May 2006

May

2006

Time to go home.

Well….things have been pretty crazy lately. Sorry I haven’t updated the blog in a few days. I promise i’ll be better.

So basically the last couple days have been completely centered on the brainstorming of our new business idea. We’ve had multiple meetings with many different people….seeking mostly advice, suggestions, feedback, and understanding. It’s been fun. We met with the athletic director here at Princeton, the head football coach, a high school guidance counselor at Princeton High School (the school is amazing….many go into Ivy League from there), and an ex-congressman who teaches high-tech entrepreneurship here at the University. Also, today one of our team members met with another admissions officer (I couldn’t make it). Aside from the many meetings, we’ve put in countless hours reading, learning, and brainstorming how we can make this venture fly high. Also yesterday, we went to a entrepreneurship conference. That was productive. We made some good contacts with some angel investors and VCs.

Other than the potential business opportunity…i’ve just been packing up, getting ready to go home. I shipped home almost a dozen boxes of clothes, books, tech equipment, and junk. Also i’ve had to box a bunch of stuff to store here on Princeton campus, like some of my small furniture stuff, my bike, mirror, filing cabinet, etc. I’ve had to finish any last minute business transactions with people (regarding web design, graphic design, photography, etc). I’ve had to run around collecting money from people who still owe me. That’s been the worst. I hate to be a bad guy….but some people still owe me. Sometimes being a butthead is necessary.

Well folks…it’s time to go home…back to Utah. My flight leaves at around noon tomorrow. My goal is to wake up super early, get a good work out in at the gym, finish the last minute errands, catch the train and go to the airport. I’ll be back in Provo at around 8 or 9pm perhaps. I’ll catch up with my family, find my homeboyz, and of course meet up with Rachel. I’m super excited.

As for the rest of the summer, the reality is that I really won’t spend a whole lot of time in Utah. I’ll probably come back for our potential business opportunity here (Princeton, NJ) to do my part in helping it grow and succeed. So for alot of July and most of August…I won’t be in Utah. I’ll most likely be here in New Jersey, and traveling around the east coast visiting colleges and high schools….doing what I need to be doing. I belive in it. And i’m gonna pay the price to make it succeed. Sacrifice brings blessings. That pertains to not only spiritual things….but to all things. I’m a firm believer in that.

So basically those are my summer plans. I’ll be in Utah for a bit. Whenever i’m in Utah i’ll spend alot of time with my friends and family…and i’ll be working hard to do freelance design & photography. And of course, i’ll be working on our start-up.

Well folks….time to move on to a next chapter in my life. Things are gonna really start to pick up as far as our business ideas go. And i’m really excited. If things progress to the point we are working for, well…then quite possibly I might take a semester or a year off from school. I’ve already taken 2 years off from school (because of my church mission). It’s very well possible that I take more off. I don’t know. Nothing is set in stone. But if we go at the pace we’re going now….I really think that we’ll need to dedicate ourselves full-time to the endeavor. To me it makes no sense to go half-heartedly into anything. 50% business and 50% school will mean that i’ll only be mediocre at them both. If we’re gonna give this venture a run for its money…then goodness gracious let’s give it a run for it’s money and go at it 100%. Let’s put in our all. Let’s give it all we got. Like I mentioned earlier….sacrifice brings blessings. Nothing valuable in life is easy. This is gonna be hard. And it really is gonna need my whole heart.

So we’ll see. I make no promises now. But my gut and my heart tell me that I’ll probably be taking alittle more time off from school. Quite frankly, I hope it gets to that point. It’s not because of the school factor. As a matter of fact I enjoy Princeton and I enjoy learning. However, it’s because of the business aspect. I’d only choose to take time off if our business ideas were showing a future…if it was growing at the targeted rate, if it was in need of more time/energy to match and equal the growth. That would be great. That would be a wonderful problem to have. And in a heartbeat, i’d be happy to jump on the wave full-time and see where it would take me. So who knows folks….we’ll have to see. But let’s just get one thing straight: I WILL GRADUATE! I enjoy Princeton and I would never let this great opportunity slip through my fingers. I’ll do it the right way and definitely make sure my foot stays in the door so I can finish. Princeton loves when kids do this kind of thing…taking time off to explore the real world and learn in a different way. All i’m saying is graduation might take just a little longer than 4 years (due to business ventures and so forth). The business education that i’m getting is so valuable. To me this is all part of my Princeton education.

Okay. Time to get ready for bed. God lives.

Much Love,
Mickey Lee Hagen, Princeton Class of 09

Ribbit. Ribbit. The hour has arrived. Grab the blinky pop and let’s have some fun (Only one person in the entire world is gonna understand this last line…and you can probably guess who it is. So don’t worry if you didn’t understand it).

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May

2006

A meeting w/ a rich space tourist.

The last couple days i’ve been getting very little sleep. It’s been sad…i’m starting to feel weak. But that’s life. We’ve been working hard thinking about our new business ideas. Once I get to Utah (on Friday) I can relax more. But in the meantime…it’s work work and more work. Intensity is good. A lot needs to be done, and especially in this phase, a lot needs to be researched and learned. It’s been alot of fun.

Today was an interesting day. I woke up early. Then I met up with a buddy and we had breakfast at Ivy. After breakfast we quickly went over a couple things that he needed done. He’s starting up a company (completely separate from what i’m doing) and he needs some help with some visuals on a prototype product. So i’ll be helping him put together a quick design of his product.

After breakfast I quickly ran around campus, collecting money from various departments, etc. Some people still owe me money for various projects I did for them. I’m trying to collect everything before I head out on Friday. After collecting money…I responded to emails. That took me a couple hours simply because it’s been a couple days since I’ve responded….they’ve all piled up. After responding to emails, I went over to the gym…had a great work out. After the work out I went to lunch.

In the afternoon we had an interesting meeting. It was with Greg Olsen. Many of you might have heard about him in the news. He’s the multi-millionaire entrepreneur who recently paid $20 million for a ticket to go to space. He’s been a successful entrepreneur in his life and we basically just wanted to seek advice from him and see what his thoughts were regarding our business ideas, etc. Google him. He’s well known and has alot of money. Read an article about him here.

His office was on Nassau Street (right next to Princeton campus), so we walked over there and met with him. He has multiple offices around the nation. The office was beautiful. We met with him in the conference room. Beautiful furniture. Big, comfortable seats. Huge flat screen on the wall. Glass see-through divider thingies. It was nice office space…no doubt about it.

It was actually really funny….he was wearing his space suit. Haha. I know it sounds absurd. It was indeed. We wondered what in the world he was doing…and if he always walked around wearing his space suit. I thought it was hilarious. He told us he was wearing it cuz later in the night he was gonna speak somewhere…blah blah blah. I didn’t buy it. I honestly think he really just wears that thing around town and wherever he goes. He’s really proud of the fact that he went up to space. There were pictures of him in his space suit in articles all over the wall. Pictures of himself everywhere…some were with George W. Bush….blah blah blah. It was all pretty funny. He really seemed somewhat self-centered.

The actual meeting with him didn’t go that great at all. Yes it was somewhat productive. But it wasn’t as great as we expected. In the very beginning he made it clear that he wasn’t looking to fund anything. I got the feeling alot of people go to him for money. We assured him that we weren’t looking for venture capital. Cuz in reality we weren’t. We’re taking our potential business as far as we can go with our own funding…bootstrapping the sucker for all its worth. So with Greg Olsen, we weren’t looking for money at all. We were simply there to seek counsel, advice, etc. After that, he lightened up a little and things got alot better. He gave us some good advice and the overall conversation went okay. But not as great as expected. He did give us some other contacts though…..and that’s always nice.

Anyway…after that we all went into our make-shift office (the undergraduate student government office in Frist) and worked the rest of the night on the site. A lot of our focus and energy today went into choosing a name. We had originally came up with a name…bought the domain name….created logos…..etc. But after more research, asking people around, we realized that it’s not easy enough to hear it and spell it. We want a domain name that is as simple, easy, and phoenetical as possible. So we decided to change our name. It seriously took us hours and hours to come up with the new name. It was a funny process. A lot of brainstorming. A lot of “ahaaaah!” Alot of discussion. By the end of the night…we finally got something good. It’s gonna work! We still need to incorporate our business and do all that jazz…but right now we’re still in the early, early stages of research and development. Mostly just ideas on a napkin, really.

So anyway…that was the day. Tomorrow I gotta wake up early. Very early. I have a quick photoshoot…then i’ll be working all day on business. I’m doing my laundry right now…late at night. It needs to get done before I head home. Now is the only time to do it. I’m way too busy during the day.

Okay. Peace out gangstas.

Much love,
Mickey

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May

2006

Mostly about Romance.

I’ve been working all day…all night on “our baby,” the business. So basically i’m exhausted. I’m not gonna write alot today. Just a quick one. Basically i’m gonna sum everything up…that’s going on in my life. I’ll separate it into areas of my life.

School>>>
School is out, thank heavens. I’m done. It was a great year. My grades were decent. Nothing embarrassing…but at the same time certainly nothing special. Overall I felt pretty good about it. I was well involved with alot of things and I spent alot (ALOT) of time working and making money (web design, graphic design, photography). So I felt like overall I had a good balance of school and work….and just an all around great academic year. It went by really fast. It’s nuts. I’m excited for summer. I wanna get as far away from the classroom that I possibly can. Like I always say: I love to learn. I love knowledge. But sometimes I just get sick of school. “Book smarts” to me isn’t as important as “street smarts.” Learning about history to me isn’t as important as making history. Education through personal experience is alot more valuable then gaining education from a textbook. But yes. School is important. Stay in school kids. It’s good for you.

Romance>>>
Well….it’s no secret anymore. I’m interested in a girl named Rachel. And from all her cute messages, gifts, and kind acts….it’s evident that she’s interested in me too. Word. It pretty much doesn’t get any better than that. We like eachother. We’re basically gonna be boyfriend/girlfriend the day I set foot in Utah. I’ll keep you updated. During the last couple months…i’ve written countless blogs about her. Alot of them are really funny, cute, and sappy. Here are a couple memorable blog entries involving the princess, Rachel Decker. There are many more which I mention her in a few paragraphs…or where she is the “crush of the day.” But in these ones you get a little more action….oooh la la. This is in chronological order…

When things first started getting interesting (she’s the “nacho queen” in this blog)
“Who’s on the Radar Screen” – March 22, 2006

We went on a date called the “Jock Flock.” This blog describes it a little.
“Spring Break Reflections” – March 25, 2006

She’s certainly the girl I had in mind when I left this.
“One More thing…” – March 28, 2006

She’s sweet. What can I say.
“A Girl who knows the game” – April 10, 2006

Basically…i’m willing to give things a try.
“The Creature of Commitment” – April 16, 2006

This by far is the best blog i’ve written about this subject. It’s probably one of my all-time greats. I enjoyed writing this one alot.
“A Blog on Love” – April 24, 2006

More about her…and some pictures of her too.
“Freedom at last!!!!” – May 16, 2006

Also, on May 2, 4, and perhaps a few other days…I included a “travel blog” (section of her emails) of Rachel in Thailand. If you wanna read those…those are cool too. Anyway….that’s life romantically. I’m interested in Rachel Decker. She brings alot to the table. But at the end of the day…what it really comes down to is this: she knows how to make me happy. And she does it well. Here is a picture of her:

Haha…i’m just playin’ around. Pictures of her are in the May 16th blog. :)

Spiritual>>>
I’m doing everything I need to be doing. That’s the bottom line. I’m doing my best to live a righteous and Christ-like life. I’m excited to get back to Utah and spend time with my family and friends. They always give me the boost in spiritual strenth. It’s fun to be around people who share the same values and beliefs. I can feel of their spirit and their love for the gospel. It feels good. Sometimes I feel like a loner out here…spiritually. I have the spirit. I have God that I communicate with through prayer. But sometimes it does get lonely in terms of things spiritual. It’s always good to join together with my fellow brothers in the faith. Utah always has an abundance.

Physical>>>
I eat well. I exercise daily. The one thing that I can improve on is sleep. I need to get more of it. I struggle a little bit with that…i’ll admit. But for the most part I feel healthy. On my mission in Brasil, I gained a little weight (especially towards the end). The food there was just so darn delicious. Lots of rice. Lots of beans. Yummers. So anyway, while I was there…I got some cute little love handles and some extra layers around my belly. For the most part i’ve been able to work that silly stuff off…but there is still alot more work that needs to be done. For some reason i think my love handles wanna stay….it’s all good I guess. Girls are gonna need something to hold on to….jk.

Emotional>>>
I’m a nutcase. I’m weird. I’m crazy. Aaaaaagggggggh!
Okay. That was dumb.
Emotionally i’m fine. I have no issues whatsoever. Word.

Business>>>
I talked about this yesterday. So read that if you wanna know how things are going. Basically things are going great! Wahoooh!

Okay…so this blog is alot longer than I had originally intended it to be. So i’m gonna stop now. Hopefully this blog gave you a pretty good feel for what’s going on right now. Peace out gangstas. Yippeeeh!

Much love,
Mickey

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May

2006

My business with business…

Our ideas are rockin’ and rollin’. My days are completely consumed by it. BodyHype is over. School is out. The stress is gone. Now i’m completely wrapped up in what I love: entrepreneurship. We’re taking it very, very seriously. We’re trying to do it the right way….really studying the market and formulating our ideas.

This isn’t a lemonade stand thing. This isn’t like my small little web design/graphic design firm that I started…that has done very well. This isn’t like the online literary magazine I did in high school that made revenue from ads. This isn’t like the time I sold water at the 4th of July parade and made hundreds in profit. This isn’t like the quite successful venture that daddypix.com has been. Rather, what we’re doing now is on a completely different playing field. It’s quite the step up. The challenge we’re embracing is no small task. Everything i’ve done in the business world to this point has been small potatoes….compared to what we’re perhaps gonna embark on this summer. And I love it. It’s so much fun.

Starting a company involves alot. To me it’s one big adrenaline rush. It’s better than any roller coaster. It’s better than any skydive, bunjee jump, or door step kiss. The reason I enjoy it so much is simply because my personality fits into what it entails and means. It means trying something new. Sacrifice. Taking the risk, the gamble. Welcoming the challenge. Thinking out of the box. Competing. Outhinking. Selling. Negotiating. Ethics & honesty. Fighting for a cause that you believe in, that you’re passionate about. Creating. Putting yourself on a limb. Working hard. And so much more…..the list goes on. But all those things I mentioned are things i’ve always loved. Entrepreneurship is what’s for me.

And that’s why i’m having so much fun these days….because i’m completely immersed in it. I’m 100% focused on it. And it never gets old. There are always surprises, new dynamics, and curve balls. It’s about expecting the unexpected. Predicting the unpredictable. It’s about changing the pace when called for, changing directions when needed, acting when reacting isn’t good enough, and making adjustments when what’s been done now isn’t working.

The last two days have basically been two things.
1) Our “team” has been working in a small room….brainstorming, talking, thinking, etc. Our ideas are all over the place. Everyday seems to change direction a little bit. But I think we’re really starting to hone in on what we wanna do.
2) Various meetings with people. Yesterday we had two meetings. First was a lunch meeting with a faculty member here at Princeton (who is in charge of a new program that helps start-ups, promotes entrepreneurship). He was helpful and is gonna connect us with other people who might be able to help. Second meeting was with a lawyer (Princeton employee) who does patents for the university community (quite often students/professors invent stuff ). He gave us good advice on some of the legal issues we’d be faced with…but pretty much cuz our ideas were all over the place…there’s nothing even close to patentable. Today we had three more meetings. First one was with the legend, the king, the guru of college admissions. It’s the famous Dean Fred Hargadon. He’s worked in the admissions office of many elite schools, Stanford, Swarthmore and Princeton to name just a few. He’s now retired but has been in the college admissions world for years. He’s always asked to speak at special events and conferences. He’s easily the most well respected person in that field. We had a great meeting with him today…he gave us some great feedback and ideas. He was very helpful and down to earth. He’ll be an incredible resource throughout the process. Hopefully in the future, as we develop a better relationship with him, he’ll be able to play a more active roll. The meeting with him was a couple hours….very productive. Our second meetng was with a venture capitalist. We met him last week at a forum. Our motives were not to get funding…cuz at this point we don’t need it. But basically we were seeking advice on the whole process, time frame, goals, etc. He was happy to help and what I liked most about him is that he was extremely honest and somewhat critical in many of his opinions. We get sick of hearing all good feedback. We wanna hear what’s not gonna work…not just what will work. I felt like he pointed out alot of things that we hadn’t really thought about before. The meeting with him was very, very productive. Our third meeting today was with a marketing consultant. Princeton alum. We met him through the business plan competition last month. He’s young. He’s energetic. And he’s very knowledgeable. He’s already agreed to be on our advisory council….perhaps in 4-6 months when we get more official about things. Our dinner/meeting with him lasted a couple hours as well. He gave us some amazing ideas and suggestions. He’ll be a great asset to the company.

So all in all…..things are rockin’ and rollin’. That’s really all there is to it. This is life. This is fun. And this is only the beginning…as we progress it’s gonna become so much more fun. I can’t wait. It’s gonna be a wild ride….and hopefully the wave won’t clobber us. It’s all good though….i’m willing to take the risk. High risk high return. Life is too short to not gamble a little bit. That’s really all there is to it. Like my dad always tells me, “don’t be afraid to fail.”

That’s the bottom line. Tomorrow will be another day “at the office,” blowing and going trying to get things to roll forward even a little more. Word. Keep it real.

Much love,
Mickey

OF THE DAY AWARDS…
Highlight of the day: All the sweet meetings. I love anything that involves interaction with people. To me it’s so much fun. Also, I took a one hour break from business and got a really good work out in at the gym. (p.s. even though my knee’s been hurting…i’ve been running a couple miles a day and i’ve been fine…hurrah)
Lowlight of the day: Not much sleep.
Biggest Surprise of the day: How much I love entrepreneurship.
Sweet diggity Dog of the day: Blake Hagen. Happy b-day bro!
Crush of the day: Ribbit.
Quote of the day: “God gave men two ends – one to sit on and one to think with. Ever since then man’s success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most.” — George R. Kirkpatrick

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May

2006

Freedom at last!!!!

Well….school is done. Today was Dean’s Date…all my final papers were due. I finished and now i’m free. Free at last. Hurrah for freedom!! The next two weeks are finals…but since I don’t have any finals….i’m the coolest cat ever. Word. Life is good…school’s out….I couldn’t be happier. I’ll stick around here (Princeton) until the 25th, working on a potential business idea with some buddies. Throughout the summer we’ll be meeting often (i’ll be coming out here to Princeton) and going to various b-plan competitions and conferences that pertain to our potential venture. Summer is gonna be a lot of fun. I’m really excited about the company we’re probably gonna start. Now that school’s out I can go full speed at attacking it and getting stuff done with it. I love the feeling of freedom. Though I enjoy learning, i’m ready for summer. I’m ready to do a different type of learning……learning how to start a successful company. It certainly won’t be the last company I help start. I was born an entrepreneur. And i’m gonna die an entrepreneur. That’s just the way the ball bounces…and I like it that way.

Many of you have been asking me about my “special friend,” Rachel…the one who was visiting Thailand during the last couple weeks. She’s returned…and is now in Utah. Many asked if she was my girlfriend. No. She’s not my girlfriend. It’s not quite to that point, yet. Simply because we aren’t with eachother right now. We talk to eachother on the phone quite a bit. We’ve hung out a bunch already during some of my breaks in school. We “like” eachother (whatever that means….ha). However, she’s still not my girlfriend. I’m single. She’s single. Life is grand. Though I must say, summertime will be a different story. I think some interesting things will happen with me and her. No worries though….you’ll be the first one to know if we do end up getting together. I’ll be back in Utah to meet up with her on the 25th. We shall see what happens….oooh la la…..

Here are a few pics of her trip to Thailand. In most of these pics…she’s with one of her buddies. In the last two pics she’s on the left. The other one she’s the princess on the right.

There she is. The hottie.

Hmmm…..so what else has been going on. Oh…okay….my body is falling apart. I’m an old man. I’m usually a really healthy guy. I exercise. I eat well. I usually get the rest I need. But recently….i’m realizing that my body is crumbling apart. While my parents were in town last week…we ate so much! My body isn’t used to eating at restaurants all the time and eating, eating and eating. Then during these last couple days…I’ve been eating junk food like crazy (sugar & candy) so that I could stay awake late at night to get my school work done. All that combined with not much exercise (due to bodyhype performances and then crazy school work) means a sick stomach and a weak body. And indeed…i’ve been weak. Also a couple days ago my heart was aching. Too much food inside my system. Too much junk. I’m pretty sure that my arteries are one steak away from being completely clogged…..sad I know.

Also with my crumbling body….my left knee. Something is wrong with it. And it’s scaring me. I usually run a couple miles everyday…but i’m afraid that my knee won’t let me run this week. It started hurting my on Saturday (before bodyhype) and has been hurting me since. I can’t extend it all the way out…and I can’t bend it very well. It sucks to be injured. It really, really, really does. It’s a big fat suck-a-roosky!

So yeah. My body is falling apart. How sad…i’m only in my early twenties.

K. Time to end this blog entry. I’m gonna go do some business work…..watch some NBA playoffs…..then go to bed. I’m waking up early to meet a buddy at Ivy for breakfast. Peace out gangstas.

Much Love,
Mickey

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May

2006

Hi.

I’m alive…I promise. Tomorrow is Dean’s Date (when all the final papers are due) and this stupid history paper is killing me. No blog tonight. Tomorrow i’ll have something juicy for you. Peace.

Mickey

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May

2006

Closing night of BodyBody…

All I can say is Wow. Today was amazing. The closing night of the BodyHype show was an absolute riot. I hate to get too colloquial…but i’ll say it anyway….the 10 o’clock show tonight was “sick”!!! It was “ridiculous.” It was “tight.” It was the best! The crowd was off the wall. We were easily able to feed off of them. We had back to back shows tonight…one at 7 and the last at 10. After the 7 o’clock show our energy was completely gone. However, once we felt the energy of the audience at 10….it all came back. It was better than any red bull or powerbar. It was sweet.

The last show was just so much fun. We all knew the choreo. We all knew the moves. It was just about having fun and performing. Realizing that it’s the last show of the year…and just putting your all into it. And indeed we did. We had a blast. Alot of BodyHype alumni was there as well….and they were quite rowdy. The entire show was non stop cheers, chants, and hoots. Someone was always saying “body body”…..and the crowd would join together to finish it off saying “hype hype.” It was so much fun. There were also alot of drunk people in the crowd which made for some interesting loud commentaries and funny moments. Tonight was something special.

BodyHype is alot of fun. Some of the best friends i’ve made at Princeton are people in BodyHype. I’m really glad I got into it. It’s been a fabulous experience thus far. We spend so much time together that it seems almost impossible to not appreciate one another and learn from their experiences, backgrounds and beliefs. Asians. African-Americans. Latins. Whites. Jewish. Protestant. Catholic. Atheist. Etc. People of all different religious backgrounds are represented. People of all different ethnic backgrounds are represented. I’ve come to be friends with some amazing people. Some dudes on the company are gay. I’ve gotten to know one of them pretty well. We’ve had some great conversations about what his views on life are…and what mine are. We’ve shared life stories and experiences. We’re open with eachother and we talk about what we believe….what makes us tick….and what we ultimately want in life. Sometimes we agree with eachother. Sometimes we don’t. But we respect eachother and for the most part we’re able to understand eachother….trying to see from the other’s perspective. And that’s the beauty of it all. Appreciating differences. Learning from eachother. Growing as individual because of it.

BodyHype is a smorgasboard of all sorts of different people. The diversity makes it so much fun. There is something to learn from everyone. There is something to love about everyone. Though we are all so different…at the same time it’s amazing how similar we all are. We are all brothers and sisters…battling through life…..trying to survive….trying to excell…..often times facing the same temptations…the same struggles….the same weaknesses. We all seek happiness. We all seek victory. We all seek some sort of special oasis at the horizon…that sometimes never seems to get closer. Some reach it quicker. Some reach it slower. But we all seem to be on some sort of common path seeking for a better tomorrow…yet at the same time cherishing the special moments that NOW have to offer.

BodyHype has been alot of fun. Not merely because of the dancing…but as i’ve said…it’s because of the people. It’s a family. As we did our usual pre-show chants and cheers backstage…..since it was the last show there was a time where the seniors were able to give their last words. It was very similar to what I experienced in high school with sports teams. After the last game of the season….as a senior….i’d have a chance to speak up and share my feelings, reflections with the rest of the team. Tears were shed. Emotions were shared. It was a special moment. Tonight was the same thing…except it was with dance. And it wasn’t me giving my last words…cuz i’m just a freshman….rather….it was Z, Marisa, and Kris. It was a special moment. Tears were shed by many. It was their absolute last performance as a Princeton student. So you could imagine how emotional it could be.

Repeating again…the last show tonight was amazing. The entire year with BodyHype has been a blast. I love to dance. I love BodyHype. And I love my fellow bodyhypers. That’s really all there is to it. Nuff said.

Here are a couple pics from today. Not many….like I said before. Once I get pics from other bodyhypers….i’ll have alot more to share. But this will have to do for now.

My parents helped me do some packing today…oh boy….it was ridiculous how much stuff I have. Alot of clothes. Alot of books. Here are some of the boxes full. I’ll be sending it home UPS and it’s gonna cost a ridiculous amount of money.

Me just chillin’ in the dressing room…gettin’ psychologically prepared for the two shows. Word.

The ladies gettin’ ready in their dressing room. Ooh la la…Tash and Chels are so sexy.

Thomas and I chillin’ in the dressing room. Thomas is a fellow Christian. He’s a stud.

The BodyHype after-party at Ivy. It was sweet cuz I was able to bring my older brother, Brad. He enjoyed it. We were able to hang out with fellow bodyhypers, alum, and friends. Everyone knows we don’t drink….but we certainly got the groove goin’ on the dance floor….everyone loved the Mormon bros shakin’ the booty. It was sweet.

Tash and I….oh so sexy. In the picture you can’t see it….but I was actually holding her up completely. It was so cute. She’s basically the crush of the week…no doubt about it.

Well….it’s been fun. Today was great. Had lunch with my fam and some friends at a Mediterranean place at Palmer Square. My parents & bro were able to get to know better some of the dudes that might work on the potential business project with me. My fam seemed to like them. We talked business strategy and got some great feedback from my fam. After that I showed my fam around campus. They bought some souvenirs for my other bros in Utah. Then they helped me do some packing. Then I went to the dance theater while they watched some NBA playoffs. Then my parents were able to watch the 10 o’clock show. They once again LOVED the show. After that my bro and I went to the after party. Had a blast. Stuck around there for a few hours…then hit up Frist for a late poweraid. And now i’m home…ready to go to bed….get up early and go to church….then work on my darn History paper non-stop the next few days. It’s due on Dean’s Date (tue)….and I haven’t even started….oh dear. Oh well….life is good. I had a great time with some of my family…..had an awesome time with bodyhype…..this week was just an all-around great week. But basically now it’s time to get down to business. I gotta finish my academic stuff. Then i’ll get to really focus on potential business opportunities with some buddies. Then i’ll go back to Provo and chill with my homey g’s….and of course a really cute girl named Rachel. That’ll be fun. Word.

Much love,
Mickey

p.s. holy smokes….I have a gazillion emails that I still need to respond to…

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May

2006

Family & BodyBody…

I don’t have much time….it’s late and i’m tired. But basically today was another sweet day. My parents are in town, along with my oldest bro. I was able to spend some time with them…and later they were able to watch my BodyHype Show.

Here’s the run down of the day along with a couple pics.

I met up early with my parents and bro. We hopped on NJ transit…headed up to NYC….and chilled there for the afternoon. We ate at Bubba Gump’s in Times Square. Then we went and rode the buggie/horse carriage thingie for awhile….around Central Park. It was relaxing….an overall enjoyable ride. Here’s a quick pic.

After that we headed down to China Town and did some shopping. I bought some sweet ties, some hats and some bling bling. Here’s a pic of my bro wheelin’ and dealin’ with a street hustler. The dude’s tryin’ to sell a “rolex” to my bro. Yes oh yes….we know it’s all fake. But nonetheless…if the watch works then it serves its purpose. Word.

After that we came home. They dropped me off at my dorm….I prepared for the show….headed over to Theatre Intime. The show went great! It was alot of fun. Here are a couple pics.

Joe and I gettin’ ready for Ice Ice Baby….back stage.

The cast in a piece that’s quite provocative.

The dudes….gettin’ ready for our gangsta crypt walkin’ piece. Yes…that’s me actin’ all tough in the middle. And hey….Princeton nerds don’t get much more gangsta than that.

After the show I was able to introduce my fellow bodyhypers to my parents. Alot of the bodyhypers were anxious to meet “Mr. and Mrs. Hagen…the Mormons.” My parents really enjoyed meeting them. Alot of the bodyhypers were teasing me saying that cuz my parents are so conservative christian, etc…they’d be offended by some of the “edgy” pieces. However, I told them that my parents are very open minded. They’ve been around the block a few times. They know it isn’t Utah. So I think alot of the bodyhypers were quite surprised to see that my parents were really excited about the show and really enjoyed it. And indeed my parents really did enjoy the show. They were very entertained and they absolutely loved it. So much so….that they are gonna come again tomorrow. I think it’s funny.

So tomorrow’s plan is to basically hang around here. I’m gonna introduce my parents to some of my buddies. We’re gonna go eat a nice lunch. After that i’ll show my parents (and bro) around campus….buy some Princeton souvenirs….etc. If we have time we might go catch a movie….then later I have two shows, 7 and 10. After the show at 10….we’ll hit up the “after party” at Ivy. I’m gonna bring my older bro…he’s gonna get a feel for how Princeton kids party….at the big mansions on “the Street.” It’s gonna be fun. He’s excited. It’ll be different from what he’s used to…that’s for sure.

Well. Another good day. A day with some of the family. A day with BodyHype sweetness. A great overall day. Time to get some sleep. Peace.

Much love,
Mickey

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May

2006

BodyHype rocks my socks.

Well….I just got home from our opening night show. It was awesome! The theater was packed, the crowd was wild, and the dancers were hot. It was an overall great opening night. It was alot of fun. And from here we’ll only improve. So i’m definitely excited for this weekend. It’s such a rush to be up on stage performing…playing with the audience…and dancing. Ain’t nothin’ better, nerds.

Here are a few pics from yesterday. We had a bunch of dress rehearsals. After the dress rehearsals we watched the show (cuz we had filmed it) to critique it and learn from it. Then from there we all headed out to Denny’s. That was awesome. It was super late at night…but it’s BodyHype tradition. It was alot of fun. It’s fun to “bond” with the company. I like them alot.

Soon enough i’ll put more pics up online….from bodyhypers that took tons of pics. They’ll share them with me soon enough. But here are a few ghetto pics taken from point-and-shoot cams.

On the way to Denny’s.

Me in the Dressing Room.

Warming up on stage before dress rehearsal.

Here are a few pics from today…show day.

Before the show…messin’ around on stage.

After the show, we went and grabbed icecream.

Me and Rachman just chillin’..

I’m tired. Time to go to bed. My parents just got in town tonight…straight out of the ghettos of Provo, Utah….to come and see lil’ Mickey perform. I just finished speaking with them. Tomorrow we’ll head up to NYC…chill for the day. I gotta be back kinda early though…another bodyhype show tomorrow night. My dad and brother will probably go to the Nets/Heat NBA playoff game tomorrow night….but my mom will stay and watch tomorrow’s bodyhype show. Then on Saturday my dad and bro will watch the BodyHype show (and my mother again of course). It’s gonna be interesting to see their reactions. Alot of the dance pieces are a little provocative and somewhat scandalous. I’m not in any of those pieces….obviously……but it’ll be interesting to see what my parents think about it. I’m not too worried…simply because they’re open minded. But ya gotta remember we’re a super Christian and conservative family. So i’m sure that during some parts of the show they’ll feel a little bit uncomfortable. After all, I do. But like I said…i’m not really too worried about it because they are very open minded people. They’ve been around the block a few times. They know what’s in the world. This isn’t Brigham Young University. It’s a bit different. So yeah…i’m excited to hang out with my parents and oldest bro for a weekend.

Peace out. Now for some Sportscenter….then bed time. Peace.

Much Love,
Mickey

OF THE DAY AWARDS…
Highlight of the day: An AWESOME opening night show w/ BodyHype.
Lowlight of the day: I’m not making much progress on my final papers….cuz of BodyHype activities.
Biggest Surprise of the day: I pretty much “nailed” all the choreo….booyah!
Biggest nerds of the day: Chris & Max. Sweet stage managers for our show.
Sweet diggity Dogs of the day: Rachman & Timon. Gun strappas. We have a sweet piece together in the show….along with Tiff, Amira, and Chelsea.
Crush of the day: Alex Ripp. She’s hot. I need to get to know her.
Song of the day: “Ice Ice Baby” – Vanilla
Quote of the day: “Wise men make proverbs, but fools repeat them.” — Samuel Palmer

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May

2006

Body Body…

Well….this week is crazy. For those of you who don’t know…i’m in a dance company. It’s called BodyHype. Our run of shows is this week. Thursday, Friday & Saturday. We do hip hop, lyrical, jazz, and some modern. And maybe more…i’m not really that big into the dancing world….so I don’t know what all the genres are called. This year is my first year in an organized group. I’m used to just dancing with buddies, in front of the mirror, or at a school dance. But indeed I absolutely love to dance. And I feel like i’ve got some rythm….from my mother. My mother’s Guatemalan. And my father’s as white as white can be. So basically I feel like I can shake my booty cuz of my mother’s genes….not my father’s. It’s the Latin flavor…know what i’m sayin’? But you gotta see my dad dance…it’s hilarious. Pure gringo. Pure whitey. So yes folks…..I love to dance. I wrote a really cool blog entry about it called “The Dancing Angel…” a few months ago. You should read it sometime. It basically talks about my love for dancing.

So anyway…this week is very intense, to say the least. We’ve been basically living inside Theatre Intime the last couple days…and will continue to do so until the shows. A week of lots of ‘cleanings,’ rehearsals, tech stuff, lighting, spacing, costume stuff, and dress rehearsals. We basically stay in the theatre from early morning till late at night. It’s insane. It’s about 1am and i’m just getting home. Last night I left the theatre at 2am. Nuts. It’s crunch time so basically we’re killin’ ourselves to put together a great show.

That’s a poster I made….the main one we used for advertising. If you can’t notice…the people say bodyhype.

I have rehearsals for a piece at 8:30am tomorrow…so I really need to get to bed. So this blog is gonna be short. Basically all I wanted to say is that this week is crazy. Dance dance and more dance. The show is gonna be hot…but we really need to pay the price and put the finishing touches on it to make it complete. I’m in some really sweet pieces. I’m in the two company pieces (first and last of the show)…but my favorites are the others that i’m in: Vanilla Ice (word to your mother)….choreographed by Jillian our Artistic Director; Tiffany’s and Amira’s (my mini-bac) piece, called “gun strappa”; and the Dudes piece (which is all crypt walking), choreo by Billy & Dave. So it’s gonna be fun. I’ve enjoyed BodyHype and hopefully i’ll always be able to make time in the future years to continue with it.

So anyway…this week is crazy. My apologies if I don’t write that much this week….hopefully you understand. I’ll try to get some sweet “behind the scenes” pictures of everything with my ghetto point-and-shoot cam. And i’ll for sure put ‘em on the blog. So stay tuned.

Basically after the shows are over…i’m home free. I have a couple papers due early next week but after that my school year is done. I’ll be stickin’ around a couple weeks though to really put things into full-throttle with the business ideas we’re doing. I’m really excited about that.

Peace.

Much love,
Mickey

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