Bikinis for Sea Beings

OK, I'm just loving the most recent post from Michael Ian Black's blog.

My favorite paragraph:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a little bit of controversy regarding my daughter’s costume. Here’s the thing: my opinion is, if you’re going to go around asking for free candy, at least make your costume as good as it can be. Show a little effort. Okay – so my daughter wanted to go as a mermaid this year. A little trite, but better than some of her previous ideas (princess, witch, etc.). When she showed me her costume, I said, "It's very cute but I have a suggestion: lose the top." My wife said that it was too cold to go topless and also that it was inappropriate. I didn’t disagree with her on either count, but we got into a big fight because my point was that if she wanted to go as a mermaid she had to understand the consequences of her decision. If I have a pet peeve it’s that mermaids are always shown with bathing suit tops, which I’m sorry, is bullshit. Why would mermaids wear bathing suit tops? They wouldn’t. Don’t believe me? Just ask yourself this simple question – where would a mermaid get a bathing suit? At the underwater swimsuit store?

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

I myself have often wondered why they don't use shells on all of the mermaids, like Ariel has.  Perhaps because the shells could scratch mermaids in the wrong places.  Don't know.

FINALLY

A Day to Remember: November 4, 2008

What a historical night this was.

Record numbers of people voting.

Voting in the first black President of the United States.  My goodness, how times have changed just in the last 50 years for this young nation of ours.

I am proud to be an American whenever I get to vote, but today was one of those special days.

No matter if your votes matched mine, I hope that you voted (if you're eligible), and I hope that you voted with your true conscience, and not based on falsities of gossip and arguments that had nothing to do with the actual lives or principles of the candidates or the issues.  Of course, if you did vote based on gossip, that's what makes America the diverse and exciting country that it is.

I kinda want to go to Washington, DC, for the inaugural...with a billion other people.  I don't think that will happen, but I never felt like I wanted to be so much a part of history like this before.  But I guess I was, anyway, just by voting today.

Congratulations, President-Elect  Barack Obama!  FINALLY!!!  Yes, we sure the heck CAN.

DLR LotD 11/02/08

Disneyland Resort

Line of the Day

Sunday, November 2, 2008

"I like when it's ... erect." -- Sherry, in the Star Trader

DLR LotD 10/31/08

Disneyland Resort Line of the Day

Friday, October 31, 2008

"Tarry no longer; let us make haste!"  -- Linda, to Sherry, at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure

The Filipino Family with a Southern Flair

It's fun to be in a family who, even on the saddest of days, still manages to find hilarity somewhere...especially from my Auntie Milda's boyfriend, Allen, the Arkansan.

Today was a really difficult one, as we laid my grandmother to rest.  We had a very nice viewing and rosary last night, led by my mom's friend, Linda.  My friend Rudy sang a cappella "Ave Maria."  If only those cell phones hadn't rung during his song.  I was surprised by my dad speaking about Mama, because we hadn't really discussed that he would do so.  His story was funny and emotional, and, of course, I cried many tears when he thanked her for being his second mom.  Uncle Johnny (Jenn's uncle) also said some nice words, starting with the fact that he only that night learned that her name was "Maria," since he only knew her as "Mama."  Mama's makeup was done beautifully, and her hair was in the bun that she liked to wear for special occasions, with a pretty cream-colored dress.  She was holding a rosary, and had her coin purse at her side, which contained her prayer book and some money, presumably to buy herself a broom on the way "upstairs," as Allen calls it.  I was hoping that Allen would be able to share a couple of stories with everyone because I love the way he tells them, but I guess he was too emotional to do so.  Papa's sister-in-law closed the ceremony with a rendition of "Amazing Grace" on her harmonica.  I had forgotten all about how she used to play for us when we used to visit them in Santa Barbara.  That was really nice of her to pay tribute to Mama that way.

Thanks to all of my friends who joined us that evening and shared in the delicious food that people so generously made for us.

Today it was my turn to sing, and I made it through 3.85 songs before just losing it on the last one.  I did almost laugh during the psalm, when I heard certain Filipinos responding "shepherd" with an "f" instead of a "p."  I gave a little smile to Rudy, because I thought he might know exactly why I had a twinkle in my eye at the moment, since it was one of the things he would do to try to make me laugh in church choir.  Bro told me later that one of those people using the wrong consonant was my own mother.  My cousin Marie and my Bro did a nice job with the readings...and then the deacon proceeded to recite the same reading that Bro had just finished.  I don't know why he didn't choose to read from oh, say, the *Gospel* from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, but whatever.  I guess he just wanted to reinforce what Bro said.  Then he started to recite the Prayers of the Faithful, which was supposed to be Jenn's portion of the program.  He saw me wave to her to go up to the podium, though, and let her continue what he started.  Veronica's eulogy was beautifully done, filled with bits of humor and memorable stories.  I especially loved it when she quoted Allen as saying, "When you say 'no' to Mama, it's like telling her 'yes' twice."  After the  ceremony in the chapel, we went outside to Mama's gravesite.   While we were seated and the deacon was sprinkling the casket with holy water, my godmother leaned over to my mom to ask where my grandfather's grave was.  My mom responded, "Over there, being stepped on."  

Thank you to those of you that were able to make it to the ceremony.  I know that many of you had to take time off of work, and I really appreciate the gesture, and I am thankful to have such supportive people in my life.  I sure did pick the right friends. :)

Thank you, also, to our funeral directors, especially Allison, and to all of those at Oakdale for being so pleasant to my family.

If you would like to see Mama's obituary and the slide show that was presented at the viewing, or you would like to leave a written or verbal message, please go to the Making Everlasting Memories site.

(If the link doesn't work, you can go to mem. com and search for "Maria Rojas."  There are 3 of them listed, and you can find her by the sepia-toned picture of her with my grandfather).

After the funeral services, we had a lunch reception at World Buffet.  They had a big selection of food, and I especially liked their sesame balls because, as V put it, "they had the right ratio of outside to inside."  Brady was digging on the fact that he had edamame on his plate.  He loves that stuff.  He ate half a package the other day at lunch, too.  

When our guests left, several of us went to the Tokyo Living shop, where Brady decided that he wanted a mushroom guy.  I found stuff for myself and one of my friends as well.  We then went to Tapioca Express and were overwhelmed by all of the different choices of drinks.  I ordered a Honey Green Tea with tapioca, and let others have a taste.  So here comes my favorite moment from today....

I told Allen to taste what I ordered, and after he did so, he said, "That was good.  I got one of Them Chew Balls."

So there you go.  Boba has now been renamed.

Excuse me while I go finish my drink with Them Chew Balls.

Mama, Mama

There are times when one is forced to think about the people in their life, and the kind of impact those people had in the course of that person's history.  I tend to think about that stuff a lot, actually, but wanted to share this one with you.

My grandmother came to the USA a little while after my younger brother was born.  Mama took care of Bro while my parents worked and I was at school.  She liked to remind me of the days that she would take Bro in the stroller to meet me at the bus stop after school, and Bro would yell out, "Ata! Ata!" as soon as he saw me getting off of the bus. (He didn't say Ate correctly {A-teh} for awhile).  Of course, being the brat of an older sister I was, I tended to ignore his cuteness, but Mama never let me forget how much my brother looked up to me back then.  

Growing up with Mama in the house was quite different than before she had arrived.  I was no longer the pseudo-latch key kid, and there was now always someone home, cooking her wonderful dinners and snacks.  Mama made the best cascaron, and she also made other goodies like pechy-pechy and palitaw.  Many of those dishes consisted of freshly grated coconut, and I can still picture her or my grandfather using a special coconut grater.  Nowadays they could just buy the stuff already grated, but this was made from scratch, and with all the love that good cooking entails.  My friends loved it when Mama would cook pancit and lumpia, too...especially Angela.  Angela lived across the street from us, whom Mama also watched over after school, and Mama absolutely loved to cook for her, because she loved to see everyone eat her food.  Mama also loved cooking for Bro, and always insisted that I should like the dishes she made because "Ryan likes it."  Ah, the Bro.  The Golden Boy.  The one who now doesn't really eat Filipino food unless you trick him.  He was the light in her world.  Well, until Brady came along, and became Platinum Boy. ;)  Today I emulated Mama when I heated up my food on a frying pan instead of in the microwave, because that's how I learned to do things before the microwave came to fruition.  Fried spaghetti, anyone?  Mama was a home economics teacher in the Philippines, and she made play clothes for us.  Unfortunately, her sewing skills did not transfer to me, but Bro might make you a duffel bag if you ask him nicely.  

Mama raised us to be kind and polite.  She'd remind us to say everything respectfully to ou elders, and wonder why we didn't like whatever or whomever it was we didn't like at the moment.  She always saw the good in everyone, which kinda made me feel guilty because I knew she was right.  She was a wonderful model of a Christian, always generous with her self, her money, her cooking, and her ear.  When I got older and wasn't at my parents' home anymore, I'd still spend time with Mama and she'd ask about my friends.  She liked to hear my stories about them, and wanted the latest update on everyone's boyfriends, just like everyone else.  I think that I probably owe some purses to people because I told Mama some stuff, but not to worry.  I don't think she ever repeated anything I told her, unless she thought it might help me and my mom get along better.  Daughters and mothers always have a special kind of anxiety in their relationships, and Mama was always there to help smooth things out between my mom and me.   

Mama was also very devoted to God, and always had an offering out in front of the house's Santo Nino on special days.  Whenever I'm at mass, I can hear her voice during the different responses, because she would say them with meaning in every word.  Anyone that tells me that the Catholic responses are just words being parroted out of our mouths obviously never met Mama.  When she said "Thanks be to God," you could hear that she meant it, and she'd make you feel it, too.  Today was the first day that I went to Mass since the event of last week, and I had to struggle to keep from falling apart when I imagined her reciting the congregational words.  I remember her telling my grandfather that he needed to go to church with us, so that he could see "Sherry singing in front of hundreds of people."  She was one of my champions when I decided to sing.  I thought of her face in the congregation today, and wished so much that she was there these last several years.  (She hasn't lived in the area for awhile, so she couldn't attend my masses).

We all have great stories about the way Mama would make us laugh.  Like the time that she was making banana rolls (turon) at a family get-together, and she was so busy laughing with her friends that she didn't notice she was using powdered creamer instead of sugar.  That was some odd-tasting turon that day!  There's also the time that we went camping and it was so windy outside that we all ended up huddled in one tent, listening to the wind whipping around everything outside.  As we all discussed how strong the wind was, Mama decided to put in her 2 cents and said that it was also windy.  OK, that's what we were talking about, Mama!  She just wanted to be a part of the conversation, I guess.  We called her "Echo" a lot because of stuff like that, and also because she tended to pass the time away by saying people's and dog's names twice, like, "Ay, Cadence, Cadence."  This confused the dog because she'd wonder why Mama kept calling her and didn't do anything once she got to her.  

Mama was also quite the dynamo.  She never could sit still, except maybe to watch game shows or basketball.  She was always sweeping up something, or cooking, or doing laundry.  The reason she broke her hip was because even though she had been told not to do any housework once she became more frail, she walked outside to try to bring in the empty trash barrels, and fell while trying to pull one.  Even after her surgery, she would sneak outside when nobody was home, and sweep up the patio.  The family's love of basketball was not lost on her, however, and she'd sit down and watch games with us.  To the rest of the family's chagrin, she became a Chicago Bulls fan during the Jordan era, and rooted for them even when they played the Lakers.  And they called ME the traitor when I loved MJ so much and I was still rooting for the Lakers!  But I'd always go to where she was watching, and Mama and I would talk about the wonders of MJ. :)

One of Mama's proudest moments was when she became a US citizen.  She went to class at the community college, and I quizzed her before she took the test.  She was 80-something years old then, and I was really proud of her when she came home, waving her American flag.

Most of all when I think back on Mama's effect on me, I think of that smile of hers.  Even when she didn't have her dentures in, I loved to see her smile.  She found such joy in everything (well, except for when Papa was irritating her),  and I loved to see the light in her eyes.  That light was never so bright, though, as the days that she spent with her great-grandson.  We're all grateful that she was able to meet him, and I hope that even as he grows up, he'll still remember Mama.

Mama passed away last Sunday.  It's been a difficult week of preparation for our final goodbyes, but at least she's not suffering anymore.  We've been comforting each other with our funny stories, and I'm thankful to have a family that is supportive and caring.  She's the last of my grandparents to go, and the one to whom I was the closest.  On Monday, I'll be singing as my tribute to her.  I hope that God grants me the strength to sing well. 

I don't know if I'd be the person I am today if Mama had stayed in the Philippines.  I owe much of the kindness in my heart to her.  I like to think that I get my smile from her, and I hope that I get the chance to touch people's lives in the loving way that she did ... so they can catch the contagious smile, too.

Goodbye, Mama.  I love you, and just like you never forgot who I was even in this last difficult year, I'll never forget you.

Happy Not to Be A Duchess

Last night, the SheMoLo gals went out for some girl time.  Lo and I weren't so much in the mood for going too fancy, so we met at my house, and went to my now go-to restaurant, BASIL, for dinner.  

The woman at the restaurant immediately recognized me, and said to Mo & Lo that I must have a lot of friends, because I keep bringing new ones in.  I told her that they all enjoy the food, too!  I didn't want her to think that I bring friends and can't bring them back because they hate it, you know, so all of you out there that I've brought to the place, go back, OK?  Anyway, Mo ordered a salad that we all enjoyed, even though I'm not really into coconut flakes on my dinner.  But it was quite tasty.  After the rest of our food arrived, the chef visited our table and mentioned to me that all of the dishes we ordered had basil in them, with a smile on his face.  He told Mo & Lo that the last time I was there was the first time they'd ever run out of basil.  That's not a bad track record for 15 years.  I was actually too full at the time to order my fried bananas, but that's OK.  They know that I'll be back!

We then drove to Pasadena, checked out the dessert menu at Roy's, then decided not to eat there because they didn't approach us at the bar area right away, and we had a movie to see.  Our movie was "The Duchess" at the Laemmle's Playhouse.  We did go to the coffee shop in the Vroman's next door, and smuggled a couple of muffins and italian sodas into the theater, which had me freaked out from the spilling danger until we sat down.

My thoughts on "The Duchess":

• Keira Knightley was outstanding 
• Ralph Fiennes needs to be in a role where I root for him, because I've only seen him as this not-so-wonderful Duke and as Voldemort lately.  I'd really like not to be scared of him or want to slap him when Joseph introduces us to each other. ;)
• I enjoyed looking at Dominic Cooper, who played Charles Grey.  (Ssshhhh, Ralph, don't tell Joe)
• Beautiful score and cinematography
• I'm really glad that I didn't live in that era, because I don't think I could handle the kind of living arrangement that the Duchess had to deal with.  WHAT was she thinking when she welcomed that woman into her home?  DUH!
• That was kind of an odd Brady Bunch of kids.
• What is up with the name "Harryo"?  For a girl, even.
• Sometimes mothers don't care about happiness as long as their social status remains.  That pisses me off.  I also noticed that the Duchess never talked to her father about anything, which makes me wonder how he would have reacted if he knew what his daughter was going through.  Although maybe he'd be just like the mom.  I don't know.
• She had a bunch of girlfriends at the beginning of the film.  Why did none of them come to visit her at her huge new home?  Perhaps this is why she goes and trusts someone she doesn't even know.
• I think I'm going to need to read this book.  The story was fascinating, and the similarities between her and Princess Diana were striking, as Mo & Lo said, and that the website also mentions.
• She had awesome dresses and hats. How in heavens name could she breathe while wearing the corsets AND hold up her head with those huge wigs and hats?!
• "Please put out Her Grace's hair."

We had a great time.  Thanks, Mo, for the great movie suggestion.  (She had not wanted to see "Secret Life of Bees" because she thought that it would be too depressing, yet there we were, crying during this movie, too.  No, not happy tears).  I'm looking forward to our next get-together.  I think we're going to be inebriated so that should be interesting. 

Burning, Eyeing, Batting

I saw a couple of movies in the last 2 weeks with Linda, and here are some of my thoughts from those days.

Burn After Reading

1) Typical funny demented Coen Brothers movie.  Loved it.

2) Brad Pitt was hilarious as the wacky gym trainer.  I've seen him do comedy when he was on "Friends," and he did a good job there, too.  

3) George Clooney's contraption in his basement was crazy funny.

4) Loved Frances McDormand's obsession with getting enough money for her cosmetic surgery.

5) Anytime you see a hatchet in a Coen Brothers movie, you know there's going to be a need to cover your eyes pretty soon.

6)  Poor Gym Manager guy.  He just wants the best for Frances' character.

7) The CIA is watching your every wacked out move, but you can go ahead and move to Venezuela if you'd like to escape them.

Eagle Eye

1)  My stomach was in a knot from the first action sequence until the end of the film.  Ergo I could not eat more than one cookie.

2) When someone in the lobby was looking at me as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, I worried that he was being given directions to get rid of me.

3) I adored Sam's freckles.  Cute that his mom's face had them, too.

4) I'm afraid to answer my phone, or have it in the same room as me when I'm talking to anyone else.  Perhaps I'll be taking out the battery whenever I decide to discuss secrets with anyone.

5) If ARIA is for real, you need only to read this blog to analyze my personality, so maybe I don't have to be worried about answering the phone.

6) The government is watching your every wacked out move, but you can go 36 floors under the Pentagon to try to stop them.

I enjoyed both movies, and recommend the first one for anyone that likes Coen Bros fare, and the second one for people that like conspiracy/action/psychological thriller stuff.

Here's the bat cookie that I didn't eat last night:

Isn't it cute?!

Thanks, Linda, for joining me!  I had fun, AND I got a free Buffy DVD thing.  Not a bad day at all.

Sherry and the Finished Series

This morning, I finally finished J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" book series.  

I can't remember when I actually started reading the series, but I probably would have finished the entire series within 7 straight weeks (or sooner) if I could have taken an extended vacation just to read.   I became interested in the books after seeing the first movie, but never actually sat down to read until a few years later, and swore to myself not to start any new books until I was done with the entire series.

So I'm done now.  The series was very well written, and I understand why Rowling has been praised for getting people to read again thanks to these books.  They were all quite engaging, and I had to tear myself away from reading, because otherwise I'd stay home and get nothing else accomplished.  I really cared for all of the characters, good and bad, and as I read the final pages of the last book, I cried.  Now, I know that y'all that know me well think that I cry at virtually everything slightly emotional, but I don't think I'd ever cried over a story in a book before.  I think it was not only the way the story ended, but also the fact that the story was over.  7 books, thousands of pages, lots of time reading -- just done.  I just couldn't believe it was over.   My reaction kind of surprised me.

I've been lucky that I've been able to read one book after another, and not have to wait between books like the other millions of fans.  I liken it to those people who watch "24" on DVD, and don't have to wait until the next week to see the next episode.  Those spoiled people are probably freaking out like I am because they will now have to wait until what seems like forever until the next season begins. 

So now I have the final movies to look forward to, although I won't get the same feeling from them as I did the written version, as I've learned from other people who have read books before watching the movie versions.  I'll probably still cry, though. ;)

Now I can start reading the other books I've set aside.

At least until December 4.

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 ...