Reflections

Well, I've had quite a lot going on in my life the last few months, so I'd thought I'd reflect on some of the major events, and discuss how they've helped me grow as a writer. In March I went to New York City with my parents to celebrate my high school graduation, and saw "Phantom of the Opera" and "Wicked" on Broadway. I graduated in June, and am now getting ready to study at NC State in the fall.

New York was easily one of the best trips I've ever taken, and I have done a good bit of travelling around the country. We left early Friday morning to see Phantom that night. It was about a nine hour drive, so we arrived at our hotel in Times Square at about 3:00 in the afternoon. The first place we ate at was John's Pizza, a gourmet restaurant that trampled any slice I'd ever had before. Bubba Gump Shrimp was the next best meal, which we had the next day for lunch. I especially liked the Forrest Gump merchandise and trivia they had.

Both shows were indescribable, but I would have to say Phantom was my favorite. Andrew Lloyd Webber's vision is what makes this the longest running show on Broadway. My Dad and I sat in the fifth row, which made it feel like we were a part of the story as we were surrounded by dazzling visual effects. Hugh Panaro portrayed the Phantom, and he was perhaps the best tenor I've ever heard sing. The entire ensemble was fantastic, especially for theatre goers like myself, and I was absolutely mesmerized by the story.

We then saw Wicked the next night. Having at last seen the hit musical, I will now never watch Wizard of Oz the same again. This stirring prequel to the timeless classic has swept audiences everywhere with it's mind-boggling technical aspects and incredible songs. I now find myself listening to the soundtrack almost weekly. From the elaborate costuming and set designs, to the stirring performances, this show has come to set new standards within the world of musical theatre.

We also visited the Wax Museum in Times Square, the M&M store, the Empire State Building, and went to Times Square Church on Palm Sunday. All in all, I couldn't of asked for a better way to celebrate graduation, and the atmosphere was perfect. I remember imagining myself making a movie there as I was looking out the window of a cafe.

Graduation snuck up on all of us, and it was quite difficult saying goodbye to close friends as we thought about all our times together. Nevertheless, I am very excited about NC State, and just had orientation earlier this week. I plan to study English with a concentration in Creative Writing and Film Studies. My ultimate goal is to write and produce movies, but I'd also like to teach and critique. I actually bought a Roger Ebert book while I was in New York which has been very beneficial in terms of my writing. At orientation, I really enjoyed meeting several other Freshmen in my department, as we each shared similar interests. On the second day we registered for 1st semester classes, and I was able to get into both Intro to Film and Studies in Fiction. I am certainly looking forward to my time at the University, and this blog has been a great way for me to practice my skills which will be vital for my career.

I also went to some really cool events at my local Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago. One was a screenwriting group which meets there monthly on Monday nights. There were about eight other people in attendance, and we had a great time exchanging scripts with one another and giving feedback. There was one guy who teaches at Appalachian, who brought a 60 page teleplay for a superhero show he had been working on. This was a really compelling plot line, and I certainly learned a lot in that short amount of time.

The next night I went back for a discussion panel with a group of Science Fiction and Fantasy authors. These included David Drake (Lord of the Isles) and James Maxey (Dragonseed). I had the pleasure of asking them questions and learning about how they approach the craft. Other audience members were equally intrigued, and I am very glad to have made it.

The rest of the summer should be pretty good as well. I'm leaving for Surfside beach next Saturday with my family, and will be doing some work over at Raleigh Little Theatre after that. I'll have just enough time before I leave to do a write-up of Dark Knight Rises as I'm going to the midnight showing.

I have a bit of a health issue to quarrel with over the next few months, as my doctor informed me that I have some mucus within my chest. This means I have to go from one PT session a day to four (each twenty minutes). It's not as serious as it sounds, but when you're physically disabled you can't be too careful. That being said, I spend a lot of time at home reading and writing.

I apologize for this being such a lengthy post, but I thought it appropriate to provide some updates on what's going on in my life since I've now had this blog for a year. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for my future.