It's Halloweekend and I have the best costume.
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I'm going to be the TARDIS from Doctor Who!!!!! I wanted to be the TARDIS last year but I never got around to ordering the dress but this year I was on top of things and ordered it (a couple days) in advance so now I'm going to be the coolest person at both parties I'm going to. I'm kind of sad that I probably won't be getting a whole lot of trick-or-treaters, if any. I'm on the third floor of the building so if anyone gets trick-or-treaters it'd be my neighbor on the ground floor. Ah well, maybe next year!
The Mixtapes are gearing up for a busy-ish November/end of semester. We have two gigs the weekend of November 13 and 14. On the 13th we're performing uptown with a group from Columbia, we'll be performing on their campus. I'm super excited about that gig, Columbia is gorgeous and it's going to be a fun event. And then on the 14th we're singing with a couple other local a cappella groups at a park sing in Washington Square Park that's being organized by the Jewish a cappella group, Ani V'Ata. We haven't sung with them yet (or at least, in the year or so that I've been in the group) so that'll be fun. It's always nice to make aca-friends (don't judge). Plus, we're filming some of our songs to have good videos for promotional usage, and then on November 15 or 16 we're finding out if we got into the ICCA, and if so which region we're in. Fingers crossed! And finally, we're preparing for our big concert of the semester, which will be on December 11. The theme is.....
....not telling until the week of the event, because we're keeping it a secret until our big reveal the week of the concert!
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
First Mixtapes Gig & ICCA Recording
It's been a busy weekend for the Mixtapes!
On Saturday we had our first gig of the year, and our first performance with the baby Tapes! We performed at an NYU sorority's charity ball, which was a lot of fun. We sang "Evolution of Justin Timberlake" and I got to solo on one of the songs. It was an interesting venue, definitely reminded me of performing for Hollywood Hosts years and years ago, where there'd be entertainment but it wasn't the focus of the event and people would be walking around mingling and talking and eating. This weekend's performance had its challenges, because we weren't properly mic-ed (although we usually aren't at venues like this) and also the energy of the audience was very weird. Other than that, we still had fun and enjoyed ourselves!
Then on Sunday, we recorded some of our audition material for ICCA 2016. We recorded four songs, I believe, and hopefully we have enough useable material from that to submit because the deadline is Thursday. But I'm also hoping that we decide to record Lady Marmalade because for one, I have a solo, but also because we sound amazing on it and it'd be nice to have a recording of that song anyway. We'll see if we need to record more on Thursday. Also, we recorded a bridemaid/maid of honor proposal for this couple that hired us to sing for their proposal earlier in the summer. This guy asked us to help propose to his girlfriend by singing her favorite song, and the girl now asked us to record a rewritten version of "Treasure" by Bruno Mars to ask her friends to be her bridesmaids and maid of honor.
On Saturday we had our first gig of the year, and our first performance with the baby Tapes! We performed at an NYU sorority's charity ball, which was a lot of fun. We sang "Evolution of Justin Timberlake" and I got to solo on one of the songs. It was an interesting venue, definitely reminded me of performing for Hollywood Hosts years and years ago, where there'd be entertainment but it wasn't the focus of the event and people would be walking around mingling and talking and eating. This weekend's performance had its challenges, because we weren't properly mic-ed (although we usually aren't at venues like this) and also the energy of the audience was very weird. Other than that, we still had fun and enjoyed ourselves!
Then on Sunday, we recorded some of our audition material for ICCA 2016. We recorded four songs, I believe, and hopefully we have enough useable material from that to submit because the deadline is Thursday. But I'm also hoping that we decide to record Lady Marmalade because for one, I have a solo, but also because we sound amazing on it and it'd be nice to have a recording of that song anyway. We'll see if we need to record more on Thursday. Also, we recorded a bridemaid/maid of honor proposal for this couple that hired us to sing for their proposal earlier in the summer. This guy asked us to help propose to his girlfriend by singing her favorite song, and the girl now asked us to record a rewritten version of "Treasure" by Bruno Mars to ask her friends to be her bridesmaids and maid of honor.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Lady Marmalade & Crazy Mixtapes Party Season
This past weekend my a cappella group finished learning our arrangement of "Lady Marmalade" from Moulin Rouge and it sounds SO GOOD! This is my first solo in the group, I'm singing Pink's part, and it's such an exciting arrangement! At the very end of the song there's a crazy riff section where all four soloists sing in harmony and it sounds incredible, and we were playing around trying to figure out what we wanted to do to end the song. We came up with a really cool riff that I don't fully understand (if I were to pull it apart note by note), but it's one of those things where I'll get it right if I don't think about it too much. The four of us recorded just the riff so we could practice, and then we went back into the room where everyone else was and put the entire song together. When we got the end everyone started freaking out because it sounded so amazing!! I'm so happy about this solo because not only is it my first solo, but I also feel like this is going to be one of those songs that we sing frequently because it's a great arrangement and we sound killer on it. And I'm one of the soloists in it! Plus I got a little mini solo on another riffy bit in our Evolution of JT medley. So far so good! We're recording our ICCA audition next Thursday apparently, and I'm hoping that we do Lady Marmalade as one of our songs.
Additionally, the first part of first semester every year is apparently dubbed "Crazy Mixtapes Party Season" and here's why. Just about every weekend starting from when we take our new members to maybe November or so (the end of CMPS depends on the year) there's a birthday or a housewarming or something to celebrate almost every weekend. There's maybe six or so birthdays in the first half of first semester, so we sing Happy Birthday a lot. In addition to the normal insanity, this past weekend there was an all a cappella mixer hosted by one of the all-male a cappella groups at NYU, Mass Transit. It was a really fun event! The only people there were a cappella people so we all already had something in common, and we didn't have to explain what a cappella was or get the typical response of "Oh, so you're like Pitch Perfect?". It was really nice to have a chance to meet the other a cappella groups because I know some people in some other groups but there hasn't been a chance for us all to mingle like this. I think a little over half of the Mixtapes went, so we had a good representation. I almost didn't go but then I thought that I should at least stop by to make an appearance and support my community. I'm glad I ended up going, because I met a lot of nice people, plus this one girl who's roommates with one of my sophomore friends in the VP program.
Additionally, the first part of first semester every year is apparently dubbed "Crazy Mixtapes Party Season" and here's why. Just about every weekend starting from when we take our new members to maybe November or so (the end of CMPS depends on the year) there's a birthday or a housewarming or something to celebrate almost every weekend. There's maybe six or so birthdays in the first half of first semester, so we sing Happy Birthday a lot. In addition to the normal insanity, this past weekend there was an all a cappella mixer hosted by one of the all-male a cappella groups at NYU, Mass Transit. It was a really fun event! The only people there were a cappella people so we all already had something in common, and we didn't have to explain what a cappella was or get the typical response of "Oh, so you're like Pitch Perfect?". It was really nice to have a chance to meet the other a cappella groups because I know some people in some other groups but there hasn't been a chance for us all to mingle like this. I think a little over half of the Mixtapes went, so we had a good representation. I almost didn't go but then I thought that I should at least stop by to make an appearance and support my community. I'm glad I ended up going, because I met a lot of nice people, plus this one girl who's roommates with one of my sophomore friends in the VP program.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Back to School and New Mixtapes!
School's been back in session for about two weeks now and it's been a lot of fun so far. I really enjoy my classes, especially my Science of Language class. I find linguistics so interesting, and my professor is great. He obviously loves the topic and is super engaging, plus he's easy to understand.
The last couple days have been fairly stressful for me however because the Mixtapes have been having auditions and callbacks for the fall semester. We had auditions last Friday and then this Thursday and Friday, with callbacks all day Saturday. My best friend Lexi auditioned and I was so nervous for her!! We gave her a unanimous callback and throughout the entire process I was so nervous because I wanted her to get into the group so badly. When we voted her in I quite literally cried, I was so happy. We took two girls, including Lexi, and two guys. I think the guys and the other girl are all freshman, and then Lexi is my year. I cannot wait for this upcoming year, it's going to be so great having Lexi in the group. Everyone already knows her because she's come to all our concerts and parties and she even came to both of our ICCA competitions. I get to be in an a cappella group with one of my best friends at NYU, and I couldn't be happier.
The last couple days have been fairly stressful for me however because the Mixtapes have been having auditions and callbacks for the fall semester. We had auditions last Friday and then this Thursday and Friday, with callbacks all day Saturday. My best friend Lexi auditioned and I was so nervous for her!! We gave her a unanimous callback and throughout the entire process I was so nervous because I wanted her to get into the group so badly. When we voted her in I quite literally cried, I was so happy. We took two girls, including Lexi, and two guys. I think the guys and the other girl are all freshman, and then Lexi is my year. I cannot wait for this upcoming year, it's going to be so great having Lexi in the group. Everyone already knows her because she's come to all our concerts and parties and she even came to both of our ICCA competitions. I get to be in an a cappella group with one of my best friends at NYU, and I couldn't be happier.
Monday, July 27, 2015
I Was An Extra!
Last weekend I was an extra in a student film! Elle has a friend from a summer camp she went to and he posted a notice about needing extras for his film project and she forwarded it to me saying that I should get in touch with him. So I emailed him and he was like, "Sure! We'd love to have you be an extra."
It was definitely an interesting experience. The script for the movie was kind of confusing, but then again I only briefly glanced at it. I was supposed to be a "90's cool kid", and I was in the party scene they were shooting. I got there at 9, like the call sheet said, but no one else was there except some of the crew. So I was kind of just standing around for a while, and no one really talked to me or introduced themselves to me except Aidan, the guy Elle knew, and some of the other actors who were there. More people showed up around 10:30, and then by the time 11:30 rolled around we'd only gotten two shots. The entire evening took what felt like forever. It was kind of awkward because I had to pretend to be friends with all these people I didn't know.
We were supposed to finish by midnight but I knew that wasn't going to happen, it was all very unorganized and I never really knew what was going on. I think we finally finished around 1:30, and then luckily one of the people who actually bothered to introduce himself to me was headed back to the same area of Brooklyn, so we took the subway together. I was glad about that, because I wasn't too excited about taking the subway back from midtown by myself at that hour of the night. I was perfectly fine to go back by myself, I felt safe, it was just a long trek and I would've gotten bored.
No clue when this movie is going to be finished, but I did run into Aidan and some of the crew in Washington Square Park when I was going to meet Elle for dinner. They were filming a scene at one of the chess tables in the southwest part of the park. I said hi, and I think they recognized me. One of the guys said he definitely remembered me because no one else had purple hair, so that's something. Hopefully they'll let us know when the movie is done so we can see it. I wonder if I'm actually in any of it!
It was definitely an interesting experience. The script for the movie was kind of confusing, but then again I only briefly glanced at it. I was supposed to be a "90's cool kid", and I was in the party scene they were shooting. I got there at 9, like the call sheet said, but no one else was there except some of the crew. So I was kind of just standing around for a while, and no one really talked to me or introduced themselves to me except Aidan, the guy Elle knew, and some of the other actors who were there. More people showed up around 10:30, and then by the time 11:30 rolled around we'd only gotten two shots. The entire evening took what felt like forever. It was kind of awkward because I had to pretend to be friends with all these people I didn't know.
We were supposed to finish by midnight but I knew that wasn't going to happen, it was all very unorganized and I never really knew what was going on. I think we finally finished around 1:30, and then luckily one of the people who actually bothered to introduce himself to me was headed back to the same area of Brooklyn, so we took the subway together. I was glad about that, because I wasn't too excited about taking the subway back from midtown by myself at that hour of the night. I was perfectly fine to go back by myself, I felt safe, it was just a long trek and I would've gotten bored.
No clue when this movie is going to be finished, but I did run into Aidan and some of the crew in Washington Square Park when I was going to meet Elle for dinner. They were filming a scene at one of the chess tables in the southwest part of the park. I said hi, and I think they recognized me. One of the guys said he definitely remembered me because no one else had purple hair, so that's something. Hopefully they'll let us know when the movie is done so we can see it. I wonder if I'm actually in any of it!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Free Day!
Today I had the day off from work which was awesome! I slept in until 11, I woke up because someone was knocking on the door. Turns out it was one of the landlords and two people who were thinking about buying the building. Apparently they'd told Jules about it and she said someone'd be home, but she completely forgot about it and forgot to tell me. They didn't stay too long, which was good. They looked around and asked some questions, and then left fairly quickly.
After that Jules and I got ready and went into the city to run some errands. We went to Chelsea Market to look for a specific juice that Jules wanted. I hadn't been there since freshman year and it was Jules' first time there. I think we found the brand of juice that she was looking for, but they didn't have the flavor she wanted. After that we headed to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients to make breakfast for dinner - we made french toast, eggs, and bacon. So yummy! I suggested to Jules to cook the eggs in the bacon grease (which she'd never done before) and now she's saying she's always going to do that. Score one for me!
Other than that, today was a fairly relaxing day. Did a lot of reading which was nice, I don't get much time to read these days. I did pick up a bunch of books from The Strand for 50 cents or a buck each, which was awesome, and I've been reading those on the subway. I finished Ender's Game and Sarah's Key, and now I'm working on 1984. I'm going to raid Jules' book selection next once I'm done with this one. Seems like the only time I can really read is on the subway and on my lunch break. I'll sit at the table in the kitchen at work and read while I eat, and a couple people have commented on that. Nothing negative, just people find it kind of funny/interesting that I like to read on my lunch. They usually comment on how it's rare these days for people to read physical books, as opposed to stuff on Kindles and e-readers, and also that it's rare for people in my generation to read versus being on their phones. It's just a nice break, I suppose.
After that Jules and I got ready and went into the city to run some errands. We went to Chelsea Market to look for a specific juice that Jules wanted. I hadn't been there since freshman year and it was Jules' first time there. I think we found the brand of juice that she was looking for, but they didn't have the flavor she wanted. After that we headed to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients to make breakfast for dinner - we made french toast, eggs, and bacon. So yummy! I suggested to Jules to cook the eggs in the bacon grease (which she'd never done before) and now she's saying she's always going to do that. Score one for me!
Other than that, today was a fairly relaxing day. Did a lot of reading which was nice, I don't get much time to read these days. I did pick up a bunch of books from The Strand for 50 cents or a buck each, which was awesome, and I've been reading those on the subway. I finished Ender's Game and Sarah's Key, and now I'm working on 1984. I'm going to raid Jules' book selection next once I'm done with this one. Seems like the only time I can really read is on the subway and on my lunch break. I'll sit at the table in the kitchen at work and read while I eat, and a couple people have commented on that. Nothing negative, just people find it kind of funny/interesting that I like to read on my lunch. They usually comment on how it's rare these days for people to read physical books, as opposed to stuff on Kindles and e-readers, and also that it's rare for people in my generation to read versus being on their phones. It's just a nice break, I suppose.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Happy Birthday America!
Yesterday was the Fourth of July, and my downstairs neighbor invited me and Jules and our guests to join him at the party he was having, which was really nice. He made so much good food! We had curried ribs, he made some kind of dish with duck, and there was pasta and hot dogs and hamburgers. I had a little bit of everything and I was stuffed. Then for desert there was homemade ice cream and cookies and cupcakes. Some of his friends are DJ's so they came and played music for us. Plus, there was a little pool outside set up from when Jean's daughter was here (she's eight) and one of Jean's friend's had a little eight-month-old baby boy who went paddling in the pool for the first time - that was adorable. It was a little awkward, just because the only people at the party were either Jules' friends or Jean's friends. Jules' friends were my age so I got along with them, so that was fine, but Jean is maybe in his forties or so, so all of his friends were a lot older.
For fireworks, we walked outside and watched from the stoop area. We actually had a fairly good view, because people were setting off fireworks from a couple houses down and then in the neighborhood. Probably wasn't safe, but it was fun to watch! I got to see fireworks!
Apparently Jean is having another party next weekend, a friend of his is moving to London so they're having a going away party for her, and he invited me and Jules and told us we could bring our friends if we wanted. I'm not sure if we're going to go but it's nice that he invited us. He's a nice guy and he cares about us a lot, so I feel safe having him live downstairs.
For fireworks, we walked outside and watched from the stoop area. We actually had a fairly good view, because people were setting off fireworks from a couple houses down and then in the neighborhood. Probably wasn't safe, but it was fun to watch! I got to see fireworks!
Apparently Jean is having another party next weekend, a friend of his is moving to London so they're having a going away party for her, and he invited me and Jules and told us we could bring our friends if we wanted. I'm not sure if we're going to go but it's nice that he invited us. He's a nice guy and he cares about us a lot, so I feel safe having him live downstairs.
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