And even more appropriate to my personal Valentine's Day...

Josh Ritter sings Springsteen's "The River."

...and I'll be in the Super 8 in Wheeling, West Virginia, working on my thesis and waiting to hear from theatre companies. sigh.

I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with a wonderful guy...

Well I AM. And I'm not ashamed to say it out loud. Just in time for Valentine's Day, too.

Josh RItter - The Temptation of Adam - El Rey Theatre

Nothing makes any sense here...

I have complained way too much about this show and this tour, the, er, experience that it's been so far, I don't have the negative energy left to expend in doing it again. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. This is the view from backstage of our shows @ the Playhouse yesterday--the neon rainbow acid trip called The Phantom Tollbooth:


And some shots of what doing this show with an inconsistent and unpredictable schedule, a set that risks our lives (Actually, it doesn't anymore--thank you, CPIP Scene Shop Geniuses!), 90-minute notes sessions and photo calls for a 60-minute children's show, and discussions so in-depth that we have all wondered if Olga, Masha, and Irina will ever make it to Dictionopolis, have done to its actors:And I know you've been waiting for it...the full experience (with pom pom hat and gold pimp glasses) will be posted later, but here is the Spelling Bee Costume in corral mode. Oh, and words spelled so far: "family," "transportation," "tyrannosaurus rex" (almost missed it, it took me about five tries but I finally got it), "stink," and "curiosity" (both shows on Sat, it's the default word if the kids don't yell out something good and the Playhouse kids were not exactly responsive, plus several of them were older and Aaron didn't trust my ability to spell a middle school level word). Liz Helitzer keeps encouraging me to go on stage in only the bee--no pants, no underwear, and the Spelling Bee could teach those kiddies to spell words like labia majora. Somehow, I don't think it would go over with the grades 1-3 set.

I must add that I do enjoy the show itself, and the people with whom I'm sharing the ride. I joke about wishing I'd taken my Equity card back in December and blowing this popstand, but I don't mean it. Just one more due to pay, you know? I'll keep payin' 'em as long as is necessary, I just hope that there won't be too many more productions where the most rehearsed scene (at least 4 full hours of rehearsal time) is a 2-minute one dominated by actors tottering around in beanbag chair fat suits.

funny from the road today...

...if by "the road," I mean it was actually Gilbert Avenue, a mile from the scene shop. We were on our way back to our cars from our performance at St. Mary's today, so technically it was part of the touring day, and it made me laugh really loudly for about two minutes straight, which doesn't often happen when I'm not on a phone call from Daytona at midnight.

ME: Is he married?
Amy: No...
ME: Oh goodness, I bet he's really lonely, he seems to have the Playhouse and I guess photography and that's about it.
Amy: Yeah, I asked Jamie if he was actually interested in men or women, she said she thought women but she wasn't sure.
ME: Oh, that never occurred to me, actually, but he's not totally unattractive, and he seems nice enough...poor guy...
Amy: I know, I mean he's definitely super dorky but I'm sure there's some equally dorky man-slash-woman who would be really happy with him.
ME: Maybe that's it, that's what he's looking for--literally, a man-slash-woman.
Amy: Yeah, maybe that's the problem--
ME: I mean the supply is really thin, it must be tough--
Amy: --Yeah, it's a real seller's market for those folks.

In other news, I finally finished watching Manhattan. Some absolutely fantastic actors in it, as Allen is wont to get, and some great lines, and of course I LOVE the musical theatre score, though Woody apparently hated the movie and was often ashamed of it. In Central Park on a horse-drawn carriage (a clichéd situation, but it is chosen by the child in question), Woody's character Issac says the following to his 17-year-old girlfriend:

You know what you are? You're God's answer to Job, y'know? You would have ended all argument between them. I mean, He would have pointed to you and said, "Y'know, I do a lot of terrible things, but I can still make one of these." You know? And then Job would have said, "Eh. Yeah, well, you win."

Of course I don't normally support a squirrelly 42-year-old man seeing a 17-year-old girl, and it's always really hard for me to watch the little guy make out with anyone, but that might just win me over. Though I'd prefer him to be taller. And with more hair. Darker and curlier, while we're at it. But most importantly, if the lesson learned in the end is "not everyone gets corrupted... you have to have a little faith in people," and Woody Allen, the Cynic's Savior, believes it, then so do I.

had to get this down before I forget the actual quote later

I know I haven't blogged in over a week. Now that life is better, or at least less up in the air, I am going to be back to a more regular blogging schedule. But for now...

A conversation over dinner preparation for Laura's going away dinner (lasagna--light on the cheese, per Laura, salad, texas toast--prob just for me and Lauren, and angel food cake swirls from TGI Fridays...low fat, betch):

ME: So those stupid cake things are awesome but they're really expensive when you just get them on your own...they're much better in the--hey, wait....do you do the Three Course thing at TGI Fridays ever?

Lauren: Um, TGI Fridays is kind of my guilty pleasure.

ME: How did I not know this? Lisa, you know, "Girlfriend"--

Lauren: --Yes, of course, Girlfriend, her official name--

ME: Yeah, she and I went there all the time on 'dates' and especially when the Three Course Menu was in effect.

Lauren: Well, um yeah, we should go.

ME: We're totally going.

Lauren: Yeah, my perfect date would be guitar playing and singing to me, followed by coffee and discussion of philosophy at a bookstore, more singing, some making out, and ending with Oreo Madness.

ME: Oh yeah, they have that as part of the three-course thing--

Lauren:--Yes, I think I would have sex with a guy who took me to the bookstore, then the cake.

ME: Wait, hang on, I thought you said you hadn't technically had sex before--you mean you'd give away the V-card for the bookstore and Oreo Madness?

Lauren: He'd have to sing twice. Original words and lyrics.

So any takers? My best friend in Cincinnati can be instantly won over by confections in the musical and oreo forms. All of these things could be accomplished in a small geographical location, it could all happen in Hyde Park, people.

More soon...including the tale of TJ's waffle problem, microwave s'mores, and probably highlights from karaoke later tonight.

Advice for Living, 30 Rock Style

Tracy Jordan:"Stop Eating People's Old French Fries Pigeon"

One of many reasons I am becoming quickly enamored with 30 Rock, and a great example of how funny Tracy Morgan can be when he has good material to work with. He always annoyed me on SNL but now he's fantastic.

Also Lauren and I have decided this is our new mantra for life. I think it's way deep.

Fantastic news!!!

It's been a while in coming. There have been rumors flying around for months, but the day is finally here. The corporation of Wild Oats was purchased by the far-superior Whole Foods back at the end of the summer, and the takeover makeover is finally happening. I realized this morning that the Rookwood Commons location (or Hyde Park, if that means anything to any non-Cincy folks) is finally making the transition to becoming a Whole Foods Store, and that means that my life can become several degrees happier. That's right, friends.

Skyr is here.

The folks here at Playhouse have mocked me on a couple of different occasions for making the pilgrimage out to Louisville's Whole Foods (a 180 minute round trip) for an item that has become a necessity in my life. They just don't understand. Shane, Jason, and Erica do. Every time I go to DC (my favorite city in the US, in case you didn't know), they make sure that I am properly directed--or driven, thanks, Shane (see right)-- to at least one of several Whole Foods locations so that I can stock up on what I believe is one of the world's most perfect foods.

Now, the biggest misconception about the stuff is that it is yogurt. According to the "skyr.is" website-- which I notice has been updated for American audiences, as it must be finally gaining the popularity it deserves as its ministry spreads--skyr is "a remarkable dairy product unique to Iceland. " It is not yogurt, but a cultured cheese product, like yogurt, but thicker, creamier, and smoother, with more of a tangyness to it (no matter the flavor, though the plain version is practically like sour cream). It is currently available in strawberry (my favorite), blueberry (my least favorite, though the Jonathan Groff lookalike pictured here makes it far more enticing now, even with the ridiculous little spoon in his mouth), vanilla (great on waffles, I believe that my performance in our workshop of Jimmy in New York City last year was markedly enhanced by the Vanilla Skyr/Van's Chocolate Chip Waffles combo that Tara and I had for breakfast each day during our visit), and plain (like I said, it's like sour cream; I don't recommend it eaten straight with a spoon. Erica finds it truly abhorrent).

In addition to its unique deliciousness, skyr is amazingly good for you. A 6-oz. container is about 150 calories, 16 incredible grams of protein, completely void of fat, and only 20 g of carbs, which is far lower than most yogurts. I have only ever seen it in Whole Foods (and not even in the NC and FL Whole Foods, last time I checked....LAME! Step UP, Raleigh and Orlando! Geez!), except for the one random Scandinavian bakery in Clermont Florida to which Melissa Nay and Chris McCollum kindly accompanied me this summer. They have skyr smoothies there, and believe me, I tried to buy some skyr from them, but they said that demand was too high to sell the stuff on its own, they had it shipped there directly from Iceland, so they had to save it for the smoothies. With the buyout, though, the sky's the limit for skyr exposure. I've extolled its virtues to many, and I am glad to know that as Whole Foods gets rid of all those worthless Wild Oats across the country, this wonderfood will now be available to the American population at large.

Skyr and Whole Foods have heard the word of my wanting, and I thank them.