Gumminess

Rockapella has posted pictures from their tours in Germany and Japan.

Here's the link to my favorite one.

http://tinyurl.com/4usjos

 

First of all:  That's a big piece of gumminess.  I love JT's expression!

 

Secondly:  Do you think they'd ever have Gloomy Gummi Bear?  You know, like for Hallowe'en?

 

Oh, and if you go to the new Japan pictures from dated 9/26/08, one of the guys took a picture of the fancy features for the restroom on the 3rd page of thumbprints.

 

Funny.

DLR LotD 10/05/08

Disneyland Resort Line of the Day

Sunday, October 5, 2008

(It's been quite a while since I've been to the resort.  So I'm listing more than one, just because I felt like it).

Disneyland:

"Tigger seems to get enough of that at home." -- Sherry, at Plaza Inn, causing Tigger to act dramatically

DCA:

"That's R-O-N-G wrong!" -- Sherry, at different times in different places

Bonus gross line:

"Oh, nothing.  I'm just puking." -- Some girl in the stall next to Sherry, speaking to someone on a cell phone quite matter-of-factly

I Like to Be in America

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Linda and I went to Target's American Film Institute Night at the Movies this week.  This is the second year that they've had this event, I believe.  AFI screens several classic/neo-classic movies at the same time in one night at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood, with either a prominent actor or director giving an introduction before the movie.  I was a little torn because Denzel Washington was introducing "Glory" in one theater, Jodie Foster was introducing "Silence of the Lambs" in another, and Rita Moreno was introducing "West Side Story" in yet another.  It also would have been cool to see Sean Connery (for "The Man Who Would Be King"), or Keanu Reeves (for "The Matrix"), though I wasn't as torn about those.  Linda was torn about Connery, though. :)  Since "West Side Story" is one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time, and I'd never seen it on the big screen, I decided on that one, and Linda eagerly agreed.  

Linda and I happened to arrive at about the same time, so we went to dinner at the Jack-in-the-Box across the street, and tried not to get beaten up by the homeless woman whom was loudly talking to herself and everyone else in general.  

We then walked to the theater, and saw Jim Carrey getting his picture taken on the red carpet.  He was there to introduce "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."  It must be difficult to have to deal with all of those people getting in your face to take your picture and yellling your name all the time.  Yes, I 'm serious.  It's just no wonder that some celebrities get such whacked-out views of the world.  The line to enter the theater was pretty long, but only because they had a security check.  Those people with cameras and cell phones with cameras were asked to either put them back in their car or check them in.  I had already left my phone in the car when I saw the sign, so our entry into the theater was painless.  We ran into one of Linda's co-workers, whom was there to see "American Beauty," which was introduced by Annette Benning.

Our theater was upstairs, and we were offered free drinks and popcorn, which was nice.  I made sure to get a water bottle because it had a fleur-de-lis on it.  I can't help it if I like fancy water!  After our trip to the restrooms with the hooks on the doors made at the height for Amazon Women in Heels, we went into the theater and were led to our seats, which were in the very back left corner.  Since the theater isn't that big, our seats were still in a good viewing location.

The screen showed trivia questions from WSS, and the speakers played music from all of the films being shown during the night.  A volunteer from AFI talked to us a little bit about the evening, and asked trivia questions (that were different from the ones on the screen), offering prizes like Target Water Bottles to the winners.  The second round of trivia questions required the contestants to finish the lyrics of songs, and sometimes required them to sing them.  Now, I love WSS very very much, but I knew that if I got up in front of everyone, I'd forget every single word of every song and look like a complete idiot.  Linda didn't go up there either.  Instead, we sang to each other quietly after people answered their questions.  One of the young girls had just finished playing "Anita" in her school's production of WSS this May; a lady had taken a picture with Rita Moreno in the Philippines when she found out that she was nominated for the Oscar; and an 11-year-old sang "I Feel Pretty" quite nicely.  Those that sang won movie tickets and AFI hats.  After the trivia questions were over, Linda asked me if she should just go up to the front and start singing (she would have completely blown away anyone else), and I offered to buy her dinner at Napa Rose if she did so.  She also had the alternative of just singing loudly from the back corner, and I offered her dinner at Catal for that, but she still couldn't get up the gumption to do it.  That's OK, Linda.  I would have been too worried that they'd kick out the two of us before getting to see Rita M.  

Some guy named Robert Mandel to tell us more about the movie's accolades.  "West Side Story" has been honored 4 times by the AFI, won 10 Academy Awards out of its 11 nominations, and one of those was Rita Moreno's Best Supporting Actress award.  

Ms. Moreno looked great.  She said that she was happy to be there, as she shops at Target all the time.  She marveled at the fact that WSS is 50 years old, and that the reason it endures is that the Movie itself is the star.  It has "universal emotions in it and truths."  She called the production one of "Choreographing to Character," as every move, every word that Anita did or said was pure Anita.  Nobody else would have moved like her or talked like her.  It was truly a treat for us to see her speak about how proud she was to be a part of the movie.   She's awesome.

The movie itself was, of course, wonderful.  My favorite scene of the movie is "America."  Whenever the movie is being shown on AMC or whatever cable channel, no matter how late at night, I flip to it just to watch "America."  I won't go to bed until I see it.  Yes, I have it on DVD.  But I'd just rather watch it right there.  Well, whaddaya know, but when the scene played, I clapped quietly, but a lot of other people applauded at that time, too, so I got to be loud about it after all!  I love that scene for the lyrics, the clothes, the dancing, the singing...it's just perfect.  I also love that George Chikaris and Rita Moreno are wearing matching colors, which makes sense, since she works in a dress shop and probably has plenty of access to nice materials.  The crowd seemed to particularly enjoy all of Anita's lines.  For some reason, we didn't get to have an intermission like when it is usually shown.  Perhaps they thought that we could last through the whole thing, which is fine, except for the fact that Linda and I love listening to that intermission music.  I think that the only thing that I've never liked is Velma saying "Oobly Ooh."  I so don't get that.  It must be a thing from that era.  I don't know.  Otherwise, I loved the movie just as much as every other time I've watched it.  I cried, I laughed, it remains a part of me.

Afterward, we shopped at the Arclight store, then stopped in at bodyfactory, a store with fancy health-type drinks and candles and such.  No, I don't know how one goes with the other.  Anyway, one of the employees there, Nadia, talked to us for quite awhile, and she was very entertaining about why she liked or didn't like the certain candle scents, and even talked about her roommates, and going to dance class.  She was hilarious.  

Linda and I said our goodbyes to Nadia and to each other, and called it a night.   Thanks, Linda, for accompanying me!  I had a great time, and hope that I get to go again next year.  THIS is why one lives in L.A.: to go to cool events such as these.  Middle America, eat your hearts out!

3 Years and counting...

Happy Birthday, Little Boy!

I get to see him and his parents today!  YAY!!!!

Happiness of the Day 9/21/08

No, it wasn't these things, although they did make me smile widely.

• S. Carell having to give R. Gervais his award from last year.
• S. Colbert winning an Emmy for writing.
• Mad Men winning Outstanding Drama.
• S. Colbert and J. Stewart discussing prunes.
• Tommy Smothers finally getting the award he deserved 40 years ago.
• Dressing up pretty  for the day in a dress that cost me less than $50.00.

Nope, it wasn't any of those things that made me happy as can be that day.

Do you remember this post?

http://pellapusher.blogspot.com/2007/09/happiness-of-day-9807.html

Doesn't matter if you do or not.  What matters is that a year later, S.G. remembered that day, and relayed the bread pudding story to a certain star from "Pretty in Pink."  Dude has a memory like an elephant.  Do hippos have good memories?  How does one even know about the elephant thing?  Are there tests?

Anyway, OMG.  He remembered me.  He remembered my story.  He owes me a damn trip to MILK.  

Who even cares that the primetime ceremony even happened?  OK,  Stephen does.   Congratulations, BTW, to the subject of my Geek Love.

But, OMG.  Thanks, Dodie!  You made my day by telling me about His Greenness.  THAT's the stuff that warrants Happiness of the Day.

:D

Crrrruisin in the PFCV II

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Las Vegas, Day 2

Last I left you, I had gone to the Luxor to meet up with Cindy, Glenn, and Mox.  Mox actually saw me parking my car and parked near me, so we were able to hunt for C&G together.  It wasn't that difficult, as Glenn was seated near the entrance to the casino.  We went to a gift shop because Jenn texted me to request that I buy her a cheap toothbrush.  Are there expensive

 toothbrushes?  

Cindy caught up to us, and she, Mox and I walked around for awhile to check out the different slot machines.  Glenn went to the craps tables.  Did y'all know that pregnant women are the luckiest people to have at a table?  Neither did I, but apparently that is so, according to Glenn.  We checked out the bank of progressive ebay slots, and would have played if 3 chairs became available, but no.  I found my Mystical Mermaid game, won a Splish-Splash bonus round on my first play, and told the other 2 that I'd see them later.  I then realized that this was the game that I had been asking my brother about when he was working for IGT.  I had said to him that it was not the game that he told me it was, and I was wrong.  Here I am, Bro, publicly telling everyone that you were right.  Aren't you proud?

Once I started losing, I walked around a little bit more, played a couple of other games, and ended up finding a Texas Tea game, which was fun, even though I'm not fond of oil magnates.  Cindy and Mox then found me and introduced me to some cascading jewels game that pissed me off because I wasn't getting to the bonus round, and my anger transferred to Mox, who had introduced me to the game.  Well, at least I had only played with $8.00 for 2 hours, and had fun.  By then, it was about 2:30 a.m., so we called it a night and I went back to the Cancun.  It was really dark in the room, but I didn't want to wake up Jenn and KP, so I somehow muddled my way through.

Jenn trying to relax on a hammock

I ended up waking up first because I guess I'm insane.  We took lots of pictures with the PFCV, and sat outside by the jacuzzi to eat the dessert we hadn't eaten the night before. We met up with the others at the Wynn and had a yummy breakfast at the cafe.  I had the Maine Lobster Eggs Benedict, which was decadent, but hey -- we're in Vegas, baby!  I thought it was interesting that our chairs had handles on the back of them so that you could carry them or pull them out for someone to sit.  That's nice!  I wanted to play for another hour, so we said our goodbyes to Mox, Glenn, and Cindy, and then the 3 of us split up and did our own thing.  I found my new favorite game: Aliens from the Planet Moo-lah, which I had played before. in Sacramento.  OMG, I love those cows.  Moo?  It's a cascading game, and the bonus round usually gives a lot, and it's just plain entertaining.  I ended up breaking even, so I was happy.  I met up with KP and Jenn.  KP had walked around the Wynn and did some sketching.  Jenn held up a chip to show me what she won at the WPT Texas Hold 'Em table.  She's going to be able to get a NICE dress, I'll tell you that much!

Eating Dessert for Breakfast

We went back to the resort to finish packing, and Jenn left to spend time with her mom and do some dress shopping. :)  KP and I took naps before leaving our beautiful suite.  KP and I reluctantly gave up the PFCV at the airport, and got on our plane.  Back in Ontario, I waited with KP while she looked for her own car, but Wanda drove up in a minivan instead.  When I got home, I was just plain exhausted.

Unfortunately, Cindy and Glenn's flight home didn't happen as soon as they had hoped.  Their plane ended up being delayed for over an hour, but at least they got home safely, as did Mox on his drive back to work.  Work?!  ICK.  

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Thank you, everyone, for your company this weekend.  I had a great time, I only lost $8.00, and we saw the Pella perform in one of their funniest shows EVER.  

LV Pella article

Just to tide you over until I can sit down long enough for Day 2, here is a link to an article about Rockapella in the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Crrrrrruising in the PFCV

Rockapella in Las Vegas: Day 1

Clark County Amphitheatre

Saturday, September 13, 2008

KP and I got up, stopped off at Winchell's for our breakfasts-to-go, and drove over to the Ontario Airport. On our flight to Vegas, we sat next to a woman whom I accidentally bumped while she was putting on her make-up. Thank goodness I didn't bump her very hard, and she didn't appear to have a huge line of eyeliner on her face afterward. She was actually very friendly, and I learned a lot about Lady Di (she was named after Princess Diana, but pronounces it like "Dee"). I really liked her story, so I need to tell it here.

Lady Di is from Columbia, and when she graduated from high school, she didn't know any English, but wanted to come to America to study communications. She ended up learning English while working at KFC, and one of the customers, also Columbian, befriended her, and helped her with her English. Then this wonderful woman, whom is an alumnus of USC and has kids there, somehow got Lady Di into their business program. LD met the woman's son during all of this, and now she's a hockey fan because he's a hockey player, and they've been together for a couple of years. The boyfriend had just called her at 2am and asked her to join him in Vegas, where he was staying with his teammates for a game. LD was rightfully quite thankful to the other woman, and I was amazed at how wonderful she was for everything she did. Sure, she might have been trying to find a nice girl for her son, but she really did a lot for her. I love knowing that there are people like this in the world.

So back to the main characters of my tale....

KP and I said our goodbyes to LD, checked out the cute musicians at the baggage claim (they had been on our flight, all dressed alike and carrying instruments), and made our way to the car rental center. Alamo allows you to choose your own car in your price range, and we simultaneously saw a pretty baby blue PT Cruiser. A couple of people were walking in that direction, and we silently were saying to ourselves, "Don't take our car," and it apparently worked, because they then walked to a different one. I said to KP, "The PT Cruiser?" She said, "Yeah!" and we happily took the car. The car rental guy was trying to tell us about other cars in the row, but I asked if we could take the Cruiser, and he said yes, so we were even happier.

Happy Sherry in the Prettiest Frickin' Car in Vegas

We had plenty of time to kill before checking in to our resort, so we drove to the amphitheatre to scope it out. KP called Liz on the way, and as I kept yelling about the pretty car, I also added that it was so cool that we were driving a gangster car in Vegas. (The Bugsy Malone era, not the current era). There was some road construction going on, so I pissed off the GPS and turned around a few times. It didn't matter, because I was just way too happy to be in our beautiful car. We then found a California Pizza Kitchen and had our lunch there. KP especially enjoyed her Peach flavored Arnold Palmer, which had been suggested by the server. Jenn's plane had landed while we were there, so she met up with us afterward, marveled over our beautiful car (she almost got a silver one herself), and went to her parents' house for a short visit. When we got to their house, Jenn saw Filipino food and immediately gave our pizza leftovers to her parents to enjoy later so that she could eat pancit and adobo. KP and I watched "Kindergarten Cop" while petting Barney the dog. After Jenn gave us a tour of the house, we went to Fresh 'n Easy to get snacks for our picnic. Jenn and I really liked the place, (KP already goes to one a lot), and we bought grapes, stuff for Jenn's baked brie, and utensils.

We then went to Cancun Resort for check-in. My parents have a timeshare with the Monarch company, so they offered to let us stay there. As the name implies, the center of the resort, which is the recreation area, had an Aztec pyramid with a cool waterslide down into the beautifully blue pool. We were very happy to see that our room had the pool view. Jenn and I stayed in the master bedroom, which had a huge bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, two sinks, and a bench! The amenities were from the Toracco brand, which we had tried already at the Sienna in Reno, so I was a happy girl. KP stayed in the living room on the pullout bed. There was also a bathroom attached to the living room, so we all had our own sinks. That was cool. The kitchen was well-supplied with utensils and dishwashing stuff. We also had a nice dining area. My dad called while we were checking around, and we all yelled our excited thank you's to him.

Jenn proceeded to make her Brie En Croute while I took a shower. After I had turned off the water, I heard a scream from the kitchen. Apparently, due to the fact that the only baking pan available was too big, the brie spread out instead of just baking as one piece. Ergo "Jenn's Brien En Croute Taste Explosion." After we calmed her down, Jenn started to get ready, and I told her that I felt like she was a sister to me since we've known each other so long and are comfortable telling each other practically everything. I invited our other sister for the weekend to sit with us while we got ready. KP's always the quickest dresser, so she sat on our bathroom bench and said, "Sherry, one of my shoes is longer than the other!" So there I was, kneeling on the bathroom tile, lining up the back of her shoes with the grout line to prove to her that they were, indeed, the same length. (One of the tops of the shoes was a little longer than the other, though). Hey, I never said that the shoes would be perfect.

We drove to the amphitheatre (in the Prettiest Frickin' Car in Vegas), and saw that other people had already arrived. I refrained from running and we still obtained space on the grass directly in front of the stage. Had those steps not been there, we would have been closer to the guys. I was told that only PortaPotties were available, so I decided that I'd probably be going across the way to the Premium Outlets to buy something just to use a civilized restroom. Later on, though, they announced that there were restrooms in the Pyramid, so I was happy. KP saw Fred and he said that the guys had yet to arrive for sound check. Cindy arrived soon afterward. She questioned whether or not we had enough space with just her towel and our two blankets, which turned into a conversation of people thinking 4 people could watch Fantasmic on one beach towel but only if they're Smurfs, and a Durango fitting 7 people, but that would only count if some of them were midgets. I asked "What is a 'Midget Smurf'?" Ooh, wouldn't one of those have looked CUTE in the PFCV? OK, don't agree with me. Look at these cuties instead:

Sher, KP,Pocky Bag and uneven shoes

Sher and Chef Jenn

I actually have a nice picture of the other cutie, but she doesn't post her actual picture anywhere so I'm respecting her privacy, but trust me, it's a nice picture of the two of us.

The guys arrived for sound check, and we were happy. Jeff said to all of the early birds, "You're the lucky people who get to hear the sound check. You're all going to go home after this and be like, "Yeah, they SUCK!" Pshaw, my dear. Geo was wearing orange and blue and it irritated me. Jenn, meanwhile, asked if we wanted any food. I said, "Let's have some grapes. We can throw them at George." I really don't like those two colors together. Kevin walked onto the stage, and when he turned to us, Cindy and I were silent for two seconds before consulting with each other as to whether or not the shirt he was wearing was a Gloomy Bear. It was actually a pig, though. I think that I would have screamed joyously if it had been Gloomy. I have GOT to find out if he knows about that. Then Scott walked onto the stage with a Monchichi, set it on one of the stools, and proceeded to take pictures of it. He also brought it to the front of the stage, set it on the floor with a microphone directed toward it, and took more pictures. I don't know what that was all about, but it was damn funny. Yes, they were doing the sound check while this was all happening. Kevin saw two kids playing on the right side of the audience, and awarded one of the toddlers with "Coolest Hair." More on that later. Mox showed up a little bit later and did end up fitting on our 3 blankets.

SHOW

Tonight: Kevin is dressed like he's one of the Gatlin Brothers again, according to KP, whom deemed that last night. Scott wore a white shirt instead of a lavender one under his gray suit.

4U4Now4Life: Scott said that the drive from Lancaster to Vegas is like Mars, and mentioned that they stopped at "The Mad Greek" on the way. Now, though, they were at Mecca, evidenced by all of the lights.

ZIP: Scott introduced JT as the "Rumble Neath the Strip." It took a bit of time for the spotlight operator to focus on Geo when he was the LEAD. This happened throughout the night, which annoyed the heck out of me.

Got To Get You Into My Life: The group of little girls to the left us screamed quite loudly, as if the guys were the Jonas Brothers. One of them was celebrating a birthday, according to her dad, whom was trying to get the guys to sing "Happy Birthday" to her during sound check, which they didn't do. Anyway, THIS little girl noticed the pelvic thrusts during "Got to Getcha/Got to Getcha." Whoo!

Stand By Me: Scott listed all of the people that John had performed with, including Carrot Top. Then he corrected himself and said, "No, not Carrot Top. He's the King of Las Vegas! I keep seeing billboards. He's buff."

Use Me: JT's intro made one of the girls in back of us say loudly, "He's cute!" After Scott did his dance, he said, "I'm buffer than Carrot Top." During "They sit me right down and they talk to me," John violently shook his finger at Scott.

Kevin said, "We drove across Mars today. It's strange being from Florida to see the solid blue sky. He walked toward the group of little girls and said to them, "You've GOT to stop doing that! You're hurting my ears!" The girls screamed, "WE LOVE YOU!!!" and he replied, "We love you, too! Stop screaming." He then looked for the little kid with the mohawk, who turned out to be a 3-year-old boy, now too shy to say his name. He then said that it was a good night for the beach. We don't have to worry about sunscreen. You can wear your suit wihtout anyone seeing you in it." Apparently, Kevin isn't as comfortable in his Speedo as he purports to be.

Under the Boardwalk

Tell Me What You Want

Drag Your Lovely Over Here

California Sad-Eyed Girl: A plane flew overhead, and Scott said, "INCOMING!" before the song started. When they sang "San Bernardino," we heard a "Whoo!" from the back of the crowd, which made Cindy and me laugh, which caught Scott's eye and he smiled at us for, like, a LONG time. I don't know if he had heard the "Whoo!" though. He probably thought that we just loved the line, which we do, but we were trying to giggle quietly, and you know how that doesn't stay quiet for very long.

Scott said that Kevin won $20.00 at the roulette table. "Not that we condone gambling of any kind. Me, on the other hand...I enjoy the buffet." He described Geo as this "Grrrrroovy thing." He also declared JT to be "The King of Vocal Percussion," and some dude yelled out, "He's the BEST!", to which Scott retorted, "Your dad's here tonight." Scott said that an interviewer in Korea called JT "Jeff 'Living Legend" Thacher." Kevin said that Scott sings notes "only puppy dogs can hear." Scott said, "Have you noticed the ring of schnauzers around? That's what happens when you have an outside show." Kevin: "Especially when the Dog Show is in town. Heh. DOG SHOW!" (No, I don't know why Kevin found this especially funny, but it was cute when he laughed at himself).

Paper Doll

Rhythm Section

Rock the Boat: Scott said in a Jamaican accent, "Oh, YEAH! Rrrrockin' the Boat! SO HAPPY!" (I think that our Rrrancho Cucamonga thing ignited Scott to roll all of his Rs just for us).

Jingle Medley

........

Chewy, Chewy Coconut>>>>>>>>>>Coconut!

Yum YUM!

My Girl: Scott and Kevin were backstage and were late to start the song. Hello, there's a show going on out here! John chose a woman named April to join them on stage. Jenn was sadistically happy that the birthday girl didn't get picked. So was I. (Ssshhhh....). April told Kevin that this was her son-in-law's name, and said, "I don't like him." Poor Kevin. Geo did his usual low bass sound, to which Kevin asked April, "Did that rattle your stool?" He commented on April's beautiful top and asked if it represented some reason. April said, "Prowlin', Baby!" and snapped her fingers. Kevin then purred at her. He sang to her, "Oh, April....how you look so KITTY tonight...rrrrrrrrr."

April only has eyes for Geo as he approaches

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: KP and I just noticed that when Scott and JKB sing "Half a Man," they have their hands out to show the size (not Midget Smurf size). They enhanced it tonight, though (at least I assume it was just for tonight) by also adding claws. It was hilarious.

People Change: They began the song, but April was so overwhelmed that when she returned to her friends, she said loudly about Geo, "He is FINE!" This brought her group to fits of laughter, prompting Scott to stop the song for a moment. They started up again, but then Kevin pointed out to John that something was on Scott's pants. Scott noticed, and stopped singing, asking what was going on. Kevin: "There's a roach on your pants." So they swatted it away, which apparently killed it. "People Change" then turned into "Roaches Die," as Scott changed most of the words to what is usually a depressing, lovelorn lament. "He ain't got no more time in the world...I need to find a rhyme for roach." Jenn and I yelled, "COACH!" Like, it's not the word "orange," you know, Scotty. Toward the end of the song, Scott looked down at the deceased insect and said, "It's a cricket!" and sang at the end, "So Sorry." That was the funniest rendition of that song that I've ever seen. KP told us later that she was laughing so hard that she had an asthma attack. Mox didn't notice, apparently, because he was too busy laughing himself. Thank goodness we didn't have to go to the hospital for that. I only know where the hospital is in Lancaster.

George said that he tried to be a stunt double for Whitney Houston, and told us that "even if I suck, y'all, scream a little bit loud if you can." He sang "I Will Always Love You," so we screamed, and I yelled "OW!" because the screamy little girls really took it to heart, and my ears hurt. George then talked about the different kinds of music he likes, and mentioned Marvin Gaye, so when he said, "I just thought I'd sing--", I said quietly, "Sexual Healing!" But no, he sang his regular song.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego: Scott was surprised that the first time he said, "There's one more thing that we gotta do, and you know what it is," and the crowd yelled "DO IT ROCKAPELLA!!!" He said, "Wow, you really knew what it was!"

ENCORE

Shambala

Then they mistakenly asked for requests, which became the regular free-for-all, and people asking for songs that they've never sung, like "Lean On Me." JT really hates that people think they sing that, because it's mislabeled on some internet sites.

Zombie Jamboree: At the break, when Kevin bent over, Jenn yelled, "CRICKET!" but instead he just asked "WATER!" It's really dry here compared to FL.

Scott, Kevin and Jeff didn't really talk to anyone at the meet and greet. CSL4 and Kev had red-eye flights to catch, and JT took off with his friends/family.

I talked to April, and she's hoping that whatever video is posted cuts out the part about her son-in-law. Not that it's not true, but her daughter would get mad. Tonight was her first live show. She had seen them before on PBS. I said to her, "THIS is your first show?! It's going to be all downhill from here now!" She was just a riot.

Cindy asked me if I would talk to Geo about my song request. I said, "Yeah, I will!" So I asked him to sing "Sexual Healing." He said that one day he'd sing it just for me, and I won't be in the audience, so just in case, I should go to all of the shows. He wanted to take the red-eye, but there was a mix-up with the tickets. I said that I thought that he liked to stay in places so that he could get some rest between flights. Then he yelled at me because I didn't know that he'd want to go home after their last show. So I noted that he was yelling at me. He said, "That's not yelling. When I'm mad, the Beast comes out." He said that he used an eye mask during the drive from Lancaster to Vegas so that he could sleep the whole time. I told my friends that he's going to disappear during his break and he said, "How do you know that?" I said, "Because you told me. I actually listen to you when you talk." He, however, doesn't remember who he's told what to, so I need to take advantage of that someday. He said that he likes "Paper Doll" more than "Papa," since he makes up stuff as he goes (PD). Sherry: "Wow. You're friggin' AWESOME!"

John came by to say hi and I asked if he was done with his Christmas shopping yet. Not yet, but he would be doing it all during the break, and will be done in October.

We went to South Point casino to have dinner at Coronado Cafe, which, according to Jenn, had everything you could possibly imagine. Except Filipino Food. Glenn met up with us there, and somehow a "Back to the Future" conversation evolved, as they all discussed how many DeLoreans were used in the three movies.

I then took Jenn and KP back to the hotel because they were tired, and met up with the others at the Luxor to try out my luck.

Next Up: Vegas, Day 2

Living it Up in LANcastuh

Rockapella in Lancaster

Friday, September 12, 2008

Lancaster Performing Arts Center

Well, everyone, my trip reports are back. I decided that the website needs to be completely overhauled, and that will take a lot of time, so I'm doing these here on the blog until then. Sorry to those of you that enjoyed the short version. Perhaps those will return after the site gets back to normal, as a preview to the actual reports. On with the report, oh joy for those of you that have missed them, and for me that's missed writing them.

********************************************************

I was able to get the afternoon off of work, so Karla (KP) met up with me in front of my office building, thanks to a drop-off from Wanda. We mused about where the heck we were going to change clothes for the show during our ride up to Lancaster: some random hotel where we'd say we were waiting for our husbands with the credit cards; Target; McDonald's et al. KP had brought her GPS, who proceeded to tell us to get on the 405 toward SacramentA. Her GPS doesn't know the "O" sound at the end of words. The GPS also had a sort of British way of saying "LANcastuh."

We decided to check out the venue first, and figure out our route from our dinner site. The GPS somehow turned 750 West Lancaster Blvd into 750 EAST Lancaster Blvd, and we ended up at Joshua Memorial Park and Mortuary. It's good that we'd already been to the venue before today, or we'd be like, "I thought the outdoor venue was tomorrow?" So we turned around and found our way to the LPAC. I wanted to walk around a bit, so we went to the box office to see if they would be opening up apron seating. The snooty man corrected me and called it "Pit Seating," and said that no, they wouldn't be available tonight. I would have asked him more questions, like "Can we change our clothes here?" but I did not appreciate his attitude. I mean, hello, it's not like you work at the MET, dude. You're in a podunk little town with no rhythm. I guess the guys hadn't arrived yet, so we had nobody to follow around, and left.

We made our way to Target (now a KP and Sher tradition, apparently), used their facilities, and went to Payless on a whim. KP ended up buying shoes (I'm a bad influence), but at least they were on sale, while mine were full-price, and I didn't think I really needed them, but they came in handy later, because they were flats and sneaker-like. We also saw that there was a nail place in the same strip mall, so we entered the establishment, called "Fancy Nails," ASKED how much the manicure cost, and proceeded to get cute manicures (with designs on our ring fingers!) for ourselves. My manicurist, Lee, asked if we worked together and couldn't believe how talkative and happy we were. I told her that it's BECAUSE we weren't talking about work, and we were going to a show later. I tried to get her to go to the show, but whatever. She wanted us to come back to get pedicures, but I told her that we live too far to go there just for pedis. After our nails were dry, we went to Waldenbooks, also in the same strip mall. KP ended up getting a book because she had forgotten hers, and I made a mental note of an interesting book for myself for later. We did go back to Target for KP to buy something, and she rambled to the cashier dude about ... something I can't remember.

We then drove around to find the place where we'd be dining: The Wing Spot. This wing place is co-owned by one of my managers at work, and I'd tasted some of their stuff before when she brought it to work, so I wanted to go out and actually try out other menu items. We couldn't find it at first, and then realized that they had just recently changed their name to "Wing Supreme." This is apparently because people were calling their place and complaining about "their other store," and it wasn't even theirs! We contacted our friends to give them the update, and then did a little more shopping. We went into a candle shop and bought each other Fleur-de-Lis purse hangers. We're now officially old ladies, who have the love of the FdL in common. I found other stuff I wanted to buy, but refrained. We also went into the Bead Shop next door and didn't find anything interesting enough to create.

We then went into the Wing Spot, changed our clothes in the restroom, and ordered something to munch on while we were waiting for our friends. Thanks to the Wing Spot for nice, clean bathrooms! Liz, Jordan and Joe had arrived while I was changing, and Wendy and Jeff joined us later. We all enjoyed our wings (Spicy Teriyaki was quite spicy and I thought my lips were swollen from the hotness; Lemon Pepper seemed to be very popular as well). I also enjoyed the sweet potato fries, as well as the fried green beans. Since I had already tasted their peach cobbler prior to today, I just HAD to have some, and shared some of that with Wendy. Unfortunately, they didn't have any sweet potato pie to make Liz happy. Joe told me that "Josie and the Pussycats" made Jordan dislike all teenybopper musicians because they're only in it for the money. Miley Cyrus is therefore "evil." A jazz band was going to play that night, but we had our own show to attend.

We went back to the LPAC, and Hank and Sharyn were outside waiting for us. Hank went to the box office window and found out that there were still 2 seats in the front row, so KP and I went to exchange ours for those, but they wouldn't do it. Whatever. They did say "No Exchanges," but this is for the same darn show! Besides, they hadn't given me as-close-as-possible when I called and asked for that specifically. Whatever. KP found out that the seats were on the rhythm section side, so we paid for more tickets. We're nuts, but that's why I love us. Besides, it allowed Liz to sit with Jeff and Wendy instead of by herself.

We spied Fred and KP was happy.

Tonight: Scott, who introduced himself as "Scott Schwarzenegger," was wearing a gray suit with a lavender shirt, and Geo was also wearing a lavender shirt. Very nice. John had a goatee and was wearing an off-white tunic, which made KP think that he was playing "Genie" in "Aladdin." Kevin was wearing some kind of beige coat over his black outfit. I wasn't sure that it matched. Jeff wore his same boring black outfit. His shirt had a little red tag on the side, which bugged me all night long, because I could see it from my vantage point, and it was contrasting from the all-black.

4U4Now4Life: Scott came over to us during the song and said, "Hi, ladies!" HI!!!

Scott's home is on the East Coast. "It's so nice out here though in California with the love and the sunshine and Arnold and stuff." (Scott has no idea what Arnold is going through right now with the CA State Budget, I guess, so he had no idea that I was irritated about it). He mentioned the horrible train accident that occurred that afternoon, and said that their hearts were with those people. How thoughtful! He introduced Jeff and his throat mics. Scott: "Oh, that is SO Schwarzenegger!" Then Geo came in with his Geo-ness, and Scott said, "No, THAT'S Schwarzenegger!!"

ZIP: I've always loved the "Hang Tough" move because of the NKOTB thing, but now I love it even more since I'm going to see the NK soon.

Gotta Get You Into My Life: Shake those hips, baby! There was some major Pella Butt action from our vantage point in the corner.

Stand By Me: I love hearing the passion in John's voice during this song.

Use Me: The woman behind me said "WOW!" at JT's VP intro. When Scott shook his booty again toward our direction, I said to KP, "It's like he does that just for us." KP said to me, "Just for YOU!" Aw, thanks, KP. He came over and pointed to KP when singing the lyrics "When you love me, I just can't get enough." NICE!

Kev Ramble Alert: They flew today from Florida to Texas to California, all the while avoiding Hurrican Ike. Kev said that he didn't know if they were going to make it or not, but they flew to Dallas, so they were OK. They've been traveling a lot, and a lot has happened on their other flights. On a recent flight to Germany, a woman passed out as she was walking in the aisle of the plane, and hit her head on Kevin's armrest. Then on another flight (or maybe it was the same one), one dude kept kicking the back of the seat in front of him, so the person in that seat turned around to shoot him a dirty look. The kicker gave him like a "What?!" then said, "Why don't you run and tell your mommy?!" So the kickee pulled the kicker's earphones right out of his head, and was all in his face. So Kevin was, like, OK, HERE's something different in our traveling! So then the stewardess walked up to both of them and said, "We're gonna have to turn this plane around if you fight." So one of the dudes decided to change seats. The guy sitting next to Kevin quickly told him to pretend they were asleep and kinda sprawl onto the empty chair between them, so the guy wouldn't sit there, and it worked. Anyway, so now we're in California, and it's really dry, and I've started to drink more and more water....and water reminds me... (HUGE laugh out of JT at this majorly awkward segue) ... of the beach!

Under the Boardwalk: "Me and my Speedo, oh yes, I remember it well" generated a huge WHOO! from us since he was dancing right in front of us, and it cracked up Kevin. After the song, he said, "Thank you for coming to the beach with me tonight." I said, "Thank you for your Speedo." I don't think he heard me, but KP enjoyed it.

Tell Me What You Want: More Pella Butts: More Better.

California Sad-Eyed Girl: Scott said that it would be sung with the "Florida Golden Throat" of Kevin Wright. He then said that he's not from California, but he needed a place to fit the syllables of his lyrics, and chose "San Bernardino." Then he came to California and learned that "it's not this flowering, beautiful place that was in my mind."

Kevin said that Andrew Lloyd Webber kept him employed many years. Scott: "How come youo're not like Sarah Brightman? She sang in the Beijing Olympics...he probably didn't want to marry you." Kevin: "I don't ... know." Scott: "But you get to come to San Bernardino twice a year!"

Scott told the story of Geo's former group becoming BoyzIIMen, which made us laugh. Kevin said that in California, "you guys laughed, because you GET IT!" Apparently, other audiences just feel sorry for Geo and just say, "awwww."

Scott said that they found JT in L.A. Fred hadn't turned on his mic yet, so the audience couldn't hear his first attempt at stating that he was found "in a box." Then when Fred turned on the mic, he said, "Thanks, Fred," which especially pleased Karla, because it prompted Scott to thank him and tell us all that they were actually all lip-synching.

Kevin said something about Scott singing high notes that only puppy dogs can hear.

Paper Doll: My goodness, I love sitting on this side during this song. Go, George, Go!

Rock the Boat: Scott called his dance "The Lancaster." Geo did his heartbeat thing for Wendy. Or maybe Liz. But it's usually Wendy, so I'm sticking to that.

Jingle Medley: Scott checked out Geo's butt during Prep H. KP could see the outline of JT's nipple, and was thereon distracted.

Long Cool Woman: That was really, REALLY fast! Reminded me of Barry saying that Scott sings it fast because he's anxious. Some butt action toward me because I whoo'd at him when he came over and danced. THANK YOU!!!

My Girl/Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Karen a student of Physical Therapy at CSUN, with boyfriend Michael. When she walked up to the stage, KP and I simultaneously whispered to each other, "She's got fleur-de-lis on her pants/jeans!" which, of course, sent us into giggle fits. Kev asked Karen if she'd been dating Michael a long time. Karen: "Define 'a long time'." Kev: "How old are you?" Karen: "22." Kevin: "Well, at 22, 3 months is long." Kevin had her dance at Michael from the stage during Beg.

People Change: Scott sure held his "Nnnnnnn" long in that one prominent "More than Mine...."

Geo: "I could have been in BoyzIIMen and I'd be rich and sittin' up in a bowling alley somewhere, but I finished school and got my education...It takes a lot of energy to Dmm Dmm for 2 hours every night. Friends ask me, "What do you think about up there?" and I say, "I think about the Dmm Dmmms."

Papa: Awesome drum break, thanks to Scott and JKB with some new stuff. I was grooving to the beat with my neck and Scott saw me, so he did the neck thing with me and smiled widely when I caught him doing so and laughed. He seriously cracks me up.

Carmen: I was excited that we get to say "Do It Rockapella!" for real, because we didn't get to say the right words at ACappellaStock. Both KP and I like Jeff's black sneakers with the white trim.

Encore:

Shambala: Now I'M distracted by the nipple! Scott said that they'd be in Vegas tomorrow, and that we'd all make a road trip. JT informed that it was a free show. Kev: "We'll be back for a holiday show." Scott: "When?" KP: "DECEMBER 21ST!!!, Rancho Cucamonga!" Scott: "Rrrrrancho Cucamonga!!!" Kevin said that it would be their last holiday show of the season." Scott said, "Rrrrrancho Cucamonga" again just to make us laugh even harder. I know this because he looked straight at us and smiled right after he said it.

Up On The Roof/Wonderful World: (off mic) Why are OTHER people singing? WTF?

While the guys were shaking the hands of those of us in the front row, JT pointed at KP and said, "See you later." Hank missed it. I felt invisible.

The meet and greet was scatter-style, which has its good and bad qualities. Good because it's easier to get individual pictures, bad because it's so unorganized and you never know if you'll get to talk to all of the guys.

George got engaged 3 weeks ago to Amber. I said that it was too bad that he doesn't get to show off an engagement ring like she does. He said that he wears a mood ring on his ring finger, so people think he's already married, but it's really just a mood ring. When it's blue, he's happy. One night on stage, it was black, and he freaked out and showed it to John, but apparently it was just the lighting. He said that the traveling has been really tiring, and he wishes that he could just stay in town for a day instead of flying almost every day, so he could rest. He said that he'd disappear during the upcoming break, and turn off his phone. I joked that Amber wouldn't be able to call him, but lucky girl gets to spend the break with him. Sweet. While we were standing around, Jordan noted to me that her dad and Geo look a lot alike. I told her why.

Jeff said that he finally noticed me sitting behind the speaker. I yelled at him for not waving to me, and only to KP. JT said that I was skulking, so he couldn't. SKULKING?! W. Why do I get so mad at him, anyway? It must be that saucy-skulky-thing between us.

I told Fred that I think the guys give shout-outs to him especially when KP is present. KP was mortified.

Kevin said that he rambled about the Germany flight, but I told him that it was hilarious. It apparently did actually happen, and he didn't make it up. He said that he and Scott had red-eye flights after the Vegas show, but they like talking to us, so we should make sure to talk to them right after the show. What a nice thing to say.

I told CSL4 that Bro and I were looking for him when we were in Bloomington for DCI Finals. He said that he wasn't there, but will probably need to go to one of those pretty soon. Jesse will most likely be going to drum corps camp with Carolina Crown. I told him about the drama of Phregiment, and that Crown's show was awesome, too, with all of the finales. I also told him that we went to see XRP, and I told him that I missed him. I said, "I don't know if *they* miss him, but *I* miss him." Scott laughed. Geez, the words that come out of my mouth. I guess I hadn't offended him, though, because he told me that my dress was nice. Ergo all of the pictures posted today, since my outfit won Mr. Leonard' approval.

Hank asked about the nearest Denny's, and someone told him there was one on P street. There wasn't. We tried to go to Applebee's, but they were closed. At 11:00 p.m. on a Friday. Sigh. So we ended up at Chiji's. On the way to P street, it was revealed to me that KP didn't know her alphabet, which prompted a stop at the hospital.

We said our goodbyes and later down the road saw a silver car that had pulled over. Thankfully, it wasn't Hank's car. KP stayed at Chez Sher for the night, so that we could go to the airport together in the morning.

It was nice to see the boys tonight. I had really missed them in the last 7 months. SEVEN! That's way too friggin' long. Let's not do that again, OK? It's nice to see Karla sketching about the concerts again. People now think that we're working too hard during the shows though, since we're always scribbling. Yeah, well at least I'll *remember* stuff!

Next up: VEGAS

Once On This Island -- Reprise

I had listened to a friend's CD of this show, and while I liked the music, I didn't really understand what was going on.  Yes, I read the synopsis, but I don't think that I was concentrating at the time, so that doesn't help, I guess.

When my friend told me that Reprise Theatre Company would be putting on this show, I was intrigued, and decided to go on the same night as a couple of friends.  Even though we ordered our tickets separately, I ended up sitting right in front of them, so that was cool.

The show played in the Freud Playhouse at McGowan Hall on the UCLA campus.  I hadn't been to the campus in a long time, but was able to get there just fine, and won a $5.00 bet against myself.  Yeah, you read that right.  I owe myself five bucks.  I really need to start a fund somewhere from my high-risk gambling winnings. ;)

Anyway, the theatre was a bit small, but I liked the intimate setting.  It's an older theatre, and if someone in your bank of seats moves, then all of the seats do, so I hope they plan a remodel of the place.

The set was minimal, but their presentation didn't really need fancy stuff.  The setting of the play was that of a show being given for a princess' coronation, about her family, which, I learned, is not the original setting of the play.  I liked it, though.

I really enjoyed this musical.  The story was quite interesting, and the actors did a great job.  I enjoyed the singing very much, although I thought that the lead, Kristolyn Lloyd (Ti Moune), had too much of a nasal quality to her voice for me to fully enjoy.  I especially liked Ledisi's voice, as did the rest of the audience, it seemed.  She just plain rocked the house whenever she sang a solo.  I loved all of the movement in the show: the dancing was very well done, and the staging itself was interesting.  I liked the use of flashlights as headlights, although I did question what car would loop around in the manner when the guy did a cartwheel-type move. ;)  I also liked that everyone was dressed in white.  It made their characters stand out more when I didn't have to be distracted by elaborate costumes.  I guess I like minimalism.

With this high quality of production, I wish that I had enough money to buy the whole season worth of shows from Reprise.  I do look forward to one more show, though, and I really hope that I get a chance to see it.  After all, it's "Chess," one of my favorite musicals.

"Once On This Island" is playing through Sunday, September 14.  I highly recommend it to any of you out there that love this genre.  It's not a well-known musical, but it should be.  I bought a CD after the show from a guy that's really looking forward to "Chess," too.

Oh, and I saw Jesse Nager (Daniel) in the parking lot as I was backing out of my parking space, and gave him a thumbs up. Where the heck have I seen him before?!  It's not anything from his bio in the program, so it's driving me nuts.  It's probably just from seeing him at the beginning of the show, because most of the other actors made me feel like I'd seen them before, too.  Perhaps it's because they all played more than one part in the show?  I don't know.  But I did get a smile from him in the parking lot.  That's all that matters....because he was cute!  Those dang tenors...

David Boreanaz is Hilarious

David Boreanaz, from "Bones," and formerly from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" sat down with one of the Entertainment Weekly interviewers in a spa waiting room, and answered 17 pop culture questions.

He's funny in all of them, and this is my favorite:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20222983_16,00.html

My TiVo is currently recording "Bones" right now, so I don't know if he'd be happy about it or not, because of one of the answers to another question. ;)

Happy NKOTB CD Release Day!

So the new CD is out. I'm sitting here waiting for it to arrive in my mailbox. Where IS it, already?!

Ahem.

Anyway, here's a link to their new video, "Single." OMG, they look so good. Hello, to the grown up Joey Mac! Ah, but Jordan's still my man.

Enjoy, my fellow Blockheads. You know, I never did like that moniker...

I've been reading the NKOTB blog daily, and one of the videoblogs is of the guys taking a break during a rehearsal at Center Staging in Burbank, which I saw last week after arriving from Utah, and wondered what went on there. So I guess I got my answer. What if they were there AT that moment?! OK, I'm freaking out again.

Gonna go calm down now so I can sleep. It's been quite a week already, what with "Prison Break" premiering last night. Sigh, 2 hours of Wentworth Miller. YUM.

Audio Wackiness from CSL4

Rockapella has a couple of audio entries on their site that I hadn't mentioned before, and finally listened to today.


Scott is just hilarious, as usual. I won't spoil it for you, but he mentions Webkinz in the second link below. Webkinz has hippos. Enough said.


Enjoy the crazy ramblings of my favorite blond man.


http://www.rockapella.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/16279/pid/2340


http://www.rockapella.com/rockapella-new/CMS/video/ah0513yd.wav

Less than 2 weeks, and I get to see ... whomever ...

Hamlet 2: The Jesus Boogaloo

I saw "Hamlet 2" last night with several friends. We had all been looking forward to seeing this movie since the trailers first started to pop up this Spring, and were fortunate enough to be able to see it together.

If you don't already know, my sense of humor can be quite demented at times, so pardon me if you're already offended by the fact that I *wanted* to see this movie ... but then, if you couldn't figure all of that out by my other movie mentions, then I don't know how else to help you any further. ;)

On with the comments:

• I'm glad Steve Coogan's character wasn't blown to smithereens at any time during the movie, at least not literally. Emotionally, maybe, but that's what made him all the more hilariously pitiful.
• Loved the fact that the drama class was such an unimportant subject in the school's curriculum that they had to share the space with the snack bar in the Snackitorium.
• Couldn't he at least wear boxers underneath that caftan?
• Was the critic kid the son of the critic from the New York Times that showed up at the end? Because they looked like each other a little bit with the sunken eyes.
• Hmmm... that critic kid actually reminded me of Goob from "Meet the Robinsons," come to think of it.
• One of these days, I'm going to go see a gay men's chorus perform live. I'd been meaning to do it since a long time ago, but this movie has made me remember that goal.
• If you can't roller skate, then why don't you just walk to work everyday? Or get a bike or something? Maybe he should have made a deal that he be paid in bicycle money, and not gas money. And what made him think that he could skate while inebriated when he can't even skate when sober?
• Why didn't Elizabeth Shue ever have any other clothes when she was in Tucson? Was there no money in the wardrobe budget?
• "That's the crane!"
• Prickly Pear. Heh.
• At the cat: "What the f*** is your PROBLEM?!"
• Nice dot matrix printer with the perforated paper. What is this? The 1940's?
• That's the biggest frickin' margarita glass that I've ever seen.
• David Arquette got 3rd billing for THAT?!
• Poor Yolanda.
• "I'll show you what I want, Vato."
• "Do whatever you want to me. I'm married to a Jew, so I've got NOTHING to lose!"
• ROCK ME, SEXY JESUS!!! I want the soundtrack. Yes, I do. So I can sing along with the sheet music in the link. YAY!
• I'm going to go hell for enjoying this movie.

Thanks, everyone, for the great time, even though our waitress afterward wasn't that good. Special shout-out to Cindy for my new Gloomy Bear, House Painter Hippo, and Donna Summer Hippo! I needed the cheering up, and you came through with flying colors!

My Brain is 20 Years Old

I got this email yesterday, and thought I'd share with you the fact that my brain is half as old as the rest of me.
****************************************************

The better your score, the lower the number. Once again, age discrimination.

You can get better with practice -- or obsession.

JAPANESE BRAIN TEST ... FUN!!
This test will tell you if your brain is as old as your body.
The site doesn't know your age, but it will tell you the age of your brain power.

Once you get to the website, you probably won't be able to read the Japanese instructions, so follow these instructions

1. Touch 'start'
2. The numbers 3 then 2 then 1 will pop up on the screen. Immediately following
the number 1, several numbers will flash on the screen for barely one second.
3. Memorize the numbers' position on the screen, then click the circles from the SMALLEST NUMBER TO THE BIGGEST NUMBER.
4. At the end of game, the computer will tell you in years, how old your brain is.

Sounds complicated but it's really easy. Think fast.

The Closest I'll Get to Being a Trekkie

Back in Ogden, one of the groups to sing was a Barbershop quartet named "Hi-Fidelity." They were Harmony Sweepstakes winners, and I can understand why after hearing them this weekend.

They sang their entire set wearing the uniforms of those in the original Star Trek series, and sang a few songs to go along with the theme. These songs are available on their CD "Reach for the Stars."

Here are a couple of youtube clips from other shows, with the ST stuff. Although I'm not a Trekkie, I pretty much understood everything that was going on, and it was very funny.






They also did an AMAZING rendition of "Bye, Bye, Blackbird," during which they changed keys at almost every bar of the song. It must have been REALLY difficult to sing, much less arrange or read! I probably would have awarded them the highest marks on that song alone. Well, provided that they weren't up against Rockapella. :) That's on a different CD, though, so I guess I'm getting 2 of them!

Live Long, Prosper, and Sing Well!

The Ogden Ten

Karla and I went to Ogden, UT this Saturday, August 23, 2008 for Acappellastock, which included a performance by XRP -- former members of my Pella.

Top 10 Memorable Moments:

10) Spying on Sound Check

9) Cracker Barrel x 2: hello, with the best pancakes I've ever had. EVER.

8) We are "Acapellatonianites," according to Hi-Fidelity's Enterprise officers.

7) Tonic Sol-Fa being relentless with audience member Les, the electrician.

6) Barry: "This time, I brought friends."

5) Seeing "Flat Tire," "Hound Dog," "Working in a Coal Mine" and "Just You, Just Me" performed live, and seeing "Zombie Jamboree" performed with Steve, just like in "Do It Acapella," with crutches and a stool.

4) Sean told KP he'd email her, and Barry's mom told KP to call her.

3) Hearing Barry's "Zombie" spiel again.

2) Talking to El and Bear at our hotel after breakfast about Brownstones, current gigs, and solar panels, which made me late to pick up KP.

1) El sang "Don't Do It" to me, just like old times! Then he winked at me while I was in the MnG line. Aw, I've missed him.

Thanks, Karla, for a great time. May we have CB pancakes together on another trip soon!

Reliving the Day

So I bet you thought that all my gushing about DCI Finals was over.

Not quite yet.

Today, I received my DCI online newletter, which contained a link to their podcast that included what it sounded like to be on the field when the scores were announced for both Open and World Class Finals. So I got to live it all over again.

And tears came to my eyes.

That really was an incredible day for a drum corps fan. The drama! The crazily close scores! The emotions of the people involved with the corps! The podcast included short interviews with different people from Phregiment and SCVC. I loved that he was able to talk to "Spartacus," and that a corps member talked about how difficult it was to stand at attention when all the excitement was happening over the scores. Dan Potter also mentioned that tears were streaming down the faces of everyone in the corps. How wonderful it must be to feel on top of the world when you're 22 years old (or younger)! I miss those days. ;)

Mr. Potter talked about how this year's Phregiment show has probably changed the face of drumcorps, because they made the audience care about the characters of everyone on the field. That pretty much says it all.

I need to order this year's DVDs sooner than usual, and I hope that they include the announcement of the scores this time, because it really was an amazing night, and, like Mr. Potter said, was probably the loudest reaction ever heard at a drum corps event.

Done gushing. For now.

But I just thought I'd leave you with this image: http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q167/jazzycat1_album/Betrayal.jpg

Oh, and Happy Phantom Regiment Week!

Sunset Chase

Yay! More new lyrics on Scott Leonard's site, this time for a song called "Sunset Chase."

The new lyrics referred to in my other post seem to have already been sung by Rockapella during their Germany tour, so perhaps they'll be singing "U Be Thee 1" AND "Sunset Chase" this fall? Perhaps we'll be seeing that new CD at that time, too? Hmmm? That would be great!

That reminds me...I need to figure out what to wear this Saturday!

Omnivore Offerings

One of the food blogs that I read had a list of The Omnivore's Hundred, so I thought that I would share it here, too. I tend to try a variety of foods, yet there are some with which I can barely eat at the same table. But apparently, if you're a truly good omnivore, you will have tried it all. The original blogger is from the UK, where I don't think they have the greatest food anyway, but it seems that he's tried lots of different stuff.

Vegetarians, just turn away now. Meat and potatoes types, good luck! Feel free to share your own results here or on your blog.

Items that I've tried are in BOLD. Items that I really enjoy have ***, and items that I will be staying away from, probably forever, are marked in italics.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho***
13. PB&J sandwich***
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream***
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava***
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas***
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel***
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut***
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal***
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (can't figure out what this is, except for clay, or an ingredient in Kaopectate)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (really want to, though, aside from its powerful odor)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake***
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain***
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (I've had this Filipino style)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail***
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam***
92. Soft shell crab***
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox***
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Yes, I had to look up a lot of those on Wikipedia or Google.

My score: 47

"I don't read the script. The script reads me."

... "What does that even mean?!"

I joined a group of my friends this weekend to watch "Tropic Thunder," the new Ben Stiller comedy that opened this weekend.

My thoughts (with spoilers):

• The trailers were hilarious, especially that of "Satan's Alley." I love that Tobey Maguire agreed to do this, and loved that he was hailed as "MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss winner."
• Just eeww with all the blood and guts, but then, this is a fake war movie.
• Steve Coogan's whole bit about Jesus distracted me into singing "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" in my head.
• OMG, the guy BLEW UP and Tugg played with the dude's decapitated head. OMG.
• Tom Cruise was magnificent. I don't think I've ever heard him use the "F" word that often in one sentence before.
• It's no wonder that they got so much flack from those advocating for people with Downs Syndrome. I'm sorry, but ... it was funny, and it was in context, so it made sense to me.
• RDJ's eyes were way too blue when the contacts came off, but I guess they're supposed to be that way.
• Ben Stiller's unknowing attack on the panda made me wonder if Jack Black was hurting at that moment.
• Speaking of JB, his facial expressions as he was talking about fighting his drug problem were just hilarious.
• Loved the geek guy Kevin ... except for when they showed all of the stuff from his stomach.
• Who knew that Alpa Chino had a thing for Boy Band types?
• That little leader kid sure can kick some serious ass.
• Great to see the toddler poking Tugg with his Stick Oscar. (OK, I know that sounds wrong, but that's what happened).
• Loved that the first thing that the Pyro Effects guy had to say upon being discovered as a hostage was "He has hands!"
• Was Nick Nolte arrested while he was filming this movie? Because he looked like that in his booking picture, right?
• Tom Cruise's dance moves sure have changed since "Risky Business".

Thanks for a great time at the movie, y'all. I look forward to the next one. Really, really looking forward to it, actually!

The Way Home

Day 5: Travels
Sunday, August 10, 2008

We made sure to be all packed and ready to go before falling asleep last night, so we were able to leave the hotel on time.

I forgot to write about the parking card at the hotel. Parking at the Embassy Suites is $18.00/day, with in and out priveledges. If you are a guest at the hotel, they can add all the days onto your bill, and give you a key card to get in and out. For a couple of days, I had to swipe the card 3 times before actually getting it to work, which was done with my right hand instead of the more convenient left one. Bro said that it was probably the angle of the swipe. Anyway, we would cheer whenever I'd get through on the first try. We're easily amused.

Oh! I also forgot to give a big shout-out to Angela, for sending me a copy of Rockapella's rendition of "Indiana" so that we could listen to it in the car. One of the reasons for us to go to Best Buy was to get a CD-R for me to copy it. (Contrary to what the rental car lady said, our Matrix was NOT equipped with satellite radio, so luckily, I brought my CDs as a back up for the daily drive time). When I was in the aisle looking at recordable CDs, I saw that the smallest package held 25 of them. I only wanted one, and said it aloud. The woman next to me laughed and said, "Me, too!" We should have pooled our money together and split a pack of CD-Rs, but she didn't say anything about it, and I was already overwhelmed by the various types, so I got to add a bunch of CD-Rs to my luggage. I'm glad we had more than one, because we had to try it a few times before Bro actually got it to work.

When we arrived at the airport, we saw that a bus had broken down and was blocking traffic. There you go, guys: The Santa Clara Vanguard bus! Well, Bro said that it's time they got a new bus anyway. This ended up being a problem, because the shuttle bus for the rental agency could not get to us. So one of the employees took a SUV from the rental pack and drove a group of people to the terminal. I was frightened because he seemed to drive like a maniac, and I didn't want to be a passenger in his vehicle. Bro almost did get into the 2nd group to ride because of his flight time, but thankfully, the actual bus got there, and we had a calmer experience.

I said my byes to Bro, and sat in the Southwest terminal for a really long time. Since I had a layover in Phoenix, there were a whole bunch of people from the Academy waiting for the same flight. There were also a couple of people from SCV, a guy from BD, and someone from the Colts. I just love the airport on the day after DCI finals, with all of the tired and/or excited kids. At one of the gates, a guy was drumming on his practice pad. You know those drummers just can't keep their hands still.

Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, who checked me in while I was watching drum corps, I made it into the A-boarding group, so that I could get a seat by the window to sleep during the flight. A couple with a 4-month old baby sat next to me on the plane. He seemed happy at first, but he did cry a bit during the trip. I tried to sleep through it, and did get some z's merely due to my exhaustion. An age-out from the Academy was telling his neighbor all about drum corps, so I enjoyed hearing his viewpoint.

When I arrived in Phoenix, I had another hour or so to wait, and during my wait, they changed gates, so I got to our new gate, and they had cool seats in a block which had an outlet in the armrests. I didn't feel like taking out my laptop so I didn't sit there, but I was still irritated that some people sat there that didn't have anything to plug in, even though there were plenty of empty regular seats. The flight to Ontario was pretty much uneventful, and peaceful.

I was REALLY tired when we arrived in Ontario, so I got some food to eat on the way home, then went to bed right away and took a long nap, instead of going to a party to which I had been invited. I only got up in order to watch the Olympics for a few hours before going back to bed.

I had a great time on this trip. It's nice that Bro and I get along so well that we can travel together (although there will be no Santos Siblings on the Amazing Race anytime soon, because, like, he'd kill me). I'm going to miss being able to just drive half an hour to see him, but at least the flight is only an hour long.

Thanks, Bro, for all of the laughs, and for loving Sweet Tea as much as me! You're the best Bro EVER. Love ya! I look forward to next year, at (the hopefully completed) Lucas Oil Stadium.

SUTA! SPLOOIE! RUFIO! VANGUARD!! and all of that fun stuff until Drum Corps season 2009.