All's Well That Ends Well

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta-Da!

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

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.