Saturday, December 30, 2006

Saddam Hussein hanged

Guess that means the war in Iraq is all done now, right? Mission accomplished?

Junior is world-famous!

OK, so, several months ago I noticed how the Hartford Courant was running pictures of people's pets online every Saturday. So, of course, I entered Junior's picture with a little description. I checked back for several weeks and I never saw it, so I thought it got lost in the shuffle (of course - otherwise, why wouldn't they run it? It's Junior!). This morning, my mother called me to say that Junior is in the Courant today on page F4 (I think, I haven't gotten an actual hard copy yet) - apparently they also run pictures every Saturday in the actual paper too! She said that Junior's picture is the biggest. So I went online to the Life section of Courant.com, and there is Junior's mug right on the homepage of the Life section (you have to scroll down a bit). Then when you click on the Pets section, he's the first story - "125 Pounds of Style" - that's my pup! Check it out! He makes a mother proud.

Friday, December 29, 2006

sniff

Well, I've been hit by a festive holiday cold this week. I feel like complete crap, which is why I haven't been blogging - not much to say, except I'm just trying to get rid of this thing before I go back to work next week. I did go to see one movie, The Holiday - it was a fairly good chick flick, but it's definitely rentable. No need to rush out to the movie theaters. We tried to see The Good Shepherd as well, but didn't make it to the movie theater on time.

I can't believe it's already Friday. I've been off of work for a week (save a few hours I worked yesterday) and it doesn't feel that way at all. Feels like I just left! I could definitely use another week off.

Well, back to the TiVo. Just wanted to check in.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

aaand...it's over!



So the festive Christmas season is over. We had a very nice time with my family on Christmas Eve and Greg's family on Christmas. I got lots of cool new toys, including an automatic car starter (tres luxurious!) and a new cell phone from Greg. Overall it was pretty hectic but a good time. You can see Tweedledee and Tweedledum, despite having each received tons of new toys, agreed that this present from my mother for Junior was the best.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Well, knowing me and my posting regularity, I think this'll be the last post before Christmas. Today is Christmas Eve, which I love. This year, we will be at my mother's, which is always fun. We go to church at 4, and then come back and have lasagna and play board games. Scattergories, to be more specific. I love that game. One of my sisters and her family will be there, as well as my brother. Tomorrow we will be off to my mother's first thing in the morning to do gifts, and then down to Greg's parents' house for the afternoon.

So, to all of my blogger buds, have yourselves a merry little Christmas! Hope Santa is good to you! See ya on the flip side.

Friday, December 22, 2006

O Christmas tree

So, Greg surprised my bah-humbuggy self with a Christmas tree today! Up until today, we hadn't gotten one, and I figured we just wouldn't end up getting one this year. But when I came home from work, there was one up and decorated in our living room! It's kinda Charlie Brown Christmas tree-esque, but still. It was a very nice thing of him to do.

I've been wrapping presents all afternoon. Have I mentioned that I hate wrapping presents? This has nothing to do with having Christmas spirit or not. This is just a matter of I have no skills wrapping gifts, whether it be for Christmas, birthday, Groundhog Day, what have you. I used to hate it when I worked at Barnes and Noble and someone would ask me to wrap their books (it was a service we offered for free). Hey, they got what they paid for!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

bah humbug

Well, I'm now 99% done with my Christmas shopping. Just have to get some stocking stuff for Greg and a present for a kid - which always proves difficult for me - I'm not good at shopping for little kids, because I don't know what they want, or what they have. I didn't have the strength to hit Toys R Us today, because the mall drained me of my soul enough as it is. I was about to lose my mind in there.

I guess, in the end, I just don't have a whole lot of Christmas spirit this year. We never had the time to get a tree, so although we have some decorations up, we definitely didn't go all out. I do like receiving the Christmas cards in the mail, but other than that, it's just not doing it for me this year.

That's OK. I really am looking forward to having most of next week off from work - I haven't taken a week off since the first week in July - so I am definitely celebrating something!

Monday, December 18, 2006

hello? is this thing on?

Wow, ever since I quit the great blog-off of ought-six, I am MIA around here, huh? Well, it was a busy weekend. Friday, I attempted to do more Christmas shopping. Saturday, we went to another holiday party. Sunday, we took a break from the holiday partying to do some birthday partying, and celebrated the birthdays of my niece and nephew. My niece is 11; my nephew is 20. 20! Good Lord, I feel old. But then again, I was a very young aunt when I was 13. Still. It ain't right.

Last night was also the season finale of "Survivor." I've watched every episode of all 13 seasons of this show, and I must say, I really did enjoy this season. I was enraged at first, when they divided up the tribes by race, but it was a moot point after about one episode, and the rest of the season was really entertaining. I was happy that Yul won, although I would have been happier if Ozzy won. I know none of you watch or care, but still, I like to weigh my opinion in on the internets.

My TiVo is basically empty right now! It's barely recording any shows for me this week either. Am I going to have to go start reading books now?

Friday, December 15, 2006

yeah, I'm here

Alan is disappointed with me because I didn't write about our Secret Santa festivities at work. But Alan should know that I don't write about work on this blog (it can only backfire, as far as I'm concerned) so all I will say is, Secret Santa was fun, and I got some nice stuff.

I took today off of work, because I had remaining vacation time that I had to use before the end of the year, or I would lose it. So far it's been really exciting. I watched a "Daily Show" from this week and started to watch "The Office," but Greg got all upset because he wants to watch it with me, and he had to go do some work stuff, so I suppose we will watch it later.

I have a lot I have to do this weekend, including mailing my Christmas cards, finishing my shopping, going to a holiday party tomorrow, and going to a birthday party on Sunday. December is not a time for the lazy and tired, that's for sure. Too bad I'm lazy and tired!

Did anyone see "The Biggest Loser" finale on Wednesday? It was awesome. This is one of my all-time favorite shows. I find it so inspirational and emotional. I really like how these people commit to spending several months away from their families so they can focus on losing weight and getting healthy. Sure, there is a prize at the end for "The Biggest Loser," but you can tell for most of them, it becomes about the lifestyle change and the emotional journey of losing a lot of weight. Because if you do it through diet and exercise - really, the only proven way to do it and keep it off - it's incredibly difficult. Back in the day, I was overweight, and during '99-'00, I lost over 70 lbs. That's nothing compared to what some of these people on the show lose - one guy lost over 50% of his body weight! - but it was hard for me, and keeping it off is even harder. It's very easy for me to gain weight, and to stay where I am now requires a lifetime effort.

Well, that's enough of that. Have a great weekend, y'all!

Sunday, December 10, 2006

back in the game

I think it's safe to say that I took a significant break from theater. As Alan reported, he and I were cast in Love Letters in Southington - it's a two-person show about a man and woman who write letters back and forth throughout their lives - you see how their relationship develops from childhood through middle age. It's pretty intense.

ANYWAY, we won't start rehearsals until after January 1, which means I will have taken a full two months off of doing a show. PLUS, we will only have to rehearse a few times. PLUS we are doing one performance out of four (there are three other pairs doing the other performances - people do this a lot with Love Letters). SO, I think it's safe to say that I fulfilled my promise of taking a break.

I was in Love Letters before at the Warner Studio in Torrington, almost three years ago. When we did our performances, I had bronchitis and my partner had walking pneumonia. It was scary stuff. Even so, we were reviewed by a local theater critic and she had only good things to say about us.

I am looking forward to doing a show with Alan again - I've been friends with Todd and Alan since we were all in a production of All in the Timing together at Hole in the Wall in 2001, but I haven't done a show with either one of them since! I told Alan at auditions that the letters in this show are much more interesting than if a show was written based on our emails back and forth during the work day, which would go something like this:

Alan: So, what are you having for lunch?

Amanda: I'm not sure. But I'm starving! And it's only 10:00.

Riveting stuff.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

shopping update

I managed to get even more shopping done at the mall after work yesterday. Even though I left work at 1, the mall was still super-packed. I got some stuff for Greg, presents for Connor and Cole (Heather's twins), some Secret Santa stuff, my SCT board meeting/Christmas party grab bag, and....uhhh...that's it. But it's progress!

Today we have to get Greg's grab bag for the family party tomorrow (his side). I already have my grab bag. We also need to come up with some sort of appetizer. I have to run to my sister's now and drop off my super-duper new-fangled cupcake holder that my mother got me for my birthday. I love that thing!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

uncle, uncle!

As I told Alan tonight, I am quitting the blogging-every-day business. My posts have been barely interesting - seriously, I'm putting myself to sleep with them - and I've only been doing it in the spirit of competition. So, as Wheezer says, I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me? (Was it Wheezer? I think it was. Or some other similarly angst-ridden band from the '90s.)

It's been fun, y'all! I'll be back when I have something interesting (at least to me) to say.

ETA: It was Beck. Not Wheezer. I am ashamed of myself.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

and we're off

Well, I finally did it. I started my Christmas shopping. I did some Amazon shopping for my niece, started my Secret Santa shopping, and bought five more gifts at the mall tonight. So, while I am not overcome with Christmas spirit, I am happy that I finally got off my arse and started checking things off of my "To Do" list.

Tonight is a big night - the finale of "America's Next Top Model" - I know that you may think I'm completely lame for watching this show but I don't care. I'm an addict and I love it. That said, I don't have a real favorite to win, except I'd rather Melrose didn't win. Which means she will. Because I never get my way, reality TV show winner-wise.

ETA: Caridee won! Yay! For once I wasn't wrong.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

deck the halls


Despite the fact that it's only 21 days until Christmas, despite the fact that I live near the mall and therefore cannot escape the holiday madness, despite the fact that I've been hearing Christmas music everywhere since before Thanksgiving, despite the fact that I've burned up several batteries for my digital camera working on a Christmas card picture of my dogs, and despite the fact that I've already gone to two Christmas parties, I am really not feeling the holiday spirit yet. I'm kind of there, but not there as much as I should be, considering.


However, tomorrow I receive my Secret Santa recipient at work, and I loooooove Secret Santa, so hopefully that will be the thing that kickstarts my Christmas cheer.


And with that - another Christmas card reject.


Monday, December 04, 2006

Someday I will do a real post again




In the meantime, enjoy some of this year's Christmas card rejects.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

testing picture posting


I think it's working now..


Saturday, December 02, 2006

Is anyone else having trouble posting pictures?

Because I keep getting this little box with a red x in it. Boo.

five inches

That's how much hair I had cut off yesterday. My hair hasn't been this short since before I got engaged over three years ago. I'm still getting used to it, but I think I like it.

Friday, December 01, 2006

World AIDS Day

Go here and light a candle to help raise money for the fight against AIDS. It's free and it'll take you a second. Thanks Flannery for telling me about the site.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

ideas

So tonight, I was thisclose to calling the whole "blog-off" thing, well, off. I couldn't think of a single thing to write about, because I'm in a very boring phase right now where all I do is come home and watch TV. Well, I went to Target after work, but who the hell wants to hear about that? But then I remembered that Alan had sent me this website that gives you all kinds of ideas for blog and writing topics. Check it out. It's pretty cool. This is the topic it gave me tonight, which I will try to answer:

What age were you most inspired?

It's funny, because I think the age I was the most inspired was the age I was most confused, and that would have to be age 22. I had just graduated college with a BA in English and a concentration in Journalism, and I knew I wanted to be a writer, but breaking into newspapers is really hard to do. I was freelancing at a newspaper, as well as working at a youth theater program, along with working full-time at Barnes & Noble so I could have health insurance. I worked about 70-80 hours a week during those days, and I was never home. I went months without a day off. But when I did have a spare moment, I came up with all kinds of lists and ideas about what I was going to do with my life. I was tied down to nowhere and no one, and I scheduled my life out in a million different directions. Soon after, I did get a full-time job at a newspaper, and life became much more settled (or as settled as it could be as a reporter). But it was that year after college that, because I had no clue where my life was headed, I planned it heading everywhere and doing everything.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

freakin' Bachelor

First of all, let me just say that I am thoroughly ashamed that I watch "The Bachelor." It is such a stupid show - between the rose ceremonies and group dates and fantasy suites and what not, it is truly the cheesiest of all shows that I watch. Even for a reality TV fan like myself, it is humiliating to admit that this is on my list of shows to TiVo.

Nevertheless, there I was last night, watching the big two-hour finale. Going in, I knew I had picked the wrong girl. I always do. The Bachelors never pick the girl I want them to, so last night, I knew that it would be Jen who would get the final rose, not Sadie. And sure enough, I was right.

Why Jen, Lorenzo? Why Jen? Although she is a teacher, she really seemed kind of empty in the head, ya know? I had hopes for you, Lorenzo. You didn't seem like a total loser. You seemed to kind of hate the whole awkward Bachelor experience. I thought maybe YOU would be the one to choose the girl that I liked. But, alas for Sadie and me, Jen was the one you chose to be your princess.

Whatever.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Junior the dastardly dog


Well, in an interesting turn of events, Junior was the bad dog tonight. Jimmy has held that title pretty much since he got here. Tonight, Greg made up some chicken, and had cut it up, mixed it up with some stuff and was making some improvised chicken tacos. He left the chicken in a bowl on the kitchen counter and was with me in the living room when we heard Junior trying to get to something. Now, sure, he's a big dog and he can sometimes lick things off the counter, but when we walked in, he had both front paws up on the counter and he was eating directly out of the bowl. I swear, up on his hind legs he's taller than me! And to top it all off, he pulled the same stunt a while later when I left a bowl of pasta on the counter (much further back) (obviously I should have learned my lesson).


It seems Junior's learned himself a fine new trick. Bad dog!

Sunday, November 26, 2006

fullness

Today we went to brunch at Avon Old Farms with my in-laws, my mother and my aunt who is in town from Illinois. It was fun but I ate waaay too much and I still feel like I'm about to explode!

I also attempted to take Junior and Jimmy's picture for the Christmas card this year, but it didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I got a couple of decent shots but I'm still hoping for something better.

I took Jimmy to my mother's house tonight, and he proceeded to fart up the whole joint - Stinky McPooperpants really wore out his welcome.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Sunday. Oh, I started watched my Netflixed "Weeds" - that Showtime show about a woman who lives in suburbia and deals pot for a living - but I haven't totally formulated my opinion about it yet. It's interesting though.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

dear blog

I am hoping that Todd and Alan laugh at the title of this entry. Anywho, last night we had a very nice time with them - had some pizza and ice cream and general good times. For some reason, Alan thinks he's ahead of me in the great blog-off - after this I am going to have to go count and see how many entries he's done in a row, to see if he is really beating me.

I just watched my TiVo'ed "Survivor" - Todd insisted that it was a very exciting episode - to me, the most exciting part was not the immunity challenge, but the fact that Aitu managed to flip Jonathan once again and get rid of Nate! Yeah! I didn't hate Nate or anything but I always love to see the underdogs win. Ultimately I'd really like to see Yul win, and if he takes Jonathan to the final two, it would be incredibly smart, because everyone hates Jonathan! Hee.

Greg is busy helping his father with a project today, so I'm flying solo for the afternoon. I might head out to do some shopping - we'll see - and then tonight we have Heather's birthday party. Yup, I'm livin' like a rock star.

Friday, November 24, 2006

black friday

Well, we had a very nice Thanksgiving. Once of the nicest things about it was the fact I won $66 in a dice game called LCR. It's awesome, because it involves no skill, everyone gets really excited and into it, and well, I won two games. Otherwise, it was nice to see everyone, and, as usual, my sister cooks up a mean feast.

Today is the dreaded Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the day where the malls and my general area of living becomes choked with people celebrating the season by maxing out their credit cards. I kind of forgot about it until we hit the intersection that brings us from our residential area to the main atery of chaos -near the mall and across from Corbins Corner - and I saw all of the traffic. Instead of dealing with that, we took the dogs to West Hartford Center for a walk, got lunch at Cosi, and now I'm watching an America's Next Top Model marathon on VH-1. Yeah, I'm a dork, but I'm really tired today, so I'm going to try not to feel too guilty.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with Todd and Alan, so it is sure to be a fabulous night. We are going to a restaurant in Southington that I've never been to. God, I hope I don't see anyone from high school.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

oh, the weather outside is frightful

Oh, wait, that song is for another holiday, huh? Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wow, the weather sucks, huh? All this rain might make my Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a little soggy. I love the parade - only 40 minutes to go! I know it's totally cheesy but I don't think there has been one Thanksgiving when I haven't watched at least part of it. This year, we don't have to be at my sister's house until nearly 2, so I can watch all of it, plus a decent chunk of the dog show after.

TV - I am so thankful for you.

Also, for my family, health, friends, pups, home, clothes, food, and all of the good things I have. I am a very lucky person.

Have a great, relaxing day, everyone, and enjoy your turkey!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

zombie pt 2

I could not be more thrilled that I am only working a half day today, because I have been awake for hours....I don't know why I can't sleep this week but at least it's the last day of work before Thanksgiving - yay!

ETA - I noticed that my friend Alan was blogging at the exact same time this morning - but his entry is longer and more interesting. He must've actually slept last night.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

not funny

WTF is up with Michael Richards and his racist rant at a couple of hecklers last week?

And now he's apologizing on Letterman, saying he's not a racist and he doesn't know where his rage came from. I believe he's not a racist as much as I believe Mel Gibson really does like Jews.

What an ass. His career is done, not that it really wasn't already. I'm really shocked by this.

Monday, November 20, 2006

monday, monday

Well, I am continuing my blogging-every-day thing, but I'm sad to report that anyone who reads today's entry will be supremely bored, because I don't have a whole lot to say. I am extremely excited about the fact that it's Thanksgiving week, because that means only a two-and-a-half day work week for me - as long as I can get everything done by midday on Wednesday. I haven't really been able to take any significant time off this year, except for a week in July, so even a long weekend is really exciting.

I am so exhausted right now. I think it's because it's dark now. Why is it that when it's dark at 4:30, our bodies just say, "well, that's it for me. I'm done!" Yet if it was July, there would be no way I'd be dressed for bed at 5:25, like I am now.

OK, time to go watch my TiVo'ed Amazing Race and do some laundry. See? I told you it would be boring.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Taye Diggs is delicious

I just watched the season premiere of that new show Daybreak starring Taye Diggs. I have, of course, loved Mr. Diggs since I saw him in RENT in 1997. Anyway, it's a pretty good show. Every day, his character wakes up and it's the same morning, a la Groundhog Day. Except this isn't a lame Bill Murray comedy - it's full of action and mystery and shooting people and stuff like that. I'm already confused but apparently all of the mysteries will be solved in 11 weeks. I wonder if it's picked up again if they will have him wake up to an all-new mystery next year? I just hope it doesn't drag on, season to season, without any solution (are you listening to me, LOST????).

Saturday, November 18, 2006

the daily show

Alan and I decided that we were going to try to write every day for the next couple of weeks. Let's see who keeps up with it, eh?

Last night I went to Simmer Grille in West Hartford. It was pretty good, but a tiny bit too expensive for the food, I think. I had onion soup with blistered cheeses (I heart cheese), and salt and herb-crusted French cut chicken with mashed potatoes. It was good - I think I will be going back at some point.

Over the past couple of days, Greg and I have been watching "The Comeback," which we Netflixed. It was an HBO show about a woman (played by Lisa Kudrow) who is a former big TV star, who is making her comeback via a reality show and a small part on a cheesy sitcom. It's super-uncomfortable to watch (kind of like "The Office") but I think she does a great job and I am enjoying it.

I now have to get ready so I can meet up with my friend Deb for dinner and The Pajama Game. Talk to you tomorrow! : )

Friday, November 17, 2006

zombie

Remember that Cranberries song, "Zombie"? Now it's going to be stuck in my head all day. I've been awake since 430 a.m., so I also think it's going to be the theme song of my day.

Anyway, not to sound too cliche, but thank God it's Friday. This has been a super-busy week, work-wise, and I still haven't kicked this cold, so I am ready for some good down time. Here's what's up:

Today: Work. Leave work early, maybe go shopping for bday present for Heather. Tonight we are going to dinner at Simmer with Matt and Cathy. Hope it's good - the menu sure looks tasty!

Saturday: Tomorrow is the first Saturday I haven't had plans during the day in over a month. I'm psyched. I'm sure Greg and I will just do our routine - get some lunch, read some magazines, go look at some puppies. Saturday night I am going to see some of my old Rumors peeps in The Pajama Game in Simsbury. Meeting up with my friend Deb before for dinner.

Sunday: We are going to a baptism for the baby of a couple of friends of ours. I wonder if there will be cake? : )

Have a good one!

Monday, November 13, 2006

boring Monday night



Self portraits with the pups

Sunday, November 12, 2006

yet another sign I'm getting old

The most exciting thing that has happened this weekend is the fact that I cleaned the hell out of my house. It is now actually presentable - someone could come over, right now, and I wouldn't be humiliated or have to make excuses for the mess. Of course, a lot of the mess around here is due to the dogs, but when I'm involved with a show, the first thing that suffers is the general cleanliness of my life - my house, my car, my brain. So today, at least the house got the scrub-down it needed.

However, it seems that the most exciting thing that has happened to Greg this weekend is the fact that the Jets just won over the Patriots, because he's screaming all over the house.

Did I mention we're old?

Saturday, November 11, 2006

weekend update

Haven't done one of these in a while...and this one will be fairly lame.

Friday: Yesterday I went to work, and went to lunch with the fabulous BBCS. After work, I went home and- you guessed it! - sat on the couch. Greg and I managed to go out and get dinner at Mayor Mike's (never have the chicken sandwich - it's dullsville). Then we went home, watched TV, and I went to sleep at 9:30. Have I mentioned I'm sick?

Saturday: So far today I've made cookies. We're going to a chili cook-off at a friend's house this afternoon, and while I have no skills in chili making, I can make dessert. Anyway, we'll soon be heading down there. Not sure if anything is brewing for tonight. Considering my lame-ass self, I doubt it.

Sunday: This is where things get really exciting, because I have nothing planned. I should clean the house and do some laundry. We'll see how that goes. I'll go see my mom. Yeah - that's about it.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your much more exciting weekend plans.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Votey McVoterson

Oh and PS, go and vote if you haven't already. Hurry! You only have 52 minutes left. I live by the rule that my mother beat into my brain (well, not literally) when I was young - if you don't vote, you can't complain (I'm sure she didn't mean that if you're Canadian and can't vote, Alan. So complain away). And since I complain a whole lot about how this country is run under the current administration, I got my sick arse down to the voting booth today. I almost couldn't shut the damn thing and thought I was going to need help, but I finally managed. Yup, it's people like me who help determine the course of this country. People who can't close a voting booth. USA! USA!

As a special bonus for election day, The Daily Show and Colbert Report are live tonight. I hope I can stay awake that late!

giving you what you want


Even though you've already seen this, Flannery and Alan, here is what my hair looked like last week. Specifically on Halloween, when I was dressed as Amanda of '89. This was at the end of the day, so my hair wasn't achieving as much height as the beginning of the day.

In other news, Britney is divorcing K-Fed! This is the first smart thing she's done since, well, since she met the guy. For some reason, I don't want her life to end up in the toilet. There is something about her that doesn't scream pure evil, which is unusual for Hollywood.

Monday, November 06, 2006

and......scene.


So that about wraps up that for Life with Father. I have to finish up some ad budget stuff and pass that over to the producer, but the show is DONE. Thank God. After Friday's drama with the almost passing out, I was kinda scared on Saturday, because the cold had only progressed. I did have a bit of a coughing fit at the beginning, but nothing too bad. We did the show, struck the set, had the cast party, and I was home by 2 a.m. Sunday I woke up feeling like total and utter hell, as the cold had taken up residence in my sinuses, which is where it remains today. I went into work this morning, but came home early because I think Beth and Flannery had just about had it with my coughing and sniffling. Not that I blame them, because, seriously....gross.

I am proud to report that after three days on the couch (minus show time) I have officially caught up on all of my TiVo. It makes me a little sad, because now I will have to watch TV like regular people. Weird.

Anywho, here's a pic from my show. This is one of my castmates Regina who very nicely helped me pin up my pre-wig hair for the show. The thing that I am holding is my wig cap, although it strongly resembles a knee-high stocking. And that's precisely what it felt like. I will be happy if I never have to put another wig on my head again.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Stage fright

Last night I had one of the most terrifying moments ever on stage. As y'all know, I have a cold/cough that's steadily gotten worse the past few days. Last night while doing the show, I felt a cough brewing in my throat while I was onstage. I didn't have any speaking parts at that moment - I was just serving breakfast to the family. I let out a couple of minor coughs, but I really could tell I have a huge coughing fit on deck. I held it back, and all of the sudden I felt like my chest was going to explode, my eyes filled up with tears, and the room started spinning. I thought there was about a 90% chance I was going to pass out, so I hightailed it outta there before I was done with all of my "business" (filling cups with coffee, clearing bowls, stuff like that). I went outside and coughed and coughed until I almost threw up (I know this is gross, but I'm trying to get across how horrible it was). Then I flew back onstage (about two seconds past my cue) and continued with the show, all the while my hands shaking and my head spinning. I felt better after a bit, but holy shit, scary! Can't wait to see what tonight brings, as I only feel worse today. My arse has been firmly planted on my couch for two days (minus the show stuff) so I'm doing what I can do to get better. I'm even drinking tea, for God's sakes! (that's a shout out to Miss Flannery).

I was very happy to have my pals and theater compadres Alan and Todd there last night to witness the whole thing - not just the show, but the shenanigans afterwards at the restaurant. : ) Thanks for coming, guys!

Friday, November 03, 2006

It's (cough) show (hack) time (wheeze)

Well, the show opened last night, after a very long hell week. The minor cold I've had for the past month blew up a couple of days ago, so by the time last night rolled around, I was a full-fledged cough drop addict, just hoping for the best. At one point on stage I got the much-dreaded throat tickle that threatened to turn into a major coughing fit, but it wasn't too bad - and the people I talked to yesterday after the show told me they thought the coughing was a character thing. okaaaay.....

I took today off of work because I needed some down time in a big way, but now it's just pretty much a sick day. Tonight ought to be interesting....

Sorry for this extremely boring post. I feel extremely boring. My life = work, show, work, show, work, show....I got nothin' else.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

what fresh hell is this?

So, today begins Hell Week for my show. It actually began yesterday, when the set build started at the school where we are having the show. I couldn't be there because I was babysitting Heather's kids, so she could go to her grandmother's funeral. I always go to set build, so I didn't feel too bad about missing it this time. However, I will be there today, probably around noon, until 8 p.m. Our rehearsal begins around 4, and before that I imagine I will be painting a lot of stuff. We have rehearsal every night this week, and have lots of stuff to figure out before we open on Thursday (primarily, how to work on our actual set, costume changes, working with the props, stuff like that. My major concerns are my costume changes and working with all of the props, because even though I have a wee part, I still do a lot of both).

So I don't think you'll hear much from me this week, dear readers (all four of you). But just know that I'm in hell.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

I'm too tired to come up with a title for this entry

Wow, this has been a long week.

For various reasons, but primarily show-related, this week has been..what has it been? Horrible? Disastrous? Dramatic? Long? Silly? Stupid? It has been many things. But now it is almost over, and for that, I rejoice.

I love show biz.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

two years ago today, part deux


We were headed for Hawaii.

I needed a reminder of much nicer things during this horrendous week (nothing really bad, just show/work stuff).

Monday, October 23, 2006

two years ago today.


One of the best decisions I'll ever make.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

it's Monday already

Well, no, not really. In real life, it's Thursday night. I just got home from rehearsal and it's been a incredibly long day. From the time I left work (4:30) until now (11:23) I have been doing show stuff. It's becoming more consuming than I ever anticipated.

I am heading into one of those weekends where it feels like it's already Monday morning. There is so much to do that in what seems like a moment I will be sitting at my desk again, at the start of the week. Saturday morning we have to get up very early, head down to the train station in New Haven, take a four hour train ride to Wilmington, go visit Greg's friends in PA for the day on Saturday, overnight into Sunday, get the train in Wilmington midday on Sunday, take a four hour train ride to New Haven, drive home, immediately drive to rehearsal, rehearse, come home, collapse, get up for work on Monday.

Happy Monday, everyone.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

UConn Huskies spreading Rumors at the Lapin Agile

Well, it was a busy weekend.

Friday night I went to see the play Rumors in Goshen. My friend Donna directed it and my friend Tony was in it. For those of you who follow my theatrical happenings (and I know you all do, with baited breath, no less) you know I was in a production of Rumors this past spring. It was funny to watch the show knowing every single line, and seeing all the differences in their production from ours. It was really good though. But seriously, what's up with Goshen? It seems like there is absolutely nothing going on in that town. Deb and I got there early, so we stopped at an ice cream place down the road from the theater...it was basically the only thing open, and I had a strong feeling we were going to be murdered by a serial killer. The whole desolate small town thing was completely freaking me out. We went to a little cast party after the show in Litchfield. I was completely exhausted when I got home.

Saturday Greg and I went to the UConn Huskies football game. I wasn't too psyched about it, but it was a beautiful day out. In fact, it was so beautiful and sunny that I fell asleep during the game. What a dork! The real fun of Saturday was Saturday night, of course, because that's when I got to see my friend Alan in his final performance as Picasso in Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Hole in the Wall. The play was very sensual, and his accent was not at all Transylvanian. I could explain that last sentence, but he'll know what I mean. I would tell you all to go see it, but alas, it's over. In fact, I can guarantee that Alan is suffering some post-show letdown today. It's always super-depressing when a great theater experience is over. Great job, Alan!

And speaking of the thea-tah, I am supposed to be working on my lines for my show right now. I have such a small part that I've devoted no time whatsoever to getting off book, and I kinda really need to do it today and tomorrow, since we're supposed to be completely off book by Tuesday. Plus, I'm going to be running rehearsals this week because the director can't be there, so I won't be able to use my spare time at rehearsals to learn my lines. I don't know why I am being so lazy with this show. I think it's because I need a theater break. Hmmm...how many times have we heard that one? Anyway, I'm off to rehearsal soon.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Number one pup of all time


Here's Junior, after a busy day of terrorizing the neighbors.

the joys of dog ownership (or, why I am $600 less wealthy today)


So, it all started last Friday. I came home from work and was just trying to chill out in front of the TV for a little bit before I had to go to a very difficult funeral. I heard some shouting out in the front yard, and realized that my two elderly neighbors from down the road had pulled over in their car and were yelling at my dogs. I believe I heard the man say "Bad dog - I will punch you in the nose." So, I came out and said, "What's going on here?" The man tried to pretend nothing much was going on, but the wife then reamed me out. Apparently she was walking by our house a few days ago with her granddaughters and the dogs (Junior, primarily) freaked them out. We have an invisible fence, and she told me that her son also has an invisible fence, and his Great Dane jumped the fence (this makes no sense, but bear with me). So I say, look, they have never broken through before, these fences are legal, etc, and then she said, "We'll let the dog warden decide" and concluded with "You can take your dog and shove it." Nice.

Fast forward to this morning. Now, the story takes a different turn here, so just try to follow me. I swear, everything ties together in the end. So I get up this morning at 6:20. Greg had already gotten up - he gets up early on Wednesday mornings for a networking meeting - and since he was up, Jimmy was up too. I rolled over and went to grab for my glasses. This is where I will mention that I am legally blind without my glasses, seriously. I can't see my hand in front of my face. I remember that in the middle of the night, I got up to pee and I think I remember knocking my glasses off my nightstand. So I'm looking on the floor, and can't find them there either. I called Greg to help me find the glasses. Oh, he found them all right. He found them in the middle of the living room floor in a mangled mess. MANGLED in such a way it looked like they were run over by a car. A car with teeth. I immediately start crying because, people, I am BLIND without them. Greg had to leave and I realized that I would have to wait until at least 10 a.m. to see anything because that's when LensCrafters opens.

Now, a few weeks ago, I got fitted for contacts. I don't wear contacts well - I can wear them only for a few hours at best and they are uncomfortable to the point of wanting to scratch my eyes out at about the 6 hour mark, sometimes earlier. However, I bought a supply because they are good to have for shows, outdoor activities, stuff like that. They had called me on Monday to say they were in, so I would be able to pick them up today. But how would I be able to see after I inevitably had to take them out?

I finally remembered that I had an old pair of glasses, and found them, but yeesh. The prescription was bad, the glasses were bad, but at least I could see somewhat - I was a million times better off than I was when I woke up. I got ready for work, and at 10, I was heading out the door to LensCrafters to pick up my new contacts and order new glasses. I was checking my email for the last time before I left, and who do you think I see pulling up to the house? Animal Control.

Oh, oh, wait, I forgot about the part where, throughout the morning, Jimmy also destroyed one of my black shoes (of the only pair of nice black shoes that I have) and he brought in a dead bird. But I digress.

So, anyway, yup, my &*(!&^*^!&*^ neighbors called Animal Control. The lady was very nice to us - asked us some questions about the fence, asked us if we ever let the dogs outside when we aren't home (never), etc, etc, and then asked us to see their dog licenses. Ummm...yeah. As it turns out, they don't have dog licenses. It was one of those things we thought was taken care of, and, um, wasn't. So she gave a citation for that (and only for one dog, when she could have given us citations for both) and went on her merry way. Basically, we aren't doing anything wrong, and she was going to assure our neighbors that we don't let the dogs out when we're not home. (&&*!^&*! neighbors.

So, after that excitement, I went to LensCrafters, got my new contacts, got my new glasses (I got the exact same frames, different color, so they were able to pop in my somewhat-chewed-but-not-bad-lenses in while I wait for the new lenses to arrive in two weeks) and went to work.

New glasses: $439
Black shoes: $60
Dog warden citation: $60

Being Junior and Jimmy's mom: Priceless

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Truthiness

Sorry I've been a little absent from blogland lately. I just had a really depressing week and I didn't want to write about it.

However, yesterday I did, in fact, do something fun. Greg and I went down to NYC to see a taping of "The Colbert Report." We are HUGE fans and proud members of Colbert Nation, and we watch it every single night (well, technically, we watch it usually in a huge chunk on the weekend, courtesy of TiVo). So I signed up online a few months ago to see if we could be part of the studio audience. Lo and behold, I received an email back in July saying that we could come on October 9. I thought it was a joke - seriously, I thought it was spam - but then I got a confirmation email in September and finally believed that it was real.

We took the train down in the early afternoon, got lunch, and headed to his studio on West 54th. We got there at 3:30 (they let you in at 6, and strongly suggest you get there at least an hour and a half earlier than that, so I thought two and a half hours was even better). Sure enough, we were the first ones in line, but not by much - within a half hour there were probably 50 people in line. The studio only holds 100. Around 6 they let us into a little holding room (which had a bathroom, thank God), and announced they would be seating people based on the number that was on the ticket they gave you when you came in - and, because we RULE, we were numbers 1 and 2. So we were right in the front row when we finally got into the studio (which is tiny, incidentally). We couldn't have been more than 10 feet away from his desk!

A stand-up comedian came out to warm the crowd up, then the stage manager went over all of the rules (clap loud, laugh hard, have fun) and then Stephen Colbert came out to say hi and answer some questions before taping started. He seemed really cool and it was just fun to see how everything worked from a behind-the-scenes perspective. Then it was on with the show!

The guest was musician Randy Newman (he has written music for lots of movies), and when they were filming him playing a song, they also got me and Greg (and others who were sitting around us) on tape, and you can totally see us on TV. We look like big goobers, but we sure do look like we're having fun too! Stephen's brother was sitting behind us, and when they were done with the show, Stephen came over and hugged his brother and said, "I have to leave immediately. It's my anniversary!" I thought that was funny.

The whole thing only took an hour - less than that, really - so I'm not sure if I will ever devote that much time to going to a taping of a TV show again, but we had a great time and it was definitely the best part of the last week.

And that's The Word.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

sad

I'm not about to air another family's grief on my blog, but I just want to note how incredibly sad I am about the death of someone I know very well, and how much my heart is with her family right now. Sometimes, life plain sucks. This is one of those times.

Monday, October 02, 2006

bad, LOST fan...bad!

I'm a bad LOST fan. The show has its third season premiere this week, and I'm not very excited about it. This time last year, I was practically peeing in my pants, I was so giddy that this, my favorite show, was about to start again. But for some reason, I'm not losing any sleep over it this year. I'm wondering if this is the year where they completely lose me - where I have no idea what is going on to the point of not caring anymore.

I know - this is shocking, especially to anyone who knows what a rabid fan I've been in the past. And I still am, I promise - but I think this year they are going to have to really win me over in the first few episodes, because things got a little dull there during season two. I mean, I liked the season finale - but it was one of only a few episodes last season that really gripped me, unlike the first season, when every single episode was awesome.

And don't worry, Josh Holloway, you are still my television boyfriend, no matter how I feel about the show itself.

In other news, do you think Flannery will ever update her blog again? Rumor has it some big-time things have happened since she last updated on September 12.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

everybody loves a parade

So, the parade that I was supposed to be in today - the world-famous Apple Harvest Festival Parade in Southington - was postponed until next week because of the rain. Southington Community Theatre has been in this parade for the past couple of years. We have a little float and everything. I know I'm a bad person and everything but I was kind of relieved, because I just wasn't in the mood to sit and wave to strangers all afternoon. As much as I love being on stage, I really feel awkward and strange being in a parade. Because, like, why should these people care about me? It's not like I'm the Apple Harvest Queen or anything fancy like that.

But today also brought some good Southington-based news. My mother was telling me about a new dog park they have in town, so I took a drive by on my way home from my mother's. It's just a smallish fenced-in area, but it's oh-so-popular amongst the dog owners in Southington! It was great to see all the dogs running around, unleashed and having a fun, carefree time. I cannot wait to bring Junior and Jimmy down there.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Little Miss Sunshine

I finally saw this movie. It was really cute. Kind of depressing in parts, but laugh out loud funny in others. The little girl in the movie reminds me of myself at that age - kinda odd with big, nerdy glasses. Steve Carrell was especially awesome. Very different from his "The Office" character. Anywho, go see it, or, at the very least, rent it (especially you Beth, now that you've got that fancy-dancy DVD player!).

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

work it, pups

Is it strange that every week when I'm watching "America's Next Top Model" I conduct an elaborate "America's Next Top Puppy" competition between Junior and Jimmy? And that I always make both of them win because I don't want one of them to feel bad?

Best not to answer that, I think.

the birds and me

So, as you know, I'm trying to be more mindful of my exercise lately. I've been getting up at the ass-crack of dawn to do my running/walking routine, which I hate with the power of a thousand suns, particularly because I've really incorporated a lot more running into it. I am not the kind of person who gets that endorphins rush that makes me all happy when I'm exercising. I'm more the kind of person who cannot wait until it is all over, so I can immediately begin dreading going the next day. But, well, it's good for me, etc. etc., so I'm making an effort.

My friend Alan thinks I should get some sort of spiritual joy out of starting my day off just as the birds start tweeting and the world is just waking up. He thinks I should be happy that I have the opportunity to commune with nature before the day's natural hustle and bustle takes over. As nice as that all sounds, the only thing that keeps me out there on my 51-minute jaunt is my iPod.

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was this morning when the battery died about 25 minutes into the whole thing. So it was just me and the birds this morning.

Please don't fail me tomorrow, iPod.

Monday, September 25, 2006

check me out

I was really sick of the pink, so I changed my template. I have to update my links, but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard (it's just exhausting picking a new template).

weekend review

Well, the rest of my birthday weekend was fairly busy and rife with sickness. Saturday Greg felt like complete crap, so he did not go to my cousin's party. Luckily, he felt good enough earlier in the week to go shopping for my birthday, so I got to unwrap some lovely gifts from him, including some sweet new brown boots, new Nikes (needed them really badly), a nice gigantic new sweatshirt, and a gift certificate to the mall. Later, we went to dinner at Tinker's in Hartford (good seafood, no-frills restaurant/fish market).

Sunday started bright and early at about 12:30 a.m. when Greg woke me up to say he was going to the ER because he ear was killing him so badly. I was in complete REM 4 sleep when he woke me up, so he was out the door before I could go with him. I felt really badly. He came home an hour later to report that he had a ruptured eardrum. They gave him some eardrops and told him he'd feel better in about five days. He's still on the mend.

The rest of Sunday featured clean-up day at SCT Hall, which totally sucked but we got a lot done. Then Sunday night I had rehearsal and helped paint the marquee for our Apple Harvest Festival parade float for next weekend. Yup, kids, I'm in a parade next weekend.

It's not still officially the weekend anymore, but I'm happy to report I went and spent some of my gift certificate at the mall and bought a cool, rust-colored courderoy skirt from the Gap that I'd been eyeing for a few weeks. I had wanted to buy a new purse but I didn't find anything, so I'll still be lugging around that *&!&!^&* pink polka-dotted thing for a while longer.

Also, at one point during the weekend I watched the movie The Family Stone. It's worth seeing, even if it's a little sad.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

you know, that's how old Jesus was when he died

Yup, that's what Greg said to me when I said I couldn't believe I was turning 33. I can't say that it made me feel any better.

So, today is my birthday. It started 12 minutes ago. I just got home from a Rumors reunion - the cast from that show that I did in Simsbury back in March got together tonight to watch the video. We had a great time, despite that fact that I had to watch myself on a huge-screen TV.

Anyway, back to the big day. I can almost guarantee that this will be one of my less-exciting birthdays. We are going to my cousin's kids' birthday party, which will be good in the sense that there will be cake and I'll get to see my family. Other than that, I'm really not quite sure what the day will bring. Greg is super sick, so I don't think he's going to be much up for partying hard. And to be honest, neither am I. It's been a long week and I'm thinking the nicest way I could spend the day would be catching up on my TiVo and magazines and of course opening up the little pile of presents that are waiting for me on the dining room table. (Oh, who am I fooling - that will be the first thing I do when I wake up.)

Turning 33 is kind of boring, in the sense that it's not a landmark birthday. At the same time, I can't believe I'm 33, because it feels like I was just 25, or 19, or 12. Where does all the time go? Any way you look at it, I'm an adult. I'm not even sure if I'm a young adult anymore. I think I'm just a regular adult. Yet I'm wearing a Gap sweatshirt and flip-flops with ice cream cones on them. I could have been wearing this same outfit on any of the aforementioned birthdays. Have I grown up at all? I have all the trappings of an adult - the marriage, the house, the 2.5 dogs - but inside, most of the time, I don't feel very grown up. Maybe it's because I still get giddy at the thought of cake. Of course, on my 21st birthday, I don't think I would have been satisfied with just catching up on TV shows I missed that week. Frankly, I don't even think I watched TV at that point in my life. There were too many bars to go to.

OK, OK, I get it. Getting older=watching more TV. Hmmmm....I think I like this getting older after all!

Time for bed.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Imagine if you had a friend whose show opened this weekend

And imagine if this friend updated his blog so we could find out how it went? Wouldn't that be really great and informative and everything? Rumor has it he has a pretty big part, and he's been pretty stressed out about it, and since he decided to slack off and take today off from work, I didn't receive an email ALL DAY telling me how it went, and, you know, I'm just wondering how it went, since, you know, he's a big star and all. Or maybe he doesn't want to talk to the little people anymore.

I'm just sayin'.

dudes, I'm tired!

Well, this was a busy weekend.

Saturday was a nice day. It was beautiful out, and I felt like I really had to take advantage of what was probably one of the last nice Saturdays this year (sigh). I did one of my favorite things - sat out on my back deck and read. Then I felt guilty so I cleaned up the house and did some chores. At night, we went to dinner with some friends at Burton's Grill at Evergreen Walk - this was the first time I'd been to both the shopping center and the restaurant. The food was really good, and I really wanted to check out the shops, but we were going to a movie so there was no time.

We went to see The Last Kiss -that's the movie starring Zach "I am so overrated" Braff. I really didn't like it. It was semi-depressing and was about several relationships that had major problems, and it left me feeling icky and mad at Greg (why is it when I see a movie where someone cheats on someone I get mad at Greg? It's kind of funny). Anyway, unless you want to feel all angsty, don't go see it.

Sunday we headed off to Portsmouth, RI, to young Flannery's wedding. She had a lovely day and we had a lot of fun. She looked beautiful (I must say her co-workers can really help pick out a dress!), but I don't have any good pictures so maybe the lovely Lisa will post some? However, because I am a lame loser who cannot handle my drink anymore, I felt sick on the way home and had to pull over. I only had two and a half glasses of wine!! Who does this? What self-respecting 32 (almost 33!) year old has to pull over on route 9 in Middletown so her stomach can settle? I am getting old, people. An old lady who can't handle her liquor. There was a time in my life when nine drinks wouldn't have that effect. LAME. Anywho, lucky Flannery and Nate are off to Mexico for a week at an all-inclusive resort! Congratulations once again to the newlyweds.

And now I need to go find some Tums.

Friday, September 15, 2006

for your consideration

I am completely obsessing over two CDs right now. They are battling each other for my affection while I'm driving, and so far, there is no clear winner. They are: the soundtrack to [title of show] and Barenaked Ladies are Me, the new BNL CD that came out this week. They are completely different from each other, yet I am desperately in love with both. Thank God I have to do a lot of driving these days, or I'd feel like I was neglecting one. Anyway, go buy these CDs!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

but we were on a break!!

So, today I found out that I got a part in a play called Life with Father, that goes up in November. This is another SCT production. Should be fun/interesting - fun, because it's theater, and interesting, because I'm actually playing four different parts. In this show (which is very charming and old-school - it was written in the 1930s, I believe, and takes place in the 1890s), there are four different maids that come and go throughout the show. As a way to make these little parts more appealing to someone who is auditioning, the director decided that he was going to have one person play all four roles, develop four different personas, accents, movements, etc. So, what was four small parts becomes one medium-sized part that is actually quite challenging. I've never done anything like this, morphing from one character to the next in one show. So it should be quite the experience! Rehearsals start Thursday night, but I will only be able to make the tail end because I have to work Thursday night.

The reason I titled this entry the way I did is because I've already gotten flack from my friends who told me that I promised I would go on a theater hiatus for a while after Into the Woods. To those people I say - hey, what was the last month for? That was the break! Oh, you were expecting something longer? Do you know me at all?

In other news, I have a cold. Did I already complain about this? I can't remember.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

aaaand....I'm back

So, I'm back from Cape Cod. We had the best trip. Ate a lot, sat in the sun a lot, and laughed a lot harder than I have in a really long time. You know - the kind of laughing where you think you're going to throw up. It was pretty awesome, and the weather was great. But, now back to reality and a very busy week. Bah humbug. Plus, it really feels like summer is over, now that our trip is done. Boo.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

I'm outta here

So tomorrow we leave for what is, so far, my big vacation of the year. We're going to Cape Cod for four days with Greg's extended family (parents, aunt, uncle, various cousins and their children). It's sort of a resort place that we've gone to before, and it's a good time. I'm really looking forward to it, probably too much. This week has sucked the life out of me, today in particular, and I'm just psyched to flop myself down on the beach for a couple of days. Crap. I just realized I don't have enough reading material for the trip. Better make a stop at Border's before we leave tomorrow!

See y'all on the rebound.

Monday, September 04, 2006

crikey!

For some reason, I still can't get over the fact that Steve Irwin died. That's messed up. Why I'm surprised, I have no idea. This guy put himself in dangerous situations on a very regular basis. But why would he continue doing it when he had two kids? Not to talk badly about the dead, but that's lame and egotistical.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

see this show (or, what I did this weekend)

This weekend, Greg and I thought it would be super-fun to drive straight into the hurricane-like weather, so we headed to New York to see our friend Dimitry and his new bride-to-be. Despite the fact that it was hella windy and rainy, we still had a good time. And how could we not? New York is the greatest city in the world, despite the two giganto rats I saw on the street last night. We went to see a show I had been reading a lot about called [title of show], and it was awesome. One of the best, most original shows I've seen in a long time. It's about two guys who have three weeks to write a musical to enter into a theater festival. It was written by two guys who had three weeks to write a musical to enter into a theater festival. It's just basically a really hilarious (and kinda inspiring) story about what it takes to put a musical together. If you're a theater nerd (Alan, I'm talking to you), then all the better, because there are a million little inside jokes going on throughout the show. But even if you're not so much into theater, you'll still love it. In fact, Greg was the one who started the standing ovation! It's playing Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. It just got extended to October 1, so go see it.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

I know no one else watches this but

I don't think any of my loyal readers actually watch Project Runway, but I just have to say that Jeffrey is such a d**k. I can't put it any other way. First off, he was such a jerk to Angela's mother in last week's episode. Who is a jerk to someone's mother?! If I were Angela, I would've punched him in the head. Then this week, when Angela (deservedly) got kicked off, he was all smug and happy about it. The jackass wins, and believes that the reason he won is because God wasn't drunk this week like he was last week (God, not Jeffrey) when he didn't win. Yes, Jeffrey. God cares so much about how you fare on Project Runway. Stupid ass. Anyway, instead shutting his piehole and just be happy about winning, he has to talk trash about Angela, who had to fly all the way to Paris basically just to have to turn around and go home.

Anyway, like I said, I don't think anyone is really going to care about my thoughts on this. But seriously, you should watch this show. It's excellent, despite Jeffrey.

Monday, August 28, 2006

my 100th post!

Oh my good Lord, this is my 100th post on this blog. What the hell have I been talking about for so many posts!?! Have I seriously rambled on that much!?

random

Well, this weekend was a semi-busy one. Friday night I went out to happy hour(s) with work friends - three Cosmos and one Liquid Cocaine shot (actually, it was a half shot -I made Nate drink the rest) later and I was pretty fuzzy by the end of the night. Despite my haze, it was a lot of fun.

Saturday we went to TheaterWorks in Hartford to see a show called Make Me A Song. It was sort of a musical revue of the music of William Finn, who wrote The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Falsettos, among others. I really liked it, although I cried a lot during the second half. He's got some sad songs, that William Finn. Afterwards, we went to eat at Trumbull Kitchen. It was OK. We watched the movie The Constant Gardener when we got home. It was depressing, but good.

Sunday it rained all day, so we wanted A History of Violence. Same as the other movie - depressing, but good.

As you can see, it was a thrilling weekend. In other news, I'm completely irritated with "Survivor." It's one of my all-time favorite television shows. I have watched every single episode of every single season. And now they've decided to pull some sort of ratings stunt by dividing the tribes up by race. I'm pretty disgusted by this, because it's obviously some sort of ratings ploy to get people talking about the show (and of course it's worked - but not to the show's favor, in most cases) and it seems to me that this kind of programming belongs on Fox, not CBS. Lame, lame, lame, Mark Burnett. And I'm disgusted with you too, Probst.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

a dog's life


So, today Jimmy and Junior went to their first ever day at doggy day care. But before you think I have officially crossed over the brink of insanity, let me explain:

Greg and I have had issues with finding/trusting/being satisfied with people watching our dogs. In our perfect world, a dog-lover who has nothing else to do with their day but sit in our house and watch our dogs would come over and stay at our house while we were away. We've tried having people stay at the house, or stop by several times throughout the day while we gone, with varying degrees of success.

We found someone to watch the pups here when we go to Cape Cod in two weeks for a few days, but then a semi-impromptu trip to New York came up. We're only going away for one night next weekend, but of course the first question is, "what are we going to do with the pups?"

If you know my pups, you know they are a handful. They are wonderful, and I love them, but they require a lot of attention. So we decided it was time to investigate boarding them. We did not want to take them to a typical kennel. Planet Bark (www.planetbark.com - do yourself a favor and check out this site!) had been recommended to us by several people, so Greg went by there a couple of days ago to check it out. Well, no dice - they were closed at lunchtime for two hours for "naptime and snacktime." We knew this was the place for us.

Planet Bark - which touts itself as being "West Hartford's luxury dog daycare and overnight resort" - has at least 50 dogs there every day for doggy day care. The schedule for the dogs includes morning playtime with friends, the aforementioned midday naptime and snacktime, and then afternoon playtime with friends. Their overnight accommodations might make you jealous -the evening concludes with dimming lights, soft music, and a belly rub.

Jimmy and Junior had their interview this morning, which was followed by their trial run - a day at doggy day care. Of course, because I'm a complete loser, I was worried all day. Worried they wouldn't have fun, worried they would miss us, worried that they would cause considerable damage to themselves, each other, other dogs, toys, people, whatever. Greg thought I was a total lunatic when I asked him if they looked sad when he dropped them off. "What would you rather do," he said, "sit in the kitchen all day or play all day with a bunch of dogs?" Touche.

We picked them up after work, and they got a good report card, except for the fact that Jimmy was a little nippy with dogs and people at first (shocker). They are completely exhausted - Junior fell asleep on the ride home, and they are both passed out on the couch now, which is a miracle, considering this is usually their most active time of night.

So next Saturday will be the true test - will the dogs survive their overnight stay, and will I be able to stop thinking about them long enough to have fun in New York?

Monday, August 21, 2006

walking

So I've started walking again. I know when I tell people that I walk for exercise, they think I take pleasant little strolls. I can tell you that it's a lot faster than that -I do about a 13 minute mile, which is pretty brisk for power walking, I think. It was almost seven years ago exactly that I started power walking before work every day, which (along with majorly restricting my diet) led me to lose approx. 70 lbs. I went almost every single day, no matter what the weather was. It took me about 10 months, and it was very gradual, but when it was all done, I felt awesome.

I kept up with the walking routine for probably a good year after that, but after I switched jobs and had to be in work two hours earlier, I didn't have the motivation to get up and do my routine. Slowly but surely, I stopped my walking, and soon after, started dating Greg.

Well, you know how it is when you start dating someone. You're eating a lot of meals out, you're totally focused on that other person, and all of my will power went straight out the window. Over the next year I gained back about 20 lbs. So I started it all up again, this time having to get up at 5:45 a.m., and guess what - I lost 30 lbs.

This year, I was doing pretty well with my routine up until I started working on the show this summer, and I found that I was so super busy I couldn't bear to get up at 5:45. So, I slacked off for the past couple of months. But last week, I was back. And once I really get into the schedule of it, I find that although I don't become addicted to it like some exercise enthusiasts (freaks!) will say, the guilt I feel if I so much as try to give myself an excuse not to go is enough to push me out of bed, into my sneakers, and out the door with my iPod.

All I want to do at this point is lose five lbs and tone up a bit. Wish me luck - and keep your fingers crossed that my 30-something metabolism doesn't kick me in the ass.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

weekend review

OK, so I decided it would be a lot more interesting if I did weekend reviews instead of weekend updates on Fridays, because those are very vague and non-specific, and at least this way I can talk about things I've actually done, not things I plan on doing. So here we go.

Friday night: We went out to dinner with our friends Matt and Cathy to the Wood 'n Tap. I had myself a very delicious coconut mojito, which I decided is my favorite drink of summer '06. It was really nice, so we sat outside, and afterwards, Greg and I went home and caught up on some Daily Show and Colbert Report eps.

Saturday: Basically did some chores and things during the morning. Went to Borders to read the magazines as usual, and then went off to Lisa's at night. We brought the pups, and of course they were disruptive as all get-out, but they had a great time, especially Jimmy, who got to see his BFF Molly. It was a very fun night.

Sunday: Today we went sailing with a couple of Greg's business colleagues and their wives. It was the first time I was on a sailboat - pretty crazy, especially when you hit the bigger waves. We were soaked by the end, but it was fun. Hung out at the marina for a while, and then came home. Since then, I've been doing laundry and basically marveling at the fact that the weekend is already over. Bah humbug!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

this is a test

This is only a test. Ignore, ignore, ignore.

boo

I'm sad right now, because I just finished reading Why Moms are Weird by Pamela Ribon - aka Pamie of pamie.com - and I have to say I didn't love it. I was so sure I would. I even waited to buy it until after the show was over so I could totally concentrate on it, because I was positive it would be one of the best reads of the summer for me. Not so much. I mean, I liked it, and it didn't suck or anything, but I love reading her blog so much more than I enjoyed reading the book. There were some touching moments in it, particularly when the character was talking about her father who had died, but other than that, I give it a resounding "eh."

I wanted to love it so much!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

weekend update

Yeah, so compared to recent weekends, this one is going to be a little less jam-packed.

Friday: Work. After work, go to Heather's house to see how young Chase is doing. This is the first time I will see the baby since I saw him at the hospital. At night, we're going to dinner with some friends. Not sure where we are going. Any suggestions? I have some gift certificates I might dip into.

Saturday: I think it's supposed to be nice out, so maybe we will take the dogs to the reservoir. Oh, did I tell you? I'm exercising again, after a couple of months of being a lazy slacker. So maybe we'll hike around with the pups. At night, we have a fabulous get-together at Lisa's house. Yay!

Sunday: Really, not a whole hell of a lot. I think Greg said we'd go sailing with some of his colleagues. Yeah, sailing. I'm one of those people this weekend. Between you and me, I hope it rains like it's supposed to. I've got a lot of TiVo to catch up on.

Monday, August 14, 2006

consider the wall hit


I'm soooooooooo tired. I'm so tired I feel sick. Yet I'm not a person who naps, so I will have to wait it out til bedtime. God, I'm completely useless right now. I can't even write anything interesting. Oh well, here's another pic from the show. This is me and my friend Chris. We have worked on approximately one million shows together (or at least it feels that way.) He rocks.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

happily ever after






Sigh. The show is over, and today I've got a touch of the post-show letdown, along with a very hearty dose of exhaustion, not to mention anxiety that I won't wake up when my alarm goes off at 330 in the morning (have to be at work at 430 tomorrow-eep!). The past two weeks have been absolutely insane, and this is the first evening I've been home in a very long time. So do you think I feel relief? No, of course not. I just feel a little blue that the whole journey is over. This was one of the most ambitious shows I've ever worked on, and the final product was fantastic. We got tons of great feedback, and had great audiences too. I absolutely adored this cast - they were extremely talented, bright and fun, and I hope to work with all of them again very soon. Plus, they gave me a huge bottle of pre-made margarita, so what's better than that?! However, stage managing and producing a show at the same time has made me think I should take a little bit of a theater break. Hmmm. Maybe 'til September....

The top pic is of some backstage shenanigans before the show with some of the cast. The pic below that is of some of my very favorite and talented theater people - Helen (director), Adrianne (cast), and Mike (music director).

Thursday, August 10, 2006

the woods are just trees, the trees are just woods

It's that time again. The show opens tomorrow (oh wait - tonight! I'm up too late yet again.). We're ready as were ever gonna be. This week has been pure insanity. I don't even have the energy to write about it right now. All I'll say is this cast has put a s**tload of work into this show, and I'm proud of each and every one of them. And once again, it's been a crazy journey working with my theater peeps Helen, Mike, Chris, Lisa and Adi. I'm pretty psyched. We've got a really exciting weekend coming up.

I loved the latest entry on www.verbosecoma.com. Read what she has to say about the feelings you get when a show is over. She totally nailed it. I couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't try. Despite the manic summer, I know I'll have show letdown.

What can I say - I'm a nerd.

Monday, August 07, 2006

they don't call it hell week for nothin'

6:30 a.m.: Get up.
7:30 a.m.: Go to work.
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Work.
4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.: Drive to Southington, find dinner, do any sort of chores/shopping/whatever needed for the show or my real life.
5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.: Rehearsal. Drama, drama, drama.
10:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.: Rehash rehearsal. Go home. Do laundry, say hello to Greg and dogs, get things ready for next day.
11:30 p.m.(ish) - Go to bed.

Rinse, wash, repeat.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

weekend update, August 4 (well, really 3) edition

OK, I'm doing this a little bit early, because I have some time right now and this is going to be a busy weekend.

Friday: Work. I know it's very thrilling for you to read that I'm going to work on Friday, as I do most every Friday, and really, most every Monday through Thursday too, but there you have it. While at work, I will be waiting to hear about Heather's baby. She has a c-section scheduled tomorrow and young Chase will make his entrance into the world at about 7:30 a.m. So I'm really excited about that! After work I will go shopping to pick up something fun for baby, and then later Greg and I will head off to visit at the hospital. After that, we'll probably get dinner.

Saturday: Chores and stuff, and then we have a cookout to go to in the afternoon. Will probably visit the hospital again; if not, we'll go on Sunday morning.

Sunday: Rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal, from noon to 10 p.m. That's a long ass time, but we need it, as it's the first day we're in the venue. We've got lots to do, and I guarantee the 10 hours will fly by.

Can't believe the show opens a week from tonight! Crazy. Anyway, have a good one.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I'm such a girl

I finally just finished watching Pride and Prejudice and I was very weepy at the end. I now have to go check imdb.com and see who the heck that dashing guy who played Mr. Darcy was. He's no Colin Firth, but still.

holy heat wave, batman

I was going to write an entry about how much I hate Mel Gibson right now, but my brain melted on the way home from work. So instead, I direct you to this very funny (and completely unrelated) segment of "The Colbert Report" where my favorite funnyman Stephen Colbert interviews CT's very own Ned Lamont. Go here and click on the three Ned Lamont interview segments.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

It's hotter than Mark Ruffalo out there

So it's 11:52 p.m., and I just got back from rehearsal for my show. I will admit that I took a slight detour with some cast members to a Mexican place after rehearsal. But, seriously, it feels like it's still mid-afternoon out there. It's so hot and muggy and nasty-ass. Tomorrow it's supposed to get to 102. That's crazy hot. This evening we had our last rehearsal in the rehearsal hall (on Thursday we move to the school). The hall had been closed up for the past couple of days, and it was a good 20 degrees warmer in there than it was outside (which had to be around 90 when we started rehearsal). My point? Two dinky fans didn't quite do it in terms of relief. Mad props to the cast who sang and danced their way through the night despite the heat. That's show biz, I guess.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

dog days of summer

I mean this literally, of course. Today was Jimmy and Junior's annual trip to my in-laws' boat. Actually, this was Jimmy's first trip down, and Junior's third.

We were a little apprehensive on how it would all go, especially since we had to stop the car three times on the hour drive down, twice to clean up Jimmy's puke and once to clean up some of Jimmy's poop (on my shorts!!! *^%!**@). By the time we got down to the marina, I was wondering if it might better for us just to take them for a walk around Essex instead. But we soldiered on.

To get to the boat, you have to walk on a series of docks, some of which are not very wide. Jimmy was fine with this, but as usual, Junior was not. Greg had to actually carry Junior across at one point. If you don't know, Junior is a hefty pup, weighing in at about 120. I thought we'd all end up in the ER for sure, or at least in the water.

Despite all of our issues actually getting on the boat, everyone had a great time on the ride. Jimmy got his sea legs right away, and I really don't think he's ever been so well behaved and so content. Even when the boat was speeding along pretty quickly, he was in his glory. Junior too. It's really fun to hear the reactions of other people on their boats when they see the pups, especially Junior. It's hilarious - like being with a celebrity.

After the boat ride, we all went for lunch and ice cream. Junior and Jimmy enjoyed their DQ very much (and half of mine too), and we managed to get home without any additional stomach upset. Now they are asleep on the floor and I have to head out to rehearsal. I wish I could take a nap with them too!

All in all, an excellent summer afternoon.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

weekend update, July 28 edition

You guys, I'm so freaking tired. Just got back from rehearsal, so I'm too wired to sleep, but not wired enough to stay awake. It's a bad, bad place. So I decided to write my exciting weekend update. Here goes:

Friday: Work. After work, I have to go get some car wash supplies (see Saturday for details). Later, maybe Greg and I will use one of our many gift certificates for dinner. I am hoping to catch up on my TiVo, specifically, Project Runway.

Saturday: Workin' at the car wash....we are doing a car wash fundraiser for Southington Summer Stage at the Outback parking lot in Southington. Come on. You know you want to come down and have me clean your car in a way I never clean my own. And for only $5! What a bargain. After that madness, we've got Larry's birthday party in the evening. I suspect this will be one of the last, if not the last, time I see Heather before she has that baby.

Sunday: I am hoping that we are going down to Greg's parents' boat with the pups to take them on their annual boat ride. Well, for Junior it's the annual boat ride - for Jimmy, it will be his first ever boat ride. But it really depends on the weather and everyone's schedule. At night, I have a particularly long Woods rehearsal. With less than two weeks to go, every rehearsal is going to be particularly long. I can't believe the show is this close.

Have a good one!

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

make new friends, but keep the old

Oprah, you've done pissed me off. Here's why:

"I understand why people think we're gay," she said. "There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it — how can you be this close without it being sexual?"

This is the now-famed quote from Oprah, from an interview in her magazine, O, about her friendship with former Hartford-ite, Gayle King. Now, Oprah and Gayle have been bragging about their friendship - the bestity best best best friendship in the UNIVERSE - for a long time. And I think we can all recognize that having Oprah as a best friend puts Gayle in a pretty sweet position. And I'm not even doubting their friendship - they've been buddies for a really long time, long before one of them rocketed to global fame and became one of the richest people in the world.

But that quote drives me nuts! Because, yes, there is a definition in our culture for that kind of bond between women, Oprah - it's called "friendship." You don't own friendship. You didn't create it. Women have been close, in a non-sexual way, through the ages. It didn't start with you and Gayle.

And why do they have to make such a production out of it? I've had the same best friend for 25 years. We don't run around talking about it all the time. I think I'm lucky to still be friends with someone who I played Barbies with, struggled through our nerdy years with, went to college with, celebrated each other's weddings with, and who is now about to have her third child. We have supported each other through individual struggles, and have had many, many, many good times. She is the funniest person I know. But do we run around with our "best friends" necklaces and talk about how great we are because we are friends? No. I think I just consider myself lucky to have not only her, but a very great group of close friends, and that's that. No need to slap it on the cover of a magazine (not that anyone would care about my life).

I guess it just irks me that Oprah has become possessive about the whole concept of friendship now. Doesn't that woman have enough?

Sunday, July 23, 2006

culture update

My reviews on what I've seen so far this weekend:

Clerks II - I liked it. I was so nervous that I wouldn't - it's kind of hard to live up to the hype that's been building for, what, 10 years? - but it was actually very amusing. The now-famed donkey part (the one that the USA critic was so upset about, so much so that he stomped out of the movie, muttering and sputtering, before it was over) was really gross, but I really liked a lot of the rest of it, and it really showed how far Kevin Smith has come, writing-wise. In the original Clerks, the writing was very stilted and non-conversational, but it was much more natural this time around. And some of the actors are now, well, acting. Some of it was also kind of smarmy and silly, but I wasn't disappointed overall.

Love, Valour, Compassion - Went to see this at Hole in the Wall last night (www.hitw.org), with Todd and Alan. I thought it was a really good show. As promised, it did feature a lot of nudity, and Alan purchased me an eye mask in case I couldn't handle it (I'm sure he will post a ridiculous picture of me with it on on his blog). But I'm happy to report that I was able to handle it. Anywho, the show, which clocks in at over three hours, moves along surprisingly quickly, and was very enjoyable and touching at points. Good job, Phil!

Prime - This is a supremely crappy movie starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. I Netflixed it and am regretting the two hours of my life I spent watching it. I'm not going to waste more time writing about it. I leave you with this - DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE.

I also Netflixed Pride and Prejudice, and am hoping to watch it today. I'll keep you posted.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

weekend update, July 21 edition

How is it that it's almost the end of July? Where the hell has this year gone? Seriously. Anyway, it's only Thursday night, but I figure I'd do this now, since Lisa so looks forward to my weekend itineraries (I think because she realizes how lame I am and how much cooler she is than me).

Friday: Workity work work work during the day. Then I am hoping to get a pedicure because my feet need it. Tomorrow night we are supposed to go see an outdoors Hartford Symphony Orchestra concert. I am hoping that it rains. Can you believe I just said that? No, seriously, I'm sure it's going to be lovely, but if it rains, we are going to go see Clerks II instead. Later, I am hoping to stop by the Stonewell in Farmington, because a bunch of Into the Woods peeps will be doing karaoke, and I said I'd try to stop by.

Saturday: This is a very special day, because I get to see Todd and Alan at night. During the day, I'm sure we'll do chores, Borders run, Puppy Center visit, what have you. But at night - that's when the real fun starts, because I'm going out to dinner with Todd, Alan and Phil, and then Todd, Alan and I are working house at Hole in the Wall. We will also be seeing the show there that Phil directed, Love Valour, Compassion, which features NUDITY. It is sure to be a risque and delightful evening.

Sunday: Recovering from the NUDITY. Then a whole lotta I-don't-know-what, followed by a visit to my mother's and Woods rehearsal.

All weekend: Heather's baby watch. By which, I don't mean watch Heather's baby. I mean she's due any second now and I will be waiting for the call. Which probably won't come til next week, but you never know!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

I don't care what they say anymore, this is my life

I just uttered the sentence: "Should I brush the dogs or wash Jimmy's ears first? I can't decide which direction I want my night to go."

My nights sure were more exciting a decade ago.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

good book!

I just finished a really great book that I'd like to recommend to all of you blogsters out there. It's Faye Kellerman's Straight into Darkness. I love Faye Kellerman - she has a series of murder mysteries with the same detective character that I really enjoy - but this book was a little different, set in an entirely different timeframe with different characters. It takes place in Munich in 1929, as Hitler was coming to power. It's got a lot of German words to it, so (unless you speak German) it might be a little difficult to follow at first, but it gets a lot easier as it goes. The history of it is really horrifying - to see how a young Hitler begins to win over the Germans and create such hate against the Jews - but it is a very worthy read, both disturbingly educational (for myself, who does not know as much about 1920s-1930s Germany as I should) and also has an entertaining murdery mystery to it. And if you like it, check out her other books, as well as the books of her husband, Jonathan Kellerman, who I've been reading for years.

PS - See, I don't always read happy books.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

cruel summer

Sons of bitches, it's hot out there today. And we are definitely supposed to exceed tomorrow's record of 97. Ouchie! Stay hydrated, kids.

uuuuuuggggghhhhhaaaaccccckkkkkkk

Yeah. That's about how you feel after a long day yesterday that included an ER trip for Greg (his ear is messed up, still no real idea what's wrong-he has to go to his regular doc tomorrow - but he'll live) and then the big show last night. It went really really well - there were times it was so packed in there you couldn't even breathe, and there were definitely a lot of, oh, how you say, characters there, include a bunch of very young chicks that were dancing in Greg's face - but we didn't get out of the bar until after 2. Navigating the streets (I drove with another girl) of Hartford as the bars are emptying out, with the streets literally teeming with drunken fools (the male half of which feel like they have every right in the world to taunt any girl walking by, even if she's an old lady like me), was not easy. Also, there was the obligatory trip to Denny's after all of the equipment was unloaded at Casa Guay. By the time my stuffed-with-fried-cheese-self came home, walked the dogs, and went to bed, the sun was rising. I didn't have one drink last night (I was desperately trying to avoid having to use the Federal bathroom) and yet I still feel like complete and utter hell. But it was a good show, and I'm happy for Greg. Rock on!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Weekend update, July 14 edition

And, without further ado, here is a fairly boring list of stuff I may or may not do this weekend! Try not to fall asleep.

Friday: Well, I just got home early from work, and read my friend Alan's blog. I convinced him to start a blog, and a handy-dandy link is on the side of this page, so check him out! Tonight Greg and I will surely eat, because that's pretty much all we do, and then maybe we will see a movie. I'm thinking possible that You, Me and Dupree movie, but, God, it doesn't even look that good. There are so few good movies out these days. It's pathetic.

Saturday: AKA KERMIT THE BAND day. Greg's band will be performing Saturday night, so I'm sure all day Saturday will revolve around stressing about/preparing for the big gig. PLEASE COME. I beg you. They are quite good, I swear! I need someone to hang out with. We'll be at the Federal Cafe. I'll buy you a drink. I'll buy you TWO drinks.

Sunday: Recovery from the gig. Even though I'm not in the band, the whole thing involves a certain amount of recovery for everyone involved. I have Woods rehearsal at night, and before that, I will probably go to my mom's.

All weekend: Sweating my arse off. It's supposed to be steamin' hot!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Guilty pleasures

After chatting with Beth today (who does not have a DVD player or full cable), I started thinking about how I would be miserable without my DVD player, and my cable, and lots of other little niceties that make my daily living pleasurable. So, without further ado, here are my top five guilty (or not - I don't feel guilty about them -maybe I mean superficial?) pleasures:

1) TiVo. This is in the number one spot for a reason. TiVo has changed my television watching forever. Now I can speed through a half hour show in 20 minutes, an hour-long show in 40 minutes, and never ever have to watch commercials. Sure, you could do this before with VCRs, but let's face it - those things never record right, you always have to buy new tapes, and I could never set it up to tape the whole season of Lost (first-run episodes only, and it doesn't matter if they change the day it airs to say a Tuesday instead of the regular Wednesday) with just a few quick clicks of a button. I feel like TiVo is part of my family. Maybe I will have it sign my Christmas cards this year. I could seriously go on and on about TiVo.

2) Netflix. You know when there are movies you want to see, but maybe you feel a little silly about it? Take The Pacifier starring Vin Diesel. Because my Netflix agreement is a monthly charge, three movies at a time, no limit per month deal, there is really no drawback to adding a movie like The Pacifier to my queue. And, when it arrives, having it sit near the DVD player for a couple of weeks, unplayed, only to be sent back, unwatched. Because, really - why would I ever want to see The Pacifier starring Vin Diesel? Hypothetically speaking, of course. Anyway, Netflix allows me to be super-finicky about my movie choices, and see all the movies I refuse to see in the theaters (because of the commercials - why do they show commercials at the movies!? This enrages me). I digress.

3) Gossip magazines, specifically US Weekly, In Touch, Life and Style, and People. Every weekend, Greg and I head to Borders, get some delicious mochas, and sit and read the magazines. The above mentioned magazines are the first in my pile. I am such a celebrity gossip whore. I can't get enough of what's going on with Jen and Vince, Brad and Angelina, Jen and Brad, Angelina and Jen - you get my drift. I don't think of myself as a complete idiot, and I do read a lot of books, but I heart these magazines so much. Maybe because they help me realize how much I don't want to be a celebrity.

4) Speaking of reading, the fourth item on my list is what they officially call "women's contemporary literature," but I like to call "chick lit." You know, those books of the Bridget Jones' Diary variety, not the romance novels with the big, chest-heaving Fabios on the cover (which I can proudly say I have never read, save for a couple of Judith Krantz books in college). Anway, I love authors like Jane Green, Lynda Curnyn, Lisa Jewell, Emily Giffin, Jennifer Weiner...I could go on and on. Don't worry -I read other stuff too. Right now I'm reading a book about Hitler-era Germany! Definitely not in the chick-lit category, unless the story takes a surprising turn.

5) Last, but not least, is my hobby of singing along to showtunes. I. Can. Not. Sing. You wouldn't believe how much I cannot sing, unless you've had the misfortune of actually hearing me. This is my great tragedy. For a person who loooooooves musicals (not as much as I love plays, but still) it seems completely unfair that I am so talent-free that I have no place even appearing in the chorus of one of these shows. But put me in my car with the stereo blasting, and I'm starring in Rent, Tick, Tick...Boom, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - the list goes on and on. Hey, if I turn the volume up high enough, I can't even hear the wretched noise I make.

All of this is not to say that I'm a superficial person. And if you know me, I'm hoping you can agree. But we all need the little things to get us through the day, and these are some of mine. Let the making fun commence.