The holiday

No, not that awful movie with Kate Winslet and Jack Black, I mean the one that has just passed.

How was yours? Ours was just fine. Despite Rob having a horrible chest cold, and my Dad also getting sick, we still had a pretty nice couple of days. This was the first time in 7 years that Rob and I actually bought presents for each other. Oh sure, we always did for the families, but never for us. We've been starving grad students up until just recently, so it just wasn't ever an option. I ended up getting Rob the Gold Edition DVD box set of the tv show Twin Peaks. Remember that show? Rob went apeshit over it when he opened it up, so I knew I had done well. Rob got me a mish-mash of stuff, but the best was the DVD box set of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I went apeshit, too, as I am a huge LOTR fan. I pretty much haven't left the basement, or my pajamas, in three days, as I've been on the couch watching them all. My folks got us a wine fridge, which was the cream of the crop for gifts this year.

Oh yeah, and we had a nice time with our families, too. Teehee.


We had a beautiful, heavy snow this morning, which left the entire QC snowed in (bode well for watching The Two Towers today). Here is the beautiful snow-covered tree in our front yard.


As far as New Years goes, we will be spending it with our dear friends the Prenzies, at Aaron and Jill's place. We are splendidly happy we have made a nice group of friends since our return to the QC. All of them are such wonderful people, and have accepted us as their own. We are thrilled to be able to spend the New Year holiday with all of them. We had planned to make the journey to Cincinnati, but it is going to have to wait a while. We miss our Nati friends very much, but isn't that what that song Auld Lang Syne is all about? Remembering old friends, but welcoming new ones, too? Ah, who knows.

Week in Review/The worst pies in London

With two days until Christmas, Rob got a pretty nasty cold. He is functioning, but still a might bit pathetic. Ah, but who I am to say, as I'm the biggest baby when I have a cold.

Rob and I finally finished all the shopping on Friday, and made it over to Mike and Dennis' Christmas party (Mike is the Vice President of Augie, and Dennis teaches in the music department). It was another night of standing around being awkward with people I didn't know, but David and Carrie where there with their two kids (they both also teach in the music department), so it's always nice to see them.


Yesterday, we decided to brave the rain and head out to see Sweeney Todd. Now, the majority of you who read this blog are probably actors, too, so just bear with me for a moment. I am a huge Stephen Sondheim fan. Being a musical theatre girl, and practically raised on his stuff, I tend to think Sondheim shits gold when it comes to musical theatre. I also am of the belief that Sondheim is musical theatre for smart people. His writing is art, not fluff like most of the shit that comes off Broadway these days. Now, it also depends on the show, whether or not it's good. He seemed to hit his stride in the 70's into the mid 80's. Most after that I could pass on. But when Sweeney Todd came down the pike, it was the stuff of legend. Based on the story of a wrongly-imprisoned barber who seeks revenge on the man who put him away, stole his wife and took in his daughter for his own, it was the stuff only a composer/lyricist could make work on the stage. Now, nearly 30 years later, the magical Tim Burton has brought it to life on the screen. Starring Johnny Depp at Todd, it was really quite a sight to behold. While I truly loved the film, there were many moments that I really didn't like. Depp's voice was quite good, and I was afraid we were going to see a Rex Harrison version of pitter-patter talk instead of the actual sung lines. His portrayal of Sweeney Todd, acting-wise, beat out any singing, however. Helena Bonham Carter (who I love!!) was brilliant as Mrs. Lovett. Not a singer by any means, she was fantastic as the woman who owns the pie shop under the flat which Mr. Todd resides. I hope all actors out there who can at least carry a tune see this movie, so they understand that it isn't always about how good you sound, but how you give life to the song. Alan Rickman, who always plays the bad guy, is Judge Turpin, the man who wrongly imprisons Todd 15 years prior. The thing is, I didn't get that bad/creepy vibe from him. He wasn't nearly as bad or creepy as Timothy Spall, who plays Beadle, the evil sidekick to Turpin (Spall is also always the evil sidekick in EVERY MOVIE). And as much as I adore Rickman in every movie I've ever seen him in, he just shouldn't sing. Many songs were cut, of course, because this is a movie after all, and plot needs to be moved along. I was glad to see they didn't cut "Green Finch and Linnet Bird", sung by Todd's daughter Johanna. However, considering the actress Burton got to play her, they should have. The child who plays Tobias, or Toby, was quite good, and man could that kid sing! Burton did an amazing job creating the dark and "shit" filled London. In Burton fashion, lots of creepy, dark CGI, barely any color with the exception of the red blood (at times, a bit too gory). All in all, it was very entertaining, and I understand it's a difficult thing to do, create such a masterpiece in the theatre and transfer it to film. You're bound to lose some of the magic.


It's been a while since I've included some pics of the babies. Ike and Maddy are the best of buds now, and I seriously mean that. When I'm playing with Ike and Maddy seems to think it's too rough, she'll bust in and try to reprimand me with her teeth. Ike is healthy (at last) due to his thyroid medication, and his hair has finally grown in. He looks like a dog, an alien no longer. He is so calm and mellow now, and we feel it's because he realizes this is his home now. We sure hope so, anyway!

I love the wink.


Maddy


Look at this. Sitting next to a chewie and no fighting!


Extreme close-up Ike.

Bullsh*t

Sleep eludes me. It's been weeks since this comes.

I know why, too. I can't turn my brain off. The entire score to The Last Five Years is running through my head, all at once. It's an exciting time for my little fledgling company. The time has finally come for things to start happening, and they are. Where were you when this happened to you? What were you doing when you realized that something you've planned and waited most of your adult life for is currently unfolding before your very eyes? It's a pretty delightful prospect, when this happens. I am enjoying each and every blissful moment of it.

Planning and executing a theatre company took about 3 years of research, being a sponge with every company I've ever worked with, taking notes, observing. I was ready for this. In every possible way, I was ready. And now, I watch in awe as plans unfold. I make connections every day, that send me reeling into the Promised Land, and I think "How lucky can I get?". I then have to remind myself of the hard work that went into it. Incorporating, applying for non-profit status. That wasn't a walk in the park.

I wait. I plan. My head reels. So sleep does not come. Knowing tomorrow I have a meeting to plan my first season, I'm like a kid at Christmas. Wanting sleep so badly to get to tomorrow faster. Yet I can't close my eyes.

Tonight was the Augustana Smorgasbord, a yearly tradition in which faculty and staff are invited to a buffet dinner, to witness the Sankta Maria and choir sing, then a visit from Santa for the children of the college employees. Rob was asked to play during the telling of the birth of Jesus, so our dinner was free.


Sue, Kai, and Kai's mom Lorine

Kai, who works in the President's office, was accompanying his mom Lorine and her friend Sue. This was the liveliest group we could have imagined, and loved every moment sitting with these three. Over a plate of potato sausage, Lorine educated us on the proper way of eating these honkin' things- the "toothpaste" method, she called it. "Just squeeze it!". She was a riot. After dessert, the choirs came in and sang, then it was upstairs for the kids festivities.

Look at this little cutie. She was into everyone's business.


Dancing to Rob's "Jingle Bells"


Rob at the piano in the elf hat- appropriate?


A visit from Santa


Maybe I'll try to sleep now. We'll see.

The Meaning of Christmas

I've been reading blogs recently, about what people think of the impending holiday. One wrote about the time he found out there was no Santa Claus. One wrote about having to work on both Christmas Eve as well as Day.

Like Kevin, I'm tired of hearing the question "Are you ready for Christmas yet?". Just what does that mean? Am I ready for what? Most of the Christmas presents have been purchased and wrapped, is that what you mean? I mostly think, when someone asks me, if I myself am ready for a day of spending time with people I'd rather pass on. I love both my and Rob's family, but sometimes, it's just too much. There is always a big to-do, it takes 900 years for everyone to open presents when all you want to do is go drink a bottle of Syrah and play Trivial Pursuit (no wine for me this year, trying to grow a baby soon). And the small talk. The fucking small talk! Jayzus.

What does Christmas make you feel? I think that is the true meaning. Christmas makes me feel warm, nostalgic for the days when all of my mothers' family would gather on Christmas Eve. We don't anymore, as the grandparents are too old and cranky. We're starting to make our own traditions, which is fine, too. For me, Christmas should be about companionship, and being with the ones you truly love.

I love seeing all this stuff online or in the news, about how Christmas is the time of year when you "think of others, not yourself". What a crock. Why should that be just at Christmas? Why can't we "think of others" year round, strive for peace the other days of the year instead of just one and then go back and start hurting each other again?

And of course, we celebrate Christmas because it was the birth of Jesus. From my knowledge and readings, Jesus was actually born sometime in early Spring (why would shepherds be working in the winter??), and before Christianity became the huge thing back in the day, people celebrated not Christmas, but the Winter Solstice and the pagan Saturnalia, to appease the God of Agriculture, Saturn. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced those pagan religions. On Christmas, believers would attend church, then would celebrate raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student could be crowned the "lord of misrule" and eager townfolk played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate schlubs. My guess? This is where we get the presents from.

As far as Santa is concerned, the Norse used to believe that Odin(man I love that guy- I wonder how many times I'll post about him on this blog?) made nocturnal flights through the night sky to observe his followers, then decide who would prosper, and who would perish ("He's making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty and nice").

Ah leave it to an Atheist to spread the word of Paganism at this joyous time of year.

Whatever it is you celebrate, I do hope it's a good holiday with your friends and loved ones. Happy ChristmasKwanzaKuh.

A case of the randoms....

It's been a nice couple of days, my friends, since the boys left town.

Have been corresponding like mad with my new pal Tristan. He is so fabulously talented and I'm quite sure he's the most modest of tenors I've ever met. Did you see the video I posted? Yah. He's quite possibly the best smelling, most talented young man I've met in years. Plus he's easy on the eyes. We are chatting over coffee this week on how the two of us can get to work together within the next few months, which we're hoping won't be too terribly difficult.

After Saturday night's cabaret, Rob and I have been asked to be the entertainment for Quad City Opera's Vocal Valentine, their annual Valentine's Day soiree over at The Abbey Station downtown Rock Island. Ron May, my high school choir director, was so impressed with Rob and I, apparently he ran right to his good friend Angela (who runs Opera QC) and said he had to have us for that night. We of course said yes, as it pays nearly the monthly rent on our house! HELLO?!

In other news, I get a text from Chuck today that says "I applied for AT&T in Davenport", which made me promptly call his ass and say "WTF??". Yes, Chuck loved the QC so much, he's thinking of moving here. Chuck is in desperate need of change in his life, and he's got it in his head that this is the place he'd like to try. I'm game! Pack your shit up, honey, and come on down!

Things are happening, folks. It felt sort of stagnant for a few months. For me, at least. Now? Life is happening all around me. And I'm electric just thinking about it.

Week in Review

Braving the elements of the horrendous snow this weekend, my boys both made it in safe and sound. Kevin was the first to arrive Friday night, treating Rob and I to chinese food. We adjourned to the basement for brownies and conversation, then Chuck finally arrived from Nati late in the evening. It was the first time these two boys had met, after becoming friends via Myspace over 8 months ago. I was so thrilled to have both of them here, with me, in the same house!!

Saturday the boys came with us to hear my students perform in the academy recital (which was fabulous by the way), before heading back out into the blizzard the QC was fighting through. I was a bit nervous, considering the cabaret was scheduled for the evening.

The Cabaret? Flawless performances from my dear friends. We had a small crowd, probably due to the snowstorm, but still managed to make $100!!! Yahoo! I had a blast hearing my new friends perform, and after the show was finished, my high school choir director popped in and asked for an encore. It was so great to see him, and for him to hear me sing after 12 long years. Tristan also sang a little diddy, and Steph and Mags sang their duet again. Gang at the Cabaret

Here is a video of Tristan rocking Jamie. I didn't get the whole thing, but he still sounds like melted butter.


Kev took off Sunday morning, leaving Chuck, Rob and I to head out for mexican food late in the afternoon. Chuck experienced his first visit to Blaine's Farm and Fleet, which should always be experienced after a few margaritas. D popped by later for lasagna and wine, and we all called it a day at about 11pm. Chuck just left a while ago, and now it's back to the grind. What a great weekend!

The boys

My boys are here! YAHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WOO!

Chemistry

There is something to be said about Chemistry.

So, I guess I'll do it.

Over a lifetime, we meet people that we could give a shit about. We also meet people who we have a connection to that we cannot explain. And there are many different types of connections. There is the connection that I have with Chuck. A deep understanding of who we are, with no pretense or question or judgement. Like the one I have with Lesley, who has known me since the 9th grade and will keep secrets until the day she dies. Or the one with my husband, who understands me better than any man I've ever known, and accepts the fact that I'm a crazy person with the line "I would hate it if you were boring and normal. You being crazy? That's a challenge. And I love a challenge".

Then there are people who come into our lives unannounced that you have a pull towards and can't fathom, either. Like many of my new Prenzie friends. Each one of them has that little something that pulls me to them. Like D. Maybe it's her infectious giggle and energy and excellent listening skills or her insane love for Supernatural just as I have. And Matt Moody, who's quick wit and beautiful prose makes you want to sit next to him at the party all night long.

But yesterday I met someone, and the second he walked in the door, there was this... energy. Have you ever felt that with someone? I'm sure you have. Yes, at first it was a physical pull. The guy is a hottie. But more than that, there was an understanding between two people who enjoy the same kind of art, whose personalities mirror each other. I love moments like that, when you find someone you can connect to on a level that is so much deeper than that "Small Talk" level I fucking despise. I find the older I get, the less patience I have for shit like that. And when you find someone you can TALK to about something that you are passionate for, it's hard not to feel this... pull to them.

My mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law are all chemists. I am sure they could tell me some things about chemistry. About why we are pulled to each other in the most scientific way possible. For me, it's about so much more than that, as to how we are connected. Maybe it's just that crazy person in me.