No Matter What

14 was a hectic time for me: I lost my paternal grandmother along with undergoing a biopsy and being diagnosed with a (strangely not Turner Syndrome-related) kidney disease.

That was also when I found out that my father and I are not blood relatives.

Mom and I were on the way to an appointment I had (either an endocrinology one in Indy or a nephrology one in Louisville, I can't recall, I just know that I got to skip school which was a win in my book) when she told me the news.  Shock and numbness were really the only things that I felt at the time, until a little while later I had her pull over because it was finally setting in and making me feel sick.

Dad and I had very different personalities back then; him restrained and aloof, where I was open and uninhibited with how I felt, both of us products of our upbringing. This caused us to butt heads often and, as much as I hate to admit it, really made me question if he loved me as much as he loved my brother and sister, or if he even loved me at all. And I still sometimes hate myself for thinking that.

So that's why he treats me differently from Jonah and Grace was a thought that stuck with me for a long time, even though it wasn't the truth.

Whether by the grace of God or the fact that we both just wised up, things changed. Dad learned to be more open and affectionate and I learned how to pick up on his sarcastic humor (a feat I finally perfected at 18) and have finally developed his thick skin. Now, he's probably one of my favorite people on this weird and occasionally wonderful planet, if not tied with my little sister and mom at number one.

Over the years Mom's told me more about her story and how she ended up pregnant with me, and after hearing it I don't think I could ever say "thank you" enough that God decided to give my old man the chance to be a part of our lives (not to mention getting two siblings out of it).

Dad, I know I've said this a lot before, but you are definitely one of the best things to happen to Mom and me. Thank you for being so good to her and being someone who's actually worthy of her love, and thank you for loving me. I'm so sorry I ever thought you didn't.

It just takes practice...

Today I saw my first article for my school's newspaper on its website, and I couldn't have been more pleased.

I've always liked writing, but had very little experience with AP style and journalistic writing in general, as my high school's newspaper class wasn't very structured and any English classes I had were based in creative or academic writing. Retraining myself to write objectively (I can be pretty opinionated on certain things) and not put the question back into my answers as I was taught when learning how to write research papers has been a challenge, but I'm getting better at it each time I write, and at the end of the day that's all I could ask for.

I still have 6 more articles to write before I end up on the newspaper's payroll, but as far as I'm concerned that's alright as long as I'm getting some much-needed practice and building up a portfolio of work samples to show off when I apply for internships and (once I'm finished with my university career) jobs.

I'm not a perfect writer, and frankly, nobody is. But as long as I keep aiming to be better than I was the day before, I'd like to think I'm on the right track.

Top 10 Opening Numbers

As many of you might know, I'm a big musical theatre fan, and nothing pleases me more than a good song to start the show, so I figured that I would share a few of my personal favorites with you (most of these can be found on YouTube and/or Spotify).

1. "Magic to Do" from Pippin:

My first experience being in a proper musical, I was in Pippin at the age of nine. Seeing the high schoolers (who were basically rockstars in my eyes) with their white gloves all aglow from the backlight and moving around in the darkness was mesmerizing. Also, Stephen Schwartz is to me what Shakespeare is to Kevin Kline.

2. "There's No Business Like Show Business" from Annie Get Your Gun:

Honestly, how the Tony Awards haven't opened with this song in a while is beyond me. It's the perfect love letter to the theatre. You can't help but want to hop on stage with the cast and dance along.

3. "There You Are" from Drood:

Another wonderful get-on-your-feet number, all I wanted to do when I heard this was to break out into a can-can. I need to purchase this album on iTunes ASAP.

4. "Let There Be" from Children of Eden:

Again, I am completely and utterly in love with Mr. Schwartz's work and Children of Eden is no exception; the harmonies in this song are just gorgeous, and I'm shocked that it hasn't had the Broadway run that it deserves. It never ceases to bring tears to my eyes with its beauty. I hope to see it again, or better yet, have the privilege of being in its cast.

5. "Come and Look at the Freaks" from Side Show:

Again, I'm very fond of good harmonization, and "Freaks" definitely fits the bill. It definitely gets me to want to finish the soundtrack and look forward to the upcoming revival.

6. "Overture/Work Song" from Les Misérables:

Frankly, the one thing I like almost as well as good harmonies is a song that I can belt my lungs out on, and this is one of them. Another show I'd like to be in someday.

7. "Carrying the Banner" from Newsies:

Alan Menken, anyone? Hearing this song makes mornings a lot less awful, and remembering that Christian Bale was in the movie version of this show never ceases to make me chuckle.

8. "All That Jazz" from Chicago:

"Well behaved women seldom make history." This is definitely true for Chicago's two leading ladies, Roxie and Velma (who sings this song). A big booming number, "Jazz" makes you wish you were in a speakeasy back in the '20s.

9. "Let Me Be Your Star" from Bombshell:

I know, it's not a real musical (though I and many other SMASH fans wish it was), but it's still gorgeous and wishful and hits very close to home given my desire to be a successful actress. And Megan Hilty sings in it, so of course it's fantastic.

10. "No One Mourns the Wicked" from Wicked:

I tried to not include this one. Really, I did. But the fact remains that this is a dang good opening number, and Wicked is a good musical regardless of its popularity. (Also, another Schwartz song? Why, yes it is. I already told you that he's my favorite musical composer.)

Feel free to share some of your favorites in the comments!

IU Theatre solves The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Last night, Indiana University's Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance began their  2014-2015 season with the opening night of their production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, currently running at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. Based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, the Rupert Holmes-penned metatheatrical tuner tells the tale of a small English town shaken up when the eponymous young Drood goes missing and is presumed dead. It is up to the remaining characters to find out who the guilty party is.

However, they are not alone in their quest; given that Mr. Dickens died before he could finish the novel, the audience is asked to vote on who they think the murderer is, in addition to who is disguising themselves as Dick Datchery during the second act and which two suspects will be paired together romantically. This opportunity leads to some very confusing, hilarious, and occasionally disturbing endings.

Another important aspect of the show involves a long-standing theatre tradition; Edwin Drood, a man, is portrayed by a woman (in the guise of a popular male impersonator; the plot of Drood actually being that it is a show-within-a-show). In IU's production he is portrayed by senior musical theatre student Maddie Shea Baldwin, and it is easy to see why; her voice glides gracefully over the mezzo-soprano notes one must sing to play Drood, and she manages the belting portions of her role with admirable gumption, not to mention her brief stint as Datchery prior to the voting and when she is in the character of Alice Nutting (the actor in the company of the Music Hall Royale who plays Drood). Truly a role well cast.

Speaking of well-cast roles, one of my personal favorites was junior musical theatre student Nathan Robbins as the Chairman William Cartwright and Mayor Thomas Sapsea. I was delighted the entire time by his showmanship and comedic timing. Well done, sir.

Other performers of note are Berklea Going as Rosa Bud, Drood's intended (with a lovely soprano that could easily land her in the roles of Cosette in Les Misérables or Christine in Phantom if she so wished). In all honesty, I wished it had been Rosa who was voted as the killer; that would have been a lovely twist. Markus McClain as Durdles could have been a class in slapstick, and Scott Van Wye as John Jasper was wonderful as well; the same for everyone involved in the cast and crew (though I must admit some bias to Emily Schultheis as Princess Puffer due to the fact that we're both native to the southwestern Indiana area and I rather liked her performance when I saw her as the Narrator in Joseph).

Drood was a wonderful experience, and I wish them all the best on their run.

...WHAT

Honestly, that's the only thing I can think right now having just watched the trailer for the fourth book (season for those not in the Avatar fandom) of Legend of Korra. Following the events of book three's finale (which was a giant bundle of WHAT ON EARTH?!), Korra has to deal with some tough changes and feeling helpless. Also, one of the best lady characters in all of animated history may or may not be making a return. I can't wait.

But enough about that.

Long-ish intro: Hey! I'm Kelseigh. I'm 20 and a sophomore journalism student here in Indiana, of which I'm an (occasionally) proud native (though I was born in Louisville, Kentucky for medical reasons). Ideally, I'd like to be an entertainment critic and live in New York City, but a bigger town here in the Midwest will do starting out. I've had plenty of people tell me I'm smart, which anymore basically means I can regurgitate information at the drop of a hat (most of it pointless and regarding my one true love, musical theatre). I would aspire to be an actor, but I'm not yet comfortable enough with my abilities as such to try making a living out of it. Hopefully, that will change.

Activism is something that has become important to me lately. My senior year I decided that I was a feminist of the third-wave variety (meaning I try and take racism, classism, heterosexism, cissexism, and ableism into account when looking at women's rights issues, among other things), and do what I can to alter the way people in my world view women's place in society-especially when it comes to religion.

I grew up in a nondenominational Christian household, and while I still believe God exists (though not in the form of an anthropomorphic male) and Jesus is a primary example of how I try and live my life, I believe that his message matters a lot more than the stories told about him. I also get really bothered by how a lot of more noted Christians portray God and Jesus and will more than likely use this blog to call them out. I've learned more about God from John Fugelsang and Mark Sandlin than I've ever learned from any sermon or blurb on KLOVE.

I also try and do a lot of work to raise awareness for Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that affects one in every 2,000 people who are assigned female at birth that is not generally inherited (for more information, please visit the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States' website). It results in short stature, heart and kidney issues, infertility, and many other health conditions, though like the name says, it's a syndrome-a grab bag of symptoms and not all of us have every trait and even then a lot of us are quite healthy-I haven't had any major concerns due to TS since I was 3, though I do have heart problems and have lost a kidney in the process. As far as I'm concerned, those are prices worth paying to be where I am right now.

That's all I can think of for now. I hope you enjoy whatever time you spend here! :)