Not English

Your Score: Hieroglyphics

You scored

You are Egyptian Hieroglyphics! Monumental, ornate and even in technicolour! Your users contributed virtually all ancient knowledge on inks, dyes and writing surfaces - to the point where the popular reed of Papyrus became the universal name for organic, manufactured writing surfaces in the western hemisphere for thousands of years. Proud, upstanding and dignified.

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

This is me, walking like an Egyptian.

PLUS:

Your Score: Bert

You scored 68% Organization, 48% abstract, and 45% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are very organized, both concrete and abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

Here is why are you Bert.

You are both very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Bert is a big neat freak and gets quite annoyed when Ernie makes a big mess.

You both are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract thinkers. Bert is probably a bit more concrete in his bottlecap collecting addiction and his love of the weather. He does show his abstract side when he sings and performs his "Doin' The Pidgeon" song. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course.

You are both somewhat introverted. Bert is probably more introverted, because he spends most of his time either with Ernie or alone. Still he has no problem being around other people in his role as chairman of "The National Association of 'W' Lovers." Like Bert, you probably like to have some time to yourself, but you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations.

The other possible characters are
Oscar the Grouch
Big Bird
Snuffleupagus
Ernie
Elmo
Kermit the Frog
Grover
Cookie Monster
Guy Smiley
The Count

Hey, don't be a grouch! If you liked the test, let others know by rating it below. Feel free to vote for your favorite character too.

Link: The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test written by greencowsgomoo on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Much Ado

I am a horrible person. I am, I am, I am. Somehow this weekend I smushed the beautiful, lovely 12X optical zoom digital camera that Tarzan gave me for Christmas. *sniff* I feel like such a stupid head. The camera still works, technically, but both the lens cap and LCD screen are cracked and I can't see what I am photographing 'cuz the viewfinder is dark as well. And I don't even know HOW I did it. Between the house, it was fine then - I checked, and Military Camp, when the parade started, it got busted. *sniff sniff* Tarzan was sweet about it, "we'll get it fixed," but that only made me feel worse. If someone else busts my stuff I can afford to be magnanimous because at least it wasn't *I* who did such a stupid thing. But this time it was me! And it sucks to be on this end of the stick. *sniff sniff sniff*
I hear you asking: Why was I at a Military Camp watching a parade and noticing the sad demise of the beautiful digital camera? Well, I'll tell you. One of the young men from Tarzan's Scout Troop was invited to go participate with the Marines at Camp Pendleton for 10 days through the Devil Pups organization. And Saturday was the graduation. Because it's an...interesting family situation and they do not have a car I drove the DevilPup's mom and brother down for the ceremony. (I love that they call them DevilPUPS) Let me tell you, the military has an odd concept of what makes for adequate driving directions. This is what I had:
Interstate S
Exit Military Camp
Follow signs to main gate
Show driver's license and registration
Follow road for 12 miles
Turn left on 13th street
See football field
Park
This seemed a straightforward kind of trip. And the first two steps were easy. It was a nice drive, not too much traffic, even through the Orange Crush and there we were exiting after only 1-1/2 hours. (We left earlier than necessary because I ALWAYS get lost the first time I drive anywhere. Always.) There was a sign at the signal light at the end of the ramp pointing east for the Military Camp. Easy. Left we go. Aaaaaaaaaand then it all fell apart. At the next light we had the choice of going one of three ways. No signs. I figured the logical thing (don't you DARE laugh Tarzan) was to go straight since no sign had indicated that I change my course. After puttering through three four way stop lights (because the power was out all over the town - what was that about?) and not seeing any signs at all we stopped to ask directions. Oh wait, we were supposed to go left back there at the three-way? So we turn around and go back. At the intersection we turn right (we're in reverse now remember) and are faced with another choice and again NO SIGNS. Crap. We veer right and after it appears we're on a state highway we find a place to turn around and go back to the same (i.e. first) intersection. We take the left and then the left again and after we almost merge with the freeway there's a huge sign, parallel to the road, and a big tent. This is the main gate. We pull up - thankfully we have almost 45 minutes until the ceremony starts - and the nice marine confirms our directions (12 miles, turn left, etc.) although he did not check my license and registration. I could have been a terrorist for heaven's sake! But I wasn't. So we pressed on. We passed 6th Street and then 7th. 8th. 9th. 10th. 11th. And then 'A Street.' Wait, what? Never mind, we hadn't gone 12 miles yet. (I am not SO dumb, I did keep my eye on the odometer.) We pass the hospital and the museum and the lake and a bunch of streets with names that were not numbers and then, at the top of the hill we hit 19th Street. Well pooh. Did we miss it? We turn around and drive slower back down the hill to look for street signs. Nothing. By the time we get back to the museum we are sure we didn't pass it, so we stop and ask some dude crawling over a tank if he knows where we should be going. He doesn't know where 13th Street is and the football field he knows is on the other side (read, 200 square miles other side) of the Base. He suggests we ask at the firehouse. Good idea. Back up the hill, past 19th Street and wait a second...what if this is like 100 North and 100 South? Yeah, what if? We drive two more blocks and sure enough, 18th Street. We are declining. 17th, 16th, etc. 'Round about 14th Street there is a minuscule sign on a pole with "Special Event" on it. And lah lah lah, 13th Street where we turned left, saw the football field and parked. We had arrived at 11:59am. The graduation started at noon. Well, d***. So we hotfooted it over to the bleachers, sat down and the presentation of the colors began. Talk about timing. It was then that I opened my camera case to discover the devastating news. It was busted. I took some pictures and the ones in wide angle came out okay, but you can't tell the girls from the guys in those shots. (There were about 300 kids total divided in 6 platoons) The close-ups seemed to be mostly of trees and sky when I downloaded them back at home. I don't think the zoom works like it used to.
The good news was traffic was even better for the return trip, he seemed to have had a really good time and I didn't get lost.

This is me needing a GPS or leash or something.

Three Thursdays For You

Just found out that these things are memes (rhymes with 'themes', or 'dreams') Now that I know I am compelled to look for many on the web and post them here. Apologies to all of you out there who don't care. This site posts every Thursday and since few peeps comment (thank you Rocketgirl and M!!! Love you!) maybe I can drum up some numbers this way! :-) To get caught up I present three Thursdays worth of answers.
07/26/07:
Onesome: 'Lettuce'-- talk of salads and dressings: Is plain green your thing? ...or do you like 'stuff' mixed in or scattered over the top? ...and how about the dressing: what's leading your list this year?

• All about it being mixed in. Like the greens, but not as a solitary. And I love most veggies - carrots must be shopped small or they bug me - so yeah, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, peppers, carrots, onions, cheese, croutons, bring it on! Dressings: Caesar w/Parmesan is good; can't beat an oil and vinegar mix. It's all good.

Twosome: and-- how about those Mets, -eh? Actually, baseball's doing okay this week, with basketball, football and cycling having the problems. Is there any sports news you'd care to comment on?

• Sure, the Met's beat the Dodgers last Thursday but they also made three costly errors. (That's all I know because I was at the game.) Love the college football - Fight On USC Trojans! Season starts in 37 days. Pete Carrol says we have the best team yet and we have more depth than ever before. Woot!

Threesome: tomato-- and lettuce: the perfect toppings for that hamburger someone will cook up for you at a Labor Day picnic in another month or so? ...or perhaps you have another set of condiments you like on your meat or tofu?

• Mustard is a must. Ketchup, relish/pickles, cheese are very good. Tomato only if sliced thin and shredded lettuce is best. Onion if chopped and only a little. NO mayonnaise! EVER.

07/19/07:

Onesome: I love-- to hear about new music; do you have any new favorites for us this week?

• Only the most fabulous soundtrack EVER! The Pirate Queen soundtrack is what is playing in my car (and my head) for the last two weeks. Love it! Love the Block and the Hadley Fraser is spendiferous.

Twosome: this-- is way past the half way point of Summer; how are vacation and other plans working out for you? Here's hoping you're doing well!

• Uh-huh. There's no vacation in the world of architecture. We get July 4th and Labor Day. That's all. So thank goodness for air conditioning in the office.

Threesome: Book-- query: Whatcha' readin' this week? No, not "The Harry"! Arrgh! ...okay, if that's a big thing, sure.

• I'm re-reading one of my favorites: Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey. I like some spice in my novels but only if it fits the storyline. The plot must be feasible. It helps if the characters are realistic too.

07/12/07

Onesome: The-- Food Channel: Yummy Goodness or Food Pr0N? Who do you like to watch (or love to hate)?

• I like the Food Network. Iron Chef is funny and informative. Wish I had time to watch some other stuff.

Twosome: Food-- in the Summer? Cooking in the kitchen? Any tips to beat the heat for those in the gang literally baking in the heat?

• Salads are great and there are tons of good ones with fruit and interesting combinations. My favorite place to check out is here. With some crusty bread and cheese it's a great meal.

Threesome: Channel-- some coolness our way: what is your favorite Summertime beverage (yes, mixed drinks work too...).

• Crystal Light - Raspberry Ice with 7-up over lots of ice. I now understand when a wine aficionado says something has "depth". This drink has depth. And it's niiiiiiice.

This is me, meme-ing. I hope I don't have to wait for someone to Meme me first. That would be embarrassing.

Silly-ness

Who thinks this stuff up? There are so many lists like this out there. I know they're silly. I see them and I think they're silly. Yet I feel the need to fill it out/take the survey/find my tarot card anyway. What does my middle name mean?
I : Unbelievably great in bed. {Well, I don't like to brag...}
R : Flipping crazy. {Duh.}
E : Unbelievably great in bed. {Again? If you insist.}
N: You like to drink. {If by drink you mean fizzy water with ice, then yes}
E : Unbelievably great in bed. {Now look sugar, I'm flattered really, but let's not get redonkulous}

This is me, unable to not copy and paste.

In case you are so inclined as to make up your own list:
A: You like to drink
B : You like people.
C : You are really silly.
D : one in a million.
E : Unbelievably great in bed.
F : You are drop-dead sexy.
G : You never let people tell you what to do.
H : You are quirky.
I : Unbelievably great in bed.
J : People adore you
K : You're wild and crazy.
L : Unbelievably great in bed.
M : Best kisser ever.
N: You like to drink.
O: Awesome kisser.
P : You are popular with all types of people.
Q : You are a hypocrite.
R : Flipping crazy.
S : Easy to fall in love with
T : You're loyal to those you love.
U : You really like to chill.
V : You are not judgmental.
W: You are very broad minded.
X : You never let people tell you what to do.
Y : Best boy/girl friend any one can ask for.
Z : Always ready.

Kitty #6

Introducing the newest little kitty in our house. I give you Belle:We planned to keep her in the shower for the first few days in case she couldn't take the food or something but she got bored with that after an hour:She's a climber - everytime we come into the bathroom she's up on the toilet or sink or something:Her ears are huge and she looks a little scraggly in these pictures but I think it's only because she's so thin. Once she fills out a little her fur will lie down properly:And whatever happened to her mother, Belle was taught to wash herself and use the litter box and eat solid food.

The other kitties are still getting used to her. Train Wreck growls and hisses at her, Mikey wants to mother her but Belle runs away and gets her back up. The outdoor three don't care as long as they get to eat still. We'll see how it goes. This is only day three after all.

This is me showing off my new kitty.

Sucessful

I would swear this weekend was longer than two days. Not in a good way though. I don't feel rested, just exhausted. Which either means I have no stamina or I don't do very much on weekends when people aren't visiting me. Neither is a glowing recommendation but we went non-stop. Thursday and Friday were spent cleaning such as the house has not been cleaned since we bought it. It's one thing if one's own mother or sisters are coming but when it's the mother-IN-LAW coming...well. All the solutions come out. Drano, Comet, 409, Windex, Pledge etc. Raid. (WHAT is with the ants this year? All over everything. Eeeeaaaallllgghhh, makes my skin crawl.) Friday night Tarzan decided it would serve us better to have three floor fans so each room with people sleeping could have one. This made a lot of sense so we traipsed out to Target at 9pm. Then, since we were out anyway, we thought it would be a good idea to go grocery shopping too. I've never been in a grocery store when it was closing. Eerie experience. Saturday morning we went to a housewarming BBQ for previous office friends. SUCH a nice house! Good food too. Then Tarzan was off to teach SAT to the kids downtown and I went home to clean some more and do the laundry. FIL and MIL arrived a little sooner than I was told but we muddled through well enough and went on to have a lovely dinner in Upper The Jungle with Tarzan's aunt, uncle and cousins. Church is early on Sunday and Tarzan has meetings at 7am (WHO is the sadist planning these things?) It was there that another similarity of Tarzan and his mom became apparent. He became a little concerned at the look on her face. It seems that when thinking hard they both develop a furrow in their brow and pucker their lips. If one doesn't know better one would think they were angry. I have been apprehensive on many occasions because of THE FACE.
The newest addition to the family came right after church - a tiny black and grey striped kitten wandered into the yard and after checking with the neighbors, it seemed not to belong to anyone. I am a sucker for a baby animal and she 'somehow' managed to find her way into my car when we left to go home. She's probably 8-10 weeks old and was REALLY hungry. Pictures will come tomorrow. Tarzan was not greatly amused (it is our sixth cat, though three are strictly outdoor animals) so it was fortunate that dinner had been spectacular and he was in a good mood. (THANK YOU for letting me keep the kitty HONEY!! I love you.) Some additional cousins stopped by last night and then everyone was off for work and the airport this morning. FIL and MIL are flying to Peru today and then off to Brazil and Chile. THEN one of my sisters stops over tonight before she flys back to school tomorrow.
Whew.

This is me tired from hostess-ing, but loving the family.

Thinking

I am so ready for the weekend. I know, I know; when am I NOT ready for the weekend?
But what if I tell you that my in-laws are coming.
To stay at our house.
Our 786 square foot house.
For three days.
With Tarzan, my sister and me.
Would you appreciate what kind of a week it was that I am still so ready for the weekend? :-) Actually, though the week was kind of grueling, my in-laws are not bad. (I've certainly met some that I would NOT like being even remotely related to.) No, Tarzan's Mama and Papa are good peeps. They're a little more random than me. A little louder and little less...restrained than I. Not that I am a great paragon of discretion you understand, just relatively speaking. But it's okay.
(And I don't say that because my MIL sometimes reads this blog - *ahem* like many people, she does not comment *ahem ahem*!!C'mon, validate me.)
No, it's okay because every time we get together another thread of Tarzan is revealed and I understand him a little bit more. What makes him tick, and tock, why certain things cause him to blow - on the few occasions he does. (It's almost - I said ALMOST honey - irritating how unflappable Tarzan is. What's a girl got to do to get a reaction out of a man?...Um, get your mind out of the gutter people, please. THAT I can do. Sheesh.) Where his quirks and mannerisms come from. (What is with the seizures when you eat something that tastes good?) And of course the stories from his childhood are fun to hear - really Tarzan, EVERY key on the piano?
That's one of the things I have found most intriguing in my life - learning why other people do things, say things, think things. Understanding the human psyche. I'm pretty sure I should have been a psychologist. Too bad it took me until I was 30 to figure it out. Ehn. In my next life - when I'm Hadley Fraser. :-D I'll be the fantastically cute, amazingly talented, British-accented psychologist.

This is me out for the weekend.

Small World

Two things:
1. On Facebook, I 'ran into' a girl who married a guy that I grew up with in The Frozen North. She grew up in The Temperate Zone with the girl my brother married. Random.

2. I was browsing the Blogfather's site, reading here - and that led to the first link here - and he suggested that *I* visit this page here - and I think I met this guy when I lived in The Frozen North. It was at a Christmas function downtown I think...(look it's been 14 years since I lived there okay) I didn't remember the name until I read the entry, but he's practically royalty up there. We used to visit the library and the museum ALL THE TIME and there were pictures of him in both places. He was interviewed for a piece on an explosion in the town that we had to watch in school. Crazy.

This is me today.

Willpower and much linkage

OMG - I changed my mind. In my next life I want to be Hadley Fraser.
So I waited (be proud of me - it was hard) until we picked A up from The Desert last night to listen to The Pirate Queen soundtrack. It was thrilling, simply thrilling. I really, really, REALLY hope that the producers can get enough support and backers to do a national tour because I NEED to see this show. I know, I know; it won't be Stephanie or Hadley, but it would be good even if *I* sang it. (Well, probably not, but you know what I mean.) The music is lovely - Irish in lilt and I like that. Perhaps because my background is Irish, I don't know. The characters are strong and the voices...don't even pretend like you don't know how good they are by now.
Stephanie J. Block rocks. I'm not sure why there's a rumor that she sounds/looks like Celine Dion. (I think she looks more like Barbara Streisand but that's something else.) Celine kinda screeches - I think her voice sounds thin sometimes. Stephanie has power, she can hit the notes and mean it. She's also a really nice person and she's involved in her characters. She really becomes the person she's portraying and I love her for that. I am seriously thinking of becoming a Blockhead (check out the first definition), that's how much I like her. Plus her favorite charity is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Always a place in my heart for those people.
Interestingly enough, perhaps because I wasn't a Broadway LOVER (liker, for sure but not a Tony-watching, interview-following lover) until Wicked (which is an "estrogen-fest" according to Tarzan) , there wasn't a male performer I liked enough to get behind (i.e. obsess about). And then I found [heard, drooled over, watched ALL the comcast episodes, preview videos, special appearances, lurked his website and determined the need to worship for all time] Hadley Fraser. Wow. He can sing, amazingly well. He has a Brtish accent. Wow. So cute, really funny, humble, so cute and yet self depreciating and did I mention he's SO CUTE? His voice is strong enough to hold against Stephanie (I just can't quite call her Steph yet.) and hers is strong enough to go up against his. Makes for some great duets. (He's perfect, she's perfect and they're perfect together!) Plus, the character he plays is a totally sweet, gorgeous, noble guy. How could every girl in every audience NOT fall in love with him? Awesome. (On second thought, maybe I just WANT Hadley Fraser...!)
Then. Today. I discovered there is a Bonus Track CD, which has three (3!) songs not included on the CD that I have. So, do I buy a whole new CD? Do I pay for the downloads of the individual songs? If I do the download then I can burn an entirely new copy of the CD, figure out where the additional songs go chronologically and have even that much more of the show to pretend I am seeing. The benefit of the new CD is that the lyrics come too. Ehn. What a choice.

So yeah...say it with me now, national tour, baby, national tour.

This is me wishing.

Update: What she said.

40 Questions

[one] have you ever been asked out?
Yes...pretty sure.
[two] where is your default picture taken?
The picture on the home page is of Tarzan and myself the summer before we were married. It's some park in The Rockies
[three] what's your middle name?
Irene
[four] your current relationship status?
Married
[five] does your crush like you back?
Which one? There are many. I'm fairly certain Stephanie J. Block doesn't know who I am...others do. I tend to not get crushes on people who don't like me.
[six] what is your current mood?
Anticipatory for the weekend, good, thinking.
[seven] what color underwear are you wearing?
Hold on while I check...
[eight] what color shirt are you wearing?
Green
[nine] is dead.
>because 7 8 9?
Couldn't have said it better.
[ten] if you could go back in time and change something, what would it be?
I don't think one thing would make that much difference, so I wouldn't change anything. Now if there were YEARS I could change, that would be a different story.
[eleven] if you must be an animal for one day, what?
A cat - then I'd be able to reach that itch in the middle of my back.
[twelve] ever had a near death experience?
Pretty sure not, I've never been unconscious even
[thirteen] something you do a lot?
Watch TV, read, blog :-)
[fourteen] the song stuck in your head?
Jeopardy music.
[fifteen] who did you copy and paste this from?
RHM
[sixteen] name somebody with the same birthday as you.
My sister-in-law's is the day AFTER mine...is that close enough?
[seventeen] what's your favorite hobby?
Hobby...that's hard, maybe computer games?
[eighteen] have you ever sang in front of a large audience?
Not since grade school, and NEVER as a solo thankfully.
[nineteen] if you could have one super power what would it be?
The ability to fly
[twenty] what's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Handshake
[twenty-one] what do you usually order from Starbucks
I think I've only been there once, in an airport, and I got a muffin and milk.
[twenty-two] what's your biggest secret?
I don't really have secrets. I like to talk about myself too much. Helll-ooo I have a blog.
[twenty-three] favorite color?
Blue
[twenty-four] Describe your favorite picture of yourself
Taken by a friend of mine, from the rear, on a street in Middleton after another friend's graduation.
[twenty-five] do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
Oh yeah - The Muppets, Flintstones, Smurfs, Sesame Street (though that's gone downhill in the last few years)
[twenty-six] what are you eating or drinking at the moment?
Just the usual water at my desk.
[twenty-seven] do you speak any other language?
I can fake French usually, if the other person speaks slowly.
[twenty-eight] what's your favorite smell?
Vanilla is good...Tarzan's after-shave
[twenty-nine] Describe your life in one word:
Impatient
[thirty]Have you ever won a trophy?
No...but I won $25 bucks in the 2nd grade for a poster I designed.
[thirty-one] have you ever kissed in the rain?
Actually IN the rain? Or just wet FROM the rain? Yes, to both, now that I think about it.
[thirty-two] what are you thinking about right now?
How long it is until 5:30 and what I can do tonight so I have some time free tomorrow.
[thirty-three] what should you be doing?
Working :D
[thirty-four] who was the last person that made you upset/angry?
Clients, always the clients.
[thirty-five] how often do you pray?
Not as often as I should.
[thirty-six] do you like working in the yard?
Absolutely.
[thirty-seven] if you could have any last name in the world, what would it be?
I kinda like the one I grew up with and my "new" one is cool too.
[thirty-eight] do you act differently around the person you like?
I'm actually more myself with Tarzan than anyone else, but I expect I come off as a total EEDiot when around crushes.
[thirty-nine] what is your natural hair color?
Kinda brown-ish
[forty] what was the last thing to make you cry?
When the Kindred horse dies in The Black Jewels Trilogy. (Hope I didn't spoil that for anyone.)

This is me telling you more random and mostly useless stuff about myself.

100th Post

Aww, look at me - 100 posts on this blogg-er-ing thing. In eight months that's...12 a month, 3 a week on average. Not too shabby. I think I might be ready for NaBloPoMo when it comes around again! (Kidding, kidding, that's sooo not enough.) But happy blogging to me today! Yay!

First, the recap of our Wicked experience. I don't think I will ever see the show, anywhere, any theater, with any actor/actress and not think it's fantastic. It is just that good. I WOULD like to see the same cast twice though, to get a feel for a "normal" show. I thought that Tuesday would be the day. The Jungle has a sit-down (permanent) production. Seeing two performances, only a couple months apart I naively thought I'd be able to see the same faces as in February. Alas, it was just not to be. There were a few substitutions in the program. Les sighs. Still, it wasn't all bad, in fact I think some of the understudies (stand-by, excuse me) were really great.

Eden Espinosa - always a solid performer. And an exceptional voice. I wonder if they get bored singing and saying the same lines eight times in a week? I consider this because there was a distinct difference in some songs; notes added or changed, or left out. (Still bitter that the waltz from 'Wonderful' is out.) And I think Eden tends to play Elphaba just a bit too angry from the start. I feel Elphaba should start out frustrated, exasperated, resigned and then develop the anger as the slander goes on and gets worse. At the beginning she's just green.

Emily Rozek was in for Glinda (instead of Megan Hilty who I wanted to see a second time...) and she was pretty darn good. I liked her delivery of the lines, she seemed to let Glinda grow up as the character is supposed to. She also didn't play it for the jokes alone, or make it too slapstick-y. I hate that.

Kristoffer Cusick seemed to have improved a lot since the last time we saw him and he wasn't bad then. He had more depth, a bigger range maybe? Or he was just 'on' that night and not the night in February.

Natalie Daradich was in for Nessarose (rather than Jenna Leigh Green, who I adore) and again, she was really very good. Nessa's character is relatively minor so her solo in the second act is really important and Natalie did a great job. Those are the most important characters to note. I did notice specifically this performance how the lighting designer did an exceptional job. Dramatic when necessary, but not overly complicated. It's amazing. [Insert twenty lines of my usual gushing over this play - it's fantastic, it really is!!]

Here are some gooey shots of us before we left. (Special thanks to Tarzan taking them all while we mugged for the camera. Love you honey!)

All dressed up to go:

Yes, we DO wear green and black to all performances. Yes, we ARE obsessed. Any other questions?
Trying to imitate the poster...times two...all in green:

Some cheesecake for the mens:

And if this week hadn't been cool enough - what's this; a present for me? Yay! When I went out to my car this morning there was a bag on the seat - and guess what was inside? The Pirate Queen soundtrack!!

Looky looky:

OMG! I am so excited right now, I don't know what to do with myself. Patience is SO not my thing, but no one appreciates my obsessive nature like my sister who is home visiting the family this week...sooooo do I wait for her to listen to the CD or do I rip it open and just blast it right now? Some of the immersion possibilities will be lost if I do it here and now, but it's in my hand right this second! How can I NOT open it?! What to do, what to do?

This is me contemplating.

Meanwhile

Today is July 11th. Go and get your free Slurpee from 7-11! It's a 7.11 oz size - how cool is that?! I'm down with most anything that's frozen and Slurpee's are great!

So. Wicked was awesome, more tomorrow when I get the pictures downloaded - turns out the laptop wasn't broken, just...tired? I left it for a few days and it healed itself. Weird. Maybe the world IS going to be taken over my machines someday.

This is me catching up.

Blase?

Is it true? Am I so familiar with going that I have forgotten to be excited? Do I prepare myself with an almost casual, been-there, done-that kind of attitude? Am I blase about theater excursions? OF COURSE NOT! Duh. People, I am going to see WICKED - yes, again. (This will be my seventh performance for anyone keeping score.) Tomorrow night to be exact. With three of my sisters. I love having sisters old enough to do stuff. They were cute when we were little and all but now that they can actually talk and everything - way more fun. They're in town for a few days and I am totally taking tomorrow off so we can shop and eat and go see Wicked. Yay! We have all seen it before; last fall when the national touring company was making it's second run through The Jungle. (Shortly after I was devastated by finding out Stephanie J. Block had not renewed her contract and had moved on to The Pirate Queen. Yes, I am still a little bitter thankyouverymuch.) We all trouped down south for the show and it was not bad. Having been spoiled by the likes of Stephanie, Idina Menzel and Eden Espinoza I wasn't too impressed BUT anyone who can belt out that level of musicality for that long really does deserve praise. (Goodness knows, I have enough trouble with hymns on Sunday.) Really, I have said so much about the show already, and there are dozens of websites, and chat rooms (I joined one of like 500 on Facebook) but IT. IS. SO. GOOD. It really is. There are so many layers to the story. Political, social, romantic, philosophical. Every time I go to see it I hear or see something I hadn't before. And the music...well, don't get me started. (I read the book, and while it's a good book and well written, the genius who saw a Broadway musical in that - wow!) The songs are catchy, they mix well with the story, extremely well written (they rhyme dialysis. I mean; this is genius folks), it's not dumb or implausible, and it's fun. So yes, I am probably obsessed but if it's for something so well done as this show, I'm good with it.

This is me out for a day of sisterly bonding.

Independence

OMG. I'm all about full disclosure and honesty, but there is a time and a place. The wife of one of the guys that I work with (one of the few...er, well okay, two guys that I actually like) had a baby yesterday. Their third child. They have two boys and now a little girl. Sweet, right? Well the boss seems to think he has the right to judge and comment whenever and wherever to whomever he wants to. And it's not nice stuff. Not vicious, but not nice. Asking when they had enough, or how many jobs he was going to get to pay for it all, or making jokes about basketball teams. When we found out yesterday, the boss couldn't stop talking about what a huge baby and poor [wife's name] and on and on and on. My initial reaction was "Thank goodness you only had one and no wonder she ended up the basket case she did." Then the boss got talking to a client, explaining why [co-worker] would not be in for a week at least - he shared the details, and then said "...they're done after this, she's getting her tubes tied..." OMG!!!! A little discretion here dude. First, if it were me, I would not have told the boss that. Second, if it were me, I would not have told the client that. Thirdly, if it ever IS me, I am SO not telling anyone in the office. Anything. At. All. I don't need the boss talking my personal affairs all over the office and the CLIENTS definitely DO NOT need to know. Jeepers, boss man.
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How was your holiday? July 4th is one of those days off with no family obligations, no travel necessary, no real preparation needed...it was nice. And next year it's on a Friday so 3-day weekend! Nicer. This 4th we had a flag ceremony at church at 8am with a pancake breakfast that followed. We had enough people that the singing didn't seem weak even though we were outside, and not so many that we ran out of breakfast. (It's always so hard to estimate for church activities. With volunteer clergy and leaders, there's sometimes less interest in participating) It seemed kinda disjointed while we were planning it but in the end it came out okay. We just hung out at home the rest of the day. Made a pie. Read. Watched the illegal fireworks (not ours) from our front porch. It was cool. Not the illegal part of course. However, ours is a neighborhood where the law is...more of a suggestion then a fact. So we get lots of firecrackers and sparklers in the street (which ARE legal) and then the big ones in the sky (which are NOT). The only down side is they aren't timed and there's no music, so sometimes there are dozens at once and then there's nothing for a while.
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The fifth image in this slide show is probably the saddest thing I have ever seen and the number one reason why we as a species have to learn how to get along. A little less judgement and a little more compassion, people of the world, ALL people of the world. Just a little.

This is me considering.

Briefly

My laptop may be busted...so totally not happy about that. Dunno if it's just the power supply because the battery already sucked so I can't even turn it on to check. Or possibly retrieve stuff. Grr.
SOMEone out there in Internet World made someone I know out there in Internet World very unhappy and I want to beat them to a bloody pulp. No names, no names. We're gonna keep this on the QT. Thanks.
This is comPLETEly unrelated but always amusing to do:

You are The Hierophant

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.

All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.

The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

This is me, outie.