On the Stage

Wow

2011-08-05T10:52:00.001-07:00

Finding my old blog and missing it and missing everyone I used to connect with through blogger.

Anyone out there still? If you are I miss you!

I've done SOOO much since this last update! I still do a TON of theatre, that's probably my biggest update I'll have to do besides the fam and how they are all doing. I think I just completed run on my 35 show? I'll have to double check that.

My son just turned TWO! Wow!
My daughter will be TEN in October! Holy cow!
We've been married TEN years now! Amazing!
We're trying to buy a bigger house but need to sell the one we're living in right now and that process is very frustrating.

That's it for now! :-)

Seussical!

2009-03-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

We finished auditions for Seussical the Musical tonight! And I was called and offered the part of Horton the Elephant and I accepted!! :-) I'm VERY excited to play Horton and to be a part of Seussical with all of my friends! It's gonna be a grand time and everyone should come see it!

Sorry, as we've learned in the past, I suck at blogging. I'll try to post more than once every 5 weeks.

Darnit! And BABY PICS!

2009-01-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

So my internet was taken away from me for 2 weeks by Mediacom! Whom I hate! But I am BACK! And here's some exciting pictures!

It's my baby!! So perfect! :-)

oooh! You can see the brain!

This one is a close up! You can even see the little nose!!

This one has a hand up by the face! SO cute!

Our Update

2009-01-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Family -- we are having a baby!! :-) We've officially had a dr. appointment and everyone knows so I think my wife wont kill me for announcing it! We're having an ultrasound on Thursday to see the due date and if there is more than one baby for sure but our due date will be the end part of July I know that already. :-)

Kaia -- she's 7 and doing great! So smart. She's very excited about the new baby too! I think it's still so far away that it's kind of out of sight out of mind, but I've talked to her numerous times and she's very excited!! She just got done doing the musical A Classic Christmas Carol here in town with me. She'll be in Seussical this June.

Veronica -- she is sick all day every day, so this pregnancy is a lot harder than the last one. She got done directing Proof in Ames and she's gearing up to costume The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail at the college, and then Seussical here for our big Scandinavian Days musical. She had an interview at the hospital and we're praying and crossing fingers and everything we can for her to get this job. We need it.

Lars -- I just got done playing Bob Cratchit in the musical A Classic Christmas Carol here in town. I'll be auditioning for Seussical in March and that's about it for me.

So that's us in a small nutshell! We're all getting geared up for the baby and I'm turning over a new leaf for 2009 and I hope my wife and daughter join me, I'm getting our house all cleaned up and KEEPING it that way. And also, when Kaia is being bad and needs punished then I'm sticking to that punishment and that's all there is too it.

Kaia pictures as requested!

2008-12-30T22:03:00.001-08:00

Here's a few recent photos of Kaia :-)

Beauty and the Beast

2008-12-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

One of my all-time favorite roles I have ever done. Probably the role with which I got the most positive feedback, it was amazing! The whole cast was amazing! Just nothing but love and good good memories...I miss it so! I was Lumiere, for those who didn't know.

Snow

2008-12-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

So so cold out there. It's -12 degrees, but feels like about -30 with the wind chill. The snow plows are always messing with us homeowners...as soon as we get our driveways cleared they come back with two feet of thick, heavy snow pushed right back at the end of the driveway. I hate that so much.

Kaia is going to wear her Christmas dress to church tomorrow, she is going to look so cute. Which reminds me, I have to get the digital camera all charged up. We used it today while we were out making a snowman and climbing up 20 foot snow hills and sledding.

I finished the finale of Dexter season three tonight...man I LOVE that show! And I am 4 1/2 episodes through season one of True Blood. Showtime has all the good shows on it! But I'm not paying for any premium channels.

Christmas is in five days!!!!

Do I Exist?

2008-12-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Wow -- it's been a year and a half? But I think I do exist, I'm here afterall :-) If anyone is still around leave me a comment to say hi! A LOT has changed in a year and a half!

Manual or Auto?

2007-06-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

I definitely choose AUTO. I drove a manual in high school, my friends, and it was not worth it. Man, it's just not for me. I know the people who like manuals are pretty hardcore for them, but not me at all.

The Wii ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Totally worth it. We have Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Party 8 (of course -- we have Mario Party 4-7 already on Gamecube) and Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz.

In Wii Sports you can play Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing. Bowling is awesome, and Boxing is even MORE awesome.

You gotta get one.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

2007-06-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

We got our Wii last night!!! :-)

Suffice to say it rocks!! Will fill you in more later :-)

Anniversay

2007-06-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's our anniversary on Saturday! 6 years. Woohoo. Going strong...

We're just going to go out and watch a movie and maybe have some supper. No biggie. We're pretty chill :-)

V wants to buy a Nintendo Wii for our anniversary, she has saved the money to do so but she can't seem to find one anywhere! What the hell is up with the Nintendo Wiis?!? Did they not make enough to go around or are they really being snatched up that fast? I can't believe that Nintendo would not make enough. They're basically asking to lose money then. It's just doesn't make any sense to me. But I have to get to the bottom of this and figure out why every damn store is always sold out!

Weather

2007-06-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Woo! Today was interesting for a little bit. We had some nasty weather here. In my home town I was running over to my parents house when the tornado alarm in town started blaring. So I ran in to my parent's house and got my grandma into the shower so she'd be safe, she is way to old and unmovable to get into the basement so I got her into the shower and I got myself into the basement for just a second, then the alarms stopped and I went outside to check out what was going on.

It was dark and a little crabby in the sky but I went inside and checked out the news and we still had a tornado warning, but it wasn't going to hit us. There were reports of tornado's in Ames, 10 miles south of us, and heading east. I don't think the tornado was anything just maybe a funnel hitting the ground for a second or maybe just forming in the air. So everything is ok!

V's Birthday

2007-06-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

It was my wife's birthday today! She's 26 now, just like myself. She got some good stuff. She's really into taking t-shirts and turning them into something else, which there are a lot of books out on, and so she's doing that hardcore. She got a bunch of those kinds of books for her birthday. I got her one of those, and then I got her the musical Reefer Madness on DVD. Kaia got her a candle and a willow tree figurine. She got some sewing things like a board and cutter deal, and a really expensive pair of scissors and she got a Coach purse from my sister.

Birthdays are fun :-)

I am still giving plasma twice a week. Right now my plasma money is going to a fund for NYC for me, so that's fun to watch it grow and wait for me (as long as our bank account stays strong! Otherwise I gotta give it up.) But I give Wed and Sat and we went out to eat tonight for her birthday so I had to give before work. And V was in Ames all night hanging out with friends then going to her summer class the next day so it was up to me to get Kaia to daycare that morning where normally I wouldn't because I was giving plasma in the morning, but so I has to get up at 5:45 in the morning got me and Kaia ready and her to daycare at 6:30 and me to Ames by 7:00 AM to give plasma to get back to start work at 9 then work all day (on my feet very busy!) sooooooooooooo...I'm VERY tired. Not a normal day for me.

Goodnight!

Jean Skirts

2007-06-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Who decided that jean skirts were acceptable "work attire"? I just don't get it. It happened in my old job and is happening now in my new job. Jeans...NO. Shorts...NO. Jean skirts...that's ok. It's still JEAN MATERIAL. It still look "unprofessional" if that's what you want to call it. Personally, I think we should be able to wear shorts if they're khaki or what not. But jean skirts to me are the same as jean jeans. I just don't get it and it sort of torks me off.

More NYC

2007-06-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOD!

Ok guys, honestly, I can't take it!!! I just can't take it. I am going to NYC and CHIP FRIGGIN' ZIEN will be in Les Miserables!!! He is easily in the top 5 or better of my favorite Broadway stars ever.

I wasn't even going to see Les Mis on Broadway because that's the one show I got to see when we went for band tour in college. But with Chip Zien there is no way I can MISS it.

And to top it all off, of course, Adam and Anthony back in RENT -- there goes two of my possibly three free nights to go see shows on Broadway.

So with RENT and Les Mis taking two spots and I maybe have three the other one has to go to Legally Blonde, but my wife would kill me if I didn't go see Spring Awakening. So somehow I have to go see four shows.

God, Chip Zien on Broadway....oh man...I'm beside myself

I can't figure this out, I will probably have the chance to see maybe three shows...

-I have to see RENT, because Adam and Anthony will be back -- how do you miss that?!

-I have to see Les Mis Revival, CHIP ZIEN is going to be in it, there is just no way I can miss it, I just can't -- but besides that I wasn't going to see Les Mis because that's the one show I DID see on Broadway already when I went on college band tour -- not with NEAR the cast they have now, so that's a reason to see it, but it would cut out another show I want to see and there are at LEAST 3 more I want to see.

-Legally Blonde, I LOVE this show, it has famous Broadway people in it and I just want to see it bad.

-Spring Awakening, such an awesome, ground-breaking show -- I have to see it, and Veronica would kill me if I didn't and get her something :-) I gotta see this too

-Jersey Boys, I have been obsessing over this show for months and months, probably close to or over a year now, how do I not go see this show?! The original cast is still there...ugh, gotta see this show

Then there are just a bunch more I want to see, but if I remember right those are the main candidates.

My head is going to explode!

It's All Done

2007-06-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is winding down and it was a good day over all!

The speech went well, I got a nice book as a gift for doing that, and then also the singing went well too, I could have done better, but I could ALWAYS do better. I get up in front of church and my voice just isn't as strong as normal. I don't know why...in musicals I don't have any of that, everything is fine. But in solo singing, in church especially, I sort of freeze up. Not enough that I can't sing, but just enough that it's noticeable I'm sure.

Apparently there has been a shake up at the Les Mis Revival on Broadway! A couple of the leads were let go by the producer, Cameron Mackintosh, with NO notice. And he is also apparently well known for doing things like this. So, hopefully tomorrow it'll be interesting to see who has replaced them...because if there is time while I'm in NYC I will go see that as there are some top notch Broadway stars in there.

Top shows to see while in NYC: (in no particular order)

1. RENT (BECAUSE ADAM AND ANTHONY WILL BE BACK! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!)
2. Spring Awakening
3. Legally Blonde
4. Les Mis Revival
5. Jersey Boys
6. Curtains
7. Mary Poppins
8. Tarzan
9. Phantom
10. Wicked

--And I'll only have time to see MAYBE three -- so if it was down to three I'd try to see:

1. RENT (only because friggin' Anthony and Adam will be back! Holy Shit! The chance to see that!!
2. Legally Blonde -- this show is awesome
3. Spring Awakening -- ground-breaking and awesome show, totally worth my time, and my wife would kill me if I didn't go see it for her since she wont be able to come to NYC with me

Father's Day in 50 minutes

2007-06-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yay! I love Father's Day, because I love being a Father!

Last year in daycare Kaia made a mother's day gift and a father's day gift. They are AWESOME. This year she made a mother's day gift...but no father's day gift. I'm confused as to why they didn't make anything for father's day this year. But that's ok I guess, I just really love handmade things from her.

I was asked to sing for Father's Day at church, so I'm doing that. I was also asked to stand up with some of the other young dads and speak for a few minutes on the struggles and the joys of being a father -- I really didn't want to do that, but how do you say no? So I'm doing that too. Needless to say at 10:30 when my singing and my speaking is done I will be much more relieved. I'm singing a, hopefully, pretty easy but very beautiful song, so I'm actually looking forward to the song instead of dreading it like I am sometimes.

BIG news in my life is that I'm going to NYC to PERFORM! The show I was in last summer at the Iowa State Fair is going to NYC to perform. The shows writer/performer applied to have the show in the New York International Fringe Festival and it was accepted!! This fringe festival is the largest festival in the United States and the second largest in world. I am BEYOND excited. I am beside myself. I've known for about a month and a half by now and I'm still astonished! If you go to http://www.fringenyc.org you'll see what it's all about. We will start our rehearsals in July and be gone August 11-19th. I will have some evenings free to go see some Broadway shows! SO excited, but Company with Raul Esparza is closing before I get there, and that was my number one show to go see :-( But there is STILL plenty of shows I want to see on Broadway :-) We will have a bit of a new script from the last time we did it so that will be good. Still my favorite songs will be in there, some of which I get to sing.

Ok, very tired and nervous for tomorrow so I'm going to bed soon!

My Weekend

2007-03-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

I had a great weekend. Sorry I was gone, and not blogging. I was at a camp with my dad, one of my pastors and my friend for a Christian hunter's retreat.

We had a weekend of shooting guns, eating good food including wild game, and listening to a fantastic pastor preach to us. It's my 4th time going and it's so much fun.

The pastor's name is Terry and he used to pastor in Garner, but now he's a full-time missionary. Man, he's a great preacher.

There is also a worship band there and we sing some good songs, and another pastor named Randy comes with his dummy Helmer and he does a ventriloquist act and it is hilarious! He moves his lips, but it doesn't matter because he looks over at Helmer when he's speaking for him and he puts on an old man voice because his dummy is an old man and probably one of my favorite parts about him is he laughs at every joke, and it's such a sincere laugh, he's having such a good time and laughing like Helmer is telling the joke for the first time. It really is hilarious!

There's a clay pigeon shooting field, that's my favorite, and then there's a range for shooting pistols and high powered rifles, etc. I got to shoot my own pistol, the very first gun I've owned. My wife's grandfather passed away and he owned probably close to 100 guns and everyone in the family got to choose one, and I chose one of his 45's.

It was a great weekend.

What did you do for your weekend?

The Test

2007-03-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well...I've been logging in all week to see if my test was done or not and if I passed or failed. Well, all week it's told me it's not done yet, of course, because I'm not suppose to know until Friday.

But lo and behold! It was DONE today...who knows why?!?!!!!

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it, I'm so happy!

You are now reading the blog of a CPhT. A Certified Pharmacy Technician :-) I can put that after my name if I want, lol.

I didn't even have time to get nervous when I clicked on exam results because I just expected it to tell me it wasn't done yet.

Yay! :-D

Now I have Kaia's Kindergarten roundup this Friday and Friday-Sunday I'm at a Christian Hunter's Retreat with my dad, one of my pastor's, and my good buddy/neighbor. So my weekend rocks, especially now that I know I passed the test!

Uuuhhhh...peace and relaxation now :-D

Test, kindergarten roundup, shoes, hernia

2007-03-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

So I took my pharmacy technician certification test on the 7th and I REALLY don't know how I did. I am incredibly nervous about it. I need to pass this test! It is an automatic dollar raise, it's me keeping my job, and it's me not having to pay for the test ($130), not to mention humiliation, embarrassment, etc.

I find out Friday...ugh

Kaia's kindergarten roundup is Friday morning! :-) I am so excited for her, I am so excited for my daughter to start school! She is so smart, she is so ready. Did I ever mention she is reading already. What a little genius :-) I love her to pieces!

I got a new pair of converse, low top and orange...they rock.

I have had a pain right above my right groin area for quite some time now. If I remember right about three years now. My mom thinks it's a hernia, and I'm starting to believe her by now. I have a doctor's appointment coming up soon...I guess I'll find out then. I'd really like to know, and, I guess, if it is, have the surgery to get it all done with forever. I'm really tired of it hurting. No, it's not a constant pain, it comes and goes, and that's why I haven't ever done anything about it. The doctor seeing my junk, I'm ok with it, wont bother me, feeling up my junk, that's ok, he has to, but if he has to stick something up my butt, now that will be uncomfortable! No thanks...but darnit, if it needs to be done to see what's wrong with me, then so be it. I was hoping to not have anything stuck up my bum until I'm 50, but I might miss that mark by 24 years. My testicles have hurt on and off for probably 6 or 7 years and I've always assumed it's nothing...perhaps I'll have the doc check that out too. Just to alleviate my fears.

So, I should know tomorrow when my appointment will be...and Friday, the test. Yikes!

Thanks BB it was fun!

2007-03-17T20:32:00.001-07:00

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Scrotum Reduction

2007-03-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

There is a guy on Dr. 90210 that is getting a scrotum reduction...and he says it's embarrassing to announce this in front of his girlfriend.

What the hell? Who gives a shit. 1.) It's your girlfriend 2.) who cares?!

I hate my scrotum, I have an extra large scrotum, I don't like it. All my friends know, all my family know, who cares?! I complain about it all the time.

Mine is huge, it hangs SOOOOOOOOO low. It's saggy, its uncomfortable, it sticks when it's hot, etc. But I do not have money to have it reduced...nor did I know that was even possible until tonight.

It's just dumb that he would be embarrassed, if you asked me.

Old and crabby

2007-03-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm typing with one hand, the other hand is pumping as I give plasma. $20 the first donation and $40 for the second donation in a week. In other words $240/month to sit and surf the net or read or listen to music..I love it.

Why is it that when you get older you get crabbier? It was 40 something degrees today and I'm in my winter coat and my stocking cap and bitching to myself about how cold it is, cursing Iowa and such. And I see a middle schooler riding their bike and not cursing or looking miserable, and they're on their BIKE so they're obviously going faster than me walking. My daughter never claims to be cold, or at least not unless I specifically say, "Kaia, it's cold!" and then she'll say that it is.

Although I MUCH prefer being hot and miserable to cold, I still will whine about it being too hot...never children though. They're either too busy doing something else one-track minded or they're just tough little cookies, but either way...the older you get the crabbier you get I must say.

Oh there are many more older crabbier stories...remember I work in a pharmacy! But for now my arm is tired of typing one-handed! :-)

P.S. -- I'm editing to say -- I didn't even see that Blueblanket had asked me to post again -- I just happened to post today!

Hey!

2007-02-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

I got a surprise new laptop for my birthday/NEXT Christmas present! lol :-) So I'm done with presents for the year, but that's ok with me, I got a new laptop! And it has XP on it because I got it a month ago, which is good because I don't want Vista. I DO want more RAM though. But I'll work on that.

I also got myself a 200GB external harddrive with some christmas/birthday money and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

I have to sing "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman in just over a week and I don't have it even closed to memorized yet!!! And I haven't rehearsed it with the accompanist yet.

We got both of our TiVos hooked up to one TV and they can record separate things and it rocks! :-)

Kaia's Valentine's party is tomorrow, that will be fun! She loves Valentine's day so much :-)

The "new" job rocks still, and I have to take my certification exam on March 2nd and I am scared out of my mind, so I need lots of love and prayers and I need to pass this thing!! :-)

Ok, any questions on anything I have or have not covered?

Byebye!

Hard Drive

2007-01-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

I got myself a 200GB external hard drive and I had to work extra hard to get my laptop to stay charged for long enough to get some of my files off of it. I don't have them all off yet, but most of them. As soon as I can get all of my files off of it and delete everything that has to do with me I am going to attempt to sell in on eBay for some sort of money over $100 hopefully.

This laptop has this broken:

The entire cd/dvd drive -- it wont even open

The touchpad

The connection inside the laptop that keeps the ac adapter connected and charging the laptop -- because without it the battery only lasts about an hour now and I can't even keep it connected long enough to charge it for any length of time. If you jimmy it around and hold it tight in some sort of weird arrangement you can keep it connected for a little bit.

Last night I was on the ground, on my side, on a pile of laundry with my arm extended holding the connection really tight in an odd way with my other hand extended running the external mouse (because the touchpad is broken).

I LOVE my external hard drive. I'm a geek, it's awesome to have so much space and the freedom to take it anywhere I want it. It transfers very fast, and it runs programs off of it, so I can still have my graphic design programs even without a laptop.

Also, I am using V's laptop (which is our laptop now) so I'm on as much as I can be, but sometimes it's not as much as I want it to be.

If anyone reads this that used to read my blog, you are AWESOME, because it's almost 2 months after my last post and you're still checking in on me :-)

Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too!! :-D

2006-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I suck at this Blogging thing now. I should just abandon ship :-)

Everything is going ok here.

Memory

2006-12-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I had some things to mention...tonight, I can't remember any of them. My triumphant return to blogging ruined because I can't remember what I was going to mention! Well, probably my triumphant return to blogging for one day and then...not again. Hey!! Sitting here at my desk I just found where I put my box of empty envelopes! Tis a good day for me :-D

I got stressed at work today, I don't ever get stressed, but today I got a tad stressed. It was just super busy and I was just left by the other tech and the fill-in pharmacist while they were at lunch, and you can bet your ass as soon as I'm left alone the shit just hits the fan. Everyone and their mom comes in with problems and I can't solve them all, and they all want it now and usually it is ok, but today it was just a little nuts. There's always a pharmacist on hand in the back (there's a long-term cate facility in the back) so when I have people there and I need the prescriptions check I can just call that pharmacist, so it's not like I'm on my own for good, eh, long explanation of my job and how it works that would just be boring..so nevermind :-) Anywho, I got stressed! I don't like getting stressed, I feel dumb, and it went away when people came back and things got back to control again and then I got to leave for lunch, which is an hour, so that's a great unwind in the middle of the day time.

I'm singing in a concert this Sunday night. I'm singing in a mized quartet with my sister and two friends. We're singing an acapella "Ukrainian Bell Carol" and an accompanied "Angel's Carol" both are very pretty. I'm also singing a duet with my sister, "A Strange Way to Save the World" very nice song.

Christmas eve I'm singing at church for the vesper service, it's basically a service of singing and other talents, it's fun. We're singing the duet from above and I might be roped into "O Holy Night" again -- but I vowed no solos for a while since I get SO nervous I almost just can't stand it and the last time I sang a solo (which was in church this past August) I cracked under the nervousness and the fact that it was early in the morning and I did very shitty and it made me feel like shit so I just want to not worry for a while...but I might be doing a solo after all, I can't decide...

I'm SO excited because for Christmas presents I'm going to see Doubt, The Light in the Piazza, AND The Phantom of the Opera!!! Doubt in December (not too far from now!) LitP in January, and Phantom in February!! Doubt with freakin Tony Winner Cherry Jones! She wont the Tony for her character in Doubt when it was on Broadway last year. The play itself won a Tony, the playwright won a tony and the two other actors in it also won Tony's! It was nominated for every Tony it could be and it won them all too! Needless to say it's a phenomenal show and I'm very excited to see it (and I hope to meet Cherry Jones afterward). I'm equally excited for The Light in the Piazza (LitP for short). It was broadcast on live from Broadway on PBS a few months back, I still have it saved on my TiVo, maybe some of you saw it. It is some of the most beautiful music written for musical theatre. Such a good show, with phenomenal voices. And of course, The Phantom of the Opera! This will be my 3rd time (I think!) to see it, it might be 4th but I'm pretty sure it's 3rd. I saw it back in high school with Brad Little as Phantom then I saw it a good 4 years later and Brad was Phantom AGAIN, which was alright because he's good, but I wanted to see someone else, and I know I will this time so that's good. Plus the show is just so breathtakingly good that I see it any chance I get! No word yet on Spamalot or Mamma Mia! yet but SOMEHOW I will get tickets to those too :-)

Some damn good shows on TV right now: How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Heroes, Scrubs, ER, My Name is Earl, Las Vegas, Jericho, etc. etc. I could go on and on.

I hear Greg Wiggle (The Yellow one) has some horrible debilitating disease (I forget the name) and can't perform anymore :-( How sad is that!!!

Well it's been months since I've posted anything of worth so I'm sure SOMETHING has happened in my life, but I'm not sure what right now, so I just don't try to remember so I can tell you. I told you about my daughter's birthday, it was great, I planned it all, got it all going, cleaned the whole house for it, and we had so much fun! I told I was in a show at the Iowa State Fair, that went very well, was a ton of fun. The choir I was in last year I can't be in this year because rehearsals start at 5:30 and I don't get off work till 6 and that's not in the same town either :-( :-( So that makes me very sad. Also because the woman who played my wife in Into the Woods who I got to be good friends with joined it this year so I can't be in it with her some other fellow ITW people so I'm SUPER bummed about that!!

I really wish we had money to take a fancy, huge, splendid honeymoon to NYC to stay in a nice hotel and go see TONS of shows...I can't WAIT for the day when we can actually do that!

Ok, I'll stop now. If nothing else, hopefully I can find some time late at night to blog here and there, at least one day on the weekend maybe if not more! I'll try, I really will! :-) But I'm not going to let it get to me if I can't blog that much or I don't get any comments, no stressing over blogging anymore :-)

Agh! Sorry!

2006-10-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

I get so caught up in the week and really don't feel like there is much for me to talk about, very boring life right here.

Kaia had her birthday on Monday, it was great! :-) She's five now :-) Her birthday party is this weekend, I know 3 of the about 10 little girls we invited are coming...ugh, I hope more RSVP or I'm going to feel like a loser. She's having a princess party, and you can BET I'll get some pictures up here!

I got some pajama pants and a shirt, and V got a pair of jeans, all with a $20 bill I found on the ground. That was cool.

Work is good still, that's about it there!

No shows, no singing, no anything else.

:-D

Yup Yup

2006-10-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm alive...just haven't been around the internet that terribly much, and I just don't feel like I have that much to say.

I feel like it's very anti-climactic to even post now becase it's been so long.

My daughter's birthday is in one week! She'll be FIVE, can you believe it? FIVE! She's such a big girl. SO incredibly smart. Incredibly smart...and I'm not just saying that as a father.

We put up a bunch of shelves and a bar to hang coats in our entry way...we feel so accomplished! That was about a month ago. Then, yesterday we cleared a WHOLE BUNCH of brush and stupid dead shit from around the front of our house...it looks SO much better...we feel so accomplished.

I really do miss all of you, and miss blogging, but I blogged because my job sucked and I had time to waste and my face was in front of a computer all day, now none of those things are true.

The job is going well though :-) Very well, I love it a lot. I'm waiting for my 90 days to be done so I can get a raise, then a cost of living raise at the end of the year (I hope they don't lump those two things together) and then a raise after I pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Test.

I hope people stop and say hi, though I'd understand if everyone has given up hope by now. Meritt, IowaGeek, BlueBlanket, Sharkey, FantastaGirl, YankeeBob, Jarod, LiberalBanna.

Lars :-D

It's good!

2006-09-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

The job is good, the job is great...I love it! I trained last week in a nearby city and now I'm finally in my hometown going for it, and it's good. There is a TON to learn still, a TON, but I've learned a lot already and I'm loving it! More later.

I haven't been on blogger in probably close to 2 weeks, I have no idea what's going on with anyone, but I hope it's good!! I'll check up when I can, I have a job meeting tonight. Our internet is slow here and V is on a lot for one thing or another.

Thanks for thinking of me everyone! :-)

On edge

2006-08-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit on edge here until my life gets back to a semi-coasting situation :-) With getting the new job comes switching of money coming in and going out and I'm waiting to see how that plays out, that's nerve-wracking. I am switching banks right now too because I hate my bank and it's very inconvenient and it's not in my hometown and this bank I'm switching too is going to be great, and it's right next door to where I'm working. But that involves setting up accounts, switching automatic withdrawals, setting up direct deposit, etc, and so hopefully those accounts will be set up on Thursday by Veronica (I can't because I'm in frickin' WDM) and then I'll have those account numbers to switch everything around, because also in the middle of this I consolidated my student loans and those are taking effect in September and so I want to set up autodebit with them right away so I don't have to worry abou that either.

Sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming, but more in the sense that I could easily forget something, or easily mess something important in my life up. And I'm trying to wrap up everything at work here.

Just a little anxiety going on is all. So I've been reading and what not all your blogs, but I'm not commenting much, and then come Sept. 11, I wont be doing anything on the internet unless it's at home, so my blogging and commenting and e-mailing and such will be cut down dramatically!

Well, well, well

2006-08-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

I GOT THE JOB!!

I am beyond excited!!

I start Monday, September 11th. I put in my two weeks today.

Bye Bye Pluto :-(

2006-08-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

Nine Planets? Count Again -- Minus Pluto

I'm really bummed about this. I don't want to lose Pluto. It throws off all the textbooks at school. It throws off all the learning of the planets, and the people who have learned the planets! MVEMJSUNP - My Very Excellent Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Pizzas. I mean, come on! you can't drop Pluto! I'm envisioning some kind of Rudy type situation, if we get the whole word to chant "PLUTO! PLUTO! PLUTO! PLUTO!" maybe the astronomers will put him back in the game.

For now though, let's have a moment of silence for Pluto...

thanks

P.S. I'm discovering my own hypocracy in the fact that if they ADDED more planets I'd think that was cool (which they're thinking of doing right?) but taking away a planet is WRONG! :-)

Latest Development

2006-08-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

So, I wish this post could be to tell you I GOT the job, but it's at least to tell you I'm still in the running. They're torturing me over here!!! They called just this morning and said the job is down to me and one other person (heard this before haven't I?) and she wanted to know if I was still interested in the job. I said yes, very very much so, still very excited about the job. She said that was good! She asked me if I had talked to "this person" about the benefits for the job, I said I had not, she gave me her information to call her and make sure the benefits were ok. She told me to then call her back and let her know if that all sounded ok. Then she asked me about salary again, we discussed that the same as before, and then she asked me if I were to get the job if I would want to give two weeks notice. I said I would, it would just be nice and I'd like let them get a chance to get used to me leaving and polite and all that, and she said she understood that and if someone was leaving her office she'd want two weeks too. So all sounded good. I'm going to call "this person" about the benefits over lunch, I'm sure it'll be fine, then call my interviewer back and let her know. Oh, she also said she wants to make this decision by Friday. Sooooo, I'll know soon enough.

Keep thinking and praying and wishing and hoping for me!! I'm so close!!

funny side note -- this morning when I work up to get ready for work, almost immediately after I opened my eyes I thought, "Today's the day. I'm finding out today and I'm getting this job, I know I am!" Hopefully that new found confidence can pay off.

oh, and last night I raced home from work and was going to mail a thank you for the job shadowing to the pharmacist I job shadowed with and the post office was closed and if I mailed it it would be picked up from my hometown until today at 5pm and then go to des moines to be sorted and sent BACK to my home town just three doors down from the post office...so I said no way and walked it into the pharmacist and told her I'm sorry I know you haven't made your decision yet, I wanted to mail this but missed the post office being open and instead of making you wait two days for this I thought I'd just walk it into you. SO, I hope that gamble paid off too.

So I'm sitting in agony here...this is not good for my health! lol, my stomach is in knots, I can't concentrate very well!

Waiting....

2006-08-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it went well! I thought my second interview was good. It was just job shadowing for a hour and fifteen minutes. I have no idea who else had job shadowing and how they did, if they were more impressive, or what they said. I got along with the two women there just fine. I feel good. I'm SO nervous I don't know what to do with myself though.

I can't stand the wait! She said they'd make their decision and let me know next week, which is this week we're in now, so I'm just waiting...

Second Interview!

2006-08-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, I don't know if calling again helped or not, because I tried 3 times today to call her and talk to her, it's her cell phone she gave me so only she would answer it, but got voicemail everytime, and I wasn't going to leave a message until my last attempt at the end of the day, however, at noon today I got a call from someone at the corporate office and she said my interviewer had asked her to call me and set up a second interview!!

So, Friday morning, I go in to have a second interview, this time with the head pharmacist and do a little job shadowing!! I couldn't be happier, I'm bouncing off the walls right now, but I know this doesn't mean I've got the job, but I'm just excited to get on to the next round!

Wish me luck and send lots of love and prayers my way :-)

Survey

2006-08-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Whats your name spelt backwards?: Sral

What did you do last night?: Came home, had supper with the fam, mowed my lawn and my neighbors lawn, went and watched the triple overtime ISU football game, then watched hald of celebrity duets and went to bed.

The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?: V downloaded the Grinch screenmate.

Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?: Um...no

Last time you swam in a pool?: Few weeks ago with Kaia.

What are you wearing?: It's Hawaiian day, lol, so I'm wearing jeans, a white long-sleeved shirt and a bright blue hawaiian shirt, and my green chuck taylor's.

How many cars have you owned?: oh...let's see...first car was a '78 wagoneer in high school, then a '89 two-door chevy blazer, then a '98 oldsmobile cutlass supreme, and now a '04 Dodge Stratus.

Type of music you dislike most?: Country

Are you registered to vote?: I believe so

Do you have cable?: Yes...come on, you know me! But, thinking of cancelling it for financial reasons ;-(

What kind of computer do you use?: PC at work, V's gateway laptop at home because my piece of shit laptop is a piece of shit so I basically don't use it anymore...I need to get everything off it and sell it and get my dream laptop but that is just that, a dream.

Ever made a prank phone call?: Oh yes.

You like anyone right now?: not like THAT, I'm not in junior high anymore.

Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?: I have NO idea, some days yes, some days no.

Furthest place you ever traveled?: Norway

What's your favorite comic strip?: uh......?

Do u know all the words to the national anthem?: Yes I do.

Shower, morning or night?: DEF. in the morning, but depends on what I do during the day/evening I'll be known to shower in the evening and morning.

Best movie you've seen in the past month?: I watched Flightplan a couple days ago and it was good. Even better was National Treasure which I watched a month or so ago.

Favorite pizza toppings?: BBQ Chicken or Beef

Chips or popcorn?: Neither, but if I had to choose it would be Chips.

What cell phone provider do you have?: US Cellular.

Have you ever smoked peanut shells?: um...no

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?: Only in my mind ;-)

Orange Juice or apple?: Neither, but if I had to choose it would be OJ.

Who were the last people you sat at lunch with?: guys from work.

Favorite chocolate bar?: SO hard to choose...I can't do it.

Who is your longest friend and how long?: Bucklin, I've KNOWN him since kindergarten, but was friends with him since high school.

Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?: YUCK! NEVER...

Have you ever won a trophy?: I'm sure I have...

Favorite arcade game?: TMNT

Ever ordered from an infomercial?: Nope...been VERY tempted to though.

Sprite or 7-UP?: Neither, I don't like pop, don't like carbonation.

Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work?: To work, sure, at Subway and McDonald's, never school though.

Last thing you bought at Walgreens?: Never bought a single thing at Walgreens, to me Walgreens is still a store for old people.

Ever thrown up in public?: Not since I was a baby.

Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love?: This is a dumb question.

Do you believe in love at first sight?: Nope

SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON?: Oh definitely Jimmy Neutron.

Did you have long hair as a young kid?: Nope

What message is on your voicemail machine?: The one at home is Kaia, it's very cute!

Where would you like to go right now?: NYC

Whats the name of your pet?: Taz (cat)

What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it?: I don't have one...what a weird question.

What do you think about most?: My kid, life, money, just too much stuff. But I have the power to shut it off most times, which I consider a gift.

Really don't get it...

2006-08-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

THey haven't called yet. It's been one week and one day since my interview. It's been three days since I called and left a message. I know it's not odd to not call back or decide on a potential employee for this long, but I left them a message. I would assume they'd be setting up second interviews.

At this point ALL I can think is that they don't like me, don't want me. I haven't gotten a letter saying so yet though. All I can assume is they're doing second interviews for everyone they like and if they don't work out, maybe they'll call me? I don't know. I had such a good feeling about this one. It seemed like the one, it seemed like the right time. Hard to not give up hope...but I'm trying not to give up hope.

Also, really, how am I to know she GOT my voicemail? Maybe it didn't go through or something odd happened. I'll never know unless I call again, but THAT is not right. That would be way to agressive, way too badgering.

I guess I'll keep waiting? Keep waiting until I either get a call or a nice little one page letter in the mail...

Today should be the day I hope

2006-08-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to get a call for a second interview today...from what I could tell the head pharmacist would get back from vacation yesterday then they were going to set up second interviews for those they were interested in, so I'm hoping to be called today. If I'm not :-( Then I will call them tomorrow to show that I'm still very interested. I think it helped me the first time around since when I called her she called back and we did a phone interview then set up a real interview, so I'm hoping to be called today just to know how interested they are in me, then if they don't call I'll call tomorrow and hopefully good things still happen.

I could use this job more than anyone could possibly now...right now more than any other time in my life...keep keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, I'm really hoping this is the one. And I want this job too, so that's one of th best parts. Things aren't going the best, ok they're the worst ever financially for us right now, we're a lost hope, we really don't know what to do, so if we could be lifted up by this job instead of always being beat down, that would be good for us and our mental health!

Interview

2006-08-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

OH! It went SO well. I really think it was one of the best interviews I've ever done. I "wow"ed them, I did. They loved me, as far as I can tell. I really showed them who I was and what I can and will do and how excited I was for this position. I mean, I answered every question perfectly (I hope). I just seemed to match what they wanted. The head pharmacist there was on vacation, so whoever makes it to the second round of interviews will get to meet her, and I'm really hoping it will be me! She gets back next week, so I would assume that's when I'll find out. I'm anxious!!!

P.S. Jody -- I just saw that off the interstate on Wednesday and was surprised to see it there, I hadn't heard DMACC was doing that. That's a good avenue to pursue some night classes, you're right!

I got an interview!

2006-08-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have a job interview!! I had a phone interview just a couple hours ago and I am interviewing on Thursday at 3:30pm! It's for a job in the town that I live! It is for a Pharmacy Technician position. I have always had an interest in the medical field, so many members of my family and extended family work in the medical field, so this is great!

Call all the forces, tell everyone you know, I need some hardcore praying and good thoughts coming my way from now until I nail the interview and get the job! Well, then after that too, but certainly then.

I can do this! I can get this job, aaaarrrggghhh! She did say she had others to interview that day, but somehow I need to be the best. It's never happened for me before, but it will on Thursday.

Oh, and bonus, the lady I talked to and is interviewing me knows my dad! And she loves my dad, she thinks he's great and hilarious, she said so herself. She was in church choir with him for years, and she used to live in the town I live in...this is all good. It's my time, I want it, it's mine to get.

If it doesn't happen, though I will be very sad, it's all part of a grander scheme that God knows. He knows what job he wants me to have, somehow I need to understand that, and have had to understand that for job interview after job interview.

Phone Interview!

2006-08-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

I HAVE A PHONE INTERVIEW IN A HALF HOUR!!!! WISH ME LUCK!

Happiness is...

2006-07-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

-Finding a good book or series of books or an author and just reading, reading, reading
-Finding some good music you hadn't explored before (in this case a musical I hadn't take the time to get to know until now)

It's funny how two simple things can make life seem so happy and so normal right now.

What couple things would you use to finish the sentence "Happiness is..." (excluding anything to do with family because those are constantly making us happy some how -- just something superficial but great)

Random photos on my work computer

2006-07-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

The animated gifs aren't animating for some reason with the upload to blogger, so I'll have to fix that later so you can see them animated.

funny animated gif someone made of some of the original broadway cast of Into the Woods. I liked it.

VERY good representation of this musical, The Last Five Years, from the poster. I love it.

A very good animated gif of Wicked that I liked a lot.

It's Josh Radnor from How I Met Your Mother in Into the Woods when he was in college! How awesome is that?! It sure looks like he's the Baker too. How much would I LOVE to hear something from that.

I'll repeat but slightly change...It's Josh Radnor from How I Met Your Mother in Jesus Christ Superstar when he was in college! How awesome is that?! He is Judas...a VERY hard role to sing. Once again, I want to hear that bad!

A Hirschfeld drawing of the MAN, Stephen Sondheim.

I'll tell you something I don't like...

2006-07-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

people talking OUTLOUD to themselves. It's freaky and I don't like it. There is someone I know that does it ALL THE TIME. Full on sentences and conversations. I have experienced others doing it, but no one beats this person. What up in your brain isn't functioning properly that you can't keep your thoughts to yourself? I have never talked out loud to myself, I just don't do it. I have maybe said out loud, "ooh, that's how that works" or something along that line, but it's when someone else is around and I know they'll hear it and either strike up a conversation or I'm basically saying it to them and leaving it up to them on whether they're curious enough to want know what I'm talking about.

Entire conversations people...do you talk outloud to yourself?

My Tongue

2006-07-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

My tongue is too big for my mouth! It is. No one believes me. I was just talking about it with my co-worker. At the back, towards the back of the teeth, the "molar area" I ALWAYS bite my tongue. It's always so big that it makes me talk funny sometimes, it's always in the way, and I bite it. It then gets inflammed and makes it even harder to talk, and it's all sensitive and annoying.

I swear, if we did some kind of measurement, mine would be above average in size. What "tongue girth" maybe?

I swear!

Graphic Artist

2006-07-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

I am a "graphic artist" and I put that in quotes because I SUCK. Long story, but I dind'tk now what I wanted to do until about my senior year of college and by that time I was 1 year from graduating at a college I loved but had NOTHING to do with Graphic Design, but I just finished, got out into the world and realized how much I sucked and what I really wanted to do, but my senior year of college I was having a child and wanting to graduate and get out into the world to make money for my family. Well, suffice to say I just got out, got a job I hate, and can't break into the graphic design world, but it doesn't help that i have no training, no experience, and I suck. I can't go BACK to college because my wife is in college, and we NEEEEED income, MY crappy income, and we have NO money so I can't take any classes on the side, so unless I really kick myself in the ASS to teach myself and really buckle down and just learn all by myself, which I can't seem to do because I'm 1.)Lazy 2.) Busy 3.) Tired by the end of the day 4.)A big piece of shit so I'll be stuck WISHING I could graphic design, but discovering I suck and just can't get any better and spinning into a spiral of depression in jobs that I hate. SOund like fun? I'm so frustrated...so very frustrated...

I'm just bitching...I figured I wrote it all out for someone else's blog, I might as well revise it and put it on my blog because it feels good to let it all out. I'm just so frustrated with how my life has turned out so far when it comes to a profession, and that I KNOW I'm a lazy bastard but I just don't do anything about it. Well, very little, I have been learning things here or there on photoshop, and I do the graphics work for all the shows from the theatre troupe I'm a part of, but it's just not enough. I look at everyone elses work and I WANT that, but I can't DO it, and I just don't know how to go about doing it. I just don't knwo what to do, so many times I tell myself and I tell people I'm sitting across at an interview that I can and have taught myself everything I know and everything I"ll learn, and I can teach myself fast and be good at it, but shit, half the time I don't feel like I can. I try, half-assed, sometimes to learn something in photoshop or illustrator or quark and it doesn't come easy to be and I can't immediately figure it out or find an answer and there is no one to show me, so I just kinda give up. And 90% of the time I feel like I'm just not creative enough either to find new and imaginative ways to design stuff, I just can't think up this cool shit that I see everyone else doing, and the only way I can is if I'm copying something else I saw somewhere. Occasionaly I can think of stuff myself, but it just looks like shit, to me at least. The poster for Into the Woods was all mine, but shit, what more is it then all black with some green boxes here and there? The idea to make the I of Into the Woods a tree was mine, but I'm SURE it's been done before. The design of the tree, while drawn in Illustrator by me, was from a tree I found online, not out of my head. And plus it's not the design I wanted in the first place. I had a completely different much more interesting design in my head, but I COULDN"T make it. I'm not that good. And there are SOOOOOOO many people who either work as a graphic artist or dabble in it who have never taken a class either, but are just GOOD. How the hell? Maybe it's the universe trying to tell me to just give it the fuck up because I suck. But that's what I want to do. I really do, but I don't want to be one of those people who keeps tryign to do somethign he sucks at and just looks like a depressing loser because he can't realize that he sucks. I also do NOT want to work in something I didn't do in college because otherwise it's a supreme waste of money. I shouldn't have even gone to college. I know millions of people do it, and I'll probably be one of them, but it's a tough pill to swallow right now. If it truly is a job I LOVE that has nothign to do with my major then I can get over it a little better, but I just feel like I'll spend my life in a job I hate at this rate.

Well...this has been bottled up again for a while, I know I've spouted out about this before, but it needed to come out again so I could let off a little steam.

Anonymous

2006-07-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

There's really no sense in me trying to be anonymous. I can't really succeed in that at this point, if I started a new blog, perhaps, but not on this blog. I'll never post my feeling on how a show is going. I'll never post on a family member or friend unless it's good stuff. Which kind of sucks that I have to limit myself like that, but like I've said before, I'm too lazy to start a new blog and try to keep up posting on an anonymous blog and this blog. I'm already pretty much too lazy to keep up posting on this blog sometimes! ;-) I have SO much I could write about, but most of the time I think it's just too much time to come on a type it all out. Because I like to talk, I like to explain things thoroughly, almost always too thoroughly, so trying to get up the gumption to type it alllllll out so everyone knows the whole story? Yeah, it seems like waaay to much work when you think about what goes through my head and how much I'd like to share just to get the story across. So anyway, I put up a stupid banner I made myself with pictures of me from a couple of my stage shows, and an animated gif icon that is of myself too. Eh, I'm not at this point ever going to write anything too personal on this blog, it's just for fun, so there I am. I've posted plenty of pictures before anyway, so if you really want to stalk me, it's probably possible. I hope you don't...but there you have it! :-) I still like to refrain from using last names or posting too many other names besides myself, but I falter in that sense too, and if you really wanted to, you could figure out who I was anyway.

So there's my ramblings on that. :-D

argh

2006-07-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

I. am. FRUSTRATED with something...that's it, thank you.

And we're BACK!

2006-07-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

If someone says the title of this post like Jimmy Fallon as that disc jockey character he played on SNL then you win the prize!

I'm back to my old layout, I hope it's working fine and everyone can see again :-)

While I'm here writing a post let me recommend a book I'm currently reading for the second time. I LOVE reading, but I do not love reading books twice, but here I am, it's been about 2 or 3 years and I'm ready to read it again it's THAT good...well, and I don't remember jack shit about it, except that I LOVED it SO much the first time I read it...so I suggest running to your local library and cheking out this book and reading it:

Seriously, one of the best written books and storylines I've ever read. It grips you and makes you go, "What the hell?!" from the beginning, literally the second chapter and it does NOT let go. It's interwoven storylines, each seperately good and put together by all these common things is just genius.

Ok, I was going to give you the plot summary from Amazon, but they give things away that I want you to be shocked by, so don't read their summaries. Just get the book, you wont regret it.

A little HOT

2006-07-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah...our house has no central air or anything, and though we have an air conditioner in our living room it has so many rooms to cool it's doing absolutely no good. The only room in our house worth sitting in is our bedroom, which also has an air conditioner. So guess where Kaia is sleeping? But I'm ok with it, because it is so fucking hot.

Our house was 90 degrees. Outside it was 100+ degrees. This is with an air conditioner and 3 fans. Needless to say we spent most of the weekend at my parents house, where it's COOL.

Last night Kaia had a temperature :-( She was inside all of Sunday and most of Saturday so I don't think it was from the heat, but we're not sure. It started at about 630pm when we noticed and gave her some tylenol. Throughout the night she was into 102 and even 103 (according to that ear thermometer). It was scary, because a few years back she got pneumonia and had to be on a nebulizer for a month or two, and the doctor says they're most susceptibal (Sp?) to it after that. But with Tylenol every four hours and some praying and air conditioning in our room and a cold compress on the forehead at about 6am she was getting back down.

Hold the phones, V just called me now and shes back at 103 so she's calling the doctor to see what's up.

Darnit, now I'm worried again :-(

Picture Party 2!

2006-07-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Oops! hahaha...tiger nutsack!

My favorite animal!! Though I wanted to see better penguins than this, I wanted to see tuxedo ones, that have to be in the cold, etc. But these guys were cute too!

We have a picture of Kaia on one too, lol, but V sent me this one here at work...so you get ME on a camel :-D

Picture Party!

2006-07-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the storm from last night, this was before the torrent rain and lighting and thunder, but the wind had kicked up by then:

Tiny Houses

2006-07-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Check these out! So cool...

Tiny Houses

I'm going to wait a day and see if my template fixes itself, otherwise I'll have to switch to one of the shitty blogger templates.

ok, so I went and changed it now. I really like this template I found. I need to figure out why my little music icon thingie to the right is covering up my synopsis of my blog, and get the synopsis centered on the page. I'd also like to get that picture at the top changed to something I care about, but this is all stuff I don't know how to do, so if anyone DOES know or wants to check out the source code and tell me how that'd be cool. YOu can type it back here or e-mail me theatretenor @ gmail . com (without the spaces)

Change is good :-D

Template

2006-07-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Is my template mysteriously missing, leaving behind just a white background with the layout all messed up or is it just me at work seeing it like that?

Plasma

2006-07-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

Anyone do it or done it?

I did it for about a year or two then took a year off and now I'm finally getting back into it again! I love it because I get to read lots of books and I get lots of money, you know the whole saving lives thing is good too :-)

$20 for the first donation
$30 for the second donation in a week
---
$50 a week to save lives and read books

Check it out, all you do is sit with a needle in your arm and pump when the machine tells you to and in under an hour (usually, especially for women) you're done. If you go to do it at the one in my town though tell me because I'll get the referral fee :-D

byebye metabolism

2006-07-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid my super high metabolism is leaving me. I honestly never thought it would...but it feels like it is. I just sit at this damn desk all day. And even though I've ery active outside of work, I weigh more right now than I ever have before in my life. And my tummy, while not big, is def. not concave anymore...

I need to curb my appetite, but when I've been eating like this for 25 years it's hard to cut back!! The running and tennis and swimming and golfing and all that doesn't seem to be doing much, but I've only just begun so maybe I'll see some effects later in the summer.

Either way I don't want that tummy poking out.

Disc Golf

2006-07-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

I just recently got to play disc golf for the first time. I've had a disc for about 2 years but never got to play and now I finally did, and now I'm hooked!! BUT my arm is KILLING me from throwing those discs. They are harder than normal frisbees and heavier and you're chucking them hard to get them to go far. Sidearm, forearm, tomahawk, it's tough shit. lol, it hurts!! I'm waiting for my arm to heal up so I can go again. I went twice in two days and so that didn't help.

I'd suggest it if you've never done it, it's a good time!

Check out:

Innova for the #1 maker of golf discs and other assorted whatnots.

PDGA -- Professional Disc Golf Association

Either one of those sites will let you find courses near you. Iowa is #2 in amount of disc golf courses.

These are the two discs I currently have:

Not with it

2006-07-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

not having a good day, just don't feel like dealing with it...you know? Just sick of it all.

Yay!

2006-06-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

My student loans will be consolidated befoe the big hike! I am going to be paying about $175 less a month too. NICE!

Running last night I did 1.5 miles again (I played tennis right before I ran so I was sore and tired already, leave me alone!) and when I was done my right leg sort of hurt. It started hurting more, so I iced it, and it was doing alright, now this morning it's still a little sore, but I don't think it'll be the end of the world. It's right below the right calf but above the achilles tendon area, so who knows, but I wont be running tonight anyway, so maybe Saturday it'll be good enough to run on again.

Good for you!

2006-06-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Good for you Lars, it's good you're running again. I knew you could do it! It's good to stay healthy, stay active. How exciting!

Well, thanks :-)

I went running again last night! Another 1.5 miles, which I know is pretty measley but it's something :-) It felt a little easier and it felt like I was going a little faster, but I finished at 14:31 so it couldn't have been any faster. I hopefully can go again tonight, so we'll see if we can push it to 2 miles or more maybe.

I could use this running too, I've been pretty bitchy, pretty self-loathing lately...

Running all over the world

2006-06-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

ok, maybe just in my hometown...but I went running again last night!!! Are you proud of me?!

Remember last year when I was running for a while? But then I got sick and it got cold and I stopped.

Well, I said I wasn't done yet, I said I wasn't giving up, and I'm not...I'm back at it again.

I went last night. I warmed up a bit, stretched a bit (could def. do more of this though) and then I started running, I said I was just going to run until I got tired because I knew it would be hard and it would not be like it was last year. Well, 15 minutes later I was POOPED, so I stopped. I would assume I made it about a mile and a half but I don't know for sure. I know where I ran though, so I'll drive it today after work and see how far I actually went.

Either way...it felt good! My thighs are burning but it felt good!

The Wedding

2006-06-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for asking Blue Blanket :-)

The wedding went off without a hitch! All was fantastic, as far as I can tell I sounded great, and there was probably nothing to worry about (though I will always worry and get nervous as hell!) Also, though I got NOTHING after the rehearsal on Friday, after the wedding when I was telling them congratulations he said he had something for me and later gave me a nice little envelope which contained $50! (yes!)

Good times for all :-D

On a side not having nothing to do with the wedding, we had our 5-year wedding anniversary on Friday! :-D Yay us, we're awesome! We got each other a Broadway cast recording we didn't have (I got her the 2-disc "Harry on Broadway Act 1" which contained 1. The Pajama Game revival that just won the Best Revival Tony Award and stars Harry Connick Jr. and Kelli O'Hara and 2. also has another disc of songs from Harry's not well received Broadway show he wrote a few years back called Thou Shalt Not it is songs from the show that he is singing himself and also cut songs from the show and Kelli O'Hara joined him for some of the songs as well. She got me The Drowsy Chaperone which is a fantastic new musical that should have won best musical (though Jersey Boys was also very deserving) but won for best featured actress and best book for Bob Martin (who was also a nominee for best actor in a musical because he also stars as the man in the chair (which is also interesting in my opinion that he was nominated for best actor in a musical when he in fact does not sing in the show at all)) it won for other Tony awards too but I'm too lazy to look them up. Anyway, love it, glad I have it, can't wait to listen to it on the way home!

But this is not the exciting thing or the reason I went on to type (though I did get a little off tangent when talking about broadway) we also got a grill!! WOOOHOOO!! I'm so excited to have a grill! I'm going to grill all the time. I LOVE grilled burgers, hot dogs, brats, chicken, etc. V should be getting a propane take today, since it's a gas grill, it was on sale at Target for $84 and then we got 10% off because V works there, so it was quite the deal!

That's what it looks like.

So there we go, that was my weekend! How was yours?

Riddles

2006-06-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

How can you tell a singer is at your door?

They can't find the key, and don't know when to come in!

How can you tell a trombone player’s kid on the playground???

They don’t know how to use the slide and they can’t swing.

How can you tell you're kissing a french horn player?

When he tries to stick his hand up your ass.

What's the difference between a podiatrist and a drummer....

A podiatrist bucks up your feet....

What's the difference between a drummer and a pizza?

A pizza can feed a family of four

Salmonella and 2 steps

2006-06-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

I ate chicken Sunday night off the grill at the neighbors, but it was marinated for 2 days when it was raw in this italian marinade, then I used that marinade on my chicken when I was eating it, not knowing that it had been used with raw chicken earlier. Got some Salmonella!

So...Sunday night through Tuesday I was running to the bathroom. Sunday night I had diarrhea and just thought nothing off it. Then I got to work on Monday and my stomach was in knots, jumping and jiving and I went diarrhea FIVE times in that 8 hours, then four more times when I got home.

I know, this is all information you do NOT need, but that's ok :-)

Tuesday I had a RAGING headache too, so that was fun, and it was V's birthday.

Now today, Wednesday, just a little knoting of the tummy still, and well, we'll see how the bathroom situation goes.

Yeah, so, the song I said I wasn't doing well at? Well, we know why now. Because the accompanist had a different version of the song than me and she was playing, not only different accompaniment, but also TWO STEPS LOWER than me. Not some measly half step, but TWO STEPS, and the wrong accompniment.

So, I made a photocopy of the version I had and had been working on on my own, and then all went well. So no more worrying there. Now just some little things here and there I need to smooth over on Friday night when we rehearse for the last time at the wedding rehearsal.

So that's what I've been up to since last update. I'm off to the bathroom now...I hope it's ok!

Nothing exciting to report

2006-06-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

This was a good weekend. Had a good time. Hung out with the fam. hung out with the neighbors a lot (who we still love a lot!) and got the best father's day present ever. A block of wood painted green with a picture of Kaia and me that Kaia drew herself pasted to the wood all nice and cute. I just LOVE the way she draws people. She's so creative, and so original and just the cutest in the whole wide world.

One of the songs I have to sing for the wedding on Saturday is NOT going well and I'm a tad nervous about it...more rehearsal tonight, we'll see how it goes tonight.

I felt all "Dad like" :-)

2006-06-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Oh no...it's started, I guess.

Last night I was chatting with the neighbor and Kaia was playing with the neighbor girl, we'll call her "L" and all of a sudden I hear:

"What the hell"

Then before I know it I'm in dad mode...

"Kaia! What did you say?!"

She and L look at me...

"What did you say?"

"What the hell"

"Get over here!"

she balks...

"Get over here now, Kaia"

"L said it first..."

"I don't care...come here, I want to talk to you"

she does!

"Kaia Janeane, you know the difference between what you should and should not say, I know you Kaia. You know the difference. You should not have said that. I don't care who says what first, if someone else says something first it doesn't matter, you do not say it. Do you understand?"

not looking at me...

"Look at me Kaia. Do you understand?"

nothing...

"KAIA, DO YOU UNDERSTAND"

"YES!!!!!!" all whiney :-) lol

"Thank you"

she wants up and out of their yard...

"No, it's ok Kaia, you can go play again now"

she's not your typical kid, when she gets punished she WANTS us...lol, I'm SURE that will change.

lol, then V says "It's all over Kaia, it's ok" lol

then L and her mom come back over after she was getting talked to too, I don't know what she said to L though since I was busy talking to Kaia. Then they start playing again and it's all over.

That was the very first time she's said a bad word, I'm sure she knew what it was, but I'm not convinced completely she knew it was bad. She knows the "other" words, but, oh who knows what was going on with those two.

It's funny though, I'm still working on not feeling bad when I lay down the law. Because I do, I lay it down, and I stick to it (most of the time :-/) but then I feel bad afterwards...all I want to do is have her know right from wrong and make good choices and be a good girl, which I know if un-realistic lol, they'll always be making some mistakes and what not, but I want her to know that I love her more than anything in the world, and I'm so proud of her, and she's just the reason I smile everyday, and I KNOW she knows that, but do you know what I mean?

So that was the funny thing that happened yesterday!

Is it bad?

2006-06-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

- when the most exciting thing right now in my life is that we rearranged our living room and it makes me so much more happy than the old way?

- that I will hopefully be getting paid for the wedding I'm singing for in two weeks and that is exciting?

- that I believe, despite trying not to believe it, that I am a hypochondriac?

I'm baaaaaaaack

2006-06-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Everything went fantastic! The show went great, all was fun and well worth it. I'm very happy. We could have seen a better turnout, but we were afraid this was going to happen and it did, so oh well. I miss it! I miss it like crazy! But I also like knowing I have my life back now!

Spent the whole last week with my sister-in-law and her husband and that was a blast! We went to the zoo one day, that was fun!

I miss them, I wish we lived closer to them :-(

We got our living room re-arranged while they were here...awesome!! And he and I fixed the leaky kitchen faucet all ourselves for $2.19...awesome!!

That's my week in a VERY short wrap-up.

Curtain Calls

2006-05-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

I've always loved curtain calls, they're so much fun to do. Run out from the wings and bow to your ever grateful audience ;-) No, really though, to run out from the wings give a big grin and bow, it just feels good, and you're done with the show for the night and hopefully you did well!!

Well...we got our curtain call rehearsal last night, and for the first time ever I have the last bow! I'm so excited, and it feels so good :-) I just hope I can stay healthy the rest of this week for the performances and perform my little tushie off!!!

Last night went great. Basically how I describe it is, if last night was the show we are giving to the audience it would be great. There are some things that need to tighten up and lines that can be sharper, which we can tighten up tonight, so by Wednesday it's drop-dead fantastic!

AND AND AND

I set this post aside for a few minutes and now I'm back to say V just picked up the programs from Copyworks that I designed and she said they look great, AND because I designed and did everything but print it I saved the troupe $700!!! WOW! That feels good. And that will look great on V's budget she'll turn in at the end of this show.

Wish me "break a leg" for the rest of this week. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully, to tell you how tonight's final dress rehearsal went, but then after that I'll be off of work for a week and a half (for performances and for V's family in town) so I more than likely wont post until I come back to work. Though I'll try to pop in next Monday after all the performances are over to let you all know if the show went off without a hitch or not!

SEE YA!

Missing my Euphonium

2006-05-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

I played a bad boy like this from 5th grade through my senior year of college. Ok, so 5th grade-high school I wasn't playing as shiny of an instrument, and it was not a four-valve, but college I was playing a beauty like that.

I got one for Christmas from my parents 3 or 4 years back and I haven't drug it out to play it that much, and it has a sticky valve (got a non-brand off eBay, guess I get what I pay for) and so I need to take it into Reiman or some place and have it worked on. But MAN I miss playing!

We had one kick ass band in high school (1's at every level of competition) and an even kick ass-er band in college. We played some heavy duty stuff and it was the time of my life. Band/Choir/Theatre at college was just the best! I live for those activities, and to have band/choir rehearsals everyday for an hour each, and then most times go to theatre rehearsal at the end of the day for hours and hour was the life! Staying in the dorm with my best buddies and eat at "the rot" as much food as I could shove in my stomach...fantastic.

But sometimes that big band, beautiful sound we made...I miss it.

Hopefully tonight I'll be able to drag out the 'ol "euphie" and play some...afterall, I don't have ITW rehearsal tonight.

And V's mom and dad and brother are coming from Washington tomorrow for a week!!! Excited!! Then NEXT Saturday her sister and her husband come in and stay for a week!! And I get Monday off, then go to work Tues and Wed. then take Thursday and Friday off then the entire next week off...THAT, my friends, is exciting!

Better

2006-05-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last night went considerably better!

The only problem was that my Baker's Wife was gone for the first 45 of the show! She has to work late, and so I had to do a number of scenes without her, most of the time with someone saying her lines for her and then when we had to sing it was either me counting until my part, or the conductor would sing her part...that was tough, but then when she came back all was good.

I didn't mess up any of my songs (well I missed one two word two note part of a song but we moved right past it).

Tonight I'm really looking forward to making things tighter and smoother. The orchestra and I had some problems staying together on "No More" but that is party because that's the second time we've ever done it, and, I wasn't counting :-/

I'll def. need to review my song and how long notes should be and rests and what not. There's always room for taking your own liberties, and I do that, but there are parts where I should be counting and I'm not, I'm just feeling the music and when to come in.

I've never been the greatest counter in the world. I rely a lot on feeling and knowing when to come in and what not, and it does work tremendously for me, but there are times when I need to count, and I do that no problem, mostly. But it is virtually impossible for me to count WHILE singing, so if I feel like holding my note out for more than 2 beats, knowing I am only suppose to hold it for 2 beats then 4 beats of rest then back in, and I hold it out longer AND don't count, then it's tough to know when to come back in without a solid cue from an instrument in the orchestra, which I do NOT have in "No More" for parts of it.

Sondheim is notorious for not giving you shit to work with in the accompaniment parts for his musicals! There is most definitely something going on down there in the pit, but it's nothing that helps the singer!

Sondheim is the most difficult musical theatre shows to do. Most difficult rhythms, most difficult lyrics, most difficult note structure...it's fantastic! and I love it!

I have been having a bitch of a time getting my mic to stay taped to the side of my face (because I sweat a lot...) and FINALLY my sister came to the rescue with actual face tape used in theare for this purpose, so, my mic was stuck to my face last night and it stayed there and it was a life saver! Thank You!

We shall see how tonight goes...!

After 2 nights ago's rehearsal I wasn't so sure this show was coming together fast enough but that almost always feels like the case at some point or another, and last night was just one of those off nights...after last night's rehearsal I know it's there and I know it'll happen, we just need to keep working at it :-)

ARGH!

2006-05-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last night went HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!

Grrr, it just really knocks you down when you fuck up and do a horrible job at rehearsal. It was generally a rough, off night for everyone, three of us stopped during our solo songs and just BLANKED and had to get help from the conductor to get back on track. It just knocks you on your ass. I've lost virtually all confidence at this point, at least until I can do it without messing up. And it's on "No More" the song I've NEVER messed up. I love that song, it's my bread and butter. Grrrr....and I know I can get on track, and immediately after I said the wrong words I knew I had said the wrong words, but for some reason it just left and I just needed help, I guess. But then, last night it happened to Baker's Wife and to the Witch, the exact same thing. It must have been just one of those bad nights you have. I try not to let it get to me too much. In fact, I'm rarin' to go again tonight and get a good night under my belt again. We're running the entire show tonight, which rocks my world.

I love rehearsals, I love performing the Baker. I'm excited as hell for performances.

Meritt, I think I didn't mention in my nervous post that if I'm NOT nervous, then something is wrong! I need to be nervous to be on my toes and keyed up and tuned in. If I'm not nervous, then I'm nervous that I'm not nervous. But man is it hard to take all this nervous energy sometimes, it'll drive you nuts this feeling will sometimes!

Oh, there is still quite a ways to go for ITW, makes me a tad nervous, but shows ALWAYS come together, and this one will too. We're on the cusp of being great, and we'll get there, I know we will.

The program should be printed up today, it's nice to have that done. There's only one problem with it and I don't know how to fix it, so I guess we're stuck with that.

[CINDERELLA & BAKER]
Into the woods,
It's time to go,
It may be all
In vain, I know.
Into the woods-
But even so,
I have to take the journey.

[CINDERELLA, BAKER & WIFE]
Into the woods,
The path is straight,
I know it well,
But who can tell-

[BAKER & WIFE]
Into the woods to lift the spell-

[CINDERELLA]
Into the woods to visit Mother-

[BAKER'S WIFE]
Into the woods to fetch the things-

[BAKER]
To make the potion-

[CINDERELLA]
To got to the Festival-

[CINDERELLA, JACK, JACK'S MOTHER, BAKER, WIFE]
Into the woods
Without regret,
The choice is made,
The task is set.
Into the woods,
But not forget-
Ting why I'm on the journey.
(Little Red Riding hood Joins)
Into the woods
to get my wish,
I don't care how,
The time is now.

[JACK'S MOTHER]
Into the woods to sell the cow-

[JACK]
Into the woods to get the money-

[BAKER'S WIFE]
Into the woods to lift the spell-

[BAKER]
To make the potion-

[CINDERELLA]
To go to the Festival-

[LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD]
Into the woods to Grandmother's house...
Into the woods to Grandmother's house...

[ALL]
The way is clear,
The light is good,
I have no fear,
No no one should.
The woods are just trees,
The trees are just wood.
No need to be afraid there-

[CINDERELLA & BAKER]
There's something in the glade there...

[ALL]
Into the woods,
Without delay,
But careful no
To lose the way.
Into the woods,
Who knows what may
Be lurking on the journey?

Into the woods
To get the thing
That makes it worth
The lourneying.
into the owwds-

[STEMOTHER & STEPSISTERS]
To see the King-

[JACK & MOTHER]
To sell the cow-

[BAKER & WIFE]
To make the potion-

[ALL]
To see-
To sell-
To get-
To bring-
To make-
To lift-
To go to the Festival-!

Into the woods!
Into the woods!
Into the woods,
Then out of the woods,
And home before dark!

Nervous!

2006-05-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nervous. It's one week and one day away from SHOWTIME and I am nervous as HELL. I always get shit-ass nervous though.

AH, so many things I wish I could share, so many things going on in my head, some having to do with Into the Woods, some not. Alas, I cannot, so I wont. I don't really have anyone in my life I can just open up to though, without fear of rejection or judgement, so that kind of sucks, maybe I SHOULD start another blog, but...I wont.

A friend of mine got back from NYC where she saw NINE shows, I did blog about this, remember? And she got me a crap ton of ads and playbills from all the shows!! It was like CHRISTMAS when I opened the package. AND...AND...she got me a personalized autograph from a leading lady on Broadway...none other than SUTTON FOSTER! How kickass is that?! She's such a good friend!

One week..................one day...............showtime................nervous

Small Update

2006-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

The set is not done yet, and the picture is blurry, but there is me, baker's wife, little red and granny.

I have been a skipper of blogging as of recent, sorry. I'm really busy, at work and at home with the rehearsals and everything else that's normally making me busy. I probably will be in and out until the week after my show too, since my in-laws are coming to hang out, so I'm taking the whole week after my show off to hang out with V's sister and her husband the week after the show and her mom and dad and brother the week of the show.

Things are going well though, the show is coming together, I'm getting really nervous, even though it's 2 weeks away, but that's also part of the reason WHY I'm nervous!

I'm still chugging away though, keep me in your thoughts if you have the time, I'm still thinking about you all!

This is a funny moment between Little Red and I when I take her cape. (out of costume except the cape in this pic.)

Rehearsals

2006-05-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we moved into the theatre! It just adds so much to actually be in the performance space, up on the stage with the lights and the ambiance. I am very happy with how the show is coming together. We have 17 days until performance, and there is DEFINITLY still work to be done, but it's all so exciting! We're actually doing it, it's coming together, it's running smoother. We're starting tech rehearsals (mics, lights, sfx, etc.) and soon dress rehearsals and from Tuesday on out we have rehearsals with the orchestra!!

That will be SO much fun to have the orchestra under us, yet at the same time so nerve-wracking. Because if we get off on the counting or beats our piano player can just catch up or slow down, however, the entier orchestra will not be able to bend and mold to us, we have to do it right. We have to come in on the right beats. And these songs are NOT easy. I've said this before, and if you know music and Into the Woods, you know how difficult Sondheim is. I have a few songs I need to jump in on like the and of 4 and another time on the and of 3 during a vamp while I'm delivering lines so I can't really lend my ear to hearing the vamp, it's all hard and all confusing to explain. Sorry, just rambling away.

BUT!!! We have a orchestra pianist now!!! The show CAN go on. Well, almost. We need a percussionist, or we're in trouble. We can do without the other things we're missing (though we'd rather not) but we need a percussionist.

We're getting closer though, and it's all so exciting!!

The Wiggles Live on Stage!!! :-D

2006-05-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Kaia is EXCITED to go to The Wiggles!!

Daddy is EXCITED TOO!!

LOTS of people going to see The Wiggles!!

"Thanks for the AWESOME shirt, Daddy, but I DON'T want my picture taken."

"I suppose...maybe a half smile, but NO more!"

Ooooooh, the set :-)

The set without flash

One of two big screens. They had video cameras there that were broadcasting onto the big screens. Though we were in the balcony they were still great seats, so I didn't ever look at the screens.

"Let's get this show on the road already!"

Look at me and smile Kaia!

There ya go!

The obligatory arm-length shot of Daddy and Kaia having a good time :-D

"I'm all for taking pictures now!"

(We are getting a drink of water, waiting for the show to start.

"Alright already with the pictures!" (LOL)

More set photos. (This is when Daddy thought he had ALL NIGHT to take pictures...little did he know)

A good song came on the big screens and I made an excited face, so Kaia wanted to rehearse her excited face as well.

Yay! The announcer dude is out! He has an Australian accent...I LOVE IT!!

(This is when my camera started flashing a battery at me...I turned it off and waited until The Wiggles came out. Then the rest of the night was get a couple pictures, get the flashing battery, turn it off, turn it back on to get a few more, flashing battery, turn it off. Etc. Which SUCKS because I planned on taking a LOT of pictures and some videos and I COULDN'T. I hadn't used the camera in FOREVER, so I assumed the battery was full.)

THE WIGGLES!!!! IN THE BIG RED CAR!! Perfect entrance!

Seriously, you don't know how excited I was to take Kaia to see The Wiggles! They're international superstars, and they're all real. They were singing, dancing, laughing. I wish I could have gotten closer, I wish I could have talked to them or something.

Front and center Wiggles :-D

"In the Wiggles world, in the Wiggles world"

Dancin'

All of our friends are there! Henry the Octopus, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword (personal favorite of mine) and Wags the Dog.

Yeah, you go girl! Dancing in the aisles!

Murray and Captain Feathersword dancin' for something...I can't remember what they were doing.

"Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack Cock-a-doodle-doo"

It's all over :-(

Bye, bye Wags!

Bye, Bye WIGGLES!! Thanks for a great show!

It was 1 hour 30 minutes and it was all totally worth it. Loved it! Kaia loved it! Good fun.

Crazy Busy!

2006-05-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've been crazy busy recently!! Any and all free time has been spent on the program for Into the Woods. But, if I do say so myself, it's lookin' pretty darn good!

Tickets went on sale Monday! < Carnival barker voice> HURRY HURRY HURRY, get 'em will they're hot! < /carnival barker voice>

Rehearsals are going pretty good. I was really happy with Monday's rehearsal. We just went through Act 2 but it seemed to go very well. Minimal line forgetting, lyric forgetting. We keep going at it and all will be fine, I'm sure. There's some work to be done, inside of rehearsal and outside of rehearsal, but it's good.

I could actually write FOREVER about rehearsals, my opinions, what's been going on, good, bad, the people I love the most, the people I like, and the people I don't like. BUT...seeing as how this blog is NOT anonymous...I wont.

Othen than that...not much else. Kaia is doing good, she's hilarious! My aunt and uncle were up to visit from Illinois, and I couldn't believe it, but she warmed right up to them! She's getting so much better and being a little more outgoing.

I am going to the eye doctor today...oooooooh exciting, I know!

The in-laws will be here in 17 days and 24!! I'm excited. And in 22 days I'm taking 7 days off of work!!!! And in 20 days I GET a day off for Memorial Day!

I applied for some jobs that I"m excited to see if they go anywhere.

I think that's about it. So sorry to everyone out in blog world I normally come and comment on :-( I've been a horrible slacker!! Sometimes I just get around to read and move on...I still love ya though! ;-) Yes, you...no, no...not YOU, you go on now, I'm talking to you.

Yay, fun game

2006-05-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

There are only two rules to this game and you MUST follow them.

1. You can only say YES or NO!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone asks!

Have you Ever:

Taken a picture naked? -- yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? -- yes
Told a lie? -- yes
Had a one night stand? -- no
Been in a fist fight? -- no
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? -- yes
Been arrested? -- no
Fooled around in your parents house? -- yes
Ditched school to have sex? -- no
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? -- yes
Seen someone die? -- no
Kissed a picture? -- no
Slept in until 3? -- yes
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? -- yes
Played dress up? -- yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? - yes
Touched a snake? -- yes
Ran a red light? -- yes
Had detention? -- no
Been in a car accident? -- no
Pole danced? -- no
Been lost? -- yes
Sang karaoke? -- yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? -- yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? -- no
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? -- yes
Kissed in the rain? - yes
Sang in the shower? -- yes
Gave your private parts a nickname? -- yes
Ever gone to school/work without underwear? - no
Sat on a roof top? -- yes
Played chicken? -- no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? -- no
Broken a bone? -- yes
Mooned/flashed someone? -- yes
Had sex with your socks on? -- yes
Slept naked? -- yes
Blacked out from drinking? -- no
Played a prank on someone? -- yes
Felt like killing someone? -- yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? -- yes
Cried over someone? -- yes
Had sex more than 10 times in one day? -- no
Had/Have a dog? -- yes
Been in a band or played an instrument? -- yes
Taken more than 10 shots of alcohol ? -- no
Shot a gun? -- yes
at someone? -- no
Played strip poker? -- yes

Stressed

2006-05-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I do rarely get stressed. Things just don't usually get to me bad enough to get stressed. Pretty calm and collected. But I'm stressed right now. This program for Into the Woods just isn't coming together like I hoped it would, and there are outside forces that I depend on to get me some things and that isn't happening and I'm running out of time and I don't feel like it'll be up to standards and it's a little overwhelming. And this ontop of all the other things going wrong with Into the Woods and just life in general, it's a bit stress worthy. And our wireless still isn't working and I don't have time to try and fix it. I just want to be actor...I don't want to know what's not getting done or what's going wrong. I don't want to do the program anymore.

I'm stressed.

2006-05-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

This is me singing "No More" in rehearsal Monday for Into the Woods. This is a little embarassing to post, so I may delete it if I get too self-conscious. I'm the first guy singing, then you should recognize my voice from then out. I have the younger voice. The other guy who sings is the mysterious man. Should be easy to figure out who I am. He just sings a part in the middle then I finish out the song.

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Here's the t-shirt (and yours truly)

2006-05-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is my "Look what this hen just laid in my hand!"

The love of theatre

2006-05-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a snippet from the interview Paul Rudd did with broadway.com it sums it up nicely and I really wanted to share:

After your success in movies and on Friends, no one would have been surprised if you'd given up theater, and yet you continue to do low-profile readings in addition to full productions. Why?
I love it! Theater is the most enriching and thrilling thing to do as an actor. It trumps movies and all that other stuff. People say, "You must love the instant feedback," and we're all attention whores for sure—that's why we choose this profession. But it goes beyond that: There's something magical about a shared experience in a theater, with actors and an audience. I don't know if the audience members realize just how huge a part they play in a production. How they are determines how we are, and when it all works, it's magical. I still remember plays I saw 15 years ago; it's resonant in a way that films can't be, even though I love movies. It's right there, and when it's over, it's over. There's something so cool about that. And there are so many great plays to do! Last but not least, it is the one way to improve as an actor. When you have to do the same thing every day and try to make it work every day, you get better. You understand subtext and character dynamics more. I read scripts differently because of the plays I've done.

F'IN WIRELESS INTERNET PIECE OF POO

2006-05-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Our wireless internet is broken and we can't seem to fix it, so we're very frustrated with that, and there's really no one to call to come over and help us fix it. After being on the phone with an out-sourced Indian fella I can hardly understand for a good 2 hours without fixing it (while his voice I can hardly hear and mine is blaring in echo right back out the phone at me) I finally hung up because I was literally going psycho. I guess I'll have to try again later and hope I get a better connection and a better Indian dude I can understand.

After a day of trying to fix it I was just plain DONE though, I had given up, so now if we want the internet we have to take V's laptop over to the end of the couch and use an ethernet cord hooked up from her laptop to the back of the modem up on our TV and sit there and use it.

When wireless internet doesn't work properly, it is a day ruiner. It just frustrates me beyond most anything in the world. The otherwise calm and collected Lars just wants to throw things or curl up in a ball and cry. I went through the problems with the D-Link guy (that's where our router is from) and he got me to the router set up wizard and got off the phone (those guys just want ot get off the phone as soon as possible) and said it'd work after I did the wizard. So I did it (keep in mind we've had this router for about 3 years now and it's always worked) and so I did it, and I set a name for our router (the reason it doesn't have a name is another long wireless internet not working story) and encrypted it so it was security-enabled and then was done. Unhooked the hardwired shit and refreshed the available networks. Our router showed up, security-enabled and all, and so I hit connect and it went looking for the network or whatever and popped up a nice "this network could not be found in range" or some shit and said to refresh the available networks again...so I did, and NOTHING was there. I proceeded to go over this a number of times with the Indian fella and went through some other shit and then he said he'd transfer me to the network guys, and after being on hold for 10 minute (on the phone for about 3 hours total) I gave up, hung up, and said FUCK IT. Earlier in the day I had talked ot the Mediacom guy who assured me it was nothing with their connection and everything was fine on their end, it must be the router, which I believed to be true too, so then is when I called D-link.

UGH IT MAKES ME WANNA SCREAM!!!

Doug? Making a trip up this way anytime soon? :-D

OH MY GOD

2006-04-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

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."

T-shirt!

2006-04-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

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!

I cleaned!

2006-04-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

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?!

2006-04-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

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.

WOA!!!!!!

2006-04-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

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!

Choir Talk

2006-04-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Mamma Mia! Coming to the Big Screen

2006-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

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

My one non-important work problem recently

2006-04-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

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.

Dude, I suck

2006-04-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

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?

ITW

2006-04-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

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...

Death and Blogger

2006-04-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

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.

Fret not!

2006-04-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

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.

A report on the water situation

2006-04-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Jobs and Gas

2006-04-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

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 can't help it...

2006-04-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Those darn weekends

2006-04-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

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!