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

I was upset when Prop 8 passed.

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

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

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

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na POT GIRL!

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

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

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

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

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

And she was staring at me.

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

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

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

"Yes, ma'am, I was."

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

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

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

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

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


see more puppies


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

Back in Business

Hey folks!

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

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

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

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

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

It's good to be back.

Ah, Nostalgia

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

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



Wow. I miss those days.

Post Drought

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

This is good news for me.

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

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

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

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

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

Be good while I'm gone!

Musical Friday

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

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

First: 1776.

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

Hefty subject for a musical, no?

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

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



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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reunited

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

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

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

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

Enjoy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Law & Order: Ice Cream Unit

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

Which is cool. Oh yes.

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

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

Really. You know I'm right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantastic Firsts

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

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

Let's start with what is my favorite example.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A very memorable evening, all in all.

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

Yeah.

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

But it was no more so than what happened next.

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

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

Which I do.

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

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

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

After all, who can forget stepping in puke?

Comedy Tragedy

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

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

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

Just take a look at some of what we lost.

August: Osage County

Well, not really.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Musical Stylings of the Muppets

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

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





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

I Return to Blogging

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy!

Summer Winds Down

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

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

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

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

Cat-astrophe

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

Summer Reading

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

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

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

Currently reading: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

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

This Would Be A Wonderful Thing

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

I saw this little comic and made a decision.


Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Yeah. I totally need one of those plot devices.

The Coolest, Weirdest Thing Ever

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

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

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

And it is the coolest, weirdest thing ever.

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

Check it out.



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

Cats

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

But you know what I think the real reason is?

Small children. Oh yes. Just take a look.

more cat pictures

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