And now, for your viewing whatever the crap you want to make of it...

And now, because I can think of better things to say but feel like keeping them to myself, some Dadaism for you to take pleasure/pain/discombobulation from:

An alpaca blue light bulb up piggy sky loud? Yes, to pickle chew plastic race swamp jumping! Holler cold raisin couch bathtub creek, another carpet widow under math book fire. Lasagna purse sticky running quarter folder snowflake paper, snot picture lint encompassed fracture. Crusted monkey gelding? Construction music oragami! Tape shoot wooden stitches plexiglass computer gamble. Dandruff rumplebutt!

*wince*

Yeah, no, I sucked. I got a lot of, "No you didn't, you were funny!" comments, but I know that was not my best work. I was trying too hard, seriously. *sigh* Next time, next time.

Oh, and just so you know, overall those were two exceptional shows. So many talented people were there tonight and the shows were just amazing.

Get up, get up! Dance on the ceiling?

Snow, snow, snow! Beautiful fluffy white snow! Not quite wet enough for packing good snowballs, but perfect for sledding. We got a sled for Christmas, so it's perfect! I took the girls out on a hill by the high school yesterday. Brianna refused to go near the sled, but Leigha rode several times. I rode a couple, but lacking in proper garments to ward off wet coldness, I mostly watched. Leigha went down a couple times and hit a patch of ice at the bottom of the hill. The sled stayed put, she flew headfirst into the snow. It was fantastic. It made Bri laugh, which was probably the only fun little sourpuss had out there. Nice, kiddo, real nice. :-) My ankle has been hurting lately, more than I think it should be after almost a month, and I'm wondering if my doc missed something or if I'm just a slow healer. Either is quite plausible. I'm having trouble walking fast, still, which really sucked at the airport, and last night when I was "running" toward the car. For heaven's sake, I'm only 25, I shouldn't have to hobble! Mmph. I'm excited for (and intimidated by) tonight's performance. Lots of good people coming out to do longform and longform only at the Imp. I shall do my best to not suck. (melts into a puddle)

Christmas and suchness

On Friday night Jason and I managed to nab seats on a flight to Sacramento. (I saw another KC improviser at the airport on the way out but don't know him well and he seemed like he wanted to keep a low profile so I didn't say hi or anything. Weird coincidence.) My dad picked us up and drove us to their place in NV. I couldn't believe we got seats so close to Christmas! Sweet! Anyhow, we spent four days out there and it was awesome. We went to the movies and saw Enchanted, which I highly recommend. It was sooooo funny and ubercute. Totally appropriate for kids, too. The actress who played Giselle was just fantastic. We saw all my family Christmas Eve, opened presents, went to church, went to Trader Joe's (I WANT ONE HERE!!!) and there was much merriment. The girls practically chewed Lynette's arms off with talking and play, I swear. It was so great to see everyone. On the way home we had everything in our carry-ons except Jason's "Guitar Hero" game that he got. We took the label off the box and carried it separate from everything else. When we went through security we put the box down and sent it through the scanner and the security guy saw it and said, "Whoa, Guitar Hero!" It was funny. We came home quite late Christmas Day and opened our own presents here, then put the girls to bed. I had been feeling sick so I just vegged today and let the girls play with their new toys. Tonight I had Roving Imp rehearsal and it was so strange because it felt like I had been away for a very very long time. We did a lot of character and fundamental work and it was a REALLY awesome rehearsal. I literally left with the warm fuzzies. Mmm. There were a couple scenes in which I really felt I was reaching almost beyond my ability, however. One in particular. I was playing a very manipulative Southern belle character and the scene kept going and I hit a point where I was literally like, "RED ALERT, holy crap, I've overextended myself!!! Ahhh!" But apparently I was able to carry it through to the end and I got a lot of kudos for it. Whew. Actually, I heard a lot of complementary comments tonight...John told me some people were talking to him at the WCH gig we did a couple weeks ago and they saw our first performance and a few since then, and they said both Julie and I have really grown a lot. I know I was blushing like mad. I can't believe I generated even a little buzz from the improv scene here, I still feel intimidated at our monthly get together! (I'm pretty sure I'm blushing just writing this) Anyhow, I'm really excited about what 2008 is going to hold for my improv career. As of March I'll have been doing this for one year. Yay!

ENOUGH already!

Okay, I'm all for cultural and racial sensitivity and stuff, but for heaven's sake, do they have to shove it down our throats? Blecch! Stop it already! Children's shows are the absolute worse. If you watch any given episode of Sesame Street, you're going to assume that they have the exact same amount of Oriental, African American, Hispanic, blind, and deaf children in the neighborhood, since there's exactly one in every group. There's also a healthy smattering of caucasians thrown in just to make sure that even us whiteys can say, "Hey, he looks just like me!" But Sesame Street is just the tip of the iceburg. There are so many shows that just HAPPEN to show that perfect smattering of minority and handicap groups. The worst I can think of the moment is Dragon Tales. How on earth in an alternate universe of dragons can there be a Mexican dragon???? And what's up with the dragon in the wheelchair? YOU HAVE WINGS, YOU IDIOT!!! If your arms work, I would assume you're not paralyzed from the neck down, so flap those suckers already!!! Not to mention, why is it that the kids shows always have a character that is from Mexico or has family in Mexico? Are there no other countries a person can be from? And if you're going to show a kid celebrating Hanukkah, why not show a kid practicing Islam or Buddhism? After all, if you're going to shove it down our throats, at least do it whole hog.

I actually haven't got a subject line for you

Had an awesome rehearsal tonight with the Hype 7. We had a blast and we did some great scenework, which is awesome because we've not really done scenework before. We have a lot of really cool stuff planned for 2008 and I'm looking forward to it. Tonight was our last practice of the year and we wanted to hang out afterward as kind of a sendoff to a great '07, but Jason had dropped me off and came to pick me up, so he and the girls came along with us. It was so great having them there, I feel bad sometimes that Jason doesn't get to hang out with friends as much. Everyone he works with live really far away and they're not the "go out after work" types. The girls kept everyone amused with their antics, especially when Leigha tossed a "red ball" out and we started playing some improv games. Joe and Jason talked for quite a while, and it was just really nice socializing and having the family there. Best of both worlds! I'm really excited for next year and, by the way, I'm 1/20th of the way to Chicago!!!

Chi-Cookie, the girl is hard to get!

Tonight was a fantastic night of improv. It was our Christmas show and we were really awesome. Small-ish turnout due to the weather, but that's okay. We had a blast. I made my Chi-Cookies again (She-cookie, like shepoopie from the Music Man, hence the subject line, get it?) only this time they were sugar and had some unique frosting features....

Had to drizzle that on with a knife, btw. There were other much much better examples, but I forgot to take a picture until I got home, so....yeah. But aren't they fantastic?

'N Stuff

Last night we performed at the Westport Coffee House. We were heckled by an extremely drunk gal in the front row, which was amusing, we adopted really crappy British accents, and James ate my brain. Meh, wasn't using it. When the show was over I walked down Westport road alone. Went into Jerusalem Cafe (durr) for some post-show takeout to bring back to the Mister, and a crowd of audience members who were at the show were walking in. I said excuse me and they adopted crappy British accents and started talking in gibberish. I didn't catch what they said exactly, and I'm really not sure if they were remembering the show fondly by imitation or mocking me. I truly care not, but I wish I could make the distinction. Weird. Grabbed some Starbucks on the way out and drove (80 mph) home. Jason apparently went out Christmas shopping last night and when he was driving home he took out someone's mailbox with his sideview mirror. Nice. He's going to leave a note in it with his number so we can replace it. Apparently Leigha just about jumped out of her skin when it happened, but Brianna kept on sleeping.

A tiny little Spring awakening

The world is slowly starting to thaw out over here. Icicles dripping off telephone wires, puddles under all the trees that overhang the road, and in some places we're beginning to see damage to vegetation that we couldn't see for all the ice. It's nice to see the sun again, even if it won't last long, I mean, come on, this is the midwest we're talking about here. My ankle is also beginning to really heal now, too. My limp is much less pronounced now, I have very little pain when I walk, and I did a light yoga class at the Y this morning. There are a couple times when I'll tweak it just the wrong way and it'll scream at me, but at least I'm off those freaking crutches. Things are looking much better right about now. I was in a little bit of a funk, and that's also melting off too, thank goodness. I like me better when I'm not depressed. Brianna is being really sweet right now, too, which is helping. She's running up and squeezing my arm in a hug, stepping back, and then she'll get that malicious twinkle in her eye and say, "No tag backs!" And run off. Stinkin' kiddo. :-D Oh, and also, I got a package from Selena today, lots of Christmas presents, yay! She is so sweet. She's showing me up, too, I haven't even gotten my Christmas cards yet!

'Tis the season

Ice is really pretty, but not a whole lot of fun. Especially if you have to take your car into the shop and it's still raining and your wiper blades shred while you're trying desperately to keep on the road. I had to pull of under an underpass and make Jason switch the blades for me, but they were still sticking. Ugh. Luckilly I made it to the shop safely and they're fixing it right now. Hopefully it'll be done tonight so I don't have to figure out how to get it back from them tomorrow when Jason's at work. We went to Wal-Mart and got some new blades. They hadn't brought the cars in from outside last night...Hopefully for their sake it melts before they really need to!

Snarkety snark snark...

I liked my answers to this survey, so I'm putting it here for safekeeping. ;-)

1. How late did you stay up last night?
I dunno. I don't remember.

2. What was the first thing you thought this morning?
"if Jason tells me to wake up one more time I'm going to freakin' cream him with my pillow."

3. Is there a person you have a crush on?
Crush? No. Just my pillow-dented hubby. :-)

4. What did you do last night?
recuperated from my shopping outing. Did you know shopping is painful on a sprained ankle? It is.

5. What are doing this weekend?
I'll assume by "this weekend" you mean "this coming weekend not the current one that's about 3/4 over" and I'll respond thusly: Friday night, Roving Imp performance at the Westport Coffeehouse. Saturday, filming sketches with the Hype 7. Saturday night, Roving Imp performances (2) at the Roving Imp theater. Sunday, the usual lounging around the house watching Discovery Channel.

6. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now?
I had better freakin' be.......

7. Do you own a stereo that cost more than $100?
Does anyone really own a stereo anymore, or has that become as obsolete as the CD? (I'm a tech snob! Watch me tell you what a Noob you are and how 1337 I am while dismembering a fat free venti double zebra mocha, no whip! Oh, and while you were reading this, I totally defragmented your computer! Hah!!!)

8. Has someone of the opposite sex ever told you they loved you, and meant it?
Yurp.

9. How's your heart lately?
I haven't pulled it out to examine it, but it seems to be keeping in pretty good rhythm and such, so...yeah. Did you know that there's no vowel besides "sometimes y" in rhythm? Awesome!

10. What were you doing this morning at 7am?
Sleeping.

11. What were you doing this afternoon at 12pm?
Um.........driving home from church.

14. What was the reason you last cried?
Severe ankle pain.

15. Who has been your biggest inspiration?
as in a person? Oh gosh........um..........Tolkein?

16. Who's your most attractive friend?
That hot chick in the mirror. Mmm, yeah.

17. Why did you stop liking your last crush?
I haven't the foggiest. It's been almost 10 years, you know.

18. Do you know someone with the initials J.B.?
Those used to be my initials! Hah! My younger sister, a cousin, and Jason if you use his middle name and take off our last name.

19. Have you ever talked to someone when they were high?
Ugh. Yes. Not by choice.

20. How many red lights have you ran?
A few. They're always accompanied by the thought, "Yeah...I'm going to stop...*snicker*"

21. Have you ever cried while taking a shower?
No, but I've had a severe nose bleed and freaked out because it mingled with the water and I didn't know where it was coming from. That was seriously scary. And gross. Hah! Now you know! (man I'm feeling mischevious right now!)

22. What was your favorite grade?
Junior year of high school.

23. What were you doing at 12am last night?
I dunno, watching TV maybe?

24. What's a sure way to catch your attention?
Attach mirrors to your hands, angle them toward light, and wave them around while jumping up and down, shouting, and lighting signal flares.

25. Have you ever, in any way, been betrayed by someone you trusted?
Durrrrrrr

26. When was the last time you were given a rose?
Um..............I don't remember exactly, but I remember the rose(s). Pretty.

27. Is there anything that you are craving for right now?
Ooh! A healed ankle, some yoga, and improv!!! (it's been a while...seriously, like four days! My funny is puddling dangerously at the moment!)

28. Where did your last hug take place?
I sneak attacked Brianna, then gave her a wedgie.

29. Do people ever make stupid mistakes when spelling or saying your name?
They always always always spell my last name with two "b's" even if I correct a gazillion times. Although, one time my friend "Amie Trotter" was accidentally announced as "Arnie Totter"....it was awesome. We still laugh about it.

30. Have you ever started a sentence with "No offense, but..."?
No. People will take offense with what I say anyhow, so why bother?

31. What did you do today?
stagnate

32. When was the last time you saw a cop?
Oh gosh. "ma'am, the reason I pulled you over is because you were swerving a little. Are you intoxicated or tired in any way?" "Um......no?" "Oh, I see, so you were just distracted by something maybe?" "Uh.......I kept looking in my rearview mirror, yeah....." (totally wasn't swerving, Niffer can serve as a witness if need be.)

33. Did you ride in someone else's car today?
Jason's, yeah.

34. Have you made a mistake in the past week?
Have you seen my ankle?????

35. What are you listening to right now?
The dude on Man Vs. Wild

36. Who was the last person to text you?
Jason. It was an exhilarating conversation about various cracker choices at Wal-Mart

37. Do you miss someone?
Yes, but my aim is improving. Is that what you wanted? Is it? Next question!

38. Is there anything you regret about your past?
Your mom. Next question.

39. Are you happy with your life?
Yeah, actually. I have a lot going for me. Life rules.

40. Whats the last thing you ate?
a carmel.

41. Is there a feeling you're trying to avoid?
boredom, durr.

42. What will you do saturday?
I already answered that. Saturday is part of a weekend. Here's a question for you, are surveys randomly generated without forethought?

43.have you ever held your breath for 45 minutes?
Yes, and then I totally died. It was awesome.

I heart my nummies.

I swear if it was healthy I could totally live on a diet of chicken noodle soup, potatoes, and Dr. Pepper. Mmmmm....

(oh yeah, and the occasional sushi and/or mediterranian food excursion)

How much havock a crippled girl can wreak

From the show Wednesday. Yay for seated games!

A mighty wind is blowin'

The past week being forced to sit and take it easy has given me a lot of time to think. I mean a LOT of time. Priorities shifting, fuzzy details clarified, and I know what I'm doing with my hair next summer. As I can feel these random cogs in my life snapping into place, I can also feel something unexpected on the horizon. I can feel change creeping up on me, destiny calling. I wonder if I'll be the cause or if it's just going to happen? At the time it's only a faint ghost whisper...but it's coming. All I can do is be ready for it, and whatever happens, embrace it. Change is what life is all about after all, and I can tell this is gonna be big. On your mark, get set...

Ooh, baby do you know what that's worth? Hype 7 is a group on earth.

Good news, better news, best news! My ankle is not fractured, the swelling is going down, and the pain is very much less than it was. Yay! Also, tonight was my first Hype 7 performance! We did fantastic! I think I had a really strong beginning but then petered out a little, possibly due to my ankle self-conciousness, but we all did a great job I think. I am so proud of Tiffany, it was her first improv show....ever. She did so well. :-D There were a couple former H7'ers in the audience and they thought we newcomers (me and Tiffany) did the troupe proud. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. We all went out afterward and ate and drank and laughed, it was so cool. Dan (one of the former members) came with his wife to the restaurant and regaled us with stories of the olden days, which was really cool. I joined Roving Imp at the ground level, so it doesn't have a history yet, not like this, so it was neat to hear of the troupe's beginnings and what it was like even a couple years ago. So much fun. Okay, must sleep now. Arrgh, I'm so wound up and yet I'm really tired! Mgah!!!

Not for the weak of stomach

Here's a picture of my swollen and sprained ankle. (Yes, it's sprained) Avert your eyes if you be faint of heart. (Oh, and fyi, it doesn't usually look like this....and the lines are from the bandage I've been wearing)

Tape it up, we got a game to play!

Tonight was the Roving Imp Smackdown show, in which we all competed for the "Golden Bindle Award." It was a swell night, all kinds of great work, funny games, great fun....and then as I pulled into the lead, I stepped off the stage exactly wrong and hurt the crap out of my ankle. Pain shot up my leg and then I felt pins and needles. The whole theater went, "Ooh!" And then it was a bit quiet. John tried to make a couple jokes but they didn't land, so he decided to just go ahead and call intermission at that point. I don't recall if I hobbled to the back room or if I had help, but somehow I ended up in a chair backstage with my foot up on the piano. We got ice and Tiffany had some pain killers, and after a bit I felt better, so we taped my foot up with masking tape and called it good. I was able to perform the second half (and win the award alongside Cristil, yay!) and then I sent Jason out to get me an ankle brace. I performed the second show as well, but toward the end it was really starting to get to me. I took it pretty easy, though, so that's good. I need to get to the doctor this week, though. I'm seriously hurting now and I'm afraid to take this brace off because I'm scared of what I'll find. I hate my ankles...I've had stupid problems with them all my life. I wish I could walk without them collapsing for no apparent reason, this sucks. Oh well. At least I know what to do when injured.

Called my parents a couple days ago, because I'm a good daughter. My dad had asked for some ideas as to what Jason would like for Christmas. I gave him a couple lame ideas and then said, "Ooh....but what would be REALLY cool would be THIS!" My dad took it into consideration, then called me at eight this morning to say, "Wow, you're awake?" (he forgets that there's a two hour time difference and it's totally not six in the morning here) before saying, " You know that special thing you told me about? Well don't buy one for Jason." Sweet. So Jason, I know something you don't know. And it's really cool. And when I know something somebody doesn't know and it's something really cool, I do this:

I really need to tell Brianna to stop slurping, it's really loud over on her side of the table.

I never thought I'd see the day.....

Here's a dilemma I've never had before....I don't know if I want to try out for a musical this summer or focus more on improv. Crap! Theater in the Park is doing Beauty and the Beast, which I would just love to do...but that would take away a LOT of time from improv and my family. Improv is much less of a commitment than a play or musical because you only rehearse one night a week and perform a couple times a month. Yeah, it's ongoing, but most people who do plays and musicals do a few a year, and they rehearse five nights a week. So yeah, B&B is one musical I seriously consider taking the time to do, but how much would that take away from my improving? I'm torn! The good news is I have a few months to decide.

Post happy

I know I've posted a lot today, but I just have to share with you this awesome tidbit of news....NIFER IS AN IMP!!!!! Woo hoo! She auditioned tonight and is now officially a part of the Roving Imps! I hope she's ready to see a ton of me because we're now in 2 troupes together! :-D

Once, twice, three times a ladybug

As some of you know, Kansas City has been infested by ladybugs recently. I walked into my kitchen and saw this spider getting revenge. Too cool, had to snap a picture:

Note to self....

Just a friendly little reminder. Don't park your coffeemaker too close to the edge of the counter, especially after filling the tank with water. It will become imbalanced and fall, the carafe will break, and you will not be able to enjoy your Guatemalan coffee beans from The Roasterie. Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to Starbucks.

I can has improv?

Went to antiprov rehearsal tonight. Things are really starting to come together! I'm having a lot of fun with Scott and Joe, and we've come up with some pretty cool new games. I have to admit I'm getting pretty proud of what we're doing. :-) I'm also in the process of writing my very first sketch, something I've never even attempted to do before. We'll see how this goes. I'm supposed to have it done by tomorrow, heh heh...we'll see. If it ever gets filmed I'll totally post the video. Rehearsal tomorrow night, rehearsal Wednesday night, Performance Saturday. Mmm....improv heaven. It's nice up here.

I'm a luck dragon!

We did manage to make a little magic last night....decorating the house for Christmas! I made a huge dinner with all sorts of yummy things then Jason pulled the decorations up from the basement and we took down the fall stuff, set up the tree, and went nuts. I don't know if it's because we don't have as many ornaments or if it's because I'm an adult, but it seems like it used to take a lot longer when I was a kid. Before long, though, the tree was decorated and we turned off the lights and drank egg nog in the soft multicolored glow. The girls looked so beautiful with their little faces all lit up by the tree and I was reminded of when I was a kid and we'd sit on the couch with the fire going and Manheim Steamroller in the background (a lot more peaceful than it sounds) drinking hot chocolate. I used to stare at the ceiling because we had lights that would periodically turn on and off and I liked to see the shadow of the pine needles on the ceiling as it changed with each blink. Leigha wrapped up a bunch of things from her room and drew all over the paper with sharpies, then wrote to and from. There are four of us and she put about six presents under the tree. She's so sweet.

Modern day faerie tale

I'm re-reading The Princess Bride, it's such a fantastic story. A great page-turning adventure with wildly outrageous vivid characters, and incredibly funny. It's relatively recent literature, in the grand scheme of things, and yet it's set back in an undetermined medieval/rennaisance-esque period. Almost all fantasy novels are set in the past in that undetermined point in non-history. I wonder if it's because there have been so many in that "time" that a precedence was set, or if we just fail to believe such things as magic and adventure are conceivable in this day and age? Perhaps that's why Harry Potter is such a sensation (beyond the fact that it's very well written and has a great story line) I'd like to see more modern day fantasy.

Super duper

Yesterday it snowed, first snow of the season! I called Leigha downstairs and told her to look out the window and she flipped out for a good five minutes. Later Tiffany came over and we ran out and did a spot 'o shopping together, including Starbucks. We were walking toward the building and Brianna said, "It's Christmas!!" Leigha said, "No it's not, Bri." Bri said (in the meanest, most forceful voice a three year old can muster, "Yes it is! It's Snowing and that means it's Christmas!" Awesome. We came back to my place and talked of life, love, and improv before she left for her mom's house. I fixed dinner, we ate, then it was off to rehearsal. We're going to do a "smackdown" and earn points to see who will win the soon to be coveted "golden bindle." It's so going to be me. *tries and fails to look fierce* We'll see. I think this will be fun. We also performed a brand new longform style, "Superheros." We had a blast. Well, happy Thanksgiving, all. I didn't forget, it's just that nothing has happened so far beyond the compiling of an apple pie and a few Macy's floats. Hope you're all enjoying your families. *lonely*

The subject line that is more awesome than Godzilla hi-fiving Chuck Norris

I had an extremely productive improv evening. First was "that which must not be mentioned," and the H7 came for the first time, which rocked. We all jumped in and had fun. Then Scott, Joe and I met for the second time for our improv thunderdome group, Antiprov! We ran some games we had thought up, broke some rules, learned via trial and error, and became more comfortable with one another, which was fun. Scott had somewhere to be at nine and we accidentally ran a little over and he practically sprinted out of the coffeehouse. Poor guy, I hope we didn't make him late for something. Joe drove me home because my car is being worked on and Jason had dropped me off. We talked about our little group and what's next for Hype7. We also discussed talk radio personalities. Nice. Big week of improv for me, and when I'm not doing improv...I'll be eating turkey. Sweeeeeet. (Oh yeah, and more yoga and stuff)

Breaking the rules can be fun!

Last night was one of the most exhilarating shows I've ever been priveleged enough to be a part of. Nifer and Joe showed up to support me, and our 7pm show was great! I talked with them between shows then sequestered myself to the backstage area to await the 9pm show. Several people from the cast failed to show up and we were in trouble for the late show...luckilly John had called James who showed up just in time, and the show went on. The first half was all games and everything went well. The second half longform, however....wow. We did a "soap opera" themed longform. It started out with a basic love triangle...which then expanded gradually into more of a love dodecahedron. Then somebody subtly broke the fourth wall....then it happened again...then somebody made a reference to the fourth wall...and eventually we were killed off one at a time via crossbow and resurrected as our real life selves. All except John. "I'm sweeping the scene because I'm the only character still in this thing and you all have to go away now!" (nice.) He started into this monologue eventually saying something to the effect of "and I'm the only one still alive!" Which is when I said, "CrossBOOOOOW!!" Shot him, he cursed and fell to the ground. Blackout. Absolutely priceless! Yesterday was also Leigha's play, Cinderella. It was adorable and she was the best pumpkin ever. FYI, that was her fifth play and she's not even eight!

Mor funneez plz? kthxbai

I'm addicted to lolcatz.


moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures

Pi-youch!!!!

Jennifer used to have a Y membership, and she highly recommended pilates to me. "Seriously, Jess, I'm fatter than you and if I can do it, you can do it." She certainly has a way of making a point. :-) So I decided to check out the pi-yo class at the Y. Pi-yo is a combination of pilates and yoga, if you didn't get that. The class was this morning, and it was a very new experience for me. I've never taken a class of the fitness variety since PE and we all know what a lovely experience that was. So I show up in my dumpy gym getup and follow the lead of one of the other girls by grabbing a few mats and spreading them in a plus sign on the floor. Slowly but surely a bunch of skinny-mini people show up, including the instructor, and wouldn't you know it? In a room full of mirrors I just happen to pick the front of the classroom so while everyone is looking at the instructor they'll be able to see me. Greeeaaat. I put on my bravest "onstage" attitude and suck it up, and we begin going through the positions together. First was warmups, then upper body strength, lower body strength, core workout, and cooldown. It was much more entertaining than the eliptical, but I distinctly felt like I was going to quite literally die in at least three separate and distinct moments. I was also excessively wobbly which did not help with the whole, "everyone's looking this way" thing. But I got through it with my arms only giving out on me a couple times and only having to rest a couple times, and I left feeling fantastic. Endorphines rock, btw. I will totally go back, but holy crap that is a WORKOUT. I got home and showered then immediately headed to Westport for some Jerusalem Cafe deliciousness, followed by a brief stop at World Market before hitting Country Club Plaza for some Christmas shopping. It was all very rush rush because I had a lot of stuff to do and very little time in which to do it, and really fantastic coupons that expire Sunday (and no time except today) so what's a girl to do? :-D I also managed to snag myself a cute undershirt at the Gap that will keep me snuggly warm and fashionable at the same time this winter, all for only $9. Mmmm. Got back, picked Leigha up from school and dropped her off at her rehearsal, and finally came home at 4:30. *Whew!* I have no clue what's for dinner. Meh, we'll figure something out. And this evening, I'm going to the opera to see Julie and Elsbeth in La Boheme! I feel very cosmopolitan at this moment. I'm also very tired. :-D

OINK!!!

This is the Chi-Pig. He is very very hungry.

Manana? We don't know what that means!

I had such a fantastic night at rehearsal it was as if the improv gods were saying, "we're sorry you were dissapointed last week, here, please accept this gift. Oh, and btw, you're pretty." (Fine, I added the last bit. Shaddup.) It was a blast. I feel I did a pretty good job, too. I'm super stoked for this coming week's show, and two H7'ers (that I know of) are coming! Yay! Cheering section! This has been a great week thus far, and yes, I'm knocking on particle board hoping to not get bad luck now, but I'm really happy being me at this present moment.

San Diego

In-n-freakin-out burger, baby!!!!

My mom and Leigha switch places on the playground near my grandma's house

Janina, my younger sister, shows Jason exactly who's boss. (BTW, she's wrong.)

Brianna....yeah, just be afraid.

The scant amount of rain that we got...Grandma came out on the porch and said, "Oh, it's pouring!" My dad said, "Well, yeah, for San Diego, it is...."

Party on, Garth

Jason and I took the girls to a circus tonight. It was their, and my, first. Pretty cool, actually. Driving downtown was crazy, though, as tonight was also one of the many Garth Brooks concerts going on at the Sprint Center. Jason asked, "What's going on tonight?" I replied, "Garth Brooks concert. Isn't it obvious? (I pointed to a cowboy) That's clearly one of his fans....in fact, for all I know, that's him!" We found a legal, free parking space within walking distance of the municipal auditorium, and made our way to some seats. They had some really cool acts. At the end they had a bunch of things going on on the auditorium floor, including pony and elephant rides, people dressed up like Spider Man and Sponge Bob, some inflatable bounce houses, and all the clowns lined up for meet and greets. As we walked back to our parking space Leigha was chattering about how she'd like to join the circus someday. I asked her what she'd like to do. "Um....I liked the trapezes...but the hula hoop lady with the fire was cool. Oh! I know, I'd be one of the bear trainers!" "Wow, that would be cool! How about you, Brianna, out of all the people at the circus tonight, who would you be?" "Sponge Bob!"

Look, it's me!

My cousin found an old home movie of me from high school, wasn't I cute back then?

I couldn't be happier

I was so excited for rehearsal this evening, but it didn't turn out to be as fun as I'd hoped. I'm bummed out. I hoped to end this rehearsal week on a high note. Oh well.

Heads up

Just a few scattered pieces of my life I'd like to share. I'm plotting and planning like a madwoman right now. Not going to say what for until a few things line up just right and it looks like this is doable in the near future....but I'm excited. It's a big fat honkin' deal if I manage to pull it off! So my efforts are pretty intense and ambitious. It's the kind of fever that leads to me doing something semi-crazy, but this time with a purpose! I've begun going to the gym on a more regular basis than I have been...I slacked off a bit at the beginning of September (tee hee!) and was just picking up steam when my car blew up, so it's been a while since I've been really good about going. I'd really like to drop another size before the January rush because I don't want to spend much time in a crowded gym full of wishy washy "it's my resolution this year...kind of an annual tradition with me" people. Very few people actually mean it, you know. After all, nothing magical happens in January that automatically makes everything that could possibly make you into an overall "better person" any easier. You have to work to change the world, you have to work to change yourself. There's never been an easy button or magic pill, and there never will be. It's life, so suck it up and deal with it. /soapbox My car had a part that was recalled so we took it to the dealership and got it fixed free. A couple more little bits fixed and we'll be good to go! I just got plates for it this week, though, cost more than anticipated which sucks. Eh, no more Starbucks for Jessica until next Friday! I'm so glad it's that easy nowadays, though....I recall a time when that would have had Jason and I in a huge panic over how to pay for crap. We've come so far. Must go now, back to plotting scheming and dreaming!

A blonde moment so severe you'd think I dyed my hair again....

Okay, here's how big of an idiot I can be sometimes. I took my car to the gas station to fill it up for the first time. Naturally, I parked so the driver's side was closest to the pump, since that's where it was on the van. Guess what? Not on the Intrepid! (I've decided to name it "Betty.") No, it's on the passenger side! So I turn the car back on, pop it into drive, and go around. I parked at the pump, ready to put some gas in, only to find that I had, AGAIN, instinctively parked so the driver's side was closest to the pump! Gaaah! So I turned the car on yet again, put it in drive, drove around the circle, paused at a pump.....realized it was close to the driver's side again (ah!) but hadn't put it in park yet, so I crossed to the other side and parked (FINALLY!) with the correct side of the car facing the pump. Wow. I wonder what the other people filling up where thinking when they saw me?

Helloooo? I'm freaking dying here!

Oh man...Saturday morning I woke up in excruciating pain. I literally could not move without getting stabbing pains in my stomach. I called Jason then went to Urgent Care. I was so out of it it was actually kind of funny. Well they told me to get an x-ray and I was walking to the other building to get one when I ran into a friend of mine, who saw the state I was in and took the kids off my hands for the day. (how sweet!) So I went to the x-ray place and they didn't take my insurance so I went back to the Urgent Care place to see what else could be done, and while I was there, I puked. Yay. But it made me feel better....not all the way, but better. So I decided to just go home and sleep and see what that did for me. I woke up in the afternoon, feeling pretty good, so I ate something, decided it was, in fact, staying down, took a shower, got dressed, and called my friend, who dropped the girls off. At that point it was about five o clock, so I decided since I was feeling so much better (even though my tummy still hurt a bit) I'd go ahead and get ready to do some improv! I got to the theater, warmed up, and got ready for the show. The 7pm show was a little laggy....until Julie picked up John P., and then everyone was laughing so hard that we picked up some steam and finished on a high note. It was a pretty great show. In between shows we played a game where we all lay down on the stage and pretended we were hot dogs on a roller thingy (John was a veggie dog!) and we all rolled across the stage in unison, giggling like idiots! Every so often you'd hear someone cry, "I've got a credit card!" "Ooh, car keys!" After a while we were laughing so hard that the "unison" thing ceased to exist and some people sped up and we were rolling on top of each other like some kind of crazed laying down crowd surfing! An audience member entered at that point and we jumped up and scattered to sequester ourselves backstage. Luckily it was John and Julie's brother, so I'm sure he understood. The nine o clock show was pretty great, we were very tuned in to one another, and we went out with a bang! We were all feeling so great at that point that we went to the bar next door and hung out, playing bar games and eating greasy food. It was great. I went to Julie's house for a bit after that, and she showed me a couple chords on the guitar for kicks. I came home a little after midnight and chatted with Jason for a bit before falling into a deep sleep. I can't believe I could be so sick and still have a fantastic day.

FYI, I woke up this morning and my stomach still hurts. If it's still hurting tomorrow, I'm going to my doctor.

THE LAWS OF INERTIA HAVE BEEN REPEALED!!!

The term "inertia" is more properly understood as a shorthand for "the principle of inertia as described by Newton in his First Law."

In simple terms we can say that "In an isolated system, a body at rest will remain at rest and a body moving with constant velocity will continue to do so, unless disturbed by an unbalanced force"

That is a snippet from a wikipedia article on the subject of inertia. Unfortunately, inertia is now a theory and no longer a myth. Why you might ask? Well...today I cleaned out my kitchen quite thouroughly. This means I opened cabinets a lot, particularly the spice cabinet. I opened it like six times. There is a can of baking powder (can't say the name brand, so let's just call it "Clobber Girl") Sitting on the edge of the cabinet, but still fully inside the cupboard. It didn't budge once while I cleaned the kitchen. HOWEVER, all that changed when I decided to make some egg drop soup this evening. Apparently, the second you put an egg on the counter....



Wha-BAM! The laws of inertia just don't apply in this instance. They just can't help it! The joke must be had! I'm on to them....

FYI, I took it in stride and went ahead with my cooking. The resulting soup was, in fact, delicious.

Say hello to the light in your eyes

Jason and I took the girls to a dollar theater to see Hairspray. They loved it! Brianna was dancing crazedly the whole time, it looked like she was literally trying to get on the Corny Collins show! Leigha was so into it that she was rivited the whole time. I was struck again by the fact that segregation was real and it was only 40 years ago that people had to fight to be treated like human beings in a country that prides itself on the "basic human rights" and "all men are created equal" stuff. Makes you wonder how anyone could have ever been so blind. Only 40 years ago, and in this day and age I can't even imagine why people would have ever thought that was okay. We have come so far. Every time I go to a dollar movie theater I think about the time Jason, Lynette and I went to Pueblo and saw "10 things I hate about you" at a dollar theater and the row of 12 year old girls who kept squealing every time Heath Ledger smiled. It was quite amusing this time too, when some people in the front row held up their cell phones and waved them like lighters at a concert during the candle light protest song. Seeing it the second time around was so much fun! I can't wait to buy the DVD!

Friday Letdown

Since I only have shows Saturday nights (until we do some for H7) Fridays are a bit of a letdown for me. Everyone else is celebrating the start of the weekend, but in our family, it doesn't start 'till Saturday night. Therefore Leigha is out of school for the weekend, perfect time to do something cool as a family, and Jason has to get up at 5:30 the next morning. That rather sucks. Oh well, at least we can still grab a bite and a movie as a family. Last night we had a great rehearsal at RI. One of our new guys who has only come to rehearsal once showed up (yay!) and Crystil brought a friend who is thinking about auditioning but wanted to see what it was like first. (here's a thought...come to a show! Eh, it's cool. Maybe she'll come now that she's seen us) So there were like eight of us there at one time, which is a lot for a smaller troupe like ours, we'd been averaging about five or six for the past couple months. Anywho, we did some GREAT work, played a loooot of new games and just had a blast. I still feel priveleged to be part of the improv world, it's so cool! I can't wait to see where next year will take me.

Aren't you a little old to be trick or treating?

As many of you may be aware, today is a little known holiday called "All Saints Day." Less commonly known as "Halloween" in some parts of the country. *cricket, cricket* Anywho....I went to Leigha's school for the Halloween parade and party and we enjoyed ourselves (FYI, there was a kid dressed like a whoopie cushion. Nice.) When Jason got home we went to the community bbq, then Jason holed up at the house while I braved the mean streets in pursuit of candy. It started out well, people smiling at the girls and saying how cute they were...but when it turned dark the trick or treaters got older and older. We've lived here two years and this is the first time it's been bad. A 10 year old kid got offended that Leigha was talking to her. "What's your name?" "Leigha." "Yeah, I don't KNOW you." Little snot. We kept going and after a while we were followed by a kid who wouldn't stop scaring Brianna. Finally I turned and said, "She's THREE!" The kid took the hint. I was greatly amused when Bri freaked out about some plastic spiders that were sitting harmlessly on a doorstep. As it got later, there were just teenagers left, which isn't bad....but they were all wearing "sexy" costumes and smoking. Yeah...I came home not too long after that and said, "Turn the light off, Jason, they don't need any candy from us." We had a pretty good night, all in all, but compared to previous years, meh. *edit* A couple things I forgot to mention. There was a group of 12 year olds and they gave the girls a bunch of candy they didn't like, which was very sweet of them. Also, instead of saying Trick or Treat, Brianna simply marched up to the houses, thrust her pumpkin bucket at the person and said, "I want bubble gum."

Ah crap.

You know what sucks? Trying on many different outfits and still ending up looking like me. Ugh.

It's simple, just hire Ron Jeremy!

Hung out with the Hype 7 this evening. We had a "sketch writing meeting." It basically means we hung out, drank, and laughed while talking about random crap and had a great time. Jen is amazing, though. She brought her laptop and while it seemed for the most part like we were just goofing off and nothing was getting accomplished, she kept typing and by the end of the evening, she had a whole list of ideas and quotes from stuff we'd talked about and improvised. I do wonder what's going to come of it. I just love how tight knit the group is, such a phenomenal group dynamic. I'm really enjoying them. I helped record a bit that Bryan had...something about a guy who got a hernia trying to impress a girl by lifting waaay too much weight. It was pretty funny. Anyhow, I dreaded driving home because there's no radio (as of yet) in my new car, so I was there until almost midnight, and we had started at 7:30. We have rehearsal tomorrow night, too. Can't wait!

Awesome!

I would totally pay nine bucks to see this.

Horse sense

Today Leigha and Bri competed in events for the American Royal! We were at Kemper Arena all day long (and all last night as well) and I'm soooooo tired. Bri competed in two events. Lead line, in which she sat on the horse while Sheila led her around the arena with a rope, and stick horse, in which she rode around the ring on a stick horse. Yes, really. It was so cute! We didn't have a stick horse so last night I fashioned one out of a dowel rod, paper bags, string, and staples. It turned out really cute. When we checked her in for that one they asked me what the name of the horse was. I said, 'The stick horse?' 'Yes.' 'Oh....uh....give me a minute.' I came up with a name pretty quick (what can I say? I do improv.) and she took off prancing through the ring with all the enthusiasm a three year old can possibly muster. When the event was over they lined them up and "judged" them just like a real horse event, then read their names off and told them to get their ribbons (they all got blue ribbons). They got to her name and had to read the name of the horse twice, to much laughter. "Brianna Robins riding Maggie Paper Baggie....that's Maggie Paper Baggie. Oh my." Leigha competed in two events also, the lead line class and the small fry walk/trot. The lead line class was technically not allowed....but they bent the rules a bit. There's no age limit on the lead line class, and an older guy who had stalls next to ours in the stable told Leigha to take the rope and walk him around the arena. So basically there's all these little little kids being led around the ring by their moms, dads, and grandparents, and here's Leigha, leading a man old enough to be her grandfather. Nice. The walk/trot class was the big one, it consisted of Leigha walking then trotting her horse around the arena. Unfortunately, she ended up not trotting at all, even when they said to. Why? Because they said, "Jog your horses, please, jog your horses." Jogging and trotting are the same thing. Leigha had no clue. So basically she's walking her horse around in a circle, reversing, and walking her horse around in a circle again...not trotting. The other horses had very subtle trots, too. When Mecca trots her entire body moves up and down and she actually picks up speed. The other horses looked like they were just doing a semi-fancy walk. So poor Leigha had no clue what was going on! She got fourth out of four, but she did so well considering she was lost half the time. Oh well, she'll know next time.

Tissue issues

I don't know what's going on, but every time I log in I have to reset my password. It's getting on my nerves. Anyhow, so just when I think I'm over the uber cold, my allergies show up. It's like, "Oh, come ON! I've forgotten what it's like to not be a freakin' mouth breather! I'm starting to creep people out on elevators!" Not that I typically ride elevators, but I like to think that if I rode one, my standing there breathing out my mouth would creep them out to the point of casually shuffling into the corner and staring at whatever they're holding in their hands, and if they're not holding anything, then staring at the wall. I also like to think that the hypothetical wall is reflective and they can see me staring at them, mouth agape, trying to breathe, just watching them in the reflective wall of the elevator on which they're trapped. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, so I'm almost positive my lingering cold and allergies have merged at this point, and are conspiring to kill me, or at least my taste buds. This sucks. Good news, though, I do have a car so if I die, I can totally drive myself to the hospital.

Quick! Dodge!

Today was a strange day in Jessicaland...Jennifer was on the phone with me nearly all day because she kept being sideswiped by problems. Like, serious problems. They're trying to move and the kid who retrieved their truck hit another truck in the lot with it. Later Joey sprained his ankle while moving things out of the house. As if moving isn't stressful enough. There was more to the story too. Later Jenny picked me up and took me to the chiropracter and then up to the airport to meet Jason. We went to Jennifer's to say goodbye to them, had some dinner, and waited for an important phone call. When the call came we drove out to a house to look at a car. Jason checked the car and it was mechanically sound, it was cute, it was blue, it only had 130,000 miles on it (the van had 256,000 when it died), it was a four door, and an automatic. We test drove it, it was great. We totally bought it! $775! I have a car again, woo hoo!!! It's not a complete piece of junk, woo hoo! Did I mention it was blue? Jason drove behind me to our house and we dropped it off (it's not liscenced yet) then he took me to rehearsal. I was really late but I had called to tell John what was going on. It was interesting...I walked in in the middle of the longform and literally felt the energy in the room change when I came in. Not that there was anything wrong before I get there (yeah...so not an egotist like that) it just changed, and I could feel it. It was interesting how palpable it was. I got there just in time to do a second longform and then we talked about things for a bit. I wasn't there for long but it felt very productive and refreshing. Everyone was happy to hear about my new car. Ah, I'm so wound up it's not funny!

Car tune

I haven't found a car yet, and at the moment we only have one lead. We'll see how this turns out. I'm having soooo much fun with the Hype 7, though! They're very much my kind of people. Random, scattered, full of energy....we should be called the hyper 7! We rehearsed in a room at KU, and apparently the geniuses that plan who goes in what room stuck us next to a med student class that were reading their presentations or something. After a bit, a girl came into our room and said (this is a direct quote), "Gee, guys, it sounds like you're having a heck of a lot of fun in here, but..." And then proceeded to say the stuff about the presentations and such..., "And there are fourty of us in here and only seven of you, so...if you could just keep it down, that'd be great, thanks!" We all kind of looked at one another for a bit, then everybody started talking at once. We could see their point because we were being a tad loud, but...she used a very patronizing tone (do they teach that in the med student course?) and the whole comment about how there were fourty of them and "only seven" of us was just...grr. Later Jen went to the bathroom and walked past the window of their door. She came back and said, "There are like 10 of them in there!" It was amusing to say the least. Rehearsal went well, we had a blast. I had gotten a ride with Nifer, and we stopped at Starbucks on the way out of town to caffeinate up. We got our beverages then walked up and down Mass street for a while, just talking. Good stuff.

Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree?

I dreamed that I was in a room full of art...really, really cool art. It was vaguely abstract in nature, all strongly resembling human figures and faces. As I was admiring the artwork, Tiffany from Hype 7 came up and said, "Do you like my artwork?" And I realized it was a gallery and she was the featured artist. I said, truthfully, "it's amazing!" I remembered admiring one picture in particular and I couldn't figure out what medium she had used. I asked and she told me "soup!" So then I was picking up that the green was split pea, the red tomato, etc. I remembered thinking what a brilliant artist she was and how I wished I was that inspired. Now that I'm awake, I'm just thinking, "It was ME!! That came from ME!" I didn't know I had that kind of abstract in me! How do I tap back into that place? I wanna go there again!

Picking Pumkins

We went to the pumpkin patch today, here are some cute pics:
Leigha and Bri were very proud of their pumpkins, Bri sang to hers while we were walking to the car and informed us that it was crying because it didn't have a mouth.

Brianna liked the "camels."

Leigha clutches her pumpkin to her one the car ride home. She looks quite bored.

Bri didn't make it to the highway before she fell asleep.

Don't forget to use your wine fork!

Oh man...if you've never been to improv shows...you're missing out. Like seriously missing out. So many inside jokes! Tonight was Ryan and Dana's first show. They were awesome. We went out after and had a blast...oh, I'm sooooo tired!

Come see improv!

Stop and smell the centipedes

You know what sucks? Walking a mile to the chiropracter on a busy road with no sidewalk! Blecch! And instead of having the decency to have a shoulder or flat ground next to the road, it's steep sided ditches alllllll the way down. Mmm, fun. Especially when on top of that you're walking with a tempestuous three year old who refuses to hold hands and expresses her displeasure by grunting and running into the road. Not fun at all. Bri and I did just that this afternoon. It wasn't all farts and suckage, though, we did manage to find about 35 cents worth of loose change just lying around, and my back feels great at the moment. We went to Sonic after the appointment because it's right there, then turned around for the long trek home. I got about halfway when a guy pulled up and asked if I'd like a ride. I checked my "stranger danger" radar (hmmm...minivan...carseat...) and he passed so I got in and he drove me back to the house. He said, "I saw your little girl and figured you weren't walking for fun." Ain't that the truth. What a nice guy. Poor Bri was so tired when we got home that I put her down for a nap right away. It took us an hour to get there at her pace! She's a trooper. :-)

Torque control

It rained psychotically today...seriously. That's something I love about this area...rain for longer than 15 minutes. Yay! So I was obviously not walking the mile to the chiropracter's. Luckilly, Jennifer called and I was talking about it and she said, "What? Oh, you have to go, I'll drive you!" So sweetheart that she is she drove from Platte City to take me to the chiropracter's office. I had to buy her Starbucks to thank her. I have another appointment tomorrow, so hopefully it won't rain. Apparently when I fell at Wal-Mart I twisted a vertabrae and it's been pinching a nerve, giving me all kinds of lovely spasms in my back. Yay! So we're going to fix this sucka. After much crazy running around I got to rehearsal and we had a good time. The scenes were pretty fun, although some were very strange. We might do a death pendulum for the Saturday show (yes! Death pendulum!) so that's cool. I wish I could keep my big mouth shut sometimes, though...I called somebody out on something and I feel bad for it. Why do I do that? It's not like I'm so perfect! I really shouldn't try to offer constructive criticizm if I just come across like a jerk for saying anything...just let some stuff go, you know? I'll try to work on that.

Van Gogh

And that's that. My van is gone, sold to a scrap yard. As Strong Bad in his infinite wisdom said, "It's overrrrrr!" As we were driving away all I could think was, "My van...." We just renewed the plates but we'll get a refund for that, add that to the cash from the scrap yard and I have a tiny "car pool" which I will add to on Friday, and hopefully we'll be able to find a cheap (read: under $1,000) car. Yes, I had to specify, we've had a lot of people say, "Oh, I know where you can get one for $16,000!" Um...yeah, 'cause I totally have $16,000 just lying around, that's what I meant by "cheap." If you're wondering why I don't just get a car loan...well, it's very simple. Jason and I are trying to live debt free and we've almost got everything but the student loans payed off. Obviously when we get a house we'll finance, but that's the only payment I want to have. Besides, I've seen some really good cars for what most people consider a "down payment" so...why make a down payment when you could just buy a car outright? Anyhow, went to the chiropracter yesterday, he made some adjustments and told me to minimize my "bending, lifting and twisting." Um....I had Hype 7 rehearsal last night, hee hee! I don't think I stuck very well to his instructions. Oops. I have another appointment today, but I'm sooooo not going to walk in the rain. Jennifer said she'd come by this afternoon and take me, so that'll be good. Oh, and I have Roving Imp rehearsal tonight, aaah! So bad with instructions! Anyhow, back to Hype 7 rehearsal. It was good, we had a lot of fun, and I got to meet the infamous "interview pigeon." Good times. He was freaking out for no apparent reason...a lot. After rehearsal we all went out to Uno's because it's right there. It was the first time I've been out with them, and we had a blast! Sharing ideas for sketches, talking about scheduling upcoming show dates, and just getting to know one another...Tiffany and I anyhow, the others were getting to know us. Improv folk are the best. We all have the same mindset for the most part. Yay for freaks like me!

Nothing to do, nowhere to go-oh-oh-oh

Not a ton to say...but I'm still feeling pretty icky. At least my fever sweats have gone. Now if I can get rid of the sinus headache I'll be back to peachy in no time. Huzzah!

Visiting hours

Went to see my car at the tow lot today. Jason looked at it and thinks it might be the torque converter...if it is it just MIGHT be worth fixing up until I can save for a better car. It may just be a toss-up, though. We'll see I guess. I took all my crap out just in case, though. Jason's mom came by to drop off the horse at Jared's friend's barn so Leigha can train for her upcoming show. Leigha rode around the ring, but had a heck of a time getting Mecca to trot. We'll see how she does after this week's lessons. We all went to Simple Simon's for dinner and Jason talked to his mom about diabetes pumps the entire time. Blah. Jason, I know you read this, so...maybe think about sharing the medical benefits once in a while? Between your leg and all those test strips you've used it all up and I have a raging cavity, dude. I'm just saying. Oh, and you also have a car. Yeah. Way to be fair. ;-) Busy day tomorrow...couple appointments. I'm hoping to bum a ride to rehearsal Tuesday but I might have to have Jason drive me. Hopefully we'll have time. Not having a car=teh suck. Did I mention I put gas in on my way to theater? 'Cause I totally did. Fat lot of freaking good it's doing me now.

Stunned isn't the word for it....

Yesterday was so bizarre. After that last posting Leigha reminded me that it was homecoming. So we walked across town (yeah, like I was going to fight THAT traffic...) to the school, I dropped her off with her classmates who were walking in the parade, then Bri and I sat down along main street to enjoy the parade. We got lots and lots of candy and she really enjoyed herself. After locating Leigha in the ensuing chaos I came home, made dinner, then got ready to go to the theater. I was quite nervous but I actually had found that delicate balance of caffeine and cold and flu medicine, so I was feeling great. I turned on my iPod and blasted my bounciest, most energetic music. All was going swimmingly until I hit I-35. I got into the left lane to exit on Southwest Trafficway and into Westport, when suddenly there was an ominous "t-CHUNK!" My RPM's went up and my spedometer dropped at an alarming rate until my car was completely immobile, halfway in a lane on the exit ramp! Ahhhhh!!! It was 9:12 pm and my show began at 10. I called Jason in hysterics, and he was elbow deep in the tub with Brianna, who had just gotten conditioner in her hair. He said, "I'm on my way." Just then a cop pulled up behind me. Like any good cop he behaved like some kind of freaky automaton, completely unmoved by the fact that there was a human being in trouble. He called a tow truck then went back to doing whatever it is cops do with those computer screens in their cars. I kept calling John and Julie and not getting ahold of them (didn't surprise me, I hadn't intended to take my phone in the theater either.) I called Jason and told him to call the Westport Coffeehouse and get a message to John. Meanwhile at the theater, everyone is watching the clock. It's 9:30 and I'm not there, they've begun to realize something is up. Even Keith who I barely know knows something is wrong. "She's NEVER late, she's always early for fight club!" They begin warmups without me, much to Cristil's dismay. "I can't warmup without Jessica, we always have the same energy level!" (I was flattered when I heard that.) The message somehow trickles around that I'm having car trouble, and John tells everyone that I won't be coming and they'll have to go on without me. "The show must go on" is not an exaggeration, people. Back to the highway. Jason pulls up behind me just as the tow truck backs up in front of me. It's 9:45. I tell Jason we need to sort this out so I can get to the theater. He says, "Honey, I don't think you're gonna make it." I said, "I have to try! There's still a chance!" (melodramatic much?) he's sorting things out with the tow truck driver and the cop, while on the phone with our roadside assistance plan, who is taking absolutely forever to take care of anything. I'm watching the clock obsessively, it's 9:53 when I finally begin to think this ain't gonna happen. I started crying, careful to dab my eyes because I still haven't given up just yet and I don't want my mascara running. The cop gets impatient and calls City Tow (very very expensive!) So Jason finally says what I've been wanting him to say all along. "Just tow it, we'll figure it out later." The van is loaded up on the back of the truck and Jason gets in the car, Westport Coffeehouse bound. It's 9:54 when we start driving. We sped (just a little) down Southwest Trafficway to Mill Rd. Jason actually ran a red light and squealed into the parking lot. I tucked and rolled onto the sidewalk and dashed through the coffeehouse. As I was rounding the corner, I saw Cristil. Her eyes lit up and she said, "you're here!!!" It was 9:58. *whew!* I bolted down the stairs and hear "Hey! You made it!" It was Keith. I said, "Yeah, barely!" and hi-fived him. He said, "go backstage, hurry!" I ran back behind the curtain and down the hall. I saw Julie first, and turned into the room. Everyone was surprised to see me and at that point I was so relieved to be there that I started babbling and shaking. I heard a couple of "You don't HAVE to perform" 's and I said, "Oh, yes I do. I went through too much to get here not to." Everyone was expressing concern for me and I said, "I need a hug!" All the girls came over and group hugged me. Denise said, "Oh, baby you're shaking!" I couldn't help it. John said, "Okay, get it together, we have a show to do." We did a couple quick quick warmups, then Ed came and said "It's time!" He introduced us and we went onstage. The show itself was a bit of a blur, I wasn't completely in the game until the first couple scenes had gone by. At one point my character yelled at her husband (played by Cristil) and she told me later that she had been afraid I was going to lose it onstage, that my eyes were red rimmed and there were tears forming. I was completely oblivious to that, and the funny thing is I didn't even feel it! I was too "in the moment" by that point to think of anything but my character, which is how it should be. We left the stage to applause, then sat down to enjoy the groups "Poke" and "revolver." (revolver doesn't capitalize the r, so that's grammatically correct.) They were fantastic and I had a great time. After the show I noticed Jen from Hype 7 was there, and we talked for a bit, then I went with the Imps to Jerusalem Cafe. (No, I didn't pick it, it's just a really great restaurant. I'm really thrilled someone suggested it though, I love it!) We all talked, laughed and smoked a hookah (oh chill out, it's herbs and legal ones at that) which was something I've never done before. I didn't find it an unpleasant experience, but I wouldn't replicate it often. Very strange, but it was nice. Cristil and her fiance' (Dusty? Crap, I never remember names!) were kind enough to drive me home, and I climbed gratefully into my bed.

Where is my car? I have no clue. What's wrong with it? Probably the transmission went out. How am I going to get around? I really don't know! To be honest, I'm not worried about it and I know it'll all work out. All the events from yesterday were so surreal that I'm just in shock and disbelief right now. I'm so glad I got to the theater on time, though. I needed that.

Bummers, suckage, and some good stuff

Well dang. Our garage sale went as best as could be expected based on the fact that it was a weekday in October that looked as though it was threatening rain...I got about $10. Yup.... We can't do it tomorrow because Jennifer was asked to work. I was going to have Jason take the day off to help me, but his co-worker is taking the day off. He's also taking off the Saturday that my whole family is going to be in San Diego for. There are only so many Saturdays left before Jason CAN'T take them off due to the seasonal flights from Mexico, and this guy is snagging them all. So unfair! I told Jason if he ever says "I can't take a Saturday off because then Jody would be all by himself with the planes" I'm going to hurt him. This guys is screwing us over. Jerk. *cough* Anyhow, so yeah, we're rescheduling for next weekend. Yard sale at my place, next weekend, woo hoo! Oh, and also since Jason can't take tomorrow off I can't go to the improv workshop I desperately want to attend. Grah! Okay, enough about that. Anyhow, I'm still quite sick, and feel really really crappy, but tonight is the big deal show (eep and yay!) so I CAN'T feel sick tonight. I won't stand for it. So I'll TRY to take a nap, although I feel icky when I do, and I'll down a ton of coffee, hoping it doesn't mess with my ADD too much...what we're hoping for here is a happy state of normalcy...well, Jessica normalcy. Is there such a thing? *ponders* Eh. Whatever. Oh, and I made a cool new ringtone for myself out of an Ima Robot song. Ka-ching!

Big bootay, oh yeah!

Okay, so I fixed the comment problem, so feel free to decorate my ramblings with words of your own! Seriously....anyone can comment that wants to. *taps foot....feels lonely* Yeah, so...big day of purging at my house. The basement, silly! I've been going through boxes like a psycho ninja woman! I honestly have no idea how much I've thrown away! The good news is I found tons of yard sale worthy stuff, and we open at 8am tomorrow! (Please come if you can, let me know if you need directions or whatever) I think I'm overdoing it, though...I'm totally wiped and it's only 10:30 (note, the time stamp on this post is wrong, I started a draft then my computer screwed up and it kept the time of the draft, so this is actually 10:37 when I'm posting this). Although I did go to the gym today. This sick thing is really starting to get on my nerves. Now when I cough I get a headache to go with (yay!) I'm actually thinking about breaking down and going to the doctor...I never freaking go to the doctor for me! Grah! Oh, and tomorrow night is the big night of improv! Sooooo nervous!!!!

Avoi-dance

Still sick. This totally sucks! I went to RI rehearsal last night and was feeling good for a while, but a couple games in I felt that cold, clammy, yet flushed feeling again. For heaven's sake, I want to go to the gym but I'm afraid of what will happen if I exert myself! I've been cleaning out the closet and basement for my yard sale like a crazy person these last couple days. I got into my old clothing boxes and found an old pair of Jnco jeans (remember those? The mid-late '90's wide leg pants that if you didn't have any you were lame!) and the shirt I wore on the first day of school when I went to Swink. So it's the shirt I met Jason in, basically. I happen to remember what I wore because I was starting fresh at a place nobody knew me and I wanted an image overhaul, so my first impression, especially clothing-wise, had to be JUST right. I tried on the shirt and took a pic.
Just trust me that once upon a time I looked hot in it. Oh, and in case you can't see the shirt clearly, it's got a girl in jammies holding up one hand and it says, "Keep dreaming, loser." My parents were like, "What's that supposed to mean? Keep dreaming about what exactly?" I'm still not entirely sure what they meant by that. They were very strange when I was a teenager, always assuming the worst of me for no apparent reason. I got in trouble for all KINDS of things I never did, and the constant suspicion made me rebel like crazy. I'm gonna have to remember to not do that to my kids. Anyhow, my yard sale pile is getting bigger and bigger. Jennifer is coming over tonight to go through our collective stuff and set up on the tables (which I had almost forgotten to pick up last night...) FYI, she's moving back to Texas. I'm going to miss her something fierce, but it was so great to have her here for these past few months.

This is how we do it

Just in case you were wondering, the card did not work. Shucks. I've been cleaning my closet out today, we're going to have a yard sale. You would not believe some of the stuff I have in there...whew! And I thought my purse was random. Lots of hard work. The good news is that I got rewarded for my labor by the fact that it's Tuesday, and Tuesday means improv rehearsal! Yay! I got a little lost finding the room we were meeting in, so I was a tad late, which sucks. But we had a great rehearsal and we're planning a show for November. I had a great bit where I was doing a puppet show for some kids and then somebody randomly came in and said, "Okay kids, back to coal mining." Everyone groaned and started picking up "pickaxes" and I made my puppet say, "Remember kids, work will set you free! Welcome to Auschwitz!" It was awesome. There was also a great scene that Nifer and Joe did about the Olsen Twins. Oh, and Bryan and Ryan (I know, right?) had a great scene with a guy in the New Orleans Superdome during Katrina and a guy on Sesame Street. It was great! They opened a trash can to put garbage in and Oscar was dead! Hee hee.... I must say, I'm really enjoying being a Hype7'er. It's such a different group dynamic from Roving Imp (neither is better or worse, they're just different) and I think that's helping pull me out of the same ol same ol scenes that I tend to do. It's also nice being able to drive right by Starbucks after rehearsal to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte. :-D

Mystery solved!

Nearly eight years ago Jason and I received a ton of gifts. The occasion? The birth of our firstborn, Leigha! Among the gifts were a smattering of gift cards from the only store in town, Wal-Mart. We decided to save them for emergencies, such as no money/need diapers. Those kind of emergencies came, of course, but I always thought we had one more card. Every time we moved I'd search the baby shower cards from Leigha's shower to see if I had overlooked one. After several moves I finally figured I had just imagined one. Tonight I was cleaning out my closet and found several cards from Leigha's baby shower. I read them all with a smile on my face, then to my shock, a Wal-Mart gift card in the amount of $15 fell out of one! How on earth could I have missed it? I wonder if it's still good? I sure don't need diapers anymore, what are we going to use it for? I'm sure we'll find SOMETHING. :)

Nursing a headache

I've pretty much decided that Mallomars are, in fact, just about the greatest things EVER. The irony is that I discovered them from hungrygirl.com 's newsletter. (Great newsletter) I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I happened upon them at Wal-Mart on Saturday night after the show. FYI-you know what's not cool? Going to Wal-Mart at midnight when you're sick and being faced with the uber lines at checkout. Yeah. Oh, and I finally feel like I'm on the upswing of this thing, so woo hoo! Anyhow, I woke up with a headache this morning, something that never happens to me, I typically don't get headaches fortunately, and the knowledge that I have to go to the DMV to renew my tags...yay, paying for taxes on a car I own outright when my gas purchase taxes already pay for road repairs...I love redundancy! So I went into the kitchen to rustle up some breakfast...realizing that I had forgotten adult cereal when I was at Target the other day. (Adult cereal means there's not a cartoon animal on the box, you perv.) So faced with the descision of do I eat the fruit loop knockoffs or (snicker snicker) actually cook myself something, I spied the box of Mallomars. The most important meal of the day staring me in the face, I chose to eat two of them since they're just about as nutritious as Pelican Joe's Frooties (not the real name, I just wanted to yuck it up) I feel confident in my descision.

Escaping the madness!

My myspace blog was misused by several friends assuming my every word was dripping with malice. Therefore I have moved my blog. I had it restricted up until this point (this post edited 10/13/07) but have decided I don't want to go through the annoyance of inviting every person who wants to read and having to get their e-mail and blah blah blah. Therefore, if anyone assumes my writings are in any way containing content that is perceived by them to be horrendous, shocking, cynical, malicious, or detrimental to anyone's character...tough noogies. Your comments will in fact be deleted because I just don't care if you're reading stuff into it that's just not there. If there is anything there...well, it's my honest thoughts and opinions and quite frankly, I'm done censoring those.