Math and Phantom

Hello all! How are you surviving quarantine? My job was temporarily suspended- so I find I have a lot of time on my hands. I should probably be writing more- but I find other things to do. 

I am a second grade tutor for my nephew. I go to their house every day for school. I sit with him and help him through it. It's been a struggle some days- but then I had a break through. I had HIM teach ME! Guys, Common Core math is no joke. I would have never made it out of kindergarten! I showed him "my" math and he said it was called "extended math" I felt like Mr Incredible when he said, "you can't change Math! Math is Math!" 

Oh man. ODB has been having a ball watching me struggle trying to addition and subtraction on a number line. What a mess. But if it gets that kid excited to to schoolwork- I'll make myself the fool.

The 4th grader wrote out an assignment for me today- adding odd fractions and reducing them down. Oh my gosh. I broke out in the math sweats for that one!

Whew! Thank Goodness it's Friday, right?

Which brings us to the whole point of this post. While scrolling through some site or other, I serendipitously came across a notice that The Phantom of the Opera was playing on YouTube this weekend. I've already watched a show from the National Theatre of London- One Man, Two Guvnors starring James Cordon (super funny!)

I plan on taking full advantage of the streaming productions! I missed last week's adaptation of Jane Eyre- for which I'm totally kicking myself because it is one of my all time favorite love stories. Never again! I will not miss another one!

So when I saw that the Phantom was a very limited release- I dropped everything to watch it. (any by "everything" I mean flipping through shows on Disney+ or Hulu)

The version released by The Show Must Go On was the 25th Anniversary edition- so it's like, 10 years old- but it was so good! plus the star playing Christine was Sierra Boggess. I saw her live in Denver when the original cast of The Little Mermaid was doing a pre-Broadway tour. So that was a fun connection.

It's confession time. As much as I love Wicked... and Les Mis... I LOVE Phantom. I will admit that I have seen it five times on the stage. Every time it comes to a theater near me, I have to go. Like, I HAVE to. 

I was first introduced to it my sophomore year of high school. Though only a soph I was asked at the very last minute to take a spot on the Senior Choir tour (and by last minute- I mean Last. Minute. They called me Sunday night at 10:00 to leave at 4 am on Monday- fastest packing I've ever done in my life!). We went to Los Angeles that year. We spent a day at Disneyland- but oddly that was not my favorite thing. The evening spent at the Phantom changed my life. 

I have always loved musicals- that's what I grew up on. While most kids my age were listening to rock and roll or country- I was listening to Rodgers and Hammerstein and Disney. But I had never experienced anything like this before. Andrew Lloyd Webber changed my world!

Me with my choir teacher, Hage. 

How cute is my dress??? My mom made it! I felt so awkward and out of fashion- but looking back now, dang it was cute! I wish I could pull that kind of dress off now! No, I can't. Trust me.

I remember not being able to breathe. It was so amazing. I was afraid if I blinked I'd miss something. It was incredible. 

That night I bought my first ever CD (that's a nice story, grandma). I still have it. It's well worn. But I keep it safe. Somewhere in the 20-something years I lost the booklet of lyrics- but the CDS and case are original. 

I introduced the rest of my family to this Play- they also loved it. Not like I did- but still... I listened to it constantly. I know almost every lyric (to the original- they have changed it in subsequent versions and it drives me crazy that they sing the wrong words. haha!)

Two years later on another choir tour we went to San Francisco. This time as a senior I didn't have to be invited. I was already in Senior Choir! We voted what activities we wanted to do on tour- of course I voted for Phantom. Oh. Yes.

The fanciest dress I've ever owned... it was also my graduation dress

This time was special because I had time to plan ahead. Last time I bought the CD... what could I buy this time? I opted for a replica of the phantom's mask. I even paid a little extra for a tour after the production. I got to see the stage, the trap doors and all the marks- and then we went backstage and met Franc D'Ambrosio who played the Phantom. You can't really see in the picture, but he signed my mask.

It was the best day of my life! I still have that mask! It is a box somewhere in my mom's basement- but this is inspiring me to go digging for it and bring it back out into the light of day. 

In the ensuing years I listened to the music often- and sang it every time. Back in the day when my friends and I used to gather around the piano and sing it was always part of our repertoire. My friend Ryan and I would sing Think of Me- and my personal Favorite solo was Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. 

For years it was my angry music. And my cleaning music. And my don't talk to me music. And now it's my nostalgic take-me-back-to-better-days music. Then they came out with the movie. Oh my gosh. I LOVED the movie! I've practically worn out my DVD. It's not as good as seeing it in person- but they can definitely do things on film that they can't accomplish on stage. It also introduced me to one of my celebrity crushes- Gerard Butler (who reigned for years until I "met" my love Richard). 

I saw it those two times in Cali and then thrice in Salt Lake. No one in my mind can match Michael Crawford's Phantom- and Sarah Brightman's {original} Christine (she's done some other versions I'm not a huge fan of). 

Anyway... I'm just rambing now. I could really just sit here and talk about it forever. A.L.W. is a true genius. I genius, I tell you (not counting the whole Love Never Dies debacle). For a while there I got some flack for liking Phantom. But people always seem to find ways to criticize things that shoot to popularity. There's a reason it's so popular! The music- the scoring- the lyrics. It's all brilliant. 

So hopefully you see this before the show is done streaming- you have 24 hours! on your mark, get set. WATCH!

And let it give you all the feels- the goose bumps and the tears that it deserves. It is not the greatest rendition I've seen, but it soothes my soul nonetheless. 

I hope your heart can handle it!

Sometimes It's Embarrassing to be Me

Ok, Ok, that last post was a little serious.

It's been a while since I've had a good old fashioned whine-out about dating.

Go read this article and then come back.

And people ask why I don't date. Because it hurts too much! They said it's the same sensation as breaking a bone. I've never broken a bone... but I've had my heart broken more times than I can count. And after a while- you start to avoid the thing that hurts you, right? It's just human nature.

Plus- whenever I do allow myself to remove a few bricks from my protective wall, I end up feeling like such a fool. I'm 40. FORTY. That's not young! But I still behave as though I'm 12 when I'm around someone I'm attracted to.

I wont go into detail because it's just too embarrassing... but yesterday at work my favorite flirting buddy came in. I hardly ever see him now that my schedule is so early- but I've been lucky the last few weeks. Anyway, we were chatting... and he said something... within context of the conversation but my stupid head took it a different way and I started blushing and giggling- which made him blush so blushed even more... because.... oh my gosh I just don't even want to talk about it. I excused myself and hid in my office until he left.

If there was ever a poster child for awkwardness... t'would be I.

the whole 40

Where do I begin? There has been an eight month absence... as much as I say nothing ever happens in my life, there have been a few noteworthy things this year. Maybe I'll get to them another time. Maybe not. Don't hold your breath.

My laptop went all the way of the earth and I can't really blog on my ipad. They've blocked it so I can't see it at work let alone write, so here we are.

How is it that suddenly have access to a computer? yeah... well... I don't want to talk about that right now.  That drama will have to wait for another post.

Today I turn 40. Gross.

Gross
Gross
Gross.

So instead of all the things I should be blogging about, I will instead blog about my favorite subject:

Me.

Here are 40 things that you may or may not know about yours truly. Some may make you want to rethink your friendship with me.

1. I don't like bacon. Like, at all. 
2. I think cantaloupe is the fruit of the devil. People go on their missions and eat all these super weird things like half formed birds or monkey brains. ask me the grossest thing I had on my mission? Cantaloupe.
3. I also do not like sushi. I've tried. I want to like it because it's so trendy. But blech...
4. I have never seen even an episode of Game of Thrones. No desire. It seems like something that would be totally up my alley, but I've heard it's basically porn so what's the point?
5. I want to see the world, but somehow I always end up at Disneyland.
6. I think that Richard Armitage is the most beautiful man in the world. I'm saving my VL graduation for him.
7. On the other end of the spectrum, I think Ryan Gosling is so... not attractive. I honestly don't see why everyone swoons over him. Ick.
8. I have seen every episode of FRIENDS at least 10 times. I have them all basically memorized and can even tell you most of the episode names. If you're ever in a pub contest, you want me on your team.
9. Same goes with Disney trivia, but that's a no brainer.
10. I have been fired from a job.
11. I have been evicted (unjustly) from an apartment (there's a story I'll tell you later).
12. I have never been on a date with someone who I wanted to be on a date with.
13. but I get asked out by people (yes people) in whom I have less than zero interest.
14. I have been at my current job for  years. Other than my first job working at Freddies, it's the longest job I've ever had. And most days I really like it.
15. I am the Team Lead over four different Outpatient departments. I've been doing that for two years (this week) and I still have a lot to learn.
16. I also work part time at a party store. This week is my one year anniversary. I work there because it's my gym. It's totally brainless and I don't have to take it home with me, so I love it.
17. My favorite musical is Brigadoon- because they sing about Heather on the Hill. Also, Scotland, bagpipes and kilts. Need I go on?
18. My favorite movie is The Court Jester. It's the wittiest, funniest and just most all around fun movie ever made. 
19. When I was a kid I was scared by the movie the Secret of Nimh. We always watched in in school during rainy recesses and I hated it. I was also terrified of the movie Time Bandits and had nightmares about it for years.
20. Needless to say- I do not like scary movies. I have a way overactive imagination and I can't handle horror movies. Even seriously intense movies can be too much for me. 
21. I have never had a pet dog. I've always had cats- and most of them were strays that we took in, much to my parent's dismay. I don't have anything against dogs, I've just never had one. But I do have fur neicephews now and I love them.
22. I remember the most random things, and yet seem to forget important things. I can tell you the name of the kid who peed his pants in class in the 3rd grade, but I couldn't tell you who our student body president was in high school.
23. My favorite flowers are plumeria. I've only ever seen them when I went to Hawaii that one time... but they made quite an impression and they are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
24. I am also a sucker for fuchsias and good ol traditional roses.
25. When I grow up I want to be a  Disney performer. Maybe I'll have to do that in my next life.
26. My favorite books are the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I just love the way they are written, so witty and fun. I love that the characters are non conformists and that is what makes them so special.
27. I was about to say "non-traditional" but I can't say that- because I am the poster child for tradition. I love tradition. I love pomp and circumstance and traditions that date back hundreds of years. Changing of the Guards? Boring but awesome! Family Christmas traditions? MUST!
28. The only book/movie combo where I love both equally is Howl's Moving Castle. They are soooo very different that you have to see them individually, but I love them both.
29. I love the classics. When I was at Cambridge, my Dickens professor had a write a list of books that we'd read since we've been in college. When she looked over mine she said I needed broaden my horizons and to add a little 20th and 21st century to it. It was all early classic stuff.
30. I remember walking through the halls of the Jordan River Temple with my parents. It had to have been during the open house and that temple was dedicated in 1979, so I was but two years old. That is probably one of my earliest memories, and a testament to the impression being a temple can leave on a person.
31. Another memory from when I was a kid- when I got scared at night I would spread a blanket in the hallway and sleep under the light of the smoke alarm. There was a tiny green light on it. It was just enough to be a nightlight for me. Plus, it was right outside my parent's room.
32. I had a boyfriend in kindergarten. I'll save him the humiliation of being named here- I also had a boyfriend in the 5th grade for about 45 minutes. My friend asked him on the playground if he'd be my boyfriend (without my permission) and he said yes. I didn't really want him as my boyfriend so I passed him a note in Mrs Reynold's math class afterward and said I didn't want to be his girlfriend. He said, "good! because I was just kidding." That was my last boyfriend.
33. Speaking of elementary, I used to hang upside down by my knees on the monkey bars- or on the rainbow bars- and take my coat off in the dead of winter. I thought I was soooooo awesome.
34. I got caught once while playing kiss tag. In kindergarten. It was the 45 minute boyfriend who fish-lip kissed me as I tried to blend into the brick wall of the school building.
35. I've been proposed to. It totally blindsided me because I had less than zero interest in this man. We were not even friends... we were... missionary and less active member. I had no idea he was interested in me. I feel kind of bad about the way I turned him down, but come on- you didn't know me. At. All. If you'd known me, you'd known better than to pursue that way. Who proposes in an email to someone they've never even been on a date with!?
36. I was friends with my sister in law before she started dating my brother. She liked him and it would bug her when I would talk about setting him up with my geometry teacher. 
37. I used to go to dancing every Friday night. My friends Heather, Amanda and I never missed an institute dance. They were (are) super gorgeous and got asked to dance all the time. I usually spent most of the slow dances in the hallway. Occasionally I got asked, and sometimes I got brave and asked, but mostly dancing is just awkward and uncomfortable to me. I feel like a deformed jelly bean when dancing.
38. I spent my 40th birthday much the same way I spent my actual day of birth, napping, eating and crying. 
39. I love my family more than anything. And that includes my auntie and cousins... and of course my sweet kittens who have been such cuddle bugs the last few days. I don't know if it's because of the move, or just because they've sensed I need the extra love, but I'll take it.
40. If you ever catch me in a bad mood, just talk about Disney, England, Scotland or glitter. It'll perk me right up. 

There ya go. I feel like most of those are thing I've talked about before, but it's getting late and apparently I'm old now.

Blast from the Past

Wanna time travel with me? Pull out your freshest neon, put on your LA Gears and let's go!

It's about 1989. Look, there I am! So awkward... (some things never change...) ...sad... huh, anyway {shakes it off} 

What is that funky beat...? Is that...

New Kids on the Block?

Heck yes it is!

I can't even tell you how much I loved New Kids. My friend, Summer got me into them. It was the first boy band I loved. The only boy band I've ever loved. Were they the first boy band...? Like, that wasn't a family (Osmonds, Jacksons, you know... they don't count). I don't even know. But I loved them. (I never geeked out over N'sync or Backstreet Boys- just these guys)

I am ashamed (proud?) to say I still have all the posters that once wallpapered my bedroom (and by "have" I mean they are all rolled up and shoved in corner in the basement of my parent's house). I also have a door poster size puzzle.. maybe two... that were only ever assembled once. And a board game. I even had the dolls once upon a time but I think the nieces have played with those until they are unrecognizable. (although none of the Ken dolls had rat tail hair styles, so maybe they'd be easy to pick out). I got most of those things toward the end of the obsession so they're all still in fairly good shape because they were rarely used. 

look at this one! They're just babies here!!!

It was because of these boys from Bean Town that I fell in love with a city I've still never even been to. I love Boston! I dreamed of going to Boston University (and wore BU apparel. Oh man... I forgot about that sweatshirt... I LOVED that sweatshirt...)

Joey was my favorite. He was the youngest- and by far (as far as 12 year old me was concerned) the cutest. My friend and I used to write stories involving them- Joey was always my boyfriend. I wrote him a fan letter once- but I never mailed it. Sorry Joey, I'm sure it would have made a difference in your life. You'll just have to move on without me. 

Then there was Jordon. Summer loved Jordan. She even had similar hair (although it was curlier... like Joey's). I always thought he was handsome too- but Summer called him first- which was fine. I still prefer Joey.

Jordon's brother Jon was super cute too. He was always a little more in the background. I wonder if he ever resented that. Hmmm...?

Donnie was everybody's favorite bad boy. Even though the other Whalberg has become the more famous of the two, whenever I hear about Mark (whom I still call Marky Mark), I still think of him as Donnie's little brother. Donnie wins!

And then there was Danny. Did he actually sing or was he just there as the beefcake? I'm sure he's very nice.

I was sitting here today having a bout of the blues- this grey sky is going to kill me. I need SUN! So I tried to think of a way to cheer myself up. I don't even know how it came about- but I ended up on YouTube watching the old music videos of these teenage heartthrobs. And giggling to no end. Really? This is what I thought was SO COOL? This is the music I couldn't live without? (I have the piano music too, btw) 

My sister's went to a concert once and I turned every shade of green with envy. They were fans too- but I was too young to take to Provo to a concert. sigh... and just a few years ago when they were doing their reunion tour my friend Lisa escorted them through the Denver airport. I may have retroactively fan girl-ed a little and asked to touch her hand- the same hand that shook theirs. AAAAAHHHH!!!!! 

ahem... sorry... we're cool. I think I've grown up enough that I can look back on all this with good humor. 

I've admitted a lot of embarrassing things in this post. I will NOT, however, publicly admit that I have a NKOTB pillow case anywhere in this apartment. No one needs to know that but me.

Beware the Bat Boy

I don't know what made me think of this, but I have to tell you this story.

Years and years ago when I was living in Provo, I had the BIGGEST crush on this one guy. Kaetty, you'll remember him (you'll probably remember this whole story). We never called guys by their names for fear they- or someone- would overhear us talking about them. So this guy's nickname was 6'8. If you can't guess why, then we can't be friends.

Anyway- I had *such* a crush on him. (he was the second guy in the Jerk Alert post) I met him at institute at a leadership training meeting. We were put in a group and told to make a bridge out of mini marshmallows and dried spaghetti noodles. That was probably the dumbest activity I've ever been party to- but I remember it so I must have learned something from it. He was wearing khaki shorts and a red hoodie (dangerous apparel in Provo with so many Zoobies lurking about- granted, we were at UVSC institute so it was a little more permissible... outside the Lord's school and all). I don't know that I would say I have a "type" but if I did, he'd fit the profile.

Ok. that last sentence was a complete lie. I totally have a type. Tall and nerdy. It's a weakness. I'm taking medication to get over it. The doctors say it isn't contagious.

ANYWAY!

It's not all tall nerdy guys who send me. They also have to have a personality. I know, weird, right? Well this story also contains another tall.. not so nerdy, but super weird guy. He looked like this:

I'm not kidding. His nickname at our house was literally "Bat Boy" because he LOOKED like this except he was like, 6'6 or 6'10 or something.

He was in my ward and on the activities committee. I was also on the activities committee. And to make it more interesting, he was friends with 6'8. Tall guys gotta stick together, I guess (none of his roommates were under 6'5).

So because I was on the activities committee with this kid, I had to get to know him and spend time around him. He drove me absolutely bananas. His personality was like running a cheese grater over a chalkboard amplified by 50 and then sticking your finger in a light socket while standing in a puddle of lemon juice. But because I'm a sweet, tolerant person [cough*hairball*cough] I was friendly. I even condescended to give him the occasional obligatory hug. bleh...

Being a girl, I of course have some internal conniving qualities built in. I thought- "Hey, I could get Bat Boy to put in a good word for me with 6'8." Sounds logical, right?  So one evening after an activities committee meeting, I drove him home. We were sitting in front of his house chatting when I decided to go in for the kill. I asked him about 6'8. Was he interested in anyone? (me) Did he have a crush on anyone? (me) Did he ever talk about anyone in particular? (me)

Never in my life has a conversation gone so awry. He got a sly smile on his face and said, "oh Bakeshow, That's just so sweet."

I literally had no idea what he was talking about so I said, "I literally have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know that for a long time you've liked me. And I know that you're just talking about [6'8] to make me jealous. It's really sweet of you, but I just have to be honest with you- I don't like you that way."

Uhhhhh.... what? Where the hell did that come from?! I can NOT in recollection think of any time I might have given this crazy eyed psycho the idea that I had any interest in him whatsoever. But how do you tell someone that without being flat out mean?

So I just said, "You've got it wrong- I really am asking about 6'8." But he wasn't going to have it. He just thought I was trying to save face. Seriously. That was the most awkward conversation I've ever had. I politely kicked him out of the car and drove as fast as I could back home to tell my roommates.

To my recollection, I never spoke to him after that- no idea whatever happened to him. I'm not sure who was the jerk in that situation. me for thinking he was Bat-Crap crazy- or him for rejecting something I wasn't even offering... weird...And after all that, he STILL never put in a good word for me with 6'8.

You have to love this post!

Because it's about love and Valentine's and that kind of crap.

Since this is my faaaaaaaaaaavorite-est day of the year *coughliescough* I thought I'd make a post of things I love. Not necessarily in this order- but seriously, these are SOME of the things I love.

Family

Disney

Friends

Richard

SHERLOCK!!!! (which- incidentally, I just watched the third one from this year and OH MY GOSH!

Chocolate

Glitter

Sleeping

Apollo Burgers

Dr Who

Books

Movies

My Savior

Unicorns

Traveling

Hope your day is filled with things you love!

So many loves in one photo

There are no words I can use to describe how happy this picture makes me!

Richard hugging Kermit? Are you freaking kidding me? This just makes me love him even more. Why, WHY can't I be friends with him!?

I am so excited for this Friday, you don't even understand. If you need me, you will find me at the IMAX watching The Desolation of Smaug in 3D. Probably twice.

And just for a little extra treat:

Happy Birthday, Dream Man

I don't know where in the world you are. I have no idea what kinds of things you find interesting to talk about. I don't know if you chew with your mouth open, or grind your teeth-

but the Richard that I have made you out to be in my head is perfect. And I really want to meet you- but then again I hope I never do because I don't want the delusion that I have formed in my mind to be ruined.


You're beautiful.



Your kind heart,



 your gentle demeanor,



 your incredible talent,



your eyes,



your smile,



your voice, ... sigh...

I love you.





Happy Birthday.