My Opera Life

The End and Beginning

2009-09-13T23:31:00.003-05:00

So, I'm sitting here sore, tired, and with a thick layer of hair-spray all over my body. I'm too tired to actually try to fix any of the afore mentioned ailments, so I decided to blog before I pass out. So, if this doesn't make sense or I pass out before I have a chance to finish, meh, too bad. I'm sure you'll be able to continue living your life.

I just wrapped up a 2 show run. Yup, that's right, only 2 shows, a Saturday evening and Sunday matinee. It was gone in a flash. I have never done such a short run in my entire life. Well, now I take that back, the operas I did at a vocal arts symposium were a one shot deal, but we learned them each in about 4 days, so they don't count. Now I'm older and my mind is not as absorbent as it once was so projects are much more time consuming. Anyway, we started rehearsals right in the beginning of August, and had 4 nights of rehearsal a week, which was a lot. It was fast and furious, but good that it was short so it didn't take all summer, and it was only for 2 shows.

When we finally got to the performances, it seemed like we needed to have like just one more final dress... too late, it was show-time. We had an amazing audience on Saturday which made everything go smoothly. I would say we all brought our A game, and it was fun and intense, and amazing. You could tell everyone was pumped, since the cast party raged on until 3 a.m. Today's performance was great for the first act, which consisted of a number of different Gilbert and Sullivan pieces. Then the second Act of Trial by Jury arrived. It arrived and skipped and bounced and went in all sorts of directions. Needless to say, it wasn't the performance to end on... But the end did come.

This weekend was the opening and closer of a great show. I wish that we had another weekend at least to really perform. There are things I would love to fix and there are moments that change with each audience, I just wish there were more performances, but there's not. It's 2 shows and done. Opening nights are always special, matinees will always be hard, and the last shows are always full of mixed feelings. This one was such a unique show to be a part of, that I am not ready for it to be done yet. The rehearsals yes, but the performances, no.

When doing a show, you meet a lot of really neat people and you start to form a strange symbiotic bond with them. You spend every night together for rehearsal, you go out after rehearsal and are just thrown into a daily relationship with them. It's easy, because you all have to be there for rehearsal, so, there's no plans to be made, no times to be set, it's pretty much a planned out, no effort relationship. Now that the show is over, you might never see some of these people again, and you definitely won't see them every night (although I am out of groceries, so I might stop by for dinner). So, as I said goodbye, I had my usual regrets of either not getting to know someone better, or realizing I didn't put forth the effort to make future plans with them. But now it's over and time to look ahead.

So, what's next? Oh yes, I'm starting the cycle all over again. Rehearsals have already started and my first one is tomorrow. Ai carrumba! What am I doing? But this next show, I anticipate will be all gravy. I have a small part, so I'm thinking a lot less rehearsal time and I have a trip planned for a week (which is good for the break, and the time to learn my stuff mid-rehearsal) and the show runs 3 weekends. Perfect, right? We'll see....

OK Say good night Gracie. Good night Gracie.

Musical Momentum

2009-09-06T14:21:00.005-05:00

So, as I do my daily... erm... bi-decade update, I thought I would tell you about the new show I'm in.

I took another break after Seussical to live my life outside of theatre. Then I realized I didn't have a very interesting life. I tend to throw myself into the main thing in my life, and after the shows, that's work. So, I spent a lot of time at work and expanding my voice lesson clients. But, it just wasn't the same. Work is work, and fun is fun. Soooooo, another audition with another new theatre was in order. I auditioned for Woodbury Community Theatre who is doing the Best of Gilbert and Sullivan and Trial by Jury back in June. I got the role of Angelina in Trial by Jury. Woo! But rehearsals didn't start until August, so it was nice to have the summer free.

Now rehearsals are fast and furious since we only had a month of rehearsals and the show goes up this coming up weekend. Eep! We're going to be performing in a brand new theatre, which we will see for the first time on Tuesday when rehearsals resume. The theatre seats 900. I'm a bad guess-timator about number of people and sizes and seats, but I do know that most of the theatres I've been working with seat about 250, give or take. So, that's a bit scary, but hopefully will be thrilling... if I don't trip down the stairs in my costume. Another scary/exciting bit is that Patrick Healy is flying in from Ireland this week to whip us into shape for the performances. He is a world renowned G&S specialist, and I'm shaking in my boots. It will be incredible to learn from him and to work with an expert in this genre, but I already feel my inadequacies adding up. But, it will be fine and amazing and everything will go well. Right? Right. No, it seriously will be. The cast and directors have been incredible to work for, and I hope to do more shows with Woodbury. They're a great group and I've had a wonderful experience. The talent in this show is incredible. There are soprano divas extraordinaire, beautiful song bird tenors, earth quaking basses, and luscious altos. The cast is amazing. I love listening and learning from all of these people and it's going to be a dynamite show, so if you're around, you should go. And if you're not around, you should come back and come to the show.

Onto the next role! What? Yes, another role. This is another first for me, a show overlapping another show. I auditioned for Annie with Ashland Theatre Company, and I have been cast as Lily St. Regis. I'm very excited to play yet another sassy female. (My current role Angelina is rather a handful as well.... and I was a sassy Bird Girl before that.... hmmmm. Pattern?) So, I will miss the beginnings of Annie rehearsals for the performances of G&S. I've never missed rehearsals before, and I have a trip planned in the middle of rehearsals too, so I feel like I'm going to be missing out on so much. It will be interesting to see if I'm the girl lost on stage while everyone is doing a big dance number which they've all perfected. Could be a new comedy sketch. Hilarity might ensue.

So, that's what's been going on with all of that. *whew* No details, because the days all blur together for me now: work, teach, rehearsal, sleep, work ,teach, rehearsal, sleep. I can't really tell you what day it is on any given day, but no work or no rehearsal today! That is something I do know.

Tireless Theatre

2009-05-15T21:23:00.007-05:00

Wow. I just read my last post that was published before the Kennedy Administration. The good news is, is I think I'm "back" in the theatre world. Since doing the Sound of Music, I finished a run of Seussical the other weekend. It was fantastic! I met so many amazing people and I love the theatre company. I had an extremely positive experience and will audition for that company in the future. I also have had an audition and decline my first role. I felt bad, but I had to stick to my guns. My next project is to audition for a Gilbert and Sullivan production. *crosses fingers* I think that I have given up on my Minnesota Opera ambition. I love doing musical theatre, and if I can get some legit roles, that's where I'd like to stay. So that's what I've been doing every night and weekend since my last post. (Okay okay, there was a break in between performances, but shhh, I had to catch up on sleep and other obligations.)

So, I'm going to bust out the ol' blog and give it some use. I will admit that after my last post, I joined Facebook and that has consumed my life and free-time. But who says I can't have another vice? Plus, on my blog I can write more than a sentence.

That's all for now, I don't want to overwhelm the viewers who might not believe their eyes when this new post appears on my blog. I'm sure they've left this screen up on their computer since last August and clicking refresh every 10 seconds. You're computer doesn't have a virus, I'm really posting again. *gasp*

Yay!

2008-08-27T09:53:00.003-05:00

So, I am not Baroness Elsa Schraeder in the Sound of Music (which is the part I was called back for), but I am Sister Sophia. I accepted the role last night. Yay!

Now that my 4-year ice breaker audition is done and went well, I feel like more auditions are in my future and they seem far less daunting. I'm excited to get back into the theatre world. :-)

Stay tuned for more about the Sound of Music and it's director Bob Neu.

No Nunsense

2008-08-23T12:43:00.003-05:00

Well, I had my first musical theatre audition this week since college. It went very mediocre I thought, but I have rarely felt awesome about an audition. Then I was asked for callbacks. So, yay! Since there were 3 days of auditions, and I was asked in the audition to come back, I thought that there was going to be about 100 people at callbacks. It turns out there was only between 2-4 for each lead. So I was very excited. I don't think that I'll get the part because my callbacks didn't go spectacularly, but it was a good chance to get back in the saddle again.

I auditioned at the Phipps for the Sound of Music. The director is Bob Neu and he's fabulous. He was so nice and made the audition-ers feel at ease. I suspect that maybe I'll get a nun role. I was called back for the role of the Baroness Elsa Schraeder. In the stage productions she is a complex character and has 2 songs. She and the Captain also decide not to wed because Elsa becomes a Nazi supporter, unlike in the movie where she leaves because he falls in love with Maria. I'm not sure how well a brown lady, such as myself, could convince an audience that she's a Nazi supporter, but we'll see.

The callbacks went by short and sweet. After waiting for over an hour and a half in the arctic lobby area, I went in for a quick sing and a short read that lasted about 5 minutes. Then I was dismissed along with a couple of other people. And that was that. It goes by so quickly it's hard to remember what happened in there.

At least it's done, and maybe I can get something to fill the resume gap after college for stage performances.

I find out the verdict within the week. So, hopefully I'll get a phone call! Until then, it's just waiting and waiting.

Bankrupt Bennigan's

2008-07-29T21:11:00.003-05:00

So word just came out that the Bennigan's all over Minnesota are closing. I really don't know where to turn.

I think that they have about 0.01 ounces of alcohol in their drinks and the waitresses are more moody than a teenage girl with acne. BUT, I still love to go there because of 2 items they have on their menu. Their baked potato soup makes me cry a little into it because it's so good. It's creamy and never has that old soup taste (even though I'm sure they just save the vat and re-use it everyday) and the topping that joyfully sit atop the delicious dish are perfect in every way. I would literally eat that soup for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and second dinner... and second lunch. I know, I'm like a Hobbit, I like to eat about 5 meals a day.

I always get the Ultimate Baked Potato Soup to start things off right, but then I order the ultimate entree. It's obscene and huge and has about 6871384849 grams of fat, but I don't care. It's the only dish that leaves me writhing in pain for literally 2 days afterwards. My husband tries to talk me out of it every time we go because he has to listen to the moans of agony for 48 straight hours, but it's all worth it. It is the only dish that I will endure a whole weekend of gut-busting pain for. I love it. It's the Monte Cristo. I know that there are plenty of other Monte Cristo's available out there, but never has any even shed a light to the Bennigan's Monte Cristo. My mouth is watering and my stomach is trying to make a break for it as I type about it. It's a triple decker stuffed full with ham and cheese then dipped in batter and deep fried. It's served with raspberry sauce and sprinkled in powdered sugar. Yum! It scared me a little the first time I ordered it, but once I had that first bite, I knew I could never order anything else again.

I would say that you all should try the soup and sandwich and let me know after the pain passes how it was, but now they're closing. :-( Actually, I heard that there's an independent Bennigan's that's still going to be open in Coon Rapids. I'm not sure how far that is, but a road trip might be in order. Times are tough my friends. Make the best of the last one standing. And if you can eat both the soup and sandwich in one sitting, let me know! I have yet to accomplish such a feat. But I do recommend an oven for the re-heat of the sandwich, otherwise it's just all mushy and spongey. I love it!!!

Mr. Coffee's Demise

2008-06-25T15:31:00.002-05:00

Mr. Coffee 4-cup brew master is no longer with us. He was a loyal friend and rarely treated me poorly. There were only a few times where he vomited scalding coffee on my legs, but I'm sure I deserved it. He has been my trustee side-kick on my various desks over the past 3 years. I demanded much from him. Sometimes I yelled that he wasn't brewing quick enough, but he never said a word. He would just continue on percolating happily by my side.

He started showing signs of giving out not more than Monday. I just thought he had a case of the Monday's. So I excused the cold coffee that he produced... because hey... it was still coffee. And I will say that the first cup was fairly warm.

Then yesterday he was not his usual bubbly self. :-( So, I gave him his first day off in 3 years thinking he just needed a rest. Alas, this morning, his condition was no better. He did not brew, he did not even cough out a little coffee.

It's a dark time for me now without Mr. Coffee by my side.

Woo-Hoo!

2008-06-19T10:56:00.003-05:00

We won!! We crushed them! The curse has been lifted! I feel like a zillion pounds have left my aura. Weee! Granted Washington was pretty lousy, but I will admit that it was pretty tense there in the beginning. I thought I might have to step out from the game a few times, but we did it!

HUZZAH!!!

Rejection & Ejection

2008-06-18T09:08:00.002-05:00

Tonight I am off to another Twins game! I am revved up and I have my jersey laid out on the bed.

We're taking our father's as a continuation to the father's day festivities. The Twins had a win last night (thanks Mor...yes) and I'm hoping that they can win again. I haven't been to a winning Twins game since the very beginning of the season. Maybe it's me. They have to win tonight or I might never go to a game again because I cause them to lose. It happened that way last year too, I took my dad for his birthday and it was just a massacre on the field. This year I think the first game I went to of the season we won... but not since then. Lose-lose-lose-lose-lose. Hmmm maybe I better get a new jersey or bring salt and a rabbit foot. I don't know if I can handle another live loss. It's bad enough when they lose on TV, but I feel far less invested without paying hundreds to watch them. I can angrily turn off the TV and stomp off to bed and feel fine about it. A live game loss just hurts.

We have amazing seats and we're playing Washington. I've never seen Washington play live before, so that's exciting. Plus Guuuuuuuuuzman plays with them so that'll be fun to see. I think Guuuzy and Cargo (Gomez) should run bases together. Just for fun. Just to see. :-)

I have a rule about going to games though. I don't understand why people would leave early... erm.. hm.. Hubby. I have never left a game early. There's been some game ending tears as I watch our team being scraped off the field, but I stick it out. But tonight the pressure to leave early will be at least 70% amidst the crowd. The significant other likes to "beat traffic" and so does his father. My dad is a people pleaser, so I'm sure he wouldn't be adverse to going. And I will stand there among the spilled beer, shattered peanut and with cotton candy in my hair from the little devils (that will no doubtfully sit behind us) until the last out. I can't do it. I can't leave early. Beat traffic? I know a way. Maybe you all aren't as lame as I am, but I think that the post-game coverage is hilarious. I watch and laugh at it often. My favorite is when Burt and Anthony and "Coom" all re-enact a play. It can't get much better than watching an old pitching star not be able to hit somewhere on the baggie that's about the size of Minneapolis. Or watching a large man in a suit with a windbreaker pullover (because that makes him look sportier... hehe) try to field a mis-thrown ball. It's just quality enjoyment. If we stayed to watch all of that hoopla, we'd definitely miss traffic. I think that's why the fans all jump up and run out after the game. Nobody wants to see that sight.

Well, off to start my Summoning a Win Dance.

I'm An MPR Mooch

2008-06-11T16:40:00.003-05:00

So MPR is doing their "annual drive". I say "annual" because I swear they just had one like a month ago. And I am an avid MPR listener. All day everyday. That's me.

I've been listening all week to their plugs for why you should be a member and give them money. It's starting to get to me. I can feel John Birge, Jeff Esworthy, Brian Newhouse, Mindy Ratner, and Steve Staruch fingers all pointing right out of the radio at me. You're not a member! You're a mooch! Listening, and dare I say, enjoying public radio without giving us your first born child. Shame to you and your household!

Well, how would they like it if I just stopped listening all together?! Huh?! Would they prefer that? I think not! I just can't contribute. Then I'm funding something for which I have no control. What would I do if they switched to an all Copland station?! Blech. I know, I know, everyone loves Copland.... everyone but me. Blah blah, heard it all. I still say boo. I don't know, I'm too selfish and poor. Those combinations and not being Mother Theresa pretty much sums up why I'm not a "member".

I feel their wrath of guilt laying it on me! Help!

Cookie Monster

2008-04-30T08:47:00.003-05:00

So it's been over a month since I've posted. What motivates me enough to grease up the old blog? Cookies. Yes, cookies. I looooove me some good cookies. Lately I've been loving them more due to a recent mediocre audition. I'll write more about that later.

I love love LOVE cookies. Cake? Blech. I didn't even have a bite of cake at my own wedding, but if we would have had cookies.... ooooo.....

So, I went to Kowalski's (for the 3rd time in 4 days) to pick up some cookies. They have an amazing M&M cookie. Normally not so fond of M&M cookies because they're usually hard and the M&M's are usually old and kind of gross and it's mostly just a sugar cookie with like 3 M&M's. Well folks! These cookies are the best. They're soft in between the zillions of M&M's that are fresh and jammed so close together it's really just a pile of M&M connected by delightful cookie. Oh, and they're like the size of my head. *sigh* It pains me to think about it because when I went in there last night, I couldn't find them. They only have a table of cookies and they had 2 packages of half crushed chocolate chip cookies that looked hard and they were broken. Everybody knows that broken cookies taste different than whole ones. All I see are the same kind of cookies swarming this table. So I catch a glimmer of false coloring in one of them and my hope goes up. I pick it up thinking it would be a lame substitute, but it's called "Trail Cookie". What the heck? It looks like something you'd find on a playground after fiestata lunch day. What are we, hiking through the mountains munching on our gorp and our "Trail Cookies"? Lame. I don't eat cookies to be healthy, I eat it for the sugar and the pound of butter in every cookie. So I settled on the sugar cookies. They're pretty awesome... but they'd be better with 6 cups of M&M's in them. ;-)

I've had a chronic stomach ache for the past 4 days, but it's worth it. I definitely would not go through the pain if it were from gorp cookies. I think I have to bake today. :-)

Spring Is In The Air!

2008-03-12T08:46:00.003-05:00

Finally some warm weather! This feels like a heat wave compared to what it was just days ago. I love the snow and I love winter, but now that I've had a taste of spring, I really want the sunny days and warm breezes back. But instead I predict about 3 more months of half melted brown dirty snow and frigid mornings and warm beautiful days while I'm working and then frigid evenings when I leave work. :-(

It makes me want to retire. Do people do that at 25? I suppose they do if they're worth 8 figures, not -5 figures. Well, actually I can't say that I'm -5, because I am debt free now, so I'm riding high at an even $0 and I'm happy!

When we were out walking our too-cute-for-words-and-I'm-not-just-saying-that-because-she's-mine dog yesterday, it felt like spring all over. A young teen was playing basketball in his shorts and T and other people were out standing and chatting without jackets, and the true sign of warm weather, we smelled dinner being cooked on grills. Yum!

Well, even if I can't be out to enjoy it, at least I have windows I can look out of. That's a first for me at a place of employment! :-D

A Gem

2008-02-25T13:54:00.002-06:00

Solveig's Song is on the radio. What a great piece. It's from Peer Gynt. YouTube it, if you haven't heard it. *sigh* It touches the soul. Just thought I'd share.

I've Hit A New Low

2008-02-25T13:38:00.002-06:00

My caffeine addiction has hit a new low. Now it's just not the entire pot of morning coffee with a pick-me-up Dew at lunch. Or the massive headaches that immediately start an hour after I've been awake if I haven't downed a good 4 mugs of joe.

Last night at about 11pm I was feeling sleepy and winding down before bed by playing a little rock and roll on Guitar Hero. I went upstairs to get a water from the fridge, when my right arm independently moved from my body to grasp a beloved Mountain Dew. I watched in horror as my single arm tried to open the can for a guzzle-fest. I would not have it. If I had a Dew at 11, no doubt it would kick in about 11:30am and I would be up scrubbing the grout in our guest bath or re-trimming the carpet. Not like I've done a weird thing like that before... but now that you mention it... Regardless it took all my effort (along with the help of my left arm) to turn my head away and put back the dew. Then I had to sit against the fridge and cry a little because I really wanted that dew. But I got over it and went to bed. However, I was up half the night thinking about the little dew can in the fridge taunting me. So maybe it wouldn't have been that bad to have a little before bed. hehehehe

Puppy Love

2008-02-21T09:43:00.005-06:00

Exciting news! We're going to be parents! Not of actual children, but of a very cute little Shih Tzu. We were on the list to adopt a puppy from this dog, but after a big long whoo-haw, turns out she wasn't "with puppy".

A big disappointment at first for us because after our beloved fish Kipu passed, there has been a void and we were excited for a little mongrel to fill it. Then even better news came. Because the situation was full of a big case of the crazies, they offered us first say on the "mom" not-mom. She is incredibly cute. She's just over 10 pounds and she's all black with a very cute face. Doesn't she look like a little fiesty Ewok?

I am so excited!! She's coming a couple months earlier than we anticipated getting a floor mop, but we couldn't be happier. Now come the preperations, because she arrives in just over a week!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

24

2008-01-30T20:58:00.000-06:00

It has been a day since Santana was traded. I'm still sad. I miss him.

Bonjour mon ami!

2008-01-29T09:19:00.000-06:00

Well, since I've been posting daily since I started this blog you must have missed my short absence. What? You didn't notice? Oh right, because I'm about as regular as an old man who lacks fiber. But I'm back and ready to wow you with my exciting life.

The holidays were a sea of crazy this year. The stars aligned this year and every friend, family, and foe was in town and wanted to get together. Why is it that everyone is always in town for only 2 days around the holidays? It makes it very difficult to plan. But nevertheless I got out my 27x34 flip chart and my laser pointer and set to work diagramming the holidays. Fortunately it all worked out. I saw every family member and friend and rescheduled all the foes for the day after never.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of spreading holiday cheer I was still taking lessons with my new instructor. And as of late, I have decided to throw myself to the mercy of the MN Opera directors. Yes folks, I am auditioning this spring and receiving a rejection letter in the summer. I can hardly contain myself. Now just to decide which aria to sing. Oh and how to convince them that I would be a great mezzo for them while singing Bester Jungling or Batti, batti. Ha! *sigh* If only sopranos were slightly less common than a dandelion in spring. *cue violins*

I'm still working and trucking along and gearing up for my best friends wedding. Speaking of, I better start working on my toast!

Busy Times!

2007-12-04T09:33:00.000-06:00

I have finally decided on a voice teacher!! Woo! I had my first lesson with her on Saturday. We didn't sing a stitch, but rather peeled through my book collection for potential pieces. It's still overwhelming to pick from 50, but it's a little less daunting than thousands. The question now, is how many, which language, variety or submersion and still figuring out which fits my fach. Too much! Do I go all French and immerse myself to really delve into French literature? Or do I have a variety of languages to get back in the groove of things? I'm like a kid in a candy store.

Yes, you're probably right, I should just do a variety of languages that I'm more familiar with to get my chricothyroid and cricoarytenoids stretched and strengthened. OK, so a variety it is... hmmm now back to the piles of books to decide which.

Oooo! And I got a fun new gadget for my lessons. I used to drag out the old tape cassettes to record my lesson, but what a pain that is! So, I recently invested in a mini-microphone that plugs into my iPod. So, now to I can save them on my computer and they're all digital and ready to go. I'm so excited! I love technology.

This Is My Quest

2007-11-13T08:40:00.000-06:00

... Only without the whole man of La Mancha part.

I am on a quest to find a new voice instructor. Now that life has settled down to a dull roar, I really am feeling the bug to get back to performing. I have thought about long and hard what I wanted to do. I have sung in choirs after college and have even applied for graduate school. At the end of last years' season, I really knew that I wanted to get back on the stage singing and dancing my little heart out. I guess I always knew it, but was more scared and lost about where to start.

I was fresh out of college and bright eyed and bushy tailed and had music in my heart. So I audition for the 2 heavy hitting choirs of MN. Woo! Got into both of them... of course that meant rehearsals over in Minneapolis at least 3 times a week, and when there were performances it was a non-stop commute-sing 'til your voice box drops right out on the floor-drive home at an ungodly hour-and get up and work. *repeat daily* I cut back here and there with one of the choirs and it seemed to be okay, and then the wedding planning was in full swing and my sanity was in limbo. So, last spring was my ending for a spell. Then this summer was filled with wedding planning and a new job. Now the honeymoon is over and life is peachy.

So the past couple of weeks I have contacted a few voice instructors. Now I'm in the midst of interviewing them. Then my goal will be to study and get into some auditions and get shot down 99% of the time, but hopefully get into an occasional something here and there. If I start studying now, I think I will bug the MN opera again. My past auditions have been horrible with them... well, I guess just one out of 2 was horrible. It was right after I graduated and I was bed ridden for about 5 days and felt like I had 83 heads and they were all congested. I pulled myself out of bed and showered for the first time in eons and trucked it over to my audition. Blech. I kept sniffling during the interludes and when I sang my head was so congested that it rang around in there and I wanted to grab my head and cry and nap on the floor. The second time I hadn't been studying, but I had been singing and I just wasn't ready. They also probably remembered my monstrous self from last year and thought I was Jekyll and Hyde. Or, probably more just like Hyde.

So off I go into the scary world of rejection, divas, divos, and long commutes. I'll keep you posted.

Morning Coffee

2007-11-07T08:48:00.000-06:00

There's nothing else than a hot pot of coffee to wake you up. It just wouldn't be a good day unless I guzzled down at least 4 cups. Since I go through it at a mind blowing rate, I thought I better look into some cheap, but passable, coffee. So I came out of the grocery the other day with a drum of dark roast called Black Silk hoping to up my caffeine intake a bit.

So I'm sitting here, eyes half closed, listening to the lovely brewing sounds of my coffee with my mug of sugar in hand waiting for the coffee to stop. I'm looking forward to getting a nice pick me up by switching to a darker roast. It's finally done. As I pouring my beloved coffee, things are in a sudden chaotic state, I must have poured too fast, there's coffee spewing out all sides, and about half the pot ends up on my leg. Nothing wakes you up faster than 3rd degree coffee burns on your thigh in the morning. I nearly cried. Not because of the burns, but because of all the wasted coffee.

Pure Evil

2007-10-25T22:37:00.000-05:00

I have been a pumpkin carving machine. I carved a pumpkin last night that was tedious, but was satisfying because I didn't lop off a necessary chunk like I usually do. Here's the pumpkin that made my fingers feel like I was 94. I gotta up my Aleve all day strong all day long dosage.

Tonight I carved 3 pumpkins. My fingers are gnarled, but at least I still have all of them intact. Giant knives can be dangerous when carving a thick mass of vegetable.
No you have to imagine this next one with guts coming out of his head. Right now they're in a baggie in the fridge keeping nice and fresh and gooey until Halloween night.
All of these fit into our little pumpkin hunter/killer display on the front stoop.

Testing Testing 1-2-3

2007-10-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

Is this thing on? Hellooo? I'm baaaack. I know, it's been a long time. Shame on me for not pondering more jerkwater (word of the day) topics for your enjo... er... read. I like to think this blog is mostly like warm milk. If you're up and in a spell of insomnia, tune into my blog and you'll be out in no time. I write because I do. Is it changing the world? Probably. Is it a stream of gabble-de-gook? Most definitely.

Now, let's see... what's happened since I blogged last? I have celebrated my 189th birthday. Jokes! It was my 213th. I got married, had a honeymoon, 2 more friends got engaged, got a rather severe burn from carving the pumpkin. Well, not from the carving part, the burn I think I might have had more to do with the lighter and match that were exploding with flames under it. Oh yes, and my first hair dryer went kaput. Girls, you know the one I'm talking about. The one that isn't that great, but you love it because it's survived 13 years of hair styles. And now I am using one about 1/8 of its size and a lot more powerful. Who knew they were inventing all these new and updated gadgets the last decade?

Well, I don't want to spoil all the fun all at once. I'm sure I'll be back.

O Little Town

2007-08-31T08:12:00.001-05:00

I live in a beautiful city. It has extremely cute shops, restaurants, sights, a gondola and pretty much everything is antiqued and lovely. When we first moved out here, I was so excited because this is the city you come to every weekend in the summer to walk around and I have many fond memories of doing just that. Living here is another story. I still love it, and believe me, when the tourists leave (I won't get started on them, that's a whole 'nother post) I love spending time out and about in my town. The people that live here are extremely different than the people that visit here.

The people that visit clog up main street and eat at all the cute restaurants and go antiquing. The people that live here eat at Applebee's and shop at Wal-Mart. Not to say there is anything wrong with that. Now that I live here, I understand why and I find that a super Wal-Mart has a lot to offer. A lot of people that live here are down home folks that like to have a good time. Our first indication was that there were 3 stumps with a bunch of nails in them in the driveway of our new house. If you don't know what they were used for, you won't understand. It was just very classic for our city. Lots of drinking and partying and hanging out with all the other people who's entire family tree grew up here.

So I was driving home from work one day and I turn down a residential street and am looking around at the beautiful day when I see something so classic of our city, I laughed so hard I almost hit a lumberjack. Out in the driveway (not sure why everything is out front here) there are about 9 mis-matched folding lawn chairs of varying decomposition, from a few remaining plastic fibers on a tin frame to shredded and holey, all situated around an entirely rusted-over metal standing fire pit. I'm assuming that's what it was. It was burnt orange and basin-like. Or maybe it was the top of an old grill that got converted. Then the kicker that made this so classic of my town is the full-size refrigerator/freezer in the middle of the driveway. Not in the garage, in the center of the driveway. It was placed like another guest around the fire circle. Classic.

Wedding Bells

2007-08-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

I got married this Saturday!! It was so much fun. The food was awesome and I couldn't have been more pleased with the reception venue. Huge props to the Saint Paul Hotel for being so flawless in taste, service, and dinner. I had a blast and it appeared that everyone else was in high spirits too. It was a good time had by all. The liquor flowed freely and so did the love.

It's funny to think that I now have this whole other side of family. I couldn't have asked for better people. But what do I call them? Uncle Buck? Hmmm. Well by joining families I now have the name of a famous British actress, so that's kind of fun. (Well, after all the paperwork is through.)

Now that it's all over, there is still much to do. I nearly cried when I faced the mountains of laundry that threatened to bury me alive. (On a side note, they should really correspond drying and washing time so that they're equal. It's a pain to have clean clothes that sit in the washer for an hour while the dryer is still drying.)

I feel like my brain is still recovering. About Thursday of last week I couldn't have told you my name because my head was so packed full of information. This week it still feels a little mushy, but at least I can tell you where I am and who I am at any given time.

I had so much fun seeing all of my friends and family who live so far away. But all of my new in-laws are in state, so I now have lots of family here. It reminds me that I need to see everyone more than just at weddings and funerals. They mean the world to me, and I should go out of my way to show it.

All's Well That Ends Well

2007-07-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

The time has come to depart with my dearly beloved palm pilot. Not because it's failed any of its functions, but because of my leaky brain. With all the wedding planning and a new job and my increasing OCD and leaky brain, my little ZZ just hasn't been what I need. I've turned back to the old paper calendar. That way I can write little notes to myself, like my name and where I am and who my true friends are. Jokes! I have no friends. For scheduling and tasks and reminders, I would be all for Z, but I just can't hang on to him and my thoughts simultaneously. So, one of them has to go. It's like Harry Potters prophecy "neither can live while the other survives" and I figure I better give my memory a leg up, it needs all the help it can get!

sigh

2007-07-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

Dear me, it's only Wednesday...

Drawn Out Departure

2007-07-16T13:21:00.000-05:00

Man, it seems like I put my 2 weeks in about 4 years ago. The time will just not pass. I really have no urgent things to do.

I would give anything to put my head down and take a little snoozer. I don't want to end up with keyboard face though... or drool all over my desk. I guess I'll sit here and think of all the things I could be doing if I weren't here...

Morning Madness

2007-07-13T07:18:00.000-05:00

As I sit here rocking myself and crying because my coffee is waaaay to hot to drink and I NEED it, I wonder, why? Why did I ask my new employer to bump up my start time to 7:30am? I'm not a morning person and I make no attempt to be so. Well, I will tell you why.

I think that my compulsive need to have the ideal time schedule to maximize my productiveness has taken over my desire to sleep. I thought about it in my head, and I knew there wasn't a chance in Peru that I would pull myself out of bed at 6am to work-out before work. But that's the time you get up now. Yes, but I also don't even make it out of bed by 6:10 on most days, and I have to be out the door at 6:20. (And I save 2 hours of commuting, a day! Weee!) And the only reason I don't cut it even closer is because coffee takes a few minutes to brew. So, there's a 100% chance that I won't get up earlier on my own free will to do something physically active. I know this. So, if I started work at 8, true I could get up at 7:30 (my new job is 2 miles from home), but do I really need to sleep in until 7:30? No. Sleep is for the weak and I give into it far too often. However, if I started work at 7:30 I would be home just after 4, and could then go for a run, or do errands and make calls because places are still open. Then by 5pm I could have my whole evening ahead of me. See? Do you see? I NEED that extra half hour switch or my whole world will be off kilter.

Ahhh the life of an obsessive compulsive person. Soothing, isn't it?

Job Jumper

2007-07-10T14:20:00.000-05:00

I have FINALLY found a new job!! Yay hooray! My last day at my current place is the day before my birthday. Happy birthday to me! I'm very excited for this new position. I will be working as an office manager and training to be a paralegal. I think that it's a place I can really grow and affect the company directly in a lot of ways. It's exciting and I can't wait.

Being so anxious for this new job makes my last 2 weeks here really hard to focus. I just want to be as free as the wind blows.

I'm too ADD right now to sit here and write more, I must be off to do another victory dance!

???

2007-07-06T07:16:00.000-05:00

The bus ride into work was pleasant. (Well, minus being hacked all over by someone who doesn't cover their mouth! But that's a different post.) I saw a family of beautiful deer. Their coats were so beautiful. Some day I would like to pet one. A live one, somehow a carcass just doesn't seem soft and warm. Man! It is hard to focus this early in the morning with only 2 cups of coffee in me. So, bear with me folks.

On my ride I saw a bumper sticker that perhaps my brain can't sort out this early, or I think the more plausible reason is that I just don't get it. So I write to you for an explanation. I've thought about it and it still doesn't make sense. And you think, hey it's a bumper sticker, who cares? Well, I don't care, but it's like trying to remember the name of a song and you just can't. It's going to eat away at me until I know. It was a green bumper sticker with white lettering that said: I HAVE A DOG AND I VOTE TOO.

Is it just a statement of truth? That they have a dog and also vote? Nah, I think there's something going on there, and I won't rest until I know. So help! What does it all mean?!

Size Does Matter

2007-07-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

This Sunday was a shopping filled Sunday. Bri and I shopped till we dropped. (Although I'm sure I could have survived a few shoe departments more.) We finally got Brian's suit for the wedding. We start out wandering aimlessly around the suit department without a clue as to what or how to search for. It's a nice change from the usual sales people that pounce on you even before you have a chance to avoid their eye contact. However this time we actually needed the sharks. We were like lone fishes with an open wallet and need to purchase. I'm surprised they didn't smell us out sooner! So finally a very helpful competent sales woman comes to our rescue. Within a couple of minutes we decide on the suit to buy. Then after we get the jacket marked up for tailoring Bri and I set off to look for a dress shirt.

We're perusing the millions of tightly wrapped, folded and pinned shirts when I realize that all of the shirts have 3 size markings on them. Not only do they have a neck and sleeve size, they also have the general size. And the pants not only have the inseam, they have the waist. This is unbelievable. They size so meticulously for guys who most often than not would just walk in and grab a size and see if it fit. Whereas women's sizes they only come in one number. And that number varies between each cut, manufacturer, store, brand, style, and some times just because. the shoppers of the world are forced to agonize over their single number each time they try on an article of clothing. Hmmm I was an 8 at the other store and now I'm a 16? but the jeans I just bought were a 4. Hmmm. Something just seems amiss with this whole ordeal. Why can't women's pants come with the waist and the inseam? I never shop at certain stores unless I'm expecting a flood, because their inseams are always about 4 inches too short. I don't know a single female who can just walk in and find "her size" and bam! fits like a glove. (And if you're said woman, I hate you and I never want to talk to you.) I think that the pouring over the piles and piles of jeans and pants is what the retailers want. They want us to give up over trying every possible pant (women's and men's) until those one pair of pants finally fit. By then, who cares if they're $315? Surely not the blubbering woman. It's a scheme these denim devils should end. My 2 favorite pairs of jeans are starting to show their love, and it's time to get more, but I am NOT looking forward to that shopping trip. I will probably have to buy a few pairs of shoes to cheer me up.

Bah!

All's Well That Ends Well

2007-06-29T08:48:00.000-05:00

Hummmm I am at peace with the wedding planning. I had a momentary weakness. Hummm All will be fine. Hummmm If I can't eat for a few months or year at least I will be able to fit into my "skinny clothes". Hummmm

Seriously, it's going to be fabulous and I'm so excited!! I will do damage control next week, but I have high hopes. It just needs a few snips and little cinching here and there, and we should be golden. However, that means no butler served canapes. Boo. :-( Well, I guess you can't have your 5 different kinds of cake and eat it too. Some thing's gotta give.

Whew! I feel a lot better now. Must be because it's Friday!

Wedding Woes

2007-06-28T15:33:00.001-05:00

Man alive! are weddings expensive!! Looks like I won't be eating for the next 3 decades. Well, except for at the reception, but by then my stomach will have shrank so much that I'll be paying millions for a little soda cracker. I just received the "estimate" from my wedding planner for just the reception. And with that one little pdf file, *poof* over the entire wedding budget with just the reception costs. Eep! I'll post tomorrow about it if I live through the night with a heart rate of 312.

Crystal Confetti

2007-06-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

We received our first 2 wedding gifts this week. Let me tell you, it is exciting stuff. I know that I registered for the things we got, but MAN is it fun to rip open the box and see them again. Maybe it's because I was delirious at the end of a better part of 9 hours because of "technical difficulty" to finally scan all the items, but I didn't really remember exactly what everything looked like. So, to see the things again, and to have them in my home was too much. (And just for the record, I haven't checked my registries online daily to see what I've received... although maybe I should start. Jokes! Surprises are better.) I think when I registered it was more like this is nice "BEEP", I could use this "BEEP", but I don't think that I ever really thought I was going to get these things. I was more concerned about if people were going to have a good time, or if the out-of-towners could make it. Now, they're giving me gifts? Somehow it doesn't seem right here. I invited them, shouldn't I be the one giving gifts? But, who am I to mess with tradition? That's right, nobody.

So as I'm digging through the packing peanuts, I come across an unwrapped box. So I was like woo! then as I'm taking it out of box, I hear the twinkling of glass. Oh no. I go to the kitchen and look inside and find shards of what I can only imagine was at one point a beautiful champagne flute. Yes friends, it was broken past the point of recognition.

I get on the phone to the Macy's wedding channel help line, and the most competent gal helps me through this emotionally trying time. I could not believe it. I didn't have to yell, I didn't have to threaten to take registry elsewhere, I didn't have to repeat myself 80 million times. She was competent, she spoke English (unlike AT&T), and she had customer service skills(unlike Comcast). I was too shocked to even speak. She was very apologetic that it happened, she was even sounded guilty that she requested I keep the broken flute until the replacement arrived. I haven't encountered this kind of hospitality since the homeless man. So hats off to the Macy's Wedding Channel for bringing their a-game.

It's sad that I am so astounded by decent service, but you'll agree that that's hard to find nowadays.

SUCK-er

2007-06-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

Ah, these words never cease to entertain me!

succor \SUCK-er\ noun

*1 : relief; also : aid, help
2 : something that furnishes relief

Example sentence:
"The people lost all hope of succor, and fled to the mountains for refuge." (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad)

Did you know?
If you're in need of an explanation of the origins of "succor," we can help. Middle English speakers adapted "socour," the predecessor of "succor," from the Anglo-French "sucors," which essentially had the same meaning as our modern word. "Sucors," in turn, derives from the Medieval Latin "succursus," itself a derivative of the Latin verb "succurrere," meaning "to run to the rescue" or "to bring aid." That Latin verb was a composite of the prefix "sub-" (meaning "from below") and the verb "currere" (meaning "to run"). "Succor" has been saving the day in English (as both a noun and a verb) since at least the 13th century.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Blech

2007-06-08T12:31:00.001-05:00

It's the grossest thing ever when people constantly do the snot snort. You know what I'm talking about. Not the little sniffles or the I-need-a-kleenex-stat sniff, I'm talking about the full blown snot-down-the-throat snort. Ish. I have the pleasure of sitting by someone at work who decided to replace regular nose breathing with snorting. Awesome.

Obsession

2007-06-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

No, not the scent by Calvin Klein, my not so secret obsession.

Shopping. Online shopping. Clothes shopping. Shoooooooooe shopping. Antique shopping. (Although does anyone really know how to "go antiquing"? Most things look like they had every right to be given away in the first place.) Handbag shopping. Diamond shopping. Browsing. Perusing. And simply just walking or clicking around until you find something that maybe you could possibly use some time in your life (and then of course you have to find $100 more worth of crap for the free shipping). I LOVE IT!

I have been far to click and card swiping happy for my own good. I ordered a few new summer shirts to ring in the new season, but it wasn't quite enough. So, I browse around to look for some much needed tank tops (to wear under other shirts of course! I'm too old to parade around in just a tank top), well of course you have to get multiple colors and in my search I find a few pairs of shoes that I just HAVE to have. In my entire collection of shoes, I don't have a single pair that are brown satin with white polka dots... not until June 11th anyway. hehehe Likewise no green heeled sandals! How did I live until now?! But at least now I have shoes to match that new handbag I got a few days before. So after I resolved my tank and shoe issue I felt happy. Who says that retail therapy doesn't work?

After all is said and done I start to feel the itch. All I got were shoes and tanks... and maybe a shirt? Who can remember such things. So I'm off on another adventure on the rampage for some summer work shirts. So I picked out 4? 5? and now I'm poor but elated. Nothing like the feeling of a whole new wardrobe to bring in summer with a bang! Those of you who stand in front of filled closet of nothing to wear understand the satisfaction of bringing in the new. *sigh*

Tomorrow is diamond shopping with my mom. Look out world! I'm out there and lovin' every minute of it!!

Youthquake

2007-05-25T07:19:00.000-05:00

I get a word e-mailed to me everyday from Merriam Webster. I don't know how I got signed up... it wasn't like I clicked on word of the day and then on subscribe... or anything like that... But if I had I would say that they only send me the word of the day and not any ads or spam. So, I let 'em keep comin'. Anyway, enough about my coolness.

Some days I get a word that I can't believe is actually a word. And its definition so complex that it boggles the mind. Like today's word of the day, youthquake. I thought maybe a quake caused by youth, or maybe a scared child's quiver. Alas, it was neither. Ready for it?

youthquake \YOOTH-kwayk\ noun

: a shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of young people

Example sentence:The dot-com industry was the epicenter of the youthquake of the 1990s.

Did you know? The 1960s were a time of seismic social upheaval brought about by young people bent on shaking up the establishment. From politics to fashion to music, the ways of youth produced far-reaching cultural changes. Linguistically, the sixties saw the addition to English of such words as "flower child," "peacenik," "hippie," "love beads," "trippy," "vibe," "freak-out," and "love-in." Not surprisingly, it also saw the emergence of "youthquake." The first known use of "youthquake" in print comes from a 1966 article in McCall's: "the youthquake, as some call it ... has swept both sides of the Atlantic."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Hmmm I was close. But are they serious?

Search Words

2007-05-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that when someone decided to google image search "camel toe" they came upon my blog. It's all about the readers, and I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em. And if that means more posts about camel toe, then so be it.

And apparently there's a high demand for pictures of naked cheerleaders since I get a lot of referrals from that... because I have so many pictures of naked cheerleaders on my blog... or maybe it's just the words naked cheerleader naked cheerleader naked cheerleader! (Now I've got them lured into my trap.)

Elevator Madness

2007-05-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

There's nothing scarier (okay there are, but I'm trying to make a point) than being in a possessed elevator.

After work the other day I walked in to the elevator and it gives a little bounce. Since I'm the only one in it, I chalked it up to that extra bag of Cheetos I had for lunch. Well, I only have to go down one floor so usually it's a pretty quick ride. (Why not take the stairs you ask? Because the stairs are on the other side of the building. Yes my friend, I'm lazy.) The doors closed but the elevator and I didn't start moving. Hmmm. Okay I'm not claustrophobic so no biggie, it's just stalled for a bit. Then all of a sudden it lurches down and bobs back up while I grab on to the rail trying not to lose those Cheetos. Not fun. Then it stalls again and while I'm regrouping it then drops at a much faster rate than I feel comfortable with. I feel like I'm back at MGM in the Tower of Terror ride, or plummeting to my death. The devils box that I'm in starts to shudder and bob downwards in that way that makes you feel weightless (usually a plus, not so much in this case) and that all the cables could snap at any second. Fortunately after about 32 hours in the elevator the doors opened like nothing happened. I turned around and glared at it as it took off for its next victim.

From this experience I might start walking to the other side of the building to go down the stairs... or just use one of the other 3 elevators that are right there...

The Drugs On The Bus Go Round 'n Round

2007-05-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

The other day I was in my usual rush from the time I wake up until 10 minutes later when I'm out the door, so did I remember to bring a new book to read for the afternoon bus ride? Nope. Did I remember my coffee? Check. I ALWAYS have my coffee in hand for the morning bus ride. I will sacrifice time spent putting on jewelry, make-up, or clothes, just to have time to make coffee.

So, I get on a pretty crowded bus that afternoon, and the only spot left was at the back of the bus. Not a good spot to look out the windows. Usually people think that you're staring at them. Vain people. Just kidding, I wouldn't want some half comatose chick leering at me either! So, I'm stuck in the back with a man who chatters more then the Red Hat Ladies. Fortunately he wasn't chatting to me, he was tittering away at the gal next to him. Well, he started pulling out all these gadgets, DVD player, headphones, a digital camera and other things. Then he's yakking about how he found all of these things and a $4,000 ring on buses. "Found" being the key word here. Now I don't like to eavesdrop, (who am I kidding? yes I do) but in my defense he was a very loud talker. And he wouldn't stop. It was like a drill boring right into my cochlea. So as he's digging around in all his bus-found treasures, he pulls out a little something white and shakes the guys hand sitting across from him and he quite obviously hands it over to him. The receiver then conspicuously tucks it away. Then Mr. Mouth roots around in his bag some more and takes out a little tiny bag of what I can only assume is oregano, basil, or perhaps some thyme and very obviously passes it to his confidant. This time the guy looks at it, and Mr. M says that that'll be 10. The gourmet chef nods because it must look like the finest of dried herbs. Then they make arrangements to meet again on Thursday. (Hey, that's today!) For what? Who knows. Where? I have no idea, but I hope that it's not on our bus again. I guess we'll see.

Whew!

2007-04-30T07:41:00.000-05:00

Well my hell weekend is over. The billions of little mongerals I had to tend to this weekend are all still alive, as am I. The Bolcom Songs of Innocence and Experience performances are finished, and so is my commitment with Vocal Essence. I have decided to retire. I'm too old. My back or rear can't handle those little hard wood squares lined with metal they call chairs. But I am thankful we didn't have to stand for the entire 2 hour and 50 minute concert. The last time we had to stand through a long concert I ended up with a pinched nerve in my back and was out of commission for 2 days.

Oh, you don't want to hear about my physical ailments? You'd rather hear about the concerts? Oh all right! The concerts went pretty well. They were received surprisingly well by the audience. I will admit that I wasn't too excited about this work. I was excited about the concert, and the performance, but not about this particular Songs of Innocence and Experience. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I thought that there were far too many abrupt changes. So much in fact, that you got numb to the fact that it was abrupt, which took away the surprise element. I thought it was neat to have so many modern styles incorporated, I just wish that it were more cohesive.

As the 8,321 rehearsal ended and the performances began, the work kind of grew on me. Despite all the disjointedness and abruptness, it really did have some beautiful moments in it. The more I heard it, the more those sections stuck out. I wish that I could have heard all those glimmers about 39 years ago when we started rehearsing, but I'll take whatever I can get. There was some beautiful atmospheric setting in the orchestra and a couple solos were quite moving. Maybe if I listened to it a few hundred more times, I'd come to really like it, but by then I would be 97 and deaf. So, if MPR plays it, I'll give it a listen, but then I'll lay this work to rest. It was definitely an experience. I'll give it that.

Spring Snow = Boo

2007-04-11T07:48:00.000-05:00

I love snow as much as any polar bear or husky, but only in the winter months. What ever happened to the phrase April showers bring May flowers? What about April snows and freezes bring May dead brown grasses and flowers? Doesn't have quite the same ring...

I was all set to bust out the jersey knit shirts and dive into my warm wardrobe, and now I'm still stuck in the sweaters and the turtlenecks, and the turtleneck sweaters. Boo. Oh! And not to mentioned the long awaited wearing of the peep-toe shoes and strappy sandals! But no, I'm still in my loafers. Boo.

Well, I better stop complaining about the weather now. I don't want the weather gods to hold a grudge against me, say until August 18th. *crosses fingers*

Friday At Last!

2007-03-16T07:23:00.000-05:00

I thought this day would never come! All week it seemed like Friday was just the day after never. But finally, it's here. It's here and it's glorious... well, actually there's nothing really glorious about it except that it's adjacent to the weekend, but that's enough for me.

This week seemed so long. I know I probably say that about every week, but what'cha gonna do brother? (Hmm let's pretend that I didn't quote Hulk Hogan.) I still had the usual rehearsal, class, teaching, work schedule that I always had, but this week felt more rushed. Perhaps it's because the Rachel Train Express got its second injury.

On Wednesday, I get off the bus, and head to my car when I notice that it's lopsided. As I come around the drivers side I see that one of my tires gave up and died. Not just a little droopy, no, pttthhhht. Dead. So I put on the spare and head home to call tire shops. Fortunately I got right into one (even though I pass about 5 other tire shops on the way there). I wait like a worried mother in a hospital wondering if they'll have to amputate, or if it just needs a patch. They come back with a piece of metal the size of my finger that they had pulled out of the dying tire. What!?! How could I not hear that harpoon through my tire?!?

Anyway, that emergency cut into my dinner hour, with a mere 7 minutes left to find something and eat. Burger King was across the street. I got the chicken fries. They were out of honey. I don't recommend them if you don't have a vat of honey. Lesson learned.

Blithesome Bolcom

2007-03-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

People, get your calendars out! Vocal Essence is performing the Grammy Award winning Songs of Innocence and Experience with the MN Chorale, the MN Boys Choir, and 14 soloists at Orchestra Hall April 28-29 (Sat, Sun). Click here to buy your seat! This is going to be a concert like no other. Over 400 performers are going to mob on stage to participate in the Illuminating Bolcom festival. What a change and special privilege to honor a composer who's... alive!

Last night William Bolcom came to our rehearsal to speak about the piece, and share some of his history. I did not know that he was the first person to perform a concert at the Walker with his pal William Albright. Philip predicted that Bolcom will be in the history book of American music when this time passes. His work is innovative, and it encompasses all the aspects of American music. This work is a prime example. I know I'm going to be doing a bit of research about it. It's always more enjoyable having knowledge about the work you're hearing/performing. I'm very excited about this one. A great way to finish off the season... and maybe my tenure with Vocal Essence.

So come one, come all to Orchestra Hall, it will be a treat like no other. The stage is going to take days to build, and the performers have already started rehearsing. There will be mobs of people, lights, music, history, and projected pictures. You don't want to miss it!

Perfect Spring Day

2007-03-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

You know those days when you turn on the radio and at that point they play the exact perfect thing? That happened today. On my drive home, I rolled down all the windows, turned on NPR, and am greeted by sun and a Beethoven piano sonata. To me nothing goes better together than spring air and a piano sonata (having it be Beethoven is just icing on the cake). Not peas and carrots, not a horse and carraige, or not like ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong.

And then what do I hear on my drive home from rehearsal at night? Oh yes, a Mozart violin concerto. Perfect spring night listening.

This season is off to the perfect start.

Hopelessly Homeless in Saint Paul

2007-03-01T09:14:00.000-06:00

Ah, the homeless again. Well, if I really thought they were homeless, I wouldn't be annoyed with them. But it's clear that the "homeless" that I've run into since starting my job in Saint Paul are well fed, groomed, and have nicer clothes than half of the employees pounding the pavement.

So, this morning I'm blindly walking to work (no coffee apparently impairs my vision, blast my memory for letting me forget my ONLY travel mug!) and a chubby man bundled in what I can only describe as lumber jack clothes says, "excuse me, but by chance do you have a dollar to spare for some coffee"? I semi-emerge from my comatose state, and look at this dark Levi wearing man who looks like he challenged himself to see how many flannels he could fit under his newer looking brown wood chopping jacket. And all in a split second my mind flashes about how coffee surely can't be bought for a dollar, at the 'bou it's at least $82, do I have my Caribou gift card with me?, how could I forget my mug?, do I even have any cash because I would like to get a wrap for lunch, why don't places in St. P take plastic? maybe I have a five? nope, bought a Dew and Mike & Ikes the other day, do I have any change? do I want to dig in my wallet only to find that I only have 17 cents and at that moment realize that I'm poorer than the lumber jack standing on the corner?

So, I shrugged and said, "nope, sorry".

I must have looked threatening, because he quickly said "oh, sorry to disturb you, you have a good day". Have a good day? Maybe he works in customer service...

Oh the homeless. They're something else.

People

2007-02-20T10:48:00.000-06:00

I'm honestly amazed at how stupid people can be. I'm not saying I don't have my brain fart moments, but wow, some people are born with a permanent fart in their brain. I'm sure you all have someone in mind with just fluff in their head, (or straw), but someone times I just stand there in shock knowing that this person exists. They drive on the same roads as I do, they are allowed to vote, and reproduce. It's boggling.

How do they survive? These people usually can't make decisions, and then disturb the whole world around them in their fluster and stupidity. How do they decide what to eat at night? How do they decide when to breathe? Why do they insist on making mountains out of mole hills? And how do they always wind up taking the clever persons credit? Survival skills I suppose.

Maybe these people should have "Nothin' but Stuffin' " tattooed on their foreheads so that others know right away before they sucked into their vortex and start losing brain cells at a rapid rate.

And what really gets my goat, is these people are in the workplace! Yes! They're expected to be reasonably competent, but of course, they have no professionalism what-so-ever. I can't think of a single job where some level of professionalism isn't a necessity. I think I would prefer working with a monkey. I see that commercial for some job search website, and I sigh, wishing that one of those monkeys could replace a co-worker. Their abilities and opposable thumbs would surpass the current employee.

Some people!

I Didn't Have Time For My Morning Coffee

2007-02-13T08:02:00.000-06:00

I don't think I could be any more clear.

Ta-Da!

2007-02-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

After much to-do we saved... or rather killed re-birthed Bertachel. You can all go about your normal lives now and sleep through the night. The crisis has passed.

*whew*

I Killed Bertachel

2007-02-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

Stupid new blogger! What a big mess this turned out to be. On our other blog, Bertachel, we were going to resurrect it to release our angst about the fashion world. (I know what you're thinking. Yes, let's have the gal who posts once every other blue moon on her own blog try and juggle 2 blogs. Well, you can just keep your hands of judgement in your pockets.) Anyway, with the switching to the "new" blogger, somehow our little blog didn't get switched, we couldn't "invite" ourselves, and I ended up accidentally deleting myself from the blog, and since I was the "administrator" we're pretty much screwed. So, we're going to try from scratch. We're going to delete our precious blog, and try to use the same address. Stay tuned on our progress... or lack there of.

Bubble Girl

2007-02-05T07:26:00.000-06:00

I wish I lived in a climate controlled bubble.

(I live in a hole? I wish I lived in a climate controlled bubble? Could this blog be any more riveting? I blame my bus seatmates flatulence. Her effluvs must have rotted my brain.)

Regardless, this weather is going to be the death of me. I have finally gained feeling back into my feet, but still 45 minutes later, I have not yet obtained sensation of my fingers, which makes it very difficult to type.

I'm sick of days likes these:

Boo.

If it weren't for the space heater singeing off the skin on my legs, I would be pretty miserable.

The Hole I Call Home

2007-01-17T09:23:00.000-06:00

I live in a hole.

Am I the only person on the face of this earth that didn't realize that the Golden Globes were on the other night? I missed another chance to laugh at a fashion faux-pas assemblage and feel horrible about my imperfect figure? Darn it all!

*hours later*

I have finished flipping though online photos of the GG's, and I think I live in a bigger hole than I realized. (Isn't that always the case?) Who are all these people? Where did they come from? Is everyone and their mom famous now? Where are all the people that I once new as A-list celebrities?

I blinked and missed the boat.

Wedding Weekend

2007-01-12T07:41:00.000-06:00

This weekend my very good friend Abbie is getting married! After having to post-pone the original September wedding date for 4 months, the time has finally come. (As a side note, the reason they had to post-pone it is because her fiance is a navigator for the Navy, and he was not in the U.S. at the time. So yeah, a little hard to get married a continent or two apart.)

I'm really looking forward to this wedding, it's going to be beautiful. This is my first wedding where I'm actually a bridesmaid!! The saying goes, always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Mine was, always a musician never a bridesmaid. Now I'm both, and looking forward to it.

Usually it's hard for me to get geared up about singing in a wedding because: a) I don't know really know the couple, but hey, at least I get paid b) if I do know them (but not a good friend), it sucks when they invite you and only you, and no payday. BUT I'm excited this time because Abbie is a good friend, and it's going to be really special to be a part of her wedding. Oh geez, I hope I don't bawl... hmmm... didn't think about that... nope, I'll keep it together. I have to.

liquid liner + tears = raccoon face.

Anywho, very excited (did I tell you that yet?) and making small goals.

don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall

The Smells On The Bus Go Round And Round

2007-01-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

There are all kinds of people that ride the bus. It's like another world of etiquette and behavioral patterns (I'll post more on these at a later date). For the most part, my bus route consists mostly of the mom & pop type. Occasionally we get a rouge rider to mix things up, but that happens very rarely.

Being in close quarters with a lot of strangers for a significant period of time is always... interesting. Most recently my focus has been on the smells lurking about the bus.

My stop is one of the first, which means I always get stuck in the window seat, leaving the option open to anyone to sit by you. I pray every day that I get a normal person without a pungent aroma and that doesn't smush me, because being a window rider, the choice is theirs, not yours.

For awhile my seatmate ended up being a lovely woman who was pleasant, and pleasant smelling (meaning no smells at all), and that didn't elbow me the whole ride. Then I got stuck with a lady who smelled strongly of strawberries and glue. She was still a good seatmate and provided me with a lot of hours of imagining why someone would smell like strawberries and glue. Then as fate would have it, my longest running seatmate ended up being a lady with 2 large bags that liked to shove them all on my lap and jostle them around throughout the whole ride. It's tolerable if your ride is like 10 minutes, but for 45 minutes, I was ready to shake her. Then the smell hit me. Well, the first smell did at least. She smelled very strongly of cough drops and not the candied Luden's type. It was more like the everlasting coughdrop with the full dose of cough syrup in the middle type smell. She must've popped the whole bag in her mouth before she got on the bus the way it smelled, but surprisingly she didn't have anything in her mouth... odd. As I sat there trying not to feel ill, the second smell hit me. Underneath all that eucalyptus alcohol smell, was nursing home smell. You know what I'm talking about. The smell that only happens when invalid people are resting in their beds so long that nothing can get that odor out. So I think, okay so maybe she's been sick and bed-ridden. That would explain both of the smells (though she never once coughed, and also never consumed a cough drop, yet the smell lingered on). But now as I'm approaching a full two weeks with my odorific seatmate, I'm starting to wonder...

I now welcome any other smell. I stick my nose in my delicious hazelnut coffee the whole ride. And when it ended up leaking all over everything in my purse and my entire lap, I welcomed the smell. I welcomed it so much that I didn't realize that it had oozed all over me until about 30 minutes later. I now lean forward instead of cringing when the toddler in front of me brings out bananas. I look for strawberry glue lady, but I can't remember what she looks like.

I wonder if this would be too obvious?

Happy Belated New Year!

2007-01-03T14:55:00.000-06:00

I hope that you're all well rested after such a peaceful holiday. Ha! This holiday was a whirlwind of frantic party throwing, family get togethers, gluttonous meals, family outings, and I think that holiday cheer sometimes peeked through the cracks. Whew! Just thinking about it makes me start to twitch.

I love the Christmas season. Nothing gives me greater joy than listening to Mariah Carey's Christmas over and over and over again... except maybe gnoshing on the bon bon cookies we make every Christmas (and by gnoshing, I mean stuffing them in like Kobayashi in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest). It's not pretty, but it happens.

Now the new year is here, and there's only 2 bon bon cookies left, and I'm without nog. So now I'm on to bigger and better things in the new year, and leaving behind the holiday lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.... well, maybe I'll keep my pride. Nah, out with the old! In with the new!

I won't post my New Years resolutions because then you'll ask about them and I'll have to tell you that I fell short in mid-January. But feel free to tell me yours so I can hassle you about following through and not giving up. ;-)

Homeless Diabetic

2006-12-23T09:47:00.000-06:00

Now I'm not one to mock the homeless, I do realize their grave situation, but sometimes they amuse me... when they're not scary.

When I was young we took a trip to New York city to visit relatives, and the homeless were rather persistent. They would follow me and talk inside my personal space asking if I had any money. I was 8, like I had any money on me. Well, scratch that, I had saved up to buy a packet of color changing markers. But because I'm selfish I supported my coloring fantasy, and ignored the dreams of others for food, clothing, or booze. Plus, they scared me.

Then there's the famous lady of the night that Claire and I always saw outside the Brueggers in Colorado Springs. She looked like she got in a battle with a cat and won, then wore it's pelt on her head as a trophy. But that paled compared to her fabulous makeup job. Well, her tattered hoochie clothes with the ripped stockings were also competing for attention. The fact that she was probably in her late 90s didn't help either. I couldn't help but shutter as I thought of which poor desperate man that would enlist her "services". Blech.

My most recent encounter was yesterday at a bus stop in St. Paul. I'm waiting at a stop that has a rather diverse collection of riders. None of them are sketchy. So, I'm standing for what seems like 50 minutes behind some Muslim women who are chattering with each other in a rapid cadence. Then along comes a chubby guy who looks like that high school-aged lost soul who once was a band geek, but decided his social stature would be greatly increased if he greased his hair and wore black clothes with an unnecessary amount of fasteners on them. He of course still has the geeky looking face, and the glasses (they always have glasses, wouldn't they do better with contacts?) and the timid shuffle of their walk. He comes and asks the Muslim women if they could spare any change for a homeless diabetic. They looked nervously at each other and started chattering even faster and clustered closer to each other. I think that they didn't have a clue what he said. Then since I'm standing behind the mob of draped women, he tries to wedge between them over to me, and asks me if I had any spare change for a homeless diabetic. I shake my head, because I only had enough for my bus fare. So, I wasn't actually lying, I was just being selfish because I didn't want to end up a homeless hypoglycemic. Does he actually think that he's going to get money? Why is he out there. Not to be cynical, but he seriously looked like his mother would be standing outside with a mug of hot chocolate and a cloth to polish off his glasses. He was well dressed, articulated his needs in a coherent manner, and he didn't smell.

I'm baffled.

Snow Snow Snow!

2006-12-22T07:46:00.000-06:00

Snow
It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow
Snow
I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow
(ok so granted we already got some, but not enough to wash with)

Snow
I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow
(I could actually do without the lifting of the snow)
Snow
Oh, to see a great big man entirely made of snow

Where it's snowing
All winter through
That's where I want to be
Snowball throwing
That's what I'll do
How I'm longing to ski
Through the snow-oh-oh-oh-oh
(amen)

Those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
(ah, perhaps they are made out of snow)
Snow
Oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow

What is Christmas with no snow
(a very sad Christmas indeed)
No white Christmas with no snow
Snow

I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye
Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow

Yay! I hope more snow is on the way! I love it!

Merry Mariah

2006-12-21T21:55:00.000-06:00

I'm far too obsessed with the Mariah Carey Christmas CD. It's been going on for years, but I've finally come to terms that it's unhealthy. I need to stop... next year.

All I want for Christmaaaaaas is youuuuuuuu!

Listen and you'll love it too. It's my addiction, far stronger than any drug.

Time Is The Enemy

2006-12-15T11:25:00.000-06:00

It's the last day of my first week at my new job. Wow... you know Joe, he's the second cousin of your mom's friend's daughter's husband's sisters friend. Nevermind. I thought they sounded the same. Which perfectly clarifies my week. What?

Anyway, so I got the bus thing down without a hitch, and actually found out that I can get picked up at a far less sketchy bus stop right outside of my building. Woo! The first day was a little intense waiting at the other bus stop for 4 score and 7 years. Many a lost soul ended up mumbling something at me. I pretended I was deaf.

On to the job. I like it so far... not really much for me to do seeing as I don't have my own computer yet. I have a temporary laptop that's older than Joan Rivers. So, I can't be on the server, I can't join the rest of the company in the 21 century, and I can't open any of their applications/software. Oh well. Maybe next week.

Getting up early is a real bugger. I am not a morning person, I never have been, and I never will. I was always the last kid up on Christmas morning, and grumpy because my sister bounded into my room at the ungodly hour of 7am on the dot (our parents made the rule of no Christmas before 7am, otherwise I'm pretty sure I would've been accosted at 4am). Then I tried to take that 8am class at college thinking that I would force myself into being a morning person after all these years of torture, I just ended up just not showing up on non-exam days. And now, I'm out the door by 6:20am, and into work by 7:20 (my boss is one of those morning people). I'm ready to die.

I thought if I started so early that I would have the whole day ahead of me, and I could push my day closer and closer to the desired 21 hours of productivity. Alas, it hasn't happened. I'm up, I'm out, I'm home, I'm busy, and I'm off to bed. I leave earlier than I ever have in my life, and yet my bills are overdue, the house is a mess, and I've got more luggage under my eyes than Samsonite. How does that happen? And how does that happen on a week free of choir rehearsals, and teaching? I think the universe has been split.

But I am alive. And as a caring holiday gesture, grab me a luggage trolley for my eye bags if you happen to see me. Thanks. I'll owe you one.

Bumbling Busser

2006-12-08T09:01:00.000-06:00

Well that was a disaster.

So, we wait out in the cold for a while at the park and ride, and I ask the first bus to make sure it was the right one. (See previous post for the mind boggling bus schedule.) It wasn't. So we wait some more, and then all these people come out of nowhere to get on the bus. Oh, the smart people that wait in their cars at 6:30am until the bus actually shows up. Yes, thoooose people.

So we hop on the bus, and it's not a bad ride at all, until we get to St. Paul. On the schedule it says there's only one stop in St. Paul. So, I just sit and wait, but then there's cords being pulled and a red sign saying "stop requested" flashing up and random people getting off. What?!?! I have to pull the cord? I thought it only had one stop! Who can see where we are when it's still black out and all the lights are on in the bus!! So, when it stops at a pavilion and lots of people start getting off, I got caught up in the masses and exited the bus. Hmmm I think. This is not where I intended to be. I am severely directionally impaired and probably couldn't find my way out of a paper bag. So we stop and think. And ah ha! We see the bus depot at our pick up spot. We have 15 minutes, and we have plenty of time to spare. So we wait and wait in the bile smelling building. Then it's time for the bus arrival and we still don't see it. I look at my printed out directions again, and oops, we've been waiting at the wrong stop! Dah!

I really felt like I was back in the grade school. We huddle together trying to decide who's parent we can call to come and pick us up because we missed the bussy wussy. After we make the call, I thought I would make a run to my new office to see where it was in relation to the bus stops. Yeah. 20 minutes later I finally find it after walking to the ends of the earth and back, and then back around. We decide to hit up the McDonalds for some coffee. I tunnel vision my way straight past the homeless man, and to the register where I have to charge my nickle coffee. Mmmm caffeine. As we walk out, my haze clears, and I realize that there's a Caribou right in front of us. I kick myself for getting my 2 cent coffee, and then splurge and get a 83 dollar coffee at the 'boo.

Lesson to the story? Rachel can not function without coffee. Not even enough to see her Mecca calling to her right in front of her face. Lesson learned.

Trial run #2 set for Saturday.

It's My Last Day!

2006-12-07T14:22:00.000-06:00

I'm bursting with desire to dance down the halls and shout, "I'm free!! See ya' sucka's!!" But I can't. I just can't. I didn't wear the right shoes. Damn!

I've been trying to figure out this whole bus route thing for the past couple days, and man, all I can say is I'm glad I'm doing a practice run tomorrow. Sure I have to get up earlier than I ever have in my entire life, but I'm going to have to get up at that time every day from now on. (God help me. No, seriously, help.)

So, I've opted to take the bus everyday. Everyone seems to rave about it. And I think I like the idea of someone else battling rush hour for me. (Plus, I can't drive on the shoulder, always wanted to, but never did. Now is my chance!) So, I call the lovely people at the bus company, because they're website is as clear as mud. It has 2 pick-up times on the same route at the location I want to get on. Apparently it's for people who want to drive all the way to Stillwater, just to get on a bus and take it into a different part of Stillwater. I have no doubt that some people do it, there's crazies all over this world, but I am going to catch the same bus a half hour later (at the same spot) and coast my way into the crawling city.

So, I call and I call (in hopes of getting a second, third, fourth opinion that surely will surpass the previous in clarity) and none of them really make sense. Especially when my question is answered. So, I shall explain my confusion... and then the confusing answer. There are 2 buses arriving 2 minutes apart from each other (sounds like a math test) at 6:30. I need to catch the one that's already done its loop around the rest of Stillwater, and is headed for St. Paul. I don't want to get on the other one that's picking up for the first time and is heading towards the rest of Stillwater. So, I ask how I can tell if I'm getting on the right bus. I was thinking one would say "A" or "B" on their flashy pimp boards overhead. But, no. Apparently I have to ask every morning of my life if I'm getting on the right one. The buses are identical and so is their light board sign of no help. So I ask the customer service man if it's the same driver so that I don't have to hold up all the morning crankies by asking the driver to hold my hand and make my lunch every day. Apparently no. Not a good assumption to make because the drivers change. Suck-ola. So tomorrow I could be stranded, wandering aimlessly through the streets of St. Paul if I miss my return bus 15 minutes after my drop off.

I am one special gal. A gal with no clue about public transportation. I'm embarking on more than one new adventure next week. I could end up in a neighborhood near you!

What's Behind Door Number 3?

2006-11-30T20:17:00.000-06:00

A neeeeeeeeew joooooob!!

I'm very excited. I have just accepted (as of this past Tuesday) a new job!! I can't wait! I will have to commute to St. Paul with the masses, but it'll be worth it. Extremely worth it.

Yesterday I turned in my resignation at my current employer. The wheels of change are turning, and I like it! I realized that I had never actually quit a job before. All my previous jobs were with the understanding that I would be leaving at the end of the summer, or when I graduated from school. My first job, gave me a lot of my employment firsts. I asked for raises, I received my first Christmas bonuses, I had to settle an office dispute, I received a promotion, I moved departments within a company, and I quit. Well, I guess I had asked for a raise once before back in middle school for babysitting... but I never received a W2 for that.

Despite all my firsts, I had to use all self restraint from dancing down the halls and yelling "see ya' sucka's!". However no one can predict what might happen on my final day. ;-)

My Space or No Space

2006-11-27T18:35:00.000-06:00

I'm talking to yet another friend who is obsessed with myspace. What is all the hype about this site? I've tried to "check it out", and I'm overwhelmed and feel completely computer illiterate. So tonight I figured if I just signed up with the darn online cult that I could figure it out that way.

So, after I'm done filling out my age, height, weight, favorite color, mother's maiden name, father's first pet, my worst grade, shoe size, and the color of my pantaloons, I finally come to the exciting clickable "sign me up" box. Whew! It's about time! My fingers have been typed down to the nubs and my eyes are now blind from the glow of the screen.

I click the stupid box, and what do I see? The data you have entered indicates you are not eligible to register on myspace. What the *$&%?!?! How can I not be eligible to register? Did my nail polish color offend them? Did they not like the name I chose for my unborn child? What could I have filled in on that form that would possibly deem me ineligible?

Stupid myspace.

Locks Of Love Or Terrible Tresses?

2006-11-18T09:23:00.000-06:00

Today's the day. I'm spending a small fortune on my stick straight hair, to make it curly. I'm terrified. It could be disastrous. I could be left like Sexy Cleopatra from Goldmember, and without a penny to my name. Hopefully it will turn out like this: You know, only without the red...

But I figure if Sandra Oh can do it, darn it! so can I!

The Truffle Shuffle

2006-11-16T22:19:00.000-06:00

I just had the best 2 hours of my life!! I went to go see Goonies on the UltraScreen. They're showing one "old" movie a month on one day at one time. Last month it was Indiana Jones, and this month it was Goonies!!!

This movie was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Oh, who am I kidding? It's still one of my favorite movies. I hadn't seen Goonies in probably 10 years. What a dark time that was. Tonight the black cloud was lifted. I had 114 minutes of pure enjoyment.

It's funny how you remember certain things about the movie when you watched it as a kid, and then when you finally see it again, it's like a whole new movie. I was not the biggest Goonies fan in the audience, and I'm for sure not the biggest fan in the world, but some people are.... and those people post in Wikipedia. The write about the Truffle Shuffle. Oh yes, the Truffle Shuffle.
So to leave you as I blissfully slumber (it was an 8 o'clock start time! Far to late for this bag of bones!), I will leave with you with some quotes from Goonies.

[the Fratellis are interrogating Chunk]
Francis Fratelli: Tell us everything! Everything!
Chunk: Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life.
Jake Fratelli: I'm beginning to like this kid, Ma!
Mama Fratelli: [tired of Chunk's stalling] Hit puree!

***

Brandon Walsh: I'm gonna hit you so hard that when you wake up your clothes will be out of style!

***

Chunk: [Data comes flying into the house knocking over everyone and Chunk grabs the statue of Michaelangelo's David] Hey! I bet you guys think I was going to drop it huh? But you wouldn't expect that from good ol Chunk [Places the statue on the table and it falls off]
Brandon Walsh: You Idiot!
Mikey: Oh my god! [runs over and picks up the statue]
Chunk: Look look! It's not broken. It's perfect! Ha ha!
Mikey: [sees that the statue's penis has broken off] Oh my GOD! That's my mom's most favorite piece! [tries to put it back on]
Chunk: Oh my god.
Mouth: You wouldn't be here if it wasn't.
Mikey: Shut up Mouth!
Brandon Walsh: Shut up Mouth.

***
Sloth : Hey, you guys!

Votes For All!

2006-11-07T22:44:00.000-06:00

I'm at Vocal Essence rehearsal making the typical last minute phone call to my mom.

"You want to come to the Christmas concert?"

"Of course. What are the dates?"

"Um, December, but I gotta know right now ma, I have to go, and it's due today."

"But your dad's out of town, and I don't know if he'll be in.."

"Ma, I'll just get you 4 tickets, I gotta go. Oh, but did you vote?"

"No, but I still might, because all the good ones are left."

"It's kind of late, you only have like 20 minutes left."

"Well, I might later, because that Mario is so cute."

"Mom! Are you talking about voting for Dancing With The Stars? I meant the election!"

"Oh yeah, already went. Mario's on."

*Click*

Hahaha, that's my mom. I love her.

Who Will Buy This Beautiful Morning

2006-11-05T10:41:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful morning! (And I say this without even a glance outside.) But the various clips running through my head from Oliver, Oklahoma, and Annie Get Your Gun, tell me it's a great day. It's just a great morning, because I got to sleep in!! You don't know what a change that is for me. To actually be able to have time to sleep?!?! Impossible you say! You've never seen a chicken with their head cut off sleep in? Well folks, today is your lucky day! I have officially slept in, and it's grand. Ah,the simple pleasures in life.

I'm Back In Business

2006-11-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

How could it be, that I've gone without posting for so long?

I've missed you all, my dear, dear friends... or random people who apparently get led here by way of an image search for Depends. In any case, I'm back, and ready to rock.

I finally have internet in my home, as of today. So many sites have been blocked at work, I felt like I was in a cold dark abyss without a hint of light. Or it could have just been because I've been swamped at work, and I work in a little cube inside a bomb shelter with only one window....

In any case, now that I have a connection to the outside world other than my trek to and from work, rehearsal, and performances, I can blog at will. And blog I will!

Wall Flower

2006-07-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

People thought I was out of the woodwork, but they were sadly mistaken! I'm back into the woodwork with a vengeance. Every day I've been in the woodwork, the wall, the counters, the carpets.

As of last Thursday, I am officially a home owner. So, all of my time has been consumed by getting the home stuff ready, preparing to move, and creating a plan in my head that can only be accomplished by a team of 732.

The house we now own is in a quiet neighborhood in Stillwater. The house is spacious, the neighborhood is quiet, and it has a sauna! What? Huh? No! Oh yes, our house has a sauna. It may have a sauna, but the rest of the house hasn't been touched (literally) in about 7 years. I take that back, the walls, counters, switch plates, doors, trim, ceilings, glass, sinks, showers, and rugs have been touched with many things... but NONE of those things involved a soap or cleaning solvent of any kind. The state of grime that this house had is definitely in my top three "worst case scenarios".

Our count down has begun (T minus 3 days!) for painting every possible surface of the house, and cleaning everything we can't paint... but I'm beginning to think it might never get done. I can just see it now.

*6 months from now*
Rachel is 89 pounds and bald wearing bits of rags attached to her body where the bleach, CLR, soft scrub, 409, and comet, (that she so cherishes) has eaten away her skin, still scrubbing the cabinets and floors with bloody nubs that once resembled fingers.... and yet, she's happy.

I must say, I'm glad we're painting every single wall in the entire house, otherwise that scene could happen much sooner than 6 months.

The end is not any where near. If you think it will get done with time... you don't know me very well, and you definitely haven't seen "the book".

So if I'm MIA for awhile, you know what I'm doing.

Anything But Clay!

2006-07-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

I'm worried for my health and for the health of others. I can no longer take it!!!

I can not stand here any longer knowing that Clay's creepy face is floating about my website. What if some small child decides to check out some blogs pertaining to opera? or my life? or my opera life? It's something nobody should have to see.

So does this mean I'll have multiple posts everyday for the next week to rid my site from his androidian face? Bah, no! It means I'll throw a long string of pictures up until the Ice Queen is all the way at the bottom. (Just in case someone wants to gaze at his face adoringly... it'll still be there. Chad - I know that you only read my blog because Mr. Sexy's Cyborg mug is up here.)

So, what could be better to wash off that icky feeling of seeing something so hideous you can't look away?

Puppies! Here are some pics from the home-front.

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

2006-05-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

Have droids come into our lives already? Or machine body doubles? I give you an example:

We used to know and love (or hate) him as the Southern nerdy boy from American Idol. He was the one that Simon said should be on Broadway because of his flaming.... err...because of his voice.

He did better at the start of his career than Ruben did, and he actually won American Idol.

He got a little make-over on the show, and proved to everyone that little Southern boys can clean up with a bit of hair dye and a team of 30.

Then for his Christmas CD he looked a little cryogenically frozen. Maybe they frosted his tips a little too much? In any case, he was still a pretty big hit with the youngens. And the oldies still wanted to hit him. I will say that he looks a little plumper in this icy pic. Perhaps a little padding for the winter?

Or maybe he's hit puberty!

Then as just as quick as his career rose and fell, he once AGAIN sheds his "look" and is now sporting a look even more plastic look than:

Joan Rivers?

or Melanie Griffith?

or Kathy Griffin?

or Dolly Parton?

I think the closest match is between either Data or Ken.

I'll leave the final cast of judgment up to you.

What Happened?

2006-05-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not talking about my lack of blogging. Although, it's almost becoming indecent. Blame that on the work load. 25 hours, and it's only Tuesday. Anyway, I just had to drop a quick post.

Whilst watching CSPAN (something I try not to make a habit of). I see Cynthia McKinney speaking. I wasn't really listening to what she was saying. I was too distracted by the thing above her. Not too long ago, she was sleek and professional looking with this do'. However, tonight she looked like ...
It looks she accidentally dropped a metal brillo pad down the running kitchen sink disposal and fished it out with a salad tongs, and stuck it on her head.

Some one, please help this woman.

Saturday Surprise

2006-05-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

If you get the Pioneer Press, turn to page 4B and you will see a surprise on the bottom half of the page! Teehee

I'm off to spend a day singing at lessons, and the Vocal Essence Gala. More to come.

Unadulterated Loathing

2006-05-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

I'm finally out of that god forsaken place! I'm so happy I could cry. Of course, I couldn't get out with one last evil check mark on my "I hate Parkside Apartments" list.

I spent all of Saturday moving out what was left. It was such a lovely day with a combination of drizzle, rain, and down pours. I'm positive Parkside planned it that way, just to make moving miserable. Well, with the help of my family, we got everything out. We scoured the place and called it a day.

We couldn't check out of the apartment on Saturday because Tami (possibly Satan's spawn?) was out of town. However, the person answering made it clear that even though we couldn't check out until Monday, we HAD to be moved out by Sunday noon. What, were they going to check? I think not. Regardless, I was happy to be out of there ASAP. So, our walk-through was at 8am Monday morning. Yay.

So, Kevy drives over from Minneapolis, and we're both there in plenty of time. We wait in the apartment (as instructed from another office employee), and 8:15 rolls around. So, I give dear old Tami a call and remind her that we have an appointment at 8. Then in her demure manner she says, "Oh, well, some people choose to come over to the office." So I ask her if she would prefer that, because we were told to stay in the apartment (seeing as that's where we would need to be anyway!), and she says she's on her way.

As the angel walks in with her 2 lackeys (all wearing their shoes) she proceeds to slam open all the cupboards and drawers. She informs us in the nicest way, "There are crumbs in this drawer!" Could that be? It's a drawer lady! So we clean out the expensive crumbs from the drawer and re-wipe down the fridge. Then she tells us that we need to clean the windows because they're dirty. So we look, and not the inside of the windows, no no no, the outside of the windows. OK, so this is my first apartment and all, but is it part of the security deposit requirement to clean the windows from the outside? Apparently here it is. So we said we didn't know that we had to clean the outside of the windows. So she pleasantly says "That's why they pop out! To clean them!" At this point I picture popping out the window, and then slamming it over her head. She just made everything so pleasant to deal with.

I'm done! And I never have to think about that place again!

Narcolepsy At Its Finest

2006-05-03T09:18:00.000-05:00

I could topple off of my chair at any moment, but I've been kept away from my blog for too long. Must blog, must blog, need to blog. zzzzz

What a whirl-wind past week this has been! I'll try to piece together all that has happened, but with the narcolepsy and my old age, it could be a little spotty. So, I'll write in pieces to make it through everything. Here goes!

I think I have a problem.

My name is Rachel, and I'm addicted to caffeine.

I always thought, this couldn't happen to me. I come from a good family, I have a strong education, and darn it, people like me!

It's sad, but true. I suppose it doesn't help that I have a pint sized mug that says CAFFEINATED up the side. BUT! I only use that on severely desperate days. (I think I still might be in the 'excuse' phase of rehab.)

The Migration Continues

2006-04-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

Does moving ever cease? I could never be an ant, because all they do is move! Or maybe we're more similar than I realize. Ants move constantly to put their dirt pieces in the perfect place... I'm moving constantly and I'm OCD, so everything has to be in the perfect place too.... Too bad I can't lift 20 times my body weight. That would make moving a whole lot quicker.

So, I'm still en route to my parents house with boxes. It's been 2 WEEKS of moving, and now I'm halfway into the third. However when you live on the third floor of an apartment, and are schlepping your junk to the top floor of another residence, and you're doing it all yourself, it's slower than a crock pot set on low! Wait, do you hear that? Ah yes, the strings are playing. But come on people!

I don't have that big of a car (pretty pie yes, big no) but my the time I load it all up, and drive the 5 minutes to my new temporary residence and unload it, it takes a good hour and a half. And folks, I'm booking it. Whoever said that slow and steady wins the race, lied! That hare just didn't have stamina. I'm about ready to give up and just wait until I have help. Bah, who am I kidding? I'll sacrifice my dinner, time, and life just to get it done with. I will prevail!

Another Win/Loss/Win

2006-04-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

I ventured out to Keagan's the other night for another game of trivia. The questions were on the vague side, but we came out with the highest score! Only to be disqualified... AGAIN!

I have to stop going to trivia, my appearances have resulted in a disqualification, both times. Don't they know that I'm only a hindrance to the team? I shoot down right answers, I blurt out wrong ones. I'm such an asset, it's a mystery why they still let me tag along.

Well, in any case, we got our names entered into the drawing. I'm not sure for what drawing. Another trip to Boston? Who cares, a trip anywhere would make me a happy camper. And the charming Sam Adams man gave us a round of beer. I had the light. I'm not a beer drinker, at all, but this was more than tolerable. I would even go as far as to say, it wasn't bad at all. St. Paul and Atomizer had the black. Blech. Too much beer for me. I like the beer that you can hardly tell if it's beer or water. I better stick to the tasty hard stuff.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable night. Lots of friendly faces, and sympathetic looks. ;-)

Friends and Fried Okra

2006-04-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

Last Friday a group gathered at Dixie's to celebrate Cathy's birthday. It was full of laughter, tons of food, and friends.

For some good Southern cooking, Dixie's is where you go. Abbie got the fried okra. Barf. I hate fried okra, but to be fair I tried it again. Yeah, still hated it. Everyone else said it had no taste. Are they crack? The texture alone is enough to send you running to the nearest spittoon. I mean look at it! There is no possible way that people could find this appetizing. (Sorry Abbie, I have to include you and the entire south in this.)

It's just not a quality dish. I'll go as far to say that I actually enjoy some grits (with butter and brown sugar), but there are certain foods that I just won't eat. Fried okra, collard greens, and tainted fruit. I just can't do it. Sorry to those of you who like them... I'm not envious in the least. Blech.

Silly Me!

2006-04-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

Doesn't everyone know the inner details of my life? Blast!

Well, as regards to my last post, I realize that I wrote short hand.... which I will do again, but just getting down to the point.

My fiance - you may know his as Saint Paul from Fraters Libertas

The wedding date - August '07 (I'll say the third weekend, but I suppose I should firm that up with the other party involved)

Yup, I think that's all the necessary details!

I'm kidding, I'll post more later, but it's too beautiful a day to go sit inside a cubicle with one window that's blocked by cubicles, that I have to run.

Busy Bee

2006-04-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

Well, so much to write about. This past week has been a whirl-wind. So much to tell, some of it good news and some of it bad news. I'll start with the bad... better to end on a high note.

I was meeting with Larry again for our few and far between lesson, and I found out that U of M did not accept me into their masters program. Bummer! So, that means no grad school for Rachel for another year.

After I stopped flogging myself, I thought, that's it, I need to make some big changes that will set me on the straight and narrow toward opera diva-hood. I don't want to have a life of "if I had done ___ then I could've done ___". So, I'm taking on a new approach.

Big changes are in the wind. I need to buckle down and practice like I really want it. No more once every other week practice sessions. I refuse to be busy every waking hour of the day. It's time to take some time to improve the future.

Onward!

As for the good news.... I'M ENGAGED! Can you believe it?!?! I can't!
(For the ladies, the pictures of the ring are below.)

I'm Heated... But Not Literally!

2006-03-31T15:33:00.000-06:00

My heat in my apartment is out... AGAIN! What, you say? It couldn't possibly be out again. Alas my friends, it is. Out like a gay man on Broadway. That's how out it is.

I think that my heat has been off longer than it's actually been on. We're rounding on count #9 for the heat to be out, and #3 for different maintenance men.

Supposedly it was going to be fixed during the day today... we shall see. It always makes me a little nervous when there's strangers in my apartment. Good thing I don't have anything valuable in there. I have my iPod in my pocket, and my computer at my side. And all my Coach purses are already packed away.

I can't wait to get out of my place, where hell freezes over.

Rehearsal - Work - Nap

2006-03-30T15:40:00.000-06:00

Well, rehearsals are going pretty well... OK so we hit a little hitch yesterday with the orchestra. You can't hear the choir at all. Other than that, it went swimmingly. Tonight we will get a new arrangement, and hopefully all will be dandy.

I'm struggling through my day trying to keep awake. I'm using every method possible. Eight cups of coffee along with 2 Mountain Dew's and a slap to the face, dousing my face in cold water, sticking myself with needles, and propping my eyes open with toothpicks. All the usual stuff.

Nothing is working! The coffee/Dew has only made me a narcoleptic with spontaneous seizures, and the cold water makes me look even more like death, and now I'm bloody from the needles and I have splinters in my eyelids from the toothpicks.

I feel like I'm permanently trapped in the Salvador Dali picture with all the drooping clocks. My eyeballs are resting atop my desktop barely able to peek up at the brightly lit computer screen.

Will anything save my from my fatigue? I suppose that I could stop burning the midnight oil playing with my new gadgets, but they're too fun, so that's not an option...

However! Despite my lethargy, I will be animated and full-steam-ahead for the performances. Funny how that always works out that way.

Pocket Conductor

2006-03-29T00:02:00.000-06:00

There is the cutest little man ever! He's directing our Israel in Egypt concerts. His energy is only surpassed by his love of music. When he directs, you can't help but get caught up in the music. He's so expressive without being distracting. It's a realy great honor to sing for him.

He has many ways of expressing himself. Ali wrote down some things that he said, but they were just classic. As odd and off the wal as they were, they still made complete sense. One of those times where you laugh because his analogy is so random, yet you couldn't have thought of a better way to put it.

I tell you folks, this is going to be a great concert.

Despite these gruelling long rehearsals every day and evening this week, it'll be an amazing performance each nights.

Christmas Come Early

2006-03-28T10:14:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas come early! Or my graduation present come 3 years late, but in any case...I'm so excited!

My new MacBookPro came the other day!! Now I can actually set use my new iPod that's just been sitting on my desk! Wahoo! We got a bunch of those rebate offers, so along with my purdy new laptop, I got a trendy little messenger bag, and a 3-in-1 printer-copier-scanner. We looked at the reviews for it, and apparently it really sucks at scanning... but who cares?!? It was all free! *with about 83 mail in rebates*

Just thought I'd share my exciting news, since that's all I could think or talk about for the past 3 months. Now I shall go into hiding to play with all of my fun new toys. Yippee!!

Home Alone

2006-03-26T11:16:00.000-06:00

My room-mate has moved completely out. I feel torn about the situation.

On one hand, I will miss having my Kevy around. It will be very empty without him. There will be no more:
~clothing critiques
~cleaning parties.... (well, obvs I'm OCD and there will still be cleaning parties, but now it's just going to be a cleaning party for 1)
~belting out show tunes at random times
~new furniture, kitchen items, glass-ware, decorations, or anything Michael Graves
~fun times with Kevy as my roomie

On the other hand, I'll love being able to go home and actually relax... if I still remember how to do so. For those of you that know my room-mate, he's a little intense.
I won't have to worry about:
~leaving my knitting or magazine out for the time I step away for a minute. I can just leave it there, and it will still be there when I get back!
~not using our kitchen table that's been permanently set for 10 months. Yes friends, I have a kitchen table that was set for 2, but was not to be used. Soooo many questions about that one.
~getting bolted and chained out of the apartment every Saturday morning
~feeling guilty about not continually buying new things for our-already-completely-furnished apartment
~double permit parking in the lot, or arguing that it's my turn (after 6 months)
~having certain friends over
~be able to go to bed without being pressured to go out for a drink, movie, or shopping

I'll miss him, but I think I'll hang in there. *wink wink*

Another Opening, Another Show

2006-03-22T09:54:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I haven't had a performance since February 19, and I didn't see ya'll there. So, here's your chance at redemption (in more ways than one).

I will be performing at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts again. This performance is something everyone should see. Vocal Essence is performing Israel in Egypt with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. You can order tickets online or call 651-291-1144 to order from the box office.

Israel in Egypt is an amazing choral work. It's an oratorio, which makes its impact and drama heightened. An oratorio is basically an opera, but without all the staging. You can read the libretto in the above link. (It looks long, but it takes about 1 minute to read.) It's a powerful piece of work. Each time I sing it, it stirs something inside. Here's a few clips.

I think that it's very fitting to perform this in the season of Lent. It's a performance that everyone should attend.

Rachel Rejected

2006-03-21T10:04:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I heard from my first graduate school (NCSA). It was a short and sweet... NO. I figure this letter is something to keep forever... but I threw it out quicker than old chicken. It is my first rejection letter from a school. Luckily I didn't have any from undergraduate applications, so it's high time I started getting some now! I just hope that I'm not 0 for 2. Otherwise, I'm pretty much screwed.

So, bad news for me with a missed opportunity at Fletcher Opera Institute. And bad news for Abbie. (Sorry I won't be out east with you, but you might not be there either!)

Good news for the rest of my friends and fam. I'll be here to fulfill your every need... and by fulfill your every need I mean, move back home with my parents because I'm po'!

Still waiting on the University of Minnesota. Let's hope they don't have the dreaded "cap" again ! Or else I might have to run off on a cruise ship and join the other sea-bound performers.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2006-03-17T10:05:00.000-06:00

I hope that you're all out drinking green beer today! (Well, except for JB.) Or that you're wearing green if you're Irish. Or getting kisses.... I'm not sure how the last one came about, but if someone knows, please tell!

As for me, tonight I will be at Keagan's Irish Pub. Me... hanging out with all the Irish. I think I'll blend in. I almost look Irish. South Korean ---- Irish, it's practically the same.

So sláinte to the Irish!

And geonbae wihayeo to the Koreans!

New Things!

2006-03-10T08:31:00.000-06:00

I got a new hair cut.

16 inches gone.

I absolutely love it.

My Ghetto Life

2006-03-09T09:13:00.000-06:00

Like any good suburb kid, I would spend the day pretending I was from da hood. How fun it was to speak, act, and dwell in the ghetto.

Oh, who am I kidding? I do live in the ghetto, my heat has been out no less than 8 times this winter, and my little Geo Prizm got vandalized, and our neighbors aren't exactly upstanding citizens. It's always pleasant to walk down the hall and hear babies crying, people yelling, and smell something of an unknown origin.

Here's our pimpin' ride that we took to school everyday.

We liked to play basketball after school. The grocery cart we stole from the homeless man on the corner worked great for the hoop! Talk about innovative! After we got done shootin' some hoops, we liked to cool off on the boat.
This is the treads I almost got instead of the Mazda3. It was a tough call though.

Here's my favorite shirt, and a good rule to abide by.

I hope that gave you insight into my childhood. It was a fond one.

A Loved Player

2006-03-07T09:54:00.000-06:00

A sad loss occurred yesterday, Kirby Puckett passed on. He was a great baseball player and had a vitality to life about him, that I never imagined him changing in any way.

Like many, I had all 8876179 different baseball cards of him. He made up the majority of my baseball card collection. Hmm, I wonder what happened to that shoebox... In any case, he was a huge part of my childhood baseball memory. He will be missed.

Possible Narcolepsy

2006-03-06T12:18:00.000-06:00

I went over to the parents to have dinner and watch an "exciting" award show. I think that this is the first award show (minus the Tony's) that I've actually planned to sit down and watch. It wasn't my choice, but my parents (and by parents, I mean my Ti-Vo addicted mother) really wanted to watch it, so I succumbed. I suggested that we play a game, or do something fun during it, because usually the awards aren't so fun.

Last night reminded me of why I don't watch those ceremonies. The beginning 5 minutes was quasi-enjoyable, but then it all went downhill from there.

All the speeches seemed so long and lame. Nobody seemed excited to win, except the schmoes that won best song for the hardships of a pimp. The audience looked like they were bored out of their minds, and I think they kept saying, who is that? There were so many B list stars and under, that they showed Keira Knightley for like 80 hours! Not that I don't love her, and think she's amazing, but good gracious!

The interviewers were as talented as slugs. They had no interesting questions to ask, they made everyone feel uncomfortable, (including the viewers) and I wanted to punch them in the face to stop the pain.

The dresses were interesting to watch for about 2 seconds, then... not so much. Some of them were just hideous, nobody looked outrageously beautiful, or hideous. Everyone just played it safe. Although Naomi Watt's dress was particularly hideous. What was she thinking? It looked like someone gnawed on her dress. Not to mention with the rouching around the waist made her look like she had love handles the size of Antarctica.

Needless to say, with all the excitement going on in the award show, I was passed out on the couch circa 8:30pm. It was that amazing. I think that I'll just stick to my Tony Awards, and save myself the torture.

Trivia At Keagan's

2006-03-03T13:28:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I finally went to Keagan's trivia with the Fraters. They're one of a kind, and prized at Keagan's. Prized so much in fact, that they were declared the losers in a tie, because they increased the bar's revenue by adding a couple of guests to sit at their table. Poor saps.

The added guests put in their two cents, but only to be shot down. They would've won if they had just nodded and wrote it down. So, not only did they end up in a tie situation for not listening, they lost the tie because of their added companions.

In any case, it was fun to see familiar faces again, and catch up with Janelle. Fraters, next time take heed.

Mauer Married?!

2006-03-01T09:56:00.000-06:00

I was in a jewelry store the other weekend, and I came across a rather juicy bit of information from a buddy. He told us that Joe Mauer was in there the other day to order a ring. He didn't tell us what kind of ring he ordered, nor did we ask, but he purchased a ring none-the-less.

If that ring turns out to be a diamond, it will be a very sad day for all the ladies of Minnesota that have gone to many a game to gaze adoringly at the handsome catcher. I swear that's not why I go... I'm a Twins *cough cough* (Mauer and Cuddyer) *cough cough* fan, through and through. Even if it doesn't turn out to be a diamond ring, I don't think that little Joe Joe is buying a ring for his mother or sister, so it's just a sad day all around.

I share with you the information that I know, disheartening as it may be.

Hi My Name Is

2006-03-01T09:51:00.000-06:00

Slim Shady. Barf. No. I'm kidding.

My new car has a name. I have settled on The Rachel Express.

I'm keeping the "Train" theme, but altering it. So, the pickle is regected 80 million times over. Sorry Shyestviolet and Hammerswing, it was just never meant to be.

A Clarification

2006-02-28T09:30:00.000-06:00

My new Mazda will NOT be called the pickle. I'm thinking the Rachel Express... developing...

IIIIIIIIIIt's A New Car!

2006-02-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

I finally got my new Mazda3i-touring and I love it. Now I just have the insurance, payments, warranty, and transfer of plates, title, and other little stuff like that to take care of. Ha! On the up-side, it's almost done!

The Rachel Train is with Wilbur today, and I'll get her back at the end of the day. Hopefully I will sell her to my sister? Not sure. Either to her or to a complete stranger where it will probably be treated a lot nicer... but shh, I didn't say that.

So now ya'll don't have to read about my trials and tribulations of finding a new car. Now it'll be about selling my old one!

However, at the end of all of this, I will make many vows to my brand spankin' new car that I didn't make to the Rachel Train.

~ I will never drive you through flooded seas.
~ I will never give you a love bump harder than a squeeze.
~ I will change your oil on a regular basis.
~ I will fix your windshield wipers promptly and not wait 2 years.
~ I will try to keep the hoodlums away from you with your new alarm.
~ I will not leave invaluable CDs inside, so that some punk will come along and rip off your face and mar your beauty.
~ I will not drive you over the canyon that St. Paul calls a road.

So many more promises to make, but I think that covers the basis. I feel pure bliss driving my beauteous new car. :-D Hooray!

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

2006-02-24T11:00:00.000-06:00

And by sun... I mean my checkbook. Tomorrow's the day I go talk to the Mazda guy and sign my money away for the next few years. A sad day for the Rachel Train, but a happy time for "unknown".

I'm so very grateful that the hard-balling, and the negotiating, and the option searching is over at last! I can stop making phone calls to different dealerships, loan venues, my insurance guy, and to my dad. I think he stressed out about it far more than I did. That's how you know they care, when they drive you to the precipice of insanity. That's my family. God love 'em.

I hope to have my new car next week. Hopefully I will not agree that "pickle" is a suitable name for it, but only time will tell.

Hurray!

Here Comes.... ?

2006-02-21T11:12:00.000-06:00

I'm waiting to make the go-ahead call to John for my new Mazda3i-touring. (Isn't it purdy?) I can't wait! But I'm going to have to. We're checking out a few more financing options and sprucing up the little Rachel Train. Then it's go time!

I've been thinking about what to call my new companion. I don't even know how the Rachel Train came to be. It was always the Rachel Train. It's "all-aboard the Rachel Train" was legendary on the hill of Gustavus. Everyone (who was somebody) got to cruise in my pimped out ride.

People have suggested that I call it the Rachel Train as well, but let's face it, there's something about a pimped out Geo Prizm that can't quite be compared to a Mazda. And the Rachel Train is irreplaceable.

It's quite the pickle.