Well today marks the end of an era.
My two best friends are moving tomorrow, to give you an idea of what I mean, this picture is a view out of my window and the building circled is where they live. Spitting distance from my house.
I moved into my apartment in 2001, D moved into his apartment across the street in July 2001, J moved into his apartment in November 2001.
So tomorrow is the end of an era, it’s been wonderful living next to both of these guys and it will be interesting to see what happens.
When was the last time you had the “end of an era” when all things were going relatively smoothly and then something big happened? Where life as we have known it suddenly changes.
My last one before this was in 1999, so I guess I’m on the 5 year plan, great!
In 1999 I was ending a 3.5 year relationship and I was moving out of our "shared house." When I moved I was more tearful about leaving my neighbors Mark and Chris (two guys, who's nickname was Fred & Ethel - points if you can guess who they're named after.)
Actually the 4 of us had gotten very close as we lived in a duplex, us on one side them on the other. We had an intercom between our apartments and we ate dinner together at least 3 nights a week. Yet at other times we would go on and do our normal thing and not see each other for days.
Oh how I miss those halycon days.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
The Lion King - My Review
We went to see the Lion King last evening. I should say that a group of us went to see the show, which was was.
There were a total of like 22 people in the entire group, 8 of us met early for dinner right next to the theater.
I think I enjoyed that more than the show. Even though I live in Chicago (about 8 miles from downtown) it’s very rare that I get to go downtown during the week or even go downtown for dinner.
Now granted, I do go downtown to go walking/shopping/photo hunting on a regular basis, but those trips are usually 2 hours or less so that I can get back home on a bus transfer, but I digress.
So we met for a nice dinner, had a cocktail, Cesar salad and Risotto with Sea Scallops (uhm those are the tiny ones) in a creamy tomato broth. Dinner was quite yummy, even though my total came to $40, but it was ok the tickets for the show were only $22 because we went as a group.
After dinner we proceeded right next door to the theater. Walked up three, no make that four flights of stairs until we got to our section, our group took up the last 3 rows of the middle section of the balcony.
Rightly so they were good seats, again we were dab smack in the middle of the theater, but there’s something about the cheap seats that are well…uhm….how do I say it “low rent.”
The lady in front of me had the biggest head of hair that I’ve ever seen, honestly, I would have taken a picture of it, but they were yelling at people for taking pictures inside the theater (I snapped off a few before they caught me.) And she did the most annoying thing, instead of sitting back in her seat like a normal person, she sat on the very front edge of her seat. Which meant that I could no longer see the front half of the stage through her big head. I just wanted to reach down, grab her shoulders and say “Hey Lady, sit back will ya.”
The show was, well it was, I think it was…well let’s just say, it was VERY Disney. Bright Colors, Loud Music, Lots of Jumping and Flouncing About as The Boyfriend would say.
I’d only seen the movie once, and that was enough for me. The Musical mirrors the movie in regards to the story line, but the music was just “ok.” I don’t have the soundtrack so the only songs I knew were the annoying “Hakuna Matata” and “Do you fee the love tonight.” I had no strong desire to purchase the soundtrack to get more of the music, the 2.5 hours in the theater were enough.
What was cool:
- The Costumes – very bright, very colorful, amazing how they interpreted the animals. Even though we were in the balcony they were inspiring, I could only imagine what it looks like from the floor when you’re looking straight on.
- The Sets – the sets were very interesting, everything from scrims in the flyspace to the “Pride Rock” that came onto the stage like a centipede and circled the stage to the back half of the stage moving up and down. The best special effects in the show were the Water Fall scene where Timon (or Pumba I don’t know, the skinny little thing not the Wart Hog) falls over the waterfall and almost ends up in an Aligator. The other one that I really loved was the Wildebeest stampede, it was amazing how they made it look so real.
- The Dancing was ok, I’m not a big dancer, but it was very tribal.
What was not so cool:
- The rude people who couldn’t keep their children shut up. Ok now before you yell at me and tell me it’s a kids show, I totally understand that. But, I also think that as a parent and you take your children to an event like this, you should discuss with them how they should act. You should try to lead by example and show your children how to behave in such a setting. You should TEACH them that it’s not ok to carry on a full blown conversation when there’s a performance going on. You should teach them then it’s NOT OK to talk on a cell phone in the middle of the performance. Granted it was a long show, and there was a lot of boring parts in the show so I can totally see how a child could be bored with it, heck I was bored in parts (although I didn’t close my eyes and fall asleep).
- How Sterile the Show Was. As I said earlier, I only saw the movie once, but the musical was almost an exact copy of the characters in the show, down to the voices. Scar sounded just like the Scar in the movie, Timon and Pumba sounded EXACTLY like the show, and Simba sounded just like the movie. It was so much that at times I thought that the show was recorded and they were just lip synching along. Now I’m not slamming the actors, they were amazing, but what I am slamming is Disney for making it “be just like the movie.” People know (and I guess love) the movie, so they figure if they’re going to see a show they just want to see a live version of the show. Me, on the other hand would rather see a show that has some interpretation of the live actor…isn’t that why we go to see a “live show” to see what the actor can do.
Would I go see it again: No.
Would I buy the soundtrack: No
I would rather go see Wicked again. I’ve been talking to some friends that have seen that and I’ve changed my opinion a little bit on how they changed the story, but it was a much better “attention grabber” than Lion King was.
There were a total of like 22 people in the entire group, 8 of us met early for dinner right next to the theater.
I think I enjoyed that more than the show. Even though I live in Chicago (about 8 miles from downtown) it’s very rare that I get to go downtown during the week or even go downtown for dinner.
Now granted, I do go downtown to go walking/shopping/photo hunting on a regular basis, but those trips are usually 2 hours or less so that I can get back home on a bus transfer, but I digress.
So we met for a nice dinner, had a cocktail, Cesar salad and Risotto with Sea Scallops (uhm those are the tiny ones) in a creamy tomato broth. Dinner was quite yummy, even though my total came to $40, but it was ok the tickets for the show were only $22 because we went as a group.
After dinner we proceeded right next door to the theater. Walked up three, no make that four flights of stairs until we got to our section, our group took up the last 3 rows of the middle section of the balcony.
Rightly so they were good seats, again we were dab smack in the middle of the theater, but there’s something about the cheap seats that are well…uhm….how do I say it “low rent.”
The lady in front of me had the biggest head of hair that I’ve ever seen, honestly, I would have taken a picture of it, but they were yelling at people for taking pictures inside the theater (I snapped off a few before they caught me.) And she did the most annoying thing, instead of sitting back in her seat like a normal person, she sat on the very front edge of her seat. Which meant that I could no longer see the front half of the stage through her big head. I just wanted to reach down, grab her shoulders and say “Hey Lady, sit back will ya.”
The show was, well it was, I think it was…well let’s just say, it was VERY Disney. Bright Colors, Loud Music, Lots of Jumping and Flouncing About as The Boyfriend would say.
I’d only seen the movie once, and that was enough for me. The Musical mirrors the movie in regards to the story line, but the music was just “ok.” I don’t have the soundtrack so the only songs I knew were the annoying “Hakuna Matata” and “Do you fee the love tonight.” I had no strong desire to purchase the soundtrack to get more of the music, the 2.5 hours in the theater were enough.
What was cool:
- The Costumes – very bright, very colorful, amazing how they interpreted the animals. Even though we were in the balcony they were inspiring, I could only imagine what it looks like from the floor when you’re looking straight on.
- The Sets – the sets were very interesting, everything from scrims in the flyspace to the “Pride Rock” that came onto the stage like a centipede and circled the stage to the back half of the stage moving up and down. The best special effects in the show were the Water Fall scene where Timon (or Pumba I don’t know, the skinny little thing not the Wart Hog) falls over the waterfall and almost ends up in an Aligator. The other one that I really loved was the Wildebeest stampede, it was amazing how they made it look so real.
- The Dancing was ok, I’m not a big dancer, but it was very tribal.
What was not so cool:
- The rude people who couldn’t keep their children shut up. Ok now before you yell at me and tell me it’s a kids show, I totally understand that. But, I also think that as a parent and you take your children to an event like this, you should discuss with them how they should act. You should try to lead by example and show your children how to behave in such a setting. You should TEACH them that it’s not ok to carry on a full blown conversation when there’s a performance going on. You should teach them then it’s NOT OK to talk on a cell phone in the middle of the performance. Granted it was a long show, and there was a lot of boring parts in the show so I can totally see how a child could be bored with it, heck I was bored in parts (although I didn’t close my eyes and fall asleep).
- How Sterile the Show Was. As I said earlier, I only saw the movie once, but the musical was almost an exact copy of the characters in the show, down to the voices. Scar sounded just like the Scar in the movie, Timon and Pumba sounded EXACTLY like the show, and Simba sounded just like the movie. It was so much that at times I thought that the show was recorded and they were just lip synching along. Now I’m not slamming the actors, they were amazing, but what I am slamming is Disney for making it “be just like the movie.” People know (and I guess love) the movie, so they figure if they’re going to see a show they just want to see a live version of the show. Me, on the other hand would rather see a show that has some interpretation of the live actor…isn’t that why we go to see a “live show” to see what the actor can do.
Would I go see it again: No.
Would I buy the soundtrack: No
I would rather go see Wicked again. I’ve been talking to some friends that have seen that and I’ve changed my opinion a little bit on how they changed the story, but it was a much better “attention grabber” than Lion King was.
Hey, Fix that A
You'd think with all the money you spend on theater tickets the least they could do is fix the sign so it looks pretty.
I mean, no wonder we can't have nice things!
I mean, no wonder we can't have nice things!
The Lion King
Well here we are at our 3rd show in a week....whew, I'm tired!
I enjoy going to the theater but sometimes it's more fun to watch the audience than the show.
I enjoy going to the theater but sometimes it's more fun to watch the audience than the show.
Are you gonna push that button
The camera was acting up so The Boyfriend was a little started, but can you believe, we're actually here!
I felt like Cinderella
At the top of the stairs of the main entrance of the theater. I was looking to see if I had dropped my glass slipper.
The view from our seats
We had pretty good seats, we were 3 rows from the front....uhm, I mean BACK in the balcony. It was hot and stuffy but we had a good view of the stage.
Really, we didn't want to see their faces anyway.
Really, we didn't want to see their faces anyway.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Totally Stolen
But I'll give due credit. Found this on the Overheard in NY website.
You don't even have to be a New Y orker to appreciate this.
Read the following passage with your best Spanish/Latina Accent please.
Latina: ...and he looks evil and the Princess is saying to him, "You are a good person" and he looks so evil and then she is with Obi King Wasabi and he said he is on the dark side and then the shorty guy--what is his nam?--Yoga said, "He is on the dark side" and then Dark Wader he is with the cape and looks all angry and evil reminded me of me on Mondays.
You don't even have to be a New Y orker to appreciate this.
Read the following passage with your best Spanish/Latina Accent please.
Latina: ...and he looks evil and the Princess is saying to him, "You are a good person" and he looks so evil and then she is with Obi King Wasabi and he said he is on the dark side and then the shorty guy--what is his nam?--Yoga said, "He is on the dark side" and then Dark Wader he is with the cape and looks all angry and evil reminded me of me on Mondays.
Who took the good chair?
This is the conversation outside my cube:
#1: Who took the good chair?
#2: What chair?
#1: The good chair?
#2: Which good chair?
#1: The good chair I was using.
#2: Oh you mean the one that you stole from the office?
#1: Yeah
#2: They took it back because it was the good chair.
Also, here is a conversation that I had with Party #1 earlier this week as we passed each other in the hall.
Me: Hi *(*@# (Name changed to protect the stupid)
#1: Ungh
And this is a person who is a computer programmer at my company, oh my!
#1: Who took the good chair?
#2: What chair?
#1: The good chair?
#2: Which good chair?
#1: The good chair I was using.
#2: Oh you mean the one that you stole from the office?
#1: Yeah
#2: They took it back because it was the good chair.
Also, here is a conversation that I had with Party #1 earlier this week as we passed each other in the hall.
Me: Hi *(*@# (Name changed to protect the stupid)
#1:
And this is a person who is a computer programmer at my company, oh my!
Happy Birthday Mom
Today is my Mom's Birthday, shes a happy 62 years old today, she doesn't look it does she!
I guess it's because she's wild and crazy, so I know where I get it from.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!
I guess it's because she's wild and crazy, so I know where I get it from.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Politics and Jumping on Ship
It amazes me how politicians have to Jump on Board
I was just watching the local news and one of the leading stories was about an Alderman who was complaining about two things:
- The current movie The Wedding Crashers has a scene where the leads pretend to wear Purple Hearts to get women.
- The video game Grand Theft Auto has a scene that can be unlocked that shows a graphic sexual scene.
What gets me, is BOTH of these things have been in the national media for about two weeks. Everyone is complaining about the movie, I agree it’s not right to wear a medal if you didn’t earn it, but come on people, it’s a movie, it’s make believe, it’s NOT REAL.
As for the game, Senator Clinton, and many others, have voiced their concern how you can view this explicit sexual scene in the game. I bet you that before this situation, NONE OF THEM had ever even heard of the game or probably even the game console.
I find politics of this nature disgusting. Come on people work on the issues, deal with the problems, that's why you were elected…don’t go after the same thing that “someone else talked about once” just because you want a little press.
I was looking for a link for the Grand Theft Auto thing, and look what was the first thing to come up.
Check out this link, a grandmother is suing the video game maker because she bought the game for her 14 year old grandson and now she’s suing for “false and deceptive advertising.”
WTF
She’s 85 years old, she knew when she bought it that it had a rating of M for Mature, but who wants to bet that she was with the grandson and he was like ‘oh come on granny, get it for me, get it for me, get it for me.” My grandmother is 87 and I know that when I was younger she probably would have done the same thing, bought me a game just because I said I wanted it.
It amazes me how people can suddenly be “offended” and then sue for millions of dollars.
Ok, I’m done, I’ve got to take a nap now, these people of the world kill me!
I was just watching the local news and one of the leading stories was about an Alderman who was complaining about two things:
- The current movie The Wedding Crashers has a scene where the leads pretend to wear Purple Hearts to get women.
- The video game Grand Theft Auto has a scene that can be unlocked that shows a graphic sexual scene.
What gets me, is BOTH of these things have been in the national media for about two weeks. Everyone is complaining about the movie, I agree it’s not right to wear a medal if you didn’t earn it, but come on people, it’s a movie, it’s make believe, it’s NOT REAL.
As for the game, Senator Clinton, and many others, have voiced their concern how you can view this explicit sexual scene in the game. I bet you that before this situation, NONE OF THEM had ever even heard of the game or probably even the game console.
I find politics of this nature disgusting. Come on people work on the issues, deal with the problems, that's why you were elected…don’t go after the same thing that “someone else talked about once” just because you want a little press.
I was looking for a link for the Grand Theft Auto thing, and look what was the first thing to come up.
Check out this link, a grandmother is suing the video game maker because she bought the game for her 14 year old grandson and now she’s suing for “false and deceptive advertising.”
WTF
She’s 85 years old, she knew when she bought it that it had a rating of M for Mature, but who wants to bet that she was with the grandson and he was like ‘oh come on granny, get it for me, get it for me, get it for me.” My grandmother is 87 and I know that when I was younger she probably would have done the same thing, bought me a game just because I said I wanted it.
It amazes me how people can suddenly be “offended” and then sue for millions of dollars.
Ok, I’m done, I’ve got to take a nap now, these people of the world kill me!
How to stop junk mail
I figured out the best way to stop getting those annoying emails, you know the ones that WARN you about impending danger, the ones that tell you your pants will catch on fire unless you send it to 600 of your closest friends. The one where they tell you to send a get well card, the one where they tell you about the latest scam...ugh, there's too many of them.
Whenever I get one of these emails, and it's not a joke but a "warning" I always go to:
www.snopes.com
And check to see if it's a scam.....if it is, I'll politely hit the REPLY ALL button on my email reader and provide a link to the obvious scam and press the send button.
I did this to a friend of mine who was constantly sending me these types of junk emails and he called me up and said "Why'd you do that...you embarassed me." At which point I said, "Oh no, you embarassed yourself by sending that to all of your friends."
Also, please my friends, if you do decide to forward an email because it's funny or you think someone will get a kick out of, use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) feature on your email, that way you're not sending all of your friends email addresses out through the abyss of the Internet.
Next time you get one of those types of emails, page down and look at all of the VALID email addresses that are on the email.....that's how you get spam. One time, a girlfriend sent me one of these and there were over 600 names on all of the emails 600!!!!!!
Like I always say: "Play Smart"
Whenever I get one of these emails, and it's not a joke but a "warning" I always go to:
www.snopes.com
And check to see if it's a scam.....if it is, I'll politely hit the REPLY ALL button on my email reader and provide a link to the obvious scam and press the send button.
I did this to a friend of mine who was constantly sending me these types of junk emails and he called me up and said "Why'd you do that...you embarassed me." At which point I said, "Oh no, you embarassed yourself by sending that to all of your friends."
Also, please my friends, if you do decide to forward an email because it's funny or you think someone will get a kick out of, use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) feature on your email, that way you're not sending all of your friends email addresses out through the abyss of the Internet.
Next time you get one of those types of emails, page down and look at all of the VALID email addresses that are on the email.....that's how you get spam. One time, a girlfriend sent me one of these and there were over 600 names on all of the emails 600!!!!!!
Like I always say: "Play Smart"
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Theater Week
Wow, for some reason we're going to see a whole bunch of shows, some professional some not so professional but still funny.
This past weekend we saw "Band Geeks - The Musical"
It was a musical, it had great music from the 80's, the hair the clothes and best of all the musical instruments.
This show was absolutely hilarious, the basic premise is the Elyria, OH Band is going to Band Camp at Ohio State University.
While there they find out that they've been picked to be the Half Time Show for a Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengal's game, but they need $18,674.
These two girls wrote it, and it really is funny. The musical numbers were a little loose, but it's an amatuer production and they did a really good job. Some of the songs were really catchy and made me want to go out and buy the soundtrack but they didn't have one, LOL.
There was the band nerd, the girl with scoliosis who has a back brace, the goth girl, the girl who got pregnant by the football quaterback, the slut, the dinghy girl, plus the Football guys and Coach who were always picking on the "band fags"
The best part of the show was when the band kids crashed the football teams party and the Goth Girl didn't know who to hang out with, she turned around to go with some kids and they turned their backs on her and then in perfect Ally Sheedy, Breakfast Club mood, this song came on and she reluctantly went over and sat with the Band Geeks.
If you're in Chicago, you should go see it before it ends.
We're going to see The Lion King on Thursday, I'll let you know what I think of it.
This past weekend we saw "Band Geeks - The Musical"
It was a musical, it had great music from the 80's, the hair the clothes and best of all the musical instruments.
This show was absolutely hilarious, the basic premise is the Elyria, OH Band is going to Band Camp at Ohio State University.
While there they find out that they've been picked to be the Half Time Show for a Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengal's game, but they need $18,674.
These two girls wrote it, and it really is funny. The musical numbers were a little loose, but it's an amatuer production and they did a really good job. Some of the songs were really catchy and made me want to go out and buy the soundtrack but they didn't have one, LOL.
There was the band nerd, the girl with scoliosis who has a back brace, the goth girl, the girl who got pregnant by the football quaterback, the slut, the dinghy girl, plus the Football guys and Coach who were always picking on the "band fags"
The best part of the show was when the band kids crashed the football teams party and the Goth Girl didn't know who to hang out with, she turned around to go with some kids and they turned their backs on her and then in perfect Ally Sheedy, Breakfast Club mood, this song came on and she reluctantly went over and sat with the Band Geeks.
If you're in Chicago, you should go see it before it ends.
We're going to see The Lion King on Thursday, I'll let you know what I think of it.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Where you've been
Bold the states you’ve been to, underline the states you’ve lived in and italicize the state you’re in now
Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C. /
Sorry for those outside the US but it would be too long if we listed everything : -(
Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C. /
Sorry for those outside the US but it would be too long if we listed everything : -(
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Wicked - The Musical - My Review
I’ve been struggling with writing a review of Wicked, so I apologize for the delay.
I can tell you this:
- The Sets are amazing
- The Costumes are amazing
- The acting was great (who knew Ana Gastyer could sing like that?)
- The Singing was amazing
- The Dancing was just ok
- The Seats were good
But I sort of have a problem with the show “in general”
They followed the book as much as they could (I mean come on it’s a 2.5 hour show, I didn’t expect them to be completely true to the book. And I understand that it’s a ‘musical’ and it has to have a Happy Ending, but they totally screwed the ending.
***SPOILERS**** ***SPOILERS**** ***SPOILERS**** ***SPOILERS****
We all know what happens to the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She gets melted, with a bucket of water, by Dorothy and her little dog Toto.
The book-writer decided that instead they wanted to the WWOTW to actually fake her death so that she could sneak off and live with Glinda’s ex- (husband/boyfriend, not sure).
I understand that musicals are supposed to have happy endings, but this is a total change. And yes, I understand that “we really don’t know what happened” but come on, just to make it happy?
The way it ends it makes it look as though Elphaba played everyone, just to get the man. She played Galinda, she played her sister and she played Fiyero.
Have you ever seen a good mystery (i.e. The Game) and once you know the end you sort of analyze everything you saw and heard to see what hints you get. Well when you get to the end of this show, you go back and analyze things and they don’t make sense.
***END OF SPOILERS*** ***END OF SPOILERS*** ***END OF SPOILERS***
But we did enjoy the show, it put a lot of the songs “together” for me. It made more sense of some of the lyrics that I didn’t understand.
There were some great lines from the show:
- Galinda – “Get over it, it’s just a pair of shoes.”
- Mrs. Morrible, to Galinda “Oh you’re terribly beautiful.” To Elphaba who replies “I’m beautifully terrible.”
I don’t want to say that I had high expectations for the show, I never do that because you’ll only end up disappointed, and I wasn’t disappointed but I think they really pander to the audience with the ending they chose.
Will I go see it again? Probably not, it’s not one of those shows that you have to see over and over, plus tickets are expensive, starting around $60, so it’s not like a $10 movie you can go see numerous times.
I loved the book, and I’ll probably re-read it now so that I can get a new perspective on it, but I doubt I’ll go see the show again (watch I’ll be wrong).
Would I recommend this show, YES. Because it is a beautiful show and the songs are amazing, the lyrics on their own are wonderful and the story is one that will entrance everyone because we all have a fascination with the Wizard of Oz.
But go see the Trailers it gives you a good sense of the show, here's the HIGH res and the MED Res
I can tell you this:
- The Sets are amazing
- The Costumes are amazing
- The acting was great (who knew Ana Gastyer could sing like that?)
- The Singing was amazing
- The Dancing was just ok
- The Seats were good
But I sort of have a problem with the show “in general”
They followed the book as much as they could (I mean come on it’s a 2.5 hour show, I didn’t expect them to be completely true to the book. And I understand that it’s a ‘musical’ and it has to have a Happy Ending, but they totally screwed the ending.
***SPOILERS**** ***SPOILERS**** ***SPOILERS**** ***SPOILERS****
We all know what happens to the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She gets melted, with a bucket of water, by Dorothy and her little dog Toto.
The book-writer decided that instead they wanted to the WWOTW to actually fake her death so that she could sneak off and live with Glinda’s ex- (husband/boyfriend, not sure).
I understand that musicals are supposed to have happy endings, but this is a total change. And yes, I understand that “we really don’t know what happened” but come on, just to make it happy?
The way it ends it makes it look as though Elphaba played everyone, just to get the man. She played Galinda, she played her sister and she played Fiyero.
Have you ever seen a good mystery (i.e. The Game) and once you know the end you sort of analyze everything you saw and heard to see what hints you get. Well when you get to the end of this show, you go back and analyze things and they don’t make sense.
***END OF SPOILERS*** ***END OF SPOILERS*** ***END OF SPOILERS***
But we did enjoy the show, it put a lot of the songs “together” for me. It made more sense of some of the lyrics that I didn’t understand.
There were some great lines from the show:
- Galinda – “Get over it, it’s just a pair of shoes.”
- Mrs. Morrible, to Galinda “Oh you’re terribly beautiful.” To Elphaba who replies “I’m beautifully terrible.”
I don’t want to say that I had high expectations for the show, I never do that because you’ll only end up disappointed, and I wasn’t disappointed but I think they really pander to the audience with the ending they chose.
Will I go see it again? Probably not, it’s not one of those shows that you have to see over and over, plus tickets are expensive, starting around $60, so it’s not like a $10 movie you can go see numerous times.
I loved the book, and I’ll probably re-read it now so that I can get a new perspective on it, but I doubt I’ll go see the show again (watch I’ll be wrong).
Would I recommend this show, YES. Because it is a beautiful show and the songs are amazing, the lyrics on their own are wonderful and the story is one that will entrance everyone because we all have a fascination with the Wizard of Oz.
But go see the Trailers it gives you a good sense of the show, here's the HIGH res and the MED Res
Friday, July 22, 2005
UUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
I just want to preface this with the following statement:
“Typically Michael is a pacifist and likes everyone to be happy and harmonious, but when you piss him off you piss him off.”
A little background to why I’m so pissed off right now:
- One of my pet peeves of City Living are people who have no concept on how to properly park a car to get maximum parking space.
- I live on a major street without parking, and there is only one small side street for parking.
- I pay for a parking spot ($50 a month which is cheap) that is close to home
- There is a food joint in the area where I park and they offer delivery service.
- In a typical week, I have to politely ask them to get out of my parking spot at least 2 times. And I ask nicely!
Today on my way home, I parked on the street so that The Boyfriend could park in my spot. As you may recall, we’re playing house this week.
As I’m walking to my house I can see my parking spot, and there’s someone parked in it. So I walk OUT OF MY WAY to go tell them to move it. Now this time it’s not the delivery guys but the Garage next door (this is a first for them). They quickly move the car.
Then about an hour later my best friend (who lives where I park) calls and says “Gurl, that MiniVan is in your parking spot.”
So I give it 10-15 minutes hoping they’ll move on their own….they don’t.
So I put my shoes on, walk out of the house, down three flights of stairs, across a busy street, through the alley to the parking spot. I walk into the back door of the restaurant, and no more do they see me before the asian delivery man grabs his keys and says ‘I’ll move.” I stop him and I say, square in his face.
“Stop parking in my G$D D@MN spot”
He runs out, so I go up to the manager and tell him.
“You can’t park in my spot.” He then stupidly says, “Oh which one is yours?” I tell him, “You know EXACTLY which one mine is, the one on the end. Don’t park your f*ckin% cars in my spot. It really pisses me off everytime I have to come in here and “ask” you to move out of my spot. Just because it’s empty does not mean that you can park there.”
I continued to go off on him, about 6 inches from his face, I twirled around on my flip flops and walked out.
I know they’re gonna key my car or doing something to it, I just feel it….fortunately I don’t eat there so I don’t have to worry about them spitting in my food.
“Typically Michael is a pacifist and likes everyone to be happy and harmonious, but when you piss him off you piss him off.”
A little background to why I’m so pissed off right now:
- One of my pet peeves of City Living are people who have no concept on how to properly park a car to get maximum parking space.
- I live on a major street without parking, and there is only one small side street for parking.
- I pay for a parking spot ($50 a month which is cheap) that is close to home
- There is a food joint in the area where I park and they offer delivery service.
- In a typical week, I have to politely ask them to get out of my parking spot at least 2 times. And I ask nicely!
Today on my way home, I parked on the street so that The Boyfriend could park in my spot. As you may recall, we’re playing house this week.
As I’m walking to my house I can see my parking spot, and there’s someone parked in it. So I walk OUT OF MY WAY to go tell them to move it. Now this time it’s not the delivery guys but the Garage next door (this is a first for them). They quickly move the car.
Then about an hour later my best friend (who lives where I park) calls and says “Gurl, that MiniVan is in your parking spot.”
So I give it 10-15 minutes hoping they’ll move on their own….they don’t.
So I put my shoes on, walk out of the house, down three flights of stairs, across a busy street, through the alley to the parking spot. I walk into the back door of the restaurant, and no more do they see me before the asian delivery man grabs his keys and says ‘I’ll move.” I stop him and I say, square in his face.
“Stop parking in my G$D D@MN spot”
He runs out, so I go up to the manager and tell him.
“You can’t park in my spot.” He then stupidly says, “Oh which one is yours?” I tell him, “You know EXACTLY which one mine is, the one on the end. Don’t park your f*ckin% cars in my spot. It really pisses me off everytime I have to come in here and “ask” you to move out of my spot. Just because it’s empty does not mean that you can park there.”
I continued to go off on him, about 6 inches from his face, I twirled around on my flip flops and walked out.
I know they’re gonna key my car or doing something to it, I just feel it….fortunately I don’t eat there so I don’t have to worry about them spitting in my food.
The Last One, I Promise
I typically am not a linker but I've just seen some funny sites today.
Now for something completely different
Now for something completely different
Now this is talent
These are some cool pix
This is a really talented man, I've seen a few of these pix before but not this many.
Enjoy!
This is a really talented man, I've seen a few of these pix before but not this many.
Enjoy!
Honest Mom
It's Makeup
It's amazing what people will do isn't it? I've been known to play around with things like that, but I've never had the desire to huff spray paint, now a can of Redi-Whip that's a different story.
Wanna play a trick on your luvy? Fill your mouth up with Redi-Whip and then give them a big kiss....hee hee...they never expect it!
It's amazing what people will do isn't it? I've been known to play around with things like that, but I've never had the desire to huff spray paint, now a can of Redi-Whip that's a different story.
Wanna play a trick on your luvy? Fill your mouth up with Redi-Whip and then give them a big kiss....hee hee...they never expect it!
The Start of the Day
So this was the start of my Day.
Some people were in a bit of a hurry this morning and look what happened to them.
Remember, being in a hurry isn't always a good thing.
I hope you enjoy my day today, I left out the boring stuff like work, other than that enjoy it while I go to work and then go see Wicked!
Some people were in a bit of a hurry this morning and look what happened to them.
Remember, being in a hurry isn't always a good thing.
I hope you enjoy my day today, I left out the boring stuff like work, other than that enjoy it while I go to work and then go see Wicked!
Packed Car
Someone has a little bit of a problem with saving bags in their car. And I thought I was a packrat?
Our Seats
Not the best Shot, but here's where we sat! Dead smack in the middle, all the way at the top.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Please don't be GREEN
I'm so excited, we're going to see WICKED
If you're not familiar with this Musical based on the Book by Gregory Maguire it is the story of the Land of Oz before Dorothy arrived.
I read this book when it first came out, I actually have it in hardback (I hardly ever purchase hardback books) but I read it and loved it. Then back in 2003 I heard that they were creating a musical version of the book. I couldn't wait for them to release the soundtrack and I bought it the day that it came out (I know I'm such a fag).
In 2003 they won a whole bunch of Tony awards (of course) and then earlier this year they announced that they were creating a touring version of the show, and the first stop was in Chicago!
Then they announced that it was going to be a PERMANENT installation in Chicago. Which is unheard of, we were so happy. We've been waiting for months to go see this show.
Even waiting so long we have fairly crappy seats, we're in the Balcony, Row P but right near the aisle so not too bad.
(For those of you used to London style theater's, here in the US the balcony usually starts about halfway back from the stage over the Orchestra seats, so sometimes the back row can really be in the back row).
I'll try to take some pictures (0utside the theater of course because we all know you're not to take pictures in the house) and post tomorrow.
I hope that I'm not annoying and sing along with the entire show since I've been listening to it for years. But then again, the boyfriend probably will be singing along.
Ok, enough for being gay today!
Wait until we go see The Lion King next week! I love Disney shows, we saw Beauty & The Beast and it was amazing.
If you're not familiar with this Musical based on the Book by Gregory Maguire it is the story of the Land of Oz before Dorothy arrived.
I read this book when it first came out, I actually have it in hardback (I hardly ever purchase hardback books) but I read it and loved it. Then back in 2003 I heard that they were creating a musical version of the book. I couldn't wait for them to release the soundtrack and I bought it the day that it came out (I know I'm such a fag).
In 2003 they won a whole bunch of Tony awards (of course) and then earlier this year they announced that they were creating a touring version of the show, and the first stop was in Chicago!
Then they announced that it was going to be a PERMANENT installation in Chicago. Which is unheard of, we were so happy. We've been waiting for months to go see this show.
Even waiting so long we have fairly crappy seats, we're in the Balcony, Row P but right near the aisle so not too bad.
(For those of you used to London style theater's, here in the US the balcony usually starts about halfway back from the stage over the Orchestra seats, so sometimes the back row can really be in the back row).
I'll try to take some pictures (0utside the theater of course because we all know you're not to take pictures in the house) and post tomorrow.
I hope that I'm not annoying and sing along with the entire show since I've been listening to it for years. But then again, the boyfriend probably will be singing along.
Ok, enough for being gay today!
Wait until we go see The Lion King next week! I love Disney shows, we saw Beauty & The Beast and it was amazing.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
What Does Your Birthdate Mean
Your Birthdate: February 6 |
A birthday on the 6th of the month adds a tone of responsibility, helpfulness, and understanding to your natural inclinations. Those born on the sixth are more apt to be open and honest with everyone, and more caring about family and friends, too. This is a number associated with responsibility and caring - this birthday lends a degree of concern for others. |
Light One Little Candle
Taking a break today, I found this post by Nickle Annie
There is a woman in NY who is dying from Breast Cancer and is creating a "legacy" for her daughter. Something so that her daughter will remember her.
Take a moment and watch the video on MSNBC:
Video
And then view the website:
Light One Little Candle
I am typically not a donater type person, but I did go up to Amazon and order a few books.
My company had a Healthy Eating seminar today hosted by the American Cancer Society, one of the handouts they provided said that by the year 2010-2015 1 out of 2 people (that's 50%) will have to deal with cancer in their lives.
I just want to send my love to:
My Grandfather, who I never knew, who died in 1955 of lung cancer when my Mother was 12.
My Uncle Bobby, who died of lung cancer in 1976 (I still think of him)
My MOTHER who is a TWO TIME cancer SURVIVOR (Thyroid and Breast)
My GRANDMOTHER who is currently battling Thyroid cancer at the age of 87
To everyone who has to deal with cancer in their lives
There is a woman in NY who is dying from Breast Cancer and is creating a "legacy" for her daughter. Something so that her daughter will remember her.
Take a moment and watch the video on MSNBC:
Video
And then view the website:
Light One Little Candle
I am typically not a donater type person, but I did go up to Amazon and order a few books.
My company had a Healthy Eating seminar today hosted by the American Cancer Society, one of the handouts they provided said that by the year 2010-2015 1 out of 2 people (that's 50%) will have to deal with cancer in their lives.
I just want to send my love to:
My Grandfather, who I never knew, who died in 1955 of lung cancer when my Mother was 12.
My Uncle Bobby, who died of lung cancer in 1976 (I still think of him)
My MOTHER who is a TWO TIME cancer SURVIVOR (Thyroid and Breast)
My GRANDMOTHER who is currently battling Thyroid cancer at the age of 87
To everyone who has to deal with cancer in their lives
Annoying Habits
I know we all have annoying habits, little things that we do that we don't even realize that we're doing. Those little "personality" quirks.
I have a friend who, in my humble opinion, has the most annoying habit. When we're in the car together and the radio is on, they'll start whistling along with the song.
It just grates on my nerves for some reason, perhaps it's because it ruins my enjoyment of the song. I never say anything because this person is a good friend, but sometimes I just want to reach over and put a cork in their mouth.
My annoying habit: When I watch a movie that I love (i.e. Drop Dead Gorgeous) I will talk along with the movie and shout out the lines with them. Typically it's with other folks who have seen the movie and are doing the same thing, but I try to control myself when it's a virgin watching the movie.
So what are some of your favorite movies to talk along with?
I have a friend who, in my humble opinion, has the most annoying habit. When we're in the car together and the radio is on, they'll start whistling along with the song.
It just grates on my nerves for some reason, perhaps it's because it ruins my enjoyment of the song. I never say anything because this person is a good friend, but sometimes I just want to reach over and put a cork in their mouth.
My annoying habit: When I watch a movie that I love (i.e. Drop Dead Gorgeous) I will talk along with the movie and shout out the lines with them. Typically it's with other folks who have seen the movie and are doing the same thing, but I try to control myself when it's a virgin watching the movie.
So what are some of your favorite movies to talk along with?
July 20, 1969
Well on this date in 1969 I was only a few months old, in fact I was only 144 days old, a gross (that's a dozen dozens), still a glint in my parents eyes.
But there was something else amazing going on.
The first Manned Lunar Landing.
Check out this google maps link
But there was something else amazing going on.
The first Manned Lunar Landing.
Check out this google maps link
Playing House
I guess you could say we’re “shacking up.”
I probably haven’t mentioned it in the past, but The Boyfriend was married for 10 years, yes married to a woman. And he has a beautiful 5 year old son who is the spitting image (and attitude) of himself.
The Boyfriend is a great father, he picks his son up every morning and takes him to school and picks him up in the evening and stays with him until his mother gets home from work, etc. He spends weekends with him, he is a great father to his son.
This past week, the son went to Upstate NY with some friends so The Boyfriend has not had his typical “tasks” that would keep us from seeing each other during the week.
On Friday I said to him, “You should pack up and stay at my house for the week.”
See, we typically spend a few nights during the work week together which means that one or the other of us has to get up earlier than normal and travel back to our own house to get ready for work. Granted we only live about 2 miles about and it’s a 10 minute car ride, but that’s 10 more minutes in bed.
So it’s Wednesday morning and we haven’t totally killed each other yet. Although he did get a little whiny though on Monday as I was “working” on the computer “Aren’t you going to come sit with me?” “What are you doing over there?” I told him I was working and that I didn’t feel like watching TV. That’ll show ‘em!
How do you handle whiny partners?
I'll give you updates as the week progresses, if I drop off the face of the earth please dial 911 for me.
I probably haven’t mentioned it in the past, but The Boyfriend was married for 10 years, yes married to a woman. And he has a beautiful 5 year old son who is the spitting image (and attitude) of himself.
The Boyfriend is a great father, he picks his son up every morning and takes him to school and picks him up in the evening and stays with him until his mother gets home from work, etc. He spends weekends with him, he is a great father to his son.
This past week, the son went to Upstate NY with some friends so The Boyfriend has not had his typical “tasks” that would keep us from seeing each other during the week.
On Friday I said to him, “You should pack up and stay at my house for the week.”
See, we typically spend a few nights during the work week together which means that one or the other of us has to get up earlier than normal and travel back to our own house to get ready for work. Granted we only live about 2 miles about and it’s a 10 minute car ride, but that’s 10 more minutes in bed.
So it’s Wednesday morning and we haven’t totally killed each other yet. Although he did get a little whiny though on Monday as I was “working” on the computer “Aren’t you going to come sit with me?” “What are you doing over there?” I told him I was working and that I didn’t feel like watching TV. That’ll show ‘em!
How do you handle whiny partners?
I'll give you updates as the week progresses, if I drop off the face of the earth please dial 911 for me.
The Word Game
Take a look at this link
http://www.wordcount.org/main.php
It appears to be an "art project" that lists the most common 86,800 words in the English language, in order of commoness.
Pretty cool that the first word is "The" and the last word is "Conquistador"
No wonder "The" won, look how many times I used the word already in just this post?
http://www.wordcount.org/main.php
It appears to be an "art project" that lists the most common 86,800 words in the English language, in order of commoness.
Pretty cool that the first word is "The" and the last word is "Conquistador"
No wonder "The" won, look how many times I used the word already in just this post?
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Things you'd like to say at work but can't
I got this in an email ages ago, I just found it so thought I would share. Actually Monday turned out pretty well and Tuesday is going well too, so it's been a good work week thus far.
Things you'd like to say at work but can't
1. I can see your point, but I still think you're full of shit.
2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.
3. How about never? Is never good for you?
4. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
5. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to see it my way.
6. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.
7. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
8. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.
9. It sounds like English, but I can't understand a word you're saying.
10. Ahhh... I see the screw-up fairy has visited us again...
11. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.
12. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.
13. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't give a damn.
14. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
15. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.
16. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
17. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.
18. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
19. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?
20. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.
21. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.
22. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
23. And your crybaby whiny-butt opinion would be...?
24. Do I look like a people person?
25. This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting.
26. I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.
27. Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.
28. If I throw a stick, will you leave?
29. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
30. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.
31. I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.
32. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.
33. Can I trade this job for what's behind door #1?
34. Too many freaks, not enough circuses.
35. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?
36. Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.
37. How do I set a laser printer to stun?
38. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.
Things you'd like to say at work but can't
1. I can see your point, but I still think you're full of shit.
2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.
3. How about never? Is never good for you?
4. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
5. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to see it my way.
6. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.
7. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
8. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.
9. It sounds like English, but I can't understand a word you're saying.
10. Ahhh... I see the screw-up fairy has visited us again...
11. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.
12. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.
13. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't give a damn.
14. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
15. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.
16. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
17. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.
18. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
19. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?
20. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.
21. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.
22. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
23. And your crybaby whiny-butt opinion would be...?
24. Do I look like a people person?
25. This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting.
26. I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.
27. Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.
28. If I throw a stick, will you leave?
29. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
30. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.
31. I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.
32. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.
33. Can I trade this job for what's behind door #1?
34. Too many freaks, not enough circuses.
35. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?
36. Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.
37. How do I set a laser printer to stun?
38. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Co-Workers
There's this one person on my team that for the last week has been coming in at 7:00 am (I get in at 7:30 and the rest of the team comes in somewhere between 8:45 and 9:00).
So she's been "gloating" that "Oh I've been getting here before all of you this week." blah blah blah.
But THEN, this morning, she sends me an email, questioning me about something that she KNOWS I don't know the answer to because it's not my issue, so I just reply back as such. Then the next email from her is questioning a report that I pull everyday (before anyone gets here) and starts questioning me about it, why is this here, what is that there, I don't understand, wha wha wha! So I patiently reply back that the way the data arrives is different than how I format it, and if she can give me 15 minutes right after I get here on a Monday morning, I would be glad to give her the correct report.
Oh it's gonna be a bad week!
Happy Monday to you!
So she's been "gloating" that "Oh I've been getting here before all of you this week." blah blah blah.
But THEN, this morning, she sends me an email, questioning me about something that she KNOWS I don't know the answer to because it's not my issue, so I just reply back as such. Then the next email from her is questioning a report that I pull everyday (before anyone gets here) and starts questioning me about it, why is this here, what is that there, I don't understand, wha wha wha! So I patiently reply back that the way the data arrives is different than how I format it, and if she can give me 15 minutes right after I get here on a Monday morning, I would be glad to give her the correct report.
Oh it's gonna be a bad week!
Happy Monday to you!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
A Big Gay Day
Well today was Gay Day at Wrigley Field, so a group of 8 of us went and joined the dozens of other homosexuals at the park.
Following is an outline of our day:
I got there early, in fact it was during batting practice and there were a whole bunch of people on the street with their ball gloves hoping to catch a ball.
Vince Vaughn sang during the 7th Inning Stretch. We saw him on the TV
Following is an outline of our day:
I got there early, in fact it was during batting practice and there were a whole bunch of people on the street with their ball gloves hoping to catch a ball.
David was the first to arrive:
After all of the girls got there, we went on into the park and quickly scouted out the frozen margarita stand.
When we got to our seats, we made sure that we found the important people at the stadium. Like the Beer Guy:
And the Cracker Jack Girl
Fortunately someone remembered to bring binoculars, so we could check out the hot boys sitting in the bleachers
We even had something to eat
And more to drink
We had some entertainment
Vince Vaughn sang during the 7th Inning Stretch. We saw him on the TV
Oh yeah, and we saw some guys playing baseball too.
All too soon they said it was last call
But not before we did the YMCA, it's so cliche.
So those of us who needed more to drink decided to go
We made one final stop and headed for home
The trains were so full we decided to go get some more cocktails
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