there's nothin' like a dame.

I went to Half Price Books today. With Dad. I left with copies of:

• Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard (a brand new, clean, unmarked, fresh copy; better than the one I've got, anyway...)
• The Shape of Things, by Neil LaBute
• Wonderful Tennessee, by Brian Friel 
• Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw
• The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
• the libretto to Gypsy, by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (oh yes, friends... oh yes.)
• also..... Exit, Pursued By A Bear, by Louise McConnell (it's like, a dictionary of stuff in Shakespeare: staging notes, characters, concepts, ideas, phrases, etc.)

Seriously, I love Half Price Books so much. It wins at everything except getting me copies of Neil Gaiman's newer stuff. I didn't even see the Sandman comics till on my way out the door, dammit... I need to read Neverwhere, though, it's next on my list.

List? I shouldn't have a list. I have other stuff to do. Like, get ready to be a teacher and director to kids at a local college's summer outreach academy program. Eff. First up is a musical theatre revue, followed by Alice in Wonderland (grades 3-6) and then The Hobbit (grades 7-12).

I have also obtained the cast recordings of South Pacific (the 2008 revival; it's gorgeous, what the hell) and In The Heights (it has so much ENERGY, I LOVE IT) and Legally Blonde (oh my god, oh my god you guys, I can't believe I let myself start listening to it, it's ridiculous but I can't HELP it...) and the new Coldplay album (Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends) is amazing, of course, as is the new Jason Mraz cd (We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things). I can't flipping wait till they release the Gypsy recording with Patti LuPone. August, my friends. It will be a glorious day. The woman is a-may-zing.

Maybe I'll go organize books and things I'm going to need when I move out. Or do something likewise semi-productive. Thoughts? Yeah, that's.... OH. My green tea is ready. Peace.

oh. yeah.

So... it's not that I forgot about this... it's that I forgot to keep using it. I was busy. Sue me. (Don't sue me.) Whatever. Anyway! With a crazy summer currently underway... I hope to continue using this as an outlet for social commentary, movie and media response, and now poetry. Some dear friends of mine have started a determined movement of sharing poetry amongst one another and being very strong and open and such. So. I think. Here is where a few poems will surface now and again. Possibly. Maybe, we'll see. Who reads this, anyway? Post a comment if you're living.

Movies I've seen: Made of Honor, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. (reviews pending)

Movies I am DYING to see: The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia.

Jobs held: Teavana (third summer in a row; last day will be June 25), Jilly and George (one day; they politely let me go, saying I couldn't work enough hours. Bummer.)

Jobs to be had: Carroll College Academy directing position (details pending; starts June 28)

Shows performed: "Too Many Sopranos" (opera by Edwin Penhorwood; played the angel Gabriel as a silent trouser role)

Shows to be performed: "Jekyll & Hyde" with Greendale Community Theatre (as an ensemble member: the newsgirl, Red Rat dancer, party guest.)

Apartment situation: SOLVED. Details pending. *happy dance*

Reading: still trying to finish "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand (not because it is boring or too long but because I have been so fuggin busy and it takes time to concentrate on. *guilt*)

Listening to: Jason Mraz's "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Coldplay. Flight of the Conchords.

Guilty pleasures: Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods. (OH MY GOD I can't even BELIEVE some of it...) Project Runway reruns. ANTM reruns. America's Best Dance Crew. Otherwise trashy tv programs aimed at my age group.

Visits to Chicago: One. Short but productive. And one planning for this week...

Visits from the Twin: One. Short but fun. Need to fix this number. *taps watch*

Progress on the novel: Uhm.... I got a handful of pages done the other day... hand-written. Haven't typed them up yet. Tomorrow, probably. Eek.

Paintings done: NONE. Gahh. I thought I would be painting like crazy this summer! ALAS. Soon. Maybe.

62nd Annual Tony Awards were tonight; congrats to South Pacific for sweeping stuff up, and to In The Heights for Best New Musical. And beyond deserving... Patti LuPone for "Gypsy". What a goddamn winner. That woman is a powerhouse and looked great and sounded great and deserves every inch of whatever ego she may have. For reals. (Oh, and... Dear Kelli O'Hara: your time will come. Teach me your career, please, kthx.)

Also. I'm totally sick. Last Thursday was Ben's birthday, so we went to Six Flags, and I thought, "Hey, I don't have to sing till Monday night! I can scream all I want to." So I did. And the next day of course I had no voice whatsoever. But I was abnormally sore, I thought, and by the end of the work day I thought I might have a fever, too. I did. The next day was spent in coughing, feverish, miserable agony. I wallowed in Jane Austen (I watched the new Sense and Sensibility adaptation and Mansfield Park) and Slings and Arrows with Mom once she got home. That night I kept waking up and feeling worse; at some point I did wind up vomiting, which I knew would only exacerbate my throat, but I didn't know what to do about it. I have been trying to stay hydrated and have been sleeping on and off all day. I have conquered the fever, I think, and most of the mucus. But my sinuses are weird now, and my throat still feels like it was attacked by drain-o or as if I'm in training to become a fire-breathing dragon. It is an absolutely terrifying feeling. I'm hoping that tomorrow will see me much improved. I definitely won't be singing at rehearsal tomorrow night. :\ Balls.

On that note.... peace!