Monday, July 30, 2007

Friday, July 27, 2007

The Audience

Our audiences at the Broadhurst have been incredibly wonderful.  We have gotten marvelous receptions and we up there on stage are revved up by their enthusiasm.

HOWEVER...

Two days ago, seated in the front row were a man and a woman.  And they gave us a show of their own.

I didn't see much of the action, but our boys sure did, and didn't hesitate to recount and demonstrate exactly what they saw.  There was a lot (as in A LOT) of lip-locking (which I actually did catch)... groping... touching... fondling.  Sure, we made fun of them, but in all seriousness, we all thought it was ridiculous and disrespectful.  Some thought they just didn't care, others theorized they had planned their display.

BUT COME ON!!!  Did they not think that others around them AND us on stage could see them?  HELLO!  They were in the friggin front row of a MUSICAL, not the back row of a movie theatre!!!

After my anger had subsided, it made me think just what would possess anyone to make such a display of themselves.  Were they just horny and couldn't wait to get back to their hotel?  Were they adventurers and wanted to intentionally show off just how horny they were?  Did they have no idea just how stupid they looked (not to mention, not particularly good looking)?

Who knows... perhaps some of you here have engaged in such shenanigans.  My advice: don't.  It angers the performers and audience members around you.  If you want to get into someone's pants, don't do it after spending $250 a pop on premium seats.  Getting a hotel room is far cheaper, and more appropriate.

Sheesh.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Newest Nic Pics - July 22, 2007




Some new pictures! The little girl is not so little anymore!

July 22, 2007 - Comfort Food

1. My laptop, and the places it takes me to on the internet

2. A grande vanilla soy latte from Starbucks

3. Smelling my baby girl (her smell just calms me)

4. Text Twist and Dynomite

5. Poker games with my buddies at work

6. Young chow fried rice

7. A warm embrace that lasts at least 5 minutes

8. Prayer

9. A late-night cartoon fix

10. Feeling blessed and happy

Thanks to Jett for the idea.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

I've not had a great last 2 days...

My baby and I have had tummy troubles... mine happened on Thursday (hence I took the night off), and Nicole's happened on Friday (hence I took the night off).  Hers seemed much more serious though, and given that she's a wee little girl, she can't always explain or understand what's going on with her.  She ate some baby food that didnt agree with her digestive system (I blame the rice husks in the mix... I mean, RICE HUSKS DO NO BELONG IN BABY FOOD!!!) and so as quickly as she ate, she retched.  So I stayed home... my mom and I cared for her.  Our pediatrician came over as well to check on her (after her night at the City Center watching Patti Lupone in Gypsy), so our minds were more at ease.  I also kept Rob abreast of the latest news... right now she's fast asleep beside me as I type this blog.

So to those that went to Les Miz the last two days, I'm sorry I wasn't there, but there were things far more important to take care of.  Having said that I'm hoping that Nic is better today... it's Alex Gemignani's last day, and I want to be there to properly say good-bye.

But... we'll see.  I'm going to watch and wait on my baby.  If she seems well enough that I can leave her, then I'll be at work.

July 21, 2007 - I refuse to age 10 years over...

... things I cannot control.

Right now I am typing this blog beside my daughter as she sleeps. She didn't have a great afternoon yesterday... she ate some baby food that didnt agree with her tummy, which meant she threw it all up. I was at rehearsal while it all happened. My mother called as rehearsal ended, telling me that Nic was throwing up all over the place (she wasn't exaggerating, I saw the soiled sheets, pillow case and clothes). I then ran like a bat out of hell out of the theatre to catch a cab on 8th Avenue, running on the street to the first free taxi I found. The streets were relatively clear, with green lights the whole route to my apartment building. I jumped out of the cab, bounded up the entrance steps, ran to the elevator and into the apartment. Nicole greeted me with a big smile, so I thought that maybe my mother had blown this out of proportion... and then the throwing up happened again, and with each time my little girl retched, she cried. That part broke my heart. I had to take the night off from work to take care of her. My mother also needed to rest... her nerves tend to fray when she sees any of her babies suffering. Including her 36-year-old daughter and 33-year-old 6-footer of a son.

I called her pediatrician who then advised us to give her fluids... little by little lest her tummy rejects it all. Nicole wasn't in much of a mood to eat or drink, at least not while her body continued to reject the food she ate. It all finally ended past 1 AM this morning, and she's now able to keep her Pedialyte down, even asking for more. We just kept our patience with her, taking her for little strolls in the apartment. She didn't want to be physically separate from me or my mom, so we held, carried, hugged, cuddled her. At the moment in this dimly lit room, her thumb is firmly in her mouth and she's off to dreamland. She was able to take some naps earlier as well (interrupted by a sudden heave and cry), but I want this to be a relatively longer stretch.

This is one of those things I can't control... my little girl getting sick. Right now I wanna kill the CEO of Earth's Best baby food, but this particular jar could have been a fluke (a rice husk filled fluke)... Nic had eaten that particular variety before and loved it. But alas, this is one of life's curve balls, one of those things that I can't control. If there's anything having a baby teaches you, it's learning to roll with the punches and letting certain things roll off your back. It was far more important to get her to rest and feel better than anything else.

So there... I refuse to age 10 years over things out of my control. At the end of the day, I have much to be thankful for: a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, the greatest job in the world, and a great support system of friends and family. I am very blessed, and I have to keep that at the forefront of my mind. So yeah, I have nothing to complain about.

Having said that, there are forces of evil on this earth that need to be thrust into the light... and hung by the gonads to dry.


Friday, July 20, 2007

July 20, 2007 - A Lesson in Trust

The lesson is: TRUST NO ONE.

I am having a crappy day. And a certain someone needs to be hung up by his bits and pieces. Goddamnit to hell.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

July 18, 2007 - A time for change


The only constant in life is change.

Next week a new Valjean starts his run... on Saturday, our old Valjean will perform his last show, and will be shaving his beard immediately after our final curtain call. Rehearsals to facilitate the change have been called this week, so everyone that has any interaction with that character has been called in. It's been a time of change... a time of evolution... a time that is at once exciting and scary.

It's an exercise in futility to resist change... at times we want to hold on tightly to what we know only too well, even though we know that to let the inevitable take place is what's natural. There are laws to follow, rules that are immutable. To try and counter that which must happen would only result in a painful push and pull. I know what it's like to try and keep a strangle hold on what is fleeting and temporary, to embrace what must leave, to pin down air, to grip a handful of sand.

There's no use in holding on... the time always comes to dust the sand off one's hands. We'll never find those same grains again, so we move on to another shore, to another sunset, to another handful of sand. Maybe then we'll learn how to hold it, cupping it gently to not let even one grain fall.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Les Misérables

Start:     Sep 4, '07
End:     Oct 21, '07
Location:     Broadhurst Theater, 235 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10019
Yep, today and everyday (except Mondays).

--> Tuesday performances are ALWAYS at 7:00 PM. All other evening shows are at 8:00 PM.

--> Wednesday and Saturday matinee performances are at 2:00 PM.

--> Sunday performances are at 3:00 PM.

VACATION!!!!!!!

Start:     Aug 19, '07
End:     Sep 3, '07
Location:     Manila
I shall be taking two weeks off from August 19-September 3. And of course, I'll be heading to Manila. Time to visit my husband and my brand new nephew Antonio!

More Nic!!!




Habunny, here's more for you!

Nic being Nic




Here you go, Bun!

Nic - July 1 and July 11




Here are some new pictures!!!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

July 12, 2007 - Eating Alone

After yesterday's matinee (and before my hour-long, much needed massage), I headed to a nearby Japanese restaurant alone to grab some dinner... I was surrounded by other actor-singer-dancers from other nearby shows... some talking quietly about whatever... others speaking more loudly. One in particular was speaking about his boyfriend's being less than successful at auditions for shows. I couldn't help but overhear... then again, I don't think the rest of the patrons could either.

Anyway, I just wasn't in the mood to eat with company. I went to eat alone, by choice. I wanted to not be distracted by conversation, and just enjoy the meal set before me. Besides, it's been a while before I've had any "me" time.

Boy, did I enjoy it. The cup of green tea that started my meal was hot and soothing, as was my bowl of miso soup. The sushi I ordered was just perfect, each piece of fish fresh and delicious (I saved the pieces of salmon for last). I savored every bite, let my tongue roll off every slippery piece, just flavored with a bit of soy sauce and wasabi, and smiled. I'm hoping that none of the other patrons found me strange. Yes, I do love my food.

It was a welcome change to head to dinner solo. No phone calls came in, no texts heading out. Just me, a pair of chopsticks and a delicious meal. I don't think I could have spent a better afternoon alone.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

July 11, 2007 - Knitting

One of my hobbies is knitting... at the moment, I'm knitting a scarf and a baby blanket to help me wind down from my nights at the theatre.

My scarf was progressing quite well... however... I had to take it apart, unraveling it knot by knot, stitch by stitch. You see, I dropped a stitch (or decreased a row), and I couldn't fix it. I tried to find the right holes... tried to go row by row to see how I could repair it... but at the end of it, I couldn't. In my anger, I ripped it apart, taking each stitch out, pulling the yarn, yard by yard, until the scarf was no more. I had invested quite a bit of time and effort in my knitting this article of clothing... a few minutes here... a few minutes there, whenever I could... and it was turning out beautiful. However it was, in the end, ripped apart and disassembled... all because of a tiny little pipsqueak of a stitch that I couldn't find and therefore fix.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise... perhaps I needed to unravel my scarf down to its basest elemental level: the ball of yarn with which I started. Now, it's time to cast on, and start fresh. Hopefully this time, the scarf will be clean, and in my eyes, perfect. And yes, I do intend to finish it by the fall, to wrap around my neck and keep me warm.

Monday, July 9, 2007

July 09, 2007 - Easy Guacamole


Last Sunday I hosted a little poker party for a few friends from Les Miz, and one thing I prepared was fresh, home made guacamole. I can't say the recipe is all my own; I culled it from many Mexican dinners and the personal recipe of a good friend. Don't worry if you're never ever cooked or made anything edible in your life... this is really easy, and a great hit with your party guests.

2 avocados
1 lime
1 jalapeño pepper
1 medium tomato
1/2 small red onion
a bit of cilantro (note: not everyone likes the taste of cilantro, so I'll let you decide how much or how little to put... if you do at all)
garlic salt to taste

Chop the tomato (without the seeds), jalapeño (without the seeds), onion and cilantro. Scoop the flesh out of the avocados... put in a bowl and start mashing. Add chopped ingredients. Squeeze lime juice into mixture. Add garlic salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!!!

This recipe serves about 4-6 people, so feel free to make more if there are more of you (or if you're just extra hungry).

Sunday, July 8, 2007

July 08, 2007 - Relationships

I was just on Skype (www.skype.com - get it, it's fabulous) with one of our oldest friends in Manila (she's one of my mom's contemporaries, i.e., they're more or less the same age), and she was talking about a married couple whose relationship just went by the wayside... they have a 10-year-old child. I then related similar tales of two other married couples whose marriages didn't work out. In both cases, the husbands left. For whatever reason, they didn't deem it worth it to continue their unions and opted instead to just pack up and leave.

I shook my head (and let out a few choice expletives) when I heard of my friends becoming uncoupled. In one case there were no children... in the other, two little girls.

So my friend had to let out a sigh and wonder what it is with today's relationships that separations (and ultimately annulments/divorces) happen much more frequently. How come marriages seem all the more disposable and far easier to leave, even with the presence of children.

No, dear reader, I don't have the answers. My parents' union didn't work out either (and neither did that of my husband's folks), so I don't have that secret magic formula for a happy, lasting marriage. All I know is, a solid union takes work and the willingness to put forth the effort. Rob and I have been married 3 1/2 years now (and together for nearly 6 years altogether), and we're doing fine. Other close friends of mine have celebrated marriages lasting 20 years and 13 years, which gives me tons of inspiration.

On a lighter note, two cast members of Les Miz have just embarked on an adventure... they are in a brand new relationship and are giddily, happily in love. Both as individuals are wonderful, fantastic people, and I have nothing but good wishes for them. That, and plenty of hope.

Friday, July 6, 2007

July 06, 2007 - Counting blessings

Isn't it great when...

... you get to do what you love for a living?

... you meet wonderful friends along the way in this journey of life?

... you meet the love of your life, and live all the more fully because he/she has made it possible?

... just thinking about someone you love makes the sun shine in your heart at that instant?

... your child smiles at you, in all innocence and honesty?

... a meal is able to satisfy and fulfill all five senses?

... the commute to work is an opportunity to exercise?

... the barista knows exactly what you want when you walk in?

... you find a fabulous pair of shoes?

... your prayers are answered?

... a store lets you return stuff, "just because"?

... that fantastic haircut lasts more than a few weeks?

... online shopping DOES pay off?

... you win an eBay auction?

... you finally figure out who you are, what you are, what you like, what you hate, what you love?

... you finally find what your heart was looking for?

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Start of another week

I have a few minutes of peace and quiet before I head to work, so I thought to write about how the week has been going...

- Chip Zien (Thenardier) is doing very, very well.  Considering that he's never done the show before and had only a couple of weeks to learn the role, he's doing great.  I would give him another week or so before he gets really comfortable, but all of us are having a great time with him.

- Drew Sarich played his last Grantaire on Saturday night... right now he's on vacation for a week, and when he returns, he'll be learning Valjean full time.  I know that there are quite a few of you that can't see him as a Valjean, but I'm going to sit and wait before I pass judgment.  I have a feeling he's going to be fantastic though.

- Our newbies are pretty much all in!  Mike Evariste is now performing, and this week Cortney Wolfson and Michael Minarik will be starting (hopefully).  I love that my dressing room is right beside Kevin Stites's room; I get to hear them rehearse.

And that's about it!!!