Aida

This years spring musical at Lynden Christian High School is Aida. This is a relatively new Broadway musical, opening on the stage of Broadway in 2000, with the rights becoming available in the year 2004. This is a new musical built around new theater technology. As Lynden Christian’s Master Theater Electrician I met this challenge head on.

Right away I knew that we would have to add to our rigging and circuiting before we could start thinking about starting a design. So

with the help of my crew we wired in 8 new dimmer lines to the back of the auditorium. Next we purchased four new cycloramic (cyc) fixtures to up date the existing units. We then took every fixture we own down for maintenance.

The lighting design for this show started six months before auditions were held. I took the music, video, and script and started to sketch out what some of the scenes would look like. This was then handed off to the director who brought the plan to out set designers to work with. This allowed me some time to watch the rehearsals to get a idea of what the blocking for some of the choreography would look like.The real work for this kind of show does not start until the few weeks before dress rehearsals. My crew and I often spent time working into the night getting things reading before the curtain

opens. Because this kind of show requires several individual fixtures, means that we must spend a lot of time rigging and preparing the fixtures before they can be programmed into the control consol. This is a long joint effort with the choreographers to give us a layout of their dances, the stage crew to give us exact locations of different pieces of the set, and the paint crew so we know exactly what colors we are working with.
Once this is done I could then start the task of programming the control consol. This involves stripping every scene down and adding elements of light until it provides the effect and

emotion necessary to bring the audience into the show. This takes a lot of time sitting in a dark auditorium, with just you and the lights. I spent over 17 hours one day programming cues into the consol. The final result is always worth the time.Going into this show I knew it would be the biggest challenge yet. It has taken everything I have learned over the years. But with the help of my crew, and Mike Vos we got it done! This is the biggest and best show I have ever done, and I think its safe to say that it’s this biggest show that Lynden Christian has ever done. This is defiantly the show to end on!

Good to Come

We are all faced with times when you known something is going to go wrong. When it comes time to confront this you are surprised to find it going quite well. I have had a lot of stress and deadlines lately. I cannot remember the last time I have been able to take a break from one of these deadlines. The work and time is now at the point where progress can be seen. I am now able to wrap my mind around what the final element will look like.
I have gotten used to things falling apart, when I want them to become stronger. I am surprised and overjoyed to find that now things are going smoothly and in the right direction. I can rest easy knowing that the decisions I have made are leading to a outcome of great potential. I look forward to what will become of these decisions; how will they affect the people around me?

Possible Excursions

Circumnavigate Ross Lake
Day 1: Little Beaver - Still Well
Day 2: Still Well - 39 Mile Camp
Day 3: 39 Mile - Green Point
Day 4: Green Point - Hidden Hand Camp
Day 5: Hidden Hand Camp - Devils Creek
Day 6: Devils Creek - Nightmare Camp
Day 7: Nightmare Camp - Hozomeen

Spring Trip
William's Lake

October Trip
Hozomeen

Sourdough
Day 1: Diablo - Sourdough Lookout
Day 2: Sourdough Lookout - Sourdough Lake
Day 3: Diablo

Park Butte (West approach)

Baker

Jack Mt.
Day 1: Summit Little Jack make base camp
Day 2: Summit Jack Mt.
Day 3: Break base camp - out

Challenger Mt.
Day 1: Boundary Camp
Day 2: Whatcom Pass Camp (base camp)
Day 3: Summit (north approach)
Day 4: Hannegan Pass Camp
Day 5: out

Nooksack Cirque
3 days

Day Hikes

South Twin
Church Mt.
Hannegan Peak
The Portals
Goat Mt. West Summit

Times Future

This is a time of transition; the world is about to get much bigger than the life I now know. The lessons I have been taught will soon be tested and formed. I have been able to work my way into a position of some influence at Lynden Christian. In a few short months this position will have to be given up. I am looking forward to the future with anticipation. I have grown through the recent years, both in my beliefs and in my character. I believe these influences on me will be beneficial as I go out into the world. It has been a short time, relative to life, that I have spent learning in a environment that has the only purpose of nurturing the future. However these few years will be the most important in my life.

I have been classified as a mentor, a role model, teacher, and leader; someone that you can come to seeking guidance or answers. This is correct I am in charge of a crew that runs serial key systems for productions at Lynden Christian. This role requires me to train these systems to the crew. I will be going into a career of law enforcement that will require these skills from me. I am not afraid to guide or direct, I often become the leader of a project that is unexpected. Other times I go into a project as a decided leader. I am a mentor, someone who can teach and guide.

The key theme that has been attributed to myself is responsibility, someone who is committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty. Again this can be seen through what I do. I have earned the trust of many putting me in positions to make decisions for others. I am trusted to get the job done, I am trusted with information, I am trusted with people. I take none of this lightly; every decision I make is considered before I move forward with action. There are several less prominent themes that have been attributed to me such as: self-assurance, communication, and strategic. These all contribute to how I go about my responsibly. I have had people come to me on a personal nature, because I have earned their trust, I have been allowed to make decisions the range in the thousands of dollars as the leader of a crew, because I have show my responsibly with it. If I show a lack of decrement or concern for any of the responsibilities I have, I would be a failure on my part one that could cost everything from money to, most importantly, friendships that I have built over the years. I do not take my responsibilities lightly.

My life plot would best be described as a quest or journey, a journey seeking for something more. It’s not a journey towards perfection or knowledge. My journey is simply life; I want to live life as it comes taking one day at a time. It is impossible to know what tomorrow is going to bring so why waste time worrying about it? Don Quixote took this to the extreme, he did however have the right idea life is worth living seeking for what is best and what is happening now. I have tried predicting what the next day will bring. The only thing I fond was disappointment. This disappointment came about because something was always not as I expected, sometimes good, and sometimes bad.

My past is over and done I cannot go back to relive it. The only option is to live in the present giving my all into what comes my way. I have made a comfortable life for myself, but its time to take that life and move into the future. I do have my doubts about what I am leaving behind, will what I have started continue on without me? It is now the decision of my predecessors, they will be the ones making the decisions, they will be the ones with the responsibilities, and they will be the ones accountable for their actions. When I am gone I hope my impression will survive for at least a instant. This is however out of my control, out of my hands. All I will do is continue down the path that has been set before me. I may think I have a good idea as to what lies ahead of me on the path, but in all reality I do not have a clue.

New 2010

2010 will be a year of change for me, and I am looking forward to it! It is true that this year holds many lasts for me; but with lasts come firsts. The biggest last for this year will be the end of high school. I will be graduating from Lynden Christian High School in June. After that I may never see some of the faces that I have become accustomed with. From Lynden Christian I will be off to Skagit Valley College in pursuit of a park service and protection, additionally I will be attending the Park Service Law Enforcement Academy at Skagit. Here I will meet new and interesting people.

Later this year I will be performing in Carnegie Hall wile on tour in New York with the Lynden Christian Concert Choir. This will be another first for me; going to New York, and performing in Carnegie Hall. It will be my last tour with the Concert Coir and last trip with the underclassmen. What a way to end a career with a great director, Mr. Smit!

To continue the finally of my senior year at Lynden Christian, I will be taking on the biggest show ever put on at Lynden Christian. Aida will test the limits of what my technical staff can do, wile at the same time creating the most stunning show that Lynden Christian has ever seen. This will be the last show for me, and what a show to end on!

A first for me will be graduating. I look at this using the same logic I used in cross-country. Graduation in the line of no regrets; as long as I know that I finished hard and ran the race as

well as I could, even if there are some missteps along the way, that is something I can walk away from proud.

More trails, more mountains; that is the plan this summer. I hope to be working with the National Park Service in the North Cascades Complex as a Park Ranger General. General Park Rangers perform a wide variety of duties largely determined by the duty station. "Front country" General Park Ranger’s duties include campground and fee management, bear management, water recreation patrols. General Park Rangers patrol in locations ranging from high visitor use trails to remote trail-less locations often in rough terrain for overnight periods. Duties include light trail and camp maintenance, backcountry permit compliance,

backcountry data collection, emergency medical services, and may involve arduous hiking and sometimes technical climbing. All General Park Rangers may have involvement in wild land

fire protection, search and rescue, interpretation, and a variety of visitor services. This is just the job to get me out in the hills doing the things I love wile making money at the same time.

2010 will be a year of firsts and lasts for me. I am exited for what’s to come bring on the New Year!

Mac vs HP

HP has been the leading PC laptop on the market for some time now. The leading Mac is actually the MacBook Pro, however the differences between the MacBook

Pro and the MacBook are not that drastic.

-look at build quality

-HP uses a lot more plastic in their models although this makes them cheaper it also sacrifices durability

- Mac uses a unibody structure to minimize the number of attachments needed to hold the body together, this provides for a more compact and sturdy body

-if you are looking at a aluminum build Mac there is the downside of the body getting dented (of course I will take a dent over a crack)

-look at the hardware

-HP looks for the hardware that fits the price

-Mac look for the hardware known for its quality

-It does take less hardware to run the Apple OS

-However because the hardware is built for quality, the price is still greater

-Every piece of hardware that goes into a Mac is built specifically for the platform, so you are guaranteed compatibility

-both Mac a HP have made it relatively easy to access expandable hardware ex. RAM

-look at the OS

-HP

-will most likely be running win7

-a rerelease of Windows Vista

-win7 is built around the same priceable as Windows ME

-aside from Vista ME was Microsoft's most unstable OS

-When testing I have found that the same problems exist from Vista, they are just covered up better

- Mac has not changed the architecture of their OS for years

-this has allowed them to perfect the platform

-Mac uses UNIX code (the same code that all Linux releases use)

-this is a essayer code to process then what any of the Microsoft OS's run on (making the system more responsive and reliable)

-the bottom line

-HP

-cheaper

-may look 'cooler'

-hardware sound more powerful

-will not last as long

-lots a plastic used

-running an OS that is bulky and has a history of errors

-Mac

-more expensive

-looks plain

-you have to learn

-hardware is built specifically

-metal components

-durability

-built to last

-running a simple/stable OS

-user-friendly

My Break

Yesterday wile at work the unexpected landed on top of me. I was working with another guy moving materials from one story of the building to ground level. We were moving OSB chipboard at the time of the accident. I was guiding the 900 pounds of panels while the other guy ran the hydraulics lowering the panels. Then suddenly the panels slipped past the threshold of the support brace. This put the full weight of the panels on me. For a few seconds I was able to braces the load and kept it from going off center. Unfortunately the concrete slab that I was standing on was slippery, the weight of the panels pushed me backwards. There was no way of stopping this, I knew that those panels were coming down on me. The next thing I know the hydraulics guy is yelling at me to lookout; but there was nowhere for me to go. The panels came down, hit me in the head and sent me to the ground; my arm got pinned between a support brace and the panels. How I was able to get myself out from under the panels after I was pinned I will never know. I remember feeling my arm break and I remember pulling it from between the support brace and the panels, its amazing what your body will do when it is pumped full of adrenaline. By the grace of God I got myself out of there!

I looked at my arm seeing that it did indeed look like a rubber hose with a kink in it. The guy running the hydraulics came over looked at my arm and said “we are going to the doctor for that one” to which I responded simply “yep!” We got in my truck and headed to the emergency room. Once I was admitted to a room I was visited by several ER techs that began hooking me up to equipment. Now my future career may include some of the work, so I volunteered to help these guys hook me up. So here I am hooking myself up to the diagnostic equipment as the doctor walks in. Impressed of how alert I was for having a broken limb and jacked up on drugs; he allowed me to help him remove a blood clot that had formed below the break…. Yes I got to use a needle on myself in the ER!

Needless to say this was a pretty cool experience, not one that I would want everyday but in a sick way enjoyable to be able to work on myself. Now I must face the reality of life as it is now. Just typing this post has taken twice as long then it normally would. But I will learn how to live one limb short for awhile and live life as it comes!