The Foundation of Acting is the Reality of Doing

Moving day

2007-03-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

I think I've officially moved. Given that my last post here was two months ago... yeah.

This blog has served its purpose, and done it well, and while I was in New York, it was a great way to keep up-to-date at home, but now, I've moved elsewhere, and I just don't have much to write about here right now.

I'm over at lj now, so pop by and say hi!

Retrospection

2007-01-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, Google is taking over the internets. First youtube, then writely, now blogger? Oh well. I like Google. It's just amusing.

Anyway, Happy New Year! Merry Christmas! Happy January 2! I found a cool year-end meme, so here we go, really quickly before I go to bed. Here are the first paragraphs from each month of 2006:

January:
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2006... the year of the successful resolution. Won't it be?

Speaking of which, I have a list of good ones that were sanctioned by Pastor James in church this morning, so if anyone thinks I'm crazy... well... just tell them that it's straight from the pastor's mouth; therefore it must be a direct line from God. Or something like that. Twist your theology to make it fit.

Quack like a duck in three important meetings.
Walk like a penguin down the mall.
Say hi to everyone I meet today as if I've known them forever, and then walk away without saying anything else.

February:
Happy February! And happy birthday, Chels! And Happy Hump Day! Wow, what a day for celebration. Heh.

March:
Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated. My (rather feeble) excuse is that our internet is down at home. Of course, Monday and Tuesday were fairly slow at work, so I got caught up on my emails and emptied out my inbox, so maybe that's my other excuse. I was too busy writing to individual people, rather than writing blog entries.

April:
I love the first day of Daylight Savings. It's like spring truly comes overnight--all of a sudden, it's light until 7 or 7:30, and it just appears out of nowhere. And I know that I've been watching it get dark a little later each week, so that by last week, it was just barely still light out when we'd get off the subway at 6:30, but now, it feels like it jumps from getting dark at 5:00 to getting dark at 8:00, in one day. And I know that's not quite the case, but that hour jump makes a huge difference.

May:
Oh my freakin' goodness. Today is May first. Seriously, where have four months gone already?!

Laura's wedding is on Friday; I leave tomorrow morning at 8 for Calgary. Busy, busy week, but oh so much fun.

June:
One of Lourenzo's pieces is a Bastien piece, and it's amazing how little things have changed since I was going through the Bastien books.

July:
Happy Canada Day!!

(Does it strike anyone else as ironic that I'm spending Canada Day at mall in Jersey?)

August:
Cool. My iron was high enough to donate blood today. It's such a hit-or-miss thing--I've gotten to the point where I ask them to do the finger prick before we ever get to the questionnaire, so I'm not wasting their time if I can't give.

September:
Man, I suck at updating this thing lately. Seriously. But it's 2 a.m., and I should be asleep, but I just spent the last 12 hours in front of the TV at Janna's, in the first 2/3 of a Veronica Mars season 2 marathon. Fun times. And before that, this morning was Kayla's dedication, so there was plenty of fun family times and a great big lunch at Tony Roma's. In the absence of an entry with content, however, I've got cute pictures. That makes up for having nothing to say, right?

October:
I want to really like Brothers & Sisters, and I'm not sure I do yet. But it's Greg Berlanti's new show, even though he doesn't come on as EP until 3 or 4 episodes in, so it might take that long before it starts to get more compelling for me. Or maybe I just need to watch it some other time than when it airs at 11 on Sunday nights.

November:
I really have nothing else to say right now. Applications are coming along; rehearsals are coming along; it's a 4-day work week this week. Exciting?

December:
Hmmm. Halo's over. It was a fantastic run, and for my first show back onstage in several years, it was amazing. I loved working with Wanda (the director) and Gerry (my scene partner)--and the rest of the cast and crew, too, of course.

Heh. What a year.

In any case, Happy New Year! Resolution? To update this blog more often. I've been blogging for almost six years now, and really, I'm only in my third blog, which is pretty good. I actually do need to go back into my old diaryland blog and back it up before it all disappears if my account goes inactive. I'd hate to lose five years' worth of journaling--basically my entire time in college, and everything else right up to when I moved to New York. Definitely needs to be backed up somewhere, because I know I'll want it again someday.

And now, I'm going to bed. I'm attempting to stave off this cold before it actually hits me this time, instead of being steamrolled by it in a couple of days.

Music to my ears

2006-12-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

I managed to go see two different concerts this Christmas, which, considering how busy I've been, is quite the accomplishment. I needed it, though--I needed to go see something that I wasn't involved in and that I could just sit back and watch. Centre Street did their show a week and a half ago, the weekend after Halo ran, and I got to see that, and then tonight I went to Foothills Lutheran's cantata. Both were excellent, and I'm still excited from that.

I also get tomorrow afternoon and Friday off work--it's kind of unexpected, although I've known about it since last Friday. So... not last minute, but I didn't know until then. I'm glad, though--it's good to have that extra time to get things done before Christmas. Before Saturday, especially. There just hasn't been the time lately--I even had to send my laundry home with Mom after a rehearsal, because the machines in my complex are only open from 9-9, and I was away from the house from at least 7-10 most days, so I had literally not had the chance to do laundry in almost three weeks.

And... what else? The Christmas show is over, which is good. As much as I wasn't ready for Halo to be over, I was ready for this one to be finished. It was good, but two tech weeks in a row was a lot. A lot. And now it's Christmas Eve stuff, but that's a lot less work than a big show--it's just a couple of rehearsals this week, and then three services on Christmas Eve, and the scene itself is just a couple of minutes long.

Anyway. I'm going to bed. I don't get to sleep in tomorrow morning--that doesn't happen until Friday.

Picspam linkage!

2006-12-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Picspam links!

I've got a Christmas picspam and a Halo picspam up, so take a look at those.

Also. An album of Halo pics--more than just what's in the lj entry.

And... saving the best for last...

I've finally gotten my act together and organized all my pictures from the past year and a half into albums. They're all here, tagged, labeled, and sorted, so check them out--and make sure you hit the second page, too, since there are more than just the 8 galleries you see on the first page. I have to finish tagging the albums from Jen's visit to New York last year, and last spring, but at least they're all in the galleries and organized by date/event to an extent. (Oh, and the "photo albums" link on the side menu goes there now, instead of to my photobucket account.)

Christmastime is here...

2006-12-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wow. I did not mean to take this long to update this particular blog. I really can't do more than one blog at a time, can I? Heh.

Hmmm. Halo's over. It was a fantastic run, and for my first show back onstage in several years, it was amazing. I loved working with Wanda (the director) and Gerry (my scene partner)--and the rest of the cast and crew, too, of course.

Still temping. New office. Slower. That's nice. I've got more time to catch up on random online things.

The church's Christmas show opens on Friday, so if you're not coming to that... you should be! Leave a comment if you want more info.

Kim and I got the house ready for our tree last night. We cleaned it, rearranged some furniture, and got out the ornaments, and then I bought the tree on my lunch break today. So now, I go to the set-building at the church tonight with a tree strapped to the top of my car. I'll post pictures once everything's decorated.

And, if you're a Scrubs fan, this is hilarious. Enjoy!

Go away

2006-11-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously, if you're not watching Veronica Mars yet, may I ever-so-politely ask WHY NOT?!?!

You should be. Go find a copy of the season 1 DVDs to borrow from someone, and I promise that you will be addicted to the show by the time you finish the first disc.

In any case, GG and VM thoughts are up.

And. We open tonight, so if you don't have your tickets for Halo yet, again, I ask, what are you waiting for?!?! Go to Fire Exit's website and book them.

What are you still doing here? I gave you two--not one, but two!--links to check out! Get lost! Scram!

Think they're heroes

2006-11-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Can I please take this week off work? Pretty please? There's a reason why theatre people traditionally don't hold jobs that require them to get up at 6 a.m. It doesn't work out so well.

History for sale

2006-11-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm so jealous!

Milo Ventimiglia (Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls, Peter Petrelli on Heroes, Chris Pierce on American Dreams, Richard Thorne III on The Bedford Diaries, and one of my favorite actors) was doing a signing at the NBC store in New York on Monday. Adina and I were trying to figure out if I could get a last-minute flight out to go with her, and if I didn't have grad school trips coming up, I would have gone in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, that couldn't happen.

She went (and got to meet up with another GGMM friend that I've hung out with, too) and put me on speakerphone while she was meeting him, and she got one of the GG DVD booklets signed for me, so I was there in spirit and ears, if not in person. However, I do have some pictures that she sent:

Milo and Masi Oka, who plays Hiro on Heroes.

The Gilmore Girls season 2 DVD booklet, which Adina got signed for me.

Milo signing the booklets and talking to Adina--apparently he was very gracious, and from what I could hear, it seemed like he was having a bit more of a conversation than just getting the names to sign. And he introduced himself to her, which is hilariously cute.

Anyway, this is the entry that I've been attempting to post for the past three days, but blogger was down yesterday, so I didn't get it up.

Also, it's Wednesday, and I've got all my thoughts from last night's episodes up.

2006-11-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

I've got a comp ticket for Halo available. First one to ask for it in the comments (and tell me which show you want it for) gets it!

It runs Nov 29-Dec 2 (next Wednesday through Saturday); 7:30 nightly, 2:00 matinee on Saturday.

As for the rest of you, have you booked your tickets yet?

Odds of faith in the face of doubt

2006-11-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Oops, I'm a couple of days late posting the link. Just GG thoughts this week; I didn't have my act together enough to get the VM stuff into my lj. Which is kind of funny, because by the time I'm finished writing everything I do for MI.net, I probably watch each episode of VM about 5 or 6 times before the next one airs. I just don't analyze it the same way. I pick apart the references and the details, as opposed to the characters and relationships, which is what I pick apart with GG (which I only watch about 3 times, on average, but I dissect it far more thoroughly), and that's what makes it into the more lengthy reviews on my lj.

On the grad school front... Applications are being sent out in T minus 14 days. That's the plan, at least. December 1. And I've gotten all the recommendation requests sent, the transcript requests done, the writing samples chosen, and the statement of intent written and edited once--waiting on a second edit now. I still have to look over and edit my writing samples and pull together my portfolio, but overall, I'm in a good place.

I've got some great friends who are helping with the statement of intent, which is probably the hardest part right now, but there are a few people who have been on selection committees for their own grad schools or who have resources through their universities and are helping me get it tweaked there.

I've got a tentatively planned trip to LA for an interview at CalArts at the beginning of February (hoping to book it before Christmas), and hopefully I'll be able to plan a trip to New York for Brooklyn College sometime soon, too.

Halo opens in two weeks; if you don't have tickets yet, go to Fire Exit's website to get more info and reserve the tickets.

And it's almost time for me to leave work and go out for coffee with Heather to discuss Christmas show stuff, so... I'm off.

2006-11-11T00:39:00.000-07:00

Lest We Forget

Full of starlight

2006-11-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday! Tuesday! Tuesday!

(Yes, I know I'm a week late with that particular VM reference.)

I really have nothing else to say right now. Applications are coming along; rehearsals are coming along; it's a 4-day work week this week. Exciting?

I heard there was a secret chord

2006-10-28T22:47:00.000-06:00

My house is finally clean. I did the whole thing tonight, even though I did the whole thing just before I left for house-sitting, so I wasn't here when pretty much all of this mess was being made. I just can't live in a dirty house. A dirty bathroom, dust bunnies on the floors, a week's worth of dishes in the sink... it's gross, and even though I don't spend a ton of time in my house (and even less in the common areas), I want it to look nice. Clean. Tidy.

Far cry from when I was a teenager, hey? But having it be my house (and having nearly a decade on my high-school self) makes a difference. I want my place to look like adults live here, not college students, not teenagers.

Man, I can't wait to not have roommates. I'm just... so ready. So ready. Even if I end up in grad school, I think it'll be worth it to just suck it up and take out enough extra in loans to have my own apartment. Even just a studio apartment. I don't need anything big; I just need something that's mine. Once I move out of here, I don't want to live with anyone else until I get married. I've had roommates for 6 1/2 years now, and I've lived with more people than anyone should have to, and I'm just done.

Now I'm hungry. I really need to go grocery shopping, since I haven't done that since I got back from house-sitting, either. But I can't do it tonight, and I still need to eat something, so maybe I'll order pizza or something.

Last night, Kat and I went to see Corps Bara's show, Inside Out. It was just amazing. I love dance theatre--I always wish I could do it; that I had that kind of discipline over my body. Even so, though, watching dance always inspires me creatively and, for lack of a better word, is buoyant. That's the best way I can describe what happens to me when I watch dance. So, good night. And then tomorrow night is her birthday dinner with the family, so that'll be fun, too.

Okay, off to scrounge up something to eat.

Work dork lover!

2006-10-25T10:20:00.000-06:00

Last night was Tuesday!

(And guys, leave comments! I like knowing what people think!)

I'm running on way too little sleep. I didn't get home from rehearsal(s) until 10:45, and then watched GG and VM before going to bed, and was up at 5:45.

I found this website, which I'm really liking, especially since I'm always at a different computer, and can't have my music with me all the time.

And... that's it. My life is boring. Except that last night we blocked a scene with 30 people onstage, a trust fall off a stack of boxes, and a junior high chase across the stage, and no one died. Which is a plus.

In over my head I wanna be

2006-10-22T23:34:00.000-06:00

I'm in my own bed now, for the first time since last Wednesday.

Really, I love housesitting. Anyone else need someone? I'll be sitting for Kat's mom for a week or so in November, but I'm thinking I should advertise my services as a house/cat/dog sitter. That would be an entertaining way to live. Just think--it would be so easy to keep my room clean if I was never sleeping in it!

NBC is rerunning Heroes, and they're on the most recent episode. I really, really want to keep watching, but I should go to bed.

Jakob and I went to the zoo yesterday, and I had every intention of taking fall pictures for CC, along with cute pics of Jakes for everyone else, but my camera battery died and the one gift shop I went to at the zoo was out. But we had a fun weekend. Lots of Auntie and Jakob time, and then tonight, Pat took us (Kat, Aaron, Edwin, the kids, and me) all out for Aaron's birthday.

What else? My alternator died, so Friday night included a sideshow that included four vehicles (Mom and Dad's PT, Esther and Justin's Jetta and Explorer, and the GM truck) and five drivers (Mom, Dad, Esther, Justin, and me) to get me a vehicle for the weekend with Jakes. Yup. Gong show. Hopefully my car will be fixed soon. Dad's working on it, though, so it should only be a few days at most.

I'm back to temping, as of Friday, and I love it. Seriously, it's the best way to work.

My clothes are all clean, and Kat's fabric softener smells good.

And I'm going to sleep. 'Night!

Meat? Goooooood.

2006-10-17T23:51:00.000-06:00

Here you go, Tuesday night party people.

I'm still housesitting, and didn't get home after rehearsal to pick up my VHS of tonight's GG and VM, so I'm waiting for VM to finish downloading so that I can actually watch it. Rehearsal didn't start until 7:30, so I was home long enough to watch GG, but I had to leave during the VM credits, so I only watched the teaser.

I'm finished work at the company and don't start temping until Friday, so tomorrow is grad school day. All the schools have online applications, obviously, and while I'm nowhere near ready to actually send in an application, I'm going to get set up with each of the schools and make a list of the recommendations, writing samples, transcripts, etc, that I'll need to have in order to apply.

Hayden Panetierre kind of looks like Hayley L.

Meat? Goooooood.

Wow, I'm random. Points to anyone who identifies that quote. It's not that hard, but somehow, I don't think that half the audience of this particular blog will have any idea what the reference is. The other blog? Everyone would know in a split second. But here? Yeah... not thinking that it'll be quite as funny.

Alright, off to bed. I've finally (after 3 tries) finished watching Heroes, and oh my word. That show gets more freakin' amazing every single week. Every week has a cliffhanger that literally leaves me screaming at the TV. Seriously. They just keep getting better and better. I think I would love that show even if the show itself sucked, just for the cliffhangers. And Veronica Mars finally downloaded, and I've watched it, but I won't put together the cultural reference lists tonight--I'll wait until tomorrow. And, of course, the Gilmore thoughts are up. So that's that.

Like I said, tomorrow? Lots of grad school stuff, and hopefully some writing. And maybe, one of these days, I'll get around to using the hot tub here, because I haven't gotten that far yet.

7.03 at your fingertips

2006-10-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

Gilmore Girls thoughts.

Veronica Mars later.

Exam's over, I'm exhausted. Good night.

Badges of discovery

2006-10-09T20:18:00.000-06:00

Ah, the last step in my day of productivity: updating the blog. Really, not the "last" thing on the list, but since it's 10:00, it's probably the last thing I'll actually get around to doing tonight (while I'm watching Heroes and Studio 60).

So, where to start?

Big things first. I quit my job, and am going back to temping. Several reasons, but the biggest one is that I don't have the energy to actually have a job that I need to invest in and care about. It was affecting my creativity and that kind of energy too much--it's not about the hours; it's about what I'm actually doing at work. So, I'm going to temp, hopefully just really short-term (2-week or shorter) assignments, which will be a lot less mental energy, and will hopefully (sometimes, at least) give me more time throughout the day to research, write, etc, while I'm at work. Right now, my job requires too much of my time throughout the day, and, quite frankly, I couldn't care less about the oil and gas industry in Alberta.

Another perk of temping is that it's easy to quit if or when I get into grad school and move, and also, if I don't get in, and I keep getting ready to start my company, there's less of the temptation to get sucked in by a "stable" job and lose sight of the bigger goal.

So, that's work. Now, speaking of grad school, I've got my GRE on Wednesday, so I've been writing practice tests all week. And, very bizarrely, my scores have been flipping back and forth between my math and verbal being higher. Somehow, the right and left halves of my brain are flip-flopping. None of the scores are particularly low, but they're not consistent, which is weird. I've got one practice test left, which I'm going to do tomorrow (even though I was hoping not to study at all tomorrow), and then... the moment of truth on Wednesday at 1:00.

As for schools, right now, my top three are looking like Florida State, Brooklyn College, and California Institute of the Arts. There are still a few others that I'm waiting to hear more about the programs from, but right now, these are the main choices. Now I actually have to put the application packages together and get those sent out.

Really, though, could I pick three states that are any further apart? At least if I end up going to all of them for application interviews, I'll be going to interesting places. Of course, I can't imagine a theatre program (especially management) in a city that doesn't have a thriving arts scene, and therefore a good-sized population and an active cultural scene in general. It's just the kind of program that really needs to be somewhere bigger.

Thanksgiving weekend. On Saturday, I went out for coffee with a friend from the GGMM. Lots of fun. Again, as I've said many times, I just have to reiterate that I love meeting online friends in real life.

What else? I'm housesitting, starting on Wednesday. Sometime this coming weekend, I might have some people over for hot-tubbing and movies. So... if you want to come, it'll be grand.

And... oh yeah. Do you remember how I said I wasn't going to get involved in the Veronica Mars fandom? I was just going to watch the show for fun? Yeah, like that was going to happen. (By the way, in case you didn't figure out why I was linking there, I wrote parts of those pages I linked to. And more to come. Because I just can't stay away.)

And... short week. Between today being a holiday, and taking at least half of the day off on Wednesday for the exam (I haven't decided yet whether I'll go into work in the morning or not), it'll be a nice, short week. That makes me happy.

And I think that's it. That's everything of significance, at least. And maybe I'll even respond to a few emails before I fall asleep!

We Used to be Friends

2006-10-04T09:04:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday morning! You know what that means?

Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars thoughts are up on my livejournal.

Go look. You know you want to.

(And VM is at the bottom, so if you're trying to stay unspoiled, you can close the window when you get to the end of the GG section.)

And this child is part of you

2006-10-03T09:44:00.000-06:00

What, one comment in the last 5 entries? Have I become that boring?

Yeah, probably. Can't blame you.

I talked to the MFA Producing program head at CalArts yesterday. It was a good, 30-minute conversation, which impressed me. And so does the program, so far. She's going to send me more info, as well as some names of current students that I can get in touch with, and really encouraged me to make it a conversation throughout the application process. Which is good. If she knows who I am before my application comes across her desk, that's all the better for me.

Also, quite impressive, as I just sent out the questions on Sunday night, and I had a conversation with her less than 24 hours later.

She made the very valid point that I should consider doing campus visits to my top schools, and I agree with that, but it would get rather expensive if I did campus visits before applying, as well as having admissions interviews with any schools that I made the short list for. Probably my best bet will be to combine admissions interviews (which all have to be done in person anyway) with my campus visits. That way, I'll just be visiting the campuses I've got a shot at getting into (meaning, the ones I've gotten past the first cut for) anyway.

Anyway, even though I've been researching for this for months and have been studying for the GRE for several months, it feels more real, actually talking to someone about the possibility of an actual program.

Do you really want to go on a tour of a video arcade?

2006-10-01T23:19:00.000-06:00

I want to really like Brothers & Sisters, and I'm not sure I do yet. But it's Greg Berlanti's new show, even though he doesn't come on as EP until 3 or 4 episodes in, so it might take that long before it starts to get more compelling for me. Or maybe I just need to watch it some other time than when it airs at 11 on Sunday nights.

Can I just say that the fact that a disclaimed side effect of a sleeping pill is drowsiness amuses me greatly. Uh... yeah. What else did you think it would be?

Veronica Mars starts on Tuesday! I've already seen the premiere, so I'm not actually seeing a new episode, but I've only watched it once.

And I sent out my questions to grad schools today. Now, to find out what the schools are actually like. And also, the GRE is booked for Oct 11. That's very soon. 10 days, to be exact. That means I'm going to have to do some studying... as if I haven't already been studying for the past two months. But now, it's very imminent, and since I've paid a lot of money to take the exam, I've gotta get some good grades.

While flowers gaze at you

2006-09-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

Because I apparently suck at keeping up on more than one blog at a time...

If you're interested, there are thoughts from the GG season premiere over here.

And in my real life, things are going well. I was supposed to testify in court on Monday for my accident last year, and the other lady--the drunk driver who hit me--didn't show up, so I ended up with an unexpected day off, since I'd already booked the day off work. Exciting! But seriously--how dumb can you be? She was on trial for several different charges, and just didn't show. They issued a warrant for her arrest and told me I could go, and that was that--so now, I guess I'll see if I get subpoenaed again.

Um, other than that... I'm studying for my GRE, hoping to take it on Oct 13, although I still haven't registered yet. I'm pretending to be anally organized about grad schools, but really I've just got an excel sheet made up with space for all the information that I haven't gotten yet. I think I'm down to 6 schools that I'm going to pursue further; I hope to apply to 4, I think, which will give me enough options and enough schools that hopefully one of them will take me, but it won't totally drain me in application fees and paperwork.

Of course, narrowing it down from 6 to 4 means now getting in touch with admissions advisors with my list (still being written) of questions about the program and what I'm looking for.

I feel so boring, but really, I'm busy most of the time. Still writing lots, still blogging a fair bit (but, as I said, I suck at keeping up more than one blog at a time), still watching way too much TV. Oh, and I got my car. Finally. :o) Still haven't figured out the cell phone yet, though.

I think that the weirdest thing to balance these days is... okay. Last year, when I was nannying, I was home every night, and Lourenzo was in bed by 7:30 or so, so I had my evenings free, which meant that I had a lot of time for writing, getting involved in the online GG community, and becoming part of the online fandom and community there. Now, I'm back to my old schedule of working 8 hours, then going to rehearsal, and I'm still trying to juggle everything else. Studying, writing, editing, watching TV, getting into the community, analyzing the shows, memorizing lines, etc, etc, etc. There's a lot more to juggle, and a lot of it isn't necessarily "scheduled," but it still has deadlines, of a sort.

When I'm editing someone's work, I may not have a work- or rehearsal-related deadline, but I can't sit on their story for 3 weeks until I get time. When I'm working on one of my own stories, especially a multi-chapter, I want to get them written and posted in a timely manner. When I don't get home until 10:30, though, it's more difficult to get it all done, but there's no way I'm about to give it up.

That community is as real and those friends are as real as anyone that I know "in real life," and I don't want to ease up on it--I make time for my friends in person, and I'll continue to do so online. So far... I'm staying mostly on top of things. My to-do list keeps growing, but hey; that's part of the deal, right?

Anyway. Speaking of, I've got to get back to work. I love procrastination.

Just a girl

2006-09-20T11:26:00.000-06:00

Awww. The radio just played Gwen Stefani's "Just a Girl."

It made me miss Allison, because the last time I heard that song was when she sang it the week that Brian preached on Esther.

What comes is better than what came before

2006-09-17T14:07:00.000-06:00

These days, it feels like my laptop is permanently attached to my shoulder. My laptop bag, that is. Who knows when I'll have an hour to get something done, and better to have the equipment with me. Also the reason I carry a flash drive in my wallet, much to my mom's amusement. Yeah--the only really amusing part of that is the fact that it's not on my keychain, like every normal person. But I lost the cap for the USB plug, so I don't want to have it just riding around in my purse uncovered. Otherwise, it would be on the keychain.

Case in point, though. Today, I brought the computer with me and escaped to Starbucks after church, between church and the worship arts team meeting that we've got at 4. That's enough time to get some writing and editing done, and chip something off my to-do list, which seems to keep growing and growing.

I had to give Esther's car back today, so I'm driving the truck again until I get my car, which will be (if all the paperwork goes quickly) by the end of the week. The sooner, the better. I can't afford to drive the gas guzzler for long, especially driving all the way across the city every day. Esther's car gets very good gas mileage--I just hope my new car is that good.

In other news, I'm highly disillusioned with all Canadian cell service providers. They, quite frankly, suck, and I want to keep my New York cell, because I get way better rates with them (even when it comes to my cell service in Calgary) that I would going back to Rogers. It would mean that everyone who wanted to call my cell from Calgary would have to pay long distance, but everyone from the States who wanted to wouldn't. And, kind of selfishly, I feel like I shouldn't have to be penalized for other people's lack of good long distance plans. Or for Canada's sucky cell providers.

Put it this way: With my Rogers plan, I pay close to $50/month for 200 daytime minutes and evenings and weekends, but that includes absolutely no long distance whatsoever, and I go over my minutes fairly often. With Verizon, I pay about $65/month for 400 daytime and unlimited evenings/weekends, and that includes everything in Canada and the US, no roaming, and I've never gone over my minutes. And yes, we have long distance at home, but I'm never actually at home, so having a land line does me no good whatsoever. Especially when I'm trying to call people in New York. By the time I get home at 10:30, it's far too late to call them, whereas with a good cell phone, I can call between work and rehearsal, or before I get home, or whatever, and not have to worry as much about the time difference.

It shocks me that Canada's cell phones don't even include domestic long distance--in the US, most cell plans' minutes include domestic long distance automatically, and then I pay an extra $20/month for my minutes to extend to Canada and Mexico, with no roaming or extra fees.

And, I don't want to renew my Rogers plan for another 2 years when I don't know whether I'll be leaving for grad school or not. But the Rogers contract isn't up until May 2007, so I'd have to pay the cancellation fee now if I want to drop that and stick with Verizon.

Okay, enough of that whining for now. I've still got a few weeks to decide--my Verizon contract is up on Oct 10, and I'm definitely keeping it at least until then, because it's just a better plan, and I'm not giving it up early.

I'm starting to get back into the rhythm of 15- and 16-hour days (away from the house, that is; not the number of hours I'm up), although I still don't like getting up at 6 any more than I ever did.

I'm hoping to get up to Edmonton for a weekend before I have to start Saturday rehearsals (in November). Which means I need to call Lynsae and see if I can crash at her house. And see if Lindsey wants to go for lunch. ;o)

And now, I've procrastinated long enough. One more hour until the worship arts gathering; 40 minutes until I need to run to Superstore and grab snacks. How much work can I do in 40 minutes?

In a nutshell

2006-09-13T15:03:00.000-06:00

Work good.

Rehearsals good.

Alida tired.

Long week.

Only Wednesday?

Gah!!

Answer to the question

2006-09-09T12:47:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah--maybe I should mention that I got a job, hey? A permanent one, not just a temp placement.

It's an oil and gas consulting firm, a fairly small, family-run business, and I'll be starting as the receptionist on Monday, cross-training for the role of database administrator, and moving into that position in January, when the girl who's currently doing it leaves to have a baby.

It seems like a good company, and I'm more concerned about that than what the job actually entails. I'd rather work in a great work atmosphere, and it seems like this company has that, from what I could tell during the interview and just being in the office for a few minutes.

Plus, it's got regular hours, no shift work, and benefits, and especially once I get into the database admin position, I'll have quite a bit of autonomy, and I'll essentially be in charge of that particular aspect of the office.

Joyful and triumphant

2006-09-05T23:10:00.000-06:00

I'd forgotten how much rehearsals--even just a reading--drain me. In a good way. I'm really looking forward to Halo. Wanda's going to push me like you wouldn't believe, and I'm very excited to work with her on the other side of the director's table.

If this means anything to you, enjoy the laugh: My character's name is Lizzie, and my main plot centers around my sister Meg, who's in a coma after an accident.

*grins*

And "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Doughty is my new favorite song. I spent last night updating my iPod with a bunch of new Veronica Mars and Everwood songs that I didn't have on it before. I love shows with good music.

And now, I'm going to love my bed, because I'm sleepy. G'night!

Cuteness galore

2006-09-04T02:10:00.000-06:00

Man, I suck at updating this thing lately. Seriously. But it's 2 a.m., and I should be asleep, but I just spent the last 12 hours in front of the TV at Janna's, in the first 2/3 of a Veronica Mars season 2 marathon. Fun times. And before that, this morning was Kayla's dedication, so there was plenty of fun family times and a great big lunch at Tony Roma's. In the absence of an entry with content, however, I've got cute pictures. That makes up for having nothing to say, right?

Here come the bridesmaids

2006-08-29T22:17:00.000-06:00

So, how about a few wedding pictures?

The night before the wedding, after the rehearsal and the dinner, the girls went to see Step Up. Cute movie--very Save the Last Dance-esque. The social commentary is far better in StLD, and the characters are much better developed, and their motivations and back stories are more compelling, but I liked the dancing itself in SU better. So... there you go. Not a waste of a Thursday night. Anyway, Esther wore a flashing button (which she turned off during the movie) that said "Bride to Be," and a tiara with a veil on it.

The bridesmaids wore...

Temporary tattoos (which I'm not sure you can see well in this size of picture) that said "On the Prowl." Except that Meghan wasn't with us when we put them on, so she never actually got to wear hers. Sad.

Then, Friday morning, we hung out at Esther's old house while Mel (pictured with me) and Andria curled our hair--these are the infamous 2-hour ringlets. At least, though, we could watch movies while we had our hair done. And, apparently, I can paint my toenails, although that proved to be an awkward angle for all.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, here are a few pictures of the bridesmaids in full dress, hair, and makeup. Mom sewed all our dresses (I spent Tuesday and Wednesday of last week sitting in her office in my underwear while she fitted me!), as well as hers and Emily's (the flower girl), and she altered Esther's dress, too.

From L to R, we've got me, Kristen, Meghan, and Alex. I don't have any pictures of the entire bridal party, since we took these while the photographer was busy with other people.

The sun was in our eyes, but you can kind of see the backs of the dresses.

This is a better shot of the front, and the pink inset peek-a-boo panel in the skirt. I don't actually have any pictures of us standing in the dresses, so this is as close as I've got to a full shot of the dresses, but it's pretty close to seeing everything!

And there they are--Esther's train is hung over her arm, so that's not quite the full effect of her dress, but it's, again, as close as I got. I was just running around with my little camera--there's a reason there was a "real" photographer.

Lately at all

2006-08-26T21:40:00.000-06:00

Wedding over. Pretty. Pictures soon.

(Enough of an update for you, Linds?)

No, seriously, I know I've been horrible at updating this lately. I have no excuses for writing nothing in almost a week, except for the fact that I don't have internet in my room yet, and I'm currently on Kim's computer.

But I'll get some pictures up as soon as my wireless is set up, which will be tomorrow!

Curly Sue

2006-08-20T19:03:00.000-06:00

Ahhh... I'm moved. Not unpacked yet, but... least everything's in. And, impressively, it only took 4 hours from the time we started loading to the first boxes to the time we unloaded the last ones. From the trucks, that is.

And now I need a chiropractor.

It takes almost 2 hours to curl my hair into ringlets, which brings back memories of Charlie Brown and the Christmas banquet that year. Which was a scary number of years ago.

Beautiful, it's true

2006-08-17T22:57:00.000-06:00

I think it must be a sign that all the sites I want to visit are down for maintenance.

Or maybe it's just that I'm no longer in the Eastern time zone, so middle-of-the-night maintenance there (1 a.m.) is just late-night maintenance here (11 p.m.).

In any case, I'm back, and I haven't slept more than about 4 hours in the past 36, but everything went smoothly with security and the airport and everything, and I've spent the day catching up with people and sitting through a very, very long hair appointment.

I think that the caffeine from the 5 cups of coffee and 3 diet cokes that I consumed between 10 p.m. last night and noon today is still lingering somewhere in my bloodstream, too. It's the only explanation I can come up with for why I'm still awake.

But I won't be for long...

It's a big, big box...

2006-08-15T15:02:00.000-06:00

Who wants to hear a story? I thought so.

So, I've got this big box of stuff that needed to be sent back to Calgary somehow (see: all previous packing-related rants). I actually packed the box yesterday morning, and decided that it wasn't worth the $80 to check it as a third piece of luggage (not to mention taking the third piece of luggage to the airport), so I decided to FedEx it, since sending it by USPS ground mail takes at least three times as long, but the price is comparable.

I looked up the FedEx locations near my house, and there's an "authorized dealer" right around the corner, but the actual dropoff location is down on Court Street, and there was no way that I wanted to take this 50 lb box on the subway, so I decided that we'd try and find the 24-hour FedEx/Kinkos last night.

Last night, Kim slept over, which was an adventure in and of itself, and at around 11:30, after we'd watched a movie and eaten, we loaded the box into the car, and drove down... and the MapQuest directions sucked. I had two sets of directions, and both of them got us in the vicinity of where we wanted to be, but not actually where we wanted to be. We were both recognizing street names, but from the subway, which doesn't actually help above ground. So, after driving around for about an hour, we made our way back home, and I decided to ask at the dealer near my house this morning.

When Kim left for work, I hadn't gotten a work call yet (and I ended up not working today, which was a good thing, in the end), so I walked partway to the subway with her, then went back to the FedEx place, and they called for a quote, but to ship it by ground, I needed to actually drop it off; otherwise the shipping would have been astronomical for them to do a pickup.

The guy at the store gave me yet another set of directions to Court Street, so I loaded the box in the car--again--and headed back down there... and found it this time! However, it took a while to find a place to park, and the spot I found was about 2 1/2 long blocks away, so I picked up this incredibly awkward, very heavy box, and started walking, making it about 30 feet each time before I had to stop and readjust.

Until... a woman came out of a building, heading to her car, and offered me a ride down to the FedEx office. So I tossed my big, big box into the back of my car, and we drove the last 2 blocks, and she let me out on the side of the road, and I shipped my box.

And it cost a bit more than the quote, but a lot less than $80.

And that was the story of my big, big box.

The corner of Pacific Street

2006-08-14T14:28:00.000-06:00

Because the last post is hardly worth staying on the top of the page any longer...

I've officially started packing. I packed up a big box this morning, and this evening, I'm going to take it down to the FedEx office, and get it out of my way! Fortunately, Alexandra left the car, so I don't have to try and haul it on the train or anything crazy like that, and the FedEx place isn't too far away, so driving won't be a big deal. Then, I don't have to worry about it.

Kim's coming over tonight, and she's going to spend the night, and then tomorrow evening, I'm going for coffee with Rosa and (maybe) Mary Jo, and then... that's it. Wednesday will be for that last load of laundry, and packing up the last suitcase, and I'll probably call a car for 4:30. Thankfully, that's p.m., not a.m. Still don't know if I'm working tomorrow--we'll see if I get a morning call. I'm okay with it either way. It would be nice to have the day free, but I also know that I've got enough time to get everything done, even if I don't have the day. So... whatever.

Today, I didn't get the call until 10, so it was a short workday, but that worked out well, because I was already up and packing, so I feel like I was productive in both aspects.

Ummm..... Yesterday, I got to hang out with another GGMMer. Fun times. We went to Starbucks and were nearly accosted by a scary man trying to sell us tube socks.

Seriously, I love meeting online friends. It's one of the best parts about the whole "information age." Think about it--you get to know these people online, and you get to know them as personalities, and you know what their families and work and lives are like, but you have no idea what they look like or how their voices sound... and then, when you get to meet some of them, it's just the coolest thing! It's a totally different kind of meeting someone for the first time than just hanging out with someone you've never met before. It's cool. I like it a lot. And my TWoPper count (which sounds like a body count) is up to 2 now. Not that many yet, but it'll increase. Someday, we'll have a GGMMcon, and then we'll all get to meet each other and hang out.

Just like honey

2006-08-13T20:54:00.000-06:00

Moving sucks.

Meeting online friends is cool.

Nosebleeds give me a headache.

That's all.

Leaving on a jet plane

2006-08-12T14:12:00.000-06:00

The packing/travel saga continues. Like anyone else cares by this point. I called the airline this morning, and found out that yes, I can have books, but yes, they're hand-checking all carry-on luggage, and yes, I can check a third bag for $80.

Which begs the question--is it cheaper to pack a box and ship it or to take the box as a third piece of luggage and pay the $80 to check it? I'm leaning towards the latter, simply because that means that I don't have to haul it down to the post office, only to find out when I get there that the shipping is astronomical.

I could, theoretically, check a box and the big suitcase, like I'd originally planned, and carry on my laptop bag and the small suitcase (packed with only clothes), but if they're hand-checking it all, I don't want to hold up the line that much. Maybe I'll call again the day I leave and see if they're still doing that. Right now, though, I'm planning to be sparse with my carry-ons. Laptop bag and purse, both carefully packed so that I don't get caught unawares with anything.

Um, that's it.

Jen, why haven't you updated in weeks? :(

Mom, I'll be staying at the house on Thursday and Friday, so we'll find some time then for dress fittings, and I can come back out for another fitting or two the next week, if I need to. And of course I'm eager to get my life in order ASAP. You make it sound like that's a bad thing!

Man, I've got a headache.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting someone from the GGMM. Exciting! One more CIP (Crazy Internet Person) to add to my list of people I've met in real life... I love it. Hee.

Ask if I can use it

2006-08-11T10:27:00.000-06:00

I totally forgot that the RMC reunion is the Saturday after I move back. Which means it's the day I'm actually moving. Which means I probably won't be able to go. I'll have to see what time people are available to help move, to see if we'll be finished that early in the day. *sigh* Oh well. It's not like it's my class reunion, so even though I'm sure there are people I'd want to see, it's not like missing my own 10-year reunion or something like that.

I'm still trying to figure out the packing dilemma. I'm thinking that I might see how much it would cost to check an extra bag. It would probably be wise to try and carry on as little as possible--which may mean that shipping something is unavoidable, no matter how much I wish it wasn't.

There are even some flights that aren't allowing books on the flight--magazines are okay, but not books. What a pain. But at least I know far enough in advance that I'm not stuck there with a carry-on full of toiletries.

This office is funny. Yesterday, a shipment of copier paper came in, and I had the FedEx guy put it in the wrong place, so I offered to move it--about 10 boxes or so. Not a huge deal. The office manager wouldn't let me lift it, though--she kept insisting that it was too heavy; that they'd call the delivery guy back; that someone else would move it. Seriously. It's 9 boxes of paper. Heavy, sure, but no different than, oh, setting up chairs and tables or unloading a Quiznos food shipment.

I guess there are liability issues, but it's just funny to me.

New plan

2006-08-10T13:10:00.000-06:00

And there goes my packing strategy.

Beautiful Dawn

2006-08-09T08:25:00.000-06:00

One week to go. Have I started packing yet? Pfft. Of course not. That would be too much like thinking ahead!

Besides, I'm still trying to strategize how to do it. Here are the options, like anyone actually cares. For luggage, I've got a huge suitcase, a carry-on sized suitcase, and several backpacks/bags/purses, etc.

Option one: Check both suitcases, pack and ship a box back separately, and carry on a backpack and laptop bag (as a purse).

Option two (probably the more likely option): Check the big suitcase and a medium-sized box. Carry on the small suitcase and a laptop bag (as a purse).

Hopefully, I'll be able to get everything on the plane, but if not, at least if I go with option two, I'll be able to ship back a smaller box, and thus pay less in shipping. I'm going to try (albeit maybe not very hard) to pack the big suitcase over the weekend, leaving just the small suitcase and the box to pack next week. And, I'm going to try and pack all the essentials in the little suitcase, so I don't even have to open the big one until I move into Kim and Kris' place and unpack everything.

Oh yeah--the other challenge? Distributing the weight evenly, so that I don't pay for extra weight. Which means that the heaviest stuff has to go in the smallest bags, so that the overall weight is as evenly distributed as possible. Seriously. It's a good thing I learned to pack from my dad; otherwise, I'd be screwed.

Other than that? Still temping. I actually like it. It'll be nice to get into a "normal" job in the same place every day, but there's something about temping that's kinda nice. Still trying to hang out with as many people as I can before I leave. Doing random "New York" things that I haven't done yet. Last week, I walked halfway home one day, just so that I could walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Which was cool.

And I'm all out of inspiring--or even semi-inspired--things to say. Oh well. C'est la (ma) vie.

Save yourself

2006-08-06T17:31:00.000-06:00

Random moment:

A few days ago, the conversation on a board that I hang out on turned to duvets, duvet covers, quilts, blankets, bedspreads, etc. It included such pieces of wisdom as where to find the best covers, how to make a duvet look fluffier (put it into a cover that's one size smaller, in case you were wondering), how often to change the cover, how often to wash it, etc.

In this particular thread, there are probably... 80 of us who hang out there on a regular basis, and maybe 15 involved in this particular conversation. Of the 80-ish people in the GGMM, there are 5 guys, and we know who they all are, and give them a hard time about it constantly.

During this conversation, one of them commented something along the lines of, "The fact that you can carry on a serious, non-ironic conversation about duvets proves that you can't possibly be men pretending to be women."

Sometimes, my online friends make me laugh.

Blah.

2006-08-04T15:31:00.000-06:00

I'm cranky. But it's Friday, so I think I'll be okay.

My intensive grades were posted. Yay. Good times all around.

I want chocolate, and I'll hurt someone to get it.

I also want salt, and I may maim for that.

Reckless?

2006-08-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

Cool. My iron was high enough to donate blood today. It's such a hit-or-miss thing--I've gotten to the point where I ask them to do the finger prick before we ever get to the questionnaire, so I'm not wasting their time if I can't give.

It's so weird how sometimes--like today--I'll decide to go in on the spur of the moment, and I haven't been eating for high iron, taking my vitamins and supplements, or anything, and my iron levels are high enough (12.6, and the cutoff is 12.5, but still--I tend to fluctuate between 12.3-12.7). Other days, I'll be planning to donate, I'll be taking supplements and eating right, and still... nothing. My blood is weird. (But at least it's not reckless!)

It was really funny, Kim--after you and I were talking about donating marrow, there was a conversation on one of the online boards I hang out on about being added to the bone marrow registry, and I was surprised at how many people want to do it, since it wasn't something I'd thought of before. But it really does reinforce the fact that I want to donate marrow one of these days--join the donor registry (or whatever Canada's equivalent of that is) when I get back.

Seriously--I'm always surprised that more people don't donate blood. It's such an easy way to give. Plus, you get free Oreos. So go donate. Okay? /PSA

Still have those tears and those rocks in my heart

2006-08-01T11:23:00.000-06:00

I love it! Last night, I watched OT: Our Town (which, by the way, Laurel and any of the kids who were in Our Town should watch. And I mean, go rent it now), a documentary about an underprivileged school putting on Our Town, the first time that school had done a play in 20 years.

Awesome. Bringing back all kinds of great memories. Especially watching them coach the kids playing George and Emily through their kissing scene for the first time. Awww... it reminds me of Meghan and Edwin, and their really, really awkward publicity photos! Wow.

I love it, and it makes me really excited for the next show I do.

So. I haven't worked for the past two days, but apparently the bank that I worked at last week called because they needed another temp and requested me back, so... that's good. It's not 100% for sure yet, but I should know tomorrow. And I've started sending out resumes for jobs in Calgary, and if nothing else comes through, I've talked to a staffing agency that places temp, full-time, and temp-to-perm, and I've got an appointment there right after I get back. The nice thing about them is that they can give me temp work while they look for a full-time position, and theoretically, even if I don't have a permanent job right away, I can be working until something opens up. So, I'll still keep looking, but at least there's an option, so I don't have to worry as much about it.

And a few pictures from babysitting a few weeks ago... at Brian and Allison's place--their kids (Brooklyn, Campbell, and Xavier, although we missed getting Brooklyn in any of the pictures) are obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean, and have got the dress-up clothes to prove it!

Xavier, Alida, Niebhe, Campbell, and Efa's bum.

Efa as a pretty little pirate!

Xavier goes all out (including Johnny Depp-esque hair!)

The twins (Xavier and Campbell) with Rosa.

And in other news, it's hot out!!

Dollar bills

2006-07-29T14:21:00.000-06:00

So... I, apparently, have been living outside of Canada long enough for it to affect me.

I was reading a script by a Canadian playwright, and there was a reference to a Timmy's employee getting great tips because people would pay her with a bill, and not take the change.

It took me a minute to realize that it was significant because the smallest bill someone would be giving her was a 5, so change from a donut would be a lot.

And scene.

2006-07-25T15:56:00.000-06:00

Hmmm.

I am a boring person. These days, that's about it.

I watched the Heroes (or here) pilot yesterday. If you want it, leave a comment, and I'll pass it on. It looks good, but that's not really a discussion for this blog, now is it? Speaking of the other one, I watched almost the entire third season of American Dreams in one weekend, and posted a huge long thing about my thoughts. But then again, no one here is probably interested anyway, since I don't think any of you actually watched that show.

Three more days at the bank. Then we'll see what my next job is. I have no idea, but I'll probably talk to my placement advisor tomorrow and see what she has to say.

Adina and I are going to see John Tucker Must Die this weekend, or maybe next weekend, but soon. Yes, it's a cheesy teen movie, but it has Arielle Kebbel (Lindsay from Gilmore Girls), Brittany Snow (Meg from American Dreams), and Penn Badgley (Owen from Bedford Diaries), so we just had to plan to see it together. It wouldn't work otherwise. And I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be quite as much fun with anyone else who didn't have the same appreciation for all of the shows.

Apparently, I really, really, really like IMDb today. What? It's cool. So is wikipedia, but that has nothing to do with anything right now.

Hee. I need coffee. Or something.

You wouldn't believe how much writing I'm doing at this placement. I don't have internet, and there's not always something to do, so I write. A lot. And email Adina back and forth. A lot. But mostly write. I think that I've almost rivaled a NaNo level of writing. In 7 days of work (5 last week, 2 so far this week), I've written two chapters of the multi-chapter that I'm working on, as well as two one-shots. I haven't totaled the words, but it's nearing a 1667/day average.

Have I mentioned yet that I'm going to miss netflix when I move? Well, I am. A lot. Why doesn't Canada have it yet? Does Canadian Blockbuster have their mail-order movie rentals, like they do here? I can't remember. Or maybe I never knew.

Chris asked me to fill in at Roy's office for him on Friday and yesterday, and I had to turn him down, because I already had a placement, but I would have loved to have gone back into the office for a few days. I'll have to call him and get together for lunch before I leave, maybe.

Aaaaaaaannnnnddddd.... cut.

'Cause you're not in control

2006-07-22T13:17:00.000-06:00

So not a fan of having the internet at home crap out on me. Yeah. I got home from work last night, and it was down, and hasn't been back up since. I guess I'll have to call about it soon, but for now, I just dragged me and my laptop to the Think Coffee to catch up on 30+ hours of not being online. The horror!

Of course, it has to be raining this weekend. It's been hot and humid and sweltering for the past week--including last weekend--but this weekend, when I had plans to go to the beach both today and tomorrow, it's raining. I didn't go today, obviously; we'll see about tomorrow. After church, I'm heading out to Jersey to hang out with Adina and her friend Kim, so that'll be fun. I've heard a lot about Kim, and it'll be great to meet her!

By the way, anyone who's keeping track, moving day (into Kim and Kris' house) is four weeks from today. So anyone that's been conscripted by Kat, Kim, or me (I think that, so far, that includes Dad, Carl, Aaron, Edwin, Jordan, and Trevor)... now you know. Mark your calendar. The more people (and the more vehicles) we have, the less time it'll take. Maybe we can even make it in one trip!

Oy. I'm so not looking forward to unpacking. In a sense, there's that "Oh! I forgot I even own this!"--like when we were kids and Mom (by the way, hope you and Carl are having fun in Japan!) would rotate our toys every few months, so that it would seem like there was new stuff coming more often. But at the same time... ugh. It means I have to unpack it all. Blah. Oh well. At least this time, when I pack, it's a few suitcases, not many, many boxes. It's kind of nice that everything else is already packed.

And hey--it means I get to be reacquainted with the Quiznos boxes! I haven't had to lug those around in way too long. Heh.

I think that Everwood has some of the greatest music of any TV show. I've got a playlist of a bunch of songs from the show, and I just love the style and feeling of it. It's perfect mellow, funky, kind of indie music, and I can seriously put this playlist on repeat and just have it playing for hours.

Um, what else? Not much. I wrote lots this week, which is cool. I feel creative and accomplished, which is great. I'm fully addicted to my lj. It's definitely my TV/fic/fandom-related blog these days. As much fun as the Gilmore blog was, I think that I'll probably switch it up with the lj. It's so much more conducive to things like that. I probably won't transfer over my thoughts (yet, at least. Maybe eventually) from the Gilmore blog to the lj, but anything new is definitely going up over there.

That's about it. Just hoping for sun tomorrow, so a second beach day doesn't get canceled/rescheduled.

The ultimate, and maybe even the penultimate

2006-07-20T15:44:00.000-06:00

Aw, dangit. I tried to post via email today, but it didn't work. I'll try again tomorrow. But that's not why I'm here.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS??????

Oh my gosh. Best ever. Jen, you'll love it. I cried. I'm re-reading it, and I'm still tearing up.

Strawberry shortcake, huckleberry pie...

2006-07-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

lj is addictive.

I have a package at the post office, but I can't go pick it up, because it's only open when I'm at work. It's only a few blocks from my house, but... unless. Actually, that might work. Hmmm. If I go tomorrow morning, right at 8:00, I can get there when it opens, catch a different train into Manhattan, and then transfer. And still make it to work on time. That's the idea, anyway. I'll have to try it.

I'm hot. And sweaty. And can't be bothered to make the effort to move at all. At least the humidity's only 60%, though, not the forecast 80%. I'm still not used to that.

Apparently, heat saps my creativity and witty posts, too. So scroll down and look at cute baby pictures, mmmkay?

Who said that you have any say

2006-07-16T17:15:00.000-06:00

Papers are done!!!!!!!!

*big sigh*

There's one that needs to be mailed tomorrow (it's finished; I just have to drop it in a mailbox), but the rest have been dropped off or emailed, either at some point in the past 2 weeks, or tonight.

Now what will I do without this hanging over my head?

PS: I leave New York a month from today. I don't think I'm ready for that. That actually kinda bites.

Baby Girl, part 2

2006-07-15T22:59:00.000-06:00

Baby pictures!!

Aaron with Jakob and Kayla.

Isn't she gorgeous?

You've gotta be a little nuts

2006-07-15T20:16:00.000-06:00

I meant to post these earlier--pictures of my Arts Admin classmates... all of us crazies who willingly submitted ourselves to that!

(And if you haven't gotten that far yet, make sure you scroll down and see the entry from earlier today!!)

Alida, Vicky, Jeeye, Janet, and Joey.

Most of the class at our "closing reception" (which, inexplicably, took place on the Thursday night before our last Friday class): Back, L to R: Vicky, Youn Mi, Edward, Ria, Jeeye, Joey. Front: Janet, Brent, Susan, Betsey, Alida, Susan.

The Boys (Joey, Edward, and Brent), proving that there are exponentially more girls than guys in the arts. Always. Not great stats for those of us still looking.

Edward and his glasses. Look closely. This just proves the strain of this course--until we were into the second week, he didn't need 2 pairs (or bifocals, as the case may have been), but there was so much reading and so many notes that he soon did. Now there's a tagline: NYU Arts Administration Intensive Certificate: Destroying Eyesight since 1994.

Alida, Jeeye, Susan, Ria, Brent, and Vicky, the night before it ended, at Johnny Rocket's after the reception. We were soaking wet--got caught in a thunderstorm with 3 umbrellas between the 6 of us on our way to the restaurant. And then the waiters danced for us, and much fun and laughter ensued. It was probably the most relaxed any of us had been since we started the program!

I think this is all of us. Eh, not quite, but I don't have one with everyone. But here, we have... Back row: Betsey, Susan, Edward, Geri (our Fundraising prof), Olympia, Alex (standing in the very back), Susan (in front of Alex), and Mariana. Middle: Youn Mi, Brent, Jeeye, and Ria. Front: Vicky, Joey, Alida, Janet.

And that's us. At least, as many pictures as I'm sure you care to see. I've got more, but I doubt anyone cares that much!

Baby Girl

2006-07-15T11:58:00.000-06:00

She's here!

(and I have official parental permission to post this and spread the news...)

Kayla Elizabeth was born at 8:48 a.m. MST yesterday (July 14), weighing 7 lbs, 14 oz; 20" long; lots of brown hair.

I have yet to see pictures, but as soon as I've got some, I'll post!

Kat says everyone's doing well, even though Jakes isn't quite sure what to make of her yet.

Auntie wishes she could be there, and will send many New York-related presents soon. :o)

S-M-R-T

2006-07-13T15:51:00.000-06:00

*sings* I am so smart, S-M-R-T...

I left my phone at home this morning. Oh, brilliant me. And I won't be home until later--10:30, maybe?--tonight. Ah well. What can you do?

I started the temp job a day early--they scheduled me for two training days, starting today instead of tomorrow, and then the two-week vacation that I'm covering. Today, I mostly just followed the guy that I'll be covering for around the office, and tomorrow will be much of the same, I'm sure. Woo! That was exciting. The job seems like it'll be pretty easy, though, so that's kinda nice.

Papers are almost done! They're due Monday, so the final stretch is in sight. *breathes a huge sigh of relief* One more weekend, and then... that's it! No more!

(Then I start thinking about studying for a GRE. Ah, it never ends.)

Um. Anything else interesting?

No, that just about covers it.

PS: Virgin Mary tour refers to remaining spoiler (knowing what's coming ahead of time on a TV show)-free. As in, spoiler-whores and spoiler-Marys. Yes, those are the terms. And at the end of last season, they decided that whoever was going to remain a spoiler-Mary for season 7 would have the "Virgin Mary Tour" complete with a bus. And a t-shirt. But not a real t-shirt.

PPS: lj-ers, friend me! username: being_fulfilled

Start of something new

2006-07-11T22:17:00.000-06:00

Hrmm. I start a temp job on Friday. Excellent. It's a two-week vacation fill-in, so then hopefully something else like that will come along later on. And it gives me two days at home to finish the rest of my papers. So... cool.

I'm finally watching High School Musical. Hee. It's actually pretty cute. Except for this shot. That was actually kind of creepy. There's a big billboard-sized poster of the male lead, and the girl, who's singing a song pining for him, leans up against it, and his head is as tall as she is. That was a little weird.

Hee. It's all full of morals and stuff. And, man, these kids have nice cell phones.

Aaaaaaand... spoilers are starting to come out. I've joined the Virgin Mary Tour 2006-2007, so I'm trying hard to stay away from them, but it's tempting, knowing that they're out there.

Um, there was something else I was going to mention, but I can't remember now what it was. Something that happened--yesterday, maybe? Or today? Ach, I have no idea. My brain went out the window. Which is open.

Subway stations are the hottest places in New York City.

Janna, I succumbed and got a lj. Mostly for gg community and fic stuff--this will still be my actual blog--but it you friend me, I can leave comments for you.

Spitting image of her father

2006-07-09T23:54:00.000-06:00

So I've got a dilemma.

Jen sent me a $20 amazon.com gift certificate for my birthday, and I've been trying to decide how to spend it.

Now, this gets hard to follow--so let me outline all the pieces of the plan. There's a book that I want to get, but it's for business, so I don't want to spend birthday money on it. It doesn't cost enough by itself to get free shipping, though, so I need to get something else with it, which I was going to use the birthday gift card to get.

Season 6 of Gilmore Girls is available for pre-order, and it's on sale for 35% off, so with the gift certificate, I could get the season for less than $20, which is an excellent price.

Only problem is, it's not released until Sept 19, which means that it would need to be shipped to Canada, which throws a huge wrench in the works. If I order it on amazon.com, with the other book, and have the items sent to the different addresses, I have to pay shipping on the DVDs, because the free shipping only applies to US addresses. If I order it on amazon.ca, so that I can get the free shipping to Canada, I can't use the gift certificate, so it ends up costing me full (well, sale) price.

So, my brilliant plan to get all of that without paying shipping won't work after all. Boo. So, I need to find something else to get with the gift certificate. I'm sure that won't be a problem, but I thought it was a brilliant plan, until I was thwarted by international shipping and handling.

Goat cheese

2006-07-09T16:24:00.000-06:00

Wise words of the day: "Sometimes, I like being single because that means I can eat things like sandwiches that have goat cheese on them and not worry about anyone else caring about my breath."

Leaving me here on my own

2006-07-09T12:39:00.000-06:00

Someone just put on Ace of Base, "The Sign," in the coffee shop.

The girl sitting beside me and I both took off our earphones at the same time and laughed as we recognized that intro, and the entire place was transported back to junior high.

The time of my life

2006-07-07T23:23:00.000-06:00

Still alive, although the papers are threatening to change that. Was up until 6 this morning finishing one. Four left.

Babysat tonight. Like, a real babysitting job, the kind I had in high school. One of the easy jobs, too--Belle went to bed within an hour of my arrival, then I watched TV and ordered takeout for dinner. And man, rates have gone up since then! Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised when they handed me a few bills and sent me out the door.

Did I mention, finished writing at about 5 this morning, went to bed around 6? Brain is off. Turned off hours ago.

Stupid trains, running on weekend schedules. And midnight schedules. That means an hour to get home.

And yet, I'm not asleep yet.

Go for it all

2006-07-04T15:36:00.000-06:00

Man, I'm still tired from being out in the sun all day yesterday. Of course, averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night for the past few nights has nothing to do with it.

Yesterday morning, I left the house at 7 to meet up with Adina at the Port Authority, and from there, we made our way up to Central Park, where we joined the line for free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. They give them out at 1, and the line starts early in the morning--we were there at 8:30, and there were already several hundred people in front of us. We brought breakfast, though, and books, and sat on our blanket and talked and read and wrote for 5 hours, until the tickets were given out at around 1:30. And we got our tickets.

So then, the rest of the afternoon, we dropped off a paper at a prof's house, went home, watched a movie, and then went back to the theatre to see That Scottish Play at 8:30, and it was fantastic. Liev Schreiber played the Scottish dude, and he was amazing... one of the best Shakespeare performances (in a leading role) that I've ever seen, period.

Tanget: I think that some of the sidekicks and more humorous roles are so much easier to play, but not in a slacking kind of easy way. In more of a gratifying, fun, rich kind of easy way. The tragic heroes are so tragic that they're hard to keep from being a charicature, I think. It may sound weird, but I think that it might be easier to make a more comic relief, sidekick character from being a cliche, even though they're almost written as a cliche.

Anyway. Back from tangent. It was amazing. And then we hung around afterwards and got his autograph, which was very cool. He and Naomi Watts were both very gracious (I didn't get her autograph, though).

Then I introduced Adina to Slurpees (which I'd been craving for at least 2 weeks). Can you believe the girl had never had a slurpee before? That's impossible! Then again, we all know that Canadians drink the most slurpees per capita. And Winnipeg has the highest number of that. Hee.

She slept over last night, and we hung out at home for most of the day today, and then I went with her back to the PA, and just got home not long ago. And that was my day. Now I have to get back to writing papers.

We're thinking that we want to go see Mother Courage in August, but we'll have to get into line at 5:30 or 6, instead of 8:30, because Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken are in that show, so the line will get long much quicker. Hopefully we'll both be able to get a day off work, so we can do a weekday, when it's less crowded than a weekend. We'll see, though.

There is a feeling

2006-07-02T20:11:00.000-06:00

*sigh*

The paper is finished. And, thankfully, this is the biggest one. I still have 4 more to do before July 14, with varying due dates, but this was the longest one, so hopefully the biggest hurdle is out of the way.

Tomorrow, Adina and I are going to try and get tickets for that Scottish play at Shakespeare in the Park. Tickets are free, but the line starts early. We're hoping to be there by 8:15 or so--hopefully that'll be early enough, especially considering the fact that it's a long weekend.

I like my coffee shop. I've been sitting here for almost 6 hours. It closes at midnight--let's see if I'm gone before then. Actually, I'm planning to head out soon, but they have a film night on Sunday nights, showing random short films by local filmmakers, so I'll probably wait until that's over. Don't want to leave in the middle, you know. That would be rude.

But seriously. Coolest coffee shop. Even cooler than the ones I like up near Lourenzo's school. Better location, for one thing; plus, they've got better events and activities and stuff.

How can you tell my brain turned off about an hour ago?

We (Adina and I) went to the mall yesterday (now that's a phrase I don't say often anymore!) and saw The Devil Wears Prada. Good. Book was better, but Meryl Streep was fantastic, and I really love Anne Hathaway. Plus, Adrian Greiner is hot.

And, I had patriotic boobs yesterday. Go me.

Our home and native land

2006-07-01T09:35:00.000-06:00

Happy Canada Day!!

(Does it strike anyone else as ironic that I'm spending Canada Day at mall in Jersey?)

When you roll the dice and swear your love's for me

2006-06-30T23:25:00.000-06:00

Ah, the marketing project, which is due Monday, is almost finished. The paper itself is done, for the most part. I need to write a conclusion and finish the appendix, but that's not a huge deal. That'll be two press releases, a budget, and a timeline. And I think that's it. But 10 of 15 pages are finished, which was what I was aiming for tonight--getting the actual paper/plan written.

Tomorrow, I'm hanging out with Adina, so I needed to get it mostly finished, so that on Sunday, I just have a little bit to do to finish up the last details. And, it seems like the mission was accomplished!

And classes are over, which is kind of a relief, but it'll be weird not to see everyone every day. That's what kind of sucks the most--we bonded, and I think that some longer lasting friendships will come out of it, but it's weird. Even after only 4 months. But today, I wasn't really feeling that. I came home and took a nap, and then started blasting on this paper.

So apparently, Reader's Digest has confirmed what I've suspected for the past year. New York is a really friendly city. I love that article--and it's so true. Not even just in being polite in general things (no, they don't apologize as much as Canadians, but no one does!), but in terms of talking to strangers? All the time.

Granted, it has to do with the amount of time you spend in a stranger's face, but the very essence of what makes New York what it is means that you interact with other people so much more. I talk to random people on the subway all the time, have random conversations about other people, observations, the weather, the neighborhood... things like that, that I don't necessarily talk to strangers about in Calgary. Or, rather, I don't have the opportunity to talk to strangers about. Because there are so many people, and you're always around them, there's just so much more opportunity to interact.

It's keeping me awake

2006-06-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Fancy that. My classmates are actually fun to hang out when when we're not in class. Too bad we're always in class.

Last night, they had a "closing reception" for us (even though we stll have a class left this morning), and after that, a bunch of us went out to Johnny Rocket's, and we just had so much fun. We were giddy and silly and just so relieved to be thinking about anything but class and all the assignments we still have to do, and it was just... fun.

As stressful as the intensive has been, it's been so cool to hang out and get to know them, and I'll miss them! That's one more group of people that I'll be sad to leave here--I won't be able to go to their shows and openings and galleries, and I'll miss that. We've spent so much time getting to know each other's dreams and goals, and it would be nice to stay involved as much as possible.

Ummm... I think we're going to try and stay in touch over the summer--keep each other on track with getting our papers in on time, now that we don't have each other to push us in class--and maybe all go out when the certificates come in the mail, to celebrate actually having them in hand.

And now, I must get dressed and get out of the house.

When it don't come easy

2006-06-28T09:25:00.000-06:00

I love it!!! It made me laugh. And cry. And I have to thank Lady M for bringing it to my attention. Jen, you'll appreciate this.

Oh, and I want everything on this page (scroll down about halfway--the bottom before the comments start). Seriously. It's all that good. I'll just have to wait until everything is finalized, and then pick 2 of my favorites to go for.

Felt the earth move in my hands

2006-06-26T09:37:00.000-06:00

The countdown is on... 5 more days. And then papers. And I still don't have a job. And I have no money. And that's a lot of sentences to start with "and."

I'm sure I'll enjoy the summer, once I've got some income, but I'm antsy for fall, and I'm looking forward to these last few weeks (well, once the papers are over!) of a relatively quiet summer, before things get busy in Sep... August, actually. It's weird--there are things about moving back to Calgary that I'm looking forward to, and things about leaving New York that absolutely suck, but on the whole, I'm just looking forward to getting out of limbo and moving forward with something. Anything.

Of course, within 6 months, I'll feel like I'm in limbo again, because I'll be applying to grad schools, wondering what the next year is going to look like, where I'll be living, where I'll be working, whether I'll be in school, which city I'll be in...

Seriously--do things ever settle down?

Other than that... I've got an amazon gift certificate, and I really, really want the "American Dreams" DVDs, but they're almost $90, so I'm going to try and find them on ebay instead. Oh! And if you've ever wanted season 1 of "Everwood" on DVD, this is the time to get it--it's only $19.88 on amazon. Amazing! Plus, you'll be boosting the sales stats, which will help convince TPTB (The Powers That Be, if you're not up on fandom acronyms) to give us seasons 2-4.

By the way, I just decided (and I'm going to count Dad as my henchman here, even if he doesn't know it yet) that my new mission in life is to not only get Mom chatting with friends online, but to get her involved in some sort of online community, on a forum of some sort. Hee. Can you imagine? That would be so cool!

Just wanna dance all night

2006-06-22T14:30:00.000-06:00

Presentation's over! I can breathe again!

So, interesting day. I had to do an 8-minute presentation to the "board" (my classmates) of a "foundation" (a real one that I'd researched), asking them for a grant for my company. I am, of course, using Unnamed Productions as my foundation for pretty much every project in this certificate--it's way more beneficial to be able to apply my own goals to it than it is to just use some arbitrary organization, because this will be of much greater benefit in the future.

Anyway, I was oddly nervous, even though I can usually bs my way through something like that and appear confident, because I've got a lot of public speaking experience--plus, a lot of theatre/improvisational experience. Funny thing was, people commented on how I'd memorized my presentation, even though I had the paper up there with me. I guess I didn't look at it, though, and I made eye contact with everyone in the room, which was impressive? Huh.

I was outlining a proposal for my company, though, and it's so much a part of me that when you get me started talking about it, I can give you anything from a two-sentence outline to a two-hour plan of the vision, dreams, and goals, so giving an 8-minute presentation without looking too much at the paper in front of me wasn't that difficult. I had to tie it in to the specific thrust of the presentation, but so much of it is so close to my heart that the passion, enthusiasm, and competence in what I'm saying just comes through naturally.

And I got my pretend $25,000. Heh. Lotta good that'll do me. ;)

The really interesting thing about all this is the atmosphere. Because of the nature of Unnamed, and because we all know the organizations that the other classmates work for (or are starting) quite intimately, I've had to be more unapologetically Christian during this certificate than anywhere else. It's all out there, and everyone knows that this is the mandate, these are the funds I'm applying for, this is the focus and the thrust of the company, and that's just the way it is. It's really interesting, especially in New York--especially in the arts in New York--which is so completely not a Christian-friendly environment.

Over the course of the few weeks, though, I've had several of my classmates approach me after a discussion or a presentation, even if they're not Christians themselves, commenting on how refreshing it is to have someone who's unapologetic about it, and who's willing to put a Christian, faith-based organization out there in the running--and at the same level as--all the secular, professional organizations. And that's the goal. I want to be at the same level professionally, in my expectations, in my exposure, in the company's skill base and level, as any other arts organization out there, regardless of mandate, mission, or creed. That shouldn't be a determining factor in excellence.

It's what the company is, though, and it's the foundation of why I'm doing it, and I can't leave that out and still present an honest representation of who or what it's supposed to (what it's going to) be.

It's just interesting that several different people have commented on it--whether they're "closet Christians," or people who are just seeing it through a different lens because of my involvement in the course, or "cultural Christians," or whatever... it's a refreshing encouragement, and something that comes very unexpectedly at times.

The world spins madly on

2006-06-21T19:19:00.000-06:00

Happy First Day of Summer!

Man, it gets dark early here. It's amazing how much of a difference a few hours north makes. June 21, and it was dark by 9:00. Something's not quite right with that picture.

Hmmm... I got sick. Gotta love A/C. It's murder on the throat, and it's been really hot and humid all week, so going from an air conditioned classroom to the hot outdoors all week, combined with the fact that I actually slept on Saturday, which automatically gives my body license to get sick, meant that I spent two days with sinuses that were going to explode. And wow, that's a long sentence. But not technically run-on. Although that one was technically a fragment.

Okay then.

On the bright side, I did find my perfect Nyquil dose. Usually, if I just take it before bed, I wake up all sweaty in the middle of the night and have really weird hallucinations. So last night, I took a full dose about 2 hours before bed, which didn't knock me out right away, and then I took another half-dose right before bed, and it was perfect! I slept all night--a full 8 hours--but I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, and I didn't wake up groggy in the morning.

The moral of the story, kids, is to play around with drugs until you find the right combination for you. Mmmkay?

This is my generation

2006-06-18T18:07:00.000-06:00

Well, Lourenzo left on Wednesday, but right now, I'm hardly noticing it--it's just nice right now to not have to worry about conflicting schedules. I'm sure that once school's over and I'm not racing to class all the time or trying to do readings, I'll notice his absence more, but right now--it's just nice.

Oh! New pictures! Actually, posted pictures. Ed and Laura's wedding and some spring and summer pictures, including some from Mom, Dad, and Carl's visit. Eventually, I'll actually get an album of house pictures together--between my pictures, Jen's pictures, and Mom's pictures, I've actually got pretty much the whole house covered.

A few pictures before Lourenzo left for the airport on Wednesday afternoon...

Alexandra's still here, but she's leaving sometime this week for most of the summer--she'll probably be back for a week or so in mid-July, but that's about it, so my "job" here turns into house-sitting instead of babysitting. It'll be kind of nice, honestly--it's a little weird having just the two of us in the house. Kind of awkward.

Not to mention the fact that I'm starting to chafe at being in someone else's house. I'm not itching to leave New York, but I am itching to not be in someone else's home. It's just... not the way I enjoy living. It's different than having roommates, where even though you share a house, you can still set it up together--this really is living in someone else's house, and I'm looking forward to getting into a different housing situation.

All this wandering

2006-06-14T10:53:00.000-06:00

Ah, getting caught up feels good. I've spent the morning/early afternoon working, so hopefully I can take tonight off from anything related to school. Unless, of course, some of my textbooks come in the mail today; then I have to catch up on those.

It's interesting--one of the big themes that's running through every single one of my classes is how 9/11 has impacted the arts world in NYC. It doesn't surprise me, but it's just interesting that it has completely changed the way they market and do business. Just a random observation.

Um, I had more to say, but no time now. Gotta run...

Ever get home tonight

2006-06-12T09:43:00.000-06:00

Wow. I am, apparently, very boring. Either that, or no one wants to talk to me anymore.

Then again, I've been pretty remiss at actually calling people lately--if I owe you a phone call or an email... it'll come eventually!

Only two more Lourenzo days, which is really weird, and I don't think has sunk in. Right now, I'm just relieved that I don't have to try and juggle classes around his school schedule anymore--I haven't actually thought about what it'll mean that I won't be babysitting. That's really weird to think of.

I survived my first Financial Management class at 8:30 a.m., and it should be okay, because the prof has no text, no final, one assignment, and has never given a grade lower than an A in 12 years of teaching the class. So--yeah. It should be fine. It's all about budgets: Income, Cash Flow, and Expenses, and how to actually apply them. You all wanted to know that, right? ;o)

You know how I was talking about these two performances a week that we're supposed to go to? If it wasn't for the fact that I haven't been able to do them yet (so my first two will be from shows I've seen in the past month or so--which is totally allowed), I think I wouldn't be so overwhelmed by the idea. It's like Artist Dates in Creativity Tutorial--it'll force us to keep the artistic side of things flowing, even while we're in the middle of all these logistical things. It's actually somewhat of a lifesaver, so... yeah. It'll be good.

Okay--can I talk about anything but school? Sometime this summer, I want to have a games night or something with people from church--do it as an "invite everyone, church-wide event" kind of thing--at my house. With no one else there, it's perfect. The main floor (for the 4 of you who have actually seen my house) is great for that, right? Set up games in the first 2 rooms, a movie in the third, food in the back, and it can still be open all the way through... it's just a great set-up for something like that.

Oh! This is kinda cool, in defense of my becoming a part of the online Gilmore Girls community. One of the girls on there is doing her masters in Media Studies or something like that, and last night, she gave us part of her proposal for her thesis, which will (in some ways) actually focus on TWoP:

I am particularly interested in the relationship between television programs and the Internet in relation to women building relationships with each other. Technology has given the ability for people to watch a program and instantly go online and talk about it with others. This is especially prevalent in television programs focusing on the relationships between women, such as Desperate Housewives and Gilmore Girls. These programs that examine the relationships between women have led women on the Internet to form similar relationships. Women can speculate, analyze and be their own critics. However, on these forums, it is not just about the television program anymore. Relationships are created between these online identities and suddenly the forums become an extended family helping each other out in ways beyond the television program.

So... yeah. She said it so much better than I did a while ago, but it's the same idea.

Okay, off to write reviews of The Three Musketeers and Children of a Lesser God now.

Running out of time, running out the door

2006-06-09T12:39:00.000-06:00

So apparently blogger absolutely hates me--I started writing an entry yesterday, and it got deleted three times, and then blogger was down, so I couldn't even post if I wanted to. Heh. So that's my excuse why I haven't updated all week.

And seriously--sitting in class all day? Haven't done that in ages! I’m getting used to it again. It's going to be a busy month, especially if every week goes as fast as this one has.

Still waiting for my textbooks to come from Amazon--when they do, I'll have a ton of reading to catch up on. A lot of it is handout-based, and I can download those, so I'm not getting too far behind, but in terms of the texts themselves... A few of the classes haven't actually started yet, so I should have them before I start those classes, but there's one class that almost finishes tomorrow, and I still don’t have the text, so I'll have to do some major reading in order to get caught up for the final paper.

Today is really the last day I have to miss any class because of Lourenzo's school schedule, thank goodness. That's been the most frustrating part of this week, but at least Alexandra can switch off tomorrow for me--otherwise, I'd have to miss 8 hours of one class, which is a lot.

It's a good group, though--there are about 20 of us, and it's about 2/3 performing, 1/3 visual arts oriented. Everyone seems to be clicking well, too. By the time we got to our third class, we'd heard each other's introductions at least four times, and we could almost introduce each other. It reminded me of vanning with Laurel, when we'd just take turns introducing each other and our goals in general. When you do it every single day for 8 weeks, you get pretty good at it.

Next week, we have Financial Management at 8:30 a.m. Now, I can handle an 8:30 start--I’m used to leaving the house at 7:30 anyway. But Financial Management at 8:30 a.m.? Ick. The only consolation is that all of us are artists, so at least we're all in it together.

The ones that took me by surprise

2006-06-05T21:09:00.000-06:00

Well, fancy that. It actually feels like... school. With classes (Marketing the Arts, Managing the Arts, Fundraising for the Arts, Financing Cultural Institutions in an Uncertain Environment, Performing Arts Management, Financial Management for the Arts, and Arts & the Law... did I miss anything? I don't think so) and assignments and textbooks and readings and field trips and everything. And a new friend on the first day. Ha. I totally feel like I'm in kindergarten. "Did you make any new friends today?" It'll be entertaining, and we'll all get to know each other really well, since there are only about 20 of us, and we're going to be together every day for a month.

And I'm seriously not impressed with Lourenzo's school for scheduling so many half-day PD days right when I actually need to have a "normal" schedule.

And... it's over, and it was sad.

And stupid CW Network kept playing their stupid commercials for their stupid (minus GG and, presumably, VM) new season during the entire 2-hour show. Every freakin' commercial break. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.

"Hey, look. You're awesome, but we don't like you, so let's promote the crap that we're going to show instead of you."

It made me irrationally angry and tainted my grief at losing the show. Stupid CW.

Sold your guitar and bought a car

2006-06-02T08:27:00.000-06:00

From The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby:

Years and years ago, I read a great interview with Jam and Lewis, the R&B producers, in which they described what it was like to be members of Prince's band. They'd sit down, and Prince would tell them what he wanted them to play, and they'd explain that they couldn't--they were quick enough, or good enough. And Prince would push them and push them until they mastered it, and then, just when they were feeling pleased with themselves for accomplishing something they didn't know they had the capacity for, he'd tell them the dance steps he needed to accompany the music.

That's what I want to be like, whenever I'm in a position to offer leadership and guidance in an artistic capacity, as a director, Artistic Director, Managing Director, mentor, beta, or whatever.

Heading under

2006-06-01T20:12:00.000-06:00

One of Lourenzo's pieces is a Bastien piece, and it's amazing how little things have changed since I was going through the Bastien books.

Um, yeah. I've been editing all evening, so I'm kind of out of original thoughts--everything is filtered through someone else's words, which isn't too conducive to actually writing anything interesting. I'm trying to get a one-shot drafted before I go to bed, but I don't know how much I'll get done in the next 20 minutes. Probably not enough. Still, it'll be good to get some of my own thoughts flowing.

Gotta love the internet. I'm listening to Vibe 98.5 right now. Sometimes, I just listen to Calgary radio stations, instead of whatever's on my playlist. Although it's kinda weird to hear Calgary traffic and news and ads. Oh well--it's all good.

We're no exception to that rule

2006-05-30T17:54:00.001-06:00

I keep getting more and more furious over the whole Everwood debacle. Now, apparently, they're not planning to release any seasons beyond season 1 on dvd. I just don't understand why the network execs hate the show so much--why do they have it out for it?

That makes me as angry as the fact that they're cancelling the show before its time. Why--why--why do the Crapdens deserve to live on in infamy (in an undeserved, unwanted, and unwarranted 11th season, as well as on dvd) when the Abbotts and Browns don't? *sigh* Seriously. I sobbed last night, I'm crying now just thinking about it and listening "Fields of Gold" by Eva Cassidy from last night's episode, and the hits just don't stop coming.

The only bright spot is that Rina Mimoun is signed as an executive consultant on Gilmore Girls, so hopefully some of her touch will be on that come season 7. Still--it's a bitter price to pay. The improvement of one dearly loved show because another died? It's like an organ transplant. And SevHev is like a drunk driver that walked away from the scene without a scratch.

Okay. Something else. Chris took me out for lunch today and gave me reference letters, and then gave me How to Run a Theatre, a book I'd signed out of the library a few years ago--and one that was on my to-buy list, but fortunately, he got to it before I did. So, yay.

And then, I was walking down 42nd Street and a group of people asked if they could ask me a few questions about The DaVinci Code on camera--turns out they were from the 411, the church that we went to the Good Friday service at. So that was kinda cool. (And Kim, I think I did you proud!)

Plus, it was gorgeous, and I sat in Bryant Park for 2 hours over lunch. Most excellent.

*sigh*

Nope, not making me feel any better. Can I be four for a minute? No fair! No fair! No fair! Or, to channel Claire, from the Baby-Sitters Club books (yes, I know how sad it is that I can still reference that...), "Nofe air!"

Previously

2006-05-29T19:01:00.000-06:00

Yup, definitely feels like summer.

What a great long weekend--it was like a mini vacation without leaving home... and here's hoping that there are a few more like that over the summer! Maybe some including a trip to the beach? We'll see.

But Everwood is on, and it's the second-last one, so I'm going to go watch and cry now.

Edited to add: In tears before the opening credits; a snotty, sniffly mess by the time the promo for next week showed. That's gotta be a record. DY,B!!

Last time I talked to you

2006-05-27T10:27:00.000-06:00

Surprise weekend off! Alexandra decided, last-minute, to take Lourenzo out of town for the long weekend. I'm free until Monday night, so Adina's coming in this afternoon (since she didn't have any plans, either), and we're going to hang out all weekend. Ah, the joys of having some semblance of a life!

In merry, merry England

2006-05-25T17:47:00.000-06:00

It's finally Thursday. I woke up every morning this week thinking, "It feels like Thursday."

This morning, I woke up thinking, "Why is my alarm going? It's Saturday."

*sigh*

However. Today was my last day in the office. Yes, my internship is officially finished--except for going out for lunch with Chris on Tuesday. And I realized when I got home that I still have the office key on my keychain, so I might need to return that. Heh.

So now, I've got a week of down-time before classes start on June 5, because, yes, I stopped procrastinating on that, too, and signed up today. So, there you have it. I start the Arts Admin summer intensive on June 5, and it runs for 4 weeks, so next week... I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm sure it'll go quickly--I'm going to try and get some of the computer-related stuff done; either take my laptop with me, or come home during the day. We'll see. I also have to finish Sunday School curriculum for June, because with class, I won't be in the office at all, so that'll keep me busy, too.

Funny story. Ryan got a curriculum package, just to try out, and it's Willow's summer set, so it's the exact same format (Large Group, Pre-teach, Teach, Post-teach; Small Group) that I've used for the past 3 years. I'm an expert at adapting that particular program. This will be easy. Only problem is, it tends to be more prep-intensive, in terms of supplies, and if I'm not actually in the office, I may have to tweak some of those activities a bit.

Hmmm. I went to the grocery store on my way home from work because I had a craving for strawberries, and I discovered th Ben & Jerry's is on 2 for $4 this week, so I picked one up, and I may have to grab a couple more at some point.

I'm really, really, really going to miss netflix when I move. I keep wanting to add people to my friends list (yes, I'm talking about you, Kim), and then I realize that Adina's the only one on there for a reason, and it's not that I have no friends.

As the sun was shining

2006-05-22T18:27:00.000-06:00

So if you're thinking about meeting me at the airport when I fly back into Calgary, my plane lands on Aug. 17 at 3:44 a.m.

That is not a typo.

(But at least I'm not connecting in Dallas this time!)

They call it mello yello

2006-05-21T21:08:00.000-06:00

The thing with Jelly Bellys is that you can't pop an entire handful in your mouth and chew. If you do, you end up with a cinnamon-mint-pear-popcorn-cappucino-chocolate-bubble gum combination, which is actually kind of disgusting.

Move a little faster

2006-05-21T13:04:00.000-06:00

Naomi and I are going to see DaVinci Code tonight. How was it, Kim? I'm looking forward to it, but I don't think I'm expecting as much from the movie as I was from the book.

Oh! Almost two weeks after the fact (since I can finally say it in public now...), congratulations, Laurel and Ken!!! I certainly won't try to out-do Laurel's telling of her own proposal, so go read about what happened, mmmkay?

Sometimes, I think that Lourenzo is really 2, not 6. Everything--everything--ends up in his mouth. Including the poles on the subway, which is, frankly, quite disgusting for everyone involved.

Still upset about Everwood. A certain fan contingent is clamoring for t-shirts that read "Everwood Died for 7th Heaven's Sins." Sacreligious? Just a tad. Funny, poignant, and kinda true? Uh, yeah. And, PS, check this out. It's pretty amazing.

Very random, scattered thoughts today, no? I saw a stage adaptation of The Three Musketeers last night... it was good, but long. And it wasn't that I was bored with the play, but for some reason, it just felt really, really looooong.

I need to update the book list--I've read quite a few more off it. I've read a lot more than that, too--I mean, I always have to kind of chuckle at people whose goal is to read 15 novels in a year or something like that. That's my reading material for two weeks, sometimes. Even when I was in school, studying and reading textbooks, I was still reading at least 3 novels a week most weeks. Depends on what novels (and how heavy) they are, but still--I think I can beat almost anyone I know in the sheer volume of words that I read.

Which is why I've always found it kind of pointless to keep a list of the books I read in a year. For one thing, it would be way too long. For another, it's no great achievement, so it doesn't matter anyway. Striking classics (or even contemporary acclaimed books) off my list is a much greater goal, because it gives me a reason to cut down on my brain candy, as much fun as it is to read.

Be that as it may, I've got to update that page eventually.

Worth your weight in gold

2006-05-18T16:45:00.000-06:00

Okay--one more TV post, and then I'm done. For today.

Putting Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars together might just be the smartest decision that CW is making. These two shows both have very vocal, very committed, very fanatic fanbases, and from the boards today, I've seen that there's quite a contingent from each show that are planning to add the other one to their must-see viewing. They're similar enough shows (from what I know) that they'll compliment each other and make a great night. As Alexis Bledel and Kristen Bell themselves said today, "Two Logans on one night!" It'll be the fight for the hottest Logan!

I've heard from many, many GG viewers that they're going to try and catch up on 2 seasons of VM over the summer to get ready for fall, and there are already some brave VM fans who are going to try and tackle 6 seasons of GG to get up to speed! Fortunately for them, ABCFamily's syndicated reruns just started at season 1, so they're ahead of the game there.

I'll be joining the ranks, I think. Janna has promised me (or I've promised her? I'm not sure) a 2-season VM marathon when I get back, so that I'll be ready for season 3 to start. I watched one episode this season, and even without knowing the cast, the back stories, or even the season's story arc, I was drawn in enough to be interested in watching more.

So--despite their terrible, terrible lineup (in many cases), this is a good thing.

And, just for fun, let's continue the Everwood vs. 7th Heaven list. Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Consistently strong acting for 4 seasons vs. Some strong scenes, but overall, a soapy quality to the acting

Plotlines and story arcs that have affected the show for the entire series vs. Too many tangents to keep track of

Characters that develop and grow organically, as a result of the aforementioned arcs vs. Flat characters that haven't gone as far

Topical episodes that fit into the overall storyline and feel organic vs. Topical episodes that seem contrived and forced, and sometimes preachy

At least half the episodes have me choking up, sometimes with tears running down my face, by the end vs. I don't think I've ever cried, and I cringe more often than not

A series synopsis that seems too cheesy to be good... but surprisingly isn't vs. A series synopsis that seems too cheesy to be good... and that's it

Sent to TWoP's "Permanent Hiatus" (they don't review it any more) because it was too well-written and well-acted, and they couldn't find enough to snark about vs. Sent to PH because there wasn't enough good stuff to fit around the snark

Okay--it's supper time. I've gotta run and get some supper into Lourenzo.

*sob* Bring back my Everwood, please? Please? I'm begging you!

(But the rest of you, who can't do anything about that, please keep my list going!)

And apparently, I can't leave well enough alone, because this is about the 4th time I've edited this post with new things to say. For a good response, however, check out Ausiello's interview with Dawn Ostroff at the CW Upfront today. Not cool. Not cool. That interview is actually making me very, very angry right now. Not just upset about the cancellation, but flat-out teed off at Dawn and the CW execs. Read the comments, though--there are some verrrry interesting observations there. Especially a couple of the links that the commenters left. Click on them.

More Upfronts News

2006-05-18T11:37:00.000-06:00

Someone at CW needs to be shot!

Worst entertainment decision ever: Bringing back an 11th season of 7th Heaven (it's the show that wouldn't die!!) instead of a 5th season of Everwood. Sigh. Why? Why?!

Intelligent TV vs. contrived plots
Solid acting vs. cheesy acting
Critically acclaimed vs. critically panned

Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars will be the Tuesday night lineup. Bedford Diaries didn't make the cut (moment of silence). Other than that, I don't really care, to be honest. Supernatural, One Tree Hill, and Smallville are all coming over from the WB, but I don't watch those, so... I don't care one way or the other.

Adina and I had our wishlist of shows to be brought over: GG, EW, BD, and Related. One for four? Sigh. Can we please determine the new network's lineup? We could do a better job.

And yes, I've had about 2 days to adjust to this news, so I'm not as sad as I was, but still...

The only consolation is that a) because of Everwood's schedule this season, their finale isn't until June, so they knew far enough in advance to shoot 2 versions of the finale--a season finale and a series finale. At least we'll get some closure and not a cliff-hanger (unlike some other shows I could name that get unexpectedly cut *cough*American Dreams*cough*), and b) maybe this will push them to get seasons 2 through 4 out on dvd sooner.

Upfront

2006-05-18T07:33:00.000-06:00

Man, I wish I didn't have to work today, so that I could go be fangirly and stalkerish and hang around Madison Square Garden for the CW's Upfronts, and try to do some celebrity sighting. That? Would be cool. And one of those completely Only-In-New-York experiences.

On a day like today

2006-05-16T13:10:00.000-06:00

I wore my Canada hoodie today, and three different people sang "O Canada" to me.

They were all, however, the pastors at my church. Not quite as much fun as random strangers.

You'd think I'd have a better entry than this after not posting for 4 days, but... not so much.

Oh! (not Canada). I am going out for coffee or something with Kim tonight, though, which is beyond exciting, since I haven't seen her in about 4 weeks. We just keep missing each other, being out of town on alternate weekends... I seriously don't think I've seen her since Easter Sunday.

I had to pull some music for a musical at work today, and I was looking for specific songs in specific keys... and let me tell you, it's been a while since I actually thought through which key signatures belong to which keys. I haven't played scales in a while, and when I play music, I go with the key signature, and with that, I don't actually have to think about the key itself. It took me a few minutes to get back into that mindset--seriously, it's been so long since I actually sat down and did any written theory.

So much more aware

2006-05-12T18:04:00.000-06:00

Just a little something I took from Janna...

My "Everybody Loves It And I Do Too" Show: Gilmore Girls? Everyone I know loves it, but maybe it's not quite in that "cultural phenomenon" category of popularity. Ummm. Will & Grace--I haven't watched it much in the past couple of seasons, but I'm watching the last few episodes, just because I've watched so many throughout the years. I do love it, though--there's some classic TV there. Scrubs. I don't think I know anyone who hates that show, and it's current, and I watch it every week. There--that's my definitive answer.

My "I'll Catch It on DVD" Show: American Dreams. I never watched it when it was on, but Adina's determined to get me hooked on it, so I've got season 1 on dvd, waiting to be watched. Now they just need to release seasons 2 and 3.

My "I LOVE IT AND YOU SHOULD TOO" Show: The Bedford Diaries. I know it was only on for 8 episodes, but I'm so disappointed that it (99% sure) won't be renewed for another season. If the WB and UPN weren't merging, it would, but with the merge... alas and alack, it's not. It wasn't that critically acclaimed, but I don't understand why--I loved it. It grabbed me within the first 2 episodes, and I cared about the characters right through to the very end. I hope they come out with at least those 8 episodes on dvd; if not, I'll just have to download them so I've got them for myself.

My "I Love, But Keep Missing, Dammit" Show: Everwood, although I guess my "keep missing" was more for seasons 2 and 3. I'm catching up on season 2 right now, but I'm fully ensconced in season 4. And probably, the only reason that I'm not as obsessive about this show as I am about GG is that it's not on TWoP anymore, so the forums aren't there. I could go find another online community to be a part of, but it's so much work to find a good one, and I'm not quite that invested yet. But still. Love, love, love this show.

My Guilty Pleasure Show: How I Met Your Mother. Definitely a cute one, and from what I hear, it's coming back for another season!

My "Comfort Food" Show: Friends. I've got 9 seasons on dvd, and there's something about a show that you can quote that's comforting, although I haven't watched nearly as many reruns this year as I have in the past 2 or 3 years.

My "I'll Never Abandon You, EVER" Show: Gilmore Girls. Until this season, I never thought it would have to go into this category, but with the number of people jumping ship lately, I have to throw my hat (you know, the one that looks nothing like Amy's, because I'm still kind of mad at her) in the ring and state for the record that I am forever and unequivocally committed to this show. I will hold onto my optimism and remain a die-hard fan until the very end.

Let's do what?

2006-05-11T12:42:00.000-06:00

Airport money always seems like it doesn't exist.

"Of course I need to grab a coffee during my layover!" "What do you mean, I don't really need that magazine for the plane?"

It's like vacation money in general: It doesn't really feel like you're spending it. And, in that spirit, I often let myself buy a book at the airport, even though I usually try not to buy books (even paperback) at full price.

This time, on my way back, I picked up The Time Traveller's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. Totally worth paying full price for. I've been meaning to read it for quite a while, but have never gotten around to signing it out of the library. Worth owning, though. Such a good book.

My latest pet peeve? People who snore in public. I don't mind if I'm actually sleeping in the same room as someone and they snore, but when people snore loudly on the train or bus or whatever, it really bugs me.

On Tuesday, I was on the bus to Adina's (yes, I took the bus out for the GG season finale), and the guy next to me was sawing logs, and it irritated me so much! I know people can't really help it, but still... it's my big pet peeve right now.

There was something else I wanted to say, but I have no idea what it was right now.

When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart

2006-05-09T10:57:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm going to attempt to write the second half of this entry, which I wrote at least a week and a half ago. Uh, yeah. This was supposed to be the next day's post, but it didn't quite work that way.

(Oh yeah, if you haven't seen them yet, scroll down for wedding pictures.)

So, I was talking about how the internet and the age of global connectivity has changed the entertainment industry in so many ways (read the post again if you forgot what I said...), and as I was thinking about that, a second implication hit me.

A few weeks ago, at my small group, we were talking about worship; specifically, ways that we worship in day-to-day life, and ways that we feel close to God. Thinking about it, I realized that this connection with TV shows (particularly my dissection and analysis of Gilmore Girls, but just because that's the one I'm most invested in right now--not by virtue of the show itself versus any other show) is, in a way, worship.

I know that sounds like an odd, and perhaps even self-contradictory, concept, but let me explain. In the show, I've become intimately acquainted with the characters and the storylines, and I can extrapolate the characters' actions and motivations to any given time within the show, and even outside the show--I've come to know them so well that I feel like I really know them, and I feel like I'm interacting with friends as I talk, think, and write about them.

Within the world of writing fanfic, I go even deeper, and draw a lot on my acting training to dissect their motivations and what they're doing, thinking, or feeling at any given time--like I've said several times before, writing fic is so similar to developing a character for a show, and it's one of the main ways I'm keeping my creative muscles limber this year.

I look at creating a character as an act of worship--I'm taking what makes us human and exploring it. Whether it's the good, the bad, or the in between, I'm looking at the parts of God's image that we were created in and how we tend to use that for good or for bad. I think that there's incredible intimacy in understanding human nature, and how we reflect or deflect the God-prints on our lives, and I think that understanding that helps us to understand God and his love more deeply. As I explore and dig into these relationships, loves, hates, frustrations, and beauty, I'm constantly struck by all the choices that we have, and how easily we can make such a huge difference one way or the other, with just a few choices.

I remember talking to Kat about this several years ago--at some point when we were living together--and realizing that we watch shows and view characters in different ways. She was a counselling major; I was a theatre major, and she viewed them from a psych standpoint; I did it from an emotional and motivational perspective. We looked at very similar aspects of the characters, but we approached them from different angles. Still, we came to the same conclusions--that understanding fictional characters helps us understand ourselves and our own relationships better, and by analyzing the people onscreen, we can see our own weaknesses and strengths in a way that we don't necessarily see when we're in the situation.

It's an interesting juxtaposition--we hear so much about the evils of TV and the fact that they can be a distraction from "real life" and what's truly important, and I agree--that can often be the case. But sometimes, TV and the media can be a reflection of life and a chance to examine it in a different way than "real life" allows.

Just a thought...

The heat of the future's glow

2006-05-08T20:29:00.000-06:00

I've got pictures!!

Thursday night, after the rehearsal, the girls went to Denny's (where else?) to hang out, and where else could I possibly give Laura her lingerie shower gift? I missed the shower, but the gift was just as good when given during a Denny's night! See, Laura used to wear a candy necklace all the time during high school, so when I went into Dylan's Candy Bar a few months ago and saw a bra and g-string made out of candy... well, there was really no other option.

The wedding was beautiful. Simple, elegant, classic. The wedding party was in bare feet for the ceremony--something that Laura has wanted at her wedding for as long as I've known her. She's always loved the symbolism of being barefoot on holy ground (a la Moses at the burning bush), and what ground is more holy than that celebrating and entering into a marriage covenant? Plus, it's a lot easier on the feet than some heels I've worn as a bridesmaid!

Laura and I before the ceremony (check out the dress--mine was falling down! Since I wasn't around for enough fittings, Mom sewed it too big, and so I had to have it pinned to various parts of me all day).

I had the coolest buddy of the wedding--and, seriously, Edwin is the coolest buddy I've had yet, for any wedding I've been a bridesmaid in. And, of course, this was the one where we spent the least time with our buddies. How disappointing. Ah well... what can you do?

Laura and Ed cutting the cake--the cakes had their engagement picture screened onto them, which was very cool. Horses and ranches, even on the cake! It made decorating easy, though. They had the ceremony and reception at the Cochrane Ranche House, and the room itself was decoration enough. Laura didn't need anything else, which meant that we didn't have to stay for half the night taking stuff down (a very nice choice on her part!).

Not only did I have the coolest wedding party partner--I also had the coolest dance partner...

... times two! (dancing with both Jakob and Aaron).

And, just for the cute factor...

Mommy and Auntie give Jakob kisses! Does it get any cuter than that? I don't think so.

So... it was a busy week, and somehow I managed to fit in the wedding (and rehearsal), as well as scheduled hang-out times with Kat, Laurel, Kim, Janna, Vanessa, and (sort of) Becky; plus random run-ins at the mall or at church with numerous other people--at least 6 at the mall, and then the people I got to talk to at the wedding or at church on Sunday morning. Not bad for five days, hey?

And then I spent today at home (after I got up at 6 to take Lourenzo to school!), slept, unpacked, and tried to recuperate. Of course, now that it's time for bed, I won't be able to, but that's the price I pay for not falling asleep at my desk at work, because I have no doubt that's where the day would have gone otherwise.

Gonna get married

2006-05-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

Awww... they're all married and stuff.

I've got many, many adorable pictures (including dancing with Jakes), but I'm almost on my way out the door for lunch, so I'll post those later. As I said, likely when I get back to NYC and get them onto my own computer.

It really was a beautiful wedding, though. So very "them," and I'm excited to post more when I get a chance.

I'm gonna get ya

2006-05-04T15:08:00.000-06:00

*sniff*

I don't want to talk about it.

I know I'm back in Calgary, though, because I went to the mall and managed to run into 6 people I know. Yes, that's definitely a sign that you're back in your hometown (and your home neighborhood).

And we're off. I'll post wedding pictures and stuff when I get back to New York, probably. I'm sure I'll post again before I leave on Sunday, but likely not until late tomorrow night or Saturday morning.

But Kim and I watched Rent last night, and that made me happy. I love that musical. And then Janna and I went out for lunch today, and that was fantastic. And I ran into Becky at the mall. And then... tomorrow I get to be Edwin's buddy all day, and if that's not the epitome of cool, I don't know what is.

Happy Blogging Birthday to Me!

2006-05-03T19:43:00.000-06:00

Today, May 3, 2006, marks my five-year anniversary in the blogsphere. Yes, five years. Somehow, without realizing it, I got caught on the first wave of a trend, for once in my life. Of course, that was completely unintentional--I'm not nearly cutting-edge enough to be purposely trendy; it's always a fluke.

And so, I've succumbed to the trend that actually not very many people that I know are following. So maybe I am being a leader. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm just writing these things down for myself, and no one will want to read them. But if you are reading this, and you do have some strange reason for being interested in my life, good luck! You never know what might appear here. I'll try to write something new often enough to keep all my adoring fans interested... And, if no one else ever reads this, I'll enjoy knowing that I had a place to vent.

Those were my first words, and since then, I've logged close to 2000 entries (apparently, all of my 2001 entries, when pasted into a Word document, make 150 pages. I can just imagine how many pages I've written altogether!). I still have the first blog I ever started, and it's still going, although slightly on hiatus right now. I've had several supplementary blogs in the meantime--a top-secret one during college that was used to vent about the things I couldn't post somewhere that people I knew could read; the ever-popular but now-defunct quotes page; The Spark, a group blogging community that I was a part of for a couple of years; the Gilmore Girls blog; and this one, my current day-to-day blog.

I've met people online through my blogging, I've gotten to meet some in person, I've kept up on other people's lives, I've felt like I've gotten to know people and their children and their lives, I've discovered great websites, I've started several real-life friends on their own blogs, and I've followed some of my favorite bloggers through three or four or more different addresses.

I've gone through phases where I posted numerous times a day, and phases where it's been only once every few days, although I try to keep once a day the status quo. I've written through the rehearsal processes and productions of many, many shows; I've complained about classes, papers, and finals; I've discussed work, graduation, and the future; I've ranted about friendships; I've recapped "what I did today"; I've posted through four NaNoWriMo's; and, above everything else, I've posted many, many vague entries that even I don't remember the specifics of now!

And perhaps one of the most significant things is that five years ago, I began using the online name "fulfilled" at my first blog, and that's the name that I've carried through to nearly every internet community I've been a part of since then. I never expected it to last this long, but I guess it's a name that I just didn't outgrow the same way I outgrew "babealicious2000," my first email address. I've had the name for so long and I've used it on so many communities that it now feels like another first name--when people that I feel like I know on some level address me, it's as fulfilled, not as Alida, so it's become almost another name that I answer to,

So... happy 5 year blogging birthday to me! I'm eating a Blizzard right now to celebrate. Actually, I'm eating a Blizzard because Kim and I wanted ice cream, but that's beside the point.

And, of course, the most important sentence that this post could contain:

GO FLAMES GO!!!

Take a bus, take a plane, take a train

2006-05-02T21:33:00.000-06:00

I'm here. And I've been awake for 22 hours and counting. I think I've hit my... third? fourth? wind by now. Or it might be the coffee I had on the way home from Kat and Aaron's house. Or a combination of all of the above.

It's good, though. Kat, Laurel, Jakes, and I went to Madison's for an early dinner, and then I went back to Casa Reinhardt to hang out with all the cool people who live there--Kat, Aaron, Jakes, and Edwin. And Brandon, but he's not quite as cool. :o)

Still. Jakes remembers me, which is always what I'm worried about when I come back. Four months is a long time for an almost-two-year-old, and I'm always afraid that I'll come back and he'll start to play strange with me. He just looked at me with a really intense look for a minute, like, "I'm supposed to know you, but I can't quite figure out why," but he had it pretty soon, and then we were inseparable for the rest of the evening. Awww. I miss my Jakes when I don't get to watch him grow up. Every time I see him, he's so much more little boy and so much less baby.

Anyways. The flight was good, the travel was good, and then I sat around the house in my underwear while Mom did a dress fitting for me. Heh.

All five of us are sleeping under one roof. Now that's rare these days. Of course, sleeping is about the only thing we're all doing under the same roof at the same time, but still--for those five hours a day that we overlap (at least, for a few nights), we're all in one place at one time.

Of course, of the 5 nights I'm in Calgary, I'm spending at least 2 of them away from the farm. But that's what a whirlwind trip like this is all about.

Playin' with your toys

2006-05-01T14:09:00.000-06:00

Oh my freakin' goodness. Today is May first. Seriously, where have four months gone already?!

Laura's wedding is on Friday; I leave tomorrow morning at 8 for Calgary. Busy, busy week, but oh so much fun.

Alexandra and Lourenzo sung "Happy Birthday" to me in the bathroom yesterday morning. Yes, three weeks late; yes, in the bathroom. I've never claimed that anything in my life was normal...

I never, ever learn, do I? I was thinking this morning that I should have called out of work today, gone home while Lourenzo was at school, and finished laundry and packing, but I didn't, and now I've still got a bunch of stuff to finish tonight.

And then... tomorrow morning... way too early... I make my way to JFK, and away I go.

But now, I've got to get ready to leave work and go get Lourenzo. I haven't forgotten the second half of the post from a few days ago--it's still in there, and it'll be up sometime soon. Tonight, maybe, if I get the packing done early enough!

You're not supposed to come, and sit and watch

2006-04-27T20:59:00.000-06:00

Funny how the last few days before leaving are always the busiest. Have I already said that? I can't remember. If I have, it wasn't this week, so I can say it again. Tomorrow, I've got a "short" day, since I pick Lourenzo up at 2:50 instead of 5:00, so I'm not in the office at all. I've still got a ton of stuff to pick up before I leave, so tomorrow's going to be a major (major) shopping day. I seriously can't believe how much I have to bring with me--I went to a card store the other day to pick up some birthday cards and so on, and left with about 10 cards! It's insanity, I tell you!

Anyways... Saturday during the day is my usual Lourenzo stuff, and then Saturday evening, Naomi and I are going to do something for her birthday (well, kind of both combined, since we didn't do anything for mine), because hers is on May 3. Sunday, I've got church, and I'm in the nursery, and then I'm going to Jersey for the afternoon/evening to hang out with Adina. Monday is a normal Lourenzo/office day, and then Tuesday morning, I fly out at 8, which means leaving for the airport really early. How early depends on whether I want to spring for a car or take the subway.

You know, for all the wonderful things about NYC's public transport, getting to the airport isn't the easiest. Not to JFK, anyways.

Somewhere in there, I've got to do laundry, pack, clean the bathroom and my bedroom, and make sure all the little stuff is in order, too. Ah, but it's fun. I complain about the minutae, but I love travelling.

Two things to post about, but I think I'll only get to one tonight--it's late, and I need sleep.

It's amazing how much the internet and technology has changed entertainment, and, in some ways, made it much more difficult for show creators.

I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, when I was on the Gilmore Girls chat boards, analyzing an episode to death, talking about the very specific details of the characters, their personalities, the continuity of tiny details that are mentioned in the show, the things that don't jive with a throwaway comment from 5 years ago... and I realized that this is a relatively new issue for show creators to have to deal with. Before the advent of VCR's, even, when people could watch a show over and over, it was a "watch it once, enjoy it (or don't), and wait for a re-run". That's it. People didn't know episode titles, couldn't really cross-reference the show with previous episodes, and certainly didn't have the same forums for discussion.

Contrast that to now, when we have every episode on dvd, we can access transcripts online, there are screencaps to analyze very specific details, and we have hundreds of people, from all over the world, dissecting these characters and this show. Nothing--and I mean nothing--happens without someone having a say in it. A character has a specific intonation of a line? It's picked apart. There's a new outfit? It means something. They mention something that contradicts a fact we were given in season 1? Everyone notices.

In many ways, the experience of being slightly fanatical about a TV show is a cumulative experience, much more than it ever has been before. We don't watch the episode and move on to the next one; we watch it and it builds onto a base of what we know and have in front of us all the time. It's constantly in the "now," and it differs from real life in that we're able to watch the present alongside the past, and see the vivid examples of change, in ways that are impossible to do in real life, where time goes on, and we don't have the ability to see it all side-by-side like that.

I think it makes it harder on show creators--I think that it means that the expectations are much higher now than they've ever been. It's expected that the universe they create will always be consistent with itself and consistent with the world around it, and when they slip up, it's not shaken off or forgotten. Ever. It may be overlooked; it may be "unimportant," but it's noticed.

And as for the community... the "watercooler" to discuss shows around has become so much larger than the few people at the office who watch the same things. It's worldwide; it includes people who are watching for the first time, and people who have been following since day one. It has every opinion under the sun, and every love or hate of any given character.

And yet, when you find the right one, it provides intelligent discussion, the opportunity to examine human nature and relationships more deeply, and a true community that becomes supportive of so much more than just a TV show.

It's just interesting, that's all. Sure, I watch more shows than I dissect that thoroughly, but the ones I enjoy the most are the ones I'm most invested in. The ones I watch with an eye for more than being entertained are the ones that tend to really touch me and make me think--and it's a symbiotic relationship. I get invested because they touch me on some level; and because I'm invested and devote more time to it, it continues to touch me on a deeper level and I always get more out of it... which will lead nicely into the second thing I wanted to talk about, but that's for tomorrow.

Until the cows come home

2006-04-25T12:39:00.000-06:00

Can I just tell you how hilarious I think it is that footless tights under skirts are back? Especially the lace-trimmed ones. I was taken crashing back to my childhood when I saw a display in a store today.

Ladies and gentlemen, The 80's.

(Are they back in style anywhere but NYC yet? Just out of curiousity...)

Of course he isn't

2006-04-23T10:46:00.000-06:00

Poor gecko. Lourenzo is back, and he's trying to make up for lost time.

Birthday present was a hit--I decided that the BBC "Narnia" movies are too much of a travesty, so I bought the Disney version on dvd for Lourenzo. Much better. I'll watch that one over and over and over with him.

We're no exception

2006-04-22T15:23:00.000-06:00

Wanna know something funny?

On Wednesday night, at Phantom, I was sitting next to a mother and son--he looked like he was about 18 or so--who had a very interesting and intellient discussion about the show, critiquing the acting and (moreso) the singing of individual actors, as well as the production in general. And, it was actually really cool to hear what they were talking about during the intermission and before and after the show... Afterwards, I commented on it to them, and they apologized for talking; I said that it was nice (especially since they weren't actually talking during the show); they said that they'd seen it several times. Interesting little conversation, and a nice way to enjoy the show.

Yesterday afternoon/evening, we went to the Empire State Building, and at the end of the day, Mom and I were heading back down, and we were in line for the elevator back to the bottom, when I saw someone who looked very familiar, and Mom noticed someone looking at me like they knew me.

It was my "Phantom" buddies, in line, heading back down from the top, too! Turns out they're in town from Houston until Sunday, and we just happened to be at the ESB at the same time. And of the thousands of people who go up in a day, and the millions of people in the city, we managed to be in the same place at the same time, and we actually recognized each other. How utterly bizarre.

Apparently, it even happens with strangers.

Next door, there's an old man, lived to his nineties

2006-04-20T21:25:00.001-06:00

So, apparently, my parents come to town, and I cease to communicate with the outside world.

My excuse is that we've been out of the house all day, and I've only been at work for a couple of hours, so, for the most part, I've been away from a computer until way too late at night, and trust me--you don't really want to hear that.

Ah, it's beautiful. Hot, sunny today. It's supposed to rain on the weekend, but the days that I've been outside have been fantastic.

Anyways, I feel like a tourist. Thank Mom for that--she's the one who likes to plan everything about the trip.

We saw Phantom last night. It's a better play than it is movie, but it couldn't be done justice in a smaller venue with a smaller budget. It needs the big bucks. I liked Patrick Wilson as Raoul (in the movie) better than Michael Shawn Lewis. I liked Emmy Rossum (movie)'s singing better than Rebecca Pitcher (stage), but Emmy can't act her way out of a paper bag, so I liked Rebecca's character development and acting much better. I liked Howard McGillin (stage) as the Phantom better than Gerard Butler (movie), but Michael Crawford's soundtrack beat them both.

That's the review in a nutshell.

And now I've updated.

With a mighty triumph o'er his foes

2006-04-16T21:33:00.000-06:00

He is Risen!

He is Risen, indeed!

It's been a good--great--Easter Sunday, starting with the weather (warm, sunny, balmy, green). I just... it's my favorite.

Easter Sunday at church was fun and fantastic... Ryan, Allison, and I spent second service (since we'd all gone to the first) standing in the foyer, talking about the old hymns that we used to sang, and we even did our own little rendition of "Up from the grave he arose (he arose)..." and "Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea (the rolling sea)..." Such fun. I enjoy being around people who appreciate old hymns, and who can poke fun at them with just the right combination of reverence and playfulness and mockery.

(That's an important combination to have in any mockery of the past--it's not about making fun; it's about knowing your subject matter well enough to be allowed to make fun of it.)

Anyways. Tonight, we had a big orphan potluck--about 20 of us piled into Faith's apartment, Nate made a ham, and the rest of us brought potluck-y dishes, and we all sat around on the floor and ate lots and lots of food. Good times.

The mentality of getting a new Easter dress still holds true, even when you're a transplanted New Yorker in your 20's. No, there were no frilly dresses, flower-covered hats, or white gloves, but a significantly higher percentage of the girls at church were wearing skirts this morning than usual. Something about Easter Sunday...

I booked my tickets home for Laura and Ed's wedding! I'll get into Calgary at 11:10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2 (which is only 2 weeks away--I hadn't realized it was that soon!), and I leave at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday the 7th, which means that I get to go to first service at Foothills before I have to go to the airport!

Laura gets dibs on me from Tuesday through Friday, but once I know my schedule with her, I can start planning the rest of the week. I know that I've already got a birthday dinner with Kat and Laurel, a birthday dinner for my mom, and some individual hang-out time with Kat and Kim, but other than that... if you want to do something, email me now, because I have a feeling I'm going to book a lot of the week before I leave (as opposed to Christmas, where I had no solid plans, and everything was very fluid).

It's going to be a fun five days... :o)