Rain, Rain Go Away!!!

Seriously.

This weather is UNACCEPTABLE.

Here it is, May 29th, and not only have we been dealing with a week full of drizzly, gray days - but it is also COLD out!!!

I know this has kind of turned into 'theatre week' on my blog - but there have been a lot of exciting theatre related things going on in my life lately, which brings me to the fact that I COMPLETELY forgot to mention that my beloved [title of show] is getting it's Boston premiere in January of 2010.

Long story short - Paul Daigneault (the founder and Producing Artistic Director of SpeakEasy Stage Company) has been trying to get the rights to [title of show] since it was in its embryonic stages. We're talking back when it was a little-bitty off-Broadway show, WAY before it moved to Broadway.

Well, he knew that I was a major [tos] fan and that I had been in contact with the authors/stars of the show - because I'm a complete theatre dork - so he asked me to put in a good word for him. This was back in March of this year.

Fast forward to the beginning of this month when I find out that SpeakEasy was given the rights (there was at least one other Boston theatre who was trying to get them as well) and according to an email I received from one of the [tos] authors, I was a 'big reason they got it'.

So exciting and totally fun.

Either way, I'm thrilled that it will be seen in Boston..."And I Helped!!!"

In addition to [title of show]; I think they have an excellent 2009-2010 season lined up.....take a peek:

The Savannah Disputation by Evan Smith (featuring Nancy E. Carroll and Paula Plum)

9/18 - 10/17

Reckless by Craig Lucas (featuring Marianna Bassham, Larry Coen, and Paula Plum)

11/13 - 12/12

[title of show] Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen, Book by Hunter Bell

1/15 - 2/13

Adding Machine: A Musical Original Music by Joshua Schmidt, Libretto by Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt (featuring Brendan McNab)

3/12 - 4/10

The Great American Trailer Park Musical Music and Lyrics by David Nehls, Book by Betsy Kelso (featuring Leigh Barrett, Mary Callanan and Kerry A. Dowling)

4/30 - 5/29

VERY EXCITING!!!

As I was typing up this entry, I got an email from my softball coach and team manager letting me know that I was selected as one of the team all-stars for the BSL All Star game on June 8th!!!

I'm truly honored and very happy to have been chosen.

This year they're playing the all-star game on the Boston Common on Monday night, June 8th as a kick-off event for Boston's Gay Pride week, so it should draw a large crowd and be a gay old time!!!

Oh my....now I'm nervous.

Thank GOD I don't have to pick out something to wear!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

"Talk to the Ass!"

If you’ve been reading my blog for the past week or so, you’re well aware of the fact that I’ve been seeing some GREAT Boston theater lately.

Last night my ‘seeing excellent theatre’ streak continued with SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of ‘Jerry Springer The Opera’.

I really think this is a production worth seeing. If you were on the fence whether or not to see this, I say SEE IT!!!
Although this production was originally scheduled to end this Sunday (May 30th), they just announced that they’re extending until Sunday June 7th!!!
And (as if that wasn’t enough) it’s with the entire cast intact.
BONUS!!!
Often times when a show like this announces an extension, it’s with the caveat that there are a few cast members that can’t stay for the extension. However, this time around the ENTIRE cast is able to do the extension.
Most excellent.

The SpeakEasy production is full of talented folks not only on the stage, but behind the scenes as well. The set is pretty much an exact replica of the Jerry Springer TV studio, which we all know and love. Add to that an amazingly talented group of actors, and you have an excellent night of theatre.
That’s assuming that a few (hundred) four letter words aren’t going to offend you….because there are plenty.
I can’t take the time to mention everyone I loved, but here are a few standouts:

Timothy John Smith as Warm-up Man/Satan: great part for him, especially in Act 2…he looks and sounds great!
Michael Fennimore as Jerry Springer: he’s got all the ‘Springer-isms’ down pat and does a great job keeping things flowing along
Ariana Valdes as Peaches/Baby Jane: outstanding voice and absolutely hysterical in both roles
Joelle Lurie as Shawntel/Eve: she was one of my absolute favorites….excellent voice and SO funny. Her ‘I Just Want To Dance’ was one of my favorite moments, and her delivery of “Talk to the Ass” had us in hysterics.
Kerry A. Dowling as Andrea & Brian Richard Robinson as Montel: they were a riot and sounded great together….especially in their ‘chase’ scene…hysterical.
Jared Trolio as Tremont: totally took charge of the stage and sounded great on his song
The ensemble was also a HUGE part of the success of the show. How they do what they do every night is beyond me. They all created such interesting and entertaining characters, without ever causing a distraction….it was so much fun watching them (and the poor things never get to leave the stage unless it’s to change).
Here’s the rest of the cast and production team listed…if you’re curious.

Granted, I admit that I may be slightly biased as I’m a big supporter of SpeakEasy and have been for many years….and I’ve performed in several shows with the company (Eight shows, as a matter of fact….yes, I’m tooting my own horn – deal with it) so I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few people I’ve mentioned above, as well as the production staff.
But, even so – that doesn’t mean that I can’t be objective!!!
Seriously…if I didn’t like it, I would have just written a blog post about the crappy weather we’re having today. :-)

If you’re a fan of theatre, opera, musicals, white trash, Jerry Springer, or any of these things – get your tickets now!!!
You’ll have a blast.

xoxo

Meet Some of the Scoops!!!

Hello there!

I'm having a pretty slow day at work, so I thought I'd share some photos with you.
This isn't my entire team (obviously) - but here's a few of the 'Scoops'!!!!

Pete B.

ME (trying to look intimidating???)

Peter B.

Matt

Joel

Jeff D.

Jeff G.

Dave B.

Chuck

Charlie

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Tonight I'm going with my friend Joanne to see 'Jerry Springer The Opera' at SpeakEasy Stage Company.

I'm very excited to see it.

Some of you may recall that I had a call back for this production back in October and wasn't cast.

As I say all the time, everything happens for a reason.

Aside from the fact that I'm totally not what they were looking for, just think of all the things I wouldn't have been able to do if I were in the show! No nights at home with Jim and Scooter, no weekend fun, and above all - NO SOFTBALL!?!?!? Yikes. Add to that the fact that they've extended a week into the beginning of June, and I'm going away that weekend and wouldn't have been available for the extension.

See? It was not meant to be.

Some people get so upset about not being cast in a particular production and will flat out refuse to go and see it. I really can't imagine myself getting THAT upset about a show. Maybe it's because I don't perform as a career so I'm not dependant on it to survive? But if you are an actor as a profession, getting crazy and boycotting productions you haven't been cast in is no way to live. Talk about unnecessary stress!!!

Sure, there have definitely been shows that I would have really liked to be a part of and I've been sad about not being cast, but come on - no show (or role) is worth getting that angry over.

Chances are, whatever show you're talking about is going to eventually be produced by a million other theatres and there's a good chance you'll get to do the show someday.

If for some reason you audition for a particular role over and over again and never get cast?

Take the hint. That probably isn't the part for you. ;-)

That being said, I'm looking forward to the show tonight.

Here are a few press shots to you excited too:

Photo credits: Stratton McCrady

A woman (Joelle Lurie) lives her dream to be a pole dancer.

Jerry (Michael Fennimore) comes between a wannabe pole dancer (Joelle Lurie, left) and her mother (Amelia Broome, right).

The ghosts of his former guests haunt Jerry in purgatory. From left: Amelia Broome, Wesley Thomas, Joelle Lurie, Jared Troilo, and Luke Grooms

Timothy John Smith as Satan

In other news: California can suck it.

Happy Wednesday!!

xoxo

What Day Is It? Where Am I?

Ah...nothing like returning to work after a long weekend and having no idea what's going on. :-)

Quick weekend re-cap:

Friday: I ran into blog reader and USPS employee, 'G' at South Station on my way home, which was an unexpected and delightful treat. WORD!
I got home, changed into shorts (it was H-O-T out!), ate dinner and then Jim and I headed back into Boston to see 'Grey Gardens' at The Lyric Stage. It was SOOOO good. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy myself, but it was really outstanding. Jim wasn't as familiar with the show as I was and he too really enjoyed it.
It's such a fascinating story and a they have a really talented cast. Go see it if you can still get your hands on some tickets. Call today!!!

Saturday: Jim and I went shopping at a local outlet mall and while I only ended up buying a pair of sneakers, Jim did really well. He's lost 30 pounds over the past 5 months, so he really needed to buy some new clothes for the summer. He looks GREAT and really got some nice stuff to show off his new 'figure'. :-)
However, for those of us who HAVEN'T lost 30 pounds, I don't suggest a shopping trip with someone who has. I left there depressed and feeling like a beached whale. We left the outlets, grabbed a quick and healthy lunch (relatively healthy at least), did a bit more shopping at Lowe's (seriously, one of my favorite stores) and then went to a cookout at my sister's house later that night. My Dad and Betty stopped by, which was a very nice surprise since we haven't seen them since December.

Sunday: Early in the morning, we packed up Scooter and headed down the Cape to spend the day with Jim's family. Although the weather wasn't the greatest, we had a really good time. We played games, played whiffle ball, ate lunch, then did a little shopping. Scooter was in HEAVEN because we let him off his leash at the baseball fields (it was completely fenced in). He was going after all the balls, and ended up destroying 2 out of the 5 that we had. He loved running around and in spite of the ball destruction, he was very well-behaved.
Jim and I didn't stay for dinner, but instead headed home and took naps. I fell asleep from about 5:45 until 8:00. Yikes. I'm not one for taking naps, but apparently I needed one.

I got up and then Jim and I were toying with the idea of getting dressed and going out, but we quickly decided that we were more interested in staying home, ordering Chinese food and staying on the couch. :-) Excellent idea.

Monday: Jim spent the day finishing up the back yard (mulching the gardens, seeding the lawn, etc...) while I tidied up the house, did laundry, and entertained Scooter. We took a quick break for lunch and resumed the 'chores'. Once Jim was done with the garden, he showered and we headed to the grocery store. We ate an early dinner and then I took off for my softball game under the lights on the Boston Common.
Our game was against the team that we played on opening day who beat us 17-8 so we were VERY happy to beat them last night 13-4. There were a lot of people there watching the game and a good time was had by all.

So, that's my weekend....I'm looking forward to a very quiet day today...so keep your fingers crossed for me that it works out in my favor.

Don't forget to go and see 'Pirates!' at the Huntington Theatre and 'Grey Gardens' at the Lyric...they both make for some wicked good theatah.

xoxo

Oh Happy Day!

There is nothing like the Friday before a long weekend. It makes for a very happy day.

The only thing better than that, is the Friday before a vacation.

THAT is most excellent.

Jim and I are going to see 'Grey Gardens' tonight at The Lyric Stage in Boston, and I'm BEYOND excited. Not only because we have friends in the show, but because I've been WAITING to see it since it was announced last year.

I'm familiar with both the off-Broadway and the Broadway cast recordings of the show, and I'm a big fan. I must admit I've never seen the documentary or any of the follow-up movies that have been made since then, but even so, I'm looking forward to seeing the show.

Surprisingly enough, we have no plans for the long weekend, which is a very nice change. I think we're going to do a little summer clothes shopping at the local outlets tomorrow and then meet up with my sister and brother-in-law (the 'good' brother-in-law, that is) tomorrow night.

As for Sunday and Monday there's nothing in the works that I know of....so I'm very excited about that.

I guess we'll just 'play it by ear' as they say.

Monday night I do have a softball game, so that's the only thing that I have going on.....

Of course, I'll work in a trip to the cemetery this weekend to visit my mom given that it IS Memorial Day and all. It's crazy to think about the number of people I know that are buried in that cemetery now. I remember how for many years my mother was the only person I knew who was buried there, and these days that number has increased greatly. A high school friend, one of my best friend's parents, family friends, people from my neighborhood, etc...etc.

It always makes for a sad trip....but inevitably I end up reminiscing about the great times I had growing up and all the amazing people who were a part of my childhood - and that makes me smile.

I hope you all have a GREAT long weekend.

xoxo

Here are a few press shots from 'Grey Gardens' (Photo Credits: Mark S. Howard)

Left to Right: Aimee Doherty as Young "Little" Edie Beale; Will McGarrahan as George Gould Strong; Leigh Barrett as Edith Bouvier Beale

Leigh Barrett (L) as "Little" Edie Beale; Sarah deLima (R) as Edith Bouvier Beale

Sarah deLima (L) as Edith Bouvier Beale; Leigh Barrett (R) as "Little" Edie Beale

Take THAT Randy, Kara, Paula and Simon!!!!

I think the best part about Kris winning American Idol is that it makes the 4 judges look like complete assholes.
At least in my eyes anyway.

Every time I've turned the damn show on, I've been forced to listen to them constantly praise Adam as if he was the second coming and it was really getting annoying.
Especially on Tuesday night's show. When they made their final comments to Kris, it sounded like they had completely written him off, and I'm very happy they were wrong.

I didn't get to watch last night, as I was attending 'Pirates!' at the Huntington Theatre (more on that in a minute) but from what I've heard both of them performed quite well last night.
As I said several times before, I'm sure that they'll both have successful recording careers post-Idol, but for the time being, I'm happy with the way things turned out. :-)

In Joanna Weiss' column this morning, she says a few things that I completely agree with:

"Lambert may have been the most polarizing finalist the show has ever seen, and Allen was almost-absurdly wholesome by comparison - and far more similar to third runner-up Danny Gokey. Still, this "Idol" contest wasn't just a skirmish in the culture wars. It was a choice between glam rockers and mellow guys with acoustic guitars, a test of how fast people could dial or text, and - perhaps most significantly - a referendum on what an "American Idol" winner should be.
Lambert arrived on the "Idol" stage fully formed, with the skill and confidence of an already-minted rock star.
Allen, meanwhile, represented the traditional "Idol" conceit: that the show should find a diamond in the rough from some distant corner of the country. He won over voters by choosing bold arrangements and improving over time."

Enough of American Idol....onto 'Pirates!'

I'll keep this brief, because I could probably go on for two hours talking about this show.
It's basically a re-vamped version of Gilbert & Sullivan's 'The Pirates of Penzance' but I unfortunately don't know the original well enough to give specific examples of the changes that were made. Sorry.

That being said, I really, really had a great time at this show. It was extremely well cast, well sung, well directed and I loved the choreography.
It felt more like musical theatre and a not so much like an operetta to me. That's one of the reasons I tend to avoid Gilbert and Sullivan a lot of the time....it's just 'too much' for me.

I'm not a great review writer, so if I come across a review that says what I'm trying to say, I'll post it. :-)

I will say that I really thought they did a great job casting the show. The leads were all great singers and actors and the supporting cast (especially the pirates) were very entertaining.
Kudos to Steve Kazee (Pirate King), Cady Huffman (Ruth), Anderson Davis (Frederic), Farah Alvin (Mabel, and Ed Dixon (Major General). All of them were so strong in their acting and singing. This is going to sound so weird but I don't know how to say it really....I was THRILLED that they were able to find people who could sing 'legit' so that the music wasn't compromised, but at the same time, I didn't ever feel like I was listening to a group of stuffy opera singers.

If you have any interest at all in seeing the show, I HIGHLY suggest it. I had a great time and thought it made for a great night of theatre.

Check out their blog from some pictures and a little bit more info.

Have a great day....

Adam, Kris, and a Little Glee

In a rare turn of events, Jim and I actually sat down and watched American Idol last night.


I FINALLY figured what my problem is with Adam.

As I've said before, he's clearly a great singer, but after hearing him sing three times last night I realized that I really don't enjoy listening to him or watching him perform.
There is no WAY I'd ever make it through an entire album of his. Much like I'd never sit and listen to Axl Rose sing 11 songs in a row. It just isn't my thing.

I certainly appreciate the fact that he's talented - but that doesn't mean I want to listen to him. And to be completely honest, all the gushing that the judges were doing over him made it even more unbearable to me.

I agree with the fact that Adam 'out sung' Kris last night. Even so, I still enjoyed Kris' performances so much more. I thought the third song was a huge, steaming pile of crap and I can't believe it took THREE people to write it. Really???
Had they lowered the key for Kris, I really think things would have gone much better for him -but it's too late for that.

Whoever wins will not affect me in the least, I'm not that 'invested' in the outcome, and I'm sure they'll both be very successful and have great careers regardless of how it turns out tonight.


After American Idol, we watched the pilot episode of GLEE.....and I kind of loved it.

The story is quite predictable, and I can pretty much see where things are headed, but I can't wait to see it again.

I thought Matthew Morrison did a great job and I LOVED listening to Lea Michelle!! She sounded great....and the boy they have for the lead isn't too bad either. ;-)

That audition sequence made me very happy...loved the sassy black girl and the little queen made me laugh. I love the group that they've put together....it's so 'typical', that I find the whole thing hysterical. (the black kid, the Asian kid, the gay kid, the underdog....etc...etc...)
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this again in the fall.


Speaking of gay kids....I'm going to see 'Pirates' tonight at the Huntington Theatre.
I'm very interested in seeing it, and since I got a free ticket - I couldn't refuse.

Keep an eye out for my 'review'.


Have a great day!!!

The Bird is the Word.

CRAZY story….

Since it’s Tuesday, I’m working out of a different office today. As I pull into my parking space this morning, I see what looks like a little, green parakeet scurry under the car across from me. I’m all like: “Did I just see a parakeet run under that car???”

I got out of my car and got a closer look and sure enough, I wasn’t seeing things.

For those of you who aren’t aware, up until about 2 years ago, Jim and I had two parakeets (Junior and Buddy) who I loved to pieces. That being said, there was NO way I was going to just walk away and leave the poor little thing to die. It was obviously someone’s pet (there are no wild parakeets in the Boston area) and I’m surprised that it made it through the night. Of course, it may have escaped this morning, but who knows?

Anyway…after a couple of failed attempts, I managed to capture the little guy and then realized that I had him....but had nowhere to put him. Awesome.

As I walked over to my car, he flew out of my hands and landed on a car a few cars down from mine. Some woman who had just parked her car was walking toward the building and said “Ummmm….was that your bird???”
I explained the situation and she just smiled and looked at me like I was a lunatic.
Please...like it’s weird to see a grown man standing in your company's parking lot holding a parakeet at 8:15 in the morning….yeesh.

Once she was gone, I managed to locate the bird again and as I stood there looking down at him, a man approached me and asked me if everything was OK. I explained the situation to him and he helped me to capture it again. As it turns out, he has a cat, a dog, and two parakeets of his own, so he was more than happy to take part in the rescue.

Once I got my hands on him, (the parakeet, not the man) the man suggested that we go inside and find something to put the bird in.

I’m only at this location once a week, so I know NO ONE here. We got inside and the man explained everything to the security guard (a friend of his) and thankfully the security guard had a little plastic container with a lid that was PERFECT temporary home for the bird.
Even better….she had recently bought a parakeet of her own and said she’d be more than happy to take him home.
Hooray for happy endings!!!
Wait….what?

I’m still planning on checking Craigslist when I get home, just in case someone posts an ad for a missing bird. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could reunite the owners with their bird? I can’t imagine anyone would be too optimistic about finding it, especially since it was SO cold out last night and parakeets get cold really easily.

I’ll definitely keep you posted if anything comes of it.

So – that’s my good deed/exciting news for the day.

In other non bird-related news, we lot our game last night….but we played a great game and had fun, in spite of the sub-zero weather.

Enjoy your day!!

As promised....

It's now Monday morning, and I'm writing in my blog. :-)

I had a delightful weekend!!!

Dinner and drinks with friends on Friday night, a softball game (which we lost 18-10 - BOO!) on Saturday afternoon, a dance recital Saturday night, immediately followed by a birthday celebration in Boston.

Sunday afternoon I was scheduled to have two softball games, but because of the rain we got overnight on Saturday and the fact that the fields have horrible drainage (that sounds gross) all Sunday games were cancelled. Instead of softball, Jim and I stopped over to visit his parents, went grocery shopping and then went to a graduation party for a friend who just graduated from college. We had a GREAT time at the graduation party - especially Jim (I was driving).

And I'll leave it at that.

Unfortunately, it's quite cold out, which means that my softball game tonight is most likely not going to be a very fun experience. Weather issues aside, we're playing the team that beat us on Saturday, so it's time for a little payback. I'm hoping that will be incentive enough to keep our spirits up, and the bats going!!!

I just finished reading the book 'Snuff' by Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Rant) which is basically the story of a female porno star who's making a movie in which she'll have sex with 600 men. It's a satire/comedy and focuses on three of the 600 men, as well as the star's personal assistant. It was a very quick read, and quite funny.

One of the funniest things is that throughout the book, he (the author) came up with a ton of fake porno movie titles.

Since I CLEARLY have way too much time on my hands, I kept track of them and I'm listing them here for your enjoyment.

Again...all the credit goes to Mr. Palahniuk for these...some of which had me laughing out loud on the train. :-)

Sex With The City
Lust Horizons
Emergency Room Back Door Dog Pile
Titanic Back Door Dog Pile
Ford’s Theatre Back Door Dog Pile – later released as Private Box – later re-released as Presidential Box
The Da Vinci Load
To Drill A Mockingbird
The Postman Always Cums Twice
Chitty Chitty Gang Bang
The Twilight Bone
A Tale of Two Titties
The Wizard of Ass
Gropes of Rath
World Whore One: Deep in the Trenches
World Whore Two: Island Hopping
Moby Dicked
A Midsummer Night’s Ream
Much Adieu About Humping
The Twelfth Knight
Snack Attack
Lassie Cum, Now!
World Whore Three: The Whore to End All Whores
On Golden Blonde
The Ass Menagerie
Catch Her in the Eye
A Separate Piece
Bang the Bum Slowly
Butt Pirates of the Caribbean
Smokey and the Ass Bandit
Beat Me in St. Louis
Ali Boobie and the 40 D’s
Robofox
Lay Misty For Me
The Importance of Balling Earnest
Lady Windermere’s Fanny
The Blow Jobs of Madison County
Snow Falling on Peters
Guess Who’s Coming at Dinner – later released as Black Cock Down
Twat on a Hot Tin Roof - later released as Slut on a Hot Tin Roof – later re-released as Cunt on a Hot Tin Roof
The Italian Hand Job
The World’s Biggest Gang Bang
Three Days of the Condom
The Handmaid’s Tail
The Asshole Jungle – later released as How Reamed Was My Valley – later re-released as Inside Miss Jean Brodie
Angels With Dirty Places
Sperms of Endearment
The Miracle Sex Worker
From Her to Eternity
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nuts
The Bad Juiced Bears
Frisky Business – later released as Lay Misty for Me

Happy Monday!!!

"Well, Here We Are Again...."

"I guess it must be fate..."

Thank you very much.

That's from a little ditty I'm sure you're all familiar with ('After All') and I dedicate it to all the Peter Cetera and Cher fans out there.
Wait - do any Peter Cetera and Cher fans even exist?

I need to tell you all that my dear friend Melissa and I sang that song at her sister's wedding reception many moons ago.
I'm pretty sure we were amazing.



Here's a photo as proof.





Melissa sent this to me, and I was laughing for about 20 minutes. Can we talk about my hair? Her hair? My face?
Yikes...gotta love the 80s, huh???

Anyway...here we are again on a Friday.

The weather here in Boston is kind of crappy today. It's overcast and drizzly, but thankfully it's not too chilly out. According to the weather reports, it's supposed to be like this all weekend...kind of cloudy and looking like it could rain at any moment.
I'm just hoping that the rain holds off!!


We have a busy weekend ahead. We're getting together with a couple of friends tonight (I don't know exactly what we're doing, but I'm SURE it'll be fun) then tomorrow I have a softball game at noon, followed by a dance recital tomorrow night - watching, not performing ;-) - followed by a birthday celebration for one of my softball teammates (Happy Birthday Matt!!).
After the recital, Jim and I are meeting up with everyone at Ramrod/Machine to celebrate Matt's b-day. Tomorrow night also happens to be a karaoke fundraiser for the Ramrod/Machine softball team, so we'll not only be celebrating Matt's arrival into the world, but showing our support for a fellow team.
Hoooray for us!!

Sunday we have a double header starting at noon and after my two games I'm meeting Jim at a friend's graduation party.
As if that wasn't enough - I have ANOTHER softball game on Monday night at 7:30 on the Boston Common. If any of you Boston readers have nothing to do on Monday night - stop by to watch!!!

Needless to say, I'm sure I'll be more than ready for a nap once Monday night rolls around.

But I'm getting ahead of myself....I'm sure you'll be hearing from me on Monday morning.


Have a GREAT weekend!!!

xoxo

NOTE: After going back and forth via e-mail and getting through many fits of hysterical laughter, Melissa and I came to the conclusion that it wasn't 'After All' that we sang, but the EXTREMELY similar sounding 'All My Life' as sung by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville.

Proving that all the power ballad duets of the 80s are completely interchangable.

Either way, we totally rocked.

"And I caaaaaaan't stand 'im"

Can we talk?

Don't worry, this isn't an anti-Adam Lambert post. :-)
Let me just say that I'm VERY interested in seeing what ends up happening next week.
I'm not at all surprised at the top two and I'm sure that they'll both have very successful careers irregardless of who wins. (yes, I know it's not a word, but I still love it)

Anyway...I don't think this is a subject that I've ever brought up on here, and I'm not going to go into a huge amount of detail, but let it be known that I DESPISE my brother-in-law.




I have two sisters and they're both married, but anyone who's 'in the know' will know exactly who I'm talking about.
I didn't like him when I first met him, I didn't like him when they got married, I don't like him now, and I won't like him in the future.
He's a horrible person with no redeeming qualities and I would love it if my sister kicked his sorry ass to the curb (as the 'kids' say these days). And I don't like his family either.

I know that my sister isn't happy in the relationship and I'm sure their two boys aren't happy with the current situation either. The problem is that she needs to make the first step (of getting him out of the house) and I'm sure she's terrified to do so. I completely understand. It's got to be terrifying making that decision and leaving a situation you've been accustomed to for so many years.
Change is good though, right??? :-)

I think that she's finally at the point where she's realizing that she's got a lot of support from her family and friends and that people are willing to stick by her and help her in whatever ways they (we) can. I also think that she's finally come to the realization that she'll be OK from a financial perspective, especially since he's pretty much contributing nothing significant to their income.

The whole thing stresses me out beyond belief. I just want things to be better for her and her two boys. The three of them deserve to be happy and that isn't going to happen as long as he's still in the house, creating a super-negative environment.

There....I feel a little better now. Thanks.

On a more positive note (and a complete change of subject) - our fence is supposed be getting repaired either today or tomorrow!
That's exciting, huh?!?!?
Jim has worked his (skinny) ass off in the yard every spare minute this Spring and I can't wait to see how everything looks once the fence is back to normal.

Speaking of exciting things - the pool is being opened on June 3rd! It's a little later than we've opened it in the past, but that was the earliest they could come and open it.
I'm sure we could open it ourselves, but it's not a lot of money to have them do it, they do a great job. Besides, getting the cover off and folding it up is WAY more than a two person job.
I'm afraid we'd have no friends left to enjoy the pool if we tried to recruit them to help us open it. :-)

I'm looking forward to it being open this year, especially since those two giant trees are gone. You can see them in the background, behind the umbrella.
Now that they're gone, the pool and the patio area should get a LOT more sunlight, which makes for a warm pool, which makes for a happy John!!!



Happy Thursday to you all.


xoxo

When It's Time To Change.....

Change is a good thing, right???

I have to keep telling myself that.

I just found out yesterday that my team is going to be moving to a different office, out of the city and into the 'burbs.
Here's a little background, to catch y'all up:

I started working in IT (software testing) for company 'A' back in 2001.
In 2007, company 'A' was bought by a much larger company - company 'B' (complete with a Boogie, Woogie, Bugle Boy....Anybody?....Nobody.)
Even though I work for company 'B' - I'm still only supporting the systems for company 'A'. Until all the systems convert from 'A' to 'B' I'll continue to do my 'old' job.
In the past few months, there has been an effort (albeit VERY minimal) to integrate my teammate and I (there are only two of us who remain from company 'A') into the 'new' team. Basically, the goal is to teach us how their systems work and how things are done in the IT world of company 'B'. That's why I've been working out of a different office once a week for the past few weeks.
Are you still with me?

That being said, we're ALL (all the testers) being moved to a central location within the next 4-6 weeks. Just to make things more confusing, the place we're moving to - isn't the place that I've been working out of once a week for the past few weeks, but a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT place which I've never even seen. Nice.


As far as the commute is concerned, I'll no longer have to pay $4 a day to park and I won't have to shell out $223 a month for a commuter rail pass. Instead, I'll be driving 22.44 miles on what could be a very congested stretch of highway (actually a couple of highways).
Of course, if my hours stay the same I may be OK, but who knows?

There are definitely pros and cons to the entire situation.

On the 'con' side, I'll totally miss the people I've been working with and sitting near for the past few years, I'll miss all the reading I was able to do on the train, and most of all I'll miss working in the city. Everything is right here and if I needed to run any errands during the day or simply go for a walk it's all so incredibly convenient.

On the 'pro' side, I'll be saving a lot of money (over $3,000 a year) by not taking the train, my commute will be a lot shorter even with traffic, and I'll still have a job. :-)
I'm not going to worry about it. I spent the first 5 years of my 'work life' doing a very similar commute and I managed to survive. In fact, I clearly remember going into a minor panic about having to work in the city.
It'll all turn out just fine.

In other news (as if this post isn't long enough) - the two Cardinals that took up residence in the azalea bush outside our living room window are now the proud parents of a little, baby bird. It's so cool to watch the mother and father interact with one another, as well as the baby - and it's crazy how they keep a VERY close eye on the nest anytime were outside. They're always watching.
Bird parents are awesome.

Have a GREAT Tuesday!!!!

This isn't the actual bird couple that live with us, but they look just like them. :-)

I'm totally buying this for them....I hope they like it.

It's Monday.

Oh me, oh my, it's Monday.

The sun is shining and it looks like it's going to be a nice day.

I think I have a pretty easy day ahead, which is nice - since I'm still recovering from the weekend. Or should I say my liver is recovering from the weekend?

Yikes.

Friday night, our friends from New York arrived and we invited a few local friends over for a little BBQ. (and lots of beer) It was great to see all of them and take my word for it - there is nothing like watching two drunks trying to play Wii Mario Kart.

It was a very fun night!

Saturday morning we got up and had a big breakfast (made by Jim) which was EXCELLENT.

I said my goodbyes and headed out to my softball game.

We had a GREAT game and won, which is always nice. After the game, I headed to my sister-in-law's house where they were celebrating my niece's First Communion. It was nice seeing everyone and even better to eat. :-) I get hungry after softball!!

Fun little side note - my mother-in-law ended up getting the cake for free because when she went to go pick it up, she told the woman that it was a little 'gaudy' and not what she wanted. She'd asked for white frosting with pale pink, and instead got white frosting with HOT pink frosting. While it would have been fine for your average run-of-the-mill teen girl's birthday party....it wasn't exactly what I'd expect to see as a First Communion cake.

Clearly the cake decorator hasn't ever met a Catholic.

That being said....the cake was great....and in addition to that, Jim's sister made ambrosia.

LOVE IT!!!!!

People are always making fun of me for liking it, but I'm not ashamed to admit I really love the stuff.

After eating my fill,we took off for home. Jim napped while I showered and then we headed into Boston for my softball team's fundraiser. On the way into the city, we stopped at my sister's house to drop off her birthday present....belated Happy Birthday wishes, sis! (Her birthday was Friday the 8th)

We chatted for a bit and then went to FRITZ for the fundraiser.

We had a really good time at the event and made lots of money. I spent a majority of the evening selling 50/50 raffle tickets, which allowed me to chat with several strangers and take their money...which is always fun. After all, I AM a 'people person'.

Sunday morning, Jim's Mom and Dad stopped by for coffee so we could give her her Mother's Day gift and see her for a bit before we took off for the day. As luck would have it, shortly after they arrived, we discovered that Jim's sister (who lives in South Boston) was locked out of her apartment, and had NO way to get back in. Yikes.

Since Jim and I were heading into the city (I had 2 softball games) we said that we'd stop by and let her in. With our Mother's Day visit cut short, Jim and I quickly got out stuff together and flew out the door to save his sister.

When we arrived, she was sitting in her pajamas on the stairs outside her door (thankfully, one of her neighbors had let her back into the building) and had read the entire Sunday Globe and done the crossword. We let her in, and then we took off for the softball fields.

We had two games and won both. The first one was kind of a massacre (sorry RG!) but in their defense, they really don't belong in Division 2. I'm pretty sure that the team knows that, but for some reason (which RG can maybe explain?) they didn't move down a division in spite of the fact that they have a really new team. Either way - they were still a very fun team to play, and never got angry or discouraged. Hip, hip hooray for them!!!

The second game was against the team that we had beat on Saturday afternoon. This time it was more of a challenge, but we managed to keep it together, played really well and won the game.

OK - enough of all this chatter...I'm heading to get some coffee!!

This afternoon I have to go to a meeting in another office, which means that I'm leaving here at noon, and should be leaving for the day at 3!!! That's awesome.

Have a GREAT Monday!!

xoxo

F-R-I-D-A-Y!!!!!

After a rainy, chilly and overall yucky week - Friday has arrived, and it's a lovely day...so far.

Speaking of lovely days....the song and musical I was referring to last week was the song 'Angry Guy/Lovely Day' from the musical Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down - a 1985 off-Broadway show...which was produced back in 1992-1993 at SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston.
There's your answer...and a bit of musical theatre trivia for you to tuck away somewhere.
There was no winner, but Jim gets an honorable mention for mentioning 'The Life' - a Broadway show which is near and dear to our hearts.

"Fat Girls to the BACK!!!"

This is the CD artwork from Three Guys Naked....



Yes, if you were wondering, that is Scott Bakula (from Quantum Leap) wearing the sunglasses.

Last night we (the Scoops) had a VERY productive softball practice, with a lot of our time spent on hitting. Since we were NOT hitting the way that we should in last Saturday's game, it was time well spent. We have 3 games this weekend (1 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday) so I'm hoping that we show significant improvement.

Speaking of softball....if any of you Boston area readers are looking for something to do on Saturday night, come to Fritz and support our team. We're having our annual fundraiser that night and would LOVE to have a lot of people there. There will be door prizes, a raffle with prizes that include; Red Sox tickets, Celtics tickets, and some other delightful things. In addition to all that, there will be a 50/50 raffle and make your own sundaes!!! I'm pretty sure we're doing the sundae thing....we did it last year and it was a success...and the ice cream is REALLY good.

Even if the sundae thing isn't happening, there will be lots of cute softball players, a chance to win some great prizes, and alcohol. :-)

Tonight Jim and I are having some friends stay over who are visiting from New York, and we're VERY excited to see them...it's been a really long time and I'm sure we'll have a fun night.

I hope you all have a great weekend!!!!

Oh - and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY you all you mothers that are reading my blog.

Ta-Ta!!!

Humpty Dumpty Day

I've never really thought about what a HORRIBLE name that is for a nursery rhyme character.

Not only does it have the word HUMP in it, but it also has DUMP in it.

Gross...I'm never reciting that nursery rhyme ever again.

And I think he's quite creepy....

Can I just say that Jim has only had his blog for 3 days and he already has more followers than I do?!?!

It's up to you people to change that....you know what to do.

In case you can't tell, I'm kind of scatter-brained today. It's very chilly here, and it's been raining like crazy the past couple of days. It's true that all this rain is great for our lawn and all the flowers in our gardens, but it really sucks for us humans. Especially us softball playing humans who are going to be dealing with mud puddles and horrible conditions at the softball fields all weekend unless things dry out - and fast!

There's so much going on right now at work, it's kind of insane. Not anything bad, but it's really busy....which is good, I suppose - except that I'm tired and don't feel like using my noggin.

Clearly, I have no choice. If I don't use my brain, the work won't get done, and if the work isn't done, then I don't keep my job...which is wicked bad.

On that note - I'm going back to work....Happy Hump Day to you and yours.....now go to that side bar thingy and follow me. ;-)

Tony, Tony, Tony!!!!

Good day everyone!!

I’m working in a different office this morning, so I have to be brief…..two quick things.

The TONY Award nominations were announced this morning, and my BELOVED [title of show] picked itself up one nomination.
Hunter Bell was nominated for Best Book of a Musical….and I’m sure he’s beside himself with glee.
Yes, I would have loved for them to get more nominations, but the fact that they were nominated at all (since the show closed in October) is pretty amazing.

I’m not too surprised at the way things went, but I bet the gang over at ‘9 to 5’ were counting on a Best Musical nod….OOPS!!!!
I bet they’ll still perform during the show, especially since Dolly Parton was nominated for Best Musical score. We shall see.

The second thing is that my husband has caved into peer pressure and joined the blog world. I’m sure his blog will be chock full of fun and entertaining things.
Stop by and check it out!!!!

Have a great day and I’ll write more tomorrow, when I’m more at ‘home’.

Here's a picture of Jim and I with TONY NOMINATED Hunter Bell from [title of show] - and fellow [tos] castmate, the ridiculously talented Heidi Blickenstaff....

A Gray, Gray Monday.

Well, well, well. It's Monday...and it certainly feels it. Blah.

I wonder if Mondays would be so horrible if the weekends weren't always so much fun?

Maybe I should try to have a HORRIBLE weekend and see if Monday is a better day.....

Yes, this weekend was a lot of fun.

Friday night we had our pre-opening day 'party' (for softball) at The Alley and then some of my teammates, Jim and I headed over to Machine for drinks and dancing in celebration of Kevin's birthday. I can't remember the last time I went out 'dancing'.....but we had a LOT of fun!!!

Can I just say how GREAT the staff at The Alley are? They were extremely accommodating to all of us, and were so great to let us have the event there. Hip, hip hooray for The Alley!!!

We got up on Saturday morning (we slept in a bit later than usual) and I headed to the fields to catch the Opening Day Ceremony....which I ended up missing because I had the time wrong.

Ooops!

It was nice to get there early though and watch a few games before we had to play.

Unfortunately we got KILLED in our game, but we still managed to have a good time. In spite of the loss, I played well, so that made me happy. Unfortunately, we had a lot of 'off-season kinks' to work out. Now that they're gone, I'm anticipating a huge improvement this Saturday when we play our next game.

After the massacre, Jim and I went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday and then headed to 'The Grille' for drinks and to watch the Celtics game. We sat at the bar to watch the game (as well as the Red Sox game) and ended up being 2 of the last 4 people left in the entire place by the time the game ended. The bartender was nice enough to stay there until the end, even though it was past their normal closing time and she didn't seem too interested in the game.

Both teams won so Jim's birthday got of to a very good start.

Sunday morning, Jim and I got up, ate breakfast, showered and headed out to go grocery shopping. Once that was done, we got home and cleaned the house in preparation for his family's arrival at 1pm. In true Sullivan fashion, his parent's arrived about 25 minutes early, followed by one of his sisters about 10 minutes later. Even though we were just finishing up cleaning, it was fine. They're family so it's not like we're trying to impress them or anything.

We should really know by now that they'll be arriving up to a half hour earlier than the decided time. It's totally fine though...my parents do the EXACT same thing.

Ah, parents.

Everything with the day went well....there was lots of great food, lots of games and I think Jim had a great time. He got a couple of gift cards to Miltons so he can buy a new suit, some clothes, a few yards of mulch for the yard (doesn't everyone get mulch for their birthday???) and a Lowe's gift card. I got him Mario Kart for Wii, an extra steering wheel (so that we can race), a 'Wii Speak' for his Animal Crossing game (so that he, Barrie and Melissa can all chat with one another when they're at home playing - Barrie and Melissa, go and get yours today!!) and I got him an LG Xenon cell phone.

I don't think it's exactly what he wanted - because it doesn't seem to be able to do all the things he wants it for. He's going to look at it more today and stop by the AT & T store to talk to the person there in more detail about it. If it's not going to allow him to check his Gmail and do the stuff he wants, he can get a different phone, but at least it's a starting point.

It's really odd because there are 12 numbers (all the same AT & T phone number) that are saved in his 'Contacts' - and they're not deletable. Which means that the first 12 numbers in his phone book are all AT & T numbers that he can't get rid of. Is that not the dumbest thing ever?

We called two different times and both people said that it's just the way it is. D-U-M-B!!!

Anyway - hopefully he'll be able to get that settled today....he's been 'cell phoneless' since the middle of March.

OK everyone...enjoy the start of your week and in spite of the yucky weather (up here at least) keep smiling!!!

xoxo

"Please dear, your Auntie Mame is hung......"

And so am I.

After an EXCELLENT final dress for softball opening day - Kevin and I (Kevin is our 2nd baseman who is almost 100% recovered from knee surgery) decided to go to Fritz for a drink.
Well, needless to say, the Celtics game was on so I ended up staying until the game was over, which got me home WELL after midnight.
So, while I'm not really hung over, I feel like I've been hit by a small truck.
Old people need their sleep!!!!!

Speaking of old people....it's Kevin's birthday today!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my friend!

Here's a little something for you:





By the way - we were called "Discourteous C*nts" by a guy on another softball team (not in our league) because we wouldn't scrimmage them, or share the field with them.
Sorry, but whoever gets there first, gets the field.
And to be honest, at this point in the season, scrimmaging a giant team of straight guys woulnd't do a damn thing for us....we need to practice, not get slaughtered by a bunch of meatheads.
Maybe later in the season, but not this soon.

Initially there was a little bit of confusion as to whether they were entirely straight or not.
I'm not sure that "Discourteous C*nts" would be a straight guy's 'go-to insult' to a bunch of other guys.
Either way, it made for a GREAT laugh....once they were far away. ;-)

I'm not ready to give up on you people as far as yesterday's contest was concerned....there were a few GREAT guesses, but no one was correct.
Uncle Richard (not my real uncle - just a surrogate) gets a special shout out for quoting Val.
Absolutely hysterical....

Speaking of Uncle Richard...here's a hint:

The show that the quote comes from ('Cause it's a lovely day') is from a show that Richard has been in before. I didn't see it (I was away at college when he was in it) but I know he was in it.

I'm sure he'll get it now...and if not, he'll call Brian M. and put him on the case.


OK folks....I'm going to get coffee. I got in here late, and need to play catch up.

I'm off to The Alley (YAY!) after work for a pre-opening day 'party' so I'll be sure and have a drink for you all.

Have a great weekend, and pray for decent weather!

xoxo

PS - I just received word that the angry team from last night IS in fact a straight team, who just happened to get their asses handed to them last year by the only gay team in their league.

Most excellent.