Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Christmas Fantasia Email

This is a copy of the email that I just sent out to the few email addresses that I possess. If you read it you're invited!


I know that I promised to send this out about two weeks ago, but I keep forgetting. Anyone surprised?

Anyway, if you're still interested in coming (and I'd love for anyone to attend) here is the information:

Calvary Bible Church: Christmas Fantasia

We will have 4 performances- Thurs Dec 8th through Sun 12th.
Doors open at 6:30, Show starts at 7:00
All at the lovely (overpriced) - Hutchins Street Square
Admission is FREE!!

It will be approximately 2 hours long. There will be an intermission that will include some sort of sugary dessert, and probably a "True meaning of Christmas" speech at some point.

The choir is actually very good. We sang with the "Gary Bonner Singers" a few weeks ago, and this group is one of the reasons we are attending this church. The music is challenging enough that after three straight rehearsals this week my voice is looking forward to a holiday nap. Depending on the night I am either in the small ensemble group for the second half, or doing a solo.

I will be able to pick up 6 tickets on Sunday-but I have to have names. (And Rich Phipps is first on my list)
On Monday (the 28th) tickets are going on a first-come first-served basis, I can call/get them. Or better yet (because we all know how good I am at remembering this kind of thing) you can call Keith and Laura Kenegawa (333-2452) to get reservations yourself. You might still need to provide the names of people attending. (they just want to make every effort to have real people in the seats) Seating is limited and I've been told that they have very good attendance.

Please Come if you can! Free Sugar, and a chance to hear me sing notes that make my brain rattle in my skull. I can guarantee that it will be better than that singing christmas tree across town. And please Forward this to anyone who might be interested. I don't have many email addresses and half of them are old.

See you there! (I hope)

Joke

The Door Stopper

Two church members were going door to door. They knocked on the door of a woman who clearly was not happy to see them. She told them in no uncertain terms she did not want to hear their message and then slammed the door in their faces.

To her surprise, the door did not close. In fact, it bounced back open.Seeing the two church members at the door frustrated her. She stormed back to the door and flung it shut.

But the door still didn't close. Furious, she grabbed the door with two hands and shoved it as hard as she could. But again, the door wouldn't shut.

Convinced one of these rude church members was sticking a foot in the door, she reared back to give the door a slam that would really teach them a lesson.

Just then, one of the church members said, "Ma'am, before you do that again, you might want to move your cat."

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

BASTARD!!!

Just a WTF moment.

I happened across this article That tells of a Dutch Television station trying to break the Guiness Book Record for most Dominoes. And apparently there is a large faction of people upset that there was a sparrow killed in the process. People Angry, Station "Saddened" etc.

Personally I take the side of the guy who shot the damn bird. I mean honestly, if I had just spent days setting up 4.1 Million of these things and a SPARROW knocked over 23,000 of them. . . just imagine seeing 23 THOUSAND dominoes fall. . .and know that you are going to have to set them back up AGAIN...

If the bird stuck around long enough for some one to grab a gun, Personally, I'd consider it natural selection.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Mood goes up...Mood goes down

Haven't been in much of a mood to write lately. But some good news:

Rich did manage to get into an Anatomy Class!! (Big Yay!) All 12 of them had filled up hours before he was able to schedule. I'd been keeping as close a track of them as I could while at work. So I told him which were the last to fill up, figuring from experience that not only would there be a smaller waiting list, but, there would probably be one or two people enrolled in the class who would prefer a different time slot-and would be on a waiting list themselves. It's always fun to be right :D

"Peter's Friends" is finally over. UmmmM. . . well. . .It inspired a few things. . .nevermind

Last night at the choir rehersal (for the christmas show I'm doing with the church) we got to run through without the canned voices on the tape. And I had to sing my solo, for the first time, in front of the choir (and my hubby) without anyone else singing it. Mic and everything. And Damn, was I scared. It's soooooOOoo different to be singing like this rather than onstage as a character or as part of a group. It's not even like karaoke, where most of the people singing suck anyway. These people don't suck, and most of them have some training. SCARY According to my husband I did very well. And he was there for the entire practice so he's heard everything and can give a review to anyone who asks. I'm hoping to get that email out about the show (in case anyone wants to come) out today.

And maybe I'm being petty, but. . .If you are telling people that you are going to have a "party" at your home on a certian date, especially if everyone's known about it for at least a week in advance, I think it is supremely bad form to have nothing to eat or drink available. Most people don't mind bringing things-and will, even if you don't ask (proven a few times over) But if you are planning to only be furnishing the location-it would be nice if you said so. Not to mention that some of us would actively avoid a party that seems to be centered around the alcohol available. I wonder if they also invite the people who are allergic to seafood to a crab feed.

--Sorry, I could really keep going, but I'm going to stop. It's amazing how upset a person can get in the space of half-an-hour.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Does that make me a "Double Movie Whore"?

I saw this on Skippy's blog. Maybe it's just a morbid curisoity for me to see just how many of these I've seen. Because I didn't see any orginization in the way the movies were arranged and broken into chunks I'm going to put them into groups of ten just because I'm lazy and my computer's being wonky.

Put an X by the movies you've seen.If you get more than 70, you're a movie whore.
COPY AND REPOST! PLACE YOUR SCORE IN THE SUBJECT LINE

(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) The Mexican
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Garden State
(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Young Frankenstien
Total here: 8

(x) Anchor Man
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Saw
(x)White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
( ) Jason X
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
Total here: 8

( ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
(x) Harry Potter
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Resident Evil I
Total here: 6

(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
( ) Donnie Darko
(x) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) 13 Ghosts
(x) Signs
Total here: 8

(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (I was too busy playing poker at the annual marathon to watch)
(x) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) Thirteen Going on 30
(x) I Robot
(x) Dodgeball
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came A Spider
Total here: 8

( ) Deep impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
Total here: 5

(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumb & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
Total here: 3

( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Bride of Chucky
Total here: 4

(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(x) Seven (SE7EN)
(x) Oceans Eleven
Total here: 3

(x) Oceans Twelve
( ) Identity
( ) Lone Star
(x) Predator I
( ) Predator II
(x) Independence day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
Total here: 3

(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
(x) Frailty
( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x)She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
Total here: 5

(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) X-men 1
(x) X-men 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Others
(x) Freaky Friday
Total here: 9

( ) Ring of Fire
( ) The Hot Chick
( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle
( ) Old School
(x) Ray
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Total here: 6

(x) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Boogeyman
(x) Hitch
(x) The Fifth Element
(x) Star Wars episode I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars episode II Attack of The Clones
( ) Star Wars episode III Revenge of The Sith
(x) Star Wars episode IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Total here: 8

(x) Star Wars episode VI Return of The Jedi
(x) Troop Beverly Hills
( ) Swimming with Sharks
(x) Air Force One
( ) For Richer or Poorer
( ) Trainspotting
( ) People Under the Stairs
( ) Blue Velvet
(x) Sound of Music
(x) Parent Trap
Total here: 5

(x) The Burbs
(x) The Terminator
( ) Empire Records
( ) SLC Punk
(x) Meet Joe Black
( ) Wild Girls
(x) A Clockwork Orange
( ) The Order
(x) Spiderman
(x) Spiderman 2
Total here: 6

( ) Amelie
(x) Mean Girls
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
(x) The Incredibles
( ) Collateral
( ) The Fast & The Furious
( ) 2 Fast 2 Furious
(x) Sky Captain Of The World Of Tomorrow
(x) Closer
Total here: 6

(x) Titanic
(x) Saved
( ) Bowling For Columbine
( ) Farenheit 9/11
(x) The Sixth Sense
(x) Artificial intelligence (AI)
(x) Love actually
( ) Shutter
(x) Ella Enchanted
(x) Princess Diaries
Total here: 7

(x) Princess Diaries 2
(x) Constantine
(x) Million Dollar Baby
(x) Envy
( ) Eurotrip
(x) Malibu's Most wanted
( ) Big Daddy
( ) Black Sheep
(x) The Breakfast Club
(x) West Side Story
Total here: 7

(x) A Christmas Story
(x) Spanglish
(x) Pulp Fiction
( ) Sleepover
( ) The Evil Dead
( ) Killer Klowns From Outer Space*
( ) The Seed of Chucky
( ) Vanilla Sky
(x) Nightmare Before Christmas
(x) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Total here: 5

(x) Interview With The Vampire
(x) The Crow
( ) Purple Rain
( ) Reservoir Dogs
(x) Wayne's World
( ) Wayne's World 2
(x) 21 Grams
( ) Blow
(x) Edward Scissorhands
(x) Clerks
Total here: 7

(x) Beauty and the Beast
( ) Guess Who
( ) Monster In-Law
(x) Elf
(x) Stuart Little
( ) Stuart Little 2
(x) Mall Rats
(x) Chasing Amy
(x) Dogma
(x) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Total here: 7

(x) Beetlejuice
(x) The Last Samurai
( ) The Amityville Horror
(x) The Aviator
(x) Romeo + Juliet
( ) Barbershop
( ) Beauty Shop
(x) Legally Blonde
( ) Legally Blonde 2
(x) The Forgotten
( ) Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen
(x) Grudge
Total here: 7

Total: 141

Dear Snot! So that's why I don't watch any TV!

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Kamikaze Clarinet Karaoke

So in the mornings on the way to work I usually Listen to "Shawn & Jeff". And I'm sure that everyone's familiar with the way morning shows try to make up new and exciting ways to give away prizes. A while ago they came up with Kamikaze Clarinet Karaoke. I think that it was inspired by "Hollaback Girl". But anyway, Jeff (I think) is handed a piece of paper with a song written on it, and after a brief warm-up/experimentation trys to play the song on his old clarinet.

This may be one of my favorite games. . .ever.

Having been exposed to an absurd amount of children who "play" the clarinet, (and think it's a good idea to wait till the day before a concert to tell Mom that they need new cork) I have heard more horrid renditions of "A Whole New World" and "The Jurassic Park Theme" than anyone who is not a band teacher deserves. And if you don't want to piss off the proud parent there is no laughing, cringing, or just asking the child to stopfortheloveofallthatsholy! I can tell that the poor man on the other side of the radio must have at one time been reasonably accomplished, because you CAN. . .eventually. . .figure out what he's trying to play off the top of his head. He actually created a very good rendition of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Lonely No More" , The only downside is that they do the game at random, and that my cell doesn't allow me to call the station (shitnuggets!)

So this morning I tuned in just in time to catch the end of the warm-up. Now the guys involved are laughing throughout the entire segment-and I don't know how you can laugh AND play the clarinet. It started something like
"Ok, for tickets to see Rob Thomas and Anna Nalyck, Name this tune!!"
"Ok, I've got it" (clarinet plays a few notes) Honk! "wait" HONK! "wait" honk! "wait, OK, Ok, Ok NOW I've got it"
this goes on for a bit before he hits his stride-and plays through the chorus a few times. And I have no clue, just a vague sense of familiarity. Neither do the people calling in and guessing. It gets to the point where people are guessing whatever has come to mind, even if it sounds Nothing like what he's trying to play. So after taking a bunch of really stupid calls they finally say,
"Ok, I'll give you guys a big hint, this is for tickets to see ROB THOMAS"
Now the people are giving every song that they can think of involving Rob Thomas (except for some reason, if he sang it with Matchbox Twenty, hmmm) Finally the poor guy howling through the clarinet says
"Hey, What time is it?"
"Why, it's 3AM, Oh, no, it's 7:48"
more clueless calls
"I don't know how I can give you a bigger hint, ROB THOMAS"
"What time is it?"
"3AM, no I'm sorry it's not 3AM, it's 7:51"
a few more clueless calls came in before a very exasperated caller finally got the right answer. they went to commercial, and I guess one of the other guys in the studio claimed that he could do a better likeness while gargling beer. . .so when they came back, one of the DJs had found a
Bud Light. It didn't work out.

I haven't laughed so hard while driving in a long time.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Movie: The Color Purple

So, Rich's new show with Smiler's over at the Empire theater opened last Friday. It's an adaptation of "Peter's Friends". And, uh. . . I sat up in the sound booth with Steph during the show. . .so, I uh. . .couldn't hear it. :)

Over the weekend I watched "The Color Purple" for the first time. I really enjoyed it, even though it was a touch trite. Quincy Jones did a great job on the music-if I ever have money I might look up the soundtrack. Whoopie Goldberg deserved all of her nominations for her performance. Having grown up watching her portray strong characters, it was almost bizzare to see her play this frail beaten woman. Granted the story is about how she gains strength over the years, but you don't see that person till the last 20 minutes or so. Oprah Winfrey did a great job with her character too. Rich said they could have easily made a whole 'nother movie about Sofia's story.

Overall it was not what I had expected it to be. All I had heard was that it was about a young woman who was abused by, and had two children with her father, before landing in a marriage with a husband who beats her. I expected the "Shindler's List", "American History X" type of movie. Ya know? Good, Amazing, but in a terrible way. So, I was surprised to see that the focus had been kept on the humor in the situation. And while the strength she finds does involve anger, and rightly so. The real power comes from joy.

The whole point isn't being pissed off at how you've been wronged. But finding value in the moments of happiness you are given. And making sure that they come as often as possible.

"It pisses God off, when you walk by the color purple in a field, and don't notice."

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Just in Case


If you ever find yourself in a Horror Movie, remember this:

If you are losing a tug-of-war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can always buy a new rope.-Max Gunther

Cheese!