I am in so much pain right now - I got terribly sunburned this morning/afternoon. :-( I wasn't expecting it at all! It was a nice day out, but not particularly hot, and I didn't think the sun was that strong, so I didn't have any sunscreen on. Dumb move on my part! Other than that, the walk downtown was actually quite nice. :-)
Since I last wrote, I did go see The Last Five Years one more time, with Jennifer, and then today we went together to see Urinetown. (Seats for $10! Amazing! I love CanStage!) I have to say, I enjoyed the show today much more than I did in New York. I'm not quite sure why that is - could be a lot of things, but I'm sure the fantastic cast here didn't hurt at all. David Keeley was absolutely perfect as Officer Lockstock, and everyone else was great too! The only one I really preferred on Broadway was John Cullum as Cladwell, but then again, he was the highlight of the show for me there, so that's only natural. We're already talking about going to see it again. :-)
Yesterday I picked up the Return of the King DVD, and didn't realize until I put it in to watch it that I had bought the Fullscreen version! Argh!! So now I've got the first two films on wide screen, and this one on full screen. I'm gonna call the store and see if they'll let me exchange it even though it's been opened, but I'm mostly just mad at myself for not checking. It didn't even occur to me!
Still a brilliant movie though. :-)
On Thursday we had a "Diversity Day" at work, where everyone was supposed to dress up in their cultural clothing or any kind of organizational uniform, and then there was a potluck where everyone could bring dishes reflecting their background. What a lot of fantastic food! :-) I was going to make perogies (to reflect the Ukrainians I grew up with in Saskatchewan), but then one of the other girls wanted to bring them, so I made an (imitation) Sachertorte instead. My grandmother's side of the family is from Bavaria, so I figured that was kind of close... yes, I realize I'm really stretching here. :-) It just made me think, it's kind of sad having no culture of your own! What do we have that's Canadian? Very, very little.
Alright, I've gotta go help my little brother finish editing his essay on Hamlet. Hope you all had a nice weekend, and that your skin is a lot less red than mine is!
Wow - I slept the whole day yesterday, and I'm still tired this morning! We didn't arrive back in Toronto until 6 a.m. Monday morning, as we ran into some bad weather coming home and had to drive slower. And once I dropped everyone off and took the car back and got home, it was 8 a.m. - and then I went to bed and didn't get up again until 5 p.m.!
Worth it? Of course! We had a great time, even if we didn't get to do absolutely everything we wanted to. Number one on the list of disappointments would have to be Wicked - the lottery for that show is out of control! There were hundreds of people there for each draw, and we weren't lucky enough to get tickets. So I felt bad about that, since it was one of the major reasons Jenn wanted to go to New York, and now she won't be able to see that amazing cast.
And since we didn't get tickets for that show, it meant a lot of running around for tickets to other shows, and it meant I didn't get to see Avenue Q either. But, I did get to see four shows, which is better than I made out the last two times I went down. :-)
Friday night we didn't arrive until about 6:30, since there was bad traffic getting into the Lincoln Tunnel. We stopped at TKTS on our way to the hostel, and I picked up a ticket for Caroline, or Change. I didn't know anything about the show, and the logo for it is not something that makes me want to run out and see it. Still, I quite enjoyed it! There were scenes I didn't really like, but others that I really did, and the cast was great. All in all, it was quite interesting, though I can't see it ever becoming a favourite of mine.
After a night of hanging out in various Midtown bars with pilots, we got up on Saturday and went down to Union Square and on to the village for Jenn and Peggy to see some of life down there. I left the group for the matinee of Assassins, which was fantastic. I loved it! I laughed more than I was expecting, and the cast is to die for. Marc Kudisch, Michael Cerveris, James Barbour all on the same stage...plus Denis O'Hare was fabulous, the two women were perfect, and Neil Patrick Harris was very good as well. This is the only show I stage-doored, since I just wanted to ask James Barbour about The Vampire Lestat, which I did, and he said it's wonderful, so I'm excited!
I also met Sanda from China at the stage door - I was recognized! :-) So that was cool!
After that, we went up to Central Park for a little break (I forgot to mention it was HOT and HUMID the whole weekend - over 30 degrees!), and then to the Wicked lottery, where, as I said, we didn't get tickets. So we tried a few box offices and didn't have any luck, so went back to TKTS, and Jenn, Peggy and I got tickets for Fiddler on the Roof. I knew that I'd be comparing the show to the Stratford production, which I did, and I have to say I definitely preferred Stratford. But this one was also very enjoyable, if not quite as touching as it could have been in the second act.
This was also my first time back at the Minskoff since Pimpernel closed five years ago, so that was emotional for me. :-)
We went to Culture Club that night, the '80s dance club that Susan and I had gone to last November, and enjoyed ourselves very much again. Sunday morning, we tried the lottery again, and as we were unsuccessful, went to the box office for Bombay Dreams, and got tickets for all four of us. The show is very, very different from London. We all had a good time though, even Susan, though she wishes that all solos be banished from musical theatre. ;-) And then we had to get the car and leave for home, which, with the weather and everything, took 11 hours rather than the usual 8.
Then yesterday, in the whole four and a half hours that I was out of bed, I watched the Alias season finale that I'd taped on Sunday night. Wow! Not quite as "Wow!" as last season, but a very interesting twist at the end. The episode itself was a little all over the place and not one of my favourites, but the ending made up for it. I don't want Jack to be evil! :-(
One final note before I get ready for work: on the subject of lottery drawings. I have to say, as someone who is more than willing to spend hours waiting in a rush line, I definitely prefer the rush system to the lottery one. In a rush system, the people who want to see the show the most are the ones who get the tickets. With the lottery, anyone can walk off the street and have the same chance as the really big fans of the show. It might be alright for someone living in the city, who has multiple chances to try and win (I met one guy who told me it takes about 8 times before you get picked). But it definitely worked against people like us, whereas if they'd been rush, I can honestly say, I don't doubt we would have seen it.
That is all for now! I hope everyone here at home had a nice long weekend! I might be seeing The Last Five Years once more this week, if I can get tickets, but that's pretty up in the air right now. Hooray for theatre binges! Before this weekend, I had actually seen the exact same number of shows in New York and Toronto - now New York's ahead again, so I'll have to see some more here to catch up. :-)
Two more days until New York! I can't wait! I'm really, really looking forward to it. Even the drive down, though I think I'm the only one who's excited about that part.
Show plans are up in the air, as they usually are! The only show I already have a ticket for is Assassins on Saturday afternoon. We're going to try for the lottery for Wicked the night we arrive, and maybe Avenue Q as well, if we can get coordinated enough. :-) Then Saturday we'll try for whichever one we didn't see on Friday, and Sunday we wanted to see Bombay Dreams, but it's not been up at TKTS yet, so that might have to change. Maybe Caroline, or Change, or Fiddler, or something else entirely! It'll be a surprise. :-)
Other than that, I'm just looking forward to showing Jennifer and Peggy around! Doing lottery shows instead of TKTS frees up quite a bit more time, so we're planning on going to the Village on Saturday and generally hanging out in Lower Manhattan a little more than usual.
Here at home, I saw The Last Five Years again on Monday night. The audience was *much* more appreciative this time, and we really enjoyed it! I wonder if I'll ever be able to watch "The Story of Schmuel" without getting choked up.
I'm having dinner tonight with Jörn's parents - this is their first time in Canada! I'm so excited they came, and hope they have a wonderful trip.
I'll try to put a quick update in here from NYC, but if not, see you next week!
Zorana just brought it to my attention that it has been a week since I wrote in here - my apologies! Things are really picking up, and I know the summer is just going to fly by!
Speaking of summer, our weather here has taken a rather drastic turn to hot and humid. It was so hot the last couple of days, I actually gave in and bought an air conditioner! I bought it used, so I got a good deal, and I just love it! It's going to make the summer months much more bearable.
I've been in quite a bit of pain for the past week - my back was starting to hurt last week before the hockey game, and hasn't stopped since. I guess if it keeps up I'll actually have to give in and go to the doctor, but I really hate to do that! We'll see.
I just finished watching "The Last Samurai", which was okay. It reminded me of a cross between "Dances with Wolves" and "Seven Years in Tibet", but I'll never complain about a chance to watch Tom Cruise for a few hours! On Wednesday, a group of us went to see "13 going on 30", which was really cute. Jennifer Garner is so great. And yeah, parts of it were cheesy, but we liked it anyway.
What else happened this week? Oh, well, we had a fire alarm in my building last night. At 3:30 a.m.! So I had to get up and get dressed, and walk down 23 flights of stairs with a petrified cat in my arms. Not fun. And then I couldn't get back to sleep when I got back to my apartment, so I've actually been up for about 19 hours now - I should probably go to bed pretty soon!
Tiger has to go to the vet on Sunday for his annual checkup. We're going to a new vet in the new neighbourhood, so I'll have to make my apologies again for his behaviour. He hates going to the vet soooo much. And I hope Wilson is feeling better - he might have a tapeworm, poor guy.
Krista is seeing Doug in concert in Winnipeg tonight - I can't wait to hear what she thinks of him!
Susan and I went to IKEA with her mom earlier this week, and I got shelves for my kitchen. They're great! I also found a bookshelf I'd like, but I've got no money for it at the moment. I still have my gift certificate for the Bay, but I don't know what I want to buy with it. Maybe some curtains. That's exciting! ;-)
Alright, I'm starting to yawn now, so I'm gonna call it a night. Have a nice weekend everyone! (I know I will, in my air-conditioned apartment! :-)
This week has gone pretty quickly. Which is good, that means only two more weeks until New York! It feels like an age since I've been there, though I guess it was only six months ago. Still, I'm really looking forward to being there, and seeing new shows, and introducing Peggy and Jennifer to the wonderfulness that is NYC!
On Wednesday, I won tickets to see the Blue Jays game, so Susan and I went after work. They were "in the action" seats, which meant we were sitting *right* behind home plate (first row), and we had a woman who brought us food and stuff. It was pretty cool! Apparently those tickets normally cost about $200! Who would pay that much to go to a baseball game?! But for free, they were fun. :-)
I finally found a vet near my new apartment, so Tiger and I have an appointment there next weekend. At the moment, he's passed out on the rug that Zorana gave me. We've been living in places with hardwood floors for four years, I think he's just thrilled to have something soft to lie on!
Tonight is our hockey game against the law firm, and my back is a little bit sore. :-( Don't know what I did to it, feels like I pulled something beneath my shoulder blade. But hopefully if I stretch it out enough, it'll be okay. After the game, there's a barbecque at one of the lawyer's homes, so that will be fun! I'll have to come home and shower first though - I don't think Karen and I will have much luck getting a shower to ourselves when we're playing with about 30 men! :-)
I watched the Friends finale last night, even though I haven't watched it at all this season since the premiere. But I got sad anyway - the end of a show always makes me sad, no matter what the show is. I guess I just think about all the people who work on it, and how much work they've put into it, and how much they'll miss it. It's the same reason I cry at closing shows on Broadway. Or even at the Olympics! :-)
Okay, gotta get ready for work. Oh, okay, one quick survey first!
Favourites
literary character: Sir Percival Blakeney. Smart, witty and good.
ice cream: Mint chocolate chip or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
pair of shoes: My black strappy sandals
album: Tough one! I like so many for different reasons. I guess overall, it'd be Michael Jackson's "Bad"
day of my life: Probably any Christmas - at home, with family, feeling safe and unworried.
fragrance for men: Eternity
word: Bicyclette. It's just fun to say!
curse word: The closest I get (unless I'm *really* upset) is usually crap
article of clothing: My long leather jacket
movie: Oh, again, too many. I guess I'd say Titanic, if I had to pick.
short story: Tolstoy's "Alyosha the Pot"
significant other: Favourite that I've had? N/A. They're all jerks. ;-)
class in high school: Social studies
television show: Alias. I'm also getting hooked on Smallville!
book: Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot"
hometown hangout: Ha! There are no hangouts in Provost! The rink, I guess.
hangout elsewhere: Marlowe's in New York
state in the union: New York
president: How about Prime Minister? It'd be Diefenbaker.
elderly person: My grandfather
deodorant: Dove
poet: Dylan Thomas
author: Dostoyevsky
store at a mall: Indigo/Chapters
color to wear: Yellow or brown
color in general: Blue
language: I think the Scandinavian languages sound nice
teacher/professor: Mrs. Page
piece of jewelry: My maple leaf necklace...which is missing :-(
coffee-type drink: none!
type of cigarette: ditto
pattern: Green and blue tartan
song: Oh, too hard! Probably "Music of the Night
thing to do as a youngster: Play Jem!
type of poptarts: Strawberry
thing to do on a friday night: Go to a show
place to eat while in my hometown: The Greenhead
place to eat elsewhere: Rex Saigon
food/cuisine: Any! :-) Right now, Thai or Italian
way to pass time: online, or listening to music
internet site: www.fsuniverse.net
day of the week: Saturday
What a strange day this was. Our computers at work were affected by that worm that was going around, so there were prolonged periods where we couldn't use them. And most of our job is on the computer, so we mostly stood around and did very little.
Aside from that, today was a good day because my Atlantis DVD arrived! Yay! I've only taken a very brief look at it so far, but it looks great. Really good quality, sound and video. No extras or anything, but that's okay. I'm just excited to have it!
This past weekend was fun - I had a great time with Karen and Gill! You can read about it in Gill's journal or Karen's journal, or preferably both. :-) I got wonderful presents from them, including fun Christmas things, a great scrapbook for my next vacation, and a Galaxy chocolate bar! Yum! My favourite!
The Last Five Years was just as fabulous as I'd been expecting. Watch for my review of that on my musical site this weekend.
Yesterday I listened to the BBC Sunset Boulevard concert with Michael Ball and Petula Clark. I had almost forgotten that I saw Petula Clark in that show. :-) Anyway, it was very enjoyable - the quality was great, Michael sounded wonderful, and I liked Petula much more when I couldn't see her. That sounds so mean! But I just mean, I thought her acting was a little over-the-top, so it was better to just listen.
In case you missed it the first time, you can listen to Jesper singing songs from West Side Story on Swedish Radio on Thursday at 6 a.m. EST. :-)
Also from Karen's journal, I stole some of the pictures she just put up. :-) They're in the photo album, under "friends". Also, at Susan's request, I've reversed the albums so that they show the most recent pictures first. If you don't like it, take it up with her!
Alright, I have to run to the bank, so I better do it now before I get totally settled for the night. Maybe I'll take Tiger for a walk while I'm at it!