Happy Year of the Unicorn!

I've decided to dub this year the Year of the Unicorn. I had a very unicorn Christmas and feel my New Year should correspond. Plus unicorns are symbols of good fortune. I was reading an column in LEO or Velocity discussing writing. The only part I remember was "Don't just talk about writing, just carry a journal and write." I'm guilty of the former, so I'm attempting to resolve it this year.

I had to work New Year's Eve which was kind of a bummer, especially since Dustin took my lunch that day. Still, I got to hang out with one of my favorite supervisors/co-workers, and we only had to work til 6 PM. After work, Dustin and I went to Oishii for sushi; business was hopping, but it wasn't impossible to find a table.

Following dinner, we headed over to my friend Bill's house; my friends Leslie (who is dating Bill) & Rachel took over his house to throw a New Year's Eve party. So many nerds and engineers in one place, it was hilarious. I had a couple drinks--didn't get too wild because I had to open the next day. Rachel and I drunk danced together. We spent quite a bit of time conversing about our boobs, and how the workers at Victoria's Secret keep trying to convince us to buy the bra that will make use go up TWO WHOLE CUP SIZES!

We turned on Dick Clark's New Year Special. Lo and behold the Backstreet Boys were the musical guest AND New Kids On The Block. All us girls started screaming and singing "I Want It That Way." We were pretty bad. Leslie and I were on the couch together and were both like "BRIAN AHHH!" Dustin moved far away. Rachel commented on how the NKOTB's harmonies were good and BSB's were not. We all agreed A.J.'s physical appearance was really bad and definitely reflected his previous alcoholism. We spent a lot of the evening yelling at the musical celebrities on TV and about everything. I got my first kiss with Dustin on New Year's Eve! I always had to kiss someone else, like Matt Tobbe, because Dustin was always working UPS.

New Year's Day I worked; it was vastly boring. I was surprised we weren't closed considering  my workplace is non-profit, and there were no shows going on. That evening we went to Bill's again for spaghetti made by Rachel. Rachel and I drank leftover Smirnoff's. We were like, "These are so delicious! They taste just like candy!" I said to Dustin, "We should buy a ton of these and drink them everyday!" To which Rachel responded, "That's called being an alcoholic." Then we ate Lindt and Hanukkah chocolate (which we didn't know why Bill had it because his family is Catholic) and watched Hot Tub Time Machine. Dustin and I cut out a little early, went home, and promptly fell into bed.

Today was my first day off in a week! I couldn't sleep past 9:30, and Lily was being a whiney brat. I piddled around on the internet for a good couple of hours. I took an uber long shower jamming to my fave 90s Celine Dion songs. I washed all the dishes in the sink and swept the very messy kitchen floor. I had a my oil changed at Sears and walked all around the mall. I was proud of my refusal to cave in and buy stuff super on sale. Afterward, I went home for a bit, then back out to the movie theatre to see Black Swan--which was the most beautiful film, I've seen in forever! The final dance scenes makes the entire movie worthwhile!

Lastly, went to dinner at a local Vietnamese restuarant La Que on Bardstown Rd. I loved being with a large group of my friends; somehow we always end up being the people who are really loud and laughing the most. I ate a super yummy, uber spicy green curry. Leslie and Bill were introduced to Vietnamese and Thai food (the restuarant serves three kinds of Asian food: Vietnamese, Thai, & Chinese).

Good times, good times. The year has started off great! This weekend was uber fun and friend filled! So sad, we all have to go back to our separate lives. Now that I have texting, it's somehow magically easier to keep in touch and make plans. It's amazing how fast people respond to text messages! EVERYONE I texted responded, unlike when I call and leave messages.

Christmas Magic: The Nutcracker

I have found a love and deep appreciation of the one of the oldest and most iconic Christmas traditions: The Nutcracker ballet. Tonight was opening night of the Louisville Ballet's Nutcracker. It's been running for 50 years in Louisville; this is the second year of the new, localized production. It's in someways different from the traditional ballet version of the Nutcracker, but apparently closer to the original book version. The main character is Marie not Clara; she's older, not a little girl. There were changes in choreography, staging, sets, etc. I've never seen the original version, so I really don't have anything to compare it to, unless you count a very, good cartoon movie version.

I never saw the Nutcracker as a kid and as I got older, I always associated it with being aimed towards younger kids. Working at the theatre though, I was taken aback by how many grown people love the Nutcracker. It's one of those shows that appeal to everyone, even people who aren't particularly artsy folk. One of my co-workers told me she went last year for the first time; she spontaneously bought a cheap ticket. She said she had so much fun and sitting next to a little girl who was completely into the show made it more so. I decided I had to go see the show at least once in my life. This week, we got an opportunity to get staff comps.

I took my friend Matt Tobbe with me because he really enjoyed the last ballet we saw, Giselle. Matt and I are almost always late for everything. We both left work late. The weather was awful; it snowed/rained--slushed--all day, and traffic was terrible. Matt and I both take forever to get ready to go anywhere nice. We were both convinced we were going to be late. WE ARRIVED AT THE THEATRE EARLY! In spite of everything, I was on time picking Matt up, and we got to the theatre exactly one hour early. Obviously to celebrate our achievement and not the ballet's opening night, there was a fancy reception with hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Matt got to smoke extra cigarettes, and I had snack and chill time.

I loved Nutcracker for all the magic and sparkles.The show was seriously magical. There were so many amazing tricks like turning a small wooden nutcracker into a life sized moving nutcracker. I think my favorite trick was when the life sized "dolls" of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier were pulled from seemingly small boxes, perfectly poised. I thought the best part of the whole performance was the Snow Pas De Deux/Waltz of the Snowflakes! That musical number is my favorite of the entire ballet, and the scene was the most beautiful one I'd ever seen! To top it all off, at the end it snowed in the audience as well as on stage! Matt's favorite part was the Russian Caviar; the dancers did flips and awesome spins. We both loved the dance between the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. There was a large number of children in the production. They were all students at the Louisville Ballet School. I was impressed by how good all of them were! Uber cuteness was not the only factor in their being cast. The kids made the show twenty times more fun. Again, Matt and I thought the show was simply amazing and wonderful!

Something weird and funny also happened. I took of my high heel shoes when I sat down because I usually pull my feet up into my seat. At intermission, Matt went out to smoke, and I wanted to get a drink of water. I reached down and grabbed one shoe, but couldn't find the other. I thought maybe it had fallen down in the row in front; not there. I looked to see if it had been kicked over a few seats in my row, I checked my tote bag, and the row behind me. I was baffled as to what could have happened to my one shoe. Could someone have found it and taken it to lost and found? Why just one shoe?

When the lady and guy sitting next to me returned to their seats, I asked her if she had found or kicked a shoe. She said, "Yeah, I found a shoe and put it in my bag." What normal person, finds a single shoe, and puts it in their bag?! I am pretty sure she was a combination of toasted and weird based on her following comments. "I found the shoe and put it in my bag. I thought it might be one of my shoes. (really, just one shoe randomly laying around on the floor?) I have really small feet (note: she was quite big--not obese, but big; she did say it with a joking tone)." She proceeds to pin this giant sparkly flower on her shirt, then show me & the guy in-between us (who she came with) the new nutcracker she had purchased. "This is the new nutcracker. It's different from last year's; it's sparkly." The guy asked her if she collected all of them; she answered, "So what if I do?" Then she turns to me and says, "This is my brother NOT my lover. Just so you know." Needless to say, conversation was very awkward, in spite of the humor. 

Matt thought the lady was nice. He said we should go see Nutcracker again drunk and act like that lady and steal people's shoes and put them in my bag. I really hope I win the Nutcracker ticket sales contest so I can get a $50 Bristol Bar & Grill gift certificate and four tickets to see Nutcracker; I'd settle for second place and getting two free tickets. I know I'll definitely be making plans and saving to see the show next December! Oh and also, as I was driving Matt home we saw FIREWORKS! It's because we were early for the first time in forever! Matt and I realized tonight we never got to eat strawberries and see fireworks in the same day before because we were always late. Well tonight changed all that! Tomorrow we'll be back to our normal, tardy selves. 

Weddin' Timez - SO EXCITED!

NaNoWriMo is going...slowly...but it's going. However, it's being put on hold this weekend because my friend, hetero-life-mate, and former college room mate Rachel is getting married on Saturday! So excited! I'm a bridesmaid (first time). We're headin' out bright and early to get to Owensboro by 10:30 to help decorate the reception site. Rachel and her mom already finished decorating the church. I'm very glad that Owensboro is an hour behind us because otherwise we'd not be getting there on time.

Gotta get my tires aligned before we leave tomorrow, wait for my friend Matt Tobbe to be prissy and fuss for 30 minutes with his hair (and then the whole 2 1/2 hour car ride), get gas, stop for food somewhere, and get lost because the road signs have been knocked down and not replaced. Maybe somewhere along the way we'll see another beaver-cat; Cassie insists it was a prairie dog, but I know better. Hopefully, Rachel took our advice to make driving easier; we insisted Rachel mark every turn with a hay bale, decked in blinking lights, with a regular sized Easter egg. Very efficient idea no?

I am making Dustin drive on all the windy back roads. Funny enough, it's faster to drive through Indiana to Owensboro than through KY on Western KY Pkwy. I'm going to try not to worry about Lily over the weekend. We're leaving her plenty of food and water; our friend Brett, who lives across the road, is going to check up on her. This weekend is all about Rachel and having a good time! First time in forever all our college friends will be together in one place to have a huge party! Again, cannot stress how EXCITED I AM! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A FABULOUS TIME!

Here's Rachel in the middle with the bridal crew (missing two: Leslie and Kristi); It goes me, Mary (Rachel's sister), Rachel, Cassie, and Matt. :)

NaNoWriMo: Day 1: Taking the Challenge

So, I totally you know failed to blog for about a month and a half maybe more. For an aspiring writer, I'm terribly lazy, but I'm quite certain I'm not the only lazy writer out there. So this month is the start of National Novel Writing Month! I've never had the time or prepped/realized the start of the event from the beginning. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Yes, it will be terrible, but it's not meant to be publishable (at least not right away, if even). I haven't written fiction in so long, and need something to push me along. I know my story is going to be awful, but I'm okay with that. I'm doing this more for personal satisfaction and achievement; I already know, I'm not going to be the next great American novelist. However, if I can manage a short, shitty novel in 30 days, I know I can write a better novel in like 5 years.

I'm already getting frustrated and running into roadblocks. I had one story with notes, characters developed, snippets written, and then decided to scrap it in favor of a random plot bunny I came up with last night. Granted, I could not stop thinking about the new story all day at work, and forced myself to act on my impulse. The forums on NaNoWriMo's site are hard to access, simply because the site keeps crashing, probably from overload. It's the best place to get support, but so damn hard to get to! Plus, they have an adoption forum for abandoned plots, random snippets, character names, etc! How awesome is that?! I have a few friends also doing NaNoWriMo too, and we're all cheering each other on. I haven't decided if I want to start a separate blog for my story and to talk about my writing process. Keeping one blog and attempting to write a novel is difficult enough. I'm also worried about copyright issues with the net. Maybe I'll just post snippets here and there.

I set myself a small goal tonight of about 500-1000 words; there's no set amount you have to write in a day, but 2-3 K per day is average/good progress. I'm adamant about finishing my first scene. I'm trying really hard to just write and NOT edit while I write. Also, I'm handwriting first, then typing after I finish my daily writing. Computers provide too many distractions, and too easy to edit as I go along. Writing in pen on paper forces me to keep going, scratch out here, but no erasing and all mistakes are there to be fixed later. Wish me luck! I'll be updating as I go.

Best Day EVAR x100: Janelle Monae

Today was the start of the Idea Festival in Louisville and one of the busiest weeks at the center, since we ticket the events which also take place in our building. Janelle Monae was part of one of the events and giving a concert today. I got to work about 2 PM, and one of my coworkers told me he and another co-worker saw Janelle walk through the center up to our small theatre. I was a little jealous and excited.

I'm so glad I worked the counter today. I figured Janelle would be walking through the lobby again, so I'd get the chance to see her sometime that day. Sure enough, I saw her dancers and then her. She was sporting her awesome pompadour hairstyle. She looked directly at me, I smiled, and she smiled back! I was so excited! Later, I got to hear her rehearse; her music and voice carried from the theatre out to the lobby.

After my shift, I planned to peek into the theatre and watch a number or two. We actually had some people return tickets they weren't using; we couldn't resell them, so my supervisor saved one for me because she knew I wanted to see the show. I had to wait a half hour after the concert started because my shift didn't end til then. As soon as I clocked out, I bolted up the steps into the theatre. I had a fantastic house seat, and got to watch the rest of the show.

The concert was AMAZING! Words cannot express how AWESOME Janelle Monae is! She's wildly energetic, eccentric, and talented! Her music is catchy and inspiring. She's all about challenging the norm, pushing the border, but not to the point where she alienates people. She's all about changing the world! Her music shifts genres. Basically Janelle Monae is just GD COOL! No other way to express it! I hadn't heard of her before I started working at the center. I heard my coworkers gush about her; I looked up a couple of her songs on YouTube and liked them. However, seeing her perform live just sealed the deal making me a committed fan for life!

Reason 1,000,001 why I love my job.

Unicorns Make Everything AWESOME

Poking around knowyourmeme.com and found out about the Cornified meme. There's an awesome site called cornify.com. It's basically a parody service site in which you can cover your website and any photos with unicorns and glitter. Needless to say, I had way too much fun with the site. I love me some unicorns, so that plus boredom, and free time late at night = these kinds of photos.