Under the Sofa

A Few Days Late, But...

2009-07-07T21:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Fourth of July.

Tony, Tony

2009-06-10T20:54:00.002-05:00

The Tony Awards were Sunday night, so I thought I would share some of the highlights.

The Opening Number

The winner for best revival of a musical: Hair

Best Score winner (and my personal favorite show from this year): Next to Normal

Best Musical winner: Billy Elliot

Song of the Day- Day 8 "Fire and Rain"

2009-06-01T15:00:00.002-05:00

For today:

"Fire and Rain"
by James Taylor

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things
to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now

Thought I'd see you one more time again
There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now

So far, Tori's blog has featured music by Pink Floyd, The Scorpions, The Killers, The Agape Rose, Rush, Panic! At the Disco, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.

I noticed a definite lack of folk artists on her list, so I thought, in my guest post, I'd remedy that.

I was raised on folk music--Carly Simon, the Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel, and, of course, James Taylor.

One of the most important things that my dad has shared with me is a love of music, and James Taylor was one of the first artists he shared with me. Of his songs, "Fire and Rain" has always been particularly interesting to me, because there's so much of a personal story in it.

The rumor is that the song is about Taylor's girlfriend (Suzanne) dying in a plane crash ("Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground'). Though that story would be deep and personal enough, it is not the real story behind this song.

James Taylor, in explaining the song, divides it into three verse. The first is, in fact, about the suicide of a woman named Suzanne. Suzanne was not a romantic interest of Taylor's, but a friend from his days in New York with a band called The Flying Machines.

Part two of the song focuses on Taylor's struggle with heroin addiction following his return to the U.S. after recording his debut album for the Beatles' Apple Records in London. And part three refers to Taylor's five-month recovery process at a private psychiatric institution, Austen Riggs.

Taylor uses this compelling and plaintive song to chronicle the story of the struggles of his early career-- his struggles with drugs and depression. The lyrics are artful and his singing and playing is, as always heartfelt.

One of the best things about this song is that it's one that, whether you know the intended meaning or not (and now you do), you can find something meaningful in it.

So that's my post for "Song of the Day." Check Tori's blog at http://momentarylapseofmusic.blogspot.com/ for the earlier songs of the day and for the upcoming songs.

Tomorrow

2009-05-31T16:45:00.002-05:00

Hey, guys!

My friend Tori over at Song of the Day is out of town tomorrow, so I will be posting for her blog on here tomorrow.

Look for my "song of the day" here tomorrow, and check out Tori's blog at http://momentarylapseofmusic.blogspot.com.

Same Name Game (Lame)

2009-05-29T12:18:00.005-05:00

I had a conversation a while ago about people with the same name and all of the confusion that causes. As a person with a common name, I'm very aware of the difficulties that name sharing can lead to, but there are some instances of same-name that are just ridiculous.

For instance:

Christopher Columbus: the man who, in 1492, sailed the ocean blue and discovered the new world.
Chris Columbus: the guy that directed Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies.

Tom Cruise: actor and all-around nutbag.
Tom Kruse: the Hoveround guy-- you know, from those God awful commercials.

Michael Bolton: the guy that sounds and looks kinda like he's in pain whenever he sings.
Michael Bolton: the character from Office Space.

Michael Jackson: a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens.
Michael Jackson: former member of the Jackson 5 who has made headlines in the past few years for... well, a lot of strange behavior.

Winona: Ryder, actress in movies such as Edward Scissorhands.
Wynona: Judd, country singer.

Red Robin: Gourmet Burger restaurant chain.
Red Robin: DC Comics hero-turned-villain-turned-hero again.

Ramon Galves Huerta: retired chef arrested for being a heroin dealer.
Ramon Galves Huerta: heroin dealer.
(For real. Here's the news story. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090526/ap_on_re_us/us_wrong_arrest)

There are a ton of other examples, of course, but it's really just funny to think about all of the possible cases of mistaken identity that could stem from these names.

EDIT 7:33 p.m.: My roommate just reminded me of another same-name pair.

George Michael: the pop star, famous for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
George Michael: Bluth, the character played by Michael Cera in the sitcom Arrested Development.

...What?

2009-05-27T15:50:00.004-05:00

After months of hiding, I am proud (well, maybe not proud...) to announce my return to the blogosphere.

The past few months have been busy. And when they weren't busy, I was lazy.

I'm still lazy.

Anyway, since February, I've played a major role in my first university main-stage show, assistant directed my first community theater show, designed a set, seen Star Trek, traveled back and forth between school and home, held my three-year-old niece during a tornado and cooked chicken spaghetti.

Oh, and I finished my second year of college.

Weird, right?

So it's summer break now--at least until Tuesday, when I start my summer class (boo).

Summer means that it's time for me to
1. get some real writing done--I have about 20,000 words on the novel that I started for NaNoWriMo and lots of fun places to go with that
2. muddle my way through a science class--Again, boo.
And
3. find a job.

Exciting stuff.

But, even with that stuff to do, I still have more free time than usual. We'll see if I can match last summer's posts.

Thoughts For A Rainy Day

2009-02-27T20:09:00.004-06:00

It has been raining here all day.

Which means that I've had rather a lot of time to think. And that's never good.

I spent a lot of time thinking about things that I've learned in my life-- especially the really odd things. So, today I bring you a list of (non)vital information for a rainy day.

* If you put thirty-five candles on a cake and light them all, you will set off the fire alarm and the fire department will come and shut down your opening night party.

* Nothing good can ever come from being in a Waffle House after midnight.

* It's a bad idea to wear a tank top and sandals on a late night walk in October.

* There's a song for everything. I mean everything.

* Some people should never have coffee.

* If you play a character that is stoned in a show, you will be remembered as "The Girl Who Was Stoned" or "Pot Girl."

* It's awkward when it's one of your professors who remembers you as "The Girl Who Was Stoned."

* Whenever people come to your apartment, there is a risk that they will fall asleep on your living room furniture.

* There's also a risk that your guests will break your dishes.

* There's always someone geekier than you are.

*Making a good grade in a foreign language class means nothing. Unless it's Japanese.

* Taco Bell is a brilliant idea.

* The bread at Olive Garden is not to be fooled around with.

* Hot dogs are made out of nasty.

* Kids shows will never be as good as they were when you were a kid.

* Calvin and Hobbes is still cool.

* It's always funny when friends who are drunk fall on their faces.

* Even people who love to read rarely have the chance to read for pleasure during the school year.

* It's far easier to sit in a coffee shop and talk for hours than it should be.

* Innuendo is everywhere.

* An hour spent watching YouTube videos is an hour well spent.

* Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Dr Pepper and Lemonade (sometimes) combine to make fruit punch.

* Adding "bitch" to the end of a statement makes it more authoritative.

* Carrying a wedding dress across campus will earn you a lot of strange looks.

* The word "epic" no longer has any meaning.

* The Wii is a dangerous thing.

* It is possible to injure yourself with a butter knife.

* The best stuff in the world hides in five dollar movie bins.

* Staying up all night with friends is, and ought to be, a regular occurrence.

I hope you're able to find some wisdom for a rainy day on this list. Or some random crap that got you to giggle. Either one.

Ah, Childhood

2009-02-17T15:11:00.002-06:00

When I was a little kid, I was a big fan of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. I really identified with Calvin, and still do-- we theater folks tend to have over active imaginations, and Calvin was definitely a prime example of that. Here are a few great moments from the comic strip.

Slightly Bookish

2009-02-15T10:57:00.002-06:00

So maybe I never need to promise daily posts again. Sorry, folks.

Anyway, if you were around the blog this summer, you know that I'm a bit of a bookworm

And that my job was horrifically boring. But I digress.

I found this thing on Facebook and thought I'd share it as today's thing that makes me happy.

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

I'm not able to verify the above statement, but I'll do this anyway.

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
x 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
x3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
x+ 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
x5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
x 6 The Bible (New Testament)
x 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
x 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
x10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
x11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
*14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
*15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
x21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
x 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
x29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
x 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
x40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
x41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
x42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
x49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
*51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
x57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
x59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
*61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
x64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
x70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker *
x+73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
x+76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
x+81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
*83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
x87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
x88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (in French, no less!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
x+ 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
x99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Totals
x- 28
+-5
*4

This Is Not My Lit Paper

2009-02-11T16:27:00.002-06:00

Sorry about not posting the last few days. I've been busy. (And being busy is one of the things that make me happy, but I was too busy to post about being busy. Make sense? Yes?)

Anyway, I have a five page paper due Friday, so the thing that makes me happy today is procrastination.

To share the joy, here a few videos that can prevent you from being productive today, too.

Staged

2009-02-06T14:24:00.003-06:00

Theater has always been something that makes me feel better when I'm down. Something about getting to forget who I am and what's going on in my life just really relaxes me. So, today's post is all about theater. I found this meme on Facebook a while ago, and I'm going to re do it, just for this blog.

LAST SHOW ADDED TO YOUR RESUME:
Company

LAST SHOW YOU AUDITIONED FOR:
Anything to Declare?

DID YOU GET IT:
Indeed I did. I'm playing Madame Dupont.

LAST SONG YOU USED AT AN AUDITION:
Well, we did songs from the show at Company auditions. Before that, I used "Taylor the Latte Boy" for Little Shop auditions.

FAVORITE MUSICAL:
I have three favorites: Les Miserables, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Last 5 Years

FAVORITE PLAY:
My favorite drama is Hamlet and my favorite comedy is either Noises Off or The Women.

FAVORITE ROLE YOU'VE PLAYED, AND FROM WHAT SHOW?
The title role in Laura. It was not only my first lead, but also my first experience with SCT (such a great group of people!). And she was so much fun to play. Madame Dupont may make it to my top two--we'll see later in the process.

FAVORITE ROLE OVERALL THAT I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY:
Wow, that's a difficult question! I guess my top three would be Clytemnestra in The Orestiea, Cathy in The Last 5 Years and Fantine in Les Miserables.

SUPERSTITION:
I usually try not to think that I'll get a role during the auditions-- it seems like when I see myself getting a role, I don't get it. Also, I never say the name of the Scottish play on stage. Never. And I don't say good luck.

YOUR GOAL IN SHOW BUSINESS:
Ideally, Broadway. I'd love to do national tours or regional shows, too.

FAVORITE DIRECTOR YOU HAVE EVER WORKED WITH:
Dwayne Craft. But I've been fortunate enough to work with a ton of great directors.

WHAT WAS YOUR VERY FIRST SHOW?:
If we're not counting dance recitals, An Evening with Ed--A Really BIG Show (a dinner theater with AUM). My first community show was Annie.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A DANCE SOLO?:
I had a dance duet in Pocahontas.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A SINGING SOLO?
Yes.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THE LAST PERSON TO TAKE A BOW?
Only once-- in Laura.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO NEW YORK?
Three times. The first time with the youth group at church. We didn't get to see any shows. The other two times, I went with the drama department at my high school.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO LA?:
Nope. I've never been that far west.

WHAT'S THE SCARIEST PART OF AN AUDITION?:
The waiting. Open auditions are most nerve racking for me, because I find myself comparing my work to the other people's. It doesn't bug me with straight acting auditions, but I can psych myself out so easily when it comes to singing auditions.

WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF AN AUDITION?:
Seeing what a show could be. I tend to cast shows in my head at the auditions, so I get to imagine how it will turn out.

NAME A SHOW YOU WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN:
Pocahontas and Sound of Music.

NAME A SHOW YOU COULD DO FOR YEARS:
That I have done? The Good Doctor. I could probably do Last 5 Years or Les Mis for years if I had the chance.

WHAT ARE YOU AUDITIONING FOR NEXT?
I'm not sure. Probably the summer musical.

DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH PAST CAST MEMBERS?:
Yeah, most of the time. I've met some great people doing shows; it'd be a shame not to keep up with them.

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, HOW IMPORTANT IS GETTING PAID?:
Well, I've never been paid for it yet. But once I'm completely out on my own, it will become very important. Unless I make a lot of generous and rich friends while I'm in school.

SOMETHING EMBARRASSING OR UNEXPECTED THAT HAPPENED TO YOU WHILE ON STAGE?:
Well, pulling down the curtain during Laura was certainly unexpected. And embarrassing. It was a real shame, too, because, as far as acting goes, that was probably the best performance.

WHO IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PERSON (ON STAGE OR OFF) THAT YOU HAVE EVER WORKED WITH?:
Probably best not to mention names here, I think.

EVER BEEN NAKED ON STAGE?:
No.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN KILLED?:
In Laura, everyone thought I was dead until the end of Act One. That's the closest I've come to that. There was one point in the process for Orestiea when I was always there when someone died.

BEEN DRUNK?:
No, but I've been high. (On stage, of course.)

PLAYED SOMEONE HALF YOUR AGE?:
Nope.

PLAYED SOMEONE TWICE YOUR AGE?:
Haha--yes! I always play older.

CRIED?:
Yeah.

FIRED A GUN?
Nope.

BEEN DRENCHED?
No.

BEEN IN A DREAM SEQUENCE?
Yes, in Pocahontas

BEEN KISSED?:
Yes, in The Good Doctor and in Laura.

Blue Hair

2009-02-05T23:13:00.001-06:00

A song that a friend introduced me to last night is what's making me happy today. It's called "Blue Hair" and is performed here by Cortney Wolfson, who was directed by Andrew Keenan-Bolger (check my blog roll for his blog).

You May Quote Me

2009-02-04T16:30:00.003-06:00

Today's antidepressant is my personal favorite.

I love quotes. I remember random witty or silly things that are said to me (or around me), and I cherish them. Today, I'm sharing some of my favorite quotes. Some are funny; some are deep.

"Everything I say is true. Except the mistakes and the lies. And the lies are just there for drama."
Eddie Izzard

"A woman is beautiful when she is loved, and only then."
Mr. Skeffington (Claude Rains) in the film Mr. Skeffington

"I want to thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities."
Tina Fey

"Does Heaven need our help to enforce its laws?
Leave vengeance to the Lord, Sir; while we live,
Our duty's not to punish but forgive
And what the Lord commands, we should obey
Without regard to what the world may say."
Cleante in Moliere's Tartuffe

"I like my men like I like my tea--weak and green."
from Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes; I am out of control and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
Marilyn Monroe

"Be ashamed to die before winning some battle for humanity."
Horace Mann

"In this world you can either be oh-so-smart or oh-so-pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. And you may quote me."
Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) in the film Harvey

Continued

2009-02-03T23:45:00.002-06:00

I realized today that a left out a character that I dearly love yesterday, so I'm continuing with yesterday's Justice League Unlimited post and count it as a separate thing (since there's just a few minutes left of today).

The character today is The Question. He's not nearly as well known as Batman, but fans of The Watchmen might think he seems a little familiar-- the character Rorschach was based on The Question.

(This post is actually kinda doubly fun for me-- The Huntress is another of my favorites.)

Superheroes

2009-02-02T21:20:00.002-06:00

Continuing my list of things that make me happy, I came across this video from the Justice League Unlimited tv series.

I am a closet comic book fan (...though I suppose I'm out now... oops). My love for the DC superheroes spread into an appreciation for the animated series. This scene is a great on for Batman, and Batman happens to by my favorite of the DC heroes.

From A Smoke Filled Bar

2009-02-01T23:43:00.002-06:00

So in the last post, I said I'd try to post something every day that makes me happy.

Today the thing that makes me happy is jazz music. There's something incredibly soothing about sitting around, listening to a softly playing piano and a mellow saxophone playing, while a velvety voiced woman sings, sounding. The image of a woman in a sparkling gown, singing into an old-style microphone in a dark, smoke filled bar is one that always makes me feel better. Here are some of my favorite jazz songs.

"They Can't Take That Away From Me"

"Moonlight Serenade"

"At Last"

Blergggggggggggggggh

2009-01-31T22:33:00.002-06:00

Hey, folks. Sorry about my lengthy absence. There's really no excuse.

Anyway, January is almost over.

This is good news.

I'm one of those people that gets kinda down in the winter. January to mid-February is always a little on the melancholy side for me.

So, to cure my mid-winter blues, I'm going to post songs and videos that make me happy every day (er, hopefully) between now and February 16.

Sound good? Good.

Something like this actually happened to me about a week ago. It was strange. Funny, but strange.

My Secret

2009-01-05T13:54:00.003-06:00

I've discovered a love for a sitcom called The Big Bang Theory.

Maybe you've heard of it.

Anyway, the show kind of reflects my life. There've been a few moments from the show that I have lived.

For example:

These are really more exaggerations, but they're not too far from the truth of my life.

Final Frenzy!

2008-12-02T18:35:00.003-06:00

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....

2008-11-22T11:04:00.002-06:00

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!

2008-11-13T20:02:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-11T19:14:00.004-06:00

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

2008-09-27T23:55:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-20T17:08:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-12T13:41:00.001-05:00

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

2008-09-10T22:14:00.009-05:00

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

2008-09-07T13:33:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-05T17:20:00.010-05:00

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

2008-08-26T16:54:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-22T18:38:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-19T14:58:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-17T18:44:00.001-05:00

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

2008-08-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-25T09:09:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-24T07:02:00.001-05:00

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

2008-07-20T17:44:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-16T10:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-13T20:07:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-09T08:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-08T08:03:00.002-05:00

(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

2008-07-03T15:41:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-02T13:54:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-29T19:17:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-28T17:13:00.003-05:00

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...

2008-06-27T08:58:00.003-05:00

...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

2008-06-26T17:36:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-25T10:15:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-24T09:20:00.005-05:00

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

2008-06-23T09:47:00.002-05:00

(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!

2008-06-19T07:53:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-18T09:22:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-17T08:36:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-16T11:28:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-16T09:55:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-15T14:32:00.004-05:00

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

2008-06-14T11:26:00.001-05:00

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...

2008-06-13T08:48:00.003-05:00

...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

...!!!...!

2008-06-12T07:00:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-11T09:08:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-10T09:41:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-06-09T16:10:00.002-05:00

...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

2008-06-09T12:01:00.001-05:00

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

2008-06-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

(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

2008-06-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

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.

'Let' It Be

2008-06-04T07:57:00.000-05:00

When I have nothing to do at work (which is never... *wink wink*), I read the news online. At more desperate times-- you know, when no one's blown anything up, started any fires, been involved in some kind of political scandal, etc.--I read the entertainment stories. Yesterday, I noticed something that bugged me. Every time a female celebrity was referred to, the people writing the stories called her a "starlet."

This bothers me on a number of levels.

First, the word "star" should be reserved for two things: the stars in the sky and actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood (y'know-- the people who created the medium, the real talent from the old days--oh, I've seen Gone With the Wind now, by the way). I can't think of a celebrity today that I think is worthy of being called a star.

Also, my inner feminist (some of you might not have met her; those of you who have a probably rethinking reading this post now that she's been mentioned) has a real problem with this word. "Starlet"? What? Just because someone's female, you feel the need to add a diminutive to the word? Someone ought to kick your ass with a pair of stilettos.

But I might have been able to live with these two had it not been for this:

EVERY female was called a "starlet," regardless of her age.

I'm sorry. Someone who's in their fifties or sixties is not a "let" of any kind. And I for one am offended that the people who write these entertainment stories think that I could be fooled into thinking of someone that age as a "let."

"Starlet." Please.

More on the Menagerie

2008-06-02T10:05:00.001-05:00

I was just told how the cow managed to escape the pasture last week.

Apparently, this particular cow has watched The Great Escape a few too many times--it's managed to get free quite a few times by crawling (as much as a cow can crawl) under the fence. Extra fencing was put up to prevent the cow from getting out that way again.

So what did this determined cow do?

It hopped (er... as much as a cow can hop) over the fence.

I think it must've learned it from the peafowl.

My neighbors are selling the cow. I think they just need to keep a closer eye on the peafowl. They're cunning little conspirators, they are.

The Tony Awards Are LessThan Two Weeks Away...

2008-06-02T07:06:00.000-05:00

So I thought I'd post something from a little-known musical.

Cause that's how I am.

"Someone's got to make sure this dock stays off limits to civilians"

2008-05-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

So there was no post yesterday. I'm sorry; I know you're disappointed.

Or not. Whatever.

Work yesterday was better than usual-- there was some stuff for me to do. Nothing important or challenging, mind you, but still--something.

The place where I work has very tight security. Someone has to be at the front desk at all times to sign in and monitor our visitors.

Yesterday, when everyone else went to lunch, I stayed behind to man the desk. It made me feel like those two guards in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. You know the ones-- they get left out of Commodore Norrington's promotion ceremony.

"Some one's got to make sure this dock stays off limits to civilians."

*Sigh*

I tried to put pictures here. I really did. I guess Josh will just have to teach me how to do that.

Toothbrush

2008-05-29T09:53:00.000-05:00

The story of the kiddie toothbrush, just like I promised.

I wrote in an earlier post that dental hygienists annoy me because of their patronizing attitude. And so they do. But this has got to be the most ridiculous thing ever.

Tuesday morning, I went to the dentist for my usual 6 month cleaning. The appointment went as it normally does: the hygienist got that little mirror on a stick thing in my mouth and then started questioning me like she was planning to write my biography (which probably wouldn't take too long, really--I don't do much).

I dealt with it well enough. She still had both hands when she was done; I was cavity-free and ready to go grab my lunch and head back to work. I grabbed my bag of dentist goodies--you know, the container of floss, the bottle of mouthwash and the toothbrush-- and headed out the door.

When I got in my car, I noticed something odd about the toothbrush. It was small and pink (there's nothing wrong with pink, of course, but that's not the point).

The toothbrush was the same kind that my particular dentist gives little kids.

*Faceplam*

Let me say that I don't look young for my age. I was the kid in high school (and in college,too, as a matter of fact) who was cast as the old ladies in plays.

But there it was-- a kiddie toothbrush.

Don't they have a file or something that tells them my age?

So my new toothbrush went in the garbage can, along with the floss and the mouthwash (both of which had to go just on principle).

*Facepalm*

The Menagerie

2008-05-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

(Don't worry, Josh and Heath-- there will be a post about the kiddie toothbrush.)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I live next to a farm. Sort of. The house actually belongs to a local vet. In his spare time (there's spare time with that job?), he raises cattle and a few other farm animals.

If you live near someone who takes care of larger animals, you know that life near these people and their pets is a little different than life with most suburban neighbors.

When I was in middle school, I used to wait on the front steps for the people who drove me to school to come pick me up. One morning, as I peeked out the window to make sure that my ride hadn't arrived early, I saw something odd in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

"Mom, there's a big bird out in the street."

"What kind of bird?"

"... I'm pretty sure it's a peacock."

And so it was. And a peahen,too, now that I think about it.

Mom sighed and shook her head. "I'll go call the Whitworths."

As we later found out, these peacocks (peafowl?) had escaped from their pens by jumping over a few fences (who knew that there was a fence-hopping variety of peacock?). Though it was the first time I had seen the birds, the birds escaping was apparently not an uncommon occurrance.

In fact, I saw the birds three more times that week. I think the doctor took a cue from this and put a roof over the birds' heads.

Or sold them or something. Either way, I haven't seen them strutting through the cul-de-sac lately.

In addition to the birds, Dr Whitworth also seems to have a fondness for handicapped animals. Most of these I can handle.

But the three-legged cat gives me the creeps. Maybe that comes from the issue I have with odd numbers.... Whatever, the cat freaks me out. And I think it knows it.

Why else would it make a habit of hanging around my car?

Unless it lost its leg in because of a car, and it's looking for revenge.

But I digress.

The most recent animal experience has been with a cow--some of the same cows that keep me awake at night when I'm at home (there's a bit of animosity; can you feel it?).

Anyway, my dad and I were going out to get dinner and, as we're driving along, we see a cow on the side of the road. As the cow pasture is by the road, cows near by isn't strange.

But the cow was chilling out in the grass across the street from the pasture.

We stopped the car.

The cow ate some grass.

My mom slept through an episode of Law & Order.

"So, should we do something?"

We went to the Whitworth House. No one was there.

The cow was still eating the grass on the other side of the fence (was it greener?) when we got back to the car; by now, the other cows had noticed that one of their own had left them. All of the cows were lined up next to the fence watching the one free cow. It looked like a bovine firing squad.

Don't worry, animal lovers, the cow made it safely back to the pasture, I've never run over the three-legged cat and the peafowl are (as far as I know) safe and sound in their peafowl homes.

But who's to say what new creature will be roaming my neighborhood tomorrow?

I Love British Transvestite Comedians

2008-05-22T17:55:00.000-05:00

Or, at least, I love this one.

In a little less than a month, my best friend (my roommate) and I are going to have the pleasure of seeing Eddie Izzard live.

I've been rather disappointed to find that there are a great deal of people who have not been introduced to this comedic mastermind. So, I mean to remedy that problem. Here are three great doses of Eddie-ness.

"Woman Loses Home Over $68 Dental Bill"

2008-05-22T08:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not making this up.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/PersonalFinance/story?id=4896048&page=1

And the moral of all this is:
Brush your teeth and avoid cavities or you'll be trapped in a legal battle over whether or not you own the house that was sold to pay your dental bills.

My "Eff off" Reflex

2008-05-20T10:24:00.000-05:00

I like to think of my self as being a polite and patient person.

In most situations, I'm fooling myself.

There's just something about things not going exactly the way I want them to that really pisses me off and makes me unpleasant all around (Josh and Heath-- no jokes, please? Kthanx).

But really, I've noticed this trend of rudeness and impatience in myself and my peers. I call it (or, rather, Lynne Truss called it and I'm just stealing her phrase) the "Eff off" reflex.

Consider these two examples.

Every dental hygienist that has ever cleaned my teeth has tried my patience in some way or another. Lately, it's been more due to the fact that they seem so patronizing-- I'm not twelve-years-old anymore, thank you very much; you can keep the friggin sticker and lollipop. But the most annoying thing--the thing that triggers my "Eff off" reflex-- is they way that they try to carry on a conversation with you while they're cleaning.

"So, how has school been, sweetheart?" (The sweetheart thing is also a pet peeve. But I digress.)
"Hngh..."
"That's great. Do you know what you want to do for summer vacation?"
"..Hngh!"
"Sounds fun. What are you doing for Memorial Day?"
"Oh just eff off, will you!"

No, I've never ACTUALLY shouted that to a hygienist, but I've certainly felt the desire to. It's just so ridiculous. Surely they know when they ask you "How are you doing?" that you want nothing more than to scream, "I have your fist in my mouth, how do you THINK I'm doing?"

I have a friend who works at a local bookstore. Last year she was one of the lucky people picked to work the night that the final book of the Harry Potter series came out. As you can imagine, the crowd was horrible. I'm all for this series-- I think it's great that these books help youngsters become more enthusiastic about reading, and I know my friend, while not a fan of the books herself, feels the same way. But five hours of party games and sugar-doused treats shoved into the hands of kids never makes for an easy night, especially not when you factor in the excitement of the last novel in a series that has played babysitter to some of those kids. As midnight drew nearer, more and more kids were pestering the bookstore staff.

"Can we have the book yet?"
"It's not released until midnight."
"I want my book."
"I'm sorry, you'll have to wait."
"... I want my book."
"Eff off!"

I consider it a miracle that there were no homicides in the store that night--God knows, I'd probably have killed a kid.

There are plenty more places where the "Eff off" reflex shows itself-- in traffic, at the movies (particularly when you're in a middle school student sandwich), at work. It's something that effects everybody, I'm sure, but most of the time, I feel like it's just me, telling the everyone and everything to just leave me alone.

Another Dumb Sign

2008-05-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day is over, but most businesses haven't had the chance to remove all of the special "Buy Mom Stuff" signs from their windows and doors yet.

Which is fine-- redecorating takes time.

But yesterday I saw a sign that made no sense.

There was a Mother's Day sign outside of a gun store (that in and of itself was strange to me) that said:

"Make Her Day: Buy Her a Tazer and Get Store Credit."

...
...
...?

I think I stood on the walkway and stared at that sign for ten minutes. Now, maybe I'm just weird-- I can't deny that possibility-- but a tazer really doesn't seem like Mother's Day gift material to me. Let's think for a minute.

Jewelry
Decorative stuff
Homemade Crafts
Tazers

...One of these things doesn't belong.

And People Think Punctuation's Not a Big Deal!

2008-05-12T19:16:00.000-05:00

I get a lot of grief from my friends for being so picky when it comes to punctuation. They tell me that it's ridiculous to expect anyone to remember so many little rules that have so many exceptions.

Ok, I can sort of see where they're coming from.

But consider this...

While driving around with a friend Saturday, I saw a sign outside a barbecue restaurant that read, "CAN'T COOK MOM? COME PICK UP SOME BBQ FOR MOTHERS DAY!"

The part I want to consider is the "CAN'T COOK MOM?" bit.

Can't cook Mom? This is asking if you can cook your mother-- if you can prepare her to be eaten.

Can't cook Mom?

No, I'm afraid I can't cook my mother; she wouldn't be to happy if I tried.

You know what would fix this? A comma. A single comma.

"CAN'T COOK, MOM?"

Much better.

So, now you see. A little thing like a comma can mean the difference between Mom picking up some barbecue and Mom BEING some barbecue.

Another Blog Post. Um...huzzah?

2008-05-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

So I've made it to 19 post (about 14 more than I usually make it to on a blog).

Unfortunately, I have no interesting subject for this post. At all.

My summer is going smoothly enough-- I sold it in exchange for money and a place to live (yes, I have a job now; make your joke and move on). Life at my parents' house is excruciatingly boring, but I knew it would be. I've been home for a week today, and I'm already planning my first trip back to my other home.

I've seen Casablanca now. So that makes, what, five movies in my whole life?

Pretty exciting stuff, on the whole.

Or not.

Whatever.

And that's my 19th blog post.

Slow curtain, the end.

Tagged Again

2008-04-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

My brother-in-law has once again tagged me in yet another Meme (I imagine this will get old before too long). The only people I know who have blogs have already been tagged, so I'm just going to fill out the thing, and if you want to take this and post it on your own blog, go for it.

So here goes....

1. I have bad luck with vending machines. Aside from the earlier post about the machine in my dorm being after my blood, I also have a hard time getting machines to accept the money I give them. I'm not just talking crumpled old dollar bills-- lately the machines won't even take change from me. I put a dollar in quarters in one of the machines and got back twenty nickels. The one in my dorm is still the worst. Every time I go to get a Dr Pepper, there's a chance that I might not make it back.

2. I love crime shows. I watched one episode of Law & Order because it had an actress I knew in it, and now I can't get enough. Well, at least, that the explanation of the recent trend in my television habits-- this probably dates back to all of the episodes of Matlock I used to watch while my mother took her afternoon naps. But seriously, any time that there's a Law & Order or Monk or Psych or Matlock marathon on, it's usually a pretty safe bet that I'm holed up somewhere with a bowl of popcorn and the lights off watching.

3. I have a tendency to ramble. A lot. It's usually worse when I'm tired or sick or both, but I'm one of the most skilled people I know when it comes to talking forever about nothing (though I'd say my big sister has me beat). And I talk in circles. It's like word salad-- like I'm two steps away from schizophrenia. It's a mark of how wonderful and devoted my friends are that they're able to follow me when I start talking nonsense.

4. When it comes to politics, liberals AND conservatives make me crazy. This is especially true during election years, like this one. Frankly, I don't care if you're way to the left. I don't care if you're way to the right. Both sides of the coin have reasonable points they've made; both sides have flaws. What bugs me is that people are so STUPID about it. There's no point in a conservative bashing a liberal candidate just because the candidate is liberal; there's no point in a liberal bashing a conservative candidate just because the candidate is conservative. Different people have different opinions. Suck it up and GET OVER IT.

5. I can't eat during hour and a half before a performance. It didn't bother me before, but in the past couple of years, I've found that, if I eat less than half an hour before a performance or call for a performance, theatre or otherwise, I get sick. All I can assume is that it's nerves, but it makes for some long, hungry nights when I have a 5 o'clock call for a show that runs until nearly 10.

6. I am a wealth of musical theatre knowledge. This comes as no surprise to anyone who has spent any considerable amount of time with me. I saw my first professional musical (a touring production of Les Miserables) when I was 8 years one, and ever since, I've been quite a fan of the art of musical theatre. I can name Tony winners for the past several years, obscure musicals and quite a number of theatre actors. The Tony Awards are to me what the Oscars are to my peers. Yes, I realize that makes me a nerd. But I'm okay with that.

So there again, Josh. You can feel like you've fulfilled your Meme obligation. Next time, tag someone else. XP

So

2008-04-24T19:33:00.000-05:00

So, after much drama, my roommate and I have an apartment for next school year.

Her dad had been giving us a hard time about getting one-- apparently we're incapable of taking care of ourselves without the supervision of a dorm staff. He seemed to be under the impression that, as soon as we got our own place, we'd fall into a life of debauchery.

But that's all behind us now. We've signed a lease and paid a deposit; it looks like we're set, for the time being, at least.

And with that, the school year is wrapping up. I finished the last of my classes today and my last play of the year was last night (and went very well, all things considered); all that's left is finals. Well, that, and moving out (which is going to quite an experience, I think... I can't quite believe the amount of useless stuff I've accumulated over the past few months).

When I leave for the summer, I'll be going home to an 8-5 job and life with my parents (which isn't bad, but it won't allow for the kind of freedom that I've become accustomed to). It'll be different; I'm sure of that.

But, then, variety is the spice of life, right?

....

XP

I Just Can't Believe It

2008-04-14T13:13:00.001-05:00

About a year ago, I graduated from high school. I spent the whole summer worrying about how I would cope with college life. I don't think I can put into words how freaked out I was about starting my freshman year.

There are ten days of class left in my freshman year. It's incredibly surreal--I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I was convinced that I'd spontaneously combust or something before I reached this point.

I didn't (as you may have noticed). In fact, I dare to say that I've thrived in this year.

Weird how things never seem to go as planned.

Even weirder how they work out for the better, even when you're not trying.

"I Drink Your Milkshake"

2008-04-07T18:25:00.000-05:00

This is, quite possibly, my favorite movie quote ever.

Vending Machine Vendetta

2008-04-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

The vending machine in my dorm's lobby has something against me.

My roommate and I don't buy Dr Pepper, though I really couldn't say why-- it'd really save me a fair bit of trouble if we did. Anyway, about once or twice a week, I buy a Dr Pepper from the vending machine. And every time, the machine tries to kill me.

The first time this happened, a Dr Pepper traveling at a high velocity collided with my knee. Fortunately (er... I suppose), the knee that it hit is already injured; there's not much more damage that can be done to it.

But it was still scary as hell.

In the past few months, I've probably had more soda projectiles sent my way that any other person. And I've only recently figured out what I have to do to dodge them.

Now, I insert the dollar bill into the machine, press the Dr Pepper button and dive behind the nearest wall until the whirring of the machine has stopped.

I imagine that the machine is now trying to come up with a way around my plans to thwart it's assaults.

The machine will continue to try to kill me.

...Paranoia is an unfortunate downside of an overactive imagination.

For Your Friday

2008-04-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

I've only recently been informed about being "Rickrolled" (I live under a rock as far as pop culture is concerned, apparently).

But, if you're into that Rick Astley video (or if you just want a laugh), you should really check out the Pop Up Video version of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOU8GIRUd_g

Or, if you'd rather just hear something pretty, here's a video of my favorite song from Mack and Mabel.

"I Won't Send Roses"

Happy Friday.

Adventures of the College Freshman and the Week That Would Have Eaten Her

2008-04-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

Apparently, once a semester, all of my professors get together and decide to place tests, presentations, assignments and practice all in the same week.

This is that week.

Four tests, five hours of research credit, six hours of rehearsal, twenty plus sections of homework, an issue presentation and ninety-some lines to learn all before the weekend.

So, after spending a few hours banging my head against my desk, I've started the work. I've got two tests down, two hours of rehearsal and three hours of research behind me, ten homework sections done and about two-thirds of my lines memorized.

Unfortunately, my brain is now complete mush (not that it was far from that in the first place...). Doesn't look like anything else is getting done tonight.

There ought to be laws against weeks like this.

And, on that note, I'm going to cry myself to sleep thinking about all that there is yet to do.

Goodnight.

Movies and How I Haven't Seen Any

2008-03-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

I've never been big on movies.

That's not to say that there are no movies I like, and it's not to say that there aren't plenty that I would love if I saw them.

I've just not seen many , especially not many of the iconic ones.

Most of my friends have, at one point or another, told me that they're going to kidnap me and force me to watch some movie or another.

If they all actually did this, I'd be watching movies for the rest of my life.

Here's a list of movies that I've never seen. It's not a complete list, mind you, but it should give you a clue as to the rock I've been living under as far as movies go.

In my defense, though, I'm pretty well up to date on Broadway happenings. ... But I don't suppose that really makes up for it.

MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN:

The original Star Wars trilogy (I see most of my readers have passed out from shock.... Please continue after you've stopped hyperventilating.)
Casablanca
Gone With the Wind
Brokeback Mountain
Little Miss Sunshine
The Blues Brothers
Any of the James Bond movies
Any of the Austin Powers movies

...And that's just naming a few. The truth is, if you've heard of a movie, odds are that I haven't seen it.

But please don't kidnap me. That'd just be weird.

Good Friday

2008-03-21T11:08:00.001-05:00

Think about it.

The Weekend's Almost Here

2008-03-20T11:50:00.001-05:00

And I really want to take a minute to display my geekiness.

So, I bring you video from the "Hey, Mr Producer!" concert honoring Cameron Mackintosh.

It is, of course, the Les Mis portion. :)

Alone in the Dorm: The Sequel

2008-03-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

I am apparently terrible to live with.

My roommate, social butterfly that she is, has, for the second night in a row, run off to hang around with some boy.

Not to say I've never done the same thing, but....

Anyway, I'm once again sitting in my dorm, watching The West Wing (season three, this time).

In the weeks since I've read Primary Colors and since I've started watching The West Wing, I've become more interested in politics.

Well, not politics, per se, but in what might go on "behind the scenes" when it comes to politicians, their speeches and their campaigns.

For instance, this past week, I was watching a speech given by the president in the Financial District of New York City. Now, I may not agree with the president all of the time, but I have to have some level of respect for anyone who is willing to attempt to run the country.

But the man's not the best public speaker.

During this speech, the president said "... if Congress doesn't act...."

This is not what I heard.

I heard "...if Congress done that...."

And the thought struck me that there should be someone whose job is to whack the president in the head whenever me makes such an error when speaking .

Seriously. It'd be great.

The president uses a double negative.

"Permission to hit the president with my clipboard?"

"Granted."

WHACK!

Think about it for a while.

Well, my roommate has returned (with company, no less), so I'll leave you with this fun quote-- taken from, where else, The West Wing.

"There was a time in the evolution of everything that works where it didn't."

My Cat

2008-03-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

I own what is quite possibly the most neurotic cat that has ever lived. She's a mess.

She's also an attention whore.

This reminded me of my cat. And how she used to make sure that I got up in time for school.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do...

2008-03-16T23:29:00.000-05:00

...But this is my understanding of it, and if I'm wrong, Josh can correct me later.

And I'm sure he will.

So...

FIVE QUIRKY THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I am, as my roommate tells me, a grammar Nazi. I was the kid in middle school that stopped getting notes from friends because I'd send them back to the writers with corrections written on them. Seriously, I have a whole list of people who can vouch for this.

2. Whenever I get a drink to go, I have to press in all of the buttons on the lid. Not just the one for the beverage I have, ALL of them. I've done this for as long as I can remember, and I have no idea how it started, but I always do it. In fact, I freak out if I don't. Like really freak out. We're talking serious panic here.

3. I hate, hate, HATE when waiters and waitresses or the like call me "sweetie," "darling," "honey," etc. In my opinion, if you don't know me, you have no right to call me by any kind of pet name. In fact, I'd say that you ought not call me by a pet name even if you DO know me.

4. Like my brother-in-law, I can't stand tardiness in myself or others. If I have to wait more than five or ten minutes for you, odds are that I won't be there when you finally do arrive. I've been involved in the theatre for several years and, when you're involved in a show in any way, you really can't afford to be late: it tends to piss off the people you're working with. Maybe punctuality was drilled into my brain by call sheets; maybe it's just innate. Either way, being late-- especially being late without letting me know that you will be-- is one of my pet peeves.

5. I never remember to pack a contact lens case when I go on trips. Now, this could be because I've only been wearing contacts for about a year, but with how often I go back and forth from college to home, you'd think I'd have gotten in the habit of packing the stupid thing. But no. I always have to go get a new case. I have about ten now, so, if you need one, I'm the person to ask.

Being as I'm a quirky person all around, there are plenty of things that didn't make this list. I'm sure anyone who knows me would volunteer their own list (whether you really want them to or not).

So there, Josh. I've done your stupid challenge. Pick on someone else. :)

The Sounds of Home

2008-03-12T21:10:00.000-05:00

Spending a week at home should be relaxing. For the most part, it is: I don't have classes to worry about, other people are willing to buy food for me and I can watch as much West Wing and Law & Order as I want.

But, in my time away, I've forgotten how loud home can be.

Not during the day (aside from when my niece is over here-- but that's beside the point).

At night, though, when I'm trying to sleep, the noise is ridiculous.

My home is next to a cow pasture. It's also in the local airport's flight path. Oh, and let's not forget the railroad track that's just a mile or two down the road.

The worst nighttime noise is my dad's snoring. Sleep apnea is a terrible thing, let me tell you.

Every so often, all of these noises combine. It's like a snoring, mooing, whistling jet is circling around my room.

And my parents wonder why I take naps so often at home.

Nothing Good Can Come From Being Alone In A Dorm

2008-03-01T20:54:00.000-06:00

My roommate has gone out of town for the weekend, which means that I am by myself in our room.

Now, my university is not in a big city. In fact, it's a stretch to call the place a city. We don't even have a Krystal's Hamburgers. So, I've been left to entertain myself until my roomie gets back sometime tomorrow night.

There being a lack of diversions in my town, this means that I've been keeping to my room.

This would be a perfect opportunity for me to make some headway on my paper that's due Tuesday or the speech that I have to give Wednesday. But have I done that?

Ha... no, not so much.

In fact, all I've done is watch movies (thank God for Guillermo del Toro, that's all I have to say).

And now, I've moved on to season one of The West Wing.

What an exciting weekend.

Back in the Swing of Things

2008-02-28T22:29:00.000-06:00

This is strange to me.

I started college in August; my first semester went really well. I really didn't have a hard time adjusting to the life.

But, when I came back this semester, it was like a whole new world. Nothing really was different, but everything felt different.

I suppose it was largely because I had much less to do-- choir was canceled, I hadn't heard from my voice teacher, my classes were (and still are) mind-numbingly boring and I hadn't been cast in anything (which, I'm not going to lie, was a bit of a sore spot for me).

Anyway, I finally feel like I'm really back "in my groove," as it were. My voice classes are set up again, my classes are... well, not more interesting, but they are making more sense and I've been cast in a show again (Scotland Road-- I'm incredibly excited).

It's nice to be back on track.

And to think, it only took half the semester!

I Am My Family's Dictionary

2008-02-24T18:57:00.000-06:00

Really. It's true.

My parents and I went to see Vantage Point (yes, I still go see movies with my parents-- you want to make something of it?). All of us being rather opinionated, we spent the car ride home discussing the movie.

"It wasn't what I expected," my mom kept saying. "I thought it would flow all together. Well, not all together but all going one way... Oh what am I trying to say?"

"You thought it'd be linear?" I supplied.

"Yes, that's it, linear. I couldn't remember the word."

A few weeks ago, I was riding to a play with my parents; my dad was talking about a person he works with.

"And he's been talking to one of those people who can communicate with the dead," Dad said. "Y'know, a median."

Median?

Median?

"A medium, you mean?" I asked.

I love my parents, I really do.

But... median? Really?

I halfway wonder what they do when I'm not around to clarify what they're trying to say.

My apologies to all of the "medians" out there.

(Insert Clever Title Here)

2008-02-22T22:28:00.000-06:00

Once again, I venture into the uncharted territory that is blogging. This is something I've attempted (and failed at) several times before.

Hopefully this time I won't be distracted by something new and shiny.

No promises, though.

I think part of the problem is that I feel like I run out of clever things to say.

This time, I've decided that I'm just not going to worry about it. I'm just going to pull whatever I happen to find that I feel is worth saying out and put it here.

That said, tread through this blog at your own risk.

Much love.