In which Jonny might explode.

I am feeling rather overwhelmed lately, and I’m really dying to go home. Dying of course is a stretch of the imagination; however, I’m not entirely sure how much of one. Days are so much longer when they start at six o’clock in the morning and don’t end until after midnight- consecutively. School, work, rehearsals, practicums- they’re all adding up in one ugly beast of a burden. And it’s only just barely midterm!

My rehearsals, though they run back-to-back all evening, are coming along. The Crucible which opened next week, has been one of the most taxing rehearsal periods with which I’ve been involved. Not to say I’ve been annoyed with difficulty, but rather, I enjoy the feeling of hard work when it pays off in the end. I can safely say that this is will go into my memory as one of my proudest roles.

Once I make it through the run of The Crucible, I’m hoping for clearer schedules. However, when the closes, I begin rehearsals for the ballet, and the other dance show that I’m in doesn’t end until November. Oh me. Oh my.

Also, as I previously stated, I want to go home, and take a break. Hell, it doesn’t have to be home. I just want to go somewhere- out of this town, where I can breathe and recoup any pieces of sanity that I may have floating around in me. Fall break, after GTC, I’ll be heading home for Savannah; also, I have a tentative trip planned to NYC over Christmas break.

The unforunate side to the story is that, in all honesty, I shouldn’t be traveling anyway- save home- because I’m trying to save my pennies in order to support whatever endeavor I find myself in this summer. Frankly, though, I’ve been a complete flop. I’m totally not on top of my game at all, in terms of preparing myself in a meaninful way for the summer. I did decide, though, to go through Job Cotact at SETC, providing that it does not conflict with my casting assistantship at the conference.

But I don’t want to talk about my life, or my future anymore– well, until I need to.

I just want to go home and take a well-deserved nap.

Suri Cruise on Vanity Fair

Annie Leibovitz photographed the Cruise-Holmes family for a 22-page spread for Vanity Fair magazine. I plan on grabbing an issue for myself so that I scope out the rest of the shoot.

All I can say is that Suri sure is lucky. This child is beautiful. I never really understood any of the “Where’s Suri?” business, but it doesn’t even matter anymore, because she is one gorgeous baby:

A socialite without a social.

This area needs a better nightlife, period.

Save for the typical college-town strip of bars located near the commercial side of town, this place has very little to offer as far as variety is concerned. The same handful of garage-bands circuit the same handful of smoky bars. And quite frankly, it gets boring quickly.

With the right group of people, I can enjoy myself’; but even still, I require a drink in my right hand. One of the only positives to frequenting this area is, by knowing some of the employees, many times I can get in for free and get discounted drinks.

The dance clubs, or really club, I should say are pitiful. Line dancing and cowboy hats. Enough said. The gay bar, the only bar with decent dance music, closed recently, leaving the area with nary a good beat to dance to. Not to mention, the people that filled those four walls were enough to make your skin crawl. Now the gay bar back in my home town, that was a gay bar. Three floors of fun- well, generally speaking- and the crowds weren’t nearly as…well, scary.

The downtown area here seems to be taking some sort of initiative to increase its patronage. In the last couple of months, about three or so new restaurants with bars and cocktail lounges have either gone up, or are in the process of opening soon. I’m particularly excited, because the downtown area has a cleaner and more mature air, than say, the rest of the city. I simply love the atmostphere of a good downtown area.

One night lounge in particular is supposedly opening soon, and it holds the promise of being just what this town needs. Hopefully, with any luck, and the right amount of planning from its owners, it will whet this area’s appetite for a night venue with a little maturity, without all of the nonsense that inhabits the typical college-town life.

Five year plan.

Upon graduating college, I want to go straight away to either NYC, LA, or Chicago, in no particular order depending on any potential job or networking leads.

I would prefer an entry level position as opposed to an externship or assistantship- though, if the right one came along, I would be hardpressed to give it up.

I would be interested in accepting positions in the following fields:

1. Casting agencies
2. Talent rep. agencies
3. Talent managment firms
4. Entertainment PR firms
5. Special event planning
6. Entertainment administration

I haven’t made a clear decision about graduate school, yet. I am convinced that it something that I will not only need, but want for myself. The best thing, I’m thinking, is to get a year or so, depending on my job, of field experience before beginning the graduate school application process. This theory may be flawed and is subject to change.

Also of concern is my personal life. In the non-existant utopia in my head, I can see myself living in a small apartment located in a downtown area with a dog. In reality, though, I am prepared to accept the inevitable possibility of a shoebox apartment on the outskirts of the world with a pet fern to keep me company.

Roommates would be lovely to cut down on living expenses, and also obviously for the company. I’m afraid that I can’t bring myself to move somewhere by myself; the last thing that I want to be is lonely.

As far as romance, I don’t want to make any predictions. I want to leave this area blank, because, well, I want to be surprised. I want it. Hell, I want it now. But mostly, I’d rather not have any preconceived notions- I just want things to happen when they’re ready.

In the next five years, I want to be rich, famous, and successful.

…or at least in a place where I pay off my student, put dinner on my table, and comfortably succumb to now-and-then retail therapy sessions.

Over the weekend…

• Got a late start on Saturday morning due to an overall feeling of fatigue and miscellaneous errands.
• Had a lunch date with Linds.
• Attempted to watch Scary Movie 4. Attempted being the key word.
• Went to the improv show at school, after which I was feeling rather bummed due to a variety of insignificant factors.
• Did a greatly needed load of laundry.
• Got an equally late start on Sunday.
• Tried desperately to memorize lines for rehearsal that evening.
• Became overwhelmed by the general lack of awareness that plagues so many people here during my box office shift.
• Spent the remainder of the evening

In other news:

• I scored much higher than I thought I would on my costume history test. A 96, as opposed to the low B I thought that I had earned.
• Was cast as the jester (i.e. the part that I wanted) in this year’s scholarship-raising ballet, Cinderella.
• Also was chosen to be part of a quartet in the scholarship-raising musical cabaret.
• Have not been able to shake said bummed mood since I first it encounter it this weekend.
• Am completely buried with work and have no time in which to do it.

TV Guide Magazine + Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey is featured on the new cover of TV Guide Magazine to help promote the new season of Grey’s Anatomy, which premieres the first episode of the its third season Thursday, September 21 on ABC.

While I am a larger fan of the cover that featured both Demspey and co-star Ellen Pompeo, I am still of the opinion that Dr. McDreamy can do no wrong. I have been waiting with baited breath for the third season to start! Season two’s cliff-hanging finale has forced me to spend my entire summer biting my nails.

I’m so torn, though, because as much as I want to end up with Dr. Grey and several more love scenes like the one on the season two finale, I wouldn’t want poor McVet to be thrown to the curb. And what about the devastated Izzie. What will season three bring for her and Dr. Karev? Also, rumor has it that Sara Ramirez from Broadway’s Spamalot will be a regular on the third season. So I guess that she and Dr. O’Malley will be together for awhile.

Mm, mm, mmm. Thank God for primetime television.

technorati: tv, greys anatomy, patrick dempsey, tv guide

In which Jonny gets stressed.

I. Am. So. Tired.

This past week and a half has blurred together into one large day. The hours that I should be sleeping at night have been reduced to mere power naps (and believe you me, they are none too powerful) between school work, my part-time job and rehearsals.

I keep having anxiety attacks about this summer. What am I going to do if I don’t wind up with an internship? Am I going to have to spend the entire sitting around at home? Do I stay at school? How will I support myself?

I am still in the research part of the process. After searching Playbill today, I found some interesting leads. Need to talk to Dad about his LA contact; might have found some other universities in NYC that provide cheaper summer housing.

If I am able to land an internship with 6 hours of course credit, I will be able to qualify for financial aid- which means more loans. I fear that this is the only realistic way that I will be able to support myself for an entire summer in a major metropolitan area.

I have come of the opinion, however, that educational loans, in my situation, are a necessity. If I accrue debt in college, it just meens that I have to do something wonderful in my life in order to pay it off. Besides, I’ve added up the numbers, and the amount of debt that I plan on having when I graduate college is only a fraction of what others will pay at larger universities.

Where’s my anonymous benefactor when I need him!? Welcome to life, I suppose?

Grey’s Anatomy: Season 2

Only about four more days until the DVD release of the second season of my beloved Grey’s Anatomy!

If only words were sufficient in expressing my romance with this show. The DVD set is on presale now at amazon.com, but it won’t hit stores until September 12. Furthmore, the third season begins later this month on September 21. My only complaint about this season is that ABC has moved Grey’s to a more prime primetime. The show will now air on Thursday evenings; between school and rehearsals, I imagine I’ll be taping a lot of season three.

What I wouldn’t give for a taste of TiVO.

technorati: tv, greys anatomy

Here we go again

It was about this time last year that I began the initial stages in finding an internship for the summer. I was researching companies, making connects, the whole nine yards. This year? I think I’m burned out. It’s just so much to think about. The biggest deterrent is the money it takes to support an internship.

I really need to get into gear though. I’ve broadened my search into three large metro areas: NYC, LA, and Chicago. I don’t know what it is with my sudden fascination of Chicago, but it’s definitely a contender, so to speak. Primarily, I’m looking for a casting internship, or an internship associated with talent management. This past year, my overall career goals have shifted, yet again, and right now I’m really into casting.

One of the largest dilemmas that I’m facing is the question of where to live. It’s so hard to be located in metro-rural south Georgia and plan on picking up and leaving across the country for the summer. NYU offers summer housing for non-studen interns, and for a mere 4,000 unair-conditioned dollars, that would be an ideal situation. Meal plans and utility costs, as with most dorms, are included.

From what I’ve seen UCLA doesn’t offer summer housing to non-students. I haven’t checked out other universities in the area, but I would assume that most if not all of them are of the same opinion. The same seems to be the case with Chicago, though I haven’t researched it specifically.

However, the internships that I’ve scouted there mainly suggest the use of craigslist to find summer housing. I’d actually really love to work university housing, because (a) it would be easy, and maybe the most affordable option for the summer, and (b) it is such an imposition to ask a friend for lodging for the summer. The last thing anyone wants is a squatter taking up their sofa for 12 weeks- even if I am paying a portion of their rent.

All in all, I feel more lost than ever, which doesn’t look good for me.

This next week I plan on re-focusing my research efforts, and really narrowing down some application choices. I need to rework my resume, as well, because I would like to have all of my applications and cover letters out before Christmas. That way I can spend all of second semester interviewing.

What I really need to do, though, is find where I left my optimism.