Perform!

Christmas morning: you've woken up early because you've programmed to do that your entire life. You've opened the gifts. You've eaten your festive holiday breakfast. Now what? Well, if you're reading this, then you probably know me. And anyone who knows me is going to want to turn on the TV to the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade.

"I am?" you ask.
"You are." I reply

The Encore Cast Choir was asked to help out with the parade taping. See, there was this little-known woman performing a popular Christmas tune, and they thought her performance could use a little star power. Here's a YouTube preview from someone who attended the taping:




Sadly for me, I was a little too slow getting my robe. I ended up in the balcony where there were no risers set up and very little lighting (and where this woman never even bothered to tilt up the camera to). So most likely, you won't see my smiling face on TV. But I really was there. And I'll be watching, looking for Katie and Melissa, who were on the risers, singing on national TV on Christmas morning.

Musical Interlude

I don't think I'm supposed to tell you why I'm learning this exact version of Oh Come All Ye Faithful, but I'm still not sure I believe it myself. Anyway, it sounds pretty. Enjoy!

Theater Outing

Scott and my Encore buddy Katie and I went out to Winter Park last night to see Jekyll & Hyde at G.O.A.T. Two of my other Encore friends were in the show, plus it's one that I love the music and had never seen performed.

The performers were great. They were better than any community theater show I'd ever been a part of. They reminded me of beautiful exotic animals trapped in a zoo though. Professional-caliber performances (for the most part) trapped in a splatter-painted plywood cage. The venue is really small - maybe 50 seats - and really relies on the audience wanting to believe and being willing to absolutely suspend disbelief. Oh yeah - and canned music! That was a surprise.

We also had a great time people-watching before the show. Katie ended up next to a girl whose friends were in the row in front of us. Wearing sky-high heels and a pink dress that made her look like Club Hop Barbie, she leaned over to her friends and whispered - not quietly enough - "I'm not wearing any panties! tee hee" Katie told me in the car on the way home that she had a conversation with Barbie, who told her she never gets a chance to dress up, and what better time to do so than when going to the theater? I wonder what she wears to church.

It was a great night. Today before work (like now-ish) I'm off to the apartment to get a load of clothes into my trunk. Mom is coming up tomorrow morning and taking them and the giant ice cream maker off my hands.

Encore! Flashback

An e-mail went out late the night before the final show. It basically said "Bring sunglasses. Wear them during the Beach Medley. Don't tell Clay." So we did.

Clay (the director) had his face in the music for the first 5-10 seconds of the first song, and when he looked up, the expression on his face was priceless. There we all were, some wearing everyday sunglasses, and some who managed to find novelty ones in wacky colors for the occasion, looking straight at him smiling and singing. If he knew in advance that we were going to do it, it didn't show. Of course, even if he had known, I doubt he would have been prepared for just how silly we looked!

It got even better when the soloist came out and handed him a pair of his own. He didn't put them on at first, but (I'm guessing) once the music got easier, he put them on and wore them for the rest of the number.

It was definitely one of my favorite moments of the entire 2009 show.

Video!

I've uploaded a bunch of photos to Facebook, but here's a special bonus: video montage of opening night. yay!

Still Here...And There...

Hello ParkHopping world!

This is just a place-holder, really. I wanted to tell you I'm still here, doing real life stuff, and not spending a whole lot of time on the computer.

If you miss me that much, you can always check out my Twitter feed on the right. I tend to shoot out a message or seven every day about random things I see and do. And of course, you can come see me in person at revolution! It's right around the corner, July 23-25.

Hopefully after Encore wraps up, I can go back to my less-full days and posting of cat photos. I know... you can't wait... neither can I!

A Comedy of Errors

The planets aligned Friday night. Had I read my horoscope that day, I imagine the text would have included the words "stay home."

Seriously.

I woke up to find my right eye once again totally red. It didn't hurt, there were no green eye boogies, and it wasn't quite as bad as the last time. Of course, that meant no contacts and no eye make up (not good for any activity under bright lights).

After taking 2 pictures backstage, I got a "card full" error message on the camera. So I spent the next half hour deleting old pictures while warming up, getting notes, etc.

Around 7:40, I turned my camera over to Scott and took the long walk to the UK pavilion to go to the bathroom. The sky looked dark, but not dark enough to imply imminent rain. Wrong! By the time I finished in the bathroom, there may as well have been a waterfall to run through. It was bad! So I borrowed a plastic garbage bag from the custodial woman, and decided the most important thing was my hair. So I wrapped up my head and made a run for it. And I was soaked by the time I made it back. Luckily, the shirt was a light enough fabric that getting wet didn't make it look any different. And no one saw my soaking wet skirt anyway - the back row has its benefits.

I also got foot powder all over my brown shoes, and some other little things happened that I can't even remember.

Of course, the show was fine. My feet are still swollen, but I'm hoping a week of sitting on my butt will cure that. And now, yet another video. Enjoy!

Better Luck Next Time

Scott took pictures for me last night. Unfortunately, most of them looked like a variation of this:

part choir, part giant head.

He said this woman would move every time he was about to take the picture, so even if her head wasn't in the picture, her hair messed with the auto focus. I told him he didn't have to come back tonight, but then this happened.

I am cranky and my feet are swollen and sore. The shows are going just fine, and part of me will be sad to see it end. But my body is really looking forward to getting back to my sitting job!

Have You Seen My Car?

I've taken to wandering around the employee parking lot after Encore rehearsals and yelling, "has anyone seen my car*?" No one answers me. But that's ok. I have a general sense of which quadrant the car is in, and it's pretty easy to spot.

After standing for 3 hours in dress shoes, the last thing I want to do is take one more step than absolutely necessary. I've managed to take it easy on my voice this week, and still plan to not push too hard during the shows (which start tonight!!). There's lots of strong voices around me - I'm just there for the applause!

I am already completely exhausted. I can't complain too loudly though because a lot of my fellow performers are working their day jobs this week, and surviving (if you can call it that) on 4 hours of sleep. Of course, I had the sense to burn a week of vacation...

In other news, no news yet on the interview front. It turns out I really really like the guy that I'd be working for. My interview went pretty well, I guess. He's interviewing a total of 5 people for the job, and I was #2 to be interviewed. I think the rest were yesterday, but maybe not. At any rate, I imagine if I get the job I'll hear by the end of the week. If not, I'll be disappointed but not heart-broken.

...and for now, I have other pressing things on my mind.


* An idea I paraphrased from a story about my mom's wild youth.

On Vacation!

(sort of)

I don't have to be back at work until next Sunday. That doesn't really mean I get to spend the week lounging by the pool with not a care in the world.

If only!

Encore: rehearsals today, tomorrow and Tuesday; performances Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! That's an evening commitment that'll probably end up being about 6 hours a day.

Interview: tomorrow at 11 (yikes!)

Work: Yeah, work! My bosses decided, in their collective wisdom, on FRIDAY that they wanted invitations to our cast party. (bitter Jamie would like to point out that when I asked the Chef last week whether he wanted me to start on invitations, he said they would be relying on word of mouth this year. word of mouth, my butt!) So The Boss and I came up with a design in about an hour on Friday night.

Unfortunately, we only had 25 sheets of card stock left (and a guest list of around 65). So, long story short, I printed what I could, but offered to come in on Monday after my interview and finish up. Hopefully that won't take me very long, because when I'm done Scott and I are going to see...

Batman!!!

I can't wait!

And now here's today's unrelated-to-the-post YouTube video:

What the Eff?

So you know that interview I had on Monday? The one that I wore my brand new super coordinated suit and painful heeled shoes that even now my feet feel as if they were crushed? The one that I woke up early for? The one with someone other than the person that I was supposed to interview with?

It turns out that interview didn't count for anything.

Yeah.

That face you're making? I've been making it for the past 12 hours.

I woke up today to multiple calendar requests on my work e-mail and a voicemail. When I spoke to the secretary to reschedule and asked if it was a do-over from the first interview, she said yes and then got kind of snippy and said "*I'm* the one doing the interviews, and I discussed it with [the guy I interviewed with] and I need to bring you all in again."

If I were interviewing for a position within that immediate work unit, I would have said "no thank you" and moved on. If this was going to be the case, then they should have called us all that day and rescheduled us. I really feel like there's either some sort of power struggle going on, or there's some other untold story, but I'm really not as enthusiastic this time around. And I have yet to hear anything that sounds like an apology for the inconvenience and the emotional roller coaster.

And since the interview is in the same place, and the same major players work there, I decided I needed to get another suit. I got the brown one with the teal shirt that I tried on before. No time to screw around and try on a bunch of stuff, and luckily I had tried on 3/4 of the mall in my last excursion. This time we were in, out, and to Pay Less for a pair of brown shoes in about 40 minutes. I'm not in love with the outfit, but whatever. At this point, I'm just ready for it to be over.

(this time, I will print out a resume though...)

In Other News...

I had rehearsal tonight, rehearsal tomorrow, work Friday and Saturday, and then rehearsals Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and shows Weds, Thurs, and Friday. My throat still hurts. And I have PMS now, which doesn't bode well for next week.

My eyes are just fine. I still wore my glasses on Monday for my "just kidding" interview, but was back in contacts on Tuesday when we went to see WALL-E. I'm still taking them out at night, but I'm fine. The redness is gone. Even Scott has stopped worrying about them!

Speaking of WALL-E, I loved it. The only thing that stopped me from instantly proclaiming it my new Pixar favorite was the fact that that WALL-E had a pet cockroach on Earth. That ate Twinkies. Every time the thing skittered up a wall, I shuddered. Oh - and it got smashed twice and came back to life. See? Pixar understands how roaches just... never... die! Otherwise, I totally loved it. It's definitely in my top 3 with Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. I'll have to re-evaluate after I've seen it 100 times.

Available Now!

Tickets are available now!

There is also a printable parking permit and directions. If you're planning on attending, you'll need that to avoid paying the parking fee at Epcot. (by the way, parking this year is in the Epcot guest lot)

Plain Vanilla

The "costumes" for Encore this year are shades of white. We are all supposed to wear white, beige, ivory, or light khaki. Tops and bottoms can be a mix of pants, skirts, capris, short sleeve, long sleeve, etc.

Well last year I made a very poor costume choice. We were told the following: black dresses, below the knee, look formal. So bought ye olde black frock with sensible short sleeves and the only frill at the hem. And 90% of the women on the stage were wearing spaghetti strap short cocktail dresses.

See me in the top right corner, looking like I'm wearing a black t-shirt? See all those bare shoulders around me? I'd prefer to not look like the dowdy one again this year!

This year I am determined to look like I belong with everyone else. So I took Scott along on a little shopping excursion this morning. I was looking for a new suit, but ended up picking up three shirts for $30 at Lane Bryant (which has recently shifted its focus from making fat teenage girls look like hookers to actually supplying women with stylish size-appropriate clothing. what a pleasant surprise that was!). Two of the shirts were potentials for the Encore concert:

The first is basically two layers of ivory chiffon. Obviously needs a camisole under it (and there is one in the picture, honest!). It's a faux wrap with a really nice satin accent along the neck line, and a satin tie in the back. When I left the store, this was "the one." And I was thrilled to have found it. However, now that I'm home and have tried it on again with a cami underneath, I'm a little worried that I'll look like I have a big X across my chest that'll look even more accented under stage lights. (please disregard the sagging around the waist...the photos were taken without proper... umm... support)

The second one I adored on the hanger, and adored it on. But I had pretty much made up my mind that I wasn't going to wear white. This shirt has an interesting neck line, and really subtle pinstripes in silver and shiny white that probably wouldn't show up on stage. That's unfortunate, because they do add some visual interest. This one I'm going to add to my work shirt rotation, even though it, too, requires that something be worn under it.

The third top I bought was a $5 orange v-neck cable knit sweater. I love it and can't wait for the cooler months so that I'll have an excuse to wear it!

But I have this one other shirt already. I bought it online and totally hated it. It's nothing like the picture implied it would be. It's see-through, pleated all the way down so I feel like I'm in a cupcake liner, and the fabric reminds me of the blouses my great grandmother used to wear. However, I threw it on tonight (since I was already wearing the camisole) and I think it looks pretty decent. It's just about the same shade as the first shirt, but the visual interest is all in the crocheted collar/buttons.

So, disregarding the poor white balance and my funny faces, does anyone have an opinion on any of these? I really think it's between the first and last. The second just doesn't look special enough for the stage. And like I said, I'd like to wear it to work. It's doubtful that polyester (or whatever it is) will ever recover from that kind of industrial-strength sweating and still be wearable.

Poor Scott is back on the trail with me tomorrow (yes, tomorrow - I haven't gone to sleep yet!) for a new interview suit. We also have to babysit, and I was hoping to see WALL*E, but I think we may need to wait another week for that. My throat still hasn't completely healed, and we're going to a Dave Matthews Band concert in Tampa on Wednesday. So perhaps my best bet is to take it easy tomorrow afternoon while I still can.

Summer Vacation

I received an e-mail last week informing me that I am no longer accruing vacation hours because I have too much time stored in my bank. My options were to continue not accruing hours, buy some out at an outrageous tax rate (basically get a double paycheck), or take some darn time off.

Guess which I chose!

Yep - time off. Encore! rehearsals are Mon/Weds/Thurs, so I put in to take vacation every Thursday for 7 straight weeks. That means I'll only be working 3 days and still be making full time pay. I spent this afternoon considering the merits of part-time employment during that time some place I could walk to like Quizno's or the library, but I think I talked myself out of it. If I worked for $7/hour, I'd probably end up owing even more in taxes next year, and basically blow the cash on stupid stuff anyway.

I figure this gives me an excellent opportunity to learn to cook, spend time with Scott (since he's still working that "temporary" shift that doesn't start until 5 pm and has been waking up early to spend time with me before work), and get some stuff done around the apartment. How nice it would be to not have a mountain of laundry to spend a whole day on every week!

I feel more relaxed already...

Eek!

(the sound made on a high G - which is ordinarily well within my range - after waiting 2 hours for my audition and maybe coming down with a cold)

The audition: it didn't go so well. At this point, I'm hoping that my participation last year and the part of the song I didn't screw up is enough to carry me through. I won't be surprised if I make it, but I wouldn't blame them if they didn't invite me back.

Nope...not modesty...honestly.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I should hear in a week or two.

That Time of Year

Encore auditions start TODAY! I'll be going over on Monday evening for my 16-24 bars of torture. Anyway, just saw this video from the Orlando PBS station and thought I'd share. I seriously hope I'm not in the top corner again this year (if I make it, of course) - my right shoulder made it into the tape, but that's it!

Flashback: Encore 2007

There are just no words to describe how much I love this picture. Thanks for sending it my way, Mom!

For the Love of John

Scalzi's Weekend Assignment this week took me a few days to ponder:

You know, I just had me a thought. I've been doing these here Weekend Assignments for, what? Three and a half years now? Every Thursday, posting something to amuse you and give you something do post about over the weekend. And what do I get in return? Well, yes, I get paid. In cash, even. But where is the love? Where is my amusement? Where is my fun? Damn it, when do I get mine? Huh? How about now?

Weekend Assignment #189: Amuse me, damn it!Yeah, that's right. You amuse me for a change.

Tell me a joke. Tell me a story. Show me a funny picture. point to a good online video game. Suggest a good book or movie. Link me to a diverting YouTube or AOL Video, like those soda/Mentos fountain things (but not that, I've already seen those). Anything, people, just as long as it's amusing. You know, something you think I would like. Like what, you say? Well, you know. Surprise me.

Well John, as I was just sharing with my other three readers (hi Mom!), I'm getting ready for NaBloPoMo '07 (which you totally need to share with the rest of your "By The Way..." crowd), and did some Internet trolling for blog fodder. I found this article on cnn.com (originally in Mental Floss, but I can't find it on their site) all about the best drinking stories in history. Here's my favorite:

In 1609, the Dutch sent English explorer Henry Hudson westward for a third attempt at finding the fabled Northeast Passage. A near mutiny forced him southward, and upon reaching land, he encountered members of the Delaware Indian tribe.

To foster good relations, Hudson shared his brandy with the tribal chief, who soon passed out. But upon waking up the next day, he asked Hudson to pour some more for the rest of his tribe. From then on, the Indians referred to the island as Manahachtanienk -- literally, "The High Island."

And not "high" as in "tall;" high as in "the place where we got blotto." Most people would agree that Manhattan has stayed true to the spirit of its name ever since.

Still not amused? Fine... then I leave you with a video from this summer's Encore Choir performance. This is my beautiful and talented friend Scherezada's solo - the Maria part in the song Tonight from West Side Story. The video was taken by her mom, so you can't see the whole choir and orchestra backing them up... but we were there. Check out her rocking that high C!

...and I'm Spent!

Now that the curtain has fallen on Encore 2007, I am off to spend a couple of days of R & R with Jackie (after work today). I'll be back on Wednesday. Try not to miss me too much.

Thanks to all the friends and family who trekked here to see the show. It means so much to me to know that I am so loved and supported.

Here's some pictures of me with my new Encore friends Jessica and Scheherezada, and my old friend Brian (of Beth and Brian).

The "Mighty Mighty Chorus"

I have a handful of pictures from last night's concert up over on Photobucket. And if you go back after tonight, I'll probably have some more up as well. Woo!