Weekly Update

Wow. What a week. Lots of changes, decisions being made. Ask me in person to tell you- I'm not about to put personal shit like that on my blog.

I taught my last lesson today for the next 10 days! Yahoo! I'm off until May 8 to prepare for the show. I'm going to take it easy the next week. Do my pilates. Eat well. Drink a lot of water and take naps. This show emotionally and physically wrecks me by the end of Act II. Tuesday I visit the spa. So terrible being me. Wednesday I get to visit Nurse Berendts- he's going to hook me up to all kinds of machines and look at my lungs and all kinds of stuff to see what's really going on with my asthma. Fun!

Chess- We open in just 6 days. I think we're all very ready to move into the space. Last night we had a real scare. While working in the warehouse/running the show, a few cast members were moving the giant set piece. In doing so, it caught on a fluorescent light and the damn thing came crashing down on Matt's head. It scared the bejesus out of all of us, especially him. Thankfully, he was okay. Brian cleaned him off, and Rosie took him to the ER. He has a mild concussion, and is putting himself under house arrest for a few days to recover. We love you, Matt! Get well!

Otherwise, we're ready to be in the theatre. I don't know about the other actors, but being in the space helps to focus so much more. I'm quite excited for this coming Thursday, as my Dad and stepmother Cathy will be arriving from Texas. After living in Cincinnati for four years, it's their first visit, and the first time I've seen them in 2 1/2 years.

Pilates- I feel so healthy, strong, fit. I've lost a total of about 14 inches so far. It feels good to be in a place where I don't hate my body. I've been eating well, limiting my alcohol/calorie intake, and attempting to sleep. It isn't working too well. Maybe it's jitters from the show. Or maybe it's all the changes going on in my life. Either way, I need to get some rest!

Connecting- Tonight I get to spend some time with my friends from Showbiz Players. Last October we did the Sondheim show Putting it Together, and tonight is the DVD viewing/cast party. It's been a long while since we've spent time together. Plus I'm quite excited to see my friend Gerry Rape, one of my favorite people in my life.

Maddy- Hair is growing out. Doesn't look so weird anymore. And she's still quite happy being sudo-bald.

All for now. I'll try to post as often as I can this week, but remember they don't call it Hell Week in the theatre for nothing.

The Barbie Fixation

I’ll admit it. I probably wasn’t an attractive adolescent. Tall, lanky, flat chested. Pubescent skin, bad haircut, big German nose. During high school, I grew into my body. I was no longer the tallest girl in our group. I grew boobs! I grew out my hair and let it go wild. I discovered boys. But the question is, did they discover me? My high school was a large one- 510 kids in my graduating class alone. It was easy to disappear. Of course, I was always involved in theatre, which probably made me even more of a geek than I already was.

It wasn’t until college that I really learned to look in the mirror and like what I saw. I straightened my hair, learned how to dress myself: what was I thinking during the early 90’s. Seriously, grunge? Thankfully I grew out of my combat boots and flannel stage. I blame Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots. I got my first college boyfriend, who seemed to like the way I looked. My senior year, I realized that I had no one to impress, so stopped straightening my hair once again and started to really like myself. Me. Just as I was. I felt beautiful, for the first time in my life. Maybe it was because I was becoming a woman. I was knowing myself in a way I had never fathomed before. I was honest with myself. I told myself truths about the way I wanted to live my life.

I still hate my nose. I understand that I’ll probably always look this way. But I love a lot about myself. I have great hair, now that it’s cut by my genius stylist Nikki (thanks Nik). I have pretty great skin. I have long legs that all my short girlfriends hate me for. I’ve been told I smell pretty good. I’m comfortable with myself. I accept my age lines, my butt fat that will never go away. I own everything about me, bad or good. I’m honest with myself. But there is always that burning question... how do people perceive me to look? It shouldn’t matter, but let’s be honest, we all think it. Otherwise we’d all walk out of the house in our sweatpants with no make-up on every single day. And sorry gang, I’m not about to leave the house in my giant red baggy flannels.

Brian said something on Friday that has been rolling around my head for nearly a week. He said something to the effect that he was over his “Barbie-doll fixation” that he once had as a young man. It really struck me, hearing him say that. In a good way. Because, lets face it, most men never get over their own Barbie fixations. He also said something like he’d rather be with a woman who was a “4” in looks, but really had her shit together. As a woman, it was so nice to hear that. In a world where Barbie look-a-likes are plastered across checkout lanes and we see women in movies who don’t look “real”, it’s so great to hear that come from the mouth of a man. Do men actually find women like Paris Hilton or Jessica Simpson attractive? Honestly? Nose-job and Boob-job, respectively? Women who carry around dogs as accessories and throw in “like” after every third word should be canonized. They give women in history such a bad name. Women have worked too hard to get where we are in society for girls like that just tear down everything we’ve done, making women look petty, uninteresting and just plain ignorant.

It’s interesting, this Barbie fixation. What woman looks like that? Definitely not me. I would probably never be able to have a career in New York because I’m not “type”. In New York, there would be a line of 5’5, 110 pound, blonde, blue-eyed girls and all the casting director would have to do is just pick one. They all look the same! If they were casting for a 5’9, (I’m not telling you my weight) redhead with green eyes, the part would be mine! (Kudos to Mark for letting me keep the red for Chess- thank you!)

The question is this- do all men grow out of their Barbie fixation? It scares me to think that if I’m ever in the dating realm again, the Barbie syndrome will haunt me. Hopefully I wouldn’t be meeting/dating guys who thought that way in the first place. Hopefully there would be more Brian’s in the world than Barbie lovers.

*Thank you, B.

Glory Bound

Last night, I again experienced the brilliance and wonder of seeing Martin Sexton live. Let me regale you with tales of the journey...

Upon hitting traffic on 275, then onto 75, the way was clear after getting past the Florence Mall exit. The rain hindered the journey a bit, but once to Crittenden, the rain stopped. Arrived in Lexington a little before 7pm.

For dinner, stopped into Taste of Thai for some Spring Roll and other tasty dishes. On the walk from the parking garage to the restaurant, I looked in the door of the venue to see Martin warming up, doing his sound check. I wanted to rush the stage right then! Alas, I continued on toward the restaurant and settled in with some tofu Pad Sea Ewe. Halfway during the meal, I looked up to see Martin walking to his car/trailer. The rest of dinner, I was on Martin-Watch as he hunkered down in his SUV and waited for his show to begin. Then came the fortune cookie with the check. Here was my fortune. Hm. Interesting.


The show began at 9pm, with an opening band who really kinda sucked. They were called The Trevor Hall Band. They had me for about three songs, but a girl can only take so much reggae-induced sound. They were a three-piece, with a bassist who couldn't realize that his instrument was drowning out the rest of his bandmates. The lead singer (I'm assuming Trevor, himself) had horrible technique (the voice teacher never sleeps), and even worse stage presence. He looked to be about 15, and about as big around as my ever-decreasing-in-size thigh. They played for 50 minutes of Hell, and then it was time for the big show.

Martin Sexton is a small but mighty man. He comes to about 5'3 or so, with this huge barrel-chest and Popeye like arms. He walked out on stage, just him and his guitar, to see a crowd of maybe 100 people, and opened his set with Candy. There is something so moving about seeing a room full of people from all walks of life singing that first line "Hey little jailbait, tell me your story". A chorus of strangers, all coming together, being struck by the music of one man. It was a great moment.

He played just about every song I've ever heard him record, including his own (not Handel's) Hallelujah. He got us to sing the chorus, then yelled out "In harmony, fools!" when the entirely too-drunk crowd couldn't find their pitches. During a fast boogie, he had to stop and instruct the audience to clap on the off-beat and not on. Martin often has two mics on stage. One being his regular mic, the other which is attached to an effects pedal. One of the coolest things about seeing him live is that he'll often distort his own voice, or give his voice an echo effect, which he did quite often during the night. He used this mic when he did a cover of Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine, which was really stellar. He ended his two-hour set with This little light of mine, and thanked us, his "Brothers and sisters" for coming out on a cold, rainy Tuesday.

I'm so elated this morning, being able to see him again after nearly six years. It fit my ever-changing thoughts during the past week perfectly. Definately worth not getting home until 1am.

I am...

The past few days I've done much soul searching. It's been so very wonderful, being able to understand myself in ways I don't think I have in many years. Last night, Chuck and I went to Chez Nora. We sat on the rooftop, ate sandwiches and drank red wine. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed each other's company to no end. I tried out my "no small talk" mantra, and it really seemed to work. We talked about marriage, relationships and ourselves. We realized how much we had in common, how very much alike we are. After, we went to Graeters for ice cream. We sat on a bench while ice cream melted down our arms and I loved it. Made me feel very awake and present in my own life.

Taking a cue from Zach Galligan's blog, I wanted to post some of the observations and off-the-wall things about myself that I felt would be fun to share. Over the past few days I've realized many about myself.

I...
-have no sense of smell.
-have reflux.
-was in an 80's cover band called Ally and the Skinny Ties when I lived in Illinois.
-have hyper-extended elbows. Ask me to show you sometime.
-was born with a club foot. I went through many surgeries as a child to correct it. Again, ask me to show you the giant scar. Pretty cool.
-watch All my Children... my guilty pleasure.
-have a best friend who is a drag queen named Ginger Snap a.k.a. Kevin Mergen. We went to our Spring Formal our senior year of college in drag. Here is the proof.

-have never broken a bone.
-am horribly afraid of spiders.
-am, yes, a natural redhead.
-have a great love for taking black and white photos.
-have a nephew named Enzo Giovannucci. Italian, anyone?
-make the best homemade hummus in the world.

Now please feel free to comment on your own.

Weekly Update

Chess- We open in 13 days, and I'm so thrilled! This has been an amazing experience all around. I've made so many wonderful friends and connections, and it's been a stretch for me as an actor. Both sets of parents have a hotel and tickets secured. Let's just hope they don't cross paths. Last night was a good night- albeit I was severely dehydrated from the night before. We focused on the book scenes and really found some good mojo. After, Michael, Brian and I headed to Max and Erma's for some chow and good conversation. I was hoping to make it an early night. Right. We closed the place down. The poor waitress at the bar had turned off the music, turned up the lights, and had the entire place clean by the time we left. I'm getting too old to be out until 1:30am two nights in a row. But it was devilish fun.

Maddy- The poor thing. My dog has allergies. I know. How high maintenence is this beast? So she gets dry skin, which in turn leads to hot spots. For those of you who don't know what those are, it's a dry skin patch that dogs continue to lick at until it's raw and oozing. Yah. Pretty gross. So I took the poor babe in to see Gramma P (her stylist) for a much deserved day at the puppy spa. Every summer, Maddy gets her hair cut very short. She's a huge golden retriever with mounds of hair. So I told Gramma to cut it short. When we picked her up, she looked like this.

They butchered my dog! I told you to cut her hair short, not shave her! She looks like one of those hairless cats. I'm afraid to take her out for her walks now because she's so damned ugly. Of course they left her with this poofy tail thing. Seriously, she looks like a freak. Although she seems quite happy now, so who I am to judge based on looks only?

Pilates- I've lost two inches in my waist and thigh, one inch in my hip and belly, and gaining arms like crazy! This program is amazing. I have a flat stomach, something I probably haven't had since high school and feel great. I recommend pilates for everyone who have tried the gym with no success because it works! It's nice to think that I have a slew of pants that don't fit anymore. My favorite jean jacket is also huge on me. No complaints!

Catharsis- Have been feeling very alive the past few days. I've been feeling good about myself. I think it's helps that I've made some new friends in the cast who seem to understand me. It's nice to be able to just say things and not feel that you're being judged or criticized. Or disrespected. Not that I feel that way most days! It's just nice to have grown-up conversation with people. My new mantra is NO SMALL TALK. It seems to be working pretty well.

Martin Sexton concert in only 3 days. Pics to come!
Enjoy your spring weather- I know I am!

Random random random....

Last night was our first sing-through with the orchestra. It was rocky, of course, as well it should be. But I think with a few more rehearsals together, everything will come together nicely. We went to the warehouse last night. Again, paint fumes and dust do wonders for Asthma Girl, so midway through the night I was all phlegmy and whatnot.



Of course the highlight of the evening was the opportunity to touch Brian Berendts ass. Upon sitting on the still-tacky set piece, poor Brian put some sort of envelope down so he wouldn't stick to the floor. When he came down from his perch, he had a barcode stuck to the seat of his pants. Lucky girl, I was the one who spent minutes trying to pull the damn thing off. Although the view was pretty nice. See for yourself.


Afterwards a select few of us headed to Mary's again. People kept buying me beers, and who was I to swat them away? Had such a wonderful time getting to know some people who I hadn't had the opportunity to until now. Had many beers and then drove home, when I proceeded to drunk email while eating cocoa puffs in my underwear.

Have spent a lot of time lately thinking. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I mean big things. Questioning the big decisions in my life. I'm nearly 30. It's not that I thought I would be a certain place by now or anything. I'm quite happy with my career and the majority of things in my life. I think when it becomes spring I always begin to wonder "what if..." and I can never tell where that's going to lead me. I become nostalgic for things way in my past. Those nights of sitting on the roof of my dorm, getting high and drinking Boone's and having those conversations with people that mattered. I've been corresponding with a friend about my post regarding "small talk". Doesn't it seem that when you get older, this is the only kind of conversation we seem to have with one another? Why is that? Are we afraid to get close to people? Because in actuality, this is what I so desperately crave. I spend my days teaching, being with people who I never really talk to. By the time I get home, Rob is asleep or too tired to talk about what happened during the day. So I'm left with this aching need to just talk to someone. For someone to understand me. I realize the fact that I can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes. I'm an Irish Liberal with a temper. I love to talk about politics and questioning religion. I talk too much. So maybe that's it.

Maybe Ally Sheedy was right when her character Alison says in The Breakfast Club "When you grow up, your heart dies". We stop making connections with people. We become the old lady with cats who lives in that really smelly house down the street.

No more Mary's on Thursday for a while. I think too much when I drink. Damn the alcohol and it's depressant side effects!

Springtime Rock

What is it about the spring that makes me want to listen to nothing but Van Halen? And I mean old Halen. David Lee Roth Halen. Or AC/DC? Or Def Leppard? The list is endless.

One of the best aspects of Chess is that Florence is a rock chic. I really get to wail in this show. Takes me back to my cover-band days.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about warm weather that makes me yearn for a little You shook me all night long or Hot for Teacher. Maybe it's the thought of my youth. When I was young, my parents were very into classic rock groups. I was brought up listening to Aerosmith, Clapton and others of the like. I have a vivid memory of sitting in the driveway with my stepdad and sister, listening to the sweet sounds of Love Bites coming from the radio while watching Halley's Comet streak across the sky.

Maybe it's just the comfort of my midwestern home in Illinois. The sounds of Journey takes me back to the summer of 1996 when Dave M. and I met. The sounds of Boston make me think of the summer of Justin. The sounds of Pat Benatar takes me to trips to the Y with my Mom right after she divorced my Dad, when it was just me and her against the world.

There is something about rocking out that is just so comfortable to me. It could be my middle-class upbringing. Or it could be that it just makes me feel happy. Here are some favorite Classic Rock songs/albums. Feel free to add your own selections.

Journey- Don't stop believin'
AC/DC- Anything off Back in Black and It's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock and roll)
Def Leppard- Photograph
Boston- Don't look back
Pat Benatar- Heartbreaker
Van Halen- The entire 1984 album and Runnin' with the Devil
Springsteen- Glory Days
U2- Desire
Foreigner- Hot Blooded
Queen- One Vision, or Another One bites the dust
Aerosmith- Sweet Emotion
Zeppelin- Immigrant Song
KISS- Anything KISS

For some fun, check out AC/DSHE, an all-girl AC/DC tribute band.

A day in the life of a voice teacher gone apeshit

I have to say that I am quite lucky. Not everyone gets to say they have a job they love. Not everyone can say they actually use their college degree every day. But I do. I'm a voice teacher. A lone soul, fighting the good fight for vocal health and stamina every day.

But it's interesting. There are often times that Rob and I will be at a party or get-together. Not a party with people we are close friends to. People who are friends of friends or some such other thing. They always ask us "So, what do you do?". I hate this question. Do we really need to answer this question? This is why I hate parties like this. I hate small talk. I'm getting to a point in my life where small talk is such a mundane part of my existence. Maybe when I was in college, trying to get the hot guy at the party to notice me, small talk was effective. It's like going to those ridiculous studio parties with Rob's colleagues. A room full of 50 pianists... and me. I love my husband, I really do. But he knows I loathe these things. It's always "Oh, I just played the (insert composer name) concerto in M flat cubic zirconia"... "Oh! I love that piece!"... "I find it to be a little (insert music term here) for my tastes." Jesus. Do we really have to talk "shop" all the time? I know that when I get together with actor friends, I probably do the same thing. But we don't sit around talking about scripts or shit like that. We sit around bashing other actors in the community! Are you kidding me?! Or we gossip. Who is sleeping with whom, who is splitting up, what is X theatre company doing next. Touche, I guess, right?

Anyway, it's always at a barbeque for someone who is clearly not associated with the arts in any way, shape or form. They ask "What do you do?" and I reply with "I'm a voice teacher". They always get this blank look on their face. Then ask me "You mean, like a speech teacher?". F#@$ me in the goat-ass. Seriously? You have NO idea what a voice teacher is? Just think about it. VOICE teacher. I teach voices. "You mean, singin' lessons?" (Feel free to think of these quotes with a Kentucky dialect. I do.) Yes, dipshit, singing lessons. Of course, I always smile and nod and explain nicely what a voice teacher is for those impared idiots of the world. But just for a glimpse of what goes through my mind, now you know.

I really do love my job. I'm passionate about teaching, and of course, about singing. A lot of people have no idea what I do during a single day, though. I have to admit that I have it pretty damned good. It is still hard work, but so much damned fun. I have my routine. Get up, eat breakfast, do my pilates, take the dog for a walk. I always warm up in the shower. It's a good warm-up session: about 30 mins. of breathing in steam is good for any singer. I usually go in to teach at about 3pm. I teach 30 or 60 min. lessons, depending on the student. I teach straight through until 6 or 6:30. 7:30 on some nights. It makes for a long day, considering I sing at least 3-4 hours when I teach. That doesn't include singing for three hours at rehearsal. That's 6-7 hours of singing every day. Which is quite a lot. Luckily I have lots of training, so I tend to do things right. I don't need any vocal problems. What would that do to my career?

Many of you have been wondering about the pic attached to my profile. Click on it to enlarge. But it's a photo of me about 25 years ago- my parents were still married, so that tells you how long ago it was. I was around 3 years old. The best part is the shirt. Who else can say they had a shirt with a monkey holding a sign that says "Go Apeshit"? I wonder what happened to that shirt....

Weekly Update

It's really been such a lovely week. The weather has cooperated here in Cincinnati for quite some time. We had a wicked storm last night, but most of the week it's been near 75 and sunny every day! Hard to complain when all the sunshine puts you in such a great mood.

Chess- Exciting news all around. We finished staging the show, and are now down to the nitty-gritty. Focus is the key word for the next three weeks. We open in 20 days! Wonderful! It's been great fun getting to know everyone and creating relationships that I know will continue on after production. As you can see from the previous post, we had a great time at Mary's on Thursday. Hoping to repeat it this coming Thursday, as long as I don't turn into a pumpkin at midnight! The best news I've gotten regarding the show is that many of the important people in my life will be attending. One of my closest, oldest friends Lesley will be there. My mom and stepfather are coming out, and I just heard from my father last night. He and my stepmother will be making the trek from Texas to see me perform! Sadly, I haven't seen either of them since my wedding, 2 1/2 years ago. This will be great to show them Cincinnati, and for them to see me perform. My Dad hasn't seen me perform in 11 years, and my stepmother has never seen me perform ever! Here is a pic of my Dad and I, college graduation, 1999. Don't I look just like him- despite the mustache?


Health/Exercise/Food- I'm feeling so much better since my last day at Kids R Kids. I awoke last weekend with a sore throat, but downed some Emer-gen-C (1000 mg of Vitamin C) and it was gone within the hour. I've been eating so good and doing my pilates every day. I do the cardio pilates every other day, and the 30 min. sculpting pilates on the other days. It's really beginning to pay off! My waist is getting teeny-tiny, and I'm losing inches every day. Yippie! Although last night Rob and I went to The Cheesecake Factory. Call me crazy, but why on Earth do people need portions that huge? I ordered this chicken dish, and when it came out, there were 3, count them, 3 chicken breasts on the plate. Seriously, who sits down and eats 3 chicken breasts in one meal? I ate one of them. Of course we saved room for the cheesecake. In all honesty, I wasn't impressed with a single thing about this restaurant. It looked like something you might see in Vegas. Overly tacky design and decoration, mediocre food. The service was excellent, and we had a nice waitress who explained the menu and drink choices to perfection. But this place struck me as the place that lower class people go when they want to splurge. I know how this must make me sound- overly judgemental about other people's quality of life, but this is what I left with. I must be getting older. I noticed it when we went to Sonoma Valley two years ago. If I'm not left with an experience when I dine out, then I won't think of it as decent. The temperature of the restaurant has to leave me comfortable, because I am always cold. The service, impeccable. The food, amazing. And I can't leave too full, because the rest of the night, I'll have gut bomb and be uncomfortable when I try to sleep. Maybe this makes me high maintenance. If so, those of you who ever dine out with me, I'm so very sorry.

Martin Sexton- For those of you who have never heard the genius of singer/songwriter Martin Sexton, click the link at right to access his website and hear his music. He's the most brilliant songwriter of our time, and I've had the privelege of seeing him live some six years ago at an art gallery in Cedar Rapids. Seeing him live is an experience like no other. After a long overdue hiatus, Rob and I are seeing him live in Lexington on April 25th. I'm so freakin' excited I can hardly stand it. He's playing The Dame, downtown Lexington. Being part of his fan community on his website, we were able to secure tickets before they went on sale to the general public. Yay for us! Here is a pic of him performing live during his 2004 tour.


Being atheists, Rob and I normally don't celebrate Easter. We'll still spend the day together since neither one of us have any sort of rehearsal to attend to. We're baking a ham and other such goodies for dinner. Happy feasting to the rest of you!

A night of debauchery

Last night, the cast of Chess headed out to Hamburger Mary's for a night of Mary-oke to promote the show, and have a little well-deserved fun. Almost the entire cast made it out, and a great time was had by all! Here are some photos from our evil-doing, merry-making and whatnot.

The real love story of Chess is not Anatoly and Florence, it's the affair between Molokov and the Arbiter. Robert and Elliot set out to prove it.


Going back to my cover-band days, I like to rock out on some Pat Benatar Heartbreaker. Here is a view from the stage. What can I say? My people love me.


One night in Bangkok makes a hard man....? Michael and the cast get their groove on.



Brian, doin' his Anatoly thang, rocking Anthem.


From left to right, Matt, Chuck, Dave and Sarah. What a sexy group. Purrrrrrr.



Here is me, Michael Shawn and Mark, our director. Aren't we cute?


Love the blue tongue, Chuck. Blue margaritas live forever!



Peace. Love. AC/DC.
Rock on.

Lesley

Lesley Landgren and I met the fall of 1991. We were freshmen at Moline High School in Moline, Illinois, and it was Homecoming season. I went to float-building one night to help "pomp" (I think that's the proper term) and such. The old song The Lion sleeps tonight came on the radio, and I of course started singing along. This lovely blond girl next to me smiles and says "You've got a great voice!". I say thanks, and we continue chatting. A few days later, I noticed Lesley and I had gym at the same time. Our gym lockers were right across from each other in the locker room. We struck up a conversation on how we would love to trade- she would take my red hair, and I would take her beautiful, clear skin. What 14 year old doesn't want a clear complexion?! We sat together on the bus to go bowling in gym class. She told me about her gorgeous, senior-class boyfriend. He eventually dumped her a few weeks later for reasons I'm not sure of. Throughout freshman year, we just remained acquaintances. When sophomore year began, I decided it was a good time to "spread my wings". I was not hanging out with such a good crowd. There was no gang violence or anything like that. Jesus, it's Moline, Illinois! But the girls I was hanging around were mean, snobby, and not very nice to me. So I joined Stage Crew. Ah yes. I got my feet wet in the world of theatre. That fall was the play Up the Down staircase. At crew, there was Lesley, and a whole group of people I had never met who were nice to me! Go figure! So I started hanging out with Les, just as she dumped her group of not-so-nice friends. I think it was kismet. It was something that even 14 years later, I can't explain. Like we were meant to be friends, and we came together at just the right time. We became inseparable. When I finally left crew to start acting, Les was always there to support me. Granted my first role ever was in Oklahoma!, where I had a mere six lines. But she was there nonetheless. We gathered a group of close friends from stage crew and theatre and other such places. We were definately a Motley Crew, but we fit.

The summer after our sophomore year, we did summer Shakespeare in the Park. It was the summer Lesley met her first husband, Andy. It was the summer of first loves for all, I think. It was the summer of Ryan Mahoski and giant underpants hanging in the kitchen of the costume house.

Throughout the end of high school, Les and I remained close. She married Andy in the summer of 1996 at the tender age of 19. She divorced his ass three years later (go girl). I went to college, I graduated from college. Les was always there no matter what. She was the first person I told when I fell in lust with a nameless actor in high school. She was the first person I told when I had sex for the first time. She was the only person who brought ice cream and the game Girl Talk when the first real love of my life broke my heart. I moved in with her for a brief 7 months in the winter of 1999. I think something cracked in our friendship then. I moved out the next June, which I think was very good for our relationship. I met Rob, and ditched her for a date with him one night (sorry, Les! It was payback for six years of Andy).

We've always stayed in touch, even though I'm 500 miles away from her now. It wasn't until recently that our friendship has taken a drastic turn toward the better. I don't think we were as close as we once were, but something happened between us about six months ago that brought us closer yet. I'm not even sure what it is, but it's wonderful. It's something I treasure greatly. Les is my rock, one of my oldest friends, and knows me better than anyone. She knows my deepest, darkest secrets, and I hers.


I'm so proud of Lesley. She's nearly finished with her degree at U of Iowa, and will be a pharmacist by next year! She recently got married (2nd time's the charm) to Corey on December 31, 2005 in a lovely ceremony. This is a pic of them at the reception.

This blog is drawn from the fact that she will be coming to see me in Chess. Les has not seen me perform in 8 years, and I'm so glad I'll be able to share this with her. I love you, girl!

Ode to a dog

Oh Maddy dog, Oh Maddy dog,
You are so fat and dumb and hairy.
How you love to lick yourself at 3AM,
and clean the plates at breakfast.

You are the only dog I know who
can hump on command.
Or chase your own foot with such gusto
and grace.



I love your big brown eyes, and how
you love to cuddle at bedtime.
Such personality I've never
seen before in a dog.

You are Golden and warm and fuzzy,
with lots of love to give us.
We couldn't ask for a better dog
for whom we share our life with.

Weekly Update

Chess- Come see my show- I'm working my ass off. (Thanks to Matt for the edited pic- sorry I stole it)

Social life- Yes, I think I might actually have one again. Last weekend was the Ladies Nite. All the gals came by and we chatted about the most lovely of topics. We drank wine and ate tapas and had such a wonderful time. We all got dressed up, then decided we were all too tired to actually go out. So by 11pm, all the girls had gone home, and I was in bed. Still fun! This week the entire cast is heading to Mary's for Maryoke! I can't wait! It's been such a long time! And now that we're all going together, we can sing Chess stuff and publicize the show. What fun! Tonight at the Southgate House, Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls are playing the Chicks Rockfest. Wicked Liz is a band from our hometown, and the drummer and I went to high school together! This should be fun- maybe I can do some catching up with him!

Financial- I am now able to pay back Sloan for Wishes. For those of you who have never seen her, here she is:


Gorgeous, no? On our honeymoon, Rob and I visited San Francisco, and Sonoma Valley. A week of drinking wine and eating in the best restaurants. While in Sausilito, we stopped at a little cafe. Wishes was hanging on the wall and I couldn't stop looking at her. I took the artist brochure, and struck up an email friendship with Sloan. She was so gracious, and said that if the painting spoke to me that much, that it was mine. I sent what money I could, and she came a few weeks later. After two years, I'm finally able to pay her off. Everyone should have original art in their homes. There is something so vivid and beautiful about it. It makes me just feel good.

Cooking- Tonight I'm trying my hand at homemade Roasted Red Pepper soup. I hope it's awesome. If not, I'm opening a can of Campbells and calling it a night.

Cheers.

Still Alive....

Well, the job at Kids R Kids just really wasn't for me. I gave them my notice today. They were very cool and supportive about the whole thing. Rob and I did a lot of talking and I decided it best that I didn't work there anymore. It really didn't have anything to do with the job or the duties of the job. It was the fact that it was really screwing up my life. After only two weeks, I found it incredibly hard to focus on everything else in my life, most importantly my teaching schedule and Chess. I don't need 30 hours a week- I already teach voice full-time! For crying outloud, I'm no superhero (although I would look sweet in a cape and matching tights). So I went out to the mall yesterday to see if anyone was looking for part-time help. Within an hour, I had a new job. Yes, I'll be working in the all-dreaded "retail" vein again, but when I worked for Motherhood Maternity a few years back, I loved it! I'll be working at The Children's Place, a child clothing store. So I'm staying in that sort-of "kid" vein, as well. But this time, I'll be working a scant 15-20 hours a week...genius. And I won't have to wipe any more snotty noses. Disgusting.

I've been feeling a bit like a slacker the past few weeks, mostly because of Kids R Kids. I haven't ran lines for Chess in a week- when have I had time! But we open four weeks from tonight. Um, can we say terrified?! But it's been such a wonderful experience, and I'm sure it will be fantastic.

Haven't done my pilates since Sunday, because I ended up getting the stomach flu. Again, disgusting. Yet another good reason to NOT work with kids that closely. Being a voice teacher and a professional singer, it's a bit hard to stay healthy when working with kids. Anyway, I was laid up Sunday night and all day Monday with the evil demon. I did go to rehearsal that Monday evening and felt like walking death the whole night. Poor Brian Berendts. I hope I didn't smell too much like diarrhea or the noxious gas I kept belching up. There's a vision for ya. Back at the pilates tomorrow!

Rob and I saw Company at the Playhouse on Tuesday. It's been getting all these great reviews in the NY Times, Entertainment Weekly, and others. I wasn't impressed. The catch is that the actors also double as the orchestra, playing their own instruments. But the thing was that the actors COULDN'T SING. When I go to see a musical, I want to hear real singers. Not good musicians who "sort-of" sing. I didn't feel any sort of emotional connection to the actors at all, or their relationships with each other. It felt very "soul-less", which is probably what the director was going for. But when I go to the theatre, I want to see something that moves me. I was bored out of my skull at this one. And Raul Esparza? Um, how did this guy get to the place he is with such a dull voice? Straight-tone is NOT your friend, dude. Neither is really tight, "machine-gun" vibrato. Needless to say, I wasn't blown away. Too much hype for not enough... oompf.

I'm out. More to come now, I promise.