American U

Happy Thursday! I only have a bit of time because I'll explain in a bit. First, the best recipe I ever created today:

The Best I'm-A-Cheap-College-Student-And-I-Live-Out-Of-My-Freezer Between-Classes Lunch: Waffle Tuna Melt

Serves 1-2

You will need:
A can of tuna
2-4 frozen waffles
2-4 prepackaged cheese slices
(you can use whatever type you want/have)
And
Mayo
Pickle relish
Salt & pepper
To taste

Materials you will need:
2 plates (paper ok)
1 fork (plastic ok)

Appliances you will need:
1 Toaster

First, prepare the tuna however you like to make it. I use enough mayo to coat, and then enough pickle relish on top of that until it's not too moist. Then salt and pepper however it happens to come out that time.

Toast the waffles two at a time. Dangle two cheese slices over the toaster while it is on, to start the melt.

When the waffles are done to your preference, lay the cheese over each of them and allow the extra waffle heat to transfer into the cheeses. Then lay in the tuna mix on one of them—you can probably get all the tuna onto one waffle, but I used half and ended up making two sandwiches, and that's what the other two cheeses and waffles are for.


It's very good, I promise you.

So RIGHT NOW I am sitting in a red chair next to an outlet in the hallway outside the theater. Why? Because this weekend is the taping of the American U sitcom we've been writing, and today is the last-minute fixes and dress rehearsal. I've been here since 4! And it's pretty much the coolest thing ever, the way this works.

We're in the theater 'cause that's where a stage is, but other than that it just about approximates a professional sitcom set. That, and the fact there's a bunch of students and three professors. I took some pictures!


This is what the Student Union set looks like from the front row. Cameras! And because you can't see anything.....

Screens!


It's been so fun and funny and intense--I keep feeling like my comedy game is trying to be raised, that everything I say I have to think about first--what do I say next that is really really funny? I like it a lot. I wish you all could be here. One day I hope I get a copy of the finished version to show you all. It's not going to be the best half hour of television you've ever seen, but it will be something special.

Okay, I can hear they're about to get rolling in there, so I'll roll outta here! Hope your Thursdays were as great as mine!!

-Steph

The Culinary Week!

Happy Thursgivingday! That's Happy Thursday + Happy Thanksgiving! I almost forgot to remember to write this, so I'm going to do it now.

Friday Beth and Brianna stole me away from Japanese Kids to go to (of all places) Dai Shogun. So-called Happy Hour, where there's a bunch of really great food for lunch prices. That was fun because I haven't really spent too much time with Brianna this semester, after living with her for two years. Did you know the kid is engaged now? CRAZYness.

Saturday there was this Media Arts Festival, where Chip Fields spoke to us. It was pretty neat. And then after that I dropped in with Beth and Kirstie as they went to Pasadena to Hurry Curry. It was very good, and I had strawberry-flavored tea. I recommend it if you're a curry fan.

So Sunday we went BACK to Pasadena (needed some art supplies from Blick) and had lunch at Kansai, which is literally across the street from Hurry Curry. Love that place. Been there once with my dad and always wanted to go back. I had an onigiri and a half-bowl of udon, and the tea was free like at A'Float. And then I had red bean ice cream, which I haven't had in a loooong time. It's so good. Go there.

Also, Beth has introduced me to Famima!! It's a Japanese mini-mart that they're testing out in LA area. When we were coming back from Hurry Curry, we found the second location in Pasadena, so we checked it out after Kansai. It's way bigger than the first one AND AND they've got a case of steamed buns. !!! So even though we'd just ate, I bought an anman! A bun with my favorite red bean paste inside! I finally had one!! It was unexpectedly fudgey, but not in a bad way. It was fun. Gonna drop by there again on the way back to school.

Monday was all homework, but Tuesday was all hanging out. Sitcom class turned into hanging out time 'cause we didn't actually have to be there. But then there was a run-through of 90% of the show at 6, and that was pretty awesome. I can't wait for the taping. But then I had dinner with Yuko (from Sitcom). We were adventurous and went to Pho 777 across the street. That was really good, too. Definitely going back there. But it was funny because we definitely had to order off of the pictures 'cause we didn't know what anything was. ^^

Wednesday! Beth drove me home to home-town. Traffic wasn't so bad, just there were a few accidents. Gave her an in-depth tour of the house and then an in-the-dark tour of Ventura. Came back and made a pie while watching Colbert and up through Craig Ferguson who is now my favorite person ever. I'm also very sneezy.

So then today was Thursgiving, and there was all the food you can imagine. Just me and my folks and Beth since all the other kids are out of state. All two of them. It was good, and then there was a nice walk downtown (which was eerily empty) and out along the pier and back. It was cool and breezy, but not as cold as it could have been. Then we came home and watched Little Miss Sunshine and saw that exact area where we'd just been, hee hee. But according to the writer, filming in Ventura was a unfortunate accident, because they found out they couldn't shoot in Long Beach halfway through the scene. Oh well.

And after that we had my pie, which was all right. The apples seemed a little undercooked. Well. There's always Christmas. XD

Wow, guys, I am way impressed with Steve Carell today. Want to see him do something that is completely dramatic. 'Cause he could do it. He could do it and it would amazing.

Also, the Incredibles is amazing. I really love that movie.

OH AND CHUCK. This week's episode had a lot A LOT of bits in it that I just did not like. Just, the basics of writing and understanding your characters. BUT. What they achieved with their forced setup was rather remarkable, and I love/appreciate it muchly. Super excited for next week's episode.

Beth Voge is amazing.

-Steph

Live from Azusa Pacific, it's Thursday Night!

Happy Thursday! Tonight was Mexican Thanksgiving (it only happens once...or twice!) so I am ridiculously stuffed and slow-moving at the moment. Mexican Thanksgiving is a day where Megan decided to cook a bunch of Mexican food for everyone, and I helped, and it happened to be near Real Thanksgiving. There was enchiladas, barbacoa, tortillas, chips, rice, and beans! And then cookies. Gosh. I'm gonna die.

This week went by too fast for me to remember it.

Over the weekend, I was at home. Went to the zoo with Carolyn and Melissa! Went to class with them, which turned into going to the zoo. Because the class was at the zoo.

And then I hung out with my folks! We had good foods and then shopped some. And then it sorta rained, but all this week it's been 90s hot. So strange.

Also, the lady (?) who drove me home and back just started working at APU, and she's the daughter of my mom's old working buddy, right? But she also went to all the same schools as me and indeed had a class with my brother! So we talked all about the teachers there (we had a lot of the same ones, dude) and stuff. It was neat.

Right now there are some CBAers over, and we're reminiscing about all the horrible classes we had to take and the awful movies we've made. They're so bad. I laugh.

And I can't remember what else happened this week! Saw a play. That was fun. And funny. But what else.....I dunno! Huh. I guess I'll stop, then. ^^

-Steph

Standing up to the Man

In honor of the Writer's Guild of America strike, I'm airing a rerun this week. It's a good one, it's called "Not the Happiest Thursday," and it's from last season.

Before I pop the tape in, though, I'd like to say that I'm going home for the weekend. Yay. And today they performed a bit of the sitcom for us, and it's really coming along. Hooray for on-the-spot corrections!

And, as a writer, I'm on the WGA's side. As a human, I hate that the Union is Striking, as I hate Unions and Strikes. I think both sides are being pretty childish, and I'm upset that economic issues are going to (eventually) effect my canon universes negatively. Boo on you, Hollywood. Boo.

* * *
Not The Happiest Thursday
1/25/07

But still a Happy Thursday. I mean, c'mon, if it was the Happiest Thursday EVAR, what would you do with yourself on the rest of 'em? Knowing that none would ever reach this level of awesomeness? So Happy Thursday!

Sunny, high 70s. Nice. Well. Not sunny anymore, it's night. And, got a little breezy. Actually, I don't know, it was starting to get breezy when I came home from class, but then I took a nap so I really have no idea what the world is like.

I really do like that we can feel the revving of people's engines in the street through the floor of our house.

I just taught Brianna how to say 6:01 (rokuji ippun). Also today we re-learned the days of the week, and I realized that Mokuyoubi (Thursday) is written with the kanji for "tree," and trees are brown. Although, just yesterday I was looking at some trees and realizing that trees actually aren't brown, but more of a mottled gray. Some were white, and those looked really cool. Mokuyoubi was already cool, since the Go Club mascot was the little cow Moku.

My Jesus class professor is totally awesome. I said his name was Tim Robbins in a comment last week or so, but I don't know why 'cause his name is Mike. He was telling us about different forms of studying...the gospels, I guess, the parables, right? We were on Source Criticism, and then suddenly he was telling us about how he's got epilepsy, and then we were learning about how epilepsy felt like, and then it was about his college, and then about this one professor that he loved (who looked like an egg and paced back and forth in front of the class), and then about his roommate Mike who fell asleep in that class....and on and on and it was hilarious and very interesting and had absolutely no relevance to Source Criticism.

Roommmate Alex is going out to teach old people yatzee. Apparently she has to do it every week. Hahahaha, old people.

This week was too full of the Office. I was introduced to a site that has like every episode of everything, and I went there to catch up on those episodes I missed, right? Ended up watching every episode ever made in two sittings. SO. I'm super-obsessed. Like, I only talk about it to people, and re-watch episodes at the drop of a hat, and write about it in homework assignments. It spurred me to write three separate pieces of fanfiction (one in script form) and to buy a sitcom writing book from the internet. It definitely rekindled the "I wanna write for TV!!" feeling that had become a little dormant. It's also great because in the media class I'll be writing a paper on how it messes with reality (or something), and in my Film & Lit class I used Michael Scott as an example for a comedy concept. I want to show off my fanfics, can I?

Mixed Berry
The first I did, just a little short thing on Jim's attraction to Pam. If you've seen even just the first ep, you'll understand it.

One Is the Loneliest Number
K, you can't read this one unless you know how season 2 ends. 'Cause, like, for spoilers and stuff. I think this one is slightly better. It's longer, and way angsty. Jim-centric.

Hooray Jim. It's on tonight, but it's not new. New next week!!!! YAY.

Ok, well, I gotta run to food-area before it closes or my roommate drags me away.

-Steph

* * *

-Steph

Hello November Friends!

Happy Thursday! October went away quite suddenly, did it not? I'm definitely doing one of those distracted-watching-tv blogs today, sorry in advance.

Saturday I went to a CRAZY expensive sushi place in Hollywood. I was duped into it, actually. But it was worth it to see all the loonies in their costumes at their Halloween parties. The best best best best pair was Siegfried and Roy with these stuffed white tigers, and Roy with this nice blood stain all down his neck. Hilarious.

I had to turn in an outline for my movie for Writing class Monday, so now I finally know what's going to happen in it. It's a heist spoof! It's going to be fun.

Other than classes and homework, I've watched a lot of movies! Moulin Rogue I guess on Sunday, Dinosaurs on TV on Sunday. And yesterday, Halloween? We watched Alien and the Exorcist and Shaun of the Dead. The first two I hadn't seen, and neither was especially scary. Exorcist was definitely more creepy/intense, and Alien was just mostly boring and old. Shaun was of course very good as always.

There was a court event right outside our door, "Holla-Ween." Everyone was there, dressed up, doing fun carnival type stuff, the RAs attempt to lure us kids away from the evils of drinking parties or whatev. There was also a bouncehouse with a sign "Adventures with Batman & Robin" taped on the front--it was literally in front of our apartment. I wandered in my werewolf mask for a bit, but we were in the middle of Shaun so I didn't spend my whole night there.

I really need to clean off my desk. That's something that's on my mind.

So I registered for classes, and it was dumb because things didn't work out perfectly, so as it stands I'm taking Story and Character, Comm Theory, Contemporary Art Trends, American Film Musical, and Motion Picture Production I. That's 16 units, which means next year I'm taking Senior Sem, Broadcast Performance, Capstone (?), Motion Picture Production II, Intermediate Screenwriting, and I guess a "directed research" study in screenwriting. And then I'll be done. @@! Yeah. Two more semesters. It's pretty much a done deal. Gosh.

Me and Beth and Megan are taking about living in Hollywood this summer. Or Burbank. Or Van Nuys. If I intern for this program, then I'd have to live there. If I don't intern, I can get a job to actually pay for the apartment. So either way I think that we're close to seriously thinking about it. And if I intern this summer, then I'll have a foot in the door to actually enroll in the program next next summer, and then I suppose I'll be on my way to stardom.

You know, more or less.

Guys, how great was the Office tonight? So great? Yeah, I thought so. Jim, Jim, trodden on for once. Chin up, it'll build character.

-Stephers