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The Midweek Rest Stop: Yippy Ky Yay 2020

Here’s to being halfway through senior year. Here’s to getting back on a sustainable diet. Here’s to eating three meals a day PLUS SNACKS!! Here’s to writing two plays and receiving state awards on BOTH of them!! Here’s to coming out to my family and friends! Here’s to finally seeking help for my anxiety disorder and actually making efforts to better the difficulties that come with struggling mental health. Here’s to making the best of - I think we can all call - a hot mess garbage fire year. So long 2020. One day I will brag about how I survived you to my remaining bloodline.

Now I always found New Year’s resolutions to be kind of pointless and somehow negatively positive - in a way that is wishing for change for the wrong reasons. But, somehow I found myself writing a list for things I hope to accomplish in the new year that matter to me. It’s not a lot, but here they are:

1. Make confident decisions for myself, not others.

2. Fully celebrate my accomplishments - don’t sell myself short!

3.  Develop the person I am, the way I am.

Take what you will from that, but alas, New Years is all what you make of it, if you see it as anything to make from it. I hope your new year’s is wonderful and that your 2021 is absolutely stellar. As always, until next time, Much Love~

[ellatellastory]

the weekly update: happy holidays and so much food

monday december 21: happy yule! I hope everyone had a wonderful day for those who celebrate. if you don't, that's okay too! I still hope you had a wonderful day. i also wrote back my pen pal and finished my online school orientation. because of the way me school schedule worked out, i got placed in a weird third block, so i decided to opt out of that class and choose an online alternative. so now i get to have a fun art class for my third block. talk to your counselors, you got lots more options than you realize.

tuesday december 22: ahhh! last minute christmas shopping. why do i feel like it never ends?? and why do i feel so behind?? anyone else feel like its so hard to find things for dads in particular? i hope he likes everything.

wednesday december 23: trying to get back to the grind. i wrote some essays for my ap lit class that starts in january. i also did some world building for this idea i've had in my head for the past couple of days. and it's my cat's gotcha day!! she's this adorable black cat who likes to sleep on my clean laundry. she's been with us four years now. Ahhh! my baby is all grown! :(((

thursday december 24: merry christmas eve! i spent a lot of time with my family and watched a bunch of christmas movies. my family also has this tradition of not putting presents under the tree until christmas eve night, so it's like a surprise when we all wake up in the morning. this was the first time i got to help out with that, which was really nice. very excited for tomorrow.

friday december 25: merry christmas!! it was a wonderful day. i am very thankful for everything i was given and really happy that my family was happy with their gifts. for those who aren't as fortunate, i hope you had a wonderful day and know that i send love your way.

saturday december 26: the last day of rest before i have to get back to work. by work i mean school related things. i still have lots of scholarships and essays to write, so i best get to it. i also have to decide where to go to college in about a month... trying to get a tour appointment in before that decision time comes.

sunday december 27: back to the grind. got essays done and scholarships mostly completed. the days have started to bleed into eachother, it's starting to get hard to keep track. for those who are interested, i wrote about the structural irony within the musical Falsettos and the political importance of Spring Awakening and analyzed the importance of winter in Emily Dickinson's poem "Some, too fragile for winter winds." Very interesting. Maybe I'll talk more about it in a later post.

i hope you had a lovely holiday season. 2020 is almost over!! we're so close!!! until next time, much love~

[ellatellastory]

The Midweek Rest Stop: Decisions, Decisions

Funny how one door is halfway closed and it seems like you have to look down the hall and decide the next three next doors you’re going to walk through.

That’s a bit dramatic, but as you can see... I’m at a crossroads. I have to decide my future before the first month of 2021 ends. Dramatic, right? 

It’s about college. Of course. It feels really important. I thought I knew what I wanted, but just as I was about to jump on it, I... felt hesitant. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but I have been given a deadline and a great opportunity and I don’t have any good reasons to be conflicted, but yet I still do feel that way.

So I suppose, I have a question. Not an answer for me, but an answer in general. How did you know what next step to take for your future. In any way- career, school, relationship. How did you know?

All is appreciated. I hope you have a lovely holiday. Until next time, much love~

[ellatellastory]

the weekly update: at last, a breath of fresh air

monday december 14: oh my. the begining of finals week. i had my second to last ap microeconomics test today. did alright, not bad. officially finished my cross section project in calculus. got started on the last ap calculus project of the year, a catapult. also got the study guide for my forensics final on friday. and the insanity has just begun.

tuesday december 15: finished my last test in ap microeconomics!! i did very well on it as well. and, i had a stage combat workshop with my theatre crew today!! it was amazing! we learned how to SAFELY throw fake punches and slaps, AND how to use stage swords!! it was awesome! this show is going to be amazing, i can feel it. and it was really cool because a professor from one of my top pick schools came down to teach it, so that was a very cool experience for me who’s trying to make decisions about college soon.

wednesday december 16: it was... actually a regular day today? worked on the catapult in calculus. it needed readjustments, but we have it where we like it for the test tomorrow. tomorrow we also have presentations for our ap micro ornaments. and tomorrow is the last rehearsal of the semester before winter break. wow.

thursday december 17: catapult project- success!! i got a 99, which... really didn’t change my grade too much in the class, but it didn’t make it go down either!! i also had presentations for the ap micro ornaments. because i am such an overachiever, i made three. everyone made fun of me for it, but i did make a 110% on that final so... my grade may be a 102%. all i’m saying is that they may be making fun, but who ended up on top? ;)

friday december 18: I MADE IT! the last day of the semester. i only had one test, in my first block class, forensics. i did well. and then in second block, drama, we FINALLY got our GTC awards in the mail. we had a little photoshoot/celebration for it. we had never won so many awards before, so this was a very special thing for our group. i won a playwriting award, first place duo interpretation, and best ensemble with my group. after that, since i didn’t have anything else to do in school, my dad checked me out early and we had sushi to celebrate. it’s official, senior year is halfway over.

saturday december 19: i slept so much today. it was absolutely insane. i just rested and it felt so nice. i have not had the opportunity to let myself rest in a very long time. it was much needed. i also watched the pro shot of kinky boots that was available this weekend. absolutely phenomenal. my favorite song is “soul of a man.” absolutelu AMAZING

sunday december 20: another restful morning, but a busy noon. i had last minute christmas shopping to do for my family and preparations for yule tomorrow that i had to make sure got done. i am very happy with all i accomplished. i even had time to read some rupi kaur and watch criminal minds. what a combination right? i have never watched the show before. it’s pretty good so far.

i hope everyone has a wonderful week and that whatever holiday you are celebrating this season is joyous. until next time, much love~

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The Midweek Rest Stop: My Thoughts on The Prom Movie

You know... I didn’t hate it. I definitely thought it was not perfect, but I had a good time. I was actually having a terrible day prior to watching it, so that helped turn my day around. My thoughts go as follows-

i. So bright. So shiny. ~s p a r k l e s~

ii. Why was Just Breathe so happy? like, it’s actually really sad and Emma was smiling the entire time??? Not the actors fault though. That was definitely a directorial choice because it could have so easily been changed to fit with what the lyrics actually were talking about.

iii. Choreography ON POINT. Set ON POINT. Aesthetics ON POINT. Technical wise, this movie was beautiful to look at.

iv. I felt like it was way too hard to fit the entire development of two different storylines together, so Emma and Alyssa’s development suffered for the sake of a consistent plot. Understandable, but disappointing. I wanted more of them.

v. Jo Ellen Pellman did so well with what that script gave her. I see a very promising career ahead of them.

vi. NICOLE KIDMAN ANDREW RANNELLS MERYL STREEP I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH

vii. Love Thy Neighbor did not need to slap that hard. Petition for Andrew Rannells to tour America with it. p l e a s e.

viii. The ending felt rushed, but at least it ended happy and with no one dying. All of the LGBTQ+ characters actually lived to the end of the movie for once, which FINALLY. 

Overall, I liked it. Did it have problems, absolutely, but this is as close as I’ll ever get to seeing the Broadway show, so I’m trying my best to relish in the theatre geekery in place of what I will miss. What are your thoughts?

Until next time, much love~

[ellatellastory]

the weekly update: i am very tired

monday december 7: today was off book day for the first half of our show. it honestly went pretty well, but the bulk of my big scenes are in the second half, so oof to that. I was supposed to meet a good friend of mine for dinner after rehearsal to meet his girlfriend (they are in college), but he bailed on me :( On the bright side, my etsy stickers came in. that made me happy. 

tuesday december 8: aka, get my life together day. i wrote several versions of two essays for a scholarship that i would really like to get. i spent the majority of the day doing that, including rehearsal time. luckily that is done and sent in though. i was very stressed about it.

wednesday december 9: MY LAST AP CALCULUS QUIZ WAS TODAY AHHH. from here on out, its just projects. i honestly don’t remember much about today. this is the point in the week where exhaustion is setting in.

thursday december 10: had a test in forensic science, and killed it (pun intended) and took a wonderful nap before rehearsal because i was STRUGGLING to stay awake all day. i also got the notification that all of my college audition and scholarship information was sent in. wish me luck.]

friday december 11: tired and anxious. i was not doing too great. some of my classmates were making fun of my anxiety tics. it was hurtful, not going to lie, but my parents were weirdly comforting about it. they’re not always good with that kind of stuff, but they let me watch Chicago and have leftovers on the couch. 

saturday december 12: i had rehearsal early this morning so i went to the school and basically got to work at 10. we painted and ran scenes. i’m mostly off book. its a little rough in patches, but i’m very happy with myself. when i got home, my mom was at work all day, so it was operation christmas for my dad and i. we wrapped presents and all of that. i also got to watch the prom on netflix. i have a lot of feelings about it, some good some ehh, but overall i enjoyed it. 

sunday december 13: today was cleansing day. i cleaned my room, did laundry, took out trash, etc. i painted my calculus project, wrote some cards for the staff and teachers at my school. they’ve been having it rough, so i hope they like them. i still feel really tired from yesterday and the week, but hopefully i will have enough to power through. this is the last week of the semester. ahh!!

until next time, much love and blessed be~

[ellatellastory]

The Midweek Rest Stop: Things I Learned From College Theatre Auditions

Hello friends!! A little backstory, I am a senior trying to get accepted into a college theatre program. I’m doing basically a big cattle call at my state’s upcoming Thespian Convention, which is all virtual. I prepped and recorded my audition all by myself, and today it was all sent in!! It was kind of stressful, but I figured I’d share things that I learned and would have helped me. Total disclaimer, this is all based on my experience and advice mentors have given me. Take it with a grain of salt.

1. Pick your audition pieces with a purpose. I notice that my strongest songs and monologues are ones that I am passionate about what they’re saying or who the character is. The more confident and connected you are to the characters you’re playing, the more clear your acting skills will be. 

2. Range RaNgE RANGE. Not just the vocal kind. There is a dynamic to the different types of pieces you are performing. This is why in college auditions, they ask you to prepare two contrasting pieces.

3. MORE DIFFICULT DOESN’T MEAN BETTER! I know it’s very hard not to pick your beltiest screltiest song or tragic monologue, but if the piece is out of your capacity of skill level, mmmm (I’ve made this mistake before, can you tell...). But don’t get me wrong, if that is your jam and is your show stopping spotlight moment- you go for it. Just don’t be blinded by the dazzle and not work your skills to what is needed for the piece.

4. Look into the colleges that you will be performing for. Some cattle calls don’t disclose this information, but usually they give a general region of places who will be watching. I’m at the point where I’ve narrowed down my top picks, but I made sure that those schools are in the group of audition spectators. 

5. JUNIORS!! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. There is no such thing as too much audition experience, especially if you’re looking to go into a college theatre program. I have been lucky enough to begin auditioning for colleges since my junior year. It’s a good place to start putting your name in the hat and have colleges get to know you- and for you to get to know colleges!

There’s so much more I feel like, but here’s what I have for now! 

Have a wonderful rest of your week, lovelies. Until next time, much love~

[ellatellastory]

weekly update: why we goin so faaast woOaAaHh

monday november 30: it kind of just hit me that my senior year of high school is halfway over. i have less than two weeks left of fall semester and decisions about what comes next are expected relatively soon. i have to simmer on that. happy note~ rehearsals for our one act show started today! i’ve been so ready to get back into rehearsal. 

tuesday december 1: oh my gosh!! only 31 days left of 2020. unbelievable, but also~ FINALLY. i think we can all agree 2020 has been... something else. today was a special day. today i am 8 months barcode free. some days have been harder than others, but i’ve worked hard to get here. i am proud of myself. also, my dad put up the christmas lights :)

wednesday december 2: I GOt aCCEPTED iNTO uNIVERsiTY oF WEST GEORGIA!! AHhh! i got my acceptance email in my last class of the day. i always seem to get the most interesting emails in that class. AP Micro always experiences my crazy email reactions. now there’s another school to add into the equation of decisions :/ yay and uhh

thursday december 3: i got some meh news in the morning. i got an email from SCAD financial aid. they sent my results for my financial aid package and... it doesn’t look like i’ll be able to afford to go. it was sort of wishful thinking, but i was still hoping that i could figure something out. it’s okay though, all of the colleges i applied to are ones i feel good about hypothetically going to. it kind of made me feel eh for the rest of the day.

friday december 4: today was not a great day for anxiety. i did all of the things to try and help it during the day, but everything felt so overwhelming. luckily, i had a therapy appointment after school, which helped, but by the end of the day, i was just exhausted emotionally and physically. sometimes we have those days. that’s okay.

saturday december 5: i got some MUCH needed rest this morning. today’s main goal was to film my college auditions and thespy’s submission for the GA Thescon Conference. success! it took like 3 hours, but it was worth it to get a take that i liked for both. i relaxed for the rest of the day annotating a few chapters of my ap lit winter homework book. should i share self tape audition tips? i wish someone had with me when i had to start doing them, especially since, you know... covid.

sunday december 6: i spent today working on scholarship essays and prepping for the week. i’m really stressed about affording college, but hopefully all of the scholarships i’m applying for come through and help. pro tip~ start early. finals are about to start. projects... essays... tests... *siiiigh* i started a painting today to help destress. it mostly worked.

any other seniors out there feeling the stress? how has your week been? 

until next week, much love and blessed be~

[ellatellastory]

ahhh!! my friend on instagram (@justamagicgoldfish) commissioned this portrait for me!! I really love it. it makes me feel like me :)