Update

I still need to post about the month of May. For now, I'll give a quick update.

1. Baxter. He came into my life when he was merely seven weeks old. He cried through the night, had to relieve himself all day, and when I wanted to be up, he was sound asleep. I imagine my experience is a fraction of what new mothers go through. With that in mind, I may never have a baby.

Although I lack sleep, Baxter is adorable. I love the dog and my parents love him even more. I’m beginning to feel bad about denying my parents grandchildren…. just a little.


2. Currently I'm experiencing a mild crisis. Now that I've completed #4 on my "Pre-30" list, I feel it necessary to have a fulfilling job. My next gig is ending in 7 weeks and my lease in a different city is up in 7.5 weeks. Beyond that, I have no idea what to do with myself. The one thing I seem to know is that I must have my bed.

3. Lya's Fringe Festival production of Fantasy, Girl is coming along. Please pray that we all maintain our sanity. You can check out the show's website at www.2littlepeople.com.


4. Does anyone else watch Big Love on HBO? I realize that I carry my super-liberal artistic ideal of "live and let live" but Polygamy really pushes my limits. The show is well written and handles polygamy in the modern age. Sympathetic and humorous characters are well drawn and the viewer can forget that the lifestyle is by no means socially acceptable. There are disturbing plot points that really make me wonder how a non-Fundamental LDS would ever agree to subject herself-- and more importantly her children -- to a life of secrets and lies. If you haven't watched, the show can be seen On Demand through the end of the month. Trust me, you'll be riveted.

Question of the day:
Randal was booed on the Aprentice Finale this week. Does America know that their hatred for him is racially motivated? OR Are we all living in the dark?

May Flowers

May has been a very busy month. I spent 6 days in the Sunshine State. I will be updating the blog to share all of my tales.

Another American Idol

Taylor Hicks is the American Idol.

I will list my thoughts.

1. I'm glad Taylor beat Katherine. She dissapointed me with inconsistent performances throughout the season, and even better, Simon has no idea how to market Taylor.

2. Lisa Tucker is a star. I still can't figure out where she went wrong.

3. Mandisa can sing.

4. Prince is THE American Idol. I wonder if he has the same makeup artist as Little Richard...

5. Seeing the 6 males made me bitter about Gideon all over again. ESPECIALLY when Kevin (Chicken Little) sang.

6. Mary J? Please GTFOMTV. Why is her ghetto ass everywhere?

7. Regardless of what the "Claymates" say, Rueben is the Season 2 American Idol. Seeing Clay with his Beetles haircut, reassured me that America got it right in 2o03.

8. Puck 'n Pickler? Do you think it's a coincidence that Wolfgang's last name rhymes with Kelly's means of advancement.

9. Katherine's last dress was beautiful.

10. Taylor's song sucks. It sucked last night. Why the hell did they make him sing it again tonight? Didn't they watch the tape of Tuesday night? At least Taylor was smart enough to thank the whole entire world instead of singing the monstrosity.

Another season down. I can't wait for Thursday and the launch of "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 2.

AI Freak--Out!

Paris is Burning

Paris is burning and so is Florida.

Congratulations Lya!!!!!

One of my dearest friends has just recieved her thick packet admitting her into the New York Fringe Festival. She will be joining the company of Urinetown and many other Off-Broadway commercial transfers.


Congratulations! Another Spelman Alumn success story.

Burning the Midnight Oil

As I sit in Butler Library at 4AM tying up loose ends that were almost impossible to complete on tour, I'm beating myself up for being so focused in school. I never want to write about unions EVER again.










A picture of the ceiling in the library. If I had a dollar for every time I looked up there, I wouldn't need this stupid MFA.











The infamous inflatable rat on the street. I just can't get away from the union issues!

Peace Out Peaches!

I'm losing my mind. Let me count the ways:

1. My perfect poodle "Peaches" was adopted by another family.
2. I still have not heard from NYC, even though it has been a week since they called my references.
3. I'm beginning to think Audio Guy is crazy.
4. Two 6:30 AM call times on the day of and the day after the time change left me bitchy, whiney, bitter, and sensitive. I was ready to start packing boxes, leaving O-town in the dust.

I've calmed down a bit. Reality TV helps...sometimes.

Cheerleader Nation- Lexington looks lovely on television. The show is a nice reminder that people can have nice houses and pleasant lives without being millionaires. I don't know how I feel about cheering on my high school's chief rival. In any case, I'm enjoying the show.

The Apprentice- I don't know what to make of the Apprentice now that Brent is gone. Knowing how the other contestants treated Brent in the beginning of the season makes it hard for me to buy into any of the players...except for Roxanne. The reason I like her, has little to do with her being black. I appreciated the way she called BS on the scapegoating of Brent on more than one occasion and she made a good project manager. I know she's a lawyer, but maybe she should think about a career in advertising.

American Idol- Last week was such a let down. Lisa Tucker is gone, but I'm surprisingly ok with that. Watching her struggle to be a teenybopper when her voice is so much more mature was becoming painful to watch. Maybe I'll run into Lisa at the stage door next fall when we're both working on Broadway. (Don't wake me. I'm dreaming).


Questions of the day:
1. Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that Gabby and Carlos (Desperate Housewives) are so aggressively chasing a white baby?

2. Paris Bennett & Country Music-- Do or Don't?

Please MB?

May I please have a puppy?

After researching dog breeds, I have decided on the predictable poodle. I've been to loving shelters and horrifying pet stores in search of my new companion. Monday, I took a drive and discovered puppy heaven. When I walked in, there was a poodle waiting for my love. I held her, and put her back in the pen.

As the days passed, I could not get that puppy off my mind. Today, I found my car headed in the puppy’s direction...35 miles away from my apartment. She rested in my lap, we played around the pen, and she loved to have her belly rubbed. I finally made myself leave after 45 minutes. This time? My heart hurt.

Will I get the puppy? I don't know at this point. She may be my subconscious attempt to connect with another life right now. Tonight? I'm in love.




















That's my girl!

On Pins and Needles

Every Wednesday around 5pm, I'm on pins and needles. Will I be pissed off when I find out whom America sent home this week? In fact, Julia sent me a link to a site that offers a download of speed dialing software, currently unavailable for Macs. If there are any PC users who read my blog you can download the software here.

Back to the pins and needles-Today’s pins have little to do with AI as everyone sucked last night and they all deserve to go home. Yes, I'm including Mandisa and Katherine McPhee. Today, I'm nervous about finding out if my life will change drastically in a month. If I were being honest, an offer or a rejection would be ok with me.

With a rejection, I will take an ego bruise, but I will have the sunshine, a nice new friend, and a nice new dining room table. An offer would mean returning to my support system. Being in the city allowed me to see all of the wonderful people who contribute positively to my life: family, friends, and career supporters. Throw in the sacrifice known as graduate school and I have a good argument for coming out of hiding.

We will see what happens. If I don't hear anything soon, I'm going to need a new manicure.

Question of the day:
Is it me, or is Lisa Tucker suffering under the weight of the judges crappy feedback?

New York again?

My return trip to NY was longer, but colder. An emergency shoe repair on 3rd Ave, a quick run to Bloomies and dinner at the first place MB and I had a liquid lunch had me in the NY groove. Even though the audio guy was on my mind, and within 45 minutes of landing, I was having a shouting match with a public transportation worker, I felt like I was home.

Here are some photo highlights.

Barry and I Made it Through the Rain

This morning my blog entry began like this:

Well-meaning people usually have all of the prejudices of non-well meaning people.

I left the apartment feeling like the world was an ugly place dressed with PC talk. I returned with a second interview and hope that I would escape some of the aforementioned people. Then I was treated to Barry Manilow on American Idol.

Barry’s weeks are always the strongest. He clearly follows the show and always knows the contestants’ strengths and weaknesses. He also knows how to put together an arrangement that will knock the socks off American viewers. The contestants who could sing were amazing (with the exception of Lisa Tucker).

To listen to my favorite performance of the evening click here.

So much to say....

In the three weeks since my last blog post so many things have happened. I've had out of town visitors, blow ups at work, reality television dissapointments, and a whirlwind trip to NYC to pursue a forgotten job lead. Through all of these events, I've learned a little more about the world, and even more about myself.

Ten things I learned without a computer

1. A new hard drive is nice the first time around, the second time it's a pain in the ass.

2. There's enough reality television programming to keep me occupied for hours.

American Idol

3. Paris Bennett please stand still. I'm tired of seeing you bop around my television and we haven't even reached the second week of American Idol voting. Please don't make me hate you.

4. This week the women sounded pretty bad.

5. The men were worse.

6. Singing a whole song in falsetto on live TV is NEVER a good idea.

7. Watching AI with a recording engineer is like dining at the Olive Garden with a chef. I'm going to let out a big "Shut The Hell Up!" on the blog, because I really enjoy his company...and when I said it to his face he ignored me.

Dancing with the Stars

8. This week Jerry Rice out danced Stacy Keibler. Either way, Drew Lachey deserved the win.

9. Even though I enjoyed Dancing with the Stars, did we really need a two hour finale? Couldn't we watch Drew win for an hour and then see Desperate Housewives?

10. Mary J. Blige, how do you keep getting invitations to classy events? GTFOMTV!


My 29th Birthday was also this week and I can count the birthday wishes on one hand. What a non-occasion. Well, except for that woman who had a heart attack in the theater while I was calling the show...and the 3 people who vomitted throughout the day. Actually, I'm not bitter at all. I made so much progress on the "project" I've been completely energized. Now the countdown to 30 begins. Here's what I hope to have accomplished by February of 2007.

1. Lose 30 pounds.
2. Purchase a home.
3. Complete my staged reading and have the full production underway.
4. Be a Columbia Grad. How's the thesis reading coming Steven?
5. Have local people to celebrate the big Three-Oh with.

We'll see how these things go. I've been making progress with items 3, 4, and 5 the past few weeks and it would be a dream if the 2nd 30lbs would come off as easily as the first 30.


Question of the day:

Do vocal acrobatics make up for poor intonation?

My Baby is back from the hospital

1st my father then my computer. I have so many lab updates, hopefully I can get through them all.

Dates-Zero/Love-Infinity

Happy Valentine's Day

Even though I have not been on a date in months, this post is about love.


To see my father come out of the Markey Cancer Center with a smile on his face was a surprisingly triumphant moment. It has been a rough two weeks, and my father made it through like a champion.


The even bigger champ in this whole scenario is my mother. We are not the most affectionate family in the world, however, seeing all of the work my mother put into caring for my father over the past eight months has squashed any doubt in my mind that my mother loves my father. Her attention to his needs, her wisdom of life as a cancer patient and survivor, and her vision of the big-picture, really touched me. In no way is the hard road over for the family, but my mother is a hero and we appreciate everything that she does (even the things she hates like cooking…. and cleaning… and serving. Friends you see the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree).

Thank you Julia for all that you do. I love you mommy.

-Your only child

On to less depressing things--

Michael Bugno/MB/CLH. Thank you for supporting me over the years. Your friendship makes my world a better place. Your encouragement, honesty, humor, and kick in the pants is always right on time. The person who ends up sharing your life and love will be the luckiest person in the world.

MB-
ILYLYMD
-balcs

Enough with the sap! Get the Brittenum Twins of my TV immediately! Since when does being a half talent and a whiney bitch get you ahead? Wait. Let me remember "life on the road" and rephrase. SHUT THE FUCK UP!

You know what? I don't even need to tell them to shut up, because after they went to jail they were dropped from the show. Listen up all you wannabe superstars: Whining at the beginning of your career only gets on people's nerves. I don't want to hear another excuse on American Idol. Show me how you succeeded eventhough the situation was unfair. Crocodile tears get no love here.