January

Happy New Year!

I'm still not aware that it is 2003. What happened to 2002? On New Years Eve, Eytan asked us what was the best thing about our 2002. I couldn't think of anything after a few minutes of thought. I still can't. I think I'd have to look over my journal to find something. I know I had some good moments, but besides seeing "Burn This", I can't think of any. Very sad. I'll think about it more when I get home. Maybe I just can't remember things being away from home.

Anyway, New Years Eve was nice. Jeff, Eytan, and I (and Brian and Rebecca for about an hour) went over Jon and Michelle's. We watched both the Maryland and Virginia Tech games (the Maryland game was more exciting but both had the outcomes we wanted) and played Taboo. When Jon and I are on a team, we are unstopable!

Yesterday I went to Sylvia's for a couple hours. That was fine except for one thing she did. Early in the visit, she was telling me about her young neighbour who lost her job and is having trouble finding another one and can barely afford her rent. Later in the visit, we went over there so she could introduce me and this girl (Rachel) asked Sylvia if she had any quarters so she could do laundry. Sylvia gave her the quarters and Rachel said she only had a $20 and asked if Sylvia had change. Sylvia did and gave her $18 plus 4 quarters. If this girl is barely making her rent, why wouldn't Sylvia just give her $1 in quarters? One dollar! What's the big deal? I wanted to give her $1 myself.

Oh, and also, her son in law had to have some kind of operation. He has very little money and couldn't afford the operation, so Sylvia gave them some money to cover part of it. If she's leaving them most of her money in her will, why can't she just give it to them early when they need it? Also, she asked Harvey if he would contribute (to this guy he barely knows). She told Harvey that she gave them $10,000 and expected Harvey to give them the same or more. And it was the way she said it that was ridiculous. And the fact that every time she talks to him, she keeps bringing it up in her meek little tone.

Okay enough of that.

After I left Sylvia's, I worked for a few hours and then went over to Harvey and Paula's for dinner with them and Neil, Maxine, and Abby.

Today is Abby's 2nd birthday! Happy birthday Abby!! Maxine's having a small party (just family) tonight.

And I'm going to stay an extra day to finish up with the deadline and then go home on Saturday. I've been here for so long, what's one more day? Plus there shouldn't be as much traffic heading home on a Saturday.

Abby's birthday party was fun. She kept us all entertained the entire evening. And her obsession with Harvey is so funny.

It's pouring today and driving from College Park to Baltimore was not fun, but it could have been worse. I just hope it slows down or stops tonight and isn't bad tomorrow. I really don't want to drive back home in the rain or worse, sleet or snow.

I'm looking forward to being home and catching up on everything. January will be a busy month for me. After I deal with all the parts of my life I've been neglecting (work, mail, email...), I'll have to write that Amsterdam paper, organise the apartment, send resumes and cover letters to casting agencies, do some other things I've been putting off, and at some point do some clothes shopping on top of all the usual things in my life (work, theatre...).

And in school news: I forgot to mention, I got an A- in music, an A+ in theatre, and an incomplete in urban structures. I wish he could just give me an F on the last paper and average that with all my A's to get a C, but it doesn't work like that.

So it's back to work for one more morning before I head home. There's just too much left to do, and I just couldn't leave it all for everyone else. Besides, it's supposedly snowing in NY and NJ and maybe if I wait until late morning, early afternoon to leave, they'll have taken care of the snow before I get up there and it won't be that bad when I hit the Turnpike.

So Ohio State beat Miami in double overtime. I didn't think their defense was good enough to stop Miami's speed. I think if McGahee didn't get injured, the outcome would have been different. Oh well, I'm just glad Miami lost.

On the ride home yesterday, I listened to "Porgy and Bess". The only contact I've had with the show was watching part of a rehearsal of it in high school. I hadn't heard the music since then, and yet when listening to the CD yesterday, I knew almost all of the music. Sometimes my musical memory even surprises me.

I also listened to "Plain and Fancy". I haven't heard the music since I was in it in '92. I got so caught up in in, that I forgot to stop for gas at the last stop before the tunnel. So I took the GW Bridge and stopped at the Vince Lombardi stop right before that. Of course getting gas took 30 minutes and waiting to pay the toll (I wish rental cars came with EZ Pass) took another 10-15 minutes. But I left at 11:00 and was home by 3:30, so the ride wasn't too bad. And the weather was fine for the whole trip. I thought it was supposed to be snowing in NY & NJ.

I spent most of the evening dealing with email. Then I watched "The Shop Around the Corner"- I don't see what the big deal is about that one.

Last night's dream: I was in a big house and there was a performance of "Noises Off" being performed. I think it was just a rehearsal though. Angie, from IWII Theatre, was playing Dotty. Robert Sean Leonard was in it as well (I think he was playing Freddy). The strange thing about it was that there was no dialogue. I was watching Angie just going through the motions without speaking. I asked RSL what version this was, and he told me that some of the actors couldn't handle the dialogue so it was being perfomed in mime. The I was irate customers on the phone. Then I deciced to ask RSL if he knew anyone from Dodger Theatricals personally. He said he did and they were all discriminating, nasty people. He spotted 2 of the women from the company and insisted on introducing me to them even though I REALLY didn't want to meet them after hearing about how horrible they were. Then Abby was there and RSL knew her. He said, of course I know Abby. Then Abby's appearance changed slightly, and I thought that maybe this was a different Abby. I called her over and asked if she knew who I was. She said "Hi Casa," so it was the Abby I know and wondered how RSL knew her. Then at some point, I was driving somewhere in Europe and I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to Asia". I was confused about how I could just drive from one continent to another without any trouble and was suspiciously surprised that the sign looked exactly like the "Welcome to ______" U.S. state signs. I didn't think I was really in Asia.

There are several things I need to deal with tomorrow. Deal with the mail, calling Hunter to see what to do about my cancelled registration since my bill came after I left for Maryland and was due before I came home, go look at office space, go to the PF, possibly have coffee with Harvey, take my 6 rolls of film (I can't believe I found 6 rolls of film in my purse- I know I took 4 in the past few weeks, what's on the other 2?) to be developed, and a few other things I can't remember right now but will hopefully remember by tomorrow morning.

There's a possibility I could go to Bangkok in October. I know it's a long way off and I probably will pay dearly for the school I'll miss if I do go, but what an opportunity that would be. Thailand is in my top 5 list of places I want to see.

Kim called a few days ago, so I called her back today. We caught up a bit and made tentative plans to get together when she's up here in a few weeks.

Now I'm going to place an order from Fresh Direct and then watch "Chocolat" (Paula was talking about it the other day and for some reason I decided I should watch it).

Although maybe before I watch the movie, I should deal with my mail. Then I'll have one less thing to do tomorrow.

This morning I'm trying to call the Bursar's office to find out if my registration will be cancelled, but they're not answering their phone. I'll keep trying until 11:00, and then I need to get over to the PF.

Looking forward to checking out the office space today. It's 52nd & 5th with a view of the Hudson (don't quite understand how you can see the river from that far away, it would seem that there would be buildings in the way, but I guess not).

When I get home this evening, I'll deal with my mail, plan my next few weeks, and then watch "Chocolat".

Tomorrow I'll start dealing with the Amsterdam paper.

Today I dealt with most of my mail (I left the annoying parts for later this afternoon) and went to the bank. Soon I'll get some theatre tickets (there are at least 2 shows I want to see here plus "110 in the Shade" with Matt Bogart in Arlington), answer some email, make a schedule for the next few weeks, and then start on my Amsterdam paper.

I finally decided to go to one of the lunch club lunches. It's tomorrow at 2:00 at Benny's Burritos. Now I just have to remember to go.

So I got tickets to 3 shows yesterday. "Mystery of Attraction" for tonight, "Comedians" for Jan. 14, and on "5th of July" (looking forward to this one the most) for Jan. 24. I was hoping to go to one of the talkbacks for 5th of July", but they sell out extremely quickly. Oh well, at least there was a discount code for this Wilson production. I also emailed Eytan about when we can see "110 in the Shade", but I haven't heard back from him yet. I hope Feb. 21 works for him since then I can go see Eric Lewis in Annapolis on the 22nd.

I forgot to write about my Monday. I did some work at the PF and then had a quick lunch with Harvey. As we were walking to check out the office space, Harvey pointed out the Rockefeller tree. Again I would have had another year where I missed it. What is it with me and that area? Anyway, it was gloomy enough for the lights on the tree to look somewhat lit up, but it would have been better if it was completely dark. Then we looked at the office space (it could work with knocking down some walls and a few other things). Oh, and I finally got a hold of the bursar's office (by going through the receptionist in administration) and they told me since my bill was overdue, I had to come in and pay it in person by 6:00 that evening. I asked if I could give my credit card information over the phone. The answer was no. I asked if I could fax the information over. That answer was also no. WHY?!? They always have to make things so difficult and/or time consuming. So I went up there after seeing the office space and waited in line for 20 minutes. I also took the opportunity while the school was quiet to get my new semester sticker for my ID. Glad I remembered about that; it was convenient to get that over with and not having to wait in a 30 minute line to do it. Then that night I got my groceries at exactly 8:00 (the window was between 8 & 10). I really like this company.

Still not getting anywhere on my Amsterdam paper. I have such a huge block with this one.

I thought about highlights from last year again and came up with seeing "Burn This" and going to Scotland & Amsterdam and perhaps going snowtubing on Rebecca's birthday. I'm also mixing up 2001 and 2002, so that's giving me trouble in coming up with highlights. 2002 was just a big blur.

So today I am going to the lunch club lunch and then finding somewhere to pass some time before seeing "Mystery of Attraction".

"Mystery of Attraction" was nice but could have been 15-20 minutes shorter, especially with no intermission (it ran an hour and 45 minutes). I liked the Tribeca Playhouse. I like intimate theatres in general.

Today I picked up my 6 rolls of pictures. Some of them came out great. Can't wait to find a day or 2 to put about 8 months of pictures on this site, maybe the week after next.

Tomorrow Rebecca's father is coming up to New York, so we're probably getting together tomorrow for a late lunch. Before that, I need to work on my Amsterdam paper. I need to do that tonight as well.

Saturday I'm going to an Indian brunch on the UWS with another group of people. I have no idea what to expect, but it can't hurt to try it once.

I haven't been remembering my dreams recently. I miss my dreams.

I get to add something to my to-do list that I forgot about. I have to train David on the new software.

Tonight I really have to deal with my Amsterdam paper. I didn't do anything with it last night (I got tired and went to bed early). I should also clean the apartment tonight. I have stuff all over the place (boxes from Baltimore, trash, pictures, magazines, mail...).

I got a letter that my doctor is going into private practice somewhere in New Jersey. I finally found a doctor (and even liked him) and now I have to go through it all over again. Don't know when I'll deal with that.

And in other doctor news, I need to remember to call Dr. Billig's office so I can order more contacts.

In fact, I'll do that right now.

Okay, they're not answering their phone; I'll try again later. In the meantime, I'll go start cleaning the apartment.

This afternoon, I went to an Indian buffet on the UWS. A few people were supposed to be there, but Todd and I were the only ones to show up. Todd's a good looking guy but a bit boring. We didn't have much to talk about, the buffet wasn't very good, and it was freezing outside, so staying at home would have been preferable, but of course I didn't know that ahead of time.

I just don't have much to say these days.

I didn't get much sleep last night, but I woke up early and decided to get up and be productive rather than go back to sleep. And a productive day I had. I did some work and finished my Amsterdam paper (FINALLY). I should finish cleaning the apartment (I did very little the other day), but I think I'll wait until tomorrow. I've been productive enough and deserve an evening off. Maybe I'll watch a movie.

I forgot to mention the other day that I finally found a way to write a nice resume for a job in casting. A combination functional/chronological resume works great for people like me, and I even found a way to work in the theatre background without providing a whole other resume with those details (it's extremely vague, but that's what the cover letter and, hopefully, interview is for). Now I just have to start on those cover letters. I'd like to have them finished by next weekend so that after I train David on Saturday or Sunday (and nothing else immediately important shows up [crossing my fingers]), I can give myself a day or two off.

Today is the first Sunday in a LONG time that isn't going at warped speed. I didn't get up any earlier than previous Sundays, but somehow I had plenty of time to be productive and plenty of time to relax. Usually, the relaxing part of my recent Sundays have always felt like they were cut short.

I've been feeling lonely the past few nights.

I never got to speak to anyone at Dr. Billig's office the other day, but I remembered to call today and went around the phone system so I could talk to someone. I should be receiving my new box of contacts soon (which is good since I only have one pair left).

I saw the trailer for "A Guy Thing" and am upset that they don't even show 1 second of Selma Blair. Guess they don't think that she'll sell the movie. But they could have at least showed that she exists in the thing.

I found a pot connection. Now maybe I can get on a normal sleeping schedule (and have some fun occasionally too). But first I have to hope that the guy follows through.

I've been wanting to go to Barnes and Noble and read guidebooks. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

Random question: Has the amount of commercials for Broadway shows gone up or have I just never really noticed them before? I hardly watch tv, but I've seen 3 Broadway commercials in the past few days.

Okay, now I'm going to try to get to sleep (and I'm sure I'll be successful).

I did indeed get to sleep extremely quickly last night and had absoutely no problem getting up this morning (in fact, it was the easiest time I've had getting out of bed in a LONG time).

Today I'm going to run some errands, go to Barnes and Noble, see "Chicago", grab a quick bite to eat at that crappy Italian place on 42nd (it's quick and in a convenient location- down the street from the movie theatre and 2 blocks from the Beckett Theatre), and then see "Comedians" (looking forward to seeing Raul Esparza in a new role).

I don't know why I don't have much to say these days. I feel that this year's entries, so far, are very dull.

"Comedians" wasn't anything special but Raul Esparza did a nice job.

I feel like I had more to say about yesterday, but of course I can't think of anything right now.

Today I haven't done anything except work. I was thinking about starting to updadte my photo page today, but I think I'll wait until Friday. It sounds like too much effort tonight and tomorrow will be another busy work day.

Still don't know when I'm supposed to train David.

And hopefully early next week I can take care of some errands (upgrade computer, clothes shopping...).

I guess I still don't have much to say. These little one sentence paragraphs are getting boring. I keep hoping I'll have something interesting to write about, but whenever I sit down to write, I have nothing to say. I don't think this has happened to me the entire time I've been keeping this journal online. I'm hoping I'll snap out of this phase soon.

There has been an excessive amount of sirens today. And they each wailed for a particularly long time.

Of course, since yesterday, I've been in the mood to listen to "Chicago", and of course, I can't find my copy. I guess I'll just keep singing it to myself: "Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, they both reached for, the gun, the gun, the gun, the gun, the gun, they both reached for the gun, for the gun".

I've had fleeting glimpses of my dream from last night. I know it involved driving (parts were in the NRV) and Terry was in it and we were having one of our silly arguements and I think part of the dream involved travelling, but that's all I can seem to remember.

Oh, and not only is Broadway advertising a lot more on TV, they're advertising a bit more in the movie theatres as well. I saw 2 or 3 while waiting for "Chicago" to start.

I've remembered how to relax. I think school is the thing that keeps me from being relaxed. Right now, I'm busy doing several things (work, cover letters, regular life things...) but I'm able to be unproductive at night and not feel guilty at all. How much school do I have left? 51 more credits (about 2 and a half years if I can't get all the classes I need when I need them).

I think the movie's "Cellblock Tango" was quite creative and interesting to watch.

But I thought I remember in the show that they discussed that the Hungarian girl really wasn't guilty and that when she got sent for the hanging, it was a big deal. They didn't mention it in the movie at all.

And 2 other things they didn't include but should have were: having Mary Sunshine be a guy and "My Own Best Friend" (don't know why they left out this song).

And I still don't know why they casted Richard Gere. He just wasn't good. Of course I haven't liked him in anything, but he was particularly wrong for this part. He was too old (25 years too old, in my opinion).

And there was some guy in the audience that lauged at the most random parts. He was quiet for most of the movie, but 4-5 times, he laughed for a full minute, and I could never tell at what exactly he was laughing.

And I think Catherine Zeta-Jones is amazing. She's gorgeous, she's a triple threat (singing, acting, dancing), and seems like am interesting, down to earth person (I've only seen her in one interview, but I think I'm a good judge of character).

Oh, and I read some guidebooks yesterday at Barnes and Noble. I really hope I can find a way to fit Bangkok in October into my schedule (and maybe Lugano in April as well, or is that asking too much?).

Maryland's going from winning the National Championship to barely making it in the top 25.

Okay, I'm going to go watch GH now. I still can't believe how much I like it. The storylines don't matter. If the characters are interesting and the actors are talented, I don't think the story really matters much. And GH has several multi-layered characters and many talented actors.

I've been wanting to go to a ski lodge recently. I wonder if there's any chance Jeff would go with me one weekend in February?

I didn't watch a movie, I watched prime time network sitcoms. They really aren't funny, but I watched them anyway. I feel like I just wasted almost 2 hours. But it's okay to waste time like that once in a while.

I haven't been eating much recently. For the past week, I've barely eaten 4 meals. Not good.

I'm going to update my photo page this weekend (I hope), but I just wanted to add a few right now. Since I'm not having a very good time with words recently, I thought I'd try a few pictures to see if they can really be worth a thousand words. Here are a few (1, 2, 3) pictures of what's on my mind right now.

I Got an email from Brian today telling me that if I haven't talked to Jeff recently, I should call him. Well, I called and left a message. I hope it's good news and not bad news, and I hope I hear from him soon.

I got tickets yesterday for Tori Amos in March. And Eytan emailed me today about wanting to see an acoustic Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert also in March. Both at Radio City. Hopefully Eytan will be able to get tickets and I can make March a concerts-at-Radio-City month. I've actually never been to Radio City (not that I can remember anyway- there's a possibility I went once when I was a kid) and it's about time I see something there (I even know how to get to it, unlike other things in the Rockefeller area).

And through email, I managed to convince Eytan to go to Eric's show in Annapolis with me. The main reason he didn't want to go was because he wants to get to sleep early on Saturday night since Sundays are busy days for him. So I told him the show was over by 10:00 and he said that was fine. Now the trip feels more worthwhile.

Still liking GH. They have some good lines in the dialogue and actors with good delivery.

I think I'll update my photo page tonight.

I just got in the mood to rent a car and go somewhere. I might seriously do that later next week if I can get cracking on all the things that need doing.

Favourite word of the day: Revivified- I like that word.

I've had the urge to go to Copenhagen recently. Maybe one day I can find the time to go.

Was pretty productive today. I started organising the apartment (a big project- I hope to do a little each day until I'm finished), dealt with the mail, went to the bank, and talked to Eytan, Paula, and Harvey.

Now I want to continue updating my photo page and then maybe watch a movie (but knowing me, I wouldn't count on the watching the movie thing).

No movie for me tonight. Let me try something: I will NOT watch a movie tomorrow night (think that will get me to actually watch one tomorrow night?).

I finished updating my photo page this afternoon! Tomorrow is organising day. I'm going to get everything I need organised at home and then I'll be more efficient in getting things done later in the week. So tomorrow I'll research the best way to upgrade my computer, where to go clothes shopping, where to get a cheap back scratcher (for Rebecca), and look up a few museums' hours (although I may run out of time this week and will do the museums next month). Then I'll do some more organising of the apartment.

Tonight I want to take the night off. I'm getting so good at procrastinating again! If I don't have an actual deadline for something, it's so easy to put it off. What will I do tonight? Well, I probably won't watch a movie.

Right now, I'm going to go make a reservation for Robyn's show next week. I can't believe I kept forgetting to do that until now. Hope there's still room (I'm sure there will be).

Last night, I watched the beginning of the Golden Globes on the phone with Paula, like we did for the Academy Awards once or twice. It's kind of fun. They announce the nominees and we try to guess the winner before they announce them. We suck- we each got 2 right out of around 10.

I've done quite a bit of organising today. For my computer, I decided to get my CD burner fixed before I do anything else. I just need to call a few places to figure out who can help. If anyone in the NYC area knows of a reliable computer repair place that would know about Dell CD burners, please let me know. Then I mapped out where I plan to go clothes shopping on Wednesday. I decided to wait until Wednesday since I can easily go after the lunch club lunch (most of the stores I want to try are on the LES). I'm really not looking forward to the clothes thing and I'm not entirely hopeful, but maybe I'll get lucky. As James says, "gotta keep faith that your luck will change tomorrow". I also bought a couple of things online today (I don't know why I bother), and maybe I actually won't need to return them this time. Also today, I dealt with email, did some work, organised a little paperwork, and organised more of the apartment.

Nancy Grahan really is a fantastic actress.

Tonight I should probably start working on cover letters, but I probably won't. Instead I'll probably not watch a movie and probably won't go out to do anything, but will probably play some online games and one or two other goofing-off activities. And the past few days I barely feel guilty about goofing off. Maybe only 3-4 times while I'm goofing off do I think that I should be doing something more productive, but then I tell myself that goofing off is helpful to my overall well-being and then the guilt goes away.

I decided I'm not going to go anywhere this week. I'm just going to use the time to relax and get things done around here. I'm so tempted though to go somewhere in the middle of February (since I'll have a few days off from school). I should probably use that time to stay home as well, so I won't be so overwhelmed and complain that I never have time at home, but when airfare to Roanoke is only $250 for a non-stop flight and a car rental is only $22/day (plus insurance), it's so tempting to do that. But I won't. Not only should I stay home and relax, there's a chance of bad weather. What I might do instead is if there's a nice day during that week, to rent a car and go somewhere random (like a ski resort if I'm somehow able to find a good deal at the height of ski season) then. It would be nice to spend time in the New River Valley, but I'll wait until the weather is warmer (of course I won't have the time then, but maybe something will turn up- like a 3 day weekend).

I did some more organising of the apartment this morning. I'm beginning to notice a difference, but there's still a ton to do. Today I also got Rebecca a birthday present, dealt with email, did a little work, and when I'm finished this entry, I need to get back to work. This evening I may update my theatre and lists pages. At some point in the near future (maybe tomorrow night and/or Thursday), I need to write cover letters. I'd like to finish that before classes start, but if I don't, it's not a big deal (especially if I only take 2 classes this semester which is about 60% likely).

Tomorrow is the lunch club lunch and then comes the attempt at clothes shopping.

Yesterday's lunch was fun. I met some new people and had fun talking with people at the non-pool-playing table at the Ace Bar. As for the clothes shopping? No way! It was absolutely like the Artic Circle yesterday and I was not dressed for it. There was no way I was walking all over the LES. I'll just try some more shopping online (and then return it all since nothing will fit, although maybe I can see about alterations) until it warms up or I bundle up better and don't mind braving the cold.

I went to bed super early last night. Between the few drinks I had at the Ace Bar, the small amount of pot I smoked when I got home, and the fact that it was early evening which is when I'm most tired, I was just exhausted and got in bed around 9:30 and fell asleep before 10:00. I felt super rested when I woke up this morning, and I'm ready for a nice long day (I've done quite a bit of work already).

I've done a lot of work today. It's so nice to be productive without having to go anywhere or do anything involving a paper for school.

I don't laugh enough anymore. I should watch comedies more often. Maybe I'll watch "Waiting for Guffman" or "Being John Malkovich" or something tonight.

The building on 58th St. is growing! It's fun to watch the progress, although I could live without the extra noise.

This week is present idea week. I thought of a birthday present for Rebecca, Rebecca emailed me with possibilities for the wedding gift we're giving Daniel and Naomi, and Jeff and I are emailing today about what to get Jon for his birthday.

Time for lunch (or breakfast)- ham & eggs (wish the eggs could be green because Sam I am NOT).

Hair is now coloured. I like it and hope it doesn't fade too quickly.

Tonight is "Fifth of July" with Robert Sean Leonard and Parker Posey. Tres excited!

And I'm going to be more prepared for the cold tonight.

And I hope I can get a cab home from the theatre since I don't feel like dealing with the cold more than I have to.

And I have nothing else to say today.

I realised today that I really like having Jon back in my life. He certainly has his flaws, but he's a good person and an easy person to talk to. I don't have enough people like that in my life, so it's nice to have Jon again.

"Fifth of July" was great! The end was too tidy and got wrapped up too quickly, but Lanford Wilson can write some really good dialogue. Plot may not be Wilson's strong point, but what he lacks in plot, he makes up for in well-developed, interesting characters and witty, intelligent dialogue. Both Robert Sean Leonard and Parker Posey were both wonderful. They played the roles similarly to other roles they both have played. I don't know if that was their decision or the director's, but it worked well. And I didn't recognise David Harbour. I know I'm terrible at recognising people, but he REALLY looked different. He did a great job too, as did the rest of the cast. I was sitting next to a guy who, right before the show started, asked his companion what he was supposed to look for in the playbill. He'd never been to a show before and was curious to which information he should be paying attention. He was quiet through the entire show which impressed me. I don't think he got too much out of it though. He couldn't keep track of the characters. He thought Gwen and John were brother and sister instead of husband and wife. I'm not sure if a Lanford Wilson play is the kind of play you should see to be introduced to theatre, but maybe he enjoyed some of it. I know I enjoyed it! And of course it was much better sitting in the 4th row where I could see facial expressions.

And I managed to snag a taxi only after a few minutes. There was another couple standing on the same corner also waiting for a taxi but they were behind me and not at all aggressive, so I got the first one.

It looks like Harvey and Matt will be getting together soon. I think it's a good thing.

I've been procrastinating with cleaning up the apartment. I really should do it today though and leave tomorrow as a rest day (if possible).

I was just looking out my window and every car (not taxi or bus, obviously) had a sunroof. I didn't realise they were quite that popular.

Today is going slowly- I love it. I bet tomorrow will go quickly.

Now I'm going to go call Neil since he's lonely up in Toronto (wish I could be in Toronto).

I know today will go by quickly and then tomorrow classes start. I'm going to go to the 2 classes I'll probably drop just in case they seem interesting and don't have too much work involved. I really don't think I need any more electives though and if I do, I'd rather take another class in my major. But one of the classes tomorrow is Human Development which is a class in my minor, so it would be nice to take another psych class (even though I don't need it) just in case I do something with psych later in life. And why am I going to an urban history class? I have no idea, but if it doesn't have more than 1 paper and a few tests (highly unlikely), I might stick it out (even though that will be 3 less credits that I will need later and could have used for another theatre class). But the theatre department offers so few classes each semester, I might only be able to take the bare minimum of them so I can graduate sometime this decade. I'm sure I'll wind up dropping the history class though, even though it sounds interesting. Maybe I could just sit in for fun but not take it for credit. The main reason I'd want to do that is because if I take the psych class, I'll have a 2 hour and 45 minute break in between classes. If I take (or just sit in) the history class, it will give me something to do for an hour. If I don't take the psych class, I'd still like to take the history class since I really don't want to go up to school 2 days a week just to take one 50 minute class. It will be so hard to get myself to go. Oh, this is all so fascinating, I know.

My heating units are so loud!

I think I'm going to order a pizza tonight. Pizza and the Super Bowl just seem to go together. I'm not really interested in the game this year, but I'll probably watch most of it anyway. I'm routing for the Raiders, but I think it could go either way. I'm also looking forward to the commercials this year for some reason, especially the Hulk trailer. I might even be looking forward to the Matrix trailer (even though they should have released this movie a long time ago).

I know I haven't watched many performers doing the Star Spangled Banner, but I don't think I've ever seen more than one person do it at a time. Here they had the 3 Dixie Chicks.

And I am not going to sit here and write commentary for 4 hours.

But Tampa Bay really does have an amazingly quick defense. Lets hope the Raiders can wear them out.

Okay, I did not like the Matrix trailer either. I'm asuming the movie will be much different and this was just a bad trailer, but you would think a movie like this would have had a better trailer.

I did like the Bud Light commercial though, with the upside down clown.

And the trash shute is still locked.

Why do banks tell us the time and temperature?

I did not understand the Levis commercial.

So Tampa Bay dominated the first half. Hopefully that won't happen in the second half.

Didn't they used to show cheerleaders more? I think I've seen the Tampa Bay cheerleaders for a total of 10 seconds and haven't seen Oakland's at all.

Gannon threw that ball way too hard for that 2 point convertion.

I LOVED the ESPN commercial that shows fans explaining the good qualities of their teams (especially loved the Red Sox guys- they were classic Boston).

Bon Jovi sure does a lot of little shows. He played at the start of the NFL season (in Times Square on the evening of the Giants game) and now he's playing right after the Super Bowl and I'm assuming he's done other little shows like that.

And when there's less than a minute left and Tampa Bay is leading 41-21, they have to go and score again. I doubt anyone predicted that final score (48-21).

I can't believed I watched the entire game and did nothing productive while watching it. Okay, time to get back to my life.

The trash shute was still locked this morning and continues to be locked now. This is getting ridiculous.

It was absolutely bitter outside this morning.

I walked into the West Building at Hunter this morning and the first escalator wasn't working. Welcome back to Hunter.

The theatre history class doesn't seem horrible. The professor is pretty excited about the material and therefore, talks really quickly, but hopefully she won't be too difficult to follow. She said she has added a few written assignments since this is now one of the writing intensive courses, and I'm hoping they won't be too overwhelming. Several people from my production class and a few people who worked on "Heartbreak House" are in the class. The first person I saw while waiting for the class to start was Katie. She was my favourite person to talk to while working "Heartbreak House" last semester, so I'm glad she's in the class. Katie, the ASM on "Heartbreak House", is also in the class.

The urban history class I'm going to drop. All the urban classes are almost identical. This one had a research paper on recent articles of urban problems and an oral report on a community board meeting. It didn't seem too horrible, but I don't need the class so I'm not going to make more work for myself.

The human development class I'm not too sure about yet since the instructor wasn't prepared. She gave us half of the syllabus (the name of the book we'll be using and mentioning that there will be 4 tests and a cumulative final- hopefully that means there aren't any papers) and told us we could leave. It's a lecture class, which is nice for a change.

Now I'm in the process of trying to drop the history class, but Hunter's website isn't working properly and it's going very slowly. I guess everyone else is trying to do the same and they can't handle that much traffic.

There, it finally worked.

Tomorrow night is Robyn's cabaret show, and I'm thinking about going to one of the museums I've been wanting to go to as well. I'll figure that out later.

Tonight I need to do a few odds and ends and then maybe I'll relax a bit.

Since I cut my hair, it's been drying very quickly- it's great to not go out in these freezing temperatures with damp hair.

Tonight I have the urge to go on a roadtrip to Portland, OR. I don't want to drive on the interstates too much though. I want a cross-country trip of small highways to see if I can find any old-time America.

There was just some kind of accident outside my window. I couldn't really see what was going on, but there were 2 fire trucks and several police cars. I took a few pictures for some reason, but I doubt they'll come out.

After the accident cleared (or mostly cleared, there are still police cars and an ambulance out there), I continued to look out my window. There was something very satisfying looking out on a New york skyline at night in the winter. And I love that if I lean all the way to the right, I can see the 59th St. Bridge (although all you can see at night is a row of bright white lights).

I'm a little stoned right now.

My skin is so dry. I just bent my right leg and some of the skin on my knee cracked and is bleeding a tiny bit.

I called Neil in Toronto again tonight (his last night there). He went out to dinner by himself tonight. He hates dining alone, and I really didn't think he would do it. Guess the hotel food was getting old. I think we chatted so much tonight, we'll have nothing to say to each other when he's here next week. It was fun though. We talked about work stuff, family stuff, GH stuff...

Speaking of GH, I talked Paula into watching it once when I was down in Maryland over Christmas, and she decided that she was going to start taping it as well (mainly because of Lane Davies). These things are really addicting. GH has really good actors though. I really like Lane Davies, Nancy Grahn, Vanessa Marcil, Maurice Benard, Tamara Braun, Rick Hearst, and Chad Brannon (yes, I had to look up those names).

I can't end this entry talking about GH; that's embarrassing.

What else do I have to say?

Well, just for fun, I'm going to order a copy of my driving record (mainly just to make sure certain things have cleared). I'm going to do that tomorrow (if I remember).

And I doubt I'll go to a museum tomorrow. I don't see the need to go out in this weather unless I have to go out.

The anti-smoking/drugs commercials have become over-the-top. Do they think people still believe such obvious propoganda? Or maybe many people do. I think I often give people too much credit in the intelligence department.

Meeting Jennifer tonight for Robyn's show. And I forgot to mention: We're going to Joe's Pub on February 14th to see They Might Be Giants (just John & John, not the band).

I just got a ton of energy. Wish I could save it for this evening, when I have to go out in the cold (I know I'm not going to want to leave, like usual).

My books for classes were shipped today from Barnes and Noble (except for one which they didn't have, so I'll have to brave the lines at Shakespeare on Thursday). I ordered them last night and they were shipped out this morning. I love them. I decided to buy used and not do the same-day-delivery-in-Manhattan thing since they always ship it out right away and it never takes long to get here. I'll have them to read over the weekend.

I really should support Barnes and Noble rather than Amazon (they have gone downhill now that they expanded their partner list and are now making a profit). Okay, from now on, my links will be to Barnes and Noble.

Tomorrow: theatre history in the morning, lunch at Paprika with the lunch club in the afternoon, and then back to school for the dance/dancer/audience class. It will be a lot easier to get myself down to the East Village for lunches on Wednesdays when the weather gets warmer. Tomorrow I'm going to bundle up and deal with the cold since I don't know what else I could do for 4 hours.

January 29 8:30 AM
Listening to: Smog- Dongs of Sevotion
Site of the Day: I-95 Exit Information Guide
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There are flurries right now, but nothing to get excited about. They're saying that there will be about an inch of accumulation. I'm waiting for a foot of accumulation. I would love to have one big snow storm this year. I've been waiting and waiting and waiting. This year could be the year.

Brian sent me an email about wanting to come up Presidents Day weekend. That would be a perfect time (now that I've decided not to go anywhere myself). They Might Be Giants show with Jennifer on Thursday, Brian and Rebecca coming up on Friday. Sounds like a good weekend.

Speaking of Brian, I got the stay-tuned-for-a-real-invitation invitation for their wedding in August. I'm 95% sure I'll be down in Baltimore working that weekend anyway, so the wedding is planned conveniently. Of course it would be nice if it was an evening wedding so I can work on Sunday during the day, but I won't get my hopes up. The only bad part will be driving home on Monday (Labor Day). Of course if the weather is like last year (cloudy and not super warm), the traffic shouldn't be too bad.

Anyway, does anyone reading this (is anyone still reading this?) understand my problem? Can anyone that has been through something like this offer some suggestions on how I can deal with this effectively?

The rest of the day was fine. Theatre class went by quickly (it's only 50 minutes, I've never had a 50 minute class before) and lunch was fine (even went to Ace Bar for a few minutes after since I had time before my next class).

January 30 6:00 PM
Listening to: "Plain and Fancy"
Site of the Day: Sag Awards
Interesting News Story of the Day: Projecting the Field (NCAA tournement predictions)
Out, Damned Spot
White, Naughton, Wopat and Others Receive Nightlife Awards; Complete Winners List Announced
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Last night I bought a ticket to "My Life with Albertine" for Feb. 20. Looking forward to it.

I'm really tired. If I remember correctly, I'm always tired after the first week of classes. I have to get used to it again every semester. Fortunately, I don't have much to do tonight. Tonight would be a perfect night for a movie (but I wouldn't bet money on me actually watching one).

Today was a day of all the little things not going well. I tried to get the book for human development at the Hunter bookstore and they said they might have some early next week. I went to Shakespeare and there was a line around the block to get textbooks. I was not waiting in the freezing weather to wait in line for a book that they might not even have. I hate that bookstore. I understand that they don't have the capacity to handle all the students, but some of their policies don't make senes. If you call them to see if they have a book in stock, if it's a textbook, they won't check for you- you have to go there in person and wait in the long line. I'm hoping by Monday, the lines won't be as long and either Shakespeare or the Hunter bookstore will have it in stock.

Never mind, I just ordered it used from Amazon for $1.99. Now I just have to hope that this seller is responsible and the book gets here quickly. She has only positive feedback with many mentions of prompt shipping, so I'm not too worried.

Oh, and the other irritating things of the day:
- I couldn't find anywhere to sit at school during my break. I tried every floor and every seat was taken. Things should thin out once people stop going to class every day (guess these people just don't care about required attendence).
- I couldn't find anywhere to sit at the diner on 3rd, so I didn't eat during my break either.
- The human development instructor still doesn't have the syllabus for us.
- I was exhausted so I went to Starbucks for some coffee and they were closed by the Board of Health.

Go Terps! Show NC State who's #1 in the ACC!

January 31 6:30 PM
Listening to: Jewel- "Pieces of You"
Site of the Day: CD MAP Settlement (read article below for more info on how to get $20 from record labels)
Interesting News Story of the Day: Few Takers for CD Settlement Cash
Blake's 20 Powers Terps Past N.C. State 75-60
Out, Damned Spot
Prep Star James Ruled Ineligible After Accepting Free Jerseys
Bway Les Miz Lives "One Day More," Extending to May 18
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I know I had other things to say, but I can't remember anything now.

I feel like watching a movie tonight. I'm 50% sure I will this time. It feels like a movie night. Now I just have to feel the same way in an hour or so.

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