A terrifying Halloween

On this lovely Halloween morning, I thought this was funny:

Brought to you by Set Phasers to LOL

I read the story "The Call of Cthulu" for a class in college, and didn't think the monster was scary at all. Lovecraft had waaaay more freaky stories and monsters, but that's the one people always fixate on. Thanks, Metallica for bringing him into the mainstream!

Then I came into work and had a truly terrifying scare: I thought finishing 9 documents within the next two weeks (well, 8 days) would be difficult... now I have 10.

Did I mention I'm wearing a brace today because my arm is already starting to feel strained, and it makes it that much harder to type?

Oh, no problem. I'll take care of it. Thanks everyone for waiting until the very last minute to send me the required changes.

If I were a swearing person, I would have done for the last several minutes. Since I am not, I'm writing this blog post instead.

Hope your Halloween is less frightening and more fun than mine so far! And that the dressed-up children you might see today will as cute as this child!!

Running "amuck"

Sharing this clip of Hocus Pocus for three reasons:

1. This movie cracks me up every single time I watch it.
2. I want to find two friends and dress up as the Sanderson sisters one Halloween (not an original idea, but still an awesome one). I'd prefer to be Sarah, but I'd dress up as any one of them!
3. Sarah Jessica Parker's performance as Sarah Sanderson is one of my inspirations for my character in Beauty and the Beast. I'm not acting exactly like Sarah (the actress or the witch), but there are a few references here and there :-D Love!!

*Did you know that Leonardo Di Caprio was originally offered the role of Max, and turned it down for What's Eating Gilbert Grape? He would have had a whole different career if he had chosen differently. Crazy, eh? I love imdb.com!

Actor advice and etiquette

Lately I've realized that I've been performing in plays for so long that I take good actor etiquette for granted. I'm shocked and annoyed at the lack of respect that some actors show to their production teams, other actors, and audiences. It has occurred to me that the etiquette I learned a long time ago may not, in fact, be intuitive. I've been lucky to work with some tough-loving, sometimes brutally honest, teacher-directors and stage managers, and other actors may not have had similar experiences.

With that in mind, I came up with the following list of guidelines that will help make the experience more fun for you and the people around you, as well as a better show in general.

(Many experienced actors could stand to listen to this advice... I'm just sayin'...)

The Secret Garden. I didn't say
much and no one on stage looked
at me. All I had was character
development to play with!

• You should have listed all of your conflicts on your audition form, but if you didn't, tell the director or stage manager if you can't attend a rehearsal or performance. Don't just not show up if you're scheduled to be there. 
• Be on time. Always. If something unavoidably detains you, call or text as soon as possible to let the director or stage manager know how long you'll be delayed.
• Create a character for yourself. Experiment with reactions and line readings. That's part of the fun!
• If you're not supposed to be the focus of the scene, you shouldn't do anything really big to direct attention to you. Don't suddenly and without warning dive to the front of the stage during the middle of someone's line.
• Don't steal someone else's reactions or "bit" verbatim. If you like what they're doing and want to copy it, come up with some way to make it different enough to be your own. Few things are more frustrating to an actor than having someone steal their bit and have to come up with something new.
• Memorize any lines you have as soon as possible, and remember the blocking and business the director gives you. It's sooo much easier to get into character when you're not constantly referring to a script or having to be retaught!
• You will perform the way you rehearse. If you are used to holding your script in your hand, you'll have no idea what to do with your hands when it's no longer there. Same with rehearsing with low energy -- do it full-out every time!
• While I'm at it, I should probably share this again; not only is it hilarious, it covers a LOT of bases:

• Look up. Once, when sitting in the balcony for a show, I realized the actors were exclusively directing their energies to the audience on the ground floor. Consequently, I felt like I missed a lot of what was going on, and didn't connect with the show at all. Please, please, don't look at the ground while singing, or acting, or dancing, or any other time you are onstage. It's distracting (What the heck are they looking at?!), it's obnoxious (I'm in the balcony! Sing to me!), it reeks of low confidence (Do you not know the words to this song?), and it's a really boring choice (It's hard to care when you don't seem to). Personality is in the eyes. It's annoying enough when you're having a regular conversation and the other person won't look you in the eye. If you're onstage, the audience still wants to see your eyeballs (but don't look directly at audience members; that makes them uncomfortable, too). 

• 

  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
  Eight songs, a third of the script to
  memorize, and the emotional weight
  of the show on my shoulders. I'm still
  tired just thinking about it!

  Do not give direction to fellow actors. Even if they ask. Some of them have been in the business longer than you and know better what they are trying to do. Others are also new and probably don't appreciate your "help." The only one who should be directing is the director. (Also, don't approach the director with ideas for other actors, either privately or publicly. The only performance you should be worried about is your own.) There are very, very few exceptions for this rule.
• Share compliments with other actors. Rehearsals can be brutal and most of the time we think we are terrible. You wouldn't know it to look at most of us, but we crave validation. We are far less self-assured than we pretend to be, and most of us are really nice people.
• If you're in the ensemble or have a small part, don't pester the leads too much, even if they're really nice and seem to have time to spare. They have a lot on their minds and a lot expected of them. If they're running through the backstage area to try to make an entrance, that's a bad time to try to give them a hug.
• If you decide to juggle while waiting for your turn, try very, very hard not to let any of the balls fly into the middle of the group of actors actively rehearsing. It's distracting, annoying, and possibly dangerous. Same with knitting. Keep those needles in your grasp!



Into the Woods. A true ensemble
show where every character was
vital to the story.

• When the director gives you direction you're not excited about, give it a try anyway. You might be able to put your own spin on it; if the director says "no" respect that decision.
• Listen quietly during notes. The more you talk back or ask questions, the longer they take. When the director specifically gives you notes, say, "Thank you" and then incorporate what they said to your performance.
• Again, if you're in the ensemble, don't freak out if the director doesn't give you enough one-on-one time or any notes. That probably means you're doing just fine. The director will let you know if they don't like what you're doing.
• Unless you're doing an improvisation-heavy show, do not significantly change lines, blocking, or props after the show is open to audiences. Experimenting is done during rehearsals and the director's vision should be preserved. Audiences deserve the same great show closing night as you had opening. Plus, improv-ing onstage is unfair to the other actors (especially to someone like me, who can't improv to save her life). If something goes wrong, that's another story, but don't intentionally create a mess onstage for someone else to somehow fix.



Bye Bye Birdie. That cast had
one of the most fun and hard-
working ensembles ever!

• If you see something onstage (prop, costume piece, etc) that you know isn't supposed to be there, find some way in character to pick it up. If you don't, the audience will keep looking at that thing, wondering if it's there by mistake or will somehow be part of the scene later.
• When going off-stage in crowd scenes, go all the way backstage and get out of the way of other people trying to get off. It's difficult for the tail end of the crowd to get off when you stop moving just barely out of the audience's sight lines.
• Be nice to the people around you. Offer to help if you see the need, or ask the Stage Manager what you can do. Community theater is run on the backs of volunteers, and good help is always appreciated. Especially be kind to stage crew and orchestra people. They may not have been to as many rehearsals as you have, but it's their show too, and they could make you look really bad if they don't do their job well (not that professionals would sabotage you on purpose).
• If you are difficult or unkind, other directors will hear about it and it WILL affect future opportunities. No matter how talented you are or how large your part is, don't go out of your way to make things hard for the people around you. Remember that you are not God's gift and you are replaceable. Word gets around.
• Remember that audiences will be paying money to see you. Are you giving a performance that you'd be proud to ask someone to pay to see? Whether tickets are $5 or $45, someone worked hard to earn that money. Do your best to make their investment worth their while!
• Having fun is different from goofing off. Having fun means you work hard with the production team and fellow actors to make it a wonderful show. When you hear sincere applause from appreciative audiences, all that hard work will be worth it.



Kiss Me Katians. So inappropriate.
So entertaining. So loved!

• Get to know your fellow actors. Create and take advantage of as many opportunities as you can to hang out before/after rehearsals or performances. Anyone will tell you that the friends you make are often the best part of the the play, and when you are friends off-stage it definitely shows onstage. The show is better and you have a better time!
• Have fun, and break a leg!!!

Theater friends, is there anything I've missed? Do you have any other advice you would give to an actor or other type of performer?

Tarantulion

Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley

**10-27. I updated my e-mail address below -- what kind of wacko forgets her own addy? If you sent a drawing to "dizzydandelion78" please resend to "dizzyblonde78"!!**

I don't know about you, but I think a "tarantulion" is just about the most horrifying animal ever imagined.

Also, it's a great idea for a B movie.

If anyone wants to draw a picture of what they think a tarantulion would look like, e-mail it to me at dizzy blonde 78 at msn dot com*, and I will post it here for all to see!

Hmmm... I might have to draw a picture myself, if I have time at rehearsal tonight...

I don't know why that idea makes me so happy!

*I updated the e-mail address -- the first one posted was the wrong one. I apologize! Please send your drawings!! I'm so very curious to see what you came up with!

Come see Beauty!

My latest play, The Masque of the Beauty and the Beast opens a week from Friday!

Do you think it's a little nuts that we started rehearsing two weeks ago and open in just another week and-a-half? So do I! But, we'll be ready. It's already shaping into a beautiful (no pun intended) play. The cast is perfect -- I swoon over the Beast, and the girl playing Beauty is absolutely darling -- and I can't wait to get the set and costumes and start running the show!

Don't let the theater's name "The Children's Theatre" throw you. Yes, the plays are appropriate for children, but most of the actors are adults and we don't dumb down the dialogue or act cutesy as you might imagine someone might in a play geared toward children. I know adults will enjoy it... even if they don't have a child with them ;) And yet, children will love the characters and the dancing and the story. It's clever and fun and crazy and magical. 'Twill be a lovely way to spend an evening or afternoon. I know I'm looking forward to it!

Click here to purchase tickets. Keep in mind that both Saturday performances are matinees, and that there is no assigned seating, so you might want to get there a smidge early to pick a seat (I recommend sitting as close to the front/middle as you can, but honestly you should be able to see everything fine from any seat). Also, a reminder that this is not the Disney version of the story, so you might want to warn any little children who love the movie that there is no Mrs. Potts or Gaston. Hopefully they won't be too upset with you or us!

We perform every Friday and Saturday in November. I'll try to post photos as we get closer to opening, and definitely once we've started performing.

I hope to see you there!

Crushes and dreams

Have you ever had a crush on someone that abruptly ended when you dreamed your crush was a jerk to you?

Or, have you ever thought of someone just as a friend (or been trying to avoid a crush) until you dreamed the two of you got married and your crush was an absolute doll?

Remember how dreams are the subconscious just messing with you and your conscious mind can't be blamed but do have to deal with the unsettling consequences??

Well played, subconscious. Now I can't figure out how I really feel about this guy.

Mean, but well played :P

 

or

????

In other news, while searching for images this morning, I somehow changed the languages setting on my Google account to another language and I don't know which one. And since I don't know which it is, I haven't been able to successfully figure out how to change it back. This is going to get obnoxious really fast!!

"Let's face it: I'm not going to beat Batman."

When I walked into my church building to help set up for the Ward party, the first costumed person I saw was Cynthia (who you may remember from the Ward campout):

Please tell me you know what she is!

That's when I knew it was going to be an entertaining night!

We played crazy games, like 14 x 40 foot Twister

Ate awesome food

V from V for Vendetta (I knew without asking)
and The Mad Hatter's hottie little sister

Learned a line dance to Thriller

Haha! I wonder how long my wings were on upside-down?!

Voted for the best costumes. Here are the finalists:

The Mayor from Halloweentown (third from the left) won and I cheered.
That guy is one of the shyest men I've ever met, and I was thrilled
about his costuming success!

Neither my friend Wendy nor I entered in spite of how gorgeous we looked, because, in my words "Neither of us [were] going to beat Batman."

And generally just laughed ourselves silly:

Red Riding Hood and the Unibomber.
I think this photo is hilarious!

And at the end of the night, Batman and Snow White worked side-by-side with the rest of the ward to clear away the party decorations and set out all of the 550 chairs needed for church the next day.

The whole thing took ten minutes. It was awesome!

 Fun party :-D Sorry if you missed it!

Happy Muppet -- I, mean, Happy Friday!

Animal singing "Mama" really makes this video for me.

And, you're welcome!


Happy Friday!!

Thriller!!

I've attended Odyssey Dance Theater's annual production of Thriller for the last two years (see 2009 and 2010), and was very excited to go again last weekend! My friends Chantryce, Carrie, and I dressed in costume and met up at Noodles & Company for some dinner before the show. We were fairly prepared and only slightly embarrassed by the people who stared as us crazy costume wearers, but such things are always more fun when you're with other crazies, right? One elderly lady offered to take and e-mail us a photo, since we looked so cute. I thought it was awesome she used a camera phone -- hooray for little old ladies and their new technology! (Note: her phone was much cooler and newer than mine.)

Goddess Chantryce, Funky batgirl Carrie, and Medieval me

In previous years, I attended the concert either Halloween night or the night before, but this year, we went about two weeks before Halloween. Turns out, people don't really dress up at the concert this far before Halloween, so my friends and I definitely stood out. Oops! Oh well. Not the first time I've felt like a weirdy in a public place!

The concert was wonderful, as always. I am amazed at some of the things those dancers can do with their strong, limber bodies. They recycle a lot of the numbers from year to year, which I very much like, because some have definitely become favorites. Neither of the two new dances resonated with me, and I think the Lorena Bobbitt joke is really dated (though her back-up dancers are insanely funny), but I could watch the Frankenstein pas de deux, Jason Jam, Chucky dance, and River Dance of Blood over and over and over again! I'm glad I've made this concert a yearly tradition.

I do wish that some audiences knew how to be good audience members though. When a dancer playing a kid onstage yelled "Hi, Mom!" to the audience, a person on my row (like, fifth from the back in the balcony), decided it would be funny to yell back, "Hi!" That person also responded to other rhetorical stuff throughout the night. Really, audience member? They can't hear you onstage from back there, so all you accomplished was to look like an idiot, distract from the show, and bug the polite patrons. Next time, keep your mouth shut! I DID tell one person to put their cell phone away, though they either didn't hear me, or figured it didn't matter to keep opening it up between EVERY SINGLE NUMBER to check the program for the next number's information. Gah! 

Whatever. Overall, I had a great time, and I already can't wait to go next year!

On the steps at Kingsbury Hall

Afterwards, Chantryce and Carrie and I went to Chili's for dessert. Again, we were the only ones dressed up, but it sparked some silly conversations with our server. I tried the red velvet volcano cake with cream cheese in the center... oohhhh! It was sooooo goooood! Oh, great, and now I want another one. RIGHT NOW. Maybe I'll pick one up tonight... or just find a piece of red velvet somewhere. It's not always chocolatey enough for me, but it's still darn good! 

In conclusion, I'm glad I got to go, and I'm glad that we dressed up. I figure, it's more acceptable to dress up during October (when people can assume I'm on my way to or from a party) rather than in April where I'd just be some weird girl walking down Main Street in a costume. Not that it would stop me. I have a lot of costumes and don't get to wear any of them nearly enough. But it's nice to have the excuse, and hang out with cool people in the process!

Who is Penny?

Once upon a time, when Jamba Juice was Zuka Juice and Zuka Juice was still fairly new and novel, I spent a lot of time with a friend who was also named Megan. We were both pretty active in the theater scene, and had started to get parts with names, so we thought it would be fun if, when asked for our name when ordering a smoothie, or at restaurants, or any place else it might be helpful to differentiate ourselves, we gave our character's name. Before long, it became a habit.

The first time I did Bye Bye Birdie, I played Penelope, and that name stuck. That production closed twelve years ago, but I continue to give my name as "Penny" (sometimes "Peggy"). After all, there are a lot of "Megans" out there, and sometimes people hear the name as "Becky" anyway.

Yesterday I stopped at the local KFC/Taco Bell for a 360 Calorie meal. The following conversation ensued:

Slightly Flirty Very Young Cashier (male): Welcome to KFC/Taco Bell. How are you today?

Me: I'm happy, how are you?

SFVYC: I'm happy, too! It's a good day. (Flashes smile at me.) May I take your order?

Me: I'd like the 360 Calorie Meal.

SFVYC: (Cheerfully and possibly joking) Would you like to order a slice of chocolate cake? It's only a dollar-fifty.

Me: (Cognizant of my just ordering the healthy meal option and all the Halloween candy I have at home) Oh, no, thanks.

SFVYC: Okay. (Takes my credit card and swipes it.) What name can I put on your order?

Me: Penny.

SFVYC: Penny? (Puts in order.) That's my aunt's name!

Me: (Smiling) I like it.

SFVYC: Me too. It rhymes with Jenny!

Me: And Denny!

SFVYC: And Lenny!

Me: And too many!

SFVYC: There aren't too many Pennys, though.

Me: Yeah, but it's kind of nice. That way there aren't six of me in a class. I've been in classes where there are four Megans. Glad that's not my name.

SFVYC: Yeah! (Laughs; obviously didn't notice the name on my credit card) Well, here's your order. Hope you have a great day!

Me: Thanks, you too!

I have a friend whose name is "Beth" but always orders as "Betty" because nobody ever gets her name right. I have another friend with the last name "Gyllenskog" who orders as "Kelly" for the same reason.

Have you ever given a false name when ordering food or making reservations? I'm not talking about a Date Night situation where you claim to be someone else to usurp their spot. Do you use a pseudonym to avoid confusion (or just as a fun private joke)? If so, what name and why?

Or, do you think I'm totally silly for telling people my name is Penny when it isn't?

Hello, my name is Clive Bixby. What's yours?

T.V. notes

• Between Parks and Recreation and The West Wing, I think I finally see why Rob Lowe is such a big deal. My crush on him grows with each episode of both, even though the two characters are so different. Every time his Parks and Rec character says "Anne Perkins" with that completely guile-less, wide-eyed smile, I melt. I'm not sure if I find him handsome, but he sure is cute!!

• I stumbled across this video the other day, and reveled in the nostalgia. Does anyone else miss the days when Friday night viewing was must-see television?

Warning: There's an photo included of an almost-naked lady wearing nothing but game controllers.

It's weird and a little creepy.

• Each week, I become more disenchanted with Glee. I still like some of the characters, but my suspension of disbelief finally died with this whole "audition for West Side Story" storyline. They had a callback for Maria, and didn't have the candidates sing a song from WSS? Did they really think that Mercedes had the tenderness and vulnerability for Maria? (Both of her songs were totally belty-belty, as usual.) Meanwhile, Quinn is suddenly a bad-girl who wants custody of the child she gave up over a year ago? They barely have enough people for one glee club, but now they are starting a second at the same school? The whole thing is bugging me. A lot.

• Every time I think I'm about done with The Office, something happens to pull me back in. This time, it's the Robert California/Dwight Schrute conversations. These men are both odd and completely deadpan and it's Just. Too. Funny. 

• However, Dancing with the Stars is not terrible this season, though at this point I think the professional dancers have more star quality than the touted "stars." I like JR Martinez*, David Arquette*, Rob Kardashian*, and Ricki Lake* (though I don't think she's quite as good as the judges do, but what do I know?). And, shockingly, Nancy Grace* isn't as awful as I'd expected. Makes for some entertaining television! Did I mention I cried when Julianne Hough guest-starred* last week? She and Apollo* were my favorite team ever. I miss the golden days.*Click the names to see my favorite of their dances.

• Lastly, I never watched Everybody Loves Raymond, but after stumbling over this clip, I might have to put it on my Netflix queue. I think, just before this clip, the parents have told the kids they're moving to a new house 85 minutes away:

Confession #1: Someday, I want to date a guy tall and strong enough to be able to sit me on top of the refrigerator. Or at least see someone else who is able to do it!  

Confession #2: I laughed so hard I almost snorted water through my nose. Then, when I tried to tell someone else about it, I laughed so hard I cried. CRIED!!

Happy Monday! 

Fergalicious booties

My go-to, adorable, brown flats have huge holes in the soles; holes big enough I can put my finger through. So, I went into the shoe store determined to buy either another pair of brown flats, or sensible comfy fall/winter appropriate shoes I could wear to work.

Instead, I bought these:

I can't believe I bought booties! I'm normally soooo anti-bootie! In my defense, they were actually more comfortable than any of the "sensible" shoes I tried on. I honestly tried to fall in love with other shoes.

Actually, I'm not sure these qualify as "booties." And to clarify, I'm not talking about this kind of booty:

My booty doesn't look quite like this :P

But, I digress.

Much as I love these Fergalicious shoes, I'm not sure they're quite... well, me. Let's be honest, a lot of my outfits have a soccer-mom quality (I mean no offense to my soccer mom friends!); most of the time I don't try very hard to be stylish, especially during the week. I can almost see myself wearing the booties, but most of the outfits where I imagine I might, I'm used to pairing with these:

 

The booties really are just about the cutest things I've seen in ages, and this is the first time in a long time I've bought any shoes on impulse. Well, it wasn't exactly impulse, I did enter the store with intent to buy (and my old shoes really do have holes in them). They weren't even all that expensive. I adore them, but should I have let my love override my initial plans? Whether I keep them or not, I'm still going to need a pair of flats...

Why yes, I do know these socks are pure awesome.

In writing this post, I'm pretty sure I've decided to keep them. Any and all deviations from my original intentions make me nervous, but these new shoes are so fun and legitimately comfortable.

I need help! Or validation! Should I bite the bullet, take them out of the box, and start wearing them? Do I have room in my wardrobe for this latest pair? Could they become my next pair of go-to shoes; the ones I wear with everything? Are they as cute as I think they are? Am I over-thinking this?

What do you think?

Family resemblance

My sister-in-law cheerfully acknowledges that her children look quite a bit more like my brother's side of the family than hers. They're all blond with snub noses, Breezy has curly hair, Zonks has chubby cheeks, and G-man and Breezy both inherited Grandpa Craven's ears (poor things).

Here's a photo of me with brothers Adam and Aaron.
G-man is practically Adam's twin, Breezy looks like
baby Aaron (with my hair), and I'm channelling
Zonks's sunny smile.

I have often wondered if, when out in public with my nephews and nieces, strangers would think that I was their mom.

Well, I don't have to wonder anymore!

To celebrate my nephew's first piano recital (which he totally ROCKED), my mom took my brothers Adam and David, Adam's kids, and me to dinner at Chili's. Lindsey, my sister-in-law, couldn't come. We ate dinner and entertained the kids. Zonks and I had some one-on-one bonding time. G-man showed me Angry Birds (which I have heard of but have never actually seen). It was a fun night.

While we were getting ready to leave, I was standing next to our table and playing with one of my nieces when a woman in the booth behind me told me how cute the girls were, and asked if they were twins. I responded in the affirmative, and Adam confirmed to this lady that they are fraternal. She said something like "I thought so. They're the same size. How old are they?"

In spite of the fact that Adam answered the previous question, the woman was still looking at me, the apparent mom. I looked at Adam before answering, "Um, two and a half."

Then, this stranger, in the middle of a busy restaurant, asked me: "Did you have IVF?"

Ex-cuse me? Did this person just ask me about my fertility at Chili's??!

Now, I knew the answer to all of these questions, and I probably could have played along as the mom and the nosy stranger would have been none the wiser, but since I didn't know how Adam would feel about me pretending to be the mother of his children and answering on his behalf I felt really uncomfortable answering. Cute as my nephew and nieces are, I really can't take any credit.

I looked at Adam again, and he jumped in and saved me from my embarrassment. "Oh, they're my kids. This is my sister. She has a pretty strong resemblance to them, don't you think?"

She agreed and asked again about how he managed to have twins. To my surprise, he answered and then they started chatting about how so many people nowadays are having fertility problems. I busied myself with other things at that point, still keeping my ear on the conversation, totally amused by how polite Adam was to this less-polite stranger. He told me later he figured he'd never see her again, so why not humor her? My favorite of her questions? "Do you think it has anything to do with pollution?"

Maybe if there's a next time I'm assumed to be the mom, I'll get to pretend I really am, or I'll be more gracious about clarifying that I'm the very proud aunt. I was just caught so off-guard this time neither of those options occurred to me!

I am super flattered to have been mistaken as the mother of such gorgeous, lively, smart children. Hopefully someday I'll have some that I'll get to honestly claim as my own!

I could've had a V8!

After the first time during this illness that I went to the doctor, I went to the grocery store to fill prescriptions and buy juice. My throat was too sore to consider eating any solid foods.

It was there that I rediscovered V8!

Many people think the veggie juice is yucky, but I don't. I was excited about the possibility of still getting veggies, especially since I am beyond over carrots. Bleh.

(Am I happy this commercial features Kathryn Joosten? Yes. Yes I am.)

Also awesome and rediscovered? Popsicles. I would never had stayed hydrated without those babies.

I pretty much lived off that stuff and soup and toast, the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of champions. Then again, I never need an excuse for soup and toast. My mom will probably vouch for the fact it was my favorite meal while growing up.

Rediscovering loved foods of my childhood. Just another side benefit to having been sooooo sick.

Beauty and the Beast and Me

Sixteen years ago, I was deep into my involvement with The Children's Theatre. They announced auditions for a cool version of the Beauty and the Beast story called The Masque of the Beauty and the Beast. It's not the Disney version. It's the original tale (sorry, no Gaston or LeFou), and instead of being a musical it's written in rhyme so it has a very Shakespearean feel (we all know how much I've longed to do Shakespeare these last couple of years!). I was devastated when I wasn't cast. Then, after the run had started and I'd seen it a few times and REALLY fell in love, one of the actresses called me and asked me to play her role for a few performances while she understudied for another actress who was going out of town. I was surprised that she asked, but thrilled to play my favorite role! I learned the part in a few days, performed five times to good reviews, and dreamed of the day I might get to do it again.

I am still proud of the fact that
 as assistant costumer I did all of
 the glitter detailing on this gown.

Fast-forward to today, and the role is MINE at last!


I auditioned last week for The Children's Theatre's latest production of The Masque of the Beauty and the Beast. In spite of my apparent inability to completely shake this pneumonia, my audition went well and I was called back for the next evening. The callback was a little bit frustrating. The director has known me for seventeen years and has a good idea of who I am and what I can do, so she spent a lot of time with the actors she didn't know as well. Consequently, I spent a lot of time sitting around. I hate those kinds of callbacks! They make me feel so out-of-control and uncertain. I read for a few roles and made people laugh at my pantomime of an old lady, but when I left I had no idea how well I'd done or what the eventual outcome would be. Frankly, I wasn't very hopeful. I spent a whole lot of energy on angst for the next few days.

Fortunately, I had calmed down and resigned myself to the inevitable by the time the cast list was posted Friday evening. That's the only reason I can think of why I didn't immediately burst into tears of relief when I saw my name next to Dyspeppsia (this isn't the Disney version, remember?). Instead, my emotions swelled into insane excitement which hasn't dissipated yet! She's one of the sisters -- the whiny, pouting, funny one! There were so many terrific actresses at that callback; I was genuinely surprised to see my name there, and as delighted and grateful as I've ever been to win a part in a play. I love digging into a good character role, and I can't wait to make this one my own!

(Note that the actress playing Haughtense -- my partner in comedy and villainy -- is named "Meighan Smith." Just continuing my tradition of having at least one other Megan in almost every Children's Theatre show I do -- once, there were four of us in the same show!)

So, I'm gearing up for my second fairy tale play in a row! We have just a few short weeks to rehearse and will perform each weekend in November. My holiday preparations just got a whole lot crazier! Wah-hooooo!!

Best Wedding video

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a more creative, more fun wedding video than this one:


Best Wedding Video Ever

If you disagree, post your favorite wedding video link in the comments!

Happy Friday!

Party on!

Lights out

Wednesday night, I decided to take a nap at about 7:30 because my daily headache was becoming unbearable. I didn't have the energy to get up and turn off the lights, so I just turned my face into the back of the couch and closed my eyes, letting myself drowse to the sound of the marvelous storm pattering upon my roof.

Five minutes later, the power went out, and my little home was plunged into darkness.

I slept for a little while, then drowsed in the dark. And I looked at the light blinking from the smoke detector and wondered how long it had been since I'd changed the batteries, and if it would actually go off if there were smoke in my apartment. Then I realized that the chances of the building catching fire would probably be higher while the electricity was out, because of people lighting candles. Then I tried to decide what I would take with me if I DID have to flee the building because of fire, and realized most of what I needed would be in my laptop which was right next to me.

After about an hour, my curiosity got the better of me, and I stood up to peek out the curtains and see if any other buildings had also lost power. Just as I pulled the curtain back and saw that the building next door was also out, the lights popped back on.

That's when I realized my head didn't ache as much as it had before.

It might be coincidence that the outage lasted exactly as long as I'd needed to lie down, but if that's the case, it's a pretty cool one.

I like to think it was Heavenly Father doing something little just 'cause He was thinking of me, and thought I might appreciate it. I definitely did. I love those little reminders that even if I feel like I have no control over things around me, I still matter, and I am blessed.

Nice to have those moments once in awhile.

Pretty/unpretty

I wish I could tie you up in my shoes
Make you feel unpretty too
I was told I was beautiful
But what does that mean to you?
Look into the mirror who’s inside there?
The one with the long hair
Same old me again today

My outsides are cool
My insides are blue
Everytime I think I’m through
It’s because of you
I’ve tried different ways
But it’s all the same
At the end of the day
I have myself to blame
I’m just trippin’

You can buy your hair if it won’t grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up that mac can make
But if you can’t look inside you
Find out who am I too
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty

I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright

Never insecure until I met you
Now I’m being stupid
I used to be so cute to me
Just a little bit skinny
Why do I look to all these things
To keep you happy
Maybe get rid of you
And then I’ll get back to me (hey)

My outsides look cool
My insides are blue
Everytime I think I’m through
It’s because of you
I’ve tried different ways
But it’s all the same
At the end of the day
I have myself to blame
Keep on trippin’

You can buy your hair if it won’t grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up that mac can make
But if you can’t look inside you
Find out who am I too
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty

I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright
And I pity
Any girl who isn’t me tonight

Oh oh oh oh oh (Tonight)
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh (Tonight)
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh (Tonight)
Oh oh oh oh oh

I feel pretty (You can buy your hair if it won’t grow)
Oh so pretty (You can fix your nose if he says so)
I feel pretty and witty and bright (You can buy all the make-up that mac can make)

But if you can’t look inside you

Find out who am I too

Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty

I feel pretty
But unpretty

Please don't propose to me at a sporting event

I really, really super hope that my future boyfriend/fiance/husband knows better than to propose to me in this way*:



I always felt like getting engaged in a public place like this feels like it's more about the crowd than about the two people pledging to share their lives together. I don't want to feel like I HAVE to say yes to save his dignity. I want to say yes because I love him and want to share my life with him. It seems too personal a thing to have so many people watching.

Does this surprise you about me? It's true that I spend a lot of time onstage, but that's me acting, not me being me. I don't otherwise like being the center of attention. I especially don't like being "shown off" by my dates, because it invariably involves the guy acting in a way that he knows makes me feel uncomfortable but he thinks is funny and makes him feel all manly and important. I don't want to get engaged while a bunch of strangers who don't care about us galk at us (this includes the current Flashmob proposal trend). Plus, I expect there will be a lot of making out involved when I get engaged, and I HATE PDAs**!

When it happens, I hope he proposes in a way that is meaningful to us both. I'm a pretty simple girl. (I will admit to being afraid of unexpected rings in my food -- a girl could break her teeth!!)

Tell me, how did your significant other propose to you? Did he propose in a public place, and if so did you like it? For those still waiting, do you have any preferences?


*I will not mind if my future husband is a sports fan.
**Public Displays of Affection

And the doctor says:

I've been sick for the better part of a month, now. Sick enough that if I can avoid it or reschedule I pretty much stay home as much as possible. I took a week of work off, and I've worked from home several days. I've missed church all month. I've literally slept all day the last four Saturdays. The rest of the day I toughed it out at work for as long as I could before going home and sleeping the rest of the day (and then staying up all night because my body's clock is now completely out of whack. Boo.)

After five days in a row where I experienced coughing fits so hard and long that I couldn't breathe, I started drooling, crying, and nearly threw up, I finally called the doctor (actually, I called the doctor when I finally DID throw up... at work. Fortunately, no one was looking at me at the time).

I went back this week, and she took a chest X-ray and some tests...

... I'm getting too detailed.

Long story short, it appears that I'm dealing with pneumonia!


Gah! No wonder I'm so exhausted!

The doctor gave me some wonderful meds to open and strengthen my lungs and dispel the cough, some antibiotics to kill the virus and make me not contagious, and cough syrup so I can sleep at night!

So, if I can just get my allergies under control, I'll hopefully heal just fine. In a month, I'll go back to the doctor for another X-ray to make sure my lungs are clear.

Guess I'll keep taking meds, sleeping as much as I can, and hoping I can kick this soon.

Really, really soon.

My life hasn't completely stopped the last four weeks, but for goodness sake, I miss people! I miss going in to work where I'm so much more productive than at home! I miss going to movies and plays! I'm missing the last of the summer and the beginning of autumn!

I miss feeling well and being able to sit up for more than four hours at a time!

Please, please let this be all that's wrong with me, so that the healing process can continue in earnest. Please.



On a related note: Did you know that the word "pneumonia" has all of the vowels in it? Now you do! (That was for you, Amy!)