It's too darn hot!

I leave for Oregon tomorrow! Yay for vacation! Yay for roadtrips! Yay for the friends I'll see! Yay for the Shakespeare plays I'm seeing! Yay for a mom who'll go with me!!!!!!!!

Here's the deal though. I get back Thursday. I move in as much as I can within a few precious hours on Friday. From Friday night until Wednesday night I watch Benji and Jonathan. Tuesday night I'm auditioning for Brigadoon and Wednesday night is the callback for this play. Am I overbooking myself? Hard to tell . . .

So this is a short post, and I apologize. I'm just tired. Tired and hot. My car is boiling with no a/c. My apartment (not for long!!!) is hot. Even when it cools down at night the furniture retains the heat. I've taken to spraying water on the bedspread on top of which I sleep. That's just so I can fall asleep. I bought a bike tonight for three great reasons: 1) Fun 2) Excercise 3) To cool off. I'm hoping I can take it with me to Oregon.

The title of the post comes from the song titled the same. It's from Kiss Me Kate.

Till your dreams come true, you'll live on Avenue Q!

So, the big news must come out. I am moving. Across town. To a nice apartment complex. One with airconditioning, a pool, a gym, covered parking, a barbeque, a beautiful grassy park-like setting, a playground--a real gem of an apartment. I will be rooming with Lissa. This is the good news. The bad news is the fact that I have to pack everything and be finished in less than a week (ideally). Ugh. There are fewer things I hate more!

I am weeding through my stuff like crazy, and I hate it. I have a lot of crap and I hate to be reminded of the fact. I go through it, but my stupid sentimental side keeps getting in the way of practicality. I normally embrace this nostalgia-loving-weeping part of myself, because I truly like this aspect of myself. Unfortunately it's just become such an irritation. I wonder if I could call in Rosie from The Jetsons to help me with this dilemma, because as a robot who doesn't know me she would certainly be an asset in this painful chore.

Why do I need to be done in a week? Well, the powers that be at this loverly residence have required a 10 day holding fee, which we paid today. I'm probably not getting back until late on the 27th from Oregon. Normally, I would not care for such a triviality. However, from the 29th-2nd I am housesitting/babysitting for some friends from church. I am also spending the night on the 28th since Lynda and Kevin will be flying out early on the 29th (we're talking pre-sunrise departure to get to Reno ontime!). ACK!!!!!!! This too shall pass, according the the Bible, and I'm clinging to that. Where has my summer flown to?

Today, 22 years ago, my darling sister Janina was born. We celebrated with our mother by seeing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abriged at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival this evening. It was probably the best thing I've seen up there, but I expected it to be so. The style in which their comedies are performed gave me the impression that that would be the perfect show for them to do. I laughed a lot, along with the rest of the audience. I shouted, "Cut the crap Hamlet! My biological clock is ticking and I want babies now!" with the best of them. Good times.

I found a DVD of Middlemarch at the library. I read the book over 3 years ago, and enjoyed it. Plus many good Brits are in it. What is it about Robert Hardy that just makes me grin all the time? Even when he plays a scummy character, I can't help but fall in love with that adorable old man; at least a little bit!

The title of the song is the same as that which is the show: Avenue Q.

We'll go down south, and see your people

Hello all! It's my last week of summer school. Oh darn! :) Like I said earlier, it's not been too bad at all. Cake compared to Opp (though I expect to see some of these kids again).

On Monday I was able to visit the kickoff to the Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at the Broadway Under the Stars concert. I was soooooo stoked! I have long been a fan of Rebecca Luker (I think she was the third person who starred as Christine in Phantom of the Opera). I went up with the church choir (Grandpa Smith went) and a couple of my older friends from the theatre (meaning age, but spiritwise at least my age, if not younger). Twas fun! They encouraged us to sing. Never one to pass up a good showtune, I was belting all night long! The guy was pretty amazing--like watching Gene Kelly or something.

So either tomorrow I am going to the Family Reunion in Mammoth. I'm just going up for the weekend--not the diehard like others in the Smith clan. It began last weekend. I did get to see my sister, brother-in-law, and lovely nieces for lunch the last couple of days. Brianna seems to really be warming up to me; even knows me by sight now! Leigha was her crazy self. This time around she told me that she is " . . . so going to move to Carson City when I grow up. I'll live next door to grandma and have a tunnel from my room to your house, Aunt Lynette!"

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean; The Dead Man's Curse. I liked it, but not so well as the first one. I cannot, however, wait for the third one! I also took my mom to see The Devil Wears Prada for her birthday, which we both enjoyed. It was quite different from the book, but still good!

The title of this post comes from the song, "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime. I love this show. This song, when sung by Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell, is amazing. Sigh.

The poet people call The Bard of Stratford-on-Avon

To all of my Oregonian friends:

I will be in Oregon from the 24-27 of this month. My mom and I are going to visit your fair state to witness the Ashland exprience, aka The Oregon Shakespeare Festival! Yay! We will be staying with my mom's best friend since grade school. We will be seeing King John, and Two Gentleman of Verona. I'm sooooooooooo excited! If you want to make arrangements to visit, call or e-mail moi!

See your state soon!

The title comes from the song "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" from Kiss Me Kate.