Silence is the true thriller....

First off I would like to thank my mother for inspiring me to write this blog post. What's the sound we all try to imitate when we're referring to someone who is a psycho? Come on you got this....I kind of gave you the answer so if you guess wrong I'm going to be a little concerned for ya.....phew, okay good you got it! The famous screeching of the strings in the infamous thriller classic Psycho directed by the one and only man who can make everyone tremble simply with a shower curtain, Alfred Hitchcock. Today is his birthday and I am a very big fan of this classic film genius! Luckily, this year at school, I was able to take a class called Music In Film so naturally we were bound to study Hitchcock films and his partnership with the brilliant film composer Bernard Herrmann. Combine the chilling strings with the creepy shadow that slowly approaches the shower curtain and you have an instant thriller that will leave people sitting on the edge of their seats....well I know I was sitting on the edge of my seat! As a regular 21 year old, of course I love the occasional scary movies. Not gory because I just don't think all that is necessary but put a thriller on the TV or movie theater screen and I am there in a heartbeat! Along with the movie Psycho, my other favorite Hitchcock film is Rear Window.....oh sweet mother of God that movie sends chills up my body every time I watch it and the thing is the WHOLE movie takes place in an apartment looking out of a window!....and the light bulb comes on now realizing why the movie is called Rear Window, okay now we're all on the same page....That blows my mind! The man is a genius I mean the fact that the movie takes place in this apartment the whole time and it never gets boring, in fact it is one of the most suspenseful movies I myself have ever watched. That moment when the villain realizes the hero has figured out his crime and he slowly turns and makes direct eye contact with the eavesdropping binoculars (and audience) in the window across the street......everyone in the audience begins to think something along the lines of "oh crap, Oh Crap, OH CRAP!!!" Along with that, this whole movie has no suspenseful music....just silence. Everyone is uncomfortable with silence. It signifies the unknown and the fact that anything can happen and you wouldn't know. In my opinion, the silence in this movie is the true thriller. This proves how genius this man truly was as a film director. The fact that a quick moment of eye contact combined with complete silence as you hear the slow footsteps coming up the stairs can make the audience shift in their seat and hold their pillow even tighter to the point of squeezing the stuffing out or throwing the popcorn out of your hand as you jump out of your seat. As I end this post, I urge you all to go out and find this Hitchcock classic, or any of his films for that matter and experience the thrill and suspense that makes him the famous director he is. Appreciate the stilling silence and chills that will soon follow because the silence is the true thriller. Happy birthday Alfred Hitchcock and thank you for the amazing movie experiences you have provided for me and generations to come. Now if you'll excuse me, a classic movie night is calling my name and don't worry I'll keep you posted!    

"Oh if life were made of moments...."

 

You know those times where it feels like your luck runs out over and over....and over again? That was today for me. I'm usually not one to just slump into a pity-party, but I felt myself slumping away this afternoon. Then I suddenly remembered that my luck was coming back for just a moment when I got to spend my day with one of my amazing friends and watch one of my all-time favorite musicals, Into the Woods. A little background on why this musical means so much to me. It was the very first musical I ever saw when I was little....for some of you who know this musical you might be thinking this might be a little heavy for a little kid.....but I didn't care. It was a video recording of when my mom had done it and my sister and I would watch it constantly until we ended up playing the video to death. No literally, the tape died......sorry mom.....anyway, the point is this musical brought me such joy. If I think back on it now, that may have been the musical that brought me into the magical world of the theatre. Those moments I spent watching this beautiful work of art changed my life in such a little way, showing me that the theatre provided a whole other world for me to escape into sometimes whether I'm performing or getting lost in the passion of others. "Oh, if life were made of moments, even now and then a bad one - but if life were only made of moments, then you'd never know you had one." This lyric stuck out to me as I watched it tonight in the same wonder and amazement I did however many years ago when I saw it for the very first time. I never knew what this specific line meant until now. There are moments that we wish we could relive over and over because they were just that special....but then there are those that we wish we never had. Any "moment" good or bad is given to you to either teach you something or to simply keep as a precious memory for your entire life. While I felt like my "luck" was lacking today, watching this musical made me remember all those priceless, perfect and life-changing moments that I have had more of in my life than bad moments. In my opinion, if you can learn something new and rewarding from any "moment" you encounter that makes everything worth it. So I encourage you all to do two things: 1.) watch this musical at some point if you've never seen it. It's a "moment" worth having 2.) make sure that when you do have those days where it seems that bad moments keep hitting you, think of the amazing moments you've had in your life because I know you all have had one. You'll be surprised at how much it can wipe away the cloud that seems to hanging over your head for the time being. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to blast the Into the Woods soundtrack in my room and sing to the top of my lungs, adding yet another moment to remember, but don't worry I'll keep you posted!

I'm lovin' this plan so far!

PSYCH! I'm not taking a break from blogging for the summer, so you can breathe a sigh of relief now! There's so much happening, I can't wait a couple more months to start writing again that's just not fair to y'all.  It is completely blowing my mind that I am already done with my freshman year of college! It feels like only yesterday when I moved all my things into my dorm, registered for classes and even wrote my first blog post. ...where has the time gone?? I found myself really thinking back on all that has happened this year these past couple weeks and thinking even more about how I got to where I am. I'm not going to go into full detail since most of you know now about my gap year I had to take, but most of you don't know how lost I felt and how I didn't think I would get another chance to go to college. I felt myself losing faith not only in myself, but in my dream. It was slipping farther and farther away from me with each passing day. Then one day, I flipped open my bible and turned straight to what is now my favorite verse Jeremiah 29:11, where I then read "For I know the plans I have for you' declares The Lord. 'Plans to prosper but not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." At this moment in my life, this verse really spoke to me and truly helped me get back up from where I had fallen. This verse was so important to me that I decided to have it permanently placed on my arm to always remember that there is a plan for my life and to never lose faith. Now, don't sit here and think that I'm going to shove my religion in your face, I'm simply giving a little background story here. Anyway, this verse made me believe that there was a plan and a good one coming. I had no idea when, but I knew soon it was coming and sure enough it did when I got the simple 'YES' I needed from Catawba College. I didn't even need to visit this place to know my decision of whether to go there or not. Everything was falling into place, so I knew this was part of the plan that was made just for me. Sure enough, once I got to school it all became so clear that I was meant to be here! I don't like to brag on myself really, but I must say that I find such pride in the work I've done this year and even more the hard work and trials I fought through to get to where I am now. The friends I made, the skills I learned, and even the reputation I have made for myself as a person with good work ethic and very serious about what she wants to do with her life....what more could I ask for? Sure there were struggles with this year it wasn't perfect, but man was it a thrill ride that I am so incredibly blessed to have ridden! So many doors have opened for me already with just this year alone, I can't even imagine what 3 more years is going to do for me! "For I know the plans I have for you..." and what a beautiful plan it is and it has only just begun. So get ready my friends, this summer is going to be amazing and don't worry, I'll keep you posted!