My Best Friend

So the waiting game is over. Last Friday, I received an email from the Chapman Cross Country coach. She wanted to congratulate me on my acceptance to Chapman University. She didn't realize that she was letting the news slip before I received the official notification.

My package came in the mail on Tuesday. Getting accepted to both LMU and Chapman means that I'm most likely headed to school somewhere in California. Unfortunately in the midst of my excitement, Alaina and I finally had to face the unspeakable truth: we're going to be separated.

Alaina and I are best friends, but we're also so much more than that. After a few hours of crying and math homework at Starbucks, I can't say that we have anything figured out. But I know that things will play out the way they're supposed to.

I'm super excited for our Valentine adventure this weekend. Instead of wasting money on dumb gifts, we're headed to Pittsburgh (and the surrounding area) on Saturday to see Blue Valentine, The King's Speech, trek through Ikea, and possibly dine at The Cheesecake Factory.

I Miss the Sun

First of all, do I sound like a girl? Back in the day, whenever someone called the house, and I answered the phone, they always thought I was my mom. I hated it.

Then the magic of puberty happened and my voice changed. However, people still think that I'm my mom on the phone. Usually the person on the other end will say, "Mrs. King?" When I tell them I'm actually a man (well getting there), they burst into a fit of apology.


Except the lady who called the other night... she wanted to talk to Ryan about the Discovery Kids magazines he subscribes to. She thought I was his mom. When I explained that I was actually his brother, there was a short pause. And then she started to crack up with giggling! Ugh.

Short update on my life: I was accepted to Loyola Marymount University - my backup California school. So that's exciting. And my notification letter from Chapman is in the mail. Good or bad? The anticipation is killing me.


Oh, there's no school yet again today. Ice storm. By the time I graduate from high school, I'll have to leave for college the next day. At least we finished midterms yesterday.

I might actually try to do something today - maybe read. But I'm actually in a "I don't know what to do with myself period." So I might have a mini movie marathon. Catfish came from Netflix today.


I'm also on this Baz Luhrmann kick. I finally watched Moulin Rouge the other night, and I surprisingly really liked it.


Finally, here's a bit of movie magic. I always thought the elevator scene in Romeo + Juliet was super sexy. Now laugh as you watch how they did it.

Movie Love

This past weekend was a little crazy, and it felt never-ending. But Monday brought a new week and so far, I am as happy as can be.

It feels like Christmas. I'm working to get stuff done before break. Man do I need one! I think we all do.

Besides Christmas, this is one of my favorite times of the year for another reason: movies! And most of the best ones! The only downside is that Johnstown hardly ever gets any of the limited releases. But that won't stop me. As of now, I'm driving an hour away with some friends on Thursday to see Black Swan. I'll drive all Oscar season if I have to. There's a buttload of films I want to see.


I'm almost done with my final college application - LMU. I've been working on the film essay. I have to write about the elements of the most powerful stories and storytellers. The essay has actually been giving me a hard time.

When I was searching for inspiration the other day, I stumbled across a dude who makes a movie montage at the end of each year. They were really cool. Of course, I'm a sucker for those montages at the ends of movies that give you little heart goosebumps (see Annie Hall, Slumdog Millionaire, 500 Days of Summer, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

Anyways, the Cinema 2010 montage was uploaded today. Make some popcorn and enjoy!

Also, only four days until Christmas! I can't believe it!

Congratulations to Me

First off, this is my 50th blog post. Wow. I didn't think I would get there. Let's party!

I guess my gift is another snow storm. Schools in Johnstown got out early today, and I'm holding out for a third snow day so I can finally start typing my LMU essays.

I've been working on a poetry project for AP English. I'm reporting on Eating Poetry which has a theme of feeding attractions. Which reminds me of reading over 150 pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Saturday. I finally finished the book at Alaina's birthday party.


Needless to say, I really liked the Swedish crime thriller. It was cool, sexy, and new. I guess I'll have to read the other two novels in the trilogy in the summer.


A little later tonight, I'm going to crash on my couch with some coffee and blankets to watch the Swedish movie. Thank God for Netflix on the Wii. Just saying.



America is working on its own version of the film. Because it's directed by David Fincher, it should be awesome. We'll find out next Christmas. That is if the Mayans are wrong, and we don't blow up before then.

Anyway, only 12 more days until this Christmas!

Recovery Evening

I had a blast this weekend! And now I'm recovering.

Alaina celebrated her birthday and officially became an adult too. I went on a lot of adventures, partied with Alaina, and ate a bunch of yummy food. I really want to talk about all of it, but I've decided to wait until Alaina gets her pictures developed.

Until then, I have a special announcement. If I've calculated correctly, this summer marks the 5th Anniversary of Pine Street Productions. The summer before I entered high school, my family bought a video camera, and I began making silly videos with my siblings and neighbors.


To celebrate the anniversary in conjunction with my leaving for college, Ryan and I were discussing throwing a huge block party - complete with food, Chinese lanterns, loud music, tents, everyone we know, and maybe even fireworks. We could watch all of the movies consecutively on a huge sheet. Ryan, Adam, and I could even make a short documentary on our history together. That would be fun.

Until then, I'm thinking about launching a mini-series entitled Pine Street Productions: Five Years of Violence, Sex, and Love.

Lately, we've been watching some of our old projects and laughing our heads off. You get a certain satisfaction when you watch your pre-puberty self acting like an idiot. We've also been surprised to find a staggering amount of violence and a number of sexual innuendos throughout the Pine Street films. Oh goodness.

USC wanted me to upload a video sample online, so I created a Vimeo account. Eventually, I'm going to post clips from the past films on there. However, it will have to be after I finish my LMU application - probably sometime over Christmas break. I'll announce the official release date when I figure it out.

Moving on. Thirteen days til Christmas! Unfortunately, most of the Christmas music on the radio is annoying. So I set out to create the ultimate holiday soundtrack entitled A Very Hipster Christmas. Good Christmas songs are out there.

One of the cool ones is Happy Birthday Guadalupe by the Killers. I haven't had a chance to watch the video until tonight.

Chad Strikes Back

So I took a hiatus. A long one. The last two months were a whirlwind. At many moments, I encountered something I longed to blog about. But I didn't want to start blogging again unless I knew I could keep it up consistently. That wouldn't be fair.

I turned in my research paper today (I wrote about interracial couples), and so I'm beginning to feel free. Well freeer. Free-er. More free.

A buttload of bloggable events occurred in the past two months. I'll try to pick some ones to focus on over the next few weeks.

A few highlights:

I finished the short film, called it a Dance in Time, and entered it in a few festivals. We'll wait and see what happens.
I also completed all of my applications except for one - LMU, which I plan to start this week.
And I'm starting to grow a little more facial hair. Not quite there yet.

In other news, Christmas is in 16 days. Holy crap. All of the sudden, winter struck Johnstown and we had two snow days. My guidance counselor reminded me again today that senior year flies by. She's right.

But I'm having fun. And I'm excited for what lies ahead.

LMU

Today, I want to write a quick review of Loyola Marymount University, but first a few recent happenings:

After Wednesday night practices in the summer, the cross country team hangs out at Eat'n Park - a chain of family friendly diner-like restaurants that are famous for its Smiley cookies. Last night was our last Eat'n Park adventure. It was fun. A few friends and past runners dropped by to say goodbye before they left for college. That will be me in a short year.

Speaking of college, I am still working on finalizing my list. My parents are worried because I haven't begun to apply yet. They are now clocking my time. Yesterday, my mom yelled at me because I watched America's Next Top Model for twenty minutes while I ate lunch. This means I might have to do some secret blogging.

Finally, I keep hitting dead ends with my short film. On Tuesday, my faithful french teacher gave me a list of possible male actors. Two days later I still haven't found someone. Sigh. Summer feels as if it has been over for awhile.

And now introducing Loyola Marymount University.

I'm pretty sure that Loyola has schools across the country. LMU is a small Jesuit school in LA. My cousin Danielle went there. I'm not sure of the differences between the Jesuit and Catholic faiths. They seem similar.

Danielle and Erica took me on a little tour of LMU on the Saturday after film camp. While there, we got locked outside on a dorm roof. It also rained (drizzled actually). Rained in LA - I told said the weather was weird while I was there.

I went back later that week with Carol Anne, and we got a personal tour of the film building. The student who gave us the tour had some good information, but he also talked a lot of trash about other film schools in the area. He came off as a bit biased and arrogant. He also mentioned that he was attending LMU and his brother was going to attend USC because they had "connections." Which is what it's all about folks.

LMU sits in the middle of LA on top of a mountain. The location really is beautiful. It's in a safe environment - a residential neighborhood. It's also a short drive away from LAX and Manhattan Beach - one of my favorite areas of Los Angeles.

The school seems religious. Each dorm has an in-house priest. Although from what Danielle tells me, that doesn't stop the students from having a good time. As a whole LMU reminds me of a local college - St. Francis University. A ton of kids from my high school, Bishop McCort, go there. It has earned the nickname 13th grade.

After attending a small Catholic school for my whole life, I am anxious to break out. I want a big school in a big city. Just visiting LMU makes me feel chrostophobic, and I worry that I might go crazy there.

The film school itself is a tiny, and I mean tiny, little building. It is pretty hard to get accepted into the school. LMU has a two sound stages, a nice theater, and a cool editing suite. It sits in the heart of the action and seems connected to the industry. A bunch of cool people come to talk to the film students. Advanced film screenings are sometimes held. Plus, students can break out and explore opportunities in the city.

All in all, LMU is not my top choice. But the campus is very nice. LMU just got a brand new library that was probably one of the nicest buildings I have ever been in. The film school is reputable and connected to the industry. It serves as a good backup school if USC and Chapman don't work out.

I want to end by introducing you to Pratley. I know it's random, but my good friend Christina introduced me to his music. He's a student at USC. Listen to Fall Wind. After all, Autumn is around the corner.

http://pratleyproject.com/

Goodbye Rain

This morning, I woke up early to go for a run. It poured (and even lightning was involved). However, I did not mind. In fact, I absorbed as much rain as I could. Tomorrow, I leave for L.A. I will not see rain again for at least three weeks.

I'm heading to L.A. because I got a scholarship to attend a two-week digital film camp at UCLA. While there, I will also spend an extra week with my cousins to explore and visit colleges- USC, LMU, and Chapman.

This will undoubtedly be the biggest adventure of my summer, and as I ran around the travel section of Wal-Mart earlier today, the excitement set in. Hopefully, I'll find some time to blog while I'm with my cousins. If not, I'll write about all of my adventures when I return to Johnstown.

Tonight, I'm hanging out with Alaina and our peeps. For now, I should go pack. I haven't started yet.