On the Stage

OH MY GOD...I CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE GETTING THESE SHOWS!!!!!!!!! I AM FLIPPING OUT OVER HERE, ABSOLUTELY BESIDE MYSELF. I can't go into details of how and why I am SO excited, because that would take forever and I'm not on break right now...but, WOW WOW WOW. I AM FREAKING OUT HERE! I am on such a high right now. Here's the article:

Fresh off a successful run of "The Lion King", the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines announced Tuesday night the Tony Award-winning "Spamalot" will play during the 2006-2007 season.

Monty Python's "Spamalot" is one of the hottest tickets on Broadway. Last year, it won the Tony Award for best musical. The Civic Center is an investor in the Broadway and London productions of Spamalot, which helped earn the Civic Center the booking during the first year of its national tour.

The Civic Center's 2007-2007 season will also feature "Doubt", "The Light in the Piazza" and the returns of "Phantom of the Opera", "Mamma Mia!" and "Triple Espresso". The Civic Center says Broadway star Cherry Jones, who took home the Tony Award for Best Actress, will appear in the production of "Doubt" that plays in Des Moines.

"These shows attract a phenomenal amount of attention to our city," Civic Center General Manager Jeff Chelesvig said in a statement. "The Civic Center will drive significant tourism and economic impact as a result."

Yay! I'm wearing the first offical t-shirt that has had a design my me on it! I know it's nothing special, it's just the ITW logo that I made, but still, there should be around 30 people running around now with my t-shirt on. Kinda cool.

I got to rehearse some of my meatier songs last night, and that makes me happy! There are so many good songs in this show, and I know I have three of them. Rehearsals are not going too bad at all. Monday we need to be off book for Act II. I'm close! Reeeeaalll close. The music is almost all off book too, though this music can get so tricky, so I use my book for some stuff.

Into the Woods, Mr. Stephen Sondheim...gotta love it!

Sort of...

Since I know yall like to know when I clean (I mean, it's so frequent!) I thought I'd update with the fact that I cleaned some of our bedroom last night. It was in complete shambles. Clothes and all sorts of toys and everything all over the floor. Boxes of shit, blankets. We just have WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more things then storage room. We have NO linen closets, NO storage closets, NO extra rooms. We have one small-ish closet in each of the bedrooms and that's it. This house is rather small, folks. Nice starter house, but small. It gets frustrating at times. Still overjoyed to have my own house though, no stupid apartments. I just can't WAIT until I have money and can get a house that is big and that is clean and new and a house that we like a lot. I want hardwood floors, colorful walls, big kitchens and bathrooms with tiles and granite counters and new fixtures and shit. Someday my prince will come...I mean, someday my dreams will come true.

Countdowns in my life:

40 days till opening night
27 ITW rehearsals left
6 choir rehearsals left
2 choir concerts left
37 days until in-laws arrive and house must be clean

In other exciting news about theatre and me:

My friend is going to NYC with her parents for a week. She is seeing...I think 13 shows!! AH! I'm SO jealous. She's SO lucky. She's seeing some of the biggest, and my favoritest, superstar broadway actors. BUT the exciting part that pertains to me is she's getting me a playbill from every show! She is going to get some advertisments as well. Anything broadway she can stick her hands on and get two of, I get one of. She is ALSO going to try to get me at least one autograph, she said if it happens it'll probably be Sutton Foster, which is A-OK BY ME! Let me see if I can name the shows she is seeing...The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweeney Todd, Three Days of Rain, Pajama Game, Tarzan, Lestat, Light in the Piazza, Jersey Boys, and the Wedding Singer. Maybe it's only 9, but I was sure it's more. Ok, NOW, let me list off the superstars she will be seeing: Sutton Foster, Michael Cerveris, Patti LuPone, Julia Roberts, Paul Rudd, Harry Connick Jr., Kelli Ohara, Hugh Panaro, Carolee Carmello, Victoria Clark, John Lloyd Young, Amy Spanger, and then some more that I could name because I know them (because I'm a geek), but they're not necessarily the biggest superstars. How AWESOME is that?!

I like all the guessing. Meritt is close. If my wife was pregnant that would be FANTASTIC news, a bit bad because we don't have the money/space for another child, but it would be very good, since I want another one pretty badly (I'm such a girl) :-)

Really, it is about a job situation, but it is truly horrible and devastating to me because I've been trying so hard to get another job, you know, and especially with the gas prices going up, I basically got offered a job in my home town, I could literally walk to work, and I love my town so I would love to work for my town, but, the job is part time, no benefits, and two dollars less than I'm making now. It's just not feasable in any way for me to take this job. IF my wife was working full-time and we had good benefits through her job, then sure, I could take it...that's the deal with the woman who offered me the job, she said her job doesn't even have benefits, but then again, she's about 45 and in a more normal place in her life and her husband has a nice job with nice benefits and so she doesn't really need a job with benefits.

So bottom line, I'm offered a good job, in the exact location I want, but I had to turn it down. That blows.

AUGH!!!! Something amazing and exciting and awesome and all at the same time DEVASTATING AND HORRIBLE just happened to me and I can't talk about it on here!! I'm dying to talk to V and my Dad about it, but it's the middle of the day. I don't know what to do or think!

Pull up a chair, it's time to talk about choir.

The choir I'm in is having some concerts coming up here. You know we did our December concerts, with such good music (and I got our CD by the way!! So exciting to have the cd of the choir I'm in and with the music I loved so much) and now it's time for the spring concerts.

The music is good, I don't think I like it, on the whole, as much as last time, but I still love it a lot! Choir music just makes me smile, makes me happy. The voices blending, the harmonies ringing, the tones soaring. Love it! And we're an auditioned choir, so we are good!! You know, that makes a difference. There are some negatives to the choir, but I'm not going to express them as I know my blog is not anonymous.

If anyone is interested in hearing the choir, you can e-mail me and I'll let you know when/where/how much.

I am saddened though, and this happened quite a while ago but I never blogged about it, that I got bumped down for one song. As you all know I'm a first tenor, a high first tenor, but for some reason I'm not sure my director quite knows me or what I can sing (whenever she's heard me sing by myself I've been SOOOOOOOO nervous I've always sounded like shit) but the rest of the first tenors know how high I can get, in fact I was happy when the guy who I think, and everyone eles thinks, is the best tenor in our choir told me that he would just assume I'd be singing 1st on this song because I'm one of the highest if not the highest tenors in the choir, and I sing it to naturally...that made me happy (who doesn't like being complimented, honestly?!) So ANYWAY, I digress which I always do. I got bumped OFF first tenor, in this GORGEOUSLY BEAUTIFUL tenor song, to 1st baritone!!!!!!!! not down to second tenor which often sings with the first tenors, but to 1st baritone!!!!! WTF?!? As you can tell I'm still not over it...all the way. I am in a sense that I like the part I'm on, it's the meledy and it's gorgeous too. But nothing beats soaring up at those high notes that just sound so lovely and everyone can hear no matter what other parts are also singing. Sucks, but, maybe she had an alterior motive for putting me there, I doubt it, but who knows! Also...there's a solo for the first baritones...and as much as I'd like to have it, I think I'm too nervous and anxious to have a solo in this choir yet. I just started there, I have low confidence in my singing sometimes, especially in front of this director and some of the members who are SO good, and though I know I could do it, I don't know that I could do it.

Anyway! Gotta go.

This is exciting news, indeed. First we got Phantom of the Opera (which was a huge disappointment in a lot of areas) then the best RENT (which I, overall, enjoyed a lot) and The Producers (NEVER came to my town!! So mad about that, I haven't got to see it yet) and we know Hairspray is coming to the big screen and now Mamma Mia!

As you'll remember, of course, from a few years ago when we went to see Mamma Mia! on a whim because it was a big-time musical and it was in town and we get to see every show we possibly can, so we went with toward the back seats...and loved it!! Man I love this musical. It's just so much fun to see, and I do love the music a lot and the plot is really fun.

I can't believe I haven't put it on my iPod yet, otherwise I could listen to it on the way home. Because, with 300 cast recordings of musicals, it takes FOREVER to get them onto my iPod and I'm nowhere near being done, and the two huge binders we have the CDs in is very annoying to have in the car and have to flip through, so I need to get them to my iPod.

Here is the article: Mamma Mia! to Head to the Big Screen

Since I don't blog about work, I hesitate to even post this, but I will anyway.

They took away our ability to check our hotmail or gmail or yahoomail or anything. It's just plain blocked.

It frustrates me for two reasons.

1.) We're all adults here, we can handle our internet access. We can get our work done just as fast and efficient, if we don't have time to check our hotmail because of something to do with work...we'll do the work! But when life is so hectic at home that there is no time for me to check my hotmail, especially since I live so far away from work and lots of times have to go somewhere after work before even getting home, I'd like to be able to get to my hotmail.

which leads me to 2.) I have all these things I really actually need from my hotmail!!

I have a church announcement for the choir I'm in I'd like to e-mail to my church secretary, but it's on my hotmail and I can't get to it. I'd like to get the synopsis of ITW that our publicist wants us to read when doing these publicity events we're doing (especially since I have one today right after work, and I don't have time to stop at home to get it and print it) or check the e-mails my choir director and the secretary send since they send them on Thursday and after I'm at work and that's when choir is and I go right there after work.

I'd also like to be able to open my gmail and send YB a message about how awesome I think his house/garden/yard looks, because I didn't see the pictures until just now! But I can't, I wont be able to until very late tonight...that's if I can remember by then!

I can't even check them on BREAK. I just don't think it's right.

I was going back and reading some older postings of mine from 2004 (because, in tracking who's reading my site, that one person that I know reads it and I have no idea why was checking out my archives from 2004...seems she has read close to everything on my site by now, she's constantly going back through my archives) and, to me at least, I was a lot more interesting then. I wrote with a vigor and seemed more happy. Now...pshaw, I'm boring as hell. Sorry guys who have stuck around, my blog is lacking. Maybe I should try to be more entertaining again.

Anyone else notice a change in their writing styles between now and way back in the day?

We are running Act 1 off-book tonight. Yay! I've been ready for a while now, just an occassional flub here or there, so tonight will show me how much I really know it.

I worked on it pretty hardcore, then moved on to Act 2 and sort of forgot to go back and review Act 1 still, so it was a tad out of my mind when I went through it again last night, but it came back pretty fast, and now after going through it again today between my breaks and my lunch I should be pretty set for tonight, like I said, an occassional forgetful moment here and there.

Act 2 is to be off book in one week. I should have it down by then. Then we pretty much just run it until we open. We have some choreography to do still, and still have work on all the songs! They're not horrible by any means, but we need a lot more work on them still. Luckily we have a month and a half left still.

My posters are being printed tonight, on glossy paper (everyone: "ooooooh"), and the tickets are being printed, and then I have to do the program (aaaahh!! It wont be easy and will take a long time) and then my part is done. I will have learned my lines, learned my songs, done the tickets, done the posters, done the audition posters, and done the programs.

My mom, sister, and wife got me some clothes this weekend. I like 'em. Always do. I rarely buy myself clothes (the whole money thing) and so when my mom or sister feel inspired to buy me clearance or otherwise clothes, they always pick out good stuff and I always need it.

I don't remember where I got this from, so if it was from one of you, sorry. Here is my home life...

I was thinking about something today. If I died or had a serious illness, how would any of you know? You'd all just be commenting that I need to stop being a bum and update...all the while I'm either dead or in the hospital or something. I do know, Meritt, personally, and she would probably call at some point if I didn't update or e-mail her back or anything, so maybe that would be the way. Or perhaps she'd just think I was too busy or dropped off the radar. I don't think my wife would have the presence of mind to come on and let the blogger world know I died or was seriously ill. She would be able to figure out my username and password, but I don't think that's something she would think of.

Same thing with the one forum I go to everyday and post a lot in and have made online friends through.

If I was only seriously ill, or in the hospital for a long stay, I'd find a way to let y'all know what was going on.

LOL, and maybe it's not the first thing I or anyone else would think about "Oh! I have to let all of Lars' online friends know what's happened!" Yeah, probably not...but it's something to think about.

Thank you for the concerns Little Miss. All is fine here! In fact, I wasn't even aware there were tornadoes until this morning. It was all hours away from here. I do have some friends in Iowa City, and all are ok, one's apartment had broken windows but they'll be fine!

Matt -- Thoughts From the Oasis Admist the Corn lives and owns a theatre in Iowa City...I left him a message asking if he's ok, so I hope he responds soon and is ok, and his theatre is ok.

So V calls and says the plumber made it there before she had to leave. She was leaving and he says,
"Heading out for the rest of the day"
"Yup"
"Well hopefully I'll be done before you get back...it's not going too good right now"

WHAT?! Not going to good??? That's not good! And, unfortunately, there's no one there to watch him. Who the hell knows what he's doing. And how long it's taking at $60/hr.

shit! Time to call Dad, since he's the one that hired this guy.

If gas goes back up to $3 as someone here at work said, then I better hope some job in Ames or Story City comes along and works out for me, or I don't know what I'll do. I already hate driving to WDM everyday and spending all that wasted time/gas/money but I'll really be in trouble if gas goes higher and higher.

Or, I could always win the Powerball, but, crap, I have to play to win...and no one from Iowa will win for another 5+ years.

I haven't touched on our hot water problem at home, and I wont get into it now, but it's being fixed on Thursday finally. Huge sigh of relief will be let out Thursday night if I get home and all is working again. I'm tired on not having hot water...eh, I just don't feel like explaining the whole situation. Just don't feel like typing the whole thing out.

I'll attempt to clean at home today since I have no other commitments for tonight, except playing with the kid of course :-) But, Thursday and on will be cleaning time...since it's hard to do dishes or laundry without hot water.

I am under the impression though that my house, the house I'm in now, will always be cluttered and messy...it's just hopeless. Too much stuff, too old a house...and a sucky male and female that live there. Too much stuff you say? Sell it so there's less? I CAN'T. I can't find anything I want to get rid of or sell...I'm a pack rat who can't throw away anything...and who also can't organize or find a place for anything....I suck, huge character flaw.

I long, I yearn for a clean, new house, but I'll settle for a clean house. When it's messy messy messy I get frustrate, I can't deal with it, and life sucks. Yet why can't we ever keep it clean?! I hate it so much, yet obviously not enough to keep it clean. I know what my problems are, I just feel hopeless though. Enough of this though.

Damn house
Damn mess
Damn dirty apes...wait a minute?

So....Katherine McPee really SUCKED last night...yet I can't understand how no one knows that. She was bad. She was all over the place, the song was too big for her, the high notes were all shitty, she'd waver and shake and just generally not hit it. Though I think Ace should go home tonight.

P.S. I'm sick of my cough. I've gone through almost an entire bottle of cough syrup with codine, and it helped, I guess, when I was taking it, but now it's gone and my cough is this here. Coughs always hang on to me for way too long.

I love TV. And through the power of TiVo (see HERE) I can enjoy my TV at me leisure (pronounced leh-sure), meaning from when Kaia goes to bed until when I go to bed, which is roughly midnight.

In the joy I have found for certain TV shows this week I need to share:

How I Met Your Mother: I NEVER pick favorites...but I'm going to announce, which pains me to do because then I feel bad for all the other TV shows I love and then it paints a picture to everyone who reads of my favorites, that this IS my favorite show...EVER (probably). It is such a good show. I wish I could say that this man --> is my favorite part of the show, but while he's funny and I LOVE me some NPH (who has been in numerous of my favorite musicals! double parenthesis(RENT, TTB, Assassins, Cabaret)) he's not. He is HILARIOUS, beyond funny, in this show...but, in fact, I can't pick a favorite because I absolutely love all the key players in this show. Josh Radnor ---> has SUCH skills. He is such a good actor. I am just more and more impressed with him each show. I attempt to call him my favorite, but I can't do it, not with NPH in the cast. Jason Segal <-- is so incredibly good too! And Allyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders complete the cast, both just as good as the rest!

I have every episode on my iPod video (downloaded off TiVo to laptop, converted from TiVo file to mpeg4 then put onto iPod) and I have seen every episode more than once...which is rare for me to watch something more than once.

I know the pictures are all wanky, but that's ok...you get the picture.

Moving on...

This show is hilarious too! I think tied for the best written show on television (tied with HIMYM). This show is beyond excellent. Zach Braff just shines. Though, keeping in tradition with not being able to pick a favorite, I'd have to come close with this man... though the rest are just so hilarious! Who doesn't love Neil Flynn as the janitor and Donald Faison as Turk. Seriously, great show.

And on we go...

Very cliche, I know, and I have commented on it before (as I think I have with the other two shows too) but...


what more can be said about Lost? Such a phenomenal show...just excellent. No more needs to be said.

The new show that I'm loving, not as much as the shows above, but maybe one day if it keeps up...
Teachers on NBC. Good show! Pretty funny. I hope it stays.

Ok, time to just list them out

My Name is Earl
Four Kings
ER
Crossing Jordan
The Apprentice
Las Vegas
Will & Grace
Deal or No Deal
Joey
Cash Cab
Dirty Jobs
The Amazing Race
Ghost Whisperer
King of Queens
Numb3rs
Still Standing
Yes, Dear
Stargate Atlantis
Desperate Housewives
Grey's Anatomy
American Idol

These ones are on my TiVo upstairs because they're on the same time as another show:
Criminal Minds
Two and a Half Men


And those are the shows that are on right now there's also:
Big Brother
Invasion
Surface

I'm sure there's more...but that's all I can think of right now.

So that's my TV. And also through the powere of TiVo I get to watch half hour shows in about 22 minutes and hour shows in about 45ish minutes.

As you all know by now it's a very rare moment if I'm ever on blogger on the weekend, and even rarer if I actually post something. And I took yesterday off to get some things done, so I wasn't on yesterday either...but here I am today, back at work.

I got the t-shirts for Into the Woods ordered yesterday and I worked on the tickets and playbill for Into the Woods. Did some sleeping, some talking, surprisingly very very little TV watching. It was a nice day, nice not to be at work.

Nothing exciting happened over the weekend, Kaia went to the local easter egg hunt in the park (I didn't get to go) but from what V and my mom say it was the most idiotic thing in the world. The event organizers told them to go one place, so they went and Kaia hunted down a couple eggs with some other kids and then someone came running over yelling "STOP!!" and made all the kids dump out the eggs they'd found! can you believe that?! Told them they were in the wrong place and this was for the 5-6 year olds or whatever, made them go to another place. So...they went. Same thing! they hunt down a few eggs and hear "STOP!!" make them put back their eggs AGAIN...unbelieveable...and go back to the place they were originally when there weren't any eggs left...so they went to another spot where some eggs were dumped in a pile from someone having to dump out eggs from the earlier fiasco and V and my mom told Kaia to book it over to that pile and go for it. So...when all was said and done Kaia got THREE eggs, with jack shit in them. I'm pretty pissed that my fun-loving child who just wanted to hunt dowm some eggs had to put them back TWICE. Likely she had no idea why these mean ladies were making her put her eggs back. She seemed to still have a good time, I guess, but STILL.

Other then that the choir I'm in performed this three movement piece for the composer at this little weekend long deal the college was putting on for her. That was nice.

That's about it though!

I just wrote out this nice long post on ALL the trials and tribulations we've been having with this show we're putting on...but then realized I know people who read this and they could talk and talking could happen and when talking ensues bad things usually happen.

So, let's just say there are trials and tribulations but the show is going to be GREAT dammit, I know it will be!

I got an unexpected compliment on my singing the other day from someone and I just can't stop thinking about it. You know how that is? I just never expected it from this person and it's just kinda cool, kinda makes you feel good.

ISU Coaching Changes Raise Diversity Concerns

Come on...really? Because both of the coaches were black and they were replaced, very quickly, with two white guys it probably has something to do with race? Maybe those two were the best qualified? Maybe ISU had their eyes on those two new coaches already and it has absolutely nothing to do with race or diversity?

Just like some story I overheard on the news last night. Some political official, I believe, who was black, didn't have her security clearance card or ID and tried to enter a secure area. The guards asked her to stop, she didn't, they told her to stop or show ID, she didn't, and so they had to grab her and pull her back. And she believe it's racial profiling. Really? Maybe it was because you didn't have clearance, or at least dind't have the proper ID to show you had clearance...maybe that's the ONLY reason.

I understand that racial issues still exist, and I think it's disgusting that they do, and that people can think the way they think just because of the color of someone's skin. But it's not always about race, people.

Thank you SOOOOO much Liberal Banana!!! I just found your blog, and she's really hilarious and a good read so check her out, and I was skimming through past posts seeing that she's very adept at Photoshop and found a post of hers that said EXACTLY what I've wanted to know how to do for a long time now. Take a picture and make part of it stay colored while the rest is grayscale.

And I followed her instructions and on the third try, I got it!

As you all know, me being somewhat of a graphic designer, I am frustrated that I don't know photoshop (was NOT taught it at all in college) and I learn best from teaching, though I can teach myself quite a bit with the right time, and I don't have money to go to classes. SO this is awesome. Now I just need to figure out how to select things better. I used the "magic wand tool" to select my daughter, but it selected in small chunks that seemed to make no sense and while holding the shift key down I did manage to select most of her with the magic wand, but as you can see it's not perfect.

But, nonetheless, it's much better than what I could...which was nothing. I couldn't figure it out. Now I know!

This was just too cute not to share.

Last night when I was picking up my daughter, she had previously had a talk to us and then with Grandma that the shoes she had on had to go! She's practically a size 12 and she's wearing these size 9 shoes that she loves. So we'd finally come to the conclusion that the shoes were gone :-) I was carrying her back to my house and we were talking about the shoes and she says:

"I think we should sell my shoes to a little girl who needs them. To a little girl who needs a size 9 shoes."

"Awwww, K, that is so nice and sweet of you. You're such a sweet little girl."

"And, Daddy? You know those black shoes I have with flowers on them?"

"Yup, sure do!"

"I think those are size 9 shoes too. I think I want to sell those to a different little girl who needs size 9 shoes."

Such a sweet girl. And she says it with such conviction and such warmth, so matter of factly. I love listening to my daughter talk and grow up and learn. She's an endless supply of love and fun for me.

Here is the article from kcci.com (my notes to follow):

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Thousands of people have been flocking to Des Moines the past month for one reason -- Disney's "The Lion King."

The city had hoped it would be a huge success, and the Broadway musical did not disappoint.

It is the most successful show in the Civic Center's history.

The colorful show has been bringing in a lot of green. It's setting all new records at the Civic Center and is now sold out. The last single ticket was sold on Thursday night.

"We've set a new attendance record, a new sales record," said Civic Center President and CEO Jeff Chelesvig.

Chelvsvig couldn't be happier. He persuaded the Disney production to come to what the company considers a smaller market because he knew it would play well to an Iowa audience.

"I hear this from a lot of actors that … it helps their performance so much because they feel warmth from the audience, and they can give that back," Chelesvig said.

The audience was bigger than ever. The last Civic Center record set by "Phantom of the Opera" had 98,000 attendees during its first run at the venue.

"Lion King" broke that and will be seen by about 120,000 attendees.

"It's been awesome. The Civic Center is the best neighbor for economic boom for us," said Scott Carlson, of the Court Avenue Brewery.

Carlson said his Court Avenue Brewery has had its best and busiest month in the past year.

The restaurant created a Mufasa mousse especially for "Lion King" customers.

"It's basically banana cream pie in a beer glass," he said.

Restaurants and hotels that housed the cast and crew, as well as all of the out-of-towners who came in for the event, said they hate to see the final curtain call.

The show ends April 9.

Experts said that for every $1 spent on a Civic Center ticket, $2 are spent in the community.

Those who still want tickets to the show can check the Civic Center Web site to see if a few tickets might become available.

The venue's next show is "Hairspray," which won the Tony Award for best musical.

I loved it! I'm so glad it is doing so well in Iowa too. Theatre being accepted and loved always makes me a happy boy. We got to go on Saturday because that's what I asked for from my sisters for my birthday! It was wonderful. Such a good stage show. The only other show I'd say comes up with Lion King for just such a spectacle (in a good way) to watch is Wicked. Lion King is amazingly beautiful. The costumes and sets...who can say more? If you've looked into the show at all that's one of the first things you run onto, is how beautiful and expansive the costumes and sets are.

Next is Hairpsray and sorry to say, we can't go :-( We have NO money, as previously established, so no fun things.

Once again, for perhaps the 10th time, I've applied for a job at the Civic Center. It's basically being a customer service team leader, so I doubt they'll even consider me, but it still gets me all giddy. Working for the Civic Center would be BEYOND a dream come true. I would give my all, 200%, all my love and passion into a job at the Civic Center. Theatre is my THING, I would do anything to work for a theatre. So, as long as my resume is pending...I'll continue being giddy and excited at the prospect. Cross everything you can for me, pray to anyone you can for me, and maybe someday all our hoping and praying and crossing will pay off for me!