Happy Halloween!

In honour of Halloween, everyone in the office wore black to work today. This was a spontaneous happenstance - there were no furtive phone calls the night before to coordinate outfits. I wore my new black sweater layered over an orange-ish top and my magic pants. You know the ones I mean, they're "the pants that make everyone's bum look good".

My only problem with my magic pants is that they're too long and I'm too lazy/inept to hem them properly. This happens with a lot of my pairs of pants, so sometimes I improvise and hem them using tape, usually masking tape or packing tape. This technique works well with cotton material, but, as I discovered today, it does not work as well with the rayon/polyester/spandex magic pants.

You see, the tape only holds for a limited time, like, maybe 20 minutes. Then it gradually loses its stickiness, and your hems start to droop, and pretty soon you're walking on your pant legs. Applying a fresh layer of tape does not help, rather it adds to the tell-tale crinkly sound your pants make as you walk.

What's a girl to do? Well, if you're me, you strategically staple your hem in place and pray that people are too busy looking at your (hopefully) shapely bottom to notice your hemline.

And perhaps it's time to learn how to sew.

Good morning to you

So this Daylight Savings Time is not quite working for me. Don't get me wrong, I love getting up in the daylight, but having total darkness at six o'clock in the evening is ridiculous. I feel like I should be hibernating. For example, today after work, I had a long nap followed by two hours of lounging in bed. I think we should all get to work less during the day, so we can take advantage of the precious sunlight as much as possible.

On Fame today, there was a showdown between two rival street gangs. Instead of fighting, they had a dance-off, and they recruited some of the "tough" dancers from the school to help polish their breakdancing skills. Squee!!

Also, I'm trying to place an order on amazon.ca, and I need to spend $5.57 more to qualify for free delivery. Any suggestions??

Glawdee.

Well, it's been a busy weekend. I'm starting to feel the effects of being involved in three different choirs at the same time. My Tuesday choir held a workshop on Friday evening and all day Saturday. The purpose of the workshop was to work with Howard Dyck, who will be our conductor for our Messiah performances. He was very enjoyable to work with, and I'm really looking forward to singing Handel's Messiah in concert. It's a challenging piece, and I'm amazed that there are so many people in our choir who seem to know it as well as I would know the songs from a musical.

This afternoon I had my regularly scheduled rehearsal for Christmas@the playhouse. It's really great for getting into the Christmas spirit, even if it is still October. Our progress with the songs is a little slow, and since we're essentially a bunch of backup singers, we rarely get to sing the whole song through. I can't wait to hear everything all together.

And not to neglect my Wednesday choir, I spent some time on Saturday evening clicking out some notes on the the electronic keyboard I have on my computer. I wish I had a real piano. Or at least a real keyboard.

Also, FYI, Studio 60 is not on this week. But Heroes is, and you should all watch it, because it's freaking awesome.

I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly.

I love this show. I love this show. I love this show.

Most of you probably do not remember Fame. It originally aired in the early 80's, when I was an impressionable wee girl. The show chronicles the lives of teenagers at a performing arts high school in New York. It's sort of a hybrid of Degrassi and Centre Stage, with more singing. It's the perflect blend of hokey storytelling and magnificent dance sequences. And singing! Did I mention the singing? Every episode there's a song and/or dance, featuring fantastically retro 80's music.

I used to own two Fame sweatsuits (yes. sweatsuits.): one purple and one navy blue. My longstanding fear of the witch from Wizard of Oz stems from watching the episode of Fame where Doris dreams she's Dorothy. My first ever crush was on Bruno - the dark-eyed, curly-haired keyboard player (and he could sing!). I wanted to go to the school and sing and dance and act all day.

No wonder I'm a theater nut.

I like sushi.

It was an abbreviated TV Party this evening, as both Grey's and ER were repeats. It greatly amuses me that ABC is airing the season's first two episodes of Grey's back to back this evening. In the correct order. Imagine that. It sounds so... competent.

Michelle and I had to compensate for the lack of tv viewing by going shopping. I bought a fab retro-ish clock for my kitchen. And, I even hung it up. That's right people, there is something hanging on the walls of my apartment. Huzzah!

The one advantage of reruns is that you can catch other shows that may have been overlooked, like the splendiferously enjoyable Ugly Betty. I believe it will be added to the Thursday tv viewing schedule. Now we'll have three hours of tv to enjoy!

Two steps forward, two steps back

After work today I had two goals - 1. go for a run and 2. make marinated pork tenderloin for supper. I ran into a little snag when I discovered that I was out of orange marmalade, a necessary ingredient for my marinade. I really wanted to get my run in before dark, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and run to the grocery store to pick up the marmalade.

The first flaw of this plan was that after running to the grocery store (a totally doable 25-min run), I then had to walk back to my apartment carrying a bag of groceries (I also picked up bread and cucumbers). The second flaw of the plan was I failed to consider the weather forecast, so I spent 45 minutes walking back to my apartment in the rain. Uphill.

Thankfully, my marmalade was intact, and my pork tenderloin was delicious. So what if I didn't get to eat until 8:00?

Memo

To my Downstairs Neighbour:

Thank you so much for sharing your music with me last night. The unconventional late hour of your impromptu concert did not lessen the profound impact of the songs on my well-being. Who needs sleep when one can listen to a relentless base rhythm for over an hour? I sincerely hope I was able to add to your listening pleasure with my well-practiced foot stomps. I assure you that I will feel the effect of listening to your music for days to come.

Sincerely,

Ear Girl

What I did on my field trip...

New coat!

Ug. Too many M&M's.

So I'm temporarily suspending my displeasure re: Studio 60 and the lack of Lauren Graham, because I saw the preview for next week, and she's totally on the show again! And I think they're going to let her speak!

Tomorrow I'm going to Moncton again to finally buy my coat. They got new stock in on Monday, and hopefully they've been holding one in my size for me. Third time's the charm. While I'm there, I may have to buy a black sweater. It's for choir. It's totally necessary. Seriously.

And there was a serious lack of Stamos and stubble on ER tonight.

And I thought it was funny that as Michelle and I watched Grey's tonight, we were eating M&M's during Denny's M&M. If my name started with an "M", it would have been even better.

Rejected.

That's what it says on my car. I took a big grown-up step today and took it to the dealer all by myself to be fixed. It was making some disturbing noises. In addition, the inspection was overdue, so I figured I would have everything done at once. Turns out my car needs two new front brake rotor somethings before it can pass inspection, and they have to order the parts in, so in the meantime, I'm driving around with a highly visible rejection sticker on my windshield.

I feel so exposed, so humiliated, so... rejected.

I have also decided that it's time to stop being so unknowledgeable about the inner workings of a car. I am quite smart, and I am certain that if I am given the proper information, I can learn more about auto mechanics. If I can program hearing aids, I'm sure I can understand how a car works. Then I won't feel like they're talking gibbly gock when they tell me what needs to be replaced.

"Shoe money tonight!"

Okay, so I'm still stubbornly persisting in watching Studio 60. I'm not exactly sure why - perhaps it's the faint glimmers of "Sports Night"-ish dialogue. Perhaps it's the decently amusing "Dr. Nicholas Cage show". Perhaps it's the sight of Nate Corddry in a lobster suit.

Then there are things that drive me nuts, like the woeful underuse of Lauren Graham's guest spot. I mean, even Sting got to play two songs on the lute, and all Lauren Graham did was sit on a bench and bob her head up and down, dash around madly between sketches, and introduce Sting. Minimal dialogue. Wasted opportunity for comedic brilliance.

Time to dig out the Sports Night DVD's again...

Need a little Christmas now.

This afternoon I started rehearsals for Christmas at the Playhouse, a holiday-themed community theatre project. Looks like a good bunch of people. I'm in the "adult choir", and it looks like there will be acting as well as singing involved, which makes me super happy. And, we get to sing my favourite Christmas song of all time, "Do You Hear What I Hear"!!!

In sadder news, my vacuum died today. I knew there was a reason I was putting off using it. I was trying to follow my doctor's orders and cut down on the dust of my life, when all of a sudden I smelled something burning. Turns out it was my vacuum. That's definitely not a good sign. No wonder it wasn't sucking up dirt.

R.I.P., Big Bumblebee.

Dangerous

Dangerous.

Shopping with Michelle is dangerous. My goal was to drive to Moncton, exchange a top at RW&Co, and then purchase a fabulous fall coat at the same store. Well, the top exchange went fine, but they didn't have the coat in my size anymore. I was forced to console myself by purchasing three pairs of shoes, a bag, a wallet (it's orange!), and another sweater. And popcorn.

That's it. I am cut off. No more shopping with abandon.

To market, to market to buy a fat pig.

Does anyone have any recipes for pork tenderloin? I bought a cut of it this week in the groceries because it was on sale, but I have no idea what to do with it. I'm sure if I marinated it and then baked it in the oven it would be fine, but I don't know what to use for a marinade. Anyone?

12 of 12 - October 2006

Happy 12 of 12 day, everyone! Thanks to Chad Darnell for the idea!


7:14 a.m. This month the 12th is on a Thursday, and you all know what that means - I get to drive "up the river" and work. This means that I have to get up half an hour early. I really don't think it's fair to have to be out of bed before sunrise.

7:21 a.m. I was very tired this morning. And no, I'm not locked in a padded cell, it's just the elevator.

7:42 a.m. The remnants of banana bread for breakfast on the road.

10:10 a.m. I took advantage of a rare lull during my very very busy day to snap some photos. My office is so small that I don't even get a real sign.

10:11 a.m. My office is in the basement, and this is my only glimpse of the outside. I think it rained today. It's hard to tell - the rain blends into the brick really well.

3:21 p.m. An unexpected and unfortunate discovery - I left my gas cap at the gas station this morning and drove 108 km with the door wide open.

4:00 p.m. Whee!! They opened the new section of the divided highway! This makes the Woodstock-Fredericton trip 10 minutes shorter!!!!!!!

4:16 p.m. Did you know that Lorne Michaels married Frank Shuster's (of Wayne and Shuster fame) daughter? Thanks, CBC radio!
7:05 p.m. Time for a quick trip to Canadian Tire with Michelle to buy a new gas cap. This was a pain-free experience that almost restores my faith in the automotive department of Canadian Tire.
Bonus pic: 7:22 p.m. Don't you think Michelle would make an excellent knight in shining armour for Halloween? If only the helmet wasn't so smelly...

8:37 p.m. Stamos! With stubble!

8:57 p.m. Nothing passes the time between ER and Grey's like a little couch flying. Michelle made me do it.

9:37 p.m. Halfway through the evening, Michelle developed the need to repeatedly attack me with cushions. I sought refuge on the loveseat behind a pillow. If I can't see you, you can't get me!

Word of the day: melismas

So apparently the solution to seating the copious quantities of altos in my Tuesday night choir is to add chairs to form a new back row. This option is way better than the previous method of cramming five people into a row that seats four.

The advantage of sitting in the back row is that you get to spend rehearsal watching people watch everyone else. So if you hear one lone voice singing painfully out of tune, you can see almost every single person in the choir have the same reaction:

1. Look sharply in the direction of the sound.
2. Crane neck to pinpoint exact location of unfortunate offender.
3. Slowly turn head and locate offender the next time he/she sings.
4. Tilt head knowingly towards neighbour and discuss.
5. Repeat as necessary.

Personally, I would not want people gawking at me and yapping about me when I sing out of tune. I also have very good hearing, and I don't need to make visual contact to localize sound.

The other advantage of sitting in the new back row is that you avoid seat politics. I thought that I could firmly establish my seat in the third row this year. After all, I had been sitting in the general vicinity for the better part of two years. However, apparently that area has already been claimed this year by other more senior members of the choir (i.e. those who have been sitting there since the dawn of time), and I have been squeezed out. Perhaps I'll have to lay claim to a seat in the new back row. I wonder if there's some sort of invisible name plate required to ward off any interlopers.

"We are endeavouring to endure it as best we can."

Well, you all know I much I enjoy changes to my routine. This transition from "summer" to "the rest of the year" is having a few bumpy spots. Friday night I had an Anne dream where Matthew actually didn't die at the end of the show. I also find myself out of practice with finding people. It was so efficient to go into the Centre and see everyone there. Sadly, contacting various persons is not something that comes easily to me, and I'm a little rusty at it. Please bear with me as I adjust to this new mindset.

I have a difficult time with holidays lately - they tend to rip open old wounds and put them on display for the world to see. I'm trying really hard to squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth and get through this weekend without any major breakdowns. This means slamming some heavy walls up for a while. Don't worry, it's only temporary.

That being said, I am very thankful to have so many wonderful people in my life. I'm healthy, I have a good job, and I am loved.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

What I learned on Thursday

1. John Stamos looks very good with stubble.
2. Do not eat at the Wendy's in Fredericton.
3. If someone convinces you to take flying leaps over your couch, make sure you tuck and roll on the way down.
4. Ben and Jerry still make good ice cream.

Home for the weekend tomorrow!

Singin' in the rain.

Did you know that I can control the weather? As I set out for choir this evening, I noticed some ominous clouds gathering in the sky. There was rain forcast for this evening. I walk to the university for choir, and I didn't want to get too wet in transit, so I brought my umbrella. This guaranteed that it would not rain on the way there or on the way back. Brandishing the umbrella totally worked, because the rain didn't start until after I got home. Take that, weatherman.

As I go through the slow, agonizing process of "growing up", I'm trying really hard to accept peoples' differences, and not thinking too badly of people when I disagree with their actions. So I'm trying not to think mean thoughts about the new people at choir who chattered all through rehearsal and were petting each other's hair. And I'm also trying really hard not to be frustrated at the person who is convinced that this is only season 2 of Lost, even thought I tried to explain the last year's season 2 premiere to her in great detail.

I'm trying.

B-a-n-a-n-a-s

Lately I've developed an extreme like of banana bread for breakfast. I had been on a steady diet of chocolate chip chewy granola bars for a while, but then one day I forgot to bring breakfast to work, and I went in search of something to satisfy my stomach. I discovered that the cafe downstairs has absolutely delicious banana bread - moist and not too banana-y. I've become so attached that I have totally forsaken my beloved chocolate chop chewy granola bars.

The problem is, buying a slice of banana bread every day starts to add up. It's $1.15 per slice. Not to mention that I can't get it in Woodstock. I would make it at home, but I have an aversion to the banana itself. I would never buy bananas at the store, or eat them on their own. I can only tolerate them in bread (or muffins). And I really don't think I could stand to mush them up in a bowl. So, if anyone is aware of a source of store-bought banana bread, please let me know.

No clever title because the movie doesn't deserve it.

The Black Dahlia.

Don't see it.

It's convoluted crap. It makes no sense. Michelle and I collapsed into snickers at the halfway point. I know they were speaking English, but I didn't understand what they were saying at all. Grisly, graphic scenes of murder were interspersed between asinine dialogue and ridiculous closeups. The best part was when the credits rolled.

I can't believe I lost two hours of my life on that.

Thank goodness it only cost me $3.85.

FYI...

In case you were wondering, I am not the New K-Rock 105.5 $10,000 Fugitive.

But thanks for asking.

"... Heads and hands and hearts forever for we know that you are grand."

The last Anne of the season is always bittersweet for me. It signals the shift between "summer" and "the rest of the year". I think that tapering off the weekly PEI trips will do wonders for my fatigue level, but it also puts a crimp in my social interactions. I will miss my Centre peeps terribly. Not to mention that it's a loooooong time before I get to see my #1 favourite musical again.

To ease the withdrawal, there are tentative plans for a pre-Turkey day "Sweet Potato (Fries) Fest" next weekend. More details to follow. And I'm gonna start loading my Anne CD onto my iPod (again).

I watched the show tonight from the balcony, which was great because I could catch a glimpse of the orchestra pit shenanigans. It was nice to see such a full house, even if it meant I was kicked out of my usual seat in the Row O/P/Q area. And I didn't want to sit there tonight anyway, because there were way too many squawky children in the house tonight. If your kid is not old enough to sit quietly for two-plus hours, leave it home. Leave your camera at home, too. Or, if you are told repeatedly you cannot use your camera, don't. It's just that easy.

And not to lash out or anything, but did anyone else end up missing the start of SNL's Weekend Update tonight? Looks like another button pusher was slacking off again. Seriously, it's like an epidemic. I did manage to see the amusing "water jug" sketch in its entirety. I didn't laugh, but I was definitely amused.