Sweet Home, Chicago

Alright, so the winner is CHICAGO!
It seems we all love all of Chicago (alright, not Navy Pier).
Yeah Chi-town.

Cupcakes For A Better Life

I made cupcakes for work yesterday. I began trying to make pumpkin muffins with cinnamon icing from scratch and ended up making chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from a box mix. I did, however, make the frosting orange for Halloween and sprinkled purple sugar on top. It was the release of out new operating system, so it was like a party day.

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This is an advertisement for "The Foundation For A Better Life"...

...really? Really. I bet men will remember this ad when they are about to have a one-night stand, and think "that guy in the PSA was a douchebag, let's screw."

Guess What's Back...

(besides my posting.. that didn't last too long) That's right. My favorite American Family Restaurant is having the best deal ever. I wait for this every season. I mean, 3 courses of goodness, and 3 delicious words: Jack Daniel's Sauce. And let's not forget about fried green beans, and Cinnabon® Cheesecake. I've got my T.G.I.Friday's Gold Points Card all ready to go, and I can't wait. I'm gonna get me a big margarita and eat the mostest. I am really very excited....

...mmmm...

...sorry I trailed off for a bit

::wipes off drool::

So I hope to see you all at Friday's. Don't worry about telling me when you are going because I will be there until the deal is over.

Mistakes

this one IS brought to you by nataliedee

So as my last entry so beautifully illustrated, I have been making lots of small but significant mistakes lately. In case you didn't know, I hate making mistakes. I try my best to move on and learn from them, but I tend to dwell on them for days or weeks afterwards.

Recently, I think it comes from a lack of organization of my time. I waste whatever little free time I have writing a stupid blog entry, or watching a stupid TV program. I should probably be reading more plays, sleeping more, flossing more, etc. The worst part is that I only foresee my free time becoming even more scarce. I think I should take a vacation from my blog for a bit. Maybe something exciting will happen tomorrow and I will have to write about it, but otherwise I am gonna leave this puppy alone for a week or so. I will also only watch the TV shows I've pre-recorded, and I will go to the gym... maybe.

250 Miles Far Away

brought to you by explodingdog

ain't that the truth.

So Much, Must List, Must Link

• Saw The Miser at Northlight Theatre and it was a fun farce that I enjoyed way more than I thought I would
• Had a sleepover with Michelle and went to Walker Bros. with her and my mom
• Hung out with my cast after rehearsal at Sidetracks which is a really fun bar... although I may have been one of eight women there
• Got a parking ticket, and will be contesting it, as it was for a meter that ended before the ticket was issued
• Got hit driving, and will be getting my car fixed and payed for by the person who hit me
• Saw Passion at Chicago Shakespeare's Skyline Theatre and I loved it even though I never liked that musical
• When to Davenport's and met new people, and saw/participated in the cabaret show there that was very fun
• And, of course, worked

Last Night

Last night was a long horrible night. No more late-night blogging and no more video blogging.

Video Blogging?...

...maybe this was a bad idea.

Do I Know You?

I have this thing about me. This thing that sends out a message to strangers that tells them I want them to talk to me. That I am interested in what they are doing, or their opinion about what I am doing, or that I am interested in talking them at all.

Whenever this happens to me, I am reminded of one of my dad's childhood friends. Whenever a stranger would make chit-chat with him in line, he would turn to them and sincerely ask, "Do I know you?" The person usually would respond with a polite, "No."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

Now, that is a little harsh, but it's what I am thinking every time in my head. Just because I look like a nice young lady, it doesn't mean I am. I mean... I am, but they don't know that. And even though I know people are just being nice, and want to chat with someone, make one connection in their long day of errands, I don't care. Don't talk to me.

Fatty Poll

What food can you guys eat the most of?...

ICE CREAM and CHEESE! Now, look at the picture I was forced to post. Eww, guys ...eww. Not gonna lie, this poll made me feel like a fat ass and I couldn't wait until it was over.

Okay, onto better and healthier things.

Slightly-Less-Than-New Movies

I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With

I recently saw this movie at the Music Box and Jeff Garlin was there to give it an introduction. On my way to the ladies room he actually stopped me and said hello, and although I sorta started giggling like a sixth grade girl, it was pretty cool. So the movie...

The movie was all shot in Chicago, there were lots of great people in it, and it was pretty funny. Definitely worth seeing if it comes out on video or to movie theatres again. The plot is simple enough: Follow Jeff Garlin (James) around and see him deal with being an overweight actor in Chicago, living at home with his mom. All of the people he meets are fun and quirky, and although some of the jokes are generic the movie is not. Check out the trailer:

A to the S grade: B+
Teacher Comments: You've captured the charm of Chicago, and Chicago theatre. You did a great job creating interesting characters, and specific intereactions between them that gave this movie heart

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

This movie was recommended to me a while back, and I finally caught it on TV. I thought this movie was so clever and funny. Has anyone else seen it? Why haven't we all talked about how great it was?

Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. are perfectly cast. The style is witty and self-mocking. The plot is complex, over-the-top, and tons of fun. It's a detective, action, mystery type genre with cliché yet unique twists throughout.

A to the S grade: A-
Teacher Comments: Congratulations! What a fun little movie you've made. I'm sorry more of your peers didn't support you.

Free Time

"theatre actor"

anagrams to

"to the rat race!"

Brought to you by Anagram Genius and an inability to use my free time constructively.

Don't Miss It

Okay, This American Life is airing one of my favorite episodes "Act V" next week.

If you get a chance, take a listen. It's about inmates performing Hamlet. So basically, method acting to the extreme.

October Fest

Damn. It's October. That means I've been 5 months out of school. That is almost half a year. So I know other people like making goals, and I do it in a less concrete way usually. I think am going to make mine more concrete:

-I need to be doing something theatre related at all times (shows, auditions, and/or classes)
-I need to keep my main focus on theatre while allowing my focus to wander every now and then to activities that will allow me to continue to do my art
-I need to be proactive in keeping up with friends and family
-I need to take care of myself and my things
-I need to save/track my money

So those are pretty basic but necessary goals. They need some refining, but having them written out in any form is a good starting point.

No Time

Very busy. No time to post. No time to talk. Maybe later tonight. See you all then.

-A to the S

Drinks, Rain, and Rock n' Roll

So today I got up early and headed downtown for a cattle call for a Broadway show. When I arrived the line was so far back that I was sitting in a gas station. Luckily, my friend Laura from college was there too! We kept each other company while we waited to audition.

Then it began to rain. I ran to my car to get an umbrella for us, only to discover that I had actually cleaned it out recently. I ran into a White Hen and they didn't have any, so I bought a box of garbage bags. While draping garbage bags over myself and Laura, we handed out extra ones and made friends with the people around us. Since it was raining, the casting monitor started handing out numbers and hour chunks to return. I was number 248, and I was to be back for the 3-4PM hour, and it was currently 10:30AM.

Laura and I and our 2 new out-of-town friends piled into my car and we drove to Wishbone. We had a delicious breakfast together. We drove back to the audition place, and Laura left to get some things for work later. That left me and the 2 guys. We hopped into the bar across the street.

So we drank together, had a shot with the awesome bartender and got to know each other. When 2:00 rolled around, we closed our tab and took a walk around the block. Then we met up with Laura and we began waiting, again.

Finally we were ushered into a dance studio to wait some more. We were lined up in groups of 20 or so and made to wait in a hallway. I went in and sang, it went really well. I don't think I was the correct vocal type for the show, but at least I did a good job! We cheered each other on, and one by one we finished. None of us got a callback. We said our goodbyes, exchanged information, and were happy to have had such a nice day.

Arrested Development

The results are in...

and GOB is the WINNER!

CONGRATS GEORGE OSCAR BLUTH!