Dr. Seuss writes about the Quarter-Life Crisis!

...I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on, You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump, you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right... or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you'll start in to race down long wiggled roads at break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, towards a most useless place. The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite ot waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting...

... maybe a little of both?

Ok, so perhaps my post from this morning was a little harsh, making it sound like no one ever writes me back. Some people do reply in a timely fashion and I appreciate that. It's just hard when you are trying to plan something that ends up falling apart at the last minute because of a lack of communication, or when you're wishing that people would listen to you because you need someone to be an understanding ear/shoulder. I guess it boils down to the fact that I'm quite discouraged with the hand I've been dealt lately. While Frustrated and Gloomy might not become me, they seem to be like annoying guests who always stay too long at the party.

Why can't they just go home already?!?

Am I right or am I wrong?

Perhaps I am just spoiled by technology, but I appreciate email for its speed and efficiency. Being that I am not a telephone person, email is convienient and easy - often I can fire off an email in the amount of time it would take me to dial and leave a voicemail saying "Call me back so I can tell you what I need to tell you." It contacts people wherever they are without having to physically track them down. Responses can even be sent in the middle of the night without disturbing people.

So why is it then that people don't respond? I write to people - to say hi, to check in, to try and plan things - and either get no response at all or get one too late. It's not a one-time occurance and it's not pinned on to just one person... I get this a lot! Come on, people, it's not hard. It's quick to check and send, especially for the modern world that doesn't have to deal with dial-up, like me. Dumb people. Am I being too harsh here? Or am I just expecting people to be curteous? Or is it just that people don't want to talk to me? I know that email is an informal and casual form of communication, but still...

Let me know what you think.

Headcase...

Do you ever wish you could get inside someone else's head and see what they are thinking? I do, even though it really is a double-edged sword... you could find out that they are thinking exactly what you suspected, or it could be something so completely different and surprising... and either of these could be good or bad. Some people are just harder to read! You think that you know where you stand with them and yet the little voice of doubt makes you panic and think otherwise. And then people sometimes just do things that so confuse you that you're just caught up in a tailspin of questioning and uncertainty. Grr! Frustrating! And finding myself in a whole labrynth of transition yet again doesn't make it any easier. I think my brain just goes into doubt-overdrive over everything, myself included.

I think I really just need some happiness. Anyone got any to spare?

Job Counselor? I have a question....

Spring break is a wonderful, wonderful thing... especially after last week's hideousness. I like being at home. (Of course, I would enjoy a vacation more, but if it comes down to home-vs.-work.... home wins.) I think I need to find a job that lets me stay at home. There's a lot less bureaucracy here.

Kick her while she's down....

This week has been atrocious, for many reasons - none of which I'm going to write about here. The crowning jewel in the hideousness was yesterday, making the week one for the record books. If you know me and want to know what's up, get in touch with me.

One last thing... a question, really...

Do you think that the people in life who find it their job to make your life a living hell actually find satisfaction in doing so in the long run? Or do you think they wake up one day and realize how they have ruined others and, in that action, ruined themselves?

some things are just amusing...

The other day at school I was futzing around with stuff on my cart and a teacher in the "tenement" (where several of us non-classroom teachers - or at least our carts - have been placed) was talking with a student who needed to have some baby teeth removed. She called me in to chat about it, considering my recent experience with teeth. The kids and I chatted about it, and the topic of the Tooth Fairy came up. I mentioned, tongue firmly planted in cheek, that I had wanted to ask my oral surgeon for my teeth so that the Tooth Fairy would come, and several kids gave me their feedback on the idea: (paraphrased)

Student #1 - "You would have gotten $4!"
Student #2 - "You would have gotten $16!" (4x4)
Student #3 - "You would have gotten, like, at least $50!" (my guess is that grown-up teeth are worth more to the TF?)

I like student #3's opinion. I then mentioned that I thought the oral surgeon kept them for himself so he could collect on the money. All students assured me that the Tooth Fairy would know that the teeth were not his and that there would be nothing but teeth left under his pillow in the morning. ;)

Before I forget.... These two websites are really funny. I found them from reading LJC. Both made me laugh on a day when I was much more apt to cry. Enjoy!

words

frustration. communication. silence. longing. uncertainty. faith. doubt. hope. anger. love. tears. flustered. awkward. confident. forget. remember. snow. rain. broken. weak. fear. hurt. empty. year. fate. coincidence. future. past. lost. adventure. magic. rocks.

Rambling

Do you ever wish you could step out of your life and look at it from a new perspective? Actually back up and see things objectively, with bits of the past and future to help you understand the here and now? Yeah, I know we all do sometimes. I guess it just has to do with the fact that I feel like a hampster in its wheel - running, but really not getting anywhere. Maybe I actually am moving forward, even though I can't tell at the moment. I hope so. Maybe I'm not, and an objective look at the situation could help me figure stuff out. I'm not so good with so many unknowns at once - perhaps others like that kind of existance, but I'm better with some things in (relative) order to help me through the unknowns. It's the on-all-fours-and-stumbling-in-the-dark-without-a-flashlight kind of existance that gets to me. I know it's not always like that, and that we do need that sometimes in order to become who we are supposed to be. But that doesn't make it any easier.

sleep. yeah, sleep would be a good idea. goodnight.

Lucky Number.... 32?

Last night, our school's PTO hosted a Tricky Tray at a catering hall. This is the second one I've been to, and they are quite the social events! There were over 300 people there last night and loads of prizes to try for - some of the ones I tried to win included tickets to Great Adventure, the Bronx Zoo, Crayola Factory, etc - gift certificates to Old Navy, Container Store, the Melting Pot restaurant, Applebees, manicures, massages, etc - and even big items like a hotel weekend and a mini Ipod. Did I win any of those? Sadly, no. But I did win something I wanted, and perhaps this is a sign that I need it - a month of unlimited visits to a local chiropractor!

It might not be as fun as some of the others, but I'm happy with my prize and hopefully will benefit from it! :)

it might not be a big deal to you...

...but it is to me.

Yay to me for figuring out how to change the colors within the confines of this humble little blog. I was getting tired of the day-glo pink-and-green motif... so I went for softer colors. Note that I went for a tri-color concept and the fact that sidebar links that are normally black are now purple when you get near them and then blue once you've used the link! woo hoo!

(Ok, so for you computer experts, such drivel is child's play. But I had to do a lot of trial and error and bumbling through html code to make it work!)

Bah for work. Dumb work!

Tomorrow, I have to suck it up and go to work. Bah. I've really enjoyed being home... even with the all-liquid-diet, meds-every-six-hours, ice-or-heat-several-times-a-day, feeling-a-little-loopy, kinda-lonely-ness of it all. I was talked out of work today by several people (the winning vote coming from Nurse Mom) and I think it was a great choice... my jaw was just too sore to have done all of the singing I would have to do. Tomorrow will still be interesting... I'll have to play it by ear and see how it goes. I get the stitches out on Thursday, which I'm looking forward to... they feel strange! :)

"It would be a shame to miss New York in the Spring."

(can you place the quote???)

Having been born and bred in the area surrounding the Capital of the World, I've spent some considerable time there. There are an unspeakable number of places to go, things to do and experiences to experience - some of which I already have (and want to do again!), others that I plan to do, and still others that I am just finding out about here and there. Here is a short list of things I'm currently curious about/interested in... but beware, such a selection is quite short in reality! (hmmm... most are food places... I guess I must be hungry!)

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and Grilled Cheese NYC (which I just heard about from reading LJC!), Dylan's Candy Bar and Serendipity (Marisa reminded me of these), The Library Hotel (you always need a place to stay!), Gray's Papaya, Zabar's, Kate's Paperie, Amy's Bread, 91st street Garden, Central Park Carousel and Zoo, Ferrara's, the Strand, Midsummer Night's Swing, Empire State Building, the Cloisters, the museums, etc, etc, etc.....

I'm lucky - I've had some exceptional trips into the Big Apple. I hope to have some more. It's strange that I have such fond memories of adventures in a place that scared me when I was little! :)

mmm.... ice cream for breakfast!

Kisses and hugs and much thanks to those who have called, emailed and visited over the past weekend. Your concern and wishes (and jello!) are much appreciated by this girl. Thanks for helping me feel better!

Update

Greetings from the toothless wonder! :) I went in yesterday morning for the surgery, and was more than a little nervous when I got there... but then they put the needle in my arm and told me that I would start to relax... I remember thinking, "wow - this stuff does make you feel better!" and then the next thing I knew, they were waking me up and saying it was all over. I spent a little time in recovery and then mom took me home.

My wonderful oral surgeon gave me some happy drugs - Vicodin and an antibiotic, and I spent most of yesterday icing my face and sleeping. I've been lucky to have such a fantastic "nurse" - my wonderful mom. She has been wonderful to her sick daughter!

I went back to see him for a follow-up this morning and he said everything looks great - honestly, I think he did a fantastic job, since I have very little swelling and feel pretty good. I've been eating more today - all soft things, of course, but he said that whatever I feel comfortable with is what I should have. I might swell more tomorrow, he says, but I don't think it will be anything I can't handle.

So I'll just take it easy for the next two days - he'd suggested that I take off Monday and I have already done so. I'll be happy to veg and sleep and watch movies and do very little. Just wanted to let people know that I made it through! :)

Will I now be dumb?

Well, tomorrow is April 8th. The day I lose all of my wisdom.... teeth, that is. Part of me is strangely at peace with the whole thing and the other part of me (surprisingly smaller?) is freaking out... so you can imagine what I'm like internally! I'm just thankful for the opportunity to do it now, while I can, and get it over with. I'd appreciate any good wishes, thoughts, prayers and the like.

...See you all on the other side of this, when I'll hopefully still be smart enough to write cohesive sentences! ;)

Sheep-in-a-Jeep invite #2!

A few minutes ago, I was sitting here, checking my email, when I see that I got an email today from my pals at Jeep. What I found was another invitation! This time, I was invited to an advance screening of Sahara, an action-adventure movie with Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, and Penélope Cruz... and, of course, the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara.

Too bad their timing wasn't better. The screening is tomorrow night at 7:30... just as my rehearsal begins. What's up with the not-much-advance-notice? Blast. But hurrah for Jeep and free things! :)

So what am I, really?

While at the Auto Show, I took a quiz from Land Rover to discover my AQ- Adventure Quotient. They told me I was Passionate Investigative Pioneer. I went to the site yesterday to investigate and took the test again. This time it was longer and more thorough. I found out that I am really a Inward Inspirational Seeker, whose secondary AQ is the P.I.P.

Here are the descriptions:

Having the AQ of an Inward Inspirational Seeker, you are interested in the internal rewards adventure has to offer. You seek the emotional rush more than the physical when engaging in exciting pursuits.
Your style of adventure is unique because you emphasize improving the self through experience - you are not interested in the instant gratification that adventure can bring. As your name suggests, you seek inspiration from within, not from sources outside of yourself.
You learn best by placing yourself in new situations - stretching your comfort zone helps you develop a clearer picture of who you really are. You are a rare breed who places equal importance on having physical and mental adventures - you are conscious of their distinct benefits. As a thinker and experiencer, you take precautions before engaging in potentially dangerous activities. Above all, Inward Inspirational Seekers are interested in the intrinsic rewards all adventure has to offer - peace of mind, perspective and personal growth.
Traits: curious, open-minded, low-maintenance, cautious, sensation-seeking.

The AQ of a Passionate Investigative Pioneer is that of a classic adventure seeker. When people think about adventurous personalities, this combination of traits is exactly what they envision. This AQ is spontaneous, energetic and broad-minded. P.I.P.'s are willing to forgo comfort for the sake of experience. They want to touch, taste, smell and see all there is, and nothing much that can stop them. The pioneering spirit is something that also separates this AQ from others. They don't rely on trends or guides in deciding where to go and what to do. This AQ is one of the rare few that can feel comfortable in any situation.
Secondary AQ traits: courageous, spontaneous, low-maintenance, sensation-seeking, curious, open-minded, energetic, extroverted.

Comment below and tell me if you think this is a good discription of me. Take the test yourself and then let me know what you are, if you want! :)

Merci! Gracias! Grazi! Thanks!

Kudos to Marisa for her help with the picture posting, and for the Woods for the offer of help. Yay for smart technology people to help us bumbling wannabees! :) A sticker for each of you!

Greetings from The New York International Auto Show 2005! 

Technical Help Needed!

To the few technological people out there who actually read this little blog:

I want to post pictures. I have some to post already. I downloaded Picasa and Hello as they requested, and can't seem to get to the next step. In Picasa, I select a pic and then click on the little "Blogger" button, which always takes me to the page to download Hello. Which I've already done. So it's a big viscious cycle.

Help, Help!

Crummy weather, crummy miss president

Although tremendous fun was had at the Auto Show, there was one thing which manifested itself into something not fun. I didn't know it at the time, but I was in the process of getting sick. I started to lose my voice that night and by the middle of the night, I woke up all scratchy-throated. Luckily, I had called out sick - I needed a "mental health day", and this ended up working out well since I just laid low and did minimal things. I went to work yesterday - perhaps not the best idea, but since I have to take off a few days in the very near future, I figured one would have to be enough for now.

Yesterday after work, we had to get in the car to drive Dad to the airport... on Long Island. We got out there in good time, but the homebound traffic was a beast, as expected. I was amazingly beat after that drive, and crashed on the couch for the evening, dragging myself to bed after sleeping through two hours of television.

So today I'll lay really low in this monsoon of rain. Maybe I'll drag myself out on a few errands, maybe not. Bah for sickness!

Vroom Vroom....

Over a week ago, I got an invitation in the mail from my dear friends at Jeep. They invited me to come to "Camp Jeep NY" at the New York International Auto Show... for free! So I picked a day, rsvp'd, and went - last night.

Picked up Matt at work (the ticket being for "you and a guest") and drove to the ferry. The terminal is conveniently accross the street from where we needed to be, so we crossed over and walked to the big building that said "JEEP" on it. We were directed where to sign in, received light-up-magnet pins, and went in. The Camp Jeep Pavillion was incredible! There was live music, a rock wall, remote-controlled Jeeps, video games, an area for kids to ride the little power-wheel Jeeps, and the most amazing thing.... an indoor off-road course!!!!! Of course, we immediately got on line to wait our turn.

Obviously (and unfortunately!) you were only able to be passangers on the ride - but we hopped into a Wrangler and set off. They showed off how they handle on uneven terrain, inclines/declines (45 degrees!), water, etc. It was amazingly fun! :)

Other highlights of the show (once we stopped playing with the Jeeps, that is!) included:
* getting little pen holders in the shape of a VW bug convertable
* finding out that I am a "Passionate Investigative Pioneer" from Land Rover (What are you? Check here to find out!)
* a Volvo driving safety simulator
* getting golf umbrellas and waterbottles from Suzuki after the 1st bottle broke!

* getting another manual-driving-lesson.... including freaking out on a real road and not being able to get the car to start moving again!

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, so I may edit later!

Coolness

I got a present today... a shirt. Now, normally a shirt does not warrant such excitement, but this shirt isn't normal! :) Go and check out the website of the designers - David and Goliath. The site is pretty cool... but one that makes my sad dial-up connection spaz out. (I'll just have to rebel and check it out at work!)

The one I received says something bound to make college roommates and friends laugh...

Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!

Thanks, Matt. :) I love it!

Vacation woes...

Being how I feel, this post is going to be appropriately green... with envy.

I am tremendously jealous of several friends and acquaintances right now. People all around me are away, going away, or planning to go away. One is in Myrtle Beach as we speak. Two are going to Russia at the end of April. Others are going to a veterinary conference in Aruba next month. My brother and father are leaving on the 1st to fly to Nice and cruise in the Mediterranean for a week.

I want to go away! I want a vacation! Where's my trip? :c/

Stamp! stamp! stamp! NO FAIR!!

One Year

One year ago today, my poor little Jeep and I were in an accident. The stupid %$@*&! that hit me claimed no responsibility for it and his insurance company refused to pay for my claim. So my insurance company sued him. (Extra info: He got booted from his insurance after our accident... especially since it was his third accident at age 21 and the previous one was just a few days before...) I ended up being without my baby for 6 weeks while insurance companies duked it out - but at least I got a Jaguar to drive for a week (woo hoo! Talk about posh!) and then a TrailBlazer as a replacement rental while I waited. All in all, I am certainly thankful that only cars got hurt, not any people. But I was still angry about it!

So after a long wait, I finally got word the other day (Monday, I think) that it was finally settled. The stupidhead's insurance company finally agreed to pay, after lawyer intervention. I got a check from my insurance company for my deductable... minus $175+ in lawyer costs.

... I consider that a small price to pay for my insurance not going up. :) I'm just happy that it's over.

"Do trees have sex?"

...this was the question of an eighth grader today at our middle school. From what I know, he/she asked the question of their science teacher during class. I overheard a follow-up conversation on the subject during choir. One person said the answer was yes, another thought trees were asexual. Not a tremendously surprising question for an eighth grader, but random nonetheless.



BTW, I think the teacher's answer was yes. (strange mental pictures!)

Randomness of the day

1. LIVING ARRANGEMENT? back at home
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW: The Inner Voice by Renee Flemming
3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD: enlarged water droplets
4. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE BOARD GAME: Monopoly
5. YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE: InStyle
6. FAVOURITE SMELLS: baking, vanilla, lavender, the ocean
7. FAVOURITE SOUND: certain voices, ocean sounds, laughing
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: feeling that your life has completely fallen apart!
9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: Do I have time to hit the snooze alarm?
10. FAVOURITE COLOURS? Pink, red, lighter blues
11. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? usually four, I think... if it's a phone that rings.
12. NAME OF FUTURE CHILDREN: I keep changing my mind. Currently, I'm liking Sven, Giovanni, Neville, Petunia, Stella.... ;)
13. MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE: Finding your calling and your soulmate
14. FAVOURITE FOODS: oh, too many. Triscuts, Nutella, gilato.....
15. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?: sometimes
16. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? I'll admit that there is one rather well-loved old friend lying around
17. STORMS ARE: usually wonderful, unless I'm stuck driving in them!
18. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?: a 1991 Toyota Tercel named Bing
19. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE WHO WOULD IT BE?: tough question. Don't know.
20. FAVOURITE DRINK?: Polar Seltzer, but if you're talking alcohol, Amaretto Sour
21. ZODIAC SIGN?: Gemini
22. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?: of course
23. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE? when I figure it out, I'll get back to you!
24. EVER BEEN IN LOVE?: Yes
25. IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?: There's a glass? And there's stuff in it??
26. FAVOURITE BOOK: Don't know, I've done a bit of reading
27. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED: Dust, a keyboard (piano, not computer) and maybe a rogue sock
28. FAVOURITE NUMBER: um, maybe 14?
29. LEAST FAVOURITE SPORT TO WATCH: most of them!

Reason No.497

(aka another reason why I can't wait until June 22)

In the world of teaching, as in many other fields, we are expected to accrue professional development hours within the field. This can be done in a number of ways, like taking graduate classes ot through workshops. Being a music teacher, the workshops that are of any use to me are few and far between, making me want to jump at any opportunity when it arises. I went to the state music educator's convention last month to rack up some hours (I think I got 14 or 15?) and while there I saw a thing for a workshop next month, sponsored by the book publisher that I use. The workshop is completely FREE to attend - and they feed you and give you stuff to take home. I was pretty psyched, especially since my district didn't even pay for half of the convention's price. So, I put in the paperwork request to attend.

I got denied. When I asked why, I was told that because I had gone to the 2 day workshop, I was not allowed to use any other professional days this year. Now here's the kicker... the second day of the convention ended up being a snow day at work... so they didn't have school and didn't have to get a substitute, meaning that I only took one professional day instead of 2!! I brought up this fact to the big boss (in a 'second request' note), hoping that the light would go on and they would give me the OK to go.

Nine days later (nice and prompt,eh?), I got a typed response back, dening me yet again and saying I was already had my 2 days. Don't they understand English? Now I am going to get jipped out of my second day because they say I can only have the two due to the budget crunch. And at this point, if I took a sick day on that day, they would know I wasn't sick. And, best of all, that note got sent to my principal and put into my personnel file.

Oh, June, please come quick! It doesn't matter that I don't know what June 23 will bring!

What does it all mean?

I stumbled on this website while pondering things like names and if names suit the people who own them. I think it's bizarrely interesting, and not too far off, really. My name was too long to put in first, middle and last, but I tried several variations of my name and found it all quite intriguing. Try it sometime. Try your own name, see how it works. Try the names of others you know. Try my name and see if what you gets really suits me.

...it could lead to hours of distraction if you let it. :p

History Lesson

On this date in 1887, a man by the name of Chester Greenwood patented a useful winter-wear item.... earmuffs.

Useful and functional... although sometimes a little silly looking. Hurrah for Chester and his earmuffs!

Poetry for a Wednesday

This poem showed up at work last week. Very appropriate for Read Accross America Day (aka Dr. Seuss' birthday) - a holiday among the elementary-school set.

I'm sure that most of you will relate. I certainly did.

Dr. Phil

I'm not a huge fan of Dr. Phil, but I've gotten this test as a forward before, and wonder if those of you who know me well think it's done a good job of figuring my personality. For those of you unfamiliar with the procedure, you answer the 10 questions and then tally up points for each answer. I ended up with a score of 48... so this is what it says about me:

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

Comments? If you want to take it too, just let me know and I'll send it along.

Adventure

I went on a surprise adventure last night. I haven't really been out adventuring in a while, which made me remember just how much fun adventuring can of be.

Here are some highlights:
therapudic nighttime sledding, a broken bike helmet and a snow stick ball game
a mysterious parked car that drove away as it realized it was not alone
someone removing their pants in the parking lot of Trader Joe's
lobster tails and hot chocolate (a good combination, if done correctly!)
technical support questions and brownies
ending up with two sleds and a tie at the end of the evening!

Hurrah for adventures! ;)

Wound tighter than a....

... I don't know! What best fits in that phrase? I forget.

You know that something is terribly wrong with your work environment when it starts stressing you out when you're home on a snow day... which in itself is an amazing gift! I decided to be good and do some catch-up work when all of a sudden this wave of panic came over me about a stupid concert I have to conduct on Thursday - it was thrown at us very last minute and due to the weather we've been having (and other circumstances), I have not seen this choir since February 18!! I have to have an emergency rehearsal tomorrow (which involves so much stupid work - informing all teachers last minute, making sure the room is free, letting a million others know, and providing lesson plans for whomever covers my classes at the other school...) and still I don't know when we are scheduled to leave for this luncheon on Thursday - or if we have transportation - or if the teachers even know about that yet! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I should be relaxing with a book and some hot chocolate, not feeling this deer-in-the-headlights feeling!

... only 8 more paychecks... 8 more paychecks... 8...

My new hero

Wow. This is amazing. Whoever did this deserves a prize. And the fact that it's a Jeep makes it even cooler in my book. (and it makes me and my baby a little jealous, I must say!)

Hurrah for you, whomever you are! That is bloody brilliant!!!

financial genious or just lucky?

Being the nerds that we are in my house, we occasionally like to play board games. One that I grew up playing was Monopoly - although "house rules" (vs. "real" rules) generally apply around here. My parents and I played today and surprisingly I was the winner - usually my financially astute father has that honor, wheeling and dealing his way to the top. But, today was my day. I was ruthless and reckless and it worked... to the tune of having $17,522 in assets at the end! (For those of you experienced Monopoly players, no, we did not start out with the standard amount of cash - we played with quite a bit more - and we did not play until someone went bankrupt... we got tired of playing and cashed in.)

Final tallies:
Me - $17,522 Dad - $13,185 Mom - $3,924

...Oh, the things I would be doing if I actually had that much cash in my hand at this moment... I certainly wouldn't be sitting in this arctic ice palace in front of the computer! :)

fun times

I think it's interesting how things always come in bunches. For example, I've had two weekends in a row of being away with friends - first the fairies and now up to B&P. I tend to see movies in bunches - no, not all in one sitting (usually!), but several fairly quickly and then none for a while. The one problem with this system is that it spoils me, and then I get sad when things quiet down for a while... blast that dumb Mr. Murphy!

This past weekend was fun. There was the party I mentioned a couple of days ago, then a day which found me in the wildest furniture store/playground and another movie (Ocean's 12), then a long long ride in the snow/sleet/yuck home, getting there just in time to go be captured by pirates (literally!) and then hang afterwards - a rarity, since I didn't have to worry about work today! Hurrah! :)

It's nice to go away, but it's also nice to be home.

A State of Weirdness

... a second attempt at this post, since I lost it the first time, due to stupidness...

I've been meaning to post about this for some time. I live in one of the more colorful states in this large country, known by some as "The armpit of America" and other colorful references such as how we are one big oil refinery or how the turnpike smells. Yeah, I live in the picturesque Garden State. So strange is our humble little state that some people got together and started a magazine called Weird NJ about strange phenomena, locations, and other oddities around here. I knew little about this group until this summer, and then in January a work friend gave me the calendar, which is hanging up at school. I find all of the strange things I'm learning about bizarrely fascinating! How interesting, though, that someone I know lives quite close to several of these obscure locations and yet only ever showed me/told me about one... didn't you think I could handle the weirdness???

Glamour shots, Gimp keychains and Napoleon

Greetings from Massachusetts! :) Here I am at la casa de Wood, enjoying a change of scene from the insanity of work and the bleakness of Snobville. Last night was a Napoleon Dynamite party - a postcard came to me in the mail a few weeks ago, inviting me to the shindig - since I hadn't seen the movie, I was unfamiliar with the references until last night. There were tater tots (both regular and in a casserole!), deviled eggs, a "Pedro hearts Summer" cake, and nachos (also candy sushi, but that was just for fun, not tied into the film), we all had our "Glamour Shots by Peter" taken, made gimp keychains , and there was a lot of 80's inspired fashion accessories floating around. It was a really fun evening - aren't you jealous of the fun we had?

Foofie-foofie

Yes, bizarrely enough, my parents have watched several more episodes of Strange Love. I came home last night from rehearsal and found them staring puzzledly at the television - and there, on the screen was the world's most unlikely couple. I think the catalyst for watching comes from the fact that it is so preposterous, so over-the-top. (And I must say I find it amusing that M&D have seen it several times!) Personally, I'm a fan of Flav's Viking hat... and it gives him a little height, next to Brigitte.

Anyway... TGIF, especially since next week I will only be at work one day! Woo hoo! :) Between a conference and the President's Day Holiday, Wednesday will be my only at-school day! (Few people have an idea of how happy that makes me!)

HAPPY WEEKEND! :)

Fairy Reunion and Whatnot

Hopefully quick update:

Friday: Valentine's Tea went well... not without much stress, of course, and stupidness too, but it was fine. And now it's done.

Saturday: the afternoon brought about the commencement of the Fairy Reunion Weekend. We drove down to the shore (Manahauket?) and went to dinner at a Chinese Food buffet (too many choices are overwhelming for me!!) and then back to the house to begin the movie marathon - which only ended up being HP1 and part of HP3, but then talking proceeded to keep us up quite late - or pretty early, depending on how you look at it.

Sunday: after very few hours of sleep (4), we went to IHOP (or IPOD, as I ended up calling it in a pre-coffee state!!) and then over the bridge to LBI to walk for a million miles on the beach and freeze our ears off before going back to the house to hang a little bit. After a stop at the WAWA for sandwiches (and a water... wawa from the WAWA! hehe!), we drove home. It was too short. There is already talk of a sequel, making sure that all 5 young fairies make it down, not just 4. And the movie choices are expanding - HP, LOTR, and Eleni's opera DVDs... but there will be much laughter and rejoicing. :)

10...9...8...7...6...

...5...4...3...2...1... deep breath...

Can I just quit my job right now? Please?

Accomplishment and Distraction

1. Accomplishment: assembling a small cabinet for our kitchen. (she cooks! cleans! knits! reupholsters chairs! can use a hammer!)

2. Distraction: the discovery of this little site. It will ruin work productivity when no one is looking. I've not yet explored them all, but the cow is pretty funny.

a rather random musing...

According to postcards.org, today is "dump your significant jerk day." Interesting. Considering I don't have a "significant jerk", it's not one I can observe, except as an amused bystander. :)

However, it would not be saying much for me if I did have a "S.J" around to be dumping, would it? Why would one go to the trouble of making someone who is such a jerk a significant person in their life?

...something tells me I'm putting a little too much thought into this... and that means it's time for bed. Yawn.

Happy Whatever Day!

A friend here at work has introduced me to postcards.org It's a lot of fun, considering they provide a list of holidays/important days - the ones you know and the ones you might not be aware of! Yesterday was an easy one - Groundhog's Day. Today is American Pie Day (what makes one pie American and not another? Or is it that an American pie is made out of Americans?). From February 1-7, it is Children's Authors and Illustrator's Week. But watch out... the 24th will be Pancake Day. That one might be a little too much for some of us to handle.... ;)

Do you ever....

...have days where things feel so up in the air in your life? I'm not talking about anything in particular, just kind of everything in general? Where you feel like everything is caving in on you and you're about to be buried by it all, whether it's work, or life, or friends, or love, or the future, or even the paperwork and stuff that you have?

...yeah. Today is one of those days. Oh, joy. Woo hoo.

Love and Ikea

Ok, so we all know that I love Ikea. It's a great place - you can buy inexpensive furnature for every room in your home, get little gadgets and dishes and picture frames and toys and bedding, and even eat a meal quite inexpensively. The carts are addictively fun to ride on in the warehouse and, if nothing else, people-watching is very entertaining as well. (it's funny to see what people are shopping for at a store like that!)

...but that's not what this post is about. It's really more about love. Not my love for Ikea. Not about my love for anyone else. It's really about other people's love and their collective love of Ikea... or at least their love of the unusual. On Friday, February 11th, at 9:30 in the morning, Ikea Paramus is hosting a wedding. Supposedly 10 complete strangers will publically confess their love for one another by getting married at Ikea. (does that mean that they are strangers to us, yet couples, or will everyone be strangers and agree to marry someone unknown to them???) Chuck Woolery will be there. The Honerable James J. Tedesco, III will be there to officiate. There will be a reception in the Cafe. The first 50 adults to arrive at the store in the morning wearing bridesmaid dresses will each receive a $100 Ikea gift card. (Note that it says "adults", not just women, and that the invitation requests you arrive no earlier than 5am.)

I wish I could go. Too bad I have a concert that afternoon at work... otherwise I would want to take off work to see this fiasco... or is it that I'm a sucker for a happy ending?? ;)

Inspiration

Because of my daily reading session of the adventures of my dear friends at World Wide Wood, I have been introduced to a little girl by the name of Hope Natalie. Talk about inspiration. I find it amazing that the human spirit is so resilliant. Hearing the daily reports of this little one makes me and my troubles seem so petty. It's beautiful, really.

I'm just a bill.....

Some of my older choir kids walked in to choir yesterday singing "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly (get your adverbs here)" from School House Rock. I thought it was amusing, and it led to a discussion about it. Then, all of a sudden, I remembered - we have a choir medley in the cabinet of several of the SHR songs! I pulled it out and they went crazy! I never thought anyone would want to sing it at the middle school level, and it was too hard for 4 & 5th graders, so I forgot about it. However, the chamber choristers are actually really excited about it (and the fact that there will be solos in it!) How funny is that, really? I was never a huge fan of SHR when I was a Saturday-cartoon-watcher, but now I think they are cool. :) Hmm. Go figure!

Stinky house

In my solitude, I've been cleaning the house. (well, besides sitting in front of the television for hours, knitting, shopping, laundry, baking, and several trips to Panera, that is.) Oh yes, what a domestic Goddess I am! ;p

Anyway, when I was cleaning the living room on Sunday, I came across one of those plug-in things by the outlet. Personally, I can't stand them, since they are uber strong and aggravate my athsma... so mom doesn't use it much. Well, it was on the floor and I was vacuuming, so I put it on top of the baseboard-heater to get it out of the way. Yesterday, when I came home from work, I thought that the house smelled especially pungent... and figured it was the cleaning supplies I'd used the other day. The smell persisted and seemed to be getting stronger, and as I was sitting in front of the TV I saw an ad for an air freshener... which reminded me of where the "smelly" (as my dad likes to call them) was! The whole point of those things is that the outlet provides it with enough heat to release the smell... and since ours was now sitting on top of the heater (which was on, of course) it was stinking up my house... and leaking! No wonder I felt like I was wheezing!! The oil went everywhere... into the heater (oh joy) and on the floor. So now my house stinks of some floral smell. Yuck. I tried my best to clean it up and have tried a natural smell-neutralizer (vinegar) so we'll see how it is when I get home today. Hopefully not so stinky.

I know, I know. I should have realized that the heater was not the place to put the smelly. I think that the thing to focus on is not that, but rather that I was giving the house a thorough cleaning!!!!!

bibliophile

This morning, in the midst of a cleaning frenzy, I had on a favorite program - Great Hotels. One of the places she went to was The Library... and now I want to go there, too. What an unusual concept - classifying floors and rooms by the Dewey Decimal system. (boy, does that prove what a nerd I am!) I love the concept, location, quirkiness of it all. How much fun would it be to go there!?!

It really doesn't matter that I live nearby. It really doesn't matter that it would cost me a bundle. It's now on my list of places to go at some point in my life.

Solitude

I like solitude. It's not that I'm antisocial, it's just that sometimes it's good to have some time to yourself. True, sometimes it's downright awful - like at the end of this past August, for example. But for the most part, time to yourself is healthy. I could never live alone, though - I'd either go postal or become one of those recluse people with a million cats.

Hmm. maybe that's what I should do. Quit my job and go off into the woods and simply write, a la Thoreau. Who needs work? Who needs health insurance? Who needs education debt? Maybe we all just need to live deliberately...

One of these things is not like the others.....

My parents are downstairs watching television. No big deal, it's a regular occurance. But when this is what they are watching, you know that something is not right in the cosmos. Hmmm.

note to Bec - I like the fact that one of the episode titles is "the smack is back." hehe! :)

Extremely red in the face

Yesterday was one of those days where you remember you've forgotten something and then you want to either...
a) crawl into a hole
b) bang your head against the wall
c) submit yourself to a public flogging
(Yeah, so any or all of the above would be appropriate.)

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, REBECCA!!!

It's funny... I feel like I've known you forever, and I'm glad

you're you and that you put up with insane me.

Here's to a fantastic 26th year, smacky. Too bad we couldn't go

tubing with the drunk guys again this year. ;)

I promise to spoil you when I see you... hopefully soon!!!

Mary and Joseph

I know, Christmas is over, but these are two things I have been thinking about for a while...

1. Mary. Catholics revere her, and some even put up little Mary shrines or statues in their yards. (something some of us affectionately refer to as "Virgin on the halfshell"). But while I am not well versed on the whole Mary thing, it must be really really bad if your Mary statue has lost its head. There is a house I drive by every day that has a headless Mary. That's got to be a really really big sin.

2. Joseph. He doesn't seem to be as important as Mary in the whole scheme of the Christmas story, but still obviously a big part. Some people like to set up those light-up Nativity scenes in their yards... sometimes just Mary, Joeseph and Jesus, and others display everyone - shephards, wise men, animals, etc. There seem to be two major brands of these light-up figures: one has Joeseph wearing brownish robes. The other has him in pink. Pink? I understand the whole Mary-wears-blue thing, but to put him in Pink?

HB VSBN

Happy Birthday to my sister Vanessa!

She probably doesn't even know this blog exists, but I'll wish her a HB anyway. In thinking about it, I don't even remember the last time I saw her... wow, it has to be several years ago. Sad that I don't remember when. I guess that's what comes of her living all the way out in Mormon Land. I wish I knew her better, now that we're both older... back in ye olde days when we she lived at home, she probably didn't like me too much because I would tattle on her (such is the curse of being 6 years apart in age!), but I always thought she was so cool. I kind of still do.

useful gifts for a cold girl

My parents are cute. They know how cold their daughter gets in the winter, what with Raynaud's and all. For Christmas, I got several helpful, heat-filled things.

1. Microwavable mittens and booties. They are like those funky heating pads that go in the microwave - you pop them in and the pellets warm up. They are good if you're sitting around watching tv or right after you come in from the bitter cold. Just don't try walking around in the booties... too clumsy and noisy!

2. A heated blanket. We actually got this yesterday, and it is my new favorite thing. It has adjustable settings and a 'preheat' setting too, and an auto shut off if you leave it on for 10 hours. Considering how cold my room gets, this is wonderful. I slept so well last night! :) Yay for the people at Sunbeam.

Isn't it sad that such things make me so happy? This is what my life has come to! I should probably just move to Florida, but I think I'd shoot myself. :)

Resolutions?

Happy New Year!

Last year was the first year in my memory that I actually kept a New Year's Resolution. Usually, I resolve dumb things like everyone else - eat better, exercise more, etc... but last year I resolved to change my life - to actively try to do new things, experience different things, be bolder. I know, an overachiever with an impossible task. But I actually fulfilled it, for better or for worse! Here's a taste. There were more things, but these are just highlights:

January: Blindly went and auditioned for Patience.
February: Agreed to be set up by people from work and went on a blind date. (Didn't see him again.) Oh, and cut my hair, which was big.
March: Agreed to a second set up, but this one through a friend and by email. Kept emailing. (Also this month, had a car crash, but it had nothing to do with me. Just thought I'd mention it.)
April: Dethroned myself and stepped down as the queen-and-dictator of "The Club." :)
May: Conducted the G&S people on the field at a NJ Jackal's game. Very cool.
June: (Oh, many in June...) Decided that I would teach in my school for only one more year. (Big, scary choice!)
July: Fell in love... or perhaps realized I was already there.
August: Made a realization that broke my heart.
September: Started rehearsing for my first ever sung role. As a soprano... identity crisis!?
October: Went to my cousin's wedding with a tres fabulous dress and the attitude to go with it (yes, it fits the resolution in that I was much bolder than I felt.)
November: Sang my first role. In front of an audience. With an orchestra. Yikes.
December: Became the last-minute substitute chef and cooked my first Christmas Turkey dinner!

So. I wanted to change things in my life, to choose to experience new things. I succeeded. For what it's worth, good and bad together, this past year was the best of my life. I've seen my highest highs, and my lowest lows. I did things I had never done before. I took risks. I laughed. I loved. I cried. I lived.

How do I top that? Anyone have a suggestion for a new resolution?

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. :)

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?)

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...

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

is it true?

July 16, 2005! Harry Potter #6!

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.

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.

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.

speechless

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

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.

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!

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.

"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.

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!! :)

to knit or not to knit?

maybe I will just quit teaching and go into knitting full time. yeah. good idea. it's got to be more peaceful and less stressful, right? I made those adorable little car-booties for a friend-of-a-friend (and got paid! woo hoo!) and now it appears that there might be a market for such things on commission... hmmm....

Books

I finally finished Finding Faith, by Jodi Picoult. I'd read Becky's review of it and thought it sounded interesting, so I borrowed it. Well, yes, it was interesting... and somewhat bizarre, too. A little girl, interestingly named Faith, is convinced she is speaking with/interacting with God (in an imaginary-friend type of way)... and this actually gives her the power to heal people... and also curses/blesses her with stigmata... and she quotes Biblical things (including in Hebrew) despite all lack of any religious training... and she refers to God as a woman. Hmmm. Of course, there is the whole media frenzy associated with such things as well, including interaction with a character who is a "tele-atheist", and thrown in for good measure we have a case of marital infidelity and a nasty custody battle, in which one parent had been a psychiatric patient in the past due to a suicide attempt. Merky, no?

Interesting, from many points - controversial, definitely... which is what drew me to it. It is certainly not a "religious" book by any stretch, although it questions religions - namely Christianity and Judaism. It was a quick read, which was good - such subject matters could bog the reader down into really dark, troubled waters. I'd say read it and see what you think.

Tried starting a "chick lit" book this weekend - What A Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck. It was a gift from my aunt - but I am putting it away for now, since the main character is partially too familiar at the moment (depressed singleton in life crisis) and since I can already guess the inevitable outcome. I guess I'm not in the mood for formulaic happy endings. I guess I'll finish Things You Should Know By Now and then perhaps I will revert to an old friend, which may be the basis of a lot of chick-lit, but at least is more academic, complicated, and well written....

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife...

Reflections on a trip to Manhattan

Yesterday, mom and I had some girl-time in the city. I have stayed away in recent months, hiding from some fond but now sad summer memories, but it was time to suck it up and face my demons. We took the ferry in, which is the best and most enjoyable way to go – and hopefully the company will not fold, as has been talked about in current weeks. The beautiful QM2 was docked across the river – lovely and depressing all at the same time, since there were no tickets with my name on them! Our main goal of the day was to visit the American Girl Place – and it is quite a production! Three floors of my childhood dreams come true, including a café and a theatre. However, with the enormous influx of people in the city, we stayed only briefly in the store, since it was hard to navigate through the crowds! (there are already plans to return on a quiet day.) We tried seeing the windows at Saks, but the line was huge. We took a look at the Rockefeller tree (ready to be lit on Tuesday) and the skaters, who always make me envious… I’ve grown up a stone’s throw from it all and never been skating there! Saw an enormous Rolls Royce in front of the Dahesh Museum – did not go in to the exhibit, but wandered through their museum shop. We had lunch at a little diner, looked at more shops, and wandered as far as Bloomingdales, whose windows have recreated scenes from the upcoming movie The Phantom of the Opera, complete with set pieces and costumes. I hope that the genre of film will make it better than the stage production, since they can do more with locations, effects, etc. It was a chilly day and we walked for miles in the concrete jungle, but it was some good bonding time.

Gobble gobble gobble...

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
It might sound cliche, but we really all do have so much to be thankful for - and I for one often tend to forget that. Despite my grumblings and gloominess, I really am quite fortunate and actually do need to stop every once in a while and count my blessings. And, dear ones, they include you.

So... don't forget what my college choir director always told us... remember, you are what you eat... you turkeys! :)

a little movie quote for Turkey day:
"Happy Thanksgiving.... you're supposed to say, 'Happy Thanksgiving' back."
"Happy Thanksgiving Back."
"Knock, Knock."
"Who's there?"
"Orange."
"Orange who?"
"Orange you going to let us zip this card through? Zip Zip?"

"... they make me think of fishing..."

Hola, personas locas. Yo soy loca tambien, y yo tengo tres frijoles en mi bosillo ahora mismo.

So. This weekend. It went tres fast. On Friday night, I actually saw Alisa for dinner... the poor girl was hit by a car (as a pedestrian!!) three weeks ago, and suffered a massive concussion and jaw issues. It was nice to catch up, poor sweetie. Saturday brought a church choir rehearsal (unfortunately, I succumbed to the "I'll sing just for the Cantata" scenario), followed by Becky arriving! :) Then it was off to a concert performance... at which I decided to try to be trendy and wear fishnet tights... and received a comment from one of the men in the show about the fact that they were interesting and made him think of... fishing. (I don't know if that's not creepier than some kind of dirty comment!) Anyway, the concert was followed by a pilgrimage to Ikea - where Bec and I collectively spent a grand total of two dollars and eight cents, if you can believe it! We decided to forgo the customary meatballs in lieu of California Pizza Kitchen for dinner, however. Mmmmm....! Sunday we trekked out to Jersey City to perform at the Loew's Theatre (a little confusing to get there, perhaps, but an amazingly beautiful venue!) - and we did a nice job, too - well, at least I think we did! Dinner out with the parents rounded out the weekend. Busy!!

I must say I am enjoying my stint as a fairy. Perhaps the costume isn't as fairylike as we'd all like (more 50's prom dress than woodland fairy) but with all of the hair and the wand and the wings and the glitter it becomes more plausible, and the sheer silliness of it all is quite appealing. And it's been good therapy to be doing this... you've all heard of music therapy and art therapy - roleplaying is a good separation from reality, and I find the 'happy-ending' scenario to be a nice diversion from the monotony of the everyday life of this disgruntled music teacher who is desperate for her life to change but is also monumentally afraid of failure in making said changes... if she only could figure out what it is she should be doing with her life, that is!

If you're tired, but you can't sleep...

...just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings!

Oh, Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas. It's almost time for a movie or two like that! Especially The Miracle on 34th Street. Must be watched on Thanksgiving weekend.

I randomly found that song in my head for several reasons. One - it's one of Becky's favorite movies, and she is coming this weekend! "Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!" (can you reference that quote?) Another reason is that it is a gloomy, movie kind of a day, and I am quite the fan of old movies. Yet another is that in my trying-not-to-be-so-blue mode, I am looking for things to be thankful for - and the fact that it is Friday is a big one. Gloria Deo, this week is over. On to the weekend, complete with a concert and a performance, which is bound to be fun, especially with a friend mixed in! :) It will make the craziness of the next few weeks a little more bearable, I hope!

Question to people more knowledgable about cars... why does my Jeep sometimes roll forward even if I put it into reverse and hit the gas? Is it that it is not fully in gear? And also because my parking space has a slight dip in the front? It freaks me out when it does this... I feel like something is tremendously wrong, but then it drives beautifully. Hmm. **shrug**

Change of plans...

I was going to rant and rave about stuff at work and life in general, but I deleted it all. Instead I will say this, and hopefully remember why I thought it was important in the first place. It's something I really do need to learn...

We would never learn to be brave and patient
if there were only joy in the world.
-Helen Keller

Happy Happy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOMMY!
:) I love you! (:

And so it begins....

This weekend we had our first show, in Connecticut. After the awful dress rehearsal last week, I feared a disaster... partially my own, since I botched up several lines and am still riding out the end of this blasted sickness. But the CT show was good, with minimal glitches and an excellent audience. :) Yay. And then a concert performance on Sunday hindered only by the fact that we all went to the wrong place first (because of directions given to everyone!)... things get busy from here on out with most weekends double booked. And imagine my shock when I open up the community newspaper for the town I work in and find a picture of myself, all fairied up, with an announcement that the music teacher is in a show! (Hey - it improves my popularity - the kids all think I'm famous now!)

The musings of the disgruntled and damp music teacher

About 90% of the time, it's really frustrating to have your office out in an awful trailer. True, people don't know where you are so they don't go looking for you, but especially on days like today (rainy, cold and dark) it's far from ideal to have to lug loads of junk and remember your coat. And with no overhang over the door, you get soaked trying to open it. Add to that the fact that I was told that I would have to flip my entire schedule upside down in order to hold rehearsals for the first grade holiday concert, including rescheduling my lunch to 8:35am one day if I "want" to practice with the children. (no, of course he didn't use those words, but it was implied.) And being told that I could not have a full-day substitute one day as to have time to rehearse - I can have a sub in the morning, since I will be with my other kids for my other concert, and I can have coverage for the last class of that day, but not the rest. Does that make any sense? No, but it comes from the man who comments on the fact that you have a mug or water bottle with you in the classroom and tells you that you're not interacting with the students enough during lunch duty. (no kid wants to talk to you while they are eating, stupidhead!) And since you don't have a classroom, there is a large implication on behalf of some teachers that you are just there to cover their prep, not actually teach the students something. What you do isn't important - she just sings songs with the kids all day, right? grumble grumble grumble. I guess it's just affirmation that for once I made the right life-choice - that keeping this up would really drive me batty.

Oh, how I wish for Prince Charming to rescue the blue music teacher and whisk her away from such bureaucratic monotony. Hey - something as simple as a cozy couch, roaring fire and some hot chocolate would be heaven!

quote and other randomness

Well, I dragged myself through work today, very begrudgingly (sp). I totally resented being there. (16 more paychecks, 16 more paychecks...) I have really been trying to combat the grey cloud over my head, but with all of the sickness and whatnot it appears to have gotten darker and cloudier. I guess life is just giving me a real pothole-laiden road for a good long stretch... something which could be fun in my Jeep, but since I am walking... well, it's just not cool.

Oh yeah. here's the quote, before I forget:
"I ate the fuzzy mints. They tasted like keys."
-Lorelai Gilmore, in a very hungry mood on an old episode I watched while sick.


Ok. Off to watch Regency House Party. (too bad there is no Mr. Darcy!)

New Book

As horrible as it is to say, I stopped reading for a while. I was reading too many deep-thinking and relationship-self-help books that I was going crazy, so for now all of those books are put aside. So in my illness, I picked up a novel. Becky had mentioned something she read a while back that sounded interesting to me, so I borrowed it from her. It's ironic that its subject matter follows my old pattern in a way, but it is strangely intriguing. I'll talk more about it once I've finished.

sick, sick, sick, grumble, grumble, grumble.

Yeah. So it's official. I'm really sick. Called out of work today and went to the doctor, who said I'm on on the border of pneumonia. He's given me some real grown-up drugs (from Germany - maybe like my uber-pills?) which should hopefully make me feel like a new person in a day or two. No work for me tomorrow, either, which will throw off everything I need to do this week, but O well.

The big concern is Saturday - our first Iolanthe performance, up in CT. As of right now, I am in no condition to sing (and barely have a voice at all)... but I have worked far too long and far too hard for this, so I am willing myself well. And praying a lot. And stressing out.

Grumble. Cough. Grumble.

grumble.

Sick. On a blasted day off from school/long weekend. Just my luck... it figures.

Reading...

I actually had the time today to read the local newspaper, a rarity that I enjoy. Here's a recap of what I found inside...

Section A: The main section
People in the news: did you know that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston bought Jamie Oliver’s house in London? They think Europe is a great place to raise children.
Section B: The business section (Didn’t open it up. Who cares about business?)
Section F: (Features) Thurs. is Shopping and Entertainment
“Turn of the Tied: Neckwear makes a comeback among the fashion-conscious”
Article obviously on neckties, and one guy mentions that he buys them as travel souvenirs from places he has visited. Pink is a hot color for ties this year.
Bill Ervolino: I didn’t know that people say that Ringwood Manor is haunted!! I’ve been there a million times! How did I not know this?!
Dear Abby: Scroll down to the very bottom of the column. How strangely ironic that Abby printed that limerick today. (I can actually remember the last time I heard it, too… April 30th of this year, in a playhouse in Montclair, NJ.)
Section L: Local (and Religion on Thursdays)
It appears that my hometown voted for Bush and not Kerry, even though we ended up being a "blue" state. They published vote tallies town by town, and here in Snobville, Bush got 2,758 and Kerry got 2,210. I think it’s funny that one local town only had 21 people vote – 7 and 14 votes, respectively.
I don’t ever read the Religion section, but for some reason I read the lead article today: Christianity’s future may lie in the ‘global south’. It talks about the Anglican Church primarily, and the fact that half of the world’s Anglicans are African. The thing about it that caught my eye, though, was the fact that the author heavily quoted some important guy from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Their hill was the best for dining-hall-tray sledding at night in winters past.

Last thing of note: Today in Rome they were expecting clouds and a high of 72F, London was to get rain and a chilly 55. Prague was expecting clouds and low 60’s. Even though the temperatures aren’t tremendous, I’d take any of the locales in a heartbeat!

To Vote or not to Vote....

(don't worry. I did my civic duty. I just thought it would be an interesting title.)

It will be interesting to see how everything pans out with this insane election.... are we back to the land of the unknown winner, where we must recount and look for pregnant Chads? (do you know what "chad" stands for? I do!) At lunchtime, I went to my old elementary school today and voted. Some buttons were pressed for Democrats. Some for Republicans. I guess it's my perogative, considering I'm registered Non-Partisan. Who knows if any of the people I voted for will win or not! With the country in so much uncertainty, I guess we just have to hope that our new/current President will do a good job with the mess he's got, right? It's not like the Washington underlings don't have all of the power anyway....

It's sad that I am more interested in the fact that we got the day off from school! :)

Halloween 2004

Happy All Hallows Eve to you!
A quick update of things since my last post.

* I ended up being quite boring in my costume choice for Friday. I wore my pajamas, a robe, slippers, and carried a bear. The kids all wanted to know what I was (if they didn't think I was a doctor, which was often guess #1....)

* Saw a play on Thursday night with a fellow Iolanthe fairy.... A Servant of Two Masters. It was very funny and well done. Bravo, Brighella, if you read this.

* All day rehearsal yesterday for Iolanthe. With 5 rehearsals to go before our first show, shouldn't the director stop trying to re-block the scenes???

* I'm not into horoscopes, but was curious as to what my "Costume horoscope" was, so here it is: Geminis may enjoy dressing as a dictionary or Scrabble board this Halloween. Born under the sign of the Twins, this sign might also pair up and go as a famous duo. Bert and Ernie, Mary Kate and Ashley, or Bonnie and Clyde are all great choices. Well, considering I had nowhere to go, and no friends to go with, I have not donned a costume today. Maybe I'll just eat the chocolate that we bought for the zero trick-or-treaters we've had ring our bell.

* Do you ever think that you are getting a handle on one of the crazy-out-of-control pieces of your life just to have life throw it back into your face?

* I am frightening myself with the crazy thoughts of running away lately. It's amazing how attractive it seems. I know it wouldn't do me much good - life would just catch up with me - but the little voice keeps telling me to run anyway... and fast!

Red Ribbon Week

This week is National Red Ribbon Week - anti-drugs, etc. Our school participates with a whole week of events -

Monday: Team up against drugs - wear sports team stuff
Tuesday: Tie one on against drugs - wear a tie
Wednesday: Turn your back on drugs - wear clothes backwards
Thursday: Drugs and I don't mix - mismatched clothing day
Friday: Say "boo" to drugs - wear costumes (but only after lunch)

I wasn't around Monday, which is good since I have no sports things, but I wore a tie and had (some) clothes on backwards and today was quite the sight - a striped sweater, multicolored scarf, my red Hawaiian print skirt, rainbow tights and purple shoes. A chuckle occurred when a first grader said to me, "But Miss President, you aren't wearing mismatched things!"

...I still need to decide what to do for tomorrow...
Do some good!

Happy Cotton Anniversary, Woods!

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wood! Thanks for being a good example of a healthy relationship for those of us who are more relationally challenged. Year two of the marriage is supposedly the "cotton" anniversary... and I contemplated sending you a bag of cotton balls or some Q-tips... but, alas, I did not get so creative. So enjoy the thought, if you can! :)

It's funny... Peter's post for today mentioned 63,072,000 Seconds... and ironically I was recently contemplating a post with similar number equivalents, on a whole range of topics... maybe I will do that some time this week... since computer time at the moment is short.

Reflections on the Weekend... a long post.

Back from the wedding weekend of my cousin Dawn, now Mrs. John West. It was a crazy-busy trip, and I will be glad to slow down and sleep in my own bed after such a weekend!

Left home at 6am Friday to get to the airport. Flight at 9-something. Arrived in Jacksonville close to 12. Waited for my Aunt to arrive from CO, then got the car and drove 2 hours to where my grandparents live. Visited with them, then slept at the lodge. Left there Saturday around 10am (grandmother in tow) to drive to Orlando, getting to the hotel around 3:30 (frequent stops and lunch delayed arrival time.) Got to the church after 5... luckily the ceremony was a little late in starting! Then there was waiting for the pics to be done, cocktail hour, and reception. It was a nice wedding, quite fancy for Florida. Sunday am: breakfast brunch with the family at the hotel (nice hotel, very posh) and then the 4+ hour drive back to Dowling Park... dinner with both grandparents and sleep again at the lodge. Left for Jacksonville this am around 8, flight left at 12ish, then waited for the car to pick us up at the airport... the original driver assigned to us broke down, so we had to wait for another. (and I'm planning on going to rehearsal tonight?? Am I crazy?!)

Total time in the air/plane: less than 4 hours.
Total time on the roads in Florida: at least 12 hours. (yawn.)

One thing I learned this weekend... I guess it's something I already knew, but saw it in action. We, the young, certainly shouldn't think we have a lock on the concept of love. Sure, we feel its hormonal/emotional/giddy side perhaps more than the "veterans", but what they have is perhaps more beautiful - longevity and experience - a love which transcends the emotions of "falling in love" - love in which you choose to love, even when the chips are down. I saw both in action this weekend.
My cousin and her husband were the picture of happy, truly glowing, looking ahead to an incredibly bright future. But then, to see my grandparents and their love in action was almost more amazing - two people who have been together for over 60 years, have seen incredible hardship and tough times (both socially and in their relationship, I am sure), and yet there still exists such a sweet love - my grandmother's concern at leaving my grandfather to come with us to the wedding - my grandfather sweetly taking a nap in my grandmother's bed while she was away.... I can only hope and pray for that kind of love, dedication, selflessness and collective faith in my lifetime.