Final Frenzy!

Well, December is here, and that can only mean one thing!

That's right-- finals.

Finals. The bane of a college student's existence.

Tomorrow is Dead Day, and finals start on Thursday. And it's terrible.

So, to lower my stress level, I'm just going to share some of what I've been up to lately.

I've been able to hang out with my friends again. (Wonderful how that happens when you finish a show--the free time eats you alive. Seriously, you have all of these hours and nothing to do with them anymore.) And that's been great.

Also, I've had the chance to read some stuff that's not come from my Lit book. Right now I'm reading Lamb by Christopher Moore. So far, it's pretty great--I recommend it if you're looking for something funny to read. After I finish it, I've got a Bette Davis biography to read.

I'm also trying to branch out into some new music. I'm starting to get tired of some of the stuff that I've been listening to for ages and ages (makes sense, right?). So here's where you can help me.

Suggest some songs for me to check out. Two or three. Any genre, any time period, whatever. I'll give them a listen. And, maybe, later on I''ll suggest some of my favorites for you.

So give me some music. Now. Go.

It Doesn't Really Effect Me, But....

I was upset when Prop 8 passed.

I'm not gay, but I am involved in the theater, and a lot of the people that I work with are gay.

And you know what? They're great, good people.

I could sit here and try to tell you what I feel about this, but I'd just get it all jumbled up. So I'm going to post this video. Take it as you will.

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na POT GIRL!

So, as you know, I was on hiatus from blogging for a while to be in a show called Company. For those who don't know, the show is a musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth.

I believe I promised pictures. Well, I lied. You only get one.

Anyway, the show ran for two weeks (nine performances-- which is a lot for a Sondheim show, as theater people can tell you), and some members of the faculty from my university came to the performances.

One such faculty member was the woman who teaches the section of World Geography that meets before my class.

I get to class early (because I have an irrational fear of being late...but that's a post for another day), so she was still in the room, getting her things together.

And she was staring at me.

A professor staring at you is always unnerving, so I started racking my brain, trying to figure out what I had done to this woman to make her stare at me. I couldn't think of anything.

She walks up the aisle to where I'm sitting--I mean, she's pushing in front of students, standing in the middle of my row.

She leans over and asks me, "Were you in that play?"

"Yes, ma'am, I was."

"You were the pot girl, weren't you?"

In my scene, my character has just smoked pot. That's pretty much what the whole scene is about.

"Um, yes, ma'am. That was me."

I told a few members of the cast this at the next performance, and they, naturally, got a kick out of it. And they started calling me Pot Girl. Some of them even addressed me that way on their notes to me at the end of the show.

Pot Girl was hardly the endearment that I'd expected to leave the show with, but I've decided to make the best of it. I'm even working on a superhero idea for Pot Girl. I'm seeing a green costume and flower pot shaped grenades.


see more puppies


Here's my scene. :) Ain't we cute?

Back in Business

Hey folks!

It's been a really long time (reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally long), but I'm back!

The show went well-- we finished up performances on Saturday. I'm trying to get used to having free time again. It's weird.

Apart from that, I'm trying (trying...XP) to do NaNoWriMo this year. I'm already way behind, but I'll catch up. Or not. I'll give it a go, anyway.

The semester is drawing to a close (which means that I will soon no longer have an 8 o'clock class--yay!).

Well, that's really all I have to say for now. I haven't been able to plan a post-- spending all of my time at the theater and all. But it shouldn't be too long before I have more interesting (or not) tidbits for you.

It's good to be back.

Ah, Nostalgia

When I was a kid, I used to watch The Tex Avery Show on Saturdays.

While browsing around the web, my roommate found this little gem that was one of my favorites back in the day.



Wow. I miss those days.

Post Drought

Well, just as I was starting to get back in the swing of posting, something new has come up. Because of conflicts (someone else's, not mine), I've been asked to play Jenny in a local production of Company.

This is good news for me.

It's not-so-good news for the blog.

For the next six weeks or so, my rehearsal schedule will be pretty heavy.

But fret not! I'll do all that I can to keep posting regularly. Sort of. Yeah.

I'll try to post some pictures and/or videos from the show as I get them, if any of you are interested.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you all fair warning.

Be good while I'm gone!

Musical Friday

So I'm toying with the idea of devoting every Friday's blog (or maybe every other Friday's blog... I haven't decided yet) to sharing videos from musicals. I'm going to do it today either way, but I would like to know what you guys ( all three or four of you) think about it.

This week I'm posting clips from two musicals (well, a musical and a review).

First: 1776.

1776 is a musical telling of the writing and ratifying of the Declaration on Independence.

Hefty subject for a musical, no?

It originally opened in 1969 and starred William Daniels (yes, Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World) as John Adams. A movie version was produced in 1972. And, in 1997, a revival opened starring Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek: TNG) as John Adams.

Here's my roommate's favorite number from it-- "The Lees of Old Virginia." Ben Franklin has tol John Adams that he should let someone else propose the idea of independence to the Congress. Richard Henry Lee volunteers.



The second musical is actually a review of Stephen Sondheim music called Putting it Together.

I just bought a copy of the DVD of this and I LOVE it.

The cast features George Hearn, John Barrowman, Bronson Pinchot, Ruthie Henshall and Carol Burnett.

Here's a video of Carol and Ruthie singing "Every Day a Little Death" from A Little Night Music.



Now, here's the part where you tell me what you think. Would you like to see more of these, or can you do without?

15 Movie Quotes-- Stolen from Tori, Who Took It from Maggie

Yet another meme. I'm not asking anyone to continue it-- just take it if you have the time.

This one is a bit difficult for me, since I've not seen a whole lot of movies. Or so I've been told. Repeatedly. *Sigh*

Also, IMDB is being a tad moody right now, so some of the quotes are from memory.

1. Pick 15 of your favourite movies.
2. Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out (I'll be putting the quote in bold) when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING!/using IMDB search functions or using social networking sites.

1. "You have to keep your teeth sharp--all right-- but I will not have you sharpen them on me, or on Eve!"
All About Eve, guessed by Tori

2. "In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. And you may quote me."
Harvey, guessed by John H.

3. "Blanche, you aren't ever gonna sell this house... and you aren't ever going to leave it."
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?", guessed by Matt

4. One: "Wake up (Two), you're going to New Brunswick."
Two: "Like hell I am. What for?"
Three: "For the whoring and the drinking."
1776, guessed by Tori

5. "Well, there it is."
Amadeus, guessed by Barrie

6. "They took the idols and smashed them, the Fairbankses, the Gilberts, the Valentinos! And who've we got now? Some nobodies!"
Sunset Boulevard, guessed by Maggie

7. "But Captain, to obey - just like that - for obedience's sake... without questioning... That's something only people like you do."
Pan's Labyrinth, guessed by Cait

8. "Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who."
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, guessed by Tori


9. "What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber."
The Devil's Backbone, guessed by Cait

10. One: "Your cash is good at the bar."
Two: "What? Do you know who I am?"
One: "I do. You're lucky the bar's open to you."
Casablanca, guessed by Tori

11. "There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible."
To Kill A Mockingbird, guessed by Cait

12. "I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people."
There Will Be Blood, guessed by Matt

13. "Ever since I was a child, folks have thought they had me pegged, because of the way I am, the way I talk. And they're always wrong."
Capote, guessed by Maggie

14. One: "I don't believe in it anyway."
Two: "What?"
One: "England."
Two: "Just a conspiracy of cartographers, then?"
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, guessed by John H and Tori (I'm not sure who guessed first)

15. "You've got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. It's going to get you into trouble someday."
The Princess Bride, guessed by Tori

Well, there it is. Good luck. And, Tori, try to give some other people a chance to guess some of them.

Reunited

When I was a junior in high school, I took a creative writing class-- it was definitely one of my favorite parts of high school. As part of our final grade, we had to make a portfolio of all of the work we'd done in the class during the semester.

Earlier today, I was reunited with my Creative Writing I portfolio. I've had fun flipping through it this morning, finding some pretty abysmal stuff mixed in with a gem or two.

Since I'm so excited about having my portfolio back, I thought I'd share a piece that I wrote during Creative Writing in high school.

I don't remember the full prompt, but the prompt title that I have on the paper is "Yoknapatawpha," which come from Faulkner, if I recall correctly. I do remember that we were supposed to jump back and forth between time lines.

Enjoy.

Mrs. Annie Potter pursed her lips, her nostrils flaring. Her family owned the damn grocery store, and she still could get no service. She huffed, her wrinkled face fixed in a most unflattering grimace, and glanced at the clock.

"Potter's Family Grocery," her father-in-law, Pops, had said. "The pride of Green City. Or at least it will be."

Momma Mary Potter wrinkled her nose in distaste. Who's gonna want to sell their crops here?"

"Plenty of people," Potter laughed. "It's in the best part of town."

Annie listened as her father-in-law went on about the grocery store and how it would change all of their lives. She didn't think their lives needed much changing-- they were already the richest family in the county; they owned half of the town. But Pops, as the late Granny Potter, now residing in the Potter Family Cemetery, had always said, was a dreamer, fanciful and always in motion.

As Mrs. Potter handed the check-out clerk the money for the bag of potatoes she was purchasing, a teenager bumped into her. "Watch where you're going, dear," Mrs. Potter snapped.

"Sorry," the young girl called back at Mrs. Potter.

"You're late, Taylor," the store manager said to the girl.

"I know, I'm sorry," she replied, tying on a apron that had "Potter's Grocery, since 1937" printed on it. "It won't happen again."

The manager waved Taylor over to one of the check-out counters; she stood behind the cash register and began ringing up an impatient patron's order.

"All done!" Taylor said cheerfully when she had finished ringing up the last item, (a box of Cheerios). "Do you want anything else, Mr. Teddy?"

A stuffed bear sitting in a plastic stroller gazed quizzically back at her.

"Okay, Mr. Teddy," Taylor said. "Have a nice day."

"Can I help the next person in line, please?" Taylor said, leaning on the cash register.

"Afternoon, Taylor," Reverend James Valley said, handing Taylor a jar of peanut butter. "How are you doing today?"

"Eh," Taylor shrugged. "Your total's two dollars and nineteen cents, Reverend V."

Reverend Valley handed Taylor a five. "Have you seen Mrs. Potter today?"

Taylor nodded, rolling her eyes. "She's in a mood," the teen said. "She's always in a mood."

Reverend Valley smiled. "She's had a hard time since her husband passed away."

The reverend cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. He hated doing funerals. But it was part of his job. He glanced across the room at the sobbing Mrs. Potter.

"Reverend," Mrs. Potter said as she made her way out of the store, bag of potatoes clutched in her fist. She paused only long enough to spare Taylor a withering glare before leaving.

"Here's your change, Reverend V.," Taylor said, frowning at Mrs. Potter's back. "Have a nice day."

Law & Order: Ice Cream Unit

Before I get to the meat of today's post (or the meat substitute, for my vegetarian friends-- love you, Michaela!), I want to thank Colby over at Spittin' (out words) Like a Llama (see my blogroll) for deciding to gift me with the Brilliante Weblog Award.

Which is cool. Oh yes.

And best of all, I get to pass the award along to three of my favorite blogs. I'll do that in just a bit, but right now, let's get to the post.

I'm a big fan of the television show Law & Order-- I think I've mentioned that in a post or two... or more. Anyway, earlier this week, I was watching an episode that was made sometime after the death of Jerry Orbach (which was a terrible loss to the acting world, if you ask me). I made the comment to my roommate that an episode of Law & Order without Jerry Orbach is like eating a cone without ice cream.

Really. You know I'm right.

Now, my roommate is a fan of Sam Waterson's character, Jack McCoy. She said that, while I may be right (and I am right... just accept it), Jack McCoy is a chocolate covered ice cream cone.

Before you ask, yes, this is the normal progression of a conversation between the two of us.

I didn't want to be outdone, so I said that Jesse L. Martin serves as the sprinkles.

So somewhere along the way, a popular courtroom drama became an ice cream treat.

I kind of think that should be every T.V. show's goal.

And now for my choices for the Brillante Weblog Award (all of these great blogs can be found in the side thingy over there that says "Blogs You Should Check Out"... unless you're reading from my facebook feed):

My brother-in-law, the Streetpreacher over at Wandering Through the Wilderness, because family always gets special treatment. (Even though he's been mean about my school's football team...I'm turning the other cheek. And slashing his tires. Shh.)

Steve and Misty at Live Granades, mostly because their blog's tagline is "Like a blog, but explodier." That and they post some fantastic pictures.

And, last but not least, Angela and Becca from The Bookshelf Muse for their wonderful tips for writers. Someone else has already given this blog this same award, but I'm going to go with the whole "it's the thought that counts" thing.

Congrats to Colby, Josh, Steve and Misty, and Angela and Becca for having great blogs.

Fantastic Firsts

During a recent conversation, my roommate made the comment that my stories for "first times"-- first kiss, first night out with someone, that sort of thing-- are more interesting than most people's.

She's right. And that's why I'm writing this post. Thank you, Tori.

Let's start with what is my favorite example.

I got my first kiss on the night of my senior prom. (Take that, all you kids that had your first kiss in middle school!) This seems like a pretty conventional story so far, but just give it time.

My date and I (and Tori and her date... we spend an unhealthy amount of time together...) had a wonderful dinner at a nice restaurant and had a decent time through the beginning of the dance.

As the prom was nearing it's end, I did what every girl dreams of doing on prom night.

Yes, that's right. I stepped in vomit. Fresh vomit, at that. Ew.

For those of you who don't know, I'm more than a little neurotic. I don't like other people touching me even if they've just washed their hands--you can only imagine the horror that stepping in vomit must've been for me. Thinking about it makes me a little sick.

But that didn't spoil the evening-- though God only knows why it didn't. Maybe the whole ordeal of stepping in someone else's puke traumatized me so much that I didn't realize that I should stop enjoying myself. Or maybe I was just putting on a brave face for everyone. Who can say?

Anyway, I got my first kiss that night (morning? It was after midnight) before I went home, scraping vomit bits off of the heel of my shoe.

A very memorable evening, all in all.

More recently, on one of the weekends when my roommate abandoned me (she does that sometimes--she's like Batman, only less masculine and not as dark) , I went out with a friend for the first time (um... the first time with that particular friend--I'm socially awkward, but even I'm not that bad). We went to Burger King for milkshakes. At midnight, because that's what we cool college kids do.

Yeah.

As we were sitting around, drinking our milkshakes and chatting, another friend of mine walks up to me, hands me a flower and walks off without saying anything. This didn't really strike me as being odd, but apparently, it was odd.

But it was no more so than what happened next.

About midway through my explanation of why I didn't find girls in Burger Kings handing me fresh flowers to be strange, the fire alarm in the restaurant went off.

I was blamed for this, though I'm not really sure why. Apparently, people seem to think that I have uncontrolled powers of telekinesis.

Which I do.

So my first outing with my friend ended with a Burger King burning to the ground.

Okay, so the Burger King didn't burn down. But wouldn't that have made the story more interesting?

People say that firsts are supposed to be memorable. I suppose if that's the case, I'm in good shape.

After all, who can forget stepping in puke?

Comedy Tragedy

Most of you probably know that Estelle Getty of Golden Girls fame died back in July.

And if you don't...what's wrong with you?

Anyway, it's not been a great year for me so far as deaths of funny people go. I'm not talking about George Carlin or Bernie Mac. To me, the losses of Estelle Getty and Harvey Korman are two great blows to the comedic acting world.

Just take a look at some of what we lost.

August: Osage County

Well, not really.

My apologies for my lack of content lately--I moved back to school a couple of weeks ago, classes have started, so on so forth, busy busy.

So here's an update on what I've been up to while I've been...not updating this blog.

Like I said, I've moved in to my apartment (which I'm sharing with my darling roommate from last year--thank God we didn't kill each other last year). The place looks beautiful: in the mid-afternoon, the sun comes in through the curtains in the living room, and the whole front room of the apartment is gold. I pretty much love it.

My classes have started. My Spanish teacher is still waiting on her visa (which doesn't bode well for me, but whatever). The freshmen are all bigger than I am.

I have my first audition in a week. It's for The Sugar Bean Sisters, which I know nothing about, but that's half the fun, right?

And I've been writing lately. Some of you (well, only Colby, really) have asked what I'm working on. There's a short story contest with a deadline coming up in November; I've been pulling together something for that. And I've signed up for NaNoWriMo (I'm gonna die...). We'll see how all of that goes--I might post bits of the story here, after the deadline, of course.

So that's what I've been doing the past few weeks. What have you been up to?

The Musical Stylings of the Muppets

I promise: real content is coming soon--maybe tomorrow.

But for now, please enjoy this musical interlude provided by the Muppets and YouTube.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbuRA_D3KU&feature=related

I Return to Blogging

But not with one of the posts that I had planned.

I found out recently (just a few hours ago, as a matter of fact) that my favorite musical, Les Miserables was performed in concert at the Hollywood Bowl last night.

The cast included some of my favorites, most notably Brian Stokes Mitchell (who has one of the best baritone voices ever) as Javert, Lea Michelle (who was the original choice for this role in the revival) as Eponine, and John Lloyd Young (the tony winner from Jersey Boys-- I had the pleasure of seeing him as Frankie Valli... it kinda rocked) as Marius.

I've only seen a couple of videos from the concert-- I'm really hoping for a DVD version to be released.

Here's John Lloyd Young and Lea Michelle singing a wonderfully emotional version of "A Little Fall of Rain."

Enjoy!

Summer Winds Down

My summer at home is about to end: I move back to my school in about a week. And that'll mean course work and shows and all that sort of thing.

Anyway, I know I've let this blog slide this month-- there's been other stuff on my mind and, honestly, there hasn't been much worth blogging about. But I do have a couple of posts planned. They should be up soon. Ish.

I haven't been blogging, but I have been writing a little bit on something or other every day (except Sundays). If I come up with anything worthwhile, I might post some of it on here.

That said, I hope everyone's having a great summer-- even if it is almost over.

Cat-astrophe

This guy seriously must have the same cat that I do. My kitty does this not only when I try to watch TV, but also when I try to blog, read, use the phone, eat, sleep... well, I think you get it.

Summer Reading

I've always been a voracious reader. This summer, I've consumed even more books than usual.

Here's the list of what I've read since May. The ones that were being reread are marked with an "R."

Tennessee Williams--Four Plays (Summer and Smoke, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer, Period of Adjustment)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (R)
Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss (R)
Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz (R)
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (R)
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (R)
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz (R)
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
Gone With the Wind by Margret Mitchell
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (R)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (I know, I know...)
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
In Odd We Trust Dean Koontz and Queenie Chan

Currently reading: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

So, yeah. For not being busy, I've been pretty busy. Well, I've told you what I've been reading. What have you been reading?

This Would Be A Wonderful Thing

My competition piece has made zero progress in the last week or so. I love my characters, but I'm not sure where I want to take them.

I saw this little comic and made a decision.


Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Yeah. I totally need one of those plot devices.

The Coolest, Weirdest Thing Ever

So my YouTube account knows that I'm a Bette Davis fan.

It's not a difficult thing about me to find out, really.

Anyway, my "recommended videos" has this listed on it when I hit the site today.

And it is the coolest, weirdest thing ever.

Someone (who probably has more time on their hands than is healthy) did a speed painting of Bette Davis. With a tube of mascara.

Check it out.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sahHSNy_Uk&feature=rec-fresh

Cats

So my brother-in-law (who hasn't updated his blog in quite some time-- content, Josh, CONTENT) has said several times that he wouldn't like to own a cat. All of the reasons he gives, I've noticed, are tied to some form of diabolical action on the cat's part.

But you know what I think the real reason is?

Small children. Oh yes. Just take a look.

more cat pictures

So I think the real reason he's so anti-cat is out of fear for the life of his small ones. I can see the wheels turning in that cat's mind-- it's planning its revenge.

Jist a Girl Who Cain't Say No

(Yes, that is an Oklahoma! reference. I know you're all shocked-- I certainly am. I hate that show.

But I digress.)

Last night, while I was eating dinner, the music minister from my church at home called me to ask if I'd be willing to sing with an ensemble Sunday morning. It was a last minute thing--which I have a hard time with, since I like to over prepare before I go in front of people-- and the group was going to get together to rehearse Wednesday night.

My mind immediately created a list of all of the things that I'd rather be doing Wednesday night. And it wasn't a short list-- let me tell you.

"Well, I can still do it," I thought. "I probably won't have to go to rehearsal; it's never hard to find the alto part in that sort of stuff."

I agreed to do it.

She told me she'd like for me to sing second soprano.

Here's the thing-- I can sing soprano. I can. But I don't really like it, and I'm much better with alto. I'm more alto than soprano, and almost more tenor than alto.

I was working fast to come up with a reasonable excuse for not joining the ensemble when she told me that she was having a hard time finding someone willing to sing the part.

"Wow," I thought. "Guilt trip, much?"

So I'm singing second soprano in an ensemble this Sunday. It could be worse, I know.

But still, sometimes it would be nice to be able to say no.

More Mia

There were two more Mia Michaels routines in So You Think You Can Dance last night, so I'm obligated to make sure that all of you see them.





I really can't get enough of these dances. When they're done the right way, they're just beautiful.

The Royal We and Why I Hate It

I think most of you probably know what I mean by the royal we-- when someone says "We think/say/do/eat/whatever" when they're really only talking about themselves and ought, really, to be using the pronoun "I."

I have a problem with this pronoun (I have a problem with a lot of things, as you might have noticed): when used in emails and the like, it's confusing.

Like, really confusing.

At work, I handle (mindlessly easy) paperwork and arrangements. There are only two things that ever make my job difficult: when everyone needs something at once and when people don't say what they mean.

The first problem is pretty unavoidable. Things happen-- stuff sometimes comes up all at once; I can usually deal with that pretty easily, though it does stress me out.

The second one, though....

There's been a situation today (forgive me, I have to be vague) where one of the things I worked on needs to be changed. But the person who needs the change made wasn't the one who told me that the change needed to be made.

Take a breath; I'll wait for you to catch up.

Ok, the person who told me what needed to be fixed is working on a similar thing with the person that needs the thing fixed (wow, the gossip in high school didn't seem this complicated). Long story short (er...kinda), I thought that what needed to be fixed was what BOTH of them were doing, not just the one.

I was wrong. I was told I was wrong. That's fine, I don't mind being wrong. I asked what I needed to do to fix the problem.

I got a response that uses the we.

After staring at my computer for a few moments, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, I got it.

"We" meant just the one guy. Apparently, it had all along.

So things are getting fixed-- hopefully, they're already fixed.

But, man, that was a lot of trouble for me to have to go through just because someone else felt like being pretentious.

Blog Envy

Last summer, while I was in Chicago, I saw the musical mentioned in yesterday's post (if you're reading my facebook feed, you'll have to go to my site to see the post I'm talking about).

A friend of mine from school saw the tour around the same time (er...maybe some time later... I don't know, I'm not always listening) and got to meet the cast.

I'm insanely envious, but that's not what this post is about.

Anyway, he became fans of the actors in that show. One of them has a blog...vlog...both...something.

I checked it out for the first time today. It pretty much rocks. Would that my blog was that cool.

If you're interested, here's the url for Andrew's blog: http://www.keenanblogger.blogspot.com/

Incidentally, it's Andrew's sister that I met after Les Mis. I think I mentioned that a couple of posts ago, too.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

So I had to go to the Strange Reunion today (I wish I was making this up), and I started thinking about things that are, well, strange.

One of the things that came to mind was one of the strangest and most clever things I've seen: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. If you aren't familiar with this, it's a musical that opened a few years ago that tells the story of.. a spelling bee. Kind of like the title would indicate. That sounds like it would be stupid and boring (or stupid AND boring), but it was probably one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences I've ever had. Here's a look at parts of it.

This is from the opening number on the closing night of the show. The quality's not so great, so I apologize for that. I didn't record this. Yay for YouTube.

And here's one of my favorite numbers from it: "The I Love You Song."





And this is "I'm Not That Smart"

Between Family, Friends, Writers and Facebook...

...I'll probably be doing memes for the rest of my life.

But I didn't have a post planned for today, so it's all good. Thanks to Colby over at Spittin' (Out Words) Like a Llama (http://colbymarshall.blogspot.com/) [Wow, I need to learn how to format stuff...] for this meme.

Here goes....

The Rules:List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

1. "L'un Vers L'autre" from the original French recording of Les Miserables. I know that makes me lame (or so cool that you just can't get over it... one of the two), but seriously-- it's Les Mis in French. How do you beat that?

2. "Buddy Holly" by Weezer. This is one of my favorite (non-Broadway) songs.I mean, come on. It has a line in it that's "Don't look now, but I've lost my shoe." Plus, I dig Weezer. For serious.

3. "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce. This is one of those songs that makes me wish I had worked harder in guitar lessons. Another fun little fact: it was the senior song for my dad's graduating class. That aside, some of the lyrics describe how I view life a lot of the time. "But there never seems to be enough time/To do the things you want to do/Once you find them...."

4. "The I Love You Song" from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This musical is probably the most clever thing I've ever seen, and this is the sweetest song from it. I have a bit more of an attachment to it because I got to meet Celia Keenan-Bolger-- the original Olive Ostrovsky. Oh yeah. It was cool.

5. "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" by Rufus Wainwright. I heard this song on someone's MySpace page. I liked it so much that I kept visiting the page just to listen to it. Then the thought occurred to me that I could by the CD. Yeah.

6. "Hey There, Single Gal/Guy" from I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. I hear this song, and I think of my parents. Scary. This whole show seems like it would be so much fun to be in, but this is probably my favorite number from it.

7. "The Next Ten Minutes" from The Last 5 Years. The prettiest song from my second favorite show. (Les Mis is first; Spelling Bee is third. In case you were wondering.) Really, I have a hard time with love songs sometimes because they tend to be really unrealistic-- "We'll always, always, always be together and everything will be sunshine and daisies"--but this one just seems so...I don't know. It seems more real. "Will you share your life with me/For the next ten minutes/For the next ten minutes/We can handle that/We could watch the waves/We could watch the sky/Or just sit and wait/As the time ticks by/And if we make it till then/Can I ask you again/For another ten...." Seriously--listen to it now. Now.

Okay, so now I have to tag seven people. (I wish I could tag more people. I'd really like to know what everyone listens to.)

Josh
Cait
Tori
Adrienne
Grant
Nathan
Kate

So go. Do the meme.

Debate

So Patti LuPone won a Tony this year for her performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy. This musical has been revived more times than I think anyone can count.

And, as with any musical that has more than one vision, there's a debate as to who did the best job in the lead role.

I'm not going to ask people to dig through every bootleg video of this show, but I am curious as to what other people think or the two most recent revivals: the one starring Patti (obviously) and the one starring Bernadette Peters.

Here's Patti.


And here's Bernadette.


Let me know which you like more.

I asked my mom who she thought was better between Patti and Bernadette, and she gave me the completely unhelpful though not untrue answer of Ethel Merman.

Here's Ethel. :)

I Hate First Drafts

Seriously.

Even for short stories.

I like for the things that I do to be as close to perfect as possible (just ask my roommate), so the idea of an unpolished piece of writing drives me crazy. I know the first draft is pretty much word vomit-- just getting the idea out in a form that will be only vaguely like the finished product.

But, God, it's difficult to leave things alone.

I'm trying to get better about it-- so far I haven't gone back and changed anything in my story. All of the writing I've done on it has been moving it forward.

That's not to say that, when the first round of edits comes, I'll be keeping it all. I might end up trashing most of it.

I know it's impossible to write something and have it be perfect after the first try. But wouldn't it be nice?

Best Stress Relief Ever

My job stresses me out.

Not because it's hard. It isn't. At all.

It does require that I be suspicious of people (there's a post about this somewhere on here, I think), which is not something I'm good at. I like to think that people are generally telling the truth.

Anyway, sitting at my desk for eight hours being suspicious and (at times) rude--you have to get the solicitors off the phone somehow-- stresses me out.

I'd love to be able to go home and collapse on the couch to unwind, but I'm not wired that way. If I lay down on the couch, I'll just think of a million and one things that I have to do.

Or Mom will tell me to get out of her spot. Either way, relaxing that way is out.

Some people who know me well might say that I should draw or write or sing to calm my nerves, but that doesn't work for me either. Those things all carry their own different stresses. (Especially writing, now that I'm working on a story for a competition--yikes!)

So all of that leaves me in a bit of a pickle. What can I do to de-stress?

My parents have a dog--a big, beautiful mutt-- that they don't get out to play with very often. Last week, I grabbed a tennis ball and went into the back yard to spend some time with the dog.

As the title says: best stress relief EVER.

The wonderful thing about dogs is that they realize that humans need to give love as much as get it. Petting and playing with a dog is the most relaxing thing in the world.

Even when you do have to remind the dog that a tennis ball is not the same thing as food (poor thing kept trying to eat the tennis ball--that's probably a good indication that she doesn't get played with anywhere near enough).

Now my problem is solved. Pretty great, isn't it?


see more dog pictures

This looks so much like Hershey! (I love my dog.)

The Time Warp

(Before anyone asks, yes, seeing Eddie Izzard was great. But that's another post for another time.)

Most of the time, I have a pretty reliable internal clock-- not to the point where I can tell what time it is without ever looking at a watch, but I am able to wake up on time without an alarm on most days and I never have to worry about napping for too long.

The only problem is that any change in my routine--and I do mean any change--and my clock's screwed up for days.

Yesterday, for example, I woke up with a migraine (the kind that spreads from the back of the head to the temples and gathers right behind the eyes... ick), so I didn't go about my usual Sunday routine.

I slept most of the day and, because of that, wasn't able to sleep last night.

So I overslept this morning.

It took longer than usual to get ready for work, even though I didn't do anything extra. The drive might not have been longer, but it certainly seemed longer. And when I got here, everyone was gone.

Well, okay, that might be an exaggeration. But the people in the offices closest to me aren't here. Which makes me feel weird, because I usually leave before they do.

So my sense of time has been pretty skewed today on it's own-- the last thing I needed was a computer messing with it.

But don't we always get the last thing we need?

I was sent some paperwork to work on by someone who uses a different version of software than I use. The computer, of course, flipped out.

Computers are good at that.

It told me that I'd have to download the compatibility feature before I could work on the paper. So, I (grudgingly) went to the website and started the download.

Those download things are little liars-- did you ever notice that? They'll tell you that something will take five minutes to download. Then it'll jump to three minutes. Then back to five; then to six.

After about ten minutes of trying to decide if the download would take two minutes or seven, the download was done.

All of this combined has completely thrown me off.

It's only ten o'clock in the morning. Why do I have to feel like it's three in the afternoon?

Surprise!

I have some free time and a plan right now, so it looks like you're getting a post today.

Aren't you lucky.

One of my guilty pleasures is a show on Fox called So You Think You Can Dance. I took dance when I was a kid, and, for a while, I was really into it. Then I discovered theatre, and that was the end of that.

But I digress.

Anyway, I've watched one full season (the one when Benjie won) and all of this season so far, and one thing I have learned is that I love Mia Michaels's choreography.

Like, LOVE it. Really.

Check it out.

Mia won an Emmy for this one. (Ignore the extra stuff--this is about the dance)


And this was on last Wednesday's episode.


Pretty cool, no?

Anyway, as much as I love her choreography, she gets on my nerves as a judge. And there are several people (and by several, I mean two) who I know agree with me. I think my sister had it right when she said that Mia watches a dance and judges it based on how she would have choreographed it and not on the dance itself.

It doesn't matter, though. I watch for the dances. Even the ones not choreographed by Mia Michaels are sometimes (most of the time, but not always--last night was really a bad night)great.



So now you know one of my deep, dark secrets. Well, I make no apologies.

At least I don't watch Hell's Kitchen. *cough*Josh*cough*

Post

I'd hate to post just for the sake of posting.

But that's what I'm going to do.

Tomorrow's going to be a hectic day at work (shocking, isn't it?), and I'm going to be out of town for the Eddie Izzard tour on Friday, so this may be it until Saturday.

Unfortunately, I don't have any observation to make or information to pass along. Bummer.

So I guess it's time for another meme.

A-ATTACHED OR SINGLE? Single and not worrying about being attached.
B-BEST FRIEND? That's a tough question, really. But I'll say Tori, since I see her the most often
C-CAKE or PIE? Both. But not at the same time
D-DAY of CHOICE? All of them. But not at the same time.
E-ESSENTIAL ITEMS? Chapstick, Dr Pepper
F-FAVORITE COLOR? Green right now. I never stick with one color for long
G-GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS? It doesn't matter.
H-HOMETOWN? Madison. Now guess which state.
I-INDULGENCE? Yankee Candles. I can't keep them at my parents' house because my mom can't take the smell, but I love them.
J-JANUARY OR JULY? July. Unless January is unusually warm.
K-KIDS? God, no. And not anytime soon either. I'm not good with kids.
L-LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT... Friends, Family and Food.
M-MARRIAGE DATE? See letter A.
N-NUMBER OF SIBLINGS? One sister and one brother-in-law. And a lot of kids that I think of as family.
O-ORANGES OR APPLES? Neither--strawberries, pineapple, kiwi and bananas.
P-PHOBIAS OR FEARS? Spiders, heights, anything that messes with my OCD (like Tori not letting me push in the buttons on the soda lids)
Q-QUOTE? "Acting is a masochistic form of exhibitionism. It is not quite the occupation of an adult." Laurence Olivier
R-REASON TO SMILE? Many.
S-SUPERMAN OR WONDER WOMAN? Neither. (Ha, you were all expecting me to say Wonder Woman because of the inner feminist, weren't you?)
T-TAG 5 PEOPLE Josh, Heath, Rachel, Cait, Adrienne
U-UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME? Once upon a time, I wanted to be a scientist. Yeah, weird stuff.
V-VEGETABLES? Spinach, artichokes, carrots (if they're cooked properly)
W-WORST HABIT? I can't pay attention for long stretches of time. If you're telling me something important, make sure I'm listening and not thinking about fried chicken or something.
X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND? Neither, if they can be avoided.
Y-YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? I don't really have one.
Z-ZODIAC SIGN? Libra

So there it is. Hopefully, the next time I'm able to post, I'll actually have something to say.

Gas Prices Will Kill My Writing

That might not make much sense, but it's true.

I love riding in cars and buses, especially when they're quiet. In my experience, there's nothing watching the scenery pass to make a mind ready to receive the spark of an idea.

There's a story writing contest in November that I've been planning on entering, but I hadn't been able to come up with an idea for a story--and I wanted to have time to edit whatever I wrote, so I was a bit concerned.

Riding back from the bookstore in the dark a few nights ago, just letting my mind wonder where it will, I came up with the beginning of my story. Not just the idea, but the exact words that I wanted.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. The plot and title for one of the first stories I ever really worked on came to me while my dad was driving around a less developed part of the county; this story has since spawned into a piece of what will be a frame-style novel.

Car rides being one of my favorite sources for ideas, I'm finding myself more and more concerned as gas prices rise. It's hard to drive around in search for an idea when you have to sell your spleen to buy a tank of gas.

What do these prices mean? Is my best creative source being taken away from me all together? Am I doomed to mediocre ideas from now on?

No, I don't think so. But it is sad to see something so simple as a drive to nowhere in particular that can spark such good things becoming something of yesterday.

Though, if the quality of literature falls in the next few years, we'll all know that the oil companies are to blame.

Hm

So I blinked, and now June is more than halfway over.

What's up with that?

Why is time flying by so fast?

And why can't I like the Michael John LaChiusa Wild Party compared to the Andrew Lippa one?

Life's full of questions.

Sleep-working

A few days ago, I read something on Yahoo News that said there has been research to show that people who sleep 6 to 7 hours a night generally live longer than people who sleep 8 hours a night.

As a college student, I have to say that this is good news for me.

Anyway, last night I ended up staying up later than I normally do-- not to prove a point or anything: just because the Tony Awards were on last night, and I had to watch them through to the end (and it was a disappointing experience so far as musicals go, really, but that's what happens in dry years, I guess). Normally, I get 8 hours of sleep. Last night I was probably an hour and a half under that mark.

And today, I can barely keep my eyes open.

It doesn't help that my job in incredibly dull or that the blinds on the windows are closed and no outside light is getting in. But I'm really having a difficult time staying awake, here.

I think maybe the reason people who sleep less live longer is probably because they're too tired to engage in risky behaviors. Maybe the researchers should have thought about that.

Well, I'm going go find some caffeine so that I don't start snoring at my desk.

Tony Awards

The Tony Awards are tonight, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse of the winners of this decade. (Note that last year's winner, Spring Awakening, is already on here in another post.)

2000- Contact


2001-The Producers


2002-Thoroughly Modern Millie


2003-Hairspray


2004-Avenue Q


2005-Monty Python's Spamalot


2006-Jersey Boys

A Follow Up to Yesterday's Rant

I spent a little time last night considering star power and what actors, could make me go see a movie just for the fact that they were in it.

I could only think of one actor with that kind of draw for me.



What can I say? I love some Bette Davis.

Maybe It's Just Me...

...But I'm really tired of today's celebrities. (Please note that I use the term "celebrities," not "stars." I refuse to refer to today's celebrities as stars.)

A rant is coming. You've been warned.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I'm not busy at work, I read the news online. I don't dig very far into the sites (because then you get stories that are so old that they're no longer relevant or photo montages of ugly animals-- and some of them were really ugly), so you can imagine my reaction when I saw a story about how celebrities get away with-- and get publicity that increases their marketability from-- bad behavior on the ABC website. There was also a link from that story to a piece about how actors can't pull in audiences based on who they are alone. (Links to both stories can be found at the bottom of this post.)

Neither of those really qualify as top story material in my mind, but, since I had the time, I read them both anyway.

In regard to the bad behavior story, I have to say that famous people DO get away with things. But, so do "normal" people, in some instances. The difference is that famous people use it as fodder-- their bad actions become a springboard to skyrocketing sales.

So, really, the problem isn't so much that celebs aren't held accountable. The problem is that the public, in a way that it may or may not intend, celebrates a famous name that forces its way into the news, regardless of how it gets there. According to that story, there is only one crime from which an actor cannot flourish after committing-- only one that will kill a career: murder.

Wow. Are people really that numb to the gravity of some offences? Doesn't bode well for the future, does it?

I think the solution to this would be to avoid publicizing the trespasses of celebrities-- if people don't know about it, they can't talk about it. That would destroy the buzz normally created by trouble with the law.

That can't work, of course, because people are far too interested in celebrities' every move. So much so that celebs now sell tabloids more easily than they do movies.

Which brings me to the second story.

George Clooney was the main subject of the second story. His latest movie, Leatherheads (which I didn't see), didn't do as well in the box office "as it should have." Clooney starred in, directed and oversaw the writing for this movie.

And, God knows, if Clooney's star power can't sell a movie, no actor's can.

The story continues, saying that it takes a group of celebrities to sell a movie on "star power." They cite the movie Oceans 11. (Which I didn't see... do you see a trend?) That movie had "half a dozen" big-name celebrities in its cast and made quite an amount of money. I personally can't judge if it was just name power or if it was actually a worthwhile movie, and I don't think the folks writing the article were trying to say it sucked; they were just trying to make a point. I don't know if they did.

To me, the most accurate part of the story was the title, which stated "Stars: They Ain't What They Used To Be."

Um...duh.

Let's face it-- the majority of the actors and actress in movies today are less artists than eye candy. Before everyone gets on my case, I said the MAJORITY, not all. And this is the opinion of a snob-- a theatre fanatic and a classic movie lover. I'm biased: I'll admit it.

But, really, would it be too much to ask to see a movie that is truly art? Something with a real plot and visual appeal?

And I really want to see an ugly actress in a leading role. Or maybe a pretty actress who's not afraid of looking ugly. I mean, think Bette Davis's hideous make-up in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.

So I've given you a lot of words today. I guess what I clumsily tried to say in all of this is that I miss actors and actresses whose main concern wasn't publicity and numbers.

I want actors that care about the art of acting.

Is that such a bad thing?


http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=5058678&page=1

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4606752&page=1

...!!!...!

Apart from answering phones (and browsing around the Internet), what I do most at work is send emails.

I'm used to poor punctuation in emails-- in today's world, there's really no escaping it. In time, even someone like me can become desensitized to the occasional missing period or incorrect spelling of you're.

One thing that's really been driving me bugnuts, though, is the ridiculous overuse of exclamation marks.

I'm not a journalist, nor do I have any desire to be, but I did have a stint as a teen guest columnist for a local newspaper, and one of the first things that we were taught was that exclamation marks are a no-no.

But that aside, I have a personal issue with people giving me a too-generous helping of these marks. To me, an exclamation mark is not unlike a swear word or the shock factor of crashed cars sitting in front of a high school during the weeks before prom: if you use it too much, it stops carrying any meaning. I mean, think about it-- when you hear someone like Chef Ramsey (I mention him for you, Josh) drop the f-bomb twenty times within ten minutes, it stops landing on your ear with the weight it should have.

Apparently, the woman I have to email all day never received that lesson.

It's ridiculous. I'll send her a message that might say, "Hey, can you please check these numbers for me?"

Her response will be, "Ok!"

I'll send, "I didn't get the message about -x-, can you please send me a copy?"

I'll receive, "I'll send it right to you!!" (That annoys me even more, because, clearly, if you're sending me this message, you're NOT sending the message I asked for.

...But I digress.)

Really, I have to wonder if she just uses exclamations because they're the easiest mark for her or if she's actually just THAT chipper.

I'm hoping it's not the latter-- can you imagine how hard it would be to work with someone that enthusiastic?

I can only imagine how she'd deal with news of any real weight.

Maybe something like this?



See more dog pictures here.

Preparing

June might be a bit early to start hording furniture and such for an August move, but that's not stopping me from doing it.

I'm setting aside Saturdays to hit local yard sales-- there's been some luck with that already: my folks and I found a nice table and four chairs for $25.

Thriftiness is a real issue with all of this. Tori and I can't swim in our big vault of gold like Scrooge McDuck, so we have to furnish our apartment on a budget.

Which means that our place will be a fine example of Great American Left-Overs.

It's surprising how everything's coming together, though. Nothing we have so far is particularly fancy and I doubt that we'd be able to go to some antiques expert and find out that the dresser we pulled out of my parents' garage is now worth millions of dollars, but the stuff we have is charming in its own odd way.

I guess this experience isn't uncommon-- first apartments are probably supposed to have that vaguely confused here-and-there look. But it's a first for me. I've never had a place of my own to furnish as I please (er... within the budget).

It's kinda nice, even if everything does have to be second-hand (and sometimes third- or fourth-hand).

Trophy desk

When I came in to work yesterday morning, the furniture in my work area had been completely rearranged.

Which totally freaked me out--Monday is not the best day to spring drastic changes on me. But I dealt with it. Or, at least, I dealt with most of it.

There had been two softball trophies sitting on a table in the front area of the office building near where my desk is. The table they had been sitting on has gone to furniture heaven (or something like that-- whatever happened, it's no longer with us), so the trophies had to be moved. Perfectly reasonable, you might be saying. They do have to go somewhere.

I agree; they can't just be left sitting on the floor.

The trophies ended up being placed on my desk--I'm assuming that's because the desk was really the only other surface in the area.

Now, these are not the dinky little team trophies that kids get from little league just for participating. No, no, these were tournament trophies: the kind that are two and a half feet tall.

And they were right behind me all day yesterday.

In my mind, I could see these plastic monstrosities toppling over and cracking my skull open (I really think they were in league with the vending machines-- the one here has a thing against me too, though it's not out for blood like the one in the dorm used to be).

And there were TWO of them--I was outnumbered!

Fortunately, the trophies have been moved; I'm no longer in any immediate danger.

But now they're where no one can hear them plotting.

Looks like I'll have to keep an eye out for them from now on.

Only Six More Days...

...until this year's Tony Awards.

Here's a look at last year's winner for "Best Musical."

The 2007 Tony performance from Spring Awakening.

Chicken McNuggets

Or maybe not.

Apparently, a live chicken has been hanging around a California McDonald's. Quite the daredevil, no?

Anyway, this chicken, who I'm beginning to think may be a guerrilla warrior for the poultry cause, was finally caught by some quick witted fast food workers (...yeah).

So what are the folks at McDonald's going to do? Let someone take it home as a pet.

I think they might want to rethink this. Doesn't it just show the other chickens that, with enough tenacity, they can overcome all of us?

Here's the link for the full story. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25055930/?GT1=43001

Bloodsucking Fiends

So last Monday, the girls and I (er... and Nate, our straight guy buddy we bring along just for kicks) went out to the bookstore.

Hey, we're cool. Don't hate.

When we were there, we played one of my favorite bookstore games: Guess What This Book is About Based Solely On the Title. My teammate and I won easily. Our strategy was simple. Whatever the title was, we guessed that the book was about vampires.

And, more often than not, we were right.

We did have an unfair advantage, though-- we were playing in the youth section.

This makes me wonder-- what's the deal with all the vampire books? What's so sexy about vampires? Maybe it's just me, but if something's going to try to drink my blood, I'm not going to hang around long enough to know if his skin sparkles (no, I haven't read Twilight, but if the phenomenon continues, I'll probably have to).

But, seriously, let's look at this. There are so many books about people who date or fall in love with vampires. Someone has to have considered the pros and cons of it. Here are some that I can think of.

They won't ever have garlic breath, so I guess that's a plus. They'll just have breath that reeks of dried blood. Mm... tasty.
No lunch dates. Ever.
They'll be pale. But so am I, so I can't really say too much about that.
If you're ever really going to see them, you'll have to work nights. Or not work at all, which means you'll be broke. Unless you're going to let your vampire be the bread winner. Which strikes me as a kinda dumb idea, seeing as how they tend to not be too sociable.

I don't know. I'm really not seeing the appeal. Honestly, I generally don't even like the vampire books and movies-- they're way to melodramatic.

Except for the ones by Christopher Moore. I really recommend people who aren't so into the vampire trend pick up those.

I guess whatever the draw is, I'll just have to put up with all of these teenage girls drooling over creatures of the night until the next fad comes along.

The only thing that worries me is that there's no telling what the next fad could be. I might find myself thinking fondly of the vampire days.

Odd Jobs

(Not only the name of the post, but also a potential title for the next Odd Thomas book, if there is one.)

Most of my friends are employed now. Save your congratulations for something else--we're still all leeches on society in one way or another. In my conversations with them, I've noticed something.

I've never had a typical teenager job.

By this, I mean that I've never worked as a clerk in a store, in childcare, as part of a lawn-mowing or house cleaning business or in a restaurant.

But I have been employed in some form or fashion since I started high school.

My first job was as a personal assistant to a Mary Kay senior consultant. If you know me, you're probably laughing your face off at the irony of that. This was probably the only time that I dealt with such enormous amounts of make up for something other than a show.

And this was during the time when all of the compacts and lipstick tubes were pink. As were a majority of the boxes. This made for a rather painful experience. It's also quite possible that this job led to the creation of my inner feminist. (So, now you know what to blame for that.)

After that job ended (I never quit and I wasn't "fired"... I think she just ran out of stuff for me to do), I worked as a shipping clerk for a company that makes detectors for coal mines.

Wrap your mind around that one.

I've never been near a coal mine. I don't know what the process is for making a detector, and I think my head would explode if you tried to explain it to me.

But I did well enough with my job. I got the detectors in their boxes; I made sure everything was properly packaged and wrapped.

And I only sent the marker I was using to mark the boxes to Ohio on accident twice.

And now I'm a receptionist, which, I've decided, is a job I couldn't do for the long term. There's way too much suspicion involved; it wears me down. But, if I'm going to be able to afford my apartment in the fall, I'm going to have to put up with it for a while.

I suppose I should consider myself fortunate-- as of yet, I've not had to flip burgers to get a paycheck.

Not too bad, really.

Shoes

I'm not a girly-girl. I don't wear (or particularly care for) pink, I could care less about fashion, even looking at too much make-up makes me ill (unless it's for a show, of course) and I don't like shopping.

There's only one stereotypical girl thing that I'm really in to (there might be more, but I can't think of any of them).

Shoes.

I love shoes.

Being the tee shirt and jeans type, I don't have much opportunity to don fancy footwear, but that doesn't keep me from trying on every pair of shoes in a store. Even when I'm not the one who's making a purchase.

I don't get asked to help friends find shoes anymore--I always end up running off and finding six or seven pairs that I'd buy if I wasn't a poor college student.

Even my mother hesitates to let me tag along when she's looking for shoes.

But last night, she was convinced to let me come.

After about a half hour in the store, Mom--the one who needed to buy shoes-- had tried on one pair of shoes.

I'd tried on about eight. I hadn't even brought any money along with me.

I think that frustrated my mother a bit. She didn't find a pair she wanted and decided that she didn't feel like looking anymore.

I get the feeling that, next time she goes to find some sandals, she'll leave me behind. I can't say I blame her.

Noise

From the sound of it, they're doing touch-and-gos at the airport.

The screeching made me want to listen to arias, so now I share two musical-theatre-y (it's a technical term) arias with you.

"Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide sung by Kristin Chenoweth



"Green Finch and Linnet Bird" from Sweeney Todd sung by Celia Keenan-Bloger (An alto singing a soprano role. What can beat that?)



Enjoy.