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So the plan this weekend was for me to finish all the work that needed to be done on the new site, and then post a grand opening post over here inviting you all to see the new place!
That didn't exactly happen.
What did happen was errands upon errands, a hockey game, a concert, and a visit to the theater, all crammed packed into three glorious days. So today, rather than an exciting post telling you all about changing bookmarks and reader feeds and fun things like that (which should let you know that soon you'll have to change bookmarks and reader feeds and fun things like that should you desire to continue following me) I'll tell you about my weekend. And you can pretend to care!
Since the economy sucks, and shockingly people aren't spending money on playgrounds right now, my employers have been tightening the belts. Our hours have been reduced, so that I now have every other Friday off not because I work a 9/80 schedule like I used to, but because they can't afford to pay us for a full pay period. I am incredibly thankful to have a job, even if the fact that my job is cutting hours and wages in an attempt to stay in business doesn't exactly have me dancing on tables. But I still get a paycheck twice a month and I'm almost keeping my head above water.
Because of that, I had Friday off, and my plan was to sleep in as long as possible and then go run errands. The gardeners had other plans. At precisely 9am, I was ripped from sleep by a leaf blower being used under my bedroom window. Why must that happen on a Friday morning where there's a good chance that someone is trying to enjoy a three day weekend? Isn't it more likely that people are not home on Wednesday mornings, and that might be a better time for early morning noise? (Before I get called a snob, let's make it clear that I live in an apartment and therefore do not get any say in when or where the gardeners work. I am quite content to sweep my own porch (which is what the blower was crudely being used for) or mow the community lawn outside my living room, if it means I can do so later in the day when I'm already awake.) (Also, before I get a lecture on the temperature being more outdoor labor friendly in the mornings and that's why the noise, let me please point out that the landscape company is on our property ALL DAY. They just happen to start my section in the morning. I'd just rather they wake someone else up, that's all.) So at 9am, I was wide awake and completely unable to get back to sleep. Considering the amount of errands I had to run, I decided I should just get up and get them over with, so I could enjoy a peaceful afternoon nap. After dropping my bedspread at the dry cleaners, exchanging my POS router for a new one, perusing the bookstore for various titles, a supremely yummy bagel sandwich lunch, a quick manicure (my personal indulgence and reward for not biting my nails), and picking up a jersey and hat for Donald, I went back home to try and catch a nap.
That didn't exactly happen, either.
I made the mistake of trying to mess with something that was working just fine, and ended up breaking the entire thing. So I spent my last remaining free hour attempting to fix that, which caused me to be 15 minutes late for meeting Donald at the hockey game. The game, however, was awesome and the Reign won, making me forget that I hadn't slept like I planned. After a fantabulous dinner at Boston's (I highly recommend the pasta with creamy tomato sauce. It's to die for) we headed home and I passed out.
I slept in Saturday and planned on working on the aforementioned new site once I got up. And I did! But not for half as long as I wanted to, and then I was off and running more errands before picking up Donald and heading out to Anaheim to see Reba McEntire perform. Ladies and gents, she is phenomenal. Simply fantastic. She didn't employ her trademark costume changing, but at least she wasn't singing in a bingo hall. Sadly, they don't allow cameras in the Honda Center for certain events (which I think is total crap) so I was unable to document the experience. But I assure you it was unforgettable!
Sunday, Donald and I drove out to LA to see RENTat the Pantages. Second only to Wicked, RENT is the greatest play ever to grace the stage. This is the second time I've seen it in the theater (though I've seen the movie countless times), and it was awesome. Two of the original Broadway cast members are currently reprising their roles, as are two of the final Broadway production cast members. It's a great play with any cast, but these actors make it so much better. It's not your typical theater production, which might be one of the reasons I love it so much. I mean, at one point the audience is asked to moo. Like cows. How many plays does that happen in? The music is great, the story's fantastic, and the characters are people you feel like you know. If you're in the LA area, I wholeheartedly suggest you make time to go see it before it's gone. Actually, it's on tour now, so if it's coming near you, LA or not, you should go see it. I promise you won't be disappointed.
And so there you go. My weekend in a nutshell, and the reason that the new site isn't done yet. It's going to be another busy week for me, but I plan on carving out some time to get the final tweaks done so you can see what I've been working at for so long. Hopefully you'll like it!
Last week I ventured out to Los Angeles with my mom and sister to check out Phantom of the Opera, which has replaced Wicked at the Pantages Theater. I've seen Phantom before and liked it, so I was excited to go and see it again. It was a little bittersweet, however, because Wicked is by far my favorite play and I was sad to walk into the theater and not see it.
Phantom was good. Not as spectacular as the last time I saw it, but enjoyable nonetheless. The guy who played Phantom was awesome to listen to. I got goosebumps when he sang. The woman playing Christine was ok. She had an amazing voice, but her acting flipped back and forth to over the top (and not in a good way) or very stiff. She left a lot to be desired. The balance of voices in the production was also a little out of whack, it seemed. Carlotta, for example, has a loud operatic voice and it's lovely. But when the cast sings as a group, she completely drowns out the rest of them, and you can't hear anything they're saying. It would have been better for everyone involved if they'd turned down her mic so that she blended with everyone, rather than blowing them away.
I have always loved the music in Phantom, and had the soundtrack at one point (It got lost in one of my many moves, I think). My favorite song from the play, however, is on a Barbara Streisand CD. She sings "Music of the Night" with Michael Crawford, and just thinking about it gives me chills. It's such a beautiful song, and while many people don't like her, the woman has an amazing voice that blends beautifully with Crawford's. I could listen to it over and over without growing tired of it.
Phantom will be here for the next few weeks, and Donald and I will be seeing the final show on the 21st. I'm hoping that the issues they had the first time I saw it will be fixed by then. I'm also hoping that I'll be a little more accepting of it not being Wicked, and I'll be able to enjoy it more.
I’ve never made a secret of how much I love going to concerts or the theater. I like plays, dance productions, comedians, or musical acts. I’m not ashamed of it. If I could afford it, I’d go to the theater all the time. And it doesn’t have to be a big fancy theater presenting a big fancy production either. It can be a little theater with a little production, and I’m just as happy. But I have discovered that I like mainstream theater more than things that are a bit different.
Friday night my mom and I went to the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts to see Axis Dance Company. I was thinking it would be your typical dance production. It was. And it wasn’t. I thought it would be different musical numbers with dancers showcasing their talents. I did not think it would include people in wheelchairs, or with prosthetic limbs. That part was a surprise. Now, before someone says I’m being discriminatory or mean or whatever, let me clarify. I have NO problem with differently abled people. None. I don’t feel uncomfortable around them. I don’t avoid them. I don’t think they are less of a person because they are different than I am. I just was surprised to see them in a dance company. The program called the company a "bridge between Contemporary and physically integrated dance." I’m not sure if I would have said that, but that’s how they like to describe themselves. The dancers consisted of 2 able-bodied women, 2 women in electric wheelchairs, 2 men and 1 woman in manual wheelchairs, and 1 woman with amputated fingers and legs (below the knee) who used different prosthetics throughout the performance.
It was..different. The people in the wheelchairs looked fairly graceful as they twirled around the stage. But it wasn’t synchronized dance. It was a little bit of everyone doing something different. Sometimes they did things together, sometimes it looked like a free for all. The able bodied women would spin and leap around the stage, sometimes riding on the back of a wheelchair. My favorite part was when one of the men tipped his wheelchair on the side, and one of the women spun on the wheel that was facing the ceiling. That part was acrobatic and cool. The rest of it was a little like watching an interpretive dance, and not having a clue as to what was being said. It wasn’t bad, per say, just not my cup of tea. Or maybe because I expected something else, I didn’t have time to adjust to something this new and creative. Maybe if I knew that it was going to be a mixed ability production, my expectations would have been different (not lower, just for the record). Or maybe I’m just a mainstream kind of gal.
I love days off work. I truly do. I think they make me appreciate my job that much more. We work a 9/80 work week, so we get every other Friday off, and I usually fill them with all the errands I can’t do while I’m working. But today, I have nothing. Not one single place to be, errand to run, or appointment to make. Nothing. It’s glorious. I slept in this morning (as long as Mia would let me), and now I’m catching up on e-mails and blogs that I’ve been missing. My only plans involve my bowling league at 9pm, but that still gives me a full day to be completely lazy. Part of me feels a little guilty about it. As I look around the apartment, I see 100 things that need to be taken care of or straightened up. But the other part of me (found in the part of the brain marked LAZY) thinks that taking 1 day of a 3 day weekend to do absolutely nothing isn’t going to hurt anything. Especially since the other member of this household spends literally 10 times as many hours at home as I do, and still things are not done. And in true Forrest Gump style, that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Last night Kelly and I saw Cirque Du Soleil’s Corteo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. I’m still trying to decide if I liked it or not. I didn’t quite understand the storyline. I think it was supposed to be a dream some guy (a clown?) had of his funeral, but there were other clowns and acrobats in it? Still a foggy concept for me. The acrobatics, however, were amazing. Spinning and flipping on chandeliers, walking on tightropes, bouncing on trampolines disguised as beds, my jaw remained dropped for a large portion of the show. My favorite part was when the show’s little person, Valentyna Paylevanyan, came out strapped to 6 large helium balloons. She bounced and floated over the crowd, jumping off the hands of people seated in the audience. She was so sweet. I tried to find a good picture so you could all see, but instead I found this:
She’s so charming! I think I’d see the show again just to see her in it. I’ve heard wonderful things about other Cirque Du Soleil shows, like LOVE, Mystere, and "O" so I’m eager to see those as well. Corteo, however, just left a little to be desired. Perhaps if I’d understood the storyline (without reading the description online) it would have left me with a better impression.
Hi! Happy New Year! I know I’m almost a week late, but it’s the thought that counts! It feels like yesterday I was leaving to celebrate the new year in Arizona. We had a great time. Jas and Tony went golfing, and Kerry and I went along as riders. It was fun for a while, but then it got really cold, and all we wanted to do was go back home. After a minor golf cart fender bender (Reverse and Forward are not the same direction. Whodathunk?) we got through the round, and went back to Tony and Kerry’s. Jenn and her daughter Emily came out to join us Sunday night, and we played cards until the wee hours of the morning. I love playing cards at home, rather than a casino. We played for 3 hours, and I lost a grand total of two bucks. Of course, minimum bet in a casino is like $2 per hand, and minimum bet at home is a nickel, so that probably explains it. But I still prefer the non-smoking, much joking atmosphere of a home game. We rang in the new year quietly, playing cards, and watching the drunks from the kegger across the street. The visit seemed really short, since we had to come back home on the first.
The 3rd was my second day of kidney donation testing. The only word I can think of to describe it is weird. I spent the night up at a hotel across from UCLA, because I didn’t want to get up at 5am to sit in 3 hours of traffic and I was able to walk from the hotel to my appointment. The test was called a CT Urogram, and it’s basically a portfolio of pictures of my kidneys and bladder to make sure they’re all in the right place and not deformed or anything. They made me drink a full glass of water every 15 minutes for 45 minutes (for the math challenged, that’s 4 full glasses) before the exam. Then they stuck an IV in me and had me lay on a table that was connected to what can best be described as a giant doughnut. The table moved independently of the dough nut, so I was moved up, down, left and right throughout the entire exam. It was easy enough to keep my eyes closed, so I didn’t get motion sickness or anything. At first, it was a piece of cake. The table moved, the doughnut made noise and I just tried to go to sleep. But then the dye was released. Holy hell, people. They warned me ahead of time, but it was still the strangest feeling ever. If you’ve ever gone swimming when the air is freezing and you’re shivering, and then you dive into warm water, your body sort of flushes with heat, and then evens out to normal temperature. That’s what this felt like, except it was one body part at a time. First my fingers felt feverish, then my head, then chest, and it spread down all the way to my toes. Once the dye was in, they flushed it through with saline. That’s when the panic started. The excess fluids pushed a little on my chest, and while I could still breathe fine, I started freaking out. It felt like the pressure was increasing, and I wanted to tell them to stop, but I didn’t want to look like an idiot, but I didn’t want to die, and I was afraid that momentarily I wouldn’t be able to speak due to lack of oxygen, etc. (It’s glaringly apparent that I watch WAY too much House and Grey’s Anatomy). Mind you, the panic is making my heart race, and further amplify the feeling that I can’t breathe. I managed to hold it together long enough for the feeling to subside, thank goodness. They made me get up and walk around (so the dye would move through my kidneys and bladder better) and after a couple minutes started the doughnut up again. The whole process took about 15 minutes, but I swear it felt like an hour. I was very glad they’d canceled the psychiatric evaluation I was supposed to have right after the CT test, because I sure needed some time to get my head together again. In retrospect, it wasn’t a big deal at all. And if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t even hesitate, since now I know what to expect. But during that 15 minutes, I was ready to quit the whole process.
I rewarded my fake bravery with a trip to the yummiest place on earth. They don’t have locations where I live, so I make a point to visit one every time I’m out in the area. Due to the extra fluids I’d just had pumped in me, I had to pee every 7 minutes or so. The waiter must have thought I was on drugs, since I kept getting up. I felt like I was pregnant or something. It became funny to me after a while, which probably added to my waiter’s opinion of me, as I was by myself and giggling. But hey, I entertained him for a while, right?
I guess that’s it for my week. I saw Wicked yet again yesterday. A huge chunk of the cast was new, including the girl who plays Elphaba. I really liked her, but I think I prefer Eden Espinoza, who I’ve seen 4 times now. Her voice is a bit stronger, and blends together better with Megan Hilty (Glinda). Either way, if you’re in the LA area, I still strongly recommend you go see it. It’s fantastic. And if you need someone to go with you, let me know!
I never thought I’d be one of those people who would become freakishly obsessed about a movie or play. I used to laugh at the people who would go to see Rocky Horror Picture Show every single time it was shown somewhere. I just couldn’t see the point in seeing the same exact thing over and over again.
I’m over that now.
I am obsessed with Wicked. I’ve seen it twice in the last three weeks, and three times in the last year, and I’m going again in two weeks. It’s amazing. If you’ve not yet seen it, stop reading this, click here, and get going!
A friend of mine went and saw it over a year ago, and said it was great. I got the book and tried reading through it, but it took me forever. I just wasn’t in the right mind to read it. Last April I went to see the play for the first time, and I was hooked. I came home, dug out the book, and polished it off in two days. It’s much darker than the play, but still an excellent read, once you get into it. Since then, I’ve been begging people to go see it with me. I’ve listened to the soundtrack once or eleventy-billion times. My windshield has several cracks from my fantastic efforts to hit notes mortal beings just can’t hit. The soundtrack features Idina Menzel (Maureen in the original Broadway and movie versions of RENT) and Kristin Chenoweth (Annabeth in the The West Wing) and is just outstanding. In fact, I think I must go listen again!
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