DISCLAIMER:

If you have yet to watch Season 7, Episode 3 of The Office… DO NOT PROCEED.  There is a great abundance of spoilage here!

WOW!  WHAT AN EPISODE!  The opening musical number was even better than the season premiere’s.  If they can keep them coming like this, then the should open every episode this way.  In an attempt to win the heart of Erin back from Gabe, Andy auditions for and snags the role of Anthony in Sweeney Todd.

The entire office staff (minus one) takes in the final performance of the community theatrical production.  The lead role is played by a ringer who just happened to be Darryl’s plumber.  This would not have been such a dramatic turn of events had Michael not auditioned for the role, himself.  His reaction during the curtain call is classic!  Check out Mr. Scott’s hilarious audition during the closing credits.

Unfortunately, Erin is unable to attend the performance.  Jim and Pam have baby-sitting problems and the receptionist volunteers her services.

Andy’s performance and bits of singing are tremendous. “I feel you… Johanna.” On stage, one of the most annoying things that could happen from the audience of a live performance (and I have been on-stage as it happened) happens to Andy while he is on stage.  “I killed it!”

I loved this episode!  One of my favorites by FAR!  I can definitely relate to Andy: disappointment when his co-workers “cannot make it” to the performance;  seeing them in the audience; hoping beyond hope that “that person” can somehow make it.  I’m sure that the audience member sitting next to Dwight found his whispering annoying.

Wouldn’t it be a riot if Michael did keep auditioning with his normal brand of hilarity and was cast in a musical?  HMMM… possibly the plot device for his exit?

View and download the colorful playbill of the Loose Screw Playhouse production of Sweeney Todd

While my girls are counting down the days until they get to go to their Grandma’s house, I am counting the days until I get to see a LIVE JACK HANNA SHOW!!!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited to see family too, but I’ve been waiting to see a live Jack Hanna show for over a decade!!!

I’ve had the show tickets in the car for about two weeks now, since I was so sure that I’d forget them.  I’ve already packed my glasses too, so I can actually see Jack and the animals from my seat.  And I’ve been “cramming” all week – trying to quickly re-read my favorite book, Jack Hanna’s Monkeys on the Interstate.  If all goes well, I should be finished with it by Saturday when I see Jack.  Because we have tickets for a pre-show event called a Jamboree Lunch, I’m hoping for maybe an autograph or even an opportunity to chat with Mr. Hanna!  I know it’s a shot in the dark, but I’ve made a mental list of things I’d bring up just in case; many of them are from the Monkeys book.  Even if I don’t get an opportunity to talk to Mr. Hanna, I am ecstatic just to be able to see his show!!!  I really enjoy his appearances on Letterman every month, and I’m beyond excited to see Mr. Hanna live!!  Just in case, I’m bringing an array of my Hanna collection in case I get a chance to seek an autograph, but I’m not expecting it or anything – don’t want to be disappointed.  It would be nice, however, to replace our autographed Jack Hanna honeymoon memento.  Now I have to tell that story…

When my husband and I took our honeymoon to Florida in 1999, we were driving from where we lived in Illinois to Florida (which is a very LONG drive…  but for some reason, I cannot remember exactly what it was like to do that WITHOUT KIDS along…), and we were talking about all the things we would do.  One of the things that came up  was celebrities we would like to run into, and Jack Hanna was the only one we both decided we would really care about running into.  Once in Florida, we visited Sea World, and we were going to go into the underwater viewing area for  the dolphins, but it was roped off – “TV show taping in progress”.  Just before we turned away to head to something else, a worker lifted the ropes, so in we went, and the crew was packing up the cameras, and THERE WAS JACK HANNA!!!  And we were all alone since the area had just been closed off – no mob of fans to compete with.  Ok, so maybe Jack  Hanna isn’t the type of celebrity to have fans mobbing him wherever he goes, but to me, he is an animal hero.  His Monkeys on the Interstate book chronicles his creativity, his strength through adversity, and his triumphs (and failures!) he went through as he was building the once unheard of Columbus Zoo into the world famous, state-of-the-art zoo facility it is today – a fascinating read for anyone who loves animals, zoos, Jack Hanna, or who just likes funny stories!!  Jack Hanna is a marketing and animal genius!  But I digress – back to my story…

So we got to meet Jack Hanna, right there at Sea World.  I was not expecting it, so I gummed up and let my husband do the talking, and Jack whipped out an 8×10 glossy picture and autographed it, putting our names on it and everything.  Unfortunately, this picture was one of a few irreplaceable items that were entrusted to so-called “friends” during a move we had, never to be seen again…  but that’s another story and nothing I want to dwell upon now.

So yeah, IF I actually get to talk to Jack again this time, I have my list of things I want to talk about…  though it’s quite lengthy, and my brain will be swimming with basically EVERYTHING from the Monkeys on the Interstate book, as well as things I want to know about starting my own zoo – hey, that shouldn’t come as a big surprise to any of my readers, so lift your dropped jaw.  Those of you who know me realize that I have a pretty good start on one already, don’t you?  🙂

This is Jack at one of his Letterman appearances.  Each of his appearances on Letterman has moments of hilarity as Jack tries so hard to get in his animal facts while Letterman is busy making jokes and heckling him.  After decades of monthly appearances, the two have built a relationship of sorts, and Jack now brings animals that sometimes shock, awe, and even scare Letterman!!  Never a dull moment when Jack’s around…

I haven’t updated my blog in quite some time. I wonder if anyone missed me? 😉

I’ve seen a couple of the other bloggers on a regular basis, about 3 times a week. And when I wasn’t with them, I was at work or studying lines. Ok not really studying lines all that much, but it did consume a portion of my time away from rehearsals 😉

I have also spent a fair portion of my time in a contemplative mood. Some thoughts are forming in this head I carry on my shoulders, and I’m not sure what direction they will go. I can’t really say much more than that, since the currents are in a general state of flux.

Anyway what brought me here tonight was something I read in a different social forum. I started thinking about love at first sight. Interesting because to me it seemed most people didn’t think it could happen. I believe that it does happen, and very frequently.

Now, I will state, for the record, that I did not fall in love with my future wife at first sight. That took at least 4 or 5 meetings, and at least 2 dates. Yes, we fell in love quickly. The wonderful thing about our relationship was that we kept falling in love for 20 years. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it. We had a wonderful life journey that ended much too soon. My journey continues, and it holds and reflects the memory of her life journey.

But on to the love at first sight. I had that happen to me four times. Each time very special, and each time resulted in a very long term relationship. I fell and fell hard the first time I met each daughter. At first, that love was very one sided, but it did grow. As they grew and matured, I loved them enough to let them go on their own journeys. I love them still and more each day. The one thing I’ve learned over my life, is that you can never say “I love you” enough, there is always room for saying it one more time.

I am behind on blogging about my favorite tv show (and the only one that’s left that is good enough for me to watch these days!), The Office!  Time flew so fast that the season premiere was a few weeks ago now, and it’s been a great season so far!

The Office is on Season 7 already, and unfortunately for us fans, this is reportedly the last season for the show’s lead actor, Steve Carell.  As a huge fan of the show, I  personally don’t see how it will work without Carell’s lovable idiot boss character, Michael Scott, and I’m hoping that he will change his mind about leaving.  Although he has yet to win an Emmy for his performance as Michael Scott (darn Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock takes it every year!), episode 2 of season 7 of The Office saw the best performance I’ve ever seen Carell give and probably the best acting I’ve ever seen on a tv sitcom!  If you’re a fan, I’m talking about the scene where he is in a counseling session with Toby, and Toby is kind of manipulating him to actually talk to him.  For a few minutes, Michael is actually talking and playing cards with Toby – a man he simply cannot stand.  He even has an “I loathe Toby” face that is priceless.  So anyway, he’s playing cards with Toby, and Toby is actually making some valuable psychiatric headway with Michael…  until Michael realizes it.  Within seconds as he’s realizing what Toby has done, his transformation back into his “I loathe Toby” mode is just…  WOW.  Emmy-worthy material, for sure in my opinion, but only time will tell.

Unfortunately, if you are not already watching this great show, then I can’t recommend you start now in the 7th season – nowadays the show seems to be written for its fan base, and newcomers might not be able to follow the plots which are seemingly being developed around the already established characters.  But I do highly recommend you check out the show beginning in Season 1 – you can do this on dvd or perhaps even on NBC’s website?  That way, you can watch the The Office characters hilariously evolve yourself.  If you work in an office yourself, are looking for a new tv show to watch, or are simply a fan of good tv, talented script-writing, try The Office!!

I cannot wait to see what the 3rd episode of this new season will bring us on Thursday!!

One of the Michael Scott’s (aka Steve Carell’s) famous “I loathe Toby” faces:

This first video just made me laugh.  The second one is just like it- maybe they will make your day too.

😀 😀 😀

If you want to look up more on Youtube, the band is Rick K and the Allnighters, and the person of interest is Steve Moore.  There is even an interview with him someone posted but I didn’t listen to it.

I think most people have fond memories of visiting a special family fun place in the fall.  The pumpkin farms that my husband and I grew up going to are much different now – his has closed down, and mine has expanded beyond the family-owned small operation into a little carnival of sorts; I visited a few years ago.  It was fun, but not the same.  We’ve since moved away from the place of our youth, and we are happy to have found a fun place in NW Ohio to make memories with our own kids: Leader’s Family Farms.

Leader’s has something for every age group: 2 haunted attractions for the older crowd, and for the family: mini-golf, a petting zoo (complete with exotics –  more on that later!), hayrides, a hay maze, slides, chicken coop shooting, and a corn maze.  For the little ones, there are bouncy castles, a moo-train, a hay-climber with tunnel, and a corn box.  The under 5 kids area is really fun, and it’s all free!  My 2-year-old and my 3-year-old had a blast over there for hours, even if my son came home with a diaper full of corn – it was worth it!  Actually, he still had corn coming out of his coat the next morning at church but again, it was well worth it!  Here is a video of him playing in the corn box in case you’re wondering what I’m talking about.  The video pans to the rest of my kids, and finishes with my 3-year-old crawling through the little kids’ tunnel:

My husband took my two oldest girls and their friend into the haunted corn maze.  This was a big deal because this thing is SCARY!  It is the best (read: scariest) haunted house in the area, and my daughter’s friend wanted to go in it, so we convinced our daughter to go as well (they’re both 10).  Thrill-seeker little sis (age 6) really wanted to check it out, so she went too.  They might have been REALLY scared, but they all made it out, and no one cried or tried to back out at the last minute!  I wish I could have seen them in there, but the little ones were WAY too young for something like that, so I stayed out with them.  I didn’t mind too much since the exotic petting zoo was free – I hung out there for the hour and a half or so that it took my family to get through the haunted house.  They had goats, sheep, alpacas, a teeny-tiny little pig, a camel (just a fuzzy baby, not his full height even though he was taller than I…  I was wondering how old he was, and I found out he shares a February birthday with a fellow tangenteer…), and some kangaroos.  They also had some other baby animals (a fox for one) and some parrots, but they could not bring them out because the weather was terrible – windy, cold, and rainy.  But I got to pet some kangaroos and even feed them – I think it was the first time I’ve ever touched a kangaroo!  They were good-tempered, soft, and really interesting to see up close and personal.   I  think the petting zoo people got sick of me, and I would have hung out more by the country band which I also liked, except that the weather was so terrible that it was hard to even enjoy the band – we all just wanted to  stay out of the wind and rain.  Look how little this pig is:

And here is more of the kangaroos and of the camel:

The hayride goes out way back into the forest, and luckily we rode it in between rain showers.  The tractor even drove through a small creek bed that was partially filled – it looked like we were going to get stuck in the water:

My kids all liked it, even if there were some concerns about tipping on the steep hills going down into the forest – but we didn’t tip.  I can’t wait to take my  son on the hayride in our town in a few weeks -there are spooks that jump out from behind the trees there, and given his fascination with monsters lately, I know he’ll have a blast!  I brought out the Halloween costumes last night for the kids to pick through to find what they’re going to be for Halloween, and my son found a Friday the 13th Jason hockey mask and insisted on going to bed with  it.  😉

I must also add that Leader’s is a family-owned farm; we struck up several  conversations with the owners,  and they are extremely nice and caring for their customers.  The farm opened a little late when we visited because of  the rain, so they gave us free passes to come back again – as busy as our Octobers are (this one being no exception), I think going back to Leader’s when the weather is better is a MUST!!  By the way, I was this close to taking home a straggler from the petting zoo.  Only time will tell if I am able to resist next time we visit…  😉

My men on the hayride:

And my girls…  note the beautiful NW Ohio countryside in the background.  The scenery will only get better as the leaves change a little more and the sun comes out:

Yesterday after putting my time in at my day job, I headed over to the Huber for set construction.  I finally got a glimpse of the old theatre full of flats, scraps, set decor, etc.  It was like walking into an attic which I enjoy doing looking at the treasure trove of the past.  We took a bunch of flats and furniture over to construct Holmes’ abode  at 221B Baker Street as well as Baskerville Hall.

When it comes to set building, I fall into one of two categories… those who can… do.  Those who can’t… stand aside.  The paint brushes were snatched up before I got a chance to put my paining to use.

I was useful in my new role of facilitaTORE (emphasis on the TORE!).  I am perfectly willing to do my part even if it means playing fetch, holding a ladder, or whatever seemingly minor job needs tending to.  I even got to tape some of the seems in the walls before the paint was applied.  I know where my real talent lies I just am taken aback that some have more than one theatrical talent.

But after nearly 10 hours of work, the set is (according to reliable sources) about 90% complete.  I must say that working with friends to get the job done definitely helped.  Laughing, pizza, laughing, and a lot of work goes somewhat more smoothly when you have friends with you and even some who actually know what they are doing… or do a good job acting like they do.

To see the finished product (which I feel will only help make those on stage look better), reserve your tickets now to see the immortal Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles, October 15-17.

Well, it is Saturday and I am neither working nor rehearsing.  For the moment.  The last week has been tech week, so the set has been going up little by little as we have rehearsed.  Even after last night, the final dress, there was still work to be done.  Thursday we got glowing praises from the director on how well the show looked even if the blood wasn’t present yet.  Hey- people die, so there has to be blood- especially for one of the deaths involving a slit throat.   Yes, I will wait while you take care of your stomach in the bathroom…  Well, I do know some of you three readers are horror buffs so you are still with me. 😉

My death is clean so I don’t have to worry about blood at least.  Moving on, last night the director was extremely po’ed after the first act.  He didn’t yell, but he did make sure everyone knew.  He was far more pleased with the second act and so during notes he crumpled up one note after another without reading them aloud so as not to get down on us.  I shudder to think of the contents of the notes had the second act not gone so well.  I do think the first number at the start of the act was the best we have ever done though, even if it did drag a bit.

Following this show I am now in the first community theatre non-musical, that is straight play, I have been in in a very long time.  Now I have done straight drama in church of course, but as for community theatre is has been far too long.  It is the same show Jamiahsh was in last year, but my role is far more humble though I felt my audition went fairly well.  So did others’ apparently.  This is my role:

Oh, sorry. That was Gowron. My role is Gower.  Mr Gower, the druggist a young Mr. Bailey worked for, originally played by H. B. Warner.  They asked if I would be willing to play additional roles if necessary and I said absolutely.  Well, hopefully next time I try out for this group they will know me better (in a good way 😉 ).  We all have to start somewhere.  I do not know when I will begin rehearsing, but I will miss the first read-through because of my Monday night small group.  I’ll try to post more on this topic.

I just finished watching a fascinating interview on Oprah. I am not a regular viewer by any means but she seems to be going out with a bang.  I could not pass up the opportunity to watch her sit and chat with the world’s first self-made billionaire author.  If ever J.K. Rowling has her memoirs published I will be in line to snatch it up.  Just one hour totally fascinated me.  How from very humble beginnings to a 13 month and one day marriage to the death of her mother and the estrangement from her father all combined to give her the ammunition to create what has become a worldwide  juggernaut.

The term “phenomenon” came up in one intriguing moment.  Remember back in the mid 80s when Michael Jackson’s Thriller was declared the phenomenon of the day.  At the time, the concept did not enter the King of Pop’s head.  And neither has it entered Rowling’s.  If it had, she feels that she would now be trying to do herself one better.  Attempting to create the next great world and leaving Harry Potter by the wayside.  Incidentally, the author turned down Jackson’s offer to turn her world into a musical.

Did you know it took Jo  twelve rejections before, on the lucky 13th publisher, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (which we blokes know as the Sorcerer’s) Stone saw the light of day?  Even then, she was warned that children’s books make little to no money.  Well… after seventeen years, 7 books, 6 movies (with two coming), millions in collectibles, and the theme park… who is laughing now?

She even detailed some of the downside of her life that is very much a part of the masterpiece.  In her eyes, every other page seems to point to her mother’s failing from MS.  The dementors (who prey upon the happiness of their victims and seek to suck out their soul) represent her own battle with depression.  However, the prevalent theme throughout the entire series is love.  I say shame on all the groups who would criticize or even ban the books when the strongest virtue of Christianity is seen through every page, every frame.  However, the surest way to ensure that your work is read is to have it banned.

What does the future hold for the billionairess?  More writing.  If she doesn’t write she will lose her sanity.  Spoken like a true artist.  Did she know that Harry would become so huge while writing at nights beside her sleeping baby daughter while one step away from homelessness.  Absolutely not.  She had no idea that: “This boy will be famous. There won’t be a child in our world who doesn’t know his name.”

Three months after we first move to Maumee, Tony and I are moving again.! It is time for us to have  a place of our own again, and though it was hard to find a place that would except four cats, we found a couple. We are still close to my family and I love the place. And…not only will Tony and I have a place to ourselves once again, we will finally be on the same shift! After three months of never seeing my husband except for a few hours a day because of opposite shifts, we have been put on the same shift. It might  have had something to do with me telling the supervisor that we were moving and that we only had one car.

Tomorrow is the big moving day, we have gotten most of our stuff back into boxes. Well, what we had unpacked. Most of our things were put into storage, since we are currently staying with my sister and her husband. My cats and their animals are not getting along very well, even after three months! Padme, the baby of our family, has gained a lot of weight since we moved here. She has started eating so much  more since we moved in and we think it’s because she is stressed and that she is eating more also because one of the dogs keeps eating her kitty food! She has to save her food from the “stupid” dog! 🙂 Once we move, we are tinking about having set food time to see if that helps, if it doesn’t get any better.

Finishing the packing and then heading to bed is the goal once Tony gets home. Too bad, I won’t have internet for a week. Hope to get back on and find plenty of support from my friends! 🙂