March 28, 2003 - later
YYYYYYEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!! I am so, so happy! Yes, despite the tears running down my cheeks, and the fact that I have been sobbing for the past 20 minutes or so, I am actually deliriously happy.
Shae-Lynn and Victor are world champions!!!!
I actually had a bad feeling about it all day, and then the technical marks were lower than I was hoping for, and I was so very nervous. But it all worked out! I am so very, very happy for them. They have worked so hard, and for so long, and deserve this so much.
Alright, I really need to get some sleep now!

 

March 28, 2003
Well, my inbox is overflowing, the apartment's a mess, I haven't studied for my exam at all...must be time for Worlds!
Just a few thoughts on the competition thus far:
Without a doubt, the highlight has been Shen & Zhao's free skate! What a *magnificent* performance, made all the more spectacular because she was skating on a sprained ankle! I admit it, I cried. I've already watched it about 6 times, and I'm sure it's one of those programs I'll keep going back to.
I'm so happy for Brian, who was able to move *way* up to 6th, after a very solid short program and free skate. But I'm very, very disappointed for Jeff Buttle, who apparently had a disastrous free skate (I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it yet). Tim Goebel had an absolutely beautiful free skate, and earned applause from me, though I'm not usually a huge fan of his skating. But compare the expression on his face right at the beginning of the program to what it looked like in Salt Lake City - I was like, "Tim, you have some life in you!" :-) I would have had a reeeeeeally tough time choosing between him and Plushenko on this particular night, and I think Plushenko's reputation definitely didn't hurt him at all.
As for the ice dance, I am nearly physically ill thinking about it, I'm so nervous. Shae-Lynn and Victor are in second, and probably deserve to be so, because of a mistake in the original dance, but it's so upsetting, because without the mistake, there's just no comparison between the programs. I nearly started crying again when I saw their free dance draw! :-( I will be very stressed all day, and by later tonight I will either be elated or extremely depressed. Denkova/Staviyski are 3rd, which pleases me, although I really miss their old costumes. And Tanith & Ben are 7th, which is great, although I would have appreciated if the commentators had been able to focus on anything besides her dress. But this is the first time they've made Canadian coverage of an event with all the top contenders present, so that's something in and of itself as well!

March 24, 2003
*pout* Well, the Worlds are not off to a very good start! Brian Joubert of France, who I had hoped to come second is tied for SEVENTEENTH place after qualifying! Poor Brian!! :-( Apparently there was a fire alarm in his hotel, and he didn't get much sleep. Grrrrrrr. And Jeffrey Buttle is tied for eleventh, which isn't too terrible, but he's capable of better. At least Plushenko is first, but if you'd asked me to predict the final flight for the short program, it wouldn't have looked like that!!
Speaking of Plushenko, he did this commercial that has had me laughing for days! It's in Russian, so I don't know exactly what's going on, but he sings! It's hilarious! :-) Watch it for yourself! I'm actually starting to like him (as in, not hate him), he seems kind of sweet. And in the absence of Yagudin, he's by far the best skater out there!
I'm pretty happy with the Oscar results overall - yay for Michael Moore, and Nicole Kidman, although she looked kind of sickly, don't you think? And yay for Chicago too!
I've decided I'm going to spend my 25th birthday in Berlin. :-) I told this to my mother and there was this long pause and then, "Okay... why?" I just told her it was better than spending it at home. :-) So far my trip is going to include stops at Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and maybe Switzerland, depending on the whole Miss Saigon thing. And I've been hearing various rumours that are leading me to hope that two of my favourite European actors might be in the same show...but we'll have to wait and see about that!
I booked my mother's flight to Toronto for this summer! She'll be here for nearly 3 weeks, 2 of which will be for our trip to the States. I wish it were summer now!
At least there are a couple of exciting things coming up - this weekend I'm seeing Sweeney Todd with Karen and Gill, and Easter weekend I'm going to Ottawa to visit Laurie. Now if only I didn't have to go to work tomorrow...

Today's imaginary boyfriend: Brian Joubert. I figure he needs some encouragement!! Brian is actually too young for me (how sad is it that elite skaters are younger than me now?? I feel so old!), but I enjoy his skating very much, and was really hoping he'd medal at Worlds this year. I guess this won't be his year, but I still hope he can do 2 great performances, and finish well. Allez Brian!

March 20, 2003
I'm not going to spend too much time on the war, but I will point out a few things.
1. I'm completely against this war.
2. I'm very happy that Canada's not participating, no matter what the stupid Alliance party (that I actually used to vote for, but not anymore) says about it.
3. I don't think there's much of a future for the U.N. as any kind of international authority.
4. Next time I'm out of the country, I will be displaying my Canadian flag even more prominently than before.
I'm also being completely selfish and hoping that it doesn't affect the World Figure Skating Championships too much, which are taking place next week in Washington, D.C. The Bushes are supposed to be honorary chair-people, but I'm guessing they might not show up. Two of the skaters I had picked for my medal podiums have pulled out, due to non-war-related things (Irina Slutskaya and Alexander Abt), so I'll add Sarah Hughes and Takeshi Honda to my podium picks. The German ice dance team has also withdrawn, so I'm hoping Tanith & Ben can come 7th now!
Assuming we're allowed to travel to the States by the summer, my mom and I have made quite a few decisions about our trip! For one thing, I got a KOA Value card so we can stay at KOA campgrounds along the way (we'll stay in one of the cabins, not actually tenting or anything :-). We've got a reservation at the Heartbreak Hotel in Memphis. I found a great-priced hotel in New York that I'll be booking soon. And I found someone to watch my cat while we're away! I've also ordered vacation guides for the 15 different states that we'll be travelling through, so we can determine what's on our way that we might be interested in stopping at. The current plan is that we'll be gone 14 days, with our major destinations being Memphis (Graceland), Tampa/Orlando (DisneyWorld), Washington, and New York.
I was disappointed to read while looking at New York info that people are not allowed in the Statue of Liberty anymore! Apparently it has been that way since Sept. 11/01, but I hadn't heard about it. It makes sense, but it's still sad.

Today's imaginary boyfriend: Jesper Tydén. Zorana is shocked and dismayed that I have not mentioned Jesper yet, so this is to appease her. :-) She figures I should have him as imaginary boyfriend of the month or something, because a day does not do credit to the amount I talk about him. She may have a point. ;-) Anyway, he's currently playing Chris in Miss Saigon, and is working on a solo CD, which should be very cool. I've been a fan for a year and and a half and I'm still not sure how to pronounce his name. However, there's no point in going into further detail here when you can read all about him on my little tribute site (which is newly re-designed! Let me know what you think!)

March 15, 2003
Well, this past week actually went by pretty quickly! And it's supposed to finally be getting warmer, and sort of spring-like. Tiger and I are going to go out for a walk later - should be interesting. :-)
So I actually could have gone skating with Jeff Buttle yesterday (I found out there's a bus that goes to Aurora for like $5), but I chickened out, because I convinced myself that it would have been all these 12-year-old girls, and I would have felt silly. Ah well, some other time. :-)
I'm listening to a recording of Romeo and Juliet from London, and it's pretty disappointing - the translations just *suck*. What's with Don Black lately? First Bombay Dreams and now this? Not only did they cut "J'ai Peur", but let's look at my favourite song - "Les Rois du Monde", or in English, "Kings of the World". Here are some sample lyrics from the English version:
"They think they're smart, but they're really quite dumb
You miss the tune when you're banging your drum
Kings of the world, they're just a joke
They're not kings, they're just misguided folk"
I can't even tell you all that's wrong with that, not to mention the fact that it's not even close to the original:
Ils font des pièges où ils tomberont un jour
Ils se protègent de tout même de l'amour
Les rois du monde se battent entre eux
C'est qu'y a de la place, mais pour un pas pour deux
Allow me, if you will, to create my own translation of these particular lines:
They set up traps which will catch them one day
They miss out on life while they're hiding away
Kings of the world are always at war
They can't be content while another has more
Now, I'm not saying that's brilliant or anything, but I do think it's easily as good as what Mr. Black wrote, and it only took me a minute.
Anyway. :-) It looks like Miss Saigon is being extended in Switzerland, so hopefully I will be able to see it when I go to Vienna in October! I wanted to hit London on that trip too, but it looks like I'll have to pass on that - but, that means I could go skiing in Switzerland instead! I have wanted to ski in the Alps for ages. It's one of the things on my "life to-do" list. :-) I'll talk more about that trip, and also about my summer road trip with my mom (which is starting to take shape!), next entry!

March 6, 2003
Wow, it's amazing how a few minutes can totally change your mood. I was pretty happy all day today - nothing too exciting, but just feeling fine, and then I ran into somebody I went to university with, and after talking with her, I feel so depressed! She is doing what she wanted to do, has a great job, a great boyfriend, and is moving to the States next week. I am really, really happy for her, but terribly depressed that I have accomplished so little in the same period of time. I realize that I'm only 24, I might still be able to make something of my life, but it's just a bit of a downer to realize that others have already achieved so much more.
Zorana and I are going shopping at the Cotton Ginny clearance sale tomorrow. Maybe that will cheer me up. :-)
I watched this great new show on the History channel on Tuesday! It's called Two Men in a Trench, and it's about these two young archaelogists who are exploring the battlefields of England. This week was the battle of Culloden, and it was really interesting! You should check it out!
They have closed my skating rink already! How upsetting. I don't know why they insisted on closing it right on March 1, when the weather is definitely still winter-y enough to keep it open. So if I want to go skating again, I'll have to go downtown. Or, I could go to Aurora and skate with Jeff Buttle if any kind person wants to drive me? Please? :-)

Today's imaginary boyfriend: Sark (aka David Anders). Okay, so Sark on Alias is pretty evil, and probably not a very good boyfriend, but he just looks so good while he's killing people! :-) And who can resist an accent - even if David Anders doesn't have one in real life? Nobody's really sure who Sark is, but you can bet there's some plot twist coming up soon that's going to explain it all - and I can't wait to find out what it is!

March 3, 2003
LOL!! These crack me up, especially the answers to the first quiz. Thanks Karen and Gill! :-)

Oh, my, you're Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
You're a couple of Englishmen whose
collaborations have brought mixed reactions
from the theater community and lots of love
from the general public. Your shows tend to
stick to power chords, flashy effects, and epic
stories, and you have a respectable number of
awards and a hugely respectable amount of money
between you. (Some of) Your shows: "Jesus
Christ Superstar," "Evita,"
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat," "Phantom of the
Opera"...

What Broadway Composer (or Composer-Lyricist team) are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

You are the heart of the city, yet you never take
the glory for yourself. You work overtime to
get the job done fast and efficiently. You take
pride in knowing the city just wouldn't work if
you were out of service.

Which New York City subway line are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

March 2, 2003
Well, I had a more exciting weekend than I had been anticipating! Alison found out that Colm Wilkinson was giving a benefit concert here in Toronto on Friday night, so bought tickets for both of us as a late Christmas/very early birthday present. :-) So that was a lot of fun! Along with Colm, there was Susan Gilmour, Colm's son Aaron, The Nylons, and some crazy bagpipers. :-) Susan sang "Someone Else's Story", and Colm sang "Music of the Night" and "Bring Him Home", so it was very enjoyable!
And then on Saturday, CTV showed the original dances from Four Continents! So I got to see the Americans' original dances, which I hadn't seen yet this season. I honestly have not the slightest idea what is going to happen in dance at Worlds, which is both exciting and scary.
I went to visit this Dialectizer website that Gill recommended, and it's pretty funny! For example, let's take the following line from my last entry:
Hey, does anyone (Karen, Gill? :-) want to go to Buffalo with me to see Phantom? Pretty please?
Now in "redneck": Hey, does ennyone (Henrietta, Gill? :-) be hankerin' t'go t'Buffalo wif me t'see Phantom? Purdy please?
In "jive": Yo! duz any sucka (Karen, Gill? :-) wanna go t'Buffalo wid me t'see Phantom? Fine please?
In Cockney: Eh up, does any fairy (Karen, Gill, eh? :-) want ter go ter Buffalo wiv me ter see Phantom, guv? Pretty please?
I find it amusing. :-) Not quite sure why Karen becomes "Henrietta", but I kind of like it. Maybe that's what I'll call her from now on. :-)
Alright, I'm gonna go bake something, and try to get some stuff done before Alias tonight. Hope you all have a good week!

Today's imaginary boyfriend: Maxim Staviyski. He skates for Bulgaria with his partner Albena Denkova, but he's actually Russian, so it should come as very little surprise that I like him. :-) I am especially enamoured of their original dance this season, which is a beautiful baroque style dance. Unfortunately they've changed their costumes from the picture below, but it's still a gorgeous dance. I'm rooting for them for bronze at Worlds!!

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