In Which I Shamelessly Plug My Own Show

Shakespeare has always held a special fascination for me. Even in high school, when everyone else dreaded reading Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, I relished in it. There was something so rich and enduring about the words, the stories, and the people.

But I have seen Shakespeare done badly, in a way that completely justifies the intense hatred so many people have of The Bard and his works. Which is why, when you find a company that does Shakespeare right, you do everything you can to make sure they keep at it!

I have spent the last two months in the presence of such people, and tonight we open our production of Two Gents: A Coming of Age Tale in Iambic Pentameter (aka Two Gentlemen of Verona.) It is full of people with such talent that I consider it an honor to be one of them. But it needs your help.

Live theatre has many setbacks, and just one of them is finding the right venue. And, in our case, funding said venue. I understand that times are tight, for everyone, so if you can't donate PLEASE, share our page. And maybe those who are in a position to help will find it in their hearts to help make this company's dreams a reality.

Every dollar helps, and every single donation is appreciated a thousand times over.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/585711469/two-gents-venue-support?ref=city

"All We Need is a Witch Doctor in the Corner"

In the ever-expanding category of "proverbial straws to break this poor little camel's back," the most recent one is also, perhaps, the most absolutely ridiculous. I won't bore you with the details of every little thing that's made me want to crawl in a hole and die lately, just the most recent one.

My living room is a swamp. Or, "the bayou" as we've come to affectionately call it. Through a series of complicated and annoying electrical issues, there is a pool forming under our living room carpet. It causes deep puddles to seep up through our floor, squish between our toes, and make a generally smelly mess. It has also caused our power bill to soar sky high, seeing as a) it seems to be an air conditioner issue and b) the drying process requires us to run the air conditioner three days straight without stopping, as low as it can go.

And so, today finds the residents of the bayou eating pizza, watching as numerous repairmen traipse through the house making conflicting suggestions, and keeping an eye out for gators.

And while our bayou may not have a chorus of helpful fireflies, we do have the ever-so-pleasant hum of two industrial driers, 24-hours a day! And that sweet, swampy smell of breeding mold. And the freezing cold gusts of wind from every vent. Wouldn't you want to live here?

Sequins and Sneakers

In the last two and a half days I have baked two kinds of cupcakes, three kinds of cookies, pumpkin muffins, apple strudel, a variety of fruit tarts and two types of cheesecake.  All in preparation for the fancy gala at the theatre.  For those of you who don't know, back in November I got a second job at a children's theatre in Orlando.  It's called "In the Limelight," and it now owns a very large part of my soul.  I spend every Saturday there, helping with rehearsals and anything else I can get my hands on.  The theatre junkie in me would never leave the building if it could, but unfortunately the Disney addict part of me (as well as the demands of everyday life) call me away, and I don't get to spend nearly as much time there as I would like.  I haven't been a part of the company for very long, but I already love it there.

Needless to say, the time since I joined In the Limelight has been more than a little hectic.  I have spent my days at Disney, my nights drowning in fabric, and all the in-betweens writing my heart out.  There have been several weeks where I go straight from an 8-hour Disney shift to an all-night theatre shift, frantically trying to change clothes in my car and eating whatever snacks I can find in my bag.  And if you know me at all, you know that this is pretty much as perfect as life can get :)

Which brings us to the gala, and the 38-hours worth of dessert that I voluntarily provided.  In fact, may or may not have begged to be allowed to provide.  The gala itself was amazing.  A spectacular awards show, complete with red carpet and paparazzi, performances to break up the awards announcements, and everyone dressed to impress.  Including yours truly.

But, of course, at the end of a long day, trailing at the end of an even longer week, the last thing I want to do is wear four-inch heels for six hours.  You'd better believe that the second the last guest closed the door behind them, the sneakers went back on!  And so, the end of the night found me carrying cupcake trays back to my car in my sparkly party dress ... and running shoes.  Ultimate classy broad right here.

For now, everything is as it should be.  And that's good enough for me.

Snails

Snails never have to worry about packing. They carry their whole homes right there on their backs, and they never have to worry about leaving something behind, or bringing too much, or dressing weather appropriate ... or hotels ... making reservations ... having luggage accidentally re-routed ...

I've gotten carried away. Back to the point : lucky little buggers!

I pack a full suitcase for a weekend away. Two full suitcases for a week. This is not including the extra bag of shoes, and bathroom bag full of makeup and hair stuff. And then I have my computer, my purse, a book, an extra pillow ... So, basically, my car is packed to capacity any time I leave home for more than three days. I am a self-diagnosed over-packer. And every time I try to UNDER-pack, I end up leaving something important behind. Or, like one memorable trip last summer, I leave EVERYTHING important behind!

Problem : I am about to move down to Florida for an entire semester. That is FOUR months. You do the math people! My car can't handle it!

Solution : Become a snail. Or a turtle! Turtles have more space ...