This show, the Spitfire Grill, has really brought home to me why I love performance theatre. I had never realized how much a person could be affected by what we do on the stage. I have never received such glowing comments on anything I've done. And this cast is truly a remarkable cast to work with.
I wanted to share this letter from a patron. I hope she won't mind. I won't leave her name and I don't even know who she is myself. But it's too special to me not to share with those who read my blog.
This is a big excerpt from the email:
"Effy was a hoot and always a joy to watch. As we watched the transformation of Shelby from wall flower to a strong and assertive woman, we cheered. The actress who played Shelby was truly wonderful and her lyric vocals were a pleasure to hear as well as her dancing and duets. The wild bird song was so touching and the small duet with the sheriff added a sweet touch. We felt the desire of Shelby to comfort her friend, the pain of Percy as she thinks and relives the painful memories, and the love of the sheriff for Percy despite the rejection. A lot in a small package. Caleb was indeed a cad, but he was written that way, and it was well acted. The angst that Hannah must have gone through was well portrayed and we felt her pain as she struggled - very nice vocals to boot! I can't say anything that will do the scene with Eli justice. My kleenex ran out after that.
"The woman that played Percy was truly a blessing to hear. From opening to closing she was indeed a "spitfire". We loved hearing her sing and her dancing and acting just made it that much more enjoyable. When she sang the song on the hill with the sunrise I was grinning from ear to ear. There is forgiveness and second chances indeed. I whispered to my friend,"Where has she been? I didn't know we had ladies that good in Wasilla!" The man that played Joe...I had been hoping to see him in a musical again since Beauty and the Beast. When he sang both times on the hill he gave me goose bumps and his duet with Percy was flawless and we knew that there should be more coming. When Joe sang the forest and trees song and proposed to Percy my goosebumps came back. We could feel his intensity and passion from where we were sitting. When Joe looked at her we knew he loved her and that he was singing only to her - the rest of us just happened to be VPA voyeurs! My friend leaned over to me and said, "I bet they're a couple in real life. You don't fake that!" Please keep those two together because they are a joy to hear and to see together and the chemistry crackled.
"I went expecting just another night at VPA and left truly touched. My heart was warmed by the message of the story. I think the actor that played Joe mentioned that the story was heartwarming and spoke of love and forgiveness during the radio interview. He was right. I left having had a truly wonderful experience and one that I will remember fondly for a long time to come. I will be telling my other friends about this and encouraging them to go see the show."
I am truly blessed. I can't even express how emotional I feel right now. I cried earlier, tears of joy. Thank you for sending us such warm sentiments and letting us know that what we do is indeed special to many.
Showing posts with label Light dawns on the ham head.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label Light dawns on the ham head.... Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
I love Baffin and Tea!
Okay, two totally unrelated things that have both entered my life in the last few days and I love them both.
The first are my Baffin Impact winter boots. These things are worth every penny! My feet are so warm and they are so comfortable. Yes, they are on the huge side, so when I change to my regular shoes, I walk funny for a while. Like my legs are dragging or something. But when I walk outside in -20 degree weather, my feet are oh so toasty!
I would recommend Baffin to anyone living in extreme cold weather areas. These boots totally ROCK!
As for the other, I've been drinking tea off and on for a few years. Green tea mostly. I put honey in it, but it never really thrilled me. And you had to wait for the water to heat up, which I told myself I didn't have the time to do.
Well, a few days ago I got knocked to my knees with a head cold. It made me panic because the last time I had a cold, it took my voice away for a month. I am at this point two weeks away from my show opening. I need my voice!
On day two of my cold, more than half of my vocal range was gone. I could speak, but not very well. And definitely no upper range at all!
I refuse to take cold medicines. Most of them will actually prolong the cold because it dries up the symptoms, which are actually your body's processes of cleaning out the disease. And usually when I take those medicines to sleep, it's a drugged sleep, not a restful one.
So I stalked the internet, looking for natural remedies to cure my cold. Read about the usual hypes, echinacea, zinc, blah, blah, blah. Zinc has never worked for me. Read about garlic, may try that one next time.
The one I saw over and over again was tea with honey and lemon. So I started drinking at least three cups a day (I have several versions of green tea). I was also drinking as much water as I could manage throughout the day. And spending a lot of time running to the bathroom.
I even tried a variety box of teas specifically for colds, like Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, Organic Echinacea, and Gypsy Cold Care.
I think this cured me of my cold in three days.
The night before the third day, I spent two hours coughing and coughing while trying to sleep on the futon. Then all of a sudden it stopped. When I woke up, I was feeling fantastic. My voice took another day to start coming back.
I still have some phlegm floating around between nose and lungs, but the temps have been in the negatives for the last week (today, -24, the coldest we have seen yet). I wear thermals, my Baffins, my heavy coat, gloves, and my turtle head thing that covers my head, neck, and face except for my eyes. I think everyone is in the same boat as me at this point!
Anyway, I'm in love with tea + honey + real lemon and my Baffin boots. I think these are true necessities for dealing with your health in cold climates like Alaska.
Just my humble opinion, of course! ;)
The first are my Baffin Impact winter boots. These things are worth every penny! My feet are so warm and they are so comfortable. Yes, they are on the huge side, so when I change to my regular shoes, I walk funny for a while. Like my legs are dragging or something. But when I walk outside in -20 degree weather, my feet are oh so toasty!
I would recommend Baffin to anyone living in extreme cold weather areas. These boots totally ROCK!
As for the other, I've been drinking tea off and on for a few years. Green tea mostly. I put honey in it, but it never really thrilled me. And you had to wait for the water to heat up, which I told myself I didn't have the time to do.
Well, a few days ago I got knocked to my knees with a head cold. It made me panic because the last time I had a cold, it took my voice away for a month. I am at this point two weeks away from my show opening. I need my voice!
On day two of my cold, more than half of my vocal range was gone. I could speak, but not very well. And definitely no upper range at all!
I refuse to take cold medicines. Most of them will actually prolong the cold because it dries up the symptoms, which are actually your body's processes of cleaning out the disease. And usually when I take those medicines to sleep, it's a drugged sleep, not a restful one.
So I stalked the internet, looking for natural remedies to cure my cold. Read about the usual hypes, echinacea, zinc, blah, blah, blah. Zinc has never worked for me. Read about garlic, may try that one next time.
The one I saw over and over again was tea with honey and lemon. So I started drinking at least three cups a day (I have several versions of green tea). I was also drinking as much water as I could manage throughout the day. And spending a lot of time running to the bathroom.
I even tried a variety box of teas specifically for colds, like Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, Organic Echinacea, and Gypsy Cold Care.
I think this cured me of my cold in three days.
The night before the third day, I spent two hours coughing and coughing while trying to sleep on the futon. Then all of a sudden it stopped. When I woke up, I was feeling fantastic. My voice took another day to start coming back.
I still have some phlegm floating around between nose and lungs, but the temps have been in the negatives for the last week (today, -24, the coldest we have seen yet). I wear thermals, my Baffins, my heavy coat, gloves, and my turtle head thing that covers my head, neck, and face except for my eyes. I think everyone is in the same boat as me at this point!
Anyway, I'm in love with tea + honey + real lemon and my Baffin boots. I think these are true necessities for dealing with your health in cold climates like Alaska.
Just my humble opinion, of course! ;)
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Charlie Brown Kind of Day
It comes up, Charlie Brown. Snow comes up!
I know I wrote something about that last year and it still applies. It's been snowing a lot last few days. Today it was mostly clear.
Except you couldn't see through the snow because it was blowing every which-a-way.
The scariest time I've ever had driving here in Alaska, that's what today was.
Even when it snows heavily, the roads are still relatively easy to navigate. They're good about keeping the main ones clear and there are enough cars to keep tire tracks on the cement.
Except the wind was blowing so hard last night and today that a lot of the snow has been transplanted to huge drifts covering parts of lanes.
When I dropped Logan off at work, the drive there was perfectly all right. It was the way back that I nearly got stuck. Twice.
The first time was when I drove into the right hand turning lane. One big drift covered the lane, so thick my car almost abruptly stopped. I was lucky it managed to get through to solid ground.
The next drift, however, was right where the turning lane meets the intersection. I had to stop there because cars were turning from the opposite direction and I had to yield to them. I thought for sure I wasn't going to get enough traction to get moving again.
The wheels spun for a while and I gradually and painfully inched forward until I got onto the main road. I fishtailed for a bit, then straightened out. Whew.
But that wasn't the most fun part. The most fun part came after I taught my class and was heading out to the Carr's parking lot to meet with my writing group at Kaladi's. I had to pass Wasilla Lake, a wide expanse of open lake that is frozen over and covered with snow.
All that snow was blowing directly across the highway, completely obliterating the view. The cars in front of me disappeared, so I immediately took my foot off the gas and waited, praying to the gods that I would see their brake lights with enough time to stop. Stomping on the brakes is not the wisest thing to do in this area, not when some roads are covered in ice several inches thick. Better to drive like Ma and Pa Kettle or Grandma and Grandpa Moses.
Once I got past the lake, all was well again. Later, when my writing group discussed this delightful breeze, Jean mentioned how it would make a great story, driving into a cloud like that and ending up in another universe.
Then we all paused to watch the door to the coffee shop open and close all by itself. Creepy.
In a lot of areas, most of the snow has blown away, displaced to other nooks and crannies of boundless adventure.
But in others, there are knee-deep swamps of snow. I tried to walk my dog Bruno through one of them so he could romp and have some fun off-leash. That lasted all of five seconds. The wind was cutting through my clothes and my boots got snow in them, freezing off my ankles and melting down to my feet. Not the safest of conditions. I snapped the leash on him and made a beeline for home.
This has been the worst weather day since we moved up here. Last winter was pretty mild in comparison. This is the first time I've seen ground since early October! I need to invest in warmer socks and thicker boots. I think I'll go drink an Airborne, too.
I know I wrote something about that last year and it still applies. It's been snowing a lot last few days. Today it was mostly clear.
Except you couldn't see through the snow because it was blowing every which-a-way.
The scariest time I've ever had driving here in Alaska, that's what today was.
Even when it snows heavily, the roads are still relatively easy to navigate. They're good about keeping the main ones clear and there are enough cars to keep tire tracks on the cement.
Except the wind was blowing so hard last night and today that a lot of the snow has been transplanted to huge drifts covering parts of lanes.
When I dropped Logan off at work, the drive there was perfectly all right. It was the way back that I nearly got stuck. Twice.
The first time was when I drove into the right hand turning lane. One big drift covered the lane, so thick my car almost abruptly stopped. I was lucky it managed to get through to solid ground.
The next drift, however, was right where the turning lane meets the intersection. I had to stop there because cars were turning from the opposite direction and I had to yield to them. I thought for sure I wasn't going to get enough traction to get moving again.
The wheels spun for a while and I gradually and painfully inched forward until I got onto the main road. I fishtailed for a bit, then straightened out. Whew.
But that wasn't the most fun part. The most fun part came after I taught my class and was heading out to the Carr's parking lot to meet with my writing group at Kaladi's. I had to pass Wasilla Lake, a wide expanse of open lake that is frozen over and covered with snow.
All that snow was blowing directly across the highway, completely obliterating the view. The cars in front of me disappeared, so I immediately took my foot off the gas and waited, praying to the gods that I would see their brake lights with enough time to stop. Stomping on the brakes is not the wisest thing to do in this area, not when some roads are covered in ice several inches thick. Better to drive like Ma and Pa Kettle or Grandma and Grandpa Moses.
Once I got past the lake, all was well again. Later, when my writing group discussed this delightful breeze, Jean mentioned how it would make a great story, driving into a cloud like that and ending up in another universe.
Then we all paused to watch the door to the coffee shop open and close all by itself. Creepy.
In a lot of areas, most of the snow has blown away, displaced to other nooks and crannies of boundless adventure.
But in others, there are knee-deep swamps of snow. I tried to walk my dog Bruno through one of them so he could romp and have some fun off-leash. That lasted all of five seconds. The wind was cutting through my clothes and my boots got snow in them, freezing off my ankles and melting down to my feet. Not the safest of conditions. I snapped the leash on him and made a beeline for home.
This has been the worst weather day since we moved up here. Last winter was pretty mild in comparison. This is the first time I've seen ground since early October! I need to invest in warmer socks and thicker boots. I think I'll go drink an Airborne, too.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Halloween approacheth!
Last Halloween we were doing store set and working everyday for 21 straight days from 7 am to 10 pm, so Halloween slipped by completely unnoticed last year. I think someone knocked on our door once that night, but it was rather late, so no way did we answer it!
This year, I've made a southern belle costume. No one has mentioned throwing any Halloween parties, so as long as my petticoats arrive in time (thanks for mailing them, Mom!), I'll be answering the door for trick-or-treaters this year. I'll buy a huge bag of candy. (Make that two: one for the kids, one for me!) Perhaps I'll wear the costume to work, unless I'm working in receiving that day as it is not practical to wear when slinging boxes of product around!
I got a pumpkin, too. The ones here in Alaska are HUGE! The one I picked out was one of the smaller ones, and it was large by California standards. Must be all that sun during the summertime. I bought one of those pumpkin carving kits with stencils for making neat pictures.
I chose a cat with a crescent moon. I added a few stars because I had all this space on the pumpkin that needed embellishment. In one area, a small chunk broke off because it was too narrow, so I took a darning needle and stuck it back together. (I didn't have any Superglue or toothpicks.)
Here are a couple of pictures:
All lit up:
This one turned out kinda neat looking!
I know for sure now that my dog will try to eat anything. When my back was turned, he bit off the chunk that I had put back together with the needle! He was nibbling on the pumpkin piece when I caught him. I freaked out because he could have swallowed the needle, and I put the pumpkin higher up so he couldn't reach it.
In other news, I've auditioned for the Spitfire Grill here in town and the results are supposed to be posted on the website possibly by Friday. It's only Tuesday and I've checked three times today! I'm so excited, I think I'll bust wide open.
These auditions were different from all the ones I've been to before. Usually the singing is done first (maybe because everyone comes in warmed up to sing?) and then cold readings from the script, learning a few of the songs from the show, that kind of thing.
This one was all individual improv. I'm surprised we didn't do any readings from the script with other people because you can get an idea of how people look together in certain roles and chemistry between actors, etc. Ah, well. It was tons of fun this way.
The first one was pantomime. The first day I did one of a teenage girl who drops her books at school and rips her pants when trying to pick them up. At one point I threw myself against a nearby counter, shimmied along it, then picked up a trash can and held it in front of me.
The second day (when I was there for the whole thing), my pantomime was to be an overweight person trying to pull on a very tight pair of jeans. So I did a lot of rolling around on the floor and hopping up and down, on my feet and my knees!
Then we did interviews. We were to pretend we were at an interview talking about ourselves. We could talk for real or make things up, whatever. But we were given an emotion or state of being to portray. You know, stuff like timid, mean, angry, sexy.
I got "weird". So I said to the director, "Your kind of weird or my kind of weird?"
Anyway, I started doing lots of "weird" stuff, like sitting on the table in the director's face, playing with the assistant director's hair, picking up the chair and offering to fix it, discussing the aliens that abducted me, laughing like a loon and saying, "I'm not insane! THEY are."
When my time was called, I was shaking like a leaf.
We also did conversation. We held a one sided conversation with someone in a given situation. Mine was telling my boyfriend I'm pregnant. So I started telling "him" about this stick that sometimes shows a plus sign and sometimes shows a negative sign. I held it out and after a beat I said, "No, no, see the bar that goes this way, and the other one goes that way, like a plus sign." That got a laugh, the dumb blonde explaining a positive pregnancy test.
We sang last. No one volunteered to go first, so I stepped up. I was going to go last because I don't like forcing people to sing after me and I had no idea what kind of talent there was in this group. They were all marvelous actors. (There were about 10 of us, I think. Two guys, the rest women. A third guy cut and ran in the middle, so we think he changed his mind.)
I chose to sing the last couple of verses of "It's a Privelege to Pee" from Urinetown the Musical. I figured this might be my only opportunity since we were singing a capella and there were no kids present. I gave a bit of the storyline first, since it's not as well known as other musicals. I got a few laughs, but I got my laugh when I hit the final note. There's a chorus that sings along and hits a big "Ahhhhhhh!" at the end. So I hit the top note, way up there, and really loud, too.
Several people were so startled, I saw them jump out of the corner of my eye.
There were no really bad singers here. Everyone could carry a tune pretty well. The older gentleman had a fantastic voice. The younger one had a great voice, too, but he forgot the words part way through. Actually, most people forgot or hesitated somewhere in their song. I helped him out by singing a few words until he caught on and kept going himself. I ran into him at the store after the auditions and he thanked me. I was worried he'd be upset. Some people don't like to be helped! He was a nice guy. I hope I'll get to meet him again.
So now I wait. And wait. And try NOT to bite my nails! As usual, I think it'll come down to who they put in the guy's parts. That's what determines if I get a role at all most of the time. It's been a constant problem. At TED, I was too young because most of the guys were middle aged. When I got old enough for them, suddenly I was too old because the guys were teenagers! I couldn't win!
Well, that's all the news in Heather World. I'm going to go check the theatre website one more time...
This year, I've made a southern belle costume. No one has mentioned throwing any Halloween parties, so as long as my petticoats arrive in time (thanks for mailing them, Mom!), I'll be answering the door for trick-or-treaters this year. I'll buy a huge bag of candy. (Make that two: one for the kids, one for me!) Perhaps I'll wear the costume to work, unless I'm working in receiving that day as it is not practical to wear when slinging boxes of product around!
I got a pumpkin, too. The ones here in Alaska are HUGE! The one I picked out was one of the smaller ones, and it was large by California standards. Must be all that sun during the summertime. I bought one of those pumpkin carving kits with stencils for making neat pictures.
I chose a cat with a crescent moon. I added a few stars because I had all this space on the pumpkin that needed embellishment. In one area, a small chunk broke off because it was too narrow, so I took a darning needle and stuck it back together. (I didn't have any Superglue or toothpicks.)
Here are a couple of pictures:
All lit up:
This one turned out kinda neat looking!
I know for sure now that my dog will try to eat anything. When my back was turned, he bit off the chunk that I had put back together with the needle! He was nibbling on the pumpkin piece when I caught him. I freaked out because he could have swallowed the needle, and I put the pumpkin higher up so he couldn't reach it.
In other news, I've auditioned for the Spitfire Grill here in town and the results are supposed to be posted on the website possibly by Friday. It's only Tuesday and I've checked three times today! I'm so excited, I think I'll bust wide open.
These auditions were different from all the ones I've been to before. Usually the singing is done first (maybe because everyone comes in warmed up to sing?) and then cold readings from the script, learning a few of the songs from the show, that kind of thing.
This one was all individual improv. I'm surprised we didn't do any readings from the script with other people because you can get an idea of how people look together in certain roles and chemistry between actors, etc. Ah, well. It was tons of fun this way.
The first one was pantomime. The first day I did one of a teenage girl who drops her books at school and rips her pants when trying to pick them up. At one point I threw myself against a nearby counter, shimmied along it, then picked up a trash can and held it in front of me.
The second day (when I was there for the whole thing), my pantomime was to be an overweight person trying to pull on a very tight pair of jeans. So I did a lot of rolling around on the floor and hopping up and down, on my feet and my knees!
Then we did interviews. We were to pretend we were at an interview talking about ourselves. We could talk for real or make things up, whatever. But we were given an emotion or state of being to portray. You know, stuff like timid, mean, angry, sexy.
I got "weird". So I said to the director, "Your kind of weird or my kind of weird?"
Anyway, I started doing lots of "weird" stuff, like sitting on the table in the director's face, playing with the assistant director's hair, picking up the chair and offering to fix it, discussing the aliens that abducted me, laughing like a loon and saying, "I'm not insane! THEY are."
When my time was called, I was shaking like a leaf.
We also did conversation. We held a one sided conversation with someone in a given situation. Mine was telling my boyfriend I'm pregnant. So I started telling "him" about this stick that sometimes shows a plus sign and sometimes shows a negative sign. I held it out and after a beat I said, "No, no, see the bar that goes this way, and the other one goes that way, like a plus sign." That got a laugh, the dumb blonde explaining a positive pregnancy test.
We sang last. No one volunteered to go first, so I stepped up. I was going to go last because I don't like forcing people to sing after me and I had no idea what kind of talent there was in this group. They were all marvelous actors. (There were about 10 of us, I think. Two guys, the rest women. A third guy cut and ran in the middle, so we think he changed his mind.)
I chose to sing the last couple of verses of "It's a Privelege to Pee" from Urinetown the Musical. I figured this might be my only opportunity since we were singing a capella and there were no kids present. I gave a bit of the storyline first, since it's not as well known as other musicals. I got a few laughs, but I got my laugh when I hit the final note. There's a chorus that sings along and hits a big "Ahhhhhhh!" at the end. So I hit the top note, way up there, and really loud, too.
Several people were so startled, I saw them jump out of the corner of my eye.
There were no really bad singers here. Everyone could carry a tune pretty well. The older gentleman had a fantastic voice. The younger one had a great voice, too, but he forgot the words part way through. Actually, most people forgot or hesitated somewhere in their song. I helped him out by singing a few words until he caught on and kept going himself. I ran into him at the store after the auditions and he thanked me. I was worried he'd be upset. Some people don't like to be helped! He was a nice guy. I hope I'll get to meet him again.
So now I wait. And wait. And try NOT to bite my nails! As usual, I think it'll come down to who they put in the guy's parts. That's what determines if I get a role at all most of the time. It's been a constant problem. At TED, I was too young because most of the guys were middle aged. When I got old enough for them, suddenly I was too old because the guys were teenagers! I couldn't win!
Well, that's all the news in Heather World. I'm going to go check the theatre website one more time...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Happy Birthday, Mumsy!
I'm an idiot. I didn't call my mom on her birthday. I am seven kinds of idiot. More than that. I'm an amoeba on fleas on rats. (Name that musical!)
A sign you've been working too much: When you can't even find the time to call your mother on her birthday. Maybe it's time to reevaluate my life. Of course, being an hour behind doesn't help, either.
Well, I have several birthdays that I'll be making up for when I'm back in California next week, so it's not like it's out of my way. I hope Dad took her out for Chinese food or something. I sure do miss Chinese food. There isn't any real good Chinese food here in the Mat-Su Valley. You have to go to Anchorage for that, and I'm not driving an hour just to go out for Chinese.
Maybe I could smuggle some in checked baggage on my way back to Alaska for Logan to have. I'm sure Dad would approve, especially if I had it under my pillow.
No, I'm not explaining that one. There is no explanation.
A sign you've been working too much: When you can't even find the time to call your mother on her birthday. Maybe it's time to reevaluate my life. Of course, being an hour behind doesn't help, either.
Well, I have several birthdays that I'll be making up for when I'm back in California next week, so it's not like it's out of my way. I hope Dad took her out for Chinese food or something. I sure do miss Chinese food. There isn't any real good Chinese food here in the Mat-Su Valley. You have to go to Anchorage for that, and I'm not driving an hour just to go out for Chinese.
Maybe I could smuggle some in checked baggage on my way back to Alaska for Logan to have. I'm sure Dad would approve, especially if I had it under my pillow.
No, I'm not explaining that one. There is no explanation.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Searching for signs...
It's interesting what can happen to a person when they're searching for a home. Sure, you do all the usual stuff, like picking the things that are important for you in a house. Acreage, garage, three bedrooms or two, a bath and a half, a fenced yard, whatever.
I'm searching for signs.
We've looked at a bunch of houses and I've liked a few. But none that have made me jump up and down and yell "This is it!"
Yeah, Myn, just like when I was searching for the perfect tattoo. You helped me with that one. Wanna come out here and help me with this one?
One thing I have been paying avid attention to: the street signs that the house is on.
For some reason this holds great significance to me. I can't figure out why. The name of the street is like a symbol, something familiar or something pointing the way to the perfect house.
I almost thought I had one. It was on Little John Dr.
My bestest buddy and I used to dress up as Robin Hood and Little John and go to Fairytale Town. Guess which one I was.
The house was beautiful. But it was in a really crappy neighborhood. Someone had bought the house just to fix it up and they did a great job. But now it is really the nicest house in that neighborhood and Logan is convinced if we buy it, we'll get robbed.
At any rate, why would the name of the street be so important to me? Am I really looking for something that will tell me which house to buy rather than making the decision myself? Yeah, that sounds like me.
We saw another house today, but the street sign didn't mean anything to me (West Fork or something like that.) It was a cute two story log house with three bedrooms downstairs and a kitchen and living room upstairs. It had a huge garage with a little apartment over it. Sitting on about an acre with one neighbor really close next door and another more hidden behind trees on the other side.
What cracked me up was that the last owners must not have been able to decide what kind of wallpaper they liked best. So they used all of them. Each room had two kinds of wallpaper. And none of them matched. Stripes, hearts, flowers, upstairs was mostly green PLAID. Ew. Still a cute place, though. Logan didn't seem to care for it all that much.
One of the reasons I liked it was because the problems I could see with it all looked like problems I could handle. And the house wasn't filled with someone else's stuff so I could see every nook and cranny.
Ah, well.
We'll look at some more in a slightly higher price range soon. I'll just have to keep praying that I have the same moment like when Myndi pointed out my new tattoo when I turned 30. "How about that dragon, Heather? Blowing a smoke pentacle?"
And me jumping up and down yelling, "That's it!"
I'm searching for signs.
We've looked at a bunch of houses and I've liked a few. But none that have made me jump up and down and yell "This is it!"
Yeah, Myn, just like when I was searching for the perfect tattoo. You helped me with that one. Wanna come out here and help me with this one?
One thing I have been paying avid attention to: the street signs that the house is on.
For some reason this holds great significance to me. I can't figure out why. The name of the street is like a symbol, something familiar or something pointing the way to the perfect house.
I almost thought I had one. It was on Little John Dr.
My bestest buddy and I used to dress up as Robin Hood and Little John and go to Fairytale Town. Guess which one I was.
The house was beautiful. But it was in a really crappy neighborhood. Someone had bought the house just to fix it up and they did a great job. But now it is really the nicest house in that neighborhood and Logan is convinced if we buy it, we'll get robbed.
At any rate, why would the name of the street be so important to me? Am I really looking for something that will tell me which house to buy rather than making the decision myself? Yeah, that sounds like me.
We saw another house today, but the street sign didn't mean anything to me (West Fork or something like that.) It was a cute two story log house with three bedrooms downstairs and a kitchen and living room upstairs. It had a huge garage with a little apartment over it. Sitting on about an acre with one neighbor really close next door and another more hidden behind trees on the other side.
What cracked me up was that the last owners must not have been able to decide what kind of wallpaper they liked best. So they used all of them. Each room had two kinds of wallpaper. And none of them matched. Stripes, hearts, flowers, upstairs was mostly green PLAID. Ew. Still a cute place, though. Logan didn't seem to care for it all that much.
One of the reasons I liked it was because the problems I could see with it all looked like problems I could handle. And the house wasn't filled with someone else's stuff so I could see every nook and cranny.
Ah, well.
We'll look at some more in a slightly higher price range soon. I'll just have to keep praying that I have the same moment like when Myndi pointed out my new tattoo when I turned 30. "How about that dragon, Heather? Blowing a smoke pentacle?"
And me jumping up and down yelling, "That's it!"
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Holy Hopping Hamburgers!
Was it really November 2nd that I posted last? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
Oh, yeah. It's a serious disease called overworked. Still trying to find a cure. Maybe it's karaoke.
I still don't have a real normal schedule. I'm still mostly working open to close most days of the week. There have been numerous personal problems abound amongst my coworkers and I'm doing my best to keep things running smoothly.
So I still haven't had much experience with the Alaska that everyone brags about.
Here's some of the odd things I've encountered.
A few days ago it was regularly in the 20s during the day. As we were going home from work, we could see the big electric billboard that displays the temp and the time and it said it was 18 degrees out.
The next day we wake up and the temperature has shot up about 20 degrees. It's been over 40 for a couple of days, just now starting to drop down to the mid 30s again.
My first thought was: Did I hibernate and miss winter? Is this the spring thaw? All the snow was melting and there was no longer any ice on the ground! This is a place that is not supposed to see dirt from November through April!
The other weird thing is the panhandlers. No one told me they were mean!
In Anchorage, I was approached by a lady who talked very fast, but I got the gist that she was asking for spare change. I took quick stock of my situation. My money was in my wallet in my back pocket under a thick jacket and a couple of shirts. There were several other individuals around, mostly guys, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell I was taking my wallet out when someone could just snatch it away and take off.
So I very politely told her I had nothing to give her and she moved on.
I guess I've mostly lived in places that were so large, you never run into the same person at random again.
A few hours later as we were coming out a restaurant, here comes that same panhandler. She's waving her fist in the air and shouting, "You didn't give me any change!" When she reaches me, she punches me in the arm and walks on.
Logan and I stared after with our jaws wagging. I couldn't believe the nerve of this woman.
So I know what most people are thinking. What good is your second degree black belt if you let mean little panhandlers get a whack at you?
Well, it was a sad punch, kind of like what you see little kids do to each other to annoy each other before they go running off, crying for mama.
When Logan and I finally started off down the street, I said, "I hope it made her feel better."
And I truly hope it did. At least I was able to do something for her, even if it was only to be a punching bag.
If I ever go to Anchorage again, I'll make sure I keep some change in my pocket.
My coworkers joked that I should have given her one of our $10 off coupons. You have to spend $50 to be able to use it.
I'm not that cold.
Thanksgiving was so strange without the family. We spent it with the boss man and his wife and a few other managers from work. It was good food, though I missed my mother's gravy over rice. And the company was friendly and cheerful enough, but I still nearly busted out in tears when a song my father sings came on the Dish Network music channel that was playing.
I missed Nino's huge bear hugs that lift me off the floor, discussing Tamora Pierce's books with Alex, swapping jokes with my cousins, playing guitar with my dad, making fun of my mother's failed science experiments in the kitchen (though I heard the gravy was fine this year. How boring is that?)
And I have to figure out what to do for a Christmas tree this year. I can't buy a potted one because I'd have to ship it to mom and dad's to be planted. Do I want to cut one down or buy a cheesy plastic tree? Are there Christmas tree farms here? Or is the whole state a Christmas tree farm?
It's getting toward midnight here, which means close to one in California. I want to say thank you to the people I don't know who are reading this blog. You're the reason why I'm posting tonight.
Yes, Mom, Dad, Myndi-bunny, Matthew, and Tiffy. I'm posting for you, too. But the nice comment left on the previous post by someone I've never met stoked my spirit for writing again.
Thank you, thank you, thank you readers. I appreciate you so much.
Karaoke, anyone?
Oh, yeah. It's a serious disease called overworked. Still trying to find a cure. Maybe it's karaoke.
I still don't have a real normal schedule. I'm still mostly working open to close most days of the week. There have been numerous personal problems abound amongst my coworkers and I'm doing my best to keep things running smoothly.
So I still haven't had much experience with the Alaska that everyone brags about.
Here's some of the odd things I've encountered.
A few days ago it was regularly in the 20s during the day. As we were going home from work, we could see the big electric billboard that displays the temp and the time and it said it was 18 degrees out.
The next day we wake up and the temperature has shot up about 20 degrees. It's been over 40 for a couple of days, just now starting to drop down to the mid 30s again.
My first thought was: Did I hibernate and miss winter? Is this the spring thaw? All the snow was melting and there was no longer any ice on the ground! This is a place that is not supposed to see dirt from November through April!
The other weird thing is the panhandlers. No one told me they were mean!
In Anchorage, I was approached by a lady who talked very fast, but I got the gist that she was asking for spare change. I took quick stock of my situation. My money was in my wallet in my back pocket under a thick jacket and a couple of shirts. There were several other individuals around, mostly guys, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell I was taking my wallet out when someone could just snatch it away and take off.
So I very politely told her I had nothing to give her and she moved on.
I guess I've mostly lived in places that were so large, you never run into the same person at random again.
A few hours later as we were coming out a restaurant, here comes that same panhandler. She's waving her fist in the air and shouting, "You didn't give me any change!" When she reaches me, she punches me in the arm and walks on.
Logan and I stared after with our jaws wagging. I couldn't believe the nerve of this woman.
So I know what most people are thinking. What good is your second degree black belt if you let mean little panhandlers get a whack at you?
Well, it was a sad punch, kind of like what you see little kids do to each other to annoy each other before they go running off, crying for mama.
When Logan and I finally started off down the street, I said, "I hope it made her feel better."
And I truly hope it did. At least I was able to do something for her, even if it was only to be a punching bag.
If I ever go to Anchorage again, I'll make sure I keep some change in my pocket.
My coworkers joked that I should have given her one of our $10 off coupons. You have to spend $50 to be able to use it.
I'm not that cold.
Thanksgiving was so strange without the family. We spent it with the boss man and his wife and a few other managers from work. It was good food, though I missed my mother's gravy over rice. And the company was friendly and cheerful enough, but I still nearly busted out in tears when a song my father sings came on the Dish Network music channel that was playing.
I missed Nino's huge bear hugs that lift me off the floor, discussing Tamora Pierce's books with Alex, swapping jokes with my cousins, playing guitar with my dad, making fun of my mother's failed science experiments in the kitchen (though I heard the gravy was fine this year. How boring is that?)
And I have to figure out what to do for a Christmas tree this year. I can't buy a potted one because I'd have to ship it to mom and dad's to be planted. Do I want to cut one down or buy a cheesy plastic tree? Are there Christmas tree farms here? Or is the whole state a Christmas tree farm?
It's getting toward midnight here, which means close to one in California. I want to say thank you to the people I don't know who are reading this blog. You're the reason why I'm posting tonight.
Yes, Mom, Dad, Myndi-bunny, Matthew, and Tiffy. I'm posting for you, too. But the nice comment left on the previous post by someone I've never met stoked my spirit for writing again.
Thank you, thank you, thank you readers. I appreciate you so much.
Karaoke, anyone?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Ahhh... Internet at last!
I can't believe it. You can actually have withdrawal symptoms when you are deprived of your Internet access. I can personally vouch for that. (Urp.)
I'm back, folks! Back and better than ever! Or is that bitchier than ever? I guess we'll see by the end of this post, eh!
Mama Mia, I miss everyone so much. We've been sooooo busy, it's inconceivable. And yes, that word means what I think it means.
We've been putting in at least 12 hours a day at the new store, getting it ready. We're so tired, we still haven't hardly unpacked anything. I long to make a real dinner.
Okay, so you probably want to hear about Alaska, since that is what this blog is about.
Yes, it's as cold as the deepest winter in Northern California and it's only October. But actually, as long as you dress right, you don't really feel it all that much.
Unless it's windy, like today. Ye Gods, that wind slices right through your clothes no matter what you're wearing.
But it's gorgeous here. Snow covered mountains, lots of lakes and creeks everywhere we go (can't wait for them to freeze so I can go skating!)
When I got to Wasilla, all I saw was ...
Drum roll, please.
A big sign that said "If you lived here, you'd be home now!"
Just kidding. But it does feel like home.
And besides, I may get a real underground following here. Last night after the employee dinner, a bunch of people, including corporate higher-ups and several of the store managers, went to a local bar for karaoke night. I was a bit worried because I hadn't sung in public for a while and I was afraid my voice would crack.
One of the footwear employees got up and sang Hanky Panky, which cracked me up. She had a very strong alto voice that would be perfect for theater belting.
So what song did I choose for my first? My Immortal by Evanescence. The footwear girl started bowing before I even got all the way up there when they announced what I chose. "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"
Holy crapola, what have gotten myself into?
Apparently I have a reputation for being a quiet, straight laced girl. No drinking, no smoking, no chew (very popular here), hardly eat red meat, aways working.
So my going up to the stage garnered some extra attention.
Since this is my blog, I'm going to be completely honest about what happened. No inhibitions.
I kicked ass.
The part of the song where it crescendos into the heavy guitars and crashing drums and then goes into the chorus, they all started cheering and whistling and stomping their feet.
Afterwards, I got so many compliments, I wondered if I'd been replaced with someone else. I mean, I've gotten compliments on my voice before, but nothing like this!
One of the higher-ups shook my hand and said, "I don't get it. We've been working in the same building for a week and I've heard maybe five words out of you. And then you get up there and do that?! Where did that come from?"
People were still talking about me all day today. One lady I didn't even know came up and said, "I heard you were the karaoke queen last night!"
I'm still aglow. The ham got some time in the spotlight and I desperately needed it.
I wish my theater friends could have been there to sing with me. I sure do miss you guys.
And my mom and dad. I finally got my guitar back, though I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet.
Well, the spouse creature is pacing, so I better go. Now that we got Internet again, I'll try to post more regularly and paint pictures of the Alaska adventure we're having.
I'm back, folks! Back and better than ever! Or is that bitchier than ever? I guess we'll see by the end of this post, eh!
Mama Mia, I miss everyone so much. We've been sooooo busy, it's inconceivable. And yes, that word means what I think it means.
We've been putting in at least 12 hours a day at the new store, getting it ready. We're so tired, we still haven't hardly unpacked anything. I long to make a real dinner.
Okay, so you probably want to hear about Alaska, since that is what this blog is about.
Yes, it's as cold as the deepest winter in Northern California and it's only October. But actually, as long as you dress right, you don't really feel it all that much.
Unless it's windy, like today. Ye Gods, that wind slices right through your clothes no matter what you're wearing.
But it's gorgeous here. Snow covered mountains, lots of lakes and creeks everywhere we go (can't wait for them to freeze so I can go skating!)
When I got to Wasilla, all I saw was ...
Drum roll, please.
A big sign that said "If you lived here, you'd be home now!"
Just kidding. But it does feel like home.
And besides, I may get a real underground following here. Last night after the employee dinner, a bunch of people, including corporate higher-ups and several of the store managers, went to a local bar for karaoke night. I was a bit worried because I hadn't sung in public for a while and I was afraid my voice would crack.
One of the footwear employees got up and sang Hanky Panky, which cracked me up. She had a very strong alto voice that would be perfect for theater belting.
So what song did I choose for my first? My Immortal by Evanescence. The footwear girl started bowing before I even got all the way up there when they announced what I chose. "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"
Holy crapola, what have gotten myself into?
Apparently I have a reputation for being a quiet, straight laced girl. No drinking, no smoking, no chew (very popular here), hardly eat red meat, aways working.
So my going up to the stage garnered some extra attention.
Since this is my blog, I'm going to be completely honest about what happened. No inhibitions.
I kicked ass.
The part of the song where it crescendos into the heavy guitars and crashing drums and then goes into the chorus, they all started cheering and whistling and stomping their feet.
Afterwards, I got so many compliments, I wondered if I'd been replaced with someone else. I mean, I've gotten compliments on my voice before, but nothing like this!
One of the higher-ups shook my hand and said, "I don't get it. We've been working in the same building for a week and I've heard maybe five words out of you. And then you get up there and do that?! Where did that come from?"
People were still talking about me all day today. One lady I didn't even know came up and said, "I heard you were the karaoke queen last night!"
I'm still aglow. The ham got some time in the spotlight and I desperately needed it.
I wish my theater friends could have been there to sing with me. I sure do miss you guys.
And my mom and dad. I finally got my guitar back, though I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet.
Well, the spouse creature is pacing, so I better go. Now that we got Internet again, I'll try to post more regularly and paint pictures of the Alaska adventure we're having.
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