Sweet!

I just downloaded the RENT screensaver, and it has a countdown to the movie! Hence, "Sweet!"

Not so sweet: I went to the library earlier. As I was driving there, apparently I was on auto pilot 'cause I ended up driving past the intersection where I needed to turn left. Whoops. I suppose it didn't help I was singing "As Long As You're Mine" while I drove on down 320th. Chalk it up to driving the same route to the park & ride every day. Heh.

I love my internship at the 5th Avenue. I really do. It's so much fun. Got to go backstage and in the theater during rehearsals today. :)

Saturday, good ol' Saturday

No work. No bus rides. No schedules. I love Saturday. I spent the morning catching up on e-mail and reading about Harry Potter on various Web sites. :) I am definitely suffering from HP withdrawal.

Just wanted to post something new 'cause Mom complained that I hadn't updated in forever. So here I am. Not really sure what I should say. Here you go, Mom: Teatro Zinzanni. And happy 28th anniversary (plus one week), Mom and Dad.

Sweet smell of success

Booyah! :) Heh heh, can you read that? H$4,021,261.62. Too bad it's not real. Heck, I'd take 1%!

HSX: An update

To recap, when you start an account at Hollywood Stock Exchange, you get $2 million. Right now, I have $3.97 million. I'm oh-so-close to doubling my fake moolah! :) Thanks so much to RENT, Jennifer Garner, and Robbie Coltrane.

Yay!

My splurge package from Amazon.com arrived! I have a new book and two CDs: Lapsing Into a Comma by Bill Walsh, Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson, and Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park. OK, so I'm a little late in buying Linkin Park's CD. I actually wanted to buy the import version for the longest time because it has "My December" on it. However, I was able to re-acquire that song (hehehe) and just decided to buy the cheaper, regular release.

I just read the acknowledgments, introduction, and first chapter of Lapsing, and I'm already intrigued! "I couldn't diagram a sentence if my life depended on it." Right on, Bill Walsh! :) Should be a great read. I also expect I'm gonna mark up this book and place flags all over the place. I really am a dork. But you know, I don't care! :)

If I could be anywhere in the world tonight...

... I'd actually want to be at the Hollywood Bowl. Celebrities and regular peeps like me (OK, they're theater and/or major Sondheim fans... and/or Grobanites) will be celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 75th birthday with a concert.

Here are just a few names:

James Barbour (have never actually heard him, but I've heard much about him)

Carol Burnett (needs no parenthetical explanation)

Barbara Cook (she's legendary in the business)

Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut! Woohoo!)

Josh Groban (*grin*)

Marin Mazzie (just listened to her on Ragtime again. Wow)

Audra McDonald (I have who-knows-how-many CDs with Audra McDonald. She needs to return to Seattle someday and soon)

The list goes on. Dang, that's a great list. So yeah, that's where I'd rather be tonight. Hopefully, someday I'll have more money and time to travel and see these concerts.

Yo, check it out

http://www.5thavenuetheatre.org/staff.shtml

*grin*

I'm a dork

Or, at least I feel a little dorky right now. :) And not that that's a bad thing. Why do I feel like a dork? I haven't blogged in a few days, but I keep coming here (to musicallispeaking.blogspot.com) to check on my own blog. And I *know* that I haven't updated, but somehow I hope it'll inspire me to write something. Hasn't happened.

So let's see about updates: Me? Nope. How about Jason? Nope. Janice? Nope. Dad? Hey! Dad's blogging more than anyone else! Heh heh.

Mo-om... it's your turn. :) I'm in a bloggin' funk. No wit. No clever anecdotes. No stories to tell... other than I'm still deciding on how to spend my $94.45 that I won from gambling. Woohoo!

I *heart* New York

I really do. The trip to NYC was so much fun. Brittany and I saw Avenue Q, The Light in the Piazza, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Wicked. We had two great stage door experiences.


After Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, we exited the theater through the same doors where we entered. I noticed that many people were standing around and started to wonder if there were any actors around. I turned around and saw Norbert Leo Butz! He won the Tony for best actor in a musical this year. Norbert Leo Butz and John Lithgow signed our playbills. Then, as we were waiting for Sherie Rene Scott (who didn't come out through the main entrance), I saw Jai Rodriguez from Queer Eye and RENT walk past!

We didn't win the lottery for Spelling Bee tickets, but that theater is right next to where Wicked plays. There was an enormous line for the Wicked lottery, and when we went to get dinner, I heard my name: "Alli!" It was Anna! That was great we got to see her.

On Thursday, we went to a CD signing at Tower Records. Sherie Rene Scott, Gregory Jbara, David Yazbek (the composer of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Full Monty), Norbert Leo Butz, and John Lithgow were all there.

At the Gershwin stage door, there were metal barricades set up. David Ayers (Fiyero), Michele Federer (Nessarose), and Shoshana Bean (Elphaba) signed our playbills. Shoshana Bean rocked as Elphaba. She's an incredible singer.


I also got Sherie Rene Scott and Shoshana Bean to autograph the recently released recording of Hair, benefiting the Actors' Fund. Very cool. They both looked happy to see it. In fact, Sherie Rene Scott said, "Oh, I haven't seen this yet. Have you listened to it?" I told her no (well, I had just bought it and it came out on Tuesday), and she said that it was good. And it is!

Mmmm... bagels at Cranberry Deli. Mmmm... Jamba Juice. Mmmm... Ollie's. Mmmm... Katsu-hama. Hmmm... Seattle Cafe???

Visited Columbia, Barnard, Lincoln Center, Central Park, Battery Park, Ground Zero, the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and oh yes, Times Square (many times).

Musical roots

Wow, what a day! What an afternoon, to be precise. My internship is off to a great start! I got the chance to meet everyone in communications as well as several other staff members at The 5th Avenue Theatre. They were very welcoming. I toured the offices and the theater, including backstage. Very cool! :)

Oh right, before I forget... I know I've mentioned this before to some people, but I just wanted to say that I got hooked on musicals thanks to Mom, who took Janice and me to see Jesus Christ Superstar at The 5th Avenue Theatre. I was six. :) So, I'm returning to the place where it all started, yet I'm a newbie to the world of marketing and communications for musicals. I'm thrilled to be doing what I have envisioned as my goal: to combine my passion for music(als) with my passion for writing/communicating. I'm not sure how long I've had this goal. Definitely before I declared my major. Perhaps it's been brewing for the past 15 years? There's definitely some rhyme and reason for why things happen the way they do.

I'm so excited to do this internship. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. I sat in on a meeting, and it seemed so natural and fun to talk about Miss Saigon and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Also, it's great to be onboard during the preparation of a Broadway-bound musical, Princesses.

Everyone who'll be here in August oughta come see it! That means you! Hehehe.

"What I up to"

LOL! Dad has been working on a family tree Web site, and it's expanding each day. It's pretty cool. I just clicked on my new page, and what you all must realize is that the song *isn't* my future wedding song. :)

"What is the feeling, so sudden and new? I felt the moment I laid eyes on you. My pulse is rushing. My face is flushing... What is this feeling, fervid as a flame? Does it have a name? Yes! Loathing. Unadulterated loathing." LOL! As much as I like the song for Wicked, well, now you can see why I'm laughing. :)) It definitely is a catchy tune. I question the use of the dreary-sounding organ at the beginning... I guess that's why it reminded me of a wedding. Heaven forbid any organist to play dreary-sounding music at somebody's wedding! Or even a baseball game for that matter. Heh heh.

Hey, Dad, do they (meaning, wherever you get your music) have "Defying Gravity" or "The Wizard and I" or how about "Dancing Through Life"? :)

Thanks for picking up the Wicked tickets.

Must sleeeeeep

Perhaps I should play "I Wish I Could Go Back to College" again. I stopped listening to music for a little bit as I continued to work on my paper. Yikes, this is taking a lot longer than I expected. I have since listened to Closer, Romeo et Juliette, and Prince of Egypt. More than once.

I keep telling myself, "I'm almost done." And I am. I just had to go back through and make changes to my verb tenses. Yikes, that was a mess. :) Yikes, it is a mess. :))

I plan to wake up at 7 to finish and also prepare my three-minute speech. Bwahahaha. I'M ALMOST DONE! *grin* (Okay, clearly this is a sign that I should sleep.)

Good night.

November 11: Time for RENT

OOOOOOH. I just watched the trailer for RENT. It looks great! (Well, I question Adam Pascal's hair slightly, but other than that...) I can't wait to see the movie!!!

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/rent/

Listening to Avenue Q

"I Wish I Could Go Back to College" just started, so I thought I'd take a break from writing my paper. Ha! I'm "cursing the world, 'cause I didn't start sooner." :) The paper is finally coming together, but I really *should* have worked on it sooner. Oh well. I definitely thrive on pressure, but I don't necessarily like it!

In two weeks, I'll be seeing Avenue Q with great friends. Yay!

(In case anyone's wondering why I didn't talk about the Tony Awards, there wasn't a whole lot to talk about... except I loved the performance from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and I hope we can see it in addition to Avenue Q, Wicked, and The Light in the Piazza. )

134 equals...

... my new expert minesweeper time! Previous record on my laptop was 153. I'll take it! :) OK, *now* I can work on my papers. LOL!

I think I can handle never getting 101 or 99 like a certain author of a certain lil' series about a wizard with a lightning scar on his forehead. Oh well!

The Saturday before Finals Week

I'm in Suzzalo Library right now. How incredibly fast a year goes by. I remember last year I was writing an English paper about a novel and my first complete song (*grin*), and I was looking forward to my vacation in California.

Now I'm writing history and communication papers, and I'm looking forward to my vacation in New York. Parallels? Yes. Though it's also strange to think that I have one more quarter to go after this one. Whoa.

But I hope that autumn quarter doesn't arrive too fast. After all, I definitely want to savor and enjoy my summer. :)

Somebody help me please. I canNOT stop playing Minesweeper, even if I'm terrible at it. Hey, I used to be somewhat good. The library closes at 5, which means I'll most likely return to my dorm, which means I'll have access to my mouse. Eeep. Curses to the library always closing at 5 on a Saturday! Hmmm. Maybe I'll go to the HUB, although it's nowhere near as inspiring as Suzzallo.

OK. Gotta get back to writing my papers. (At least, that's what I tell myself I'll do.)

It's official!

I'm going to do an internship with the communications department at The 5th Avenue Theatre! Am beyond excited! :) Yay!!! I interviewed for the position on Wednesday and accepted the offer this morning. :)

Ooh, remember when it rained, Goldilocks

It's too hot. It's too rainy. Whatever! When it was scorching hot last week, I wished it would rain. And it POURED today. Now I'm soaked. I wouldn't exactly say I asked for it. At least, I will remember that it rained on Janice's birthday while I was on my way to get bubble tea. Mmmm... the honey milk tea's fab, Jan! :)

I hope it doesn't rain this hard when I'm downtown. *crossing fingers* Not necessarily about the weather, don'tcha know!

"Ooh, remember when it rained
In the water I remain"

You can sing that again, Josh.

Ohmyfreakingawd!

Ow. I hurt my throat screaming at the TV immediately after the ALIAS cliffhanger. OMG, OMG, OMG. My heart, at least, has stopped racing.

When Syd and Vaughn (ack, his name's not Vaughn!!!) were talking in the car, I told Vaughn to keep his eyes on the road. ARGH. And look what happened.

"For starters, my name's not Michael Vaughn." Car crash. This is all too much.

Oh man, I'm so glad I didn't tape this finale. I would be watching it over and over again like I did for season 2's cliffhanger. There's no way I'm going to be able to write a paper tonight...

Whadda season.

Edit: 11:37 p.m.... No, I take it back. Now I'm really wishing I taped this finale. Why didn't I tape this finale? I've made zero progress on my paper. I've read some posts on an Alias message board. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who screamed at the TV. Heh!

Long time, no blog

Whew, I am swamped with work. It doesn't seem right to use the term "homework" though; that seems to have a "busywork" connotation. I don't have assignments in the same way that I used to. Instead, I'm preparing for a research presentation on Tuesday, and I need to write analytic points for my ethnographic paper. Yup, my "to do" list hardly sounds like "homework." It's work.

Ooh la la, I saw Les contes d'Hoffmann/The Tales of Hoffmann today. Speight Jenkins talked before the opera began, and he mentioned that Mayor Nickels was in the house. We sat in the sixth row, center, and Mayor Nickels and Speight Jenkins sat a few rows behind us to the left. The opera was entertaining and a complex story about love(s). The opera ended with the surround sound of the cast and chorus singing, "Through suffering, we learn how to love." Talk about a goosebump-inducing ending. We gave a standing ovation (well, most of us did), and when the final curtain went down, we could hear the cast shout, "Woo!" LOL! It's their last show of the run and of the season. I picked up extra copies of the program, since my name's in it. Hehehe. What can I say? It's pretty darn cool!

The gift shop had a sale in honor of Richard Wagner's birthday. I bought a Seattle Opera T-shirt. Apparently I'm not the only one who likes to buy magnets, and apparently Tales of Hoffmann was a popular success because they didn't have any Hoffmann magnets left! One more thing about Seattle Opera: They're taking the day off tomorrow in honor of Wagner's birthday. Wish I could take the day off...

Back to work I go.

YAY!

Uchenna and Joyce won! Uchenna and Joyce won! I was rooting for them! The Amazing Race 7 had me panicking and screaming at the TV--especially around 10:45 p.m.--but I'm sooooo happy now! Ah, good TV. Good sweeps. :)

"Wow, that's great!"

And I'm not talking about a Red Ryder BB Gun. This Fujitsu C Series Lifebook laptop is awesome! *grin* Yup, Dad bought me a laptop on Saturday. Thanks, Dad! It didn't come with Microsoft Office, which I desperately needed for school. Thanks, Mom!

Now I'm very happy that I was able to import my bookmarks--or favorites as IE likes to call them--without having to type every single URL. That would've been a pain.

I was able to transfer all but my biggest files from my PC to my laptop. I'll just be missing a few JG video clips from my collection. That's OK.

This laptop rocks! It's so fast and has everything I want/need. Ooh, and I now have a color printer. The UW wage statement looks so pretty. I almost forgot it was pay day today. Yay!

One more thing! I bought tickets to the student matinee of The Tales of Hoffmann (Les contes d'Hoffmann). My roommate and I are going on the 22nd. Orchestra center preferred, sixth row. Opera is the most expensive ticket in town, so this is such a great deal: What normally would cost a whopping $116 per ticket is just $15 per ticket for students! Yay! I'm going to miss being a student! :) LOL! Or not. LOL!

[Edit: I just looked at Seattle Opera's Web site, and the matinee price for OCP is $95. The person at the box office told me $116, which is the price for some of the night performances. Yowzas!]

It's Christmas in May. Wow, that's great!

Act like you know what you're doing

Those are the words on one of my favorite T-shirts -- from Seattle Public Theater to be exact. And, oh, if only I *could* act like I know what I'm doing. Today in my crisis communications class, we had to roleplay. Yeesh. I don't know how lucky it is to get to be the irate parent of a child who attends a school where there are critical public health violations in the kitchen. Maybe it is lucky; the spokespeople for the school had the toughest task, imo (it's crisis comm. for cryin' out loud), and then the media got to ask a question or two. I got to watch a few people roleplay before it was my turn. And I laughed, even though it was supposed to be somewhat serious. But other people were laughing too.

And when it was my turn to be the irate parent, I started by yelling, "MY CHILD HAS BOTULISM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" And then my professor and some other people started laughing. Then *I* started laughing. Oh brother. Guess I can't act in a drama. At least I wasn't wearing the SPT T-shirt. That would have been embarrassing. Heh heh.

She knows me so well

I've been listening to Chess lately in case you couldn't tell. Yeah, hard to do when you don't exactly quote the song. :)

Anyway, I had dinner with Mom and Dad yesterday and filled them in on the New York trip. :) As we walked back to the car, Mom asked all these questions about which days I'd be in NYC with Brittany. And then she started counting, "One on Tuesday, two on Wednesday, and one on Thursday." *grin* See? She *does* know me so well!

For those of you who are thinking, "Huh?" Here's the answer: 1 + 2 + 1 = 4 = the number of Broadway shows we could see/plan to see.

Can't wait! :)

Anything but that

That being homework. That being papers. That being anything school-related. I wish I could have a second spring break. I could really use some time off. Unfortunately, there's no end in sight until June 8, really.

I do have some good news, and everything associated with it gives me happy things to think about, which keeps me going during the daily grind that is my life. The good news is that I saved a bunch of money on my car insurance. No, that's not my good news. Brittany and I are officially heading to New York in June! Yay! I'm so excited. :)

In other news, my computer crashed earlier this week. What a nightmare. I didn't have a backup for extremely important files. And the weird thing is my professor had warned us to have a backup. You can bet that I have one (wait, actually, two) now. Many thanks to Janice and Nestor (and their friends, Peter and Trang) for helping me revive my computer.

Ooh, I should also thank Tita Beata for getting papers for me at my parents' house. They came in really handy. Thanks again. It was really nice of you to do that. :)

OK, I've procrastinated long enough. And pretty soon, I'll get sucked into primetime TV. I better try to finish up *something* before then. Sigh.

Jeez... fake guestbook entries???

For the past few weeks, I've been receiving a steady flow of new guestbook entries. Most of them I delete. They say that I've done a good job with my site, but they refer to me as a "group" or "team." Maybe they think that ACab & Co. is just that. But still, I have my doubts that they actually looked at my site.

A few days ago I received a guestbook entry that suggested I could post more pictures. Well, sure, but I don't have the time. So I kept that entry hidden. Then today I received another entry that not only complained that they couldn't view it correctly in an 800 x 600 setting (hello, it's geared for 800 x 600) but also CITED the name of the person who submitted the last hidden entry! That tipped me off that these entries are fake. They always have a URL, too. I don't always check them out, but the ones I have sell really weird things. Yeaaaah...

Sorry guestbook spammers, but I'm not THAT desperate for entries. Please take yer business elsewhere.

Can you sympathize/empathize with this nosebleeder?

Warning: Don't read this if you get queasy reading about blood. Don't say I didn't warn you...


I get nosebleeds. Don't be so surprised. Unless, you who read this are a stranger. In that case, welcome to my overshare for the day! Btw, when I was younger, I used to call them bloody noses. :) Well, sometimes I'll still call them bloody noses, but anyway!

I've had more than my fair share of nosebleeds/bloody noses, I have to say. It did not help that I got one this morning out of the blue while I was getting ready for class. I didn't see it coming. Usually, I *knooow*. Luckily, I was standing in front of a mirror and noticed something was wrong, and I was able to reach for some tissue in time. But, for whatever reason, I had a difficult time controlling it. Not sure why. And the rarest part was that I got blood on a perfectly good shirt. Yeah, I'm usually a clean nosebleeder, if you can believe it. (Only once in third grade did I get blood on my sweatshirt before school started; I clenched the spot with my fist all day long.) However, there was enough blood--or, too much, depending on how you look at it--that I just ended up throwing it away.

Seeing that I am running out of clean clothes (heh), I ended up wearing my Josh Groban CLOSER t-shirt and had a conversation about Josh and music with someone at work. Good-bye, perfectly good shirt.

Coke with Lime: the verdict is in

I do NOT like Vanilla Coke. One sip and that was that. I haven't tried Coke with Lemon. But Coke with Lime? I had to try. Hearing the ad jingle "You put the lime in the Coke, you nut" was way too catchy, I have to admit. What's the final judgment? It's all right. I definitely taste the (artificial) lime, but it makes me miss the Coke. Go figure.

The ongoing case of mistaken identity

I got breakfast at about noon today. When I went to the cashier at McMahon 8, she said, "Good morning!" and added, "How are you?!" in a friendly voice. Not the usual, monotone "How are you?" that you usually get from stores, cafeterias, coffee shops, and other places where they really don't care how you are but ask because it's part of a script. So I said, "I'm fine, how are you?" And she said, "Fine, thanks."

Then she rang up my food, and here's the dialogue that occurred:

Cashier: "Let's see. Chocolate milk. That's the biggest risk you've taken all week."

In my mind: HUH??? This is the first time I've seen you since finals week.

Me (aloud): "I'm sorry?"

Cashier: "You mean you're a risk-taker all the time?"

In my mind: Well, no, but it's just chocolate milk. I'm so confused, and I *know* that I'm not the person you think I am.

Me: *smile* "I think you've got me mistaken for someone else."

Can't remember what she said, but she didn't address that she had mistaken me for someone else.

I thank her and leave.

Argh, the weird thing is I knew she mistook me that one time during finals week last month. I almost opted to pay at the line farther away, but just as an experiment, I went to her line. And now I know... this isn't the only incident of mistaken identity. It's something I just have to live with. I guess though, looking on the bright side, at least the girl who looks like me is nice, too. Things could be worse.

I have too much to do...

...but I'm not complaining. Yes, I have a super busy schedule this quarter, but I'm very happy. Things are falling into place. Somebody oughta pinch me. Or, I'm aware that things *could* fall apart, but whoever's watching over me, thank ya kindly. :)

I've got a PRSA mentor! YAY! I didn't think the program was going to happen this year, but it is and -- for the sake of Pete na Repeat (lol, that's for you, Janice) -- I'm excited to have a mentor! I haven't met her yet, but I contacted her, and the possibilities are endless. Portfolio review, resume review, information interviews, networking with contacts, attending events together, job shadowing, etc. SO exciting. :)

I attended a Microsoft Excel workshop today. The lady who taught us works at Waggener Edstrom. She was really cool, and I certainly learned a lot. I mean, I can use Excel all right, but now I *really* know my stuff. YAY for autofill! That feature is crazy cool. Forget my earlier resolution to stop using the word "cool." And call me a dork, but the workshop was so fun. Where's the MSN nerd smiley when you need it?

Editing with Seattle Opera is going well. A little too well. I will be paid for three hours worth, but honestly I spent more than three hours proofreading. Apparently I do my best editing at ungodly hours of the night. Something to keep in mind. Either that, or it's a testament to how much I enjoy editing.

Oh right! And I'm doing that thing called going to school. One class rocks my socks, and the other two are pretty good too. :)

Congratulations, Janice, for exceeding your AHA walk fundraising goal!

New York in June! New York in June! Yay us, Brittany! :))))))

Right on, Melinda!

Absolutely loved the performance of The Marriage of Figaro on Sunday. Here's a really good review. :)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2002230608_opera05.html

Silent rage...

...is really unhealthy to have, so I'm going to vent.

SPITTING IN PUBLIC SHOULD BE BANNED. I swear, if I ever get spit on--by accident or on purpose--there will be hell to pay. I *almost* got spit on today as I left Odegaard Library. Remind me to avoid that library if I can. Suzzallo and Allen are much better libraries anyway. Well, I was on my merry way to the bus stop when this guy decided to let his spit go flying everywhere. By sheer instinct, I was able to stop in time, but I saw it all happen too close for comfort. If I had been a second quicker in my stride, I would have been caught in the grossness of it all. I didn't look at him directly, but I made him know I was there--standing there thinking, "YOU ARE INSANE AND DISGUSTING," and then I walked past him. ARRRRRRRRRRGH. FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD, PEOPLE, STOP SMOKING AND SPITTING. AND HAVE SOME CONSIDERATION FOR A PUBLIC SPACE. I'm furious.

No joke

It's almost too good to be true, but I can now say that I'm doing some freelance editing. Today I signed a contract and everything. :) I'm finding that I need to pinch myself, especially since it's April Fools' Day. A big shout out to the PR department at Seattle Opera. They are simply the best. I gladly would have done this for free, but who am I to decline an offer of payment? Hehehe. :)

It's been a week since I ended my internship. For whatever reason, it has felt a lot longer than seven days. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with myself, but yay! Now I don't have to think about that so much. I'm very happy that I get to return to the office, keep in touch, and sharpen my skills.

*jumping up and down with my red pen in hand*

Spring Break...

...is nearly over. This was the busiest spring break I can remember. I worked on campus and finished up my internship at Seattle Opera four of the five days. On Tuesday, I "conducted" my first informational interview with a really great PR manager, and--for many reasons--I'm really glad that I did it.

It's difficult to describe how I feel right now on this Good Friday. A continuum from happiness to sadness, perhaps. Happy about my scholarship. Happy about my grades (yeah, I 4.0ed the quarter for the first time at UW). Happy that I had such a great time at the Opera. Sad that my internship has ended. Sad when I think about Lolo. Sad (or maybe just tired) that my break's almost over 'cause I really could use more sleep. Sad (but hopeful) about Jesus' death. I realize that I don't talk about religion all that much. It's something I usually keep private, but I know what it means to me:

At a time like this, I'm reminded just how much my faith in God keeps me going. Especially when the highs and lows come at the same time.

Dear Lolo Ven,

I love you and sorely miss you.

May you rest in peace.

Your granddaughter,
Alli

"Lay down your head and sleep, sleep.
I'll be your pillow, soft and deep.
Leave me your troubles, I will keep
Your days gone by, your days gone by...

Lay down your head and sleep, sleep.
I will be pleased your soul to keep.
Give yourself over to the deep
Of days gone by, of days gone by."

(Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley, "Lay Down Your Head")

Random bits o' tumbleweed

They're ba-ack... My allergies, that is. I'm sneezing more, and I have a headache. Greaaaat.

Poo on you... A bird pooped on my hand on my way to church this morning. It was Disgusting with a capital D. Miraculously, I didn't get pooped on anywhere else. At least, I hope not. The greeters at church asked, "How are you?" and all I could breathlessly reply was, "Pretty good." I didn't want to take the time to say I was desperately in need of washing my hands! ;)

Just what I needed... Church: Does a body--and soul--good.

Denied... I hoped to get bubble tea from Yunnie's today. That's my favorite bubble tea place on the Ave. Who knew they were closed on Sundays?!? That's lost business for ya. My honey milk tea craving will have to wait for another day.

Crunch time... I have a final tomorrow. Am listening to my music examples. Wish me luck!

Metro Woes

Argh, I don't know that I'll ever out and out praise public transportation. It's good most of the time, but it takes one late bus to get the *grumble grumble* out of people--myself included. I waited over half an hour for my bus this afternoon. Half a freakin' hour. This isn't the first time the bus has been severely tardy. Different route, but still. I guess matters were made worse when I witnessed a heated verbal exchange at the bus stop, and it wasn't pretty. I think if I hadn't kept myself preoccupied analyzing what the man was yelling (chalk it up to my being a communication major, taking speech codes and language classes), I would have been traumatized. And he wasn't even yelling at me.

I miss my car. But even if I had it here, I guess I'd complain about the cost of parking. *grumble grumble* :) I like typing *grumble grumble*. You should try it some time.

I'm flying high, defying gravity

Oh, you have no idea how big of a burden has been lifted off me! The paper has been turned in, the speech has been delivered, the questions have been asked and answered. I was really nervous during my speech (and even stumbled a bit), but I recovered during my Q&A time. When the hour was over, my professor told our group that he heard very interesting speeches. After hearing 40 this week, he could have zoned out, but he gave the 10 of us a collective compliment. I take that as a good sign. Phew! As for me, I'm just glad it's over. :)

Am going to see another concert tonight. This time it's the combined choruses and orchestra. Two years ago, I was part of the chorus singing on stage, and tonight I'll be out in the audience. It's kinda cool to think that I've been on the performing side, even if it was only for a brief time.

Finals, I'm ready for you! (Ha ha, not really, but I will be.)

It's here

The last week of class. I think this week will be more stressful than finals. Argh! I've got a paper and speech to write. I was in a groove, reading at -- appropriate enough -- Suzzallo Reading Room, but I had to stop for an officer's meeting at 4 p.m.. Two hours later, I haven't found my way back to schoolwork. *sigh* Oh well.

That's not why I wanted to blog. Hehehe. I just wanted to say that I won $28.50 at Muckleshoot Casino on Friday! Mom, Dad, and I had seafood pho (mmm) and then gambled a little bit. I didn't have any money, so Mom gave me $20. We all played the same slot machine game (I can never remember its name). I got to "party" for the first time and doubled my points, but then Dad started hovering over me and I started losing. No joke. LOL! :) I switched machines a little later and nearly lost. I was down around 100 points when I got to "party" again and I kept touching presents (that amount to points) on the screen like there was no tomorrow, eventually "party pooped," but ended up winning $48.50! Of course, I had to give back the original $20 to Mom. Anyway, it was pretty sweet. As a family, we still lost and the house won. Ah, gambling. :)

Me encanta la opera Florencia en el Amazonas

Wow. I saw Florencia in the Amazon tonight with Mom. First we attended the pre-performance lecture, which was informative and entertaining (humor-wise and piano-wise!). Then, of course, came the performance. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Everything came together so well: the music, singing, dancing, sets, lights, props, special effects... everything. The lecturer talked about a German concept about the collaboration of art. Whatever that German word was, it was right on the mark.

The singers were fantastic. I'm still amazed that they can project so well without the aid of microphones. That's probably one of *the* coolest things about opera, and I'll never get over it. I don't want to! I hesistate to point out favorites among the singers. They were all so powerful and are a solid cast. Ooh, special props to the chorus that sang from the sides of McCaw Hall. Talk about surround sound! :))

I *loved* hearing the music live. Daniel Catan's music is so amazing. I don't know, it makes you feel alive (not that any of us are dead), but if you listen to Florencia, you'll know what I mean. You actually hear and feel the pulse in the music, and the soaring phrases are breathtaking.

The opera was visually stunning. I normally don't comment on sets, lights, costumes, but how can I not? The boat could turn 360 degrees. The moving lights on the stagefloor really DID look like the moving river! The butterfly transformation at the end was beautiful. :)

Ah, there are no adequate words to describe everything...

The good news

I wasn't joking when I said I was addicted to tvtome.com. Well, it turns out that "Lost" won't be airing new episodes for the rest of March, which means I can watch "American Dreams" this month without conflict (my roommate watches "Lost"). Yay!

Still here

I haven't dropped off the face of the planet or anything like that. :) Have just been swamped lately, and I *still* have plenty to do before finals roll around.

Oscars were enjoyable enough. For the one category I actually cared about (best song), neither of my favorites won. Oh well. I ended up watching six hours of Oscar-related TV (yikes), and I swear I saw Josh's manager and vocal coach on the ABC post-Oscar coverage. LOL! That was worth it. Just picture me squinting at my TV (good ol' TV!) hoping to see Josh and at least getting to see David Romano and Brian Avnet (or very good lookalikes), and then you'll understand.

I saw a jazz concert on Monday with one of my clustermates. We saw three UW groups perform at Meany. Dannnng, they're talented. It's fun watching the other performers onstage react to the soloists. They look like they are having the best time listening to each other and playing with each other. Everyone's smiling, moving to the beat, nodding their heads... something to show that they're groovin'. :)

Don't have much else to report. Ooh, I get to see Florencia on Saturday! So excited. So I've been to my first opera workshop. And I've been to my first opera dress rehearsal. This is the real deal: my first opera opera. Ooh, note to self (and Mom): don't forget the binoculars. :)

Support your long-distance sister

Janice is walking for the American Heart Association. Please consider donating any amount (even if it's just $5) to a worthy cause.

http://heartwalk.kintera.org/syracuseny/janicecabellon

Thanks,
Alli

Oscar buzz.. zzzzzzz...

Well, the 77th Annual Academy Awards airs tomorrow. I'm looking forward to Josh and Beyonce's performance of "Believe." But, of course, you probably knew that. :)

I've visited some of the news sites online, and they are talking about how the Oscars don't have any major contenders this year, so that may affect the ratings. I agree. I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby or The Aviator. I don't plan to anytime soon. But I'll still watch the awards show.

Btw, one article reported that last year's Tony Awards only attracted 6.5 million viewers. That show was one of the best I've seen in years. Perhaps I *should* work for the PR firm that handles the Tonys (I know which one does). That would be so much fun. :)

Shout-out to last night's writers of ALIAS

Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum... you guys rock! Finally finally. Alias calls back to the first season of the show with Anna Espinosa, cutting off a finger (hehehe), and actually having a dramatic cliffhanger moment (ruined by scenes from next week's episodes, but you know you wanted to see that!). *sigh* Good stuff. :)

"A new adventures awaits you this weekend."

Or so the fortune cookie said. But does that apply to this weekend (which is nearly over) or next weekend (which is too far way)???

At any rate, I definitely had an abnormal weekend. Am really glad that it lasted a couple extra days. Friday doesn't *really* count, but at least I didn't have any pressing matters to attend to. Saturday was very enjoyable and productive .

Ah, yes. But on Sunday, she rested. I was pooped out, I tell ya. There was no way I could make it to church. So I plopped myself down on the couch for pretty much the entire day. My cheeks swelled, and I could barely stay awake longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time. Definitely was awake for "Desperate Housewives" though.

I head back to the dorm in an hour or so. Hope I survive this week OK!

Recovering

Hi! My pain medication seems to be working (yay!), and I'm having a pretty good time recovering from my wisdom teeth surgery. After my surgery, Dad picked up my prescriptions and bought Frosties from Wendy's for me. That makes three Frosties in one week. I think those do wonders, even if you can't finish 'em. :)

I watched the rest of the Grammys. The first 65 minutes were the most entertaining. Loved watching the opening act, Alicia Keys, and U2. Didn't really enjoy J.Lo -- she was singing live. Heh heh.

After that I watched a program hosted by Lea Salonga. It was about religious faith of Asian-Americans. I didn't really need to watch it (I almost fell asleep a few times), and I certainly didn't agree with everything they said, but hey, it's Lea Salonga.

For whatever reason, I desperately wanted to watch Annie. LOL! So I popped in the videocassette of the 1999 version, starring Alicia Morton, Victor Garber, Audra McDonald, Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, and Kristin Chenoweth. Good stuff.

Finally, I watched The Notebook with Dad. Hmmm... I keep hearing about people bawling after watching the movie. Under Alexa's recommendation, I read the book last year. I definitely cried after reading that. But I didn't really cry after watching the movie. Eeep. I hope there's nothing wrong with me. I got teary-eyed after watching Kramer vs. Kramer in class the other day. Hmmm... what was the last movie that really made me cry? Will have to think about that one. Cinema Paradiso, the new version, made me really sad. Maybe it was Finding Neverland. I held back the tears, but it was a tear-jerker. Will have to get that when it comes out on DVD.

GSP... niiiice

I used my "graduating senior priority" status to register today. I didn't even bother to wake up before 6 a.m. to do it. Not even 7. Eight. Yup, 8 o'clock. And, it was the easiest and most painless registration experience I've ever had! YAY!

I may or may not change my schedule, but right now I'm signed up for two COM classes and a Filipino histories class. I've actually never taken a history class at UW, so I thought, "Why not?" As for my COM classes, I'm very happy 'cause I thought I wouldn't be able to take both. The first time schedule indicated that the classes would be a country mile (lol, I'm borrowing Brittany's Olive Garden parking lot phrase) apart, which means the ten minute break between classes would be a %($!*#& walk on foot. The latest time schedule says otherwise! Now we're talkin' a quick city block. No need for bikes or Segweys.

The reason why I might change my classes is that I've *always* had at least one class every weekday. The COM classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. I *thought* the history class met Mondays and Wednesdays... alas, it meets MWFs. Oh well.

T-minus two hours 'til extraction. See ya when I see ya...

Don't kill "American Dreams"!

OK, first you don't order 22 episodes a season, and directly related, you're not airing any new episodes during SWEEPS, for cryin' out loud.

Now you're gonna move "American Dreams" to Wednesday nights at 8? Are you out of your mind, NBC? A bit LOST, aren't we?

Jeez. I am so addicted to tvtome.com right now, and it's telling me that "American Dreams" will air on Wednesdays. Bad move, NBC. Bad move. Thanks a lot for killing such a great show.

Almost in the clear

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend. And it's not like I'm even going anywhere (*ahem*Disneyland*ahem*New York*ahem*LUCKy). I'm having my wisdom teeth extracted. I don't think I'll be happy when I'm groggy and in pain, but I can't wait to rest and watch my tape of the Grammys and movies on DVD... oh, and drink milkshakes. :)

An update on my internship. I translated the PSA into Spanish last Friday and surprised everyone--including myself! On Monday I got some help from another staff member, and he said my Spanish was pretty good. Considering I haven't taken Spanish since high school, I'm still pretty amazed.

It's been a long day. Back to watching Alias, which is shaping up to be better than last week's episode. Ha!

Edit: LOL! "Will you marry me, Mr. Bristow?" Love Marshall. :)

Best ever

Howdy, y'all. I'm not entirely sure how much I should report about this weekend. ;) It was definitely fun! And I couldn't have spent it in a better way. Let's see... Not-so-great but still entertaining dueling pianists at Chopstix. Reeeeally good drinks. Really really. We *could* stay in the bathroom forever. Name that tune. Interesting time between 2 and 5 a.m. I learned more about Iceland than I have in my entire life. Best gum ever. The car ride did us in. Best chicken strips ever. Happy birthday, Brittany! *thinking of my potential audience* Yeah, I'll keep it at that. *grin* :)

"I have confidence in me."

Don't know how The Sound of Music popped into my head, but it's fitting! One of my projects at the Opera today was to call back the radio stations and ask for their PSA requirements. Oh yes, PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. :) I've never written one, but we covered how to do them in my writing class last summer. This time, when one of the radio stations answered the phone in Spanish and said, "How may I help you?" I was able to ask "?Habla ingles?" right away. :) The woman on the phone was really nice (I don't know if she was impressed, but she seemed pleased that I could at least say that) and said, "Yes." Overall, the project of calling went smoothly, and I'm getting more confident on the phone.

Had a really good day today. Felt helpful and productive at work. Only had an hour of class. Saw someone I went to high school with on the Quad. Actually fasted on Ash Wednesday (yeah, I feel bad for never doing it before). Had an epiphany about what I learned in my communication class. Got a lead for an informational interview (wish me luck!!!). That's probably the best thing that happened today. No, it probably ties with my epiphanic moment on the bus, and I do think that may be in part to my craziness for having to fast today. Hmmm... it's all interconnected somehow. Thanks to everyone Up There. :) You know who You are.

"?Habla... ... ... ingles?"

At my internship today, I had to call some Washington-state radio stations that air Spanish-language programs. (We are preparing to send news releases and/or PSAs about the upcoming opera, Florencia en el Amazonas [Florencia in the Amazons].) When I called one of the stations, somebody answered in Spanish, and I panicked because I wasn't prepared to speak in Spanish... because I CAN'T. I haven't done that since high school, and even back then I sucked at it. Really, I did.

Anyway, I wanted to know if she spoke English, so of course I started to say, "?Habla..." And literally, not one, not two, but *three* ellipses passed by before I came up with "ingles?" Good grief. I was so relieved when she said "yes" and gave a little laugh. Actually, I was relieved *that* she laughed. :) The problem was I wanted to automatically say "?Habla espanol?" but clearly I knew that was wrong!!! :))

Become multilingual when you're young, kiddies. That's the lesson del dia.

The next step

I applied for graduation today. Now before you go "whaaaaat?" just know that I have been freaking out about this for months now. Yet when I met with my department advisor, signed the forms, declared my music minor, and went my merry way, I felt... elated! It was really nice to walk into my advisor's office and say, "I'm approaching graduation" and then hear, "Congratulations!" :) I now have graduating senior priority, which means I can choose my classes before the "regular" seniors and other undergrads. My last quarter will be autumn 2005.
"The world is a big scary place. But somehow I can't shake this feeling I might make a difference to the human race." Looks like Avenue Q is gonna be my theme musical when I step out into the "real world." Wish me luck.

"She gets the car."

Well, I really do love New York. My knack for knowing random things paid off today. In one of my music classes today, we had a guest lecturer, an assistant conductor here at UW. He invited us to guess what instrument John Philip Sousa, the march king, played. He said if somebody got it right, it would be like getting a car on "Wheel of Fortune." I question the choice of the quiz show, but you get the point. Anyway, somebody guessed the tuba. Somebody else jokingly guessed the triangle. LOL! Well, nobody knew. The conductor told us that Sousa played the violin. How about that? You learn something new every day.

Fast forward a few minutes, and the conductor was telling us the pieces that would be featured in an upcoming School of Music concert. One of them is called "Redline Tango." He was reading a paragraph about the piece and explained that it had a double meaning. I forgot the first, but the second refers to the red line of the subway system in New York. It runs through Manhattan and to BAM, where the piece premiered. "What's B-A-M?" he asked our professor. My professor didn't know. Before I knew it, I called out:

"Brooklyn Academy of Music!"

"What?"

(louder) "Brooklyn Academy of Music!"

"Broadway?"

"Brooklyn!"

"Ohh. She gets the car."

*smiles on both our faces*

Let's hear it for random trivia! Maybe I should apply for Jeopardy! (FYI, I owe it to PBS' "Ghostwriter" for knowing that BAM stands for Brooklyn Academy of Music. LOL! Loved that show.)

Baby, it's col---no, I take that back!

What's up with the 60 degree weather, Seattle? We're freakin' dyin' here. They've got the heat turned on in the dorm, in the classrooms, at work, and at the Opera. It's way too toasty. Yikes. Here in my room, the windows are open, and the fans are going. It's like a summer night. I really enjoyed last summer and I sometimes wish it still *were* last summer, but really, I'm not in denial. I very well accept that fact that it's winter. So if you please, let it be winter. No more sticky heat in January. Don't give people in the PNW a reason to wear flip flops in the middle of WINTER when it's RAINING.

My guitar!!!

A Takamine G Series, model number GS-330S. Acoustic. Steel strings. Narrow neck. Cedar top. Gorgeous mellow sound. It's beautiful. And it's mine. :)

Mom and I went to Guitar Center for the first time yesterday. That store is incredible. I started by examining a couple guitars (Yamaha and Fender). It was a little annoying because I had to tune them. As I was playing the Fender, a salesperson approached us. Jay seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy, and he was very helpful in leading us to the intermediate guitars in a room where you can test guitars without being distracted by the music aired over the speaker system. He showed me a grand concert Fender (I liked that it had a smaller body and the fact that it was a Fender [what can I say? I was thinking of RENT]), but then he said he just got a shipment of a Takamine guitar. I tried the Fender while he went to get the Takamine. I knew I would get an intermediate guitar once I started playing. For one, they were already in tune. Also, Jay had explained the wood tops of the intermediate guitars produced better sounds over time than the beginner guitars.

When he returned with the Takamine, he tuned it and then handed it over so I could try it. Right from the start, it was super easy to move my hand on the neck, and the sound was, as I said before, gorgeous. I tried one more guitar, a Yamaha with a spruce top. But I was already convinced I'd get the Takamine.

Thank you, Mom, for such an amazing present!

Gimme an 'R'!

Gimme an 'A'! Oh, forget it. Let's cut to the chase:

I got a raise at work! It was totally unexpected. My supervisor told me she had good news. I was kind of like, "Huh?" So I asked, "What is it?" And she told me I'm getting a raise -- effective today. Woo to the hoo! My day has been made. They know how to keep this student assistant happy.

Tonight I'm seeing the dress rehearsal of Manon Lescaut. Yay!

On another note: Happy Birthday, Lolo Ven!

Not my day

Well, I decided to buy a portable CD player to replace my old Panasonic. It wasn't that old, but as you'll recall, it broke. I can't live without a portable music device, so I decided to stick with Panasonic and ordered a cool model -- complete with a remote control feature -- from circuitcity.com. I bought it *because* of the remote control. The main unit is really light, and the headphones are pretty good. Unfortunately, the remote control doesn't even work! Argh, imagine my frustration if you will. Oh ho ho, I'm determined to get a replacement part without having to pay an outrageous price. I'm just not sure how to go about doing it. The Panasonic site won't let me submit my query. OK, I'm done ranting... for now.

First new year's resolution (yeah, I never got around to writing any down): Cut down the use of the word "cool." I say it too much.

Second new year's resolution: Drink more water. I think I got the idea from Janice.

Opera novice

That would be me. As opposed to an opera aficionado. This past week has inspired me to see the upcoming productions of Manon Lescaut, Florencia en el Amazonas, and Le nozze di Figaro. I have different reasons for wanting to see each opera (yikes, I keep wanting to type musicals because I'm so used to saying that).

Manon has been labeled as Giacomo Puccini's first successful opera. It's not performed by opera companies very often, so this is my chance.

Florencia is sung in Spanish. How cool is that? It was also written by Daniel Catan in the last decade of the 20th century. Yup, this opera was written during my lifetime. It's also based on themes from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (accents over the "i" in Garcia and "a" in Marquez).

I'm watching a production of Nozze on DVD. I can't pass up watching the Young Artists, since I'll be working on the Young Artists Program at my internship.

I had wanted to see operas in the past but never got around to it. To make up for it, this is the year I'm going to see some. (And pick up some programs that I helped proofread and, in some small & supportive ways, create. ;) )

Endings and Beginnings

Here's lookin' at you, 2004. It's the year I...
...declared my major in communication.
...saw Josh Groban sing live and in person for the first time.
...met Josh Groban.
...visited Brittany in L.A.
...saw Miss Saigon for the 9th time.
...volunteered with Seattle Public Theater.
...went to New York City twice.
...saw Wicked.
...saw Avenue Q.
...attended the free Broadway on Broadway concert in Times Square.
...saw Josh in concert a total of three times.
...wrote my first complete song.

2005 is off to a great start so far. School is back in session. Alias has finally returned to the TV lineup. I've returned to work. I've also started my internship with Seattle Opera. I can't fully describe how cool it is to intern there. I've been able to write an opera synopsis, write a draft of a news release, proofread a blue-line, sit in on a department meeting, and take a tour of the office, rehearsal, and storage space. Everyone is really nice and friendly.

Here's lookin' at you, 2005.

Let's see where this year takes us.

Not just any Monday

Finished my last final! I was much more prepared for this final than my music midterm. I probably even overstudied the listening examples. Still, there were a couple part II (written exam and multiple choice) questions that totally stumped me. When did Buddhist music begin? Uhhhh... my mind went completely blank. Multiple choice: What is the oldest music performed in Asia and when did it begin?

Yeesh. I don't even think I have this information in my notes. Then I started thinking, "Didn't we learn this during the first half of class? I thought the test wasn't cumulative. Is this a trick question? It's a trick question. So I better not answer *that* way. Answer: B. Well, guess: B. Hmmm... waaait a minute. Erase visceral answer. I'm answering *that* way. It's probably wrong, but I'm gonna answer *that* way anyway. Ooh, it's tricky. I'm going to write that on my test -- 'Trick ?' -- just so they know that I think they're messing with me. Answer: A. I give up." Oh well! And now I think I read the question incorrectly, but what can you do? Smile and blog about it. :)

I can tell you about other things though. For example, the Nepal national anthem is pretty cool. There are three bands playing at once, and they are playing incompatible musical scales. Sure, you've got to get used to the reality that it's out of tune (and you may even wince), but that's what makes it cool. :)

I'm looking forward to next quarter but not until I make full use of my Christmas break... starting NOW!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Am definitely feeling the Christmas spirit today... and also the commercialized spirit too. Did a bit o' shoppin' at the U Bookstore. Again, can't tell you what I bought 'cause that would ruin the surprise for someone. :) Ate chicken teriyaki at Tokyo Garden. That's probably my favorite teriyaki place on the Ave. I stopped by Bartell's afterward and almost bought bubble tea from Yunnie's, but by 4:30, I felt like I had to head back to the dorms 'cause it was so dark already! Now, at 7 o'clock, I feel like I should be sleeping. It could be that I didn't get enough sleep last night (watched all of SNL [even the frightening performances by the musical guests]) and woke up at 9 this morning just to watch Love Actually on HBO. Regardless of my weird sleeping patterns, early darkness makes me long for summer. Easy livin', easy livin', easy livin'.

!Feliz navidad!

All things shall perish from under the sky.

Music alone shall live. Music alone shall live. Music alone shall live never to die.

I sang that in 6th grade. This is my mourning period for my Panasonic portable CD player. *sigh* I bought it 14 months ago, and it was a good little CD player. It survived a drastic fall to the laundry-room floor last year. It survived days and days of bus rides and strorage in my backpack. It always provided me with great music.

In my preparation to take things home for the holidays, I took out a CD from the player and shut my middle drawer. A few minutes later, I opened up my top drawer and couldn't close it. Why? My flashlight revealed that I forgot to close the CD player shut, and the top half was stuck between the two drawers.

Argh, I am no MacGyver -- as cool as that would be. I tried pulling out the top drawer. Even attempted to reach it with a pen. But the only way I could ever shut my drawers completely was to sacrifice the CD player. *sigh*

Goodbye, Panny.

Mourning period over.

Should I get another portable CD player or should I get an MP3 player? Hmmmm...

Hey hey, ho ho, these wisdom teeth have got go!

Oy, I have a headache. Okay, it may not be wisdom-teeth-related, but you never know. I think it is though. I've noticed the warning signs: discomfort in the mouth, weird nasal problems, and headaches.

Or, it could be that I've been sitting in front of a computer in the library for heaven knows how many hours. I'm studying for my music final.

I plan to see Unleashed (UW's a cappella singing group) tonight at the HUB. One of my clustermates is in the group. Should be a nice Saturday-night break from the stress of studying.

No day but today

Ooh, it's pay day today! I just remembered. :) Finally started to shop for Christmas gifts. It's as simple as clicking on a couple of buttons. But I'm not telling you what I bought. Nope. Sure, you can figure it out, but don't ruin the surprise. C'mon now.

Classes are over!!! Yay! No more papers to write for the rest of 2004! Heh! I've got one final on Monday, but I decided to take a break from studying tonight. My roommate and I watched Back to the Future: Part III, dubbed in French. Hey, she's taking her French final tomorrow. It was amusing. You notice just how much they say Doc, Marty, Clara, Tannen, Seamus, and Jennifer.

Ooh, as much as I love Christmas lights, I suck at putting them up. Definitely not my forte. (I am much better at cutting out snowflakes from coffee filters, FYI) :) It was my job to hang the lights up at work today, but I ended up with too many unused lights and no good place to put them. Well, they'll probably fall down sometime this weekend, so I'll just rehang them on Monday.

Had one amazing musical moment today when I made up this melodic blip with a cool sounding (in my head) piano sequence. It came out of nowhere as I headed out of McMahon 8. But argh! I forgot it already and didn't record it in any form. Maybe it wasn't meant to be, but you never know... Too bad I got distracted.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I can relax (somewhat) for the next two and a half to three weeks. Yay!

Btw, I did not see Blade Trinity. Although I feel like I should have, considering Jason and Janice saw it. Back to the Future: Part III dubbed in French with English Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired is the next best thing. :)

Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise

Whew, I am tired. Just took my final today. I am not a fan of tricky multiple choice. "Pick the most accurate statement." They all seem pretty damn accurate to me! But no worries though, I still feel good about the test. 'Cause hey! It's over.

I planned to write my last paper of the quarter tonight, but that's not going to happen. I definitely need a break.

Something has changed within me, something is not the same. LOL! I'll just keep borrowing lines from Wicked (I sometimes wonder if I can write something completely out of musical quotes -- not just Broadway musical but songs in general. Movie quotes would work too, but I know lyrics better than movie quotes). Wonderful. :)

Anyway, my wisdom teeth definitely need to be taken out... and soon. The sooner the better, but I'm not looking forward to pain and a swollen mouth. I am now going to spare you the pain of reading my spoof on "Defying Gravity." Why? It doesn't work with wisdom teeth. And I didn't actually write one. I thought about it, but just couldn't. On the other hand, "Defying Cavities" has much better cheese potential. Don't worry, I won't go there either. :) I really ought to write original songs again... I have to go.

Know your limit

Okay, don't read that the wrong way. I just checked out the FOJG presale for Josh's concert in Vegas. $120.75 for one ticket. And that doesn't even include the $15 (I'm guessing and probably not even overguessing!) "convenience" charges. Yikes. Too expensive, considering I'd still have to pay for transportation and hotel. So no spring break in Vegas. No winter 2005 concert for me.

My Live at the Greek CD hasn't arrived from Amazon.com yet, but I caught the PBS Great Performances version yesterday. I say version because "Vincent" and Lucia Micarelli's solo were not aired. Oh, and "Believe" wasn't either. Oh, and "My Confession." But is "My Confession" on the DVD? Not sure. Anyway, it was a great concert. Brought back memories of January and August. During one of the pledge breaks, I got a kick when Warm 106.9 DJ, Daryl Summers, recalled when Josh visited the radio station. She mentioned that some ladies in the parking lot called her up on the phone. LOL! Hmmm... I wonder who those people were. :)

Huge sigh of relief

I got the internship! :) December has been kind to me. Happy holidays everyone!

Hey, ya blog! Yeah, you! Move over!

Hey, and what's happening?

I've lost my blogging streak, that's for sure. But I thought I'd pop in, just in case *you* popped in. I thought now would be a good time to say something new.

*sigh* and *sigh of relief* I am in limbo right now. For those of you who visit dictionary.com, that's the fourth definition of the word, not any of the first three. I had my interview for the internship this afternoon. Mom can tell you that I was really nervous. Anxious. I could hardly concentrate today.

The interview was good. I think. I mean, now I can look back and analyze (and overanalyze), but really, the one thing I can't do is do it again. But considering just how nervous I was, I'm glad I can't do it again.

Bottom line: After getting the chance to talk to the people who would supervise me, I'd *love* to intern there. There's so much I could learn and so much experience I could gain. I really hope to get the internship. *knock on wood* Cross your fingers, send the good vibes, pray, think happy thoughts for me please. I should hear back next week. Obviously, there are two possibilities: I get the internship. Or, I don't get the internship. I'm not sure I'm prepared for the second possibility. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Until next week...

Entrepreneur? Moi?

I read the chapter on entrepreneurship and starting a small business in my business textbook. It was a decently interesting chapter. I mean, I did read it after all, and I was able to answer one of my TA's question during his lecture.

At the end of the chapter, there was a test to see if I'd make a good entrepreneur... or not. Well, I took the test and here's my rating:

6-10 Things look pretty doubtful for you as an entrepreneur. It would take considerable rearranging of your life philosophy and behavior to make it.

*chuckles to self* I kinda had the feeling this would be true. And now I know. :) I mean, take a look at The Engineer from Miss Saigon. His outlook on life definitely doesn't match mine. And now I have "If You Want to Die in Bed" stuck in my head.

Hmmm...

Josh Groban's official site just announced new U.S. tour dates in early 2005. No Washington, Oregon, or California dates. No love for the West Coast. I hope that changes. So I just checked my final-exam schedule for winter quarter. My last final is on March 18, and Josh will play Las Vegas on the 19th. The 19th marks the beginning of spring break for me. Spring break in Vegas? Hmmmm, indeed. I'm also hoping more dates are added that week.

I'm excited for The Amazing Race! It'll be the first time for me to watch the entire series. Tuesdays at 9. I'm there. :)

Not exactly rear window but very close

We have balconies here at McMahon. My clustermates and I had our balcony opened as soon as we could. Unfortunately, housing made the decision to close all the balconies after The Incident a few weeks ago. What was The Incident?, you ask. Here's a summary of what I read in The Daily:

I guess a few musicians (starting with a trumpet player, and later accompanied by other instrumentalists including a violinist) played "Tequila" over and over again, and as more and more people heard the music, they joined in shouting the lone word of the song. The noise attracted the police, and then apparently people threw objects at them. Throwing major objects off the balcony is a *major* violation of the rules, and that's why all the balconies were closed.

Well, I missed out on observing The Incident first hand (The Daily had a pretty funny article about it). It happened on the other side of the building, and I was out at a birthday party that night.

Fast forward to today: Our balcony is still closed. We need to have a five-minute meeting with our RA, but there hasn't been a good time when all clustermates were present. I miss not being able to go out there.

A guy cluster on the floor above us managed to have everyone present for the reopening meeting. For the first time, I saw them out there, and it freaked me out. I was in my room when they were looking over the side, and while they weren't exactly looking directly, I didn't want them to do that. Sooooo, I closed the curtains. Little did they realize that my windows were open, and I could hear them say, "That room just closed their curtains! What do they think, we're spies?" And then they started laughing. No, I don't think you're spies 'cause spies are supposed to be stealthy, but I do think you're freakin' me out.

OK. Maybe I'm just bitter 'cause our balcony isn't open. But I will say this: Thank goodness for curtains. And I'm not afraid to use them.

The Grobanite in me

I haven't been keeping up with news about Josh Groban in a while, but I'm getting back into the excitement of being a fan. (Wow, I guess I just had more time on my hands when I was in high school, but I think I get to say that because I'm not *in* high school any more. Does that make sense? These days, I feel like I'm super busy.)

Just renewed my FoJG membership and bought The Polar Express soundtrack last week. I will watch Conan O'Brien tonight (yeah, can you believe it? He'll be on Conan!). Oh, and I definitely can't wait for the Live at the Greek CD/DVD & PBS special. Ah, music to my ears. It's good to be a Grobanite. :)

To blog or not to blog

Hey, I feel like I haven't blogged in a while. I mean, so much has happened since Tuesday night. And I feel -- no, I know -- that I have been censoring myself. After all, I haven't blogged about the election results.

Well, let me tell you, I was depressed on Wednesday. How could I not be? After waiting soooo long to vote for the president the first time, it was just really depressing to know that I chose and I lost. Of course, America is a republic and a democracy. A little over half of the voters (barely a majority) got their way, and now a little less than half (hardly a minority) are in shock.

Back to choosing or losing and voting or dying, young voters apparently didn't rock at all. Less than one in ten of us voted, according to NBC. I hate being a young voter. I can't help that I am one, but I just hate when anybody older than the young voter says that we don't vote. It's frustrating. I don't think I'm ever going to hear a good explanation as to why my peer group doesn't vote. No wonder Drew Barrymore got so frustrated when she was filming her documentary. I vote, my friends vote, my clustermates vote. The people I know... they vote! What about everyone else? I really hope John Kerry will be right when he said -- during his concession speech, actually -- that one day our votes will change the world (okay, so I don't remember exactly how he put it).

Beyond the young voter absence from the polls (maybe they just don't know that we all [or most of us] vote by absentee when we're in college), I'm disappointed by the outcome of the electoral votes (and that system altogether), disappointed by the outcome of the popular votes, disappointed about it all.

And I'm still censoring myself. Argh.

Waiting...

Okay, today would be a poor day to say that I have nothing to say. It's Election Day, but I don't think it's sunk in yet. I voted by absentee, so maybe that explains why it hasn't sunk in. I usually vote at the polls. Everywhere on campus, people are talking about voting. On the HUB lawn, in classrooms, at work. One of my clustermates just voted at another dorm.

Now I'm watching the TV coverage. They can't say all that much yet.

I have a bone to pick with The Today Show's advertisement. It said to join Katie and Matt for the "historic day after." Come on. It MAY be historic, but we don't know it WILL be because it's in the future! Hello, hasn't happened yet. Well everyone, tomorrow will be historic, and NBC knows it.

Happy Hallowicked

I may not be a fan of Halloween, but I'm glad that The View had Wicked on their show today. Meredith Vieira dressed up as The Wicked Witch of the West and Star dressed up as Glinda the Good. I'm soooo glad I turned on the TV and found out about it! Meredith Vieira interviewed Idina Menzel and Jennifer Laura Thompson. Then they sang "For Good." Good times.

So this week I saw three songs performed live and one on TV. I should just see the show again. Anybody wanna come with? :)

Happy Halloween everybody!

Laundry List

I have a "to do" list that is incredibly long. I have a ton of laundry to do, but the catch is that there are only 4 working machines out of a possible 7. How on earth do these commercial washing machines break so often and so easily and when you need them most?

We may hire a new student at work. I could use the extra help. Today, for instance, I had two major projects to take care of (billing charges and the weekly seminar schedule), but I had to push both aside for a task that took even a higher priority. Phew! It's just busy around here, but I hope I can catch up with everything tomorrow.

I'm looking for an internship. My professor/club advisor informed me of one. Don't want to jinx it, but cross your fingers everybody. I hope I can get my foot in the door.

These kids are so much smarter...

...than meeeeeeeeee.

Let me back up. I'm watching Jeopardy!, and the players are in junior high/middle school. They could answer questions (you know what I mean) that I didn't know!

And I'm stumped on the final jeopardy. LOL! Go Emily!!!

I wish I could go back to Kilo,
Life was so simple back then*.
What could I do to go back and view
My junior-high years again?

I wish I could go back to Kilo,
At Kilo, you know who you are.
You head to assemblies, and think, "Well at least
we didn't get kicked out so far!" (inside joke for the class of '02)

How do I go back to Kilo?
I don't know who I am anymore.
I wanna go back to the lunchroom
And tell the beggars, "Ya better stop askin' me soon!" Whoa oh ah oh.

I wish I could just get a hall pass
Or play the piano,
Avoid the mile
and go to PAW, ya know
I badly want a seventh period to blow

We could be sitting in Steinbornia
2 p.m. before the final bell will ring
Cursing the boy who sneezed so peculiar
And spending the rest of the time giggling

I wish I could go back to Kilo
How do I go back to Kilo?
Ah ah ah ah
I wish I had taken more pictures* (can't change that line)

But if I were to go back to Kilo
Think what a loser I'd be:
I'd walk to assemblies, and think, "Wait, at the very least,
These kids are so much younger than me."

And smarter. And taller. Heh!

Sorry, Avenue Q creative team! I couldn't resist. And I couldn't help but butcher your great work. I'll try to make it better next time.

Signing off,
Weird Alli

P.S. I should mention that I don't *really* wanna go back to Kilo. :) Although I enjoyed revisiting my memories of the awkward, early teenage years. ;) And I have to admit I had to do some digging. Eep, I am getting old.

Dry Spell

Just when I had nothing to say for an entire week, now I can say that McMahon has a deafening fire alarm. Yup, the fire alarm went off while I was typing my last blog entry and watching Avril Lavigne on DVD with my headphones. The sound of the fire alarm pierced my ears. Owwww. I left my room as quickly as I could (well, duh, but still).

It was madness trying to get back upstairs. Apparently there's no access to the outside stairs (the door is locked), so I had to back track, avoid the massive crowd surrounding the elevators, and run up the inside stairs. Yeah, I ran to keep pace with everyone else who was running. Rainy, winded, and fire free.

Go Boston

Honestly, I'm not really interested in major league baseball during the postseason if the Mariners aren't playing. But I just happen to hear about it, and man, people sure loathe the Yankees. Loathe? I'm being nice about it. They *hate* the Yankees. Example one: Jason. Hehehe. Well, there was nothing good to eat at McMahon 8 this evening so I walked to the HUB and grabbed a sandwich at Subway. Ha! Yes, they did raise the prices. Booooo.

Anyway, I noticed a crowd in the TV lounge, and the only TV event that attracted more people was the third presidential debate just last week. A bunch of guys were glued to the TV, and one Red Sox fan -- decked in red clothing and a baseball cap -- kept pacing during the very long extra innings. Many of them looked so serious each time something wrong happened (Johnny Damon's pop up, the called out when that one guy [don't know his name] slid into second, etc.). Meanwhile, I keep thinking Johnny Damon needs a shave and a haircut. Two bits! Well, even though they're not the M's, way to go Boston!

Proof

Watch out, Romeo & Juliet. You just got bumped from the long-standing reign as "last play seen."

I headed to the Bathhouse this beautiful and sunny afternoon for the matinee performance of Proof. It was soothing to see Green Lake and walk the path to the Bathhouse again. A few minutes after I arrived at the theater, Steve (the managing director) and Shana (the artistic/education director and lead in the play) said hello. That was pretty cool. I wasn't expecting to see them, but I did.

Because I'm a subscriber, I got to choose my seat before anybody else. Seriously, I was the only subscriber who arrived early, and a nice usher let me have my pick of the house. It was a little strange, but I had fun taking the second row, center.

The Bathhouse is an intimate theater, mind you, so anywhere you sit, you can see everything, hear everything, and feel part of the action on stage. I reread the play over the summer and enjoyed its humor. But I seemed to have forgotten how serious it can be. How dramatic it really is. Talk about an intense performance. I give it two thumbs up, and maybe I'm biased because I already liked the play, but I enjoyed seeing it again.

Wine Madness

One really cool reason to take music classes is that you get to see live performances from incredible musicians during class. Yesterday, three Chinese musicians demonstrated and played the gu zheng (21-string zither), qin/ch'in (7-string half-tube zither), pipa (a lute), erhu (2-string spike fiddle), and xiao flute. I loved listening to the program music because once you know the title, you can really imagine what the musician is playing. You can mentally picture the story and feel the music viscerally, emotionally. It's... I can't fully explain how awesome that is.

Anyway, our first listening example is called "Wine Madness," and we were treated to a live interpretation of it. The CD example has a four-beat pattern and slower tempo (which evokes a sense of drowsiness) while the video version we watched earlier in the week has a three-beat pattern and faster tempo. Madness. The live interpretation matched closer to the faster version. Why? The performer said he agreed with the video version because the CD version is "is just drunk, not mad." OK, so maybe you had to be there, but it was pretty funny.

If I could learn to play one of the five instruments I heard yesterday, I'd choose to learn the gu zheng.

Mother knows best

After I talked about my charlie horse here on blogger, Mom told me that muscle cramping is due to a lack of potassium. Well, I admit that I doubted her at first...

... and then last night on Saturday Night Live, Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch's new hit skit from last season) said something like, "Does anyone have a banana? If I don't get enough potassium, I wake up in the middle of the night with crippling leg cramps." LOL!

So, Mom, you were correct. :) Thanks for the bananas.

Timing is everything

*patting self on back* I found out that I get more than half of December OFF. :) I picked three classes such that I only have one final during finals week. The other two exams take place the last day of class. When does my final occur? Monday the 13th. That means I can come home any time after that, and -- lol -- I'm already looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong. I think this is going to be a good quarter. A busy quarter. But still, yay!!!

Where'd the time go?

I can't believe I just started my third year of college. While I was waiting for my first class to start, I wasn't ready for it. I remember during Freshman Convocation, our then-president said that he respected the freshmen for starting the school year with the freshest eyes, the most enthusiasm. No longer am I that fresh-eyed enthusiastic freshman... but I still enjoy going to college and will hold onto my remaining time while it lasts. Best part of all? No homework so far. Phew!

ahhhhHHHHH freak out!

I have spent the past 90 minutes in panic why-must-everything-be-so-upsetting mode. When I first moved in, I had a really tough time opening my dorm room. Yesterday, the key got stuck for five minutes. Today, it got stuck really badly. I had to call the front desk three times. After the second call, two people came up. They were able to get my key out and they left. I thought that was that.

It wasn't. My door knob wouldn't budge. So if I closed the door, I'd be locked in. If I left my room, I'd be locked out. So then I called the front desk again (I never got the same person twice, so they all had various levels of helpfulness), and they told me I had to place a work order myself. The lady who took my order over the phone, thankfully, was really nice about it, and she had the lock shop get in touch with me. The lock shop called me back, and I had to explain my situation again. Finally finally finally somebody from custodial services came to fix the door lock. Apparently it was really "gummed up." Gross. I had Josh Groban playing and my browser at joshgroban.com when he was spraying the lock, and he said that Josh Grow-bon had a really good voice. Ah, now I can open my door w/o playing tug of war, now I can calm down, and now I can listen to a little Grow-bon in peace.

Monday, Monday

I haven't decided if it's so good to me yet. Too early to decide such things.

I moved in yesterday with help from Mom and Dad. The DAWG volunteers weren't around, so we had to haul things up ourselves. In the end, it all worked out because Mom stuck around the front desk to get a cart. I still have some of my stuff in boxes... not quite sure where to put things. Can't find things when I want them. But I plan to keep my space nice and neat. We'll see about that. :)

My roommate is pretty nice. We watched "American Dreams" together as well as the movie, Head of State. Then I turned on MSN Messenger and im'ed with Brittany and Erin. And thennn, a couple of my clustermates came to our room (the door was open) and we discussed the musicals Rent and Chicago and the movies Goonies (yeah, it's The Goonies, but who calls it that?), Harry Potter 3, and Chicago. Fun times.

My bed is okay. It's a little high for me. The mattress makes up for that minor complaint. I had a fairly good night's sleep, except for the fact that I got a charlie horse in my right calf in the middle of the night. That hasn't happened in a long time. Ouch. There's really nothing you can do but wait for the muscle to stop tightening. You try to relax and stretch it, but it doesn't work. Anywho, sorry if this is making people squeamish or whatnot. I have empathy pains when I hear about these things, so I'll stop writing.

Am starting my new work schedule: noon to 4:15 today. Have to go buy my textbooks and a few supplies. There are always things I forget/neglect to take with me when I move. I guess you could call today "Mundane Mundane."

Two-buck Chuck

After work today I decided to spend some of my hard-earned money. ;D

First, I bought Mean Girls widescreen edition on DVD. I haven't opened it up yet, but it comes with a Burn Book. Heh heh. Can't wait to watch the movie again.

Then I stopped by Trader Joe's to fulfill the one thing I said I would definitely do when I turned 21: buy two-buck Chuck. Well, it's $2.99 these days but still! That's so cheap! Hehehe. The cashier carded me and noticed, "Oh, you just turned 21." So I explained to her what I wanted to do, and she was like, "Right on." :) The elderly lady who stood behind me in line had grabbed a bottle without hesitation and asked the cashier, "How much is it and is it any good?" The cashier said, "Oh yes, you'll be back for more."

I'm no wine aficionado. I know that wine tasters swirl, swish, and spit. I wasn't quite sure which one to buy either. Alexa? Suggestions? Let's see, from what I remember they had chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon (pardon moi if I misspell), merlot, shariz, etc. I ended up buying merlot.

A pair of slippers: $1. Touristy New York T-shirts: 6 for $10. Cashmere scarf: $10. Unexpectedly finding Josh's billboard while walking the 7th Ave. Street Fair: priceless. 

There were a lot of cool lookin' apples around the city, similar to the cows a few years ago. Seattle copied NY (I think) and did the pigs a couple years ago, too. This one's too cute. You'll notice that I'm covering up Squidward though. Oh well. :) 

Pier 17 at South Street Seaport.  

The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all

My first time gambling on slot machines was both a failure and a success. :) Mom, Dad, and I went to Muckleshoot Casino last night. We rode the shuttle that gives you $5 for free if you spend $5. Well, I tried the Party Pooper (or whatever it's called) slot machine because Mom and Dad both like it. I watched them both play, and then Mom gave up her machine. Though the actual seat was warm, the machine was co-o-o-old. I lost $10 in a matter of minutes. So I definitely pooped out, but I purchased a $10 ticket and played another slot machine. I have no idea what it was called. I won and lost but earned a whopping three cents. Trust me, I was very happy about it, so I returned to the Party and watched Mom play again. Trying to figure out which machine I should play next, I turned around to scan the other players on other machines when lo and behold, someone was waving. At me.

It was Auntie Crystal! :) So I went over to say hello and told her I'd just turned 21. Hehehe (btw, I was carded at the door and exactly as I thought, the security guy assumed it was fake and asked to see a "hard license"... argh for lame temp licenses! Luckily I had my expired license in my wallet and the security guy happily approved).

The slot machine next to Auntie Crystal was unoccupied. It was called Penny Pigout, and she said it was a really good game. Then, she handed me one of her tickets and let me play; we'd split the winnings. Oh my gosh, the pressure was ON. She told me to shake things up a bit and bet 200 credits or 300 credits. Heh heh. At first, we won. Then while I was still playing Penny Pigout, I saved her chair so she could get more tickets for her game. I was on fire while she was away, more than doubling her money. When she returned, she told me to win big.

Unfortunately, it was a downhill slide from there. And (*blush*) I lost all her money. How embarrassing! I knew I should have stopped, but of course we get to say that in hindsight. The house won. I inserted my $10.03 from earlier and pretty much lost all that too.

Then, Uncle Albert came over to get Auntie Crystal so they could leave. They congratulated me on turning 21 and left. But then they came back to give me more money to play on, which was really nice considering my bad luck! Turns out they rubbed off some good luck! My biggest win was $30, and I walked home with $50.90. I pressed my luck a little bit after the big win, but I told myself I'd stop at $50.

Long story short, I still managed to get $5 for free. :) Thanks to Uncle Albert and Auntie Crystal!

It's true: The house wins, and gambling makes you thirsty. Fun times.

Woohoo!

We're gonna party like it's my birthday... 'cause it is! :) Janice asked me if I felt different, and this morning I answered, "I feel happy." And a few hours later, I still feel happy. Nope, I don't have alcohol in my system just yet. Muahahaha.

Oh! Thanks Jason for reminding me that I can gamble! I TOTALLY forgot about that aspect of turning 21. YAY! Hmmmm... where to gamble...

Right now my driver's license is a boring piece of paper. I renewed it yesterday not knowing that I would only be issued a temp card. Oh well. It still says: Age 21 on 9/16/2004. :))

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and presents!

We visited St. Patrick's Cathedral the day we arrived in New York City. I don't recall ever taking a picture inside, but I could be mistaken. So beautiful. 

Mmmm... there's the cake that Janice baked for me. It was soooo good! Yellow with chocolate frosting. Thanks again, Janice! 

Give my regards to Broadway

I'm home now. Wow, what a vacation. I had an amazing time in New York City. Hmm... that is such an understatement. I can't get enough of Broadway musicals. And that's the truth. Wicked was incredible. I'd see it over and over again. I loved watching Fiddler on the Roof. Mom told me it was the first Broadway musical she ever saw. Avenue Q is freakin' hilarious. I love the show. I had a smile on my face practically the entire time. Or, when appropriate, the music tugged at my heart. Really, whoever said "get people laughing and you can tell them anything" is right on the money. Use puppets and you can get away with so much more. I don't want to give away too much in case you see it, so just go see it! Non-puppet related: Christmas Eve's wedding dress is a riot! :) Oh, and I saw Rent. The energy of the cast was unreal. I got major goosebumps watching the show.

Kristin Chenoweth was spectacular at Carnegie Hall. She is really funny and is such a versatile singer. Gotta love that she did three encores. The first one was popular ("Glitter and Be Gay"), the second was emotional (a song for her dad), and the third was a wind-down, happy ending, hum-on-your-way-home tune ('Till There Was You). Ooh, and Kristin sang "Popular" from Wicked. Rosie O'Donnell was in the audience. Concert highlights: "Bill" from the Jerome Kern medley, "Popular," "Taylor (the latte boy)," polaroid pictures (that's how we knew Rosie was in the audience), getting to sing along for one song, and all the jokes I can't remember.

Got to see Broadway on Broadway, the free concert in Times Square. Wow, that was yesterday. Sixteen musicals performed one song each. NBC recorded it, so Wayne Brady and Avenue Q had to sing their numbers twice due to sound problems. Not that I minded! :) Highlights: Sutton Foster, "What You Own" sung by Jeremy Kushnier and Drew Lachey, "It Sucks to Be Me," Jennifer Laura Thompson & Idina Menzel.... and Eden Espinoza. Everyone watch out for her in Brooklyn. I'd never heard her sing (and that probably goes for the majority of the 50,000 people in Times Square), and she was incredible. I had heard that she brings down the house at Wicked when Idina Menzel doesn't perform as Elphaba. It's cool that she's in a new musical. Loved that the people around me sang along to "What You Own" because then I could too without looking foolish. :) We got showered with confetti during the finale.

Got to meet up with friends and family. Toured Radio City Music Hall and saw Usher and Dave Navarro rehearse from the private viewing booth. Got drenched in Wednesday's downpour on the way to Live With Regis and Kelly. Attended that taping as well as the taping of Tony Danza's new show. Ate at Gray's Papaya. Went to South Street Seaport and Chinatown. Ate soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai. Visited Ground Zero, saw part of the tribute on TV, saw the tribute in lights in the night sky and cried inexplicable tears...

More stories to be told in the form of select pictures... I need to upload all of them first. Nearly 150 or so.

Greetings from Syracuse!

Okay, so I said, "Would you like to hold?" but this isn't a telephone conversation. :) Plus, Janice has a cool computer where I can go online and watch TV at the same time. :) Yes, that's right, I have the TV in the top right corner as I type my entry.

Janice called me "hom bow girl" as we hugged hello. I was eating one in the car when we arrived at her apartment complex. The hom bow was kinda gross, so I'll stick to hom bow from Mon Hei Bakery in Seattle's Chinatown.

Anyway, Janice's apartment is spacious! I like it. Syracuse felt hot and muggy today. We went grocery shopping at Price Chopper. I took a picture. Hehehe.

We also went to the New York State Fair. What makes it better than the Puyallup? Free french fries, free Spam sandwiches and an excellent parking system. What makes the Puyallup Fair better than the NYSF? Free milk, availability of scones, availability of Cow Chips and the room to walk around freely (there were a LOT of people at the NYSF).

The red-eye flight has worn me out. I kept taking naps in the car, and I fell asleep on the floor in the living room. Heh heh. Sleepiness aside, it's been a fun day.

OOH, Janice celebrated my birthday! Yay! She baked me a delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Mmmmm. She sang "Happy Birthday" to me, too. Thanks, Jan!!

Would you like to hold?

Well, I've done it. I spruced up my phone etiquette at work today. :) Mom and I had this conversation about answering phones at work. St. Francis showed employees a video, which instructed them to identify themselves (I say the caller should do that first, after all, they called!) as well as told them to ask the caller if they'd like to be placed on hold. Bunch o' weirdness, if you ask me. So because I don't agree (or maybe it's not so much disagreeing but thinking it's a little over the top where I happen to work), I still refuse to say "Atmospheric Sciences, this is Allison." Just can't do it. BUT, I asked a professor from the U. of Michigan, "Could you please hold?" and he happily replied, "Sure, take as long as you need to." I needed to look up a phone number.

All that just to segue into this: Would you like to hold? I'm going on vacation, so no new blog entries 'til I get back. Until then, enjoy your Cinnabons, enjoy your dreams about Cinnabons, and enjoy the places where you buy Cinnabons while they still remain open for business.

Buh-bye!

Carded and Discarded

Wow, I had to sit here for five minutes to think of something to write. September has been pretty uneventful, so let's turn back to August for my story about (almost) getting carded... yes, carded for ginger ale.

I've been craving Canada Dry ginger ale for a while now, but I was too impatient to wait for Saturday night's flight. Whoever said it (on a message board) was right, why must we wait until an airplane flight before enjoying ginger ale? So Mom dropped me off outside a grocery (which I will not disclose but perhaps you can guess which one). I picked up a box of 12 cans and went to the express checkout. When the cashier scanned the box, she asked for my ID. Without thinking too much of it, I said, "Sure!" Then I thought, "Wait, the ID doesn't matter because I'm buying GINGER ALE." So then I said aloud, "Sure, you can see my ID, but it's non-alcoholic." I never got around to whipping out my driver's license, which clearly expresses that I'm not 21, although really, I would have gladly shown it. Don't ask me why! :)

The cashier kind of apologized, but I was amused that we both were caught off guard for a few seconds. The guy behind me overheard our conversation. He joked, "The box *does* say ale." Even I'll admit that Canada Dry's box looks like it could contain alcohol.

Well, the ID thing won't be a problem in a couple weeks. Heh! Argh, that reminds me that I still have to go renew my license.

Hmm... this all reminds me of one of my classes. Yikes, I can't remember which one, but somebody was drinking an energy drink in a really tall can, and the instructor asked if the student was drinking beer. LOL! At 9:30 in the morning in a classroom?

In case you were wondering, "Carded and Discarded" is one of my favorite Freaks & Geeks episodes.