Diego Boneta and How I Saw Him First

     I don't want to sound like a hipster in the fall so I'm saying it right now. I liked Diego Boneta before he was super cool. He's cool right now, but most people don't know who he is. He isn't mainstream yet but after his next movie, he will be.
     Let it be known that I've liked him since like forever. His movie "Rock of Ages" comes out on June 15 an good Lord, I can see it now. All the fangirls are gonna go nuts. I am a fangirl myself (a Lautie) so I can criticize us. I've known about Boneta for years and as soon as I saw the words "based on the hit Broadway musical" I was all over this movie. 
     As my friends know, I've already called dibs. They gave it up pretty quickly too. "Sure you can have the guy no one knows..." Well let's see what happens on June 15 when they are all swooning in the theater over all the Diego Bon-awesomeness. I will bet someone money that there will be at least one war over him. So that's why I'm posting this. Let it be known to the world. THIS IS ME CALLING DIBS, LADIES!!! THE BONETA IS MINE!!!

Legacy and How I Realized How Much I Want to Leave One

     I was looking at my Twitter feed the other day and I saw a familiar name. Michael Cantu. I couldn't remember where I'd heard it but it gnawed at me until I finally asked a friend about it.
"Michael Cantu, as in football, Michael Cantu?" my friend clarified.
At the word "football", it hit me like a brick. He was in 8th grade when I was in 6th. Michael dominated on the football field and basketball court. Gabby had an über-dorky crush on him and we all teased her because he probably didn't even know her name. Looking back, I don't blame him. Most of our 6th graders are just flat out annoying.
I went to look at his Twitter feed and what I saw didn't surprise me. It looked something like this:

• baseball
• baseball
• baseball
• girlfriend
• baseball

     Of course he still was all about sports.
     So I got to thinking. I began to realize the legacy he left behind at Baker. All the guys wanted to be just like Michael. He was an upper classman, of course they looked up to him.
Then it hit me, CRAP! I'm now one of the upper classmen! When 6th graders look at me, what do they see? I only know a couple of them and just barely. But that's probably what Michael said...
     The more I thought about it, the more I thought about other upper classmen. I thought about who I would love to be remembered like and my mind immediately went to Mel Barrera. She is a year older than me but every time I would see her around school I would think to myself "She's a great actress. I want to be like her." I started thinking more and more and soon I realized how all of these people who didn't even know most of us could make an imprint on the lower grades.
     What kind of legacy will I leave behind?

Bullying and How It Gave Me Something To Do Today

     For the past week a selected group of students from my grade have been putting togther a play for an antibullying summit at the American Bank center for school administrators. It sounds really boring but it's been really great. To start off with, our teacher/director, Ms. M, told us we could write our own script. So for those of you who don't know me, I am a control freak. Before anyone even began to write ideas down on paper I had turned in a script to be reviewed. Ms. M decided that she liked it so we began to learn lines. The storyline revoloves around three main charcters; Russell, John, and Danielle. Russell was played by my good friend, Quentin Arispe and was a teen who just came out to his school that he was gay. Because of this, he loses all of his friends but by the end, he gets them back and support of the school. John, played by Douglass Hagemeister, is at first a life long friend of Russell but cannot accept that he is gay so leaves him. Once he sees how Russell is being treated however comes back to the rescue. Danielle completes the trio of friends and is the martyr of the show. Danielle was played by me and gets cyberbullied until she eventually commits suicide.

     We had rehearsals everyday during 7th period and at Aurora Arts Theatre. When we were at the theatre, the owner came to watch us do a dress rehearsal. "You've got a great set of kids you've got here, RaMina." said the owner.

     "Yeah, I made sure to pick my absolute best." replied Ms. M.

     At that we all smiled.

     When we arrived at the summit we realized that we were the only group who were here to have fun. We got on a bus with kids from Ray and Collegiate and immeadiately noticed that they were all buisiness. Those kids talked about the matter at hand while he sat at the back of the bus belting Book of Mormon and Wicked songs. Once we got settled in at our table we went to the bathroom and made a makeshift dressing room. We got into costume and put on stage makeup until we were stage ready. Then we returned to the Baker table to enjoy a fancy meal. How our school district could even afford it, I have no idea.

     Then we actually particiapted in the summit. It soon became obvious as we were grouped with the Ray kids that we were chosen to participate for different reasons. Most of us just let the juniors do the talking but then there was Quentin who wouldn't stop talking. Kate drew elephants on her script, I was on Twitter, but every now and again we made (somewhat) sigifigant contributions to the conversation. 

     Finally it was our time to go and perform. I was so proud of the cast that was assembled because everyone did fantsticly. The audience ate it up! When Russell announced that he was gay, people stood and appluaded. When John left Russell they all boo-ed. When my suicide scene started, one guy in the back yelled "DON'T DO IT!" Finally when we all went for bows, we got a standing ovation. As we walked offstage reporters there covering the summit came to talk to us and take pictures. The superintendent came and told us how well we did. A teacher from Ray came up and commended us as well; we even made her cry.

     Pretty good for a Monday.

Auditions and How They Aren't the End of the World

     At every audition there are those kids who think that they are just the bee's knees and are better than everyone else. Just because they star in everything, can sing "Defying Gravity" better than Idina Menzel herself and have been in dance classes since before they could even walk. There is always at least one.
     I am not one of these people. Sure I do shows but I'm not winning an Oscar anytime soon. As for my singing (oh God...), my own mother has asked me to stop singing in the car. Dance-wise I'm not terrible but I've never taken a dance class in my life.
     So I have no reason to be one of those crazy confident people. The thing is, I am. I know what I can and cannot do. I know that when I go onstage people are going to look at me; they are here to judge me. That's the whole point of theatre. Hey! Look at me! I'm here to tell you a story! Isn't that an established fact? It shouldn't come as a shock. This is why I get so frustrated with people who are there looking nauseous at auditions. If it makes you sick and uncomfortable, why do you put yourself through it?
     I don't get nervous before an audition; I get nervous immediately after. As soon as I walk offstage I think about how I could've done things differently. How that sucked compared to what I can actually do.  I always have to have faith that the director sees something in me that he/she likes.
     The picture above was taken at an audition. There was a line of chairs along the wall all filled with auditioners. I was second to last. As the auditions went on and the chairs began to become empty I noticed the boy next to me, Alec, kept looking worse. At first we made conversation but suddenly it died. Alec started looking greener than his shirt.
     Because of the lack of conversation, I started to talk to my friend, Natalya. Natalya was across the hallway and was the one who took the picture. She was laughing at how calm I was compared to the now sickly Alec.
     Soon it was my turn. I went in, did my two monologues and even got complemented on my characterization from my auditor. I came back out into the hallway and told Alec it was his turn. His face made it look like I just told him I just murdered his whole family and that he was next. He came out not even thirty seconds later. I asked him how it went and he told me about the horrible experience.
     He went into the room, and said "Hi my name is Alec and-". Then he made eye contact with our auditor and froze up. Then he just walked right back out of the room.
     A piece of advice? If you are someone like Alec don't audition. Work on your confidence. Wait until you know what you can do. Once you know what you can do, show it. Audition your butt off and do your best every time. It may take time but with every audition you get better and better, trust me. Soon you will be one of those kids that has crazy confidence because you've auditioned so much. An audition? No problem!

"Roast Beef" and How My Biology Teacher Expects Me to Cut Open A Heart

     When I signed up for Biology, I was warned with things like "You know it's a high school class, right?", "It goes on your transcript." and "Are you sure you can do this?" It's the fifth six weeks and I've made straight A's. Wednesday however I was faced with the biggest test of the year. Not the end of course exam; dissection day.     My Biology teacher, Mr. Jesse, was having the whole class dissect sheep hearts. Who in their right mind asks middle schoolers to do this?! It has the words "bad idea" all over it.
     I put on gloves with the weird power in them, goggles that always left whisker marks all over my cheekbones and an almost transparent apron. I sat at my table with my lab partner, Melissa, and sulked. I really didn't want to do this. I mean really! Who knows where that heart has been?! Oh wait, I do. INSIDE A FREAKING SHEEP!!! What did the sheep do to deserve this, Mr. Jesse? Better yet, what did I do to deserve this?!
     So Mr. Jesse walked around with a tray to all of the tables delivering their hearts. With each table he got closer, I felt another wave of nausea hit me like a brick. I thought about just puking so I wouldn't have to do it but puke is almost as gross as a sheep heart (almost).
     Finally Mr. Jesse got to our table and set down this lump of I-don't-even-know-what on our newspaper next to our tools. It had spots of gray, dark purple, white and even a little green. The smell was ungodly. The formaldehyde (used as a preservative) soaked our paper and got everywhere. Melissa asked our teacher about it and his response was to tell me to go wash it. HE TOLD ME TO GO WASH A SHEEP HEART! 
     After I washed it (set it down at the bottom of the sink and let the water run) the smell was more tolerable. Still not pleasant, but now withstandable.
     Then we had to start making incisions. Melissa made the initial ones because I had washed it after all.
     I had to make some cuts too but I came up with a method. Roast beef. It isn't a sheep heart, its just roast beef. "I am not cutting apart a vital organ, I am just making a sandwich." See but then I started to feel kinda like Sweeney Todd and I freaked myself out again.
     Eventually I got through the dissection (and learned nothing mind you!). I tossed the left over pieces and then washed my hands like I never had before in my life. But that wasn't the end! I have Biology first period so the smell of formaldehyde stayed on my clothes all day. It was unnerving to say the absolute least.
     So words of advice to all you Biology students: pretend it's roast beef. And to all the Biology teachers out there: If you want your students to hate you forever, ask them to do a dissection for a grade.

Annoying Ringtones and How No, I Won't Call You Maybe

One of my best friends, Lauren, spends the night at my house all the time. It's a pretty common occurrence. This time however she came armed with her new phone and new ringtones. Lauren's phone had the tone for a new text message to play "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Let me tell you. When it's an ungodly hour in the morning and you finally settle down to sleep its freaking magical. However as soon as I closed my eyes I was startled enough to send pillows and blankets flying by "HEY! I just met you...". I could've murdered Jepsen right then and there with my bare hands.
It's not that I don't like "Call Me Maybe", it just that it's pretty annoying as a ringtone. Let's do the math.

1 teenage girl x 1 cell phone = texting all day
Texting all day = annoying ringtone all day
Annoying ringtone all day = me being pissed off

So to all my nonexistent readers I advise (no, I beg you) not to put annoying songs as ringtones. Mine is "Should've Said No" by Taylor Swift which is a lot more tolerable than being scared the freak out when Carly Rae Jepsen asks you to call her.

My West Side Story Story

     Here lately I've developed this fixation with the musical West Side Story. It has become my dream to play Anita and I swear to you one day I will. To do all those dances and wear those fun dresses would just about make my life...well, perfect. My theatre career would never (EVER!) get a high higher than Anita. I WAS BORN TO BE ANITA! I'm Hispanic, not Puerto Rican but Mexican is close enough right? I speak Spanish! It's fate!
   So as I started telling my friends about this, they revealed that they loved this musical too. Rebecca, Cris, Belle and Quentin all gushed with me. Rebecca and I discussed her playing the Maria to my Anita. Cris confessed that his favorite musical was West Side Story so of course he got a hundred times cooler than he already was. Belle told me all about when she teched for a production of it and I got so incredibly jealous! I knew Belle had done everything but West Side Story? Really?! That's my show!
     Perhaps the most memorable reaction was Quentin's. When I told him I was actually crying because I had just finished the movie and Tony had died. At first he thought something was wrong and was genuinely concerned. Once he found out that I was bawling because of a movie he made his black face that speaks for itself. It says, "Wow you're so dumb." and it's not very nice, as you can see.
     So yeah...you know I try to have a point to these postings...this one kinda didn't turn out so well. I guess the point of it is that I really like West Side Story and I will play Anita before I die. So yeah.

I'm so sorry for this utterly pointless post.

No, really I am.