of course . . .

I have a love/hate relationship with the Fedex/Kinko's store closest to my house.

I Love it because:
They have scanners
They have color copiers
They have pretty holiday paper
They are open late
They are open early
They are really close to my house

I hate it because:
Unfriendly people
Copier Jams
Expensive if you need to use the computer to print something off
Murphy's Law of Kinkos - something goes wrong every time I go there.

Yesterday was time for my semi-annual trip to Kinko's. By the time 6-months have come and gone, I usually have forgotten - or buried - my previous traumatic experiences at said copy establishment. So, full of holiday cheer (I was going to print some Christmas letters on pretty paper), I headed out. I *even* found my copy card from 6 months ago!

I get there. And wait. And wait. There was ONE other customer. And TWO staff members.
And it stilllll took me 20 minutes to actually purchase the pretty paper from them. WTF? So, I just opened up my packages and started printing on the paper, and finally one of them asked me if I needed something...um, yhello?

I got about 1/4 done copying, when we had a paper jam. Well, I've spent a good 1/40th of my life unjamming copiers, so no problem. Fixed! Immediately after pressing 'start' again, it jams. I tell the Kinko's lady that this is jam #2 (Wastes 4 sheets of pretty paper each time!). She fixes it.
Press start. Jam. Open to unjam. Bend back thumbnail all the way. Ouch.

Switch copiers. Resume copying.

Leave. Sigh of relief.

Go home, attend to now bleeding thumb.

So, here's looking forward to . . . about next June, when I shall (I'm sure) have more tales from the Kinko's . . .

shifting

so, i don't know about this blogger beta thing yet, hmmmm we'll see how it goes..

anyways. i'm working on a (non-blogging) website - compiling all my materials to make a site for my (semi?)professional singing life.

so, stay tuned. it'll take me a little bit to get it together, but the nice folks over at Voxpage1 are making it possible!

vegas, baby! part the second

Pictures:
1. Eating - inside - at the Venetian.

2. John Travolta over our bathtub!

3. Glass ceiling art in the Bellagio.

4. Oh yeah, and I won, too!




 

vegas, baby

after a truly hellacious day*I am packed and ready to go to Vegas early tomorrow morning. It's my mom's 60th bday, and we are all meeting up in the crazy city for celebrating. I'm just looking forward to a mini-break and family time. and cirque du soleil...

yay.



*my thanks to AZ, my brother and sha-na-na-na for helping to keep me sane

weird weekend

i was so looking foward to this weekend, because there is a TON of stuff going on in SF right now (Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Fleet Week, Italian Heritage Parade, SF Opera Simulcast . . . the list goes on and on).

Instead, I've been not well....but I've no idea what's wrong with me.

I got home Friday afterwork and was so achy/fever-ish feeling, I passed out on the couch fully clothed (including shoes). My wonderful sibling was so kind as to bring me a thermometer & lots of gatorade from the grocery store. At first I thought it might have been related to the tetanus booster I got on Thursday, but after talking to the doc at UCSF, that shouldn't be the cause of my illness.

Saturday morning I slept - still low grade fever - and attempted to make it to my voice lesson in Oakland. I got as far as my car, sat in it for 5 minutes, then got out and went back inside to bed. I spend all day there, until last night when I was determined NOT to miss my Berkeley Opera audition (my throat is fine...it's the rest of my body that's rebelling right now).

The audition went well enough that I have a callback this afternoon. I'm no longer feeling fevered, really, but my stomach kind of hurts. I don't know what's wrong with me! ack! I know I can sometimes be a hypochondriac...but not all of the time.

I'll try and get an appointment for tomorrow, I guess.
*sigh*

Lightning fast

Oh my gosh . . ! It's that time of year again!

In our newly renovated office space, I now have a view, which means I don't have to run into my bosses office to watch those fabulous Blue Angels zoom over Alcatraz.

Yay!

Gmail - RE: what was that song? help!

Lily over at the XM radio Watercolors station...she is my hero!

And this is why:

family files, part 549

Newly added to the vault:

My father is a good man - generous, patient, wise, loving - and pretty much impossible to shop for. (Sorry 'bout that dangling preposition, there...)

Sure, he collects certain things - keychains, postcards, model airplanes & vintage Delta Airlines swag. But, to truly get him something out-of-the-ordinary...something he *really* would like...therein lies the difficulty.

Cue today. I was on the phone with my mom, when dad suddenly pops in and excitedly picks up the phone. He has found something he wants for Christmas (that is not the usual socks or dark chocolate he loves so much). Newishly possesed of XM radio in his vehicle, he has discovered their "Smooth Jazz" station, channel #71 aka 'Watercolors'.
He says to me, "Hey, Miss Priss, I know what I want for Christmas, but it will take some mystery-solving on your part. I heard a song I LOVED on Watercolors, once today and once back in July, and I would love that album if you can find it. It's piano mostly, maybe a little orchestra and sometimes a choir...it's O Happy Day. With a rocketing piano. I don't know what it's called or who sings it or anything, but they played it today around 5:20pm."

He hhehehehe...it just made me laugh, because my dad is pretty easy to please, and when he mentions something so specific as this, well, it's fun. I've commenced my research, signed up for my free 3-day xm trial and have written the Watercolors' DJ with my question. Hopefully I'll get a reply!

rambles

I've not blogged in a while.
I've been trying my best to bask in the glow of my vacation . . .
holding on to the feel of unwindingness in mind, body and spirit.
Looking forward to the SF Greek Festival!

Since I've been back many things have happened in the lives of people I love:

new birth
near deaths
moving
not being able to move
getting hired . . . or not
falling in (and out) of love
reuniting with old friends
making new ones

Wish you were here . . . .

 
 
 
  

ahhhh

if you need me, i'll be on vacation.....

yay!

back in 10 days!!!!!!

Mental pictures

I saw many fun things in my adventures (thus far) today:

SEEN: Older looking-college student (male) bend down to tie his shoelace adjust his velcro shoes.

SEEN: Cars not stopping for red lights - in Bayview, natch. wtf? (I got lost this afternoon)

SEEN: The bay in a beatiful light, while listening to awesome music, dancing and chillin' at The Ramp in China Basin (which is NOT, conveniently enough, located anywhere near Bayview).

SEEN: Woman trying to sneak 7 items into the 6-item-limit dressing room.

SEEN: Movie makers...? A band...? Some random group of quasi-famous hipsters at Cafe lo Cubano.

SEEN: Lawrence & Michael. My fabulously tall and professional dance buddies for the afternoon! yay!

SEEN: Fog.

SEEN: A fabulous red and tan leather bag. Which I left on the shelf. (Thank goodness I didn't have my wallet with me!)

SEEN: Panchito freaking out, and running into the side of his fishbowl. (I promise to post a picture of him asap).

(To be) SEEN: Jaime, Vira and friends tonight for Vira's birthday! yay!

whimsical

I have a new pet Beta Betta fish! My friend J gave him to me as a late birthday gift. Such a whimsical and fun gift. Love it!

His name: Pancho Pescado. He's so cute and reddish in color. I shall post a picture soon.

I just hope I can manage to keep him alive for a while! I haven't had a pet fish - heck a pet anything - probably since middle school!

30.96647% Geek

From Jen . . . take the Geek Test. It's great fun :)

Songs in the key of . . . meme

Reply and I'll give you a letter, and you have to find five songs that start with that letter and post them to your journal. (taken from mathjedi)


1. "Pa' Bravo Yo" (Pupy Santiago): This song is on the first salsa CD I ever owned - bought my junior year of high school (I had to buy a replacement last year). That CD was a big milestone for me...my introduction to what is now some of my favorite music and dance styles.

2. Pink Panther theme (Henry Mancini): What can I say? . . . that sexy, fun saxophone theme is just contagious. And who doesn't love the Pink Panther??

3. PYT (Michael Jackson): Pretty Young Thing! It's a great dance and karaoke song...classic MJ!

4. Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison): Great song and flick. Just a feel good song, always a crowd pleaser. Makes me happy! I love hearing this song when I'm driving.

5. Put Your Head on my Shoulder (Paul Anka): I went through a huge oldies phase growing up - I had this whole set of cassettes I wore down - and I've just always loved this song. It's so sweet and romantic and good for dancing. The recent cover by Michael Buble' is fun, too.

Overheard: backstage edition**

-"Yeah, me and my brother were both born with four nipples! Wanna see my extra two?"

-"Ooh, you have four nipples? I just have the one extra, see?"

-"My husband is the [great?] grandson of China's last warlord. He killed a lot of people [as a warlord]."

-"I have always wanted to smush a cream pie in someone's face."

-"We'll put her puke-bucket off stage right, just in case."

-"mmmm. braiiinnnnssss."

-"We made good decisions as to which people we put in the tight pants. I've had lots of thank you's from the audience."

-"Time to tie me up, old man."


**You just can't make this stuff up, people. Truth is better (and funnier, and stranger) than fiction . . .

Steamin' hot cup of Hoffee

Watch this and laugh your arse off . . . !!!! Small print I have to include: That's right, it's Hofficial... your favourite cult icon wants to take you home! The one and only David Hasselhoff of "Bay Watch" and "Knight Rider" fame returns with a cover of the 1975 classic 'Jump In My Car' and its a doozy. Recorded in Sydney last year with the legendary Harry Vanda (AC/DC, The Angels), the Ted Mulry Gang tune has been re-vamped with full Hoff gusto and this music video promises to rock the socks off all his Hofficial fans. Watch it, enjoy it, share it on Google Video, courtesy of Sony BMG Australia. Want more? Buy the buy the track on iTunes Australia by clicking here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=155871591&s=143460

48 hours

I am - once again - in that odd place of wired and tired poat-show, but I think I'll be able to sleep in an hour. yay!

4 shows in 48 hours...that is a crazy schedule. After Friday night's show, a handful of us headed out to the St. Regis (conveniently across the street from the theater) for a drink and some laughs (and little wasabi peanuts!). Tonight, though, after two shows...I think we were all wiped and just went home. But tomorrow...post matinee, AH there is a cast party! I'm hoping to go to dinner with my parents and then go to the party.

I'm so grateful that they came out to see the show, along with my aunt. I feel bad because I've barely seen them at all this weekend (and AF leaves tomorrow afternoon), but there wasn't any way around that. Mom's coming in the morning to cook brunch(!) I'm so happy!

For some reason, something made me think about my grandmother earlier tonight backstage (Nana, mom and AF's mother). There are times when I really miss her. I think she would've loved Ruddygore. . . she knew how have a good laugh, that one...

yawn...........

neck is doing better, thank goodness. went to the chiropractor for some adjustments which helped a ton. that and frozen peas.

i am exhausted. i'm still in ''performance'' mode (read: 1am bedtime) despite the fact that I have to get up to work every morning. so, tonight i'm going to attempt to sleep at a reasonable hour, and I think I just might actually be able to do so.

my folks and aunt come in late tomorrow to see the show this weekend. i am so looking forward to performing again this weekend that I get all fluttery inside just thinking about it. it's been a long time since i've felt like this about singing, i think.

i've also done about 5 crosswords today...the SF chronicle and then about 4 nyt's online. (I subscribed to the crossword puzzles for a year, and am working my way through some archived puzzles). I'm working my way up through this weeks, but then have been doing Monday and Tuesday archived puzzles...you know, getting my chops up slowly to start working on Sunday puzzles.

i'm a dork, i know. but it's SO fun...it's some of the only time i have to myself, it seems. which is nice.

oh...we did get a review by SFCV. I'm not personally mentioned (doh!), but it was a very nice review indeed! I am yheppy :)

okay - time to change the laundry.

*

I am sitting on my couch - heating pad on my neck (sore from passing out dead-tired last night and sleeping on it crooked) - I am *just* about off my post-performance adrenaline high. It pretty much takes a solid two-hours to come down off that high. I've been averaging 1am bed time this week.

All that to say -

I am having SO much freaking fun. Working with this company has been such a blessing in many ways - it really is a big family. Amazing director, conductor, A/D, stage manager, cast, crew...I mean, it really does seem a case of the "trickle down" theory: integrity at the top flowing all the way down the chain of command, and into the cast.

I have learned (and am still learning) so much each time we go on. I get to share the stage with people who have been acting and performing for years together, and I feel like a giant sponge soaking it all up.

And, there are the little things, too, like seeing our big poster at the YBCA and getting to go in the "stage door". I feel special! But one of the best things? In the program there is a little asterisk *, denoting my debut! It's such a tiny thing, but it's cool :)

And, I love that we go out in the lobby - still in costume - to greet the audience afterwards...it's a neat tradition.

ah. well, i should get to bed soon, if I can. For tomorrow is a matinee!