Snowy Blog

First big snow of the year! The day started off rough, as my residential roads were mostly cleared though with tons of slush in the middle. I almost hit another car because the turning lane I was in had not been cleared very well. I wasn't driving very fast and tapped my brakes but it didn't slow me down. My car kept sliding forward, and I was freaking out, worried I was going to hit a truck in front of me. I pulled my car around, thinking I could turn into the gas station I was trying to get to. Thankfully, I managed to get in the median, and stop right in front of the light next to the truck. I was at a stoplight and there was no oncoming traffic. I was very relieved, though I called Dustin freaking out for like ten minutes.

Work was very boring and slow. Surprised we were open due to the snow, especially since we had no shows going on. Downtown roads were immaculately cleared, so I guess that's why. I got to leave early though. Going home was much less stressful than going to work.

Sending in my resume for a "big girl job" at an insurance company where Dustin's mom works. Hopefully, I'll be able to get at least an interview. I'm not putting all my hopes into getting this job, but it'd be nice to at least score an interview for a "real" office job and even better if I actually got it. Nevertheless, I'm not in a hurry or eager to give up my super awesome current job at the KY Center. 

No work tomorrow! I'm making plans to go sledding with my friends Leslie and Kristi. Then I have traffic school at night. Bleh. Oh well, at least I get to have fun before hand. Plus, I don't have to worry about watching my speed when I'm sledding.

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. 

An Otaku Snow Day!

Dustin and I have been snow dancing our butts off and our efforts have definitely paid off. This is the fifth snowday we've had, but today was the first time we actually played out in the snow. Making a snowman didn't quite pan out the way I thought it would, and we eventually abandoned the idea in favor of other snow creations including a snow unicorn! I was going to originally make a 3-d full bodied unicorn snow sculpture, but there were support and snow packing issues. Instead, I made a 3-d unicorn head mixed media sculpture incorporating pine tree branches and a pinecone in with the snow. Dustin & I made snow angels, and I added an anime otaku touch by adding a Bleach squad captain badge and cat ears to them. We slid down the hill behind our apartment building on our butts since we lacked sleds; Dustin rolled down the hill once. I think tomorrow we may try sledding in one of the parks in "sleds" made out of household things like a laundry basket and big tupperware lid. Posted some pictures.

I have a guest post featured on book blog Tempting Persephone for the Pursuing the Lioness Challenge. You guys should check it out and join the challenge if you love the books.

Valentine's day weekend was full and fun. Friday went on a double date with Dustin's parent's + his grandma to Rafferty's and the movies; we saw The Wolfman. It was the first time I'd been to see a scary movie with a boy before. ;) I enjoyed the movie, and glad it reflected the original old Hollywood B-movie style just fancied up with A-movie treatment. I was genuinely scared and grossed out a number of times--had to close my eyes and squeeze the circulation out of Dustin's arms. Saturday, we went to Shogun (a Japanese restuarant); it was packed, but we snagged a table simply by saying we didn't want to sit at the grill. After dinner we saw Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief. It was a fun, epic fantasy movie--just what I wanted to see--with some great twists on traditional Greek mythology. Sunday, Dustin took me to dinner at the local restaurant Avalon on Bardstown road. I've been wanting to go there ever since I first moved to Louisville. It's pricey but not exorbiant. The food is fantastic along with the service. I was disappointed a bit by the plain, modern interior. With a name like Avalon, I was expecting sparkles and Apple trees/garden or maybe something remotely Arthurian related. I'm hoping to go again in the summer, so we can sit on the garden patio with lights all around.

Snow Day + Wedding Dress + Red Lobster = Perfect Day

Louisville got snow, though not as much as we were hoping and that the weather people originally predicted. The patterns changed and the southern and western parts of KY got more snow. Makes me a little disgruntled. Though I haven't been one for playing out in the snow much lately. I just think it's pretty and you know always provides a chance to miss school. Yes, I still think snow days are the most awesome thing ever when school is canceled.

Showed my future mother-in-law, Dena, and future sister-in-law, Amanda, my top three dresses today. I've got it pretty much narrowed down to two dresses. I'm 99% sure of which of the two I'll end up choosing. Pictures and other wedding talk on wedding blog.

Reading a new vampire novel by Robin McKinley called Sunshine. I'm not feeling a strong fondness of the book as of yet. I went and looked at some reviews after finishing part one. There's primarily a love it or hate it kind of feel. However, the few on the fence gave the best input--or at least comments I agree with so far; it's an interesting thing to read and see McKinley experiment with a genre she's not written before. I think it's a little tedious, but I think it's purposeful for slowly building suspense and letting the story unfold and tell itself bit by bit. I'm missing my Sookie Stackhouse with the zinger wit and sexy vamps and romance; I really enjoy them for light reading. Not enough funds to purchase a new one and they're too popular to be traded on PaperBackSwap.

Went to Red Lobster on a "double date" with Dustin's mom and stepdad. I ate so much and drank half of a Bahama Mama (which is a lot for a small, asian girl).  I ordered the pick two: grilled salmon and coconut shrimp. It came with two sides, I chose a salad and rice. Then there were biscuits to eat, and on top of that Dustin ordered crab legs which I couldn't let go by without eating a couple. I stuffed myself silly. Thank goodness we didn't get dessert. I felt sick when I got home--a mixture of overeating and alcohol. Dustin's said, "I'm going to go play a game." I promptly replied, "How about we play the game where you get me two pepto and glass of water--warm?" I was joking, but he being the most wonderful boy in the world, did exactly as I asked. Today was one of those perfect days.