Tuesday Tunes - 06/18/13

A great lyric is like a great book...

La Vie Boheme / Rent 
Cast, Artists 
Jonathan Larson, Writer

ANGEL
Who died?
 
BENNY
Our akita
 
MARK, ROGER, ANGEL, COLLINS
Evita
 
BENNY
Mimi, I'm surprised
A bright and charming girl like you
Hangs out with these slackers
Who don't adhere to deals
You make fun, yet I am the one
Attempting to do some good
Or do you really want a neighborhood
Where people piss on your stoop every night?
Bohemia, Bohemia's
A fallacy in your head
This is Calcutta
Bohemia is dead
 
MARK
Dearly beloved, we gather here to say
Our goodbyes
 
COLLINS & ROGER
Dies Ira, Dies Illa
Kyrie Eleison
Yitgadal V' Yitkadash (etc.)
 
MARK
Here she lies,
No one knew her worth
The late great daughter of Mother Earth
On these nights when we celebrate the birth
In that little town of Bethlehem
We raise our glass
You bet your ass to...
La Vie Boheme
 
ALL
La Vie Boheme
La Vie Boheme
La Vie Boheme
La Vie Boheme
 
MARK
To days of inspiration,
Playing hookey, making something
Out of nothing, the need
To express to communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane,
Going mad
To loving tension, no pension
To more than one dimension,
To starving for attention,
Hating convention, hating pretension,
Not to mention of course,
Hating dear old mom and dad
To riding your bike
Midday past the three piece suits
To fruits, to no absolutes
To Absolut, to choice
To the Village Voice
To any passing fad
To being an us for once,
Instead of a them
 
ALL
La Vie Boheme
La Vie Boheme
La Vie Boheme
 
MAUREEN
Is the equipment in a pyramid?
 
JOANNE
It is, Maureen
 
MAUREEN
The mixer doesn't have a case
Don't give me that face!
 
MR. GREY
Ahemm
 
MAUREEN
Hey Mister... She's my sister
 
WAITER
So that's five miso soup,
Four seaweed salad
Three soy burger dinner,
Two tofu dog platter
And one pasta with meatless balls
 
BOHEMIAN
Eww
 
COLLINS
It tastes the same
 
MIMI
If you close your eyes
 
WAITER
And thirteen orders of fries
Is that it here?
 
ALL
Wine and beer!
 
MIMI & ANGEL
To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese
To leather, to dildos, to curry Vindaloo
To Huevos Rancheros, and Maya Angelou
 
MAUREEN & COLLINS
Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion,
Creation, Vacation
 
MARK
Mucho masturbation
 
MAUREEN & COLLINS
Compassion, to fashion, to passion
When it's new
 
COLLINS
To Sontag
 
ANGEL
To Sondheim
 
FOUR PEOPLE
To anything taboo
 
COLLINS & ROGER
Ginsberg, Dylan, Cunningham and Cage
 
COLLINS
Lenny Bruce
 
ROGER
Langston Hughes
 
MAUREEN
To the stage!
 
PERSON #1
To Uta
 
PERSON #2
To Buddha
 
PERSON #3
Pablo Neruda, too
 
MARK & MIMI
Why Dorothy and Toto went over the rainbow
To blow off Auntie Em
 
ALL
La Vie Boheme
 
MR. GREY
Sisters?
 
MAUREEN
We're close
 
ANGEL, COLLINS
Brothers!
 
MARK, ANGEL, MIMI & 3 OTHERS
Bisexuals, trisexuals, Homo Sapiens,
Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men,
Pee Wee Herman
German wine, turpentine, Gertrude Stein
Antonioni, Bertolucci, Kurosawa
Carmina Burana
 
ALL
To apathy, to entropy, to empathy, ecstasy
Vaclav Havel, The Sex Pistols, 8BC
To no shame, never playing the fame game
 
COLLINS
To marijuana
 
ALL
To sodomy
It's between God and me
To S & M
 
BENNY
Waiter, Waiter, Waiter!
 
ALL
La Vie Boheme
 
COLLINS
In honor of the death of Bohemia an impromptu salon will commence immediately following dinner...
Maureen Johnson, just back from her spectacular one night performance at the Eleventh Street Lot
Will perform Native American tribal chants, backwards through her vocoder, while accompanying herself on the electric cello which she ain't never studied.
 
ROGER
And Mark Cohen will preview his new documentary about his inability to hold an erection on high holy days.
 
MARK
And Mimi Marquez clad only in bubble wrap, will perform her famous lawn chair handcuff dance to the sounds of ice tea being stirred
 
MARK
And Roger will attempt to write a bittersweet, evocative song
That doesn't remind us of 'Musetta's Waltz'
 
COLLINS
Angel Dumott Schunard will model her latest fall fashions from Paris while accompanying herself on the 10-gallon plastic pickle tub.
 
ANGEL
And Collins will recount his exploits as an Anarchist... Including the tale of
His successful reprogramming of the MIT virtual reality equipment to self-destruct as it broadcasts the words:
 
ALL
'Actual Reality - ACT UP - Fight AIDS! '
 

MIMI
Excuse me, did I do something wrong?
I get invited, then ignored all night long
 
ROGER
I've been trying, I'm not lying
No one's perfect, I've got baggage
 
MIMI
Life's too short babe, time is flying
I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine
 
ROGER
I should tell you-
 
MIMI
I've got baggage, too
 
ROGER
I should tell you--
 
BOTH
Baggage-
 
OTHERS
Wine And Beer!
 
MIMI
AZT break
 
ROGER
You?
 
MIMI
Me. You?
 
ROGER
Mimi

Mondays - 06/17/13

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.


I have to admit that I have only read about half of a book over the past month... Not much more. But I am getting back into it and hopefully will have some new reviews soon!

Now Reading: 
A Masque of Infamy (Kelly Dessaint)
Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not? (Thompson Square) 

Just Finished:

Steel Magnolias (Robert Harling) 

On Deck:

A summer full...

Just checking in...

Well, its been a crazy-busy few weeks...but I am almost there! This weekend marks the last shows and strike of Steel Magnolias. Its been stressful and exhausting, but also a ton of fun and a show of which to be proud!

I'm counting the minutes until I can breath and finally enjoy the "start" of summer!

I've got lots of plans for the summer....

Along with a few vacation days, I look forward to using my camera more and expanding my new Facebook page:

PhotoLAgraphy

As well as blogging more...

http://photolagraphy.wordpress.com/

But mostly I'm just looking forward to sitting on the porch, drinking iced tea and reading!

I'll be back soon!

Tuesday Tunes - 06/11/13

A great lyric is like a great book...

Grandma's Feather Bed
John Denver, Artist

Jim Connor, Writer




When I was a little bitty boy

Just up off-a floor
We used to go down to Grandma's house
Every month end or so
We had chicken pie and country ham
And homemade butter on the bread
But the best darn thing about Grandma's house
Was her great big feather bed

It was nine feet high and six feet wide
Soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids, four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On Grandma's feather bed

After the supper we'd sit around the fire
The old folks'd spit and chew
Pa would talk about the farm and the war
And Granny'd sing a ballad or two
I'd sit and listen and watch the fire
Till the cobwebs filled my head
Next thing I knew I'd wake up in the morning
In the middle of the old feather bed

It was nine feet high and six feet wide
Soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids, four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On Grandma's feather bed

Well I love my Ma, an' I love my Pa
Love Granny and Grandpa too
Been fishing with my uncle, I wrestled with my cousin
I even kissed Aunt Lou oooh
But if ever had to make a choice
I guess it ought to be said
That I'd trade them all plus the gal down the road
For Grandma's feather bed

It was nine feet high and six feet wide
Soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids, four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On Grandma's feather bed

May ReCap 2013...

May 2013 Update

May has been busy, busy, busy with the lead up to my show and our opening May 31st. All has gone well, but its left me little time for much else. 


This month I read:
Total Read: 2
YTD: 18
Adult: 2
YA/children's: 2
Abandoned: 0


Including:
The Dog Stars - Peter Heller
That Book About Harvard - Eric Kester

Abandoned: 
None


Favorite Book(s) of the Month:
The Dog Stars - Peter Heller


Challenges Update:
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge = 18 of 58
A-Z Book Challenge = 13 of 26
Library Reading Challenge = 18 of 36
E-Book Reading Challenge = 6 of 25
What's in a Name 6 Challenge = 4 of 6

The Dog Stars - Heller

In Peter Heller's, The Dog Stars, "Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. His wife is gone, his friends are dead, he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. In his 1956 Cessna, Hig flies the perimeter of the airfield or sneaks off to the mountains to fish and pretend that things are the way they used to be. But when a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life–something like his old life–exists beyond the airport. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return–not enough fuel to get him home–following the trail of the static-broken voice on the radio. But what he encounters and what he must face–in the people he meets, and in himself–is both better and worse than anything he could have hoped for." (PeterHeller.net)

“A dreamy, post-apocalyptic love letter to things of beauty, big and small: a twitching trout, a can of Sprite, empathy, sex, decency, and a good dog.” (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl )



Let me just start by saying that I hate, HATE, books where animals die. I am a big old wimpy, wimp and as my sweet little kitty ages (14 years old) I become less able to get through such a scene without sobbing and facing the inevitable future. And, this book just happened to ruin a delicious ice cream sundae...I just couldn't finish it I was crying that hard.

That said, this was a really beautifully written book about not just loss, but about appreciating what you've got before it is gone. I really enjoyed the read and suggest others check it out too - just remember your box of tissues!


4/5- Great. Push it on your friends and family.

Tuesday Tunes - 06/04/13

A great lyric is like a great book...

Have you seen the recent Yahoo News of Barry Williams, AKA Greg Brady, singing The Real Greg Brady (to the tune of Eminem's The Real Slim Shady) at the recent "Brady reunion"?

Is it really a reunion when only three of the ten/plus regular cast needed a job badly enough to take part?

But I am an avid Brady fan...so, after my initial moans, I did a little research and turns out, this is a whole, real song - not just Barry messing around!  And, the lyrics are pretty clever after all!

The Real Greg Brady
Barry Williams, Artist

Greg Brady - Barry Williams - Greg Brady - Barry Williams
(Greg, Greg, Greg)
May I have your attention please?
(Marcia, Marcia, Marcia)
I repeat - May I have your attention please?
Will the Real Greg Brady please stand up?
That’s me, of course, Barry Williams
Greg Brady - Barry Williams - Greg Brady - Barry Williams

Uh oh, we’re gonna have a problem here...
Y’all act like you’ve never seen a real Brady before.

Bell bottoms, polyester, headbands, orange hair
Was it permed, was it real, hey who the **** cares?
Here’s the story, here’s the story of a guy named ME
Greg Brady, Barry Williams, don’t you know we were the real "That 70’s show"
And oh, Alice oh, prepared Sam’s meat for free..you know what I mean.

It’s the "Return of Johnny Bravo"
Wait, no wait, you’re kidding, he didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?
And Mike Brady said...nothing you idiots, like Tiger, he’s dead.
Cindy had a lisp (Greg Brady) "I’m sick of him, look at him walkin’ around
Wearin’ his Tiki god, surfin’ and wipin’ out."
"Yeah, but he’s so cute though."

It was cool for a while bein’ a teenage star
And now the Brady name can only go so far.
I’m doin’ stuff that’s new, but I’m Greg Brady too.
Football into Marcia’s nose, sing the chorus and it goes!

(1st chorus)
I’m Greg Brady, yes I’m the real Brady
All the other Greg Brady’s are just irritatin’
So if you ain’t Greg Brady please shut up, please shut up, please shut up
Cuz, I’m Greg Brady and I did ladies more than any fake Brady
So stop your imitatin’
Yes, I’m the real Greg Brady, I grew up, I grew up, please shut up.

It was so much fun makin’ that show for you
And then writin’ my book too - tellin’ who was banging who.
It was all TV, wasn’t real, just play
Back then we couldn’t say that the Dad was really gay
Or that my Mom on TV was datin’ ME. Tee Hee!

It was groovy, far out, outtasite, but any night you light up a TV
And see some wannabe tryin’ to be me. (Greg Brady) Just be sure you know
There ain’t no show without me, Barry Williams, Johnny Bravo,
(Greg Brady) The Cassanova (Greg Brady) of Clinton Avenue (Greg Brady)
I got A/K/A’s comin’ out the wazoo.
And I dig Eminem...and Clark Bars too.

I was the oldest kid and I was young and cute.
I wouldn’t never do toot, and I still fit that suit!
I’m here to stay, and if you get in my way,
You can cram it where there ain’t no "Sunshine Day," Hey!

(2nd chorus)
I’m Greg Brady, yes I’m the real Brady
All you other Greg Brady’s are not syndicated
So if you ain’t Greg Brady please shut up, please shut up, please shut up.
Cuz, I’m Greg Brady and I did ladies more than any fake Brady
I was slim AND shady!
So if you ain’t Greg Brady please shut up, don’t suck up, please grow up.

(Spoken)
I gotta get out of this time warp
How did I get stuck in this box in the upper right corner, anyway?

(Backstreet mix)
I was a teen idol before the Backstreet Boys were born
I was a boy band...By MYSELF!

(Kid of Rock mix)
I was the Kid of Rock when Kid Rock was just a Kid and
Uncle Kracker was somebody’s nephew!

(Chronic mix)
Used to be Chronic wasn’t something you fired up, but like
Dr. Dre, and Snoop...I’ve popped a few 40’s in my day!

I’d love to stay, but gotta go ’cause something suddenly came up.

(Slam!)

Mondays - 06/03/13

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.


Been busy, two weeks until my show goes up, so not much reading going on here....

Now Reading: 
Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not? (Thompson Square)

and

Steel Magnolias (Robert Harling)


Just Finished:

Steel Magnolias (Robert Harling) 

On Deck:

Who knows?!

That Book About Harvard - Kester

I usually write my own descriptions, but this week...sorry, just no time!  I believe I got this all from Amazon...

That Book About Harvard, Eric Kester

"Eric Kester has written the kind of book I wish I had the courage and insight to write. His illuminations on everything from Larry Summers to the Harvard football team to cheating, tourists, and competitiveness are dead–on. His writing has also provided me with some of the best laugh–out–loud moments I've had in recent years. God knows Harvard could use some humor!" —Peter Olson, Former CEO of Random House, Harvard Graduate and current Harvard professor

One of the most thrilling and terrifying days of your life is the first day of college, when you step onto campus filled with the excitement of all the possibilities ahead—and panic about if you'll make it and how you'll fit in.

Now imagine that same feeling, but you're in the middle of the lawn at the world's most prestigious university.
In your underwear.

Thus begins one of the craziest years ever at Harvard, in which Eric Kester finds himself in a cheating scheme, trying to join a prestigious Finals Club, and falling for a stunning type-A brunette...who happened to be standing there in shock that first day when he made his red-faced stroll across the Harvard Yard.

That Book about Harvard is the hilarious and heartwarming story of trying to find your place in a new world, the unending quest to fit in, and how the moments that change your life often happen in the most unexpected ways.

Eric Kester graduated from Harvard in 2008, where he wrote a popular column for the undergraduate newspaper, the Crimson. Now a featured writer for CollegeHumor.com, Eric has also contributed to the Boston Globe, someEcards.com, and Dorkly.com."

I agree, it was quite funny while also informative. Definitely worth a read!!

3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Tuesday Tunes - 05/28/13

A great lyric is like a great book...

Comfortably Numb
Pink Floyd, Artist
Roger Waters and David Gilmour, Writers




Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?
Come on, now,
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain
Get you on your feet again.
Relax.
I'll need some information first.
Just the basic facts.
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain you would not understand
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

O.K.
Just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more aaaaaaaaah!
But you may feel a little sick.
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good.
That'll keep you going through the show
Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

Mondays - 05/27/13

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.


Tech week here...

I'll be reading nothing but this for days:

 

About to get crazy up in here...

Source" www.microsoft.com

Things are about to get crazy up in here...

This weekend starts "tech-week" for Steel Magnolias, which for all you non-theater types means that I relinquish my life and become a zombie for several days, traveling from one responsibility to another, often skipping meals and certainly losing hours of sleep, culminating in what is hopefully an awesome and amazing opening night.

Typically, a producer sits back at this point and watches the cast and crew work their magic...stepping in only to stop people from clawing each others' eyes out due to stress. Unfortunately, our stage manager is relatively new and therefore at this time I am switching gears and stepping into stage manager mode and "calling" the show. That means that I have carried one of the most stressful roles thus far and, just as relief arrives, I am taking on the next most stressful role!

What we crazy theater geeks won't do for a good show...

Anyway, I have prearranged a few posts but do not be surprised if I disappear for a few weeks as I wonder aimlessly, eyes bugged out (assuming they are not clawed out by some overstressed lighting designer), drooling a bit, and mumbling to myself, "Go light cue six...go...Go, GO SIX..GO...GO...GO!!!!"

See you soon!

A Gift of Hope - Steel

A short, but powerful follow-up to her memoir His Bright Light, Danielle Steel's A Gift of Hope is a look into the bestselling author's life after the loss of her son and her efforts to focus her pain into making a difference in other's lives, a difference that perhaps she feels she was unable to make for her son.

Shortly after the lose of her son, Steel comes into contact with a homeless person near her home. She offers what she can, something she has no doubt her son would have done, but finds it is not enough. After powerful prayer and soul searching, she decides to do more.

Steel assembled a team and, for eleven years, ventured out on a monthly basis to provide the San Francisco homeless with coats, warm socks, sleeping bags, and other needed supplies. Avoiding publicity of her efforts, she paid for these supplies herself and no one on the team was ever paid for their time. All were there for the love of sharing and caring for others. In this moving memoir, Steel finally shares her story in the hopes of finding continued support and help for the homeless souls who need so badly. Well written and full of hope.


3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Tuesday Tunes - 05/21/13

A great lyric is like a great book...

Me And Charlie Talking
Miranda Lambert, Artist & Writer






Me and Charlie boy used to go walking, sittin' in the woods behind my house
When being lovers meant a stolen kiss and holding hands with nobody else around
Charlie said he wanted to get married but we were only ten so we'd have to wait
He said we'd never let our love run dry like so many do these days

So you treat your love like a firefly, like it only gets to shine for a little while
Catch it in a mason jar with holes in the top and run like hell to show it off
Oh, promises were made when we'd go walkin', that's just me and Charlie talking

Charlie always said he'd like to leave here, so he turned eighteen and he left our sleepy town
Letters came and went and I kept waiting for Charlie to come back and bring the life he'd found
Funny how time and distance change you the road you take don't always lead you home
You can start a love with good intentions and then you look up and it's gone

So you treat your love like a firefly like it only gets to shine for a little while
Catch it in a mason jar with holes in the top and run like hell to show it off
Oh, promises were made when we were walking that's just me and Charlie talking

Now and then I sometimes think of Charlie and how we thought we new it all back then
Now I'd give anything to feel love from a child's heart again

So you treat your love like a firefly like it only gets to shine for a little while
Catch it in a mason jar with holes in the top and run like hell to show it off
Oh, promises were made when we were walking that's just me and Charlie talking

La, la, la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la, la, la

Mondays - 05/20/13

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.


Been busy, two weeks until my show goes up, so not much reading going on here....

STILL Reading: 
The Dog Stars (Peter Heller)

Just Finished:

That Book About Harvard (Eric Kester)

On Deck:

I have no clue...

January First - Schofield

January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by Michael Schofield is the very sad story of a father trying desperately to save his daughter from an unseen, essentially uncontrollable disease.

January Schofield is a genius. Her IQ is rated at well over one hundred when she is just six years old. Her academic abilities are on par with high school students - smart ones. But, with this ability comes difficulty. She is barely able to sleep, keeping her parents running her all day just to tire her out. She constantly talks to her imaginary friends (400 the cat, 24 Hours the little girl, etc.), seemingly to entertain her herself since no one else can. She often retreats into her magical land of "Calalini", where the temperature increases right along with Janni's psychosis.

Shortly after Janni's parents have a second child, with hopes of producing a similarly brilliant child who can keep Janni engaged, Janni develops violent tendencies. Her imaginary friends tell her to hurt her brother, Bohdi, when he cries. They tell her to jump out of second story windows. They tell her she must hurt the family dog or they punish and hurt her. After many psychiatrist visits and several inpatient stays at local psychiatric hospitals, a diagnosis is finally made. Janni has child-onset schizophrenia, the worst possible outcome.  Both families have schizophrenia and mental illness in the background, it is therefore not a surprise.

This memoir is that of a father trying to save his child from a horrible situation over which he has no control. He is, of course, pushed to the edge. It is only his love for his child that keeps him fighting for, and with, Janni.This book tells about his struggle to finally achieve some hope for the future.

Overall this was an alright read, quick and entertaining. Sadly, or maybe appropriately, it makes the parents look pretty bad - Mom comes off as a whiner with anger control issues, Dad admits that he take antidepressants to actually control his anger and spends much of the book whining. Strange, but true. Ultimately, I think the book expresses the most important point well, that both parents love and support their daughter (and son) and want the best for her, as hard or unlikely as that seems at times.

2/5- Just okay.  Choose with extreme prejudice.


 

Tuesday Tunes - 05/14/13

A great lyric is like a great book...

And So It Goes

Billy Joel, Artist and Writer

In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense

And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows