Continuing my streak of being the worst blogger ever, I now present to you the shortest blog post in history - another installment of 100 things (to see the previous 30 things, click here).
For this thrilling episode of not-really-fascinating things about me, I present to you: My Top Five Favorite Musicals (in order of love, but numbered to correspond with their place on the 100 things list. Or something like that. It's been a long week, y'all.)
36) RENT (have seen it 22 times professionally, and a couple of times at community theaters)
37) [title of show] - yes, this is the name of the show.
38) In the Heights
39) Guys and Dolls
40) Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (shut up)
The end. (Do you like how I didn't even explain why I love these shows? Worst. Blogger. Ever.)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
100 things: 26-30
Holy shit, worst blogger ever. Anyway, I figured I better throw something up here or everyone will completely stop reading. So here is a quick installment of 100 Things (Remember? I'm coming up with 100 really exciting facts about myself? And, wow, are they exciting! Yeah. Click here if you want to catch up. I know at least Shane likes reading them.)
Anywaaaay, because I spent a lot of quality time driving around my old hometown this weekend, I got to thinking about past part-time jobs. So this is the "part time jobs" segment of 100 Things. Enjoy!
26) Dairy Queen. I mean, hello. I worked there for 13 summers. THIRTEEN SUMMERS OUT OF THIRTY-SIX. That is a full third of my summertime life. But when it's the family biz (my parents owned it for a very long time; now my sister does), you learn how to make a Blizzard with the best of 'em. Sure, working for your family isn't always easy, but I have about a million memories from this job - some bad, some good, and some really great. And some completely horrendous. Seriously, I could write a book.
27) Video store clerk. I actually loved this job. It was a dipshit video store (think Clerks, which, incidentally, is one of my very favorite movies because they got it so right), so not many people went there, which meant that I basically screwed around with my friends, planned what we were going to do after work, and watched movies. Nice. 2
8) Pharmacy assistant. UGHHH. Hated this job so much. The pill counting, the hyper pharmacist, the germs - no good. I only did this for one winter (between DQ seasons).
29) Produce department of a small grocery store. Yeah, I didn't like this so much either. I like talking to people, and it turns out tomatoes and apples aren't great conversationalists.
30) YMCA childcare. I worked for the Latchkey program at my local YMCA for two school years, and, again, I loved it because I got to hang out with my friends. However, I sort of hated it, because at the time, I really couldn't stand kids. So, maybe not the best fit for that time of my life.
(How have I done only 30 of these yet?)
Anywaaaay, because I spent a lot of quality time driving around my old hometown this weekend, I got to thinking about past part-time jobs. So this is the "part time jobs" segment of 100 Things. Enjoy!
26) Dairy Queen. I mean, hello. I worked there for 13 summers. THIRTEEN SUMMERS OUT OF THIRTY-SIX. That is a full third of my summertime life. But when it's the family biz (my parents owned it for a very long time; now my sister does), you learn how to make a Blizzard with the best of 'em. Sure, working for your family isn't always easy, but I have about a million memories from this job - some bad, some good, and some really great. And some completely horrendous. Seriously, I could write a book.
27) Video store clerk. I actually loved this job. It was a dipshit video store (think Clerks, which, incidentally, is one of my very favorite movies because they got it so right), so not many people went there, which meant that I basically screwed around with my friends, planned what we were going to do after work, and watched movies. Nice. 2
8) Pharmacy assistant. UGHHH. Hated this job so much. The pill counting, the hyper pharmacist, the germs - no good. I only did this for one winter (between DQ seasons).
29) Produce department of a small grocery store. Yeah, I didn't like this so much either. I like talking to people, and it turns out tomatoes and apples aren't great conversationalists.
30) YMCA childcare. I worked for the Latchkey program at my local YMCA for two school years, and, again, I loved it because I got to hang out with my friends. However, I sort of hated it, because at the time, I really couldn't stand kids. So, maybe not the best fit for that time of my life.
(How have I done only 30 of these yet?)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
show time!
Hello! Greetings from the other side of Hell Week. We are finally at show time, after no small amount of stress trying to get the show ready to go and a fun little snowstorm that came last night, which, if you follow me on Twitter, you know stressed me out to no end. See, our show is happening at a school, and if school is closed, the building is closed. So- if we got the NINE INCHES they were predicting yesterday morning last night, then there would have been no school today, and no show today. AND THAT MADE ME SADFACE.
Really, I shouldn't be typing. I think I've clocked in a total of six hours of sleep over the past two nights. This is Jane's fault. Actually, this is Greg's fault. He is putting Jane to bed early while I am out at rehearsals, so she is ready to go by about 4 a.m. Combine that with me not coming home until very late and going to sleep very very late, and you've got a recipe for ZOMBIE.
So, here are a few pics from rehearsals. Please do enjoy the one of me and a REAL LIVE EMMY (not mine). Don't I look slightly crazy? It's been a long (but good good good) week. Directing this show has been a joy and I'm so excited it's finally here. It's been one of the best theater experiences of my life, in no small part because I adore this cast.
See ya on the flip side!
Friday, March 18, 2011
weekend update.
Wow. How is it Friday again already? This week has been crazy (don’t I say that every week? Why, yes, yes I do.) and I have no small amount of relief that the weekend is here. As part of Lent this year, I will once again be totally offline (hopefully) this weekend, but I wanted to quickly do a weekend update for you:
Friday night: Rehearsal. This is our second night in the auditorium where we will be performing the show. Last night went OK, but hopefully tonight will be better (as I am sure it will be). It’s always rough going when you move from the rehearsal space to the actual stage – getting used to the space, the set (which is very cool), the props, the actual (instead of fake) stairs, etc. Of course, I totally love it – but at this point it’s a matter of figuring out solutions and answering questions. After rehearsal we are having “dress rehearsal” for our cast party, i.e., going out to drink.
Saturday: NO PLANS. OK, OK, I have to do laundry and a Target run and all of the usual stuff, but I have no official plans and I AM THRILLED. Greg is going down to the boat to do some work on it, so Jane and I will be hanging all day. She has been telling me lately how much she misses me (cue MAJOR GUILT) so this will be a good chance to make up for all of my absences due to the show.
Sunday: Speaking of which, I have rehearsal for that again on Sunday night, and every night next week until we open on Thursday. I know this seems like a lot of work for only a three-night run, but we all love it. Most of the time. Also, Sunday is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Wahooo!
And what are you doing this weekend?
Friday night: Rehearsal. This is our second night in the auditorium where we will be performing the show. Last night went OK, but hopefully tonight will be better (as I am sure it will be). It’s always rough going when you move from the rehearsal space to the actual stage – getting used to the space, the set (which is very cool), the props, the actual (instead of fake) stairs, etc. Of course, I totally love it – but at this point it’s a matter of figuring out solutions and answering questions. After rehearsal we are having “dress rehearsal” for our cast party, i.e., going out to drink.
Saturday: NO PLANS. OK, OK, I have to do laundry and a Target run and all of the usual stuff, but I have no official plans and I AM THRILLED. Greg is going down to the boat to do some work on it, so Jane and I will be hanging all day. She has been telling me lately how much she misses me (cue MAJOR GUILT) so this will be a good chance to make up for all of my absences due to the show.
Sunday: Speaking of which, I have rehearsal for that again on Sunday night, and every night next week until we open on Thursday. I know this seems like a lot of work for only a three-night run, but we all love it. Most of the time. Also, Sunday is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Wahooo!
And what are you doing this weekend?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
how I became a famous novelist
Well...not me, exactly. Or, at all. However, that is the title of my latest book club book - "How I Became a Famous Novelist" by Steve Hely. Unfortunately, because of my crazy rehearsal schedule, I can't make this Friday's book club meeting, so I will share my opinion here:
I completely loved this book.
I literally laughed out loud. A lot. And as a "writer" type of person (big quotes), I thought it was really interesting to get a look at the publishing industry. And the other day, when I realized I only had about 20 pages left, I put it down, because I just didn't want it to be over. That's when I knew I had to recommend it to you peeps. Check it out!
(PS Sorry for my light posting - have I mentioned I'm doing a show? And that it's next week? True fact!)
Monday, March 14, 2011
cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater.
Fine. I cheated. Just once though. OK, maybe twice. Fine, three times. But THAT’S IT.
My sabbatical from the internet was nearly perfect this weekend. But then life got in the way. Yesterday, I was at the gas station with Jane when I got a panicked call from Greg. He had taken the dogs to one of his offices (he has several small companies) and Junior decided that in fact he WASN’T an old Great Dane with spindly legs, no, no, instead he was a PUPPY, a puppy who was perfectly capable of jumping off a SIX-FOOT-HIGH LOADING DOCK. Greg saw blood come out of Junior’s mouth so he was taking him to the emergency vet when he called me, even though he otherwise seemed fine. We decided I would meet him there.
Because I had Jane with me, I couldn’t start immediately crying like I wanted to. Instead, I had to tell her that instead of going to the bookstore as planned, we were now going to Junior’s doctor because he fell down. So she was full of all sorts of questions, including my favorite, “and then he’ll come home with us, right??” – to which I did not have the answer.
I know I will have to explain to her what happens when the dogs ultimately move on someday, but it just wasn’t what I had in mind for yesterday, you know?
I will fast-forward (because I’ve gone and gotten dramatic here) and tell you that Junior is just swell. The vet thinks the bleeding may have come from biting his tongue, as he checked out fine otherwise. I noticed later that he had a cut up nose and bottom lip, so maybe that was it.
As for the cheating – well. While I was trying to reassure that Jane was fine, inside I was freaking the eff out. So I put it out on Facebook what had happened, so I would have as many people as possible sending Junior healthy dog vibes. This meant something to me, for some reason. And then later I quickly posted that he was OK. Otherwise, no Facebooking or Twittering for me.
I cheated one other time. I inadvertently noticed that an email had come through from one of the technical directors from my show yesterday morning. We had an all-day set build on Saturday, and I was worried that something was wrong, so I clicked on it. Instead, he was saying how happy he was with everyone who had come out to help, and what a community spirit we had, etc., etc. So it quite made my day.
You know what? Turns out if you (more or less) unplug, you really don’t miss that much. Sure, I was twitchy and constantly picking up my BlackBerry only to stop my fingers from typing – but when I finally did check in on all my notifications this morning, none of them were really that important. All of them could definitely have waited. And I surely had more time on my hands (you know, to worry and fidget in the vet’s waiting room).
And how was your weekend?
My sabbatical from the internet was nearly perfect this weekend. But then life got in the way. Yesterday, I was at the gas station with Jane when I got a panicked call from Greg. He had taken the dogs to one of his offices (he has several small companies) and Junior decided that in fact he WASN’T an old Great Dane with spindly legs, no, no, instead he was a PUPPY, a puppy who was perfectly capable of jumping off a SIX-FOOT-HIGH LOADING DOCK. Greg saw blood come out of Junior’s mouth so he was taking him to the emergency vet when he called me, even though he otherwise seemed fine. We decided I would meet him there.
Because I had Jane with me, I couldn’t start immediately crying like I wanted to. Instead, I had to tell her that instead of going to the bookstore as planned, we were now going to Junior’s doctor because he fell down. So she was full of all sorts of questions, including my favorite, “and then he’ll come home with us, right??” – to which I did not have the answer.
I know I will have to explain to her what happens when the dogs ultimately move on someday, but it just wasn’t what I had in mind for yesterday, you know?
I will fast-forward (because I’ve gone and gotten dramatic here) and tell you that Junior is just swell. The vet thinks the bleeding may have come from biting his tongue, as he checked out fine otherwise. I noticed later that he had a cut up nose and bottom lip, so maybe that was it.
As for the cheating – well. While I was trying to reassure that Jane was fine, inside I was freaking the eff out. So I put it out on Facebook what had happened, so I would have as many people as possible sending Junior healthy dog vibes. This meant something to me, for some reason. And then later I quickly posted that he was OK. Otherwise, no Facebooking or Twittering for me.
I cheated one other time. I inadvertently noticed that an email had come through from one of the technical directors from my show yesterday morning. We had an all-day set build on Saturday, and I was worried that something was wrong, so I clicked on it. Instead, he was saying how happy he was with everyone who had come out to help, and what a community spirit we had, etc., etc. So it quite made my day.
You know what? Turns out if you (more or less) unplug, you really don’t miss that much. Sure, I was twitchy and constantly picking up my BlackBerry only to stop my fingers from typing – but when I finally did check in on all my notifications this morning, none of them were really that important. All of them could definitely have waited. And I surely had more time on my hands (you know, to worry and fidget in the vet’s waiting room).
And how was your weekend?
Friday, March 11, 2011
weekend update.
I can’t stop thinking of what happened in Japan today. It is amazing how we go about our lives, thinking we have control over everything, when really, we control nothing at all. Horrifying.
Before my Lent-imposed weekend free of the Internet, I wanted to do a quick weekend update post, as there was apparently some level of disappointment that I did not do one last week. So here goes:
Friday: Going to a …. concert? musical? something that my niece is in. She is singing a song. It’s a big deal, from what I understand. So I will be there.
Saturday: Building/painting set for RUMORS all day. Have to be at the school at 8:30 a.m. and we will wrap up around 5, hopefully with a completely built set, totally painted with primer, and no injuries. Fingers crossed.
Sunday: Greg has to work all day so Jane and I will entertain ourselves. I will have to do all of my weekend chores that day, so it will be a fabulous concoction of laundry, cleaning, trips to the grocery store and Target, and rehearsal at night. Less than two weeks ‘til show! Holy shit.
What are you doing this weekend?
PS I really am excited about unplugging totally this weekend. It’s so awesome. I think I really need this. But I’ll miss all y’all!
Before my Lent-imposed weekend free of the Internet, I wanted to do a quick weekend update post, as there was apparently some level of disappointment that I did not do one last week. So here goes:
Friday: Going to a …. concert? musical? something that my niece is in. She is singing a song. It’s a big deal, from what I understand. So I will be there.
Saturday: Building/painting set for RUMORS all day. Have to be at the school at 8:30 a.m. and we will wrap up around 5, hopefully with a completely built set, totally painted with primer, and no injuries. Fingers crossed.
Sunday: Greg has to work all day so Jane and I will entertain ourselves. I will have to do all of my weekend chores that day, so it will be a fabulous concoction of laundry, cleaning, trips to the grocery store and Target, and rehearsal at night. Less than two weeks ‘til show! Holy shit.
What are you doing this weekend?
PS I really am excited about unplugging totally this weekend. It’s so awesome. I think I really need this. But I’ll miss all y’all!
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
ashes, ashes, we all fall down.
So, it’s that time of the year again. Lent. I’m a big Lent participator, which surprises people sometimes. I am not a big church-goer, but having gone all through my childhood and part of my adulthood on a regular basis, giving up something every year for Lent is something I just DO. I suppose it’s less about religion – actually, a LOT less about religion – than it is about detoxing or making something about myself better.
The list of things I typically give up for Lent is this: cookies, candy, ice cream, potato chips and French fries. I also avoid meat on Friday. This year, I’m changing it up a bit. Of the above list, I was only going to give up candy, but because I ended up having a Girl Scout Cookie party-for-one yesterday at work (I ate approx 1 million Thin Mints ALL BY MYSELF), I decided maybe it would be a good idea to lay off the cookies for a while. So as for food, cookies and candy are on the no-no list until Easter.
I’m giving up a couple of other, non-food things as well. One is swearing in my house. I often have the vocabulary of a very stressed-out sailor, and, you know, it’s not cool to drop f-bombs in the vicinity of your three-year-old. I mean, I try to keep it clean, but I’m constantly screwing up. (Obviously – and I don’t even have to say this, right? – I don’t swear AT her.) But anyway, I need to stop this, so I’m kicking off Project Clean Language during Lent, with plans for it to last FOREVER.
The other thing I’m giving up is Facebook/Twitter/the internet in general on the weekends. I often shut down my laptop for the weekend, but my Crackberry is always right there, and I am CONSTANTLY checking in on FB and Twitter, at least. And I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s such a distraction during a time that I’m supposed to be relaxing or having fun or gearing up for the next work week – and always checking on various social media sites seems counterproductive. I will use my phone for talking and texting however. I mean, I have to stay in contact, right?
Do you “do” Lent? If so, why? And what are you giving up?
The list of things I typically give up for Lent is this: cookies, candy, ice cream, potato chips and French fries. I also avoid meat on Friday. This year, I’m changing it up a bit. Of the above list, I was only going to give up candy, but because I ended up having a Girl Scout Cookie party-for-one yesterday at work (I ate approx 1 million Thin Mints ALL BY MYSELF), I decided maybe it would be a good idea to lay off the cookies for a while. So as for food, cookies and candy are on the no-no list until Easter.
I’m giving up a couple of other, non-food things as well. One is swearing in my house. I often have the vocabulary of a very stressed-out sailor, and, you know, it’s not cool to drop f-bombs in the vicinity of your three-year-old. I mean, I try to keep it clean, but I’m constantly screwing up. (Obviously – and I don’t even have to say this, right? – I don’t swear AT her.) But anyway, I need to stop this, so I’m kicking off Project Clean Language during Lent, with plans for it to last FOREVER.
The other thing I’m giving up is Facebook/Twitter/the internet in general on the weekends. I often shut down my laptop for the weekend, but my Crackberry is always right there, and I am CONSTANTLY checking in on FB and Twitter, at least. And I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s such a distraction during a time that I’m supposed to be relaxing or having fun or gearing up for the next work week – and always checking on various social media sites seems counterproductive. I will use my phone for talking and texting however. I mean, I have to stay in contact, right?
Do you “do” Lent? If so, why? And what are you giving up?
Monday, March 07, 2011
this one is for Shane and Dwayne.
So today at work, my entire department (read: two other people) was out sick today, so I was outnumbered by the Quiznos-loving remaining members of my lunch posse, and we ended up there for lunch. Usually we can get enough votes to avoid that wretched place, but frankly, I just didn’t have the fight in me. I had to get out of the office, because I was stuck inside all day yesterday with a sick three-year-old, and well, friends, that is NOT FUN. I needed some fresh air today.
The reason I typically hate Quiznos is 1) the smell and 2) the slimy meat. However, today the smell of the place wasn’t bad and the meat seemed OK, and really, it was so cold outside it didn’t matter anyway. My face was numb after our walk over there. Slimy meat be damned – at least they had the heat on.
Also – cold? EFF YOU. It is March now and I truly hope today was the last day I have to wear a sweater AND gloves AND a scarf until next winter. DONE AND DONE. Got that?
My two lunch companions told me that I was lame-ass in my lack of blogging lately, and I told them my life was pretty much set on repeat these days and no one wanted to read the same stupid stories over and over. They agreed that my blog is lame (they did!) but they read it anyway, and wanted something fresh on the page. So here it is.
So yeah. It has been warmish and a lot of our snow has melted now. Remember way back in December when I thought it was all sorts of fun to get big snowstorms? NOT FUN anymore. In fact, just yesterday I noticed that my Christmas tree was still on the side of the road. It was covered with snow until YESTERDAY. It’s still covered, but some branches are sticking out now, so I know it’s there.
What is it with people who still have their Christmas wreaths up, by the way? I understand that some houses still have lights up because they can’t get them down due to all of the snow, but wreaths? You just have to take them off your front door! You don’t even have to leave the house! It is making me truly angry. Don’t worry, my festive friends: the Christmas stuff will be back in stores in no time. It’s OK to take your decorations down for at least a few months.
My show is rolling right along. Two-and-a-half weeks to go! I can’t believe how fast it’s going by. Everything else is coming into play now – set building, painting, decorating, costuming, props, sound, lights…every day brings new questions that need answers. This upcoming Saturday we will spend all day piecing together the set and probably painting a lot. Showbiz is glamorous, kids!
So yeah. That’s all here. LAME, I tell you. But it’s better than nothing! Right?
PS Just read that Charlie Sheen got fired from his dumb show. Good. What a tremendous douche.
The reason I typically hate Quiznos is 1) the smell and 2) the slimy meat. However, today the smell of the place wasn’t bad and the meat seemed OK, and really, it was so cold outside it didn’t matter anyway. My face was numb after our walk over there. Slimy meat be damned – at least they had the heat on.
Also – cold? EFF YOU. It is March now and I truly hope today was the last day I have to wear a sweater AND gloves AND a scarf until next winter. DONE AND DONE. Got that?
My two lunch companions told me that I was lame-ass in my lack of blogging lately, and I told them my life was pretty much set on repeat these days and no one wanted to read the same stupid stories over and over. They agreed that my blog is lame (they did!) but they read it anyway, and wanted something fresh on the page. So here it is.
So yeah. It has been warmish and a lot of our snow has melted now. Remember way back in December when I thought it was all sorts of fun to get big snowstorms? NOT FUN anymore. In fact, just yesterday I noticed that my Christmas tree was still on the side of the road. It was covered with snow until YESTERDAY. It’s still covered, but some branches are sticking out now, so I know it’s there.
What is it with people who still have their Christmas wreaths up, by the way? I understand that some houses still have lights up because they can’t get them down due to all of the snow, but wreaths? You just have to take them off your front door! You don’t even have to leave the house! It is making me truly angry. Don’t worry, my festive friends: the Christmas stuff will be back in stores in no time. It’s OK to take your decorations down for at least a few months.
My show is rolling right along. Two-and-a-half weeks to go! I can’t believe how fast it’s going by. Everything else is coming into play now – set building, painting, decorating, costuming, props, sound, lights…every day brings new questions that need answers. This upcoming Saturday we will spend all day piecing together the set and probably painting a lot. Showbiz is glamorous, kids!
So yeah. That’s all here. LAME, I tell you. But it’s better than nothing! Right?
PS Just read that Charlie Sheen got fired from his dumb show. Good. What a tremendous douche.
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