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.