Dear Old Love indeed

I read Dear Old Love as often, or more so, as I read TFLN. I find it both interesting and ironic that I have had several published only recently, since I have been submitting them for a while.

Kudos to you, Dear Old Love, for being able to tell when I was making it up and when I really meant it.

Hey now, voce...

Voce...

Seriously, I cannot have you flaking out on me this early in the semester. Geez. So, yeah, we sang Come scoglio a bit for an hour yesterday and then sang The Csárdás in masterclass, too, and I can see how you could feasibly be tired, but I have the auditions that matter on Saturday and if you're on the way out today... you will SO not be in good shape on Saturday.

Well, ok, that's fair. The rest of my throat sort of hurts, too, but that's really no excuse for you to get tetchy. It's days like today, voce, that really make me wonder if this is what I really should do, because I'm not even exactly sure what I did yesterday that made you flip out and get all weird today and what if I had a show today or something and I SO wouldn't be able to sing tonight that just sucks.... eesh.


Anyway, voce, don't freak out, but I need your ass in gear by Saturday (and callbacks on Sunday)


Miss you,
-me

Dating in the Dark

Oh my goodness...


Smitten blogged about this show Dating in the Dark and I am so hooked. I haven't even finished an episode yet... I am actually blogging on the commercial break on ABC.com. Though, I confess, I will more than likely watch it on the hulu.com site from now on because I hate ABC's player so much.


Either way, I'll be watching it all day, I'm sure. I suggest you do the same.


Update: OH MY GOSH!! SOOO GOOD!! Season premiere=BRILLIANT. Lovelovelovelovelove....

Country Roses

This... is fantastic.

(The last minute or so is credits, but this is the only video I could find.)

Jennifer Aniston - Country Roses

My life is so exciting.

...ahem.


So I have a haircut on Tuesday!!! This is breaking news, people.

The thing is, it kind of is breaking news, as I haven't actually gone someplace and had my hair cut in over 3 years, probably. It may have been longer than that, but I know for sure that I have been cutting my own hair for at least that long. I am in the process of booking this lovely lady to take some new headshots, and my best friend's wedding is September 12, so I think that actually getting my hair cut by someone other than myself is a good plan.

The big question:


What am I going to do with it??



I want to keep the length. It's probably to the middle of my back and I like it that way. There are some layers, as my very sophisticated method of cutting it has just been to flip my head over after I have washed it and cut it straight across (If you're ever feeling adventurous, it actually gives very nice layers. Don't cut too close to your head, though... it can be very frightening...). The way it is now is basically a grown out Jennifer Aniston. Cutting it shorter in my fashion gives it a Friends-ish Jen-Cut.


Anyway, I don't want it thinned (because it's super thick and it's awesome [that's what she said]), I don't want it colored (because I haven't before, and I like low maintenance), and I don't want too much cut off... I am not sure I will even be able to tell a difference.


Suggestions welcome.

To all you geeks out there...

...this is for you:






Yeah, I'm pretty sure I want to BE Felicia Day.


If you're into nerdiness, you can watch her Web Series The Guild and laugh harder at the video because the characters will make more sense. And for even more Felicia Day genius, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a must watch (It also has the amazingly talented Neil Patrick Harris and the equally talented and deliciously handsome Nathan Fillion).

People, please.

Ok, time for something that drives me insane:


When people post every single solitary photo taken for an event/photo session/whatever on Facebook or some other social media.


Guys. No one (except maybe you) wants to see every photo. Cull the herd and pick the best ones, and some of the worst ones (because those are funny), but for pete's sake, the rest need to stay on your hard drive or just be deleted for all eternity.

I'm a little more lenient if we're talking about candid shots at a shower or wedding or something because pictures of random people doing random things have a certain degree of entertainment value. However, I do not need to see the 6 photo progression of you picking up the piece of cake to put in your new husband's mouth. Just pick one, and whether you pick the one of you about to put it in his mouth where you look all innocent and sweet or the one where he has icing and cake bits all over his face and you look like a terror, is completely up to you.

I'm mostly talking about engagement couple photos, bridal photos, baby photos, senior picture type photos, HEADSHOTS (gah. Kill me.) and other such set-up photo session groups of pictures. If you wore 4 different shirts throughout the course of your headshot session, pick, say, 3 or 4 from each different option. I don't need to see 30 pictures of you looking awkwardly at the camera in each shirt. I appreciate the value of getting other people's opinion on which of your brand new headshots to use, but you can narrow the choices simply by looking at them and picking the ones that make you look not retarded.

Also: I fervently hope that when (please, Jesus God, when) I eventually have children, I will be lucid enough to realize that all babies look like weird grapes when they come out, and they look like weird grapes for at least some time afterward. Even though I will think that my baby is the best baby ever, I am mentally prepared to still see the grape-ness. There will need to be pictures, obviously, but for my child's sake, I will only show the inevitable alien baby pictures to friends and loved ones that will laugh with me at my grape child.

Anyrant, I like seeing people's photos of stuff. I really do. I just like seeing less of the ones that don't matter. But it does give me fodder for this blog, I suppose, so not all is lost. And don't even get me STARTED on the people who think that they're a professional photographer just because they have a nice camera. That is truly a rant for another day, as that is a subject that needs a entire entry devoted to it.



I was going to do a mosaic of photos that exemplify the qualities in this rant, but all the absolute best ones I could think of were people that are my Facebook friends, and more often than not my actual friends... so, you get a girl and a camera instead.


Pic via PaperTissue

Seriously. I'm sorry. ...]

From Smitten today:


The Chain - Ingrid Michaelson

The sky looks pissed.
The wind talks back.
The bones are shifting in my skin
and you, my love, are gone.

My room seems wrong.
The bed won't fit.
I can not seem to operate
and you, my love, are gone.

So glide away on soapy heels
and promise not to promise anymore
and if you come around again
then I will take, then I will take
the chain from off the door.

I'll never say, I'll never love.
but I don't say a lot of things
and you, my love, are gone.

Ever After You

Ever After You - Gabe Dixon Band

Easy come and easy go
Has never been the case.
Dreams of you are hard to erase.
Call me crazy, call me mad
Call me what you will
But I'm sane enough to know that I love you still.


They say that life goes on,
But I've been dead since you've been gone.
I think they were wrong.
So who's the fool?


I am ever after you,
Always ever after you.
Tell me what I have to do.
Is there a way to be happy ever after you?
Ever after you


There is no psychology
And no amount of prayers
That can cure the pain when you're not there.
'Cause this is not supposed to be
How a love should look
After you have closed the storybook.


They say that life goes on,
But I've been dead since you've been gone.
I think they were wrong.
So what's the use?


I am ever after you,
Always ever after you.
Tell me what I have to do.
Is there a way to be happy ever after you?


Reach out, reach out, reach out, reach out, reach out, reach out,
Reach out, reach out, reach out
I'm not going anywhere.


I am ever after you,
Always ever after you.
Tell me what I have to do.
Is there a way to be happy ever after you?




pic via Steep Street

Taking a break

Yeah, yeah. I know I haven't posted in several days, but I really haven't had anything I feel like sharing with the blog-o-whatever. Sleeping in, harassing the financial aid office and eating cheese are hardly blogworthy topics (and that's even considering that my definition of "blogworthy" is pretty loose) but that's all I've been doing for the last few days, so meh.

School will start up for me on the 24th, so THAT will offer much to be blogged about, I'm sure. Speaking of which, I should really find out when auditions are for Die Fledermaus so I can re-learn the aria from that show. I have actually DONE the show before, so that will be a lot of fun and a very interesting experience to do a show for the second time. It's been about four years, as I was Rosalinda my senior year of my undergrad. I fervently wish I had pictures, but alas, no.

Anyprocrastination, I just wanted to let everybody know that I haven't forgotten about the ol' blog. I just haven't had anything to say.


Die Fledermaus. Get it?

Wendy or a Tinkerbell

Holy crap, internets. Sometimes, you up and produce some utterly intriguing stuff.




"The way I see it, every girl has to deal with a Peter Pan at some point in her life. A man-child, if you will. They’re fun, charming, witty, intoxicating and have such a magnetic personality that you don’t notice you’ve fallen completely in love with them until 4 months later. Then you have to decide which type of girl you are.

Are you a Wendy or a Tinkerbell?

See, if you’re a Wendy, you realize that the novelty of running through the neighbour’s lawn sprinklers at 3am completely naked and stealing bags of chips from 7-Eleven while one of you distracts the clerk, has worn off. So you pack up your bags and go off to grad school where you meet a nice young dentist that you can take home to your mom. Sure, sometimes you sit in bed with that perfect man lying next to you, thinking back on that one time you stole a couple shopping carts from Walgreens and raced them down the empty street. And you’ll smile, but you won’t regret moving on and taking responsibility for your life.

Now if you’re a Tinkerbell, you stay with Peter. Because you love one another and you both have an unspoken understanding that you’ve got too many psychological issues between you for it to work with anyone else. You thrive off the excitement and silliness of everything he does and it never gets old. You know why? Because you’re the only one who really “gets” him. And vice-versa. If you’re having a bad day he’ll put on Life Of Brian because he knows it’ll make everything ok, if only for a few hours. And that, my friends, is true love."


How totally genius is that?

via Sade

This is freakin' frakkin' amazing

Remember when I blogged about this song and how cool it is?


The video is epic:






I simultaneously love and hate this song because it is so gorgeous (love) and I watch it a million times every time I see it (love) and it makes me want to be a flamenco dancer (kind of hate).

Day off

Whenever I wake up here in a few hours, I have a day off. I am SO excited about it. I'm thinking that my Alyssa friend and I are going to play with her new puppy (a dachshund and chihuahua mix. I think they call it a Chi-weenie) and get cupcakes and drink my booze all day (read: play WoW like nerds).

Before I'm off to bed, I am loving this song:



Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky

...my salvation lies,
in your love.

Update: Victoria's Secret called and I am apparently "on-call" tonight, so I have to go in and close. We're still going to get cupcakes, but geez. I am NOT going in tomorrow, whether it says I have an "on-call" or night. Eff that. URGH.

Yikes.

Must have been great love.



that's for you, Roomie! (Maybe you'll actually blog now... hahaha)

Wedding pictures are exhausting.

You ever get into a circle of just really unproductive and unhealthy thoughts?


Example:

Why, hello, Facebook. What do you have for me today? Aww, her wedding pictures are pretty

*clicks through pictures*

Look at those dresses! I want dresses like that at my wedding

*keeps clicking*

Gah, if I ever get married

*stops clicking to get up and get a pint of ice cream. Resumes clicking*

And those little flower girls... Hm, if I never get married, I guess I'll never have kids, either

*click, click, click*

Look at how happy they are. My life is hopeless

*Cries a little into ice cream and finishes pint. Pops popcorn. Back to click-a-thon*

What am I doing with my life, anyway? Do I even want to sing opera? I have no direction at all.

*chokes on last bit of popcorn. Slight anxiety attack*

I only have a semester left in school, then what? You don't even know, do you? Nope. Husband, kids, house, life? Good luck.

*Eats several Babybels and keeps crying.*

I think I'm going insane. I hate my life. I have no goals...




Several hours later, I regain consciousness and survey the devastation of a depression buffet of popsicle wrappers and empty bags of potato chips, and realize I have been playing WoW mindlessly for the last several hours.

At least I won't have a hangover...

Booze.

When some people get in a funk, they have to blog. They need to write down all of their emotional tribulations and get the feelings out onto the proverbial paper (or blog-o-whatever). This is not me.

Others need to physically work through their stress. They get on a treadmill and just run and run until they can't run any more and then they go lift weights. This (obviously) is not me.

Others still need to go out. They liquor up and party and either get out of their funk or at least forget about it for a while, since unless your problem is a pressing need to get wasted, drinking isn't going to solve anything. This is not me.

That forgetting for a while thing is pretty nice, though. However, I have come to discover that booze is expensive. I know. *Shocker*. But in my recent stretches of relative poverty, expensive isn't good. So I have to confess my current personal booze to you all. It costs about the same as 2 or 3 mixed drinks, and I can indulge for an entire month. When I get sad or in a funk or lonely or whatever, I can partake and lose hours to my inexpensive and delightful friend. And best of all (well, other than that it's cheap), even though I'm not reeeally, I at least feel like I'm accomplishing something.


If you haven't guessed by now, World of Warcraft is my booze. And let me tell you, a year ago, I would have been the first to say that it's stupid and awful and way out of my league of nerdiness. But last summer, I let a boy talk me into it, so I caved. It was actually my birthday present to me ("I'm so happy..." name that movie!!). He doesn't really play anymore (lame), but talk about the gift that keeps on giving. And the game is fun, actually. What's really interesting to me is the number of people that play that I would have never guessed. Once you give in to your inner nerd, you'll find so many more out in the world. It's like we can smell each other or something....


However, I feel like there's a line. A nerdy line. Like, if my Alyssa friend and I go to Taco Bell and discuss dungeons and gathering professions over cheap tacos, that's one thing. Or if I go to Tulsa to see some friends I made through the game (AND a mutual friend) and hang out for a day, that's cool. But you know the people... the ones that make you uncomfortable with their commitment to their own exhaustive nerdgasms. These are the kids that have a picture of their character as their Facebook profile picture. Just because we both play this silly game does not mean that I want you shouting it across this room filled with people. Too much, kid. Just calm down.



Anygeek, I would just love to be playing now... but Tuesday mornings are dark because they do maintenance on the servers. It sucks especially on days like today when I both want to play really bad, and have a lot of time.

So instead, I'm going to watch some South Park! This episode is so spot on.


Voidwalker, Warlock and a Healthstone

pic via http://blog.sina.com.cn/maidemao (I can't read a word of it, but her little figurines and pictures are SUPER cute!!)

I'm obviously retarded.

I am so not tidy. I occasionally compulsively tidy my surroundings, but I am not an inherently organized and neat person.

My roommate (to be clear, this is not Rümmi; she went to live with her boyfriend in July) likes for her surroundings to look like a Pottery Barn catalog, and I'm trying to not be such a big crazy mess.

Well, I just got this text from her:



Courtney I love you but what is up with leaving trash in the middle of the floor...



I was crying I was laughing so hard at work. What I had done was taken the last bottle of water out of the 24 pack and, I kid you not, so I wouldn't forget and leave it in the house, I put the big empty package in the middle of the living room.



I forgot it.

I'm trying, I really am...