Ukulele

I'd have to say this is one of my all time favorite Christmas presents. My ukulele. I've been practicing cords so I can play real songs (not that Braelyn is Going to Fail Her Math Test wasn't a real song but it wasn't very well received). I've learned a couple of cords and played Jingle Bells at least once.

Gnomes and Rockets

Today Sarah invited me over for a small Christmas party at her place. She made us dinner then we opened presents she got us and then decorated Christmas cookies. I decided that the food coloring (used to make new colors of frosting) looked like little gnomes so I started calling them that. Then I proceeded to call the frosting decoration tubes rockets because that's what they looked like. What's not captured in this picture is my new Christmas jingle. It goes like this:

"Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, I'm decorating cookies.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, Sarah doesn't like them.
Oh Christmas Tree, you are a cookie, I just wish that you looked pretty.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, I'm decorating cookies."

Breakdown

I am learning how to play Jack Johnson on the ukulele. I only half know one song - "Breakdown" and that's because it only uses four cords. I've got the cords down, now I've just got to practice the transitions and rhythm...

"I hope this old train breaks down,
Then I could take a walk around.
See what there is to see,
Time is just a melody..."

Eve and The Band Perry

I've been listening a lot to The Band Perry - a new country music band. All comments aside about me listening to country music, I really like their stuff. So I was eating an apple and one of their songs came to mind: 

"Wish I would have noticed sooner

All that crazy in your eyes.

Do you practice in the mirror

On that tempt and crooked smile? 

Like that serpent in the garden,

You came crawling back to me

Twice I ate that poisoned apple

Made me sick of being Eve.

I'll admit that I was wrong

You said I miss you

Oh yes I do

Honey I miss you, being gone. "

Krystal Park Band

So I recently discovered that my friend Krystal Park puts amazing music on her Facebook music page. I took her cover photos - so she can look good when she's famous. You should listen to her.

Monte and Wang Productions

So last night we did a Talent Show - it was great. And I performed a rap of epic proportions with my partner in crime - Joyce Wang. Jason beat-boxed for us. We are the coolest. I will now put my rap below for you to read.

Jason: FUI 2010! Word. This is a rap about all ya’ll

M: Here in Fresno it’s hot

J: Cool is something it’s not

M: Unless you live at Stone Pine

J: Where we have air conditioning all the time

M: Or live in the house of Pink

J: With swamp coolers on the brink

M: These are the peeps

J: You should meet

M: Inside both these cribs

J: We don’t tell no fibs

M: Hey Danae

J: Got money, money, money, mon-ey

M: Mack, Mack

Watch out for Lauren’s knee attack

J: Maybe you should be a ninja

M: Watch out Kevin may getchya

J: Unless you’re Jaret or Shannon Baker

M: You best be ready to meet your maker 

J: I think that’s really

M: RUE

Jason: Hey that’s my word!

J: Overused

M: If you’re a fly watch out for ALiu

J: He’ll beat you with a shoe

M: Eric can’t shut the door

J: Eric, door! Eric, door!

M: We have to tell him some more

J: Eric, door! Eric, door!

M: Vivian may think you’re crazy

J: And Betty says don’t be lazy

M: Maybe if you give Matt a cookie

J: He’ll shout just like a wookie

M: Glenda’s eyes stay open when she sleeps

J: That gives me the creeps

M: Sol would say don’t be scared

J: You best be aware

M: Because if Tramaine wasn’t saved

J: She’d cut you just the same

M: Tracey listens to heavy metal

J: I know! I know!

M: But Sarah plays the piano

J: I know! I know!

M: Lawrence sings all the time

J: Amanda writes up her own rhymes

M: They should collaborate

J: They will, just you wait

M: Sarah kidnaps her process group

J: (spoken) trust me, I know

M: (spoken) Oh, how long do you guys really meet?

J: (spoken) Monte – we are in the middle of rap – let’s continue or we’ll be here til midnight

M: (spoken) Rue!

J: Cameron’s foot is cursed

M: Only if a hammer hits it first

J: Shayne should be a model like Tyra

M: And maybe so should Lissah

J: Josth has a ‘T’ in his name

M: It sounds just the same

J: Krista makes good green beans

M: Zoe may sound mean

J: When she says “Get out, get get, get out of my house”

M: We could make a rap about that

J: (spoken) I know, right?

M: Shout out to Marissa Guzman!

J: And Marissa Newman

M: Don’t get in a fight with Bryson

J: He’s got muscles like Mike Tyson

M: Mariah likes to donate blood

J: It’s something that she loves

M: Maybe Julie can use a ton

J: Because falling down isn’t fun

M: Opera is Carolyn’s thing

J: It’s what she loves to sing

M: Michael had a fowhawk yesterday

J: After ten minutes it went away

M: Meghan does flips in the pool

J: I think that’s really cool

M: And that is all our interns

J: Can’t forget about Todd Minturn

Both: We say Todd, you say Minturn

Both: Todd!

Audience: Minturn

Both: Todd!

Audience: Minturn

M: This is FUI 2010!

J: What! What!..... What! What!

M: This is FUI 2010!

J: What! What!..... What! What!

Jason: Monte and Wang productions

M: Featuring Rue beats

J: What it do 

Introducing: Krystal Park

My friend KP is an aspiring artist and I agreed to take her professional photos. She looks amazing in all of them but these area was one of my favorite places.

*Shameless plug: I do many different photoshoots - including bands, engagements, graduations, christmas card, you got bored one day, you want to show off an awesome hair cut, you want to make someone jealous, or you like to look at yourself.

That's the Key

That is my friend Jeanette - and she is performing Hot and Cold with her acapella group, "That's the Key." They are officially awesome. I give my two thumbs up for them - possibly better than Take It SLO - with enough publicity that is.

Don't Cry for Me Argentina

The musical of the day: Evita.

I have never seen this musical before I watched in on Netflix and was very impressed by Antonia Banderas, Madonna, and Jonathan Pryce as the leads in the movie. We will be studying this show later in my History of Musical Theatre class. We will be going over the song "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" which was not may favorite in the show. My favorite was "Waltz for Eva and Che" (neither the most popular song from the show "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"). Either way, I would recommend seeing this rock opera.

P.S. Be prepared to see my other musicals of the day recommendations. I absolutely LOVE musicals.

Hope for Haiti Now

The new album of the day. Order on iTunes and 100% of the proceeds go to Haiti relief. Some of the artists that contributed to this project are: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Jay-Z, and Coldplay.
If that wide variety of music doesn't entice you to buy this album then the donating to Haiti will.