One Year ... The Journey from West to East (old post)

Hello fellow readers! It's been a long time since I last did a blog. It's been a busy time and a wonderful one at that. The journey of my life has been paved from the west to the east of these United States of America. There were so many adventures before we packed up and moved from California to New Jersey.

The first was my fiancé's graduation from UCI. I'm so proud and blessed to have her in my life. She received her PhD last year and boy we all celebrated her achievements. Then she obtained a post doc position at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. Thus, our life drastically changed from the warm California sun to the cold wintry winds of New Jersey. The road has indeed been paved from California to New Jersey; the road we traveled on by our car - a Kia Soul packed with our belongings and our dogs - we drove cross-country to a new home, a new life, and new beginnings. Of course we all were excited and anxious for this long journey. It was worth the drive to stop at various places on the way. Stopped at the steakhouses of Texas, the various farmlands of the Midwest to the eastern hills of Illinois, to the skyscrapers of Chicago where I got my first taste of the famous Chicago deep dish pizza; all the way to the state of New Jersey where we arrived just in time to find a nice home in Jersey City.

It is here in Jersey City, a city of New Jersey which is very close to the border where separating us and the amazing skyline is Manhattan where in our sight lines is the amazing state of New York! Basically New York is in our backyard, not far at all! The sense that we are so close to New York excited me and made me happy to realize I'm actually on a whole new side of our country. From California Coasts of Newport Beach while living in Irvine to being so close to New York near the Atlantic beach! This made me realized we drove numerous miles in our car to New Jersey from California. The Pacific Ocean is now so far, far away - our families, our former residence, the life we have there is now on this eastern side of the United States of America. The differences of life here from the West is very different, drastically different for the roads, houses, people and boy! their food! their accents! their libraries! their climates! Are all different from the west. It's not a bad thing but a great thing that takes some getting used to. The hardest thing to get used to was the cold! And their roads (so many one way streets!) and their rules for parking (can't park on this side on Mondays and Thursdays from 8am - 10am)!! Those were confusing! Had to move the car many times being aware of the parking rules. Why? Street sweepers that come to sweep off the snow and/or trash that littered the side of the streets. But as weeks to by I got used to it. Especially the driving from Jersey City to Newark which takes you to the bridges that hover over the Passaic rivers. Drivers here honk incessantly for traffic lights or drivers that don't move, so much goes on when driving- double parked cars, have to go around them, the speed of drivers to beat a light or going around parked cars and the numerous pedestrians that don't use crosswalks to cross from one side of the street to the next. Basically, in driving in the east have to be fully aware and watch for cars and pedestrians. Not only that but watch for the snow and their icy conditions that will create icy roads. Now I love the snow, but have to be very careful driving on these New Jersey roads with more attention than ever! It took some getting used to but now I'm a professional driver in New Jersey. I learned that in order to drive here in the east must grow much more patience when being a driver.

Since we been here right before the holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas and the New Years, the snow and the cold came down. Right before we settled into our new cozy home with our two dogs there came Hurricane Sandy! We got a big wake up in our first big storm of last year! Of course our California blood got us prepared big time before the storm came. Being used to California earthquakes and the big one, we all got materials and supplies to be ready for anything. The storm wrecked havoc on Long Island and hit alot here as well. But luckily we lived in the Heights and our place is high above ground we didn't experience any outages and wind damage, we thanked God we were safe indoors. Of course our families were worried but the cell towers were down from the wind that knocked them out - so we didn't have any communications with them with our cell phones neither the internet and that gave them a big worry. As soon as we were back up, we contacted them to let our families know we came through our first eastern storm alright.

Now that was a big wake up for all of us in our first eastern storm experiences. After that a huge downfall of snow was nothing - it was cold! But it also was beautiful! Especially when Christmas came around the corner and we got a first Eastern Christmas tree and decorated and the whole home felt Christmasy. More than likely the snow covered the whole city with a white sheet, the holidays felt cozy and good. Then that Christmas came with all of us enjoying ourselves as our White Christmas came alive just outside our windows. I loved it! It was pure magic, I always wanted more White Christmases and this was our first in the East, in the state of New Jersey.

Earlier in the months before Christmas came, we made our first visit to New York! We took the Path from Hoboken to the World Trade Center into Manhattan. This was our first travel to ever step foot into New York. It was exciting and fun! We visited Time Square and all around us was the shops and the Board way productions, the dazzling array of lights and the smell of hotdogs. It was a beautiful day because the sun was out and the people were out (boy the people were in high numbers!) and the traffic was insane! No wonder people walk and take subways to go from one destination to the other. It was amazing to have hotdogs and sit in middle of Time Square because it was too much to take in! Billboards advertising each Boardway productions happening at the time - Wicked, Phantom of Opera, Book of Mormon, Chicago, etc and so many others!! I looked up at the huge clock and there was the year 2012 New Years Ball as it sits waiting for the year to be done and ready to drop for the next year (which was only a few months away!). We decided to go see our first off-broadway production, Stomp! It was fun and entertaining! We even stopped at the huge Disney Store on Boardway. In time we took the subway back and passed the uneventful day of the Twin Towers and I looked up at the site where many lives were lost and I felt the pangs of sadness at the lives lost here in this huge city. We passed this and saw the memorial site being built to honor those lives that were lost and whose lives were saved by the heroes of 9-11. As we continued to walk around New York, we stopped among the throngs of people and craned our necks up high as we saw the Empire State Building towering over us. That was an amazing sight! We continued our walk back to the subway that took us to the Path back to New Jersey and we headed home. I absorbed everything about New York in that one day and I loved it! We eventually went back and witnessed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person. Lining up the streets the bustle of people who want to take a peek at the parade passing by. It was thanksgiving and it was a great time to see the huge balloons that made this Thanksgiving parade a sight to behold! But it was cold!! The coldness didn't bother me because I had so much fun watching these gigantic balloons and watch as Santa Clause went by starting this Christmas seasons in the state of New York! Our first Christmas in the East!

My Grandma's 90th Birthday

January 22, 2010 - My Grandmother, Rose Torrez, turned 90 years old. Everyone showed up at her house on Vernon Drive for a surprise party after the enthronement of the house. Our Catholic Priest came to bless our house after being remodeled after a fire that happened last year. Everyone was luckily out of the house, everyone was safe, but the house was damaged. Our Uncles of the family went ahead and remodeled the house and once again, the house is back in order and our priest came to bless it. What my Grandma didn't know was that we all got together not only for the enthronement and blessing of the house, but to celebrate the wonderful 90 years in her life!

The picture above shows my Grandmother's children -- my Mother, my aunts, and uncles. (Except for one that was not feeling so well.) Sitting next to my Grandma a family friend, Jim Ramsey. Top from left, Uncle William, my Mom, Annabelle; Jim Ramsey; My Grandma, Uncle Roberto, Aunt Alice, Aunt Sandra. Below on the bottom: Uncle Michael, Aunt Rose, Uncle Joe holding my Grandma's dog. We all gathered for many photo opportunities and it was a well planned day with great family, food, and a great time with all of us together in this wonderful house. We, did indeed, feel so blessed to have all the family together. My Grandma was very happy to see all of us and some old friends and lots of cousins of ours came down. It was nice to see all this. This is a picture of my cousins, and thus this is not all of my Grandma's grandkids, but here is myself and my other cousins in this photo.

There was my sister Christina, holding her son, my nephew, Jake M. Franks, and my Mom and Dad's grandson. There I am sitting next to my Grandma. There sitting next to our Grandma was my cousin Robert Daniel (R.D.) Rivera and the oldest Granddaughter Regina Torrez, my Uncle Roberto's daughter. On the floor is Michaele Kanczel - my Aunt Rose's daughter, and there is my cousin Ruben holding Rylie who is Ruben's niece and Sandra Rivera's granddaughter, and RD's daughter.

We all had a great time and it was filled with love, laughter, and memories. This opportunity to celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday will be a memory for the ages.

Happy Birthday Grandma! Love you so much!

On this day I gave my Grandma a poem in a frame as a gift, here is the poem for you all to enjoy:

Grandma, with a heart of gold that glitters in the golden sunlight of the desert;



A heart that is as immaculate and wonderful as anyone’s I have known in my life.



Each tiny rock that the golden sand across the Barstow desert shows



All things good;



And that makes things content and just right.







Grandma, with this beating heart has long endured the gifts of life and keeps on smiling



For her Family is all here today to celebrate a great milestone, and with this we are willing



To celebrate a special gift in our lives: You, Grandma, with your heart of gold –



The person you were yesterday, the person you are tomorrow, and the person you are today;



May it be a symbol of our family, may it be our sense of love always.







Your beauty so strong, your great dedication of all things young and old



Has proven that you are indeed a special woman, and it is told



By how many people surround you, in this beautiful house



The home that has long endured the growing pains of family, friends and love ones;



The Passing of a great one



And the new generation that will continue to live on in our lives, the family keeps growing.



May we all celebrate Your Life, Your Home, and with all this we keep on knowing



It’s the strength of your character that is our foundation of who we all are.



It’s all because of my Grandma and her Golden Heart.

The OC Fair - 2010

The Fair has returned to Orange County and the best thing about the Fair for us is that it's right around the corner! The Fair returned to Costa Mesa at the OC Fairgrounds and has set up dazzling displays of livestock, arts, carnival rides and of course so much food! As soon as I walked in the first thing I saw was the signs pointing out the various places to eat. The scents of deep fried and wonderful aromas of food everywhere has got my stomach growling at wanting to taste everything close by.

This was a great fair and I have been to the San Bernardino County Fair at Victorville and saw a few concerts, got on a few rides, and of course did some sight seeing. But nothing beats the OC Fair and it was such a spectacular time seeing Weird Al's Brain in 3-D (which the owl 'Norm' represents a familar guy named Dr. Norm Weinberger from UCI Lab) and it was well done very educational mind boggling experience (pardon the pun). Of course, I had to eat, and being so hungry and indecisive at the many places to get a party going in your taste buds -- I couldn't decide! Finally I settled on a 1/2 pound cheeseburger that was rather tasty! I could of gone for the 1 pounder! Thinking I needed to save room for a funnel cake (which I did at the end of the visit). Before eating my very first fried twinkie --- YUMMY! -- I enjoyed devouring some brisket and squirting down some nice cold lemonade in our souvenir cup.

The best part of the visit I believe was to see the ice sculptures which were very artistically done. A Mona Lisa replica in ice was amazing, but even more amazing was the sight of "the Thinker" in ice -- a full size replica in all it's icy form. It was expectantly not as cold as I thought it was going to be. Besides, it was hot outside and the welcome icy cold temps were a warm welcome. Continuing on to see some concerts around us, the music blasting loudly throughout the day was not too bad. Some bands were awesome, some were OK. Nevertheless it was great to walk around and see the animals at the livestock area. Little piglets were just born the other day and we saw them asleep next to their Mommy Pig. It was cute to see. There was also alot of sheep, lambs, and mainly alot of goats. The goats were very affectionate as we petted them. There were all kinds of nice animals to look at. Rabbits, mice, chicks, and of course this huge Oxen was standing so tall over us that it was an amazing sight to see an animal that huge.

As we continue to walk around towards the carnival, taking in all the sights of the rides and attractions and the barkers beckoning the people to shoot baskets win a stuffed toy or something of that nature. Alot of rides were huge and scary looking. It was such a beautiful day being outside walking around the carnival.

To me the best part was eating. Oh so much to eat, but so much to decide on! Funnel cake at the end of the day really topped it off. Ate alot of Funnel cake and stopped at the Disney section to do some karaokee for a free ice cream bar. Took that ice cream bar and walked off one of the best and most fun time I ever had at a fair. There was so much to see and do. Not to mention so much to eat -- deep fried and yummy and delicious. I don't think I have ever ate so much in my life and tremendously enjoyed every moment there. If you have not gone to the OC Fair, go! It'll be the best times ever!

Tornadoes in Southern California!

Dear Readers,

Constant readers of my blogs I hope you are all having a happy new year. I am beginning to enjoy the expressions of blogging. The expressive medium has allowed me to write just about anything I have pondering thoughts on. Usually it's about my events in my life, and how much I am enjoying life and all those other minimalists things that I touch bases on. I enjoy my job working as a Castmember at Disneyland. This indeed is the best job I have ever had and continue to have. I always think that I would never have thought I would end up working at the “happiest place on earth.” When I was little, my joys of childhood was going to Disneyland with my family. We would drive a long ways to the Park from Barstow, California and stay the whole day through the night at the park. Then we would journey back home, usually asleep in the back seat of the car. Now that I am older, and enjoy the park close by where I live now, and continue to work at Disneyland I feel such joys at working at making others happy and allowing others to have the same joys as I have as a child.

Now to the news: The Chronicles of Gilberto Garcia has brought about such eventful weather-wise events that has been happening lately. You know in Southern California, people always knew that we are the sunny side, good weather area to live in. Always sunny and warm, a perfect place to escape to. Well, we are not so sunny at all now. We just had a tornado hit us yesterday off the beaches of Huntington Beach and it hit Costa Mesa, and quickly move into Irvine. A tornado in Southern California! Who would of thought!? It was crazy yesterday while the rains and winds crashed against our home and rattled the windows a bit. Candice was at UCI, and it shook the buildings, and rattled the windows as well. The results were enormously surprising! Tree branches all over the streets. Signs and road markers were down as well. One person facebooked a message and noticed a branch on a white SUV in the parking lot at UCI. It was crazy weather, and it still continues right now. The rain has been pouring all day today and the news reports says that it will continue for awhile throughout the night. There are storm cells moving over OC and into the Inland Empire as well. Bracing for more wet weather.. but one thing I am happy about: I am off today, tomorrow and the next day! So I can stay indoors all dry, and hope that the tornadoes don't come back.

What was crazy was when the news flashed their warnings on the TV screens, I saw the words: tornado warning in OC areas, I was just shocked: “What!?” and it was just crazy to hear that there will be tornadoes in our area. It's California! You know what I mean? Anyway, just happy that everyone is safe, and there wasn't any serious damage to anything. Just for those who think that tornadoes are crazy and dangerous: as long as you are not a storm chaser like in the movie : “Twister” do not go out there outside when it hits. It's crazy! I was even crazy myself, trying to take some pictures of the storm. Nevertheless, it was something sort of adventurous, and I thought blogging about it would be an event that is recorded on these cyber pages of my blogs. After all, it is a sort of chronological event that I had to record. I will show you pictures on this blog and you can figure out for yourself how much rain we got and how freaky the whole thing was. I just couldn't believe it happened in the OC, in the sunny state of California!

We still had to go to work. I went to work at Disneyland expecting the rain to continue over there. After the tornado hit, I would expect it to be slow and empty at the park. Indeed it was. We worked shorter shifts, and had nothing else to do really. A few people would come in and other of Disney's Clothiers store on the East Side of Main Street. It wasn't busy at all! So we got to come home earlier than expected from our shifts. But the weather outside was cold and cloudy. I knew it was going to be rainy pretty soon again. But I came home in good dry but cold weather. I came home and Candice told me all about the storm hitting UCI while she was in class. We then started to watch some prime time TV and all of a sudden we heard this loud noise outside, and indeed the rain started to fall hard! It was pouring so hard! The pool below us was splashing and we couldn't even see across from our patio to the next building over, because the sky was dark, and the rain was pouring so hard. Then all of a sudden it stopped! Just a flash of water as to warn us for the next storm for the next day.

Sure I would watch the news, and keep my eyes open for next tornado warning because it passed us and it was freaky! Sort of a thing that came to my mind when I think of the weather like this, and having a tornado in Southern California made me think of one thing: GLOBAL WARMING? Hmm.. something to think about because like in those movies about tornadoes hitting LA and causing some sort of apocalypse-ish feelings about our state of California. Hmm.. maybe its just time for some wet, wet weather in Southern California.

So wet in fact that our apartment area there was flooding:

Here are the warnings from  LA Times:

Los Angeles Times | Jan. 19, 2010 | 1:32 p.m.

The National Weather Service has canceled a tornado warning for Los Angeles County, but a warning remains in effect for Orange County.

The Los Angeles Police Department has called a tactical alert and is evacuating homes in San Pedro. The department has also shutdown an area between Pacific and Gaffey and 4th and 7th Streets hit by the worst of the flood. Officials say a lightning strike hit the Conoco refinery, causing a small fire.

In Huntington Beach, the beaches were mostly empty while waves surged, lightning struck and wind reached gusts of 52 mph. The gusts topped 72 mph in Newport Beach.

The storm was accompanied by rain, lightning, hail and high waves.

Officials are worried about mudslides in burn areas in L.A. and Orange counties as the new storm hits mountain areas.

And that my friends, is our Sunny Southern California! At least everyone is safe and fine. As long as we stay indoors away from windows when a tornado hits, then all will be fine and safe. Just be careful while driving out there in the rain. Until next time when I come back to share more events in the Chronicles of Gilberto.. Until Next time!

Happy New Year ! Welcome 2010. . .

Ah, it’s been awhile since I wrote in my blog and dear constant readers I am sorry to say I have a new toy and been neglecting to try to write a blog on it. Its the new Apple iPhone that I got last year and it’s been a great phone and a great mobile device to do everything I possibly can without the use of a computer! For instance: AIM, texting, emailing, twittering and blogging, and so much more! Indeed so much more. I am loving my iPhone a lot more than a PC. In that sense I think I am becoming more Apple-ish this year. I think I want to get a Mac (oh gosh here it comes the PC to the MAC fever!) But they are so expensive! Anyway, that’s one reason I haven’t kept up with the blogs. So here we go to a new year of 2010 and so far the Chronicles of Gilberto continues on a brand new year and I wish all of you a Happy New Year!

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On January 2, 2010, the Chavezes and I went to see a wonderful musical produced by Disney: Mary Poppins! It was a wonderful musical theatre and probably a first for the young ones we took with us. They had lots of fun and afterwards we all went to eat some Mexican and it was so delicious. We had a lot of fun doing stuff like that. The musical and then dinner afterwards was a beginning of a beautiful end of first week of 2010. Then Sunday, it was Candice’s birthday.. so Happy Birthday to the love of my life!

Once the year started, I begin to miss the year 2009, for this Christmas of December 2009 was wonderful. We had the kids over for the holidays and we had a lot of fun baking, making and creating so many Christmas Memories.

Also earlier in the month of December was the annual Holiday Cast Party. This time we took Monica along with us and it was so much fun. The Christmas time at Disneyland is always so wonderful to walk through. But for one thing we all were bundled up and ready for that freezing cold. Being bundled up to keep warm was not even enough – we had to get some hot chocolate and be warm. Even riding on the train as the cold air slaps your face was very unbearable, but the sights and sounds of Christmas time at Disneyland beat down the weather. It was so much fun to take a group picture in front of the tree. The gigantic Christmas Tree with it’s many decorations and lights make it a wonderful sight for the holidays.

The beautiful sights of “A Small World” lighting up during the nighttime was a wonder to watch. It was a lot of fun to do the Holiday Party with love ones.

Even though it was so cold that night for the Holiday Cast Party, being with Candice made me warm, and having Monica along made our memories even bigger. It was a lot of fun and as the year 2009 came to an end, we look back at how fast the year went by so fast. My first years as a Cast Member just flew by. I enjoy working at the Disney stores and it is so much fun to meet all kind of people. I am sure in the year 2010 will be as memorable as 2009 has been. So many things to look forward to:

January – Candice’s and Jake’s Birthday!

February – Capitan EO will be back at Disneyland!

March – My Birthday and of course, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” will be showing up same week as my birthday!

Another Summer in Costa Mesa, and I can’t wait to go swimming again in our pool. So many things that will be coming up.

For now who knows what adventures await in the Chronicles of Gilberto. I will try to keep up on the blog, if not, otherwise follow up on Twitter! Enjoy the year 2010 everyone! Once again, Happy New Year!

P.S. What Candice gave me for Christmas is the very chair I am sitting on to blog, and it’s a neat one and I am enjoying my gaming experience and music from it. Thanks Candice!

Happy New Year!

Wow, Time Flies by So Fast!

Hello to all of you!

Yesterday on September 27, 2009 I have been working for one year at Disneyland Resorts. I work at the Disneyland Park at the Main Street Stores, mainly the Emporium. I was just thinking back to one year ago when I first started the adventures of being a Cast Member at Disneyland and was realizing how much time has flown by so fast. It was even around this time I started my blogging experiences. I don't know if anyone out there reads them, but it's sort of like a journal writing experience for me to jot out little experiences in my life. Maybe one day I'll look back at these blogs and go, "Wow, I have done somewhat good." I enjoy what I do, working at Disneyland is a fun and workable experience. I like being the cashier, guest servicing and closing the store at nights. The perks are seeing the many changes at the park every season. Right now this is the first week that the park is decorated with Halloween themes: pumpkins everywhere, orange and black decorated all over Main Street. Even the huge Mickey Mouse face Jack O' Lantern is spotted right in the middle of Main Street rotunda.

Well, I just wanted to mentioned that it is my one year anniversary working for Disneyland and I am enjoying every minute of it. It'll be my second year to experience Halloween at Disneyland and the upcoming Christmas Season at the Park is always an enjoyable time. I can't wait for the snow covered main street and the fantastic fireworks at night during the Holidays. That is not so far away and that's why I say to myself: "Wow, Time Flies so Fast!" Mentioning the fireworks, you all have to go see the spectacular Halloween firework show that Disneyland has. It's brand new and you sure won't be disappointed! It's a neat show with music from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Also, be sure to see TNBC's Zero flying by over the castle! (Zero is Jack Skellington's dog) Have a fun time during Halloween!

Good Bye Old Friend - Nissan, Hello New Friend - Kia Soul and Other News in the Chronicles of Gilberto

Well, it was time to let my ol' car go. The Nissan has been a good ride for me, and it was time for a change. Candice and I got a new car and we are immensely enjoying it. We went to Kia Depot and got the Kia Soul 2010. It's an awesome ride and I love the Sirius Satellite Radio feature. I am enjoying my rides to work, and Candice is enjoying her rides to school/lab. Alot has been going on this month. Alot of things will happen this week. Let me elaborate:

This month of September 2009, my Mom celebrated her birthday yesterday on Labor Day. Happy Birthday to my Mom! I love her dearly. And this is the month of my one year anniversary with Disney. I am enjoying my job at Disneyland alot and it has come to show how time flies by so quickly. I am enjoying the end of summer for it was my first summer to work at Disneyland. It was crowded and busy, at some times it seemed slower than usually, but it picked up with the holidays. So Summer is coming to an end soon and I enjoyed this summer because of all the events that I had -- auditions at Deaf West Theatre, Working at Disneyland for a year, a new car, and most of all I am looking forward to the D23 Expo at Anaheim's Convention Center this week. Should be lots of fun. I am going on Thursday and that evening going to see the preview show at North Hollywood's Deaf West Theatre, "Children of a Lesser God." Should be an awesome show, and I hope all the cast breaks a leg (good luck in theatre speak), and it would've been me in there since I tried to audition. But nevertheless, it will all be a great show. Hope success for all the actors and Deaf West Theatre Company.

I haven't blogged in awhile, but I figured I let all of you know what's up in the Chronicles of Gilberto. So there you have it, life has been great, and I am enjoying all the good things to come. Especially the D23 Expo, will post more about it after my experiences. And especially my one year with Disneyland will be coming up soon in the next two weeks. Well, till next time, but be sure to check out the photos at the end of this blog for our new car! Until next time, wherever you may be, Thanks for reading my blogs!

Ah, Peak Season at Disney/Work

Hello everyone, been a busy summer for me so far. Sad news was I didn't get the part I wanted at Deaf West Theatre, but sincerely wish the one that received he role big success and everyone in the cast wonderful wishes for a big production. I can't wait to go see it myself when it opens up. So this meant, not more driving down to Hollywood (which is kind of a good thing because the drive was so long and tedious) Other than that, I will of course miss my acting program at Deaf West because it gave me some great experience, and met some great people. And of course it got me this audition which I succeeded with a callback and then didn't get the role. The experience is what counts the most, and I am happy I did what I had to do to pull it off. So now, all I can do is wait for more auditions to come up. So I am on the listserv for Deaf West for any posting for auditions. So I will keep my eyes out for those.

Still the summer started off with such fun times at Hollywood and continues to go into the middle of July. Sometimes I've been busy with work, but I managed to squeeze in some summer readings (Marlee Matlin's bio) and some exercise by swimming laps in the pool. Doing laps made me sore, but hey, it's exercise. Sometimes it gets me so tired before I go into work that night. So a long power nap does the trick, but nevertheless I am still so wiped out when I get home; I go straight to bed when I arrive home. Everything is going fine during this not so hot Costa Mesa Summer days. All of us are doing fine, just working to pay all those bills. So thank God for peak season at Disneyland, meaning more working hours.

Just the other day at my job, two nights ago on July 12, at the wee hours right before midnight, someone was waiting on a guest and I couldn't figure out his face. As a Deaf guy knowing every person in a band out there is hard to recall. But someone came up to this guest and asked for his autograph. I was like, "excuse me, why did they ask for your autograph? Who are you? And oh by the way 'Happy Birthday.'" when I noticed his birthday button on him with the name Ray. He nicely replied back to me, "I am a guitarist in the band 'My Chemical Romance." Then I was like, "I know that band." Not out loud of course, we have to treat anyone famous or infamous with the same equal amount of respect as anyone that walks into our store at Disneyland Emporium. So it was nice to see someone like that. It was his birthday and he was like almost the next to last guest in our store before closing hours. If no one knows who the band "My Chemical Romance" is or Ray Toro, check out this link: http://www.mychemicalromance4u.com/ray-toro/

Been so busy lately with the summer crowds showing up at Disneyland, and working at the Emporium makes it a challenge to walk through, weaving through the crowds of people to get to your destination . Whether it be clocking in for work or coming back from a break. The crowds are so much, but it makes the day go by faster, and the night completes quicker when it's busy. I love the atmosphere of the people, and the pace of the job. Once I had long lines of people, that I was constantly checking out the merchandise for the people, and working the registers at a non-stop motion that it felt like I had no time to catch my breath. But there are some slow hours, this is usually during the firework show. Everyone is out there to watch a dazzling light show with Disney music. But then right after, the swarms of people invade our store and we are nonstop at work till we close. It's fun, really. So fun, when you know that famous people can just show up any minute. Once I saw Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter and their kids dashing through from store to store before I came to clock in for work. And there was talk that Jennifer Lopez and her hubby, Marc Athony with their kids were there during the holiday weekend. Also George Lopez. So I have to keep my eyes open for these stars, but I can't do that when there is a long line of people and I am ringing up everyone when they are purchasing their merchandise. It's always fast paced, but fun.

Costa Mesa has been nice here, the weather is fabulous! Both for sitting outside, walking the dogs, and going out for a swim. It's nice weather. That's why I take advantage of the pool, and relaxing before the high peak season at Disneyland. Once I get to work and continue on till the end of the shift, I get so tired! But having some nice days off does the trick! I've been BBQing outside on our patio and it's nice to have a cold one in hand while bbqing meats, veggies, and other things that the aroma is so appealing that it makes me hungry! As a matter of fact, I will be BBQing soon -- some vegetables, chilies, onions and whatever else needs to be BBQed. So grilling time in the middle of this nice Summer July month. . . then to the Happiest place on Earth tonight!

Until then, next time!

Life so Far, So Good in the Early Month of July

I would say Life has been good so far. I was kind of disappointed in not getting the role of Orin in the Deaf West Production of "Children of a Lesser God." It was an interesting experience though to participate in the process of the pre-production of a theatrical play at a great company. I will like to congratulate the person who got the role (it was down to two people! Him and me) So that was a great audition for the first time for me. I enjoyed every minute of it, and the experience not only gave me a glimpse in the acting world, but a growing experience that I can take with me wherever I go to audition again for future roles.

Now it is the early month of July and we just celebrated our nation's birthday. Happy Birthday USA! It's been a great country, with a newly elected president, and a lot of tough issues to iron out. The world is getting confusing and now the King of Pop has passed away. I recently watched the Michael Jackson Memorial on TV and listened to all the songs, all the people talking about such a great artist and I always will remember how his music moved the world. The man was a legend, and his passing on will only carry on the tune of his music for ages. His songs and his dance moves will only keep on inspiring others to imitate Michael Jackson, but never replicate any one like him again. So with a birthday of our nation we witnessed the passing of an American Icon. May he forever moonwalk into the heavens and may his music continue to keep the beat going.

This is why with all the music and the busy times in our lives, I say Life so far is good. Witnessing the passing of Michael Jackson shows how brief life can be. How one can continue to dance till the End of Time.

Disneyland job has been going well. I recently got recognized with a certificate for a good comment from a guest recently. It's great that guest recognize the work you do and in return your job acknowledges that with recognition by a certificate and a card to show appreciation. That was very nice and this was last week I got this, and I was happy to say, "You're welcome." Working at Disneyland has been busy since it's the middle of summer. People are still finding ways to go amuse themselves at these parks. Disneyland has been bustling with activity due to the new parades, fireworks show, and Fantasmic. These shows I have to see myself one day. One day off I plan to go and see the fireworks, parades and Fantastmic. Ever since I got my language pin - American Sign Language (ASL) and people see my name and under that the town I was from: Barstow. And beneath that my language "Sign Language", people start using their sign language with me and/or they say they are learning and try a little bit with me. I think it's neat when they do that and I have such an easier time at communicating. It's fun to wear the name tags with the city, language and it's such a great conversational starter.

Well, this was my blog for July and I haven't been blogging lately, as you may have noticed been busy. But I will try to get back to this blogging when I can. The latest book I am reading right now is Marlee Matlin's Bio: "I'll Scream Later." So far, I am liking it and movies I want to see this summer includes Harry Potter, Transformers and some others. I actually enjoy watching the news for Football. I can't wait for NFL to start off. Will be blogging about that later as well. So thank you for reading my blogs and look forward to seeing you all again! Ciao!

News update:

Today at 11:20AM I went to audition for the play "Children of a Lesser God" for the role of Orin. It was my very first time auditioning professionally. I had a fun time with it. Possible callbacks on Thursday! I will keep you all posted! This might be a start of something good, if I don't get it, the experience was very much worth it! Until next time, I'll keep you updated if you follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook. Again, it was a fun experience. Thanks to Amy Liberman for the chance to audition.

What’s UP?

May 28, 2009, Hollywood, California.

Candice came with me to my Deaf West Acting Program class. She enjoyed watching our class and it was Suanne Spoke’s last class and she was a wonderful teacher and person to have in our program. I am glad Candice get to see her. Ed Waterstreet stopped by to observe our class. We enjoyed the teachings of Suanne Spoke and will miss her dearly.

The reason Candice came along was because in the same area of Hollywood, her and I headed to El Capitan Theatre after the Deaf West Acting class to see the premiere film of Disney/Pixar’s latest film, “Up.” We saw it at the beautiful theatre of El Capitan. We came in and got our free soda and popcorn, courtesy of D23. I am a charter member of D23 and I was glad to join this Disney community at this right time because the movie UP! was the most recent movie during the charter year of D23. We grabbed our free tub of popcorn and soda and headed up the the balcony level of the theatre. We watched someone played beautiful and recognizable Disney music on the grand organ.

After the beautiful music we applaud the talented organ player and watched the wonderful and energetic fun show of lights and dazzling effects on a backdrop on the stage. It was wonderful sight to see. And then the backdrop rises for a show of dancers and fun lively music playing. 

First came down the screen  with its beautifully designed animated backdrop. The animation was like watching a lightshow as the colors and scene changes from rainbow display of dazzling colors to the backdrop of the famous Hollywood sign on the hills.

 

After all the fun dancing, the show was about to start.

John Ratzenberger, the guy from Cheers who voice a lot of Pixar/Disney’s film was there to introduce the movie Up. He stood there to talk about his voicing for Pixar/Disney films like Toy Story, and he even talked about Toy Story 3 coming out soon! And yes, before the movie Up there was a preview of it.

  The voice of John Ratzenberger is easily recognizable in Toy Story, he voices Hamm the Piggy Bank and some other voices for Pixar/Disney movies. It was neat to watch him talk about the projects in the future and how he thinks this film was one of the better ones that he was involved in. He mentioned to us to enjoy this movie and to enjoy the show. Thus the show began and I am telling you with the Disney 3D for the movie previews and the feature film was awesome! It was a great story of an old man and a little boy on a soaring adventure with a house lifted by millions of balloons. The film was opened to D23 members and I was glad to see so many people in the theatre who are members like me. We even got gifts on the way out – a D23 UP collectible pin and a balloon. We even went into the Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store afterwards and bought another collectible pin and a mug to keep as souvenir of our adventures in Hollywood at the El Capitan Theatre. It was a fun time and I was glad to share it with Candice!

Mother’s Day – What It Means to Me

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. We spent the day with my other “Mother.” My girlfriend’s mother is very nice and wonderful, and shows a lot of enthusiasm in the things she does for Candice and me. Oftentimes, I think of my Mother and how she always does things for me. And unfortunately since the distance is far for my Mom to see her everyday like I do with Candice’s Mom; I feel like even thought I am Candice’s boyfriend, I still feel like a son to her and vice versa, Monica, feels like a mother to me.

So yesterday with Mother’s Day, we did what Monica wanted. A nice dinner, all three of us, and to have some Lobster and watch the Lakers. Well, sure enough, Candice, Monica and I went to the market and bought fresh lobster. It was my first time having lobster for a meal and I didn’t know to buy them, we had to buy them still living! I was amazed by how delicious these lobsters tasted. We had our little drinks, cheese and crackers as appetizers. While the Lobsters were cooking we watched the Lakers get spanked. All of this before I left for work, which was why I couldn’t go and see my Mother far, far away. I still called her, IM her and wished my Mom and Christina a Happy Mother’s Day.

Back to thinking of that day, Mother’s Day, was feeling like any regular day. Then I realized, wow, it’s great to be able to honor all the Mothers everywhere. I admired and respect my own Mother who strived to make sure we had the best of everything. My Mom, even though was the “stay-at-home” type of mother, she still was busy in her lives raising her two children – Christina and I. I show the love, determination and hard work in her as she raised us in her religious convictions: to be able to love and obey God in our lives. She raised us to love everyone and to be kind to everyone. My Mom went through so much effort to make sure we had everything – yes, our Mom spoiled us growing up. But it was out of her heart, her love and kindness that made us become who we are today.

I see that in my sister, Christina, and how she is now a mother raising her own son. Jake Michael Franks has become such a cute adorable young boy and he is so full of life! Christina and Larry of course are trying their best to make sure Jake is happy and living the life he should. This in retrospect has given me the perspective of Mother’s Day and what it means to me. Mother’s Day has the essence of respect, love and admiration for all those hard working Mothers. We shouldn’t just take this one day yesterday and say “I Love You Mom, and Thank you for being the best a Mom can be.” No, we should be able to show our Mothers through our own hard work and dedication and show appreciation everyday to our Mothers of our current place in our lives. Without our Mothers what we do today would not be possible for the love and guidance of our Mothers from the yesterdays we have lived in the past. Growing up my perspective of Mothers have changed so much with the ever-changing life of today’s society. There are a lot of single Mothers, a lot of Mothers who are working, a lot of Mothers still going to school, and so therefore, it’s twice the effort and hard work to be able to raise your children instilling the values that their Mothers passed on to them.

This is how I see Christina with Jake. This is how I see Monica with Candice and I. This is how I see the love and admiration I have for all mothers. It doesn’t have to take that one special Day of Mother’s Day to instill our values and appreciation for all our Mothers. It takes our appreciation for them by the things we do to make them happy and proud. Therefore, I say to my Mom, Annabelle Garcia, and my other “Mom” who stays with us in our home, Thank you for being my Mom and thank you for all the things you do through the kindness and love of your heart. And may faith be your strength for the new Mothers out there, and for my sister who is making one day at a time to be as enjoyable as the next for her own son. May God always Bless you with the gifts of love and life. You sure deserve it!

Newport Beach Film Festivel and Deaf West Theatre Acting Program

Here is my latest Vlog, which I haven't been posting a lot of these. I like doing blogs because I love to write. But with my experience with Vlogs, I am still a newbie and I am trying my best to make these Vlogs understandable and edited just right. Roughly put together, but immersed with The Chronicles of Gilberto will do this post justice. A lot has happened this past week and it was filled with Movies, Stage acting, Improv, and the likes. It was a fun time at our first Deaf West Theatre Acting Program last Thursday. Gary Austin, who is considered a great teacher in improvisation for the stage has given us great experiences and lessons in how to put on a scene. We are going to be working with him again this Thursday at Deaf West Theatre for our second class of the acting program. I am looking forward to it!



As for the movie, "See What I Am Saying" with CJ Jones, TL, and many others who documented on the Deaf entertainment field and how hard it is to actually find acts. With the noticeable community of Deaf people we tend to know all these people; but the struggles to make it out in the bigger Hearing World is a challenge. This is what this film was all about and it was well done and marvelously directed by Hillary Scarli. I enjoyed this film so much, that I hope it wins for the best film at the Newport Beach Film Festivel. I heard it won at the Philadelphia Film Festival and received great acclaim for its work.



Watch my Vlog for more information on the "happenings" of my life in The Chronicles of Gilberto!

Until Next Time. . . ! Thanks for watching.

Deaf West Acting Program - My Visit

Out of the blue, I decided to go ahead and take a ride down to North Hollywood and find the location of Deaf West Theatre. We took the 5 North all the way till we got to the Hollywood freeways. Passing the Dodgers Stadium and getting on the 134 freeway passing the Walt Disney Studios was neat. A bunch of other movie studios were on the way as well. I was excited to be back in the area of Hollywood after going to see Wicked at the Pantages Theatre awhile back.

As I took the drive into the Noho District, and getting on Lankershim Boulevard and searching for a place to park next to the Deaf West Theatre. Monica was my navigator with her trusty Thomas Guide showing me where to go. I had to memorize the way to come to Deaf West for I will be traveling alone along the 5 till getting to Hollywood freeways and getting on Lankershim Blvd. for the acting program starting Thursday. As I drove along the street and seeking Deaf West Theatre, we found a small place to park along the side of the Theatre. Since we were here and figuring out where I would be able to park, we decided to get down and look around. Monica wanted to find a bathroom; so we went ahead and went inside Deaf West Theatre. There's the office manager asked if we were lost. I explained the situation about finding parking and so forth. She gave me ideas for Thursday of where to park. Meanwhile we needed to beckon to nature's call and the office manager led us to the restroom. Passing the Theatre's huge library and into the facilities, I began to take in awe the space of this theatre. We didn't get to see the main stage (but soon I will, soon) and as I came out of the restroom, in the main office there was the Director of Deaf West, Ed Waterstreet. I met him once before at the Deaf Expo in Ontario. It was a pleasure to see him again.

Ed Waterstreet, Artist Director

I talked with him about the Deaf West Theatre Acting Program. He helped answered some of my questions and comments. It was wonderful experience to talk with him. I was happy to talk to the "main man" behind the Deaf West Theatre Experience. Running into him was a wonderful experience and he let me know what the program would be like, what will be expected, and various other comments as we talked briefly. He was very nice person to talk to. So my visit down to North Hollywood on Lankershim Blvd was pretty neat, and now I am comfortable to know where exactly to go. As we were in the area, Monica's nephew and Candice's cousin, Eddie lived not far from Deaf West Theatre, so we went to visit him.

Overall, the drive from Costa Mesa, California to North Hollywood, Lankershim Blvd was not too bad. I know I will encounter some traffic. But it is all worth it yesterday as I ran into Ed Waterstreet, the Director and creator of Deaf West Theatre. It was such a blessing to have talked with him.

As you follow my Chronicles of Gilberto, I will blog more about my acting experiences with Deaf West Theatre. Look forward to a fun filled day for it's going to be the start of the program and the start of my dreams to be involved with Deaf West Theatre!

Soreson Video Phone - Technology Benefits the Deaf

Hello, I would like to talk about technology and how it has helped the Deaf in so many ways. With technology rapidly improving and becoming more mobile, the access to information and being in contact with others has greatly improved for all people, especially the Deaf. Back then, Deaf people have used what we called Telephone Devices for the Deaf (TDD) and it was a phone that connects to regular phone lines to talk to someone else who had a similar device. Then the usage of phone calls with TDDs has spread throughout the Deaf people's homes to that of nowadays Relay Operator. This service was to call businesses or other people who's households do not have the TDDs. In a three way converstations the Deaf would rely on a relay operator to relay conversation from person A to person C, while B was the relay operator. This service has greatly improved communication from households who had TDDs and others who didn't. Still, the TDDs were sometimes so slow, and the typing was so long. The conversations would be so slow and we had to type "GA" (Go Ahead) and "SK" (Stop Keying) to continue a conversation or end it. Now the recent expansion of Internet and communication via Instant Messsaging, ex: AIM, Yahoo IM, or MSN IM; the usage of TDDs haver greatly declined since the late 90's.

Now with the newfound technology of Internet and phonelines disappearing, the usage of wireless networks and cable lines has brought about faster technology communications. I believe with the wireless networks and the ever-changing computer technology we are only going to get faster and better. Sorenson has provided a faster and efficient way to communicate with others by a phone. A Video Phone (VP) and this technology replaces that of the TDD. Instead of text conversation which mainly we had to depend on literal transitions of communication by typing. While Deaf Culture relies on the communication of a visual language known as ASL (American Sign Language) we have relied on this medium of Internet and Video conferences. Thus, the web cams and the fast speed internet was a must for all Deaf people to have. But we needed a realiable phone system in case we had to call certain places that rely on phone contacts. So with this technology of video phones, Sorenson has provided the Sorenson VP -200 which I have in my living room. This amazing technology is similar to that of relay on TDDs or Internet through IP-Relay or any other services.

With Sorenson VP -200 I have enjoyed the amazing results of this video phone which is hooked up to my TV and current Internet provider through the cable lines. When someone calls me, the phone flashes and change the input channel to pick up the video image of a relay operator saying someone is calling me, and we connect and thus continue our conversation through ASL. There is not "GA" or "SK," and this feels more relaxing and a more casual converstation comes about. I enjoy my Sorenson VP and I know there are so many improvements being made out there. Especially with a company called "Purple Communications," which is now making a mobile video phone (MVP) and this will come out pretty soon for us Deaf people to actually have our own "cell phone" system that is like the Video Phone. I can't wait for this technology to come out. With the phone that I have now, I am able to stay in contact with Deaf friends, family, and businesses. The best part of a VP for Deaf people is that you can contact directly to another who has the same VP and just chat through video without a third party (relay operators), because after all with ASL being a visual language, we are all able to connect to the Deaf-World through a medium that was made for us. Through video phones we are able to stay in touch with the world.

Deaf West Theatre Acting Program

Hello you all, I am sorry for not posting anything lately. I have been busy at work, been working alot of hours at Disneyland -- recent places I worked at at Disneyland include Adventureland Bazaar, Main Street's China Closet, and Penny Arcade which is the Candy Place on Main Street. Mainly I have been working alot of hours at the Main Street Emporium and have been having fun there. I am enjoying the job at Disneyland and it shows that people still want to have fun with their money and they show up at the "Happiest Place on Earth." So thank God for a stable job and swarms of people from all over who just want to have a good family time. Soon there will be graduations coming up and this will mean late hours for those grads who want to celebrate a milestone in their lives. I remember mine back then in 1995 graduating from California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR) high school. Man, what a blast I had at Disney's Grad Night, and now it's my turn to be on the other side serving our guests with the joys of their celebrations that they will soon graduate and enter the world with hopes and dreams like I did back then.

Speaking of hopes and dreams, I would love to Blog about my Big Dream coming into reality soon. On Easter Sunday, when we were getting ready to enter silence of respect and read our Bibles at home on a quiet Easter Day, I checked my email as usual and got some big news to share. One of my dreams is to join Deaf West Theatre as an actor. I got something close to that: I sent in an application to try for the Deaf West Theatre Acting program this spring and I got the email saying I am in! I am so excited for this opportunity. I noticed that the program will start NEXT WEEK! I am excited to begin this adventure on April 23rd which lasts till June 25, and it's a 10 -week course of learning about acting from the biggest and most popular Deaf Theatre in the country. I can't wait to drive down to North Hollywood and begin this wonderful experience. I will, of course, keep up with my blogs and as well as my Twitters to see what has been going on. Check out the website link to see what the whole program is about:

http://www.deafwest.org/outreach/training09.htm

The joys of acting is my passion, and it's one of my many dreams to be part of the Deaf West Theatre tradition, and being selected to be part of this program has been a wonderful surprise. Talk about discovering the biggest Easter Egg and discovering what was inside. This was my Easter Egg on this Easter holiday and I was glad to share the news with everyone that follows my blogs. The Chronicles of Gilberto has taken a wonderful surprising turn into an exciting opportunity that will unfold in weeks to come.

Twitter - What Are You Doing Now?

A new craze I have found online: Twitter. Chirping away like mini-bloggettes of occasionally happenings in the dail lives of those who twitter. Twitter is the new found blogger's dream of tiny tidbits of what they are doing now. It's been around for awhile and became popular. I discovered Twitter like two weeks ago and found it to be addicting. I am enjoying the limited box to type limited text of the "going-on's" of Gilberto Garcia. Yes, the blogs I write on "The Chronicles of Gilberto" has been updated, but not as much as I like to. Sometimes I can't figure out what I want to write about! So with Twitter, the limited amount of characters one can type has been mainly challenging, and mostly fun. I found it to be an addicting website and I constantly feel like I have to keep it up. Unlike this Blog, where I have to sit down and think of what to write. Twitter allows you to "follow" someone on Twitter that they too can update. Somtimes you can send "tweets" as much as you want. Simply put Twitter is a journal of what you been doing but in a limited amount of space on the page. As you post your tweets, anyone who is allowed to follow you on their own Twitter pages will constantly keep up with what you are doing.

Sometimes hitting the replies to, on the Twitter page, you can communicate with people. The website allows one to know another is following your tweets on the page. I think it's an awesome website that you can just daily post what's up with you and follow other people as well. Obama has his Twitters and other celeberties as well. The cool thing about this Twitter page is that you can send your tweets through your cellphone or any instant messaging tools. To be able to keep up with what one is doing, the keep the constant daily tweets posted is kind of fun -- not to mention a bit addiciting. I have posted here my page if you want to check out my tweets. I have been posting from my Yahoo! Messenger and it allows me to send my tweets through Yahoo.

Check it out: http://twitter.com/Gilbert_Garcia

I think if you read my blogs, you can "follow" me on Twitter as well! Have fun "tweeting!"

http://www.twitter.com/

Pippin Rocks!

Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre knows how to put on a great show!

Since Deaf West and Center Theatre Group merge to create Deaf-musicals, they have been successful at what they do. The previous Sleeping Beauty Wakes got huge reviews and the first one that I saw at Mark Taper Forum was Big River. starring Tyrone Giodran. He again does the role of Pippin and Ty Taylor (picture shown below) as the scene stealing Lead Player – Both actors did a great job at this Deaf West and Center Theatre Group collaboration.

The songs and the music was awesome and it was such a great time to watch the musical numbers in ASL from both the Deaf and Hearing actors. The whole cast worked the play fluently and they seem to be having fun playing their parts. The minimalistic stage and props give the actors room to stage their ASL as the play itself. Watching the motion of the hands and arms, and the body placing themselves around the stage was such a spectacular feat in itself.

Stephen Schwartz who created the original Pippin was excited to have Pippin reproduced by Deaf West Theatre after the success of Big River by the same theatre companies, and the successful hard work by the cast and the crew displayed that this was indeed a new genre of ASL Broadway style productions. I was so impressed by the dazzling costumes, the actors and actresses who flaunt themselves on the stage and the role of the Player by Ty Taylor was very magical experience as he went from location to location singing and signing the lyrics to the musical beat of Pippin. It was such a magical experience that I enjoyed every minute of it. Let’s not forget the timing of the humor was on spot and the pace of the play was quite awhile, but worth every minute of it.

Here is a great critical review from the Schwartz website:

Pippin Finds a New Voice

By Suzy Evans

Stephen Schwartz has been waiting a long time for a revival of Pippin like the one at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. “Over the last several years, I've periodically been approached about a revival of Pippin and for one reason another the circumstances didn’t really make sense,” Schwartz explained in a January interview. There had to be enough of a reason. “And then when Jeff Calhoun called me about doing it with Deaf West, immediately that seemed the ideal way to do it.”

Deaf West is a Los Angeles-based company that casts deaf and hearing actors in their productions. Working with Center Theatre Group, they had already staged Big River with great success, and it was time for something new.

For Deaf West productions, hearing actors are required to learn their lines in American Sign Language (ASL) while the deaf actors must learn how to keep in time with the music while being voiced by hearing actors.

Schwartz thinks Pippin is a natural choice for this kind of presentation because elements of Pippin’s original production can be used to accentuate Deaf West’s interpretation. "The original production for Pippin and most of the revivals that I’ve seen involve the use of hands in various ways, gesturing etc.,” he said. “Obviously when you’re dealing with speaking with your hands and with signing then that adds a whole other element to it.”

Pippin is a story about discovering who you are, and Schwartz, who started writing the show for an extracurricular group in college, called the show “semi-autobiographical.” However, Pippin’s journey of self-discovery takes on a new meaning as these two distinct cultures merge. Schwartz wanted to play with the idea of having people who speak with their hands find their "voice." He comments, “There are ways in which certain concepts of the production and specific moments specifically speak to that issue.”

Musical Schwartz - March 16, 2009

LA TIMES is the best newspapers for Theatrical reviews as well. This one link will lead you to the Review of Pippin:

LA Times Review of Pippin from Deaf West

I am so glad I went to see this play. Since I missed Sleeping Beauty Wakes by the same Theatre Companies, I was so relieved to finally have seen Pippin. It was such a great evening with Kaisa, Candice and I. Later in the evening over a glass of wine before entering the theater at Mark Taper Forum, we met with Alex and his friend. I hoped everyone enjoyed their first Deaf Musical production if they never seen one before. But for Candice and I, this was our of of many and hopefully many more to come!

Here is a clip from Broadway World .. you can see the opening night party, rehearsals and more. And the Lead Player of Pippin Ty Taylor takes you on a backstage tour. ENJOY!

http://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.cfm?colid=40144

Hope you all enjoy this review of the Musical of Pippin for it was indeed a magical experience to watch it.

Friday the 13th!

Hello everyone, today is Friday. The 13th Friday of March 2009. Usually the superstitious people are freaked out by this number and on this day, Friday. Anytime I hear the term “Friday the 13th” I think of Jason with the hockey mask chasing people with a machete.  Oh so scary! Nevertheless, today has been a great day so far, (to the superstitious – I will “knock on wood” when I say that) beautiful outside, and blue sky. The dogs are up and about, Paris who has been not feeling well, seems to be better now. And tonight I am headed to Los Angeles to the Mark Taper Forum to see Pippin. So, with this being the next to last show, we are actually LUCKY to get some tickets and good seats to boost. I am excited about going tonight to see Deaf West Theatre production of Pippin. Should be a nice evening out with a show filled with music and American Sign Language.

Now, as I look back at all my Friday the 13ths; I never really had any bad ones. So far, I think the tradition of Friday the 13th for me has been good. So far, I am having a good day, and the history of Friday the 13th dates back to Biblical times: the Last Supper Jesus had 13 Disciples, and the 13th one is the one that betrayed Jesus; 13 suffers it’s position after the number 12, which is a complete number and since there are 12 months in a year, 12 signs in the Zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 days of Christmas, and 12 eggs in a dozen – thus 13 suffers after the number 12.

You can read more about Friday the 13th from the Yahoo Page through this link: Yahoo! News Web Site on Friday the 13th

Well, so far, so good. A Good Friday for me, and now I am off to see Pippin tonight at the Mark Taper Forum. Until next time, have a Happy Friday! And also a Great weekend!

I'm Going to See Pippin!

Deaf West Theatre Production of Pippin at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California is Friday Night and I am going! I am excited to see this neat Musical featuring both Deaf and Hearing Actors. The Link to the Show's Web Page: http://centertheatregroup.org/tickets/productiondetail.aspx?id=7702

Friday night, Candice, Kaisa, and I are going to see the show, "Pippin" -- a musicl featuring both Deaf and Hearing actors at the Mark Taper Forum. I am excited, and looking forward to a night of Theatre once again. The last Deaf West Production I went to was Big River at the same place, and it featured both Deaf and Hearing Actors with voice and American Sign Language. The production was Mark Twain's vision of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Keep an eye open for the personal review of the production when I come back. Probably around Saturday or Sunday. Saturday I am headed to Deaf Awareness Day at Disneyland. And since I work there, I will get in for free of course! See you later everyone.. I'll keep blogging, and you keep reading.

Ciao! Until next time in the Chronicles of Gilberto. . .