What? I said I had a LiveJournal

A Random Act of Kindness

2007-04-19T05:14:48Z

I drove to work this morning.

Now, in general, I shouldn't drive to work; it's much, much cheaper to take the train. But I like having my car with me as soon as the day ends. It's dumb, because I probably spend as much time in traffic as I would sitting on the train; but somehow, I like the control of having the car. (I also like the silence in my passenger seat, and the lack of people sitting on my hip, but that's probably my growing hermit tendencies.)

But anyway, the driving to work is sort of incidental to this entry. Normally, I, like every other driver in Massachusetts at 8 AM, get very cranky because people do randomly stupid ass things and just get in my way.

As you all know, today was the 3,216th cold and rainy day in a row. That, combined with the events of the world, have combined to put pretty much everyone I know into kind of a rotten mood. I am not immune to this condition, I hasten to add. I think the cast is actually becoming afraid of me.

But then something happened.

I was driving down Trapelo Road, and I saw a bus.

This is not unusual. THere are a lot of busses on Trapelo Road. But this one was doing something different.

It was just sitting there.

Then I saw a woman running towards it.

And realized - to my complete shock - that the busdriver was waiting for her!

This woman was running hell for leather down the street, her umbrella was inverting, and she was wearing silly shoes. Normally the bus would peel out leaving her to suck in exhaust fumes.

But not today. The bus driver waited for her! I was stunned. And then, I realized I was actually smiling. Now, I'm sure that some person on that bus was bitching and grumbling and moaning about it. Me?

It put me in a good mood for the rest of the morning.

My only regret was that I didn't note his bus number, because I would have written the MBTA a note telling them how cool I thought that was.

I'm not sure what it says about my expectations or the world in general that this tiny, stupid thing made me so happy. I don't want to analyze that too much, because it will probably kill my buzz.

But for three solid hours, all was right with the world.

Until the jackass down the hall yelled at me about something remarkably stupid.

Publicity

2007-01-10T07:45:23Z

So, come see the show! And we still desperately need box office volunteers, which means you see the show for free!

Hovey Players Presents:
The Woman in Black

By Stephen Mallatratt

Directed by Kristin Hughes

Arthur Kipps, a middle-aged lawyer, hires a theater and its actor/manager to help him re-enact and ideally exorcise a ghostly event that he believes has haunted his life. At first, Kipps is hesitant; but he and the actor work together to bring the story to life, using the theatrical effects left from other productions. Kipps, coached by the actor, portrays a variety of roles, as the events he narrates begin to come to life on the stage. The actor portrays the young Kipps, sent to an isolated location to settle the estate of an elderly recluse - where he encounters the Woman in Black. Through a series of events, he learns her tragic story - and how it may affect him.

Performances: January 12, 13, 19, 20 , 25, 26, and 27, 2007, at 8:00 pm and January 21 at 2:00 pm

Tickets $15.00 -- Seniors $13.00, or work box office for free!

Today's a holiday, right?

2006-07-04T14:29:01Z

Maybe I'm once again betraying my age, but isn't today a holiday?

If so, why are all the stores open? I just called the supermarket. Not only are they open, they're open their regular hours.

Doesn't that strike anyone else as a bit strange? I swear, when I was a kid, nothing was open on the 4th of July. Or any other holiday. Now I think the only days you can't go to the mall are Thanksgiving and Christmas...

God. I sound like my grandfather.

I haven't done one of these in a while.

2006-07-03T17:09:28Z

Food Entry.

So, dinner went well. I tried three new recipes, and was still remarkably stress free (that's what happens when you're up early, and finish the actual cooking part early, I guess). And my apartment looks fantastic, if I do say so myself.

The menu included
White Bean Dip with Vegetables and Pita Chips
Salsa
Chilled Watercress Soup
Grilled Steak Salad with Green Beans and Blue Cheese
Key Lime Bars (July 2006 Cooks Illustrated - it's a pay site, comment/email if you want the recipe).

Changes and additions
- Watercress Soup
I substituted half and half and only one 3/4 lb potato for the whipping cream and the 1.25 pounds of russets. The soup is tasty, though not South Beach approved. I may experiment again with cauliflower and plain yogurt, to see if I can get the consistency and keep it South Beach friendly. And I'll definitely put in more watercress next time; I wanted more of that bite.

- Steak Salad changes
Nothing too dramatic here, except I don't have a grill. So I put a crust on the steaks of crushed peppercorns and kosher salt (I have some four peppercorn blend) and pan seared them. I also added red peppers and cucumber to the salad, and used a lettuce mix instead of just arugula. Very tasty, and South Beach approved. I cooked two steaks, but we only ate one, so I have an entire steak that I can use for other meals.

- Key Lime Bars
Wow, were these fantastic - and so easy! As you'd guess from the name, they're Key Lime Pie in bar form. The crust is crushed animal crackers, the filling is 2 oz of cream cheese, a LOT of lime juice and zest, sweetened condensed milk, and one egg yolk. Sooo amazing. Great for summer, too, because they're very light. I'm going to have to get them out of my apartment, or I'll eat all that's left. They're calling my name as we speak. And they're sooo not Beach approved.

Boy, do I love to cook.

Wow.

2006-06-21T01:07:20Z

I think I found the perfect ice cream flavor.
Mayan Chocolate.

This is what the website says:
"Inspired by the original chocolate crafted by the Mayans more than 2500 years ago, we blend rich dark chocolate with a hint of cinnamon for a magical Mayan offering."

What I say?

"Chocolate crack!"

It's unbe-frickin-lievable. And addictive. I'm now eating gazpacho in a desperate attempt to persuade my taste buds that I don't want to eat the entire pint.

lurknomore @ 2006-06-16T16:17:00

2006-06-16T20:39:50Z

Baaaaa. Baaaaa. Baaaaa 1 How old do you wish you were?
I guess a few years younger.

2) Where were you when 9/11 happened?
Watching Good Morning America. Drove into work anyway, listening to NPR; and then we watched TV all day.

3) What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
Curse and kick the machine.

4) Do you consider yourself kind?
I hope so, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not.

5) If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be?
Ankle. But I wanted to stop getting my ears pierced halfway through, so it's not gonna happen.

6) If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?
Chinese.

7) Do you know your neighbors?
No. Well, my landlord. Sort of.

8) What do you consider a vacation?
A week where I don't have to go to work.

9) Do you follow your horoscope?
Nope. Wish I'd paid attention to the last psychic I visited, though.

10) Would you move for the person you loved?
Yes. Or to get away from him.

11) Are you touchy feely?
Not at all - until I hit 30. Then I got all comfortable with it. Kind of odd, actually.

12) Do you believe that opposites attract?
Attract? Sure. Last? No. But I do believe in the compatibility of neuroses. They shouldn't be the same, but they should complement each other. What's that line from rent? "I've got baggage too, I'm just looking for baggage that goes with mine."

13) Dream job?
Theater manager.

14) Favorite channel(s)?
Food Network, NESN (during Red Sox season), and Turner Classic Movies.

15) Favorite place to go on weekends?
The mall.

16) Showers or Baths?
Shower.

17) Do you paint your nails?
Toes, during the summer.

18) Do you trust people easily?
Sure. Unless they're evil.

19) What are your phobias?
Power tools.

20) Do you want kids?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I do want a dog, though.

21) Do you keep a handwritten journal?
No.

22) Where would you rather be right now?
On the beach of a Carribean island being handed a frosty colored drink by a handsome man.

23) What makes you feel warm and fuzzy?
Reading a book with my cat on my lap.

24) Heavy or light sleeper?
Light. And infrequent.

25) Are you paranoid?
Er, I don't think so.

26) Are you impatient?
Yes. Fools and pompous fools, take note.

27) Who can you relate to?
Most people.

28) How do you feel about interracial couples?
Are they happy? I'm happy.

29) Have you been burned by love?
No, but I've been frozen by its departure.

30) What's your favorite pick-up line?
I have no idea.

31) What's your main ring tone on your mobile?
I leave the phone on vibrate, baby.

32) What were you doing at midnight last night?
Watching Dan and Todd sing something at the Thirsty.

33) What did the last text on your cellphone say?
Someone's phone number that I had to call at that instant.

34) Whose bed did you sleep in last night?
I crashed on the sofa, actually. I do that alot lately.

35) What color shirt are you wearing?
Aquamarine?

36) Most recent movie you watched?
X Men 3.

37) Name three things you have on you at all times?
I'm not consistent enough to actually answer that.

38.) What color are your bed sheets?
Pale green.

39) How much cash do you have on you right now?
$15.

40) What is your favorite part of the chicken?
mmmm. Chicken.

41) What's your favorite town/city?
London

42) I can't wait till:
5:15 PM when I can leave.

43) Who got you to join LJ?
I think it was actually a message board, but I didn't start using regularly until MTG came back into my life.

44) What did you have for dinner last night?
Jicama/Pepper slaw and Italian Meatballs from Whole Foods.

45) How tall are you barefoot?
5'5"? Around?

47) Do you own a gun?
Er, no. Well, I own a ray gun, but I don't think that counts. And I have two epees in the car, but those aren't mine.

48) What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Non fat latte with an extra shot.

49) What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
I have no idea. At the moment, it appears to be sitting alone on a bar stool.

56) Where do you think you'll be in 10 years?
I'd love to say retired, but that's unlikely.

57) Last thing you ate?
A peppermint lifesaver.

58) What songs do you sing in the shower?
I don't sing in the shower unless I'm trying to learn lyrics for a show.

59) Last thing that made you laugh?
Todd and Dan singing karaoke.

60) Worst injury you've ever had?
I cut my foot pretty badly when I was a kid.

61) Does someone have a crush on you?
No one ever has a crush on the crazy bitter bitch at the end of the bar.

62) What's your favorite candy?
Cinnamon redhots.

63) What song do you want played at your funeral?
Probably Amazing Grace.

Choices, choices.

2006-06-14T14:12:00Z

I have two options.

1. Go back on South Beach, start hitting the gym, and lose that last 20 pounds.

2. Put the 30 pounds I lost back on.

Because right now, my clothes drive me crazy! And buying new ones isn't the picnic I thought it would be. I'm RIGHT BETWEEN sizes right now in shirts. The large is often a wee bit tight, and the XL is just a hair too big.

I'm wearing a brand new XL Sigrid Olsen sweater (that I got for $10!) and the damn thing is sliding off my shoulders. Oops. Whereas the L Michael Kors sweater ($20!) I wore yesterday was probably too snug for work.

Such a dilemma.

One's probably the only real option, right?

What's the borderline between multitasking and insanity?

2006-05-18T17:04:13Z

So, I forgot (until last weekend) that I'm going on in one Midsummer performance. Small role, but still. Oops.

That's in addition to stage managing it in two venues, attempting to do prep work for Liaisons (the Babson stage is like, three times the size of Hovey's so we're re-working some stuff to use more areas of the stage and kill most of the set changes between scenes), and attempting to hold down a job.

I think I want to just do one thing for a while in addition to the job. Maybe just be IN a show. I can't remember the last time I only had one position on a show I worked on. I'm usually in it, on prod staff, or on dir staff and filling an additional prod staff position, or working on multiple shows simultaneously.

So, goal for summer: ONE SHOW. ONE POSITION. I'd also like to, oh, I dunno. Go on a date. Which would, I suppose, require meeting someone who it was appropriate to date.

Not sure how to work that one out on my own, exactly.

She lives!

2006-03-14T07:23:41Z

I just realized it's been over a month since I updated. Huh.

Interesting month. I went to a slew of unsuccessful auditions. Not unsuccessful in that I was displeased with them, but unsuccessful in the sense that I wasn't cast. I'd forgotten exactly how fierce the competition is for roles out in the world. So this spring I will be stage managing Hovey's production of Midsummer Night's Dream. Should be interesting: I haven't stage managed in about ten years, and we're performing in two venues, on entirely different sets - so we have two tech weeks.

Buried Child is underway. I am NOT a fan of the play, which makes absolutely no sense to me. I am, however, a huge fan of the dead baby skeleton that wendyhouse and I collaborated on. It's just the right blend of creepy and realistic. Fun story about the leg we built: we were convinced - convinced! - that it had to be structural so that the actor could walk on it. So we built it that way. Until I was driving home with the contraption in my backseat and it dawned on me that uh, no it really didn't need to be walked on. Luckily, the actor and the director agreed with us when we presented that idea. I also question the logic of doing a play that requires corn to be husked onstage in March in New England. I've overspent my props budget by a factor of four. (It was a really, really small budget, though.)

Full Monty opened and closed at Turtle Lane. I house managed half the performances, but didn't get around to seeing it until the closing performance. I like the show very much, and the production was very good. Well cast, good performances, funny, and great choreography. I did feel that some of the smaller moments were missed, though (the relationships between Jerry and his ex-wife and son could have been better delineated), and now I want to direct the show.

And the best news - Liaisons is going to EMACT! Well, we've put in an application, at any rate. We're taking Act II. It will be interesting and exciting and all sorts of other -ings, as we'll need to restage some of it for a larger venue, and work rehearsals around the Dream schedule (Valmont is playing Bottom and Merteiul is Titania).

Updates should become more frequent, and may occasionally include television related content. (My squeeing inner fangirl is all excited about last night's West Wing, and there's new Veronica Mars this week, and TAR just started and American Idol and Dr. Who!!!! and lord only knows what else...)

lurknomore @ 2006-02-08T09:50:00

2006-02-08T14:59:17Z

The universe is conspiring to keep me humble. One must remind oneself that this is a good thing.

Liaisons was so successful I somehow expected things to keep going that well.

Since then -

AFD rejected me as a director.
Turtle Lane rejected me as an actress (Well, not technically. But I have no interest in the General in Guys and Dolls, especially not for a six week run when I could make more money and probably have a better time house managing. So, not even a callback.)
Concord is full up and can't even interview me as a potential director for next season.

And I think there was some other rejection somewhere, but I've already blocked it out.

Which raises the question - what rejection should I seek out next?

Hmmm. So much theater, so little time...

Reason #2,342 why I love the theater

2006-02-07T16:59:52Z

2,342. Long email chains about the availability of corn in the cob (on the husk, in March) and viable substitutions for chewing tobacco. Complete with remarkably erudite emails from the Royal National Theater.

Beef jerky, anyone? How about seaweed?

Accckpt!

2006-02-03T16:32:42Z

So much for my ticket saying Urinetown.

Y'all are reserved out! Anyone got an extra ticket for tonight?

Anyone? Bueller?

One from the Random file

2006-01-24T17:41:52Z

So I just got off the phone with Turtle Lane about a couple of things and got this random nugget, "If you're ever interested in stage managing let me know."

So far I've acted in their shows, expressed interest in directing there, and house managed.

I have no idea how that translated for the general manager into me stagemanaging Guys and Dolls - especially when the director already asked me to audition, but hey. It's flattering, I guess. Not bad money, either. If anyone who reads this is qualified and interested, let me know and I'll put you in touch.

Liaisons continues to rock my world. There are still tickets for this weekend, so CALL NOW. You won't be sorry.

In other news, I seriously need to find and propose something for next season at Hovey. By Tuesday. Last year I was really torn between Stoppard's The Real Thing and Liaisons - should I go back to that? Other possible options: An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, Arms and the Man by G.B. Shaw, or The Hollow by Agatha Christie, all things I've suggested other places. But none of them really set my world on fire. I'm stuck. I would really like to find a good, fun comedy, as Hovey always gets lots of 'serious' plays and they are usually looking for submissions to balance all the angst. (Take a look at this season - Liaisons is at the light end of the scale for them.) But nothing comes to mind. I guess comedy really is hard.

Suggestions welcome. Keep in mind that Hovey's a basement. Liaisons worked, but it took a lot of work to get it there.

Wow.

2006-01-19T19:33:36Z

OK, he doesn't like the play, and he has quibbles with one performer.

But, damn. It's a good thing I already got turned down by the Arlington Friends for next season, or my ego would require its own room.

Latest review is up, this one from the Metrowest Daily News.

Three astonishingly positive reviews. It's enough to make a girl giddy.

It's SHOWTIME....

2006-01-04T21:04:04Z

Ahem:

Please come. This should be an excellent show. The cast rocks my world on a nightly basis at rehearsal. It's a small house - 45 seats, so reserve early!

Les Liaisons Dangereuses
BY CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON
Directed by Kristin Hughes

Opens January 13 and runs through January 28, 2006

The plot: Boiling beneath the elegant surface of this scintillating study of
sexual politics set on the eve of the French Revolution are the deviously
twisted sensibilities of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont a
pair of schemers (and former lovers) who take pleasure in coolly manipulating
and seducing those around them. The Marquise challenges the Vicomte to seduce
the virtuous Madame de Tourvel but when he finds himself genuinely falling in
love with his intended prey, the game quickly turns fatal--with devastating
consequences for everyone involved. Dangerous Liaisons is decidedly wicked fun!

The Cast includes: Melissa Sine as Madame de Murteiul, Jason Beals as Vicomte de
Valmont, Sara Jones as Madame de Tourvel, Anne Freund as Cecile de Volanges,
Leslie Wagner as Madame De Volanges, Andy O'Kane as Chevalier de Danceny, Chris
Wagner as Azolan, Kristin Shoop as Emilie, and Sandi McDonald as Madame de
Rosemonde.

Performances
January 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28, 2006 at 8pm with the
January 22 at 2 PM.

Hovey Players is
located at the Abbott Theatre, Joel's Way, 9 Spring Street, in Waltham. Tickets
are $15, Seniors/Students $13. For reservations, please call (781) 893-9171.

Everyone who attends our opening night performance on Friday, January 13th, is
cordially invited to the opening night party, which will be held at Baan Thai
Restaurant, located at 659 Main Street in Waltham, a 5-minute walk from Hovey.
Please join us for complimentary refreshments, cash bar, and meet our cast and
crew.

So good, so good, so very very good.

2005-12-27T20:12:57Z

I made a new dessert for Christmas dinner this year:

Double Chocolate Torte

Man, was it awesome. Normally I don't love a dessert I baked myself - my tastebuds don't work right, or something.

This was to die for.

The bottom cake layer was dense, moist, and like a quality brownie. The mousse layer was very rich and creamy. I put the whipped cream on; I skipped the currants and the glaze, but put raspberries on individual slices (my brother's anti-fruit).

Just, wow. You like to bake? You like chocolate cake? This is the cake to make. The best news is that you can make it at least a day ahead of time.

I want to have a dinner party just so I can make it again...

"Father Christmas, give us your money"

2005-12-21T16:30:29Z

I have no Christmas spirit this year. I'm just not into it.

The stores aren't bad though. Everyone's in a pretty good mood, and the lines aren't obscene, and the parking's been doable. But even though the process hasn't been horrific, Christmas shopping has been a bit... bleaurgh. I'm not remotely excited about any present I bought for anyone. So I haven't wrapped what I bought, because even the shiny wrapping paper and ribbon aren't getting me excited.

I've done no baking because I've been so sick I don't want to bake whatever I have into the stuff I make for people.

I have no Christmas tree, because getting one on your own is kind of a pain - especially when you're sick.

I have insomnia and a cough that hasn't gone away and which today seems actively worse.

We finally signed the last of the divorce papers on Sunday night; I assume they were mailed out Monday morning, but I haven't checked with him yet. We expect a court date in February/March sometime, and then the final decree some multiple of 30 days after that. On both occasions I expect to go out and raise a glass to something-or-other.

I also have new jeans. Calvin Klein, dark wash, that fit and are only a size 14! (Still much larger than I want to be, but the last pair of jeans I bought were a size 16W. So this is an awesome thing!! Makes the french fries I ate last night seem even easier to resist the next time I go to the mall.)

Things left to do:
1. Wrap stuff and mail it to Virginia
2. Make Peppermint Bark to include with wrapped stuff mailed to Virginia
3. Buy something for my brother and father, the men who are impossible to buy for.
4. Find out if I'm on tap for any cooking/baking for Christmas Eve and or Day from my mom.
5. Mail props list and furniture list for Liaisons and find out if we've got builds over the holidays.
6. Buy a Christmas CD that doesn't suck. Much as I love the Nickelodeon Cartoon Christmas, I need something else. Anyone who has recommendations, leave a comment.

lurknomore @ 2005-12-16T11:23:00

2005-12-16T16:47:55Z

We ran Act I last night. Went pretty well, although now that we have the chaise I think I need to cut a chair and rework a couple of things. I'm going to upgrade my account so I can put the purty purty publicity pictures out.

Still completely gone on Zach and Kendall on All My Children. They're killing me, people. I got all sniffly. Check this out:

Zach: I love you. And I don't want this marriage to end. It's as simple as that. And I know, you don't want me in your life, I get that, I accept it, and I'm not telling you this to change your mind.

Kendall: Well, then why are you telling me this?

Zach: Because I want you to know where I stand.

Kendall: Well, I don't know where you stand. I mean, you tell me that you love me, you say that you don't want our marriage to end, but you're not lifting a finger to fight for me.

Zach: And I won't. The whole world's pressuring you to do what they want to do. You know, everyone knows what's best for kendall, but no one's asking you. No one is trusting you to know what you want and what's best for you. Well, I do. I trust you. I -- I believe in you, your mind, and your judgment. And how could I know your heart better than you do? I don't. I can't.

Kendall: That makes you the only person who has ever believed that I know what I'm doing.

Don't look at me like that. It was beautiful, dammit. They underplayed the hell out of it, and it worked beautifully.

Meme, gakked from someone on greenlily's f-list.

You say you LOVE Musical Theater/Broadway? Let’s see how much. Next to each show put one of the following.

* (X) If you have heard of the show
* (CD) If you own/listen to the CD/Cassette
* (LIB) If you own the libretto
* (SEEN) If you have seen the show (Professional, Community Theater, etc) If you’ve seen it more than once write the number after SEEN
* ("Your Part") If you have been in it (put your particular part)

Leave it BLANK if none of the options apply ...

1776: ("Abigail Adams")
42nd Street: X
A Chorus Line: (SEEN - 3)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: ("Domina")
A Little Night Music: ("Charlotte"; "Liebeslieder")
All Shook Up: X
Allegro: X
Altar Boyz: X
Annie Get Your Gun: SEEN - 2
Annie: (SEEN)
Anything Goes: ("Reno Sweeney"; directed)
Aspects of Love: X
Assassins: (SEEN 5)
Avenue Q: CD
Barnum: X
Beauty and the Beast: CD
Big: (SEEN and hated)
Blast:
Bombay Dreams: X
Brigadoon: (LIB)
Bye Bye Birdie: ("Chorus")
Cabaret: (SEEN)
Camelot: X
Carousel: (SEEN)
Cats: X
Celebration: X
Chess: X
Chicago: (SEEN, 2)
Children of Eden: X
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: X
Cinderella: SEEN
Company: ("Joanne"(4);"Susan")
Contact: SEEN
Damn Yankees: SEEN
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: X
Dreamgirls: X
Evita: (SEEN 3)
Falsettoland: (LIB)
Fame: X
Fiddler on the Roof: ("Golde")
Flora the Red Menace: (SEEN)
Flower Drum Song: X
Follies: (SEEN -3)
Footloose: X
Forbidden Broadway: (SEEN)
Fosse: X
Godspell: ("Turn Back, O Man")
Grease: (SEEN)
Guys and Dolls: (SEEN - 4? 5?)
Gypsy: ("Chorus")
Hair: (LIB - and man, is it bad)
Hairspray: (SEEN)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch: X
Hello Dolly: ("Ensemble")
High Society: (SEEN)
How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: (Directed)
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change: (SEEN)
In My Life:
Into the Woods: (SEEN - 5?)
Irene: X
Jekyll and Hyde: X
Jersey Boys: X
Jesus Christ Superstar: (SEEN 4)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat: (SEEN)
Kiss Me Kate: (SEEN- 3)
Kiss of the Spiderwoman: X
La Boheme: (SEEN)
La Cage Aux Folles: (SEEN)
Les Miserables: (X)
Lestat:
Little Shop of Horrors: (SEEN too many times)
Loot:
Mame: ("Cousin Fan"/Ensemble)
Mamma Mia: (SEEN)
Man of La Mancha: ("Ensemble")
March of the Falsettos: (LIB)
Me and My Girl: X
Miss Saigon: (SEEN)
Movin’ Out: X
My Fair Lady: (SEEN)
Nine: (SEEN)
No, No Nanette: X
Nunsense: (SEEN 2) CD
Of Thee I Sing: X
Oklahoma: (SEEN 4)
Oliver!: (Crew)
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever: X
On the Town: (SEEN)
Once Upon a Mattress: ("Queen Aggravain")
Parade: X
Peter Pan: X
Pippin: (SEEN)
Ragtime: (SEEN, CD)
Rent: (SEEN)
Ring of Fire:
Riverdance: X
Rocky Horror Show: (SEEN - 2)
Ruthless!: X
Saturday Night Fever: X
Seussical: X
She Loves Me: (CD, SEEN)
Showboat: ("Landlady")
Smokey Joe’s Cafe: (SEEN)
South Pacific: (SEEN)
Spamalot: (SEEN)
Stomp: X
Sunday in the Park With George: ("Celeste")
Sunset Blvd: X
Sweeney Todd: ("Mrs. Lovett")
Sweet Smell of Success: X
Swing: X
Taboo: X
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: X
The Baker’s Wife : (SEEN)
The Boy From Oz: X
The Color Purple: X
The Fantasticks: (SEEN)
The Full Monty: (LIB)
The King and I: (SEEN 2)
The Light in the Piazza: X
The Lion King: (CD)
The Most Happy Fella: (SEEN)
The Music Man: (SEEN)
The Pajama Game: X
The Phantom of the Opera: (CD)
The Pirates of Penzance (Joe Papp version): (SEEN)
The Producers: (CD)
The Robber Bridegroom: X
The Scarlet Pimpernel: X
The Secret Garden: (SEEN, Crew)
The Sound of Music: CD
The Threepenny Opera: (SEEN)
The Who’s Tommy: (SEEN; crew)
The Wild Party: X
The Wiz: (SEEN)
The Wizard of Oz: (SEEN)
The Woman in White: X
Thoroughly Modern Millie: X
Tick Tick Boom: X
Titanic: X
Triumph of Love: X
Urinetown: (SEEN)
Victor/Victoria: X
West Side Story: (SEEN 2)
Wicked: CD
Wonderful Town: ("Ruth Sherwood")
Working: X
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown: (pit band)
I used to have access to a lot more CDs, though.

Honey, get the Botox shots or buy him a sportscar, mmm-kay?

2005-12-15T18:11:32Z

This just in:

Our society is doomed. I'm quoting the headline, but if anyone subscribes or has access to today's Wall Street Journal, it's a must-read.

"U.S. Women Seek a Second First Time

Hymenoplasty, a controversial hymen-repair surgery known mostly for its prevalence in the Middle East and Latin America, is becoming popular in the U.S. But restoring innocence this way has sparked criticism."

One woman had it done to 'give' her virginity to her husband on his 40th birthday.

Takes re-gifting to entirely new levels, no?

"Zach Slater, Lobster Slayer."

2005-12-15T06:54:41Z

Why are coughs always the worst in the morning when you first wake up and at night when you're trying to sleep? I spent a good chunk of the weekend in bed trying to get rid of the season's first monster cold. So far, no go. I also am getting no sleep and have no appetite.

Liaisons continues to go remarkably well. Tonight the fight choreographer was there and in spite of the small stage, the duel is going to look HAWT. We may give some poor subscriber a heart attack, but hey. What price art, right?

Overall the actors are all amazingly strong and are working their asses off - especially Valmont, who is in all but one scene of the play, and who is called every night. I still love the play, even though I think it might be a bit beyond me as a director. It's just so damn good. It's beautifully constructed, for one thing; for example, Tourvel and Merteuil appear in the exact same number of scenes - and a Valmont/Tourvel scene is always either preceded or followed by a Merteuil/Valmont scene where they deconstruct his methods of seduction. There are also a lot of interesting ambiguities in both the lines and the stage directions that we've been having a great time examining.

Great script. Great acting. Great costumes, courtesy of wendyhouse and elsinoreblue. And a duel! Everyone needs to come see it. So here's the relevant info.

And now, the Simple Pleasures meme, for which I was tagged by wendyhouse.
Name 5 of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick 5 people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.
1. Sleeping in with the cat snuggled in the small of my back.
2. A newly made bed.
3. Christmas lights in windows on cold, clear nights.
4. Really hot showers
5. Mashed potatoes.

I'm not tagging anyone else; run with it, though.

Finally, I have another new obsession. Zach and Kendall on All My Children are killing me. They got married to teach his son a lesson (don't even ask) and for business reasons even though they hated each other; six months later they're madly in love with each other and getting divorced. She's pregnant with her ex-fiance's baby. They're snarky. They're sexy. And, God help me, they remind me of Angel and Cordelia in all their dysfunctional glory.

Don't look at me like that.

He's withdrawn and convinced his love can only hurt people.
She's got a somewhat deserved reputation as a selfish bitch, but she loves hard and makes stupid mistakes.

They're getting divorced tomorrow. In today's episode he arranged for a private fireworks display for her to celebrate her independence. Yesterday they had lobster dinner and he explained to her how to find a lobster's sweet spot. Both days, I squeed and sighed like a teenager. And read fanfic.

How obsessed am I? Last night at rehearsal I told the actress playing Tourvel that she's just like Zach, because he manages to maintain a lie without actually lying to Kendall by giving her oblique answers to direct questions.

Liaisons and weight loss and , oh my!

2005-12-06T15:12:31Z

First, the squeeing.

SQUEEEEEE!!!!! 20 pounds.

I have lost 20 pounds. I've been telling people that since Saturday, but as of today, when I stepped on my scale, it's true.

20 pounds. Since September 20th.

SQUEEE!!!!!!!!

The best thing is that I feel really good. I worry sometimes that I still have an adversarial relationship with food - (I had a piece of birthday cake Sunday, and I can't even describe the weird melange of emotions I felt as I ate it: guilt, pleasure, fear, who knows what else)- but overall, it's awesome. I'm eating healthier, I feel great, I don't crave sugar, and all I need to do is find time for the gym.

20 pounds. 11 weeks.

SQUEEEE!!!!!!

Second, Liaisons.

We're fully cast (well, except for two non speaking roles who can be techies willing to be onstage - anyone want to be a major-domo/footman and/or a maid? and move some panels back and forth?) and they are fabulous. One and all, fabulous. Strong actors, collaborative, smart, game for anything. The show is really shaping up. This play is easily five times more complex than anything I've ever done, including Arcadia, but I love working on it. I'm still not sure I'm up to the challenge, but I know they are. (The stage manager was sweet last night, though. After the actors left I said "Why do I pick such hard plays?" and he said, "Because you can do them." Which, considering I just met the guy less than a month ago and he's only seen me run five rehearsals is a really lovely compliment.)

Third, the Guild.

Show selection was fun. A lot of very entertaining, fully staged presentations. The Guild feels like it's on a real creative tear right now - and I'm excited to see what they do next. Lots of new members, lots of energy, lots of everything. I feel very outside it right now, probably because I'm consumed with Liaisons, but that feels right, too.

Next up: Arcadia at Longwood, Autobahn at MIT, and another visit to Turtle Lane this weekend to actually SEE Big River, instead of playing Yahtzee in the bar.

Note to self:

2005-11-18T16:37:41Z

Overcommitment is NOT the new pink.

Thank God and whatever other deities were watching over me that I decided NOT to do the staged reading on November fifth that I was asked to do. Because if I had been stupid enough to accept that, I think I'd be dead by now.

Second note to self: working with a new group for the first time as a director is very challenging. You have no idea how their group dynamics work, what their traditions are, or what longstanding practices you're violating without having the slightest intention of doing so. It's nervewracking, to say the least.

"Too. many. talented. people"

2005-11-16T16:44:23Z

And that's all I'm going to say. Never have I had so many options for so few roles. And I still haven't reconciled one decision, to the point that I haven't called anyone yet. These people are going to hate me.

In other news, I have lost eighteen (yes, 18!) pounds. OK, 17.8. Still, that's encouraging. Of course, I have a sneaking suspicion that I did myself no favors tech week. I was so afraid of igniting cravings that instead of following my usual practice of eating unmitigated junk, I didn't eat anything at all. This approach hit its nadir on Saturday, where I ate two handfuls of cashews over the course of sixteen hours and then followed it with a very late night junk food binge. (I am finding that junk food is losing it's appeal, though. I feel sick within hours of eating it. Go figure!)

Overall the weight loss is incredibly satisfying, even though the side effects are beginning to be tiresome. Everything I own is too big, and closet shopping isn't quite as successful as I'd hoped, simply because most of my thin(ner) clothes are waay out of style. I don't want to go shopping for real yet, because I don't want to replace my jeans until I'm guaranteed to be out of the "Women's" department for jeans, and that day is not quite here. Soon, though. I can almost taste it.

Squeee!!!!!!

2005-11-14T03:17:07Z

Guess how many people showed up at auditions tonight?

15? 20? 25?

Nope.

Thirty FIVE!!!!! I had thirty five people at auditions for Liaisons Dangereuses!

Now I know this is all because of the play, and has nothing to do with me. But I can't help but be enormously excited and a wee bit flattered.

Because, WHEEE!!!!

35 People!

And a lot of them were damn good - like, better than I could ever hope to be.

I'm gonna go pinch myself a few times, because this has to be a dream.

Please God, don't let me fuck this up.

"The grass is always greener..."

2005-10-20T03:53:58Z

So, I'm back in San Francisco for two days.

And I'm remembering everything I loved about it here. The weather is gorgeous, the food is incredible, the views are stellar, and I love walking here. I'm staying at the Palomar Hotel, on the edge of SoMa and the Financial District. After I did some work in my room, I walked down to the Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero at the end of Market (which hadn't reopened before I left) and checked out the renovations and all the food vendors there. They've done a beautiful job. The building is lovely, it has nice views and some benches to sit on while you enjoy them, and the food purveyors are all top notch. Organic produce, local businesses that started at Farmer's Markets, a California wine merchant, some great restaurants, and this local chocolatier. The chocolates are ridiculously expensive, but I'm probably going back tomorrow to buy a box. Yeah, I know, South Beach. But if I limit myself to one a week in weeks where I lose weight? What a motivator. These babies are little tiny works of art. I've never seen anything like them.

After I wandered around there a bit, I walked up to the top of Nob Hill (debated whether or not to do the Top of the Mark, decided against it), and then wandered back down to Union Square to see if I could get into one of my favorite restaurants, Scala's Bistro. Sadly, they were booked until 8:45, which was a bit late. So I went to Kuleto's, another place I love. I had a lovely salad and pasta (ate only half the penne), dutifully declined dessert, picked up a nonfat latte at one of the approximately 2,432 Starbucks that litter downtown, and returned to the hotel and it's free wireless connection. All in all, a lovely afternoon that made me wonder why I ever left.

Of course, there's examples of all the reasons I left, too. Hell, I'm back in the town I lived in for 18 months and there was literally no one I wanted to call to have dinner with tonight. And tomorrow I'm spending the entire day at the office of the company that brought me to this fair city and subsequently laid me off, so that's guaranteed to put the awk in ward. And I'm missing rehearsals, which brings up one of the other things that was weird about San Francisco: no theater for 18 months. None. Zip. I think I saw one show the whole time I was here. And I've gone pretty much from show to show to show since I got back to Boston - partly to fill the time, but mostly because I love it.

In other words - the good, bad, and all that's in between, in 36 hours. How often do you get that in your life?