Help Catherine get an A

I should have thought to ask this ages ago, since I've had this theme for a while, but as usual, I'm having a good idea when it's just about too late to use it. Anyway, the theme for my final project website is "having the keys to open many doors." If you happen to run into a good picture of a door or a key (or even better, and door with a key in it's lock), please send it my way. I've got a lot of pictures collected already, but some of them are pretty generic and boring, so if you see a cool picture (photograph or illustration), and can send it to me via email within the next week, I'd be most appreciative. Thanks!

Stumbling seductress

I know, I know; no one wants to hear about my dreams. But I'm worried about what seems to be becoming a trend. A couple of weeks ago, I dreamed that I ran into Dustin Hoffman (who, I'll admit has a certain charm in The Graduate, but who I do not in any way find attractive now) on night, and I tried to get him to go out with me. I don't mean I wanted to hang out with him, I mean I wanted a date; I wanted to make out with him. We were sitting in the park, and I kept putting my hand on his thigh, and he kept taking it off again. I had no success there. Oh, did I mention that he was blind? I don't know if that has any significance whatsoever, but there you have it.
So last night, I dreamed about this guy that I had a big crush on in high school. I haven't seen him in years, but I do know that he got married a while ago; I think he has some kids too. Anyway, I dreamt that I ran into him again, and he'd gotten divorced (which I was happy about - bad of me, I know), but he was engaged to another girl already. In fact, we were going to his wedding. Did this stop me from trying to win him over? Oh no. I was shockingly forward. In the car I was sitting as close as possible to him, I kept needlessly touching him, and I was giggling a lot; it was nauseating. When we got to the wedding, for some reason he sat down in the audience with me and my friends, and was just going to run up and do his part when we got to it (there were some speeches and musical numbers first). I continued to attempt to seduce him! I was brazen, I tell you. He was not as unresponsive (or I guess negatively responsive) as old, blind Dusty, (he even seemed to be enjoying it), but he wasn't calling off the wedding either. I woke up before I embarrassed myself by kissing him, which I'm pretty sure I was about to do. Oddly, in my dream this guy, who has perfectly normal hair, as I recall, had acrylic hair. I don't mean he was wearing a wig, I mean his hair was like a wig.
What is wrong with me? Why do I only try to seduce mean that have some physical flaw? Wait, why am I trying to seduce men? What if I start acting like this in real life?

Word of the day

ambivalence
Main Entry: am·biv·a·lence
Pronunciation: am-'bi-v&-l&n(t)s
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific
Vocabulary 1 : simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as
attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action 2 a : continual
fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite) b : uncertainty as to which
approach to follow- am·biv·a·lent /-l&nt/
adjective- am·biv·a·lent·ly adverb

I looked up this word today and realized that I've completely misunderstood it's meaning. I thought it was synonymous with indifference. Boy was I wrong. Now that I really know what it means, I'll have to try to use it correctly a few times, in hopes that it will stick.

PS. Yes I did take Latin in high school, so I really have no excuse for not recognizing the ambi- root. What can I say? I just don't pay attention sometimes. Well, a lot of the time.

Patti Lupone on The Today Show

Click on the picture to see Patti's appearance on The Today Show. The link takes you to video.msn.com, and then you need to search for Patti Lupone. It's worth the minute it'll take you to get there.

Kiri the wonder cat

So I spent last week in Rochester with my brother, Eric, my father, and my sister's cat, Kiri. I'm very allergic to cats, and I planned to keep a polite distance from Kiri, but this quickly proved impossible. For one, she wasn't having it, and for another, she's so darn cute I couldn't resist playing with her. She's an ocicat, and I don't really know what that means, but I think maybe it means a cat/dog/bird mix. I say this because this cat sounds like a bird, and acts like a dog; it's quite funny. She has a high, little meow that almost sounds more like a bird's chirping to me than a cat's meow. And Kiri plays like a dog. She plays fetch, something I didn't think cats do. Oh sure, they'll chase things, anything, but I've never seen a cat bring it back before. Kiri has a collection of little colored balls, and when you throw them, she chases it (or sometimes catches it in midair), and then runs back and drops it at your feet to throw again. It's pretty fun and funny, at least for the first half hour; after that I would try with limited success to convince her we were done playing. She also does somersaults - although not intentionally. She likes to flop at your feet, or if you're scratching her chin, she usually rolls around on her back. She'll do this even if there's not really room to (say if you're standing next to the wall, or sitting in the corner of the couch), and the result is often her rolling right over her head and onto her back. Don't know if you can picture it without seeing it, but trust me, she does somersaults. Anyhoo, next time you're in Rochester, be sure to spend some time with Kiri the wonder cat; it's pretty fun.

I heart Jim Dale

Click on this photo to see some scenes from Roundabout Theatre Company's The Threepenny Opera, including Jim Dale during my favorite number, and Nelly McKay singing. I wished they showed Lucy sing too, but you can't have everything.

Coke vs. Pepsi

Eric and I decided to do a side by side taste test of Diet Cherry Coke and Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. The results...

Eric says they taste the same. I say the Coke is slightly better due to a tinny aftertaste with the Pepsi. Also, I think the Coke can is prettier. Not that I would ever turn down either one...

Places to visit in Rochester

The YMCA (with a parking lot full of Odyssey minivans)


Abbotts (frozen custard is even better than ice cream)


Wegmans (the best grocery store ever, although Ukrops is a close second)


Perinton Hots (you know what I'm getting there)


Dinner with the Odhiambo's

Cocoa & Co. - Rochester chapter

I wasn't able to do my usual hot chocolate club, but Emily was kind enough to take me to her Chocolate Bar, and we had a good time. It was quite a cute place with lots of chocolate treats to choose from. I had a regular hot chocolate, which wasn't the best, but not too bad either. Emily had a mini-cheesecake which looked pretty good. Unfortunately they were having live music there last night. They guys singing weren't bad, but they were using microphones in a rather small room, so it was hard to hear each other talking. Overall, it was a fun evening, and Lily became the youngest member of Cocoa & Co! I commemorated it by taking a picture of her with a very large and disconcerting stuffed rabbit that was there for some reason, maybe wanting to get out of the rain?

Bacon and Eggs

I was forced to stay up until 12am the other night because my favorite episode of Will & Grace was on (to be fair, I haven't seen every episode of the show, but I don't think I could possibly like any episode better than this one.) The main storyline is that Jack is stalking Kevin Bacon, and then becomes his personal assistant. I love this episode because of three things:

1. Jack is really funny in this episode: KEVIN: This is serious. This is gonna freak you out... but... I have a stalker.

   JACK: [GASPS] No! Are you sure?

   KEVIN: Damn it! Kyra didn't believe me either! Why is it so hard for everyone to believe that I would have a stalker? Just--just find him for me, all right?

   JACK: Oh, I'll find me--him! And when I find him, I am gonna stop me--him.

   KEVIN: Okay. But it's not gonna be easy. This guy is slippery. If I had a dollar for every time my jock strap had been stolen from the gym--

   JACK: You'd have $186!

   [KEVIN LOOKS AT JACK SUSPICIOUSLY.]

   JACK: [LAUGHS NERVOUSLY] A-heh-heh. It's just an expression!

2. Grace is really funny in this episode: KAREN: Listen, honey, I'm gonna go grab some lunch with some of the other gals from the typing pool. Oh! It's Zoey's birthday. Fran made cupcakes.

   [KAREN EXITS.]

   GRACE: Sheesh... Cupcakes! Friggin' nutbag.

   [LEO ENTERS.]

   GRACE: [SING-SONG] Ca-ray-zy! [This line reading is the best ever. Unfortunately, you have to see her do it, so I can't share it with you, but trust me. It's golden.]
   

   [LEO KNOCKS ON THE DOOR.]

   LEO: Am I interrupting something?

3. Karen is really funny in this episode:

   KAREN: No, no. Grace is right. We made commitments to our husbands. Nothing's more important than that. I'm just gonna have to march up there and tell Lionel, "You're sleazy and shameless. I hate that, and we're through!"

   [CUT TO LIONEL'S HOTEL ROOM.]

   KAREN: You're sleazy and shameless! I like that, but we're through!

4. Will and Kevin Bacon do the Footloose dance.
   

It's like herding cats...

For all of you who thought taking pictures of small children was challenging, I suggest you try a cat. Especially a cat that never sleeps, and rarely stops moving. Here are a few of my efforts:

Eric the working man

Eric's working at the Mobil 'On the Run' near our house. Every job has it's pros and cons. Eric's perks are a one minute commute and all the day old Krispy Kremes he (and we) can eat. He's less thrilled about his growing expertise on tobacco products. I know you all wish you could visit him on the job, so I did just that, and bring you the following pictures:


I wonder if he gets to keep his uniform when he leaves?

Life in the 'burbs

I know you're all worried, having not heard from me in several days. I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I just went to Rochester for a week. Here are a few observations:

-Flying on Easter is ideal. The airport was half empty and very laid back. The I got three seats to myself on the plane.

-Everyone in Rochester owns the same minivan, including us. I kind of feel like a Stepford wife driving around in it.










-I love doing laundry in my own house.



-Lily's adorable.













-I love sleeping in a queen-sized bed.


-I'm still extremely allergic to cats. It's always good to double-check these things.

Harlem Ward Highjinks

Here's a real announcement from the podium on Sunday:
"There'll be a linger longer pot luck today after church. Please bring a dish to pass."
Ummm, you can't make an initial announcement about a potluck on the day of, and hello! It's Easter! Do you really want to have a ward pot luck dinner on Easter!

Meet my new friend...

...Megan Whalen Turner. While talking to my mom a while ago, she said she saw my father reading a YA book, which isn't the norm, so she figured there had to be something special about the book, and read it as soon as he was finished. The book was The Thief (Newbery Honor book-1996. Why is it I so often like Newbery Honor books better than Newbery Medal books?). She sent me a copy of it, as well as the sequel The Queen of Attolia. Since I'm telling you about it, I obviously liked these books (a lot), and will soon read the third book, The King of Attolia. You should read them all as soon as you're able, they're very enjoyable. But if it's possible, I'm even more taken with Megan than I am with her books. At the back of the latest paperback edition of The Thief, there's a message from Megan about the books she likes to read. I wish I had the book in front of me so I could give you a direct quote (I already lent it to someone else to read), but basically she talked about her love of reading, and
the books that most influenced her growing up, and she includes a list of books she recommends. Not only did I like her because we have the same taste in books, but I really liked the way she talked about reading and how it affects us. She seemed really nice; someone I'd like to meet. Hopefully you'll read this reissue copy of The Thief too, so you can read her much more eloquent words, rather than my stilted version.

Just read them, you'll be glad you did.

Tryst

Last night I went to see a play Patrick had recommended. It's a two person Victorian drama about a con artist who seduces plain women and steals their money. This time, of course, things do not go quite as smoothly as he could wish. The play has a lot of potential. It's a great mood piece (you know I love my Victorians), and there are several twists and turns to the plot. I liked both the actors (Maxwell Caulfield and Amelia Campbell), although I did find both of them a little heavy handed at times. The set was gorgeous, very dark and dreary. It was a city street most of the time, but then the brick wall at the back opened (garage door style) to reveal a boarding house room. Overall, it was worth seeing, but there was room for improvement. But I really can't complain about seeing Maxwell Caulfield in a state of semi-dress. I'd like to think I'm above oogling good looking men without shirts on, but in this case, at least, I was not. Pure eye candy. And, of course, the accent didn't hurt.

Cocoa & Co.

This week we went to Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven. This place makes you feel like you wandered into Willy Wonka's place! The store is in the middle of their factory, and there are big windows so you can see the magic happen! By the time we got there, it looks like there weren't making anything, but there were trays of chocolate everywhere! The store was all ready for Easter weekend more chocolate rabbits, eggs, and chicks than you can shake a stick at. There was a bar where you ordered your hot chocolate. They had several flavors to choose from, and then you chose classic or wicked (spicy). I almost got a large classic hot chocolate, but thank goodness I reevaluated and got the small. What I got was a small cup of melted chocolate. I swear, this was not a beverage, it was just melted down chocolate. It was very thick, and very hot, and very intense. Dear readers, I have failed you. I couldn't drink the whole thing! If I'd had some water too, maybe I could have done it, but as it was, I had to admit defeat. By halfway through the cup, I felt like my entire insides were coated with chocolate. This place is definitely not for the faint of heart. Maybe I'll try again another day.

All good things come from Canada

I saw The Drowsy Chaperone. I am in love. I can't give an objective review of this show, because I loved it, and am slightly obsessed with it. Let me set the scene:
I've heard buzz about this show for six months at least, so I knew I needed to get in early, or it would get very difficult. They have a lottery for the first row of the orchestra an hour before curtain-$25. They started performances last week, but I couldn't make it, so I went to try this Monday (most theatres are dark on Mondays, but for some reason not The Drowsy Chaperone). I waited through the lottery, but I didn't get picked. So Tuesday night I went again, my plan being to go to the lottery every night that I didn't specifically have something to do, in hopes of getting lucky eventually. But you know I'm not lucky, so I wasn't expecting anything. While waiting on Tuesday, I ran into several other Mormons (two of which already saw the show last week), so we waited together. One of them, apparently, is very lucky, and it must have rubbed off on me because I won! In fact, we all got in, which was crazy! So already the night felt kind of magical.
So, we go to the show. Rush or lottery tickets are usually the first row of the orchestra because those are considered too close, and not good. Normally I would agree, but this theatre has a lot of space between the orchestra and the first row, and I thought they were great seats. I was right in the center of the row too. The lights went down, and there was a little monologue in the darkness. From the first joke, you could hear laughter throughout the theatre. It was a great audience. From the time the lights came up until the curtain call, I was in heaven. The premise of the show is that a musical theatre nut is listening to the record of one of his favorite old 1920's musicals one night, and while he listens, we get to watch the show. It's got the stock characters, the ridiculous storylines, and songs that have nothing to do with anything. I loved it! All of the performers are really great, and they know I think so, because I was a complete dork the whole show. I mean it, I was grinning from ear to ear, the whole time, I laughed out loud at every joke (and there were some I really shouldn't have), and after every song, I clapped like my mother does (clapping really hard with my hands raised high). It was great. I didn't get to see Sutton Foster in thoroughly Modern Millie (her understudy was great, but it wasn't her), but I feel like she more than made it up to me with this performance. She was really magnificent. I loved Millie, but I will never forgive them for taking 'Tap Tapioca' out of the show for the Broadway version. Would you believe that The Drowsy Chaperone has a very similar number? I think I almost hyper-ventilated when I realized what was happening right before my eyes. It's called Toledo Surprise, and not only is it a silly song about food (kind of, you'll see), but it's got a crazy dance, and everyone on the cast joins in! I was so happy.

And it went on from there, every scene better than the last. It really felt like they wrote this show just for my own personal enjoyment. There was even no intermission (I hate intermissions). And did you know this show was written by Canadians (you should from my post title)? It couldn't get any better. I loved the set, the costumes, the story, the actors, the orchestra, etc. As soon as the show was over, I wanted to watch it again. It's against my policy to see shows more than once (it's too expensive, and there are so many shows to see, it just seems a waste), and I'm positive that we'll tape it, but I can't help myself. I must see it again. It's killing me that I won't be able to try again for two weeks! But when I get back, you'd better believe I'll be at that lottery every chance I get, until I get in again, and maybe again after that. Any time you want to try, just let me know, and I'll be there. I fully intend to become a groupie. What do you think we'll be called? Rent has Rentheads, maybe we can be the Drowsers?
Click on the posting title to visit The Drowsy Chaperone website. Click on the following photo to watch a video of the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone rehearsing:

D.E.A.R.

Today is National "Drop Everything And Read" day. I think you should do just that.

I Love You Because

This is a new musical playing off-Broadway right now. It's not normally anything I would rush to see, but I read an article specifically about one of the songs Stephanie D'Abruzzo (she was in Avenue Q and I really liked her) sings, and it peaked my interest. Then it came up on my discount ticket site, so I decided to go. It's not the best, but a fun fluff show; the equivalent of a date movie. It's a little too long, and while it's funny in parts, it's not consistent enough. But the performers certainly gave it their all, and I'm impressed with them for working in such an odd space (the stage is basically a wide catwalk across a black box theatre and the audience sits on both sides), they even attempted some full on dancing. This show would be great for colleges (BYU excepted-there's a comedic love scene and some bad language that wouldn't go over well there) and regional theatres near college towns. Click on the post title to visit their website.

YMCA

This is my YMCA. It's way cooler than the YMCA that I went to in Rochester (no offense, but it's true). I tried to get a close up of the gargoyles that are over the door, but it didn't turn out, so just imagine them. Any gym with gargoyles is good stuff. I don't really have anything fun to say about the YMCA, I just wanted to brag that mine is way cooler than yours.

Rabbit Hole

Thursday night I went to my first TOFT shoot, because I wanted to see Rabbit Hole. I met some of the camera guys for the first time, and all of the video crew were very nice and welcoming. It was also fun to see several celebrities at the show. I saw Amy Brenneman as well as another actor from Judging Amy whose name I don't know, but he plays Tyne Daly's boss. The best celebrity sighting however was Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life. She was recently in an Encores! production of a Kander and Ebb musical called 70 Girls 70 which we had taped, and she asked if she could come to the library to see it. She was charming and nice, I hope she comes (she's going back to LA on Thursday). I gave her Patrick's card so she could call and tell us when she's coming, and I tried to be very professional and polite, but the whole time I was thinking, "I'm talking to Mrs. Garrett, I'm talking to Mrs. Garrett!" and "That's what you get for your evil ways, hmmmm." The latter is a quote from a fantastically bad (by which I mean it's very bad as well as very fantastic) movie called The Worst Witch.
Okay, about the play. It was very good. It's about a couple whose 4-year-old son gets killed in a car accident, and how they try to get over it. The actors were all good, but I felt that Tyne Daly was really the stand out. She was so funny, and so heartfelt; I'm so glad I got the chance to see her in action on the stage. The other star of the show was the set. It's a John Lee Beatty set (he's a very famous scenic designer for good reason), so I knew it would be beautiful, but it was really breathtaking. I don't know if there's any way I can describe it, but I'll try. The set is a very realistic house set, and there are three rooms. But remarkable thing is that the room is built over two turntables, so when a scene is done, the turntables turn, splitting the room you were looking at in two, and a new room comes together, does that make sense? So you start off in the kitchen, but the next scene is in the sitting room, and so the set turns around and it's the sitting room. Like I said, it's very hard to explain, but it was so amazing to see. They really used it to full effect as well. There's one scene where you watch the wife in her son's room on one half of the stage, and the husband in the family room on the other half of the stage. And when any given room is showing, you can't tell that it's cut in half, it looks solid. Anyway, you'll just have to come to the library and see it for yourself, but trust me, it was pretty amazing.

Another dream story

Once I dreamt that I was at the Louvre and it was going to close in five minutes. But I had just gotten there, and I knew I would never return, so I was determined to at least see the Mona Lisa before I left. I rushed around trying to find it, but I couldn't. I couldn't even find any signs to guide me there. I was running down galleries and up and down staircases, but it wasn't anywhere, and no one would help me. Then there was an announcement to leave the museum because it was closing. I was desperately looking around on the sixth floor, and I saw some restrooms, so I decided to go in to buy some time, and give me a chance to think. There it was. The Mona Lisa was hanging on the wall of the ladies room.
I had this dream several years ago, but I thought of it tonight as I was cleaning bathrooms at the temple, and so I thought I'd share it with you.

Cocoa & Co.

This week we went to Vosges and it was a good place to be on a chilly April evening. The above picture is actually their Chicago store, but you get the idea - purple reigns supreme at Vosges. They have three different kinds of hot chocolate to choose from. I should have taken notes because I can't remember their names, but you could get a Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon that was a little spicy, or a white chocolate, or a hot chocolate with vanilla bean. Needless to say, I chose the last one. It was very good, and although I feared the vanilla taste (why is chocolate ever diluted with vanilla? It's so wrong), it was just chocolaty and oh so good. Vosges serves their cocoa in tall thin glasses, and while I appreciated the novelty, they were quite hot to hold. Still, I would be very happy to give Vosges my patronage again, any time. Delightful. And look at these bunnies! As you know, I don't normally partake in plain chocolate (I like to mix things up), but these little guys are so cute, I'm almost tempted...

Theatre Review: Awake and Sing!

This is my first experience with a Clifford Odet's play (I've neither read nor seen one his plays before. Shocking, I know). I really enjoyed it, although it was longer than expected. The play is about a Jewish family living in the Bronx in the 1930's. They're barely getting by, and tensions are high. Bessie (Zoe Wanamaker), the mother, is highly controlling, and refuses to let her son, Ralph (Pablo Schreiber) date both because she doesn't like the girl he chooses and because she scared of having to do with the paycheck he brings home every week. Hennie (Lauren Ambrose from Six Feet Under), Ralph's sister, is a little wild, and soon gets herself in the family way, another crises for Bessie to deal with. Meanwhile Jacob (Ben Gazzara), Bessie's father, who lives with them regularly lectures them on the evils of capitalism and the beauty of Marxism, and Myron (Jonathan Hadary), Bessie's husband, does very little at all. To further complicate things, they have a border, Moe Axelrod (Mark Ruffalo) who lost his leg in WWI and lives off his disability, and who is in love with Hennie, although they bicker constantly.
This play is a lot more about the character than the plot, but it still moves along fine. My only complaint was the two intermissions (I don't even like to have one!) between the four acts. I always want things to just keep moving. This play is dated in that there some racial slurs made that are no longer acceptable, and there were some audible gasps when these lines were spoken. I was a little shocked, not by the play, but that the audience seemed so hard hit. It's a play that was written in 1935! Give me a break. Anyway, some of them left at the intermission following, which I thought was too bad. I found the Ralph character annoying which is a shame since he's supposed to be our hope for the future, but other than that, I thought the play was quite beautiful, and this production really great. The set was lovely, and while I didn't fully understand the significance, it was cool to see them deconstruct it as the play went on (every act the set was less realistic, more just ideas). The walls of the set actually flew out during the third act, leaving only doorways for the fourth. I will also say that it was a pleasure, as usual, to watch our friend, Mark Ruffalo, in action.

Baked French Toast Casserole

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Recipe SummaryDifficulty: Easy Prep Time: 20 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours Cook Time: 40 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt


Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Episode#: PA1B23Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

A series of unfortunate events

It all started on Saturday night. I had volunteered to make French Toast Casserole for a social gathering on Sunday. I decided to double the recipe because you never know how many people will be there, and it's a really good recipe, so a double batch will be twice as good, right? I got to work Saturday, and although I have a rather large casserole dish, I could see it wasn't large enough to hold a double recipe. Did this make me reconsider? No, I just jammed everything in and left it in the fridge to marinate. Sunday morning I made the topping (made primarily of butter and brown sugar), spread it on the overflowing mass of French toast, and put it in the oven. Maybe you already know what happened, but I'll tell you any way. As the butter and sugar topping melted, it dripped down to the floor of the oven and burned. This produced a steady stream of smoke. My first reaction to the smoke detector going off was to turn off the oven. Then I put tin foil in the bottom of the oven to catch the dripping butter. The smoke detector stopped beeping, and deciding I'd fixed things, I went back to watching General Conference. When the timer rang (I'd allowed 30 minutes of cooling time before I needed to transport the hot casserole dish), I went in to the kitchen only to find that the oven was off, just as I had left it, and the casserole was not baked. At this point, I didn't know what to do. I was committed to be somewhere with food in half an hour, and had nothing. If I baked the dish, it would be too hot to carry when it was time to leave. If I didn't I would have to go with nothing. I turned the oven on, and decided to figure out what to do later (later being in 1/2 an hour. Hey, I'll procrastinate for any amount of time). So, ten minutes later the smoke detector started beeping again. For a while I just left the butter to burn and madly tried to fan the smoke out of the window. That didn't last too long before I was frantically yelling for Erin to take the battery out of the smoke detector amidst my choking on the really, quite impressive amounts of smoke. I gave up. I turned the oven off and fled from the kitchen. Erin advised leaving the half-baked casserole behind, and just going to the brunch empty handed. Did she really think I was capable of such a thing? Yes, it was the wise thing to do, but I almost never choose the wise thing. I wrapped tin foil over the top of the casserole dish, got two potholders, and set out on the 13 block walk to our destination. I put the dish down approximately once a block and complained about carrying it nonstop (going so far as to predict the imminent "end of the world" if I dropped it), but we were making slow and steady progress. Then I noticed that the as I walked and shifted the dish around, I was slowly spreading butter and sugar all over myself. Very upsetting, but I still wasn't deterred. No, we carried on until all of a sudden, I could no longer move forward. I was very confused, and just about to say something to Erin about this strange feeling that I couldn't go on, and it wasn't, for once, because of what I was carrying, when this guy walking behind us yelled out "Didn't you notice you dropped your yarn?" Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'd tucked my knitting into my already full bag, and of course, the ball of yarn had fallen out, and I had now trailed yarn for almost an entire city block. I put my casserole dish down on the ground, and yelled encouragement as our new friend and I watched Erin run back down the block (all the while carrying the trifle dish that we were returning) and try to one-handedly (is that a word?) untangle the yarn from the mailbox it was caught on, and return to my side while bundling it up (all of which the guy found very amusing).
Thus it was that I arrived at my friend's doorstep covered in butter and brown sugar with a trifle dish full of yarn and a half-baked casserole. Who wants to invite me over to their house next?
PS Erin gets the credit for the posting title.

Theatre Review: Two Yeats Plays

Last week I went to see the Handcart Ensemble's latest production. I'll admit, I didn't have the best attitude going in. I knew Javen had a lot of say on the play choice, and while I trust him implicitly in regards to poetry, we usually disagree on prose. This was the case as to this play. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot to enjoy in these plays, I just can't honestly say I enjoyed everything. I was not an overly educated audience member; all I really know about William Butler Yeats is that he's an Irish poet. Maybe I wasn't properly equipped to appreciate these two shows, but I have to say, I found myself bored several times. Ironically, Scott, artistic director of The Handcart Ensemble, recently wrote on their website (click on post title to check it out yourself), that Yeats wrote his plays specifically to be malleable enough to fit to your audience and purpose. And yet, I almost feel they went out of their way to alienate the audience. They first piece started with a chorus entering one by one, sitting on the floor, and droning for a time. I can take about 1 minute of such behavior, and then I'm really ready to move on. I'd guess their droning went on for 2-3 minutes (an eternity when you're just sitting there staring at these people), and when two more actors finally come onstage and I thought I'd get some relief, we watched them walk in a square around the stage three or four times (and it wasn't fast walking). I know I'm awfully low-brow, but I just don't enjoy this kind of thing. Once they were into dialogue, it was fine. Enjoyable, in fact. But the beginning put a pretty big damper on it for me. The second piece was more of the same; some good stuff (I really liked the music) mixed in with things that just seemed boring and strange for the purpose of being boring and strange.
And on that rave review, I encourage you all to buy your tickets today! Seriously, it is interesting, even if not my favoritest thing ever, so go judge for yourself and support Mormons in the arts.

National Library Week

I am accepting gifts, flowers, and congratulations of all forms throughout the week during this very important celebration. You still have time to get me something, so please do.

Only in NY

Tonight Erin and I tried to get into Tarzan on lottery (no luck), and then we tried to get into The Drowsy Chaperone but that didn't work either because they don't start performances until Monday. (I swore to Erin that they were already playing. She was right, I was wrong). Then we met up with Jen for dinner at Yum Yum Bangkok. On the way there, we saw a drag queen coming our way, and Jen noticed that his/her dress was unzipped down the back. Jen asked if our assistance was needed, and he/she answered in the affirmative, so right there on 46th and Broadway, we helped dress a drag queen. That's easier said than done, at least in this case. It was a strapless dress and it was a tight fit. Erin held the matching purse while I held the dress closed, and Jen zipped. There were two zippers, and both were a bit of a challenge, and by the time we were done there was a little audience. The drag queen was grateful, and left happily to I don't know where, and while I was sad that I didn't have a camera to share the finished look with you (it was a floor length fuscia evening gown with rhinestones sewn all over it. She also had a tiara-which I envied, but the most impressive thing were the rhinestones glued to her eyelids. She looked amazing), I felt happy that we had done a good deed.
After dinner I ended up at Fairway on a Saturday night with my good friend, Jen, something I'd said wouldn't happen after the last time we went to the same store on a Saturday night. In case you haven't met her, Jen is a very attractive and friendly girl, and she tends to attract more attention than I'm generally comfortable with. Tonight wasn't too bad. I guess we got enough stares with our new drag queen friend to last for the whole night.