Some very hard questions for this Friday Five:
1. What do you most want to be remembered for?
Being a good person. After you die, nobody remembers how good a typist you were, or how bad dinner turned out that night in 2007—they look at your picture in the photo album and they remember how you treated other people.
Granted, it would be nice to be remembered for my singing, but the people who really matter will remember. And besides that, would I rather be a beautiful person and a failed singer, or a beautiful singer and a failed person? Think about that for a while… :)
2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life?
I had to think about this one… I have two. And one you will definitely laugh at.
a. Ani DiFranco (“As Is”)
When I look down, I miss all the good stuff
When I look up, I just trip over things
This is about finding balance. At least I would like to find balance…
b. Jim Morrison (“Roadhouse Blues”)
The future’s uncertain and the end is always near
Yeah, I know, this was supposed to be my senior yearbook quote—though I opted for that random quote from The Importance of Being Earnest. At the time I thought it was all dark and pessimistic, but it also speaks of the ephemeral nature of life—that you need to live for today, and that crappy situations (e.g. double shifts at McDonald’s) will be over soon enough. Maybe I’m reading too much into Doors lyrics—but this is one of the only lines in any of their songs that is actually COHERENT. I’m long over that “Jim Morrison was such a talented poet” phase—let’s face it, the man took a lot of drugs, and he made no sense.
3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year?
Succeeding in graduate school.
4. What about the past ten years?
Ten years is a long-ass time! Okay, how about the fact that I lost my virginity to the right guy (i.e. one who was nice to me, and a good lay as a bonus!), and waited until I was almost 22, despite pressure from various losers and/or alcoholics? I’m rather proud of that… :)
5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say?
Be honest with yourself and the world.
Thought-provoking questions! I’m full of love for the universe now, in spite of some killer reflux...
Today we are headed to Charlotte. Check out the hotel—it is SO nice. Fun!
Nobody showed up at the meeting place last night but Vanessa and myself, so we went back to my place and talked. Then we invited Renata, and had some wine and talked about sex all evening. Vanessa’s done some crazy things!! I told them both the Cowboy Saga—and the interlaced Aaron Sacks Debacle—in all its gritty detail. That was pretty fun.
Friday, May 30
Thursday, May 29
Today I offer you a mixed bag of links:
Here is an interesting article about recent Democratic turns to the left. Granted, the writer is a flaming liberal, but it's still promising stuff.
On a sadder note, Mike Tyson is still a free man...
Now for two cute quizzes from Erik. The first needs no explanation:
Does this mean I watch too much Oxygen? (Oh, and by the way, Cathy, Scott Foley is from Kansas City, Kansas, so he's probably not related to Dave Foley. And speaking of Dave Foley, this is AWESOME! )
Things are good and bad here. For about 90 minutes today I thought I was in the clear with money--my supervisor's father has late-stage Alzheimer's, and she was planning to drive up to Vermont this weekend to stay with him indefinitely, so I was going to work full-time. I guess one of her brothers is going up to help for the time being, so she'll be down here for at least another few weeks. I feel kind of conflicted about it--but I know she wants to--and needs to--take care of her family right now instead of working a thousand miles away. Anyway, I just told her that she needs to do what feels right, and that I'm available if she needs me to be.
On a lighter note, Mark is covering the state Republican Convention in Charlotte tomorrow, and I get to come with him! Not that I'll be attending any of the lame cocktail parties or meetings. I just get to stay in this totally posh hotel for free and wander around downtown Charlotte for a while. I'm looking forward to it, though I'm not sure what there is to see yet...
Since I've been slack about the Monday meetings, I'm going tonight. And I am totally committed to going. Vanessa is going to meet me there, so I have somebody to answer to.
I spent literally four hours online yesterday learning about apprentice programs and summer programs for next year. Believe it or not, their applications will be up in August already. My teacher says that if I work my ass off, I should be ready for those auditions come November. I found about two dozen programs that look promising (and ruled out the ones that don't pay), and will check back with them later in the summer to find out what operas they're doing next year. (A very important issue--why would I audition for them if they're doing shows I would never perform?) It's kind of exciting, but also pretty damn scary to think that I'll have to do all this for REAL next year...
Speaking of which, I need to go practice.
Here is an interesting article about recent Democratic turns to the left. Granted, the writer is a flaming liberal, but it's still promising stuff.
On a sadder note, Mike Tyson is still a free man...
Now for two cute quizzes from Erik. The first needs no explanation:
How
Would YOU Take Over the World?
Does this mean I watch too much Oxygen? (Oh, and by the way, Cathy, Scott Foley is from Kansas City, Kansas, so he's probably not related to Dave Foley. And speaking of Dave Foley, this is AWESOME! )
You're Ontario. You like cameraderie and will do whatever you can to fit in
with your desired crowd. You may even be very exclusive in who you
associate with. Money and status mean a lot to you. But try not to let
those desires rule your life.
What Canadian Province Are
You?
brought to you by
Quizilla
Things are good and bad here. For about 90 minutes today I thought I was in the clear with money--my supervisor's father has late-stage Alzheimer's, and she was planning to drive up to Vermont this weekend to stay with him indefinitely, so I was going to work full-time. I guess one of her brothers is going up to help for the time being, so she'll be down here for at least another few weeks. I feel kind of conflicted about it--but I know she wants to--and needs to--take care of her family right now instead of working a thousand miles away. Anyway, I just told her that she needs to do what feels right, and that I'm available if she needs me to be.
On a lighter note, Mark is covering the state Republican Convention in Charlotte tomorrow, and I get to come with him! Not that I'll be attending any of the lame cocktail parties or meetings. I just get to stay in this totally posh hotel for free and wander around downtown Charlotte for a while. I'm looking forward to it, though I'm not sure what there is to see yet...
Since I've been slack about the Monday meetings, I'm going tonight. And I am totally committed to going. Vanessa is going to meet me there, so I have somebody to answer to.
I spent literally four hours online yesterday learning about apprentice programs and summer programs for next year. Believe it or not, their applications will be up in August already. My teacher says that if I work my ass off, I should be ready for those auditions come November. I found about two dozen programs that look promising (and ruled out the ones that don't pay), and will check back with them later in the summer to find out what operas they're doing next year. (A very important issue--why would I audition for them if they're doing shows I would never perform?) It's kind of exciting, but also pretty damn scary to think that I'll have to do all this for REAL next year...
Speaking of which, I need to go practice.
Friday, May 23
I’m working right now, doing this surreptitiously because I don’t think I’ll have time before next Tuesday afternoon. It’s not like I have anything else really pressing to do—I’m working all day because my supervisor is out of town, and I’m keeping busy by cleaning up two unoccupied offices which have slowly accrued dozens of sets of blueprints and plans. (This is what happens when men are left to their own devices—nothing gets put away! Though I shouldn’t talk…)
Hope everyone is doing well. The weather here has been kind of bad—it’s been raining for a week straight, and we’re lucky if it gets above 60 degrees. I guess that’s better than 90 degrees and 80% humidity.
I’ve been laying kind of low this week—to my own detriment. I didn’t go to my meeting this week, which was a huge mistake considering the state I’ve been in lately. I didn’t work out this week either, so I’m feeling kind of low in general. I talked to Mark about it last night, and I think he can help me. What I really need is a sponsor, but I just haven’t met anybody yet who I think really wants to do this for me. I guess… I feel like being somebody’s sponsor is just a HUGE undertaking, and I don’t want to burden anybody with it. That’s probably the wrong attitude, but it’s how I’m feeling right now. I’m sure I’ll change my mind, but that’s the space I’m in right now.
On a lighter note, here’s a very fun Friday Five:
1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
Tom’s of Maine—I used to use Cinnamint religiously, but currently I’m using Gingermint with baking soda. I LOVE this toothpaste—even if I have to pay over $5 a tube. I’m only one person—a tube lasts me over six months. And Mark refuses to use it. J
2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
Seventh Generation—the 100-sheet kind. I really dislike that quilty-type TP—I always feel linty after I use it.
3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
Whatever fits! My good sneakers (i.e. the ones used for athletic purposes—I have a cheapy pair from Target, but they’re only good for walking) are Adidas, but not for any brand purposes.
4. What brand of soda do you drink?
I am a recent convert to Coca-Cola Classic. No Pepsi! Plus I like Dr. Pepper a lot. But I’m not really too into soda—I usually drink seltzer or water.
5. What brand of gum do you chew?
Alas, I cannot chew gum (TMJ disorder)—but I used to like cinnamon Trident a LOT.
P.S. Check out this website about the flavor industry—it’s topical considering questions 4 and 5, and also ties in with Helen’s recent blogs…
Hope everyone is doing well. The weather here has been kind of bad—it’s been raining for a week straight, and we’re lucky if it gets above 60 degrees. I guess that’s better than 90 degrees and 80% humidity.
I’ve been laying kind of low this week—to my own detriment. I didn’t go to my meeting this week, which was a huge mistake considering the state I’ve been in lately. I didn’t work out this week either, so I’m feeling kind of low in general. I talked to Mark about it last night, and I think he can help me. What I really need is a sponsor, but I just haven’t met anybody yet who I think really wants to do this for me. I guess… I feel like being somebody’s sponsor is just a HUGE undertaking, and I don’t want to burden anybody with it. That’s probably the wrong attitude, but it’s how I’m feeling right now. I’m sure I’ll change my mind, but that’s the space I’m in right now.
On a lighter note, here’s a very fun Friday Five:
1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
Tom’s of Maine—I used to use Cinnamint religiously, but currently I’m using Gingermint with baking soda. I LOVE this toothpaste—even if I have to pay over $5 a tube. I’m only one person—a tube lasts me over six months. And Mark refuses to use it. J
2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
Seventh Generation—the 100-sheet kind. I really dislike that quilty-type TP—I always feel linty after I use it.
3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
Whatever fits! My good sneakers (i.e. the ones used for athletic purposes—I have a cheapy pair from Target, but they’re only good for walking) are Adidas, but not for any brand purposes.
4. What brand of soda do you drink?
I am a recent convert to Coca-Cola Classic. No Pepsi! Plus I like Dr. Pepper a lot. But I’m not really too into soda—I usually drink seltzer or water.
5. What brand of gum do you chew?
Alas, I cannot chew gum (TMJ disorder)—but I used to like cinnamon Trident a LOT.
P.S. Check out this website about the flavor industry—it’s topical considering questions 4 and 5, and also ties in with Helen’s recent blogs…
Monday, May 19
Okay, I know I've been AWOL for a while... I'm surprised I'm still alive, actually. Where shall I begin? Well, I'll do The Friday Five first:
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
I like the stuff that comes out of those 5-gallon jug dispensers--Culligan, I guess.
2. What are your favorite flavor of chips?
I am a Cool Ranch groupie. I guess they call that Cool-ER Ranch now, but who cares?
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
Baklava--I don't make it very much because it's kind of expensive, but when I do...YUM...
4. How do you have your eggs?
I don't like eggs...if I must eat them I make an omelette with LOADS of cheese and vegetables and salsa, to cover up the gross egg taste.
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
Sandra made enchiladas at her housewarming party last Thursday. They were good but Shawn kept complaining because they were vegetarian...once he saw that there was zucchini in there he kind of froze... :)
Okay, on to the filling-in:
1. Despite mountains of stress and several days of questionable food choices (Bojangles') and emotional eating (pint or so of store-brand ice cream, bag of microwave popcorn), I managed to pull another 4.0. How, you ask? Beats me. My jury went very well--I got mostly A-'s--and that because the song Dr. Harley picked for me to sing was from, like, January, so my technique was all weird. (One person was prescient enough to comment, "Is this the same voice? This rep must be from the beginning of the semester.") I actually got an A+ in both choir (because I wasn't one of the people who always complained) and my dance seminar. I guess I just had a good paper. The eight members of the opera class studied feverishly for three days for that final--it was just very long. Two of the listening examples were from classes I missed, and I never got good notes on them--apparently I have not lost my ability to BULLSHIT when my back is to the wall. Thank God... :)
2. Despite aforementioned stress and food issues, I still managed to lose 1/2" last week. I guess it's because it's not as bad as it had been. Maybe the stress helped burn a bit off. I'm going to start playing with this Pilates thing I bought yesterday--I've only been doing the Gentle Yoga tape the last two weeks, which is great for early in the morning but barely qualifies as a workout. I'm still working on the first step in my workbook--I need to get going on that. It really is still a daily struggle for me, but I think things are getting better.
Sidebar: Remember how I wanted Trista to pick Bob on The Bachelorette (I referred to him as "...a cuter/older/Midwestern version of Davin" on January 29--check the Archives)? Well, now Bob is the next Bachelor! Apply here. If I were single, I would actually consider this one. He just seems like a totally good person. Anyway...
3. In the midst of all this stress and drama, I've actually sort of had a social life lately. Several trips to Baja Fresh, a bottle of wine among friends, birthday parties, housewarmings...I'm not feeling as much like an outcast for the moment. :) But now everybody's leaving, so it'll be slow for a while...
4. There's been some drama in the employment area lately... My employer doesn't have enough work for me to have more than 16 or 20 hours a week. So I need to get another job--something part-time, in the afternoons or evenings. It would be okay if I were going to be here all summer, but I'm doing that summer program with Elena in Minneapolis--which is such a great opportunity, but it's not cheap (the plane ticket alone just cost me $275!) and it won't exactly help me find a job. Things got kind of hairy at my regular job when I told them I'd have to leave for three weeks. Plus I need Saturdays off, so retail is nearly out of the question. I have to call up some agencies, and I'll probably go by The Children's Place since I've worked there already. Mark thinks I should take out a classified ad and do some weddings. That would be great--at $100 a pop!--but I'm not sure if that will happen. But it's kind of worrying me right now.
5. Some good news! I have a part in the fall opera! We're doing Little Women (a five-year-old, much abridged, tonally ambivalent composition), and I have been cast as Cecelia March ("Aunt March", the bitchy rich old lady). It's kind of a different interpretation of the story--Jo is a whiny, immature, unsympathetic character, and I decide to make her my sole heir because she's independent and a snob like me. I'm excited--the music is REALLY hard, so at least I have all summer to work on it.
Anyway, that's enough out of me. I have to get home and start calling those agencies... :/
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
I like the stuff that comes out of those 5-gallon jug dispensers--Culligan, I guess.
2. What are your favorite flavor of chips?
I am a Cool Ranch groupie. I guess they call that Cool-ER Ranch now, but who cares?
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
Baklava--I don't make it very much because it's kind of expensive, but when I do...YUM...
4. How do you have your eggs?
I don't like eggs...if I must eat them I make an omelette with LOADS of cheese and vegetables and salsa, to cover up the gross egg taste.
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
Sandra made enchiladas at her housewarming party last Thursday. They were good but Shawn kept complaining because they were vegetarian...once he saw that there was zucchini in there he kind of froze... :)
Okay, on to the filling-in:
1. Despite mountains of stress and several days of questionable food choices (Bojangles') and emotional eating (pint or so of store-brand ice cream, bag of microwave popcorn), I managed to pull another 4.0. How, you ask? Beats me. My jury went very well--I got mostly A-'s--and that because the song Dr. Harley picked for me to sing was from, like, January, so my technique was all weird. (One person was prescient enough to comment, "Is this the same voice? This rep must be from the beginning of the semester.") I actually got an A+ in both choir (because I wasn't one of the people who always complained) and my dance seminar. I guess I just had a good paper. The eight members of the opera class studied feverishly for three days for that final--it was just very long. Two of the listening examples were from classes I missed, and I never got good notes on them--apparently I have not lost my ability to BULLSHIT when my back is to the wall. Thank God... :)
2. Despite aforementioned stress and food issues, I still managed to lose 1/2" last week. I guess it's because it's not as bad as it had been. Maybe the stress helped burn a bit off. I'm going to start playing with this Pilates thing I bought yesterday--I've only been doing the Gentle Yoga tape the last two weeks, which is great for early in the morning but barely qualifies as a workout. I'm still working on the first step in my workbook--I need to get going on that. It really is still a daily struggle for me, but I think things are getting better.
Sidebar: Remember how I wanted Trista to pick Bob on The Bachelorette (I referred to him as "...a cuter/older/Midwestern version of Davin" on January 29--check the Archives)? Well, now Bob is the next Bachelor! Apply here. If I were single, I would actually consider this one. He just seems like a totally good person. Anyway...
3. In the midst of all this stress and drama, I've actually sort of had a social life lately. Several trips to Baja Fresh, a bottle of wine among friends, birthday parties, housewarmings...I'm not feeling as much like an outcast for the moment. :) But now everybody's leaving, so it'll be slow for a while...
4. There's been some drama in the employment area lately... My employer doesn't have enough work for me to have more than 16 or 20 hours a week. So I need to get another job--something part-time, in the afternoons or evenings. It would be okay if I were going to be here all summer, but I'm doing that summer program with Elena in Minneapolis--which is such a great opportunity, but it's not cheap (the plane ticket alone just cost me $275!) and it won't exactly help me find a job. Things got kind of hairy at my regular job when I told them I'd have to leave for three weeks. Plus I need Saturdays off, so retail is nearly out of the question. I have to call up some agencies, and I'll probably go by The Children's Place since I've worked there already. Mark thinks I should take out a classified ad and do some weddings. That would be great--at $100 a pop!--but I'm not sure if that will happen. But it's kind of worrying me right now.
5. Some good news! I have a part in the fall opera! We're doing Little Women (a five-year-old, much abridged, tonally ambivalent composition), and I have been cast as Cecelia March ("Aunt March", the bitchy rich old lady). It's kind of a different interpretation of the story--Jo is a whiny, immature, unsympathetic character, and I decide to make her my sole heir because she's independent and a snob like me. I'm excited--the music is REALLY hard, so at least I have all summer to work on it.
Anyway, that's enough out of me. I have to get home and start calling those agencies... :/
Friday, May 2
The Friday Five --way late!
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.
I used to kind of like "Sk8r Boi" by Avril Lavigne. That is, until she pronounced David Bowie's name wrong that time, which proved her to be a totally manufactured poseur/loser. :) So I guess I'll say "Work It" by Missy Elliot. Or maybe that Jordan Knight song from a few summers back.....
2. Name two songs that always make you cry.
There aren't really any, but I've used "What it Takes" by Aerosmith and "Hey Jupiter" by Tori Amos as breakup songs (in the LONG and distant past), so they used to make me cry.
3. Name three songs that turn you on.
"Smooth" by Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas (see previous entry on Matchbox 20), "Victim of Love" by the Eagles, and "Moondance" by Van Morrison. I think I'm more attracted to rhythms than words...
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf, "Hard to Handle" by The Black Crowes, "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin (it's that guitar solo!), and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" by Boston. (Whee!)
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.
"Cloud Blood" by Ani DiFranco, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" by Journey (did you see that time when Sale' and Pelletier skated to it? It was SOOOO Canadian and cute!), "Yesterday" by The Beatles (I like the string arrangement), "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, and "Love to Love You, Baby" by Donna Summer (the 12-inch Orgasm Mix).
Funny stuff. I stuck to popular music for your benefit, and tried to vary my entries. No repeat groups, right? :) Unless you're one of those people that think Boston and Journey are the same band. I also included Aerosmith AND The Stones AND The Black Crowes, whom critics used to say were all the same stuff--I disagree!
Busy week. I did my opera presentation on less than two hours of sleep--it's over!--and will do some very minor revisions to my dance paper before handing it in tomorrow. Tomorrow I have my last lesson and sing in rep, then I'm singing in a recital Tuesday. My jury is Wednesday and my audition for the fall opera is Thursday night (after my dance presentation/demonstration). We're doing Little Women, this opera written in 1998 which will be making its N.C. premiere here, in November. I'm hoping for the role of Beth, the invalid who gets to die onstage (I think)! At least it's my voice part. But who am I kidding? I'd probably be happy with any part that actually has a NAME. So yeah, busy. Plus I have to miss my meeting tomorrow (concert I have to go to), so I may struggle a bit. But I'll do my best, and at least I'll get to see Mark on Thursday night (probably after midnight!). Must go to the bank.
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.
I used to kind of like "Sk8r Boi" by Avril Lavigne. That is, until she pronounced David Bowie's name wrong that time, which proved her to be a totally manufactured poseur/loser. :) So I guess I'll say "Work It" by Missy Elliot. Or maybe that Jordan Knight song from a few summers back.....
2. Name two songs that always make you cry.
There aren't really any, but I've used "What it Takes" by Aerosmith and "Hey Jupiter" by Tori Amos as breakup songs (in the LONG and distant past), so they used to make me cry.
3. Name three songs that turn you on.
"Smooth" by Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas (see previous entry on Matchbox 20), "Victim of Love" by the Eagles, and "Moondance" by Van Morrison. I think I'm more attracted to rhythms than words...
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf, "Hard to Handle" by The Black Crowes, "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin (it's that guitar solo!), and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" by Boston. (Whee!)
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.
"Cloud Blood" by Ani DiFranco, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" by Journey (did you see that time when Sale' and Pelletier skated to it? It was SOOOO Canadian and cute!), "Yesterday" by The Beatles (I like the string arrangement), "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, and "Love to Love You, Baby" by Donna Summer (the 12-inch Orgasm Mix).
Funny stuff. I stuck to popular music for your benefit, and tried to vary my entries. No repeat groups, right? :) Unless you're one of those people that think Boston and Journey are the same band. I also included Aerosmith AND The Stones AND The Black Crowes, whom critics used to say were all the same stuff--I disagree!
Busy week. I did my opera presentation on less than two hours of sleep--it's over!--and will do some very minor revisions to my dance paper before handing it in tomorrow. Tomorrow I have my last lesson and sing in rep, then I'm singing in a recital Tuesday. My jury is Wednesday and my audition for the fall opera is Thursday night (after my dance presentation/demonstration). We're doing Little Women, this opera written in 1998 which will be making its N.C. premiere here, in November. I'm hoping for the role of Beth, the invalid who gets to die onstage (I think)! At least it's my voice part. But who am I kidding? I'd probably be happy with any part that actually has a NAME. So yeah, busy. Plus I have to miss my meeting tomorrow (concert I have to go to), so I may struggle a bit. But I'll do my best, and at least I'll get to see Mark on Thursday night (probably after midnight!). Must go to the bank.
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