I Got Asked Out via Magic Trick! ...and other updates...

Hey there!

So, rehearsals for Rehearsal for Murder...Rehearsal for Murder rehearsals...rehearsals for the show I'm in...have been going great! It's hell week now, so it'll be even more hectic this week than ever before. The first performances are this weekend! I'm super excited!

Since I didn't say anything about it last post, I'm playing the part of Sally Bean, the main character's secretary. She's an intelligent-but-naive girl who used to live in Maine until she moved to New York to become a secretary for playwright Alex Dennison. It's really fun, because up until recently, I've only ever been cast in parts where I'm a chorus member or a child. Of course, that may be because I'm so gosh-darn short, but I've kind of gotten used to that.

Anyway, the show is getting really good! I've also formed friendships with most if not all of the cast, so my time waiting backstage is no longer just spent on my phone...I've had some really good conversations with everyone, especially that guy I like, the one I talked about last post.

His name is Daniel, by the way.

And speaking of the show, this is where I turn the topic towards magic! Card tricks, to be specific. I've always wanted to be asked out in an interesting way. My brother asked his date to prom out by asking her to help him with something in the theatre of the school, then having his friend fly in a great big sign when she walked in, one which he had put together himself. My dad proposed to my mom by writing her a song that he played on a cassette when they went on a picnic, a song in which one of the lines was "And if you let me put this ring on your little finger".

With my family having stories like that, I've always wanted to be asked out in a more creative way than just "Hey, wanna go out with me?"

So this is what happened:
Every night after rehearsal Daniel would do a whole bunch of card tricks. It drove me nuts because I could never figure out how he did them. Then on Thursday of last week, I was about to walk out the door to head home, and he asked if he can show me one more trick. So I said sure. He flipped through the deck until I told him when to stop, and when he did he told me to take the card he had stopped at.

It was a Queen of Hearts.
And around the edge, in blue pen, he had written:
"Would you like the go out sometime?"

It was the best! And last night we went out to the movies...we saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2. (I didn't find out until after we'd bought the tickets that he's never seen the first one...oh well.) I've always been one to comment during movies (much to my family's annoyance) and it just so happens that he did the SAME thing, so we ended up laughing at parts of the movie that weren't supposed to be funny. And when I got cold, he put his arm around my shoulder and we held hands...it was perfect!

And we went to Buffalo Wild Wings afterwards for appetizers and dessert, and we just sat and talked ...I've never laughed so much on a date before, let alone a first date...and he held the car door open for me every time I got in, and he's a lot more like me than I thought, and we talked and talked until the waitresses started putting away the chairs and we knew we had to leave. And my parents like him and he's super sweet and right before he left, I walked him to his car, and he kissed me under the stars...TWICE! It just felt...right, you know?

I hope we can go out again soon, but with our show schedule the way it is, it might not be for a short while.

Anyway! Sorry, I tend to ramble non-stop when I get on a topic I really like. (Wait...did I just call Daniel a 'topic'?)


By the way, does anyone know what kind of hair a secretary from the 80's would have? I don't know how to do my hair for today let alone for the 80's...which I need to know for my character in the show. So if anyone has any helpful tips, that would be much appreciated!

Tumblr, Murder, and Dancing, Oh my! (aka I'M BACK!)

Hi!

Sorry it's been so long, but my life is hectic and distracting, and in the past few weeks I've discovered Tumblr...well, there goes my life. It's all fandom references and Supernatural GIF's from now on. ;)

But in all seriousness, I have been busy! I'm in the midst of rehearsals for a show called "Rehearsal for Murder" in which the main character, Alex, writes a play and casts all his friends in it to try and figure out which one of them killed his fiancee Monica a year prior when she supposedly committed suicide. Though I won't expose the ending, let me just say for anyone who lives nearby and is planning on seeing the show, that the ending is not what it appears to be at first.

...it'll makes sense once you've seen the show.

Oh! And speaking of the show...well, sort of the show...more along the lines of actors in the show...well, one particular...

I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I'll get straight to the point:

There's a guy in the show who I've sort of started talking to (won't mention his name here in case he somehow finds this blog...not that he would, but who knows?) who I've come to find out is not only good looking, but completely nerdy as well! Which is totally perfect for me, in case you didn't know. I'm a total fangirl myself, and I found out he likes Doctor Who...pretty cool!

(Of course, I also found out that Steven—ANOTHER guy in the play—watches it too, but that's different. I've known Steven for years. It's not really that surprising that he's a fan.)

So when I found out that...You-Know-Who was as big a fan of The Doctor as I was, I got super excited! I don't know that many fellow fans in real life. Well, there's the internet, but...again, emphasis on real life.

Then You-Know-Who started doing these really cool card tricks after rehearsal, and I've always been a lover of magic. I knew a bunch of card tricks at one point, had a magic encyclopedia and everything...anyway. It's really fun, and he's totally wonderful. And funny. And sweet.

Beyond that, I've started doing these cardio workout things since last week, where I do 5-6 really difficult, really exhausting dances on the Just Dance games I have for Wii...it's a real workout and I feel amazing afterwards! Completely exhausted and sweaty, but amazing regardless. I've tried keeping up with doing that before, but I'm actually going to try hard to continue this new cardio routine. Plus it's really fun, and I'm earning high scores on the game left and right while I'm at it!

I should probably head to bed...it's pretty late.

Update soon!

The Many Theories of Disney

So I'm sure many of you who have seen Frozen have heard the Frozen/Tangled theory. For those of you who don't know, the characters Repunzel and Eugene appear in the beginning of Frozen during the song "For The First Time In Forever". So, obviously, Frozen takes place in the same universe as Tangled.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
There is a theory floating around the internet that Anna and Elsa's parents were on their way to a wedding when their ship sank. And not just any wedding – Repunzel and Eugene's wedding. The story of Frozen takes place three years after that point (the point in time where the ship crashed and Repunzel and Eugene got married). Coincidentally, Frozen came out three years after Tangled did, so...there you go. The timelines match up. Plus there's a lot a people who believe Anna and Elsa's dad and Repunzel's mom are brother and sister.

I mean, can you argue that they look similar? I can totally see it!

There is also a very cool theory that I absolutely love: that the ship Ariel happens across in The Little Mermaid is the very same ship belonging to the Anna and Elsa's parents that sank on their way to the wedding. I found a site that actually looks into this idea:

"This connections takes a little research:

No movie explicity pinpoints the real world location where it takes place. We know that Tangled takes place in the Kingdom of Corona. According to Disney Wikia:

By looking at five things: architecture, nature, landscape, politics, and the styles of dress in Tangled, the best fit for a real-world Kingdom of Corona would be along the Baltic Sea coast of Germany and Poland at some point from 16th to the 18th century.

Frozen is a little more straightforward:

The name "Arendelle" is based on the Norwegian town of Arendal, located southwest of the Norwegian capital, Oslo. In Norwegian, "Aren" means "eagle", and "delle" is most likely derived from "dal" which means "valley."

And The Little Mermaid story was written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. There's even a Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen.

So Corona = Germany. Arendelle = Norway. And The Little Mermaid takes place off the coast of Denmark."

There is yet another theory I've come across...but this one if much more far-fetched: that Tarzan's parents and Anna and Elsa's parents are one and the same. Anna and Elsa's parents disappeared in a ship wreck...Tarzan's parents were swept to shore after a ship wreck. But this would only be possible if either (a)They had brought their newborn son with them, a son who nobody talks about, like, ever, or (b)They took a really, really, really long scenic route that lasted around-about nine months, which is impossible since Anna quite clearly says "See you in two weeks!" when she hugs them goodbye. So, yeah, this theory is about as ridiculous as broccoli-flavored Jelly Beans.

And while we're on the topic of Disney theories, has anybody ever heard of the Pixar Theory? I'm not going to go in-depth with this one because I can't explain it nearly as well as this person can. Essentially, it's explaining how every single Pixar movie is connected in one big timeline, all because of little things like how Buy-n-Large (the company who had taken over completely in Wall-E) was also the brand of batteries Buzz Lightyear had in Toy Story 3. It's a really amazing idea, and well worth the read!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the reason I've been thinking about this is because my sister Skye and I went to a Frozen movie night at her elementary school tonight. It was a blast! A huge crowd of small children cuddled up in blankets and pillows, all in their pajamas, singing "Let It Go" in slightly off pitch voices. There's nothing like it!

Happy Impossible Astronaut Day!

Happy Impossible Astronaut Day!

For anyone who know what that is, it means a whole day of writing tally marks all over our arms. To anyone who doesn't understand, it's a Doctor Who fandom thing. Honestly, I forgot that is was April 23rd until about 5pm but still...I participated! Here's a few pics:

Pretty cool, right? Who knew liquid eyeliner could be so useful? I did draw one on my neck too, but you can't see it in the pictures. Oh well.

So today was (somewhat) productive. I didn't wake up until noon, but that was entirely unintentional. It was just a matter of me completely forgetting to turn on my alarm. Which tends to happen a lot. But what I DID do was finish an entire Media Aesthetics power point project with my group partner Zach. We picked a pretty sweet movie to do our project on..."Now You See Me". You know, that one that's essentially just like "Ocean's 11", but with magicians. I heard they're making a sequel too! If they decide to call it "Now You Don't" I'm going to die of laughter.

Tomorrow my parents are both going to DC for a few days to see my brother compete in a show choir competition, a competition trip I would have gone on if I hadn't graduated last year. But on the upside, my lil sis and I get some quality sister time this weekend! We're both super excited! We're going to a "Frozen" sleepover thing on Friday night too so that should be fun.

Rehearsals for 'Rehearsal for Murder' have been going great! On Monday night I was asked to read a scene for the play reading taking place this Saturday, in which all the prospective future shows for next year are offered and decided upon. It'll be fun! I don't really know what the play I'm reading from is about, but it's acting, and that's all the matters! I also will be singing the song "Jimmy" from 'Thoroughly Modern Millie', one of my favourite musicals to date. It's a cute little 20's-era comedy that I absolutely adore! I really hope it gets picked for next year's musical.

Oh, and on a side note...

I've fallen in love with *cough*obsessed with*coughcough* BBC's Sherlock series. I've thought about how Sherlock's abilities are something that can, technically, be taught and learned. So I've decided that I would love to learn how to use deductive reasoning like Sherlock Holmes can (though, of course, with not nearly as good a memory or speed) and so I plan on buying a book titled "Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes". I think this will help…and I hope I have the patience to actually learn properly how to use deductive reasoning. I know it would help me in the future when trying to read people during job interviews, at the restaurant I work at, or elsewhere; it would be a genuinely worthwhile skill to learn. This is also, of course, a salute to the Sherlock fandom that I follow and adore. Benedict Cumberbatch—

...Okay, quick sidenote, I think anyone who is a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch should be called a Cumber-cookie. Then we'd all be Cumber-cookies and together we'd be a Cumber-batch! Get it?? Anyway, moving on...

—as I was saying, Benedict Cumberbatch is a wonderful actor and plays the part of Sherlock Holmes very well. As for Doctor John Hamish Watson…well, the man really has made an impression on Sherlock's life. Sherlock was willing to do literally anything to guarantee both John and Mary's safety. And I love how speechless/breathless/lost-for-words Sherlock becomes when John tells him that he is, in fact, his best friend. Sherlock seems completely shocked that anyone would willingly call him a friend, let alone their best friend.

But I digress.

I wish to learn how to use deductive reasoning (and somewhat photographic memory, much like fake psychic Shawn Spencer...any Psych fans in the house?) to my advantage. It may take years to truly hone the talent, but it would be well worth it. Does anyone know of a class which someone interested in this field can take? Or, maybe, a person who you can hire to train you constantly as Sherlock occasionally does with John, so it becomes a part of every-day routine? I did try to observe and deduce last Friday on a person from my photography class. Needless to say, I saw nothing of importance…what I did manage to notice, I tried to deduce what it would mean.

His hunting-camoflague baseball cap he usually wears was removed for a short while and I realized he has a slightly receding hairline, something I hadn't noticed up until then. He's older than I first took him for, as the hat hides the hairline and makes him look younger. He was wearing a blue polo with black dress pants - neither ironed, the pants with a slight line of dirt at about knee-height; I often get the same mark on my lower calf when I get in and out of my car, so I can assume he has a car that is further off the ground, most likely a pickup truck if the baseball cap is anything to go by, and he most likely either lives on a dirt road or drives on one often. The dirt would have been kicked up from the road and attached itself to the bottom of the truck, so that it would transfer to his pant leg when he got out of or into his vehicle. His shoes were basic black dress shoes, probably cheap, and they look worn on the bottom as if he's had them for a while. The toes of the shoes were curved up, so I can assume he wears them often. Job uniform, perhaps? He has tattoos on his right arm, two, and a piercing in his eyebrow.

Beyond that, I couldn't think of or see anything else. This also took me longer than ten minutes because I have never tried it before.

So, that was kind of fun to try. Why I'm writing it out on here, I'm not entirely sure. I'm just sort of spitting out whatever crosses my mind out onto the keyboard and hoping it makes a lick of sense. Oh well, that's what these blogs are for right? Writing down whatever's on our minds just to get our thoughts out there. I just hope they're as interesting to you as they are to me. ;)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

Love the holiday...most years the weather turns out pretty decent, so it's a sort of welcome to Spring day. Plus my family (immediate and extended) all get together for dinner. I love it! The free candy isn't so bad, either. ;)

I ended up wearing a really cute outfit, too! I totally forgot, in my haste to find an outfit, that the "Easter Bunny" leaves my siblings and I each some sort of Spring-y clothes or accessories. This year I got a super cute white hat (need to find something to wear with it!) a pink/peachy v-neck tee and a really pretty floral print blue-white-and-pink scarf. I paired it with a pair of pale blue pants I already owned that just-so-happen to match the scarf perfectly, and voila! One awesome outfit for Easter! Here's a pic of me from earlier today:

Me with my cousin Soni's youngest son...cutest moment of the day!

I had a great time spending the day with my fam. Slightly jealous of my cousin Katherine's gorgeous dress, and the adorable one her sister Maddie wore as well...they both look so good in vintage! And it's always great to see them...I just wish we lived a little closer together. My awesome Nana made a delicious vat of some really addicting bean dip of some kind that I absolutely loved! I'll have to ask her for a recipe... My great grandma drove out to be with us, and my grandparents on my dad's side were there as well. It's always a treat to see them all. And I have to thank my Aunt Karen and Uncle Scott for holding Easter dinner at their house again. I don't know how they tolerate our whole crazy family! ;D

So this year was a little different. Not much, but a little. This is the first year I hid the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt instead of looking for them. And don't say I'm too old for egg hunts, because nobody's EVER too old to go on a competitive search for candy-filled plastic eggs. Ever.

It felt weird, though...like just one more thing to add to my list of "Things I've Outgrown" along with playing in the Play Place at McDonald's and having recess. Why don't they have recess in High School anyway? Or college for that matter? It would make the whole day so much more bearable, don't you think? My lil sis Skye is reading this over my shoulder and says "I can't believe this is my second-to-last year of having recess!" I hear ya, sis. I miss it all the time. :(

Anyway, today was a pretty great day; here's hoping tomorrow will be even better!

Easter's Tomorrow?!

So, this actually happened about three or four days ago.

I was looking at my work schedule, and telling my mom which days I was working so she could update the family calendar...I think. Pretty sure. I honestly don't remember the exact conversation. Anyway, this is basically what was said:

Me: "I'm working Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning."
Mom: "Oh, you'll miss church...that stinks."
Me: "Why? What's going on at church?" (I thought maybe there was a choir performance I forgot about or something)
Mom: (gives me a look that clearly says 'Are you serious?') "It's Easter Sunday."
Me: ...
Mom: ...
Me: "Easter Sunday?"
Mom: "Yeah..."
Me: "Like, this Sunday?"
Mom: "Yes, this Sunday."
Me: "Since when?!"

Easter Sunday???

Apparently I lost track of time - which does tend to happen a lot in my case; ask anyone in my family, or even my friends for that matter - and now Easter is suddenly right around the corner. As in tomorrow. We didn't actually get around to making cookies and painting eggs until today! Or, more specifically, around 7:00 this evening. Well, I'm not really complaining, because it does make for fresher cookies, but still.

So now I have to figure out what I'm wearing for Easter. I'm a very last-minute kind of person, but for once I've actually put some thought into this. I have a really pretty off-white colour knee-length button-up dress with a layer of floral-patterned lace fabric. It has a slightly vintage look to it. If it still fits, I may just wear that. It's certainly the right style and colour for the holiday and the season, but the weather has been so unpredictable and changing lately that it may be too cold to wear it...though I have heard rumors of it getting as warm as 70*F tomorrow, so I have hope!

Also, does anyone know, can you get tattoos that only show up in black light? Or only show up in the dark because they're glow-in-the-dark? I've never been one for tattoos because of the fact that they're permanent and could come to be something I would regret later in life - and I'm pretty sure the fact that needles scare the pants off me has something to do with it as well...

But I've actually thought about it before. I decided a long time ago that if I ever did get a tattoo, it would be a music note or treble clef, a tiny one, somewhere inconspicuous. And just this morning (or yesterday morning I suppose...it's past midnight, isn't it?) while I was talking to some of my friends at work, I came up with the brilliant idea that I could just get a tattoo that only shows up sometimes. So, does anyone know if black light or glow-in-the-dark tattoos exist? Any input would be much appreciated!

Not much in this post, unfortunately. Not much has happened since yesterday.

Thanks to anyone who's reading this blog, and double thanks to anyone who decides to leave a comment!

Goodnight!

Happy Birthday David Tennant!

In honor of David's 43rd birthday, may I present the entire cast and crew of Doctor Who in "500 Miles"...

Enjoy!

My First Blog Post!

Hi there!

I'm Maggie Hodgkin. I'm currently 19 years old. I love music, theatre, and musical theatre, and I love writing fictional stories from time to time. Or rather, I enjoy writing FanFiction. It is ever so difficult to come up with your own universes to write about, is it not? I am also an avid fan of Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Psych, and Disney, and a soon-to-be fan of Supernatural...if I ever find the time to actually watch the episodes.

In all honesty, I began this blog because I recently finished Season 3 of Sherlock and thought it would be a good idea to follow in Doctor John Watson's footsteps. Perhaps if I express myself through a blog, I could...I don't know... Well, I do like to write about things going on in my life (no matter how little actually happens in my life) and I thought it would be fun to try. If I don't like it, I'll just stop, but until then, here I am!

So...what's happened to me recently?

Well, I'm currently a freshmen in college (I'm not telling which) and I originally thought it would be a brilliant idea to go into Media Arts and Entertainment Technology. Essentially, movie-making. Sounds fun, right? I thought so too. But as I've gotten into it, I've realized it's not behind the camera that I want to be standing, but in front of it. I'm a performer at heart, and I would love nothing more than to be a semi-famous (not completely famous, that would be a hassle!) television or film actress. Or stage. Preferably television, because that way it keeps going and going...the story doesn't end nearly as quickly as it would in a movie. I love the friendships I make in theatre and the fact that you get to perform in multiple shows. But it, too, ends for sooner than I wish it would. Therefore, television.

I've auditioned for the Young Americans College of the Performing Arts in California (no, I'm not from there) and I really do hope I get in. I would choose one main focus...music, dance, or acting...and from there be able to audition for the traveling Young Americans group. They travel to different schools and run children's music workshops. It would be SO fun! I love working with kids too. My dream job, believe it or not, is to work as a character at Disney World Florida...perhaps one of the fairies or Wendy or Alice, based on what my height (4'11") would allow and the fact that I can do a pretty convincing British Accent if I do say so myself. Self-taught after listening to Jim Dale on the Harry Potter audio books for years. I also have managed to learn a Scottish Accent (perhaps my Scottish ancestry helps?) by watching David Tennant in a wonderful version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Next on my list are French, Russian, and Irish.

Wow this is getting a LOT longer than I expected it to be! I guess I'll wrap it up now.

For anyone who is actually reading this, thanks so much!