Flashback Friday

Alma Hix in The Music Man
Jesters Repertory Theater
Summer 1998
Good heavens...this was 11 years and 30 pounds ago! Yikes!

Driving in Loveland

Okay, since when did traffic get so bad in Loveland?! It's been "not good" for quite awhile, but it's just gotten really, really bad recently!! It used to be that you could get anywhere in town in about 5 minutes or so. Now, if you are going somewhere on the other side of town from where you are, you have to plan at least 15 or 20 minutes! It's CRAZY!!!! Loveland has always had that "small town" kind of feel...but not anymore!

Here's what started me on this rant: I work in downtown Loveland and two days a week I don't go home for lunch. Well, I've gotten sick of all the fast food close by, so today I decided to give in to my craving, and drive out to Noodles & Co. (at the Centerra Marketplace by I-25) Should have taken me about 15 minutes give or take, round trip...right? HA! When all was said and done, I was gone from the office for half an hour! I didn't wait that long for my food, because there was no line...so most of that was driving time! This was between 12:30 and 1 pm, so allowing for lunch time traffic, it still should take 30 minutes!!! This is such a bummer, because all the good restaurants are out by Centerra!!! Guess I'm going to have to stick with the downtown area restaurants.

Grrrrrrr...sometimes progress really gets on my nerves! I miss small Loveland.

Flashback Friday

On a bridge at the Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX
November 2003

Relay for Life - Days of Plenty *100th Blog Post!*

I was asked to sing at the Relay for Life this weekend. However, I am unable to do it because I have a rehearsal at the same time. Had I been able to perform, I would have done this song:

I never dreamed of this sorrow,
I never thought I'd have reason to lament,
I hoped I'd never know heartbreak,
How I wish I could change the way things went!
I wanted nothing but goodness,
I wanted reason to prevail,
Not this bare emptiness.
I wanted Days of Plenty.

But I refused to feel tragic,
I am aching for more than pain and grief.
There has got to be meaning,
Most of all when a life has been so brief.
I have got to learn something,
How can I give her any less?
I want life to go on.
I want Days of Plenty.

You have to believe,
There is reason for hope.
You have to believe
That the answers will come.
You can't let this defeat you.
I won't less this defeat you.
You must fight to keep her there, within you!

So Believe that she matters!
And Believe that she always will!
She will always be with you!
She'll be part of the days you've yet to feel!
She will live in your bounty!
She will live as you carry on your life!
So carry on, full of hope,
She'll be there,
For all your Days of Plenty

"Days of Plenty" from Little Women: the Musical (Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein)

Marmee sings this to Jo in Act 2, just after Beth's death. It is a very powerful moment in the show, and I think it would have been PERFECT for the Relay for Life. But alas, I can't be there. Maybe next year! But this song is dedicated to those who have fought cancer and won, and especially to the loved ones of those who have lost that battle.

Wordless Wednesday

A couple of random thoughts on the Tonys

* The opening was AMAZING! How many people were onstage at the end? I'm guessing about 200? Brilliant to put songs together, too. Who knew that "Tonight" from West Side Story and "Luck be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls would fit together? And yay for including shows not nominated for best musical/revival. I was happy to see Stephanie J. Block up there. (SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED, DARN IT!)

* Best part of the opening? The Bret Michaels clothesline. I am such a bad person. I rewound it and watched it 4 or 5 times. Karma will come back to bite me, I'm sure, and a set piece will fall on me sometime within the next year. *ducks*

* Okay, seriously....someone needs to be fired. There were technical mishaps throughout the entire show. Unforgivable ones. They are like the unforgivable curses in Harry Potter. The fact that I could hear the West Side Story girls before their entrance...bad form. The mic problem with Tituss Burgess is forgivable...that kind of thing happens and is unavoidable. But the rest of the stuff? Badly done, Tony Awards techies. Badly done. (And if you think I'm being a little harsh, ask Shauna what SHE thought about it. LOL!) I'd better watch it, or there are going to be microphones blowing up while attached to me. Karma, karma, KARMA!!!!!

* One thing that I really liked this year was that there were more musical numbers than awards (on the televised portion, anyway.) It really kept the energy up! The spotlighting of touring shows was great, too! I especially liked the Jersey Boys ones. That's a lot of Frankie Valles on one stage, though. Wow!

* Cutest acceptance speech of the night: The 3 Billys! They didn't know what to say! How adorable was that?!

* Most frightening speech of the night: Why is Alice Ripley yelling? She's kind of scary. Just because your character is manic, doesn't mean you have to be in your speech! The quote from JFK was great, but calm yourself down, Als!

* My favorite speech: Geoffrey Rush! Making all the other shows into French existentialism was so funny!

* Note to the Billy Elliot people: If you want to get families to come to your show, you should have picked a different production number. That was scary!!!!!!!!!

* Most touching moment: The In Memorium. Starting out with Natasha Richardson, and then using the song "What I Did for Love" absolutely guaranteed that I would cry. Good choice!

Okay, so I didn't take notes and I didn't type this while I was watching. So now I'm out of stuff to say. All in all, the Tonys were great!

Flashback Friday

City of Rocks in Almo, ID
Summer 2001
Clockwise from Top Left: Angela, Neal, Shauna, Grandma Johnson, Mom

I miss Grandma.