Presents begin

Look at the cute slippers Judy and Zak got me!

*Angi WB*
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Indiana

Sunset in Yorktown outside my sister's place. It is pretty here even if I am chilly!!

*Angi WB*
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Test

Blah. Blah.

*Angi WB*
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Christmas cheer

I am drinking a glass of wine and looking at our beautiful Christmas lights. Hubby put them up while I was making dinner. The photo above is an "in process" shot. You can see cool final product shots on hubby's photostream. (If you don't have the addy, let me know)

Yay Christmas! I got the rest of the stuff I need to make oreos and chocolate dipped spoons. I hope everyone is hungry when I see them!

*Angi WB*
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Today the Wii Fit made me sweat

Seriously. I even got a finger towel to wipe my brow. Wow!

So I have played it long enough to open some of the medium range stuff. These games/exercises are only 5-6 minutes long. But the boxing is awesome! So is the step aerobics. Stop, I know, how 80's but it is cute and I think it gets you ready for the little Dance Dance Revolution game they have out. It is also not as easy as I would like. Don't get me wrong, my dancer pals would have it in a heart beat but the Wii actually asked me if I fell down a lot when I walk!!! Heh heh.

Today my Wii age is 34. Not too bad, but not as good as yesterday when it told me I was 31.

The crab stuffed salmon was delicious. I was not feeling so hot so I just had salad and bread but I tasted Matt's. Yum. He liked it.

Ok, break is over. Another round of hula hoop anyone?

*Angi WB*
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Late night blog

Had some stuff to do today so I didn't have my normal coffee time. Things have changed a little. Matt does wii fit in the morning while I get his lunch ready and we have coffee together. I jump on the wii after he leaves.

Tee hee everyone wants to play the wii fit! We have to have people over soon.



Today was errands and grocery shopping. I got some nice salmon for dinner and we ate in the dining room amidst the Christmas decorations and boxes. Have to get the lights up. Garlands too. Maybe this weekend.



Stars are out and it is chilly! Matt covered our bird of paradise. The dog is loving the weather. He wants to be outside all day. I can see my breath as I type this. Brrrr!



Ha ha I just realized I called this Late Night blog but it's only midnight. My life is so different here. I'm in bed by 11p most nights. People who know me from Utah and the ships are laughing. 11p is when the evening begins when I am with them!



Ok the dog is ready to go in so it must be bedtime.



*Angi WB*

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over the hills and...oh who am I kidding... Down the highway we go.

We are all piled in the car, the trunk bursting with luggage and our tummies full of Chic-fila. It is about a three hour drive to my parents house. The holiday traffic isn't too bad right now. Going towards the city is a different story. They are already stop and go on the East bound side on the Interstate.



Brief pause for a flat tire. Matt changed it in 10 minutes flat! Yeah... I have a badass husband. On the side of the highway in the dark while rummaging around a full trunk to find the spare and the jack. Just as he was tightening the lug nuts the Road Rangers showed up. We told them we were cool and they drove off with a honk and a wave! Happy Thanksgiving to them for driving our roads and helping to ensure everyone arrives at their destinations in a timely manner.



Arrived safely and got settled in. McKenzie lost a tooth! We didn't even know it was loose but apparently it has been "wiggly ALL week!" Bit of a scramble for the Tooth Fairy. Silly me for emptying my wallet of cash before leaving. Too bad kids can't take plastic. Ha.



Now it is Thanksgiving day. I brought chocolate covered oreos and made deviled eggs and stuffing this morning. This is my Turkey Day MO. My mom seems to like my stuffing and eggs. McKenzie made place cards for the table. Too cute! We even took some family photos. It was a nice day.



Now it is Black Friday. We know one present we are getting. New tires for the Mustang. Damn my tires are expensive. Over $500 for the whole shebang. And that is with the tires themselves being 50% off! *sigh* Cars are expensive. We started the shopping frenzy off right by getting the very last Wii Fit at Sam's Club. The guy behind us told us we suck but we all laughed about it and had a nice breakfast provided by the store. Then off to the tire store. Next was Staples, Walmart, Bealls and Kohls. Not a whole lot out there that we wanted/needed. But we did get some great deals.



Ok this coffee time has spanned three days. Enough. Happy holidays!







*Angi WB*

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Florida winter

Well it is starting to be cold here a bit more often. The sun is still warm but there is a chill in the air. Today it is windy and cloudy. Brrr! My blood is thin from living in Florida for too long.



Cooper loves this "winter" weather. His fluffy coat no longer hinders him and he demands to play outside much longer than our puny skin can handle. Even my layer of fat can't protect me the way his gorgeous fur can.



Matt has been having coffee time with us lately. I love it! He and Coop play ball while we talk about what needs to get done today. We add and subtract things from our BlackBerry To Do lists while slurping coffee and taking in the nice, undeveloped land behind out backyard.



The undeveloped land is such a great addition to our little spot in the world. It has just about every bit of flora and fauna you expect in Wild Florida. There is no water so we are free of 'Gators but I swear we heard a cougar the other night. It was a sort of roaring noise and the Poo freaked out. Barking ferociously but doing it from under Daddy's chair. Ha ha!

Plus we have a bird of prey nest. When Cooper was tiny we had to watch because the Egrets would circle near him to contemplate dinner!



Ok, enough coffee time.

Lunch with Jamie today! Woot!



*Angi WB*

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A nice weekend

Yay we had a nice party! It was small but mighty. We think we had about 15 all together. I loved seeing everyone and catching up! We were going to take pictures but...



So the cookies were a big hit. I had about 75 at the top of the night and I think we had about 25 left over. The milk chocolate dipped peanut butter was the winner by quite a bit. I was also surprised that more people didn't like the mint ones. But so I think I know what I will do. I'm ordering some quality dipping chocolate and will be getting to work on them this week.



Mmmmm have you ever had Breakfast Bread from Publix? It is so good! I toasted mine and added a touch of butter. Yummy coffee time today!



Ugh daytime tv is awful. I can't stand to look at it for more than a few minutes at a time most of the day. I do like having the Food Network on in the background while I putter around the house. I tried crock pot BBQ pork the other night because of a recipe I caught.



I also am trying to find a hair stylist to work in THE MORNING on new years day for my sis-in-law's wedding. She is going for a 1940's old hollywood look with fingerwaves. Should be cool but it sure isn't cheap!



Right, time to get moving.



*Angi WB*

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Feeling icky

Not feeling so hot today. Went grocery shopping, cleaned kitchen and finished expense reports. Now...



Naptime.

Then...

More cookie making, more cleaning, dinner making.

Yay housewifery. *pause to think of Iago's line in Othello 2:1:112*

Stupid Facebook

Facebook is really honking me off right now. First off, now that I have Facebook mobile, my computer version has turned Captcha back on so I have to fill out that annoying "words in a box" thing EVERY time I write on someone's wall. I tried to reverify but it is not going well. I emailed support but have received no reply. ...yet. I think I will have to delete Facebook mobile and try to reinstall it. Maybe that will fix the computer version. I should note that when I hit the verify button it tells me to verify my phone number, which I have obviously already done because I am receiving the mobile updates. *sigh*

Secondly, why do we have friend lists if we can't message all of them at once? If you have less than 20 friends on the list, you CAN send them a message. Seriously? I have over 600 friends. The only list that is smaller than 20 was my High School list and it jumped to 24 yesterday. There is not even a function that allows you to select PART of the list. You just have to find them one by one. Which brings me to my biggest gripe...

I have been trying to blog everyday. It is harder than I thought it would be! Coming up with topics that I think people will find even marginally interesting everyday is a little taxing. Recently I wrote about my hometown. I thought the people I know who have lived there might get a kick out of it. Hence the trying to message everyone at once thing. When it didn't work I started going to their pages individually and posting a note with the link on their wall. Bad move on my part. Now Facebook thinks I am a spammer because I was pasting the post on the walls and I was audacious enough to do it 10 times in a row. How do they tell me they don't like it? They put up a pink box that says I have exceeded my wall post allotment and am banned until further notice! Bleah! I am not a spammer! Now don't get me wrong, I hate spammers as much as you do, but seriously? 10 posts? Well I think it is because I cut and pasted. I guess telling people about this blog is out of the question on Facebook. Silly me, assuming the friends I have don't look at my posts every day. Apparently Facebook thinks they will!

Ok ok. Enough ranting.

I just discovered that the lock out time is 3 hours. I guess first time offenders only get a little slap on the wrist. Ooooo I wonder if this is going to go down on my permanent record... *brief pause to sing Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes*

Ok. Laundry is dry, coffee is cold and Cooper is snoring away on the couch. I guess Coffee Time is over. Bummer.

Xx



*Angi WB*

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Why, oh why, do we dye?

I'm getting ready to dye my hair. Oh gosh, you know my secret, I'm not a natural red head. Ha ha, as if. It is funny though, a lot of people did think I was a natural red head. I guess I have the skin color for it or something. I remember the first time I went blonde while I was in Utah... People freaked! They said "your natural color is so pretty, why did you go blonde?" I responded that I had not seen my natural color in many, many years and doubted they even knew what it was.

I have that sort of weird chameleon hair. On its own it is different shades all over my head. Combined it makes that dirty, dishwater blondish-brown - almost looks gray - color. You know what I mean. You see it in real life on the mousy-haired, dull, lifeless "I don't need a bad-ass hair color to be cool" ladies.

I am not that sort of gal. I am vivacious and obnoxious and plain-Jane hair would not work on me. (The people who know me in real life are snickering right now.)

Well now I am in the waiting stage. I have mixed the gunk and put it on my head. (You must be nuts if you think I would post photos of this!)

In 25 minutes I will be back to the red you see in my profile photo. Yes, I will probably post some "after" photos tomorrow.

Highlights tomorrow...... yeah you didn't think beauty was easy, did you?

Peace out.

My hometown...

I'm going back to Indiana for a brief holiday trip. It's always bittersweet to go back to the old home front. I like seeing my family and the few friends that still live there. But it is sort of depressing too. Although my hometown has been getting more fast food chains and prefab stores like Best Buy, it seems to be losing people. I googled Muncie this morning to see what I could see. I particularly liked the Wikipedia page.

LAZY MUNCIE (Parody of the LAZY SUNDAY skit on SNL)


Oh go watch it, you know you want to see where I grew up.

Yes, Jim Davis (Garfield creator) lives there. Yes they filmed Armed and Famous there. Actually several "people of note" are from Muncie. (check it out on Wikipedia)

My hometown was also a sociological case study. You can learn all about the Middletown Studies here. I know all this stuff already as I played one of the authors, Helen Lynd, in college.

Also, my hometown is 83% white, 12% African American and 5% "other races." Yeah, I'm from the Rust Belt..... The KKK was big in Muncie in the 1920's. *sigh* I learned about it in Magic Middletown and Citizen Klansmen. I own Magic Middletown, btw, if you are interested.

Here is a list of Cultural References to Muncie, Indiana. (I loved reading through this! This list is copied from wikipedia...the links do not work but you can go to the wikipedia page and click on them)

Cultural references to Muncie

• The 1960 Korean War film All the Young Men features Alan Ladd as a soldier from Muncie.
• In several episodes of Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971) Carter and other characters refer to Muncie. Carter seems to have either grown up there or spent time there while growing up.
• In the 1966 Dick Van Dyke film Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N., Lt. Crusoe complains that his malfunctioning navigational equipment will only tell him how far he is from Muncie.
• The "star" of the eponymous Tom Slick segment of the late 1960s animated series George of the Jungle frequently raced to or from Muncie (and, at least once, to and from Muncie).
• The "What Are Sex Perverts?"' segment of Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972) features a rabbi from Muncie.
• In the 1976 TV pilot movie for The Love Boat, Tom Bosley plays Muncie native George Havlicek.
• The 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind is partially set in Muncie.
• Television talk show host David Letterman, whose national career began in 1980, often refers to Muncie when needing to name a small, provincial town.
• Though the 1986 movie Hoosiers pits Hickory's basketball team against South Bend's team, the real life story that inspired the movie features Muncie Central High School's 1954 championship loss to the team from Milan.
• The A-Team episode "Mission of Peace," which originally aired March 11, 1986 mentioned that the lion statues in front of the fake Mission were actually from the public library in Muncie.
• It is revealed in the 1987 Garfield Goes Hollywood television special that cartoon characters Garfield, Jon, and Odie live in Muncie.
• In the Saturday morning cartoon Garfield and Friends, characters often mention Muncie. Examples include Roy Rooster asking for "a pickle in the shape of Muncie, Indiana"; Garfield growing a minimall on the shores of the "Muncie River"; and Binky the Clown interrupting surgery at "Cedars of Muncie Hospital."
• In the musical revue The Taffetas, about a four sister singing group, Muncie is named as the sisters' home town. The show began off Broadway in 1988.^[20]
• The cartoon character "Snake" from The Simpsons (1989- ) played lacrosse for Ball State University located in Muncie Indiana. Also, Superintendent Chalmers went to BSU.
• Knights of the Dinner Table (1990- ) - A comic strip set in Muncie. Parody of Roleplaying groups and Dungeons & Dragons.
• Bikini Summer (1991) features "Holly from Muncie, Indiana" in a wet T-shirt contest.
• In the 1994 film The Hudsucker Proxy the main character, Norville Barnes, was born and raised in Muncie. The city is referenced throughout the movie.
• Gregory Howard Williams' best selling autobiography, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black (first published in 1996), is mostly set in Muncie, his adopted hometown.
• The X-Files episode "Salvage," which first aired on January 14, 2001, was set in Muncie.
• Toby Keith's 2001 song I Wanna Talk About Me contains the line "We talk about your nanna up in Muncie, Indiana."
• The romance in Say It Isn't So (2002) begins in Muncie
• In the fifth season (2004-5) of The Gilmore Girls television series one of the characters (Doyle McMaster, a native of the state and boyfriend to Paris Geller) reports that he spent his summer interning at the fictional Muncie Messenger newspaper.
• Muncie was the setting for Armed and Famous, a celebrity reality TV show that premiered on CBS in January, 2007.
• In the popular viral video spoof of the original Saturday Night Live sketch Lazy Sunday, Lazy Muncie references the Muncie cityscape, including Muncie Mall, McGalliard Road, and a cameo appearance by Jim Davis.

Ok, I doubt anyone is still reading because who cares about my hometown, but it is MY hometown and I love it no matter how much of a craphole it is... wait...

....It can't be that bad, huh? I turned out ok.

Weekend musings

We had the Munchkin this weekend. When she is here I get to play mom. She is 10 and awesome. I am very lucky that Hubby's ex is a wonderful lady. We are all friends. When Matt and I got married Munchkin's mom asked her if she knew what StepMom meant. She told Munchkin that StepMom means "Best friend with whipping powers." How cool is that? She was only 4 when we tied the knot so she has grown up thinking this about me. I know, I am blessed to be in this situation.

Having a kid in the house changes everything, eh? We close our bedroom door at night and have to remember to be dressed when we get up to make coffee. Other funny things happen too... I was walking by the guest bathroom Saturday and heard the Star Spangled Banner being sung loudly while a certain girl was on the toilet. Her dad shouted through the door and she told him to stop listening because she was concentrating!

We had a great weekend at home. We all pitched in to do more "spring" cleaning and took breaks playing Wii and Playstation. This kid is smokin' at bowling and Guitar Hero!

Hubby and I have been talking about getting WiiFit. It has mixed review online about not being able to play multiplayer but I really like how almost every reviewer said they thought about the WiiFit telling them they are fat whenever they went to over eat! Ahhh motivation.

Cooper is doing better. His little nose is starting to heal. We still don't know what happened but I think he had a run-in with the Aloe plant forest we have on the back porch. The lizards like to hide there. Oh how he loves to hunt lizards!

Ok I think that is enough Coffee Time for today. Life IS good, isn't it? Hope you have a wonderful day!



*Angi WB*

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Doggy Smiles

Our favorite son has many names. Cooper, Pooh, Boo Boo, Little Face and even Senior Farty Pants.

He is a big dog in a little dog body. Right now I am watching him patrol his patch of land in our back yard. He is like a little sentry, watching the perimeter, sniffing out all lizards and making sure they know he will kill them if they drop their guard.

I particularly like it when he "reads the newspaper," - as Matt calls it - by sitting on the hill and smelling the breeze. He is like a little King checking on all of his subjects.

He has a doggy posse too. His boxer pal, Fergus, lives a few doors down. Fergus is like a knight. He gets to roam much further into the undeveloped land behind our place and brings news of feral cats and the birds of prey that live in a big man-made nest that we can see. Max is a schnauzer that lives the other way down the block. Max has a nice older lady owner who walks him around the neighborhood so he is like a greybeard advisor with news from the townspeople. There is also a beautiful old border collie who lives close but doesn't venture out much. There are two other schnauzer and a pomeranian named Felix who live katty-corner to us. That is a neighboring kingdom and there is usually a lot of barking and demands when we venture by their place. Cooper takes it all in stride and prances through as if he doesn't notice the noise.



Yeah... Dogs are cool.

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Blog test

The chocolate covered oreos were pretty successful. I have been researching how to temper chocolate so the next batch won't melt on your fingers so much. I think for Christmas I will try mint in the chocolate. I also read about Trader Joe's having mint flavored oreos so maybe I will get some when I trek to Indiana next month. We really need a Joe's here.



I am also going to make peanut butter filled chocolate covered oreos for Christmas, I think. KenZie wants to make popcorn balls. Take that, Suzy Homemaker!



Hey Gruber got a cool new job as Production Manager of Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. He needs a kick ass Company Manager so if you are one... Let him know. Or tell me and I will pass it on. Dates are like early May to end of August. Google it. It looks like an awesome outdoor space.



Aaargh. I have to finish spring cleaning. I have the master bath and the guest room to go. After those are good then Matt and I have to tackle the office. How long do you keep old bills anyway?



Ok. Enough coffee time. Back to reality. ...does that make me Rabbit?





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Virtual Coffee Time

I was up early this morning and wanted to call Ms. Debbie but it was the middle of the night on her side of the country. So I used my CrackBerry to write her an email. I called it virtual coffee time because of our old Porch tradition. If you ever hung out on The Porch in Utah, you know what I am talking about.

Coffee time starts with that "I'm alive but not awake" time of the morning where you auto pilot into the bathroom and then on to the kitchen to make some coffee. I let the dog out when I am home. Debbie drinks a huge glass of water to rehydrate. Nykol talks to her cat. Everyone has their own ritual.

Anyway, by the time the coffee is done I am ready to have a nice sit. When people are around its the time to rehash "last night," discuss what the day holds and a bit of time to bitch or whine....take your pick.

Since I am kind of alone now I do all this without opening my mouth. Matt is either still sleeping when I get up or vice-versa so I can rarely share coffee time with him. Boo...as Michael would say.

Being on extended vacation is boring but my house is looking awesome. We have rearranged most of the house and cleaned almost every surface in the place. Nice. I like clean, shiny house.

Today I experimented with Milk Chocolate covered Oreos. I am thinking of making them for Christmas presents. Heh heh those of you in Orlando and possibly Indiana are in for a treat.

Love ya

P.S. I think I will be in Indiana Dec 10-15. I'll keep you posted.

I got a CrackBerry...

Oh good lord we got them..... here is the BlackBerry Curve.

I blame Zak for getting Matt interested but I know I need it. It does everything I need and a lot I don't!

Here is mine!Do you like it? I love it!

Matt got the silver one.

An ending...

So Utah is wrapping up for the season. I heard great things about Jim Sullivan's show, Gaslight. If you haven't checked it out, here is a clip.



NykiDee reports that it is freezing there and that she is ready for a little warm weather.

Sadly, Fred Adam's wife, Barbara, passed away on Wednesday. You can read her lovely obit here.



I do have more photos to post, but I have been on ships for the past two months and have not had time. I will be home in about a week so look for another update then.



And if anyone is looking for an AEA SM for the Nov-Jan slot. I'm your grrrl.



XOXO

P.S. I got mentioned in a review! Can you believe it?????

http://www.jevansonline.com/othelloreview.htm

Utah Shakespearean Festival - Cedar City
Seen: Friday, August 8, 2008 *****
This is probably one of the few productions I will ever give 5 stars to, but this hands down is the finest production of this Shakespeare masterpiece I have ever seen in my entire life! Director J.R. Sullivan has mounted a breathtaking and truly chilling production of this beautiful and terrifying tragedy. IMHO William Shakespeare in this play created the perfect personfication of pure evil in the character of Iago and James Newcomb's triumphant performance in this role was nothing short of genius! He absolutely frightened me and played the role with such relish and evil joy that it was terrifying to watch and at the same time thrilling to watch. WOW is all I can say. Equally by his side was Jonathan Earl Peck's heartbreaking and towering performance in the title role. Mr. Peck was tall, handsome and absolutely stunning to watch every minute he was on stage. Equally heartbreaking was the two performances by the young Lindsey Wochley (Desdemona) and the wonderful Corliss Preston as Iago's wife Emilia. These two magnificant actresses brought triumphant performances to the stage as well. Lindsey looked and acted as a 19-year old would and it was so tragic and heartbreaking to watch as her life slowly was taken away from her scene by scene, and Corliss as always brought a power and a majesty to her performance as Iago's long suffering wife Emilia. By the time she stood so powerfully on that stage and decried Iago for his evil deeds, I was in tears. And her tragic murder at the hands of Iago was devastating as well as Desdemona's. I was shaking and crying all the way back to my hotel room after this production. This production will haunt me the rest of my days. Kudos as well to a fine production team: R. Eric Stone (Scenery), Bill Black (Costumes), Donna Ruzika (her stunning lighting design was brilliant, particularly in the cold scenes between Othello and Iago, and the devastating final scene), Joe Payne (Sound, his original score was breathtaking), Michael Flachmann (Dramaturg), Terry Weber (Vocal Coach), Christopher Villa (Fight Director) and Angi Weiss-Brandt (Stage Manager). I highly HIGHLY recommend this production to everyone! Don't miss this towering masterpiece of classic theater and an equally towering masterpiece of a production!

Sorry

Hi guys,

I know it has been a while since I updated. I have been onboard the Infinity and the Constellation for the past 2 months. I will be home on October 30th with new photos and lots to update.

In the meantime, I need a job for Nov-Jan. Anyone have suggestions?

Love ya!

I think he would be good for us....

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

My opinion.....

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Superhero Party 2008

The 8th annual Superhero Party was a blast! We had a ton of fun and there were some kick A$$ costumes!!!!

I have 142 photo and I cannot upload them all on there. So I went to Facebook and put them up. If you are not my friend you will need to add me in order to see them..... Angi Weiss-Brandt (AND I STILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE I KNOW IN REAL LIFE......)

Here are some highlights.

Jose and Kai (aka Mr. SmartyPants ans Nightcrawler - or Kurt Wagner as I prefer)
Nicole and Head (of Coral Reef and super Sexy Chef)
Lindsay and Justin (or My Super Ex Girlfriend and The (new) Joker)
Becky and NykiDee (or Understudy Girl and Randall girl)
Steve, Kari and Matthew J (or The Incredibles!)

Kai, Angi and Brad (or Nightcrawler, The Artful Dodger and 7755 man)
Katie aka Super Grover!
Craig Christ
BJ as The Intoxicator!

Now join FACEBOOK.....

XOXO

*sigh*

Yes, I am well aware that we are into July and there have been exactly ZERO posts from the Porch. This was a hard season for me. Othello kicked my ass and I still had to find the energy to do The School for Wives as well.

Woo hoo we opened!!!! Yay! My shows are both good.

I don't care what people say about Othello being too long. It's worth watching for 3 hours and 5 minutes. It is awesome. I would never review my actors in a public forum but this time I almost would. Let's just say I am VERY proud to be part of this production.

COME SEE OTHELLO YOU WIMPS!

The School for Wives is so much fun!! It's short, funny and a touch bawdy. I am having a great time working on it. (A shout out to my Crippled Crew - - every single one of my Wives crew members is hurt. Chris has a hyper extended knee, Justin got poked in the eye with a sharp stick and Lindsay's foot got run over by a GenieLift. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND I AM SORRY YOU ARE BROKEN!!!!!)

This is a period of adjustment summer for us for sure. A lot of new people and some new job titles and position switches.

Here is a quick low down (and I am sure I will miss some stuff so just let me know)

Richard our FANTASTIC Scenery Director (and impromptu TD in the Adams) is leaving us in a couple of day's for the Gutherie. We will miss him!

Zak and Tina had their sweet twins which are keeping them both occupied. They are also moving to a Carolina (which one escapes me - sorry)

Ben was Props master in the Randall as well as being the Props Director. He did an awesome job and we loved having him!

There is a bunch of other shit going on but it doesn't make me very happy so I don't find a need to report it here. Things to remember..... there is a touch of Iago in all of us and anyone who says differently is LYING to themselves.

"To be direct and honest is not safe"
-Iago
Othello

What else?

Oh Jamie S. will be in town tomorrow!!! WOOOOT!!!!!!! We have also had a myriad of visitors this summer. Micah left this morning, Kate Glo was here a couple of weekends ago. Debbie has been in and out (not that we see much of here around these parts - - but thems the breaks). Nykol's friend Robbie is in town today - hope she can find time to see him with all her WORK...ha ha!

I have lots more to say but things are getting scattered. Sorry! I will make another blog soon.

Anyhow, hope you are all having a nice summer! Drop me a line and let me know how you are doing!!

XOXO

Auditions for Gary Musick Company

LIVE AUDITIONS for Gary Musick Company

NYC Ripley-Greer Studios April 21&22

London Pineapple Studios April 28 & 29

(these audition dates are for the Norwegian JADE--"Smokey Joe's Cafe" etc) This ship will have 4 book shows on it - meaning actual theater and not JUST musical reviews.

Tentative general audition in Vancouver, BC on June 1st. Stay tuned for more info!

SINGERS:
Prepare a ballad and an up-tempo selection in the styles that best represent your vocal ability.
You may be asked to sing selections from some of our shows (music available at the audition).
A pianist (please have sheet music in your key) and CD/cassette player will be provided.
Singers may be asked to return for a callback to include dance movement.
Please bring a picture and resume or C.V.

DANCERS:
Our choreographer will teach challenging combinations including jazz, tap and modern.
Please bring a picture and resume or C.V.

VIDEO AUDITION:
If you are unable to attend an audition, you may apply by video.
Here is what we will be looking for in your video:

SINGERS:
Singers should include both a ballad and an up-tempo. Our shows range from Broadway standards to contemporary and classic pop to operatic arias, so a selection from any of those genres is appropriate. Clips of past performances are welcome. Performance energy and “sell” are also reviewed.

DANCERS:
Dancers should demonstrate an excellent grasp of dance performance from basic fundamentals to difficult combinations. All styles of dance are incorporated into our shows, particularly jazz, ballet and tap. Demonstration of basics such as jetes, pique turns, split leaps, chaine turns, and battements are critical. Tap is also a required skill. Specialty work such as pointe work, adage and tumbling are also very desirable. Clips of past performances are welcome, but please avoid submissions that are solely comprised of competition work. Performance energy, personality and “sell” are also reviewed. Recommended maximum length of video is 5 minutes.
Please send a non-returnable videotape (VHS preferred), CDV or DVD with picture and resume or C.V. to:
AUDITIONS
GARY MUSICK PRODUCTIONS, INC.
885 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville, TN, USA, 37210
Further inquiries can be made at:
615-259-2400
auditions@garymusick.com

Some sad news

Hello all,

Here is a link to Ted's obituary.

I think most of you know this by now, but just in case you have not heard yet...

Ted Jensen passed away in his sleep on Friday night/Saturday morning. Kate G. (aka Katie bear) called me on Sunday morning and asked me to pass the word along. Sally called Noah, who called Kate. Noah did not have any more details. I am sure our local Cedar family knows more about what is going on, funeral arrangements, etc.

We all have our memories of Ted. I remember a lot of things about him but what I choose to remember most is how he helped Karen rebuild after the flood. He helped with removal of all the waterlogged stuff, the dry wall, the carpet, the tons of STUFF that got wet. He and the rest of the Carps organized that benefit in the park to help raise money for repairs.

Take a moment to think of Ted and Sally. Call or email if you can.

And for God's sake take care of yourselves! I love you all.

XOXO

Headed to PR

Hiya!

So I am out of here at 3:45AM to head to Puerto Rico and get on the Summit. I'll be there for 2 weeks, cruising the Eastern Caribbean and opening 3 shows. The cast is AWESOME! I love them all and I feel so lucky that they are good, focused and sweet.

Can I just mention that working for Gary Musick Company rocks my world??

Subject change....

Kenzie fell off her bike the other day. 6 stitches in her chin, chipped front tooth, loose molar and lots of bumps and bruises. Poor baby! She is feeling crappy. Send her your love!!!!!!

What else? I'm going to be in Indiana in mid-March so if you can meet for lunch, give me a ring. We will be in a hotel since my sister's house is full and we will have the pup with us. I'd love to see as many of you as possible.

Ok I have to wake up in 5 1/2 hours to leave so I am outta here!

XOXO

Just a quicky....

Stage Managers of 2008

Karen
Cyrano

Angi
Othello and School for Wives

Becky
Two Gentlemen of Verona and Taming of the Shrew

NykiDee
Fiddler on the Roof

Equity ASM
Erin

Admin SM
Cheryl

ASM's and PA's to be announced....

Did you know David Ivers is directing Cyrano? Brian Vaughn is playing the lead.

Are you coming back? Let me know.

XOXO

Leaving on a jet plane......again

So I am almost all packed and ready to go. Ok, not really but I have all my clothes in a big pile next to the suitcase and I have another pile of toiletries in my bedroom ready to be bagged. I leave in 2 days! Shit! Where did the time go?
True, I was only home for 11 weeks but they sure went by in a hurry! Seems like just yesterday it was Christmas or something. Actually, Christmas seems like a lifetime ago but it feels rehearsal for As You Like It just started yesterday. When in reality the show closed last Sunday.
Oi what a ride we had on AYLI! A million close calls and yet no understudies went on. I dont' know how that is possible. I feel like I held that show together by sheer will. Lucky me to have such a good cast and crew!

So next up is Summit with Gary Musick Company! I am starting to think the like me there! They are bringing me in a week early (hence my jet plane on Sunday) to help out. I will be in Nashvegas for 2 weeks and then on the Summit for 2 weeks. I am going to Puerto Rico! WOOt!!!!!!!!

Here is my schedule.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Roseau, Dominica, St. George'S, Grenada, Kralendijk, Bonaire, Oranjestad, Aruba, San Juan, Puerto Rico

THEN REPEAT (I am doing 2 cruises back to back - that's how we get the shows up.)

The ONLY place I have been to is Aruba and it's sentimental to me because that was my first stop on my first cruise with GMC! Hooray for travel! I am so blessed to have a job that lets me see the world and PAYS me for it. I am telling you, I think about how lucky I am to have this gig ALL THE TIME. (Thanks, MJ for having enough confidence in me to hire me with no experience in the Production Management world!!!)

Some of my pals from my first ship will be out with me.

This is me, Nicki, Jen and Emma (Jen can't join us since she is getting MARRIED!!!!)
This is Andy Lee and me. Oh I love this Duckie right here!
The sexy chic in the center is Kerry! Woot!!

A couple of the singers from the Millennium will be there too, Freddy and Matt. Can't wait to see them!!!!!!

I just got off the phone with Babs - - she is going to be one of the costumers and Erin is my Choreographer! I am surrounded by people that I love! YEAH BABY!


Ok I should run off. Time to get the dog to the groomer. He is getting his velvet pants on - - for those of you who know what means!!!! (It means we are giving him a lion cut - - shaving his hind end!!!!) - - Yes I will post a photo soon!

Anyway, I love and miss all of you - - oh - - I got my Utah offer the other day. I'll blog about that on The Porch later.

XOXO

AYLI is NOT cursed...

Yeah so the Scottish play is next up at Orlando Shakes. You know how I know? All the crazy stuff that has been happening to my show (As You Like It) while that OTHER show is in design meetings.

What has happened, you ask?

Well some weird stuff like the huppa (marriage canopy with lanterns) fell in a freak accident. As it was being flown out the electrical wiring somehow touched the aircraft cable it hung from causing an arc that cut through the cable sending a lantern hurtling towards the stage (and our Rosaline who was passing by underneath.) in a shower of sparks. The plastic connector chain held and the lantern stopped about 8' above the ground. (whew)

The connector bar for the smoker's doors came out on its own and tried to hit me in the head. It missed though.

The house lights flashed wildly during the talk back yesterday. (Yes I know this is an ongoing problem but this is MY story, people)

ASM Andrea got hit in the middle of the forehead with the trap and has a nice bruise.

Touchstone (Brad DePlanche) cut his foot open on a piece of hardware embedded in the stage. Then the next day he managed to find an earring (he thought it was a shard of glass) stuck in his foot. SAME FOOT, SAME SPOT.

I got locked out of the booth at intermission during opening last night.

But now for the scary moment. The night before we opened as Orlando, Rosaline and Celia were driving home they were n an accident. A dumb ass in a pickup truck dropped his soda can and reached down to pick it up. He rear ended my actors while they were waiting to turn into their parking lot. He was going 40 miles an hour. Rosaline and Celia went to the hospital and were released at 3:30 am. The girls went home, slept for a while then made the decision to do their 10:30a show as well as opening night. (I KNOW!!!! Are they amazing or what???) They are stiff and sore with some bruises and some whiplash but they were amazing and the show is awesome.

Anyway, these were the things I could think of that have happened. Silly OTHER show, I blame it for making strange things happen in my show. Now I am open and hopefully nothing too nutty will happen in the future.

(Yes I know I normally am not superstitious but this is a bit out of control.....)

Anyhow, we are up an running and the show is SOOOOOO beautiful. Come see it.

xoxo

TECH Tech tech tech techTechtechtech

Well we made it through the cue to cue for As You Like It. It was a wild ride but we have done all of the written cues at this point. We still have stuff to work and we need to re-tech this huge shift into Arden that involves falling chains and fabric and people swinging in from a silk rope. (Note: it was supposed to be a slide, then it was a trampoline with rope then it was just rope.) It's a little awe inspiring to watch. I missed a snow cue yesterday because I was watching the fabric trees falling from the ceiling. (We don't have a catwalk or fly space in the Margeson.) It is cool but takes 20 minutes to restore. :(

Anyway, today we work the Arden shift, do a lot of singing and some other junk. Tonight is a full run but not a dress. Should be a good time!

*ahem* Can I have a moment of respect for my ASM's who did a 10 out of 12 last night and probably got to sleep around 2 only to be back at work at 9:30a this morning for a two hour understudy rehearsal before out 2p-10:30p. DUDE! They are troopers.

Tomorrow is my day off! WOOOOOOO!

Okay, gotta run. The AYLI juggernaut is revving up for another pass and I need to jump on!

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