April 30, 2005

Who am I?

Interesting to learn this, and since I've already confessed my obsession with personality quizzes, here is yet another.

It 's comforting to say that 'practice makes perfect'....
You are 'Gregg shorthand'. Originally designed to
enable people to write faster, it is also very
useful for writing things which one does not
want other people to read, inasmuch as almost
no one knows shorthand any more.
You know how important it is to do things
efficiently and on time. You also value your
privacy, and (unlike some people) you do not
pretend to be friends with just everyone; that
would be ridiculous. When you do make friends,
you take them seriously, and faithfully keep
what they confide in you to yourself.
Unfortunately, the work which you do (which is
very important, of course) sometimes keeps you
away from social activities, and you are often
lonely. Your problem is that Gregg shorthand
has been obsolete for a long time.

What obsolete skill are you?

It's interesting, and actually, I do see a lot of this in me. Hmm . . .

Tomorrow is Stephanie's birthday! YEAH! Tonight, we're celebrating.

The lyrics come from the song of the same title from Les Miserables.

April 28, 2005

Stumbling all around . . .

Well, good news. My 10 month old niece, Brianna, has survived her first surgery! I think I mentioned the heart condition some time ago. Well, it didn't look promising that it would heal on it's own, so today's surgery closed the valve (I believe) that was causing the heart murmur. My mom called and said everything looked good, and she was even eating. Yeah!!!!!!!!

Janina was awesome last night. Her musical theatre class had the first of three nights of presentations, and each performance is different. She sang "Only in New York" from Thoroughly Modern Millie, "I Still Believe" as a duet with Andie from Miss Saigon, and at the end of the night the whole 40 students sang "Seasons of Love" from Rent. Overall, it was a good show. One of the highlights was Mandy (who's playing one of our Silly Girls in BATB) and some other people sang "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" from Avenue Q. I was laughing an awful lot at that number! :) Such a funny song. And they played it up. When Nina was singing "Only in New York," I could not stop grinning. I am unbelievably proud of my baby sister and her singing ability. I'm certain that I looked like a fatty dope, but I could care less. She's awesome!

We are loading in at the Community Center this week, so we can finally begin rehearsing on our stage, with our set and drops! Huzzah! Plus, it'll be less gas to get to the C.C. than it is to get to WNCC. I can walk there in less than 10 minutes if I so choose. Provided our icky, inconsistent weather ceases, I may do it, too! I'm sad about my villager costume. I guess the sage and cream washed me out, so now I have to wear another ugly pumpkin orange dress, much like the one I wore in Carousel. Sigh.

These lyrics come from a song called "Stumbling." It was used in the pre-Broadway run of Thoroughly Modern Millie in La Jolla, CA. The tune is actually from the 1920s, but I don't know if the lyrics are the same--I somehow doubt it. Since my post seemed to be fairly erratic, I figured that these lyrics would be most appropriate.

April 26, 2005

10 YEARS MORE!!!!!!

It's officially a birthday of sorts for me. My one year anniversary of blogging! An impromptu party is certainly in order!

Okay, I'm back! :) Well, a lot has happened in this year. People I didn't even know a year ago apparently follow my blog. People I didn't know a year ago have become some of my closest friends. I've had joys and I've had disappointments, almost all of which have been documented here. Wow!

I think I like what developments I've made to this blog, and what is still developing. I've changed the look of the blog twice (but I certainly like this one best of all). I have set my blog apart with my musical lyrics as the titles. Occasionally I can be somewhat witty, but more often than not I simply tell what's going on in my life. I may not have the most fascinating life, but I certainly find my life to be at least somewhat interesting. I hope that my readers do as well. I know I don't have a great deal of readers, but that's fine by me. I did start this so that anyone who wants to can keep up with my life, and I'm certain that most of the people who would know me would find it of interest. I highly doubt any stranger would.

Well, the title comes from Les Miserables. I don't know what will happen in the next ten years; or if I'll even keep a blog for the next ten years. Could be interesting. We'll see . . .

April 25, 2005

Take Me Back to Manhatten . . .

So, I took a quiz. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for fun quizzes. It may be pathetic, but I'm always interested in these things, probably the stupider the better. However, I'm certain that one learns the most insightful things about him or herself once they learn what "Breakfast Omlette" (or whatever else) they are. Seriously, it's kind of funny to see, and learn whether or not I agree with these things. The hardest ones are where I'm torn and must ponder, "Hmm. Would I rather be stranded on an island with a copy of Great Expectations or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? What does that say about me?"

I have learned what the top 5 American Cities I should live in are. The cities I am best suited for are, in order of greatest fit to still superior to other choices, as follows: Washington D.C. (70%), New York (60%), Philadelphia (60%), Boston (55%), and Chicago (55%). I'm certain that these were greatly influenced by my desire to live in the Northeast part of the country at some point. Interesting to learn, though.

Take the quiz yourself! See where it is you truly belong. http://www.blogthings.com/americancitiesbestfitquiz/

The title of this post came from the song of the same title in Anything Goes. I am sorry to report that Galena High School, with the exception of Hana (and that is even setting aside my bias), was absolutely lousy. I think the production I was in 10 years ago in Rocky Ford had to be better, and I KNOW that that was a hideous production. At intermission, we theatre folk of WNMTC there to support Hana (Stephanie, Dave and Kenzie Tillet, Marcus, Andie, and I dragged Janina who will be auditioning for their upcoming fall season) got together to chat (but not bash the show in public). Dave asked what I thought of the show. I said, "Well, I think Hana's doing a great job!" It certainly was a painful show.

April 23, 2005

Don't Marry Me!

I just read this last night and was laughing hysterically. Please read it. Even if you do not agree with all of it, you will be laughing at tons of it! It's Devon's blog, by the way. talkofsummertime.blogspot.com

The title of the post comes from the same song from Flower Drum Song.

April 21, 2005

Bianca!

So I didn't want to post until I knew what part I got. They certainly took their time letting us know! Grr. I hate being patient about things like that!

So, Sunday was sort of a strange day on many different levels. First of all was the audition in V.C. We met a man by the name of Bill at the Gold Hill Saloon/Hotel around 1. He sat us down and told us that Katherine had already been pre-cast! :( Actually, Chris had gotten a call from a lady named Michele who was one of the directors and was going to play the Shrew, so I knew when we saw Into the Woods on Saturday (which was pretty good). Bill told us some of their history, and then walked us over to the Gazebo where the play will be performed. He told us their plans for that, and then walked us down to a house where the rehearsals are held. By this time, we'd probably been at our "audition" for about 35-40 minutes. And not yet read. The director, Perry (Michele couldn't come that early), joined us. He asked for our theatre history, and we told him. He then launched into a full out synopsis of the plot. At one point, he forgot Hortensio's name, and I wanted to supply it but was afraid I'd come off as a rude know-it-all. Not the impression I want to start off with. He had Chris read for Petruchio. I had to read for Gremio then. Then, he had me read for Bianca and Chris read Lucentio. He kind of implied that I may get the part of Bianca, and straight out said that he was looking at Chris for Petruchio. They kept saying that they hoped we'd do the show. They seemed a bit apologetic about Kate being pre-cast. Oh, and they said they may be able to pay us! Cool.

After this, we went to the Brewery Arts Center for the concert. It was a classical piano concert, which was very good. I sold the concessions, so for the first time in my entire life, I sold alcohol. Wow. I feel so impressed with myself. The concert went very well, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I helped Chris put things back. We went into his office to put away the money and such. I was busy with something, so he decided to step into the theatre part to talk to people who were rehearsing for the next play. I walked in when I'd finished my job, and another strange thing happened.

I ran into Dave Josten, whom I've met about twice. We've probably been in each other's company approximately 2 hours of our entire lives. He's an older guy (I'd guess late 50s, early 60s), and fairly friendly. We greeted each other, and he asked if I was an artist. I told him the truth; I can manage basic things, but I wouldn't call myself an artist. This was literally what came out of his mouth, "I play a person cheering for the Cubs in this play [It's called Bleacher Bums]. At one point in the show, I have to take off my shirt, and there has to be a Cubs symbol painted on my stomach. You wanna paint it?" I thought (don't ask me why) that he was kidding, so I said, "Sure!" He wasn't kidding. I had to paint his stomach--and let's just say it's quite ample. It was so bizarre, and I laughed at the sureal experience I was partaking in. They asked if I could come to every rehearsal this week and the performances for the next three weekends to paint Dave--and even offered to put me in the program! I agreed, but it turns out that they don't need me. Phew! It was pretty funny.

So, I've now heard about my part in Shrew. I was cast as Bianca! Chris got Petruchio! The weird thing is that this elusive Michele called Chris to tell him we were both cast, and I have not "officially" heard a thing! We went up to see the show they're doing now last night. It was a lot of improv, and different. They tend to do a lot of original one-acts. Perry was telling us that their shows are rehearsed for about 3 weeks prior to being performed. It wasn't too bad for that, I suppose. Just a weird show. Hmm. At least Shrew is starting rehearsals next month, and being performed in August. Interesting; actually I think it'll be fun. Pretty laid back, which could be fun. We'll see.

The title comes once again from Kiss Me Kate from the song, "Bianca." I hope that the reasoning behind the title will be obvious. If not, please read this post again until you figure it out. ;D

April 16, 2005

So kiss me Kate!

AAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I posted how I was planning on auditioning for The Taming of the Shrew. I got the flier yesterday just prior to heading to Borders for Educator's Weekend (more details about this soon), and my 25% discounts. The audition is tomorrow--TOMORROW!!!!!! EEK! I wanted to spend some time going through the script several times. Reread the whole play, reread the scenes Katherine is in, copy down exchanges, etc. But now I cannot do this. Drat! I audition earlier than the 2 pm audition time with Chris at 1. There's a piano concert at the BAC, and I'm volunteering. We have to be there not long after 2. Oh, and I don't know if it's going to be performed at the Piper's Opera House, I think Ann may have gotten that wrong. The flier said nothing of this. I'm incredibly nervous about this, since it seems like eons since I've done any Shakespeare. I have done three shows, and always played a woman in authority (Titania, Escalus (Prince in R&J), and Duchess (actually Duke in Othello)). I just want to have a good audition, and if I could play Katherine it would be a dream come true. So, we'll see what happens, even if I can't prepare to my satisfaction.

Borders is wonderful. I've bought the 2nd and 3rd books of the Thursday Next series, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm starting Midsummer soon with 7th grade, and I thought I owned Shrew since I taught it last year, but I guess I just used my Complete Works Anthology. I also purchased Bridget Jones's Diary and Into the Woods. I love my discount! I entered the drawing both yesterday and today, and . . . I won! Considering the fact that I NEVER win anything that is solely based on chance, I don't even know why I bother. I've always said that if there are those soda "under the cap" contests where 1 out of every 5 wins, I'm bound to find the 4 that don't. It's pretty pathetic. Anyway, I won one of the bags filled with books and such. There were a couple that seemed okay, but the rest were ridiculous. My personal favorite was one called "Dangerous Curves." A Harlequin type romance with a Special Agent and a NASCAR driver. The quote on the front reads "Agent Blackwell was all woman--and pure steel". It sounds hysterical. I'll have to find an occasion to give this to some deserving person as a joke! :)

The title from this post comes from the song and show Kiss Me Kate. A very funny Cole Porter musical about a theatre company putting on The Taming of the Shrew, where the leads are actually a divorced couple. Funny stuff.

April 13, 2005

Thank Goodness!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!! I have officially finished my grading for the third quarter!!!!!!! I just have to transfer the 7th and 8th English grades to the report cards, and I'm officially done with that quarter!!!!!! 3 down, 1 to go--this calls for a serious celebration tonight! :)

Funny student story: I was grading the 8th grade journals and happened across this answer to the prompt, "The story we're reading today has an omniscient narrator. What do you think the word omniscient means?": "I think it is the Latin word for 'Oh no! Not science!'" I was cracking up. I'm sure that if you read a story with an omniscient narrator, you would find an aversion to the study of science throughout the story. Hilarious!

The title comes from the song "For Good" from Wicked. I was going to use the lyrics before, but realize I already had! EEK! Must be on my toes! I'll post them here: "Oh what a celebration we'll have today! Thank Goodness! . . . We couldn't be happier, thank goodness!"

April 12, 2005

Lots of chocolate for me to eat!

Let me state one thing, and make it very clear: Sherry Lewis is the greatest!!!!!!!!!!! Sherry is our Youth Pastor's wife at HCC. I think she is funny, warm and so very kind. I've thought these things ever since I met her back when we first moved to Nevada in 2000. But she has soared in the ranking of Lynette's favorite people in the last week.

Backing up, in January our church had its annual "Soup Night/White Elephant Gift Exchange." I, as usual, had a great time. I even got to be a returning Dessert Judge, which was a blast. Anyway, Ben Linn (it cracks me up that his parents actually named him this!) was the emcee of the evening, and hilarious as usual. He asked everyone a question prior to picking out their gift. This year, it was "What is your favorite candy bar?" I promptly answered, "Kinder Bueno!" He gave me his look, and a sarcastic remark, so I went into details about the truly scrumptious delight that this candy is. Alas, I've not been able to find it in the U.S.A., which I also noted that night. He said something else funny, and I got my gift. On my way down, Sherry stopped me.

"Lynette, they sell those in Mexico! When the Youth Group goes on their Mission Trip over Spring Break, I'll try to remember to bring you some!"

Sherry pulled through--and bought me five!!!!!!!!!! MMMM! I'm thoroughly enjoying them, and have shared them with people to show the sheer joy a tastebud can experience.

I am also excited for Saturday--the temperature is supposed to be 67 degrees! We had one great week of spring, and then it disappeared. April is supposed to exist for spring weather--and only that! GRR! At least we had that consistently in Exeter! The summers may have reached 115 degrees for three weeks straight, but at least the Central Valley knew what spring was supposed to be like!

Oh! And I just learned a couple of minutes ago from Ann (our students are doing their standarized testing this week--easy for me!) that a group will be putting on The Taming of the Shrew this summer. Not only will it be put on, but it's being done at the Piper Opera House in Virginia City! This theatre is ancient and awesome. It was designed to be like the Ford Theater where Lincoln was shot. Amazing people of theatre have performed there: Mark Twain! John, Lionel, and Ethel Barrymore! Lillian Russell! Sarah Bernhardt! It is rich in theatre history, and I've always wanted to perform there! I may just have to audition. I think that could be a fun show to be in, and with the incentive of that theater I may not be able to resist! How thrilling.

The title of this post is from "Wouldn't it be Loverly," from My Fair Lady. I got to be one of the "special tap dancers" in that number when we did it at NNU. It was fun. The best part was getting to dance with Joel Spencer, though! Hee hee hee. Kami and I thought he was perfection, and she was incredibly jealous watching from the audience! It wasn't much, but it was a point where I got to "shine" a little during that show and defy our horrid director Lane Bottemiller (though his name is fun to say!).

April 08, 2005

Falling, falling . . .

It's been a somewhat strange week on the school front. Many students and teachers were still in China until Tuesday, stayed home on Wednesday, and came back yesterday. The other students were strangely calm; and I blame Daylight Savings. It's been pleasant, though.

Jeanne loved China. She brought me back a very cute teapot. All the teachers and students had good stories to tell; particularly about my grandfather who went on the trip!!!!!!!!!!! He got lost twice, and beat everyone to the top of the Great Wall! Apparently he was also telling stories about me; the sort that all students love to know. Like the way he drew a face on the back of my very bald head as a baby one time. Sigh. Thanks, grandpa. Actually, it is kinda funny. Not the sort of thing I tell my students, but at least I wan't old enough to have it be embarrassing. Mr. Libby bought purses for all the female teachers and ties for each of the male teachers. Oh, and one of my students brought me back a fan! Jeanne loved the gifts that Ann and I got her at Disneyland; a Mickey Mouse mug, and a collection of three types of hot chocolate--that are purple, pink, and blue!

Last night I had my first rehearsal since about mid-March. We took a week off for the college's Spring Break, which was the week prior to the Carson City School District's. We took that week off as well. Anyway, last night we practiced the Battle scene. I am going to be a villager for that scene. So far I have two bits in it: I get "kicked" in the face by a napkin (our can-can dancers), and I get "salt and peppered" in the eyes! Funny. As a result of the kick, the 10 or so of us fall immediately to the ground. I fall on my left side (and yes, the knee occasionally still hurts). I think I'm going to have a fun perma-bruise until a couple of weeks after the show is over. I keep hitting the same place on my upper left thigh when I fall, and it hurts today!

I got to see some of the costumes for the leads last night. They look great! We teased Chris about looking "hot" in his Lumiere costume. Jen looks great as Babette with the feathers and all. All the men were trying on hair pieces, which was pretty amusing. I loved Dave's Cogsworth costume. Denise is really going all out, and the results have been great so far! Yeah for people with an imagination and the skill for sewing like Denise and my mom! I have very little talent there, and would rather (as Kathy sings in The Last Five Years) "Poke out my eyes out with a needle" than sew. I hate doing it, so I really admire those who do. My mom tried countless times when I was a kid, but to no avail.

This has been my week for devotions at school. I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time to make a breakfast, nor did I want anything too complicated. Mornings and I have never been the best of friends. After tutoring, I searched the Internet for an easy and quick breakfast recipe that would feed around 16. It wasn't as simple as I thought it would be, but I did find something that looked easy. I also figured that if it didn't work out, I had my backup--Nancy offered to help me out and bring muffins today. Anyway, I jotted down the recipe and what it required just before I headed off to rehearsal. I decided to shop for the food afterwards.

We got done after 9, so I quickly ran to the Smith's near my apartment. I found the necessary frozen hash browns, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese soup. I could not for the life of me (HA!) find the final ingredient: Cream of Onion Soup (Has anyone ever even heard of it before? I hadn't.). I decided to improvise, and called my mother, the former Home Ec teacher, to see if onion soup mix made with milk would work. She agreed that this may work, so I decided to take a risk.

Last night, around 10, I made the soup. I was really hoping it would work. This morning, I showered, and then headed downstairs to create my breakfast (the name of the recipe escapes me now). I set the oven for 400 as specified, and mixed together the ingredients. Once mixed, I put it in the oven, set the timer for 40 minutes, and prayed that this worked. It was done at 7:30, so I put it in my car and headed to school.

I gave my little devotional for the day, prayed for all of us, and prefaced my breakfast concoction with the story of how it came to be. It smelled good. Mr. Libby affirmed the look of the dish. He gave us our news for the day, and then, Anita stepped forward to try my breakfast. She tasted it and . . . LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!! I'm actually not a bad cook, I just don't do a lot of it. I enjoy doing it, but I seem to lack the time and inclination when I'm in a rush. That, and it's hard to muster up the desire to cook for only one person. Pathetic, I know.

Oh, and congrats to Stephanie for getting the Baker's Wife in Lake Tahoe Community College's production of Into the Woods! I reallyreallyreally wanted to audition, but the opening night is our school's graduation. GRR! I felt bad about asking for that off, particularly as the 8th grade homeroom teacher. Well, I'll probably see it next week when Carson High School puts it on, as well as the LTCC production. This week, it's South Lake Tahoe's production of Anything Goes for me, and the week after next, Galena High School in Reno is doing that same show, too. If I didn't know so many of the kids in these shows, I don't think I'd be hitting them all, but I feel obligated. It seems weird that with so many musicals, that four different places would be doing two of the same show so close together. It's like Macbeth, Carson High School put it on, UNR's putting it on this month, and it's one of the Shakespeare plays at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival this summer. Why? I don't get it.

The title of this post comes from "It's a Grand Night for Singing," from State Fair. It is in honor of my perma-bruise from the Battle scene. Ouch. It hurts to sit.

April 02, 2005

L.A.'s changed a lot over the years, since those great gold rush pioneers came in their creaky covered wagons

As all my faithful readers know, this was spring break for me. HUZZAH! Teaching may not be the greatest profession in the world, but there certainly are benefits to what we do.

I had a fun Easter. I did nothing of an "Eastery" sort of celebration, but I did have fun. Being orphaned is not so dreadful.

The next day, I was running errands up like mad. It was more than a little insane, I'll admit it. Laundry. Taking care of my parents' requests for their house (they hadn't tied up all their loose ends prior to going to San Diego). Cleaning. Returning videos to the Minden Library at 9 pm. Dropping off my Extended Versions of The Two Towers and Return of the King to Chris (he borrowed my Fellowship of the Ring and All About Eve on Easter), since he knew I'd be gone this week. I got home around 12:45 a.m., and had to pack since I was leaving for L.A. at 7:30 a.m. Funny how much easier it was to do this in college . . .

Ann and I drove our 8 hours braving some snow and rain on the way down. It was fun to go with Ann. We talked about everything, and when we weren't talking, we were singing with various showtunes from her collection of CDs. Talk about a great time! Perhaps it could only be enjoyed by a select few, though. At any rate, WE enjoyed it! :) We stayed with her Great-Aunt Carol in Glendora. Carol lives about a stone's throw away from Azusa Pacific, and we ended up a bit on the campus (the street we were supposed to turn on wasn't marked!). It sure was enormous compared to NNU; but then, most schools are!

On Wednesday, it was Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure for us! Halley got us both in for free (and told me not to use the pass she and Kelsey gave me for Christmas--so I'm obligated to come down again!). We spent the first hour or so looking for a belt for me. I hadn't brought one (I think I only own one, actually), and my capris from last summer needed them. Ha! Well, in our thorough search, we came up with nill (though we did get the fast pass for Soarin' over California). We looked in The World of Disney store in Downtown Disney, and they didn't have one either. Ann said, "Well, why don't you get a lanyard and loop it through?" We looked at them, and they velcro at the bottom toward the key ring. I bought it (and gave Halley the money so I got it with a 20% discount, too!), and Halley and Nicole (a friend from Carson visiting my cousins) left.

Ann and I went into Disneyland then, and I tied the "belt" as she got a locker. Ironically, before we left the park, around 11:15, we found a belt in the first clothing store on Main Street in Disneyland. Ridiculous! We had a ball! We kept going back and forth between Disneyland and DCA. It was fun. We both loved the new Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland. It is like you are in an arcade game. You have laser guns and try to shoot your targets, and you can move your car around. The first time we rode it, I beat Ann. The second time we rode it, she left me in the dust. I still maintain that we are 1 for 1. We've agreed that we will have to go again sometime, and settle this matter once and for all. But, after 14+ hours of walking around or standing on hard concrete will hurt you. Ann started to feel it when we were having soup in breadbowls (mmm) on Paradise Pier for dinner (that's in DCA). I felt it the moment we got off Star Tours around 11:00. It was the same for both of us. Our hips hurt, and each of us felt like we had a knee that needed to pop, but wouldn't. I hadn't worn the best of shoes, so my arch was hurting, too. Strangely enough, with each of these things (except the hip), it was completely my left side that was in pain. Oh, and even though I'd put on sunscreen, I managed to get a burn.

Thursday was sheer agony for me. I walked like a sixty-seven year old woman. I bought some pain reliever, which did help a bit. We went to a vintage clothing shop with Sarah (Ann's future sister-in-law), as well as a place called It's a Wrap (studios sell their old costumes there). They were cool. Ann and I went from there to Hollywood in Highland. We looked at all the handprints and feetprints of various movie stars (Eleanor Powell's was cool, because she also put in a set of taps for her shoes. John Barrymore put his profile. Betty Grable put on her leg!) and enjoyed that. We bought tickets to see Miss Congenielty 2 at Grauman's Chinese Theater (neither of us had seen anything there before, and just wanted to say we have). There were actors dressed up as various figures--Superman, Marilyn Monroe, Chucky, Goofy, etc. wandering around. While in line for our tickets, some monsters I didn't recognize started to play with my hair. I could see their reflection in the window. This sort of thing happens so much, I didn't even turn around. Ann said, "Uh, Lynette. Some things are playing with your hair." "I know!" (through clenched teeth). This seemed to send them away. Both Ann and I were exhausted, so after the movie, we headed back to Glendora. We got there at 7:30ish, and decided to buy slices of pie from the nearby Marie Callendars. We were getting into the car, and ran into a friend of Ann's in the parking lot! I know who this friend, Jennifer, is because I saw her in Hello Dolly! last year, I teach her cousins, and I've met her younger sisters several times. It's a small world after all!

Yesterday we drove home. Showtunes and conversation dominated the trip. My knee didn't hurt as much, but it still felt stiff and like it needed to pop. There was some pain, but not nearly to the extent as the day before. We stopped in Bishop (where I was born and spent a considerable amount of my childhood visiting grandparents) for lunch, and I introduced Ann to Schatt's Bakery. I tried the Vegetarian sandwich for the first time, and have decided that it is my favorite of their sandwiches. Sooooooooo yummy! We got home around 5.

I left my house around 6 to head to the corner Walgreen's for a knee brace. My very first one. After this, I went to the BAC, and saw the children's play, The Pied Piper, which Chris directed. It was adorable! I laughed a lot. Several of the kids were really talented, too. He threw in some "commercials" between Act I and Act II, which the kids did. Chris is very cheesy sometimes, but these took the cake! One of the girls brought out two of the smaller girls, selling them as "Action Figures" for Hamelin. Another one came out selling a CD of 1980s smash hits, "Rats Just Wanna Have Fun," "We Will Bite You," and "We are Hamelin," were some of the listed songs on the CD. The last "commercial" was for Rat Spray, and if you "called" in the next 20 minutes, you'd get the bottle that the Rat Spray came in. Oh Chris. It was so very silly--though, admittedly, enjoyable.

I am actually about to leave. I have a ticket to see the Broadway tour of 42nd Street in Reno this afternoon. I've never seen it before, but I am excited. It's a fun show, lots of tap dancing and fun music. One of the earliest "backstage" movie musicals, and it really did shape the way movie musicals worked after 1930ish when it came out. The stage musical came out in 1980 (the best year to be born in). I am looking forward to it. I love the music. I love the movie. I love anything to do with dance. I expect to love this show.

And that concludes my spring break. Since I don't have to write reports like that anymore (actually, I can't recall ever having to), I felt like reporting it to everyone. Hope you enjoyed it! The lyrics came from the song "Sunset Boulevard," from the musical of the same title.