nutshells

ultrasound was normal - more blood tests to come back tomorrow

house sat for some friends this weekend

knee deep in xmas carol, which is going okay

taking this evening off to clean and make food for the week

am co-chair of the decorating committee for a mardi gras party in february - we have production meetings, and a $500 budget just for decor. there are 6 sub-committees for this shi-shi party which is invite only.

total, gut-wrenching, marrow-chilling, disappointment

i cannot even believe the election results. i am disappointed in the citizens of this country that i would, right now, rather not call my own.

please god. please.

if bush wins, i will cry.
and then i will move out of the country.

CNN.com Election 2004

in health related news

i sucked it up and paid $70 to see a doctor on saturday night. he was very nice but told me that i can't ignore the numbers. my liver area is more tender than it should be (he did the whole 'lie down on the table and take deep breaths while i apply pressure to your liver) and he's concerned about "fatty infiltration". he recommended a liver ultrasound. so they're setting that up for me this week and if that comes back normal, there's a panel of tests he wants to run. if it's not normal, well, we'll deal with that when it happens. nobody at the office was able to tell me how much this is gonna cost -

i asked the nurse for a ballpark and she said "i'm not sure". i said "well, are we talking under a thousand dollars?" and she said: "probably".

grrr

in other, more infuriating and unsettling news, i got declined for health insurance today because of abnormal test results. the good people at humana provided me with a copy of the lab results, but no explanation. i have high levels of ast and alt, but don't have any idea really of what the hell that means. it also appears that my creatinine is also high, but who the fuck knows what that is either.

fuck all!

woo hoo!

in other news, i just found out that my sister has been published in an anthology!! go buy it!! my sister rawks!!

wishful thinking

some of you know that my favorite thing to do on friday nights from october through april is go to an icehogs game. i love watching minor league hockey. usually, i am hoarse from screaming by the time the game is done, and in the off season i go through a slight withdrawl period.

some of you also know that once i've set my sights on something i'd like to have, i will obsess over it until one of two things happens: a.) i get it b.) i wake up and spontaneously decide i don't need it. well, i've decided i want an icehogs jersey. i've customized it in my head, with #2 and "my pig" on the nameplate, in honor (in some wierd way) of my nieces, who have stuffed animal pigs. the only problem is it's gonna run me like $200.

what i need from you is help in justifying this kind of expenditure, given my usual "somewhat strapped for cash" financial situation. or else, you could suggest ways in which i might come up with the extra cash...feel free to be creative. also, know that i've recently completed one gig in the city, with a $200 price tag, and will soon open another, with a $150 check waiting for me. also know that i've not worked either one of these checks into my household budget - they were earmarked for my savings account and while they would certainly be helpful in easing my budgetary belt, they are "extra money" as far as my checkbook is concerned.

what's a girl to do?

rufus and me

i can't decide whether the best part of last night was the actual concert, getting my ticket stub autographed, having my picture taken with rufus, or hugging him.

votes?

just half a cup please

today i had to submit to an exam as part of the application process for my new health insurance. i gave two vials of blood.. seeing my blood drain into the vials was kind of hypnotic, after i recovered from the initial needle stick. now that's done, i should be insured within the week.

today at work we had more meetings for christmas carol. it's eating a hole in my soul. there are so many entrances, exits, interiors, exteriors, ghosts, tricks, and furniture that has to get on and off... aye me!

tomorrow is rufus. i'm so excited i feel i might blow up. i've seen him once before, when we got standing room right in front of the stage - there might have been 25 feet between me and rufus. they are general admit tix at the vic in chicago - i think this time we may opt for actual seats; he's playing solo and i expect it to be more chill which would be nice to have seats to kick back.

in other music related news, today i whipped out bjork's vespertine to bring to work today.. i haven't listened in a while because i was never able to really get into that album. i thought maybe i needed some time away. i was mistaken. i still can't listen to the whole thing in one sitting. i miss her dancier stuff, including selmasongs, which i love. her earlier albums, up through homogenic and some of the selma tracks were more like thunderous, rolling, beat-driven soundscapes. i miss that with vespertine which reminds me more of a toked up jewelry box. there are a couple of tracks that i don't mind, but on the whole it's not my cup of tea.
that's my spontaneous pseudo-review.

the big city

yesterday i was in the big city. i went to see a clockwork orange, the defiant's last show, at gallery 37 down in the loop. it was a grand time - it was the kind of theater i don't get to see often: provacative, swear words, violence, and intentionally disturbing.

after the show, we went to a club called neo. it's a club known for playing industrial dance music all the time, and it happened that last night in particular was goth night. now, i was never a goth, or really really into the whole industrial scene, but sometimes it's good to let your Dirty Evil Side out just a little bit. i drank, and danced, and have never felt so suburban in my life. i suddenly felt extremely unpierced, undyed, unzippered, untatooed.

i spend last night on christa's couch, and this morning i drove home, full of plans for the day.. i have stuff to work on, and honestly intended to be uber-productive. instead, i took a nap, watched some tv, ate a chicken patty (which i'm convinced contain some sort of addictive ingredient that's got to be illegal).

now, i'm going to do the dishes, and head to bed in hopes of getting enough rest to be doubly productive on my surprise day off tomorrow.

number two

debate number two just ended. i have to say it was less entertaining to watch. i felt like neither candidate really answered some of the questions, and i heard a lot of the same stuff they spoke about in the first debate. w seemed more together this time, which probably indicates more practice with whatever coaching staff he has, not a better handle on the issues, or more skill as a public speaker.

i still think w is evil, and that his behavior tonight demonstrated a lack of respect for the moderator, the audience, and the Senator. he outright ignored charlie gibson several times, speaking right over him, and i thought that was disgraceful. that is not the guy i want to be the public face of this country. can you just imagine him at a summit?

in work news, we got christmas carol scripts and are working feverishly on new ideas for that show. the guys is going well - several people in the talkback last night said they were going to immediately buy season subscriptions based on last night's performance. how encouraging is that?

tomorrow i go to the farm to ride horses all morning and afternoon, riding trails with groups that come for a 45 minute horse ride. after i shower and get lunch, i drive to chicago to see a clockwork orange and to go clubbing at neo. should be fun.

i'm gonna finish watching nightline and go to bed.

evenhanded?

the review of the guys, the first show of our 33rd season.

what do you think about that?

sunday

spent four hours on a horse today. i'm sore in some places.

watched a movie tonight, dogville. i found it interesting, and refreshing perhaps.

tomorrow i drive to normal (hm) to see rocky horror picture show at iwu; my friend eric did the lighting and a group of us are going for moral support.

tuesday i have dinner plans with alan.

saturday i'm riding horses again, and traveling to chicago to see a clockwork orange.

the review for friday night's opening of the guys is not online yet. its arrival is highly anticipated.

i've changed the settings for comments - anyone should be able to comment now; to those of you heretofore suffering in silence (betsy), i apologize.

comment freely.
and...... begin.

ch ch ch ch changes

last night i wore a turtleneck outside, because it was chilly enough.
last night was our official opening of the 33rd season of nat.
this morning it's chilly enough to wear my sleeper footie pajamas.
today, my ghetto neighbors are moving out.

yay for changes.

i mean, really.

if you've just watched the first presidential debate, how could you even consider voting for w?

i mean, really.

technology teaser

well, i can blog from work, and surf the internet aplenty, but i cannot use aim or internet radio - these are two things i was really looking forward to. i am on the server at work now, though, so i have official email and get memos and use my outlook calendar and everything!

additionally, jessie got us tix to go see rufus wainwright on oct. 13 at the vic for my birthday. it's just him, no band, and i couldn't be more excited!! i hope i can afford a t-shirt this time!

office environments

guess who's online at work now??

the home stretch

show #1 is open - i await my paycheck with which i think i may purchase a wide angle lens for my camera so i can take full-stage shots at work.

show #2 is tantalizingly close to finished. we cut a bunch of scenery over tech weekend. we felt it was starting to diminish the effect we were going for so we scrapped it, making us even closer to being finished than i had initially anticipated. woo!

i still have hives, though they appear to be subsiding. i've decided recently that they are most likely a product of stress more than new deodorant, although that probably didn't help. nonetheless, i threw out the almost new stick of secret... i was a little sad. i fucking hate hives - the are an instrument of the deveeeeel.

this coming week i am going on vacation - in my house. i don't want to talk to anyone, help anyone, decide anything, go anywhere, be depended upon for anything. i need to take back my life, and spend some quality time coralling all my ducks back into a row. they have gone astray, those poor, poor ducks. i need to pay bills, clean my house, do laundry, play with my cat, clean my car, and watch copius amounts of rental dvd's.

speaking of rental dvd's, i recently rented starsky and hutch and girl with a pearl earring. i enjoyed them both. i think owen wilson and ben stiller together are just generally funny. s&h was a silly movie, that i didn't have to think about, that made me laugh. i don't think i'll own it, but it was $4 i didn't mind having spent. i especially enjoyed girl...earring. i found it very intriguing and was sad i didn't get a chance to watch it again before i had to take it back.. i may own that one someday. there is a great 'anatomy of a scene' special feature that encompasses not only actor stuff but has a great piece on the production design aspects, and that's always a thumbs up in my book. i feel i may rent it again down the line to see if i can pinpoint what makes it so interesting.

and.... scene.

and all your titles are belong to me

i'm trying titles.

i have hives in my entire underarm area. i've decided they are a result of a mixture of new chemicals + stress... every time i encounter the tiniest bit of stress, they itch more.

what a perfect time to be going into tech for show #2.

also, i applied for health insurance today, and this makes me an adult.

so there.

Armpits of Fire


i think i'm allergic to secret deodorant. when i woke up this morning, both my armpits appeared to have a little rash goin on. by the time i got home tonight, they are both rashy, bumpy, swollen, flaming red, and burn like hellfire. i've put cortisone10 on them, so hopefully that'll do it. what's weird is i've been using the deodorant for about a week or so now, and this came on literally overnight.

i thought for a minute that it could be stress related, since i'm practically oozing stress right now, but it seems like an odd place to manifest, no?

show #1 is essentially done. any more notes from here on out can hopefully be accomplished via email.. this week alone i drove into chicago 5 times. i'm so tired of the kennedy. it's an interesting show, and i will post reviews as i find them... it opens on tuesday night and marks my professional chicago debut. it's a new company and the space is interesting.

now i can move on to show #2 altogether.. it's coming along.

i'm taking my inflamed armpits to bed.