Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Oh, the sadness!

How sad is this? Jerry Orbach is dead! What an amazing shock! I love him! Lennie Briscoe! Lumiere! Oh, dear man, how sad.
And it's scary - prostate cancer. Every time I see that happen in the news, I thank God that Dad has now been cancer-free for over 10 years. It makes you thankful for the little things.

Check out Becky's eulogy. It's more eloquent than mine. But I have the same sentiment. We both love him. :)

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Lose Pesky Holiday Pounds Fast!

Do you overeat during the holidays? Too much turkey? Gallons of eggnog? Piles of cookies? Don't fret! Try this lose-quick method today! The stomach flu!

Yes, you too can feel absolutely wretched for days on end! You can eat whatever you want! (if you can bear the thought of eating at all!) Total body detoxification is the key - and if you're lucky, you'll become dehydrated and have a lovely fever, too! Those pesky holiday pounds will just slip away!


As you smart ones can now guess, I got one gift this year that was unwanted... and I know the giver (mom) wishes she hadn't shared, either. The past two+ days have left me feeling like a little more than a dishrag. Talk about unpleasant and exhausting... not to mention that I look oh so beautiful with my hair standing on end and no color in my face at all. Woo hoo, what a hottie! At least I know I am on the mend, although I am certainly not ready to go out and dance on a table. (have I ever?)

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Merry Boxing Day!

Hope your Christmases were all merry and bright, and that Santa brought everyone the gifts they wanted!

Christmas Eve was better than anticipated. We picked up Dad at work promptly at three and headed for the Island of Long... expecting that it would take hours to get to my brother's house. Shocked were we when it took only 90 minutes, a miracle in anyone's book! The house is very nice - they have done loads of work on it and the kitchen is incredible. The kids, of course, were amazingly wired... my nephew Patrick spent a good half-hour literally running in circles around the house!

The drive home was also amazingly uneventful (and as short as the drive out!) and we opened a few things before bed. Poor Mom ended up being sick all night with a nasty stomach flu which kept her on the couch all day Christmas Day... leaving me in charge of cooking the turkey. It couldn't wait, since it was defrosted, so I had to do it. I was successful, too! Never expected to be cooking my first Christmas dinner yesterday, but we had turkey breast, baked pasta, broccoli and cranberry-orange relish. (the full production was not necessary for a meal that only Dad and I ate.)

It certainly wasn't the Christmas I expected on many levels... Christmas is a time of surprises, and I for one wanted to believe that this year, yet I didn't think I could. But maybe I was wrong...

Friday, December 24, 2004

Merry

Well, readers (the few of you that there are!) I want to wish you all the Merriest of Christmases. May you find much joy and love in time spent together with loved ones in celebration. Peace and love to you all.

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good tidings of great joy that
shall be for all people. For unto us is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11
P.S: Remember others, especially those who are sacrificing much to keep us safe. Operation Dear Abby

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

is it true?

July 16, 2005! Harry Potter #6!

Monday, December 20, 2004

Monday again

Well, that concert crisis did, of course, work out.... eventually. I did end up going with the fairies, and we did take the ferry, which is still in existance, although it is a ticking time bomb in terms of when it will stop. We did not go out afterwards, which was good on several levels. The concert itself was interesting, but being that I was not in good voice I was frustrated with myself and my singing. Yesterday's music extravaganzas at church went fine, and I made it through better than I anticipated. Now it's just to get through work craziness for a few days before I can run and hide for a little while on Christmas vacation. Sleep sounds nice. As does quiet.

Quote of the day:
"Not only is she a good choir teacher,
but she's a good cook, too!"
Thanks, John. You don't know it, but you made my day.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Deer in the headlights

(no, not actual deer, although we've been seeing many more lately... poor babies, being driven out of their homes by McMansion construction-influx. Grr.)

So. stress has not abated - I thought that after 5 school concerts and a mental-health day on Friday I would be more sane... but no. Tonight is the G&S thing in the city and getting into the city is proving to be a disaster. Originally, I was planning on going with some fellow fairy friends - but there seems to be a plan in the works to go to some bar somewhere in a not great neighborhood afterwards, and since I have to sing tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening, such a plan isn't so kosher for me. So now I am throwing everything on its head to try to get in and out without driving, since traffic will be a nightmare the weekend before Christmas. Luckily the ferry is still running, and mom is going to be an absolute angel and come with me so I am not wandering the city alone, if the girls decide to go to the bar. Of course, though, a little nasty voice in the back of my head can come up with a much more pleasant way this whole scenario could have taken, and proceeded to incessantly remind me of it all last night and this morning during choir rehearsal. But obviously the "nicer" plan is about as far from reality as it is possible to be.

Extremely tired. Pretty cranky. Very stressed. Not feeling so great, which is freaking me out for tonight. Nervous. Cold. Amazingly frustrated on so many levels. And now depressed even more due to seeing that DeLovely is coming out on DVD this Tuesday. (much the same feeling as when I saw that The Terminal was also coming to DVD.) Not merry. Still running unrealistic scenarios and old memories through my head, which I know is not helpful in the least, but unfortunately I can't seem to stop them.

Why did I have to make my life like this?????????? Grr.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Am I crazy or am I just S.A.D?

Beware... there is much grumbling ahead. If you don't want to read about it (and I can't say I blame you!) then you should just come back another day. How about doing something positive instead?

Considering how Scrooge/Eeyore/Grumpy/etc I am feeling this Christmas season, I have been reminded of the fact that there is a special brand of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. It has to do mostly with the fact that your body is reacting to the lack of natural light that it is exposed to (vastly less than the summer) and therefore makes you depressed, gain weight, sleepy, etc. This perhaps refers to me, but I think my gloominess is due more to the fact that the world puts so much emphasis on "the holidays"... and personally, it never seems to live up to my prefabricated expectations. I guess I miss childhood's naive vision of it all, with all of its magic and mystery. I guess, too, that the person I was this summer had me, quite early, looking ahead to a magical Christmas that isn't going to exist. I hate, too, that my job makes me irritable about this time of year, too. I have five school concerts this week. One is done, four to go. And then church stuff, too, which I am sadly not doing with any kind of a joyful or generous spirit. I can't even listen to much Christmas music, which is usually my favorite.

This time of year is supposed to be a season of joy, faith, good tidings to all and peace on earth. A magical time of year with surprises and miracles and secrets wrapped in shiny paper. Of friendship and family and love. And I wish I felt better about it all. Of course, I will celebrate. I will sing, conduct, give generously, find things to be thankful for, pray. Try to hold on to hope... and faith. Hope that the New Year will bring better tidings.

P.S. Happy half-birthday to me. Woo hoo.
P.S.2. Boy have I written something majorly depressing. Maybe I need some happy pills. Or a drink. Or a massage. Or just run away and join the circus.
P.S.3. Don't worry about my mental state. I usually don't share like this, and am a fairly good chameleon. I can manage to look all perky and cheerful and full of Christmas spirit. I just vent a lot here.

Monday, December 13, 2004

speechless

This is just bizarre. I think this person is on crack.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Now who's the stupidhead?

Ding ding ding! I win! Smack the "L" on my forehead!

This weekend, the Iolanthe gang has our last concert appearance. (besides the one for the Manhattan G&S people) Now, being that we had no rehearsals this week, I didn't think about it much. So this morning, I had to go to a choir rehearsal - then I ended up running errands, which took longer than anticipated. Which made me late getting home, and put me into a tizzy in terms of showering and getting ready to go and pick up Heather and drive down to Teaneck. I was a little tardy in picking her up and as we were driving away from her house, she said, "I could have sworn that the concert was tomorrow!" Yeah. It is tomorrow. Good thing we didn't even make it down the street.

I'm a winner. What can I say? Maybe I can make excuses and blame it on my current mental status? Next week's five school concerts are more than enough to affect mental health, added to the whole holiday depression gloominess... or maybe I really am just a stupidhead.

Friday, December 10, 2004

What a stupidhead.

I heard about this story through a dear friend who recently migrated to Minnesota:

Supposedly, there was a man breaking into houses in the Minneapolis area... naked. A police officer and K-9 dog responded, and the naked man became very defensive and combattive in the apprehension. So... the dog did what he was trained to do. Attack. And what what area are the dogs trained to aim for?

Really, how dumb can you be, cold, stupid and (now) castrated man?!? Certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed! And if you really wanted to rob houses in Minnesota, why in the world are you doing it naked... and in December? It's got to be cold enough to freeze off any part of the body not attacked by dogs!

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

photos

I've been meaning to link up to these pics taken when Becky came for the weekend, but never got to it until right now. Here's the marquis of the Loew's Theatre, and one of a fairy and a mortal - it's amazing how frightening stage makeup looks up close! I hope that some of my fellow actors will share digitals taken this weekend at the home shows - if they do, I'll post those as well.

Sunday, December 05, 2004

"We know it's weakness....

...but the weakness is so strong!"

With the Iolanthe weekend extravaganza now drawn to a close, here are a few remarks on the whole thing...

1. My first role. Wow. And as a.... soprano? Who'dve thought?
2. Strangely, I'm going to miss the big sparkly eyelashes and glitter!
3. Funny comment - this past week, during the finale when we all get paired off and the queen sentences us all to death, Tololler turned to me and (quietly) said, "well, there goes the honeymoon!" good thing I didn't bust out laughing!
4. Us young fairies are already planning a "fairy reunion weekend" down the shore, complete with marathons of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter (and hopefully some candy sushi!)
5. Speaking of Harry, there was much dueling was done backstage with our wands... Expelliarmus!
6. The Lord Chancellor's teddy bear (complete with fairy wings I made for it!) made it out to curtain calls tonight with our baby fairies! hurrah!
7. Boy, am I glad I didn't turn this role down. I came close... dangerously close, considering that I got the call on the night of the 23rd of August. I think it serendipidous that I forced myself to accept!

Two more concert performances over two more weekends and then this production of Iolanthe will be history. A sad thought, but a happy memory, too.

Friday, December 03, 2004

IOLANTHE WEEKEND PLANS

It is certainly an IOLANTHE weekend extravaganza! I will be quite busy tripping hither, tripping thither in all of my fairy glory - and here is the 411 on all of the plans:


TONIGHT: Between 7 and 8, we'll all be singing at the Town&Country Pharmacy in Ridgewood as a part of the tree-lighting festivities. Come on by and see us!

TOMORROW: 8pm performance at the Ben Franklin Middle School, Glen and VanDien Avenues, Ridgewood (next to Valley Hospital).

SUNDAY: 3pm performance, same place as above.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students and seniors. Information: (973) 423-0300 or www.ridgewoodgands.com


Do not go and defy us, you great geese!! :)