed me, clothed me, band-aided my scrapes, taught me how to play chopsticks on the piano, took me to see "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on our mother-son date even though I'm pretty sure you would have rather seen any other movie, and there was even that one time when you jumped on the trampoline with us.  So yep, I know.

But can we talk about a couple of things?

1 - I will always be your son.  That is true - and I love that.  But I am not - and never again will be - your little boy.  I think that might have been over when I started making my own mac and cheese.  And certainly when I started paying for my own insurance or when I bought my own house.  "No!" you say.  "That doesn't matter!  You'll  always be my little boy!"  I understand where you're coming from, I do.  But you should - and I know you do - want more for me.  You should want me to stop being your little boy.  You miss that little boy, I know.  You miss his chubby cheeks (though I, certainly, do not), his report cards that said, "a little too social," the way he'd cuddle up with you when he was sick, his art projects on the fridge.  But little boys can't pursue their dreams.  They can't use their talents to make the world a better place the same way as men can.  And they certainly can't afford to pay their own rent.  You should want me to grow up and be a man.  And I have, Mom.  So no, I am not your little boy, but I am - and always will be - your son.  Nothing's gonna change that.  And that's pretty cool.

2 - I am almost 30 and can grow a beard.  I'm a little old for "cute".  That train left a while ago.  Won't be back until I'm at least 70 and holding hands with my wife in the park.  And I'm not a glittery craft project, or frilly baby underwear, so maybe let's find another word.

I know.  It's hard.  But I have faith in you, Mom, cuz you've done some awesome stuff in the last 30 or so years.  I mean, look how I turned out.  I'm a long way off from perfect, but I'm doing a lot better than the hobo I saw pooping in the bushes a few weeks ago, and that's not just because of chance.

Love,

Your son (who you happen to think is fairly handsome.  See how easy that was?)

I oughta be in pictures.

I like it in old-timey movies when people call movies "pictures".  I'm gonna start doing that.

I have a friend who has a top 10 list of his favorite pictures.  He's something of a movie buff.  It's funny, when any of those films come up in conversation he'll say, "That's my #7 favorite movie of all time." Or whatever # it happens to be.  I like that he's so specific.  It got me thinking about my top 10 pictures. I think one could conceivably have several top 10 lists:  Top 10 best, top 10 most influential, top 10 favorite, top 10 funniest, top 10 could-watch-over-and-over-again, but I think I'll just stick to my top 10 all-time favorite pictures.  And I don't know that I'd be able to decide which ones I like better than the others, so in no particular order - and according to today only.  This will likely be different at any given moment, though some will certainly remain the same...but I digress:

1 - Clue
2 - Muppet Treasure Island
3 - Charley and the Chocolate Factory
4 - The Princess Bride
5 - The Toy Story Trilogy (I know it's more than one movie, but this is my list.)
6 - The Wizard of Oz
7 - Thoroughly Modern Millie
8 - Amelie
9 - Ms. Pettigrew Lives for a Day
10 - To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar

Pictures I love that didn't make the list today:

The Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Hercules
Sleeping Beauty
The King's Speech
Connie and Carla
What's Up Doc
Sherlock Holmes
The new Batman trilogy
Joe vs. The Volcano
The Birdcage
Zombieland
Sunset Boulevard
To Kill a Mockingbird
Anything by Christopher Guest


What are your favorites?

Moon Flower

I have a confession to make.  I'm turning into that guy.  You know the one.  He shops at Whole Foods, only eats organic produce, uses words like "free trade" and "sustainable", wears linen.  I haven't reached linen status yet, but I might be close.  I've read a few books in the last couple of years that have made me take a step back and think about my choices.  The China Study, Green Living, The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food etc.  They all have some great info and I think are at the very least thought-provoking.

Also, I'm a Mormon and here's the logic in my brain.  When reading chronologically through the history of the Earth from a religious standpoint (i.e. starting in Genesis and moving forward) here's what happens, basically.  God creates the Earth and everything in it.  God creates man.  God charges man to 1 - make more men i.e. do the family thing.  Then 2 - He gives man dominion over the Earth.  He makes us stewards of it.  I've gotta believe that means something.  Before telling us not to kill each other, God tells us to have families and take care of the Earth.  That must mean it's pretty important.  (I'm working on the family thing, but it's complicated - another post for another day) Plus one of our favorite modern revelations as Mormons is the Word of Wisdom (personally I think we sometimes spend too much time worrying about who's in a beer commercial and not enough time worrying about whether we're living lives of love and charity, but again - another post for another day) which teaches some important, and I think interesting and perhaps even over-looked things about health.

Now, this is just my opinion understand, but I think that in many things, God is not happy with the way we're treating the Earth, or ourselves.  Not to get too Green Preachy here, but we make lots of garbage, and dump lots of noxious chemicals and stuff into the Earth.  We surround ourselves with stuff that really isn't good for us.  And the thing is, we really don't have to.  So, I've chosen to start doing my part to make sure I'm not contributing to that, as much as I can.  So here's what I do:

For the Earth:

Natural cleaning products.  I cannot say enough about baking soda.  Seriously.  Look it up.  Vinegar is almost equally amazing.  With those two products I have effectively eliminated essentially all of my household cleaning products, plus my shampoo and conditioner.  When I feel like buying a cleaning product (like laundry soap or dish soap) I try to find something that is all natural.  You can even find pretty cheap versions of that stuff at your local grocery store.

Phin.  Phin is my scooter.  He gets lots better gas mileage than Charley (my car) and puts out lots less exhaust.  If something is within a 15-20 walking-distance of my house, I walk there.  When Charley dies, I'll probably buy a hybrid.

Recycling.  Most major cities have recycling programs.  They are super easy.  Look into it.

Reusable stuff.  Shopping bags mostly.  I also carry a glass refillable water bottle.

For Myself:

Organic produce.  I know. Really, I do.  There was a recent study published in the LA Times that says nutritionally there's essentially no difference between organic and regular.  Great.  I do it for the pesticides.  Plus lots of organic produce is grown locally.  I support that.

Natural shower products.  I use baking soda as shampoo, raw honey as face wash, natural soaps, aluminium-free natural deodorants.  And guess what, I'm still super clean and smell pretty good.  (Though I have had trouble finding a "natural" antiperspirant...which I find odd.)

I have also started eating less meat.  Though Mormons are not vegetarians, I still think we eat far too much meat.  If you look at the Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenenants 89), along with telling us what not to do (which is what we generally focus on - i.e. no alchol, smoking, coffee, tea etc.) it also tells us what we should be doing.  Eating herbs and grains and the like.  In fact it says grains should be the "staff of life."  Which to me means they should be the main course of any meal.  And though it does say the flesh of beasts is ordained for the use of man it also uses phrases like "to be used sparingly" and "only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."  Don't know about you, but I can't recall ever having lived through a famine.  In fact, I don't think anyone currently alive who was born and raised in the United States has ever lived through a famine.  Where I live it never really gets cold and we don't have a "winter" to speak of.   Basically what I'm saying is that I think we eat way too much meat and we really shouldn't.  Plus I don't think God is happy with the way the food industry treats animals.

Alright, this got long and kind of preachy.  Basically all I wanted to say was that I think we as Mormons, as Christians, as humans can do a better job of taking care of the amazing gifts we have - The Earth and our bodies.  And if we want to enjoy the occasional steak, or churro, or ride through the country in a suburban along the way, that's probably okay too.

I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this subject.  Whaddya think?  How do you feel about the green movement?  Vegetarianism?  Sustainable housing?  Farmer's markets?  Organic cotton mattresses?

When you wish...

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat.  I love Disney.  You probably already knew that, but just in case you didn't, now you do.  The first churro I ever ate was after riding Casey Jones at Disneyland when I was 6.  One of the very first things I did upon moving to LA (and technically I think I did it even before officially moving) was buy my annual pass to Disneyland.  Love.  It.

There are many reasons - the movies, the characters, family trips, college internship, unrealistic expectations of love, blah blah blah.  Doesn't matter.  Suffice it to say that if I could marry Disneyland and move into Walt's old apartment above the fire station on Main Street and raise girls who sang to forest creatures, and boys who wore coon-skin hats or pirate eye-patches, I would.

Now that I live within 35 minutes of Disneyland (without traffic) I find myself there often enough to keep me quite content.  Frequently I am there with various and sundry groups of friends.  Or occasionally even friends and their families.  I have discovered that trips to Disneyland are like Christmas in many ways.  Each group brings different traditions to Disneyland and I love seeing what they are.

In my family we are generally open-to-close Disney goers.  Desserts are high on the list of must-do's with churros near the top and we make full use of the fast pass system.  New t-shirts are frequently seen on our trips.  My dad loves the Tiki Room.  My mom does not.  We tend toward the more classic side of Disney, though we also enjoy the newer things. We rarely - if ever - miss the fireworks.

Being that I now go fairly regularly (I'm up to 9 trips so far this year) I tend to let other's traditions take precedence and I just enjoy being there.

It's interesting to see what other people's must-do Disney items are.  Mickey head ice cream.  Tom Sawyer Island (which my family never did).  Billy Hill and the Hill-Billies.  Big Thunder BBQ.  The French Quarter.  Pictures with princesses.  Dole whips.  Hidden Mickeys.  Some rides are higher on some people's lists than others.  Some people need to eat at specific restaurants.  Oddly, I have yet to encounter anyone that has a tradition connected with either Innoventions* or Autopia...

Mostly it's fun because walking Disney to the tune of other's traditions allows me to have some Disney firsts.  Can't think of anything specific at the moment, but I know it's happened.

So, what are some of your Disney traditions?  Anything I should be sure not to miss next time I'm there, which, let's be honest, will probably be next week?  Anyone going soon and need a good recommendation?

*If you've never been to Innoventions, I suggest going.  At least once.  It's pretty relaxed, air-conditioned, and there's some pretty cool stuff in there, though I have to say that Innoventions at Disneyworld is much better than Disneyland.

Conundrum

Remember that one time I was all "Oh, I'm gonna write a post every day in October," and then I failed on the very first day?  Yeah, me neither.  I'm going to pretend like I published this post yesterday and we can all forget that that's not true.  M'kay?

On Saturday I had an audition for Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon.  You know, the smash Broadway musical?  They were holding auditions for replacements for the leads in the Broadway company as well as two touring companies.  Initially I basically told my manager, "Thanks, but no thanks."  And then she was all, "Oh no no no, you need to audition for these people."  And then I was like, "...okay."

I went to the audition.  Maybe I rocked their socks off (admittedly I forgot some of the words to the song, but I sounded good - I think - and I hit the high notes, and the song is really about whether I can sing, not whether I can memorize the words in 2 days, amiright?).  I did make them laugh.   I left the audition feeling great.

Enter conflict.

So here's the thing.  Getting cast as one of the two leads in this show would/could be a huge thing.  And I don't mean huge like "Neil Patrick Harris is my boss and bought me pizza" huge .  I'm talking multiple-Olympic-Gold-Medal-winning, Burt-Reynolds-shaving-his-mustache, life-changing huge. HUGE.    I can also see it as being a cool/interesting/unusual/good missionary opportunity in oh-so-many ways.  And I won't lie, while preparing for my audition (I sang a song from the show.  This one, if you want to listen, but just in case you've been living at the bottom of the ocean for the last couple of years, know that The Book of Mormon can be somewhat - read: entirely - inappropriate) I had a couple of moments where I would say I felt the spirit.  The song talks about Christ and the atonement - albeit flippantly - which gets one thinking about such things.  And is it wrong of me to feel that performing in a show that gets me to think about Christ - yes, even a show such a this - maybe isn't such a bad thing?

On the other hand, I think I'd have a really - REALLY - hard time performing in a show that treats so lightly things I consider sacred.  And it's not even just that.  Yes they mock my religion.  Some would say it's tongue-in-cheek.  I call BS on that.  When you degrade something that someone holds sacred, you're crossing a line.  I think it would be like someone writing a cheery musical about the Holocaust.  But I digress.  Aside from any religious elements, it's also that, from what I've heard, it's just crass and offensive in general.  Being in the entertainment industry I get enough of that in my life without purposefully adding more.  I've had a couple of people even say something like, "Well, The Church bought ad space in the program ya know."  Right, because the people at The Church are sharp cookies and saw an excellent marketing opportunity, not because they in any way endorse the show.

Anyway, I don't know.  At this point it's really a long shot.  Mostly my manager wanted me to audition to get in front of the casting people because they do a lot of big musical theater casting - which I am all for.  If I got cast in something more appropriate on Broadway I'd probably move out there tomorrow.  So, as with many many things in this business - we'll wait and see.

What do you think my interweb friends?  Let's say I get a call tomorrow and they want me for the show.  Do I do it?  Do I even consider?  Do I politely bow out and hope and pray that equal or greater, but less shady opportunities come my way?  Whaddya think?

And then there were 43

Amidst working out to Insanity, reading Agatha Christie, rehearsing for Delusion (with pizza from NPH himself), enjoying the occasional iced herbal cream tea, getting a new calling at church (and losing 5 in the process), and frequenting the AMC by myself of a weekday morning ($6 movies before noon!), I feel like I need to re-sharpen my writing skills a bit.  I don't know that I have any interest in writing anything in particular, though I would still like to publish a children's book at some point in my life.  (And maybe a book for parents of children called "If your baby is screaming in the library, it's time to leave".  It would be a very short book.) I just think I'd like to get back in the habit.  And my blog could stand more frequent use.

To that end, in October I plan to do a post a day.  31 posts of...I dunno.  I was going to say "awesomeness" or "amazingness" or something.  But I won't kid myself.  Some of them will probably be pretty lame.  Just know that up front.

And be prepared for frequent references to Neil Patrick Harris.  He's my boss right now and he bought me food this week.