"Puttin' On the Ritz!!!"

Scott and I went to see "Young Frankenstein - The Musical" tonight before it leaves its' Seattle debut for Broadway.

Freakin'. Brilliant.

I was laughing hysterically throughout the entire 2 1/2 hours. (If you haven't seen the movie, you have no idea why ... but hopefully y'all have seen it).

The cast included Roger Bart, Megan Mullaly, Sutton Foster, and Andrea Martin. Yes, all of them here in our little town of Seattle. We were swooning. (Every time Andrea Martin was on stage, I kept thinking of her as the aunt in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - "What do you mean he don't eat no meat? Oh, that's okay - I make lamb").

And I still can't stop laughing at Elizabeth (Megan Mullaly) singing "Deep Love". Again, hopefully you've seen the movie, so you can guess why it was so funny. Lines about Deep Love ... Long Love ... Firm Love ... yes, it was an adult show. I was crying from laughing through so much of it.

Anyway - this was the first quasi-"Date Night" we've had in months. It was nice.

If any of you have the chance to see this show, DO IT. Really - worth every penny.

In the Land of the Living

I was reminded by my cousin Jo tonight that I haven't posted in almost two weeks. I am still alive, just that life has been hectic, with twists and turns on the hour (just like it is for everyone else).

I'll try to write a meaningful post this weekend. I'm grinding my teeth constantly these days and need to keep re-reading my last post. Oh, and breathing. Breathing is good. But I'm not gone, completely.

Don't give up on me, kids.

Simple.

I need to give myself some advice.

Step back. Take a deep breath. A DEEP breath. Close the eyes, don't open them again until the mind is clear. Shake out the dust, the overcomplicated web of everyday minutia that covers everything, forget any petty items that are causing you grief and hurt and misunderstanding, purge the details from yourself and concentrate on who you are. Break yourself down to the most simple essence of yourself. It's there, somewhere. Not lost, not gone, just a little buried.

Stop clenching your jaw and grating your teeth. Relax. Remember who and what you are. Go back to that person.

Be.

Listen to more Aaron Copland, like you're doing right now. More Ralph Vaughn Williams, more Percy Grainger, more Paul Hindemith, more Benjamin Britten, more Samuel Barber. Re-read your e.e. cummings, your Paul Bowles. Stare at more Picasso, more Edward Hopper, more Kandinsky, more Gaugin.

You know, all the things you used to do.

And remember the Adlai Stevenson quote you've had memorized for over twenty years:

Your days are short here; this is the last of your springs. And now in the serenity and quiet of this lovely place, touch the depths of truth, feel the hem of Heaven. You will go away with old, good friends. And don't forget when you leave why you came.

New blogger to my blogroll

Check out Don't Wake the Pretty. I'm hooked. LOVE HER.

An update, and a pledge ...

Yeah, my posts have been meaningless fluff/drivel for a while.

I miss having the time and focus to make this blog what I originally wanted. I haven't taken the time lately to form my opinions well enough to warrant spewing them out to the unsuspecting public. So, I've kept to myself. And submerged myself in the somewhat surreal world that is my work life.

Quick updates on that:

* Still haven't hired anyone to replace my retiring team member. I came to three candidates I wanted to interview; one declined, one no-showed, the one I interviewed I'm on the fence about. One more candidate to interview ... but we're looking to agencies now. The next month is promising to be hellish.

* I'm planning a "Come To Jesus" meeting with the other team members. Seriously ... a team of five people (plus me), and they are E-MAILING me about "so-and-so did this", "so-and-so said that", "why isn't so-and-so doing yadda yadda yadda ... ". If I had WANTED to be a high school teacher, I would have finished that education major instead of running screaming away from it.

* I have to consciously make myself lower my shoulders. They're up near my ears these days. I think there's a little stress/muscle tension occurring.

On the other hand, I do still love the Big Picture of my job. I just need to wade through a lot to GET to that Big Picture. And I don't own hip boots.


So, the pledge: I WILL post an actual intelligent, thoughtful post ... hopefully this weekend. I miss writing them, actually. I need to find some more balance in my life. I recently bought a bracelet through Human Rights Campaign, and I love it ... it tells me to just "Be". Simple, eh? The way I like it:

How do y'all handle stress when it overwhelms you?